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“Emerson, stop stealing my Ruby Woo lipstick- it’s not even your shade!” Brynn groaned, snatching the familiar matte MAC packaging from her older sister’s grimy hands. She had been getting ready for the party when she had noticed her signature shade of lipstick was missing- and the only other person she knew who wore it seasonally lived in the bedroom right next to hers. It was just after New Year’s and even though the brunette was already back in high school, her older siblings Emerson and Felix didn’t go back to college for another two weeks. Which meant that they were still around to torment her.

Emerson rolled her eyes, glaring up at Brynn from her seat in front of her large vanity. “Oh come on, Skinny Brynnie, don’t be such a killjoy, I was just borrowing it again. I left mine in my dorm.” She replied, pouting her lips, hoping for some semblance of pity. Emerson and Brynn somewhat got along. At times, they were best friends, and at other times, they could be worst enemies- like right now. ‘Skinny Brynnie’ was her terrible nickname for her ever since she lost all that weight after middle school, and Brynn hated it. “Besides, where are you even going? Isn’t it a Tuesday night?”

“I don’t care that you forgot yours, that doesn’t mean you can just take mine.” Brynn replied, checking over the lipstick tube for any damage or dents. “The Helmsley’s are back in town. They’re throwing a party tonight on their yacht- everyone is going.” She explained, slipping the tube into the pocket of the silk bathrobe she was currently wearing.

“Wait, the Helmsley’s are back?” A male voice from the Hallway echoed off of the hardwood floors and through Emerson’s room. Felix appeared in the doorway, a quizzical look plastered onto his face as he leaned against the frame.

“Apparently. But Brynn, you never wear this lipstick unless it’s a special occasion, unless…” Emerson’s eyes widened, “Are you going with someone to this party? Has someone managed to tie little miss Brynn down? ”

Brynn rolled her eyes, “Oh, shut up, Em.” She stated, turning around and attempting to leave, but her brother moved to block her path. “Come on, get out of the way.” Brynn didn’t want to have this conversation with her siblings- hell, she didn’t want to talk to them at all. She just needed them to pack up their things and go back to college so she could be an only child again.

“Well, what’s his name? Do we know him? For you to drop the entire football team, the sex must be out of this world...” Felix wiggled his eyebrows while looking down at his baby sister, causing Emerson to laugh. Brynn knew he wouldn’t let her go until she told him, but after crossing her arms over her chest, she spoke defensively.

“None of your business, Felix. Now, move!” She raised her voice a notch, which caused her siblings to laugh once more. Felix took a step back and watched as his sister walked out of the room, a snicker escaping his lips as she slammed her door shut. Brynn couldn’t help but exhale angrily as she flopped down onto her bed. How did she end up with such rotten lineage? Pulling out her phone, she replied to Sean- they had been texting back and forth all day, which brought a smile to her face.

What didn’t bring a smile to her face, however, was that Sean had said earlier he didn’t want to go to the party tonight. That simply wouldn’t do. What could Brynn do to convince him? She knew begging and pleading wasn’t attractive, and the vague promise of sex wouldn’t entice him. All of a sudden a lightbulb went off in her head- she’d have to show him what he’d be missing if he didn’t come tonight.

Pulling the tie of her silk bathrobe and letting the fabric fall to the floor, she let the camera do the work for her. Snap. Text. Send.

Satisfied with her work, she covered herself up once more and continued applying makeup to her face, completing her look with MAC Ruby Woo, the color she only used for special occasions. After all, this was a special occasion- she was following her heart for once in her life. A buzz distracted her from her eyeliner, and a grin crossed her face at the blonde boy’s terse and simple response. Perfect. Typing back quickly and biting her lip at the thought of being with him in a matter of hours, she chose her words quite carefully before sending her text.

To: The Hotter Sterling
You better be. Tonight will be incredible, I promise ;) See you soooon

Ilyana Powers had one sole goal today: Capture Quincy Hart in the most memorable light that could, and hopefully would, mean the world to her. When Rose embarked on a journey, that was usually in the form of an art project, she went all in or she did nothing at all. If she didn’t have inspiration, she would be upfront about it and tell the people how it is: I got nothing. The only thing she allowed herself to half ass on was her general studies. Everything else? She had to go above and beyond or she wouldn’t be proud of her work. Her high standards wasn’t even high enough because she had a lot to live up to, having some of the most creative and brilliant people as her parents. David Powers, the leader of an extreme sports team, Justin Credible ^{Say It Fast!}, and Elysia Powers, the famed Miss. (now Mrs.) Nuclear Warhead.

No, she simply wanted to do her best and make meaningful stuff. If her art involved someone she was close with, then that gave her more of a reason to make the significance of this project not just be limited to the pictures she took but also by the experience that she gave her subject.

Her project was The Day in the Life of Quincy Hart. Taking her own creative liberties, Rose had texted Q the previous night, while Q was snuggling A Double across the hall, with what she had in mind for their morning to lunch adventure. Choose 10 places that are important to you. You don’t have to tell me why. But tomorrow, after homeroom, we’re going on a journey. I promise, you won’t regret it. Plus, this would give them an opportunity to catch up with one another, like Rose learning more about Q’s relationship with her brother. Technically, they could’ve left after breakfast, but Rose had an engagement at 6:30 AM on school campus. Weird, but it seemed important. Turns out it was only a bored starlet wanting to make a film about the school. Rose still wasn’t fully convinced she wanted to do it, but that was a concern for later.

In her Trip Ship, Rose put on her shades, as she chewed her gum and popped it in her mouth. Driving slowly around the school, the misfit turned down her volume of AC/DC and scanned the area. Her agenda did not entail giving Q a headache with loud, good music. Hopefully Q wasn’t going to bail on her. She told her to go out the back way so it wasn’t too conspicuous they were playing hooky. Though, keep in mind, Rose’s vehicle was a vibrant moving piece of art, with every possible color under the sun.

Seeing her brother’s lover waiting for her, behind the library, Rose slowly pulled up. Their vehicle wasn’t suspicious at all. And then a click could be heard outside to signal the doors were unlocked. She blew a bubble while she waited.

Quincy grinned as Rose pulled up, her wonderfully garish van about as conspicuous as it was possible to be. She climbed into the passenger seat, smiling despite the pit in her stomach. She’d written down a list of places to go with Rose, and to say she was nervous barely scratched the surface. The list had started out simple enough, places like Burntown and Captain Cuddles. As she got further down the list, it had taken on more meaning than she’d expected. She’d realized that, for the most part, no one really knew her. They knew what tacos she liked, what her favorite ice cream was, how many hits it took to get her really baked, but none of her friends knew the spots where she laughed, and cried, and was the realest version of herself. Q hardly knew those spots anymore. ”I uh, made a list of places. First up is Captain Cuddles, then Burntown,” Quincy said, looking over at Rose.

“Righto. Those two places are easy enough to get to.” Rose blew a big bubble as she left the library in the dust and went on her merry way toward Captain Cuddles. As she moved along, she chewed in silence for a moment, contemplating what to say to one of the few female friends she had. Eventually, a lightbulb did come and she initiated the first of many conversations that would take place between these two this fine morning, “Sorry for the early trip. I like to get the sun before it’s too hot... and bright. Too hot and bright. If you need me to stop for anything, just ask. Thanks to my daddy’s map — with my additions — I know LA like ADubs knows MJ.” Turning signal on. A left here.

For someone like Rose, who had anxiety, adhd, and a lot going on in her head, she was a calm driver and surprisingly, better than most teens. The weed helped, but more importantly, the experience of learning from her parents gave her the courage to drive while the want to carpool her friends gave her the need to drive. “So.” Rose clicked her gum. “How you been?” Pause. She wasn’t being too forward was she? “We haven’t talked much lately… I hope you’re okay with me asking.”

”I’ve been good. Really good,” Quincy said looking over at Rose. ”Y’know, I really appreciate you asking me to model for ya Rose,” Quincy said, grinning. Rose involving her in stuff like this, it made her feel welcome, like maybe she did belong in this life. She needed that validation more often than people realized. Sometimes, Quincy felt like she was watching her life play out on a plasma screen, a life she didn’t belong in. This though, this suggested that maybe she was doing the rights things. Living the right life.

Shrugging at Q’s words, Rose blatantly responded, “You’re one of the most attractive people I know and I don’t mean just on the surface.” The token misfit returned the smile. Quincy’s eyes were breathtaking, and not because Rose could see the appeal that brought Q and her brother together. The blue-gray of Q’s eyes reminded her of the skies before a storm began. Lightning wanting to strike but the cloud still gathering since dawn. Rain begging to come out but left in the clouds. Calm, always calm, but stuck, swirling with emotion and holding incredible depth.

Quincy was beautiful and Rose noticed her beauty a while ago. A girl that carried an underlying sadness, like the sadness her mother carried when her brother, Rose’s uncle, past on leaving a son and a heartbroken wife, but still finding reasons to trudge on. The people you met made life a little less hellish and for Rose, Q was one of them for her. She didn’t have to say much, but Rose watched her strength in silence and how she is more of a go-getter than she probably believes… yeah. “The perfect model.”

Q smiled and looked away for a moment. “Thanks, Rose. I appreciate that,” she said, her cheeks tinged pink with slight embarrassment. It wasn’t everyday that someone called her beautiful. In fact, it was rarer than she had realized. “Hey, Rose. Wyatt told me you were asking him and Raf a bunch of questions about kissing. Is there someone on your mind?” Quincy teased, grinning over at her friend.

Now equally embarrassed, Rose jerked her head back toward the road. Of course, Wyatt would tell Q! Tapping her thumbs on the wheel, Rose popped her gum and contemplated her next words. She sighed. Talking about this more, with one of her friends, could do her some good. After hesitation, she lamented, “Yeah, but I don’t think I like him like that. I don’t know if I ever liked him like that. We were too young to really know.”

Going deep into her brain, Rose thought back to the the time where she and this boy were kids. Childhood friends that spent a lot of time together. Tire swing. Climbing that big apple tree. Rolling in the dirt. Playing pretend. Young kids that didn’t understand the concept of love but innocently loved each other. Now that she looks back at that time, it seemed more platonic than romantic. They were just kids. “At the party, it caught me off guard. We hadn’t talked in years… I kind of pushed him away because, I don’t know, he was growing up too fast. I wouldn’t even consider him a friend of mine anymore because we’re both just… different.” Two different worlds and she knew that the boy he has become isn’t someone she sees herself with. Isn’t something like her mom has with her father. Isn’t what she needs to be happy.

The stars have a different story written for her and she’s okay if it didn’t involve that kind of love. She was happy with the love from her family and friends, but most importantly, she was happy with the love she had for herself as she relentlessly kept dreaming about making meaning to her existence. Making things that put a smile on her loved ones’ faces. “Wyatt says kissing can be for fun, but I don’t think I’m that type of girl.” She glanced at her friend, displaying the conflict that she’s been going through since New Years. “I don’t even care about all that, and I don’t know if that makes me weird? Or well, more weird. I get all the love I need from you guys and my family. The kissing caught me off guard, especially from someone I had history with, not the idea of maybe having someone like you have with Double A.”

Quincy nodded along to Rose’s story, smiling sympathetically. “Rose, I think the strongest thing in the world is to be able to stand on your own. You do that really well. Don’t forget that.”

Their first stop was Burntown, it’s cracked cement and graffitied surfaces reminding Quincy of her short times with her new found friends. She could see it like it was yesterday, Jennifer Hart, walking into the skatepark, wearing heels, a short skirt, and a blouse that showed more skin than should be legal. She’d been looking around like she was about to get robbed. All she’d wanted was some weed, something to make her forget...well everything. Her dad had just died, her supposed friends had just abandoned her, all cause she’d seen Hailey for what she was. A heartless snake. She’d gone to Burntown to get weed. She hadn’t realized she’d find new friends too. A Double had been stoned, and so funny. She’d smoked with him and Wyatt, and later Rose and Raf had shown up, and just like that, she was one of them. Such a complex dynamic out of such a simple decision.

“You remember when we first met each other? I think that was one of the longest days we spent here, ending our night laying in the bowl staring up at the night sky. It was peaceful and time didn’t matter. Not like how it matters now, with graduation rollin’ around. Being an upperclassmen sucks. It’s all about: what are you going to be when you grow up?” Rose stood beside her friend and peered down at the place where all of them laid on the ground, laughing and being high as fuck. “Not gonna’ lie, but seeing a cute prep standing next to my brother was a sight to see. I immediately thought, welp, what did Adubs do now? But it turned out, you just wanted company and I’m glad we gave you just that.” Rose had a pelican case propped up behind her, where she stored two specific cameras in it, with their complimented accessories. One being, the Cannon A1, which was one of the oldest school shooters, that actually has a microprocessor in it. This camera, as old as it is, it was actually her mother’s, would provide her the softness and outdated quality that she wanted, for nostalgia’s sake. No filter required. Plus, Rose wasn’t one to use filters, she’d just enhance her pictures in photoshop if necessary. The other was one of the newer Fujifilm polaroid cameras. Outlandish to go a more vintage aesthetic for something that was supposed to portray the present, but Rose believed the past made our present. Therefore, she wanted to go on this journey with Q, maybe even get to know her better.

The polaroid was going to be used sparingly. For moments she would think Q would appreciate to have to hold and use to decorate. With the camera now in hand, her hands having subtly turned it on, but her attention never leaving Quincy, Rose smiled, “What’s your favorite memory here?”

Quincy grinned as she recounted the numerous memories that she’d made in this concrete jungle. From meeting A Double and the others, to learning to skate with Wyatt and Raf, to watching her boys do stupid tricks, while her and Rose giggled. It was hard to pick just one. “There was this time, last year around this time. I’d only just met you guys, but I was here with all of you, in the middle of the night. Wyatt was stoned out of his mind, and he thought he was frozen and couldn’t move. Anyways, you and A Dubs and Raf went to go get some food from Taco Bell and I’m sitting there alone with Wyatt. All of sudden, he starts crying, and I have no clue what to do because I’m a little high and I hardly know him! So he starts talking and he tells me everything. About his dads, his brother and sister, I mean he didn’t hold back, and I think that was the first time, since my dad died, that I felt...welcome” Quincy said, smiling gently as the breeze toyed with a lock of her hair.

Throughout their conversation, Rose snapped a picture here and there, but rarely in between. She listened to her friend, who recollected the fond memories she had with them. This set the tone for the rest of the morning they would share together. Where the girls simply talked and when Rose saw a moment, she quietly captured it. She would review the pictures later. At every place, she asked questions, as well as answer questions that Q bounced back to her. Questions that would hopefully compliment her presentation by shedding light on who Q was as a person when she showcased her pictures to the art club. Their route was based on the places that were closest together. Rose didn’t want to back track if she didn’t have to.

At Wheels n Deals, where Wyatt works, the question that stood out from the rest was: “If there was one thing you wanted to do with us all, what would it be? Or are you happy with how things are? If that’s the case, why do you like us so much?” A question that Rose was always curious about. What drew Quincy to each and every single one of them. The burners. The people on the lower end of the school hierarchy.

