---

The sweet aroma of grilled meats had begun perforating the air with great pleasure, mixed in with the somewhat burnt odour of used charcoal. Grilling was no easy job for one person, not with these many customers holding out their plates and waiting for their turns to get a barbeque, or a steak or a burger patty and whatever else. Eleazar glanced towards his sister, who had taken to making French Fries with a portable gas stove. Those were good too... and would probably get wiped out within thirty minutes, as high schoolers had titanic appetites for greasy food.

In either case, Eleazar would find the guy from Liberty that Cael was clearly very happy to meet hold out his plate, asking for a burger.

"Of course, monsieur..." Eleazar would then take a well grilled steal off the grill with a gripper, and with decent speed, slap it in between two burger bread slices with sesame seeds on top, as well as melted cheese and a healthy serving of ketchup. "You want this to have mustard too?" He asked Christian that much, because some people weren't fans of mustard. Hopefully he was, otherwise he'd be missing out.

It wouldn't be long before another person came in. A girl... and she seemed to know Spike. He didn't know her, so she was probably from Liberty. Either way, she was saying things about getting a burger and a hotdog, which immediately piqued his interest.

"Well, well, I've got melted cheese slices here along with the meat, so just say what you want to get!" Carefully taking a hotdog, he then looked over towards Tyler, and then at Spike. "So it's gonna be a burger for Spikey, and a hotdog for... what's your name? Mines Eleazar. You can call me Elea... or Zar. Anything works as long as it makes sense with my actual name."

Tyler Jane Morrissey was tipsy.

Whether it was because of the few shots that she had taken at the pregame (plus the one she just took with the little blonde girl) or the lack of dinner she ate was anyone’s guess, but nonetheless the redhead was already feeling intoxicated. The evening was young, and she was clearly at the party to have a good time after a long first week of classes. As a Rosefell student, she was a little apprehensive about the entitled rich kids from across town joining their ranks, but from what it seemed like it was a pretty seamless transition. Plus, she really couldn't complain- she hadn't met many of them yet.

In anticipation of this being the first party of the school year, and more importantly the first Rosefell/Liberty mixer, Tyler Jane had chosen a slightly more revealing outfit than she might’ve normally worn- the black bodysuit cut out just below her chest and the jean shorts showed off her long legs. The dancer’s lithe frame was often one that people liked to admire, and her clothing choice for this evening's party welcomed it. She wanted to make an impression - after all, half of their school was now unknown to her, and that meant opportunities.

Since arriving at the house, the redhead and her friends had barely left the makeshift dance floor, only taking reprieves for snacks or shots. Tyler Jane, as always, let the music that played move her, swinging her hips and letting her hair fly freely about as she sang along to the words she knew. This was the kind of dancing that she didn't often have the chance to do- no choereography, no mirrors, just the beat and her feet carrying her. If you looked closely, you could see the fire behind her eyes as she enjoyed herself, not a care in the world.

Suddenly thirsty, Tyler Jane decided to go and indulge in another alcoholic beverage. She could worry about her hangover tomorrow, but for now, she was having too much fun to pass up more of it. In the midst of trying to locate another drink, the redhead felt herself collide with a dark-haired girl. “Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Tyler Jane hurriedly apologized with an embarrassed laugh and smile before continuing on her quest to the kitchen.

---

In what felt like seconds, the party was in full swing. The rooms had filled up fast with teenagers filling themselves up even faster. It was like as soon as they had hit the floor they were drunk and or high. Not like it was a bad thing but drunk white people did make DeShawn a little nervous, he wasn’t going to lie. Once he had begun to feel a little more comfortable in his skin, the linebacker made his way over to a drinks table to pour himself a tasty beverage. He wasn’t a fancy man by any means and a cold beer from one of the coolers would suffice quite nicely.

As the rhythm of the music began to pulsate through his body, Dee began to let out a few shoulder shuffles and head bobs. He wasn’t no dancer unless he had a partner that wouldn’t stop him from enjoying himself. He watched around the room with his big dark eyes, soaking in the places and faces that his compatriots would hope to forget about in the morning. It was at this moment that he caught sight of his Queen, alone and without a throne.

