[IC] Rosefell High.

[Sugar and Spite]

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Mr. James P. Jameson had woken up at five thirty this morning so that he could make sure that everything was right for the first day back at school. His suit was ironed, his tie straight, and his hair had been combed in only the special way that Mr. Jameson could do himself. Everything for today had to be perfect, and James P. Jameson was the man for the job.

At exactly seven thirty Mr. Jameson would be in his office chair, sitting behind his desk. His legs were crossed, his hands in his lap, as his assistant, Vice Principal Leanna Berkley went over her checklist to make sure that everything was good to go for the day.

”So… the emails all went out explaining the tour guide situation?”

”Yup. I made sure we have enough ’Hello! My name is:’ tags. All they have to do is write their names on them and like… pair up. It’s genius, right?”

Mrs. Berkeley laughed nervously and she checked the first box on the list. Mr. Jameson was a lot of things, but a genius was not one of those things. ”Okay and the cafeteria staff know that we’re doing burgers today?”

The look on Mrs. Berkeley’s face was clearly one of obvious confusion and concern about this. Burgers on the first day? The first day was always pizza day.

Mr. Jameson nodded his head. ”And not the cheap shit either. These Liberty kids aren’t used to this soybean stuff so I added some of my personal money to the food budget and we got something that… well, it looks more like actual beef, okay? I don’t really know what it is. I don’t think anyone does.”

”Riiiiggghhhttttt….. So busses are arriving, breakfast is in the lunchroom if they want it. I hope we have enough desks in all of the classrooms. Some of them are really crowded, but…””

”Don't even sweat it, man,” Mr. Jameson said, waving his right hand in the hair dismissively. ”I try not to worry about things until I actually have to. It’s how I keep such a cheery attitude.”

With a sigh, Mrs. Berkeley tried to hide the ‘what the fuck’ expression that was painted on her face. The big boss was an idiot and her list was practically pointless.

”So I guess we’re just gonna wing it and hope that everything’s going to be okay? No bloody noses or people getting pissed off because everything’s going to shit?”

”Right on baby! We’re gonna wing the fuck outta this thing.”

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Meanwhile, the busses were arriving at the school. Students were gathering in small packs as they met up with friends. Car horns beeped in the student parking lot as insults were shouted from one person to another.

A strange feeling hung over the student body this morning. Tension was high, and so was excitement; However, general despair and disgust were also in the air. Bets were being placed on who would start the first fight, who would be the first to get pregnant this year, and who would get the first detention.

Life at Rosefell high was overall very simple. That didn't mean it was going to stay that way.

[BrutalBx]

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“ain’t no corner boy bullshit” - Denzel Little

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No sleep was not usually a big issue for DeShawn. If it wasn’t Melissa or Minty digging their nails into his back or his lump of a cousin practicing his admittedly bomb rap skills; it was the odd nightmare or memory of his former life in West Baltimore. The previous night however it was a different kind of excitement that prevented him from drifting off into Dreamland. Today Rosefell officially merged with Liberty and a life that he had only just gotten used to was about to change again; for worse or better had yet to be decided.

Columbus was a fresh start and Dee had spent most; if not all of the last year trying to ingratiate himself into the Ohio way of doing things. This new world he had entered was not one of glitz and glamour; this definitely wasn’t the OC but it was most certainly a very separate place in comparison to Calhoun and Fremont Street. He had managed to carve out a nice little slice of the white picket pie for himself thanks to his aunt and uncle. He could not thank them enough for what they had done for him; taking him without never having met him. Giving him the structure and discipline that the Soulman never could. For the past twelve months; they had been his parents and Rosefell had been his home.

Having almost immediately been drafted into the Rosefell Knights by Hunter “Fuck You Very Much” Quinn; Dee’s experience running from the Police and breaking through fences and doors made him a hell of a linebacker (Defensive Player of the Year by God!) and through those damn Knights he had found the brotherhood and the challenge that he had been sorely lacking and desperately craving as part of the crew in Bodymore. He loved those fucking idiots almost as much as he loved the cheerleaders; what could he say? Sexual chocolate had a thing for white women.

Speaking of white women and challenges; it was these two things that had kept DeShawn awake. Melissa Elliott as she always did give Dee a tremendous work out but it was in fact Alina Zabrecky that staved off his sleep. He had received an email saying he was to be Alina’s buddy during the merger. He did not know many of anyone really at Liberty High but for some reason the name Zabrecky rang out but he was not sure why. He had spent most of the night trying to work out the best way to play it; did he approach as a fellow former newbie and use that card to make her feel comfortable or did he go full Big D Energy and ramp up the flirting? She was a babe no doubt but Dee wasn’t no fiend. New kid vibe it was!

Having had his beloved Jeep Wrangler taken away for his addiction to sneaking white women into his bedroom; Dee made the decision to run to school, it was a bit far for a normal human being but DeShawn Marcus was not a normal human. Besides Boogara; he was the tallest kid at Rosefell by far and was built out of pure raw Baltimore steel coated in Hershey’s chocolate; truly he was a specimen to behold. Choosing his outfit for the first day was not something he particularly cared for; so Dee simply threw some clean clothes into his backpack ready to change once he had arrived at school; he slipped into a pair of joggers and left his chest bear, shirts were restrictive when running. He kisses his rosary before descending the stairs to the kitchen; central hub of the Little household.

”Hey yo!” A typical Dee greeting. He entered the immaculate room to the typical sight; his uncle Denzel sitting at the countertop preparing for school, he was a teacher at a local middle school. His aunt Jada was slaving away over pancakes for her idiot son Isaiah who was half asleep on a couch nearby, most likely spitting rhymes in his head. ”Don’t worry about breakfast for me aunty I’ll grab something on my way”

”DeShawn we’ve talked about this. It’s good morning everybody, not Hey Yo, ain’t no corner boy bullshit gonna play in this house; you feel me?” Denzel Little was not a man to be trifled with. He was ex army and still kept his body in such a way that he could give Dee a run for his money and often did during workouts. To the outside world, he was a a goof, a fool with a stupid sense of humor but the man commanded respect. ”Please tell me, I’m mistaken but I could’ve sworn I saw a certain blonde haired cheerleader exiting our driveway last night. Anything to say Dee?”

Of course DeShawn remained silent. He may have been the size of a small house but in the shadow of Uncle Denzel, he was the size of a lawn gnome. ”It wasn’t like…”

”You don’t have to explain yourself baby” Jada chimes in, turning from her pancake batter to glare at her husband. ”Denzel let the boy make his choices. Lord knows you made some bad ones when you were a kid”

”Whatchu mean as a kid? Look at that jumper he got on! Pop’s is like the whitest, black man that ever lived” As was his custom, Isaiah chimed in when it was not required. ”And we do need you to explain yourself Dee. How dirty those skinny blonde girls?”

Jada could only roll her eyes and return to her cooking. Lord knows living in a house of alpha males was pure toxicity in a bottle and it was messing with her feng shui. Denzel looked up from his paper as DeShawn opened up the back door. ”Dee; I’ll only say this once; be careful out there. Those Liberty kids will make you miss the street, trust me. Also I updated your run playlist; you’re welcome”

DeShawn pulled out his phone and glanced at his Spotify. Sharing an account with the entire family was a difficult thing. Most of Isaiah’s stuff was like NWA which was fine, even Jada had
some taste with her early nineties r&b but holy shit; the crap that Denzel put on here. ”Jesus Unc. X is right; you really are the whitest black man that ever lived. I’ll catch y’all round the way” He shook his head and departed the house.

”Any reason you decided not to tell him his fathers getting paroled soon?”

”It don’t matter. Treyvon come to my house and try to take that boy from us; I’ll put a bullet in him my own damn self”

The man of a thousand nicknames popped his beats over his ears and scanned the recently amended playlist for something worth listening to on his commute. Well well well, looked like his uncle didn’t have that bad a taste after all. Dee hit play on an absolute banger before taking off down the street, waving as the white ladies and old bodies of the neighbourhood came out into their stoops to get their morning delight of sexual chocolate.

[spooner]

A loud groan could be heard from under the covers of the bed that was located in the middle of Armintah Goh’s messy room. Every surface of the room was covered in either clothes, half-finished painting, or empty Starbucks cups. Eventually, the girl stirred and popped her disheveled head out from her comforter cave. Bleary eyes searched for the phone that was vibrating like something that belonged in her bedside table drawer. Minty fell back dramatically on her back when she finally got her phone to be quiet and stared at the ceiling.

After a minute of brief existential crisis, Minty sat up and stretched her aching muscles. That’s what she gets for staying out late with her very own boy toy Spike getting into trouble in their special way. Not only that, she had decided to stay up to finish a piece that she had been working on for a little while. So now here she sat more tired than she has ever been on the first day of school.

“Fuck!” Minty whispered to herself as a distant memory of an e-mail crept into her mind that was slowly waking up. She had signed up for that stupid mentor program for the new Liberty students. It was her mom’s idea because it gave extra credit and god knows that Minty needed all the extra credit she could get her perfectly manicured hands on. To say that Minty had been disappointed that the Liberty student was a girl was an understatement, but who knows… maybe she’s cute and she can be corrupted. But this meant that she had to impress… she had a reputation to uphold after all.

The dark-haired beauty strutted over to her full body mirror to admire herself for a moment and figure out how she could best honor her title of “Rosefell’s exotic beauty” as these Liberty bitches roll in.

After a quick shower and her hair wrapped up in a towel, the girl sauntered down to the breakfast table where her parents sat waiting for her. As if on cue they started to berate her with demands and questions. But the most they got out of their daughter was a small hum. This was when they brought out the big guns… telling her about the accomplishments of her brother. This earned them a deep eye-roll and a steely glare.

If they only knew that their saint of a son actually was Rosefell’s premiere toxic fuckboy that got not one, but two girls pregnant his senior year. But Minty got paid a pretty penny by Iwan to keep her lips sealed, so all she could do was sit and take his praise and simmer in her own fury. With her last spoon of strawberry yogurt, she almost sprinted back to her room to escape her parents.
After picking out her outfit Minty sat down at her Messy desk to figure out how she easiest, and with as little effort from her she could get to school. She swiftly tapped on her phone and lifted it to her ear and waited for her go-to to pick up.

“Hey it’s your boy Spike, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you can tell me all about it at the beep. If you hot and DTF, text me where and when. THANKS!”

She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth, she should have known that he would still be asleep. And her other ride or die Spice had her car at the mechanics… for the third time this month. It looked like she had to get to school on her trusted bike.

Luckily for her, the trip was mostly downhill, and the slightly chilly breeze served to wake her up even more. As the decrepit building that they called a high school came into view Minty skidded to a stop next to all of the other kids with bikes and locked her bike. Looking around she definitely saw a lot of new faces and fancy cars pulling up. Raising a pristinely plucked eyebrow she made her way to a bench where she plopped down immersing herself in her Instagram in the wait for one of her friends to arrive.

[Melissa]

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Aiden Howard did not want to go to school today. For a number of reasons.

The first reason was that the blonde believed education to be vastly overrated. He was never one to stick his nose in a book willingly, complete an assignment with more effort than it took to lift his pinky finger, or focus on the subject at hand in any course. He was simply coasting on his good looks and effortless charm; more interested in what he was going to have for lunch and who he was going to socialize with next than lessons and papers. At his essence, Aiden didn’t apply himself nearly as much as he should have.

