BrutalBx

Edenridge

_{A Flashback Collaboration between @BrutalBx & @metanoia || featuring Charlie Decker & Jade Taylor}

---

The unease which Charlie felt in that moment was palpable and could easily be cut with a knife. Not only was he in enemy territory in Pinehurst with an eye out for Fear Gorda. Not only was he running Decky’s corner for him and the terrifying Rey Rey Gonzalez. Not only was he trying to find the courage to finally express how his heart only beats for one Penelope James. He was getting his photo taken by some little geek on the other side of the Monarchs gym and it was pissing him off.

”I swear if that curly haired little fuck takes one more photo of me I’m gonna shove that camera up his ass”

Charlie hissed. It wasn’t rocket science to understand why pictures were being taken of the southsider. Even at the tender age of fourteen he stood out with his tall, lanky frame, sleepless face and decked out in gang colours and a flannel shirt. Plus he had the added benefit of sitting next to the bombshell that was Jade Taylor, which really was an excuse for anyone to take photos.

“Yeah.”

Jade had barely registered Charlie’s comment. She heard his voice and it sounded like he was complaining. Truth be told, the blonde was trying not to speak because she was still pretty frustrated at not only the dumbass, whose head was thicker than a milkshake, sitting next to her, but also at Poppy not going further. Maybe it was a mix of both. Or maybe Jade was just impatient overall.

All of it were valid possibilities, but she liked putting the blame on her sister and brother.

Jade turned to face Charlie, practically ignoring anything that wasn’t in front of her blue-green gaze. “Be straight with me: everything good?” The blonde asked. She was never known for her scalpel approach and, honestly, if he wasn’t suffering from some bad, life-ending disease, she was going to lose it, even with someone as close to her that Charlie Decker was.

”Besides that twerp taking pictures of me and the fact that ReyRey Gonzalez may murder me if I fuck up tonight? I’m copacetic baby”

Jade was one of the extreme few that Charlie was able to let his guard down with. A lot of the time he felt like multiple different people being pulled in multiple different directions. Somewhere between school, home, the southies and the serpents, there was a real Charlie Decker, he just wasn’t sure who that was. He felt however that the closest version was the one he was when he was with Jade, Poppy and Decky.

”The way you’re looking at me, I’m guessing I’ve already fucked up somehow?”

What was your first clue?

Jade couldn’t help but allow a chuckle escape through her cherry lips, one that was admittedly proud in the way her lips curled into an almost-smirk. “Fucked up is such a harsh way of putting it.” One moment of looking at each other and Jade just nodded. “But yeah, you might’ve. But unlike with most things, you’re not out of the match just yet, Charlie.”

Sure, Jade might be known for her brutal honesty and even bitchier personality, but when it came to two of her closest friends, she wasn’t like that. She was supportive of what she knew would be an amazing thing to happen, but since neither were willing to take that first step, she’d have to shove them into the deep end and hoped they wouldn’t drown. Like stated, Jade never knew the meaning of careful scalpel. It was best she just took a mace or a warhammer to their face.

“You got knocked out, but it’s only the first round, Charlie.” Jade blames her uncle for her recent obsession with boxing. “Where do you think you went wrong?”

”Did I not pay her outfit enough attention? I mean she looks, I mean she’s amazing. How else do I even say it?” For someone who loved the written word, Charlie was pretty useless at using words of his own volition. He was not well versed in the ways of the woman and it showed quite obviously. He had seen how the jocks like O’Hara and Belmonte played hearts like fiddles and all Charlie could play was his PlayStation. ”Help me out here JT”

"Well just because you asked so nicely." Jade half smirked at Charlie.

It made her happy that he wanted to right his ignorant wrong. It showed that not everything she and Maxine worked so hard in trying to accomplish went over his head. Sure, it would have been ideal if Charlie realized tonight wasn't some ordinary night and that poppy, of all people, rarely ever put in the effort to look as hot as she did tonight. It wasn't as though she wasn't beautiful, because she was, but for as long as jade had known her, she never went this far.

So maybe that's where most of Jade's frustrations came from.

"First off, if anyone looks different than they normally do, especially if it's in a way that’s significantly out of the norm for them, throw them a compliment. Maybe 'hey you look nice'. Sure, it might not seem like much, but trust me it will go a long way. Jade looked at Charlie, holding her gaze on him for a few seconds. "Also maybe don't ignore her presence? Let her know you acknowledge her. She put in the work so pay attention to her. Really see her. Coming from a girl, we are pulling double duty. So if we put the effort in, then boys not at least acknowledging us is, like, twice as bad on us, ya know?" Jade was confident that Charlie knew by now, even when she helped, she didn’t sugar coat it. If she was going to be of any help, better to rip the bandaid than make him suffer.

As Charlie did his best to soak in the info that Jade was giving him, he switched his phone back on and watched it light up with a series of messages that took his anxiety and multiplied it ten fold.

R: Lexington and 5th. 8pm. No Later

Mom: Love you sweetie, have a nice evening. Be safe

H: She looks pretty tonight. Don’t fuck it up”

He exhaled sharply before stuffing the cell back into his jacket pocket and checking the clock on the Monarch’s wall. In that moment, even in a crowded room such as the one he was in, Charlie felt alone. He locked his fingers together across his knees and squeezed his hands together as if he was trying to force the pain out through his palms. ”I really don’t wanna mess this up, JT. Any of it”

And it was in that moment Jade might’ve realized that her usual blunt force approach to giving advice might not be well suited for Charlie. She couldn’t help it sometimes. It was how she came up. Growing up around hardened bikers who showed as much emotional vulnerability as a porcupine with their pins up, ready to attack. Her uncle was the softest person she knew and even he had trouble opening up when she was around.

Granted, Jade was fourteen and not many thirty-five year olds were willing to open up their deepest, very adult secrets to a teenager.

But the Charlie next to her was a different case and maybe Jade had to use a gentler touch.

As she had been somewhat frowning the entire time that she looked at Charlie, she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, kicking it upside down into a half smirk. “Now, don’t beat yourself over all of it, alright? You haven’t wrecked anything up. So stop saying you did and put your head in the game, Decker! You still have plenty of time to bring this back around and might even get what both of you want.” She half-grinned and lightly punched his shoulder.

”Thanks Jade”

Some might sit and wonder how anyone could be friends with Jade Taylor? The suicide blonde was a living, breathing smoke show and any man would find it hard to resist succumbing to her charms. Charlie? He had seen the girl behind the makeup and the leather a long time ago. He knew her heart and her soul and that was why he could see past the superficial things that his peers would drool over. Beyond the Courtney Love look, there was a girl whose light was much brighter than maybe she herself thought it was. She was an illuminating presence in the darkness that was the life of Charlie Decker.

He glanced across the court once more and was greeted by the immaculate visage of Penelope James on her way to rejoin them. He looked over to Jade for reassurance and inhaled sharply once again. ”I got this”

Edenridge

_{A @LovelyComplex & @BrutalBx Collaboration || Featuring: Kylee Grimm & Roddy Callahan}
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

This gym was getting crowded and the mayor’s daughter was attached to her phone like glue. As she stalked Wesley Silo’s social, she glanced up from time to time at her old peers. Letting out a chuckle when she saw Aaron flip Mei off, she muttered to herself, “Stupid.”

He would never learn, especially when it came to the knockout that was Mei Ramsey, and that’s why he’ll continue to live an isolated existence. He didn’t even try to get people to understand his situation. So, people stop caring. If he wanted to be ostracized, that was his own damn fault. He can’t blame anyone but himself. Aaron was the type to continue to wallow in his despair, blame everyone but himself, thinking people still thought about Amanda and the fire as if it were only yesterday.

Ha.

Funny, really.

No one realized people’s attention spans were short. Did you know a goldfish only has the attention span of nine seconds? Not too different from humans who have the average attention span of twelve seconds. Humans can’t help themselves! They must focus on the next sensational thing. Everything gets buried unless something purposely forces them to remember. In this case, it was Charlie’s letters. How long would this buzz last? Only time can tell.

To Kylee Grimm, all the tragedies of their highschool years were in the past. Sure, it ruined some businesses, broke some hearts, and destroyed people’s ambitions but it is what it is. The truth intrigued her not because she cared about Allison, or Amanda, or any of the people that died that weren't her ex-boyfriend. No, the truth intrigued her because she believed the many people of her little town would start returning to their more primitive nature and show their true colors.

As that Dwight L. Moody quote goes, character is what you are in the dark. She liked the lies and deceit lurking behind each mystery and she wanted to see the chaos unfold. Did that make her a sadist? A sociopath? Maybe a little mad? Possibly. Regardless if that holds merit, she was here to have fun and from the sight of all the lingering tension and unresolved issues, tonight would definitely be fun.

When the Southside Sob Story who lacked balls came in with a bat, Kylee continued to look at her phone, unbothered. She wanted to antagonize, but unfortunately, more people tried to get their voice heard. Decky Boaz was hardly a threat to her and if anything, he was a pathetic loser for leaving his girl and disappearing, without a word. That was a drama flick waiting to unfold. The cripple and the STD-ridden whore stood back while Ms. Forgettable and Mama’s Boy tried to simmer down everyone’s fire. When Danny offered her a cannoli, Kylee shook her head and gave him a gleam, “I’m on a diet.”

