Realistic or Modern Silver Oak Academy: Season 1

[Dazzle]

Collab post with lion.

Meera Desai + Graham Moore

Set free from the touring excursion with the snappish blonde, Meera drifted in meandering ambles through the mid-October altered terrain. The gangly trees, stripped to thinning brown, incarnated into ajar, rooftop umbrellas fibered out of fabric. The branches- forming bridges to the nautical blue sky- swayed in ease like spinning pinwheels in an old lady’s blooming garden, prancing like hares when a soft howl broke out among the whistling clouds. Orange leaves scattered like rainy water droplets do on glass, red taking after with a racing yearning. The sidewalk, a plaid of speckled rudimentary, elongated to the doors to the auditorium. Body forth, she soon found herself trucked among the commanalty of students.

The auditorium was overflowing, full to the gills with this many fish in the sea. Swerving up the bleachers with apologies, even Meera’s breathing felt inflated as decadent conversations in whispers pursued like balloons aggressively being tossed around at a toddler’s birthday party. Around the bend, mellow faces environ her, the headmaster’s rowing speech into punitive measures to take about the party and an explosion in the science lab moving onwards into her ears. Her hands behaved as clay, contorting inwards with a crook around her phone. By good luck, a familiar head of ruffled dark truffle peaked up through the bleachers.

“Graham!” she blew him a massive grin, a parisian blush inlaying across her cheeks when she dropped by the seats he saved for them and his smooth arms went for a near hug, “My first day? What about your first day?!”

Graham felt at a loss for words, his tongue had somehow, instantly, gone dry. He was tripping over even his own thoughts at the sight of Meera. “I asked you first.” He smiled, chuckling nervously. “It was alright...” He shrugged his shoulders up close to his ears. “I may have accidentally..” He stopped for a moment. “Well, it was more on purpose...”

He thought back to the chaos he had caused, all to get his phone back, just to talk to this sweet, sweet, girl in front of him. And, he would do it all again. “Caused a slighttt...” He pinched his fingers together to show how small he was talking about. “Smoke bomb... out of elephant foam.” His smile waivered, what if Meera was going to hate him for causing trouble. He was never like this and he scared himself. But it was all in the name of love.. “It set off the fire alarm.”

His eyes went wide, he didn’t even tell her why he had done it. Now it just seemed like he was causing issues just for fun. Just like most of the other students did at Silver Oaks, he wasn’t like them. And Meera probably hated bad boys, unless, maybe she liked them?

Graham mulled over this for a moment before deciding that he shouldn’t pretend or try to change his personality to get Meera to fall for him. “In-in my defense though,” he said quickly and nervously. “Mr. Lu took my phone, so I did what I had to do to get it back.” He shook his head, he sounded so stupid now that he was saying it out loud. “I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you.” Graham shook his head sheepishly staring at the ground below him.

“You did that all for me?!” Meera yawped through a half laugh and astonishment, her hands slightly tapping into a clap. Her head pivoted slightly, admiring the vantage of his demure smile.

“Science explosions!” she reiterated with a baffled shake of head, instinctively looping her arm into his, “For me!! You are a crazy dude!” Her slang was isolatingly not smooth, yet when she tilted her chin and fixed her eyes into the locus of his milk chocolate eyes, she suddenly became more spirited than the delighted high balming sun outside.

Sheepishly, she adjoined, “I like that- I mean ...I really like you! I really like you, Graham.”

Then, odd as it may be, through the clicking static through the microphone on stage and interwoven through the hovering chatter from the bleachers both above and below, she heard him say, “I really like you too, Meera.”​

 

[Dazzle]

Carter Zigmond

This was probably the best start to the school year Carter was going to get. She couldn't wait to take full advantage of Attila's luxuries, Carter wasn't poor by most standards, but she missed out on a lot from her parents. Her parents paid for her school, and for her to summer there, but she wasn't given much else. They pretty much ignored her entire existent while she was away at school, even when she spent the single week at home over the summer. They were embarrassed by her, they didn't want to spend time with her, after a day at home she packed back up and went to her cousins. They then left from NY and spent a week in Cali, partying, and living their best life. And after their impromptu trip, she was lacking in pocket cash.

"Oh Attila, you are just making this sound better and better." She laughed, crossing her arms she leaned her shoulder against the wall behind her.

But- then he added being friends, Carter wasn't exactly sure she really wanted to add more people to her circle. The more people she allowed in, the more of someone stabbing her in the back. But, Attila needed her. If he did anything to break the trust, she had just as much leverage over him as he did over her, if not more. She bit her bottom lip, dragging it between her teeth.

"alright." Carter pushed herself back off the wall. "you have a deal- friend." She stuck her hand out to return his handshake. She seemed to be getting the better part of the deal, passing classes at Silver Oaks was the easy part.

Carter mulled over his question about Liz, she didn't really have a straight answer for him. Liz and her always had tension, whether it was over grades, or volleyball, or shared interests. Carter couldn't think of a time that the actually along, there was always a rift between them from the start. "Honestly, I'm not sure why she came to me. We've never been close..." Carter thought for a moment. Why had Liz come to her, of all people. Couldn't she have asked her roommate or something, they would probably been the better option. More trust worthy too.

"She probably went off to get high before class and I was the first person she saw." Carter shrugged her shoulders. "So, first session Friday? If tryouts wont occupy your time."

Interactions: Chaishi Mentions: PenguinFox​

 

[Dak]

Arthur​

After the assembly the tour was done. Arthur had an intense look upon his face. The tour guide had said that football tryouts would be held after school. Arthur loved a good laugh, and was normally a joker, but when it came to football, he was very serious. He was damn good, and he knew it. He couldn’t wait till the final bell. His legs would bounce up and down as he would wait in anticipation.

With the final bell, Arthur had rushed out of the classroom and towards the locker room. Within minutes he had changed out of his uniform and into his gear. He was ready. He had put a lot of work into his off season and it was now time to show why his nickname was “King”. He held his head up high as he walked out onto the field, almost looking regal. He remembered last season in his old school.

His father couldn’t attend, he was working late. Gearing up for a deployment was a lot of work. He would be gone for months only to come back for a month before going back out again. He missed the championship game. Arthur’s team had taken the championship 21-20. A last minute throw by Arthur had granted them the victory.

His thoughts of his old school made him wish he could go back. He missed his teammates. He knew what they would be thinking, where they would go. Joining a team that had played together for a good period of time was hard. But Arthur knew that he could do it. He just had to show them the “King” and they would know why he should be there.

He looked up at the sky. “It’s time, the King has arrived…” He said to himself. He was pumped and ready for some fun.

Richard​

Richard sat through the assembly. His mind bored to tears. This man speaking was so pitifully droll and boring that Richard hadn’t paid attention. Why should he? This man was inferior to him. He was happy when the fool was done talking. He had spent too much time there.

