Realistic or Modern City Living

[A_Writer]

Holly ran her fingers back and forth, back and forth, back and forth across the area rug she was sitting on. It was smooth and soft, but not as soft as the blanket Brooklyn kept on her bed, Holly thought. That was very soft, and this was only medium soft. Some dog’s fur were very soft too, but other kinds were more prickly. That didn’t make them bad though, she contended; just different. She wished there was a dog here, in Ruby’s room with them. How fun would that have been? Even without a dog around, Holly was still enjoying her Saturday. She liked spending time with Ruby, and today had been fun so far. Holly, Makayla, and Ruby had gotten breakfast together earlier, and going to a restaurant that had tables outside had made it all the more exciting.

“Do you think birds have feelings?” she asked, looking up from watching her fingers race each other and towards Ruby, instead. The comment was obviously random, and it’s misplaced arrival made it clear that she hadn’t heard a word of the question that Ruby had just posed about how she was feeling.

Holly didn’t see Ruby as her doctor, which was a good thing, since she had reservations regarding mental health professionals she had dealt with in the past. Her comfort and familiarity with Ruby made their weekly sessions feel just like hanging out, which was probably just as much of a bad thing as it was good. They usually held them in Ruby’s office, just like her normal patients, which sometimes helped. It reminded Holly, at least somewhat, of what the purpose of their conversations should revolve around. Even when she could manage to remain on topic, Holly’s willingness to engage in therapy was complicated. Ruby did a good job about making it not seem like therapy, often allowing Holly to go off on her usual tangents (and taking up far more of Ruby’s time than she probably should have). There were many things that Holly spoke about freely about her life without any reservations, but when she felt prompted to speak about them, it didn’t usually come as seamlessly.

She also didn’t like the idea of taking medication, and since that was Ruby’s focus a lot of the time, it stifled some of Holly’s enthusiasm. It wasn’t the principle of taking medication that she disliked. It mostly stemmed from her not enjoying having to swallow pills, actually. Even the tiniest ones felt too big, like she was going to choke on them. On top of that, she had been experiencing some side effects from the meds she was on recently. The Clonidine made her head feel like it was buzzing every morning for an hour or so after she took it, and when her Adderall wore off, it was noticeable in how she would feel more upset and irritable. Adderall wasn’t a new drug to her, but with a higher dose (and Ruby in the picture meaning that she was actually taking it regularly), she was experiencing newer side effects. Granted, she was able to focus better on certain things in a way that was significant enough to be noticeable, but Holly didn’t really notice it herself, so she didn’t see it as good outweighing the bad.

“Because I don’t like birds, but not in a way where their feelings will be hurt.” If penguins were birds, she would take that declaration back, she thought, but she definitely didn’t like pigeons or ostriches. “Brooklyn works on Saturday night, but not Saturday day, so isn’t it weird that she didn’t answer my texts?” she asked then, glancing around her for her iPad, despite knowing it wasn’t in the room. “Maybe I should see if Brooklyn, and Cara, and Chanel texted me back, because I wanted to see if they wanted to go back to Cara’s house with me,” she explained, already pushing herself up from where she sat on the floor. Makayla kept her reigned in for the most part, but Holly definitely “bordered” on being an annoying texter. Luckily she didn’t have a phone that she could have on her at all times, but she was known to send ten messages to people in a row, mostly just filled with emojis, or dog gifs, or requests to hang out. She loved FaceTiming the girls on the floor too, even if 90% of the time they went unanswered. Her most recent favorite though, was group texts, with Brooklyn, Chanel, and Cara being special enough to have their own group chat that Holly basically talked to herself in. She would get responses here and there, but just considering how many messages she liked sending, even a fair amount of responses from them would have been vastly outnumbered.

”And not in a mean way, because I want you to be happy too, but I don’t—I don’t really want your boyfriend to come, but not in a mean way. Not because I don’t like him, but—but I think that I don’t really like him that much where I want him to come, but I still like him for you. But not for, like not for when I want to hang out with my friends, because he’s not—well, because we don’t want boys there. Brooklyn and you have boyfriends, but not the rest of us.” The way that she spoke attested to how she wasn’t sure where she was going with that either, and was mostly just talking to talk. Even if it was still weird to think that Ruby had a boyfriend, Holly didn’t dislike him any more than she disliked men in general compared to girls.​

 

[lauren.]

Being someone's roommate and medical doctor was a strange arrangement, and Ruby wasn't exactly comfortable with it, even now, but she was doing her best. Ruby had always been the kind of person who liked to do things by the book. She would get upset as a child if she accidentally drew outside of the line, she did her best to fit in as an adolescent, and even as an adult, despite it not necessarily being a conscious effort, she was more of a laying low type of person. She didn't break the norms or try to stand out, and while as an adult it wasn't because she was scared of being judged like it may have been years ago, she just found comfort in doing things the way they were supposed to be done. No rule breaking meant no trouble, and no trouble meant no unneeded stress in her life. Maybe this was good for her in regard to that, though. It was a reminder to her that it was okay to make exceptions, to not see things as being black and white or good and evil. Sometimes, it was more important to do what you knew was ethical than to do what you were used to doing.

It didn't take someone with a degree in medicine to realize that Holly needed more help than she was getting. She was the classic case of a patient who didn't have the means or resources for the support that she needed, and therefore, she had likely spent most of her life being passed between subpar providers who didn't get enough from her insurance company to really give a damn about her actual wellbeing. Her case was complicated, and if you asked Ruby, considering that it was a psych case, it was even more complicated than a complex medical patient. Unlike cardiologists, endocrinologists, and so on, psychiatrists had very little to work off of in a clinical sense. It took a lot of pressure to get insurance companies to cover any sort of brain scans, and even then, current technology didn't do much in terms of diagnostic tests being able to clearly support a diagnosis. Maybe psych in general was difficult for that very reason it itself -- supporting a diagnosis was hard, because everyone's mind was different in ways that other parts of the body weren't. There was no clear cut line to tell when an issue was biologic or psychologic when it came to most psych disorders, and Holly was a wonderful example of that. She had been exposed to teratogens pre-birth that Ruby had no doubt impacted her mental and cognitive development. However, she had also apparently faced a great deal of neglect, abuse, and hardship throughout most of her life, but especially those early, pivotal years of development, that had likely done damage as well.

Ruby didn't think of Holly as being damaged herself, but it would be purely ignorant to act like "everything happens for a reason" when talking about the life of a child who did not deserve to be exposed to any of the travesties she was exposed to. Holly had rebounded despite everything that had been thrown at her, but Ruby was confident that even despite her mother's drug use and lack of prenatal support, Holly could have been more capable than she currently was, had she been given the time, support, and resources that trained professionals could have given her. So, perhaps it would have been easier for Ruby to offer Makayla some names and numbers of child psychiatrists in the area (all of which likely didn't take insurance (like Ruby didn't...) and weren't accepting new clients), and brushed it off as a "not my problem" kind of thing, but she wouldn't allow herself to be one more person like that in Holly's life. Besides, Ruby liked a challenge, and from a clinical perspective, Holly's case was exactly that.

Normally, Ruby had Makayla bring Holly to her office after school, and she would work with her for an hour or so there. She wanted to make it all feel as official as possible, for her own sake more than anyone else's. There was a fine line between her professional world and her personal world, and no matter how she looked at it, this arrangement crossed that line quite plainly. Still, she wanted to do what she could to salvage what could be salvaged of Holly feeling like a typical client versus a roommate/friend, so the setting counted. It didn't work out this week, and that was okay. She had stolen Holly a little while ago from Makayla, and after doing the routine stuff that she did for kids on stimulants (blood pressure check, a quick listen to the heart, and a weight check), they got down to business. Psychotherapy with children in general was different than it was with adults. There was a lot less direct discussion about problems and feelings, since most children didn't want or know how to articulate those feelings well. Teenagers were a different story, but Holly wasn't what one would consider to be your typical teenager. Their sessions were always interesting, but were pretty characteristic of normal conversations with Holly. In fact, it often felt easier to get personal things out of Holly in normal conversation, so it probably wasn't a bad thing that they were in a comfortable, familiar setting.

