[IC] BHHS: Limitless

[NeoAJ]

^{Timestamp: FLASHBACK- Friday, during the game
Before Time To Hang
Location: EZ Park Convenience Lot
Sav, Nev, and Toury
@NeoAJ and @Aces Away}

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In the residential section that surrounds Beverly Hills High School like a quarter moon, there is a moderately successful convenience store that has staked itself on catering to the needs of the Pirates’ populace during business hours. Whether looking for some chips to hold the hunger pangs back until a customer gets home, some water in the midst of the California heat, supplies for a hastily-crafted last-minute homework assignment or… other things that he definitely didn’t know about and doesn’t want to know about, Ahn-Jun “Andy” Park’s store was the place to go for those who didn’t want to drift among the towering buildings during lunch hour and wanted a gruff but friendly face. Or in the case of his daughter Sunny, an actually friendly face.

Since taking over as the primary day-to-day operator of EZ Park and gently pushing her father towards a part-time schedule, Sunny Park has tried to open things up a little more and make sure that the students of BHHS know that they won't get the fifth degree that Andy offered upon their arrival. The younger Park knew all too well what that was like when she brought friends back to the store for what she thought would be discounted snacks. Andy thought otherwise, much to Sunny’s chagrin. That policy was rescinded now that she was in control.

Once she found out about the offers available at the local convenience store, Savannah Payton was quick to broach the subject of a mutually beneficial arrangement. With Homecoming bringing a lot of off-campus attention, the usual parking lot setup that the PLC used for operations became a bit riskier. Over the summer, Payout made Sunny an offer. If the PLC had access to a space in the lot and the facilities inside, Sunny would get a discount on the services provided. Seeing an easy way to get her hookup without arousing the suspicion of her father, Sunny agreed. So now, when the Kia appeared in front of the convenience store, Andy was told it was for school fundraising opportunities. It technically was correct, especially on a day when there would be plenty of alumni possibly looking to younger siblings to let them know where the place to go for what they need would be.

After the bell rang to bring the school day to a close, Savannah Payton skipped the pep rally and drove her Sorrento right into its usual spot in the EZ Park lot to set up shop for the afternoon. She didn’t need school spirit. She needed to sell spirits, and whatever else the clientele may desire to enhance their enjoyment of the events tonight. Aside from a choice bottle or two that had already been earmarked for her own personal use. She was likely going to need at least one of them for tomorrow’s events.

The person who effectively sealed her fate in attending one of those events was the only one who accompanied her to today’s shift. With Everly wanting more time in the parking lot to work on her tricks, and Addie… being Addie, Savannah’s partner and muscle was again Nevaeh, in her usual cheerful mode. While it did mean that there likely wasn’t going to be any funny business, usually it meant the conversations were kept to just Savannah and her customers, or Savannah and Sunny whenever she came out for a breath of fresh air. Today however, Payout wasn’t going to let the dark one get away with another podcast session.

“So what was that all about gettin’ Ev’s back on that whole dance thing, Nev?” Savannah questioned her fellow PLC member. “Figured the last thing you’d wanna be doin’ is slow jammin’ to Zayn or some shit like that. I thought you’d have my back on not wantin’ ta do tha thing.”

It was true it had been a long time since Nevaeh allowed herself to be a part of the BHHS social scene. Even when she was running with the cheerleaders, she wasn’t a willing participant in a lot of the perceived obligations they had to show up at parties and school events to schmooze and such. She did it, but she never really felt at home doing it. When her father was still in California, she went to some of those big charity events with him and was basically used as a prop. She felt similar vibes at a lot of the functions she attended from freshman to junior year.

Maybe that was part of why she assumed no one wanted anything to do with her after the black mark was put on her name. What good is a prop with a foul stench on it? But there was one person who stayed with her through everything, and she thrived in events like that. Toury made a lot of those things bearable, even if she wasn’t feeling it herself. Since her release back into the wilds of Beverly Hills, Nevaeh had been neglecting to give her girlfriend any attention on her grounds, instead asking her to come to the parking lots she now called home for their usual interactions. It was greedy. She had to start doing better by Toury.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Nevaeh asserted. It wasn’t hard for Savannah to think back to what exactly she said given how little the dark-haired devil actually said. “We’ve been working hard, and the results have been good. We deserve a break. A night to enjoy the fruits of our labor.”

“Yeah, but this more a y’all thing,” Payout protested. “I mean, Ev puttin’ it up? I didn’t really see that comin’ but I guess I could? I know she’d bin feelin’ kinda melancholic ‘bout school ‘n shit. Seems like doin’ a dance or somethin’ would help make her feel a part of it. ‘N Addie I figure she’ll tear through there like a whirlwind, like she do. But fuck, girl! You ‘n me weren’t about bein’ parta any shit here, ever since I known ya. So I’m basically goin’ ta support y’all. I just wanna know why. Ya owe me that.”

“Well…” there was an unusual coyness in Nev’s voice, unsure if she wanted to share with someone who has been her closest friend in the last year that wasn’t forced to share a cell with her. “This also helps me give Toury something I know she wants. She’s been… insistent that I try and have more time with her outside of things here. I feel as though this would be good for her, to have me in her world for a night. She does so many things for the Candies. I want to give her an event where she can just be her and enjoy it with who she cares about. And I care about the PLC, so if the group is interested in attending, that’s all the people I care about in the school there too.”

Payout leaned back against the Sorrento and sighed. “I guess I see tha point n’ that. Shit, I ain’t had to worry ‘bout relationships in a while. Forget how much work it kin be. Course my last one was pretty one-sided. I didn’t have ta think too much about shit.”

“I hope I didn’t put you in an unpleasant spot,” Nevaeh confessed. While she did think she was being altruistic in giving her girlfriend something she wanted, she did rope Savannah into it without even discussing it. It was greedy in another way. She had to be better at that with those who dared to earn her friendship. “I should have asked if you were OK with it. I’m probably going to be occupied during it too, so it’s not like I’ll be able to give you a lot of support during it. I don’t want you to have a bad time supporting my good one.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout nothin’,” Sav affirmed. The pink-blonde glanced up past her associate, spotting another person crossing the small patch of pavement who did not appear to be interested in what she had to offer, and more into what the girl in black had on display. She waved her hand. “I’ll be allright.”

Tourmaline Phoenix stalked across the parking lot towards her cheerleader-turned-cheer-eater with nothing showing on her face about the aggravation and irritation she was feeling beneath. Her step-brother may have thought he was being sly and inconspicuous, but Toury saw the way he winced when reaching for his favorite cereal in the cabinet this morning, and the moment just before when his reach had hiked his shirt up and exposed ugly purple bruising along his side and ribs. Someone was bullying her little brother, and for whatever reason it wasn’t getting through to Dash that it was bullying, so he refused to tell her anything.

Okay, he wasn’t actually her little brother, being both the same height and age as her, but the energy had been there long before her father had put a ring on Dash’s mother’s finger. Regardless, Dash had the protection of the Tantalizing Trio, and someone thought that that didn’t mean shit. So naturally, when Jonah Goldstein of all people had reached out to her with vague feelers and talk of a proposition, she had made a simple demand back: information on her brother’s tormentor. She didn’t care how the cheerleader boy got it, only that he did. If he managed to procure the information she demanded in the few hours until the end of the game when their meeting was set, then that would prove that whatever offer he wanted to bring up to her- and from their recent interactions, that offer had something to do with Dash- would be worth listening to, and that he had a dedication worth acknowledging, as well as connections he could call upon on short notice. Whether the brunette boy knew it or not, this was the only test and chance he would get, because Toury was on a warpath for her brother right now and she didn’t have time for anything that couldn’t hold water, even if it was a friend’s plans.

When she finally saw her girlfriend past the cars after walking over from the school campus, her bright ruby lips pulled into a sharp smile and her thoughts of her later meeting were put on hold in favor of taking Nev’s form in. The next few hours were about the angel turned omen that she managed to earn and keep the heart of. She could get back to business when it was time to part. Nevaeh had her back to her, but Savannah had clocked her as soon as she’d appeared on the other side of the lot. That didn’t stop her from announcing her presence to her girlfriend as she always did, coming up behind her with a simple, “Hey, baby,” and wrapping her arms around Nev’s shoulders, putting her face over one shoulder and kissing the fallen cheerleader on her pale cheek. Left behind, as always, was a slight red tint from the gloss she put over her lipstick, and one of her favorite things to do was see how long her girlfriend lasted before caving and trying to wipe the mark off. She grinned at the other girl on the lot once she was done kissing Nevaeh’s face. “Hey Savvy!”