When Richard was finally able to take classes again, he just looked out the window. Yet another boring person was giving another lecture on physics. Richard could tell that this teacher hadn’t put much time into his lecture. Asking questions to his students, trying to make it fun. When the teacher asked him what the wavelengths that humans could see with their eyes. “Light waves…” He said unimpressed. Honestly Richard didn’t even need the class for his aspirations. It was something that just peaked his interest.

He sat through the rest of the class. The teacher didn’t really try and call on Richard that much. He could tell that Richard didn’t really care for the class. But something happened as the bell rang. The teacher had approached him and even asked if he could stop by after school to take a test. He wanted to gauge Richard on whether he should be moved to the AP Physics class. Now there was something that peaked his interests. Richard loved tests. He loved them because it was meant to challenge him. He agreed.

As the day went on Richard had sat through his classes. Both impressed with some teachers, and unimpressed with some. He didn’t know what to think about for this year. He went back to the Physics teachers room and sat down in one of the desks. He waited for the teacher to enter.

Elizabeth​

Elizabeth had loved the assembly mostly because she was with her brothers. She sighed contentedly that she was fortunate to have such a loving family. Arthur was loyal, and brave and strong. Richard was a genius, plus he had no problem saying what was on his mind. Elizabeth was just Elizabeth. Caring and loving to everyone.

After the assembly was done and they were finally able to start going to class. Eli, as her brothers called her, sat in her classes. She would smile to anyone that would look at her. Her mother helped her to understand that sometimes the smallest thing as a smile could change someone’s whole day.

After classes were let out and she could spend her time enjoying her personal time, she went to the Library. She had gotten a desk and started to study. The homework given to her was easy. Nothing too crazy, which she was happy for. She sat there working on homework. Her headphones were in so she was focused on her homework.

Interactions: None, they are open

 

[Dazzle]

Graham Moore

Graham was rather nervous for cheer tryouts, he had experience back at his home in Anchor Bay he was one of the two head cheerleaders on Anchor Bay's cheer team. But, he had heard stories about JJ's rule, and had experienced her coldness first hand. He was concerned that she wouldn't allow him on the team, just because of his low status. Graham was almost shaking as he walked across the commons, quickly he realized he had forgotten his pompoms. Graham turned quickly on his heal and ran back to his dorm.

He had spent the morning in classes and went straight to the Hedgehog cafe after to hang out with Meera before tryouts. He bought her a chai latte and had been smiling ever since. But, he had lost track of time and forgotten to run back to his dorm before tryouts to change and grab his pompoms, even if they weren't the school colors, he figured it was better to be prepared. Stu thought this was his worst idea, especially bringing the pompoms along. Stu had barely made it out alive being the mascot last year, and he had been supposed to be relieved of the position. But, he was stuck in it another year and Stu was scared that if Graham was a cheerleader and Stu was the mascot they would just be that much more of a target.

Stu had attempted to convince him to join soccer instead, but you couldn't do a backflip on the soccer field mid game. Graham promised Stu that he would stop by and would try to get on the cheer team to show up to the soccer games, if he made it. Soccer had once been a favorite sport at Silver Oaks, but most of the seniors had left the previous year. Graham hoped for Stu's sake that it meant that he would get a good spot on the team.

It was a long walk back to his dorm, and he was honestly regretting not having been more prepared. Graham should of been more prepared and packed before classes that day, that way he would be on time to tryouts. Now he just might make it, as long as he could get in and out of his room in a matter of minutes.

Graham trudged up the stairs, quickly unlocking his dorm which gave him more trouble than he expected. Usually the door barley locked, and now it was completely stuck. Graham slammed his shoulder into the door, which really, didn't do much. Graham wiggled the door knob and then attempted the key once more. Finally the door swung free.

Graham sighed a breath of relief, he thought getting into his dorm would be the least of his worries, but something seemed off. His eyebrows furrowed, his room felt different. His eyes went to the poster above his bed, what had once been a Katy Perry poster, was now replaced by Eisenstein. Graham had weird sleep habits, but he was one hundred percent sure, he did not manage that. Okay, well, ninety eight percent sure. Graham's eyes went to his neighbors bed, he was assigned a new roommate that he really hadn't had the chance to meet quite yet.

He had been spending most of his time with Meera, and any time he was in his room, he was sleeping. He saw his roommate standing, organizing something else in the room.. Was that.. Graham's shoes?

Graham cleared his throat before speaking. "Hey... Tom.. Right?" Graham was rather confused, he wasn't sure those were his converse on Tom's bed, but they did look rather similar. He quietly walked over to his closet to grab his pompoms, to find they were gone too. Rather, his closet was super empty, and all of his school books were gone. He closed the closet, and turned back to his roommate. "I'm- I'm Graham, do you happen to know where my pompoms.. and well all my stuff went?"

Graham was starting to wish Eddie hadn't decided to move home. At least Eddie left his things alone. Graham wandered over to the poster that now hung above his bed. "And.. My poster?" He picked at the edges of the Eisenstein photo that looked like it had been glued to the wall. He sighed silently. Yep, this year would be one for the books.

Interactions: Dede (tom) Mentions: lion. (meera)



​

 

[Dede]

Tom

‘Depends who’s asking,’ Tom said. ‘My mother calls me Tom Tom, and my sister calls me insufferable. But the irony’s lost on her.’

Tom thought about reaching for a handshake, but changed his mind quickly after he tried to imagine where the stranger’s hands had been.

‘You can call me Thomas if you like, if you prefer our relationship to be more professional,’ he said. ‘As it should be.’

After having gone through Graham’s stuff, the chance was very slim that they would end up as more than just acquaintances. The Katy Perry poster told him everything he needed to know about this kid.

‘Sorry I don’t remember your name. It’s nothing personal -- I’ve more important things to memorise.’

Like the atomic number of every element in the periodic table.

‘Anyway, there’s no need for us to learn each other’s names, not really. There’s no one else here but us, so I’ll always know who I’m talking to. I don’t suppose we’ll be talking much, it doesn't look like we have much in common, from what I’ve seen of your things. I’d say we’re diametrically opposed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’

As he was saying this, his roommate was trying to figure out where his things had gone.

‘Them was all lying around. So I put them in this closet for you,’ Tom said pointing out the window. ‘I can’t think straight with the room being so messy. What were you doing with those fluffy things anyway? I used them for a science experiment once, when we were learning about air pressure.’

He sat down on the bed, perusing his bowtie collection which he had laid out on the pillow.

‘If you’re looking for your books, they were all overdue. You don’t have to thank me, though. I go to the library all the time.’

He looked proudly at his Einstein poster which he had expertly glued over the Katy Perry.

‘Did you know Einstein hated socks? I hate them too, when they’re all lying around and when they’re not mine. You’ll have to be more tidy if you don’t mind. I’m mostly going to be studying in here, and a cluttered room is a cluttered mind,’ he said. ‘Not to mention the smell—I had to open the window you know?’ And now it was cold, very cold, which made Tom uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. ‘I say we should leave it open for at least another fifteen minutes, to get some circulation in here, and get your smell out,‘ he said glancing at his watch, marking time.

