[IC] Edenridge (Slice of Life with a Twist - Always Accepting)

[Aces Away]

Collab with @Dirty Pretty Lies

Mordechai Boaz - 2017

Mordechai frowned upon hearing himself being lumped in with Kaitlin. It may seem like a small or petty thing, but he was well aware of just how much Lanie loathed the girl; being put into the same category as her really stung, despite how much he was sure he deserved it.

Trying to ignore the tugging in his mind telling him that he should intervene like he did back in highschool when the two got their claws out, he pushed off the gym wall and made to move further away from the group, hoping that Kaitlin, whose back was to him, didn't try to use him as a pawn again in her game against Lanie.

---

SEASON 3, EPISODE 1 – BROKEN KIDS OF BOSTON

Decky Boaz and Lanie Lancaster - 2006

“Lanie, seriously, give it a fuckin’ break,” Decky huffed, pulling his girlfriend to the other side of the hall when he noticed her giving Kaitlin O’Connor a glare that could pierce steel. “I know what she did at Sundance pissed you off, but in case you forgot, I didn't screw her,” He pried her nails- more like claws-out of his leather jacket, hoping beyond hope that she didn't tear any holes, and jerked his arm out of her death grip. “I've kinda gotten used to not having bruises from people that are supposed to care about me so if you could jus-”

Decky’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes took on a vacant sheen as he realized what he'd just said. It was true, he's been out of his parents clutches for about 3 and a half months now. He'd gotten his apartment about a month ago and even during his and Lanie’s blowouts, neither of them so much as raised their hands above their waists.

His breath shuddered as he tried to take it in. He reached for the crook of his elbow absentmindedly; fuck, if he’s been clean since entering Mr. Beau’s home and he's still craving a hit? Decky doesn't know how the hell he’ll ever function properly as an adult. At least he’ll have Danny and Lanie with him.

He readjusted his stance and continued, “If you'd just chill.”

“You might have not screwed her, but you didn’t fucking tell me about it, either.” Elaine replied nastily, moving her hard scowl towards Decky now and crossing her hands in front of her chest.

The Sundance fiasco was a day Lanie was trying desperately to forget. A trip that was supposed to be filled with fun ended up in a fierce brawl with her arch enemy after finding out that the little devious snake had tried to slither her way into Mordechai’s pants. It wasn’t just the fact that Kaitlin had attempted to sleep with her boyfriend that had angered Lanie, it was the fact that Decky had kept quiet about it and she’d only found out because of one of Kait’s snarky comments.

“Because nothing happened,” Decky growled. “And in case you don't remember, I didn't have a chance to tell you before you went all Mean Girls on the skank.”

Even in her anger, Lanie couldn’t help but crack a small smile at Decky’s reference to her favorite movie. “Hey, the reason everyone knew not to mess with Regina was because she knew how to put people in their place. And that’s what I did with that snake: put her in her place. And if that makes me a ‘Mean Girl’, then I’ll gladly take on the Regina George role.”

Decky rolled his eyes, crossing his arms defensively at his next words. “If it was just you being manipulative like her it would be different, but I'm talking about you pulling her out into the snow by her fuckin’ hair.” Decky purposely ignored the thoughts that were reminding him that his parents used to do the same thing to him. He hadn't let on back at Sundance about how triggering seeing his girlfriend doing the same thing had been for him, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her now.

“Have you forgotten all the times I specifically held back from beating the shit out of a guy that hit on you because you told me to chill? Double standard much?” He sniffed derisively, letting his eyes roam around the crowded hallway. “Besides, I hate Regina's character, I don't want you, my girlfriend, to be like her.”

The memory of pulling Kaitlin by the hair onto the snow was one that brought another smile to Lanie’s face. Ah, the satisfaction she’d felt after finally letting loose all the negative energy she’d been feeling against her nemesis had been one beyond compare. Granted, there were still visible scratch marks on her hands from when Kaitlin had tried to claw out of her grip, but apart from that Lanie had remained unscatched (thank God for the coat and winter wear she’d had on). Of course, her moment of reminiscence was interrupted by Decky reminding her of times he’d held back at her request from going after guys that hit on her. Lanie let out a loud, frustrated breath. Decky was wrong, and he knew it, so he was trying to mix one unrelated thing with the other.

“It’s not double standard, Mordechai,” Lanie said through gritted teeth, visibly upset now. It wasn’t a pretty sight. “It’s one thing to have a guy telling me I have a nice ass or rack or whatever, but it’s a completely different one when the girl I hate is literally telling you that she’d love for you to ‘come play with her’ because she’s 'feeling lonely’ and ‘wants to see what you’re capable of’.” Just quoting the messages out loud was enough to want Lanie to go back and repeat the Sundance incident all over again.

“And I told her what I was capable of,” Decky growled, shoving off the locker he’d been leaning against and leaning closer to Lanie’s face, hands stuffed into his pockets. “She was blocking the door, talking about how I always looked more fun when I was high. So I pulled out my knife and told her to move before she found out how capable I was.”

Looking down at his scuffed up boots, Decky weighed his next words. “You know, it ain’t exactly comfortable for me to be hit on by chicks I don’t like, so if you could get off my back about it every once and awhile, that’d be great.” Ok, so apparently he didn’t weigh his words enough, because he really had intended to keep sarcasm out of the conversation.

Decky’s words sent a wave of anger down Lanie. She raised her eyebrow haughtily at him, putting her face even closer to his. Even when he spoke about pulling a knife on a girl, this didn’t make Lanie hold back. She wasn’t afraid of Decky, much less intimidated by him even if he had plenty of inches and pounds on her. If there was anyone in the world capable of breaking Decky besides his brother, it was Lanie. Even if that would break her in the process.

“You want me to get off your back? Okay, fine. I’ll get off your back. Just watch me.” And with that Lanie spun on her heel, her ponytail swinging in the air, and stormed off in the opposite direction. If Mordechai didn’t appreciate her, then she might as well not waste any more of her time on him.

Decky stared at her back for all of two seconds before reaching out and lightly but firmly catching her wrist in his hand; they were not about to break up, again, over something so stupid. "I can't believe you are being so..." He trailed off with a quick glance to the corridor Kaitlin and Callahan had gone down a few minutes ago. "...fucking ridiculous, both of you. Come on." he tugged Lanie along behind him, pushing swarming classmates out of the way and marching the two of them down the corridor, stopping right in front of Kaitlin and Callahan.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment, Callahan, but these two obviously need to sort some shit out," Decky glared as though daring the increasingly violent boy to deny it. "Something needs to happen between you two-" he pointed roughly at each girl- "because I sure as hell didn't screw anyone, but I'm still getting screwed right now."

[Starwinter]

Kaitlin O'Connor – 2017

Kaitlin accepted the well worn leather wallet as Roddy presented it to her. A quick glance at Elaine told Kaitlin that her old friend's wife was less than thrilled at how friendly Roddy was being.

That feeling was confirmed when Elaine decided to pipe into the conversation, spouting off something about snakes. The corners of Kaitlin's lips twitched upwards as she tried to suppress a smile. Ten years had passed, but it seemed Kaitlin still had a talent for bringing Elaine from 0 to completely pissed off in 30 seconds flat. The blonde was always so obvious about it too. That was what made it so fun.

“Snakes have never been much of a problem for me,” she said with a flick of her wrist, waving the currently forgotten about wallet “I've never had a problem ousting pests.”

Kaitlin meant only to glance at the photo out of politeness, but she found herself captivated. The little girl was beautiful. Of course she was though. There were many terrible things Kait could say about the little girl's mother, but Elaine was a beautiful woman, so it would make sense the child would be nothing short of perfection.

Of course looking at the child's photo brought memories and emotions rushing back to Kait. There was no way she would reveal anything now though. Not with Elaine looking for any sign of weakness, any opening to latch onto her jugular and try to end things once and for all. She didn't have to look in a mirror though to know that her eyes had taken on the pre-teary eyed glassy sheen.

Any feelings of good will and kindness were quickly evaporated when Elaine opened her mouth. Again. This time she made loud proclamations about protecting her family. God, she couldn't be more obvious or dramatic if she tried. It was clear to Kaitlin that Elaine was ready to leave, but there was no way Kaitlin was letting her decide when the interaction was over. She was going to keep at least of modicum of control over the situation.

“Roddy,” she said, completely turning her body away from Elaine (who was clearly chomping at the bit to leave, she said as much) to hand him back his wallet, still open. “Your daughter is beautiful. I'm sure she brings you so much joy. I was supposed to find Mike here, but I think he got held up. Anyway, I should find him. Have a great rest of your night, I'm sure I will see you around now that I am back.”

With that, Kaitlin headed straight out the doors of the gym, then right out of the building.

Kaitlin O'connor - 2006

Kaitlin broke out into a full grin at her friend's response. It was rare that Kaitlin shared a true smile out of happiness, but when she did, she was told it was nearly mesmerizing to see. She smiled with her whole being, teeth showing, eyes sparkling, usually with a laugh. She had a smile that was contagious, one that says she knows true joy, and wouldn't you like to experience that with her? Unfortunately, most people only experienced the one meant to seduce or manipulate.

