Ejected

Cancelled - until next time family. Thank you for understanding.

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By the time the RV had arrived at its destination five hours later, Ivy was just relieved that she didn't have to break up any fights on the way there or hitch herself a ride back home. Instead, she'd spent those few hours listening to one of her carefully crafted Hip-Hop and R&B playlists and taking a solid four hour long nap; she only woke up for a few moments every now and then to either check her phone, eat a snack or two, or speak to Chloe, who she didn't sit too far from.

When it came time to gather their things and head into the hotel, it took Ivy a few minutes to get herself together; after doing a few post-nap stretches and scrolling through her missed text messages, the young woman followed the rest of her friends into the lobby, her cheetah print suitcase and matching duffel in tow. "Well, this is niceeeee," Ivy said as she came to a stop near the rest of the group, a smile plastered across her face as she took in the fancy scenery. Her smile instantly disappeared, however, once she finally realized what was currently happening among the group.

Ivy wasn't surprised in the slightest when she found her friends arguing over their sleeping arrangements. And it wasn't long before she'd joined in on the arguing, initially trying to calm things down but only escalating things in the process. She was thankful that the front desk lady came up with the whole peppermint method before things got too out of hand. "Looks like we're roomies," Ivy said to Chloe with a sigh of relief before popping the white mint into her mouth.

Soon, the group headed towards the elevator, and Ivy's stomach growled at the mention of food. The snacks she'd eaten on the way over hadn't done much, and anyone who knew Ivy knew that she ate like a linebacker. Where it all went to after being consumed, no one knew. "Can I be one of the boys for today?" the young woman said half-jokingly before letting out a sigh and rolling her luggage onto the lift. It was after then that she volunteered to be a key holder, figuring that she was responsible enough to do so without any problems.

The Penthouse Suite was just as gorgeous as Ivy thought it would be. She was the last to enter the room, and her jaw nearly dropped when she saw where they'd all be staying. Following Reyna and Chloe's lead, Ivy set her things down on the floor and took a seat on one of the beds, resisting the urge to plop down on her back. "I'm cool with that," she said as she eagerly reached for one of the bottles Reyna had brought back to the room. "I'm always down to do a little shopping. And drinking... as long as we get some food on the way cause I'm fucking starving."

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

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---

While speaking with Jasper and Dani, Kavan made sure to keep a watchful eye on Ariel and Kavi as they conversed near the punch fountains. Just to be on the safe side. Truth be told, the young man was mentally preparing himself to swoop in if things got a little heated between the pair; Though knowing that he'd have to intervene in some way, he wasn't exactly sure what he'd do if it became necessary, but he hoped that it wouldn't come down to that. He was forced momentarily to tear his eyes away from the two when Archer finally found him. "Missed you too," the young man said back as he donned a warm smile and placed an arm around Archer's shoulders. "I was just introdu-"

But before Kavan could let out another word, a familiar voice echoed over the speakers and caused him to pause mid-sentence. It was then that Kavan realized the music had stopped playing, and redirected his attention to the DJ Booth.

With wide eyes, Kavan watched and listened as his newest friend basically professed his attraction for Julie MacMillan on the spot and asked her to dance along with him. The young man couldn't help but give Ryland props for being so bold; he briefly clapped along with the rest of the crowd when Julie accepted his invitation to the dance floor. "Well, that was interesting..." Kavan said to the group, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. "He did all of this for a dance... I can't wait to see what his Prom-posal will look like. Maybe he'll try to recruit some backup dancers."

It was after feeling Archer's grip tighten around him that Kavan realized how worried he was about their friends. So, in an effort to take his mind off of things, at least for a little while, Kavan offered him a reassuring smile and said, "Happy Valentine's Day... I was gonna wait until later to surprise you, but I got you something I think you might like. It's back in the car; I didn't wanna carry it around all night."

What Are You Listening To?

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

---

---

"CARTER OVER HERE!"