The second reason was that he now had to go to Rosefell High of all places. When he got the email last month that instead of returning to Liberty in the Fall he’d have to attend the decrepit and lackluster campus across town, he laughed and thought it was some kind of premature senior prank. But when all of his friends got the same email and heard about it on the news that night, they discovered it was no hoax.

And the third? He was exhausted. Aiden had spent all of his Labor Day weekend and the days prior with Richie and Marcos in the Hamptons for their annual golden boys trip. Every day they’d lay out by the pool or go out on the boat until they were gloriously tan and golden, soaking up the sun. In the evenings they partied and drank either at someone’s mansion or on someone’s Yacht until dawn. Rinse, repeat for 5 days straight.

The blonde’s alarm sounded off loudly and annoyingly once more… he could only hit snooze so many times. On the brightside, at least he got to finally reunite with Fiamma after nearly a week of being apart; the promise of seeing his redheaded sweetheart was enough motivation to finally make him roll out of bed and into the shower. When Aiden emerged from his room some odd minutes later dressed and ready for the day, he descended the winding staircase and was greeted with the sight of an empty living room and kitchen aside from his younger sister, Olivia, who sat at the kitchen island eating her breakfast. As he reached the last step, he looked around expectantly and began to speak, searching for any other signs of human life. “Where’s-”

“Don’t even bother asking- they left.” Liv stated glumly, interrupting her brother’s thought and taking another bite of her toast as she scrolled through her phone. “Mom had to go and show a client a property and Dad’s flight took off an hour ago.”

Typical. Absolutely and brutally, typical.

“Of course they’re not here, why am I not surprised...” Aiden replied, stifled anger rumbling in his voice as he made his way over to the fridge to find some sustenance. Long gone were the annual first day of school breakfasts his mom used to slave over and pictures on the front lawn with the Kingsley’s- that tradition died when Leonel and Spencer moved out. Now, it was customary that the blonde’s parents were more often out of the house than not. Shaking off the negativity, Aiden looked down at his phone for the current time. “We’re leaving in a few, Richie will kill me if we’re late.”

“Are we driving Fi, too?” Liv innocently asked, tearing her eyes away from Instagram for a brief moment to glance over at her brother. Aiden bit into the green apple he had retrieved from the fruit drawer and shook his head.

“No, Liv. Summer’s over and things have to go back to the way they were in the Spring.” He explained sourly, clearly not enthused by the subject. The few months over break had been refreshing for the young couple. Aiden and Fiamma were able to spend hours and days together away from prying eyes which included many sleepless nights. They had no peers to answer to or hide from and empty houses to enjoy while their parents were away at work. But now, it was back to reality which meant stolen moments behind closed doors and hiding their relationship once more. “You’re still sworn to secrecy, understand? If you spill, I will personally make your life a living hell- you’ll be walking to school and no dealer or hookup on campus will sell to you if I have anything to say about it. Got it?” Aiden warned, his tone enough to show how serious he was.

Liv groaned, already knowing the deal they made, and nodded. “Calm down, Romeo. I’m not going to say anything...” She got up from her seat at the counter and took her now empty plate over to the sink to rinse before placing it gingerly in the dishwasher. “Besides I have better things to worry about than your love life.”

The blonde boy sighed, slugging his (basically empty) backpack over his right shoulder and made his way to the front door, keys in hand. As he pulled the knob and turned back to face his sister, he actually got a good look at what she had chosen to wear. His older brother panic alarm went off wildly as he motioned to her dress... if he could even call it that. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“Um…” Liv looked down at her choice of outfit, and seeing nothing wrong, looked back up at her brother. Sure, it may have been an inch or two shorter than something she'd normally wear, but it was the first day! She had to make a good impression, especially since it was a different crowd of people, and that meant something cute and trendy. “Clothes?”

“Whatever, we gotta go.” Aiden rolled his eyes before ushering his sister out the door and towards his Jeep. The boy normally wouldn’t give two shits about what she decided to wear, but Rosefell was new territory and he had no clue what kind of... pervy animals roamed those condemned halls. As much as they may have argued and disagreed, Liv was his baby sister, and if Aiden was anything, it was protective. He exhaled once more as he turned the ignition of the car, the roar of the engine drowning out any choice words he decided to utter under his breath.

The Howard siblings rolled down their long driveway and towards the Kingsley residence, what was sure to be an interesting first day awaiting them.

[Kiki is Anxious]

It's weird having parents around when you get used to seeing them sparsely through your teenage years save for the holidays where it was a family event, the rest of the days often through a screen or a phone call daily to keep in touch despite the time zone difference from wherever they were.

The week since the announcement was a rollercoaster for Juno, who had just came home with her parents from having gone up to New York for her birthday after school let out for summer cause she wanted to be as far from Ohio as possible. Where she quickly discovered that being eighteen sucked, cause her parents really couldn't stop the annoying paparazzi from hounding her whenever they were together. So being yelled at with lights flashing repeatedly in her eyes was an awful way to come out of watching a Broadway show she had been dying to see.

Getting merch to send to Sean as soon as she got back since he flipped out when she told him about it.

They were the biggest damper on her time in New York, but she was persistent in enjoying her time there. Shopping with her mother and eventually going with her dad to the studio for his last few sessions where she got to meet a few of his co-stars. Her brothers were enjoying the hotel they were staying to really bother her outside of their gaming sessions when she got home. Somehow, she got to enjoy a few peaceful hours every day when she went to a dance class on her own after spending a nice time with her parents. By far the most challenging bit of her vacation for her, but it was nice to indulge in a little hobby with people who liked it too.

The day they got back to Ohio, she had no time to really comprehend her whole school transferring to Rosefell or the email that entailed it all, thanks to the tradition of spending the first couple of days with both with her parents and the Barker the day after they settled back into their large family home. Sure, she got to enjoy the ever pleasant company of the Barkers and her "big bro" Christian for a few days as their parents caught up, it was really the last two days that it sunk in what was happening.

And it hit her harder than puberty.

So much so that she almost worked herself up into an asthma attack from her panic when it all dawned on her in the middle of watching the local news also talking about the upcoming day of Rosefell's school year starting in two days. She was thankful that she had finished Sam's commissions before she had left and had told Emily that she was gonna be mostly sleeping to recover since those last two days were filled with her going through her closet and trying to find an outfit to make an impression-- What impression, she didn't know. To be honest, she hadn't made it that far with the planning yet, but something about pulling things together helped her settle some of her nerves enough to collect her thoughts.

Everything was going to be fine, it's a new school, she can reinvent herself and not be the same Juno she was at Liberty. Plus she might have known a few people already from being the thrift store shopper she was or from the diner dinners her father took the family to occasionally. Him being a big supporter for local businesses should surely be something that would help her.

So when the day arrived, and she woke up with as much ease as one would expect from an eighteen-year-old going to the first day of their senior year. Her snooze button suffering a few knocks before she finally rolled out of bed in her cocoon wrapped comforter, groaning like a zombie, knowing full well she had put her alarm earlier for this exact reason. Even late, she was still early in getting up from expecting her being the one to take her brother's to school, and she had to make sure she looked stunning.

Music rang out of her stereo as she leisurely went about her business getting dressed in the outfit she put together the day before. Struggling a little bit with her stockings and socks thanks to her thick thighs, but they were gonna look great with how the dress accentuated her curves, and she got to wear her new leather jacket and shoes. Curling her hair and bangs into her signature style so it could hang down and frame her face, that she spent a while putting makeup on except for her lipstick. Being careful to not mess up the whole time with a steady hand, then she would be ready.

Slipping her black heeled ankle boots on just as she was heading out of her room, with her backpack in hand to quickly make her way down the spiraling stairs, heading for the kitchen. The sight of her mother hugging her father from behind as he cooked breakfast, whispering things between each other with sleepy smiles while her younger brothers were seated at the counter’s stools, both of them still in their pajamas and their heads resting on the granite counter snoozing away since the smell of their dad’s infamous egg sandwiches had probably lured them down."Good morning sweetheart, you’re just in time for breakfast." Her father said without even looking away from the egg he was frying.

”I’m not really hungry Dad—- Mom, do I have to take Jasper and Fineas to school?” Juno quickly asked, shifting her attention onto her mom, who looked at her with a raised brow, already seeing where this was going to end.

“I was planning on taking them, but you should try to eat something before you go.” Her mother began, watching as her daughter was making a beeline for the front door, snagging an apple on the way.

”Already done—“

“Juno Marie Micheals.”

As if this was gun match, the redhead froze in place at the doorway, just a few feet away from freedom. Unbeknownst to her parents, cringing at hearing her full name being used in the Bohannon voice, one reserved for orders, grim news, and the rare scolding. Slowly turning her head to look over her shoulder, she asked, “Yes, Dad?”

Her blue-ish green eyes watching her father point his spatula at her. “Eat a good lunch... And try to have a good day, okay?” Her father smiled a little and the tension that had built immediately left as she sighed. “You got it old man, seriously though, can you not give me a heart attack the first day of senior year— Save that for prom night.” She joked as she continued heading out for the day.

Herbie, her lovely red Volkswagen Beetle that was the apple of her eye, was her pumpkin and carriage to the new grounds of Rosefell after she ate her apple and threw it away. Starting it up only after applying her lipstick and dabbing off the excess with one of the tissues she kept in her car.

Her backpack resting in the passenger seat as she followed the GPS to her new school with a wide variety of songs playing in the background, sometimes she would hum along that soon evolved into singing along as she turned into the parking lot of the school. The rounded sunglasses hiding the fact she was scanning the area for a good spot as much as she was looking for familiar faces, or the one in particularly who might be the Lilith she was going to be shown around by.

”Shit,” Juno said suddenly the second she shut off her car, her head dipping downward to rest on top of her hands resting on the steering wheel as a rather unpleasant thought occurred,”Hunter.”

She groaned unhappily under her breath at the memory of the other shitty guy in her life, and how he was a a senior student at Rosefell like her too now.

Despite how peeling out and skipping the entire day became ten times more appealing than staying, Juno grabbed her bag and got out of the warmth of the inside of her car. The cold air prickled against her lungs with the deep inhale she forced herself to do, as she stared slightly upward to the sky with her bag slung over her shoulder.

”Today’s gonna be a wild fuckin’ ride.”

[KatKook]

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"One hell of a day."

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_{Her House / G's Bits cafe}

Mornings in the Romano household are less hectic than the Lynn household, it is quieter, only the faint sound of the busy bustling downstairs in the cafe could be heard but in Jo's room it was relatively quiet. The birds feet tapping on the fire escape outside her window but they soon flew off the moment Jo's alarm blared off. She let out a groan and moved to turn it off, she slammed her palm on the button and snoozed the alarm, she then stretched her foot and arms as her head was still down on her pillow but she hit her guitar which was resting standing against her bed, and since Jo loved this guitar way too much she moved to catch it, throwing herself on the floor with a thud to soften it's landing. Throwing herself off the bed meant her blanket came with her and since a basketball was also on the bed it came down on the floor as well. The guitar landed on her stomach and she hugged it to keep it safe, letting out a sigh of relief but then the basketball rolled off and hit the side of her head. Such was her morning.

"Morning to me." Jo let out as she laid on the carpeted part of the floor. She pushed herself up and moved the guitar on her stand which was on the other side of the room. She stretched and looked around, everything was a mess and she honestly does not remember why. She brushed her hair and scratched her head, letting out a yawn before walking over to her phone. She ran her thumb to unlock the cracked screen and the reminder of the tour day or whatever was making itself very apparent. She blinked a few times before her eyes widened and a huge smile appeared on her face. She moved her fist triumphantly and started playing music to set the mood. She was really in a happy mood since she'll finally see Samantha after only being online friends.

