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Realistic or Modern DotC High

When they all got to the party, Jay looked around at the semi-familiar faces of the room. He recognized Sage, of course, and Winnie with her cheerful smile as she greeted everyone, and even Patch looked vaguely familiar, though the others were a blur. All until he got to Korren anyways. Her dark red hair and fair skin stood out to him instantaneously, and he immediately turned away as if that would mask him from all his regret. "Well I'm thirsty, let's get a drink," he said quickly, before starting for the kitchen, holding tight to Winsley's hand.

It was then Sage turned to see who had made the suggestion, and noticed Jay dragging Winsley off. He supposed he should have taken closer notice of the nice car outside but he had been so excited after seeing how happy the bracelet made Korren that he hadn't thought twice about his surroundings. "Hey, Jayden, where the fuck do you think you're going?" The room could have stopped. Winnie froze from her excited handshakes and warm welcomes to everyone she didn't know and turned, and Jay didn't dare move a muscle.

"I'm not a fucking T-rex you rapist, I can still fucking see you," Sage snarled, storming towards him. Jay spun around just in time to fill the first punch, and he let go of Winsley so she wouldn't be affected by the fight. "Hey man, I-" Before Jay could even think about finishing his sentence Sage had hit him again. Jay stumbled back, wiping his mouth before grabbing Sage's shirt collar and punching him just as hard. All at once a fight was breaking out in the entryway to Winnie's home, and as they both fell to the floor in a rage of fists being flung in every direction, the hostess herself could only stand in shock.

Shocked that so much had happened in such a small amount of time. Winnie had been trying to say hi to everyone she didn't know, working to eagerly introduce herself. "Hey, I'm Winnie, make yourself at home!" She had managed two or three variants of this before the word 'rapist' had made her freeze. She slowly turned to Jay, to a guy with bleach white hair intermixed with all the black, to piercings and the hint of tattoos, to a punk stereotype who had just been labeled as the same type of scum that had hurt her less than a week ago. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe.

So she merely stood there and watched, feeling lightheaded, loud groans spilling out of her mouth as she tried and failed to breathe in. Suddenly, they were fighting, two boys going head to head, one of them was evil. Where was Kilo. "Ty... Ty..." his name was nothing more than a breathy sob. She needed to hold him again. She didn't like this situation, she didn't like who was in her house. She was stumbling, black dots were clouding her vision.
 
Winsley looked up at Jay as he stood there. She eagerly shook Winnie's hand back, greeting her with delight. They finally stepped inside when Jay decided to go for drinks, walking quickly. At the time she thought nothing of it, simply walking over to get a drink. But then she remembered earlier, and how Sage simply seethed with anger. With what Korren told him, there was sure to be a fight. She held tightly on to his hand, but was brushed away as Sage called him out. Then it started. Fists we're flying, and it didn't seem that it was going to stop on its own. Winsley hesitated for the moment, stuck in shock from the moment. Her face went white. Then she looked up at Winnie, and the poor girl was frozen in fear. What a way to ruin the night.
As soon as she could she stepped up, avoiding elbows and punches. "Hey, cut it out!"
She moved over to Jay to grab him by the waist, trying to pull him away. "Come on, just separate. Just stop!" This wasn't the time to fight, and she realized now that putting these two in the same room together was a mistake. It was her mistake. She pulled Jay back, making sure to keep her arms around him to hold him. It was all too soon, the fight. Anxiety began to seep in, coming with guilt over what happened to Korren. What Korren did to stop it all though, it genuinely surprised her. It seemed like forgiveness, or maybe it was just her trying to move on temporarily. To avoid the thought of the past rather than deal with it right away.


Korren watched as they fought, feeling tense from the moment that Jay was called out. Because she told him the truth, their fun had been ruined. Soon after Winsley stepped in, she followed up with pulling them apart. She walked towards the two, keeping out of the way of Sage. "Sage," Korren spoke up, trying to get him to stop. "Please, let's just have fun." Slowly she crouched down, keeping out of the way. "I'm okay. Please, no more fighting." At that point she was begging. There was no telling whether he truly was listening to her words, but she hoped he would. There was no time for this. It needed to be resolved right now.


Patch and Lift soon stepped in, with each one grabbing hold of Sage to keep him from throwing another punch. Lift held back his arms, while Patch pulled him up. Monty watched helplessly as he stood near the door, biting his lip. There was no telling who was in the wrong. He hoped it was just a miss understanding, that it would all blow over. For now though, he wandered to the kitchen, grabbing a drink from the counter. The thought scared him that maybe he would be next since he was associated with Jay. The poor guy had been beaten up before they could even speak another word, so that instilled enough caution for him to be around Sage.


Meanwhile, Kilo had walked in to see the fight. His immediate reaction was to protect Winnie, and for good reason. He rushed over to her, seeing the fear and shock in her eyes. As soon as he could he scooped her up in his arms, holding on to her to carry her to the couch. "Shh, I got you. I got you, everything's gonna be alright." Kilo felt horrible in reality. Not once did he think this would happen. He didn't even know who that other kid was. Something must have happened though, something to set Sage off to do that. "I can get you a drink. Do you want a drink?" He kissed her cheek, running his hands over hers. There he kept her away from the two boys, away from the people in general. Perhaps soon they could talk again to them, but things needed to be settled. Jay and Winsley would have to stay in one corner, while Sage and Korren would have to stay in another. Perhaps the girls could talk, though. They could be together, try to befriend each other. It would be healthier for the situation.
 
Sage had gone rabid. Something dangerous had fallen over him; an urge to protect Korren. It was his main priority, and after learning about what Jay had done he couldn't stop instinct. So he continued on even as Winsley started over, her voice a muffled sound as the blood rushed in his ears. Everything was a blur and yet he could see Jay perfectly clear as he gained leverage over him.

She wanted Sage to stop but he sure didn't want to. He was angry at Jay. Not just at hurting Korren, but for leaving Winsley too. Just left her with haphazard bandages, just let them hurt her, just made her trust him only to rip the rug out from under her. As she grabbed Jay's wrist Sage felt a hint of a throb in his fists, the telltale sign he had thrown plenty of punches. He caught sight of Winsley's delicate hand and slowed, breathing heavily as Jay was pulled away. He thought it odd though, thinking back now, on how easily Jay had receded. He hardly tried to hit Sage, only blocking. Why? Why wouldn't he fight back as much as Sage? He huffed, his breathing ragged as he pushed himself to his feet, glaring and starting to step forward, to tell Winsley to back off, when Korren came up to him.

Her words and her ocean blue eyes were enough to make him melt and he felt the fight leave him even before Lift and Patch took hold of him. He shrugged them both off, really looking over at Jay. He was bleeding all over, and dark bruises were already forming. The sudden realization his Sage hard. He had overreacted. He had gone wild, hadn't been thinking straight. "Are you done now?" Jay asked, his words oddly calm for a guy who had just been attacked.

"Until you fuck up again I am," Sage hissed, feeling his irritation all over again. Jay nodded once, also shrugging out of Winsley's hold. He brushed himself off and wiped the blood off his forehead. "You're one hell of a hitter, Sage, I'll give you that." He rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly. "And you're one hell of a puppet," Sage sneered back. Jay's eyes lit up and he stepped closer. "What the fuck did you just call me? Just because I'm a jock doesn't mean-"

"Does Winsley need to show you the knife wound again?" Sage interrupted, and Jay went silent. "Don't think I didn't have many reasons for breaking your face." Jay bit his lip, his teeth clanking against his snake bites as Sage and he glared at each other before finally Jay broke the tension.

"I should go. It's obvious I'm unwanted here." He started for the door, having forgotten all about Monty in the short time it took to take a beating from the notorious Sage Vixen. He felt sore, broken, defeated. Jay knew he deserved what he got, but that didn't make it any easier as he started for the door.

Meanwhile Winnie was struggling to catch her breath. The moment Kilo picked her up she began to feel better, but still it wasn't until she heard the fighting stop and the conversation dwindle that she finally calmed down. "No, no. I don't want a drink yet," she mumbled, sitting up against Kilo and peering over the couch as Jay began to leave. She knew Jay. She thought she did anyways. He was always the calmest out of all of Bucky's friends. He was the nicest, too. When she had sat with them at lunch he had offered her his pudding cup while all the others wolf whistled at her. "Jayden," she said quietly, and he paused, glancing back at her and raising an eyebrow. "You don't have to leave." It was all she could muster through her short breaths, and Jay snorted, shaking his head and continuing on. She sighed, upset with herself for thinking gathering so many people together would lead to any type of good. She had just wanted a break from it all, but it seemed there was no ending to the problems in her life.
 
