[IC] Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year (Page 26)

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There must be something in the water
'Cause every day, it's getting colder
And if only I could hold ya
You'd keep my head from going under
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The entirety of Kavi’s Christmas/Winter Break had been spent wallowing in his own despair. Despite how he was being poised to enjoy himself as much as he could, despite how he was going to fly to Los Angeles to be with some of his western family, plans changed. It wasn’t any of his doing, but there was a massive falling out between some of his relatives and his father. The specifics didn’t come across the dinner table, but Kavi figured out yesterday that it wasn’t going to happen. Adding insult to injury, that meant he wasn’t going anywhere for the remainder of the break. And this meant one thing: Kavi’s claims of living a better break than Ariel was, as it always was with him, all talk.

It was pretty dark out on the night before Christmas. Kavi was driving in the BMW that his grandfather gave him as an early Christmas present. It had also been something to make up for how his children were being childish. Being eighteen, Kavi’s parents couldn’t deny him the luxurious gift Nikora gave him. Still, he didn’t put it to use -- at least not in the sense that April Foster would. Instead, Kavi casually drove down every street a few times. Everyone knew that Kavi had a new car so that was why the cops weren’t called. 

The sound of the BMW passed every house a few times and it got to the point where Kavi didn’t know why he kept driving, but maybe he did? Deep down the teen had an idea why but he probably didn’t want to admit it because there was a part of him that didn’t want to face the music that he, Kavi Salvador, the one who never felt regret for anything he did to anyone, was feeling just that. There was a deep regret for everything. He had a lot of time to think about his actions and there was only one thing that kept popping into every thought.

“Ariel.”

As he spoke her name, his stomach tightened up in the same way it did when he knew he fucked up. It was the same way when he and Ariel had that fight at his Halloween party. It happened at Winter Formal when he tried making her jealous of Mac. And now, as he stopped a few yards away from her house and saw her through her window, it was tightening up as he couldn’t stop thinking about her. 

When he saw her, Kavi almost drove away. He should drive away. There wasn’t any possible reason that made sense to him. She made it clear that there was no reason for them to talk if they weren’t paired up in projects. Kavi understood and agreed to stay away, but here he was, not even a month later, he sat in his comfortable, leather seat, warm heat cozying his ass, and he was thinking of doing the exact opposite of what he promised. And why was he going to do this? Because Kavi couldn’t stop thinking about her. Whether it was regret and him needing to fix things to where they got everything out in the open or what, Kavi had to talk to her.

Good thing he knew her father’s schedule thanks to a friend of his who interns for Tristen. He wasn’t due back home until way late, which meant Ariel would be home alone. This also meant Kavi had plenty of time to endure any verbal assault she might have in store for him.

As he pulled up to her house, Kavi made his way to the front door and gave it three decent knocks.

Since the Halloween party, Ariel had a lot more time to do whatever she wanted. Said things included doing more live streams, dancing practices, and writing. She had her bedroom window open, letting the smell of the ocean add to the calming state of mind she was in. 

Her room was caught somewhere between messy and clean. Her webcam gear was strewn across her desk, the TV turned to some random channel. The bed was a mess of blankets, various notebooks, and pens. This was what usually happened when Ariel was in the mood to write things. The cars going up and down the street didn’t help her creative process at all. Ariel had nearly given up on writing anything when she heard someone knocking at the door. 

She climbed off her bed and quickly went downstairs. It couldn’t be her father. He was working late. Maybe someone had broken down? She had just got done hanging out with Marisol earlier. Maybe it was her again? All of her ponderings didn’t prepare her for the sight waiting for her behind the mahogany door. 

The clicking of the door unlocking and opening greeted Kavi to the Grey residence as Ariel met his gaze. In that brief moment, she didn’t know what she felt - nor did she know what to say. The only reaction her body produced was attempting to close the door in the young man's face. 

He put his hand between the door and the lock, urgently using his superior strength to prevent it from closing. As Kavi did this, he saw the desperate urge Ariel had to close the door before he had a chance to say what he needed to say, but Kavi wasn’t going to let this happen again. He wasn’t going to allow what needed to be said to be disguised as intentional silence. He had too much time to think in the past weeks about what he really wanted and Ariel needed to know this.

“Just wait!” He pleaded, propping the door open with his hand as he watched her walk away. “Please, Ariel! I promise it won't be like before.”

”So you aren’t here to rub anything in my face again? You don’t have some girl behind the door with you ready to smash your faces together? None of your friends laugh at me this time when I get angry? And please, for the love of God, let’s not try and pretend like my reactions or feelings are invalid Kavi,” she blurted out, turning around to face him. 

Angry tears already threatening to come forth, she was determined to just send him away. But as the cruel fates above would have it, it started to rain outside. The last thing Ariel wanted right now was for Kavi to catch pneumonia and be able to blame her for it on his deathbed. 
Ariel groaned. ”Come in, I guess.”

Dripping, Kavi’s feet squished across the foyer and he followed Ariel wherever it was that she was walking. In silence. He knew what he wanted to say and he also knew exactly how he wanted to say it, yet when they came to a stop in the kitchen and Kavi froze in front of a turned around Ariel, nothing but a gasp and an appreciation of how beautiful she was. Despite the hell he put her through and all of the shitty things he said to her, especially invalidating how she felt on the night of his party, she was just as, well hot, as she had always been.

Kavi coughed, breaking the silence. “I’m...I mean, it’s good to see you again.” Kavi said, smiling at Ariel.

”Please just spit it out,” Ariel said, rolling her eyes. She was not about to turn into a pile of mush again. ”Better yet - go to my room. I’ll bring you a towel. You’re like… dripping everywhere. It’s annoying.”

Stopping by the bathroom to grab a towel, it occurred to her that Kavi didn’t know where her bedroom was. The simple fact was reinforced when she found Kavi looking confused at the top of the stairs. 

”Second door on the right,” she said, handing him the towel. 

He took the towel and followed her down the hall. They entered her room and he immediately felt strange. It was always that Kavi had invited girls to his parents’ house and they immediately went to his room for some wholesome fun, but he wasn’t the sort of boy who was invited. He was a fish out of water when he entered her room and his dripping feet further cemented this comparison.

“Wow, nice room.” He said as his eyes wandered around. It was then he noticed the excessive amount of posters of various musicians and bands. “Oh wow,” he laughed, shaking his head in slight disbelief. 

”What?” Ariel asked slightly confused. She followed his gaze to the left wall. ”What’s wrong with my posters?”

Kavi laughed again. “No, nothing’s wrong with them,” he said, shaking his head again. “It’s just, I didn’t expect--” He paused as he took an extra moment to consider his next words carefully. Ariel was known for her explosive temper and him being here was probably pushing it “--I guess I didn’t expect you to have so many of them. But, I guess it also fits?” it wasn’t that he wasn’t unsure but he was unprepared for a few reasons.

”I guess that’s fair,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as she plopped down on her bed. ”I’d offer you a seat, but you’re kinda… dripping. I don’t want everything in my room to be… mildew-y.” Ariel took a deep breath. ”So why are you here, exactly?”

Despite the towel helping, Kavi couldn’t help but notice a puddle had formed around him. Oh, what a lovely gift Mother Nature has given him on this eve of Christmas. “I was hoping to do this not standing up, but I guess it can’t be helped.” Kavi sighed, once more glancing around. 

His stomach was producing high amounts of anxiety unlike which he hadn’t felt in a while, or maybe it was his last meal not agreeing with him. Either way, the teen took in a deep breath and spoke when he exhaled. “The last time we were alone together was in similar circumstances: you not wanting to talk to me and me dripping wet. Things haven’t really changed, but one thing did change.” Kavi paused as the realization of what he wanted to say is more difficult to tell her than it was saying it in his head finally set in. “I mean--fuck, I’m not really good at this, Ari,” he admitted, sighing. “Look, I don’t know what to really say but to just say it: I miss you, Grey. I miss us!”

How could anyone blame her for not wanting to talk in either situation? While that wasn’t what Kavi was doing, it did make her think for a moment. Ariel had a habit of shutting down and shutting people out when she felt something strongly - and now was one of those times. 

”Kavi, I -” she clenched her jaw, trying to figure out how to say what she needed to get out. ”I miss you too. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given us another thought. But I have. I’ve given us a lot of thoughts.” She sighed, situating herself so that she was sitting cross-legged. ”But… it doesn’t change anything. Not for me.”

“It can, though!” Kavi blurted out. 

He made the half-attempt of stepping closer to her but he stopped himself. He knew it was one, not that easy and two, not about what he wanted right now. He could do what he wanted and by doing that, he’d go close to her, take Ariel into his arms, and kiss her -- but it wasn’t the time for that. What he wanted versus what he needed to do were two completely different things, and he would take a deep breath as he contemplated his next words carefully.

A few moments later, he looked at Ariel, a pair of brown eyes that saw clarity had met her gaze. Kavi then sat on the ground, crisscrossing his legs as though he was in kindergarten again. “Then tell me what needs to change.” He said as seriously as he could. If she needed things to change, Kavi Salvador was going to do the one thing he never did when he was with her the first time around: listen to what she wanted.

”What?” she asked incredulously. Since when did Kavi Salvador change for anyone or anything? Was this some existential crisis he was having? Did he get hit by a car? Or was there a chance that he knew and understood the words he was saying? ”Are you actually being serious, or is this another one of those times where you act serious, be a better person for like a week and then go back to being Supreme Overlord Douche bag?”

Kavi didn’t do anything but keep his eyes on her and his face as expressionless as he could. “I'm sitting on your floor, dripping like a loose faucet. I am as serious as I have ever been, Ariel. No games, no ulterior motives. I want to hear what you have to say. So, please if you wouldn’t mind..” He gestured his arms towards her before returning them to his lap.

It took every single bit of will power Ariel had to keep her from groaning. It was Christmas Eve. She wanted to relax - but no. Kavi was here. ”Step one - don’t always assume I’m overreacting, or make it out to me or anyone else like I am. I’m screwed up. Certain things make me react differently than it would other people. Just because I am crazy sometimes, doesn’t mean that I need you to tell me I’m acting crazy. Most of the time if you just let me act like a freak and get it out of my system, I’ll be fine. I know I’m a handful, and I’m sorry. Step two - try to be there for me on my bad days. It won’t be easy. I won’t want to talk. I won’t want to do things. But knowing that you care helps a little. Step three - when I say no, it means no. I know that you’ve gone through life being a pusher and no one’s ever really taught you that it’s not okay or anything. You’re used to getting your way. But when I say no, I have reasons. And you have to respect those reasons. Not go off and kiss another girl. Not text one of your friends to let them know that your ‘bitch is back on her bullshit.’” She sighed again. ”There’s a lot of little stuff that I could go on about for hours, Kavi, but the main thing I need from you is respect and patience. I know I have my faults. I’ve been trying to work on them. It’s not always easy, but…”

“I understand.” Kavi said that only so that he could start processing everything she said. 

He wasn’t going to lie to himself and say that what she said didn’t hit him hard. These past couple of months -- particularly from the night of his Halloween party and right now -- Kavi had been doing a lot of soul searching. He ventured to lands of not giving a damn about anyone or anything by listening to the devil on his shoulder who took the form of Mac to ignoring all of his wrongs that he had committed -- and he knew there were a lot of them. Ariel aside, he had hurt a lot of people. Those people weren’t just the girls he dated and tossed aside but those who were victims of his tormenting abuse. Elijah was at the top of that list. He gave that guy hell and none of it was deserved. Kavi would apologize, but he heard that the Abrams moved to Virginia during Thanksgiving break.

So he couldn’t necessarily do that, now could he? Next on the list was Nadia and in time, he was able to apologize to her. Whether or not she actually believed his sincerity was genuine wasn’t clear. Kavi knew it was authentic but he couldn’t very well ask her. That would be too much for the redhead, so he never followed up on it. It wasn’t like Vic would allow him near her. Vic had only allowed Kavi to say what he needed to say provided he never speak to her sister ever again. So he was grateful for the opportunity even if he left a few things unsaid.

So, who did that leave? Ariel, of course. The best for last and the one he wronged the most. Not only that but she was the one he had felt the most guilty in how he treated her. On multiple occasions, even before they got together in the official capacity, he embarrassed her, called her names, belittled her in front of a stranger, minimized her struggles to a disparaging word or two, made her feel less than what she saw herself as , but none of that even came close to her finding out he cheated on her -- even if it only lasted for a moment -- through a fucking Instagram post. 

As he sat there in silence, pondering and contemplating his next words, Kavi wasn’t exactly sure what to say. First and foremost, what could he say right now that wouldn’t be a repeat of last time? Well, he wasn’t blaming her so maybe that was an improvement. What was getting to him is he wanted to be open to change -- he was open to change -- but hearing what Ariel had to say and knowing exactly what was on her mind and what the problems were, Kavi found himself overwhelmed, but surprisingly, it was in a good way. In a direct response to what she had said, he smiled at her and clapped twice.

“Okay!” His tone was positive, though not overtly so because, again, Kavi didn’t want to make a repeat of last time. “I get it now, Ariel. Two freaking months later and I finally get it. What was happening wasn’t about me--” He paused, knowing that was the wrong way to phrase it. “--wait no, it was about me but not in the way I thought, right? You wanted me to be considerate of what you might be going through and not think you had to be the one to give-give-give. Equal footing for equal benefits.” The more he spoke, the more Kavi was starting to piece the puzzle together. 

”I guess so, yeah” she said, shrugging her shoulders. ”I don’t expect you to always have to deal with my mood swings and stuff in the perfect way, and I’m not saying that you didn’t at times just…” She sighed, thinking for a moment. ”There’s a lot of stuff that I think we both could have handled better. There’s a lot of stuff that we both need to work on.”

As he stood there, he scratched his head, trying to figure out what he should say next. He had come to her with nothing left to gain and his heart open to anything and everything, but when he heard what she had to say and just everything was unloaded, even in the middle of him saying what he said, Kavi wasn’t even focused on not sounding like a total idiot. He bore it all out there for her and, from how she responded, it wasn’t terrible. She didn’t hit him, so he called that progress.

He attempted to take a step forward but stopped. “Ariel…” His voice fell flat as his brown eyes locked dead-center on hers, a rare sight of Kavi at a loss for words. “I’ve hated these two months without you. And, I know it’s a longshot and if you don’t think now’s the time, then I’ll take my wet ass out of here and we can resume things as they have been, but if you think there might be a chance,” he paused, taking one step for man and another giant step towards Ariel with his soaking mop of hair ignoring her previous orders, but he kept at least two feet away from her. “Truth is Ariel, while I’ve had dates since we broke up and tried to fill the void my idiotic actions created, none of them have been the same. They never challenged me like you did. They were all obedient nobodies who just did whatever I told them to do. I used to like that, but not anymore, not since you and I were together, I mean. It was only two weeks, I know, but you have to know -- and maybe even felt it yourself -- those two weeks were amazing.”

Kavi took just a few moments to breathe. He felt his heartbeat increase its rhythm with every word he spoke and it was made apparent to him when his whole body decided to go warm. It was a strange feeling but it was one that brought a slight smile to his face. “You said we have things we both need to work on, didn’t you? We might as well do that together.” He didn’t move but his gaze sold his point enough for him to be confident enough to say it without any underhanded comment or distracting tactic like he usually did.

”Fine. But the first time you show a red flag, I’m out, got it? I won’t stand by while you make me look like a complete idiot again.” She sighed. ”And while we’re on the subject, I’m sorry that I overreacted those few times. I know that I tend to do that a lot, so it’s kind of the first thing on my list that I’ve been trying to fix. Or at least one down.”

Kavi laughed. He knew he shouldn’t and he knew it was inappropriate, but the way she made her actions sound was funny to him because she was overselling them. At the time, it was without a doubt an overreaction because he wasn’t expecting her to react to his touch like she did, or break his nose, or break most of his belongings. The truth was Kavi never expected any of that to come from Ariel just like he never expected to feel so intensely for her. It was true they probably weren’t right for each other, but it felt so wrong being away from her that he saw no other place but beside her.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ejected

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For as long as Carter could remember, his favorite thing about having a Christmas celebration with his father's side of the family in Oakland was finally, after spending the majority of the year apart, being able to reunite with his favorite older cousin. Not only did Carter discover his love for a certain herbal substance through his older cousin, but it was also with said boy that a new, secret tradition had begun between the two of them. First, they'd meet at their uncle's house, both accompanied by their sides of the family. Then they'd spend about twenty minutes or so getting their cheeks pinched by a certain auntie, whose makeup and wig always made her look casket ready. 

And then finally, after being interrogated for thirty minutes about their personal lives by random family members that they barely knew, they'd finally excuse themselves from the rest of the family to take a "walk" around the neighborhood. This particular Christmas, the pair decided to stop at a nearby playground to smoke Carter's supply; together they sat side by side on the swing-set, with their only source of light being a street lamp.

"So," Terrell started as he fished around his jacket pocket for a lighter, "What's been goin on, cuzzo? What's new in your lavish life down in Palm Beach?" Carter could detect the familiar hint of bitterness in his cousin's voice; it was no secret that he wasn't too fond of his best friend moving to the other side of the country.

"Eh, same old shit. You know how it is." Carter said, keeping things simple. "Spoiled rich kids, boring ass classes, open mic nights, a few organized protests here and there..."

"Here you go with that militant, black power... Malcolm X shit again," Terrell laughed before taking a hit from the blunt. "I'm talking about college, goofy. You always been the smart one in the family, and I know Unc was probably on your ass about applying, so where'd you get into? You thinkin' about going to college somewhere in Cali?" And there it was.

"Actually... nah, I think I'ma stay somewhere down south." Carter said hesitantly before taking a hit. "You know, like Morehouse... I got into FAMU too, so that's an option." Carter didn't even have to look at his cousin to know the face that he was making. Don't get him wrong, Carter loved Oakland, and he'd missed his other side of the family more than anything... but in his mind, moving back after graduation seemed like taking a couple of steps backwards. "I can still come visit and shit though, like how I'm doing now. Or you could even come visit me."

The two sat in silence after that, finishing off their own spliffs in peace. It wasn't until Terrell stood from the swing that Carter knew their bonding time was officially over. "Whatever, man," Terrell said as he flicked the remaining bud into the grass, "Let's just head back. I'm tryna get a piece of Auntie's sweet potato pie before it's all gone."

