[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200922/18fdedfa8bcca4a6191613f3d4fb8ca3.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/FeR0Tq6.png[/img]
[sub][color=silver]Starring [color=ffcc00]Erica Monet[/color] and [color=FFA54D]Tyler Jane Morrissey[/color]
A [@Smarty0114] and [@Melissa] Collaboration[/color][/sub]

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[color=silver]Tyler Jane thought she had the stomach to stand spin the bottle. The game was harmless, fun even- she was enjoying watching the random and kismet matches. Well, she was enjoying it until Nicholas proceeded to makeout with Savannah when he landed on her, forgoing every bit of common sense on this planet. She watched his every movement- the way his hand caressed her cheek delicately, his body touching hers, their lips moving aflame. The redhead couldn’t read how Savannah felt about this, but she assumed the worst, given that this is what the blonde wanted from the start. Even though the wounds had been patched up, they were still fresh and cut open once more- Tyler Jane joined the bleeding hearts club as hers dropped into the pit of her stomach. 

Men were pigs. Scum of the earth. Gum on the bottom of a shoe. They couldn’t be trusted, and certainly couldn’t be believed in. Tyler Jane had tolerated Griffin for the sake of her friend’s crush, but he ended up being a douche like the rest of the bunch. Nicholas seemed like a good egg, but had cruel intentions and deep down, she feared he had no real desire in pursuing anything with her. 

The kiss seemed to last forever, and when it ended, all havoc broke loose much to her surprise. Savannah, as it turned out, was true to her word and had no interest in Nicholas’ advances. She [i]yawned[/i] after their lips separated, and if Tyler Jane hadn’t been on edge about the situation, she would’ve laughed. But the dark haired boy of her desires certainly did not appreciate the sentiment in the same way and went off on the blonde, citing her previous interest and now lackluster interaction. The fire behind his eyes turned into words that compared the two of them; to him, Savannah was nowhere near as [i]special[/i] as Tyler Jane.

As soon as her name was mentioned, the redhead felt eyes burning onto her skin, everyone seeming to glance over at her as a natural response to the commotion in the center of the circle. Heat graced her cheeks, unsure of how to react to this less than appealing attention. Sentences flew out of Savannah’s mouth in retort- sarcastic, unfiltered, and raw sass flowed into Nicholas’ ears as she read him the riot act. Tyler Jane was shocked at the pure confidence, but would have to thank her friend later for having her back. 

But for now, the dancer had seen enough. She had seen more in the last 5 minutes than she ever wanted to see. Not only was she perplexed about where she truly stood with Nicholas, but she couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the way he treated her friend. As she started to look away, her eyes met with his as he searched for an answer or an emotion in her eyes. Tyler Jane held the contact for a second too long before shifting her gaze elsewhere. Finding Erica across the circle, the redhead stood up quickly and ushered her away from the circle as Mr. Grey walked off towards the makeshift bar.

[color=FFA54D]“You, me, bathroom [i]now[/i]”[/color]

Tyler Jane pulled her friend forcefully by the hand towards her dorm room down the hall instead of the public bathroom, giving the girl no choice in the matter, and directed them both inside before slamming the door behind them and quickly flipping the lock. The redhead pressed her back against the door and let herself slide down until she was sitting on the ground, head falling into her hands. The hammer was about to drop and Tyler Jane was going to release it. 

[color=FFA54D]“I think I’m going to be sick.”[/color]

Erica’s usually stoney features melted into concern. She crouched down to get eye level with TJ, promptly lost her balance, and tipped over to land sitting down. Jesus, she’d had a lot, hadn’t she? Ignoring her less than graceful maneuver, Erica focused on TJ. [color=ffcc00]“Tee, please, don’t waste good alcohol on Nick Grey,”[/color] Erica said. Even drunk, it was easy for Erica to see what had TJ in distress. [color=ffcc00]“Boys are not worth that kind of trouble.”[/color]

In as much distress as she was in, the drunken redhead couldn’t help but dissolve into a small laugh as Erica tumbled onto the ground. Regaining her composure with a sigh and remembering why she was nauseated, she continued. [color=FFA54D]“He’s so confusing… all men are confusing. You think you’ve got them right where you want them and they throw you a reverse Uno card.”[/color] Tyler Jane mused, running a hand through her straightened mane. Desiring to clear the air before dropping a bomb on her, the redhead referenced her spin in the game to Erica. [color=FFA54D]“I’m sorry I had to kiss Griffin - it was [i]gross[/i] and I only did it to make Nicholas jealous. And it didn’t even work! Now what am I supposed to do?”[/color]

[color=ffcc00]“It’s fine, we’re not…”[/color] Erica cut her own sentence short with another roll of her eyes, and an added sigh of exasperation. She wasn’t about to start talking about Griffin right now, not when TJ was obviously concerned with other things. [color=ffcc00]“Doesn’t matter. Say the word and we can go back in there and toss our drinks in his face. One for each eye, [i]bam, bam[/i],”[/color] Erica said, punctuating her threat by throwing her hands forward in rapid succession, an effort to get another laugh out of her friend.

