LovelyComplex

BHHS: Limitless

@NeoAJ Gurlllll. You know Indy is a Pirate! Accepted!

BHHS: Limitless

- snipped -

BHHS: Limitless

Due date for sheets: Next Friday, 04/05. The roleplay will begin after WrestleMania, 04/08.

BHHS: Limitless

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭

coding

[hider=NAME][center][h2][color=??????]NAME/TITLE/NICKNAME[/color][/h2]
[sub][i]FULLNAME[/I][/sub]
[img]GIF/IMAGE[/img]
[sup][h3]AGE • GENDER • SEXUAL ORIENTATION • PRONOUNS • RELATIONSHIP STATUS[/h3]
(FC: FACE CLAIM NAME; Dialogue: [color=??????][b]??????[/b][/color]) [/sup]
[/center]
[center]▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃[/center]
[center][h3]Ｉｎｔｒｏ[/h3][/center]
[indent][sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] reputation[/h3][/sub]
[indent]What is your reputation at school? How does your rep outside of school impact that? Do you have parents who are household names? Or are you a nobody? Focus mostly on how people would perceive you in the halls of BHHS but if your parents do have influence, in one way or form, you can also mention that. 
[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] current dilemma[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Any personal struggles you'd like to share? Please put trigger warning if it's something uncomfortable and/or controversial. It doesn't have to be internal either. You can also put your goal/ambition for senior year. Let us know what is on your character's mind. I want this to be more present obstacles/issues so stay within now until graduation.[/indent][/indent]
[center]▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃[/center]
[center][h3]Ｄｅｔａｉｌｓ[/h3][/center]
[indent][sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] social media handles[/h3][/sub]
[indent]If you don't have social media, say that and why? Is it because you don't care for it or you can't really afford a phone? If you do have social media, please specify what handle goes to what. Ie. Twitter, Twitch, Discord, Instagram, etc etc.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] style [/h3][/sub]
[indent]Who does your character wear? Louis Vuitton? Nike? Hammy downs? What's your character's everyday style? Do you even care? Beverly Hills is all about image so maybe you [i]should[/i] care. ;)[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] ride & everyday items[/h3][/sub]
[indent]How do you get to and from school and social gatherings? Do you have unique items you carry around?[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] occupation[/h3][/sub]
[indent]If your character doesn't have any, delete this section.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] extracurricular activities[/h3][/sub]
[indent]What do you do after school hours? Are you part of clubs? Sports? Tutor? Are you a social butterfly? Do you volunteer or do you just stay in your room and chill?[/indent][/indent]
[center]▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃[/center]
[center][h3]Ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎｎａｉｒｅ[/h3][/center]
[indent][sub][h3]Friends would describe me as _______.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]In my free time I like to _______.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]I would like to learn _______ in the next year.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]This is how I define success and failure:[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]I'm inspired by _______.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]These songs are the soundtrack to my life:[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]My fondest memory as a child was _______.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]If I could tell my younger self something, I would say:[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]The things that make me smile are _______.[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[sub][h3]My whole life story in one sentence:[/h3][/sub]
[indent]write here[/indent]
[/indent]
[center]▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃[/center]
[indent][sub][h3][color=??????]►[/color] extra information[/h3][/sub]
[indent]SELF-EXPLANATORY[/indent]

[/indent][/hider]

Please post character sheet in OOC first. Wait for approval and then we will give you the green light to move it here :)

