[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/nTKs8bL.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Jhs2gwj.gif[/img]   [img]https://i.imgur.com/V59SbFM.gif[/img]

[color=slategray][sub]Collab Featuring:[/sub][/color] [color=ffb5fd][sub][b]Selena Sterling[/b][@Silent Observer][/sub][/color] [color=slategray][sub]&[/sub][/color] [color=922b2b][sub][b]Hailey Green-Locke[/b][@Universorum][/sub][/color]
[color=slategray][sub]Location: Mrs. Winship’s Homeroom → Hailey’s Car[/sub][/color]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/XZ5uv7t.png?1[/img][/center]
[indent]In homeroom, Selena Sterling’s phone buzzed with a simple text message from Hailey.

[quote][color=922b2b][b]I’m in my car out front. Hurry up.[/b][/color][/quote]
Hailey Green had yet to go inside for homeroom and truth be told, she didn’t plan to. She had far better things to do, plans within plans to work on. The first step of today’s play was simple: she needed Selena. Selena who was going to [i]eventually[/i] take her place. The same Selena that was her cousin, the same woman who was meant to be the same person that Hailey had been for her entire career at Beverly Hills High.

The issue today was simple: Hailey was bored. Extremely bored. This led to her not much wanting to play the game anymore. Without the need to maintain an image and a public face, Hailey Green would have much more freedom in what she did do and didn’t do. Her goal was to accelerate things so that Selena could take over… now, and Hailey could graduate early, or at least start taking half days.

But first, she had to wait for Selena to come here, so they could discuss it.

Whilst Sean Sterling had chosen to sit at a table by himself and [i]sleep[/i] during homeroom, Selena sat beside Ophelia and her Candies — at least, most of them. The prep tucked a blonde curl behind her ear as she scheduled out her day in a floral-themed planner, a glittery purple pen dancing along with the graceful loops of her handwriting. Much like the rest of her life, Selena’s script was perfectly beautiful, and she had practiced tirelessly to make it so. Anything that she could work to control and perfect, she would, just like her mother.

[i]Buzz. Buzz.[/i]

Selena flicked her gaze towards her purse. She plucked out buzzing phone, which was decked out in a pink crystal-encrusted case that had cost more than the phone itself did. Sliding her thumb in the unlock pattern, the contact flashed on screen. [i]Hailey[/i]. Sel looked up and around the room before reading the message. O and the T were present — though strangely enough, they were not sitting together, which was something that Sel would have to investigate — but H was missing in action. She clicked the ‘read message’ button and raised an eyebrow at the text. Out front? What was Hailey up to now?

After clicking on the cap of her pen, Selena tossed it into her bag. She tapped out a response to Hailey saying that she was on her way before gently closing her planner and placing both of those items in her bag as well. Instead of getting up to leave without so much as a word, Sel turned to Ophelia. [color=ffb5fd][b]“I have business to tend to. Do let me know if anything interesting happens while I’m gone,”[/b][/color] she said, standing up and adjusting her skirt daintily.

[color=eda946][b]“Aye, cap’n.”[/b][/color] Lia said, saluting her friend without looking up from the notebook she was carefully marking in with colored pencils. The party had led to a few changes in the scenery of the school, as far as what Ophelia cared about went. She had to prepare herself for some… massive renovations to the shipping wall, and that meant colors and graphs. Whatever. She liked coloring. [color=eda946][b]“Should I ask what’s up? Probably not.”[/b][/color]

[color=ffb5fd][b]“Hailey.”[/b][/color] Was Selena’s only response, and truly, it was the only response that was needed. She briefly glanced down at whatever Ophie was working on and smirked. [color=ffb5fd][b]“See you later,”[/b][/color] she said and then turned on her heel to leave homeroom, not even bothering to look in Mrs. Winship’s direction. The dreadful morning show had already aired, and the crone didn’t much care if you paid attention to anything else for the rest of the class.

The parking lot of Beverly Hills High hosted a plethora of expensive luxury and sports vehicles. The blonde slid on a pair of Gucci sunglasses to block out the glare as she gazed around for a familiar car. She had no idea which one Hailey had decided on today, but she knew enough of her collection to be able to recognize most of them. A blue Maserati caught her eye and she headed in that direction, her heels tip-tapping against the pavement as she walked. Upon reaching the vehicle, she knelt down to peek through the tinted backseat window.

