[IC] Rosefell High.

[Hellion]

The exchange between he and Jordan was short-lived, even more so than normal. It seemed a lot of his conversations with anyone these days was brief. Too many interruptions. Life getting in the way. Blah. Blah. Blah. And while the kid seemed to be constantly glued to his phone as though jacked into the Matrix, Alex still liked having Jordan around. The cell vibrated, indicating a text, and he smirked when he saw Alana's message. He knew she would come, well, there was that sliver of doubt, but probably stemming from anxiety than anything else. The one trait he and Lana had in common was neither one of them liked parties. But, to not show up would probably be worse as they wouldn't hear the end of it.

His attention turned back to Jordan, but, before he even had a chance to respond, the snarky tone of Ricky Quinn crept up behind him like a cold shadow lurking. Alex swore a tingle would run up his spine every time the dude was in the vicinity. Like, "Spidey-sense", but more annoying. Of course, the moody jock always started just about any conversation with sarcasm, as though that was the only prescribe education he'd been exposed to.

Alex simply smirked though, barely even wanting to acknowledge the guys terrible humor. "Sup, Ricky?" He gave the other a quick nod, which is all he really deserved. But, any retort toward the guy would only cause a vicious circle of remarks back and forth, which would probably never end, or start a riot. Either way, Alex wasn't in the mood, nor did he care to feed the beast. He managed to throw Jordan a peace sign when the kid scooted off, before turning back to Ricky.

"So-uh, enjoy the party then." He said, all but ending the conversation as his attention suddenly looked past Ricky and spotted Lana. He couldn't help but allow a grin to form from ear to ear as she shot him a wink, and looked back at Ricky with that same goofy smile. "Oh, by the way, you mind if I take a quick picture of you? I think Jordan needs one for his collection of suspects."

Okay, so perhaps Alex needed to insert a bit of sarcasm. Lana was there after all, and that made his heart happy.

[AlteredTundra]

Ricky had the most 180 shifts in his mood that he had in a while. It came, of course, as Alex mentioned the act of taking his picture and Jordan Ross. He had considered letting him take his picture because obviously Ricky would love to be featured in the yearbook. More exposure meant the more people around school could stop talking about him behind his back. They could even worship him in some way, but at the mention of Jordan Ross and Ricky's entire mood shifted into an unpleasant frown and forced him to bite his tongue, which in turn made him grit his teeth, murmuring obscenities under his muffled breath.

Alex was harmless enough. He was a bit too handsy with that camera of his and honestly, Ricky just thought of him as Henderson's personal photographer who was quite skilled with the photos he took. Admittedly, Ricky hasn't seen every single picture but there was a certain style he could recognize being Alex's own. But when he made the comment about adding Ricky's photo to Jordan, he nearly lost it. It was only with the grace of God and maybe even a miracle on Ricky's part that had him take the road less traveled.

"Sure. You can take my photo but only if you tell me something," Ricky smiled, leaning in close to Alex, grabbing his shirt. "How does it feel knowing that, without that special camera of yours, you're just as useless as Henderson is a capable principal?"

[Hellion]

Useless?..

The terrible humor just wouldn't stop on Ricky's end. It never did. But what was the point of fueling an already raging fire of insecurities and self-hatred? Alex didn't know that much about the guy honestly, and the little he'd learned last year as a new student was more than he ever wanted or needed to know. Thanks to Jordan, of course -the endless spout of gossip that he was- it seemed there was a history of domestic abuse in the Quinn household, something that Alex couldn't really relate to as he always saw his parents are fairly vanilla. Boring even. The occasional squabbles about petty things, as most families would have no matter who you were, but nothing to the degree that Ricky had endured.

But maybe he had a point, nevertheless. Alex would be lying if the thought hadn't crossed his mind whether or not he would have any other skills outside the artistic realm. Is this all there is?

"You might very well be right." Alex responded with a shrug, lifting the camera up to his face and positioning his eye in the viewfinder. "But as long as every picture captures some kind of personal story, I guess I'll continue to do whatever I'm doing."

He centered Ricky's portrait in the frame, the yellow-orange of the bonfire's warm colors reaching far enough to light one half of his face. Quinn was a good-looking guy, and Alex appreciated a subject who, for one reason or another, seemed fairly photogenic, despite their emotional struggles. "Hold that pose. Nothing unnatural. People can sense fake. Just be you."

Alex didn't have to like Ricky, but he also didn't need to be on the guy's "shit list" for no other reason than existing.

[Cio]

---

---

"I don't know... I can't even remember who invited me, it could've been just out of politeness."
The end of the first school week had come quicker than Mia had expected. It had felt like a blur, between getting used to the new country and her host family, school had taken a backseat in priority. Fortunately the school had cut some slack on the foreign girl, giving her time to adjust to everything. Mia had gotten the idea that Rosewell High wasn't experienced in having exchange students, given how the faculty didn't know where she was supposed to be half the time. Hell, it had taken four days for the school to hand Mia her schedule with all her classes because the they'd forgotten to do the paperwork.
It wasn't surprising given how crowded the school was. She hadn't exactly picked the most high-end school for her exchange year. It hadn't mattered to her back when she was making the decision. All she'd wanted was to get away from her life where she'd felt like suffocating.

"Mia, it's your first week here. You've got to throw yourself out there, make some friends! This year will be what you make of it, so you should make it the best year you can!" exclaimed Janet Walker, the hostess of Mia's host family.
They were sitting at the dinner table eating, all four of them. Mia had learned that family meals were important to the Walker family. They dined together every afternoon once Janet's husband Timothy got off from work. It was a strange routine to get used to on top of everything else. The Walker family was nice enough. Really nice, actually. Back home, Mia had mostly eaten microwaved leftovers on the couch while her mother was off somewhere working or hanging out with her boyfriend. (Boyfriend didn't feel like an appropriate term for a fifty-something-year-old cheating manchild, Mia thought.)
But this, this was something new. At first Mia had felt like she was intruding, offering to eat somewhere else while the Walkers caught up with their son. That notion had been shut down quickly by Janet, however, who insisted Mia should feel at home. Meeting the older woman's eyes and seeing the sincerity in them, Mia hadn't had the strength to believe otherwise.