"Hey, hey, no running off yet!" she insisted, motioning for Holly to sit back down on the floor with her. She wasn't surprised that Holly's interest had drifted, as it wasn't the first time that had happened since they started. "You promised you would hang out with me for a little while!" she reminded, feigning disappointment, though she smiled through it. "Not Brooklyn, not Chanel, not Cara. I want you aaallllll to myself for a little while," she continued teasingly. "I thought you had a friend who was a boy," she added, once she had lured Holly back towards her. "The one from across the hall." She searched her mind for his name, though it didn't come to her. "You know, I almost thought he was your boyfriend for a minute, Holls," she added, with a smile, being purposely playful in attempt to gage a reaction from Holly. She was mostly just being light hearted, but she was also curious to hear about how Holly felt about a topic that was more age appropriate for her than discourse over the feelings of birds. ​

 

[lauren.]

A typical Saturday in the summer for Cara would be spent in the Hamptons. In fact, regardless of the day of the week, it was where she spent most of her time during the summer months. There were few reasons to spend time in the crowded city when she could be laying on the beach. One of those reasons, however, was that her vile stepmother was out there, which meant it was the last place that Cara wanted to be. Spending a weekend in the city really wasn’t a big deal, especially since there was a lot to do, but you wouldn’t know that by that fit she threw to her father about it. As per usual though, once she got it out of her system and ruined her father and stepmother’s mood enough, she moved on fairly quickly. If either of them even so much as texted her, she would be quick to blow up again, but it was an out of sight, out of mind situation.

Roman being around helped distract her, at least. She threw his shirt at him, giggling to herself as she pulled her own back on. With her father and stepmother gone, at least she was able to hang out at home peacefully. It beat having to sneak around with Roman back in their apartments, or even their neighborhood. New York was a big city with lots of people, but it felt tiny at the same time, and even hanging out with Roman in their own neighborhood sometimes made her anxious. She doubted she would run into any of her friends, but what she was probably more concerned with was someone from their building seeing them together. Friends wouldn’t know to think anything extreme if she was in Roman’s company because they didn’t know the context, but their roommates and neighbors would. As much as Cara felt like she didn’t care what they thought, she did... at least to an extent. Well, at least she cared about what Chanel thought, and the others would just create drama with their unwanted opinions. Besides, they would be reacting to nothing, because it wasn’t like she and Roman were even anything... right? They were beyond the point where Cara could take herself seriously for trying to claim that anymore, but she still clung to it like a safety blanket.

The truth was that if she wasn’t attracted to him, she wouldn’t have been sleeping with him in the middle of the day, and if she didn’t enjoy his presence, she wouldn’t have been so relieved and excited to actually have some alone time with him. They were different people when they were alone, at least sometimes. It was that “sometimes” that kept her intrigued and interested because it was so hard for her to let even some walls down with most people. If she could do it with Roman, even if it wasn’t all of the time, that meant something. “Is it too early to get you drunk?” she asked with a smirk, as she glanced at him through the reflection in her mirror as she toyed with her hair. “We can drink on the roof, unless you’re purposely trying to look like a vampire and a little sun will ruin the aesthetic you’re going for,” she teased.​

 

[Collapsed]

Nick was perhaps infamously content with his life and himself for the most part, but he did often wish he was more creative. He liked art a lot, in all different forms. He didn’t consider himself to be an art historian or someone who could sit and decipher art pretentiously—he just appreciated it. Art in general somehow reminded him of tripping on acid or psychedelics to some extent, or maybe one made him appreciate the other more (in either order). Being able to turn something weird, or cool, or meaningful, or nonsensical from your mind into something visual was captivating, and he admired people who just had a knack for it, since he felt he didn’t. In the way that some people liked movie theaters even though it was easier to watch films at home, Nick liked seeing art in museums or galleries, even though he could look them up online at the click of a button. It made it more of an experience, more real.

It wasn’t like he spent every Saturday at an art museum, but he and Brooklyn would check them out occasionally. Today they were at The Whitney museum, one that was local to them and they visited most frequently. They strolled through for a bit, before reaching an exhibit that was here as an exhibit for a few months. What had went from a chill, mostly quiet trip had grown much more animated as Nick made what he thought was a normal comment about one of the pieces they came across. ”That sexagon is cool,” he commented.

“It’s called a hexagon,” Brooklyn answered, smiling in amusement as she looked towards him.

“It has six sides,” he responded confidently, nodding towards the art as if Brooklyn needed to count again (while also mentally counting himself just to make sure he wasn’t the idiot). He confirmed what he had suspected. Six. A hexagon must have been the one with five sides.

“Right, like a hexagon.” Brooklyn pushed. Wow, he was dumb. Dumb in a cute way, but dumb nonetheless. “A ’sexagon’ isn’t a shape.”

“Uh, yeah it is...” Nick said, now certain that he was right. He had just seen a trailer for Marlon Wayan’s new Netflix movie, Sextuplets, with six dudes in it. He knew that the sex part meant six, so just like the octo in octagon meant eight sides, a shape with six sides would be sexagon. Common sense. Speaking of, Nick seemed to be lacking it as instead of just googling it, he called Roman. Even if the weekends were a bit louder than they were during the week, they were still probably being louder than they should have been. It wasn’t that deep, but they weren’t even making it out to be — Nick wasn’t so pressed as to want to see himself be right, but more so amused at how oh, so wrong, Brooklyn was.

​

 

[A_Writer]

Holly laughed out loud as Ruby referenced speculation that Sam was her boyfriend. It was silly, but at the same time Holly definitely had a crush on him so she wasn’t laughing as if it were an implausible claim. Makayla had went in on how he was trouble and how is brother was a bad person enough this weekend for her to feel like it was a lost cause, though. It was sad since he was literally the first and only friend in her age range that she had ever had, but she had just seen him a few days ago, so the idea that she wouldn’t be allowed to hang out with him anymore hadn’t really hit her yet. “His name is Sam, and Makayla said his brother is a creep and that he’s ‘bad news’.” She sat back down, having been successfully redirected back to her conversation with Ruby... at least for the moment. “But maybe she was just jealous because if I had a boyfriend and you had a boyfriend, she would be all alone,” she considered. That made sense, and she didn’t want Makayla to feel sad and alienated.

“When you get married one day, you’re not going to want to live with me and Makayla anymore,” she stated then, really just thinking out loud. Even though Holly understood why that was the logical route, she didn’t like it. It was upsetting, even if it was only a thought, and not something that was actually happening right now. Holly didn’t think about her own future often; definitely not as much as your typical sixteen year old would. She knew that most people went to college after high school, but she didn’t like school already. The idea of living on her own seemed very fun, so she was interested in that part, but being away from Makayla for a long time also sounded scary. It was easier for Holly to focus on the present and only think about things like that when it was time to think about them. Overthinking wasn’t really her thing.

She found herself fiddling with Ruby’s rug again, needing some sort of stimulation. “And just so you know, Dalmatians do bite in real life so you should tell Eliza that. Because he wants one, but they’ll definitely bite him. I looked it up and they look like scary demons when they bite people. I’ve only been bitten by a dog one time and it wasn’t a Dalmatian. It was white though! And it was really rude of him to do that but it’s okay, I’m okay!” She still had a scar on her arm from the childhood encounter, but somehow it hadn’t tarnished her image of dogs in general. With how rambunctious Holly had been as a child, it was surprising that she had only been bitten once. The dog was one of her stepfather’s friends, and it was over quite often when she was around eight or nine. Despite how many times she was told to leave it alone, she couldn’t resist trying to play with it when the adults were in another room drugged up and passed out (or nearly there). It wasn’t a friendly dog and was usually chained to a pole in their basement, but just as she didn’t pick up on the energy given off by people, she didn’t with dogs either. She wasn’t deterred by danger, and she didn’t interpret any of the warning signs to be just that: warning signs. As innocent of a trait it was, it was probably Holly’s worst, because that lack of perception truly was dangerous, with potential outcomes much worse than a dog bite.​

 

[cure]

While still in a bit of a daze, Roman was clearheaded enough to know better than to admit aloud that being with Cara was just what he needed—and wanted—after such a long week. Being here with her now felt like more of a vacation than whatever last weekend was. The change in scenery was certainly welcomed as well, though he couldn't say he was more at ease here than he was on his home turf. Perhaps he didn't care as much about what the others thought. For him, it was mostly about wanting things to be private, not wanting to embarrass himself by making it known that he liked someone only to get his heart ripped to shreds, but probably above all else, to not scare Cara off. He didn't doubt the feeling was mutual to some extent, but he still had his doubts surrounding how she felt about him. As he peeled the shirt from where it landed on his shoulder, a small grin growing, he didn't necessarily feel that insecurity in the moment. Who knew? Maybe it was more about him than it was Cara. Never mind the childhood problems, but he was sorely out of practice with the whole dating thing, especially when your girlfriend was secret and a complete billionaire. Cara's money was never an insecurity of his, but it did put pressure on him to fill in the missing spaces. He didn't need to financially dote on her to fill his manly ego, but money was a notoriously good distraction for many things in life.

