Realistic or Modern Westbrook: On The Road (The First Official Spinoff)

[PenguinFox]

The girl pulled out one headphone just as Sick Individual by Halestorm started playing. She gave the guy a smirk. "Well aren't you a nice guy. Does that make me your friend then?" Her eyes flicked over to the window of the truck as their order was set down. "Good thing I was here to help you carry this all. You might have been okay by yourself, but if you dropped it...well food truck vendors aren't always forgiving about mistakes like that. Then you'd really be broke." she said handing him some of the food to hold before taking her own.

She shrugged at the so called hole in her ruse. "Maybe I was just being a good sister by giving brother dearest an ego boost." another once over with her eyes. "Not that you'd need it." she added with a wink. When the guy gave her his name she chuckled dryly. "What, only some people call you that? Not everyone?" she bowed a little, as much as the food in her hands would allow, when Colby finally recognized her. "In the flesh. Though that nickname is a bit of a mouthful. Name's Liz. Don't call me Elizabeth or any other cutesy version of it you can think of unless you want to get cut, got it Jack?"

As they were talking some short stack came running up in a tizzy. He didn't even bother looking at Liz and that pissed her off. If you were going to interrupt people, at least have the decency to look them in the eye. Who taught this kid manners? "You're a little problem." she said without missing a beat. A little rude maybe, but he started it, and Liz never held back. Not even if it was a child. Kid's had to learn at some point that the world was a harsh place and she wasn't going to b.s. a kid to protect their feelings. The earlier you hardened your heart the better. She turned her attention back to Colby. "This your real sibling Jack? Or one of your aforementioned friends?" she considered offering some of the food to the younger boy, but she didn't know him. If he was getting any of the food, it would be from Colby's hands, not Liz's. 0k_mang0 Dede

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Dede PenguinFox mogy and others i'm too lazy to tag mentioned​

Colby furrowed his brows questionably at Liz. Well, that was a complete turn-off, especially when she called him the wrong name. Sure, his mom had considered giving him Jack as a middle name, but when a stranger calls him that? No, just no.

“Yeah, well… some of my friends call me cheesy nicknames sometimes,” he said lamely with a shoulder shrug, awkwardly fiddling with the handles of the two of the four bags of Middle Eastern food in his hands. He was slightly disconcerted by her warning. Even Tatum never said something like that to him, and she was a pretty tough girl in her own right. Just another reason why he would never accept motel offers from strangers.

Shortly after picking up the food, Stu suddenly appeared but not with Maise and Beck. That was not a good sign. After hearing Liz call Stu a “little problem”, Colby quickly stepped in between them, mainly for Stu’s well-being because he was sure Liz could throttle a kid like him easily.

“He’s just a friend. A harmless friend,” Colby clarified and turned to Stu with a stern look in his eyes. Did he really have to be the Dad in the group? Apparently. “Tell me what happened along the way.”

As he started walking to the direction of the RV, Colby looked back at Liz and nodded at her.

“You, follow us. Run away with my shawarma and I won’t hesitate to tackle you like a linebacker,” he warned her casually. He was almost built like one, too. It’s a mystery how he never considered becoming a football player in high school. Sure, Liz was a girl, but he suspected she’d been possibly planning to sneak off with his food. Gender didn’t matter to him when his stuff was stolen. Colby was not a pushover to thieves.

He didn’t stick around at the RV for long. He set the falafels, hummus, and other food on the table, passed a quick hello and a reminder to leave some food for him at Ash, Bella, and Hunter, and jogged right back outside to tell Noah the supply run problem. The guy was still kind of a jerk, but he couldn’t possibly want a kid to be sent to jail on the trip.

“Whatever you want to say about me and Ash earlier, just zip it this time,” Colby said to Noah. “But seriously, I think the kids really need our help right now. So, you wanna tag with us or not?"