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Unlike the majority of his friends at King's Academy, Kavan Varma and his family did not celebrate Christmas. Not once in his life had Kavan helped decorate a Christmas tree, helped prepare a big Christmas feast, or even scoured the malls looking for gifts for his loved ones. No, on December 25th, Kavan treated the day the same as any other; instead of watching those corny holiday programs or listening to Mariah Carey, he simply spent the day reading, writing, and playing his bass guitar. He'd even spent a little time with his older sister, who had the day off thanks to good ol' Saint Nick.

"I don't see the obsession with it all," He'd listened to Amoli say as she reheated her leftovers. "All the tales of a fat white man in a red suit who slides down your chimney at night, eats your freshly baked goods and drinks your milk... sounds like a goddamn intruder if you ask me."

"He leaves gifts for children, Amoli," Kavan had told her with a roll of his eyes. "It's not like he's a real person... He's a fictional character. For children. It's meant to be a good thing." It wasn't unlike his sister to be overly critical of the holiday; in fact, she went on the exact same spiel nearly every year. It was because of this that Kavan decided against asking for her advice about what to gift Archer for Christmas. Then she'd really pop a blood vessel.

"What does Santa even have to do with religion? And oh, what if people don't have chimneys, what does he do then? Just hop right in through their front windows? Bet that still wouldn't be considered breaking in. Oh, and..."

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Winter Break Collab with @ineffable

Putting a little over four thousand miles between Sawyer’s asshole father and him for the holidays was probably the best thing he could have asked for. Of course there was the one night he had to pretend with everyone else that they were still one big happy family. Christmas Eve dinner. Nathan and Ashley drove down from New York the morning of, and Grandpa Zsazs had come down the night prior. Even Ronnie came down to spend Christmas dinner with them. It was like old times, the only person who had been missing was mom. Holidays were always Sawyer’s mom’s thing. His dad never really cared. Decorations never went up. Was the first year in nearly 18 years their house hadn’t been decked out with lights. And that was typically just the bare minimum.

Getting through Christmas dinner was the easy part. Waiting out the next few days until he’d take a trip to the U.K. with his girlfriend, Georgie Fielders. What Georgie would never know was that the whole trip wasn’t even his idea, it was actually his twin brother Gavin’s. Sawyer’s usual plans for any kind of break during the school year was to escape home to his grandfather’s house. Sawyer was going to invite her along until Gavin suggested traveling abroad for Winter Break. Seemed as though it was probably the better choice in the end.

The trip had been quite exciting and Sawyer, with a bit of nudging advice from his helpful brother, managed to keep them constantly on the move, seeing as much as they possibly could in the time they had to explore.

Georgie turned to Sawyer, who was asleep next to her in the car and nudged him.

They’d only just returned back to Palm Beach after their holiday and she’d managed to convince her absentee parents for her to stay with Sawyer for a bit before school actually started.  In fact, her parents had already fallen head over tails for their budding puppy love and were entirely freaking out too much about having their daughter be with someone who loved her the most. In fact, she had the feeling that if something happened to the both of them of Georgie’s fault then her parents would stick with Sawyer on his side anyways. 

Sawyer woke suddenly with a sharp inhale, slowly sitting upright in his seat. He’d managed to slump over with his head on Georgie’s shoulder. The boy turned a slight red, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he took a look around before finally turning his gaze back to Georgie with a small smile. “We’re almost home.” He tilted his head a bit and asked, “You alright, love?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m all good.  We almost there?” She leaned forward to look at the road but couldn’t discern much.

Sawyer nodded, reaching his hand over to slip it into hers, twining their fingers together. “Mhm.”

From the front seat, Gavin smirked and looked into the rearview mirror. “Boy, thought you’d never wake up. You were sawing logs back there! Is.. is that drool on your cheek?”

Sawyer stiffened and turned bright red, glaring at his brother as he grumbled, “Shut up.” Gavin laughed as Sawyer quickly rubbed the side of his face against his shoulder, Sawyer ducking down to gently bury his face into Georgie’s neck with a heavy sigh. “God I hate him,” he chuckled softly into her ear.

“Don’t we all?” Georgie teased, reaching out a hand to ruffle Gavin’s head.  Her phone beeped in her pocket and she wiggled it out to read the notification there.

It was from Chrysler and the only thing it said was:

Kellie Anne, the dancing queen has officially shuffled her way off the school stage From Chrysler

Georgie moved slightly away from Sawyer to show him the message.  “You heard about this?”

Sawyer pulled away just so to peak at her phone, his smile quickly fading as he sat up straighter for a better view. “N-no.” The boy leaned to the side to pull his own phone from his pocket, looking at his lack of notifications on it. The boy’s brow narrowed a bit, a puzzled look on his face as he unlocked his phone and began texting Kellie ‘Hey, so uh.. You’re leaving? Were you ever gonna say anything to me??’ Sawyer sat there and stared at the message a few moments before reluctantly hitting send. He chewed on his inner cheek, looking up at Gavin. “Hey, you hear about Kellie leaving Palms?”

Gavin eyeballed Georgie a moment, gave Sawyer a quick glance and put his eyes back on the road. “Uhm, well… she’s… I mean, yeah. I thought you knew, bruv. Sorry..?”

Sawyer sat back against his seat, looking down at the floor of the truck. A clearly hurt tone clung to his voice as he mumbled, “Nope. Didn’t know.”

Georgie watched the exchange go on, slightly confused as to what was happening.  Of course, she knew that she barely knew Sawyer after their two years away from each other but she didn’t think that he was friends with Kellie.  And to be so close that his hurt tone was evident?

Georgie herself knew that she didn’t like the girl that much.  She knew that Kellie had thought of her like an enemy to Max’s affections and had treated her as such.  In fact, Georgie had no idea what warranted this much emotion for such a cold-faced character.

She frowned slightly down at her phone before reaching out to touch a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder.  They must be close to their destination now, wouldn’t they be? 

“You knew her?” Georgie tried to act nonchalantly.

Sawyer relaxed immediately with Georgie’s hand on his shoulder, sighing heavily as he shrugged and laid his head on her hand tenderly and closed his eyes. “Yeah, I guess I did,” he said, a bit of a cold tone to his words. 

Gavin cleared his throat and repositioned himself, feeling it get a bit awkward in the cab of his truck. “Oooookay, well, here we are! Home sweet home!” He pulled the truck up into their long driveway, clicking the garage open and pulling in slow before parking in his spot. “Come on you two.”

Sawyer pulled away from Georgie to reach around her, opening up her door for her with one hand and unclipping her seatbelt with the other. The boy couldn’t help but look into Georgie’s eyes, giving her a jokingly playful grin. “Lucky for us, Richard won’t be home till the end of the week.”

“Yes, dad is on a business trip. Got a call last minute, said it was an emergency.” Gavin walked to the back, popping the camper shell to grab out their luggage.

“Still think he’s ban—er.. sleeping with that Rep. Probably trying to replace us.. or, me at least. He’d never replace his prodigal son.” Sawyer laughed, hopping out on his side before joining Gavin to grab the rest of their things.

Georgie was still thinking about Sawyer’s non elaboration as to Kellie Anne but she brushed that thought away pretty quickly as she exited the car and went to help Gavin and Sawyer get all their luggage.  She knew she was probably still exuding a bit of the judgy eyes aura but she smiled along with their jokes and resisted the urge to text Chrysler about literally everything.

Georgie grabbed her trunk from the truck and carelessly plonked it down on the ground, narrowly missing Gavin’s foot.

“Whoops, sorry babe.” She laughed and patted his shoulder before hefting the bag up.

Gavin nearly jumped out of his skin, laughing nervously. “Girl, it’s okay. Next time, though, aim for my head. Just take me out so I don’t have to deal with this guy anymore,” the twin laughed while Sawyer watched the two, rolling his eyes before wandering over to the door leading into the kitchen, pushing his way through with Gavin following close behind.

Sawyer dropped his bags near the doorway and turned, backpedaling towards the fridge. “Uhm, love, y-you hungry or thirsty? We’ve got sodas, water.. Uh, juice.. Milk?”

Gavin fake-gagged, commenting in a disgusted tone, “Who drinks straight milk?!”

Sawyer rolled his eyes, ignoring his brother as he smiled, patiently waiting for an answer from Georgie.

“Fireball.” Georgie winked before she laughed and pushed past Sawyer to reach for a can of Diet Coke herself, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek as she went.  

“So...Show me around?”

Sawyer smirked at her answer, biting his lower lip as he watched her grab the can, reaching in to grab a regular Coke, himself. The boy nodded, popping open his soda as he began to walk towards the staircase.

Gavin chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, ‘show me around Sawyer, in a house I’ve never been to’,” he teased, walking passed the two to run up the stairs. “Don’t worry, I’ll try drowning you two lovebirds out with some Panic! At the Disco.” Gavin gave Georgie a ‘look’, pointing his fingers from his eyes to his brother in an ‘I’ve got got my eyes on you’ gesture before disappearing into his room.

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble came booming down the staircase as well as some very loud whining as Sawyer’s two dogs came bolting down the stairs, Rooster tripping down the last few and Dixie wandered directly over to Georgie. Rooster leapt and tackled Sawyer, the boy somehow managing to keep hold of his soda. “Hey! Settle down, man. Haven’t been gone that long,” Rooster, hardly being able to contain himself, sat obediently on his haunches as his butt  before it dawned on him that there was a new smell in the house. A new person, for that matter! Suddenly Rooster had forgotten all about Sawyer and surrounded Georgie’s feet, sniffing her from her feet up.

“Uh, well… you know Dixie, but you haven’t met my boy, yet. Name’s Rooster. My grandpa gave him to me to look after,” Sawyer said to her.

Georgie scrunched up her nose at Gavin before she started out after Sawyer, slowing down as she saw the dogs bounding down the stairs.  Her face lit up and she quickly knelt down to give them all the chance to get a good sniff of her. 

“Hi Rooster! Have you been a good boy lately? I already love you!” She tried to hug the wiggling dog close and succeeded in only getting licked more than she already was.  

“When did your grandpa give him to you?” She looked up at Sawyer happily before she resumed her petting, reaching over with a hand on each dog to give Dixie equal pets.

“Little over a year ago. He was about three months old when he brought him down to me.” Sawyer smiled, happy the dogs welcomed her so quickly and that Georgie loved them right out of the gate. Rooster sat on his haunches and was just soaking up all the love Georgie was giving him, Dixie however turned away to walk over to Sawyer. The boy smiled a little and whispered ‘Hey pretty girl,’ as he bent down to give the red dog pets.

“Was shortly after mom went into the hospital. Didn’t tell anyone.. Well, I had my brother Nate go with me, actually. He was the only one who really knew, except grandpa, of course. But I just brought him home one day and he’s just kind of been here ever since. He’s helped me through quite a bit, haven’t you, boy?” Sawyer half-smiled and pet Rooster affectionately, sighing deeply before he looked up at Georgie. “Can we just take them with us and go back to England?” he chuckled softly. ’If only,’ he thought to himself.

Georgie smiled at how happy Sawyer was and laughed “I think that’s a good plan.” She wanted to tell him again about how sorry she was for not being there for him but she kept her mouth shut and simply just hugged Scooby closer.  

Speaking of Nate, well, she hadn’t seen him in quite a bit.  

“Where’s Nate gone?”

Sawyer smirked, giving Georgie a look. “You just missed ‘em right before Christmas. He was here. Him and his fiance are living up in New York, now. They’re expecting, too! Sometime in May. They’re gonna be having a girl, they think.”

Sawyer stood up, clicking his tongue twice at the dogs. “Come on kids, let’s go.” At the word ‘go’, the dogs began to run around in circles, jumping all around. “No, no. Guys. Not go. Just upstairs, you crackheads,” he laughed, shaking his head as both the dogs took off up the stairs to the bedrooms.

Sawyer started to walk towards the stairs before stopping, turning to hold out his free hand to offer it to Georgie with a soft smile. “Wanna go upstairs, gorgeous?”

“Expecting? That’s crazy!” Georgie followed Sawyer towards the stairs and nodded as she grabbed onto his hand. 

Sawyer nodded, leading her up the stairs to his bedroom where the dogs were wrastling at the edge of the bed. The boy rolled his eyes and let Georgie enter in, shutting the door behind them. “God, I remember when mom insisted on having the door a hand’s length open at all times if we were up here on our own. Or at least insist Gav was in here with us.” Sawyer chuckled, snapping with a point towards the dog beds for Dixie and Rooster to go lay in.

Sawyer let go of Georgie’s hand as he plopped himself down on his bed, looking up at her. A memory came to him then, causing him to smirk but decided to keep it to himself for the time being.

“Mm hmm.” Georgie was quiet for a moment as she tried to get her thoughts together and placed her can down on his dresser.  She sat down next to him on the bed before she spontaneously reached over to kiss him, her hands reaching slightly underneath his shirt.

Sawyer’s heart began to beat just a little faster as he felt her lips on his and her hands beneath his shirt. Without hesitation, he reached to the side and set his can down and positioned himself better on his bed, pulling her closer into him as he returned the kiss. Sawyer’s hands traveled down to her hips, gripping onto her only just, holding her there with him in the moment.

“Just like London huh?” Georgie giggled and pushed him down.  “God, you have no idea what you do to me,” she whispered.

’No, you don’t know what you’re doing to me!’ he thought to himself, reaching up to cup his hand behind the back of her head, pulling her back down as he pressed his lips to hers again as he thought, ’Or maybe you do,’ “Tell me, babe.”

Georgie was just about reaching to toss off her jacket when she felt a buzz in the pocket.  ’Oh fuck it’ she thought to herself as she slowly shrugged it off and threw her phone to the foot of the bed.  

“Will do.” She smiled against his lips.  Her foot nudged her phone and she felt it buzz.  Again.  For god’s sake.  Probably wasn’t important was it?

As much as Sawyer really didn’t want to stop, the second vibration from her phone made it seem pretty important. Maybe it was her parents, or something? Sawyer forced himself to stop, giving her a couple of soft kisses before pulling away fully. “Love, just check it. What if it’s important? I don’t mind waiting a minute or two. We’ve got the next couple days to ourselves. Go ahead.”

Georgie huffed as she went and picked up her phone, quickly scanning over the text before she stopped.

Chrysler: Honestly Georgie, don’t worry about it...well maybe I would...but…

Georgie frowned before she quickly texted back.

Georgie: But what? 

Chrysler: well you do know that they were dancing together right? 

Georgie: Dancing what?

Chrysler: I mean they like dance together, I’ve heard of it but I thought it was all a rumor.  But if Sawyer’s acting weird, then that’s probably it.

Georgie put down her phone, and frowned.  What the hell was Chrysler going on about? She took a deep breath before she asked him, albeit as calmly as she could’ve.

“Were you and Kellie...were you guys friends?”

Sawyer’s expression stiffened when she frowned as she looked down on her phone, tilting his head slightly as he quietly watched her and waited for her to return to him. Once she set her phone down, it seemed her frown only deepened. Suddenly Sawyer’s chest tightened and it was as if he knew what she was about to say next. Which, he did, more or less.

It was about Kellie. Again. The boy felt backed into a corner. He wanted to be honest with her and explain things to her about that whole situation, but he was afraid she’d take it the wrong way and he’d lose her. Again. Instead, Sawyer answered her question with a question, a slightly defensive tone about his voice, “Am I not allowed to have friends who are girls, or somethin?”

“No no, I didn’t mean it like that.  Of course you are. It’s just...I mean, I’ve missed so much of your life and I just...well...You’re dancing with her!” Georgie burst out.

Sawyer’s heart was pounding in his chest, this time for a completely different reason. He hated heated confrontations.. most especially with a girl. With his girl. The boy sat up a little, propping himself up on his elbows. “I danced with her, Georgie. Past tense.” Sawyer pushed himself up into a sitting position, reaching out to take her hands in his tenderly, looking at her.

“Why does this matter to you so much? It’s not like she and I ever.. Like, had a thing, or anything like that. We just danced. She’s on the squad.. er, was. And,” he thought about bringing up the fact that she’d left him some time before it all started and he didn’t exactly have someone to go to. “Well, I knew Kellie through Max and she and I hung out once or twice. I mentioned I used to dance as a kid and she asked if I still knew how. It was.. It was innocent. Just two kids dancing together, trying to have a good time. You know? Just kind of became a thing for us when we hung out.” the boy shrugged, looking up at Georgie.

He remembered how Gavin had told him he should explain why he hadn’t told her yet to Georgie, trying to recite it as best he could. “I hadn’t exactly gotten around to telling you about it all. Believe me, I was going to, but.. Like you’ve said before, we’re practically trying to relearn each other. You know? I just wasn't sure how you’d react to something like that.”

Georgie listened as he talked but couldn’t stop herself from fiddling.  What got her was that he hadn’t told her this before and that it was Kellie Anne! The very same Kellie Anne who had treated her so badly over the Max incident.  She just couldn’t understand how the two of them would have become friends.  But she was happy for him, that he went back to dancing again.  Just not...with her.

“I’m sorry, you just know...well maybe you don’t.  But I just don’t really like her and you’ve never told me about all of this before.  You’ve had weeks to tell me about all of this.  And you didn’t.  I just…” Georgie paused here before she took a deep breath.  She was being unfair.  Again.

“Could I just see the videos, if you have any of you guys dancing?”

Sawyer sat there staring at Georgie. It didn’t seem like she heard anything he’d said. ..Videos? …….Gavin. Gavin had to have said something to her. Well, there was no getting around this, was there?

Sawyer slid himself off the end of the bed and walked over to his desk, picking up his laptop before returning to the bed. “Why is this such a big deal to you? I mean, seriously?” The questions he asked were more rhetorical than anything, but he half hoped she’d answer them. Nevertheless, the boy started up the computer and waited for it to load up. He already knew she wasn’t going to like how he danced in some of these.

Georgie knew she was being a douche at this point, so there was no use in stopping the idiot train from leaving the station but she just had to know.  It was all so new to her, this whole thing with Sawyer and she’d wanted it for so long.  And now that it was in her hands, she needed it to be perfect.  She didn’t want him to let her down, put on a facade one moment when he was with her and abandon it the next. She couldn't handle that.  She never would be. 

“It’s just.  I really like you.  You know that.  And you know how much I need things to be good for us.  And, as much as I want to say that I just want to watch those videos so I can see how happy and great you are doing something you love...I just need to see them so I know that you guys weren’t...together.  I’m just trying to make up for the time I’ve been away.  And I know I’m being a total jealous idiot here but I need it.  You understand, don’t you?”

As she spoke, his lips pressed firmly together into a fine line, reluctantly nodding his head in response to her question. Sawyer sat there staring at the computer screen as it loaded in, typing in his password before pulling up his files. For the time being, he remained silent as he pulled up the file titled ‘Sessions’, then a sub-file with the name ‘Me and Kellz’. He’d heard what she said, but didn’t know how to respond. Figured the best thing for him to do was just nod and stay quiet.

