[IC] Delbrook Academy: Senior Year [ FULL ]

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"Delbrook Academy of Long Beach, California - and, of course, home of the Rising Tides..!

Today we welcome back familiar faces to a new year, and with them, a new wave of students into the sandy halls of D.A. Whether you choose to spend your time rushing the field with our five-time National Championship lacrosse team - Go, mighty Tides..! - or rocking out in the quad to the sweet rhythm of the jazz band; with more than enough extracurricular sports, activities, and clubs on offer, you're sure to find the right place for you, surrounded by like-minded peers who, despite differences, come together to create a close-knit and welcoming community.

So now that's out of the way, let's get down to the four-one-one on how your first day at Delbrook is going to go.

Today is all about getting in the groove; and no, I don't just mean with the dance squad or the cheerleaders... No. Today is going to consist of familiarizing yourself or re-familiarizing for our returning tides, with the school. This morning you'll attend your homeroom, where you'll meet your classmates and teacher before heading to the auditorium where our mighty Poseidon - our principal, for those of you who might not know - will address the school and give us a brief rundown on what the new year is going to look like. But once that's done... light that bonfire, and get ready for a luau; because the sharks, along with our amazing seniors, have prepared one hell of a welcome home party for us all..! So be sure to head on out to the lacrosse field and check it out..! There are food trucks, carnival games, rides, and booths- make new friends, meet the clubs, and prove yourself a tide to be reckoned with. And why not..? After all; new year, new you, right?

Let's make this year our most memorable yet!

For Delbrook Academy; your resident chatty dolphin, signing off..!"

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Room 915 Interactions: All students in attendance ______________________________________________________________________________________

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_{@Akayaofthemoon @Fabricant451 @Fandom Princess @Fledermaus @GirlOnMarz @Hey Im Jordan @Horangi @Kuro @KZOMBI3 @LostDestiny @metanoia @Myling @NeoAJ @TGM @Salsa Verde @Venus}

With the five-minute bell ringing to let the students know it is time to head on into their homeroom class, Miss Goldman positioned herself just outside of her classroom door with a hand clasped over the other in front of her as she patiently waits for her students to arrive. Or as she would put it, jokingly, her first victims of the day. A couple of students attempting to hurry past her into the room catching her eye as she quickly pulled them back out into the hallway to line up along the wall of lockers outside of her classroom. Goldman couldn't help the bright smile that painted her already vibrant features as she looked at the increasing line outside of her door, waving to a few familiar faces in passing.

With a small smirk, Miss Goldman stepped back to open up space for the students to enter the room single-file, looking each and every student in the eyes while greeting them with different 'hello's and 'good morning's as they entered, waiting for them to answer her back before permitting them entry, chuckling at a few of the students who just looked on at her in confusion. Students who clearly did not take Spanish for their Language Elective.

"There is a seating chart to follow on the desk at the front of the class. Have a look, find your seat, and sit yourselves down until further instructions, please," she spoke to the class in English as they entered. Once every one of the students was inside, she glanced down the hallway to check for any potential stragglers before turning back to her classroom, leaving the door wide open in case any tardy students were brought in from the front office. Walking to her desk she quickly picked up a clipboard with a few sheets of paper on it, looking out at the class as she checked back and forth between the seating chart and the students of her homeroom class.

"Alright, looks like the majority of you are here and have found your seats. Buenos dias clase," slipping a single leg back, she lowered herself a tad. Her head bending forward just slightly, giving a respectful nod to the class before continuing.

"Mi nombre es Sra. Goldman. You may call me by Ms. Goldman, or Ms. G. If there is any name you would like me to refer to you as, please come write it on the seating chart at the end of the class before you leave. I will leave it on my desk for you." Ms. Goldman paused a moment, looking out at the students before her.

"Looks like we have all seniors in here. With a few new faces! Que asombroso! Well.. to our newcomers, don't get too overwhelmed. I know, it's a dumb thing to ask of you. May already be overwhelmed, at this point. D.A. does things quite differently than most schools, and it's got enough students and staff to make its own city, really. I'm sure my lovely returning seniors here will be very welcoming to you and be willing to help you out in finding your classes. Isn't that right, guys?" Goldman eyes her class, most especially the students she knows from having in her classes years prior.

"As for how I run my homeroom, you are allowed to do just about whatever you'd like. Catch up on that sleep you missed out on, do homework, be on your phone... you have freedom in here. The only thing I ask is that you don't bring food in here. Ants can become a serious problem in here. They're kind of hard to spot on this peppered tile flooring. That's one of the only things I ask you don't do is eat in here. Do that before you come in or after you leave my classroom," Ms. Goldman smiles softly, continuing.

"Today is going to go by kind of quick, and there is much to do. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to get to know a bit about you all today, we will have to save it for tomorrow." Glancing up at the clock hanging above the door frame, Goldman chewed on the inside of her lower lip thoughtfully. "Mr. McGregor should be starting his morning announcement here, shortly. Until then, you are free to do as you please while I go over my lesson plans for the week."

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After a few minutes had gone by, static sounded from the speaker up in the corner of the room above the door as the mic flipped on, Miss Goldman quickly held up a hand sign with one hand, the other snapping a few times to grab students' attention before she brought her index finger to her lips. The room itself fell silent and a single voice - gentle and warm - can be heard filling the campus. Retired Marine, current Head Principle at Delbrook, Mr. Jack McGregor.

"Hello, students, staff.. new and old. Welcome. If you would please do me the honor, and stand from your seats, placing your hand over your heart and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance with me? It's fine if you don't want to say it, I understand your disconcerts, but it would please me greatly if those of you who don't want to say it, at least stand with the rest of us."

He gave everyone a few moments before continuing to recite the Pledge, giving another short couple of moments to allow the students to get seated and quiet down in their classrooms before starting off with his first-day announcement.

"Today, students, you have made it to your first class. Homeroom. Turn to the people beside you and introduce yourself, if you haven't already done so because this class will be seeing you every day 5 times a week till the end of our school year. This will be the only class you will be seeing on a daily basis unless we have GREEN Days, which are just what we call our minimum days where you will be attending all eight classes on your schedule. Green is a go!" McGregor chuckled lightly, clearing his throat.

"There will be an assembly, which each and every one of you will be attending before we can turn you over to the festivities that I'm sure you're all aware of that wait for you out on the turf. Before I go, I just want to give a quick appreciative shout-out to our school's teachers, cafeteria workers, the custodial staff, parent volunteers, and secretaries. Without you all, this wouldn't be possible. For you students, please enjoy your year here at Delbrook Academy High. I wish you all the best in this new year. For now, let's just worry about getting through the first day. Make the most of it. Thank you."

The speaker cut out then and Ms. Goldman asked that her homeroom students get into a single-file line, once the class had done so, she led them to the auditorium where they would sit through an hour-long pep talk from Mr. McGregor and the school's Vice Principal, Ms. Bauer about how they imagine the school year to run. At the end of the assembly, the V.P. turned everyone back over to Ms. Goldman, who took the students out to the lacrosse field, taking a quick headcount before she set the class free to their own devices. The field was littered with booths upon booths, almost the equivalent to a carnival except all that's missing is the Ferris Wheel. All the rides being located out on the baseball field on the south side of the school.

[CaliforniaState]

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^{Big Thief - Masterpiece}

Casper wasn’t sure what the allure of the beach was to him. Maybe it was the soft sea foam that formed from every wave or the intoxicating smell of the salt fresh from each tide. Regardless of what it was, he was drawn to it, to the point that it became a habit for him before school everyday. Unlike most of his peers, his functioning hours laid between twilight. 2am-6am was his favorite time as it felt like that’s when the world finally felt like it was a ghost town and no one was there to occupy it but himself. Between the soft faded clouds, peeked the head of the sun. Within a few minutes everything was doused in a medley of pinks, purples, and oranges. Looking at his phone it was almost time for the first and last day of his Delbrook career. Birds began to sing while he popped AirPods into his ear and hit play before he started down the road on his skateboard. It’s not that he didn’t want a car nor that he couldn’t afford one, but he didn’t really need one since he lived decently close to campus and it saved him money for things he considered more important, like creating an EP for labels to listen to.

Like their mascot, Casper rolled in like a rising tide. He was greeted with the new class of freshmen that moved up from the middle school and he couldn’t help but wonder if he looked that young when he was their age, they get tinier every year. The halls were as clogged as always, pushing past the loitering crowd and peering into the cafeteria to see if he recognized anyone. Nothing. Guess everyone was either still arriving or already in home room. He walked past the center of the school at a crossroads looking at the massive image of Poseidon etched on the wall and kind of scoffed, after all guys who were into Greek mythology were the equivalent to girls who got into astrology. He liked both so what did that say about him? The drum of the five minute bell pulled him back in, the only thing more terrorizing than the bell was the default alarm on the iPhone. Luckily he made it in time just to catch the makings of a line formed outside Miss Goldman’s room. Spanish was cool and all, but Creole was more up his alley or that’s what his mom led him to believe.

“Hola, cómo estás Profe?” That should have gotten the heat off him for now, making his way to his seat. He found himself comfortably square in the middle of the chart. Everyone already knew him by Caspian, Cas, or Casper so there was no need to write his nicknames on the board. She went over the typical spiel as she did every year prior. It was nice to know they had the autonomy to do whatever they wanted in their free period. Casper mostly slept since he spends four or so hours up on the beach. Just then the speaker came alive with static before the Sea god himself began to speak. He half rolled his eyes at the dystopian practice of standing up and reciting something so indoctrinated within them since elementary school, but nonetheless he humored their principal and stood up idly until it was over. Casper turned and made sure he greeted his new and old peers before the principal finished the rest of his message and they headed over to the auditorium. More pleasantries that put mostly everyone to sleep until they perked up at the announcement of the carnival. This was almost undoubtedly a risky way to start the year, but as they headed onto the field, Casper only head one thought in his mind. Funnel Cake.

