spooner

Meadow University

“Boys...” Mac muttered as she watched the broad back of her ‘date’ walk away. He had said something about going to Nectars with his buddies. So now there she stood with a half-drunk boba tea in her hands shaking with annoyance. What was wrong with him? First, he drags her out to confess his feelings for her… then he just leaves her to go hang with his swim pals?! “Pff…” Mac hissed as she threw the remainder of her drink in the trash. She turned on her heel and stomped in the direction of her apartment.

Her breath was still ragged with frustration as she turned the key in the lock. She flung the door open and rushed inside. She could hear the theme song of Lottie’s favorite tv show ‘My Sweet 16’ echoing out from Kiki’s room. She hovered outside wondering if she should join them, but then thought better of it. Who knew what she would find if she opened that room. Being alone with her thoughts was probably what Mac needed anyway. So instead she locked herself in her own room and flung herself on to her bed staring into nothing letting her mind race and swirl.

With a huff, she flew up from her bed and strode over to her desk flinging its drawer open rummaging around for a notebook and pencil. Sitting and pouting wasn’t her she was going to deal with this the way she had been thought to deal with her feeling through writing. A long time was spent tapping the lead point to the blank page. But soon enough she was scribbling away until she felt better and a poem had formed with lots of words crossed out around it.

On this backroad, that’s where I’ll stay.
Miles and miles away from him.
Bitter heartache fools and mistakes, we’ve been through it all tonight.
Clouds in the sky they won’t disperse.
From sharing it all to worlds apart.
Something is wrong and I don’t know what.
I’m on my knees and I can’t get up.

Reading and re-reading it over and over made her feel better but still, she felt a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach and she still didn’t know what.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

_{Starring: Julie Macmillan @spooner & Ryland Aspen @TootsiePop}
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Almost there and he felt utterly hopeless. Julie didn’t seem to be irritated yet, even if they already stopped at three places and it wasn’t their final destination. The first stop was probably the most… odd place… to take her. 7-Eleven. Far from classy, but the perfect place for guilty, sweet drinks. There, Ryland had shared with her about an old family tradition. When he was younger, his dad would buy him and his siblings Slurpees, after they competitively did their chores, to see who could clean the fastest, and who could clean their part of the house to their step mother’s liking. As if her life depended on it, Alaina would point out every spot they missed, only causing them to clean again in hopes they would clean to her standards. After a long day of chores, their father felt like they all deserved something to make them feel guilty, and yet have no regrets. To indulge in one of the greatest pleasures known to men! 7-Eleven Slurpees.

7-Eleven wasn’t a place that Julie was that familiar with. Of course, she knew of the place but she hadn’t really frequented the establishment like it seemed that Ryland had done. But she enjoyed his story about his tradition and his father with a smile as they walked through the aisles. The sheer size of Slurpees that Ryland presented shocked Julie as she took one of the icy treats from him.

The second stop was the boardwalk, where he knew a food truck festival was happening. Regardless if he convinced her to come or not at the dance, he was planning on coming here anyway, possibly with his best friends, to check out the food. The experience turned out to be better than he could imagine because she was there. Truth be told, Rye knew hardly anything about Julie. Sol and Sonny told him a couple of things, but it wasn’t enough for him to feel confident in his decisions about where to take her. If anything, this date was to show her little things about him, give her selling points on why she should date him, even if he was flying by the seat of his pants.

All Julie could do was to smile as she listened to Ryland talk. It was so refreshing to her to be with a guy who was one hundred percent himself. Listening to him talk about his family back in Los Angeles made her yearn for her sister more than anything. Sure she loved her father very much but he is so busy they didn’t spend as much time together as she wanted to. And now when her sister was out doing her own thing she was mostly alone aside from Chanel. Who also had been busy with her new cheerleading venture. So having someone pay attention to her again was very welcome.

Food trucks, to Ryland, was an experience everyone should have. Some of the best food was from the smallest of kitchens. More importantly, though? This was an experience best enjoyed with another person, because together, you ate, enjoyed the atmosphere, and the people. Here, he shared with her how his dad, ever since his old man was a teen and presently, would go out of his way to visit local restaurants to see if there were food challenges, in hopes to get a free meal out of it. His old man was a beast when it came to eating and somehow, the only thing causing him to gain weight was beer and not food.

