[right][sub][color=slategray]TIMESTAMP: 7:30 AM
Location: Front Office
Mentions/Interactions: [color=A84BF4]Naomi[/color] & [color=edd3b9]The Hive[/color] [@Fabricant451][@Aewin][@LovelyComplex][@NeoAJ][/color][/sub][/right]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KkbrK6J.png[/img][/center]
[hr][hr]

[color=slategray][indent]The Hive had descended upon the school with all the glitz and glamour they advertised. Truth be told, this was why he did it; for the attention. He relished every gaze that fell on him, gulping it down like it was the secret to everlasting youth. He was going to need it. As The Hive passed the front office, Levi bid them adieu. [color=922b2b]“I’ve got a meeting with Mr. Mackenzie. Indy, Angel, don’t let anyone take my seat.”[/color] 

He didn’t offer up any more info than that. Indy and Angel had hardly proven themselves worthy of an explanation, Lottie would forget it in two minutes, and Naomi was more clued into his movements than anyone else at this school. She’d been there when he made the appointment with Mackenzie last week, a preliminary step before he began mailing in applications. This all felt like formalities wrapped in formalities; his last name would probably get him farther than any personal essay would. Still, he knew how to play the game, and he would not ever let it be said that he wasn’t any good at it. Not to mention, the guidance counselor had a good eye and he needed someone to look over his portfolio.

Butler followed him into the front office, down a narrow hall, and stood stoicly as Levi sat in one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs that had been bought and paid for with Green money. Butler followed him everywhere, always had, always would. He hadn’t been in Naomi’s car, of course. That would be ridiculous. He was following them at a safe distance in an unmarked, black sedan. Duh.

Four doors, spaced evenly down the hall, marked the different BHHS guidance counselors and their offices. Levi hadn’t bothered remembering the other ones. He’d been assigned to Mackenzie at the beginning of his freshman year, and he’d never been given a good enough reason to request a swap. He didn’t really like anybody, other than Diana and Naomi, and Lottie on a good day, but he tolerated Mr. Mackenzie, mainly because he was a good listener who was legally bound to keep his mouth shut.

Levi sat and waited, tapping his Italian leather shoes against the linoleum as the clock ticked forward. Five minutes, then ten, then fifteen. He was about to have Butler bang on the door when it opened and some poor little freshman came scurrying out, eyes freshly dried. Mr. Mackenzie leaned against the doorframe, dressed like a lumberjack with a thick, greying beard to match. He watched the girl leave, before turning to Levi with a warm, welcoming smile. [color=white]“Levi, come on in,”[/color] he said, gesturing inside his office.

Mr. Mackenzie’s office was decorated with motivational posters (Levi’s favorite featured a cat and the words “Hang in there!” in bold font), bookshelves packed with tomes on psychology and self-help. His desk featured pictures of a happy little family in front of a quaint little house. The room was warm in a way that Levi found alien, but comforting. He figured that was the point. Butler took his place at the back of the office, and the counselor smiled. [color=white]“Stoic as ever, Butler.”[/color] Butler nodded. [color=white]“So, Levi. College applications. Can I ask you a question?”[/color]

[color=922b2b]“You’re going to regardless, right?”[/color]

Mr. Mackenzie leaned against his desk, still smiling. Did he ever stop fucking smiling? [color=white]“[i]What[/i] is it that you want to do?”[/color] Levi blinked. [color=white]“I’m looking at your portfolio and…well, I’m not sure you’re giving me a very clear idea of who Levi Green-Locke actually is.”[/color]

Despite appearances, Levi was very accustomed to failure. He had lost MVP on his Little League soccer team every year until he finally quit, he’d always struggled with science and math no matter how hard he tried, and he’d been failing to win his moms’ approval for pretty much his entire life. He knew that feelings were reserved for after the conversation, in private. [color=922b2b]“Are you saying it’s shit?”[/color]

Mr. Mackenzie clicked his tongue. [color=white]“Language. I’m not saying that. Technically, you’re very good at what you do. The pictures you used are compositionally great, it’s just…well, they don’t seem to say much. I know what these places want, and it’s somebody with a message.”[/color] The counselor threaded his fingers together and placed them on the desk. [color=white]“They lack heart, Levi. Vulnerability.”[/color] Mr. Mackenzie opened a familiar binder and splayed out a series of pictures that Levi had taken. A picture of the ocean, taken from one of the family’s boats, and a series of shots from his summer trip around Europe. They were beautiful photographs, but they weren't anything special. Every queer kid with a camera and a way to get to Florence had taken a picture of [i]David[/i]. [color=white]“I mean, where do I see you, in these?”[/color]

Behind his eyes, a small star was exploding, boiling his blood. He clenched his jaw and his fists, desperate to keep his composure. [color=922b2b]“So…I should be taking pictures of my friends? Family? My adoption papers?”[/color] The indignance in Levi’s voice was unmistakable. He might’ve grown accustomed to failure, but he’d never grown to enjoy it.