[LostDestiny]

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After tuning the alarm on his phone off for about the millionth time Marco was finally shaken awake by his sister. He groaned and tried to cover himself in his blanket but it was quickly ripped from his hands with speed that would rival that of Barry Allen. Leaving him suddenly very cold and a little annoyed with his sister. He tried to play it off like the situation didn’t bother him, while simultaneously pretending he was still asleep. He knew Maria knew better but still, his bed was still so very comfortable all of the sudden.

“Marco, you need to get up, or we will be late.” He heard Maria say as she walked out of the room. This caused the ginger male to groan and effectively roll out of his bed. Getting up and stretching he noticed the clothes Maria had insisted on him setting out for today. Something about knowing he wouldn’t be up in time to dig through the mess he called a dresser. He hated to admit it but she was right. Looking at the clock they had just enough time to get breakfast and make it to school with Maria’s requested ten minutes to spare. He headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face then headed back to his room to throw on a simple well-fitting black t-shirt and a pair of shorts that sported the Delbrook logo and the text “swim team” on one of the legs. Nothing to fancy, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He had no doubt his twin would have enough style for the two of them. Not to mention he knew his friends would be wearing their sports jerseys today. Being that the only team he was on was the swim team he didn’t exactly have a jersey to wear so the shorts were the best he had.

Headed down the stairs he met Maria in the kitchen who had already set out some pancakes and orange juice for him. “You spoil me dear sister.” He said sitting down and beginning to inhale the food in front of him. He caught Maria rolling her eyes at him before grabbing the notes left for them by their parents.

Marco, Maria,
Have a great first day of your last year in HS! Sorry we couldn’t be there to see you off, early mornings will do that to you.
Good luck. Have fun,
Mom and Dad

“Short and sweet as usual, you ready to head out?” Marco asked as he finished up his breakfast and stood up to grab his keys off the hook. He knew Maria was ready to go, there was really no point in asking her but he did anyway. Maria grabbed her small handbag Which he knew held both of their supplies they would need for the day. Really nothing more than a pencil for each of them and some index cards, as well as a portable charger for their phones just in case. She was, after all, the responsible twin. The pair got into Marco’s Bronco and the two headed toward the school. Making it to the school with just enough time for them to get to their homeroom about a minute early.

The twins entered the classroom together after greeting Miss Goldman and checking the seating chart, and moving to their respective seats. Sitting down he leaned back a bit in his chair waiting for the others to also take their seats. He had kind of tuned out Miss Goldman as she spoke distracted by pretty much everything else. That was, until she mentioned not being able to eat in her classroom. This made the redhead sink a little in his seat. This would mean Maria would badger him even harder in the morning to get up in time to make sure they ate. He supposed it wasn’t as bad as it could have been but still, Marco liked to snack.

He suffered through the pledge and other announcements and soon they were all herded into the auditorium where he had started fiddling with his phone the moment he sat down. Eventually he decided that now would be a great time to take a nap, much to his sister’s annoyance, who ended up being his pillow toward the end of the assembly. He was shaken awake by her for the second time that day when they were dismissed and he headed out toward the Lacrosse field, with Maria in tow. Most of their friends were the same so he pulled his sister through the crowd like she needed help. He decided to try to find the rest of the guys pulling his sister along with him as he did so, as if she didn't have other things to do, or people she wanted to talk to.

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Maria’s alarm went off fairly early. The redheaded female twin got up with relative ease and took a refreshing shower. Well, to her it was refreshing, Marco had made it very clear she showered in, in his words, Satan’s waterfall. It was apparent from the steam that flowed out of the bathroom when she was done. She would just shrug at him and go about her business. After the shower she dressed herself in the flower romper She had picked out the night before. After which she did her make-up which was honestly rather minimalistic since she hated covering up her freckles too much. It took her about an hour to get ready including the shower and afterward she went into the kitchen to get herself some breakfast, and also make Marco some, since she was positive he was not awake yet. She always had to wake him up, especially during the first week or so. After making the pancakes she looked at the clock and decided now was the time to wake Marco up. She headed into his room to see he had just settled from turning his alarm off, it was probably not the first time and wouldn't be the last if she didn't intervein.

Maria walked over to her twin and shook him a bit. Letting him know he needed to get up without actually saying anything. Only to have her brother try to cover himself in his blanket. Shaking her head she yanked at the bottom of the blanket and Marco lost his grip, leaving him lying there without anything to keep him warm. She knew he got the message but still as she left his room she spoke. “Marco, you need to get up, or we will be late.”

She went back into the kitchen to set the table for him, knowing he had showered the night before so would be in the kitchen shortly, hungry. Marco entered the kitchen spotting the food. “You spoil me dear sister.” He said, beginning to shovel food into his mouth. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the note their parents had left for them and handed it to him. She had already read it. She hadn’t caught what Marco said about the note but she was sure she had likely thought the same thing. Marco went to grab his keys and Maria grabbed her handbag and the two headed to the school together.

The twins entered the classroom together after greeting Miss Goldman and checking the seating chart. She took her seat and waited until Miss Goldman started speaking fiddling with the string on her romper as she spoke. The announcements started and ended and then they were led into the auditorium for the assembly. Maria listened, up until she felt a head on her shoulder and could only roll her eyes at the sight of her brother passed out beside her. Still it was better than him trying to entertain himself by bothering her so she let him sleep until it was time to head to the festivities outside. Unfortunately Marco had decided to drag her along with her while he looked for his friends. They were her friends too but Maria wasn’t trying to spend the whole day with her brother and the guys. She would find a way to slip away at some point, or her friends would realize that her brother had kidnapped her and seek them out.

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Allister’s alarm had gone off at least five times before he finally decided to get out of bed. It was less of a choice and more of his father coming into his room and demanding he “get his ass out of bed”. Allister rolled his eyes and got out of bed only to be greeted by the angry face of his father.

“You had a party here last night didn’t you?” His father seemed to ask but the older male already knew the answer. So now he stood expecting his son to lie to him.

“You and mom were gone and it was my last night of freedom, so yea, I had a little get together here last night.” He didn’t really have the energy to argue with his parents right now. He had a pretty intense hangover from the night before. Last night was one of the tamer parties he held. Only a few people showed up so it was more of a get together like he said. That did not mean that Allister did not get shit faced last night.

“We have been over this Allister, we will be taking your allowance for the week to pay back for the alcohol you stole and the cleaning. Cut the crap and grow up already.” With that Allister’s father left, not giving him a chance to reply. Not that he was going to. This was a regular thing, he would party, his parents would find out, they would take his money for the week. This cycle had made Allister surprisingly good at saving and budgeting. He wasn’t worried about not having cash to blow.

It took Allister all of an hour to shower and throw the stuff he needed for the day together. Most of which was him searching for the keys to his bike. It appeared his drunken self had found it funny to hide the keys of his newly restored bike from his sober self. Eventually however, he found the keys and he was out the door. The sound of the bike starting irritated his headache a bit but after putting his helmet on he was used to the sound. With a last check to make sure he had all that he needed he exited the garage and drove to Delbrook for the first day of his last year.

Despite the rough start Allister made it to the school in the knick of time. Parking in the lot and removing his helmet just as the bell rang to head to class. It was a little bit of a jog but he managed to make it to the class at the last possible second. He was one of the last to enter his homeroom class and find his seat greeting Miss Goldman with a half hearted hello as he did so. He tuned out the announcements taking the time to observe the people around him. Taking note of who not to mess with and who he didn’t recognize. He also tuned out the assembly, having no interest in listening to the same long speeches that happened every year. His focus was on the little mini festivities afterward. More importantly the food that would be there, since he had skipped breakfast in an attempt to avoid his parents as well as the fact that he couldn’t find his damn keys. As soon as they released onto the field he made a beeline toward one of the food stalls, not looking for anything other than something to fill his stomach.

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location:Home -> Delbrook Academy Interactions: None ______________________________________________________________________________________

Taliesin’s alarm sounded and he rolled out of bed, the smell of bacon enticing him into the kitchen before he was even fully ready. “Morning dad.” He mumbled sitting on the barstool on the other side of the kitchen counter. It seemed he was right on time to be served breakfast. A nice hot plate of bacon and eggs slid across the table to him followed by a cup of orange juice and a few biscuits. The blonde quickly cut into the biscuits and assembled a breakfast sandwich. “Thanks.” Could be heard through a mouthful of food. His father just laughed and began assembling his own breakfast.

“First day of a full year at Delbrook, how are you feeling?” His father asked after a couple moments of silence. He seemed to scan the teen’s face, trying to read anything off of it.

Tal shrugged. “Mostly okay, tired right now, but I will be okay, not sure how today is going to go. Hopefully nothing too crazy happens.” He finished up his breakfast and headed back to his room to get ready, taking a shower, and all that jazz. He got dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black button down, grabbed his keys and his mostly empty backpack and headed out the door, waving to his father as he left.

He arrived at the school with plenty of time to spare as per usual. He wasn’t too familiar with the school so he figured he would spend some time wondering about and find where his locker was as well as at least his homeroom. After he was satisfied with his wanderings he sat in front of the lockers near the door and pulled out a book to read while he waited for the bell to ring, which he knew wasn’t long but he could still get some reading in, in the meantime.

Eventually the bell rang and Tal greeted Miss Goldman before finding his seat and continuing to read, not really paying much attention to anyone or anything else. When the announcements started he finally put the book down to listen. Even though he had gone to this school for half the year last year he still couldn’t wrap his head around pledging to the flag. It seemed so…hive minded if someone were to ask him. He was respectful and he stood but never once did he utter a single word. They were dismissed to the auditorium shortly after, why they couldn't have just done this over the announcements Taliesin had no clue but it’s not like he had a choice in it. They were released onto the lacrosse field shortly and Tal made a beeline for the bleachers. He wasn’t big on crowds and he was content in the bleachers reading. If anyone wanted to find him he would be easy enough to spot.