Quincy smiled as she looked around the skate shop, her eyes lit up with the memories of her times here. Wyatt ignoring customers to teach her how to roll a joint, or A Double and Riff helping her pick out her first skateboard, At Rose’s question, Q looked up, pondering for a moment as she mulled over the question. “Right now, I don’t think I could be happier. I mean, for once everything seems...right. Or at least I think it does,” Quincy chuckled. “I think I like you all so much because, you’re so...present. I mean, everything you guys do is about the here and now. There’s no worrying about popularity and the future. I spent so long hung up on things that didn’t matter, it’s nice to be around people with better set priorities.”

Captain Cuddles was next, it’s bright lights and cheesy aromas a familiar scene for the two girls. Quincy smiled. Captain Cuddles was where she’d first felt something for A Double, something more than friendship. He’d won this giant stuffed turtle for her, and handed it to her, like it was nothing. She remembered how she went home that night and smiled, really and truly beamed, into her pillow, until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

The cool thing about this place was Rose was able to capture Quincy in vibrant colors emanating from the surrounding arcade games. Like the Dollar Store photography challenge, created during Rose’s mother’s teen years, the eccentric blonde wanted to show that ordinary things could be more than just ordinary. It was all in a matter of perspective. High schoolers tried so hard to be more than what they were (or are), tried so hard to impress everyone but themselves, and tried so hard to be something they were not when all they have to do is just be. Be themselves and they would be found. Found by those that would show them that they don’t need the glitz and glam to shine. Following Q around Captain Cuddles did make Rose recall the many memories they’ve shared in here, like her glancing over from the skee-ball machine and seeing Adubs win Q a giant plushie of a turtle. Their happy expressions from a simple exchange spoke volumes to Rose at the time, she just chose not to look too deeply into it.

As they approached the rewards counter, Rose reached out to Quincy, getting comfortably close, and silently plucked a lint out of her blonde curls, before asking, “My brother means a lot to you, doesn’t he?” If Rose loved, she could see herself being attracted to both genders and people who identify themselves as otherwise. The soul of a person is what captivates her; what they label themselves as has nothing to do with the love she and them could build together and the good they could contribute to this world. Rose wished she understood it. The concept of love. Yet, she knew that wasn’t something she would be able to understand until she experienced it for herself.

She wasn’t in a rush to find her soulmate though.

“He does. And it scares me a bit. A lot actually. I haven’t cared about someone that much in a long time. I mean, I wake up and I think about him, and what he’s doing, and when I go to bed I worry about him, when I’m in math class I’m thinking of him, when I’m talking to my mom, I’m thinking of him. But people leave. And I don’t know if I can stop him from going.” Quincy wiped away the tears that had welled up, shocked by her sudden honesty. “Oh, wow. I’m sorry, that was a lot,” Q said, offering a feeble grin to Rose. “We should go.”

“Uh, yeah sure.” Wow. Rose was taken aback. Quincy really loved her brother, and she could feel it in every word that came out of her mouth. What did she mean by she can’t stop him from going? Where was ADouble going? Brushing the thoughts out of her mind, Rose did the one thing she felt was right after a moment like this. Letting her camera drop to her side, since it was strapped on her, she slipped her hand in Q’s and with the intention of comforting her, tightly squeezed it. After giving a soft smile, her fingers interlocked with Q’s, her expression displayed the sentiment that everything was going to be okay, she’d be okay, because Rose was here for her, and her feet led them out the door.

The rest of the journey started to get more and more personal for Quincy, the deeper down the rabbit hole they went. No longer was the journey about Q’s friends and her love for A Double. No, the journey was now about her personal life. What makes her vulnerable. What makes her dream. What makes her Quincy Hart.

Words didn’t have to be said for Rose to understand that these places meant the world to her. Q’s bedroom was her shelter. Her safe haven. Her secret place away from the hell that was their school...

Quincy’s bedroom came after Captain Cuddles, it’s pastel pink walls a stark contrast to the grunge aesthetic Q so loved. She had painted those walls when she was twelve, with her mom and dad helping her. She’d picked out pink from the supply store, and they’d come home to begin the remodel. She remembered the smell of fresh paint, her dad’s laugh, the look on her mom’s face as Quincy and her father danced around to the music they’d put on. That had been a long time ago. Now, the pink walls were plastered with posters, some of her dad’s movies, others of bands she listened too. Her bed was a mess, her floor littered with clothes. This was the one place where Quincy and Jennifer met, and spoke. Their conflicting influences were everywhere, from the walls to the posters to the closet. Here was where the war inside of her ceased. Here was the one place she thought she had a clue.

The Lawrence Botanical Garden was the place she could get the most peace at, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the many colors and smells of flowers. Q really did love flowers…

The botanical garden was another haven of Quincy’s. This was a place where she could forget about everything. The soft music that played through speakers, hidden amongst the leaves, created a tranquil ambience, one that often led Quincy into a world of escapism. Here she wasn’t Quincy or Jennifer or A Double’s girlfriend or the girl who pissed off Hailey. Here she was just a girl who liked flowers. That anonymity was welcome sometimes.

The airport was Q’s wistful plan to fly far, far away, out of this place. Escape from the hell that was Beverly Hills, among other things. As if she were a caged bird, trapped, and the airport was her open door out of here.

Perhaps that's why Rose was attracted to her. The girl reminded her of a bird and Rose loved birds.

The airport was next on the list. Whenever Q felt the pressures of Beverly Hills life closing in around her, she came here. Here she could watch the planes take off, wishing she was one of the many passengers on them. After her dad had died, after his funeral, she’d gotten as close to leaving as she could. She’d come here, bought a ticket to New York with her mom’s credit card and practically ran to the gate. And then she’d stopped. Right in front of the gate, just as they were beginning to board, she’d stopped, fell down, and cried. There she was, blonde hair straightened and falling down her back, dressed all in black, crying on the floor of an airport. Her mom had found her not long after that, and held her there while she cried, shedding her own tears. What her mom said that night would stick with her forever.

“It’s a big world out there, Jennifer. But there’s not a world big enough that you can outrun grief. One day, you’re going to notice that it doesn’t hurt so bad. And every day after that will get easier. I promise.”

The atmosphere of the places shifted even more and a journey that once was about a girl, was now about a girl and her parents. Quincy’s defenses were coming down, right in front of Rose’s eyes and Rose would happily take this moment as her own. She would cherish every ounce of Quincy that she was given this day. From the Hart’s Cove, a little pocket beach filled with memories of Q and her parents, like her dad teaching her how to surf, to the Little Starlet Park, where her parents met and there was a memorial of Q’s father. Rose couldn’t help but be grateful that Quincy had the courage to do this with her. On top of that, Rose was able to get Q to stand beside her father’s memorial and take a simple landscape portrait of her. If that wasn’t sad enough, they visited the Beverly Hills Memorial Cemetery, where Q’s father and grandparents were buried at…

Hart’s Cove was a tiny little spot that her father had found one morning while he was on a jog. They’d just moved into their house, Quincy was about twelve, and he’d come running into the kitchen, his ever so common look of excitement on his face. He’d dragged her and her mom out to the beach and said, “This here, is our beach. And we shall surf it!” That morning, Quincy had gotten on a board for the first time, and her dad had taught her how to surf. From then on, Hart’s Cove became a family spot, for picnics and adventures every weekend.

Little Starlet Park had been around for decades before Catherine McPherson had arrived in LA, but it didn’t become special until she did. Catherine had been in the city for two weeks when she stumbled upon the park, a tiny little place, tucked away in the hills. She strolled through, admiring the lights that twinkled throughout the trees, when she’d walked right into Logan Hart, a young actor who’d shot from D-List to A-List only a few years ago. He’d fallen in love right there, but she’d taken some convincing. He eventually won a date from her, a date that turned into a few years of dating. And on the night of Catherine’s first premiere, they’d returned to that very park and Logan had knelt down and said, “Catherine McPherson, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and to lose you would be to lose my entire heart. You are the moon, and the stars, and everything in between, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Quincy had heard that story a thousand times. Now days, a statue of the moon sat in the center of the park, a memorial to Logan Hart, paid for by Catherine. Oddly enough, when Quincy came here, she wasn’t reminded of her father. Here she thought of her mother. Here was where she’d experienced one of the happiest moments of her life. Here was where Quincy could feel her mother, from the trees to the statue.

The cemetery was next. Logan Hart’s plot was next to that of his parents, nestled away in the back corner of the cemetery, watched over by a large willow tree. Quincy came here as often as she could, to clean up the flowers from her last visit, and to sit and talk about her life. Her mom rarely came. Q used to hate her for that, but at some point she stopped caring. Quincy kind of preferred it to be just her and her dad. When Rose and Quincy arrived, Quincy walked over to his grave, Rose standing a bit behind.
“Hey Dad. It’s me, Quincy. I brought a friend today. Her name’s Rose. I’m modeling for her, so I’m taking her to some of my favorite places. I took her to Hart’s Cove, and the park where you and Mom met and...I miss you a lot, Dad. I have a boyfriend now, that same guy I was talking about. I think you’d like him, he’s adventurous like you. I’ll bring him some time. Alright. I love you, Dad. Bye.”

In the back, Rose rested her hand on her chest, debating if it was right to take a picture of this. This was… too personal. Maybe of his grave, but not of Quincy talking to him. This was their private conversation. She was a trespasser. With goosebumps tingling throughout her skin, Rose was reminded so much of her mother, who to this day makes time to visit her mother and brother’s graves. Grandma Rosie, she was never fortunate to meet, and Uncle Brandon, she was too young to remember, but her aunt and cousin, the sole Fables in Cali, remind her whenever they see one another.

They live in Santa Barbara.

Inspired more than she was before, because Q felt she was important enough to walk with her, through this, Rose would come out of this replenished. Quincy trusted her. Trusted her enough to take her to the where her father rested. A monumental morning for the two girls. Rose would remember this forever.

Their morning was coming to a close and they would soon have to rush back to school to pick up their friends for lunch…

The Kodiak Theatre was old. Built in the early 50’s, it had actually burned down and been rebuilt in the 90’s. That said, it was still ancient. However, producers and studios loved the theatre for the vibe it gave out, classic and proper. It was a home of art, art of the highest caliber. The Kodiak was home to Logan Hart’s first red carpet premiere, for his first film, He Who Looks At The Sky. Her father may have been buried miles away, but this was where Quincy could feel him the most. This was her father’s home.

“My dad loved this place. I think he loved acting in the purest way you can, I mean he was made for the screen. He used to tell me that when he pulled up in front of the Kodiak, he knew he’d made it. That all his dreaming had paid off. And then he’d look at me and say, ‘There is always gonna be someone who tells you no, someone who tells you that you’re doing the wrong thing, that you should give up. They don’t matter. You can do anything you put your mind to Jenny. Every dream you have, you can accomplish. I’m living proof!” Quincy said to Rose, her eyes glued to the theatre. Her eyes stung as tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks, free falling to the ground. Quincy wiped them away, chuckling. “I’m sorry, it’s just...no one really knows any of this, Rose. My dad was the greatest person in the world, and...I just fucking miss him,” Quincy explained, her tears flowing freely again, Quincy’s sobs wracking her body.

Rather than say any immediate words, Rose moved her camera to the side and slowly approached Q. In complete silence, she pulled the crying girl close, wrapping her arms around her friend. Her embrace was warm and protective; a simple, soothing gesture to show that she was grateful. As the tears soaked her chest, Rose squeezed a fraction tighter, before lifting her friend’s face up to look at her. She wanted Quincy to have a good look at her light brown eyes and all the emotions swirling inside of her. She smiled and kindly whispered, “Don’t be sorry.” Raising her voice, and giving Quincy a little space. Rose proclaimed, “He’s right, you know?”

Stepping a couple steps back, so the theater was a backdrop to Rose, the eccentric blonde quoted Q, who quoted her late father, “You can do anything you put your mind to, Jenny.” She paused and pointed at her friend, “Your his daughter, after all.” And ultimately, living proof of all his hard work. “Now can you do me a favor?”

Q sniffed, wiping the tears away and taking one deep breath, her cheeks splotchy from her sobs. A weak smile tugged the corners of her mouth upwards ever so slightly. “No one’s called me that in a long time,” Quincy said, chuckling softly. “What is it?” Q asked, looking over at Rose.

“Yell. At the top of your lungs. That you miss him.” Rose blatantly demanded. Quincy bottled a lot up. Honestly, another good option would be for her to yell that she was worth it, but this… felt more fitting. It was the emotion that Rose felt the most today with Q. That she missed him. If Q declined, Rose would play devil and egg her on until she simply released everything in whatever way she felt necessary. Aggression was always a possibility. Tears was only the start. Rose knew there was more to release. Q felt sorry for showing she was human. Of course there was more to release.

Q shook her head, smiling ever so slightly. This was the exact kind of spontaneity that Rose always exhibited, the kind of adventure that drew Quincy to her in the first place. “I miss him,” she said, quietly. “I miss him,” she said, this time, louder. “I miss him!” Quincy shouted, this time at the top of her lungs, drawing the wary gaze of the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Rose’s soft lips stretched into a cheesy grin. The opportunity of Quincy allowing her inner self to rise to the surface had come and pass. Her soul gave off a warm glow, from the release of emotions, and it was time to go back to their friends. “Thank you. For being my model.” And for the entire morning.

Quincy grinned, taking a deep breath. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, like she could breathe again for the first time in a year. “Any time Rose. Any time.”

When Truly Bliss gets attached to people, she finds herself drawn to them like a mosquito is drawn to lamps. She can’t help but have a shocking connection with them. One person in particular, aside from her BFF, Kit, was a sophomore girl named Fawn Woods. True could remember their first meeting like it was only yesterday. It was Man Crush Monday, sixth period in the spooktacular month of October, two weeks before Halloween. That meant True had Study Hall and Wyatt Durand, her man crush on Monday (and every day for that matter, since the moment she laid eyes on him), had Ceramics. It only took True a matter of seconds to get a hall pass and go missing for fifthteen minutes, or maybe the entirety of that period. Who’s counting? Being a freshman had its perks. If someone asked why she wasn’t in class, she could just use the whole ‘I’m lost’ card. Works all the time. The professor kept the door open, so she had to be smooth to poke her head in and watch her man crush from afar as he centered clay and had it spin around the wheel with a messy face and a messy shirt and a messy pot… he was sooooooo good at that! Wrong, he was terrible, but True was biased. That led to a deer tapping her shoulders and asking her if she was lost. From that point on, True decided this girl who was concerned for her well being would be her friend forever.

Now here they were, behind a tree, True being as discreet as possible, as she watched Wyatt and his friend talking and doing burner things on the sidewalk. She glanced at the helmet she was holding and decided to throw it behind her. If he agrees to teach, having a helmet would only mean it would get in between her head and his chest if she were to fall. A helmet would not do. “Okay, Fawn. You know how I really, really want to learn how to skateboard but I’m too shy to ask? I need your help. I can’t do this by myself or I’ll be embarrassed! You get the long haired one, I get the other. He’s mine. Got it?” Did True tell Fawn about her crush? Not necessarily, but this was a start! It wasn’t like she was obvious or anything.