 

[Dede]

Stu

​

It was a nice gesture and all, but Colby really didn’t have to step between him and the young lady. Stu wasn’t about to get in a fight with a random stranger. Who had time for that? He had enough enemies as is, and enough people already who wanted to see him tossed off a tall cliff. He didn't need another.

Stu nodded and followed Colby down the pavement. He tucked his hands into his pockets as the chilly breeze was beginning to pick up. Some dark-looking clouds were rolling in from the distance; he didn’t seem to recall them being there earlier. Maybe it was a sign of bad things to come.

He tried to get Colby to walk a little faster so that they would put some distance between then and the stranger. He didn’t feel comfortable snitching on Maisie with the random girl marching right beside them. This was none of her business.

‘It’s Maisie. She was—’ He checked over his shoulder, thinking the stranger might be eavesdropping. ‘... She was checking out some earrings. I told her not to do it, I did! But she took them anyway.’

‘And then I saw a security guard stopping her on the way out,’ he said. ‘So I guess they’ll call the police, right? What if they lock her up or something? What if they get all of us?’

Stu was only beginning to realise himself how serious this was. If the police got involved then all of them were done for.

He turned around and glimpsed the stranger again. When he spun back he nearly walked into a road sign.

‘… Hey, why’s she coming with us?’ Stu asked. He couldn’t fathom why Colby was leading the girl to the RV, unless they knew each other from before or something. He was sure they had enough problems without bringing another person on board. Plus, Ash wouldn’t be too happy if she saw him with another girl.

On the bright side of things, he wouldn’t be the only one who had to sleep on the floor anymore. Someone else would get to feel his misery and pain.

As he was pondering this, Stu heard his own stomach calling for food. ‘Feed me, feed me,’ it would have said (if it could speak English). Man, that whatchacallit shawarma sure looked delicious.

Of course, Colby had to leave all that food on the table in the RV. Stu had been peering at the bag this whole time. Take a hint, Colby!

‘Anyway, we should hurry,’ he said. Colby was trying to enlist Noah onto the rescue mission. Stu wouldn’t object – see if you could name a more wholesome trio! Yes, these were the three amigos who nearly blew up a gas station earlier. What could go wrong this time?

0k_mang0 PenguinFox mogy

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

Colby might have been built like a ripped muscle king, and Noah couldn't deny that he was a nice sight for his eyes to rest on, but when it came to things which actually mattered like feelings or relationships, Colby was nothing more than a cinnamon-scented stuffed Fuzzy Bunny from the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Noah now understood it was a sensitive topic, Ash and Colby, their ship name Colsh, and he wouldn't bring it up again because it was obvious that neither Ash or Colby could actually understand the term 'joke' without the term 'overreacting' and the term 'like a couple of little girls'.

Whatever the matter, Noah had no intention of apologizing to either of them, especially not Ash, and if that was what Colby had approached him for, he should've definitely been prepared for some harsh words, but luckily, there was a whole other problem the group needed to worry about now, which meant pleasing Ash like she was their goddess wasn't the main thing on the group's today to-do list.

"Fine. Give me a minute to change." Noah said before he went into the RV to change from his wet swimming trunks into something drier and more appropriate. Noah didn't know what the hell happened, but this trip was supposed to be about relaxation and not about constantly getting people out of trouble, and the way it was going at the moment, there would need to be lots of saving before they arrive to LA.

Interactions: 0k_mang0 (Colby), PenguinFox (Liz), othersss

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

mogy Dede PenguinFox Soap KingofAesir​

Colby was not doing this to please Ash. He genuinely didn’t want a kid like Maisie potentially arrested for something over a pair of cheap earrings. Yeesh, what was this kid thinking, pulling a reckless stunt like that? One of the top things he wanted from this trip was to avoid getting one person in the group arrested, especially one of the kids.

Colby sighed exasperatedly at Stu’s growing paranoia. “She’ll most likely be put in the mall’s security holding cell, not actually convicted and sent to prison for earrings. And take a deep breath and stop having a cow. They’re not gonna get all of us,” he said. All they had to do was get there as soon as they could, and convince the security guard that it was all just a simple misunderstanding. Happy ending for all.