Korren watched the whole thing, distressed and only hoping everything would stop. Luckily it did, but the verbal jabs kept coming. It hurt for her to hear. Even if Jay did what he did to her, not in any way would she want this kind of harm to come to him. She pulled back slightly, hovering close to Sage while he talked. Her face went white, or had it been white the whole time? It was unclear. There was too much tension. The whole room seemed to be frozen.

In order to try to calm him down while Jay was leaving, she reached for Sage's hand, holding it lightly in her hand, almost as if she was scared to be sure about such a simple thing as holding hands. "Sage," She spoke quietly, looking up at him in hopes that his attention would switch to her. "Let's just get something to drink." Her tone was soft, trying not to waver. In reality her heart was drumming in her chest, though she had to seem calm on the outside. The night needed to be fixed. Another problem would possibly make her snap, and she didn't want that.

Kilo held on to Winnie all while the fighting came to an end. He nodded when she confirmed not wanting to get a drink, understanding. It surprised him when she insisted he stayed. Did they know each other? Or maybe she was just being nice to him. He couldn't tell either way. Instead of saying anything or questioning whatever was going on, he held on to her in silence. Perhaps it was best that he didn't know, even if he was rather curious.

Winsley, on the other hand, was not taking any of this well. She backed up as she was shrugged off, shaking slightly. It was unnoticeable, yet you could see in her eyes that she wasn't well. Whether it was Sage beating up Jay, or her being ignored through all of it was up to interpretation. Either way she was shoved aside, her feelings being forgotten about. That stung, but she didn't want to give up again. Not on Jay, not on everyone else. Every single time some problem happened between people she met, it was always easiest to give up on them. This was not allowed with her friends though. They made her stick with them, which was the best thing they could have done for her. Now she had to do the same for Jay. But this time, she wouldn't keep him in the same room as Sage. They would have to talk outside. After he began walking, she followed behind him, not caring if he refused. Instead, she walked with him outside, and when she got the chance, she grabbed his arm. Not harshly, though. Just enough to stop him. She stood there in silence for a moment, just before pulling him in for a hug. "Jay," Winsley spoke after a minute. "I want you here." It sounded dumb when it was said, but it was true. Careful not to hurt him, she loosely kept her arms around him. Her head set against his chest, closing her eyes. To whatever god that could hear, she hoped and prayed that he would just listen to her.

Meanwhile, Lift and Patch decided to leave everything be. They headed over to the kitchen to grab a drink, to leave the problem up to Winsley and Sage. Just as long as there wasn't a fight in the middle of this poor girl's house, things would be fine in the end. Monty watched the whole thing though, worrying about Jay. Perhaps coming to the party was a mistake. He didn't have the heart to leave yet, though he felt as if none of them would noticed. Since Jay seemed to be leaving, he decided to wait a minute there, checking his phone just before beginning to walk towards the door with an uncomfortable look in his eye. "It was nice to meet you all," Monty spoke in a normal voice, nearing the door at his own pace. If they wanted him there they could stop him, though if not, it wouldn't be any problem for him.
 
Sage looked down at Korren, at their hands intertwined together, and sighed to himself. She seemed hesitant, or maybe it was in his imagination. He squeezed her hand gently, kissing her temple as he watched both Jay and Winsley leave. It made him angry all over again, that she would chase after him, but he let it be for now. "I'm sorry," he whispered, glancing around at everyone. "I just... I can't stand it when people get away with shit like that." He took a deep breath, glancing towards the kitchen. "Drinks are a good idea though. I need something strong." He kept his hand in Korren's, leading them towards the kitchen and grabbing a beer for himself. He needed something to calm his nerves.

He popped the cap off and took a long swig, the bitter taste lingering in his mouth as he leaned against the counter, glancing over to Lift and Patch. "You think I overreacted?" Of course he knew Korren did, but his own kind? The same rats he grew up with? Maybe not them. But then he thought about it some more and shook his head. "I did, didn't I? Oh fuck, now I'm going to have to apologize to Winsley. Brit's never going to let me live it down," he muttered, trying to make somewhat of a joke, to loosen the tension if nothing else.

Winnie watched as some of them headed to the kitchen, before looking towards Kilo. "Ty, I don't want..." her voice trailed off as she watched Monty head for the door. She frowned slightly, getting to her feet and walking towards him. "Hey, wait! You don't have to go. Sage is a hothead but it'll blow over quick." Or at least, Winnie hoped it would. She'd seen Sage in action before, but that had been with Kilo, and they had gotten over it so why not this? "Besides, I think Winsley and Jay have some deep stuff to talk about it. We better let them hang out alone for a bit. Come sit with me and Tyler, I have video games and movies and plenty of snacks," she added, smiling towards Monty even though she still felt weak on her feet. She moved back to Kilo, sitting next to him. "Okay, now I'm ready for a drink, bring the rest of them out of the kitchen too. Let's get a tournament started," she said, hoping some good old fashioned brawling video games would help smooth everything over.

Jay had heard someone follow after him, but he had been to frustrated to see who up until a hand wrapped around his arm. He stopped the moment he heard her voice, waiting. I want you here. It was such a simple comment, but it made him smile nonetheless. Chuckle, even, as he wrapped his arms around her. "I want to be wherever you're at," he replied, hugging her tighter. "Although I have to say I'm a little confused." He pulled away, his hands sliding down her arms until he was holding both her hands in his own. "Sage made some pretty steep accusations about me and you're just blindly out here defending me?" He took a short breath, letting her hands go. "I'm not complaining, but I also would be a little freaked out if you weren't at least curious as to what I had to say about it," he told her, casually crossing his arms over his chest.
 
Korren smiled just a little, seeing that he was settling down now. For a moment she leaned against him, listening to him, just before moving on to get drinks. Instead of getting alcohol, she decided to grab a small plastic cup and fill it with water. After the incident not even a day before, she didn't want to pick up another drink. Not yet.
She took a sip of her water, listening carefully as he talked with his friends. The topic worried her, causing her to think. The thoughts in her head weren't ones she wanted to hear, either. Even if he was just protecting her, it was a bit overboard. This thought frightened her. If he was like that every single time she's troubled, then more people would be hurt. She didn't display her worry, though she did think about the question.
Korren took a few more sips of water, standing there by Sage's side, just barely leaning against him. His friends shrugged as an answer, mumbling either 'kinda' or vague answers.

Kilo looked at her as she spoke, wondering what she was about to say. It seemed important, so why did she stop speaking? It was cut off by the stranger near the door, that's why. He had completely forgotten about the man. As Winnie spoke, he let go of her so she could stand up.

Monty glanced over as the host stopped him, being rather inviting compared to the scenery from before. He simply smiled, deciding to stay because of her. Still he wanted to see Jay to see if he was okay, though he supposed it could wait. After all, he was a tough man. There wasn't any way he couldn't push through it.
He walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Winnie, crossing one leg over the other. His eyes traveled around the room, looking around at the beautiful yet simplistic design of the house. Then he looked to Winnie's hair, truly noticing it up close fully. They were full and beautiful locks, though in his mind needed a touch-up. "Darling I must say, I love your hair." He brought up a hand to pick up a strand, analyzing it as if it were an art piece or science project. "Splendid color choice, honey. It really brings a pop to your eyes!" Monty spoke gleefully, moving his hands in a flicking motion once to emphasize the pop. His brown eyed were opened up with such delight hidden in them. On the lids was carefully placed golden hues, bringing out his colored highlights and eyes.
While Monty and Winnie were chatting, Kilo got up to get the drinks, and the people.

Winsley felt relief wash over her as he accepted her kindness, sinking in to the hug all the while. It ended when Jay pulled away, though they still held hands. Her brow arched when he spoke of being confused, looking him in the eye. Then he explained, which she understood what he meant. The main thing that worried her during the conversation was when he let go. At first she almost reached for his hand again, though instead didn't want to seem too desperate. She stuffed her hands in her back pockets, glancing down at the patio flooring. Winsley sighed, glancing up at him. "I... I am curious. I know what happened- or, at least, I think I do. But I don't believe every part of it? I guess? I don't know..." Her foot kicked a loose pebble off of the porch, watching it as it tumbled down the steps. "Sage takes things a bit far a lot though. I don't believe it was your fault. I get why you didn't-" Winsley paused for a moment, not wanting to bring up that memory as the harsh moment it really was. "Why you couldn't fight Bucky. I get it now... I just don't get the rest, I guess."
 
Sage drank about half his beer in silence, not bothering to talk to his friends or Korren as he thought. Finally, though, he looked to his girlfriend and rested his hand under her chin, tilting her head up just enough that he could meet her eyes. "I love you, you know that right? I know I overreact sometimes but I... I just want you to be safe." He kissed her cheek, before moving to hold her hand instead, taking another sip of his beer. Even then though, it didn't feel like enough, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, scared if he let go she'd leave him. He couldn't blame her. Nobody liked to watch him fight. He'd heard rumors all over school, heard the nicknames they gave him, heard the comments when people saw him beating the shit out of someone. He was scary. He hoped he hadn't scared Korren.