---

---

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Tristan Rogers (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
8E35EF • FC: Alina Zagitova • Bisexual • Single}
Naomi Davis (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
A84BF4 • FC: Alexandra Shipp • "Open-minded" • Single}
Kathleen Fraiser (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
a03cb8 • FC: Rhea Norwood • Bisexual • Single}
Everly Rigby (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
E754CA • FC: Brianna Coda/Cora Jade • Lesbian • Single}
Savannah Payton (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
FF4DE1 • FC: Emma Mackey • Lesbian • Single • Transfer: Junior Year, May}
Rosemary "Romi" Carling (She/Her) • ^{@BrutalBx
FF6AE4 • FC: London Thor • Pansexual • Single}
Jordyn "JJ" Jones (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
ff81c8 • FC: Bailey Bass • Pansexual, Polyamorous • Single}
Stella Manning (She/Her) • ^{@Melissa
FF99C5 • FC: Sydney Sweeney • Bisexual • In a situationship with Ethan Green}
Tourmaline “Toury” Phoenix (She/Her) • ^{@Aces Away
d16c89 • FC: Gage Golightly • Bisexual • Dating Nevaeh Morgan}
Charlotte "Lottie" Quinn (She/Her) • ^{@Aewin
dc9da2 • FC: Nicole Wallace • Bisexual • Single}
Celeste Green (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
EDBAB9 • FC: Emma Roberts • Lesbian • Single}
Hana Le (She/Her) • ^{@Bee
C3B1E1 • FC: Ning Yizhuo (Ningning) • Heteroflexible? • Single}
Athena Helmsley (She/Her) • ^{@Melissa
82A6ED • FC: Meg Donnelly • Heterosexual • Single}
Tatum Sterling (She/Her) • ^{@Melissa
9182D9 • FC: Kristine Froseth • Heterosexual • Single}
Cael Crawford (He/Him) • ^{@Grimoire Gaming
676FA5 • FC: Awsten Knight • Homosexual • Open}
Benjamin Mayhew (He/Him) • ^{@smarty0114
3665b8 • FC: Chris Brine • Bisexual • Single}
Hercules Helmsley (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
2966e0 • FC: Nicholas Galitzine • Heterosexual • Dating Philomena Ramsey}
Nevaeh Morgan (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
0e69e4 • FC: Natalie Holland (Tatum Paxley) • Bicurious • Dating Tourmaline Phoenix • 3/month gap Oct 2023-Jan 2024 due to arrest}
Sara Delgado (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
1B9BD6 • FC: Roxanne Perez • Bisexual (maybe) • Single}
Michael "Spiff" O’Connor (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
2dabff • FC: Austin Butler • Heterosexual • Single}
Niles Sinclair (He/Him) • ^{@LovelyComplex
28b5e0 • FC: Diego Boneta • Demiromantic • Single}
Philomena Ramsey (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
62d1ff • FC: Bailey Sok • Hunksexual • Dating Hercules Helmsley}
Eun-ji "Ellie" Walters (She/They) • ^{@Fabricant451
0BB2B4 • FC: Kim Min-jeong/Winter • Lesbian • Single}
Nicola "Indy" Adams (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
42B5AE • FC: Mia Healey • Closeted Lesbian • Single • Transfer: Junior Year, January}
Oliver "Oli" Thomas (He/Him) • ^{@Grimoire Gaming
009485 • FC: Bobby [Kim Ji-won] • Femmesexual • In a relationship with Jade Nguyen}
Jamie Callaghan (He/Him) • ^{@smarty0114
31ba9c • FC: Miles Heizer • Homosexual • processing the end of a complicated situationship with AJ Tyler}
Gavriel "Rye" Shomer (He/Him) • ^{@Aces Away
28e0af • FC: Joshua Bassett • Bisexual, Polyamorous • Open}
Monarch Wilson (She/Her) • ^{@Aces Away
8dcdc1 • FC: Kaci Walfall • Bisexual (Female lean), Polyamorous • Single}
Ivy Leung (She/Her) • ^{@Melissa
ACECE5 • FC: Lola Tung • Pansexual • Single}
Ashley "Abby" Beswick (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
86EDE8 • FC: Chloé Hayden • Asexual, Panromantic • Single}
Antonio "Oz" Osso (He/Him) • ^{@BrutalBx
c0f9fd • FC: Joseph Quinn • Bisexual • Dating Kimber Benson}
Calliope Helmsley (She/Her) • ^{@smarty0114
CADAF7 • FC: Maya Hawke • Pansexual • Single}
Jade Nguyen (She/Her) • ^{@Bee
AEC6CF • FC: Jade-Anh Ngo • Pansexual • In a relationship with Oliver Thomas}
Adam Omasta (He/Him) • ^{@BrutalBx
82A989 • FC: Tanner Buchanan • Heterosexual • Single}
Penny Amato (They/She/He) • ^{@Fabricant451
73997E • FC: Ruby Cruz • Pansexual • Single}
Evangely "Angel" Vázquez (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
73846D • FC: Jenna Ortega • Closeted Lesbian • Single}
Kelsey Devon (She/Her) • ^{@Festive
98A38E • FC: Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus • Bisexual • Single}
Beatrix "Trixie" Kingsley (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
15603A • FC: Becky G • Demiromantic • Single}
Sinead "Sin" Donaghue (She/Her) • ^{@Aces Away
009e60 • FC: Madison Iseman • Bisexual • Single • Transfer: Freshmen Year, Spring Semester}
Kisho Fujimori (He/Him) • ^{@Aces Away
04ac43 • FC: Satsuki Nakayama • FtM, Demisexual • Single}
Dash Day (He/Him) • ^{@LovelyComplex
21a525 • FC: Jack Dylan Grazer • Pansexual • Single}
Jack McDonough (He/Him) • ^{@Melissa
3EA923 • FC: Ross Lynch • Pansexual • Single}
Nicholas "Nicky" Snyder (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
3adc56 • FC: Timothée Chalamet • Heteroflexible • Single}
Leila Webb (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
15D44C • FC: Zaira Wasim • Pansexual • Single}
Isaiah Strickland (He/Him) • ^{@BrutalBx
83BF00 • FC: Niles Fitch • Heterosexual • Single}
Piper Lyon (She/Her) • ^{@Aces Away
80e520 • FC: Kelli Burgland • Heteroflexible • In a relationship with Ethan Green}
Isla Leung (She/Her) • ^{@Bee
93C572 • FC: Laufey • Bisexual • Single}
Emilia Seger (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
ffff1e • FC: Zara Larsson • Heterosexual • In a relationship with Ethan Green}
Himani Chakrabarti (She/They) • ^{@Fabricant451
E8F631 • FC: Sanjana Sangh • Bisexual • Single}
Scott Lyon (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
e2e520 • FC: Taron Egerton • Heterosexual • In a relationship with: Katie Callaghan}
Parker "PJ" Jones (She/Her) • ^{@Aces Away
fff781 • FC: Jessica Sula • Asexual, Biromantic • Single}
Lucian "Luce" Bowers (He/Him) • ^{@Festive
eedca5 • FC: Rome Flynn • Heterosexual • Single • Transfer: Junior year, Summer prior}
Ethan Green (He/Him) • ^{@LovelyComplex
cba55a • FC: Andre Lamoglia • Heterosexual • In a relationship with Stella Manning, Emilia Segar, & Piper Lyon}
Dylan Hearst (He/Him) • ^{@smarty0114
EAB147 • FC: Rudy Pankow • Heteroflexible • Single}
Theodore Van Cise (He/Him) • ^{@BrutalBx
E7C142 • FC: Kit Connor • Heterosexual • Single}
Hope Wells (She/Her) • ^{@Melissa
FFC02D • FC: Faith Collin • Heterosexual • Single}
Tallulah Stratton (She/Her) • ^{@BrutalBx
FF8B00 • FC: Gigi Dolin • Pansexual • Single}
AJ Tyler (He/Him) • ^{@LovelyComplex
ff6127 • FC: Bradley Simpson • Pansexual • Ended situationship with Jamie Callaghan}
Sullivan "Sully" Harper (He/Him) • ^{@Aces Away
c45508 • FC: Tom Holland • Undecided • Single}
Joseph "Joey" Everett (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
d67433 • FC: Cole Sprouse • Undecided • Single}
Andre King (He/Him) • ^{@Bee
d27d2d • FC: Steve Lacy • Homosexual • Single}
Kimber Benson (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
c37f58 • FC: Maude Apatow • Heterosexual • Dating Anthony Osso}
Mitena Strongbow (She/Her) • ^{@BrutalBx
BB986B • FC: Devery Jacobs • Pansexual • Single}
Danielle "DJ" Jones (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
ff8189 • FC Sophia Rose Turino • Bisexual • Single}
Andrew Green (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
cb5a5a • FC: Alberto Rosende • Heterosexual • Single}
Adelaide "Addie" Davies-Jones (She/Her) • ^{@BrutalBx
C1473E • FC: Sophie Thatcher • Lesbian • Open}
Ramón Montoya (He/Him) • ^{@Aces Away
bb3a50 • FC: Frankie A. Rodriguez • Homosexual • Single}
Katie Callaghan (She/Her) • ^{@smarty0114
ba314c • FC: Kathryn Newton • Heterosexual • In a relationship with: Scott Lyon}
Amy Kwon (She/Her) • ^{@Fabricant451
d9274c • FC: Yu Ji-min (Karina) • Pansexual • Single}
Mordechai "Decky" Boaz (He/Him) • ^{@Aces Away
dc143c • FC: Felix Mallard • He/Him • Bisexual, Polyamorous • Transfer: Freshmen Year, Spring Semester}
Alexandria "Lex" Stratton (She/Her) • ^{@NeoAJ
b1021e • FC: Jacy Jayne • Pansexual • Single}
Owen Lyon (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
a52521 • FC: Dylan Sprayberry • Heterosexual • Single • Transfer: Senior Year, October}
Levi Green-Locke (He/Him) • ^{@smarty0114
922b2b • FC: Harrison Dickinson • Pansexual • Single}
Diana Green-Locke (She/Her) • ^{@Aewin
69353f • FC: Kim Yoo-Jung • Undecided • Single}
Helen Wells (She/Her) • ^{@LovelyComplex
923b63 • FC: Maggie Lindeman • Pansexual • Single}
Jonah Goldstein (He/Him) • ^{@LovelyComplex
a44866 • FC: Israel Broussard • Bisexual • Single}
Samyan Fujimori (They/She) • ^{@Aces Away
ac046d • FC: Belle Sisosk • Agender, Pansexual • Single}
Alvaro Belén Enrique Andrés De Borbón y Prusia (He/Him) • ^{@Festive
AB0042 • FC: Blake Michael • Heterosexual • Single}
Troy Wells (He/Him) • ^{@Hey Im Jordan
6C6C6C • FC: Logan Shroyer • Bisexual • Single}

Beverly Hills: Limitless

Hello everyone! We will be getting the OOC up this week and then start the roleplay after wrestlemania (after the weekend of April 6th-7th). This will hopefully give everyone more than enough time to get their sheets up for approval and talk about relations with everyone :)

Thank you for your patience and I'm so glad you're interested!

Beverly Hills: Limitless

@NomadicShipper hey! Welcome to the guild. Well luckily, we have some veterans in this rp that would gladly help you out.

@Theyra thank you :3 I appreciate the interest no less!

Beverly Hills: Limitless

---

---

---

---

Hi everyone! A few of us from the slice of life community — some retired (clearly not anymore) — decided to bring an old roleplay back from the grave. This time around though? We're rebranding, revamping & relaunching. Isn't that exciting? We want to go the distance, beyond this roleplay and maybe one day, make an expansive universe. We hope to provide writers a safe space to explore and grow. Bring characters of old that never got to see the light of day! Practice character tropes you rarely get the chance to try! Make friends and get up to crazy shenanigans! In the IC, of course. Let us help you integrate yourself with a community that encourages one thing, and one thing only, for you to have a good time.

I'll first start off with: yes, this is a real face claim roleplay. That might turn some individuals off, which is why I'm starting off with this. The way I think of real face claims is like casting for a Netflix original series. Some people can't get their mind wrapped around it, and I completely understand since my roots are in anime roleplays. And yes, occasionally, it feels like a CW show where everyone is extremely attractive. That's simply how our community works. We suspend our disbelief and allow ourselves to get lost in an immersive experience. If that is disagreeable to you, I thank you for reading this far and I hope in the future we can write for a different type of roleplay.

