smarty0114

Project Untamed

_{A collab with @Bee and @HaleyTheRandom
Featuring: Erica Monet, Charles Mallet and Billie Jean Gray}

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Billie’s anger and shock over the scavenger hunt had now turned into more of a slow burn in the back of her mind - a small spark that if fueled, would burn the whole school down. With a competitive streak a mile long, she was determined to win this. Unfortunately, with her given team, her chance looked fairly slim. Standing there with her hand in her pockets, Billie sighed as Charles and Erica made their way over.

”This fucking blows,” she said, rolling her eyes. ”Those of us who can - let's use our brains and get this shit over with.”

“Way ahead of you,” Erica said, looking up from their first clue and flipping the card around to show the jumbled letters. “It says lecture hall, by the way,” Erica said, her voice cold and terse. She was pretty confident she’d rather self-immolate than spend the next ten challenges with Billie Fucking Gray, but she didn’t see anyway out of it that didn’t end in detention or prison.

For a team that had just formed, there seemed to be a lot of tension within already. Charlie was a little confused as to why his teammates seemed like they wanted to murder each other, but he figured it was better that he leave that stone unturned before he made things with his team worse. For now, they had bigger things at hand and better things to take care of. Teammate relations were not the first thing on his agenda.

Charlie walked over to Erica, who was holding the card, ”Nice work, Erica.” Charlie smiled, ”Hopefully it isn’t too hard to find… there’s a lot of chairs and desks in there.”

Billie wrinkled her nose in disgust. ”It’s not like they buried the clues under the floor or something, Charles.” Now knowing her destination, Billie began on the path that led towards the lecture hall. Standing around talking about the clue wasn’t going to do any good. Action was what they needed.

It was Erica’s turn to roll her eyes. “Glad to see you had your usual bowl of Cheerio’s.” She started off after Billie, catching up to the shorter girl in a few strides, leaving a much needed space between them for Charles. Please, make this go by quick.

Charlie was starting to wonder who exactly pissed in Billie’s Cheerios, because there was no way someone just woke up with that much vinegar and vitriol in their veins. However, there was no use in trying to figure out what Billie’s problem was. He shrugged as both girls ran off, sighing and starting the walk to catch up to the girls.

The boy didn’t seem to notice that there was a deliberate space left between Billie and Erica, much less a space for him to shove into. By the time Charlie had caught up, he had pulled up to Erica’s right, figuring that Billie wasn’t entirely in the mood to interact. ”We’ll be fine. Don’t even worry about it.”

Erica glanced over at Charlie, a knowing smile creeping across her face. They were royally screwed, but it was cute of him to try. “Thanks. Maybe you’ll be right,” she said.

The lecture hall loomed above them, and Erica breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened and a rush of cool air hit her face. The large building was empty, save for the desks and chairs, and a staff member standing at the ready. She was an older woman, short, with brittle, gray hair, held up in a tight bun. “Good morning. Your first challenge is to find ten puzzle pieces, hidden around this room. When you find all ten, you’ll get your next clue.” The woman’s voice was patronizing, like she was speaking to toddlers. “Better get to work then. If we split up this will go a lot quicker,” Erica said.

Ten puzzle pieces? Charlie scratched his head as he tried to figure out how they would go about trying to find ten puzzle pieces in a hall as large as this. Who in their right mind decided to hide ten puzzle pieces in a place like this? ”Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Charlie concurred, before he set off toward one end of the lecture hall.

There were definitely a few under these desks, but the problem was figuring out where these pieces were exactly. Charlie started at the very top of the hall, before looking underneath the first desk. Already, there was a puzzle piece taped underneath it. ”Found one!” He exclaimed, pulling the piece out and holding it up.

“Nice! One down, nine to go.” While Billie and Charles went off on their own, Erica headed over to the corner of the room that held the professor’s desk. Opening one of the drawers revealed another piece, resting alone in the empty space. Erica picked it up, calling out her find. “I got another one! This is gonna be a piece of cake.”

Eventually, Charlie managed to find a few more. To the best of his estimation, he probably grabbed another four pieces just from underneath the desks. Erica had already gotten one, so they had at least six already. Hopefully, Erica and Billie would find the last four sometime soon. The sooner they were done, the better. ”Hey! How are we doing, guys?” Charlie asked, leaning over a chair to see what the girls were up to.

“I got two more,” Erica called out. She heard Billie call out her pieces too, and got up to regroup with her team. She placed her pieces on an empty desk, taking Charles’ four and another three from Billie. The puzzle was easy, childs play honestly, but she figured finding the pieces had been hard enough. She looked up at the woman who’d given the challenge, waving her hand at the puzzle. “You wanna come make sure we can do puzzles right?” Crawling around on her hands and knees looking for puzzle pieces had not improved her mood.

“Very good! Here’s your next clue,” the woman said, just as patronizing as before. She handed the clue card to Erica, who held it out to the others so they could all take a look. “Anyone have any ideas?”

Billie was ready for this whole scavenger hunt ordeal to be done and over with. Their next clue in hand, the team made their way to another handful of challenges, Erica and Billie making passive aggressive remarks at every chance they got. It had been a long day, and there was no question as to why there was a pounding in Billies head. Once they had figured out their last clue (the card read ‘Courtyard’) the three of them arrived at their final destination.

”Give us the details, Hensley,” Billie said, glaring daggers at the Gym teacher.

Once the older man explained that they were here for an egg toss challenge, Billie rolled her eyes for the millionth time today. How much more stupid could these ‘challenges’ get? Turning to face Erica and Charles, she sighed. ”Guess we better get to doing this dumb shit, huh?”

”We’re almost done.” Charlie sighed. The further they got through the challenges the more Charlie was starting to realize just how ridiculous all of these challenges were. An egg toss? Really? Charlie didn’t even know if scavenger hunts typically included egg tosses.

”Who wants to go first?” Charlie asked, looking at the eggs they were supposed to toss. ”If neither of you want to go, I can go first.”

Erica, drained by the day’s events, sighed as she tied her hair up. “Charlie, you toss it to Billie, and if she catches it, then Billie, you toss to me.” The tension between Erica and Billie had been slowly growing all morning. That not so subtle dig hardly helped, but damn if it didn’t set off something deep in the pettiest parts of her brain.

”Fine by me.” The boy said, before picking up the egg. The tension between Erica and Billie still seemed to be thicker than maple syrup, and it was still something he should stay out of. Holding the egg in his hand, he glanced at the two girls. ”You guys ready?”

”As I’ll ever be,” Billie answered.

As the egg went sailing towards her, Billie caught it nearly effortlessly. She was used to having to catch things from time to time due to Nick. When getting dressed, he would toss articles of clothing all around the room. Billie hated that shit. Of course an egg was smaller than a shirt but it still helped with her coordination.

Tossing the egg Erica’s way, Billie may or may not have used a little extra intended force. If the egg fell, whatever.

The egg came at Erica faster than she’d expected. It bounced off of her hand and smashed on her sneakers. “Fuck! Nice throw Billie,” she called out, sarcasm laced through her words.

Rolling her eyes, she kicked her foot out, trying to flick some of the smashed egg off her shoe. It had already begun to seep into her shoe, and the kick made her feel only slightly less disgusted. “What are you waiting for, Charles? Grab another fucking egg!”

Watching the egg smash onto Erica’s shoes had disheartened Charlie. Billie really didn’t need to use that much force. It was totally unnecessary. But, Charlie figured instead of talking about it, he would much rather grab another egg. No time to argue about what was going on. Reaching down, Charlie picked up an egg and tossed it over to Billie, hoping that this time it wouldn’t break. ”Careful now, guys!”

Almost missing the egg, Billie managed to catch it a second time. Choosing to ignore both Charles’s and Erica's remarks, she tried her best to toss it right this time. The egg splattering onto Erica’s shoes had been awarded enough, and the sooner they got done tossing this egg - the sooner Billie could get away from her.