She then put her phone down and moved quickly out the door to the shower, Max has not come home in a few days so there was no one contesting the bathroom. She had a quick shower, and came out feeling fresh. She dried her hair as best as she could and dressed in something nice. She did not feel like wearing a skirt today especially since it did not fit the vibe. She slipped on a pair of white walking shoes, grabbed her phone and earbuds, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She then made her way downstairs pass the living room and home kitchen, and straight into the café kitchen. In the café proper stood her aunt talking to one of her business partners of the café, Ms. Nam Dal-mi, Aunt Gianna wore her usual, black shirt, mom jeans, and that apron around her waist. Jo walked up to the two and gave aunt G a quick smile.

"Hey aunt G, hey Miss Nam." Said Jo, Aunt Gianna placed her arm around Jo and brushed the girl's rogue hair to the side, ms. Nam just gave a her quick nod, but that just prompted Jo to give her a quick handshake.

"Oh, are you heading to school? There's a breakfast bagel for you over you know where, you can go grab an extra one if you want, I can't really talk much right now, okay honey?" Said Aunt Gianna in the softest, sweetest voice, her caring nature really made Jo feel safe, she is and always will be thankful for her.

"Alright, I'll talk to you when I get home." Jo replied, aunt Gianna then gave her a quick pat on the side of the arm and prompted her to skedaddle. Jo then went over to the kitchen and grabbed herself two breakfast bagels, stuffed them in a paper bag and made her way out the door, she gave aunt G a quick wave and left the building. She walked over to her shitty motorcycle, put in her ear buds and straddled it before stuffing her face with her aunt's bacon and egg breakfast bagel. She pulled out her phone and started texting.

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To: JJ 💯
From: Jo Lynn
Hey!

Wanna hang? I got an extra breakfast bagel, ya want?

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_{Rosefell High}

With that, Jo started her vehicle and rode off to Rosefell, making sure none of the stuff she had fell off. On the ride to rosefell, she sudden taught about who she was assigned with for the tour, it is some guy named Aiden that she has absolutely no clue what his schtick, in the middle of her thoughts her motorcycle started coughing or something and since she was already pretty close, she was just hoping it could make it. Thank the heavens it did.

She got off her bike knowing full well she is going to have to deal with that before she leaves but now she needs to deal with the one thing in her mind, and that was the Liberty students, as much as she wants to be super excited and happy that she will finally see Sam, her thoughts of Aiden are looming over them like a storm cloud. She shook her head to snap her out of it but was immediately distracted by the bus of Liberty students pouring out by the front of the school. She took a deep breath, brushed her hair back, and moved to the front of the school to get a good look at the Liberty students, it was too hectic to even get a good luck.

Whatever is going down, Jo needs to get ready for it.

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[spooner]

A blond head leaned against a newly tanned hand whose wrist was wrapped in a shiny Rolex watch. The head and hand belonged to Richard Diedrikson who currently was absentmindedly poking at his scrambled eggs. Even though it was still pretty early in the morning Richie has already accomplished a lot.

He and his father had gone on their morning run, where they get the chance to finally be alone and talk about everything and nothing, the Cadillac had been polished and readied for its upcoming journey, and now he was seated at the dining room table reading his e-mails about his new school.

His mother passed behind him running her hand through his hair looking over his shoulder at his phone. “The amount we paid to that school, you would think that they could keep it open…” she lamented as her hand traveled down to her son’s shoulder where she gave it a little squeeze.

Richie jerked his head away and ran his own hand through it, trying to look at his reflection in the shiny cabinet door across from him. He had a precise way he wanted his hair even though it didn’t look like it, something his mother never understood.

“Come on mom… it can’t be that bad at this new place,” Richie said as he pocketed his phone when he was satisfied with his hair once again.

A grunt could be heard from behind the large coffeecup his father was holding against his lips. “It better not be or the Liberty board is going to sue, and I will be backing that decision,” he said sternly almost more as a command than a statement. Richie took the hint that he was supposed to report back at the end of the school day.

“Understood…” the young man whispered as he leaned back in his chair. His pocket vibrated and he slipped out his phone once again. The screen showed a picture of a blonde girl and Richie’s face brightened instantly, he held up a finger to his father and snuck out to the foyer.

“Good morning Vee” he greeted smiling to himself looking down at the shiny black and white marble flooring.

“Morning stud, how was the weekend with the boys?” his girlfriend Vanessa’s voice could be heard from the other end calling, from three states over in Vermont where she attended Meadow University.

Richie searched his mind to even begin to describe the golden trio’s Hamptons weekend, in the end, he settled for “Oh you know, the usual… a lot of boozing and a lot of cruising” he let out a little laugh. “How about you babe, what did you get up to this weekend?”

“Nothing much just hung out with my new roommate… she’s kinda weird… You’ll love her!” she exclaimed. A knock could be heard in the background after a slight pause Vanessa returned “I’m sorry Richie I need to jet… I miss you, I’ll call you tonight! Love you have a great day at the new school!”

“Bye! I lov-” he got cut off by the beeping noise of Vanessa hanging up. He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket, grabbing his jacket putting it on in one swift movement. He slung his already packed school bag across his shoulder before yelling “Bye I’m leaving! I need to pick up the guys” he could hear his parent’s distant goodbyes before he made his way outside and over to his shiny car.

He carefully caressed the side of his orange beauty as he got in and turned the key. As soon as she started to purr Richie felt a calm rushing over him. He pulled out of the Diedrikson estate and made his way over to Marcos’s house.

When he arrived he put his car in park and pressed his hand on the middle of the steering wheel letting out a long and loud honk letting his friend know that he was there and ready for them.

[LovelyComplex]

Grasping her hand tightly, Spike Langley eagerly followed the enticing Aramintah, who he has tried and tasted on numerous occasions. Gradually, he opened his eyes to take a peak, only for her to shout, "No peaking!" Grumbling to himself, he squeezed his eyes closed, waiting not-so-patiently.

What was taking so long? One moment they were going to get burgers, the next she decided to change plans and surprise him. This better be good or he was going to have some choice words with her. "Okay fucking shit, Minty. Are we there yet?"

"Calm your tits, yes. We're almost there."

What felt like a millennium, where he was drifting in and out of sleep, he realized her hand was no longer in his. Hesitantly, he called out, "...Minty?"

"Open your eyes."

Flying his eyes open, the sudden brightness blinding him, night turned into day (weird), and there she was, standing in a bouncy house at the center of the Rosefell football stadium. She was wearing her emerald lingerie that he liked so much and it was crystal clear what she wanted. The bass boomed in his chest at the sight of her biting her bottom lip, while she gingerly slipped one strap off.

"Well?" She beckoned him to come closer, running her dainty hand down her soft, petite body. At this point, the setting didn't matter to him. He ripped his shirt off and started running to her. As he struggled to take his pants off, someone dashed past him. Looking up from his zipper, his mouth dropped.

"Lucas?" The fuck was he doing here? Speeding up his run, forgetting about the pants, he charged to Minty. There was no way in hell he'd get there before him. After only a second or two, there again was another boy, "Back the fuck off Mason, she's mine!" And then at the same time, to his right, came flying in were his best friends Dee and Hunter, with their smug ass grins, both naked mind you (gross). "You gotta' be shitting me." Feet kissing the land, he shoved Hunter out of his way, with full force, straight into Dee and bolted down the path to the bouncy house like an Olympic champion.

Slipping in the bouncy house, he turned to zip it closed, seeing the zombie apocalypse of Minty's lovers chasing toward them, at full speed. Turning around, he growled—

"What the fuck, Minty!" With a sudden spasm, sweaty Spike found himself sitting up in his bed. He glaringly looked around him, only to realize it was just a dream. "Thank fucking Christ." Frustrated, he searched for his phone. After picking it up from under his pillow, he wiped his eyes with his left hand and checked his notifications with the other. Speaking of the devil... looks like she called.

After a moment of sluggish sleepiness, he saw the time, "SHIT!" Hopping out of bed, he sped around the trailer, "PAW-PAW WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!" Ripping off his boxers, he jumped in the shower for a five minute quick dip.

His grandfather poked his head in the small bathroom and laughed, "You looked like you were having a good time."

"Shut up, old man!" Spike aggressively scrubbed soap around his body.

"Hey, no shame, my dude. It's all natural." Before Charlie Langley closed the door, he instructed, "Packed you your weird eggo sandwich for breakfast. Don't forget it," and teased, "If you need me, I'll be on the lawn reading one of those magazines you hide under your bed." Letting a quick chuckle escape his lips, he casually asked his grandson, "Hey, Spike, you know they got porn on the internet, right?"

"Oh...my...god."

"Just busting your balls, sport. I'll see ya later. Remember to pick up eggs on your way home." With that, Charlie had left Spike alone in the bathroom to go about his business. Instead of a magazine, Grandpa Langley grabbed his guitar and went outside to sit at the picnic bench by the bird feeder hanging from his big tree. Staring into the empty fire pit not too far away, he started strumming The Ballad of Curtis Loew by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Embracing the fresh air and the new day, enjoying the solitude of his retired life, Charlie let the sweet refrain of the acoustic guitar speak to his soul. He had no time to be sad. He had a boy to raise. For his son and daughter-in-law, he would raise Spike in the only way he knew how, relaxed and with tender love, understanding, and humor.

Out of the steamy shower, Spike grabbed clothes from different areas of his messy bedroom and threw it on, "Melissa is going to kill me if I'm not there to greet those trust-fund, Pac Sun-looking, Rolex watch-wearing, my-daddy-owns-a-yacht mother fuckers." Once he was fully clothed, he grabbed his backpack, making sure his drafting Strathmore Bristol 300 sketchpad was in it. He usually transfers all his pages on 11x17 paper at night. This sketchpad was portable size, which was great for him jotting ideas down at school.

Afterwards Spike grabbed the brown bag and keys left on the kitchen counter by his Paw-Paw and rushed out, "See ya, old man! Don't party too hard without me." His grandfather softly smiled, nodded, and continued to vibe with his guitar.

---

Entering the school parking lot, with brown sugar milk tea for Minty and a bag of dollar store candy that the principal said he'd reimburse, Spike parked his grandfather's Dodge Charger close to the gym, so he could throw on the cheap mascot suit in the locker room. Searching for Minty, he was quick to notice instead a hot redhead staring up at the sky. He didn't recognize her, so she must be a Liberty girl. Rolling down his window, he honked his horn, "Nice tits, Red! Welcome to Rosefell!"

Melissa wasn't here yet. Surely he had time to kill before he had to put on the knight suit. Opening up the bag of lollipops, he grabbed a red heart one for the new girl and extended his arm out the car window, "Can I offer you a nice lollipop in this trying time?"

[CosmicComet]

Emily Baxter was not looking forward to school. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't untrue either. The lass found herself between moods, both unhappy and eager at the same time, if it was even possible to have such a turbulent mix of emotions dwelling within her mind. Today was the day that the influx of students from Liberty High will be making both their first appearance and impression in the much poorer school(in many ways) of Rosefell High. There was barely anything that she was exciting she could think of that could possibly appeal to her in Rosefell, but yet she found herself somewhat eager the morning she woke up for school. She was fucked.

