Realistic or Modern Silver Oak Academy: Season 1

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum had tried to ignore the nagging feeling that he didn’t necessarily want to tell Elena that he was friends with her. Sure, she had some less than ideal tendencies, but she didn’t like feeling like someone was ashamed of her friendship. Of course, she had chosen not to speak up on her feelings and at least have a somewhat decent moment with Colby. He was a little dumb from what she could tell, well at least dumb socially in some aspects. She couldn’t speak for his academics. She kept her thoughts to herself and let Colby talk about Elena and how she wasn’t that bad, but he of course would say that because he was dating her.

“You’re dating her, of course you don’t think she’s as bad as others do. Her friends aren’t any better than her but that’s my opinion on her. I’m not going to talk shit about her, her and I just run in different circles and have different views on life.” Tatum was trying hard to not say anything extremely negative about Elena. She didn’t know her well, just well enough to know that they never got along.

Tatum couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Colby and the fact that she could have given his ego a small boost. She wasn’t one to throw out compliments for most people. She never really cared about making others feel good about themselves by what she felt were meaningless words, “Welcome to be my friend. The compliments are few and far between, Kitten.” She let a smirk land on her face before she took a sip from her coffee, “I don’t need an apology because my weekend and week sucked. You didn’t cause it. That was blonde boy himself, but he had too much to drink and so did I. Words were said that shouldn’t have been. Life is still moving and I’m doing just fine. Guys are just following how the patriarchy has raised them. Society is what it is, and I will not let it win.” Tatum really hated how society let males get away with anything, but villainized women for doing the same things. So that’s why she chose to enjoy her sexuality and not let herself be deprived of what made her happy.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

Colbywith Tatum Elf_Ruler​

“Oh wow, you got me. I really am that biased after all,” he said in a deadpanned tone, and with clear, lighthearted sarcasm. Even if he weren’t dating (very big question mark?) Elena, he’d still think she wasn’t completely bad because he was actually trying not to be shallow. But he didn’t say it, for the sake of avoiding another argument with her. Colby wasn’t at all surprised with Tatum’s response, but it still stung a little, how she assumed he would be that biased. It was kind of unfair. If he had been like everyone else, he probably would’ve thought Tatum was just a dumb, blonde school “queen bee” who could get away with anything because she was blonde. Obviously, Colby wasn’t that dumb to believe something like that before getting to know someone.

And whatever friends of Elena that she was referring to, Colby didn’t know them, besides that Greek guy, and they might not be fond of him, so it wasn’t worth knowing them. Ironically, some of Tatum’s friends weren’t exactly the most pleasant people either. Zachary Lee, he’d already given Colby the impression that he didn’t like him for some reason, but the rest, Colby had only heard about them through rumors—one friend had a tendency to be fighty and yeety, one was like Tatum’s clone but with red hair and probably a little worse than her, and one was basically a spoiled rich brat. And did Colby form a negative opinion about Tatum based on her friends? No. Well, mostly no... What mattered was, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, just like he was doing with Elena Longford. In a way, Tatum and Elena were a bit alike, not that he would ever say that out loud. They were polar opposites, sure, but he noticed small things about them that parallel with each other, more or less.

For a moment, Tatum almost sounded like she was trying to brush off his obligatory apology. He wasted two dollars for that coffee plus his own drink, and made room in his schedule to go be nice to her (he didn’t have any after school plans already). The audacity. The unmitigated gall! Well, probably not. Still, she sounded like she was missing the point of why he was doing this for her, regardless that she needed it or not.

But Colby played it cool, shrugging his shoulders, slightly slouching comfortably in his chair and finishing his milk tea. “I was still a part of your sucky week, so I’m apologizing no matter what because I needed to. Unless you want me to do what society expects me to be and take back my apology,” he said casually, “and that coffee before you finish it ‘cuz you probably don’t need it anyway, right?” He wouldn’t really take it away from her. Maybe. FYI, Colby was mostly raised by the matriarchy, AKA his single mother, but he couldn't blame Tatum for making the patriarchy general statement thing.

“So, has blonde boy said sorry to you this week?” Colby already knew the answer. He knew Malibu Zach was the one who ruined her weekend, thanks to her best friend Brayden being his dorm neighbor and being forced to listen to Tatum vent her stress. And he also knew that Zach did apologize to her, during Monday’s school assembly, and how she forgave him... But whatever. It’s her life, Colby reminded himself. None of his business.

 

[Soap]

Aeliana

Sebastian Torres.

Interesting.

The brunette didn't say anything, instead she watched him with a careful eye as he cleared up the misunderstanding between Stuart and herself. If Aeliana had knew he was more perceptive than Stuart, she might've tracked him down instead. Although something told her he wasn't as easy to command. The two didn't know each other well, he's more of the type to stray away from people it seemed-- and for him, it was working.

Even though he had less of a social life, school wasn't about making friends. It was preparing yourself for the future, ready for all and any possibilities. Kindergarten was for the social skills of course, but naturally, Elena excelled there too. "Wait a moment." She told Stu before facing Sebastian, arms crossed.

"I don't suppose you'd like to join us? We could use you to our advantage, should we need you to clear up another... miscommunication. I'd-- of course, let the professor know that you were involved, extra credit always helps, no?" Aeliana didn't want to wait here while Sebastian thought through his answer. It was a simple yes or no question, perhaps she could've done this by herself, but if the advantages were there, it'd be a shame not to use them. Elena had clapped both hands together oddly delicately, "Well then, we should get going." It was only a matter of time before Mr. Catford had decided to explore somewhere else.

