[IC] ♆ ​🇴​​🇨​​🇪​​🇦​​🇳​​🇺​​🇸​ ​🇭​​🇮​​🇬​​🇭​ | 🇼​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇷​​🇺​​🇳​​🇳​​🇪​​🇷​​🇸​ (Closed)

Yearbook To Come

[Vicier]

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•• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• ___________________________________ S T U D E N T S I N C L U D E D Kassandra Arvanitis | @Vicier​ Nikolas Rumancek | @Sapphic Pigeon Riley Revels | @Apoalo​​ •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• L O C A T I O N Arvanitis Family Home​​​​ • ​House | • ​Backyard​​ • ​Kassandra's Bedroom​​ •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• A C T I V I T Y Annual 'Back To School' Party House Party | Final Party Prep •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• S U G G E S T E D A T T I R E Party | Swimwear ___________________________________ •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• ___________________________________ I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H Each Other •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• S P E C I A L M E N T I O N S Julian Russo | @HaleyTheRandom​ Aurelio Rumancek | @Sapphic Pigeon •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• T R A N S L A T I O N S | G R E E K Σκατά | Shit​ •• ━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━ •• M U S I C "Havana" by Camila Cabello (ft. Young Thug) "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran (Ofenbach Remix) ___________________________________ •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ ••