Of course, Carter recognized Stella Lambert's voice anywhere, though he couldn't help but crack a smile and shake his head at how enthusiastic she seemed to be and how loudly she'd screamed his name. Hell, she'd even managed to turn a few heads in her direction because of it. The attention of said onlookers was redirected shortly afterwards, however, when the music suddenly came to a stop. Shooting a curious glance at the DJ booth, Carter spotted some brown-haired, gangly kid standing there with the microphone in hand; the young man paused mid-step and craned his neck to see what was going on. His name was Ryland Aspen, apparently. Carter didn't have a clue who this guy was, though he felt that the name was somewhat familiar. He was sure he'd heard Chanel mention the kid once or twice.

His suspicion was confirmed when Ryland mentioned who he thought to be the "cool kids" of King's and issued a public apology to none other than Ariel Grey. "Well I'll be damned," Carter said with a smirk as he took a quick look in Ariel's direction to check out her reaction. Assuming that Ryland was finished with his little announcement, Carter was about to continue his walk towards Stella, only to freeze again when the guy started singing a pretty well known Shawn Mendes song. What in the Hell was going on?

Soon after the Dancing started, Ryland ended up asking Julie MacMillan to dance with him, and when she accepted the room erupted in applause. Of course, Carter briefly joined in on the clapping before hurriedly making his way to the girl he'd been waiting to see. "Well, looks like he beat me to it. Dammit, Ryland." Carter said jokingly as he came to a stop in front of Stella. "April, Santiago. You two look good tonight." Carter said while nodding his head in greeting to the couple.

"And you-" Carter said as he redirected his attention to Stella, grabbed her by the hand, and spun her in a quick circle. "You look very beautiful. Enjoying the dance so far?"

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

As Gavin's brother responded to what she had to say, Chanel let her gaze sweep over the crowd once again, her eyes searching for nothing in particular. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she watched each of her friends enjoy the dance in their own ways; everything was running smoothly... for the time being. It was only after she heard the young man mention something green that she returned her focus to him. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean..." the young woman said slowly, wondering whether or not she should ask if he had any on him. After a few moments of internal debating, however, she decided against it. She'd just have to be content with the vodka spiked punch for the night.

Chanel's head turned slightly when the sound of whistles and hollering interrupted their conversation; the young woman stared blankly in the direction of Sawyer's friends for only a split second before returning her attention to Sawyer once more. "It's fine, I'm not so great with names either. I'm Chanel," she said, offering him a half-smile. "You can go on with your friends if you want, I don't mean to hold you up or anything. Seems like they're dying for you to come back." Chanel was just about to say more when something else abruptly caught her attention.

"Hey, yeah. Can I get everyone's attention please?"

Redirecting her attention to the DJ booth, Chanel let a confused expression take over her face as she did so. She spotted none other than the guy who'd been involved in the hallway altercation a while back; it took her a second to recall his name, and she did so right before he made his own introduction. "Oh, brother..." Chanel muttered to Sawyer as she listened to the first few seconds of the boy's speech. "What the fuck is this?" It took Ryland a while to finally get to the point, but boy, when he finally did... to say that Chanel was completely shocked would be an understatement.

His singing was nothing spectacular, and it took every ounce of strength in Chanel's body to prevent her from either bursting into laughter or dying from second-hand embarrassment. When Julie's eyes met hers, Chanel simply offered the woman a shrug of her shoulders, as if to say "I have no clue." But when he started dancing, however, Chanel's jaw nearly hit the floor. She watched for a few seconds before catching her friend's eye once more and mouthing, "HELL. YES." And just like that, as Chanel watched her best friend be whisked away to the dance floor, any remaining disdain the young woman had felt towards Ryland suddenly disappeared. Chanel was the first to start off the applauding and screaming.

"Well... that was cute, wasn't it?" Chanel said with a grin as she refocused on Sawyer and poured herself another cup. "Kinda weird at first. And very, very unexpected. But... cute. I'm happy for her."

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

_{A @Bee & @Ejected collab.
Starring Nicole Milano and Carter Newton}

”Damn Carter! You got some moves!” Nicole cheered, watching her lovely date work his moves on the dance floor. She never knew that Carter could bust out the moves that he could, and quite frankly it was a very welcome surprise to the cheerleader. ”You should teach me some of that.”