She marveled at the number of different styles of food that the trucks offered. Julie was used to being catered too, never really having to worry about not being able to get what she wanted. And though she loved what Claire, the Macmillan house chef delivered. There was something special about all of these cooks and chefs gathered together in one place. It made it even more special that she was exploring it with someone new.

The further they ventured on their date, the more he started to realize how much he actually admired his father, and that was probably a good sign that he was on the right path. The third stop wasn’t too far from the boardwalk. With a skip and a jump, they were at Froyolicious and he treated her to whatever froyo and toppings she wanted, as well as buy a box of decently priced macarons for them to share. It was a no brainer that dinner was better with dessert.

Here, he tried to poke into her head, hoping by now, she warmed up to him to share something, even if it was an inkling of her feelings or something she was fond of.

She regaled him with stories about all of her family’s travels, about the fashion shows. The adventures she and her sister went on in Paris and Milan as their father was busy at work. But she also talked about her other passions that most of the people at King’s didn’t know about. How she loved classic art and was the one who picked out all of the art that hung in the Macmillan estate or how she had a vast library where she liked to spend lazy Sundays just leisurely reading.

With their proximity getting closer and closer, every step they made, Rye started feeling like Christian from Moulin Rouge, trying to impress his Satine during the Elephant Medley song.

In a blink of an eye, their time together was nearing an end and he had one last stop for her. As he drove down N Quadrille Boulevard, he tapped his fingers on the wheel and asked her a serious question, keeping things completely honest and genuine, “So… how I spoke to Ariel, like a month or so ago, is that water under the bridge? Or…” He trailed off, glancing at her like a puppy dog, seeking forgiveness and hoping whatever he was doing was impressing her and not wasting any of their time.

Julie just stayed quiet dabbing her mouth gingerly with a Froyolicious branded napkin. She slowly turned to face his big brown eyes she let out a slow sigh. “I don’t think that is for me to decide now is it?” she said softly, “I think you need to speak to Ariel about that.”

“I mean… are you done calling girls stupid?” she teased turning her whole body to face him knowing full well what she was showcasing.

“Oh yeah! Of course.” He nervously laughed. If Rye’s aunt had told his stepmother about that, that would’ve bitten him in the ass far more than he could ever imagine. He was fortunate enough Aunt Miley chose to not air his dirty laundry out, and simply gave him advice. She had told him the times his own father used to say things without thinking first, and at the time, it broke their mother’s heart. If anything, she saw a lot of Rhett in Rye every day, especially the reckless side of her brother.

“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. While this doesn’t excuse my actions, I was… caught up with myself.” He sheepishly smiled, obviously ashamed of how he acted that day. “Dad uprooted my life, because I’m a fuck up, and then one of the first things I see is a good friend of mine, well second thing…” He was rambling but he had just remembered the reason why his day was set off badly. The reason the dominoes started falling. He witnessed his two best friends making out before he even knew they were an item. “...getting back with her ex, who she’s cried about to me. IDK, it was a lot. But I know now, it’s not something I should get involved with.”

“Mmmh…” Julie mused reaching up to pull out the large pin holding her hairstyle up, it had started to give her a bit of a headache but still, she knew what she was doing. As soon as she pulled the pin out her luscious red hair cascaded around her. She shook it out a little with her hands before collecting it all to one side. “I used to be the same… you know inserting myself in other people’s business. I used to be known for it.” she smiled and let out a soft giggle.

Julie reached out and placed her hand on his “And you know what I’ve learned Ryland?” she asked letting her hand travel up his arm until she reached his long hair where she laced her fingers into a lock of it “It’s better to focus on oneself and let people figure out what to do on their own.” she said softly putting the lock behind his ear caressing his cheek as she pulled back her hand.

Wow.

Ryland was speechless. Not because of the advice she was giving, but because of everything she was doing while speaking. His brown gaze observed her as she released her sunset hair, letting it freshly spill and become flames fanned by the breeze. There was a radiant glow when Julie spoke and for someone his age, she had such wisdom behind her soft and kind blueish-gray eyes. She was far from the little girls he’s seen at their school. Nah, man. She was a full-fledged woman and needed to be wooed as such.