Savannah could only smirk as she saw the peering face of Nevaeh’s girlfriend emerge from that sculpted shoulder like a hydra. Watching over the scene could make a person sick if they weren’t aware of just how important it was to both of them. It was strange how the black-haired girl could ever think that she didn’t have a girlfriend.

When Savannah had those talks with her back in June, Nevaeh was certain that everyone she had before her arrest left her abandoned to walk the earth like a waif in search of a haunt to call her own. That sense of detachment allowed the two to bond in the early days of Payout’s California residency. Both were ripped out of their respective worlds and cast into strange new levels of existence, but their combined knowledge helped one another get set up to move forward. Nevaeh could count on Savannah as someone who wanted to be her friend whether she had status inside the school or not, and Savannah got the connections she needed to set up shop in Beverly Hills wherever she pleased. It’s why they were at the convenience store now, with Nevaeh being well aware that Sunny was a willing host to their off-campus dealings.

Still to watch that little bit of pink return to the cheerbleeder’s face as she felt the touch of Toury along her neck, the blonde appraising it like a vampire sizing up their latest damsel, Savannah couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. How long had it been since someone had caressed her like that? At least without putting a shiv into her side a minute later? She didn’t even really get a chance to say goodbye to the gang in Texas before leaving, with her mom determining the Golden State getaway was happening while she was serving another six month sentence. The second she got out, Savannah was bundled off on the Fresh Prince Express. It was only through the grapevine she heard that Chapolita finally got nailed on the grown-up charges and likely wouldn’t be seeing freedom in Texas for a while. What she wouldn’t give for one more chance to show Alexis what she actually meant to her, for all that she did…

Payout shook her head and returned her attention to the newly-arrived girlfriend of her consigliere. “Good seein’ ya, Toury. I’m guessin’ I’m gonna be flyin’ solo for a bit if ya got Nev wrapped up like that within seconds of ya bein’ here.”

Nevaeh blushed a little more at the direct reference Savannah made to what could be happening. Toury was very intoxicating, and distracting, and skilled at getting what she wanted. Even in her darkest hours, she persisted and continued to knock away at the walls Miss Morgan had set up to protect herself during her time away from the school. It wasn’t easy given Toury liked to present herself as a free agent at times, free to toy with the affections of other people in the school at the whims of agents of love and chaos. It made it easy to believe that Toury would move on and forget the discarded Nevaeh just as the other cheerleaders and the Strattons and everyone else did. Yet here she was, hanging off Nev like a choker on a fledgling child of the darkness.

“H-hi, Toury,” Nevaeh finally stammered out. She moved her thumb up to her blackened lips and licked her print, preparing it for the task of wiping the red lipstick off her cheek. It was going to be a quick cave this time under the attention from Miss Phoenix. Nev looked back over her shoulder at the blur of blonde. “I didn’t think you’d be over here while we were working. Not that I’m not happy to see you.” She looked back at Savannah. “I’m fine to stay out here if you need me here, Sav.”

“Oh?” Toury replied to her girlfriend with a devilish grin, speaking into her ear but still loud enough for Sav to hear her. “Brazen, looking to see how voyeuristic your clients are?” She trailed teasing touches down Nev's arm until she reached her hand, intertwining their digits. She knew, of course, that that hadn't been what the goth girl meant, but Toury never missed a chance to make a lewd comment or flirt with her girlfriend, so when the opportunity for both arrived it was more tempting than she tended to be to the school population. Besides, after having lost her ability to touch the other girl when she was in juvie, the playful blonde made sure to have as much contact as she could get away with, especially after she had to hunt the girl down herself shortly after the release because she had started avoiding her, thinking Toury had moved on as if she hadn’t been to every visitation and written letters to her through her whole stint. “Count me in.”

“Suit yourselves,” Savannah confirmed as she shook her head. “I mean, I get it. Ya got shit like that goin’ on, ya want the world to see it. See whatcha fought for. I just didn’t think leanin’ on a Sorrento would be too comfy in the Cali heat. But I’ll take the company.”

“Excuse me,” a relatively quiet junior spoke up, brushing the light brown hair out from the side of his crisp new Angels hat. He looked like he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing in this particular parking lot but he dug into the pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out a couple of bills that lacked the clean creases of his hat. “Brayden said I could come to you to pick up a couple of six-packs of Cherry Coke?”

Savannah smiled as the clearly nervous customer blurted out his order. Their various products had been assigned codenames so that discussion could happen relatively freely among students, and if anyone snooped in, there was at least a little deniability. Drugs? No drugs here, just someone networking for the local convenience store, making sure beverages reached the parched students of BHHS. Because marijuana was their best-selling offering, it was assigned Coca-Cola and all its various flavors for whatever strains Addie cooked up. Cherry Coke was very popular.

“Oh you’re Brayden’s friend, are ya?” she asked, sly as ever. “Foster or Posey? Ah, I guess it don’t matter none. Let’s see if we got any Cherry Coke in stock for ya….”

“Griffin.”

“Griffin, gotcha, well, welcome to PLC Convenience, right this way,” Savannah escorted the soon to be tarnished Angel off to the front seat and turned on the radio in the Sorrento, giving the couple a small semblance of privacy while she talked business and educated Griffin on how to actually handle such transactions.

Nevaeh blushed a little more as Toury continued to hang off her like a jungle gym. She did say how much she enjoyed the strength the black-haired girl built up during her time away from the general populace. Toury’s fingers still felt delicate as ever in her hand though. She knew that Toury was capable of far more power than she was, at least in terms of fighting the injustice in the school, but it still gave her some comfort that she could keep Toury protected in case the battle got to be too much. “I keep telling you that you don’t have to be here if you don’t want,” she offered. “I know you were all right with what I was doing for the Twins, but I don’t need you getting roped up into any PLC things either. I don’t think they’ll let us share a cell if we’re both busted.”

It was clear that stint at Camp Joseph Scott still was affecting Nevaeh a bit. It probably shouldn’t have, given that they maintained her on the path of graduation this summer, and Santa Clarita wasn’t a world away from Beverly Hills, but it may as well have been in the middle of the Gobi Desert for the levels of separation she felt during her time there. When she got out, she was angry and sad, emotions that led to her isolating herself from most people. After Savannah pulled her up out of the depths and Toury reaffirmed her commitment, she started to move past it. Slowly. Little by little. A glacial pace. But Savannah told her that her March birthday meant that she wasn’t going back to Santa Clarita. The Twin Towers would potentially be in the cards.

“Even if they did, I’d never get out of jail because of all the people I’d have to take care of to protect you.” There was that positivity that Nevaeh wasn’t known for in the slightest.

“That would be super hot to see, less fun to deal with the aftermath. And honestly,” Toury huffed with a roll of her eyes, letting Nevaeh go and circling around so that she was in front of the other girl. She crossed her arms and leaned against the car before giving her girlfriend a wide eyed, innocent look that anyone who actually knew the blonde knew to be wary of. “I'm just visiting my beautiful, wonderful, super strong girlfriend and grabbing a few concessions before the big game. If anything untoward is happening how am I supposed to know? I've never been involved with anything like that so how should I see the signs?” The blinking, doe eyed look dropped just as quickly as it had appeared and Tourmaline was back to looking lasciviously at the dark beauty before her. “I was too preoccupied with my girlfriend's rockin’ body and addictive lips. See how that works?”

She knew it wasn't a genuine argument, just like Nev knew that Toury couldn't get in trouble for a clique and operation that she had no part of outside of her relationship with Nev or a suggestion of supplier to the kids around school. If Toury were to be arrested and put in juvie- or more likely since she was almost eighteen, prison- it would be for getting caught with blackmail or for finally playing too much with the wrong person and taking a wrong step in her manipulations. The Tantalizer had her own illicit activities she dealt in, not that her girlfriend seemed to realize that there was trouble to be found and had outside of narcotics, but Tourmaline had been steeped in it- an agent of it- long before she locked eyes and lips with the girl that got quickly supersaturated in her own criminal element. Toury, despite her glossy blonde curls and bright makeup, her outgoing personality and standing as Mr. Phoenix’s daughter, was a corrupting influence and very proud of it.

She'd seen the near limitless possibilities in the eyes and movement of those like her now best friends, Helen Wells and Amy Kwon, long before she ever approached them with open arms. She was content to let the girls stumble blindly beneath the light for years until the illusion- their trust and belief in others- was finally shattered, and that was when she swooped in to help them realize that they stumbled so hard in the light because they were always destined to dance in the dark. She hated- or in Helen's case, didn't even know- the events that lead to both girls finally being open to her tainted influence and encouragement, put that look in their eyes that alerted her to their entry of limbo between dark and light so she could guide them all the way over. You never miss a look that you see in the mirror, after all. No one was a Tantalizer without a reason, they weren't just some random clique of sluts, they were there because together maybe they might be able to burn down the world that betrayed them each in their own way.

