Westbrook Season 2

[DrabberRogue]

For what was probably the first time Jace Rose strode up the driveway to what he was pretty sure was JJ's house. His icy blue eyes curiously scanned over the unusually large building before focusing on the other people at the door: Mason, Drake, and some brown haired kid had gotten out of a car with two blondes and a cat. Jace was, quite honestly, impressed with the design of the house. Even he could appreciate a bit of nice architecture. More interesting however was the reminder that there were, in fact, a lot of kids he hadn't met yet. The new year brought people he'd never interacted with before, and that was just about the only thing that might make attending the party worthwhile. That and...

The tall, blonde haired boy came to a stop for a few seconds, just staring at the house. For once he actually had some reservations about just jumping back into the Westbrook cycle. After the way last year had ended and the way he'd distanced himself from Westbrook High over the summer, he felt a little... Out of touch. Maybe it was just last year's Valentine's Day still tugging on his heartstrings, but Jace was starting to feel as if he were a ghost. Like people really only cared about him when he was around and just totally forgot about him when he left. Maybe what he needed was a little real socialization, something he wouldn't just drop when he got bored.

Jace took in a deep breath, running his fingers through his wavy hair. Tousling it a bit to reinforce that mild windblown look. His long, slender fingers were bare, as he'd kind of fallen out of wearing gloves over the summer. Maybe he was just overthinking it. The whole 'ghost' thing sounded like some melodramatic shit out of a high school drama or something, and that definitely wasn't Jace's style. Nah, what he really needed was just someone fun to talk to. Get back in the swing of Westbrook's social maelstrom.

Standing around in JJ's driveway wasn't gonna give him any of that, though, so he put his legs back into gear and strode right up to the door. When he got there he timed it so that he entered pretty much exactly as a bunch of other kids were, waltzing right in as if he was supposed to be there. As if he hadn't totally forgotten that attending a birthday party usually involved bringing presents. Just in case he might've not technically been invited.

Jace just wasn't a present guy, okay? Besides, how the hell was he ever gonna top a live cat?

 

[0k_mang0]

sebastian

Location: cafe
With: Ash Winona , Tatum, Brayden Elf_Ruler , Ian PenguinFox
​

Sebastian jumped from Ash’s sudden and slightly loud entrance. Her current mood seemed slightly over the top – had something to do with his random speech from earlier? No, he doubted it. The hug from earlier had caught him off guard (his reaction wasn’t quick enough for him to hug back before she left), and he kept thinking Ash only did that to reassure him. He couldn’t just brush aside his worry easily anymore. His older brother had also said not to worry about him and now he was gone.

“Thanks… And, uh, you look ready to go,” Sebastian responded almost awkwardly, like he unsure of himself. He wasn’t used to compliments, and her comment was a bit much. Perhaps, quite possibly, it was because she was tipsy. He caught a hint of alcohol from Ash’s breath, but he wasn’t going to call her out, for the sake of letting her have a normal fun night. Early drinking wasn’t exactly healthy, but, he thought, she probably needed it since they were going to a birthday party hosted by someone like JJ. Still, he asked, keeping his tone casual, “You gonna be all right tonight, Ash?”

Then Tatum showed up, with a new guy tagged along. That couldn’t be Caleb, Sebastian assumed before the introduction. That would’ve been awkward after Tatum had mentioned her relationship dilemma.

After introducing Brayden his name, Seb answered his question, “It’s a cheerleader named JJ. The party is for her birthday. I don’t know much about her, but we can’t miss it because it’s against the rules to miss the first party of the year.” He glanced at Ash with a subtle sarcastic knowing look, referencing their conversation this morning.

Finally, Ian arrived. Sebastian waved at him as he approached the table. “You made it just in time. We’re all here now, so I guess we should get going.” He got up from his chair, tossed away a couple of crumpled, nervous-sweat-damped napkins in the trash can, and waited for Tatum and Brayden to lead the group to the car.

 

[Winona]

Ash


"I'll be alright. Just... enjoy yourself, alright?" Ash tried to reassure Sebastian, although she was sure that it did absolutely nothing. It was weird that everyone was doting on her. After all, what was the worst thing that could happen at a party? She'd drunk sleep with someone? Well, news flash, she'd already done that with Ryder last year, and Ash wasn't intent on repeating past mistakes. She would just... stick near her friends this year, and maybe for once, actually have a good time.

Tatum's arrival was welcome because at least then, the spotlight wasn't on her, and Sebastian couldn't keep asking questions. She smiled and hugged Tatum back, and it was like... some kind of weight being lifted off of her. This was going to be fun. They were going to make sure it was fun, and Ash couldn't wait.

"Hell yeah. I can't wait to get there." This was what Ash needed, right? A night to relax, a night to try and forget about everything that had happened at prom the previous fall. Well not... everything. Usually Ash would've gotten ready with Grace and came with her, so going with a different blonde cheerleader was very... weird.

Her eyes drifted over to Tatum's friend, and a grin broke out on her face. "Damn, Tatum. He's hot." She said, as if Brayden wasn't even here. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ash."

Ian's arrival was a relief to her. Partially because now at least they could leave, and also because there was no way in hell Ash was going to be getting into that car or going to the party without him. As it was, getting into the car was already making her nervous and sick to her stomach, but at least she wouldn't be the only panicking in the backseat.

"Hey, you made it." She said with a smile, stepping over by Ian and rolling her eyes at his weak attempt of a joke. Ash looped her arm through his and leaned lightly against him. This was... fine. Ian was comforting and there was no way they were going to die in the car. Right. Of course not. Brayden was sure to be an okay driver, at the very least.

With everyone there, they headed out to the car with Tatum and Brayden leading the way. Ash slid into the back, taking the middle seat ad pulling Ian in to sit beside her. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she took Ian's hand, squeezing it hard. She closed her eyes, trying her best to take deep breaths and stay calm, but it felt like that was always getting harder.

Her free hand found the water bottle of vodka and she popped it open, taking a quick sip. Anything to distract from what was going on. Anything to try and make her forget crashing and dying in a fiery car crash.

Elf_Ruler PenguinFox 0k_mang0​

 

[Winona]

Drake

Mason's little blonde bimbo snatch the cat of Drake's hands, and panic ensued. He followed after her -- not because she had told him to, but because she had his cat in her grasp. Maisie's cat. The little thing that Drake had used the last bit of his money to buy, to try and make up for what he'd done to Maisie, and now it was in that blonde bitch's crutches. Excuse his language.

