Realistic or Modern The Chase around the Rivers | Main Thread

[_amaranth_]

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[_amaranth_]

Carolina Chase

college campus

anxious

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The stone walls of Columbia University were visible from the distance and the institution itself was definitely prominent enough to catch attention from every single passerby. It was a dream of many young scholars to become members of the Ivy League family and many of them wanted this exact building to become their alma mater. But only a small fragment of them actually tasted the air of the university as the procedure of getting in was not only long and challenging but the jury was picky as ever and only the best of the best of the best were good enough to join its ranks. Carolina Chase was among them. She was one of the few chosen ones who entered the class of 2018 as the law major. They all came with the bright smiles gracing their features, wondering what the future held for them. And yet, Carolina’s smile was different from all others.

“You could at least pretend you’re happy to be here.” Tessa Ackerman, her best friend like ever, nudged her in the ribs and Cari widened her already fake smile.

“But of course, dear Theresa, I’m delighted to be studying something I passionately despise for fourth year now.” Cari whispered and removed that nasty sweet smile from her face. Her attendance only had one reason. One reason, two words. Jonathan Chase. And that was also probably the reason she got in.

"Come on, it's our last year. You've survived until now. You can do it. Come on, Chase. Smile." Tessa kept nagging but Cari just wouldn't budge.

Don’t get her wrong, Cari was the perfect-score student, the high school valedictorian and her SAT score went through the roof. She was almost a girl genius of Spencer Reid level. But she didn’t want to be. At least not studying law at Columbia. Apparently, having an offspring of D.A. Jonathan Chase in their ranks was the greatest honor and right on her first date, Cari was called away from her lecture to meet with the Dean. Perfect. Not embarrassing at all. She escaped bullying and childish pranks from the high school she so desperately wanted to go to only to be targeted at the university as well. Just peachy. Thanks, daddy dearest. This is exactly what I needed.

Today she was walking to the lecture of Constitutional Law by Tessa’s side and she was not looking forward to it. Con law was the most boring lecture out there, the professor was a hundred years old and he literally read the book word by word. Well, he wasn’t reading. He was reciting it. But considering his age, he must have given these lectures so many times, no wonder he knew the whole thick book by heart. The thing was, if he decided to give them the final exam right this instant, Cari would ace it. Her father forced her to study, she had to spend summer in his office, learning in advance, making notes, studying laws and various acts, he created challenging workshops for her, asked people from his office to come and lecture and recreate old trials. While everyone was out there enjoying their last summer before the college, Cari was locked inside her house, studying law. And when her father finally graciously let her go, her hawk-eye mother was already waiting for her out there, sinking her talons deep in Cari’s arm only to drag her to classes she had left years ago.

Amanda Chase never forgave her daughter for the humiliation Cari created at her cotillion. She dyed her hair black and blue and fixed her white dress so the underskirt was pitch black. Instead of the white Louboutin sandals Amanda forced onto her, Cari wore the Dr. Martens shoes reaching to the middle of her shins. And her partner? He joined the madness and made an appearance in a checkered tux and spiky hair with his nails painted black. It was the beginning of Cari’s emo punk period and she was loyal to her image. And it was the way of telling her mother she was done with all this high society bullshit. Which was why now Amanda decided that her only child had to catch up. Both her parents knew exactly where her dreams were. And while Cari had everything ready to make it happen, they denied her access to her trust fund until she graduated. That was the agreement. Finish the law school and then you can go gallivanting around the world, doing whatever you want. But until that happens, you behave like the true Chase.

“Oh…my…GOD!” Tessa exclaimed and her fingers gripped Cari’s forearm, tearing her train of thoughts effectively.

“What? What is it?” Cari asked in confusion, looking around, narrowing her eyes a little to see.

“Look…over there!” Tessa hissed and pointed at a certain person in the distance. At first, Cari had no idea what her bestie wanted to tell her. "It's him!" Tessa went on, utterly excited over someone Cari had no idea about. "Come with me, we're going to say hi."

"No way, I'm not going anywhere. Who is he anyway?" At that comment, Carolina knew she made a mistake. Tessa gawked at her, wondering if Cari was kidding or she was so dense or not listening to her ever. Like, at all.

"It's the guy from the End of Summer Masquerade!" Tessa wheezed and pulled on Cari's arm as the redhead was trying to save herself from meeting strangers.