•• ━━━━━ • ⍋ • Ω • ♮ • ━━━━━ •• ​​​🇧​​🇦​​🇹​​🇲​​🇦​​🇳​ • ​🇼​​🇴​​🇳​​🇩​​🇪​​🇷​ ​🇼​​🇴​​🇲​​🇦​​🇳​ • ​🇸​​🇺​​🇵​​🇪​​🇷​​🇲​​🇦​​🇳​ ____________________________________________________________________________ N A P L E S ; L O N G B E A C H | A R V A N I T I S H O U S E .. how did she get herself into this mess..? No.. no, that wasn’t being honest. She knew exactly how she’d managed to get herself into this mess. There was a distraction. One that just so happened to be about six-foot tall with broad shoulders.. shaggy, chocolate brown locks that she wanted to run her fingers through.. and the most gorgeous pair of earthen kissed eyes she’d ever seen. All it took was one flash of that stupidly confident grin of his, and she was done for. Agreeing to the question posed with a ’.. yeah; that’s right.’ without even having heard it in the first place. Ever since, it had been go, go, go. Flipped into ‘work mode’ - it hadn’t taken her long after the school had been released at lunch for her to recruit kidnap her two best friends. Forcing them along with her for the ride as she ran across town; making sure she had everything she was going to need, alcohol aside, in order to host the annual ‘Back to School’ party. “.. Σκατά.. I left the drinks in the car.” A soft groan fell past the girl’s lip. And lifting her hand, Kassandra’s fingers disappeared into her short dark waves as she pushed them from her features. Her lush green hues flicking across; and while she couldn't physically see it, they lingered in the direction of the garage door. Stop. The word ringing sharp in her mind, Kassie closed her eyes. Forcing herself into taking a moment- the deep breath drawn in through her nose, and out through her mouth. She had to remember she had time.. even if people arrived; it was fine. The world wasn’t going to end just because she’d forgotten to walk half the drinks she’d bought from her car into the backyard. Shaking her head lightly at her own stupidity, she turned away from the kitchen bench. Leaving the food where it was as her feet carried her under the archway that led into the large lounge. Gaze flicking back and forth between her friends who seemed to have taken up their usual perches, “.. Nik.. do you remember where we put the ice..? I can’t find it.. And Rye.. you’re still good with me leaving you in charge of music, right..? If not, it’s totally fine-..” It is said that comfort is the ability to be your true, and in Riley’s case, goofy self with someone while also being able to have deep and meaningful conversations. If that was the case then Riley was beyond comfortable being with his two friends. Kassie and Niko were staples of his life at this point and he trusted the two of them more than just about, no scratch that, actually more than everyone else in his life save one. And the comfort didn’t just extend to being able to talk about the hard things, something that Kassandra would notice instantly as she entered the lounge where Riley was laying on his back, feet straight in the air and kicking to the beat of a song he was jamming out to from his earphones. Not hearing her questions, Riley continued his solo rock out as he was prepping a playlist of songs to mess with and turn into more party beats for the incoming back-to-school shin-dig. Palooza? Bleh, didn’t matter. As the song ended, Riley clicked save on his phone and then opened his eyes to see an upside-down Kassie looking flustered and stressed, and perhaps something else. Pushing himself with his calves Riley backflipped off the couch and into the floor and took out his headphones. ”Hey, no need to panic Kas. I got the music down with no problem, and the list is more or less finished. Just gotta get the speakers finalized and then good to go!” Offering a quick fist bump Riley looked over to Niko as if looking for reinforcement that there was NO need to panic. Nothing like getting dragged into helping prep for a house party for a few hundred teenagers. No big deal. Definitely not for the eldest, deeply introverted Rumancek son who, let's be honest.. probably has the longest dry streak out of the Class of 2025. The dark-haired boy had done what he could to help contribute to the event his best friend prepare for the party he knew she hadn't completely agreed to host; at least not with a sound mind. Gods why did she have to have the literal worst taste in men. [ insert overly dramatic eye roll here ] Niko had been in the middle of arranging all of the food he'd had catered from his mother's restaurant when he realized he was being talked to. He too had been jamming out to music of his own with one Airpod stuck into his ear and hadn't fully heard what was said. Casting Riley a blank stare, it took the boy a moment for his mind to catch up with the conversation. "Yeah, no. W-We got this handled. Uhm. Ice! Yeah, it'ssss..." Niko paused, glancing around before his eyes grew wide as he remembered where the ice bags had been left. "Hold that thought," he mumbled as he held a finger up, narrowly missing the corner of the counter with his side as he rounded it and made his way out of the kitchen to the front door. Once through the threshold, he immediately brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, an exasperated sigh escaping him as he turned to call back into the house. "Hey, it's out here on the front porch. Most of it can be saved and is still pretty solid, but uh... we'll definitely need more. I can go around the corner to the store real quick to get some." It was a pity bump.. even she knew that. But nevertheless lifting her hand, it was with a small pout on her lips that Kassandra was returning the gesture. Her knuckles connecting with Riley’s, even if for only a few moments before her attention was drawn away. Turning once more over to the darker-haired boy instead as he rushed past them and out the front door. And internally, she groaned. Eyes closing and her delicate features reflecting the silent sound as she turned towards the sound of Niko’s voice. ”.. how is it I can memorize complex formulas, and recite every bone in the human body, but I can’t remember to bring in a few bags of ice..?" Already on the move, Kassandra was reaching to grab up her purse from where she’d left it lying on the table in the entryway. And opening it up, she was quick to pull out her card, slipping it into Niko’s hand as she met him by the front door. Nudging it further open with her foot so that people knew they could simply just walk on in as they arrived, ”Take my card. You already know the pin. And uhm.. get anything else you think we may have forgotten..? I’d suggest vodka.. but I don’t have a fake I.D, and I doubt you’d be able to pass for me even if I did." Turning her head slightly, she let her eyes fall to the melting bags of ice they already had. Letting out her own sigh of exasperation before she was turning. Glancing back over her shoulder at the blond stood in her hallway, ”.. Think if I got you to help me with this you’ll still have enough time to set up the speakers before too many people show up..? I just need to get them into the backyard. I can pour them into the buckets myself, I swear.” With a final nod and click Riley added the last song to his playlist and smirked widely. This was his largest set yet and while he’d continue adding little by little as things came out or he made new remixes he was happy with the final product and while he knew that there was no way any single event would get through all five hundred something songs it also meant that all of his gigs would be different which was a big thing for a DJ. He could just taste the essay to Juliard on the subject and imagine the impressed faces the dean of admittance and others would have reading it. Pulled out of his daydream by the sound of Niko calling in from outside, Riley quickly put two and two together and winced as he realized the ice was more or less melted and nodded absentmindedly to Kas as she asked if he could haul what was left to the back. He would go to take them and then flash her a reassuring smile, trying to get her to relax and realize that everything would be fine. ”Yeah, not a problem at all. I’ll dump them in the buckets since I already got them and then I’ll finish my setup. I’ll have plenty of time, besides, there’s no need to get too crazy with the music until later. I’ll be keeping it chill for the first bit as people arrive. Some current stuff, maybe a few choice older things. It’ll be great.” He offers her a quick neck hug and then heads outside the two bags of ice, moving through the House like he knew exactly where he was going because he did. Kas’ house was home away from home, and he had lost count of the times he had stayed the night. He made it to the backyard, poured the ice into the buckets, and then turned around to view the rest of the yard. He made a few quick adjustments, nothing that Kas would murder him for, and then scurried back into the house proper and to where he would be set up for the night. He had, more or less, created his own little raised DJ stand, a little cooler of water bottles next to it, and a comfortable chair that he could relax in. He was looking forward to the night, the first time he’d get to try out his skills and see if this was something he’d be able to do for the year in the greater area. Niko nodded to Kassie, though he knew he wouldn’t be using her card and would just use his own card to buy the necessities. He also had his own way of getting what she was wanting, though he knew if she knew, she wouldn’t agree to it. She was already stressing enough as it was… need to know basis and all. The boy jumped to it and slipped past Kassie to run upstairs to her bedroom where he’d left his backpack and hoverboard, emptying the contents of his backpack onto her bed, quickly pulling the now locked door closed, descending the stairs with his belongings in tow, running out the door. Pulling his phone out as he reached the sidewalk, Niko set his hoverboard on the pavement and brought it to life on its app, stepping on the thing to then take off down the street towards the store. He’d make quick work of the store run. Aaand just like that; they were gone. The soft muted green of her forest gaze following after the blond as he moved, her mouth already open to protest his need to handle the ice on his own; Kassandra had barely taken a step before her attention was diverted. And turning back around as Niko brushed past her, she found herself watching on as he slipped out through the front door. Leaving her stood, alone, in the now empty entryway of her family home. ”.. o-okay. I, uh.. I guess I’ll just go get changed then..” Casting another quick look after both of her best friends, Kas let out another sigh. Hands lifting from where they’d been resting at her sides; she ran her fingers back through her hair. Pushing it off her face as, with the other, she reached out to take hold of the banister as she began off up the stairs. Pausing on the second floor landing only long enough that she was able to let herself into her room. And making quick work of changing into her bikini, she was sure to throw a pair of denim shorts and a simple white shirt on over the top. Double checking to make sure the door of her bedroom was locked behind her before she headed back downstairs. Crossing directly over the hall as she headed into the garage, muttering softly to herself as she went. ”.. right- drinks first. Foods just about done being set out.. Music is-..” Pausing as she stepped through the door; her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of music flowing through the house, and Kas couldn’t help how her lips pulled up in a small smile, ”.. the music is done.” Shaking her head lightly, relaxing slightly as she let herself enjoy the familiar tunes, Kassie continued into the garage. Wandering over to her car so she could retrieve the boxes of soft drinks she’d bought. And… Let… There… Be… MUSIC! Riley finished plugging in the last plug and then pressed a button on his set-up. The familiar beat of ‘Havana’ began to play and echo through the House and Riley’s face split into a smile. It was something he had done before but still, doing it within the time limit he had given himself was proof that he could do this, and REALLY do it. He cracked his knuckles and began tuning the volume, walking all around the house and into different rooms to get an idea of levels. Once he was finished with all the tuning he sent a quick text to Kas so she would know that he was now fully good to go and would be sitting at his table if she needed him for the rest of the night. He then took out a bottle of water and began surfing on his phone while waiting for people to show up. Coke.. Mountain Dew.. Root Beer.. Canada Dry-.. Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, Kassandra put down the two twenty-four can boxes she was carrying. And crouching beside them, head drawn to a light tilt, she began ripping at the cardboard. Transferring the cans as efficiently as possible into the large tubs she had out for the drinks. Okay.. so she could officially cross Sprite and Dr. Pepper off her list now too. All that was left was the box of Fanta and they were good to go. Collecting the remains of the various boxes she’d opened and broken down as she added drinks to what little ice they had; Kassie put them into a single pile. Grabbing two cans up before making her way back inside. Slowing to pause in the lounge long enough to shoot a glance over to Riley. Wanting to make sure he was doing alright before she finished up with her current task, ”.. You good, Rye..? Let me know if you need anything.. Music’s sounding great, by the way.” Already bopping about with some various beat effects Riley smiled brightly to Kas and then offered two thumbs up. He was fully in DJ mode at this mode, and he swapped to Kas’ favorite song and winked to her. ”I’m good to go! Got my cooler stocked and my seat prepared. I’ll probably text you at some point to grab me some food and I’ll play some chill stuff while I sustain myself.” Winking at her he looked at the cans in her hands. ”Niko should be back soon with more ice.” One note. One. That’s all it took. Drawing her lower lip into her mouth, Kassandra trapped it between her teeth. The soft bell-like sound of her chuckle falling into the room as the familiar beat of her favorite song began to play. Of course he was going to do this to her- why wouldn’t he..? He knew she couldn’t resist. Really, it was her own fault for not having expected it. Letting her gaze wander, looking out at nothing in particular as it flitted about the lounge; she eventually brought it back to the blond boy smirking at her from across the room. And lip slipping from between her teeth, Kassie worked to close the gap between them. Reaching forward to place the two sodas she was holding down onto his table before she took a couple of steps back. Seeming to have perfect timing as she gave a little jump, hips circling in time with the music as she fell so easily into the line dance the youngest Rumancek boy had taught her. Okay.. so maybe she spent a little too much time with them. Nah, there was no such thing. ”.. Yeah, you got me singing like. Ooh, I love it when you do it like that. And when you’re close up, give me the shivers.” The tension built up melting away with each second that passed; it was clear that, finally, Kas seemed to be relaxing. Her movements free as she gave herself the chance to have a bit of fun, ”Oh, baby, you wanna dance ‘til the sunlight cracks. And when they say the party’s over, then we bring it right back. And we’ll say..” Smirking widely, Riley let Kassie have her bit of fun, knowing that the song would be perfect to get her to relax a bit before the party started. Just as the chorus was coming up Riley began his magic and started manipulating the speed, beat, and effects setting up a big drop just as the chorus hit as Riley always found the chorus to this song a little lackluster. Bobbing his head in time, and pointing his finger towards Kassie, Riley laughed out loud. ”There you go Kassie! Get loose, this is going to be a party after all. So you also get to and need to have fun eh?” Sipping at his water, Riley raised his eyes to the ceiling as he strained his ears, verifying the bass and sound were good enough for the room and he nodded a few times, content. This was the third check for sound, but you always had to keep checking. Random things could cause dead spots that couldn’t be prevented, only adapted to. Stepping off of his OneWheel in the grass just to the side of the doorstep, Niko smoothly dismounted his hoverboard and used his back to push the front door wide open. Carrying two sixteen-pound bags of ice in each hand, the plastic nearly slipping from his grip as he just barely made it to the back patio through the thankfully open door to set them down. Slipping back through the threshold, Niko’s eyes met his best friend dancing all to herself to the music playing over the speakers. The sight alone had him smiling from ear to ear as he folded his arms and leaned himself up against the door jam to watch her, letting her have fun uninterrupted. It didn’t take long for Niko to move from his spot though and instead gravitate over to Riley across the room, slinging his weighed-down backpack off of his shoulder, hoisting his haul up onto the counter before unzipping the pack to start pulling out a few large tequila bottles and three Buzz Ball tequila ritas. The eldest Rumancek boy slid the large tequila bottles out into the center of the counter while setting the three tequila ritas out in a row, giving Kas a glance before looking towards Riley with a smirk. ”One for each of us to get the party started,” Niko chuckled, adding, ”Gods know I’m gonna need it to get through the night..” Another little jump, and Kassie came to a stop. Eyes drifting over to where her two best friends were both standing. Her beautiful greens lingering on the both of them a moment before they dropped to the tequila ritas. The sight of the three little bottles lined up on the counter causing her lips to split into a wider grin. And shaking her head, she let her attention draw back to the darker-haired boy. ”.. Have I told you recently how much I love you..?” Kassandra’s hand lifting from her side; she ran her fingers back through her short waves. Pushing them back off her face as she made her way over to where the two of them were. Body leaning into Nikolas’ as she pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. Already reaching to take up one of the three bottles he’d put on display for them. Cracking the one she held open before returning back to the two boys. Raising it up between the three of them ”.. Here’s to our senior year.”

