Westbrook Season 2

[Winona]

Mason


It was Monday afternoon. Mason had sat as quietly as he could through detention, slouched down as low as he could get in his seat. Kanen had, of course, tried to piss him off time and time again. But Mason just kept deflecting, and ignoring. At the end of the day, he had gone to stop by and apologize to Laurel for what had happened. Sure, it may not have changed everything that had happened, but Mason hoped that she could forgive him and wouldn't break up with him.

Because, well, Mason wasn't sure he could handle that right now. He was hanging on by a string, and that string just so happened to be Laurel. Fuck. What had he become?

Mason had been quick to get away from Laurel and head out of school. He didn't want any of her raging anger, or lecturing -- not today. Plus, he had somewhere to go. Somewhere to be. So Mason excused himself from Laurel and headed out, slipping past students on his way out of this god forsaken school. On the way, he thought he saw a familiar flash of short black hair, but Mason just shook his head. Raven was gone and if she came back, she'd let him know. Right?

He was out of the school and walking down the street within just a couple minutes. Hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders hunched up, head hanging low. Mason's goal was simple: have no one think it was a good idea to approach because right now, he just wanted to be alone. Totally, completely, alone.

The walk was brisk, but long. It wasn't long until he was at the right place, and he leaned against the wall of the building, his eyes falling across the busy street to the little preschool. In the yard were the kids playing, waiting for their parents to come pick them up. Mason's gaze darted from kid to kid, until finally they fell on the right little red-head.

It had taken way too long for Mason to figure out where Ari was going to school at but now that he knew, he came down here all the time to watch her. It was the closest thing to being with Ari that he could get at the moment, but he also always found himself wondering if trying to get her back was even the right option.

She had to be happier, right?

Soap Mentions: mikaluvkitties​

 

[Winona]

Milos


It was Saturday, and Milos most definitely did not want to be up at this time.

However, his mother had come crashing into his room, yelling Spanish about how he needed to wake up, seize the day, carpe diem, blah, blah, blah. Milos had tried his best to hold onto sleep, but then his mother had stolen his comforter and he'd been laying in his bed, curled up in a cold little ball. It had absolutely sucked.

So now he was awake, and dressed.

His mother had sent him on errands, with a shopping list of things that he needed to pick up. He was walking through the park right about now -- it cut perfectly from his little house to the main shopping area of Westbrook, plus it was kind of scenic. There were plenty of people out already, walking their dogs, playing with their kids.

And then there was Milos, the ONLY TEENAGER out and about right now. In his jeans, and hoodie, his brown hair a disheveled mess atop his head. Milos looked absolutely horrible, but that was alright.

It's not like he would run into anyone he knew.

Elf_Ruler​

 

[0k_mang0]

sebastian

Location: Sleeping Hedgehog Cafe
With: Ash Winona , Tatum Elf_Ruler , Ian PenguinFox
​

This “little dude” was about one year younger Ash. But yeah, Sebastian was there, working his morning shift at the cafe. Ash and her friends arrived shortly after the Open/Close sign on the door was flipped over.

“I don’t even know who JJ is,” Sebastian responded, swiftly making her usual hot cocoa drink. He actually had met her shortly after last winter break. But that happened such a long time ago, he could hardly remember it. He often tossed away bad moments not worth his time from his memories. “You sure you want to go to a party hosted by someone you don’t like?” he asked as he placed Ash’s drink in front of her. “Sounds like a scene from a teen drama movie waiting to happen.”

On the first day of school, just before going to his first class, Sebastian was silently around the corner when Ash started breaking down. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help himself. While listening, he started questioning his worth as a friend. Were his visits not enough, or was he himself not trying enough? Perhaps bringing homemade pastries almost every time was a dumb idea. Sebastian had always been aware that Ash wasn’t completely emotionally okay since the crash, but he never made an effort to talk about it and her feelings. How could he? He was still just a stranger to her. Neither of them knew anything very personal from each other, and it was mainly because Sebastian was worried he might be viewed as pushy or something if he asked. Jeez, he really was rusty at this friendship thing. No wonder why his former friends left him.

Sebastian heard Ian was in the hospital, too, sometime after Ash and Grace’s crash. But exactly for what, he didn’t know. He assumed Ian’s event was similar to Ash, something involving a car. Maybe that’s why, Sebastian thought, she and Ian were hanging out with each other more recently. He heard about Ash’s breakup with Sean, but he wasn't sure how or when to bring that up with either of them yet.

 

[Dede]

Stu

‘It must be difficult for you, having to move around all the time. It wasn’t easy for me when I first came here. But now. . . I guess it isn’t all bad—?’ Actually, yes it was. ‘I think you’ll like Westbrook, it kinda grows on you.’ No, it doesn’t. '. . . It'll surprise you.' No, it won't.

And then Stu was over the moon. No girl had ever asked for his number before, let alone Emma Watson.

‘Yeah, I can show you around, it’s what I do!’ he said as he gave her his number to save into her phone. ‘If you need anything just. . . you know. It’s no trouble at all, really.’

He stopped at the door to their chemistry classroom. Now he didn’t want to tell her about detention because, well, he didn’t need her thinking he was one of the naughty kids who spend their days in Elise’s new state-of-the-art cubicles. So he told her he’d better go dry up, which was hardly a lie. ‘I guess I’ll be seeing you around, Audra.’ He smiled. ‘Oh, and I’m sorry about your books, even though I’m kinda glad I bumped into you.’

Stu smiled his way to the washroom where he got changed into his dry clothes. But he never went back to the classroom, or even to detention. Instead he wandered outside. He looked left and right and made sure no one saw him leave school grounds. Then he went to the bus stop and waited there for the bus that would take him to the hospital.

PenguinFox

 

[Dede]

Tom

The handshake lasted for exactly three seconds. Any longer than that and Tom would have put himself at risk of all kinds of diseases. Immediately afterwards he turned away disgustedly and washed his hands under the tap, lathering them with soap from the dispenser till the foam rose nearly higher than the sink. Then he faced the mirror once more and meticulously fixed the tilt of his bow, aligning it perfectly to the plaid of his shirt.

‘You’re welcome. You should be glad I was here,’ he said.

He scoffed when Chandelier said he wouldn’t make a very good friend.

‘You’re not so bad.’

Then the kid announced his name, and Tom laughed hysterically.

