@karamonnom Karaaaaa! Haven't seen you in a hot minute!
AlteredTundra
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I saw a one-legged man at the ATM. He was checking his balance.
3 mos ago
- Last Seen: 2 days ago
- Old Guild Username: Altered Tundra
- Joined: 11 yrs ago
- Posts: 10692 (2.71 / day)
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3 mos ago
Current
I saw a one-legged man at the ATM. He was checking his balance.
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4 mos ago
Where do bad rainbows go? To a prism. It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect.
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4 mos ago
@LG aw hell yeah! Keepin my eye out for it for sure!
5 mos ago
How do you find Will Smith in the snow? You look for his fresh prints.
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5 mos ago
tfw the colonies have better healthcare than the mainland
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Most Recent Posts
In
Olympus Academy // A School For Demigods and Demigoddesses — Recruitment Thread
→
5 yrs ago
Forum: Casual Interest Checks
To those interested, PM me for the discord link.
In
Olympus Academy // A School For Demigods and Demigoddesses — Recruitment Thread
→
5 yrs ago
Forum: Casual Interest Checks
 ......................... | Olympus Academy, the school that which caters to the many children of the ancient Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology, is a very expansive, spacious town-sized campus hidden among the Colorado Rockies. Hidden away from just about anyone who may want to harm these Demigod and Demigoddesses in-training. It is protected by a powerful barrier crafted by the Goddess of Magic herself, Hecate. The only people who would even have the knowledge to do anything about it (weaken it, strengthen it) are the headmaster and headmistress of Olympus Academy. In the past when Olympus Academy was first established in the ancient Greece times, it was only limited to the children of The Olympus Twelve, but in recent times, it has expanded to other gods and goddesses who aren't apart of the Olympus Twelve. This was a sign that things were changing up on Mount Olympus and that possible change was in the distance, though the exact nature of that change remains to be unclear. As a campus, OA prides itself in offering these teenagers and young adults, who age anywhere from sweet sixteen to their mid-twenties, everything they would need so they wouldn't go completely out of their mind. With the territory extending anywhere from the Demi Apartments to the Colorado Rockies, they are free to go wherever as long as they stay within the barrier. There are various subjects for them to take (that aren't manditory, of course). Activities of both mortal and non-mortal sorts are available to them, but that's not the only thing this campus offers. The powers that be really wanted to make sure they felt like it was like living in a real town, so there are cafes and restuarants and even opportunities to get involved with the staff. Anything and everything is at their disposal. As long as they don't break the rules, these Demigods and Demigoddesses are free to do as they please. Despite it being a school for the Demigods, Olympus Academy has all the drama that is in any other high school. With every single Demigod having one parent who has probably wronged - or been wronged - by more than one god or goddess, there is bound to be a whole bunch of confrontations. With teenagers and young adults being the main source of the attendence, it’s not out of the question to see violence, drugs, and probably the most common thing, alcohol. The staff aren’t prone to the drama either. They are, after all, adults themselves - and all adults need some kind of drama in their life, even if they should set an example for the students. |  ......................... |
Hello and welcome to Olympus Academy, a Greek Demigod Roleplay. The lore is loosely based off of the novels written by Rick Riordan. It is completely AU to the books, its universe, and anything that may have been mentioned in it, but the ideas presented from them serve as inspiration for this roleplay.
Speaking of, in this roleplay, you will be playing a Demigod aged anywhere from 16-24. Each demigod will be a reflection of their Godly parent, but I encourage you to take all creative liberties. I encourage you to think outside the box and be unique in your character creation. This RP will present you will multiple opportunities to create your own stories while being able to participate in GM-created, non-linear plotlines. At its core, it will be a character-driven roleplay until a point in a game-wide event is created. This, of course, will be inspired by what kind of characters are submitted and how they may shape the overall scope of the story.
An additional thing to note: the school's colors are dark orange, red, and white and Olympus Academy's mascot is the prided Pegasus of Olympus.
Speaking of, in this roleplay, you will be playing a Demigod aged anywhere from 16-24. Each demigod will be a reflection of their Godly parent, but I encourage you to take all creative liberties. I encourage you to think outside the box and be unique in your character creation. This RP will present you will multiple opportunities to create your own stories while being able to participate in GM-created, non-linear plotlines. At its core, it will be a character-driven roleplay until a point in a game-wide event is created. This, of course, will be inspired by what kind of characters are submitted and how they may shape the overall scope of the story.
An additional thing to note: the school's colors are dark orange, red, and white and Olympus Academy's mascot is the prided Pegasus of Olympus.
The campus, as well as the surrounding environment, of Olympus Academy has been a natural phenomenon for not only ancient creatures often associated in Greek Mythology, but also the First Demigods. It started out as a small batch of cabins that were dedicated to The First Demis, but over the years - especially in the last five decades - the land expanded from cabins to a full-fledged campus that catered to so many different areas of student life. What was initially a place for these half-mortal, half-godly beings to hone their abilities has evolved into a place where these young adults could not only improve their control over their abilities, but they could also get the required education they need.
Whether they get battle experience and participate in power training at the Ares Colleseum that's directly across from the main student building where any class that doesn't have to do with the honing of the physical condition or power usage and control classes, those classes are taught across campus at the Chimera Training Facility, which contains a full gymnasium, weight room, and showers for all genders.
And as important as those locations are, the very first thing that anyone will see, especially the students, is where they will be sleeping and storing all of their belongings. This place is, of course, the Hestia Housing Buildings. Simply put, it is a large apartment building that has several apartments where the Demigods and Demigoddesses all live at. Each "apartment" has two rooms, a bathroom, and an adequately-sized living room and kitchen. Outside, there is a lounge, a few pools spread throughout, and a large parking lot for those who may have automobiles.
Spread throughout the campus are various restaurants, though the most notable one is the Apollo Cafe that's both catering to casual, if not somewhat artisanal culinary experiences, as well as a regular hangout for the more artistic types. There are quite the amount of these cafes throughout the campus because of the size of the campus, they had to put in a few more due to the only cafe getting overcrowded too often.
Outside the campus away from the buildings and semi-modern architecture, the nature environment is among some of the more serene aspect of Olympus Academy. Anywhere from The Mystic Forest, which houses some of the rarest and friendliest creatures (various nymphs and the like) roam freely. It is known that these creatures are friends to the Demigods unless they do something to prompt a defensive action. Deep within the forest is a lake so clear and blue that if you look deep into it, you can see your own reflection and the reflection of whatever is in the sky. this lake is named after a famous water nymph, Naiades. Beyond the forest are the surrounding Colorado Rockies, which have a series of long, winding roads that lead to and from Olympus Academy.
Whether they get battle experience and participate in power training at the Ares Colleseum that's directly across from the main student building where any class that doesn't have to do with the honing of the physical condition or power usage and control classes, those classes are taught across campus at the Chimera Training Facility, which contains a full gymnasium, weight room, and showers for all genders.
And as important as those locations are, the very first thing that anyone will see, especially the students, is where they will be sleeping and storing all of their belongings. This place is, of course, the Hestia Housing Buildings. Simply put, it is a large apartment building that has several apartments where the Demigods and Demigoddesses all live at. Each "apartment" has two rooms, a bathroom, and an adequately-sized living room and kitchen. Outside, there is a lounge, a few pools spread throughout, and a large parking lot for those who may have automobiles.
Spread throughout the campus are various restaurants, though the most notable one is the Apollo Cafe that's both catering to casual, if not somewhat artisanal culinary experiences, as well as a regular hangout for the more artistic types. There are quite the amount of these cafes throughout the campus because of the size of the campus, they had to put in a few more due to the only cafe getting overcrowded too often.
Outside the campus away from the buildings and semi-modern architecture, the nature environment is among some of the more serene aspect of Olympus Academy. Anywhere from The Mystic Forest, which houses some of the rarest and friendliest creatures (various nymphs and the like) roam freely. It is known that these creatures are friends to the Demigods unless they do something to prompt a defensive action. Deep within the forest is a lake so clear and blue that if you look deep into it, you can see your own reflection and the reflection of whatever is in the sky. this lake is named after a famous water nymph, Naiades. Beyond the forest are the surrounding Colorado Rockies, which have a series of long, winding roads that lead to and from Olympus Academy.