SO fucked. The only possible consolation she could think of was that both Juno and Niki would be there with her. Not long after she had slammed the snooze button of her alarm, the rapid knocking on her door signaled the wake-up call by the family's head housekeeper, Alfred who lived with his family in the spare rooms in one of the wings the spacious mansion she and her father lived in. "Might as well put the rooms to good use, and Alfred has been most deserving." her father once said. Emily couldn't argue with that statement.

The elderly man had been there since she joined the Baxters, and was very much the only grandfatherly figure in her life. Speaking from experience, she knew that ignoring the rapid knocking on her door proved to be a bad decision. Alfred had to key to her room, and wasn't hesitant to use it whenever it got in the way of him fulfilling his duties. She had once been woken up with a loud speaker playing the all-time classic song of Europe's "The Final Countdown at what must have been the maximum volume for that blasted machine, scaring her out of her wits. That wasn't all. The song was merely a prelude to what came next. Yikes.

An icy cold shower using freezing water the sadistic old-man had specifically prepared according to her father's instructions. Emily had experienced such an awakening twice in her life, and she was determined for there not to ever be a third. She yelled "I'm awake" and walked as loudly as she could to stop whatever stopwatch or clock Alfred had on him and quickly went to the ensuite toilet to washup. The usual basic application of make-up came next, and she quickly made her way down to the dining room to help herself to the sumptuous breakfast prepared by Suzy's Alfred's wife. Freshly fried egg omelettes, crispy rashers of bacon and golden brown potatoes cubes sat nicely on a plate waiting to be washed down with a glass of refreshing apple juice. Breakfast could rarely get any better.

After she was done with breakfast, Emily grabbed her black motorcycle jacket and her full-faced helmet and made her way to the mansion's spacious garage full of daddy's cars. The black Harley's bellow echoed throughout the garage as she woke it up from its slumber. The crisp morning air greeted her as the automatic garage doors worked their way up. Straddling on the bellowing beast, she put on her helmet and sped off, announcing the presence of the powerful Harley as she rode down the road of her wealthy neighborhood. The parking lot of Rosefell High was filled with cars of assorted makes, from the luxurious super cars to the rundown hand-me-downs.

The roar of Emily's Harley entering the parking lot turned a good number of heads who were curious about the commotion, and the reaction of onlookers staring at her was something that would never get old. Navigating through traffic, it wasn't long before she caught the sight of a familiar red Volkswagen Beetle. It's owner was close by, and the sight of the lovely redhead lifted her spirits. There was a blonde dude she didn't recognize talking to her, but that didn't stop her. Riding beside them, Emily raised her visor and called out.

"Darling Juno! It's great to see you and your gorgeous red hair again. First day at Rosefell, huh? Whose the blondie?"

[Kiki is Anxious]

She heard the engine of the Dodge Charge looming closer before the honk came, but by then her eyes had already narrowed into a glare directed at the sky for the very familiar series of events that began to unfold.

”I stand corrected.”

Red, as Spike had so cleverly named her from all of five seconds of staring at her bust and whole self, turned to face him fully with her gaze lowering from the sky to look at the blond guy who was so inclined to be the first person to greet her at Rosefell. Her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses, he wouldn’t get the effect of the bored stare she had on him.

Alas, she made her way with a stride with the rhythmic tap of her measured heeled steps while a bright, red lip smile found a home on her face that was far more genuine looking than she felt. Even after stopping beside the old car the shameless male had driven in or taken the lollipop he extended her way just yet, it remained with the most pleasant vibe someone wearing all black could have.

Though maybe that’s why you need the word fun to make funeral.

”I’ve never heard that one shouted at me before.” She responded, purposefully playing up her southern belle accent while taking her sunglasses off, tucking them in the pocket of her jacket as she looked Spike in the eye before looking to the candy he offered her way and then back to him. Not once losing her smile. The coloring and shape of which not going unnoticed by her, in fact, that was the only reason she had reached out with her hand to accept it in the first place, taking it from his own. While she worked the flimsy wrapper off, she added with her accent dropped alongside the smile with her focus on the easier task.

” Do tell DeVito, does that line actually work for you—” She plopped the uncovered lollipop into her mouth as she looked back up at him to finish her thought.

”—Or do most girls not even bother to tell you that that last thing we want to hear is someone yelling about our bodies from inside their truck like a kiosk salesman trying to sell his dick to anything that has a pulse?” Her tone was much drier than the morning air, all the while she deadpanned at her own metaphor. Not at all waiting for an actual answer to the question, she was quick to move on from it in favor of shifting to a less negative topic. It would be better to start the year off without adding onto the list of people she wanted to avoid.

The artificial taste of cherries that bloomed on her tastebuds, made removing the lollipop from her mouth just to thank him momentarily, a tragedy.

” Thanks for the candied welcome though, DeVito. But a piece of advice from one dudette to a dude; compliment something that they chose to wear and don’t sexualize their body right out the gate.” Shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket to keep them away from the cold air, she scanned the male over quickly with a raised brow as she looked for something to prove her point.

” Like how the dark green color of your tie makes the pretty blue hue of your eyes pop.” Juno added, popping the “p” as she gestured to the hastily tied tie, then up to his eyes with two tilts of her head. The loud ruckus of a motorcycle engine drew her attention away, her gaze instantly going to where the noise was coming from to be pleasantly surprised.

Emily, her dear friend was here, and was rolling her way over to park. Juno could recognize that figure Harley anywhere. A huge plus if she needed a quick getaway when school let out and couldn't get in her car fast enough, and if that was the case, having a sleepover with Emily would surely fix whatever turmoil that had caused it. Well-- She would help her calm down from it.

She smiled, genuinely this time, the warmth showing in spades as she fully turned to look at her sister from another mister."Oh Ems, you have no idea how much the feeling is mutual." The head breathed out with a sigh and a slight shake of her head before she huffed a short chuckle. "It's not so bad, though blondie here gave a dated welcome without his name attached--" Her blueish-green eyes flickered over to Spike's face as her smile curled into a half-smirk. "But until he says it, I think DeVito will do just fine."

[AlteredTundra]

“Daddy, it’s just not fair!” Came the all-too-expected whine of one Park Mi-Kyong.

Ever since the announcement that Liberty High was closing down (and for unknown reasons, at that), everyone had to adapt rather quickly. It was an easier transition for some because their entire reputation wasn’t riding on the fact that their senior year -- A.K.A. the only year that mattered -- be spent at the school they’ve been going to for the past three years. It was riding on the fact that it made no sense to downgrade from Kobe Beef to the McDonalds Dollar Menu.

And for one Miki Park, Queen Liberty herself, this was the absolute worst. The! Absolute! Worst! Nothing topped this. A terrorist attack could happen and Miki’s self-absorbed mind would wonder if that meant she had to stay at Rosefell, or if she could fly down to Palm Beach and join her favorite cousin and that Chrissie girl at their wonderful King’s Academy.

But nope. She was forced to. It was, unfortunately for a lot, the last option. Her parents tried to find other schools. Private schools in Columbus and neighboring cities, but no other school that wasn’t Rosefell High was in the place of accepting new students on such short notice.

“I know it was the only school, but how can I accept it, daddy? I mean, my senior year is my last chance to make an impression on these insignificant bugs. And now I have to crawl amongst them like I’m their--” she found herself physically choking at the thought of being called a student at Rosefell. “--Like I’m their equal!” And here came the gag reflex.

Miki was in the grandiose kitchen that had black marble countertops and the best kitchenware money could buy. She was already dressed. Anyone that knew her, especially the kitchen staff who were wrapping up the spread of breakfast Miki was too stressed to eat, would know that on Mondays, Miki wore something shiny and her flats were beige. And that’s exactly what she wore: a gold satin blouse that shimmered in light tied in the front to show off what she believed to be her second-best feature, a black skirt that was both loose and tight at the same time, and those flats that were her trademark footwear.

“Fine, fine! But just come home soon! I love you too daddy!”

A pouting Miki pocketed her phone inside her diamond-encrusted clutch that had her initials MKP across the front center of it, each embedded with about a single million’s worth of exotic gemstones per letter.

“WINSTONNNN!” Miki called out, her voice going to registers that many had to cover their ears to avoid bleeding from them.

About a few moments later, a man with salt and pepper hair, dreamy blue eyes that you could get lost in, and a stature that, if Miki were into guys, she might take him to her room. “You called for me, Miss Park?” Winston spoke in a rather dreamy, if not thick, British accent. He wore a deep blue suit without the tie and a lighter blue handkerchief in his front jacket pocket. He had a goatee that seemed to only accentuate the DILF energy he was giving off.

“Is the car ready?” Miki inquired, gripping her clutch.

“It is, miss. And Amalie took it upon herself to put your bag into the backseat like your father requested.”

This is why she loved being the only child of Philip Lambert. The perks of being their priority was one thing, but the staff not having to divide their responsibilities made her feel fortunate and it only emboldened her opinion of herself -- which was pretty high to begin with, so one could imagine just how important she felt.

“Perfect. Then let's go!” She said, passing him by as her flats clicked on the tiled floor.

---

---

As the rumbling of the Lincoln Navigator sped down the highway, Miki both felt it and didn’t feel it every time she was driven in the SUV -- which was often. Miki knew how to drive, but she just chose not to, especially when someone like Winston had no problem driving her around anywhere she wanted to go. He was like her bodyguard but got paid too much for him to be reduced to just that; he was also her friend.

They each caught each other’s glance in the mirror that hung between the driver and passenger seat. She didn’t say anything, she simply let her eyes fall back down to her phone. She had been in such a rush and the entire week was hectic for her family. Honestly, if she had to be brutally honest about it all, the past month or so was pretty stressful but that was for another day.

Miki wanted to go over that email she and so many of her wonderful friends at Liberty received. She remembered reading it with Winston two weeks ago and then again in a video call with her father, but the details sort of just faded out. Now, as horrible as it might be, Miki was now absorbing the contents of the Email.

As she read it, she made some inaudible sounds that no doubt were heard by Winston, but he didn’t say anything. Miki did have this habit of speaking gibberish when she was trying to concentrate.

By the end of it, Miki’s main takeaways could be divided into two parts. The first, of course, was her genuine astonishment in how well-written the letter was. She had very low opinions about Rosefell as a whole, so she didn’t know what to make of it, but whoever wrote the letter, she would probably not give them any sort of validation. Still, the fact it wasn’t written with a crayon or had horrible grammar and syntax made her smile.

And the second part was where she found herself lingering. “I wonder who this Ellie Roberts girl is.” Sadly, when it came to anyone from Rosefell, unless they were under Melissa Elliot’s inferior leadership or one of the hunks on the football team, Miki wouldn’t know anything about who they were.

“Ellie who?” Winston asked, glancing at Miki through the mirror.

“Some girl at Rosefell. She is to be my guide. And I almost feel bad for not knowing who she is.”

The guilty expression on her face forced a chuckle from Winston. “Don’t fret too much about it, Miki. I am sure it will be perfectly splendid!”

“Thank you, Winston! You always know how to make me feel better.” She smiled at him and adjusted herself in the seat.

The remainder of the ride to Rosefell was spent in silence, the only sounds heard within the navigator were the occasional cough from both driver and passenger and Miki’s fingers tapping away on her phone. She had been texting a few people: some of her friends who found spots in other schools, but mostly her darling cousin Stella, who was still enjoying her last weeks of summer before starting at Meadow in the fall after taking a gap year in France. She was, of course, delighted that her cousin got into her dream school, but she was jealous because Stella got to graduate at the school, with her friends and her high school boyfriend, Carter.

