Hero

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Late Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Alone
FEELING ⤑ Zzz...}

Waving to Terrance as he drove off, Helene let out a small sigh of disappointment. Shoot, he really knew how to charm a girl, she didn't even get a chance to ask what was going on. He was very careful, remembering to hide his phone as he read the incoming message. Oh well, it wasn't any of her business, and at least he was kind enough to leave her at her place. Or at least, her home away from home. She wasn't going to subject him to a good hour and a half of driving, though she had everything she needed right here. Approaching the small house, she dug around her purse to find the key. It was a good minute before she found it, and as she entered, she realized how warm it was inside. Going over to the wall, she turned on the central air conditioning, breathing out relief as the cool air hit her. A small green light blinked at her from the security panel, and she entered a code into it, leaving the light solid. Evan must have been looking for her. Right on cue, her phone rang, showing the name Evan Astre, and she picked it up. "Bonjour, mon frère préféré~" She sang into the phone, throwing her purse onto the couch as she walked through the living room. "How are you?"

"Hello, Helene. Where were you last night?" He asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "Your sister was looking for you."

Ah, so it was her older sister, was it? "If Ariadne is looking for me, she has my cell phone number. She could, you know, call like normal people do and not have to play telephone through other people."

"I'm pretty sure she's driving right now. She's on her way to you," He said, surprising Helene. "She thinks Bastien's found you, so she's going to conduct a sweep of the city and wants you to come back home."

Great, an unexpected visit from her annoying sister. Just what she needed. "I came here to avoid attention, not to bring it to myself. If I up and leave for no reason, people are going to question it," She stated as she walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. "Has she verified that he's in town? Or did she see something scary on television and decide to drop in?"

"I said the same thing, but you know how she gets..." He sighed. "Where's your bodyguard?"

Crap, he meant Gigi, didn't he? "She's...looking for my car. I let one of my friends borrow it," She admitted rather sheepishly.

"And then you wonder why we check up on you so often," Evan didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Come on, Helene..."

"I was trying to be responsible and making sure my friends had a way home!"

"Or maybe you got super drunk and decided to sleep at a guy's house instead."

"Same difference."

"I'll call Ariadne off if--hmm, hold on, I'm getting a message from Giselle," He said, putting her on hold. As he did, her own phone buzzed. That can't have been a good sign. "She's on your way to you, she found your friend and car and apparently ran into some trouble."

Oh no. "Is Alyssa okay?" She asked nervously.

"I don't see any police reports or ambulances matching the time of the incident, so I'm pretty sure her people got it covered. T-minus twelve minutes...Ariadne's not going to turn around. Maybe I should check in, too..."

"Evan! No! God--okay, listen to me, if Ariadne shows up with her guys and you come with yours, you're going to get unwanted attention!"

"If I'm being honest...I'm already on my way. I'll try to make sure she keeps a low profile, I'm coming on my own. If anything I'm sure he's just sending guys around the area, but better safe than sorry. See you soon."

Before she could protest, the call had ended. Awesome. She sure loved having her extremely overprotective siblings over, just as much as she loved getting root canals. How the fuck was she going to explain what was going on to Alyssa? Wait, the text! Going through her phone, Gigi's message mimicked the information that Evan gave her, with an added: Jacob and Alyssa spoke. We need to find out how much they know. Letting out a groan, Helene threw her phone on the bed in frustration. How did everything start going wrong over the course of a day? Peeling off her dress, she took a shower, the water refreshing her. She could still feel the places were Terrance's hands were, and she lamented that they had to part. Stupid texts. Stupid Alyssa for stealing her car. Stupid Ariadne. Stupid Evan! Stupid Helene for slipping up! And she had been warned so many times! No, she needed to keep calm. Things weren't completely out of control yet, but the fact that Jacob and Alyssa spoke again worried her. What if Alyssa started suspecting her as well? She figured making friends with Robert Brady's daughter would've helped her fly under the radar, but now...

---

The ride had been relatively silent, with Gigi driving and Alyssa in the passenger seat. Not that she minded, Gigi preferred silence, and she didn't think an interrogation in a moving vehicle would go well. Once in a while she glanced Alyssa's way, though she wasn't sure why. She hadn't moved at all, looking entirely defeated. She didn't want to make assumptions but she was willing to bet money that Jacob had inadvertantly spilled the Patrone family's secrets--and of all the people to tell, he had put his faith in one of the worst people. Robert Brady was a little too well known in the underground, having uncovered and exposed too many people to count. But he was untouchable--countless families have tried to silence or outright eliminate him, only to fail. His daughter wasn't public knowledge, he had somehow kept her under wraps. But even those that knew couldn't get their hands on her either. She wasn't entirely sure how he did it, though she figured it was likely because he used the age old 'hidden in plain sight' tactic. Simple, but effective. Last she heard, though, his relationship with his family was pretty distant. And how else would it be, with him being in such a position?

She wondered what Helene would want to do next. And a pit in her stomach formed as she thought of the 'best' solution: getting rid of the problem. But Helene was the soft, pampered princess whose popularity got her way too much attention, and she got attached to both Alyssa and Evangeline despite Gigi's warnings. Unfortunately, Gigi was in the same boat. She liked them both, and would likely struggle if she was told she had to get rid of them. No, the worst part was that her heartless nature would let her carry out the heavy deed, but it'd haunt her for life. As the car came to a stop, she watched a man riding her motorcylce pull up next to them, an extra helmet in hand. Putting the car in park, she had to prod Alyssa to follow her. Gigi and the man switched keys without exchanging a word; he was going to get rid of the now noticed car. Climbing onto the bike, she gestured for Alyssa to get on as well. She did as instructed silently, and they were off again. Alyssa leaned on Gigi's back, her arms around her waist, and for just a second, Gigi felt terrible.

As they neared Helene's house, Gigi fumbled in her pocket for the garage clicker, and she rode straight into it once the door was open. "We're here," She told Alyssa, taking off her helmet as the garage door closed behind them.

Alyssa popped off her own helmet, looking slightly flushed. "I don't know how you can do that in this weather," She said as she followed Gigi into the house. "This is Helene's place?" She asked as she looked around.

The furniture's high quality was obvious even to someone who knew nothing of the sort. Decorated with several shades of gray and blue, it looked more like a house that was on sale as opposed to someone actually living there. The place was completely spotless, the carpeting super soft to the touch with an impressingly expensive television in the living room. There was no dining room, though she assumed that Helene ate in the kitchen. She could hear the sound of water turning off, and sure enough Helene herself stepped into the hallway, not looking too surprised at her visitors. From what Alyssa could see of the bathroom, it was massive. Helene gestured towards the couches, and Gigi motioned for Alyssa to sit, though she remained standing.