Wide brown doe eyes stared at the red-haired freshman in front of her, to say she was confused was an understatement. Fawn felt a bit lost at what was going on and why her friend was watching the skateboarders from behind a tree. She was also lost on why True called one of the boys ‘hers’, but she wasn’t going to question it as Fawn was sure she had a reason. The main thing she needed clarifying on was what her friend meant by ‘get the long haired one’, what exactly did True want her to do in this situation? That is what really left the little deer lost, but she wanted to help her friend, plus it also meant she’d get a chance to learn more about skateboarding, which had always intrigued her.

Writing down a question to hopefully understand what was happening better, Fawn held up her board. “What exactly do you want me to do? What do you mean by get the long haired one? I don’t have to ‘get him’ as in attack him, right? I wouldn’t do very well with that, I’m too small. You should probably ask someone else like Kit. She’d probably do better at ‘getting him’ than I would.” There were people who rambled when talking, then there was Fawn. Who sometimes ended up rambling when she wrote or ‘spoke’ in her way. Sometimes it led to very small text and long paragraphs all to answer one simple question, but it happened less and less frequently as if she rambled in reply to her parents… good things didn’t happen.

“No, dork. I mean get their attention. We want to know how to skate, they know how to skate. We get their eyes on us and then you can take it away with your whiteboard! I doubt they’d deny a cute, tiny, _deaf girl such as yourself. I’m just a freshmen. No one likes freshmens. And, like, to most of the school, I don’t even exist. You are the Great Fawn! My only hero right now. Kit’s busy.” Truly Bliss kept her eyes on the boys, hoping they didn’t walk away. If they walked away, she would resort to plan B. She didn’t want to resort to plan B. FAWN WAS HER ONLY HOPE.

“Today’s the day, Wy. I’m gonna do it, my dude.” Riff said after exhaling a steady stream of smoke. He passed the joint to his curly haired friend and clacked the wheels of his skateboard against the pavement. Today was the day he was going to do what, exactly? Smoke so much that he manages to put himself in a coma? Kiss the cute little blondie he’d found in anime club and has been toting around school? Actually break a Guiness World Record for number of McDonald’s chicken nuggets consumed in one sitting? With Raf — any one of these things, or more, were a possibility, but none of which were what he was referring to. “The 360 hardflip. Check it, scrub.”

Rafael pushed forward and set his board gliding across the blacktop. Once it had gained what Raf deemed to be the desired amount of speed, he bent his knees and snapped his momentum back upward. Close, but no cigar. The board smacked into his ankle before innocently rolling away like it didn’t commit such a heinous crime. It hurt like a bitch, there’s barely any skin covering your ankles!

“Ah! Fuck! Shit!” Riff exclaimed as he attempted to sooth the screaming ankle bone against the soft flesh of his opposing calf muscle. Never one to settled for failure on his wheels, Rafael ran after the escaping board and hopped back on. He cruised around the parking lot for a few seconds before giving the trick a second shot. Riff sprung upward… and… he landed it! Hell yeah, boys! While he might have landed it, he was no gymnast, so he didn’t really stick the landing. The heels of his feet hung precariously over the rear side of his board, and Riff lost balance and fell backwards, flat on his ass. “Whatever! Still landed that shit!” Raf said as he laid back against the pavement and held up a single thumbs up towards Wyatt.

Wyatt was seated on his board, taking a hit from the joint as Raf fell, leading to an explosion of smoke erupting up from his lungs as he made a noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh. Grinning he rolled over to Raf, still seated on his board, and handed him the joint before standing up and gaining his balance.

“Watch the pro do it, Young Padawan,” Wyatt said hopping on and skating down the sidewalk, faster and faster until...the board cracked against the pavement, a successful, 360 hardflip having played out in the space above the board, and a joyful Wyatt holding his hands up, skating a victory lap for his audience. “And that is how it’s done, scrub boy!”

Rafael watched the scene play out from his ground-bound vantage point. Of course he landed it on the first shot. Fucking Wyatt. Riff smirked and shook his head. The same hand that was giving a thumbs up a moment ago was now proudly flashing the boy a middle finger.

The deer nodded, finally understanding what True wanted. It made her a bit nervous though, she was not the biggest fan of attention but she had agreed to help True so she would. The only problem was she had no idea how she would go about getting their attention. She hoped her friend had an idea on how to do that. But if there was one thing that she did know would get them on their way to getting the attention of the skaters, it would be not hiding behind the tree. So Fawn grabbed True’s arm and in a burst of confidence pulled her with her towards the skaters.

Okay. It was finally happening. True had her Courage pull her toward her future husband. Finally, they were meeting for the first time, face to face. A monumental moment in Truly’s mind. Did she look appropriate? She wore her usual maroon sweater, over a white blouse, with a khaki skirt on. Maybe the skirt made this inappropriate to learn skateboarding…NO MATTER, she would work with what she was wearing. Why did she even bring a helmet in the first place? That would’ve made her intentions far too obvious. She tried her best to stay cool, but her eyes couldn’t help but widen in admiration as her Dream got closer. His hair was dark and fluffy. The best kind of hair to touch. His skin, his face in particular, looked so smooth. Like a...like a baby! The best kind of skin to touch. His body, scrawny, thin, and full of manliness. She most definitely could wrap her arms around him if she tried. The best kind of body to touch. Wyatt Durand was the handsomest boy to ever walk the Earth. When they were finally face to face, True’s cheeks were kissed with rosy pink. Oh goodness. Was it getting hot out here or was it just her? Play it cool. Then she let out a high pitched squeak and immediately covered her lips.

Nooooooooo.

Immediate change in course. Plan B. Initiate.

True told herself she wasn’t going to do it, but she decided in this moment, she must. With quick and forceful movements, True pushed Fawn at the boys. Hard enough for the poor girl to crash into the long haired boy. “She really likes you….r skateboard!” Yes. Yes. Put all the focus on Fawn.

One moment Fawn was walking with True towards the two skaters, then she was stumbling from a shove only to crash into the skater with the longer hair. Her face immediately heated up turning redder than her hair as she took a few unsteady steps back. As her friend spoke her face only grew hotter and darker, her hand stumbling to finish writing on her whiteboard so she could use it to cover her face. “I’m Sorry!” She finally finished writing and quickly the board was over her face. At this moment in time Fawn didn’t care that she wouldn’t be able to read anyone’s lips, she just wanted to hide from her embarrassment.

“Oooof!” Rafael exclaimed in surprise when his body was met with the unexpected force of a girl just as he was trying to stand back up. Riff stumbled to regain his balance and then turned around to face her. She was… tiny. Tinier than him! He couldn’t see her face, but there was a mane of long red hair sticking out from behind a white board. Why’d she have a white board? “Oh, uh, hello? It’s okay, I run into shit all the time. No bigs!” Raf rolled his skateboard back and forth under one foot while he waited for the girl to respond, his head tilted to the side curiously.

Wyatt looked from one girl to the next, his mop of dark hair flopping around ever so slightly as his head turned. True wanted to touch his hair. Taking another hit from the joint he did the one thing he always did when meeting someone new. He offered them drugs. “Want some? I’m Wyatt, and this is Raf,” he said, holding the joint out and gliding slowly towards True.

YES. Without hesitation, but still pretty damn shy, True shuffled toward the joint. Oh man. If Damian knew she was about to smoke. Would he even care? Mama would. Mama wasn’t going to find out. Pulling out her hand, she cautiously went for it. If she grabbed it just right, she would touch his hand. Her heart was racing. This was a monumental moment and she would have to write it down in her diary. Gulping to herself, she slipped her fingers around the joint and said in super fast speed, “I’m-Truly-Bliss-this-is-Fawn-she’s-hard-of-hearing!” Snatch. SHE DID IT, FAM. She grabbed the joint from Wyatt. Now the bigger thing.

The indirect kiss. Her eyes narrowed, as she focused long and hard on the foreign object. If she did exactly as Wyatt did, she should be fine. Ooooh, this made her so nervous! After taking a deep breath in, for preparation, she placed the joint between her lips, letting it sit for a moment or two, before inhaling deeply. The results ended with a small freshman having a coughing fit. People like this?! Well, Wyatt likes it so it must be good. Okay, she likes it too. She gave the joint back to her future husband, still coughing.

It had been sometime since the embarrassing event and Fawn realized that if anything had been going on or been said, well she had missed it all. No longer wanting to miss out she lowered her whiteboard until she was hugging it tightly to her chest. Right at the moment she lowered the whiteboard the small deer realized her friend seemed to be having a coughing fit or possibly choking, so to try and be of some help she patted True on the back in hopes that it would help with whichever one was actually happening. All the while she lived up to her namesake as she looked like a deer in headlights with everything she did.

Wyatt grinned and took the joint in one hand, gently patting True’s back with the other, one foot on the ground, the other on the board. “Woah, easy there,” Wyatt said, chuckling slightly. “We don’t want you to puke.”

First Fawn patted True’s back, which was much appreciated, but then the unexpected happened! Truly Bliss froze in position when Wyatt, her Wyatt, rubbed her back ever so softly. His touch caused her body to tingle all over and the coughing did come to a stop. What she should do? Keep coughing and hope he never stops touching her? Or… True glanced over at Fawn’s face. That look of bewilderment. Okay, it was time to be a good friend now.

Bringing herself up, she turned on her heel — Woah. Wyatt was really close to her. FOCUS, TRUE. Taking a step back, for it was getting hot out here and she couldn’t take off all her clothes, she gleamed at the boys, more so Wyatt than Raf, “Fawn’s always wanted to learn how to skateboard. I wouldn’t mind learning too. That’s why we.. ungracefully came here, to you guys. To ask if you could teach us?” When True wasn’t frazzled with Wyatt, she was fully capable of handling social interactions. Seeing Fawn’s hopeless face brought her back to reality. True was being selfish. Using this as an opportunity to gain brownie points with the hubby, when in actuality, she was abusing her friend. “We’re underclassmen, by the way… so, I don’t want word going around that I tried that. I don’t know how my brother would react.” True averted her gaze from Wyatt’s and glanced at Fawn to make sure she was okay.

“Oh, right on. We’ll teach you, that’ll be dope. Right, Wy?” Riff nodded at his friend for confirmation. When the redheaded girl, Fawn — as True had introduced her, lowered her white board, Riff smiled warmly at her. Raf, being the way that he was, didn’t catch all of True’s words, so he missed the part where she explained that Fawn was hard of hearing. “I can teach the little deer, I like fellow small folk. Have you ever boarded before?” Rafael asked before stepping on the end of his 1UP-themed skateboard and tilting it upwards so that he could pass it over to the girl.

Fawn looked to the board then back at the boy holding the board. She had seen his lips move but she hadn’t been fully focused so she didn’t catch anything he tried to say to her. All she could do was assume he was giving her the board to give it a try. So that is what she decided she would try. Putting her whiteboard into her purse, Fawn grabbed the skateboard with both of her hands and walked a few steps away before setting the board on the ground. She then stepped up onto the board and stood there for a moment staring down at the device, wasn’t it supposed to be moving. Deciding to try it in a way she could move it herself Fawn sat down onto the board glad she had worn leggings to school that day. With a determined look, that really just looked adorable on the girl, Fawn began to push herself with her hands slowly picking up speed. Eventually the board rolled to a stop so she stood up and turned it around before repeating what she did and returning to the group, standing and picking up the board before holding it back out to Raf to return it.

Wyatt grinned at True as Raf began teaching Fawn. “Well, guess that means you’re with me,” he said, scratching the back of his neck and hopping off the board so True could take his place. “Alright so, be kinda careful getting up, it can get out from under you pretty easy,” Wyatt advised, holding out a hand so that he could help her up onto the board.

Riff stared at his student curiously. She looked confused. He tried explaining how to get the board moving once she stepped on it, but his words fell on deaf ears. “You just gotta push with your other foot, like this.” Raf mimicked the motion as if he were on a board of his own. Fawn continued to stand and wait for it to magically move itself, and then, she sat down. “Oh, uh, here…” The long-haired boy stepped forward to try to help her… but, she just started rolling away. Rafael watched as she used his prized skateboard like a gym class scooter, and then, he laughed his ass off. This tiny girl was a treat. “I mean… that’s one way to do it?”

Up until this point, Wyatt permeated True’s every waking thought, but now that he was here, right in front of her, she felt like the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz. Brainless. Every smile he gave, every little gesture he did, every word he said, a rush of warmth would course through her petite body. True could even hear her heartbeat through her ears. She anxiously and excitedly looked at his face. From his face, her eyes trailed down his torso straight to his hand. What a princely action — offering his hand to her. Wyatt Durand was a damn gentlemen. “Uh, okay... “ Her mind was hazy and she felt like she was in a trance, a trance that was like a butterfly being drawn to nectar. She was the butterfly, he was the nectar.

With gentle precision, she placed her hand on his, taking in the touch for as long as she could and how warm and wonderful it felt. Lifting herself on the skateboard, she slowly but surely put both feet on the board. Balancing herself was actually something she was good at. If she wasn’t good at that, she wouldn’t have performed well at cheer tryouts when she displayed her biggest strength, which involved her core muscles and balancing her body. Yes, she was clumsy, but for different things like walking into glass doors or spilling things. Or causing her mom’s lamp to tumble off the side table. Her falling though? Usually only happens intentionally. Who knows, though! She’s never skateboarded before (but she has snowboarded). She could definitely bust her ass.

Once she was on top of his skateboard, her hand tightened around him as a sign of keeping stable, but really, she just liked the feeling of holding his hand. “... should I kick? What if I fall?”

Wyatt grinned. Getting up was step number one. Going was step two. “Go ahead and kick. You’ll be fine, I’m pretty good at making sure people don’t fall and what not,” the curly haired boy said, grinning and putting and gently placing a hand on each of True’s sides, with no regard for what it might mean to her. There was one thing to know about Wyatt: he had no clue how boundaries worked.

And for True, this was perfectly fine. Actually, more than fine. Keep touching her. Nodding in acknowledgement, she tried her best to focus on her next play, but couldn’t help but feel that static again. She had to kick forward, potentially away from this, but maybe fate would bring her back into his hold, as if their attraction were like magnets. Gulping her saliva, she faintly kicked giving herself a steady slide. He’s still touching her? Yes. Okay good.

Her mind suddenly had a daunting thought. What if he wanted her to be good? What if this ‘scaredy girl’ act would make him grow tired of her? Should she be a bit more daring? A bit more bold? WHAT IF she was TOO GOOD and he wouldn’t want to teach her anymore?! True didn’t know what to do! Her mind was being flooded with possible options, that she hadn’t realized he was no longer holding her and she was gliding down the sidewalk. She kicked again. And again. And again. Until she was going incredibly fast. Oh god. This was slightly different than snowboarding. True covered her face as both of her feet were on the board while she just zoomed down the sidewalk. This was the day she would die.

