Westbrook Season 2

[fin]

Wardell ​

Location: McDonald's
Mood: Intrigued
Interactions: Jasmine Hayes
With: Jasmine Hayes
Tags: @WeirdPrincess

Wardell's eyes remained on Jasmine after he'd spoken, but something was off with his extended hand. She hadn't shaken it. That was something that didn't occur back in New York, something foreign to someone like him who seemed to always charm the opposite sex with his seductive tone, brown eyes, and of course the height. Girls loved the height. But for some reason, this girl was different, even unique, in that sense that she didn't quickly conform to Dell's charm. Something like that would probably send another man off the rails, but Wardell wasn't like any other man. He remained calm and composed, and quickly pondered the next best course of action. Wardell continued to extend the hand up, and towards his lips where he feigned a cough. He then followed Jasmine's gaze, eyeing the menu with the one hand pocketed, and the other holding his bagged order.

"Jasmine," Wardell repeated, enunciating each letter in the name, "-- That's two Disney princesses now, isn't it?" He didn't look to her at the comment, but his smirk visibly stretched to the side at his joke. As if he too found it funny, or interesting. At the second part of her sentence, Wardell's head tilted from side to side, chin raised slightly as if he were pondering an answer. Something like picking an option off of a multiple choice question on an exam. "Not usually, Jasmine," He began, his voice was silvery, clear, audible, and pleasant to the ear. He had a light New York accent, but it didn't seem to surface all too much as he spoke, "But when I see a stunning lady enter McDonald's at this time of day? I just have to wonder." He finished. Wardell was indeed perplexed at her sight, he wasn't sure how often something like this would happen in Westbrook, or if he should prepare for other Disney princesses waltzing into local food joints. "I'm not mad that you're wearing it, or anything though.." Dell began, his dark brown eyes finally turned to look down at Jasmine by his side. "Like I said, I think you do wonders for the dress." Yes, he'd put his own twist on the common phrase, said clothing does wonders for so and so. He himself seemed proud of his own wittiness, and grinned, eyes still glued, and assessing the Disney princess in front of him.

"What can I buy you tonight, Jasmine? I'm not letting a princess drop a dime at a measly McDonald's." Wardell mimicked a classical British accent as he spoke. Still, his offering to pay for her food out of genuine generosity, he'd figured with his tough night, perhaps the princess too was facing something of her own and only wanted to unwind; He'd definitely be a warm shoulder for her to fall back on.

codedbycrucialstar​

 

[geminiy]

Genevieve Johannes

"Lead people on? No, that's not it at all. I never start things that I don't intend to finish. I may be a lot as a person but I am not some whore that likes to toy with people just for the fun of it and then leave them sad and alone." Gen defended herself against Mason's words. It would be incredibly easy for Gen to become one of those girls that flirt with people for free things or attention and not follow through on her words. But to her, it was unsatisfying to meet someone, connect with them, and not finish the job, not to mention plain cruel. "Sure, I've had my fair share of one and dones but that's typically because there's no real connection between us. But there are also plenty of people that I've truly connected with, grown to care about them. I know, shocker, I have feelings." Gen joked.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Gen grabbed a backpack from the back seat and exited the car, not waiting for Mason. Searching around for an appropriate cluster of trees, Gen sneaks out of view and slipped out of her overly uncomfortable dress and into more comfortable clothing. If she was going to party, she sure as hell wasn't going to do it in an expensive dress and heels.

She returned to Mason with her dress slung lazily over her arm in time to hear him ask her why they were at a parking lot. Gen didn't answer his question, only brushing past him to her car where she tossed her dress and shoes into the back seat before grabbing two large bottles of alcohol and shoving them in her bag.

"First of all, you didn't drive me anywhere, you drove us in my car, might I add." Gen began as she zipped the bag closed and bumping the car door closed with her hip. "Secondly, use that tone with me again and I won't hesitate to wreck that pretty little face of yours, though it would be quite a shame really. I owe you nothing and I sure as hell am not about to put out for a complete asshole that isn't going to have any respect for me, you got that? That cocky bad boy bullshit might scare some people, might turn some people on. But to me, you just sound like a first class asshole, so drop it or walk your ass home." Her tone was harsh as she marched over Mason, jabbing a pointed knuckle into Mason's chest and grabbing her car keys from his hand. She would have used her index finger instead but her nails were expensive and damn, breaking those things hurt.

Without another word, Gen walked past him and into the woods that lined the back of the parking lot. The soft thumping of music could be heard somewhere in the distance, the smell of a crackling bonfire wafting through the air. There was little light but Gen only found herself stumbling once or twice. Finally, the music was close and the music was clear.

"Through here." Gen said, pushing her way through some bushes and into a clearing filled with people. "It's a college party, I heard about it through my friend, Dani. Probably still lame by my standards but hey, you wanted a party so here we are." She told Mason, stepping through the clearing. It didn't take Gen long to pour herself a drink, taking long gulps. She needed to feel numb at least for the night. Looking around, Gen smirked as she saw a couple of rather attractive college students. If Asshole Supreme didn't work out, at least she had options.

Gen poured another drink, taking it over to Mason. "Here." She said sharply, placing the drink in his hands. "Now, are you going to make me forgive you for being a complete jerk or are you just going to stand there looking like a complete fool? Now's your chance, Mason. Take it or leave it."

| Mason Winona |​

 

[a z u l a]

Alaska

Alaska wasn't sure where to go, but she knew she didn't want to stay here. Going home right now also wasn't an option, she couldn't face her mother alone now that her secret was out, and she was sure neither of her brothers would be home to save her. Drake was busy with Maisie, and honestly she wasn't even sure if she wanted to talk to him right now. She couldn't believe that he hadn't told her he was moving in just a few days, they were supposed to best friends but he hadn't trusted her with something so big. So, Alaska decided she would just get in her car and drive anywhere that wasn't here. Maybe she'd drive her car off a bridge, who knew?

Eventually, she drove to the spot that she and Ian had gone to so many times before, parking her car and sitting in silence for a moment before finally getting out and walking down the familiar path to the cove. It was dark and there was no lights from street lamps or houses in the distance, and by the time Alaska's eyes had adjusted she stopped in her tracks, spotting Ian slumped over by a tree. She quickened her pace the rest of the way, hurriedly making her way over towards him while trying not to trip in the dark. He looked awful, and honestly Alaska could understand why.

