Realistic or Modern Taboos and Textbooks

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Caleigh quickly pulled up his contacts list and created herself a profil, even going so far as to take a picture of herself for the profile. Her picture consisted of her winking and holding up her middle and index finger in a peace sign. About that time was when Robin called out and she quickly handed him back his phone moments before he tugged them forwards.

“Bring it on, Belmonte.” She challenged, picking up the pace.

Calleigh sprinted as if it were a 100 yard dash for track. The dash was all about how fast you could go over a short period. While she wasn’t as good as Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell, she was definitely the fastest of her track team. A family burning in her legs started to come alive as they reached the halfway mark. Her gray eyes cut over to Robin to see how he fared and was pleasantly surprised to see him almost matching her. She wondered if he’d be interested in joining the track team.

For now, she let the thought pass and refrained from distracting herself from the race at hand. She picked up her pace and pushed her legs harder, not slowing until she had passed the finish line; Blake and Jackson. That was one tip that her coach had taught her, don’t slow down just because the finish line is ahead. That’s how people lost races or didn’t achieve their full potential.

“Want some help?” She asked as she passed them.

When she did slow down enough to turn back around she was breathing deeper, but not as if she was out of breath.

BLAKE JAMESON​

”Dragon Age, Halo, ESO... to name a few, but I like to try them all.” She said, looking to him. “Do you play?”

Her sight was hindered by the box she was carrying, so she had it more to her left so she could see around the right. Not even a few moments after she asked him about gaming did Calleigh and Robin reach them, with Calleigh going past them a few yards. Blake stopped walking and adjusted her hold on her box to look from Calleigh to Robin.

“Definitely wouldn’t turn down the help.” Blake smiled, looking at Robin as she asked. “We’re you two racing?”

While her and Robin hadn’t been best friends in High School she still felt a little disconnected by the fact that he had changed, and suddenly she felt intimidated at being in a strange place with people she barely knew. Her brows furrowed at the though, but ultimately pushed it aside for now. She didn’t deal with change well... obviously.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Robin pushed himself like there was no tomorrow. The adrenaline rush was brief, but helped him sprint faster than he usually did. It only took a few moments for Calleigh to catch up and run by his side. Suddenly, she seemed to burst toward the end like she had been saving her energy and taking it easy on him the whole time. By the time Robin reached them a few seconds later, he bent down with his hands on his knees panting after the run. "Why?" He asked before taking in a few breaths, "Why did I even challenge you?" Calleigh was a university athlete for crying out loud. The only time Robin was even close to being one was when he played NBA Live.

With that thought Robby stood up straight and folded his arms behind his head. He had heard once that it helped him take in more air. Last one there has to do a dare. Robin's eyes widened at the random echo in his mind from his earlier comment. Did he really say such a thing? It was only because it rhymed. Although he was typically up for anything, sometimes dares made him feel unsafe. Robby blinked at Blake realizing that it was his chance to change the conversation. "Racing? Nah, she was running after me because I stole her heart," Robin paused for a moment before shifting his gaze over to the items that needed to be carried, "Oh look boxes!" He picked up a few and jogged over to Jackson, "What's crackin', Jackson?"

Jackson Deangelo​

"Kinda, Halo's my favorite . . after Call of Duty," Jackson commented as he carried the boxes toward their dorm. It didn't take long for him to feel a slight breeze against his skin blow right by him. Jack gave a slight nod at Calleigh who nicely offered to help the two bring stuff to their room. As he continued on his path, Robin jogged right up to him and captured his attention. "Your uncle coming over again?" Jack asked looking over at Robin. The younger of the two looked a bit confused at first before having a realization and nodding his head with a smile.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Calleigh’s brows shot up at his teasing and found herself more han willing to take it a step further.

”Yeah, get over here lover boy.” Calleigh called back at his comment, making a kissy noise, and laughed. “Don’t think I forgot about that dare, my little bird.”

She grinned to herself at the name she’d called him and decided that would be what she called him from here on out. It was easy to imagine her starting a sentence with ‘A Little Bird told me...’ her gray eyes flicked over towards Robin for his reaction to the pet name. However as she neared Blake and Jackson with her two boxes, she remembered the two football players from earlier.