Dazzle

 

[0k_mang0]

coach alo

@ anyone trying out for the football team​

Some days ago, Coach Alo received a call from one of the new students’ father that recommended his son to join the team. Yes, he considered it, but that didn’t mean Coach Alo would just automatically let him on the team just because his daddy’s an Army general. However, he did give the kid extra time to turn in sign-up forms just before the day of the tryouts, and that was it.

“If you want to be on this team, then you marshmallows better prove it!” he said during his short speech about working hard and taking no easy shortcuts to the group of boys in front of him, just before he made all of them run 20 laps around the field after three minutes of stretches. Initially, he told them, it was supposed to be 5 laps, but after that music room scuffle on the first day and the unauthorized weekend party before it, the new head coach needed to let everyone know that he was not to be trifled with.

“You can thank your classmate Anderson for the extra work later,” he concluded before blowing his whistle to begin the run. Anyone who finished their 20 laps could have a water break for a couple of minutes and then start their warm-ups for the drills before the official process begins. Coach Alo planned for the football tryouts to last for three to four days, enough time for these marshmallows to prove their worth. He planned the speed and agility assessments, linemen drills, and so on for new people; anyone that was already on the team would get their own assessments based on their positions, too. He'd gotten everything set up for this.

And it better work out smoothly. This old Master Chief didn't want to deal with any more nonsense this week.

 

[Dazzle]

Zach Levine

Zach was already in a mood, and not a good one at that. He was missing out on football tryouts for an academic assistance class. Which in his opinion was complete bullshit, he didn't need help, he needed to be out on the football field. He had no chance at team captain when he was stuck inside, and he knew that Coach Alo wouldn't give him a second chance at the position. Zach was going to feel lucky if he wasn't just stuck on the bench all season at this point. Mr. Lu had promised that he had talked to Coach Alo along with the rest of the faculty, that this one day of tryouts that he was missing wouldn't count against him.

He wasn't really sure how much he believed it, he had already heard Coach Alo was a hardass, and he didn't want to start off on his bad side. Zach stomped his way into Mr. Lu's class room. He looked over to see some brown mop headed guy already arrived, so he wasn't the only sorry sap dragged into after classes only a first week into school. Zach rolled his eyes, tossing his backpack down abruptly onto the ground next to the lab bench in the far back of the room.

"Nice to see you to Mr. Levine." Mr. Lu said rather coolly, Zach did not have the best classroom reputation. He was rather nonchalant, never paying attention, usually testing the teachers patients. Mr. Lu tossed papers abruptly onto Zach's desk, Zach reached into his back looking for a pencil, he knew most of this would be rather easy. The teachers just wanted to make sure that he actually passed last year and didn't cheat on his final. They wanted to make sure he could actually move on to Senior classes.

Zach riffled through his backpack, of course, no pencils. He looked up from his backpack, dropping it back on the floor in defeat. "Mr. Lu.. Can I-" Zach couldn't get much out before Mr. Lu interrupted him "No Mr. Levine, you cannot leave." Mr. Lu looked down at his phone as it lit up, he had gotten a notification from someone. "If you don't mind I am going to excuse myself for a moment. Zach, no cheating. Richard, I'm sure I can trust you to not help Zach pass his test."

Zach slumped his shoulders forward onto his desk as Mr. Lu left the room. He furrowed his eyebrows and muttered to himself. He was annoyed Mr. Lu wouldn't even bother to listen to him. All he needed was a pencil so he could get this bullshit work done and get out of there. He wanted to make it for some portion of football tryouts. At least Toby had promised he would keep him updated with whatever he missed.

Zach then remembered, he wasn't actually alone and the mop head of a boy was stuck there with him. "Hey" He yelled hushly. "Richard right?" He wasn't really sure why he was being quiet. Mr. Lu was likely off in some other building or class at this point and there was next to no chance of him hearing him. "Do you have a pencil I could borrow, so I can get this damn bullshit over with." He spoke in a level even tone this time. "You look like the type that has a tool belt just full of calculators and pencils." Zach didn't really mean it as an insult.. Or maybe he did. He was so overly annoyed at the fact that he was even stuck inside at that moment, he really couldn't be held accountable for any of his actions.

"No offense."

Interactions: Dak (Richard) Mentions: PenguinFox (Toby) 0k_mang0 (Alo)​

 

[Dazzle]

Graham Moore

Graham opened his mouth to say something, but stopped abruptly. Graham was at a loss for words, it never really occurred often, usually he would be yapping Stu's ear off. Graham dropped his outreached hand back to his side, he was really starting to miss Eddie and his predictability. He even wished that he had the children eating Greek god for a roommate.

"No... reason... to..." He stammered but stopped again. Graham and Tom were obviously total opposites, Graham actually tried to be thoughtful, where as Tom didn't seem to have many thoughtful thoughts at all. He seemed to be more centered on himself, rather than being roommates. And even though Graham didn't know Tom, he was a little hurt that he hadn't considered Graham's feelings at all.

"lying around?" Graham raised his eyebrow.. "They were in MY closet???" There was two closets in the room, one for Graham and one for his roommate that he was trying hard to forget the name of. If Tom- 'dammit' wasn't going to try to remember Graham's name, Graham wasn't going to try to remember his. Forgetting however was proving harder than it should of been.

"They're for a cheer routine" Graham mumbled under his breath, he was feeling rather annoyed, he looked towards the 'closet' that his dumb roommate had pointed at. "That's a window." He said matter-a-factly. Graham crossed his arms and leaned against his now empty closet. He sighed staring out the window rather defeated, thinking about all his clothes on the ground.

"Yea, well I'm off to cheer tryouts. SO I guess you can make sure the window gets closed." Graham rolled his eyes slightly, his eyebrows furrowed. Tom-dammit. Annoying roommate. Graham should come up with some nickname to refer to his bad roommate. He really thought that his horror story of a roommate this year would of just been some bully who would steal his pillow. Not some inconsiderate classmate who would throw his clothes out the window.

Graham was pretty sure the smell was just the normal smell of the dorms, they always smelled like cheese. That was one of the reasons Stu and Graham tried to get into the Persimmons dorm, supposedly it didn't have that cheese smell that White Oaks seemed to be famous for.

Graham was most definitely going to be late now, even Graham couldn't make it across campus at that kind of speed. He wasn't sure what he should do, all his clothes lay outside the building of his dorm. He did not have time to gather his clothes outside of his window and put them away to his roommate's liking, so he could be sure that they wouldn't just end up outside all over again.

Interactions: Dede (Tom) Mentions: Also Dede (Stu) Soap (JJ)​

 

[Dede]

Tom

‘You’re a cheerleader then!!’