"Did you get my message?" Gigi asked as Helene walked into the bedroom.

"Yeah. My siblings are on their way," She sighed as she got dressed. "Let me guess, you took care of them?"

"Two out of three. I prioritized Alyssa's safety."

For Alyssa, this was completely jarring. The two were speaking casually enough, but not as friends, more like an employee speaking to her boss. Helene came out and took a seat one one of the armchairs, draping herself on it. Her red hair clashed with the blue color of it, but she didn't seem to care. "Are you okay?" She asked Alyssa.

"Yeah."

"What did you talk to Jacob about?"

"I can't tell you."

Helene and Gigi looked at one another for a moment, a silent exchange of thoughts between the pair. But Gigi knew Helene well, and she simply crossed her arms and looked out the window, making sure no one was around. Helene sat up, letting out a sigh. "Aly, this is going to sound bad, but...whatever it is that Jacob told you, he's unintentionally opened up the road for something serious. It's good that you don't want to tell anyone, but--"

"We need to know what caused Jacob to leave the car," Gigi cut her off, impatient.

Helene threw a glare at her. "I was getting to that!"

"We need to know what we're dealing with here. If they send someone after her, we need to take preventative measures, establish security."

What? For some reason that seemed to snap Alyssa out of her funk. "What are you talking about? Jacob would never do that!" She found herself yelling. "He made a mistake, but he wouldn't...he'd never...I was just honest with him about what my dad did, and that's all I'm saying about that. I'm not going to betray him to anyone, not even to you guys."

Helene got off her seat, kneeling down in front of Alyssa. "We don't know that," She told her. "I really want to believe that, too, but we can't ignore the other possibilities as a result of his actions."

"And I'm telling you what I do know," Alyssa stood up, with Helene following suit. "But now I want to know how the hell you guys know so much about all this."

The redhead hesitated. "It's...complicated...but I promise it's not what you think," She said slowly.

"I need the truth, Helene. If he was able to give it to me, then so can you!" Alyssa pointed out.

Gigi shook her head, glancing at Helene, who seemed unsure. "Considering your father, that's a very dangerous route to take," She stated, crossing her arms.

Helene seemed to disagree. "It's not that, it's just...keeping you in the dark is for your own safety. I need you to understand that," She tried to reason with her. "You're innocent, you have nothing to do with any of this. Those guys that got you int he parking lot weren't going for you, they were looking for me. They probably wouldn't have done anything to you, but..."

"They pulled me out of your car and slammed me against it, if Gigi hadn't--I just--" Taking in a breath to calm herself down, she stared at Helene for a moment. "It's like I don't know any of you at all. What am I supposed to believe?"

"Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you," Helene said, already hearing Gigi groaning. "The reason those guys attacked you was because they want their hands on me--I think the common term used is 'mafia princess' in English. My father's family runs Le Milieu--sorry, the underground back in my home country. After it started to get a little bloody, I was sent here specifically for my own safety and assigned Gigi as my bodyguard while I attended school and the like." She dropped the bomb rather casually, watching Alyssa's surprise. "So you see, Jacob and I have a few things in common. And if his family is anything like mine, they'll want to make sure their secrets stay hidden."

The brunette looked like she was going to faint, looking at Gigi for confirmation. The dark haired girl sighed. "I'm more of a hired mercenary, but...bodyguard sounds better, I guess," She shrugged.

Holy shit. "Does...does Eva know?" She asked nervously.

Helene's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? No one knows! And I'm not about to tell our friend with health issues, the shock alone might actually kill her!" She waved away Alyssa's question. "You and Eva--I didn't mean for it to get this far, I swear. I need you to believe me."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ On fire.}

His kiss sent her heart straight to bliss, though said bliss was temporarily interrupted as he'd lift her up. Clinging to him somewhat, she didn't know what he was doing until she felt her back to the wall. She felt her cheeks redden as he lifted her thighs up, though she took the hint and crossed them, letting out a gasp as his lips went for her neck again. Her heart beat against her chest as she felt his hand, a quiet moan escaping her as his hand reached its goal. She had to remember to thank Helene for the advice, though her thoughts were swimming in ecstasy at the moment. His touch sent shivers down her spine, and she felt him press up against her as his free hand went somewhere else. He looked into her eyes, and she bit her lip as she realized his intentions, her heart racing.

"If you want me to stop… say so." He repeated himself, and her eyes widened. How could she possibly bring herself to stop him? She wasn't even sure why she took so long to answer, though she couldn't quite form the words. Her brain really was fried! So rather than give him a verbal answer, her fingers ran through his hair, and lightly gripping his head, she closed her eyes and kissed him. Fireworks didn't do the feeling justice, she felt like her entire body was doused in flames. But it was her way of expressing what she wanted, what she needed: him.

Breaking apart for just a second, she had to catch her breath, but managed to speak; "Don't stop."

---

It was too damn hot for Gigi to be running around town trying to track down Helene's car. She could feel her jeans and shirt sticking to her skin even as she rode on her motorcycle, and that wasn't even getting into how hot her helmet was on her head. In a way, she blamed herself for choosing to wear all black, but she had just grabbed the first outfit she got her hands on and left. As she came to a stop at a light, she groaned quietly, throwing her head back. She was going to murder Alyssa for stealing Helene's car, then Helene for continuously yelling at her to find it. Not that she blamed Helene, but why the fuck did she have to do it? She had the people, didn't she? Then again, Gigi was more effective considering she knew Alyssa well. There were only a few places left to check before she would give up, and she was nearly at the mall.

The light turned green, and she took off. Getting ahead of a few cars, she parked her motorcycle in the shade. Taking her helmet off, she made sure the stand was down before leaving it, breathing in the fresh air. Stray hairs stuck to her forehead, though she simply brushed them back as she looked around the parking lot. As she began to walk, she noticed a guy looking into a car, then moving on to the next. An amateur carjacker, likely, though he was really obvious. Whatever, he'd probably get caught any moment now. Shaking her head, she ignored him and she looked around for Helene's car, noticing a similarly dressed man doing the same as the other guy. Coincidence? Nope. And if there's one thing she knew, it was to go with her gut. Placing her hands in her pockets, she pulled out an earpiece, turning it on and hiding it with her hair.

It took a moment to connect, but eventually she heard the familiar hum of her intelligence officer, signaling she was on. "Well, look who it is!" Came an extremely vindictive voice, audible only to her ear, unfortunately.

"I'm at The Heights Outlets, I'm looking at two potential carjackers," She said, ignoring his comment. "Or at least, that's what I want them to be. I need another pair of eyes, Jun."

"Ugh, cold as always, aren't we?" Jun muttered, though she could hear the light taps indicating he was hard at work. Getting into the cameras wouldn't be difficult if all he was using them for was surveillance. "Okay, let's tap into outside security, and--mmm, I see three. Two to your left and another on the right. They're going through the cars too quickly to be carjackers, if you ask me."