And then she was handing it over to the doorman who was taking presents, and Drake froze. He glanced back at his brother for help, but Mason was busy fretting over stupid Stu, which left Drake totally completely 100% alone in this. It wasn't like he could just take the cat back, so he instead, he wandered dejectedly into the party.

He needed help, and as luck would have it, help was there.

Drake hurried his way over to Alaska and Sawyer the moment he saw them, and didn't even give them a hello before he started panicking. "I need help. Because I got this cute little cat for Maisie that had a little heart that said 'I Meow You' because she likes cats and it had little mismatched eyes like her, but then Mason's... Mason's... girlfriend took it from me and gave it to the doorman out front as a gift! For JJ!" His voice faltered. Drake was at a loss now.

"You both are girls. Er... well Sawyer dates girls. What do I do? I can't talk to Maisie without the cat! I left her alone for four months and didn't say anything!" He was very close to panicked tears right now.

A high would be nice right about now, at least to get his head back. But alas, he'd given that up for Maisie and had turned to running. And exercising and all of that fun stuff.

a z u l a KingofAesir

---------------------------------------------------------------

Mason


Hell yeah Mason was worried about Stu, especially when he said he didn't know what 7 minutes in heaven was. How did someone not know that? "It's where you go in a closet with someone and make out for seven minutes. More of a middle school thing, really." Or just something that happened in the movies, because Mason had never played.

He looked up as Laurel called his name and they headed for the front door. The stupid doorman barred entry for Stu, so he grabbed the beanie out of his back pocket and handed it to the guy. "Stu's present to JJ." He said, and then resumed walking up the stairs with Stu after Laurel. As much as he would love to just hangout with Stu all night, or... anyone else, Mason knew that he had to stick around Laurel. It was part of this whole stupid deal, and it's what good boyfriends did.

His dark eyes glared down at Stu when he threatened to drink something... Russian. For one, Mason hated Russia. For two, how dare he try to mess with Mason like that.

"Hey kid, remember when I threatened to shove nuggets down your throat until you choked?" He asked. "We might be friends, but if you're stupid, I will not hesitate to do it again."

"Now go get cleaned up. You smell fucking horrible." Mason said, and walked over to stand beside Laurel.

Dede mikaluvkitties​

 

[a z u l a]

Chase

Hearing his old high school's name brought back both fond and traumatizing memories. It had been the most fun and the most stressful four years of his life. He only imagined college would be both better and worse, though he hoped he could at least avoid as much petty drama as there had been at Westbrook. Without the twins around to cause trouble he might actually have a chance at a normal social life. Really, Chase was just a normal kid trying to get through school, but it seemed like he somehow always got dragged into his siblings drama.

"I go to East Park College. I actually just graduated from Westbrook, my younger siblings go there too." He said, smiling at the slightly younger boy as they stood on the sidewalk. "Did you just transfer there? I'm sure I would've seen you around." While Westbrook was a decently sized school, everyone pretty much knew everyone in their grade and the grade below them. The only freshmen Chase had known was Stu, but he knew all of his classmates and his siblings.

mogy

Alaska

"With lot's of alcohol" Alaska joked as she took a sip from her cup, winking at her friend playfully. It was a relief to hear that Sawyer hadn't gone completely insane, if she had told Alaska that JJ was her bff because they got along so well she may have decided to check her into a mental hospital. It had been strange when Sawyer had started dating Grace, but it seemed that maybe Sawyer had a thing for cheerleaders. Who knew. She was about to speak again when suddenly a very distressed looking Drake was running up to them, immediately setting the brunette on edge. Despite everything that the poor boy had been through, he was almost always smiling, and it instantly caused concern to see him upset. Her eyes narrowed on Mason's stupid face across the room as she listened to his pleading for help, clenching her fists at her side as she took a deep breath.

The old Alaska would have immediately marched over to where Mason and his blonde bimbo stood and punched them both in the face for being mean to Drake. But, this year was going to be different she had decided. It was only the first week of classes and she had already had her first real fight with her best friend, she wasn't going to upset him even more and maybe she could redeem herself for being an idiot the first day. Besides, she'd promised Sawyer she would be on her best behavior tonight and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her friend who'd already had the worst year possible. Drake was right, Alaska was selfish, but she was going to be a better friend this year and make the most of their last year together before college.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Alaska cooed, rubbing Drake's arm reassuringly as she looked around the room and thought of the best way to go about this. Alaska was definitely not the person to ask relationship advice considering she'd never really been in one and everyone she'd ever kissed basically hated her guts now, but she was going to help her friend no matter what. Even if it meant not punching Mason's stupid girlfriend.

"Come on, we're getting that cat back." Before he could protest, Alaska was heading over to the pile of gifts that the doorman had set on the table in the entryway, rummaging through the pile of bright pink wrapping paper until she spotted the stuffed cat. Without hesitation she scooped it up off of the table, walking back over to where Drake was still looking very distressed and handing him the stuffed toy.

"Now, give it to Maisie and tell her you're sorry and tell her you didn't mean to ignore her for four months." Alaska wasn't the best at romantics, but she figured if Drake just gave the puppy eyes he would be pretty hard not to forgive.

KingofAesir Winona ​

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

"Oh, well, it's kind of a complicated story, but to make it shorter, I spent a part of my junior year in Italy." Even though he doesn't really like his past and how he left things and relationships unresolved before he went to Italy, Noah still finds moments when he remembers his life from before, and the person he used to be. He used to be a bully. Not one of those bullies who punched people or shoved them into lockers, but one of those bullies who made up rumors and stories about people and slowly, carefully, and strategically ruined their life piece by piece. It was just what Westbrook did to him, but he was certainly glad that he wasn't that person anymore.

He wasn't really sure what kind of a person he was at the moment, and he didn't really work on figuring it out, but one part of him definitely wanted to know, because as much as he claimed that it didn't bother him, he didn't fit in anywhere, and he definitely wanted to.

This guy Chase, he seemed like a decent person. Noah envied him because he knew that he wanted to be a doctor, whereas Noah didn't have a single idea about what he wanted to be in life. He didn't know which college he was going to go to, but he knew it would probably be something connected to track, the only thing which was consistent in his life.

"It is weird that we haven't seen each other around, though." He commented.

