SpicyMeatball

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

I'm alive, April's here to stay. Not sure I could take on another character with school.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

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No, I just don't understand why
You won't talk to me
It's hurts that I'm so unwanted for nothing
Don't talk words against me
I wanted to know you
I wanted to show you

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April’s head pounded lightly as she sat on top of the unmounted set of racing tires next to her car. She’d spent the last two days after the party doing next to nothing in her house, reflecting on the night of the party. Particularly noteworthy, she’d drank herself into a borderline coma on Sunday evening and passed out watching Brooklyn Nine Nine, something she deeply regretted now. April just couldn’t get the image of Santiago kissing Bea out of her head, it was like it was trying to haunt her. She needed a distraction. School didn’t matter right now, April needed to feel something other than heartbreak right now. She looked down to the tires she still sat upon and a small grin spread across her face.

Ten minutes and one air-powered impact wrench later, the normal summer tires on her Maserati were swapped out with the significantly more expensive racing tires. Another ten minutes and she had changed from her school uniform into jeans, a tank top and her black leather jacket.

April hopped into the driver’s seat just as her dad walked into the garage. She shut the door and let the custom tuned V8 engine roar as she cranked the ignition before hearing a gentle knock on her window. “April, what did I tell you about skipping class? I know you had a few rough nights, but that's not an excuse.” Her dad spoke in an irritated, but calm tone, knowing full well what went down at the party on Friday. April had come clean in her drunkenness and regretted telling him anything now. She rolled down her window a crack and looked to her father, taking in a deep breath before speaking a few short words. “First two classes suck, I need to blow off some steam.”

Moments later, she shot out of the garage and sped out of the Foster Estate driveway like a bat out of hell, her face masked by the visor of her racing helmet. The world around her was all but blocked out as her driving playlist blared through her earbuds. It was just her and the road now, time to tear it up. April turned onto Interstate 98 and checked her mirrors for cops before flooring it, the racing tires screeching on the tarmac before the Maserati GT took off down the road at breakneck speeds. The eight cylinder engine’s roar echoed through the air as April ripped down the same strip of road she’d raced Diablo down more times than she could count, watching her speedometer climb well past 150mph. The roads were very empty for this time in the morning but April paid it no mind, only really hesitating behind the wheel as she screamed past a police cruiser. “Shit!”

Sure enough, as she flew past the cop, the lights came on and the sirens wailed. She was done for now. Her father was gonna kill her. There was a brief moment in a dark corner of April’s mind that screamed You can outrun him, but April knew that even if she did, it wasn’t hard to track down one of the very few arctic white Maserati GT’s in the area. Especially with the license plate PR1NCSS. Reluctantly, April slowed down the car and pulled over to the side of the road. She waited with the feeling of absolute dread as the officer approached her car from the left, flipping up the visor on her helmet and preparing her papers.

“License and registration please, Miss Foster. Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

April grinned. If she was gonna be charged, might as well have some fun.
“Faster than you. Topped out at 160 before you flashed me.” She batted her eyelashes and cocked her head to the side as the officer looked over her license and insurance. Then an idea started forming in her head. A glorious idea. A mischievous idea.

“Miss Foster, step out of the car.” Time to put her plan into action.

April followed his instructions, but not before pulling down the driver side visor and retrieving two tickets to an F1 race in Monte Carlo. “Say, officer Flores, was it? You’re into Formula One racing, right? Thought I saw you at the Palm Beach track when they had a small scale race. I’ve got two tickets here to the 2019 Monte Carlo race, trackside with banquet access. If you let me off easy, they’re yours. I could probably cover airfare too.” In truth, the tickets were supposed to be for her and Santi to go. But after their little debate and how Santi just wanted her for the extra curricular activities, she’d figured it was a fair trade. That and the looming threat of being arrested drove the stakes even higher. It was all or nothing now.

The officer hesitated as he pressed her against the car and finished cuffing her one hand. She had hit a weak spot. Victory.

“Do you know that it’s illegal to bribe a law enforcement officer?”

“Do you have any idea how much these tickets are worth?”

“Is that the full package?”

“Two laps in a two seater car, yacht parties, accommodations. Roughly fifteen grand for both tickets.”