The window rolled down and revealed Hailey Green’s perfectly managed hair, and she smiled at Selena. [color=922b2b][b]“Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk. You do? Wonderful. Get in. I have some pancakes, if you’d like one.”[/b][/color] Hailey explained gesturing toward the center console where, as mentioned, a short stack of fluffy pancakes that seemed to have chocolate chips in them sat, butter melted over the top of them, and a small pitcher of warm maple syrup waiting. Butler got out of the car, and walked to the backdoor opposite the side of Hailey, opening the door for the Sterling princess.

[color=ffb5fd][b]“Thank you, Butler.”[/b][/color] Selena said genuinely and nodded to the bearded man before ducking her head to sit in the back seat with the queen. The pancakes smelled good, but she didn’t feel much up to eating them. Sean’s recent obsession with the fluffy breakfast food led to her having eaten more of them recently than was good for her figure. If Hailey insisted, she might take a nibble, but nothing more. [color=ffb5fd][b]“Of course I have time for you. The morning show was a hot mess, partially thanks to none other than Owen Lyon… I think you would have been amused. What is it that you want to discuss?”[/b][/color]

Hailey smiled slightly at the idea of Owen embarrassing himself, truly a rare and incredibly enjoyable sight. She’d have to watch the VOD, but ultimately that wasn’t important right then. What was important was the business at hand. After the door was shut and Butler was back in his place in the driver’s seat, Hailey finally spoke on the matter. [color=922b2b][b]“I’m bored, Selena. Very bored, as it happens.”[/b][/color] Hailey frowned slightly, thinking about how the day had went so far. [color=922b2b][b]“Nothing interesting happens and I’ve already won in almost every scenario. So, I think it’s time we expedite the transition between the two of us.”[/b][/color]

Both of Selena’s well-groomed eyebrows gently rose in surprise. One always had to expect the unexpected when it came to Hailey Green… but this was [i]truly[/i] unexpected. Of course, she had known that her inclusion in the It girl group would eventually come to this moment, that is what she had always wanted, after all. All of her hard work was coming to fruition, but why so soon? Was she ready? [color=ffb5fd][b]“While you are still here? Are you sure?”[/b][/color]

[color=922b2b][b]“I’m always sure. Truth be told, I don’t much care what happens after it’s no longer my problem. However, I believe the transition would be easier if I were still around — you could come to me for, ahem, [i]consulting[/i]. I’m not much interested in running things anymore. I’m bored of the work it requires, I’m bored of the effort I’ve had to put forth to keep Trixie happy, which hardly works. Honestly, if that Owen boy was so tremendously important to her, why doesn’t she just go back to him? He most certainly would accept.”[/b][/color] Hailey shook her head and rubbed her temples with one hand. She let out a long breath and turned her attention fully back onto Selena. [color=922b2b][b]“Essentially, I’d like to have more free time to enjoy clubs and my peers and community before I graduate. I’m not sure if I’m going to college and I feel there is a chance I may be missing out on a large portion of my social life by not participating in clubs or general functions. I’m dedicating far too much time to handling my business, so I hope pushing some of it off onto you will assist in yielding me better time management.”[/b][/color]

[color=ffb5fd][b]“Of course, that makes sense. I certainly don’t mind being there and helping Trixie to feel better. The whole situation is quite tragic. Love seems far too messy, I don’t know why anyone gets themselves involved in that, no matter how much Ophie talks it up as a wonderful thing. That being said, I don’t think she should go back to Owen… he’s a sleaze. A cheater like him doesn’t deserve our cousin.”[/b][/color] Selena caved in to the tempting aroma and took a small bite of the chocolate chip pancakes in front of her. They were heavenly, as was to be expected. [color=ffb5fd][b]“What clubs will you join? Are you going to cheer? You’d look great in the uniform.”[/b][/color]