Mr. Mackenzie leaned back, and offered up a measly, useless shrug. [color=white]“Is that what you want to show off? I mean, comeon, art is about having something to say. I know I'm not the first person to tell you this. Do you even want to be a photographer?”[/color]

[color=922b2b]“I [i]want[/i] to travel the world on my parents' Black Card.”[/color] This was not quite a lie. Levi, for all his pomp and circumstance, had no earthly idea where he’d be in ten years. Everyone else seemed to have been born knowing, while he had spent the last seventeen years trying on different hats, desperate to find one that fit. He’d been good on stage, he thought he’d been good behind a camera, but really, he just liked new things. New places, new people, new experiences. Everyone wanted him to go and [i]be[/i] something, and he…well he just wanted…okay so he had no idea what he wanted.

[color=white]“See, you’re sitting here, at 7:45 on a Friday, discussing this with me, so I have to believe that’s at least a little bit of a lie.”[/color] Well, he had him there. [color=white]“You don’t have to know what you want to do right now. Most people don’t figure it out until years after high school! I mean, when I was your age, I thought I was going to be a lawyer.”[/color]

[color=922b2b]“And now, here you are, helping spoiled kids like me live out their dreams? I think a lawyer would’ve made more sense. Financially speaking.”[/color]

[color=white]“I am really gonna miss that sense of humor, Levi,”[/color] Mr. Mackenzie said, with a tone that made it clear that he would not. [color=white]“I’m just trying to say that, if you spend this time actually trying to figure out who you are, instead of pretending to be someone you aren’t, you might end up happier for it. What do I know, though? I’ve only got a masters in psychology.”[/color]

To his credit, Levi’s thoughts did not immediately jump to ways to get Mr. Mackenzie fired. Those would come later, and would likely fizzle out by the time he got home. His initial thought was, [color=922b2b][i]What the fuck does this guy know?[/i][/color] followed by, [color=922b2b][i]Maybe a little bit.[/i][/color] Levi stood up, collecting his bag with a huff. [color=922b2b]“Are we done?”[/color]

[color=white]“We’re done when you want to be done,”[/color]

Levi spun on his heel. [color=922b2b]“Great, thanks for nothing.”[/color] If it wasn’t for the stupid little mechanism that forced the door to close slowly, it would’ve slammed behind him. He made a mental note to see if those could be removed. They really killed any dramatic exit.

[color=white]“You’ll talk to him, Butler?”[/color] Mr. Mackenzie asked from his desk, as Levi stormed out. Butler nodded. [color=white]“Good. He might actually listen to you.”[/color]

[hr]

Stupid, stupid, stupidstupidstupidfuckingstupid. At a certain point, as Levi stalked down the now empty halls of BHHS, it became unclear if his thoughts were directed at Mr. Mackenzie, the school, the universe in general, or just himself. He wanted to be anywhere but these halls, he wanted to be anyone but Levi Green-Locke. He tugged at the collar of his shirt as his face began to heat up, and his breathing began to accelerate. What was he going to do, who was he going to be, how the hell was he going to get there? His heart pounded in his ears, his chest grew tight, like his body was betraying him and squeezing the air from his lungs. Fuck, fuck, fuck fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. This was not happening.

He was vaguely aware of Butler coming up behind him and ushering him into the bathroom. [color=922b2b][i]At least [i]someone[/i] is good at what they do,[/i][/color] he managed to think. His fingers grew sore as he clung to the sink, white-knuckled and shaking with adrenaline. It took five minutes to clear his mind, five more to slow his breathing. The panic left as suddenly as it came, and he felt his body relax as it did. He looked up at his reflection, flushed and flustered, perturbed by this brief flash of imperfection. He fixed the strands of hair that had fallen out of place, adjusted his shirt, and wet his face, waiting for the redness to subside while Butler guarded the door.

As he stood and stared at his reflection, his posture straightened out, the anxiety was put away, and the unfiltered emotion on his face faded into his usual stonefaced expression. He was going to be perfect. Perfectly perfect. He dried his hands and glanced up at a flyer on the wall. “VOTE CALLAGHAN” was printed in large, black and red block letters. He paused. Katie had been talking about her student government campaign for a few weeks, though he’d mostly tuned it out. It hadn’t seemed important until now. A thin smile crept up his face. This was who he was.

[quote]To: [color=A84BF4]Nomes[/color] 👑
[color=922b2b]Crazy idea, but hear me out. Let’s run for office.[/color][/quote][/indent][/color]