[color=silver][center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210721/e6cf61cd39aaabe742f386fe63f930b0.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Hsqf0bk.png[/img]
[b][i]A [@BrutalBx] & [@Venus] Collab
Featuring [color=D2D528]Roddy Callahan[/color] & [color=A442AB]Lanie Lancaster[/color]’s First Ever Meeting[/i][/b]
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[indent][indent]What was he doing here?

Roddy wasn’t a party guy by any stretch of the imagination. Yet somehow there he was in the midst of it all. Francis had dragged him here in a thinly veiled attempt to get his brother out of his shell and get him some friends. He had tried a few drinks to loosen up but he didn’t finish a single one of them. His heart had been trying to beat out of his chest for the last few hours. Fran had left him and he hadn’t seen him since they got there. On his own with no back up and in enemy territory, Roddy wished that he had just said no, gone home and played Call of Duty or something. 

He had found himself a home in the corner of the living room. It was out of the way and nobody seemed to be bothering him there which was nice. Rod had a view of pretty much everyone and everything so he could people watch, it was a shame that his only friend Kylee wasn’t there to help him out. He wasn’t sure where she was in fact, probably up to some mischief knowing her. Glancing into the kitchen, he could see the cheerleaders all pepped and hyped up thanks to their victory at the competition in Pinehurst. 

They were the stars of the show. 

Winning the Shining Star cheer competition had been the perfect way to close off Elaine Lancaster’s first semester as a student at Edenridge High. When she had first arrived to town, she had worried about not being able to fit in a place where families had known each other for generations. She should have known, though, that when you had a face that beautiful, a smile that bright and the sweetest, friendliest demeanor, everything good would simply follow. Lanie had met her first friend in Marco Brady-Castillo less than five minutes into her first day of school, which had led her to find a new mother figure in his mother Marlena. Her acceptance into the cheerleading team had opened up a world of interactions, and she'd found loyal, trustworthy friends in the likes of fellow teammates Jillian O'Brien and Mei Ramsey (or, as they liked to joke, the Blossom and Buttercup to her Bubbles). And, of course, thanks to the team she had met her favorite big sister: Allison Davies, the one who had brought their champion team down here to celebrate.

Lanie had been at the party for some time now, walking around and making conversations with her teammates while dodging the vast amounts of drunk upperclassmen pathetically trying to make a move. During her rounds around the event, she had come to notice a tall, lanky boy standing in the corner of the living room, consistently alone even with all the people surrounding him. The girl had tried to ignore it at first, dismissing her concerns with the thoughts that maybe he was just taking a break from it all. But when she noticed just how lonely and overwhelmed he looked, Elaine decided to do something about it. She wasn't about to let this person continue to have a shitty night, so she momentarily excused herself with her friends and set out on the task of trying to save the boy's night.

[color=A442AB]“Hi!”[/color] Lanie greeted the lanky boy as she approached him, a timid smile on her lips while she gave him a small wave. [color=A442AB]“Are you okay? Not much of a party person?”[/color] the blonde asked him after arriving at his side, truly concerned about the young man and wanting to make him feel included.

With his skeleton almost jumping out of his skin, Roddy leapt up to his feet as he was greeted by the blonde bombshell in her cheerleading uniform. Why was she talking to him? Was this a bet? Did Francis put her up to this? Either way, the young boy was just surprised that she even knew he existed. [color=D2D518]”Not really”[/color] Roddy responded as he nervously scratched the back of his head. [color=D2D518]”My brother kind of dragged me here. What about you?”[/color]

[color=A442AB]"Oh, I'm sorry about that!"[/color] Lanie told him with a small frown, rubbing the young man's shoulder for a brief second in a quick attempt at comfort. [color=A442AB]"I came here willingly, with the girls,"[/color] she admitted, pointing back at the group of cheerleaders behind them with a thumb over her shoulder. [color=A442AB]"I've been to a couple of smaller parties before, but this is my first official [i]big[/i] high school party,"[/color] Lanie declared with her customary bright, inviting smile before extending her hand out to the boy. [color=A442AB]"I'm Elaine Lancaster, but everyone calls me Lanie. How about you?"[/color]

[color=D2D518]“Roddy. Roddy Callahan”[/color] Even just saying his surname out loud almost made Rod cringe. Everyone knew his brother. Everybody knew his father. Hell, his family helped found the damn town. He was a waste of space in the grand scheme of things. He offered his hand in return and shook with the cheerleader. Roddy didn’t know much of Lanie Lancaster. They were most certainly not from the same world, but she was ridiculously gorgeous and made his teenage boy mind think stupid shit. Of course, within nanoseconds he had talked himself down from planning their wedding and remembered that she was likely just being courteous. [color=D2D518]”It’s nice to meet you, Lanie.”[/color]

Lanie had excitedly half-opened her mouth to pipe up 'you're Francis' brother!' before she noticed the way Roddy's face had slightly contorted after mentioning his last name. While she couldn't possibly relate to anything this boy was feeling, she could understand why admitting a potential biological relation to the most popular guy in school could be a negative for Roddy. Living in the shadow of the town's star athlete was probably something he'd been struggling with all his life, with everyone around them not being able to shut up about Francis Callahan for longer than five minutes (and Lanie not understanding the why behind it, considering she found Fran ordinary in terms of looks). So instead of becoming another one of the older Callahan's groupies, Lanie chose to focus on giving Roddy the singular, individual attention any person deserved.