She’d seen the possibilities and dark streak in Nevaeh from her vantage point on the bleachers while the cheerleader practiced, but it had been through actually flirting with the girl and eventually doing the unthinkable and actually dating her that had gotten her to realize that, to Toury at least, it wasn't about someone's potential for once. Nevaeh didn’t need her nudging in the end, what with the Toxic Twins setting their teeth into her and eventually throwing her under the bus, and while she had been satisfied with her cheerleader in the light, she was just as willing to have her by her side in the dark. What she did not like was how it happened, how it had been a betrayal and had taken the girl away from her for months. However, there had been nothing for her to do. Toury, despite her standing as the creator of the Tantalizing Trio, was far more restricted in her actions than the likes of the Hive, the Elite, the Triple Crowns. At least in the light of day. These cliques were made up of entitled rich kids with more combined resources and connections than most small towns’ local law enforcement. While none of the Tantalizers were toeing the poverty line, they also were nowhere near the tax bracket of those kids, and that meant having to tread lightly and find the hidden angles so as not to disrupt the lives of their loved ones, especially with both Helen and Toury’s fathers working for the school. That didn’t stop them from raising hell when they knew that they could get away with it, of course, or they wouldn’t have the well earned reputation that they do, but it did stop them from messing blindly with the ‘higher tier’. Unfortunately, the likes of the Strattons were also on that tier, out of the blonde’s vindictive reach.

She’d been glad when Savvy had come along and shook things up, got deep pleasure in her taking over the parking lot, watched from the shadows as she established herself. It was why she hadn’t stressed when Nevaeh had gravitated towards Sav instead of coming back to Toury the first couple weeks out of juvie, she’d figured her girlfriend would find her people and then find Toury again when she was ready. Only, she realized that wasn’t the case and that was when she decided to reannounce herself in Nev’s life in a way that assured the freshly fallen wouldn’t dare avoid her anymore. Say what you will about Tourmaline Phoenix, say that she’s a bitch, and whore, a tricky succubus or a walking warning sign, but she knew when it was time to stay back and when it was time to step up, it was what made her so good at her freelancing for the Candies and for her own subtle revenges, and it was a survival instinct that only ever failed her once.

She pursed her lips at Nevaeh, grabbing her hand again and tracing circles over her knuckles, ever defiant of her girlfriend’s near subconscious need to push her away or keep her at arms length. “We’ve both been busy, and I only have a few hours before I’m busy again. Is it so crazy I want to spend all the free time I have with you?”

“I guess not,” Nevaeh answered, displaying that linguistic talent of hers.

She knew there was nothing that was going to stop Toury from entering her orbit if the Phoenix girl so desired. Toury was a force of nature at BHHS, and Nev should probably be thankful that Tour chose to encircle her with protection as opposed to ripping her apart like a hurricane. Nevaeh could do her best to keep Toury away, but she would come back. Even after Nevaeh returned to school, Toury came back.

It still vexed the dark-haired girl to this day. Why, of all the girls in the school, was she the one that Toury chose? The girl she was back in the early half of her high school career, maybe she could understand it. Nevaeh knew she was a prototypical cheerleader from outward appearances. The bows in the ponytail, the twirl in the skirt, the smeared paint under the eyes, it was hard to find someone who embodied the image more than young Nevaeh Morgan. She gave her heart to the school, and she actually gave a damn about trying to perform. Hell, she hadn’t even started dyeing her hair at that point. Sometimes she wondered if anyone actually remembered she had auburn-blonde hair before it started to go dark to match her moods. No matter, as she progressed in the grades she leaned from the red in the Pirates colors to the black with all her energy.

That was the Nevaeh her mother still wished was present, that’s for sure. Nev was still getting lip service parenting from her mother back home. When she wasn’t busy working in a lab in downtown LA, Dr. Sharona Morgan was doing anything she could to avoid talking to her now convict daughter. Dinners were never anything spectacular given the amount of work Dr. Sharona had to do (or the risk of accidentally contaminating a lasagna with streptococcus), but now it was a bunch of money on a table and the occasional sandwich.

Her brother didn’t have to worry about that, with his diet regimental in order to keep at the pinnacle of fitness in his ascent through the high school ranks. All of Cameron’s meals were pre-packaged and formulated. He was the meal ticket for the future, the only good thing his famous father left the family before he trotted off to England the second he extracted his payday from MLS. He got all the attention now, Mom attending every one of his games and cheering as loud as she could between coughs. Granted it gave Nevaeh the chance to slink away unnoticed, but at some point, the silence can get to a person. Hence the persistent headphones Nevaeh was seen with when not wearing her girlfriend as a shawl, or listening to her PLC compatriots discuss something.

That’s why the Dance offered something of a rebirth. Toury would likely be going to the event on the arm of some schlub her conspirators wanted to drag towards one of Cupid’s sickening arrows. Now that Everly’s wish had been granted and it appeared the PLC would also be making their way under the lights and onto the dancefloor, there was a chance for Nev to give Toury a sliver of that old facet of their relationship. A night of grandeur maybe. A thanks for sticking with her for everything. If nothing else, Nevaeh knew Toury had the wardrobe for it.

“So,” the gothic girlfriend finally offered, “Everly convinced the others to go to the Homecoming Dance. Savannah was looking at me to back her up and keep the PLC out of the strobe lights, but… I thought it would be nice to go. Celebrate the success of the crew and try to have a regular school experience.” A small smile turned those black lips upward, especially when she caught the gaze of Tourmaline. “And it means that potentially there’s a few more hours for you to spend with me. If you want to.”

This time, the wide eyed look that Toury shot her girlfriend was genuine in its shock. She hadn’t been expecting that at all, but she was more than pleased with the new development, and she showed it by grinning and giving out an excited squeal before swooping down to catch the shorter girl’s charcoal dark lips in her own candy apple reds. She wrapped her arms around Nevaeh’s waist and back and pulled her in tight without breaking their kiss. Her girlfriend was going to be at the dance! This wouldn’t be some boring prowl the whole night doing the Candies dirty work to shove as many perspectives together as possible while they were all in one area. As fun as that was for her, as much as it fueled her own ego, Toury also missed going to school functions for herself or her loved ones. Nowadays it was all business and very little actual pleasure, so no matter how busy she kept herself she was still utterly bored and understimulated.

She was never anything but stimulated when in contact with her own personal phoenix. Her baby girl had really been sent into the flames and returned while carrying the cinders and ash on her soul like armor, and Toury reveled in being the only one that knew every kink.

Breaking the kiss but not letting Nevaeh go, Toury dropped her forehead to her lover’s and stared into her eyes so she could see her excitement. Her hand dropped from her back further down and squeezed her girlfriend’s toned glutes possessively before kissing her again and then pulling away to let the other breathe. She smirked at the red tint that now stained Nevaeh’s lips much like she was sure her lipstick was now closer to maroon.

“Entering back into my domain, baby? I can’t wait.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Nevaeh said, trying to reel Toury back to her new reality. While the first year of their relationship saw the two trip the light fantastic at a plethora of school events, there was no desire for Nev to show her pale face around the building any more than she had to after her time away. This was almost going to be a test for her, coming back and trying to revive herself. The time with the PLC had made her feel like she could actually be accepted, at least partially, in this new form of hers. But there was bound to be conflict and strife. There always was.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be in for, Payout’s never been one for dressy events as long as I’ve known her. Everly was the one who wanted to go, but she may not have the stamina. Addie… she’ll probably get distracted by something in the first 30 minutes. And I… I’m basically dipping my toe back in. But if nothing else, I’m sure I will last for at least one dance.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Toury replied, completely honest. She’d take anything Nev would give when it came to their relationship, especially when she knows Nev’s going against her own comfort for it. “Do you need to borrow something from my closet or have you been hiding some hot gothic number from me?”

“I still have a couple of tricks on that front,” the raven-dyed teenager confirmed. “So I hope I’ll surprise you.” A smile perked up those dark lips. “And I know you’re going to look… absolutely tempting in whatever you choose to wear.” She moved in and planted a soft kiss on Toury’s cheek, leaving her own black mark on the tanned skin of her girlfriend. A little harder to remove than the red on Nevaeh’s visage, but turnabout was fair play. “It’ll probably keep me on the floor an extra dance or two.”