Now let's begin with what matters. The story.

Welcome back to one of our favorite locations: Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. Beautiful, luxurious and uncompromisingly glamourous. Home to Beverly Hills High School. A school that tries to be as unapologetically polished as the city it resides in. We will follow the senior class of 2024 from their homecoming game, and through to their graduation. Past that, the options are truly limitless!

We’ll be focusing on the characters going through their day-to-day life as teens trying to find their way as they come to terms that their childhood is nearing an end. This RP will include everything, from flashbacks on the memories the characters have made so far in their lives to scenes of the characters laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. In short, this RP is all about their chosen family, blood or not, the memories they make (the good, the bad & the downright ugly) and maybe, for those truly ambitious kids, the mark they leave in the halls of their beloved school.

There will be social commentary about the filthy rich, privileged kids and the hopeful or jaded scholarship kids. There will be school politics, social events and teen drama. There will also be wholesome moments, like a bunch of stoners asking the questions that really matter or a student seeking advice from their parent. There may be controversial topics that some writers will want to explore, but with communication and understanding, we will make sure that we all keep it classy. Trigger warnings will be mandatory for those darker themed posts. But don't worry, I can assure you that there will be stupidly hilarious posts as well! It's all about a happy balance. Amiright?

This RP is going to be relatively free-form and sandbox, with some direction from the GMs in the form of events; think homecoming, prom, parties, maybe some tragedy here and there. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to let us know below or in a direct message to @LovelyComplex, @Hey Im Jordan, and @smarty0114!

Otherwise, feel free to express your interest below.

Last but not least, a disclaimer. We did make a discord recently and invited our rp friends that are interested. It's pretty hype and active. We hope this doesn't discourage you. We've been planning this roleplay for awhile but we can assure you there's tons of space and room for you and nothing is really set in stone until the OOC is up and we start accepting sheets.

Anyways, we appreciate you reading this. We honestly can't wait to get the show on the road.

Thanks for being totally awesome. We hope to see you soon. :)

Edenridge

Timestamp: WHAT IF, Afternoon before Beau’s party

_________________________________________________________________________________


_{@AlteredTundra @LovelyComplex @Aces Away @BrutalBx}
_________________________________________________________________________________

Hanging on the toilet, resting her head on her arm that laid out on the seat, and absolutely exhausted, Penelope Decker’s surroundings spun. She didn’t know what she ate to make her stomach this uneasy. The Reservation’s food never made her churn like this. She didn’t even eat that much today! All she did was walk into her best friend’s home and smelt onions. Before she knew it, she was rushing to the bathroom. Jade, Mordechai and Roddy had their theories but Poppy was being stubborn, refusing to believe them. Right now all she could do was focus on not moving or else she’d find herself puking her guts out.

She wanted to die.

The bathroom had makeup scattered all over the room, mostly the sink but in a weirdly neat way. There was no surprise there though. That was Jade after all. Her soul sister. She was a chaotic being but she never failed to have a sense of order in her chaos. Her mess made sense, even to Poppy who knew her for years. To contrast, while Jade was all over the room, there were small glimpses of Roddy that Poppy found cute. He was a minimalistic man. He didn’t need much.

On the sink, surrounded by Jade’s makeup, there was one deodorant that was clearly meant for a male, leaned up against the wall and his blue toothbrush in a ceramic cup next to Jade’s red. In the bathtub, he had his shampoo and body wash in the corner of the tub’s rim, and all the other shower shelves had Jade’s self care products. It was sweet how organized and simple Roddy was. All he needed was her and he loved that for them.

Closing her eyes, Poppy steadied her breathing and her heartbeat, which was racing from the sudden displeasure of such a poignant scent. She couldn’t be sick. Beau’s party was today and there was no way she was going to miss it. Speaking of the party, she needed to text Charlie to make sure he didn’t forget his second book, the first copy of it, to give to Beau as a gift. To make sure he wrote something sentimental in it. Maybe she should text him to bring some meds to the party too.

Grumbling, absolutely hating her life right now, Poppy opened her eyes and tried to reach for her phone which was on the sink counter. Sadly her body was against this decision. It only made things worse. Finding herself back over the toilet, she heaved the rest of what she ate today out of her body. Her eyes watered from the discomfort.

Was this how it felt to die because she certainly wanted to die…

Physically, she was barely able to stand and her body was shaking over this sensation. There was more to it though. This wasn’t just because she was puking. Puking was one thing. Everyone got sick but this was something more. She was scared and internally, emotionally, panicking. There was no way this could be that. She and Charlie had talked about the possibility, what if, and when, but the plan was to start when they were in their thirties. Poppy wasn’t dumb though. One night not too long ago she surprised Charlie with a red dress that Maxine gifted her, wearing matching lipstick. She waited for him at Aponi’s Heart. It was the twins’ birthday.

Winnie couldn’t drink because she was, or well is, very pregnant with Kerry's second child and Ten kept sober out of paranoia that some ragtag gang would come and ruin the celebration. He was a lighthorsemen after all. When Charlie finally arrived, he couldn’t take his hands off her and it didn’t help they both got crazy drunk and partied with the Rez all night long. She would say until dawn but that wasn’t true at all. She remembered leaving the party when it was still dark out because Charlie wanted her all to himself. And he did have her all to himself, for what felt like hours.

Her face beamed red as she reached for some toilet paper to wipe her lips. No matter how many years passed, Charlie Decker gave her butterflies. He was hers and she was his and when they were together? Everything felt right in the world. She wasn’t going to think about that night though! There was always a chance that this was just the usual stomach bug. She would keep thinking that until proven otherwise. There was no way she and Charlie were about to be… once Decky comes back from the convenient store, they all would be relieved that this was just a silly thought of theirs. Her denial shifted when she imagined getting a negative test and she found herself suddenly sad. Why was she sad? What the fuck did she want?

“So Mitch was grabbin’ some nosh before goin’ on duty,” Decky grumbled as he blew through the doorway and crouched down in front of his smallest best friend, dangling the box with the test in it in front of her pale and sweaty face. His own face was a disgruntled and resigned in equal measure. “Ya wouldn’t believe the fuckin’ lecture I got about knockin’ Maya up straight outta college before I could even say it wasn’t for us. I swear he was about to make Maya and Sonny a monogamous couple until I had a chance to tell him it wasn’t for her. Jesus ya look like shit, have ya stopped pukin’ at all since I left?” He pushed some sweaty strands of hair away from where they had gotten stuck to Poppy’s forehead, tucking them behind her ear as she finally took the box from him before he stood back up and went over to the sink to rummage through Jade’s top drawer. “We should’a put your hair up before we left ya alone up here. Sorry ‘ bout that, Angel,” His hand emerged from the drawer victorious, a thin black hair tie in his grip. “Want me ta put it up now?”

“That’s fine,” Penelope quietly responded, exhaustion washing over her. She didn’t move much, letting her body hang over the toilet. Her stomach was settling down, or at least she hoped it was. As Mordechai gently ran his fingers through her sweaty hair, Poppy stared at the wall, contemplative and deep in thought. She didn’t want to believe she was pregnant. A baby would change the dynamic that Charlie and she had. A dynamic she worked extremely hard to keep, making sure he was happy. She worried a child would ruin her happily ever after. Her perfect dream where her world was Charlie and the world was everything to her. While Charlie wasn’t as bad as he used to be, when they were younger, he still fought the chaos in his mind daily. With how his father went out, she had no doubt that fatherhood was the last thing on his mind. As Decky played with her hair, which she found oddly soothing, Poppy whispered, “What if he leaves me…?” Always concerned about him even if right now she could barely stand up without releasing what was left of her lunch.

“Then I’d have him tracked down and I’d kill him, Jade would too, and Max. Hell that may make Danny go in for a few licks, ya know you’re his favorite,” Decky answered in a serious tone as he took his time to gently soothe Poppy’s head before he had to pull all her hair back. “I don’t care what dumbass freakout Charlie’s gonna have over this, he can damn well do it here with the people that love him. Of course he’s gonna be scared, this is a scary thing,” He reasoned, finally pulling all her hair together until it was in a neat but loose bun. “But you’ll figure it out together, and your friends will be here for ya when ya need us.”