Great. Tapping her foot against the ground, she put her hands in her pockets and began to walk. "If you can find a car with license plate number HJ124-0, I'd appreciate it," She said, figuring she may as well make him useful.

"Uhhhh...oh, dead ahead. Careful, one of those weirdos is getting closer," He warned her. Admittedly, the realization made her heart jump to her throat, and she picked up the pace. She only stopped a few feet away as she saw Jacob exiting the car, looking very upset. Gigi guessed that the truth was finally out for the two of them, and found herself actually feeling really bad for him. "A friend of yours?" Jun asked, clearly able to see her watching him for a moment.

"No. Someone who has my sympathy," Gigi admitted as she resumed her walk.

"Wow! I didn't know you could feel!" He pretended to be shocked.

"I'm not completely dead inside yet--" She stopped, hiding behind a car as one of the men approached Helene's car. She inhaled as she watched him open the door and pull Alyssa out, who began to yell at him. Had Helene gotten her people to get her car back? No, she didn't have that authority, nor would she have them use such force on a friend. Which meant whoever that man was, he was the enemy. Her suspicions were confirmed as she noticed one of the other guys circling around to get to the car as well. "Shit..."

Heads up, one's behind you and approaching," Jun said. "Should I call for backup?"

Reaching into her waistband, she pulled out her gun and attached her silencer to it. "Depends. Are they armed?"

"Can't tell, but they can't be carrying anything big if they are," His words came immediately after the man decided to slam Alyssa against the car.

"Then it won't be necessary unless this encounter lasts longer than two minutes," She stated, getting on the ground and looking for the guy that was coming up behind her. She spotted his leg, and taking aim, shot at it. He hit the car before falling on the ground, though the last thing he saw was Gigi as she put a bullet through his forehead. Pushing herself off the ground, she carefully climbed the back of a Jeep without its top on, calculating where her next bullet would be. Ideally, she should hit the other guy still approaching the car, but she wasn't sure how the guy holding Alyssa would react. Choosing to aim at the latter, she watched as his body crumpled, and was genuinely surprised Alyssa didn't scream as he fell. "Send in a cleanup crew, you know what to do," She told Jun.

"Yes, ma'am! Cleanup is on the way as we speak."

Hiding her weapon carefully, she approached Alyssa, watching as the third guy decided to book it. "Are you alright?" Gigi asked her, and apparently she had approached her too quietly, as Alyssa gasped, looking like she had just seen a ghost. "Sorry. Let's get going."

"Wait--who--what--what the hell just happened?!" Alyssa cried out, clearly shaken.

"Helene really needed her car back," Gigi said, pushing Alyssa around to the passenger side.

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Helene [Friend], Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Yeah, I'm going to have a heart attack at this point.}

As Arthur jumped out of her bed, Eva sat up and watched him go. Hmm, she needed to work on her seduction skills if making him sick and having him run from her was going to become a consistency. Slightly disappointed, she took the chance to check her phone, spotting another message from Helene. Hey, can I come over? Aly still hasn't come back with my car. She wondered if maybe she should have her over. She wasn't really getting the response from Arthur that she thought she would. Maybe she was just bad at this. Thinking she could get some advice from Helene, she decided to message her back.

Um, I actually have Arthur over right now...

Her response was instant. Get out. I don't believe you. Terrance said he bruised you or something.

I offered him to come take a nap with me, which I guess sounded like I wanted to pick things up where we left off. I mean, not that I don't want to! Tbh my brain is fried, I'm so tired ;-; But uh...it was a hickey.

EYYYY! He's very possessive of you, hmmmmmm? Well,you'll probably be plenty tired afterwards anyway ;) what's happening now? Or is it so boring that you're able to text me while he does whatever.

I told him to take off what he likes and he ran. TT^TT

She was surprised to see Helene immediately calling her, and after making sure Arthur wasn't coming, she picked up. "He's probably stripping in the bathroom to go to your room naked!! AHHHHH!" Helene squealed into the phone, making Eva partially deaf. "See if you can take a picture, I'm curious to see what he's packing."

"Helene!"

"It's just a penis, Eve. What, are you not taking him to Bone Town?"

"Well, what should I do, then?" She asked nervously. "I think my heart's going to pop out of my chest at this rate! I'm so jittery, I can't even think! What do I do?!"

"Beat him to it! Get naked! Lay on your bed all sexy like! And then, when he comes in, you beckon him to you," She suggested, her voice getting somewhat hyper. "I guarantee his manly instincts will take over, and he'll ravage you right then and there! Although, now that I think about it, that's the intro to like, a million pornos. Arthur doesn't seem like a porn guy considering he didn't even look at another girl before you. Actually, I thought he played for the other team...But yeah strip down and bare it all!!"

What?! Just lay there and wait for him? And then what? He'd come in, take one look and then it was on? Well, sure, she had certainly imagined it happening, but actually doing it? "I can't--that's just--naked?!" She blubbered, shaking her head quickly. "I can't just get naked! Is that what you did with Terrance?"

"No, I ripped his clothes off as soon as he closed the door behind us and we basically went at it until Arthur interrupted...and then I jumped on him right after," Helene said rather casually. Christ, she was aggressive. But so was Eva last night when she was determined to kiss him until they were interrupted. If they hadn't been, what would have happened? Would she have been able to continue on or would she have chickened out? No...with the mindset she had last night, she likely would have given herself completely to him. But she was completely trashed at the time. Well, the booze helped with the courage. Ugh, she was going in circles. Somehow Helene seemed to pick up on her sudden hesitation. "I mean, you made it sound like you're going to do it so...What did you think was going to happen?" Helene asked, genuinely confused. "If you're not, you should probably put a stop to things and let him know, otherwise you're going to come off the wrong way. People get hurt that way. Just be honest: what do you want to happen?"

Oh it was way too late to stop now. Arthur Myles was in her house. She lost her chance last night, and she wasn't going to let him get away that easily. Maybe. Hopefully? "I'm going for it," She stated, jumping off her bed and running to her closet. "I really wish I had something sexier, though." She whined, searching through her closet.

"Don't overthink it, lingerie is for weddings and anniversaries, shit's too expensive otherwise," She scolded her. "He's probably a virgin, too, so just underwear is fine. Unless you have anything matching, wear that, then. WAIT! I KNOW! Your jugs are big enough, go with a tank top and your panties, he'll go crazy! And it'll save him the embarrassment from trying to take your bra off for three minutes while you stare at him and wonder if you should just take it off yourself."

She should have been grateful for her advice, but she was losing her nerve. As she heard the water stop, she panicked. "He's coming!" Her voice choked.