“Oh, Jacks! Sigma’s having a party tomorrow night. You in?” She asked, looking over at him.

BLAKE JAMESON​

She looked over at Calleigh as she mentioned the party.

“What kind of party?” Blake asked, interested.

“Well, Sigma House is known for their keggers, but over all a pretty decent party.” She commented, and added after a brief moment of thought, “Depending on who you hang with there. You should definitely come, Blake.”

Blake thought for a moment about it. It would be a good place to attempt to make new friends. Besides, wasn’t that part of the College experience, going to parties? Her brown eyes gauges Calleigh’s hopeful expression and she couldn’t help but to agree.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” She agreed, watching as a pleased look passed over Calleigh’s face.

“You’re gonna love it.” Calleigh promised, “You coming too, Robin?”

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Robin was in a daze for a moment as he walked alongside Jackson. There was a pang of guilt in him that rang from the lie he had told his roommate early on about his "uncle". The guy was more of a close family friend than a biological relative. Although it was part of Robin's culture to call such a person uncle, he knew that this certain circumstance just wouldn't slide as a cultural practice either.

Calleigh's voice snapped Robin back to reality causing him to look over his shoulder in time to see her make a kiss noise. He slightly furrowed his brows and smiled a bit especially since her happy attitude was contagious. Before he could make a comeback, Robin's eyes widened at the dare reminder Calleigh mentioned. Shoot she remembered! . . My little bird? The guy faced back forward and walked into the building with Jackson by his side. Various thoughts were bombarding his mind. Was he supposed to worry about the dare, or investigate why Calleigh called him little bird? With these thoughts, Robin managed to unintentionally tune the other conversations out. It was only after Calleigh mentioned his name when he randomly reconnected, "Huh? Oh yeah, of course!" What exactly was he agreeing to? The innocent dude mentally shrugged figuring that he'd eventually find out.

Jackson Deangelo​

Are they flirting? Jackson inwardly questioned as he listened to Calleigh and Robin's seemingly playful banter. It didn't take long for him to move on to his next idea pertaining to the number of times each of them would have to return to the truck. Another round seemed enough to completely transfer Blake's stuff to her room.

Jacks was a nickname Calleigh managed to come up with sometime during their time in college. Therefore, he knew exactly who was talking once she asked about the party. "Yeah," Jack simply nodded trying to recall the last Sig party he went to. Beer was pretty good for the value one of the brothers got it at. Even if Jack wanted to talk about the party, he refused to admit especially in front of Blake that he couldn't really remember a thing.

Jackson glanced at his step-sister when she agreed to join them. He had to bite back his tongue on this experience because it was her first party at the university. Fortunately, he would be within the same vicinity as Blake. The disapproval could be seen in Jackson's eyes, but at least Robin agreed to join as well. Hm, not usually his scene. Maybe it won't be so bad since they'd probably somewhat stick together.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Truthfully, she hadn't expected Robin to accept the offer to attend a frat party. She had assumed that he preferred the company of books, rather than spending an evening with his fellow classmates. Perhaps she didn't know him as well as she thought. A brief moment of curiosity sparked through her and she wondered what else she didn't know about him. Calleigh had intended to use the dare to get him to go to the party, but with him already saying yes to it she had it to use on something else. It was quite easy to joke with him and she made a resolution to be friends with him, more than she previously was. Maybe the party would be a good start.

While she was no lightweight, anymore, she wondered about the tolerance for the other two people in their group, aside from Jackson. She knew he could hold his own, but Blake and Robin? They looked like they had the tolerance of a goldfish, so she decided to question them.

"Have you ever done a keg stand?" Calleigh asked, looking to Blake.

Blake looked taken back, and she didn't speak for a moment. Calleigh watched her eyes flick from Jackson to Robin and back at her. Her eyes closed momentarily before she spoke.

"Once." Blake relented.

"How was it?" Calleigh queried.

"I.. um.. it was okay?" Blake said, not returning her look.

Calleigh frowned momentarily, but decided not to press the issue... for now.

