Realistic or Modern Westbrook

[Rock And Roll Boy]

Angelina cooed as two dogs were brought jn. After James introduced one, she pet them. She watched and listened as James taught her how to wash the dogs, abscently rubbing her nose with her tissue. She pet Margarete, giggling as her hands got licked.
"So, do you just have dogs here"? Angelina asked out of curiosity, leading Margarete over to the washing station.

Dak

 

[High5ives]

The setting sun had cast beautiful, vibrant hues across the evening sky. Purples, reds and oranges, streaking out, coloring the clouds like a painters brush. The air was comfortable, with a soft ocean breeze blowing in from the east, covering the boardwalk with the salty aroma. It was quiet out, and as the day came to a close, the city and its inhabitants were readying for rest. All but one it would seem...

Kanen sat underneath the boardwalk, nestled into an outcrop of rocks and gazing out to the sea. Though his eyes were blank, his mind was not. The bottle in his hand did little to silence the endless recital that replayed in his mind over and over again. The bottle, no matter how much the boy drank, failed to fill the ever widening hole Kanen felt in his chest. But he kept drinking, hoping to numb his heart if nothing else.

The hangover would hurt the next morning, but not as bad as the loneliness did now. Each sip of liquor served to dull the feeling, but Kanen knew in the morning it would be back. Just like how every morning the sun rose, and every night it set, Kanen knew that tomorrow would be no different than any other day. He would wake up. Regardless of how much he prayed he wouldn't.

Most of time, Kanen only felt an ache in the back of his mind. But when it was quiet and Kanen was alone, the anger, and regret, and guilt, all compounded together, moving to the forefront of his mind, demanding his attention. His own feelings felt like they could cut his heart in two. Tear his mind to ribbons. Maybe just end him altogether.

The boy raised the bottle to his lips, draining what was left of it, only to be disappointed that there was nothing left. He spun on his heels, attempting to throw that bottle against the rocks, only to lose his balance and crash down to his hands and knees...

He didn't get up, instead collapsing lower, falling down until his chest rested on the rock coast, his cheek in a puddle left by the high tides. A tear rolled down his cheek, and then another, avalanching into soft sobs, muffled by the sound of the Atlantic against the coast.

Kanen didn't want to feel better anymore. He didn't want to get better. He was past any hope of that. All Kanen could hope for was an end. He was not suicidal. He wouldn't have the guts. But Kanen wouldn't fight for his life if he found himself swept out to sea. He'd sooner give his life to a mugger than his wallet. Kanen couldn't force himself to care about much of anything anymore. Each day was just going through the motions, with a fight sprinkled in here or there. Kanen, ultimately, did not see things getting any better for himself...

Granted, much of his own suffering was his own fault. He knew he had been the one to push everyone away. He was alone because of himself. But at the same time, who had ever really made much of an effort? After watching his dad, Kanen knew that alcoholism would only make things worse. But he didn't care. Whiskey burning down his throat was better than guilt burning in his chest.

Closed fists hit the cool stone he laid on, shredding the skin on his knuckles until blood boxed with sea-water. Kanen didn't know why he did it, but he did. Just like he didn't really know why he first opened his father's liquor cabinet almost a year ago. In truth, Kanen wasn't really sure why he did anything anymore. He didn't know where he was going in life, if anywhere at all...

 

[Pandaskel]

Abigail Simmons

Abigail smiled to herself, walking away from the main office toward her locker. Her heeled footsteps seemed much louder than they actually were in the silence of the empty hallway. She liked it. It was a fitting sound.

Right as the bell had rung to end the day, she'd headed to the main office and asked for a meeting with the athletics director, Mr. Trevino. She had some pressing questions she needed to ask and he seemed to be the one who could answer. She'd sat in his office for maybe a half hour as he told her exactly what she needed to do to reclaim her rightful place as cheer captain.

Of course, she hadn't said this to him point blank. She'd simply asked if there had ever been changes in sports team leadership that hadn't been due to resignation. It was, of course, "only out of curiosity about administrative procedures." She said it'd be useful to know what to do in hard situations when she took over the family business.

Mr. Trevino had leaned back in his chair, puffing out his cheeks in thought. "Well typically, team captains keep their role at the discretion of their coach for the entire season, unless they resign because they're moving or they don't have the free time or they simply don't want the job anymore. The only way we usually tell kids they might be fired is if their grades dip below a C average or if they start missing practice or games. But the vast majority of the time, coaches choose hardworking kids for the job. Very few times have I ever seen anyone who had the role taken away."

"What happened those times?" She'd asked, not having to feign significant interest.

"Scandals," Trevino had answered plainly. "Captains who were caught committing a crime or breaking big rules like plagiarism. We even had one kid who was caught using PED's about a decade ago."

"PED's?"

"Performance enhancing drugs," he'd quickly clarified. "Steroids, that kind of thing."

Abigail had nodded slowly. "And who decides when they lose the position?"