She left Stella on read as she sent a text to one of her few friends at Rosefell.

To: Cheerful Poor Asian

Need you now boy. Almost there at school. Be there if you can! Like out front. Ciao!

Sean was a great guy in all honesty. Truly one of the sincerest souls she knew both at Liberty and Rosefell. She would go to bat for him and might even do it without needing something in return. Maybe. But that was not the reason she texted him. She did, in fact, need something from him. She needed information about this Ellie Roberts girl and there was very little to go off of from the email and her own research.

At the very least, if she was to usurp the queen of thorns, she needed to know who was who and if they could help her make this one and only year spent at this trash of a school worthwhile.

And, honestly, Miki just allowed herself to relax as she saw Rosefell in view, but the traffic was unbearably bad. She knew it would be a while before she would be allowed to leave the comfort of her company with Winston.

[Bee]

^{god damn it i don't know how to make those pretty aesthetics leave me alone!!! >:[}

---

---

New school, new year, and new people. The switch from Liberty to Rosefell had taken Samantha for quite a spin, but she'd come to terms with the downgrade she'd be making for her last year in high school. But oh well, it wasn't like she could've done anything about it. Whether she liked or not (which she didn't), she was going to have to put up with it for the next nine months. It could've been worse, though it'd take a practical catastrophe to put her in a situation that would be worse having to attend Rosefell, the Crown Jewel of Columbus, Ohio.

Spending a good chunk of your high school career at Liberty -- you heard a bunch of different things about Rosefell. Sure, the tour of campus she took a while back didn't seem too bad, but looks were almost always deceiving. Sitting in front of her vanity, Samantha was in the middle of applying the finishing touches to her mascara, the brush just tapering off of the end of her now extended eyelashes. As she put the brush back in the container, her phone lit up, a push notification coming through telling her that someone had dared to text her at this time of day. A small sigh came out of Samantha, as she picked up her phone, the facial recognition software recognizing her stunning face almost immediately and revealing the contents of the notification.

"have a good time at rosefell c:"

sophie | a few minutes ago

Samantha made a rather unamused face at the phone, knowing full well that the message was practically CAKED with passive aggression and backhandedness, as if it were something out of Mean Girls or Gossip Girl. Knowing who had sent the text, it was almost certain that it was meant to be a very sarcastic, facetious text. Sophie was one of the upperclassmen she'd befriended at Liberty, before she took off and was left to the winds of wherever her post-high school life took her. Samantha was about 95% sure that she was a stripper or something like that. Her eyes could've rolled so far back that she could've seen the back of her own skull, but Samantha already knew how she'd respond. She propped her hand up with her fist, her other hand tapping away at her phone.

"thank u. hope they tip extra well tonight!"

Samantha | a few seconds ago

"uwu (　◕‿◕✿)"

Samantha | a few seconds ago

Putting her phone down, Samantha got up from her vanity and looked behind her, finding her backpack chilling on her bed as she tried to remember what exactly she had to do next. She had it in the back of her mind earlier, but yet it had escaped as she got ready for the day. Oh, right, breakfast. Samantha had nearly forgotten that she actually needed to eat breakfast this year for once. For starters, the breakfast at Rosefell, assuming they even served it, definitely wasn't going to have anything on the breakfasts that would be served at Liberty. Samantha already missed the luscious breakfasts that were there. Additionally, if she promised her parents that she would start eating breakfast at home, they would get her the new graphics card she needed to replace her slightly-less-than-a-year-old graphics card.

However, they never specified what Samantha had to eat at breakfast, nor how long she had to stick around. Putting her hands on her hips, she pondered on what else she needed. Didn't seem like she missed much else. Samantha slung her pink backpack on her shoulders, walking downstairs to the kitchen to have some breakfast. Stepping down, her parents, Isaac and Erin, were sat at the counter. Isaac was watching the TV, watching what had happened in the world while Erin was on her phone, scrolling through her phone with one finger while she was looking down at the screen with her glasses, before they noticed that Samantha had come down. "Mornin, sweetie!" Erin exclaimed, before turning around and handing Samantha some Quaker's Instant Oatmeal. "I know you're in a rush to get to your new school early, so I figured this will be quick and easy enough to eat." Samantha looked down at the cup of instant strawberries and cream oatmeal, before back at Erin.

"Thanks, mom..." Samantha smiled sheepishly, before walking over to the water dispenser to pour some hot water in it. "Don't forget to stir it this time, Sammy." Her father mentioned, before chuckling softly. Samantha's face turned a light shade of red, grabbing a spoon from nearby to stir the oatmeal as it was cooking in the boiling water. "Yeah, yeah... thanks." Samantha rolled her eyes, before she set the oatmeal down. "You excited for your first day? I know it's a new school and all, and it's not where you wanted to be, but... hey, it's a fresh start!" Erin asked sweetly, looking at Samantha who started to poke at the oatmeal with her spoon. "Uh, I mean... I guess? School's school... just wish I was back at Liberty. It's not the same." Samantha sighed, before taking a very tiny bite of the oatmeal.

"I know, sweetie, but you just gotta make the most out of what you've got right now. At least your friends will be with you! If anything, you can stick with them." Erin replied, somewhat oblivious to the social repercussions that being relegated to Rosefell entailed. Samantha, "Yeah..." Samantha nodded, before taking a bigger spoonful of the oatmeal now that it had cooled down a sufficient amount. "Your mom's just trying to make you feel better. Relax, Sammy, you'll settle in soon." Isaac charmed in, before turning the TV off to get ready for his own day.

Samantha stayed silent, before stuffing her face with more oatmeal. "Just try to make the most out of it, alright? You only get one senior year of high school." Isaac remarked, passing by Samantha as he looked in the mirror nearby, tightening his tie as he got ready to head out to work. "I'll try." The high school senior replied as she finished up her oatmeal, throwing the container away in the trash can as she walked to the key bowl to grab her keys. "Samantha." Erin exclaimed, "Have a great day at school. Love you!" Erin smiled, before Isaac expressed the same sentiments. Flashing a quick smile, Samantha nodded, "I will, don't worry! Love you guys too!" Samantha said, as she fished her keys out of the bowl and put her door on the handle. "Bye mom, bye dad!" Samantha said quickly, before leaving the household. Just as soon as she stepped foot outside, her smile faded away as she looked down at her phone, pulling up her friend, Joanne as well as Miki, and shot them a quick text as she walked to her car.

hey jo meet me near the parking lot. i'll have a pink backpack on and a white t-shirt. you can't miss it uwu

Samantha @ Joanne

i am so not looking forward to this shit... not uwu vibes...

Samantha @ Miki

It wasn't long before Samantha arrived at Rosefell High School, the now bustling campus full of life as many new faces would make their debut, as well as returning faces coming back. Samantha had a little knot in her stomach, but she knew that if she played her cards right and stuck with the right people it wouldn't be as bad as she thought. Or so, she hoped. Parking her Volkswagen Golf in a spot that wasn't too far away from the entrance, Samantha quickly got out, swinging her backpack on as she quickly glanced down at her phone, looking for a response from Joanne and/or Miki as she made her way to the entrance, hoping that Joanne would actually be there and that she could finally meet her longtime online friend.

[Sugar and Spite]

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Taking a rip from her bong one more time this morning, Lilith flopped back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling while trying to find any motivation to go to school today.

Liberty would be merging with Rosefell. That meant that every face from middle school that she never wanted to see again would be floating around the halls of Rosefell like weird Prada wearing ghosts. Marcos. Juno. The Zabrecky’s. The school was going to be packed. Why couldn’t Liberty merge with Abernathy High? Why was Lilith being subjected to this hell?

Enough dwelling on how much she didn’t want to deal with it. ”Might as well go ahead and get Senior year over with. When I graduate that means I can pack my shit and move away from this fuck-stick town.”

With a groan, Lilith hit shuffle on her Spotify playlist before rummaging through her dresser looking for something to wear. As the familiar sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers filled the room, Lilith took another hit from her bong before resuming her search for clothing. She wasn’t worried about impressing the Liberty kids. They could suck her metaphorical dick for all she cared. Lilith just wanted to be cute and comfy for the day.

Settling on her favorite Nirvana shirt, Lilith slipped it on over her head. Grabbing a pair of fishnet leggings and denim shorts, Lilith tucked her shirt in before glancing in the full length mirror that she had hanging on the back of her bedroom door. There was something missing… Something else that today's outfit needed…

”Chunky black belt? Yes please.”

Once dressed, Lilith tried her best to make sure she had everything that she needed in her book bag for the day. Grabbing her rolling tray, Lil sat down on the edge of her bed and began rolling herself a blunt. This was part of her normal morning routine. Get high, shower, get dressed, roll a fatty and go to school. Her routine hadn’t failed her yet, so there was absolutely no point in changing things up.

Once she had packed her things, Lilith picked up some of the dirty laundry scattering the floor and tossed it in the clothes hamper before heading downstairs.

“Good morning, love,” her mother called cheerfully from the kitchen. “Do you need me to drive you to school this morning?”

”Nah. I’m not that high yet,” Lil responded, taking her spot on the living room couch.

Her grandfather chuckled. “Looking forward to your first day back?” he asked.

”Not really,” she replied, her expression going sour.

“Oh come on.” John was doing his best to raise his granddaughter's spirits, and you could tell it by his tone of voice. “You get to meet up with some old friends, meet a few new ones… It’ll be fine.”

”I appreciate the reassurance, Gramps, but… I just ain’t feeling it.”

With a sigh, the old man turned to the next page in his newspaper. “Heard.”

“Lilith, baby, did you want anything to eat? I have pancakes.” Claire’s voice rang out from the kitchen once more, the mention of pancakes lightning her daughters mood ever so slightly.

”I’ll take two with peanut butter!”

“Got the munchies again, eh?” John asked, smirking at Lilith from over his news paper.

”Me? Munchies? Never.” Getting up from the couch, Lilith grabbed her pancakes from her mother before pouring herself a small glass of milk. Checking the time on her phone, Lilith’s eyes widened. ”Fuck. I gotta go.”

Shoving the last of the pancakes in her mouth, Lilith gave her mother a quick hug. ”Love you guys,” she shouted before closing the front door behind her.

In the back of her mind, Lilith knew that she shouldn’t be driving. That’s why she did the responsible thing and took the bus. Her hair now mostly dry from her shower, Lilith tossed it up in a messy bun before boarding her stinky bright yellow chariot. Taking a seat right behind the driver, Lilith put in her earbuds and cranked up her music.

The ride from her house to Rosefell was short, meaning that Lilith didn’t have to spend much time on the bus. Rather that was a good thing this morning, she didn’t know. Normally it would be, but with each stop as they got closer and closer to the school, her anxiety rose. At least she knew the person that she was showing around. Sort of.

Juno had always been one of the girls that Lilith was too scared to approach in middle school, but exchanged a few friendly hello’s with. Then there was the whole thing with Marcos. Lilith cringed just thinking about it. Would Juno recognize her? Would Lilith recognize Juno? Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
As the school bus opened its doors, Lilith was one of the first students to exit the yellow hell. She could make a beeline for her and Ellie’s usual spot, or she could be a good mentor and go look for Juno. Lilith reluctantly chose the latter.

Doubting that any of the Liberty kids would have taken the bus, Lilith decided to make her way over to the school parking lot. If she failed to find Juno there, then she would make her way back over to the entrance to the school. Spotting Spike’s Charger, Lilith decided she’d head over that way first so that she could check in on her friend before embarking on her quest. Once she was about twenty feet away, Lilith shouted at the young man.