[Rightful Heir]

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Front Office → Lacrosse Field Interactions: Step-Father, Marcus → Attendance Lady → K.C. Horowitz [via text] @TGM → Ezra Rodriguez OTD: ₪ Outfit ______________________________________________________________________________________

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After standing there for several minutes in silence as the lady behind the desk typed away at her computer finishing up some email she had said was urgent before writing Davina her late pass to class, Davina could hear her step-father shift beside her. His voice was practically in her ear as he muttered, "You're late." A small smirk spread across the girl's face as she lifted her head from her folded arms she'd had it buried on the counter before her, raising her brow at him. There were plenty of movies that they loved quoting, and many that had the lines 'you're late' in them, but it was more than obvious which one he was referencing this time. They quoted Lord of the Rings too often for her not to. A soft giggle escaped her as she gave the attendance lady a glance before looking back to Marcus.

"A witch is never late, Marcus. Nor is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to!" The two exchanged a chuckle, growing quiet as the woman who had promised to help them rose from her seat and walked over to them, holding out a small square paper to Davina.

"Here you go, hun. You're all set!"

"Thank you," Davina said almost in sync with her step-dad, walking ahead of him for a short moment before she felt her hood being brought over her face, blinding the girl as she laughed while fighting to get her hood up and off her head. By the time she did, Marcus had taken the lead and opened one of the doors for his step-daughter, allowing her to step through before doing so himself and letting the door close behind him. The two turned towards each other and Dav quickly held up a hand to stop him when it looked as though Marcus was going to try to step in and give the girl a hug.

"You know I hate hugs."

The man chuckled, dropping his hands to his sides before slipping them into his jeans pockets. "Yeah, yeah. You keep telling me." He cast a look over his shoulder at his car that was parked out front before turning his eyes back on Davina. "I'll have your bike looked at. Should be good to go by tomorrow so you can get to school on your own."

Davina smiled softly at him, nodding. "Thanks, dad."

A small silence sat between them a few moments before Marcus shifted in his stance, tilting his head. "Will you be going to The Center after school?"

"Yeah, probably. I'll ask someone for a ride, though. Shouldn't be hard to find one. Got a few friends who have their own cars. I'll be fine."

"Call or text if anything changes, alright?"

Davina smirked slightly, half-ass saluting Marcus. "You got it."

With that, she turned around to head towards the lacrosse field, pulling her phone out to type a message to her bestie K.C.

𝙱.𝙱.𝙸.𝙺.💀💋 Davina - 𝙸'𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.. 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠😜

"Parece que te pusiste algo de color durante el verano, gringa."

The familiar voice caught her attention as she clicked her phone off. There was only one person she knew who called her 'gringa'. Of course, he always assured her he meant it as a term of endearment. Whether Davina actually believed Benny was another story. The girl rolled her eyes, bringing them up to meet with his as she closed the distance between them, eventually walking side-by-side to the lacrosse field together.

"Hello to you too, Ezra. And yeah, I did. Burnt myself a few times at the beach over the summer."

"Mm. If you weren't so damn whitewashed, you wouldn't burn so easily, now would ya?" Ezra smirked slightly, keeping his gaze ahead of them as the two walked together, making their way up the path between the auditorium and the 400 building. It was always a peaceful walk through there. The tall trees that covered the path in a nice shade always seemed welcoming. It was the spot where Ezra had first started hanging out when he arrived at the school till he quickly realized that a lot of the weird band geeks hung out there at lunchtime. Ezra had quickly found himself a new place to escape during lunch hour.

"It actually usually takes me being out in the sun all day for me to get burnt. I could be out in the sun for a couple of hours and be just fine," Davina shrugged, kicking a small stick off the path into the dirt as they walked. Ezra just nodded, not really having anything to say in reply to that. The two never really talked that much, but were friendly enough they could hold small conversations. That's about all they were good for. That, and Ezra occasionally copying her History or English homework. The two students stepped out from the shadows with the sun's rays beating down on them as they swerved through the bungalows and slipped out onto the lacrosse field where the festivities were taking place. A sea of students and a handful of teachers scattered around, some clumped together in groups as they all pushed past each other to get to where they were going.

It wasn't long after having slipped into the crowd that Davina realized she was by herself, now. The girl shoved her hand down into her jeans pocket and slipped her hand around her phone out of a slightly anxious habit. Not that she absolutely needed someone to latch onto, company was just always nice.

[Fabricant451]

[Rightful Heir]

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Studio → Delbrook Academy Interactions: Damien Lopez @Vicier, Marco & Maria Costello @LostDestiny, Sawyer Lockwood OTD: ₪ Outfit ₪ Jersey ______________________________________________________________________________________

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After an entire summer of late nights with friends this morning's alarm was especially hard to wake to. Danny was never one for snooze alarms, but today was an exception. When the alarm rang again after having been silenced for the third time, Danny forced himself up out of the recliner to begin his morning routine. While trying to make as little noise as possible, Danny stepped up to peak into his loft bed where his ex-girlfriend _{(Story for another time.)} was still fast asleep. Part of him wanted to wake her the way he had just a few weeks prior, the way he loved to, but with the burning irritation from the fight the two had the night before it was an easy feeling to brush away. Danny turned, descending back down the stairs to head for the shower. He knew he could get away with it without waking her up. Though the boy had taken one the evening before, the sleep in his eyes and the haze that was still looming over him would be easy to wash away with a quick, cold shower. Like he always said, nothing a cold shower and a coffee couldn't fix.

He couldn't get behind hot showers. Sure, turning the shower water for a few moments to open up your pores before you wash your face, but to go through the entirety of one's shower with it scalding your skin? Girls. Girls were weird. It was a long-running joke between him, Damien, and Sawyer - originally started by Daniel's older brother Brandon - that girls had no souls, and they needed the heat from the waters of hell to warm their cold hearts. Though Daniel was never one to talk trash about girls - or anyone in general, for the matter - it was still remotely funny enough for a chuckle when he thought about it every now and then.

Having lived in a household where he had to share a bathroom with his older brother, Danny had mastered the art of getting ready in a real timely fashion. He'd laid out his clothes for the day on his gaming chair the night before - dark jeans, shoes, socks, boxers, jersey - it was a long-standing, sort of unspoken tradition that the school's sports teams wore their jerseys on the first day, a tradition Danny wasn't about to stray from - made quick work of getting dressed in his fit before snatching his keys off the wall and heading out the front door of his studio apartment, all the while being as quiet as he possibly could to not get caught heading out by his ex. As soon as Danny stepped through the threshold, the cold, welcoming ocean air flooded his nose, a sense of warmth flooding him. It was the smell of home. One Danny knew he could never live without. There was never any specific reason why, but Danny always had a major sense of pride when he told people where he was from. The beach, the ocean - hell, the city of Long Beach - it was all he'd ever known.

A quick trip to Starbucks and a stop through a lengthy Jack in the Box line left Daniel enjoying his breakfast in the near-empty senior parking lot, another thing that he quite enjoyed was the quiet of the morning before the waves of students flooded in. As he sat there chowing down on his hashbrown it dawned on him he hadn't checked his phone this morning. Digging down into his pocket, he pulled out his cell and clicked the side button, bringing the screen to life. Seven missed messages. One from his mother, one from his sister-from-another-mister (his older brother Bran's best friend Erin Chase), two from his brother Brandon and several from the lacrosse team's group chat.

𝙼𝚘𝚖 - 𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢. 𝚂𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛! 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 :] 𝚂𝚒𝚜 𝙴💀💜 - 𝙷𝚎𝚢, 𝚕𝚒𝚕 𝙼..! ..𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝... 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞..! 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 💜 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙳𝚎𝚎! 𝙱𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢... 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎😘 𝙳𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚗 - 𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜- 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛..! 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚐, 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚑..? 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎..! 𝙾𝚑, 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝- 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚓𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚢𝚜. 𝙶𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚗 - 𝙷𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚢! 𝙱𝚒𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙻𝚎𝚖𝚖𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛-

Daniel groaned to himself, quickly swiping away his brother's messages before he could even finish the first one. There was definitely no need in seeing what else he had to say. Quickly typing out a message to the lacrosse group chat and a return text to Erin, Danny hit send and grabbed hold of his coffee, mechanical pencil and I.D. lanyard from the center console of his truck before hopping out, locking his truck doors. Yes, all Danny would be attending his first day of senior year with was a pencil. If he learned anything from his previous years, the teachers always seemed to laugh at the students who brought anything more than just a pencil and a folder with a few pieces of paper. Something, if it came to him needing it, he could more than likely borrow from someone else.

Waves of students were starting to flood down the street towards the front gate, Danny packed in the sea of sardines, ever-so-patiently waiting to get into the school. Pulling his I.D. from his back pocket, Danny flashed his photo to the guard at the desk before squeezing past some rather loud freshman - there was no denying they were fresh meat, as they had the classic lost look in their eyes as they took the school's surroundings in - something Danny would not miss. Downing the last of his cold brew, he tossed the empty cup in a trash can and let himself in to the stairwell of the 900 building, pushing up to the second floor where he knew his homeroom was located.

Of course, a Spanish good morning was nothing for Danny. He had a mild understanding of the language, mostly thanks to his best friend Damien and his family, and having to deal with the general public through work. It was enough to get him by Ms. Goldman with a soft, charming smile shot her way before ducking into the classroom, looking over a couple of students shoulders in front of him to see where his seat was. Right up front. Oh joy. He took a quick peak at the other names he knew of, seeing where his friends were seated in comparison. A bit of a smile couldn't be helped when he saw that his long-time friend and crush Charlotte - who would be returning to public school after several hard years away from the "joys" of it all due to some family drama - would be seated right across from him. The near giddy feeling he had at the seating chart was immediately ripped away at how close in proximity his ex would be seated - right behind him - and that not only was Charlie seated across from him, but so was his recently-made ex-friend Carlos, as well. Suddenly that feeling he had had before was starting to feel more dumb than luck. With a soft clench of his jaw, Daniel turned and excused himself through the growing pile of students around Ms. Goldman's desk, slipping into his designated desk.