“And where’s Beck? What’s she doing about it?”

After Noah finished changing his clothes, Colby patted Stu’s shoulder to lead them to the mall, telling the kid that he would eat the food after they fixed this mess. As they walked away in haste, Colby looked back at Liz. “Uh, you can either tag along if you want. Or just hang around by the RV for some falafels with my other friends. I really gotta go now.” She did also pay for the food, after all. It only seemed fair to share.

 

[Soap]

Maisie

The tall burly man was nice enough not to place her in cuffs, or one of those zip ties those fake policemen loved so much. Some people took those types of things way too serious. A pair of earrings wasn't worth a pair of cuffs. Now, if Maisie would've had that mentality only a little bit earlier... she probably wouldn't have done it. Yes, okay it was stupid she knows that now... it only took her being sat down and questioned in a run-down office for her to realize that. "Name please?" Please, she wasn't that stupid. "... Ellie Peterson." She replied to the rather intimidating man. The questions continued, what's your address, how old are you, Maisie just wanted to get the hell out of there now. Jesus Christ. Why did people take these kind of jobs like it was a life or death situation?

All fake. But real enough if he looked them up, they were old addresses. Because surprisingly-- Maisie remembered almost each and every one of them. She always had to find her way back there someway or somehow... and sometimes it helped to repeat her current address over and over again until her breathing was under control. Of course, that was only in the situation of panic attacks. And thankfully, a few weeks in and no incidents have happened yet. "Can I make a phone call? I-I know this isn't jail or anything, but my friends are gonna be worried about me if I don't." Innoence was easy with Maisie.

Maybe it was because she had one of those baby faces, or just something that said, 'I'm totally 100% pure.' But in situations like these, she wasn't complaining. "You're not typically supposed to..." The dark skinned man sighed and slid the phone over towards her, and a picture frame was revealed from doing so. He had a kid. Maybe that's why he seemed to have a heart under his cold exterior. Maisie muttered a thank you and began typing in a number she knew by heart.

If anyone could help her, they could.

 

[Dede]

Stu

‘I’m not having a cow!’ Stu protested. ‘… whatever that means.’

He waited until Colby and Noah were ready to leave, taking another drink from the canteen he'd refilled, and putting his new necktie and bowtie away where nobody could find them, so they couldn't make fun of him.

As for the food they left on the table, Stu was under no illusion that there would be any left for them by the time they got back. Colby even told the stranger she could help herself to it. The only reason she followed him back was probably to eat all his food! Just like how people befriended the Westbrook Wolf for the free KitKats. The world would be a better place if everyone wasn't so greedy and selfish.

Stu now scrutinised the one mass of dark cloud in the not-so-far distance, wondering if they might get some rain before the day was over. Everything looked gloomy and drab and depressing as hell. Oh no, wait, that's no cloud. Just Noah’s face.

While following the older kids, Stu forgot to worry about what they were getting themselves into, or what awaited them at the mall. He just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and making sure he didn’t collapse from starvation, as he was clearly dying from Colby's criminal negligence.

‘It’s a pretty long walk, you know,’ Stu warned Colby, who didn’t have his new shoes yet, and had to make do with whatever he could find lying around the RV. A couple of steps later, Stu turned to Colby again. ‘So… um… you and Ash,’ he said. ‘…Were you like… friends with her when you were kids or something?’

More questions were to follow. He was just testing the water for now.

0k_mang0

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Dede mogy , mention Ash Winona​

Hey, Colby was hungry, too. This was just a little sacrifice for the sake of preserving enough time to deal with the minor shoplifting problem. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone (including Stu) would die from starvation in the next hour. Don’t be such a wimp, kid.

Colby glanced down at his walking feet making quick strides along the pavement. He was still wearing the rubber slipper he’d bought a few days ago from the gas station He just shrugged his shoulders and said dismissively, “Better than walking barefoot. I’ll be fine."