She began to sober as Rod talked about his troubles with Derek. He was a tough guy, she knew how much it cost him to open up about his difficulties. Kaitlin was probably one of the few people who knew even a fraction of what went on in his life. Still, she tried to stay upbeat, as she gently grabbed his arm, wrapping it in a hug and resting her head just below his shoulder.

“Hey, you know I'm here for you right? I mean, my family would probably let you stay with us for a few nights if you wanted. Not like you would have to go far to get to my house. We could just say we had a project or something. My mom loves you anyway, gives her someone to feed when you are around.”

Roddy changed the subject quickly, but that didn't surprise Kait. She knew it would take more than just a few minutes to sort everything out in his head. Other than his near fist fight with Derek, Rod didn't usually jump into things without weighing all his options. Instead, he brought back up the disaster that was the film festival.

Kaitlin didn't even get to answer before she heard the voice of someone she was hoping to never have to deal with again. And of course he had his pet blond Pomeranian in tow.

It was impossible to keep herself from tensing, her nails most likely digging into poor Roddy's arm, which she still held like a life line.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” she growled, all traces of her previous smiled erased. “I have nothing to say to your lap dog.” She said to Decky, her eyes widening at his close proximity. “And you!” she said, raising her voice to be sure people near by would hear “I certainly want nothing to do with you, you psycho, you pulled a knife on me!”

Emilia Carter

“That's a wrap on your scenes for the school Emilia. Great job, god I've missed getting to write for Kaitlin.”

Emilia looked over at the writer for the first episode of the current season. She had worked on the show 10 years ago, and Emilia had always been fond of her. Writers weren't always on set, but everyone wanted to be around to greet the returning cast members.

“Thanks,” she said, stifling a yawn. She had forgotten how exhausting it was to go through the many emotions that made up Kaitlin O'Connor. “I need a nap”

“Nope,” came a voice off her right shoulder, the director. “You have one more scene to get through out of the school.”

“Roger that,” she replied, fake saluting. “Point me in the right direction and I will head on over.”

[BrutalBx]

Roddy Callahan - 2017

---

---

The war of the words between Elaine and Kaitlin had left Roddy at a loss for words, not unusual for a man who on average speaks about two hundred a day compared to every other living who speaks in the hundreds of thousands. Any outsider looking in could easily see the distain between the two women, in fact he was pretty sure he saw smoke coming out of his wife’s ears at one point. In hindsight he realised that the photo of Ingrid had the opposite effect than he desired and he would probably pay for his transgression later. It was fine, Roddy had developed a thick skin and could take it, not that he ever wanted to use his Luke Cage like ability however. Being with Lanie over the past few years, he had learned how to share the emotions that caused him great pain as well as great joy. She had saved him from himself and he would be forever grateful for that. It was just the day, just this horrible day that was transporting them all back to their sixteen year old selves. Problem was, their sixteen year old selves barely even spoke.

Before Rod could say (or not say) any more, Kaitlin interjected with a hurried goodbye. A safe play on her part. ”Oh yeah” He offered up a half smile and almost raised a hand to wave goodbye but decided against it. ”See you around, Kait” He breathed out a sigh from his nose and then turned his attention to his wife whom stood beside him with a ten year old rage burning in her big blue eyes. ”Damn it, Lanie. Let’s go get the kid. We’ll take my car, I’ll come back and get yours later”

Rod didn’t need to make any more trouble right now. In spite of the drama brewing between the two women, there was something else on the young firefighters mind. He was currently standing mere steps away from where Charlie Decker put a bullet him in his back. The pain was always there, every morning when he woke up and every night he went to sleep it was always there. Standing where he was, it felt like his back was becoming heavier by the second, as if like Atlas he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His chest was becoming tighter and his breathing laboured. He didn’t want Lanie to know, it wasn’t something she needed to worry about. He offered a wave to Mr Beau who was off talking to other kids before heading out into the fresh air of the car park.

The drive to his parents house was a short one; the elder Callahan’s lived maybe ten minutes away from the school. They had bought that house the first year they were married and had never left, raising both of their boys within its walls. Trish Palmers family lived several doors down as did Kait’s parents. As they pulled into the drive, Rod’s eyes narrowed and looked at the porch where someone stood, holding his child in their arms. He turned to Lanie and then back to the porch. The man was tall, built like a brick shithouse with wavy brown hair not too dissimilar to Roddy but with a clean cut face and a very expensive suit.

”Francis?”

”Hey, little brother”

---

Roddy Callahan – 2006

---

---

Rod noticeably rolled his eyes at the approach of Decky and Lanie. He had hoped the school break would ease some of the tension and the big blow out that the girls had in the snow would have cooled things somewhat but judging by the looks on their faces, this was but a pipe dream. He could feel Kait’s nails digging into his arm, holding onto him for dear life as she herself did not know what to expect. He just had to roll with it, there really wasn’t any other choice.

Of course Kaitlin decided to make it into a big scene, making sure everyone around them could hear the argument that was about to happen. Rod was doing everything to keep his composure around Decky. As soon as he had heard about the knife back at sundance, he wanted to do nothing more than tear the kids head off but he knew he couldn’t, it would only cause more problems, plus from what he knew of Decky, the boy probably wouldn’t have used the knife, it was just a kneejerk reaction to scare Kait off. She was at as much fault as anyone but she was his friend and Rod had to value all the loyalty.

”Look Callahan looks like he’s about to cry. What a fucking faggot” The jeering of Derek, whom had come to watch the show infuriated Roddy.

He pulled away from Kaitlin and turned on his heel. ”I fucking told you O’Leary” With no other word, Rod headbutted Derek right between the eyes, opening up a cut above the football stars right eyebrow. Closing his fist, the amateur boxer threw a massive punch which hit Derek in the side of his face. The ringing in Roddy’s ears was getting louder with every second as all thought left his mind, with only rage remaining. Why could nothing ever go right for him? What did he do wrong? Fuck everything. With every thought succeeded by another blow to Derek’s face, Rod had become a tool of violence. Picking a bloodied Derek up, he threw him into the lockers and placed a knee into his gut. ”Where are all your friends, Derek?” Nothing good ever stays with me. Absolutely nothing!”

---

Jude Aspers

---

---

Jude leaned back in the car, looking over to the lovely Isabella Wellington beside him. They had spent all day filming together, the set eerily quiet as it often was when these two were doing a scene. The intensity and the chemistry was palpable, their competitiveness sat in the air like a thick fog. It was like their hadn’t even been a ten year gap. He allowed his voice to slip back from the thick Boston twang he used for Roddy and into his normal dulcet English tone.

"Well Miss Oscar Winner, you certainly haven’t lost a step”

[Helo]

Logan Rivers

Logan starred at the abandoned house from just across the street. The house was covered in graffiti; profanity and words like killer, murderer, and demon seed covered much of the house. The windows had long been broken and boarded up. The roof had fallen in at places and part of the house was burnt up several years back when some of the town tried to burn the house down. The Decker house sat dilapidated, absorbing the hatred of the town. He took a long drag on a cigarette as he remembered all the days he’d spent in that house, how it was like a second home to him. It reminded him how long it had been since he’d talked to Charlie’s mom and a part of him wanted to call and check up on her but he didn’t want to be a reminder of what happened here. After the shooting the town had turned against her, she’d lost her job and it was impossible for her to stay in Edenridge so Logan had given her most of his signing bonus from the army so she could move. Mrs. Decker had been of a mom to him than his owner mother had and while they kept in touch at first, he knew talking to him was too painful a reminder for her.

“Logan Rivers, as I live and breathe, I never expect to see you back on these streets again.” Logan turned his head as he recognized the man’s voice. “Spare a square for an old man?” Tony asked.

“Tony, man it’s good to see you.” He said shaking the man’s hand and then pulling him for a one-armed hug. Tony owned a local record store Charlie and he had spent the majority of their time back then. Logan handed the man a cigarette and his lighter. “How’s the shop?”

“Ah we’re scraping by but kids these days don’t records, hell they don’t even buy CD’s anymore, and there aren’t enough hipsters in this town to keep me in the black. Though I guess it helps not having a couple of shoplifting punks hanging around.” Tony said with a light chuckle as he lit up the cigarette and exhaled.

“If it helps we tried not pinch from you if we could afford it.”

“Ah, I didn’t really mind. I guess I was hoping having someplace to hang out would keep you boys outta trouble. Guess not.” Tony said, then there was a long pause as both men starred at the Decker house. “You think it’s true what they say, think Charlie was born bad. I think you knew him better than anyone.” He asked.

“No.” Logan replied after another long pause and drag from his cigarette. “Shit, when we were growing up I always thought he was a better dude than me. Even after all these years, even after seeing it happen, I can barely believe the guy I knew was capable of something so horrible.”