"Oh, pro tip, if you have any blue, red, or black underwear, try to change into it real quick. Super sexy colors~" Helene sang. "Just wrap it before you tap it!"

What was she going to do?! Letting out a small whine, she yanked her shirt off, nervous fingers struggling with her bra as she kept looking at the door. Finally, she threw her bra into the closet, pulling her tank top back on. It was actually refreshing considering how warm it was, but that thought flew out the window as she heard his footsteps. Too late, he was coming! Scrambling back to her bed, she caught herself in the mirror. Shoot, that bun of hers wasn't doing her any favors. As she went to free her hair, however, she spotted Arthur in her doorway. For some reason she felt obligated to explain herself, as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have, but she realized he had definitely taken his jacket off.

And his shirt. Shirtless Arthur. Apparently her mind overloaded in that moment, her jaw dropping slightly in response. He was a lot more built that his clothes implied, though she supposed she should have figured it by how effortless he lifted her. Pulling on her hair tie, it snapped, spilling her hair all over her shoulders as she walked over to him. She couldn't stop staring at his chest, and as she stopped in front of him, there was no hiding her surprise. "Wow," was all she managed to say, though she caught the remnants of her phone number still on his wrist. Her expression softened a bit, and she looked up at him. "Thanks for coming," She said quietly, taking his hand in hers.

---

Jacob really did want her back. How was she supposed to believe him? Alyssa had to look away from him before she got trapped in his eyes. There were too many things going through her head right now, but he wasn't going to leave until she gave him some sort of answer. She stared at the necklace in her hand, at a loss. But even after hearing everything, she soon realized the conflict of interest that arose from his confession. Then again, they didn't really talk about their families even when they were together, so it wasn't entirely his fault. But the same way he had given her the truth, she needed to do the same for him. Forcing herself to look at Jacob, she tried to stay calm. "I don't know what you can do. But...if you're being completely honest, then I have to be, too," She started, trying to find the words. "Part of me thinks that...maybe us being together isn't such a good idea. It's not that I don't accept you, but the last thing I want is--no, I'm getting off topic," She paused for a moment, unraveling the chain around her wrist. "The reason I never really brought you around my house is because my dad's an agent. You know, the kind that...tries to bring down guys like you," She admitted with a small shrug, taking his hand and placing the necklace on the palm of his hand. "Makes it difficult to date when he decides to investigate anyone I take an interest in."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Lucky.}

Eva was dead. She had died and gone to heaven. Her good deeds in life had put her in a place where she was able to spend time with someone she wanted to be with when she was alive. A place where he literally swept her off her feet, carrying her up the steps with ease like a groom bringing his bride over the threshold for the first time. Yeah, this was her dying wish. There was no way this was actually happening right now. But there was no denying his touch, the warmth he had as he held her. His voice was a melody she wanted to keep on repeat forever if she could have it, better than any dream she had. Her alarm wouldn't go off and wake her up from this, right? But as she watched Arthur place her down, she realized it wasn't possible for this to be a dream or a figment of her imagination. For starters, if this was her Imaginary Arthur, he likely would've started undressing her by now. Wow, her mind just made a vacation home in the gutter, it seemed, and wouldn't leave. But Real Arthur just laid down with her, much to her surprise.

Could they just stay like this? As the thought crossed her mind, he spoke again, her heart racing as she felt his hand playing with her skirt. He did the same thing last night, she recalled, especially as she felt his fingers occasionally touch her skin. Did he want to pick up where they left off? Now? Here? Well, her message was pretty vague, wasn't it? Shoot, she hadn't been thinking straight when she sent it--actually, she hadn't been thinking straight for a good twenty four hours if she was being completely honest. Before it was the booze, now it was her sleep deprivation. Unless he really did want to nap with her, he did mention how tired he was before. Now she didn't know what to do. The bed's comfort was definitely making her body beg for sleep, but her mind was saying that she shouldn't disappoint Arthur. Maybe they could nap then do whatever he wanted to do. Wait, that sounded wrong, it wasn't supposed to be an open invitation! Except there he was, one of the lucky few to have gotten to be with her in her bedroom, so...yeah, it was an invitation for...that sort of thing...And he was already in bed. What if she was wrong, though? Ugh, she was overthinking again! Now what?!

He may have the emotional range of a teaspoon, but he's still a guy. Yeah, but...the way he was right now, he was so sweet and soft. Though, she did notice he still had his jacket on. Maybe he was nervous, too. So then, if she did want something to happen in theory, she'd probably have to make the first move. Letting out a giggle, she couldn't help but tease him a bit. As much as she wanted to sleep, as much as she definitely could use it, her mind was made up. She could always sleep later, right? "You can take off whatever you like," She said quietly, her heart pounding to see what he would do next.

---

As promised, Jacob told Alyssa the truth. And honestly, as she listened to what he had to say, she started realizing that she clearly wasn't prepared for the truth. Jacob's family was involved in some real shady stuff, amongst other things, and she couldn't believe it. What was she expecting? She figured he'd just say he wanted her back, give some weak excuse, say he changed. Normal stuff. This wasn't normal. Still, it was somewhat relieving to know he hadn't cheated. But of course she had assumed the worst, why else would he have cut her off so suddenly and without any warning? As he was finishing, her fingers playing with the ruby gem, her eyes diverted, though she looked up at him when he said he loved her. How was she ever going to believe those words again? Just as the thought crossed her mind, he insisted that he could prove it.

"That's...a lot to take in," She admitted, though shortly after her head was in her hands. "I don't think you understand what you did to me. You basically ripped my heart out and threw it on the floor, and you want me to believe you blindly?" She didn't mean to get mad, but she was still hurting, trying to make him see things from her point of view. "Even if we did give it another chance, how do I know you won't do it again? I...I can't take it a second time." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him. "This summer was hell for me. How in the world are you going to prove to me that you deserve a second chance?"

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ In need of an actual nap.}

The coolness of the air conditioning felt good on her face as she walked through the door to her house. Eva felt the night of partying finally catching up to her as she seemed to drag her feet through her home. The stairs leading to the second floor came off as daunting, and she ended up leaving her violin next to the stairs rather than carry it with her. Her arms were tired, her legs were tired, her head was pounding...but it was worth it. It really was. She just needed some sleep. Especially since she would likely need some energy later, whenever Arthur would decide to come over. Entering her room, she peeled off her dress, pulling on a black tank top and throwing herself onto her bed. The sheets smelled a little like soap and lilac; she figured Marshall must have washed them for her.