When he heard Stu’s question, he slightly raised his eyebrow skeptically at him. Oh, no. Not NeckTie, too—and yes, he noticed Stu stowing away neckties and bowties like a sneaky squirrel, but didn’t say anything. Colby was still a bit riled from Noah’s and Hunter’s teasing of him and Ash being a couple. Stu’s question almost sounded like a subtle implication, but he couldn’t entirely blame him for being kind of dense, and it was a harmless question.

But still, Colby imagined slapping Neck Tie upside the head for asking something almost obvious.

“Yeah, Ash and I have been friends since 5th grade. Never anything more than that,” he simply stated.

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

The three boys walking on a road, with the hot sun rays burning them intensely gave Noah flashbacks to a couple days ago when they were in the exactly the same scenario, except before, they were going to get gas and now they were saving one of their own from a mall guard. How scary.

Noah was becoming hot again, but this time the thoughts of going back to the lake when all of this was over kept him from whining like a little girl. This time, however, Noah wasn't sweating profusely, so that was an improvement.

Stu and Colby were casually talking, and Noah didn't want to intrude their chat because he honestly wasn't in the mood after Ash's little tantrum, or at least that was until Stu had mentioned her.

"Watch out Stu, that's a pretty sensitive topic." He commented, not really meaning it in a bad way or a way to stir up drama, as he only wanted the three of them to get to the mall in one piece, not with bloody noses or something worse. The carelessness of his voice might have made it sound like he was trying to stir shit up, but in all honesty, he wasn't interested in any more drama—after all, they were here, out of Westbrook, because of the consistent drama which they couldn't handle.

Interactions: 0k_mang0 (Colby), Dede (Stu)​

 

[Dede]

Stu

​

The three boys walking on a road, two normal and one eternal party-pooper. And no, Stu wasn’t talking about himself. He was convinced Noah could turn any room he walked into into a funeral home, that was how bad this Noah’s hormonal phase had become.

It was hard to imagine Ash as a fifth grader. Harder still to imagine her going around hitting fifth grade boys in the nose. What happened to that innocent little blonde girl named Ashton West? There must have been an Ashton East in an alternate universe, who was nice to her not-brother, and did not sleep with everyone she knew at school. And her biological brother, Jace East, gallant and chivalrous, who didn’t use girls as human shields, and couldn’t stand the sight of beanies. Wouldn’t that be a bloody nice timeline to live in?

A timeline in which Noah wasn't such a miserable grump.

Stu listened to Colby with an interested ear. Never anything more than that. Well, just him having to say that was admittance to the contrary!

Noah, when he finally decided to break from his interminable pout, warned him not to pursue. For better or for worse, Stu disregarded his warnings. How sensitive could the subject be? They were on a long walk. There was nothing better to do than kick the dust and watch the clouds, so they might as well bond a little, and get to know each other a bit more and all that. Especially since Colby was going to be part of his family soon enough.

‘That’s cool, I suppose,’ he said. ‘I wish I was still in touch with all my friends from way back then. They’ve all gone their ways now.’

To be sheep farmers, mostly.

He guessed he still had Tom, but that was of little consolation if any. Tom was kind of a package deal. He was nice and all, but to be his friend you’d have to put up with his braindead sister, and his trainwreck of a mother, as well as his horrendously mean and poorly-timed jokes. Apart from all that, Tom Tom was kinda fine, he guessed.

‘So you must know her pretty well, huh?’

… Still easing slowly into his point, still heading for goal …

‘… Cos I’ve seen the way she looks at you sometimes,’ he said. ‘I mean, you shouldn’t take girl advice from me but – I think she likes you. A lot.’

Colby wouldn’t be too bad, right? At least he wasn’t Kanen. Cos Ash really needed a good man in her life. And Colby… well, Colby was a pretty nice person, right? He wouldn’t hit Stu across the head or anything, right right?