He could never compete with her family since there was no doubt in his mind she could be given everything she ever wanted by them and more. Even so… he eyed her as her hand traveled up his arm to play with his hair and then push it behind his ear… Even so, he believed he had something to offer that no one else could. He didn’t know what exactly yet, but if he continued believing in that inkling of hope that he could get her to fall for him hard, then there was still at least a one percent chance he could do this. A losing battle was only guaranteed if you gave up, and Ryland Aspen was not a quitter.

That being said… what the hell should he say now? Rye hoped his face wasn’t turning red. Julie’s seductive prowess was a lot harder to manage in a situation like this where it was just them in a car, alone. Not wanting the silence to go on for too long, he reached his hand to her chin and whispered, “You missed a spot.” He cleaned her skin of Froyo, before bringing his attention back to the road. Welp. That’s how you ruin a moment. Thank GOD they were almost there!

Julie just settled back into her seat smiling to herself. She kept her eyes on the road ahead absentmindedly playing with her own hair now. Twirling a piece in her fingers as she let the silence linger. She shifted her eyes towards Ryland for a second and spotted the look on his face, she had him exactly where she wanted him.

The redhead hiked up her dress so she could show off her pale legs as she recrossed them. “So… new kid. Where are you taking me?”

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

As the pair entered the party once again you could almost see the joy radiation from Archer. He felt happier than he had done in weeks and on valentine’s day weekend, which he usually spent hate-watching romcoms with Mari. Instead, he was at a semi-fun school dance with someone that really was the love of his short life. He really wasn’t in the mood for dancing anymore and whatever drama his friends were getting themselves into had really left his brain out in the parking lot. The only thing on his mind right now was Kavan, and their future together.

On their way to a table, Archer made sure to swipe a couple of icy bottles of water seeing as none of the punch bowls or the drink-fountain were to be trusted for a sober driver. As they sat down Archer wasted no time in showing some PDA. He turned his body so he could lean into his boyfriend wrapping Kavan’s arms around him like a scarf.

For a moment he just sat there quietly, taking in his surroundings. His dancing peers some drunker than others, the surprisingly nice decorations, and the subtle smell of Kavan’s cologne. But there was still something that was eating at him from the inside. Something that had landed in his letterbox a few days ago: his early acceptance letter.

“Do you think….” he started, not really knowing where to start. “...You’ll ever leave Florida?” he asked already kind of knowing the answer. No one really wanted to stay in Florida, most people just had to for one reason or the other. “I mean… If you could move anywhere, where would it be?” Archer straightened up so that he could comfortably look at Kavan. “Would you stay in the south? Or would you move up north?” he asked shifting slightly in his seat. “Like… say… Chicago?” he pursed his lips and stared at his boyfriend with questioning eyes.

“Cause I got into U of C.” he deadpanned, bracing for Kavan’s reaction.

Project Untamed

---

Deciding to skip the assembly proved to be a great choice for Frankie. She had gotten so much done. The blonde had found the time to finish three of her art projects, experimenting with different mediums, and even doing laundry. She would never have done all that if she was stuck in some boring dusty old assembly. Nothing was so important as to take away from Frankie’s alone time.

She had found this energy mostly because she had skipped almost all of her afternoon classes to go back and sleep in the afternoon sun in her dorm room. Which in her eyes was an afternoon well spent. Now that she was done putting away her clothing, she was bored. She looked out of her window and saw that students were now milling about again, which probably meant that the assembly had been let out.

Frankie flopped down on her bed and dug out her phone from her overall pocket. What should she do? Or rather who should she do? The blonde girl let out a giggly hum as she scrolled through her feed. A few pictures of her fellow students passed her eyes, which got her to think… I should send out some pictures. But who to send them to?

Nicholas? No, she didn’t want to deal with his strong opinions. She wasn’t in the mood for arguing! Dwayne? No, he probably wouldn’t appreciate it. Her face lit up when a picture of her main squeeze Leo showed up on her feed. Of course! What was she even thinking? Leo was always up for some fun!