"Myself, their coach, and any disciplinary rep who might be involved, be it the principle or the police. The focus is rehabilitation, not punishment, so a lot of kids who vandalize or drive without a license and that small sort of thing just get suspended for a week and then keep doing work afterward. It takes a lot to get a kid out of the position. Usually they're just good players and captains who have momentary lapses in judgment."

Abigail had thanked Mr. Trevino and left his office, promising at his request that she would return if she had any more questions. She now stopped in front of her locker, opening it and grabbing what she needed to head home. She had a lot of planning to do.

Something gnawed at her as she slung her book bag over her shoulder and headed for the lobby. Ash had been...different on Twitter. Not at all the insecure sweetheart she'd come to know. She wondered what that was all about. It was probably just the courage of hiding behind a smartphone screen. She could never bring herself to say something like that to Abigail's face.

Could she?

It didn't matter. Ash was just like 90% of the people at this school: irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. This was just a playground, preparation for the real thing that awaited her after graduation. She wasn't going to let these termites get in her way. Not by a long shot.

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

Sawyer found herself knowing on the inside of her cheek again as she and Ash followed Grace out to her car. Her beanie was clutched between her fingers because she hadn't bothered to take her hair down while changing, and she was pulling at it with her other hand unconsciously. The old thing was straining against her pulling a few threads coming loose of their sewing. The poor hat would probably tear if she pulled any harder. Both her cheek biting and the beanie thing were nervous habits she'd formed over the years and had never quite gotten rid of. Her father always told her that she reminded him of her mother with the whole cheek thing even stating that she'd made her mouth bleed on multiple occasions by chewing on it. Sawyer hadn't quite escalated to that point but she was steadily getting there if this man hunt lasted too long.


Over the course of her life Sawyer had lost too many friends. She'd had to say goodbye to too many good people while she and her father moved cross country. Sure, she could've kept in touch with then but that's easier said than done when you're a person who forgets people easily. It's not that people hadn't tried to keep contact with her, because they had, but she'd never really made the effort on her end. So, lots of friends had been lost to time. Now that she and her father were finally settled down she didn't feel like screwing up a losing the only friend she'd ever had for more than two months. Sawyer realised she may be being a bit dramatic about the whole thing, but when had she never not been dramatic about anything? That was something else her dad said she got from her mother.


Sawyer shook her thoughts away and yanked her phone out of her pocket and pulled up Ryan's contact for about the tenth time that day. She looked up at Grace and Ash as they made it to Grace's jeep and frowned at the empty parking place where Ryan's bike had been this morning. Her thumb hovered over the call button.


"I've called him like a bazillion times today and it always went to voice mail." She informed the other two girls, frown still gracing her face, "If he doesn't pick up now we don't have much to go off of. I just hope-" Nope. Stop right there, Andrews. We're being positive, remember? Sawyer shook her head and finally pressed the call button and brought the phone up to her ear. If Ryan didn't answer this time she was literally going to strangle him, and resurrect him just so she could strangle him again.


"Pick up the goddamn phone, Ryan, or so help me." She whispered under her breath as it rang.

Winona Soap

 

[BlackOrchid02]

​

Winona started a message with Jace, is apparently what he went by, she wondered what his real name was. My name is Winona Marie, but I go by Win or Nona for short, nice to officially be introduced . She typed into the text message and sent it to Jace, she picked up her backpack and began another text, Ready to go pool searching? She smiled and started slowly walking backward as he looked at him. She did a slow twirl before continuing forward and walking around to find this mysterious pool. Winona doesn't want to admit it to herself but swimming takes her back to the good times with her mothers, it brings back the comforting memories that were torn away from her. Winona pushed those thoughts to the back of her head though and thought of the weightlessness of herself in the water. She hadn't been swimming in so long, she was worried that Jace might've found her annoying for insisting on this pool thing. Winona wondered if she would join any other sports, she didn't really think she would succeed in any that would involve extensive communication, maybe she could be a helper to one of the teams this year until swimming season starts. She didn't want to be loafing around just doing nothing, there wasn't anything happening at home anyways, so no rush to go there.

Winona

 

[Dak]

Ryan had been sitting on the edge of the overlook. Taking in the beautiful sight's of green and blue. It was rather calming for him. Being out in the open air. One thing about being in the city was that it was so stuffy. Cars and bikes and trucks and busses all shooting out smog. Out on the edge, the air was free of all that. It was truly breathtaking. Ryan had been to that overlook before. His father brought him there when he was about five. But what he remembered it was so green and full of life. Now, it was a littered with beer cans and cigarette butts. Ryan who had now calmed down from his episode of depression looked up at the sky.

"I don't know why you gave me this. I don't know what you want from me. I get it. I'm a bad person. I fight for no reason. I so terrible things, why? Cause I like it? No I don't. Every night I stay up thinking about what I've done. I stay up regretting the choices I've made. But I can't take them back. Like a bullet from a gun, they're already out there. So I say fuck that. And if you don't agree fuck you." He screamed out to the vast nothingness.