It wasn't a very long walk to Permissions. But Elena decided to continue it in silence, ignoring the boys behind her as she kept a weary eye on every aspect of campus, just in case the cat relocated. Once they arrived, Elena had deemed it necessary to get to the rooftop of Permissions. It would be a better shot of course, whoever had the greatest picture would get the most credit.

She held the camera out to both boys. "Okay, get the picture. The closer the better." She would've volunteered, but could you imagine her trying to balance herself on a ledge? Elena wasn't one of those girls, but in these shoes-- well, it was a death wish.

Dede 0k_mang0


​

 

[Dazzle]

Graham Moore

Graham wanted to be able to like his roommate, he thought maybe, just maybe they could of gotten along. But Tom had other ideas it seemed. Graham grumbled under his breath, he wondered if this was how Stu felt whenever Graham wouldn't shut up about something Stu had no interest in.

Graham looked up to the sky, seeing a few clouds that had gathered. He really hoped it wouldn't rain and soak all his clothes that Tom had so nicely disposed of. He probably should of been more concerned with someone stealing the clothes from beneath his window. He sighed loudly when Tom said he didn't do tryouts. Graham for once wished that he was being chased by some bullies, because then he could 'accidentally' trip Tom and get away unscathed.

Okay, that was a mean thought, he thought to himself. He felt horrible for thinking something like that, even if Tom was annoying him endlessly he still didn't want the kid to end up dead.

Graham listened to Tom's random facts about the school. He actually found a few quiet interesting. Till he went back to his sly insults. "I think they are more likely to not pick you due to the fact you'd snap under the weight of the backpack." He grumbled under his breath, quickly realizing what words had passed his lips, his eyes went wide and mouth dropped.

"I'm sorry." Graham whispered, even if Tom didn't treat him well, Graham didn't want to stoop to his level.

Graham swung the door open of the gymnasium, wandering in to a rather... Empty.. Tryout room. He didn't even see JJ. Was he really that late?.

Interactions Dede (tom)​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum was glad that Colby was trying to keep the conversation lighthearted even though it was hard based on the conversation topics at hand. She really didn’t enjoy talking about Elena and she wasn’t one to discuss anyone’s personal romantic relationships. She also hated how much she wanted to flirt with him, but she had to hold everything back and act like a friend. Act like she had absolutely no care in the world but being friends was the only option she had. Though, he had been the one to flirt back, but she had to be careful, watch her words, make sure nothing came off as flirtatious, but that wasn’t who Tatum was. But to keep Colby around she would pretend. At some point Elena would bore of him and then she would get her chance, but the patience, it was difficult. Patience was not a virtue she had, but she could try, this one time.

When Colby had threated to take back the coffee Tatum pulled it closer, “Don’t touch my coffee. I’ll murder you before you can pry it from my fingers.” Tatum wasn’t joking but she knew a lot of people would make outlandish threats about coffee, but Tatum actually meant her threat. Coffee was what gave her life, kept her moving, and kept her in her somewhat cheerful disposition. Colby was not going to get the chance to take the drink and she let her hands hold tighter to the cup.

She hadn’t necessarily expected him to ask about Zach, and sure they had made up. They had made up a lot, but the fact was she wasn’t one to talk about Zach, he was just a friend after all. She only shrugged at Colby, “We talked, he explained. Alcohol is bad combination when emotions are on high. Why are you so interested in Zach apologizing to me? It doesn’t really involve you, so why ask?” No one had ever asked her about her relationship with Zach, most everyone knew exactly what Tatum and Zach were. They fought, made up, spent time together, flirted, and they were overall joined at the hip of friendship. She had climbed her way to the top using Zach and she never once regretted getting to know him and using his status to increase hers at the school.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

Sebastian

with Stu Dede , Elena Soap​

“But I don’t have whatever class is making you search for the school’s cat.” And Seb already had his own class assignment that he needed to do. Well, it was actually mostly done now, and earning more extra credit didn’t sound so bad. But he wasn’t sure if he’d get any when Elena’s assignment is from a different class. Then again, she was a Longford, so she might find a way, unless she was trying to scam him.

Apparently, Longford wasn’t listening to him and assumed he'd take the offer. Sebastian figured that he might as well join them, both to get that extra credit and make sure neither Stu nor Elena would get themselves killed. He had a feeling that he could potentially get in trouble for not trying to stop them from doing something this reckless.

Reluctantly, he followed them to Persimmons, and when Elena gave an order, he knew he shouldn’t have. He carefully looked over and found Mr. Catford was still resting on his spot, on the corner of the ledge.

“Yeah, no. Getting a picture of that dumb cat is not worth the risk of falling off the roof,” Sebastian said, taking one or two steps back. He had his own camera in his backpack, but he still wouldn’t risk dropping it and/or himself over the roof. And he definitely didn’t trust Stu or Elena to be able to hold onto him tight enough or catch him.

“Why not wait on the ground level and try catching the cat there? It’s not like he’ll stay in one place forever.” Seb looked at Stu for his response. He needed some kind of support to outvote Longford. Necktie couldn’t possibly be dumb enough to attempt this dangerous and literal backbreaking task.

