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𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏... 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝.

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Topher Jones was by no means a morning person. Hell, if it weren’t for the fact that his Uber driver was blasting music so loud that his ears were ringing, he would have dozed off right there in the backseat as he made his way from the airport to Marble Heights Academy.

It hadn’t been a long trip to get to San Francisco- the flight was only a few hours long, but the curly haired boy’s especially early wake-up call was already having a dismal effect on his focus and disposition. His eyes still had sleep in them and he was groggy with exhaustion, having stayed up into the late hours of the night writing down lyrics and playing chords that he just couldn’t get out of his head. In fact, the melody Topher had recently created was also keeping him alert, the nuances of his chorus and bridge replaying in his mind as the car rolled through the gates of campus and towards the Oaklands dorm building.

The brunette was looking forward to being back at school for his Senior year. The summer months in his hometown had dragged on for far too long and his childhood home grew quite suffocating in those last few weeks before finally departing this morning. Toph had spent most of his time on break throwing himself into his craft, scooping ice cream to make some spare cash, and trying to keep himself busy while his parents were MIA. But with the negativity and emptiness of his home life far behind him, he could once again focus on things that made him happy: friends, music, and California living.

As the Uber stopped, signaling that they had reached their destination, Topher thanked the driver and gathered his things in the backseat before clamoring out of the SUV towards the trunk. He didn’t have too many personal effects with him- only a large rolling suitcase and a smaller carry on bag- but his trusty six string was the most important of them all. He threw the encased guitar over his shoulder before walking through the double doors of his new home for the next year, gazing at his bright and shiny surroundings in awe.

“Damn, nice place you got here.” The curly haired boy spoke to no one in particular, admiring how fancy and new the building was as opposed to to the older and shoddier accommodations where he had lived in years past… not that his previous dorm wasn’t nice- because it was extremely nice and Marble Heights was practically made of money- but this dorm made the old ones look cheap in comparison.

Checking his email again to make sure he was heading in the right direction, he walked over to the elevator and once it arrived pressed the button that would take him up to the eighth floor. Hopefully the view would be nice! The lift dinged as it quickly ascended and opened promptly, leaving Topher to scan the nearly identical doors for room 803. His tired gaze caused him to take a few extra moments than it normally would to search, but settled on the correct suite eventually. Tapping his ID card on the keypad which swiftly unlocked the latch, he pushed the door open with his foot revealing the apartment-like layout. Nodding his head, he claimed an empty room, noting that someone had already beat him to first dibs and was settled in- he’d have to meet them later.

The boy leaned his guitar gingerly against the wall before flopping down onto his mattress with a large sigh. Comfy! He let his eyes find their way to his window, revealing the lovely scenery of the campus below and the Bay in the background.

He could definitely get used to this.















A collab featuring: Lilith Montgomery @HaleyTheRandom & Ellie Roberts @Melissa
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With her lips pressed together in a thin line and with her arms crossed, Ellie Roberts stared into the abyss that was her closet, searching through what seemed like endless thrifted finds for the perfect outfit to wear to tonight’s party. It was indeed a bit unusual that the girl would be in attendance, as normally she’d be working a closing shift at the diner, but she had made a vow to herself that this year she would try to break out of her shell and have a little fun while she still could. So, she found herself getting ready alongside her best friend in the hours before they departed for Christian’s house.

Everyone would be there tonight- both Rosefell and Liberty kids -and out of them all, the only person that Ellie was intent on avoiding was Rico. She somehow had managed to go all week without running into him (aside from spotting him on the first day), but knew that luck would run out tonight since it was practically guaranteed that he’d be present. This meant that even if she didn’t intend on talking to him, she still had to look damn well good.

Grabbing two hangers in order to present them as options, she pivoted on her heel to meet Lil’s gaze. “Alright, which one? Left or right?

Lilith was sitting on the edge of her best friend's bed, legs crossed as she silently rolled a blunt over her rolling tray. At the sound of Ellie’s voice, Lilith’s head snapped up as her eyes examined the two choices in front of her.

”Honestly, babe? The second one is way too formal. I know we’re low-key trying to impress the Liberty cuties but… no. That’s gross.” Taking a lighter, Lilith gently ran the flame back and forth across the wax strip to help the blunt dry faster. ”I like the first one. You know I do. I adore that outfit everytime you wear it - but I also think you could do better.”

The brunette vocally grumbled, letting both the hangers drop from her hands and fall to the floor dramatically. She was sure one of those outfits would have been good enough for the party, but now she was back at square one. Even though she knew her friend was right (as always), she still was frustrated. Finding something to wear wasn’t normally this hard! “Ugh, fine. Let me see what else I have.” Turning back around and leafing through her options again, Ellie spoke over her shoulder to Lil.