“Do me a favor, kid, don’t get too caught up in the past. Nothing we can do about it now. I gotta get back to the shop, you have good one.”

“Yeah, have a good one.” He said as Tony left.

Logan had tried his best to completely move on and start his life over. He found it easy to make friends in the army and his life there made it easy to not think about Edenridge. From boot camp to deployment he was always busy with something to do or was too exhausted to think. However, after his time in the army had ended, Edenridge and the shooting were all he could think of, and somehow, he knew coming back here was the only way he could put his past behind him. He started his car, rolled the window down a bit, turned the car radio on and skipped to the 13th track of a CD already in the stereo. He took one last look at the Decker house, and another drag on his cigarette, as Pennywise’s “Bro Hymn” blasted through his speakers.

---

---

Nick Donovan

“Cut!” The director called as the scene ended and Nick got out of the car. “Alright, Nick, what do you say we head over to the high school then and-”

“I don’t know, do you think we should shoot it again. Maybe from the left this time that’s really my better side. Do you think you could do anything about the sun? It was really in my eyes and I don’t want to look like I’m squinting or have crow’s feet. Maybe you could fix that in post though, I don’t know. Also, now that I’m on set I’d really prefer if you’d call me Logan, just to help me stay in character. It’s all part of my method you know.”

“Um, I’m not sure I can do anything about the sun and we don’t really have a lot of extra time. I thought what we got was good-” The look on the director’s face was priceless and Nick couldn’t keep a straight face any longer.

“Relax,” Nick said with a laugh, “I’m just screwing with you. I know I was a real pain in the ass kid back when, just trying to break the tension. I’m trying to be less of dick these days, so feel free to let me know if I’m getting to be too much.”

“Oh, thank god, I don’t think I could’ve handled another “method acting” phase.” The director said relaxing and chuckling a bit.

“Dude I really am sorry about all that. I was a top-notch jackass back then. What’d you say you and some of the crew come out to one of the bars around here when we’re done for the day. My treat of course, then maybe we can call it square?” He offered and the two men shook on it.

“I think that sounds like a plan. We should head over to the school set then, get your scenes for the day finished up. “

“Lookin’ forward to it, can’t wait to see the old gang again.” He said as he continued to catch up with the director and some of the crew as they headed to the next set.

[Starwinter]

Kaitlin O'Connor

Only when Kaitlin started her car, a black Chevy Malibu, did she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Without putting any thought into where she was driving, she made the quick trip to a local bar that she remembered from being a teenager.

The Pour House was a stand alone brick structure on a main road in town that Kaitlin had driven by many times already. The name was emblazoned in gold against a black back drop on both the front and side of the building that faced the road. Emerald green awnings gave way to the Irish heritage of the bar.

The interior, Kaitlin noticed, was warm and inviting in that well worn, slightly disheveled way that is comfortable to locals. There were many empty high tops that spanned the outer edge of the room, but Kaitlin choose an empty seat at the large central bar. Her stool wobbled just a little, and she had to steady herself with the smooth oak counter in front of her.

“What can I get you sweetheart?” the bar tender asked, placing a napkin down in front of her. He was older, wearing a black tee shirt with The Pour House written on the front. If Kaitlin had to take a guess, the man serving her was either the manager or the owner himself.

“Guinness please,” she said, her eyes scanning the central liquor self. “And a shot of Jameson, but only if you carry Gold Reserve.”

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that the day had slipped away from her and she had barely taken any time to eat.

“Oh and fries, please.” She sad, handing the bar tender her card to start a tab as he handed her the Guinness. Too many times in life she had made the mistake of drinking on an empty stomach, and was in no hurry to make that mistake again.

Moments later, he placed the shot of whiskey in front of her, which she promptly threw back with no hesitation, chasing it with a heavy sip of beer.

“We don't get many women in here shooting whiskey. You either really like it, or had one hell of a day.” said the bartender, idly cleaning a spot at the bar near where Kaitlin sat.

“Little bit of both,” she said honestly. “I grew up with daddy drinking whiskey after long work days at home. I think I forced myself to like it, just to make him proud.”

After that more patrons came in and the bar tender was swept away filling beers, and talking to people whom Kaitlin assumed were regulars. It seemed this bar was a favorite for the local working class. Men with dirt and oil still on their hands from a hard days work filtered in and out, a long with a few women who were at the age where they still wanted to go enjoy a few Friday night drinks, but not be bothered while they did it.

Moments later her fries were brought out, and Kaitlin immediately began heavily coating them in salt and pepper before pushing them all to one side of the basket so she could fill the other side with ketchup. She was absolutely going to clog her arteries with all the junk she ate, but she didn't care. Her metabolism would surely also slow down one day, but until that day came she was going to take advantage of it.

A second beer was delivered shortly after, and Kaitlin let her thoughts drift back to what a complete disaster today had been. When she ran into Keisha in the hall that morning in school, she had honestly thought that was going to be the worst of it. But no. It had been a steady decline from there, culminating with the encounter with Elaine Lancaster. Or rather, Callahan now. For years in therapy Kaitlin had to listen to people drone on about “interacting, not reacting” and she had gotten pretty good at it (even if she did still partially believe it was a load of crap). Part of it had made sense though, about not just reacting to what was causing her to get emotional, and teaching her to listen and stay present instead. Then boom. Thirty seconds with Elaine had her head exploding.

Kaitlin knew she had a lot currently to be happy about. Everything would be coming together for her in the next few days. As for all the drama waiting for her when she returned to Edenridge High for work... well..luckily enough the weekend stretched out before her, and she would have plenty of time to think about what she wanted to do. And hey, at least she knew where she stood, so it probably couldn't get any worse. For now, she had beer and fries, and she was happy.

[Venus]

Kaitlin, being the rude bitch she’d always been, turned her body completely towards Elaine’s husband to address him and give him back his wallet. She praised Ingrid and stated she would be off to find their old classmate Mike before heading out the gym doors and disappearing from sight, leaving Lanie seething on the spot. To make matters worse, Roddy had said his good-bye to Kaitlin using the words ‘see you around’. Well, not on Lanie’s watch he wasn’t.

The blonde woman kept quiet on their way from the gym to the parking lot, but the moment they were in the privacy of Roddy’s car she exploded. If looks could kill, her blue eyes would have been the death of him. “‘See you later’? What the hell does mean, ‘see you later’? You won’t be seeing that bitch for as long as I fucking live, do you hear me, Roddy Callahan?! I so much as hear that you’ve been in contact with her, you can be sure that the next time you hear from me will be a lawyer letting you know I’ve filed for divorce. I hope I made myself clear.”

Even with the threat of divorce hanging in the air, Roddy did not speak up, which only made Lanie’s anger grow. They were near his house now, and she was about to open up her mouth to say another few choice words to her husband when they both noticed a tall, well-dressed figure standing in the Callahan’s porch. The man was holding Ingrid in his arms, and from the smiles and laughs visible on the little girl’s face she was glad to see him. Roddy and Lanie both looked at each other with mirrored expressions of surprise before turning their eyes to the porch again.

Stunned, the younger Callahans exited the car, keeping their eyes on the man and their daughter. Roddy called out the man’s name questionably, as in disbelief that he was really there. The man confirmed his identity, and so did the girl he held.

“Mommy look! It’s Uncle Francis!”

---

Elaine couldn’t believe what was happening. Here was her boyfriend, the one person who was supposed to be on her side unconditionally, dragging her by the arm to force her to face her arch enemy once again. You would think that Mordechai would know better than to drag Lanie into yet another potentially violent situation, but the poor guy truly thought that things could simply be solved by talking it out. The time for talking was way overdue. And frankly? Lanie was done with talking.

Her bad feeling of the situation was proven to be valid when the minute she saw Lanie, Kaitlin went straight to insulting her calling her a ‘lap dog’ and then to shout out to the whole school that Decky had pulled a knife on her. If it hadn’t been for Decky still holding onto her wrist tightly, Lanie would have pounced. She wanted this ginger bitch to shut the fuck up.

Out of nowhere, Derek O’Leary’s voice boomed out about how Roddy Callahan -who had been standing quietly next to Kaitlin like a statue- wanted to cry. And in a suprising turn of events, Roddy pounced onto the bigger guy and began to beat him up like a beast having escaped from his cage.

Using Kaitlin’s -and their classmates’- momentary distraction to her advantage and Decky’s loosened grip on her arm, Lanie once again grabbed her nemesis by that red-headed mane of hers, this time making sure to grab both Kait’s arms and pin them behind her with the use of her free arm. The rest of the school was too focused on Roddy and Derek’s fight to pay attention to the two girls now.

“Let me tell you something, slut,” Lanie hissed, pulling Kaitlin by the hair so her ear could be close to Lanie’s lips and ignoring the girl’s attempts to 2. “Quit your shit, or the next time you come across a knife it won’t be Decky’s. I hope I make myself clear. The lap dog bites.”