Sure, Alaska's secrets were bad but she was used to everyone hating her already. She had seen all of the looks of pity Ian got as he walked through the halls, she knew if it was her she wouldn't be able to handle it either. Whoever Mikey was, Ian had never told her about him, but she could piece it together as to why he might've kept it a secret. She felt horrible, seeing him like this. All she wanted was to help him make the pain go away, but she felt so helpless.

"Ian?" She called once she was only a few feet away, moving carefully to kneel beside him on the ground so as not to startle him. He was covered in blood and bandaids and it made her want to cry. "Oh, Ian." Alaska 's voice broke as she wrapped her small arms around Ian, stroking his hair as she held him close. She wanted to fix all of his problems and make the pain go away, but it seemed all Alaska was good at was destroying everything around her. She didn't want Ian to be one of those things. Alaska didn't fix things, she was the one who broke them. But for now, she could pretend to be someone she wasn't, the person that Ian needed her to be.

PenguinFox​

 

[a z u l a]

Ryder

As soon as Ash wrapped her arms around him, Ryder felt relief wash through his whole body. All he'd wanted since leaving for New York was to see Ash again, to hold her in his arms and know that everything as going to be all right. As much of a mess as both of them were, when they were together Ryder could forget about the mess. His little blonde girlfriend was pretty much the only reason he'd survived last year, and the reason he'd worked so hard to be better this year. He didn't want to fight with her ever again, he'd worked to control his temper better and not punch everyone who made him mad. In fact, he thought he was handling this whole Wolves thing fairly well. He couldn't promise that he'd never yeet again, but he could promise to keep yeeting to a minimum if it meant Ash was less stressed out about him.

"I will absolutely laugh at you." Ryder teased, placing a kiss on her forehead before standing up and grabbing her hand as they walked towards the rink. "Alright, come on, my little snow angel." She looked so cute in his much larger jacket, he only wished it didn't over up the beautiful dress she was wearing. They hadn't ended up taking the pictures his mother wanted, but as long as he had memories with Ash he didn't care.

He stepped out onto the ice first, turning around so that he could take both of Ash's hands in his and help her out onto the ice. She kind of looked like a baby deer, wobbling around on unsure legs, but he held tight to make sure she didn't fall, laughing a few times as she almost slipped but keeping her steady. Even if it wasn't the homecoming he'd imagined, everything about their relationship had always been them adapting to whatever life threw at them. They didn't have a story-book romance, what they had was real. Ryder didn't mind the ups and downs, as long as he had Ash.

Winona​

 

[Luna_Marie]

Morgan

Having Dwyer drive her to homecoming gave Morgan the jitters. He insisted it wasnt a date, but she relentlessly teased him about it anyway. Her dress wasnt anything special, she couldnt afford that kind of stuff and it really wasnt her thing anyway, but she was still content regardless. The second she entered the room her hips started moving with the music and she grabbed Dwyers hands playfully. "Come on, just one da--" She was cut off by a guy in a mascot costume, and her shoulders slumped as she listened politely. That was until another voice boomed over the room and made the atmosphere heavy. Her heart dropped as her friends secrets spilled from the speakers and she stood helpless. Morgans arms were limp at her sides, her bottom lip quivering in anger and sorrow. Pain cut through her for Ian, who she has picked up off the floor covered in blood, a tear formed for JJ, the possibility of a lost child too painful to bear, and for Grace, someone she didnt know well but felt deep compassion for. It wasnt fair, they didnt deserve this, none of the victims did. Morgans head whipped to Dwyer as he signaled her and darted off after a culprit. Blood rushed to her cheeks and ears as she pulled out her phone to check on everyone, knowing it was useless to search the room by herself for all of them. The dance seemed shut down at this point, no one in a party mood anymore. Though she wasnt crying hard or for herself, a tear would fall down her cheek every few minutes. The energy in the air was suffocating and causing her to panic, so she searched for the nearest door. Busting outside, she found herself in a back parking lot. With a tired sigh, she took a joint from a bag in her bra and tried to light it. Morgan struggled for a moment, the wind preventing her flames, and suddenly the heat licked her thumb and she winced, dropping the lighter on the ground. Holding the blunt in one hand, she gently put the burn wound to her lips, trying to ease the small annoyance. A man approached from the side of the building and she shifted her weight to her other leg, watching him closely while feigning calm. He stopped next to her and leaned against the wall, looking at her with interest. "Can I help you?" She blew a cloud of smoke into his face and narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you can, sweetheart. Im Eric, and you are...?" Her eyes rolled and she shook her head. "No, leave." The stranger pushed up from the wall and took a step closer. "Relax, I just want to hang out, maybe take a hit, get your number." Morgan let her hand fall to her side and looked up Eric. "Im underaged, youre creeping me out. All I have to do is start screaming and my entire high school staff will come outside." With that she stepped back and took one last hit before snuffing out the last inch with her shoe. Eric grunted from behind her and slowly started slinking away the way he came. She let out a deep breath, the anxiety from the interaction making her head swim. Morgans thumb went back her her lips as she looked out to the tree line across the lot.

Mentions: PenguinFox
Interactions: Open
Location: Outside parking[/FONT]​

 

[PenguinFox]

Audra was led out to the balcony of the hotel and her breath caught in her throat at the view. Most of Westbrook's beachfront was visible from here and it was simply magnificent. Audra had been to many different cities and towns in her life but Westbrook seemed to have the perfect balance of both small town and big city. It was a wonder anyone would ever want to live anywhere else.

Stu was then giving Audra a gift, something she hadn't at all expected. Why would he be giving her a gift? She bit her lip a little, confused as to the meaning of this all but it quickly changed into a smile. She carefully unwrapped it and opened the box, revealing the gift inside. It was a small diary. Small enough to be taken anywhere, but large enough that it would actually be useful. Audra let Stu fumble with his words while she stared at the gift in disbelief. It was so incredibly thoughtful and sweet.

After a moment Audra looked up at Stu, cheeks hinting pink. "This is very nice, thank you. It's not at all silly." His next words really shocked her, but pleasantly. He was such a good guy and she really liked him. She hadn't really considered a relationship but now that he was actually asking her out there really was only one answer. "I don't think you're a loser at all and I..." she inched closer to him, bashfully looking at her feet before meeting his gaze again. "I really like you too." She covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled at the please part. "You don't need to say please silly. My mind was already made up."

Face flushed pink, Audra leaned in and gently kissed Stu. It was only a few seconds long but it felt like an eternity. Stu was a nice, funny, considerate, handsome young gentleman and Audra would gladly call herself his girlfriend. She slowly pulled away from him and slightly arched an eyebrow. "I hope that qualifies enough as an answer?"