"Yes, Mia. You have our full support on this. We can even come pick you up if you hate it, it's no problem at all," Timothy agreed. Mia furrowed her brows, pushing the food around her plate.
"Oh. Thank you. Uh I'll... I guess I'm gonna go then. Get the full American experience and all that," Mia nodded. She didn't yet feel familiar enough with the Walkers to disclose the fact that she didn't want to be picked up or babied. She could take care of herself. But it was very sweet of Mr. Walker to offer. He and Mrs. Walker seemed to be very chill parents, always insisting Mia call them by their first names instead.

"Do you know anyone at the party?" Janet inquired as she bit into the macaroni casserole she'd cooked for dinner.
"There is this one girl I remember, Tyra, I think? She was assigned to give me a tour of sorts on my first day. I think she was forced to do it, but she was nice about it. Maybe she's at the party too."
Mia had talked to many students on her classes already, but she hadn't exactly gotten past the usual exchange student questions. 'I heard that you're like, from Estonia? Where's that? I've never heard of it' or 'Omg, teach me how to curse in your language' or 'Estonia? But you don't look African...'
To the latter Mia had of course answered to with a 'No, Estonia and Ethiopia were two completely different countries on separate continents.' Go figure. It wasn't that she didn't get along with the students of Rosewell High, she just didn't belong anywhere yet, not really.
But maybe going to the much talked lake party would change that.

---

Outfit
Location: At the lake party

---

Mia had ended up getting a lift from Timothy. Since here you could get your driver's licence earlier than in Estonia, Mia couldn't legally drive herself. I mean... she knew how to drive, from the countless summers she'd spent on the countryside with her grandparents, but her host family didn't trust her to drive their car. Which was entirely fair. Besides, if she got caught without a licence... Yeah, Mia had to suck it up and accept the help.

Mia looked around, adjusting the black top under her faded red Hawaiian style T-shirt. A few loose strands fell to frame Mia's face from her high ponytail. The ripped jean shorts she wore weren't what she'd wear on a normal day and neither was the shirt, but she'd figured that showing up to a lake party in long jeans wasn't exactly the smartest choice. Still, this outfit made Mia's knee brace stand out more, so it felt a bit weird. Exposed, almost. Her knee had been acting out again, as it almost always did, being the weak little shit it was. It was mostly her own fault for doing reckless stuff, but if anything, knowing it was her fault only made it sting worse.

There were people here, most of whom Mia could recognise as students. She didn't know names, but the faces were familiar. Especially the more popular kids were hard to miss. There was a bonfire going, and just glancing at the snack and drink tables made Mia feel a bit embarrassed of her own contributions. She'd brought along a few bottles of traditional Estonian liqueur she'd brought from home, as well as some chips she'd been practically thrusted upon by Janet. It seemed very insignificant compared to the impressive drink collection the party offered.
Steeling herself, Mia walked over to the snack and drink tables to drop off her contributions. I mean, if anyone else doesn't care for them, at least the host of the party will have something nice for their troubles, right?

[BrutalBx]

---

”...a quiet soul…”

---

”MAKE IT, D. MAKE IT!!”

The pain in his chest was strong as it tried to force what little breath he had left in his lungs out of his body. With a slam of his body against the makeshift pine wall, DeShawn slumped to his knees and watched the sweat drip from his head and bare torso onto the floor. Behind his Uncle Denzel’s house was a disused industrial complex and Dee had took the time to mould the debris and the vast urban decay into his own personal gym. As much as he enjoyed his team practices on the football field, the solitude of what was once Jolly Textiles was just too much to ignore.

It was all about stamina tonight. Suicide drives, got to love them. The part of the wasteland he had claimed as his new personal gym was just off the beaten path, close enough to the house for him to see it but far away enough so that he wouldn’t be disturbed. Dee’s workout regimen was extreme to say the least but he was built for it, not many other people were, that was one of the reasons he preferred to do it alone, no one else could keep up. He was happy with his progress physically. Now all he had to do was sort out the rest of his life, that was different fight entirely. As the sweat pooled beneath him, DeShawn let out a satisfied gasp of air. Barely a ripple in the vast ocean before him. They were stardust lost in space and he was only a fragment….shit all Dee knew was that he didn’t want to go back to West Baltimore.

The first week of his last year of high school was nothing short of boring. As was his usual style, Dee had kept himself to himself and was not at all interested in getting involved in the drama of Rosefell High. A quiet soul; he was there to play football, get recruited and make something of himself and he would do that even if it killed him. Dee had found a home with the Rosefell Knights, though transferring in late in the football season last year meant he couldn’t help them get to State. That said, it was a brand new year and he was now there right from the start. The Knights were going all the way with him in the team, he would make them shine and in turn, they would help him get a scholarship, that was really his only option to get out of this thing alive.

Once but an ounce of his great strength had returned, DeShawn pulled himself to his feet and began to drag his heavy form back towards his uncle's house. Entering through the back door, he kept quiet as he made his way through the house and up to the bathroom to clean the stench of sweat and garbage from his body. The piping hot water of the powerful shower made a lot of headway in soothing his aching muscles. After cleaning himself up, DeShawn changed into his party clothes. All summer, Dee had followed a strict code of conduct; if he trained as hard as he possibly could all week, he’d allow himself the weekend to let loose and relax. Normally this would mean a few video games at a fellow Knights or perhaps a rough and tumble with one of the fine females of Rosefell but tonight it meant going and getting shitfaced by a lake...there were worse ways to chill.