Erica’s attempts to make Tyler Jane laugh again were successful- something about being drunk made the girl’s emotions change in the blink of an eye. One moment she was angry, the next she could be happy again. But the giggle that escaped the redhead’s lips faded fast. [color=FFA54D]“I don’t think throwing drinks in Nicholas’ face will solve anything.”[/color] She stated, pausing before continuing and hesitant about what she was going to say next. [color=FFA54D]“I just don’t understand how one minute we can be nearly kissing in front of the dorms, and the next I’m nothing to him.”[/color]  TJ looked at Erica earnestly [color=FFA54D]“As much as you don’t like him, you’d be completely honest with me about him, right?”[/color]

The redhead asked the question almost as if she were asking permission to spill what she had heard- she knew that Erica would always be honest with her and promote her best interests, but she needed to hear it again before crushing the girl’s hopes of some type of connection with Griffin. 

[color=ffcc00]“Of course!”[/color] Erica said, the widening of her eyes highlighting the sincerity of her words. [color=ffcc00]“Boys are just… dumb. They don’t know what they want,”[/color] she said, perhaps a little too aware of the irony that this was coming from her. The truth was, no one at this school knew what they wanted. Least of all, her. [color=ffcc00]“Honestly, I do think he’s into you. I just don’t know if his primitive little brain can get out of his dick.”[/color]

[color=FFA54D]“Okay, well speaking of primitive brains…”[/color] Tyler Jane segued, taking a breath before continuing. [color=FFA54D]“I heard something through the grapevine that I think you deserve to know.”[/color] The redhead brushed a piece of hair out of her face, hoping for another moment to stall. [color=FFA54D]“Griffin and Leo were apparently talking before spin the bottle and Griffin said to him that he thought you were desperate. I know that Griffin and I aren’t usually on the best terms, but this has nothing to do with that, and I’m just letting you know cause you’re my best friend and you don’t deserve to be spoken about like that.”[/color] She might have rambled on (50% due to alcohol and 50% due to nerves), but at least she got it out and off her chest.

TJ’s words singed themselves into her brain, a hot iron branding her memories with the sudden flipping of her stomach and the unfamiliar ache in her heart. If what TJ said was true, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, Griffin had cut to her core, in a cruel and unnecessary way. Was that dance just a joke for him? 

Erica expected a fire in her belly, a rage that would carry her fist down the hall into Griffin’s face, but instead, she felt something more akin to emptiness. He’d seen right through her, past the confident mask she wore so well that it even fooled her sometimes, to the lonely little girl inside. She was desperate, for admiration and success and love. She needed it all so badly, desperation was the only word that fit. 

[color=ffcc00]“Wow,”[/color] Erica said, pursing her lips so that she could keep herself together. Her breath came slow, her stomach sank low, and she struggled to hold back tears, fighting the burning in her eyes until it faded back. She wasn’t going to waste good makeup on Griffin Pierce. She gulped and sighed, so very much over everything at this stupid school. [color=ffcc00]“Well, guess I was right. Boys fucking suck.”[/color] 

Although a little dizzy, Tyler Jane used every muscle in her body to move towards Erica and wrap her in a hug. [color=FFA54D]“We don’t need them.”[/color] Even if she may have doubted that statement in her mind, the girl’s voice rang strong, clear and unwavering as she comforted her friend. [color=FFA54D]“Boys are overrated anyway- Savannah had the right idea to ditch Ni- I mean men- to go and dance with Tayla.”[/color] Releasing Erica from her arms, the redhead leaned back against the door before summoning all of her strength and standing up (probably a little too quickly as all the blood rushed to her head). [color=FFA54D]“We can’t sit here any longer and let them ruin our night. This is [i]our[/i] party, remember? We make the rules.”[/color]

Erica nodded. [color=ffcc00]“You’re right.”[/color] The brunette stood up, using the wall as support, and brushed herself off once she was standing up straight. She popped her head into TJ’s bathroom to get a glance at her reflection. Happy with what she saw, she plastered on a soft smile, and linked arms with TJ. [color=ffcc00]“Time to go show them what they’re missing.”[/color]

The redhead grinned widely at her friend as they departed her room and strutted back towards the party, heads held high. Tyler Jane brought them back over to the circle where the game of spin the bottle was happening and unlinked their arms before marching right to the center and pressing her heeled foot on top of the glass bottle to stop it in its tracks. She clearly had other plans. [color=FFA54D]“Alright, I think we’ve all had enough of that game for one evening. Let’s spice things up a little bit more… 7 minutes in heaven. Who cares to go first?”[/color][/color]