April was rewarded with a satisfying click as the officer undid the handcuffs. She turned to face the officer and dug the tickets from her jacket. Dates are on the back, you’ll need proper attire for the banquet. I’ll transfer your airfare when you book the tickets. You have my number on file if you need to contact me.”

“If I see you again, Miss Foster, you’re done.”

April grinned from under her helmet and hopped back into her car and started it, pulling a quick U-turn on the road before taking off back towards the school. She stayed under the limit until the cop pulled off and disappeared in her rear-view, before dropping the gear and flooring it once again. No one could keep her from the road.

April pulled into the school parking lot ten minutes later just as the lunch bell rang, making extra sure to squeal her tires as she came dangerously close to clipping Santi’s red Lamborghini. After she let the sight sink in to all of the onlookers, she pulled into the spot right next to it and turned off the engine. She looked into her mirrors to check if Santi had actually seen what she’d done. If he could play with her heart, she could play with his most prized possession. She hopped out of the car and peaked around the passenger side, grinning as she saw how little room she’d left for Santi to open his door. Now, for lunch. April was starving. Hopefully the cafeteria had something decent today.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

Lovin' you is like a fairytale
I just can't pick up the phone again
This time, I'll be on my own, my friend
One more time, I'm all alone again

Sex with you is like I'm dreamin', and
I just wanna hear you scream again
Now you're gone, I can't believe it

Time I spent with you deceivin' me

I don't care if you believe in me
I still wonder why you're leavin' me
I don't care if you believe me

I still wonder why you tease me

After leaving Beatrice to think about the mindblowing kiss she’d just received courtesy of the devil himself, the signature arrogant smirk was back on Diablo's handsome face as he took a moment to look around his surroundings to see what was happening. When he looked up at the balcony that lead to his bedroom, he was expecting to find it either empty or full of his friends from the island acting like the animals they were. What he wasn’t expecting was to find his grey eyes on none other than April herself, who gave him her most burning death glare before storming away .

The young man let out a groan. He had definitely fucked up now.

Cursing under his breath, Diablo made his way around the group of party-goers and up to his bedroom. He had just enough time to close the door behind him before April went off on him, basically calling him ungrateful and asking him if she was just not good enough for him anymore. All throughout her tirade, Santiago kept his head down and listened to her, hoping to appear sorry for his behavior. However, her love confession hit him like an unexpected punch to the gut. His previously hanging head snapped up, and he suddenly looked up at her like a deer caught up in the headlights. If there was anything about him that she knew well, it was that the particular word she’d yelled out at him made his blood turn to ice. Being in love meant commitment, and commitment meant kissing his casanova life goodbye. And he knew in his heart that, no matter how much of a jewel April was, he was much too young to do something like that.

“Fuck, Lils…” Diablo muttered, running a frustrated hand through his shortly-cropped hair. He had absolutely no idea about how the hell he was supposed to handle the situation. This was the reason he didn't get into anything serious in the first place, puñeta! It always came back to bite him in the ass. "Look, I didn’t know you were here already, alright? As far as I knew you were back at your place getting ready, and I didn’t get a text from you saying you were here. And you knew fully well getting into this that getting attached was out of the question. You fucking promised me you wouldn’t get attached after the last time! You knew I was despicable or whatever the hell you want to call me long before you decided to give this shit a try again, so don't come throwing that in my face now, April!"

It was true. April had known that this...whatever this was between them, it wasn’t a commitment. And yet, even knowing that, April couldn’t seem to sway her feelings that had been present for as long as she’d known Santi. Intimate contact had a way of drawing two people together. The two of them had been through everything together since the first day of high school when their eyes met in the hallway. Everything from the drama that was the pair of them in their early days, to the tough times at school that brought them together. They had been inseparable at one point. It was evident that she knew what he was saying was right, simply by the fact she’d gone silent since he’d stopped talking. April wasn’t one who typically backed down from an argument.

“Yes! Yes I promised I wouldn’t get attached to you. I promised that three years ago and I bit my tongue every time that the thought came into my mind. But things change! People change! We’ve been doing this for so long, Santi. You text, we get together, we sleep together, and then nothing! Just nothing more than a meaningless fuck fest. You wouldn’t let me in, not even to support you when your grandmother died. It’s like there’s nothing between the two of us, not even as proper friends.”