The new couple's moment was cut short however by a commotion going on in the main room. Homecoming royalty was announced, but something else was happening. Audra looked between the room and Stu, confusion written on her face. "C'mon..." she said taking his hand and leading back to the ballroom, curiosity getting the better of her. She really wished it hadn't. She wished she had stayed out there on the balcony with her boyfriend, blissfully ignorant of the cruelty happening in the ballroom. The pair only caught the tail end of it, but it was enough to make conclusions on. Audra's mouth hung open at the chaos and confusion happening in front of her. Why? Why would anyone do this? She wasn't really friends with anyone effected, but her heart still ached for these people. She looked to Stu with worry and sadness in her eyes. "What do we do?" she wanted to help someone somehow, but she wasn't sure how. This was such an unusual situation she had no idea how to respond. Was there really anything they could do? The secrets were already out. Dede

 

[a z u l a]

Chase

It was easy to see that Noah was spaced out, but who could blame him? After everything that had just happened Chase was honestly surprised that Noah had been okay with coming here, if it were him in this situation he'd probably just want to go home and sulk. Maybe Chase should've just brought Noah home, but he couldn't imagine leaving him alone right now. He was sure that Noah already felt isolated from everyone else, so Chase was going to try his hardest to show that he was still his friend, no matter what.

"Don't worry about it, you were upset and I'm not gonna blame you for that." Chase started, stirring his hot chocolate slowly as he tried to piece together his thought in a way that he could explain to Noah. How could he put into words how he felt this strange urge to protect Noah, to take care of him? Despite what the little British twerp had said about him, Chase couldn't believe that the broken boy across from him was capable of such things. Maybe a past Noah, but not the one Chase had come to be friends with.

"Your mistakes don't define you, Noah. You showed me the type of person you are with your actions, and that's why we're friends." He explained, looking up from his mug to meet Noah's brown eyes. "And trust me, I've been dealing with the twins blowing up on me every time they're angry for years. At least you didn't throw anything at me." He joked.

mogy​

 

[Winona]

Ms. Ainsley hadn’t been a teacher for long. In fact, this was her first year ever as a teacher, and she had been excited when Elise had contacted her to let her know that she had been hired. Of course she had heard the rumors about Westbrook and it being an “unfit” school, hit with an almost unrelentless number of fights and hospital visits. But she had been excited to give this whole thing a whirl.

Being a home ec teacher had its downfalls. Such as… not a lot of people saw the value in home ec anymore, especially in this school district. So when the robot baby company had offered to send out thirty babies to a school to show the importance of home ec, Ms. Ainsley had jumped on the opportunity immediately. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a lot of kids in her own classes -- and now the press wanted something good, and Ms. Ainsley had to make this good. So after speaking with Principal Summers, they selected sixty students at (mostly) random. Sure, Ms. Ainsley had hand-selected a few -- the more popular kids, because she believed that if they did it, there might be more interest from other students in the future.

Thanks to the size of the class and all of the babies and their equipment, Ms. Ainsley was forced to hold this in the auditorium. The babies were stacked behind her with Ms. Romero, who had politely offered to help her pass out the thirty babies. Each baby was currently situated in a car seat, with a little baby bag that held the extra diaper, two changes of clothes, a bottle, and the student’s ID bracelets for the babies.

This was going to go great.

“Hello, students! Before we pass out the babies, I’d like you all to look at the screen for an instructional video on how to take care of your baby.”


(Look, a helpful video!)

As the video ended, Ms. Ainsley started clapping, but the students didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. That was fine. “Okay, so everyone, I will call the parents one at a time and then you can come up and get your baby and items from Ms. Romero.” She looked back at the art teacher with a warm smile.

“Each baby will come with the bottle, an extra diaper, and two changes of clothing. There will also be two wristbands in the diaper bag, as well. Each parent will need to wear one of these and you will need that when you care for your baby, otherwise the care will not register.” And that way, she could tell who was doing the most work in each group. “After you get your baby and find your partner, you may leave. The babies will be active from today at three until Sunday afternoon at three.”

Of course, all of the couples were male and female -- except for the two extra boys, forming the only male group. Woops. She started calling out the names, allowing the students to come up and meet up with their partner, and gather their child.​

 

[Soap]

Evie

Oh my god. He was a complete dork. But... that didn't mean Evie was writing him off so quickly. While he rambled, and it was overly annoying. It was kind of fun to tease him, wasn't it? Furrowed brows appeared on the brunette's face. There wasn't many people who talked about their mom before introducing themselves, granted, he's talking about how you can't drink. But is that a thing high school boys do? Think of what they're not allowed to do when they talk to girls? Was that how the whole rebel thing is born? Or just nerds in general? "Red? Like... the color?" What a terrible name... but Evie's going to keep that insult to herself for now. He didn't seem like someone who took constructive criticism very well.

Well, it was probably just criticism in general because it's not like he could just up and change his name. How is it possible, that someone could ramble in their head? See that, now that was a legitimate question. Maybe she was a nerd on the inside-- not like she'd admit that though. "Well, Red Donovan. I think it's best if you stay away from any punch at any school sanctioned parties from now on. There's always going to be that person, it's like high school 101." Yeah, because she totally knew all the in-and-outs of high school. But considering the movies she'd seen, Evie was practically a pro at this.

But boys? Oh. She was far from experienced at talking to boys.

lion.​

 

[Winona]

Ash

Despite the small hiccup that was Homecoming, Ash was back to being… mostly okay. Not only had her Homecoming ended up being the best one for her on record, but the last week had been good. Sure some people had been still throwing slut comments her way, but Ash was used to those by now. It had been happening for over a year, after all, and at least this time she wasn’t alone.

Plus, her relationship with Ryder was actually going well. Sure it had only been about two weeks, but they hadn’t been in a fight yet -- which was saying something when Ryder and Ash were together.

It was blissful… and yeah, Ash had started drinking again. But she totally had it managed! Kind of… okay so maybe she had forgotten to visit Ian over the weekend because she had been drinking, and maybe she had woken up with a hangover. But look, Ash had been good. She had been good and hadn't been drinking for so long. And a little bit of alcohol never hurt anyone -- just a few tastes of vodka here and there, to steady her nerves. Including a quick shot before she had shown up here

And now she was relaxing in one of the auditorium seats, waiting for this ridiculous baby assignment. She was silently hoping that they would get to pick their partners -- because even if she had joked about wanting Grace on Twitter, obviously Ash would choose Ryder. Neither of them were very good with kids, but it was a robot, so it had to be easier to deal with, right? Plus, you know, an excuse to spend the whole weekend with her boyfriend was something she wanted.