Being seated at the front had its perks. You got to notice new faces. One in particular stood out, she looked to be seated right behind where he'd seen some friends' desks. Daniel watched her a moment before turning his gaze away, not wanting to make awkward eye contact with the new girl. Last thing he wanted was to do was make one of the new kids feel like a fish in a fishbowl any more than they already did. The morning announcements went by rather quickly and before Danny could process it, they were already through the hour long assembly being ushered out towards the lacrosse field. Though it had been mentioned a few times already this morning, Danny had totally forgotten about the festivities that awaited them. Suddenly he had wished he hadn't eaten McDonald's for breakfast. The fact of the matter was, he wasn't outright starving, but he definitely could still eat. The smell of funnel cake was calling to him. Looking around, Danny finally spotted Marco, Maria and Sawyer. Of course Sawyer was still off a ways with Eretria in tow, so he shot the boy a quick text and turned back towards the direction he'd seen the twins. Slipping past a few people, he stepped up beside his teammate and sister-from-another-mister with a small grin.

"Bran told me from his Senior Year Festival they had a lot of good vendors. I doubt they changed the list very much in the last two years. You guys eat this morning, at all? I kinda fucked up and already ate on the way here, but... honestly? I could still eat."

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Lockwood Residence → Delbrook Academy; Senior Parking Lot → Girls Locker Room → Lacrosse Field Interactions: Gavin Lockwood, Momma Lockwood, Eretria Simmons @Vicier, & Danny Murphy OTD: ₪ Outfit ₪ Jersey ₪ Hat ______________________________________________________________________________________

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[ Collab post with @Vicier ]}

"Soy. Sawyer! ..come on, man, get up."

With a sharp inhale, Sawyer sat upright in bed and slapped the hands on his shoulders away. Slowly forced his eyes open to then rub the sleep from them, glaring up at his brother.

"Dude, what? I have a fuckin alarm set, what do you-"

"Clearly you snoozed it. A few times. You definitely won't have time to shower, sis. Get your ass up, I'm leaving in 10."

Sawyer watched as his brother walked out of his bedroom and snatched his phone from off his nightstand, checking the time to be sure that Gavin wasn't just fucking with him on their first day of senior year. Nope. It was 6:27. He could run through a quick shower and still have time. No sweat.

Plugging his phone into the charger before heading into the shower, he made it out with three minutes to spare, quickly toweling off and tugging on his jeans, black Vessi's, and lacrosse jersey. Snagging his hat and house keys off his nightstand, he tossed his keys into his backpack with his hydro flask and school I.D. already in it before swinging the strap over his shoulder. Sawyer stopped in his doorway and turned back into his room to dart back for his phone pulling it from the charger to stash into his pocket. Soy snagged his cologne off of his dresser and sprayed some on over the front of his body as he walked, tossing the container back onto his bed as he peeled around the door jam and ran downstairs shaking out his damp hair.

Fucker better not have left without me, he thought to himself, waving to his mother who was enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen as he attempted to slip out the front door, but his mother's voice caught his ear just before shutting the door behind him.

"Wait a minute! Can't I get a picture of you boys on your first day of your last year of high school?"

Sawyer groaned softly to himself and ran a hand through his hair, stepping back through the threshold and closed the door behind him before heading into the kitchen. Gavin was standing at the other end searching through the cabinet, probably for a granola bar.

"Oh come on, you two. Stand together and let me get a snap of you."

Sawyer clenched his jaw lightly and did as his mom asked, sighing heavily. If there was one thing he couldn't refuse, it was doing things to make his mother happy. After the photo was taken, both the boys laughed and shoved at each other before making their way out the front door with their mother trailing them right on their heels to the garage.

While Sawyer walked he was looking over his shoulder trying to listen to the small talk his twin and mother were having, causing him to run directly into something. His arm immediately shot out to balance the thing - now facing said thing he'd knocked into, he realized it was his good friend and neighbor, Eretria Simmons - a soft apologetic smile spread across his face as his hand dropped away from her.

"Sorry. Hey Trey.. what are yo-" Before he could get another word in, his mother came up beside the two of them and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Oh, sweetheart, hello! And good morning." Mrs. Lockwood gently let Eretria go, smiling at the girl. "You and the boys share any classes this year? They haven't told me a thing about their schedules." She eyed both her boys with narrowed eyes teasingly.

"So far, mom, the only class I know that we - well, I - share with Tria is homeroom. Gavin got stuck in Ms. Stoldt's class for his," Sawyer chuckled softly, knowing all too well Gavin had never liked her when he had her sophomore year for Earth Science.

"..mama Lockwood- good morning..! Well... I'm not sure what classes I share with these two yet, if any, aside from homeroom with Soy; but you know me, I'll be sure to keep them in line for you. You have my word."

"YoU hAvE mY wOrD." Sawyer rolled his eyes with a bit of a smirk, noticing the helmet she'd gotten specifically for him when he rode with her on her motorbike. His eyes moved over to meet hers with a small smile before turning his attention back to his mom and brother, waving them off.

"Yeah, yeah. As if it isn't enough already having one mother." Sawyer chuckled softly, quickly side hugging his mom before walking around Eretria to the back of her bike, pulling his backpack straps tight before pulling on the helmet.

"Go ahead, Gav. I'm gonna ride with Tria." Sawyer watched as his brother ducked into the garage where their mother's car was currently parked, though once he realized she wasn't following him in, his eyes caught hers. His face flushed lightly at the look she was giving him, though glad that he had the helmet on and the visor down. Sawyer shook his head at the look she had as she looked between the two, watching as his mother turned to walk into the garage with a smirk that she failed to hide.

"Hope they don't cause you too much trouble. You kids ride safe, and have a good day," the boys' mother called over her shoulder as she and Gavin loaded up in the family's SUV. Sawyer flipped up the visor of his helmet, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mom really needs to stay in her lane," he mumbles under his breath as he forces a grin and waves at them as they pull out of the garage and drive away, leaving the two standing there alone in the driveway.

Gods, she loved this family. Hand lifting from her side- her fingers wiggled lightly in a small wave goodbye before her attention was brought back to Sawyer. The soft sound of her chuckling falling out through her lips and into the air between them. It didn't take a genius to understand that he was very clearly embarrassed by his mother; but then, who wasn't..? It was their job after all.

Rolling her eyes, unable to help it; Eretria reached for the handlebars. Holding onto them gently as she took a moment to swing her leg over her bike, and once more settle in the seat. Hands already moving to pull her helmet on over her head. Being sure to curl her long orange-red locks up inside of it, "She's just being her- did you really expect anything less, Soy..?"

Sawyer shook his head with a light smirk, watching his mother's car disappear down the road.

"No, I was just hoping."

Checking his phone as she put her helmet on and tucked her hair into it, looking at the time while also checking the messages he'd received - just a few from the lacrosse group chat. The time currently read 6:54 AM. Sawyer waited for her queue to climb on the back behind her, sliding his hands over her hips, scooting himself up flush against her. Leaning around a bit to get an angle on her, his voice became softer as he spoke, one of his hands lightly rubbing over her hip.

"How'd you sleep..?"

"Honestly..?" Hands lowering down to the seat between her legs; Eretria's eyes closed. A soft blush creeping out across her cheeks at the feeling of his hands rubbing against her hips, "..it could have been better. How'd you sleep..?"

Sawyer nods lightly, leaning forward to rest his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. You have a bad dream or somethin? Or just... didn't sleep well?.." Pulling back, Sawyer yawned deeply to the side before returning closer to her. "Definitely shouldn't have been up so late, but people wanted me to stream. I couldn't say no. Even got a few donations. It was alright. Just wish I had gone to bed earlier. I'm still super tired. The short shower I took didn't really do anything for me."

Sawyer gently wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her back against him, wishing to himself that they could just go back upstairs to either of their houses and just sleep the day away together. Sleep sounded nice. And sleepy cuddles? What could be better than that...

"Long night..." Correcting him first; she couldn't help but let out another sigh as she was pulled back against him. Her bright eyes closing as she let her head fall back to rest against his shoulders, "..had to make sure that I was all set for today- check my uniform to see if it still fit... press it, though not before making sure that it wasn't musty from sitting in my wardrobe all summer... may have cleansed it too; got rid of any lingering negativity from last year... plus, I was watching your stream..."

Trailing off, Tria shook her head lightly over his shoulder, "..by the time I went to bed, I had a wicked headache forming. Totally not cool."

A small smile spread across his face at her admitting to having watched him the night prior. It was nice to hear, though he already had a feeling. She had always been one of his biggest supporters through his adventures with his growing cosplay popularity. Gently squeezing his arms around her in a sort of hug, he smirked a bit as he spoke up.

"Keeping your eyes on the screen for long hours like that is bad for your eyes. You should probably stop watching those noobs play Fortnite on Twitch into the wee hours of the morning, Trey." Sawyer chuckled softly, making a mental note to buy her a pair of the glasses he'd gotten for himself while he streamed for hours on end.

Hands lifting from where they'd been resting between her legs; she instead pressed them gently over his. Chuckling with a light shrug of her shoulders, "What can I say..? I'm a sucker for a gamer boy in a Spider suit."

"Mm-hmm."

As her hands came to rest over his he spread his fingers apart, letting hers fall between his before closing them around hers, holding them there a few moments before patting her side with his free hand.

"We should probably get going. Don't want you to screw up your attendance record on my account."

Right. School. Groaning softly, making a show of lifting her head from its rest over his shoulder; Eretria returned her hands to handlebars. Keeping them there a moment before going about switching on the motor and kicking up the stand, "I'll get us there in plenty of time... don't worry that pretty little head of yours, Parker."

Hand lifting; she slid down her visor. Giving him a few moments to once again adjust his hold before eventually, she pumped the gas and peeled out of his driveway.