Jade had remained quiet but observed. She took in Decky’s rambles. They were chaotic but with a purpose, of course. As they’ve always been. She took in Poppy’s worry and fears about how Charlie might react to these new developments. She could understand that. She knew change was scary. Changes in the life you were used to were bound to shake you to your core. Jade understood that more than anyone. She felt similar feelings about Jane at one point, but there came a point where she accepted the changes and not only made peace with it, but Jane was her sister. Just as Poppy was. Nothing about that would change nor will there ever be a possibility of changing.

Jade was wearing a simple outfit that consisted of a pair of deep red booty shorts that showed off her pale, slightly toned legs and a Gallows shirt that nearly covered the shorts in their entirety, pieced together after she got home from her day at work and pulling together what she felt was a solid playlist for the party tonight. “For once, Decky’s right,” the angel princess teased. She caught his glare and she stuck her tongue out in response. “Change is a hell of a thing, Pops. But he’s a pussy if this is the thing that makes him leave. Charlie is a lot of things. Sensitive. Better with words than any of us will ever be, but a pussy?” Jade shook her head, disagreeing with the notion she spoke into existence. “He’s not gonna leave. And if he thinks about it, I’ll have the Chains and his whole gang tie Charlie up until he sees to reason.” In that, Jade was only half-joking. Half joking to tying him up, but not necessarily joking about calling the boys to invoke some real fear into that writer best friend of her’s.

“You guys really are quite dramatic.” Roddy was on the other side of the door, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Thanks to his now long term relationship with Jade, he had become somewhat of an unofficial member of their quartet. Yet he also knew his place and was very conscious of the divide between him and the others. They had grown up together hard, they were bonded by blood and broken bones and held together with spit and the dirt from the train tracks. He was a Foundling, sure he wasn’t a Scott Street baby but there were streets and buildings in town named after his ancestors. He had always been very clued into that and hated it.

“Charlie’s a good guy. Sure he had his demons, I mean don’t we all but the guy I know wouldn’t run away if this is what we think it is. If anything, not having a dad would make him want to be a better one. I can already hear the killer bed time stories he’d write for the kid.” As Roddy prepared to open his mouth again, he paused when the smell of burning pierced his nostrils. “Oh shitsticks! the sausages are burning. Fuck.” He tore off down the corridor towards the kitchen.

It was moments like these when Jade was reminded so painfully clear, like a street in darkness illuminated by an endless amount of neon light sounds straight from the 80s. His ability to emote genuine emotion and support always made her smile and then immediately scowl when people suggested he was a robot. She knew personally that he wasn’t. Not in just the way he touched her when they were alone, but by his actions. His words came from a genuine place and she loved him for that. She loved him for every flaw he had in his soul.

And even more than ever, she was reminded of another reason why she loved him. When he got into a groove, he phased out of whatever he was doing beforehand. Such as forgetting about the sausage he was cooking.

“That boyfriend of mine. It’s a wonder he hasn’t put a bun in my oven too,” Jade mused as an afterthought, watching Roddy prance away to the kitchen.

She refocused on Pops and Decky, realizing that maybe she suffered from the same shortsightedness that her love did. She chuckled internally at the thought. “So you see, I don’t think you need to worry about Charlie skipping out on you and little mister or misses Charlie Jr. And if he does--” Jade grinned a mischievous grin at Decky, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Our previous promises remain.” It was a joke…partially a joke, anyway.

Heh. Poppy bit her cheek, glancing at all those that were supporting her. She had wonderful friends. That is one thing that would always stay true.

Maybe she was worrying too much.

Maybe Charlie would be okay with all this.

Maybe they’d be wonderful parents.

Maybe this would make Charlie feel complete and utter happiness. The kind Poppy believed he deserved. The kind where there was no doubt in her mind he was at peace.

Maybe…

Sitting up a little, but not moving too much, with Decky still holding onto her hair, Poppy reached out to the air, “Give me the fucking stick.” She grumbled in uncomfortable pain before softly commanding, “Decks, unless you want to watch me pee, you probably should go.” Looking up at her soul sister, with her big, brown eyes, Pops pleadingly pouted, “Jade, can you stay with me? Please?”

“You know I could never say no when you look at me like that.” Jade clapped her hands together, motioning for Decky and the door. “You heard our Pops! No boys allowed!” She commanded in a very Jade Taylor way. She stared at Decky, knowing he was likely worried. “Don’t worry. I got this, Decks,” she assured him with a confident smile.

Knowing she’d clocked his hesitance and appreciating the assurance, Decky finally finished wrapping the elastic around Poppy’s bun from where he’d paused at Jade and Roddy’s arrival. He looked between his Angels and let them see his own nervous smile for a moment before he changed it into a smirk and rolled his eyes. He raised his hands and moved towards the door, giving Poppy the space she needed while also pulling his phone out and hitting the speed dial for the fourth in their quartet. Poppy may be in denial about what this was, but Decky knew, and so did Jade, and their smallest friend would want her husband here as soon as possible when the double lines appeared on that stick.

“Fine, I’ll go join the sausage fest in the kitchen then, see if we can salvage anythin’.” He closed the door behind him, taking a deep breath as the line rang and making his way down the corridor to the kitchen where Roddy was doing his best. He’d just grabbed the tray of burnt meat and moved it out of the way of Roddy’s rapid movements when Charlie finally picked up on the other side.

“Hey, everyone’s okay and safe, but Poppy’s gonna need ya as soon as possible, brother,” He spoke into the phone, grabbing a mit with his other hand and moving the hot pan out of Roddy’s way as well when he noticed the man almost burn himself on it. “Maybe pick up somethin' nice for her on the way.”

Edenridge

_{What If...}

________________________________________________________________________________






________________________________________________________________________________

“-I mean, I like learning and even I don’t think all those classes were necessary,” Danny’s long rant wound down as he dangled by his arms from a tree branch, having given up on any more chin ups two minutes in. He blew his dark blonde curls out of his face, only to roll his eyes as they sprung up just to fall right back where they’d been at the start. Between skipping a year in highschool and all his accelerated classes, the almost-twenty one year old was already a college graduate with Bachelors in both Finance and Social Work, having graduated alongside Maya who got her own Bachelor in Finance and was currently waiting to hear back if she’d received a position as a Loan Officer at Edenridge National Bank, where she is currently a teller.

Decky, who’d been lying on his back on the bench closest to his brother’s climbing tree while they waited for two of the three Dawson brothers to arrive, tilted his head back in his hands and looked up at Danny, squinting as his form was silhouetted by the midday sun. His baby brother had grown so much over the years, but Decky was happy to announce that he was still an inch taller than Danny and when the kid got smart he could still win their brotherly wrestling matches. With him and Maya returning home from Boston U for good, their house on the Southside would finally be full, full-time. While they had completely renovated it when they got it, including breaking down walls and building others, the foundation was still that of the Boaz brothers’ childhood home, sitting right next to the Cernis’ on Cherry Street. When Decky and Danny found out that Beni had OD’d and left no will while Alana survived but was no longer able to care for herself, their first thought was ‘why are we being contacted?’ while the second was ‘No fucking way,’ when it was revealed that Alana had a living will.

She had left everything to them. The house, what little remained of Beni’s inheritance, and a packet of information on Beni’s brother, and her own three brothers, uncles that the boys never knew they had. Decky had been a month away from eighteen at the time and still living in the Serpent Dorms at the Edge with Danny- and Sunshine when the ornery boy got in a fight with Lacey, which was often- and he’d immediately turned to the people in his life that he knew could guide him. Beau, Phil, and Demo had all helped him immensely, both emotionally and educationally, and by the time he turned eighteen he was ready to accept the keys to his childhood home, secure in the knowledge that he had people to go to when he needed help. When Decky and Danny talked about renovating it, Danny was the one that brought up the savings Decky had started as a college fund for his little brother, and when the older tried to argue he was firmly reminded that Danny was already on a fast track to scholarships with several grants he was looking into.