Just as she felt that she was about ready to pass out, she heard the front door open. Sitting up, she frowned as she went to her bedroom door. That's weird, she thought she'd be alone all day. To her surprise, it was Arthur's voice that called out to her. He was here? Wait, did he message her? Grabbing her phone, she didn't see any messages, though she panicked slightly. She wasn't expecting him to get here so fast! Or at the very least, she figured he'd let her know when he was coming! Scrambling, she pulled out one of the drawers to her dresser and grabbed the first skirt she found along with a pair of socks. Pulling her socks, she scowled as she realized they were over the knee, so she ended up wasting some time trying to get them right. Crap, she hadn't responded to him.

"I-I'll be right there--AH!" She slipped on her rug, grabbing her bed to prevent her from falling. Stay calm, stay calm! Why was she still so nervous like this?! Looking in the mirror, she decided to leave her hair up since she was still hot from outside. After managing to get both socks and her skirt on, she ran to the stairs, speeding down them and spotting Arthur. His hair was tied up, making it so that his face was fully revealed, and his outfit looked...well, fine, but it looked a little warm for the weather. He looked so cool. And he was in her house! "S-Sorry, I didn't think you'd get here so fast," She apologized, slightly huffing as she reached the bottom. She jumped slightly as the home phone rang. "Um, you can take off your jacket if you want, give me just a sec," She said, walking over and picking it up. "Grant residence, Eva speaking...no, Marshall's working right now, he needed to cover someone..." Her voice was a little shaky, but she willed it to be steady as she took down the message for Marshall. After hanging up, she turned back to Arthur, trying to regain her composure as she smoothed her skirt out. Her lack of sleep was making it really hard to think right now, but she did invite him over, and he came, so she was happy.

---

If you still have that necklace I gave you, if you are willing to forgive me, and just trust me to explain everything more, wear it next time I see you.

Her phone was repeatedly buzzing, showing several missed calls and messages. Likely it was poor Helene wondering where the hell she went with her car. Letting out a sigh, she silenced her ringer for the moment. Alyssa didn't bother looking around, the noise of the people around her barely reaching her. He'd show up, knowing him he'd drop everything and come running. He always did. It was a sweet thought, but really, since last night she couldn't stop thinking about what Jacob had said. There was more to it, he claimed. Should she believe him? Would she get the whole story or was he just getting her hopes up again? And why did she get her hopes up again? The whirlwind of emotions she was going through was a little more than she could handle. But at the very least some sort of explanation was due. It was long overdue, really, but she would take what she could get. And sure enough, she spotted Jacob from a distance. Without bothering to wait for him, Alyssa chose to approach him first, the ruby necklace still wrapped around her hand.

"I want the whole truth, Jacob," She told him. "Everything."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Center Hall -> Walking to the Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Evelyn [Mother], Gigi [Friend], Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Like someone is bashing my head in with a hammer.}

Saw your call, but there's something I need to do. Sorry.

The text was a little unexpected, though at the very least Alyssa had replied to her. It must have had something to do with what she was thinking about earlier. In hindsight, Eva felt really bad for not pressing on the subject. When she wasn't being annoyed at Helene, Alyssa was usually pretty easy going, so seeing her so serious meant something was up. But no, she put her own selfish needs in front of hers. Not that she thought Alyssa would hold it against her, it was just some self reflection. Figuring Alyssa didn't need a text back, Eva let out a sigh as she walked. The fresh air and bright sunlight only really served to make her headache worse. Had she really drank that much? Yeah, that Paris game or whatever was just drink after drink, and of course Alexander had been extremely quick to fill her cup. She made a mental note to thank him; there's no way she would've been brave enough to approach Arthur like she did without that 'liquid courage'.

Liquid courage. She really was her mother's daughter. She supposed that maybe she could ask her mom to pick her up, but she sincerely doubted she would. Not out of malice or anything, but she was probably getting ready to go to work. Didn't hurt to try, though, right? Placing the call, she continued to walk, listening to the line ring. Once, twice, and then she could hear the sound of a door closing. "How did it go?" Evelyn got straight to the point as she spoke.

Hello to you, too. Eva still wasn't quite used to her phone calls; did she respond to everyone this way? Or just her? "I made it. Went well," She said, deciding that she may as well answer.

"Good," She heard some shuffling followed by the sound of a car door opening. "You'll have to get dinner for yourself, Marshall is doing some overtime and I have a meeting at Allendale so I won't be back until late tonight."

So she had the house to herself? Wait, she was going to be alone all day? That had to be a sign. "Okay, thanks for the heads up," She said, unable to hide her grin. For a second, however, she almost forgot what she called for. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it--wait, where are the papers...?" The last part was mumbled, Evelyn talking to herself. She probably forgot something in the house. "We'll talk later, I'm running late."

Evelyn hung up at that point, and Eva looked at her phone. Honestly, she had no idea why she kept expecting anything else when their conversations always ended the same. As she stared at her phone, crestfallen, it lit up, indicating she had a text. Her eyes seemed to come to life as she noticed it was Arthur. Didn’t sleep well. Didn’t sleep til almost 4 am. Had to get up early to work with dad. Very tired… Awww, poor thing. Biting down on her lip, she was tempted to come up with a witty response. What could she say? As she went to type up the response, her phone rang, making her jump. "Hello?"

"Hey, have you seen Alyssa?" Gigi asked from the other line. "Helene is asking where her car is, and she left before I woke up."

"She dropped me off at the hall, but then she left," Eva explained, coming to a halt. Shoot, now she was really regretting leaving Alyssa be. "She was acting weird, really pensive and wouldn't tell me what it was about."

"I see," Gigi hesitated. "I'll find her. Sorry to bother you."

"We could look for her together," She offered, beginning to walk again.

"That won't be necessary," She assured her. "By the way, how did the audition go?"

"Not my best, but I'll just have to see--" Her phone buzzed. "Um, I have another call, I'll let you go."

"Alright. Take care," After that, Gigi hung up.

Looking at her phone to see who else called, she was surprised when they hung up. She didn't recognize the number, but before she could investigate, a text from Helene came in. My young apprentice, I am sourly disappointed to learn you did not ride Arthur for all his Myles. Eva rolled her eyes, already picturing Helene's smug look as she reveled in her own pun. Also where the hell is Alyssa with my car??? So it looks like Alyssa hadn't returned her car yet. Her feet were beginning to hurt from all the walking, but she was about a block away from her house. Entertaining the idea of going the rest of the way barefoot, she suddenly remembered that her house would be empty tonight. Was that something she could tell him via text? Would he show up? Her heart raced as she pulled up her texts on her phone. He did say he was tired, maybe it wasn't the best idea. But she really wanted to see him.

Got tired of me running through your dreams? If you'd like, you can come take a nap at my place, my parents won't be home. She sent the message without any sort of hesitation or thought, though it did give her a second wind, and she picked up the pace.