---

---

As she had said, they got there with plenty of time to spare. Being able to pass right through the traffic was quite a perk. A thing that really had Sawyer thinking on building a bike of his own from the ground up. Would have to be a project for later after he built up his truck and got it running properly. Sawyer slipped off the back of Eretria's bike and pulled his helmet off, shaking out his still-damp curls before setting the helmet on the back of the seat. He stepped back and smiled at her as he watched her a minute, looking her over from head to toe.

"You, uh, gonna meet with the squad before class?"

"Maybe... I do need to change at some point. We're doing uniforms today." Head tilting slightly to the side; Eretria's long, curled locks tumbled out of her helmet as she lifted it. Lowering it down to rest between herself and the handlebars as her hair came to a stop over her shoulders and halfway down her back as she. Her bright gaze drawing back over towards him as she smiled, "Why..? You giving me a better offer, Parker..?"

Sawyer nodded as she talked about needing to change into her uniform, his thoughts wandering. It wasn't until she turned around that he realized he'd spaced out momentarily, his face flushing just a bit as he quickly brought his eyes up to meet hers. A slight smirk casting over his lips.

"I mean, yeah, but.. you have things to take care of."

A moment more passed between them before Sawyer spoke again, leaning in close to whisper into her ear, "I can take care of you later, kitten." The curly-haired boy kissed her cheek lightly before pulling back with a wink shot her way, chuckling as he began to turn away to head towards the front gate.

Heart fluttering lightly in the confines of her chest; the response was basically automatic. Her hand shooting out as she took a gentle hold of his wrist. Stopping him from getting too far away from her first before tugging him back towards her. Her bright eyes lifting to meet with his once more; a small smirk dancing over her lips, "..you know... you could come with me..."

As he was pulled back and to her, he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he looked down at her. Sawyer chuckled softly, pulling her closer by her hip till she was standing flush against him. "Not sure you'd be able to meet with the squad and..have time to... play. You sure you want me to tag along..?"

"..mmm..." Allowing herself to be led by his touch, her body lifting from the bike, and her leg sliding over it; Eretria only stopped once she was stood in front of him. Her hands lifting to fist rest lightly over his shoulders before she slid them up and back. Palms curling to the natural curve of his neck, "..I'll even let you fix my skirt when I inevitably forget how to do up the zip; because, as we all know, zips are very hard to master..."

A chill ran up the boy's spine as images and thoughts swirled around in his mind. "Oh, very." Sawyer bit at his lower lip then, leaning in closer, whispering something in her ear before gently removing her hands from around his neck to intertwine his fingers with hers. About to turn away to start walking to the front with her, he paused and turned to meet her gaze again, tilting his head slightly. "You got everything you need..?"

"As soon as I grab my bag, I will." The smirk on her lips growing, a bright blush coloring her cheeks which almost matched the shade of her hair; Eretria bit down on her lip. Chewing on it a moment before she turned back to her bike. Reaching to grab the strap of her bag and the straps of each helmet. Her gaze turning back to meet with his once she was ready.

Sawyer gently removed his hand from hers, reaching to her other to grab his helmet from her as he slipped off his backpack from one arm. He snapped the helmet to the backpack strap before quickly pulling it back onto his shoulder. Taking her hand again with a small smirk-smile, he walked with her to the front gate, squeezing their way on past the guard and across the school grounds to the lockers. Sawyer opened the door for Tria to walk in first, pausing to scan the area a couple of times before following in behind her, letting her lead the way through the locker rooms.

Making her way to her locker first, not so much as bothering to even open it; Eretria dropped her bag and helmet down onto the floor by her feet. Body turning, she let herself fall back- leaning against the cool metal while her eyes lingered on his figure. A soft smirk dancing across her lips, "..so... you mentioned something earlier about having a better offer..?"

A smirk started to spread across his lips as he watched her turn around to face him, stepping over the wooden bench seat to stand in front of her as he slid his hands over her hips and on back into the back pockets of her jeans.

"You already know what I have to offer," he said with a soft chuckle, leaning in to press his lips to hers a couple of times before pulling back to ask one last thing. "Question is.. do you want it?

Did she want it..? Such a loaded question to ask in the morning; though she had to admit that it was sweet of him to ask at all. And really, she wasn't sure why she should have expected anything less. Arms lifting; Eretria once more hooked them one by one around the back of his neck. Using them to help draw him in closer, as she took the chance to steal a kiss, "..I do want it. Do you..?"

Did he want it? Ha. Although he hadn't intended on it this morning, at least not right now, he definitely wouldn't pass up the opportunity. This would be a first for him. Messing around at the school with her, or with anyone. It would be something he could cross off his bucket list for senior year. Who cares if they missed homeroom..? Sawyer held her gaze a moment or two before nodding gently, a soft smile spreading across his lips.

"With you..? Of course, I do, Tria." Sawyer leaned back in to press his lips to hers once more in soft kisses, taking his hands from her back pockets to reach down in front, undoing her pants as they kissed.

From there, the rest is history as the two faded to black...

---

---

"Danny just text me. Says they're heading out of the auditorium. We can meet up with them on their way by the choir room to the lacrosse field."

Sawyer pushed the door open of the locker rooms, peeking outside before slipping out into the open with a slight smirk cast over his lips. Sawyer's eyes scanned over the crowd of seniors that were flooding the walkways, a few moments passing before he spotted his friends in the large group of kids, reaching back to take Eretria's hand.

"I see 'em. Come on," he mumbled to her with a small smile, turning to gently pull her with him and fall into the crowd, pushing his way through to meet up with their class. Before long, they were with their homeroom group as if they were never missing from the start.

A gentle blush crossing over her features, giving her cheeks a healthy glow to them; it took very little convincing for Eretria to simply reach out and take a gentle hold of his hand. The warmth of his palm against hers causing her smile to brighten over her features as she weaved their fingers together. His touch-... it was so warm..! Not that she wasn't used to it by now. Growing up side by side - not taking into account the short spell of their lives where he'd moved away - it was just something that she had grown to love over the years.

First, like this, and then, as they'd grown older, she'd come to enjoy it in other ways too...

"..if we get caught and questioned; just say that you were helping me with something for the squad." The hem of her short skirt brushing lightly, back and forth against her upper thighs as she kept pace with him; her free hand reached forward. Curling around the back of his hand so that she was holding it in both of her own as they moved. Her long, wavy orange locks bouncing gently over her back as she pressed herself closer to him. Allowing her bright blues to flick over the crowds that filled the area.

Sawyer smiled a bit to himself when he felt her second hand close around his but kept his eyes forward, giving her hands a firm squeeze as they were suddenly surrounded by their friends. The boy tried his best to catch up with the conversation, looking between everyone but getting lost at the mention of food. Food. Just the thought had Sawyer's stomach in knots. He hadn't eaten this morning. Well... at least not food. To say he was hungry would be putting it lightly. The poor boy was starving, and suddenly all he could think about were the different options they might have out on the field.

"I didn't eat... I don't usually like eating breakfast. I typically wait till Nutrition before I eat, honestly." The boy shrugged lightly, his hand slipping from Eretria's hands as he reached up and playfully shoved Danny's shoulder with both of his, laughing. "Come on, please tell me they have some good barbecue or something."

"Uh, yeah. They have the Dinner Bell BBQ Truck, if I remember correctly..?" Danny offered almost questioningly.

A small smile spread over the boy's face as he pumped his fist and practically growled, "Fuck yeah!"

[Akayaofthemoon]

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Loft → Delbrook Academy Interactions: N/A ______________________________________________________________________________________

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Water dripped onto the tiled floor, tresses of damp hair being gently held to keep it from flying in all directions as the hairdryer loudly ran past it. Her hands kept up the mundane task of drying hair while her mind wandered, spiraling over all the details that left her nervous about the day. This would be the first time she entered a school, let alone an official classroom since she was in elementary school. What if this was a mistake? What if she just embarrassed herself and made a mess of everything? What if she didn’t like it and her brother’s last kind gesture went to waste? No, she wouldn’t let that happen even if the worst came about but still, this was a big step. One of many she had been making recently and Charlotte could only force herself to look at the bright side and hope for the best. Her father was at least making an effort in her life even if it was for all the wrong reasons and her mother was just waiting in the wings for her to fail so she could rub it in her face and try to prove that she knew best on how Charlotte should live every aspect of her life. She wasn’t letting the woman get her clutches on her again if she had any say in the matter.

She furiously shook her head, as if to ward off the unappealing thoughts and stood up, flipping her hair back into place instead of letting it dangle towards the floor so she could finish up and get ready for the rest of her morning. She snapped off the dryer, making her way up to the bedroom loft, and switching the towel she was currently wearing for a simple pair of jeans, a black shirt as well as a plaid button up thrown over the top with the sleeves rolled neatly to her elbow, and a pair of converse. Charlotte wanted to be comfy and relaxed, not worry about being a stylish perfect model for once. Sure, she lightly did her make-up which resulted in a lack of breakfast since she wanted to get to the campus early and at least get a map to figure out where she was going instead of being a lost lamb but in the end it was still worth the effort, at least in her opinion. Either way, she had been informed by her one last childhood connection, Danny, that the first day neither breakfast nor supplies were really needed but he hadn’t said why. She was just honestly looking forward to actually being able to see him in person instead of the random snuck text which could go months in between depending on her availability which was more code of when she could trick her mother’s obsession to control her contact or looking over his Facebook though she never posted on hers. She was also looking forward to seeing everyone else from elementary school, instead of playing lurking on social media since she couldn’t risk texting multiple people that her mother had deemed ‘unworthy’.

”Alright my toasty Marshmallow, I’ve got to run but you watch after the house for me, okay? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”, she smiled, lavishing pets and chin scratches on the beautiful siamese while only receiving a ‘meow’ in response to her words...or more likely due to the stopping of said affection.
”Good boy.”, she praised, moving out of her crouched position as her phone chimed. ‘Who on earth could that be?’, she thought, digging her phone out of her pocket. A sense of dread hit her and it felt like rocks were sinking into her stomach as she looked at the title name of who had texted. It wasn’t much of a surprise but it still made her shake in fear as well as anger as she gathered up the courage to at least open up the text and have a look.