There was no sense in skipping any videos, so he just clicked on the first one, which was a mashup of several sessions that he’d edited together. Sawyer slowly slid the laptop into Georgie’s lap, sighing heavily as he pushed himself up from the bed and walked away. The boy ran a hand through his hair as he wandered a few paces away before turning around to face Georgie, crossing his arms over his chest with a soft, patient expression painted across his face.

If it was anyone else, he’d have caught an attitude real quick and become confrontational. It wasn’t just anyone, though. It was Georgie. The boy really didn’t see any other way but to be honest and true, as much as the videos could potentially put him in the doghouse, he knew absolute honesty was key. His girlfriend always seemed to be so caught up on everything being ‘perfect’. He didn’t understand just why she wanted to be with him, considering. He was far from it.

The boy could hear the music playing and could almost put himself back into the moment. He’d missed dancing. It’d feel awkward going back to hang with the dance kids without Kellie being there, though. He’d have to find something else to do.. Definitely wasn’t an option, now, considering how much Georgie seemed to dislike Kellie, for some reason. He made a mental note to ask about why she didn’t like her so much at a later time, if she didn’t elaborate on it herself.

The boy peeked up at his girl, mumbling just loud enough for her to hear, “Love, just don’t be upset at me. Please, babe. It was literally just dancing. That’s it. Some dances are more.. intimate than others, but there was never any contact other than hands in--” he had to take a moment to think of a word, “respectable places.” He had a feeling that no matter what he said, she was focused on it so much that she wouldn’t really hear what he said. Or at least that it wouldn’t matter. Girls were so damn complicated.

Georgie watched the videos, half an eye out as she watched Sawyer pace back and forth in front of her.  She was growing nervous by the second.  Of course, he was able to have a life away from her (she had been such a bad friend to him before so it must warrant it at some point) but with anyone but freaking Kellie.  She was gorgeous and talented and well...let’s face it she already had Max, Georgie’s only choice of getting away from everything those few months that she hadn’t been with Sawyer.  She had everything.  And even though Georgie acted like she herself did, she knew that she didn’t.

The 18 minutes was pure torture to watch.  Sure, the dances weren’t that provocative and she was pretty sure that she’d not been that choreographed when she herself went out to the clubs but honestly, it was her boyfriend and another girl and they had more chemistry between them than she’d ever be able to have.

“Sawyer...” She let her voice trail away as she put down the laptop on the side of the bed.

“You liked her, didn’t you?”

Sawyer locked his eyes with hers when he heard her speak his name, his shoulders dropped, a slight frown setting in. “Full honesty, yes.” Sawyer stepped forward, tenderly taking her chin in his hand. “But Georgie, if any of that mattered, neither of us would be here.” The boy stroked his thumb over her cheek gently, continuing, “Baby, you know how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you. Can we stop living in the past and just focus on us? In the here and now?”

As soon as he said yes, Georgie felt a bit thrown.  She was expecting it of course, I mean they had lost contact for years but...she’d thought they’d be perfect and good to go when they were together again.

She shied away slightly from his touch.

“I’m not mad at you, I have no right to be...it’s just.  I don’t know, I guess it hurts thinking that if we hadn’t talked that night you’d very well be with her right now.  And by god, we all know that you’d probably want to be with her more than the mess I am...and with everything with Max, too...I know how focused you are on the present but, just for once, I think the past matters more than you think.” She paused here to catch a breath and then abruptly stood up.  She felt her chest constricting.  She wasn’t perfect enough.  She wasn’t then and she wasn’t now.  That’s why Sawyer would’ve chosen Kellie and not her in the end.

She took a step towards the door.

Sawyer stepped forward and around her, stepping between her and the door. He’d have grabbed her but feared she’d pull away from him again. He looked at her, trying to search her eyes. Where was all this coming from?

“Georgie, Georgie! Hey. No matter what I could have ever felt, I respect Max too much to go after his girl. Neither of us would have had a shot with either of them in the first place, because they were still head over heels for each other.”

Georgie whirled around, quite ready to fire back a response and found that even though it was an effort, she was angry.

“Right.  But you would’ve still pined over her, Harvey, and in the end we all know that we wouldn’t have even talked about everything so yeah, you’d just end up with her or some other perfect specimen because,” She wasn’t even sure why she was bringing in their communication problems but she was already on a roll “-you’d never grow a pair and talk to me.” She waited for this to settle in and almost wanted to kick herself for saying all these things.  By god, was she really this bitchy? But his response just then hadn’t been exactly great either...he’d been talking about... 

“Wait.  How did you know about Max?”

Sawyer was about to interrupt her and tell her that she was the ‘perfect specimen’ in his eyes, until the next few words rolled out of her mouth. His heart quickly sank down into his stomach. All the fight in him that would’ve attempted to keep her there with him left. His eyes shifted to the ground a few moments before he began to move away to sit on the bed. What she’d said really stung. Did she really think that of him? Who was he to know he ever had a shot at even being friends with her again after what he did, let alone actually be with her..?

Sawyer sat down on the bed and slouched forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He let her question hang unanswered in the air a few seconds before responding, “People talk. Big school, lot of gossipers. You hear things.” Of course, he’d actually heard the ‘gossip’ through his own twin. Albeit accidentally. Still, he wasn’t about to throw his brother under the bus.

She knew that she’d hurt him when he backed away from her.  Sawyer was the strongest person she knew so if her worthless words had landed, well.  She walked closer to him.  Maybe she didn’t mean it? But she did.  She’d wanted him to talk to her but he’d never gotten around to it.  She heaved a deep breath and reached out a hand before she withdrew it.  She wanted to say sorry but...they were onto other things now.

“I’ll be honest to you, too...I did like him.  He was a great distraction for a bit but it’s not like I had any chance with him as Georgie, the girl you’d look at for a second before passing your eye over to better things.” She shuffled her feet, trying to decide what best to say next.

“I...I didn’t mean what I said earlier about you not having enough courage to talk to me...I mean, maybe I did, but...it just came out wrong. I...” she stuttered and stopped, not knowing how to go on.

“Yeah, well it was the same for me with Kellie. First it was drugs, then mom passed and Kellie kinda took me under her wing. She was helping me when no one else seemed to want to. She was the only one who cared. She helped me get my shit straight, helped me get back in with Max and The Team. So, yeah. I liked her, a little. But I’m supposed to be understanding about your little crush on Max while I get thrown to the wolves over something like that? Something that actually makes more sense than just ‘he’s hot’..?!”

It was then that Sawyer stood up and walked around Georgie, heading for the door. With his hand on the knob, Sawyer stopped and turned his head a little, not fully looking at her, “It was never about having courage. It was about respecting you, and the fact that I fucked things up. I knew I didn’t deserve the chance.” Sawyer snapped his fingers and led the overly-eager dogs down the hallway, not wanting to give Georgie the chance to snap at him again. He began heading towards the back door with the dogs.

Shit.  Georgie knew that she’d messed things up real bad this time.  And she knew deep inside that Sawyer was right.  She was a hypocrite for everything that she’d said.  And she’d had such a deep seated dream for perfection that everything that had come in contact with her would inevitably be ruined in the end. 

“Wait,” she took a few quick strides and was right behind Sawyer, reaching her arms to him to hug him from the back.  

“Please.” She knew that her words definitely weren’t enough.  She couldn’t say anything more than she had already and risk ruining it all again.  

Sawyer stopped dead in his tracks, a lump caught in his throat. He couldn’t manage to speak, so he just stood there a moment and let out a deep sigh before reaching a hand up to gently rub over hers.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by AlteredTundra

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AlteredTundra

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AlteredTundra

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Bio

Stella’s vacation in Paris has been nothing short of heaven on Earth. When she flew in nearly three weeks ago, she was overwhelmed. There was so much to do, so many places she wanted to see and with so little time on her side, there was only a handful of places she could go to and activities she could take part in. But if there was one thing being in France during this winter break had done anything to Stella, it showed her that Aladdin’s words to Jasmine really were true.

She has been exposed to a whole new world. A byproduct of that is a new Stella. 

At the core, she remained the same: compassionate, selectively carefree, and a star that lit up every room she walked into, but there was something else. Her experiences had created layers and confidence within her came with that. For the first time in her entire life, Stella was feeling more sure about herself than she had ever been. She was still softly spoken and ditzy, but now she was a little more assertive than she was before winter break.

During the past three weeks, Stella gradually knocked off things off her bucket list. She saw landmarks that were almost as famous as the city itself, she indulged in the best French cuisine that money could buy, and she went to the best stores and looked the part of a French woman while basking in the glory of the most romantic city in the world. In a sense, Stella found herself at home. Paris France felt like home. 

But nearly at the end and she had yet to cross one item off her bucket list. 

As she sat in her room that overlooked the Lambert villa property, ever the daydreamer, she gazed out into space, looking at the green fields, the hills of the countryside. The window itself was closed and she couldn’t help but think back to last summer when she had grasped onto that one thing she had longed to hold in her arms again and for her to be held in his. The man she nearly escaped reality with for one magical night. He smelled of honey and lavender and was the most beautiful creature she had laid her eyes on.

She sighed hopelessly, stepping away from her window. As she turned, her cousin stood, leaning against the wall, causing the brunette to jump in her seat.. “Lori, how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear you talk about him,” Lori, short for Lourdes, revealed, walking into Stella’s room and took a seat in a chair across from Stella’s. “I don’t understand why you don’t just go talk to him.”

“How are you even sure he wants to see me?” Stella asked, feeling very pessimistic right now.

Lori took in a breath and sighed. “I don’t, but you can’t honestly think Marcel has forgotten about you.” Lori looked at her cousin’s unconvinced face. “What’s wrong, honey? Are you seriously that uncertain?” She asked her pointblank.

The teen could only shrug. She didn’t know what was what anymore, especially when it came to Marcel, not after what happened last summer and especially not how she practically left him hanging. It was not only a time she didn’t like to talk about, but Stella also had, for the most part, blocked it out of her mind and tried to forget about it. As much as Lori and her family had tried to console her in her time of need, there was just something about the whole situation that made that completely impossible.

“Estelle Lenore Lambert!”

Stella perked up when Lori used her full name. “What!?”

Lori didn’t respond with words but rather standing up and tugging at her arm. Though she was taken by surprise, a wave of curiosity passed through her. So much so that she let Lori lead her to wherever she was walking, which wasn’t as straightforward as Stella had initially thought.

As she was led by Lori into her car, Stella rode in the passenger side and under the guise that her relatives were told they were going to have coffee at a cafe, Stella couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Lori was up to and just where they were heading. About halfway through the trip, Stella had asked but Lori only said she’d know when they got there.

So, Stella remained in the dark, running the potential scenarios through her head. She couldn’t grasp on where Lori was driving her. It only took an hour for Lori to drive into Paris and they stopped in front of a fancy apartment building that was expensive. She knew this just from how glossy the exterior design was. That and it had its own doorman.

“What is this place, Lori?” Stella asked, hoping to finally get an answer out of her.

And just like before, Lori gave her a nonanswer: “Just follow me.”

They were helped out of the Audi with the help of a couple of men in uniforms. As they walked, they passed the doorman, who greeted them with a smile as he spoke something in the native French language. Stella could only make out a part of the phrase. Not long after, the door opened and Lori again led her blindly. They walked into an elevator and rode it to the highest floor. Immediately, Stella found herself overwhelmed. 

The design of the top floor was probably the most expensive interior design she had seen thus far. And given that her family who lived in France was richer than her parents were, the level of quality she was exposed to right now threw her for a loop.

She walked a little slower as Lori stopped, causing Stella to bump into her. “Sorry. This is just..so much,” Stella commented, eyes full of amazement as she looked around at the walls and ceiling of the halls.

“Stella, take this,” Lori said, handing her a cardkey.

“What’s this for?” She asked, looking at it.

“It’s for this room. On the other side of this door is the reason why I’ve kidnapped you and taken you here.” Lori informed her as she would proceed to walk away.

“Wait,” Stella beckoned her, “where are you going?”

“I’m going to see some friends in town. I’ll be back in a few hours. I’m sure you’ll use that time wisely.”

Before she could get another word in, Lori said her temporary goodbyes, leaving Stella to her confusion and, yet at the same time, her own curiosity about who was at the other side of the door she stood in front of. Puzzled, the girl tried to decide the best way to handle this tricky situation. She could easily walk away and forget about this entire thing. She could do that and wait in the lobby until Lori returned. But if she did that, she knew in her gut the aspect of not knowing would eat her alive from the inside.

Frustrated, Stella paced back and forth for almost five minutes until she threw her hands up in defeat. “Ah, to hell with it!”

In an uncharacteristic move, Stella threw caution into the wind and slid the cardkey into the card-shaped mechanism. A sound alerted her that it worked and she slowly pushed the door open. As the tension in the air increased to a point where she felt her heart threatened to burst from out of her chest, Stella slowly entered, closing the door behind her.

She took small steps but she eventually made her way past the doorway and into the room. Aside from the spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and elaborate (not to mention expensive) decor, Stella saw nobody, which she found weird. Why would Lori drive her to this place, build up some grand reveal only for it to be completely empty.

“What was the point?” She murmured to herself, sighing outwardly as she was in the middle of deciding if being here really was worth it. “Maybe I should--” Stella stopped mid-thought as she heard a noise originate from behind her. So, naturally, she went to investigate.

Stella was in front of the back room, which was where she deduced the noise came from. She stood in front of the door, inches and seconds away from turning the doorknob, but just as her hand was a single inch away from touching it, the knob started to twist. It was thrust open and before she had time to get away, the door opened in the opposite way that she thought. Before she even knew it, the door had smacked her right in the face. She just knew in that moment that pain was incoming.

And then she yelped and staggered back until she tripped over her own clumsiness, resulting in her falling flat on her ass. “Ouch!” She whined, holding her nose and eyes widened when she saw blood drip onto her leg.

Stella was in full panic mode. She was in so much pain and couldn’t think straight. She desperately tried to stop the bleeding with her hands but it was coming out too fast for her hands to contain all of it as it dripped through her fingers.

“Here you go,”a man said, handing her a roll of toilet paper. 

Without thinking, Stella took it and took a few pieces of the soft paper to help in her efforts. “Thank you,” Stella said, showing gratitude as she spoke as though her nose was clogged. It was only a short moment later that it dawned on her what put her in the current situation she was in, causing her to look up. 

And wouldn’t ya know it? There he was. 

Tall, somewhat tanned, and handsome. He had that same deceiving smile that made her crazy one way or the other. That kind of smile that said “I know it drives you crazy and I like it”, but at the same time, it was the same smug grin that had such an effect on her. There was a sweetness about it — a kindness that only someone who read between the lines could see. He was everything she could dream of. He was the epitome of what her dream guy. The kind of person who, if she had three wishes given to her, she’d wish for him plus two eternities with him.

Stella was lost as she had always been when a dreamy boy gave her the time of day, but she collected herself and then corrected her posture. She had to keep her wits about her because he always knew how to twist her words in a way that made her feel embarrassed and laugh in the way that made her look silly. “I wasn’t sure about it before, but I guess you really are back, aren’t you Marcel?” 

The older male smiled. “Only for the day,” he admitted, helping Stella to her feet by grabbing her hand and wrist. He tugged her up with such force it not only lifted her up, but she bounced off of his firm chest. “I fly back to Cairo tomorrow.” He lamented upon that confession.

“Cairo?” She repeated back to him. “Why Cairo?” She asked him, seeking an answer within his gaze.

Marcel laughed, patting Stella on the shoulders. “For college,” he revealed, “I start my second year at the University of Cairo.”

“Oh wow! That’s amazing, Marcel!” She quickly hugged him, showing how happy she was for him. After a moment, she realized just how close they were and she immediately pulled away, embarrassed and blushing.

Ever the teaser, Marcel kept his grin, which only brought a deeper awkwardness from Stella, causing her to enter her usual mini-panic mode. She was trying to hold it together, but everything that seemed to be happening, was, in fact, happening in succession of each other and her inner-superstitious spirit was starting to take root. So she started to walk away from Marcel.

As she stood out on the balcony, Stella had to get some semblance of control back. She didn’t know why this was happening to her. Around Marcel, she was weak. He had some control over her, but it wasn’t a negative feeling when she was near him. She cared for him deeply, but there was ...something about this day in particular that made her feel uneasy. She couldn’t put her finger on it but it was like some force was pulling her away from the guy who, for the longest time, she had a huge crush on. 

“It’s a nice view, huh?” He asked, leaning against the ledge as he stood next to Stella.

Marcel startled her again but this time she didn’t jump, though she shook her head at him and laughed. “It’s breathtaking,” she admitted, turning her head slightly to face him. She saw he was smiling. “What?” She asked, curious.

There was a moment of silence from Marcel, which struck Stella as odd. She remembered he always had something to say, regardless if she wanted him to or not.

“It’s nothing..”

“Marcel, tell me. What’s on your mind?” Stella urged him.

“I’m just thinking about the last time we were next to each other like this and how I was an idiot.”

“Yeah, I remember that night,” Stella spoke, recalling it like it was yesterday. “You went above and beyond to make my final day in France one to remember, taking me to all of the usual spots any first-time visitor should see. And seeing the Eiffel Tower at night is a moment I’ll always remember.” She looked at him, smiling.

She remembered that summer night. It had been the first time she was with anyone in any kind of romantic way since Jasper and even then, she and Jasper never did anything, nor did she do anything with Marcel. But that night was magical in other ways. It was her first time visiting Paris and he had just graduated from secondary school and she was vacationing with family. His family, the Dupontes, had a lot of history with the Lamberts and that’s how she knew him. Marcel was only two years older than she was, so it wasn’t strange for there to be an attraction between them.

As their gaze lingered, their hands slowly moved closer to each other and their pinky fingers made contact, which only intensified the quiet stillness and the heart-pumping tension. 

Stella felt that feeling in her gut again. It was as though reminiscing with Marcel and thinking of a love that could have been wasn’t at all what the angels on her shoulders were trying to pull her towards. The feeling deep in her gut that was rising like a boiling pot was betrayal. And before she had time to think about it, Marcel leaned in for a kiss. 

With lips meeting lips, she didn’t pull away. In fact, Stella gave into it and for a few moments that felt like an eternity, everything in her was saying to give into temptation. Live out what you regretted and let him take you and lay you on his bed so he can give you what the two of you know you want, but then the pit in her stomach grew deeper. Unlike previous times, Stella’s backbone grew into a spear and she pulled away, surprising not only Marcel but herself too.