And with that, Lanie pushed Kaitlin as far away from her as possible and disappeared into nothingness before Kait had a chance to react or Decky tried to follow her to give her another one of his hypocritical little speeches. She’d deal with him later.

---

“Aaaaaaaand CUT!” The director’s booming voice yelled, marking the end of their scene. “Great job, guys. I think this does it for today. How about you all get some time to rehearse for tomorrow and some rest, okay?”

Izabella nodded in the direction of the director just as Jude’s gorgeous English accent broke out when addressing her. At his praise- in which the blonde woman felt a hint of… Flirting?- Bella offered her compatriot a warm smile. “Thanks for that, darling,” she said gracefully, walking around the car towards the driver’s side of the car to close the distance between her and Jude. “I can’t ‘step down my game’ as the Americans would say, especially not when I’m back on set with my biggest competitior yet. Who knows, Jude? Maybe you’ll be the next Oscar winner in the Edenridge ranks.”

[Aces Away]

Mordechai Boaz - 2017

Mordechai found himself slinking away just after Kaitlin O'Connor made her own exit. He watched her drive away before getting on his motorcycle and peeling out of Edenridge High's parking lot, and unfortunately riding in the same direction as the red head. He passed her up once she parked at the Pour House, and brought his own vehicle to a stop in front of Phil's garage, heading in with his helmet under his arm.

"Mo-Bo!"

The cheers had him stopping in his tracks as he looked into the faces of the men he hadn't seen in ten years. A sad smile graced his face when they all dropped what they were doing to come over to him, remembering to keep their distance until he gave them a signal to show he was okay to be touched. The slight nod of his head led him to being quickly engulfed by the five grease-monkeys he'd learned to love growing up.

For this moment, as they all thought of Phil and how he would be right at the center of the hug with Mordechai wrapped tight in his arms, there was peace.

---

Decky Boaz - 2006

"Christ, Callahan what fuck?" Decky took a step towards the boy before reminding himself that this was not his friend and he had no reason to intervene. The blood now coating O'Leary's face had Decky rolling his eyes to cover his discomfort, and he turned away to address Kaitlin just in time to see Lanie shove her out of a restraint hold and into the row of lockers. He watched as the red headed girl slipped to the ground and his crazy girlfriend stormed passed him, completely missing his flinch at her proximity.

With a shaky sigh, he waliked up to the slightly injured girl and held his hand out as an offer to help her up, trying to remember whatever few manners he retained from Mr. Beau.

"Obviously that wasn't the best way to go about it," He admitted to her when she hadn't yet taken his hand. "...I'm...sorry, I guess. I was trying to force a resolution to shit and..." He shrugged, lacking the necessary words to fix it and knowing full well that saying anything would just be sticking his foot in it.

He would let Lanie stew for now, but he was gonna have a long talk with her about how easy she found it to be so physical and how if she ever turned that on him, they would never see each other again. He'd had enough abuse from the people close to him.

---

Aisik Shomer

"And cut!"

Aisik broke out of the bear hug he was in with his fellow cast-mates. He was surprised when they were all the same actors that had been in the Garage scenes back during the original Edenridge. It was good, though; they had great chemistry back then, and they still have it now.

"Great job you guys, that's it for your scenes today." The director clapped Aisik on the shoulder and the younger man tried not to flinch at the unexpected contact. There was a reason that he as a young actor was so able to have believable reactions to being unexpectedly touched. "Once the others wrap up their closing scenes, the cars will take you back to the Cloverdale and you can get some rest."

With that, they all parted ways, Aisik making his way out into the parking/trailer lot and leaning against the brick wall, sliding his ring back onto his finger and twisting it around his finger as he lost himself in thought, waiting for the others to finish their scenes.

[Helo]

Logan Rivers 2017

Logan walked through the halls of Edenridge High once again. Waves of bittersweet nostalgia washed over him and his heart raced as he neared the classroom where it all began and the plaque where Ty was memorialized. His fingers felt along one wall, it was now perfectly smooth but he still remembered exactly where the bullet holes had been just ten years ago. Since that day, he’d experienced more than his share of violence but nothing had given the visceral horror of what happened here. The school had bad energy for him, he knew it had to be a psychosomatic thing but the hair on the back of his neck had been on end since he set foot in here.

“Are you looking for the memorial service? I’m afraid you’re a little late.” Said a woman’s voice. Logan jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion to his quiet reflection.

“No ma’am. I’m afraid what I was looking for isn’t really here.” Logan said. “But guess I’m here to pay my respects.” He didn’t recognize the woman from his time at Edenridge High and she looked a bit too young to have been a teacher here back then.

“Well if you need any helping getting around you feel free to let someone know.” The woman said cheerily before continuing down the hall. Logan only nodded and he continued walking through the school, until he made his way to the memorial garden and the tree, where the names of too many victims were carved. He recognized most of the names, kids he’d seen in the halls or at parties, guys he’d played sports with for a short amount of time, and a few he’d even considered good friends. Charlie’s name was rightfully absent, while his friend deserved to be remembered this wasn’t the place for that. He hung his head and allowed a moment of silence to remember those victims, Logan didn’t believe in higher powers or an afterlife but still felt it was right to remember those who have died and to honor what they had brought to the world.

Then he left, he really had no interest in listening to Mr. Payne’s speech or being surrounded by former classmates, many who he assumed would resent him for having once been best friends with the Edenridge shooter. He had wanted to walk through the school once more, just to see the memorials and to see if that would give him any sense of closure. It hadn’t but at least he’d given it a try, he doubted the school would be open to the public again anytime soon so at least he’d given it a chance. He took a quick glance at his watch, his shift at the bar was due to start soon and he started to head out.

Logan Rivers 2006

Logan walked down the halls of Edenridge with his arm around Amy Sinclair. Amy was one of those cheerleader types and Logan was well aware of the fact that she was using him to make her parents angry, and Logan’s main interest in her was to parade her around on his arm anywhere that Kait might see them. He’d heard from some other kid that Kait had tried to hook up with Decky during a school trip and that drove Logan crazy. Logan’s ‘thing’ with Kait was complicated, he wouldn’t exactly call it a relationship and certainly wouldn’t refer to her as his girlfriend but they certainly had something. Whatever their thing was it was currently off although Logan couldn’t remember why or whose fault it was this time but if he wasn’t mad at her before hearing that she tried to hook up with Decky had bothered him. Logan figured if he had to feel all jealous and crazy then only logical move for him was to try and make her feel the same.

The first thing Logan noticed was Roddy headbutting Derek O’Leary right in his smug face. “Fuck yeah, way to go Roddy! Kick his ass.” He said throwing a celebratory fist into the air as he cheered the kid on. There was nothing he loved more than a good fight and watching an underdog finally getting a win. He then noticed Decky talking to an upset looking Kait. Logan immediately pulled away from the girl he was with and headed straight for Decky and gave the guy a solid shove away from Kait. In addition to hearing about the attempted hook up between, he’d heard that Decky had pulled a knife on her. Whether they were currently hooking up or not Kait was still his friend and he didn’t care for anyone messing with his friends.

“Hey, Decky, is going around threatening women with a knife not enough for you? Now you’re harassing them in the halls. How ‘bout you try that shit with a man, see what happens.” Logan said in cold and threatening tone.

[Starwinter]

Kaitlin O'Connor – 2006

Everything happened so fast, too fast. One minute Roddy was next to her and everything was under control. Per usual, Kaitlin had gained the emotional upper hand, using her previous encounter with Decky to gain the attention of their classmates. With all eyes on them, there was no way this would go any further. Decky wouldn't want all of his dirty laundry aired in front of the entire school, especially with Kaitlin embellishing on a true event.

Kaitlin didn't even have a chance to gloat, because the next thing she knew, Roddy had roared to life next to her, attacking Derek O'Leary. Not that the little punk didn't have it coming, but it was really unfortunate timing. She would have to talk to him about that later.

Of course Kaitlin had yet to realize just how unfortunate that timing was... because in another blink of an eye she was seeing stars and feeling the contact of cool metal against her back. How stupid it had been to underestimate Elaine, her scalp was yet again paying the price as she felt strands of hair being forcefully removed from her head. In this moment, Kaitlin silently swore that if she ever got the chance, she was shaving the party princess' perfect golden locks from her empty little head.

When Kaitlin finally stopped seeing stars, she looked up to see Decky leaning over her, hand outstretched to help her up. Removing her own hand from her throbbing head, Kaitlin accepted Decky's help up. Admittedly it wasn't because she actually needed the help up. Even injured, her brain was still coming up with ways to piss the Pomeranian off. In the back of her mind she knew that she could circulate stories of Elaine attacking her, followed up by tales of how she stormed off and he stayed with her to be sure she was ok. Yeah, she could spin this just fine. Elaine would be pissed and maybe, just maybe, if Kait was extra lucky it would cause Decky to keep his pet on a tighter leash.

“I don't know why you care...” Kait began, playing on Decky's ever present guilt. It was terrible, but she needed to keep him with her, keep him talking to her. However, the sound of Logan's voice brought that plan to a screeching halt.