[Qia]

_{Interacts with: Kassandra-@Vicier}

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The gentle strains of classical music wafted through the snug living room, creating a serene backdrop as Jordan “Jae” Ellis applied the finishing touches to their latest work of art. The living room had been their haven today, a place where creativity could be seen blossoming amidst the comforting embrace of freshly brewed coffee’s aroma and the subtle scent of oil paints. Shafts of sunlight streamed in, bathing the room in a warm, golden light and illuminating the art supplies that lay in a seemingly haphazard arrangement that only Jae could decipher. Easels, canvases, and jars brimming with brushes were strategically placed, and the walls served as a gallery of Jae’s completed works, each containing its own unique story or message.

At the kitchen table, Andrea Ellis, Jae’s mother, was immersed in grading her elementary school students’ art projects. She looked up, her face lighting up with a tender smile as she observed her daughter, lost in the flow of creation. “That piece is turning out to be extraordinary, Jae. I’m looking forward to seeing the final result,” she remarked, her voice rich with pride and affection. Andrea’s steadfast support had always been a pillar of strength in Jae’s life, and her profound grasp of Jae’s artistic fervour had forged an indomitable connection between them.

One Jae hoped that would never break. They only had each other, after all.

Jae paused, their smile radiant as they met their mother’s gaze. “Thanks, Mom. It’s nearly complete—just a bit more refinement needed.” After wiping their hands on a rag stained with the history of many colours, Jae ambled towards the kitchen for a well-deserved coffee break. Along the way, a tabby cat named Picasso danced around their feet, purring with satisfaction. A thoughtful present from Andrea on Jae’s fifteenth birthday, Picasso had become an ever-present muse during nocturnal drawing marathons, influencing many of Jae’s creations.

“Picasso seems quite taken with it,” Andrea said with a light laugh, her eyes following the playful cat. “Looking forward to the party tonight?” she inquired, her eyes twinkling with anticipation, aware of how much Jae cherished hanging out with her classmates—precious interludes that would grow rarer as the final year of school approached, heralding new duties and the poignant threshold of graduation.

Jae nodded, the warmth of the coffee seeping into their being. “Absolutely. It’s going to be great connecting with everyone before the whirlwind of senior year catches us.” While speaking, Jae’s gaze swept over the living room, mentally cataloging any items they might need for the evening. The notion of showing up with their arms swinging just didn’t sound right to them. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to call Kass and ask, Jae figured.

Andrea’s expression softened with maternal pride as she watched Jae. “You’ve always been so dedicated, dear…but sometimes it’s ok to try other things. And no I don’t mean other projects.” she advised softly, “Life isn’t solely about the art you produce, but also the memories you forge and the companionship you enjoy along the way.”

Glancing at their watch, Jae acknowledged the wisdom behind their mother’s words with a small smile. This was not the first time they’d talked about this but Jae knew it was best not to push it. Not unless they wanted to be here all evening. “You’re right, as always. I should head out soon though—I’ll probably need to stop by the store on the way.”

Andrea’s nod was filled with a blend of pride and maternal care. “Ever the planner—that’s my Jae. Try to enjoy yourself tonight though, and stay safe.”

With a swift, heartfelt hug, Jae absorbed the comfort of Andrea’s embrace. “I appreciate it, Mom. I’ll be fine.” They picked up their trusty canvas bag, tucking their sketchbook inside, and headed for the door. Picasso issued a soft farewell meow as Jae stooped for a brief ear scratch. “Take care, Picasso. Behave yourself.”

Securing the front door behind them, Jae retrieved their phone, thumbing through the contacts for a number that had remained unused until now—for reasons other than this.

“Hey…” Jae’s voice wavered slightly, a mix of hesitation and anticipation colouring their tone. Kassandra had been a reliable friend in academic endeavours, but this was uncharted territory. “I was wondering… would you like me to bring anything along? I’m happy to stop by the store on my way.”

[Vicier]

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•• ━━━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━━━ •• ___________________________________ S T U D E N T S I N C L U D E D Jason Cole | @Vicier​ Julian Russo | @HaleyTheRandom​ Pierce Richards | @LostDestiny​​ •• ━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━ •• L O C A T I O N West Coast Rescue | Cole Family Home​​​​ Arvanitis Family Home​​​​ •• ━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━ •• A C T I V I T Y Kidnapping & Grand Theft Auto Heading to the House Party | Casual Banter ___________________________________ ___________________________________ I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H Each Other •• ━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━ •• S P E C I A L M E N T I O N S Maria Costello | @LostDestiny​ Kassandra Arvanitis | @Vicier​ •• ━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━ •• T R A N S L A T I O N S None​​ •• ━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━ •• M U S I C None​​ ___________________________________ •• ━━━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━━━ ••