To: Devil Incarnate
Don’t you think it’s about time you give up this rebellious act, young lady?

Charlotte glared, quickly hitting delete on the message before jamming her phone back into her pocket. She wasn’t going to dignify an answer to such a stupid question. Her mother was clearly still in her own world and thought she had done nothing wrong to her daughter growing up, that she was just being hard on her to encourage her to be her best self. Yeah fucking right! That was definitely not how it was in everyone else’s eyes. Crazy bitch was just lucky that all she wanted to do was wash her hands of it all instead of going to the police and trashing her reputation to everyone she knew or associated with. She wanted to text back a snippy reply, to tell her that it wasn’t a fucking act and that she was simply done being the woman’s whipping post but that would just make it worse. She would never see reason and a reply would just give her more ammo or worse, think she had won in some way by dragging out a reply. She didn’t need the headache which a conversation would absolutely bring. She took a deep breath, tossing on her leather jacket and sliding on her backpack before locking up and heading out.

The drive was pleasant and gave her a chance for her temper to simmer and dissipate. Traffic held her up a bit but she was still reasonably early which she was thankful for as she yanked off her helmet, switching her leather jacket for her backpack in the bike's storage compartment and just hanging the helmet on the handle. If someone really wanted to be that much of a dickbag and steal something like head protection then more power to them. It was relatively easy to find the office, sorting out her paperwork and being released with map, lock, and schedule in hand. Charlotte ended up stopping by her locker to drop everything off since she knew it would hardly be of use the first day but was at least preparing for tomorrow before navigating the halls. It had taken a bit longer than she cared to admit but once she found the room, honestly, she couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as she didn’t realize that lining up was something they did even in highschool. She remembered it from her elementary school days but it seemed childish still or maybe they just liked order? After a while, she started to believe the latter was the correct option as no other class was doing the same.

She waited patiently, popping on her headsets so she could listen to music and not stand in complete boredom. Once the line started moving however, she slipped one of them out so she could at least pretend to pay attention. Charlotte gave a pleasant Spanish greeting to Miss Goldman before making her way in, looking for her assigned seat before plopping down. Her heart did a quick flutter as she noticed who exactly was across from her but tampered it down fast as she remembered that he was currently dating someone though who she couldn’t say, still she gave a brief wave with a soft smile and looked around to see if anyone else she knew was close by. She watched as people greeted each other, obviously knowing each other from last year while others were doing greetings to the new people around them. Miss Goldman quickly went over what she expected from the class and what they could expect shortly. The announcements were average and when she was asked to stand she did, going with the flow. She followed as requested to the assembly which was not her style whatsoever, both headphones promptly going in and ignoring the world around her for a bit. It totally didn’t click that this would have been the perfect moment to hunt down her friends to chat with them the whole time but oh well, no use crying over spilled milk as she was sure she could find them at the carnival. Charlotte only realized the assembly was over as people started to stand, the Seniors getting excited as they exited to the field.

To say she was surprised was an understatement. Sure, she had listened to what to expect but when you hear school carnival, this was hardly what she had in mind. She thought they had just been exaggerating to make it sound more inviting. Instantly, she shoved her music into her free pocket, one single destination in mind as she sprinted excitedly to find a funnel cake stand and maybe somewhere for a corn dog before seeing if they had that dart balloon popping game…okay, maybe finding friends before games but they would understand the need for food first, right? It took a bit of wandering, shuffling through the crowd but finally she saw the most beautiful sign around ’Southern Momma's Funnel Cakes’ and she made sure to pop in line pronto. ”Finally! Glad they had one…”, she muttered to herself, the smell making her mouth water. Charlotte glanced at the menu while she waited and raised a brow in curiosity at deep-fried Oreos. ’Huh, maybe I’ll get one to try. I do like sweets after all and how bad can it be?’, she thought to herself.

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Home → Delbrook Academy Interactions: N/A ______________________________________________________________________________________

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There was a sharp intake of breath followed by the rustling of sheets as a chime loudly rang out. Arms stretched out, slipping out from under the covers as the sound of crackling pops followed just behind. The single occupant sat up with a groan, rubbing her eyes lazily as the background noise of the tv continuously droned on, some type of news program or whatever. The brunette scoffed at it, not giving trust into any of the bullshit they were trying to sell. ’Cause the news is so transparent, my ass...everyone has secrets or an agenda.’, she thought. Her dark eyes finally fluttered open, a hiss on her lips as she blinked a few times against the harsh sunlight. Once she was again blessed with the gift of sight, she only found herself greeted with an amused smirk of a man with a cup of coffee in his hands while he watched her clear look of beyond belief confusion on why she was on the couch and not in her room. “Rough night, Jordan?” the older gentleman chuckled and held out the mug for her.

She leaned forward, taking the mug gently and giving a quick dip with her arm in thanks before she took a swing only to spit it instantly back into the cup. ”What the fuck is this? Sludge? Did your taste buds shrivel up and die, old man?”, Jordan gagged with her nose wrinkled in disgust as she readjusted in her makeshift bed on the couch to place the vile drink onto the coffee table. The man gave a hearty chuckle, ruffling her messy bed hair before he happily took a seat in the recliner. “Now is that any way to talk to your favorite uncle? Next time get up and make your own coffee then.” he simply stated, turning his attention to the television.”Yeah, yeah, yeah. We both know you're my only uncle and besides, if I wasn’t given you a hard time then you wouldn’t feel loved.”, she snickered. “You got me there, snapdragon. I’ve become immune to your insults and now they feel like compliments. I might take you to the hospital if something nice popped out.” he teased.

”Ha ha Benny. Very funny. Why are you even watching this garbage?”, Jordan asked honestly, standing up and digging under the pillow for her phone. “I like to be informed and besides, it doesn’t seem all that bad.” he shrugged gently. ”Trust me, don’t fall into that corp….orate...bull….oh fuck my life!”, she cursed, panic hitting her in the gut as she noticed she had set the wrong time for her phone and was most likely going to be late. ”Why didn’t you wake me!?! I’m going to be late for school!” she whined, quickly racing to her room and digging into her dresser for clothes. “You looked like you could use the rest! Plus you need to learn to be independent!” Benny called out from the living room. ”Did grandma really use that line on you as a kid or is this an Uncle Benny special just for me?!”, she called from the bathroom, quickly slipping on a pair of black leggings and a simple grey shirt with a random print design. She didn’t have time to mess with her hair so she simply threw it up into a bun, placing a headband on that had a mix of color for a bit of pop to break up all the dull colors she had managed to grab. Jordan dashed to the front door, pulling on some running shoes and her leather jacket to complete her outfit. “She used it, though not sure I ever followed the advice even if it would have done me a world of good to do so.” he replied as Jordan rolled her eyes, ever the typical teenager.

”Got to jet, old man! I’ll call you if I end up hanging instead of coming home right after school.”
“Much appreciated. Drive safe, Snapdragon.”
She watched him for a second longer, a gentle smile on her features before slamming the door shut and rushing to her truck. ”Come on baby, let’s get this show on the road.”, she said, petting her steering wheel lovingly before turning the key and peeling out of the driveway before getting onto the road. Jordan had been accurate that she was late as hell, slipping into the assembly as quietly as possible. She doubted her presence was completely missed in the homeroom and half the stuff was a rehash of last year so that was a plus. It might bite her later but when did she not get in trouble? Her grades were good so could the teachers really complain all that much? She sure didn’t think so. The whole assembly was snoozeville and she almost wished she had slept in longer but oh well. She was simply grateful when it was over and made it her mission to hunt down her favorite peeps. Food was better with friends after all and she didn’t plan to miss out on that fact.

[GirlOnMarz]

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_{Location: Home → Delbrook Academy Homeroom → Lacrosse Field
Interactions: Tyrik Richards + Yessi de Leon @Horangi
Outfit}

Tiara Richards had been a morning person for as long as she could remember. While a good majority of her peers spent their Summers partying all night, getting drunk, and flopping into bed (whether it be their own or someone else's) at around four in the morning, Tia was usually in bed before eleven and out before six; She spent her early mornings tending to her plants, listening to good music, and having a quick smoke session before starting her day. The morning that marked the beginning of the school year was no different; she hopped out of bed at her usual time, and after taking about thirty minutes in the bathroom to get herself together, began the rest of her daily routine. She started by pulling open her window curtains, allowing the sunshine to illuminate her bedroom. Four small potted plants sat on her window sill, and Tia greeted them each as she went through and poured water directly into the soil. "Rise and shine, Cher... good morning Ivory..." she said brightly. "Ebony, you're looking very beautiful this morning. You too, Jade! But it might be time to clip some of your-"

"Don't tell me you in here talking to your plants again."

Though she was slightly startled by the sudden sound of her older brother's voice, Tia didn't turn to face him until she finished her task at hand, and when she did finally turn to see the tall figure that stood in her doorframe, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and groan. "Tyrik," Tia said in a deeper tone, obviously mocking her brother's voice, "Don't tell me you in here disturbing my peace again when you should be on your way to work. Wasn't mama just yelling at you last night? Something about you only needing one more strike before you get fired?"

"Man, fuck that job," Ty said, sucking his teeth as he entered Tia's room, plopped down onto her bed, and reached for the half-smoked joint that lay in the ashtray on her nightstand. "They not gon' fire me, Tia. We're short-staffed like shit, so they need me more than I need them."

"Yeah... you keep on telling yourself that," Tia said with a scoff before returning her attention to her plants. "And there's nothing wrong with talking to your plants. It's good for them. Helps them grow. I read it on the Houseplant Journal."

