[IC] Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

[Rightful Heir]

Danielle watched Jasper's expression throughout the exchange, smirking a little bit. He seemed like he was in pain accepting the offer to dance, which only made this more amusing but as he led them out onto the dance floor she figured she could save both of them the embarrassment if she spoke up. She wouldn't force him through that, they just met afterall.

"You sure? You know, we don't have to." She laughed lightly, peaking around at him in front of her. "I just figured since everyone else was, and we were gonna just be left here alone together..." she drifted off and just kind of shrugged her shoulders without finishing, offering, "If I'm being completely honest, I'm not much of a dancer, anyways. So if you don't wanna do this, it's not gonna make me think bad of you, or anything." She offered him a friendly smile, looking around them to see if she could spot any other familiar faces in the crowd.

Danielle just found herself watching Ryland and Julie's interactions from afar, smiling a little bit. 'That shit's cute as hell,' she thought to herself.

[Venus]

Santiago didn’t miss the way Archer's eyes filled with nervousness and how he scrambled away in panic after making mention of his boyfriend. Frankly, it made him feel equal parts sad and guilty. Sad, because he knew it had to suck living in fear of negative thoughts, words or actions just because you happened to be attracted and love someone of your same gender. And guilty, because although he’d always been one to shut down the football team or his friends every time they made homophobic remarks, he felt like he hadn’t done more to prevent the behavior and stand up for what he believed in. He made a mental note to take some time to talk to Archer in private later. The boy needed to know that he didn’t judge him, and that he was 100% on his corner.

He was abruptly brought back to reality by Stella nearly deafening him in one ear in her attempt to call out Carter’s attention, and couldn’t help but snicker at both her panic and his girlfriend’s remark. Santiago had heard all about her crush on the guy during their dinner date: their history, their current interactions, and her high hopes for the future, and had offered her whatever advice he could to make sure she was aware of both the potential risks and rewards. Diablo was more than happy for his new friend, and the last thing he wanted was to see her get played with and hurt again-- even if he knew Carter enough to trust that wouldn’t be happening.

Out of nowhere, the sound of a male voice rang across the speakers, identifying themselves as Ryland Aspen. The Devil had heard of him from April, when she’d told him the story of how he’d pissed off Julie enough to have her tackle him against a wall of lockers (a move that would honestly both scare him and turn him on if he was in the other boy’s position). With this story in mind, he was more than surprised when he watched the young man call the attention of and start serenading his old attacker.

“That’s one way to get her attention…" he heard his girlfriend mumble beside him.

“Yeah, tell me about it…” Santiago observed with the most amused, widest of grins as Ryland danced and sang his way around the room. “You gotta give it to him, though: it takes balls to go after Julie like that. God knows how many guys tried before him and ended up humiliating themselves...” And yet, to his and everyone’s surprise, Ryland’s theatrics seemed to be the way to the ginger queen’s heart. Before they knew it, Julie was smiling at the boy, taking his outstretched hand, and leading him off to the dance floor. “Holy shit, he really fucking did it! Damn, man. Mad respect right there.”

Santiago didn’t have much time to celebrate Ryland’s success, however. The attention of the love of his life was once again completely focused on him, and she was giving him the sparkling eyes and loving smile that took his breath away. When she mentioned their future daughter’s good looks, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “If she does, then that’s going to be all you, princesa,” he told his girlfriend with a smile, planting yet another kiss on her lips and holding her close to him. But the warm feeling inside his chest quickly faded away when he remembered a serious, important topic he and April needed to discuss right away before he could forget.

“So, uh, Coach Kinsley and Sergeant Mullins called me again this afternoon…” he began, scratching the back of his head again as he always did when he was nervous. “I have 30 days to get back to Kinsley about the scholarship, and Sarge says that I have pretty much until then too to sign the contract and be shipped off to Basic with the group that leaves the first week of June, right after graduation.”

[SpicyMeatball]

"April, Santiago. You two look good tonight."

“Lookin’ pretty damn slick yourself Carter.” she playfully waggled her eyebrows at him before letting out a laugh, looking between him and Stella. Now that the two were next to each other, April could see them as a couple immediately. Even if nothing had been official between the two before, and even if this was the first time April had seen the two this close to each other, there was a certain...wholesomeness and innocence that the pair shared between each other. It was rather adorable in fact, almost jealousy inducing.

But not quite enough to tear her away from the love of her life to which she was still pressed against, her head against his chest. And from her limited view, she saw the phenomenal dancing that was the confusing duet of Julie and Ryland; one of her best friends paired with a guy she had no reason to like, and yet couldn’t bring herself to dislike now.

“You gotta give it to him, though: it takes balls to go after Julie like that. God knows how many guys tried before him and ended up humiliating themselves...” April laughed before continuing to watch the theatrics before them, her face briefly giving a ‘not bad’ look reminiscent of the old Obama meme.

“Holy shit, he really fucking did it! Damn, man. Mad respect right there.”

“I mean, had you opened with something like that way back when we first got back together, I would probably have been all over you compared to the bumbling mess that I was.” she quipped, giving him a playful grin. While it was certainly true that April was a fan of romantic gestures and grand theatrics, all of what she’d said was in good heart and more of a joke than anything. After all they’d been through in this final year, April was proud of Santiago and herself for sticking through it all and working it out like (mostly) mature adults. With their next test on the horizon, there was no better time than now to enjoy themselves while they could. Post-highschool was going to be one hell of a roller-coaster ride and they both knew it.

“So, uh, Coach Kinsley and Sergeant Mullins called me again this afternoon…”

April froze up a bit, the sudden switch to the subject of the real, cruel world pulled her focus from the music and dancing. Her eyes looked up to meet his once more, as if trying to read what he might say next before the words left his mouth. April let out a long sigh as she waited for him to continue. She’d tried to push the thoughts of post-secondary from her head for the last month with little progress and now Santiago had just brought them all back in one sentence.

“Well, what’d they say?”

“I have 30 days to get back to Kinsley about the scholarship, and Sarge says that I have pretty much until then too to sign the contract and be shipped off to Basic with the group that leaves the first week of June, right after graduation.”

“Th-that was fast...I guess you can’t really pass either of those up. It’s a great opportunity to take on for sure.” April paused for a moment. It was evident on her face that the reality of their future life was hitting her hard right now, knowing that the next little while would mean seeing a lot less of Santiago until he finished basic training and got stationed somewhere. April knew it was what he’d wanted for a while now, but even knowing that didn’t make it any easier to accept. “Well, I know it's what you want...I’m happy for you, I really am.” she smiled at him, her eyes a mixture of happiness and sadness simultaneously. “Just don’t go and get yourself deployed...I need you here Santi..”

“While we're on the subject... I was thinking that I’d probably wait a year to apply for university so I could spend my time with Camila and you. From what I’ve read, the early time is crucial to get right...and I don’t want to mess this up. I know the fight’s not exactly in our favor here given the circumstances surrounding all of this...but we can do it. I know we can.”

April’s face was an evident mix of emotions as the music blared in the background, sounding completely the opposite of what she was feeling right now.

But they had done this to themselves. It was time to face reality head on.

[spooner]

As the pair entered the party once again you could almost see the joy radiation from Archer. He felt happier than he had done in weeks and on valentine’s day weekend, which he usually spent hate-watching romcoms with Mari. Instead, he was at a semi-fun school dance with someone that really was the love of his short life. He really wasn’t in the mood for dancing anymore and whatever drama his friends were getting themselves into had really left his brain out in the parking lot. The only thing on his mind right now was Kavan, and their future together.

On their way to a table, Archer made sure to swipe a couple of icy bottles of water seeing as none of the punch bowls or the drink-fountain were to be trusted for a sober driver. As they sat down Archer wasted no time in showing some PDA. He turned his body so he could lean into his boyfriend wrapping Kavan’s arms around him like a scarf.

For a moment he just sat there quietly, taking in his surroundings. His dancing peers some drunker than others, the surprisingly nice decorations, and the subtle smell of Kavan’s cologne. But there was still something that was eating at him from the inside. Something that had landed in his letterbox a few days ago: his early acceptance letter.

“Do you think….” he started, not really knowing where to start. “...You’ll ever leave Florida?” he asked already kind of knowing the answer. No one really wanted to stay in Florida, most people just had to for one reason or the other. “I mean… If you could move anywhere, where would it be?” Archer straightened up so that he could comfortably look at Kavan. “Would you stay in the south? Or would you move up north?” he asked shifting slightly in his seat. “Like… say… Chicago?” he pursed his lips and stared at his boyfriend with questioning eyes.

“Cause I got into U of C.” he deadpanned, bracing for Kavan’s reaction.

[Sugar and Spite]

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Even with Sawyers additional help, Ariel struggled to get up off of the ground. Grabbing the young mans arm to steady herself, it seemed as if her legs were the only things not to get in a rush to recover from her embarrassing fall. After nearly tripping over both her feet and Sawyer once again, Ariel managed to stand up fairly straight, brushing her hair out of her face as she did so. Doing her best to manage a smile, Ariel waved her hand lazily in the air.

"Pft. Yeah. I'm a-ooo-kay." Way more drunk than she had realized, Ariel managed to catch a glimpse of Sawyers now ruined shirt. "Awww man. I'm sorry," she slurred, putting her left hand on his chest as she pouted in order to steady herself. "I totally have to buy you a new shirt now."

This last realization caused Ariel to be sent into a fit of nearly uncontrollable laughter. The last few months had been exhausting for her, and as bad as it seemed - this was the most relaxed she had been in a hot minute.

"Hey. Do you wanna dance or something? Or like... maybe grab a drink? Water? Punch? Just... somethin'? My mouth is like... really dry."

[AlteredTundra]

“That was great, Carter! I haven’t danced like that in a really long time!” Stella smiled gleefully at her boyfriend.

Looking at him made her smile. Seeing him next to her made her smile. The way he smiled back at her, in what she was going to assume a case of I’m happy because you’re happy, made her smile. Everything about the evening right after they talked out in the garden and how Stella was just overwhelmed with emotions after the fact was bringing such a jovial grin to her face that her old self was starting to return.

And she was starting to realize it.

Before Chrissie did what she did, before all of the stress that came after her ex-best friend’s betrayal, everyone knew her to be a wholesome, unproblematic person. She never did anything out of spite. While that might still ring true to this day, she’s definitely changed. Sometimes when Stella looked at herself in the mirror, she didn’t always like the person staring back at her. She knew it was the direct result of how much she hurt when her cousin betrayed her. Slowly but surely, she was starting to come back from it. She knew it was because Carter had a positive influence on her even before they became official.