‘Oh yeah! Now I remember! Like the friendly ghost,’ he said. ‘But I reckon you’re more like Moaning Myrtle, aren't you? Crying in the loo and all that.’

Obviously Casper reminded him of his name because he didn’t want to be called Chandelier anymore. Who knows? Maybe he didn't want the whole world knowing he kept a bloody chandelier in his locker. Tom gave a cheeky smile and waited for the kid to get the door for him, because germs. It was the least the kid could do because he'd just saved his life, remember?

‘Come on,' he said. 'Let’s get out of here, Chandelier.’

mikaluvkitties

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Camden had gotten through the rest of his week unscathed for the most part, minus the occasional Parker moments, but that was his cousin whom he loved dearly and would always take his side and ask questions later. Sure he never actually got into a real altercation but he still had Parkers back at all times. He was glad when it had finally become Friday and that meant he could actually have a moment to breathe and just have a little time for himself before Parker came over to “study” it was a week where they got to party but Camden hadn’t been sure what the plan was at that specific time.
He grabbed his running shorts and shirt before heading out the door, the mornings were still cool enough for the run to not be terrible like it would be if he waited later in the day so off, he went. The jog was a nice pace and he was going to go towards the park that morning for a more scenic route of Westbrook. He could feel the sun already beating down on his skin but the slight breeze made it better. The air was going through his locks as he kept reminding himself to breathe through his running. He didn’t need to pass out this time. In. Out. In. Out. He kept playing on repeat in his mind.
He had rounded the corner and was at the park he didn’t go often to the park but occasionally it was a nice route and an easy turn around spot for him so he could head home. That was when his eyes saw a boy and he was more than attractive, and Camden couldn’t help but stare. His messy hair was cute atop his head and so Camden continued to jog while staring at the boy. When he caught the boy’s eyes for a split second his sent him a wink.
Bam! Camden was down on the ground he couldn’t figure out what had happened for a moment and that he turned his head to see the lamp post he must’ve run into. He could see stars in his vision had he continued to blink. He had never run into anything while on a jog but he had never been distracted either. He was pretty sure he let out a groan and just kept his body still while on the pavement. How was he going to explain to his cousin that he’d been injured by a lamp post?

Winona

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Juliette should've been ecstatic about cheer captain. Sure, it was only for a few weeks but that still meant she was captain. That was so fucking cool. So, yeah. She should be. Juliette just... wasn't. It was times like these when she really felt alone, and yes, like... being actually alone, alone. Because right now she had no Sawyer to complain to, or Toby to fawn over, or Ava to tease. When JJ was alone it's like everything just started coming back to her and she always ended up at the same spot.

The brunette sat down on a nearby bench. She's not sure how long she's usually there for, but time kinda just passed by without so much of a second blink. Especially at the hospital and Sawyer would pester her about where she went. Her gaze fell onto the newcomer and she returned her attention to all the happy parents. She always knew that he had a kid, and she used to laugh about being a teenage parent. Jules just never figured she would be jealous of it. "She's cute." She muttered with a smile and gestured towards the girl across the street as her smile faded.

Winona​

 

[PenguinFox]

Minor Trigger Warning

Pain and heartbreak. That's what this entire year has been for Ian Evans. Pain after heartbreak after heartbreak after pain. It started with his then girlfriend disappearing to Seattle for a couple months. He understood it had to be done, but it still hurt especially because she never once said anything about leaving or coming back. Then his band lost their chance at making it big because of him. At the same time everyone around him seemed to be moving on and forgetting about him. His best friend was struggling in life and he couldn't do anything to help her. It all built up inside until Ian just couldn't take it anymore. On prom night he attempted to take his own life but he wasn't successful. He was successful however in absolutely destroying his sister's car and his own body. Pelvic fractures, spinal fractures, broken ribs, broken arm, punctured lungs, ruptured kidney, minor nerve damage. The damage was extensive and all Ian kept hearing was that he was lucky to be alive. He wasn't entirely sure that was the correct word. He needed a kidney transplant, which thankfully his sister was a match and happily donated.

To add on to the pain his girlfriend, or his ex rather, decided it was best they split. Ian totally understood, after what he had put her through he wouldn't want to see him again like ever had he been in her spot. Honestly Ian was surprised anyone wanted to see him. Everything would've been so much better if he had either not tried to kill himself or actually succeeded. This halfway point was hell. The amount of pain he was constantly seeing on everyone's face; the fact that he was the cause of it. It was all too much. At least most of the summer he had physical therapy and not dying to focus on rather than obsessing over everything wrong with him.

As it turned out he wasn't alone in physical therapy either. Ash had also been in a car accident on prom night and had a lot of recovery to do. Really she was the biggest reason Ian even kept trying to get better. Both of them could've died that night but neither did, and Ian was damn sure going to make sure she was going to be okay. He wouldn't let his own darkness get in the way of helping her a second time. In addition to physical therapy Ian was also put into mental therapy, which at first he felt pointless but hey the guy made some good points. Or maybe it was just the medication he was making him take. Either way, the deepest darkest parts of Ian's mind became less and less visited over time. He was far from being better or normal but he had taken steps in the right direction.

By the time most of his physical therapy was done it was almost September. As if the cherry on top of this shitty sundae of a year Ian found out he had to repeat senior year. He had let his grades slip the second half of the year and then the very end he missed entirely. The new principal didn't seem to care why his grades had slipped, only saw that they were bad. Bad enough to make him repeat senior year. They really couldn't just let him graduate and move on with his life? No, of course because that would have been a bright side to the whole ordeal, and there couldn't be one of those. No, Ian would be facing consequences for his actions on prom night for a long time and he had no one to blame but himself.

The first week of his second senior year was mostly uneventfully. A few people offered their condolences for his accident. What did you think Ian would actually admit the truth of what happened that night? No, only his family, his doctors, Nova, and Ash knew the truth. To everyone else he lost control of his car, nothing more. Mostly Ian tried to lay low the first week. He didn't really want to talk with a whole lot of people, but it was difficult to avoid people's sympathetic glances when you were limping down the hall. The metal pins and screws that had to be placed into his hip were uncomfortable and his physical therapy still wasn't complete.