Making his way back down the stairs, he glanced over to the dining room where his uncle had fallen asleep on the table, a common occurrence. Uncle Denzel didn’t sleep a lot, a habit left over from his time in the army. He felt more comfortable sleeping on the floor or some other hard surface rather than his own bed. A small smile crept across Dee’s face as he watched a small string of drool fall from Denzel’s mouth and onto the history paper of a middle schooler. DeShawn pressed two fingers to his lips and then pointed them towards his guardian.

”Love you Unc”

As the synthwave permeated around his old Jeep Wrangler through his recently installed surround sound speakers, Dee took a few minutes to compose himself. He certainly wasn’t the worse in a social situation such as this but he he most definitely wasn’t the best. Large groups sometimes tended to give him anxiety. At least on the gridiron all he had to do was listen. He pulled up to the lake and parked the jeep just off the beaten path. He didn’t mind leaving his car this far out so he could have a drink, he’d just pick it up the next day. Walking up the party, his massive frame could’ve blocked out the bonfire that had amassed if he had so desired. He moved over to the drinks table and picked up a tasty tasty beverage, part of him was hoping that he could just blend in to the dark and just enjoy his evening but he knew that being six foot two and two hundred plus pounds of chocolate football player, that would not happen. It was just a question of who got to him first;

Friend or Fan?

[Sugar and Spite]

(Will do coding later. Currently on mobile.)

Morgan made her way through the crowd at the party, grabbing a drink I from the table as she gave Aria a thank you for hosting. While she and Aria had never spoken that much, she had heard good things about the blonde. Morgan had grabbed a green apple Smirnoff that she was currently sipping on as she scanned the crowd for familiar faces. She spotted Lana, Eli and Minty talking together (she adored their friendship), as well as Jordan and another young man she was pretty sure she had never seen before. How did he get an invite? Was he new? Morgan planned to find out.

Making her way over to the scene, Morgan was surprised to feel someones arms wrap around her from behind. As her fight or flight instinct turned on, Morgan felt her heart beat fast from the burt of adrenaline her body had given her - right up to the moment she heard a familiar voice. The friendly kiss sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Morgan turned to see her best friend Jenna. Returning the girls smile, she gave her a hug of her own.

"Jenna!", she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry we haven't hung out that much this first week. It's been so hectic trying to juggle streams, babysitting and school has taken some adjustment." She wrapped her arms around Jenna tightly one last time. It felt like it had been forever since they had seen each other - and it had. They had to work through some things, and they required time apart. Morgan hadn't realized just how much she had missed her friend until now though. "How have you been?"

[spooner]

Maybe it was the huge fire that was going on behind her but there was a pleasant warmth in the air as Aramintah sat looking out at the still lake. A small sigh escaped the young girl as she looked around her for her friends. Had they really ditched her? Would they do that? No surely not. Her question was answered almost instantly when she felt the warm embrace of Eli coming from behind.

“Ooh finally…” Minty sighed as she leaned back into her friend. “It’s been 84 years.” The girl croaked as she tilted her face upwards so she could look at his face while he talked.

She held his arms tight around her while she returned her gaze toward the still lake again. “Nope… I’m guessing she’s thinking of an excuse to flake on us.” Minty huffed.

The friends spent some time chatting as they always did when they were alone. That’s why Eli was one of Minty’s best friends… hell one of her only friends. Talking to him or Lana just came so effortlessly to her. Their conversation was interrupted by the small figure of Alana Kingsley stomping over to them complaining that she was forced to come. Aramintah reluctantly got out of Eli’s embrace and turned to face her small friend rolling her eyes as she did so.

“Come on Lana! What else were you going to do tonight?” she gestured getting up walking over and giving Lana a hug. “And besides…” she continued grabbing Alana’s shoulders turning her around to face away from them. Directing her gaze towards the two boys having a discussion. “Both of your wet dreams are standing right there!” Minty cackled almost jumping up and down. “So either you can make your move… or you can fantasize about a potential threesome!” she let go of Lana and crossed her arms looking at the young men who seemed to be in an argument.

[AlteredTundra]

_{Collab with @spooner Featuring Camila DeLuca & Ludvig Hellqvist}

---

Cami hadn’t left Ludvig’s side since she left Melissa and Steph to handle the keg that they brought. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure nor confident about her place at the party, but being convinced by the thorns and maybe seeing Aria, that tall blonde bombshell was probably the only things keeping her around. And, of course, so that Ludvig didn’t have to suffer through the party alone. There was co-dependency between them. She needed to get out more, explore the area and better acquaint herself with Columbus and the neighborhood since she’s been away and Ludvig needed her to be his rock.

And so they wandered about, talking with each other, talking with others, getting a drink or two, but for the most part, Cami and Ludvig kept to themselves. The best friends from childhood who, sure had friends around, but sometimes all someone needed was some quality BFF time.

They parked it near the bonfire, though not too close because it was way too hot but close enough to enjoy the view. “Pretty crazy how fast this week has moved, huh?” Cami mused to Ludvig, stretching her legs. “I mean, I’m still readjusting to the neighborhood. Not even a week in and already it seems there are a lot of hands tugging at me.” She didn’t mind the whole ‘headfirst into the deep-end’ approach some had, but there was a part of her that wanted to relax for a few weeks and then jump into clubs or whatever came across her lap. “I don’t know, Lud. I guess I sort of miss the quiet patience that SI had, y’know?” She said with a sigh.

