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[center][color=slategray][sub]A [@Silver Carrot] & [@Bee] collab
Featuring: [color=fef929]Charity Spencer[/color] & [color=7bcdc8]Lauren Townsend[/color]
Location: A Cafe in Beverly Hills
Time: Friday, After school[/sub][/color][/center][hr][hr]


So, the Townsend Twins were back...kinda. 

Although it’d be a few more days before they were back at BHHS, Lauren figured it was best to grab lunch with one of her friends first. A week had been a long time apparently, and based on what she’d witnessed upon her return to social media, there had been a lot that went down in her absence. Luckily, Charity Spencer had been gracious enough to accept an invitation for some lunch. Not like it was a date or anything like that, it was just to catch and get some insight into the inner workings of BHHS. Her best friend, Ophelia, was nowhere to be seen anyway. Lauren was bummed.

Currently, Lauren was sitting at her table, waiting for Charity to arrive so that they could get their lunch started. Hopefully this would go well. She was looking forward to catching up with an old friend.

Charity arrived a minute or so later, and waved as she weaved her way through the occupied chairs to Lauren’s table, before sitting down opposite Lauren. [color=fef929][b]”Sorry I’m a little late,”[/b][/color] she excused. [color=fef929][b]”My sister had to go and meet somebody at a park today for some reason, so I walked here. Anyway, welcome back to BHHS!”[/b][/color]

[color=7bcdc8][b]”It’s okay, but thank you!”[/b][/color] Lauren smiled. [color=7bcdc8][b]”So… what’s new at BHHS? I heard a lot of shit has gone down… y’know? The social media is a little busy lately, y’know?”[/b][/color] Lauren and Charity received a couple of menus in the meantime as they waited for Charity’s response. Hopefully the food was actually good.

 [color=fef929][b]”I thought you might ask about this, so I brought a copy with me,”[/b][/color] Charity replied, before taking a copy of Jamie’s article from her handbag and giving it to Lauren.  [color=fef929][b]”The short version is that Jamie wrote that article, blowing the whistle on some HOT girl shenanigans. He puts it better than I could so I’ll let that article break the news to you.”[/b][/color] Charity then started looking at her own menu whilst Lauren read the article.

Looking at the article, Lauren’s eyes widened. This… this had come across as a shock to her. So as it turned out, her best friends were up to no good. The entire thing with Trixie had been a sham. They had been bamboozled! Putting the article down, the twin pointed at it. [color=7bcdc8][b]”So- you’re telling me that.. Trixie had made the entire thing up? I should’ve fucking known!’[/b][/color] Lauren got a few glances from a couple of Nosy Nancies as she cursed.

[color=7bcdc8][b]”How could she?”[/b][/color]

 [color=fef929][b]”The way I see it, Trixie was played like everybody else. It was Hailey and Ophelia that were behind this. Trixie just made the mistake of trusting her friends over her boyfriend. Not that she’s without blame in this affair, nor is Owen for that matter,, but their sins were mild compared to those of Queen Bee and her lackey. It’s times like this where I honestly get really sick of this school and wonder how I could possibly help make things better.”[/b][/color]

[color=7bcdc8][b]”I haven’t even talked to Ophelia in a long time… I can’t believe she was a part of it!”[/b][/color] Lauren frowned, before putting the paper down. [color=7bcdc8][b]”All of this in one week… oh my god.”[/b][/color] Lauren rubbed her temples. [color=7bcdc8][b]”I need to talk to Ophelia. I- there’s no way that this is actually happening. This is just- you know what? Why don’t we just order lunch. Why don’t we do that instead?”[/b][/color]

 [color=fef929][b]”Good idea,”[/b][/color] Replied Charity as she put down her menu. She had been reading it during the conversation and had decided what she was going to eat long ago.  [color=fef929][b]”I think i’ll just have the vegetable soup. I can never finish big lunches. So, while all hell was breaking loose at school, what have you been up to?”[/b][/color]

[color=7bcdc8][b]”Oh, psh. It’s been real messy in the Townsend family this past week.”[/b][/color] Lauren waved her hand, giggling. [color=7bcdc8][b]”I think my dad caught my mom fucking around with some really shady shit - including cheating on him and embezzling his funds, so he filed for divorce and stashed us somewhere for like a week before the security company came through and the restraining order was approved. Heavy stuff.”[/b][/color] Lauren forgot the true reason she was here though, [color=7bcdc8][b]”I think I’ll have the club sandwich.”[/b][/color]

Charity looked up and stared at Lauren for a few seconds. It was so much pity she was showing, as sorrow.  [color=fef929][b]”I’m so sorry to hear that. Are you okay, though?”[/b][/color] she asked, before a waiter came over to ask for their orders. Her focus was on Lauren the whole time.