Ryan was so deep in his feelings that he almost missed his phone ringing. He looked down at it and saw Sawyer's number. Oh god. Was she worried about him? He didn't hear his phone go off before but there were 10 missed calls. She'd called him. Ryan ran his hand through his hair. After that he would understand if she didn't want to be his friend anymore.

He looked at the phone one last time. He had horrible reception that could pass at any minute. Before accepting the call. "Hello?" He said quietly. "Sawyer...don't know if you... hear me. I have horri…. reception... over look... Foxcroft. I... I'm... Sorry." He said. Those words were bitter sweet as he said it. He had only once said he was sorry. He lived a way of life where you never apologize for the things you've done. "I'll... here. Waiting... you." He said. Before his phone cut off. He was out of service. He had hoped that she would atleast heard where he was and came to him. With that he looked back at the sky. "Hopefully she gets here soon." He said pulling out a cigarette and starts smoking.

Winona KingofAesir Soap

 

[Winona]

Ash had been fidgeting with her phone as she followed Grace out to her car. She had been about to pull open the car door when she heard Sawyer's phone ringing and she hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle while she listened to Ryan talk. It was a little uncomfortable listen to this conversation, knowing that Ryan had no idea her and Grace were part of it. Almost like they were intruding on something intimate, but the reception was so bad that Ash could barely understand what he'd said. Overlook in Foxcroft?

After the call dropped, Ash sighed. "Overlook? Foxcroft? Do you know what the heck he's talking about?" She'd never really been outside of Westbrook, despite living here for years. Everything outside of here was... smaller, less important, and had too much wildlife. One thing about Ash was that she hated the outdoors. Well, maybe not hated, but she wasn't one for hiking and dealing with any kind of animals. Nope, she drew the line at her beloved ferret, Jeffrey. The elderly little thing was still Ash's best friend and was the only animal she was willing to tolerate... and love because yeah, she definitely didn't just tolerate him.

Ash sighed and opened up the door to the backseat of Grace's vehicle, figuring that Sawyer who probably knew where they were going should be up front. Plus, the back meant she could lay down if she really wanted to, of course. "Is it on, like, Google Maps?" She asked, not able to wait for Sawyer's response. She was impatient. She had a checklist to do.

And Jeffrey needed her after this.

Soap KingofAesir Dak

 

[Soap]

Grace​

Grace stopped in her tracks, when Sawyer's phone rang, She listened carefully. Though it was a bit hard, the signal didn't seem as strong, so he cut out alot. But Grace caught a few parts, Overlook, Foxcrost. It seemed so familiar, but she couldn't put the pieces together. Grace opened the door to the front seat, getting inside. She shrugged throwing a confused look at Ash as she spoke, "I don't know if it's on Google Maps?" She said biting her lip, trying to think of she heard it from. And it hit her, She hasn't been there in a few years, but she knew. "Actually.. my grandmother used to live near there. I know where he's at." She said putting the keys in ignition. Tilting her head, indicating for them to get in the car. Ash got in the backseat, And Sawyer climbed in the passenger. Grace huffed, "Better get comfortable. It's a three hour ride." She shook her head in disbelief. She didn't know him personally, but hoped he was okay nonetheless.

About an hour into the car ride, it was quiet. Grace looked in the rearview mirror, Ash had fallen asleep behind them. She chuckled softly, She then looked towards Sawyer. Poor girl, she could tell that Sawyer was worried. I mean, who wouldn't be. But they seemed really close. Grace wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure on what she should say. "He'll be okay." Taking glances at Sawyer and the road itself. "I'm sure of it." She gave a reassuring smile towards her. Besides a few awkward conversations, the rest of the ride was uneventful. They pulled up to the side of the overlook, it wasn't fairly hard to find.

Looking around she saw a figure sitting on the edge, "I think i'll stay in the car, let me know if you need anything." Grace said giving a small smile.
Winona Dak KingofAesir

 

[Dak]

Ryan was looking over the edge when he heard a vehicle pull up. He knew that it was Sawyer so he didn't bother looking over his shoulder to see her. He just brought the cigarette up to his mouth, inhaled and let it out. He put it out and set it next to his pack. He pulled himself back over to the actual ground. He brushed the dirt off his pants and slowly made his way over to her. He had a very sad look on his face. He left his best friend behind. He wouldn't take his actions back, but if he could he would. When he finally reached her he fell to his knees.

"I know I let you down. I know that I've been a horrible shitty friend, and I can understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore. And no matter what I say or think can change that otherwise. I'm sorry... I'm so SO sorry." He said with his voice breaking. He kept saying it over and over again. "I'm sorry.... I'm sorry... I'm sorry." He said, every time closer and closer to breaking down. He started his day out with fighting and anger, and ended with sadness and sorrow.