Fawn tilted her head as she watched the boy laugh, she wasn’t quite sure what he found funny but she didn’t mind waiting for him to finish laughing, although the skateboard was getting heavy in her hands. When he finally stopped laughing and spoke the tiny girl’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought about how else to move the board. It didn’t move for her when she stood on it like it did for the boys but she was able to move it herself when she sat down. As she thought Fawn glanced over to True just in time to see her use her foot to kick off the ground and get the board moving that way. Setting the skateboard down and pulling out her whiteboard she wrote out a question for the long haired boy, once she finished writing she flipped it around for him to see. “So, I’m supposed to use my foot to move the board when I stand on it? It doesn’t move on its own?”

Riff watched as the girl pulled out the whiteboard again and started writing. Why was she doing that? Could she not talk? Rafael raised his eyebrow and then read her questions. “Yeah, that’s how it works. You need to use your feet.” Following suit of Wyatt, he offered the girl his hand before she stepped back up onto the board. “Can you speak?” He asked her as politely as he could manage.

Eyes widening, the little deer realized she didn’t explain her situation. At this point in the school year she had gotten into a bad habit of assuming people knew. Erasing her whiteboard and writing the answer to his question, Fawn once again held the board up so the boy could read it. “I prefer not to as I cannot hear so I wouldn’t know if I was shouting or not. Also, I rely on reading lips to know what people are saying. I’m sorry for not mentioning this earlier… my bad.”

Wyatt watched with joy as True sped down the sidewalk. He was a pretty good teacher! But then she kept going. And going. And going. He wasn’t quite sure how to stop her, but he also didn’t want to freak her out. He craned his neck around to look at Raf, a slightly worried look on his face. “Hey, uh, Raf? I think I mighta lost my freshman? And by lost, I mean, she’s speeding down the sidewalk.”

“You got legs, run after her, dude! She’s totally gonna wipe.” Rafael advised his friend and then turned back to Fawn. She didn’t talk and she couldn’t hear, okay, that was fine with him. He’d have to get creative in teaching her, and if there was one thing Riff excelled in, it was being creative. Truly, it was one of the only things that he excelled in. “That’s fine, you don’t need to apologize.” Rafael explained once he was sure that she could see his lips to read them. He also spoke slowly, because he knew how hard it could be to understand someone speaking in a different language than what was native to you — reading lips was probably a lot like trying to understand english. “Here, I’ll show you.”

Rafael helped Fawn up onto the skateboard and held her hand to keep her steady. “If you want to go forward, you need to push.” At the word ‘forward’ he pointed in that direction. At the word ‘push’, he directed her right foot off of the board and onto the ground. Riff looked up to meet her gaze so she could see his mouth again. “You do that until you are going fast… and then you can coast. To coast, you stand like this.” After finishing this instruction, he helped her get both feet back up on the board. He squared up her toes so that they were parallel and a little less than a foot apart. “When you coast, it’s all about balance. You use your arms for balance, okay?” Riff waited for her nod of recognition before continuing. “Next is how to turn. To go this way—” He pointed to the left, “Lean back on your heels, just a little bit.” Raf walked behind her and tapped at her heels to demonstrate and then came back around to face her. “To go right—” He pointed to the right this time, “Lean forward on your toes.” Raf tapped her toes next and smiled up from his squatting position. “But just a little!”

The long-haired boy stood back up to his full height of just over five feet and grinned. “Lastly, is stopping. Usually, you try to slow yourself down with your right foot before coming to a stop. Sometimes… you just have to abandon ship at full speed. Whatever feels safer at the time. Trust yourself. You ready to try? I’ll try to keep up with you.”

Listening, or reading his lips, intently, Fawn made sure to pay attention the best she could, practicing what he was telling her lightly on the board while gently gripping his hand. How close he was made her a bit uncomfortable but she held back the desire to run away and go hide in a tree somewhere, she was here for her friend and to finally learn to ride the boards she’d seen people riding. When he asked her if she was ready to try the small girl simply nodded and released his hand. Taking a deep breath she did what she was told and used her food to push herself forward, then repeated the motion a few times until she was going a bit faster. She then ‘coasted’ for a few seconds before trying to turn the board.

Unfortunately for Fawn, she was small and light, so the board really didn’t turn under her weight. Deciding she wanted off, a sudden feeling of panic washed over her. Fawn wanted to put her foot down, but as she had been coasting towards the hill and not paying attention, the board had gained a bit of speed. In reality the board was barely reaching a top speed of 3 mph, but to Fawn it seemed so much faster, so she simply jumped off, stumbling a bit before regaining balance and deciding to sit down in the middle of the street. She had definitely done enough of that for the day.

Meanwhile, Wyatt had taken to sprinting after True, his feet slapping against the sidewalk as he tried to catch up with her. “Use your foot to try and slow yourself down!” he shouted. He was catching up quick, his long legs carrying him quickly over the distance that separated the two.

Wyatt’s voice brought True back to reality as the end of the sidewalk was rapidly approaching. Uncovering her face, she tried to use her right foot as brakes. It wasn’t the easiest task to do due to her momentum, but even a little would slow her down the slightest, which may be enough for her knight in shining armor to rescue her her. She needed her hero!

Again, True.

Her foot skidded on the cement. Maybe crashing into the light post wouldn’t hurt that bad? True had worse crashes in the past, one having given her a bad leg injury in sixth grade. She had crutches and a foot brace! Still, her impending doom looked like it would hurt like a bitch. What a bitch. Wyatt would remember the pole’s imprint on her face, forever. Rest in pieces, her chances with her future husband.

Ouch. That was all Wyatt could think as he saw True go head on into the light pole, causing a low pitched ring to echo through the air. He ran up and knelt down by her side, clearly concerned for her well being. “You good there? That looked like a nasty wipeout,” he said, chewing on his lip as he looked over True for any noticeably injuries.

Yepp, it did hurt like a bitch. But here she was, lying on the floor, looking up at her beloved and seeing multiple Wyatts. This was better than a dream even if her ears rung and her head was pounding. She couldn’t help but giggle with how happy she still was. “I should’ve wore a helmet.” Truly Bliss slurred. Her short red hair sprawled on the cement, as she continued to beam her contagiously bright smile at him. Maybe it was the weed or maybe it was the crash, but she couldn’t feel her face and didn’t know if she was going to get a major bruise or not.

“You’re pretty.” The compliment slipped out of her lips. Yeah, she was definitely out of her mind, but that's okay.

Wyatt was a pretty boy.

Damian parked the car in front of the Wells’s home, and he considered honking to summon JD and Riley to his vehicle so that he, Connor, and Joy could hurry up and get there — Brian wanted him there pretty early, so he was doing his best to be on time. Brian was the most punctual person he knew, and Damian knew damn well that if he was too late, Brian would complain passionately. He was always this way when stuff like this was involved. But, Damian knew that if he honked, Remy would come out and want to talk for at least fifteen minutes. Better to just get it out of the way now, rather than make it happen through a window.

Damian twisted his body and turned round to face Connor in the backseat, “Hey, we’re here to pick up JD and Riley…” Damian, said before he trailed off. He had just had an epiphany, a sudden realization: with the speakerbox he’d had installed in the center of the backseat, there was only room for one additional person, but he was due to bring two additional people to the party. “Oh, fuck.” He thought about it for a second, before he shrugged and tapped his chin.

“JD’s pretty small. Is it cool if JD sits on your lap? It is? Dope.” Damian gave Connor a thumbs up before he hopped out of the car, gesturing for Joy and Connor to follow him. “There will probably be food, and Remy’s gonna wanna talk. We probably shouldn’t mention the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, since I think Rem would tell our parents,” Damian added to Joy, shrugging his shoulders. With that, he went to the doorbell and rang it.

Dixon looked up from his comfy spot on the couch when the doorbell sounded. He had one earbud in, blasting orchestral emo music into his left ear, while he alternated between scrolling through Reddit on his phone and watching Jareth play Fortnite on the big screen. Staring around the room, he waited for any signs of life. “... is no one going to get the door?”

Jareth looked over at him briefly, taking his eyes off of the screen for just a millisecond too long. “Yeah, you are. It’s probably for you party fiends anyway.” Jar smirked and then looked back to the task at hand. The smirk disappeared, he was dead. “Well… son of a bitch.”

The front door opened to reveal a rather annoyed looking JD. So, the usual for JD. When he saw that it was Damian and one of Katie’s other friends — the nerdy one — his face softened, but only slightly. “Oh… uh, come in, I guess. I dunno where Riley is, probably being a girl and taking forever to get ready.” As if Dixon was really one to judge in that respect.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the youngest Wells’ bedroom, Riley laid on his bed with his arm over his face wearing the outfit he wore at school, the usual darkly clad mix. Nothing noteworthy. Did he actually want to go to this party? Where both Marshall and Jamie would probably be at? No. Not really. But with the turn of the morning show and him on sorta okay terms with Brian Helmsley, he felt obligated to. At least for the sake of keeping the door open for their business relationship. “Dad, I look fine. I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

There was rummaging coming from the inside of Rye’s closet. Poking his head out, Remy tsked, “Oh, come on! A random party on a Tuesday night? You should dress to impress. It’s a Helmsley affair!”

“So, what? Like a suit?” Riley sat up and dully blinked at his father. Couldn’t he stay home and play video games with Pops? Why did he have to befriend Brian today, out of all days, for the sake of his morning show?

“No! Too fancy. But I do have something in mind~”

“Are you excited?” Looking at JD, Joy entered the house with confidence beyond the norm; being around Damian did that. She felt like she could conquer anything! The excitement of going to a party on a Tuesday and sort of behind her parents’ backs was also kind of exciting… she was exploring a side of her she didn’t know she had. Though, she wasn’t necessarily party ready, in her opinion. Her clothes were pretty anti-climatic and hardly sexy. Things happened so fast at her house, there wasn’t enough time! But also, if she looked out of the norm, Ma would’ve asked her questions. That could’ve led to her caving in and revealing that Damian was her boyfriend. So. Jeans, tank, Converse shoes, and a cardigan was the decided party wear for the night. While she waited for JD’s response, she made her way to Jareth, who was playing Fortnite, “Heyyyy, Mr. Wells!” Jareth was one of her uncle’s close friends!

Dixon simply shrugged in response to Joy’s question. Was he looking forward to the party? Not really. Well, maybe a little bit? He was curious about what parties were like, and he liked people-watching. Surely there would be a lot of interesting people to watch tonight. If he was being truly honest with himself, he was a bit nervous about going, but he wouldn’t let that show. It was easier to look indifferent... viva indifference! After he shrugged to Joy, Dixon turned and walked towards the hall, where he promptly shouted up the stairs. “RILEEYYY… our ride’s here!” He could have used an Assistant to notify Rye, but screaming was much more JD’s style.

“Jesus, kid.” Jareth raised his eyebrow and looked over at the loud, small boy in his living room. He shook his head and looked back to the screen to watch JJ doing much better than he had done this round. Shocker. Jar hadn’t even made it to the top fifty of the battle royale this time. He turned to Joy and smiled, “Sup, Joy? Wanna play a round and undoubtedly make my account look better?” Jar offered the controller to her.

While everyone gathered in the living room, Damian dipped into the kitchen. There, he silently cursed his luck — stupid Brian, making him come early. Why were they so early? The boat wasn’t leaving until 8:45! Fucker. Dinner wasn’t done, which left him with nothing but snacks to pick from. Grumbling, Damian threw open a cupboard and grabbed a plate, before loading it full of mozzarella cheese sticks, nachos, a small stack of cheesy bites, and a couple of kebabs. Satisfied, he carefully balanced the full plate on one hand, while using the other one to fill a glass up to the brim with juice.

Carrying both things, he strolled to the living room. Once there, he held the glass of juice out to Joy. She liked juice, right? While still holding it out to Joy, he did a quick head count. Where the hell was Riley? “RILEY! LET’S ROCK AND ROLL, DUDE! I’m on the clock!” No respect for schedules… Fucking people.

Meanwhile, Connor was seated in the car, silently twiddling his thumbs, peering out the window at the luxurious neighborhood that surrounded him. He could’ve gone up with Damian and Joy, but that felt weird. He didn’t know these people, and from how Damian talked about them, they were clearly family, or close enough. Connor figured it’d be easier to meet the newcomers once they’d arrived in the car, or on Connor’s lap, as Damian had suggested one might. Jesus Christ. Was it so wrong for Connor to not want random dudes on his lap? That was a sensitive area. He sighed, leaning his head back and waiting for the return of his new friends.

In the common area, where everyone was waiting on one person so that they could get the show on the road, an unexpected, feminine voice resounded throughout the house. The voice felt like melting honey, sounded like a nightingale, and seemed both motherly and unamused. "Voice message from second floor, Riley's bedroom: Oh hush and wait! I'm trying to get my son laid. DAD. He'll be down in a sec. Okay, Verity. That’s it. Send it and tell them to chill. As per Master Remy’s orders, he would like the yelling to stop and for you all to cool down.”

While all this was happening, Joy graciously grabbed the juice from Damian, thanking him silently by kissing him on the cheek and then chugging the liquid down in a matter of seconds. Handing him back the now empty glass, her attention went towards Jareth, “Aw man, I’d love to play, but we’re kind of in a rush. Is Uncle on the other end? Nevermind, I see his tag. HI UNCLE. Goddammit. Why are we going to this party again?” For a moment, Joy forgot her pursuit in having an intimate and affectionate night with her boyfriend and instead felt the desire to play video games all night with PopWells and her uncle!

As Joy got all excited, Damian looped his arm around her waist. He could eat in the car or something! He handed the plate of food off to JD. “Hold this for me?” He said, before turning his full attention to Joy, “Because Brian asked me to, and I want everyone to see —” At this point, Damian paused and tapped Jareth on the shoulder. It was important Second Dad heard this. “— me and my girlfriend. Jar, look. This is my girlfriend. Isn’t she great?” Damian was all smile, and seemed as bright and as proud as could be! After all, he had a girlfriend. And she was cute.

“Look, watch.” As if saying it wasn’t enough proof, Damian sealed the deal by leaning down and pushing his lips against Joy’s, which was rewarded with Joy’s face flushing. After a pretty classic Damian kiss — probably too much for the public, he pulled away, leaving his girlfriend breathless (literally). “The best.”

“Hold your own shit,” Dixon began to protest Damian’s request, but was cut off by the plate of food thrusted at his chest. Grumbling, he took it, and taxed Damian for it. The tax, you ask? A cheese stick and one kebab, for starters. And then he, along with Jareth, looked to Damian and Joy as they proceeded to lock lips in the Wells’ living room. “Woah, what? Really?”

Jareth’s eyebrows stitched together. Joy… and Damian? Damian and Joy? That didn’t make any sense, but, opposites could attract. They often did, he knew that from personal experience. Next to question was how new this all was… did Jericho know? Because he certainly did now. “Uh-huh… Jar mused in thought, looking away for the brief period of teenage PDA taking place in his domicile before he turned his attention back to a very flushed Joy. “Is this true? You and Damian? You could do so much better…” Jareth shot a teasing grin at Damian as he readied up for another round of Fortnite.