”Yo Spike! What’s up, dude?!”

There were two girls standing nearby, but from what Lilith could tell, she didn’t recognize either of them - at least not from this far away. Maybe they were Liberty kids?

Only one way to find out.

[Grimoire Gaming]

A fresh start.

Could you even call it that when it was your second time doing so? Today’s start felt about as fresh as day old bread. Tough, sharp, hard to swallow. Liberty was meant to be a fresh start, and look how that turned out. Niki’s thoughts ran a mile a minute as they blow-dried out their caramel blond locks. The ghastly person staring back at them in the mirror looked about as confident as they felt — not at all. Nik had barely slept a wink last night, their head spinning about what their first day at Rosefell would be like.

Would their fellow Liberty classmates remember them? Would they stare? Would they ask prying questions? Were there rumors about why they disappeared half way through last spring semester? How could this be a fresh start when Niki had no idea what stories had been flooding the halls of Liberty at the end of sophomore year, stories that might bleed into the locker rooms of Rosefell as well. But maybe they were overthinking this, it was more likely that nobody but his sister and two best friends even noticed that they were ever gone.

A dash of concealer under the eyes was an attempt to cover up both the dark circles and the anxiety that put them there. Best not to show up to their first day of school looking like a drug addict. Hell, that might be one of the rumors. Niki wore the lightest of make-up, just enough to cover their many flaws, but not enough to look too flashy… or too feminine. That could be saved for instagram, after school. Despite Emily’s best efforts to embolden her bestie, Nik was still cautious about being their true self in the public eye. That felt like being naked… embarrassing, and dangerous.

That said, Niki decided to get a little daring, adding a coat of mascara to their eyelashes. It was hard to wallow in self-doubt and criticism when Lizzo was singing at them to get ready to walk their fine ass out the door. Maybe after getting dressed in the outfit they bought on a recent shopping trip with Emi, Niki could try “feelin' good as hell”. Speaking of that feeling, there was someone recently that was helping them get close to that.

Wade Quinn.

Just the thought of their secret, shaggy brown-haired lover was enough to send a rush of dopamine through their system. A warm pulse tinged their cheeks pink in a blush as they bit their lip. Looking up at their reflection, for the first time this morning, Niki Zabrecky smiled. For the first time this morning, they felt pretty. Pretty enough to snap an outfit of the day selfie and open up their DMs with Wade, sending the picture along with a caption.

To: @FreeWadey
I hope you have a good first day! ❤

With that message sent and the dopamine-infused confidence boost that followed, Niki made their way downstairs where the aromas of first-day-of-school breakfast greeted them. Their mother, Anna, had made chocolate chip pancakes — a particular favorite of Niki’s, especially with some sliced bananas on top. Niki ate mostly in silence until Alina arrived in the kitchen. They would be relying on their sister for rides to school, since hospitalization had gotten in the way of their driving lessons last year. “Mornin’, Ali. I’m ready whenever you are.”

[spooner]

Minty sighed as she pushed the leaned back on the bench having grown tired of scrolling her Instagram feed. Instead, she pocketed her phone and focused her eyes on the new students arriving. She spotted Lucas, one of her old hookups who looked like he had spent most of the summer in the gym by the looks of him. Minty made a mental note to reconnect with him later during the day.

Then of course there were all of the new faces that no doubt belonged to the Liberty transplants. Some looking nervously around, but most of them wearing smug looks of superiority. After a few moments of exchanging nasty glances with some of the girls stepping out of their shiny cars, Minty turned around at the familiar sound of a dingy old Dodge Charge. Her chocolate eyes narrowed and she bit her lip, an annoyed breath escaped Minty as she stood up quickly.

It didn’t take long for Minty to stop over there, as she did she noticed how Spike had stuck his head out of his window scamming on some poor girl. Another annoying grunt escaped her as she continued to stomp over to the hunk of junk.

“So you can’t even set an alarm, dumbnuts?!” Minty exclaimed loudly swinging her arm up in the air and bringing it down swiftly smacking her hand down on the car roof over Spike’s head. She bent down to get up in his face pushing Spike’s head back into his car. “Move over…” she said as she leaned over him pushing her body against his into the car to grab the tea that she spotted in his cup holder. “At least you got my order right” she purred as she retracted herself from the car, giving Spike that look as her face passed his.

Minty flipped her silky hair back as she straightened up taking a long sip from her tea looking back at the girls that Spike no doubt had been harassing. Her eyes focused first on the girl getting off her… motorcycle. Minty raised an eyebrow, really? A motorcycle? Had they been transported back to the early 2000’s, when girls on big bikes were considered the height of sexy? She shook her head and flicked her eyes to the girl standing closest to them.

“I’m sorry… was this idiot bothering you? He has a tendency to d-” Minty almost choked on the tapioca pearls as her mind registered who she was looking at.

“J-juno?!” Minty coughed in disbelief.

Was this really the small introverted little girl she was friends with in elementary school. Damn, she had really filled out since then. Minty’s eyes traveled up and down the redhead’s body but lingered at a specific part. It dawned on her why Spike had stopped here, to begin with. She turned her head quickly to shoot Spike a fiery look. But before she had the chance to chew him out about it Lillith joined the fray.

“Oh hey, Lil…” Minty sighed crossing her arms across her chest looking down at Spike expectantly, waiting for an answer to what was actually up.

[BrutalBx]

---

”Captain Lee is the shit”

---

For DeShawn; running was a way of life. It was a way to escape his problems, to keep himself in shape and of course; it was the best way to get from A to B without a mode of transport. He had spent most of his youth running down the street away from the police or from gangsters, guns and bullets. Too many times in his young life could he remember starting to run with friends and turning to see some of them already on the ground; blood pooling beneath them. Running had become his sanctuary away from the world that he had yet to truly understand. Ounces and powder, he could do that in his sleep. Calculus and gossip? Now that was stressful. There were some days he missed the corner; hood rats were a lot more easy to understand than cheerleaders and influencers.

After giving enough old ladies (and some old men) the right amount of thrill to keep them going another day longer and not slipping into the sweet silence of death; DeShawn finished his run just outside the Rosefell High parking lot. It was still fairly early and only a few cars had arrived, most of which he did not recognise as they probably belonged to desperate Liberty kids looking to make a good first impression on their new classmates. At all hazards one must keep up appearances, dignity above all. He slipped into the locker room through a side door and quickly changed into his civilian clothes, wiping his sweaty torso with a wet cloth to cool down first. DeShawn was a simple guy, jeans, a t-shirt, a thick flannel for this cold month and a beanie. Once he had changed, he grabbed his bag and headed back out to the parking lot. Taking a seat on a bench; Dee leaned back to breathe in the ever changing sight of the new student body.

He glanced over to a bench on the other side of the parking lot and noted the very familiar and very delectable form of one Minty Goh; he offered her a court nod. In other circumstances he would go over but D knew that he wasn’t the one she was waiting for; not today. The one she awaited was of a more vanilla variety. The Linebacker knew Minty well; as a friend and in the more biblical sense. Indeed his massive torso was plastered all over her Insta feed; then again most of Rosefell had seen The Walls...wall. Their trysts they shared were a simple transaction of flesh when it is required and nothing more substantial was available. It worked for them and neither had the burden of feelings or romance. Minty and Spike were Endgame and Dee, well Dee just needed to get to the end of high school so he could apply for the latest season of Below Deck; damn Melissa introductions to such addictive trash but Captain Lee is the shit. Either that or get his ass a scholarship and then help the Baltimore Ravens back to the Super Bowl; it didn’t really matter which.

Mango Loco was bomb; of this he had no doubt as he cracked open the can of Monster he had stored in his bag, along with some sick grass that Isaiah had given him (nice job cuz) which Lilith and Rico would fucking love. Rosefell was not a bad place; this Liberty kids would have it easy. Dee’s last school before leaving Baltimore was nowhere near as pleasant as the shit heap he now attended. It was over crowded, underfunded and half of the teachers had sheets longer than the corner boys that populated the classes. It wasn’t unusual to go into school one day and for the kid you sat next to not to be there anymore. Normally it was because they dropped out to start slinging or it was because they were already slinging and they had got caught or even caught a bullet. There were drugs in the bathrooms and he wasn’t talking a little bit of green; it was the hard stuff, the bad stuff, the stuff his old man sold better than most. He brushed his hand across his arm; feeling the scar beneath his shirt it brought back horrid memories that DeShawn would much rather forget.

It was another life or at least, he hoped it was.

Back in the present; the big guy could see a small gathering forming around the familiar Dodge that belonged to Spike. It was unsurprising that his favourite little shit was getting himself into trouble before the first hell of the day had even sounded. Normally at this point, Dee would probably get up and go pull him out of the fire but it was too nice a day to get shot on for simply being associated with the lovable imbecile; besides it looked like Minty-Fresh had it covered. DeShawn scanned the crowd for more familiar faces and caught sight of Joanne chilling by the stairs, eyeing up the Liberties. Deciding that it looked to crowded over with the Mascot; he pulled himself to his feet and made his way over to Jo.

”Hey yo, Jo. Look at all this fresh meat to the slaughter. Think they got any idea what they’re getting themselves in to?”

[LovelyComplex]

Listening to their workout playlist, Never Give Up by Eminem (Shady Mixes Remix) blasting in the attic of the guest house, the youngest Kingsley siblings spent the past hour working out together, like they usually did before getting ready for school. Their home gym was blaring white, with some pine wood accents and black luxury workout equipment. If it wasn't for the items strategically placed, this room would look like, and feel like, a snowscape. Just how the Kingsleys liked it.

Pulling himself up, letting his chin rest over the bar, squeezing his glutes, Marcos went into another chin up, as Trixie did some burpees on the mat. When they finished their set, Marcos released the bar and cracked his neck, while Beatrix went to the center of the mat, waiting for her brother to evaluate her. "Okay, stances. Then we'll cool down and get out of here."

Since it wasn't the weekend, they wouldn't be doing extensive boxing techniques to build up his sister's strength and endurance. But, he'd still like to watch her, make sure she was prepared for anything. He couldn't always be there for her. As much as he wanted to protect her from harm, he knew it was unrealistic to know where she was 24/7. He didn't want to know what she did all the time, all he needed to know was that she could keep herself safe. Pretending to be her opponent, he unhurriedly asked, "Vulnerable places?"

With vigor, Trixie projected with her strong, powerful, don't-fuck-with-me-voice, "Eyes, nose, throat, and groin," and proceeded into a hammer strike, acting as if she had keys in her hand.

"If someone's coming at you from the front?" He took a step forward, leaning into her and coming for the attack. Without hesitation, she lifted her dominant leg, drove her hips forward, slightly leaned back, and pretended to put as much force into her kick to paralyze her opponent.

In this case, her brother. Even going the extra mile to yell, "Don't fucking touch me!"

Good.

Picking himself off the ground, he continued their routine and asked, "and if they're too close?"

"Well duh, I'm going to use my knee." Trixie grinned at her brother, deciding to go into the next move (the one after the knee stance) which was the heel palm strike. Since her brother was taller than her, by a lot, she went for the throat. After they did a few more self defense moves, they were finally on the last one. Holding her in a side head lock, he waited for her reaction. Quickly, and with the instinct of not being chocked, she pretended to strike her brother's groin with her furthest hand until she was given enough mobility to release herself from the grip and disengage.