Ryan wouldn't blame Sawyer if she beat him up. How he was, he was weak, and worst of all he let her down. He promised that he would always be there right by her side and he left. He was a horrible friend. He was at her mercy.

Winona Soap KingofAesir

 

[Pandaskel]

Luz Hernandez

Luz leaned against the short fence on the bleacher side of the football field, putting her phone to sleep after tweeting about the imminent one-on-one between football captain Mason Rivera and new-to-town frosh Stu French. A lot of the people Luz had asked about the new kid said they were calling him Neck Tie, on account of how he'd shown up looking like he was about to meet the president. Although she guessed since he was from across the pond, it'd be the prime minister? The queen?

She snapped as good of a picture of each competitor as she could from her vantage point and sent them off to Twitter, directing people to her Instagram for a livestream of the event. The WestbrookWitness IG account had little more than pictures of gossip and accusations written on the bathroom walls and under desks, plus the occasional incriminating photo of a teacher and a student being a little too friendly, or the drug paraphernalia contents of an honor student's locker. She mostly used it for livestreaming or uploading videos of fights and events like the one about to transpire before her.

She rested her arms over the fence, watching as students heeded her call and started taking seats in the bleachers to spectate. Luz knew what she was. Hell, even if she didn't, enough people told her to cement it in her mind. Bottom-feeder. Snake. Bully. As far as she was concerned, she was just reporting the news, specifically when it pertained to their picture-perfect peers at the top of the school's food chain. But she knew she was the school's paparazzi, burner, snitch, and whistle-blower all at once.

It didn't bother her. She knew that it wasn’t her people hated. It was the truth, and it was themselves. People in general but high schoolers in particular hated being seen for what they truly were. She was just airing out their dirty laundry. If they had a problem with that, maybe they should keep their noses clean.

She huffed. This school was full of degenerates. This world was full of degenerates. Sometimes she felt like she was the only one who could see past the distractions and sugar coated representations of life in this country and actually see what was going on around her. It was cripplingly lonely, being the only one who could see the hypocrisy, the hate, the ignorance, and the egocentrism. Sure, she was a degenerate, too, but at least she knew how to admit it and try to get better.

That was what the WestbrookWitness and the one-stop locker shop were all about. 'Being the change she wished to see in the world' or whatever. Exposing the filth in the upper rungs of their little society and making a system where kids could exchange goods and services without the control of faculty who didn't even trust people their age to decide when to take a shit for themselves and required them to ask for permission.

She was angry. Yes, she was angry. She was angry because all of this was happening, and she was the only one who cared.

Not to mention the fact that she didn't exactly have any friends. Sure, she had people she hung out with, people she had a symbiotic relationship with, and even people who seemed to like her. But no friends - not friends in the real sense of the word.

She kicked the fence, grunting. Whatever. It's not like she wanted to be friends with any of these dumbasses anyway. She woke her phone up, opening Instagram in preparation for the livestream.

 

[Dede]

[IMG='align:right;']https://i.imgur.com/03oIiJy.jpg[/IMG]Neck Tie felt the blood rushing in his veins. His heart was leaping for a fight like a caged pitbull. He liked Drake but his brother was a wanker. Neck Tie was going to put him in his place for the sake of everyone at Westbrook.

He wasn’t intimidated by Mason’s greater body mass. Football wasn’t a game won on size, but on wit, technical prowess, and tactics. Neck Tie took one last sip of the coca cola before holding out the McDonald’s bag to Matt. Hold my beer. He wiped his mouth with a murderous intent.

Mason stood at 6’0’’. Neck Tie about a foot shorter, so he was looking up at Mason this whole time which gave him neck cramps. Mason was a brawny senior athlete, Neck Tie a scrawny little nobody. It was David versus Goliath in the truest sense possible. A hundred years from now the kids at Westbrook would still be reflecting on this historical moment.

Then Mason went over for his things, and Neck Tie was revving up his body engine and flicking his hands and rolling his feet in the grass. He wondered what the contest would be. Neck Tie was right-footed but he grew up playing on the left wing. Last year he was made the number 10 of the Moreton Youth Club. He scored a screamer in the 90+3 minute of their qualifying game against Sutton Coldfield Juniors after running down the defence all by himself.

Neck Tie was still reflecting on his past training to boost his own confidence when a ball came spinning across the air and knocked him in the chest. He hugged the object impulsively, and looked down at it. The ball was oval-shaped.

And so Neck Tie froze in his spot and looked around to his horror. He noticed more of the white marks on the grass, and the yard lines. This wasn’t ‘football’ at all. The boy could have fainted then and there.

Something of a crowd had formed on the sidelines. They’d come to witness the fight of the century, and his good friend Drake was counting on him to live up to the hype. He couldn’t let Drake down, or Matt for that matter, whom he wanted to impress. He couldn't tell everyone he'd confused the two games either, that would be embarrassing. It was a disaster worse than the sinking of the Titanic.