Finally, she caught sight of someone worth her time. Her best friend, Roddy Callahan. And his side piece that he had a baby with, but whatever. Kylee didn’t trust Lanie Lancaster because clearly she wasn’t that broken hearted from Decky leaving her behind if she was able to jump on Roddy’s dick and carry his child.

In this matter, her opinions would stay on the inside. Roddy cared about this needy, idiot bitch, who smelt like a baby prostitute, for one reason or another. Don’t ask her why she knows what Lanie smells like, she just does. So Kylee has to tolerate Lanie’s existence, even if Mei had a major fall out with her.

So many points against her, like not being in good terms with her girlfriends, who both were cheerleaders. However the biggest point against her, if it were to happen, is if she ever, EVER broke Roddy’s heart. So many things Kylee imagined doing to her, if that ever happened.

She would rip those pretty blonde locks right off her tiny skull and make her regret ever getting involved with her Roddy. She would slice her long tongue right out of her soft looking lips with scissors and so much more. A little intense, but that is how much Kylee cared about Roddy. She would never fuck the guy but he was all she had before she met everyone else and she’d be damned if he cried over some blonde bimbo.

Extreme thoughts aside, Roddy was here! Excitedly, she started prancing her way to her friend in the back. The cripple had already pulled Lanie aside and went to the corner, leaving Roddy all by his lonesome self. Perfect. Unfortunately, once she was half way, she stopped in her tracks when Mei called out for the culprit. Turning around, she made quick motions on her phone and started recording the creepy audio and the footage that followed afterwards. For now, she wouldn’t go live, but maybe Mr. Reporter would like to see this later on. And well, her father. But Mr. Reporter first!

Listening to Allison really warmed her heart. Her smile, her passion, and her confidence. Everyone wanted to be her. Ha! Yeah, right. Allison Davies was as generic as popular girls came. A pretty girl who lacked substance. Someone who pretended she had more inside of her than just being popular. Kylee subtly rolled her eyes, hating that a dead girl was still living in this gym. Allison had more of a legacy dead than alive. No one knew what this girl was going through but somehow they started caring after she OD’ed. Please. When the numbers 16-7-5 went on the wall, Kylee stopped recording and went back to her original pursuit.

When she turned around, she rested her dark gaze on her best friend and gave a warm, genuine smile. Instead of walking fast, Kylee went into a run and giggled, “Roddy!!!” She really didn’t care if she ruined the ominous atmosphere. She knew her friend and he was probably focusing on his last name on the wall in front of Allison's picture, or the fact that the last time he was in here he got shot, so she would be his shield if people tried to interrogate him. Giving him a big embrace, she looked up at her best friend smiling from ear to ear, “Hey, Shaggy. You okay? We can talk about what’s on the wall next but first… how are you feeling?”

“Erm….I’m feeling.”

It was such a Roddy answer. Dry yet dripping in insecurity. No matter how long he had been friends with Kylee, even with her it was difficult for Rod to really express how he was feeling. Some people could wear their thoughts and feelings like a garish t-shirt, proud and unashamed. The Callahans were not those sort of people. They were many Irish men doing manly Irish things. John had done his best to break the cycle of toxic masculinity and was nothing but supportive when Francis came out but when something is so ingrained into your DNA, it’s incredibly difficult not to succumb. Roddy really wanted to be more open and in some instances he was getting better but there was still such a long way to go.

Roddy remembered the first time he ever met the dark haired gossip girl that would come to be his one true friend, Kylee Grimm. She and her family had just moved into the neighbourhood and like the good little politician he was, Mayor Elect Teddy Grimm was doing door to door meet and greets introducing himself to his constituents. The day was etched in Rod’s mind as it was the day that Russ Lord gave him his first black eye. In a somewhat prophetic turn, it was through the arrival of Charlie Decker and some other southie kids that the beating stopped. Francis had words with Russ of course and it never happened again but that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Having been confined to the garden by his mother and forced to pull the weeds, Roddy didn’t expect to see a girl in the doorway staring at him like he had just killed a cat. Being a somewhat prominent business owner and a member of one of the founding families, John Callahan was a prime target for Teddy and sending his young daughter into the Frey to sweeten the deal? Genius chess move.

Zoinks.

He didn’t know why he said it or even when was the last time he had even seen a Scooby Doo episode but it happened and he regretted it immediately. In response, the girl he would come to know as Kylee shouted back, “Jinkies!” And they were inseparable from then on. Theirs was a friendship that was just natural and although they’d had ups and downs, they were always there for each other.

“I don’t recognise that number, Fran’s jersey number was 3 and it’s not a birthday that I know of.”

Releasing her friend, Kylee faced the same direction as him, studying the numbers, “Hm. The only date that would make sense from this would be July 5th, 2016 but if they were trying to be that specific, someone here needs to have known something that happened that day. And either you or your brother were involved, but I’m thinking likely your brother since he dated Allison.”

Still, this wasn’t adding up and the clue felt like a dumb luck thing. Whoever knew what these numbers meant had a chance of not being here, so the culprit was taking a risk and putting all their faith in this one person. Instead of focusing on the numbers, Kylee replayed the recording and listened to the interview, muttering inaudibly to herself. Seeking keywords and signs. Hallway. Plans. Backpacking. Allison’s laughter. Gunshot.

Whether this was coordinates or a password, or multiple people’s jersey numbers, Kylee Grimm could not pinpoint the meaning of these numbers. She was at a loss and this felt like a hit to her ego because she took pride in her information gathering. There might be more clues hidden throughout the gym, but at this point, she found herself no longer caring about figuring out their next lead and would wait it out until someone else had a brainblast.

Ugh. She hated waiting. So while she did so, she complained, “This feels like a waste of time. You have way better things to do, like spend time with your kid. How is Rylie, anyways? Random, I know, but I haven’t seen you in like a week or so? I miss you! Next time we grab lunch together, I can tell you all about Mister Wesley Silo.” Giggling to herself, thinking of her morning show, and how handsome this outsider was, she leaned her body closer to Rods and whispered, “Total daddy.”

He understood what Kylee was trying to do and God bless her she was a saint. Trying to distract Roddy from his family name being plastered next to a dead girl in this B-Movie Teen Slasher that was their life right now was a pure endeavour and such a Kylee move. She knew better than anyone besides Lanie not to allow Rod to get stuck in his own head. He had a bad habit of going twelve rounds with himself in the span of about thirty seconds.

“Rylie Rampage is spending the night with my parents. You know how broody my Mom gets.” It was a simple fact of life that Edith Callahan always wanted a gaggle of kids but complications from Roddy’s birth had put a stop to that. When they befriended the Grimm’s, her jealousy only intensified and she wouldn’t lie and say she hadn’t thought about kidnapping them all, except Lincoln. He was weird and Teddy could keep him.

Roddy’s eye roll was almost as loud as the speakers playing the creepy Allison clues. He had listened to Ky’s morning show, of course he did and you could smell her fever for this reporter like a fat kid could smell a cupcake from half a mile away. Once upon a time it was predicted that Roddy and Kylee might one day be married but all thoughts of that kind of relationship disappeared when he saw her eat a booger in their youth. Nasty gal.

“You’re an actual deviant.”

Grinning at Roddy, Kylee teased, “I know I am,” before raising her eyebrows when she heard Jillian screaming like a sailor. Frowning, she latched onto her best friend’s arm and whispered, “Come on, Shags. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a mystery to solve.”

Staring up to him, she found herself feeling nostalgic, looking back at the good ol’ days, where it was him and her versus the world. All she had was him to call a friend. People didn't open up to outsiders fast. It took getting to high school to give her some kind of social life outside the Callahans, but even then, she didn't feel like she belonged. Honestly, Kylee knew she couldn’t live without him. Platonically, he became her flashlight when she felt all alone. And she loved him.

Edenridge

---

---

Rod didn’t know whose grip was tighter his or Lanies. Each held onto the other for dear life but for very different reasons. The memories that reverberated between all these walls held a different type of weight for Elaine than they did Roddy. Pick a classroom and he could likely tell you who bullied him in there and how; but he had gotten over that. The memory that plagued him in the present moment was one in the very gym where he now stood with an amassed who's who of Edenridge, Massachusetts. It was in the very spot that Kylee Grimm was with her friends. It was the memory of a boy who did not look scared or angry. It was the memory of a boy who was floating, who was empty. That boy wasn’t there anymore but like the last breath of a dream he still held on through memory and that was where Roddy Callahan found himself; in a memory, seeing the face of Charlie Decker after being shot by him in the back. He could still feel the warmth of his blood pouring from the holes in his spine. He could still smell the iron in the air and weirdly the smell of old gym socks.

Even in that moment, as he lay on his front he crawled towards Coach O’Hara, a man he had no love for, who himself was face down on the ground of the court he poured so much of his life into. Within those seconds, Roddy wondered if Charlie would try his luck again and finish the job. He didn’t get an answer to that question as the police swarmed the gym and cut Decker down. Even now, the butcher’s boy wondered why he ran back into that school. There was less for him there than there was for Charlie.

Why? It was a word here that meant many different things to the broken kids in a place called Eden?.