“Uhhhh.” Joy was speechless. By now you’d think she’d get use to these in the moment kisses, but nope, she was caught unaware. Again. Instead she gave a pouty grumpy face, gently slapped Damian’s arm in embarrassment, unsure if she was okay with kissing in front of an adult, and crossed her arms. She was ready to leave. Like now.

And thankfully, loud, rushing steps could be heard coming from down the stairs and the door flew open, “Okay, ready. Bye, Pops! Love you.” Riley wanted to die. His father got him to wear the most preppy college look he’s ever seen. Compliments to Remy’s closet. The best part of his outfit was his damn pants, which were black. The rest, he didn’t necessarily know how to feel about it. Even his hair was sleeked in a way to make him look what Remy deems ‘fly’. Kill him, please. Luckily for him, Damian’s car was unlocked and the boy went in the back seat only to be rewarded by a handsome stranger’s face. He looked familiar… “Uh, hi.”

Damian looped an arm around his blushy girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek, before pulling her out of the house. “Sorry about that. I just get really excited when I remember I can kiss you whenever I want.” Damian beamed, and as the other people clamored into the car, almost as if to prove his point, Damian kissed her again. Joy wasn’t given time to respond because they were kissing again, in front of people.

Dixon peaced through the front door as soon as Riley had showed himself. He took the plate of food with him, he’d earned it. Out in front of the Wells’, Damian’s ride was parked. Shining and bright blue, his favorite shade of blue, too! “Dang, your car is so sick!” JD said over his shoulder, not even sure if Damian was following or not. This wasn’t his first time seeing the vehicle, but he was always hit with the same intense wave of jealousy every time that he did see it, so he had to voice his praise in some way. Rye went to the closest backseat door and Dixon assumed that Damian’s girlyfriend had shotty, so he went the other back door. He did not expect to open it to find another person there. A dude, some literal rando, no less. Was he trying to steal Damian’s car… from the back seat? JD looked down at him, his eyes wide with shock. “Woah, who the fuck?!”

At this, Damian broke away from the kiss. JD was being a buzzkill. Very, very unlike JD. He gave Joy an apologetic look, as if it were the greatest travesty in the world that they had to stop making out AGAIN. Then, he looked at Dixon. “That’s Connor. He’s cool. New friend. You’re gonna sit on his lap, cuz if you don’t we can’t fit everyone. Sorry, dude, life sucks sometimes.” With that, Damian gave Joy one last kiss and slipped into the driver’s seat.

“Damian…” Joy voiced quietly.

Connor had been on his phone, maybe or maybe not debating giving one certain Sterling a follow, when the door opened up. He looked up, saw a green haired child screaming expletives, and then Damian, explaining away the situation. “Yeah, Damian kinda brought me along,” Connor said, the awkwardness of the situation having gotten no better. This kid had to sit on his lap. How in the world could he make that situation not awkward?

“I get that we can kiss whenever… it’s still all very new to me and don’t you think it’s a little awkward kissing in front of people?” The only girl in the vehicle twiddled her fingers and looked out the window, still very much embarrassed. How she was handling this was so weird to her because it was like she couldn’t handle it! And Joy Darling could handle anything. Anything but maybe kissing this much in front of family, friends, strangers, adults, other teens…

“Uhh—” Taking after his older almost-brother, Riley, Dixon blinked dully at Connor and Damian, both in turn. Oh, wow. How was he supposed to handle this? He had to sit on some guy’s lap, sure, whatever, no big deal. Except that it was a big deal, to JD, who found himself having a bit of a hidden personal crisis of late and, if he wanted it to stay hidden, he probably shouldn’t make this into a big deal. “Okay. Sure. Yeah, that’s fine.” Dixon stammered out, avoiding eye contact entirely now. He shoved the plate of half-eaten snack foods across the seat to Rye for him to hold. After waiting until everyone else was seated, Dixon looked down at Connor. He wasn’t sure of the proper etiquette in a situation like this, but he also wasn’t really one for manners in the first place, so he just… went for it. Dixon climbed into the back seat and sat on Connor’s lap, and by lap, it was more like his knees — the furthest away from the actual lap area that JD could possibly place himself.

After being shoved a plate of food, Riley watched his friend sit on the lap of this boy named Connor. Thank god it wasn’t him in this position. JD being small had its perks. It was JD on a random boy’s lap and not him! On top of that, Damian was being extremely affectionate with his girlfriend. This was going to be a weird car ride, wasn’t it? Where was Trevor when he needed him? Oh, that’s right. Trevor had a girl. Everyone was getting in relationships. It was stupid. “I’m going to eat some of this.” Rye announced and did exactly what he said. He ate some of JD’s food.

“Heyyy!’ Dixon protested Riley’s decision to eat the food that he had handed him. That was his food… which Damian had handed him... Whatever, that didn’t matter, it was still his! JD reached over and snatched up another mozzarella stick before aggressively chomping down on it. Stupid Damian and his stupid, cool car, with it’s tiny ass back seat and this ridiculous speaker. Ugh! “Can we drive now or do you two need to make out again?”

“See!” Joy protested at her boyfriend. Their kissing was making a scene.

“Oh, calm your tits, JD. We’ll get there when we get there. Here. Eat some more.” Riley brought the plate to the hangry, peeved little guy, as he too ate a mozzarella stick. To this, Rye was rewarded with a salty eye roll from JD as the boy shoved his earbuds back in and pulled out his phone to turn his music up loud. Really loud.

JD was ungrateful, man. Damian took time out of his own day to swing by and pick up these two guys, and now one of them had stolen his food, and the other one got Joy all upset. Whatever. “Snake, turn on some music.” Damian ordered. And Snake did so, pleasant tunes entering the car. Damian turned the dial and let the car drive itself. Snake knew where they were going. As the song played, Damian nodded his head to the tone of the music, singing along softly.

“I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in, 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, ‘Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you,’”

With the chorus now coming on, Damian turned to look at Joy, taking one of her hands in his, and putting his other hand over it, belting out the chorus as the song was turned down slightly so she could hear him (he wasn’t that bad), “It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had~” He sang to her, smiling brightly and laughing as the song continued to play.

Smiling back, but really not knowing how to feel right now, Joy was speechless. He was singing to her. Should she… sing with him? So it didn’t feel this… weird. This has never happened to her and she couldn’t tell if she liked it or not. One thing she did know was, she was dying and everyone was watching. Deciding to just not think, at all, because it was only making her cheeks more and more red, she yelled the chorus and stared ahead because this is what Joy did when she didn’t know what to do. She got really fucking dorky. She knew she wasn’t a singer, so she was just going to yell.

IT’S GONNA TAKE A LOT TO TAKE ME AWAY FROM YOUUUU
THERE’S NOTHING THAT A HUNDRED MEN OR MORE COULD EVER DOOOOOOO
I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICAAAA
GONNA TAKE SOME TIME TO DO THINGS WE NEVER HADDDDD!”

Damian listened to her sing and smiled, laughing lightly. She was amazing! Damian leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, and it looked like he was going to say something before the music stopped suddenly, followed by the Assistant’s voice filling the car, “Damian, you have a call from Brian “B-rye” “If I Had to Pick a Dude” “Ryan” “He’s On a Cleanse” “Too Much Electro Jazz” Helmsley. Do you want to answer?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I told you that you don’t have to read out the whole contact names, man.” Damian said, shaking his head and grabbing another quick kiss from Joy, this one from her lips.

“I know, but I do it anyway because they’re funny.” Shortly after that, Brian’s voice came over the speakers.

“Damian? Hey, can you do me a favor?”

“Aren’t I already doing you a favor? Ugh, sure. What’s up, man?” Damian looked at Joy and shook his head, as if he was saying to his significant other ‘friends. what are you gonna do?’

“Bring me a Big Mac. I’ve been back in the country for a day and a half, and I want an American cheeseburger, greasy, salty, deep fried potatoes, and a large cherry Sprite. Please? I’ll pay.”

“Goddamn right you’ll pay, you trillionaire bastard. Yeah, sure. See ya in a bit.” Damian hung up and looked around the car, even going so far as to shake JD’s leg to get his attention. “Who wants McDonald’s?”

Connor was in, very easily, the worst situation of his life, and that included the time where his dad shipped him across the country. He was cramped, there was a couple practically spilling their guts to each other in the front seat, and, oh yeah, there was a fourteen year old boy practically riding his dick. How could this get better? Prolonging the experience, duh! At Damian’s question, Connor did his best not to outright shout, but there was no chance in hell he was going down without a fight. “I mean, we could not...I’m sure there will be food at the party,” Connor said, struggling to maintain an air of nonchalance.

At this, a frown came on Damian’s face. He twisted his body and leaned toward Connor, “Imagine this. Lil Damian O’Connor, drivin’ down the road, heading to a party. A celebration of the return of one of his best friends, one of his brothers. Then, he gets a phone call from Brian himself,” Damian clenched his fist slightly, bringing it over his heart, “the man of the hour, the HOST with the MOST, my boy, my friend, my brother. And Brian says ‘Damian?’ and already, ALREADY, I can hear the sorrow, in this man’s heart. I can hear the pain. I respond, I say ‘how can I help you, man?’ and you know what Brian tells me? He says he’s been in Sweden for the past six months, starved of American food. He says ‘can you bring me a big mac, please?” Damian paused, and shook his head, trying to emulate the tortured soul that Brian apparently was.

“Because of how much Brian means to me, of course I agree! I tell him yes. Yes, I can get you a Bic Mac. Then, I remember, I’m not alone in the car. For a moment, everyone had disappeared except for me and Joy —” Damian turned and winked at Joy, with a brief smile, before his attention was back on Connor, the fake frown back on his lips, the quiet, forlorn tone returning to his voice, “—and I say ‘what can I get you fine people from McDonald’s?’ My new friend Connor, he looks me dead in the eyes, and you know what he tells me? You know what the hell he tells me?”

Damian couldn’t hold back a small giggle, a slight crack in the armor showing. “He says fuck ‘em, dude.” Damian finished his spiel, and burst out laughing, smiling as he turned back to face the road. “Yeah, that’s fine man. I’ll just text Scott to do it. We’ll be at the boat in like three minutes, I think.”

“You’re a liar,” Cassie said to her reflection, as she stood, alone, in her bedroom, wearing only a bra and panties, her chestnut locks falling in loose curls down her back. The worst part about that statement? It was true. A cruel bit of irony. See, plenty of teenage girls stood in front of their mirror and hurled insults at themselves. And they were all wrong. But Cassie was right. She was a liar. She lied to her friends, she lied to her mom, she wasn’t sure she’d told the truth in years.

Lying on her bed was her phone, open to Lia’s text. Her and Lia had been carrying on...something, for sometime now. Their no strings attached relationship had been beneficial, to the both of them. Except, Cassie had no clue what she was doing. Was she just going to keep fooling around with Lia for the rest of high school? Or until one of them got into a relationship? More likely until Ophelia found out that Cassie was a giant, lying, skanky bitch. Cassie sighed, and turned away from her reflection, walking over to the t-shirt and jeans she’d left draped over her desk chair.

She slipped into the casual outfit, and flopped down on her bed, letting the air rush out of her as she looked up at her ceiling. She’d go over to Lia’s house to get ready with her and Kit, and then they’d all head over to the boat. She’d told her mom she was going to Ophelia’s to study and have a girls night. Another lie.

Back in freshman year, Cassie’s mom used to ask why her friends never came over to their house. Cassie would explain it away, bullshit about how far it was for them, or how Ophie’s house was just where they liked to hang out. Not that, Cassie was lying about her family to everyone, and she couldn’t let them find out. She hoped her mom didn’t think Cassie was ashamed of her. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Cassie loved her mom more than anything. But, if that was true, why did she hide her from her friends? Why did she lie about who she was? Cassie sighed, once more, and got off the bed. These were difficult questions, for another day.

Downstairs, in the living room, Isabella Clark was napping silently on the couch, still in her uniform from her shift at the hospital. Cassandra tiptoed down the stairs and looked over at her, smiled softly at the woman who’d raised her, and made a silent promise to be better, before quietly slipping out the door, and into the awaiting Uber, a backpack slung over her shoulder with everything she’d need for the night’s events. And away we go.

To: Ophie
omw

Immediately after the outro of the show, Brian silently prepared to leave the area. He had nothing to say, and in truth, his mind was already made up. He had calls to make and plans to put into action. Mentally, he made a list of the phone calls he needed to make: AJ Tyler, Damian O’Connor, and Scott Lyon — if he wasn’t with AJ, which he probably was. Sunday he had made calls back home, and got a few people to set up a few modifications on the boat. Hopefully those were going well without a hitch, and everything would be ready by the time he arrived.

Brian had a few ideas to flush out the Weekend Warrior, though past that he didn’t know what his plan was. A confrontation? That might work, but he’d cross that bridge when he got there. His first and most primary objective was to expose them; plaster the face of the biggest problem in the school all over the internet and the campus. When he was finished, everyone would know. From there, maybe nature would run its course, and he wouldn’t need to talk to whoever it was that wrote the stupid articles. He would go to sleep, and wake up the next morning and piss on the ashes of their house.

Then, and only then, would all be right in the world. The Weekend Warrior had become an unwanted and even perhaps unwilling participant in the game that Hailey played with the student body, and Brian had no desire for such a volatile, unpredictable force to be involved. Besides, they’d attacked Parker, and he knew it was leading to people talking about her in a negative light. That, the prince would not stand for.

“Thank you again for your time,” he said over his shoulder, before he disappeared out of the room and away from Brynn and Riley both.

His presence would not be left alone for too long because right behind him, lightly jogging to catch up, Riley followed. “Hey, Brian! Can we talk for a sec?” Riley didn’t have much time, because he had first period to get to, but he didn’t want to lose this opportunity. He didn’t want this connection to sever, all because of bad first impressions. Brian had ideas for the show that could make it better and more importantly, long lasting. He could help Riley give RISE the foundation it needed to survive the years after he graduated. The darkly clad boy didn’t know how successful this would be, but it was worth a shot. He’d hate himself more than he already does for not trying to end things on good terms with Brian. For the sake of his show, of course. Riley didn’t necessarily know how they’d connect outside of business and it wasn’t like Brian needed to know any of his troubles. The boy had bigger things on his mind like throwing a boat party, this very day.

Brian paused as he was approached by Riley, turning his head to look at the other boy. Brian had to admire his tenacity; apparently, a no wasn’t good around these parts. While annoying, this wasn’t necessarily a bad business tactic. He sighed, and stopped in the hallway, turning to face Riley. “I suppose it’s the least I could do. What’s up?” He asked, before gesturing for Riley to follow him, “Walk with me. Talk and walk. Multitasking is the future.” With that, Brian began to stroll down the halls again, his hands in his pockets.

Matching his pace with the Helmsley kid, Riley was quick and straight to the point. “To be real, I want you on the show. Your return, along with your sisters, is going to be the hottest topic for at least the next week or two. On top of that, you not so subtly called out the Weekend Warrior. Everyone’s going to want to see your face.” Crossing his arms, he took a moment to clear his throat, before continuing his proposition, “You’re a busy guy, I get that, but part of me thinks you have some interest, don’t you? If you didn’t see potential, I don’t think you would’ve used the show to get your message across.”