Neck Tie was sweating nervously like a pig in the slaughter line. He was in too deep to pull back, so looked up at the heavens and accepted his fate. Mason suggested something of a race to the goal line. That didn’t sound too bad, right? Neck Tie was a striker, so speed was really up his alley. He did stand a chance against Mason, didn’t he? What could go possibly wrong?

Now Mason had upped the stakes. That guy was a knobhead of the highest order, and Neck Tie's blood was still boiling for a chance to destroy his smug face despite being way out of his league. There were so many people watching that he couldn’t possibly let himself or his new friends down.

So the English boy with the death wish stepped forward. 'Let's do it,' he said twirling the ball in his hands.

Winona Pandaskel Yarrow @EveryoneElseAtTheFootballTryouts

 

[Winona]

Mason had to admit, the kid had gusto. But he was also stupid. No matter what the sport or how could you thought you were, you never challenged someone to a one on one until you knew how good they truly were... and the look on Stu's face when he caught the football easily confirmed Mason's suspicions. It was obvious he was from over the ocean, and that he had made a simple mistake: football for soccer. Which meant Mason had an excuse to knock over a kid, and get a little helper for a good month.

"Let's do this, then, kid." His amber eyes flicked towards the growing audience, and he caught sight of Luz videoing the encounter. Great, so this entire thing would be all over social media, and everyone would know. What a way to start the school year for little Stu. Mason wished he had given him some kind of out.

He stepped out onto the football field, leading the way out to the very center. The end zones were laid out so far away. Mason was fast -- it was part of the reason that he had taken running back. But with an entire audience watching just the two of them, Mason wouldn't be nearly as keen to running. Or probably playing. What? For all his bravado and boasting, Mason hated having the spotlight on him.

They came to a stop in the middle and Mason stood on one side of the line, looking down at Stu. Out here, no one could hear them unless they yelled. "For the record, what you're thinking of is called 'soccer' here." Mason pointed out and then glanced over at the crowd. "Sorry about this. I didn't realize the word would get around so fast -- someone must've tipped off Luz. I just wanted to mess with you, not actually go through with it." He returned his gaze to Stu. "But I can't lose with everyone watching. Being football captain is the only way I'm going to get a scholarship and get to go to college."

And with that, Mason rolled his shoulders and smirked. "Ready?"

Pandaskel Dede

 

[Winona]

From his spot on the ground, Drake carefully spun around to look up at the crowd that had started to gather. Wow, who knew that such a simple thing like challenging the team's jerk football captain could get so much attention? Of course, while his eyes perused the crowd, they landed on Alester, and he grinned. "Hey, dude!" He called out to him, cupping his hands around his mouth as if he needed to be louder because, well, Drake was loud enough on his own, thank you very much. "Come sit here with me and Matt!"

Drake then carefully spun himself back around, looking out at where Mason and Stu had gathered at the center, but Mason appeared to be... talking to him? "Don't let him talk you down, Stu! You got this!" He yelled out to the little freshman, still blissfully unaware that Stu had made a simple mistake from being across the great ocean.

He then leaned back a bit, propping himself up with his hands and crossing one ankle over the other while he watched the going-ons. To be honest, Drake had no idea who would win. Stu claimed to be amazing back at his old school, and Mason was a good player. But maybe not the best, or at least that's what his super supportive little brother liked to think. Either way, a one-on-one football match sounded like a horrible, and also weird idea. It wasn't the easiest game to do a one-on-one with.

But hey, Stu knew what he was doing.

Yarrow

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

"Right, of course, pool searching." Jace agreed, smiling at Winona before he lead the way outside... only to catch sight of what was happening over by the football field. Even from this distance, he could tell that some little kid had challenged Mason. In football. What a brilliant idea. He shook his head, looking out over the crowd that was growing to watch was happening, and then he looked down out the small group that was sitting at the sidelines, presumably from tryouts.

Drake, and Matt. Of course! Matt wasn't called Fish for nothing. So there was a pool, but their answer to finding the pool and the ever elusive swim team was sitting in front of a huge crowd, on the sidelines of what was about to be an undoubtedly horrible beating between between Mason and the kid. So he pointed her out to Winona. "That's Matt, she's on the swim team and would be able to help us." He explained. Although of course, Jace had never spoken to her.

BlackOrchid02 Pandaskel

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

The ride to Foxcroft had been rather uneventful. Sawyer was certain if it hadn't been for the situation at the moment she would've been a lot more talkative with Grace. She could talk all day especially to someone she liked, but there was no such talking today. Grace did take to time to reassure her that Ryan would be fine, though, and while Sawyer appreciated the gesture, she just forced a small smile on her face and nodded. The ride had been spent with Sawyer trying to pay attention to anything other than her thoughts and for the most part she had ended up paying way too close attention to Grace's face as she drove. Sawyer was pretty sure that by this point she had completely memorized every detail on the right side of Grace's face. Maybe that was a bit weird but she could care less.