As the seconds ticked away, Mei got more and more pissed off. The crowd in the gym was growing and interpersonal arguments were starting to take hold. High school drama that the idiots of this town still hadn’t gotten over. She wasn’t here for Charlie, as deep as a connection as she wished she had with the departed, it just wasn’t there. Tonight was about Allison and the secrets that some pieces of shit were hiding. The dark goddess tightened her grip on her weapon and bashed it against the nearby bleachers to create a loud crack.

“All this shit needs to stop” She commanded “We’re here to figure out whose sending those stupid fucking letters and based on the cavalcade of non descripts here, I don’t think it’s any of us. Not even fire starter over there” Motioning with her wooden “sword” towards Aaron, Mei decided that if no one else was willing to step up and sort everything out then she would do it; it’s what Allison would’ve done. “So where are you? Come out, come out cumdumpster!”

Miss Midnights challenge seemed to be accepted as what little lights were functioning in the old building shut and the long dormant speakers crackled and sizzled into life.

Interviewer: So, Allison. You’re fairly popular here at Edenridge. As the old saying goes, the real world is a little different from those hallways. So what’s your plan when you graduate? It’s my understanding your boyfriend is heading off to Yale! Are you intending on following?

Ally: While I do love Franny I do have my own plans. I’m not sure which college I’ll go to since I’ve got a few offers but I think I want to go backpacking, really deep dive into a less privileged world and give back because lord knows I’ve been blessed and I want to share that but first, we have to beat Pinehurst of course! Go Celtics!

The distorted sound of the speakers gave way to a series of overhead projectors springing into life as footage was sprayed onto each of the four walls. Allison’s laughter echoed around the room as the video played the Pinehurst v Edenridge game of December 4th 2016; the night Allison died. Her fits and giggles soon shifted to the song that Mei had chosen and swiftly to the sound of gunfire before everything fell to an eerie silence and darkness. A final projection showed a still image of Allison on the court and a number written on the bottom:

Callahan: 16 - 7 - 5

Edenridge

---

---

It’ll be quiet.

That’s what Colleen had told him to convince him that moving to Edenridge would be good for them. She had grown up there originally and as Antoine neared his retirement and the kids flew the nest, she was feeling particularly nostalgic. Beau was still unsure, he had been police all his life, homicide to be precise. He had seen it all and done it all and in contrast to many of his compatriots, Antoine Beauregard had lived to tell his story.

He was often asked by younger members of the force, what was the secret to his clearance rate and to his success? The answer was fairly simple; Beau lived by a mantra, a code that guided him in everything that he did “Nobody no victim that don’t matter”. He had decided long ago that irregardless of whose case file crossed his desk, he would work it, work every angle until justice was served, the right people paid for their crime and that the families of the victims got closure. Colleen being the wordsmith she was, she managed to twist Beau’s mantra even in retirement “Nobody no child that don’t matter” It was how he ended up teaching English at Edenridge High, the building that currently sat before him. Sitting in his parked car, with all the lights off and lurking in the shadows was not Antoine’s idea of a fun Friday night. If he wanted to stakeout a place he wouldn’t have left the force in the first place.

It’ll be quiet.

She said it again when he started the teaching gig. She had gone to the school way back when so it was fair to say that Mrs Beauregard wasn’t aware of the trouble brewing within its walls. Colleen was oblivious to the chaos that had ensnared the Boston youth. She didn’t expect to take said troubled youth into their spare bedroom but then she should have known that Antoine always brought his work home with him. He is a simple, humble man who just can’t switch off from helping people.

This was probably why he was where he was right now; watching his former students head into their alma mater one by one, in search of some form of truth and closure. He didn’t need to be there. The kids were old enough to look after themselves but Beau just couldn’t help it. There was something about this class, he just had to watch out for them; Mordechai, Penelope even Charlie. Charlie was his biggest regret. He saw the young man all the time, he could always transport himself back into his classroom talking to Charlie about Hemingway or Kerouac. Charlie Decker for all his flaws was a special boy, an intelligent boy.

Beau glanced down at his passenger side chair and the gun sitting there. He didn’t want to be the one to bring a gun back into Edenridge High but if someone was targeting these kids, he needed to take care of them. They were his kids. Nobody messes with his kids. He blew the smoke from his lungs from his ever present cigar chomping.

”I got you kids, I got you”

Rosefell High.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

^{Introducing more officially: Bronwyn Van Cise
@BrutalBX & @LovelyComplex}

Bold.

Bold was not often, if ever at all, a word used to describe Bronwyn Van Cise.

Compared to the likes of her compatriots Trixie and Liv; who were absolute bombshells in every sense of the word, Wynn was just there chubby ginger friend with the super popular brother...at least that’s what she was in her own mind.

Yet tonight, she was being just that; Bold.

Theo had forbidden her from attending Christian’s party. Wynn knew that in his own twisted type of Theo way, her big brother was just trying to protect her. Still, when he threatened to lock her in the closet, knowing full well that her claustrophobia is dire, it didn’t always feel like it. She was “sensitive” and “fragile” or at least that’s what their parents liked to label her as and that pissed her off to no end. It was her Junior year, if she couldn’t experience life now what was the point of it all anyway?

Disobeying her parents was not a new thing for Bronwyn but disobeying Theo? That left her feeling terrified. That said and was not going to let life pass her by. She missed a good chunk of her sophomore year being in the hospital and this year was not going to be a repeat of that; not if she could help it. The thrill of it all was probably why she stole one of her brother's more expensive shirts, tied a belt around it and made it into the dress she wore tonight. Showing skin like this wasn’t the norm for her unless she was on the ice. Her nerves were almost shot and she wished to God that she was skating at that moment, at least there she was centred. Entering the party late, doing her best to avoid her brother left Wynn feeling so off balance.

She entered the party through the garden, partly because it was quicker to get from her house to Christians that way but also because in her infinite wisdom Bronwyn thought there was less of a chance for Theo to see her. The music coming from the house was loud and banging and certainly not her bop but in the garden she could hear the soft strums of a guitar in a flamenco style and this she liked; this she could dance or skate to. Wynn wasn’t sure where the sound was coming from but she was following it regardless. She hoped maybe it would lead her to a friendly face that could save her from the crippling anxiety that was eating her from the inside out.

As Rico played another song, Spike was marching his way to the girl coming from the garden. The closer he got, the more nervous he felt. Why was he nervous? He approached girls all the time. What made this time different? Was it because he just opened up his soul to a stranger? Yeah, likely. Regardless! He got this.This was totally fine. He’ll rock it. Replaying El Mariachi’s words in his head, over and over, especially the part of being polite, the mascot tried to figure out ways to go above and beyond with this dove-like girl.

Maybe it was the spanish guitar music that was playing in the background or maybe it was because he was an idiot, whatever it was, Spike came to the decision to break a rose off a bush. Not so gracefully and even “fuck” pricking his finger on a thorn, he tugged at the flower, with a goal in mind, which was to make this girl smile or laugh. If he impresses her, even better! When he finally did have a flower in his hand, with a little stem, he dramatically acted like he knew how to move and groove to this type of music. Prancing his way to her, following the rhythm to the best of his abilities, the blonde boy put the stem in his mouth and even clapped to the beats, as if he had the suave of Enrique Iglesias.

Stopping her in her tracks, he took the flower out of his lips and broke another piece of the stem off because his mouth was on it and he doubted she wanted to touch that part because it was gross. The flower, with hardly any stem left, was then given to the girl as an offering. He held his hands out for her to grab it, even dropping to one knee. For some reason he thought that added a nice touch, but probably looked pretty dumb to any witnesses.

Then came the hard part.

The polite compliment.

He wasn’t clever enough to remember what Tuxedo Mask said a couple days ago when he was handing a bunch of Liberty girls fake roses. There were so many things Spike could say like ‘girl, you’re burning red hot like this rose and I want to open you up’, or maybe a poem like, ‘roses are red, violets are blue, I have five fingers, but tonight you’ll get two’. Those types of lines were getting convoluted with actual nice compliments like ‘you have a pretty smile, I hope that isn’t creepy of me to say’ or ‘do you need company? If not, that’s fine, but still take this rose because you’re cute’. His brain ended up malfunctioning, especially once he saw her face clearly under both the moonlight and garden lights. After a long awkward moment of gawking, with the rose lifted up to her, the first words the Mascot muttered to the pretty girl were, “Beautiful… rose?”

Okay. That’s the best he was doing so shaking his head, snapping out of whatever confusion he was going through, getting back to his hyperactive self, he quickly and speedily added, “...thirsty?”

"Absolutely!”

For Bronwyn, tonight was all about taking chances and doing something that wasn’t expected of her. Damn if she was going to live her life! This boy was cute and he seemed harmless; a fool of a boy based on initial interaction but if the roles were reversed, Wynn doubted she could do any better when approaching someone.

Watching from his perch as Spike probably fucked it all up, Rico switched up his song in aid of his new found friend. If Langley knew his shit, he’d know what he was trying to accomplish

”With auburn hair and tawny eyes
The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through...”

She took the rose from the boy and stuck it behind her ear as best she could, brushing back her auburn locks as she did so. "Thank you for this, handsome.” Her eyes scanned once again for her brother but she didn’t see him and she began to breathe a little easier. Wynn returned her attention to her new friend. The look on his somewhat dopey face reminded her of the family dog, Bigby. He was a slobbering great Rottweiler that thought he was a lapdog. Even when he was a nightmare, Bigby had the big eyes and the stupid fucking smile that made you just say Aaawww and so did this kid.