"What about you Little Bird?" She asked, looking over at Robin.

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake knew that she wasn't of legal age to drink, and she knew her step brother knew that as well. She wasn't sure if he would take it well, as she hadn't a clue on his stance on underage drinking. Even so, she deftly avoided his gaze after her confession. Robin knew about the attempted keg stand. It ended with her covered in cheap beer and puking in a bush that night. It wasn't a memory that she wanted to relive. She adjusted her grip on the box in her hands as they neared the building and opened the door for them to pass through. Truthfully there was a lot more that happened that night that she didn't care to remember, but the keg stand was something she especially intended to forget. As she waited holding the door, for them to pass through, she attempted to catch Robin's eyes and give him a look to not detail her keg stand experience.

"Why do you ask?" Blake wondered as Calleigh passed.

"Sigma is known for getting their pledges to do a keg stand, so there will be a few there." She explained, "I honestly wasn't sure that you or Robin were drinkers."

Blake knew that she wasn't much of a drinker. Sure, she'd indulge if it were in a party setting... but other than that she steered clear of the stuff.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.
​

Robin slowed his pace down to walk at the same rate the others were going at. He wanted to find out just what he had previously agreed to do a few seconds ago. What's a keg stand? His mind pondered at the term for a bit especially since he had heard of it before. Was it something that held a keg up? Either way, Robin thought that Calleigh's question was just a random topic out of a hat.

"Is little bird really necessary?" He questioned slightly tilting his head toward Calleigh. His innocent mind rapidly analyzed the term's usage from Calleigh's question realizing that "keg stand" was a verb rather than a noun. "Nope haven't done it," Robin confidently stated as he began to pick up his speed again. This was a for sure answer since he didn't even know what keg standing was. His eyes shifted around the area to find a sign that possibly could have triggered the discussion. Instead, Robin ended up finding a sign that wanted to end it.

Blake was giving him some sort of look that he couldn't really understand while he entered her room and put the stuff down. It took a few moments for Robin to suddenly pause with wide eyes as the memory association between the term "keg stand" and Blake's look gave him a flashback to one of the parties his brother dragged him to during high school. After a couple of blinks, the guy stood up and moved a hand through his hair just in time to hear Blake and Calleigh's exchange.

"Wait, I'm doing what?" Robin finally questioned after picking up a few hints.

Jackson Deangelo​

Jackson stayed silent throughout the rest of the group's interaction. It was a surprise even to him that he remained calm once his step-sister admitted her past keg stand experience. Then again, all of that happened before they even met. What mattered was that Blake wouldn't get involved with it again.

A feeling in Jackson almost distracted him from heading to the right room. Out of instinct, his body immediately turned into Calleigh and Blake's room just before Robin did the same thing. He gently released his grip from the boxes on the empty side of the room before walking out of it. There was a part of Jack that disagreed entirely with letting Blake go to the party. However, he knew that it would be irrational to ban her from something he was going to. Besides, Blake was around his age. The only thing that mattered was that she stayed safe. Banning someone from something would just want them to do it even more.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

"No one gets to choose their nicknames, Robin." Calleigh called out over her shoulder as she walked into hers and Blake's room. “Unless you absolutely hate it, I won’t make you keep it.”

Despite how clever she bought the name was, she didn’t want to make him hate her for the silly name. She set her box down near Blake’s bed and looked at Robin and Jackson, they would most likely be able to grab the remainder alone. So, she sat down on the unmade bed and opened the box in an attempt to help her unpack.

It took a few tries with the packing tape, but she was eventually able to tear it open. Inside looked to be loaded with clothes, so she got back up and placed the box near the closet.

“Do you have any hangers?” Calleigh asked, looking at Blake who had started opening another box.

She heard a quiet curse word come from Blake’s direction, and looked up to see her rubbing her forehead. Raising her brows, she only assumed that meant no, but was shortly confirmed.

“No, I forgot.” Blake sighed, sitting down in front of her open box.

“Well, if you need someone to go with, I’m here.” She offered with a smile, moving to a new box.