“How many of those are you making?” The girl inquired curiously, not directly implying that she wanted in, but her interest clearly piqued.

Ellie’s reaction put a small smirk on Liliths face. A small huff through her nose signified the girl's amusement as she readjusted on the bed, and the question resulted in the shrugging of her shoulders. ”At least five - one for each of the storage tube thingies and one for now. Maybe more. Just depends on how long we hang out until the party. Plus what I don’t smoke now, I’ll smoke later with someone at the party, so...” Her voice trailing off, Lilith began to roll another blunt.

”You know… the offer always stands to smoke with me. Sure, the choking sucks, but it’s worth it.”

Ellie sighed, resigning for a moment from scavenging her wardrobe to flop down on the bed in momentary defeat. She peered over and watched as Lil rolled another blunt with delicate fingers, a true art form of it’s own. For as long as the two had been friends, and as many times she had been offered a joint or a hit from a bong, Ellie had never smoked. Partially because she had been scared to death when they talked about drugs during Health class for the first time, partially because she’d seen how Ri- her ex could get when he mixed too many things together, and mostly because she was afraid of how she’d react while high. But something about tonight and the mood she was in was making her extra curious about joining Lil in her escapades.

“I know,” Ellie replied, always aware of Lil’s open door policy. With a slight pause, she let her train of thought become words, “Like, how high will I be if I smoke with you? Is there like a tolerance for weed like there is for alcohol?” The brunette asked in her naivety, knowing that her friend would probably laugh at her dumb question. “I’m just like really nervous for tonight.

Lilith cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes as she tried to concentrate. This one wrap wasn’t wanting to stick shut, and it looked like she might have to double wrap it. It was a little annoying, but it also burned a little slower, so it was worth the pain.

”Well, love… like with anything else in life, every person is different. Some people have to smoke a little bit more when they get high, some people a little less. Also depends on the strains. And there’s different kinds of highs and --” Pausing for a brief moment, Lilith glanced over to see the look on her friend's face. ”Okay, that might be kinda scary. Let me put it this way.”

Putting her rolling tray of supplies to the side, Lilith turned to look Ellie in the face, her legs crossed on the bed. ”The strain that I have is called Cherry pie. It’s what we call an Indica hybrid, so it’s really gonna mellow you out.”

Ellie’s brain moved at a mile a minute as Lil tried to explain the intricacies of smoking, but all she was focusing on was the high. Of course she was nervous, as such is anyone when trying something new, but she trusted her friend with her life (quite literally) and so she knew that Lil wouldn’t throw her in the deep end without a life vest. “There’s different types of weed? I thought it was all the same thing…” The brunette sighed, burying her head into a nearby pillow.

“How the fuck am I supposed to be going to art school and plan on surviving in college if I don’t even know that there’s different types of weed?!” Her words muffled, she replied to Lil with a grumble. Lifting her head up, she returned her gaze to her friend. “I’ve missed a lot, haven’t I...” She trailed off, referencing the fact that instead of going to parties, she’d been working around the clock at the diner.

”Baby - listen. At the end of the day it is all the same. It all burns, it all smokes, and it all gets you high - unless it’s just really shit weed.” Lilith took a moment to light the first of her treasures, inhaling deeply before letting the smoke exit through her nose.

”Are you okay, E,” she asked, clearly concerned as she got off the bed to open the window. Taking another hit, she looked at Ellie. ”Something seems…. off.”

The brunette exhaled deeply once again, “I don’t know.” She replied honestly, staring blankly at the ceiling. “I thought I was okay- I thought I was over it- but of course I had to see Rico on the very first day of school hitting on some Liberty blonde and it made me question everything.” Ellie explained, the words just tumbling out. It was an uneasiness that she had felt all week but opted to keep to herself, but as it always went, she knew she couldn’t lie to Lil.

“I sometimes feel like I made the wrong choice and breaking up with him was a mistake.”

Lilith listened as her friend explained her current dilemma, her eyes widening at the mention of Rico’s name. So he was the problem. Putting the blunt out in the ashtray, Lilith made her way over to Ellie’s closet, trying to see if she could find a revenge outfit. Hands on her hips as she huffed in frustration, she shook her head.

”Look - I know that you loved the guy. I mean, how could you not?” As Lilith began shuffling through the clothes in the closet, she began to feel the heat rise to her face. Rico had been an ass to Ellie, and Lilith had never forgiven him for it - no matter how many times they had hung out. ”But! He broke promises. He lied. He manipulated. He came home at odd hours in the morning, not caring if you had plans or if you were in the right mind to deal with his shit. And he didn’t treat you right.”