Tom choked up a giggle and then snorted.

‘… That’s not gay at all, isn't it?’

He tried to imagine his roommate as a cheerleader, and, his imagination failing him, he decided he’d better see the phenomenon with his own eyes. Tom was a true empiricist who believed that some things had to be seen to be believed. And this kid being a cheerleader was precisely the sort of thing that had to be seen to be believed.

‘Well I’m coming with you,’ he said. ‘It’s too smelly in here. Why do you smell like parmesan cheese? You must have an Italian heritage. Is your last name Esposito? Or is it Corleone?’

A good question, for another time. For now Tom was dying to get some fresh air. He picked a red bowtie from his bed and fitted it to his collar. There was no mirror in the room, so he entrusted his appearance to his roommate. ‘How do I look then? Be honest.’

But it was more a polite gesture than anything, because if there was one word to describe Tom, it was polite. And kind. And considerate. The truth is he didn’t really need Graham’s opinion, nor did he think Graham's opinion was worth much, considering his taste in music and all other things. Plus, everybody knew Tom looked good in every bow tie he wore. That was just a well-established scientific fact, kind of like gravity, or evolution.

‘I suppose we can leave the window open,’ Tom said as he made for the door. ’In case you want to throw me out at some point.’ He smirked and waited for his roommate in the corridor.

Dazzle

 

[Elf_Ruler]

The week for Tatum had continued on much like normal, even though she was still pretty bitter about Colby. She was finally in a better spot with Zach and they had fallen back to their old way flirting, and small stolen kisses. It had changed after the welcome back assemble held by Lameford. Her and Zach had decided they would rather be selfish together and that made her feel like maybe she had something with Zach, as she thought back to the moment after he kissed her.

She remembered the way he looked deep into her eyes with a softness laced in his features, The way he didn’t let her go and then his words had stopped her heart, “I can’t promise you that Zach will always be around, but for now why don’t we both be selfish?” his face held his cocky smirk and there was no way for Tatum to say no to that and gave him a small nod because Zach was the only thing she knew as friendship, well close friendship. He had wrapped his arm around her as they walked out of the assembly. Right in that moment she got to be selfish and she couldn’t give that up especially not for some boy who wanted to flirt with her and then not tell her about having a girlfriend.

Even with all that was going on between Tatum and Zach, Tatum still wasn’t going to be tied down to one male, at least not until he actually asked, but Zachary wasn’t that kind of guy and she had to be okay with that. For now, she was making her way to meet up with Colby, even though she really hadn’t wanted to speak with him, or even see him. He was still a tool just like every other Silver Oak male, but she was the queen of it and that meant she got to pick her tool. She wasn’t going to be a complete bitch to Colby, he could still be useful because of his connections to the café and her addiction to caffeine. If she could befriend him, she could at least hope for free coffee occasionally.

It didn’t take her long to find where they were supposed to meet up and she found a spot to sit. She was always one to try and arrive to a meeting early but, she wasn’t sure if Colby was early like her or more a late arriver like most of her friends. Now, all she could do was wait and hope that there wasn’t too much chaos happening on this Friday.

Mention(s): lion. 0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

with Tatum Elf_Ruler , mention Elena Soap & Zach lion.​

The only times he felt remotely at peace were when he’d work his short shifts at the Sleeping Hedgehog Cafe. Focusing on another task usually helped him take his mind off of things that sometimes made him want to numb himself with a strong drink—that’s not to say he hadn’t had any. Only a teensy amount. There wasn’t any harm with having a sip or two throughout the day, right? And it wasn’t like he went to classes dead-ass drunk.

Well, there were a few times when he’d wished he was, like when he’d see Tatum in the two or three classes they shared with each other. He hadn’t spoken to her since that disastrous ending of his school tour on Monday, Colby thought it was best to avoid her, at least until he felt ready to talk to her again—well, more like until he wasn’t busy hanging out with Elena and using her as an excuse to stall. He was told Elena was going to do a track and field thing today, so he had plenty of free time to himself. He really had been thinking about how to apologize to Tatum. After seeing her with Malibu Zach (honestly, he didn’t care where he was from), Colby felt a little more resolved with his feelings, with what he would tell her. He felt more or less neutral with his thoughts, though. It didn’t exactly mean he liked it, but he couldn't do anything about it either.

After his class of the day ended, Colby messaged Tatum and asked if she could meet up with him later. She acted a bit lofty with her response, but fortunately, she agreed to his request. Then, Colby made a quick stop at Sleeping Hedgehog, buying one iced milk tea to himself and one black coffee for Tatum. He hoped bringing a peace offering would boost his apology. The next stop afterward was his dorm to put away his backpack and change out of his suffocating necktie school uniform to a comfy black Star Wars hoodie. When he got to the back patio of the Commons building, Tatum was already there. He almost backed away.

“Hey,” he greeted as if there was nothing awkward and/or tense between them, sitting on the chair beside her. “Got you the unspecified drink that I promised to bring.” He placed the cup on the small table in front of her; he kept his iced tea drink in his hand. “I didn’t know what to get you, so... I kinda guessed.” By “guess”, he meant that he might’ve asked a friend who knew Tatum better because he didn’t want to screw up this apology.

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum had been waiting for Colby to show up, letting her mind and attention be absorbed by the phone in her hands. Tatum had been so wrapped up in her phone that she hadn’t heard Colby even approach her, it was only when she heard him speak that she jumped just a little. She probably should have been keeping an eye out for Colby, but a small part of her didn’t care that much. A small part of her was still hurt, but she wasn’t going to let him see that part of her. No one really got to see that side of her, and she had hoped to keep it that way.

When he placed the coffee in front of, she opened the lid and took a large whiff of the coffee. Black. Just how she liked it, he couldn’t have guessed, anyone who had always put cream and sugar in it. Sure, she would still drink it, but black coffee always had the best flavor, the best everything and it reminded her that black coffee was to be savored and not consumed like the sugar filled demons that were labeled as coffee. She placed the lid back on it and took a small sip, letting the flavor fill her mouth. After, her eyes landed back on Colby, “Thanks. The coffee is good. Smart guess by the way. Black coffee is my favorite. Did you ask your grandpa? Your grandpa is the one who owns Sleeping Hedgehog right?” Tatum knew Colby had some connection to the café, but her mind couldn’t quite remember how.