Roman tugged the back of his collar, disliking the water droplets that his shirt had combed down his back in the process of putting it on. He hadn't meant to get his hair as wet as he had when he freshened up, and it was just a mild nuisance that he would forget about in point-five seconds, but it was an unpleasant feeling not the less. "Figuring out if you're trying to seduce me or murder me is always a game I enjoy playing with you," he said, meeting her gaze in the mirror as he sat on the bed. He inched back some, patting the bit of space between his legs for her to come join him. "Clearly I'm trying to elevate myself and change the Twilight aesthetic I have going on since I'm dating you, so whatever you recommend." He moved her hair behind her ear and over to one side, interlacing kisses on her exposed shoulder between words. "You keep doing that," he began, alluding to a moment from their most recent romantic engagement, "And you'll turn me into one of those preppy lads in no time." He rested his chin over her shoulder, sighing dreamily. "Then, we can finally have matching aesthetics and prance through the Upper East Side while we shop for the perfect matching outfits for the derby."​

 

[lauren.]

“I’ll let him know,” Ruby insisted with a small smile, though she was glad that Elijah didn’t end up being the focus of the conversation. With children Holly’s age, Ruby sometimes encountered her patients attempting to deter the conversation away from themselves or their problems. Holly didn’t do this in the same intentional way that she did, but her very nature did make it hard to stay on track with just about anything. If she had been a normal patient that Ruby only saw for an hour a week, that would have been more problematic than it was now. Living with Holly meant that she could essentially be monitored 24/7, and there was no secret “home life” that she was trying to uncover. The only thing that she lacked clarity on was Holly’s past, but it wasn’t like that was something that she was completely in the dark over either. Then again, as much as Holly was an open book, there was something about her character that held a hint of mystery, too. There were moments when she seemed more aware and perceptive of things, which was intriguing, if only because it spoke to the possibility of potential. She didn’t think that Holly wanted to be a child forever. While it would have been ignorant to believe that her persona was something that she could turn on and off at will, Ruby just felt like she needed help to reach the potential she had. In what form the help would come in was still unclear — maybe the medication would do its part, or psychotherapy, or perhaps, just a more stable environment to develop in than what she had previously dealt with in life.

“Even after being bitten by that dog, you still love dogs, huh?” she remarked curiously. “Did it happen before you were living with Makayla?” Ruby wasn’t even sure how old Holly was when she met Makayla, but just judging by how close the two were, Ruby had reason to believe that the pair had been together for quite a while. She assumed the answer to her question was no, but she opened it up for a response regardless.
​

 

[lauren.]

Perhaps it should have been weird, uncomfortable even, when Roman casually mentioned that he was dating her, but it wasn't. Even after this past weird weekend of not knowing where they stood, even after what was the closest thing to a conversation regarding it that they had ever had, Cara still wasn't sure what name to put to it. However, there wasn't any sort of second guessing mechanism going off in her head when he used the word dating. It didn't resonate as being remarkable, nor incorrect. If anything, it sounded natural. That in itself was something that would probably make her think later on, when she would realize how her lack of a reaction meant something in itself. “My aesthetic is not preppy,” Cara shot back at him in playful defense, though she stood by the content of her words. Preppy just sounded so.... 2008. It made her think of preteen girls running around some suburban mall wearing Abercrombie shirts with their collars popped. Had it not been coming from Roman, Cara might have been mildly offended, but she attributed his faux pas to him being stupid, and playful... a mix of both. "Just because I'm blonde, doesn't mean I'm a prep," she informed him, though her tone spoke to the lack of sincerity behind her words, too. "And I like your Twilight aesthetic," she added, a bit more thoughtfully. "If I wanted a cookie cutter Upper East Side guy, I would have one."

Drinking on the roof sounded like a good idea, then, now that Roman wasn't opposed to it. It wasn't super late in the day so Cara didn't plan on getting wasted, but a couple drinks under the warmth of the summer sun never hurt anyone. It didn't compare to laying out on the beach, enjoying those same drinks but, life wasn't always fair. That being her thought process when sipping cocktails with no cares in the world would not qualify as life being "unfair" to the majority of people said enough in itself for it to need no further comment. As she and Roman headed out of her bedroom, Cara turned towards the stairs leading downwards, rather than up. Unsurprisingly, none of the house staff were in today. In what cara would describe as being typical to their character, her father and stepmother only cared about themselves. Since they weren’t home today, they only had the staff at the Hamptons house come in. The others had the day off. Yes, Cara was quite capable of making her own drinks for a day, but no, she wasn’t going to acknowledge that before acting as if her father had stranded her on a deserted island with nothing more than a wet match and a lifeboat with a gaping hole in it. Fortunately by now, she had moved past her anger regarding her inconsiderate family, and wore a smile as she pulled liquor out of the bar. “Tequila, vodka, mezcal, gin whiskey, rum...? Pick your poison.”​

 

[electric]

Another day, another dollar. Being your own boss had its goods and bads, but Elijah had a personality where the idea of working for someone else sounded so miserable, that the bad aspects of running his own business never seemed that bad. The three AM phone call that he had received overnight from his night shift manager, telling him that some drunk idiot flooded one of their bathroom stalls hadn’t been the highlight of his life, but things could have been worse. They had made a nice profit last night, even considering the chunk of it that had to go to the plumber who came in to fix the damage. Maybe Elijah’s mood was more resilient than it normally was though, because he had a date tonight. Dates weren’t so few and far between for him that it was an extremely noteworthy thing, but it wasn’t every day that he was so psyched for a particular date. Chanel was intriguing, if not for obvious reasons, then maybe also because she seemed like she was going to be some sort of a chase. He didn’t mind that, at least when the girl was clearly worth it. In fact, it excited him.

“So, what time am I meeting you?” he texted her, as he sat in his office, feet propped up on the desk in front of him. He had told her to pick a time, and he would pick a place. He would be embarrassed if she knew it, but he had probably made between ten and twenty reservations at varying times and restaurants in the city, just to make sure his bases were covered. He had hyped himself up to her more than he deserved, and though he could tell she was intrigued at least a little bit, he also knew she was skeptical of him. Rightfully so, he guessed, given what she knew, but since she had the wrong impression of him with no way for him to fix that without exposing his friend, he was in a weird place. It didn’t seem like an impossible hole to dig himself out of, though. It would just take a little extra work and effort. With that in mind, he wanted tonight to go well. He didn’t need any hiccups happening along the way, and the last thing he needed was for every nice restaurant in the city to be booked out. So, maybe making so many reservations was unnecessary, but Elijah figures he was better safe than sorry. ​

 

[cure]

"Let's see what you can do with the mezcal," Roman said from the other side of the bar. Maybe it was because it wasn't a typical sight for a girl like Cara, but he found it kind of hot when she made drinks. It could have been because it seemed like something she enjoyed doing, and it could have just been his own Cara bias. While he was readily aware that he was staring at her with a bit of a pleased grin, he also wasn't trying his hardest to look like he was tending to other business. Never the one to have an issue with silence, Roman tried to give more when he was around her, so in this instance, the quietness on his end would be something he would try to cover up. He was pulled away soon enough before he started to drool when his first started going off. Instantly, his face hardened and his brows fell, assuming it was work. This time, he was quick to not catch Cara's gaze as he reluctantly pulled his phone from his pocket and began stepping away. He held up his finger, gesturing that it would just be a minute, and turned his back before he actually looked down to see who it was. He slowed his gait to a stop before he began turning around, this time his expression having gone from grim to confused. "It's Nick," he said aloud. "Let me make sure he's good."