The brunette slumped onto the bed and held her face in her hands, breathing shakily as she tried to calm herself down. The blood she’d drawn from her palms gently stained her cheeks, watered down by the trails of a few tears. “I-I...I’m trying so hard…to have something more between us. Something more than just the meaningless sex.” April's hands shook as she pulled them away from her face, placing them on her thighs to steady herself. “What is this to you Santi? What we have here? H-how do you see it?” Her tone now wasn't harsh or angry anymore, but genuine. She wanted to know. No, she needed to know.

Now it was his turn to shut up and listen to what she had to say, because she was right in some things. It was absolutely true that he hadn’t given her the chance to really get to know him, but not because she was doing anything wrong. He knew that the second he let anyone in, he would be vulnerable, and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take just yet. On the other hand, it was not true that she was just meaningless sex to him. Had she been any other girl, things between them would have ended back in freshman year after their initial break-up. Yet here she was, three years later and still on the grind. If that didn’t tell her that he certainly felt some type of way about her, then he truly didn’t know what to do. Changing who he was was not an option.

Bottom line? This whole situation over a stupid kiss was giving him a migraine.

“Why the fuck are you doing this to me, Lils?” Diablo asked her in a low voice, pleading to not have to answer her questions. “Why do you do this to yourself? To us? You do mean something to me, but maybe it's just not in the way you want me to right now! Lils, you may not believe me, but you really are my best friend. We have a good thing going on. Why can't we just keep things how they are?”

April took in a shaky breath, looking down at the floor as he spoke. “The way they are right now...” The brunette stood from her seat and faced him from across the bed, one hand placed on the footboard of the bed to steady herself. “H-how are we best friends if all we do together is…best friends do more than just fuck, Santi! Best friends talk to each other, support each other through thick and thin, hang out at more than just every other party!” April was almost shouting now, her voice slowly breaking over the course of their argument.

“I want to be there for you when you need me! I want to help you through everything you need me for, be the shoulder you can lean on for support.”She carefully wiped a tear from her eye, taking care to not mess up the carefully applied eyeliner that only made her look more saddened in this moment. “Right now it feels like it’s all I can do to just talk to you! I don’t even know what you want to do after high school, what you want to do with the rest of your life! How are we friends if I don’t even know that?!”

If there was one thing in the world that could always make Santiago truly weak, it was seeing the woman that he cared about in tears for whatever sad reason. He'd died on the inside when her grandmother saw him on her deathbed and burst out into tears at possibly not living long enough to see him become the successful young man she knew he would be. His heart had broken when he saw his mother sob uncontrollably after her mother's passing. And now here was his best friend, tears streaming down her beautiful face in the same place he had made her feel so good before.

God, he hated seeing April cry… And knowing that he was the reason behind it made him feel like more of a piece of shit than he already was. But his stupid pride was above anything and everything else.

“So what do you want me to do, huh?” he asked her, feeling truly lost about what to do. Even though he wanted nothing more than to fix the situation, Diablo was growing frustrated and incredibly resentful at having been put into this position in the first place. “Tell you all about me and my secrets and all that shit? Because I can do that, sure. But don't ask me to get tied down, because that's not the kind of man I am, and you know it!”

“I want you to try Santi, there’s no effort from you between us! You don’t try to be a friend, you just sit there and use me, thinking I won’t be hurt if I see you with someone else.” April was feeling defeated. It seemed like he didn’t understand that there was a difference in being her friend and being her boyfriend.

“I...Santi I need a break from all this…” April could hardly believe those words had come from her own mouth, but it was true. She was tired of constantly trying to make it work with Santiago only to have absolutely nothing given back in return. “I need some time away...s-some time to figure out what I really want.” April had no idea what to say otherwise, the conversation would just keep looping back to her trying to get through to Santi. And it wasn’t working, not one bit. Her efforts had been in vain thus far it didn’t seem like that was going to change.

It wasn’t something she’d wanted to say. In an ideal world, Santi would come around and they’d run off into the sunset. But this wasn’t a fairy tale.

The second Diablo heard April say the words ‘break’ and ‘time away’, he knew it was time to pull out the big guns if he had any chance left to not further mess things up with her. Even if he wouldn’t commit to her it didn’t mean he didn’t care about her, much less wanted to set her free and risk the chance of seeing her with somebody else. Call him the biggest hypocrite in the world, but if his Lils ended up in the arms of some other fucker out there, he didn’t know what he would be capable of.