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home] -> Concert Hall
TIME ⤑ Night -> Morning -> Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Evelyn [Mother], Alyssa [Friend]
FEELING ⤑ I'm so screwed.}

Eva didn't know what made her heart beat faster, Arthur or her mother. Of course, there were two different reasons: Arthur was someone she found herself chasing after, and after tonight was was definitely sure she wanted him. Her mother, on the other hand, was someone she felt she was always running away from, someone who she couldn't quite communicate with. Gigi had generously offered for her to stay at her place, but Eva was forced to decline. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, she had an appointment with one of the recruiters for a school she wanted to go to, and there was no way she could miss it. Said school had been her choice, long before she met Arthur and long before the constant moves from town to town. She was relying on her musical scholarship to get in, so if she missed the audition, she may as well drop out of school. A little dramatic, sure, but it was the future she had for herself. After she bid Gigi farewell, watching Helene's car drive off. Being as quiet as she could, Eva entered her home and closed the door behind her. It was completely dark, and for a split second, she thought of being alone in the dark with Arthur. It made her more nervous, but she carefully slipped her heels off, tip toeing up the stairs slowly. As she reached the top, she was horrified to see the light to her mother's office still on. No way, she was still up? Despite the panic, Eva seemed resigned, walking right to the door.

Sure enough, Evelyn was still awake, reading over some documents. Her eyes flickered to her daughter, shaking her head at her as she stood up. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked, putting her papers down and walking up to her daughter. When Eva shook her head, Evelyn pointed at the clock. "It's nearly three thirty. You're a good two hours after curfew."

"I...Ah!" Evelyn had inadvertently pulled on Eva's hair as she examined her neck, her eyes narrowing. "It's not what you think--"

"Look at you," Evelyn scoffed, her hand under her chin as she forced Eva to look her in the eye. "Drunk, dressed provocatively, and with a hickey. Are you proud of yourself, Evangeline? Did you have fun? Are you forgetting in four and a half hours you have to get to the Crescendo Ballad Center for an audition? Or did you figure if you kept drinking your hangover could serve as your guiding beat while you play?"

Smacking her mom's hand away, Eva shook her head. "I didn't forget! I just...things happened...and--and it's not a big deal! I'll be ready!" She insisted. "I don't understand why you have no faith in me. I've been preparing for this for weeks."

"Just to trip at the finish line," Evelyn scoffed, a hand to her forehead. "So tell me, did you decide to hook up with someone random? Playing one of those games? Seven minutes is long enough."

Holy crap she hit the nail on the head without knowing anything. "What--I didn't sleep with anyone," Eva replied quickly. "And he wasn't random, I've liked him for a long time--"

"And the drinks certainly helped you loosen up, hm? Liquid courage does that," She waved Eva away. "I don't care anymore, get to bed, we need to be up early, and I won't be taking any excuses in the morning."

She couldn't believe the way her mother was treating her right now. Why did she think she was so irresponsible? This was the first time she's been out so late, and she didn't believe her when she said nothing happened with Arthur. As Evelyn began to pack her things, she noticed Eva still standing there, but her expression was cold. "Don't bother, I'll find my own way there," Eva told her, walking out.

"Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me if you miss it," She heard Evelyn call out as she walked into her bedroom, and out of spite, she ended up slamming the door shut and locking it. Throwing her heels on the floor, she let herself drown in the darkness, walking to her bed. Once her legs hit the edge, she let gravity take its course and fell face first onto her bed. The sheets felt cool to the touch, as if it was an attempt at calming her down. Eventually, her anger subsided, and she just felt empty. What did she do to deserve her words like that? Why couldn't she believe her? Was she really such a bad daughter? Part of her wished she could have stayed with the man that she thought was her father, but when she really thought about it, he probably didn't want her, either. No one did. The bitterness clung onto her as she closed her eyes, turning her head in the other direction, and she noticed her phone blinking blue. Her hand reached out to it, unlocking it and blinding her for a moment. When her eyes got used to the light, she saw a message from a number she didn't recognized. Tapping the little icon to open it, there was only one word there, something that barely qualified as a message in itself, but her eyes widened as she read it.

Arthur

Her vision blurred slightly as she pulled her phone to her chest. She was probably on the verge of tears, but couldn't be bothered to check as the only thing she did was cling to her phone as sleep finally claimed her.

Eva jolted awake, shrieking as her phone's alarm went off, the sound pounding against her ears, and she sat up. Her chest was tight, she was covered in sweat, dazed and confused for a moment. She must've had a nightmare, but she couldn't remember it fully. As her alarm continued, she dragged herself out of bed, glancing at herself in the mirror. Boy, she looked like a mess. But there was no time to contemplate that, she needed to get going. Taking in a deep breath, she ran out of her room and into the bathroom. Once she showered and brushed her teeth, she grimaced in front of the mirror. Arthur's hickey was still going strong; she had to cover it up somehow. Running back into her room, she raided her closet, shoving aside outfit after outfit on the hangars until she pulled out a black dress. Pulling it over her head, the neckline covered about half the hickey. Crap, she was hoping for more coverage. She couldn't really wear her hair down, lest it get tangled in her bow while she played.

Rummaging through her closet once again, she pulled out a blue, silk scarf, wrapping it into a knot comfortably. She looked like a flight attendant, but she didn't have a choice right now. Slipping on her heels, she wobbled slightly as she grabbed her violin, but the realization hit her. She had told her mom she would find her own way. But who the hell would be up this early? Grabbing her phone, she decided to call Gigi first. Nope, straight to voicemail. Oh boy. She tried Helene next, and despite it ringing, she got her voicemail, too. Probably still in bed with Terrance. Should she bother trying Alyssa? She figured she had nothing to lose.

"Hello?" Came Alyssa's voice, sounding surprisingly clear.

"Alyssa!" She was so happy she actually answered, though she quickly went to the topic at hand as she put her violin down, having forgotten to brush her hair. "I need a ride to the Crescendo Ballad Center, can you take me?"

"Yeah. I'll be there as soon as I can," The brunette was pretty calm. "Oh, uh...could I borrow some clothes? Gigi's are too small for me."

"Of course! Thank you!" Relief washed over Eva as she hung up, grabbing something for Alyssa, and then pulling her hair up into a bun. Okay, now she looked like a flight attendant, but once again, there was nothing she could do about it. Once she was ready and with violin in hand, she waited downstairs for Alyssa, shooting a look at the clock once in a while. For a second, she wondered what Arthur was doing, though considering how early it was, he was probably still asleep. Looking at her phone, she looked at his message again. She should have messaged him, too, but she genuinely couldn't stay up after seeing it. Now that she was awake, should she text him something? It was too early, wasn't it? Or did she have to follow that three day rule? The thought was pushed aside as she heard the horn beeping outside, and Eva practically flew out of the house. She had almost forgotten they had Helene's car without Helene. Alyssa sat at the driver's seat, looking wide awake. As they drove off, Eva noticed a necklace wrapped around her hand. The brunette hadn't said a word to her, though she looked deep in thought.