"Oi, mate. Everything sound?" Roman wasn't too concerned that anything was wrong, but Nick was still a best friend, and they didn't really call each other like that. He hadn't really seen the guy much this week since if he wasn't at work, he was in sheltered in his room, and he went straight from work to Cara's place the night before. So maybe Nick had more reason to worry, but Roman didn't think of it that way. His blinking became more frequent as he listened to Nick on the other end of the line. ".......What?" he said with some slight chuckling. When he realized Nick was being serious though... "Tell me you didn't put money on this."

"There's no such thing as a 'sexagon,' Nick. She's right. I know it means six, but so does hexa. One is Greek, and one is Latin. This one is Greek." He didn't want Nick to feel like a complete idiot, though he really wanted to know who the hell taught him sexagon was a thing, but he would digress for the time being. "But English etymology is weird and inconsistent. And some of them are Latin, like a nonagram, so you're not completely wrong." There was only one other polygon, the quadrilateral, that broke the Greek prefix trend with the polygons, but some sounded better than two. "It was used once, but over time, hexagon became the standard nomenclature. If that's any solace. If you want to be right, say hexagon. If you want to be a hipster, say sexagon."​

 

[Collapsed]

Roman's response didn't suffice, not only because it didn't confirm that Nick was smarter than Brooklyn, but also because he still truly believed that he was right. "Wow," he said, laughing as he shook his head. The call with Roman was still on, but Nick dropped his phone a few inches away from his face as he looked to Brooklyn. "I really don't want the responsibility that comes with having to be the smart friend in the group, but if the shoe fits, guess I gotta wear it," he said with a sigh that was playfully dramatized to signify the metaphorical weight that he was now going to have to carry. While he was joking, he actually did still think he was right. Wasn't going to Google it to confirm, but was certain enough anyway. He pulled the phone back closer to his face to respond to Roman. "Hope you heard that, mate," he said, adopting Roman's lingo for a moment. "Call me Albert Einstein, because compared to the two of you today, I've got an IQ that's big enough that I probably could've invented electricity if it didn't already exist." Perhaps sleeping his way through school hadn't been the best move, but confidence was key, yeah...? "Alright, alright," he said then. "I'll let you go, man. Brooklyn says she loves you and that if you're not home before ten o'clock, she's going to kill ya," he added, just to tease the both of them. He hung up before Brooklyn could ruin the mood with some over the top insult to negate him pretending that she was being caring, but grinned at her as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Nick had no reason to be curious about where Roman was, or what he was doing. It wasn't his business first of all, but secondly, Roman was reclusive enough that Nick just figured he was at home, in bed. It wasn't like all Roman did was go to work and sleep, but he wasn't social enough where Nick would immediately suspect he was doing anything other than the mundane, typical stuff. Nick wasn't any less predictable, so he couldn't be one to talk. Both he and Roman could socialize though, if they wanted to. Nick's job depended on being able to deal with different types of people, even more so than in the obvious sense of being able to doa transaction and move on. He needed to network and build clientele and repeat customers in order to make the real money, and he was pretty good at it. There was a fine line, however, between business and pleasure. He would sometimes hang out with his clients, but only really in a setting where he was there to give them their stuff, and just so happened to be invited inside for a few hits or a beer. Sometimes he would say yes, if he was in the mood and wanted to pass off some products to the other people there, but other times, he would decline and head home to chill on his own, or with Brooklyn. He sometimes felt "old" just based on the preference alone, but he wasn't really into all of that 'partying until six in the morning' shit anymore. He preferred weed over alcohol to begin with, and had drowned himself in enough alcohol while separated from Brooklyn for those few months that he didn't really go hard with it anymore. Nick didn't really care about what people thought of him, so he didn't need alcohol for its liquid confidence or to fit in. He wasn't in the market for new friends, and he didn't like alcohol hangovers, so for the most part, he only drank casually nowadays, with people he already knew.

Needless to say, Nick would have been surprised to find out that Roman was at Cara's house, and that he had spent the night there, but he wouldn't have been flabbergasted by it. For one thing, he wouldn't have been able to blame Roman for being into Cara because he had hit that too. After seeing what her money could do this weekend, the blame dissipated even further. However, it was possible that Nick would be reluctant to publicly support it because of Brooklyn. He was already walking on thin ice in regard to anything Cara-related, so popping a bottle of champagne to toast to their best friend hooking up with the girl Brooklyn hated, and who he cheated with, was something that even people who weren't geniuses like Nick would probably flag as being a bad idea. "All we need to get is one of those little dogs that fit inside bags and you'll be one of those hot dumb blondes from the 2000s."​

 

[BurningBridges]

Nick was stupid enough to not know what a hexagon was, so if Brooklyn didn’t know what half of the words Roman was saying meant, there was no way that Nick did. Regardless, she was correct and validated, and that was what mattered. At least she was smarter than him, though that didn’t really say much. Brooklyn was insecure about a lot of things, with some being more obvious than others, but her intelligence was probably one that wasn’t as glaringly present. She had common sense and that was what was important to her, but she did wish that she was a bit more academically inclined. In her defense, she had been, at one point. Not a Roman, but a decent student. She could get As with studying, Bs by just being present. When her life was turned upside down, school disappeared from her priority list, though luckily she did make it to graduation. She hadn’t gotten to live out the typical young adult course of life, going to college and all of that, and that was something that she was embarrassed about to some degree. She knew that a stupid piece of paper didn’t represent how intelligent someone was, but it represented normalcy, and the consistency of the “normal” path in life that she felt she was deprived of.

She would scoff at the idea now, as if it was something only idiots would partake in, but a younger Brooklyn had once dreamed of going off to college. Maybe she would have become best friends with her roommate in a freshman dorm, or joined a sorority, or done something significant with her life. She wasn’t unhappy with where she was, necessarily, but she wasn’t happy with it either. Being stuck in the middle, constantly craving a life that was out of reach but not hating her current life enough to make drastic changes felt worse, though. Sure, she was giving college a try now, but it felt too late to really have the impact that it could have when she was a kid. It would literally just be a piece of paper now, not an experience. Plus, as demonstrated here, she was already smarter than Nick, and she’d never catch up to Roman (though she wouldn’t say that to him), so what difference did it make? She told herself that she would be happier once she had a degree though, if for no reason other than that her kids wouldn’thave to be embarrassed over neither of their parents having a degree. Then again, with Nick’s stupidity on full display today, she wondered if mixing DNA with whatever defective shit was in Nick’s was a good idea.

“I’m seriously starting to wonder if you and Holly have the same parents,” she remarked with a quick eye roll, as he carried on with his foolishness. “Either that, or weed actually does kill brain cells.” She slipped her hand into his out of habit, nodding towards the room’s exit that would lead them back to the museum lobby. “Let’s go,” she suggested, giving him a slight tug before adding with sincerity, “I’m sure Roman’s lonely without us.”​

 

[lauren.]

Mezcal wasn’t something that Cara drank regularly, but she had nothing against it. It was just too smoky to shoot, and it’s distinct taste meant that she had to be in a specific mood to order it when she was out. Since it didn’t go down very quickly for her, she preferred to drink it in cocktail form. It could be substituted for tequila in a lot of drinks, but Cara always found that at bars and restaurants, bartenders didn’t really know what to do with it. They would try to hard to hide the smokiness by sugaring up drinks to a point where they were sickly sweet. She wasn’t going to make that mistake, so Roman was in luck.

She took his signal that he was going to be on the phone for a second and slipped into the kitchen where she grabbed a few ingredients too fresh to be kept in the bar that was rarely used in the summer. He was off the phone by the time that she returned with a lime, agave nectar, and basil. As she sat the ingredients down and grabbed a shaker, she looked to him curiously. “Everything okay?” Cara still didn’t know much about roman’s job, and her idea of what he did was even more cloudy after this weekend, since she still felt he was lying about why he had been there. If she knew he worked in the same industry as her father, she would have assumed it was work calling. It wasn’t until her father got remarried that he managed to sit through a single family meal without taking a call that consumed him for the next hour. ​

 

[A_Writer]

“Yeah, but she didn’t like me petting this dog because everyone thought he was mean, and they were right, but none of the other dogs that I’m friends with would ever stab me in the back like that, so it’s okay. Even the other mean ones would never. Because it’s like how everyone thinks Brooklyn is mean but she would never bite me, but she might bite you because you’re not as much of friends with her as I am. But Roman is like the dog that bit me because he would probably bite both of us for no reason. Just because he’s a Dalmatian but he really wants to be a beautiful Golden Retriever like me and a...” Holly paused, looking over to Ruby’s face to study her for what was intended to be half a second, but dragged on for a few. Ruby didn’t remind her of any specific dog breed, and that was odd, because Holly could usually come up with those comparisons (albeit ones with very loose ties of logic backing them) quite quickly.