The more upset Lilith got, the faster the words came out. Taking a deep breath, she yanked the two most appealing pieces from the closet she could find - a white crop top and jean shorts.

”I’m sorry. I don’t have any right to be upset. But I remember how he treated you, and I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for it, either. Now - if somewhere down the road you do end up taking him back then so be it. But don’t forget what he did, and don’t forget how he made you feel. Breaking up with him back then was the right choice. And now that I know what’s wrong...”

Tossing the clothes to Ellie, Lilith picked the ashtray up from the bedside table. ”I suggest that we find a way for you to have a good time tonight - starting with that outfit.”

The brunette watched as her best friend’s demeanor made a complete 180 from the moment previous, her statement about Rico clearly striking a negative chord and resulting in an off- colored tangent. But she couldn’t blame her- Ellie would react the same way if Lil was in a similar situation and as she listened to the words that quickly fled from her lips, the girl tried to align herself with the mindset that her friend was in. Lil was right- her ex had made empty promises, he hid things from her, and he always knew that she’d come to his aid even when it was inconvenient. And as much as Ellie was head over heels for him at the time and would do anything for him, looking back, the behavior shouldn’t have been tolerated in the slightest.

As her friend threw options her way, the brunette inspected the shirt and shorts choice from her closet before slipping off the outfit she was wearing in order to try it on. As she pulled the white cropped tank over her head, she realized it was more revealing than she’d normally wear, the fabric just hitting above her belly button. The same was discovered as she stepped into the shorts one leg at a time. With both pieces on, she responded to Lil.

“You do have a right to be upset, you know. Just because you didn’t date him doesn’t mean you weren’t hurt by his actions too…” Ellie paused, not wanting it to sound as though she believed he had cruel intentions. Because he didn’t, so she clarified. “But he’s not a bad person either though- he just clearly needed help with getting his priorities in check.” The brunette inspected herself in the mirror before breaking her train of thought to address the clothes she was wearing.

“Is this more of what you were envisioning?” Ellie asked, turning to see her backside in the reflection, “My ass isn’t hanging out of these shorts, is it?”

”I know he’s not a bad person, and I know people change,” Lilith said, relighting the blunt. Talking about Rico had a way of killing your buzz. ”But despite all that… just don’t get hurt.”

Flopping back down on the bed, Lilith laughed at Ellie’s reaction. ”That’s perfect!” she exclaimed, genuinely pleased with the job she had done. ”For the current situation - there could not be a better outfit. Besides - you have a nice ass and it ain’t gonna look like that forever.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Lilith took another hit. ”But seriously - we can find you something else if it’s too much. Or… you could just say fuck it, think about the fact that it’s Senior year and hit this shit so I don’t feel so bad about smoking a whole one by myself. Your call.”

“No,” Ellie blurted, continuing to gaze at herself in the mirror. The more she stared, the more she liked the outfit and how she looked in it. The shorts hit her hips just at the right spot to emphasize her natural curves, and the tank hit her midriff in the perfect place to draw the eye upward. “I think it’s just enough.” The girl directed her attention away from her reflection and towards Lil, as well as the blunt she was holding. Debating with herself for one last moment, she finally walked towards the bed and extended her hand, agreeing that if there was ever a time to smoke, it was now. Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

“Fuck it, this is happening.” Grasping the blunt delicately with her thumb and index finger, Ellie walked towards the window and brought it towards her lips, inhaling shallowly at first but then deeper. Even though she had never smoked before, she had seen Lil take a hit about a thousand times at this point, so she knew basically what to do. As her lungs filled, she tried to resist the urge to cough, and managed to exhale almost completely before letting one or two gentle ones slip out. Heat graced her cheeks and Ellie smirked as she handed the blunt back to Lil. “Are you proud of me?”

Already bursting with excitement before Ellie took the blunt, this moment easily made the list of Lilith’s top five most shocked moments. Standing by and watching eagerly to see if Ellie’s first hit would be good or bad, she nodded her head in encouragement as she took the blunt back from her friend.

”Eleanor Roberts - I have been waiting a lifetime for you to smoke with me,” she said, laughing. ”And yes. I am completely shocked at how well you took that. My first hit was an absolute disaster.” Taking another hit, Lillith looked at Ellie. ”What do you say you go do your makeup and I’ll get us an Uber to the party?”