Bronwyn smiled brightly at the blonde boy "Some pretty sweet moves you got there, for a minute I thought you were doing a Kamen Rider pose”. Immediately she regretted opening her mouth. Behind the prim and proper facade, Wynn held a deep love of all things nerd. Her room was littered with comic books, manga and anime. She loved to listen to the Dawn Patrol and Midnight Frequency podcasts on repeat and she always tried to incorporate a little cosplay into her dance outfits. This cute guy was taking the time to talk to her and already she probably had fucked it; great job Van Cise.

Not only did she NOT fuck it up. Spike was stunned at how well she received him, better than most girls, better than Minty, and then when she revealed her interests his jaw dropped. It was all over now. Standing up, now peering down at her instead of looking up, he couldn’t contain his inner geek. Breathing in deeply, he then dramatically shouted, “SAYOKOOooOOooOoooo!!!” In this moment, it was clear that the mascot really didn’t give a fuck about what people thought of him. He did, said, and acted the way he wanted, which made him endearing to a lot of people at his school.

Excited now with this sudden new development, he finally introduced himself, “Spike Langley at your service this evening, if you don’t mind following me, we can get you something nice to drink.” As they walked, he laughed out loud, “Didn’t think someone at Liberty would know something like Kamen Rider. Jeez, that brings me back.”

“My brother had a phase in middle school, I followed suit and just never grew out of it.” She giggled as she followed him. Now she had to decide how honest she wanted to be. Wynn could lie, just in case he knew Theo but that wasn’t being the bold badass bitch she had initially planned on being. She didn’t know this boy from Adam, so at best she had to assume he was from Rosefell. He said his name was Spike; of course it was, a simpler name would not suit such an animated character. "I’m Bronwyn, by the way or you can just call me Wynn, my name is kind of old.”

Conscious of the small girl trailing beside him, he glanced over to see her embarrassed (and nervous?) face, especially the more the party started revealing itself. He smiled when she gave him his name. Bronwyn. Wynn. He’d remember that. Without much thought, Spike offered his hand to see if she would be okay with grabbing it, “If this is too forward, just slap it away. Big parties can be kind of a lot to deal with,” this was a strange interaction for him because he didn’t find his eyes trailing down her body nor did he think any perverted thoughts.

Bronwyn didn’t have to think about it; as soon as the hand was offered she entwined her fingers with his. She began to wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew. Theo had warned her she wasn’t ready for this but she just had to fight back. "Thank you.”

Somehow, Spike found it in him to push all his bad habits aside to make her feel comfortable and safe. She was very attractive but… the way she held herself and how she smiled, he found himself able to connect with her naturally with no motive beside getting to know her. Maybe it was because she was a dork like him or maybe it’s because she didn’t immediately shut him out. Regardless of the reason, he would accept this rarity and fly with it.

"If it’s ok with you, Spike; when we get a drink can we come back out here? It’s a lot quieter here and inside seems like a lot.”

“Whatever you want.” Spike gleamed as he found an open path for them to walk with minimal squeezing in between people. “Sounds like a perfect night, honestly. Drinks, snacks, flowers, and good conversation.” After this kind of week, he welcomed the calm. A party like this might’ve been too soon for him to go to since most of his memories at parties involved chasing Minty. Plus, since he lived at a trailer park, it was usually calm. Chill. The best kind of vibe. For the most part.

Walking past the pool, unintentionally masking Wyn from the water, Spike added, “So you just got one brother? I’m an only child so the closest to siblings I got are my boys. They’re.... somewhere here.”

"I have an older sister too… The timid girl began as she followed the path Spike had laid out before her. "She’s a bit older actually. She’s training to be a doctor, my family don’t really talk to her though. Drama, you know?” Wynn was unashamed of anything involving her family, or was a Van Cise trait to be able to switch off their emotions when needed; sometimes it came in handy. "My brother though, well he’s a senior and well...he is what he is. Anyway, tell me about these Boys? Are they all as cool as you?”

“Oh Wynn, you don’t even know!” Spike enthusiastically cheered, tightening his hold on her soft hand. Spending the next seconds speedily geeking out about his friends, he chuckled, “Dee, DeShawn. He’s kinda the one that gets us dumbasses straight. He’s someone you want to be tight with because he’ll have your back no matter what. He’s our linebacker! Maybe one day you’ll see him play.” Regardless of the messes Dee may find himself in, that may pull him to the part of him he doesn’t like, he was the best of them all. Spike would follow him, in rain or fire, no matter what.

The thought of a linebacker sent a shiver down Bronwyn’s spine. Theo was a linebacker back when they were at Liberty. Now that they were at Rosefell, she knew that, at least in her brothers mind, there would only be room for one heavy hitter on the Knights team and if Theo had anything to say about it, it would be him. Her heart went out to this DeShawn kid, the way Spike spoke of him, it seemed like he was a good guy. He probably didn’t deserve the torture that her sibling would no doubt inflict upon him. That was just his way.

“There’s my best man, if I ever do get married. Hunter. He got fucking issues and we probably fight more than we laugh. But, at the end of the day, we both can be real with one another, say how we feel, you know? He definitely isn’t for everyone but I know the Hunter no one really knows, so I’ll always make sure he’s heard.” Yeah, Spike and Hunter had a complicated relationship. It escalated when Hunter slept with Minty. Still, bros before hoes and Spike would gladly say he sees the softer side in his friend. The part in Hunter he tried to hide from others, Spike saw it and was going to protect it, even if he had to be a meat shield or a punching bag for the rest of his life.

When they entered the chaos that was inside Christian’s house, with what seemed to be the end of a fight and everyone was wet, Spike pulled Wyn close to him, keeping an eye on his surroundings and making sure there were no touchy people around them. Using his body as a protective wall for the small girl, he continued, this time raising his voice because of the loud music, “There’s also my boy JJ. JayVaugn. Wide receiver. Pretty chill, pretty goofy, definitely a flirt. But without him, I probably would really suck at talking to girls. Like, this is surprising to me! You really don’t seem uncomfortable even though I keep rambling. Maybe his lessons are doing their magic. I can’t give him all the credit though seeing how I got a new guitarist friend, who was playing that sweet music by the garden. One day Rico is going to be famous, let me tell you.”

Bronwyn appreciated the way that Spike was very obviously protecting her. She had been to parties before but normally she was with the girls and most of the time with Theo’s permission because she was with the girls. It was her belief that he thought that people would be attracted to them, so they’d just ignore Wynn and more often than not, he was right. "I like your rambling. Silence is a scary sound.” As the boy mentioned the guitar playing in the garden, her smile began to shine just that little bit brighter. "He did seem really talented!” She called over the loud music just as they reached one of the drinks tables.

She eyed the many different beverages on display and for a moment or two was at a loss. Bronwyn would never describe herself as a big drinker, if anything she was very much a lightweight. However she didn’t want to appear as a novice to her new friend so Wynn let her mind drift slightly to try and think of a drink she knew she could mix and handle. She remembered her mother’s favorite drink, a 7&7 and thought that it might just be perfect. Grabbing a solo cup, she filled it with ice and a very small splash of whiskey before filling it to the brim with 7-Up. There, she wouldn’t look too stupid now would she?

Before she began to speak again, the dancer noted a crushed up book in Spike’s pocket. The little art work she could see was very obviously of a comic book style and her nerd heart began to flutter. ”You’re gonna take me somewhere quiet and tell me all about that doodle boom right?” Her voice was a mix of frenetic energy and nerves. She wanted to know what he was drawing but she also wanted to get out of there before the Franchise saw her.

With the mention of his sketchbook, Spike had almost forgotten he had a backpack on and a rolled up sketchbook in his pant’s pocket. Guess his mind got carried away when he was too excited to approach the girl. Thank god it was dark in here with flashy strobes and glowy shit or his new companion would see his cheeks heating. Fixing himself up a quick screwdriver, he gave her a thumbs up. He was happy she avoided the punch. He had no doubt someone spiked it, to dangerous alcohol poisoning levels. “Uh, yeah, sure… but like, don’t laugh at me, okay?” It was clear that Spike didn’t usually show his art to someone right away and he was a bit shy about it. He knew he was good… better than most people, yet he still had butterflies in his stomach when people asked. With her, he felt like she would like what she saw and not judge him for using his classmates as his material.

"How could I laugh at the coolest guy in the room?” Bronwyn hooked her arm around Spike’s and continued to beam at him like the pure ray of sunshine that she was. "Ok Space Cowboy; let’s carry that weight and let’s head off into the stars” Mustering up all of her courage and nerdiness, Wynn took a deep breath and stepped forward into the unknown with the strange enigma that had become her dance partner for this nights journey.

Edenridge

---

---

December 4, 2016, Pinehurst, MA

“That absolute bitch!”

Allison was fuming. Not only was she cold because it was the middle of December. Not only was she annoyed that Francis had decided in his infinite wisdom to travel with the boys to Pinehurst; there was also that shit with her mother. She knew she had to tell Vinny about it but her baby brother was just so...he was just so Vin. She didn’t think he would handle it well. And then to top it all off that Pinehurst slut Bianca Washington had stolen her fucking song!