Having lost track of time, their older brother, the only one that still resides here, with bed hair, plaid pajama pants, and a Zelda gamer tee on, shuffled upstairs with pizza in his hand and red eyes, "You two bitches need to get ready. Ma will flip her shit if she sees you home when she comes back with groceries."

"Uh... time?" With a raised eyebrow, Trixie reached for a towel and wiped her forehead.

Checking his smart watch (usually only wears while working out), Marcos heavily sighed and saw the time. They had twenty-five minutes to get ready before Richie would be outside honking his horn. Always punctual. Never late. They got caught up in their routine again. "... Richie and Liv will be here soon. Just hurry up, shower, and don't take forever doing your make up."

"Ugh! You got to be kidding me. Thank god I picked my outfit already!" The littlest Kingsley ran down the stairs past her other brother and hurriedly went to the main estate.

"You excited?" Noah obnoxiously chewed on the cold pizza, apathetically observing his catalog-model-looking brother, who was making his way to the stairs that Noah was now blocking. Trixie was small enough to squeeze through.

"Don't eat in here." Marcos waited at the top of the steps, impatiently waiting for his brother to lead the way or move. He was rewarded with an eyeroll, before Noah turned around and sluggishly strolled down the stairs.

Taking a bigger bite, he chewed in silence before scoffing, "You're fucking lucky, dude. I would've killed to go to a school that didn't give a fuck."

"Luck? Is that what we're calling this?"

"Yeah." Noah flatly stared. His dull eyes saying 'I said what I said'. After a moment or two of awkward silence, he gestured for Marcos to go in front of him when they reached the hall to the kitchen. Finally getting to the back door in the guest kitchen, Marcos' older brother waited expectantly. Unfortunately, the guest house was Noah's territory until their mother felt inclined to kick him out. So, for the time being, when Marcos needed to go to the gym, he had to go through his brother first. Noah was amicable for the most part and usually chilled in the den smoking a bowl and streaming. "Luck."

Ripping another piece of pizza off, the clearly exhausted, hadn't slept in a couple days nineteen year old boy shook his head, knowing very well his brother didn't know how to relax and take it easy, "Give it time. I'm sure you'll have a blast and hey, say hi to QueenSamantha for me."

"What? No." Narrowing his eyes, Marcos watched his brother shut the glass door in his face and teasingly waved goodbye.

"Have fun at school, sweetie! Call me if you need anything, but really, don't. Peace!"

---

"How do I look?" Trixie stood in the hallway in front of her bedroom door, holding the end of the navy floral long sleeve pleated midi dress, "Not too much, but nice and classy right? Would Miki like this?" Briefly, his eyes widened, surprised at the dress his sister chose. Mature. Sure, there was cleavage, but it was long and elegant. He didn't expect this. If anything, he expected her to go short. Honestly, his sister reminded him of their mother.

"You look beautiful, Trix." He admitted. Marcos, on the other hand, went for sportswear casual. His face spoke enough for him and his clothes would at least make him seem less pretentious than the family he came from. However, he did specifically request Richie to pick them up, so they could flex in his friend's ride (that's besides the point). "... are you comfortable, though?"

A playful grin fell on her face, as she giggled, "These heels aren't anything compared to what I've had to wear at daddy's dinners." Scanning her brother up and down, she tsked, "Only you could put minimal effort and still look good."

"Just because this looks like nothing doesn't mean I didn't put any thought in my choice. I'm not Noah."

"Yeah, yeah—" A loud honk could be heard outside and Trixie's mood swiftly shifted from humorous to uncontrollable excitement, "They're here! Do you think Aiden is here yet? Oh-em-g! I wonder what Liv is wearing... You got to take a picture of us for my Insta!" His sister let out a squeal of happiness.

Before she ran into her bedroom to get her bags (backpack, laptop bag), he commented, "You're taking this well."

Stopping herself from moving any forward, she turned on her heel to her brother and gave a genuine and loving smile, "Shit happens, whether we like it or not, but at least I have Liv, and you. Like mom says, there's never bad circumstances, only bad assumptions! You have Aiden and Richie and I'm sure you'll make more friends easy." Finding her way to her brother, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Don't let anyone ruin your senior year, okay? You got this. You're a fucking Kingsley. You'll make this school year your bitch."

"Language."

"Oh hush, now get us some granola and lets go take some pictures!" She shooed her brother away and went back to her room to do final touches to her face (and grab her things).

His sister was right. Marcos hadn't taken the news of going from Liberty to Rosefell well. They had limited options in terms of schools and their father said that this would be good for them... for some reason. Having already researched and learned that the soccer team was nearly non-existent because of funding, and lack of interest, Marcos was going into this with a chip on his shoulder. He didn't even know if this was an endeavor worth pursuing, but it did kind of suck he couldn't play soccer his last year. Even so, Trixie was right. He needed to lighten up and enjoy himself. So what if this school will force them to acknowledge their privileged lives? So what if this is a change and he hated change? So what?

This would be good for him, it had to be.

Hooking his thumbs in his pant's pockets, he strode to the main estate's kitchen to get a quick breakfast for him and his sister (throwing it in a lunch bag and then putting it in his backpack), before exiting the door to make his way to his best friend. When Richie and him met eyes, Marcos gave an easygoing wave by the door, stepped down the stairs, and walked down the path. Shortly after, Trixie hurriedly came running out, locked the door, and scurried to catch up with her brother. Heels and all.

"Hey Richie!"

[Venus]

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Ever since she was a child, Fiamma Giannulli had struggled with anxiety and insomnia in the face of changes, new events and experiences. For an introverted girl like her, the uncertainty of not knowing how a particular situation would develop sent her on a downward spiral of negative ‘what-if’s’, filling her with nerves and dread of what could be coming. The night before her first day of senior year was, of course, not an exception to this. The redhead had spent her evening staring up at the ceiling, fighting against the pessimistic thoughts that threatened to swallow her whole. Would she like Rosefell? Would the teachers be as committed to providing the highest level of education as her Liberty ones had been? Would her classmates, old and new, continue to be cooperative in letting her go unnoticed and blend in with the background? Would she be capable of making new friends? Would she even keep her old friends? Or worse… Would Aiden find in Rosefell a prettier, more popular replacement for her, dump her and break her heart into a million teeny tiny baby pieces?

That’s enough, Fiamma.

Just as she’d been on the verge of tears entertaining a stupid, unfounded, baseless scenario, her alarm clock signaled it was finally time to start her day. After going through the usual motions of a shower, makeup, hair brushing and getting dressed, Fiamma made her way to the dining room, where the traditional first day of school breakfast was already served and waiting to be devoured by the hungry inhabitants of the household. The smell of her father’s Italian breakfast casserole had filled every corner of the first floor of the home- its taste as spectacular as always. After saying grace, the Giannullis had indulged in their decadent meal while engaging in the usual first day of school small talk, advice and expectations. Now feeling nervous again, Fiamma decided it was finally time for her to get going. But before she could excuse herself, her father kindly asked her for a few more minutes of her time.

“Sweetheart, before you go, your mother and I wanted to give you a little something to commemorate the beginning your last year of school,” Mariano told his daughter with a wide smile, sliding a small Zales bag across the table to Fiamma while Catriona grinned excitedly.

Blue eyes alight with curiosity, Fiamma opened the bag, where she saw a small black box with the jewelry store logo resting at the bottom. She took the box out of the bag, opened the lid and gasped. Nestled inside the delicate red velvet of the jewelry box was a white gold necklace, with a dainty, diamond-studded cross pendant.

“Oh my God, this is beautiful!” Fiamma exclaimed in wonder, staring wide-eyed at the lavish gift her parents had gotten her. "I'm just… I don't know what to say..." she trailed off, gently removing the necklace from its place in the box and draping it across her neck.

“It’s just a small thing, really,” Catriona said with a small shrug, rising from her seat to assist her daughter in clasping the delicate chain on her slender neck. “And since you lost your promise ring, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to give you a nice replacement.”

“Just promise us you’ll take better care of this one,” Mariano added with his good-natured, booming laugh.

At the mention of the purity ring, it took all of Fiamma’s energy and self-control to keep a nonchalant, straight face. After her relationship with Aiden had progressed well beyond the realms of heated make-out sessions and holding hands, the young woman had been waiting for the chance to come up with the perfect excuse to stop using it. Her golden opportunity came that summer, when she attended a four-week long music camp and came back home with the unfortunate news that the purity ring had 'slid off her finger when she was kayaking in the lake with some campmates’. The truth, however, was that the white gold “Love Waits” ring was not lost to the depths of a lake in Colorado. Instead, the infamous piece of jewelry was resting safely inside its original box, hidden inside a paper bag in the back of her underwear drawer, along with the cutest notes she and Aiden had exchanged during class last year and a stack of Polaroids of them in all of their silly, madly in love couple glory.

Instead, the redhead let out a light chuckle. “Yes, sir!” Fi said enthusiastically before placing her right hand over her heart. “I solemnly swear I will guard this fine piece of jewelry with my life, so help me God,” she declared in her silliest formal voice before standing up to hug and kiss each of her smiling parents. “Thank you so much, the both of you. I really do appreciate it, and I swear I’ll take good care of this gift. Pinky promise.”

“You’re very welcome, dulcissima. Now go on, off you go. Can’t be late for your first day of senior year,” Mariano said, giving his daughter one last kiss on the top of her head before she formally excused herself from the table.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it!” Catriona called out to Fiamma’s retreating back.

Smiling, Fi turned around, waved enthusiastically at her mother, and promptly made her way out the door.

The ride to school was, for the most part, as uneventful as ever. But when the sight of Rosefell High came to view, along with the crowd of unfamiliar faces swarming around in all different directions, Fiamma’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Not even the soothing sounds of Daniel Jang’s violin pop song covers could shake off the deep-rooted anxiety that had settled in the pit of her stomach, continuously gnawing and clawing at her insides as she pulled into an empty space in the vast parking lot. Until those she trusted made their appearance, there was no way in hell she’d be leaving the safety of her vehicle. So instead of joining the horde of students filing into the large building, the young woman chose to remain inside her small, peach-scented, beige-leather sanctuary.

With trembling hands, Fiamma grabbed her phone from the cup holder, unlocked the device, and let her thumbs fly across the screen to send a chain of slightly panicked messages to her best friend Niki Zabrecky.

Good morning sunshine! 🌞 Hope u had a good sleep! 💖

U mind walking in w me today? U know how nervous the whole first day gets me 😖

If not it’s totally ok! Just figured I’d ask. 😊

See u soon! 😁

To: Niki

And after that one was sent, it was time to send a message to the sweetest, kindest, loveliest, most handsome boy in the entirety of Fiamma’s universe.

Good morning handsome! 💖 I can’t wait to finally see ur beautiful face today!!! 😍 I swear whenever we’re apart time seems to drag on and on forever lol 😂 And even though I’m glad u spent some time w the boys I’m so freaking ready to hug u and kiss u and… do some other things! 🙈🙊😂 I love u so so so so much, Aiden: I love u with every fiber of this shy little heart. 💖 I hope you have a fantastic start to your day, Sugarbear😘 See u soon! 😊

To: AH

She didn't have to wait long for her boyfriend's timely response.