Rules of OA
Character Rules
There are only going to be two characters per person max. No exceptions to be made for this rule, so use your slots wisely.
At the start, there will be only two Demi children per godly parent with the potential to add more to them should the slots fill up faster than I may anticipate. Or if there's a demand for it. Whichever comes first, it will happen at some point.
Due to the nature of this roleplay and how likely it is that mature themes are to be expected, do not be alarmed if there are going to be possible triggers, mature themes such as sexual acts and the like are present.
Like previous incarnations of the roleplay, this roleplay will only be accepting real life face claims (images that are literally claiming the face of someone for your character). Sources to consider: models of various makes, celebrities, actors, musicians, certain stock photos (not encouraged, though), youtubers, etc. Drawn or non-real life images won't be accepted.
As an addition to the above rule, when casting/searching for face claims, keep in mind of your character's age and ask yourself "can they pass for this age?" The ages are quite widespread (16-24), so you have a plethora of choices to consider.
At the start, there will be only two Demi children per godly parent with the potential to add more to them should the slots fill up faster than I may anticipate. Or if there's a demand for it. Whichever comes first, it will happen at some point.
Due to the nature of this roleplay and how likely it is that mature themes are to be expected, do not be alarmed if there are going to be possible triggers, mature themes such as sexual acts and the like are present.
Like previous incarnations of the roleplay, this roleplay will only be accepting real life face claims (images that are literally claiming the face of someone for your character). Sources to consider: models of various makes, celebrities, actors, musicians, certain stock photos (not encouraged, though), youtubers, etc. Drawn or non-real life images won't be accepted.
As an addition to the above rule, when casting/searching for face claims, keep in mind of your character's age and ask yourself "can they pass for this age?" The ages are quite widespread (16-24), so you have a plethora of choices to consider.
IC Rules
This roleplay, technically, operates under the tag of "High Casual", but don't let that scare you off. There is just going to be an expected level of quality, though not by much. Two paragraphs per post are the only minimum as well as a decent grasp of the English language.
Olympus Academy will divide itself equally between a slice of liveliness and fantastical mythology happenings (creature attacks, plots connected to Greek Mythology, etc), so expect a bit of both worlds to collide at some point.
GM Events will be created to keep things flowing, but aside that, this will very much be a character-driven roleplay. Relations between characters and communication is key.
Collabs are likely to happen but do not let them limit you. They won't be required nor will they be expected to happen. If slowness happens, then it happens. That is the nature of roleplays.
Posting orders and days in-between posts are nonexistent here. As long as you don't massively-machine-gun post or hold people up for longer than a month, we won't have any problems.
Olympus Academy will divide itself equally between a slice of liveliness and fantastical mythology happenings (creature attacks, plots connected to Greek Mythology, etc), so expect a bit of both worlds to collide at some point.
GM Events will be created to keep things flowing, but aside that, this will very much be a character-driven roleplay. Relations between characters and communication is key.
Collabs are likely to happen but do not let them limit you. They won't be required nor will they be expected to happen. If slowness happens, then it happens. That is the nature of roleplays.
Posting orders and days in-between posts are nonexistent here. As long as you don't massively-machine-gun post or hold people up for longer than a month, we won't have any problems.
OOC Rule
There's only one rule I'm going to give for OOC things: don't be a dick. I can't stress enough how much this will piss me off. It's okay to jokingly be a dick and banter and all that, but for the love of god, don't be a dick unironically. If you have a problem with a player, don't make snide comments about them. Tell me and hopefully we can work something out. I'll talk to you. I'll talk to them. I'll try and find some common ground, boot them -whatever. Bottom line, don't create drama that isn't necessary. In shorter terms, no OOC drama is the best case scenario. I don't want to be the tyrant GM, but I will if I must.
Current Roster
Available Slots: Male • Six Male slots available || Female • One Female slot available
Children of Zeus
Liam Kruger • 20, Fourth Year • Heterosexual • Sage Northcutt • Portrayed by @Caasicam
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Bee[/color]
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Bee[/color]
Children of Hera
Avem Vogel • 23, Seventh Year • Bisexual King • Nila Kuiper • Played by @Rockette
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Moro[/color]
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Moro[/color]
Children of Poseidon
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Moro[/color]
Rhea Franky Psomas • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual • Zendaya Coleman • Played by @Write
Rhea Franky Psomas • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual • Zendaya Coleman • Played by @Write
Children of Hades
Marcella Aveline Bonaparte • 20, Fifth Year • Heterosexual/Dallas-Sexual(?) • Lucy Hale • Played by @Write
Children of Ares
Jonas Alexander Highwind • 20, Fifth Year • Heterosexual • Alexander Iquinta • Played by @HereComesTheSnow
Danaye Harada • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual Warrior • Tao Okamoto • Played by @Plank Sinatra
Danaye Harada • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual Warrior • Tao Okamoto • Played by @Plank Sinatra
Children of Athena
Haluk Osman Erdoğan • 22, Sixth Year • Heterosexual • Çagatay Ulusoy • Portrayed by @Inkarnate
Rebekah Anne Cross • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual Tactician • Katie McGrath • Played by @Krayzikk
Rebekah Anne Cross • 19, Fourth Year • Bisexual Tactician • Katie McGrath • Played by @Krayzikk
Children of Apollo
Dallas Brett Relo • 20, Fifth Year • Interstellar Pansexual Pervert • Greg Nawrat • Played by @Plank Sinatra
Vivian Diana Lucasta • 18, Third Year • Bisexual Sunflower • AnnaSophia Robb • Played by @Altered Tundra
Vivian Diana Lucasta • 18, Third Year • Bisexual Sunflower • AnnaSophia Robb • Played by @Altered Tundra
Hunters and Huntresses of Artemis
Kelsey Claire Marston • 21, Fifth Year • Bixexual on the Prowl • Madison Lintz • Played by @NeoAJ
Children of Dionysus
Kazuma Adachihara • 21, Fifth Year • Gay for the fight; straight for everything else • Satō Takeru • Portrayed by @Onarax
Dustyn Taylor Flint • 21, Fifth Year • Bisexual • Tove Lo • Played by @MissCapnCrunch
Dustyn Taylor Flint • 21, Fifth Year • Bisexual • Tove Lo • Played by @MissCapnCrunch
Children of Hephaestus
Children of Hermes
Mia Sibhoan Riley • 19, Fourth Year • It's a Secret • Ryan Newman • Portrayed by @NeoAJ
Children of Demeter
Luciana Valeria Hansen • 20, Fourth Year • Homosexual Hottie • Carmella Rose • Portrayed by @Allycat
Children of Aphrodite
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Crimson Raven[/color]
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Bee[/color]
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @Bee[/color]
Children of Hecate
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @HaleyTheRandom[/color]
Children of Khione
[color=]Name[/color] • [color=]Age, Year[/color] • [color=]Sexual Orientation[/color] • [color=]Face Claim[/color] • [color=]Portrayed by @HaleyTheRandom[/color]
Children of Nyx
Damien Morpheus Black • 21, Fifth Year • Heterosexual • Jamie Campbell Bower • Played by @Altered Tundra
Emma Laurant • 21, Fifth Year • Pansexual • Conceptualized Face Claim/Faceless Portraits • Played by @Rockette
Emma Laurant • 21, Fifth Year • Pansexual • Conceptualized Face Claim/Faceless Portraits • Played by @Rockette
An Old Book Misread — Set Your Goals — Mutiny! (Deluxe Edition)
Snow (Hey Oh) — Red Hot Chili Peppers — Stadium Arcadium
Help is on the Way — Sixx A.M. — This is Gonna Hurt
Mythology (Live/Acoustic Version) — Versa(Emerge) — Live/Acoustic EP
Crazy in Love — Eminem — Encore
Never Be What You Want — We Are The In Crowd — Guaranteed to Disagree
A Question of Heaven (Live at Hard Rock Festival 2008) — Iced Earth — Festivals of the Wicked
Sex Life — Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows — D.R.U.G.S.
