Aewin

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 {A God RP}

Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth, Fortune and Prosperity

L A K S H M I, G O D D E S S O F P R O S P E R I T Y
L A K S H M I, G O D D E S S O F P R O S P E R I T Y

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx HUMAN 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗦 Niya Gulati 𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 28 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥 Deputy District Prosecutor at King County DA Office	𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑫 Hard-Working Independent Empathetic Passionate 𝑩𝑨𝑫 Critical Demanding Impulsive Unforgiving 𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 Her primary desire is for things to return back to the norm, for the Colossus to be destroyed. All she really wants is to prevent the world from plunging into darkness once again. 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 Lakshmi fears that she will never escape this mortal curse afflicted onto her by the Colossus. She hates the idea of being helpless while watching the world she swore to protect grow corrupt with greed. She dreads the thought of never finding a supportive partner like Vishnu. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx DEITY 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬 Lakshmi 𝗗𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 Wealth, Fortune, Fertility, Purity & Prosperity 𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗡 Hindu

𝗠𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬

Lakshmi has been said to take countless forms to be with her consort, Vishnu in his different incarnations. The most infamous tale regarding Lakshmi is her supposed rebirth during the battle between the gods versus demons to gain immortality. One of Lakshmi's many domains granted her good fortune, which would thus be shared with those around her. Indra, the warrior god responsible for leading the war against the demons began getting arrogant, rebuffing the advice of the wise sages around him. In her anger, Lakshmi found Indra's behaviour so abhorrent that she vanished into the Milky Ocean, taking her good fortune and prosperity with her.

The gods, from then on, were no longer blessed. The world grew dark and greed overtook the world as the gods began losing control over the demons. Indra, in his panic, pleaded for help from Vishnu, who told him that to win the war, Indra and the rest of the gods will need to churn the Milky Ocean to regain the favour of the angry goddess. And so, Indra did. The Milky Ocean was churned for 1000 years before treasure began to rise to the surface, and a beautiful woman adorned in a sari standing upon a lotus flower appeared. With her return, good fortune spread and soon the gods were able to fight the demons away and restore order to the Earth.

Lakshmi has been known to be kind, granting favours to the unfortunate. But her kindness can easily be stopped. Greed is not something Lakshmi tolerates and is very prepared to strike down those that seek to take advantage of her kindness. She is said to bless each daughter with a part of herself, bringing wealth and good fortune to the family she goes to. Scriptures have also said she values bravery, persistence and virtue in her subjects, and her love for her husband and worshippers knows no bounds.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬

What is mortality to a Goddess that has taken many forms in her lifetime? Her many incarnations as the wife of Vishnu should have prepared her for near two thousand years of mortality, yet this was different. Cursed with immortality and the knowledge of her impact, her life as Princesses Rukmini and Sita could hardly compare. Once again, with her disappearance from godhood has left the world and its children open to darkness, corruption and greed.

Lakshmi felt lost and disturbed. She could see the corruption, yet do nothing about it. Centuries passed as she watched her temples fall into disrepair, the lack of faith in her pantheon stinging her very core. Eventually, Lakshmi found herself yearning for more. The feeling of discontent grew as Lakshmi realised that her work at the temples was not stopping the growth of greed and darkness in the world. So, she began fighting the darkness in another way.

Lakshmi took the alias of Niya Gulati and began studying law. Prosecution felt almost a natural path for her to take. If she could put away the criminal and protect the innocent, Lakshmi was doing her duty to the people that once revered her. Now, in Seattle, Niya has been begun working up the ranks of the district office, trying to make a name for herself.

Descension (A God SoL RP)

Tentatively claiming Lakshmi 👀 FC: Banita Sandhu

Cancelled - until next time family. Thank you for understanding.

^{A collaboration between @NeoAJ, @Spooner & @Aewin}

It was a good thing Emilia had finished enough of her first drink, because she definitely wasn’t prepared for when Ava grabbed her and brought her up onto the makeshift dance floor the living room was being turned into. She could scarcely utter a startled “Wha-!” Still, at least it was a sign that whatever clouds were hanging over Miss Esposito, they were able to be pushed aside at least for now. That was going to be a crucial part of Emilia’s strategy for the evening as well. So she set her drink back on the bar and let herself be whirled around by her fellow Kings fan. It was fun, and made Emilia a little bit dizzy. But that was a feeling she was going to need to get used to.

Eventually, plans were made and the various members of the suite departed for other ventures. Even Val and Nate emerged from their respective bathrooms and headed out to explore Vegas in the daytime.

But not Emilia. Not Josie. The two best friends hung back in the palatial room, content to decompress from what had been a somewhat stressful morning and a long RV ride into Sin City. Besides, there were still plenty of drinks available on offer. The only problem was the food.

“When do you think room service is going to get here, Jojo? Can they even make it this high up? What if we’re too elevated to get food?!?” The mojitos may have been hitting Emilia already at this point, but she was too hungry to notice, and she didn’t dare break into her precious supply of Pizza Pringles already. What if the East Coast states didn’t have them? Nope. Best to let the hotel provide food. It just needed to arrive quicker...

Josephine wasn’t faring much better. After that thorough verbal spanking from Sami, Josie had taken to sulking on the couch with her blessed mojito. It was only her desire to eat that stopped her from mixing herself another drink, and luckily, Emilia had the same idea.

Josie found herself disappointed when she noticed hamburgers weren't part of the Bellagio specials, but she could do with a cheeseburger instead. There was no one to judge her, so why not? Josie lazed on the couch reading through the menu over and over again, her stomach complaining with every. Delicious. Word. "The menu says thirty minutes. It's only been four." It felt far longer than that, but when you're counting each second it feels like an eternity. "Ems, take this from me. If I keep looking at it, I'm gonna mistake it for chips." She waved the laminated paper over her head, somewhat amused by the wiggly sound it would make.

Emilia made the sacrifice of hopping off her bar stool and bouncing over to her pink-haired friend to claim the menu. Of course, she was in just as much danger as Josie of eating the options at this point. The desire not to eat the reserved cargo in her bag led to her ordering a Margherita pizza and now she was worried it would take way too long to make. “I feel like we should have ordered more things. I mean, we are on vacation, right? We should be taking full advantage and seeing what we can get and do and eat and see and eat and I’m not helping… OK, think, what can we do to pass the time until our food gets here? We need a distraction or something…”

“And be so full that we can’t get drunk tonight?” Josie shook her head. “No ma’am. I’d like to go to bed completely shitfaced, celebrate graduation in style.”

Josie had seen Emi’s face that morning. Katie’s presence hadn’t been something either of them had been expecting, and the resurfacing memories clearly hit Emi in the feels. Josie didn’t want such a bad start to their trip leaving a bad taste in their mouth. A distraction was very welcome, from their emotional and hunger plight, and Josie had just the idea in mind. She finally stood up to join Emi at the bar. “How about a little game of Never Have I Ever? Get us in that Vegas hype?” She asked. Surely the best way to resolve your feels was to drown in alcohol! ...Well, it worked for her mom.

Emilia was a little unsure. She knew the game very well, but with just her and Josie going at it, and the fact that they both knew practically everything about each other’s lives, it was going to be very easy to make the other person drink.

But supposedly that was the whole point of the game, wasn’t it?

“OK!” Emi agreed as she started rummaging through the bar. There was enough juice to mix with the rum that Sami had brought out so they could continue to keep pace even without those marvelous mojitos available. “But don’t be too mean, OK? I want to at least be able to make it out the door tonight!”

“If you can remember your name by the end of this, I’ve failed.” Josie responded in jest. Truthfully, all Josie wanted to do was get their minds off their morning troubles. It hadn’t exactly been the best start for Emi, and Josie just wanted to help her friend.