Logan. Was. Pissed. When most people get mad, they get loud and threatening, like Roddy who was still pummeling Derek, although the fight had moved a few feet away now. Logan on the other hand, well when he got mad his voice got lower. Colder. The exact tone he was using now. Well, shit.

Kaitlin felt herself puff up a little with pride. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad on her behalf. Maybe things hadn't gone so completely sideways after all. Kaitlin had been hearing rumors that Logan had been grossly parading around with Amy Sinclair (a blonde, really?) but now here he was, ditching Amy to be with her.

Thinking back on it, she suddenly couldn't remember why she had been mad at him in the first place. Or was he mad at her? Maybe she was mad at him, because he was mad at her. Oh well, it didn't matter anyways. At the next party she would make it known that they were very much back on again. A. Because there was no way in hell she was going to let Amy Sinclair think she had been able to take something from Kaitlin. B. Because Logan was currently acting the part of a hero, and Kaitlin strongly believed in rewarding good behavior.

Emilia Carter

“Alright Em, you're done for the night. Stick around set while everyone else wraps up, and we will get you guys all back to the hotel.”

Emilia nodded, shoving one more fry into her mouth before getting up from the stool. The “beer” she happily pushed away, taking a bottle of water from the outstretched hand of an assistant. Of course it hadn't been beer that she was drinking, instead it was a thick, syrupy concoction that was mixed to look just like the heavy Irish beer. Gross.

Emilia exited the set of the Pour House, and hopped on a golf cart to head over to the area where all of the trailers were housed so she could change into her own clothes and say hi to some of the cast. Although she had already had scenes with a majority of them, she hadn't gotten to catch up personally with any of them.

However, on the way to the trailers Emilia spotted a small group of fans that were waiting right at the perimeter of the lot. They obviously weren't allowed on the sets, but since some scenes were shot outside or at actual locations, people could sometimes be spotted hanging around on the outskirts. They waved as the golf cart approached, and Emilia couldn't help but be amazed that after 10 years, people still had so much love for the show.

“Pull over.” she said, hopping off as soon as the cart slowed. “I'll walk the rest of the way, it isn't far. I'll meet up with everyone in a minute.”

As she approached, she small crowd of girls became visibly more animated.

“What are ya'll still doing out here, it's getting so late.” Emilia said, waving as she approached the group.

The girls all looked around at each other, happy to be getting attention from one of the stars.

“We found out about the filming! We all watched together 10 years ago... we couldn't miss the chance to come check things out. We didn't actually think anyone would come say hi!.” The girl who spoke had short dark hair, and her brown eyes glowed with excitement. She looked to be in her very early twenties, as did all the girls.

“Well, hi.” Emilia said with a little laugh. “I hope you weren't too bored waiting around here all day.”

“We weren't,” said another girl, this one with light brown hair and glasses. “Can we get a picture?”

“Sure.” Emilia replied, leaning against the rope that separated the girls from herself. No one had said anything about pictures while in “costume” being frowned upon, so she didn't think it would be a problem.

“I'm definitely putting this on Instagram. Hey, is Nick Donovan on set? I heard a rumor he was coming back to play Logan... I've been in love with him for like, ever.”

“Oh what about Vincent Westerian? I heard you two were friends and that you went to stay in the Philippines with him for a while! Were you dating?” His eyes though...”

Emilia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She was only a few years older than these girls, but boy did she feel a million years older right now as they mooned over her costars. Not sure which one of the questions to tackle first, she decided to answer the one about Nick, since it was asked first.

“I'm sure Nick is around here somewhere, but I haven't seen him.” she answered truthfully. If she was being even more truthful, she was dreading that moment. 10 years ago, Emilia couldn't stand him. Since their characters had a relationship of sorts for part of the show, they had a lot of scenes together. She found his love of partying and lack of work ethic deplorable. Over the years she loosely followed his life (it was impossible not to if you had TV or the internet, he was everywhere) and it seemed to her that although ten years had passed, Nick hadn't done very much growing up.

“As for Vincent, I have seen him so he is definitely here. I was in the Philippines, but it was just for leisurely travel and he was kind enough to let me stay with him for a few days while I was there. We never dated, so if you heard that, it was most definitely a rumor.”

For the next few minutes, Emilia hung around while the group of girls launched question after question at her, killing time before she had to head back to the hotel.

[Aces Away]

Decky Boaz - 2006

"Well it's not like I hate y-" Decky's reassurances to the red head were cut off as he was shoved roughly to the side. Instinctively, he raised his arms and crossed them in front of his face defensively before he registered Logan Rivers' 'I'm angry and you should know it' voice. He dropped his arms and shrugged quickly to readjust his leather jacket before squaring off his stance.

"You know, Rivers, I would love to," he paused to give the taller boy a glare. "If I saw another man around here. Unfortunately, it's just you."

He sidestepped the volatile boy, stopping when they were facing away from each other.

"And, y'know, men don't traipse 'round like a whore with another chick on their arm every time they get in a tiff with their partner."

---

Aisik Shomer

Aisik smiled a bit when he saw Emilia hop off her cart and head over to where the fans were waiting behind ropes. Contrary to their characters- and if he though about it, it was that way with almost everyone- Aisik and Emilia got along just fine.

Given the intensity of some of their closer scenes, Aisik would often find the younger girl at the snack table between takes, both apologizing and asking for reassurance that he didn't freak her out when he fell into his character.

They never really got close, but Aisik kept everyone at arms length back then, even Izabella, Sidney, and the others that he'd done emotional scenes with.

He made his way over and heard the girls asking Emilia rapid fire questions that the woman took in stride. Leaning lightly on the pole that the rope was wrapped around, he smiled brightly at the girls and his co-star.

"What are we talking about, ladies? I'd love the details."

He never interacted too much with fans in the past, always worried about them asking personal questions, but the fans always seemed to take that as him being all dark and mysterious like his television counterpart. He was never really sure just how true that rang.

[BrutalBx]

---

Roddy Callahan – 2006

---

---

Roddy could only see red. Four years of torture was breaking through the surface of his usually calm demeanour. The glow of violence had over taken him until a strong set of hands grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back, restraining him with a fair amount of force.

“What on God’s earth are you doing boy?” Mr Beau hissed in his sweet Louisiana drawl. “God damn” The English teacher watched as another teacher helped Derek O’Leary to his feet and began to walk the boy to the nurses office. “Nothing to see hear now kids, get a move on ain’t none of you got class?!” He looked over to his ward Decky, whom was currently engrossed in words with one Logan Rivers. He shot him a simple look. ”Don’t you cause no trouble Mordechai. Don’t you dare” He looked down at Rod whose face was splattered with Derek’s blood and was covered with damp tears. “You’re coming with me, child” He pulled the young boy with him towards his office, after a few moments, Roddy stopped resisting and walked alongside him.

Around ten minutes later, Beau and Roddy had been sitting in silence for over five minutes, simply staring at each other. At least, until that second. “You ok, Rod?” Beau asked.

Roddy let out a sigh which almost seemed like it had built over years, it was a sigh that acted like a release of hatred and rage.

”I worry, sir. I feel like I’m burning up and there’s nothing I can do to stop it”

Mr Beau locked his fingers together and lowered his hulking frame down to match the seventeen year olds. “I’ve known you for nearly four years now, Rod. I know you ain’t a bad kid, ain’t no bad kids just broken ones. Lot of broken kids of Boston and you one of ‘em. So is Derek. So’s Decky and Kaitlin. Whole bunch of you. You all got your own shit going on and you think we don’t know cos we’re adults. I got news for you Roddy, I was a kid once. I know what it’s like. I ain’t gonna bullshit you, I can’t pretend to know exactly what’s going on with you but I know what it’s like to be seventeen. The world is probably at its darkest when your seventeen, trust me I know. Thing is, it doesn’t last forever. It gets better. That feeling in your gut, that voice in your head that pain your heart that tells you there’s no way out? It’s wrong. It gets better. The true test of a man is how he is with other people, how he treats those around him. Best as I can tell, you’re a good man, Rod. But there’s something in your head, something deep. You need to talk to someone. I gotta suspend you. Take this
time, get your stuff together, be the man we all know you can be”

Jude Aspers

---

---

Jude let out a stifled chuckle as he leaned against the car. ”I doubt it. My ugh…hm” He struggled to get his words out. The heart condition he suffered was no secret, it had been plastered all over the tabloids the previous summer but he still felt it difficult to talk about it. ”My condition, makes it pretty hard to get insured for work….erm nobody wants me dying on set. Unfortunately” He let his face be covered by a cheeky grin as he looked at the stunning blonde. ”It’ll be really fun to work with you again, Izzy. Really fun”

[Helo]

Logan Rivers

Logan snickered at Decky’s comeback, he had noticed the guy’s initial defensive reaction to his early shove and doubted that Decky would actually put some action behind his words. Which was probably better for Logan as he saw Mr. Beau breaking up the fight between Derek and Roddy. Logan was already on thin ice with school and he knew any more serious trouble was likely to get him an expulsion.