“I’m sorry..” Stella apologized, looking away from Marcel’s direct gaze.

“No, you didn’t do anything. I shouldn’t have--”

“Marcel, no,” she cut him off, clearing her dry mouth with a cough. “I want to, I really do but..” She paused, uncertain if she actually knew what she wanted to say.

“Are you okay, Stella?” He asked her, sounding concerned about her.

She hated this with everything that she had. Marcel Duponte, the boy who captured her heart after Jasper Fray and the one who she could have seen herself with for the long term, was right in front of her. He made the move she couldn’t because she wasn’t that kind of girl. Even when she thought she wanted the same thing, she pulled away, so maybe not? And she didn’t understand.

She looked at him again. “Marcel,” she said his name, smiling. “You’re so amazing and I swear to you that I care for you in ways that I don’t really understand myself. And, maybe if things were different, I think ...this could really work, but I can’t do this with you -- not right now.”

As he just looked at her, Stella could feel the staggering gut-wrenching feeling in her stomach grow larger. “Whoever they are, I hope they know they’re lucky.” His smile broke the tension.

And suddenly, it stopped, though she felt the drop happen all at once. “What do you mean?”

“I mean the person who got to your heart before I did,” he further clarified.

“That’s not what I--I mean, I didn’t say someone had--”

“Stella,” he cut her off. “I’ve known you nearly my entire life and I know it when you’re smitten with someone. I’m a little jealous. I wish it was me who had your attention, but I won’t stand in the way.”

She knew he was telling the truth. Even if his blunt admission came as more than a simple shock to her, Stella couldn’t help but feel as though she was the lucky one here. It was obvious to her that Marcel loved her. She wasn’t so naive as to think that he didn’t. Maybe that was the guilt she felt earlier? That she had eyes for someone else while unknowingly taking advantage of him? She wasn’t that kind of person, but stranger things have happened. Regardless, she didn’t know what to think right now.

“Marcel..” Their eyes met again and hands touched. “I’m sorry I can’t be there for you in ways that I know you want me to. Maybe, if things were different, we could explore this further. I just hope you find someone worth your big heart -- and who doesn’t clobber you for that teasing thing you like to do,” she laughed and got one from him as well.

“Oh, so you got jokes now, huh?” He laughed. 

She punched his arm with her other hand. “And there it is!” Stella giggled, turning to face the spectacular view of Paris and smiled off into the distance.

She and Marcel just remained like that, watching the sky slowly fade from a clear blue to the wonders of the sun setting. She knew this wasn’t what Lori had in mind when she dropped her off, but Stella couldn’t imagine any other way to close the book on her forbidden love with Marcel Duponte. She loved him but he would live worlds away from her. She couldn’t be his girl, not when Carter Newton Jr has captured her attention in ways she didn’t predict.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by NeoAJ

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NeoAJ Fine. I'll High Five Myself.

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The palm-covered beaches that gave the city its name were rather empty on this particular winter day. Rough waves battered the sand as the Atlantic had long shifted from picturesque blue to steely grey to match the tone that the season brought. One could be forgiven for thinking Florida was immune to the chill, but it still felt colder than usual. Enough for anyone out in the weather to be wearing a sweater. Even one that had long been abandoned to the back of the closet because a purple turtleneck wasn’t exactly a mark of popularity. As much as Grandma Helga would beg to differ when she presented it to her loving grandchild two Christmases ago.

Shawna scoffed at the thought of Christmas. It certainly didn’t feel like Christmas this year. There would be no relatives visiting with their ugly presents. No family dinners or giant cakes or anything grand meals. Everyone was staying put. Her parents were still on their cruise, probably halfway to Tierra Del Fuego at the moment. Lia was spending the holiday with her husband’s family. Nick was staying in Boston to focus on his studies and in preparation for a potential call-up from the Wild later in the year. So it was going to be a morning that had very little to differentiate itself from any other recent day. It would be a morning with no presents, no tree (Shawna wasn’t lugging one through the house), very few decorations and a likely breakfast of candy-cane flavored pop tarts. A banner holiday. If it wasn’t for Sunshine coming through with an invite to spend Christmas Eve with her aunt and uncle, it would be another lonely night as well. At least there would be some level of family feelings available in sitting down and eating with them.

As the young woman rested her sweater-clad arms along the stone railing that adorned the top of the concrete breakwater that buttressed the beach, watching the waves pound the sand, she couldn’t help but feel as salty as the ocean at the moment. It was a familiar feeling that dominated the holiday break. At least the Atlantic was used to absorbing Shawna’s frustrations. It did an admirable job during the summer when she officially had her moment of clarity and abandoned any pretense of maintaining that nerd status. It was repeating its role as of late, but there was a new kind of problem to deal with. Something Shawna had no prior knowledge of, or could even fully understand. But it was the reason she bitterly stared at the water, hucking rocks or loose pieces of concrete towards the ocean, even if her lack of athletic ability meant they bounced harmlessly on the sand.

Shawna wanted to forget, but how could she forget? It seemed the photographic memory that had started to abandon her years ago was intent on reasserting itself with that day. That December day when her life got flipped upside down. Again. Hence her return engagement to stare down the sea.

Unfortunately, the problem in her life was the lack of a return engagement with someone who had become more important than her family in recent months, and for the umpteenth time, her mind was playing that conversation over in her head.

Two days earlier...

As Shawna sat on her bed, she could barely move. She hadn’t felt this paralyzed since that Pre-Calc test that had set her on her current course. It was certainly worse news than the mark on that test. As she held her head in her hands, looking up at the other woman who had just caused this newest bout of frozen thinking, Shawna could only ask one question. “But… I don’t understand… Why? Why is this happening? Why is this it? Why, Kellie?”

“Blame my stupid sister…” the brunette grumbled, taking a seat next to the very distraught Shawna. “After her most recent episode, the doctors suggested that it was caused by the stress of the move down here. They think that the pressure of a new start in a new environment made her worse instead of better, so they recommended we went back to Silicon Valley to see if she finally started recovering. Believe me: I’m just as upset with all of this as you are. I’m tired of Millie ruining my life with her shit.”

“But, you could stay here!” Shawna was already getting desperate. “My place is massive and I’m the only one here… for another month… and then I’d have to answer a bunch of questions on top of the bunch of questions I’m sure I’m going to get anyway… if my parents actually care… Fuck. It’s probably not a good idea.” The girl fell backwards onto the mattress. “Ugh! This, this just sucks, Cupcake. Your sister sucks!”

“Tell me about it!” Kellie responded, rolling her eyes and mimicking Shawna by laying down next to her, resting the back of her head on her linked hands. “I know this will make me sound like the biggest scum of the Earth, but they should just commit her at this point. She’s a danger to herself and to everyone around her.”

“She’s a danger to my sanity,” Shawna confirmed. “I… I honestly don’t know what I’m gonna do when you’re gone. I mean, I’ll still have Sunshine, and maybe Ariel and Chrissy... And, I don’t know, Carter? We’ve talked before, but I’m scraping the barrel here. It’s not going to be anything like the relationship we got.”

The Cuban-American girl shook her head, feeling overwhelmingly guilty about the whole situation. A part of her was trying to brush it all off, reassuring her that it wasn’t her fault her sister had issues, or that Shawna had gotten so attached to her in such a short period of time even after warning her she was still trying to get over her ex-boyfriend. But at the same time, she’d allowed things to go too far too fast, knowing fully well that they could come to a painful crash just like this one. It was too late, though, and it wouldn’t matter in the end anyway. She would be leaving Florida on Sunday, putting all of this behind her and starting a new chapter in her life.

“I know...” Kellie said softly, laying on her side now and gently caressing the other girl’s face. “But I also know you’ll be alright. You’re a really sweet girl, Shawna. People will be honored to have you in their lives. I know I am.”

The taller girl rolled over so she could face her departing friend. “You have so much more faith in me than I do.” Shawna’s hand brushed against Kellie’s arm, rubbing it more for her own assurances as opposed to Kellie’s. “And you have given me even more courage than I thought I could have. Like I feel like I don’t even need the booze for it when you’re around. That’s going to be so hard to recreate.” She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. “At least you won’t have to see Max anymore…”

It took all of Kellie’s self-restraint to keep a poker face at the mention of Max. Even after Shawna had confronted her face to face about the rumors from Kavi’s party, the brunette had opted to firmly deny any sort of involvement with the boy in an attempt to avoid causing her any pain. And although she’d felt guilty at first, time had proven that this had been the right decision. Max and Kellie had agreed their Halloween liaison would be the last time they would be involved, and the young woman had been able to truly start moving on with the newfound closure.

“Can we please not talk about Max?” Kellie asked, unable to hold back a groan or hide the way her body stiffened uncomfortably. “I thought we’d agreed we wouldn’t even mention him after Halloween?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Shawna apologized. “Couldn’t help it. It just happened.”

Shawna had been very good at not mentioning Max in the previous weeks. The catharsis obtained with the utter destruction of the lacrosse equipment had gotten a lot of the immediate hate out of her system. But there was clearly residual feelings that couldn’t quite get the bitter taste out of her mouth. She still felt he played a role in this exodus, but there was no proof at the moment. It seemed like Kellie still didn’t have the hate completely out of her system either. Shawna felt bad for introducing that aspect into a hangout that already had enough sombre tones. 

“I have no idea how Sunshine and I are gonna replace you. A trio is so much stronger than a duo, and I don’t think anyone is coming to auditions for that role. You’re gonna leave such a hole here, girl. I hope you don’t forget about us East Coast folk out there in San Francisco.”

“I would never!” Came Kellie’s fast reply, followed by her unmistakable tinkling laugh as she sat back up. “I don’t forget my friends. Especially not when they’re as cute as you are!” she told Shawna before starting to tickle her waist in an attempt to lighten up the depressing mood that had been dampening the room since the news had been announced.

“Ahhhhhhh!” This wasn’t fair. Kellie was supposed to be the ticklish one. This sneak attack was way too effective. Shawna started shaking from the sheer touch on her waist. “I...haha...I will get you...hahhhhh!” She flailed in an attempt to pay Kellie back for this unexpected barrage, but she couldn’t reach. “OK! OK! You win! No mas!”

“That’s it?” Kellie taunted, grinning mischievously at the darker skinned girl. “You’re just going to give up like that?”

“I…” Shawna panted as she struggled to regain her breath following such an intense tickle offensive. “I...was just...waiting for you… to show mercy!” Shawna lunged forward in an attempt to pay Kellie back double by going for her stomach, a spot she knew the dancer was vulnerable.

Kellie’s squeal was instant, followed by a lot of squirming around and loud, uncontrollable laughter. The young woman was soon on her back, trying her hardest to fight back Shawna but failing. “Stop!” she shrieked, using both her hands and legs to defend herself.

“Ohhhh, what’s that?” Shawna asked before switching over to a very familiar terrible accent. “I’m sorry, love. There is no mercy within these walls.” Eventually she moved her hands away from Kellie’s stomach and up to her wrists, pinning the girl down on the bed. “Now...what to do with you?”

The dancer’s laughs and giggles soon faded away, to be replaced with that familiar yearning she felt every time she and her friend got themselves into compromising positions like this. It brought Kellie back to the very first time they had met: when their tickle fight had ended up with them getting to know each other a little too well. But today, she was on the opposite side of the equation: being pinned down and submitted to Shawna’s mercy… Something she really didn’t mind at all.

“Maybe you could finally do what you’ve wanted to since the day we met…” Kellie Anne proposed, suggestively looking up at Shawna from underneath her.

That was a thought Shawna wasn’t exactly prepared for. Granted, she made the same offer to Kellie when the positions were reversed what seemed like forever ago. She was so willing to do it then. It seemed so easy. But there were so many emotions now. If this was going to happen, it was going to likely be a farewell gift that couldn’t be returned. Kellie would officially be Shawna’s first. For everything. This was such foreign territory for the Swiss descendant. What if she was terrible at it? What if she completely fucked it up? What if Kellie’s lasting memory of her was going to be some huge mistake?

Shawna looked down into those eyes, those big brown orbs that held her captive from the second they locked on at the bakery. Those eyes that told her so many times everything would be all right. Even when she didn’t quite believe her, they still had that kind of power. Right now, Shawna wanted nothing more to lose herself in them while she still could.

Shawna leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Kellie Anne’s lips. “You sure about this, hun? I mean, you don’t have to do this just for me. I… I am benevolent like that, you know.”

The brunette nodded. “I know…” she began, offering Shawna a soft smile. “I wanted to give you something good to remember me by after all the bullshit that’s happened; but only if you’re comfortable with it. I’m benevolent like that too.” she chuckled.

The girl on top was blushing by this point. So many nights wondering what it would be like. Granted, a lot of them were with thoughts of men, but this. This just seemed more right. All those thoughts were building up to this. She was nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous. Almost like anticipation. Shawna had forgotten what that felt like.

“I… I think I’m ready,” she confirmed with another soft kiss. “Just… don’t hate me if I fuck this up, ok? Um… this is my first time…”

Kellie quickly shook her head. “I would never. I’ve never been with a girl before, so this is all new to me, too.” she admitted with an embarrassed giggle, eyes sparkling and a hint of pink on her cheeks.

That revelation put Shawna more at ease with the situation. At the very least, she couldn’t knowingly do wrong in Kellie’s eyes. At the most, it would be a proper send off, a culmination of everything that was built up between them. Shawna would get to check another box off her list before departing high school and the bond would be cemented. 

"Then let's both be gentle as we go," Shawna offered. As Miss Josi ran one hand through Miss Nicholson’s hair and the other along her waist in a much more tender manner, she just let herself fall. 

Back to the present day...

And that was it. By the time the afterglow faded away, Kellie Anne was gone, whisked away to the Golden State. Shawna was left to stand by herself, a broken woman on a Florida pier.

That wasn't totally true. The notifications on her phone would be quick to disprove that. Sunshine was in constant contact, her latest text asking if Shawna needed to pick up anything else for the impending trip to New York. It would be Shawna's first excursion in a good while. It's why she agreed to accompany Sunshine to her parents place in Brooklyn for the holiday break. It also gave Shawna an excuse to get into contact with Lia, if only to have at least one face-to-face conversation with a family member over the break. Lia was visiting Ryan's family in Connecticut, but she would be back by the 28th at the latest. Also, Chris had been a consistent presence. Given the recent breakup, there was already a bit of commiserating going on. And Ariel was proving to be a good contact given her own loud termination of the relationship with Kavi. It was a richer contact network than she had going for her at the start of the school year. Even with her cupcake Cali-bound, there was still plenty of good coming.

Shawna breathed a heavy sigh as she pushed herself up from the railing, giving the Atlantic one more moment of her time before she looked back down at her phone. "Guess I better make sure I have everything packed... She turned and retreated back into her home to prepare for a holiday away.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by spooner

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spooner cough

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The Wallenberg Christmases was always a big fanfare. They invited their whole family from all over the country and even relatives from Sweden came over. It was a week of food and family activity. Which for Max meant chasing after his little cousins and keeping them all in check while the adults were busy comparing who had the better life. Max didn’t mind though it kept his mind of what was going on in his life. Kellie had moved not only out of his life but even out of the state. Someone had broken into their lacrosse supplies and destroyed all their shit.

So taking care of a pack of toddlers was actually a nice change of pace. But now the winter break was coming to an end and it was time to get back into action. Him and his father had put together a huge training and diet regimen that he followed religiously so the day before he was supposed to go back to King’s for his final semester he got up at the crack of dawn to run 5k. As he returned home he swung the front door open to find his big sister Elin standing there waiting for him. 

“Daddy wants me to come with you to buy all your new equipment! He doesn’t trust you to not go overboard.” She smirked and rolled her eyes.

Max let out a booming laugh as he took of his running shoes. Of course Magnus Wallenberg wanted to buy the team new equipment. He was together with Garrett Diedrikson the biggest donator to the lacrosse cause. “Yeah sure let me just take a shower and I’ll be right down” he said as he passed his sister and bounded up the stairs.

After a quick shower the two eldest Wallenberg siblings sat in the big burgundy dodge ram speeding down the road towards downtown. 

“So… How’s business school treating you?” Max asked his sister his eyes still glued to the road in front of him.

“Oh cut the crap Max! What the fuck happened with Kellie-Anne?” his sister snapped.

“What?! How’d…” he sputtered as he swerved a little from the shock of her directness.

Elin huffed turning her head to face forward again “You think Agnes wouldn’t spill? She’s probably more broken up than you are!” 

“I doubt it…” Max whispered as he pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. “Fuck… I don’t know what happened Elin… she moved… without giving a reason. What am I supposed to do? Chase after her? I don’t know where they went! Probably back to California.” He lamented fumbling with his seatbelt. 

“Well you could start with talking with our little sister… Come on let’s get this over with!” She scolded as she jumped down from the car and slammed the door shut.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Venus

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Venus So long, and goodnight. ♡

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Venus

So long, and goodnight. ♡

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The second Monday of the new year marked a very important day in the lives of twenty-three high school seniors. Their eventful Christmas break had ended, and the Royals were once again back and ready to start their final semester at King's Academy. After a long thirteen and a half years full of ups and downs, the conclusion of their mandatory schooling was quickly approaching, and with it came a whirlwind of emotions. Some students were glad to finally put an end to this chapter of their lives. Some were already busy with the final preparations for their upcoming college career. Others, who had been at the school since they were in preschool, experienced a bittersweet feeling when thinking of leaving everything they had ever known behind. And some hadn't stopped to think about it at all. 

Whatever the case, it was a new semester, with five and a half months of opportunities to make the best of it.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Sugar and Spite

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Sugar and Spite ☣ Hurricane Eyes ☣

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____________________________________________
____________________________________________

The last day of your last semester of your last year of school. Most people would think that this would be a day to celebrate. One where someone would get dressed up, or make plans with friends. Maybe they would update their Facebook status with how excited they were about getting into their college of choice. Jasper Fray would be doing none of these things today. 

Special outfits and well thought out status updates were for actual special occasions. In his opinion, today was not a special occasion. It was just another day surrounded by the masses of students at Kings Academy. Some Senior would bully another freshman. The cafeteria would have the same shit food, and teachers would still assign homework. This day was literally just like the rest. 