“I think maybe you’re more like... like a cat person,” she said, cringing before following up what to her would have been heartbreaking news in an attempt to lessen the blow. “But that’s okay! That’s okay!” she insisted. “You don’t have to be upset about it because some people actually like cats!” Holly didn’t know of any of those people, nor did she want to, but she was sure that they existed somewhere. Maybe in England or some place random like that. “And there are a lot of cats that I like on TV, like Garfield, and Sagwa, and Marie and Dutchess from Aristocats, and Cat in the Hat, and he was too scary but Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland is a cat too, but his eyes are yellow so I don’t think you’ll like him. And next time me and Makayla go to the library, I’m gonna get a book called ‘Pete the Cat’ for you to show you about cats. They’re—theyre not good but they’re not... they’re not like really bad. Not as bad as mice and snakes.”

Holly was back on her feet then, feeling antsy and ready to do something new. She still had cookies leftover from her trip with Nick and Brooklyn to get into, since she had only been allowed to eat Ruby’s brownies last night. “So maybe we can be done for today with this,” she suggested in a tone alluding to her trying to be gentle with Ruby’s feelings, as though to hide her boredom. “But you can come play with me if you want me to show you something on my iPad and have cookies!”

 

[lauren.]

Ruby didn’t think that Holly was stupid, but she sometimes had to catch herself from being surprised at Holly’s ability to do things that would otherwise be considered normal. Her behavior here would still be considered abnormal compared to typical social standards, but Ruby was surprised that she seemed to be able to gauge that Ruby might be offended by something she said. Of course, Ruby wasn’t actually offended. Anyone who knew Holly knew that in Holly’s mind, dogs carried a positive affiliation and anything that was “not dogs” didn’t. However, outside of Holly’s world, it didn’t carry any real weight—at least not to Ruby. If anything, Holly’s quirky claim that Ruby didn’t look like a dog but was more cat-like was something Ruby would take positively. She wasn’t a big animal person in general, and her family had a small dog, but if she were to get a pet now, it probably would be a cat. She wasn’t in the market for one, but they just seemed easier to care for than a high energy puppy. “You know, some people like cats,” she offered, standing up since she doubted that she would be able to redirect Holly two times in a row.

Part of working with children was understanding how to get on their level, and it was especially true with Holly. She didn’t function well in conventional therapy settings where she had to sit still, answer questions, and stay on topic. It made things difficult sometimes, but it was just a part of the profession, and considering Ruby’s personal interest in Holly’s wellbeing, it was something that she was more than willing to work with. Besides, while she did like to set aside time like this specifically to work with Holly, it wasn’t like she saw her for an hour one week, and that was it. She spent a lot of time with Holly, especially since growing closer with Makayla. Speaking of… Ruby was curious as to where Makayla was.

“What’s going on with this iPad of yours that’s got you so interested in it?” she probed curiously, as she followed Holly out of her bedroom. “Brooklyn and Chanel might be busy today since it’s a Saturday, so they might not have had a chance to answer you yet,” she offered, specifically leaving Cara out because while she had no idea if Brooklyn and Chanel were working today, she knew that the two of them at least had jobs. She could blame their radio silence on that to Holly, while with Cara, there were less reasons to pull from to explain why she may not have answered Holly’s texts. As the recipient of many of Holly’s bouts of spam texting, she understood why the girl didn’t always receive answers, but she also didn’t think that Holly took it as personally as more socially inept people would. It probably had less to do with whether she was actually offended by being ignored than it did with Holly being mentally over whatever she was talking about over text before they had a chance to respond anyway.​

 

[electric]

More recently than ever, the quote about how “one day you lose something, and you say: oh my god. I was happy, and I didn’t even know it” had been resonating with Alexander. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so unsatisfied with where he currently stood in life. Just a few weeks ago, he had returned from a year long global adventure. He recognized how lucky he was to be able to take a year off from his job while still knowing that it would be waiting for him when he got back, and also knowing that he wouldn’t have to think twice about finances while traveling. He spent time in Asia, Australia, and Europe. He tried everything from sea kayaking in Hạ Long Bay, visiting The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and island hopping among New Zealand’s Bay of Island. He tried new food, met new people, and pushed himself outside of his comfort zone. He had a great time, and he would probably look back fondly on the year as one of the best in his life when he was old and grey. Coming home was a bit of a culture shock though, just in the sense that it was like: “damn, real life is a thing again”. Responsibilities and expectations were constructs he had managed to evade for months, and they felt all the more heavy now that he had experienced a life without them.

The trip had been an escape, but also a quest to find himself. He wasn’t sure if he had succeeded in the latter, though he hoped that the dread he had been feeling since returning was just exhaustion. Did jet lag last this long? He was searching for an excuse, a justification that soon enough, he would feel more whole than he had before he had left. The world back home had kept spinning without him there, and that was somehow comforting and frightening at the same time.

“It’s good to have you back, sweetheart,” his mother said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. Her words were sincere, but there was at least a dash of concern in her tone and expression. He noticed this and quickly fixed the expression on his face to a gentler, more relaxed one. “Happy to be back.” The last thing that he needed was his mother worrying about him. There was nothing to worry about! God, why the fuck did he feel like this? Like he was missing something? He was blessed, blessed beyond words! He didn’t deserve to long for a single thing when he had so much already, so much more than so many people. By now, Alexander knew that material things weren’t enough to make people happy alone, but it certainly made life easier. He felt uncomfortable with most emotions in general, but self-pity was one that he tried to suppress even more than the others. He felt like he didn’t have a right to feel sad about anything, regardless of how unhealthy that was.

“Any big plans for the weekend? Your father and I would love to spend time with you, now that you’re back. Why don’t you come out to the beach with us for a few days?” she proposed. “Rebecca and Frank’s daughter, Anna, just got out of a relationship, you know. We’re supposed to have lunch with them tomorrow. I’m sure they would love to see you.” It was typical of his mother to slip in something about one of her friends’ eligible daughters into the conversation, as if Alex would think it was truly just an innocent mention. It was wedding season, which meant that her “subtle” comments about him being single, and her desire for grandchildren, would run more rampantly than normal.

“I’d love to, but I actually have plans tonight with someone,” he said, lying through his teeth, though confidently enough that his mother looked to him with pleasant surprise.

“Oh, how lovely! A date? With who?”

“Caraline Forrester. Remember her? Back from—“ Of course his mother remembered her, and Alex knew that he wouldn’t need to finish that sentence even before she cut him off. Cara has been his parents’ favorite girlfriend of his, basically in the history of his dating life. He wasn’t sure if it was actually a reputation she earned, or was more so pleasure with him associating with someone of her caliber. As “tolerant” as his family pretended to be, they absolutely had expectations for who their son dated and ended up with, and Cara was basically the definition of perfection when it came to that.

“Of course, of course!” his mother exclaimed, smiling as if Alex had just told her that he had discovered a cure for cancer. “How wonderful!” She was texting away on her phone to god knows who about the “big news” before Alex could say any more. “Imagine the babies! Oh, I can already picture their sweet little faces!”

“Whoa, who said anything about babies?” he said, chuckling uncomfortably. A white lie about a date had already led to nonexistent grandchildren fantasies... great. “It’s not even really a date. I haven’t seen her in years, so we’re just going to catch up.”

Why he had decided to come up with this lie was beyond him. He hadn’t seen Cara in years, and he had been the one to dump her back in high school. Perhaps it was his subconscious talking, though. Things had been simpler back then, and he had never truly gotten over Cara. She had been on his mind a lot lately, so maybe impulsively lying about being on her calendar was his heart trying to push him in the right direction. Regardless, one thing was for certain: he wanted to see her. Partially because his mom was enough of a gossiper that she would find out through the grape vine sooner than later if he was lying, and would be mortified and angry about it. Partially too though, because maybe seeing her in the flesh would put all of his thoughts about her to rest. Even if it led to nothing, maybe just seeing her would make him feel better.