Interactions: a z u l a (Chase)​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum had led everyone to the car before hopping into the passenger seat next to Brayden. She was excited that everyone was around and that they were all getting a chance to bond and get to know one another. Granted she knew that both Ian and Ash had been stressed about being in the vehicle so she turned herself around to meet their gazes. A smile was plastered to her face as she talked with them, "The drive is going to be just fine you two. Also look what I have!" she exclaimed as she pulled out her full bottle of vodka, "We about to get lit tonight, bitches!" Sure, it wasn't healthy but nothing about Tatum was anymore. She had lost control of herself and at this point going to a party with other teens who were drinking would at least make her feel like she wasn't as abnormal as she was. Maybe she wouldn't feel as broken. Plus she was getting the chance to see Caleb and that alone made her giddy, the butterflies were in her stomach and she didn't think it was because of the alcohol.
She looked over to Seb, "This'll be fun for you. I promise! You're way too cool to not be going to the first party of the year." Tatum was in an extremely good and chatty mood, but she had already pregamed so really her filter was mostly gone, if not entirely. Sure, she hated JJ but it was hard to like the girl when she was too nosy for her own good. But at least there was an excuse for her and Ash to blow off some steam. Plus, she had been trying to party with Ash and each time had mostly failed so this was their time to have fun.
She had heard Brayden grumbling in the seat next to her about her and she couldn't help but glare at him. He was making life more difficult for her but she made about most of the words. He had been complaining that he shouldn't have ever slept with her and that she had lost her mind, that she was just an awful friend. She could only hope that no one else had heard his mumbles.

Winona PenguinFox 0k_mang0

 

[Twin Fantasy]

May Gu

How long has it been since she's done something social? Two-hundred years? Three-hundred? She had barely changed since her last social outing, but it felt like it'd been as long as the earth has existed! When your best friend lives across the country, it's not hard to get a bit lonesome. May had heard it'd been a tumultuous year, but to what extent, she didn't really know. Despite longing for human companionship, she often came up empty-handed. People often told her she was "just a little much". Even her parents said that once or twice, but she didn't really know when it was too much. What's the threshold? Why won't anyone tell her?

But parties are full of loud, weird people. Parties are a place she can fit comfortably, mute madness and all. So after walking Blue, she wrestled with the old gears of her bicycle and began to move. Someday she'll have a car, but not yet -- not quite. So maybe the commute was longer than she wanted. Regardless, she entered Casa JJ with a big, toothy grin on her face, looking like she just won the lottery. If she was capable of a flashy entrance, no doubt they'd all get one.

No soda, unfortunately. Not like May is straight-edge or anything, she just doesn't like the taste of booze much. But her mouth is dry, and she figures, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So she takes a bottle off of the nearest table, cracking it open with her front teeth. Ugh. It tastes like bread. She wrinkles her nose a bit after the first sip. Alcoholics must have it hard, drinking this garbage every day just to keep their mood level.

//Open//​

 

[High5ives]

By the time the party had rolled around, Kanen was about ready to snap. It had been a pretty average day. A little volunteer work, little time at the gym, nothing special. Unfortunately, Kanen's 'average day' normally meant being piss drunk or high as a kite. Being sober didn't feel right. Every free moment the urge to drink or something chipped away at him, and the only thing Kanen could think to do was stay active. That was difficult in and of itself though! All Kanen ever used to do was drink! What the hell was he supposed to do now? For a college kid with too much money on his hands, Kanen had a surprising lack of hobbies. Normally, his free time was was spent working until his body ached at the gym, or running at a track until he puked up his lunch. Being sober had been easier in jail because he didn't have a choice. But he could go and steal a bottle of cheap whiskey from any given liquor store now. It'd be easy.

Kanen's car sped through Westbrook, whipping around corners and flying down the straights. More than once, he about took out a stop sign but it didn't deter him. In fact, almost totaling his car in a ditch felt fucking great. His heart pounded in his chest as he floored the gas pedal again and watched the rpm's shoot up. Honestly, Kanen kind of hoped he'd crash his car or he'd see police lights in his rear view mirror. Anything to get his heart pumping. He was so tired of just feeling numb.

When Kanen's car slowed to a stop outside JJ's party, the temperature gauge was reading far above normal. Elise might've driven the car like a pavement-princess. Kanen was probably going to break it before the month's end.

Kanen wouldn't have even needed an address to know this was JJ's party. Teenagers milling about the property with plastic cups in their hands was like the Bat Signal for an alcoholic. On Kanen's approach to the front door, one of the buzzed teens had even offered him a cup. Kanen didn't look at it, but he could smell the alcohol. Something strong, with an almost sour smell. It wafted up into his face with the teen thrust the cup a little bit closer to him.

Deep breaths. Keep walking.

Kanen's legs were moving before he'd had the chance to take the cup. Before he'd had the chance to start a fight too. He was itching for a fight. More so, he wanted to get hit. Not like a little tap to the arm or some shit like that. Kanen wanted to get rocked. Some Mike Tyson level punches. He wanted his head to spinning, for his vision to blur and for the whole world to just be spinning around him. Just something! For the love of God! Break his ribs, shatter his jaw, dislocate every joint below the shoulder! Kanen wanted to hurt. Something is better than nothing.

He hadn't even made it twenty feet into the party before the distinct smell of shit englufed him. His head swiveled, sweeping across Mason, Mason's little arm candy, Drake, Alaska, Sawyer. One by one. It wasn't until Kanen's eyed locked onto the back of some brunette kid that he found the culprit. A deep brown smear, right between the kid's shoulder blades.

"How the fuck do you get shit on your back?" Kanen grumbled to himself, making a bee-line towards the almost literal shit-head.

Kanen's hand firmly grasped the kid's shoulder (Careful to avoid the shit) and spun him around. "Alright, no one wants to fucking smell you, time to-" Kanen had begun his spiel before he'd even looked at the kid's face. But, there he was! Stu! He looked different now, much different from the last time Kanen had seen him, but Stu still looked like he'd just rolled through a trash compactor.

Kanen sighed and his face softened. Honestly, he felt a little sorry for Stu. "You've got shit on your back, Stu." Kanen informed him, but in a quiet enough tone that the whole party wouldn't here. "And, you look like ass." He added on quickly. "C'mon. I think you need a little help here." Kanen didn't wait for an answer before he took hold of back of both of Stu's shoulders and began leading him through the party.

Kanen steering Stu through the crowd probably looked kinda weird to the rest of the party, but Kanen wasn't one to really care about people's opinions. He used to guide Daniel around like this all the time, so it had come naturally, but also, Kanen wasn't trying to hide Stu's shit stain from everyone else. Something like that was bound to spawn some awful nicknames.