The brunette laughed along with her bestie before nodding in agreement. “Sounds perfect. Let’s make tonight one to remember… or not.” Ellie winked before grabbing her makeup bag and heading towards the bathroom to complete her look, preparing for the night ahead of them.

With the campers having finally arrived after days of anticipation, the Winter session of Second Horizons was officially underway. After gathering the teens at the North Pole in the center of camp to sort them into their bunks for the next two weeks, the groups were released to their cabins in order to get settled and unpack. Snow had begun to fall shortly after they adjourned, but by the evening the sky had cleared its clouds to reveal the gorgeous stars amongst the mountains as a backdrop for the night’s activity.

The cold winter day had rolled into a cold winter’s night, and the campers and counselors alike found themselves huddled by campfires in the annual bonfire tradition. It was customary that on the first night of camp the bunks gathered to play some getting to know you games and roast marshmallows to make smores in order to start the session off on the right foot together. Since numbers were lower this year, each cabin paired up with another to not only encourage friendships in other bunks, but also to save firewood (all of the counselors could agree that chopping wood was their least favorite responsibility, and the less they had to do it, the better). Fetching Fox (Red) and Howling Wolf (Blue) were at one campfire, and Cozy Bear (Green) and Little Hare (Pink) were at the other.

Gwen was excited for an evening spent by the fire- she was looking forward to gazing up at the starry sky and finding the different constellations and couldn’t wait to get to know her new campers better. The brunette had already begun making connections with the first years and thus found herself sitting on a log next to Mickey braiding her hair. Delicately, she twisted and folded the girl’s hair over itself, forming a plait in little to no time.

While Gwen was busy braiding Mickey’s hair, Nick was sitting on the other side of her, watching over the campers and idly sipping at a cup of hot chocolate as he observed. Gwen was a better counselor than he had figured — and his co-counselor Kim was occupied with some other campers — and Nick was wondering why he was even here. Did they even need his help? The two girls seemed like they had it under control. He shook his head and looked away, while Mickey just turned her head slightly to look back at Gwen and ask a question. “Hey, how does it look?”

The brunette smirked, “It looks perfect, if I do say so myself.” She laughed, trying not to seem as though she was bragging about her own handiwork. Braiding and doing hair was one of her many talents after taking care of her younger sister’s hair for so many years when her own mother couldn’t. Grabbing the elastic band that was stored around her wrist, she tied off the end of Mickey’s hair, a job well done. “There! Hopefully you like it.” Gwen took out her phone and snapped a picture from the back so that she could show her.

Mickey was all smiles. She’d never had her hair braided before — at least not by another person, and the end result was great! “Thank you again. Hey, are there traditions around here like this? Like, the bonfire, I mean.” She asked, looking around at the other campers, and off to the other firepit on the other side of the camp, by the other cabins. “How late does this usually go, anyway? I don’t… really stay up late,” she admitted with a shy smile added on; it was more than a little embarrassing to more or less admit she had a bedtime.

Seeing the girl’s smile made Gwen grin widely in return- she loved nothing more than making people happy and that alone made it obvious why she was a counselor. “Of course!” She replied on instinct before focusing on her question. “Hmm, let me think… cabins love pranking each other at least once so expect to see that, on Christmas everyone wears pajamas all day- even on the slopes, and on New Years a few people like to jump into the snow in nothing but their bathing suits and then they end up in the sauna until they can feel their toes again…” She laughed to herself remembering the events from her first year on staff last Winter. “But I won’t spoil them all for you.” Gwen had opted to focus on the fun and wacky traditions, but there were many more things that happened during the session that made Second Horizons unique and fun.

In regards to the end time of the evening’s events, the brunette addressed Mickey’s concerns, “Don’t even worry about it- I know the first day can be a bit overwhelming especially after traveling to get here. Even though I’d love for you to be here the whole time, feel free to stay as long as you would like, and when you want to head back to the cabin one of the counselors can walk with you.”

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Meanwhile, at the other campfire, Chloe Chambers sat amongst her cabin-mates from Red as well as the unknown faces from the Blue cabin (if she was being honest, she could barely tell who was in her group and who was in the other since she hadn’t made an effort to remember names). The only people she recognized were that of the counselor who practically fainted earlier when she broke the news that not everyone on the planet watches sitcoms and the boy with the ridiculous accent.

As she mindlessly went through her short program in her head and let her marshmallow set ablaze in the fire (it was sadly not on her training diet so she could not partake in the eating of the smore, only the burning of the ingredients), Chloe glanced at the person sitting next to her out of curiosity. “So… how’d you end up here? Did your parents send you away for the holidays too or are you somehow here by choice?”
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