“Wait,” Some movement at the balcony reminded her that they weren’t the only ones in the room. “D’you think Nate and Sami’re here somewhere? Leon and Val look like they’re ‘boutta hang out.”

Emilia hadn’t noticed the return of some of their travel party, especially given that Val didn’t make an audible noise of disgust when passing by. Maybe that meant she was in a good enough mood to just give the blonde an eye roll. Who knows? “Did you ever notice Val seems to get along REALLY well with the guys? Wish I had that ability.” Emi stopped in her motions for a second upon saying that, but shook her head and moved on.

She finished mixing a couple of poorly-leveled drinks at the bar. Clearly missing the skills that Sami brought to the table, she brought the cocktails over to where her friend sat. “All right, you want to go first?”

Meanwhile, out on the strip, it turns out finding out that one of your best friends has a secret relationship with the girl you’ve had a crush on for ages, and breaking up a fight drains you of energy. Who would have known? Not Nathan Matthews in any case. The walk back from the gym was quiet, or at least Nate thought it was. He might have grunted and hummed when Leon asked something but nothing of substance. His thoughts were completely somewhere else.

Somewhere along the way, the pair of friends got separated and Nathan was alone for the first time in hours. He decided to stay behind for a while, walking around and taking in the craziness that is Las Vegas. He didn’t have his camera with him but he got some good shots on his phone. After a while, he decided it was time to head back to the hotel. Nathan hoped dearly that the rest of the group had headed off for some sort of adventure, all he wanted was to collapse on his bed and take a long nap before AJ probably dragged him out to some show.

As he stepped out of the elevator on their floor he thought he caught a glimpse of Val stepping into the elevator next to him going down. This boded well for him having the suite to himself. But when he opened the door he was met with a sight he didn’t expect to see Emi and Josie obviously a little tipsy getting ready to play a game by the looks of it.

“Oh!” he tried to sound a little less disappointed than he was “You alright guys?”

Ah, exactly the person Josie wanted to see! The morning awkwardness, despite being unpleasant for the two of them, really helped clear the air. Josie had even promised Nate that they’d hang out once at the hotel. She waved him over, a giddy expression on her face. “Come come, I was just asking about you.”

“We’re gonna play never have I ever, come join us!” At least the game wouldn’t finish too soon. “You look like you could do with a drink. It’s not gonna be a Sami style mojito, but I can assure you that rum and…” Josie took a sip of the drink that Emilia had mixed for them. “Apple juice? Yeah, it isn’t so bad. And it's made by our girl Emi.”

Emilia closed her eyes and smiled at Josie’s last comment. “I’m sure I can find some other juices if you prefer! I know there is orange soda still kicking around from the RV ride!” She took a drink from her own mug. It definitely wasn’t anywhere near Sami’s mojito but it tasted enough like apples that it should do the trick.

Nathan rubbed the back of his head looking towards the room and bed that was calling his name. “Mmmmhhh….” he pondered looking from the girls to the room and back again. He let out a little sigh “Sure I’ll play” he chuckled softly before heading over to where they were sitting. “I’m sure it’s very tasty Emi” he smiled broadly at the blonde as he took a glass from her. He took a sip and almost choked on the liquid running down his throat. He had spoken too soon, but kept his poker face up so as to not hurt her feelings.

“So who starts?” he asked looking between the two.

“Don’t worry Emi, it tastes… fine.” Josie gave Emilia a reassuring grin before turning to consider Nate’s question. Given that the question had come up twice, Josie decided to answer. “I’ll go first.” She then gave her friends a conspiratory smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy. Never have I ever been to Vegas before today.”

Emilia’s drink remained at the level. She did get to take a trip with her father last year during one of the road trips, but it was pretty uneventful. They went for dinner at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, and then she spent the rest of her time at T-Mobile Arena before the team headed back to Los Angeles that night. Hardly debauchery at the levels promised today. But still it counted. “Sorry, didn’t get me!”

“Sorry…” Nate held up his glass, confused with the rules since he wasn’t really used to playing drinking games. “So… I drink if I have been here before or… if I haven’t?” he laughed at how stupid he must have sounded.

“Ah shit, that’s my bad. I started off with a bad one. You drink if you’ve been here before, yeah.” She laughed sheepishly before suddenly pausing. “I… I think? I’m sure that’s how the game goes anyway.” Like Nate, Josie wasn’t exactly used to participating in drinking games. Most of her knowledge came from late night fanfiction readings on Tumblr, and they usually ended quite… explicitly. “So, like, I won’t be drinking because this is my first time in Vegas as well.”

“Ohhhh, um… shoot.” Emilia sheepishly took a drink from her glass. Figured she would misunderstand the rules already. “Fine. Ummm… never have I ever… dyed my hair?” Yeah, it was a cheap shot at Josie, but she had to get her back for the first drink. And at least make it known that she could play this game.

“Low blow.” Josie pouted in Emilia’s direction before taking a drink. Of course, dying her hair was as natural as breathing at this point. Some may even question what colour her hair naturally was. She sent another pout in Nate’s direction, knowing that he was the last of the group yet to take a drink.

Nate screwed up his face in thought trying to figure out a question to ask. “Uhm…” he looked around the room for some inspiration. He was coming up with blanks. All he could think about was Val’s pouty face when she freaked out earlier today in his Van. “Never have I ever… been forced to do something I really didn’t want to do.” he blurted out. Crap he got himself, he had to drink. Confessing his feelings for Josie was something he had been pushed to do by none other than Val herself. He lifted his glass to his company and took a long drink.

Josie took another sip of her drink upon hearing Nate, her heart feeling heavy all of a sudden. Was working at the Pet Inn really forced upon her? Questionable, but she felt that she had no way out of that life. No matter how many times she'd told herself that it was for the best, she could never help that twinge of disappointment each time.

She wasn't sure whether it was just her, or had the air had really gotten thicker after Nate’s turn, but the sip of her drink had really helped. Josie sighed, rubbing her cheek awkwardly. “I have a feeling you're going to need to make us more rum and apple juice.”

Emilia had to think about the question, but thinking about the question led back to a place she was desperately trying to avoid at the moment. There were times when she stayed at parties later than she wanted to, times when she hung out with people she didn’t want to. But she did it for someone else. Someone who… who…

The drink request from Josie derailed the tear train in Emilia’s head for the moment. “Drinks? Oh, yes, drinks! Um, I’ll see how much apple juice is left! Yes!” Focusing on trying to outdo her rotten apple cocktail was now first and foremost in her mind. Aside from the game at hand. “Also, never have I ever paid for a camera!”

“Your tone sounds very pointed right now Em!” Nate laughed as he drank once again. Obviously he had paid for many cameras and wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon.

Josie laughed, feeling the tension pass finally. She even decided to jump in after Emilia, get her revenge on Nate. “Never have I ever had a part time job.” Sure, she was shooting herself in the foot, but that sip of her drink had never tasted more sweeter.

Again, no drinks for Emilia as she prepared a new batch of cocktails for her friends. They seemed to be losing the game worse than she was. Or was it winning? Maybe she should start giving herself a drink or two. She would have a fresh one, as her particular style of mixing didn’t require much effort. Put in an ice cube, pour in alcohol, pour in whatever juice was available in the bar. This time it was mango. She looked around for a sort of tray, and decided to empty the one that sat and offered coffee fixins for the drinks. That made this feel like a part-time job at least. Still doesn’t count though. Does Kings’ unofficial mascot count? Probably not.

In any case, Emilia rejoined her drinking companions and handed out the new beverages. “I don’t think I’m doing too well at this game. I haven’t drank in a while.”