•• ━━━━━ • ⍱ • ♕ • ⛱ • ━━━━━ •• ​​​​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇩​​🇮​​🇻​​🇪​​🇷 • ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇳​​🇦​​🇷​​🇨​​🇮​​🇸​​🇸​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ • ​​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇨​​🇹​​🇴​​🇷​ ____________________________________________________________________________ N A P L E S ; L O N G B E A C H | O N T H E R O A D “.. I fucking hate you guys..” Tongue gliding over his teeth; it was more than clear by the boys expression that he just simply wasn’t in the mood. And hand lifting from where it had been resting lazily over his lap, Jason ran his fingers roughly through his dark locks. Forcing them from his face. The deep oceanic hues of his eyes wandering- trailing until he was staring, unfocused, out the back passenger window of his truck. Yeah.. It was fucking typical. Not only had the pricks gone and forcefully uprooted him from the peaceful solace that was his bedroom without warning; but on top of it they’d hijacked his damn truck too, just to add insult to injury. Elbow hitting the inside of the door beside him; Jace slid further down in his seat. Head tilting until it hit his fingers, and after another moment, he was rubbing at his forehead. He was annoyed- he didn’t want to go to some stupid party. Okay. Correction: he’d told them he didn’t want to go. But did the dicks listen..? No. When in hell did they ever. Really, at this point he shouldn’t have been surprised. The fact that he was, that was on him. One-hundred percent. He should have expected a stunt like this. Free hand delving into the confines of his jacket pocket, it wasn’t long before he’d retrieved what he was looking for. And lifting the vape to his lip, he took a drag.The cab of the truck soon filling with the smell of a caffè mocha as the smoke billowed from his nostrils. And sitting back up in his seat, he turned his gaze back over to his, for lack of better words, kidnappers, “.. Remind me again why you two are so damn adamant I go to this thing..? If I wanted to get fucking wasted, I coulda done that at home. Alone.” “You don’t hate us and you know it.” Pierce said from the driver’s seat of his friend’s truck as he looked back at him in the rear view mirror. Sure he and Julian had basically abducted Jace but it was for his own good. They couldn’t have him sitting in his room sulking when they are all going to a party. “We just finished the first day of our senior year. Everyone is going out to celebrate and you want to sit at home? We obviously couldn't have that.” Pierce focused back on the road ”And we stole your truck cuz it will be easier for me to put your wasted asses back in here than it would be mine or Julian’s cars.” He added knowing that would likely be the next question out of Jace’s mouth, or at least one of them. Pierce and Julian had decided sometime during the day that Jace would not be staying home tonight, they would get him to the party if they had to drag him there, which ended up being what they needed to do more or less. Though taking his truck hadn’t been a part of the original plan, that had been a last minute decision knowing he would be the one bringing the other two home. Sitting so that he could observe himself in the rearview mirror, Julian was still fidgeting with his hair and shirt collar. Having to wrestle Jace into the car had proven to be an eventful start to the evening - even if it did damn near ruin his outfit and make him want to scream. Being a decent friend was hard work, especially when the person you were trying to be a good friend to was kicking and screaming like you were trying to send him off to a wilderness camp. ”Because you’re focused on wanting to be miserable right now, and what better way to be miserable than to do something you don’t wanna do?” the young man questioned, nudging Jace on the shoulder. ”It’s the first party of the year man,” he continued to explain, shaking his head. ”No way I’m letting you miss out on it, even if you do want to stand in a corner all night.” .. Okay, so maybe Julian had a point. There was no better way to be miserable than to do shit you didn’t actually want to do. But there was no way in hell Jason was going to give the dick the satisfaction he was fishing for by admitting that out loud. And he wasn’t even about to touch on the subject of his truck. “.. Yeah. First party.” Deadpanning it; Jason met and held his best friends eyes through the rearview mirror. Though.. at this point, Julian was more of a brother to him than anything. The two of them had been thick as thieves since childhood. Simply clicking from the moment they’d met. Shit just made sense when they were together, “First. Meaning there’s gonna be plenty more for me to go to later on in the year. Besides; I’m supposed to be on the night shift tonight, guys. And both of you know there’s no fucking chance that Evelyn’ll cover my shift for me.” The dark haired boy huffed, leaning back in the seat now that he was somewhat happy with his appearance. He mocked his best friend unintelligibly while fighting the urge to smack him on the back of his head. Of course there would be other parties, but the first and last were always the best of the year. Everyone knew it. The fact that Jace couldn’t just get excited for free booze honestly hurt a little. ”You worry too much man. Evelyn’s gotcha covered. I made sure of it. Animals are fed, temperatures monitored on the tanks and all that other geeky stuff you’re always goin’ on about. Now can you please stop grumbling.” Pierce rolled his eyes at the two bickering. He knew it was all friendly banter. “Besides, we always go to the first party together, you wouldn’t want to break tradition just because you are being mister grumpy pants.” He made puppy dog eyes and stuck out his lip a little as he spoke to seem all the more pathetic. “That or I can go the ‘My therapist told me consistency is key’ route but that one isn’t as fun and I don’t get to call you mister grumpy pants on that route.” Pierce took another glance into the back seat just to check if Jace was still making the grumpy face he had been putting on since they “kidnapped” him. He seemed less annoyed but still a little bit. “Also, if it makes you feel better I heard through the grapevine that MJ is also getting dragged to this party so you and your silent buddy have things to silently stew about.” He teased a little as his attention went back to the road. “Right. Of course. Because spending the entire night sat stewing in silence beside my ex-girlfriend, who also doesn’t want to be there, is the remedy. Stupid me. Now why hadn’t I thought of that..?” Not even bothering to refrain, Jason rolled his eyes. His head giving a light shake as his gaze wandered. Returning to the window beside him for only a brief moment before he brought it back to the others. Eventually letting his blues settle on Julian as, lifting his hand, he loosely pointed towards the guy sat beside him, “Admit it - tradition aside, you only want to go to this thing tonight because it’s being held at Kassie’s place, and you wanna shoot your shot.” ”Well duh,” Julian scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. ”I wouldn’t say it was the only reason, but it was the first. Second was getting you out of that indent you’ve made on the couch.” “I have not left an indent on my couch..” Once again giving a light shake of his head, Jason let his gaze drop to the vape in his hand. Doing everything in his power to keep the stupid grin he could feel tugging at the corners of his lips from showing, “.. asshole.” A small rush of air escaped his nose and Julain silently laughed. Beginning to scroll through his social media notifications, the Italian boy rolled his eyes. ”So many people are already posting about this thing. I hope there’s not a shit-ton of underclassmen there.” “Girls girls you're both pretty.” Pierce teased as the two of them bickered behind him. “I don’t think there will be too many underclassmen, most of them don’t get into our bad habits until at least junior year. Prolly a few outliers of course though.” “.. Pretty sure we can expect the juniors. Some of them at least. Doubt the other seniors are gonna put up with sophomores and freshman crashing though.” A defeated sigh passing from his lips, Jason fell back against the seat. Not so much as bothering to fight his current situation anymore, because really, even he knew there was no point. These two were gonna do what they were gonna do whether he liked it or not. Chuckling softly, the grin he’d been suppressing hitting his lips despite all his attempts, Jace shot a glance between the two of them, “I mean, come on.. isn’t getting your ass kicked out of a senior party also tradition..? I remember our first time trying to sneak into one..” The smile Pierce had been looking for finally showed itself. Pierce knew Jace had been forcing himself not to show it, but the sight of it gave some sense of relief to the brunette. “I mean sure, after all, we all thought we were cool enough to attend one of these when we were freshies. I still stand by the fact that we definitely were, but the seniors had other ideas.” He flashed the two of them a grin at the memory. Returning the smile, Julian threw in his own opinions once more. ”It’s not so much the juniors I’m worried about,” he began. ”More so the freshmen. We were cool little badasses. This next generation? Not so much. But the Italian in me can’t disrespect tradition, so if someone needs hazing tonight - I’m you’re guy.” The rest of the drive was spent with the three of them bantering back and forth as they usually did. The trio in Jace’s truck pulled up to the party and Pierce looked back at the two of them as he put the truck in park. “Ladies and gentlemen this is the part where I would normally ask for your keys but seeing as we stole Jace’s truck and I am in possession of the keys that step is now unnecessary. With that your designated driver would like to wish you a happy party, may you get as wasted as you want and party hard.” He said in his most captainy voice, grinning at the other two. “Oh and if you are worried about losing your phones when slash if you get wasted you should probably leave them with me, or in here.” And with that Pierce swung open the door to the vehicle and headed toward the party propper.

[Rightful Heir]

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___________________________________ •• ━━━━━━━ ☽ ❍ ☾ ━━━━━━━ •• ​𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 • 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝙺𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚎𝚛 (𝙵𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛) 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚜 • 𝚃𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗 •, 𝚁𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 & 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛 •• ━━━━━━━ ☽ ❍ ☾ ━━━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━━━ ☽ ❍ ☾ ━━━━━━━ •• ​𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗​​​​​ 𝙾𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚜 (𝙲𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝙺𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝙾𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎) 𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎​​ •• ━━━━━━━ ☽ ❍ ☾ ━━━━━━━ •• ___________________________________

•• ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☽ ❍ ☾ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ •• 𝐹𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝑒𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓇 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇 — 𝒟𝑜𝓃𝑒 ✓ The turkey legs. God the turkey legs were 🔥. The carnival had gone off without a hitch. It had been quite a blast, and while Malcolm had spent most of the time alone throughout the festivities, he managed to catch up with an old friend of his he hadn’t spoken to since the previous year. He even shared a few moments with his father before everything was all said and done. Malcolm was probably one of the few teens who wasn’t against spending time with his dad in public. Then again, the fact that his father was his biggest defender when it came to his transition probably was a big percentage of that, but that was neither here nor there. Though the first day of the year was finished, the festivities were long from over. A party set at Kassandra Arvantis’ house would be popping off later that night, Malcolm was still unsure if he was going to go or not. To him, a night in with his newly adopted puppy and his cat Calcifer was all he really needed. Then again, how could he turn away from the invitation to get shit-faced drunk. For free..?! ..okay, maybe not shit-faced, but definitely wouldn’t be holding back on the shots. That is, if he did decide to go after all. For now, the plan was simple. Head home with his third half-eaten turkey leg that he’d saved for his furbabies, take River for a nice walk down by the beach, and return to the house to binge-watch one of his comfort shows, like Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, The 100, Game of Thrones… or maybe Star Wars. Hell. You could never go wrong with Star Wars. Malcolm looked up from his phone, having doom-scrolled long enough on it while his father was going over his lesson plans for the following week, which he was still intently looking over. With a nonchalant suck of his teeth, the boy pushed himself up from the chair he’d been sitting in at the desk across from his dad, stretching himself out before giving him a half-assed grin. ”Alright dad. I’m gonna head out,” reaching over to snag the paper bowl his turkey leg sat in, he spun on his heels and headed for the door. ”Don’t stay too late.” ”Don’t wait up for me.” Malcolm pushed the door open, pausing just outside of the office as he cast a look back inside. ”I’m gonna take River for a walk when I get home. I’ll take Titan with me, too. If you want..?” The simple nod given in response was all he needed, letting the door close as he stepped away he almost nearly missed the ‘thank you’ that his father called after him. Shoving his phone into his pocket, Malcolm glanced around a bit as he debated which way he wanted to take to the South parking lot. Only being just outside of the Boy’s Locker Rooms, it would have been much more convenient for him had he parked in the North parking lot. Something he really should have thought about this morning, but oh well. A problem for another day, I suppose. With a heavy sigh, Malcolm pushed forward and headed for the front gate before taking the long walk down the sidewalk to the South parking lot where he’d parked his 2000 Honda Civic. For a 24-year-old car, the thing ran like it was practically brand new. Not that he knew very much about maintaining vehicles, but his father did. Malcolm knew enough to get by. Minor fixes and simple maintenance he could handle. Anything past maybe having to change a tire, changing his oil, or checking fluids? That was his dad’s job. Not that it would be for long.. of course, Malcolm planned to learn more about how to keep up his vehicle, but the final year of his high school career held more priority than anything. Schooling first. He had plenty of time to worry about car maintenance later. The ride home had been quick enough. A quick 10-minute drive, having only hit a single red light all the way home. Instead of going through the side gate to the backyard, Malcolm went through the front door of his dad’s home to let his father’s Staffordshire terrier Titan out of his crate. Unhooking the lock bar, Malcolm stepped aside and let the door fall open, the blue-grey dog only stopping just outside of the crate to greet the boy long enough for a chin scratch before taking off to run out some of his zoomies through the house. Malcolm could hear the dog’s nails tearing at the carpet for traction as he skirted around furniture, narrowly missing knocking into them before meeting the boy at the back door. With a soft smirk, Malcolm reached out to grab the door handle, faking out the dog by jiggling it as if he were going to open it. The dog jammed his nose against the crack of the door, giving the young man a severe case of bombastic side-eye, his mouth just slightly dropped open enough to pant in anticipation and excitement. Chuckling, Malcolm finally pushed the door open, and before he could even open it wide enough Titan was forcing his way through the opening and out into the backyard to run more zoomie circles around the enclosed area. With a roll of his eyes, Malcolm headed for his place nestled in the back corner of the yard to go fetch his own puppy dog. Excited puppy noises - mixed yips, whines, and yowls combined with some impatient thrashing about and an uncontrollable tail thwacking against the crate she was held in echoed throughout the small house as Malcolm entered in. Leaving the door wide open, as Malcolm’s cat Calcifer had no interest in the outside world – thank god – the boy headed up the stairs to his loft room to greet the feline soaking up some sun on his bed before letting loose the fur missile from her prison. River spent a mere few seconds greeting Malcolm before taking off down the stairs, skipping a few at the very bottom to dart out the door to go play with her favorite playmate don’t tell Calcifer Titan. Giving his ginger cat a few more pets before he ultimately decided to descend the stairs himself, the boy grabbed his leash, Titan’s extra leash, and a roll of doggy bags he kept by the door before heading out to take both the dogs for a walk down by the beach.

[Sugar and Spite]

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___________________________________ •• ━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━ •• ​Interacting With: His younger sister Marianne •• ━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━ •• •• ━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━ •• ​Location:​​​​​ The Batcave (His bedroom at the Barker Residence) ---> Annual Back to School Party (Arvantis Residence) •• ━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━ •• ___________________________________

•• ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏈 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ •• Today had been a hectic one, but fun nonetheless. A good time seemed to be one of those things that followed Chrisitan around, much like the weight of his parents expectations. This summer had offered a much needed breather. He didn’t need to worry about book reports, tests, or even about football games. Granted the young man had been keeping up with practice and workout routines on his own, but that was out of his own coalition - not someone else's. Even when his mother had dragged him along to Paris for another lesson about the company, he had managed to bring a much needed and welcome addition along with him. Jolie Russo may have been the annoying little sister of his best friend, but she had proved to be more than that for little over a year now. Officially for a few months, but - you know - technicalities. It had taken some convincing on his mothers part, but once he had gotten the all clear that he could bring a friend along, Christian didn’t hesitate a moment longer on his invitation. The pair had spent roughly three weeks exploring the sights of Paris in between Christians business meetings. Cafes, parks, historical landmarks - they had seen as much of it as Christian could fit into their short trip. He had decided to make it an everlasting memory by asking her to officially be his girlfriend their last night there as they had watched the sunset. He had also bought her two charm bracelets to sweeten the deal - one for her upcoming birthday, and one as a reminder of their relationship. Thankfully he knew Jolie well enough to know she hadn’t said yes to their relationship just because of the gifts. The one thing she didn’t know was that Christian planned to fill those charm bracelets for hopefully many years to come. It was these memories and thoughts that filled his brain as he sat in his bedroom rolling the many blunts for this evening. Dad rock blaring through his speaker set up, he was thankful for the time alone after such a long day surrounded by old friends and teammates. His peace was interrupted very rudely by his sister throwing the bedroom door open and prancing in to take ‘her’ spot in his computer chair. ”So! Any big plans for the night Chrissy,” Marianne began her interrogation, clapping her hands together and she situated herself comfortably in the chair. A mischievous glimmer could already be seen in her chocolate brown eyes, and her bikini and shorts combo already let Christian know what she was up to. His eyes flicked up to meet Marianne’s for a moment, a clear look of don’t fucking start shining through. ”None of your business, Jezebel,” he quipped, forever making sure that she knew she was the youngest sibling. ”Are you sure,” she asked as if she already knew the answer. ”Just because you don’t have mom on speed dial doesn’t mean I don’t.” ”Like either of our parents can stop us from doing anything while they’re in other countries.” ”No, but you know the butler loves any opportunity he can to be a pain in your ass.” ”Fine,” Christian borderline snapped at her. ”Just remember you can’t snitch on everyone to get your way in the real world.” ”Your panties are so twisted today,” Marianne continued to clap back before planting a quick kiss on his cheek before scurrying out the door. ”Thanks big bro! You’re the best!” she called down the hallway. Once he had been left to his own devices once more, Christian finished his party prep and dressed simply like someone's future dad in a white t-shirt and jean shorts. The ride to Kass’s house was a short one, and Christian was sure to leave Marianne alone to go find her friends as quickly as he could. He’d check in with her through-out the party as needed, but Chrisitan knew he didn’t need to hover over her, seeing as he had been teaching her how to perfect her punching technique since she was five. Following the sound of music to the back yard, Christian offered a small wave to the small group that had already gathered while grabbing himself a beer. He did a mental checklist of familiar faces before deciding on what to do. Kass was already here, obviously, along with Nikolas and Riley. All of them look relatively preoccupied, and while he felt Julians presence, he couldn’t quite spot his best friend as of yet. Downing the last of his beer with a heavy sigh, Christian did what Christian did best and turned on his crackhead bro energy. Running the short distance from the drink table to the pool, the young man promptly shouted ”Cannonball!” before jumping and landing in the water. Popping his head back up from underneath the cool, refreshing surface, Christian was met with the sight of a few pissed off bystanders. ”Come on in, water’s fine!” he half taunted, half invited them.

[Sadie]

Featuring:
Marabeth Golding

"I can't believe I was even invited to this damn party." Mara stared at her reflection in her floor length mirror before putting her hands on her hips. While she was hugely confident in her body, this would be the first time she'd be around her classmates in a bikini. In truth, she didn't care what the most of them thought. There was only one specific person she felt butterflies in her stomach about. "Of course I'd have the hots for one of the most untouchable bitches in school." Rolling her eyes, she went to her dresser and grabbed a bright red bikini bra and bottoms from the top drawer. She walked back over to the mirror and held them up in front of the current dark green ones she was already wearing. Her nose scrunched. "Red definitely washes out the skin tone. Green it is."