"I love you, Harvard," he mumbled again, hoping it would sink in, hoping she'd accept it. He was suddenly nervous she wouldn't. Even though it was all over now and they were still together he was still worried. He'd always be worried she'd leave him. She deserved better and he knew it. The beer had been supposed to calm his nerves but instead it lit him up, made him even more anxious than before.

Winnie blushed as Monty complimented her hair, watching as he took a strand. It made her nervous to feel someone touching her- someone besides Kilo anyways- but she tried to stay calm. Even as he left her alone with Monty she focused on deep breaths. "Thank you! I do it myself," she told him, a shy grin on her face. "My hair is naturally blonde but it was just so boring and blue is such a pretty color, especially this aqua blue in my hair. I wanted it to be bright," she explained, running her fingers through her hair. "Sometimes I curl it but I have natural beach waves and it brings a lot of volume with it." She glanced back once to where Kilo had gone. Even though she was keeping her nerves in check it still would have been better if he was around, but she couldn't let everyone mope in the kitchen forever, and Kilo knew them all better than her. "I'm due for a trim, though, and I have to touch up my roots soon too. I've just had some... rough days, lately, and so I haven't had the chance."

Jay smiled softly as Winsley struggled to speak, letting his hands fall back to his sides. She was so cute as she searched for the words she wanted to say, almost flustered. It made him think of Celeste, and how she used to stutter all the time before she was diagnosed with ADHD and got her medication. His smile faltered, however, when he realized he'd have to tell Winsley the truth of it all. How he was accidentally a horrible human being.

"Well last year Bucky was throwing a party. I'm his best friend so of course I'm obligated to attend. I had a few drinks in me, I'll admit, but I wasn't drunk. Korren on the other hand, poor thing was drugged so bad she could barely walk- which I didn't know till after the fact," he added, trying to figure out what to say next. "Bucky tends to hire escorts and people like that for his parties. I hadn't met Korren at that point and Bucky was... well, Bucky. He told me he had bought her out for the night, that she was whatever we wanted her to be." Jay let out a shuddery breath, looking at the garage of the house, far away from Winsley's eyes. He was sure she was already reeling back in disgust.

"I asked him twice to make sure she really was a hooker and he promised me she was and she was already in the room and I had a lot of energy I wanted to get out and- and she never said no. If she would have asked me to stop I would have. I swear I would have but the drugs that were in her that night... and I... I didn't know."

"I know that doesn't make it right. Just because she didn't say no doesn't mean she said yes and all that shit but I'm not some bad guy- at least, I don't think I am. I don't... it's not a hobby of mine to hurt people, and Bucky is so territorial I would have never dreamed Korren was the girlfriend he'd been bragging about." Jay let out a breath. "Does it sound bad? Do I sound like a monster anyways?" he asked quietly.
 
Korren stood there, finishing off her water silently. It was awkward to just be standing there in silence, but she understood enough that they all like their silence every now and again. The prolonged quiet was thrown out after she felt his hand under her chin, maneuvering it so she would look at him.Carefully she listened, smiling all the while that he reassured her that he loved her. Of course he loved her. And she loved him with all her heart, or at least that's what she wanted to do. Any problems they had now they couldn't ever fix as a couple, though. She held on to him in return, pressing her head against him. "I love you too, Greaser." Thoughts led her back to the protective side of Sage, but she ignored it. Now wasn't the time for that.

Soon Kilo walked in to the kitchen, motioning his hand to his friends. He turned to Sage, placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment. "C'mon dude, we're gonna have a gaming tournament. I vote you to be one of the runner's up." Following that, he winked at Sage, glanced at Korren with a smile, before heading back out to the couch. It seemed like the new guy and Winnie were getting along well. By the appearance of the male, he didn't seem to be much of a threat, yet still he decided to sit next to Winnie just to be sure, wrapping an arm around her.

Monty smiled all the while, letting go her strand of hair as not to make her too uncomfortable. He took note to each detail she explained. It seemed she needed some help, and she even said herself she would need it touched up. This made him smile. "Well, honey, you are in luck. You're looking right at a cosmetologist." He placed his hand underneath his chin, moving his fingers so they folded delicately. "If you ever need assistance, you can ring me right on up." He winked playfully, hoping that he would gain a new friend and possible client from this little interaction. This small gesture seemed to irk the boy with his arm around her. It gave him a moment before finally realizing. He must have seemed to be flirting with the poor girl. He only hoped it didn't seem that way, though by now it probably did. "Don't worry, hun. I don't swing that way." Monty chuckled, winking at Kilo. It would be more reassurance to them that he was no threat to them, anyway. Besides, Monty had nothing to hide. He knew who he was, and flaunted the fact that he was who he was.

Winsley looked with a rather serious expression for the situation. She was curious of his side of the story. When it was told, she understood. Even if it wasn't completely justifiable, she knew that Bucky was a trickster. Or, at least, that's what everyone said. It seemed that way to her just by their little run-in as well. He got away with a lot of things, and that was just how things went, even if they weren't good things. She waited a minute after he spoke before finally answering. "I mean, no. Bucky tricked you. I know what you did was shit, but you didn't know. Bucky was the piece of shit that set it up. You didn't know her, it's okay- well, it's not okay.." She took a pause, sighing to herself. Even talking seriously she couldn't properly articulate. "You know what I mean, right?" Winsley lifted a hand to mess with the hair on the back of her head, brushing upwards against it to feel the shortness of it.
 
Sage smirked as Kilo came in to get them, looking over at Korren once. "Well I can't play in any tournament without a loyal cheerleader to back me up," he said, grinning at his love, before pulling her along to the living room. He sat on the couch next to Kilo, carefully bringing Korren down in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, starting to feel more and more relaxed. He looked between Winnie and Monty as the latter let everyone know he was gay, and Sage chuckled, wondering if Kilo had shown signs of jealousy or if perhaps Monty just liked to flaunt this information. "I heard something about a gaming tournament," he said, and Winnie turned to Sage with a sparkle in her eye.

She jumped out of Kilo's arms, obviously excited that someone seemed interested. "Oh yeah! We have to play! I have this great game picked out," she began to ramble on about the game, the characters, even the specs, as she rushed over to her consoles and picked out the video game from the cabinet, putting it in and setting it up before grabbing some controllers. She tossed one over to Sage, who caught it with ease, and left a few out for anyone else who wanted to join. Winnie finally finished talking about the game and turned to Monty. "Oh, I never responded to you! I'm sorry, Monty, video games are just my first love- uh- second love," she quickly changed it as she glanced towards Kilo, then for a moment. "Wait no, maybe you can be tied with video games, they might have a slight edge honestly," she added jokingly, moving to sit next to him again.

"But I would certainly love to have you do my hair sometime." Winnie smiled brightly before turning back to the screen and setting up the gameplay, moving to the character selection screen and picking her character. Sage followed suit, smirking as he gingerly pushed Korren to his right. "You're going down, Blue," he said mockingly, and an oddly competitive gleam fell into Winnie's eyes. "Like hell I am. You'll be eating my pixelated dust, UpperCut," she hissed, her words more serious than playful.

Jay stayed quiet as he listened to Winsley ramble. "Well, I certainly hope I do," he said, his words barely audible as he finally looked down at Winsley. "Because I like you, Wins, and I want to continue delivering pizza to your house at ungodly hours and getting a nice little tip." He winked at her, moving to wrap his arms around her waist. He hoped what he was doing was right. He cared about Winsley and he only hoped she cared back, that she'd let him stay in her life. She wasn't his one and only, but she wasn't just a good fuck anymore either. He wasn't sure when his opinion on her had shifted, or how, but it had. She was important in some odd way that he couldn't quite understand. Maybe it was watching Bucky stab her, or the fact that she hadn't demanded he leave at Sage's accusations, but either way it had happened, and there was no going back now.
 
Korren glanced at Sage as he mentioned her being some kind of cheerleader. She chuckled and followed him over to the couch, sitting in his lap without question. Her hands went over his, giggling to herself before leaning against him, feeling much more comfortable now than before. Again she chuckled by what Monty said. It was visible on Kilo's face though that he felt slightly embarrassed. He picked up a controller, chuckling to her little comment about him being second place or equal to video games."Sure thing, doll."

Everyone watched Winnie with different variations of interest. Monty didn't wish to play, and neither did Patch, though Lift was all for it. He jumped to grabbing a controller. Since no one else decided to play as well, Korren decided she would play as all. It had been quite a bit since she had played video games, though she did have some slight practice. She glanced at Winnie and Sage, who seemed slightly more competitive than the rest. It made her chuckle. "Ready when you guys are." She spoke, loosely holding the controller all the while.