“Like hell. No way, I’m not going over there. Are you crazy?” Cari kept hissing, heeling like a race horse. “Get the fuck off me, I’m not saying hi to some douchecanoe you made out with just once!” Cari protested some more, speaking a little louder than she intended while her friend was still trying to drag her over. “Swear to god, Theresa, let go or else…” Cari threatened and pulled in the other direction just as Tessa indeed let her go. Of course, Cari lost balance, squealed, papers and books flew up from her hands and she landed hard on her butt in the middle of the lawn while her papers ran around her. Her glasses fell midway, sitting on the tip of her nose and Tessa was standing nearby, covering her mouth with both her hands, trying hard not to giggle.

coded by natasha.

 

[PlainWhiteBread]

mood

curious, flirty

location

college campus

outfit

here

"What's meant to be will always find a way."

Theodore's eyes snapped open at the sound of his morning alarm. He smacked the snooze button and shifted onto his side, eyeing the various pill bottles that sat on his nightstand. With a groan, Theo threw himself out of bed and snatched a random bottle, downing a handful of its contents. He was feeling better already. Then, he marked the day off on his calendar, threw together an outfit, and quickly brushed his teeth.

Even now, nearly two full years after being accepted into the prestigious Columbia University, Teddy had absolutely no idea how he managed to pull it off. Sure, he worked his ass off in high school, got a high score on his SATs, and wrote the best damned application essay he could, but when Theodore applied, he didn't really expect to receive that blessed acceptance letter, and expected even less that his mother would let him use his dead dad's life insurance to help pay for it all. It felt like, for once in his life, the stars aligned perfectly and Theodore couldn't have done anything to screw it up.

Well, now that he was here, it felt like all he did was screw up his opportunity. It wasn't really his fault, though, right? It's his god-forsaken brain that kept sabotaging his life. He can't focus without his pills because his anxiety is off the charts. He can't focus with his pills because his head feels like it's being crushed by two cinderblocks. Sometimes Theodore felt like he was stuck in an eternal purgatory of constant, nonstop bullshit.

And then the meds kick in.

After getting himself ready for the day, Theodore was on his way to the exhilarating experience that was Constitutional Law. He was taking the course for a second time after having bombed the final last semester, regrettably. It was only during that three hour period that he realized he had slept through the majority of his ConLaw lectures. If nothing else, Professor Peters' constant droning made for great background noise to fall asleep to. ConLaw was also the first class that Theo had failed thus far, and it sent his anxiety through the roof and caused a downward spiral straight into a month-long depression. All in all, not a great summer.

With a newfound determination, Theodore swore to himself that he'd pass Constitutional Law with flying colors this semester, even if it meant no pills. It wasn't the first time he'd made a false promise to himself.

On this particular morning, Teddy was crossing through a small courtyard on his way to class, and he strode through with a remarkable confidence as his peers went about their own activities. He had taken more than enough of his anti-anxiety meds to quell the nagging voices in his head and, although his head was beginning to pound because of the morning light, Theodore felt like today wouldn't be so bad after all.

Taking in a deep breath, Theo basked in the sunlight and reveled in the scent of freshly cut grass, over-the-top cologne, and a hint of marijuana, "The sweet aroma of college life." He muttered to himself after exhaling.

It was then that Theodore heard a shriek to his right. A squeal, perhaps? Maybe a yelp? Regardless, it snapped the young man out of his thoughts and drew his attention to a pair of girls a short distance away. Specifically, his eyes fell on redhead that had fallen flat on her ass. She was beautiful. Geeky, obviously, but in a charming sort of way, like the dorky girl that takes off her glasses and magically becomes hot in old movies. Theodore stood there, only mere feet away, as he debated with himself. Should he help her or let her sit in the wet grass? Teddy wasn't feeling particularly chatty but then again when does he ever? It's not like he had anything to lose, no one was silently judging him for falling down.

Whether out of sheer kindness or pure lust, Theodore decided he might as well help the poor girl. If it was him sitting there, dumbstruck, he'd want someone to give him a helping hand; not that he would ever allow himself to be in such a position. He stepped towards the girl, and past her giggling friend, before stopping just in front of a thick, russet textbook. Theo recognized it instantly from it's size alone. Liberty, Equality, and Due Process: Cases, Contexts, and Controversies in Constitutional Law, 2nd ed. It was the very same one in the backpack slung over his shoulder, and was perhaps the most convoluted, monotonous, and repetitive piece of academic literature that Theodore had ever laid his eyes on. Last semester, each time reading was assigned, it took him at least twice as long than it should've because he'd have to reread each line at least twice, not that he even needed to read it because Professor Peters would mechanically spew nearly identical information in the most uninteresting way humanly possible. At least, that's what would happen before Theodore fell asleep.

He bent over and grabbed the textbook, along with a few other loose pieces of paper, before standing upright and offering his hand to the girl, "Maybe, uh, invest in a binder or something." He remarked, giving her a small smile, "Wouldn't want all your hard work drifting off in the wind, now, would we?"