 

[0k_mang0]

Colby

with Tatum Elf_Ruler​

Wow. Okay, so Tater tot was that protective of coffee. Even her body language shifted to match her serious tone. And Colby found it hilarious enough to make him cover his barely restrained chuckle with one hand. tatum probably could murder him, (she wouldn’t be the first to try) but it was still funny how she was so quick to defend a simple drink.

“No offense, but I’ve heard worse threats than that,” he remarked. “But since I’m such a not-all-bad nice guy, I won’t touch your precious plant seed juice.”

Colby almost rolled his eyes when she said that she and Zach talked. Instead, he nodded and mentally scoffed. They did more than just “talk”. She was downplaying it more than Colby would. She didn’t know that he saw them kiss each other as more than just friends, so why shouldn't she? Not like it mattered what he knew or not.

“Well, sometimes a drunk mind speaks a sober heart. But yeah, you're right, I wasn't involved. I don’t know what happened, so it’s none of my business, right?” he said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Just wanted to know how you are with it now, that’s all. If you don’t wanna talk about him or anything else, then… well, I guess I’m done here. And faster than I thought I would.” He stood up and tossed his empty cup in the trash bin nearby. “No use of keeping you here any longer if you have other plans for today. You don’t have, like, a cheerleading practice to go to, do you? And no, I’m not asking ‘cuz you’re blonde. You just seem like the type that’d join to make a lot of friends. Y’know, since you’re popular and all.”

 

[High5ives]

God what was that smell?!

Silver Oak's shining prince looked looked more like the Duke of the Downtown Homeless. He could hardly be mistaken for the heir of billions, not with his hair knotted and matted with three day old pizza sauce. He was laying face down in pizza box, though the pizza looked relatively untouched. Like he'd bought it with the sole intention of using the stale crust as a pillow. Fitting, seeing as how his blankets and pillows were strewn across the room, far from their rightful place on Eli's bed.

He'd been wearing the same clothes since Monday. It was hard to differentiate between the blood and pizza sauce staining the collar of his uniform; not that it really mattered. The shirt was more or less ruined now. No amount of laundry detergent would wash away the stench of Eli's self pity.

He'd spent his week of suspension in self imposed isolation. He only ever left his room late at night, and even then he never ventured far. The front door was as far as he'd made it, even that was only the retrieve the pizza he'd had delivered though. He'd opened the box but never taken so much as a bite. He felt too sick to eat. The Aussie's shattered ego had wreaked havoc on his anxiety, pillaging his self esteem and tearing apart what was left. This was the result. Four days spent sitting in his own filth. Too tired to even bother with showering or shaving. The fact that he'd even brushed his teeth was a miracle. Lord knows that's all he'd accomplished.

He hadn't even checked his phone. Honestly, Eli was afraid he'd just see twitter full of people talking about the fight.

"But I heard you had daddy issues..."

Eli remembered the words the same way you might remember a dream, fuzzy and distant. Nonetheless they echoed in the back of his mind, twisting his stomach into knots. Zach had hit the nail on the head with that one, hadn't he? Eli was sure the whole school had to have heard about it by now, everyone would know. See him for the fraud he is.

Strange how you could have all the money in the world and still feel worthless.

How had he turned Silver Oak into his own little kingdom, and still managed to feel so out of place?

Eli wretched, vomit forcing its way up his throat and spilling into the bucket next to his bed. Truth be told, anxiety wasn't the only culprit there. The half empty whiskey bottle on his nightstand looked awfully suspect.

His body wasn't kind enough to let him just puke and be done with it. He dry heaved once his stomach had nothing left to force up, and by the time he'd finally managed to stop, Eli was fully awake.

He sat up slowly, sitting hunched with his feet hanging off the bed. Even as fit as he was, he looked significantly less impressive now with his shoulders rolled forward and his head hanging limp. He ran his hand back through his hair slowly, pausing afterwards to look at the crusty pizza sauce that had rubbed onto his hand. A sigh pushed past his lips, carrying with it the smell of vomit.

Eli just sat there for a few moments, looking absentmindedly at his bedding spread across the floor. His shirt felt sticky, coated with his one sweat and oils. Every time he moved, the smell of his own body odor wafted up into his face. Sour smelling, mixing with the scent of pizza and alcohol, the combination would've made Eli vomit again if there had been anything else left in his stomach.

You're fucking pathetic. You know that? A real piss-poor mate, aren't you?

For a flash, Eli felt mad, but that faded just as quickly as he could clench his hands into fists. They opened right back up again, coming to sit limp in his lap.

Funnily enough, Eli's anxiety was the only thing that managed to make him stand up and actually start cleaning his room, even opening up a window to let in fresh air. His own self depreciative thoughts had sunk him to this level, and ironically they forced him to get up too. What would someone think if they found him like this? One of his roommates could come in at any time really, it's not like the locks on the doors were hard to pick.

Picking up the room went quicker than expected. His sheets and blankets were going straight to the laundromat, and he hadn't really left his bed much at all in the past few days. There wasn't any other mess to clean.

Take that back. There was certainly still a mess.