This time, Erica’s fingers closed gently around the egg, and when they uncurled, it sat comfortably in her hand, unbroken. She grinned and looked up at Billie, and tossed the egg back, as softly as she could without throwing it short. Two more times around, and they were done.

Catching the egg once again, Charlie quickly chucked it back toward Erica. He hoped that they could keep this up to the very end. They were on a roll, and Charlie was hoping they could keep this momentum up. He wanted to say something, but he figured he should stay silent in order to help maintain concentration. Better they say stuff after the fact than break the egg because of a comment Charlie wanted to make.

With everyone avoiding an argument this time around, the kids managed to complete their task. Thank gods, Billie thought. Now we can end this shit.

The egg made a final rotation, incident free, and finally, Erica strolled over to the staff member leading the challenge, and dropped the egg into his outstretched hand. “Thanks for the extra load of laundry,” she said, turning her back and strutting confidently back towards the metaphorical finish line, egg be damned.

Once the egg had finished its rotation, a long sigh came out of Charlie. Finally, it was over. Charlie only watched as Erica brought the egg to the staff member, before he followed her to the finish line once and for all. He was so ready to be done with this.

With the challenge being over, Billie didn’t bother to even stick around to see who had won. She didn’t care at this point. Making a bee-line towards the dorms she sighed of relief. It was done. It was over. She didn’t have to look at Erica anymore. She didn’t have to put up with dumbass Charles and his stupid fake ass positivity.

”Fuck San Agustin,” she grumbled.

Project Untamed

_{Location: Auditorium}

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Erica arrived at the assembly later than usual, and as a result, was forced to take one of the undesired seats in the front row. Headmaster Wayman walked out, just as she took a seat next to a boy from her calculus class, Derek. Unlike many of her classmates, Erica devoted her full attention to Headmaster Wayman’s announcements, despite his clear discomfort in his role. She had a sneaking suspicion that Wayman didn’t like kids enough to be a headmaster, but that didn’t make what he had to say any less important.

Talk of Halloween brought Erica’s mind to costumes, costumes that she was realizing might be more difficult than she’d anticipated. She had some cash in her wallet that her parents had sent her with, but she was pretty sure most of it would have to go towards supplying the party on Friday. Assuming she could even sneak off of campus again and find a costume store, she’d be broke. Maybe TJ and Sav would be down to make some costumes, assuming they don’t kill each other of Nicholas Fucking Gray.

Wayman’s announcement of the scavenger hunt sent a ripple of whispers through the crowd. Erica liked a good competition, and a prize other than the satisfaction of being a winner wouldn’t hurt. She found herself actually a little bit excited.

That is, until she saw the teams.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Erica said, as her eyes reread the column containing her, Charles Mallet, and Billie Jean Gray’s names. She grit her teeth, and those around her quickly moved out of her way, her anger palpable as she tore her way back through the crowd. If people didn’t move out of her way, that was their problem, not hers. As she walked alone back to the dorms, she whipped her phone out and hammered out a text in the groupchat she had with TJ and Sav, which had been more inactive than usual since breakfast this morning. Whatever, she didn’t care about Nick and right now, she wanted to talk shit about his sister.

To: Bad Girls Club
guess who landed the evil twin on her team? either of you got some cyanide?

She sighed. This party would be well deserved. If she made it that long.

Project Untamed

_{A @smarty0114 and @Kitty collab
Featuring: Bradley Barron and Hana Jeong
Location: Arts Building}

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Upon reaching the Arts building, Hana sat down on one of the chairs just inside the doors. She took a moment catching her breath before she pulled her sleeves up to inspect her arms, which had taken the brunt of her fall. A few bruises were beginning to form on her forearms where she caught herself to keep from face planting and she definitely still felt the pain from the initial impact. Yeah, those were gonna be some nasty bruises tomorrow and the next day and so on. Looks like she was wearing long sleeves for a while to hide the bruises. She didn’t need more attention than that she was gonna get from falling in the cafeteria where she did. Hana didn’t mind attention at times, but too much of it and she became overwhelmed and well, she would flee just as she did right then.

Hana’s thoughts over what had happened were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, she pulled her sleeves down and looked up to see a slightly out of sorts Bradley entering. She offered a slight smile to him as he asked her if she was okay, feeling thankful that someone came to check on her. “I’m fine. My arms took most of the impact so they are a bit sore, but otherwise fine. Thank you for coming and checking on me.” Hana pushed her anxiety over the issue to the side and put on her normal, sweet smile as she responded. She’d learned how to hide her inner turmoils long ago and would continue to do so to keep from being seen as too weak.

“Are you okay? You didn’t need to come running after me.” She was well aware the two weren’t close but he’d still come to check on her and he looked a bit distressed himself. Probably from the run if she had to guess. Had taken a slight toll on her as well.

Bradley smiled in between breaths and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Bradley said glancing away as he lied. What would Hana think of his sudden memory loss, if that’s even what it was? He wasn’t sure he was ready to open that can of worms. Better to ignore it. “Don’t worry about it, I was about to head this way anyways,” Bradley said. He pursed his lips, as if his words were fighting to get out, to make him seem like a complete and total nut job. Chill out man. It’s early, you haven’t been sleeping. Nothing weird about forgetting your little brother’s name.

“I was gonna try and finish my painting before class, if you wanted to join?” Bradley asked, gesturing towards one of the easel filled rooms.

Observing him as he spoke, Hana noticed the uneasiness and was curious if there was more to it. After thinking it over, she just assumed that it was because the two weren’t that close to begin with and that they were both on the more awkward side. When Bradley mentioned he was already heading this way, she couldn’t help but feel relieved that she didn’t draw him away from where he really needed to go.

Upon being invited to join Bradley in painting, her eyes lit up. Her smile widening as she stood up. “I’d love to join!” Hana happily answered, heading towards the art room he gestured towards. Once she got in the room, she hung up her bag and scarf once more. Hana then grabbed some watercolors, a cup of water, paintbrushes and some watercolor paper before sitting at one of the easels. For a moment she looked at the paper as slowly a vision formed on the paper, then she began to work.

Bradley dropped his bag next to a stool and went over to one of the many closets that lined the walls of the room. Opening it up, he pulled out a canvas, already half painted a myriad of colors against a dark background. On one side, the late hours of a city were beginning to take shape. On the other, gray lines from a pencil left a blueprint to follow. He placed the canvas on the easel next to Hana’s, grabbed a set of brushes and paints, and took a seat.

He glanced over at Hana a few times while they worked, before finally speaking up. “This might sound kind of weird, but, do you ever have like, holes in your memory? Like something you should remember, but it’s just not there?”

The scratching of pencil on paper halted as Hana paused her sketch and leaned back, Bradley’s question echoing in her mind as she contemplated the idea. Holes in her memory? Did she have holes in her memory? Hana let her mind wander to thoughts before the school, to her family, to her parents. What did they look like again? That’s odd, she didn’t remember what they looked like.

Eyebrows furrowed from thinking about his question, Hana nodded. “I think I know what you are getting at. Like you are missing faces or names or just things that you feel should be remembered but aren’t there.” She glanced at Bradley curious if she was understanding him correctly.

“Exactly!” Hana’s words brought on a sense of relief. They might not have given him any answers, but it made him feel far less crazy. “At least it’s not just me then. I just feel like these last couple of weeks, like I’m missing something. I don’t know, sorry, that probably makes no sense. I should stop staying up all night,” Bradley said, shaking his head as he brushed gentle strokes along the canvas.

Returning to her sketch, Hana listened to Bradley continue to talk. If they were both experiencing it, then it must be normal right? Forgetting a few things that seem like they should be there but aren’t. Maybe it is just part of growing up. Just part of being a teenager. Hana wasn’t quite sure but it felt good knowing she wasn’t alone now that she really thought about the things she didn’t know. “Maybe it is just part of growing up and being teenagers.” Hana reiterated her thoughts out loud to Bradley so he wouldn’t think she was ignoring him, all the while still working on her sketch for her watercolors. Her focus slowly dwindling from the conversation to the art she had started.