Which now had her thinking about something that was kind of weighing heavily on her heart. Maybe Carter noticed it or maybe she had become such a different person that she was able to hide certain things from him.

As they reached the beverage table, they were near the end of it so Stella could take a seat in a chair that was no longer being occupied by one of the students at the dance. She let out a heavy, almost exhausted sigh. “Whew, those last couple of songs sure wiped me out,” she admitted, leaning her head back against the wall. Her heart was still beating rapidly, sos he had to take a couple extra breaths to calm herself. “Carter…” She looked up at him. “Do you think I’ve been too harsh with Chrissie? Today before the dance, we had a pretty terrible argument. We said a lot of really ugly things and it got to the point where the water boiled over. And, well I think the point of no return was reached, but if not..” She let the thought trail off as she looked down, fiddling her index fingers and thumbs. “If not, do you think it’s possible we--I mean, her and I--could work some stuff out?”

If she was being completely honest with herself, Stella missed having her best friend but she also felt extremely hurt by what she did. Stella was so angry when she spilled her Paris trip secret to Carter without her permission and held onto it like the pain was the human body her leech-like grudge was holding onto, but Stella was starting to reconsider everything. Maybe finally being someone’s girlfriend again was putting some things into perspective for her. Or maybe Stella missed her best friend that much.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just being stupid,” she said somewhat low.

[LovelyComplex]

Featuring Chrissie McCoy, Ariana Mossos, and Mr. Jace Russo
_{@TootsiePop@Rosalia@HaleyTheRandom}
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What was wrong with her?

A lot, honestly.

Chrissie was suffocating with all these negative emotions, as if they were swallowing her whole. Her willpower betrayed her because no longer did she have it in her to fight what was boiling deep in her system. She didn’t want to fight anymore. She didn't want to play pretend and kill people with kindness like some selfless humanitarian. She didn’t want to smile for others and act like she was happy for them. She didn’t want to seek out the good memories, or why she ever gave a fuck.

There was a part of her blossoming inside that wanted to take the devil’s path, with hate as her drive, throwing everything out the window, including her reputation. Funny, really. How love could turn so quickly into hate. Her once cute, genuine, and lighthearted smile now lit up her features as if she no longer ran on tender love but on cold malice.

As simple as her interaction with Chanel was, it seemed to have made her come to terms with some things about herself. Chrissie was NOT a sob story. And kindness? Kindness costs way too much. It was time to become her father’s daughter, and the only way to get where she needed to go was throw all good intentions out the door and walk the rest of her school days with unrelenting meanness.

There was a reason she fell for an asshole, and that’s because he saw things the way she saw them. If you need to step on someone, then you step on them. If you need to burn everything around you to achieve your goal, then you burn every-fucking-thing. How could she possibly forget? This was how she was raised to be. Not this bubbly, sickly friendly, and sugary sweet theater dweeb that tried to get everyone to love her, even if it was only when they watched her on stage.

Yes, her name was Chrissie McCoy and she wanted to watch the world burn. Caught up in her final decisions, smoldering underneath her forced expression, Chris was coerced back to present time, her current Valentine’s dance reality, losing all balance and falling right on her ass. Before she could register what had just happened, she was pounced on by her best friend.

Oh, that’s right. Chrissie was originally trying to find Ariana. Sadly, she had totally forgotten after she came back into the ballroom, only to see romance in the air. “So I take it... you’re having a great time, just like me?” Pulling her friend close, knowing Ariana may be the only person she was willing to trust right now, Chrissie grumbled, “I bet he did something dumb.”

As much as Ariana wanted to answer Chrissie's questions, the giggle fit she had succumbed to when tumbling down right after her best friend had rendered her temporarily unable to. The giggles had given way to full-blown laughter when the curly-haired girl pulled her closer, causing their bodies to roll around the floor together while leaving Ariana dangerously close to flashing every person in the vicinity.

Chaperone duty was an absolute drag. Jace Russo was here to fill his required hours - or at least that’s what he would tell anyone who asked. The punch had already been spiked, and he didn’t even care. Truth to be told, the dark haired man was already on his third glass himself. Speaking to the history teacher, Mr. Fulton, Jace was mostly not paying attention to the students. The loud and joyful laughter somewhat nearby would catch both his and Fulton's attention, causing both of the men to look towards Chrissie and Ariana.

A quick glance would send Jace into action. As he and his coworker began to walk the girls way, Jace held his hand up as if to say ‘don’t worry about it. I’ve got this one.’ A few quick strides and he had reached his destination, cup still in hand. Placing a gentle hand on Ariana’s shoulder, Jace looked from her to Chrissie and back before speaking.

“Girls. Sorry to kill the moment, but you need to get up off the floor. You’re about to show everyone your asses.” Normally, Jace wouldn’t curse in front of his students or use such lax language in general. However, this was his ex-girlfriend and her best friend. Lines had already been crossed, and there was no use in trying to go back at this point.

Not really caring that their asses were being showcased to the world, or almost so, Chrissie scoffed at the man that was intervening with her time with her best friend, who she didn’t see this whole fucking night until NOW. First, he had the audacity to put Ariana in a mood, causing her Cherry to have a down spiral night. Second, he chose now was the perfect time to show his face to them and play it like he was actually a good, responsible, and mature chaperone. Tightening her hold on her friend, she glared up at her math teacher, who was also at fault for taking one of her friend’s hearts away from her, and said behind gritted teeth, “Who the hell are you?”

Confused and slightly tipsy (yes, Jace was a lightweight himself) the teacher looked at the star drama student as if she had grown a second head. “I’m Jace? Jace Russo? Your math teacher. I gave you a C- one time and you tried to kill me, remember?”

Jace had a good feeling that some of the students here were wasted, but he had no idea that anyone would be so far gone they couldn’t remember their own teacher's name.

“Omigod, boomer. That was sarcasm.” Releasing her friend, Chrissie stood up and pulled her up with her, “I know who you are and I know you’re fucking petty and when Ariana upsets you, you take it out on everyone she’s fucked. Myself included. Blahblahblah.”

"Mmm yeah. No.” Taking a sip of his drink, Jace crossed his arms. "Anyway. Really didn’t come over here to start anything. Just figured you two didn’t want to show everyone your nether regions, but hey. Maybe you do. By all means, go grab the DJ’s mic and start stripping. Liven the party for us a bit.”

The grinning Ariana having watched the exchange between Chrissie and Jace in silence, knowing she should be stepping in to defend one of the parties involved but being far too amused to do so. Truth be told, she was secretly glad her best friend was giving her ex a hard time. It was definitely a fantastic, innovative way to get back at him for all the other times he'd been petty towards her before without having to do the dirty work herself. Plus, it was the first time they had spoken after that heated argument on the first day of school. And, in all honesty, Ariana was simply happy to hear his voice addressing her. She would never admit to it, but she had missed him terribly.

When Jace brought up the suggestion of them stripping, a knowing little smirk lit up the brunette's features. "I bet you would love to see that, wouldn't you?" she teased, scanning the area to make sure nobody was looking before shooting him a playful wink. "I know you fucking miss me. That's the only reason why you came running to us so quickly the second this perky little ass you love so much was showing. You can't even deny it."

To add to her friend’s point, Chrissie grabbed Ariana’s ass, giving it a nice, strong squeeze, “Perky as fuck. It’s too bad…” She let go of Ariana’s cheek and rested her head on her shoulder, “This ass is going home with me.”

"I'll make sure to send you pictures, if you want. Maybe a hot little video to go along with it?" the brunette couldn't help herself to add mischievously.

“You two are absolutely disgostang” Jace said, slurring the last word. Of course this wasn’t true - at all. Ariana and Chrissie had been known to send Jace steamy pictures and videos from time to time. This would be nothing different. Sadly, his days with Ariana were over, and so were the messages. For now, Jace looked at pictures of women his own age.

Rolling her eyes, clearly unimpressed, Chrissie laughed, “I’ve been called worse things by better people.” Times like these, the drama queen had a hard time seeing what Ariana saw. Somehow, this man was everything she wanted and needed and more. Now that was disgusting. Falling stupidly in love where no one else could ever be an option. It was because of HIM Ariana couldn’t enjoy her time with Max and Jasper.

You know what?

God created the middle finger for a reason and it was for people like Mr. Russo who deserved it. Pulling Ariana to her, over the dumb teacher’s bullshit, Chrissie used her free hand to give him the bird, “You’re pathetic, Mr. Russo. Come to us when you’re ready to be a man.” In swift movements, she purposely hit her teacher’s cup to spill all over his shirt, before demanding, “Let’s get out of here, baby. Fuck him. You’re worth more than this shit.”

Trying to wipe the liquid from his shirt, Jace sighed. “Yes. Please leave. You’re drunk out of your mind, Chrissie. Have a great night.”

“No. I just know a good thing when I see it. G’night, sir. Enjoy pornhub.”

“The lesbian section is looking pretty good right now compared to this shit.”

Whatever entertainment Ariana had been getting from this situation had long since faded into regret. She had known that both Chrissie and Jace were prone to petty remarks and suffered from the same illness she did: a need to always get the last word. So, while she had expected the back and forth between them, she hadn't anticipated how far it would go in such a short period of time. First they were taking subtle digs at each other, and then the next moment Chrissie was spilling Jace's drink all over his shirt and dragging her shocked figure away. But before her friend could take her too far, Ariana placed her hands over the one Chrissie was holding her by and gently pried it away.

"Peaches, would you mind being a sweetheart and go wait for me by the door?" the brunette softly asked the blond. "I promise I'll be there soon."

Of course. Back to the start, knowing very well where her position was in all her friends’ lives, second to all their lovers, Chrissie beamed the fakest smile to Ariana, “Yeah! Absolutely. Don’t make me stand out there for too long.” Not waiting for a response, Chrissie left Ariana to talk to Jace. Her state of mind was even worse than earlier. Before she exited the ballroom, she glanced over to the drinking table to see Stella smiling and laughing with Carter.

Tonight was fucking fantastic.

Ariana knew that smile. After three and a half years of friendship, the young woman had become proficient in identifying when Chrissie was being honest and when she was faking it to hide how she truly felt. And seeing her BFF walk away after shooting her that smile stung just as badly as when Max had done it not even twenty minutes previously.

What was up with her disappointing people today?

Letting out a long, deep sigh, the visibly distraught girl turned back to Jace. "Look: I'm sorry about what just happened with Chrissie," she began, looking up at the man with big, apologetic eyes and a trembling lower lip. "She's clearly drunk and bothered by something, so even though you shouldn't have let yourself be baited into the whole back and forth with her, I know I should've stopped it before it went too far."