Time Travel — Never Shout Never — Time Travel
Heartless - Swinghouse Session 2008 (Kanye West Cover) — The Fray — Heartless
Snow (Hey Oh) — Red Hot Chili Peppers — Stadium Arcadium
Help is on the Way — Sixx A.M. — This is Gonna Hurt
Mythology (Live/Acoustic Version) — Versa(Emerge) — Live/Acoustic EP
Crazy in Love — Eminem — Encore
Never Be What You Want — We Are The In Crowd — Guaranteed to Disagree
A Question of Heaven (Live at Hard Rock Festival 2008) — Iced Earth — Festivals of the Wicked
Sex Life — Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows — D.R.U.G.S.
Time Travel — Never Shout Never — Time Travel
Heartless - Swinghouse Session 2008 (Kanye West Cover) — The Fray — Heartless
Drea left the cabana a little earlier than the others. After such an eventful afternoon of hanging out with Zay and the others (though mainly she stuck close to Jade unsurprisingly), she wanted to get an early start to the bonfire in the evening. So she showered first, got dressed first, and said her goodbyes first. Part of her reasoning for being the first one out was to getting ahead of the curve so she could see just how great of a display Rachel’s first official party was. She had known that woman to be on the same level as a grand showman. Her need to go big every time was astonishing at the least and incredible at most.
As the blonde walked closer to the beach in a light blue, strapless top and light pink jean shorts, what she saw was certainly quite the setup. Of course, per the original advertisement, there was a gigantic bonfire Rachel had to have gigantic speakers on the beach of all places. Drea didn’t know why she was surprised by this, but the fact that she had even an ounce of shock in her initial reaction showed how Drea underestimated her dear friend.
“It’s quite the display, isn’t it?” A male’s voice said as he approached Drea from the left, causing the blonde to momentarily jump a couple of inches.
Drea sighed, relieved somewhat that it wasn’t Zayden sneaking up on her. “Michel, how many times have I told you never to startle me like that.” She rolled her eyes at him, looking up due to the astronomical height difference between them.
“Sorry, shorty.” He cackled, eyes returning to the bonfire and the not-so-subtle VIP tent not far away from it. “Absolutely ridiculous, isn’t it?” He mused aloud, shaking his head.
“I forgot you’re not a fan of these sort of parties.”
“I can be if the company is right.”
That was a sentiment that she could agree with, probably more than she was letting on. And just as Michel seemed to be scanning the area for someone specific, Drea was also doing the same. After almost a minute of silently searching through the crowds of people, the one person she was trying to find didn’t seem to be around. And Michel’s search was about the same as he broke the silence with an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, I suppose we shouldn’t put this off any longer, then.” Michel spoke as he walked forward. “I’ll be seeing you, Lil D.” He left her with a small wink.
That one comment was enough to get under her skin but she didn’t let it bother -- at least, not until Michel was out of range where she could fully fume to herself about how much she hated being called by any name that poked fun at her height. She knew she was short, so why did everyone around her feel the need to remind her of that? It was easily the one thing that was a guaranteed success to get under her skin. Some people did it playfully and she usually clapped back at them in good spirits, but there were others -- not Michel -- who did it with the intent of insulting her.
And that was something she couldn’t stand.
“You’re good, Drea. You’re good. Just walk and be fabulous!”
Drea repeated those words a few times so she was calm by the time she had reached the VIP tent. She wouldn’t stop to greet anyone. She saw Michel finally make his way to the tent but she avoided him. She didn’t want to risk it, so she avoided him. Instead, she took a seat at the bar, collapsing her head and arms onto the countertop, sighing somewhat dramatically. Maybe she made the mistake of coming first and not leaving with Jade and the others. It would have been a lot less stressful after running into Michel for those few minutes she spent talking to him.
After a minute of feeling sorry for herself (again), she propped her head onto one of her hands and waved her other at the bartender. “Pina colada.” She said half-interested in whatever the bartender said in return. She instead turned around, brandishing half of a smile as she spotted a few familiar faces.
Yeah, Drea Banks sure had a great start to this party. It can only go up from here, right?
As the blonde walked closer to the beach in a light blue, strapless top and light pink jean shorts, what she saw was certainly quite the setup. Of course, per the original advertisement, there was a gigantic bonfire Rachel had to have gigantic speakers on the beach of all places. Drea didn’t know why she was surprised by this, but the fact that she had even an ounce of shock in her initial reaction showed how Drea underestimated her dear friend.
“It’s quite the display, isn’t it?” A male’s voice said as he approached Drea from the left, causing the blonde to momentarily jump a couple of inches.
Drea sighed, relieved somewhat that it wasn’t Zayden sneaking up on her. “Michel, how many times have I told you never to startle me like that.” She rolled her eyes at him, looking up due to the astronomical height difference between them.
“Sorry, shorty.” He cackled, eyes returning to the bonfire and the not-so-subtle VIP tent not far away from it. “Absolutely ridiculous, isn’t it?” He mused aloud, shaking his head.
“I forgot you’re not a fan of these sort of parties.”
“I can be if the company is right.”
That was a sentiment that she could agree with, probably more than she was letting on. And just as Michel seemed to be scanning the area for someone specific, Drea was also doing the same. After almost a minute of silently searching through the crowds of people, the one person she was trying to find didn’t seem to be around. And Michel’s search was about the same as he broke the silence with an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, I suppose we shouldn’t put this off any longer, then.” Michel spoke as he walked forward. “I’ll be seeing you, Lil D.” He left her with a small wink.
That one comment was enough to get under her skin but she didn’t let it bother -- at least, not until Michel was out of range where she could fully fume to herself about how much she hated being called by any name that poked fun at her height. She knew she was short, so why did everyone around her feel the need to remind her of that? It was easily the one thing that was a guaranteed success to get under her skin. Some people did it playfully and she usually clapped back at them in good spirits, but there were others -- not Michel -- who did it with the intent of insulting her.
And that was something she couldn’t stand.
“You’re good, Drea. You’re good. Just walk and be fabulous!”
Drea repeated those words a few times so she was calm by the time she had reached the VIP tent. She wouldn’t stop to greet anyone. She saw Michel finally make his way to the tent but she avoided him. She didn’t want to risk it, so she avoided him. Instead, she took a seat at the bar, collapsing her head and arms onto the countertop, sighing somewhat dramatically. Maybe she made the mistake of coming first and not leaving with Jade and the others. It would have been a lot less stressful after running into Michel for those few minutes she spent talking to him.
After a minute of feeling sorry for herself (again), she propped her head onto one of her hands and waved her other at the bartender. “Pina colada.” She said half-interested in whatever the bartender said in return. She instead turned around, brandishing half of a smile as she spotted a few familiar faces.
Yeah, Drea Banks sure had a great start to this party. It can only go up from here, right?
When he had ventured away from the short blonde, Michel took his time to appreciate the sights. First, he was keen on taking in the sights of the beach. With the light from the bonfire illuminating some of the darkness that partial night had created, he was able to spot the oranges and reds reflecting in the shallow portion of the ocean and continuously creating an almost holographic effect every time the waves had washed against the sandy shores.
This was probably the part of this trip that Michel was going to enjoy most. He didn’t have a particular lean to parties, but the elaborate rich people parties where over the top booze was sold and even more over the top people were present, the luxury rebel Michel Russo preferred to appreciate the scenery. He also liked the bonfire and the crackling sounds of thick wood burning slowly. It was a tower that would last for hours, which only meant the sole reason as to why he procrastinated from joining the others in the VIP tent remained.
After all, solace was peaceful when it wasn’t contaminated by fuckboys and their girlfriends.
“Just a few more minutes.” He said to himself.
Michel would keep his promise. After a few more minutes of smiling into the transitioning darkness of the ocean, he turned away and soon went into the tent. The bouncer gave him no trouble and he was soon mingling with those who appeared to be like him. He was dressed in something quite comfortable. He wore a black T that was made from such thin materials that it didn’t even feel like he was wearing a shirt and his shorts were simply silver. He had slip-on slippers as well because as much as he took care of himself, Michel was insecure about his feet.