Ludvig, who had been entranced with the dancing flames lost in his own thoughts like he was most of the time nowadays, snapped his head towards his best friend. He hummed as he thought of what to say “Well I get what you mean…” he began, “You’ve always been popular with people… It’s hard to get why you stuck with me.” he let out a nervous laugh. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a swig from his beer. He turned back to his friend with a strained smile. “Just know that I am so so glad you are back here… and whatever you need… even if it is me letting you be by yourself… I get that.” he said quietly.

The whole week Ludvig has had this weird knot in the pit of his stomach that he was almost smothering Camila with his presence. It was just that she was the only good thing in his life right now. Sure he had Artie and the others but not really; they just tolerated him because Artie told them to. So if he had to back off to keep Camila around he would.

Camila lightly punched his arm, shooting him a teasing smile. “I was never stuck with you, Lud,” she corrected him. “You were the first friend I made and no matter how many people claim to be my friend, you have always been there when some proved to be fake friends!” She felt a surge of emotion race to her head, prompting her to bring in Ludvig into a half-hug. “I don’t care who promises me the world, if that doesn’t include you, they can kiss my you-know-what!” She laughed.

The blond boy let out a small laugh, giving Camila a half-smile. Even though he knew she was genuine because she always has been, Ludvig couldn’t help but still feel he was a burden. But now was not the time for his dark thoughts so he widened his smile and straightened up. “We’ll conquer it all together then!” he stretched his long legs out finishing off his beer. He looked around at the students that had gathered at the party spotting Aria standing around just surveying the crowd of her party he gave her a friendly nod before turning back to his friend.

“So what do you think about our fine institute? Found anything that tickled your fancy?” he chuckled bumping her shoulder with his.

The years between them had taught her a lot, such as when to read between the lines when it came to Ludvig. She knew what he meant beyond the surface. So, when he asked about something that tickled her fancy, she knew he wasn’t asking her about activities or potential friends. Yeah, she knew what he knew what she was starting to feel. He was the only one knew how she really felt and specifically, what group of people her attraction leaned.

She adjusted her legs, closing them and awkwardly shifting, which was just her way of stalling time but she shrugged. “I mean, it’s just the first week, but maybe,” she hinted. Part of her was still weird in that sense. Though Ludvig knew she was gay, talking about who, as he put it, tickled her fancy, was awkward for her. It didn’t matter who she was or how forward she might be, when it came to openly admitting who she might have a crush on, Camila was as forthcoming as anyone was. “I don’t know if I'll ever act on it, but that girl Aria.”

“Ah…” Ludvig nodded as he stared at the flames yet again. “I thought I saw some sparks the first-day back….” he smirked as he cast another look over his shoulder towards Aria. “Well good thing I’m kind of friends with her then!” he said standing up and extending his arm to Camila. “Want to go talk to her?” he offered.

“Just like that?” She asked him almost immediately. “We just walk up to the co-host of the party and be like ‘hey, I think you’re really cool. I like you a lot. Maybe we can hang out or something?’” She asked, grooving to the rhythm of the popular vine, laughing afterward.

He mimicked the laughter “Exactly! Or you know we could just make small talk and see where it goes!” Ludvig continued while shaking his hand indicating for Camila to grab it.

The redheaded teen sighed. She knew when she was beaten and Ludvig had reduced her to the point where she visibly threw up her hands in defeat and took his, standing up. “You win!” She said, half-smiling, half-laughing as they walked off.

Cami and Ludvig kind of just wandered around like before but this time they had a set goal, so they walked with purpose. Some comments were made but Cami’s response fell flat when she saw that familiar blonmazon. Compared to Cami, at least, she was tall. And when she turned around, drink in hand, Cami flushed a light red but swallowed any nerves and went forward because she wasn’t a coward. “There you are!” Cami waved at Aria as she and Ludvig approached her. She smiled, giving the blonde a quick once-over. She tried her best not to linger too much, lest she gives off anything more than friendly vibes. “Great party so far! You and Jenna did great work!”

[Bee]

---

Oh thank god, Rich saw her. Smiling, the streamer walked over to her buddy. Even along the way, she couldn't spot anyone from the Knights anywhere even remotely close to them. Strange. Maybe they decided to pass on the party? Maybe they all had emergencies? It was strange to have them be missing from a party like this one, and it wasn't something Samantha wanted to think about. All that mattered was that Rich was here and that was something she could vibe with, and at least he was able to see her and hopefully get her involved in whatever the hell he was involved in. It was going to make networking a whole lot easier for her. Samantha and Rich were enough to start a party and get something going.

"You think I know?" Samantha laughed, "I haven't heard shit from them!" Samantha turned around to see if she could spot someone just barely coming in and being hella late. Seems like nobody was coming in. "Shit, don't matter. If it's just us, it's just us." Samantha smiled, as she noticed that Rich was looking off somewhere in the distance, as if he was tracking something. Clearly, something had caught his eye, but the question was what? What was this man staring at right now? Maybe it was a homie? Samantha turned around in his direction again, only to see a dinky little minivan.

It was then it was figured out why Rich was staring. "Melissa? Melissa Elliott? I... I don't know. That's something you've gotta ask Jordan, friend. I know nothing about her."

[NeoAJ]

As the leader and second-in-command of the Thorns struggled to get the cooler of coolers up into the position that the Queen desired it, Steph couldn't help but wonder what the point of this move was. "So, if the drinks are all on the roof, how are the rest of us going to be able to get them?"

Melissa sighed as she rested her end of the cooler on the roof of Steph's minivan. "I told you, Steph," she explained. "Until I can scope out this party and determine what the status is of the alcohol available and the status of the idiots who may steal our alcohol is, it will be safer up here. And don't tell me you can lock your van. A strong breeze will blow the door off this thing."

A pout crossed Steph's lips. "I swear, you need to be nicer to my van. It got everything here, didn't it?"