Getting out of his car, Jasper put out the cigarette he had been smoking in order to help himself avoid trouble with the staff. While he didn’t care about his reputation, getting scolded by a teacher was one of the fastest ways for his mood to be ruined. Walking through the entrance of the school, the young man didn’t bother to say hello to anyone. Instead he found himself in the music room, pulling the sleeves of his grey sweater up to his elbows as he sat down at the grand piano. He had been working on a cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, ’Snow’ over the holidays. Jasper wasn’t about to let the fact that he had to be back at school stop him from making progress on his work. 

Positioning his hands where they needed to be, Jasper quickly felt himself relax as he played the proper notes.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by AlteredTundra

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coGM

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Outfit

Kavi’s black 2019 BMW 230i pulled up into a free parking space near King’s Academy and he sat in the car for a few minutes, just staring at the school. A wide range of thoughts passed through his mind but one he couldn’t stop entertaining was the overall aspect of change. Change in the sense that it was a new year and a new semester. Change in the sense that the isolation of winter break was over and he was back to reality. Change in the sense that he had a new car. Change in the sense that he was no longer the womanizing player he once was and had a girlfriend. Change in the sense…

“Yeah, there’s that too,” Kavi mused to himself.

In addition to how eventful the day had already been (despite it being too early for any of it), Kavi couldn’t find himself to step out of his car, not yet at least. With so much on his mind already and the impending doom of school, to say that he was worried would also to say that the sky was just a little blue this morning. He shouldn’t feel this way, right? The tight feeling in his gut tearing him apart and making him quite apprehensive of stepping out? He had everything going for him this semester. The right girl, the best car, and all of the clean slates to spare, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about that.

Suddenly, he felt a hard punch against his right bicep and he turned to Nikki, who sat beside him. “That hurt, you know,” he said, staring at her with an annoyed expression.

“Maybe if you listen to when I’m calling you, I wouldn’t have to punch you.” She sighed, grabbing the strap of her bag tightly as she prepared to get out.

“Wait, we should talk about--”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Kav,” she said with a defeated tone, shrugging as she looked at him. “Our parents are adults. What they do or don’t do isn’t on us.”

“So you’re not the least bit curious or worried?” He asked.

When she stopped with the passenger door halfway open, Kavi knew he had her full and undivided attention. “Listen, bro, I know it’s hard for us to fathom that our parents aren’t happy anymore but why should you or I let that interfere with our happiness? I’ve made peace with the fact that shit happens and you just have to press on.”

He wasn’t sure if she was being the mature one here or if her lack of -- well, anything -- was a sign that she was taking it the worst. Nikki wasn’t always the most expressive and God only knows how much of a mouth she has, but even for her, Kavi had to admit her showing very little reaction to what their parents told them last night and this morning was alarming. Even a little reaction about maybe how much it sucked or even the fear of what their living situation might be was better than what he saw. 

“You know, you don’t have to pretend in front of me. It’s not like your shining rep at school is going to be in jeopardy if you be honest with me.” He tried being the comforting older brother for once.

At the moment those words left his lips, on some level, Kavi was expecting to get hit again. Knowing Nikki’s temper as he did, there was no way in hell she was going to limit herself to his arm. It was going to be Halloween all over again (and in his new car, no less).

So, as he braced himself for the inevitable impact of her tightened fist, Kavi stared her dead-straight in the eyes. To his surprise, however, nothing came. The only thing that was exchanged between the two was an awkward staring contest that ended when she had reacted angrily, prompting him to raise his hand only slightly. This reaction was only verbal, thus the next thing Kavi heard was the sound of her leaving his car in a fit of rage, slamming the car door so hard he thought she had separated it from the car.

And so, he sat there, again thinking about changes in his life and how it all happened in a couple of weeks. Change in the sense that he had no control of the good or bad in his life and that he didn’t know what to do. 

Until he did.

Kavi decided to just put these thoughts to rest for now. He also decided it did him no good to fret on what happened at home and how his kid sister was taking it. Instead, he would just get his bag, get out of the car, and try and fake happy for everyone’s sake. That was honestly the only thing he knew he was capable of doing.

Halfway across the parking lot, Kavi pulled out his phone and texted Ariel the following:

Hey sorry I couldn’t pick you up this morning, Nik needed a ride. See you at school. 💪😎

He smiled as he sent it and went further into the campus. He wasn’t sure exactly what this day had in store for him, but if he had to pick, he’d rather it be dull and quiet. He didn’t know how he would respond otherwise.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by ineffable

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ineffable The Illustrious (not really)

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ineffable

The Illustrious (not really)

1350 posts

in 2935 days

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A COLLABORATION WITH @Bee

Jack Goff. Wide receiver extraordinaire. Even though most didn’t like him, he sure as hell made sure his name was known. He had no time to worry about the opinions of sheep, nor did he have time to worry about censoring himself and making sure he appeased everyone. He quickly learned there was just no satisfying everyone, no matter how much you tippy-toed around everything. After that, he just figured he’d do him. Whoever didn’t like it could go fuck themselves. Jack Goff cared for nobody but himself and his homies.

Currently, he was in front of his locker, grabbing a granola bar out of the snack stash he had turned his locker into. Jack was chatting up a random girl who happened to be next to him. ”...yeah! I’ve got a bunch of offers rolling in. It’s almost time for me to make my decision, and I think y’all will like it.” Jack smiled, nodding along to the girl who clearly had no idea what she was talking about. 

Georgie was walking down the hallway, her camera swinging wildly around her neck as she tried to quicken up her pace to get past the certain section of lockers she called the “Danger Zone”.  It was chock full of jocks and annoying twats and even though she did like some of the jocks (well, if Sawyer could be counted as one) it still was pretty annoying to get a glimpse of some of them fooling around like they were the kings of the world.  Which, she supposed, in high school they pretty much were.

However, her eyes couldn’t resist grabbing onto those of Jack Goff nodding along and smiling flirtatiously with a girl who Georgie supposed was new because she looked totally oblivious to what was going on.  Georgie scrunched up her nose in disgust and swiftly changed her course so she was walking instead the two instead of away from them.

”Hey,” She rounded up to the girl, locking a protective arm around her back and pushing her slightly in another direction.  

”You really don’t want to be hanging around this dude.  He’s kind of...well, an ass.”

Jack Goff was minding his own business, chilling and vibing on his own accord with this girl. He was having a good time, and this girl was pretty cute. Maybe he could’ve turned something out of this - for a few weeks before he’d dump her and find someone else. Things were looking up for Mr. Goff. It wasn’t until a certain someone came up and ruined the party.

As soon as Georgie came up, she totally ruined his vibe! As soon as those words left her mouth, there was a look of disgust on Jack’s face. 

”Hey, what the fuck?” Jack put his arms out. It was nothing but unnecessary. ”Don’t listen to her, she’s totally bullshitting.”

”Oh, really Goff?” She crossed her arms and smiled almost smugly.  Something in Jack Goff always brought out the ugly side in her.  

”So...what’s her name again?” 

Georgie gave the girl next to her a wide smile as if what she was doing wasn't douchey at all.  Who knew, maybe this girl didn’t even need the so called rescuing but Georgie knew about the girls Jack Goff hung out with and threw away.  He was a low grade Santiago and that was the most searing insult she could think of.

Shit. What was this chick’s name? ”Uh…” Jack took a second to think. It definitely started with an A. ”Ashley…?” He questioned, offering a reassuring smile as if his smile would change the girl’s name. 

“...it’s Eliza.” The girl said, “I told you twice like five minutes ago…?” She asked curiously. 

”...right. Eliza. Her name’s Eliza!” Jack then sort of realized what was going on, ”Don’t you have someone else to be fucking with right now? What are you doing here? I’m clearly trying to have a conversation here.”

Georgie smiled, because he had proved her point and flipped her hair over her shoulder in mock pride.  

”Taking pictures.” She joked, flipping up the lens cap of her camera and making sure she turned the flash brightness on high as she took numerous photos up close and personal with Jack’s eyeball.

Closing his eyes at Georgie’s assault with her camera, he quickly put his hand up. ”Jesus Christ, Georgie, get that thing out of my face!” He said, rubbing his eyes and blinking once the light went away. 

”Out of all the places, dude…”

Georgie laughed and pulled the camera away to look at the screen.  

”Look at your ugly face!” She crowed as she stuffed the screen up at his face.  The girl beside him must’ve felt pretty out of place so Georgie turned to smile at her reassuringly.

”I’m serious, darling.  Don’t waste your time on this arse here.”

”Or… how about you not pay any mind to what this chick has to say and experience it for yourself? Who you gonna trust? Her, or me?”

Georgie pushed Jack slightly to the side so she was standing in front of him, facing the girl.

”The fact that he calls girls ‘chicks’ is enough evidence to leave him alone.”

The girl looked at both Georgie and Jack Goff, the gears surely grinding in her head. “I… I think I’m gonna go with this girl. Sorry. It was nice talking to you!”

Jack Goff had a look of disbelief. He was clearly not happy with this. ”Alright… you’re making a mistake, but you do you.” He then eyed Georgie, giving her a mean evil eye. ”Thanks, Georgie. Thanks a lot. Seriously.”

”No problem, Goff.” She made to turn away before she stopped and turned back round.

”What did you do during winter break, by the way?” Georgie always didn’t want to be too curious, especially when it came to those she didn’t like. But she had always wondered what Jack did in his free time other than muck about pretending to be king.

”Not meddling in other people’s business.” Jack Goff replied, 

”You?” He couldn’t believe this chick just walked up and ruined his vibe like that! Everything was dandy! Up until her interference. She literally went out of her way to fuck with him.

The audacity.

Georgie smiled sweetly at his answer, trying to come up with a similar scathing remark before giving up and saying with a shrug of her shoulders “Sawyer, Gavin and I went to London.  It was really nice and I got to take a ton of pictures.”

Seeing as Jack wasn’t responding she simply shrugged before lifting her fingers up in a goodbye

”It was nice to see you, Jack. Hopefully we won’t meet again.”

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Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by spooner

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“I don’t know what to tell you Aggie… she said it had to do with Millie… you know how she got towards the end.”Max said softly looking at his younger sister in the rearview mirror.

“Whatever... “ Agnes Wallenberg whispered in the back seat of Max’s truck with her arms folded staring out of the window clearly ignoring her big brother. He knew Agnes and Kellie had been friends but he had no idea that they were this close. The large teen opened his mouth again to say something but decided against it. Instead, he just focused on the road leading towards their cousin’s house. 

When the white cabana style house came into view Max parked right out front and got out of the truck. Mr. and Mrs. Diedrikson was seated on the porch drinking their morning coffee. Max grinned widely and stretched out his hand in greeting! 

“Good morning Garrett, Jessica! Is Archie ready?” he called over to them from behind the large red vehicle.

“Who knows with that one…” Garrett huffed his wife slapped him on the forearm standing up.

“I’ll go check for you Max” Jessica smiled at her nephew and went inside.

Garrett put down his newspaper and stood up leaning on the banister “So you ready for lacrosse season to start Max? Training hard I hope?” the man asked with a twinkle in his eyes. “I know Warren is on a tight regimen… I’m guessing Magnus has put you on one as well?” He asked.

“You know it! Can’t have me slacking for two months until the season starts!” Max let out a booming laugh.

“No, you’ve got that right! King’s has a reputation to uphold… you know being 5 times Champions. It would be a shame if the captain after Warren didn’t continue that streek and…” before Garrett could finish his statement the door opened and Jessica and Archer stepped out. Archer slung his bag over his shoulder clearly annoyed at his parents.

“Who cares…” He whispered under his breath as he passed his father almost at a jog towards his cousins. 

Max jovial face faltered only for a split-second at his uncle’s comments but then settled back into his usual wide smile more directed at his cousin. With a quick wave goodbye to his aunt and uncle he got back into his truck.

“Archie! What’s up my man?” He laughed as he grabbed Archer’s hand in a bro handshake.

The smaller boy’s arm shook violently as he grinned at his large cousin. “Yeah not much dude, thanks for picking me up! My piece of crap car wouldn’t start yesterday and I would rather jump off a cliff than have my dad drive me in excruciating silence.” he scoffed. 

“I can’t imagine why…” Max quipped with a grin

Archer then turned around to Agnes “Hey Aggs! You alright?”. The girl just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Archer gave Max a quizzical look as he turned back to face forward. Max just shook his head indicating not to dig any further.

The car sped down the road towards Kings Academy while the cousins listened to the radio. It wasn’t too long until the Dodge pulled into the senior parking lot. “Oh hey, we missed you at family dinner last Sunday!” Max stated as he slung his blazer over his shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks for that by the way…” Agnes said as she passed them both holding up her hand as a parting wave not even turning around.

Max chuckled “Uh... Mom and Jessica kinda cornered her and interrogated her about you.” sighing he locked his truck.

“Shit… Yeah, I have been avoiding being at home for a while because… stuff. So I’ve been an honorary Castillo for the past week and a half.” Archer laughed meekly running his hands through his hair as the pair walked towards the gates.

The taller teen peered at Archer thinking for a moment “Well… I hope your stuff got worked out then”

Archer let out a huge sigh “I think I did… actually.” he smiled up at Max.

The courtyard had a few groups of students milling about filling up the picnic tables that were strewn about. One table, in particular, was sticking out. A lone girl with striking red hair sat alone absentmindedly twirling a piece of said hair in her fingers. In her other hand, she clutched a huge thermos mug. 

Archer nodded towards the table “I actually need to talk to Red… I’ll see you later?”

Max smirked and nudged his smaller cousin with his elbow  “Watch this!” he said cupping his hands around his mouth as they approached the table.

Max took a deep breath “YO MACMILLAN!” he bellowed.

Julie MacMillan almost jumped out of her seat from the shock of being yelled at this early in the morning. A face of pure disgust grew upon the young woman’s face as she spotted who was screaming. 

“Looking good as usual Julie! You heard anything from Chrissie?” he asked as he sat down on the edge of the table in front of her.

Julie put down her mug crossing her arms in front of her “Yes… Why do you care? Is Jason ready to apologize?” she muttered. 

Max scoffed “That dickhead hasn’t spoken to anyone of us all break so no! And besides…” 

A slender hand stopped the jock from continuing “I really don’t care Max… and shouldn’t you be of impregnating some poor freshman?” the redhead spat venomously as her unfaltering stare pierced the large jock.

Archer muffled a laugh as he stepped forward from behind Max “Dude accept defeat and move along!” he put a reassuring hand on his large shoulder before sitting down next to Julie.

“See you after school Arch…” Max grumbled as he walked off towards the school.

Julie and Marcher watched his broad back disappear into the crowd. “I can’t believe you two are related…” she whispered.

“Only by blood” Archer drawled.

“So what can I do for you Archer?” Julie asked packing away her mug in her large bag.

The curly-haired boy dived down into his bookbag and retrieved a bunch of papers. “So monsieur Boussard posted the curriculum for A.P French yesterday!” He said laying it out in front of her. “And as you can see most of our grade is going to be based on an essay… that has to be written entirely in academically correct French.”

A well-manicured eyebrow rose as the girl looked back up from the papers “And?” she probed.

Archer sighed “And as much as I hate to admit it… you are better than me in French. So…will you be my partner?” 

She leaned in putting her hand behind her ear “Sorry?” she asked, “Be your?” Julie smirked.

The boy rolled his eyes “Partner…” Archer said through gritted teeth.

“Yes, I will” The redhead smiled fondly standing up smoothing her skirt. “I’ll see you forth period then? I need to go find Chanel.” 

“Sweet.. yes.” Archer said gathering his papers stuffing them back into his bag. “Oh and I think Marisol wants to speak with you.” he said looking up at the girl.  
   
“Oh I’ll make sure to go find her later. See you later Archer” Julie said hiking her bag up her shoulder turning towards the main building making her way to it. She had been meaning to mend her relationship with the feisty girl but hadn’t really known how to do it.

Archer turned watching Julie’s red hair swing as she walked away. He looked around the crowd looking for his boyfriend. If it was something he wanted it was walking into King’s with the boy he loved.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by AlteredTundra

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Pictures in my mind on replay
I'm gonna touch the pain away
I know how to scream my own name
Scream my name

After Stella had made a touchdown at Miami International, the busy airport booming with returning and departing guests and the bustle and hustle so present that Stella had to make sure she kept up with the pace and kept in mind where she was going. She was so grateful to be back in her home state of Florida. She adored her time in France and even more so the experiences she had during her weeks spent in France. She soaked up as much of the culture as she could, time spent with Lori, time spent with her great aunts, great uncles, and all of the distant relatives that made the time away from her immediate family worth it. She felt like a changed girl. It wasn’t just a trip to shop and dine at the finest restaurants but it was a journey of self-discovery.

And Stella had found that in spades.

She strutted with confidence. She had bags upon bags that were going to be shipped to her in a few days. Everything she bought from the best stores was going to be on their way to her closet and with that in mind, the brunette knew this new year was truly going to be the embodiment of a new her. But as much as she was looking forward to changes, the sight of the familiar company kept her leveled. Waiting for her at the gate, as she had nearly forgotten, was probably her best friend in the entire world and not to mention the best cousin in the world.

As Stella’s cab took her across the highway and away from the culture-filled city of Miami and she gazed out the window, seeing the skyscrapers getting tinier and tinier as she was getting further and further away from Miami, she couldn’t stop thinking about everything that transpired and especially how things with Marcel went. She was to look back on all the memories and that day spent with Marcel was one she couldn’t stop thinking back on. She knew what could have happened. They could have spent their time together in his bed. On some level, she thought that’s what would happen, but she couldn’t bring herself to let anything between them go past that magical kiss on his balcony, not when Carter was so present in her heart. 

As the sight of her home came into view, whatever introspective daze she was in, she brought herself out of it if not to collect herself. The cab came to a stop and Stella paid the fee. She gave the cab driver a heartfelt smile for enduring her through her quiet musings, which he said he didn’t mind. A final farewell had Stella with her bags in hand, but despite having her luggage near her, when she spotted Chrissie about ten feet in front of her, she dropped everything she was holding and fast-walked her way into her cousin’s arms for a tight hug. 

“Chrissie!” Her jovial voice carried with layers of affection, arms squeezing tightly around Chris. “Mon Amour, I’ve missed you dearly!”

“Hello, Peaches.”Chrissie’s grip around her cousin was firm and affectionate, drawing her in even closer than they already were. With a whispering voice, cherishing this warmth, she responded , “I’ve missed you too.” Having hardly any contact with anyone for most of Christmas break, Stella’s embrace was very much welcomed and cocooned her better than a butterfly-to-be. Soft, gentle, and safe. It gave her that loving feeling she desperately needed, even if she’d never admit it. 