Past experience at parties like this had taught DeShawn that trying to get Melissa’s attention when she was ruling her kingdom was a vain quest that no Knight should ever try to undertake. If the blonde bombshell wanted your attention she would take it, you didn’t really have a say in the matter. This was fine of course, most days there was always someone else to talk to, someone else to party with. Still it had been almost a week since they last “held court” and Dee was nothing if not intrigued about how the head of the table was dealing with the new Liberty conundrum.

He made his way by a few people to cross the room, most of whom immediately stepped out of his path mostly out of fear of him just awaiting them away like flies. Once he had reached the Queen of Thorns, he towered over like he did so many others but in a juxtaposition of his size, Dee placed a soft hand on her slim waist.

”Hey girl.”

Melissa recognized that voice from a mile away, and it had the helpful effect of knowing that the person who belonged to the hand on her body did not deserve a slap. Far from it. It was a welcome sight given how the party was shaking out so far.

Her attempts to attract the eyes of the host weren’t going well. It made sense given his duties, but it would still be fun to flirt with Christian a little more. Alycia had abandoned her to try and corner Payton again. Apparently they did more than just hit it off during the tour this week. More power to Miss Collins, but he definitely wasn’t her type. She would have to evaluate him too at some point if Alycia was going to be making a point to bring him to parties in the future. She had already churned through a few of the coolers on offer, and had switched to the stronger vodka cran mixture she held in her hand. It was preventing her from immediately returning the hand that Dee had placed on her body, but she knew her could tell when she was interested. Which she was.

She turned around, allowing Dee’s fingers to trace a path on her exposed midriff while she reoriented herself. ”Hey boy,” Melissa offered to the linebacker as took a sip of her beverage. “Don’t tell me you’re already bored of all the sweet treats Liberty had to offer us? I mean, I know they can’t possibly compare to me, but… well, they can’t. So I guess I don’t blame you! Anyway, how are you doing, Dee?”

The warmth of her golden skin permeated on his fingertips and the simple caress did well to remind him of all the things that he and Melissa had done in the past; a memory that brought a smile to his lips and a fire to his heart… he was but a teenage boy after all.

"I wouldn’t say bored, the night is still young after all and I only really just got here but...” DeShawn leaned down to get closer and caught a whiff of her unmistakable and irresistible scent. "I know how busy you are and I saw you here alone and I just couldn’t help but to just come for a quick taste, ya feel me Queen?” Number Forty Four dropped a gentle kiss on the nape of Melissa’s neck, just below her ear.

It was a simple world that the two of them shared; if they wanted to hook up they did. If they were bored and actually wanted to go on a date; they would. If they wanted to fuck around with someone else, they did. Something always drew them back together but DeShawn had his doubts that it was anything more than a kinship. They understood each other perfectly and that was enough.

"How goes it with your new subjects, Mama? They fallin’ in line yet?”

The Queen of Thorns offered a sly smile as she ran her hand over DeShawn’s scalp, allowing her fingers to mingle in between his dreads while they were on offer to her. As he stood back up following the tribute paid to her neck, she let her hand fall back down to her side. She always had time for Dee, a lot more so than Colin, and a quick taste was a vast understatement when it came to some of their hangouts. But, it was the understanding of their respective wants that kept the relationship between the two in such a comfortable place. Melissa was more Baskin Robbins than Dairy Queen. She wanted to sample all the flavors available. However, Dee was definitely her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

“They are doing well so far. It’s amazing what a little sample of what the queen provides can do for compliance,” she confirmed. “Of course, it’s a lot easier if they provide the opportunity. I swear, these kids have all the money in the world to burn, and I’m more than happy to provide the ways and means. Along with other things if some of them play their cards right. But for now, all is good in the queendom, Dee. I have heard whispers of someone who thinks they can come at the crown, but they haven’t shown up, so I guess it’s true that money talks, but power walks.”

"Come at the Queen, you best not miss.”

Dee allowed a smile to cross his lips as Melissa talked of her Queendom. From what he could gather, Rosefell had always been hers and her peers had likely been her subjects since kindergarten, the girl had the sway and the swag and it would take her quite far in life no doubt.