"Not what I'm ultimately worried about, it's the getting home part." Melissa finished hoisting the beverages onto the roof. "So, I'll toss you a couple and then what do you want to do?"

"I'm probably going to try and find some of the others, see if Min-Jun or Daisie are still around."

Melissa shrugged. "Don't know why, but suit yourself." The cheerleader tossed a folding chair onto the roof and then gracefully hoisted herself onto the top via the hood of Steph's van. "You know where to come for refills though." She tossed a Cranberry and a Lime towards Steph. "Where did Tiff and Cami and ... that dude. Where did they go?"

"I don't know. I can try and find them?"

"Sure. Go do that." Melissa unfolded her chair and set it up next to the cooler. "You know where I'll be for now."

Steph nodded and wandered off, leaving Melissa to her own devices. The blond pulled an orange Breezer out, twisted off the cap and took a long, sickeningly-sweet sip as she sat down. She glanced over the bonfire that was slowly growing in stature, fellow students dancing around as if a part of some pagan ritual, the lake basking in the twin illuminations that the flames and the moonlight provided. Melissa felt at ease as she enjoyed the fake-orange flavor that beckoned her to let loose. But there would be time for that yet. For now, the Queen of Rosefell was content to sit on her throne, libations at hand, surveying her queendom and wondering who would be next on her list to conquer.

[Ejected]

_outfit

The first week of Tyra's Senior year had been a pretty uneventful one, if she did say so herself. Besides being given the opportunity to show around fresh meat throughout the week, and having to sit through a forty minute-long assembly on the first day, Tyra's first few days of school had been pretty... boring. It was basically the same old routine that she'd been going through for the past two years. But it wasn't like she expected for it to be anything special or out of the ordinary; it was Rosefell, after all. Aria Herondale's party was the only thing that Tyra had to look forward to that week, so when Friday night finally arrived the young woman was more than delighted to pick out her flyest outfit and head down to the lake to blow off some steam. Tyra pulled up near the other cars in her 2011 Honda Civic, blasting music from her usual playlist. Her mother's warning about drinking and driving echoed in her head as she cut the engine, pocketed her keys, and got out of the car.

It didn't really come as much of a surprise to Tyra that Morgan Sinclair was the first person she'd seen in the crowd of Rosefell Juniors and Seniors. It was as if she had been subconsciously searching for the girl since she'd gotten out of her car. Although having a bit of a complicated past, Ty was glad that she and Morgan were able to maintain a pretty solid friendship. What did surprise her, however, was the person she spotted embracing the curly-haired woman from behind: none other than her best friend from third grade, Jenna Moore. Had she missed something? Were the two of them an item all of a sudden? Tyra's head whirled with unanswered questions as she continued strolling and surveying the crowd.

DeShawn Marcus. God, was he a sight for sore eyes. As Tyra approached the liquor table, she couldn't help but take a few long gazes in the direction of the two hundred pound football player. To say that she was surprised to see the boy there would be an understatement; she'd never thought he was the partying type given that he usually stayed to himself during school hours. But rather than try to strike up a conversation with the guy she hardly knew, Tyra simply poured herself a drink, gave him a quick nod, and continued on, hoping to find at least one of her friends within the next few minutes.

And that she did.

"Richhhhhh, my brother!" Tyra called out in a sing-song voice as she approached the young man from behind and wrapped an arm around his torso. "What's all this I've been overhearing? Don't tell me that you tryna slide up on my girl Melissa." The goofy grin plastered across her face made it clear that she was only trying to tease the boy. This grin suddenly faded, however, when Tyra realized who it was that Rich had been talking to in the first place: Samantha Queen. It was no secret that Ty wasn't too fond of the other woman for multiple reasons. Nevertheless, Tyra knew that there was no reason to be nasty towards her, especially since she also happened to be cool with one of her close friends; she simply offered the girl a half-smile in greeting. "Nice to see you too... Samantha."

[Venus]

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

“Come on Lana! What else were you going to do tonight?” Minty had asked before wrapping the shorter girl in a hug.

There were plenty of better things Lana could think of doing instead of being at this party: playing guitar, curling up with a book, watch a few movies, talk on the phone with Alex for a few hours...

And speaking of Alex...

Alana's attention was soon brought out of her internal list of activities more suitable for her personality and onto the events unfolding in front of her. Two very familiar boys were sitting beside each other: with one of them visibly upset and forcefully grabbing the other's shirt, while his victim appeared to be unbothered, as shown by how he calmly held a professional-looking camera to his attacker's face. Her blue eyes widened in panic when she realized who were the feuding men, and found herself rushing over to the scene as fast as her small legs could take her.

"Ricky! Hi!" Alana said as brightly as she could when she'd reached them, hoping to distract the volatile boy from punching the lights out of her secret boyfriend. Although the petite girl wasn't one for confrontation, she realized that if she didn't act soon, Alex would probably end up in the ER. "How's it going? I haven't seen you in forever!"

[Sugar and Spite]

_Outfit
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Aria was spending most of her time at the party making sure people didn't get into fights or do anything else stupid, though it seemed that with Ricky and Alex interacting something may go down way sooner than later. While keeping an eye on the situation, she continued to greet people as they came over to get drinks. A few nods to some foot ball players, a couple of girls that she recognized from the cheer squad and so on. Keeping her eyes peeled for any of her friends, she was soon approached by Ludvig and Cami.

"Oh thank the gods you guys came!" she exclaimed, wrapping Ludvig in a hug. "I was beginning to think that my invite was to random and turn off-ish, but it looks like I was wrong." Taking a sip of her drink, Aria did her best not to stare at the red head, but rather try and keep the vibe friendly at most. She didn't even know if Cami liked girls or anything, so why ruch and make a fool of yourself, right? "You two look great, by the way. Is there anything I can get you to drink?"