He’d all but pushed for the money to be used in this way, and he’d spent almost a full hour laying out an incredibly detailed argument that could ultimately be boiled down to his closing statement of, “This is a fresh start through the reclamation of what was always meant ta be a safe and secure place for us, our childhood home. Let’s raze it ta the fuckin’ ground and then build a real home on the foundation of what should have already been that!” And really. How could he argue with that? How could he argue with Danny at all about how he wanted to use the money that Decky had set aside for him? It had been when they were designing the new floor plan that they brought up the idea of both Sonny and Maya moving in as well, and that the master bedroom would probably take up at least a third of the top floor to compensate for three residents. Everyone had moved in as soon as things were finished and they’d been there since.

And now Maya and Danny were back home for good and fully unpacked just in time for the day of Beau’s party, meaning Decky was taking Danny to the park so they could get in some bonding time while waiting for Chase and Conan, but also because Danny obviously needed to get excess energy out and Decky never stopped acting like his parent so a trip to the parked seemed aces. Sometimes the younger man’s energy levels would just skyrocket and on days like those, Decky had to make sure Danny and Rye didn’t get together too long because it was like trying to keep up with two hyperactive speedsters with four brains between the two.

“So,” Decky finally answered as Danny lifted himself further in the tree and almost kicked Decky in the face when he was swinging his leg up onto the branch. “You’re sayin’ college was a waste and ya decided ta just come work for me and Phil instead?” Danny rolled his eyes down at his older brother from where he was now crouched in the lowest branch of the trees, shaking his head. “What? That’s not what that hour long rant about the oversaturation of non related requirements for specialized fields was about?”

“Sorry Decky, but I didn’t spend five years doing a horrifyingly non-linear amalgamation of high school and college classes to still just be a mechanic, no offense-”

“Ah, ooh, the pain, like gettin’ stabbed all over agai-”

“Shut up ya drama queen,” Another eyeroll was sent his way from his baby brother, the younger man showing no remorse for his words after the older’s theatrics. “If I wanna be a damn good Financial Analyst and Advisor, especially if I wanna work for myself, I’ve at least gotta go into the field I studied my ass off for. Can ya imagine what Beau would say if I walked up ta him tonight and went, ‘Hey! Thanks for the encouragement all these years, but I decided ta dial it back-”

“Slum it with the mechanics, not even engineers-”

“Slum it with the mechanics,” Danny echoed his brother while shaking his head, derisive tone and all, before he burst out laughing, causing all the leaves to shake on the branch that was supporting him. Decky laughed back and closed his eyes again once he saw his brother was stable, imagining Beau’s reaction. That would not go over even as a joke without a meaningful speech from the warm man.

“Ok fine, go get a big boy job in the white collar sector or some shit, come back and see me when your car needs work,” Decky sighed dramatically, not even opening his eyes when he heard footsteps crunching in their direction. He raised his voice so the joining brothers could hear. “Y’all hear that? Danny’s too good ta hang around Phil’s now that he’s got a fancy degree.”

“That is not what I said,” Danny countered, fond exasperation in his tone. He grinned down at Chase and Conan from his spot in the tree, unwilling to touch the ground again at the moment. Conan could climb up after him if he wanted a hug hello. “Hey guys! And sorry I missed watching you practice Co, we didn’t unpack the last box until an hour ago. How was it? Y’all crush it?”

“He’s hyper today,” Decky stated needlessly, grinning as he finally sat up from the bench.

“I can tell,” Conan slid his headphones off his head, resting it behind his neck and on his shoulders. “You want to talk about fancy shit?” The brown-eyed boy’s gaze went from Mordechai to his best friend before gesturing to his brother. TNT had claimed the rest of the picnic table Decky was at, and started setting a surprise afternoon meal. “Look at this guy, in his chef uni, looking hella’ clean, hella’ fly and hella’ expensive. Cee!” Conan called out, looking over his shoulder as he did so, “You working at the Ivy today or Faith’s Fishhouse, or a bit of both? I never know with you.”

This guy, like Danny, was on the fast track of being the best at his chosen career. No one expected Chase to grab onto cooking like his life depended on it but then he found a bodacious blonde who loved pink and who loved to eat. Cooking for her led to him learning how to cook first at the pizza joint, then at the diner, then with the locals, like Big Mama Nesta and Beau, which led to Jade setting up a gathering and asking Chase to ‘cook something nice’. Well, it turns out Jade invited Bluejay and her family, which included a culinary Hotshot, especially for Edenridge’s standards. Blue’s dad. The big chef guy who somehow got away with having two families at one time, but who was he to judge? Still a better parent than his birth parents would ever be. One thing led to another and before Chase realized it, he had already graduated culinary school, thanks to the Irvine Food Dreams program and his promising, raw talent, gained an apprenticeship under the dad rock old man, Lance Irvine, which includes a stable, constant flow of income, and got MARRIED. What a fucking time! Neither of them expected that. Hell, Conan didn’t even expect to live past eighteen and be the founder of Phantom Menace, the Gallows legacy band, but the world works in mysterious ways. Thank the cosmos for that.

Playfully, Conan gave Danny a love tap where his boy crouched on the low branch. Danny in response laid across its length like a large cat and dangled his hand down towards his best friend. “Practice was chill. Lala’s vocals were sick. If you want me to be honest, real honest though, she shouldn’t be in this band. She’s better than all of us combined. Her voice gives me fucking chills. Yeah, I got the dream, continuing Gallow’s legacy, rest in peace Rusty, a FUCKING SERPENT LEGEND. But Lala? Fuck. She got a gift. She got the talent. I’m just tenacious and crazy. Let me be like Dimebag or Randyyyyy. I’ll die a legend but until then, I’m here waiting on a prayer to maybe make it somewhere. Or just chill here and be gold dust in the air.”

“That rhymed,” Chase looked up from setting up the table, some fish and chips for his family, mentally reminding himself to text Tov and Ransom that he had some food in his fridge for them too. “Hungry?” He asked the band of brothers.

“That did rhyme, that was good shit,” Danny agreed, grinning down at Conan excitedly and suggesting, “New song?”

“I’m hungry,” Decky answered Chase’s question with a sigh when Danny didn’t, grunting as he leveraged himself back up into a sitting position on the bench. He cracked his back and glared at Danny when the younger man laughed at another escaping groan. “Don’t.”

“I’m gonna.”

“Boychik I swear ta-”

“You’re old.”

Decky gave the boy a deadpan stare as he stood up, catching Conan’s eye as he advanced. He nodded at Danny and made sure that Conan was on the other side of the branch and prepared for what happened next.

“Ancient.”

“Danny-”

“Snap, crackle, pop! Your body- Ah!” Danny laughed as he was shoved backwards out of the tree, not even worrying about the landing.

One reason he didn’t have to worry was because someone was always watching out for him. If it wasn’t his brother, it was Sonny. If it wasn’t Sonny, it was Maya. If it wasn’t Maya, it was Lacey. If it wasn’t Lacey, it was Jokes or Creed. So on and forth. And yet, more often than not, the go to person that would take mere seconds to be at his side, always alert, was his best friend. Sure, Decky gave him a clear warning with his eyes but CT was already in a position to catch the falling boy. While he wasn’t necessarily bulk like the standard jock — Danny Belmonte for example — he was fit and slim underneath his hoodie. Demo would say all his energy would’ve made him a great athlete. Still, his father was not one to forcibly suggest a path on his children. He let them explore and figure it out. In time, they all did just that. They figured it out.