“I feel like one does never do good at drinking games… do you win if you get the most drunk? Or if you stay sober?” he queried, taking another sip of his drink, since he has had a part time job since he was 15. “Ok! Never have I ever had hair past my shoulders!” he burst out laughing “Good one right? Huh? Right?” he looked from Emi to Josie who both have long gorgeous locks.

Surely the win condition was to be the one as sober as possible… But then again, Josie’s fanfictions never lasted long enough for her to confirm. However, did it really matter? Josie could see that both Nate and Emi seemed to be in good spirits, and that alone was enough to warm her heart.

Unless that was the rum talking...

“Emi…” Josie turned to face her best friend, a glint in her eye. “How about we team up. Two against one, he can’t get the both of us!”

After Emilia took a long drink from her original apple cocktail, enough to finish it off and allow her attention to be fully turned to her new mango concoction, she turned to her bestie. “Girls against the guy?” She looked back at Nate. “Oh yeah, we can take him.’ The pizza was forgotten. The troubles were forgotten, Josie having unwittingly staved off another potential breakdown. Val was forgotten. There was only one thing that mattered in the moment. She took a small sip of the mango drink to make sure it was good to go. Once that was verified, she set her mug down and pointed at the lone male in the contest. “Let’s dance, Nate!”

Meadow University

_{A collaboration with Evie, Junie, & Elliot}
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Not playing it sweet tonight, with Turn Me On by David Guetta, ft. Nicki Minaj blasting out of her PC speakers, the slender model could be seen in her walk-in closet wearing a lavendar colored lace thong with a matching low back, strapless bustier. Slipping on the pink dress that Rosie suggested would ‘break his heart’ because it showed that she knew she was a hot bitch and that she didn’t need him (she chose him), Junie slyly smirked as she looked at her body up and down. Far too lazy to zip her dress up, she went outside and gestured with her finger for Elliot, her new toy, to take care of it. “El, come here and be a doll.”

She was hovering over her dresser, going through her jewelry, when she called her other pet to her, “Evie, honey. Come help me, please.” On top of needing to decide what necklace, rings, and bracelets to wear, she needed to pick a clutch to compliment her dress, and figure out how she’d wear her hair. Junie had already did her make up since she knew exactly what she was going to wear prior to her friends arriving. Nothing too drastic but enough color around her eyes to give them a pleasant pop. Still natural and elegant, though. That was her style, even if tonight she let the sultry minx inside her come out to play.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a tiny blonde holding a rustic serving tray with three drinks, sliced cheese, fruit, meat, and crackers. “Mimosas for Junie and her cuties!” Placing it on Junie’s desk, she didn’t delay, or overstay her welcome, and as such, skipped to the door. Before dismissing herself, she surveyed Junie and excitedly grinned.

“Do you want to take a bite, Mia?” Junie caught a glimpse at her sorority sister gawking at her in admiration, which was rewarded with a kind smile.

“How can anyone resist from gobbling you up?! Of course I do!” That’s what she liked to hear. Junie loved all the support she had. She knew no matter how messy her life got, she’d always have someone by her side.

“Is that true, Elliot? Would you gobble me up?” Junie teased the boy, who seemed tense, which she found rather cute. Mia took this opportunity to close the door and go back to whatever she was doing. While Junie adored Evie more than anything, it was obvious that she took a strong interest in the awkward boy and therefore gave him more attention.

Elliot didn't know what to expect when Evie had practically begged him to go to Junie's place with her, at first he had declined because he wanted nothing to do with helping a girl pick out clothes but after getting a text from said girl and Evie telling him she wasn't someone to upset he thought otherwise. That's how the nerdy boy ended up sitting in a room filled with attractive girls as they blasted terrible music and gossiped. 'What the hell am I? This feels like I'm a token gay friend...but I'm not even gay!' He thought, feeling incredibly awkward and nervous.

The whole time Junie had been using him to do little things here and there for her, this time she wanted him to zip her dress up. With a face as red as a tomato he got up and zipped her skimpy pink dress up. What was the point of wearing it? Was she trying to impress the boy he hoped wouldn't totally beat him? All week he had been avoiding people and trying to keep out of the way, he'd been quite lucky because a lot of people didn't remember who he was. Guess being a quiet recluse had its perks.

Once his task had been accomplished he sat back down next to Evie, watching as a bouncy blonde came in bearing snacks. This did catch his interest, snacks were his favorite. As the girls talked he nibbled on the crackers and cheese, his head snapping up when Junie spoke. "Uh….like a uh….piece of cake?" He said, unsure about what the right answer was. He looked to Evie, "Is that right?" He really didn’t know what he was supposed to say.

Looking between Junie and Elliot, Evie then gave Junie a sickly sweet smile. “Yeah! Like a perfect genoise sponge decorated with a ton of strawberries! I’d be a stupid guy not to want that,” She chirped in agreement. Well, the reality was that she didn’t even necessarily need to be a guy to want Junie, but it wasn’t like that was ever going to be reciprocated. She hid the twinge of disappointment by throwing herself into accessory hunting.

Ever since Evie brought Elliot to the art room, it seemed as though Junie preferred his company to hers. Even now, Junie was lavishing him with attention as Evie would run around at her command. She was happy, truly, that her good friend is getting a powerful ally in Junie, but she didn’t want to be forgotten either.

“What about this?” Evie rested a delicate layered choker necklace against Junie’s neck, decorated with golden leaves and a pretty pearl that Evie thought could even be a cute little juniper berry. It was best not to dwell in her sorrows, instead proving to Junie that even she could be helpful tonight.

“Oh yes, yes. That’s perfect, honey.” Junie, with a mimosa in hand, made her way to Evie and pushed her hair to the left side so her loyal friend could put it around her neck. Once she took a sip of her drink, she placed it down on her dresser and grabbed a triple strand pearl bracelet that would easily match Evie’s choice in necklace. As she put it on, her mischievous, icy blue eyes searched Elliot’s face for emotion. “Do I make you uncomfortable, Elliot?” she cooly remarked.

Anyone with half a brain cell could pick up on the small mannerisms and tics he did that clearly displayed he wasn’t used to something like this. His shoulders were up, near his ears, showing he was tense and could use a massage. His warm hazel eyes didn’t know where to look, so he kept his focus on the food he was eating, hoping it could distract him from his current situation. Last but not least, he kept close to himself, leaving distance between her and him unless she demanded otherwise. “You can be honest with me. Isn’t that right, Evie?” Exuding power and poise, controlling the conversation and the room, she reached for her drink once more and took another sip.

As she waited, she thought about Ty’s audacity Monday night, and how he thought he could get away with his unforgivable actions. He tried to be smooth, and sexy, in order to get her to grant him a pass. If he didn’t impress her tonight, which a little birdie did tell her that he was trying to know what she liked so he could do so, maybe she’d leave him behind and focus on grooming and polishing Elliot, to be a boy in her league. The glass was against her lip when a smirk graced her face. If Evie wasn’t going to bring this charming boy to his full potential, then Junie might as well do it herself.

Elliot shook his head profusely upon hearing Junie's question, "No! I just don't know how to be around girls...or people in general." He mumbled as he slowly munched on a piece of cheese. He was also trying damn hard to not be so front and center in Junie's head, the way Evie acted around her friend hadn't gone unnoticed by him and he didn't want to get in-between the girls’ friendship.

The boy grabbed one of the Mimosas that were meant for him and sipped on it, "Anyway this isn't about me, this is about you right? So...let's go back to that." He said. Elliot had already started to notice that Junie liked to make him flustered and awkward on purpose, he was glad that Evie was there to at least gobble up some of her teasing.