Kanen didn't release Stu until there were safely in a bathroom, hidden from the rest of the party.

"Take your jacket off. Stash it, throw it away, I don't care. But you can't wear it around a party and expect pretty girls to talk to you." Kanen ordered. In the light of the bathroom, Kanen could get a good look a Stu. The hair change was the most obvious difference from the Stu Kanen remembered, But Stu had gotten a little bigger too. His face a little older. He didn't look like such a child anymore. "And hurry up. You don't want to miss half the party."

Dede ​

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer

​

Alaska and Sawyer's conversation was interrupted by Drake coming out of no where freaking put about some cat. Sawyer watched him with one eyebrow raised in amusement as he breathlessly explained to then what was going on. He seemed to be very distressed about the kidnapping of his cat gift. It was honestly kind of amusing and Sawyer had to hold back a few chuckles. The last thing she wanted to do was make him even more stressed out than he already was. Sawyer glanced over at the present table and spotted Luke Penn standing menacingly in front of it. She was pretty sure the only reason Luke had agreed to play bouncer at JJ's party was because he had like the biggest crush on her. That guy would do anything for JJ. He was honestly kind of intimidating even to Sawyer. The guy was 6'6" if solid muscle, who wouldn't be intimidated? He was definitely a better choice than Kanen. Anything was a better choice than Kanen Fiaco.

Before Sawyer could say anything to Drake she was being dragged off by Alaska toward the table. Luke wasn't going to let them just take presents and Alaska didn't seem to be aware of that so Sawyer stepped forward to make conversation with Luke while Alaska rumagged around the table behind her. Thankfully, Luke wasn't very observant. Otherwise Alaska probably would've literally been thrown out.

"Hey, man. How are you?" Sawyer questioned Luke, leaning casually against the table to hide Alaska from his sight.

"Oh, hi, Sawyer. I'm alright. Could be better." Luke gazed to his right and Sawyer followed that gaze until her eyes fell on JJ. She frowned in sympathy and patted Luke on the shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, I think you're way better than that pansy she's dating right now." Sawyer assured him. This seemed to cheer Luke up a little and he grinned down at her.

"Really? Thanks, Sawyer. I appreciate that." He paused for a moment, "I'm really sorry about Grace. You guys seemed really happy together, more than i can say for everyone else here." Luke cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks tinged pink, "I, uh, I brought some flowers to the hospital. For Grace. I figured I should tell you, I didn't want you to think anything of it. She was just always really nice to me." Sawyer felt herself smile a real, genuine smile.

"That's nice, Luke. Thank you." Luke simply nodded and Sawyer noticed Alaska slipping away. She shook her head, attempting to dislodge thoughts of Grace. "I'll see you later, man." Sawyer gave Luke another grin and followed Alaska back to Drake. She scoffed at Alaska's advice.

"Listen, Drake. You should've maybe started with not ignoring her for four months, but the gift is a good idea. I wouldn't count on her forgiving you right away, though. I wouldn't." Sawyer crossed her arms over her chest, "You're gonna have to work for it."

a z u l a Winona

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Shawn March Orozco

It's always best to show up to any good part at least a little pre-drunk. Shawn might've hit the bottle a little too hard, but he could still walk, which was the important thing. His high heels lay destitute in the corner of his bathroom as he scraped make-up off of his face. The way the mascara smeared had him looking like the hot mess he'd always wanted to be in high school. Liberation. Freedom.

There was some party going on tonight. Shawn had been off the party scene for awhile, mostly because he was working at other people's parties and didn't have the time. Either that or he was too stoned to get the fuck out of bed. But for once he finally managed to pull himself up by his bootstraps after a quick stint with some old guy he met last night. Just because he'd graduated didn't mean he needed to separate himself from others, after all. He was still everyone's favorite. Lovable, huggable, Shawn Orozco, good old Goldie Shawn in her stilettos and blackened lipstick. She's a brick... house.

JJ always threw the best parties. Shawn knew that much about her. That, and some of the unsavory gossip surrounding her through the months, which Shawn was always privy to. Even after outgrowing high school, he was still a gossip hound, a rumor mill, a veritable ice cream shop's worth of scoop. He barged in, still wearing his cocktail dress, but with no wig or make-up to add on. Simply a flannel jacket thrown over it.

"I gotta take a piss!" He shouted, rather than saying 'hello', and entered the bathroom without even knocking. God, it smelled like shit, what the... Oh. Oh, Christ. No, not the shit jacket. That's bad too, but the one thing worse than a shit jacket is Kanen.

"Oh." Shawn's expression drooped, flattening into one of stern annoyance. "You." He spoke pointedly at Kanen before looking to Stu. "Jesus Christ, man, what happened to your coat, you fall behind a horse or something? You'd be better off just throwing it away." Shawn waved a hand dismissively. "I hope it wasn't expensive, I've ruined way too many good pairs of shoes on the farm before learning better."

He still talks just as much as ever.

( High5ives Dede )​

 

[Dede]

Stu

Now where the hell was that bathroom, and why the hell did it have to be so far away?! Not by design did Stu find himself drawn into the midst of the party, and wherever he went the smell followed him like the Black Death. He was starting to get some confused looks from those who caught his scent, but thankfully the room was dim enough for his manure-stained back to escape notice... at least by most people.

Most, but not by all. Stu suddenly felt a firm grasp on his shoulder. Oh God, he’d barely shed his old nickname “Neck Tie the Trash Can”, he surely didn’t need people giving that name a new lease of life because he was covered in—

Stu turned and saw the face.

Oh...

He was the last person Stu expected to see here. It was just like old times. You know, that party when Kanen was the bartender, and Stu went to hospital? Yeah, the good old days. To be honest, he didn’t think Kanen would get much pleasure from going to parties anymore. Actually, he didn’t think Kanen capable of getting pleasure from anything. The guy always looked like he was angry, or tormented, or something. Like he was perpetually looking for more reasons to hate the world even more than he already did. And probably not even M&Ms or Star Wars could make him happy.

At least, that was how he remembered him, when they last met at the cabin in the snow. They hadn’t seen each other now for months. Still, even though Kanen was nearly a stranger to him, Stu trusted him enough to allow himself be led away from the party. Not that he could have resisted such a mighty grip. He forgot how strong Kanen was. He had to be pretty strong to have sent him flying into a bunch of chairs like a rag doll. That part he didn't forget.