Not wanting to just show up in the bathing suit, she grabbed a pair of jean shorts and slid them on, soon followed by a green plaid button-up shirt. Was she going too much with the color? She shrugged it off. She knew the color looked good on her, and you don't fix perfect. Slipping on a pair of black flip-flops, she nodded back at her reflection one final time. The party wasn't meant for any hook-ups, but she wasn't a woman to say no very often. Mara knew what she wanted and often went for it. Besides, life was meant for living, right? Was definitely too short to not take chances and love as much as possible.

She blew out a breath and walked over to her desk. Knowing her mother wasn't home, she pulled out her stash from a secret department she had made under the sliding keyboard tray. She grabbed an already made joint and moved over to her bedroom window. A lighter was already sitting on the sill and she used it to light the paper after opening her window. She took in a long hit before blowing out the smoke, a loud cough soon rattling her lungs after. Shaking her head, Mara brought a foot up and climbed out of the window before crawling up onto the roof overlooking the backyard. Nobody would see her from here, and the smell wouldn't be anywhere near her room. Just as long as her mother didn't come home from work early.

As she settled her behind on an even part of the shingles, the girl took several more hits before she felt like she was going to cough her lungs up. She could feel her body settle and all her nerves flew away with the smoke. Now she was ready for a party. Thankfully the house it was being held at was only two blocks over, and she was planning on getting smashed, so she could easily walk there and back. Well, maybe not back. Depending on who's bed she ended up going to.

She stuffed the roach into a pocket of her jeans before making her way back into her bedroom. Walking over to her dresser, she grabbed a bottle of Victoria Secret Thousand Wishes and sprayed herself generously with it. She wasn't shy that she was a stoner, but she didn't have to be directly in everyone's faces about it. Running a hand through her hair, she grabbed a black hair tie and slipped it around her right wrist as she grabbed her phone with her left hand. She walked over to her black bookbag that contained both her laptop and a sizeable bottle of tequila. If the party didn't have liquor, she was more than happy to supply it. She grabbed a couple more pre-rolls from her stash and slid them into her pocket. After grabbing her rainbow flask from under her bed, she took a hearty sip of the alcohol and let out a breath. It was time to leave.

It didn't take her long to walk the distance. Hearing music and the splashing of the pool, she found her way to the backyard and smirked at the sight of Christian already in the water. Mara shook her head and downed another shot from her flask before looking around at the others in attendance. While she didn't know a lot of them personally, she did recognize a few of her clients. They were the ones who kept her supplied in weed and liquor and she loved them for it. Mara walked over to a lounge chair, set her bookbag down onto it and kicked off her shoes before quickly stripping herself of her jeans and shirt. Her smirk broadened as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Without a word to anyone around her, she ran to the pool and did a front flip into the water.

Coming up for air, she fixed her bikini top and hair before letting out another breath. Oh, yeah. This was definitely going to be a great senior year.

[Rightful Heir]

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___________________________________ •• ━━━━━━━ 𓃗 • 𓃽 ━━━━━━━ •• 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚋 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙰𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚘 𝚁𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚔 • 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙱𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝 @Apoalo •• ━━━━━━━ 𓃗 • 𓃽 ━━━━━━━ •• ​𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝙾𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 •• ━━━━━━━ 𓃗 • 𓃽 ━━━━━━━ •• ​𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗​​​​​ 𝚉𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚢𝚛𝚘𝚜 𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑 • 𝙺𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊'𝚜 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎​​ •• ━━━━━━━ 𓃗 • 𓃽 ━━━━━━━ •• ___________________________________