“This is unacceptable, ladies!” Ally looked down at her assembled squad and scanned them one by one, looking for any sign of weakness. A mass bout of the flu had struck Edenridge High like a bolt of lightning and her Varsity cheerleaders were mostly suffering; leaving Ally with the freshmen squad as her back up. This wasn’t a terrible thing, there was a lot of talent on the team but it was difficult nonetheless. Allison had spent weeks training the young fresh faced ladies a flawless routine but low and behold goddamn Bianca Washington had up and stolen their music. If the Celtic’s were to dance to the same tune as the Pinehurst Monarchs, how were they going to win the Shining Star competition?!

She needed to win this. Pinehurst had won the last two competitions and Rosefell had won the one before that! This was Allison’s senior year at Edenridge, it was her last chance to make an impact. Reagan was going to be a doctor, Vivi’s drive would surely take her places and hell, Francis had gotten into Yale. Allison had yet to hear back from any of her colleges of choice and although there was still plenty she was starting to get a bit worried. She didn’t want to become another statistic, another prom Queen who never left her hometown, got fat and had a bunch of kids with some Neanderthal who worked part time at the Stop n' Shop. Ally had to get out, to be someone, she had plans. Those plans started with winning this damn competition.

“Mei! I know you’re all leather jackets, Hayley Williams, I’m such a badass but please, for the love of baby Jesus, tell me your encyclopaedic music brain has something we can work with in there? Something with a similar beat so we don’t have to change the routine?”

Tying up the laces of her converse sneakers, Mei looked up towards the taller girl and smiled. “Let me scan through my phone and see what I’ve got” She reached into her duffel bag and began to scan through Spotify to see what she could find. It was very last minute but Mei had a mind for this sort of thing, she just didn’t have a lot of time to dwell, one wrong move and Allison would have her ass cleaning the basketball players' used underwear.

Turning back to the rest of the squad, Ally tried to put all other thoughts from her mind and focus on what she could control; how her team looked. “Girls, make sure you wear your hair down. Down is sexy, up is somebody's housewife with four kids and a mortgage. These judges aren’t gonna give us any extra points for baking them a casserole. Baby oil those legs, get those tans even and pad those bras. Sex sells!”

Ally scanned her youthful team again, with an almost wide eyed, manic stare. "Jillian! The make up, it’s wrong wrong wrong! Pushing by a terrified Katherine Dunbar she began to ratch through her purse, throwing all of the girl's personal belongings onto the floor. Finally, she pulled a small lipstick out from the bottom of the bag and threw it at Jillian. "With your skin tone and that hair-- I’m totally jelly, by the way--, you should only ever wear red lipstick. Trust me.” Her chocolate-coloured eyes moved to the other redhead in the room, Caitlin. ”That goes double for you, CeCe.”

As soon as Allison turned her back on her, Caitlin's cheeks couldn't help but flush at the older girl's words. There was something about the way she'd said that statement-- with the cryptic undertone and the knowing, almost smug look-- that made Cece wonder whether Ally was aware of what happened around her more than she was letting on. The cheer captain's remark made Caitlin replay in her head all of the interactions she'd had around Ally with others, trying to figure out whether something had slipped through the cracks but failing to pinpoint any particular instance. Whether it was all in her paranoid head or she was correct in her assumptions, this encounter only strengthened Cece's resolve to keep a tight leash on what she did or shared with and around the team.

She moved her way over to the blonde bombshell that was Lanie Lancaster and scanned her up her down. "Where is your ass, Elaine? I told you to get your squats in. You look like a stick.”

Lanie scoffed in disbelief and rolled her eyes at her mentor, the annoyance painted all over her delicate face. "Well I'm sorry puberty hasn't caught up with me yet! We're not all blessed with !" she argued back, positively fuming. During the times Allison acted neurotic when under pressure, the blonde girl often tried to not take what she said seriously. She knew sometimes. That being said, Lanie still didn't appreciate Ally broadcasting her insecurities to the rest of the team like that. Out of everyone else, it was Ally who knew firsthand how much work it took Lanie to avoid constantly comparing and belittling herself when thinking of the squad of beautiful girls surrounding her.

Cupping the young girl's face in her palms, Allison looked deep into her eyes. "Lanie, baby. Please make sure you’re eating”

Elaine raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck makes you think I'm not eati-"

Interjecting into the conversation before Allison went all den mother, the Asian teen spoke loudly. ”I’ve got the song, Ally” Mei took out her AirPods and turned up the volume so the rest of the squad could listen to her chosen track.

“The fuck is this?”

”I promise you, Allison. No one else tonight is using this song. The beat is perfect for the moves. We just step up our rhythm a bit and we’re golden”

Allison shot daggers at Mei for a second before kissing the girl on the top of her forehead. ”Great work Mei-Day but if we fuck this up, it’s on you”

Emerging from behind a locker, Babs Copeland, guidance counsellor, cheerleading squad coach, former Shining Star winner of both first place and best choreography, Allison’s hero. She was still a ravenous beauty and indeed some boys at Edenridge High got themselves appointments with the counsellor purely to gaze upon her visage. In the boys locker room, there was a famous saying in regards to Miss Copeland; Shame she’s gay

“Ladies, you’re up in five. I hope you’re ready.”

In a panic, Allison looked to her girls and pointed at the door. “Five minutes. I want you all out there ready to break some hearts” She barged by Olivia Madden and through the side door to the parking lot.

She almost side swiped that tall lanky freshman, what was his name, Charlie something? And some girl he was with before making it to her car and climbing into the passenger side. Allison opened up the glove compartment, allowing a small bag of white powder and a rolled up dollar bill to fall into her hand.

Just a small bump to get me going, then I’ll get the good stuff from Rey after we win

Edenridge

---

---

December 4th 2016;

“Erwin Schrödinger once wrote; No self is of itself alone. It has a long chain of intellectual ancestors. The "I" is chained to ancestry by many factors… This is not mere allegory, but an eternal memory”

We got a genealogy task at school today. They want us to retrace our family history as far back as we can. I imagine most people are going to just go on Ancestry Online or something like that. Then there’s the likes of Callahan or Cleary who basically own this town and can literally trace their family back to the people who got off the boat and settled here. Personally I have all kinds of documents and records, mostly because my old man kept files of that shit. For a catholic priest he was die hard into his Native American roots which is a strange dichotomy.

I haven’t read too much of his stuff yet, hell I’m just surprised that my Mom kept it all considering they were never really a couple. She just got stuck with his stuff when he shot himself.

James Strongbow Winters; that was my fathers name. It’s a name that I do not share but I carry around like a noose around my neck. Every step I take in this world it tightens and steals my breath away. It is because of his inability to do what was necessary that my mother and I are treated as such. Had he just been able to muster up the strength to break down that door, lives would not have ended and mine wouldn’t be as torturous as it is.

Bastard. That’s what he was. That’s what I am. He claimed direct descendance from the Massachusett tribe or that’s what his letters claim. If I am to believe the words of a pariah, then the very lands I walk today are mine by birthright. My people are all but extinct, replaced by the Irish and the Italian. I owe nothing but hell to my father yet I must carry his sins and the legacy of my ancestors into the future.

This will be an interesting project.

It’s the Pinehurst v Edenridge grudge match tonight. There’s also a cheerleading competition between multiple schools, what was it? Sparkle? Shining something? Poppy wants to go for some reason. She probably wants to fuck Francis Callahan or David O’Hara like everybody else...God I really hope not. I’d rather fuck my self in the ass with a sideways chainsaw but I’d do anything for her; so if this is what she wants then this is what will happen. I’ll have to leave early though, Decky is trusting me on his corner. I might bring Jade along for some company. I darent bring Penelope. She doesn’t belong in this world. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to be slinging dope. Drugs are a terrible thing but my Mom cannot afford her treatment and I can’t just let her struggle. ReyRey is giving me a chance, I can’t fuck it up.

I love my mom.

There’s the door bell, it’s probably Pops. I wonder which tale of Rocky and Reaper she’d like to hear tonight?

---

Edenridge

---

---

Waiting for her friend; Mei scanned through the latest of the not so beautifully departed Charlie’s journal entries. She had never been particularly close with Decker; they grew up together and were always civil and courteous. She found him to be polite and well spoken and she couldn’t lie, he was hot. At six foot and change with muscles and bangs framing his face were he not a serpent he would’ve fit right in with the Francis’ and David’s of the Basketball team.

Thinking back as she stared at the page in front of her; Mei could remember all the times where she would see Charlie around town, scribbling into a little brown leather book. At the time she never thought much of it but in hindsight it was obvious that he was trying to express his feelings on a page because he couldn’t do it in real life. He was always flanked by that girl...what was her name? Pippa? Poppy? Most would assume she was his girlfriend though as someone who prides herself in knowing everything, to Mei’s knowledge that wasn’t the case.

Interrupting her train of thought was the sound of a certain fiery redhead calling out from a window. “Hey there, Midnight Rider. Glad the daytime ain't stoppin' ya. You wanna come in, or should I join ya out there? I can share my breakfast burrito if you're dying for a snack."

With a rare smile on her face, the gothic priestess waved towards her friend ”Get your sexy ass down here. We’re going out and we’re staying out!” Mei called back toward her girl before returning to the letter.