As he roamed the spacious tent, he didn’t engage in deep conversation with anyone. If he was approached, he smiled, talked to that person for a bit, but mainly, Michel just kept to his own devices. He ordered a drink from a waiter, which happened to be a glass of Jack on the Rocks. It wasn’t that he was antisocial. Michel could be the life of the party if he wanted to. He could be someone that talked to someone for hours if he felt like it, but that was the thing: Michel didn’t feel like talking to anyone. And more importantly, he didn’t see anyone of interest that would remove him from his bubble of solace.
...At least, that wasn’t until he saw her. Indira Kashyap, the best friend of someone that Michel got to know very well a couple of weeks ago. The three of them had a lot of fun on that yacht. Some of that fun too mature to mention to anyone who wasn’t part of that particular threesome. Michel still had very fond memories about it, but he lamented of the time that went between them not speaking. It wasn’t that he blamed either of them from avoiding him. He was, of course, too busy to think about how they ghosted him, but now that he wasn’t, it was about time he ended the silence between at least one of them.
So, soon Michel had found himself approaching the bar where a few others were hanging about. Drea was near but not near enough to be a concern of his, though he did give her a wave when he saw her. He saw Theodore, who was the target of whatever Indira was doing.
He snuck up behind her, something that Michel apparently liked doing today. “So this is what it’s like being on the other end of one of your videos.” He said, looking directly into the camera as he hovered over Indira’s shoulder, smiling at both those who were watching her live feed and at Indira herself. “Yo, I'm Michel Russo, a dear friend of Indie here.” Michel gave her followers a peace sign with his right hand. He had to keep up appearances, ya know?
This was probably the part of this trip that Michel was going to enjoy most. He didn’t have a particular lean to parties, but the elaborate rich people parties where over the top booze was sold and even more over the top people were present, the luxury rebel Michel Russo preferred to appreciate the scenery. He also liked the bonfire and the crackling sounds of thick wood burning slowly. It was a tower that would last for hours, which only meant the sole reason as to why he procrastinated from joining the others in the VIP tent remained.
After all, solace was peaceful when it wasn’t contaminated by fuckboys and their girlfriends.
“Just a few more minutes.” He said to himself.
Michel would keep his promise. After a few more minutes of smiling into the transitioning darkness of the ocean, he turned away and soon went into the tent. The bouncer gave him no trouble and he was soon mingling with those who appeared to be like him. He was dressed in something quite comfortable. He wore a black T that was made from such thin materials that it didn’t even feel like he was wearing a shirt and his shorts were simply silver. He had slip-on slippers as well because as much as he took care of himself, Michel was insecure about his feet.
As he roamed the spacious tent, he didn’t engage in deep conversation with anyone. If he was approached, he smiled, talked to that person for a bit, but mainly, Michel just kept to his own devices. He ordered a drink from a waiter, which happened to be a glass of Jack on the Rocks. It wasn’t that he was antisocial. Michel could be the life of the party if he wanted to. He could be someone that talked to someone for hours if he felt like it, but that was the thing: Michel didn’t feel like talking to anyone. And more importantly, he didn’t see anyone of interest that would remove him from his bubble of solace.
...At least, that wasn’t until he saw her. Indira Kashyap, the best friend of someone that Michel got to know very well a couple of weeks ago. The three of them had a lot of fun on that yacht. Some of that fun too mature to mention to anyone who wasn’t part of that particular threesome. Michel still had very fond memories about it, but he lamented of the time that went between them not speaking. It wasn’t that he blamed either of them from avoiding him. He was, of course, too busy to think about how they ghosted him, but now that he wasn’t, it was about time he ended the silence between at least one of them.
So, soon Michel had found himself approaching the bar where a few others were hanging about. Drea was near but not near enough to be a concern of his, though he did give her a wave when he saw her. He saw Theodore, who was the target of whatever Indira was doing.
He snuck up behind her, something that Michel apparently liked doing today. “So this is what it’s like being on the other end of one of your videos.” He said, looking directly into the camera as he hovered over Indira’s shoulder, smiling at both those who were watching her live feed and at Indira herself. “Yo, I'm Michel Russo, a dear friend of Indie here.” Michel gave her followers a peace sign with his right hand. He had to keep up appearances, ya know?
The three Blake Siblings: Nathaniel, Hannah, and Patricia have always been ones to take prolonged journeys through Los Angeles. Some days when they have the time to spare, they will take strolls down Santa Monica Pier, or take a tour down Sunset Boulevard and see all of the stars down Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. they have even been known to go all the way up to Mountain Hollywood and camp overnight (even though it’s technically illegal). Honestly, the three of them just love the city and when both of their parents are out of town on business and their maids can’t be bothered to keep track of them, the three of them go everywhere together.
And on a sunny Friday afternoon, they were out of school and wanting to do something exciting, but there was one problem: they were hungry. So in typical Nate, the Great, fashion, he suggested they go to his favorite diner.
“The Sunshine Diner again?” Hannah whined because she knew why he wanted to go there. It wasn’t because of the food or the history. He wanted to see his girlfriend-not-girlfriend, the pretty brunette waitress.
Hannah was always one to call Nathaniel out on his logic. She was the only one who had the stones to do it. Patricia, bless her heart, was too timid and lacked the assertive gene to do it herself, though she did share the same annoyances as her older sister. Nate, on the other hand, always used the same card any time Hannah protested.
“If you don’t wanna go, you can take the bus. In fact, there’s a bus stop down the street. I can just dine with my favorite sister!” He stuck his tongue out at her immaturely.
The middle sibling threw up her hands into the air and silently followed Nate and Trish as they walked down the street and entered Sunshine Diner. The aroma of the classic home cooked meals immediately assaulted their senses roughly and Nate welcomed it with an empty stomach and a credit card given to him by his mother that was to be used for emergencies only.
And, like the irresponsible person he was, he took it out.
“Mom’s gonna kill you.”
“Shush! I’m getting us a booth!”
And as they were seated, Hannah sitting opposite of Nate and Patricia, Nate spotted her. Perfect skin, beautiful brown hair, and the cutest round cheeks. It’s been weeks since he has been coming here and it was always with his siblings. He has been lucky enough that Mandy was his/their waitress every time. Almost as though a higher power was helping a bro out.
“Oh god, here she comes!” Nate started to panic. “Both of you, act natural!”
“You mean like a customer? On it, big brother!”
As Miranda approached her next customers, she was having a hard time keeping her ‘happy’ face on as she thought about all her stresses and worries. From her anxiety toward her roller derby match that would happen later on this day to her sister bringing up news that she didn’t really know how to take, Mandy was having a hard time being her usual self. Welcoming and full of pleasantries.
Her team was called the Jawbreakers and so far, they were in second place. Her personal nickname on the ring was ‘One Hit Wonder’ because it only takes one hit to knock her opponent out of the match, for good. Most of her opponents fly away like a bat from hell, fearing her reputation. Yet, most don’t even witness her knock someone out. Did she live up to her reputation? Attend one of her matches. You’ll see.
As for her personal drama, her sister had made a proposition of them transferring to an elitist school because she found someone that would pay for their education to go there. Why the fuck would she accept that? Their mom may not be working at the moment, bed ridden with grief and sadness, but that didn’t mean they should or would whore themselves off to some rich boy, all for what? Because now her SISTER had ‘a rich boyfriend’? Yeah, right. That wasn’t going to last long. Not by a long shot. And Mandy had PRIDE. They’d have to do way more to convince her because just asking her to accept it was fucking dumb. No one accepted money like that from a stranger! Especially NOT her.
Before she approached the familiar faces she knew by name, she took a deep breath in and then out. Once she gained her composure, she glided to them with her skates. Smoothly and without any struggle. She spun and twirled around the other staff members of the diner, as if she was dancing in the sky around clouds. Effortlessly and in her element.