Instead of shooting hoops or running track, Conan chose to grow as a musician and occasionally jump fences and do dumb shit with his friends. His favorite hobby in the world though? Being there for Danny in whatever capacity he could. Conan couldn’t imagine a life without his friend. Not only did their lives have parallels but their minds moved in tandem, constantly on the same wavelength. There were some people that just got each other and Danny was that person for him. As morbid as this sounded, Conan had a feeling, even after all the success he and his brother have experienced thanks to Lady Luck, that his days were numbered. Whether it was his upbringing or the fact that no matter how much time passes, he believes that the picture he paints in his head is a requiem for a dream, Conan knew deep down he would die sooner rather than later.

Until then…

Thump! The two boys fell on the ground, Conan’s mind having drifted for a moment before the sudden force of his friend brought him back to reality.

“You’re so fucking graceful,” Conan groaned, letting the weight of his friend bury him.

To the side by the food, TNT sat there waiting for everyone to join him, not touching the food out of courtesy and respect for them (it's what he did; he chose to be the last one to take a bite because he enjoyed seeing others savor his food). He received a text from his wife of one year (crazy, right?). His shoulders relaxed and his mood brightened even more. He was already in a good mood but the thought of Tiffannie put him in an even better mood. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he zoned in on their conversation, the others fading in the background. He needed to remind her about Beau’s party tonight. He hated engaging at large parties and social gatherings. Doesn’t matter how functional he was as a growing chef, knowing how to network and charm people when he needed to. Chase Warren was still one hell of an introvert and he needed his wife.

“I never claimed grace,” Danny replied with a groan of his own, making no effort to adjust his dead weight across Conan, more than happy to be sprawled out across his best friend. “Pangerz manages grace, even Zion manages grace, you can’t expect it from all of us. That’s just unfair.”

“He really did inherit that grace from Auntie Dev, you know it’s not a Goldstein trait,” Decky gave his two cents as he reached down and grabbed his baby brother by the front of the shirt, lifting him up just enough to drag him off of his friend’s chest before he promptly released the fabric and allowed Danny to thump down to the ground beside Conan instead. “Let him breathe, Boychik, y’all are practically joined at the hip as is.”

Despite the pout he sent his older brother in response, Danny sat up soon after and dusted off his clothes before reaching out to his best friend in an offer to help him up. As much as Conan and Danny have caught each other as they fell, there were just as many times where they’ve had to help pick each other up when they were down. Danny couldn’t imagine life without his bestie blazing a trail by his side, didn’t even want to, he could barely stand staying in the dorms when he had to. There were quite a few late night phone calls from the fairer haired boy just needing to hear his friend’s voice, and several times where a few hours after he hung up he’d hear the roar of Decky’s motorcycle. He fling open his curtains in his little shoebox of a room, and Decky would be putting down his kickstand while Conan almost unbalanced them both with how fast he flew off the back seat. On bad occasions, Zion would be pulling up right beside them with Topanga as his backpack. Decky would send Topanga off to grab Maya from the girls dorm and they’d all sneak up into Danny’s room together. Without fail, the nights where they all slept in a pile on the floor were some of the best sleeps he’s ever had.

Two sets of brothers, both born into unfortunate circumstances, clawed their way out of their misfortunes with help from their found families. With similar traumas that were only really understood amongst them and the Cernis siblings, however, the relationships forged between the four men currently in the park was one that came from some of the harshest pressures and stresses. Out of all the pain and darkness of their childhoods, each boy managed to find a way to come out a diamond. They were still raw, roughened around the edges and with sharp lines you’d do well to watch out for, but they always seem to smoothen out and shine brightest when they were together, amplifying each other’s internal light.

“So…” Decky spoke up again with a little clap, eyebrow raised at his little brother and his best friend who, despite both standing and balanced, had forgotten the next step of letting go of each other’s hands. “Food?”

“About damn time,” TNT grunted back, texting a black heart emoji to his girl before facing his phone down. “Food’s probably cold by now,” he complained and grumbled, crossing his arms, pretending to be grumpy but really just fooling around. He was in good spirits, even if exhausted from the double shifts he’d been picking up lately. Five years ago he wouldn’t imagine where he was. Hell, even three years ago. Or two! So much has changed and all for the better. For once he could say he was happy. Not only because he was doing well for himself, with a cute and supportive woman at his side, and a doting father constantly rooting him on, but all those he loved were doing great, better than great, too. Especially his brother by blood and his brothers (and sisters) by bond. Conan, Tov, Jade, Ransom, Decky, Danny, Sunshine, Jokes, Creed, Charlie & Poppy. It was a surreal feeling to see their growth and the look on their faces as they saw into the future and dreamed.

To dream… it wasn’t something a southie usually did. How fortunate they all were to be able to dream and continue to dream. Their life was like a dream and none of them wanted to wake up from it.

Grabbing Danny’s hand, CT was pulled up with ease. They stared at each other for a longing moment. Their gaze said enough without any words leaving their lips. There was so much love between the boys. Romantic or not, that was up for interpretation but there was one thing that was undeniable about them. Their souls were woven together and together, they were whole. A true Southside story. Throwing his arm around his dearest friend, his better half, Conan chuckled as he locked eyes with his older brother, “It’s all good.” He began walking with his friend closer to the table. “You know we’ll eat it. We’re skinny fucks. Flesh and bone, man. I’ll eat just about anything.”

“I’ve been surviving off of vending machine snacks for the past few years, anything Chase cooks is gonna blow my mind regardless of temperature,” Danny agreed, a wild grin on his face as he and Conan sat on the bench in unison. He rolled his eyes fondly at the older men as each pushed a full plate in front of the younger two, well used to the parental habits.

As they all dug in, Decky took a moment to just watch the scene. It was such a nice day, everyone was smiling and looking forward to Beau’s party. He wondered what all the anxiety buzzing in his chest was about, because it couldn’t be caused by anything happening now. Things were as perfect as they could get for a group of Southies, it was almost unreal, so he must be getting anxious about talking at the party. Public speaking and personal speeches were different things, and Beau helped the boys through a lot, so it must just be his old worries about being vulnerable creeping up on him.

“Decky? You gonna eat?” Danny was staring at him intently, as if reading the thoughts off the surface of his mind, and it would have looked pretty serious if not for his cheeks bulging with food.

“‘Course I am, focus on your own damn plate,” Decky replied as he broke from his daze and focused back in on the table. He shoved a handful of food in his mouth as if to prove his point to his little brother, and after another moment of intense searching the blonde let his eyes fall back to his best friend beside him, nudging his arm just as Conan was about to put a piece of food in his mouth and making him smear it across his face.

The sound of playful whining and banter carried off on the breeze and through the small area of Lyon park, alerting those nearby that the Boaz and Dawson brothers had been reunited once more, returning balance back as it should be.

Palm Beach Royals: Reunited At Sea

_{Location: On the boat
Introducing: Amalee Kay Brooke, Asher Silverstein & Ty Locke
Small intro/Video chat: Aurora Zayani}

_{@LovelyComplex @Aces Away @Hey Im Jordan}
____________________________________________________________________

Amalee Brook’s blue, expressive eyes were as if the ocean and the dancing sky became a tapestry woven. Serene, peaceful and full of newborn light. After all these years, from when she was Amanda Lee to now a household name, Amalee Kay, she still looked at the world with a certain innocence and wonder. She still had unquenchable curiosity, a sense of adventure and an indisputably playful nature. Although she was no longer a caterpillar, timidly crawling down a branch, although she was no longer cocooned and reflecting on her journey and the many places she would go, and although her butterfly wings had unfolded, revealing a beauty untold, Amanda and Amalee were one of the same.

The same girl that dreamed. That never stops dreaming. The same girl that felt restless at night and needed to put her emotion in paint strokes. The same girl that taught herself to sew and to make people feel something that she struggled feeling for many years of her life. The same girl that wanted others to feel happy in their skin, to love themselves and be liberated from the social constructs their world created. The same hopeless girl that got lucky and flew with her chance, never looking back.