As she set her cup down, she let her eyes stare at Colby questioning his intentions, “So, kitten what did you want to discuss?” She couldn’t play the game of wondering and being direct had for the most part always gotten her what she wanted. Minus being put in this school; she hadn’t wanted that. But she needed to know what intentions Colby had at play and she didn’t think waiting for him to muster up some kind of courage was the right move. So, she kept her gaze on him, let him squirm a little, after all he had been the one to ask her to meet up. Why shouldn’t she still have a little fun even if it wasn’t quite in the way she would have wanted.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Tatum Elf_Ruler​

“Yeah, he is.” Colby avoided her other question about his “guess.” She didn’t really need to know his sources. The fact that she knew that his grandfather owned the cafe made him wonder if she might start blackmailing or something to make him get her free coffee. Well, bad news for her ‘cuz Colby wouldn’t rob Grandpa Jim Florance like that. He didn’t even have a family discount, which was never applied since the store’s creation. Everyone in my family pays like everyone else. No special treatment, his grandfather had once said. Also, Grandpa Florence punished Colby by not giving him an employee discount until New Year’s Eve after the dumb stunts he’d done in the summer.

Colby looked at his half-finished drink pensively, lighting tapping his finger on the side of the cup. “Just want to say, I’m sorry,” he said and glanced up at Tatum. “I shouldn’t have been mad at you when I was the one who screwed up. I’m an idiot, I know. And I’m really sorry for saying those things to you. I definitely shouldn’t have said them.” He wasn’t going to repeat the exact words about not wanting to be on her “list”. Honestly, he wanted to forget it.

“I know nothing more is will happen between us anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean I want to lose you as a friend,” he said. “Especially after telling you very personal stories when we first met a few weeks ago.” He was a little drunk with wine at the time, but he remembered mentioning some very personal things about himself to her when they met at the auditorium, things that he’d never told anyone else before. Maybe not all of the details, but he gave short summaries of them that were enough to understand. Thinking about it now, Colby felt more than idiotic for doing a careless thing like this.

 

[Dede]

Stu

Stu had been looking forward to soccer (aka football) tryouts all week. Soccer was the only thing he was good at, and so it was his chance to finally prove his worth to a school that was dead set on crowning him its official loser/punching bag.

He still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Vered ditched the job, and so he was now the mascot again. Maybe if he did good at soccer, Longford would finally relieve him of his mascot duties, so he could go win some trophies for the school instead. Maybe if he was wearing gold medals around his neck people would finally treat him better. A boy could hope and a boy could dream.

So he went to Steerforth Greens and waited in front of an empty field, walking aimlessly around the pitch, kicking the grass. Ten minutes later and nobody showed up yet. He must have gotten there really early, because of how excited he was about the prospect of playing soccer again, so he waited some more.

Graham had gone to cheer tryouts, against Stu’s better advice. Not that he didn’t want to support his friend in all his endeavours. Silver Oak wasn’t that kind of school where a boy could willy nilly be a cheerleader and not get bullied to death over it. They were targets enough as things stood, now Graham had gone ahead and signed their death warrants.

Graham had also been awfully quiet as of late. Stu wondered if they were going to drift apart. They were so close last year, but maybe only because they were roommates. Now they weren’t roommates anymore. And his new roommate was a guy who wore cucumbers over his eyes to sleep. Stu didn’t like how this year was going, not one bit.

He was still waiting for people to show up. Then they did. For a second he thought he might have gotten the time wrong. That would have been really embarrassing!!!

But they were girls, all of them. Stu looked bewildered for a moment, like a lost puppy. Obviously he did not belong there. Then it turned out he had misread the notice. Where do the boys have their tryouts? He asked the coach. Over at the other pitch by the football stadium, she said. Thank you, he said and was about to make the dash. Then she told him, they had it an hour ago.

An hour ago? So once again, Stu had done the Stuest thing possible, and he managed to miss the one event that meant the world to him, despite having set three alarms on his phone for it. And now his whole year was ruined.

He sat under a tree and felt a tear in his eye. Was he about to start crying over missing stupid tryouts? No, that would be embarrassing and there were girls around Steerforth Greens. So he wiped his eyes and got his phone out and played Space Invaders instead. Maybe if he could beat his own high score of 6750, this day wouldn't go down in history as a complete disaster...

Soap 0k_mang0 mentions: Dazzle

 

[Dazzle]

Hayden Anderson

Hayden had arrived to football tryouts about ten minutes early, he knew that he wasn't on great terms with Coach after Monday. He figured that he would try to get on his good side, in an attempt to not be benched for the entirety of the season. As a freshman he played on the lacrosse team so he was familiar with the close contact sports, despite never playing on the football team he was quite confident that he would learn the plays quickly.

Hayden listened as Coach Alo began tryouts, warning the kids that their original mile run had turned into a five mile run due to Hayden's actions in the music room that passed Monday. He really hoped that Coach may have let it go, its not like he was in the fight, he had actually been doing the right thing trying to break it up. Hayden quickly let it go, figuring that coach would of had them run five miles anyways and was just using Hayden as a scapegoat.

Hayden paced himself around the track, he didn't want to over do it on the first day of tryouts, with another hour to tryouts and another three days to follow, he figured he was going to be exhausted come the end of the weekend. His breath was steady and even as he made his last lap around the track. He had stayed in relatively decent shape over the summer, but even so, twenty laps took a lot out of you even if you were in shape.

Hayden walked over to the bench to take a quick drink of his water. He noticed something light up out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to see a message on his phone. Of course, his sister, freaking out about the fight he had gotten in between on Monday. He didn't understand why she always had to butt in either, he was fine, he could take care of himself. It was his sister who worried too much.

He texted her back, wondering why she had suddenly became such good friends with Zach Lee. Hayden was not a big fan of Zach, starting fights for no reason, and pretending to know Harper better than he did. Rolling his eyes he called her out on it. He was sure that Chase wouldn't have been a fan of it even if they were in the same friend group.

It was then when she responded that his mouth dropped, Chase and her weren't together. And Chase had actually cheated on her. Hayden was shocked, he couldn't believe it. Chase and Harper had seemed like the easiest couple, they got along so well. Chase knew Harper, he understood her. And yet, he cheated on her. Even if high school relationships never lasted, Chase wasn't going to get away with breaking his sisters heart. Cheating wrecked people.

Hayden threw his water bottle down on the ground. He couldn't focus on tryouts anymore, he was so upset for his sister. His clenched his jaw and his nails dug into the palms of his hands. Hayden threw his hands up, he could feel his entire body tensing. Hayden ran his hands through his hair, trying to find some sort of reason to ground himself.

Hayden bounced on the balls of his feet shaking his arms out, he breathed out heavy. Hayden would deal with this later, he'd make sure Harper was okay and get the whole story then. He could move forward and focus on tryouts-

--But he saw Chase and all that anger that he had tried to bury down came right back and with full of force. Hayden's blood was boiling, and he all hear was a buzzing in his ears.

"Hey. Vaughn" Hayden yelled from across the field as he stormed over to Chase. "What the hell is your problem." Hayden put his face right in front of Chase's.

"What makes you think that you can get away with breaking people." He roughly poked Chase in the pectoral, Hayden wasn't going to let him get a word in. He didn't deserve a chance to explain himself. He cheated. He was a cheater. "Something is seriously messed up with you if you think that's okay." Hayden couldn't stop himself, he kept closing in on Chase's space. Hayden shoved Chase backwards. "Fuck you man." Hayden's voice just kept getting louder and louder, he wanted to make sure that Chase didn't miss a word and that everyone knew what he had done.