Uncrossing his arms to glance at the time, making sure he wouldn’t be late to class, Riley finished up his spiel, “If not that, at least help me make it better. I know where my strengths are and I know where my weaknesses are. You just so happen to be better at producing than me. I’m here, extending an olive branch, for the betterment of our school. So, maybe, think about it?”

Brian stopped in the middle of the hall and looked over at Riley. He let his mind run through what he said quickly, before nodding. “Yeah, I can think about it. But I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really like having my face in the spotlight. This was a special occasion. I can possibly produce things. I’ll have to make some phone calls. No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.” Brian shrugged, and looked at a door. “Alright, this is where I take my leave. I’ll see you later. Maybe tonight at the party, yeah?” Brian asked, putting his hand on the doorknob to duck into the random room.

“Uh, you don’t have a class?” Riley rose an eyebrow, as he watched the other boy enter the vacant room designated for french lessons. French class was never first period and the teacher was okay with students using it when it was her free period, but still, for a kid that just got back, not seeing him go to class was odd. Slightly annoying. Was he already playing hooky? If Rye’s dad found out he ever ditched class, it would be his funeral. RIP Riley Wells. The day he decided to throw his grades out the door.

Having entered her Statistics class, Joy sat in her designated seat, which was the far back, closest to the window. As one of the favored math students, throughout the school, she was able to request her seat prior to the year beginning. She was tired of sitting in the front, so this year she wanted the back. In addition, this subject was easy and she didn’t really think her being in the front would be beneficial to the other students that needed to learn.

She took out her scarily organized planner, opened it up, making sure it was symmetrically centered on her desk, and took out her color-coding stickers. Most were circles and stood for something, like if a date had a dark blue circle on it that meant she had a doctor’s appointment or something medical related. This kept her monthly calendar less cluttered, so she can write more detailed descriptions in her weekly calendar. Behind the stack of circle stickers were star stickers that meant special occasions. She decided to change their meaning to Damion related occasions.

Taking a star out, she flipped the pages until she found today’s date. With quiet precision, she placed it at the bottom right corner of the box, then she turned the pages to the same date, but this time in her weekly section. Glancing up to make sure the teacher was preoccupied, she bent down to her backpack and pulled out her Star Wars pen purse. After rummaging for a second, deciding what color to use, taking out her blue and red pen from its holder, she wrote: Helmsley Boat Party with in blue and Damian in red. Going back to the blue pen, she wrote in smaller text: Attempt to convince parents.

A sudden thought popped in her head which caused her to swiftly swipe to her note section. It was important to remember this! Need birth control. Call Mitty. Her concentration was broken when she felt her phone vibrate in her bag, by her foot. No one called her this early. It had to be important. After closing her planner, she reached in her bag to see who was calling. Unknown number.

To ignore or not to ignore that was the question. Deciding that she wasn’t going to pay attention to her lesson anyways, Joy pulled out her phone, stood up and pocketed it momentarily, then shuffled to the front. “Can I get a hall pass, Mr. Lindemann?” The only time Joy got up from her seat was to use the bathroom, which was rare, so it didn’t take long for her to be given a pass and set free. The phone kept vibrating.

As she walked down the hall, she pulled it out and answered it, “Hello?” No need for formalities. This was her personal phone and a stranger was calling.

Sitting in his ‘office,’ a modified janitor’s closet that Brian’s parents had obtained for him following a sizeable donation to the school board, he faced a moment where he questioned if Riley’s show was even worth the effort. Before words came through the phone to Joy’s ears, there was a sigh. Then, Brian spoke. “Joy? It’s Brian.” Honestly, how did people not know it was him calling? He was the only person left on the planet that called phones.

“Brian who? There’s like six Brians I can think of and none would call me.” Not being a popular kids came with its perks. You didn’t know everyone. Including the person throwing the boat party you’d be attending.

“...Helmsley.” For Joy’s words, Brian chose to blame her mother. If Jude lived in one of the four corners, like the rest of the Lyon clan, then Joy would know who he was, and they could have skipped this entire fiasco and gotten straight to the point. “Brian Helmsley. Is this a bad time?” Women.

“Ah.” Was the first word to come out of Joy’s mouth. Somewhere deep down the rabbit hole they were related. Not enough for Joy to consider him an immediate contact, but hey, family was family. “I answered, so I’m free.” Men.

“Riley… Wells wants me to help him with his show. I told him I would, but I’m going to need help with a few of the more tech-y things. Can you do it? I assume you either can, or you can convince your uncle to do it. You know which uncle.” Interlaced with his words, was the noise of a keyboard, and the crunching of food — probably chips. “I figure you could do it. You’re hardly ever busy.”

“What makes you think I’m not busy?” Joy retorted. “Last time I checked you’ve been gone for an exceedingly long time. You don’t know what I do during my spare time.” Joy leaned her back on one of the lockers. Of course she could do the job, it was easy, but don’t make it seem like she doesn’t do anything with her time. She does. Her times just recently been consumed by a boy! Hmpf.

“Well, from what I understand, you spend most of your after school time babysitting. If not that, you’re probably playing video games — given your heritage and what I know about your family. If not doing that, the only other possible thing you can do, unless there’s been some kind of thing that happened that I haven’t found out about yet, is hanging out with Katie and Noah. I understand your schooltime is more or less completely consumed by academic pursuits and the occasional extracurricular activity, but this would just be another one of those. I’m sure it would look lovely on a college application.” More crunching. “That was a little rude of me though, sorry. I could have phrased it better.”

“Okay, you know me. Sure, I’ll help, but we’ll need to go over what you want exactly. I’m assuming you want to upgrade his set, yeah? It’s kind of outdated. I’ll need to know when I can have access to the room so I can do my thing while working around my busy schedule. Can’t have sporadic meetings. I, Brian, think video games are important. Thank you very much.” Subconsciously, Joy was also preparing for time spent with Damian, since it seemed like they were getting close again. And she liked it.

“We’ll look at tomorrow at lunch, and then get started tomorrow after school — so make sure you’re available. Assuming everything goes well at the party tonight. You should come, it ought to be fun. Damian’s going to give a speech.” Brian said, and there was more clacking on a keyboard to be heard. “You do know Damian, right? There’s like two or three of them at this school too. I’m talking about O’Connor.”

A faint blush graced her cheeks. “Yes I know him, you monkey! I’ve known him since diapers.” And they’ve kissed. A lot. At the New Years’ Party. Didn’t Brian know Damian for a long time too? Was he dumb? Or did Damian seriously not consider her important enough to mention? WHY was she getting offended over this?

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

“Your mother know how well you know him nowadays?” That answered all of Joy’s questions, all but one.

“I’m hanging up now.” Click.

“Well, I guess that answers that…” Brian tipped his head back and munched on the last crumbs. “Is that a full list?” He asked, speaking to his Assistant as he looked at the spreadsheet he’d worked on, organizing the majority of his peers — minus the freshmen and sophomore. Brian planned to take note of whoever attended the party, and then cross reference it with this list to figure out who the Weekend Warrior was. There were a few flaws in his plan, but he hoped to press on anyway.

“Yes, but I’ve been thinking myself: what if this is a Shakespeare scenario? You know; they say that it’s possible he wasn’t one person… What if the Weekend Warrior is group of people?”

“I doubt that’s the case. The writing style is pretty similar throughout all the blog posts, but yes. I’ve considered that possibility. If there’s more than one, then I’ll find them all. Besides, not that many people hate Damian enough to write angry blog posts about him. He’s actually pretty popular. Call AJ and Scott.” There wasn’t a response, as his Assistant set about making the conference call. Now, Brian just had to wait.

“HEYO, BRIAN!” AJ proclaimed. His voice was a little distorted and softly in the background the purr of his speeding vehicle could be heard. “What’s up, my dude? I saw Becca’s post. Welcome back. It’s been a good minute since I’ve seen my boy.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t stay away forever. Turns out if I leave, Damian makes awful decisions and people say Henry date raped Parker with a brownie.” Crunch. “One second…” Brian said, before there was the sound of someone else answering the phone.

“The prodigal son has returned. But is he here to wipe the blood from the pretenders off of the throne and reclaim what was once his?” There was Scott’s voice.

“That’s more Becca’s vibe. Look, how would you guys like to go to this party tonight — and just not be intoxicated at all?”

“Well! That sounds just fucking awful.”

“No alcohol… at all?” Aw shit. AJ wanted to forget what he did to Bails by washing it away with alcohol. This would be entirely against what would be good for him. Being sober at a party one of his bros was throwing. A bro whose sister he offended and who may or may not be there, depending on if she wanted to spend the night sulking and reading business proposals or some shit. “Why we ain’t drinking?!”

“Because I need help. I’ve decided that I’m done with the Weekend Warrior BMing everyone everytime anyone does anything fun. There’s no logical reason for it, other than they hate people and fun. This isn’t a party, this is a trap. We’re gonna isolate and decimate, which means I need you two to spend the evening people watching. Look, if it’s that big of a deal you can come to the house and drink the really expensive stuff that Mom saves for herself as a reward for dealing with all of us.” Brian explained.

“You can’t say you need help, that obligates us to help!”

“And if we don’t help, we’ll feel like shitty friends and we got to honor our friendship. We can’t let down a brother. We didn’t let you down ten years ago, we didn’t let you down five, and we ain’t gonna’ let you down today.” Sober AJ at a party. He could handle it. He could do it. Please have Bailey not be there.

“I guess we can be sober. But what if Katie’s there? If I’m not drunk I’m gonna get in a fight with her, dude.”

“Two things: First, can you just hate fuck her and get it over with already? I’m so over it. Secondly, good. More drama is a positive thing. The Weekend Warrior only reports drama, right? So make some. Make as much as you can. Start a fight, throw someone overboard. Make it loud and obnoxious, so I can review the tapes and see who was in range to get an accurate view of it. Then I can figure out what they write about, and maybe narrow the list — at least a bit.”

“This is a lot of work for an autistic girl…”

“She’s not autistic!”

There was a pause on AJ’s end. The ocean could be heard now. “I could make a scene…” He had to use his words carefully. “But it may involve your sister.” There was already a video circulating of them, which he just got notified of.

“Works for me. That will be all, guys. Show up early if you want, that way you can get a feel for where you want to do whatever you’re gonna do. Just make sure it’s good enough to be in the stupid blog. Again, she’s not autistic.”

Click.

What a productive use of his time.

Brian stood on the edge of the dock, with one hand in his pocket, staring through sunglasses out at the ship he and his peers would be on tonight. There was at least one person on board right now, working on a few things for him, but he was waiting for someone specific. The sound of a car on asphalt rang in his eardrums, and he turned around and took the sunglasses off, hanging them on the edge of his shirt as he faced the car. The vehicle rolled to a stop, and though Brian couldn’t see inside of the jet black tinted windows, he had a feeling who it was.

The driver’s side door opened, and the driver silently walked to the backseat, opening the door. Out stepped Brian’s father: Ryan Helmsley. Brian nodded to his dad, and Ryan spoke, quick and directly to the point. “You’re sure you don’t want me to get involved in this ‘problem?’ I could handle it a bit faster than this, don’t you think?” Ryan asked his son, and Brian shook his head.

“No, thank you. I can handle this, trust me. Besides, the people I’m working against expect me to use my money to handle everything. If I went running to daddy at the first sign of trouble, that wouldn’t be a good look for me. Honestly? I don’t even know if this is going to work, but since it seems like the last party that was thrown went to shit, we might as well show them how it’s done. Did you get everything I asked for done?” He said, looking at his father. Brian had requested a few modifications be done, on Friday. He knew they were done by now, but he wanted to check.

“As far as I know, yes; the final touches are being put in place, now. I’m sure once you get on the boat, you can ask the man himself all the questions you have and he’ll be more than happy to answer them. And yes, the liquor cabinet is stocked — drink it all. The bartender has been told not to ask for I.D. I’ve even gone so far as to request a little care package be delivered for you. From what I understand, kids still like drugs. So, someone is bringing you drugs. His name is Ashton.” Ryan explained, and Brian looked over at his father with a questioning look on his face, and Ryan shrugged. “I’ve done more drugs than anyone that attends your school has, and I was a teenager once too. I know what kids do. I still know where to get them too. Just enjoy it and be thankful. Fight your battle, win, and then explain to your mother why we had to come home early. She’s not happy.”

Brian smiled and nodded. “Understood, and will do. Thank you. For letting me borrow the boat, for getting it set up, and everything else. I appreciate it.” Brian said, and Ryan nodded, waving it off. “I guess I’ll see you when I get home, then. Do you think he’s just on the boat?” He asked, and Ryan shrugged his shoulders, sliding back into the car.

“Who knows? He’s an enigma, if nothing else. Always has been.” The car door was shut by the driver, and then they rolled off into the sunset and Brian turned to look at the ship with a frown. What if everything wasn’t done? They were on a time crunch.

Brian walked up the boarding ramp and onto the ship, looking around for the man in question. He had to be here somewhere, right? It wasn’t like he had anything better to do — he was retired at the tender age of thirty something.

Brian saw no one on the top deck, and decided that he was perhaps on the bridge. He stepped down the stairs, toward his target location, and could hear a voice in the distance.

“No, shoot them! SHOOT THEM. Dude they’re right there!”

Well, that confirmed he was on the bridge. Brian walked a little faster now, excited to be debriefed on everything that had been done to his boat. Was the boat his now? It might as well have been, with all the revamping he had asked to be done. Brian was on course to be seriously impressed if everything he’d requested had been done. Some of it was a bit ridiculous, possibly even fantastical.

But even if they couldn’t have everything, if they could have most of it, he would be satisfied. There was a reason he had asked his father to get Jericho to work on things. Jericho was famous for doing clutch things in a small amount of time. If anyone could do it, it was him. Brian turned a corner, to look into the bridge, where Jericho sat in the captain’s chair, tapping at his phone.

Brian tapped his knuckles on the doorway to get Jericho’s attention, and the captain’s chair spun, and Jericho looked up from his phone, pulling out the one earbud he wore, for the briefest of seconds, before he glanced back down and swore loudly, “GodDAMMIT, I died! Now I lost the game, dude, why you gotta be like that? Hold on.” He put the earbud back in. “Hey, I gotta go to work, man. We’ll play more after.” He said quickly, before ripping the ear bud out and stuffing his phone into his pocket.

With that, Jericho turned his attention to Brian. “What? Everything’s done. What more could you possibly want? I stop for one second to play a game… Come on. Walk and talk,” Jericho said, jumping up from his chair and gesturing for Brian to follow him. Brian did so, and Jericho led him out of the bridge, and up the stairs, and back to the main deck. “Alright, you wanted a stage right? Well, I had my little brother put one up. It ain’t very big, but you said you didn’t need it to be big.” Jericho said, leading Brian around toward the end of the upper level, where a small stage was set up. It wasn’t built to take up much of the real estate, just big enough for maybe a few people to stand on.