Theodore G. Rivers

code: @s e v e n​

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[_amaranth_]

Carolina Chase

college campus

anxious

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Getting into embarrassing situations was nothing Cari Chase didn’t know. Ever since she was a little kid, she was known to be clumsy and a little awkward and that just grew with her as she was getting older. Especially when she started high school. It was something she craved, something she fought for and argued with her parents about until they finally agreed to stop her home schooling program and let her enroll in the local high school. The day she arrived was one of the happiest days in her life and those ocean blue eyes widened with excitement when her father’s car dropped her in front of the school. It was also the first time the young Chase offspring was allowed to socialize with people outside of her parents’ group of friends and she was delighted to make new friends. Until the very moment she realized the high school world was eat or be eaten.

The second she was herself and rejected friendships of the so-called popular clique, Cari painted a red target on her back. Her interests were more aligned with geeks and nerds and she soon found her place among them. However, there were people who didn’t really bear rejection well and bullying started soon after, accompanying her through four whole years of her high school education. Even the graduation day was not complete until the populars didn’t throw full large cups of icy red slushie all over her, making her drip the sticky stuff right before taking pictures with her diploma. It was also the reason why her parents didn’t have pictures of her put anywhere around the large Chase mansion. Being who they were, they blamed the whole incident on their only child and her eager need to be among peasants, as her mother called it.

If anyone thought the redhead had her fill of embarrassment there, they were sorely mistaken. Trouble seemed to find her wherever she went and while her family would never admit it, their name was a part of the reason why cheerleaders and football players at Columbia decided she was an easy target and the torment continued. However, being at college had one immense advantage. The school itself and the campus were large and easier to hide in and Cari soon learned how to do so.

What she didn’t expect was her best friend putting her in one of these situations and when she found herself falling, a small high-pitched scream left her lips right before her ass met the hard moist ground. With an oof, Cari blinked a few times and looked around as most of her belongings landed around her, papers collecting the invisible droplets of dew from the leaves of grass. “Christ, Theresa…” she mumbled and reached for a few papers around her.

“Cari” Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Tessa squealed, covering her mouth with her hands as she stared at the redhead still on the ground. She really didn’t mean to do it and decided to blame it all on her excitement.

Carolina ignored her for the most part, ready to scurry to her feet when an unfamiliar voice hit her ears and she flinched, jerking her head to the side where it came from. Her lips parted but no sound left them as she was staring at the gorgeous boy there. He was dark in that alluring way and her heart started to race immediately. Her eyes went even wider, if that was possible, and when a smile graced his features, Cari was done. Her cheeks colored crimson, almost matching the fiery color of her hair and she forgot her English, her mouth went dry and blood in her ears rushed, deafening her effectively.

“I have a binder.” she said stupidly, missing the good intention in his gesture. Used to humiliation and bullies, she honestly thought he was mocking her so she ignored his hand and pushed to her feet by herself, trying to grab as many papers as she could. Her fingers found her glasses and pushed them back to the root of her nose and she fixed her hat as well although in her frantic hurry, it didn’t sit right on her curls. “Thanks.” she spoke fast. Boys usually didn’t talk to her because they wanted it. Mostly, it was just another way to tease her and ridicule her persona.

“You have my book. I mean…papers. Uh, the book and papers…my hard work…” she stuttered, ferociously ignoring Tessa’s tormented expression over her friend’s inability to talk to any male.

“What she wants to say is thank you for your help.” she interfered with an alluring smile, tossing her golden tresses over her shoulder.

“No, I don’t!” Cari exclaimed abruptly, the crimson on her cheeks deepening. “I mean…yes, thank you. But you didn’t have to…you know. I mean…let’s just go…” At that point, she could mentally kick herself and did what she could do the best. She fled, hoping the earth would open wide and swallow her whole. A hot guy was talking to her and all she could do was literally nothing. And what more, she made a fool of herself right there with half of the campus watching. No wonder she was bullied. At that very moment, she would take seven classes with Peters in a row if she could turn back time and behave like a normal human and not an overgrown awkward dwarf. Her fingers gripped her stash of books and papers so hard her knuckles went white and she was hoping she somehow turned invisible as she walked to the entrance of the university.

coded by natasha.

 

[PlainWhiteBread]

mood

curious, flirty

location

college campus

outfit

here

"What's meant to be will always find a way."

Theodore watched with amusement as the girl's face turned a deep scarlet, rivaling even her red hair, over his simple gesture. He wasn't even really trying to flirt with her. Yet. After seeing her initial reaction, he couldn't help but escalate it a little bit.