Stu dipped his head and let out a groan or two as he was pulled aside. God, he hated being treated like a baby, but Kanen was a pretty big guy, and who could help but feel like a helpless child in his towering presence? But he was nowhere as tall as Stu remembered, maybe because he’d grown a couple of inches taller himself. He used to have to look up just to see Kanen’s face, now he didn’t have to hurt his neck so much trying to hold a conversation with him.

Not that they needed to converse. He couldn't think of anything to say to him. Judging by how their last encounter went, Kanen didn’t have much to say to him either.

When they got into the bathroom, Stu suddenly felt scared... almost claustrophobic. Maybe it was Aaron getting into his head again — literally. Thing is, since the day he was attacked Stu hadn’t been able to look at a sink again without reliving the whole thing in his head, and hearing his face being split open like a tomato in Dolby Surround, and seeing all that blood pour out like a fountain. Every night he would see it when brushing his teeth, and sometimes he even got nightmares about it.

Could Kanen attack him like Aaron did? It wasn't beyond him, and his tattoos didn't exactly inspire trust.

‘It’s just fertiliser,’ Stu muttered a cautious explanation. ‘I fell into it when I was climbing—‘

Stu figured Kanen didn’t need to hear the story, and fell silent. He slipped out of his jacket as instructed and hesitantly trailed it by his side. He couldn’t just throw it away here!

‘I’ll throw it away outside,’ he said.

Stu moved toward the sink and ran the tap. He washed his hands and arms and neck with soap where the smell might have attached itself to. Then he rinsed his face. Reluctantly.

‘What are you doing here, anyway?’ he said. ‘...I didn’t know you were in Westbrook.’

High5ives
pretend my post came before Twin Fantasy

 

[High5ives]

"Parole won't let me leave the district." The vague response was all Kanen offered up as an answer to Stu. He didn't need to know any specifics. Besides, there wasn't time for an explanation. Someone had gone ahead and burst into the bathroom, bitching about how they had to pee or something.

The stranger treated Kanen like they knew each other or something, but Kanen didn't recognize the other boy. He was a boy. The cocktail dress had thrown Kanen off initially, not that Kanen really cared what he chose to wear. Who was Kanen to judge? He was an addict covered head-to-toe in tattoos.

But still, despite the obvious dissatisfaction on the boy's face after he'd seen Kanen, Kanen didn't recognize him. Chances are, Kanen had been high or something when they'd met. Shocker, right?

Whatever, Kanen didn't really care. He was here to help out Stu, not deal with some diva with an attitude problem. He swung his attention back to Stu. He wasn't going to smell like shit now, but he looked kind of plain without the jacket. Not bad, but not good either. Just kinda boring. Not much to catch the eye. Kanen had to consider his options. The obvious choice was to just give Stu his denim, but chances are it would just look ridiculous. There was no way in hell Stu and Kanen wore the same shirt size. However, Stu and the stranger weren't far off?

Kanen snapped his fingers at the diva who'd burst in. "Hundred bucks for your jacket. Right now." Kanen offered. Surely that was a fair price? And yeah, flannels might not really be Stu's style, but that's what high school was for, wasn't it? Discovering yourself or some bullshit like that? Besides, it was supposed to be good to get out of your comfort zone.

Dede Twin Fantasy​

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Shawn March Orozco

Shawn isn't sure whether to be offended or relieved that Kanen doesn't recognize him. Sure, dealer scum like him probably don't bother memorizing the faces of their patrons, but Shawn considers himself far beyond the average person. (For the record, he doesn't think all dealers are scum. Just Kanen, and really anyone else dealing hard drugs to minors, because that's a generally shitty thing to do.)

"Pay me first." Shawn turns his nose up a bit, ruffling his jacket. "It's cold as balls outside and this is all I have. I don't trust you to not run off without paying me." He figures that's a fair enough statement, all things considered. Westbrook is a shithole among shitholes, so robberies are probably the least suspicious thing that happens. "Plus, whenever someone says they'll 'pay me back later', they end up paying me back, like, never." His lip curls. At the very least, he wants to be compensated properly for his second-favorite flannel. (It used to be his first favorite until Asshole Goat pissed on it that one time.) Maybe this can also be considered payment for that one time he tried to drag Shawn and June into his freakazoid drug ring.

Something which he presumably does not remember.

( High5ives Dede )​

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Catching one of the streamers, Juliette got to work. "Oh. Thank you." It was nice for Ava to wish her a happy birthday, but why did it have to feel so... awkward around them? Ever since prom night something lingered between the two girls and JJ just couldn't place what it was. "Above the archway over here, so I can take photos near the banner. It's going to look a-maz-ing." The brunette was excited and it was hard to not notice it.

Her sixteenth birthday didn't prove to be the best one, considering she caught Bryan in the act of flirting with another woman. Juliette didn't talk to him for a solid 3 weeks after that. Anyway, that was only one of the reasons why her birthday sucked last year. Hardly anyone showed up with presents, and... sure, JJ is rich but that doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate presents whenever she gets them. That's why tonight there was a rule, no present. No entry.

Thanks to Luke basically volunteering to be a bodyguard of sorts for tonight, she was bound to get tons of presents. What? It made her feel special. It was her birthday after all and tonight, Juliette was a queen-- and, all the other days of course, considering she won prom queen. It was on a technicality, but who got the crown in the end?

Exactly.

"Ew. No I didn't invite her. But... I invited the cheer team, so... whatever. I'm enjoying tonight and no blonde airhead is going to mess it up for me tonight."

It was odd how those words could add to almost any of the blondes in WestBrook, but hair color didn't matter here, Juliette was set on this birthday being everything she wanted it to be.

--

A few hours later, the party was almost in full swing. Pink was everywhere with the occasional purple thrown in. Blue was her favorite color but pink seemed more appropriate for JJ. She stood at the top of the stairs, overlooking everyone else with a small smile across her face. It looked perfect, she looked perfect, tonight was going to be perfect. Adjusting the slightly sparkled and diamond tiara on her head, she made her way downstairs.

Yes, it's a real crown. It was only like... 1200 dollars? Maybe? She doesn't remember. Oh well, it's doing what it's supposed to.