Unfortunately, Ms. Ainsley announced that the couples had been pre-determined. There was still a chance, though! Her partner could still be Ryder, or Grace, or even Ian. And then, the teacher announced her partner.

Colby.

And normally that wouldn't be bad -- she got along with Colby, or had when they were younger in middle school. Ash hadn't had a lot of time to see Colby since he had come back, and she considered their friendship basically dead now since he'd started dating Tatum. It was no secret that the two cheerleaders didn't get along, and Ash knew that Tatum hated her. It wasn't like it was hard to tell or anything, so being stuck with Colby aka Tatum's boyfriend for the whole weekend... no thank you.

She stood up from the auditorium seat and headed up to grab the robot thingy. On her way up, she managed to catch up with Colby and fell into step beside him, a big smile on her face. Even if Tatum didn't like her, that didn't mean she automatically had to start this project with Colby on a bad note.

"Hey, Colby Jack. Excited?"

0k_mang0​

 

[geminiy]

Isabelle Dupont

Bella went home the evening after homecoming feeling like she was floating on Cloud Nine. Her date with Brayden had been perfect and, by her standards, the whole night had simply been wonderful. She definitely could have gone without the whole Wolves thing but even with all that drama, plus having to sneak back into her house after Brayden dropped her off, nothing could have possibly ruined her night.

The next week went by in a blur of school, cheer practice, and searching for somewhere for Jackie to stay. When Friday finally rolled around, Bella was good and ready for a relaxing weekend. Bella always enjoyed being busy, it didn't give her enough time to stop and think, but she certainly loved the idea of a break. But before the weekend could begin, she had just one more class to get through. Just one more class until freedom. Bella wouldn't have minded having to go to one more class but that class was the absolute bane of her existence: home ec.

Bella made her way into the auditorium where the class was being held, nodding a quick hello to Ms Ainsley before making her way to the back and grabbing a seat. The only reason she even took home ec was due to the fact that the only other class that would have fit in her last period was physics and she would much rather learn how to be a basic human being over learning the stupidity of physics.

When the teacher began explaining the assignment, Bella's run ran cold. Babies? Why on earth did they have to learn how to care for babies? Not to mention that Ms Ainsley had taken it upon herself to create her own pairs of students, taking away any possibility of fun away from the assignment. Bella's heart only sank more when she announced that the assignment would last over the weekend. Any hopes of having a relaxing weekend at home had just effectively been stomped out.

Bella waited for her name to be called to hear what idiot she had gotten paired with for the worst assignment in high school history. But somehow, Bella managed to luck out, hearing Red's name being called after hers. Bella stood up, walking to the front of the room to collect the robotic baby and the accessories before turning around, looking for Red's face in the crowd. Upon spotting him, Bella made her way over and forced a smile onto her face. Red didn't deserve to see her upset.

"Hey Brooklyn Boy." Bella teased, holding the baby behind her back. "I have some horrible news..." She whipped the baby out from behind her back. "You're the father!" The robot jiggled in her hands as Bella shook it around playfully. She got the impression that by the end of the weekend, she would want to bash this baby's head against the wall.

In the background, names were still being called. She hadn't registered the problem with some of the pairs until Zander's name was called alongside the name of another boy and Pixie's name was called with the name of another girl. Bella's eyebrow raised as she turned around to watch who went up to Ms Ainsley. Maybe it had been a mistake, maybe she called the names in the wrong order. But as Bella stood there, the baby limply dangling from her hands, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. What kind of transphobic bullshit was happening?

| Red lion. | mentions Zander Winona |​

 

[geminiy]

Elias Johannes

After the events of homecoming, Elias suddenly missed New York even though he never thought he would.. Westbrook was so different than his little eleven year old self had remembered it. All of his friends from his youth were so grown up and hearing their secrets on blast only further proved that. Then there was Hazel getting ditched by her date and Gen disappearing into the night without a word and then refusing to tell him anything when she returned home hungover the next morning.

It was like the entire world had moved on without even realizing that Eli was there.

Eli made a habit for the following week of just keeping his head down, even staying quiet around his sisters. He simply went through the motions, waking up every morning, going with his sisters to school, attending his classes, eating lunch by himself in the photography room while working on a project, going home and doing homework, going to bed. Life became a pattern, became comfortable.

Friday arrived and Elias was simply dreading having the weekend to himself, though he was planning on going to a park near his house and taking photos for his portfolio. His dad had gotten a new camera, giving Elias the old one with all of the cool add ons and he couldn't wait to try it out. Eli made his way into the auditorium taking a seat next to a kind looking blonde girl. The auditorium was packed with students. Who knew so many people took home ec?

Eli listened as the teacher, Ms Ainsley, explained their new assignment. Elias had never, not once in his life, ever wanted to have to do the cliche assignment of not killing an animatronic baby but hey, maybe it would be an opportunity to meet some new people. When his name was called along with his partner, Olivia's, name, the last thing he had expected was for both him and the kind girl sitting next to him to stand. Eli looked over to the girl, a laugh bubbling from his mouth.

"Well, looks like we're partners, neighbour." Elias said as the two walked up to collect their babies. "I'm Elias, though you already know that. It's a pleasure to meet you." Elias greeted, holding a hand out.

| Olivia mogy |​

 

[Luna_Marie]

Morgan

A groan escaped Morgan’s lips as she gently rubbed her eyes, looking at the room around her with frustration. This was not her house. Some college guy down the street from her let her crash with him, well, his parents let her crash. It had been a few days and each night he expected something to happen between them, and nothing ever did. An arm flopped on top of her waist like a dead fish and the man grumbled in his sleep. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she picked the offending limb up and tossed it aside. She gathered her things, slipping into a jacket over her sleep shirt and tried creeping down the hall. Morgan did not plan to come back. Just as she was at the door, a small old woman came around the corner with a smile. Polite conversation continued as Morgan denied breakfast and insisted she was late. After 10 minutes of torture she finally made it out the door, rushing down to the school. Lazily shoving things in her locker and moping around the building, she searched for the auditorium where she would be assigned some project she didn’t bother to read up on. Suddenly she remembered that she had to meet up with Tatum, so she shot her a quick text saying to meet Morgan in the back of the auditorium.