“Also, as requested…” Jericho tapped the floor with his foot, and Brian looked down. Where there had once been wood paneling, there was now white, porcelain tiles. When Jericho tapped it a second time with his foot, though, it lit up in a rainbow explosion of colors, fading out and moving onto the surrounding tiles. The colors exploded outward until they reached the edge of the ship… only to carry on over the edge. “Colors. Like you wanted, right? It’s like a big visualizer, once you have music playing. Every floor and all the siding is like that.”

Brian smiled widely and nodded. “Cool. That looks awesome, man. Thank you.”

“LEDs and RGB, dude. I felt like a kid putting my first computer together again. But wait! There’s more,” Jericho reached into his pocket and pulled out a glove, which he handed to Brian. “This lets you motion control the color. That dude you’re having give a speech or whatever, he moves his hands a lot, yeah?” Jericho asked. He figured it was Ty’s kid, and if Ty’s kid was anything like his father, then the hands would be moved around a lot.

Brian had to consider the question for a moment, before he nodded. “Yeah, I guess Damian does? I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it before.” He shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the glove. Noticing what looked a button on one of the knuckles, he looked over at Jericho, preparing to press it. “What does this do?” Before he could press it though, Jericho snatched the glove out of his hands defensively.

“Don’t touch that! You’ve only got one go of that, and if you waste it now, I’ll be pissed. You have him hit that button at the end of his speech, and about ten thousand dollars worth of fireworks are gonna go off behind you. It’s going to be fucking legendary. I went out of my way to make a lightshow cooler than fucking Disneyland, so you’d better enjoy it. Did you say Damian? That’s the kid Joy is banging, right?” Jericho asked, handing the glove over to Brian, who took it back and carefully put it inside of his pocket. Right. Don’t press the button. “Don’t worry, it’s not gonna push itself in your pocket, it takes a bit too much force for that to happen. Joy. Joy Darling.” Jericho repeated himself, and Brian finally answered.

“Yeah, I guess so? It looks to me like they’re dating, which is a new experience on its own. Damian doesn’t really date. Seems to be real fond of this girl, though. I heard he sucked her face off in gym class.” Brian said, shrugging his shoulders. “Why do you ask?” He said, and Jericho glanced over at Brian.

“Well, she’s my niece.”

“She is? That’s crazy. What else do you have for me?” Brian asked, and Jericho rolled his eyes, before leading Brian away and down to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. Brian looked at the doorways, seeing a small tablet now built into the wall beside each door, with stylus pens chained to the wall beside them.

“Alright, I did pretty much everything you asked. So there’s a sign-in sheet at the boarding ramp. You put a name in, or you can’t get on. There’s your guest list. These doors, will only open when two people from the guest list sign their names. A little weird, but hey. Ryan calls me he says ‘I need a favor,’ and I say ‘alright I’ll do it.’ Then I do it.” Brian looked at Jericho and beamed.

“Good, I’ll make sure that security doesn’t let anyone on the ship without signing in on the list — and showing a student ID so we know they’re legit. Once they’re on the list, I’ll know who’s on the ship. That’ll make it easier for me to find out the mystery identity of the Weekend Warrior. If they don’t show up, then I’ll know.” Brian explained, while they walked down the stairs, and stood at the doorway to below deck, which Jericho pushed open.

The below deck portion of the ship was all glass, though this was by design, nothing that Jericho had done. What Jericho had done, however, was replace all of the lights with black lights, and added neon fittings that blasted the sea around them, letting them look out into the ocean. At one end of the room was a high end DJ setup, which Jericho pointed at.

“I also rewired new speakers throughout the ship, so your sound quality is better than ever. Whoever you have working the DJ spot is gonna be using the best setup they’ve ever used in their life. From here, they can control the lights on the side of the ship, the ones lighting the ocean, and the ones on the floor. I’m sure you put enough drunk teens in here, and they’ll lose their minds. Luckily, the glass can’t crack, or you guys would be fucked, wouldn’t you?” Jericho winked, and then together with Brian, they returned to the top deck, and headed down the ramp to the dock.

“Just one last thing. The cameras?” Brian asked, and Jerich nodded. The cameras were the easiest fucking part. Damn kid, not appreciating the majesty of the RGB setup Jericho had thrown together in a matter of a day and a half. He’d had some help, but not much! He hadn’t slept, and hadn’t left the ship since he’d got the call.

“There aren’t any blind spots. I left the, ahem, fuck shacks uncamera’d. I figured that was fair, since we don’t want footage of anybody fucking on the hard drives.” He paused. “Do we? Nah, I know we don’t. It’s all going back to the central drives on the ship. It’s not leaving without you. Everything’s set up in the bridge — lock the door and no one will get in; figure that’s where you’ll be hiding out. I also made a few updates to the captain Assistant, I don’t know how Ryan was operating with such an out of date version. I’m just a phone call away. Is your Assistant out of date? I’m just kidding, I know she’s not. ” Jericho rolled his eyes and watched as Brian stuck his hand out. Jericho reached out and shook it, before he gave Brian a nod, and walked over to his car.

As Jericho drove off, Brian slowly ascended the boarding ramp once more, taking his sunglasses off of their comfortable spot where they hung on his neck, and putting them back on. This could work. So long as everyone got here in time to discuss the plan, this could work. It was a dumb plan, but ultimately — in this case especially — it was important.

He would figure out who the Weekend Warrior was. This was just step one. He’d have to read through the expected sensationalist report that was sure to be blogged about. If there was no blog post, then he’d assume his bait had been ignored. If there was, he’d analyze it a hundred times if that was what it took to get things in the open for him. It was important to him that this ended now.

Honestly? The Weekend Warrior caused nothing but problems. Picking on Parker was the last straw. She was innocent. She may not have been an official member of A Double’s group, but she was surely in Switzerland on a fair battlefield. The problem was? Whoever wrote the blog didn’t play by the rules.

Brian climbed up onto the stage and looked at the ocean around, before turning to face the parking lot. When they arrived, he wanted to know. Scott, Damian, and AJ were all he’d asked for. Not even his sisters this time — Becca was too prone to partying, and Bailee had disappeared from school. Whether or not she’d even be at the party was a question to him.

Brian normally had Trevor help him with his projects, but this was a little… sleazy for Trevor. Brian wasn’t going to make his friend do something that may make him uncomfortable. Trevor could enjoy the party. To be honest? So could the other three — he just had requests for them. It was mostly stuff they’d do anyway. And he knew that Damian would enjoy giving a speech. The dude loved to talk, and people loved to listen to him.

Brian sat down cross legged on the stage and let out a deep breath. “Anastasia? Push the song, for me.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“I agree.”





What could he want? That was all Q could think about as she walked through Burntown, towards the back where she normally met Ashton. They met once a month. No more, no less. She rubbed her fingers against one another, feeling the lines on her hands, tracing them, trying to calm herself. Ashton gave her the creeps. Just a little.

How had she gotten into this business in the first place? Good question. It all started after her dad died, last year. After falling in with the burners, she met Ashton. He offered her money to do some basic drug dealing. Weed, that was it. Q liked the money, and maybe the rep it gave her too. She was sprinting away from her old life, doing everything she could to get away from it. Maybe she tried too hard. Soon weed became pills, and pills became blow. And it wasn’t like she could just get out. She was in too deep. Far too deep.

A Double didn’t know where she was. If he did, would he even let her come? Quincy wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t about to test it out. For now, she’d keep him in the dark. He’d been about to give her a ride home when she got Ash’s text, and hitched a ride with another kid to Burntown instead. Hopefully he would forget about that. The last thing she needed was him poking around this part of her life. He knew that she sold drugs, and that was all he ever needed to know.

”What the fuck?”

Quincy hadn’t been sure what to expect, but this scene, surely wasn’t it. There was Ashton, standing with a bloodied and bruised Stephen Rhett. Even with a busted up lip, she recognized him. She knew Ashton was off, but this? ”What the hell is this Ash?”

Ashton was almost annoyed with Q from the way she was talking to him. This was on her, not him. “Does he, or does he not owe you money? Don’t answer that, I already know the answer.” He said, before turning his attention over to the kid, the junkie-in-training, on the ground. “Pay her double.” Ashton said bluntly, and the kid looked at him as if he were crazy, and Ashton repeated himself. “Pay. Her. Double.” Stephen shook his head, and Ashton snarled, walking over to Stephen who scrambled backwards, but Ash was faster, shoving him down and twisting him over to his stomach.

With surprising grace, Ashton frisked Stephen down, withdrawing the kid’s wallet and a few crumpled up bills. He walked back to Quincy, and dug all of the money out of the wallet, a small stack of tens and twenties. He counted it, then gave her two twenties — nothing near what her cut actually was. “This is what you get. Quincy, I shouldn’t ever have to do your work for you. You understand me? If it happens once, it’s going to happen again. People don’t pay you, means you don’t pay me. You don’t pay me, maybe I come looking for you. Maybe I go off to my own little dreamland,” Ash said quietly, darkly, before stuffing all of the money into his pants pocket and tossing the wallet over his shoulder.

“You’re playing with my money, and you play with my money and that means you play with my life. It’s not a game, Quincy. It’s not a game. You’re not playing a game, you’re working. You either quit, or you do the caliber of work I expect,” while he spoke, Ashton reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette, “you got a light?”

This would always be remembered by Quincy Hart as the moment she realized, she was in over her head. Here she was, being threatened by a drug supplier. Because she hadn’t dealt enough drugs. She had no idea what the hell she was doing. But she didn’t stop. At least, not then. That would be a mistake. Quincy dug a lighter out of her pockets and handed it to Ash. ”Threaten my boyfriend again Ashton, and I swear to God, I’ll skip the money entirely,” Quincy said, as if it was a fact of life. She was scared, but him mentioning A Double? That just made her angry.

Ashton smirked at her as he lit the cigarette. “Mmm, I do like ‘em feisty.” He said, tossing the lighter back to her before he turned to walk away. “Don’t let it happen again, Q. The kid’ll be fine, by the way. He just fell down.” Ashton had nothing left to say, and he walked away.

Reina drummed her fingers on the table, looking around at the other students in the classroom. They were, for the most part, loud and talkative. She had found that art students often were; being expressive was part of their craft, after all. Art is one way that people express their feelings, or their thoughts. She liked art class, really, she did. She enjoyed the different projects that were made by the students, she liked seeing the outlet for creativity be utilized. Honestly, she loved it.

But it was sometimes too loud.

This? This was one of those times. Reina was fidgeting in the back of the class while everyone else worked on their projects, or chatted about whatever was on their minds, or in some cases: both. She brought her hand up to her face, and bit down on her sweatshirt sleeve, chewing on it absently. She couldn’t focus in this environment! Everyone was too loud. This room was too loud. It was stifling!

She peered down at the canvas in front of her, which had the very base of a lineart sketch on it, framing the face of someone, though the facial details were not yet present. Reina was working on a present for her friend Juno; the canvas would eventually becoming a vibrant painting of the redheaded woman.

Now, though? She was getting no work done and she could feel her anxiety creeping up on herself. This. Sucked.

Art was the one class where Noah didn’t feel an intense desire to disappear. The art classroom was loud, but in all the right ways. Colors leaped from the walls, from the students, from everything. This was where Noah was mean to be. Today, he was working on a large painting of Katie, something he’d both promised her he’d do, but also wanted to do. He’d already finished his sketch, and was just about to dip his brush into paint when he looked over at the girl next to him.

What was her name? Reina? That sounded right. Well, so far, Reina had made very little progress, and he could tell she was somewhat distraught. Her eyes were kind of glued to her canvas, as if she was looking through it, rather than at it. Noah recognized the expression well. He did it all the time. He could practically hear Katie and Joy shouting at him, telling him to stop being a creep and just ask her what was up. Nervously chewing his lip, he leaned over.

“You haven’t done much.”

The way Reina tore her gaze away from the canvas and turned it to Noah, it seemed like she had seen a ghost, or that Noah may have been Freddy Krueger. She stared at him with wide, doe eyes for a few seconds, before she gave a small, rapidly repeating nod of agreement. Honestly? Boys scared Reina. But, at least this one looked soft — she thought that Ashton could probably beat him up. That? That made her feel safe.

“Y-yeah… I haven’t, huh? It’s hard to focus here sometimes. It’s really loud…” She said in a soft voice that was almost inaudible over the loud noises of art class. “But, uhm… I’m sure I’ll get it done eventually. Usually, I just come into here during lunch. Then it’s… peaceful.” She explained to the new person. Oh, right! “I’m Reina. Reina Lockhart. Who are you?”

Noah looked around the chaotic room, a thoughtful look on his face. “Huh. I guess I’ve never really seen it as loud. Just bright.” Noah turned back to the girl and smiled softly, his own social anxiety creeping back. He wanted to shut up and keep painting, but he knew what everyone in his life would tell him to do. Talk to the pretty girl. “I’m Noah. Nichols. Noah Nichols. What are you working on?”

“Noah. Noah Nichols.” Reina repeated after the boy, storing his name and face away for memory. Reina best remembered names after repeating them herself, and after she said his name, she let herself process everything else he’d said. Taking a glance around the room, she nodded. “Bright… yeah, I think I like that.”

She tapped the canvas in front of her, before explaining her intent. “I’m drawing a portrait, of my friend. Juno. I want to paint it, and give it to her. Like, a gift.”

“I’m doing the same thing for mine. I mean, it’s for a friend. Not, of your friend. Obviously.” Noah stammered, his voice soft and his face flushed. Strangers flustered the boy, and this girl was very much a stranger.

“That’s cool… Are your friends nice? You should introduce me.” Though Reina’s voice did not betray her nervousness, she made a bit of a face, and began to scratch at the long sleeves on her arms. She stopped herself and looked at Noah, before adding, “You know… if you would like to.” She didn’t want to impose. Besides, his friends might be scary…

Noah nodded, his own anxiety clear. This was uncharted territory, he hadn’t prepared for the conversation to carry this far. “Yeah uhhh totally,” he said quietly, his eyes darting from Reina, to the floor, to his painting.

Reina let out a sigh of relief. This wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t as easy as talking to Ashton, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be. This Noah boy was, well, a boy, but he wasn’t a scary one. In fact, the adjective that she might have picked to describe him would have been something more like ‘soft.’ With a quick smile, Reina nodded. “Okay! Here’s my number.” She scribbled on a piece of her drawing journal, and ripped it out, sliding it across to him. “Thank you.”

Noah stammered at the sight of the number and was luckily saved from any further embarrassment by the shrill ring of the bell, marking the end of the period. “Okay!” he shouted, grabbing his bag and darting out of class, his face beet red and his stomach churning. People were hard. He decided he preferred paintings.

“So, you’re going to a party? On a Tuesday. And I’m staying home alone. On a Tuesday.” Reina asked, looking at her brother from her seat in the passenger’s side, while parked in front of their apartment complex. Ashton looked at his sister and nodded. He had known this would happen. She wasn’t going to be happy with him leaving her there alone for the night. Tuesdays were puzzle nights.