The subject of Charlie’s latest journal was something that was all too sadly close to both Mei and Jillian’s hearts; Allison. December 4th 2016 was a horrid day for many reasons. It was cold, it was snowing, Reagan and most of the other cheerleaders were sick with the flu so Mei and her freshman cheerleading squad were forced to join Allison at the Shining Star competition. Something was different about Ally that day though, she seemed off, not herself. She was desperate to beat those damn Pinehurst Monarchs like her life depended on it and considering how the night ended, with Allison in a body bag, Mei often wondered, did it?

As she raised her head from her phone, a set of dark eyes locked with her own. Rey Rey Gonzalez was a scourge amongst Edenridge society. He was the current leader of the South Side Serpents, a twenty something whose daddy didn’t love him enough so he’s gone a little insane. Big Rey may have been a criminal but he was a part of the community, giving to charity and protecting the area from offcomers who attempted to break the harmony. Rey Rey was an entirely different monster; violent, vile and vicious; all of which he masked behind a handsome face and charming demeanour. Mei was sure he knew more of this town's secrets than anyone else; how else would he get away with the things he did? The horrid man winked in her direction before walking into the nearby park; a short cut to his little slice of hell on the south side; the Edge of Sin.

One ReyRey had vanished into the overgrowth of the park; Mei moved her attention to her friend who was leaving her home; a rarity unto itself. ”Hey Queen, you ready to get fucked up?”

Rosefell High.

xxxxxxxxxxx	x x x	x xxxxxxxxxxx

---

^{The start of a @LovelyComplex & @BrutalBX Bromance}

---

With a heavy heart, Rico returned to his perch in the corner following his conversation with Ellie. There was a very high possibility that he had just blown his shot with the girl he loved. He could’ve been a lesser man, he almost wished he was a lesser man; if he was she could’ve been in his arms by now. She had disappeared into the crowd and he had planted himself onto a box with old faithful in his arms; ready to sing some more sad songs.

Glancing at a mess of blonde hair that was sitting before him, Rico dampened the tip of his finger before strumming the strings of his guitar softly. ”If you’re going to paint me like one of your french girls Spike then at least let me keep my clothes on.”

“I can promise you,” Spike kept his deep blue eyes on his sketch and chuckled, “Your naked body has never crossed my mind.” He had enough guys in his head because of Minty. He didn’t need another one, especially one that is good at the one thing he isn’t. Being romantic. If you couldn’t tell, he never really thought before he talked. He just said shit and hoped the results would be in his favor.

The Mascot was surprised at how easy it was for him to capture Rico's personality, inner yearning, and visage. Maybe, he did spend more time than he realized staring at the man over the years. He didn’t even need to look up to know just how he smiled, how defined his eyebrows were, and how soft his gaze was whenever he focused on someone else. Fucking Rico. Suave as fuck. Stupidly charming.

“El Mariachi… Do you like that?” Spike glanced up at the guitarist to see if he got his approval or not, but realized he probably needed to give more context. “Your superhero name. Concept is you live for your job, traveling around to touch people’s hearts with your music. You want to live peacefully but where there is a beautiful sound that can make a god cry, there are enemies that want to steal your gifts away. But that’s the thing! You become stronger when you live and experience life. The more your heart feels, the stronger the song. You not only have the power to empower, or weaken, people with a song, but your empathetic voice can instill an emotion in a crowd, which may impact fate itself. When you get involved with your muse, a beacon, who stands for life, love, and light, you find a conviction to do more with your music…” His voice started to trail off as his eyes went back to the sketch pad. He shaded some parts of Rico’s face.

His concept for Rico was more fleshed out than it probably should’ve been. He had a whole story arc for him already. Divine inspiration was wild. Not many people knew about what Spike drew specifically but right now he just wanted someone to talk to and not hold anything back. He wanted to focus on someone else so he could forget his own problems. Plus, Ellie loved this suave musician. That meant something to Spike, seeing how she was one of the few people who knew why Spike drew and what he drew about.

“Jesús mi amigo...”

Rico was somewhat shocked at the amount of effort that Spike had put into his character. In four years the pair had barely spoken a word, the guitar man wasn’t exactly sure why as far as he was concerned Spike was a bit of an idiot but he was cool. Yet here he was, speaking to the troubadours soul with some sort of superhero type deal. “I love it.”

It was strange; Enrique had never considered Spike a friend, although in a different life perhaps he could, considering they were both thought of as some kind of fools for the school. He has always got the impression that the blonde haired mascot wasn’t his biggest fan and he wasn’t exactly sure why? Ellie knew the comic artist a lot better than he did and she had never mentioned anything.

“Why would you want me to be in your thing, hermano? Don’t you like, hate me?”

That makes sense why he would ask that. Spike had been so stubborn on crossing the bridge of friendship with Rico that he didn’t realize he was coming off as an asshole. It certainly wasn’t because he hated him. When Spike watched Rico, he saw a charm that he would never have. It went deeper than that though. Rico’s relationships had substance. Depth. A deep passion. The closest to that experience that the trailer boy had ever had was with Minty and people would define their relationship as toxic. More lows than highs. Both acting one way when they meant another. Their foundation was childish banter and lies. It was doomed to fail from the beginning.

“Nah it’s not like that. I’m just annoyed like 99 percent of the time that your game is better. I’ll admit I can be a bit of a child,” Spike spoke honestly. Glancing up here and there to get the fine details of Rico’s guitar, he shyly admitted, “I don’t just have friends in my story. The goal is to have a character for everyone that leaves an impact on me here at Rosefell, especially before I graduate. Heroes, anti heroes, and villains alike.”

Whether it is the Queen of Thorns or The Wall, they all add to the story in their own way and help Spike cope with his shitty reality. “I guess after hearing your song and seeing the way you looked at El… I just felt it. So I’m going where the inspo takes me.”

“I feel that, brother man.” Rico was taken aback by Spike’s honesty. He didn’t really think that the boy had this amount of depth about him. This was the most of the real Spike Langley he had seen in all his years in Rosefell; and he didn’t hate it. “I’m the same when it comes to my music. I just feel the flow, man. I listen to the world and let it penetrate my soul and permeate throughout the body until it leaves through the guitar.”

Shuffling off of his stool, El Mariachi moved down onto the floor next to Spike; nonchalantly playing a random tune. “You wanna hear a secret, Mascot? My game sucks. I mean I struck out with some babe earlier cos I dropped a line from fucking Hamilton,” Rico chuckled at the thought of his encounter with Billie earlier in the evening and how it had sent him into a Freako spiral. “I was lucky Ellie ever gave me the time of day and all the other ones? Brother, that's just confidence and being a fool for love.”

“Was it luck? You and El?” Momentarily, Spike put his pencil down and cracked his knuckles. He did take in the information that Rico wasn’t as good as he seemed in the romantic department and appreciated the sentiment that all it took was being confident, however Spike still had his doubts.

This was nice, though. His friends had been so caught up with themselves lately that Spike didn’t realize he needed someone to talk to.

“If love means you have to be lucky, then I’m fucking screwed...” Spike huffed to himself, almost protesting at the idea of love itself. If Rico glanced at the pad on Spike’s lap, he would notice El Mariachi staring up at the sky, his guitar hanging from its strap, as he offered a yellow flower up in the air. Instead of looking at the moon, he was looking at a brunette girl dressed in a black and blue suit, with a luminous aura around her. She was levitating and reaching for the flower.

This was Ellie’s first character costume which was focused on blending her in with the night. While Spike usually thought of yellow when it came to Eleanor, he knew at least for this snapshot moment he would keep it to a minimum so it didn’t take away from the night sky. So, the artist chose to express their love in the form of a yellow flower, which meant optimism, joy, and harmony. Hope especially. For a better tomorrow.

“I suppose in part it can be about luck,” Rico did indeed glance at Spike's drawing pad but chose not to say anything. If Spike was anything like him, he didn’t want anyone seeing his unfinished masterpiece just yet. It was rough but the visage was unmistakable, on his latest page was Ellie. Even in comic book form she still took his breath away. “We also had a shit ton of groundwork laid before we started dating. We were friends for years but not in a close sense. We just knew we had a lot in common, both being artists of a kind.”

The song and dance man mind took him back many months to a party not too dissimilar to this one. It was a rarity to see Ellie at such things alone without Lilith but there she was and she looked phenomenal. “Then there was this party, an underclassman thing so not many people were there but I was there with Hunter and shit, Ellie walked in wearing this red dress. The light just hit her in a way, it made my blood burn. Then it started to rain and everyone started rushing inside but I stood there and I played that damn guitar and sang to her. People were watching but I didn’t give a fuck and neither did she. Love was born that night and it was some kind of magic.”

Spike tried to recall the party that Rico had mentioned but time was a blur to him and at some point all the parties felt the same. He would’ve definitely noticed Ellie in a red dress. “Damn. I missed that. Probably taking care of my Paw-Paw or some shit.”

Still, regardless of what Ellie wore, she would stand out in a crowd. An understated beauty whose smile was blinding. Spike still didn’t know the reason why she gave him that moment, freshman year, but he wasn’t going to question it. They both had a bad night at a party and decided to make the other less lonely. The next day she made sure to put up clear boundaries between them, feeling some regret for succumbing to weakness.