Ian had spent a lot of time with Ash, both inside the hospital and after they were released. He felt like she really needed someone who could understand the pain she was currently going through and to be honest, he probably needed it too. Before he knew it the first weekend of the school year was here and Ash had texted him early that morning to meet her at the Sleeping Hedgehog cafe. Of course he showed up because, well really what else did he have to do? He could do his own exercising but he had been doing that all summer and really just wanted a break from it. His therapist had suggested he pick up his old hobbies again but Ian wasn't entirely ready for that either. Music had been his primary outlet for so long but since the whole thing with his band he could barely even listen to music anymore let alone play it. It churned his stomach to think about and made him feel cold.

Limping in to the cafe behind Ash he gave a smile and nod to Sebastian and ordered his own usual; a vanilla chai. He had been cutting back on his caffeine intake since he was released from the hospital. He didn't want to go back there anytime soon so might as well not give himself heart problems. Sitting down was awkward and most positions were uncomfortable for Ian so he was leaning heavily onto the table as he sat down next to Ash. He was glad she always sat close next to him on his left. Her warmth was comforting and calming. Like she wouldn't let anything happen to him and he wouldn't her. It also helped him feel a sense of normalcy. His arm had healed for the most part but sensations were dulled and muted. A feeling similar to as if he had slept on his arm and it was now asleep.

The reason Ash had called him, and apparently this other girl who sat down across from him, to the cafe was to discuss this party JJ was having. Ian gave the blonde across from him a friendly smile. "Ian. Any friend of Ash is a friend of mine." he introduced himself before returning his attention back to this party of JJ's. He knew of her but didn't really know her. A typical cheerleader type. He could've been friends with her but when he first came out of his shell almost a year ago he chose to be friends with Ash. When Ash asked if they were going to the party Ian sort of shrugged. His shoulders tensed as if he were shrugging but they didn't come back down until her hand reached out to him. Her touch let his muscles relax. "I suppose so. It'll be nice to feel...normal y'know? What better way than for a party? Though I can't party like I used to. No alcohol for me." his tone was fairly neutral. He could easily fake things and pretend like everything was as it should be. Be his 'normal' Ian self, but pretending is what brought him to the hospital in the first place, so why bother? No, his voice would no longer disguise his emotions, and usually he just felt flat. Winona Elf_Ruler 0k_mang0

 

[Longshot2019]

Ethan had spent the next few days feeling all over the place but holding it together. He could not deny the satisfaction of the weekend.
Waking up, he rolled out of bed and made his way downstairs where his mother was awake and cooking. With a smile and a gentle nudge,
She pushed him to sit at the table. Then came the teasing that he barely ate anything and that it would not do. With a playful eye roll, he
began to tuck in and eat the food that his mother had put in front of him. While eating and scrolling through his phone he saw mention
of the party that night. His mother went through the usual information like contact numbers and who to call. Shortly after a car honked outside.
With a kiss on the cheek, his mother was gone.

Sending Lulu and Hazel a group message saying he was making a booze run and to be ready, Ethan jumped in the shower. Coming out and getting
dressed, he grabbed his keys,wallet and phone. Getting into the car he began to drive, craving nothing more than a hot coffee. He swung by to collect
Hazel first, pulling up and beeping the horn before sending a text. The quiet few minutes let Ethan look around his phone to see who else was going.
Seeing a few names, he grinned before sending Lulu a message that he was a few minutes away as he beeped again waiting on Hazel.

Making a mental check list, he went through what he needed for tonight: JD, Coke, Vodka, Jello, Shot glasses. Sounded about right, maybe even some weed
depending.

Interactions: mikaluvkitties PenguinFox

 

[Winona]

Ash


The look on her face when Sebastian suggested not going was one that she sure showed her great annoyance. Ash pointed at Tatum when she mentioned just what she had said. "See, JJ's a bitch. And like, I have to go." Ash said, shaking her head in disappointment that Sebastian didn't understand the first and biggest rule of high school, so she decided that she might as well break it down for her poor young friend. "One, I'm a cheerleader. I can't just not go to another cheerleader's party because like, that instantly lets everyone know you don't like her, and then the whole cheer team will talk shit about you. Second, it's the first party of the year. Like, not going to this party will just instantly set me up for failure for the rest of the school year."

Ash shook her head, looking over at Tatum and nodding in agreement with the alcohol comment. "Yes, see, exactly. If we just drink a lot, we'll be able to deal with JJ's bullshit. Because you know she's going to be walking around acting like she's some kind of princess." Ash snorted and shook her head, falling back in her chair with her arms across her chest, but just for a moment before her started buzzing with a message. She pulled her phone, looking to see who had texted her, and...

Her heart almost stopped. It hadn't even been a week since Ash had broken up with Sean and yeah, she regretted it... to an extent. She hadn't slept since that day, instead spending her nights tossing and turning in her bed, her sleep ravaged by nightmares. The most she could get at any one time was maybe an hour or two, and it had definitely affected her at school -- she had been woken up more than once by one of the teachers, her face turning red in embarrassment. Of course that wasn't the only thing she had missed about Sean. He had made her feel wanted, loved, and like her life was at peace for once.

And then, she had seen Ryder.

After everything and all the time that had passed, Ash had really thought she was over him. She should've been at that point, right? So why instead did it feel like her heart skipped a beat, and a blush had rushed to her cheeks? The last thing that Ash had wanted to do was stay with Sean after that, knowing that in a way, she was using him. Sean deserved better, someone that could give him all of their love and attention. Not someone that was still hung up on some dumb ass.

The smile fell from her face, and her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment. Finally, she sent something agreeing to talk. Well, if he wanted to, that was. Ash wasn't sure if she wanted to -- it would be awkward, after all -- but... maybe it could give her a chance to think over her decision? Maybe she would realize she had loved Sean or... something.

Ash dropped her phone back to the table, forcing that smile back onto her face. After all, Ian and Tatum needed someone to smile for them, right? And Ash was more than willing to try and be that person.

"See? And Ian is going so like, I have to go. Duh." Ash said to Sebastian, shaking her head before she grabbed the hot chocolate, taking a quick sip of the hot liquid. It was perfect. Like always.

"Anyway, so like, let's all go. Ian, you can make sure that Tatum and I don't like, punch JJ or break anything. Or go home with someone like Mason or Kanen or Parker." She wrinkled up her nose in disgust at the very idea of those assholes. Granted, Ash only truly knew Kanen, but that didn't mean she hadn't heard rumors about the other two.

0k_mang0 Elf_Ruler PenguinFox

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

Mason


"Of course she is. Have you seen her parents?" Mason snapped, perhaps a little too harshly, and he instantly regretted it. Wow. Regret for being a dick -- that was totally new. What the fuck was Laurel doing to him or... what the hell had affected him in this way? Either way, it didn't matter. And maybe he wouldn't have regretted so much if he hadn't known why JJ was here.