Eli stood looking at himself in the mirror. His face was breaking out, which should've been expected after using a greasy pizza as a pillow. To add to the mess further, his hair looked absolutely atrocious. If he hadn't known better, Eli would've thought a pack of rats had decided to make a nest on the top of his head. His facial hair wasn't much better. Patchy and ungroomed, Eli looked like a runaway convict. Without the coolness of being a runaway convict of course.

Cleaning himself up took significantly longer than cleaning his room. His hair was definitely the hardest part. The dried pizza sauce was persistent. No matter how much he scrubbed his head in the shower, there always seemed to be more. Shaving was nearly as bad. Eli nicked his face more than once, thankfully only small cuts though. They bled for only a minute before seemingly disappearing like they hadn't been there at all.

There wasn't much he could do about his face breaking out. He took care of what whiteheads and blackheads that he could, but there were the stubborn ones that refused to cooperate.

In the end though, with fresh clothes and groomed hair, Eli looked nearly good as new. Impressive considering where he'd started that morning.

His mood hadn't improved with his appearance though. He flashed smiles in the mirror, practicing his fake laughs. He made certain he could make it through the day with his little disguise. Not even a week a self-hating wallowing was gonna make Eli be himself in front of people. Hell, Eli was determined to make sure not even Carter knew how low he'd been the past few days.

By the time Eli walked out of his dorm and out into the world, he was already wearing his smile and cocky attitude. He still didn't dare check his phone though. He didn't want to see the messages, or worse, the lack of messages...

@open​

 

[Dazzle]

Carter Zigmond

Carter's first week back at school had been relatively underwhelming for her, nothing exciting happened since that past Monday and Attila hadn't held up his end of the bargain. She had shown up to the library after classes and waited around for about thirty minutes before realizing the kid was a no show. She wasn't about to give him a second chance after he wasted her time, not for all the money in the world... Well.. She probably could of been bought again, if the right price was offered and paid up front.

Carter tapped her pencil against the desk, finally giving up on waiting she slid her books back into her back and got up quickly from the table. She checked her phone once more, hoping to have finally heard from Eli. But like she expected, it was radio silence on his end. She rolled her eyes as she adjusted her messenger bag on her shoulder, shoving her way past underclassmen who still hadn't learned to move out of the firey redhead's way when they saw her coming.

Carter was sick of Eli ignoring her texts and calls over the past week. She made her way across campus towards the senior dorms, if he wasn't answering her, she figured he must be dead. Or kidnapped. Maybe he broke his phone, all of the above would be true if she found him completely fine and enjoying his suspension with some blonde in his bed.

Of course she had heard about the music room, everyone had. It had spread like wildfire and she wasn't even the least bit surprised when she heard that Eli was involved. Only him and Zach would be stupid enough to start some serious beef with their own roommate.

However, she thought it was some serious bullshit that Eli had gotten suspended and Lee got away scott free, with barely a slap on the wrist. Zach Lee didn't do anything less than Eli, they both destroyed the music room. And honestly, Zach caused more trouble around the school. She was pretty sure that Noah had left because of him, not that she really cared. And the amount of drama him and Tatum went through on a weekly basis made her want to tear her hair out. 'no strings'. She thought they had the most strings of any 'no strings' relationship that she had ever seen.

Carter rounded the corner of the senior commons to see Eli coming out of the building.

She stopped dead in her tracks, he looked... Well, okay.. All things considered.

Carter crossed her arms, tapping a finger on her forearm. "So you are alive."

She walked over towards him, "Thats really unfortunate." She smirked, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "So did you get abducted by aliens or something?"

"Phone broken? or just passed out drunk?" She wasn't going to bring up the suspension first, she knew how he must feel about being suspended. "Because, you better have a good reason for ignoring me." She dropped her bag by her feet, crossing her arms again, she bit the inside of her cheek nervously. She honestly wasn't sure what kind of answer she wanted from him. Eli was her best friend at this school, unfortunately, she hated the fake face he put on out in front of everyone. But, she understood why, it was better to be feared here than to be targeted.

High5ives (Eli)​

 

[High5ives]

The outside air was refreshing at least, much better than being cooped up in his room. Breathing in felt like he was opening up his chest. Inflating his mood. Maybe there was some truth behind the whole ‘Fake it ‘till you make it’ mentality. Because now, walking around with his confident smirk and overpriced uniform, Eli actually felt a little better. There was some small sense of accomplishment, having actually gone outside today. Is this what Buzz felt the first time he stepped on the moon? Well, probably not. But it was still a pleasant feeling! Freedom after a week in solitude! It was cheesy, but Eli felt like he could understand all those poems about birds flying, at least a little better now. He almost laughed at himself.

Carter rounding the corner in front of him made Eli wish he’d just stayed in bed though. She was his best friend, she knew him better than anyone else at the school. Maybe even anyone else at all. So it made sense that Eli didn’t like lying to her, even when she didn’t call him out on it, Eli always had a sneaking suspicion that she still knew when he was lying.

Eli kept up his smile as she came closer and slugged his arm. His mouth was grinning, he knew that, but it felt like he couldn’t quite convince his eyes to look happy. Afraid that she would notice, Eli made a conscious effort to avoid meeting her gaze.

“Oh you know, I have a responsibility to the female population here at Silver Oak.” Eli spoke smoothly, dodging her question with the same ease that a matador might dodge a bull with. Carter was scarier than any bull though, that’s for sure.