“Babe, wait,” he said, closing the distance between them and cupping her face with both of his hands. He was hoping his gray eyes would, as usual, be able to give his words the extra boost of convincing needed for April to disregard what she’d just said and give him another chance. “Lils, I’m sorry, okay? I’m an asshole, and I’m sorry. Gimme a chance to make things better for us. I promise I’ll try my best to do whatever it is you think is we’ll need to be okay. I can’t fucking lose you too.”

“What is it exactly that you mean when you say you can’t lose me? You never had me. Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?” April clenched her jaw as tears began to roll down her face once again, taking in a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm herself before she spoke once again. “I need a break Santi. I need t-time to think...I’m not sure how long I can keep doing this...without any reciprocation.”

And with that, April turned to grab her leather jacket--she’d apparently forgotten to grab it when she left to get ready for the party--before she paced towards the door. Her lips quivered as she breathed shakily, standing at the door a moment to see if he’d say anything. One last chance. One more moment to say the right words.

“Babe, please,” Santiago begged, but made no motion to approach her again.

April just silently shook her head, twisted the door handle with a trembling hand and left the room without another word. She took care to take the less traveled hallways in the house in an effort to save herself from embarrassment, before finally making it to where she’d parked her car. After closing the door, the brunette put her face into her hands and wept softly. April was never one to handle emotion well and tonight had been especially taxing.

If the ride to the party was awkward, the ride home to Chanel’s and Julie’s places would be tenfold. April quickly texted the pair before trying to pull herself together.

“Hey party animals, ready to head home? I’m in my car”

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

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Ever fall in love with someone.
Ever fallen in love, in love with someone,
Ever fallen in love, in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with…

April had never felt more awkward at a party in her entire life. It was a foreign feeling, to be among so many people she knew and yet feel like a total stranger to every single one of them. Had she really been such a shitty person to these people? Her years at the academy certainly hadn’t been the most glorious for friendships; she’d managed to piss of both Julie and Marisol simultaneously when she first got together with Santiago, Sonny hated her guts for reasons untold and god knows who else wouldn’t even bother approaching her. With a grumble, the brunette quickly decided that the only way to drown out these thoughts was to drown herself in booze.

One shot down. April shook her head and shuddered. ”Thats...more potent than I remember. I need more.” she mumbled to herself before downing another one almost immediately. Much better. Now, a few housekeeping things before she went to see her dear Santi again. First up, make sure nothing too wild was happening out on the floor. It was a weird feeling inside of her, like she was responsible for all of these people.

The brunette ran a hand back through her hair to straighten it quickly as she walked out onto the dance floor, just in time to see Marisol land a solid punch on some poor junior. April scowled and made her way over, only to see Marisol run off before she could get a word in. “Damn it Sol. Nothing’s ever easy with you is it…” She glanced over the poor guy before shaking her head and pacing back from where she had come from. April had to at least look the part of a proper hostess, so without hesitation she quickly gathered some of the dishes laying around and brought them back into the relatively quiet kitchen, at least compared to the rest of the party.

She needed to drown out all of the drama, the noise, the music. Something inside of her was off tonight. Nothing had started off liked April had hoped. Maybe her little argument with Julie had just gotten herself all riled up and now she was paying for it. “Breathe April, you’re here to relax, not to stress yourself out anymore.” Maybe Santi could help her cool off and relax. He’d been the only one able to in the past, why should tonight be any different? April walked over to the staircase and proceeded up to the balcony to see if she could spot him.

As she got to the edge of the balcony however, what she saw did not calm her down or make her relax. No, what she saw only threw more fuel on the fire inside of her. April couldn’t even think straight as she watched the entire thing play out in front of her like the scene of a movie. Her eyes narrowed and stared invisible daggers into the unknowing Santiago. After he had left Bea, April made sure Santi had seen her on the balcony before she went back into his room and waited. Waited for him to walk into his room and right into her trap. Waited for her temper to finally get the better of her. April had no clear thoughts anymore. She was no longer in control of the situation. So when Santiago came walking into the room, she let loose.