Monty all the while genuinely smiled at Winnie, mainly happy that she invited him to help with her hair. It was beautiful in the first place, but he knew fixing it up would make it look better than it already was. "Anytime you wish, honey."
He sat back and watched as they prepared to play the video game, deciding to at least provide moral support for the others, since his interest in video games always seemed rather dim. Never did he really have time in the day to play them, though.

Winsley nodded, hoping that her failure to articulate hadn't messed with the moment. Thankfully, it didn't, and good thing too. She smiled at the mention of night activities, of the pizza delivery nights that he could spend being with her had she gotten a pizza. What's next was he held her, which she responded by holding on back, hear hear laying near to his heart. "And I like you too, Blue Jay." Winsley smiled, nuzzling her head against him during the embrace. She shut her eyes, relaxing into him. Without her being held at that moment she was sure she would have stumbled by then, since her injury would not quite be healed for a while. Thoughts of that lead to the locker room, and how he ignored her existence in order to stay out of trouble. "I just hope," She started, picking and choosing her words as to not ruin the moment. "that we could, yah know... hang out a little more, outside of the pizza thing." Winsley chuckled slightly to herself before continuing. "I know that's what we're doing right now, and I like this. I like being with you." A smile crept on her face, slowly displaying it to Jay as she looked up at him to see what he would say. "Do you think we could do that?"
 
Everyone settled in for the game as Winnie pressed play. Sage glanced around the room at his opponents, happy to see Korren was including herself. After all her sadness from before he wanted nothing less than a great night for her, and he kissed her cheek before the game started. A five second countdown waved across the screen and then they were off. Sage and Winnie were both highly competitive, and so their main concerns were each other throughout most of the game. At one point Sage managed to knock Lift out of their little tournament but in the midst of everything he had completely forgotten about Korren.

The game continued to go on for the three of them until out of nowhere Sage had You Lose covering his section of the screen. He blinked, glancing over at Winnie who shook her head. Then he turned to Korren. "You got me out? You were supposed to my cheerleader, not my enemy!" he cried out, his words only half-joking as he struggled to come down from his competitive high. He huffed, dropping his remote on the coffee table and looking around with a slight pout before an idea suddenly came to mind. "Well at least if I don't have you, I have Kilo as my number one cheerleader." He turned to Kilo and without any hesitation at all, he kissed his best friend.

Winnie was briefly distracted from the game as out of the corner of her eye Sage kissed her boyfriend. She paused the game, turning to really get a good look at the action, wolf whistling in the promise. She almost felt bad for Kilo, getting stuck in this situation, but at the same time she was too excited from what she was looking at to try and help him. Instead she pulled out her phone to record. This was a memory she definitely wanted to keep forever.

Jay listened to Winsley's request and thought for a moment. He knew she was asking for more than just these types of get togethers. Maybe that he actually acknowledged her at school, that he eat with her at lunch. Those type of thoughts worried him, and he held her tighter, as if worried his silence would make her leave. "I like spending time with you, Winsley," he said, trying to figure out where to go from there. "But I... I can't know you at school, okay? Anywhere else and I'll make it work, but school is just... it's too risky for me." He let her go because he knew she'd want to pull away and leave him anyways.

He stared at the ground, trying to figure out what else he could say. "Just until after the scout game at least. I just need someone to give me a full ride and then it won't be a big deal anymore. That's two weeks away. I just can't let anyone or anything ruin that for me, and Bucky is ... well, you know." Even though Jay tried to justify himself, to make this sound plausible, he knew it seemed just as shallow as he really was. He'd hide his entire life, change everything about himself, if it meant getting into a college far away from his parents. And he couldn't even let a girl get in the way. Even he knew how horrible it sounded. "Do you still want me to stay?" he asked weakly, sure she would say no.
 
During the tournament, Korren had been left to her own devices to figure out the game, and once it was time to attack, she aimed for Sage first. When he was dead and gone, she attempted to win against Winnie, but to no avail. It made her chuckle to see Sage act so competitive after the game, trying to keep his cool. What surprised her the most, though, was how he reacted. Her brow arched at the mention of Kilo being the cheerleader, before he went and kissed the poor boy. It shocked her slightly. In a way she felt bad for Kilo, though it was slightly amusing, and somewhat attractive. Instead, she scooted away from the two slightly, just so she wouldn't get caught in the middle. Her face lit with a bright red after she watched them, quickly covering her eyes. Sure she expected Sage might have kissed her that way, but never his guy friend.

Kilo was completely caught by surprise. He was sitting back, smiling at Winnie, about to congratulate her and possibly rub it in Sage's face that he lost. His head turned to his best friend, and strangely he was met with a kiss. It was very odd, and he didn't know how to feel about it. His immediate reaction was to push Sage off the couch, wiping his lips away. "Dude, what the hell?" He turned to Winnie, who was recording it. His ears felt hot as well as his face, yet he tried to keep his composure. Instead of reacting horribly, he awkwardly chuckled. The look in his eyes would be noticeable to Sage though. Every part of him was annoyed and questioning his decisions. Yet again, he regretted his reaction. Knowing Sage, if something bothered someone he would keep doing it, just as long as it didn't hurt them.

Winsley waited for his answer, feeling his grip tighten around her. It hurt slightly, though she didn't care. She liked being held close, though his silence disturbed her. Then he replied with an answer that was unwanted. She pressed her face into his chest, not wanting to look directly at him when he spoke. It didn't help if she looked him in the eye, so she avoided it. Even if she understood his reasoning, his answer frightened her. Of course he needed to go to college, though. It should be his dream, right? A dream should be more important, right? Maybe so, though it hurt to feel like she would have to be ignored. She didn't answer him right away, sticking in silence. He even let go of her, but she didn't let go. Not once did she let go. She figured that maybe this was a part of a real relationship, making sacrifices for someone you truly loved. It made sense in a way, though not completely. "Of course I still want you here." Finally she replied, speaking with emphasis on that thought. "I understand... most of it, I do. I get you have a dream. I shouldn't be the one to stomp on it now, should I?" She squeezed him with a hug one last time before letting go. This time she looked back up at him. It felt tense. She didn't want tense. She changed the subject. Winsley smiled, and tugged on his hand, slowly sitting down on the porch. "Sit with me, I'm gonna fall over if I don't sit."

After sitting down, she looked out at the neighborhood, looking at the lovely houses and beautiful grass. Dogs barked in backyards, and sprinklers hazed over the grass. It seemed like a perfect world, one she wanted to be in. There was silence in between them as she looked around, but she wasn't completely anxious with it. After all, Jay was there next to her. There was a whole neighborhood out there, with the sun setting behind them. The sky filled with light hues of orange, blue, yellow, pink, and red. "It's nice out here, you know?" She turned to look at Jay, look over his face. "This is the kind of place I want to be if I get successful." The look on her face was slightly peaceful, and even dreamy. "Homely. I want a cat and a dog. Some quiet two story house in a nice neighborhood. Maybe there could be a hill where I can bring painting gear to paint the sky and the atmosphere around it. Nothing too fancy, yah know? Fancy shit bothers me. There's no freedom with fancy." There was a pause after that as she took another look at the area around her. "What do you want?" Curiosity overcame her. She had to know. "I mean, you have some stuff now, but... what would you dream of having?"
 
Sage tried to hold on, to kiss Kilo for as long as he possibly could, but his friend pushed him away before he could get a good grip, and he fell onto the floor, licking his lips with a smirk as Kilo questioned his motives. "You're my cheerleader, Kilo. Come on, we both know I'm a great kisser, just let it happen." Sage pounced to attack again, even more determined now that he had seen how much it bothered his best friend. It certainly wasn't unlike Sage to cause such problems. He loved to irritate people, especially Kilo. It always made for a good time. He moved to grab his friend's arms, pushing them back to make it even harder for Kilo to fight Sage's affection.

Winnie glanced over at Korren, snickering as she kept her phone focused on the two boys. "Is that tongue I see?" she asked tauntingly, winking over at Korren as she recorded the fiasco. "Come on boys, take it off," she spoke up in a chanting tone. Sage eagerly reached for Kilo's shirt and Winnie glanced back at Monty. "I can send you this video if you'd like." Since he was gay she'd figure Monty would like to have this saved and ready to watch at a moment's notice. Winnie knew she would definitely have it in her favorites.