Elf_Ruler ​

 

[Winona]

Zander

Great a baby thing. Okay. Being the youngest of four, it wasn't like Zander exactly had a lot of experience with the whole "babies" thing. Sure, when he was in foster care there were almost always toddlers and babies around, but he'd been eight. He hadn't done much with them, and after the Knights had adopted him, Zander had pretty much said good bye to babies all together -- save for the few times he'd attempted babysitting when he was like thirteen. Never. Again.

And everything was going great! Hell, Zander was even a little bit excited, and then they started calling out the names and the partners -- males and females, and he was waiting to see which girl he would be paired up with. Well, he was, until he heard his name called right after Noah's. And for a brief moment, it was like the entire world stopped.

He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and he could feel people looking at him, whispering, questioning. Zander tried to slide down in his seat, to escape the looks and whispers, but it didn't work as Ms. Ainsley called his name again. Fuck he had to stand up, but standing up would just seal it. Sure he was a boy -- obviously he was a boy -- but it would seem that his mother had forgotten to send in the necessary paperwork, proving it to the government. Did the school seriously have him labeled as a girl?

They called his name a third time, and Zander stood up out of the seat, shuffling his way into the aisle and made his way dejectedly down the aisle. His shoulders were hunched, he kept his gaze on the ground in front of him. This was exactly why he had been excited about coming to Westbrook! No one here knew that he was different.

Zander shuffled up the stairs, struggling to hold back tears as he collected the baby car seat and diaper bag from Ms. Romero -- the art teacher that he used to seriously respect -- and then tried to slip off the stage as quickly as he could.​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

The day after homecoming Tatum had woken up confused, mostly because she was still hungover. As her eyes adjusted, she went to move and felt a small weight on her, a cat? She didn’t own a cat, but she reached over the blankets to pet the small critter. She looked around and realized she didn’t recognize anything in the room, comic books, a lightsaber, and nerdy posters. Where the hell had she woken up at because she wasn’t at home. It was in that moment that she lifted the blanket to see she was still her dress, but her hair had a hair tie in it. It took her a moment to get up out of the bed, her head pounding but she saw a pair of sweatpants and a shirt sitting for her, or so she assumed. She quickly changed before she exited the room. She could hear small whispers before she poked her head around and saw Colby and his grandpa. They were both super nice to her while she recovered from her hangover and Grandpa Florence had prepared some eggs and toast for her and gave her some aspirin. He was way calm about Colby having a girl over and that had made Tatum feel concerned.

Though for the rest of the day Colby had hung out with her, even gave her a slow dance that they never got to have, he then recounted everything past the car and how he held her hair back while she puked. Of course, Tatum had been embarrassed about the whole ordeal, but Colby just kissed her forehead. He even suggested a marathon of The Office and suggested after everything that had happened, they should be more than friends and actually officially be a couple. Tatum was more than happy and agreed, but during their marathon she had fallen back asleep snuggled up to Colby, she had forgotten what it was like to just feel comfortable with someone.

The rest of her weekend had been a fight with her father when she arrived home and she wouldn’t directly answer where she was. Brayden had done as much damage control as possible but even he couldn’t have prevented Bruce and Tatum from fighting. The two were always stubborn and fought constantly. Though Tatum had disappeared to her room for the rest of the weekend and avoided her father.

School had been interesting now that she was with Colby. However, that meant nothing when it came to this baby project. Sure, Tatum could have pretended doing the project didn’t bother her, but it did. It was in that miniscule moment that her phone went off and she got a text from Morgan. She was going to sit with Colby, but her plans had changed, and she wasn’t going to explain it to him because he would try and stop her. So, she sent a quick text telling him she would be late and to find a seat without her. A lie but for the greater good. She quickly responded to Morgan before she made her way to the back of the auditorium and it wasn’t hard to spot the rainbow haired girls, “Hey, Morgan, right? I know we haven’t met. Tatum.” She gave the girl a smile and was glad that at least someone was indulging her in her needs.

0k_mang0 Luna_Marie

 

[Coyote Hart]

​

In a weird twisted way, Nils was really disappointed. He didn't walk into the doors of the school seeing the popular people throwing their Starbucks drinks at each other and tearing at each other's hair, despite the mess that occurred during homecoming. Huh. It seemed that Westbrook was more capable of keeping itself together than Nils had thought.

Being his first real day at school, Nils was kinda nervous. Just a little though. He was scared of getting beat up because there was a zero percent chance he was going to check in with all the social norms and rules that the school had. That stuff was all bullshit that prevented people from acting how they liked, shoving them into a box to be controlled by someone pathetic.

When the school bus pulled up to the school-- Nils was too young to start learning how to drive, even if he had someone to teach him-- it seemed just like a normal school. If only it would be that easy to integrate into. Unfortunately for Nils, he had arrived at the worst time to "integrate into." There was this dumb baby project that he had to get through. The worst part of it all? How the fuck were either him or his partner supposed to know who they were assigned to when it was Nils' first day?

Nonetheless, Nils followed the crowd to the auditorium, where he sat down to hear the assignment. Thank goodness partners were assigned by the teacher. Imagine if he was the odd one out. It would be nice if it meant that he could skip the entire thing, but he doubted that would be the case.

When his name was called, it was also called alongside a girl named Kandi. Nils walked straight-backed and confidently up to the stage, only for his confident countenance to dissolve as soon as he took the robotic baby and the toiletry bag. He had no idea what to do. Utterly clueless.

Nils stepped down from the stage, walking to the side of the steps to wait for this Kandi lass as well as let anybody who wanted to get up on the stage to have a clear path. The baby was hanging upside down, with Nils awkwardly holding onto it by its inch thick leg. Who was this Kandi person anyways? He hoped she could take care of a baby better than he could.

Twin Fantasy

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Kandi McCloud

Never once had Kandi wished to be a mother. Her own mother dipped when she was young. Motherhood must have been brutal. The pelvic squeak of birth, cleaning up after it, feeding it, trying to figure out what's wrong when the damn thing can't even speak... Frustrating. Sure, dogs also share a lot of those traits, but at least a dog is grateful. Infants, they can't be bothered. Human beings are naturally selfish.

Except May.

People always said that Kandi's obsession with May was abnormal. Unhealthy, even. Kandi never had another friend. May was just the perfect human being. Not selfish like the others. May had always, always stuck her neck out for Kandi. Tended to the bruises left by her boozing father, standing up for her, buying her things... Nobody else had even approached that sort of kindness. And Kandi had prayed she might be paired with May, even though all signs pointed elsewhere. She wasn't religious at all, but she prayed. These other bozos weren't worth her fucking time.