“How long are you going to drag me along, Santiago? We’ve been...whatever the fuck this is, for three god damn years now! And now I’m no longer good enough to satisfy your desires? Now you have to go around chasing skirts at a party that I made possible?! That you knew I was coming to?! A party I have worked tirelessly to make absolutely perfect?! I worked for hours today and this is how you thank me? By making out wi--” April could barely breathe she was so mad. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and no force in the entire universe could stop this landslide of venting from happening now. Not even El Diablo himself. “You are despicable Santiago, everything Julie said about you was true. Don’t even have the goddamn decency to hide it. Right in plain fucking sight. You know how much I love you. And yes, I’ll say it a thousand times until in engrains itself in your thick skull. I love you Santi! ...Or at least I tried to.”

April paced anxiously, her hands balled in tight fists and her nails dug into her palm so deeply that she was beginning to draw blood. She breathed rapidly, not even making eye contact with Diablo. All she could do was wait to see what he said now. Her piece was done.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

@Dirty Pretty Lies ~I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing~

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

<Snipped quote by Inkarnate>

No idea, but if he did, then major props to him for that. Seriously, anybody who manages to do posts with anything but a computer deserves hella respect.

@Altered Tundra

I've regularly written 1x1 responses on my phone in the past.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

<sub>Early this morning
When you knocked upon my door
And I say, "Hello, Satan. I believe it is time to go."
Me and the Devil
Walking side by side

And I'm gonna see my man until I get satisfied</sub>

The shit-eating grin that was spread over Diablo’s face as they sped down the familiar path down to school wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The heat of the moment had left his previously dry-cleaned uniform shirt not only wrinkled, but also buttoned up incorrectly with lip gloss stains on the collar area. His carefully styled hair was now visibly messed up, light-skinned cheeks slightly flushed and gray eyes shining with the satisfaction of a job well done and very much enjoyed. The impromptu homecoming had gone better than anything he would have imagined, and the void he’d been feeling was filled somewhat -even if if was in a temporary way. The feeling of his body and April’s taking each other to heights of paradise was one he didn't realize he’d been craving as much as he actually did, but it was something that he now refused to let go of. If it wasn't because it was the first day, you could be certain Santiago would be driving back to his house with her instead.

The young brunette wasn’t even phased as Santiago whipped his car through the suburbs, going at least twice the speed limit. The speed was something that came naturally to April, something she enjoyed rather than feared. So as her partner in crime drove like a maniac, she sat calmly in the passenger seat touching up the makeup that had become smeared in the pair’s front-seat adventures. With one final once over in the Lambo’s rearview mirror, April leaned back in the seat and did her best to straighten out the wrinkled light blue King’s Academy blouse. She growled gently as she caught a glimpse of her ruffled hair in the mirror before she ran her fingers through it in a desperate attempt to straighten it.

“Now if it wasn’t going to be evident before, it certainly will be now.” April frowned playfully at Santiago.

“So what? You embarrassed about it now or something?” Diablo teased, eyes venturing off the road long enough to shoot her a wink before focusing back ahead, driving though Crown Heights with the one arm on the wheel and the characteristic full-on swag pose.

“No, of course not Santi, but advertising your sex life on the first day of school doesn’t leave a great first impression on anyone.” April pursed her lips in thought before eventually conceding and grabbing a hair elastic from around her wrist. With a practiced hand, the brunette tied her long hair up into a loose ponytail, grumbling as she pulled and tugged at a few loose strands. With a sigh, April finally relaxed in her seat and went to complete her morning makeup ritual with her trademarked strawberry lip gloss. As she reached around behind her seat and found only air, the realisation donned on her. “Fuck! I forgot my bag!”

Diablo cursed in Spanish, giving April a disbelieving look. “Are you for real, Lils? We’re literally at the gates right now.”

“Because I’d lie about something as mundane as a school bag, Santi. It’s in the back seat of my car.” April gritted her teeth. It couldn’t be the first day of school without a minor annoyance like this. Nothing ever went according to plan in April’s life, not even the simple things. “Forget it, we’re already almost late. I’ll live without it.” The level of her frustration was clearly audible in the indifferent, yet venomous tone she used when uttering that last sentence of defeat.

Meanwhile, a devilish grin came to Santiago’s face, his tongue out and the tip of it resting on the corner of his top lip. “No, no. I see what you're trying to do here, April Foster. You want us to go back to your place to get the bag and get a little more of something else, right? That's genius. I'm fucking impressed.”

You could practically hear April’s eyes roll as Santi spoke, shaking her head she muttered “Typical…” under her breath. “When are you gonna grow up?” The brunette jabbed his shoulder with a balled fist before returning her gaze to the school in front of them.