“C’mon, I’m starved.” Eli added quickly though, trying to cut her off before she had a chance to ask any more questions. Eli moved to walk past her, putting his arm around her shoulders to pull her along with him. Unlike any other girl at the school, there was nothing romantic about the gesture. However, that wouldn’t stop nasty looks from jealous underclassmen. Sure, anyone who really knew either Carter or Eli would know they were more like siblings, but Eli had a reputation. Not everyone could tell the difference between Carter and a weekend fling. (Though Eli was sure Carter would happily set the story straight if anyone dared to ask about it.)

Walking now, Eli was determined to guide the conversation away from himself. “What about you, Zigmond? You break some poor sap’s heart yet, or you just out here breaking noses instead?” He joked. He was glad he didn’t have to look her in the face now with her at his side instead.

Eli was a liar. Manipulative at best, and downright deceitful at worst. It was hard to tell when he actually managed to slip past Carter’s knowing eyes. Everyone else was easy. Hayden for example was like a dog; Eli could tell that boy what to do all day long and he’d just go along with it. Most the time, if Eli couldn’t smoothtalk his way out of awkward situations, he could just intimidate people into submission. Carter already knew him well enough to see past his bullshit, most of the time anyways. In some ways, that was worse. Sure, Eli trusted Carter, at least more than anyone else, but being vulnerable around anyone was scary. She was no exception.

Dazzle
​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum hadn’t quite expected Colby’s response to her words and for a moment it left her completely speechless. She had never been left speechless because she really hadn’t seen the conversation going that far south. She just hadn’t been used to anyone caring that much about her personal life and in waltzes Colby, being nice and caring, and whatever other good Samaritan shit, he chose to do in his free time. She wasn’t as open as she could be but she had learned early on to keep herself guarded because in high school any sign of weakness could be used against you and she liked being at the top. She liked feeling like she held some power even if it was only miniscule. For a split second she felt regret for how she was treating Colby, he didn’t deserve the demeanor she was giving him, he was just trying to be a good friend and she was being a lousy one.

She reached her hand out and grabbed his wrist, “Stop.” She could sense a small amount of annoyance. She didn’t want him to walk away on a sour note, she was tired of people walking away angry, she was tired of the fights, she just wanted to go back to her fun, carefree self. She kept a tight grip on Colby’s wrist and pulled him back to the seat next to her, “I’m sorry. I know I’m not exactly being easy to talk with. I guess I’m just a little confused.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. She had everyone’s eyes on her because of Zach and she was confused as to what she felt and how to handle feelings. Then she had Colby to deal with a boy who gave her stomach butterflies that she could only squash down. The boy who really did care, but he had someone, and she didn’t know how to be friends with a guy like him. Everything was confusing in the moment, but she wanted to seem like she had it all together, even though she could barely keep her head above water.

She took a deep breath and let go of Colby’s wrist, “I know you’re trying to be a good friend, and I’m still a little new to being a good friend. Most of the people I spend time with are just party friends, so this whole sitting and talking thing.” She motioned between the two of them, “I really only did this with Brayden, and I mean I’ve known him basically my whole life. So, I’m trying, but no fighting and being angry. I wasn’t trying to be rude; I’m not used to people wanting to know my problems.” She really didn’t want to fight with Colby, not anymore. He was a decent person and she needed at least something good in her life.

0k_mang0

 

[Dazzle]

Carter Zigmond

Carter could see through his smile that something was bothering him, but she wasn't going to try to force any information out of him. It wasn't a worth the battle, there would likely be blood split if she did. She rolled his eyes as he lived up to his status. "Yea I'm sure the underclass man love you, they have no idea what a good time really is." She smirked, elbowing Eli in the side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Carter laughed at her own joke as she leaned into him as they walked away from the commons. "What are you craving?" She looked up at her friend, she was sure he had missed the freedom of being able to go to the Hedgehog Cafe or leaving campus entirely. "And- don't say whatever just popped into your mind." She said curtly, she knew where her best friends mind would go.

Anyone who didn't know them, would probably think that there was something more there. However, Carter just found the concept hilarious, and at least gave her a reason to scare off some of the underclassmen. She could play along for just a bit, but she'd tell them off in the end for them ever thinking something so ridiculous. Eli and Carter were nothing more than, really, really close friends.

"Oh you know me Turner, a little bit of both." She laughed lightly. "Can't let the first week be too dull." She bit the inside of her cheek, a part of her really did want to know what the hell happened to get Eli in more trouble than Zach. Mostly so she could show Eli that she was still on his side, but he should of known that. Carter unfortunately didn't have anyone in her sights, everyone was rather... Dull, this year. Been there, done that.

Carter didn't have much to say to Eli, there wasn't much to say, if he didn't want to talk about his week in solitude, she wasn't about to make him. She just wanted to get his mind off things, anything. She would of brought up tryouts, but she figured those were out as he had been suspended, and classes were a loss. She really believed his week must of sucked..

"You know, you would of known this earlier had you answered your phone." She said somewhat harshly. "You know that Attila dude, the one with like, all the money." Carter knew that Eli was definitely better off than most at this school but Attila seemed to have gotten a few extra perks. "Well... I am not supposed to say anything because he doesn't want people to know.." She trailed of for a moment.

"He's paying me to tutor him, and not only that." Carter got excited, which she rarely ever did. "He's giving me his luxury box tickets to pretty much any game this season." Her smile grew, granted that all rode on the fact that he would actually have to show up to be tutored, but it was something to try and get Eli's mind off of things.