"Right, of course you do," Theodore replied as his outstretched hand moved to clasp the book and papers he was still holding, "Pretty and organized. You're the whole package." He teased, his smile growing wider, "I bet you're a smart cookie, too. Probably've never missed a day of class in your life."

At this point, Teddy was deliberately toying with her. What could he say? It was adorable to see her fumble over her words, like she's never spoken to a man before in her life, and he wanted to see just how red she could turn. He didn't think it was mean, it's not like he was leading her on or anything. He was genuinely attracted to her, so what's the harm in a little flirting? It's not like he hasn't done this kind of thing before.

As he handed her the textbook, he winked and said, "Hold on tight this time, yeah?"

Letting out a small chuckle, Theodore watched as the girl clamped onto the textbook and sped off towards the entrance of Columbia U. It was perhaps the most endearing interaction he'd had at that god-forsaken school. Rich kids, trust fund babies, and stuck-up academics made it an unbearable hellscape most of the time. Even with his impressive transcripts and admirable confidence, Theo was an outcast among elite socialites simply because his family was in a far lower tax bracket. They did host awesome parties, though.

Theo glanced at the redhead's friend, a pretty blonde, before his eyes returned to the dorky ginger rushing away. Her friend seemed more open to interaction and for some reason that worried Theodore, made him uncomfortable, even. Avoiding eye contact, Theo began to fidget with his hands, rubbing his left palm with his right thumb, and reflected in the newfound silence between him and the blonde.

He was tempted to go a little further with the ginger girl, maybe brush his hand against hers, but the poor girl was red as a tomato and flustered to hell when she sped off. That and she was already thoroughly embarrassed. It seemed his mere presence was enough to get her in a tizzy, not that he could blame her. Theodore Rivers was a certified heartbreaker, after all. In the end, he should've probably just let her go on her way and maybe have talked to her after class. But, damn, if he wasn't intrigued by this fiery-headed heroine; besides, it's not like he had anything better to do.

After a light jog to catch up to his mysterious maiden, Theodore slowed down to match her pace. It had only then struck the brunette that he, for once in his life, was actively pursuing someone else. Sure, he's made eyes at other girls before but they were just one-time flings that he found at parties, girls whose numbers he would "lose" the next day. Teddy wasn't sure what exactly made this awkward, four-eyed misfit so attractive, but he found her absolutely stunning. Maybe it was how innocent she seemed, or how her lopsided beanie looked perfect on her red curls. Maybe it was because she didn't seem too keen on making his acquaintance. He could relate to that. A lot.

It almost made his heart flutter to think of them being antisocial together.

Theodore's face scrunched, just for a moment, as he pushed the thought away. He'd just met this girl, didn't even know her name or anything, and he was picturing himself dating her?! It must be true, then. He'd lost his mind, completely and utterly. Maybe he really should cut down on the pill-popping...or maybe he could get to know her a little better. Ask for her name, see where it goes. Theodore was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, and the flow was saying, "Get this girls phone number, and get it ASAP!"

"My name's Theodore, by the way." He said, raising a hand to his chest as he introduced himself, "Most people call me Theo, though. I don't really have a preference."

It was now or never. Theodore began to feel a tightness in his chest, the kind of knot that would rise into his throat if he didn't act fast. He was tempted to grab the pill bottle stashed in his backpack, to ease his growing tension and silence the voice that was beginning to stir in his head. But he decided against it. The thought of pulling out his meds and downing a handful in front of this girl scared him more than anything else in the world. It took an immense amount of willpower to continue on.

"Can I, um, walk with you to your class? I have the sneaking suspicion we might be heading to the same place." He continued as his soft, brown eyes gazed at her from the side. He let them do the talking for him, let them show his interest. He sped up, just slightly, so he was diagonal to her. His eyes met hers as he back-peddled. Now, Theodore had her right where he wanted her. A small half-smile graced his lips before he asked, "Do you mind if I ask for your name?"

And then he fell.

Tripped, technically, over a ridiculous, knee-high wall of stone. He let out a yelp as his arms flailed around before his back collided with the cement, probably crushing the sandwich in his bag, too. Absolutely not how to impress a girl.

Theodore G. Rivers

code: @s e v e n​

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[_amaranth_]

Carolina Chase

college campus

anxious

click!