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake thought it was odd for Jackson to remain so quiet about her confession. She’d been sure that he wouldn’t have approved of underage drinking. Maybe she was wrong about him. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on the enigma that is her stepbrother. She had unpacking to do. Setting her box down, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small knife that she used to slice through the tape while Calleigh picked at the tape on her box.

She had just opened the first flap when Calleigh mentioned the hangers. Of course she didn’t bring any. They were sitting in a trash bag in the corner of her room... at her dads place. She cursed under her breath as she rubbed her forehead in irritation at her mistake.

“No, I forgot.” She admitted, sitting back with a sigh as she looked at Calleigh who had offered to go shopping with her.

Blake smiled over at her with a nod.

“I’d appreciate that. Maybe after I get unpacked, we can go get whatever else I forgot.” She agreed.

“Awesome. Deal.” Calleigh laughed.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Robin held his breath and eyed the people around him. Was no one going to answer his question? After a few more moments of waiting, Robby blew out some air. Hm, guess it'll be some crazy surprise. He thought as he followed Jackson out to fetch the last few items. As he walked alongside his roommate, Robin thought about the nickname Calleigh had given him. It was no where near offensive since his name literally referred to a little bird, but it just didn't feel quite right. The guy mentally shrugged at the thought figuring that it was no big deal anyway. In fact, it could even be considered somewhat special.

Within a few seconds, both Robin and Jackson arrived at Blake's one of a kind lemon truck. Robby grabbed the left side of the pile, while Jackson grabbed the right. "Uh . . so what did I agree to?" He asked Jack completely forgetting about the surprise factor that he had promised himself earlier.

Jackson Deangelo
​

Jackson walked down the hall and onto the parking lot without much thoughts running through his mind. All that was mentally noted was that it would be their final trip to and from Blake's car in terms of bringing her items in. Jackson approached the vehicle slightly rubbing the back of his neck. A question suddenly popped into his mind once he saw Robin grab a few boxes.

Jack was about to speak when Robin intercepted his moment. "Go to the Sigma party," He bluntly picked up the remaining items from the truck and began heading toward the dorm again. His gaze watched the young man's eyes widen in seeming terror. It was as if Robin wasn't present during the whole previous conversation. "You good, Robby?" Jack asked temporarily showing some concern. Unsurprisingly, Robin snapped out of a realization and diverted his attention back to Jack. "Yep all good!" The younger of the two exclaimed as if nothing had happened.

"You and Blake . . how do you get her to smile like that?" Jackson asked interested in Robin's effortless skill. There was an obvious difference between their personalities, but if Jack could just dig into the main shared foundation that would probably be a start. He didn't really enjoy the tension that could be felt whenever he went home to the rest of the new family.

"I don't know," Robin shrugged a bit interested in the fact that Jackson asked such a . . thoughtful(?) question. "Personally, I just tell her the truth," The guy glanced at his taller roommate once they reentered the building, "Otherwise, it's all natural." Jack furrowed his brows in confusion, while following Robin down the hall. In all honesty, he was expecting to find out a few random facts about Blake that would help him positively appeal to her. He kinda has a point. Jackson thought to himself just as they entered Blake and Calleigh's room. The man shouldn't need a cheat sheet to try to improve his relationship with his step-sister. Maybe a few tips and tricks down the line from Robby were fine, but they would have to "naturally" bond to really understand each other.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

After Calleigh abandoned the box of clothes, the new box was filled with more interesting things; art. She gave a noise of admiration as she pulled out some finished artwork depicting a metal suited person in a dark landscape. Her grey eyes turned to Blake as she turned the image towards her.

“Robin said you were amazing, but I didn’t... wow this is amazing, Blake.” Calleigh admires, turning the image back to her.

“Thanks.” Blake said, a blush of embarrassment washing over her.

Calleigh quickly stood up and walked across the floor to rummage in her desk for some thumb tacks to hold it up. She paused in her searching and looked back at Blake, unsure she would want her poking holes in the image.

“Tape or tacks?” She asked, her hand ho wrong over the small container of tacks in her desk.

“Tape, please?” She requested.

“Sure thing, chicken wing.” She giggled, moving to grab the roll of tape on her desk.