“Yes. I’ll be back before you’re awake.” Ashton said, giving a shrug. What he needed was already in the trunk, he just had to head toward the dock and make the drop. He wished that was all he had to do, but he had been told that he had to hang around for the party, in case he was needed. “Sorry, Reina. I’d say you could come, but I know you don’t want to.”

Reina sighed and finally nodded, before giving Ashton a kiss on the cheek and ducking out of the car. “Be good, and come back alive.” She tutted, and Ash nodded as Reina ran off into the apartment complex. Ashton shifted the car back into gear, and pulled onto the road.

Ashton parked his car and looked at the massive ship sitting at the dock. He could see only one other vehicle here. He reached down and popped the trunk, before jumping out of the car and walking to the back. He grabbed a duffel bag, full of product. What product? In this case, it was largely a new party drug called ‘Uber.’ Essentially, it was an enhanced version of LSD, or acid — a happy drug. The main difference, what made it ‘Uber,’ rather than just an imitation of those two, was that it did what the others never could quite perfect.

It was incapable of giving a bad trip.

That made it a very, very desirable party drug. Ashton wasn’t sure who it was that wanted this party to be strapped, but they really did, since he was carrying a duffel bag worth about four hundred thousand dollars, once you added the Uber, the blow, and the weed all together. Ashton chose not to think about it, and instead stepped toward the boarding ramp. He was stopped by two security looking guys, who looked at him, seemed to check their tablets, and then let him without much fuss. Weird. What kind of party was this?

He walked up the ramp, and looked down the ship, toward a stage where one man was sitting, with his sunglasses on as he stared toward nothing and listened to music. That must be Brian. That was who he was delivering to, some rich Helmsley kid. He walked across the ship’s white floors — watching as they lit up in a variety of colors to his every step — and pulled himself onto the stage, dropping the duffel bag in front of him. This caused the music to stop playing, and the boy on the ground to look up, taking his sunglasses off before eyeing the duffel bag. “Party favors. I don’t know who, but someone out there really likes you, because they told me to stick around, in case you needed help.” Ashton said, pulling another cigarette out of his pack, alongside a lighter. He lit up and waited for Brian to speak up.

Brian opened up the bag and stared down at the contents, silently. After a few seconds, he nodded, and spoke up. “Thanks. Help me load this stuff.” Brian said, picking up the duffel bag, and gesturing for Ashton to follow after him, which he did, puffing on the cigarette.

After ten minutes, the Uber pills, at least, had been set up for distribution. That is to say, Brian and Ashton had loaded the pills into different gumball dispensers throughout the boat, all for easy access for their peers. The rest of it? It remained in the duffel bag, to be distributed by the bartenders upon request. For adults, they seemed very okay with giving alcohol and drugs to minors. Ashton wasn’t one to judge, and had found his way to the edge of the boat, where he was now smoking in silence.

Brian, on the other hand, was sitting on the stage once more, when he noticed a few cars roll up. The first guests of the night, though he already knew who this was. Damian, Damian’s girlfriend (and whoever else Damian brought — he was kind of a magnet), Scott, and AJ. Good, that meant food was here. He’d have a snack while he was locked away in the bridge.

Noah was not exactly happy with how the night was going. He didn’t want to be going to this party. Parties were scary, and stressful, and had way too many people, and Noah hated people. They were confusing. Noah didn’t need anymore confusion in his life. That all said, JD was going to be there. Dixon. The boy with the green hair. Who was cute. But not. At all. Cause boys weren’t cute. Noah was pulled from his thoughts by one shout from Katie Callaghan.

“Are you fucking kidding me!” she shouted as their car raced through Beverly Hills, towards the docks. “That prick! Who the fuck does he think he is?”

Jamie was pulled from his own thoughts, ones that were very Marshall-centric, with sprinkles of AJ thrown in for maximum confusion and anxiety. As much as Jamie liked Marshall, and as much as he hated AJ, he couldn’t deny that there was still...something there. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but he knew that he wasn’t as over AJ as he might like everyone to believe. That was a problem, most definitely. However, like any stupid high schooler, he decided that it was a problem for another day. Or never. Never was preferable

“Let me guess.”

“Scott Lyon.”

Katie scowled, smacking Jamie on the shoulder and then turning to face Noah. “Whose side are you on anyways?” she asked, receiving only an apologetic shrug in response. She scoffed in annoyance before turning back to face the road. “Listen to this bullshit! Good job Katie! You turned the bitch of long enough to have a civil moment with your family! V proud of you! Who does that? I mean, I could get him expelled if I wanted to! I could!”

As Katie ranted about Scott, Jamie tuned out, focusing on the road ahead of him. Tonight, he was on a mission. Win Marshall...back? Could he even call it winning him back if he hadn’t even been his in the first place? For the sake of ease, he would. That said, once he figured out the Marshall situation, he’d be free to go after whatever secret Owen Lyon was hiding. Jamie didn’t give a fuck about whatever broke him and Trixie up, he just needed to know. The god damn newspaper was on the line.

As Jamie pulled his car into one of the parking spaces at the marina, Noah chewed his lip nervously. Katie had long since fallen into a stewing silence, her anger clear. Noah however, was left sitting quietly, his stomach churning with worry at the thought of what the night could bring. What if his mom found out where he was? Or he drowned in the ocean? Or JD kissed a girl in front of him? The scenarios ran through Noah’s head as he got out of the car, walking with Jamie and Katie up to the line. The party had clearly begun, music was blasting, so loud he could hear it from here. What really amazed Noah, were the colors that leapt from the boat. Flashing lights, and the hull itself shone brightly with so many shades and hues he couldn’t keep track. This was like art porn. He loved it.

After waiting in line and signing their names, the trio finally stepped aboard the Destiny. Jamie turned to his sister and her friend, taking a deep breath before fixing her with a stern look. “Katie, please be careful. Neither of you die or anything. I’m not trying to explain that to Mom. Don’t do hard drugs, don’t have unprotected sex, don’t...just be safe. Now, I’m gonna go find Selena,” Jamie said.

“Just go get laid already!” Katie shouted at Jamie. He rolled his eyes at her before turning on his heel and walking into the crowd, sending Selena a quick text as he went.

To: Sparkles

im grabbing you a martini, meet me by the bar

Katie turned to Noah as Jamie walked away, her loathing for Scott Lyon forgotten, and her love of drunk people returning her energy. “Come on! Let’s explore!” Katie said, grinning and pulling Noah with her into the crowd. If Noah knew what was about to happen tonight, he’d surely never have come. But hindsight is 20/20.

Bailee gazed at her reflection on her phone- what the hell was she wearing? Becca had dressed her in something from her walk in closet that was so tight it nearly suffocated her when she first put it on. Additionally, she put on twice the amount of makeup that she would normally wear. The brunette workaholic didn’t even look like herself. She didn’t feel like herself. But Bailee wanted to take her twin’s advice to heart tonight; she wanted to have fun at this party and let loose. And that started with dressing to impress.

Looking up from her phone, she peered out the window of the town car that was taking them to the dock. They were almost there, just a few more blocks to go. She sighed, switching her gaze over to her sister. “Are you sure I look okay?” Bailee fretted, needing to hear some validation from Becca in order to feel better about her outfit choice, and her choice to go wild tonight.

Becca turned to her sister, grinning. Becca was as calm as could be, but her sister clearly didn’t feel the same. That was understandable. Bailee lived in a world of board meetings and pantsuits. The bright lights and tight dresses were Becca’s scene. Tonight though, Becca was set on introducing her sister to a whole new world.

“Trust me, you look stellar. Everybody in this town will either want to be you, or be with you,” Becca promised, her voice surprisingly soft, soothing in a way. Not many would expect Becca to be the caretaker of her family, but underneath the shell of manipulation and bitchiness, she was still the oldest of her triplets and with that came a certain level of responsibility.

Bailee managed to let a small smile break through her anxiousness, a nervous laugh following. “Alright, as long as you say so.” She replied, taking out her phone once more. Opening up to her messages, she scrolled down to one conversation in particular, and attempted to find the right words to say. Fucking AJ, making her feel guilty as ever- that boy always knew how to push her buttons. But still, even though she felt guilty, she was absolutely pissed at him, and that anger wouldn’t disappear for a while. Shutting off the device before she said something she’d regret, Bailee turned to her sister. “Okay, so what kinds of things happen at these parties? I don’t know what to expect.”

“Oh, Little Sister, you have so much to learn! A high school party normally carries on the same every time. You get there, you get drunk, and you have fun. I bet you, about an hour in, at least three couples will have had sex, and there’ll have been at least one fight. Two if Hailey’s there. There’ll be dancing, but, I recommend the hot tub if you’re just trying to relax. Something about hot tubbing while drunk is a wonderfully comforting experience. Of course, remember, alcohol is the best way to make friends. Just about everyone will be just as drunk as you are, if not drunker, so don’t worry about embarrassing yourself.” Becca gave her sister a comforting smile as the car pulled up to the docks, where the yacht was waiting for them, resting majestically on the water. Becca could already see a few kids on board, and more were pulling up as well. This was looking to be a blast. “The only rule: have fun. I mean it.” With that said, Becca stepped out of the car, awaiting her sister so they could board the ship together.

“Drinking, fighting, dancing, and more drinking. Got it.” Bailee repeated back almost hypnotically. She was trying to internalize as much of her sister’s knowledge and wisdom as she could, but evidently, alcohol truly seemed to be the answer to all of it. Stepping out of the car and following her sister, Bailee smoothed out her skirt and began walking towards the Destiny. The Helmsley’s had spent many holidays on its deck, so she had grown accustomed to the ins and outs of the boat. However, Bailee knew that Brian had made some adjustments for the party, so she was quite excited to board the ship and see for herself the changes he had made.

Walking up the catwalk in order to step aboard, Bailee stepped around the high schoolers waiting to get in, and looked up at the bouncer who simply smiled and moved out of the way. “Ms. Helmsley, Ms. Helmsley, we’ve been expecting you. Please, go right ahead.” Strutting onto the main deck, Bailee took a look around at her classmates already having a great time. Soon, hopefully, she’d be having as much fun as they were having.

Becca grinned, a wicked twinkle in her eye at the sight of what the yacht held. The moon had just come out and already she could tell that the alcohol had been flowing rather liberally. The ship was alive with flashing lights, and colors exploded from the center of the deck. Brian really outdid himself this time. “Alright, let’s do this bitch!” Becca grabbed her sister’s hand, pulling her over to one of the multiple bars that were scattered around the ship. A crowd of people were gathered around, dancing as they waited to give their orders, but Becca simply waved them aside. They knew well enough not to mess with Becca Helmsley at one of her own parties. “Ms. Helmsley. What can I get for you?” the bartender asked, flashing a smile at Becca. They were...familiar. “Two shots, Grey Goose. Please,” Becca said, winking at the end of her order.

As the bartender went to work, grabbing shot glasses and grabbing the vodka from under the bar, Becca turned to Bailee. “Now remember, just breathe. It tastes like poison the first time, but once you get better at it, it’s like water,” Becca said, before turning to thank the bartender as he slammed two shot glasses down in front of the girls. Becca handed one to Bailee, and then raised it to toast. “To our oh so glorious return,” she cheered, before tilting her head back and sending the vodka straight down, a trained professional, clearly.

Bailee struggled to keep up as Becca dragged her to the bar- after all she was wearing high heeled knee high boots! She watched as the people around gave her looks, some of them good, and some of them shocked. Bailee never went to parties, so she wasn’t surprised that her presence was noticed by her peers. When they arrived at the bar, the brunette’s eyes went wide at the sight of the shot of vodka in front of her. But, she took a deep breath, just like her sister told her to, and grasped it in her hand. Looking up at her twin, she managed to smile….barely. “To letting loose.”

Bailee took one last deep breath before following her sister’s lead and taking the shot. It burned like fire going down her throat. She coughed instinctively after she swallowed, clearly not a professional like her sister, and tried desperately to get the singe-ing feeling to go away. “That hurt.” Bailee exhaled after downing the shot. Why did people do this for fun? But when the adrenaline pumped through her veins after the taste disappeared, she understood. She liked it. She felt powerful. She understood. This is what letting loose felt like. After a momentary pause, she looked at her sister with a smirk. “One more?”

Becca smirked. “There’s the Helmsley in you! Lukas! Another round!” Before she knew it, Lukas the bartender had refilled their shot glasses, and Becca was raising her glass in the air again. “To the Goose, my favorite animal, and to my sister, my favorite sibling!” Once more, Becca threw the shot back, a familiar warmth flooding her chest and stomach again, causing her face to break into a grin.

Bailee laughed slightly awkwardly, as she thought she already had Helmsley in her from running the family business. But, she knew that she came from a long line of partiers, her sister included, and she needed to experience that side of the family for once. Taking the next shot given to her, Bailee held up the glass and clinked it against her sister’s. “I don’t know what to cheers to, so I’m just gonna take the shot.” The burning sensation returned as the vodka traveled through her body, but this time, she was expecting the pain and the rush that came along with it. She even coughed less than she did the first time! Nice! Bailee grinned, “How am I doing so far in the ‘having fun’ department?”

“I’m thoroughly impressed! Now, if that doesn’t start to hit you in a bit, will come back for something that’ll really get you rocking. But for now, we dance!” Becca grinned, pulling her sister with her onto the dance floor where she began to sway her hips, unleashing the signature Becca Helmsley charm. “Now, find a cute boy, and make every girl on this boat jealous. Watch.” Becca scanned the crowd of teenagers before locking eyes with a senior that she deemed eligible. Chiseled jaw, well done hair, tight shirt, everything she could ask for. Smirking she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards her and beginning to dance, less with him and more on him. “I believe in you!”

Once again, Bailee tried to keep up with her sister’s pace as they made their way to the dance floor. At Becca’s order, her face paled. “Are you serious?” Bailee asked, her anxiousness beginning to grow. She thought Becca was supposed to be showing her how to have fun, not throwing her in without any guidance! Fuck training wheels, apparently. Looking around, people seemed to be having a great time, and her sister was no exception. But Bailee never talked to guys, hell, she was a virgin, a guy had never touched her before. With a deep exhale, something inside of her (probably the alcohol) told her to just go for it.

Her gaze fell on a guy leaning against the wall- he was on the basketball team. Tall, blonde, muscular, and handsome. Perfect. Bailee bit her lip and without saying a word, followed Becca’s lead and pulled him away from the wall and into her, moving onto the dance floor. He smirked flirtatiously, and let Bailee wrap her arms around him. She was doing it! Dancing! With a boy! Hopefully her brother wasn’t around to see- that’d be weird. Hopefully AJ wasn’t around to see, that’d be weirder. Looking over to Becca, she smiled in her direction, not saying a word and letting her actions speak for itself.

Becca was a very proud sister at that moment. She watched from her vantage point as Bailee danced with the boy, quite the catch if she was being honest, and grinned with pride. She remembered her introduction to this life, and while it had been a little harsher than she might have liked, she was happy she’d learned. Bailee would learn too. Becca knew, no matter how uncomfortable she might feel at times, one day she’d thank her.