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[img]https://i.imgur.com/j81dHFO.png[/img]
[sub][@The Muse] & [@LovelyComplex][/sub]
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[sub][h3]8:30pm[/h3][/sub][/center]

[indent][indent][color=#9F80DF]“I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU—”[/color] Estella was prancing away from Levi, with all the energy of a child on a sugar rush, before she found herself tripping and stumbling right into a bush. Rolling off the bush and onto the ground, Stella found herself starfished on the grass staring up at the sky. He held her phone, which now had many pictures of them as they tried all the rides. Her brother, Hector, had called interrogating her and she promised she wouldn’t drink too much and that she would switch off with him, three hours ago. Well, it seemed the one breaking promises was Estella Serrano. She knew Hector couldn’t leave the pet zoo until she was there so she made sure to avoid that area just so she could spend more time with Levi. [color=#9F80DF]“... what was I, ur, saying?”[/color] She slurred, not bothering to pick herself up off the floor. [color=#9F80DF]“Oh that’s right. I cannottttt fathom you on a dry spell. LIESSSSS. You’re Casanova. Casanova can get whoeverrrrrr he wants. Anyways, picky me uppppp.”[/color]  She reached her hands out to the air, like a baby.

Levi burst into laughter as Stella tripped into a bush and rolled herself to the ground. [color=EA7A55]“Get ahold of yourself, Serrano!”[/color] He teased, standing over her as she chimed on about the last time he had been intimate with someone. It had been so…… so…. SO long. Two entire months!! A travesty, really. 

He chuckled and shook his head, [color=EA7A55]“Casanova? I like the sound of that.”[/color] He looked at her hands as she reached for him, then looked to the grass that she laid on. [color=EA7A55]“I think you've got the right idea, actually.”[/color] Instead of helping her up, he laid down next to her in the grass and looked up at the sky which was beginning to show colors of purple and orange across the clouds. They had been walking, drinking, and playing games for hours. Laying down felt right, they deserved a rest. Thank god his time with Stella had turned into something fun and not a soap opera. 

Turning to his side to face Stella, he smirked, feeling the alcohol swirling around in his bloodstream and threatening to make him do something stupid. [color=EA7A55]“You think I could get [i]anyone[/i], huh?”[/color] He mused, keeping eye contact with her. [color=EA7A55]“What about you?”[/color]

[color=#9F80DF]“What about me?”[/color] Stella was [i]hearing[/i] him but his words were molding into one another. The world was spinning. She heard him speak but she also heard her heartbeat through her eardrums. With vigor, she turned to her side, practically throwing herself. Not realizing he was [i]that[/i] close to her, she bonked her head with his, forcing her to repel backward while using him for stability, latching onto him tightly. [color=#9F80DF]“Owieeee.”[/color] 

The sudden pain in her head caused her to scrunch her nose and make a face. When the pain settled she found herself in his arms, her leg weaved with his like a delightful tapestry. Her big amber eyes deeply stared into his. The way Stella looked at people, it made them feel like they were the most important person to her. She knew how to make someone feel special just by being herself. Always giving them her undivided attention. Always loving them with all her heart. [color=#9F80DF]“I can totally get whoever I want,”[/color] she gently protested, misunderstanding what Levi meant. Sure, she never actually pursued anyone but if she did, she was certain they’d hold tight. She was a once-in-a-lifetime catch and she knew her worth. Whoever her future was, she knew she’d make them the happiest person alive but until then, she’d make her friends happy. That was something she chose to live by. She loved making people happy. 

Levi winced as Stella smacked her head into his, mimicking the same scrunched up face that she did. [color=EA7A55]“Ow.”[/color] He agreed, laughing at her clumsiness. Face to face with her, he admired her bright eyes and found himself lost in them for a moment, the alcohol seemingly making them sparkle more than they might usually. When she moved her leg over his Levi felt the excitement of anticipation rush through his body; something he hadn't felt in WAY too long. He hadn't expected it with Stella but…. here they were. Laying on the ground of the festival's grassy area, ignoring the people walking by, and forgetting what time it was. 

He pulled her in closer as she spoke, his eyes looking to her lips and then back to her eyes. [color=EA7A55]“You could get whoever you want.”[/color] He confirmed, his voice lower and sultry now as he whispered to her. Gently, he pushed a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes, his eyes gravitating to her lips again. Just as he was about to pull her in for a kiss, someone walking by yelled out, [i]"GET A ROOM!"[/i]

With the abrupt interruption, the dream began to fade and the reality of the situation started to set in. Turning red, seeing how close she was about to kiss Nixie’s ex, and her old childhood friend, Estella’s heart sank and her lips began to quiver. She was in a public place and if her father heard of how she was behaving… she’d be dead. Her eyes began to water as panic rushed through her. All she wanted to do was make Levi feel bad for leaving but it turned into them having a genuine, good time. She was able to not think about the ranch and just be in the moment, with her friend. 