Evie nodded along, “Yeah, you don’t make Elliot uncomfortable at all. In fact, it doesn’t matter because tonight’s your night anyway!” Evie agreed quickly, carefully adjusting the necklace around Junie’s neck before she could get distracted by their close proximity. She wanted to save Elliot, and was all too glad to vy for Junie’s attention in his place.

“Tonight, you’re a queen! You don’t have’ta worry about us!” She looked over Junie’s shoulder to give Elliot a comforting smile.

Hm. Flattery. “Stating the obvious, I see.” Deciding to store the fact that Elliot didn’t know how to act around girls in her head, for later use, and offering Evie an appreciative smile for the compliment, Junie left those two to talk amongst themselves so she could scavenge for the last item she needed. Shoes. She had too many options, and so little time.

Elliot breathed a small sigh of relief when Junie went to find a pair of shoes. He took this opportunity to say something he'd been holding back to Evie. "Just thought you should know...the fact that you desperately want her to notice you is blinding." He whispered to her with a sympathetic grin.

Evie gave him a confused look as she took her place beside Elliot’s side. “What?” With a laugh, she waved her hand as to brush off the remark. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Despite the air of coolness, internally she was panicking. She was eternally thankful that Junie was busy with her shoe hunt, because Evie had no way of hiding the bead of sweat forming on her hairline as the panic grew stronger.

A brief pause later, Evie turned her body to face Elliot, leaning in. “Is it really that obvious? God, do you think she noticed?” So much for acting cool.

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly, since he and Evie shared a lot of classes together he spent a lot of time with her. While he might not look like the most observant person ever he took note of a lot of things about people, his mother told him it was a quality that would make him a great journalist one day. “I don’t think so. She probably thinks you're just a friend who wants to help in any way she can, honestly that’s probably what anyone would see. I just hang around you a lot so I can see the little changes.” He said comfortingly.

“Okay, I think I found the perfect pair.” Sauntering out, fully dressed now, Junie showcased the white shoes and pearl clutch she decided on. It was a no brainer to keep up with the pearl theme. Standing in front of the two sitting beside one another, she did a crossed ankle pose, which was casual yet striking to visually elongate her legs and narrow her hips. “Good?” She knew it was, but she liked hearing what they thought. Both of them.

Evie gave Elliot another strained smile as Junie returned, fully dressed this time and showing off her enviable figure for praise. His support was comforting, knowing that Junie didn’t think of her as desperate. Feeling at ease for the first time that night, she turned to give Junie a look, unable to hide the awe as she saw the outfit altogether. “You look amazing. Ty will regret not messaging you now, if he wasn’t already.” Evie answered honestly, clasping her hands together with pride. Junie looked like she was glowing and her night was only just about to start.

Elliot nodded in response, giving a little thumbs up in approval. How the heck did he become the pet of a bombshell sorority girl? "In my limited experience with girls, definitely sitting at the tippy top of the hot scale."

Grinning at the two boosting her already big ego, she gave them both an approval nod, as if they appeased her and provided exactly what she needed from them, “That’s what I like to hear,” she cooed. Feeling the urge to ask how they would spend their night, she approached the cheese platter to grab a piece and as she did so, she opened her mouth.

Slam!

Unfazed by Mia burging in, throwing the door open, Junie retracted her hand and looked at her sister, who was flushed. “He’s here! He’s brought flowers. Well, he hasn’t gotten to the door yet… but he’s coming now!”

Going to her window, she peered in between her curtains to see him striding down the walkway with sunflowers in hand. “I wonder who told him,” she whispered to herself. The main reason why she loved those flowers were because her dad always had a vase of them somewhere in the house. It was something she’s always been exposed to since she was little. When she saw a sunflower, she thought about her family, therefore making it her favorite.

Brushing off her curiosity, she turned to Evie and Elliot, “Alright, you two. Leave when you please, close my door on your way out. I’ll definitely tell you all about the date at brunch tomorrow, so don’t make any plans.” Casually, she strolled to Evie first, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the lips, like she would with her family. Immediately after, she grabbed Elliot’s chin and brought him to her lips and rewarded him with a peck as well.

Leaning up, Juniper beamed, “Be good and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” With that, the redhead followed her sorority sister out the door, leaving her friends in her bedroom and heading downstairs where her date was waiting.

The poor boy had to process what happened before looking to his blonde friend beside him, face tinted pink. Was that how people normally said goodbye? "Hey Evie, does that count as my first kiss?" He asked worryingly, he sure hoped not.

Evie, in the meantime, was left starstruck. The expression was clear on her face as she turned to face Elliot, his question just barely registering in her mind. “No,” Lucky for Elliot, she knew the answer. It was worse, for her anyway. “This is what the Junie friendzone feels like.”

Cancelled - until next time family. Thank you for understanding.

_{________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Well, shit.

Now this is what you call a god damn hotel room.

Josie had spent most of her time in the RV napping and distracting Emilia from having breakdowns with their shared Ariana Grande playlists. It worked for the most part, and their journey didn't seem so bad. Granted they weren't on the road for that long, and it seemed like the trip was starting with a high (ignoring the parking lot fiasco, that is).

By the time they reached the Bellagio Hotel, Josie was running on chaotic nap energy. She decided not to get involved with the argument... much. Her only condition was that she and Em stay close, otherwise she couldn't really give a shit. It wasn't like Josie had beef with anyone!

(It was quite the feat to avoid the icy vibes coming from a certain pretty brunette.)

Alas, things went her way (for the most part). Josie repressed sounding giddy when she found out that she and Sami were in the same group. Lucky. Hell, she even had Nate in the same group, and Josie was... optimistic to say the least. At least this way she could work on fixing her friendship with Nate!

”I’ll take the couch cos that things looks comfy as fuck and I don’t sleep anyway. Savvy?” Josie made a face hearing that. Papi was truly a sweetheart, but he couldn't keep getting the short end of the stick!

"You sure a sofa is enough? I don't mind sha-" It hit her that she wasn't exactly alone in that bed. And four people on one bed sounded like something only porn could accomplish. Or the rich.

And she couldn't exactly speak for Ava and Emi either.

Damn it. Thinly veiled chivalry aborted.

"I'll take that mojito." She decided to say instead, giving up. She looked at Ava as she practically ordered Sami to make it her way, before adding quietly under her breath, "Without the terms and conditions." She was a simple basic bitch. She heard drinks, she was down.

Annie's Test Dump

Amber Nowak, Reincarnation of Lada

"I'm a gem!" ............................................................

████████████████████████████ ███████████ Amber Christina Nowak Amber Christina Nowak ████████████████████████████ ████████████████ Goddess of Love, Beauty & Fertility Goddess of Love, Beauty & Fertility | 23 | 5'3" | LADA | POLISH-AMERICAN | 121lbs | ████████████████████████████ ████████████████ Slavic Slavic Lada is a Slavic goddess most typically associated with love, beauty, marriage, protection and fertility. Also known as the "Lady of the Flowers", she is said to be a fair maiden with long golden hair akin to wheat, symbolising her function as the goddess of fertility and links to spring time. According to legend, Lada resides with the dead (Irij) during winter, and upon winter's end, when Lada emerges from Irij, Lada's presence is said to bless the earth and provide a bountiful harvest. When summer ends, Lada returns to Irij to rest until it is time for spring once again. Lada has a masculine counterpart, Lado, considered to be her twin brother or otherwise her son. She was particularly worshipped by what is now known as modern day Poland and Russia, with roots to Latvia and Lithuania in some instances. Although her name has since been lost to time due to the rise of Christianity, her story lives on in the arts.