[color=A442AB]"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Roddy,"[/color] she said brightly, letting go of his hand but making no motions to end the conversation. [color=A442AB]"If you could be anywhere else in the world right now: where would you go, what would you be doing, and why?"[/color]

[i]Wow.[/i]

An actual cheerleader was trying to hold an actual conversation with him; this might actually be a miracle. Kylee definitely wouldn’t believe this. Then again, she wasn’t here and Roddy was pretty much fending for himself in the shark filled water tank that was a high school party. It was an interesting question that Lanie had posed; where would he want to be at that moment? The safe option was of course his room but that wasn’t really where he wanted to be after all, it was where his life had pretty much dictated he be. So then where would he go? What would he do? The butcher's boy mulled over a few thoughts in his head before finally answering her.

[color=D2D518]”Austin. It’s a weird place with great architecture and a great vibe. Plus, nobody knows me there…what about you?”[/color]

His answer piqued Lanie's interest. [color=A442AB]"Ooooh, Austin? I love Austin!"[/color] the blonde declared, her demeanor brightening up even more than before. [color=A442AB]"My cousin [url=https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/770x0/9783001b7018a91e843fafd55ee039e2.jpg]Diana[/url], her husband [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/7b/a5/f27ba5163e970e43c7de4c17ef28bdac.jpg]Dusty[/url] and their kids live in Gatling, a small town near Austin. I've gone to visit her down there on vacation a couple of times and she's taken me to Austin, and I have to agree with you on that one!"[/color] she told Roddy with a smile.

[color=A442AB]"As for me? Let's see… Hmmmm…"[/color] Lanie mulled it over for a few seconds before ultimately coming up with her answer. [color=A442AB]"Oh my gosh, I would [i]kill[/i] to be in Bora Bora right now! My favorite YouTube couple [url=https://i.imgur.com/b8Igjdj.png]Tatum and Brodie[/url] made a vlog about their vacation there last week, and it gave me major FOMO! The crystal-clear waters, the little cabins [i]right[/i] in the middle of the water… Ugh, so [i]beautiful[/i]!"[/color] she trailed off, her mind drifting off to a fantasy land where she was swimming around the waters of French Polynesian island in her new lavender bikini, accompanied by a tall, lanky, shaggy-haired Callahan son…

[color=A442AB][i]Stop it right there, Lanie.[/i][/color]

This was surprising; he was having an actual conversation of substance with somebody at a party. Maybe this was what his brother had planned for him all along? Either way this brief conversation had been the highlight of his evening and he wanted it to continue. [color=D2D518]"I have no idea who they are; not exactly going to find them in my YouTube search history.”[/color] 

Before Roddy could say anything else, the host of the party, one ReyRey Gonzalez, came rampaging down the stairs, calling for the party to be over. There were many things in the Edenridge arcana that were taken as gospel truths. The south side were dangerous; Pinehurst was the enemy and ReyRey was the baddest motherfucker on two feet and pissing him off was a death sentence. It seemed like somebody had done the latter and anyone willing to outstay their welcome at the party would be next. [color=D2D518]"I guess that’s our cue”[/color]

Elanie, who had almost had a heart attack when the bulky Latino came trampling and yelling down the stairs like an angry bull, turned to her new friend with disappointed eyes. She didn't [i]want[/i] the conversation to end yet! Roddy appeared to be a really cool guy, and she wanted to spend a little more time with him. She'd been seconds away from asking her new friend if he wanted to walk home with her when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. And when she realized it was her teammates beckoning for her to join them, pointing at ReyRey and making frantic gestures that they were leaving, the blonde's heart sank.

[color=A442AB]"I guess so..."[/color] she lamented with a sad shrug, gesturing back to her friends to give her a second before turning back to Roddy. [color=A442AB]"But at least we got to talk a little, right? I just hope I made the last few minutes of the party enjoyable to you."[/color]

Hoping she could finish this interaction on a positive note, the young woman closed the distance that separated her and Roddy and planted a kiss on his cheek. [color=A442AB]"There. Something for you to remember me by."[/color]

Smiling widely, the blonde shot the now blushing Roddy a conspiratorial wink. [color=A442AB]"It was a pleasure to meet you, Roddy. I'll see you around school, okay? Byeeeeeeee~!"[/color] And after one last parting wave to her new friend, Lanie turned on her heel and pranced back to her cheerleader friends.

Neither of them had any idea that, a few years later, they'd become Mom and Dad to a beautiful little cherub with Roddy's smile, Lanie's golden curls and sparkling green eyes.[/indent][/indent][/color]