No longer having a boyfriend, whose number one love language was intimacy, it was something she knew she’d have to get used to. She’d cover her loneliness with her ambition, her attitude, and her smile. She’d carry on because that was the type of woman she was raised to be and she didn’t want to waste her energy with the likes of him. She didn’t want every waking thought to be about a guy who tried to save face and could care less about any girl he toyed with, especially her. She thought they had something special. Then again, every girl he played thought that too. 

The hug ceased but a beaming smile made up for the ending of physical affection.  Stella had the prettiest and most genuine smile she ever did see. The kind that reaches your heart immediately —  vibrant, free, and hopeful. It reminded her of a spring flower opening as if happiness was just around the corner waiting for them. 

With a serene gaze, her pale green eyes sparkling in the light of the morning sun, Chris excitedly asked, while walking to the bags her cousin had left behind, “How was Paris? I can tell it was something special. You’re glowing!” She really was. Just looking at Stella, Chris could tell that something had changed inside of her. She was renewed, rejuvenated, and ready to conquer, and honestly, that was wonderful to see. It was about damn time she was exuding confidence that reminded her of her ride-or-die, Ariana.  If anyone deserved to take the school by storm, it was her Peaches. That’s for sure.

After grabbing one of Stella’s suitcases, Chris added, “Oh, BT dubs. I made breakfast! Your favorite. I won’t be able to enjoy it with you since Ariana will be here soon-ish, but I just wanted to make sure you had a proper welcome home meal before you headed out.”

“Oh!” Stella’s voice came with a shock but in all the positive ways. “That’s awesome! How long until I have to give you up to that radiant soul?” She asked, a small traces of a teasing giggle following her words.

“Five minutes. Now, please, do tell me about Paris!” If Chris had things her way, the conversation would strictly be focused on Stella’s vacation and not turned around on her. Nothing interesting happened to her. She was literally a couch potato. Leading the way, she started walking to the front door, awaiting her cousin’s response. 

Once they settled on the couch, Stella felt the jet lag set in but that wasn’t going to stop her from telling the grand tale of her Paris adventure. “Oh, where to start!” That was difficult for her. She had so many crazy stories she could share but there was only so much time to compress it all in. So she’d tell Chrissie about the one that practically made her entire vacation. “Oh I know. Okay, so you remember Marcel, right? I believe I told you about him from my last trip to Paris. Tall, dreamy, and full of scrumptious goodness from head to toe.” She felt herself getting distracted already. “Anyway, Lori practically kidnapped me from the villa and I had no idea where I was heading. She wouldn’t spill any of it. She then dropped me off at this hotel and led me up to the penthouse floor and gave me a card key.” Even thinking about that made her somewhat annoyed.  “So, when she left me alone for a few hours, I went inside this gorgeous room that puts anything here to shame, I was just so confused. I didn’t know if I was alone or what!”

“Lori kidnapped you?!” Chris was focused on the minor detail that most likely was irrelevant to the story, but there, her mind was, thinking about how that was even possible. “Did she smuggle you, or something? Did you put up a fight? If I were there, I would’ve helped!”

Stella scratched her head, laughing nervously. “Well, she didn’t kidnap me per-se. We went on a drive into the city but she kept the destination a surprise,” Stella would further clarify.

“Oh, okay. Then I can forgive her.” Chris nodded in agreement to herself, shifting her body slightly to face Stella more, as she continued to tell the story, “Okay, so. Marcel. What does HE have to do with this?” She wanted the juice and it seemed like Stel was holding out on her. 

“Oh, what doesn’t he have to do with this.” Stella sank into the couch cushion, feeling like she wanted to take her time with telling this story. Of course, she knew she couldn’t, so she continued. “It was his hotel room Lori abandoned me at.”

With the mention of it being his hotel room, Chris was leaning in, nice, close, and up against her cousin, batting her eyes for more, “And… did you guys fuck?”

Stella’s cheeks flushed bright red and she gasped, embarrassed. “What!? No. Oh God no, we didn’t do anything of the sort!” Stella profusely denied with every bit of energy she could. “I mean, I thought it was gonna head down that road, but after we kissed, I knew it wouldn’t happen,” she admitted, her voice dropping to a somewhat low volume.

“Why the fuck not?!” Chris was utterly confused.  “You had your chance to make sweet, sweet love—” Her repressed self was projecting.  “—and you didn’t?! Let me guess, you were embarrassed because you forgot to shave?” She gestured down to Stel’s flower. “Some men prefer a cushion!”

“Chrissie!” Stella was mortified and she waved her hands in front of Chrissie repeatedly. “No, it didn’t have to do with anything below my face, okay!?” She took a moment to pause and take a breath. Her entire body felt hot from what her cousin just said. “Listen, Marcel is great and anyone he chooses to be with in that way will be lucky, but it’s not going to be me — it can’t be.”

Before she was any more dramatic than she already was, the sudden realization of ‘why’ washed over her. She slouched over the armrest of the chair and grumbled, “It’s because of Carter, isn’t it?” With his name, came mild spite. She didn’t hate the dude, but she didn’t necessarily like him either. They clashed and loved to get under each other’s skin, but still…. Carter? Even if she wanted to ask: why him? She knew exactly why. Her cousin was a hopeless romantic and he piqued her interest, taught her a thing or two, and made her feel validated. Truthfully, Chris should be excited that her cousin was able to restrain herself for her crush but… she wasn’t.

She responded initially with a slow nod. Hearing his name did a lot to give her life but in this particular context, Carter being the one person preventing her from finally sealing the deal with the one guy in her life who had been more consistent than the beaming smile on Stella’s face every time she saw a cute dog in someone’s purse. Carter had opened her eyes to a new world. He was the more soulful, empowering Aladdin to her Jasmine.

“I know Marcel will always be there. I don’t know if it’s fair to him, though. I know he’ll wait as long as he needs to, but I couldn’t do anything with Marcel until I fully explored what’s between me and Carter.” Even when she said his name to Chrissie, she smiled and felt butterflies in her stomach.

The drama queen would be lying if she said she was happy for Stella. To be frank, this was a complete buzzkill and it wasn’t because of Carter, or the fact that her cousin was blushing and excited for love. She knew where all this annoying disgust was rooting from. It was because Stella left for Paris, right after Jason tore Chris’ heart out, stomped on it, and put it back in, as if he never touched it before. She was envious that Stel’s vacation was remarkable and that she had a guy waiting for her both in Paris and in Florida. 

This was her time to be there for Peaches and really make her feel like she did the right thing and yet, it wasn’t in her nature to hold back anything. And so she sat up and crossed her arms, staring at her cousin in judgment, “I still don’t get why that matters. You have no idea how Carter feels about you and it isn’t like you belong to anyone right now. Why couldn’t you just have fun? You were in Paris to have: fun.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “And yes, I know what you’re thinking, it’s the principle of the matter. But honestly? Fuck principles. Marcel may not wait for you forever. He might say it, but I can promise you he won’t. And if you want things to happen with Carter, you gotta stop waiting for him to sweep you off your feet.”

Stella didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t know what to say or think because Chris’ attitude right now was throwing her off worse than if she got hit with a rock while horseback riding. Chris wasn’t usually this negative with anything Stella confessed to her. She had her opinions, sure. That was the side of her cousin Stella adored. She loved how outspoken she was and how she always had an interesting perspective on basically any topic that came up, but this? This wasn’t that. Chris wasn’t being her usual self, which led Stella to believe there was something else. In any other circumstance, Stella might look the other way and shrug it away, but Chris was the one who expressed a desperate need to hear about her Paris adventures and now she’s being nasty.

Melissa Monroe’s daughter might’ve been a pushover, but that was the 2018 Stella Lambert. New year, new Estelle. “Chrissie, I love you but you’re wrong about Marcel.” Her voice was soft but growing in a firm confidence. “He’s not like Jason. When Marcel says something, he means it. He’s a man of his word.”

Taken aback by the retort, Chris tilted her head and drilled her pale green eyes into Stella’s. She took a moment to process the words and shook her head in despiteful agreement, “You’re probably right.” Swallowing her anger, she gave a half-hearted smile, but it was obvious the mention of Jason cut deep, “Touché, Stella. Touché.” Before they could further this conversation that took an unfortunate turn, Ariana’s horn honked. Standing up, she looked at her cousin and tried to end things on a better note, “You surprised me.” She paused, surveying her cousin’s expression, trying to get a better read on this new Stella.

After a steady moment, she suggested, “You should talk like that more.” With that, Chrissie McCoy gave a quick peck and hug, before grabbing her bag and heading out the door. It was best if she let it go and forget this sudden ache in her chest.  

The way that conversation ended, Stella felt a tense feeling in her stomach. What began as something between her and Chrissie of the two girls enjoying each other’s company for however much time remained, turned into a  rising tide that was slowly encroaching on them, threatening to drown them before either of them had a chance to fight it. But to her surprise, even after Stella made that comment about Jason, Chrissie had backed down at what Stella clearly saw as impulsive anger nearly taking control. 

Even as Stella was left to her devices and eating her breakfast, which she appreciated was still warm for her but the excitement passed by her. Her mind was solely fixated on how awkward things were left between her and Chrissie. In addition to that, she was running late and with very little time to shower, Stella rushed herself, only doing the very minimal thing of washing her hair and body and reading herself for school. 

When she was back downstairs, she was a mess and barely presentable. Her hair was a mess and thrown into a sloppy ponytail. She barely had any makeup on and she hated it. In addition to that, she had nothing but a heart-patterned dress that came to mid-thigh, black leather ankle boots, and her shoulder bag for her school stuff and other necessities.

By the time she was finally out the door, an additional ten minutes were wasted for her last-minute checks. She needed to ensure that she had everything she needed and that she wasn’t forgetting anything. Halfway down the brick walkway and she remembered she forgot her keys. “Get it together, Stella!” She tried to motivate herself as she went back inside, swiped her keys from the kitchen countertop, and left once more.

Stella swiftly got into her 2015 BMW Cabrio and sped the hell out of the Crown Heights neighborhood, enjoying what little time she had to herself, thinking about all of what could happen this semester and about Carter. dEspite how Chrissie reacted to Carter, she was feeling good about this year and what a semester spent with him could bring.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ejected

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Solid Gold
"Okay, so before I go ahead and put this money in ya pockets, I just want you to know that I am in no way, shape, or form condoning what it is that you're doing."

It was no secret to anyone that Carter Newton was the unofficial weed man of King's Academy. For a couple of years now, people have been coming to the young man with their wads of cash in hand, ready to discreetly trade it all in for the best product their money could buy. Being the good friends that they were, Chanel always knew what Carter did in his free time to make a little extra dough. However, that did not mean that she necessarily approved of it... and she certainly never copped from him whenever she needed her fix.

The two teenagers sat in Chanel's parked car, just like they'd done a few times before. They'd been sitting in the school parking lot for a little under fifteen minutes, listening to the all too familiar Wu-Tang songs that blared through the speakers and talking about what they'd done over the Winter break. The only difference this time was the small baggie that Carter held in his hand, ready to be handed off to Chanel. He could tell that she was reluctant to go through with it, which only made him wonder what finally made her give in.

"Chanel... you need to chill, ma." Carter said with a half smile. "It's just weed. You over here acting like I've been tryna sell you some hardcore drugs like Mr. Candy Man over there. And if you're so pressed about me dealing, what made you switch up all of a sudden, huh? Don't you usually go to some shady ass dude in Lake Worth?"

"I can't go to him anymore, he got caught up," Chanel said quickly with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever. And I don't have time to go searching for someone else. I need it now." And suddenly, in quick motions, Chanel shoved the few bills into Carter's hand, snatched the baggie from his lap, and stowed her newly acquired goods into the glove compartment. Of course, this only caused Carter to grow even more skeptical.

"Something going on with you, Coco? You seem a little, uh... on edge. More than usual, I mean." While his tone was joking, his eyes weren't; to say that he was concerned about his friend would be an understatement. 

Chanel let out a deep breath and sat back in her seat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snatch it," She said, running her hands through her newly installed hair. "It's embarrassing, but my anxiety has just been through the goddamn roof lately. I think it has something to do with going to visit my parents and our old home, because I haven't felt like this since... you know. And Carter, it's our last semester of high school. In less than six months we'll be walking across the stage and beginning our lives as adults. College students. Some of us will be leaving everything we know behind... I'm leaving behind my friends, my newfound home, my comfort zone. I'm panicking, and I'll take whatever I can to ease this fucking feeling."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the music and watching their fellow classmates head through the main entrance. It was only after the song had ended that Carter decided to share some news with Chanel. "I got into Morehouse. Early action. Just like you said I could. And I'm sca-"

In an instant, Chanel perked up and reached over to pinch Carter's cheek. "See, I told your ass that you'd get in. What the fuck did I tell youuuu? I feel like a proud ass big sister."

"Yooo, cut it out, Chanel." Carter said as he tried to pry her hands from his face. "I'll be a first generation college student at the end of the year, I'll be living in a city without the rest of my family, and I might even be moving far away from the one girl in this place that I have real feelings for. What I'm tryna say is that I'm scared too, Chanel. We all are. You don't have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Soon, Chanel and Carter finally got out of the car and began their walk towards the main entrance. "I guess I'll go to Julie's locker now," Chanel said with a smile, "You know, I'm thankful for the talk and all. But, just so you know... I'm keeping the weed." 

"Oh yeah, for sure," Carter said with a shrug as he gave her a quick hug and started to head in the opposite direction, "You need to take the edge off, I get it. Besides... I don't do refunds."

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Venus

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Venus So long, and goodnight. ♡

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Venus

So long, and goodnight. ♡

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On the fourteenth day of January, Ariana’s gold Aston Martin was parked in front of the Lambert driveway, with the girl behind the wheel jamming along to the loud, throbbing music coming from the speakers while she patiently waited for Chrissie. Her manicured thumbs shifted from scrolling to typing across the screen of her phone, glossy pink lips mouthing the lyrics of Kiiara’s ‘Gloe’. The remaining few days of the winter holiday break had gone by in the blink of an eye. Having spent the latter part of the week at Jace’s house and the weekend in and out of the salon, Ari hadn’t had time to properly catch up with her best friend. Thankfully, their bi-yearly tradition of carpooling to school on the first day of every semester provided the perfect opportunity to spend some much needed girl time together.

In a matter of seconds, Chrissie had given her cousin “hugs-and-kisses” goodbye and scurried off to her constant. The person she knew would always be there for her, no matter the circumstances. This consistency was honestly what she needed after almost losing part of her identity to a man who needed saving. She felt most herself when around her because Ariana understood her and related. She was literally the best.

Chris’ strength and weakness happens to be her ambition, and that has compromised most of her friendships because at the end of the day, her wants outweigh anyone else’s. She could be a ruthless cunt, but that didn’t mean she was a bad person and Ariana saw that. She saw every shade to her. Chris simply had her priorities figured out, and not many other highschoolers could say the same thing. When she finally took her place in the passenger seat, she smirked at her Cherry, “Sexy as always.” She leaned in and gave her best friend an intimate kiss on the cheek, before pulling away and laughing,  “Was your break as spectacular as Stella’s? Girl is on cloud nine because of her Paris adventure!”  

“Wait just one second. We haven’t seen each other in four weeks, and all I get is a kiss on the cheek like I’m just another one of your Drama Club pals? I am hurt, Chrissie. Very hurt,” Ariana teased, turning to her friend with a fake pout.

Mischievously, Chris gave an eye roll and teased right back, “What do you want? Tongue? That would make Mr. Russo completely jealous. I mean, sure. But you should send him a pic.” She stuck her tongue out, seeing if she’d do it or not.  

“A picture? I can send him a whole five-star film production, and he’ll be begging for more,” she answered with a laugh.

Widely grinning now, Chrissie shifted her torso and leaned closer to her best friend,  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s make him hot and bothered.” One perk of Chris being single was, one, she was more open to making out with her thirsty best friend, and two, she was repressed and hadn’t had sex in over a month. Getting a good kiss in could set the mood for the rest of her day! 

Smirking, Ariana pulled up the Snapchat app, made sure to have the front camera at the ready, scooted closer to her best friend so they could both be on the landscape shot and pressed her lips to hers at the same time her thumb started recording.

It was obvious they’ve done this plenty of times before. By now this heated, provocative, and inviting kiss was instinctual. Nothing like those kisses you see middle schoolers doing with closed mouths and as if they’ve never held hands before. Nah, man. This was the type of kiss that made your body melt just watching. Relenting in Ariana’s grasp, Chris played with her hair, holding her tighter, and tighter, as she let out light whimpers of anticipation.

Soon enough, Ariana had grown tired of dividing her attention between making sure the shot was just right and ensuring the quality of the kiss wasn’t suffering. Now that she had plenty of footage, the brunette locked her phone, mindlessly tossed it somewhere in the car and directed her complete focus onto Chris. With both hands now free, she placed one on the girl’s waist and let the other one’s fingers lae around the girl’s curly hair, all the while making the kiss more aggressive and passionate. They let it go on for a long moment longer, and only when they were both struggling for breath did Ariana finally pull away.

“Whew. Talk about a coming home present!” she said cheerfully, giggling and pulling Chrissie into a tight, quick hug. It had been four weeks too many without her ray of sunshine, and as much as her family, Jace, shopping and self-care kept her busy, there was nothing like spending some time with the person who will always have your back no matter what. “I missed you, bitch. Greece wasn’t the same without you.”

“I can promise you, I missed you more. Do you know how many movies I watched by myself?” She pulled away, pouting a little. “Too many.” She paused for dramatic effect. “I was pathetic! You would’ve slapped me silly if you saw me.” She nervously smiled, showing her teeth, not ashamed to admit she was depressed for the past couple weeks. “I’m better now. I did the whole ice cream therapy and am ready to show the school I’m back! Full throttle.” She added.

“That’s the spirit, babycakes!” Ariana whooped, shifting her attention back to the car and starting on with the drive to Kings. With the roof down and the comfortable speed she was using, both girls’ glossy locks of hair flew around their faces, and the rays of sunshine served to accentuate their beauty. “That meathead’s not worth your time, babe. Jason made the mistake of his life by treating you like he did. You’ll show him how stupid he really was in no time. On to the next one!”

“I doubt there will be a next one. I’m probably going to play the field and enjoy myself. Romance is not worth it in high school. Maybe, I should get myself a teacher too.” Chris gave a half laugh, as she relished the wind that twirled in her strands of light brown hair and whistled in her ear.

“Hey, as long as it’s not my teacher, go for it!” Ariana answered with an appreciative chuckle.

“To be real, Cherry.” She looked away from the passing houses and back at the bombshell sitting beside her, “I envy you. Aside from your Pumpkin, you really are good at protecting your heart.”  