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APPEARANCE 

APPEARANCE

"Take a picture, it'll last longer. Or, would you like me to pose first?"

To say that Amber is short is an understatement, tiny works best to describe Amber Nowak's height. Standing at only 1.6m (or 5'3"), Amber sports a small unassuming figure that is only hidden by Amber's love for high heels. Her body is somewhat curvy, an hourglass figure that adds more definition to her chest and hip area than someone would expect. Not that she lacks in either department, but a little more definition doesn't hurt anybody right?

When focusing on Amber's face, the first thing someone will notice is her eyes. Sultry, almond shaped eyes in the lightest shade of brown and framed with defined, dark brown brows that simply add to her already shapely features. Her lips are plump but dry, and on her chin is a beauty mark she meticulously covers with a layer of make up. She also has faint acne scarring from puberty, which she also uses make up to cover up. Her clothes also cover various stretch marks along her thighs and belly.

Her hair is long and often kept loose outside work. Her typical wardrobe consists of flashy and stylish clothes. Though not expensive, over the years Amber has built up a collection that she believes enhances her looks. Typically she wears skirts, dresses and figure fitting attire that treads the line between tasteful and revealing.

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PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY

"Okay... So you're one of *those* kinds. Well, I'm a Leo and an ENFJ. Does that help?"

𝙰𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚎𝚛 → 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚢 → 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 → 𝙳𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝 → 𝙴𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 → 𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌 → 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌 → 𝙴𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 → 𝙵𝚕𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 → 𝙹𝚞𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 → 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚝 → 𝚂𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 → 𝚅𝚊𝚒𝚗

Right off the bat, the first thing someone notices about Amber's personality is that she is overwhelming. She is loud, playful and brash, incredibly talkative and someone with way too much energy to be normal. She has an extroverted vibe to her that makes her the life of the party, always surrounded by friends. She is a natural leader that does what she can to keep the attention on herself.

Her crippling desire for attention comes from her vanity. She likes being the centre of the crowd and always loves to be complimented - especially if it involves anything to do with her appearance or what she's wearing for the day. Amber is vain and cares about the way she's presented way more than she should. She has a dangerous obsession with looking good in front of other people, always perfect. It manifests in controlled diets, strict gym routines and frequent shopping trips to change up her wardrobe to fit with the trends. How can she look good in front of others when she doesn't look good in front of herself? Her obsession to look good also manifests in a control-freak like behaviour. She craves control and order from her surroundings. Her room is always neat and particular, her dishes done a certain way, clothes organised in the wardrobe. She holds herself to high standards, and holds others to similar standards. She cannot stand low effort from others and is incredibly petty and judgemental as a result towards anyone that does not meet her incredibly high standards.

Amber, above all, is a socially active person. Ignoring her vanity based judgement and pettiness, if you meet her standards, Amber can be a charismatic and deeply sensitve friend. As someone that was excessively bullied in her youth for her appearance, she understands the value of having a support system. She is quite the team player for those she calls her friends, and a major people pleaser (all so she can look good, after all). But lately her obsession with vanity has certainly made her obnoxious to be around. Amber tries to forget her shyer past by focusing on herself today. Since becoming the goddess of beauty has undoubtedly only served to boost her previously low confidence, further boosting her vanity as well.

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BACKSTORY
BACKSTORY

"I guess you've unlocked my Tragic Backstory (trademarked)."

Amber was born in a small sleepy town in Idaho to a larger than expected family. Born twelve minutes after twin brother Andrew, she was the fifth and youngest child to grace the Novak family. Born as a result of failed birth control, her parents were wholly unprepared to deal with another two mouths to feed. Her parents owned a decently successful restaurant in the middle of the town, so money wasn't as big of a problem as was raising the two children.

Having to compete with five other children for attention, she found herself struggling. To compensate, Amber developed into a loud, stubborn child that was hard to reason with. Her family did all they could, and eventually realised that the young girl had a sweet tooth like no other. Everytime she would have her toddler tantrum, sweets would be shoved in her direction. This terrible habit only grew worse, and as time went on, Amber's weight began to exceed what was normal for her age. Amber's relationship with food only grew worse. It became a coping mechanism and an escape. By the time she was 17, she was close to hitting 200lbs.

TW: Bullying

If home life was bad, Amber's time at school was worse. She was mercilessly bullied for her weight, frequently nicknamed degrading things like 'Hippo' and 'Cow', amongst other things. Her siblings were too old to look out for her, and her twin brother often joined in on the bullying to avoid being bullied himself. Amber put her head down and bore the torment, telling nobody and just coping by eating even more. The bullying knocked down her self esteem to the negatives, and the once extroverted girl started retreating into a shell to protect herself. Her parents were too busy handling the restaurant, and her older siblings by this point had already moved out. With no support, Amber decided to focus on graduating high school with a high enough grade to get out of town.

Amber focused on her studies, taking up art and photography as a hobby as well as volunteering to stay busy. She told nobody as she began applying for colleges outside her sleepy town, hoping to get away from the toxicity. Much to her surprise, her saviour came in the form of an acceptance letter to a decent New York institute to study psychology. That very same evening, Amber broke the news to her parents and at 18, Amber moved to New York.

Although she was on a scholarship program that helped cover the brunt of her fees, Amber was quick to take up odd jobs around campus. From tutoring to working in the library, Amber spent much of her first year simply earning extra money to live a relatively comfortable life. Amber even got new friends in the form of her sorority sisters. They encouraged her to work out with them and boosted her confidence. With their support, Amber was able to shed off most of her weight over the course of her undergraduate degree to the healthy level it is today. Suddenly, Amber was getting attention from guys when she would go out clubbing with her friends. She found the attention addicting, and it only fuelled her obsession with maintaining her looks. She began playing with makeup and dressing up like her sorority sisters with the hope that the attention would keep on rolling, to moderate success. Life was finally looking up for Amber! Upon graduation, Amber was immediately able to jump onto a masters course in Marriage and Family Therapy at a decent university. Staying in a New York apartment on a single retail worker's salary was not enough, so Amber moved in with her sorority sisters post graduation to continue her studies.

When the Return occurred, Amber was in the middle of interning at a counselling clinic. Her patient couldn't stop staring at her and feeling concerned, Amber had to get another member of staff to take over. She was surprised when the doctor complimented her eyes, when the lady had barely spoken more than two words to her in the year she had been interning at the clinic. Amber took it in her stride, passing off the incident as off but otherwise unremarkable.

However, that didn't explain the sudden interest from other guys. Her instagram pictures would get double the likes, and she even got treated to her first unsolicited dick pic! Things definitely weren't right when Amber realised she was able to run an extra mile and pull extra weights at the gym.

If that wasn't enough to alarm her, then the letter waiting for her after work two months later was certainly more than enough to freak her the hell out.

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ABILITIES
ABILITIES

"Guess I can't complain."

𝚄𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚢 - As the incarnation of the Slavic Goddess of beauty, Amber is blessed with typically attractive features. Her voice sounds just a little sweeter, her hair just a little softer to some. There is something almost supernaturally beautiful about her that causes someone to do a double take.

𝙱𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 - In addition to her beauty, Amber has the ability to bless people and make them appear more attractive and appealing to the eye. This changes nothing about their physical appearance, but this blessing only makes one seem more attractive than they are.

𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 - As the goddess of fertility and bountiful harvests, Amber has the ability to manipulate the plants around her. She can grow and shape existing plants, as well as bring back withered plants back to life with a touch.

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LIMITS/WEAKNESSES
LIMITS/WEAKNESSES

"A fake rose isn't beautiful what the fuck Greg-"

Amber's abilities as the goddess of beauty is limited. First of all, she cannot captivate folks that aren't interested in her, such as gay men or aro/asexual people. This also applies to her blessings: gay men will not suddenly start being attracted to a woman because she blessed her.