“At least I know what to do when I’m alone with a chick, bro. I guess Lanie keeps you on a pretty tight leash, got you neutered, and doesn’t let you chase bitches. Tell you what, Dec, you leave my friend alone and I won’t have to kick your ass. I think we both know you’re all bark and I wouldn’t want to get you trouble with Beau.” He added with smirk, pushing buttons was one of Logan’s favorite past times.

Logan glanced over at Kait and grinned. “You know I’m not a whore right, no one’s paying me.” He joked hoping there wasn’t any tension between them.

---

---

Nick Donovan

Nick had been hanging back by his trailer after his scenes were finished. Mostly he was excited to see some of his co-stars from the show but he was also nervous. He hated when people didn’t like him, he could handle critics and randoms from the internet but when actual people that he knew didn’t like him it really bothered him. He knew his past antics had made him fairly unpopular with a few of his co-stars and he didn’t want to start the season off with tension. The crew tended to be easy to get along with, and if they didn’t like you they faked it to make sure things got done on time.

He noticed that a couple people were off talking to a crowd of fans that had gathered just far enough from the area to not be trespassing. One of the crew told him they thought it was Emilia and Aisik after asking about it and he figured he’d head over there as well. Might as well be time to bite the bullet, and he was more than aware of Emilia’s disprovable of him. She was one of those actresses that was always so serious, always had a problem with him blowing off steam when they worked together. Aisik was harder for him to read, he seemed like an ok guy but always seemed a bit preoccupied with something. Interacting with the fans was one of his favorite parts of the job so if anything would make the reunion more palatable being around the fans would.

Nick jogged over to the small group of fans, running faster as he got near and doing a backflip in front of the small group of fans, Nick loved to show off and also loved reminding people that sometimes he did his own stunts. They screamed and Nick threw his arms in the air taking in the excitement.

“Whose ready for more Ed-en-ridge!” He shouted with genuine excitement as the small crowd cheered again. “And who’s on Team Logan!” He shouted hyping up the already excited crowd. Nick threw one arm around Emilia’s shoulders and the other around Aisik’s shoulders.
“Hey guys how’s it going?” He asked flashing a huge smile. “Feels like it’s been a decade.” He hadn’t seen either of them since the show ended, he couldn’t remember any of the former Edenridge cast at his parties or premiers.

[Venus]

---

“I am very sure it will indeed be very fun to work alongside you again, dear Jude.” the blonde replied, raising a suggestive eyebrow for a single second.

Izabella, a true actress, put on her best and most natural expression to cover up the smirk she truly wanted to give Jude. There was a secret she and her fellow compatriot shared, one that would make fast-selling, big-buck headlines with tabloids and entertainment media. Back when the old Edenridge was filming and they were merely teens, Jude and Izabella’s chemistry had gone past the screen and onto real life. Though they were careful to always present themselves in public and in front of people as frenemies competing for the title of Edenridge’s best actor/actress, this was also a bit of a front. More often than not, the two English actors had used the excuse of ‘rehearsing’ to sneak off to whichever trailer was closer to be intimate with each other in a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship.

It had all started when the producers had the fantastic idea to pair up Elaine and Roddy in the third season of the beloved teen drama series. Both Jude and Bella had thrown a fit over this: after all, why would they want to play a couple falling in love when in reality all they wanted was to over-shine one another? It took a fair bit of convincing from the producers to convince them that it was a good idea, but the two young actors had finally consented.

Their first rehearsals were a fiasco. Their professional rivalry was far too obvious in their scenes, spilling into the script and ruining the scenes. So they were forced to practice in their trailers together, left alone to sort their issues or at least put them aside for the series’ sake. In a surprising turn of events, Bella found that the more they rehearsed, the more they got closer to each other. It didn’t take long for Bella to become attracted and develop a crush on Jude: with Aisik now gone, there was no one to distract her from just how handsome and talented her co-star was. The feelings turned out to be mutual. And while rehearsing a particularly steamy scene in which Roddy and Lanie were being intimate for the first time, Jude and Izabella had ended up being intimate themselves. This also happened to be Izabella’s first time.

And now here they were, ten years later: playing a married couple in the very show that had brought them together, both single. Yes, Izabella couldn’t wait to see just how fun ‘working’ with Jude would be this time around. She’d keep her fingers crossed to see if they could go back to their old habits; she had missed Jude.

Izabella and Jude were the last ones to exit the set, as their scene had been the last to be shot. Giving her co-star a teasing wink, Bella boarded one of the golf carts and was on her way to the nearby hotel that would be housing them for the duration of the filming. Her golf cart driver took another route contrary to the one taken by rest of her cast members (on Bella’s security team’s request to ensure her utmost safety), so she was unable to interact with the fans in the same way they did. Because of this she arrived at the hotel in a relatively short time, and once in the comfort of her assigned suite she created a Whatsapp group for the Edenridge cast and sent out an invitation:

Hello, darlings! If any of you are as hungry as I am, I’ll be having dinner in about a half hour at Giuliano’s (the hotel’s Italian restaurant) if anyone wishes to join me. I hope to see any of you there!

Izabella Wellington

[Polaris North]

Vincent Westerian

After his hundredth apology for his sister's little blunder, they were sent back much earlier than the other stars. Or at least, Ashley was. She was driven back to the hotel, much to her dismay, and was asked to rest. Vincent had doubted that she would do anything in her condition, even if it was only a sprain. She should be good to act tomorrow. Since the writers had to delete their scenes, Vincent had just waited for nothing. Oh well, such was life.

Such was life. Well, wasn't he looking forward to acting. He wasn't looking forward to too much work, he had admitted that to Ashley when she had told him to come back to Edenridge with her, but he guessed he must have been looking forward to the shooting a lot more than he originally thought.

And so, he was heading back to the hotel when he saw a group of girls and two guys - one girl and two guys who he recognized as the people he was working with. The other group of girls seemed to be fans just asking Emilia tons of questions. The guys were Aisik Shomer and Nick Donovan, both of them he didn't particularly get close to since there were minimal scenes in the previous Edenridge where they had to interact and almost all of those scenes were group interactions. His opinions of them were vague, at best. Despite Donovan's attitude before, Vincent never really hated him for it. He had heard of him more even after he returned to the Philippines but he never expressed any particular interest to him. He only remembered Shomer being the guy who left before the shooting even ended. But in the time that he saw him interact with others, he knew he wasn't a bad guy. Must have been an emergency or something.

He approached them. He saw Donovan give them a small performance feeding energy to the adoring crowd. Once he arrived, he gave a nod of acknowledgement to the girls of the group, only getting the last part of their questions that pertained to him. "Ah, speak of the devil and he shall come, no?" He said with a small smile. "Shomer, Donovan, Em. nice to see you all again." He then paused. "It has been a decade since we have been gathered you know."

He then felt his phone vibrate twice. He looked at it and saw that one was from Ashley and the other was from Izabella. He opened Izabella's text first and then Ashley who just told him that they should join up with Izabella's dinner later on. Okay, he should have guessed the contents of that text. "Looks like we have a dinner party later." He said before gesturing for them to look at their phones.

[Starwinter]

Kaitlin O'Connor – 2006

Kaitlin was vaguely aware of the fact that a few more harsh words were being thrown back and forth between the two boys, but her mind was already elsewhere, planning and plotting as usual. Mr. Beau had hauled off Roddy, so she would have to catch up with him later. Decky was disengaging from the conflict, and Logan had finally decided to pay Kait the attention that she felt she deserved after the whole debacle.

“I should get to class.” Kaitlin said with an eye roll as her only response to Logan's flippant comment. “I'll see you after though.”

Kaitlin turned to leave, making it only a few steps down the hall before pausing and turning her head back to seek out Logan in the thinning crowd.

“And thanks, by the way.” she tossed the words sincerely over her shoulder before turning and once more hurrying off to class.

Emilia Carter

“Aisik, hi!”Emilia nearly squealed when her co-star approached. She disengaged from the slowly growing group of fans just long enough wrap Aisik in a quick hug. He never seemed to be one for physical contact outside of scenes, but it was their first day back on set and Emilia couldn't help it.

The group immediately resumed their banter and questions, now splitting their questions between Emilia and Aisik. Emilia couldn't help but smile as she saw more than one of the girls in the group get little hearts in their eyes as they looked upon the normally reclusive man in front of them. This small group could now say that they were one of the few people to not only receive attention from Aisik, but some photos as well. It seemed like he was working hard to come out of his shell.

Emilia was laughing at a comment from one girl when suddenly the small group erupted in cheers. The source of that excitement became clear when she heard Nick's voice boom out from just a short distance away. Emilia was barely able to suppress an eye roll at his theatrics. The small group began chattering with even more excitement as Nick began to rev them up, peppering the crowd with questions about his Edenridge character.