She was the only waitress that wore her skates every shift, since she had confidence in her skills and NEVER fell. Without a notepad, as usual, she came to an abrupt halt in front of Nate and his siblings, “Are we going to get the usual or try something new?” She let the question linger, before continuing, “BTDUBS, good morning. Patricia, Hannah... Nate. It’s nice to see you!” Her customer voice was off. There was a hint of exhaustion and annoyance, but she tried her best to hide it with a bright smile plastered on her pale face.
He was frozen where he sat. And speechless, at that. That was how you knew Nathaniel Blake had it bad (whatever “it” was, at least). He smiled, of course and gave Mandy a wide one. A laugh followed only so that he could transition his way into something that resembled coherent words but whenever he opened his mouth, the only thing that came out was gibberish, to which furthered the-already-at-peak annoyance Hannah had.
And at the moment she kicked him from under the table top, he grunted, shot her a glare, but it also did what it needed. “It’s great to see you too, Mandy! You’re looking beautiful as ever!” As those words left his mouth, he had hoped the cheek-to-cheek grin was enough of a mask to cover up how utterly stupid he was feeling at the moment.
“Excuse him. It’s been a very long day. He fell asleep on a rock last night.” Hannah commented. She didn’t know why she had to be the one to always excuse him. It was only when he was near Mandy here that he lost all sense of acting like a normal human being. “Anyways, I think we’ll just take the usual: pancakes with the works for me, pastrami on rye for Trish, and,the triple bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato curly fries for my brother here. And, I guess three milkshakes since, well, it’s a diner and everything. Might as well go the whole nine yards.”
“Right.” Mandy disregarded the compliment that the boy gave her, thinking he was just saying it out of politeness and not because she was actually attractive. Before she could dismiss herself, dainty hands touched her shoulders. Poking her head from behind, a friend and a fellow waitress at the diner decided to invite herself into the conversation.
“Consider getting today’s pie! I’ve been teaching her how to bake and I’d say today’s special is extra delicious.” The cute girl, with half of her hair in a fountain ponytail and the rest down, pink lipstick on, and light green eyes that could brighten anyone’s day, read the situation and decided it was in her job description to intervene. “She’s too embarrassed to advertise that she made the pies! It’s blueberry.” The small girl, especially in comparison to Mandy, winked at the boy, giving him an opportunity to make her friend feel special.
“Leyla, don’t you have tables to wait?” Mandy brushed the bubbly girl off of her, who in return crossed her arms and ‘hmpfed’.
“I’m on my 15! Thank you very much.” With exasperated eyes, and a heavy sigh escaping her lips, Mandy dully blinked at the girl, who was wasting her break to cling to her and do… whatever she was doing.
“I don’t think we’ve had the blueberry yet.” Nate thought on that for a moment. They have been coming to the Sunshine Diner for so long and frequently at that, he could recall just about every desert item they’ve tried, but the blueberry pie wasn’t one of them. Then it was at that moment, when Nate’s smile made its way across the table that his mind was made up. “We’ll take three slices of the blueberry pie as well!” He would inform Mandy without talking to his siblings, an act that earned him a sigh from Hannah and a small laugh from Trisha.
“Wonderful!” Leyla punched Mandy’s arm, which was rewarded with a death glare.
“Okay. Pancakes, the works. Pastrami on rye. Triple bacon cheeseburger, with a side of sweet potato curly fries, three milkshakes—” When she said the flavors, she looked at the person it belonged to, first Hannah, “Chocolate and vanilla swirl,” then Trisha, “Strawvberry,” and lastly, Nate, “Good ol’ vanilla—”
“And three blueberry pies!”
“Yes… I’ll get that to you guys right away.” Turning around, faster than usual, she quickly dodged Leyla from grabbing onto her arm and skated away.
“Wait for me!” The dork chased the skater girl, who was ten times faster than her, and when she caught up with her she was huffing and puffing. Mandy slapped the counter and repeated the order, before angrily turning to the meddlesome brunette.
Leaning in, Mandy growled, “Why the hell would you make up shit like that? I don’t bake.” Rolling her eyes and giggling, Leyla shrugged, “They bought it. And let’s be real, that boy, he’s sooooooooooooooooooooooooo into you.”
“Your full of shit.”
“Good shit!”
“Stop.”
When Mandy and Leyla walked away, Nate knew this was the perfect time to just watch her from afar. He saw how the two were giggling -- well one was, at least -- and Mandy was doing something that drew him further and further into a daze. He hated how much of a coward he was. All he would have to do was to get up from his seat, walk towards her, and say that he liked her, but when he was within ten yards of her, hell when the thought of seeing her again crossed his mind, Nate was no longer the beacon of confidence he normally was nor did he have his I-don’t-care-what-they-think-about-me attitude. When it was everybody else, he didn’t care because at the end of the day, what the preps at Bev High thought about him didn’t affect how he saw himself.
But with Mandy, it was different. Even if she didn’t know it, what she thought about him and whether she smiled at him or didn’t meant more to him than the thousand opinions of people he barely knew. As to why he felt so strongly for Mandy was a mystery to him. It was one of those unexplainable wonders of life that you just know is right.
“You’re staring again.” Hannah had decided to finally say something after more than a minute passed of seeing her brother watch Mandy like a hawk.
“What?” His delayed response came with absolute confusion.
She shook her head with great annoyance. “I don’t understand you, Nate. Why don’t you just go talk to her? We’ve been coming here for weeks. It’s not like there isn’t a diner near our house. You only come here to see her.”
“Hannah, I don’t think--”
“You’re infatuated with her. Not that I don’t mind it. I’m sure you saying she’s beautiful is very complimenting for her even if she brushes it off, but if you don’t say anything, is it really just fine for you to come here day in and day out just to see her? Are you happy with that one-sided arrangement?” Hannah wasn’t trying to be too blunt. She loved her brother and could see how strong his crush on the waitress was, so maybe she wanted to give him the boost of confidence she had seen him display excessively. “What is it about her that makes you like this? That’s really what I’m asking.”
Nate didn’t have an answer for her right now because he didn’t have it for himself. So he shrugged. “I can’t explain it, Hannah. There’s just something about her. I’m sure you’ve had those kind of crushes. Or if not, you will and you’ll know it’s not as simple as walking up to the person and confessing.” Maybe part of the reason was the potential of rejection, but Nate wasn’t trying to appear sad in front of Mandy. Happy thoughts result in happy smiles!
Placing their milkshakes on a platter, Miranda distressingly took a moment to breathe. Tonight would help her kick her problems out the door, even if it was momentarily. Roller derby usually made her feel good. Everything else, though? Not so much. Work was work and that’s about it. That being said, she needed to keep her personal life out of the diner.
It didn’t help that Leyla was still… there. Talking and talking and talking. “Mandy, come onnnnn. Live a little. Do you do anything besides school and work? And yeah, your derby thing, but you get what I mean! Even if you don’t like him, play a little! If there’s something you should learn from your sister, it’s OKAY to let loose and act, well, your age.”
“Don’t bring up Meg. You know I’m pissed at her. And I’d love to have a life but—”
“He wants a slice of baked heaven. I bet your pie is especially sweet.” Playfully, Leyla did a little shimmy and gave her friend’s bottom a tap.
With that, Mandy laughed out loud. Okay, if her goal was to cheer her up, she was doing a bang up job, especially with that metaphor. Shaking her head, Mandy gave a shy smile, “No way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have customers to serve and your break is just about over.”
Pouting, Leyla grabbed her notepad off the counter and whined, “No fun! One day, Miranda, I’m going to get you a date.”
Waving goodbye to her friend, Mandy chuckled, “Fat chance,” before skating back toward the group of siblings, and looking less gloomy than she was earlier. Whether she was aware of it or not, her friend was medicine to her mood. “Your shakes.” Placing them down one by one, her short hair falling with each motion, the waitress with the glasses gave drinks to their rightful guests. Bringing herself back up, she held the platter close, as she scanned the faces with benevolent warmth, “I’ll bring out your food soon… are you okay?” Mandy asked Nate, noticing something didn’t feel quite right with his demeanor and how he was looking at her.