Look, for anyone that had been around a pregnant girl, it had been easy to tell. She had been pregnant. Mason had noticed it right away -- the stomach touches, that far-off look, and an avoidance of alcohol. And then later on, the ever so slight belly bump that JJ had tried so desperately to hide. For the most part, it had worked. If it hadn't, then everyone would've been talking about the whole thing.

And since there wasn't a newborn baby crying with JJ right now, and she was here watching the preschoolers, Mason had a feeling that the worst thing had happened. So he pushed away from the wall, going to take a seat next to JJ, as weird as it may have been to be in the same vicinity as the brunette cheerleader. "Sorry, uhh... thanks." He said. "I'm uh... sorry, about your loss."

Soap

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

Milos


As luck would have it, with Milos having not showered today, and his hair in such a horrible mess, freaking Camden literally had to come running by. Now, Milos was a simple guy, with simple crushes, and he just so happened to have a not-so-simple crush on this guy. And it wasn't long before there was a huge blush on his face.

A million things were going through his head. Did he look okay? Did he look away, or try to make eye contact? Holy hell, why did he have to be walking through here right at this very moment?

Heart still pounding, Camden made eye contact with him and winked. And Milos was pretty sure that his heart had probably stopped and maybe he was going to die or something, but then he was smiling and wow, maybe it was way too strong of a smile? But Milos couldn't help himself, and then he saw the lamp post, and he tried to say something, but--

Well.

Milos' smile had faltered and he was running over to Camden as quickly as he could, falling to his knees beside Camden. "Oh my god, are you okay? What is your name? Age? How many fingers?" His questions were quick, rapid-fire, and frantic as he held up three fingers in front of Cam. What if he had like a concussion or something?

Elf_Ruler​

 

[PenguinFox]

Things had been..difficult for Sean since the breakup for lack of a better word. Yes, he would respect Ash's wishes and remain only her friend rather than her boyfriend, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to worry. He cared about her a lot and even if they were to both move on there would always be a part of him that deeply cared about her.

For the time being he was giving her space to think about things. Eventually they would have to talk things over and decide how to move forward, but that was a problem for the future. For now Sean would continue working hard at the junkyard. What else could he do? Sleep wasn't exactly coming easy so he was visibly tired most days. In fact most mornings Sean was at the Newman's house an hour or two before his shift would even start. He had really nowhere else to go and if he couldn't sleep he might as well head to work right?

So there Sean sat at the Newman's table, eyes open but mind practically asleep. He was very grateful for Mr. Newman being so accommodating to him. He was a truly good man, one Sean looked up to. Perhaps if Sean were to take over his father's work he would run things like Mr. Newman.

Sean was pulled to reality as a plate slid in front of him. A small grateful smile crossed his lips as he looked up at Lacey. He hated to burden others with any difficulties he was having, especially now that he had a heart condition. It felt like he was already burden enough. On the other hand though talking about it could help. Maybe he'd even get some sleep for once.

"Ash uh...." Sean bit his lip still wavering on whether to share this information. "We split up again." he slowly nodded to himself, thinking that was the best way to put it. His voice held only the smallest amount of sadness. He wanted to do what was best for the West girl that he once called his girlfriend, but the split still wasn't easy. "She wasn't sure she was in a good..." he was about to say mental state but stopped himself. "...a good position in her life to have a relationship right now. So it was decided it was better if we part ways." Sean ran a hand through his hair to try and fix before looking down at his plate. Lacey didn't need to hear this kind of stuff, especially this early in the morning. "Anyway," he said at an attempt to try and change the subject. "Thank you for breakfast as always." he half smiled and began to eat. txlos

Parker had gotten three days of detention for the incident in the hall and he was absolutely pissed about it. What exactly did he do wrong? He was serving justice where it was needed, if anything that guy he punched should be the one getting detention. Parker was basically Batman, and since when did Batman get detention? Never, that's when. To make matters worse Mason also had to go and get detention. Parker and Mason were rivals of sorts. He knew how to party and Parker respected that, but he often got in the way of Parker which he hated. At least the detentions were silent for the most part.

Making it through the first week was easy enough, especially with all the time in detention he had to do work. Parker decided to kick things into high gear academically. Getting detention day one wasn't exactly good for his image, so he needed to at least act like a good little boy and do all his work. The last thing he needed was a call home.

The week wasn't all bad though. Some cheerleader bimbo was having a party and sort of made an open invitation. At least in Parker's mind if he heard about a party at all, he was invited. Who wouldn't want him at a party? So there was that to look forward to. Camden was going to go to, as it was a party week anyhow, so maybe he could get laid. Obviously Parker would be taking the hottest babe home, but y'know, Camden could get the second hottest babe. Or dude, whatever. Naturally Camden wouldn't get the hottest guy either because hello, Parker is his cousin. That would be so incredibly weird and wrong.

Parker had to do an opening shift at the gas station he worked at Saturday morning so by the time he got out of work right before noon. On the drive back home he noticed a girl carrying groceries down the street. She had blue hair. What an opportunity. Pull up, do the knight in shining armor shtick, collect on the 'reward' so to speak, then get to the party. Sounds like a good day to Parker. As he pulled up to the curb by the girl he got a better look at who it was. Wasn't that Camden's neighbor? She was kinda hot with blue hair. "Hey, you live next door to Camden right?" he called out to her in the friendliest tone he could muster. He knew it could be kinda creepy for a stranger to call out to you on the street like that, but hopefully it wouldn't be too creepy since they sorta knew each other. "Those bags look heavy, you like want a lift or something? Not in like, I've got candy get in the van kinda way. Like, hey let me help out my cousins neighbor way." Nailed it. Parker gave the girl a warm smile. This could end up being an easy score. Elf_Ruler Mentions: Winona Soap

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Surprisingly, there was little to no reaction from his harsh words. Juliette just simply shook her head and almost regretted the attempt at a compliment before he apologized, the brunette didn't even spare him a glance or reply to his weak apology. It was only at his next words which made her face him only now. How did he know? No-one but Sawyer and Ava knew and them both had no ties to Mason. At least she hoped not.

But if he knew and everyone else didn't, that meant he didn't gossip or pry into her life like most people.