"So what do you say hotstuff? Gonna be my date?" She laughed, a playful smile on her lips. "I mean he hasn't actually given me them, but I think he'll hold up his end of the deal." There was a hopeful tone to her voice, Attila would pull through. At least that's what she was counting on.

High5ives (Eli)​

 

[Dede]

Stu

While Elena and Seb discussed their options, Stu leant his head over the ledge like a dog poking out the window of a moving car (except his tongue wasn’t quite hanging out), and faced the might of the wind fluttering through a corridor of oaks.

Well, that is quite a drop.

Persimmons was a building much taller than it looked from the ground up. All the trees around it obscured its actual height. There was no doubt that a fall from this height would result in a noisy splat that would resonate and be heard throughout the whole school—it might even register on the Richter scale.

Mr. Catford, being a cat and a Longford, would obviously survive the fall, and even if it didn’t it would still have eight lives left to waste away on different Silver Oak ledge.

Obviously no one would be dumb enough to volunteer to climb out onto that ledge, right?

Wrong.

‘I’ll do it,’ he said, giving Seb a shrug as he moved past him.

Call it a lapse of judgment or rush of blood, Stu was desperate to do something useful for once. Maybe a public stunt or doing a favour for the headmaster’s adoptive daughter was exactly the thing he needed to climb that illustrious social ladder, provided he didn’t fall instead to his death.

Unlike Seb, Stu wasn’t afraid of heights, and unlike Seb, he wasn’t all that well-endowed in the mental department, and unlike Seb, he wouldn’t be greatly missed if he plummetted to an early grave, so all things considered, he was probably the right person for the job.

He was, in one word, dispensable.

So the boy put a nervous foot out onto the sloped bit of the roof and tested the incline of the old shingle tiles and took a deep breath and started on his way toward the old cat, balancing himself with his arms like a tight-rope walker. And the cat looked dryly at him as if waiting to witness his death, and as Stu ventured even further ahead with wobbly legs, there was a fairly good chance that it might.

Soap 0k_mang0

 

[High5ives]

Eli scoffed. If he wanted tickets to some game, he could buy them himself. Besides, Attila? What kind of name was that? Who would want to name their kid after some barbaric warlord? Hell, maybe Eli should name his kid Adolph! Why not? Since there were apparently no rules anymore! Furthermore, who did this asshole think he was!? This was his school! Carter was his friend!

Was she...

Eli's whole train of thought was suddenly derailed, returning to a nagging question he'd had for the past week now. It had been driving him a little bit mad in all honesty. The only explanation Eli had been able to come up with...Well, it wasn't something he wanted to admit. Carter was his best friend. At least he thought. After Monday, he really wasn't so sure anymore. He wasn't sure of much of anything to be honest. Zach had challenged everything in Eli's perfect little world. It was all different now.

Eli stopped walking. Dead in his tracks. He didn't say anything, not yet anyways. The words he meant to say were caught in his throat. His mouth refused to cooperate, his knees felt like they were going to give out.

Eli took a deep breath.

"Why did you tell Zach about my dad?"

He finally said. It wasn't a question of guilt. He'd already made up his mind that it must have been her. How else could Zach could have known? There was no other explanation, at least not one that Eli could see. As much as it hurt Eli to accept it, Carter had betrayed him. She'd taken his secrets and gone about spreading them. The hurt barely showed in Eli's voice though, hidden by icy resolve. It was weird how quickly his mood could change. A moment ago he'd been laughing and joking with a friend, now he was staring down a traitor.

"I don't even care that you did. I just want to know why." Eli lied. Of course he cared. He was terrified of what people might think of him, and the thought that everyone would see him as some rich prick with daddy-issues scared the shit out of him, but Carter had officially become just like everyone else.

Another person he had to pretend around. Just another face he couldn't trust...

Dazzle​

 

[0k_mang0]

Colby

with Tatum Elf_Ruler​

Colby didn’t pull away from Tatum when she suddenly caught his wrist. He was mildly surprised and puzzled that she did, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Usually, when people make similar retorts to his harmless inquiries (whether they tell him the truth or not), he’d understand not to pry further, mind his own business if he can help it. He hadn’t expected Tatum to be annoyed that he was trying to do just that.

He allowed her to pull him back down on his chair and patiently listened to Tatum explain herself. When Tatum finally let go of him, Colby gently massaged it for a few seconds. She had a surprisingly tight grip, but at least she did try snapping his wrist. He slipped both his hands inside his Star Wars hoodie pouch pocket, not because he wanted to make sure she didn’t unexpectedly grab him like that again. They were just a little chilly, that’s all.

So, technically, tater tot was still new to the genuine friendship thing that wasn’t just with Braybear? And she was trying, taking baby steps. The thought of it sounded kind of endearing to him.

“I can be a decent non-party friend. Might even bring another bottle of wine or different drink if it helps make the whole sitting and talking thing a little easier,” Colby said, with an amiable, non-sarcastic smile. “I’m sorry if I sounded like I wanted to leave suddenly. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind if you do have other plans, or if you don’t feel comfortable talking about certain things yet. You don’t have to tell me everything. Just enough to understand if you feel okay or not.”