•• ━━━━━━━ 𓃗 • 𓃽 ━━━━━━━ •• Fuck that mud puddle. Fuck that mare. Fuck. The newest filly that Tyler James had tasked his son with breaking was, truly, a rank bitch. They'd spent weeks.. weeks... doing ground work, and today was the day she was going to have her first ride with an actual rider. Aurelio being the lucky winner between himself, Colter and Morrigan who Rock, Paper, Scissor'd for the pleasure of breaking her in. He had held on with everything he had in him, but none of it mattered. In record timing within only minutes of having jumped on her back, he was down in the mud. In the last few years that Reli had been helping his father on the ranch to break new blood that came through their rescue, this was a first that had successfully thrown him within moments of mounting. An hour's worth more of getting back on, getting thrown off - luckily with much better dismounts than the first initial throw - and getting back on to continue the process until both the mare and the boy were covered in mud and sweat, chests heaving and nostrils flaring. He had to admit, even his own stallion didn't have as much spirit in him as she did. The little filly had gained Aurelio's respect by the end of it all. The boy let one of the two Hands that were standing around watching to take her off to go be cleaned up and the other to take care of the tack that would also need tending to, Reli made himself scarce to the bunkhouse where he would rinse off the filth that covered him and change into some fresh clothes. Normally, after work like that, Reli would go on an off-trail ‘trail’ ride with Baron to reset himself, but today was different. Today he’d have to go without it. Both of them would. Knowing his stallion, Baron would probably give him a workaround the next time he was able to take him out for missing out on their usual routine. Gods forbid the boy skipped their routine. The horse could be hell on four hooves when he wanted to be. As bad as Aurelio felt for skipping out on their routine, he didn’t feel too bad. With the promise of booze, food and good music.. Who could really feel too bad about anything, really? Not to mention the fact that Kassandra Arvantis was hosting the party. Aurelio and his sister were some of the few Juniors who were even invited to go, as it was mostly a party for the Senior Class of 2025. Once Reli had finished pulling on his Hey Dudes, he quickly stood up from the Bunkhouse table and dusted himself off, making sure there wasn’t a single horse hair on his fit before exiting the Bunkhouse. Pulling out his phone, he quickly sent a text to Colter as he wandered off towards the dirt lot where everyone typically parked their vehicles, making his way to Colter’s truck. Once there, Aurelio popped the tailgate down and hopped up, sitting himself comfortably on the back of the truck to wait for his friend so they could head back down the mountain for the party. ”That's it Eclipse, nice and steady. I already ran you today." Leaning down to pat his friend on the side of the head Colter Burnett smiled widely and then raised his arm to wipe his forehead with the clothed crook of his arm. It was a hot day in California and the boy had just finished riding the trails and checking on a few locations to make sure the guided tours would be safe. It was a routine thing and something Colter normally did when he wasn't the one breaking in the newest horse of the ranch. Not that Colter really minded, he found it to be quite enjoyable and it never took him that long, the horses seemed to have a weird connection to him that he could never really explain. Letting Eclipse walk herself towards the stable, Colter let himself just close his eyes and enjoy the feeling of the sun on his face and the smells of a ranch hit him. He absolutely loved it. And while California wasn't quite Texas it was close enough to home that it made Colter's heart swell and a calmness go over him. A calmness that was broken as he glanced over to some of the hands who were struggling with a filly. Colter recognized the horse as the one that Reli had been assigned to and Colter smirked, it looked like it had probably been quite a breaking session. Wandering over, Colter nodded politely to the hands and then gently pressed a hand onto the filly, right on the neck, eyes locked on the horse's own. ”Shhh, it's ok. It's all done. You're fine, it's fine. Shhhh." The horse began to calm instantly, and as Colter stepped back with a large smile on his face he just barely heard the younger hand whispering about Colter being a horse whisperer. Not bothering to say goodbye to them, Colter just headed towards the main Ranchhouse, the smirk on his face wider than before. He throws a wave to the two at the front desk and goes towards the back where he and another 6's staff member operate out of. As liaisons they only had or needed the small workspace and Colter very rarely was in the room for an extended time, usually coming in as he did now to check e-mails, return phone calls, and pay some bills. With a sigh, Colter handles his paperwork and then glances down at his phone as it dings. Smirking, Colter stands and gives a big stretch before closing and locking the door behind him and heads back out of the Ranchhouse and towards his truck. He arrived to see Reli sitting on the back and threw an empty bottle of water at him that he just finished. ”Ayo, ready for the party Junior?" It was a multi-level joke and Colter winked at the other boy before unlocking his truck and jumping in. Aurelio rolled his eyes and nodded, hopping off the tailgate before putting it up, rounding the truck's back end to hop in on the passenger side. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he clipped himself into his seatbelt and adjusted himself in his seat as he turned his deep blue eyes over to Colter. ”There’s never a time where I’m not ready to get fucked up, Cowboy.” The younger boy laughed, bringing his phone screen to life before unlocking it to send a quick text to his brother asking if they might still need anything for the party. He would have messaged Kassandra, but gods only knew she was already stressing over the whole event and didn’t need to be distracted. Acting host to a party he knew she would never have headed on her own without influence. He wouldn’t bother her with more bullshit. There was never a time he wasn’t ready to bother his older brother. It was his duty to do so, after all. Once the text was sent, Aurelio dropped his phone into the cup holder below the truck’s radio before rolling his window down, letting his arm hang out from it as he reclined back into his seat. His attention now back on the boy who sat beside him in the driver’s seat. ”You uh.. you participating in any festivities tonight, or are you gonna be a D.D.?” His hand going to turn on the radio, Colter leaned back and stretched, a quick groan and satisfying pop sounding just as the sound of the Country Top 100 charts came from the radio. He glanced at Aurelio as he put the truck in reverse and shook his head. ”I’ll have a few drinks, I’m not afraid of them. But I’ll have precious cargo in the car tonight so I’ll probably stick to one or two depending on the time. You? If you don’t have a D.D I’m sure me and Niko won’t mind you ‘crashing’ in the back of the truck to take you home.” His smirk could be ‘heard’ as Aurelio knew him that well. Looking both ways as he pulled out of the ranch and onto the public streets proper, he listened for Reli’s reply even as his mind started racing. He couldn’t wait to see Niko. It was strange, he had waited for five years. Five and a half really and now even hours without him seemed to make things difficult. He didn’t want to be creepy, or clingy but he couldn’t help his feelings. That feeling that everything just was made better by the presence of the other boy. Reli shook his head and smirked, giving the other boy a quick smack with the tips of his fingers. ”I don’t intend on getting that fucked up tonight, but.. whatever happens happens. Supposedly Kaelah’s got somethin’ special for me to try tonight.” Speaking of Kaelah.. Reli would have mentioned that if anything, he was sure Kas wouldn’t mind if he passed out on the couch and spent the night there at her place… but knowing Kaelah and her awareness of certain things, it might cause them to have problems later. He wouldn’t, nor could he, blame her though. He was the one who was currently making things complicated between them. With a heavy sigh, Reli sunk back into the truck seat and zoned out into his phone as he scrolled through video reels on Instagram for a majority of the drive. That is of course until they lost service going down the mountain, or when Colter would strike up further conversation with the boy. Nearly two long hours worth of a drive from Zephyros Creek to Naples. Though Aurelio never really minded a long drive, and quite enjoyed them, today he wished it could speed by a little quicker. He was excited to see and hang out with a few familiar faces at the party tonight. There was a brief look of concern as Reli mentioned Kaelah and ‘something special’ but it wasn’t his place. The two of them, Reli and Kaelah, existed as a conversation that could always be tricky to navigate. It was rocky and not something that Colter, even as one that considered Reli a younger brother, wanted to broach. He noted the heavy sigh and then focused on the road. The more mountainous terrain kept Colter on guard more than the simpler roads leading back into the city, and so for the most part the ride was filled with nothing but the various country songs from the radio. There was some brief back and forth about work, and which horses were doing better than others, some quick discussion about the derby races and which jockey’s were doing the best, but overall it was quiet. As they reach the city though, even Reli would be able to sense the excitement and restlessness rushing through Colter. The Texan didn’t even pick up on Reli’s desire for the trip to end as he himself was driving a little more… aggressively than usual. ”Right, we’re almost there. If you need anything later afterwards, seriously just give me or Niko a call. We won’t mind coming to pick you up. Deal?” He wanted to be clear that Reli could always come to him if he needed and while Colter was looking forward to spending some time with Niko, Reli was important. The Junior couldn’t help but laugh a little, nodding in agreement with his friend. ”Yes father,” he mumbled with heavy sarcasm, flashing the other boy a smirk as he dodged a playful swipe at him followed by another laugh. As they started nearing Kas’ house, the dark-haired boy sat up a bit straighter, eagerly awaiting the party that had already started without them. Pulling his phone back out from his pocket, he sent a quick text out to Kaelah, smiling a bit down at his device before shoving it back into his jeans. 𝙻𝚘𝚞𝚟𝚎🐺❤️‍🔥 - 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚢𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢? 😜😘 𝙳𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 ✓ Rolling his eyes, but content that Reli got the message, Colter focused on navigating the roads as he honestly never trusted people that drove in the City. It was a feeling he figured that would never leave him. Big cities just made him feel trapped and he much preferred the large open fields of a ranch. But he was adjusting and there were some positive things that came from moving to LA. One in particular invaded his mind just as he turned onto Kass’s road and a goofy smile went to his face as he cleared the daydream and looked for a place to park. It seemed that they were fashionably late, which made sense considering the two hour trip but Colter was still able to find a decent spot and as he shifted into park and turned the truck off he smirked over to Reli. ”Thanks for driving with Colter Enterprises, do make sure to leave a tip and review.” Chuckling, he got out and headed towards the party house which was already blasting music. ”Oh, and over/under for how long it takes for a noise complaint.” Aurelio rolled his own eyes at his friend, smirking as he hopped out of the truck to jog after him. Of course, Reli was much faster on his two feet than the Burnett boy… racing him to the front door, he placed his hand out to stop his friend before he could reach the door himself. With a slight smirk, he reached his other hand out and held the doorbell for a 2-beat before knocking on the door loudly with his middle finger knuckle. Dun dun-dun-dun-dun ..dun-dun.

[Apoalo]

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___________________________________ ◇──◆──◇──◆ ​𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 None ◇──◆──◇──◆ ◇──◆──◇──◆ ​𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗​​​​​ 𝙾𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚜 𝙷ome Party​​ ◇──◆──◇──◆ ___________________________________