“Cute,” Toury replied, entertained by her girlfriend’s attempt at returning her little gloss game. Unfortunately for Nevaeh, Toury had no shame and that perfect black imprint of the goth’s lips would live on her cheek until she used her makeup remover tonight before bed. No doubt Jonah would get a mild kick out of it when they had their meeting later. She grinned, the stain on her skin stretching with it, and kissed her girlfriend quickly again, twirling her dark strands between two fingers playfully. “And of course, my outfit is going to be downright tantalizing.”

An even rarer chuckle could be faintly heard before the other two students emerged from the front of the Sorrento. “All right, that should set you up for what you need. Tell Brayden I'll give him a little discount next time as thanks for the referral. Free can of Coke on me,” the pink-blonde offered. Savannah knew that not only would that satisfy the person who brought Griffin into her parlor, but now Griffin knew referrals would work for him as well. It was a basic business strategy but it worked very well on the populace of BHHS.

The Angel-capped student could only nod as he walked away, purchase stored in his backpack while Savannah returned to the couple that was left to stand watch while the transaction was completed. “All right, that went better than expected. Kid learned himself pretty quick,” she confirmed to give the couple ample time to disentangle themselves should they need to do so. “Anyway, guessin’ Nev told ya we’re goin’ dancin’, eh Tour?”

“Sure did,” Toury gave Sav a toothy grin and finally broke physical contact with her girlfriend, satisfied in the knowledge that she had plenty of time now and even more time tomorrow to spend with her lover. “I’ve got to say I didn’t see that coming, I’m quite pleased,” She admitted while grabbing her phone to check her messages. She hadn’t had a chance to get her walkie talkie back after Dash had taken it earlier that morning with plans to give it to whichever Elite had requested them of him, so her message notification was in the double digits no matter when she checked, that was just the way her brother texted. Glancing over his stream of consciousness, Toury figured it wasn’t anything that needed immediate response, in fact it seemed like he was still mid info dump, so she determined waiting for him to finish before replying was the best course and put her phone back, returning her attention to those before her. “She already said she has a dress, but what about you girls? For this very special occasion, my closet is open if any of you need something. Within reason, of course.”

It was a genuine, if rare, offer from the wavy haired Tantalizer. While always open to the likes of her two besties and Nevaeh, her wardrobe was hardly ever available to anyone else. But the PLC going was what had Nevaeh going in the first place, so the least she could do was offer the girls a chance to avoid last minute shopping if they were planning on actually dressing up.

Savannah rubbed the back of her neck. “Ya know, I might take ya up on that,” she admitted. “I’m not exactly tha dress-up type ‘n I dunno if my mom’s stuff is… suitable. Definitely if I wanted the attention of tha monitors, but I’m guessin’ you might have stuff that’ll fit me a li’l better. Maybe we all meet up at yours tomorrow ‘n figure it out before tha thing. ‘Sall right, Nev?”

The goth girl nodded, not exactly happy to leave Toury’s embrace, but knowing that it was there for her made it easier. “Yes. It should be fine. Like I said, I already have something in mind for the evening. I think black is the PLC’s color.”

“You think black is everythin’s color.”

“It’s a perfect color.”

“Fine, fine, it’s a good color. We’ll see what Tour’s got.”

“Fantastic, I’ll make sure I have snacks and drinks ready,” Toury clapped decisively, happy with the new events on her roster. She’d have to text Amy and Helen about the new development soon. “I’ll pull out a few pieces I think would fit for you all but you won’t have to choose one of those, I’ll understand if you hate my choices,” She teased sarcastically before pulling her phone out to quickly send off that text as well as add an alarm as a reminder for tomorrow. She was always getting just a bit busier, but these plans gave her even more time with her girlfriend tomorrow than she initially thought, so she found she didn’t mind one bit. “I’ll even help you with your makeup, no charge, if you’re looking to go all out.”

“I ain’t gone all out in a long time, but I guess if we’re gonna be kickin’ round, might as well let ya take a crack at me. I think I gotta good plan, but,” Savannah looks at her friend, almost spotting a smile on that pale face. “like I said, I’ll take any advice inta consideration.”

The agreement was sealed in Payout’s mind, and with good timing as a Korean woman in her 30s emerged from the store and headed to the Sorrento. “Hey,” Sunny interrupted. “My dad’s getting back from his physiotherapy in like 15 minutes, so that’s your warning in case you’ve got customers when he arrives.”

“Preciate ya givin’ tha heads up, Sun,” Savannah said, almost thankful to end the conversation about making her look like one of those trophy girlfriends. “We’re almost sold out anyway. Homecomin’s good business. Still got your order if ya want it now.”

Sunny pulled out a crisp $20 and handed it to the Texan. “This and a couple of Gatorades and we’re good?”

“Make it three ‘n we’re good,” Payout confirmed, as she looked over at the doting couple now back in each other’s arms. “Those two’ll prob’ly need the electrolytes sooner rather ‘n later.”

[Melissa]

_{Timestamp: 7:30pm
Location: The Sterling Residence
Theo Van Cise & Tatum Sterling
@BrutalBx & @Melissa}

Twenty four hours.

Twenty four hours could be an eternity.

Lost in the infinite. Drifting in the cosmos. Specks of stardust floating around the Milky Way.

Or some shit like that.

All Theo knew was that the last twenty four hours had been nothing short of hell.

He had spent much of the previous late evening trying to spread the story that he and Alvaro had concocted about him being drugged. He was proud to say that for the majority of the peons and pencil necks, it worked. It really didn’t take much for the Franchise Player to manipulate the unclean and uneducated masses of Beverly Hills High. Most were vapid and senseless with no real grip or perception on the reality of the world.

But he knew. Theo always knew.

After convincing his mother and sister of “Benji’s” sinister prank, the red haired boy attempted to tell his father, which of course sank like a certain unsinkable ship lost in the Atlantic. Uncle Matt was easy enough to get on side too. Lexy and Tally? He barely had to ask. Lex was always on his side, Tallulah needed a little more incentive. Threatening that Sinead girl worked wonders in the long run. It got Tally on his side very fast. His Bea was hesitant but that was ok, he didn’t need her to spread the story; instead her minion Jamie would be Theo’s port of call and they were meeting at the dance. But first? He had another appointment.

The myth in his own mind had opted to stick to the classics for the Hollywood themed Homecoming dance and dressed in a vintage black and white tuxedo looking every inch the heir apparent to James Bond. He softly ascended the stairs of the Sterling household, a pristine white box wrapped nearly in a lavender bow sitting in his strong arms. Getting in was easy, Tatum’s parents just let him walk straight in when he said he was taking her to the dance. The Van Cise name still rang out. Making his way to the door, he lifted his large fist and knocked twice before ignoring the chance of an invitation and entering anyway.

“Hi there, gorgeous.”

Tatum had gathered all of the key elements for a perfect night in.

She was wearing her comfiest sweatpants and her baggiest tee that were fresh out of the laundry, still warm to the touch and scented of her dryer sheets. The water bottle that sat on her nightstand was filled to the brim with freezing cold water and she’d also cracked open a can of Diet Coke that had been chilling in the refrigerator overnight. A bowl of buttery popcorn was directly next to her on her bed, a pouch of classic M&Ms mixed in (the perfect combination of salty and sweet) and in her lap was her sketchbook, which she was currently drawing on. While she worked, her favorite show played on the TV in the background. She didn’t need to watch it to know what was going on, she’d seen each episode at least five times.

The brunette had her ideal evening routine down pat, because the truth was, she didn’t really enjoy going out on the weekends. Sure, she’d make the occasional appearance at a party if her friends begged her to come, but it was few and far between that she ventured out of her own volition. She’d rather stay home by herself than socialize any day of the week, which was why when almost all of her classmates were busy getting ready for one of the biggest nights of the fall semester, she was alone in her room. And she was perfectly fine with that.

So naturally, not expecting any visitors, she jumped at the knock on her door, eyes going wide as Theo Van Cise strolled into her room unannounced and uninvited.

“Theo?” Tatum slammed her sketchbook shut and scrambled to her feet, “What are you doing here?” She questioned in disbelief, taking in his polished appearance and instantly feeling self conscious in her slouchiest attire. “Shouldn’t you be at the dance?”

“Why would I go to the dance without you?”

Theo drank in the girl's surroundings with his dark gaze, it was very much as he had pictured it to be. Very demure, very mindful and cutesy; you could tell a lot about a person by the state of their bedroom and Tatum’s was almost exactly as he had imagined it. Walls adorned with artwork and sketches, delicate and hand crafted decorations engulfed in the multicoloured wrapping of her walls, each surface adorned with some artistic endeavour. To say it clashed with Theo’s own, almost empty and barren room would be an understatement to say the least.