[color=#9F80DF][i]Don’t cry. Don’t show him how weak you actually are.[/i][/color] 

Pushing back, unlatching herself from his hold, Estella struggled to get herself up, picking up her bag as she did so. [color=#9F80DF]“Forget this… forget me,”[/color] she choked. What the hell was she doing? She really was stupid and now she was starting to think Levi actually wanted her when she was just like every other girl to him. She wasn’t special. He had shown that to her the moment he left and never called. She wasn’t going to be like every girl that fell for his beguiling ways. She wasn’t this damsel that needed some boy to pick her up, especially Levi who didn’t give a damn about her. [color=#9F80DF]“I…”[/color] She gave him a glance over before running off not finishing what she was going to say. She was embarrassed and knew at the end of the day, this was her fault. How stupid could she be? 

Levi sat up quickly as Stella wiggled out of his embrace and began speaking nonsense. He furrowed his brow, confused at her sudden switch up of emotion. Did he say something wrong? Did he read the vibes wrong? Normally he could read the body language of women so easily; how did he misread the situation? He mentally cursed alcohol. 

[color=EA7A55]“Stella, wait! I-”[/color] It was too late, Stella had already sprinted off and was lost within the crowd. He frowned, pulling out something from his front pocket. Her phone. [color=EA7A55]“Damn it.”[/color] He mumbled as he put her phone back into his pocket, standing up and getting ready to chase after Stella. 

[color=db7581]“STELLLAAAAAAAAA!”[/color] Miguel called out as he looked around, going to his older sister’s favorite rides, games and stalls. [color=db7581]“Mr. Jeff, have you seen my sister? She was supposed to come back to the pet zoo like hours ago. It’s not like her to just disappear like this.”[/color] The worker at the slingshot balloon stall shook his head, tired and ready for a nap. It’s been a long day. 

[color=db7581]“Well, thank you anyway, Mr. Jeff.”[/color] It wasn’t long before Miguel Serrano saw Levi. He happily waved, trying to hide his worry. Quickly, the youngest Serrano jogged to the older boy, and his boss at the cafe. [color=db7581]“Levi! Sorry if I’m interrupting anything, have you seen Stel? She’s usually pretty good at keeping us updated in our group text but we hadn’t heard from her in hours. Hector told me that Nixie told him she was drinking. I’m actually really glad I found you because Mr. Mark at the basketball game told me she whooped your butt.”[/color] He scratched his head, not connecting the dots. He rambled on. [color=db7581]“Cisco and I have been spending most of our time trying to find her, making sure she doesn’t go too crazy. You see, when Stella drinks… Well, she gets really silly. And I love my sister, with all my heart, but sometimes she lets the emotions take over her, like nerves, and she just drinks way more than she can handle. You know? The only time she really drinks is when she’s with Reya and that might be once a month if the girls decide to take a break from their jobs. Anyways, I’m getting off track… my sister. Have you seen her?”[/color] 

Levi paused as he spotted Miguel, relieved to see someone sober to help him! [color=EA7A55]“Hey kid.”[/color] He greeted, the dread slowly setting in as Miguel explained that the family had been looking for Stella all day and on top of that - Stella rarely ever drank! Internally he panicked, glancing back over to the crowd to see if he could see the girl in the sea of people. [color=EA7A55]“Shit… we were drinking. That must've been why she ran off!"[/color] He thought out loud, looking over at Miguel. [color=EA7A55]“We were having a good time, I thought, and then she just ran away!”[/color] He intentionally skipped over the part about being intertwined with each other in the grass only moments ago. [color=EA7A55]“I'll help you find her. I still have her-”[/color]

[i]"Mommy, the sky!!!! Look it. Look. So pretty. Right mommy? Mommy are you looking?"[/i]

[i]"Yes honey, it's a beautiful sunset. I see it."[/i]

Levi paused as he heard a young child squeal over the colors painted in the sky. His heart immediately dropped, his eyes looking upwards to the sky. [color=EA7A55]“SUNSET?!”[/color] He exclaimed, eyes wide. [color=EA7A55]“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I'm gonna be late!”[/color] He said quickly in repetition, turning his body away from Miguel and looking over his shoulder. [color=EA7A55]“I'm sorry Miguel, I gotta go!! Let me know when you find her, please!”[/color] Levi took off in a sprint towards the ferris wheel, forgetting to give Miguel his sister's phone. Nothing like panic and adrenaline to sober a person up. 

[color=db7581]“Wait Levi!”[/color] Miguel called out, visible sweat running down his forehead. This wasn’t good. Stella was drunk and somewhere at this festival or worse she tripped into a ditch and broke her leg. [color=db7581]“It’s fine, this is fine… she’s okay, she’s going to be okay.”[/color] He repeated to himself, trying his best to not think of the worst case scenario. 

He needed to call Tommy before Stella did something she’d regret. He didn’t know who else to call on. It wasn’t going to be his dad. He’d get so mad. She was supposed to be running the show today. 

[color=db7581]“It’s fiiiiiiiiine,”[/color] Miguel continued, trying to convince him. Nothing bad was going to happen. Stella knew how to take care of herself. She was the big sis after all. Shaking off the nerves, he turned the opposite direction to run back to the petting zoo. 

This was not good. Not good at all. 

Amongst the chaos, and in a sea of people, Estella searched for one person and one person only. Her best friend. Reya Parker. 

She wanted to cry.  

[/indent][/indent][/color]