Nate had his head in the clouds for a good couple of moments. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m great!” He perked up, giving Mandy a smile as well as a slight nod, but then he felt a kick in the shin from Hannah, which prompted him to glare at her. She subtlety jerked her head to him and then to Mandy. At that moment, he knew what she wanted him to do. And he hated how pushy she was being.
“Actually..” Nate spoke up, feeling the pit of his stomach growing deeper and the sinking feeling increasing with it. God, how he hated this.
“Sorry, I gotta use the restroom,” Hannah interrupted Nate, signalling Trisha to follow and she would get out when Nate allowed her to.
Nate scratched the back of his head. “So, uh, how do you like working here?”
Tilting her head, surprised by the question, no one really asked her about her day here, customers that is, Mandy considered how she should reply. “It could be worse.” She shrugged, while looking around at the diner. “A diner that caters to families. With an okay pay. And it hires just about anyone. I don’t hate it, I guess.” It wasn’t like she could be picky. She needed to take care of her family, and this diner was hiring and luckily for her, she could wear her skates. “Why? Do I look like I hate it here?”
Nate shook his head. “What? Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. Quite the opposite! You’re always so friendly. And you’re pretty patient with me on those days that I struggle with what I want. It’s kind of one of the main reasons why I come out here so often. We don’t get that kind of service at the places where I live at” He rubbed the back of his head, smiling at Mandy.
“Thank you?”Puzzled, she responded. “There really isn’t much to it. I’m just doing my job and treating you how you should be treated. Like a decent human being.” The waitress didn’t know where this was going or if he just wanted to check how the working conditions were at Sunshine diner, but hopefully she was providing the information he was seeking. “I guess... sorry you have shitty customer service everywhere else?”
He shrugged. “It’s to be expected. People in Beverly Hills tend to not care about manners.” He sighed. How he wished more places were like Sunshine Diner. “I really wish the waitresses were more like you: just as pretty as they are gracious to their customers. That’s what the food industry needs!”
“Funny…” There he went again, calling her pretty. He did it twice in one sitting. He must pity her. Her apron was dirty, her hair was a mess and barely brushed, and she probably looked like the walking dead from working till midnight last night, right after school. “Beverly Hills, huh? If there’s so many jerks from there, why do you exist?” Maybe her sister’s proposition wasn’t so bad. He didn’t talk highly of the rich from there, but to her, if there were a handful of people like him, it probably could be tolerable. Plus, it seemed like she was the make or break of whatever deal her sister had going on with this rich boy that she, herself, hadn’t met yet. Unknowingly, she came off kind of flirtatious. Although, for her, she was simply speaking her thoughts out loud.
Her comment caught him completely off guard almost to the point where he couldn’t think of anything clever to say back. “I don’t know to tell you the truth, but maybe we can find the answer over dinner sometime?” He smiled and instantly he froze when he realized what he just said. It was too late for him to go back now, so he kept on smiling despite having a lowkey meltdown on the inside.
“M, ORDER UP! TABLE 4.” Unfortunately for Nate, Miranda didn’t fully catch everything he said because at the same time she was called back to work.
“Uh, sorry! I’ll bring out your food shortly.” Cutting their conversation, the girl who thought she was an ugly duckling sped off to take care of the other customers. Creeping out of the blue, leaning behind him on his chair, in another booth, Leyla dramatically sighed, “GODDDD, SHE SUCKS.”
Nate took the chance without realizing that he did. He put himself out there and God herself cockblocked him. Maybe it was a sign? Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Or maybe the chef just really didn’t want to be kept waiting? He could spend the whole day going over all of the ‘what ifs’ and drive himself bonkers in the process. So instead, he’ll let his sisters who conveniently returned from their long trip to the bathroom.
“Hope you two enjoyed that trip.” Nate laughed, rolling his eyes.
“What? We really did have to use the restroom.” Hannah shrugged, feigning complete innocence that Nate wasn’t buying for a second. “But, how were things? Did anything happen?”
He shrugged. “Well, I guess you can say that. I sort of asked her out.”
Immediately, Hannah hit his arm victoriously. “See, I knew you could do it. All you needed was a push in the right direction.”
“Calm down. We were interrupted by the chef -- cook. So she didn’t actually get to give me an answer. So, I don’t know. Probably not meant to be.” Now Nate, who was usually all smiles, looked positively bleak.
Frustrated, as she hid from her work duties, Leyla scribbled something on her notepad, ripped the paper in frustration, stood up, and then walked past their table, placing it with an audible ‘slap’. She then walked away. Damn Mandy! Damn Mandy for being naive! And too much into her head! Now she had to play fairy godmother. On the paper, she wrote: stupid. don’t give up. the dollosseum, every other friday. 7PM. Starting today.
As he read the piece of paper, at first Nate was confused. “Dollosseum? What’s that? Is that some store you buy dolls at?”
“No, it’s a place where you can skate,” Trisha clarified for her brother. “It’s pretty popular. I’ve been there a few times.” When she revealed that, it was quite surprising for her two siblings.
“Skating rink huh..” A familiar sense of dread passed over his body, making its home on his face. “And I’m guessing you have to rollerskate?” He asked, fear laced in with forced positivity.
“Nate, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know how to skate. And now, the only chance to see Mandy, I have to learn.” He swallowed whatever dryness was in his throat. “I can do it! I! Must! Do! It!”
His confidence was back, even if it was mixed in with fear. Nate had no problem doing things he either didn’t know how to or was afraid to. If this was to be his only chance to see her where it wasn’t her place of work and the risk of being interrupted was less than what it was at the diner, then Nathaniel Blake was going to learn how to roller skate.
Wiping down a table, Leyla looked from Mandy serving a table to Nate talking to his siblings. Hopefully, her magic worked! She was rooting for them, even if she didn’t know the guy at all! A guy was a guy and he liked her Mandy, so he must be a good guy.
And on a sunny Friday afternoon, they were out of school and wanting to do something exciting, but there was one problem: they were hungry. So in typical Nate, the Great, fashion, he suggested they go to his favorite diner.
“The Sunshine Diner again?” Hannah whined because she knew why he wanted to go there. It wasn’t because of the food or the history. He wanted to see his girlfriend-not-girlfriend, the pretty brunette waitress.
Hannah was always one to call Nathaniel out on his logic. She was the only one who had the stones to do it. Patricia, bless her heart, was too timid and lacked the assertive gene to do it herself, though she did share the same annoyances as her older sister. Nate, on the other hand, always used the same card any time Hannah protested.
“If you don’t wanna go, you can take the bus. In fact, there’s a bus stop down the street. I can just dine with my favorite sister!” He stuck his tongue out at her immaturely.
The middle sibling threw up her hands into the air and silently followed Nate and Trish as they walked down the street and entered Sunshine Diner. The aroma of the classic home cooked meals immediately assaulted their senses roughly and Nate welcomed it with an empty stomach and a credit card given to him by his mother that was to be used for emergencies only.
And, like the irresponsible person he was, he took it out.
“Mom’s gonna kill you.”
“Shush! I’m getting us a booth!”
And as they were seated, Hannah sitting opposite of Nate and Patricia, Nate spotted her. Perfect skin, beautiful brown hair, and the cutest round cheeks. It’s been weeks since he has been coming here and it was always with his siblings. He has been lucky enough that Mandy was his/their waitress every time. Almost as though a higher power was helping a bro out.
“Oh god, here she comes!” Nate started to panic. “Both of you, act natural!”
“You mean like a customer? On it, big brother!”
As Miranda approached her next customers, she was having a hard time keeping her ‘happy’ face on as she thought about all her stresses and worries. From her anxiety toward her roller derby match that would happen later on this day to her sister bringing up news that she didn’t really know how to take, Mandy was having a hard time being her usual self. Welcoming and full of pleasantries.
Her team was called the Jawbreakers and so far, they were in second place. Her personal nickname on the ring was ‘One Hit Wonder’ because it only takes one hit to knock her opponent out of the match, for good. Most of her opponents fly away like a bat from hell, fearing her reputation. Yet, most don’t even witness her knock someone out. Did she live up to her reputation? Attend one of her matches. You’ll see.