And then Colby added, “By the way, you know, I was kidding about the cheerleading question. I already know you’re too cool to be a cheerleader, anyway.” He couldn’t see Tatum doing the pompom and pep rally stuff, or dealing with whatever “Cheer-ocracy” that goes on there, and she didn’t seem like the type who’d stand wearing a cheerleader uniform for long.

 

[Dak]

Richard Kingfisher​

Richard looked up from his test. As soon as the teacher stepped out, he heard the voice of someone else. A boy. He was cute if you liked the muscle bound Neanderthal. Thinking about it, this boy reminded him of his brother. He gagged in his mouth for second before hearing what the boy wanted. All he wanted a pencil. Sure, Richard had a few. But one Richard thought even though he was cute, he was inferior to him in intelligence. So why should he share what's his with someone lesser. Second, Richard doesn't even know this boy. He could be rude or just intolerable.

That's when the boy said that Richard looked like he had something that would carry many. Oh this boy wanted to now judge him. Just because you say no offense doesn't make it the least bit offensive. This boy must not of had anyone to teach him some manners. Which is fine, Richard knows that no one is smarter then himself, so maybe he should teach him some manners on being offensive.

Richard stood up from his desk and walked over to the other boy's seat. "You see, you remind me a lot of my brother. He's a muscle bound douche, just like yourself... But see, at least he understands to not be a complete jackass. But that's mostly because he had someone to teach him not to be offensive, which seeing you in a school like this where mommy and daddy can pay for everything, must mean that everything is handed to you." Richard slams the pencil down on the boy's desk. "So how's about next time you ask for something you say "Please" and "Thank you". That's a start. " Richard walked back over to his seat and watched the boy. His look was that of defiance. Just because he looked like he could beat the ever living shit out of Richard didn't make him afraid. If he said anything then Richard would throw some smart ass remark back at him.

If need be Richard would stand his ground. But he was weak and it wouldn't be too much of a fight. There were two reasons he gave him the pencil. One was because Richard wanted to tell this simple minded boy off. The second was because he would know that the teacher would probably not be back for a while and he wanted to have this boy leave so that Richard can have some alone time for himself in the classroom, finishing his easy test then studying something That could be useful to what Richard wanted to do in live, and not physics.

Dazzle (Zach)

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum was relieved that Colby hadn’t gotten upset with her, granted she never had tried to be an actual friend with someone. Carter was someone who was always around, someone Tatum knew she could rely on when it came to having a good time, someone she could flirt with, but she had never really had a heart to heart with the redhead. Hell, she hadn’t even had a heart to heart with Alaska or Beck, she never discussed her problems with anyone. Brayden she would just complain to, but she never felt like he cared or understood, and Zach only cared about her when they were together. Otherwise he never cared what she did or how she felt as long as he wasn’t the one within her line of fire. Tatum didn’t have real friends and she wished she did, but it wasn’t like anyone had ever cared enough to try.

Tatum could only shrug at Colby’s comments, “It’s fine, I wasn’t being real nice. I was kind of a bitch. I don’t have any plans right now. Everyone else is busy doing their own thing.” It was hard to admit that she didn’t have plans because she liked to make it seem like she always had plans and was doing the next best thing. Half the time she was at her dorm, and Grace hadn’t really been around so Tatum had been spending most of the week on her own (except the slivers of time she was with Zach), drowning her sorrows and loneliness in a bowl of ice cream and potato chips, but Colby didn’t need to know that.

She of course couldn’t help but crack a smile, “I don’t ooze school spirit? I think I’d look cute in the outfit, but that’s my opinion of myself. I’d ask you yours but you’re a boy, so I don’t know if that crosses a line.” She was trying to keep the conversation light but really, she wasn’t sure what she could say to Colby without him getting seemingly frustrated with her. He had already made it known that some of her actions caused him annoyance and she didn’t want to keep doing that, not while she was trying to befriend him.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

Colby

with Tatum Elf_Ruler​

“Me imagining you in a cheerleader uniform doesn’t sound like crossing the line.” Colby paused, glancing at his shoes with a sort of dubious look. “Well… except maybe when I say that out loud.” Yeah, he knew how stupid that sounded. Congratulations, you played yourself. His first statement had sounded less awkward in his head, he really thought so. He wasn’t surprised that he didn’t think that through carefully, and he wasn’t entirely embarrassed beyond recovery. Only a little, enough to chuckle at himself and let Tatum know that he was in a good-humored mood.

“Honestly, I’m not even into the cheerleader look, so I probably wouldn’t care how you look in it,” he said candidly. “No offense. I’m sure you do look cute in the uniform if you say so.”

Colby stood up from his seat again, but didn’t attempt to walk away like before. “Since we both don't have any plans, maybe we can try figuring out what to do, like finishing that school tour?” he offered. “Just walking around and talking about random little things about ourselves or something. I promise it won’t be like Monday again. We just have to avoid the Steerforth field.” Colby was a little more prepared this time. He heard the track team meeting was at Steerforth right now, which meant Elena was also there, or at least somewhere near there. As long as they don’t go near that place, he and Tatum won’t have to repeat last Monday on a Friday. It was a win for everyone.

“I will bribe you with free coffee for tomorrow if you show me where the cool spots are before dinner.”