When they arrived at their destination, Sawyer was out of te car before Grace could even finish her sentence and making her way toward the figure on the edge. He got to her first though and apologized to her several times before falling to his knees and apologizing more. Sawyer shook her head at him and pulled the beanie in her hand down over his head before reaching to help him up.


"People say I'm the dramatic one. Get up, dumbass. Why are you doing?" Sawyer pulled him up and immediately crashed into him the second he was completely on his feet. Her hands wrapped around his waist and her head collided with his chest. Calm down, Sawyer. He's still here. His heart was most definitely still beating, she could feel it against her ear as strong as ever.


"Jesus, Ryan." She sighed, "Next time tell me when you plan on running off? You scared the shir out of me." Sawyer pinched his side just for good measure and pulled away from the hug, "Dumbass."

Dak Soap Winona

 

[Winona]

The lurch of the car as it came to a stop caused Ash to wake up. She sat up quickly, her eyes wide as she looked around, suddenly realizing where they were. "We're here? Oh thank goodness, we're finally here." She murmured to herself before she heard the car door slam and saw Sawyer walking towards where Ryan was at the edge of the outlook.

Ash waited while she watched him walk up to Sawyer, and fall into his knees. It seemed wrong to be watching this, and to see how vulnerable Ryan truly could be. The whole situation was just... well, it was weird. Intense. A little much for her with all the good feelings going on, but that wasn't what was important at the moment. What was important was Ash apologizing to Ryan... And of course Sawyer making sure he was okay.

So after Sawyer had pulled him up and the two were embraced in a tight hug, Ash took in a deep breath and opened the car door. She stepped out into the late night air, suddenly regretting not changing, and slammed the car door so that her presence was known as she looked ahead at the two, trying to go over how exactly she would apologize in her head while she waited.

KingofAesir Soap Dak

 

[COTimberWolf1942]

The little crowd that was forming on the football field got her attention, from her seat she could see Mason about to go against that little freshman who had darted past her through the parking lot. With a little hop, she slid off the tailgate of the Chevy and moved down towards the event happening, "This will definitely be interesting." She mumbled to herself, amused that such a little guy would take on the thickest blockhead this school had to offer. Either way this went, Sybil figured Mason would get demonized for putting the smack down on someone so little or Mason was about to get thrown a monkey wrench, so she joined the crowd of onlookers with an amused grin on her lips.

 

[Moonshadow]

June
​

She understood that things could be worst, but from her experience, things could always be better. The only good thing to come from this exchange was her beautiful Canon camera. She was able to take it with her everywhere with the case her Mom bought before her father had taken her away. But, she didn't want to be with her father. She felt like she was doing for her mother. No, she was doing it for her mother. She was content to stay in that crumbling neighborhood for a thousand years before moving. And to make things worst, she was moving with strangers who her father deemed was better than her and her own mother. Maybe he turned a new leaf and wanted to add his actual daughter into the mix. But, he was too late and seemed to be late for everything.

At least his girlfriend seemed some what nice. Her daughter, not so much. June didn't want to assume anything about Grace, but their distaste was evident when they first talked to each other. And most importantly now as June sent several texts, confused where Grace had even gone. They had agreed her father would drop her off and Grace would drop them both off.

She assumed that Grace wasn't used to having someone to worry about. She understood because she herself was an only child. But, she would have still remembered, even more so, about someone needing their help.

"I need a car..." She mumbled to herself as she pocketed her phone after leaving Grace a voicemail. "This is exactly what I needed, to be stranded here." She decided to idle her time by walking around school with her camera. She saw the hours go by and felt her shoulders relax over the stress of the day when she took a pictures of the courtyard and of the trees around her.

As she started to walk to the football field, she heard a commotion. She wanted to stay out of it, to continue getting close ups of worms on trees. However, she moved toward it slowly as she heard yelling and saw a circle of people. She changed the settings on her camera as she zoomed in more and saw a good spot where a girl was standing and videotaping. June decided to follow her idea and went on the opposite side, changing the aperture and shutter speed to get a more engaging photo. Snap, Snap. The high school experience at Westbrook was far different from her other school. She wanted to be apart of it, she wanted to stay to watch even though it wasn't very kind of her, she wanted this. But she looked down at her phone in her pocket and hesitated. No, she needed to stay where she was and watch. Watching and taking pictures is what she did best.

Soap Winona Dede Pandaskel

 

[Pandaskel]

[IMG='width:300px;']https://66.media.tumblr.com/9a8dd5d735fea2d25e7ed86c1ec69134/tumblr_pbspw6JOzQ1tccyapo2_540.gif[/IMG]
Matilda "Fish" Kwan

Matt took Stu's food dutifully, like a friend promising to take care of a warrior's family while he went off to war. Though she was deeply concerned about the whole affair, especially considering the bruise she'd seen on the boy's face earlier, she had to admit she was impressed. He'd dared to challenge the school's varsity football captain on the very first day of school. How many could say they had that kind of nerve? His confidence gave her enough faith in him to not step in and call off the whole debacle. She went over and sat next to Drake, sitting cross legged with the food in her lap. She sipped from Stu's drink, keeping a close eye on the two players.