“But seriously.” He took a further step into the artist's inner sanctum. “After yesterday, I didn’t think I would go. I felt like the whole school was gonna turn on me for something that wasn’t my fault; they would bully and harass me because someone spiked my drink and made me look the fool…” He cued a small quiver in his vocals; something he learned from a drama brat he dated freshman year. Theo always took something from those in his life, something that was theirs, something that he could add to himself to make his mask of humanity just that touch more realistic. “After the summer I had, with the break up, my head was just all messed up and I felt alone and scared but then you text me and you made those weeks bearable.” He inched closer to his prey. “Last night, after I got pulled from the field and I was coming down, all I wanted to do was find you. You bring me peace and I thought, maybe, if you came to the dance with me tonight, I could actually get through it.”

The Franchise stopped a foot or so away from the pretty brunette and pulled loose the bow that held the pristine box in his arms together. He lifted its lid to reveal a sparkling sequin black dress, worth more than probably half of his class's cars. “I heard you talking to someone about this dress you saw in a store window, so I went in and bought it. I heard you say you wouldn’t pull it off but I think this dress was made for you, Tate. Made for you to wear today, so that you could come with me and be the star of the show.”

As Theo stepped closer, Tatum could feel her heartbeat quickly accelerate, the previous flutter having evolved into a rushed and reckless rhythm. She was having a hard time comprehending his words over the pounding in her ears, hell, she was still in shock that he was here in her room in the first place. But even in her state of surprise something he said still managed to set off alarm bells in her head, snapping her out of her daze.

“Wait, someone spiked your drink?” She blurted, not sure she heard him correctly. It was the type of thing she only thought happened at parties, she would have never considered it could happen on a school campus, let alone to someone as popular as Theo. His behavior the night prior had been unhinged, she’d seen it with her own two eyes from the stands, so unlike the boy she knew. That was the reason he acted the way he had? “Are you serious? Who would do something like that?”

But before the boy could provide any clarity on the situation, all of her focus was diverted to the dress that rested neatly in the box. The gorgeous dress she had been admiring for weeks in the window of a boutique that she thought she’d never have the opportunity to wear, let alone be able to don without looking ridiculous. The gown screamed ‘look at me’ when every other instinct in her mind and body said ‘look away’, she could never do it justice. And yet, for some reason, he seemed to think that she could. Her eyebrows raised instantly, and she shook her head vigorously.

“No, Theo, I couldn’t,” Tatum tried to explain, hoping he could still return the dress and get a refund, after all she knew how expensive it was. But he stepped closer and her pulse somehow grew even faster. “Seriously, that was way too generous of you, but you’ve got the wrong girl, I’m not star of the show material.”

“How do you know?” Theo tilted his head with a half grin, a flick of his fiery red hair dropping ever so slightly across his left eye. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a wallflower and no one, not even me, should ever expect you to change.” The football star rested the box on the bed where the girl had once sat, his eyes never leaving her. “But to think that you’re not the right material for this? I’m sorry but that’s just not right.” He reached out with his large hands and as gingerly as he could, rested each on one of her arms. Tatum would not welcome the dominant force that Theo used on other girls. The tactic with her was a simple one, soft hands, close quarters, be undeniable.

He lowered his head ever so slightly to match her height and to reach her level, another one of his human techniques. “We’re in our senior year, Tate. We are who we are but now is the chance to throw all caution to the wind and just try shit, take a chance. It’s time to take your chance, Tatum.” After gently caressing the brunette's arm with his thumbs, a subtle way of alluding to something similar to care, Theo reached down to the open box and pulled out the dress.

It fell in its full glory downwards, stopping a short way off the ground, the Franchise platter gently pressed it against Tate’s body. “At least try it on. For me?”

The amount of eye contact that Theo was giving was enough to make Tatum blush, but his touch managed to set her fully ablaze. Her cheeks instantly flushed as deft fingertips danced along her skin, tender and gentle, such a stark contrast from the feverish rage she witnessed during the game. It didn’t make sense at the time that he had shown such anger, but with the further clarity that he hadn’t been himself, things were adding up. The boy standing in front of her was the kind boy she had come to know, the one she felt comfortable around. But still, her breath caught in her throat at his suggestion to try on the dress. It felt oddly intimate to do so, although she knew his intentions were well meaning and innocent. But he had bought it for her, after all. It’d be rude if she didn’t at least give it a chance… right? Taking his words to heart and taking that chance, she grasped the fabric in her hands and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll try it on.” The brunette agreed, although a bit hesitantly. She took the dress from him and folded it over her arm. “I’ll be right back,” She inclined her head towards her ensuite bathroom before walking over and shutting the door behind her. It wasn’t until she was alone that she exhaled the large breath she had been holding.

Theo offered to her the sweetest smile that his cherub like face could muster as she disappeared into the bathroom. Once the door was securely closed, the curl of his lips dropped back to the grimace he saw in the mirror every morning and he began to scour the room with his eyes. Now was the perfect opportunity to see what Tatum was really about. For weeks merging into months, he had been playing this game with her and tonight was a night where he would take the upper hand or win all together.

As his fingers danced on counter tops, tracing over artbook after artbook filled with all the imagery and creativity that the Sterling girl could muster from her mind, Theo examined every page with a feverous thirst for knowledge. “Don’t play if you’re not playing to win.” That was his fathers mantra, it was written on the walls of the family gym and it had been tattooed across Theo’s heart the day he learned to hold a ball. He approached every aspect of his being with it on the forefront of his mind. Football. Baseball. Debate club. The fights he organised and his relationships. The Franchise always came out on top.

On Tatum’s book shelf sat a collection of Young Adult novels, perfect fodder for made for Amazon movies that pre-teens, lonely middle age women and gays would eat for breakfast. A quick search on his phone later, and Theodore knew every story of every book, every stereotypical trope and vaguely spicy sex scene that probably educated Tate’s thoughts at night; thoughts he knew that he was the main character in thanks to the journal that he quickly skimmed through on her bed.

Theo had studied her playbook and now it was time to go for the W.

The red haired boy moved to her window and looked out from Tatum’s bedroom at the empire of broken pieces of glass that was Beverly Hills. He couldn’t wait to get out; to go where he was destined to be. First college, then law school and after a few years at some big firm, the campaign would start and a big White House in Washington would be the place that he would call home and then they’d all see. He was going to win; he was number fucking one.

Oblivious to what had occurred whilst she changed, Tatum opened the bathroom door just a sliver in order to pop her head out. Her hair was still clipped up off of her back and out of her face just as it had been prior, but the rosiness on her cheeks had dissipated slightly, having had a quiet moment alone to collect herself. She found Theo’s gaze and gave him a sheepish smile.

“You have to promise not to laugh,” The brunette prefaced, looking down out of his view at herself one last time, “I look ridiculous, but I said I’d try it on so…”

Opening the bathroom door fully, the wallflower reemerged in a dress that was anything but.

The fabric hugged her body in all the right places, revealing every subtle curve and asset, the black sequins glinting and shimmering in the light. The fit was practically perfect, how the boy had chosen the right size was beyond her, but it flattered her figure to a tee. The neckline was fortunately not too revealing, which she appreciated, but it definitely sat lower than anything she’d normally find herself wearing. Stepping towards her full length mirror, she looked at herself in the reflection before letting her eyes find Theo once more.

“See, I told you, I can’t pull it off. I really appreciate you trying but-”

“Are you mental?” Theo, even with all his charm and game playing, wasn’t fully prepared for the view that he would get when Tatum left the bathroom. She looked beautiful, then again, the dress was made for her. He made sure that the seamstress got every detail right. If the brunette was going to be on his arm, be his First Lady for the evening, then she had to look the part, and goddamned she looked the fucking part. “You’re stunning Tate.”

He slowly stepped up behind her as she looked into the mirror. Placing one hand on her arm, the athlete lifted his other to the back of her head and seamlessly pulled out the bun in her hair, allowing her silky tresses to dance across her shoulders. “Now that right there? That’s the star of the show. The main character. I think tonight, there’s a story waiting to be told around you, Tatum.” Words were weapons for most, daggers to attack or defend against the onslaught of the world. Theo learned better; words were power; they were control; they were soft, soothing and had the ability to wrap around a person's mind, body and soul and make them bend to a whim. Sometimes it wasn’t even the words that did the work, it was how they were said.

“I think…” He softly pulled her hair back, strands of brown slipping through his fingertips as he neatly tidied any loose ends. He lowered his voice to a lyrical almost whisper. “I think you really need to come tonight. Unselfishly, I think you’ll just miss out on a fun night if you don’t. Though selfishly, it’s because I want you there, with me.”