Jay sat with Winsley, listening to her speak of her dreams. As she talked about living in a place like Winnie's, Jay couldn't help but feel a desire to get it for her. Something like this. A nice house, a pretty view, some pets. He could get it all for her. He could make her dreams come true. He glanced at Winsley, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her close, smiling to himself. He took note of everything she said, keeping her words in the back of his mind. Maybe he could get her something soon, just a small piece of her dreams until he could get her everything else. Stop it. Somewhere in the back of his mind the reasoning stepped in. She's a rat. You can't associate with her. You can't end up together. He tried to push those harmful thoughts down for now. It wasn't important. There was no pressure with Winsley, no commitment, at least he didn't think there was.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost missed her question. "My dreams?" he asked, his voice quiet as he looked out towards the sunset. People didn't ask Jay about his dreams. His parents expected specific things of him and that was what everybody thought would happen. But to be able to answer for himself, well, that took a moment. "I wanna own a tattoo shop. Maybe make it to the NFL. I want a beach shack, far away from here. Too far for my parents to ever come visit. I want my Ferrari, and I want someone who makes me really, truly happy. I suppose a dog and a cat would be nice too," he added, looking over the darkening colors as the sun continued to drop out of the sky.
 
Just by the sight of what Sage was doing, the room went wild with laughter from the others. Korren and Monty were sitting there rather awkwardly, though one of them oddly enjoyed the show.

Kilo had thought he could push him off easily again, though this time he couldn't. His hands were pushed away so he couldn't fight. Entirely he was confused for the moment, though overall annoyed. Here he was being force by his friend to kiss him in front of everyone. Kilo still pushed against him, though his strength was being waisted. The best he did was push Sage's hands away from his shirt so he could keep it on. Not one bit did he enjoy it, and whenever he could, he would get Sage back eventually in a separate way.

Korren watched in silence as it all happened, her face completely red. It stunned her, and Winnie's encouragement only made it worse. She hid her face in a pillow, not necessarily wanting to encourage any of it.
As for Monty, he watched with interest. Granted, it wasn't people who he'd perticularly go for, though it was a good show indeed. Seeing the boys' girlfriends reactions were quite interesting. Winnie's comments made him chuckle. "Sure." He replied, though not really meaning his words. What they were doing made him think of Jay, jealous that it wasn't him and Monty doing that same thing. Thought supposedly he understood, since after all, it seemed that Winsley was his girlfriend.

Winsley smiled as he held on to her and listened to what he had to say. They were interesting dreams, ones that were costly. One of them though didn't cost much, just love. She nodded in understanding, sitting in silence for a moment. "Yeah, I hope you get those things, and find that person who'll always treat you right." Winsley smiled, moving her head to lay against his shoulder. She sighed, just happy that things were getting cleared up. They would work together through all the crap in school so they could be together. It was a growing thought that maybe they could be together when the dust all settled. Perhaps in time they could, or maybe they would just separate in the future. Looking to high hopes, she wished that option two would never happen.
 
Sage finally pulled away. Something between a mix of needing to breathe and curiosity as to why Kilo couldn't push him back. Kilo had always been stronger so it made Sage raise an eyebrow as he finally subsided, panting slightly as he fell back next to Korren. "You're a much better kisser than Kilo," he told her, leaning forward to give her a light peck before resting his head on his shoulder. "Winnie, you need to teach Kilo how to kiss." Sage moved to wrap an arm around Korren's waist, leaning back comfortably on the couch as he looked around, smirking to himself when he saw the humor he caused. He was glad he could make everybody laugh. Hopefully it would make up for the scene he had caused in the beginning with Jay.

Winnie laughed lightly at Sage's comment, kissing Kilo's cheek. "Aw no, Tyler's a great kisser." She burrowed into his side, smiling as she did so. Sage looked even more curiously towards Kilo. "You guys are on a first name basis? I'm impressed," he muttered. Sage hadn't heard anyone call Kilo by his real name besides his mother. And now to hear Winnie say it was odd, but not necessarily bad. "Well of course, we're going to be together forever so I have to know his actual name," Winnie explained. Sage cringed slightly. Together forever. While he might have thought that about him and Korren, he still wasn't Winnie's biggest fan and he didn't think that was a practical idea for her to keep in her head.

"Well I think you treat me right," Jay said, his voice quiet and timid, unlike him as he said that. It was hinting at far more than he had meant to hint at, and he bit his lip after he spoke the words. There was no way he would fall in love with Winsley. She had hit him, and she was a rat. But in all fairness he had allowed Bucky to stab her and Jay would prefer to be a rat any day over his disgustingly high status. He sighed, leaning down to kiss her gently, before sitting up a bit straighter. "I'll go get us some drinks, you just sit here and keep looking beautiful," he said, getting up and slipping inside quietly. In reality he needed a moment away from Winsley after making such a statement.

Bucky had been watching the time. He had an eye on the very second that correlated with the minute and the hour. Time was running out and yet still Korren had yet to come to his house, yet to even text him with the promise that it was all down. He sighed, frustrated with her inability to listen, and tracked her phone. She was at Winnie's house, probably having a grand time with that... that... "Rat," Bucky hissed, shaking his head as he grabbed his car keys, heading out to go join her little party.

When he got there he noticed Winsley sitting on the porch alone and thought about stopping, about approaching her head on with the secret weapon tucked in the waistband of his jeans, but not too long after he started slowing down an idea came to mind, and he turned the corner, pretending to be a resident of the neighborhood heading home.

Bucky parked on the other side of the street so no one would see his car or him as he trekked around the back of Winnie's house, before slowly slithering up the side, pulling his gun out as he managed to get behind Winsley. He slowly lowered himself to a crouch, pressing the barrel of the gun to the back of her head and cocking it so she would hear the click. "Why hello, disgusting little rat, it seems our paths were fated to cross again." He moved to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Now, I'm sure you're smart enough to know the gun pressed to your head is loaded, so you're going to stand real slow and open the front door for me or I'm going to blow your brains out. And if your life isn't worth it enough to you, don't worry, if I have to shoot you, I'll shoot every last person in this house too. How's that for collateral?" he chuckled, resting his finger on the trigger, careful not to pull it yet.
 
Kilo breathed in once he could, annoyed as it was that Sage had forced him to do that. It was less than amusing, and not to mention humiliating. His brow furrowed as he wiped off his lips. He wanted to fight off the crap that was happening, though since he'd barely had much nutrition he simply was not as strong as he usually was. Instead of hanging on to the thought though, he just leaned back into the chair and sighed. As embarrassing as it was, that was just how Sage was sometimes. Not necessarily kissing his best friend directly out of spite all the time, but rather annoying his friends in his own way. He chuckled at Winnie's little comment though, smiling as she clung to his side. With one arm moving around her, he placed a peck on her cheek. "Thanks, love."
When the first name basis thing was pulled to question, he just shrugged to Sage. He would've answered, though a different answer was given for him. The 'forever' thing made him slightly get on edge, though he understood that she wanted to be with him for a very long time. He gave a look to Sage that secretly showed he would talk about it later.

Korren chuckled slightly when he leaned back to sit next to her, leaning himself against her. It was a sweet moment, sharing a small kiss and holding close together. She wanted it to last forever. Then she remembered that it couldn't. A certain sadness fell over her eyes for a short moment, yet she couldn't completely show it. She had to cut the love short soon. For a moment she sneaked her phone out, checking the time. It had been a few hours. That was more time than she would have ever thought to be given. It was odd, though she knew that if he was waiting this out, he had another thing coming if he had gotten impatient. "Sage, can you come here for a minute?" She whispered in his ear, smiling at the rest as if to pretend nothing was wrong. After a moment she stood up, glancing at Sage for a moment. Nerves filled her mind. Not once did she want to do this. She walked over towards the kitchen, hanging out outside of it. They needed a place where they couldn't be heard. "Uhm... Sage." She started, glancing down at the ground, then up to his eyes. Such an action made it harder to do this, after looking into the eyes she fell in love with.
She didn't have to just yet though, since the door bell rang. Knowing that Winsley was outside, she figured that she likely got locked out. "Hold on," Korren breathed out, just before walking over to answer the door. What she saw made her eyes widen, losing the ability to breath for a moment.
No...

Winsley hung on to each word he spoke, stunned with what he had said. I think you treat me right. Something weird happened then. She slightly blushed, with her cheeks coating in a light pink. Hearing those words was all she needed then. Again, just like before all the harsh difficulties, he gently kissed her, and she accepted it fully. A silly smile spread across her face, not even caring that he was going away for a short moment to get drinks. "Okay, hottie." She giggled to herself, looking over the area. A car passed by the area, though she thought nothing of it.
After a minute she pulled out her lighter and a joint, taking a hit of it, though not enough to cause her to be high. In her own world she thought nothing of foot steps behind her, thinking for a moment that they were Jay's steps.

Then there was a cold metal object that pressed against her head. Click. It was a gun. She didn't dare turn around, though she didn't need to. Her eyes were wide open by then. The joint that once sat lazily between her fingers had been dropped on to the ground. Bucky. Her heart was beating harshly in her chest, thumping in her ears. She couldn't think. She wanted to run, though the thought of dying scared her. His presence was heavy, bringing evil and negativity with his voice and touch. Immediately she wanted to brush his hand off and take a swing at him, though she knew that would have not been wise. Not since he threatened a massacre to occur.