Mason was her friend, but she knew he could be, well, cruel. He wasn't a bad guy, at least she didn't think so, but he definitely had a rougher exterior than most could handle. She wasn't at all sure if he would spare his challenger if it came to that. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow, hoping to the heavens that Stu was as good at football as he seemed to think he was.

The two took up positions on the field and started talking to each other. Stu's face seemed drained of all previous confidence and Matilda's stomach sank. Was this going to be a slaughter? She followed Drake's lead, cupping her hands around her mouth and yelling encouragement. "Give it to 'em, Stu! Take him down!"

She grew aware of the crowd that had formed and a lightbulb went off in her head. She knew how to get his fire back. "I'll be back," she said, touching Drake's arm to get his attention. She got up, leaving the food on the floor, and pointed at it. "Guard it with your life," she ordered, jogging farther off to where the clusters of kids were, waiting to watch the show.

She approached a group that she recognized, hoping the rapport would help this work. "Hey, listen," she started, lowering her voice and tilting her head in a conspiratorial fashion. "When was the last time you saw someone stand up to a big guy like that? This is crazy, right?"

Without giving them a chance to reply, she moved on to the next group, exchanging similar commentary. She spoke to a sizable group of people this way, hopping around quickly. Then, she slunk her way into the crowd, standing near a few people she recognized from class. She put her hands together, rubbing them in anticipation. "Neck Tie... Neck Tie... Neck Tie..." she began chanting slowly, clapping to accentuate every word. The people around her quickly caught on to what she was doing and a few joined in, taking up the chant. She grinned. We all love an underdog. Go get him, Stewie. Please don't die.

Winona Dede @EveryoneElseOnTheField

 

[Pandaskel]

Luz Hernandez

The weight of the event she was witnessing began to hit her as she watched viewers on the livestream start to comment on the matter. Quite a few were prophesying Mason's victory, some were advertising their own social media accounts, and still others were fiercely encouraging of the freshman. She definitely hadn't expected that last bit. As she heard a small chant rise up among the crowd of live spectators, the side of her mouth lifted in a bit of a smile. This was interesting.

She quickly typed in the chat, "David takes on Goliath in this battle of the century. Who's this stranger from a far away land come to upset the delicate balance of the status quo?" People could say a lot of things about Lucy, but they couldn't say she wasn't cinematic. And if there was one thing she had learned about politics and journalism, it was that the right narrative could do anything. If you told a good story, people would listen.

She settled her wrists on the fence to steady the phone in her hand as she recorded and glanced up, looking out. The first thing to catch her eye was a camera. It was on the opposite side of the field from her, so she could look right at it despite it not being pointed at her. It was, of course, capturing the action. Behind it was a girl. She was someone Luz didn't recognize, which was significant; she knew everyone. It was her business to. She didn't know this small redhead, but she seemed to look like she knew what she was doing.

She turned her attention back to the phone. She knew a kindred spirit when she saw one. Here was someone else who observed action from afar rather than being a part of it. She had seen it in her face and the way she stood and snapped photos. She was used to being behind the camera, too, instead of in front of it. Somehow, it caught Luz's eye. She made a mental note to find out what she could about this girl after this whole thing was over. For now, she had news to report.

Moonshadow

 

[Dak]

Ryan was shocked when Sawyer gave him a hug. She was hugging him. Ryan wrapped his arms around her. "I promise, the next time I leave I will make sure to tell you." He said sinking his head onto hers. He smiled. He was happy that his friend was there for him. Any doubt that he had was quickly gone. Sawyer would be there for him when he needed her. "We're still best friends?" He asked still holding onto her. He knew what she was probably going to say. But he wanted to know what she was going to say. Sawyer honestly was his best and only friend that he had. It was a little sad, but Ryan didn't care. She was the only one that he could acknowledge as to understanding him because they were so close. He didn't want to let her go for a while. But he knew that they would have to stop hugging sooner or later.

KingofAesir Winona Soap

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James nodded. "Yeah there are cats and a few other animals here." He said as he started to wash Tyson. That dog was so beautiful, and he was the best. He would listen to James. If he could he would adopt him, but his parents wouldn't like it if he brought a dog home. They weren't the biggest believer that animals were a part of the family. "Do you have any pets?" He asked. He had always loved animals, and coming to the shelter was one of the best thing's for him. He could spend days there and not worry about going home. He just loved it.
R Rock And Roll Boy

 

[Dede]

[IMG='align:right;']https://i.imgur.com/03oIiJy.jpg[/IMG]Neck Tie had had a bad day.