She quickly moved back across the room and was standing on Blake’s bed to tape up the picture when the guys came back with the remaining boxes.

“Look at this, Blake is amazing!” Calleigh gushed.

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake was relieved that Calleigh hadn’t recklessly poked a hole in her drawing, and had asked her preference instead. However, she still couldn’t stop the blush that was on her face from the compliment. She’d never been good at taking them, even when she was extremely proud of a piece of work. She continued to work on her box, finding that it was more decorations and a couple lamps. She ended up placing one by the bed, for when she got a bedside table, and another on the tiny desk provided for her. That would be another thing she needed, she noted mentally. Definitely would have to look into getting a part time job for these things.

Going back to her box, she reached in and pulled out a string of Christmas lights. She wanted those around her bed, so she went in search of a stapler. They left smaller holes, and were easy to consequence when she moved out. Her hand grasped the stapler as Calleigh pointed out her work to Robin and Jackson and to her dismay, another blush formed on her face. Brown eyes glanced over at the two for their reaction.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

"HOW BEAUTIFUL!" Robin enthusiastically bursted out giving his full attention to the artwork being presented to him. His eyes glowed at the masterpiece that showed a person in a metal suit. Halo? . .nah. Just like high school, the guy ran up to the piece in order to exhibit it from its finest angles. It slipped his mind that he was still lifting about twenty pounds in his arms. "Oh, the artwork's beautiful too," Robin slightly smiled at Calleigh before looking at Blake. A huge weight was lifted off of his arms just as Jackson took Robin's boxes from him and placed them by the ones he brought in just a few seconds ago.

On that note, Robin went over to one of the chairs and helped himself to a seat. His leg pushed off the ground letting him spin around a couple of times before abruptly putting his foot down. "So . . when's the party?" Robin asked momentarily making eye contact with each person in the room. It was essential for him to prepare for battle.

Jackson Deangelo​

Jackson carefully placed his boxes down in time to miss whatever Calleigh was gushing about. By the time he stood back up to look at what could possibly be artwork, Robin was already standing in the way. That kid's fast. Jack's eyes wandered to the few boxes the excited guy still held in his arms. For a moment, it didn't even look like Robin remembered why they were there in the first place.

Jack walked over to Robin and Calleigh before lifting the boxes from his arms. It was wise of him to intercept the stuff instead of wait for Robin to accidentally drop it. What were they looking at anyway? Jack's gaze shifted to the piece Calleigh was holding up with all her glory. The man studied the object and slowly smiled within those few seconds. So my step-sister's into art and video games, huh? It was the first time he knew anyone who had the skill level of a natural artist. "He's not lying. It looks beautiful," Jackson commented before catching sight of Blake's blushing face.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Calleigh laughed and rolled her eyes at Robin's comment. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was quite enjoying Robin's ability to play ball with her. Part of her wondered if it was just for show, but she figured she'd figure out during one of their meets they planned on going over the script for the play. After applying the last piece of tape to the bottom corner of the drawing, Calleigh jumped down and walked past Robin spinning on her computer chair.

"Party is tomorrow, not sure what time." She said as she laid on her side, on her bed. "I'm going to head up around six or six thirty."

She stopped helping Blake decorate, believing that she probably had an idea in mind of how she wanted it done. Calleigh definitely didn't want to interfere, especially with someone as artistically driven as Blake seemed to be. There wouldn't be much she could do, aside from help her hang her clothes, but that would involve going to buy hangers. She recalled the play's director saying that the auditions would be in the next couple of days, so she didn't have long to memorize something.

"Hey Robin, when did you want to help me with my lines?" She asked, looking over at him.

BLAKE JAMESON​

"Thanks." She said looking up and over at Jackson, a small smile on her face.

Blake eventually abandoned her box to finish unpacking her box of art and supplies. She had a few more hand drawn images, and mostly pictures of things that made her happy. There was a few of her and her parents, old friends, and scenery. She left them on the bed for now and unpacked a cork board to pin them on. A sudden yelp from the other end of the room, Calleigh's end, made her jump in surprise.