“Never. I’m Peter motherfucking Pan,” he declared proudly, shooting April a cheeky grin. When he noticed there was still some annoyance remaining in her, he leaned over towards her and planted a kiss on her cheek in an attempt to cheer her up. Lils was cute when she was angry, but after what they had just done Diablo wanted her to be all smiles, not pissed off over something as stupid as a forgotten bag. “Cheer up, beba, or I might have to take you down to Neverland and see if that works.”

April leaned over and rested her head on Santiago’s arm, letting out an overdramatic groan of protest. “Come on Santiiiii, let's just get to school. We need to make an entrance! Not just show up like some normal people. What fun is that?” She tugged at his arm much like a little kid would tug on their parents, continuing to egg him on.

A mischievous grin spread across Diablo’s features. “An entrance you say?” he asked April in that tone of voice she knew meant trouble.

“Well yeah. You can’t just show up all casual and expect to leave a lasting impression. You’ve gotta come in with style. Remember last year? How I almost got expelled on the first day because I came within inches of hitting the Principal with my car? THAT is an entrance.” April grinned like an idiot. She wore that memory like a badge of honor and it never ceased to make her smile when she thought of it. “Now I’m not condoning that we run into the faculty, but we need to do something to get people’s attention. Any ideas?”

Santiago didn’t even bother to reply. Instead, he reached for a button in the front panel of his car and pressed it. The roof of the Lambo slowly moved backwards, leaving the couple completely exposed to the outside. No sooner than the roof had finished hiding itself away in the secret compartment, Diablo picked up his phone and scrolled down his playlist until he found the round of songs that would sure make an ‘entrance’. With a smirk, the young man pressed play, then turned up the volume of his car as loud as he could without deafening himself. The whole vehicle began to vibrate with the blasting sound of that ghetto Hispanic music of his, instantly earning the couple looks from the school population that did or didn’t understand the lyrics of the song playing.

While April certainly didn’t know all of the lyrics to the songs Diablo was playing, she knew the general meaning of most of them and as such, swayed to the the thumping rhythm in her seat. She flipped down the aviator glasses that had sat in her hair until now and mouthed along to the lyrics that she did know, glancing over to Diablo as they pulled through the front gates of the school. She made sure to send a sarcastic blown kiss out the window as they passed by Victoire on her perch. God, that woman drove her crazy sometimes.

He purposely drove slower than he normally would, seemingly taking his time to find an empty parking spot but in reality just milking it to get the most attention. It took Diablo a good two or three songs to “find the perfect spot” before pulling up into it and putting an end to the Latin dance party by shutting off the car’s engine.

“That enough of an entrance for ya, chula?” Diablo asked the brunette in the passenger seat, a sly grin on his face as the car’s roof slid back into position.

“If I’m being one-hundred percent honest, the speakers in my car are a bit better. But for a first attempt, it wasn’t too bad.” She laughed as a shit-eating grin spread across her face, sticking her tongue out at Santi while the young man rolled her eyes at her. After her fit of giggles had subsided, the brunette leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I’m glad you’re back Santi, really. It's not the same without my diablo around to talk to.”

Although completely not used to any of the cutesy stuff, there was no denying Santiago had a soft spot for April, and things just seemed to come naturally whenever he was with her. Instead of pulling away from the affection like he usually would with anybody else, he simply went with it.

“It’s good to be back, Lils,” Diablo admitted, kissing the girl’s forehead. He gave them a minute to enjoy each other’s company before he gently moved his shoulder. “I think we should get going, though. I wanna catch up with Lucas before class, and we don’t wanna give Vic any more reason to be on our asses this early in the morning.”

Truth be told, April had prepared herself this morning to do exactly that: piss off Victoire. The girl acted like she ruled the school, and while some people may have followed under her supposed “reign of terror”, April saw right through the bullshit. What the hell was this little one-hundred ten pound prissy little girl gonna do to her, anyway? Get her suspended? Terrifying.

Because of Victoire, April had decided to go out of her way this morning to break the uniform code. She had exchanged her uniform jacket with her own cropped leather jacket, her skirt had been hemmed up slightly and instead of the required shoes, April had chosen to wear her much preferred riding boots.

“Really? That's what I live for on the first day of school.”