He hadn't even been at his new school for more than a minute when a bully floored him and put a dent on his forehead. All day long the kids were making fun of his tie. He couldn’t focus on his classwork. He had a shit ton of homework he did not understand. But he was happy to meet Drake and Matt at lunch time. All he wanted was to play some football with his new friends so he could feel normal again. And now this.

Neck Tie marched out to the middle of the field. Mason was just another to add to his endless list of miseries so why the hell not? The guy was a knobhead, but so was everyone else who’d gathered to see them, like it was some sort of public spectacle. Even Drake looked like he was enjoying it from the sidelines. The world would be a better place if everyone knew how to mind their own business. He hated Westbrook. He hated America. The sooner this was over the better because he just wanted to go home and eat a yoghurt.

Then Mason had to make his half-arsed apology. Between the two of them Mason admitted to knowing this was all a big misunderstanding. Yet he had every chance to pull them both out of the mess but he didn’t. Instead he lay down the rules of the game and even raised the stakes. Mason wanted the kid to suffer, and still somehow he’d had found a way to make him look like the hero. What an impossible twat.

Around him there were growing chants of his epithet ‘Neck Tie’. He thought the crowd was just making more fun of him. He looked to the sidelines and saw Drake again but he couldn’t find Matt. He thought maybe she was just as bad as the rest of them and had run away with his snacks. He didn't care about her anyway. Or the nuggets. Whoever gave anyone that idea?

Everything was a blur in the sun. He turned back round and faced Mason in the field.

‘You’re a pillock,’ he said, ‘I’m ready, are you?’

Pandaskel Winona @LiterallyEveryoneAtFootball

 

[Rock And Roll Boy]

Angelina shook her head quickly, still petting Margarete and letting her lick her hands. "None. Me and Samantha are too busy to look after a pet. Plus, Samantha broke out in hives last time she was around an animal. So we don't trouble ourselves. But we both love animals... so much..." Angelina rubbed her nose harshly with her tissue before sneezing softly. "Excuse me" She blushed a little, petting the little Corgi.

Dak

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

Sawyer pulled away from Ryan just as he asked her if they were still best friends. She gasped and reached up to yank her beanie off his head and return it to her own. The audacity. How dare he assume that they would ever not be friends. Sawyer was appalled.


"Of course we're still best friends." She placed her hands on her hips, "I can't believe you would think that we're not!" Her arms folded across her chest defiantly and she opened her mouth to speak further but was startled by the car door slamming behind them. Right. Ash. Sawyer turned around and stepped out from in front of Ryan and gestured a hand toward Ash as she walked over.


"Oh, yeah. Ash is here." She said, as if just remembering the other girl. Sawyer chuckled a little at herself before stepping away to allow Ash to do whatever she had in mind.

Winona Dak Soap

 

[Winona]

Well, Mason had tried. Maybe it had been a half-hearted apology, but he had tried. And the chants of Neck Tie didn't do anything to quell him, and it just made his blood burn with more rage. Of course the people he'd gone to school with since middle school would turn on him like this. Of course his own brother would be on this kid's side. What else had he expected? At the end of the day, he had to remind himself that it was just him. Only him. He was alone here, and he was alone everywhere. He had signed away the only person who was in his corner, and that just added to his anger, causing him to dig his nails into his palms for a moment.

And then Stu had the audacity to insult him, and Mason decided he was done. He had tried his best to extend an olive branch, but he was done. Done trying, done being the laughing stock, done having all these people staring, chanting, and with the cameras watching. He was done being entertainment for everyone else, and all he wanted to do was leave. Leave so he could sleep, leave so he could go to work, leave so he could maybe, maybe see how Ariana was doing without him.

"Fine." He growled through gritted teeth. Mason originally had planned to be gentle about this. Take the ball, let Stu put up some kind of fight. But now, all he saw was red, and all he wanted to do was feel something break beneath his hands. Pain helped to give himself something else to focus on. Something other than the twisted feelings that raged inside his mind, that beat against him, constantly making him doubt himself.

So, without any real plan to try and level the playing field, Mason quickly yelled out for the freaking audience to hear; "One. Two. Three. Hike." And as soon as the last word left his mouth, he snatched up the front of Stu's shirt with one hand, grabbed hold of the football with his other hand, and then threw him as hard as he could to the ground, disconnecting the freshman from the ball.

He lifted the ball up above where Stu could reach it, if he even tried, and then started the long walk down to the end zone so that he could get out of here.

Dede Pandaskel @otherfootballwatchers

 

[Winona]

Ash waved as Sawyer introduced her as, well, being there. She walked towards them, stopping a few feet away for her apology. "Alright, look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was inappropriate and you were just trying to rid the table of Kanen. Which I guess makes sense and was kind of nice of you." Of course, she still thought Kanen was in the fight. Ash had almost wanted to spit something on Tera.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me and uh... I'm glad that you're alright." Ash said, finishing off her quick apology with a deep breath, then she stood there, waiting uncomfortably to see what Ryan would say, and what would happen next.

Soap Dak KingofAesir