As much as she hated it, she obeyed. It was difficult, but she tried her best. Slowly she stood up, moving a hand slowly outwards in attempt to be more stable. All the while she was trying to stall the moment, trying to think of things to do to get out of this. There was nothing. She took a large shaky breath, moving over to the door. Once she stumbled, managing to catch herself on the door frame. She rang the doorbell, holding in a breath afterwards. And, as a part of the scenario she didn't want to ever happen, the door was answered by none other than an unsuspecting Korren.

The girl looked up to see the two of them, with Bucky holding the gun. Korren's immediate reaction was shock, struggling to take a breath. She was weak in her knees, stumbling back a step, yet not moving far from her spot. The words were choked right out of her. This couldn't have been happening. Sure, the gun usually turned on her, but never on her friends. There was no telling whether or not he would shoot her, which frightened her the most.
 
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Sage looked over Korren as she asked him to go with her, away from everybody. It made curious, especially at the way she whispered it, at the smile she kept on her face. He wondered what would be in store for him as he followed her into the kitchen. Here, there was nobody else to hear them, and Sage picked up his beer he had left on the counter earlier, taking a sip as he watched Korren, not thinking anything of their private little meeting.
And then she hesitated. And she looked down. And his heart stopped.
It was just a small moment but it was enough. Korren was about to give him some bad news, something he especially didn't want to hear. Before she could though, the doorbell rang, and Korren seemed all too eager to bolt out of the situation. He found it odd, and couldn't help but run his fingers through his hair, sticking it up in a million different directions as anxiety washed over him. He couldn't even tell her to stop because she was already gone. What had she been about to say? The ideas swarming through his head were making him feel weak. He thought back to that suicide hotline, to what Korren had said. Was it about that? Was it about all her nightmares? Or maybe about Sage? Had he done something? Or maybe... No. He wouldn't even let himself think that.

Bucky kept the gun tight in his hand as he waited for someone to answer the door. Ever so slowly he leaned closed to Winsley's ear, smirking brightly as he thought up his next comment. "You know, people keep pet rats," he cooed, thinking back to the locker room that day. He wasn't done with her yet. He stood up straight as he heard light footsteps approaching the door, and grinned as Korren opened up. "Korren! You're running a bit late, Darling, I thought I'd stop by to help you speed things up," he spoke, his voice casual. As if he wasn't holding someone at gunpoint, as if he hadn't blackmailed her into ruining her life.

As the doorbell rang, Winnie had turned to see just who was there. She had forgotten about the two outside and as Korren answered the door, her angle left her only seeing Winsley at first, which confused her. Why was Korren so terrified of just WInsley? But then she heard the voice and went rigid. Winsley was pushed once, led a bit inside, just enough so Bucky could step forward and look around, smiling at everyone as he kept the gun pressed against Winsley's head. He caught Winnie's eye and winked, before continuing to search the crowd. "Well, it seems someone's missing from the group. Where's my favorite rat at?" he called. Winnie sunk down in her seat, her breath caught in her throat. She was choking on air all over again. She wasn't even the one being held at gunpoint but still she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone breathe.

Jay had just left the kitchen when Sage and Korren entered. He had two beers in his hand and was on his way back when the doorbell rang. He had been trying to stick to the shadows, to avoid everyone, and he supposed that was a good thing considering Korren didn't even see him as she moved past him to open the door. He wondered why Winsley had done that though, considering she knew he was coming right back. And then the door was open, and he saw the gun, and he almost ran for her, to protect her from whatever was outside, when he saw the class ring and realized just who it was. He turned and ran in the other direction, slipping into the kitchen to hide, frantically pulling out his phone. Bucky was an absolute madman and Jay had to do something, even if he couldn't do it face to face.

Sage jumped with a start as Jay rushed in, raising an eyebrow at him as he pulled out his phone. "What are you doing?" he asked, having been waiting in the kitchen for Korren's return the whole time he hadn't thought much of who could be at the door. "Calling 911," Jay muttered as he dialed it in. "What? Why the fuck would you do that?" Sage demanded, and then he heard it. That voice. His voice, calling to his favorite rat. Bucky was calling Sage out. Suddenly he realized why Jay was in this room. "You fucking coward," he hissed. Jay barely glanced up.

Sage walked out of the kitchen, though froze in his tracks the second he saw Winsley, his best friend, with a gun to her head. "Winsley," her name fell out of his mouth and he started for her but Bucky started pressing for the trigger and Sage froze. "Let her go, Bucky," he growled, terror making his heart beat frantically. If Winsley got hurt he wouldn't forgive himself. "Ah, but where's the fun in that? Korren, I believe this is the part where you start speeding things up," Bucky chimed in, looking at her expectantly. Sage blinked, obviously confused as he turned to her, wondering what the hell was going on.
 
Winsley clenched her teeth as she stood there, trying to stay composed. That was difficult to do, though. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding in her head, as her anxiety began to sky rocket. The small comment whispered in her ear made her shudder. What was he going to do with her? With all of them? This frightened her. Was she about to get kidnapped? It was possible, though not an answer she ever dreamed of or wished upon even her worst enemy.

All of her friends one by one saw her stuck in front of Bucky with a gun to her head. She stumbled over her feet as she was shoved slightly forward, reaching for anything around her to stabilize. It seemed though that Bucky's insistence with the gun made her anxiety spike. She stood stiff, placing a hand out on the door frame so she could still stand. Where was Jay? Was he still in the kitchen? Perhaps he saw who was there. That would have meant that he most likely left the area. This saddened her greatly. To think that at a moment where her life was on the line, and he wouldn't even protect her then.

Korren looked up at him in fear, stepping back as he stepped in, though barely left her spot. His presence drove her every move, keeping near to him as not to agitate him for straying too close to the "rats". She gulped, taking a look at Winsley. They locked eyes. Tears welled up as she mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. And she would have said it a million times over. This was all her fault. If she hadn't ever left Bucky, none of this would have been a problem. As Sage was called into a room, her nerves spiked. What if he would get hurt? This all needed to end. Without hesitation would she just leave with him so the rest of them would be okay, but instead, Bucky wanted to draw things out. Her heart beat faster. All eyes laid on her once he brought attention to Sage and her. She wished she didn't look at him, at Sage. Those eyes had too much emotion, so much that she couldn't handle. Once she looked back up to Bucky, her face as white as snow. Did she have to do this? By the look on his face, she did.

After a moment she turned her eyes back to Sage, sucking in a deep breath, trying to gulp down the knot stuck in her throat. "Sage.." Her voice was shaking, wavering as she stood there, looking with a disheartened expression. "I'm breaking up with you." Korren almost choked on her words, allowing a tear to fall down her face. It had been said, there was no turning back. "I should have never been so selfish. Because of me, you all are suffering." She spoke in a whispered voice, looking out to the rest of them. Mainly she was trying so hard not to break down right there, especially with so much pressure on her shoulders. "Forget about me, please, Sage. Please, just worry about your family, your friends." She begged, hoping he would just listen to her. Then, she backed closer to Bucky, hoping that would signal that she was ready to just leave. Every bit of her was shaking, and it was visible. Her eyesight blurred, she couldn't think. The main thing she focused on now was standing up. Her main hope was that he would just take her and set Winsley free.

As for everyone else, they were frozen in their tracks in disbelief. Patch was beyond furious, mixed with worry for her friend. None of them moved, since seeing the consequence with Sage stepping closer would only end her poor friend's life. Kilo moved only to hold on to Winnie, to protect her. He kept his body close so that she had him close by. It wasn't going to help fully, and he knew that, though he couldn't just do nothing. And although part of him wanted to pounce at Bucky for threatening to shoot his friend, he knew that he couldn't.
 
Sage watched hopelessly as Korren turned to him. What was there to speed up? He was so confused, to terrified, that he didn't expect the words to come, but then they did. He realized at that moment that Korren was trying to do this same thing in the kitchen. And then everything clicked.

That's why she had been acting so strange, so upset. It wasn't Sage's fault, it was Bucky's. He turned to him, feeling anger start to boil over until he fully understood what Korren was saying. He turned back to her, watched as she stepped closer to Bucky, and quickly closed the gap between them, pulling her back to him. "Shut up, you don't mean that. You don't mean any of it. I love you, Korren, and you love me, damnit," he huffed, trying not to look up, trying not to meet Bucky's eyes. This was all his doing. Everything was falling apart because of him and Sage just couldn't allow it.

"It's okay, we're going to figure this out. I promise you that," he whispered, and though Bucky laughed at his words, Sage ignored him. He kissed Korren's forehead, holding her in place, with him. "I couldn't forget you. Not in a million years," he promised, and Bucky rolled his eyes at what was happening in front of him.