"Why are you up so early?" Eva asked, curious.

"I never went to bed," She admitted.

"How come?"

Coming to a halt at a red light, Alyssa looked down at the necklace. "I have a lot to think about. I tried getting trashed but it just made things worse if I'm being completely honest," She shook her head.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I appreciate it, but I need to think about it more before I'm ready to talk about it."

Eva respected her decision, though her own growing headache distracted her. Shoot, she must have been hungover. Four hours of sleep with a headache was going to affect her performance. She needed to concentrate, and as Alyssa dropped her off, she thanked her and ran into the center. Luckily for her, she wasn't the last, making sure to sign in and get her number. The downside was that because she arrived so late, she would have to sit through all the auditions. She chose to remain in the lounge, and drifted off a few times, perking up anytime a number was called. God she was a mess, and waiting around for literally hours didn't help much. Rather than concentrating, she went to thinking about last night. She should've kissed Arthur. That was about the only real regret she had right now. The way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her, his touch, everything drove her wild, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. When would she see him again?

As her number was called, she went on stage. The lights nearly blinded her, and her heart jumped to her throat as she saw a panel of judges sitting at a table. For now, and only now, she needed to put Arthur aside. "Number Four Hundred and Two, Evangeline Esperanza," She introduced herself. "I will be playing Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Sonata, first movement."

As they nodded, signaling her to begin, Eva placed her violin on her shoulder and closed her eyes. From the moment the first note rang out, she was in a world of her own. Her hangover didn't seem to inhibit her as much as she thought, her movements second nature as she played. Considering she had been playing for as long as she could remember, it was a given. As she came to a close, her felt her arm stiffen, but rather than stop completely, she ended the note a second earlier. As it rang through the hall, there was some polite applause and a few murmurs came after. She bowed and exited the stage, letting out a sigh. Damn, she probably could have done better. But it was too late for that sort of thinking. After carefully storing her instrument, she sat back down, pulling out her phone. Whoa, lunchtime already? Her initial thought was to text Arthur again, but what if she woke him up? Even as the thought crossed her mind, however, she really wanted to see him again. But now that he was presumably sober, would he want to see her?

Despite her better judgement and after saving his number, her fingers ended up typing a pretty simple message: Hope you slept well~. Sending it before she changed her mind, she figured she should get home and try to sleep some. Sighing, Eva instead called Alyssa. And of course this time she would get her voicemail. Crap. Well, at the very least, she could walk to the closest bus stop. With violin in hand, Eva dragged herself out of the center and began to walk.

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Flights Household
TIME ⤑ Night
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Uh oh...}

Time was up already? Then again, Eva had been enjoying herself way too much. She pouted as Arthur backed off, still intoxicated, and she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. Shoot, her limbs felt a little numb, why was that? She figured Gigi's concoction was finally slamming her, and boy was it a doozy. She didn't quite hear what Arthur was saying at her, her eyes examining him, though she felt his hand on her neck. He was rubbing it? Not really what she would've thought was sexy, but okay. No, it was like when you had a smudge or something. It was probably ink, considering he had lifted her onto the desk, and admittedly she wasn't really concerned with it. She didn't want it to end, not yet, she felt like they just got started! Did it have to end there? A tiny, timid thought popped into her mind that said maybe the entire thing was a booze filled fantasy.

Putting her hand where he was rubbing, for a split second she thought he was referring to her scar. But that healed a few months back, didn't it? After being there for so long she remembered how relieved she was to see it gone. Ugh, wait, what was it that he said? She couldn't quite think straight, placing both her hands on his chest. All she really knew was that she wanted him really badly. Her hands ended up gripping his shirt, and without really thinking, she pulled him down to her as she put her face close to his, their lips centimeters apart when--

"OI! WE'RE LEAVING!" An extremely drunk Alyssa shouted into the room, though at the very least she had the courtesy to close the door behind her.

Eva jumped, Alyssa's voice about as effective as some cold water being thrown on her. Wow, she was hot now that she thought about it. Releasing Arthur, she leaned back slightly, only realizing she was out of breath somehow. Knowing Alyssa, if she didn't join her soon, she'd come marching in and physically drag her out. But she wanted to pick this up again, and as she looked at Arthur, an idea popped into her head. Her hand fumbled around the desk, though she found what she was looking for, at least. Clicking the pen in her hand, she reached under his sleeve and pushed it up slightly. Taking his wrist in her hand, she squinted as she steadily wrote something, the pen going over twice to make sure it was legible. After making sure she got it right, she clicked the pen once more, lazily tossing it behind her.

"I have to go but...Just in case you're interested," Eva said, motioning towards his arm with a small smile. "Call me."

Hopping off the desk, she winced slightly as she opened the door, the low rumbling of whoever was still around buzzing in her ears. Now that she was on her own two legs, however, she found it exceedingly difficult to walk straight, continuously bumping into the wall as she made her way to the entrance. Gigi was holding onto Alyssa, who was singing something and hanging off her friend. It looked like she had drank more, and the brunette gave a cheer once she saw Eva. Straightening herself up, she helped Gigi and took Alyssa's other arm, and together they guided her to Helene's car.

"Wait, where's Helene?" Eva asked as Gigi unlocked the car.

"Dealing with her 'panther'," Alyssa broke out into a fit of giggles at her own pun, though let out a yell as Gigi pushed her in.

"Don't worry about Helene, get in," Gigi instructed her, though her eyes flickered to Eva's neck as she climbed into the car. "...rather aggressive, was he?"

"Huh?" Eva watched as Gigi went around the car, and Alyssa let out a gasp as Gigi entered. "What? What is it?"

"Holy shit, go Arthur!" Alyssa brushed Eva's hair off her neck to get a better look. "Way to mark his territory, Ricardo's kiss was nothing compared to this beast!"

Eva's hand flew to her neck, and it hit her. She pulled down the visor, the tiny light illuminating her a bit as she tried to get a look at it. A hickey! Arthur gave her a hickey! Never in her life have complete satisfaction and pure horror clashed so much in her heart. Flipping the visor up, she panicked. This was good, right? Wait, what was she saying? She had an audition tomorrow! People would see it! Oh god, and if she went home now, then...! "Your mom is going to FLIP!" Alyssa burst into laughter, voicing her thought unintentionally. Flip wasn't even the right word. She could already hear her yelling, giving her a speech about being a whore and--and--what the hell was she going to do?!

"It'll go away by tomorrow, right?" Eva asked, her hand covering it as Gigi began to drive. Thank god she hadn't given it any attention when she was still with Arthur, because she would've completely lost it in front of him. "It's not a bruise! It'll go away by the time I get up, right?"