◇──◆──◇──◆ Wesley Adler leaned back in his chair, glancing for what felt like the hundredth time at the clock mounted above the whiteboard. The second hand seemed to crawl with painful deliberation as it ticked closer to the end of the school day. His history teacher was in the middle of a lecture on the Industrial Revolution, but Wesley's attention was far from the 18th-century factories and social upheavals. All he could think about was what lay ahead that night. Kassandra Arvanitis, the most popular girl, and Student Council President at Oceanus High, was hosting a party at her home in Naples. For the past week, it had been the only thing anyone could talk about. Kassandra’s family did well for themselves. Her father was some sort of Doctor while her mother had passed away but all in all the Arvanitis place was large enough to host a sizable party. Wesley had never been to one of Kassandra’s parties before. In fact, this would be the first time that Wesley would ever be invited to a party by regular kids. He had of course the various ‘set’ parties when he or his friends would have birthdays but even those were quick affairs depending on the Directors. Needless to say, he was expecting to be overwhelmed. It had been surreal, really. He wasn’t sure why Kassandra had included him, or whether it was some sort of mistake. He wasn’t part of her inner circle and didn’t hang with the kids who lived with the Rumancek clan. He wasn’t a star athlete or a student body president type. He was just… Wesley. Quiet, smart, good at staying out of trouble, but also good at staying invisible. And yet, here he was, invited to one of the most exclusive gatherings as a Junior. The only thing he could think of was that Kass was paying him back for the red carpet event he had given her tickets to as his plus one. The thought both thrilled and terrified him. The bell finally rang, and the classroom erupted into a flurry of activity. Backpacks were zipped, notebooks slammed shut, and students poured out of the door, eager to leave school behind. Wesley moved a little slower, casually packing up his things, trying not to show how eager he was to get out of there. His nerves hummed under the surface, but he kept his expression neutral. As he made his way through the crowded hallways, the constant hum of teenage chatter surrounded him. Everyone seemed to be talking about Kassandra’s party—who was going, what they were going to wear, who might show up. Wesley’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from his best friend, Mark—a fitting coincidence since his dad shared the same name. "Dude, you ready for tonight?" Mark’s text read. Wesley grinned as he typed back, stepping outside into the warm Los Angeles afternoon. "Yeah, just gotta head home and change. You?" "Already ready. Don’t chicken out on me. This is gonna be huge." Wesley smiled, his fingers tapping rapidly as he responded. "No way, man. I’m in. See you there." Mark was just as excited—if not more so—about the party. For as long as Wesley could remember, the two of them had always talked about wanting to break into the regular people crowd at a High School. It wasn’t that they were outcasts or unpopular, but they were just slightly socially awkward around kids who didn’t also grow up on movie sets. But tonight, they had a foot in the door. Wesley walked across the school parking lot to his car, glancing around at the shiny luxury vehicles that filled the rows. BMWs, Audis, Teslas—some of these kids had cars that cost more than his dad’s entire annual salary. Wesley’s ride was a Nissan GT-R, his pride and joy. He slid into the driver’s seat and tossed his backpack into the passenger side before starting the engine. The familiar hum of the car eased his nerves a bit as he pulled out of the lot and started the drive home. Venice was a nice part of L.A., but it wasn’t the kind of place that turned heads. The houses were well-maintained but modest, the kind of suburban homes you’d see on a postcard advertising a comfortable but unremarkable life. Wesley had lived there his whole life, aside from when he was filming or traveling abroad, Wes showed that just because you came from a neighborhood of one type didn’t mean that’s how it always ended up. Tonight was his chance to glimpse something normal though. A bit of a look at what could’ve happened had Wes just been part of that comfortable unremarkable day-to-day life. He turned onto his street, a quiet, tree-lined road where families had lived for generations. Kids played in their front yards, and parents walked dogs or chatted over fences. It was a far cry from what Wesley had seen from some of the places he had stayed. The manse in Italy came to mind where you had to wave to the security guards at the gate to be let in. Wesley pulled into his driveway and killed the engine, sitting in the car for a moment, collecting his thoughts. His dad’s car was parked in the garage, which meant Mark was home already. Wesley figured his father would either be working in his home office or cooking dinner, the latter of which was more likely. Mark Adler had always been a hands-on dad, especially since Wesley’s mom had left them. Wesley loved his mother, but he knew his dad had worked hard to make sure he never wanted for anything and Wes couldn’t help but sometimes feel pissed off at the woman who lived across the United States. Mark had blatantly refused to use Wesley’s own money to make payments, and they were comfortable. Mark was the kind of man who found pride in working hard, paying the bills on time, and making sure his son had a roof over his head and food on the table. Wesley pushed open the car door and made his way inside. The scent of something cooking wafted from the kitchen as soon as he walked in. His dad always made sure to have dinner ready, even if Wesley wasn’t always around to eat it. “Hey, Wes,” his dad called from the kitchen. “How was school?” Wesley dropped his backpack by the front door and made his way down the hallway. “Same as the first four days,” he replied, stepping into the kitchen where his dad was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pan. Mark was a tall, broad-shouldered man with graying hair and a face that showed the lines of years of hard work and quiet determination. He wasn’t one to talk much about emotions or feelings, but his actions always spoke volumes. “Got any plans tonight?” Mark asked, glancing over his shoulder as Wesley hovered near the counter. “Yeah, actually. I’m going to hang out with some friends later,” Wesley said casually, not wanting to go into too much detail about the party. His dad wasn’t a big fan of large social events, especially when they involved people partying, and even more especially if those people were minors. Mark was practical to a fault, and he probably wouldn’t understand why Wesley felt like this party was such a big deal, not to mention being a Police Lieutenant meant that he would quite literally arrest him. Mark nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. “Just be smart, okay? And don’t stay out too late. We’ve got errands to run tomorrow.” Wesley smiled. His dad’s way of giving permission was always laced with a reminder of responsibility. “Yeah, I’ll be back before midnight,” Wesley promised. Mark returned to his cooking, and Wesley took that as his cue to head upstairs. His room was small but comfortable, with walls lined with posters of bands and movies, a neat desk with a stack of textbooks, a flat-screen TV with some gaming consoles underneath, and a perfectly made bed. Wesley had never really been big on fashion or appearances until he went into the spotlight but he figured red carpet attire would be laughed at for such a party as he was attending tonight. He opened his closet, staring at the limited options. Most of his wardrobe consisted of elaborate designer clothing. After a few minutes of deliberation, he settled on a dark blue button-up shirt and his best pair of jeans. It wasn’t flashy, but it was clean and simple, and he was proud that he could come up with something that didn’t scream that he was some sort of jerk. After changing, Wesley stood in front of the small mirror on his dresser, running a hand through his hair. His hair was always a bit unruly, but tonight it seemed to be cooperating. He sprayed on a little cologne, then stepped back to take in the full picture. Not bad, he thought. He wasn’t going to be the best-dressed guy there, but he looked decent enough. His phone buzzed again, and he checked it to see a text from Mark. "I’ll be there early. You better show up." Wesley smirked, shaking his head. He and Mark had been best friends since sixth grade, their first movie together, and if anyone understood the pressure he was feeling, it was him. They had both spent years on the fringes of high school life, always dreaming of what it would be like to just hang out and relax like every other kid, instead of working sometimes into the night weekly. Tonight was their shot, and neither of them wanted to miss it. Wesley grabbed his wallet, keys, and jacket, and headed downstairs. His dad was still in the kitchen, now sitting at the small table with a laptop open, probably checking emails for work. Wesley hesitated for a moment by the front door, considering telling his dad more about the party, but he decided against it. Mark had always trusted him, and Wesley didn’t want to push that trust by giving too many details. “See you later, Dad,” Wesley called out as he slipped on his sneakers. “Be smart, Wes,” Mark replied without looking up, his usual parting advice. Wesley stepped outside, greeted by the cooling evening air of Los Angeles. The sun had started to dip below the horizon, casting the sky in deep shades of orange and purple. The palm trees that lined the streets swayed gently in the breeze, and the city seemed to buzz with the promise of a Friday night. He climbed into his Nissan, the car’s engine rumbling to life as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. The drive to Naples felt surreal. Wesley’s route took him through the heart of Los Angeles, passing bustling downtown streets, bright neon signs, and the towering glass buildings of corporate L.A. As he approached the little island, the scenery began to change. The narrow roads transformed into larger more well-maintained roads, and the houses began to grow larger as the wealth of Naples began to be displayed the farther he got in. It was a gorgeous area, and Wesley could easily imagine how people could be happy with living in a place like this. Wesley felt a nervous flutter in his stomach as he drove further into the Island, knowing that Kassandra’s home would be even more impressive than most of these. He thought back to what Mark had told him earlier in the week. “Imagine being able to host the entire Senior class at a party, and also their plus ones?! It’s insane, I don’t even think I could do that.” Finally, after navigating the maze of winding roads, Wesley arrived at the address. Kassandra’s house sat perched in a perfect spot in Naples, illuminated by soft lighting that made it look even more majestic against the backdrop of the night sky and the canals. The driveway and roads were lined with various cars, some opulent and some rather regular looking. Wesley swallowed hard as he parked his Nissan at the far end of the driveway, feeling a little out of place again and feeling his anxiety grow just like it always did during first-day shoots. As he stepped out of the car and made his way toward the front entrance, Wesley could hear the faint thrum of music from inside the house, mixing with the laughter and chatter of guests. His heart raced in his chest. This was it—the moment he had been both dreading and looking forward to all day. He knew he didn’t belong in this world, not really. But tonight, for a few hours, he was going to step into it and see what it was like. Just as he reached the front door, it swung open, revealing Mark standing there with a wide grin on his face. His friend was already in full party mode, dressed sharply in a leather jacket and jeans, his hair perfectly styled. “Wes! You made it!” Mark exclaimed, giving him a friendly shove on the shoulder. “I told you this was gonna be epic.” Wesley laughed nervously, glancing over Mark’s shoulder at the party raging inside. Through the open door, he could see crowds of people already filling the enormous living room, holding drinks, laughing, and mingling beneath crystal chandeliers. The music was louder now, pulsating through the walls, and the smell of expensive perfume and cologne hung heavy in the air. “Yeah, I made it,” Wesley replied, trying to keep his voice steady. “Let’s do this.” Mark led him inside, and the door closed behind them with a soft click, sealing Wesley in a world that, for tonight at least, felt far larger and more glamorous than the one he’d left behind.