Just as she was about to set up the photo, her phone vibrated and brought her attention towards a post about the assembly. Apparently there was some scavenger hunt going on on Wednesday. A wide grin spread across the petite girl’s face when she saw who her teammates where. Perfect.

She unbuttoned her jean overalls and also the white blouse she was wearing under them. Posed in such a manner that she showed skin and her best assets and clicked her screen taking a very sultry picture.

Her fingers tapped the screen quickly tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth.

“Hey looks like we’re on the same team, huh? Lucky you…”

Frankie admired her own work before attaching the picture to the message and clicking send and laying back down.

Project Untamed

Teddy sat cross-armed listening to the headmaster talking. Assemblies were always such a bore to him the large young man had a hard time keeping his eyes open. He had spent the time he had between the end of classes and now locked in his room with his guitar working on some new songs. Which made him miss his afternoon nap, so he was mighty tired.

Closing his eyes for just a minute can’t hurt… can it? Whatever the headmaster was talking about couldn’t be that important. Soon enough he was laying in a field with his head in a soft lap, hands running through his hair, fierce eyes staring down at him

“_{Dude...dude...DUDE!}”

With a jerk, Theodore sat up straight looking around frantically before his eyes fell on the kid that sat next to him wearing an annoyed face. “You were snoring” he scoffed “Loudly I might add!”

Wiping his shin free of some rouge drool Teddy grimaced “Shit, sorry bud… this is quite boring huh?” clearing his throat he focused his eyes back to the front. The kid just shrugged and continued to ignore him.

“...Please feel free to dress up for class if you so desire…”

Who in their right mind would ever do that? Teddy rolled his eyes settling back into his seat. But when the headmaster mentioned the scavenger hunt Teddy’s ears perked a little. There wasn’t much that he was willing to put effort into but winning was one of them. Music being the other.

“Scavenger hunt…. easy.” Teddy smiled as he stood up with the rest of the crowd moving outside. He decided to sit and wait for the crowd to thin out before he went over to the board to check out the teams. His eyes scanned the piece of paper finding his name next to two others: Bradley and Tyler Jane. He raised his eyebrows, he might have to carry his team… but it’ll work.

He hurried back to his dorm room and flung his body onto his bed quickly falling into a slumber, hoping he could go back to the dream he had.

Meadow University

“Edgar!” Bas’s voice echoed from the upstairs lounge where he leisurely laid on one of the plush chaise lounges. The slender young man lifted his head as he didn’t hear an answer right away “EDGAR!” he shouted louder this time.

A slow shuffle could be heard from the stairs “You bellowed, sir?” the aging butler drawled as he ascended and stood at the top with a disgruntled face waiting to hear whatever demand his employer’s son had thought up.

“Oh, there you are, finally!” Bastíen sighed “Edgar I’m parched, would you bring some tea?” he asked turning to smile sweetly at Edgar.

A heavy sigh escaped the man “And what kind of tea would you like, sir?” he asked slowly.

Bas sat up crossing his legs as he gave it some thought “Hmmm…” he mused tapping his chin. “Well, maybe some green tea with mint.” he decided with a nod. The butler nodded back and began to walk down the stairs. “Wait!” Bastíen exclaimed “I changed my mind… bring me some black cherry rooibos.” he smirked putting on that sweet smile again. Edgar didn’t say anything he just continued down the stairs.

Bastíen got comfortable again and laid back down. He fished out his phone from his pocket and continued scrolling his Instagram feed. His thumb moved slowly over the screen as a mixture of fashion and music flashed before his eyes. Nothing really catching his eye until his favorite downtown bar Nectar posted about their open mic night.

His eyes went towards the grand piano, he raised an eyebrow as an idea entered his mind. He crossed his arms in front of his chest tapping his phone against his side as Edgar came over and put down a tray with a teapot, a large cup, and a few homemade cookies. “Thank you, Edgar, this is perfect! Can you get John to bring the car around in like an hour” Bas said pouring a cup of the perfectly brewed tea.

After a quick shower and meticulously picking out his outfit, Bastíen waws ready to leave. The car had been brought around to the front just in time for when he stepped out of the Bonfamille manor. John who had been their driver since before the triplets were born opened the door so that Bas could slide right in.