Soon the mall they sought was easing into view, rising above the skyline in all its mundane glory. However, there was a very good chance that Stu did survive long enough to see it, on account of being murdered by Colby. RIP.

0k_mang0 mogy

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Dede mogy​

Colby tried listening to whatever Stu had to say. But then, someone didn’t know when to keep his damned mouth shut. Good grief, was he even trying not to be a jerk?

“At least Stu isn’t being a douchebag about it like you.” Colby turned around and held his palm up to bump against Noah’s chest and force him in a sudden stop.

“Ash has been through enough shit already, and she doesn’t need any more from you,” he said sternly to the party pooper, keeping his tone stoic enough to avoid making a public scene. “I don’t give a damn if you were just kidding. You still acted like a putz, and I don’t appreciate it, especially when you got Hunter doing the same thing. You don’t see me assuming or joking about you and him. And I don’t even know if Hunter’s gay or not.

Or I can bring up a sensitive topic for you: want me to remind you what you did to Jonathan? That’s the name of the kid you kept being a jackass to, right? I bet he didn’t find any of your jokes funny either.” Colby didn’t care if it was cruel to bring up that reminder. You’d think Noah’s guilt for what he did to that kid would’ve made him less of a dick and actually think carefully with what he’d say this time. Colby understood when someone made a joke, but he always tried to avoid crossing any certain line. Being a wannabe comedian didn’t give anyone an excuse to be a rude jerk all the time.

“Shut up about me and Ash, and I won't catapult you across the Chicago River. Let’s go, Stu.” Colby opened the mall’s entrance door, letting the younger of the trio go inside first before himself. Noah can open the door on his own.

Colby exhaled slowly as he followed Stu to the store, trying to relax his nerves from the rant. “Kid, no. She doesn’t look at me in a certain way. Now please, focus on getting back Maisie and Beck, so we’ll get back to the falafels as soon as we can.”

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

Colby stopping Noah was sudden, and in all honesty, unexpected for Noah because he didn't get what the fuck he said wrong. He was just warning Stu not too push it too much because of how Colby might react, as it was obvious from Noah's previous words that any mention of him and Ash in the same sentence leads to a tantrum and some toxic masculinity. Of course, Noah didn't realize that he also, in a way, mentioned Ash and Colby in the same sentence by warning Stu about not doing it, so Colby stopping him did actually make sense.

Colby might have been making some valid points but all Noah heard had been something along the lines of: 'Blah blah blah, Ash. Blah blah blah, putz. Blah blah blah, Hunter. Blah blah blah, gay.'

Noah's face, while Colby had been talking, had been straight, slightly leaning towards a smile because this whole drama over a couple of jokes didn't make absolutely no sense to Noah and it was funny how it all escalated so quickly. Of course, Noah couldn't give less of a shit about what Colby wanted to tell him because he didn't do anything wrong, and any kind of lesson, especially coming from Colby didn't mean anything to Noah, or at least that was until the name of a certain boy came out of Colby's mouth.

Colby had absolutely zero right to mention Jonathan's name, and it was a very douchey move which definitely earned him a spot on Noah's hit list, and trust me when I say that you do not want to be a name written on there. Making two jokes about something happening between Colby and Ash was completely different than mentioning the name which caused a lot of pain to somebody else.

As Colby and Stu continued, entering the mall, Noah stopped in his tracks, completely taken aback by Colby's disrespectfulness and his bluntness about the whole subject. If Chase were here, Noah would've probably hugged him tightly, burying his face inside his shirt and never letting go, trying to hide from the inevitable feeling of guilt which was now washing over him, but clearly, Chase wasn't here, which only meant that Noah needed to figure out how to deal with the feeling of guilt which was already heavily there.

Taking in deep breaths and wiping the tears forming inside of his eyes, Noah stormed into that mall faster than corona into our households, with heavy steps, walking over to the mall map which was conveniently placed near the entrance.

Tracing his finger over the map, looking for where the security office is, he pressed his finger against the map once he found the tiny office on the side of the mall.