He had heard rumblings of potential challengers for Missy’s crown. Liberty seemed much more a tank of sharks thanks to the inherent wealth and privilege that they held. Melissa was a badass and she had put in the work but he couldn’t help but wonder if there was a possibility that this Game of Thrones would end with her buried under a palace of her own making. Yet this was Missy, DeShawn had not met anyone with the drive to succeed like her. He had not come across anyone with the exact path laid out as to where they wanted to go. It was an admirable quality, an assuredness that drew people towards her, she was easily the sun and the students of Rosefell were simply the planets in her system. All Dee knew was that he shouldn’t fly too close and that he should just keep his head down and do the work. Missy knew where she was going, DeShawn just wanted to survive.

"Well you know, if there’s anything I can do, anything at all, you know where I’m at.” He traced a finger down her back slowly as he spoke in a tone that was as smooth as chocolate: an almost whisper "It ain’t no thing.”

Melissa arched her back slightly under DeShawn’s touch. It was still electric, even after all the times shared since the football player moved here. Of all of last year’s imports, he was clearly head and shoulders above anyone else. Of course, second place was probably that pink-haired girl was essentially a less-reliable Colin. A lot more sarcastic too. Still, a smirk appeared on her face as a soft chuckle could be heard only by the two of them. “I know I can always count on you, Dee,” she confirmed. “You’re good like that. A perfect Knight in shining armor.”

Yeah, she was laying it on thick. Maybe there was more to those coolers than she thought.

“And you know that’s a two-way street. Anything I can do to help you out, you let me know. I’m sure I can make it happen.”

"I’m sure I can think of a few things...”

The boy mountain threw whatever caution he had to the wind and pressed a deep kiss to Melissa’s mouth. Taking in her taste and scent, it was as close to madness; the one true escape as he possibly could. It was chemicals reacting; it was that simple. Every deep set fibre of DeShawn’s being was on fire around Melissa as it often was and in that moment all he wanted was to take her somewhere private and tear off her clothes. It took a great amount of pure self control to not take her there and then. He broke the kiss, reluctantly and grinned with a hint of self satisfaction.

”...But I ain’t your game tonight” Dee took a large swill from his drink to wash down the fire he had just taken from the Queen’s lips and more so to stop him from doing it again.

There weren’t many people in the world who could seize control of Melissa Elliott like that and bend her to their will. DeShawn was definitely the closest among her peer group. Maybe it was that left of self-assuredness that had kept them coming back to each other when others had failed to do so.

Or maybe he was just a damn fine kisser. But the linebacker broke away from the cheerleader’s lips first. She let out a soft whimper as if to will him back, but then again, they were in wide open spaces here, and Melissa had no idea where the best spot in Christian’s place was for some privacy. Not to say that they couldn’t find something later on in the evening. It seemed as though DeShawn felt the same way.

"You do your thing, shawty but come see me round the way if them dice aren’t in your favour, feel me?”

Her lips came together again in the smirk that usually adorned her face. “Even if they aren’t in my favour, you know I have my ways to make sure the snake eyes are staring at my opponents, Dee. But I don’t need any games of chance to know you’re always in my plans. Just save some of those jumped routes for later, OK?”

"Oh mos def.”

Dee knew he had to make a quick exit from Melissa’s atmosphere, sans being trapped within it for the rest of the night. He allowed his eyes to take in her form one last time, unknowingly allowing his tongue to lick his lips in antici…pation. He broke contact to scan the room for someone to save him from himself and spotted Enrique emerging from a crowd causing all kinds of havoc; not an ideal choice but if he was anything, Suave was a good distraction.

”Be seeing you girl.”

Melissa gave a curt little wave as DeShawn made his way towards one of his bros. Not where she would be looking to go to right now, but that was fine by her. She had the option to go anywhere. This was her domain. This was her queendom. And it would not be challenged. Not by any of these Liberty fools who think they can step in with their cash and run things. Not anyone. She didn't need to cling to DeShawn like some lovelorn puppy. She was the ruler of this particular jungle. Nothing will change that.