Jace shrugged his shoulders, sighing as he surveyed the damage to his shirt. ”I really don’t care anymore, Ariana. I’m not your problem - you’re not mine. I was honestly trying to do my job when I first walked over.”

Well, that was certainly not the answer Ariana had been hoping to get. But then again, what else was she expecting from the king of pettiness himself? For him to see that she was being completely honest? That she was admitting fault to the situation? That she had literally put aside her pride to say she was fucking sorry even when not being the one at fault? And this is how he was paying her back?!

Fueled by anger and hurt at just how easily he had dismissed her earnest feelings, Ariana strode forward and slapped the man hard across the face. "How's this for not being your problem anymore, then?" she spat with pure venom in her voice, her eyes flashing with fury. She didn't care about who had seen what she'd just done or what the consequences would be. All the girl wanted was for Jace to feel the same amount of pain he had just caused her.

A maniacal laugh creeping from between his lips, Jace rubbed the side of his face for a brief moment. "Listen. I don’t have to accept anything from you, Ariana. No apology. Nothing. You chose to end things. So go. Live your best life. Fuck Chrissie. Fuck Max. Fuck Jasper. Go fuck whoever you want - however you want. You got what you wanted - you’re free.”

At this moment, Mr. Fulton was beginning to walk over, an alarmed look on his face.

"Fine. I will. Watch me." Ariana declared, shooting Jace one last death glare and storming off to the exit, holding back the wave of hot, heartbroken tears that so desperately wanted to roll down her cheeks.

Once outside, the young woman frantically searched around the area for Chrissie, and thankfully found her without much effort sitting quietly on the hood of Jasper's car. The brunette strolled towards her friend with determination, hoping she'd keep her composure long enough to reach the safety of her house even when her bottom lip was trembling so strongly. But the second she had reached the blonde, it was as if every negative interaction of the evening had come crashing down on her. And before she knew it, Ariana threw her arms around her best friend and started to sob.

Moments before Ariana joined her, Chrissie was sinking deeper and deeper into her own thoughts. Surprisingly, she didn’t go off walking randomly, getting lost in the night. Most likely because the only place she had available to her was Ariana’s. Since she was sobering up, sense did start coming back to her. Chrissie knew the best option was to wait for her impatiently.

When Ariana did show up, embracing her with a river full of tears, Chrissie held her friend close and somehow found herself smiling. She wasn’t happy that Ariana was crying. No, that was tragic. She was happy that her friend needed her and that Jace most likely broke her heart. Trying to keep the smile contained, Chrissie pulled her Cherry away from her, looking at her through teary eyes, “You want chocolate? I want chocolate. Call mommy so we can get out of here.” Mommy as in Ariana’s mother, Audrey Mossos-Huntsberg. Chrissie was not in the mood for an Uber, and honestly, both of them could use a mother right now.

The young woman shook her head. "M-mamma's n-not even in the c-country right n-now…" Ariana wailed in between sobs. "Dad t-took her to Italy f-for the w-weekend. I had t-the house to m-myself and I was g-gonna hook up with J-Jasper but now I d-don't even w-want to."

Goddammit. Uber it is. Grumbling to herself, wishing she could call Stella’s parents at this moment, Chrissie took out her phone and went to the Uber app. After a couple of minutes of requesting Uber XL, she looked at her bestie and tsked, “Two stops. First, we’re going to buy junk food. Think chocolate, ice cream, cake, the whole nine yards. Secondly, we’re going to take a selfie together, showing every motherfucker we ended this night happy. Then and only then will we cuddle tonight and spill our hearts out, got it?”

"Okay." Ariana sniffled, nodding while carefully wiping away her tears. Although this was not the way the girl had expected her night to end, she was happy that at least she would be going home with the one person who would always have her back.

The King's Academy staff had wanted to celebrate friendship above romance, after all. And that's exactly what Ariana and Chrissie were going to do.

[NeoAJ]

_{A Shawna @NeoAJ and Sunshine @HaleyTheRandom collab}

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As Sunshine offered her hand, Shawna felt more at ease than she did a second ago. Thoughts of Chrissie stumbling off evaporated from her mind, as Shawna was certain someone would look after her fallen friend. The way she had someone to look after her. At least, that’s what she hoped. The limits of that would be tested soon enough, but still. There was a confidence in her girlfriend that she rarely had in anyone but herself before.

The music started to fade out into the background as the two young women exited the country club towards the parking lot. Shawna was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol a little bit, but she was sure that Jack parked somewhere in the general vicinity she was heading towards. It was hard to miss a Viper and the school didn’t spring for valet parking so it had to still be here. She checked the keychain to see if there was a fob. Luckily there was. She started clicking incessantly trying to get the headlights to flash, and eventually she spotted light coming from one of the vehicles. “There we go,” she said triumphantly. “The stationary chariot awaits.”

To be honest, Sunshine had no idea what a Viper was. Of course she knew that it was a car, but anything beyond that and she was at a complete loss. Knowing that the students of Kings Academy were very well off, she knew it had to be a nice car, regardless of the name brand, specs, or anything else. When the headlights flashed, Sunshine raised her eyebrows in surprise as she caught sight of the vehicle. ”That is not what I was expecting.”

“I know. Jack told me it was his dad’s, which I guess I believe him, since I don’t think Jack needs that much of a penis extension yet, but yeah,” Shawna confirmed. “I just didn’t want to try and talk over the shitty pop music anymore.” She opened the passenger door for her preferred date to the dance. “Worse case we can find better music on the radio probably.”

Shrugging her shoulders in agreement, Sunshine climbed into the borrowed vehicle. She wasn't sure which was better - the interior or the exterior. Either way, the car was a sight to behold. "Do you think we could drive it?"

As Shawna nearly tripped over the concrete bumper that designated the parking spot, she wondered if even being in the vicinity of the car was such a good idea. But meh. She wasn’t going to be that stupid and try and drive the thing. Opening the door and sitting down was proving to be tricky enough. “Probably not the best idea to go driving right now,” she admitted. “I don’t like my chances of beating a breathalyzer at the moment. Besides, I don’t need to get my ‘date’ in trouble with his folks.”

Shawna finally sat herself down in the driver’s seat, content to finally have some alone time with her true date. It had been too long. February was proving cruel with her parents back. “So hey, I’m sorry things have been so rough and I haven’t been able to hang out as much. With Mom and Dad back from their cruise, I’ve had to go back to playing the perfect daughter for a little bit. I was really hoping the trip would have made them a bit more relaxed. Guess not.”

Shaking her head, Sunshine gave Shawna a reassuring smile. ”Relax, babe. I knew what I was signing up for. If nothing else I can use being your study buddy for cover? I mean, I know it’s not the best idea, but…”

The brunette seemed a little uncomfortable with the notion of calling Sunshine a study buddy. Sure, it was an easy lie. Her parents would probably be thrilled she was taking her studies seriously again. That she had smart friends again instead of “that Carter fellow.” Between that and Jack coming over and being a face now, it would be the perfect lie.

But Shawna didn’t want to lie anymore.

It’s why she was thrown off when Chrissie said she wasn’t going to be able to make space for her anymore. The way she did during the summer of soul-searching that Shawna needed to get to the point of tattoos and Tanqueray at trendy parties. The way she offered complete cover with her parents, assuring them that they were studying hard instead of what they actually did. But it wasn’t going to be about defending against Shawna’s parents this time. That’s what scared her.

“Cookie,” she started. “You’re awesome and wonderful and you don’t deserve to be hidden away behind some study buddy ruse. I want the whole world to know how awesome you are, and how lucky I am to have someone like you in my life, in that way. Plus if saying that means exposing the bigots in my life, that’s an added bonus. I just… I really don’t know what’s going to happen when I tell them. They could surprise me. They could cut me off entirely. I’m ready for either. But, I know which side I’m betting on in the seedy casinos. It’s not the happy Lifetime special ending one.”

Turning in the seat so that she could face Shawna, Sunshine grabbed her girlfriends hands before looking her in the eye. ”Listen babe. I can’t even begin to know what you’re feeling right now. Mom and dad died before I ever had the chance to come out, and my aunt and uncle don’t even care. My point is - I stand by you, no matter your decision. I’m cool with keeping it on the down low, if that’s what will help you in the long run. But I’m also leaning a little more towards you being who you actually are. Keeping the lies and secrets are just going to do more harm in the long run. No matter what you decide, if it is the latter… I always have the house in New York.”

It meant a lot to hear Sunshine say those words. Every last one of them. She had always been supportive as long as the two of them had been friends, even if it seemed longer than the five months it actually was. It made Shawna feel that trust coursing through her as Sunshine held her hands. Shawna would tear up if she wasn’t so sure that it would look like a mess upon returning to the dance. If she had to. She would prefer not to. She’d prefer to stay in this Viper in this moment.

“Sunny, you don’t know how happy you make me sometimes. I swear,” Shawna stuttered slightly as she got those words out. Partly because she leaned in for a kiss immediately after. She kept it short, but she was sure the emotion would be conveyed. “I think you are the person who sees in me the things I never could find in myself. I’m so grateful for that. It’s why I want to do this right. And...I’m not going to lie. If it comes to it, New York in the summer sounds pretty awesome. I told you I finally sent in that application to Brooklyn College, right? I mean, I told my parents I was going for Harvard and Columbia, but we both know that isn’t happening. Worst case, there’s always Long Island U. Plus, at least I’ll have one family member nearby who has my back.”

”What?! You really sent in the app,” she asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement. ”I thought that was like… a joke. I mean, you had mentioned it, but like… Wow. Have you heard anything?”

In Sunshine’s opinion, this was great news. She needed to figure out what to do with her life after highschool. Brooklyn seemed like the most logical option. She had a whole house there, and wouldn’t have much to worry about there as opposed to choosing another college. The fact that Shawna had applied was amazing.

Shawna shook her head. “Nothing yet, but there’s still plenty of time. I sent it that last weekend you came over before my parents returned. Before you woke up. It’s why you actually smelled food being cooked instead of, you know, just the usual Green’s order. I was kinda running on a good high. But I wanted to at least get that in to make sure I had the option. New York really made an impression on me when I was up there.” She looked back into Sunshine’s eyes. “Can’t imagine why…”

With a small laugh, Sunshine turned back around to properly reposition herself in her seat. ”Say…. Would it be weird if we just ditched the dance and had a random talk about random shit in a random car?”

“Nah. I think it would be weirder if we stayed in there listening to bad karaoke.”