Gigi's gray eyes connected with hers for a moment. "I would invest in a scarf," She suggested as she looked back to the road.

"In August?!"

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Study
TIME ⤑ Night
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Hot. Like...I'm on fire right now. Is that too cliché? I can't really think straight...}

”If you want me to stop… say so.”

Her breath seemed to get caught in her throat once he said that, though she did manage to nod to let him know she understood. Everything else she did was her body running on auto-pilot, as her brain and thought process were a complete blur. This wasn't a dream, was it? She wasn't going to wake up in her bed to the sound of her alarm going off, right? But the way Arthur moved, the way his touch felt on her skin was beyond anything she could possibly think of. She had always thought that 'feels like fire' thing was always an exaggeration, but that was exactly how she felt right now. His hands on her thigh and back, her heart racing, she thought he was going to kiss her, only to go another way until she felt his lips on her neck, earning him a gasp from her. Wow, her heart was going to pop right out at this point if not outright fail her, her grip on his arm tightening a little. Her head was swimming, though her arm seemed to move of its own accord, her fingers running through his hair. It was a lot softer than she thought it would be, but now she wanted to feel more of him, her other hand running up and down his back. In the back of her mind she definitely heard Helene cheering her on.

Meanwhile, Gigi let out a small sigh, polishing off her cup as once again, Helene and Alyssa were arguing. There wasn't enough alcohol in the house for Gigi to get through this, moreso anytime they tried to drag her into it. Then again, despite not looking it, the girl had a very high tolerance for drinking, so she'd probably need to raid the local winery to get drunk enough, but that was neither here nor there. If she was being truthful, however, Alyssa was the one in the right. Of course, their reasoning was entirely different. While Alyssa was right in the sense that getting Arthur and Eva together was a bad idea, she didn't know just how dangerous Arthur Myles was. It was getting more and more difficult to drive his group off, and she definitely blamed Helene for that one. Since when was she interested in Terrance? Who initiated it? The cynical part of her said that he approached her in an effort to get a reaction out of Gigi, but knowing Helene, it could have gone either way. That and if Terrance did have a semblance of an idea of who she was, he would've likely confronted her directly. Either way, their groups were getting more and more tangled. For now, things were harmless, but the pit in Gigi's stomach was telling her that it'd escalate sooner than later. Ricardo Munez's actions were particularly noteworthy, and as she took out a cigarette from her pocket, she wondered just how long she would be able to protect her friends. Out of all the girls, Eva was the least connected to anything, though she guessed he was only getting close to her to rile Arthur up.

If hearts were broken, so be it. But if any physical harm came to any of them, Gigi would take matters into her own hands.

Helene's voice brought her out of her thoughts, reminding her of where she was, and she put away all her unpleasant thoughts. "She was stuck on him for a year. So I gave it a little push, what's the big deal? Life's too short to get hung up on anything," Helene replied, rolling her eyes, though she lowered her voice as Terrance neared. "If I'm being completely honest, I actually doubt they'll go all the way."

"Because you know this won't end well!" Alyssa hissed, though the two were interrupted as Terrance invited Helene to sit with him. The brunette was fuming, and she practically threw herself into the seat next to Gigi's. There was no helping the hormones and emotions, this was what normal teenagers did, right? Gigi turned a blind eye to Helene and Terrance's actions as they escalated, though thankfully, they decided that some privacy was needed. As Helene followed Terrance, she threw the two a wink, so which Alyssa flipped her off with a smile on her face. "I'm so mad," Alyssa huffed, crossing her arms. "I really want to keep drinking to forget about all this."

Sure thing, Alyssa, that was healthy. Gigi didn't mean to be disrespectful as she lit her cigarette inside rather than go out once she knew Terrance was gone, but God knew she needed it. "You can keep going, I'll drive us home," She said, knowing Alyssa was looking towards the kitchen.

"I need something stronger," She said, though she looked at her friend. "You sure, though?"

"I'm fine," She admitted, exhaling to the side to make sure she didn't blow her smoke at anyone.

"You look nervous. Everything okay?"

Did she? She had no expression on her face, but the way she wiggled her cigarette around qualified. Yeah, she was definitely nervous. Taking another drag, she looked at Alyssa for a moment, though her eyes landed on the approaching Jacob. "Speaking of nervous..." She popped her cigarette into her mouth as Jacob stopped in front of Alyssa, asking to talk. Great. For a split second, she and Alexander looked at one another, and Gigi would stand, making sure to get out of the way in case Alyssa decided to get violent.

Said brunette just stared at Jacob for a moment, her face unreadable. She hadn't the slightest clue what he wanted, but rather than blow him off as expected, she would stand as well. "Sure," She said, surprising them further, placing her hands behind her back.

Yeah, tangled was the right word for it...

Palm Beach Royals

[will edit aesthetics later]

Holy shit was Grant having trouble keeping up with anything Kai said. Which was ironic, as Grant was much more talkative, so technically Kai wasn't saying much, but Grant couldn't keep up with the lingo. Granted, he just plain didn't do well with any sort of lingo, much less one from a foreign country. Taking a glance at Vivi, she didn't seem to understand Kai, either, only offering a half shrug as she continued to write. Useless as always, keep up the good work, Vi. Although now that he took a second to try to translate what Kai had said, most of those were names he recognized. So it looked like Kai had an encounter with the Alpha Six. That was probably a good place as any to start, though for some reason he didn't see Kai as an outright athlete. Despite not wanting to judge, Grant was pretty sure Kai was into surfing.

Having only politely nodded in response to...whatever the fuck Kai had said, Grant tried to think of something else to talk about. Scratching the back of his head, he got an idea, and figured he may as well roll with it. It'd probably get Kai talking, at least. "So...surf much?" He asked.

"Your hair is like, super long," Vivi threw out a comment out of left field, watching Grant give her an annoyed look. "What? It is."

---

Marco wasn't really getting the hint that Reia in no way shape or form wanted to have any communication with him whatsoever. In fact, instead of responding, Reia simply stared at him. How in the name of the Lord did someone so good looking have absolutely no sense of awareness whatsoever? How the hell could Sol handle this guy at all? Reia already felt like she wanted to throttle him, and for some bizarre reason, he wasn't leaving her alone. Placing her phone down on the desk for a moment, she crossed her arms against her chest as she leaned back in her seat, staring Marco down with his stupid grin on his stupid face.

"Texting is a form of communication," She explained very slowly to him. "Since I can't just get up and talk to them, I can text them. Is that a little hard for you to understand? Do you only talk to your friends when they're in front of you?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm, she then leaned forward. "I'm not mad, Marco, I want to know why you're talking to me. You think I've forgotten what you did to me?"