Her gaze swept across the rest of the party. The photo booth, the snack table, the kitchen archway was wide enough she could see the cake near the bottom of the stairs. Multiple tiers of the cake and butterflies were around it, surronding it along with fake diamonds. It looked great. Luke was doing his job quite efficiently, the stack of presents near the doorway seemed promising. The ugly stuff could go to Sawyer, Juliette decided the messy blonde would enjoy them more than her. Music was loud but not loud where you couldn't hear people, tonight wasn't about it being a rager. It was just celebrating her.

Someone had the audacity to across her path right as she descended from the stairs, bumping into JJ and the crown fell to the floor. Thankfully, not broken but a gasp escaped her from the sheer fear of it breaking. Her anger only rose to see who she bumped into.

A Vaughn.

Of course it was.

"Minuteman."

"I mean-- Ryder! How nice of you to show up. Which present is yours?" Her smile widened, threateningly sweeter by the second.

a z u l a




​

 

[Winona]

Drake


He watched in numb, worried silence as Sawyer and Alaska went to work in getting his gift back. To be honest, he hadn't expected to be able to hold that little mismatched eyed cat in his hands again, and he swore he stopped breathing until they were returning to him, the little stuffed cat in Alaska's hands. A breath of relief escaped his lungs and he took the cat back, holding it tightly in his hands. God, it was a miracle he had even survived last year without Alaska.

And then they were both giving him advice, and Alaska's words made him smile, and then Sawyer just left him scared. The smile dropped from his face, he felt sick to his stomach, and he really just wanted to go cry. Or maybe, you know, take a couple hits off a joint. Something to loosen the nerves, but he'd given up drugs. And it fucking sucked.

"Okay but what if I go and apologize, but then something stupid happens and I end up back in residential and not talking to her again because you get no calls in there. It sucks. And then I do the same thing to her again and like, I can't just keep buying her stuffed cats to try and make up for this again and again and--"

His nervous stammering stopped, his eyes growing wide as he saw Maisie just behind Alaska and Sawyer. He quickly dove behind the tall blonde, peeking over her shoulder and pointing towards her. "Alaska, that's Maisie." He whispered. And if reality was some stupid cartoon, there would probably be hearts coming out of his eyes.

"This cat was a stupid idea. I can't do this. I need something better."

a z u l a KingofAesir​

 

[Dede]

Stu

Stu glanced at the newcomer, and then back at Kanen, and then at the newcomer again. He looked so pompous in that cocktail dress of his you might think he’d just escaped from the Hunger Games set. No way this kid had ever seen a farm in his life.

‘I don’t want your jacket,’ Stu said, rather dismissively.

He now looked back at Kanen. ‘You don’t have to pretend to care about me,' he said. 'I’m not a little kid anymore.’

Did Kanen really think just dropping a hundred dollars of cash would suddenly fix everything? He probably did it to feel chivalric or something, but Stu had no time for such empty heroics. Not after all the things Kanen had done.

‘You just disappeared. You never told me why. I was so worried,’ he said. ‘And I went looking for you in Boston. But then you came back, and you wouldn’t even talk to me. I thought I’d done something wrong.’

He shook his head in disappointment. ‘I thought we were friends,’ Stu said.

A silence.

‘…You treat everyone like shit,’ he gestured at the literal shit on his jacket for comparison. ‘And you wonder why everything’s so miserable— well it’s not a mystery. You're not the only one with problems, or feelings.‘

Stu didn't realise he'd been so upset with Kanen, but it turned out he was. Having turned away from him he tried pushing through the door and— BAM! Well, he was supposed to pull wasn’t he? God, he couldn’t even do his dramatic exit properly. And now he'd embarrassed himself in front of both Kanen and Teen Vampire, and his scrawny little shoulder was hurting. Whatever.

High5ives Twin Fantasy

 

[Winona]

Ava


After helping JJ set up for the party, her only friend had disappeared, leaving Ava alone to wander around the party. Eventually, she'd done what any anti-social hater of people would do. She had seated herself at the island in JJ's kitchen with a can of a pop and a giant bowl of chips. It wasn't like there was anything else to do, so she took to people watching.

Her eyes drifted over the scores of people that she hardly even knew. Like seriously. Where had all of these people been during her high school career? Something maybe finally clicked with Ava, and she realized that yeah, although she had amazing grades and could easily get into most universities, she had absolutely no memories of high school.

The only memories she had were wrapped up in JJ. How was it that for all of her avoidance of people, especially popular people, she found herself hanging out with JJ? It wasn't like she was just an every day cheerleader -- Juliette Jameson was the stereotypical prep, from the birthday crown she wore down to the way she treated people.

Ava sighed and leaned against the counter, propping one arm up, she leaned her head against her hand and tossed another chip in her mouth. Someone approached the island, and Ava just narrowed her eyes at them until they ran off without taking anything. A wicked smile crossed her face, probably the first one since the party had started.​

 

[Winona]

Beau

After flipping through her rather extensive collection of bows, Beau had finally decided on a simple dark peach colored one. She pulled her hair back into its typical ponytail and then carefully placed the bow. A smile into the mirror, and Beau was ready to go to her first ever high school party in America. OMG. It was so exciting.

And although she had wanted to arrive with Noah, he'd been awfully difficult to locate these last few days, so Beau decided that she would go first and then meet up with him later. After all, she was ready to dance and enjoy herself. It wasn't her fault that her boyfriend was slow, and it was even less her fault that her stupid little brother decided to hang home.

The walk to JJ's house was long and it really sucked, but as she was on her way, she caught sight of a certain someone, and Beau was stuck in her tracks. It was the old love of her life -- Kanen. He was back and here, and he hadn't even bothered to talk to her! She thought back to that picture of him getting married to that black-haired cretin, and Beau decided that she needed answers. She started to march her way up, but was stopped by the bouncer demanding she hand over a gif for JJ.

With a roll of her eyes, Beau dropped the present onto the table beside the others. She had brought an aggressively large pink bow that also had some beautiful glitter on it.

The toll paid, she slipped into the crowd to try and hunt down Kanen, but she was too slow. He had already started talking to that Stuart and now they were making their way across the floor.

By time Beau managed to catch up with the love of her life, they had disappeared into a bathroom. Beau paused. Would she really be willing to knock down the bathroom door in order to demand answers from her love? What did that many boys even do in a bathroom together? There were so many unanswered questions, but...

Beau knew what she had to do.

The door was unlocked, so she pushed it open, although there was some resistance from someone. Stepping into the bathroom, she glared behind the door to find that the resistance was none other than Stuart. She should have expected that. Beau sent him a look of death -- not that Stu saw it since he was clenching his nose from the door -- and then looked towards Kanen, her hands on her hips.