”Then waddya say we just stay here and find some actual music?”

“That sounds like the best idea of the night. Besides,” Shawna patted her purse. “I got better drinks than the dance too. And now I have my real date.” Suck on that, Kings.

---

[spooner]

_{Starring: Julie Macmillan @spooner & Ryland Aspen @TootsiePop}
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Almost there and he felt utterly hopeless. Julie didn’t seem to be irritated yet, even if they already stopped at three places and it wasn’t their final destination. The first stop was probably the most… odd place… to take her. 7-Eleven. Far from classy, but the perfect place for guilty, sweet drinks. There, Ryland had shared with her about an old family tradition. When he was younger, his dad would buy him and his siblings Slurpees, after they competitively did their chores, to see who could clean the fastest, and who could clean their part of the house to their step mother’s liking. As if her life depended on it, Alaina would point out every spot they missed, only causing them to clean again in hopes they would clean to her standards. After a long day of chores, their father felt like they all deserved something to make them feel guilty, and yet have no regrets. To indulge in one of the greatest pleasures known to men! 7-Eleven Slurpees.

7-Eleven wasn’t a place that Julie was that familiar with. Of course, she knew of the place but she hadn’t really frequented the establishment like it seemed that Ryland had done. But she enjoyed his story about his tradition and his father with a smile as they walked through the aisles. The sheer size of Slurpees that Ryland presented shocked Julie as she took one of the icy treats from him.

The second stop was the boardwalk, where he knew a food truck festival was happening. Regardless if he convinced her to come or not at the dance, he was planning on coming here anyway, possibly with his best friends, to check out the food. The experience turned out to be better than he could imagine because she was there. Truth be told, Rye knew hardly anything about Julie. Sol and Sonny told him a couple of things, but it wasn’t enough for him to feel confident in his decisions about where to take her. If anything, this date was to show her little things about him, give her selling points on why she should date him, even if he was flying by the seat of his pants.

All Julie could do was to smile as she listened to Ryland talk. It was so refreshing to her to be with a guy who was one hundred percent himself. Listening to him talk about his family back in Los Angeles made her yearn for her sister more than anything. Sure she loved her father very much but he is so busy they didn’t spend as much time together as she wanted to. And now when her sister was out doing her own thing she was mostly alone aside from Chanel. Who also had been busy with her new cheerleading venture. So having someone pay attention to her again was very welcome.

Food trucks, to Ryland, was an experience everyone should have. Some of the best food was from the smallest of kitchens. More importantly, though? This was an experience best enjoyed with another person, because together, you ate, enjoyed the atmosphere, and the people. Here, he shared with her how his dad, ever since his old man was a teen and presently, would go out of his way to visit local restaurants to see if there were food challenges, in hopes to get a free meal out of it. His old man was a beast when it came to eating and somehow, the only thing causing him to gain weight was beer and not food.

She marveled at the number of different styles of food that the trucks offered. Julie was used to being catered too, never really having to worry about not being able to get what she wanted. And though she loved what Claire, the Macmillan house chef delivered. There was something special about all of these cooks and chefs gathered together in one place. It made it even more special that she was exploring it with someone new.

The further they ventured on their date, the more he started to realize how much he actually admired his father, and that was probably a good sign that he was on the right path. The third stop wasn’t too far from the boardwalk. With a skip and a jump, they were at Froyolicious and he treated her to whatever froyo and toppings she wanted, as well as buy a box of decently priced macarons for them to share. It was a no brainer that dinner was better with dessert.

Here, he tried to poke into her head, hoping by now, she warmed up to him to share something, even if it was an inkling of her feelings or something she was fond of.

She regaled him with stories about all of her family’s travels, about the fashion shows. The adventures she and her sister went on in Paris and Milan as their father was busy at work. But she also talked about her other passions that most of the people at King’s didn’t know about. How she loved classic art and was the one who picked out all of the art that hung in the Macmillan estate or how she had a vast library where she liked to spend lazy Sundays just leisurely reading.

With their proximity getting closer and closer, every step they made, Rye started feeling like Christian from Moulin Rouge, trying to impress his Satine during the Elephant Medley song.

In a blink of an eye, their time together was nearing an end and he had one last stop for her. As he drove down N Quadrille Boulevard, he tapped his fingers on the wheel and asked her a serious question, keeping things completely honest and genuine, “So… how I spoke to Ariel, like a month or so ago, is that water under the bridge? Or…” He trailed off, glancing at her like a puppy dog, seeking forgiveness and hoping whatever he was doing was impressing her and not wasting any of their time.

Julie just stayed quiet dabbing her mouth gingerly with a Froyolicious branded napkin. She slowly turned to face his big brown eyes she let out a slow sigh. “I don’t think that is for me to decide now is it?” she said softly, “I think you need to speak to Ariel about that.”

“I mean… are you done calling girls stupid?” she teased turning her whole body to face him knowing full well what she was showcasing.

“Oh yeah! Of course.” He nervously laughed. If Rye’s aunt had told his stepmother about that, that would’ve bitten him in the ass far more than he could ever imagine. He was fortunate enough Aunt Miley chose to not air his dirty laundry out, and simply gave him advice. She had told him the times his own father used to say things without thinking first, and at the time, it broke their mother’s heart. If anything, she saw a lot of Rhett in Rye every day, especially the reckless side of her brother.

“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. While this doesn’t excuse my actions, I was… caught up with myself.” He sheepishly smiled, obviously ashamed of how he acted that day. “Dad uprooted my life, because I’m a fuck up, and then one of the first things I see is a good friend of mine, well second thing…” He was rambling but he had just remembered the reason why his day was set off badly. The reason the dominoes started falling. He witnessed his two best friends making out before he even knew they were an item. “...getting back with her ex, who she’s cried about to me. IDK, it was a lot. But I know now, it’s not something I should get involved with.”

“Mmmh…” Julie mused reaching up to pull out the large pin holding her hairstyle up, it had started to give her a bit of a headache but still, she knew what she was doing. As soon as she pulled the pin out her luscious red hair cascaded around her. She shook it out a little with her hands before collecting it all to one side. “I used to be the same… you know inserting myself in other people’s business. I used to be known for it.” she smiled and let out a soft giggle.

Julie reached out and placed her hand on his “And you know what I’ve learned Ryland?” she asked letting her hand travel up his arm until she reached his long hair where she laced her fingers into a lock of it “It’s better to focus on oneself and let people figure out what to do on their own.” she said softly putting the lock behind his ear caressing his cheek as she pulled back her hand.

Wow.

Ryland was speechless. Not because of the advice she was giving, but because of everything she was doing while speaking. His brown gaze observed her as she released her sunset hair, letting it freshly spill and become flames fanned by the breeze. There was a radiant glow when Julie spoke and for someone his age, she had such wisdom behind her soft and kind blueish-gray eyes. She was far from the little girls he’s seen at their school. Nah, man. She was a full-fledged woman and needed to be wooed as such.

He could never compete with her family since there was no doubt in his mind she could be given everything she ever wanted by them and more. Even so… he eyed her as her hand traveled up his arm to play with his hair and then push it behind his ear… Even so, he believed he had something to offer that no one else could. He didn’t know what exactly yet, but if he continued believing in that inkling of hope that he could get her to fall for him hard, then there was still at least a one percent chance he could do this. A losing battle was only guaranteed if you gave up, and Ryland Aspen was not a quitter.

That being said… what the hell should he say now? Rye hoped his face wasn’t turning red. Julie’s seductive prowess was a lot harder to manage in a situation like this where it was just them in a car, alone. Not wanting the silence to go on for too long, he reached his hand to her chin and whispered, “You missed a spot.” He cleaned her skin of Froyo, before bringing his attention back to the road. Welp. That’s how you ruin a moment. Thank GOD they were almost there!

Julie just settled back into her seat smiling to herself. She kept her eyes on the road ahead absentmindedly playing with her own hair now. Twirling a piece in her fingers as she let the silence linger. She shifted her eyes towards Ryland for a second and spotted the look on his face, she had him exactly where she wanted him.

The redhead hiked up her dress so she could show off her pale legs as she recrossed them. “So… new kid. Where are you taking me?”

[Sugar and Spite]

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Dude. You don't dance.

Sure, Danielle claimed that she wouldn't think badly of him if he did't go out on the dance floor. The problem there was that people only meant what they said half of the time. A solid fifty percent chance. That wasn't enough for Jasper. Add that to the fact that he had only met Dani just a few moments ago and you wound up with the Jasper Fray that refused to bet on his current odds.

No. He couldn't not dance with her. That made zero sense. They were at a dance, after all. It was senior year. If there was ever a time for Jasper to embarrass himself it was now. Maybe he'd even land himself a spot in the yearbook.

"Nah…." he mumbled, reaching his hand out for her. "Come on." His face lighting up, Jasper gave Dani a smile. "Let's go make some memories or some other cheesy shit."

[AlteredTundra]

The simulation just went bad
But you're the best
I ever had
Like handprints in wet cement
She touched me it's permanent

It was strange being Kavi Antonio Salvador right now. This has been the longest he’s ever gone without talking to anyone who wasn’t here or working his game on some unsuspecting girl who might not even know he spotted them. Of course, he could have just easily and swooped in on Jasper’s attempt to woo that Danielle girl. Compared to him, Jasper was cute but not hot like Kavi knew himself to be, but then again, when he overheard them talking and Lil J doing his best to work up the courage, Kavi only smiled and continued on.

“Way to subvert everybody’s expectations of your game, Jay,” Kavi muttered to himself, hands in pockets as he played spectator to the entire dance.

He watched them like he was a ghost, like he was a literal spectre, watching them, observing them, seeing his friends and his acquaintances mingle amongst themselves. He saw Max rush out and Chrissie go to the bathroom. He saw the two hot lesbians dart out in each other’s arms and then he saw Mari and Sonny leave hand in hand. He saw Stella and Carter dance like they had no control over it, then park themselves at the edge of the beverage table in the back of the room.

Kavi saw all of his classmates enjoy themselves, he witnessed all of the events of laughter and happiness unfold before his very eyes.

Even Ariel was having fun.

She was probably the only person who ever made him feel something...real, was striking up a similar conversation that Jasper did with Dani but with Sawyer Lockwood. He, of course, didn’t hear them, but he didn’t have to because he remembered that look. She used to look at me like that.

Ariel had a tell that Kavi locked onto the first time they met. It wasn’t so much a physical tell but the way she laughed. She had a cute tone of voice and it kind of cracked when she was into someone. Kavi knew that because every time they talked before things got bad, her voice cracked when he made a joke or just said something mildly inappropriate. All of the things that Kavi was going to miss, that was just an example of the number of reasons why he’ll miss her: her laugh, her ability to make him feel on top of the world while keeping him grounded.