Hayden roughly placed his hand on Chase's shoulder."You're a cheater." Hayden ground his teeth together, his jaw was clenched so tightly he wasn't sure that he was even getting the words out.

Hayden gripped Chase's shoulder tighter "No one deserves that. But Harper, what did she ever do to you." Hayden looked to the ground for a moment, chuckling lightly, his grip still tight on Chase's shoulder. All he could think about was his sister and how she was the better sibling, the better person, and how mad she would be right now.

'Good thing she isn't here.' Hayden looked back up at Chase, and in one solid motion his fist made contact with Chase's cheek.

Interactions: a z u l a
​

 

[PenguinFox]

School was bullshit so obviously Nyla had skipped just about everything the first few days. Who cared really? She was an athletic prodigy and her parents were giving Longford not just the big bucks, but the HUGE bucks. They wanted their precious children to get the best education or something like that. So when Nyla got into...a little trouble that maybe almost got her expelled, her parents shelled out quite a bit to prove that there was no official evidence against her. It could not be proven that she did what she was accused of, Benjamin Franklin and his clones made sure of that.

During the welcoming ceremony Nyla had managed to climb to the roof of the building and was jumping around on top of it in hopes of sending dust down on anyone below in the auditorium. She laughed at the thought of someone being suddenly and quite randomly being hit in the head with a piece of ceiling tile. She was glad for the old style architecture the campus had; it made climbing into places she wasn't allowed incredibly easy.

When Nyla was young she picked up parkour and free running as a hobby in addition to sports. Her parents saw it as a creative way to be athletic so they encouraged her to strive for greatness. Many hours were spent running and jumping from object to object. Her favorite childhood game was the floor is lava, and she was good at it. Her father took her to rock climbing sites countless times. Now the whole world was her playground. Everywhere she looked she saw opportunities for parkour and freerunning.

Nyla's speed and agility was easily transferred over into 'real sports' as her father would say. So when the day of the tryouts came Nyla had to be there; not entirely out of her own free will. Part of the deal her parents made with the school to keep her in good standing was that she join a sports team so she could win and bring home trophies. She was treated like a race dog which was incredibly conflicting. On the one hand they thought she could help get wins and winning was everything. On the other hand that meant she was just a means to end to them, and even worse she'd have to work with a team.

At some point during the week Nyla received an interesting offer from someone over twitter. They wanted to help her get back at one Elizabeth Bishop. Nyla couldn't say no to such a delicious offer. She sat on the front row bleachers, tossing small stones onto the track to try and trip up people. She laughed as some girl stepped right on one causing her to stumble. Nyla leaned back in the bleachers and looked around. She told that girl to meet her here, she better not flake on her or else she would be Nyla's first target. She also better hurry up, this was quickly getting boring. Elf_Ruler

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum kept sipping her coffee as Colby confirmed the information about his grandpa being the owner of the café. She had talked with the old man a couple times, usually when she had fought with one of the Zach’s or one of the fearsome foursome, it wasn’t like he could do much for her but she liked that he let her complain about being a teenager and sure her issues were trivial but he still let her feel without any judgement. Not that she would tell Colby that, she kind of liked having something that was hers even if it was moments in the café when it was still early enough to be alone. Colby had a good grandfather and she really hoped he appreciated something like that. Tatum wished she had a grandpa like that, but hers was unfeeling and hard, something about the war and it left him screwed up forever.

What came out of Colby’s mouth next was a little bit of a shock, he was apologizing. Most guys never apologized when she snapped at them and then they said something way out of line, but she listened to his apology. His words sounded sincere, but Tatum still felt skeptical of his apology. But she was about second chances and she did enjoy Colby as a person, but she maybe shouldn’t have been as open as she was with him when they first met. But wine and two people alone, words just came out of her mouth. She was at least somewhat at fault and she could’ve handled everything better, but she wasn’t always the best at thinking through.

Tatum shrugged, “You’re not the first guy to speak ill of me to my face, if not behind back. I’m sorry that I was a bit aggressive in how I handled myself. I’m not exactly passive about things that bother me. “Don’t sweat it dude, I’m pretty tough, or well I have to be when it comes to being who I am and knowing how the school speaks of me. Friends sounds like a good option, I suppose. But what about Elena? I know she can be open about her opinions on certain people.” Tatum was trying hard to not call Elena bitchy or stuck up but that was just how the girl came off. Tatum tried not to take it too personal, though a part of her wondered if Elena hated her because of the rumors or if she just pretended to hate her.

She let her eyes look down at her cup, letting her fingers trace a circle around the lid, “You know, I didn’t really expect an apology from you, but I really appreciate it. I guess you’re not all bad.” It was this kind of moment where Tatum wished Colby was single, but she couldn’t be a homewrecker? A relationship ruiner? She couldn’t break up a relationship just for her fun, so she would accept being friends. At least he was decent company.

0k_mang0
--

Echo had a plan, a sure-fire plan to win. A plan to make Liz admit she cares about something or well at least someone. Of course, Echo was a little turned around, she hadn’t quite figured out how to get around the entire school, and she didn’t really get a tour of the place, so she had just been guessing her way around. Carter had been nice and all, but she hadn’t been an actual school tour guide, just someone who liked to have fun and apparently took pity on Echo, which had been helpful. Then she had met Ronnie and well he hadn’t been more than a drug guide, kind of cute, but really Echo didn’t care about his looks, she only cared about getting to the end of her goal and he was a means to her end. And now there was…what was her name. Something weird, something uncommon…Nylon? Nala? Whatever. Echo would figure it out once she met up with Nylon.

She asked a couple of other students along the way how to get to her destination and she got pointed all around the school until she finally made it and saw whatever her name was chilling on the bleachers. Echo of course had a small pep in her step, she was excited to finally have some plan of action to get underneath her cousins’ skin, and she had found someone who would help with no questions asked. She stood in front of the angry looking girl, “I’m Faye and you must be…Don’t tell me I know it starts with an N. Nala?” Echo figured calling her Nylon might not be smart but at least Nala was from the Lion King so it wasn’t a bad name to assume. She held a big smile on her face as she introduced herself, “So you ready to have a little fun causing chaos for Liz?” Sure, Echo could have made more idle chit-chat, but this girl didn’t not seem like the type, she seemed like she had a stick up her ass, but she would keep that thought to herself.

PenguinFox

 

[Soap]

Aeliana

Aeliana had woke up bright and early as usual. Tryouts were today but she was practically a shoe-in for track. Not that track were typically picky with who was on the team, but Elena soon realized she would be the best on the team. 400 meters was practically nothing! She was timed under 70 seconds and her goal is to hit 65 or lower. Granted, it'd probably be difficult but with some practice Elena's sure she could nail it down. Besides all of that. Elena was on a special task-- well, her and half of the grade.