"Bae! How could you leave me and get married to that R@v3n?" The look of hurt in her eyes was extreme. The disgust, the pain, the betrayal, but also, a need for drama.

She didn't even notice the other person standing in there with them.

Dede High5ives Twin Fantasy​

 

[Winona]

Adriane

Everything hurt.

Despite her best attempts to stay out of Westbrook and remove herself from everything and everyone, her parents had insisted that they needed to return eventually. To return to work and normal every day life. Well, normal life for them. For Adriane, she was stuck to this hospital bed, drugged on more medications than she could count to keep herself alive.

The pain had started, and then it had just been downhill from there. It had been a good couple months that she had been in the hospital, and she was hoping that they would release her soon. Or, well, there was a chance that Adriane would end up just dying in this hospital bed and that was something she did not want.

For whatever reason, they had placed her in the pediatrics unit. In the exact same room that she had spent a couple years in when they deemed her too sick to leave. Glaring at the little teddy bears, Adriane decided that she needed to get out. Now. She couldn't handle looking at those ridiculously happy bears lining the walls a second longer, but sitting up just sent waves of pain through her body and she ended up falling back into the pillows, her head swimming.

Fuck this.

Soap Just for you.

--------------------------------------

Milos

He'd been a little--

Okay, no, he'd be extremely nervous about coming to this party tonight. How was it that despite being in this school for over a year, Milos still faltered in the whole making friends department? He'd managed to make it past the gift bouncer, and was now actually in the party. Which was terrifying in and of itself, and Milos had so far seen no one he knew.

Granted, his only real friend was Dani, and she hadn't wanted to come to a high school party. Not that Milos blamed her, because he'd been apprehensive, too, but Cam had said he would be here. Which meant that obviously after the flirt session that left Milos near fainting from how nervous he had been, he had to come.

God. He was at a party. Just to maybe see a boy.

And so far, Milos didn't see him. He tried to slip his way through the throng of already dancing teenagers, but somehow got stuck about halfway through. Fellow teenagers that he swore he had never met were suddenly grabbing his hands and pulling him into their little dance circle, and Milos had no one way of escaping.​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Laurel​

Once inside, Laurel decided to take a moment to look around as she waited for Mason to join her. There were so many people here, weren’t there? And everyone was packed in so tight.

To be honest, Laurel loved it. It was the perfect breeding ground for drama.

Maybe she should find a friend of some sort to talk to. Immediately, she thought JJ, but that was stupid. This was JJ’s party- she had hosting to do.

Sadly, Laurel wasn’t seeing anyone she really knew right now. There really were a lot of losers at this party, though, weren’t there?

Mason was at her side now, and she turned to him with a smile, trailing the backs of her fingers down his arm for a second.

“Thank you for coming with me, Mason. I really appreciate it… Let’s go get some soda.”

With that, she headed towards the kitchen

Winona Soap​

~`*`~​

Aaron​

Aaron wasn’t quite sure what he was doing here.

Scratch that- Parties were a good way to end up buzzed, and if he went to this party, he was basically guaranteed a pass to more for the price of a set of Claire’s earrings and the time it took to make them look more respectable.

Still, that didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to deal with anyone. He’d much rather stay out on the porch, sipping at his beer as he listened to the music he was sure was deafening inside float out in an almost pleasant manner.

And no one was bothering him. He could just get buzzed and go home.

What could go wrong, right?

OPEN​

~`*`~​

Casper​

It had taken Casper exactly five seconds to lose Aaron, though Casper couldn’t really be blamed. Inside the house was busy and crowded and people were everywhere and to be honest, Casper just immediately needed to breathe.

Which is how he ended up pressed against a wall with his eyes shut, listening to music thump loud enough it felt like it was his heartbeat.

He didn't like parties. He really didn't.

OPEN​

 

[Soap]

Evie

The weekend went by fairly quiet and very heavily irritating. Evie continued to hide out in Grace's room here and there, but of course, she couldn't always hang out near there. They'll find her hiding spot sooner or later. It's not like they'll blame the coma girl for kidnapping-- yes, she now learned she wasn't super sleepy or whatever like that dumb princess in the movies, she was in a coma. And while it was sad for her that she might never wake up, well, that wasn't Evie's problem.

What was, however was delaying the inevitable, but you'd be stupid to believe she wasn't going to try.

Riding her skateboard across the halls and successfully evading a certain nurse, there wasn't any other coma patients in this hospital sadly. When people say WestBrook is small, they aren't lying. This town needs more coma people in here.

Besides that point, Evie was scoping out her second hiding spot and her gaze landed on a familiar sight. A last glance around her to make sure she wasn't seen, the brunette rolled into the room. "Hey, you're back." The redhead probably wasn't very fond of her but that wasn't going to stop Evie from pestering her for her own gain. "Aren't you like super old though. This wing is for babies." Well... that probably was a poor choice of words. "I'm not a baby though." She said, crossing her arms defensively before the girl had a chance to say something smart.

"How long are you gonna stay this time around?"

Winona​

 

[a z u l a]

Chase

"Italy? That's really cool." Chase remarked, impressed that Noah had already ventured on a study abroad. It was his goal to travel before he settled into his boring adult job, he really didn't care where but really anywhere was better than Westbrook. It was a rumor mill and everyone was so obsessed with everyone else's drama that they forgot about their own lives. Chase couldn't stand it, and he was happy to be at least partly out of Westbrook. His family was within driving distance and he was finally making something of himself so he didn't have to rely on his parents.

"Yeah, well sometimes it takes an elbow to the face to notice people." The older boy joked, still feeling pretty bad about the whole ordeal but hoping he could joke his way out of the awkwardness. He was thankful Noah was so cool about it, he knew a lot of people in Westbrook who would've flipped shit. Two of them happened to be related to him.

As nice as it was talking to a new friend, if Chase didn't get home soon he would be late for class. "Well I've got to go, but I hope I see you around, Noah." He smiled, extending his hand for the boy to shake before running off, turning to give a little wave as he continued on his way.

mogy


Alaska

"Thanks for covering." The brunette bumped her friend's shoulder, not having to deal with Luke made her rescue mission a lot easier. It was a good thing one of them thought things through. Well...at least some times. Both hockey players tended to act first, think later, but between the two of them one of them tended to be logical when the other wasn't. Which happened to be most of the time.