Not like I have any right, but..

But nope, she looked happy. That’s all Kavi ever wanted. It didn’t matter if it was with him. So taking one last look around the dancefloor, Kavi took in the sights of friendship and love, seeing the couples either getting their last dances in or just getting started and he turned away, heading for the parking lot.

And once there, he smiled, spotting Ariana and Chrissie--well, more in the sense that Ariana was crying in Chrissie’s arms. Again, he simply observed and didn’t interact -he didn’t need to. Chrissie had it handled and again, like with Ariel, he smiled.

Standing there, Kavi was fighting against the part of him that wanted to leave them be and the part of him that wanted to see if they needed a ride. Chrissie looked like she had it handled, but Ariana was a friend and he considered Chrissie to be one too. But then again, who was to say they wanted his company?

“Fuck it!”

Kavi was walking even before he made up his mind and was a few feet away from them. “Seems like you both are just about as done with the dance as I am.” He laughed off his less-than-enthusiastic tone. “I was gonna jet out. You two want a ride to...wherever it is you wanna go? My ride’s got plenty of room--” His eyes went directly to Chrissie “--as I’m sure you know.”

[AlteredTundra]

_{A @metanoia, @Rosalia, & @spooner Collaboration
Featuring Sonny Drake, Marisol Castillo, & Max Wallenberg}
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For almost two songs, the couple that had been on the brink of breaking up, had celebrated not being single again by dancing their asses off-- something that Sonny was most grateful for. They did so figuratively by letting loose with the limited amount of alcohol both of them have, screaming as loud as their lungs would allow them, pulling each other close, twirling around in some of the most ungraceful displays of white people dancing since Jersey Shore. Sonny may have had a year or so of classic training but the ungodly displays of fist-pumping and off-centered footwork was so bad that when they stopped, everyone around them cheered.

Well, that and during the last thirty seconds, they truly entered a new low for their demonstration of how not to twerk. White people could twerk, but when two flat-assed misfits did it, it truly was the thing of nightmares.

“All that dancing made me a bit horny.” Sonny muttered into Mari’s ear, biting it teasingly. He walked arm in arm, going side to side, shaking his ass with Mari’s for those with the benefit - and deathwish - of watching them make their way to the exit.

"You're fucking digusting," Marisol scolded him, lightly elbowing her boyfriend's ribs but shooting him a playful wink. "Does this mean we'll get to test out the backseat of that new ride of yours?" she asked him, biting her lower lip.

“Talk about disgusting, miss little walking irony,” Sonny teased her, bumping her shoulder. He took a glance around the dance, sighing quietly. He had plenty enough of the dance to last him a lifetime. “Yeah, let’s blow this joint.” He grinned at Mari, squeezing her hand as the two walked through the crowd, maneuvering their way through hopeless romantics and their need to fight for their right to get laid.

A few minutes later, the two were outside in the parking lot. Sonny had to take a moment to take in just how many cars filled up the parking lot. He remembered where he parked his brand new Audi TT. He scanned the front row of the lot. When he couldn’t find it under the veil of darkness, Sonny tricked the alarm from his keys and the light flashed, giving its location to his immediate left.

“There it is!” Sonny pulled Marisol with him gently. “It’s not really my style but it sure is pretty to look at.”

"Holy shit!" came the girl's enthusiastic response, rushing over to the car to carefully inspect every inch of its glistening, pristine exterior before turning back to her boyfriend with sparkling eyes. "No wonder you needed that fitted suit and the wardrobe change: you're a full-blown fancy gentleman now. I am so unworthy," she teased with a smirk.

“Are you now?” The boy looked at her, matching her smirk with one of his own, “then I guess I’ll call you an uber if you’re feeling so unworthy,” he teased her back, walking forward and sitting on the edge of the hood.

Grinning, Marisol chose to stand in front of him, reach out for his hands, and lock her fingers with his. “I know you say it’s not your style and whatever, but this car looks really nice. I think you should keep it… Even if it means I have to get a new wardrobe myself to match,” she joked with a small laugh.

“Don’t you go changing on me too,” Sonny glared at her, “don’t do exactly what your worst fears think my mother wants you to do. I’m her son, so obviously I have to change to satisfy her but as far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t change your style, but most importantly--” Sonny kept his eyes on her and pulled her between his spread legs, “--you don’t need to. I don’t want to date a Mexican Julie. I want to date the idiot who always gets jealous whenever some slut of the week tries to seduce me.”

His hands lowered down her back, almost to the point where they were in the perfect position to get her nonexistent ass a good smack, but Sonny settled for a gentle caress. “Now how’s about a smooch, darling?” He couldn’t keep a straight face but he was completely serious about wanting a kiss.

He didn’t have to tell her twice. With a soft smile on her face and a warm feeling in her heart, Mari let her body gently clash with Sonny’s, and pressed her lips against his.

And as they tried to enjoy it, Sonny couldn’t because of some horrendous song being played over and over again. It wasn’t just any ordinary song; it was a familiar tune. How did Sonny know this? That was due to the painful memories of working out at Asgard Fitness with one of his closest friends. Day in and day out, as they pumped iron and ran on the treadmill until their legs were jelly, Max always played the same song over and over until it was a literal broken record.

Sonny broke the kiss, vocally expressing his frustration with a loud sigh. “Max is nearby,” Sonny muttered, trying to find his truck. “Only he would play such a shitty song that loud.” After looking around for a couple of moments, Sonny’s eyes kept to the limited light the lamp posts around gave way to and they illuminated a path to the left of his Audi for him to spot Max’s truck half way down the front row. Luckily for him, it wasn’t hard to find that fugly truck of his. Between the luxury of most of the cars and the sore thumb Max drove, Sonny found it. “And there it is,” Sonny announced, pointing to it. “Wanna go say hello?”

Marisol shook her head. "Nah. I'll stay here and mess around with your car a little bit," she told him cheerfully, giving him another kiss before pulling away and stepping aside.

“Suit yourself!” Sonny shrugged, digging into his pocket and handed her his keys. “If you crash it, well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.” He almost meant that, chuckling lowly. “Seriously though, have fun.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and walked away, leaving the very excited Mari settling in the driver's side of the Audi.

The further he walked from his car, the louder the calming, if not terribad sounds from Max’s truck became and Sonny laughed as he found himself near the hood of his truck. It amazed him that Max could drive such a hunk of junk, but then again, people might say the same thing about his orange monstrosity. To them it was ugly, but it was just the thing he, as his grandfather would say, fancied.

Sonny announced his arrival by tapping on the hood as he went further back, keeping up the same rhythm. “Maxie!” He called out, hoping his typically obnoxious tone would overpower his workout partner’s choice in music. “Arise brother!”

Max had been dreamily staring upwards to the sky, letting the stars glitter in his eyes as he listened to one of his favorite tunes. But as soon as the sound of something slamming on the metal hit his ears he was snapped back to reality. Slowly, he sat up and looked around groggily, his blue eyes searching for the source of the sound. “Oh!” he exclaimed as he saw the short figure of Sonny standing beside the bed of his truck. “Son! How’s it going, Little Man?” he smiled widely before he rested his head on the wall of his car.

Sonny rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore that totally unoriginal pet name. “Not bad, Burger King,” Sonny clapped back, meeting Max with a smile of his own. “Dance got lame, so decided to bounce, then I heard your lamer music, so I figured I’d pop by and see what’s up.” Sonny let the silence take over for a second and a half. There was definitely something off about Max but Sonny couldn’t put the nail on the head yet. “So, what is up? Why are you laying out here all alone?” He asked Max.

Lame?! Max raised an eyebrow and was about to comment but decided against it, just chuckling and shaking his head. “Yeah, the dance is kind of lame, huh?” he agreed, while standing up, jumping off the truck and effortlessly walking around to the side where Sonny stood. He leaned back, spreading out his arms. “Nothing much, really,” he shrugged, looking around. “Just… doing some -- what’s it called?” Max screwed up his eyebrows in thought “--Head searching!” his booming laughter filled the parking lot. “I just need to deal with rejection that’s all.” he let out a weaker laugh looking at his feet. “Something that’s a bit strange to me.” The burly teen looked back up at his friend.

“Rejection?” Sonny repeated back, giving Max a strange look. He had never heard rejection and Max Wallenberg in the same area code, let alone being next door neighbors. He almost wanted to call his bluff, but knowing Max like he did, his whole vibe was both absolutely genuine and a little unnerving. “Damn bro…” Sonny scratched the back of his head and offered his friend a sympathetic smile. “It’s never a fun experience to put yourself out there and get totally crushed.” Sonny reached out and gave Max a supportive pat on his arm. “Who was the bitch that did this to you?”

Max shifted a little uncomfortably on the spot when Sonny asked about what had happened just a few moments ago. “She’s not a bitch!” he started. “Maybe Ariana just wasn’t as into me as I thought she was,” he said quietly. “You know the feeling, am I right Little Man?!” he tried to deflect with a joke. Knowing that Sonny had a past with Ariana, he knew the ups and downs of dealing with the Mossos girl.

“Ariana?” Shit, of all the-- “Damn, that’s fucking rough, buddy.”

Sonny still had conflicted memories whenever he thought of her. He could tell just by how he defensively reacted to his comment that whatever Max felt for Ariana was the real deal. Just like I had. How foolish Sonny was, but in hindsight, he knew why they couldn’t work. He was a different person two years ago, a less cool version of the slightly older boy he was now.

Not important right now. Back to Max.

“Yeah she can be a trainwreck or a beautiful mess given the right circumstances.” Sonny laughed, somewhat nudging Max’s arm. This was just between bros so Sonny could speak without any worry of pissing off Mari.

After a brief moment of silence, he asked, “So what happened between you two?”

Max let out a deep sigh, “I might as well let it all out, huh?” He let out a defeated chuckle. “Well…” He threw his head back so he could look up at the stars again “I decided tonight was the perfect night to ask her to be my girl.” he paused focusing his attention back to his bro. “And man Son, you should have seen the look of sheer panic on her face when I asked.” He shook his head as if to get rid of the image. “It was as if she had lost her ability to talk! She didn’t say a word.” He crossed his arms in front of him.

“It’s obvious she doesn’t think of me in that way… I’m just another body to her.” He sighed “Another name on her list…” he trailed off, looking past Sonny and into the woods.