That made the girl behind the wheel quiet for a second, suddenly lost in thought. But when she realized she was far too silent “I try… But I think one of them’s tearing down the walls…” Ariana admitted, biting her lower lip. It was something she’d been thinking about all throughout her time with Jace, but not one she liked dwelling on.

The ache returned from when Chris was talking to Stella. That ache that reminded her where she was and where everyone else seemed to be in their life. Flourishing and with rose-colored lenses on. “...are you going to see him? Now that Kellie is out of the picture.” It seemed that as much as she wanted to stop believing in love, things were falling into place for the two people she cared about the most. 

“Kellie? What does Kellie have to do with Ja- OH!” she cried out, laughing and shaking her head at her own stupidity for a few seconds. “You thought I meant Max! Oh no, not him. I’m definitely jumping on that lap now that Krazy Kellie’s out of the picture, but I wasn’t talking about Max. I was actually talking about Jace.”

For some reason Ariana having feelings for a teacher versus one of their classmates gave Chris some sort of relief. She didn’t know why they seemed different to her. Perhaps, to her, she saw it as two different forms of affection, but regardless of what the case was, Ariana was falling for Mr. Russo and Chris couldn’t be happier! Her reaction also helped push the lingering doubt and sadness back in its hole, where it belongs, and Chris was back to joking and smiling “You and Mr. Russo would have cute babies.” which reminded her, causing her to pull out her phone, “Did you see Diablo’s story? They’re having a baby girl.” 

“He is? Oh, that’s cool!” Ariana answered mindlessly, still lost in the thoughts of her own romantic issues. “I’ll make sure to congratulate him and April later and get something cute for the Baby Driver.”

Placing her phone on her lap, realizing Ariana’s mind was still caught up with her man’s, Chris curiously inquired, “So, teacher. He’s the real deal, huh? Does that mean you’re considering being ‘off the market’ soon? Or nah? Well, obviously after you get some Max D.” 

“Maybe…”  she teased with a small smirk. “I don’t think he sees me in that way, though. We’ve always made it clear that there are no strings attached, and if we were to go public or get caught in any way it would put his career on the line. I care about Jace too much to jeopardize that.”

“I’m sure if he really wants you, which I don’t know why he wouldn’t, he’d wait until you graduate. Have you talked to him about the future?” 

“Nah. I’m a ‘live in the moment’ kind of girl, and I wouldn’t want to scare him off talking about commitments and all that,” Ariana half-lied as she pulled into one of the available spaces in the Kings Academy senior parking lot. It was true that she didn’t want to run him Jace off with that kind of serious talk. But she also knew fully well that another reason why she had avoided the topic was because she was much too afraid of being rejected by someone she undoubtedly had feelings for… Not that she would ever admit it. Ariana Mossos wasn’t known for being insecure, and she wouldn’t start now.

The youngest Mossos eventually took a deep breath, shook the distracting thoughts out of her head and turned to the girl next to her with a bright smile. “Now, as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have a blond little boy toy to find before the bell rings…”  she confidently declared, grabbing her Prada handbag from the backseat and exiting the car. “Lock the doors when you get out, and don’t make plans for tonight! I’ll take you out to dinner and you can stay over. There’s so much we still need to catch up on...”  the brunette said mischievously with a wink, giving Chrissie one last kiss. “Love ya, slut!”  she called out to her bestie before sauntering in the direction of the school, her plaid skirt dangerously dancing around her.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by AlteredTundra

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AlteredTundra

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𝐌 𝐚 𝐫 𝐢 𝐬 𝐨 𝐥 ,  𝐑 𝐲 𝐥 𝐚 𝐧 𝐝 ,  &  𝐒 𝐨 𝐧 𝐧 𝐲
Collab with @Dirty Pretty Lies @TootsiePop @Altered Tundra

With earbuds in and his thumbs hooked on the outside of his jean pockets, Ryland drowned the hustle and bustle of his surroundings with Oh My Darling Don’t Cry by Run the Jewels. His overused drumsticks poked out of his red Jansport backpack, which held his packed lunch from his Aunt, as well as cookies that she made for his friends. As he strode with this nonchalant swagger, his shoulders leveled, down, and relaxed, his cold eyes locked with others that walked past him, like it was a competition and the first one to avert their eyes were weaker. 

A loser. 

So far, he was winning and all those rushing to work, or trying to get a cup-of-joe before their adventurous, strenuous, and long day,  were either too caught up with themselves or found it odd that a random kid had his unmoving brown pools deeply stabbing them with icy hostility. His two best friends knew he was in the area, but this would be the first he saw them since he arrived. They were busy. Whatever that meant in their case. He just hoped they’d be happy to see him.

It wasn’t like them to NOT see his texts, so he naturally assumed they were aware that he was heading over — he’d be damned if they headed to school without him. It wasn’t like he was in a rush to go, or anything. If he were in a rush, he would’ve parkoured to Sonny’s, but in truth, he could care less about his attendance and rep. It was his last semester and he doubted any of the teachers, and other pretentious, rich kids, would invest their time and energy with the ‘last-minute’ transfer. He did, however, want to see his friends. The people he truly connected with and understood he wasn’t a complete and utter fuck up.

Sure, he has friends in LA, but they weren’t anything with substance or depth. They weren’t the Misfits. Perhaps, he was judgemental and selective, or maybe he didn’t want to waste his time with people he knew from the get-go weren’t going to tough things out for the long haul. He didn’t need many people in his life that he trusted and gave his undying loyalty to. Ryland simply needed enough so that his mind rarely thought about being a lonely, piece-of-shit. Because let’s be real, he was a piece of shit. And he was lonely. 

As long as he had the Misfits, he’d be okay, and that’s all that mattered. Especially Sonny and Marisol. As long as he had them, he’d never fully come to hate himself. Hate colors the soul, and the negative energy could race wildly within him, but because they check him, love him, and really fucking get him, the poison never spreads. The poison is there, waiting, like a sickness of the mind, and heart, for everything to go to shit and all those that he loves to disappear. But, as long as he has someone it won’t. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. Stopping in his tracks, after checking his wristwatch, he looked at the house in front of him and shrugged. He was here, finally. 

And soon there came a series of knocks, which were loud enough to alert just about everyone in the house, which was also to say that only three occupied the Drake residence, the one who rushed to the door and met Ryland Aspen’s bored expression was probably not the person he was expecting. But, of course, had he known Sonny like he should (and especially in recent times), then for Ryland, it should come as no surprise that Sonny wasn’t who met him. A tall-ish blonde woman with the poise that put the First Lady to shame and a complexion that matched her pristine fashion sense stared the lanky young man down. It was to first gauge him, blue eyes studying him and seeing him.  She tried to peel the layers with her intimidating gaze, coldly staring him down. 

As dull as his expression was, Rye was usually taken aback when he saw who Sonny’s mother was. A gorgeous milf, with vixen eyes. No matter how many times this same scenario happens, where he comes knocking on the front door and she opens, he gets a full reminder of what this world has to offer. She was the type of woman that was so sexy, it was dangerous. Just imagine a lip-bite… he could. Without a doubt, she was someone that knew how to get her way and all she needed to do was give a gaze that could kill. Full of intensity and allure. 

How the hell did his friend get so lucky? 

At the moment she knew she had him, she gave him a smile. “And you must be Ryland.” Viola’s English accent was very present and she stepped to the side. “Sonny is upstairs. He should be finishing getting ready for school, but knowing my son…” She laughed, looking to Ryland once more. “Actually, I’ll just take you to him!” Viola had her moments of mischievous tendencies. Of course, she wasn’t near the levels of the two men in her life, but she certainly could pull one over them, such as leading Ryland with her as they both went upstairs to surprise Sonny. 

Before Rye could give any sort of response, he was already being led to his friend’s room. He preferred being called Rye, but he knew Sonny’s mom was a special case and more often than not used proper etiquette, especially toward individuals she could barely remember. Which was weird, since he visits AT LEAST once a year, but then again, he was a sliver in her life and she was a busy woman, so maybe it wasn’t as weird as he thought it was, “Thanks, I guess.” 

As they stopped in front of Sonny’s bedroom door, Viola heard some sort of commotion, so it was obvious he was awake. She was only slightly annoyed that he didn’t come to greet his dear friend, so she punished him by knocking on his door. Just a moment away from doing that, however and her phone went off. One quick glance and she saw it was an important business call she was waiting for. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’m sure you can get him out in time, right?” She didn’t wait to hear Ryland’s answer as she walked off, talking loudly into her phone.

With no chance for idle chat, the goddess had delivered him and then her phone went off. Without a second to waste, she sauntered away, out of sight, but not out of mind, to tend to her needs. Bringing his focus back to the door, having looked over his shoulder, to glance at her god-given gifts, Ryland reached for the knob and brought his attention to the matter at hand. The main reason he was here in the first place. His friends. With no hesitation, he flung the door open. “Dude, your dad’s one lucky son-of-a—”

At that exact moment, when the noise in Sonny’s room faded into a sharp silence, nothing could be done to roll back time to a few moments before Ryland had walked into Sonny’s room. Nothing could be done to allow the young man to unsee the sight of Sonny, half-naked, on top of an also half-naked, Marisol. Nothing could be said to possibly explain the more-than-compromising position the two were in, let alone try and explain it to their close friend. 

So, what could happen? Sonny had no fucking clue, but the silence dealt more blows than anything he could say, so he would take whatever shot he had. “Oh, hey Rye. I thought you were going to wait downstairs.” Sonny immediately perked up, nervously grinning at Rye while signaling the petrified, wide-eyed Marisol to get up as soon as she could.

Surprise wasn’t an emotion Ryland took well. He hated surprise parties, he hated surprise visits, and he hated when people tried to surprise sneak up on him. Surprises were meant to be a good thing but only led to disappointment. The only reason why people did anything for a surprise was to get something out of it. It was an entirely selfish concept, which is why he hated it. This, though, was nothing like that feeling. This was worst. Far worse. 

Even if the first fraction of the second held a similar feeling, where he had a complete inability to compute, the aftermath, where everything inside him shattered like glass, was nothing he felt before. It was like a collision had just happened in his chest. A violent shock that rammed into his most vulnerable wounds he thought he covered up so well.  

In most cases, he would be explosive. That was his innate nature to throw a tantrum and yell, but behind his dejected stare and his emotionless expression, he redirected his thoughts. Away from what was in front of him. After grinding his teeth, he shifted his demeanor and let his lips rise into a faux smile. It wasn’t worth making a scene or overreacting. It wasn’t worth sharing how hurt he was, when they were in the middle of getting it on. It wasn’t worth confiding in them if they couldn’t share this. 

It wasn’t worth it. 

Casually, calmly, he ran his hand through his long, unruly waves and laughed it out, while avoiding eye contact, more out of respect for Marisol’s body than anything,  “My bad, man. Your mom kind of just pulled me, you dig?” His gaze was distant, and by this point, they should both know this was something they needed to let sit. They needed to give him space right now, for their friend was a ticking time bomb. “Anyways! Don’t rush on my account.” He beamed a cheesy grin, before turning to the door, “I’ll wait. Downstairs.” He lied and left the room, not wasting any more time to hear their retort. 

With Rye’s sudden departure, Sonny tried to get a word in -- both him and Marisol tried to -- but before a single word could be uttered, instead of trying to explain to Rye what he just walked into, the sound and image of his bedroom door literally being slammed in his face was all he was given; and in turn, left Sonny with the most expressionless expression he could muster. 

Ryland was one of his closest friends. He wasn’t as close as Marisol was and he didn’t get to see him as often as he did Kavi and Stella, but if there was a top-five, Ryland cracked it easily. There was a sense of brotherhood there and a whole lot of trust. The history between his family, Rye’s, and Marisol's dates back to a time before any of them were even an afterthought. So, maybe seeing the other two halves of that long family history in present-day was too much of a shock?

“Shit.” That was all Sonny and Marisol could both say in unison. 

After thinking in silence for about half a minute and trying to process just how quickly he skurted away. Sonny, of course, understood why. Given his change of scenery, consistency was exactly what he wanted right now. But at the same time, Sonny honestly felt Rye had overreacted. He knew it was a lot to take in all at once and Sonny tried to put himself in Ry’s shoes, but he just couldn’t. 

He had enough of quiet reflecting and turned to Marisol. “I suppose that could have gone smoother,” he commented, taking a seat next to her on his bed. “I know we would have to break the news to him sooner or later, but I figured, you know, we’d at least get the chance to talk about it before …that.”

Mari, who had also been watched in horror as the events unfolded in front of her eyes, was rendered uncharacteristically speechless. She had known that telling their friends about their newly dating status was bound to bring them some snarky and disapproving comments, but this? The hurt and disappointment in Ryland’s face and the thought of everyone else reacting in the same disheartening manner made her rethink the decision she’d made on Christmas day.

It wasn’t until Sonny sat next to and addressed her that she found her voice again. “In our defense, we haven’t told anyone yet. But you know, since he didn't even give us a chance to say anything, we'll end up looking like the bad guys," she grumbled, frowning while she occupied herself with buttoning up her blouse. "This is so fucking annoying. It's too early for this shit."

Sonny found it reassuring they were on the same page. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Sonny sighed deeply as he tossed his shirt on and looked at Marisol. “So, what do you think the odds are he’s still downstairs? I don’t want to think that this was enough to get him to forget about riding with us, but Rye being Rye…” Sonny remembered his anger and how that sometimes blinded Rye from seeing to reason.

"The same odds I have of becoming America's Next Top Model," the short girl snickered, rising from her spot in the bed to stand in front of Sonny and fixing the collar of his shirt. "Son, do you think us dating is a good idea?" she asked her boyfriend.  The worry in her face was evident in the way she avoided his gaze, even when she tried to not let it show.

He didn’t know what he was more annoyed at: Rye being Rye and overreacting, which in turn had negative effects on his two closest friends, or that these effects were working and forced doubt to creep into his girlfriend’s heart.

He sighed, looking at her. “Don’t you start that,” he warned her sternly. “Rye will come to terms one way or another, but I’m not going to let his overreaction get in the way of something that’s been nearly a year in the making,” he assured her, kissing her. “And for the record, you’d make an amazing Top Model. None of those starving human xylophones would stand a chance against you!”

Marisol couldn't help but laugh. There was no way she would even consider becoming one of the famished runway zombies of this day and age, but Sonny's confidence in her was still sweet. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’ll stick to the surf and turf,” she answered, grabbing her school blazer from the floor and slipping it on. “And as much as I would love to stay here and avoid the world, I think we should get going. I couldn’t give a flying fuck, but the last thing we want is our folks getting worked up because we were late on the first day back.”

As much as he wanted to disagree and just lay in bed with her, Marisol was right, but more importantly, she wasn’t the only woman in this house who would get on his ass for being late on his first day back. Lord knows just how ruthless his mother could be, especially when he deliberately tried her limited patience. If there was ever someone who struck the fear of the Devil into his eyes, it was Viola Banks.

So as he rolled his eyes, giving her one last kiss, Sonny propped himself up and stretched as he did his best to loosen the joints in his body. Satisfied, he grabbed his bag and gestured Marisol to follow him. Just as they were about to head out and as Sonny opened his door, his mother was standing in front of it. Thankfully, Marisol was fast in hiding behind it.

“Sonny, I have to go into work a little earlier,” she informed him suddenly. “I might not be home until late, so do me a favor and try and not burn the house down. Your father might be home around the same time, so I wouldn’t wait up.” She sighed, looking at him. “And one more thing: try and put on a happy face for Ryland. He looked distraught for some reason.” She gave him a cheek kiss and walked away, leaving Sonny with a wave of information.

He closed the door somewhat and stared at Marisol, both of them probably feeling like their hearts were about to explode. “Holy fucking shit…” Sonny had to catch a breath. “I haven’t felt that type of excitement since your parents almost caught us last week.”

Now that she was sure the coast was clear, Mari was in a sudden fit of giggles. "I know, right?! I almost shit my pants when I heard her!" she snickered, doubling over in laughter while trying to catch her breath. "Fuck, man, at least it was Ry the one who walked in on us. We would be hanging by our toes from the ceiling if it had been your mom."

“You’d think I might be given the son discount but that mother of mine is fair and just in her punishment.” Sonny said that with the realization just how cruel his own mother was. “And that absolutely terrifies me.”

He sat on that thought for a good, long moment until he was able to shake it off and he led Marisol downstairs. He held her hand as they descended down the stairs. It didn’t even feel weird to do it so casually. For him, it felt as natural as breathing.  

When they were downstairs, Sonny was optimistic and hopeful that despite Rye’s sudden disappearance from his room, that somehow he stuck around after cooling off; that maybe he was going to let the two of them explain. But, of course, when he saw that the only thing downstairs was the interior decor and a strong feminine presence in the air, the light of his optimism drained to the point where his shoulders slouched and he sighed.

“I can’t believe it. He actually left!”

“What else did you expect?” Mari snorted with a shrug. “He’s pissed. You know he doesn’t hang around when he’s pissed.”

Sonny shrugged as well. “I don’t know, a chance to properly explain? I figured he’d give us that much.” He lamented for a moment longer before shrugging it off and he threw his bag over his shoulder and grabbed his keys from a bowl on a pedestal near the door. “Forget it, let’s just get out of here.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” the girl said before running after Sonny, grabbing his hand and rushing out of the Drake-Banks home before they could get caught again.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SpicyMeatball

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SpicyMeatball The Spiciest of Them All

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The Spiciest of Them All

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April took in a slow, deep breath as she laid beneath the silky covers of her bed, staring at the ceiling. Today was the day that the entire class of 2020 would enter into their final semester, and with it their final days at King’s Academy. She felt her heart race a bit as the thought crossed her mind. This was going to bed a hell of a year, not just for April, but for Santiago and April’s father, Jamie as well. Jamie had agreed that he’d help take care of Camila while April was at college so that she could attend fresh out of high school and not wait until a year or two after.

There wasn’t a single other soul that was aware of the plans April had for after college however. On top of raising her and Santi’s daughter, April wanted to keep her family’s name in the racing business, but in a different way. With the financial help of her father, April wanted to start designing her own high performance supercars to compete with the likes of Porsche, McLaren and Koenigsegg on the racetrack. Her own car company for the super rich and for the racing-inclined.

And naturally, she’d try her damndest to get her daughter interested in the family business as well, though she wouldn’t ever force anything on the little one.

With this thought, April scanned across her room at the numerous posters from almost every car brand in the business and smiled contently at the bright future she had dreamt up for herself.