[spooner]

A small shocked noise followed with a quiet laugh left Ludvig as Aria wrapped him in a tight hug. “Of course we came…” he said as he rubbed Aria’s back in an attempt to calm her down. “We wouldn’t miss this for the life of us… Right Cami?” he stated as he pulled away from the blonde. He shook his head at Aria’s offer for something more to drink “Nah I think I should probably slow it down a bit.” Ludvig knew himself well enough that if he kept drinking he would lose control and he was not in the right mindset to do so. He had already had five beers after all.

“Well!” he exclaimed rubbing his hands together “I actually need to go find… someone” he lied. He wanted to let the girls get to know each other and him being there would probably just distract from that. He turned his face to Camila and gave her a quick wink, the exchange was only seen by him and Cami.

“So if you excuse me, ladies, I will return shortly!” he said as he bowed walking backward as he did so. He turned around and started to walk aimlessly through the crowd of teenagers. After a few minutes of walking, he came to a particularly comfy looking log. Ludvig laid himself down on it with a grunt. He shoved his hand down his pocket digging around for a bit before fishing out a perfectly rolled joint and a lighter. Half sitting the boy lit the small roll before he lowered himself back down taking a long drag. He blew out a cloud of smoke in front of him, it swirled and mixed with the stars above him. The smoke danced as much as his own thoughts did inside his head.

Fuck… had he made a mistake leaving Camila there? Damn it should he have stayed with her? She said she was nervous! Fuck, fuck, fuck she probably hated him now. Shit I should probably go back there he thought to make an attempt to get up from the log. But it was as someone had put an invisible weighted blanket on top of him. He couldn’t move… he was stuck all alone on a log… having a panic attack.

[Cio]

_Outfit

---

---

After dropping off her gifts to the snack and drink tables, Mia hovered around for a bit, not quite knowing what to do. People were chatting and laughing, having fun and partying. Everyone obviously knew each other, whereas Mia could only make out vaguely familiar faces. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Mia to feel out of place in a crowd, but it rarely bothered her to this extent. Bold as she was, it was kind of unusual for the girl to still be standing alone. Mia told herself it was just because all the passing conversations were too bland to note.

In the end, Mia settled on getting a mugful of punch - the alcohol percentage remained unknown to her - and leaving the comfort of the drink tables to socialize. The brunette took a generous sip of her drink, delightfully surprised to find out it was actually rather good. Whoever had mixed the punch had done their job well, Mia thought. She didn't like things that were overly sweet, and this drink had a nice balance to it.
Looking around, there was plenty to do. If she so wished, Mia could go and have fun playing beer pong. That would be an easy way to get familiar with people. Alcohol and games usually brought everyone closer faster than they would with everyone sober. Mia didn't particularly feel like getting hammered tonight, though. She was in a place she didn't know with no friends or a car, so getting too lost in the party mood could end badly. It wasn't as if she was much of a drinker anyway, more just one of those people who enjoyed getting a light buzz going. She'd done her fair share of reckless drinking when she was 15.

Mia decided to look for a place to sit. She began walking around, navigating her way through groups of teenagers that were in varying states of intoxication. After a few minutes of searching (most of the seat-like places were occupied already) Mia noticed a few logs that were free. Well, almost free. As she neared the logs, Mia noticed there was a person lying on one of them. He had a joint that was slowly burning away, and he seemed way too focused on the sky above them to acknowledge Mia's.
"Is this log taken?" the brunette asked, partly just to break the ice and to make her presence known. Rounding the free log and sitting on it, Mia didn't wait for the boy's answer.
"It's funny, I always thought teenagers only had parties like this in American movies," she chuckled while glancing in the party's general direction. Mia felt just a tad self-conscious of her stiff accent that set her clearly apart from the others. Talking after listening to others talk just made the difference that much starker, at least to her own ear. "It's cool, though. I like feeling like I'm in a movie."

Mia glanced at the person lying on the log next to hers. He was staring at the sky, steadily ignoring Mia's presence. Or at least Mia interpreted it that way.
Okay...
There was a brief silence where Mia just took a sip of her drink. Sure, she was a little weirded out by the flat out rude reception (or should she say, lack of reception), but maybe this boy wished to be left alone.
...Now wait a minute.
It was on her second glance that Mia noticed that something wasn't right. The boy was staring at the sky just a bit too intently, his body was just a bit too tense, and his breaths - while visible - seemed just a bit too short. Mia hadn't noticed before because she hadn't really taken a good look at him, but now it was clear that there was something wrong with him.
Oh shit, maybe he wanted to be left alone if this is like a private moment or something... Should I just go? Maybe I should just go. Yeah, I'm gonna...

"Is everything okay? You don't look okay," Mia asked instead. She scooted closer to the other end of the log, holding a concerned expression. Maybe this was some sort of... anxiety attack or something? Mia had never experienced one herself, at least while sober (Too much alcohol always did some weird things to her mind), so she couldn't be sure. The girl was torn between leaving the blonde guy in peace and trying to help him, as she didn't know which action was more wanted in that moment. Her instincts told her to stay and at least check on him, though. If the guy were to tell her to fuck off though... she would. No problem.

[Hellion]

Before Ricky could respond to Alex taking his picture, however, the young man already had the other framed up, and took a few shots, figuring his subject wouldn’t really care either way. Sure, Ricky did grab Alex’s shirt as though he was about to punch the art student in his pretty face, but the kid also wasn’t too phased by the jock’s idle threats. It wasn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last time. There was tension clearly between the two, but it really didn’t have to escalate any further than-

Lana’s excited greeting almost made Alex jump, as he didn’t even see the girl running across the sand toward where the two were standing. Oddly enough, for a tiny introvert who is generally soft spoken, Alana Kingsley had a loud pair of lungs when she wanted to be heard. And heard she was. Of course, her showing up was no coincidence as Alex clearly knew by the fact that she addressed Ricky so quickly in order to divert his attention. Although it never made the scene any less awkward when two guys who really liked the same girl were standing next to one another. You just never knew what was going to happen as most can become raging neanderthals under the right conditions.