She tensed as Nick's hand gripped her shoulder, pulling her closer and tucking her smaller body against his side. Emilia glanced sideways, noticing that he had also grabbed Aisik in a similar fashion. The pop of cellphone camera flashes reminded Emilia to keep her features showing only excitement at the reunion with her co-stars. She would save her glares for later.

Speaking of saved, she was saved from responding to both Nick and the fans (who were excited by the prospect of seeing “real life Kaitlin and Logan” together) by the arrival of Vincent.

“Hey Vince!” she said as she disentangled herself from Nick's embrace to hug her co-star. Although they had a scene together earlier, Emilia hadn't had a chance to catch up with her friend.

The group stayed, posing for pictures and answering the few questions they were allowed to answer. The studio prevented them from answering any questions about current Edenridge plot lines, for obvious reasons. No one wants their project spoiled by internet rumors. Emilia answered the few personal questions she was asked (as long as they weren't too personal), and then before she knew it everyone's phones beeped in unison.

It was Vincent that checked his first, announcing to the group that message was from Izzy inviting everyone to dinner. Emilia checked her phone, and the message blinked to life on her screen, confirming what Vince had said.

“Hey ya'll,” she drawled sweetly to the gathered group. “We've got to be heading out now, but thank you so much for waiting 'round here all day. And thank you for believing in this show enough to give us all another chance to revisit these great characters. I hope you love the finished product!”

With that, Emilia said goodbye to her cast mates. She needed to change for dinner, and had no doubts that they would have plenty of time to all catch up properly over dinner and drinks.

[Sadie]

Madeline Diller

---

---

She must have sat in her little orange Kia Rio for what felt like hours. Maddy stared at the large building in front of her and felt shivers run down her spine. It was just as foreboding as a prison- at least that was what it had reminded her of. She barely remembered a time when she loved to be within the walls of Edenridge High. Hell, she practically lived there at times. And now...Just the sight of the school caused the flash backs to zip within the forefront of her mind. Maddy swore she could still smell the blood, hear the screams for help, the clicking of the gun...

A swift shadow moved past her car, causing the girl to quickly snap back to her current time. As she tried to steady her breathing, she watched as several people started to exit the school. A quick glance at her car's clock told her that she had completely missed the speech in the gym. It was probably for the best, anyhow. Better to have a panic attack within the safe confines of her car than in front of all those people. She went to turn the keys back in the ignition when she caught sight of her reflection in the rear view mirror; panicked eyes, flushed pallor, sweat beading near her temples. Wasn't she a sight for sore eyes.

Shaking away the feeling, she slowly sucked in a deep breath as her therapist's words soothed her thoughts. She had been seeing the same doctor for the entire ten years and she had only gotten to the point of breathing exercises. Not for lack of effort on the therapist's part- Maddy was just always entirely in her own head. Like now, when she tried to back her car out of the lot and nearly collided with the car behind her. She quickly slammed on her brakes and her hands gripped tighter to her steering wheel. With a groan, she leaned her forehead against the top of the steering wheel and closed her eyes. "Way to go, Diller..."

---

Brinlee Wynn

---

---

"And that's a wrap on Wynn!"

The director's voice snapped her from her character. It still amazed her, even so much time later, how she could really relate to Madeline. The girl had had a lonely childhood and an even lonelier adulthood; unlike Maddy, Brin was well on her way of her shell breaking open. Even still, she missed the place that helped her open up to the world, to the possibility of more than just the written word. Edenridge held a special place in her heart and she was more than thrilled to be a part of the revamp.

Sliding out of the car, she waved to the director before heading over to a standalone makeup table. Brinlee wasn't considered one of the main roles, so she wasn't warranted her own trailer. She didn't mind, really. Unlike the others, she could always venture fifteen minutes down the road to her childhood home where her mother still resided. After applying a few touches of makeup to her fair skin, she brushed her hair out as she surveyed the set. She could hear the excited shrills of what was undoubtedly a group of fans and wondered who was currently holding their attention.

Brin gave a quick grin and made her way towards the noise. Since her scene was one of the lasts to tape and was solo, she had yet to see anyone from the cast. A beeping noise drew her attention to the phone in her pocket. Pulling it out, she grinned down at the message from Izabella. She could definitely use some good Italian food. After returning the device to her pocket, she continued over to the small group that had accumulated. Her nerves were a bit unsteady, however- she knew the last time anyone had seen her, she was still in glasses and full on braces. A small nervous giggle escaped her throat as a thought entered her head. Classic ugly duckling syndrome. Yay me.

Once she finally reached them, she gave a small clear of her throat. "Hey, everyone.."

[Aces Away]

Decky Boaz - 2006

Decky looked down at Mr. Beau's admonishment, cheeks burning in both shame and anger. He hadn't started anything with Rivers. The douche had just shown up and shoved him! All Decky had been doing was helping Kaitlin up, which you'd think the taller boy would have noticed.

Decky tilted his head enough to give Rivers a sideways glare at the boy's last comment and waited until Kaitlin walked away to step up to him again.

"First off, I didn't attack your friend. My girlfriend did, and I was just trying to help her up. Second, Beau ain't my guardian so get the idea of getting me in trouble with him out your head real quick." The Boaz brothers' family situation wasn't exactly a well hidden secret, despite how hard Decky tried to keep it as such; nor was the fact that from March of last school year up to one month ago, the boy's had been living with the man. Still, it was supposed to be known amongst faculty only for legal reasons, so it rankled Decky's nerves that Rivers had commented on the situation as though he knew that Beau had been their temporary guardian. "Finally," he ground out, not giving the paler boy a chance to comment on the first two points yet. "Lanie doesn't need me on a leash because the whole point of a good relationship is that you aren't so unsatisfied that you have to go looking for warmth in someone else's bed. Maybe if you and O'Conner respected each other as much as you claimed to, you wouldn't have been bed hopping the past couple'a-"

"Decky?"

The voice was soft, and Decky, face-to-face with Rivers, let his angry look drop so fast it probably made the other boy's head spin. He turned around, face soft as he looked at his younger brother, answering in a soothing tone.

"Hey Danny, how's your first day been?" It was a simple question, but the boy for once ignored his brother in order to stare past him and at Logan, a confused and worried frown on his face as though he knew exactly what had been happening before he walked up.

---

Aisik Shomer

Aisik smiled slightly in surprise at Emilia's hug, touching the small of her back for a second after she let go as a way to show her the hug was appreciated. They spoke to the fan's for a few minutes, by the end of which he was almost pleasantly blinded by the amount of camera flashes. Pleasantly because, at least this way he would have to see everyone throwing him heart eyes and some of the older girls sending lustful gazes his way.

He was less pleasantly surprised by Nick Donavan's overexcited entrance, the man's arm over his shoulder jostling him and causing his smile to slip before a camera flash reminded him of the fans, causing him to quickly bring it back into place.

"It has been a while, Nick," Aisik answered, his smile a little strained as he subtly ducked out of the man's hold, seeing Emilia do the same almost in sync with him. He nodded to Vincent and fiddled with his wedding ring in a nervous habit. "Vincent, nice to see you've come back also. I saw Ashley earlier but I wasn't sure if-" A small cough cut him off, and he turned slighty, a genuine smile splitting his face at the woman fidgeting before them. There were more camera flashes at that, some of the girls almost crying over seeing him smile so wide. Mentally, Aisik realized that it probably wasn't healthy that such a thing was rare enough on him that fans frenzied over it, but he pushed that thought aside for another day.

He set a hand on either shoulder and gave the woman a small kiss on the cheek, trying not to cringe at the fans' squeals. He was well aware of the small following that wanted to see Decky and Maddy together, despite only having had half a season of scenes before the shooting. When they were teens it used to freak him out, given that he saw the young girl as a pseudo sister, mother-henning her when certain scheduling for scenes had him away from Gavriel long enough to make him feel lost.

"It's so good to see you, Brinlee," He said honestly. "You look well."

Vincent chose that moment to bring up something about a groupchat and dinner with Bella, so Aisik assumed that his currently silenced phone had the same message, along with everyone else present since Emilia slipped away to get to the hotel and change for the evening. He smiled softly to the young woman in front of him.

"As long as it's not like some of the cast parties they used to throw, yeah?" he joked. Those used to be hectic; with a bunch of rowdy teenagers who had been cooped up on set all day, it was to be expected.

Aisik usually found himself leaving those quite early and making his way home to Gavriel, tucking him in and cleaning up his mother's liqour bottles from where they had fallen after she passed out on her bed. It was nights like those, and the other nights when she was actually home and things got physical, that he wish emancipation was as easy as it had been for Decky in the show. As it was, he and his brother were only in The States because of his mother's job; for all he knew, getting emancipated would get him and Gavriel sent back to Israel as they wouldn't have their mother's job to protect their precarious citizenship.

Aisik tried not to dwell on it, given that he had willingly returned to Israel when he was still a minor himself. His mother had not followed, and he had gotten notification of her passing- alchohol poisoning, go figure- only a few months into him having left.