Bradley nodded along in agreement. “Yeah, maybe.” He wanted to believe that Hana was correct, that this was all a very normal occurrence. For now, he decided that he would do just that, and focus on the painting that still needed his attention. There would be other times to evaluate his diminishing sanity.

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

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Katie’s peace lasted approximately four hours and twenty five minutes. That was how long it took for the caravan of Gearfits to drive to Las Vegas, enter the hotel lobby, and devolve into a squabbling mess. This didn’t come as much of a shock to Katie. They were a group of strong personalities, not to mention the fact that most of them had grown up with pockets deeper than the Marianas Trench. In fact, Katie found herself wishing that the commotion in the lobby had been the most dramatic part of her day.

Unfortunately for her, the debate about rooms was accompanied by a personal lesson in, “Why You Can’t Ghost Your Boyfriend of Three Years 101.” As her friends began to bicker, her phone began to buzz, vibrating rhythmically in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a number she didn’t recognize, sending it to voicemail with hardly a second thought. Moments later, the phone began to buzz again, the same number emblazoned on the screen. Again, she sent it to voicemail.

The third time her phone rang, Katie quietly slipped away, answering it with a terse, “Hello?”

“Katie?” The voice that came through the phone was unexpected, unwelcome, but not unfamiliar. It was Carter Hersh, live and in stereo. For a second, she thought she might pass out.

“Katie?” The sound of Carter’s voice repeating her name pulled her back to reality. She ground her teeth together and stalked off, farther away from the group, doing her best not to stomp.

“What is it, Carter?”

An exasperated sigh came through the speaker, followed by a chuckle. She could see him, running his hands through his hair, trying to stay calm. He’d always been so much better at it than her. “Really? You text me less than twelve hours before we’re supposed to go to Europe, saying we’re done, and then just disappear? I’m sorry, am I inconveniencing you?” She admired the way his voice remained level, even though she could sense the pain. Pain she’d caused.

“Carter, I told you last-”

“You dumped me over text, Katie! You didn’t tell me anything! You sent me three fucking paragraphs and now you think that just erases three years?” Carter shouted. Katie was shocked by the reaction. Carter’s anger had always been cool, and calm, an icy river. He made a point of never raising his voice. This was fiery and hot. Stunned silence lingered over the both of them, despite the miles that lay between.

“Katie, whatever is going on, we can fix it. You just have to let me help you,” Carter said, piercing the silence with his voice, calm as still water once again.

“I don’t want you to help, though. ” Katie said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one had noticed her absence. “I’m just figuring some shit out, okay?” Carter stayed silent for a moment. She knew he was unimpressed by her evasion.

“I waited for you. At the airport, I mean. I waited all morning. I thought maybe you’d show up still. And then when our plane left, I was going to leave too, but I guess I hoped you’d still show. Guess that was pretty stupid, huh?”

She wished so badly that she could say “I love you” and mean it, that she could erase everything she’d done and felt and came to accept, that she could be the girl Carter deserved. Instead, she did what she had to do. “Yeah, it was.”

Katie ended the call and quickly turned off her phone, shutting her eyes tight and tilting her head towards the ceiling, willing the tears to sink back into her. You will not cry, you will not cry, you will not cry.

Once she was certain that no one would catch her misty eyed, she spun around, and returned to the group, just in time to pick a mint and decide her fate. Well, her room fate.

The penthouse wasn’t bad, as far as roomies went. Chloe and Reyna at least would keep her sane, and after her conversation with Chris and Aleks, she felt like they had her back. AJ would be… well he would be AJ and she would be Katie, and if all went well there’d only be a little blood spilled. Had Carter’s voice not been so fresh in her ears, she might’ve even felt lucky to have Aleks in the suite. Now though, thinking about flirting with him made her think of Carter, waiting alone at LAX.

Once they’d reached the suite, Katie followed Reyna and Chloe into the room that she presumed they’d end up sharing. Tossing her bags on the ground, she flopped down next to Chloe. “Retail therapy and self medication. Count me in.”

Project Untamed

_{A @Melissa, @NeoAJ, @metanoia, and @smarty0114 Collaboration
Featuring: Tyler Jane Morrissey, Savannah Payton, Nicholas Grey and Erica Monet}

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All this talk about the trio’s impromptu party planning was really improving Tyler Jane’s Monday morning! It was exciting to think about having a normal weekend, especially after nearly two months of strict classes and not much traditional high school fun. In fact, she had been so engrossed in the conversation surrounding the “shindig” that she didn’t even notice when a certain someone approached the table. It took him wishing the girls a good morning in his elegant tone for Tyler Jane to realize who was really standing there.

In that moment, the redhead had never been more thankful that she reapplied deodorant.

Turning around to face Nicholas, a warmth crept up on Tyler Jane’s cheeks as she took in his features from up close. The two had exchanged stolen glances from a distance throughout the entire duration of breakfast, so she wasn’t completely surprised that he decided to make an appearance at their table. Did he just call her radiant? Swoon.

A master of the poker face, she quickly camouflaged her giddy emotions and let her lips settle into a subtle smirk instead. “Morning, Nicholas. Well thank you, you’re not too bad yourself. Care to join us?” Tyler Jane replied playfully, motioning to the empty chair next to her.

Nicholas brandished a charming, almost smug-like expression, taking Tyler Jane’s offer to join them with as much gusto as his overwhelming sex appeal was to most of those at the table. It wasn’t that Nicholas thought of himself as some sort of God among the humans, better than they were in every single way imaginable. He just knew how attractive he was and he embraced everything about that with as much confidence and arrogance as anyone else would in his situation.

The dark-haired boy sat with his right leg over the left and his hands rested in his lap near his overlapping thighs. “So what are we doing today, hmm?” His voice oozed with a natural curiosity that was his default setting. Though his eyes started on TJ, he let his gaze fall on the others as well.

Savannah was now cursing her decision not to hit the showers after her training session. Had she known that Nicholas freaking Grey was going to be gracing the specific area around her with his presence, she would have definitely cleaned herself up a bit. It was no secret that Nick was one of the hottest boys in the school. He moved with a debonair grace that Savannah could only describe as “equal to her own”, he knew how to avoid dangerous situations with ease, and that body… damn.

The second Nicholas sat down at the table, Savannah sat up, not wanting to let on just how much she wished she had chosen a better wardrobe for this moment. However, his attention seemed to be solely on Tyler Jane from the get-go. A reprieve, maybe? Although the fact that he was focused solely on her cliquemate was also a bit disappointing. Do I want him looking at me right now? Well, I’d take a little bit of attention, even if I look like I- SHIT!

Now he was looking at Savannah, and there was nowhere to run. Not without calling even more attention to herself. She fumbled around in her bag for the pack of Dentyne she usually had handy. At the very least her breath wouldn’t be bad. She popped a couple of pieces of gum in her mouth and relaxed just a little bit from the familiar flavors hitting her tongue. By the time she looked back though, his eyes were locked back on to TJ. So she spoke to draw them back. “Oh, you know Nicholas. Just another pleasant day at San Agustin. So classes, probably the gym later, bit of Netflix. The usual Monday stuff, right?”

As good as Tyler’s poker face was, Erica knew from late night gossip sessions that there was something going on there. Savannah’s sudden change in posture wasn’t lost on her either. As attractive as he was, Erica had never understood everyone’s infatuation with the Gray boy, especially not her friends’. Maybe his sister’s loud mouth had soured her opinion of him prematurely, but Erica had suspected that more often than not, the flirting was a game to him. Leo, if he’d been raised by sophisticated savants rather than neanderthals.

Despite her misgivings, Erica kept her smile friendly as Nicholas joined them. She nodded her agreement as Savannah spoke. “Y’know, you’d think you would’ve realized that you always seem to have a more interesting answer to that question than we do,” Erica said, punctuating her sentence by biting into a strawberry, and discarding the leafy top.