"We should have a pizza night, make it memorable for our first night as roomies!" Calleigh exclaimed, now sitting up and looking at Blake.

Calliegh was extremely excitable, she'd noticed. From the awards and trophies on her side of the room, she already figured that she was the active type. At least Blake knew if she ever wanted to start morning jogging, that Calleigh would probably go with her.

"You two can come too, if you want." Calleigh added as an afterthought. "I'm thinking... three meat stuffed crust pizza and a horror movie."

Blake's brow furrowed slightly as she listened to Calleigh's request. The last thing she needed was to have her pants scared off of her, her first night in the dorm.

"I don't know, I've still got a lot of unpacking to do..." Blake said, unsure.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Robin's dark brown eyes followed Calleigh as she simply passed him by. Six to six thirty seemed like a fine time. Then again, he reminded himself that they were going to a frat party instead of some hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Maybe it'd be ideal to just leave earlier. "Uh, thirty-seven minutes are enough right?" Robby nervously laughed eyeing the chill blonde lying on her side. College parties were definitely nowhere near him being in his natural habitat. Short visions played through Robby's mind of him sitting on a chair with a fake cup at hand pretending to enjoy the ambience, or walking to the front lawn and sitting on the sidewalk counting the cars passing by. Yep, it'd probably be like high school all over again.

In reality, Robin was only silent for a few seconds. However, his mind managed to cover a range of thoughts from the past five years. Blake's keg stand fiasco was the last thing he saw before escaping his brother's sight at the party and dodging the crowd to sit in front of a park two blocks away.

Sooner or later, Calleigh spoke up about the practice sessions Robin had promised her earlier. He slowly moved a hand through his hair with a slight smile on his face at a more familiar subject, "Late night till early morning." Was it a joke? Partially. Those were personally his favorite times to do work that needed the most focus though since distractions were limited around that time of day. "I understand that it could be impractical for you though so just tell me when you don't have practice and we'll run through it together," He concluded.

Robin absentmindedly watched as Blake laid out her artwork for display. There were a few figures he recalled even in the blank daze he was in. Somehow his earlier memories managed to temporarily trigger a more silent side of him. Calleigh's yelp immediately caught his attention to the point where anyone glancing at Robin could have seen him slightly jump in his seat. The young man smiled at the invitation to have pizza. Pizza was his and Jackson's favorite fast food. There was no way his roommate would turn the offer down. Robin began cheering until he heard Calleigh mention watching a horror movie, "YEA- Wait what? Noo," Robin vigarously shook his head.

Jackson Deangelo​

Jackson watched Robin and Calleigh interact from a slight distance across the room. Both of them seemed to have a hidden source of energy from who knows where. After noting a short pause between their discussion, Jack moved his attention onto Blake who was carefully placing her drawn images across the bed. The brown-haired man observed each art piece from afar trying to distinguish who or where the drawings were of. There was a particular drawing that stood out to him though. Surely enough, Jack recognized his step-father and probably Blake's biological mother. The marriage between their parents has definitely had a large impact on both of their lives.

It didn't take long for a random yelp to come from Calleigh. Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he shut his right eye like the pitch hurt. His sharp eyes darted over to the culprit before relaxing his face at the sight of Calleigh screaming about pizza. Soon enough, she was inviting the two guys to hang out a little longer. Jack nodded, but was taken off guard by Robby's rejection. That kid never usually backed out of social situations unless they were parties, which coincidentally he hadn't backed out of . . yet. "It'll be fine," Jackson assured Robin and Blake with his usual straight face, "Let'd do it."

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Calleigh was already thinking, narrowing down the list of possible movies. It only made it that much better when both Blake and Robin paled at the idea of watching a horror movie. She grinned wickedly as she sat up, her legs hanging off the side of her bed while her hands gripped the edge as she leaned forwards.

“You two don’t like horror movies? They are so cheesy and fake, how can you be scared of something like hat?” She asked incredulously, before adding. “At least Jackson is a man about it.”