He got up from the table, still chuckling nervously as his mother went on and on about it. He wasn’t sure if the number he had for Cara was even still her number, but he tried it anyway.

To: Cara Forrester
Hey, is this Cara? This is Alex Berggruen. I know this is random, but you’ve been on my mind a lot lately. If you’re in New York and don’t have plans tonight, can I see you?

 

[cure]

Roman shook his head as he watched the call hang up on his end. How did he end up in the lives of those weirdos? Of all the weirdos in all of New York City, it had to be them. His look was shameful, but the smirk on his face was nothing if not appreciative. He hadn't gotten too far from Cara given that he realized pretty early on that the conversation he was going to have with Nick wasn't going to be anything crazy. It was certainly crazy in its own right. Whereas Roman and Brooklyn were vocal best friends, Nick and Roman were more vibes-y best friends. They didn't need to say a bunch—which was great because they were both men of few words—but it was moments like that that got Roman talking, similar in the way that Brooklyn's pestering brought a more verbose side of Roman out. It went without saying that if Holly, or even Ruby, had asked him about a 'sexagon,' he wouldn't have given such a response, let alone one at all depending on his mood.

"Just Nick being an idiot," he began. "So yes." Thinking about Holly made him try and recall how much he had seen of her recently. He hadn't really been that visible or available to begin with for the past several weeks. It felt like the only time he saw the daylight during the weekends was when he was with Cara or hanging out with Brooklyn and Nick. Brooklyn and Nick wouldn't bother Roman though; they also had their own lives and relationships to tend to. Plus, if he could get away with have a totally under control substance habit without an intervention, then him being so sleep deprived that he forgot what the sun looked like at times was certainly going to be a non-issue. It wasn't to say that Cara was a bother either. But he felt more a push to try with her. If she told him right now to just forget the drinks and that they should just go to the movie room and nap to Netflix in the background, he would be asleep by the time his head hit the cushion. But he liked having a reason to not give in to temptation. He'd gotten pretty good at it, at least in his mind.

Roman certainly wouldn't say he missed the bouncy ball of red hair, but he hadn't really realized that she was a part of his life in some way. It felt weird thinking about it like that because it wasn't like he was babysitting her like Cara did. And he wasn't rooming in the same apartment as her like Chanel or Ruby. But he had never considered that, really like the rest of them, she played her own role in his sense of normal. Enough, at least, for him to recognize that she was kind of 'missing.' Did he miss Holly? No, he definitely didn't, he told himself. But it was weird for Holly to feel absent. She was always anything but absent, God help him. "What has your fairy goddaughter been up to?" he asked. He wasn't necessarily so curious that he really felt the need to chat about it, but it was on his mind now, and he didn't want to stand around awkwardly while she made drinks. In the back of his mind, he knew Cara wasn't looking at him like that, but this was one of the many side effects he had to deal with now that he was sober. "When do kids get out of school here?" Maybe he should have known this, but since he always got out during July growing up, the small nuance between it and the previous month was too minuscule for him to remember year over year. ​

 

[lauren.]

It only took a few seconds for Cara to realize who Roman was referencing, and she instinctively smiled at the thought of her younger friend. “Friend” really was an accurate word for what Cara considered Holly to be, which probably couldn’t be said for some of the others. Obviously, her friendship with Holly was different than it was with friends closer to her in age and mental capacity, but she still considered Holly to be a friend. She wasn’t just a sweet girl that lived on the same floor as her, she didn’t hang out with her out of pity, and she didn’t consider Holly to be inept. Granted, she hadn’t been spending as much time with her over the past few months as she had in the past, but she did truly enjoy hanging out with Holly. Sometimes it felt like babysitting, yeah, but there had been many occasions where Cara had been craving companionship that would come with zero judgement, and Holly had been the only person willing to give that to her. It was nice to feel needed and wanted in a way where she had a purpose. It was a different feeling than being lusted over by men, or envied by social climbers. Holly was pure, and innocent, and limitlessly sweet, and it had always been refreshing and appreciated by Cara.

She added ice to her shaker before giving it a good few shakes in the air. “I think she finishes next week,” she said, though her tone suggested some uncertainty. It already felt like summer to Cara, so it was hard to say for certain what the timeline looked like for others. “She’s graduating middle school,” she informed him as she poured two drinks out into glasses whose rims she had already lined with salt. Without much thought, she tossed a few pieces of basil on top, and slid one to Roman. It felt weird saying that Holly was graduating middle school, because despite how young she behaved, middle school still seemed juvenile even for her. It wasn’t like Holly looked very old anyway, so she honestly probably fit in okay in that regard with the thirteen and fourteen year olds she went to school with. Considering that she was old enough to be a junior in high school though, it just felt off. Then again, that only stressed how this was a big accomplishment for the girl. It went without saying that she struggled academically, and to finally be entering the last phase of schooling had to feel good. High school was a big deal, or at least it had been for Cara, when she was transitioning into it. She had went to a private K-12 school so it wasn’t like she was joining an entirely new school like Holly was, but even just moving into the upper level building made her feel cooler and older.

“We should probably do something for her. I doubt Makayla will plan anything special,” she remarked. It wasn’t necessarily meant to be a dig towards Makayla, but it seemed like Cara was good at coming up with digs directed towards the girl unintentionally. “I’ll get something for you to give to her,” she added with a slight smile, only because she wasn’t sure how receptive Roman would be to that, and she was really just testing the waters. He wasn’t famous for being all lovey and thoughtful, but he had been the one to bring Holly up, so he basically was asking for it. “If Brooklyn isn’t going to get her anything you’ll have to sign her name to it too, since Holly likes her for some reason,” she added, again not intentionally trying to speak with an unkind undertone, but potentially doing so regardless. She just meant that Holly liked Brooklyn enough that she would probably be upset if Brooklyn didn’t acknowledge her accomplishment.... and yeah, that it was strange that anyone liked Brooklyn, too. Holly included. ​

 

[Bandit_]

It was a rare occasion that Makayla went shopping without Holly, and the difference was a night and day experience. Instead of feeling compelled to rush through the store with one hand death-gripping her sister’s arm and the other poorly managing to steer the shopping cart, she could take her time. She didn’t have to pull a million things out of the cart after Holly haphazardly tossed them in, as if she was made of money. She didn’t have to snap at her for running off, or for making an obnoxiously loud comment about how another shopper’s outfit reminded her of Big Bird. It was small, but it was relaxing, and Makayla appreciated the little things like this. What made it even better today, compared to other solo trips in the past, was that for the first time in a while, Makayla was doing okay financially. She still had a mountain of credit card and student loan debt that she was working on paying off, and she was still in a position where one surprise bill would put her into the negatives, but she was doing better. She only had Ruby to thank for that, as she had been the one to get Holly qualified for SSI, which meant that she was getting close to $800 a month to support her. While it may not have been a life changing amount to some people, it absolutely was for Makayla, and it literally felt like a weight lifted off of her chest. She still had anxiety about finances and life in general, but it just went to show that whoever said “money can’t buy happiness” was wrong. ​

She held a bag of vegan orange chicken, attempting to decipher whether it was worth trying or not, as she stood in Trader Joe’s. She had always wanted to go vegan, but had never had the energy or resources to do it. While she knew that you could go vegan on a budget, it wasn’t convenient. She didn’t have the energy to prepare meals from scratch three times a day, and she didn’t have the money to cook meals that Holly wasn’t going to also eat. As she set the back back down into the freezer, she told herself that she’d focus on a lifestyle change after dealing with the more prominent issue of finding a job.

She had a few more things to pick up: milk, eggs, pasta, macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, bread, English muffins, cheese, a bottle of wine, and some fresh produce, before paying and leaving the store. Normally, she would have just carried the groceries home, but without Holly to help her, she was convinced the paper bag handles would tear off somewhere along the fifteen walk home. Feeling entirely guilty over the ten dollar charge, she ubered instead, and took her time climbing the five flights of stairs to get to her apartment. She came in quietly, unsure if Ruby was still working with Holly. Again, she had something to be grateful to Ruby for. While their sessions were valuable to Makayla because they gave her a little break, she obviously recognized that they were valuable in a therapeutic way as well, for her sister. She wasn’t sure what Ruby and Holly spoke about behind closed doors, though she didn’t assume that it was anything deep or secretive, simply because Holly wasn’t someone who could keep secrets. If they spoke about anything that carried weight, Makayla was sure she would notice a shift in Holly’s demeanor. Regardless, she appreciated the time Ruby took out of her schedule to work with Holly. It beat her having to bring Holly to a stranger who would condescendingly berate Makayla under the guise of “educating” her on how to raise a child.