Furthermore, her ability to manipulate plants does not include the ability to create plants herself. While she can grow the grass beneath her feet, she cannot grow a rose bush if the seed isn't already there. Furthermore, in an area with no plants nearby, this ability is useless. Also, screw fake plants.

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OTHER
OTHER

"Aight, resident thot rolling out."

Of course the first thing she did after realising people thought she was extra hot was create an OnlyFans.

↪ There she posts videos of her practicing pole dancing, as well as other 'services'.

Maja Strojek | #7f7fad

Meadow University

_{A collaboration with Junie, Elliot & Evie}

"I'm just going to assume you got that ridiculous text because you get everything because your friends with everyone somehow, but I feel like I missed out on the good parts of the Bash."

Elliot’s pout was met with her own puppy-dog stare. “At least you were at the bash!” She cried out dramatically. “I’m getting punished for not getting involved!” How was that fair? Luckily she had no scholarship to worry about, but her grades had some other story to tell. Surely she would get some justice here, it truly wasn’t fair!

At the mention of food Evie perked up again, nodding along with the idea. “Yes! Then you can spill any more details about that… banjo of a person you met at the party.” Evie’s nose crinkled in displeasure, but a buzz from her skirt pocket stopped her thoughts from growing sour once again.

Junie 🥰😊🤩
Meet me at the studio. Bring something yummy.😘

...Well, that settled it! What Junie asked for, Junie got.

Elliot couldn’t help but laugh, his blonde friend’s pout was just too damn adorable. "Well you can blame the idiots who thought it’d be a good idea to take videos at a secret party….honestly why would anyone think that’s smart? " Then the spiteful queen saw it, which he was surprised about because she didn’t look like the kind of person who passed the time browsing through social media. Maybe she sat in her office all day daydreaming all the things she’d like to do in order to make their lives miserable….yea that was probably it.

He shook his head, her insults were definitely interesting. “Alright alright, but there’s not any more to tell. He was a dick, I told him to fuck off. Pretty cut and dry, Evie.” His stomach screamed for food again and he gestured towards the cafeteria, ushering the small girl towards the place that would finally satisfy his hunger, oblivious to the text message she had gotten. “Come on blondie, let's go before I starve to death.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but we gotta get something extra. Junie must be getting hungry now.” Evie said, scanning the message from Junie one more time, as if waiting for another message to follow. “I do hope she had her breakfast, otherwise I’m gonna have to lecture you both about eating good.” And being a lecturer wasn’t exactly Evie’s strongest skill, given her tendency to get distracted easily and general inability to look or sound convincing.

Meanwhile, Evie was in the middle of shooting her own response back at Junie.

Junie 🥰😊🤩
ur personal uber eats is on its way 😙
straight from the local cafeteria 😩

The walk from the courtyard to the cafeteria was short, and Evie spent much of it grilling Elliot about the rest of his weekend, craving any sort of tea that could make this punishment even sort of worth it. The food at the cafeteria wasn’t Junie’s standards, but Evie had to make do with her options. If only she had the extra hands…

It was an incredible balancing act, but eventually Evie was able to carry a bottle of chilled orange juice, a wrapped wholemeal bagel with two extra blueberry muffins and a nice white chocolate cookie. She turned to face Elliot sheepishly. “I think this qualifies as more than extra?” She laughed. “You’re gonna have to guide me to the art building. We can have brunch there.”

“Junie?” It was all he really had time to say before he was dragged along with Evie into the cafeteria. He knew Evie and Junie were friends and had hung out with them on an occasion or two but didn’t really talk to her much. He rolled his eyes as she tried to carry all the food in her tiny arms, the things she would do for this sorority girl. “Alright, let's get this girl her food before you drop it all over the ground.” He used one hand to guide Evie to the art building while he carried a wrapped breakfast sandwich and a bottle of orange juice in the other.

On the highest level of the art building, in the art studio with the best natural lighting because of the tall windows, Juniper went to her painting that she had left at her designated spot (far right corner) since Friday. Sitting on the stool, she scanned her piece, clearly having doubts. It didn’t feel perfect. Something was off. While the woman was sensual enough to be seen as sexy and delicate enough to be portrayed as beautiful, she didn’t feel like it was enough. This was one of her weakest paintings. There was no shimmer to it, no talent. She was a failure and maybe she’d never be a genius and should give up while she was ahead. All she wanted was to be great and if she couldn’t, then she’d be nothing.

Grabbing one of her clean brushes, she dipped it in the darkest of blues. Did this have anything to do with the art itself and her middling talent? Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. Or perhaps it had to do with the phone resting on the table and the only texts she received this lovely morning was of her dear twin and… Evie. With no ounce of hesitation, she slapped the paint on the woman’s chest and slid down her body, ultimately ruining whatever the piece was by leaving a mark where there shouldn’t be one.

Junie had been on cloud nine from her adventurous weekend with her crush of three years since she last saw him. Now that things were slowing down it was starting to sink in that he hadn’t messaged her yet. He, someone she felt a strong connection with, was too busy for her, to even think about her. And to add to her sour mood, Lola was clearly avoiding any advances of a friendship with her. Why was it so hard to build a bridge with that woman?!

After grinding her teeth together, she scooped an ample amount of paint this time. Throwing all technique out the door, she slapped her brush against the woman’s face, which caused the paint to splatter and hit Junie’s cheek. This painting was fucking garbage. With the sound of the ticking clock, Junie continued to terrorize her art with an assortment of colors, ultimately causing the image it once was to vanish completely from her sight. When her stomach grumbled, she growled, “What is taking her so long...”

“We’re here!” Evie all but shouted as the two burst into the art building with the food together. She offered Junie an excited beam, showing off the treats in her arm. Despite it being only cafeteria food, she hoped that she picked up enough options for Junie to choose from and enjoy. She bounded over to Junie’s side, examining the art. “That’s… beautiful…” Evie’s eyebrows furrowed. This had to be abstract art, right? Surely that slice of paint had to mean something mysterious!

Not bothering to look away from her ‘abstract’ painting, Junie rejected her friend’s compliment, “This is why, Evie, you are not an artist.” Placing her brush on the table, she grabbed a hand towel and started wiping her hands. “I turned garbage into bitterness.” Standing up from the stool, she continued on her tangent, “Bitterness is like cancer, don’t you think? And that is how it looks like.” And how she felt.

Finally, she twirled her body to face the two people in her sanctuary to meet the gaze of a new face. They might have sat with each other before, but Junie had no recollection of him whatsoever. Once she tossed the towel on the table, she crossed her arms and surveyed the boy, scrutinizing him with her icy glare. “Hm.” After a brief pause, and a step closer to Elliot, she graced him with a charming smile, “Now who might this be?” By the way she was looking at Elliot, up and down, it could be easily gathered that Junie was already assuming he was more than just platonic friends to her darling Evie.

Not really sure what to say, Elliot quietly stood back as Evie announced their arrival in the artsy room. He sort of just nibbled on his sandwich as he glanced around the room, not looking at anything in particular. He didn't understand what Junie meant when she said that she was turning her painting from garbage into bitterness. Was that like a metaphor or something? Photography could be left to interpretation sometimes but he was used to looking at a picture and knowing what it meant. Art wasn't so simple all the time and honestly gave him a headache. Good thing he wasn't an art major.