"Oh please," Carter said with a light chuckle and shake of his head, "You've got more moves than I do. All of this is just things I picked up from family cookouts." Carter knew he had rhythm, but to say that he was being a little out-shined by Nicole would be an understatement; But he didn't really mind it. It didn't take too much longer, however, for the young man to find himself a little parched from all the dancing. After taking a quick look around the room, Carter refocused his attention on his date and said, "You getting thirsty? Wanna go to the punch fountain?"

Carter’s proposition of going to the punch bowl was one that Nicole definitely wasn’t going to oppose. All that dancing was making her thirsty as well, on top of all the people they were around and the collective heat that radiated from them. She let out a sigh, before glancing at the punch table. ”Yeah! Take me there, Carter!”

And so, wrapping his arm around Nicole's once more, Carter led the young woman to their destination, pushing through the crowd as he did so. And when they finally reached the refreshment table, he poured both himself and Nicole their cups of punch. "Here you go," he said as he handed Nicole her cup, before going to take a sip from his own. The crimson red liquid came spewing back from his mouth and into the cup, however, only a few seconds after his lips touched the plastic. "Shit, of course someone spiked it. No thanks." Carter muttered to the young woman before throwing the entire cup into the nearby trashcan and reaching for a bottle of water instead. It was no secret that Carter was more of a smoker than he was a drinker. And, after all, he was the one who'd be driving he and Nicole home when the dance was over. He figured it'd be in both of their best interests to stay sober for the night.

Nicole was caught off guard by Carter randomly spitting out his drink and showing a face of disgust. What was wrong with the punch? Nicole looked down at her cup, which was untouched so far. ”Spiked it?” Nicole said, before looking down once more, ”Really? At a party like this? What?!” Nicole said, before she followed suit and threw the cup away. ”Good call, Carter. I can’t believe someone would even spike a drink like that.”

"I'm honestly not surprised," Carter said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't put it past anyone here. I just wonder how they managed to do it without some of the faculty seeing. Want a water instead?" As Carter spoke, he handed his bottle to Nicole before reaching for another for himself.

”I’d appreciate that!” Nicole beamed, before receiving the water bottle. She opened it, taking a rather long sip out of it. ”Hopefully this water is water. They can’t spike water can they?”

"No... no they can't, Nicole." Carter said with a half-smile before opening his own bottle and taking a few gulps. It was then that Carter decided to take another quick look around the room to see if he could spot any other familiar faces; it didn't take long for his eyes to land upon who he thought to be the most beautiful girl in the room.

Stella was standing with none other than the "Candy Man" himself, Santiago Fernandez. And standing with them were Kavan's boyfriend, Archer Diedrikson, and April Foster in all her pregnant glory. The small group had begun to make their way to the dance floor when Carter suddenly said, "Feel like hittin’ the dance floor again? There's someone over there that I kinda want to get a dance with before the night is over."

”You wanna dance with someone?” Nicole asked curiously, before looking over at the dance floor, ”Is it who I think it is?” Nicole smirked, looking at Carter.

Almost instantly, Carter could feel his cheeks burning a bit. The young man let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "Yeah yeah, it's Stella... We're kind of a thing now. Or, well... becoming a thing, I guess." Carter hadn't really talked about this to anyone other than Chanel or his mom; It was a little hard for him to find the right words to say, which was pretty unusual if you knew Carter. So he just kept it simple. "I just really like her."

Hearing Carter explain his reasoning, Nicole’s smile grew wider. Romance was something Nicole always adored, and this was no exception to it. There was no way she was going to get in the way of Carter and his hopefully soon-to-be girlfriend. ”What are you waiting for, dude? Go for it! Follow your heart!”