Horror shows field her cravings for adrenaline, anything to make her feel it really. She knew deep down that her want for the heart racing, alertness that adrenaline brought her probably stemmed from her being given up as a child. Her therapist had suggested as much, and that was about the same time she stopped seeing her. She was doing great in school, and had a decent life, so what if she’s had a dangerous pastime as an adrenaline junkie to help her cope? It wasn’t as if she was dealing, or doing drugs.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she pulled it out, a text from one of the girls on the volleyball team was asking her about the next meet. She quickly punched a reply and then looked back up at the other three.

“I will let Robin and Blake pick the movie. I don’t want to scar you for life.” She relented, setting her phone down on the bed beside her. “But make it interesting or I will have a horror movie on backup.”

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake smiled at Robin’s reaction to a horror movie. They both didn’t like them, she remembered. Her moreso because of her active imagination would often keep her up at night with the lights on, believing that something was watching her. It was very silly, she knew, but her flight response was very sensitive when it came to creepy things.

She remained quiet as Calleigh spoke, choosing to listen to the conversation weather than participate. It was something she often did, most people thinking she was shy, but she wasn’t. She could be very stand-off-ish, but definitely wasn’t shy. Looking down at her pile of memories she thought that it would be best to keep most of them put away. College was about making new friends and memories and she wanted to be able to display that, not her old life that she would t be able to get back. So she packed the pictures back in a small box and slid them under her bed.

She looked up and over at Jackson as he attempted to placate Robin and her reluctance to watch a scary movie. She frowned slightly as she looked back down at the rest of her art box, he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it. His face was unreadable and she found it both infuriating and curious. However she would not ask why he seemed so indifferent, the last thing he probably wanted to do with spend time watching a horror movie with them. At least that’s what it looked like to her. It only added to her dislike of him, and she wasn’t sure if that would ever go away. Either way, they were technically family now so she had to get along with him. She just wished she could look at him without constantly being reminded of her dad’s ease at breaking up their family.

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Horror movies were probably one of the last things Robin ever wanted to live through. He didn't even want to try to remember the last one he watched for fear that all the memories would come flooding back in again. The nerd moved a hand through his hair before sitting at the edge of his seat, "I have pretty good memory so those things tend to get stuck in my head for a while." In other words, watching a horror movie that night was out of the question for him.

A bright idea suddenly popped into the young man's mind as he glanced over at Blake who seemed to be thinking about Calleigh's movie selection offer. It would take a while before they could all agree on a single film that night. "What if we play a game instead?" Robin tilted his head a bit moving his line of sight back over to Calleigh.

Jackson Deangelo​

A memory played back in Jackson's mind as if it had happened the previous day. Robin had accidentally stumbled upon a horror movie, while trying to search up a video for one of his scientific procedures. Little did the two roommates know how miserable Robby and Jack would be in the days that followed. Since Robin's mind continued to replay the scenes in his head, it was a challenge for him to move on from the visions. Thus, a major lack of sleep greatly affected the cheery lad's optimistic personality. This prompted Jackson to try to help his roommate push the dark memories to the back of his mind. It was a challenge. Fortunately after much trying and experiences, Jack's mission was accomplished.

Jackson's brown eyes slowly shifted to his step-sister spotting her frown. Blake really didn't seem to be in the mood for a horror-filled night. Soon enough, Robin chimed in with another bright idea that would likely let all the four diverse minds find some common ground. "Game?" Jack raised a brow knowing how broad Robin's mind span of gaming was, "What, like truth or dare or monopoly?" His roommate merely smiled in response implying that any would do.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Calleigh's plans of pizza and a movie were immediately tossed out at the mention of a game, especially since Jackson didn't have the sense to keep from saying Truth or Dare. A wicked grin crossed her face as she looked to the three of them.

"I'll concede... but we have to play Truth or Dare." She offered, compromising.

It would be a good way to get to know both her new roommate and Robin some more. Calleigh was a pretty open person, aside from her past in the foster care system, so she had nothing to hide from them. However, she sensed that Blake had a lot more to hide than she was letting on. She quickly picked up her phone and pulled up the local pizza store's website, opting for delivery.

"What kind of pizza do you three like?" She asked, tapping her order onto the screen.