But when the names were called, May was paired off with someone else. A fellow named Jayden. Kandi hoped he wasn't like that other guy May knew. But then she was called for -- twice, because she wasn't really paying attention. With some stupid boy named Nils. Most boys are stupid. She remarked such internally, but went onto the stage to meet her new partner, holding the baby in a way that, were it real, may invite a lawsuit.

"I don't think you're supposed to hold it like that." Momentarily, Kandi reached for a cigarette, then remembering she was indoors. Fuck. "First thing's first, if you dump this baby on me and fuck off, I'll seriously rip you a new asshole. Secondly, don't consider this an excuse to come onto me." (After all, she was irresistible.)

// Coyote Hart //​

 

[DrabberRogue]

Serena Harper

Homecoming was a disaster. To be fair, Principle Summers had done a decent job, even personally handling that stupid British kid. The damage had already been done by the time she was able to do that, however. Now Serena hadn't really cared much about Westbrook's Jolly Ole Wolves before. Just a bunch of gossip girl wannabes trying to seem threatening on Twitter as far as she was concerned. After the little stunt they'd pulled at the dance though? Now they were on her radar. Now Serena had a grudge. What would have otherwise been a well executed, if personally disappointing, homecoming dance had been spoiled by some little brat and her handlers.

Serena had gone home early, not wanting to hang around the site of Beau's dirty little slideshow. All of her friends were gossiping, the buzz of shifting opinions echoing her own concealed thoughts. As much as she hated what the wolves had done, she couldn't help making judgements on what she'd been shown. Of course there were people like Ash and Mason, their bad habits put on display for all the school to see. That was nothing new. Anyone who knew anything about Westbrook knew to expect as much from those two. They weren't the only ones though, and she'd found herself reconsidering her opinions of some of them. Even Grace of all people! Screwing her girlfriend, (were they even together when that film was taken?), in a classroom of all places!

Anyways, Grace was still fine in her books, just a little less decent than she'd thought. What wasn't fine was the obviously drunk boy that tried to dance on her at one point once the drama had wound down. That was the real straw that broke the camel's back and convinced Serena to leave. She wasn't enjoying herself. After a few more minutes of chatting with overly gossipy friends and hopelessly scanning the crowd for a handful of someones she might want to stay for, the girl finally made her exit.

The week to come was actually a little less frustrating than she'd been expecting. Serena was too focused on school and basketball practice to really think about the drama, with one glaring exception. While she didn't show it, she now had a markedly lower opinion of a few of the other girls on the cheerleading team. Of course she still worked as hard as she always did. She needed to. That kind of dancing had never been her thing, save for a short stint in middle school, so she had joined noticeably behind a lot of the other girls in terms of skill. A couple months of constant practice had closed a lot of that gap, but she was still behind. It bothered her. Even in the cases where she was one of the better performers, it still wasn't good enough. She was certain she could do better.

So yeah, cheer practice was kind of stressful.

It was manageable enough though, and Serena was feeling confident as she strode into the auditorium for home ec class. Now every class was important to Serena. She hated getting anything less than perfect grades, so everything school related required her utmost attention. However home ec seemed like one of the more important classes on her schedule. Actually, she was kind of baffled that it wasn't mandatory. No wonder there were so many stories about deadbeat parents not taking proper care of their kids. Serena wasn't a betting girl, but she'd feel pretty secure wagering that none of those people had been taught how to be parents.

Serena didn't plan on contributing to Westbrook's next wave of druggies and criminals, so needless to say she didn't dismiss it the same way a lot of her classmates seemed to be. Although that didn't stop her from rolling her eyes as she watched the video about their project. Scratch that, it wasn't a video. It was an advertisement. Not even a good one either. It was pretty obvious the people presenting it were reading awkwardly off a script. The delivery of some of those lines almost made her cringe. Almost.

When her name was called, Serena wasted no time standing up from her front row seat and retrieving her assignment. Trying to figure out who exactly her partner was all the way up to the stage. Cadence. Cadence... She didn't know anyone named Cadence. Well, it was time to change that. She presented a polite smile to Ms. Romero as she gently took the fake baby, grabbed the other necessary supplies, and then followed suit of one of the other students by getting herself out of the way to wait for her partner. A few seconds were spent trying to figure out how she was supposed to hold the thing, eventually settling for a solution that vaguely resembled cradling it in her arm. Sort of.

fin

 

[fin]

CADENCE

cadence arbiter

Cadence had heard of the monstrosity that Homecoming had been, and the thought only made him laugh at those who'd been exposed (except Ashton, of course). For once not having a date had likely saved him from public humiliation, if anyone really noticed him, that was. But everything was soon to be changed. While everybody was busy dancing, drinking, being exposed, on homecoming night, Cadence and his parents had finally finished moving into their upper Westbrook mansion. The new home was a modern mansion, with light blue pools, tennis courts in the backyard, 8 bedrooms, and much, much more. Cadence was eager to reinvent himself with his family's newfound riches, and with the latter of the "popular" students suffering at the hand of their own secrets, he'd utilize this as a platform to jumpstart his own campaign for popularity.

In the following weeks, Cadence's main focus was changing his style to something more-- attractive. Prior to his family winning the lottery, they hadn't enough funds for Cadence to wear anything more than the same black jeans and hoodie. But always with money came positive change. He'd spent weeks at the local mall, shopping unnecessary brands, for whatever was in vogue. Cadence wasn't a random shopper though, he'd spent years in the background, watching the well-liked from afar. He knew the do's and don't's immediately, and knew not to overdress either. His parents hadn't a problem with the sudden change anyways, Cadence before the riches was a smart young man, responsible, and quiet, they didn't have much to worry about. Yet.

It seemed like with a flick of a finger his entire life was turned around. New car, clothes, and technology. Word was already getting to the town, and school of his major upgrades. People had already started approaching him in the halls, begging to be peers with him now. But he had his sights set already, he wouldn't stray from the mental plan he'd created in his head. While becoming even popular didn't have as much effect on him physically, the sudden rush of adrenaline and happiness it all gave him only made him perform better at his lacrosse and basketball practices the week coming. Usually getting beaten, and rocked by his teammates, he finally realized just what an advantage his size and speed gave him. Hell, he'd even crossed Wardell on a play too.

Now he was seated in the giant auditorium, surrounded by 59 other students selected to watch over a baby. Cadence saw it only as a distraction, an obstacle in his path for school domination! But it was an obstacle he'd have to get through nonetheless. Although he was passionate about his self-reinvention, grades still would, and always would come first to him. He had 90+ averages in each class since his freshman year, a GPA average of 4.3 due to his AP and IB classes. He was going to be popular, but he hoped to be the popular nerd, too.