Quickly walking over to the office, Noah worked his breath up, ready to manipulate the shit out of anybody just to get Maisie out of there. It didn't matter if they used a lie detector on him, he would lie his way through it and get Maisie out of there.

"Um... Sorry, I'm a little bit out of, uh, breath. I think my sister might be here. Her name is Jennifer, but she might have, uh, used a fake name." Noah calmed his breathing down a bit and spoke again. "She is about this tall, dark and curly hair," Noah repeated, gesturing with his hand when he mentioned the height, still looking at the guard with tears ready in his eyes. Of course, he made sure to make eye contact with him, because who knew, he might have been playing for the same team as Noah.

"I'm sorry, kid. She'd already been bailed out." The dark-skinned man said, not at all interested in Noah. He was just a typical mall cop after all, so what was Noah even doing putting up a whole ass show, and where the fuck was Maisie?

Interactions: 0k_mang0 (Colby), Dede (Stu)
Mentions: Winona (Ash), Soap (Maisie)​

 

[Winona]

The last thing he had been expecting was to receive a call from an unknown number, and to hear Maisie's voice on the other end. He was quiet while she talked, explaining what had happened, and all he could think was oh no before he hung up the phone and headed to the mall that she had mentioned. On the bus ride over, he had called his boss, explaining that something had come up and he wouldn't be able to make his shift -- he tried faking a cough, but lying had kind of gone out the window for him. Along with a lot of things.

When he got there, heading inside to bail Maisie out, he had paused for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. It was... a surprise. A shock, even if it hadn't been super long since he'd last seen her.

Bailing her out had been easy -- but Maisie hadn't wanted to talk, or go back to the others. Not yet, and he was fine with that. Instead, he suggested that they go for a walk on the pier. Catch up on everything had happened -- namely why Maisie was even here in Chicago, and not safely at home in Westbrook. An even better question?

Why hadn't she told him?

They were now walking down one of the piers, the cold wind blowing past and tousling his hair. No words had really been exchanged quite yet -- after all, how were they even supposed to start conversation?

"How long are you in Chicago for?"

It was a weak attempt at conversation, and it was the last thing he cared about. There were so many other things he wanted to ask, but he felt like with Maisie, he needed to ease into the conversation. Especially after the span of time they'd been apart. And obviously she hadn't wanted to see him, otherwise she would have sent him a message. Let him know she was visiting.

And he wasn't hurt! She had moved on, and that was good. He was glad.

Soap​

 

[geminiy]

Isabelle Dupont

"Oh please, I don't have to be a mind reader to know you're not alright. You don't have to talk about it right now but I'm here when you're ready. Whatever you're going through, no matter how big or how small, I'm here for you. I promise." Bella attempted to reassure as she gently placed her arm around Ash, pulling her into a sort of half hug. She was not surprised in the least that Ash immediately turned to saying that she was fine and completely deflecting the situation. If the roles had been reversed, Bella probably would have done the same thing.

The door to the RV swung open and in walked Hunter. It was relieving to see him for no reason other than the fact that Bella really hadn't cherished the idea of wringing the poor new kid out for making Ash upset. He hadn't known any better so Bella wasn't actually upset with him but she definitely would have been of his pride had overtook him and he hadn't apologized for making a mistake. But that's all his joke had been: a mistake and mistakes can be forgiven. Bella listened to his apology, offering a soft smile and a gentle nod up to the boy.

Bella had been searching for a way to change the subject and occupy Ash's mind with something other than the prior events when Colby entered the RV with an armful of food that got tossed haphazardly on the table.

"Hey Colby," Bella greeted but her words fell on empty ears as he promptly left, the door slamming shut behind them. "Bye Colby?" Bella chuckled, looking out the window. There was Stu who had previously been at the mall with Maisie and Beck as well as some other random girl. Oh wonderful, another stray. As if they needed another mouth to feed, their poor RV was already busting at the seams.