But then again, most people weren't a father at the age of fourteen and still in high school at nineteen. A breathy chuckle escaped her with a shake of her head. "That's more than my mother said." Perhaps it would've been better if she said 'thank you.' But why would she? Where's the meaning in all of that? 'Thank you for feeling sorry for me?' No. If people hurt for someone else's emotions, they should keep that to themselves. Voicing it only reminds Juliette more of what she doesn't have. Scooting over so Mason had room to sit beside her.

She picked at the paint on her nails and kept muttering those words her mother had repeated to her more than once on the same day. JJ would never know why her mother is the way she is, and... she didn't care to anymore. She wasn't sure why she was opening up to Mason, he was a complete stranger. --Maybe that's why it was easy to? "My dad was nice about it." In the sense that he didn't say much of anything and ignored her.

No one wants their sixteen year old daughter pregnant, and it was clear that they were relieved that it wasn't happening in the first place.

Silence fell upon them and the yells and laughs from the children were the only sound the two could hear.

"What happened?"

Winona​

 

[Winona]

Mason


"Well that's because moms are bitches." Mason responded flatly. In his opinion, it was true. Adriane's mom had been a decent one, but aside from that? Ha. Every other mom he had ever met was a self-righteous prick, more focused on their fading youth than taking care of the kids that they had brought into the world.

He nodded his head at her comment about her dad, but didn't comment on it. The whole dad thing was a sore spot for Mason -- maybe because he felt like he was faltering down the same path as his own dad, but either way.... "Well, at least you had support from one of them." And yeah, even if it had been four years, maybe Mason was a little jealous. Jealous that JJ that had it all -- the perfect mansion, the perfect life, both parents -- had even gotten support.

Well, she had everything but a kid.

Yeah, Mason would happily relive his childhood again and again if it meant he had Ari at the end.

"Basically, when I fucked up Aaron's face, the stupid fucking school looked into it. And fucking Elise reported Drake, myself, and Ari for not having an address. Or okay, like, yeah, a fucking home because Raven left. But it was fine, okay. I had a fucking car and I was going to figure it out." Mason sighed heavily, the anger evident in his voice. "So the fucking state turning Ari and Drake but I was almost eighteen, so fuck me. I, uh... I got Drake back, but... well, they won't give me Ari while I'm in a one-bedroom."

Mason shrugged. It was the truth, and hey, life wasn't fucking fair. But he would figure it out. "But it's fine. I'll figure it out. I am figuring it out." And yeah, he would get Ari back.

Even if he had no idea how.

Soap​

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

The first week of school hadn't gone exactly like Noah wanted it to go, but nothing in his life fell apart yet, which was probably a sign that Noah was doing an okay job. Of course, it's worth mentioning that trip to the principal's office, and how it effected the relationship between Noah and Mildred, his grandma. When the news of him smoking reached the older lady, she went absolutely crazy. Thankfully, there weren't any students in the library to see her breakdown.

This lady managed to break two whole library tables, but also managed to keep herself from kicking the bookshelves down like dominoes while thinking about her grandson poisoning himself with cancer sticks. It was when Noah had entered the library that all hell broke loose. He was absolutely sure that he would lose at least a few teeth, but it was at the last second that he remembered the dirt which he had on her.

Yes, you read that correctly. Noah was blackmailing his grandmother.

Other than that, nothing major happened in his life. Ever since Dante and Beau and Tom and Joshua and Mildred moved into the household of the used-to-be-small family, Noah felt like he was suffocating in his own home. When he would try to talk to his mom, she would be too busy talking with one of the other people, and his dad was basically the same, except he was home far too less, seeing that Mildred made him feel uncomfortable because she would stare at him every time he would kiss or try to do anything romantic with his wife. Bathrooms were also a big problem, but there isn't much to say about them, other than there were only two in the whole house of 8 people.

Noah was now doing one of his morning runs. He realized that it was the perfect way to get a break from the people-filled house and all of their voices, questions and whatnots. It was also the perfect way towards a track scholarship, which he really wanted.

He was already thinking about universities, being the responsible teenager his parents raised him to be. There were lots of universities he was interested in, but that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered at the moment was putting one foot in front of the other while listening to some random workout song he found on Spotify.

Interactions: a z u l a​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper​

Coming to the park had not been Casper's decision- but Casper wasn't complaining! And not just because he still felt really bad over what happened at prom, either.

The park was nice, with lots of people and trees and benches, and he had made sure he and Aaron hadn't left without lunch, and he had even managed to remember everything the first time around- his phone, his keys, his glasses, and maybe most important of all, his sketchbook.

An unpleasant roil passed through Casper as he looked at it, pencil case already open and on the bench table, everything immaculate save for a single missing pencil, currently located in the delicate grasp of Casper's hand.

The art teacher had been the only thing about school Casper had liked last year (Well, besides Stu, a small part of his mind whispered, and his stomach clenched as he shoved the thought as far away as he could), but they were gone this year, replaced by some kind of interloper that tried to get the kids to like her, and the last art teacher hadn't even had to try- They just were cool.

At least, Casper thought they were cool.

He was still in art club, though. Art club was too much of a life line to cease just because of a change in management. He tried to imagine what life would be like without a single place to just draw or craft, free of derision and criticism beyond when a hand looked funky.

His hands drew circle upon circle, spiral after spiral, line on top of line on top of line, sandwich untouched as he prepared his hands. He didn't even notice when Aaron left.

With a sigh, Casper looked up, reaching for his bottle as he prepared to actually start drawing, only to realize Aaron was no longer seated across from him. His eyes widened, and he swiveled, looking this way and that for Aaron... until his eyes landed on a man that he was pretty sure he wouldn't ever be able to forget.

A week of lunches and lockers and bathrooms with that stupid British kid with the bow tie had done nothing to soften Casper to him, and the way that Aaron seemed to tolerate his presence if anything made it worse. He might not have been that effective, but he had tried.

...And he had known Stu, hadn't he? And he was picking up the park, too. That probably meant he was really nice, no matter what Daddy said about tattoos.

Almost without his permission, Casper began to sketch. First, a line of action to strengthen the movement. Then the core shapes- rectangles, and lots of them. Most of the time, Casper hated rectangles. Casper usually hated drawing actual people, too- It was hard to make the unpracticed shapes exaggerated and fun, almost soothing, but Casper needed the practice. And then you start with the details, carving in the nose and eyes and hair and clothes and muscle... He was pretty, wasn't he?