Even so, that was fine because he knew what they had wasn’t this kind of love Rico was describing. A love similar to something Spike’s parents had. What he and Ellie had, it was a platonic kind of love and honestly? He wouldn’t trade that for the world. She was one of the few females he could act somewhat normal around and he wasn’t afraid to tell her days he wasn’t doing okay. Days he wanted to die. Joking all the time got tiring and she saw through his act.

“What… what happened between you two? If that’s okay to ask. One moment you guys are sitting on the school lawn together, being hella’ affectionate, and the next… well. It all stopped.”

This was weird; opening up to Spike Langley of all people but Rico thought he once heard Dee say a stranger is better than a friend and he was right. There was no judgment between the two of them in these moments they were sharing so speaking his truth may not actually be a bad thing. ”I fucked up is the simple answer,” He responded in a brief moment of despondency.

Enrique didn’t particularly want to relive his break up with Ellie. Even just seeing her tonight and being as close to her as he was just before his conversation with Spike was killing him softly. With a great sigh, he continued his story. ”I...with the music, there’s a certain lifestyle and I enjoy that lifestyle, a little too much I guess. It wasn’t fair to Ellie, I was getting fucked up a lot and she was always taking care of me and she deserved better.”

“Is that so...” Spike murmured, as he took in Rico’s truth. He didn’t frown. He didn’t smile. He simply stared at this stranger who wasn’t so different from him after all. Things are always beautiful until they mess them up. Grabbing his pencil once more, Spike slowly tapped it on his sketchpad, “Shit, love is fucking terrifying and you know what I think? I think she’ll wait for you, dude. What I saw wasn’t some lustful infatuation, like I’ve had with Minty. That was something real.” Why was Spike being so open and vulnerable to this kid? Was he that low that he didn’t have a filter? Or was it the alcohol that made his mouth a bit loose?

“Just be careful, man. If I could turn back time, I’d stop my mom from leaving to this stupid convention. There’s moments, I believe, that cause a ripple effect. If she hadn’t died, my dad wouldn’t have forgotten me. Like I always wondered, is love worth it? If there is so much hurt to it, why do we keep chasing it? When my dad finally got back to being a functioning human and realized in order to honor her was to take care of me... Well, he was gone too.”

Heh.

He hadn’t told anyone about his past like this. This was definitely weird, but he couldn’t hold back the emotions burning in his chest. “I guess hearing what you have to say… makes me realize love isn’t about what you get, but what you’re willing to give. And I’m going to keep rooting for you two because we’re all fucked up in our own way, but goddamit! You two belong together. And if there’s one thing I’d like to point out, it's that she's still there.” Ellie hadn’t moved on. Not really. If she wanted to try, she would’ve pulled a Minty and ghosted Rico.

Yet, she was still, in her own way, keeping an eye on him but at a distance. Whether it takes weeks, months, or years, Spike believed in their love story. It made him come to terms with being alone, without Minty, because if luck ever did knock on his door, he would find someone who loved him for him and he loved them for them. Someone who would push him to be a better version of himself, and he them, so they could be happy together. Spike decided if there was something that he’d believe in, it was happiness. Love was too foreign for him to understand. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean he was going to give up on those that have experienced it, like Ellie and Rico.

”Well, well.”

He really had no idea just how deep Spike actually was. The facade of the idiot was slowly slipping away and Rico began to feel a kinship with the mascot. With drink and drugs flowing throughout his system, there was a good chance that he probably wouldn’t remember most of this in the morning but that didn’t matter. Spike was opening his heart to Rico and the mariachi could feel every beat as if it was his own. ”I didn’t know you had any of this in you, hermano.”

The wheels began to turn in Rico’s head. There was a hidden tragedy behind the eyes of Rosefell’s resident court jester and it was a beautiful one. The longing and the feeling of hopelessness drifted around Spike, like a cloud of thoughtful smoke. Lyrics and rhythm began to take shape in his mind and his fingers began to idly strum the strings of the guitar. Instead of his normal flamenco Latin style, Enrique played a blues riff straight out of the south side of Chicago; the Mascot Blues.

Looking up from his axe, a vision and an idea. Turning back to Spike, Rico motioned with his head to a girl entering the garden through the back gate. She was absolutely stunning; with flowing auburn hair, a perfect pear shaped figure hidden beneath a shirt style dress. He felt like he had seen her around school that week; a Liberty for sure but maybe that’s what Spike needed to get over Minty; a different type of distraction.

”Your luck just changed Langley.”

Having zoned out the moment Rico started strumming another tune, Spike sighed in relief, as if this weight lifted off of his shoulders. He liked this tune. Felt like it was meant for him. No longer thinking about his past, Rico and Ellie’s love life, and the concept of love, Spike closed his eyes and rhythmically nodded to the music. It wasn’t long after Rico pointed out a girl in the garden.

Opening his eyes to have a look-see, Spike was stunned and taken aback. He already expected any girl from Liberty to be next level attractive. This whole week consisted of him flirting with them and failing terribly. But this girl, this girl was not trying to stand out and for some reason, it felt like she was something special to look at. Was it her smile or was it how clearly she seemed to look around like she was avoiding someone? Whatever it was, Spike knew he had to know a name.

Part of him felt like he always felt when he looked at someone from Liberty, she was out of his league. Another part of him wanted to take a chance and see if she would give him the time of night to just… be with him. If he could get a name he’d consider tonight not complete crap. Hesitantly, and already putting his sketchpad and pencil away in his backpack, the blonde, emotional goofball asked his new friend, “Should I just… go to her?”

”Absolutely,” Rico responded immediately. ”If I’ve learned anything after everything with Ellie it’s don’t pass up your chances, you may only get one” Putting down his guitar, the boy scanned the girl again, taking her in as he did everybody else, seeing her like a song. From a distance she certainly looked like an indie darling, a girl with soft features but a powerful voice just waiting to be heard but drowning in a sea of over the top characters. ”My advice? Cero Miedo, baby. No fear. Go to her, tell her she looks nice, politely and ask her if she wants a drink. Don’t need anything more than a smile my friend.”

Getting up to his feet, Enrique patted Spike on the shoulder and beamed at his new found confidant. ”She’s all yours brother.” He picked up the guitar and headed back into the house.

Rosefell High.

---

A @Melissa & @BrutalBX Telenovela

---

Timing is everything in life. Of course, Ellie’s high started to hit right after Lil left the girl to her own devices.

It came on suddenly- one moment the brunette felt only tipsy from the two drinks she had downed, and the next her vision grew hazy and her shoulders released the tension she didn’t realize they had been previously holding. It almost felt dreamlike the way the party continued on around her in full merriment, but her own actions felt slower and more relaxed. She had nightmares before that being under the influence felt like drowning, but no- this was floating.

A familiar voice met her ears and she laughed, a carefree smile appearing on her lips as she swayed to the music. With an exhale that expelled her anxieties, Ellie began to enjoy herself, paying no mind to why the voice singing sounded like the one that used to serenade her. All she knew was that she was happy to hear it once again.

It wasn’t until the music changed and someone appeared in front of her that she realized that it was Rico who had been the one singing moments earlier. It was his voice that had caused her to start to dance and smile- a feeling she hadn’t felt in a while. Her reaction time was clearly too slow as before she could say anything, he vanished out into the backyard, guitar in tow.

After minutes that felt like hours of standing there trying to piece together what had just occurred, Ellie let her feet carry her to the backdoor and outside, following the familiar voice that sang out to her once again. Her footsteps light but also imprecise, she quietly made her way over to where the next song was coming from- one that was sadder and more yearning, clear that something heavy was weighing on his heart.

So she sat and listened.

Lost in rhythm, Rico didn’t even realise as he shifted to a very particular song that a certain girl joined the growing crowd around him. As he plucked the strings to a soft Latin vibe, he opened his mouth again.

“Recuerdo ese día
Te entregué mi corazón.
Corriste hacia el edificio para salir de la lluvia con tu viejo trapo azul.
Cuando me sonreíste, mi corazón vacío brilla con júbilo y le puse nombre a esa tormenta”

When he was playing music, there was nothing that could break Enrique’s stride. Even this song which he wrote for the girl that broke his heart, it pained him but he would never stop playing it. Even the negative emotions one feels can be taken and turned into something beautiful. He opened his eyes only to be met by the breathtaking image of the girl he named a storm after. He wouldn’t stop, this was her song after all.

Even in her high delirium, Ellie knew exactly what song Rico was playing before he started to sing, she knew from the first string he plucked. She knew every note that would follow, every word that was sung, every rise and fall, as it was the song that he had written for her. There was always magic in the music that Rico created, even before they dated it was something that she had admired, but after being with him so closely and understanding how naturally and deeply the poetry emanated from his lips, she knew how much he meant those words in which he sang. The girl under the influence of both the drugs and the music sat frozen, heart ringing in her ears.

After finishing the song to a round of applause (and some tears) Rico downed what was left of the drink he had brought outside with him and got to his feet. She had approached him! Maybe he was wrong to run away? All he wanted was to go back to the way they were, to fix what he had broken and to sing songs to her for the rest of his life. The drink was courage, the drugs were adrenaline and they both were pushing him closer to the one he loved. He wandered over to the brunette and smiled.

”You wanna talk?”