Genuinely smiling at the two (though he briefly had raised a brow at Savannah), he relaxed into the chair.“It’s good to keep it up at the gym. Health is essential for living your best life.” He spoke with a voice of mutual understanding of keeping the body fit and engaging in certain activities that helped with that. “I might be hitting the gym this afternoon as well. Maybe we could all spot each other.”

Tyler Jane smirked as Nicholas sat next to her, subconsciously brushing a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen into her line of vision. She was glad he had accepted her offer to join them, and evidenced in the confidence that radiated off of him, he seemed happy too. She listened as Savannah previewed her day, and couldn’t help but notice she seemed a little… off. She couldn’t exactly put her finger on it but she shifted her focus to the conversation instead. At his mention of going to the gym, Tyler Jane quickly dismissed Nicholas’ idea with a small laugh. “Count me out, I spent nearly two hours at the dance studio this morning and I think my legs and feet are practically begging me to take a break. I’ll gladly lie in bed for the rest of the day.”

“We can definitely go to the gym together!” Savannah blurted out, almost making an ass of herself in the process. “I mean, I did all my cardio work earlier today, so I was going to hit the weights a little bit after P.E. and history, so I can definitely meet you there and spot you and do whatever you want to…” DAMN IT SAVANNAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Shut your damn mouth and stop making such a fool of yourself!

Maybe it was just that need to feel like some guy was interested in hanging with her without offering up a bowl of fried ants or something, but there was an almost primal instinct urging Savannah forward. All of Sol’s talk during their gym sessions and the word around the school of all the sexual exploits others were getting into, it almost made Savannah feel like she was failing some unseen class by not letting some guy take her behind the bleachers already. But she wouldn’t just give it away. No, no it had to be someone worthy of her body. Someone like Nicholas…

“I can always use some extra motivation when I’m doing my leg pumps, ya know?”

Nicholas had originally intended to focus his efforts on TJ for obvious reasons, but that was because he never thought Savannah had anything past what came at face value. Not that he ever thought she wasn’t an interesting person. She had plenty to offer. But when it came to him, he had a strong lean to TJ because they were both cut from the same cloth and she was a breath of fresh air compared to the usual company he kept. But now, Savannah’s forwardness caught his eye in such a way that he charmed his way into a smile her way, leaning a couple inches forward. “There isn’t any better motivation than an excellent workout partner, which I have been called once or twice. One might even say I push my partners to their absolute limit.”

Erica’s eyes flicked between TJ and Savannah, trying and failing to keep her eyebrows from cocking ever so slightly. Savannah had gotten much bolder than Erica could remember seeing her. Damn Savvy. Ballsy. She was much less shocked by how easily Nicholas changed the focus of attention. Why couldn’t they see what a player this boy was? She considered making a witty comment about how fickle boys could be, but kept it to herself. No need to break the peace. “I’m gonna have to pass on that. No desire to see my absolute limit, thank you very much,” she said, smirking.

The redhead’s stomach nearly dropped to the floor seeing Savannah flirting with Nicholas literally inches away from her. The whole thing actually made Tyler Jane feel slightly uncomfortable, especially since she had previously confided in both Erica and Savannah that she thought the boy was quite attractive in more ways than one. But, her award winning poker face remained (to some extent); she couldn’t let Sav see she was bothered by this! Tyler Jane would have to subtly one-up her. With a forced laugh, she agreed with the brunette seated across from her. “I concur. I’d rather see my limits pushed elsewhere…” She let the beginning of her phrase linger, leaving just a little bit to the imagination before continuing on and purposefully shifting the subject. “...like at our party this weekend, I plan on drinking a lot if we could find some alcohol in this god forsaken place.”

Well, if TJ was going to try and out-flirt Savannah, that was a battle that the girl with the dyed blonde-and-pink hair was definitely going to lose. The chomping on her gum was intensifying as she watched her friend drop any hint of pretense and just go right for the jugular on Nicholas. Savannah didn’t have the ammunition, and didn’t have the confidence that Tyler Jane had, and she knew it.

But she couldn’t let TJ win that easily, could she? Sav knew that the redhead had eyes on the Grey boy from the get go, but damn, there was enough of him to go around, wasn’t there? Not that Sav was interested in any kind of timeshare arrangement, but there just weren’t any options in this school that made as much sense to her as Nicholas. She had to fight with her head here.

“Right! You’re so right, TJ. That would be a great time to really push some limits!” she confirmed. “I mean, I don’t want to brag, but back in Sweetwater, I was definitely known for my... limit-pushing abilities. So… yeah,” For fuck’s sake, Savannah, that’s the best you could come up with?

He had to admit something to himself: what was happening between the two girls was amusing. He was no stranger to at least feeling like the object of lust. Nicholas could make peace with the effect he had on others. From Dwayne and how flustered he was leading into the final moments before passion took them into the night to the girls with their claws out. If it were anyone else, there might be an empty seat at the table, but he truly loved being in the middle of this teaser of what potentially was to come. “So, tell me more about this party,” Nicholas interjected between the girls. He knew he couldn’t let them tear each other’s clothes off for his sake ...yet.

“Friday night, first floor common room.” Erica glanced across the cafeteria at Billie, and then back to Nicholas. “The Evil Twin isn’t invited though. We’re trying to keep this chill,” Erica said, the conviction in her words clear as day. Her and Billie’s contentious relationship wasn’t exactly a secret. “If a night of illicit substances and general teenage debauchery is your vibe, well, be our guest.”

”Evil twin, huh?” He laughed off that comparison to Billie Jean. It was amusing to him that they considered her the bad one. Guess the bad attitude doesn’t always win hearts.

Tyler Jane pursed her lips and let her eyes roll up to the ceiling at Savannah’s odd response. What was she even trying to accomplish with that? As much as the blonde was one of her closest friends, the way she threw herself into the equation was a little off putting to the redhead. Thank god Nicholas took the hint about the party though. She had wanted to extend an invitation to him privately later on before the assembly, but she guessed now was as good a time as ever.

She tried her hardest to hold in a chuckle at Erica’s statement regarding Billie. Tyler Jane had attempted many times to be friendly towards Nicholas’ twin sister, but for some reason, the dark haired girl never had any of it. They were complete opposites- one loud and the other gentle, one mischievous and the other proper. It simply wouldn’t make sense for the two of them to get along, but that didn’t mean Tyler Jane didn’t put an effort forth. Shaking off the ill feelings, the redhead spoke with a smirk. “We’re here for a good time, not for a long time- it’ll be fun.” She said deviously.

“Well, I do suppose Billie wouldn’t have that much fun if she were to somehow come into the possession of this knowledge,” Nicholas mused aloud, closing his eyes as he muttered something only he could make out. What he said aloud and what he knew to be a fact seemed to be two different things. He knew in his heart that Billie would have fun just to spite him and especially if he kept this a secret. He knew she had this nasty habit of making trouble for the two of them even if one didn’t actively seek it. Coming to this potential eyebrow-raiser, should she find out he never told her, it could spell trouble for everyone who kept it a secret. Taking only a single moment to reflect on the pros and cons, Nicholas shrugged. “Sounds like fun. Count me in.”

The dyed-hair girl looked away for a few seconds. She knew she put forth an incredibly weak effort in trying to match TJ’s game, but Savannah was determined not to let that feeble response be her final word in front of Nicholas Grey. Plus there was the look that Tyler Jane gave her. Like she knew what Savvy was trying and failing to do and wasn’t impressed. She knew she was stepping over her bounds a little, but dammit! Why couldn’t she be the alpha female for once?

Because alphas get singled out and picked off and get pregnant. That’s how it worked back home.

But she wanted this. Everyone else had a story that didn’t involve knocking themselves out in an office door. Why couldn’t she?