Casper wished he could draw better, truly capture how nice Stu's friend looked. He had no idea how he was going to tackle the tattoos...

High5ives​

 

[Soap]

Juliette

While Mason seemed like a complete psychopath. At the end of the day, he was just protective of who he cared about. And a big part of Juliette envied those people in Mason's life. Not because of him or anything. It was just amazing how far someone else would go to protect someone they care about. And JJ never really had that. It felt almost surreal that she could've done that for someone else and here she was sitting down and watching children like a total creep because she lost her own.

It's weird though. While it hurt, Juliette just... kept pretending like nothing ever happened in the first place. Just like her parents. She kinda thought this was her 'figuring things out' too. No baby? Sure, who cared right? How could she feel like she really lost something when she never really had it in the first place? These few months Juliette's motto was no tears, no hurting. That made sense right? Exactly.

She settled further in her seat and glanced over at Mason.

"Yeah, you'll figure it out." Juliette reassured him, but the words were mostly directed to herself.

Winona



​

 

[Winona]

Mason


He had always thought of JJ a a total bitch. Like, okay, so she was a total bitch. Mason typically knew the cheerleaders pretty well, and all of the blondes had seemed the same to him: hot, snooty, fun. And then there had been JJ, the fucking brunette bitch of the clique. A girl that Mason had avoided and ignored most of the time, unless he was with the football team, bitching about what a bitch she was. But knowing that somewhere beneath that cold, witch exterior was a girl that actually had feelings was... weird.

"You know, Bryan said you were a selfish I'm uncultured but uhh... I guess that's not totally true. You're just selfish." And that was the best kind of compliment that JJ was going to get from him right now.

Mason's attention was stolen once more as he watched a man walk up to the school. He started speaking with the teacher and then after a moment, the teacher called for Ariana. Any hint of a smile or happiness on his face fell away as he watched Ari run up to the guy and give him a hug. That should be him.

Soap​

 

[PenguinFox]

The summer had been straining for Tallulah. First her brother Sean had a heart attack. Turns out he had a hereditary heart condition the he inherited from his actual father. It was only a small relief to know that she wouldn't also inherit the condition. Then in the same week Lulu's boyfriend had to leave town. She was absolutely devastated and spent a lot of time crying the first few weeks. She eventually found comfort in the small group that formed at the hospital. Sean's girlfriend Ash was in a car accident and the second Sean was able he was staying in her room, which meant Lulu was too. She had to keep an eye on her brother who was going to kill himself watching after the West girl. Ash's brother Jace was also always in that room.

Lulu and Jace talked a lot over the summer, typically in hushed tones after both Sean and Ash had fallen asleep. They bonded over the love they have for their siblings and having to watch over them. Sure Ash and Sean had each other, but they were both broken. There was only so much they could do for each other. What the couple didn't realize was that it was Lulu and Jace watching over them. Getting them water, wrapping them in blankets, making sure they ate. All the little things that could go unnoticed; all of it was Jace and Lulu.

They became good friends over the course of the summer and agreed to keep in touch after it ended. They still had their siblings to look after, but they didn't all have to be in the same room anymore, so they didn't really have a forced reason to hang out. Since the school year started though Ash was in school and Jace couldn't physically be there with her, and Sean...well Sean was a very independent type of guy. He never really needed that much looking after. Marty Woods had taught his kids how to take care of themselves.

So with nor responsibilities or worries Tallulah thought this Saturday would be a great time to finally hang out with just Jace, as friends. Plus she could excitedly tell him about the gig she was offered by JJ. As she pulled up to the West residence she noticed that their door had been fixed after...well Lulu still wasn't sure what happened. Nobody really wanted to talk about it. Probably kicked in by a yeti. Did Maine have yetis? Or were they bigfoots? Bigfeet? Whatever, Lulu shook the thoughts from her head and rang the doorbell. Winona

The week had gone by pretty uneventfully for Audra, people tended to not pay attention to her for some reason. She tried to make friends but apparently people had more important things to do then acknowledge the new girl. Why was being new so much easier everywhere else than it was here in Westbrook? Were peoples lives really so dramatic that they couldn't stop to talk to the small girl saying hi to them?

No matter, Audra was determined to make friends one way or another. There was some popular cheerleader's birthday party coming up and what better place to meet people then at a party? Plus if she brought a gift for the birthday girl, rather than just party crashing, she might want to be Audra's friend. Which was totally not bribing someone to be her friend. Way different. Paying someone off to be your friend is sad and pathetic and Audra was just...getting a housewarming gift for their friendship. Yeah, that was it.

So now Audra was standing in a cute little antique shop looking for a nice gift for someone's birthday. It would be a whole lot easier had she known anything about the girl but she was confident she could find something nice. Towards the back of the store she spotted a glass menagerie. The tiny glass figurines were hand crafted and adorable. How could anyone not love one of those? The only question was which one should she get? Audra probably spent ten minutes thinking over which one to get but eventually settled with the pair of dolphins. Cheerleader types liked dolphins right? They're either dolphin girls or horse girls right? Audra hoped so.

Audra payed for the glass figure of two jumping dolphins and began to exit the store. She turned her head over her shoulder to thank the clerk again and ended up running right smack into someone, dropping the figurine in the process. That was the second time this week. She didn't even run into people this much in New York City! She hoped this wouldn't become a habit. The good news was she wasn't hurt, the bad news was the dolphins were. The dolphins had broken apart and were now just two separate dolphins with cracks. Audra looked down at the glass and frowned. "Well shoot." That wasn't really a good gift anymore.. Soap

 

[Soap]

Raven

"Fuck me."

She hit the dash with a fist and Raven was sure that it hurt her more than the car, which was entirely too small and for the first time, she believed her mother deserved someone better. At least someone with a bigger car. A huff of breath came from the brunette and used an old receipt to clean the remaining eyeliner before trying again with perfect precision. Look, she knew she needed a place. But she couldn't afford it right now... and honestly? She wasn't even looking in the first place.

What did a house have that this car didn't? A decent space to sleep, a bathroom... a kitchen even though she's the worst at cooking. But she didn't need any of that stuff! Maybe a better mirror and space to do her makeup would be nice, but other than that. Raven was completely fine with this. She doesn't have a laptop anymore, so writing just went straight in the trash can. Who even cares anymore? She's 18. Young and free. She'll do whatever she wants whenever. Like she said, Raven had no one else to care for this time around.