She packed away groceries in the kitchen but when she heard a door open down the hall, she made her presence known. “Hey, I’m back.” She didn’t know if Ruby was done with Holly, but if she was, Makayla didn’t want to remain silent as if she was trying to milk her alone time. If they didn’t have so many leftovers from the other night, Makayla would have offered to cook dinner to thank Ruby. She would have to do so some other way, with the most obvious option being to apologize for being so harsh about the Elijah thing. Makayla still felt like her response was justified, but she also recognized that Ruby wasn’t acting out of malice, and that it wasn’t fair to treat her like she had.​

​

 

[A_Writer]

"That's okay," Holly said, answering Ruby's gentle warning that her texts to her friends may have gone unanswered. Luckily, Holly didn't take a lot of things personally. Because she wasn't overtly aware of social cues or how they worked, it typically didn't register to her that she would have any reason to feel offended by messages going unanswered or indirect snubs like that. It usually not only took someone being blatantly mean to her, but more importantly, mean in an aggressively sort of way, for her to get upset or sense that someone wasn't treating her kindly. "Brooklyn likes to answer better when I call her ten times first, because then she sees my texts easier," she informed her. "But I want to show you a video that I saw today of a dog getting his teeth brushed. The lady in it speaks the same language as Roman and Peppa Pig." She clasped Ruby's hand excitedly as she led her into the hall, before looking to her and adding, "But I can understand some of it because I talk to Roman a lot, so I can tell you what they're saying!"

They had just made it into Holly and Makayla's room when Makayla called out from the kitchen. Holly hadn't even really realized that her sister had left, so she didn't pay too much mind to her telling them that she had returned. The only reaction that she had to it, was to tug on Ruby a tad more forcefully, in an attempt to ensure that her attention wasn't swayed to anything less important than Holly. She tossed herself onto the side of her bed, bouncing up and down as she grabbed her iPad from her nightstand and turned it on. She took a moment to read through the messages that she had sent before hanging out with Ruby, just in case they did have time to answer, despite Ruby's prediction against it.

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🎗

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
Chanel what did Brooklyn get you for your birthday

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
Brooklyn do you want to come over to see me ♀

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
Do you guys like this dog

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
This is Makayla

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel

"They must not have liked the picture I sent them of Makayla," she decided aloud, frowning for only a split second before shrugging it off and sending a follow up message.

To: Brooklyn, Cara, Chanel
Chanel who do you like better Brooklyn or Cara

"Okay, you're going to love this!" she exclaimed to Ruby, though she couldn't finish her thought because she had to take a moment to laugh at the video of a dog chasing a butterfly that was playing in her head. "Do you wanna watch the one with the Husky getting his teeth brushed, or the baby goat jumping on the trampoline?" she asked, trying to refocus herself as she pulled up the Youtube app on her iPad.​

 

[Collapsed]

“You don’t even try to hide that you like Roman better than me anymore,” Nick commented, though he didn’t mean it with much sincerity. He did want to make Brooklyn aware of when she was showing her kind side though, because it was funny how she disliked that so much. He still didn’t understand why she could be so hard sometimes. Her personality was somehow alluring to him regardless, and maybe even more so because of its flaws, but shit, she could take things too seriously sometimes. And how the hell was she so good at turning off the emotional side of her brain without any drugs involved? The way she reacted to some things could sometimes appear to be nearly robotic. Then again, Nick knew her well enough to know that even if she reacted coldly to something on the outside, there was a good chance she was processing more emotionally behind the stoic facade. She was a softie on the inside, and the way she treated Roman behind his back was a good example of it. While she would frequently come for Roman in his presence, Nick knew that she felt protective of him, or something. Even if it was often unspoken, she worried about him more than Nick thought was necessary. Roman was an adult, and right now, a more “accomplished” one (considering society’s expectations) than the two of them. He was going to a job five days a week, had probably sorted out any money issues he had in the past, and didn’t seem to be doing any of that fighting shit he had been tangled up in for a while. Nick was the one dealing with drugs all day - if anyone deserved her concern, it was him!

“And I’m pretty sure her hair is red enough that those genes are strong as hell and I wouldn’t be looking like this if I had the same parents as her, but nice try,” he retorted with another condescending chuckle. He really was on a roll today compared to Brooklyn, but at least he would be classy enough to not come for her low-count if brain cells. He shook his head as he pulled out his phone to text Roman.

To: Roman
Wanna grab food with me and the Dumb to your Dumber? Grab my pen for me too I forgot it

A few hits from his pen, and he’d be ready for a nice, hot meal, no matter where they went. “Let’s get something to eat on the way back. I’ll tell him to meet us there.”​

 

[BurningBridges]

If Brooklyn didn’t know Nick so well, she might have assumed that he was joking, being obnoxiously idiotic just to annoy her. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, and she knew that the words coming out of this man’s mouth were words that he would stand by. Maybe she really didn’t want to be mixing her DNA with Nick’s... The world already had one Holly in it, and even considering herself to be of at least average intelligence herself, she wasn’t sure if her genes would be able to overpower the stupid in Nick’s. She had to consider that maybe it wasn’t only the weed allowing him to be so relaxed all of the time. It would make sense that someone with a small brain wouldn’t have the capacity to think things through as deeply as the average person. More seriously, it had to be noted that at least part of her reaction to his behavior was just Brooklyn being Brooklyn. It wasn’t like Nick’s personality was new or shocking to her. It was possible though that because he was stoned most of the time and was less chatty in that state, that the words he spoke sober were just more noteworthy because they were more rare.

“Fine,” she replied, as if she wasn’t in the mood to eat just as much as he was. “But I’m picking where we go.” She has momentarily considered allowing Roman to have that privilege, but decided at the last second that he didn’t deserve that. It was by default that she assumed that he would be joining them even though Nick had only suggested it, and not confirmed it. It wasn’t like she thought they were Roman’s only friends, at least not any more than she considered him to be her only close friend, but what else would he be doing? If he wasn’t asleep, she figured he’d be interested in joining them. She looked to her phone to text him herself, only to see that Holly had bombarded her with texts and calls while they had been in the museum. There was literally no good reason for why it needed to annoy Brooklyn as much as it did. She did like Holly beneath all of the layers of dislike, and she was flattered by her slight obsession with her... deep, deep, down. It was possible that had she texted Cara and Chanel and not her too, even if it was solely to be a bother, that she might have even felt some way about it... And yet she still felt compelled to reply with an attitude.

To: Holly, Cara, Chanel
I basically finance Chanel’s drug habit. That’s my year round birthday gift to her.

To: Holly, Cara, Chanel
And you’re one text away from being blocked, Holly. Don’t text or call me unless Makayla’s dead and you can’t get through to 911 ​

 

[cure]

Roman knew how Cara could be, so sly remarks like that one about Makayla didn't phase him, let alone register as a petty comment in his mind. It could have been his own bias towards her that painted her in a more forgiving and understandable light, but he also knew when she was actually being catty. Perhaps he had a higher tolerance for it because of Brooklyn's own abrasiveness, but Roman didn't actually like the mean girl vibes Cara could possess. Last weekend was too much, for example, and it seemed that his intolerance for it and her propensity towards it really came out when they weren't in the best of moods. It really came down, on his end, to a balance between intent and his own mood. Roman was also less inclined to be overly sensitive to Cara's personality because it mimicked his own. He was well aware that he said things that came across a certain way, but only because that was feedback he'd received. He could be mean when he wanted to be, but that took more energy than he was typically interested in dispensing—just as much energy, in fact, as considering how his tone might affect people. It was easier to be more naturally empathetic when he was around people that didn't inherently feel like work. But that also was probably because those were the kind of people who could handle his more terse nature to begin with.