Alex stepped back a bit from Ricky and smiled at Lana, gazing upon a beautiful face he could never get out of his mind even if he tried to. But why would he? They had something no one could ever break apart. Not with a thousand hammers smashing away at it or a fire setting the whole thing up in smoke. They had unconditional love.

Or so they hoped.

[Sugar and Spite]

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Watching everything unfold around him, Eli felt the conversation come to him easily. Giving Lana a small smile as she took her seat beside them, he adjusted himself to a comfortable position.

"Lana! There you are. I honestly thought you'd rather dye than show up, honestly." As the two girls exchanged words, Eli found himself looking Ricky and Alex's way as well. He had to admit that his friend had good taste in what a guy looked like, but personality wise? She could use some work in that department. As Ricky grabbed Alex by the shirt, Lana left without saying a word to either of her friends. Had Eli had time, he would have made a joke of the situation.

Watching the situation closely, Eli tried his best to keep the conversation going with Minty.

"I understand where she's coming from trying to defuse the situation, but if one of them so much as raises their voice in her direction, I'm kicking their ass."

[BrutalBx]

---

”it’s a thin line ‘tween heaven and here”

---

There was a distinct voice in DeShawn’s head screaming at him that he shouldn’t be at this party. As he stood by the drinks table, taking a sip from the first beer to touch his lips in god knows how long, he looked around at his beautiful peers. This was their world and he was just existing in it for the time being until he graduated. Tyra Washington was a bit of a babe, she was fun and she was staring, albeit subtly. Dee didn’t mind and smiled to himself as he watched her leave to join a group that had amassed across the way. ”Another time, girl”

Columbus was not Baltimore. Parties there were terribly different. It wasn’t about who hooked up with who or who was hitting the blunts a little bit too hard. It was more about what corner X-Boy got shot up on and celebrating what would’ve been his sixteenth birthday. It was about someone’s long forgotten brother getting out of the joint and people feigning remembrance by throwing them a welcome back party. This shit that was going on before him was definitely more tame in comparison.

Dee’s mind took him back to the mean streets of West Baltimore for a moment as he reflected on the fact that most of the boys in his old crew would likely be dead before they even got to graduate. The kids that partied around him, some of them he had managed to become friends with in the short time of his being there but he stood envious of them. They had no idea how easy life had been for them up until that point. He knew these weren’t rich kids in the slightest, Rosefell was known as an island for the misfits but none of those misfits had even the slightest notion of life on the killing streets, where every new step meant breaking the back of dead soldiers.

As a thread of anxiety began to rise up from his stomach, the full ball back for Rosefell High swiftly scanned the party for any kind of welcome distraction. When he wasn’t training or playing, DeShawn had a lot of shit in his head that he didn’t let out. Through flickering embers and flame, the big man saw a wisp of familiar blonde hair; Melissa Elliott. She had essentially been his welcoming committee when he arrived at Rosefell. It didn’t take long for her to sink her claws into him either, not that he resisted, shorty was fine as hell. Problem was there was just way too much drama with her, shame because beneath the glamor, she wasn’t half bad.

Moving towards the Queen of Thorns, DeShawn looked up at her makeshift throne with a smile. ”It’s a thin line ‘tween heaven and here, so what’s an angel like you doing up there all alone when you can be down here with me?”

[dh]

---

++God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.++

---

As they sat in their worn-out Camry in the worn-out car park of a tiny worn out church, Dylan was pretty certain they didn't believe in god. They were even more certain that their addiction counselor was a total quack. No medical training, no expert knowledge, hell, no professional training at all. Dylan was sure they could do a better job with just a couple of hours on Google. Still, this AA group was halfway between Rosefell and home and that made it the least objectionable. They had promised their parents that they would attend at least once a week, but they weren't going to go out of their way for it.

At least hearing other addicts made them feel better about themselves, as callous as that sounded. Tonight they'd heard from a guy who crashed his car into a telephone mast, and a woman who had punched the groom at her daughter's wedding. Dylan comforted themselves knowing that their rock bottom would never be that bad. Or perhaps that was wrong and these were grim predictions of their future after all. Either way, the smarmy counselor wasn't going to be much help.

They glanced at their phone and saw a flurry of messages. Aria's party was down by the lake tonight. Dylan chewed their lip as they weighed up just how terrible of an idea it would be to go. A party full of Rosefell students would be equally full of alcohol. And despite Dylan's apathy towards their treatment, even they could realise that would be a bad place for a recovering alcoholic. On the other hand they hadn't really seen Aria in forever. They'd spent this first week of senior year caught up in their own head, heading from class to class like some kind of blurry eyed automaton. With a sigh they flicked through their phone and typed out a text message.

-Study group. Home late. Xx-

They felt a pang of guilt about lying to their dad, but they knew he wouldn't approve. The guilt brought other emotions flooding right back to the surface. Their own personal rock bottom had come just over a month ago. A lump formed in their throat as they remembered their words.

I WISH THE FUCKING CANCER HAD KILLED YOU.

Dad said he'd forgiven them, but they knew he was still hurting. Dylan was hurting too. They pressed send and started the engine, causing the stereo to burst into life.