So, her first order of recklessness?

The thrift store.

Okay, sure. Maybe it wasn't as rebellious as anyone might've thought. But Raven always shopped here. Cheap clothes, great clothes if you look hard enough. The door to the store started ringing and she was greeted immediately. "Raven! It's been a long time. How's your grandma doing?" The old man asked, he earned a small grin from the brunette that quickly faded. "She..." Raven shrugged. "She's fine." Why hurt the old man? Or earn the pity discount. Gross. She didn't want that.

Raven sifted through the rack of clothes.

You had to come in the thrift store with a good mind-set which attracts luck, and who knows when she might get a little lucky?

mogy​

 

[a z u l a]

Alaska

"This blows." The brunette declared as she walked into the tiny hell that was the detention room, scowling as she looked around for an empty seat, preferably by no one she hated. She was a bit stunned to see Kanen, of all people, monitoring detention. If anything, Kanen should be an expert at these kind of things considering he was just in jail. That was a part of her past she would rather forget. Speaking of horrible mistakes, she was even more displeased to see Mason sitting a few rows back, glaring at him before deciding he wasn't worth her time and moving towards the back of the room. She'd figure out how to get back at Mason while sitting in this hell hole instead of doing school work.

Just as she was about to place herself in a corner where no one could bother her, she spotted a familiar head of curly hair and couldn't escape the excited noise that escaped her lips. For the first time in a while (okay well since she'd tackle-hugged Drake earlier), Alaska was excited to see someone. Sawyer had been one of her very first friend's in Westbrook, along with Drake, though her two best friends were very different people. Where Drake was look at the bright side and lots of hugging, Sawyer was more....punching. It was one of the many things the two girls had in common.

"Sawyer!" She spoke happily, taking the seat beside her and wrapping her arms around the girl in a tight hug. Normally, Alaska didn't really hug people, and she knew Sawyer didn't like them from anyone besides Grace, but considering everything that had happened, a hug was needed. Sawyer seemed to be the one person who wasn't mad at Alaska for disappearing. While she'd been in New York the two had continued their friendship, sending each other stupid memes and wishing each other luck for hockey games. That's why Alaska loved Sawyer, no matter what happened their friendship stayed the same as when it had begun. Sawyer and Alaska had become fast friends sitting in the penalty box together at their kids league hockey games. Alaska was sure her mother had a scrapbook somewhere with a picture of the two little seven year olds side by side in the box.

"How are you?" Alaska asked, leaning back to really look at her friend, ignoring the intense side-eye JJ was giving her. Since when had they become friends?

KingofAesir ​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Gia had been minding her own business while she had been trudging home. Her hands had started to hurt, and she still had quite the distance to walk. Sometimes she wished her parents cared a little more and actually attempted to remember that she did exist. Alas they hadn’t and now she was stuck in her situation. Sure, she had gotten used to it, she had been doing it for a while now, but she of course would never tell anyone that her parents just never existed. She didn’t enjoy the looks of pity and she could handle herself. She had it figured out at this point but every weekend of doing the same adventure had just finally taken her energy and occasionally her happiness. She was usually fine once she got home and things were put away but the walk from the store almost always made her want to cry. She was starting to feel sadness overwhelm her and then she heard a voice shake her out of her emotions.
She turned her head towards the car and peeked through the window. Camden’s cousin. She couldn’t remember his name, but she did recognize him. “Yeah, I live next to him. You’re his cousin?” she turned her head slightly to the side. He was offering her a ride? He had never seemed like the type to offer a ride, but Gia was in need of a ride. The bags were heavy, and he wasn’t technically a stranger. Maybe a little strange, but not a stranger. “I would really appreciate a ride.” She smiled. She placed her bags in front of her and she looked over. He was a miracle sent to her when she had needed in the most, “Thank you for the lift. I’m sorry if I’m causing any kind of delay.” She had one of the bags in her lap playing with the embossed letters of her name on it.
She looked at him mostly through the corner of her eyes, he wasn’t bad to look at, but she had no real experience with guys besides Camden and she still had never spoke to him. Now, she was in a car with a boy. Her heart was pounding rapidly, and she couldn’t even look at him. All Gia was trying to do was not hyperventilate while sitting in the passenger seat, “What’s your name again?” she asked quietly still not making any form of eye contact.

PenguinFox
--

Camden had still been on the ground when his beautiful savior came up to him. He recognized him from school, but with his head pounding he couldn’t remember the boys name. It started with an M but that was all he could remember of the boy. He kept blinking as questions were thrown his way. He lifted his hand, “One question at a time.” He had a hard time processing each question, he had run into the pole with a large amount of force. He had decided to stay on the ground and let his mind think of each question that had been asked.
He couldn’t help but laugh a little, “I’m fine, my ego is bruised. I’m Camden, age 16, and you have three thousand fingers held up.” He teased about the last part before slowly sitting up. He was going to have a large bruise on his face and no real answer as to how he got it. He could lie to Parker but that was stupid so he knew he would have to tell the truth. As he sat there, he finally recalled the boy’s name, “You’re Milos right?” he gave a lop sided smile to him. Milos was one guy that had always caught his attention in the halls. He never thought he would have a chance mostly because they had run in slightly different circles.
He pushed Milos hand back down, so he wasn’t holding up his fingers anymore, “I swear I’m fine. An extremely cute guy was a distraction while I was running.” He teased once more just to gage if he really had a chance or if he should give up before anything started.

Winona

 

[0k_mang0]

sebastian

Location: Sleeping Hedgehog Cafe
With: Ash Winona , Tatum Elf_Ruler , Ian PenguinFox
​

People were still quick to judge others for not going to one high school party but not the obvious bitchy person like it was 1980-something? And his aunt wondered why he was cynical towards his generation’s integrity.

“You know what? I think I will go. Just because I have a feeling you’re gonna bug me about breaking such an important rule,” Sebastian said with a teasing sarcastic undertone. “And I guess I’ll also make sure you get home and not fall asleep in a random bush, which might also be used as another drunk person’s bathroom.” He was not sarcastic in the last statement – he was sure at least one person in this town had done this, and as a good friend, he didn’t want Ash to have that marked on her reputation.

Thinking about it, Sebastian realized that this would be his first high school party, most likely with zero parental supervision, as far as he knew. How did anyone have enough time for this? Weekends were usually Sebastian’s time to get back lost hours of sleep from school days because sleep was easily be taken for granted. But then, so was his social life. He’d also realized that after first meeting Ash several months ago and almost losing her not long ago.