It was at that point Elliot realized Junie was staring at him, he blinked a few times and gave her a nervous but polite smile. Why did it feel so weird to have someone's attention on you? He felt like she was inspecting him, looking for a flaw or mistake. But then it clicked in his head and seeing that smile that maybe Junie was thinking the wrong thing. "Ah….hi. I'm Elliot, I'm a friend of Evie's. Hope you don't mind an extra person, someone had to make sure she didn't fall with all that food." He said in a teasing manner. While he did think Evie was cute they weren't an item and he would hate to have someone make that mistake. What if Evie had a crush on someone? He knew if it was him he'd feel awkward. Heck he kind of felt awkward now.

Evie’s cheeks were inflamed, and she smiled goofily between her two friends. “Eli’s like, super cool, you’d love him!” Oblivious to the thought running on both their minds, she changed the topic immediately. Who doesn’t love some food? Junie was clearly feeling some kind of way, even if Evie thought her art was still incredible even with the garish mark and all. Elliot munching on his sandwich just reminded her that she had a delivery to follow through! “Take your bagel and this muffin. It’ll cheer you right up,” She offered, placing down the juice box beside Junie. “Then you can see the beauty in bitterness!” She added with her trademark Evie smile.

Hm. Examining the muffin, Junie nodded in approval, “I do love blueberries, and look at that, you remembered to put the strawberry cream cheese on the side. Honestly. What would I do without you?” Placing the bag back on the table, after peering in and making sure everything was to her liking, she sat back down on her stool and gestured for the other two to take a seat. Crossing her legs, she reached for her drink and took a leisure sip, before letting out a giggle, “Elliot and Evie. Double E. Has such a cute ring to it.” They might not be an item right now, but it was only a matter of time. The fact that Evie was comfortable enough to bring him here to Junie herself showed this kid had more importance than the average friend. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t ship them. They were both cute. Cute people should date other cute people to maximize their cuteness.

Still not touching her food, Junie placed her drink back down and apologized, “Sorry for the mess, I don’t get this carried away usually. I do have a question, though. For both of you. Well, perhaps more so you, Elliot, than Evie, since I already know how she is when it comes to texting. How long would you wait for someone to text or call you? Say this someone was a person you were sure enough wanted to become more than just friends. It’s been two days since we last talked and I can’t help but feel I might’ve given too much, too soon.” Evelyn trusted Elliot enough to bring him here, so Junie would trust him enough to get an outsider’s perspective with her own boy troubles.

'Something please get me out of this situation…' Elliot thought to himself as he sat down on a nearby stool. Junie was really trying her best to hint to Evie what she thought, bless his blonde friend’s heart for being an oblivious girl. "It's cool, you should see my roommates room if you think this is messy." The topic changed very quickly as he listened to Junie's question, finishing off the sad excuse for a breakfast sandwich. He had a feeling that this wasn't just a 'what if’ type of thing but more pertaining to her own situation, whatever it might be. "Well...if it was me I would try to message them. I mean if I know they are interested in me, do they know I'm interested in them? I know a lot of guys around here sometimes think sorority girls just sleep with guys to get a mark under their belt, does this guy know for sure this isn't the case? Plus I wouldn't doubt that he's waiting for you to message him. You'll both end up waiting forever if that's the case." He was surprised that he was actually able to say something decent instead of babbling off into a tangent.

“I guess I’ll wait forever!” Junie dramatically exclaimed. “There is NO WAY in hell I’d message first. What am I? Desperate? HA.” At this point, the redhead had finished spreading the cream cheese on her bagel, smearing it in such a precise manner where it looked perfectly smooth and covered the places that mattered. “If he doesn’t want a piece of this again, it’s his loss.” As if. Junie was not going to compromise her pride for someone she thought she had sparks with. She was better than that.

Evie pursed her lips, feeling conflicted. There really was only one right answer! Continuing Elliot's point, she finally added, “Yeah, like, what’s the point of waiting? Maybe he got busy, or... like, had to take care of his grandma." Evie could probably guess who her friend, her crush was pining for, but she couldn't fake her opinion either, even if it meant shooting herself in the foot. "Did you message him? Guys like initiative. That's why Bumble exists!"

Ugh. Two people telling her she should just go for it. Junie grabbed her phone and blankly stared at it. “Fine, fine, whatever. I’ll do it. I guess it is the Macmillan way to take charge. I’m sure Rosie would’ve told me the same.” She hated being the first to show she cared. Why couldn’t the guy try? Why was it always on the girl? UGH. “So, what should I say? I don’t want to seem… needy. I’m thinking, hey, miss you. Hope to talk soon. Kissy face. Kitty paw. Emojis.”

Oh no, no no… That wouldn’t do! Evie clicked her tongue, quickly taking Junie's phone from her hand. It was an impulsive decision, but she had a plan. "No, lemme do it. I got just the idea!" So what if her idea was from Cosmo? It worked for the writer! And even if it didn’t work… Well, the dark and selfish part of Evie wasn’t going to mind. On screen was the chat between Junie and Ty, and Evie did her best not to pry too much on past messages. It was best not to open that can of worms. She cleared her throat instead, trying her best Queen Junie impersonation she could muster before typing and speaking aloud.

"Hey Elliot, wink, last night I had such a good time. We should meet up again, kissy lips," She looked at Elliot, hoping he’d be fine with it before she’d press the send key.

She asked for his advice and totally threw it out the window. Elliot let out a small huff as he unwrapped the plastic straw of his cranberry juice and poked it into the small box. He didn't think it seemed desperate to text someone first but then again he'd never been in a relationship before, so what did he know? It did feel good though to hear Evie agree with him, made him think that maybe he wasn't a lost case in the romance department. It was also interesting to see how easy Junie caved after hearing Evie give her two cents, why did girls always need second opinions?

He shrugged when Junie asked what to send, he had no clue and texted only a few people regularly. Elliot was interested in what Evie had planned, lord knows he'd heard more than enough of her shenanigans to imagine. Though when she recited the message out loud the boy practically choked on the red juice he was drinking, coughing as he tried to protest. It was too late though and the message had been sent, "You guys are going to get me killed!" He finally sputtered, images of him getting beaten to a pulp flashing through his head. Maybe the guy wouldn't care...oh but what if he told people and then rumors started floating around and all the girls would think he slept around and then no one wanted him - The list kept going on and on as the poor boy slowly began to spiral, though the two girls couldn't see it.

Chewing silently, Junie gleamed in amusement. While Evie’s method was vastly out of character for her, Junie was curious how exactly Ty would react. Before either of them could say their thoughts, or while Elliot was being adorable in an anxious, uncomfortable kind of way, Evie got carried away and sent the text. Shrugging, Junie swallowed her food, grabbed her napkin, and patted her lips. "If anyone is going to die first, I’ll make sure it’s not you two.” Leaning in, her blue, kittenish gaze resting on Elliot’s face, she playfully simpered, "Looks like we’re pretend lovers. We should have brunch more often.”

Pleased with how things turned out, forgetting all about her ruined homework, she elegantly threw her hair behind her shoulder and gave Evie an appreciative and delightful grin, "You’re right, Evie, sweetie, your friend is super cool. I think I’ll keep him.”

He was like a deer in headlights, eyes wide as he just stared at the two girls. After a few moments he just gave a sigh of defeat, there wasn't much he could do at this point. Though when Junie said they were pretend lovers his face became intensely red, "This will all go away in a few days." He couldn't deny that it kind of felt good to have people like him, he'd always been such an awkward and nervous guy that people thought he was weird. He pushed his drooping glasses up higher on his nose, crumbling up the paper wrapper his sandwich had been in.

"Girls are crazy."

Cancelled - until next time family. Thank you for understanding.

While Emilia had wandered off to deliver the last of the drinks in her hand, Josie decided to stay put a little further away. Far enough to not crowd the wounded man, but close enough just to let AJ know that he had another friend in her. However, standing alone wasn’t in her fate for long, before she was joined by a certain someone.