His name was finally called, and partnered up with Serena Harper. He knew of her. Cadence kept tabs on everybody-- well, everybody he felt was important. Serena wasn't a missed beat. Straight A student-athlete, perfectionist, and just all around stunning. She'd be an ideal partner for this project, somebody who cared about grades just as much as him. As well as the next step on his journey to max popularity.

Cadence gritted his teeth, flexing his jaw, and rose from his seat further to the back. His blue eyes landed on Serena in the distance, she'd already made it to their baby. The distance was greater from his position in the back, and rather than rush forwards, he strutted with the new walk he'd formulated for himself. One that displayed his swagger, and got all the angles across. It was a stunning way to walk, he knew it, and everybody else did. He didn't help but look like a model either, adorned by the black jeans, white t-shirt, black leather jacket and some black retro J's. His silver necklace swayed from side to side as he walked, expression calm, and chill, perhaps he'd even slipped a smirk in there at a pretty girl he walked past.

He nodded at Ms. Romero once she'd directed him towards Serena whom he then approached. Cadence reached for the supplies in Serena's hands, easing the pressure on her as he'd left the baby in her arms. He laughed slightly at how she held the robotic baby though, she was close to perfect in how she held it. "See, you're close, sport. You've just got to also support the baby's head with a hand." He suggested, but he hardly looked like he was berating her the way he smiled. He was pretty relaxed about it, and although he'd never had a baby of his own (for obvious reasons), or a child, he was pretty versed due to his hospital volunteer hours.

"Serena Harper, right? Cadence-- I guess I'm going to be your baby daddy on this." The blond boy joked. He glanced around the auditorium for where each duo was supposed to go once they'd received their baby. He wasn't too sure yet, and figured if Serena didn't know either, he'd just follow wherever students left to most often.

Location: School Auditorium| Mentions: Serena Harper, DrabberRogue​

code by @pasta​

 

[Dede]

Stu

​

The kiss, when it came, tingled. He didn’t flinch when their lips connected. It was a good feeling, the best feeling. This was the best day of his life, and more.

Audra had been the only thing on his mind, day in and day out. She had been his last thought when he went to bed, and his first thought when he woke up. Sometimes she even managed to appear in his dreams. Was that weird? A little obsessive, maybe? Stu couldn’t care less. Because he was in love. In love. Everything about Audra made him feel warm fuzzy feelings. She was the best thing that had happened to him in since forever. And so nothing else mattered. Nothing, nothing.

… Not even the terrible ruckus that befell the rest of Westbrook while they kissed. The two of them were happy in their own little world and needed none of that drama. All they needed right now was each other, and so long as they were together nobody could hurt them. Westbrook could be a savage, heartless place sometimes – well, all the time –but Stu wouldn’t ever let any harm come to Audra. He’d protect her forever and ever. He’d be the best boyfriend in the world. And when he got his driver’s licence, eventually, he’d take her out to a romantic dinner by candlelight, and drive her to the beach, or wherever their little hearts desired. For now though, for lack of a driver's licence, or any driving skills whatsoever... the balcony would have to do.

‘… We could always go back outside,’ Stu suggested, pointing a thumb over his shoulders. Then he smiled at Audra some more, and then took her hand. ‘It'll just be us, come on.'

~Fin~

PenguinFox​

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Ash Winona , mention Tatum Elf_Ruler​

This was definitely the best weekend he ever had in Westbrook. Probably the only best weekend he’d had in this town. His first and maybe last homecoming dance ended horribly, but it didn’t matter to him the next day. Because he got to wake up next to his now-official girlfriend and spend a relaxing day with her at his place. When he woke up first, he put his house kitten Berlioz on the bed to keep Tatum company while she slept. Her flustered reaction from when he told her what happened last night was quite cute, and honestly, he found slow dancing in the living while wearing sweatpants much more fun than in a hotel.

The following days after that time just felt great. School still sucked, but being in a new relationship made up for it. Colby didn’t have to worry about holding hands with someone he really likes in public anymore, and his relationship was perfectly legal this time.

While waiting for Tatum beside the entrance of the auditorium, Colby received a text message from Tatum saying she was going to be late. Well, that’s a bummer. But the baby announcement thing would start soon, so he went inside and found a seat by himself. He watched the instructional video with indifferent interest and paid attention to some important things said by the teacher.

And then came the partner announcement. Colby had hoped everyone would choose their own partners since it made more sense, picking the friend you trust most to help take care of a kid with you. And yes, he wanted to pick Tatum, obviously. However, Fate amusingly decided to pair him up with his old middle school friend: Ash.

“Excited to experience parenthood to a robot baby this soon? Oh, yeah, totally,” he said sarcastically. Colby didn’t really mind the baby project entirely. They were going to do it no matter what, no use in whining about it like it’d get them out of it. But he knew how Ash felt about the assignment, and she had made her lack of baby knowledge and bias towards small children quite clear.

While they were picking up their bundle of joy and the stuff, Colby asked, “Ready to learn how not to kill a kid, Miss Kutcher?”

 

[Winona]

Ash

She let him take the lead, and pick up the baby in it's... holder. Car thingy. Seat. Seatcar? No... booster? Yeah, that was it. The baby's booster. Ash felt rather smug and proud of herself for remembering the name of the thing that babies rode around in, but she didn't voice it. Ash didn't know what to do, and the last thing she wanted to do was like take the booster and drop it. Would that kill a baby? Like how easily murdered were these small robots? They looked very breakable to her.

No she was not ready, and she was sure that the look of worry on her face made that very clear. Blue eyes drifted from the booster up to Colby and she hesitated, before speaking. "No not at all." She admitted, cracking a small smile. "I mean, I'm glad that I at least have like a baby master to teach me how to take care of it."

And she was much less nervous than she had been before coming into the auditorium. It was amazing what just a small shot of vodka could do to calm someone down. No wonder parents always drank!

"So I think we can just, like... go. Do you want to come over to my house?" Her house tended to be the go-to for all school projects -- although, with her mother as the principal, there had been significantly less activity at her house. Still, Colby didn't seem to have the same hatred for her mother that everyone else did, so maybe he'd still be fine with it. Maybe.

"I mean, you know, if that's fine with Tatum." Again, Ash knew that Tatum disliked her, and it wasn't like Ash could blame her anymore. Now that slut was stamped across her once again, she doubted that Tatum would trust Colby to be at her house with her -- not that she would, obviously, do anything. Because she was happy with Ryder.