“If you really want me to go, you should probably text me the address of the place,” said Sebastian. He did mention that he didn’t know JJ.

 

[High5ives]

Kanen
Not only had Kanen's parole officer forced him to get a job working at the school, but she'd gone ahead and signed him down for community service too. It was like she couldn't tolerate the idea of letting him have his free time. Like what the hell?! He spends all week babysitting ass-wipes at the high school! He can't have a bit of time to just relax? No. Of course not. He obviously needed more shit to do. You can't get into trouble if you haven't got the time for it. At least that what half the parole officers in the city seemed to think.

Kanen wasn't the only one stuck picking up the park. There were about a dozen others in yellow reflective vests, and from what Kanen could tell, all but two of them were being forced to be there. Of the ten or so other parolees, three of them were juvenile. The oldest of the three juveniles looked like he could've been a junior or a senior in high school. The kid was an asshole. Despite only being arrested for some stupid shit like vandalism or something, the guy, Ty, seemed to think he was hot shit. Apparently he hadn't seen Kanen's wrap sheet either, because he took every opportunity to challenge Kanen.

The fact that Ty wasn't eighteen yet was the only reason Kanen hadn't already beat the shit out of him. That was a felony.

Kanen had to just do his best to ignore the stupid comments from the cocky teenager. The heat didn't help to cool Kanen's temper as he picked up bag after bag of trash. Eventually, Ty got bored and went off to do god knows what, and Kanen was left to just think.

He'd started classes, he'd been attending practices, he was working. Why should he be stuck here picking up trash on his day off? It felt unfair. He hadn't done a thing wrong and he was still stuck being punished. It was like being a child again, which was frustrating to say the least. He just wanted to enjoy life a little bit. Was that so unreasonable? Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness! The Pursuit of Mother-Fucking-Happiness! If it was in the Declaration of Independence, it had to be at least a little bit important!

Hearing Ty picking on someone else was enough to bring Kanen back to the real world. He swung his head on a swivel, locking on to Ty as he watched the boy laugh and point fingers at someone else. Following the line pointed by Ty's finger, Kanen locked eyes on none other than Casper.

"Yo, grow the fuck up, would ya?" Kanen called out, standing up straight from a piece of trash lying in the grass. Ty opened his mouth to say something back, but Kanen's anger had flared. "No! Close your fucking mouth before I make you choke on your teeth!" He snapped, pointing a finger at the other boy. It looked like Ty had seen a ghost or something. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting Kanen snap at him. Kanen sent him on his way before Ty could recover from the shock.

"Fuckin' walk, while your legs still work. Move!"The way Kanen yelled, he could've been a drill sergeant of something. It was enough to send Ty scrambling.

It was at this point, Kanen decided he'd earned himself a break. He just dropped the bag of trash and walked on over to where Casper was before plopping down on the bench beside. "Dickhead, right?" He said with a little huff before glancing down at Casper's sketchbook. Kanen recognized the drawing pretty quick. A blind man could've seen who it was. Kanen didn't say anything though, he just raised an eyebrow and chuckled a little. Secret admirer huh?

mikaluvkitties​

 

[mogy]

Dante Novello

​

Coats.

Lots and lots of coats.

Faux fur coats. Duffle coats. Trench coats. Duster coats. Lightweight parkas. Puffer jackets. Hooded jackets. Leather jackets.

The thrift shop Dante was currently in had an extravagant choice when it came to coats, and seeing that school had just started and that it was still very warm outside, they were dirt cheap, literally each and every one.

Dante loved thrift shops exactly because of that. She also loved how she could buy almost anything, things ranging from all kinds of hardcover books to vintage board games to all kinds of china she probably didn't need, but just had to buy seeing how cheap it was.

Because the Stewart household was filled with lots of loud people, and Noah basically ditched her for his morning run, Dante forced herself to take a walk to the thrift shop, which was exactly why she was standing in the middle of the large room, a coffee in one hand, blue sunglasses on her head, a random black coat in her other hand, and of course, a genuine smile plastered across her face. She was happy most of the time, especially when she was shopping or sometimes when she was flirting.

Like expected, the shop was pretty much empty, and it made sense. Who would be in a thrift shop before noon?

What sparked Dante's attention was when this brunette girl walked into the silent store, the small bell on the top of the door sounding to indicate a new person coming into the shop. She talked with the older man about something, or somebody. Dante wasn't really listening to that part of the conversation between the two, as she was too busy looking at shirts. Hearing the conversation end, she turned around, and observed the brunette before actually approaching her.

"Why not buy a coat, two perhaps?" Dante asked, raising the coat in her right hand a little bit, to show it off. Her Italian accent was noticeable, but not very much.

Interactions: Soap (Raven)​

 

[Winona]

Jace


The last week had been horrible, and Jace was reminded of why he hated Westbrook.

Between dealing with his bitching mom, Ash's meltdowns, and then of course, being the best beanie brother that he could be to Stu, and trying to make some money on the side. Hey, Jace really wanted to be afford to pay for himself in the world. But after several interviews at places like even McDonald's, where he was rudely turned down for being "too awkward" and "we're worried you'l scare away customers," Jace realized that a standard job was not going to do it for him.

Which was why he was right in the middle of fixing a computer screen when he faintly heard a car pulling into the driveway. Everyone was out of the house at the moment -- Ash was getting coffee with friends that Jace actually liked, Stu was visiting Grace in the hospital again, and Martin and his mom were probably on some gross date.

Jace turned down the music playing on the stereo next to his work table and got up, heading for the door. He opened it only a tiny bit at first, worried that it would be Kanen or someone equally dastardly, but relief and... joy? Yeah, probably joy, washed over him when he recognized Lulu's car. A huge, unstoppable grin crossed his face.

"Lulu, hey! What's up?" Jace tried to be cool as he opened the door up wider, and he leaned against the door frame... and then ultimately slipped and stumbled a bit. Shoot.

Over the summer, yeah, Jace and Lulu had grown close. To be honest, she was probably his only friend anymore, especially after finding out that Nova was dating Ryder. He knew that he needed to talk to her, but talking felt too hard. So he'd stick with just having Lulu, and then the best little bro ever, Stu. Good ol' Stu.

His yellow beanie, emblazoned with the words "Beanie Bro" was, as always, proudly on his head.

PenguinFox​