"Well it's so nice seeing someone try to play the hero but I must honestly say I'm quite bored." Bucky all at once aimed the gun towards Sage and pulled the trigger. Sage yelped, crumpling as blood began to gush from his thigh. Instinctively, he moved both hands over the wound and ground his teeth to keep from yelling obscenities at Bucky, who was walking over to him with the gun aimed at Sage now. "I should shoot you in the head for all the trouble you've caused, stealing my girl from me," Bucky hissed, and while he tried to always sound nonchalant, Sage could hear the anger in Bucky's voice as he rested the gun against Sage's temple. "But I suppose a major artery will have to do for now, yeah?" Bucky moved his hand to Sage's, tapping over them and only bringing more pain to Sage, causing him to bite his lip to keep from making a sound. That only seemed to make Bucky angrier.

He swung the gun hard, smacking it against Sage's face, and this time something between a cry and a whimper came out as Sage collapsed. Bucky was quite smug about it as he stepped over Sage, and wrapped his free arm around Korren. He was careful with her, as if she was a fragile object that could break. He wanted to be kind to her for now. He'd deal with her punishment later, once everyone else was out of the way. "I'm glad you're finally coming to your senses, Korren." He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly, but kept the gentle reminder of the gun so she knew not to pull back. He didn't aim it at her, but he did let it bump into her side as he wrapped his other arm around her. He finally pulled away, smirking down at Sage, who looked absolutely disgusted. "Come on, Darling, we better go so-" the faint sound of sirens cut Bucky off, and his rage flared as he spun on everyone. "Which one of you called the fucking cops?"
 
Korren was surprised by being pulled closer to Sage. He wanted to make sure she understood that he wouldn't let go of her so easily. That wasn't up to him, though. She shook her head when he said that everything would be okay. Tears streamed down her eyes. She would have said something, something that agreed with him. If only she could. His comfort was much needed, but there was a problem. The words he spoke worried her heavily, and that worry only grew when Bucky cut in. He was getting bored, which terrified her. Then, before long, a gun shot sounded. Korren jumped, gasping for a breath. Yelling and screams ensued for a short second, mostly calling for Sage's name. One moment Sage was holding on to her, and the next he crumbled to the ground. Her vision blurred. "You- you said you wouldn't..." Her hands shook as they clamped over her mouth. Surely her voice had been drowned out by the commotion. The way Sage was abused before her eyes made her jolt, shaking where she stood. Her eyes were red, while her cheeks were on fire, burning from the tears. Before she could react or go to his side, she felt an arm loop around her side. For a moment she trembled by his touch, attempting to relax after that. With the complete barrage of events, she wasn't sure whether or not that was possible. What followed up as she looked up at Bucky was a kiss. It was sweet, something he usually never did. It felt nice. She didn't want it to feel nice. If it hadn't been for the gun, she wanted to pull away. Her hands moved up to be placed against his chest, though didn't move anywhere. The cold metal bumped lightly into her side as a reminder, which she paid full attention to.

When it was said and done, she tried not to look at Sage. It was a helpless effort, though. She glanced down, meeting the disgusted expression with a distressed one. Of all the things he had to endure: betrayal, helplessness, and injury. All rolled in to one, she understood the distress they were all experiencing. The main thing she worried about was his injury. The main artery in his thigh had been shot, which meant this could be fatal. Her eyes widened at that realization. As soon as the sirens rang, and he was distracted with the others, she quickly moved to Sage, yanking off her pin and pushing it in his hands. In a whispered voice she spoke. "I'm so sorry, I love you. Please forgive me." Then, all at once, she kissed his forehead and moved back. She had to do something. If any more time passed, people were sure to die.

Korren took a deep breath, took one last glance at Sage, before going over and lightly grabbing Bucky's arm. "It doesn't matter, babe. We have to go. Don't you want to be with me?" She moved her hand down his arm so it would intertwine with his. Each movement she made especially made her sick, though it was for the safety of the others. To be sure that she could convince him, she moved in front of him, leaning up for a kiss. "You and me, Buck." For extra measure, she pulled him down to her level by his shirt, making sure their lips connected. Every single moment disgusted her, but she knew that he wanted her to love him. Now she could, or at least she could pretend to.

During this moment, the others decided to move, except for Kilo. He stuck by Winnie's side, knowing that the others would help out Sage. Patch and Lift moved to help him. All the while, Winsley moved to her best friend's side, hoping that it would all be over. At that moment she was balling, with clear liquid falling down her cheeks. "Sage, stay with us, please. We're gonna work through this together." She brought up a short smile for him. Her eyes were red, faint of any joy that she tried to display. Fear for the most part hovered over her. If they didn't do something, he was going to die. That, and she had no idea whether or not she would be able to stay with him for each step of the way.
 
Sage sat on the ground, trying to keep himself from bleeding out as Bucky turned on everyone, waving the gun frantically as he waited on an answer. In the confusion, Korren came over to him, saying all these things he didn't want to hear. It sounded like goodbye. He didn't want to hear it. He tried to reach out to her, to stop her. As long as he could stand in front of her she would be safe, but it was too late. She was already back at Bucky's side. Blood poured faster out of Sage's injury, and he sat in a puddle that continued to spread, his hands dropping from the wound as he watched Korren try to take Bucky's attention away from anyone.

His stomach knotted and hurt crossed over his expression. He knew she was only trying to manipulate him, only trying to stop him from hurting anyone, but it still made his heart throb. He almost puked when she pulled him into a kiss, feeling broken, worthless. He had promised to protect her, to keep her safe. He needed to do that. How could he do that from the ground? He tried to stand, but collapsed back into his own blood. "Korren, don't- fuck," he hissed, starting to feel lightheaded. He hated this. He hated being in this position. He looked up to Winsley, to his friend that was no longer stuck at gunpoint, and pressed his hand back against his wound. "Don't worry about me, Brit. I'll be okay. Go to the kitchen, alright?" He took a breath. "You're bitch is in there," he added, as if that would encourage her to get out of this situation. He didn't want her there, not with how broken she obviously was.

Bucky's frantic anger began to dissipate the moment Korren touched him. He looked over at her as she spoke, attempting to manipulate him into calming down. He knew every word out of her mouth was bullshit, but it worked. It worked because more than anything did he want her to be serious, so even though he knew it wasn't he pretended just as she did. As she pulled him into a kiss, Bucky wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her back, almost happy in that moment. Almost content. He pulled back though, looking into her ocean blue eyes. "I love you, my sweet doe," he said quietly, desperately, something weak in his eyes. He wanted her back. More than anything. He wanted her words to be real even if he knew they weren't. "Let's go." He kept his hand in hers, his free one still holding the gun as he led her towards the door before pausing.

He turned back towards Sage and Winsley. "I want insurance," he said, aiming his gun at Winsley. "Come on, rat, you're going in a cage where you belong. That way I have something to kill if any of you idiots come after my girl," he hissed, resting his finger on the trigger as he waited for Winsley to follow after them.
 
Korren relaxed slightly when Bucky settled himself down, almost calm. In this attitude he seemed much more normal, even though she knew he wasn't. When he pulled back, for a moment she worried. Perhaps he was rejecting her rouse, though instead he held her and looked into her eyes. Relief for a moment. Seeing this side of him made her feel conflicted, especially after viewing the sort of weakness in his eyes. His words were quiet, a tone he usually didn't use. There was a person inside him, after all, though one that she would never be able to help surely. Out of spite in the moment, she almost returned an 'I love you', but stopped. Instead she smiled at him, though didn't say anything. She didn't need to, since then he insisted that they left. Loosely she held on to his hand just so he would stay calm, trying to reassure a love that wasn't there. Her hopes were coming true. No one else was going to get hurt ever again by him. Then he paused.
She froze.

Winsley brushed her hand over his shoulder, clutching on to Sage while she could. She shook her head when he told her to go to the kitchen, to go get Jay. "No,no. I want to be here. You need help, you-" The moment she had to escape was gone. Bucky was speaking to her and Sage. And she only knew this by slowly turning her head around. Quickly she turned back to Sage, a look of panic set in her eyes. They were going to kill her, or at least if anyone tried to help her they would.

Just so he wouldn't shoot her then, she made the choice to stand slowly, all the while looking at Sage. "Sage, look at me." She spoke, keeping her hands up so they weren't seen as a threat. "I'll tough it out, don't you worry 'bout me." Winsley gave a husk of a smile, shaken down from panic. "I love you, bro. Stay alive." With that, she slowly turned around, walking towards the doorway. Her friends only looked in horror at what she was doing. Her hands moved to her sides, with one ready to brace in case of any trip-ups. The injury in her side burned with pain, though she didn't dare to make a sound to indicate that she was weak. If not anything else, she wanted to stay strong for Sage.
As they walked out, Korren and Winsley's eyes met. Distress was hidden in both, though they were silent about it. Whatever was coming to them was going to be hell on earth.