But she could. She could be the hero. She could impress Nicholas and restore her commitment to the friendship in TJ’s eyes. Maybe even get an approving nod from Erica. That would be nice. To feel like she was contributing to the plan of the pack that they concocted. Even if she was against it at first, it was happening now. And she could bring the hurt. She could bring the booze. She had a way. She didn’t understand why, but she knew how. Sometimes fate is funny like that. She wanted to avoid it. She didn’t want to risk expulsion, but she didn’t want to lose face in front of her best friends and her crush. Nope, it was time to stop playing dumb. It was time to go on the attack.

“It’s going to be a great time. Guaranteed,” Savannah boasted. “Because I know for a fact there will be plenty of potent potables there, because I will be acquiring them. So get your orders in now. I’m saving a bottle of Hpnotiq for myself, but you can have whatever you like.” ...As long as I actually know what it is. And can carry it. Maybe I can get Bradley to help. Why I am doing this?

Was she serious? Two seconds ago, Savannah didn’t even want anything to do with the party- Tyler and Erica had to convince the girl to go in the first place! She had even said that parties were played out! And now Sav was all for it and confident that she’d be the one to find the booze? Nope, no way. Tyler-Jane didn’t like this, not one bit. She didn’t lose her temper easily, but she was damn near close to it after hearing Savannah going to extremes. Whatever she was trying to pull here was ridiculous, and the redhead didn’t want to stick around to hear another word of it. So she wasn’t going to.

“Shoot, I lost track of time. I need to go back to my dorm and shower before class.” Tyler Jane lied, checking the time on her phone for dramatic effect. After all, she was still in her dance attire and couldn’t very well show up to her seminar looking like a greaseball. Tyler stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder. “Anyone else heading that way?”

As the tensions rose and the glares intensified, the small part of Nicholas that watched them go at it for his sake didn’t want it to end, but he knew all good things had a limited lifespan. Such was the nature of life. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t twist events in his favor and roll the dye to make things more interesting.

On that note, Nicholas stood up, straightening his pants and shirt. “I’ll walk with you, TJ. I’ve been meaning to change out of these clothes myself. Been in them since yesterday.” He never liked to remain in the same outfit for more than a day if he could help it but he desperately wanted a fresh change of clothes since his were getting sweaty (even though Dwayne’s enticing scent made it somewhat worthwhile).
“Maybe on our way, you can tell me more about your morning.” He flashed her a smile.

And with that, Savannah knew she had lost. Tyler Jane and Nicholas were heading to the showers together. And TJ had gotten in first. There was nothing she could say, to change his mind. There’s nothing she could do, that she hadn’t tried. And even the light that kept her out of sight broke her too. There was a song in there somewhere, but she couldn’t put the music to it.

Savannah did her best to maintain the serene grace that she was known for, but it was obvious that was hard enough as it was with Nicholas around, smelling like sweat and … other things… Of course, that could also just be her. She wanted to run away right now. But that would also lead right into their paths as they headed out. No. Now was the time to stay still.

Erica looked between Savvy and the receding form of TJ. She felt as if she’d just witnessed an entirely new side of the both of them, something, animalistic. Shaking her head, she finished off her fruit salad, popping a final strawberry into her mouth. “Well… that was interesting.”

The remaining girl lowered her head onto the table. “Erica, what the fuck did I just do?”

“I would describe it as, throwing yourself at Nicholas Gray. Nice confidence, bad taste though,” Erica said. “TJ might try to kill you later, so I’d keep that confidence stored somewhere.”

The thumping sounds of forehead on table started to grow louder. “Ugh, I know. I don’t know why I did that. It’s just… Nick does something to me. I don’t know. Tyler is gonna hate me for the rest of the week now. And I think claiming I could get all the booze made it worse. Is there even a place to get booze near here?”

Erica’s fingernails clacked against the hard grain of the table as she sorted through her memories, lips pursed in thought. “There was a liquor store, on the side of the road. I remember seeing it on our way here. It doubled as a gas station, but it couldn’t have been that far from here. Gold Star Liquor and Gas,” Erica said, the image of the station clear as day in her mind. “You’re a hot girl, you probably won’t even need an ID.”

That memory of Erica’s was amazing sometimes. Savannah couldn’t even remember the trip into San Agustin. It felt like she had been at this campus forever. But there was a road that led off the grounds. It was pretty visible. It had to be easy to get to the highway or something that this fabled watering hole of booze was on. “I’m not worried about needing an ID. I got that covered. I just… I’m going to need help. Would you? I mean, I understand if you don’t want to. I can probably ask Bradley to help. He has to have a way to figure out where this place is…”

Erica shrugged. “Eh, what the hell. Might be fun,” Erica said, a glint in her eye that seemed to assure it would be.

A wave of relief crashed over Savannah. She wasn’t going to have to try and atone for her mistakes alone. “Thank you, Erica! Thank you so much! All right, cool, so we can figure something out and we’ll be set for the weekend. Awesome. Yes. This will work.” She let out a huge sigh. “OK, between this and the run, I think I’ve had enough sweating things out today. I gotta go get ready for class.”

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

---

---

Katie watched on as the parking lot that had only moments ago held a group of rowdy teenagers began to empty. It wasn’t long before it was just her and a few of the others grabbing their things. She looked between the RV and Nate’s van, then up to the sky. Val was making her way towards the van, which more or less made up her mind. She wasn’t about to spend a four hour ride through a desert wasteland making Val feel good about herself. At least the worst Emi could do was cry.

The good news was, she hadn’t completely fucked this trip up. They were headed for Vegas, and even though she’d been a little more than uncertain about how the morning would unfold, she found herself smiling now that it seemed like she was officially along for the ride. Not that she would ever tell AJ that. Feelings? She didn’t pack ‘em.

Taking a long look at the RV and the summer that was sprawled out ahead of her, she hoisted her bags onto her shoulder, and strolled over. She hopped up the steps, smirked at the sight of AJ reclining on the sofa, and took her own seat at the table in the kitchen, gazing out the window at BHHS for what felt like the last time. She held it tight for a moment, well aware that life was speeding towards her like a bullet train. She could try and run from everything else, but not that.

Project Untamed

_{Location | Cafeteria -> Arts Building
Interacting With: Hana Jeong@Kitty}

---

---

Bradley sat at his table, his eyes glued to a small, paperback book in front of him. His attention had drifted from the doorway some fifteen minutes ago, and he’d pulled out the novel to kill the time. The tray in front of him was now mostly devoid of food, his teeth chewing up the last cricket of the morning. It was dumb luck, or maybe some really bad luck, that Bradley glanced up to see Wes walking through the cafeteria with a shirtless Teddy Walstrom.

His breath hitched, and suddenly, there was a black hole in his stomach, devouring every feeling he’d ever felt, the good and the bad. The only thing it left were the crickets, which had sprung back to life and kicked up an orchestra of anxiety, and he realized that this was why he’d avoided people for so long before San Agustin. They always got his hopes up.

Thoughts turned to his past rejections, the times where he’d felt the same emptiness in his gut, only to come up… blank. He tried harder, pushed further into his mind. Surely, he was just struggling to conjure up the specifics. He could see it, almost, the haziest form of a memory, a life he’d lived. With parents, his parents, and a brother, a younger brother, who’s name he couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember his little brother’s name?

Bradley was pulled from his spiralling thoughts by a thud, and the sudden hush that fell over the cafeteria. Coming back to reality, he caught the figure of Hana Jeong running from the cafeteria. He pursed his lips, contemplating for a moment, before standing up and packing away his things. Backpack over his shoulder, he walked his empty tray over to the trash cans, where he set it on top, and then followed Hana out of the cafeteria.

As he jogged after her, his brain finally spit out the name he’d been looking for. Brandon. That was his little brother’s name. Brandon. He said it, over and over in his head. It seemed so obvious, and yet, the name felt alien to his mind. “Brandon,” he said to himself. It felt just as alien on his tongue.