[color=922b2b][b]“Off the top of my head, I aspire to start with anime club. From there, I may start a few of my own, but I’ll see what we have in store. One of A Double’s friends is in the anime club, and I quite like them.”[/b][/color] Hailey shrugged her shoulders, taking a bite of the pancakes herself. [color=922b2b][b]“Do you like them? I used just a bit of beer, to help them rise. I think the taste is a bit noticeable, but… I don’t much care. The fluffiness is just necessary.”[/b][/color] Hailey explained, smiling happily at Sel, then addressing the cheerleader question. [color=922b2b][b]“I’m not much interested in cheerleading, it isn’t really my style, and the outfit shows off…. far too much. I’m rather conservative, I think.”[/b][/color]

Anime club was an interesting first choice, in Selena’s opinion. She did not, however, let those thoughts show through on her face. Most of Hailey’s closer friends knew that she had, well, somewhat nerdy hobbies. Her father’s genes must have come through strong, or perhaps it was just how much she loved him. That mattered not, this wasn’t a nature versus nurture debate. Instead, Sel focused on the food. [color=ffb5fd][b]“They’re very good, I’m always a sucker for chocolate chips. I never would have thought to use beer, good call there. The science is there to make it work, perhaps I should think more about learning to cook. It’s just another form of chemistry.”[/b][/color] Selena smiled lightly, admitting her own nerdy interests. [color=ffb5fd][b]“True enough, though, about the cheer uniforms. They aren’t befitting a queen’s modesty.”[/b][/color] Thinking on that, Selena wondered if that meant that she should stop cheering. She decided that she didn’t want to stop, so she wouldn’t. [color=ffb5fd][b]“About the transition… have you talked to Ophie yet?”[/b][/color]

[color=922b2b][b]“No, and I don’t plan to. My decision to phase myself out early is my own. I’m hoping the transition goes smoothly and that nothing comes up to interfere with my actual plan, which includes myself leaving until prom. Ideally the country. I’m confident that nothing will distract me. I’d like to take some time to myself as an attempt to destress and deflate myself from my current mental state — which admittedly isn’t my best. I may not show it, but I’m very stressed.”[/b][/color] Hailey explained, taking another bite of the pancakes. [color=922b2b][b]“The Elite annoyed and frustrated me and allowed me to fully realize how easily upset I am by what happens at the school. It’s best I distance myself before the inevitable, and likely very soon, boiling point is reached by most of the school board.”[/b][/color]

Of course, despite what Hailey was saying, she had every intention of continuing to manipulate things behind the scenes. She just didn’t much care for the target on her back anymore. In fact, it was most likely that the boiling point was reached from Hailey lighting a fire underneath an already volatile melting pot of personalities.

[color=ffb5fd][b]“I just don’t want her to be pissed that, you know, you’re handing me the reigns while she is still around too. But, truth be told, she seems distracted enough with her own… things… so she might not even notice. I like yoga for stress, and hot tea, but certainly a vacation sounds like an excellent plan. Where will you go? Someplace new?”[/b][/color]

[color=992b2b][b]“Ideally somewhere cold. I quite like Switzerland, so perhaps there. But, again, who knows? Something may crop up that distracts me.”[/b][/color] Hailey shrugged her shoulders and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. [color=922b2b][b]“Let’s go now, that’s all I had to say. I just wanted to tell you in privacy, since I did say a few things that I’d rather not have repeated. I’d appreciate it if you kept our conversation as private as possible…”[/b][/color] Hailey smiled and took the last bite of the pancakes and tapped Butler on the shoulder, leaning forward to whisper something in his ear. He nodded, and Hailey opened the door herself, stepping out. [color=922b2b][b]“Come along, Sel. How is Trixie doing today, anyway? I need to prepare myself.”[/b][/color]

Selena nodded at Hailey’s request to keep this conversation private. As if Selena would ever be stupid enough to [i]not[/i] keep it private, she knew full well the level of social suicide that would occur if she didn’t. Once Hailey indicated she was ready to leave, Sel followed suit, exiting the back seat through the door on her own side. [color=ffb5fd][b]“She seems to be a little better, actually. It might just be an act because we’re back at school now, though. She was speaking with Jamie and Marshall, last I saw. Probably newspaper stuff.”[/b][/color]

[color=992b2b][b]“I can only hope she didn’t miss the show with Owen. It probably would have felt good for her.”[/b][/color] Hailey smiled over her shoulder, and the bell rang, signifying the end of the homeroom class, and beginning of the [i]real[/i] school day.[/indent]