Good morning princess! Can't wait to see you later- it really does feel like it's been weeks. I love you so much, don't forget you're the most beautiful girl in the world 😘

From: AH

Just like that, the dark cloud of insecurity that had been hanging over Fiamma since that past night evaporated into nothingness. Now beaming, Fi dropped the locked device back into the Fiat’s cup holder, grabbed her wallet from inside her open backpack, and pulled out a Polaroid photo from one of the card slots. It was a beautiful shot of her boyfriend at the hidden creek where they’d spent an innumerable amount of afternoons that past summer. The sun made his blond hair look lighter in the image, his skin sparkling with tiny droplets of water, and the reflection of the stream in his eyes really brought out the glimmer of green inside them. But it was his heart-stopping, breathtaking smile what put every beautiful thing in the background to shame.

In Fiamma’s eyes, Aiden Howard was absolute perfection.

With the dumbest look on her face, Fi lovingly stared at the photo for a few seconds before she kissed it and placed it over her heart. And with that silly gesture, the first-day jitters had been nearly forgotten.

It’s all going to be a-okay.

[GirlOnMarz]

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"Woah Nana, I didn't know you were gonna go all out like this,"

As usual, JayVaughn Spencer had woken up that morning with a refreshed mind and a grumbling stomach. And as he went through the motions of getting himself ready for his first day back at Rosefell, his stomach continued to demand a hearty breakfast; it didn't help that JJ had begun to smell what his Nana was whipping up in the kitchen before he could step foot into the shower. It was because of this delicious smelling food that JJ moved with a little more pep in his step; he got dressed in under six minutes, and only spent another few minutes in the bathroom to brush his teeth, remove his durag, and spray a little cologne. It was only after his youngest cousin came bursting through the bathroom door, demanding that he be left alone to pee, that JJ ran to his room to shove whatever spare notebook and pencil he could find into his backpack, and then headed down the hall towards the kitchen.

Everybody in the neighborhood knew that Ida Mae Spencer could throw down in the kitchen; it was why those down at the Baptist church always immediately gravitated towards her crockpots full of collard greens, pot roast, and meatballs after service. Of course, Nana Ida didn't have the money to spend on these large meals on a regular basis, but she did make a few exceptions for special occasions like church potlucks. Well, that and her grandbabies' first day back at school.

JJ walked into the dining room to see three bowls sitting around the table, one for each of Ida's grandkids. Each bowl was filled to the brim with cajun-style shrimp and grits, three pieces of turkey bacon, and a freshly buttered biscuit. JJ's younger cousin, Michelle, had already been sitting in her spot; she'd just finished taking a couple pictures of her food as JJ sat down next to her. "Looks great, Nana. I swear, though... it's like you're tryna fatten us up or something."

"Pretty sure she would've given up a long time ago if she was actually tryna fatten you up," Michelle said with a roll of her eyes as she picked up and fork and began digging around the bowl for shrimp and bacon. "You eat more than all of your football friends combined and yet somehow still manage to look like... that."

"Aye now, what's that supposed to mean?" JJ said with a wide-grinned laugh as he picked up his own fork and skewered a shrimp. "Not my fault that God decided to bless me with a fast metabolism." And as if to demonstrate, JJ quickly shoveled three large forkfuls of his breakfast into his mouth before leaning back in his seat and patting his stomach. "See? "

"Yeah, guess he didn't have a problem with letting all of that weight go straight to your head, either." Michelle retorted, the ends of her mouth slightly curling upwards.

"Nice one," JJ said, raising his eyebrow just as the sound of his cell phone ringing forced him to redirect his attention. "Speaking of friends..." None other than Joanne Lynn, or simply "Jo" as JJ preferred to call her, had sent him a text message asking if he wanted to hang. She also mentioned an extra breakfast bagel, which instantly caused JJ to perk up. This, of course, caused Michelle to take a peek at the boy's phone to see what had gotten him so excited, which only earned him a nudge in the ribs.

"I know ya fat ass isn't gonna eat an entire bagel when you just ate all of this," Michelle said with a bewildered expression. This expression quickly turned to one of panic, however, when another voice chimed in from behind the pair.

"Now you better watch your mouth while you're sitting under my roof, Michelle Spencer," Ida Mae's stern voice rang through the air. JJ and his cousin turned in unison to see their grandmother standing in the doorway, her hand on her hip and her nostrils flared in irritation. "You know better than that."

"Yes ma'am," the young woman said quickly, before turning back in her seat to finish her meal. "I'm sorry... won't happen again."

It was only after Nana Ida had walked back into the kitchen that JJ finally let out the laughter that had been building up in his chest. He laughed so hard that tears were threatening to fall down his cheeks. "Y-yes ma'am, sorry ma'am," JJ said mockingly in-between his laughs. This only made Michelle nudge him in the ribs again, this time harder than before.

"Shut the fuck up," she said, this time in a hushed tone so that her grandmother wouldn't be able to hear. "Just shut up and go get your stupid breakfast bagel from Jo Lynn."

"Y-yes ma'am"

To: Jo Lynn🏀
From: JJ

Be there in 6
Of course I want the bagel

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Unlike most of the Rosefell student body, JJ much preferred to ride his bicycle to and from school rather than take the bus. He didn't live too far from the school, and figured that it would take him a lot less time since he wouldn't have to make a bunch of stops like the school bus did. Riding his bike also gave him the chance to fully wake himself up in the mornings; he pedaled like crazy as he hummed along to the rap music that blared through his earbuds.

It wasn't long before JJ was chaining his bike up to a pole near the school parking lot and beginning to seek out Jo. And upon seeing so many unfamiliar faces and cars (many of which were way too fancy to belong to any Rosefell kids), it suddenly dawned upon JJ that today wasn't just some regular old first day at Rosefell. No, today was the day that the Liberty kids got the chance to check out how things were on their side of the tracks.

"Well I'll be damned," JJ said, mostly to himself as he quickly pulled out his cell phone to double check an email that had been sent to him prior to that day. Marcos Kingsley. That was who he was supposed to be showing around. Even the guy's name sounded fancy. Nevertheless, JJ was still happy to help out in any way he could; switching to a different school during Senior year couldn't be easy for anyone, regardless of their situation.

Sooner or later, JJ found Jo. It was as he began walking in her direction that Dee entered the picture as well. "Look at all this fresh meat to the slaughter," JJ heard him say. "Think they got any idea what they’re getting themselves in to?"

"Oh, definitely not," JJ said suddenly as he came to a stop next to Jo, his eyes focusing on the large yellow vehicle that had begun unloading teenagers. "But we'll see how it goes. I'm sure most of them will adjust... I'm actually kinda surprised that so many of them decided to take the bus. Aren't all Liberty kids supposed to have some expensive ass, wealthy parent-funded cars? I think I saw someone pull up in a Lincoln Navigator not too long ago. Who do I gotta flirt with to get the chance to ride shotgun in one of those, let alone drive it around?"

[BrutalBx]

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“No puedo contenerlo más
Un beso y has abierto la puerta
Mis ojos están claros y mi corazón no está hueco
Adonde lleva tu amor mi pobre alma seguirá.

Después de la mujer oscura,
Te veo en esa luz de whisky seco a medio encender.
Mírame, baila para mí
Arrastra mi alma contigo de vuelta a la oscura noche oscura”

Enrique mumbled the words to his latest masterpiece as he plucked at his guitar strings. After Dark Woman was going to be the one to propel him into the Latin Rock stratosphere, just like “Sunkissed Shore” last month or “Amor no me defraudes” the month before that. He was in no great rush to be famous but to be appreciated for the talent that he was; now that was the challenge.

Somewhat prototypically, Rico’s bedroom was like any other teenage boy. Clothes were strung across the floor, the shades on the windows were basically sealed shut leaving the room in almost complete darkness except for a small crack of sunlight and the illuminated screen of his cell phone. Every wall was plastered with vinyl records and old posters and the bin was overflowing with takeaway cups from the Yellow Rose. Sitting beside him were doggy bags from his family's restaurant La Munica; Rico had opted for a few leftover spicy Mahi Mahi tacos as his evening meal the night before; the boy did love his heat, it was a wonder he had any functioning tastebuds left.

“Hijo, ponte unos pantalones, vas a llegar tarde a la escuela” a female voice called through the door. Enrique’s mother Monica was a stunning beauty; even now in her mid fifties many of Rosefell’s young bachelors would fawn over the restaurateur. Rico didn’t mind his friends drooling over his Mom, it was quite flattering actually and both her and his father still looking good boded well for his future maturation into adulthood.

He glanced down at his phone and noted the time; she wasn’t wrong, he was behind already and it was only the first day! He jumped to his feet and began throwing clothes around the room to try and find anything that could remotely pass for clean. After what felt like an eternity of searching; Enrique pulled on a pair of jeans, a vintage Fleetwood Mac T-shirt and a denim shirt with his classic black and white converse finishing the ensemble. He sprayed himself down with deodorant and locked his precious guitar in its case before hurrying out of the door with it under his arm.

La Munica was Pedro Nunez’ baby; he had graduated from a small seaside stall in Cancun to a semi upscale restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. It wasn’t the fanciest place in the world but his was homely and the food was cooked beautifully with love and passion; two traits that all the Nunez familia share in abundance. As he prepped his latest dish, Pedro glanced up towards his wife as she made her way towards the laundry room; in that brief whisper of a moment he considered himself the luckiest man alive...then he heard the slamming around of his only son as he stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen of the restaurant, hitting the hanging pots and pans with his guitar case. “Nosotros deberíamos haberte adoptado”.

Enrique stopped short of his fathers position by the oven and stole a slice of toast to eat on the way. It was too late for him to stop at the diner and grab his usual morning coffee so unbuttered plain toast that was undoubtedly meant for his darling mother would have to do. ”Siempre eres tan amable conmigo, papá. te quiero. Por cierto, el Chilli Mahi Mahi fue una bomba. ¡Te veo esta noche!” Suave waved like a schoolgirl, toast hanging from his mouth before grabbing his skateboard from the side where his mother had told him not to leave it for a thousand times and jumped out of the back door.

With the guitar strapped to his back, Rico kicked off from the sidewalk and set off down the hill towards Rosefell High. Riding a board with a guitar case and guitar on your back as well as your school things was not an easy feat but the Latin lover boy had it down to a science and it was why he maintained such a strong upper body. One would be surprised to find he was not an athlete of any kind.

He was extremely curious to see what new adventures and mysteries this new year would hold for him. Rico had no doubt that Rae was already hiding in a bush somewhere trying to figure out whether the new Liberty transfers were all pod people or soul sucking demons who murder by sex. If that was how Enrique was to die; tied to a bed and by the lips of the beautiful departed...he was ok with that. As Devil Town by Bright Eyes played through his earphones, he took in the changing sites around him. As he made his way further and further down the hill, the buildings became a little more decrepit and little more worse for wear. It wasn’t Hollywood and it wasn’t that well put together but it was home.

Riding towards Rosefell High’s parking lot, Rico could see little clusters of students gathering. Some he recognised, like Spike, Minty and Lilith, others he did not, like girls the other three were talking to. He had to time his next move carefully; one step too fast or one too slow would ruin the evil plan that was forming in his deviant Mexicano brain. He would use all his wit, all his wisdom and all of his lyrical genius to pull off the first opening day meme of Rosefell.

With precision timing, Enrique rolled past Spike and his Harem, turning to far them all with a radiant smile ”Ladies, you’re are all breathtaking, ignore the boy and any words that come from his mouth, he is a walking potato” Like a smooth criminal. The guitar man carried on last the group, satisfied that his job was complete. He loved Spike dearly like most but he could not resist. Satisfied with his genius, Rico let out a content sigh just in time to nearly be ran over by an arriving car

”Oh shit”