Moments later, Noah entered. The others were waiting outside, floating in and out of the RV, gathering things they needed. Next thing she knew, the group that had quickly merged were gone, marching away like people on strict business. Bella watched them through the parted blinds, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"I wonder where they're going. They look like they're about to cause a whole lot of shit. But then again, what's new with them?" Bella spoke to no one in particular. Wherever they were going, Bella simply hoped that they didn't destroy another pair of shoes or bring home another lost soul.

Bella turned to her bag that she had strategically tucked in the corner, pulling out clothes and stepping into their postage stamp of a bathroom to change. She had been in such a rush to make sure that Ash had been okay that she hadn't been aware that she was still in her bathing suit and shawl until the chill had begun setting in.

Now changed, Bella exited the RV to hang her bathing suit up to dry before heading back inside. They had left the food just sitting out on the table and she was certain that by the time they returned, there would only be shawarma popsicles.

"Anyone hungry? It seems that Colby bought out half the shawarma stand. There's falafel too." Bella asked Hunter and Ash, taking out a few serving before wrapping a dry towel around the remaining food to trap some of the heat, placing it carefully in the tiny RV oven to attempt to keep it from going completely gross before they returned.

| Ash Winona | Hunter Elf_Ruler | other people in passing|​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Hunter still felt bad even after Ash had denied his offers and tried to play it off. Of course, he wasn’t going to try and push her anymore so he stayed silent, and instead when they got to their next stop, he would still get her something and just hide it in her sleeping area. He wasn’t about to let her act like he hadn’t hurt her with his joke. Sure, he didn’t know any of them well but that didn’t mean he needed any reason for them to kick him out. For now, he had a ride, shelter, food, and company and that was more than he thought he would have at this point. He gave a small smile to Ash, “I’m still really sorry, I was just joking, and I crossed a line. No more jokes about you Colby. Scouts honor.” He even did the scout salute for her before Colby came rushing in.

Hunter didn’t even get a moment to say anything before he poked his head out to see someone, he never thought he would see again. He felt his heart rush in happiness as he saw the girl who he had been friends with during a hard point in his life. The person he first came out to, the person who he could always talk shit with and feel comfortable with. He quickly rushed out of the RV and rushed over to Liz. He scooped her into a hug and didn’t even care that she wasn’t a hugger, “Oh my god, Liz. I missed you.” He didn’t want to let her go. He was shocked to see her in Chicago, but really, he couldn’t remember where she had moved to, but here she was, in the flesh. He could almost cry tears of joys, he had missed her so much, “Why are you here?” he finally got out as he pulled away from her a little. He wasn’t going to apologize for hugging her because this time he wasn’t sorry.

Winona geminiy Twin Fantasy PenguinFox and the others....

 

[Dede]

Stu

​

Well, that was unexpected. Noah wasn’t kidding when he warned him Ash was a ‘sensitive topic’. Sadly that older boy might have warned him a bit too loudly, or too sarcastically. In all honesty Noah should just leave the sarcasm to the Brits.

Stu was stunned to see Colby snap like that, and did his best to intervene before Noah got hurt. Well… at least in his head he did. In actuality, all he could do was stand there stupidly and watch the tragic death of Noah. Here lies the grumpiest, most resting-bitch-face boy to have ever walked the earth. He probably won’t be missed.

Seriously though, he never thought Colby could just… explode like that. He always seemed like quite a chill, sensible kind of guy, you know, at least when he was around Stu. What did Noah even do to deserve such a verbal thrashing? Stu was just glad that he wasn’t on the receiving end of that barrage. It would surely have ruined his day, since he hated confrontation and all that.

Who was Jonathan?

Stu had never been very good at reading a room, and so it completely flew over his head that Noah and Colby might have some, whatchacallit, personal aminos… amimos… aminimosties between them. That might explain why Noah had been a miserable grump this whole trip, and why Stu felt a bit like Malcolm in the Middle, and why— oh my goodness, was he crying? He was, wasn’t he? Noah. Crying. Yes he was. Yes, yes.