The main character.

Never in her life had Tatum Sterling been the pinnacle of any moment. She preferred to stand on the sidelines, desperately wanted to fade in the background and be swallowed up by the scenery. Her mother had made a name for herself, had a reputation to boot, and therefore the brunette didn’t want to add her name to the history books in this town.

But why?

Why shouldn’t she take a moment to soak up the limelight? What was it about being the center of attention that repulsed her so?

Tatum’s eyes didn’t leave Theo’s. She watched him in the reflection of the mirror, captivated by his every motion, hanging on his every word. Did he really mean what he was saying to her? That he truly wanted her to go to the dance with him? It seemed like it, she could tell in the way he spoke, the way he moved. He was intentional with his actions, he oozed confidence, he was self assured and she’d be lying if she didn’t say she wanted more. Exhaling shakily, Tatum let her lips settle into a shy smile.

“I guess I really can’t say no to that, can I.” She replied, half to him and half reassuring herself that this was the right choice. The girl turned her head to look at him, not realizing how close their faces were until she found herself nearly nose to nose with him. She laughed awkwardly, taking a step backwards to create some distance. “Give me a few minutes to put on some makeup and do something with my hair, if that’s okay?”

“Of course.”

Theo knew in that very moment that he had her; the look of want in her baby blue eyes gave away her secrets. She wanted more, she wanted everything that she had never had, she wanted what was coming to her, she wanted the world and she wanted him. He had become the drug that the artist girl craved, the inspiration. In return, Tatum would be his masterpiece in corruption. To violate something so perfect and pristine; there was a deeper level of satisfaction in that, something near enough to primal.

Brushing a strand of hair from her face, Theo sweetly smiled at this night's prey. “I’ll go wait in the car. Take as long as you want.” He turned on the heel of his Louis Vuitton’s and made his way back towards the girls bedroom door. He stopped for a second and turned to gaze at her once more; admiration. She would see this and feel more, feel like he really saw her, like he really wanted her.

Tatum didn’t stand a chance.

He descended the stairs of the Sterling home, pausing at the bottom when he saw a wallet sitting in the side. Without a second thought he emptied it off any cash contents it had. Someone has to pay him for the service he was doing by making Tatum the most important person in the room. Theo placed it back down onto the counter and left the Sterling home a thief; of both money and of the heart. He climbed into his Stingray to await Tate’s arrival.

As the door to her bedroom softly clicked shut upon Theo’s departure, Tatum exhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. Was it warm in here, or was it just her? Taking a steadying breath, she stood frozen for a moment, simply overwhelmed with the situation at hand and what she had just agreed to. She, Tatum Sterling, wallflower extraordinaire and absolute nobody, was going to the Homecoming dance, actually going to a school function, with a member of the Elite, and football star at that.

Was she dreaming?

Not letting another minute go to waste, the brunette quickly sprung into action, attempting to get ready efficiently but also not wanting to rush herself into messing up or looking stupid. She plugged in a curling iron as she worked on her face, applying her makeup clean and simple, enhancing her dainty features but adding color back into her fair skin so that the sequined black dress didn’t overpower her. The girl still didn’t completely buy that she was able to pull off such a daring fashion statement, at least for herself, but she didn’t have time to mull over it with the clock ticking. Moving onto her hair, even though it was quite long, it was thinner than it looked, meaning it didn’t take long to curl and took heat well. Her locks settled into loose waves and she pinned half of it back out of her eyes.

In a record breaking 20 minutes, with a last spritz of perfume to finish things off, Tatum Sterling was ready to go. She found a pair of simple black heels and grabbed a clutch, stuffing a few necessities inside, before turning off her lights and heading down the stairs towards the front door. A mere few feet from leaving, she thought she was golden, until the voice of her mother ricocheted off the walls.

“Tatum, honey, is that you?”

The brunette fought the urge to stop dead in her tracks, to have to explain to her mother what was going on and why she was finally conforming to normal High School life, and chose to simply yell back as she pulled on the knob of the front door, exiting.

“Yes, but we’re already late! I’ll be home later, love you!” Tate slammed the door behind her, not entertaining another word from the peanut gallery. Relieved, she walked to Theo’s car, opening the door to the front seat and climbing inside. She smiled at him, “I did the best I could in the time I had, but all set.”

As soon as he heard the passenger door open, Theo switched it back on, his so called humanity. He gripped the wheel tightly with his large hands and took a deep , short but sharp breath, like a mystical monster breathing in Tatum’s essence, soaking in her soul. He worshipped her with his gaze and welcomed her with a warm smile plastered on his handsome face. “You. Look. Incredible.” He moved his hand to the ignition and turned the key to shock the classic car to life. Swiftly they were on the way, a relative short drive but a perfect snippet of time for Theo to further his plan

“I want us to have a great night tonight.” The smile on his face fell as his eyes drifted to Tate and back to the road. “So I wanna get this out of the way now, before we get to the dance.” He turned the music down on the stereo and let out a deep sigh.

“Yesterday, at the game. Benji thought it would be funny to juice my drink, I don’t know why. You know he’s going through a hard time right now and I think he just needed someone to lash out at.” The line had been thrown, now it was time to reel her back in. “Obviously I had a bad reaction to it and I did what I did. I’m going to speak to the right people to get the truth out there but…” he gave pause for a moment. “Tonight, some people might try and start something or they might stare at us. You know how people at our school are but I want you to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that my attention, my time, it’s all about you tonight.” In reality, Theo was going to revel in the notoriety, in the vilification of the golden boy, it was intoxicating. “You’re more than just my main character, you’re my peace from the storm.”

Tatum couldn’t help the blush that graced the apples of her cheeks and along the bridge of her nose at Theo’s compliment. She liked the way he made her feel, even if it was definitely out of the norm for her to have such raw undivided attention placed upon her. But in this moment, she reveled in it, answering his genuine gaze with a grateful grin.

“Thank you,” The brunette found the words of appreciation easy, having warmed up to his easy charm. But as he continued to speak, detailing exactly what had happened the evening prior and who was responsible, she gasped. Tatum didn’t know Benji well, but the walls could talk and she had heard stories about his father’s misdoings and always wondered if it ran in the family. Shaking her head, she sighed, “I can’t believe he would do something like that to you,” The girl tried to wrap her head around what had been revealed, “It’s truly awful.”

“It’ll be okay though,” Tate tried her best to convince Theo, and herself, that things would be alright, even though the thought of their classmate’s staring and whispering didn’t entirely sit well with her. But she’d do it if it meant getting to spend the night with him, one evening where she tried to step outside of her comfort zone. She’d do it for him. “Who cares what they think,” She commented, even though the little voice inside her head screamed at her in protest, “We’ll have fun regardless.”

“You’re goddamn right.” Theo grinned from ear to ear. “We’re gonna have an absolute blast, maybe you’ll even get to see my dance moves.” He flicked his thick ginger brows up suggestively several times before the Stingray made the turn into the BHHS Parking lot.

All the right wheels were in motion. Tate was under his thrall, he had his meeting set up with Jamie to spread the story of his drugging and he had very little doubt that Tallulah would have any trouble planting the drugs he needed in Benji’s locker. His orange haired cousin had a knack for getting into places he shouldn’t be in. If she wanted to keep her private life private, then Tally would need to do exactly what Theo said when he said it. Sometimes it was so difficult to have a brain as big as his.

He pulled into his usual space, reserved for only the Elites of society and climbed out. He could always hear the hustle and bustle inside the venue. There would be some fun to be had here sure but the true enjoyment would come later, at the after party, where the kids could well and truly let loose. Gently dragging his fingers across the hood, Theodore moved around the car to the passenger side and opened the door for Tatum, offering his hand as he did.

“My lady.”

Taking his hand, a small smile growing on her glossed lips, the brunette stepped out of the front seat and onto the asphalt of the parking lot. As she saw their classmates milling around the entrance and the pounding music flooding out into the endless night, her heartbeat quickened. She inhaled deeply, before gazing back at Theo, noticing that she hadn’t let go of his hand just yet.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” She candidly stated, a soft anxious laugh trilling from her, “But it’s too late to back out now, so let’s do this.”

What he was seeing from her, the look she was giving, the anxious laughter, Tatum was evolving right before Theo’s eyes. His plan was working perfectly. It had begun as a way to alleviate the boredom after dumping his junkie ex; then it was about challenging himself to see if he could do it and now the proof was in the pudding. Theo had swayed the tide and the corruption of Tatum Sterling was in full swing. She took his hand willingly, no longer a lamb to slaughter but as a star ready to fall from the sky.