She smiled at Drake's delighted face when she handed back the cat, he gripped it so tightly she thought he might pop it. But just as soon as he'd calmed down, he was back to worrying again. It made her sad to see Drake so upset. Her best friend deserved nothing but the world, and it seemed like the world just kept taking from him. It made her feel even worse for leaving him for so many months. She was certain the guilt of abandoning her friends was never going to go away.

"First of all, you're never going back to residential because I'll be around to make sure that never happens again. Secondly, Sawyer's right. You can't fix it over night, but you can start by apologizing." Alaska spoke, sternly but not harshly. Drake needed to get himself together before talking to Maisie, he looked ridiculous hiding behind Sawyer. He was much taller and muscular than last year, he couldn't hide behind both girls if he tried.

"Look at me. You got this." She said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder before pushing him towards the girl he was so enamored with.

KingofAesir Winona​

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

It wasn't long before the quick interaction between Noah and Chase ended, and it thankfully ended on a rather light note. When Chase already left, Noah remembered that the two should've swapped phone numbers or instagram/twitter handles, but it was already far too late for that. it didn't really matter, though, because Noah made a new friend, and was very proud of himself.

It was exactly because of it that Noah had been happy and optimistic throughout the whole day, even more than he usually was. That happiness continued all the way until Noah looked into the mirror and noticed the array of colors which had emerged on the side of his head, spanning from his hairline all the way to his eye. It was a bruise, undoubtedly caused by the run in with Chase's elbow. It had some shades of yellow, some shades of blue, some shades of green, and even some of purple. It looked scary, but it didn't even hurt that much. While it didn't hurt, it was definitely noticeable, and that was the part that mattered.

A loud, gasp-like 'Fuck!' could've been heard throughout the Stewart household, and it wasn't long before Noah's mom entered Noah's room in a mom-like fashion; loudly, and very dramatically. Noah was in front of the mirror, looking at himself very closely, pressing his head, trying to see if it hurt as bad as it looked like, and the whole situation looked rather hilarious, especially to his mom, who didn't have a single clue about what the hell was happening.

When he turned around to face her, her face quickly went from trying to keep her laughter in, to a surprised one. Another loud, gasp-like 'Fuck!' could've been heard throughout the Stewart household, this one from Noah's mother. Noah had his quirks, and him and his mom usually joked with each other, but bruises and fights weren't one of the things which fit into the category a mother and her son can joke about.

"Who did this to you, Noah!?" She looked at her son, examining his head, and touching the disgustingly awesome bruise. She had already been through this with Noah, and she couldn't let her son be bullied or bully again. "Do I need to call that huge tits Ariel principal and complain?" She spoke fast, and was mostly clear, but the moment she called principal Summers the 'huge tits Ariel' principal, she talked through laughter.

Noah couldn't help but laugh at the same thing. "No, I, uh, I fell during my morning run." He said through laughter as well, lying to his mom. If he had said that he ran into a guy's elbow, she either wouldn't take him seriously and would assume he got into a fight, or she would ship him with whatever guy this was. For Christ's sake, this lady was already the biggest Moah shipper, and that desperately needed to stop, so shipping Noah with another guy probably wouldn't help.

She knew her son was clumsy, and this wasn't a surprise to Noah's mom, but since this wasn't actually that important, and seeing that she had more important things to take care of, she was out of his room as quickly as she entered, and she left Noah alone with the bruise, no way to cover it up himself.

---​

Noah drove to JJ's house, whoever JJ might have been. Of course, he almost crashed into like 7 trash cans, but that was okay. At least it wasn't 8. He didn't know many people, almost nobody, but that was also okay, because he was there to make friends.

He entered the crowded house, and was engulfed into the party. The music was loud, the people were having fun, and Noah felt right at home. He didn't plan on drinking. Well, no. He didn't plan on drinking much, and that meant that he would start off easily. He managed to get himself a beer, an alcoholic beverage which made you fat, but he liked it for some reason.

After walking around the house for a few minutes, observing the people, Noah noticed a familiar face; Casper. He looked like he was going to faint, and there was no way Noah was going to allow him to do that. This was a party, and Casper was going to have fun, whether he liked it or not.

"Well, you look like you're about to have the time of your life, especially now that I'm here." He joked.

Interactions: mikaluvkitties (Casper)​

 

[Winona]

Adriane

Evie. That wasn't someone Adriane had exactly expected to see, but she was a welcome sight all the same. Almost a relief, because at least she was someone to have fun with. With a faint smile, Adriane scooted over on the bed and patted the spot next to her for Evie to come and take a seat. Fuck, Evie had been one of the biggest parts of her stays before.

She tried to shrug, but the pain in her body just increased when she did. "Not sure yet. Hopefully I'm out soon, but also thinking this might be my last stay. So I guess we'll see." Maybe her words were a bit morbid, but morbidity had become second nature to Adriane. Maybe if she joked about death, it would stop scaring her so much.

"Nice to see you're still here. Well, not nice, but... well, how are you doing?" God, Adriane sounded like a mother, and her thoughts whisked back to Ari for a brief moment. It was better this way, if she distanced herself, right? That way Ari wouldn't be as sad when she died. And Mason was an amazing dad, and Raven would make a good mom.

Ari would be better off.

She rolled her eyes when Evie mentioned her being in the baby wing. "I don't know. Maybe I'm here to keep an eye out for little punks like you." Adriane suggested with a smirk.

Soap

--------------------------------------

Mason

Right... soda.

Although Mason had never been a heavy drinker, having a fucking beer or a small glass of... something would've been really nice right about now. He'd grown out of the whole loving parties phase, and he would've much rather been at home, cleaning the apartment, or at work. Or... basically anywhere that wasn't here.

But Laurel had asked him, and Mason was nothing if not a man of his word. He'd promised to go to these dumb things with her, and even though their relationship had started off as Mason basically being fucking arm candy, he was actually growing to really care about Laurel. Fuck anyone who tried to piss her off.

A genuine smile even crossed his face as he walked after her -- a rarity these days, or well, always. Mason hardly ever actually smiled. Usually if he did, it came off as more a smirk.

As they entered the kitchen, Mason narrowed his eyes at a couple douchebags by the drinks. One look, and they decided to take their conversation elsewhere -- leaving the area open for him and Laurel.

"So, what are we even supposed to do do now?" He asked, leaning against the counter while he waited for Laurel to get her soda. His eyes roamed over the alcohol for a moment before returning to her, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "There's no games or anything going on." Not that Mason was much of a gamer, but still.

mikaluvkitties​