As for her personal drama, her sister had made a proposition of them transferring to an elitist school because she found someone that would pay for their education to go there. Why the fuck would she accept that? Their mom may not be working at the moment, bed ridden with grief and sadness, but that didn’t mean they should or would whore themselves off to some rich boy, all for what? Because now her SISTER had ‘a rich boyfriend’? Yeah, right. That wasn’t going to last long. Not by a long shot. And Mandy had PRIDE. They’d have to do way more to convince her because just asking her to accept it was fucking dumb. No one accepted money like that from a stranger! Especially NOT her.
Before she approached the familiar faces she knew by name, she took a deep breath in and then out. Once she gained her composure, she glided to them with her skates. Smoothly and without any struggle. She spun and twirled around the other staff members of the diner, as if she was dancing in the sky around clouds. Effortlessly and in her element.
She was the only waitress that wore her skates every shift, since she had confidence in her skills and NEVER fell. Without a notepad, as usual, she came to an abrupt halt in front of Nate and his siblings, “Are we going to get the usual or try something new?” She let the question linger, before continuing, “BTDUBS, good morning. Patricia, Hannah... Nate. It’s nice to see you!” Her customer voice was off. There was a hint of exhaustion and annoyance, but she tried her best to hide it with a bright smile plastered on her pale face.
He was frozen where he sat. And speechless, at that. That was how you knew Nathaniel Blake had it bad (whatever “it” was, at least). He smiled, of course and gave Mandy a wide one. A laugh followed only so that he could transition his way into something that resembled coherent words but whenever he opened his mouth, the only thing that came out was gibberish, to which furthered the-already-at-peak annoyance Hannah had.
And at the moment she kicked him from under the table top, he grunted, shot her a glare, but it also did what it needed. “It’s great to see you too, Mandy! You’re looking beautiful as ever!” As those words left his mouth, he had hoped the cheek-to-cheek grin was enough of a mask to cover up how utterly stupid he was feeling at the moment.
“Excuse him. It’s been a very long day. He fell asleep on a rock last night.” Hannah commented. She didn’t know why she had to be the one to always excuse him. It was only when he was near Mandy here that he lost all sense of acting like a normal human being. “Anyways, I think we’ll just take the usual: pancakes with the works for me, pastrami on rye for Trish, and,the triple bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato curly fries for my brother here. And, I guess three milkshakes since, well, it’s a diner and everything. Might as well go the whole nine yards.”
“Right.” Mandy disregarded the compliment that the boy gave her, thinking he was just saying it out of politeness and not because she was actually attractive. Before she could dismiss herself, dainty hands touched her shoulders. Poking her head from behind, a friend and a fellow waitress at the diner decided to invite herself into the conversation.
“Consider getting today’s pie! I’ve been teaching her how to bake and I’d say today’s special is extra delicious.” The cute girl, with half of her hair in a fountain ponytail and the rest down, pink lipstick on, and light green eyes that could brighten anyone’s day, read the situation and decided it was in her job description to intervene. “She’s too embarrassed to advertise that she made the pies! It’s blueberry.” The small girl, especially in comparison to Mandy, winked at the boy, giving him an opportunity to make her friend feel special.
“Leyla, don’t you have tables to wait?” Mandy brushed the bubbly girl off of her, who in return crossed her arms and ‘hmpfed’.
“I’m on my 15! Thank you very much.” With exasperated eyes, and a heavy sigh escaping her lips, Mandy dully blinked at the girl, who was wasting her break to cling to her and do… whatever she was doing.
“I don’t think we’ve had the blueberry yet.” Nate thought on that for a moment. They have been coming to the Sunshine Diner for so long and frequently at that, he could recall just about every desert item they’ve tried, but the blueberry pie wasn’t one of them. Then it was at that moment, when Nate’s smile made its way across the table that his mind was made up. “We’ll take three slices of the blueberry pie as well!” He would inform Mandy without talking to his siblings, an act that earned him a sigh from Hannah and a small laugh from Trisha.
“Wonderful!” Leyla punched Mandy’s arm, which was rewarded with a death glare.
“Okay. Pancakes, the works. Pastrami on rye. Triple bacon cheeseburger, with a side of sweet potato curly fries, three milkshakes—” When she said the flavors, she looked at the person it belonged to, first Hannah, “Chocolate and vanilla swirl,” then Trisha, “Strawvberry,” and lastly, Nate, “Good ol’ vanilla—”
“And three blueberry pies!”
“Yes… I’ll get that to you guys right away.” Turning around, faster than usual, she quickly dodged Leyla from grabbing onto her arm and skated away.
“Wait for me!” The dork chased the skater girl, who was ten times faster than her, and when she caught up with her she was huffing and puffing. Mandy slapped the counter and repeated the order, before angrily turning to the meddlesome brunette.
Leaning in, Mandy growled, “Why the hell would you make up shit like that? I don’t bake.” Rolling her eyes and giggling, Leyla shrugged, “They bought it. And let’s be real, that boy, he’s sooooooooooooooooooooooooo into you.”
“Your full of shit.”
“Good shit!”
“Stop.”
When Mandy and Leyla walked away, Nate knew this was the perfect time to just watch her from afar. He saw how the two were giggling -- well one was, at least -- and Mandy was doing something that drew him further and further into a daze. He hated how much of a coward he was. All he would have to do was to get up from his seat, walk towards her, and say that he liked her, but when he was within ten yards of her, hell when the thought of seeing her again crossed his mind, Nate was no longer the beacon of confidence he normally was nor did he have his I-don’t-care-what-they-think-about-me attitude. When it was everybody else, he didn’t care because at the end of the day, what the preps at Bev High thought about him didn’t affect how he saw himself.
But with Mandy, it was different. Even if she didn’t know it, what she thought about him and whether she smiled at him or didn’t meant more to him than the thousand opinions of people he barely knew. As to why he felt so strongly for Mandy was a mystery to him. It was one of those unexplainable wonders of life that you just know is right.
“You’re staring again.” Hannah had decided to finally say something after more than a minute passed of seeing her brother watch Mandy like a hawk.
“What?” His delayed response came with absolute confusion.
She shook her head with great annoyance. “I don’t understand you, Nate. Why don’t you just go talk to her? We’ve been coming here for weeks. It’s not like there isn’t a diner near our house. You only come here to see her.”
“Hannah, I don’t think--”
“You’re infatuated with her. Not that I don’t mind it. I’m sure you saying she’s beautiful is very complimenting for her even if she brushes it off, but if you don’t say anything, is it really just fine for you to come here day in and day out just to see her? Are you happy with that one-sided arrangement?” Hannah wasn’t trying to be too blunt. She loved her brother and could see how strong his crush on the waitress was, so maybe she wanted to give him the boost of confidence she had seen him display excessively. “What is it about her that makes you like this? That’s really what I’m asking.”
Nate didn’t have an answer for her right now because he didn’t have it for himself. So he shrugged. “I can’t explain it, Hannah. There’s just something about her. I’m sure you’ve had those kind of crushes. Or if not, you will and you’ll know it’s not as simple as walking up to the person and confessing.” Maybe part of the reason was the potential of rejection, but Nate wasn’t trying to appear sad in front of Mandy. Happy thoughts result in happy smiles!
Placing their milkshakes on a platter, Miranda distressingly took a moment to breathe. Tonight would help her kick her problems out the door, even if it was momentarily. Roller derby usually made her feel good. Everything else, though? Not so much. Work was work and that’s about it. That being said, she needed to keep her personal life out of the diner.
It didn’t help that Leyla was still… there. Talking and talking and talking. “Mandy, come onnnnn. Live a little. Do you do anything besides school and work? And yeah, your derby thing, but you get what I mean! Even if you don’t like him, play a little! If there’s something you should learn from your sister, it’s OKAY to let loose and act, well, your age.”
“Don’t bring up Meg. You know I’m pissed at her. And I’d love to have a life but—”
“He wants a slice of baked heaven. I bet your pie is especially sweet.” Playfully, Leyla did a little shimmy and gave her friend’s bottom a tap.