Listening to Max explain what went down between him and Ariana hit him with a rather familiar, stinging-like pain in his gut. It wasn’t the same, but there was a time where Sonny felt that much for Ariana and he couldn’t help but feel for Max. Even if he didn’t intend to, he fell hard for Ariana and got bitch-slapped by Cupid’s open palm - something Sonny had experienced when Ariana dumped him.

Hell, Max is exactly what Sonny was two years ago. “I’m sorry man. This isn’t right. What she’s doing to you, it’s just not right.” With a mix of repressed anger, Sonny made sure Max saw his eyes. “Guys like us don’t need her, bro! You really want someone good? Get yourself a crazy bitch. They might gut you if you cheat, but you’ll never find someone more loyal than a bitch with a disorder.” Sonny found himself laughing a little too much, knowing full well if Mari heard him, he would lose one of his intestines.

Max cracked a smile and let out his signature laugh slapping Sonny on the shoulder. “Thanks man! I guess I needed this.” he continued letting small laughs escape him. “Don’t worry dude, I’ll get over it” he shrugged. “Right now I just want to get out of here! You wanna join me for a late workout session?” he asked, pointing his thumb towards the front of his truck. “You know who’s working the late night shift at the gym?”

Sonny had to think for a moment and not just to remember who in the hell was manning the Asgard fort. Today was Saturday, so that meant-- “Justin is working tonight, but knowing that pothead, he’s blazing it up in the back so we’ll practically have it all to ourselves.” Sonny recalled that Justin loved the night shift because it meant he could get high as much as he wanted. “But just let me text Mari real quick, tell her what’s going down.”

And it was in that moment, Sonny realized that his girlfriend had the keys to the new car his mother bought for him. That was going to be a nice story that’ll end up with him being grounded. “Ah well, not like it’s my style, anyway,” Sonny muttered, chuckling. About seven seconds later, he sent Mari a text:
‘Hey, Max got big R’d by Ariana, so we’re gonna hit the gym.
Feel free to take your time with that silver and black beaut.’

Looking at the two messages, Sonny felt iffy about it but it was going to be fine. I hope.

Before dread could find itself into his already-pacing mind, Sonny pocketed his phone and grinned Max’s way. “Alrighty! Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

[Ejected]

---

---

Truth be told, after finally being able to tell Archer how he honestly felt about him, Kavan was happier than he'd ever been before. As the pair re-entered the Country Club, their hands interlocked, Kavan felt as though he were walking on air. It felt as though this weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And much like Archer, he didn't feel much like dancing; he just wanted to spend some more time with the person who meant the most to him. Kavan didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Archer when they'd finally taken a seat; he rested his chin on Archer's head as they sat in silence for a few moments, taking in their surroundings. And then Archer began speaking.

It was obvious that Archer was slightly nervous as he uttered those first few words, "Would you ever leave Florida?" The young man raised a curious eyebrow and nodded his head in response. Of course he would leave Florida. Not only was travelling the world definitely at the top of his to-do list once graduating, but he also hoped to attend a college that was out of state. “I mean… If you could move anywhere, where would it be?” Archer continued as he sat up in his seat. “Would you stay in the south? Or would you move up north? Like… say… Chicago?”

Kavan took a few seconds to ponder his reply, slightly unsure of what to say. Chicago? Where was all of that coming from? And it was soon after he began searching Archer's face for an answer that he finally got one. “Cause I got into U of C.”

It didn't take long for Kavan's confused expression to turn into one of pure excitement. And without hesitation, the young man wrapped his arms around Archer once more, pulling him into a warm hug. "What?" Kavan exclaimed with a wide grin. "That's amazing, Arch! You should already know how proud I am of you." But it was after pulling away from their hug that it finally dawned upon Kavan why Archer had been asking him those questions to begin with.

Archer was moving to Chicago.

Kavan stayed quiet for a brief moment, taking that time to figure out what he was going to say next. "Well... I did apply to U of Michigan." Kavan said, letting out a deep breath. "I know that's obviously not in Chicago, but I don't think it's that far. What, 3 or 4 hours tops? I'll take that drive any day if it means that I get to see you. We can visit each other on weekends... holidays... and after we graduate, we'll figure it out." Taking hold of Archer's hand, Kavan offered his boyfriend a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Archer. We can make this work."

[Rightful Heir]

Sawyer awkwardly smiled at Ariel as she slurred her words while putting her hands all over him, still keeping a hand under her arm to steady her. The boy quickly shook his head when she mentioned his ruined shirt and buying him a new one, laughing a bit. “Don’t even worry about it, really. My brother bought it for me. I hadn’t originally planned to come tonight, but uhm..” Sawyer’s words trailed off as he looked Ariel over, raising his eyebrow at her suggestion of more punch.

“Hah, uhm, Ariel.. I think it’d be best if you stayed away from the punch for the rest of the night. No offense, sweetheart. But, really, I think water is the way to go, here. Or I could take you to get some coffee, if you’d like. Maybe some food with it? Help ya sober up, some?” Without waiting for an answer, Sawyer started to slowly make their way over to the drink area while steering clear of the punch, going for a cup of water for her instead. Something to start the process.

“Here you go. S’just water, for now.” Sawyer glances around the dance floor, then out amongst the crowd of his fellow classmates till he noticed Kavi some distance away. It was the moment he saw Kavi that Sawyer remembered they were together. Were, as in currently or past tense, Sawyer honestly didn’t know. He didn’t pay much attention to the couples at school or the drama surrounding them. Wasn’t his cup of tea, really. All he knew was he became a little anxious about his and Ariel’s exchange. He turned his back towards the direction Kavi was in and focused on Ariel, not exactly wanting to be here for fear of getting in the middle of some drama but he also couldn’t just leave her like this. His momma didn’t raise him like that.

[Rightful Heir]

Danielle’s eyebrows raised as a bright smile spread across her face, along with a bit of color flooding her cheeks. ‘This is it, this is how we die. Death by embarrassment,” she thought to herself sarcastically. She accepted his hand, taking it tenderly as she closed a majority of the distance between them.

“Or some other cheesy shit,” she mocked and winked at him playfully, glancing around to see if she could spot either of her cousins. At the moment, she couldn’t spot either of them, to which she was thankful. She knew that they knew her well enough to know she did not belong on the dance floor and would probably laugh their asses off seeing her out there. Well, Max definitely would.

Dani hoped that they’d get lucky and avoid having pictures taken by the yearbook kids, though. God help her if she made it into the final cut for the yearbook and her mom saw the pictures. Danielle would never be able to live it down. But she wasn’t about to back down if he wasn’t, either...

Cause momma didn’t raise no bitch. c(;

[Ejected]

---

---

"And I haven't danced like that in... ever." Carter responded to his girlfriend with a chuckle as he dramatically took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Stella was a big ball of energy, one of the many things Carter liked about her. And of course, seeing her so happy as she moved around the dance floor made him happy as well; her smile was infectious, and his cheeks were starting to ache because of it.

Once the pair had reached the end of the refreshment table, Carter grabbed two waters as Stella found an empty seat. He opted to stand next to her as he took a few sips from one of the bottles. “Whew, those last couple of songs sure wiped me out,” Stella said, and Carter nodded in agreement as he handed her the second water bottle. While he may not have been as worn out as she was, it had been a while since he'd done anything as physically demanding as she Cha Cha Slide.

And then Stella asked about the very last person Carter wanted to hear about during that lovely evening. Chrissie McCoy. “Do you think I’ve been too harsh with Chrissie?" Stella asked him, and Carter fought hard to control the facial expression that would've told it all. But after taking a peek down at Stella's face and realizing how much she and her cousin's current relationship state was affecting her, the young man sucked in a deep breath and spoke the truth, no matter how much it pained him to say it.

"Look, you're not being stupid, Stel," Carter began in a soft voice. "And while I don't agree with everything Chrissie does, I'm not gonna tell you that your relationship with her isn't salvageable. I mean, you're family, after all. Hell, before all of this happened, you two were pretty much inseparable. And I hate that things aren't the same between you two because... well, because of me. I might not be the whole issue but I know that I... and we play a big part in it."

"Chrissie doesn't like me very much, but she does love you. She thinks that you deserve better, which is probably why she did what she did. Maybe it was her twisted way of trying to look out for you, you know? Again, I'm not saying that it was right..." Carter paused for a brief moment to grab hold of Stella's hand. "But I guess what I am trying to say is that... you and Chrissie will make up. You just gotta give each other time."

[Ejected]

As Chanel carefully made her way out of the girls bathroom and back to the main room, the young woman couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened after her conversation with Chrissie. But instead of thinking about it any longer, she made a beeline for the refreshment table to seek out the spiked fountain once more. What better way to cheer herself up? As she took a few sips from the plastic cup, Chanel couldn't help but search the crowd for her friends; it didn't take her long to spot Carter and Stella at the other end of the table. It was then that one of Chrissie's earlier statements came echoing back in Chanel's mind. "I hope those two get together," she'd practically screamed, and judging by how comfortable the two of them looked together, Chanel came to the conclusion that her hopes had actually come to fruition.

"Well I'll be damned," Chanel said to herself with a half-smile as she watched the duo for only a second more.

It was after Chanel had finished off that final cup of punch that the room suddenly began spinning. And after deciding that drunkenness and high heels didn't mix well, the young woman suddenly kicked off her shoes, kicked them next to an empty seat, and plopped down. It was then that Chanel decided to call herself an Uber, not wanting to take Sunshine away from having a good time. Instead, she sent the girl a quick text message saying that she'd pick up her things the next day; of course, there were many typos but she made sure to get the message across as best as she could.

Chanel also sent a quick text to Julie and April, telling them just how much she loved them before bending over to grab her shoes (and nearly puking in the process), standing from her seat, and stumbling towards the exit. Tiffany was two minutes away from her location, and Chanel hoped that she wasn't the type to try and carry on a conversation. The young woman was leaving the party a little earlier than she'd intended, but decided that the feeling she'd experience after crawling into her warm, king-sized bed at home would be worth it.

[Venus]

Featuring Chrissie McCoy, Ariana Mossos, and Kavi Salvador
_{@TootsiePop@Venus@metanoia}
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After a quick stop at the nearest gas station to pick out a vast selection of snacks and drinks with high amounts of sodium and sugar, Kavi, Ariana and Chrissie had made their way to the brunette's opulent home, taking advantage of her parents' absence and having both of her friends sleep over. As soon as they'd reached her bedroom, Ariana had given Kavi and Chrissie a change of clothes (the perks of having such a big family meant that clothes of different sizes were always readily available), and made her way to the bathroom, where she swapped out her dress for a pair of comfortable pajamas and washed off her makeup before rushing back to dive headfirst into her once neatly folded bed.