Santiago let out a sigh, shaking his head in disapproval. April’s no-bullshit attitude was one of the things that drove him crazy about her, but it wasn’t a trait he enjoyed very much right now. To carry on doing his business, Diablo needed to keep his nose clean and out of any sort of trouble with the school as to avoid bringing the wrong kind of attention to himself.

“Well, you go do that, babe. I’ll catch up with Lucas,” he told her, giving her one last kiss before grabbing his stuff from the backseat and exiting his car. “See you around, princesa. Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?” he added with a smile, shooting one last wink her way before heading off.

April smiled and waved as she hopped out of the car, walking away from Santi and towards the only other people she really hung out with. As she approached the table, she pulled the aviators away from her eyes and smiled towards Chanel and Julie. “It has been way too long. How goes?” She directed the question at both of them, unsure of how else to address them.

Just look inside. You know you want to.

Honestly I would @Hushed Whispers but you flat out abandoned the last one of your RPs I was in and didn't even post an explanation when you were back. For that reason, I will not be joining as much as I like the plot.

The Sands of Time

^{LOCATION — The Horton Household
INTERACTING WITH — Colin Brady @Altered Tundra, Elliot Horton @Spooner, Annalise Carver @Ejected}

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Jess nodded to the waitress that had just set down her mug of coffee before letting out a deep breath. The last time she had gone out for coffee with Colin had been back in their high school days and she wasn’t sure it was a memory she wanted to remember. Nevertheless, here she was staring blankly at the black liquid that sat in front of her in a generic white mug. Anyone that knew Jess knew that she was extremely methodical about her coffee preparation. Maybe it was OCD, maybe it was just part of who she was, but if her coffee wasn’t just right it put her in the wrong mood. It was one of the reasons she had stopped buying coffee from restaurants.

Her mind went through the procedure like clockwork. Two packets of sugar, but she didn’t quite empty the second. Two single serve milks and one cream, again not quite completely emptying the cream. Then, Jess stirred the mixture precisely five rotations before finally taking a sip of the coffee.

“Coffee’s a bit burnt, but I guess it’ll do.”

As much as the taste distracted her, she needed this coffee like an alcoholic needed their liquid courage. She drank more coffee than she cared to admit, most likely sparked by her early introduction to the caffeinated beverage back when she was only twelve years old. The warm liquid eased Jess’ mood gently, helping her move on from the rough morning she’d had so far. Part of her was legitimately she’d made it this far without killing someone.

The brunette looked up to see Colin sliding the fifty across the table, before pocketing it and returning her still unimpressed gaze to him. Her eyes took in the details of the familiar face, and while Colin had aged since she’d last been with him, his face had changed very little and still brought on all of the memories from their past -a past she wasn’t sure if she wanted to repeat.

And then Colin started his speech and made her heart start to ache. Jess had always liked the sound of Colin’s voice, there was something about it that put her at ease whenever she spoke to her. She could also clearly see he had changed for the better. She genuinely felt good to see him taking control over his life once again, not leaving it at the mercy of drugs and the bottle. Even if he did still drink, even if she was still upset and frustrated by the way he had treated her all of those long years ago. Something had changed in him, something that made her truly smile inside as he spoke those final words and took her hand in his own. He was trying.

“Colin...I…”

As much as Jess wanted to say something, she found herself holding back. Part of her remained hesitant. Did she really want to entertain the offer of someone who had made her life a living hell for the majority of her high school years? Was it really the right thing to do, to open the conversation with the person that was almost a polar opposite to her? The brunette looked down to her coffee mug as her mind spun and took in a deep breath, letting the air stay silent for a moment longer.

“Honestly Colin, I’m proud that you’ve come this far. Seeing you like this is nice, a huge step up from the hole you were in in high school. But this is a lot right now and it probably doesn’t help that I’m hungover.”

Did that sound too much like she was his mother and not his ex? Too condescending? Did she really care at this point?

“I appreciate the apology, I really do Colin. I just need some time to get my head straight and figure this out. You know as well as I do that this is not a matter to be taken lightly. I hope you’ll understand that much.”