“Quite the tumultuous morning huh?”

You could say that again. Josie, like Nate, let out a burst of nervous laughter. This was their first time talking since prom and… she didn’t know what to say or do. So when Nate decided to continue, Josie listened.

“You’re right,” She nodded. “I’m sorry for making things weirder than it has to be. I don’t want to lose your friendship either…” Nate was a handsome man, and a sweet one to boot, so why couldn’t she feel the same way? The leather jacket around her shoulders sat heavily, reminding her why.

Nate eyed the jacket that the girl had now thrown over her shoulders and was now practically smelling. He let his face fall for just a second too long before he composed it back into a somewhat pleasant smile. But really it was a weak attempt. Of course, he couldn’t measure up to someone like Sami. The guy was built like a fucking tree trunk and he cooked, for god’s sake. And who was he? A hermit who knew his way around a camera.

“Well I’m glad that we’re on the same page finally…” he lied looking around for something to change the subject. When he came up short he settled for: “So… uh… Addie told me to say ‘Hey’” he lied again, Addison had not spoken to him for the good part of a week.

Josie had noticed Nate’s expression, but it had to be because of how much she had been avoiding him, right? At least now they could rekindle their friendship, and Josie was very much willing to admit that she missed Nate’s company. When he mentioned his sister, she perked up. “Oh, really? I’d tell you I say hi back but, er,” She left it hanging with a sheepish smile. “How is she doing anyway? I haven’t been at the inn for a hot minute, so I haven’t been able to check up on Adds myself.”

“Uhm…” the boy hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, she’s kind of mad at me right now actually.” he kicked at some more rocks on the ground. “You know, leaving her alone at home for… the summer.” he wasn’t sure if he was ready to let it be known that he and the van were not returning with the rest of the gang.

Josie remained silent for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. “Is that so… Well, I hope she knows she’s always welcome to crash at my place. Mom loves you guys, probably even more than me.” Addison working at the Pet Inn part time was more than enough for the Durham matriarch to consider her part of the family. “Plus, it’s not like we’ll be gone forever.” Josie let out a nervous laugh that she couldn’t hide. A great journey across the country only to return right back home… what a disappointment.

“Yeah…” he chuckled grimly. “But you’ve met my dad. Not the most fun to be around. So I think she’s gonna pick up a few extra shifts I’m guessing.” he smiled at his regained friend.

But, Josie couldn’t let herself remain glum for long. She’d finally made up with Nate! “Oh, before I forget.” Josie took a step closer to Nate, extending her arm in between them to offer him a look at the small drinks tray she was holding onto. “Got you something special,” Josie kept her eyes trained on his expression, hoping to make him feel better with a little cold treat.

His eyes lit up at the sight of the golden brown liquid in the plastic cup that Josie was holding. She had remembered his favorite drink order: a large ice tea with mint and lemon. “Oh you remembered!” he grinned as he grabbed the ice-cold drink from her. Slurping down the drink he noticed that he was actually parched so he downed most of it in one go.

“How do you think that’s going?” Nathan asked pointing to the small group consisting of Chris, Sami, and Valeria all hugging together. “Think they were able to wrangle the stubborn bull back in? If so we should be good to get going. You riding in the RV?”

Josie pursed her lips as she watched the scene from afar. "Well, based on that smack to the head I'd say so. Think he got off easy compared to AJ." She glanced at AJ's direction briefly again, only to realize he was gone. Understandable, she'd mourn the loss of her future children too if she were in his position.

”I think Emi is going to choose the RV so I gotta look out for her. Y’know, just in case someone says the B word.” A promise was a promise, and the pink-head had no intention of earning the wrath of Nana Hedvig. She wondered what Sami would choose ('N-not that she was trying to follow him around!')

“How about this, we hang out once we reach Vegas. Make up for all that lost time, deal?” She didn’t want to abandon her newly rekindled friendship either. Friendship was hard to maintain when you could barely string a sentence together without sounding like a complete nonce.

“Oh…” he tried to hide his disappointment, but again was probably doing the worst job at doing that. “Yeah, no of course.” he rubbed the back of his head again. “Vegas it is!” he gave her a thumbs-up not really knowing what else to do. “Speaking of Emi… maybe you should go check on her. I’m… uh going warm up the old van so she’s ready to go. Talk to you later yeah?” he spun around quickly and headed to the van.

“Bu...t..." Before Josie could finish, Nate was already gone. She had noticed the disappointment and immediately felt like that nonce again. It was like prom all over, and here she was hurting someone she thought was dear. “You're a fucking idiot Josephine. Got one hottie into you but you gotta go for the one that probably only considers you a friend." Josie muttered, sighing to herself. At least she understood how Nate felt at prom because damn did that hurt...

Clicking her tongue, she tore her head away from Nate's van and towards the RV. “Focus on Em, she needs you right now. Your bullshit can wait." A quick pep talk to herself later, Josie returned to her best friend's side.

Meadow University

Academic probation.

To say that Evie was upset was an understatement. As she stumbled out the assembly hall, her mind filled with dizzying thoughts, she found herself taking a stroll to clear her head. Why should she have to be punished for an event she couldn't even attend?! Undoubtedly had Evie gotten the chance, Evie would have taken part in the Great Bash, but alas that was not the case. Instead, that Saturday evening she had been stuck in LA visiting her maternal grandmother for her birthday.

But the non-attendance wasn't even the only worst part! She was on probation. Evie could admit her grades... weren't the best, but that probation could fuck with any small chance she had at a future. Daddy surely wasn't going to be impressed hearing about the probation. She could feel her phone buzz incessantly, for once driving her insane. Did he already hear about it? God, she hoped not.

There was something about a video, Evie knew that much, that was the cause of this all. The chatter all around her in the auditorium as she took her leave was enough to clue her in on that. She pulled out her phone before blankly staring at the wall next to her. What would the uploader title the video anyway? She began to brainstorm, testing any options she thought was viable.

two boys fighting

Nope.

two boys great bash

...Definitely not.

two boys great bash meadows

One glance at the thumbnail showed her more than enough. The auto preview was blurry, but she could tell that the two figures were in the middle of tearing each other's faces off, and the dash of red hair was enough to tell her that she had the right video. She didn't bother clicking on it, however. The last thing she wanted was to witness the violence for herself. Instead, she switched the tab from Youtube to her texts, where she opened her chat with Junie.

Junie 🥰😊🤩
so much violins in this college ugh
violence*
omg im a genious
im so used to typing violins lolll

Finally, Evie decided to check what was causing her phone to blow up more than usual. It was a text from Nate, and a quick scan of it left Evie utterly befuddled...

"But I didn't even go to the bash..." Evie stared down at the screen with a face of confusion. Nope, she was sure her boobs were very much ungroped. Looking around her at her surroundings, she realised she was not the only one to receive the text, the entire yard was filled with buzzing and chatting about a text, which she assumed was about the text from Nate. Suddenly, she felt relieved. Oh, thank god! It wasn't for her, duh! Her panic about the probation was forgotten momentarily for the interesting turn of events.

Instead of texting a response to Nate, she opened her chat with Junie again.

Junie 🥰😊🤩
omg did get the txt
wait
of course udid lol nvm

Evie slipped her phone back into her skirt pocket when she decided she had enough of being on her lonesome. Another quick scan of her surroundings later and she found a familiar silhouette, with his back to her. She snuck up behind the figure before reaching up and pretending to cover Elliot's eyes (taking great care not to smudge the lens of his glasses) with her hands.

"Hello! Or, should I say, cello."