"You're the best, Nicole," Carter said with a wide grin before sitting his water bottle down and starting off in Stella's direction, hoping that no one would mind him joining in.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

It didn't take long for Chanel's best friend to find her on the crowded dancefloor; as Julie MacMillan danced against Chanel's back, she uttered a few words that made Chanel grin from ear to ear. "Awww thank you. But girl, you look even better. Yellow is definitely your color," the young woman said in response before watching her friend dance away, probably back to be with Sonny. It was after watching her friend leave that Chanel returned her attention to the poor boy she'd been gyrating against; it'd become pretty obvious that he'd be down for whatever Chanel suggested they do after the dance, but the young woman would be lying if she said that she were geniuinely interested. "Well, this was... fun." Chanel said to him as the song changed. "I think your date wants you back now!"

And before the young man could even muster up a response, Chanel quickly turned and pushed her way through the crowd. She didn't stop walking and lightly shoving until she'd found a refreshment table once again; it wasn't long before she started pouring herself another cup of punch. And after then, she was back to her people-watching.

Only a few seconds after Chanel had drained her cup, a familiar looking boy made his way over to the punch fountains. Chanel raised an eyebrow at the plate he held in his hands; he'd filled it to capacity with nearly everything that had been on the snack table. "The food here can't be that good," Chanel found herself unintentionally saying aloud. She followed her statement up with a light chuckle, hoping that she hadn't come off as rude. "You must be mad hungry... That fountain over there is spiked, by the way. Not sure who did it, though I can probably guess. They're a fucking gem for sure... Anyways, just making sure that you're aware. Uh... Sawyer, right? Gavin's brother."

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

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When Danielle mentioned that her "date" slash cousin Max had disappeared to be with a certain someone, Kavan couldn't help but shudder as images of him, Ariana, and a wooden bench came flooding back in his mind. Thankfully, these images went away almost as quickly as they had appeared when none other than Jasper Fray made his way over and began to address them both. ”Kavan,” the other guy said as he came to a stop next to Danielle. ”Hows it going man?”

"Jasper, my man," Kavan said just as enthusiastically as he gave Jasper's shoulder a quick clasp. "Everything's going pretty well, I guess. No complaints, really. How about you?" Kavan's voice began to trail off at the end, however, once he noticed Danielle's reaction to Jasper's presence. The young man watched with a raised eyebrow as the two introduced themselves to each other. It was after they'd shaken hands that the two spent an additional few moments locking eyes with one another, which only made Kavan suddenly feel like an awkward third wheel.

Soon afterwards, however, Danielle returned her attention to Kavan and asked where his date was, to which he simply responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "I came with Ariel Grey. She went to get something to drink a few minutes ago..." the young man's voice trailed once again as he took a quick look around the room, searching for his red-headed friend. He spotted her pretty quickly. She was standing by the refreshment table, drinking from a paper cup just as she said she would. What momentarily caught the young man off guard, however, was who'd decided to join her just as she went to refill her cup.

"And... now she's over there speaking with her ex boyfriend. Great." While Kavan didn't necessarily have anything against Kavi Salvador, seeing the young man approach Ariel made him a little wary. To be honest, he wasn't sure how Ariel would handle the situation; as Kavan forced himself to look away and refocus his attention on the group he was now with, he couldn't help but hope that there wouldn't be yet another big scene.

Project Untamed

^{(FC: Zolee Griggs; Dialogue: #DE563C)}

Watching Bradley Barron chow down on his unusual breakfast was more than enough to make Zakya suddenly lose her appetite; the young woman shuddered and watched through squinted eyes as the young man picked up the very last cricket from his tray and popped it into his mouth. Yeah, that was the last straw. Zakya dropped the half-eaten piece of bacon that she'd been holding for the last few minutes onto her plate before pushing the entire tray to the center of the table. "I guess that's what I get for being nosey..." the young woman muttered under her breath before returning her attention to the journal in front of her. And at the very bottom of the page, the young woman scribbled down yet another task on her to-do list: Ask Bradley about the cricket thing.