Ellie blinked once, twice, three times, eyes glazed over at Rico but not really seeing him. She was clearly in a daze, growing more high by the minute, and after realizing and snapping out of it, she dissolved into a little laugh. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” She bashfully stated, letting out another small giggle as her gaze refocused on his features. He was standing quite close to her, the closest they’d been since the breakup, she was positive he could hear how fast her heart was beating.

What was this? The dilated pupils, the minor beads of sweat sitting just beneath her silky hair, the laboured breathing...was Ellie high? Of all the things he thought in the world, Rico never thought he’d see the day where Eleanor Roberts would embark on a journey of altered consciousness. He had seen her drink before at parties but never imbibed in mind altering chemicals but he knew the signs all too well, in fact he was well under the influence himself. There was a thought that crossed Rico’s mind; he wondered if he had done this? Had she gone off the rails in response to their breakup? No she wasn’t that weak. Maybe she was just exploring herself in a new way...it wasn’t something he hated, he didn’t know her this way.

Taking her hand, his heart began to race. Just the touch of Ellie’s skin was enough to light his heart on fire. ”Let’s go somewhere a little quieter” He led her away from the crowd of fellow inebriated teens and to a silent area elsewhere. Now that they were alone, Rico wasn’t sure what his plan actually was so he just said the first thing that came to his head. ”El, you look absolutely asombrosa”

It was almost as if an electric shock went through Ellie’s system the moment Rico’s hand touched hers, pulling her aside as her uncoordinated limbs followed. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about him since the Spring, and she’d also be lying if she made the claim that she didn’t miss him. But something about the party atmosphere and the weed in her system kept her level headed enough in that moment to pull her hand away the second they stopped moving. Even though she still felt like everything was dancing around her.

“I know.” The girl replied solemnly, knowing damn well that she looked good. Lil had said earlier to say that, and thank god she remembered and didn’t melt into a puddle. “You came up to me before and then you walked away… why.”

He almost hoped that whatever was in her system had made Ellie forget about that. Rico was a coward and now he had to admit to it. ”I...well… The songsmith was at a loss for words for once in his life. ”...I saw you in the crowd and I just wanted to be near you. I didn’t know what to say and I didn’t know if you would want to even speak to me. I’m sorry”

The simple truth of the matter, the truth that Enrique so desperately wanted to free was that he was still madly in love with her. It was that every breath that he put out was one less breath that he could give to her. Ellie had become everything in his world and it killed him that he had pushed her away. His entire body ached to be near her constantly but alas he knew that he couldn’t be and that tore him apart.

“I mean,” Ellie started, brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear, “I was going to say something, but everything is moving at normal speed and I’m in slow motion so I couldn’t get my words out fast enough before you literally disappeared.” The girl admitted bluntly. She looked up at Rico, losing herself in his eyes and the small little freckles on his nose, zoning out for the second time. She blinked three times before realizing she had been staring again, and let out a small laugh at her daze. “I’m high, if you haven’t figured that out already.”

”I noticed; you’re smoking now El?” It was a strange thing seeing her like this. He didn’t hate it, in fact Rico had tried for the entirety of their relationship and even before that when they were just friends to get Ellie to let loose a bit with a little weed and a little booze. She was always so uptight, the weight of the world hanging off of her neck like a noose on a dead girl.

He wanted to reach out again; to touch her arm, to brush the hair from her cheek and feel her on his fingertips once again. Seeing Ellie in such a way both excited him and sobered him up even more. ”Are you ok, mi amor? How’re you feeling?”

Mi amor the words hit the brunette straight in the chest and sucked the air out of her lungs for a moment. It had been months since she had last heard such sweet words being spoken to her, another language of love in which she had grown so accustomed to. Ellie sighed, the loose strand of hair falling into her eyes once again. “I feel… good.” She replied, “You know, I feel more relaxed than I have in months, and I’m starting to get a little hungry, and also why is everything funny now? I don’t get it.” She rambled, dissolving into another high mindless laugh.

”That's the joy of the césped, it takes the edge off and makes things just a little lighter” Rico wasn’t sure what to do at this point. He had never been around high Ellie before. He had been around drunk Ellie but even that was a rarity. It was almost ironic that the pair's relationship, in part, had ended because of this very vice. Not the weed itself but Enrique’s use of it as well as other recreational drugs, he was a heavy partier and here the artist was, staring up at him with those beautiful eyes, high as a fucking kite. ”You wanna grab some food? You’ll feel great”

Now if Ellie were sober, she wouldn’t have started talking to Rico in the first place. She would have avoided him, avoided all eye contact and connection and just would have gone about the evening on her own. But the brunette conveniently was not sober, which made her much more agreeable and less aware of her woes. Her green eyes searched around for Lil, almost for permission, who was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell had she gone with that guy? She’d have to go and look for her… after food.

“Food sounds really good right now.”

This was a moral test of oneself; this was the first time that he and Ellie had been this close to each other in months, let alone the first time they had spoken since their break up. Absence truly did make the heart grow fonder and in her current state, if there was any ounce of deviancy in the fool for love, Enrique could probably convince her to take him back or at least spend the evening with him. The thought of that however, it truly sickened him. He could never take advantage of her, Ellie was his love and if his parents had taught him anything it was that love conquered all and sooner or later, if they were meant to be, she would find her way back to him.

”Let me take you to one of the food tables, make sure you get something to eat and then I’ll get out of your hair” He put a soft hand on her shoulder, caressing it subconsciously with his thumb. ”Don’t want to ruin your night when you’re clearly having a blast” With Ellie in one arm and a guitar in the other, Rico began to guide her towards the food table. ”What are you feeling? Burger? Hot Dog?”

The brunette placed one uncoordinated foot in front of the other as Rico assisted her towards the promised sustenance. “Doesn’t matter to me, anything sounds good right now.” The party seemed to spin around her but Ellie became hyper focused on the boy’s grasp of her shoulder, the way his fingers clasped both delicately and sturdily around her. His touch became reminiscent of months past and before she could stop herself she blurted, “I don’t know if this is the weed or the booze talking, but I miss you.”

Oh my God! She said she misses me!

Rico wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that information. What he was sure of was that he just wanted to grab her right there and kiss her as hard and as long as possible. He wanted to sweep her off of her feet, carry away from the chaos and just be together like they used to be. Which was why when he said what he said next; he immediately thought it was a stupid thing to say. ”I miss you too, mi amor- so much- but that might just be the party talking.”

Arriving at the snacks, he scanned what was there and began to plate up all the things he knew Ellie would love as well as some things he knew would soak up the alcohol and drugs to stop her feeling like the walking dead the following morning. ”Here,” He handed her the plate of food with a smile, ”If you still miss me when you're sober, then there’s always tomorrow. If not, at least I know there’s a little part of us that made you happy.” He kissed her on the forehead, trying not to linger too long. ”If you’re looking for Lilith, she’s in the pool making out with some dude.”

Ellie couldn’t help but notice a shift in Rico’s demeanor. For a moment, she could have sworn she had seen his eyes light up, a glimmer of hope in them, but his following words eliminated that notion. It was just the intoxication talking, she guessed. Every sense of her’s was heightened as she took the plate of food from him, especially as she felt Rico’s lips upon her forehead. It was tender and she wanted it to last longer, but he pulled away and the moment was gone. Her eyes glanced over, catching only a glimpse of Lil and the boy disappearing into the house. “Guess I’ll catch up with her later...”

Showing some form of maturity was a new thing for Rico. He had spent so much time being “Freako” that the actual boy behind the partying wasn’t probably known to many, if any. ”I’m sure you’ll find some way to occupy the evening, if not well, I’ll be in the corner, singing sad songs that don’t mean anything to anyone but me. You’re more than welcome to join me.” He offered up a soft but somewhat sad smile, like his heart was not truly in it. As he turned to finally leave her, the boy was struck by lightning as he often was in Ellie’s presence and turned to face her once again.

”Whatever happens, mi amor I want you to know, you’re my uno y solo and I’ll love you forever.” He couldn’t look any longer, the regret of blurting out the contents of his heart weighed heavy and she likely wouldn’t remember it anyway.

Eleanor Roberts was never at a loss for words. The bubbly and extroverted artist always had something to say or contribute, but as she heard those words tumble out of Rico’s mouth, she didn’t know how to respond. She wanted to chalk it up to the weed in her system, which made her reaction time much slower than usual, but it was just her not knowing how to proceed. She sighed, finding two words to describe how she felt.

“I know.”

It was strange. To most those two words could be taken as a negative in this situation but not here, not now, not for Ellie and Rico. He knew instantly the meaning behind them. It was a sobering fact that despite not being together, they were still together. He loved her and she, him but they were not ready, not yet. What they were when they were with each other, those people were not strong, they were not who they were supposed to be. Perhaps they were now? Morning may possibly shed light but perhaps not. Rico was willing to wait for her, as long as it took. He sighed through his nose and took a step forward into the night, guitar still in hand.

El Mariachi sings a sad song indeed.

Ellie watched as Rico walked away, disappearing into the revelry. She honestly didn’t know what to feel after that, so she settled for taking a few bites of food and then pulling the blunt out of her pocket that Lil had given her, twirling it between her fingers. She searched around for a moment before making her way over to a group of stoners sitting in the corner of the party. “Could I borrow a lighter?” The brunette asked.

Now she got why people smoked- it was to numb the pain.