 

[Dazzle]

Carter Zigmond

Carter felt Eli's arm slip from her shoulders as he stopped a few steps behind her. She continued walking along the path before she realized that Eli was no longer following her. She turned around to look at him, she was confused that he had stopped, she noticed his demeanor had changed, his fake smile had fallen from his face and he now looked truly upset.

Carter didn't dare speak, she waited on Eli to make the first move. He wasn't silent for long, soon enough he spoke quickly. For the first time he mentioned his fight with Zach, Carter truly didn't know much of what started the feud, just that Eli had earned the short end of the stick in punishments. Her eyes went wide, how could he think so little of her. Why had his first thought been that she had betrayed him, he was her best friend, her closet friend. She never had any plans to break that friendship.

"Who do you think I am??" She spoke abruptly, how could he have even thought for a moment that she would be so naive to tell Zach about Eli, why would she have even wanted to do so. She didn't like Zach, she personally tried to avoid him on most occasions. The idea that not only would she have had to go out of her way to speak to Zach, on matters that didn't concern him, she would never have told him about Eli's personal business.

"Why would I waste my breath speaking to him Eli, especially about your life." She raised a single eyebrow, questioning his thought process, pretty sure he must of lost a decent amount of brain cells in the fight. It was the only explanation to how he could of accused her of such a thing.

"Obviously you do care since you're making up lies just to make some sense in your life." At this point Carter was pretty offended over the whole circumstances. "I thought we were best friends Eli, but obviously if you think so little of me you must not see me the same way." Carter face was like a stone, you couldn't read a single emotion on her face, she had gotten good at hiding her feelings over the years. Who needed feelings when people treated you like you were nothing at the end of the day.

High5ives​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Monday had been such a bad day and Tatum had wanted to pretend like it had never happened, pretend like she hadn’t gotten angry and hurt over something that wasn’t really that big of a deal when it came how many other issues existed in the world. So, she smiled at Colby and nodded, “Yeah, I’d like that. I’d like to have a good tour. And I think I know just the place, Kitten.” She couldn’t quite remove his nickname, but she wasn’t flirting so it was okay, unless he hated it. No, he would have said something and so she pushed the thought down before giving a small tug to Colby’s elbow. She knew exactly where to take him. Most no one went to this place except to ghost hunt. Or something like that. Those details weren’t important at least not to Tatum. She’d gone there to smoke in solace more than a few times but most of the time during her less than ideal moments she had gone to Zach.

So she led Colby through the trail up to the abandoned house or whatever abandoned building it was and once she got within the distance of showing it off she turned around and much like Vanna White showed off the house rather than showing letters. “Welcome to one place no adult ever visits. It’s quiet, good for smoking, not so much for parties. Lots of lore and creepy stories from this place but it’s a good place to chill and relax. Plus.” Tatum had pulled out a joint from her pocket, “I have this if you want to join.” She wasn’t going to wait for him before she lit and took a hit. She wasn’t going to miss her opportunity to enjoy a little of the devils lettuce before having to go back and deal with the rest of Silver Oak.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

HELLO

MY NAME IS

Colby

with Tatum Elf_Ruler ​

He followed without protesting or questioning her. Seeing how close they were to the edge of the map, Colby could’ve suspect Tatum of luring him to the perfect place to murder him. It could be just the feeling of the spooky season drawing near. If he made a light quip that she was planning to kill him, he wouldn’t be sure if she was joking or not.

Before he could ask her where they were going, he saw it.

Under mid-afternoon daylight, Harrow House didn’t look quite as ominous as it did in the stories. Instead of being the infamous setting of a deadly family massacre known by the locals, all Colby saw was an old, abandoned farmhouse gradually dilapidating from years of neglect, miraculously not overtaken by Nature yet, and its pale paint peeling away its tragic past. A single glance around the room gave him a sense of pity rather than fear. It was just sad. Granted, it was still a murder scene. He was sure the dozen of small dark-brown splotches that he noticed on the floor, overlayed with dirt and dust, were old dried bloodstains.

When Tatum offered him the joint, Colby politely refused. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. That stuff tends to make me kinda paranoid.” That’s one way to put it mildly, but we won’t go into detail on that right now. Not wanting Tatum to be the only one using her own vice, Colby took out a pocket flask of vodka for a sip or two. In a way, he was “pouring one out” for the people who lost their lives here.

“Someone told me the siblings who lived here might’ve been possessed by a demon, which was possibly summoned by the secret cult that’s hidden somewhere in this school. I think they’d gotten the timeline mixed up, unless it had been a time-traveling demon…” He wasn’t a conspiracy nut. Just a geek who read too many comic books and enjoyed conjuring weird, nonsensical theories for fun. But then he remembered that he wasn’t alone and realized saying those things out loud may have made him sound a bit meshuggeneh. Colby glanced at Tatum with a small apologetic, slightly bashful smile.

“Sorry for rambling,” he said, opening the drawer of a dusty antique side table nearby—empty, and it hadn’t been eaten by termites yet. Weird. “I grew up hearing a bunch of crazy rumors about this place, when I used to live in the town closest to this school. I wanted to see the House in person when I was a kid, find any new clues or something.” He almost did visit a few summers ago. However, as he explained to Tatum, the sheriff recognized Colby’s grandfather’s Dodge Diplomat passing by and noticed its driver was somewhat short and three or four years too young to have a driver’s permit. At least he wasn’t brought home in handcuffs.