He caught up to her at the entrance to the Arts building, panting ever so slightly, and pushed those troubling thoughts from his head, certain that he’d begun to lose his mind, and resolute in his choice to push it off as long as possible. “Had a feeling I’d find you here. Uh, are you, like, good? That just looked like, you know, kind of a nasty fall,” Bradley said, stumbling slightly over his words as he tried very hard not to come across as a complete nutcase. He and Hana weren’t exactly close, but they’d worked together a few times, and if no one else was gonna go after her, he figured he at least could. Not to mention, he needed to get his mind off… well everything.

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

---

---

She tried not to grin. She really did. She gave it everything she had, but it just wasn’t enough. Watching AJ crumple to the pavement, hands cradling the future of the Tyler family. She couldn’t help the amusement that threatened to spill over, as Val made a mad dash for some sort of escape, only to be chased after and restrained by Sami. Welp, that hadn't lasted long. Somehow, as Katie surveyed the carnage, she wasn't that surprised.

Aleks headed over to AJ, presumably to make sure he hadn’t just been completely sterilized. She watched the Russian boy walk off, for longer than was probably necessary. The accent, the charisma, the fucking jaw line. There was a lot that Aleks had going for him, and Katie hadn’t failed to take notice. She’d feel guilty about that, once she had the chance to imagine Carter’s reaction. For now though, her eyes lingered on Aleks, and she watched as Chloe came over, and ran her hands through his hair.

Smirking, she turned away, catching sight of Ava and Reyna laughing as Leon headed towards the RV, still shirtless. She took the sight of Chloe and Aleks for what it truly was, a sign from God that she was acting like a dumb whore, and pushed it from her mind. She was getting really good at that. No doubt she’d be much better by the time this trip was over.

“Save me a spot on that bus, Christopher,” she said to Chris, patting him on the shoulder as she headed over towards Ava and Reyna. She was unaware that Chris’ full name wasn’t Christopher, and she didn’t particularly care. She just thought that things seemed more important when you used a three syllable name at the end.

Strolling up to the girls that were perhaps her closest friends here, Katie waved, before tilting her head over towards Val and Sami. “So, uh, remind me to thank Val for making my arrival seem boring,” she said, laughing at her own joke.

Project Untamed

_{Location: Academic Building -> Cafeteria
Interacting With: Savannah @NeoAJ}

---

---

Erica’s pen scratched out words in a curly, black script, pausing only when the booming voice of her professor took a break for air. Advanced Calculus wasn’t a fun class by any means, and it was made even less enjoyable by the fact that it started so damn early. This unfortunate fact however, didn’t stop Erica from showing up on time every day, dressed up and looking like her usual, determined self. If she was going to do something, she’d do it right.

The few others in the class rarely looked as good as she did. Her competition wasn’t exactly monumental, there were only fifty or so kids at San Agustin in general, and the ones in this class were mostly the brainiacs. Those deranged enough to take Advanced Calculus without complaints.

Two months ago, when Erica first got her schedule, she’d been more than a little skeptical about her math placement. She couldn’t really remember being that good at math, but here she was, excelling in the class. She attributed it all to her stellar memory. The formulas that tripped up her fellow students, were so clear in her head. Smart as she was, she had yet to question why the same didn’t seem to apply to all of her memories.

As the hands of the clock ticked forward, some of Erica’s classmates began shuffling their papers together, preparing for their rush to the door. Erica, though she desperately wanted to be free of this classroom, continued taking notes. Erica had developed a quiet respect for most of the teachers at San Agustin. She imagined this wasn’t the easiest job in the world, and some of her classmates had to be handfuls. She had no desire to make their jobs any harder. Finally, a low ring signaled the end of class, resulting in a small stampede for the door. Erica sauntered out slowly, never in much of a rush to get anywhere.

Erica supposed that she had taken to life at San Agustin better than most. She had made a lot of friends, she’d met her fair share of cute boys, and she was doing well in her classes. All that said, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Something that she couldn’t quite place, a shadow of dread that seemed to dissipate the moment she turned to face it.

As she pushed open the doors of the Academic Building and stepped out into the New Mexican sunlight, smiling as it’s warmth kissed her arms. Her lurking anxieties were pushed from her consciousness, to be dwelled upon another day. She had some time before her next class, and she’d skipped breakfast, so she made her way over to the cafeteria. While she waited, she scanned the tables for a friendly face. The Gray Twins were seated together. The sight of Billie made Erica frown, ever so slightly. She’d come to find Billie obnoxious, and she felt like everyone involved had a better day when the two of them kept their distance.

Bradley was sitting alone, a book on the table in front of him while he popped crickets into his open mouth. If it was anyone else she might’ve tried to assuage his loneliness, but she’d learned early on that Bradley was often content in his solitude. She spotted Zakya, looking vibrant as ever, and Savvy, both of them sitting alone. Sol and Leo entered then, arrogance and sex appeal flowing from them. Erica rolled her eyes, and stayed in line. Like Billie, Leo was a member of the student body that Erica found was better left untouched. Sol, admittedly, hadn’t really done anything wrong, but something about the girl gave Erica’s stomach a bad feeling. She’d rather trust her gut, than get herself stabbed in the back.

Once she’d gotten her tray of food, a bowl of fruit along with a plate of scrambled egg whites and some toast, Erica strutted across the cafeteria and took a seat across from Savannah, flashing a grin. “Savvy, you’re looking excellent, as always.” She took a bite of her food, and once her mouth was free, continued speaking. “If I try to take an 8:00 AM next semester, hit me.”

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

_{A collab with @GhostMami & @Plank Sinatra
Featuring: Chris Reyes | Katie Callaghan | Aleks Belikov}

---

---

“Thought you would’ve been halfway to Paris by now, what made you decide to come with us?”

Whoop, there it is. Katie’s stomach jumped into her throat as Leon’s words spilled from his mouth and entered her ears. For a brief moment, she thought her white mocha was about to make a return appearance on the hot asphalt of the parking lot, but luckily for everyone involved, she was a pro. A little nervous energy wouldn’t make her puke. Leon, bless his heart, dropped it faster than he’d picked it up, waving away any inconsistencies as he rationalized her surprise arrival. Before she could spout her well rehearsed line about Carter’s passport being stolen, and the trip being cancelled, Leon was off to brave the wrath of Val and AJ. Better that way. She wasn’t quite ready for her friends to begin poking holes in her weak ass lie.

As the conversations around her began to flow, Katie closed her eyes, and reflected for the briefest of moments on how fucking stupid she was. Lying to her friends, poorly at that, was inevitably going to fail. She knew that, somewhere, deep below the writhing masses of self-loathing and regret. She’d watched enough TV to know that a lie always made its way out. Foolishly though, another part of her believed that she would be the exception to the rule. Katie forced that part, the confident, devil may care, fucking invincible version of herself, to the front of her mind. She opened her eyes to see Chris and Aleks strolling towards her. Woman up, Katie. Woman the fuck up.

They approached side by side, Aleks still smiling innocently at Chris’ playful jabs. His typical nonchalance was usually a virtue, and he hoped it would be the case here too. They had limited time to make a good impression before AJ came out of the RV like a tornado, whirling towards whatever straw he felt weighing most heavily upon his back. For everyone’s sake, Aleks hoped it would be him; AJ’s tantrums rarely struck him directly, but when they did, it was hard for him to lose his cool. The same couldn’t be said for Katie, who was clutching her coffee tightly towards her as though she feared it shooting up into her face or spiking into the ground.

”Privyet, Katie,” he said politely, lifting his own white mocha up to her and rattling the ice in the half-empty cup, proof he came in peace. “Nobody told me you were coming, but I’m happy you are. If you’re still planning on going to Europe maybe I can hide in your carry-on bag.”

He grinned and winked at her, with a playful jerk of his head towards his brother-in-arms beside him.