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake stilled at the mention of Truth or Dare. She wasn't sure she was comfortable playing that with Calleigh or Jackson... especially Jackson. Robin knew more about her than the other two, and she wasn't worried about what he might think. If he could stick with her through her questionable years of high school, she knew a game wouldn't ruin that. Would it? She chewed her bottom lip, unsure how to get out of the game. Her brown eyes flicked up towards Calleigh in an attempt to sway her, but she found the other girl looking down at her phone. Blake let out a soft sigh as Calleigh asked for their pizza preferences.

"Meat Lovers." She said, moving to open a different box.

It wouldn't take her long to unpack, but she still needed hangers for her clothes.

"After I get back from the store." Blake commented, standing up. "I need to go get hangers, or else I'll never get unpacked at this rate."

 

[Xanto]

Robin Belmonte Jr.​

Robin was smiling in response to Jackson's question about which game to play when Calleigh's compromise rang in his ears. "Truth or Dare it is!" The young man announced pushing his foot off the ground spinning his seat around again. Most of the time truth or dare was a popular game choice that Robin appreciated. He never really ran into troubles during gameplay unless he was playing against his mischievous brother.

Anyway, victory was Robin's! It was in fact a bit surprising even to him that he was able to sway a group of people to choose a game over a horror film. Then again, the guy was aware of the multiple turns the game could take in a room practically filled with strangers. Robin squinted his eyes as he stared blankly at the wall across the room. Regardless of the outcome, any situation was better than putting his mind through virtual torment.

"Alfredo sauce with spinach and Philly steak," Robin replied in deep thought before slowly registering his own words and snapping out of his daze, " - or barbecue."

Jackson Deangelo​

Jackson glanced at Calleigh when she gave her two cents about the game they would play. At least he wouldn't have to deal with a mildly depressed roommate. His dark brown eyes shifted over to Robin and blinked at the guy's final say. There was unmistaken triumph in Robby's eyes that Jackson could easily catch even from his peripheral vision.

"The closest to everything on it," Jack responded speaking like a true (partially) Italian man. Within a few moments, Blake could be heard trying to prolong the anticipation before their truth or dare game.

"Really?" Jack slightly raised a brow before shooting a glimpse at Blake's unpacked items. Oddly enough, it almost felt as if she was trying to wiggle her way out of the situation. "I have some extras . . . borrowed them from the house," He mentioned slowly adding on the last portion of his sentence.

 

[Cindella]

CALLEIGH WILLIAMS

Calleigh slowly lifted her eyes from her phone as she looked up at Robin. She had to admit, that was the strangest combination that she had ever heard of on a pizza. Had there not been an option to create your pizza the way you want it, she would have probably contested it with curious questions, but she decided to leave it and made a mental note of everyone else's orders. She sat there for a solid three minutes placing the order and having it delivered to their dorm. So they had a little over half an hour to get Blake unpacked and prepared for the game.

"Okay!" She said, bouncing up into a standing position. "We have forty-five minutes until the pizzas get here."

With a spring in her step, she quickly made her way to Blake's side of the room and started helping her lay her clothes on her bed to be hung as Jackson offered Blake extra hangers from his room. There was probably some left over in her closet surely?

"I might have some too." She offered, turning around and moving back to her side of the room and opened her closet.

Yep. Many unused hangers were squished to the far left of the rack and she started pulling them off.

BLAKE JAMESON​

Blake smiled at the both of them as they offered her hangers. She was glad that she wouldn't have to go try and find somewhere to buy hangers, especially considering she'd almost used up most of her savings to get down here. It was a touchy subject for her right now, at least until she could look around for someplace on campus to work. Despite the fact that her dad was well off, she didn't like having things handed to her. Which is why she was here on a scholarship and was determined to be self-sufficient. She wasn't below getting hand-me-downs though.

"You guys are sweet." She said, continuing to lay her clothes out. "I would appreciate them very much."

She stood up and walked over to Calleigh's side of the room to unburden her with her armload of hangers and returned to her side to start putting the clothes on hangers. She knew she'd have to buy a dresser for all her undergarments, so those she made sure stayed in the box and away from sight of the two boys in the room. The thought of them catching sight of them mortified her.