Roman grunted. "Wouldn't that be weird?" He grabbed his drink, raising it to his lips before pausing to say, "She clearly has a thing for bullies like you and Brooke, but I don't think I made the cut. She definitely doesn't like me." Was it impossible for Holly to just not vibe with you on a particular day or in general for no other reason than that was how her mind was made that day? Sure. But chances were higher that it was likely in response to something that person did, whether five minutes ago or longer. All that to say, the chances were much higher than it was Roman's own fault that Holly didn't like him, and he was aware of this. Could he keep up with it? No. It did feel like there was an ebb and flow with her feelings towards him, and he could never remember when, why, or how she was feeling particularly cold or warm towards him the times he saw her. If she could still be in love with Brooklyn who was way meaner than Roman ever was to Holly, then he truly couldn't work out Holly's formula as it pertained to him. "Brooklyn will get her something," he said with undeniable certainty.

He nodded his head towards his direction, gesturing for her to come around the bar. "This is going to sound really mean, but... Does she have any friends who would actually come to something like that?" Roman wasn't close with Holly like Cara was, but the kid was a total weirdo and he wasn't sure he could recall Holly ever having a group of friends over to hang out. "Unless you were thinking it just be for the floor. Then maybe you could have a pool party here or something," he began, taking a sip of his drink and using his free hand to rest on her waist. It was then that it seemed their phones were going crazy. "I could help you decora—is that you?" He chuckled. "And here I was feeling bad for not being able to give you my undivided attention all week." He was only joking, of course. It wasn't like this was her job blowing her up on a weekend. He knew she had an actual life, not just outside of him, but at all. His life was just work by this point. Roman slid her phone closer to her, insinuating that it was fine if she wanted to answer. ​

 

[lauren.]

Roman made a good point. Cara didn’t think that Holly had any friends of her own, which was sad to think about. She couldn’t imagine having spent her school years with literally no one to relate to. Of course (mostly) everyone on the floor was nice to Holly, but that didn’t compare to having peers of her own. It was easy to want to think that anyone who didn’t want to befriend Holly was evil and cruel, but Cara has to wonder — if she had been in school with Holly, would she have been nice to her? She didn’t want to answer the question of self-reflection because she knew that the answer was “probably not”. Cara hadn’t been a bully growing up, and she wouldn’t have been one of the kids picking on someone like Holly for no reason, but she also didn’t go out of her way to include people who were different than her. She had gotten better with that over the years (thanks to Holly, really), but she still wasn’t some Mother Teresa. It was hard being a teenage girl, and as much as she knew it would benefit Holly to be more socially aware, her lack of awareness probably protected her as well. Kids her age could be cruel, and ignorance was bliss when it came to that kind of stuff. Still, how ignorant Holly was with these sort of things was hard to tell, It broke Cara’s heart to realize that a celebration like what she had been thinking about wasn’t really feasible for the reason Roman mentioned. Especially coming off of Chanel’s birthday weekend, it would be a stark contrast to throw a party that no one would show up to.

She was about to ask him if he thought that a smaller party would be upsetting in comparison to Chanel’s, when both of their phones started going off. Cara assumed, somewhat correctly, that it was just one of the group chats she was in, and as she confirmed that, she couldn’t help but to giggle. It was just the girl they were speaking about, right on time with a series of Holly-like messages. Cara was in a good enough mood that she wasn’t going to be petty and feign offense over Holly seeming more interested in Chanel and Brooklyn than her today. The messages were silly enough that it was hard to be anything but amused. “Mine is just Holly,” she said as she scrolled through the pictures that were sent. “Nick again?” she asked him, assuming it was a follow up to their call. Brooklyn replied to their group chat just then, eliciting an eye roll from Cara. Why did she always have to be so rude?

To: Chanel
Wtf is wrong with her... Pathetic and embarrassing to act like that

To: Chanel
She is so classless and tbh clearly so jealous of you

As much as Brooklyn claiming Chanel was a drug user irked Cara for Chanel’s sake, there was also a part of Cara that was somehow intrigued by the mild drama. It livened things up a bit, and perhaps in an unhealthy way, she enjoyed the dynamic of teaming up against someone and gossiping about them. It was one of those petty high school habits that she couldn’t break.

“I have a serious question for you,” she said, looking back up at Roman, just as her phone pinged again. She didn’t read it immediately, and instead, continued to talk. “Why is Brooklyn so mean? Like, I get why she’s mean to me, but why is she mean to people like Chanel and Holly who are always nice to her?” she asked, as she slid her phone towards him to show him what she was talking about.​

 

[cure]

"Come through, honey-baked ham!" She spotted Alisha a moment before the girl called across the park like a fool. Chanel hung her head in partially feigned embarrassment and began closing the remaining distance with a tired jog as her friends ushered and cheered her over. She was still in her gym clothes, her gym tote slung over one shoulder. She collapsed onto one of the picnic blankets, taking Halima down with her. The girl squealed, pushing Chanel away so that she wasn't contaminated with all of the sweatiness Alisha had just praised her for. Chanel had been working out for the past few hours. She took a class at the gym, then did some free exercise afterwards, and since there was going to be an outdoor yoga class where her friends were meeting up, she figured why not? She knew that if she tried rushing home to get changed so she could meet them, she would end up staying inside. Plus, it seemed pointless giving how hot it was today. She was already sweaty, and she would already be in their vicinity after taking her yoga class.

"How you work out like that and don't look like a man yet? That's what I wanna know."

"You know Chanel only go to the gym to swerve guys."

Chanel nodded, grabbing a handful of grapes and one of the seltzers out the cooler. "I have a strict oat milk and insecure men's ego diet that I swear by."

Chanel was enjoying her free time. She liked feeling busy, but being busy during school was different. She didn't really have a choice. She liked being able to try out different classes and do whatever she felt like whenever she felt like doing it. She and the girls would go to the gym together from time to time, but they weren't really the types to do how she would like to do on days like today which was spend all day using her body. She had a membership at a really nice gym thanks to Cara, and she was going to use that sauna until she became one. It was a nice way to unwind and get her mind emptied from all the clutter and her body purged of all the tension she was carrying. She knew she would be able to enjoy picnicking with her friends way more after exhausting herself all day than if she came straight here after being inside all day. Having a packed schedule made her feel like she wasn't wasting her days away.

"Speaking of men..." Summer said, sipping her drink with a mischievous glance towards Chanel. All of the girls cooed and teased Chanel as she covered her smile with her hand and turned away. "You guys, stop!!"

"That must be why you've been working like your ancestors ain't already do the work for you. You need to be nice and hungry for tonight so you have room all twelve courses. And I hope it goes straight to your hips because I confused you for that tree over there when you was coming over."

"Shut up!! He actually texted me asking where we're meeting."

Halima looked around. "...And? Where is he taking you, sis?"

"I haven't responded yet since I don't know."

"Not you leaving this man on his toes hours before the date. How did Chanel get her a whole Caucasian billionaire best friend and a 'Where you want me to take you?' dude?"

"That's how you know he got money. I need to review the menu three business days in advance before I agree to go out to eat anywhere."

"You should do Le Bernardin. I saw this girl on TikTok go and it looks nice nice."

"I just told him ShakeShack," Chanel said with a nonchalant shrug as she set her phone down and reached for some more grapes. "These grapes are so sweet."

Alisha held out her hand for Chanel's phone. "Because I am not playing with you today." After Chanel handed her phone over, it only took five seconds for Alisha to announce how she was going to beat her ass. "What? I've really been craving a cheeseburger."

All of the girls announced their disapproval in unison:

"This is why I can't stand pretty bitches."

"Somebody get her, 'cause Imma kill her if she keep talkin' about these grapes."

"You couldn't want a burger tomorrow?"

"Tell him you been working out all day so you not in your right mind and to take you somewhere that only does market price."

"I don't want seafood, you guys. I want crinkle fries and a milkshake."

"No! You want a husband that's gonna take care of you and give you pretty Black babies."

"Why her babies gotta be Black?"

"Because she's Black, what the fuck?"

"Ignore her. You know Halima thinks just because she wants to have little Kardashian babies that everybody else wanna be in the sunken place with her."

Chanel rolled her eyes. Maybe she should have just gone home. "Let Halima want her half-Armenian babies in peace, please."

"Thank you, Chanel."

"I really can't believe this man told you to tell him to take you anywhere and your response was 'Hi, I'm poor and like wasting my time.'"

"For real. Where did y'all get these grapes?"​