Find Mr. CatFord and snap a picture. Sounds simple right? If only that damn cat would appear. Mr. CatFord was the school's-- yes, cat. He's known to wander around campus and from time to time, steal from whoever decides to have a picnic at SteerForth greens. The brunette had laid out food and waited over an hour and there was still no show of that stupid animal. Believe it or not, Aeliana LongFord needed help.

But not just any kind of help. She needed someone she could boss around, someone with the self-esteem the size of a pea, someone who could follow every order she gave-- and of course, who would object to any order when they're the school mascot? Their job was to go with whatever if it was for school spirit. And how much more spirit could you get when you're hunting down Mr. CatFord? Aeliana walked towards the sad-looking boy with an award winning smile. "Why so down?" She didn't want to pretend to care, Elena needed to get to the point.

"Would you like to make yourself useful in tracking down Silver Oak's real mascot?"

Dede​

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Tatum Elf_Ruler , mention Elena Soap , Xavier KingofAesir​

Speak ill of me? For some reason, hearing that ancient expression out loud was amusing to him. Colby had to gently bite his lips to prevent himself from asking when she was born exactly. That probably would’ve ruined the moment a little. Maybe he would next time if she said any more archaic words or phrases.

“I get it. You don't want to be a pushover. Nobody likes to feel like one. I don’t always handle things passively either,” he said. Then Tatum brought up Elena, and he slightly hesitated how to answer that question. He hadn’t thought much of how Elena would react or feel about Colby’s friendship with Tatum. But it was a very platonic friendship, mind you. Elena would understand that. He hoped so, anyway.

“Don’t worry about her,” he said almost as if he was assuring himself. “I know she can be kind of abrasive, and maybe she’s an acquired taste… but she’s not that bad if you try getting to know her more. Even her Greek friend would say so, and I’m pretty sure he hates my guts for some reason and probably calls me malákas or whatever Greek insult behind my back. Elena’s actually the one who helped me get into this school. I still don't believe I could've gotten here on my own.”

When Tatum told him that he was “not all bad”, a cheeky yet appreciative smirk appeared on his face. “Aww, you guessed I’m not all bad. That might be the nicest compliment you’ve said to me so far,” Colby remarked and gently tapped his cup against hers—a tiny celebratory toast. “Well, I was a schmuck towards you right after you were dealing with a crappy weekend. It didn’t feel right to me that I made it kinda worse for you. You didn’t deserve it.”

 

[Dede]

Stu

Stu was in a focused mood. Well, he was in a mood, period. But right now he was trying to beat his own high score at Space Invaders, so the moping had to wait. His tongue was hanging out in excitement as he endged closer and closer to his goal. 6200. 6350. 6470. Pew, pew, pew. Just a couple points more. . . and then—

The boy jumped from the grass and the phone flew out of his hands. For a moment he thought Aeliana had been a teacher. She did have that kind of intimidating presence, being the principal’s adoptive daughter and all. She was probably going to become the headmistress of Silver Oak one day. Stu just hoped he’d be out of here before that happened.

‘You nearly gave me a heart attack!’ he said.

Stu bent down and picked up his phone, wiping the mud off the screen, only to see GAME OVER written all over it. He grumbled.

Then a realisation struck him. Firstly, he couldn’t believe Aeliana Cosimia Longford was talking to him. Secondly--well, there was no secondly, was there? Aeliana Cosimia Longford was talking to him. For the second time this week. Was the world coming to an end or what?

Or. . . or was she hitting on him? Even Stu wasn’t stupid enough to believe that, but it was an amusing thought nevertheless.

He wasn’t used to talking with celebrities. He scratched his head and got up and levelled with her. Aeliana was pretty and all, but she also had, what do you call it, a resting b—

‘I’m not down,’ Stu said. ‘I was trying to beat— never mind.’

His ears perked up like a puppy’s at the mention of the school’s real mascot.

He was stumped for a bit, surprised Aeliana was being so nice to offer to help him track down Vered, the school’s real mascot. Either way it wasn’t an offer Stu was going to refuse. The sooner he got rid of the bear, and the sooner Vered was in it, the better.

‘I don’t know where we’ll find him, though,’ he said. ‘Maybe we could check his room at White Oak,’ he suggested. A little smile broke across his face. Aeliana didn’t have to help him track Vered down at all, but here she was, being all nice for a change. ‘. . . Thanks,’ he said, still a little astonished by this turn of events. ‘For helping and all that.’

Soap 0k_mang0

 

[Dazzle]

Graham Moore

Graham pouted, he could of tried to explain how he wasn't gay for wanting to cheer. And he could of done the jock thing, claim that he was in it to hang out with 'hot chicks' in tight skirts. But, that wasn't Graham, he really enjoyed the sport of Cheer. Plus he had Meera, didn't need cheer to help him with the 'girls'. Graham rubbed the back of his neck. "I was... a cheer leader, in my hometown."

Graham missed home, he didn't get why his siblings had enjoyed it so much here. But, he was here and there was no chance of leaving. Last year at least he had Stu to keep him company in their misery. Tom was more causing his misery rather than joining in it. Graham wondered how he had even gotten into Silver Oaks, well... He actually was pretty sure his family just wanted to get rid of him.

Unluckily for Graham, he hadn't been so lucky. OF course Tom wanted to come along with him, probably wanted to watch him suffer and be completely degraded by JJ. Graham let his thoughts wander, Stu was probably right. This was probably a bad idea, even Tom was already making fun of him for it, Graham should of just tried out for Soccer. He played a bit back home before he started Cheer. His brother was the star player years ago, but it never felt right playing. But at least he called it the right name, unlike Stu who couldn't stop referring to it as football.

Graham eyed the boy in the tie. "Uh.. You look fine?" Graham raised an eyebrow. He remembered how much Stu had been tormented for wearing a tie outside of classes on the first day of school. He was sure even if he tried to warn Tom to pick a more... Normal outfit, Tom wasn't going to listen. If Stu was here, he'd probably use one of those English words like 'prick' to describe Tom.

"I suppose we can." Graham contemplated the idea of throwing Tom out the window... He figured it wouldn't be too satisfying when they lived on the first floor.. But at least if he did, he wouldn't go to jail for murder... It was something he was willing to consider.

Graham sighed as he followed his new roommate out into the hall, oh how he wished that he hadn't forgotten a change of clothes to begin with. Not only was he going to be late, but his roommate was coming along with him. "So... Are you coming to tryout? Or just to watch?" Graham tried to make light conversation. He wasn't going to be able to survive the quiet walk to the gymnasium, even if he had bad company.