“April, you’re gonna be late at this rate!" Her father called out, jarring April from the happy little trance she had been in. 

Right, it was time to kick this final semester’s ass.

April got herself ready in record time, though forgoing the regular school uniform for something more pregnancy friendly with the school’s permission of course. She put her long, curly brown hair up in a messy ponytail and hastily applied some finishing touches to the makeup she had started earlier. With a quick once-over in the mirror--the bright white font reading “Racing for two” contrasting the navy blue background of her maternity shirt standing out from the rest--the brunette pulled on a light sweater to cover her arms from the cooler Florida winter air before she made her way to the kitchen.

April ran her thumb across the trident logo embedded in the key fob for her car as she waited impatiently for the toaster to finish it’s job, muttering “Come on, come on…” quietly to herself. She swore everything decided to work against her when she was behind schedule. 

Another five minutes and April was in the front seat of her car, taking a final moment to compose herself. She looked down to the sizeable gift wrapped package that sat on the passenger’s seat and nodded to herself before twisting the key to start the car. With a deafening roar, the Maserati came to life and April shot out of the driveway, squealing the tires purposely to announce her departure.

Not ten minutes later, April pulled into the school parking lot and grinned as she pressed in the clutch before revving the powerful V8 engine as loud as she could, getting a very stern look from the vice principal who was standing at the main entrance. April waved to him with a big smile on her face before speeding through the lot and into her usual spot underneath a few trees. As she turned off the car, she spotted Kavi walking across the pavement and inside, and with a small curse to herself she grabbed the package to her right and hopped out of the car.

With her best effort, the brunette pursued Kavi through the bustling hallways, her heart pounding in her chest as she awkwardly passed between people. Being six months pregnant really wasn’t helping her in this moment.

After a solid five minutes of chasing the attractive young male through the hallways, April finally got close enough to get his attention. “Kavi! Hey! April panted, closing the gap between the two of them. “I know our last encounter was uh, well interesting to say the least. And I heard what happened with Ariel and I really just want to say… April inhaled deeply, still evidently trying to catch her breath as her words came out a mile a minute “Kavi, I’m sorry for kissing you and fucking up what you had going with Ariel. I didn’t know you two were a thing and I feel like shit for doing that to you. She paused for a moment, offering an apologetic smile before holding out the hefty package in front of herself “I also heard that she did some damage in more than one way, so I hope this helps.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ejected

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Ejected

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The first day of their last semester of high school. It was the day that everyone at King's Academy had either been looking forward to since their first day freshman year, or the day that marked the dreaded beginning of the end. For Kavan, it was the former. He woke up on that chilly Monday morning with a smile on his face, and got ready for school with a certain pep in his step. As much as he loved King's (sometimes) and all the friends that he made while attending the academy, the young man couldn't help but feel excited about his future. In just under six months, he'd be walking across the stage and receiving his diploma. He'd finally be able to put all of the petty high school drama behind him, and get a fresh start. And most importantly, he'd be able to move out of his home and live his life the way he wanted to, without his parents and their negative energy.

"I'm glad you finally got your car fixed," Kavan said to his older sister as they both walked out of the front door and towards their respective cars. "Not like I was getting tired of being your chauffeur or anything like that." Amoli simply stuck her tongue out at her brother before watching him pull off in the direction of his school. 

As usual, Kavan pulled into the parking lot while singing along to Lenny Kravitz. It was only after the song had ended that Kavan cut the engine, gathered his things, and got out of the car. On instinct, Kavan took a quick look around the parking lot to see if he could spot his boyfriend; he figured that he and Marisol would be in their usual spot. But after coming to the conclusion that he wasn't there, Kavan shifted his bookbag onto his back and began to walk.

Kavan spotted Archer near the picnic tables, right as he'd been saying goodbye to the fiery redhead known as Julie MacMillan. Within moments, Kavan appeared at Archer's side and slung his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Well, if it isn't my favorite person in the world," Kavan said before giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "Ready to take on this final semester?"

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by NeoAJ

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NeoAJ Fine. I'll High Five Myself.

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It felt really weird to be back in this spot. 

It shouldn't have. This was essentially Shawna's designated parking spot. The one next to that palm tree that Keelan Walker smashed his moped into during Shawna's freshman year. The imprint of his side mirror was still visible in the bark. At least Shawna thought she could see it. 

There weren't a lot of things Shawna could see anymore. Since her return from her New York excursion with Sunshine, it was tough to figure out what exactly she was seeing in her immediate future. Chris and Ariel weren't able to help much either. She spent much of January in a Carter-fueled haze, trying to get her brain to settle down from all the stuff that had happened over the previous month. Between Kellie's exodus and Sunshine's New Year's kiss, things had suddenly shifted in a way the former honors student couldn't have seen coming. 

But it was the last conversation in New York that was playing on her mind as she sat in her Audi, unsure of how willing she was to go back into school to begin the long march to graduation. It was a spur of the moment decision, one that was only made possible by some fortuitous timing on travel schedules and a rare willingness to actually reach out to someone for help as opposed to trying to deal with everything herself. It wasn't Shawna's first choice, but as far as people go, she could have done a lot worse...

11 DAYS EARLIER...

Bergen Bagels seemed like the last place to be having this kind of talk. The establishment was busy, with New Yorkers filtering in and out, giving the obvious out-of-towner a glare for taking up two precious stools and forcing them to go back out into the January weather, sheltering their precious sandwiches from the frigid wind. But her everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese was just as important. Plus, this small slice of property Shawna had carved out for herself was the staging ground for a vital conversation.

Sunshine was very understanding. How could she not be? Given how long it had been since Shawna was able to talk to any member of her family without seconds of delay between video calls, Sunshine was willing to begin taking care of the preparations for departure herself. She was a good friend like that... possibly more than a friend... dare she say... best friend? It was Sunshine's to lose at this point. Shawna only had one other friend who could kiss like Sunshine could.

And that's why she made the call. The recipient wasn't in the city. The recipient was in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, visiting her husband's family over the holidays while avoiding all the crowds making their way through New York during the festive season. Given she was nine when the Josis moved to Florida, it wasn't surprising that she still preferred small-town charm over the big city. However, she promised she would be back after New Year's to prepare for the next semester at Columbia. 

Shawna kept watching the door to see if the woman was still as good as her word. Shawna had arrived a little early to make sure she could get a spot and get herself one of those famous bagels. But it was 12:30. Usually her big sister kept to a rigid schedule. The fact that she wasn't in the designated spot on time was a little shocking. Maybe it was a sign that Shawna wasn't the only one coming undone a bit?

Just before the clock above the counter was set to hit 12:31, the bell above the door rang. Lia Ellis had cut it close, but she was right on time as always. The blonde woman unwrapped the scarf from around her face and took off her woolen cap, shaking her hair loose while her bangs remained perfectly in place. She gave a quick wave to her sister as she pointed towards the counter, golden mittens blunting the effectiveness of the gesture as Shawna nodded and took a sip of her french vanilla cappuccino. 

It would be a couple minutes for the elder Josi to get some food herself. That gave Shawna a bit of time to think about just exactly how she was going to handle this. OK. So how the fuck do I lead into all this shit? 'Hey Lia, just so you know, I'm not going to university and I'm a lesbian?' Fuck that can't be it. Why the fuck didn't Netflix have an episode of the Office or something dealing with this? C'mon Shawna. You were on the debate team. That shit's gotta be useful in this situation... Fuck. I don't even know...

"Shawn! Little Sis!" The sudden hug snapped Shawna out of her self-induced stupor. Lia was very affectionate when she wanted to be, and usually it was reserved for family. Still, this was a strong effort. "I am so happy you're here! This is such a wonderful surprise! I can't believe you came up to New York! In January! I know you hate the cold! But I'm blabbering! Let me get my order and then we can really catch up!" With that, Lia released her hold on Shawna and left to stand by the counter in wait for her food and drink.

Shawna shook her head a little bit to recover from the sudden lovefest. It was nice to know Lia was still affectionate as ever. Even after the past summer of disappointment. Despite the age difference, Shawna still considered Lia her strongest link in her immediate family. When she was younger, Lia was the one who kept her ahead of the curve with her advanced tutoring. For someone who was on a rigid schedule throughout grade school, Lia was willing to spend a lot of free time with her little sister. Still, the change in mood when Lia was accepted into Princeton was almost like a shackle had been removed. When she returned home, there was a noticeable bounce in her step. Maybe that was Ryan's doing. Who knew? Whatever happened, Lia became even more open with her affections and in all honesty, it was something Shawna missed with her spending all her time in the Big Apple area now.

Lia grabbed her order, a cinnamon raisin bagel with apple cinnamon cream cheese and a coffee and grabbed the open stool that Shawna had jealously guarded like a dragon with a horde. "I'm glad you were able to find this place all right. These are the best bagels in Brooklyn, I can guarantee it!"

Shawna nodded as she swallowed another bite. "You know this city well, Lia. I'm not surprised. You were always good at finding out stuff like that."

The elder Josi gave a wink at she chewed at her own meal. "When have I steered you wrong?"

The younger Josi gave her a stare. "Um, that time when you dyed my hair jet black when you wanted to see how it would look on someone else first?"

Lia held up a finger. "And that experiment yielded vital results! I learned black is not a good color on any of us! So, I did it for you, Shawn."

That earned an eye roll from Shawna. "Whatever, sis. Pretty sure that's why my hair is still dark. Anyway, I'm just happy to see you in person for a change."

"I know! I'm happy to see you!" Lia confirmed. "I mean, I'm sorry I left you alone for the holidays, but with Mom and Dad gone and Nick focusing on his hockey, I thought it would be better if I went with Ryan to his family thing. And I'm sure that must have been terrible."

Shawna waved her sister off. "It's all right. I mean, I managed, right? Clearly I did all right if I ended up here."

"Yeah, with your new friend, right? Sunshine? What a lovely name! I'm sorry she couldn't join us here! We will have to try and get something together another time! Maybe when the weather is better!"

"Or you could just come back to Florida. I'm sure Ryan could survive at least one week in the Sunshine State if he tried.

Lia nodded. "I know. I'm going to force him to deal with his issues with the heat and he'll come visit." She sipped casually at her coffee. "Anyway, I'm boring. I want to hear about you! Are you all right? I know it's gotta be lonely down there by yourself. Plus the whole Pre-Calc fiasco, it has to have been rough."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Shawna confirmed. "Look, don't be shocked if I'm not on the honor roll like you and Nick this year. I'm not sure how much more I want to do with school."

That statement made Lia nearly spit out the chunk of bagel she had in her mouth. She kept her composure though and managed to swallow it. "Shawna, you can't be serious. Why would you say such a thing? You're smart enough to do great things! You need to continue!"

"But I don't want to!" Shawna exclaimed. "I'm so sick of it, Lia! I am just so sick of that life! I can't keep doing it anymore. I'm not doing it anymore, and I haven't been doing it. I mean, am I gonna pass? Sure. The courses aren't brutal enough I can't do that. But I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not killing myself, and making myself miserable just to have nothing make sense. I'm so done. I've been done since the summer, and I'm so much happier for it. I've been invited to parties and stuff. I feel happier, I'm just not about that process anymore."

The look on Lia's face changed from shocked to stern. "Shawna, that is the biggest crock of shit I have ever heard." When the usually proper Lia started swearing, that's when Shawna knew that rant was a bad idea. "So you had a bad test! Big fucking deal! That's no reason to just give up on everything! That means you have to actually start trying! I know you've had it relatively easy with me and Nick blazing a trail, but you have to be able to do something for yourself! You have to give yourself that push sometimes! Hearing you sound like you've just given up on everything, that's fucking unacceptable!" Lia pounded the table. It had been a while since Shawna had seen her older sister this worked up. "Shawn, you know if you're struggling with things, I'm always there, right? I have my phone. I might be busy with my dissertation, but I will still make time for you! You just have to text me! I don't want you to feel like you're alone, OK? I'm so sorry! I promise I will be there for you! Just... just don't give up for me...OK?" Lia punctuated this with a hug, this one far tighter than the initial one she offered.

Meanwhile, Shawna just felt bad. How the hell did Lia end up being the one apologizing? Holy shit. What is happening? ...I guess I forgot how much she actually gave a shit. How much anyone in my stupid family gave a shit. Fucking... fuck. She hugged her sister back. "Lia, I'm not that person anymore... but... I'll... I'll try, OK? I will try. I can't promise success. But I will try."

"That's all I can ask you to do, little sis," Lia affirmed. "And if that's not enough for Mom and Dad, just remember, I will be in your corner. Always. No matter what. Even if you end up decked out in tattoos and working as a writer or something."

Shawna was suddenly very happy that the wolf on her back had finished healing up. No flinching meant no giveaway. "I appreciate that, Lia. You can stop crushing my sternum now."

"Sorry," Lia apologized as she released Shawna and returned to her own stool. "Anyway, were the parties at least good? Did you manage to meet someone there?"

Shawna looked back down at her own food. "Yeah, they are. I think I know how you felt when you got to Princeton. And I've met some people. Some good people..."

"So I can start planning for your wedding soon now?"

"What? No! God, no! Not that your wedding wasn't great," Shawna quickly corrected. It was pretty fun, even if Shawna wasn't allowed to enjoy the same open bar access that the other patrons did. Lia had good taste in music, even if Ryan was corny as hell. "I'm just... definitely not there yet..." Shawna took in a huge breath. "Especially since it's pretty unlikely Mom and Dad will foot the bill for it."

Lia looked confused. "Why wouldn't they pay for it?" She mock gasped. "You didn't hook up with some boy from Minnesota, did you?!?"

Shawna laughed and shook her head. "Hell no. I think Minnesotans would melt in Florida. Even worse than Ryan. But..." She paused. This was gonna be it. "It's probably not gonna be a guy. Pretty sure I'm a lesbian."

Lia looked at her sister, the confusion slowly lifting from her face. "Huh," was all she got out. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I had sex with another woman, so yeah. I'm pretty sure at this point.

Lia turned her gaze away from her sister for a second, towards her bagel, then back at Shawna. "That does sound pretty definitive. Well, I'm happy for you, sis."

It was Shawna's turn to look confused. "That's it?

"Do you want me to give you a medal or something? Sis, I'm happy you figured that out about yourself, and I'm happy that you trust me enough to tell me that! Even if you went a little graphic on it. Still, that doesn't change anything. You're still Shawna. Who you love is about you, and as long as the woman you love isn't a complete asshole, then I support it wholeheartedly."

Shawna breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That means a lot to hear you say that, Lia. Seriously. Especially since I really don't know how Mom and Dad will take it. Pretty sure they voted Trump, even if they don't want to admit it."

Lia put her hand on Shawna's. "It doesn't matter. They can't control you. You're 18, you are your own woman now. You can choose for yourself what you want in life, although I strongly recommend at least getting A degree from a university, but they can't tell you who to love. That's for you and you alone. And like I said, I support you. No matter what."

The emotions were too much for Shawna. It was Lia's turn to get enveloped in a hug as Shawna struggled to keep herself from crying in the middle of that New York deli. "Lia... Thank you. I needed this. More than anything right now."

"Of course, Shawn. I'll always have your back." Lia continued to hug, given there was no chance Shawna was gonna collapse a lung with her embrace. "So, who is this girl? Is she cute? Can I meet her?"

Shawna released Lia from her grasp and wiped a tear from her eye. "No, and you probably won't ever meet her. We... we broke up before Christmas because she had to move."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lia said, trying to console what couldn't be consoled. "But I'm sure there is someone else just waiting to get their hands on you... or in you..."

"Holy fuck, Lia! Phrasing!" Shawna blurted, laughing a bit. This was the side of Lia that was never there in high school, but was still shocking when she busted it out now. "There may be someone else, actually. I dunno. We'll have to see."

"Well, keep me posted," Lia ordered. "Now, what else is going on in the land of Sunshine and non-howling winds?"

With that, the awkward parts of the conversation were completed and the two sisters could go back to eating their bagels, Shawna with a much more relaxed mind knowing that despite everything, she still had the most important family member in her corner.

BACK TO PRESENT DAY...

Shawna stared at King's Academy for another moment and breathed a heavy sigh. All right. You are gonna do this. Not just for you. There are people who want you to do this for you too. So do it for them. The senior grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car, clicking the lock button. She looked around to make sure there were no crazy drivers tearing through the lot. Even if April was pregnant now, there were still idiots that could follow her lead. Confident she wouldn't be sideswiped, she made her way towards the school.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Venus

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Venus So long, and goodnight. ♡

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So long, and goodnight. ♡

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The entirety of Santiago Fernandez’ final days before the start of the semester had been occupied with preparations for his daughter’s arrival. Although April still had at least three months left until Camila’s arrival, his mother had been adamant about the importance of planning ahead and insisted they got a head start on everything. So, for the previous two weeks, a strangely excited Diablo and a happy yet exhausted April had divided their time between the Fernandez and Foster homes. While Santiago’s mother had gone all out to make sure her first granddaughter had a room fit for a princess, the Fosters had carried on with their racing traditions and designed a uniquely themed nursery, complete with a tool box changing table and a custom made poster of a future Camila rocking a race car driver outfit. The little girl wasn’t even born yet, and she already had two fully-furnished nurseries and more clothes than her parents put together. But, of course, the young couple was more than thankful for their families’ support.

After spending most of break glued at the hip, the young parents-to-be had decided to take some time alone for themselves and arrive to school separately. And as much as he loved to spend time with the beloved mother of his child, Santiago was grateful for it. It was true that their relationship was in the highest place it had ever been, with both of them making the necessary changes to be their best selves for each other. But to see the confirmation of how April fully trusted him now and didn’t hesitate in giving him space truly warmed his heart. He didn’t deserve her, but he was adamant in becoming a man that would be close to worthy of her.

The Devil of Kings had arrived at the school grounds a few minutes before his Princess did, his face breaking into an amused grin as he watched her tear fearlessly into the parking lot and rev her Maserati’s engine as loud as she could. And when their vice principal gave her a look that could ice Hell over, his cheeky baby mama had simply waved at him with a big smile on her face before speeding through the lot and into her usual spot.

“That’s my girl…” he muttered proudly, shaking his head with that smile still plastered on his face as he grabbed his backpack and started to walk in the direction of the senior building. 

Once inside, he had planned to go straight to Max and catch up with him, but the young man was quickly distracted. The sight of a familiar head of red hair shot past him, and all previous ideas went out the window. Before he realized what he was doing, Santiago was racing after Julie and gently tapping her on the shoulder.

“Hey Julie! Do you have a minute?” he asked her once he’d gained her attention, nervously scratching the back of his head.

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