She was the main character now.

She was his.

“We’re ready for your close up, Miss Sterling.”

[Aces Away]

^{Timestamp: Between 5:30 and 5:50pm
Location: Gymnasium
Sully Harper and Levi Green-Locke
@Aces Away and @Smarty0114}

____________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________

When Sully had explicitly stated to the homecoming committee- even going so far as to leave a sticky note- that they were not to climb on top of certain builds he made for the dance, even to decorate, the boy had had a passing moment of hope that they would listen. It was faint, but despite his earlier words to Oli, it was still there. As he looked at the pile of wood and broken hinges that used to be one piece, he observed that faint hope get dashed to dust and could feel something close to irritation gripping at his sternum. Following directions really wasn’t that hard, was it? Do not lean means do not lean, do not climb means do not climb. It was really really simple, but apparently not simple enough for most of these students’ common sense. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad if whoever had broken it hadn’t shoved it off to the side under another piece of the set as if to hide their deed.

“Honestly…” Sully sighed before heading out of the room and making his way to the maintenance closet where he kept his tools, determined to fix it before the dance began despite being in his nice clothes. It’s not like he cared if he got some wrinkles, and there wasn’t much in the process of the repair that could stain his shirt. Grabbing his toolbox, he made his way back to the gym and to his downed project, taking a moment to remove his black vest and hang it up, as well as roll up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and undo the top two buttons for breathability and better range of movement without risking ripping the fabric. Wasting no more time, Sully got to work in taking apart what needed separating and maintaining what he could, knowing that there was less than half an hour before the dance was meant to start and that this would be more of a rigging of the thing than a full, actual fix.

If he was being a little loud while fixing what someone else currently in the gym had broken and hidden, that was neither here nor there. He wasn’t a huge fan of dances, hadn’t really been into them since middle school when he had someone that gave him a reason to dress up and go, but at least he had something to occupy his hands and mind here until it actually started. He was really just here because he had to catch a ride to the Greens’ just like everyone else, and his ma had encouraged him to go out and have a fun time with his friends. The least he could do was try. As he began to get lost in his project, that irritation from earlier- much like most of his emotions nowadays- seemed to fade and disappear as quickly as wallets and shiny objects left anywhere in his uncle’s reach. His tense shoulders relaxed and his jaw unclenched despite him not having realized he’d been grinding his teeth. Damn, he’d forgotten to grab some jolly ranchers or lollipops on the way out, just like he’d forgotten his coffee this morning. Maybe it was time to double down on the memory exercises Jonah recommended he do, he really had been burning out a lot recently.

Levi was out of posters, and terribly bored. He had helped Simon (Or was it Steven?) set out snacks and a place for a line to form outside, and now he was left to drift, and wonder why his moms donated so much money to this school if students were just going to do all of the work? The moment he spotted Sully, he was leaned up against a wall, cool but not effortless. A smile spread across his face, and he began to walk over, overflowing with a, mostly unearned, confidence.

“I told them not to stand on your thingy,” he called out as he approached, heralding his own arrival like the vapid prince he so aspired to be. His words, at least, were true, to some extent. He certainly had warned the bumbling sophomores who’d broken the frame, though he hadn’t tried particularly hard to stop them. Still, who the fuck ignores a sticky note? “I’d rat them out for you, but I don’t keep track of underclassmen unless they provide a service.” He paused, taking a moment to assess Sully’s outfit before continuing, as though he hadn’t before he even walked over. “The vest is very chic.Ça te va bien.”

“I don’t know what that means, but thanks,” Sully responded as he screwed the last hinge back in place and then got to work on giving the thing a little more sturdiness with a few well placed box nails into a piece of support wood he’d forgone in the previous build. Levi’s presence was unexpected, as Sully had been so focused on fixing the decorative installation before him, but it wasn’t like the guy wasn’t allowed to come around while Sully was working. He’d been doing this almost his whole life, he knew how to implement safety with his tools when people got too close. Levi would be fine. “I don’t care enough to do anything to them anymore, anyway,” He finally responded to the tall boy’s comment about the underclassmen, driving the final nail home and bending down to grab the fabric that would drape over the wooden structure. When he straightened back up he tossed the fabric over and straightened it out, took a moment to be proud of his work, and then grabbed the very vest Levi had commented on and threw it back on with little care for being gentle. He then turned around to face Levi, eyes cast down as he raised his hands to redo the top two shirt buttons he had undone in order to work. With those done, he shook out his sleeves until they were at his wrists again and finally looked at the blonde before him, now attempting to button his cuffs without looking as he fully acknowledged the boy in front of him. “See? It’s fixed, no reason to be upset if I can fix it,” Once his cuff was buttoned, he took a second to push his hair out of his face and look at the other’s outfit, figuring he should return the earlier compliment. “You look nice, man. Fancy. The turtleneck in this weather is insane though.”

“Beauty is pain, pain is beauty,” Levi said, cocking his head. He wasn’t sure what it was inside of him, that made the chase so thrilling, he just knew that he enjoyed it. Maybe that’s why he so often found himself in bed with people like Monarch. They made him work for it. That all felt very unGreenly of him, though, and he did not like to dwell on it. Instead, he focused on this strange boy in front of him, one who didn’t seem to grasp the concept of revenge. It made him seem naive, and Levi liked that. Despite himself, he liked those who resisted cruelty when he could not. It intrigued him. “You’re very nice.” Levi didn’t say the word with judgement or malice, but it felt alien on his tongue. “How’d you survive four years here? Just doing chores for everybody?”

Sully wasn’t sure that risking heat stroke was really worth it for the sake of looking nice, especially because Levi never looked anything but well dressed whenever Sully was around the theater kids, but it’s not like it was his place to play the mom friend to the guy. He wasn’t going to tell him to try and stay cool or to make sure to drink water. Not only was Sully not really like that, but even if he was, he didn’t know Levi like that. When Levi called him nice in a tone Sully had no ability to identify, kind of like trying to understand the way Levi looked at him, the woodworker tilted his head to the side as he let Levi see his confusion to the following question. How did he survive four years in highschool? Doesn’t everybody? A small frown on his face, especially when the comment about doing chores for people reminded him of his little realization on the Morning Show yesterday, Sully bent down to pick up his toolbox and then nodded to the bleachers to indicate to Levi that he was going to sit. Taking a seat and keeping his toolbox by his feet, Sully looked up at Levi and finally formed a reply.

“Doin’ these chores are a part of my scholarship, dude. Otherwise, unless someone really needs the help, I work on commission. Besides, How am I nice? I just don’t wanna hurt anyone for no reason, and the structure gettin’ fixed means that there’s no reason. It’d’ve been different if it was damaged beyond repair,” His fingers searched for interaction and he reached down to take the screwdriver back out of the box in order to fiddle with it, turning it rapidly between the digits. He sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes. It’s been an hour since his last cigarette and at least two hours since his last coffee, as he’d gotten distracted before leaving by uploading his and Oli’s GRWM and then made the fool’s move of forgetting his thermos. He wonders why both times Levi has come around him recently, he suddenly starts craving nicotine more than usual. Still, the surviving comment was bothering him, but he wasn’t sure why, so instead he answered with, “I don’t know what you mean by survivin’ school, honestly. I drink a shit ton of coffee and smoke like half a pack a day.” More than that, on bad days. “I do my job in the mornin’, do the odd jobs durin’ my free intervals, and I usually got at least one person I know in class willin’ to wake me up if I fall asleep. What’s there to survive? It’s school. It’s a place we’ve gotta be, and then it’s over,” The screwdriver never faltered between his fingers until he started feeling a strain from the now more drastic angle of their interaction. “Also, are you gonna sit? This starin’ up from a seated position thing kinda hurts my neck.”

Levi smirked. Sully spoke to him like he couldn’t possibly care less about who he was, and he didn’t know why, but he found it strangely endearing. He figured that must be a sign of something broken inside of his well-insured brain. What exactly was the point of chasing a dog that doesn’t want you, and never will?

That was probably a question better left for Monarch, or a late-night, doom scroll induced, Google search. “What’s there to survive? Very, ‘hakuna matata’ of you,” Levi said as he took a seat next to Sully, half teasing, half impressed. “I mean it’s not just school though, right? Not here at least.” Levi stared out over the dance floor. For the Greens, at least, that much was true. Nothing was ever as simple as it appeared on the surface. “If it was, would you be building sets so you could go here?”