---

++Bother me, tell me awful things
You know I love it when you do that
Helps me get through this without you

Bother me, tell me awful things
You know I love it when you move that on me
Love it when you do that on me++

---

It only took ten minutes to drive down to the lake. Dylan parked up the car and began to walk down towards the glow of the bonfire. As they approached they could feel the heat, the sting of smoke in their sinuses, and the sound of teenage voices chattering away - arguing, flirting, just complaining about life. If you forgot about the rest of the world for a moment, it could almost be the set of a coming-of-age movie. They paused and took in the whole scene. There were many people Dylan recognised, but very few they actually cared about. That thought brought them back to reality. Why were they even here?

They spotted Aria down by the drinks table. After a deep breath to steel themselves, they made it two steps before they saw who Aria was talking to. Dylan had no idea who the redhead was, but she was definitely attractive. And they knew what that look on Aria's face meant. They waved a hand in Aria's direction and mouthed a hello. Maybe she'd come find them later, they didn't want to get in the way. Selfishly, they hoped that they'd misread the situation or that something would go wrong. As fucked up as it was, they didn't want to have to share Aria's attention with anyone.

With a sigh they collected up a big pack of marshmallows from one of the tables and settled down cross-legged in front of the bonfire.

[LovelyComplex]

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Was the nerdy-ass jock actually the one hosting this party?

When Lucky Cross thought of bangers, he did not think of Aria Herondale. She was respected, sure, but she had no idea what made parties worth attending. He doubted the lot that was already there pre-gamed, he doubted any of them had anything but maybe one weed delight made by that wonderfully, dimple-faced JK, and he doubted anyone made a mistake yet. So honestly? It would be a disservice to her, and the entire party, if he didn't help out, even just a little.

With disgust written all over his face, the Hound twirled the keys of his father's old wagnoneer, that he borrowed, with a cigarette resting in between his lips, waiting for two others to grab the goods he brought. First, his boy, Hunter "Chase" Wolfe, who was currently suspended from Rosefell for who-the-hell-knows-how-long, carried the cooler full of hard, one-cup-could-get-you-drunk, jungle juice, while hanging over his shoulder was a duffel bag filled with fireworks, because who doesn't like fireworks? Yeah, most of it was illegal, but who the hell cares? This was a party. Chase was a fellow boy battling demons, having grabbed someone's trumpet from their hand, and — well, the whole school knows the story. He either talked too little, or too much, but it all ended the same. With violence.

Beside Chase, throwing her hoodie over her head, was someone Lucky considered a little sister, and the only one that could calm the storm of her act-first friends, even though she was basically their age and also had aggressive tendencies: Nellie. Her full name was Helena Perfect, but she was far from perfect and one of the most vulgar students at their school. She was a bitch, and a boss, and she didn't need to pretend to be a barbie to get her point across. She was like a chihuahua, but her bite was that of an untrained pitbull. The main reason she could handle damaged and broken people was because she too was damaged and broken. Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, with the more prized goods (drugs), she snagged the cig from her friend and took a drag, "You're wasting good shit on kids that don't deserve it."

"That may be the case." Lucky clasped his father's keys tightly in his hand. Peering down at the shortie, his lips rose upward into a smirk, "But, you know me. And I love—"

"Mayhem. Chaos. Stupidity. Yeah, yeah. I know." She flicked the ashes on her friend's shoe, before adding, "Y'know Hunt' and I ain't staying for this shit. This place reeks of turds and cunts.” She blew smoke in his face, before dropping his cig on the floor and rubbing it on the ground with her foot. Only here because she “owed” him one, and also because she knew he convinced Chase to come along and there was no need for someone to go to the hospital. Oh, how lady like. “When you're done playin' around with your dick, come over and watch some flicks, you hear?"

"Of course." In amusement, Lucky chuckled, before handing over his keys to the tiny girl and grabbing two cases of beer from the back seat of the car. There was never enough alcohol at these things, and he’d be damned if his buzz left him.

“We can keep your mom’s whiskey?” Chase grumbled, as he adjusted the cooler in his hands. A little ticked Nellie wasn’t going to let him stay for at least a drink.

"Yeah, man. She won’t know it’s gone. But you do need to get the car back.”

---

Finally arriving, Lucky and his crew made their entrance, by Chase putting the cooler down, lighting a roman candle, and shooting it toward the lake. As unsafe as that was, he didn't hit anyone.

"Alright losers!" Nellie shouted, as she made her way to the favor/snack table. Taking her bag off, she dumped the goods on the table. Out of her bag came drugs you'd find at a rave, think MDMA and LSD, glowy shit like sticks and jewelry, a bag of weed, a couple already rolled joints, and a weed bowl. Fuck them, she wasn't going to bring her bong. "Don't be fucking pussies, this is a party, ain't it?"

Once Lucky placed the cases by the beer pong table, he went toward the first people he caught sight of at the beginning, his childhood friend, Melissa, and an eyesore, "If you two are going to eye fuck each other, why don't you do it while playing a game?" He gave Melissa a challenging, slightly annoyed glare, "Come down from your pedestal, and show these kids how to party." His friend was well aware of how bluntly Logan spoke. To her, no less. But, she knew, he had her in his best interest and her sitting way up there, while everyone was awkwardly making conversation, was not the way to go.

Once the fireworks went out, Chase grabbed the cooler and put it by the drink table, “Want to feel good, fast? Drink this." After the cooler was situated, he took his duffel bag off and tossed it to the person with the marshmallows, sitting by their lonesome self (Dylan), who was not too far from the people sharing an intimate moment on a log (Mia and Ludvig), “You there, stop thinking and have fun."

Pulling Chase's arm, both him and her grabbing a shot off the table, they made their way to their friend, handing him the two shots - well aware what he was up to. He offered Dee a shot, his way of declaring war, and slyly grinned, "You two versus me and whoever-the-fuck-else. Let's get this party started, shall we?"

"You hear that, dipshits! Who wants to play beer pong with this asshat?! The big bad wolf!"

Now, this was a show, and if these two refused, that would be rather embarrassing.