“Katie, I don’t know if you have met Chris Reyes in his full glory yet,” he said, favoring his friend with the same coquettish grin. “Chris, you’d know if you met Katie in hers. Katie, do you know if Carter--”

Aleks looked up at Katie, meeting her eyes directly for the first time, and then flicked to the car behind her. Many things, from Ivy’s invitation to Katie’s more insular demeanor, clicked into place halfway through his sentence. Oh fuck. Christ.

Well, he had already said the name. What a shame. Aleks had felt kind of proud of helping Katie pull that heist off. He had felt kind of like consigliere when they swept prom.

“--Forget it. RV is crowded as is. Chris, say hi already. Make friends while we have the chance.”

“Hi.” Chris responded rather obediently. “I think we’ve met before, but probably not in our full glory.” He laughed in recollection of how… messy AJ’s parties could get. “I don’t know what you might’ve heard about me, but I swear I’m only half as much an asshole as I look. I hang with the gearheads, but I go to a different school. Nice to formally meet ya.”

Chris gestured with the carbohydrate-filled “olive branch” he held in a bag, fresh from his mama’s kitchen. “Have you had breakfast? My moms made pandesal to feed my friends, she does that. It’s flip food, like a nice sweet roll. Mango jam too, if that’s your thing.” he said in offering.

To Katie’s credit, her smile didn’t falter as Carter’s name came tumbling haphazardly out of Aleks’ mouth, only to be shoved aside the moment he put it all together. She should’ve figured he’d be the first to figure it out. Rather than panic, she focused on Chris as he reintroduced himself. “Nice to meet you too, in your full glory,” Katie said, cracking a playful grin. She accepted the bag with a thank you, and opened it up to find a roll, and a jar of mango jam.

She spread the jam across the roll, and bit into it, an involuntary moan of pleasure escaping as the pastry met her taste buds. “This is really fucking good. Your moms just changed my life I think,” Katie said through a mouthful of pandesal and jam. “So have you two started taking bets on whether or not AJ actually survives to see this road trip start? The way Val looked, I say it’s a fifty-fifty chance we go in and find his body.”

”I doubt it,” Aleks replied mildly. ”The best thing about Val is that most people can hold her at arm’s length without much trouble. AJ should be fine as long as she doesn’t sink any teeth in.”

He was glad that Chris’ mother’s cooking had gone over so well. Most of the Gearheads had been the willing recipient of one of those rolls at one point or another; they usually worked surprisingly well on hangovers, and along with some coconut water and a very casual walk in the morning, they were one of Aleks’ private cures. They were another little occasional perk of California that he was going to miss.

“It’s only the rest of the trip we have to worry about now. You have a hell of a lot of nerve, you know. Really. I like it.” Aleks’ lazy glance drifted over his shoulder to the RV, almost as though he expected it to start rocking with violence any second - and with a surprising lack of concern at the notion. ”I know things are going to be tense. And I know you’ll do everything in your power...assuage AJ’s temper.”

The playful smile grew on his face again.

”The new Tarantino movie is coming out at the end of the summer. If you haven’t killed one another by then maybe I treat you to tickets. Chris, bratan. You like Tarantino? I started watching Tarantino movies when I came to LA.. The best. I think three tickets means we get a family deal. A little Icee or something.” He nudged Chris’ arm with his elbow and smiled brightly at Katie. “We call it a...trip rewards program or something.”

“Who the fuck doesn’t like Tarantino?” Chris replied with a scoff. Gratuitous violence was the peak of cinematic entertainment, in his humble opinion. Aleks’ russian commentary would no doubt make it all the more entertaining too. “Don’t know if we’ll need the flick if we’re about to embark on our own Tarantino plot though.” He glanced at the RV for emphasis. No signs of fire or even smoke yet.

Chris looked back to the source of some of the upcoming tension now, one Miss Callaghan, and smirked. “Speaking of… not to go back on saying I ain’t an asshole or anything, but like, I’m just curious... What made you want to come on this trip?” From what AJ had to say about Katie, Chris would be led to believe that she was just a shit starter and probably decided to come just to cause him woe and grief and be an all around evil bitch. But… sane people weren’t really like that, right? She seemed normal as hell so far, nervous, even. This blondie in front of him seemed nothing like the big bad Katie of AJ’s tales.

“To make a long story short, I needed out of the Hills, and I knew AJ was leaving today. It was either brave the wrath of Alfie James Tyler, or spend the summer with Jamie and Marshall, experiencing Greece through the magic of FaceTime.” Katie smirked, glancing quickly at Aleks. She didn’t want to draw any more attention to the Carter story, and she hoped her intentional vagueness wasn’t lost on the Russian. Hopefully he’d keep his observations to himself, for now.

“I know AJ probably still hates me, but I walked in on him and Jamie having sex so many times, I probably know his ass better than my own. Pulling up in Jamie’s car was,” Katie paused and gave the boys a grimace before resuming, “poor taste. In all fairness, mine’s in the shop. The point is, he’ll get over it. Everyone knows AJ can’t resist some famous Callaghan charm,” Katie said.

Aleks’ eyebrows danced for a second, shrugging themselves slightly with a little roll. Katie had always been his Callaghan of choice, but that was about the same as the choice between a chocolate sundae and a baseball bat to the teeth.

“Most people here can lapse into occasional bouts of gaucheness,” he demurred, eyes bouncing between Jamie’s car and Jamie’s sister. “I wouldn’t worry about it for very long. It’s not coming with us, it’ll be out of everyone’s minds in a few days or so. Just as long as we’re not one-upping each other as far as dick moves go.”

His eyes found her coffee and he sipped at his own mocha, mostly out of reflex.

“Greece, huh? I spent the summer in Mykonos last year. I wish I remembered more of it, it was probably a hell of a place.”

When his friends started talking about their lavish vacations in foreign locales, Chris usually checked out of the conversation. Generally, he tried not to be bitter about it, but jealousy is a human emotion and Chris is all too human. He hadn’t even been able to visit his mother’s birth country yet, but he had made a promise to himself that someday he would, and he’d take her too, he just needed to work hard and save up for it. He usually checked out of these conversations, but today involved a pretty girl, so he kept interest for a time.

“You’re trouble.” Chris remarked in reference to her earlier explanation of why she was here and why she arrived in Jamie’s car. “But no more so than the rest of us, I think. Cept, you really shouldn’t call him that again. Like seriously.” Chris knew a thing or two about not wanting to be called by your own cringe-worthy name.

Katie laughed. Chris’s warning reminded her of the one Jamie had given her back when he’d divulged what AJ stood for over smores and their parents’ vodka. “Oh trust me, I know. I made that mistake once already. You would’ve thought I’d come after his mom or something.” Katie grinned. “Enough about AJ though. I have a feeling I’m going to come out of this trip with enough AJ memories to last me a very long lifetime.” She glanced around at their friends, scattered in groups across the parking lot. “Aleks, you read people like a book, and Chris you’ve seen us all at our most blacked out, who do you guys think hooks up in the RV first? My money’s on Ava and Ivy. Don’t think, just go with your gut,” Katie said looking back at the boys, the famed Katie Callaghan energy rolling off of her, now that her mood had begun to turn around.

“I dunno…” Chris mused for a minute, then looked at the RV and nodded his head towards it. “If all goes well, the two that are in there fighting. Maybe then the rest of us could start enjoying this trip.”

”You and me, with any luck.” Aleks swished a mouthful of white mocha around his cheeks and gulped down before cocking his head in the same direction as the RV again - but this time, at the people standing outside it serving looks and pancakes respectively. “Sami and Reyna. Easy money. It’s been building for a while and he’s already working his crowd.”

Katie’s mouth formed an O, but she was proud to report that Aleks’ comment did not make her blush. She wasn’t fifteen anymore and compliments from cute boys did not send the blood rushing to her cheeks. They did however, get her heart racing. Maybe it was the realization that this was the first time in almost three years that the words could actually lead somewhere. Despite the accompanying guilt and Carter’s voice in her head, Katie’s look of surprise morphed into an easy going laugh. “Oh luck will certainly be in play for that one. Luck and vodka. Although,” Katie said, without really thinking about the consequences, “Vegas is known for having copious amounts of both.” She considered winking, decided against it, and moved smoothly back to the topic.