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Cari’s heart was thumping, racing like a prized stallion as if it was trying to break out of her chest and run free, far away from its rightful owner. Talking to guys was stressful in itself. Talking to handsome, cute boys with that smile the stranger wore, it was as doable for Cari as the Spartan race. Her face was turning beetroot-red and soon, it would be unrecognizable from her hair and her beanie. Her head would literally be just one shapeless ink stain in the notebook of a first-grader. And that was all before he called her pretty. Wait! Wait, what? No, no, he was totally messing with her. Boys like him never talked to girls like her unless it was a prank. She needed to get away and soon.

“No, I have not.” she said, sticking her chin out just before she realized he was indeed teasing her about missing school. That overly smart brain of hers was running full speed, gears turning and rolling, steam rising from them, threatening to escape through her ears soon. She was doing what she was best at. Overthinking and overanalyzing the whole situation, filling her brain with questions she just should ignore. Was this a joke? Was he serious? How did he mean what he said? He was clearly teasing her but was it a good tease or a bad one?

And then she ran.

Tessa remained standing there, absolutely shocked by the scene in front of her and she couldn’t hide the grin. Was it possible that her nerdy bestie…? Wow. Just wow. Her sparkling eyes measured the boy and she nodded in encouragement before turning on her heel to follow her own heart but she still watched the boy jogging after Cari. “Good luck. Both of you.” she mumbled under her breath, adding a little chuckle before she focused on her own agenda.

The door of the university had never seemed further. Cari was rushing towards the entrance as if it was the end of the quest, as if it was the checkpoint she needed to reach after an incredibly difficult level in one of her games. As if it was the shelter, the safe haven she needed to get to to refill her HP bar.

Don’t get her wrong. It wasn’t like Cari had absolutely zero experience with boys. She even dated a little before. But those were mostly guys from her own world, nerds and geeks like her, enjoying the same interests, visiting the same comic book shop, playing the same games. She wasn’t afraid to talk to them because they were friends and they altogether made up a whole different category of males. There was a certain logic to it in her eyes and in her world, it made perfect sense.

But guys outside of her little circle? They made her heart stop and heart attack was always behind the corner. It was situations like the one she was facing now that were making her hand spasm in a learned motion of reaching in her back pocket. There was nothing in that pocket. Not anymore. But there were times the orange bottle of anxiety pills was her best friend and she was popping them like candy. Thanks to her mother. You know how mothers usually hug you, hold you tight when you’re feeling down or sad or angry or frustrated, they always have warm words and good advice. Amanda Chase threw her one and only child a bottle of antidepressants and decided she was a certified pharmacist who would treat her daughter back to full mental health. Trusting her mother that one time, Cari took any pill she was given and soon, she was unable to exist without her little white enhancements.

It was Tessa who pulled her out of the mud. She took Cari’s room by storm, raided her pills supply and dragged Cari’s ass to her mother’s office. Tessa’s mom was a psychiatrist and had a small private office right in their home. She was a kind, calm woman who offered her professional help and got Cari out of her addiction. But that was a long time ago and Cari decided to push these memories to the very pit of her brain. Yet, some remnants of her plagued past remained and her hand was not stuck in her back pocket as her baby blue eyes met the face of the stranger.

At that very moment, she was more than convinced, thanks to her hyperactive brain, that he was just toying with her. Cari more than expected a crowd to appear any second now and laugh at her naive ass that she believed this handsome devil when he smiled at her and was nice. “Look, I…” she started but for a moment, got lost in those plush brown orbs staring at her from up high. He was damn tall. Almost a foot taller than her. Then again, everyone was taller than Carolina with her one inch over five feet. Her own expression softened a little and she let out a small sigh. Was she ready to risk more humiliation? But also, if he was serious…?

Cari never got any further as suddenly, Theodore, since she knew his name now, was not so tall anymore. His ass kissed the ground just like Cari’s had a while ago. Her eyes went wide open and lips parted in a silent gasp. But the corners of her mouth were soon tugged to the sides in a grin she was trying to fight. On that ground, he didn’t seem as threatening as he looked when towering over her. A few of those suppressed giggles escaped her and she covered her mouth with one hand, clutching her belongings with the other.

A few seconds later, her small hand reached out towards him, offering him help. “You should invest in…” she started, ready to return him some advice but nothing came to her. “Well, maybe you should just look where you’re going.” she added in her own teasing tone. “I’m Carolina. Cari for friends. I mean, not that we’re fr-...I mean, we could but we are not yet but anyway, you can call me that. But you also don’t have to. Totally up to you, you know. Even Chase works. Which is my last name. My full name, you know. Carolina Chase. That’s…uh, yeah, I’ll shut up now.” And there it was. For the briefest moment, she grew a little more confident and then, bam. Back to her nervous rants. At least the crimson from her cheeks started to recede a little. Maybe it would be for the best for them both to finally get to class.

coded by natasha.