Soon enough, more of Zakya's classmates began to arrive in the cafeteria. First came Nick Grey, someone who Zakya couldn't help but admire. Next came Leo and Sol, both of them as intimidating as they were good looking. The last person who caught Zakya's eye was none other than Theo Wallstrom; As usual, the young woman practically swooned as she watched him enter the scene with Wesley by his side. It didn't help that the guy was shirtless and... glistening with sweat. Boy, the things she would do if she were given the opportunity. It was as Zakya absently watched the pair make their way to the breakfast line that she overheard something that piqued her interest. "If I’ve heard correctly, there’s gonna be a party Friday night..." Zakya heard a female's voice say from a table not too far from her; she strained to listen as the girl went into a little more detail before donning a mischevious grin. A party, huh?

In swift motions, Zakya closed her journal, stuffed it into her over-sized purse, grabbed her breakfast tray, and stood from her seat. The young woman then made a beeline for where Theo and Wes sat, tossing her tray into the garbage can on her way there. She figured she'd get at least one thing on her to-do list done early; After all, why wait until class to get a little flirting in? Sliding into the empty chair next to Theo, Zakya offered the pair a warm smile before saying, "Well gooood morning, you two! Theo, lookin' good as always. How are you two doing this morning? Oh, I'm Zakya, by the way... if you didn't already know. I don't think we've ever been formally introduced or anything like that. But I see you around all the time!" While Zakya's attention was mainly focused on Theo, her last few introductory statements were directed more towards Wesley than anyone else.

"Word on the street is there's gonna be a party this Friday night... hosted by those lovely ladies over there." As Zakya spoke, she nodded her head in the direction of Erica and Tyler. "You two plan on attending? Cause you definitey should!"

^{(FC: Diggy Simmons; Dialogue: #751B27)}

The sounds of an all too familiar Ludacris and Mystikal song pumped through Dwayne's earbuds and drowned out the sound of his feet pounding against the treadmill belt as he began his final cardio workout for the morning. Large beads of sweat dripped down his face, chest, and back as he jogged along with the beat, and a half-smile was plastered across his face despite the slight burning sensation he'd started to feel in his calf muscles. Exercising never failed to make Dwayne feel alive. It made him feel like himself. Plus, it was during his trips to the gym that he truly got the alone time he'd often found himself craving. It was then that he'd be left with nothing but himself and his favorite music. It gave him the opportunity to get his mind right before he'd have to spend the next few hours sitting in a classroom.

Soon, Dwayne's breathing had started growing heavy, and he knew by then that it was time to hit the showers and get himself ready for the remainder of the day. But it was as he paused his music and began to lower the speed on the treadmill that a distant and oddly familiar voice suddenly broke his focus. "Don't tell me you're giving up this early, D."

Dwayne quickly yanked out one of his earbuds and craned his neck to see who it was that had spoken to him, but spotted no one else in the room. "Weird..." the young man said to himself, before shaking it off and reaching for the button once more.

"Aw, come on, D! Twenty percent talent, eighty percent heart! Don't give up on me now!" The voice said once more, this time a little clearer than before. And it was then that Dwayne decided to jump off the treadmill completely rather than wait for it to slow down. With wide, panicked eyes and a clenched fist, the young man spun around as he searched for the source of this voice. And yet again, Dwayne was reminded that he was completely alone.

It took Dwayne a few minutes to recollect himself; the young man stood in complete silence as he continued scanning the room, his breaths slowing with every moment that went by. "Maybe I'm just hearing things..." he muttered sarcastically under his breath before finally grabbing his things from beside the treadmill and leaving the gym. The young man, a little shaken up from what happened, walked a little faster than he normally would. He didn't stop speed-walking until he made it back to his bedroom, and even then it took a minute for him to rationalize what he'd heard. It wasn't like Dwayne to be so easily bothered; the feeling made him more than uncomfortable. As he took a few minutes to shower and get dressed, the young man decided that the voice had come from his headphones. After all, he had been playing his music through Spotify; it was probably just some stupid advertisement, right?

Yeah, that's what it was. An advertisement. Dwayne came to this conclusion as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror and quickly ran a brush over his hair. And by the time he'd left his room and started walking towards the cafeteria, the young man had managed to push most of it all to the very back of his mind.

What Are You Listening To?