[color=7bcdc8][b]”Yeah I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? Mom was being shady. Not my problem.”[/b][/color] Lauren shrugged, before the waiter came over. The waiter made his obligatory greetings and put a pen on his little order pad. [color=7bcdc8][b]”I will have the club sandwich and an iced tea, please.”[/b][/color] The waiter scribbled the order on his little pad, before turning to Charity for her order.

[color=fef929][b]”I’ll have the vegetable soup, please, and a glass of water,”[/b][/color] she responded to the waiter, before turning back to Lauren. Charity, ever the journalist, could sniff a gap a mile away. [color=fef929][b]”I’m just saying. If there was any trouble between my parents, I most definitely would not be okay. Let’s move on, then. Any interesting developments for the future that you know about? For somebody who works at the paper, I don’t really keep up with gossip.”[/b][/color]

[color=7bcdc8][b]”I don’t really know what’s up. Like I’ve said I haven’t been around for a week. There’s probably a whole bunch of shit that went down that I don’t know about. All I’ve been caring about was just making sure my mom didn’t pull any more shady shit near us.”[/b][/color] Lauren shrugged. It was hard to worry about petty high school drama and occurrences when you were being kept away from your mother in a house that she didn’t know about. It was like something out of a cheesy action movie -- only that it was actually real life. Luckily, that was behind her now. [color=7bcdc8][b]”What about you, though? What’s new with ya?”[/b][/color]

Charity thought for a second, and her brow visibly furrowed. [color=fef929][b]”I can’t tell you much because it’s a delicate situation I’m in the process of handling, but one of my friends is in a tricky spot and needs my help dealing with some...bad person,”[/b][/color] Charity clearly bit back a swear word when talking about this mystery individual. [color=fef929][b]”Other than that, I’m going to write a piece on Nero Frost’s new band, which my sister is probably going to make the cut for.”[/b][/color]

Bad situation? What was Charity talking about? Lauren was intrigued, and she really wanted to press more but she wasn’t sure if it was her place to do so. Lauren’s brows closed in together as she thought long and hard. She decided to go for it anyway. [color=7bcdc8][b]”Who’s this “bad person”? Maybe I know something about them and I can help your friend out?”[/b][/color]

Charity looked conflicted as she weighed her options carefully, before leaning in closer. [color=fef929][b]”It’s Trent from the football team, but you have to keep this a secret, and if you don’t know him, forget it all and don’t get involved. I don’t know what he has over my friend but I suspect blackmail may be involved.””[/b][/color]
[color=7bcdc8][b]”Trent?”[/b][/color] Lauren’s eyes narrowed once again, [color=7bcdc8][b]”You realize who my brother is, right? He can take care of him if you need him to, especially if he finds out the situation.”[/b][/color]

[color=fef929][b]”Yes, but I don’t know what he’s blackmailing my friend with. I want to make absolutely sure that Trent can’t expose anything she wouldn’t want him to, before I do anything about this. That’s why I said it’s a delicate situation.”[/b][/color]

[color=7bcdc8][b]”Maybe my brother knows something? He should be back with the team today. He might just persuade it out of Trent or something.”[/color][/b] Lauren shrugged, [color=7bcdc8][b]”If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”[/b][/color]

[color=fef929][b]”I’m going to try myself first, at church, and if he won’t give it up to a fellow evangelical, a fellow football player may be the best chance. I’ll ask you and your brother for help if it comes to that.”[/b][/color] Charity replied, keeping one eye out for their food as she wanted this conversation to move on sooner rather than later. Somebody might hear them.

[color=7bcdc8][b]”I hope the best happens.”[/b][/color] Lauren smiled, before backing away and watching their food come. Her club sandwich looked great, and so did Charity’s soup. Charity confirmed this by not really stopping once she started. It helped that she was quite hungry, but the soup was indeed delicious. For the time it took to eat sandwich and soup, both their troubles were temporarily forgotten.