Dede​

 

[Soap]

Aeliana

Aeliana had absolutely no clue what this little British boy was going on about. But she wasn't about to turn down his help, she'd be stupid to. "Oh... you're thanking me for... my help?" Elena had known many people from the UK, but perhaps they just simply had different customs wherever the young boy was from. "I suppose you're welcome, but we should get started. Now I do know he likes to hang out at the greens. Picking food from whichever sad soul decides to picnic alone." His words made her confused for a mere moment. What animal at Silver Oak would have their own room? Besides the cat, animals were not allowed on campus. Much less the dorms.

"I don't think we're going to find him in any rooms. But I need to make sure I get the credit for finding him, my uncle would not be happy if I failed, I can assure you." Where would a little cat be? Maybe they could lure him out? Grab some tuna and set traps up around campus. It'd be messy, but it would be a good idea. Stu would be the one to get his hands dirty, clearly. Aeliana had hated tuna with a passion. "We could set out some sushi of some kind, use it as a trap?" Elena had began to walk, automatically assuming the little blonde boy was trailing after her. Gesturing to the plains and many buildings before them.

"The campus is huge, so I'm not particularly sure where to start."

Dede​

 

[0k_mang0]

Kekoa

mention Harper Dazzle​

Kekoa let out a sigh of relief once she left the orchestra room, feeling the tension on her shoulders slowly fading. She’d hoped being in orchestra class would help make the adjustment at a new (crazy rich) school a little more bearable. Instead, she was stressed with how rusty her violin skills were now. She hadn’t gone to an orchestra class since middle school. During the summer, she didn’t practice a lot and now her left fingertips weren't calloused well enough for the fingerboard strings. It’s probably just the general ugh-feeling of dealing with the first week. It happens to everyone, right? Maybe she’d get used to it in a few more weeks or so... somewhere within the next eight months of the school year. Plenty of time.

While crossing the Memorial Oak courtyard, Kekoa caught sight of her older brother and jogged over to him. She warmly greeted him with a “Hey Matty!” and asked if he wanted to hang out, but Mathias told her that he had to go to a hockey thing. Then he kept walking away, leaving Kekoa behind in her awkward lonesome. Apparently, everyone she knew was busy with something today, and she didn’t know many people at this school yet. There was her brother and father, both busy with their sporty stuff, her pen-pal Colby dealing with awkward girl problems, her roommate Harper doing… um, whatever Harper does these days.

Was it wrong for her to think that Harper had more free time now since the breakup? Maybe a little. But Kekoa didn’t want to be that clingy friend; she always tried to give her space when needed and never mentioned the breakup. This message was simply a mere subtle suggestion than a request.

I’m heading back to our dorm. If you’re not too busy, text me back if you want to hang out.​

After sending the message, Kekoa smiled contently for making her own amount of effort in her social life, and then strode to her dorm building. She just wanted to put away her bulky violin case. She already had her other hand full with a thick binder notebook, plus two or three textbooks weighing her down in her backpack. The weekend would officially start for her once she takes a nap on her bed.

 

[0k_mang0]

Sebastian

with: Stu Dede , Elena Soap​

Sebastian was just hanging around the field to record some short videos of today’s after activities for the school website, and also for the extra credit that he needed in one of his classes. There wasn’t much for him to do on Friday anyway. He was just passing by when he unintentionally overheard the conversation between two fellow sophomores that he’d seen around campus but rarely personally interacted with.

He was about to keep walking, but then he heard more info from Elena and realized Stu didn’t connect the dots very well. Seb immediately understood that Elena was referring to Catford—he was one of those “sad souls” that the little furry demon stole food from. It wasn’t any of his business, but Seb started to think these two were having a rather dumb misunderstanding. Really, how could a cat have its own dorm room? So, he decided to save them from any more confusion and went over to the two.

“Dude, I think she’s talking about the cat that wanders around the school,” Sebastian said to Stu. “If you two are really gonna look for that cat, someone posted a picture of it on Persimmons not too long ago.”

He took out his phone and showed Elena and Stu the Instagram post. The cat was curled up under the shade, somewhere on a ledge of Persimmons House rooftop. If anyone wanted to get closer to Mr. Catford, they might have to shimmy on that ledge or dangle over it somehow. That is, if they were stupid, insane, brave, or all of the above to try.

 

[Dede]

Tom

Graham said he used to be a cheerleader in his hometown. ‘Of course you were,’ Tom answered as he stepped out into the corridor.

He’d been hoping he would get some brains for a roommate, so at least he could have a free lab assistant or someone to discuss particle physics with. There was no place in science for a cheerleader, and definitely no space in their room for pompoms. It was a blessing that they were on the ground floor, so he could jettison Graham’s stuff out the window without fearing he might accidentally hit someone in the head. Going to prison for manslaughter would really mess up his plan of becoming the next Einstein.

‘I don’t do tryouts,’ he said. ‘Or any sport for that matter. I have better things to do.’ Like splitting the atom.

Obviously he was following Graham for the giggles, but he was also doing it in the name of science. Cheerleaders were a strange, quirky species indeed, and he would never pass up a chance to observe them in their natural habitat. Maybe later he ought to publish his findings to the Journal of Animal Behaviour, and become a world leading expert in the field of cheerleading sciences.

On the way to the gym Tom entertained Graham with some interesting facts about the school. ‘Did you know the school lost more than half its pupils in the Somme defensive in 1918? I say if there was a war today, they wouldn’t recruit us. Me because I’m a pacifist and a conscientious objector. You because you’re. . . well, a cheerleader.’

Dazzle

Stu

A trap. . . for Vered? That sounded awfully complicated, not to mention a tad immoral. But Elena looked like she knew what she was doing, and Stu wasn’t going to be the one to doubt the wisdom of a Longford. They didn’t come to own the school by being stupid.

‘I. . . I don’t know if he likes sushi, though,’ Stu murmurred as he scratched his head.

He caught up with Elena who walked with such a powerful stride as to leave him a mile behind if he ever dared to blink.

‘Wait! You said he steals food. . . from picnics?’

That little tidbit of fact came out of the blue. He would never have taken Vered for a sandwich thief, not in a million years. He was going to have to watch his lunch box around Vered from now on.

Suddenly another boy, what’s his name, approached. Stu had seen him before around school, but such was the life of a mascot that more people knew his name than he knew theirs.

‘O. . . oh.’ That explained a lot. All this time Elena was talking about Mr. Catford, not Vered. ‘Yeah, of course—I’m not stupid. I knew she was talking about the cat.’

Stu had tried to pet Mr. Catford a few times, when he saw him on the Green, but Mr. Catford was a pretty grumpy cat who really lived up to his name and family tradition. Once he even scratched Stu in the arm before springing away with a sinister meow. Stu now leant in and looked at the photo on the boy’s phone, seeing the menace in the evil cat's eyes. It brought a shudder to his spine.

‘Yeah, that’s Persimmons.’ See? Stu wasn’t stupid. He knew things. ‘Let’s go then!’

0k_mang0 Soap