“AJ and Val would be a sight. Honestly, I wouldn’t be that surprised. The way they fight, it makes you wonder,” Katie said, playfully tapping her finger against her temple. “Sami and Reyna though, that would be cute as shit.”

”They look good together, yeah. I give it by Colorado, Reyna is not shy by nature..” He shrugged and looked back towards the RV containing his fearless leader and his shoulder devil-sized cohort. “You know, fuck if you might not be right. They’ve been in there a while. I was sure AJ’s Spider-Sense would kick in by now.”

Chris had been glaring at Aleks for his very obvious flirtation. Hell, that wasn’t even a flirt, it was a full on proposition. Shy, my ass, lyin’ russki. The look of irritation subsided when Katie used ‘cute’ and ‘Sami’ in the same sentence. He was a good looking dude, but cute was a word reserved for like… puppies and soft shit, and Chris was pretty sure that Sami left his house last night to either beat or get beaten by someone, so “cute” Sami was an amusing thought.

“Damn right I’m right, why else do her claws come out whenever there are too many girls around him.” Chris said as he fished around in his jacket pockets for his vice. They were about to be trapped in an RV for four hours, maybe more, so he figured he’d might as well indulge while he could. He lit up a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke away from his conversational companions. “Man, I hope I’m wrong though, there ain’t enough windows on that thing to air it out properly.” He said with a grimace.

Katie watched as Chris pulled a cigarette from his pocket. She didn’t smoke, not cigarettes at least, or maybe it was more accurate to say she hadn’t smoked in a while. She’d gone through a phase where she wanted to feel rebellious and badass, but Carter had hated them so she’d stopped for him. Having just realized that she could flirt without cheating, she was also struck with the realization that she wasn’t bound by any of the concessions she’d made during their relationship. She had no desire to start smoking again, but Katie Callaghan also liked doing things just because she could. “Chris, could I steal a cigarette from you?”

Chris raised his eyebrows slightly and flicked some ashes towards the ground. “Full of surprises, aren’t you?” Most of AJ’s friends, Chris had thought all of them until this moment, did not smoke. In fact, he usually got side eye when he lit up around them. And he got more than just side eye if he smoked in Aleks’ car. So, this was a welcomed turn of events and, somehow, Katie just got a touch more attractive. Chris tapped the pack against his hip and slid a single cigarette further out with his thumb to offer it to her. “Sure thing. You need a light too?”

“That would be amazing,” Katie took the rolled up tobacco from Chris, placed it between her lips, and she leaned in, eyes locking as Chris held the flame up. It danced between them for a moment, before her inhale drew the waltzing flame into the cigarette, igniting it. She resisted the urge to cough as the familiar taste of smoke filled her mouth, and exhaled, up and away so that the smoke drifted off into the air. It tasted like shit, but she’d been expecting that. “Smoking in my former high school’s parking lot. Check that off the bucket list,” she said before taking another drag.

“Maybe on the way back,” Aleks murmured, lips playing in a little grin around his straw while he watched Chris light Katie’s cigarette. Truthfully, there was nothing he really had against smoking, as long as Chris didn’t get it anywhere in the interior of one of his cars, but it was already threatening to be a motherfucker of a trip to Vegas based on the parking lot dynamics of this volatile crew. The last thing he needed was to start hitting cheap Newports on a venti mocha and half a pancake. That would mean getting into the booze rations early to compensate for illness, and then...blugh. Just a nightmare for all involved. “I ran here, not drove. I’m still a little winded for a cigarette.”

His eyes found Chris again. Sly little fucker. It’s not like Aleks hadn’t offered. His grin widened.

“Which reminds me, Chris, we’re going to need to move on AJ fast. Make sure we’re not sitting first shift in that fucking meat locker--” his head lolled backwards towards the van, as though he’d been rear-ended by it “--with Nate and Leon. Good guys. Fun guys. But I’m going to feel like I’m being human trafficked to Las Vegas instead of vacationing crammed between them.”

He looked at Katie and laughed for the first time since they’d walked over to her.

“Now you, you are screwed,” he teased. “He’s going to try and shove your ass out of sight, out of mind the first chance he gets. Val will concur. You should stick with us until we’re safely on the road. Unless you’d prefer Leon, which, I mean. Fair play.”

Katie smiled, a knowing smile, and took another drag. “You two are the road to salvation, huh?” she said once she’d exhaled. “Could be worse I guess.”

"Cool.” Aleks grinned and finally heard the sound of empty suction within a straw. He’d finished his last Los Angeles mocha, and he rattled the ice in the cup sadly. ”Would anyone like to impress me and shoot this into the bin before I do? Chris, this is your big chance. You play basketball, right? Nyet? Katie?”

“I'd probably miss, it's been a few months." Chris said to avoid the potential embarrassment of actually attempting it and missing. “That's all you, Katie." He said before taking another long drag. “Or you, surely Russians can do more than just hockey and communism." He said with a smirk.

“You have no idea. The lab they grow me in, the boys who miss their shots, they shoot them,” Aleks deadpanned, his natural Russian accent rising to the surface for a moment. “Very well. Katie?”

Katie rolled her eyes at Aleks’ comment, but still proceeded to hand off her own mocha to Chris, before taking the empty cup from Aleks and stuffing her own trash inside. She looked over at the bin, well aware that she had no natural gift for basketball, or any other sport, but exceedingly confident nonetheless. Her arm swung up, arced, and released the cup, sending it sailing towards the trash can. It hit the rim of the bin’s opening, and swirled around, and around, and around before clattering off and onto the ground. “Well, that was anticlimactic.” She walked over and threw away the oh so painful reminder of her fresh failure, and returned. “So, were you impressed?” she asked, retrieving her coffee from Chris.

Aleks was laughing as she walked to the bin and back, chewing on the end of one lip of his mischievous grin. “Halfway impressed me, actually. You hit the bin at least. It takes courage to try.”

He was humming in thought a little.

“Russians, British, I don’t think we’ve ever actually won a medal for basketball. We suck like motherfuckers at it.” He plucked what remained of her mocha out from Katie’s hand, bopping the bottom of the cup so her grip was loosened and then gently prying it into his own hand. “Oop. Spasibo.”

He drained it thoughtfully, bottom teeth gently chewing the end of the straw closed as his eyes marked the patch of ice cubes where his coffee lid had burst open.

“Gymnastics, volleyball. Hockey.” He grinned at Chris. “We dominate the medals here. Basketball, not so much. Probably a bad comparison, you are right. Maybe if I thought of it like baseball--”

He lobbed the empty cup with about the same amount of force that Katie had, although he also kicked his knee up and tossed it as though it were a baseball, instead of an arcing free throw motion. It wasn’t particularly pretty, not being a ball and having nowhere for him to place his fingers in place of seams, but it bounced off the interior of the bin and toppled inside. The near-empty trash bag flapped from the force of the throw and the object settling at its base. Aleks leaned backwards against Chris’ shoulder, still biting back the true smug force of his grin.

“No bullet holes in me yet, baby,” he drawled, still with the full weight of his home accent. “Sorry about your mocha. I promise I’ll buy your first vodka in Vegas. Chris, may I please have a roll now? That was tense.”

“Yeah, of course," He offered the whole bag of fresh-baked goodies to him.
“Moms will no doubt text me in two hours or less asking if I gave my friends breakfast, and Asian moms have a sixth sense, she'll know if they're not all gone. Eat two." Chris responded before stamping his cigarette butt out on the ground and walking it over to flick it in the trash can.

”Spasiiiibo, brataaaan.”

Katie smirked, and finished her own cigarette before turning to Aleks. “I expect top-shelf. Don’t try and skimp me,” she said, before returning to the trash can to throw out the cigarette butt. She was starting to feel as if, maybe, she might actually survive the summer. Emphasis on maybe.