The same girl…

As the sun warmed her face, Amalee turned away from it to look earnestly into the pool water. Her legs and feet made small waves, creating circles, meeting and touching one another, then leaving to do another round, left foot going counter clockwise, right foot going clockwise. Amalee thought to herself, silently and in her own world, about her life so far. In all honesty, she’s come a long way. Ten years ago she would’ve never imagined being here, on a yacht, spending the night away with her graduating class. She would’ve never imagined she’d come to this event, seeing how her memories weren’t all good. No, some of her highschool days she did a lot of crying, questioning herself and wanting to give up, never to reach the stars. Some of her highschool days she felt incredibly sad and like an outcast. Some of her highschool days she was lost, without a compass, unable to maneuver around the foreign territory that was King’s Academy. Even with all that being said, the good outweighed the bad. The good always outweighed the bad.

Ty taught her that.

She had classmates that saw her beyond her hammy downs and off brand accessories. She had classmates that marveled at her paintings and wanted her to enhance their prom dresses. She had classmates that invited her to parties and made her feel safe. She had classmates that loved her. To those that noticed the small embroidery and stitches she put on her uniform to make it subtly her own. To those that picked her up when no one else would, seeing her for who she was and not the status she was born into. To those that saw beyond themselves and showed her around, teaching her a few tricks along the way. They were her reason to chase her heart’s desires and find herself. They were the reason she became someone. They were the reason she keeps evolving and becoming more than she could’ve ever dreamed of becoming. They are the reason she believes.

“You need to send me pics of who you’re going to fuck, kay? Hate that I’m missing out but I GUESS this isn’t my graduating class. Ash, baby. Sweet Pea is in a daze again. Tell her to pay attention to me, ugh,” Aurora Zayani ranted, swaying her espresso martini glass around as she talked to her phone, which was leaned up against a vase. She was at one of her favorite brunch and watering hole spots in Beverly Hills. The Polo Lounge. For generations, this has been a hot place for stars and Hollywood deal-makers alike. Since she didn’t have her main squeezes to take, she decided to go by herself because why not? If she couldn’t go to her favorite places by herself, why bother going anywhere? If there was someone who exuded confidence and gave little to no fucks, it was without a doubt, Amalee’s business partner, Aurora. She was a force to be reckoned with and Asher Silverstein knew her well. A little too well. “I hope she took her anxiety meds, lord knows she needs to loosen up and have fun.”

Asher rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at his phone screen, well used to Rora’s antics by now. He should have known she’d have some whimsy she wanted him to fulfill for her while he wasn’t around for her to play with. Games were a recurring thing for the woman, and something Asher was often more than willing to play along with, but he had no idea who he would end up with tonight, or if he was really even feeling a one night fling with one of his old classmates, so agreeing to her demand would mean setting himself up to answer questions he wasn’t ready for. He’s always loved having fun, he has a list of flings a mile long and he’s still on good terms with most of them. He’s never had a problem finding someone for the night. Recently, however, unless he was having fun with Rora or having another rendezvous with Kole when she was in town, Asher found himself uninterested in his usual one-night stands. Sometimes he’d catch Ty and Ama doing something so damn cute and domestic that it keeps him up at night with thoughts of having someone to do the same things with. He found himself longing for a lifestyle he’s only ever been an observer of, and he doesn’t really know what to do about it. He’s already got his life pretty full, what with his job at the bank, taking care of the dogs, time allotted for friends that often get business mixed in since he handles their accounts, and running the socials and gaining partnerships for Asher’s Home For Adoptable Dogs.

Breaking himself of his thoughts before he too was as lost as Amalee, Asher asked of Aurora, “And what am I supposed to tell this potential lay when I whip out a camera to take a picture and then obviously send it in a message? Also Esty is at the house pouting with the dogs because she wasn’t invited either, if it makes you feel any better,” His little sister Esther was rather fond of Kai Qureshi, both as a friend and client of hers where she works in their banks’ travel department as an Operations Manager. The three of them have had many business lunches together before the traveler set off on another big adventure, and Esty was rather upset when she was told she couldn’t join them on the yacht and see the other woman before their next scheduled meeting. Asher had promptly patted her on the head and told her to suck it up and take care of the dogs before shouldering his bag and heading out with Ty and Ama. He might have felt bad under other circumstances, but they’d be seeing Kai together soon enough and Esty wasn’t alone, Ama’s father Adam would be helping with the dogs as well and those two had one of the weirdest but most wholesome friendships he’d ever seen. She’d get over it.

“Offering your baby sis to me? You naughty, naughty boy,” Aurora joked, taking another sip of her martini before glancing past Ash and at her best friend. She gestured for him to once again get her girl to snap out of whatever stupor she was in.

Finally getting Ama’s attention as requested, he reached out to toss his arm around Ama’s shoulder and draw her out of her reverie and further into frame, glancing over to her to relay, “Rora’s feeling left out and wants your attention, how dare you zone out and leave her with only me for entertainment, now she’s trying to get me to send pics tonight.”

“He’s going to do it or I’m going to leak his nudes,” Rora snickered, before adding, “I’m sure you’ve seen him right Honeybun? You live together, so I’m sure you are well aware of what he’s—”

The horn sounded.

Saving her friend, Amalee leaned into his chest and grabbed his phone, “Oh you hear that? It’s time to partayyyyy. Gotta’ go babes. Love you soooo much. Kisses.”

“Wait, I’m not done—”

“Bye-bye now.”

Click.

“Just ignore her for the next ten minutes and she’ll get bored,” Amalee handed Asher back his phone, staring up at him, with those pretty blues. “So…” She tried her best to change the subject on what Ash was packing, pretending she hadn’t thought about it at all in the time she’s known him, “You excited?” She thoughtfully asked, not realizing there could be more than one meaning to her question, especially after Rora’s words.

Asher was adamantly ignoring the hot embarrassment that was sitting high on his cheeks, thankful that Amalee had taken the opportunity provided by the ship’s horn to cut Aurora off before she could get any further. He could already feel his phone buzzing from a string of messages from the other woman, and he was almost positive it was a few of his own nudes that she had stashed in her phone, just to remind him that she absolutely did have them. When Ama asked if he was excited, his mind was still focused on these thoughts.

“Excited from her sending me my own-?” He looked down into Ama’s eyes and realized that the woman was moving the conversation along and he had misinterpreted her last question, and the embarrassed blush came back in full force. “Oh you weren’t- nevermind,” He cleared his throat and scratched at the stubble on his jaw in a nervous tick before forcing himself back onto track. “It’ll be fun to see everyone, but I get to see a lot of our classmates already for work,” He thought about a certain thought-to-be-dead classmate who’s long inactive bank account has seen very recent activity, and realized he was more excited for some potential scenes that were bound to break out tonight than others. “Honestly I’m mostly thinking about how upset Ursula is going to be when she realizes we were in a pool without her.”

It was actually a secondary thought he had while lightly kicking his feet back and forth in the water, realizing the three year old Newfoundland would smell the chemicals on them once they returned to LA and would, in protest, spend the next two days turning her head away from them anytime they were in the same room. However it took more than waiting for the other party goers to arrive to get Asher excited for social events nowadays. He’s always hated galas and other events where he was expected to be on his best behavior, and while he could work a crowd with the best of them, he absolutely hated it and it drained him rather quickly. He used to party like a monster the second he’d gotten his work done for the week, practically up for the entire weekend before crashing for a few hours and starting the whole week over again, but that was back when he was expecting to take over the company from his parents instead of just doing what he wanted. Nowadays he gets teased by Ziggy for sticking mostly to weed and shrooms outside special occasions.

He knew she was nervous and trying to distract herself, but unfortunately if Ama wanted an honest answer from him that didn’t seem too bummed, she’d have to wait until he started to feel the energy of the party.

“Mm,” Ama nodded at his words, once again reflecting on the coming reunion. She needed to get a drink… ease her nerves. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to this. She dealt with parties, networking and big crowds enough for work and now she had to deal with it with her former classmates. She fiddled with her fingers, anxious and wondering if coming here was even worth it. Did people even want to see her? It then dawned on her that she forgot to take her meds. She needed to run to her cabin before their class started coming onto the boat. After pulling her feet and legs out the pool, she stood up and straightened her dress, “We should prepare ourselves, Ash.”