“When I first applied here I had different ideas,” Sully answered, for once remaining vague on the matter. He’d applied early, before his accident, and gotten his acceptance letter while recovering. At that point, he didn’t care about going but his old ideas still made enough sense to him so he persisted. His online popularity had picked up during that time as well and BHHS offered more programs and classes that retained his ever fleeting interest. “Now it’s just because good grades here gets you a better chance at wherever you’re goin’ next compared to the school I would’ve gone to if I stayed local.” A shrug met the end of his sentence and he looked at the boy now seated beside him. Once again, Levi was taking time out of his day to find Sully off to the side and talk to him and once again Sully felt like something was happening that he couldn’t quite grasp. He hadn’t even had a chance to ask anyone anything about Levi either, having not seen people like Jonah and Monarch who always seem to know what to say, and having forgotten to so much as mention it to his mother, uncle, or Oli in the time since yesterday morning. Levi always seemed like he was looking for something with his gaze, and Sully wasn’t really sure what it was he had to offer that had landed the boy’s eyes on him.

“If it ain’t just school then what is it? Don’t say somethin’ silly either, like war or a jungle. I’ve watched Mean Girls with my ma, already seen that analogy.”

Levi grinned, as though he spent all his time just waiting for boys like Sully to ask him to wax poetic about the highs and lows of American high-school. In a way, he supposed that was exactly what he did. “It’s a foundation.” The tall boy paused, carefully crafting his point in his mind. “Whether we like it or not, all this bullshit matters. The test scores determine where you get to go and try to make a name for yourself, those of us with important names will undoubtedly have our scandals here dragged out and ogled at the moment we get too big for our britches, and we’ll all be stitching up the war wounds for years. We like to act like it’s not a big deal but that’s only true if you’re good at forgetting things.”

“I'm great at forgettin’ things, ask anyone.” It wasn't quite an argument, but it also wasn't quite a joke either, Sully just didn't really have much to say in response to Levi's assessment of school's role in their development. Well, not much aside from ‘Sounds like that sucks for you’ which, while something he would easily say to the likes of Oli or the gearheads, was not as quick to fly past what minimal decency filter he still had. “You still ended up comparin’ it to war when you said stitchin’ up war wounds. Couldn't help yourself, could ya? It's really that deep when your last name is big time, huh?”

Sully propped his elbow against his crossed knee and slumped forward, chin dropping into his waiting palm as he went back to staring blankly out into the gym. He dropped the screwdriver back into his toolbox with a light clanking noise.

“Guess I do get perks from bein’ a no-name outside of the internet. No one talks about me or my scandals or my past, not that I really have scandals.” A brief pause, and then, “Huh. Do I need scandals? Is it like, a necessary part of the highschool experience that I'm missin’ out on?” He was a bit stuck on that now, his mind latching onto the one thing with ease and not willing to let it go. Levi talked about everything like they were absolutely expected. Like they were certainty. It made Sully miss the time when he himself was so sure of everything, instead of the Sully he was now that struggled with some basic concepts that he once understood. He couldn't tell if the feeling swirling around his heart was a craving of envy or nostalgia, the two tended to feel the same after the past few years of wondering after what others grasped so easily.

“I’ve never thought so, but they can be fun, and fun is almost never a bad thing.” Levi said, with a halfhearted shrug. He couldn’t help but fidget with the button on his jacket, and the crease of his pants, oddly self conscious beneath his mask of privileged confidence. Would he tell Naomi and the girls about this new fascination? He supposed not, if he hadn’t already. Why then? This boy made him introspective. He wasn’t totally sure he hated it. “I’m not saying it’s hard to be rich. I’m saying it’s hard to be seventeen.” His eyes traced Sully’s jaw, and his bottom lip found it’s way between his teeth. “And I guess I’m also saying that you are a miraculously, unbothered, individual. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Not…like that,” Sully answered truthfully with a slow blink, eyes tracing all the different ways Levi fidgeted and pretended not to, from his hands to his lip that he was biting like Rye or little Danny Boaz do. “I’m usually told I need to pay more attention, more than that I’m unbothered,” The builder took off one of the fidget rings Oli had adorned him with earlier, the one where the second band spins around the first like a well oiled bearing, and tossed it into the other boy’s hand once he saw an opening in the jittery motion. He mumbled, “I’m gonna need that back at some point, a friend gave it to me,” before returning to his thoughts. Levi wasn’t wrong, in fact he was completely right in saying it’s hard to be seventeen. Sully was just also of the belief that it was hard being any age, not just teenaged. “And I guess I ain’t really unbothered…It’s more like it’s hard to hold onto it once I actually feel it, you know? Fleetin’, or whatever it is,” Sully waved his hand out at the bustle of activity that made up the rest of the gym outside their corner, encompassing their classmates. “I dunno, maybe not bein’ able to be too emotional is a good thing, if always feelin’ nervous or overwhelmed is the other option. Don’t think I could do too much if I was always worried about things my friends or followers did or said. Then again, maybe it’s the people you surround yourself with, ‘cause I didn’t get much choice in who became my friend, not that I’m complainin’, ‘cause I don’t worry ‘bout any of that with them.”

Levi stayed quiet for a second, unsure if he was filled with envy or pity for his newest fixation. Perhaps it was a bit of both. He’d always felt too big for his skin, like the anger and melancholy would rip him open from the inside out if he let it. A part of him wished for the serenity that Sully seemed to find so effortlessly. Another part, a wiser, less heeded part, knew that the anger, and the melancholy, and everything in between, was what you were supposed to enjoy. Happy ever afters were for children. “Maybe,” he said, gently spinning Sully’s ring as it rested on the tip of his index finger. “I’ve never been anything other than emotional, so I guess I wouldn’t know. I suppose it would keep me from waxing poetic about the meaning of life.” He sighed and looked between Sully and the growing crowd of attendees filtering into the auditorium. “You’re coming to Ethan’s party, right?”

“Eh, but then you wouldn’t be you, huh? I’m the second version of myself.” Sully shrugged, fingertips rubbing methodically across the plastic of the bleachers on either side of him. He huffed out a laugh at Levi’s question, starting to realize that despite being family, these cousins must not talk to each other very much. As someone from a family of three people and well…just that, Sully found himself feeling a little bad for the Green kids and the rift he was finally seeing between them. If Sully had siblings or cousins going to the same school, he probably would have already talked to them about Levi approaching him yesterday, and Sully assumed along that vein of thought that Levi knew Ethan had been befriending him for a minute now. It seemed they were both approaching him without knowing about the other though, and Sully wasn’t really sure what to do with that, or if there even was anything to do with it. Standing up from the bleacher and stretching his arms above his head as more people filtered in early, Sully figured he’d just try not to make a mess socially like he had a habit of doing, while having no clue as to how he was going to do that, either.

“Yeah, I’ll be there, I’ve got my DS in my locker so I gotta remember to grab it before we all head out,” True to his comment from yesterday, Sully planned on playing with his handheld gaming device and being relatively high the whole night. “I’m probably gonna be in the chiller areas most of the night, if you were plannin’ on lookin’ for me or somethin’?” Sully assumed that since Levi had asked in the first place it was because he was going to seek him out, just as he has twice already, he cocked his head at the blonde from his now standing position and bent down to pick up his toolbox so he could walk it back to the maintenance closet in the last few minutes before the dance officially started. “I’ll get the ring back from you at the party, then, keep it for now.”

“So you weren’t proposing?” Levi joked. “Probably for the best. My moms would expect an absurd dowry.” He smirked and crossed his arms behind his back. He’d forgotten what a crush felt like, and the returning sensation was a strange one. He needed someone to slap some sense into him. “I’ll see you later then. Ring and all.”

The hell’s a dowry? Sully wondered as he gave a small laugh at the part of the tall boy’s joke that he understood. “I look forward to it,” He replied to Levi’s parting words before blinking in surprise when he realized that he meant it. Weird. “Yeah, I do. Huh. Alright, see ya later, dude. Make use of the ring until then, and have fun.”

Sully exited the gym with his toolbox in hand and his head tilted to the side, free hand reaching into the toolbox as he went to fish out the battered box of cigarettes hidden within. There was still about ten minutes until the dance really started, and he was feeling a bit jittery after his chat with Levi, so he figured it was time to feed the craving once again rearing its head.

Back in the gym, off to the side of the bleachers the boys had been sitting on and hidden by the shadows caused by cloth draped structures and colorful overhead lights, Monarch leaned back against the wall with narrowed eyes as she took in everything she’d just observed of Sully and Levi’s interaction. She knew she had planned to pass this whole debacle on to Jonah, and maybe she still would, but he wasn’t here yet and several things about the boys’ conversation and body language had the probabilities and theories shifting and adjusting at a rapid pace within her mind.

She had miscalculated before.

This was interesting.