Stu didn’t know what to do. He’d probably cry too if Colby came at him frothing at the mouth like that. Now, if he tried to approach Noah and console him, Noah might just FUS RO DAH him into the lake, and he didn’t feel like going for a swim right now especially since there might be a storm a-coming.

Crying guys didn’t like to be called out like that. It was understandable. Stu didn’t like it either when people caught him crying, and he’d done a lot of that than he was willing to admit. Sometimes he envied those popular jocks who never seemed to have a tear in them. (Mason?) What about Kanen? Did he ever cry? I mean, you never know. Maybe the guy went home and sobbed himself to sleep every night, and all the toughness and flexing and a gazillion tattoos were just a façade for the crybaby that he really was.

Stu kept his silence, and he didn’t pursue on the subject of Colsh further, although he’d already made up his mind. Obviously the two of them were perfect for each other. A match made in heaven! He trailed after Noah, keeping a helpless but watchful eye on him, more than he did on the road. Which explained why he tripped into a gutter. But since nobody saw it, nobody needed to know that it happened.

It turned out Maisie had already bailed herself out somehow, and she didn’t need their help after all. Stu should have just stayed at the RV and ate the falafels. Now he had to walk back all the way again, all for nothing, and put up with Noah and Colby throwing even more tantrums at each other. Stu decided he was going to kill Maisie when he saw her again. Then he quickly decided that Maisie would probably kill him if he tried. So he changed his mind.

mogy 0k_mang0

 

[Soap]

Maisie

She hadn’t expected him to answer. Maisie didn’t expect a lot of things when it came down to him, as much as she doesn’t want to say it. She learned not to get her hopes up. Every time Maisie thinks she has it all figured out, a game plan between them, or at the very least just communication, it's just all ripped to shreds in the end. But that's on her. Maisie could’ve called, or texted but that just felt like it would make everything harder for everybody. Even though she probably did that already. “Not long.” She glanced over and gazed into his light eyes before Maisie tore her gaze away. The truth is, she didn't even know how much longer they were gonna be here. Any longer than they already have probably wasn't smart.

But she missed him. That’s one thing she was sure about. "Thank you, for... coming to get me. These past few weeks, it's been..." No, she shouldn't be making excuses for why she hadn't reached out. "I wasn't going to call, not because I didn't want to see you, but because I didn't want to make things more complicated. I... I'm not exactly on a road trip for a vacation. Not that it's any reason why I haven't been texting or calling you back."

It would be easier, much easier if she could just stay here with him.

With Drake.

Winona​

 

[Winona]

Drake

Drama. Westbrook just came with drama -- it was like a package deal, and Drake had always thought that Maisie was above that. That issues like this didn't follow her like the plague like they followed some of the, umm, other residents. But then she was speaking about why she couldn't go back -- why she had to run away, and Drake realized that everyone out of Westbrook was the same. He'd come to Chicago for a change, to better himself, and now Maisie's words were taking him right back to that dark place.

"What did you do?" He asked, rather bluntly. This wasn't... she'd done something, if this wasn't just some vacation, and now she was calling Drake to bail her out of jail. Err.... mall jail, which hardly counted as real jail, but who knew how long it would be until she ended up calling him from an actual jail if she continued like this?

Drake... he couldn't do it. Back in Westbrook, he'd been the weak link in their relationship, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it. But right now, it was Maisie. Maisie was the broken one, and he was being left to help clean up her messes. Drake couldn't imagine why she would have ever hung around him if this was what it felt like to watch someone you cared about pull away.

"Never mind. I don't want to know." Drake admitted. He was... he was ready to move on, and hearing about what happened to Maisie would just keep him stuck right here in the past. "I don't know what happened or... what you're doing, but just... be safe, okay? If you need anything, I'm here. Like a place to stay, or whatever."

Drake would offer it, but he wouldn't ask. If Maisie needed him, he would be there, but... he was pretty sure she didn't need him anymore.

Soap​