Chrissie was in one of Ariana’s brother Romeo’s shirts, since she liked sleeping with no shorts on, and just generally appreciated the breeze. Big shirts were the best pajamas or completely nude, but she couldn’t do that with Kavi around. While Ariana was in her bathroom, Chris took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and make them all sundaes, asking Kavi what toppings he liked before disappearing.

She already knew what Ariana liked. Privileges of being THE best friend. Strawberry with banana, white chocolate chips, and Graham cracker dust! Yum, yum. Kavi, on the other hand, requested the simple delight of a rocky road and peanut butter cup combo with crushed cashews and dark chocolate syrup drizzled on top. She’d make sure to have it look delectable and picture perfect. The best sundae he ever did have! Instagram that shit.

As for her, she liked it big! Neapolitan ice cream, choco syrup, whipped (lots of whipped) cream, sprinkles, nuts, cherries, and about a dozen chocolate chip cookie crumbs. A sugary heart attack waiting to happen, but she needed this. To eat her feelings away. She imagined they all needed this. The rest of the snacks were already up there, so once she placed the sundaes on a tray, then cleaned up her mess, she carried it and made her way back to the bedroom.

“Jesus Christ…” Was Kavi’s only response when Chrissie had returned to Ariana’s bedroom with the tray of their three sundaes. He had no problem recognizing his and, of course, he could tell which was for Ari. What gave him a moment of awe and disbelief, however, was the Mount Everest of sundaes (at least compared to the other two). “I normally don’t say this, but goddamn that’s just too big!”

“That’s what she said!” Gottem. For now, Chrissie was in good spirits and that was solely because Ariana needed her. Prancing into the room, she placed the tray on the desk, grabbed her bestie’s bowl and spoon, and made her way to her Cherry who was dead on bed. “Ariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, want some ice cream? I got your favorite!” Then she turned to Kavi and gestured for him to grab his own, “Sir, it’s going to melt.”

“Yes ma'am!” Kavi shook his head and laughed, taking his superior sundae with both hands and taking the best bite of bitter, sweet, and creamy.

Ariana took a few seconds to call upon the strength to get up from the bed before she ultimately sat up and grabbed the treat Chrissie was offering her. "Thank you, baby," the brunette cooed gratefully before giving her friend a brief, appreciative kiss on the lips. She took a bite out of her knockoff Coldstone sundae (not that it was better than her Peaches', who made hers with the secret, best ingredient: love) and savored the comforting mix of flavors for a bit before she spoke. "As much as I'm grateful that you guys are here with me and I'm sure we'll have a good time, I have to admit this is not exactly how I envisioned the end of my night to be."

After being rewarded by a kiss from a princess, Chrissie went to retrieve her own knock off of Ben & Jerry’s The Vermonster. “Mr. Big is an assmunch and doesn’t deserve you.” With aggression, she shoved a big scoop of her sundae in her mouth. Stabbing her spoon back in her bowl, she shook her head, “Love is dead. Who needs it!”

Mr. Big? Now who the fuck could that be? Do I care enough to ask? He thought for a moment, watching Chrissie practically murder that poor bowl of ice cream like it had done something wrong. For someone to get that sort of reaction from Chrissie and to strip Ariana of her usually cheery nature, this guy had truly fucked up. “Clearly I don’t know anything here, but..” Kavi set his sundae down and brought his eyes up to Ari. “His loss. Clearly, as Chrissie appropriately said, he’s an assmunch and a fool. I mean who in the hell dumps Ariana Mossos of all people? That’s like not wanting to be with me!”

“...no. Ariana is like, is like… a goddess, you are a plebeian in comparison!” Chris shook her spoon in front of him in disagreement.

“I’m at least a nobleman at the bottom of the royal tree!” He retorted back at her as if offended.

“As if,” Chrissie rolled her eyes, scooping yet another large amount of her sundae. “You are the floor we walk on. I say that with love.” She made a kissy face toward him, before putting her spoon back in her mouth where it belonged.

Ariana would have normally at least tried to act bashful when showered with compliments, but she really wasn’t feeling like putting up a front tonight. She trusted both Kavi and Chrissie enough to let her guard down and express her true feelings. “I know it’s his loss, but it doesn’t mean I’m not sad about it,” the morose girl admitted, taking another bite of her ice cream. “We were hooking up for nine months. That’s, like, the longest I’ve ever been messing around with anyone in my whole life. Definitely a mistake, though. Look at what good it did once the whole commitment issue came up…” she lamented, now following Chrissie’s lead and stabbing her own frozen delicacy. “What’s it lately with guys and commitment, anyway? You’d think that having a girl willing to let them be free as long as they do the same is appealing to them, yet here are Max and Jace: all up in my ass about being ‘official’. Like, shit...” she trailed off, taking a big, angry bite of her sundae and not even realizing she’d thrown their math teacher’s first name out into the open.

“Oop!” With whip cream a little on the side of her lips, Chrissie’s eyes widened. There was no usage of Mr. Big. She usually had a lot to say, but now she was looking at Kavi, waiting for his reaction. Did he realize the name drop or…?

No, it wasn’t missed, that’s for sure, though the process of handling the cool math teacher dating a student was a lot slower than Kavi thought it would be. While true, he always thought Mr. Russo was something of a… Well, weirdo. And now he knew why.

“That’s quite the story, Ari.” Kavi took a slow moment to gather the rest of his thoughts before speaking again. “Not sure what to really say other than you deserve better than what Jace gave you.” He wasn’t sure if it was the awkwardness of knowing Mr. Russo was like one of those weirdos being interviewed by Chris Hansen or that he felt an eerie similarity between what Jace did to Ariana and how Kavi had treated Ariel. Wild.

Ariana nodded in agreement, feeling her spirits rise with each word of support from Kavi and Chrissie. “Which is why I’ve decided to accept Max’s proposal to be exclusive,” she declared, nearly finished with her sundae. if Jace was so adamant that she should move on, then Ari would do just that. There was no use stooping down to the level of someone who thought she was less than what she knew she was worth. “If I didn’t fuck that up too, that is.”

Chrissie’s expression went from surprise to shock, quick. “For… realsies?” Did Ariana have a fever? She was talking nonsense. Since when did she ever want to become exclusive with anyone (aside from Jace, though she’d never say it outloud)? Placing her bowl and spoon down, licking around her lips to make sure all the whip cream was gone, she went to the bed, sat down beside her friend, and blinked a couple times before asking, “Are you sure?”

“Yup, I definitely am,” she confirmed, placing her empty ice cream bowl in the nearby desk and taking position behind Chrissie, wrapping her arms around her friend and nuzzling her neck for a moment. “I mean, now’s as good of a time as any to finally settle and start exclusively dating someone. Jace made it very clear that I’m not his problem anymore, so I’ll become someone else’s. You know, someone who actually gives a damn about me. Plus, Max is definitely a good match for me. If I have to pick someone, might as well be him.”

”Ariana, take it from someone who has been with you before,” he said, offering her a smile, “you were never the problem.”

Kavi’s comment was rewarded with the first smile Ariana had given since the fateful encounter with Jace. “Aren’t you the sweetest!” she teased, grabbing a nearby decorative pillow and playfully tossing it at his head. “Now let’s put my drama aside and focus on you, K-Bear. Please don’t tell me it’s that psychotic emo girl who has you all torn up like this-- no offense,” she added as an afterthought in case the boy really was suffering over said individual.

“Your little mermaid. Literally now with that… hair.” Chrissie made a face, imagining his ex’s hair dye job. She would never. “I can’t believe a girl’s got you so fucked up you can’t smile like you used to.”

He gave them both a shrug. “Ariel’s different than most of the girls at Kings. You know, I mean she challenges me and all that shit.” He felt a pinching feeling in his stomach while he tried to tell them how it was with Ariel. It was both easy for him to openly admit it because that’s the sort of effect Ariel’s had on him, but it was just a tad difficult saying it, knowing she was probably still at the dance with that jackoff Sawyer. “And her hair is straight fire!”

“It’s too bad she let you go. You obviously still love her.” Chrissie scooted to the headboard, patting a pillow for the other two to come join her as they threw a self pity party.

Kavi was full of shrugs to spare, because instead of offering one his famous quips, he rolled his shoulders and took the brunette on her offer. “So is this just misery loves company for two or are we about to make this into a depressed threeway?”

“Not before Little Miss Drama Queen here spills her guts,” Ariana taunted her bestie, taking up position on the left pillow facing the curly-haired girl. “Kav and I already did it. Now it’s your turn.”

If it wasn’t for Ariana’s comment, Chrissie would’ve avoided talking about herself as if her life depended on it. Her shoulders relaxed and her green gaze went from her best friend to her future… guy-best friend? Seemed like although her and Kavi didn’t know much about each other until recently, their friendship was blossoming at a rapid rate. This was all thanks to a stupid assembly! Staring at the ceiling, with the two beside her waiting in anticipation, she heavily sighed and brought the sadness further down. “I’m moving back to Scotland after graduation.” They asked for it.

Ariana’s scoff of disbelief was instant. “As if!” she laughed, shifting around the bed so she could be on top of Chrissie. “You’re not going anywhere, bitch. You and I both know that,” she said before moving back to her previous prime snuggling position.

“Yeah and, ya know--” Kavi looked at both of them, “--this is just the tip of the iceberg. So out with it, McCoy. What’s really got you down and out?”

“Did you forget the whole fight me and Stella had right before you picked me up?” Chrissie looked at him confused, while petting and playing with Ariana’s hair. “Okay so, me and Stel are basically over. She hates me, told me to move back to Scotland, so I might as well! All because she doesn’t see how hurt I am because the only person that was here for me when Jason fucking cheated on me was Ariana and she was MILES away. If Ariana can video chat with me, so can she!” Chrissie growled, getting more and more upset the further she explained her emotions in a messy, it’s getting late (she tired) kind of way, “Sooooooooooooo what if I tried to make Carter doubt her feelings! He’s weak for believing my white lie. Now she’s holding a grudge because one minute she wants one dude, and all of a sudden she wants Carter, and she’s mad at ME for stating my opinions to her stupid face. I literally can’t stand her and hope she gets her heart broken.”

“Man, that’s pretty terrible.”

Kavi knew Stella probably the longest out of anyone whose last name wasn’t Chen or Salvador. He’s known her even longer than Sonny has and there’s always been an unpredictable nature to the girl. Even growing up, Kavi could tell that she had a lot of potential of finally cracking. Kavi always assumed it would just be her gaining confidence within herself or something lame like that. He never thought in a million years that her equivalent to a butterfly emerging from a cocoon was going to be her being a total bitch.