Ash nodded and stood up alongside her, almost slipping on the now wet floor and falling straight into the pool when he jumped and turned to Ty as the man made his loud entrance.

“Yo! I’m so psyched! Everyone should be filin’ in soon and then it’s gonna be like BOOM BOOM BOOM,” Ty exploded onto the scene, poorly beatboxing dubstep loudly and bobbing his head up and down as he did so, an unlit joint hanging out of his mouth as he approached the two most important people in his life. “Kick ass, wonderful time. We’re gonna get lit, maybe there will be a fight or somethin’. That’d be pretty tight. Man overboard, spuh-LASH.” He paused as he got in front of the other two and pulled the joint out of his mouth, looking at each of them.

“Fuck. You guys are gettin’ a little anxious, huh? What do you do without me?” He shook his head and quickly flipped the j between his fingers, holding it out to Asher. “I ain’t got a lighter anyway, you should take this. You both clearly need it more than I do.” The extrovert who had adopted two introverts looked between his two precious people and then tilted his head, a thoughtful expression creeping across his face, like a child who remembered he’d done something wrong.

“By the way, I ate an ounce of shrooms earlier, so one of the two of you needs to commit to making sure I don’t drown. Who’s it gonna be, babes? Actually… I actually do wanna smoke this.” He flipped it again, bringing it back up to his lips and instead holding a hand out expectantly toward Asher, needing a light.

Asher sighed, having actually been looking forward to lighting the joint himself, but dutifully reached into the pocket of his pants to pull out his latest lighter. He always pays for the customs designs, each lighter having a picture of one of his adoptables with the business number at the bottom. He gave these fuckers out like candy but always made sure to keep one for himself. He rolled his eyes at Ty’s grabby hand, muttering, “If you think I’m letting you lose my lighter you’re sorely mistaken, sir,” and knocking the man’s limb out of the way and stepping into his space to hold the lit flame up to the end of the joint hanging from his lips. He looked into another pair of bright blue eyes and raised an eyebrow judgmentally, staring him down until Ty’s brain caught up and the other man sucked in a breath and Asher could pull the lighter away. He pocketed his lighter and stepped back before looking between his friends, seeing how Ty was already on his way to blasted and Ama was anxious enough that she’d forgotten her meds, and decided to take the hit.

“You guys have as much fun as you want, I’ll probably just drink and smoke tonight, maybe do a line if Ziggy’s feeling persuasive,” He’s lost count of how many times he’s babysat Ty as the other man went on his trips. Much like all their drug use, it was a lot crazier in highschool. Speaking of… Asher reached out and snagged the joint from between Ty’s lips once the man had gotten another puff in, putting it to his own lips and taking in a long drag. He blew the smoke out towards Ty’s face, taking the time before the shrooms kicked in to annoy him a bit before he was officially Asher’s charge for the night. He took another hit, the smoke falling from his lips as he spoke up. “I’m still upset that I couldn’t bring any dogs, by the way. Dogs make every party better, dude. Hammy loves it when you cuddle her while blasted out of your mind,” He sighed, exhaling the rest of the smoke and handing Ty back his joint. The basset hound in question was overfed and under-exercised in her last home, so she was the perfect size to use as a pillow, and whenever she was curled up near your head, her ears became perfect eye masks. She got extremely protective of whoever was napping with her, so if you wanted to be undisturbed then she was the dog to cuddle up to. He fumbled with his phone in his pocket for a moment before pulling it out and going to his contacts. “There’s gonna be so many angry babies when we get home, maybe I should check in with Esty again.”

Easing her way into Ty’s arms, letting him put the joint in between her lips, Ama took a small hit and let the smoke leisurely exit her mouth. As her boyfriend proceeded to take the blunt and smoke it himself, she turned to face Ash, leaning her back against her lover and wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Maybeeeeeee,” Amalee responded, trying to loosen up and not think about their lives in Cali for a moment in time. “Maybe you should get us a shot and we should start this party right. One shot can’t possibly hurt you. It’ll just ease you up as you babysit my Tiger.” Unanimously, the decision had been made that Asher was going to make sure Ty didn’t make a fool of himself at this party. This would allow her time to spend with Pau and Beck. Maybe even say hi to Babs, assuming they weren’t going to get lost at sea or do something wildly stupid with their sis, Bro. “Let’s see, maybe a B52 for each of us? A smooth shot that tastes like dessert.”

"I need to ease up? Me? Never," Asher replied with his hand held dramatically against his chest as he reluctantly returned his phone to his pocket. He hadn't even gotten to text Esty, the young woman having predicted his actions and sent a text saying: Leave me alone and I'll send dog pics, bother me and you get nothing 🖕😘. She meant it when she said things like that. Honestly, if Amalee was already prompting shots that meant she wasn't planning on taking her meds as she'd initially mentioned, so this was going to be just as much to her benefit as it was to his. "Well, I guess I literally signed up for this," Asher continued easily enough, looking his two friends in the eye with a blank stare before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His entire demeanor shifted just enough to be noticeable and when he opened his eyes he gave the lovers a slightly-excited smile, throwing his fists up in the air and chanting until he was out of their sight.

"SHOTS SHOTS SHO-SHO-SHO-SHOTS, EVERYBODYYYY!"

“Good brother Asher’s a good dude. Dunno how I got him as my bestie, but I’ll take it… Kinda balances out with the forty dogs we have livin’ in the house huh? Fuckers won’t stay off of the damn couches… They’re suede, y’know?” Ty rolled his eyes, but the smirk on his lips betrayed his true feelings. There were only two things in the world that made him as happy as rolling around with the dogs on the ground and playing fetch, and both of them were in his arms as he watched Asher walk away, chanting for shots.

With an arm around Ama’s waist, Ty watched as Asher walked away to collect the requested shots. Once their mutual friend had disappeared into the interior of the yacht, Ty planted a kiss on Ama’s cheek, “you gonna be okay, babe? I know this is a lot for you…” He gave her a squeeze and rested a cheek against hers, nuzzling in a bit. “But I’m really proud of you, and I want everyone to be jealous of how hot my girl is.”

Amalee did wonder how people would react when they realized she, the scholarship girl, got with one of the wealthiest boys in their year. Would they stir drama and say this was typical behavior for a girl of her stature? Or would they finally see how hard she worked to get where she was and that Ty was someone who supported her through it all? Not financially, but emotionally. As much as her mind was spinning, there really was no use in worrying about the what ifs or things she had no control over. Honestly, she shouldn’t care what others think of her. She shouldn’t worry about their words that used to cut her so deep. And yet she hoped people liked who she became. She hoped they admired her for proving them wrong and becoming something special. Was she special in the grand scheme of things? Probably not, but she liked to think people saw what she brought to the world, however small it may be. She liked to think people cared for her just as much as she cared about the world. She liked to think… she mattered.

“Yeah, TyTy… I’ll be okay.” She whispered, turning to him, as he nuzzled her cheek. Looking deeply into his charming, childish gaze, with endless love connecting their souls, she kissed him. Her quiet way of saying thank you, without having to say anything. It was a sweet, tender kiss, where she melted into him, every inch of her body dissolving into his tight grasp. He made her feel safe. He made her happy. She was lucky to have him, to love and to hold, and to understand her. She wondered if they could find others to add to their little family but if not, she was glad to call him her main squeeze. She was glad to call him: mine.

With Ama in his arms, Ty couldn’t help but smile wide. There was something special about finding your special someone. Ty considered himself very lucky, and oftentimes felt like he’d probably give up all the money and the comfort if it was between that or one more night with her in his arms.

To Ty, there was only one thing left that he needed to move into another day in paradise. “Let’s go get wasted, baby doll.”

“Lead the way,” she purred, matching his warmth with her own. Brushing her nose against his, she put her full trust in him that everything was going to be okay. With him being here with her, she was home and that’s all that mattered. That home was where the heart is and there was no point in running away when they had each other.

They also had Asher too.