So no, Aisik did his best not to dwell. In light of this, he realized he had zoned out for a minute and quickly turned his attention back to Brinlee, Nick, and Vincent, hoping none of them had noticed his minor lapse in attention.

[Helo]

Logan Rivers

Logan gave a fake shiver in response to Kait’s cold response to him as she turned and left. His attention turned back to Decky, who Logan didn’t find half as intimidating as he was guessing the guy was trying to be. Logan had spent last year hanging out with Charlie’s crew who were all part of an actual gang and he certainly wasn’t going to be intimidated by this guy. As Decky was going off on him some little freshmen, Decky’s brother, showed up and Decky completely changed his tone and focused on the kid.

“Come on Dec, everyone knows you Beau’s little teacher’s pet, I mean out of all the teachers here I’d have gone for Ms. Williams but hey whatever you’re into.” He said reference the attractive young English teacher and the fact that Decky was frequently talking to Mr. Beau around the school. “Me and Kait can crawl into whatever bed we’d like, not everyone wants some bullshit conformist monogamous relationship. So, either you and your bitch quit bothering my friend or we’re gonna have a problem that’s not sorted with words.” Logan said even as Decky had turned his attention to Danny.

“Hey, Freshmeat, how’s big boy school going. You know, your brother here is trying to lecture me right now and I think he needs a chill pill, but then again I heard it wasn’t pills that were his thing. Maybe you could talk to him for me so things don't have to escalate.” He said to the younger boy, fairly certain addressing the younger Boaz would really get the older brother pissed. Logan knew referencing Decky’s drug use was hitting below the belt but he tended to run his mouth and take as many dirty shots as he could when he was pissed. He was also bored and getting into a fight with another kid seemed like a good way to alleviate his boredom and he was kind of curious to see if he could get Decky pissed enough to instigate a fight.

---

---

Nick Donovan

Nick gave a small shrug as both his co-stars ducked out of his half hug. He didn’t have to be bothered or wonder if there was still tension between him and his fellow stars because Vincent and Brinlee both showed up as well. “Vinny and Brin how the hell are you guys?” He asked, he’d heard Vincent was a doctor or something and it had taken him a second to recognize Brin who looked a lot different from the last time he saw her. “And looking hot Brin.” He added throwing his hand up in expectance of a high five.

His attention turned back to the fans, posing for photos and answering questions. Questions about the current show were answered with the most ridiculous response he could think of followed by a laugh.

“Are you and Kait together in the new show?” One fan asked.

“Nah, they’re having me hook up with Mr. Beau, crazy right?” He answered with a laugh.

“Hey, Nick, did they get you the right bottled water?” Another asked. Some of the crowd was awkwardly quiet at the mention of Nick’s viral video melt down over bottled water.

“Fuck yeah they did, you think our Edenridge crew would make a rookie mistake like that. If they had you better believe you would’ve heard me shouting from here, we all know how loud I can be.” Nick responded with grin, answering even there more invasive personal questions with a grin and a joke. Vincent mentioned a dinner party and Nick took a second to look at his phone. An invite to a cast dinner from Izabella at the hotel’s restaurant. He glanced at Aisik who mentioned he hoped it was nothing like the cast parties.

“What? Ais, those cast parties were amazing, nothing like cutting lose after a full day shooting.” He said fondly remembering the wilder times on set.

[Polaris North]

Vincent Westerian

Vincent watched as Aisik and Emilia got themselves out of Nick's arms rather quickly. Well, Nick didn't have the best of reputations among the actors and actresses, Vincent remembered. Though he was surprised that Emilia moved to hug him and he returned the hug but quickly let go after a series of flashes nearly blinded him. Ah, right. Vincent didn't have to put up much of a facade for the fans as he wasn't really going to frown, not when he was with the co-stars that he didn't realize he missed so much.

Aisik then regarded him. He looked at him curiously as he mentioned his sister but Aisik had cut himself off to acknowledge another soul who had entered. Vincent turned his head to look at the girl who just entered. He blinked once before realization that she was a person he did know. He winced at the screeches of the fans as Aisik kissed Brinlee on the cheek. He assumed it was some sort of custom back in his homeland to regard someone you are close to. He was pretty sure that was the case but that didn't seem like a valid reason for the fans to not go wild. Once that died down, he gave her a small smile like he always did when they saw each other way back when they were teens. "Wow Brinlee, I almost didn't recognize you. It's good to see you again." She was one of the few people in the cast of Edenridge whose passion wasn't in acting. Though their circumstances were much more similar than the others - she auditioned because of her mother, he auditioned because of his sister. The fact that there was someone like him within the cast put him a lot more at ease.

He looked back at Nick. "Vinny?" He muttered to himself. It was the first time he heard someone call him that. It wasn't the best of nicknames and certainly something he didn't want to be called, but he let it slide, finding no reason for him to call Nick out on it. Besides, who knows what kind of reaction the male would give. From what he remembered, he had a particularly short temper. "I'm doing good Donovan. How about you?" There was no need for him to act hostile to an actor he barely interacted with before. Besides, they were in front of the fans. Something like acting hostile to one another would cause yet another issue in the acting business. That's part of the reason why he never loved acting.

When Emilia excused herself to get ready for the dinner party later on, he gave her a small wave. The others didn't seem like they would leave either. It was in thirty minutes. That was when Aisik began to speak, talking about the cast parties that were thrown back then. Ah, yes. Ashley did always enjoy those and he'd just be forced along. Though, it wasn't exactly the worst experience, it certainly could have been a better memory. Nick then jumped on the defense for the cast parties that were thrown. "At least they gave enough leeway to just sit down." Vincent mentioned with a shrug. He was known for merely sitting down and watching, mainly because he couldn't leave his sister alone. If she were to be harmed by some odd occurrence, he was the first person their parents would blow up at. But he could say that he could fondly look back at it.

Though he couldn't say the same for Aisik and Brinlee. He could understand Brinlee's side of not attending the parties considering the fact that she was quite a shy person back then, much like her character. But he never found out the reason why Aisik didn't go. He always saw Aisik heading out right after shooting when they were all alerted that there would be a party later on. Vincent never got to ask the guy since they were especially close and he'd appear as nosy and that was the last thing he wanted to be called. It didn't matter much now though, since it would seem that he will go. Besides, the fact that we're being invited to the Italian restaurant means that it won't be anything like that."

[Sadie]

---

---

Brinlee Wynn

---

---

Her entire body was pent up with so much emotion- nervousness, anxiety, excitement- all wrapped up in a hyped up little ball of hot mess. She didn't know exactly what to expect. In all honesty, as she made her way over to the group, she hadn't recognized a single person from the back. Wasn't long before several turned to look at her and the breath rushed out of her body in relief. Out of all the people on the cast, two of her most favorite people were right here in front of her. Well, Nick was here, too. Not to say that she didn't like the man- she just never had much in common with him. Where he was all about the party and the fun, teenage Brin wanted to hide away in her trailer and read.

Ais was the first to react to her being there. His grin was most definitely one she had missed. Knowing the man rarely had one on his face, she felt honored to be among the few who could elicit such a reaction from him. Her shoulders tensed slightly under the weight of his hands and she stilled as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Even though she had matured a great deal, Brinlee still had an aversion to being touched by anyone. Even if he was one of the few she had gotten close to while on set. The tips of her ears turned red at the reaction of the crowd.

Before she could even respond to his greeting, Nick turned his attention towards her. She was a bit surprised, to be honest. The two never really talked much outside of their scenes. Well, when he wasn't trying to drag the quiet girl to yet another cast party. His statement suddenly met her ears and pulled a quick flush to her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she nodded in response and glanced at his hand. She was supposed to high-five the fact that she aged over the ten years? She awkwardly reached a hand up and meekly clapped her hand against his. "Uh, thanks?"

The man's attention was soon back to his fan base behind him. With a shake of her head, she looked back at Ais and gave a bright grin. ]"It's great to see you too, Ais. You haven't changed a bit. Well, you're a bit taller. And hairier. I mean-" The earlier flush on her cheeks darkened before she quickly shook her head. In the ten years she had gone from not saying anything at all, to rambling about random things when she got nervous. It was quite a change for her and one that she wasn't particularly fond of. With another clear of her throat, she laughed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "You look good, as well."

Hearing another deep voice, she blinked and looked over her shoulder at Vincent. The girl smiled warmly at him and ran a hand through her hair. "Vincent...Hi..." As Nick returned to speaking about cast parties with Ais, she turned her full attention to yet another old friend. She shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at herself, rubbing her right arm with her left hand. "Yeah, ten years can really change a person, I guess." Bringing her head back up to focus on him, she once more grinned and tilted her head slightly. "It's always good to see you."

She soon found herself pulled once more into the talk of the all-too-famous parties they once had. Blinking at Nick's comment, a small scoff dragged from her throat and she shook her head. "Sure, they were amazing, all right. Nothing like underage kids spewing up vomit everywhere. Some people just don't like that type of scene, Nick."