__________________________

With it being the first day back and all, Tyrik's coworker and long-time bestfriend had no problem dropping Tiara off at school before heading to work. "Have a good first day, kiddo," Tyrik said from the passenger seat as Tia collected her things and shut the door. Rather than respond, the young woman simply showed him her middle finger. "I love ya too, little sis," he yelled out of the window as they departed, which only made her smile and roll her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

Soon after that, Tia found herself maneuvering through the crowded halls of Delbrook Academy, the R&B song that blasted through her headphones blocking out all the noise around her. She did turn down the volume of her music every now and then in order to briefly acknowledge several familiar faces on the way to homeroom, but it wasn't until she reached her destination that she turned it off altogether and let her headphones come to a rest around her neck. "Señora Goldman," Tia exclaimed once she came face-to-face with the woman who'd been her Spanish teacher throughout her first two years of highschool. "Buenos días! It's good to see you again." She then entered the classroom and spent a few brief seconds scanning the seating chart, before making her way to her designated desk. She was very relieved to see that she'd been seated near a few familiar faces.

Once everyone had found their seats, Tia politely listened to Mrs. Goldman's usual spiel, nodding and smiling whenever the woman mentioned helping out any newcomers. And when Principle McGregor's voice finally began to fill the now silent room, Tia couldn't help but roll her eyes at his initial request. Nevertheless, she stood from her seat like everyone else, but refused to utter a single word of the pledge. It wasn't long before Tia found herself sitting in the auditorium with the rest of her classmates, enduring an hour-long lecture from McGregor and the Vice Principal. Though she tried to listen for the first half, Tia wound up spending the rest of her time in the auditorium texting her friends and getting a few extra minutes of sleep.

Finally, the class was taken out to the Lacrosse field and, after a headcount, left to their own devices. Tia immediately began scanning the small group for her best friend and, after spotting her, hurried to fall into step by her side. "Hey girl! I don't know about you, but I'm fucking starving," Tia said, gently nudging Yessi and nodding towards one of the booths. "That's what I get for smoking and skipping out on breakfast. Let's go grab a funnel cake or something."

[Fabricant451]

---

---

Opening Credits

FADE IN:

EXT. UPPER CLASS SUBURBAN HOUSING KNOWN AS 'THE PLANTATION' TO SOME, COMPLETE WITH RARE GREEN LAWN, PAINTED A JUST DREADFUL OLIVE GREEN THAT MORE RESEMBLES VOMIT THAN ANYTHING HOMEY - DAY

Three figures unload a truck filled with lawn care equipment. First a standing lawnmower followed by a leaf blower and eventually a weed whacker. As the lawnmower starts up, its blades sending a sharp din through the otherwise idyllic neighborhood. So loud it wakes the neighbors, but worse it wakes the owners of the Plantation.

MATCH CUT:

THE HARD ZOOM OF THE GREEN GRASS MATCHES TO ARM HAIR.

PAN OUT:

INT. A MASTER BEDROOM DEVOID OF ANY PERSONALITY SAVE FOR THE AMERICAN FLAG HANGING OVER THE BED. IT'S A 1950S FAMILY'S WET DREAM AS THE HUSBAND AND WIFE IN THE BED SLEEP BACK-TO-BACK THOUGH THERE IS A THIN SPACE BETWEEN THEM. TOUCHING IS FOR INTIMACY AND INTIMACY IS FOR PROCREATION. - DAY

The owner of the arm hair stirs awake, the noise of the lawnmower causing him to grumble some unflattering words about the ethnicity of the lawncare people as he rubs his hand over his face, opening his eyes as his hand drifts past them. The man is RICHARD RIGBY, a man approaching the middle half of fifty though doing his best to appear no older than forty to varying degrees of success. Richard seems a normal middle aged man, though next to the alarm clock on his nightstand (the time displayed being 7:45) there is a framed picture not of him on his wedding day but of him shaking hands with Forty Five. Both of their smiles seem artificial, but such is the smile of a politician.

Next to him is a younger woman by about twelve years though the years are catching up with her. She wakes thanks to the motion next to her, brown eyes blinking only once. The woman is MEGAN RIGBY, blonde and only looking slightly less artificial without makeup. Plenty of people have sat on her face but not in the fun way; the way one sits on the face of real estate agents at bus stops. Plenty more people have plastered her face white. As in graffiti, with white spray paint. She is particularly annoyed by the ones that paint private parts near her smiling teeth. Such is the risk when you're a local news anchor and are not shy about your opinions on air.

RICHARD reaches for his eyeglasses as he shuffles to a seated position.

RICHARD
I thought you told them nine-a-clock.

MEGAN
I told them niente.

RICHARD
Niente? What's a niente?

MEGAN
It means nine in their language.

RICHARD
It does? Since when do you speak El Espanol?

MEGAN
I don't. Everly told me.

RICHARD
Everly is taking Spanish?

MEGAN
Apparently

RICHARD
What time did she come home last night?

MEGAN
After two

RICHARD
(Sighing) What could anyone her age possibly be doing so late?

SMASH CUT:

EXT. AN ABANDONED HOUSE. A SMALL BONFIRE INSIDE A TRASH CAN BURNS AS MUSIC PLAYS TO A SMALL CROWD - NIGHT

There are skateboarders using the empty pool as their playground. No one is going to be in the next X-Games or Tony Hawk game but it doesn't matter. They're young, dumb, and full of cumulative cuts and bruises from the numerous bails and fails in their lives. Beer bottles and soda cans clink and clap together with indecipherable conversations going on in every direction. A lively, if little, get together of ne'er-do-wells.

SLOW PAN UP:

A GIRL OF MEDIUM HEIGHT STANDS AT THE LIP OF THE EMPTY POOL. HER SHOES, CONVERSE. IN HER HANDS IS A SKATEBOARD, ITS DECK A 'LORD NERMAL' HER JEANS, BLACK. HER SHIRT, AN OLD FADED T-SHIRT GIVEN BY HER PARENTS YEARS AGO FOR HER BIRTHDAY INSTEAD OF A SKATEBOARD. HER HAT, A PURPLE CAP PULLED BACKWARDS. HER LIPS, PUCKERED IN A TIGHT PURSING POUT.

GIRL
Twenty bucks says I frontside air

The girl calls to no one in particular, though her eyes are drawn to someone who looks incredibly unsure. Sitting alone on a chair, a barely-touched can of soda in her hands, the young girl seems to be wondering why she even came. She looks no older than fifteen with doe-like brown eyes and slightly curly black hair.

CLOSE-UP:

THE SKATER GIRL'S LIPS AS THEY CURL TO A SMIRK

The girl on the lip of the pool drops in and rolls up the other side, spinning once before landing and rolling through to the other side where she kisses the lip of the pool and on her third trip levels out and smoothly plants herself in the chair next to the unsure, coke drinking girl.

GIRL
Sup.

COKE CAN GIRL
(Softly) Hi

GIRL
I'm Everly but you can call me anytime

EVERLY RIGBY smiles like she said the smoothest line possible, totally uncaring at how unsmooth it actually was. Everly carries herself with enough confidence that it begs the question on if she feels shame or cringe or anything other than, well, confidence.

COKE CAN GIRL
I know who...you are

EVERLY
Then the least you can do is make us even because I'd very much like to know you.

COKE CAN GIRL
My brother mows your lawn

EVERLY
Then tell your brother that I apologize for my parents. But this isn't about them. This is about us.

COKE CAN GIRL
Us?

EVERLY
Yes. You. Me. You and me. Us. You still haven't told me your name.

COKE CAN GIRL
I'm not-

EVERLY
Interested? Fair enough. But we can be friends, right? You look so miserable and I hate to see a wallflower.

COKE CAN GIRL
I didn't say-

EVERLY
Sshhh. (She puts her index finger close to COKE CAN GIRL's lips) You don't have to say anything. I get it. Just do me a favor and watch this.

EVERLY stands and steps onto her skateboard. With her eyes remaining on COKE CAN GIRL, EVERLY does some basic and easy street tricks. Manuals. A kickflip. Nothing groundbreaking but for people that age? Damn impressive.

EVERLY
Impressive, right? Check this out.

EVERLY does something incredibly stupid and tries to do a handstand on her board. To her credit she manages to stand for an impressive two seconds before her hands and board wobble and she tumbles forward. She lands on her ass and tumbles through, her head coming to rest just above the knees of COKE CAN GIRL. EVERLY winks up at COKE CAN GIRL.

EVERLY
I think I've fallen for you. (Winking)

MONTAGE:

EVERLY and COKE CAN GIRL enjoying the get-together. EVERLY holds COKE CAN GIRL's hand as the latter attempts to balance on a skateboard. She falls and EVERLY laughs and helps her get back up. They share the can of coke. They throw sticks into the trashcan fire and leap back as a fireball pops up. COKE CAN GIRL cheers as EVERLY hits a frontside air. EVERLY throws a corn chip in the air. Neither her nor COKE CAN GIRL manage to catch it in their mouths. Both laugh. COKE CAN GIRL manages to stand on the board by herself and travel a short distance. EVERLY cheers. COKE CAN GIRL throws a corn chip. It falls to the ground as EVERLY instead kisses COKE CAN GIRL. The two continue to kiss.

FADE OUT.

CROSS FADE:

INT. A BEDROOM INSIDE THE PLANTATION. THE WALLS HAVE POSTERS OF COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS, PARTICULARLY KATE BISHOP AND SPIDER-GWEN. CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR. A RUSSIAN-BLUE CAT IS CURLED IN A BED NEXT TO THE PEOPLE-BED. ON THE SHELVES IN THE ROOM ARE TROPHIES FOR DEBATE TEAM AND A PICTURE OF EVERLY GIVING THE 'HORNS' FINGERS WITH A PERSON IN DEADPOOL COSPLAY AT A CONVENTION, NEXT TO A PICTURE OF HER WITH A POLITICIAN WHERE SHE IS CONSDIERABLY LESS ENTHUSED. - DAY

EVERLY wakes as a knock is at her door, the voice on the otherside belongs to that of her mother informing her that it's time to wake up. The covers in the bed slide back and EVERLY, like her father, runs her hand down her face to wake up.

EVERLY
Morning, Frito

She talks to the cat near her bed who responds only by breathing, still soundly asleep.