So far, Ash was totally nailing this project thing.

0k_mang0​

 

[DrabberRogue]

Serena Harper

Even before she knew he was her partner, Cadence drew Serena's emerald gaze almost immediately when he entered her field of vision. He stood out from the crowd, the way he moved exuding confidence. Maybe too much confidence. Either way, the boy clearly cared about the way he presented himself, and that was something Serena tended to notice. It actually made her a little self-conscious. Well, a little more self-conscious than she already was. As he approached she quietly adjusted any little imperfections in her posture, at the same time taking a moment to scrutinize the person she now knew could only be Cadence. Stylish, not overdressed, sensible, athletic, and blonde. Not that the last part mattered, or anything.

She smiled politely at the boy as he took the burden of carrying the supplies, only to feel a spark of mild embarrassment as he corrected her baby carrying technique. Immediately she glanced down at the robot in question, quickly adjusting her hand so that she could could both hold the baby and support its head. A position that actually felt much less awkward than what she'd had it in before. Look at that, he actually knew what he was talking about.

Cadence's next words brought a smile, a real one, to her face as he introduced himself. "Lucky me." She replied, her strawberry blonde ponytail swaying with the movement of her head as she looked back up to meet his eyes. "So, Cadence, how d'you wanna handle this?" Serena asked, wanting to get a plan of action going before anything else. Although she did have a couple things she wanted to ask this boy...

For a moment her attention drifted past him as she overheard one of the other pairs, Ash and Colby. What a duo. They went way back, if she remembered right. "The video made it look like the baby's gonna be on all night, so maybe..." Serena hesitated for a moment before stealing Ash's idea. "Maybe we should stay with each other for the weekend, for the project?" She continued, internally hoping that Cadence wouldn't try to read too much into her suggestion. Perhaps more importantly she hoped his parents were open to hosting a girl for a couple days. She'd rather not have to explain to her dad why she was inviting a boy over to help her raise a robotic baby.

fin

 

[fin]

CADENCE

cadence arbiter

Cadence only smiled when Serena blushed in embarrassment. He found it cute, how the strawberry pink filled her cheeks, and even cuter when she'd smiled back at him. He definitely was getting a hang of being funny, not that he'd ever had a problem with it before. Perhaps he'd just never had anybody to share his jokes with. The fact that Serena had smiled at it was only a reassurance for Cadence, and a stepping stone for becoming who he wanted to be.

As for the robotic figure in her hands, Serena was obviously a quick learner. With just that tidbit of advice, she was able to modify which position she held the baby from her "rough start" to something Cadence saw as definitely near perfect. She was using one hand to cradle the baby's body, and another to support its head. He nodded at her intuitiveness, and displayed a court smirk of his own. Cadence only saw success in having Serena as his partner, and he figured the two of them would definitely have some fun on a project like this as well. Both intelligent students who actually cared for their assignments, this was going to be a walk in the park.

Not in a million years did Cadence expect what was going to happen next though. Serena had suggested that they stay together throughout the weekend-- to take care of the baby of course. But it didn't make the idea any more foreign to Cadence. He wasn't good with girls-- at least he hadn't been before. The whole popular, rich kid act was all fairly new to him, and he wouldn't even know the first thing to do with a girl in his home. He gulped, and his expression likely took a sudden dip in the direction of fear, before he forced a dry chuckle. He shook the thought of things going wrong, he wasn't going to pussy out of having a girl over. Cadence's parents wouldn't be one to say no to him having a friend over. Not even if it was a girl. It was all too rare for him to have friends in his humble abode, so he figured he'd volunteer his own home. Plus, he could sense the Serena's anxiety of it all. Maybe she wasn't even allowed to have male friends over, he chuckled to himself.

Cadence then shook his head slightly, and snapped out of the thinking. He did that all too often, think. Perhaps it'd been a nerd thing, but now he just wanted to be focused on the do. Turning his eyes to Serena, Cadence nodded slightly, a faint smile creased onto his lips. "You can stay the weekend and more." Nailed it, he thought to himself. Cadence transferred the baby's essentials and manuals all into the booster in his other hand, before pulling his phone from his pocket. He just had to alert his parents he'd be having Serena over, but he knew already that it wouldn't be a problem.

As Cadence typed, and dialed away at his phone, his eyes set on Serena, and suddenly he'd realized something important that they'd been missing. "So, what're we naming him-- or her? I'm not even all too sure how to check its gender." He chuckled slightly.

Location: School Auditorium| Mentions: Serena Harper, DrabberRogue​

code by @pasta​

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Juliette crossed her arms and refused to listen, but the thing about ears is that you couldn't really turn them off. So she had no choice to-- Yes, she could've left that bathroom but she risked running into Toby... and something told her denying the pregnancy with him, wasn't exactly going to go well. She was still pissed at Sawyer, but she knew it wasn't exactly her fault the secret got out. Plus, Grace didn't count because thankfully she got into a coma, while it was unlucky for her, at least Juliette's secret stayed quiet for all these months.

How could JJ actually believe that she could've gotten away with it? Maybe it wasn't fair she was blaming Sawyer for what Beau and Ezio did. But the thing about JJ? She didn't really consider everyone else's feelings but her own whenever she was emotional. "Yeah yeah, whatever. You're so in love and all that. Good for you!" It might've been the biggest miracle in the world that Grace had woken up, but not for Grace-- for JJ. Because she finally got rid of Sawyer.

What? It was just another person she was tired of. She didn't need her, and if this stupid bracelet wasn't locked on her wrist, it would be already down the toilet.

The brunette scoffed under her breath. "It sucks? Oh. You're so right, Sawyer. I'm terribly sorry for hurting your feelings. I didn't mean to make your night with sleeping beauty so inconvenient. Forgive me, it's clear you're going through so much right now." No, she didn't want to hear about Sawyer's PTSD about her high school girlfriend dying, or how Grace barely spares her another glance anymore. Juliette didn't care. She just wanted her to leave. "You know, I'm glad Grace woke up. But maybe you should. She doesn't fucking love you, Sawyer. She broke up with you for a reason. So stop pining over her like you're some kind of dog waiting for attention." Whether or not it was true, Juliette's defense mechanism was tearing others down around her. Whatever Sawyer's intentions behind her words, Juliette wasn't pretending. She didn't have to try to be strong. She already was, and the last thing JJ needed was coddling.

She pushed past Sawyer and left the room, ignoring the glares and muttered curses from the long line of girls.

KingofAesir​