Kavi placed a comforting hand on Chrissie’s shoulder, offering her an empathetic smile. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Chrissie. Stella’s a turbulent person but you didn’t deserve any of that.”

“And all the more reason for you to stay here instead of taking the coward’s way out and leaving,” Ariana added with a shrug, extending her arms so she could cup Chrissie’s face with her hands and looking straight into her eyes. “Never let your enemies see you when you’re down, Peaches. Remember that the best revenge you can have is to let them watch you succeed.”

With her right hand she grabbed Kavi’s hand that laid on her shoulder, returning the kindness, with her other one she rested it on Ariana’s back as her best friend laid on her, embracing her, loving her, Chrissie grinned almost sinisterly, “That, and you know, making her cry.”

“Don’t be a bitch, Chris,” Ariana scolded her bestie with a laugh. “Put out good juju and that’s what you’ll get back.”

”I mean,” Kavi interjected, “it doesn’t take much to get Stella to cry a waterfall of tears.”

Chris meant more than just make her cry, she wanted to ruin her cousin, but she wasn’t going to go into all that. Instead, she rolled her eyes at both of them and laughed, “nah, I choose the petty route. You know, like Mr. Big did tonight.”

The brunette flinched at the unexpected mention of Jace. “Can we not mention him again? Thanks.”

With a heavy sigh, Kavi put a stop to any further comments before it got too far by clapping his hands a few times. “You know what this sleepover needs? A solid couple of hours devoted to mindless cheese in the form of Pretty in Pink!”

“What the hell is that?” Ariana asked him, letting go of Chrissie and shifting around so she could frown at Kavi.

“In what timeline do we live in when I, of all people, know what Pretty in Pink is and you, the most feminine person in the entire southeast doesn’t?” Kavi shook his head and stood up. “C’mon! It’s time to educate you on quality cinema!”

[AlteredTundra]

_{A @metanoia & @Ejected Collaboration
Featuring Carter ♥ Stella}
__________________________________________♥__________________________________________

While Carter talked, without a doubt doing his best to offer a helpful perspective, Stella couldn’t help but feel uncertain about most of it. Her and Chrissie have had a tough time as of late. From the moment she got back from her Paris trip to before leaving for the dance, it seemed like their tropical storm of a relationship elevated into a category five hurricane.

The arguments they’ve had over the course of the past couple of months ranged from backhanded comments at the dinner table to occasional screaming matches that diffused whenever her mother put her foot down. In the beginning, their fights were motivated by how hurt Stella was by Chrissie’s betrayal and how Chrissie didn’t see it as such but it eventually escalated to actual cruelty towards each other. Even after the fact where Stella immediately felt waves of immense guilt, the damage had been done every time.

And then there was today…

Yes, who could forget all of what happened today?

It was easily the worst thing she could say to anyone. It wasn’t even the fact that it was to Chrissie, but telling someone to go back where they came from was vile and hurtful and honest to god, Stella knew she shouldn’t have said it. She honestly was done at that point that saying the worst thing she could let slip out. Nothing helped cure the pinching feeling in her gut, not even Carter trying his best to convince her things would be okay.

After taking a few slow moments of silence for herself, to take in everything, she finally looked at her boyfriend, squeezing his hand band as if to try and alleviate some of her inner turmoil. “Thank you, Carter. I’m still not sure and I want to hope that someday she and I can finally work this out and move past it, but--” She stopped herself from rambling like she usually did. “--Just thank you. I needed this right now,” she said softly, smiling at him. “I just kind of want to go home.”

Carter knew that Stella wasn't too convinced by his answer, and he completely understood why. After all, it did seem like her relationship with Chrissie had reached the point of no return. But although what she was going through at that moment was something he'd never experienced himself, he figured that he could at least be there for her whenever she needed him to be, even if it's just to offer his optimistic outlook on the situation to try and ease her mind.

Offering Stella a brief nod and half-smile, Carter squeezed Stella's hand and nodded his head towards the exit. "Come on, I'll give you a ride on my way home. I'll just send Nicole a quick text to let her know." Carter briefly scanned the crowd for the young woman, his eyebrow raising when he didn't find her as quickly as he usually did. One quick glance at his cell phone, however, told him that she'd already gotten a ride home with Jack.

“Is everything okay? We can wait for Nicole if she needs a ride too,” Stella said, “I don’t mind!” She added as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled towards him. “What did the text say?”

"Won't be necessary," Carter said with a shrug as he turned his phone so that Stella could see. "Nicole has already left the building..." As the young man spoke, he looked in the direction of both Santiago and April, who seemed to be having a pretty deep discussion by where they'd originally left them. "Maybe you should let Santiago know that you're headed out, too?"

In the middle of a step towards the exit, Stella’s mouth had opened, making something that sounded like it was going to be words, instead coming to a complete stop the minute she was reminded of Santiago. “And I oop--” She could only look at Carter with the sort of expression that was both grateful for refreshing her memory about her date. “--Yeah, I’ll do that now,” she mused, pulling her hand free from her boyfriends and sending a quick text to her date.

It read: ’Hey! Carter’s taking me home! Hope you and April have a fun night!
Xoxo, Stel 💕

As she placed her phone back inside her purse, her hand returned where it was and she smiled. “Okay! Now we can go!” Her voice trailed off into a giggle.

Letting out a light chuckle at Stella's reaction, Carter began walking once more, leading the way out of the country club and toward the parking lot. He slipped his hand out of Stella's when they came to a stop next to his bright red Lexus, only to pull open the passenger side door for her to climb inside. And it was after closing the door and settling into the driver's seat that he started the ignition, turned the radio on low, and prepared to pull out of the lot. "Tonight was pretty nice, don't you think?" he asked Stella, "Aside from... you know. Hopefully you still had a good time?"

She cheerfully nodded, making sure he saw the satisfaction on her face. “How could I not?” Stella chortled and let her arm fall on the armrest between them. “Santiago was great, which I’m still pretty shook about how great things have become for him and I, especially with how much I loathed him.” Even saying it out loud generated a visible, almost guilty expression to consume her former grin. “It’s in the past now and I couldn’t be happier. And besides, I don’t need to dwell on the past of some guy I was into for all of five minutes or anyone who may have been someone of interest -- because I have you now, right?” She flashed a smile at him, feeling all sorts of butterfly-like wings flapping inside her stomach and the feeling increased the longer she looked at his beautiful face. Whether it was Oliver or Marcel, she knew they knew it was Carter she wanted to be with and that thought brought such a bright smile to her face.

Of course, Carter returned Stella's smile for a few moments before refocusing his gaze on the road. "Of course you have me," Carter said, reaching for Stella's hand once more. "No doubt about it."

It wasn’t that she had doubted it for a second, but she’d always felt better when she heard double, triple, quadruple, quintuple reassurances. Whether it was how much was in her bank account from her weekly allowance, her grades, or even that she was loved, Stella needed that for her own sake. Shaky Stella is what they used to call her and that was because her faith could easily be rocked by the smallest of inconveniences, but maybe now that she had Carter and that he had her, those days would not only be past her but maybe it could be the first step of many in leading her down the path of growth she’s due for.

And maybe after some time has passed, she and Chrissie could--Easy girl, that’s still a marathon away. She had to remind herself that she was the one who had ruined things, so small, baby steps had to be taken.

As she came out of her own thoughts and refocused them on Carter, she faced forward, knowing that no matter what pains came her way, with him by her side, there was nothing she couldn’t handle.

[Sugar and Spite]

_{Featuring Jasper @HaleyTheRandom and Dani @Moro}
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As Dani took his hand, Jasper became even more nervous. It wasn’t that he hadn’t ever danced before - he did - but he didn’t really consider himself good, graceful, or anything else that made someone a half decent dancer. Luckily as they entered the dance floor a pop song was playing. This meant that Jasper wouldn’t have to worry about stepping on or tripping over Dani’s feet (at least not for now).

Trying to follow along awkwardly with the rhythm, Jasper raised his voice over the music to ask her ”So what brings you to Palms?”

Danielle was mentally kicking herself in the ass, right now. As the pop song came on, she quickly glanced around and watched another girl near them dancing, mimicking her moves as best as possible. Dani started laughing, mostly at herself, as she danced with Jasper out on the dance floor. Her attention snapped to her dance partner when she heard his voice call out to her over the music.

“Family. Dad got a job offer he couldn’t refuse and we moved back. Wasn’t too jazzed about it, but I do know a few people here, still. Enough to get me through the end of the year, anyway. Always got my cousins, if anything. Even though Max totally ditched me soon as we got here. He’ll hear it later,” she laughed jokingly.

Trying to copy what others were doing around them was an awful idea. Jasper couldn’t mimic them in the slightest, and instead managed to screw up a few times before finally finding his own rhythm.

”Max?” Jasper questioned. ”I don’t really know that much about him. Seems like a cool dude though.”

Dani nodded, taking a quick glance around to see if she could spot her cousin. ”Yeah, he’s alright.” She turned her attention back on Jasper, watching him as he danced and giggled a little bit. ”So, what brought you to the dance tonight? Don’t strike me as a guy who seeks to attend school dances.”

"I came here with Ariana. Pretty sure Chrissie was trying to set me up or something. I didn't really want to come, but since Ariana asked…."

”Well, that was sweet of you. I wasn’t so sure if I was going to come tonight, myself. My mom and aunt convinced my cousin and I to go anyway.”

”I’m used to Chrissie trying to set me up with people, honestly. She tries so hard to find someone for me or some shit. She’s a fixer, honestly.”

As the song came to a stop, Jasper looked around the room to see that most of the crowd had disappeared. The DJ announced the last slow song for the night, Jasper quickly glanced at Dani. Did he ask her to dance the last song, or did he ditch?

”Hey, give me just a second, okay?” Looking around the room, the blonde realized that he didn’t see his previously mentioned date. ”I…. I don’t see Ari… uh…” Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, Jasper sent a quick text to Ariana and confirmed that she was okay before returning his attention to Dani. ”I low-key ruined your last song. Looks like my date went home with my best friend. I have no other plans so… would you like to grab something to eat?”

”I think we both equally were ruining the song for everyone else.” Danielle laughed lightly, adding ”Yeah, sounds good. Just as long as you don’t plan to take me out into the boonies and kill me.” The girl nudged the boy’s arm playfully as she started for the door slowly.

A small smile spread across his face. Offering his arm for her to grab, Jasper lead Dani away from the dance.