With that, Mandy laughed out loud. Okay, if her goal was to cheer her up, she was doing a bang up job, especially with that metaphor. Shaking her head, Mandy gave a shy smile, “No way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have customers to serve and your break is just about over.”
Pouting, Leyla grabbed her notepad off the counter and whined, “No fun! One day, Miranda, I’m going to get you a date.”
Waving goodbye to her friend, Mandy chuckled, “Fat chance,” before skating back toward the group of siblings, and looking less gloomy than she was earlier. Whether she was aware of it or not, her friend was medicine to her mood. “Your shakes.” Placing them down one by one, her short hair falling with each motion, the waitress with the glasses gave drinks to their rightful guests. Bringing herself back up, she held the platter close, as she scanned the faces with benevolent warmth, “I’ll bring out your food soon… are you okay?” Mandy asked Nate, noticing something didn’t feel quite right with his demeanor and how he was looking at her.
Nate had his head in the clouds for a good couple of moments. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m great!” He perked up, giving Mandy a smile as well as a slight nod, but then he felt a kick in the shin from Hannah, which prompted him to glare at her. She subtlety jerked her head to him and then to Mandy. At that moment, he knew what she wanted him to do. And he hated how pushy she was being.
“Actually..” Nate spoke up, feeling the pit of his stomach growing deeper and the sinking feeling increasing with it. God, how he hated this.
“Sorry, I gotta use the restroom,” Hannah interrupted Nate, signalling Trisha to follow and she would get out when Nate allowed her to.
Nate scratched the back of his head. “So, uh, how do you like working here?”
Tilting her head, surprised by the question, no one really asked her about her day here, customers that is, Mandy considered how she should reply. “It could be worse.” She shrugged, while looking around at the diner. “A diner that caters to families. With an okay pay. And it hires just about anyone. I don’t hate it, I guess.” It wasn’t like she could be picky. She needed to take care of her family, and this diner was hiring and luckily for her, she could wear her skates. “Why? Do I look like I hate it here?”
Nate shook his head. “What? Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. Quite the opposite! You’re always so friendly. And you’re pretty patient with me on those days that I struggle with what I want. It’s kind of one of the main reasons why I come out here so often. We don’t get that kind of service at the places where I live at” He rubbed the back of his head, smiling at Mandy.
“Thank you?”Puzzled, she responded. “There really isn’t much to it. I’m just doing my job and treating you how you should be treated. Like a decent human being.” The waitress didn’t know where this was going or if he just wanted to check how the working conditions were at Sunshine diner, but hopefully she was providing the information he was seeking. “I guess... sorry you have shitty customer service everywhere else?”
He shrugged. “It’s to be expected. People in Beverly Hills tend to not care about manners.” He sighed. How he wished more places were like Sunshine Diner. “I really wish the waitresses were more like you: just as pretty as they are gracious to their customers. That’s what the food industry needs!”
“Funny…” There he went again, calling her pretty. He did it twice in one sitting. He must pity her. Her apron was dirty, her hair was a mess and barely brushed, and she probably looked like the walking dead from working till midnight last night, right after school. “Beverly Hills, huh? If there’s so many jerks from there, why do you exist?” Maybe her sister’s proposition wasn’t so bad. He didn’t talk highly of the rich from there, but to her, if there were a handful of people like him, it probably could be tolerable. Plus, it seemed like she was the make or break of whatever deal her sister had going on with this rich boy that she, herself, hadn’t met yet. Unknowingly, she came off kind of flirtatious. Although, for her, she was simply speaking her thoughts out loud.
Her comment caught him completely off guard almost to the point where he couldn’t think of anything clever to say back. “I don’t know to tell you the truth, but maybe we can find the answer over dinner sometime?” He smiled and instantly he froze when he realized what he just said. It was too late for him to go back now, so he kept on smiling despite having a lowkey meltdown on the inside.
“M, ORDER UP! TABLE 4.” Unfortunately for Nate, Miranda didn’t fully catch everything he said because at the same time she was called back to work.
“Uh, sorry! I’ll bring out your food shortly.” Cutting their conversation, the girl who thought she was an ugly duckling sped off to take care of the other customers. Creeping out of the blue, leaning behind him on his chair, in another booth, Leyla dramatically sighed, “GODDDD, SHE SUCKS.”
Nate took the chance without realizing that he did. He put himself out there and God herself cockblocked him. Maybe it was a sign? Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Or maybe the chef just really didn’t want to be kept waiting? He could spend the whole day going over all of the ‘what ifs’ and drive himself bonkers in the process. So instead, he’ll let his sisters who conveniently returned from their long trip to the bathroom.
“Hope you two enjoyed that trip.” Nate laughed, rolling his eyes.
“What? We really did have to use the restroom.” Hannah shrugged, feigning complete innocence that Nate wasn’t buying for a second. “But, how were things? Did anything happen?”
He shrugged. “Well, I guess you can say that. I sort of asked her out.”
Immediately, Hannah hit his arm victoriously. “See, I knew you could do it. All you needed was a push in the right direction.”
“Calm down. We were interrupted by the chef -- cook. So she didn’t actually get to give me an answer. So, I don’t know. Probably not meant to be.” Now Nate, who was usually all smiles, looked positively bleak.
Frustrated, as she hid from her work duties, Leyla scribbled something on her notepad, ripped the paper in frustration, stood up, and then walked past their table, placing it with an audible ‘slap’. She then walked away. Damn Mandy! Damn Mandy for being naive! And too much into her head! Now she had to play fairy godmother. On the paper, she wrote: stupid. don’t give up. the dollosseum, every other friday. 7PM. Starting today.
As he read the piece of paper, at first Nate was confused. “Dollosseum? What’s that? Is that some store you buy dolls at?”
“No, it’s a place where you can skate,” Trisha clarified for her brother. “It’s pretty popular. I’ve been there a few times.” When she revealed that, it was quite surprising for her two siblings.
“Skating rink huh..” A familiar sense of dread passed over his body, making its home on his face. “And I’m guessing you have to rollerskate?” He asked, fear laced in with forced positivity.
“Nate, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know how to skate. And now, the only chance to see Mandy, I have to learn.” He swallowed whatever dryness was in his throat. “I can do it! I! Must! Do! It!”
His confidence was back, even if it was mixed in with fear. Nate had no problem doing things he either didn’t know how to or was afraid to. If this was to be his only chance to see her where it wasn’t her place of work and the risk of being interrupted was less than what it was at the diner, then Nathaniel Blake was going to learn how to roller skate.
Wiping down a table, Leyla looked from Mandy serving a table to Nate talking to his siblings. Hopefully, her magic worked! She was rooting for them, even if she didn’t know the guy at all! A guy was a guy and he liked her Mandy, so he must be a good guy.
Love, Hate, React, Relate — Trash Boat — Crown Shyness
Anti-Everything — DED — Misanthrope
Fighting (Acoustic Version) — Eyeshine — Afterglow
Rolling in the Deep (Adele Cover) — Go Radio — Punk Goes ...Pop Volume IV
Burn MF — Five Finger Death Punch — The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell, Volume I
She Don't Know Why She Love It — Atmosphere — Southsiders
Three Cheers For Five Years (Acoustic Version) — Mayday Parade — Punk Goes ...Acoustic II
Forever — Skid Row — 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row
Dead and Buried — A Day to Remember — Common Courtesy (Deluxe Edition)
Sin Pijama — Becky G, Natti Natasha — Sin Pijama
Anti-Everything — DED — Misanthrope
Fighting (Acoustic Version) — Eyeshine — Afterglow
Rolling in the Deep (Adele Cover) — Go Radio — Punk Goes ...Pop Volume IV
Burn MF — Five Finger Death Punch — The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell, Volume I
She Don't Know Why She Love It — Atmosphere — Southsiders
Three Cheers For Five Years (Acoustic Version) — Mayday Parade — Punk Goes ...Acoustic II
Forever — Skid Row — 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row
Dead and Buried — A Day to Remember — Common Courtesy (Deluxe Edition)
Sin Pijama — Becky G, Natti Natasha — Sin Pijama
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