EVERLY
Lucky

EVERLY sits at the edge of her bed and grabs her phone. Her home screen is of Kate Bishop nocking an arrow. Her thumbs quickly send a series of messages to a contact known only as 'POOH'S FRIEND'. Whoever that is clearly knows who they are and why she refers to him as such.

Another knock at her door has EVERLY rolling her eyes. The voice belongs to her father.

RICHARD (V.O.)
Everly, what time did you get in last night?

EVERLY
Dad can you come back later I'm naked in here

RICHARD (V.O.)
Don't be disgusting, Everly.

EVERLY
I'm not, disgusting would be telling you that I had sex last night.

RICHARD (V.O.)
EVERLY! I SWEAR TO GOD

EVERLY
(Laughing) Relax, parental, I'm only fucking with you.

RICHARD (V.O.)
EVERLY! LANGUAGE!

EVERLY
Is it just me or do you sound more upset that I said fuck than when I said that I fucked someone?

RICHARD (V.O.)
GET YOUR BUTT TO THE KITCHEN TABLE AY-ES-AY-PE

CUT TO:

INT. A MODEST KITCHEN TABLE WITH BREAKFAST READY. AS RICHARD HAS COFFEE AND EGGS IN FRONT OF HIM, EVERLY HAS A BOWL OF CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH MIXED WITH LUCKY CHARMS MARSHMALLOWS. CINNAMON TOAST MARSHMALLOWS. - DAY

RICHARD scowls at his daughter while MEGAN silently butters toast and not-so-silently bites the crisped bread. There's otherwise silence at the table, save the distant sound of lawn equipment waking up the rest of the neighborhood with its ungodly presence. EVERLY clinks the spoon at the rim of the bowl as she scoops a bite and slurps the milk from the spoon after her bite. Another silent breakfast at the Rigby household.

RICHARD
Your mother says you didn't get in until after two?

EVERLY
Well if tv's own Megan Rigby says it, it must be true.

RICHARD
Don't be a smart mouth, Everly.

EVERLY
Should I be a dumbass instead?

MEGAN drops her butter knife and RICHARD scowls at his daughter's audacity. EVERLY smirks and scoop up more cereal. The sugar high is the only high she's getting cooped up in this house.

RICHARD
Everly...

EVERLY
It was a legitimate question.

RICHARD
When I moved this family to this...ungodly state, I did it for a purpose...

EVERLY
(Under her breath) Fool's errand

RICHARD
(Continued)...and I knew there would be bad influences but I didn't think you would succumb so willingly. What happened to my little girl? You remember the Debutante's Ball?

EVERLY
You mean the one where Travis Bickleman grabbed my ass during the dance because he 'accidentally missed my hips'? How could I forget?

MEGAN
Everly...

EVERLY
What? He did. Travis Bickleman is an ass-grabber. If he wants to be President he's gonna have to learn to grab 'em in the front, though.

More silverware clatters to the table as Everly adopts the widest of shit-eating grins while her parents are clearly annoyed, aggravated, angered, and unamused. The fact that no one is yelling, though, makes it one of the more successful breakfasts in the Rigby home. Everly finishes her cereal and slides her chair back, scraping along the floor.

RICHARD
We are not finished

EVERLY
I'm going to be late for school.

MEGAN
I'll take you.

EVERLY
You don't have to. No one's mom takes them to school after the age of thirteen.

RICHARD
Everly...we are not finished.

EVERLY
I know, dad. We never are.

EVERLY begins to make her way out of the kitchen but pauses, sighs, and returns to the table, stepping over to her dad's side and kissing him once on the forehead.

EVERLY
I'm sorry, dad. I'm...adapting. I'll do better.

EVERLY knows she is lying. Her parents know she is lying. But they all want to believe otherwise all the same. RICHARD pats his daughter on the hand and wishes her a good first day. EVERLY leaves the kitchen and after a moment RICHARD sighs.

MEGAN
She does love you, you know.

RICHARD
I don't need her love, I need her respect

MEGAN
You should settle for love.

CUT TO:

MONTAGE

EVERLY STEPS OUTSIDE THE PLANTATION, BACKPACK AROUND HER BACK AND SKATEBOARD IN HAND. SHE SKATES DOWN THE SIDEWALK BUT NOT BEFORE GIVING ONE OF THE GARDENER'S A HIGH FIVE. HE WILL NEVER KNOW THE REASON WHY.

EVERLY skates and skitches her way down various streetwalks and sidepaths, weaving around pedestrians, making vehicles upset, zipping past a bus stop where kids are waiting for the school bus to their elementary woes. She stops along the way to grab a donut from Dunkin - via drive thru - which annoys everyone other than Everly who is just annoyed by the fact that her donut is very clearly a day old. Get what you pay for.

After continuing her little skate adventure, her destination comes into view just on the horizon: Delbrook Academy. The last year of institutionalized learning. Mandatory, anyway. By her clock, which means by her best guess, homeroom is starting soon. That gave her just enough time to stash her board in her locker and absolutely not go to homeroom. Or the assembly. Who wanted to go to those? No one cheered for the damn debate team at pep rallies so why should she go to pep rallies for the staff.

FADE IN:

EXT. DELBROOK LACROSSE FIELD. THE ATHLETICS FIELD HAS SINCE BEEN FILLED WITH BOOTHS AND STANDS MORE BEFITTING A CARNIVAL THAN A SPORTING FIELD. IN THE DISTANCE, TAKING UP THE BASEBALL DIAMOND AND OUTFIELD, ARE RIDES. EVERLY IS EARLY. THE OTHERS ARE JUST COMING DOWN FROM THEIR 'MANDATORY' ASSEMBLY. - DAY

EVERLY takes out her phone again as she leans near a booth for a ball throwing game.

EVERLY
Where the fuck are the funnel cakes anyway?

EVERLY, having made her grand arrival, slides her way into an arriving crowd of students. Like a ninja. She was there all along. As far as anyone knows.

[Carlyle]

x x	x x	x x		x x

Interacting With: Ashlyn @TGM — Location: Delbrook School Grounds

---

The ride to school was a quiet trip.

Only the slight hum of the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer's engine could be heard alongside the occasional "yah", "o' fer sure", or some other variation of "I'm not feeling too talkative but I'm still sorta kinda not really listening". Not that Scout didn't have much to say, in fact there was a lot she could've been asking her cousin, Ashlyn, right now, but nonetheless she felt disinterested in talking. Or, rather, Scout found it hard to talk. Although she wasn't much of a talker to begin with, Scout had begun to feel her cousin had a certain "air", as if she'd rip your face off if you rubbed her the wrong way.

Thankfully, though, they had made it to school in one piece and without any "face ripping". Grabbing her pack from the Lancer's floorboard, Scout slung it over her shoulder and followed Ash into the campus.

For the first time in some days, Scout was glad; that her and her cousin happened to have the same homeroom. Knowing her own difficulties with directions, she figured she would've probably been lost all day just trying to figure out where she needed to go even if she had a school map in her hands to go off of. It wasn't exactly something Scout wanted to be known for at Delbrook High; she already looked the part of a clueless, lost freshman, she didn't need her teachers and fellow upperclassmen believing she actually was one (or, really, by bothering her over being "directionally challenged" in general).

As the two of them entered the hallway to their assigned homeroom, Scout watched as Ms. Goldman, their homeroom teacher, pull aside some students back into the hallway. Had it not been for Mr. Hubbard, a former teacher she had back home in Fargo, Scout might've figured her classmates had somehow already wound up on the wrong side of their teacher. It wasn't too likely for that to be the case; high school students weren't exactly known to be saints or the respectful, studious types.

Regardless of what was happening, though, Scout had a feeling she knew what Ms. Goldman was waiting for—and she'd be right on the money with her prediction.

"Hey thair, Ms. Goldman," Scout replied, her very obvious North Dakotan accent slipping through as she walked past the confused onlookers and into class as Ms. Goldman let her inside. However, as soon as she sat down in her assigned seat, Scout was quickly horrified, realizing what she had just said.

Well, shit. There went any chance she had of hiding her Nort-a-kotuh accent. Sure, Scout believed she didn't have it as strong as they made the accent out to be in the movies, and that her accent was bound to slip eventually. But couldn't it have been anymore obvious that she wasn't from around here? Or, rather, why did it have to happen now, right before the first day of school had even started? Scout didn't worry too much about letting her accent slip around her folks, but at school it was bound to draw unwanted attention. At least, it would've back home where your entire state's population is considerably less than New York, New York. Any stranger with an odd accent or way of speaking there would've gotten some questionable looks in the same way someone having the gall to call a hotdish a "casserole" would've gotten.

Just play it cool, like nothing ever happened. Scout told herself, idly waiting for school to start with a few taps of her fingers across her desk. She glanced at her cousin, and then to the rest of her classmates, both those already here as well those that were still arriving. Hopefully no one even noticed. Hopefully.

When school finally began, it seemed to be the usual standard fare one would expect at each start of the school day. That said, Scout struggled to put a finger as to what Ms. Goldman meant that Delbrook did differently—everything that had happened so far seemed normal and average. Homeroom was no different than any other homeroom, as expected. They even recited the Pledge of Allegiance, as well had an introductory assembly for the new year. Was she referring to the gold, blue and green days? It was her best guess, given it was something her school didn't do back home.

Little did Scout know, however, as the class walked out of the auditorium and to the lacrosse field, that her idea of "average" would be quickly blown out of the water.

Oh, geez.

Stepping onto the lacrosse field, her eyes met one festival booth after another. Now, this was certainly different from her prior North Dakotan schooling. Truthfully, the carnival was a little grand for her liking, being not quite sure of what to make of it. But when life gives you lemons, you don't let them rot away, so, with a shrug of her shoulders, Scout threw her hands in her pockets and turned to her cousin, wondering if she had anything in mind to do. At least then she wouldn't be trapped alone in an awkward conversation with one of her new classmates trying to rope her into whatever shenanigans were to be had here.