Meanwhile, the police neared the home. Sirens grew louder, while the flashing lights far down the street indicated that they were nearing the home. Darkness clothed over the area as the sun set behind the hills.
 
"Fuck no! You can't have them both! Kilo, stop-" His words fell short as he saw how panicked Winnie looked, and he remembered what had happened to her. "No, no, I'll do something," he muttered. Sage shoved himself to his feet, stumbling but forcing himself to stand, to walk even. "Bucky, you son of a bitch, you're not taking Winsley," Sage snarled. Bucky snickered, looking back at Sage and cocking the gun again. "Do you want another bullet in you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Sage looked at him, glared as harshly as possible, and took another step forward. Then collapsed. Bucky laughed, wishing he could stay to watch Sage bleed out but he heard those sirens getting closer and he knew he had to get out of there. "Korren, does it hurt knowing he'd fight harder for Winsley than you?" Bucky asked. "I always fight for you first," he added, looking down at Sage.

His skin was growing deathly pale and a cold sweat had broken out all over his body. He was going into shock. His heartbeat became erratic as he laid on the ground, looking up at Bucky's smirk, at Winsley and Korren. He loved them both so much and now he was watching Bucky take them both away. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't live with himself knowing he was too weak to protect his best friend and his lover. "Come on ladies, time to go," Bucky chirped up, and Sage closed his eyes, not wanting to watch them all leave. Although after his eyes were closed, he couldn't help but notice how nice it was. He was starting to fall asleep, and he certainly needed the rest. He didn't know what was making him so exhausted. He had completely forgotten about his injury. Forgotten about everything as he began to drift off.

It wasn't until after the door had shut behind the three that Winnie began to calm down. And as she did she noticed all the blood on her floor. "Sage, he's... he needs a hospital," she whispered, her voice still shaking as she struggled out f Kilo's arms. She stumbled slightly, still in her own type of shock as she walked over to him, falling to her knees next to him, instantly becoming covered in his blood. "Sage, Sage you need to stay awake," she said, her voice small as she tapped his cheek. He groaned. "No," he mumbled, and Winnie glanced back at Kilo. "Keep him talking," she said, before moving to look at his thigh. She felt sick as she ripped the hole in his jeans open to get to the wound. Even though the paramedics would no doubt be there in seconds, she needed to do her best now. She took her tee shirt off, leaving her in the tank top she had underneath, and stuffed it into the wound to attempt to stop the bleeding. Sage yelled in pain, and she winced, but was happy for the reaction. He could still feel it. That was a good sign, at least.

Bucky led both of them to the car, motioning for Winsley to get in the back seat before moving over to open the passenger door for Korren. Once she was in he headed over to the driver side, sitting down and looking down at the drink he had brought her. He stared at it for a long time, before looking up at her. "I got you a drink," he said, picking it up and holding it out to her. It was a cherry soda because he remembered how much she loved them. And even as he offered it, he hesitated on handing it to her. He wanted to talk to her, for her to tell him she loved him again, he wanted to hear all her sweet lies- but they were just that. Lies. The drug in it would take a few minutes before it worked, and would give him long enough to say something to her once she had drank it. "It's your favorite," he added, hoping he wouldn't have to threaten her to get her to take a drink.
 
As Korren and Winsley walked out the door, Kilo jumped into action. It seemed that Winnie knew what she was doing, though it wouldn't enough to save him. Thankfully, the telltale sirens were drawing closer and closer. Still, worry over his friend, as well as Korren, sprung in his mind, distracting him. He couldn't worry about them too much at that moment, though. At the moment he had to worry about Sage, and his health, which was quickly depleting. "Sage, c'mon. You can't give up like this. We'll get them back, you hear me? You're gonna heal, and we're going to find that son of a bitch." He tried his best to motivate his best friend, to keep him listening and keep him awake. All the while though, his mind wandered to Winsley. What would happen to her? No one knew, and certainly they didn't want to know. All they wanted to know is that she'd be alive.

Winsley watched her friends as she walked away, wanting to run back to Sage. It hurt her badly to know that he was suffering, that he was fighting to get them. They were right there, and yet far out of reach at the same time. She turned her eyes away when it was time to leave. Not another second of his suffering could she bear. The sickening words that Bucky spoke caused her to arch her brow in frustration and aggravation. She followed him and Korren unwillingly to the car, slowly opening the backseat before clambering in. Then, she closed the door. It made her angry to be so compliant, but not once did she want to get shot. Simply she lied down in the backseat, watching Korren's every move. A sickening feeling shifted in her stomach as she laid there. Anxiety, panic, and depression all rolled into something she never thought would combine. It caused her to shut down, to fall silent when she usually would be fighting and punching her way through the situation. She closed her eyes, curling into a ball as she let the negative emotions surround her. Voices and thoughts told her that she was going to die, that she and her friends were never going to get through this. Such ideas made her want to cry, yet she held back. She couldn't show weakness in front of Bucky, or at least, emotion.

Korren followed Bucky to the car, aiming her eyes to the ground. She didn't want to hang on to the words he told her, that Sage cared more about Winsley. The words stung her brain. Of course Sage would have fought for her. She tried not to let the words get to her, though it was hard.
Soon she climbed into the car, sitting silently in the passenger's seat. Once she glanced up at the rear view mirror to see a broken Winsley, curled up and lost in her own mind. A saddened look fell over her eyes, so she closed them, taking a deep breath. The time she looked up was when the drink was held out to her. She looked at it hesitantly, not wanting to take it. Was it alcohol? What was he trying to do? Woe her, or hurt her? At times she questioned which one it was. Although, since he acted softer around her, she figured he wanted her to appreciate his thoughtfulness. Still in her mind she had a feeling that there was an ulterior motive. She slowly reached for the drink, grabbing it from his hand. "Thank you." Korren spoke quietly, giving a half smile, before glancing down at the drink. It looked normal, though that was always the trick with drinks. This time it was soda, though. Her favorite; cherry soda. After a moment she took the bottle up to her lips, taking a long sip from it. It tasted normal, after all, and she didn't quite feel anything yet. Just to make sure he was happy with her, she gave him a smile, taking another sip. Denying the drink after all would have been an insult, and made the situation much worse.
 
Sage lay in agony, his eyes opening slightly as he looked up at Kilo, who was speaking to him, though his words were muffled. What? Sage wanted to ask, but his mouth was like cotton and he couldn't quite get the words to fall out. Pain was pouring through his body even as he began to grow even more lightheaded. Kilo blurred, and suddenly there were two of him. A weak sound came out of Sage's throat, and he closed his eyes. This was it. He was dying. He thought of Korren, because her beautiful face was the last thing he wanted on his mind when he died. He tried to picture her shy smile, the look in her eye when he did something to make her happy. And then everything began to fade away, and he couldn't picture anything at all.

"Sage! Sage, wake up!" Winnie shrieked as his eyes rolled back in his head and he went still. She shook him even as the paramedics got there and they came inside. Their main priority was Sage, and they gently pushed Winnie away. She didn't fight them, watching as they checked for a pulse and began talking to each other as a gurney was rushed in. She stared, watching them lift Sage on it, listening to them say something about a blood transfusion. "He has maybe ten minutes." Winnie gasped, looking over at Kilo. Perhaps she wasn't supposed to hear that comment as they rushed him off, but she had, and it terrified her. "We have to follow behind. Come on," Winnie said, grabbing Kilo's hand and starting for the door. "Patch, Lift, come on we gotta go!"

Jay finally slipped out of the kitchen, glancing over at Monty as he watched Sage get taken away. He bit his lip, feeling horrible. He had hid like a coward and in return Bucky had taken both Korren and Winsley. What had he done? Or rather what had he not done? Maybe he could have reasoned with Bucky- or maybe he would have gotten shot too. Jay sighed, feeling a buzz and looking down at his phone. Meet @ Chloe's ASAP. It was from Bucky, to the whole team and Chloe. Jay glanced up at Monty. "You good to go home on your own? I... I have something I have to do."

After Korren took her drink Bucky drove off, narrowly missing the paramedics that would show up just as he pulled out of the neighborhood. "You know, Korren, it really hurts that you think you can manipulate me so easily. I love you, I really do, and you look me in the eye and treat those words like they don't even matter. I know you don't mean it. I'm not stupid, though I'm sure you must think I am." He sighed, his fingers tapping against his steering wheel. He grabbed for his cell phone, sending a text out as he drove. "And that hurts a lot. You hurt me a lot. You do it all the time, too. You don't even think about my feelings. Why don't you care about my feelings?" he demanded, though he had never raised his voice or sounded angered as he spoke. He was calm, because he didn't want to scare her. And he knew he had a few minutes before her drug kicked in.
 
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