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Olivia shuddered as the vile taste of her own vomit lingered in her mouth. She sat up against the wall next to the toilet looking weak, tired and defeated. Her head pounded like someone was constantly hitting her with a hammer and she felt completely drained of any energy she’d had the night before. And people did this for fun? What the fuck kind of sick, self deprecating humour was this supposed to be? With a groan, the young girl reached for her phone and checked the time, listening to her mother and sister bicker just outside of the door. The constant arguing between the two of them lately was exhausting, and the effect was only multiplied now by her wicked headache.

“Both of you SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIVES.” Olivia yelled at the top of her lungs.

And then there was silence, all too familiar in the life of Olivia Horton. It had different meanings depending on the situation, at least in her mind. Right now? The silence was beautiful. It let her head calm down for a moment after her outburst and right now, she needed to be calm. It was hard enough to hold back her stomach in peace and quiet, it just made it harder when people were screaming and making her head pound harder than a bass drum.

Olivia jumped a little as her phone buzzed, and with a reluctant effort she retrieved the device from the pocket of her pyjama bottoms.“Who the actual fuck wants to die...is quiet too much to ask for…” Olivia mumbled to herself as she brought up the text from Anna. She smirked slightly as she saw the name come up before quickly glancing over the texts.

Just as she finished sending off a few messages, she heard a soft knock on the door followed by an all too familiar voice. Elliot, her (insert grumbling) brother. As much as she wanted to be mad at him for the events of the day before, Olivia lacked both the energy and the willpower to properly display it. And so it was with a bit of hesitation that she finally answered the knock with something that was closer to a groan than actual speech. “What do you want, shit-for-brains…”

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

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There was just something about the raw, naturally aspirated, eight cylinder engine of the Maserati GT MC that set it apart from every other high end car on the market. Something that sparked a fire in April’s eyes and sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. Perhaps it was the crisp, throaty rumble of the 4.7L V8 engine that powered the beast or the roar that it let out when she pressed down the gas. Maybe it was the responsiveness of the throttle and how it launched forward when commanded. But if one thing was for certain, it was that from the moment April had laid eyes on her dear car back on her sixteenth birthday, the two were inseparable. Nothing was different this morning. Even the shiver that had ran up her spine when she had first climbed into the cockpit of the GT still repeated itself on this very morning, just like it had done every time before.

The only thing different about today was that instead of the slick racing tires that had all but lived on the car for the summer, normal street tires stood in place. From an onlooker’s perspective, the difference was extremely hard to notice and didn’t really change the look of the car at all. From April’s seat behind the wheel though? The difference was enormous. The car handled completely differently and the tarmac on city streets was not nearly as smooth of a ride as brand new track pavement.

The arctic white Maserati flew down the freeway at a bone rattling 150mph (~240km/h) as it’s pilot sat calmly behind the wheel, her eyes flicking back and forth between cars from behind the clear visor of her race helmet. With the practiced hand of a two-year amateur track driver April weaved the car in and out of traffic effortlessly, passing the vehicles like they were standing still. There was nothing much on the young woman’s mind on this particular day other than making a kick-ass first impression for her final year at King’s Academy. Nothing would stand in her way on this day.

As April got within a few minutes of Crown Heights, she quickly downshifted the car and drew some looks as the engine revved up in response. After slowing down to a measly 60mph (~100km/h), she pulled over into the right hand lane and veered off onto the smaller roads of Palm Beach. April drove with a little more caution on the city streets and kept her eyes peeled for patrol cars. The last thing she wanted to do was to get a ticket on the first day of school, though now that she thought about it, with the speed she was going it’d be more likely that she’d get arrested.

Moments later, she pulled into the stone driveway of the Foster Estate and carefully guided her car into the only open garage bay of the three present. The other two were occupied by her father’s toys, neither of which April was allowed to drive. Just as the young woman was about to exit the vehicle, her phone buzzed a few times. She almost had to double take at the name that had appeared on the screen. Someone she hadn’t seen in ages since he was destroyed by a family tragedy. Truth be told, April would’ve been there for her closest friend Santiago had he not asked her for space. There was very little that she wouldn’t do for him. The two of them were inseparable.

April was almost awestruck at the few texts from her closest friend, but quickly typed out a reply before she exited her car.

After quickly changing into her school uniform, April had a quick bite to eat and tossed her bag into the backseat of her car. The brunette then slid on her cropped leather jacket, propped her aviators up on her head and walked back out to the garage. She couldn’t help but wonder how Santiago was doing while she waited for a response. It had been way too long since they had talked, among other things.