The black SUV glided smoothly through Meadow View towards the downtown area where all of the good restaurants and bars were located, like Nectar or The Red Room. Soon enough the car stopped in front of the familiar facade of Nectar. “Thanks, John smooth sailing as always!” Bas exclaimed getting out of the vehicle. “Remember to have your phone on you at all times, I’m not sure when I want to get back!” he said sticking his head back in the car before shutting the door.

“Will do, sir,” John said through his open window as he drove away.

The night was still young and that reflected in the number of people that were inside of the bar. Later on, the place would be packed as it always was on a Friday night. Bastíen took this opportunity to head to the bar and ask for Darla. A senior at MU that was in charge of the open mic night every week. The guy behind the bar went to the back and after a few moments a stressed looking girl with bushy sandy colored hair came out clutching a clipboard.

“Darla my love!” Bas exclaimed as she came over to him. He grabbed her hand and held them in his. “How is everything going?” he continued.

The girl just rolled her eyes “What do you want Bastíen?” she sighed obviously already tired of the interaction not even trying to pull her hand back.

A smirk crept on to Bas’s face “Darla dear, I know I’m late to sign up, but could you maybe squeeze me into tonights set?” he asked not even a hint of being sorry in his voice.

“Are you dumb?” Darla sighed “You-” she looked around flustered her hand still in Bas’s now shaking. Either from anger or nerves… he had that effect on people. “No! The set has been full for ages… you- No Bas!” she tried to steady her voice.

Bas lifted her hand to his mouth and gave the nook between her thumb and pointer finger a deep kiss. “Oh come on Darla, I’ll make it up to you” his eyes sparkling in that way they did when he knew he had his prey where he wanted it. “Perhaps we can let off some steam at the manor later tonight? You know… like old times.” his intense stare continued to pierce Darla.

The young woman’s eyes fluttered around the room for a second and then she concentrated on him again “Fine!” she exclaimed irritated a bright red flush now present on her face. “You get three minutes at the end!” she huffed snatching her hand back and turning on her heel and stomping back tot he back room. All Bas could do was sit back down sipping on his cocktail with a smile.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

After sitting and brooding for some time Max decided he would shake it off. It was not like him to not enjoy himself whenever there was a party going on. So he turned his attention back to his group of friends and soon enough his booming laughter could be heard from every corner of the dance. He didn’t want the situation he had gotten himself into to bring a stormcloud over his good time. So when his teammates suggested that they all go and tear up the dance floor he naturally followed.

The lacrosse team took over a large part of the dance floor and if that annoyed their peers, Max couldn’t find it in him to care. There were a handful of girls that saw Max dancing by himself as an opportunity to put the charms on him. But the burly teen just smiled and danced off in another direction. He was really not in the mood and after the fourth awkward dance-off, he decided the dancefloor wasn’t a safe space anymore. He quietly slipped of and out toward the parking lot.

As the fresh night air hit him Max exhaled heavily shoving his hands in his pocket grabbing his car keys. He directed them into the mass of cars and press the button on his keychain making his truck beep. He followed the sound and opened the front door, leaning in to switch on the sound system. Max connected his phone and put on his ‘Chill Driving’ playlist.

Max clambered up on the bed of the truck taking off his jacket bunching it up under his head so he could lay and look up at the stars alone with his thoughts.

Project Untamed

Teddy liked eating with Wes, there was never an obligation to keep talking. The two just concentrated on their breakfast and enjoyed each other’s company while doing so. But Teddy could feel Wesley’s eyes flick to him now and then, maybe he was making him uncomfortable after all. Theodore cleared his throat and moved his arms in front of himself as if to cover up just a little. He also eyed his still wet t-shirt hanging beside him, maybe he should’ve just sucked it up and put it back on… to save his friend from embarrassment. But just as he was about to ask Wes a second time another person joined them.

It was Zakaya, a girl that Teddy didn’t really know much besides a couple of chill hangouts. A very beautiful girl, but way too extroverted for someone like Theo. A tight smile could be seen on his face as he looked up from his food and faced the girl. “Hello, Zakaya…. how are you? This is Wesley, we’ve just come for a run” he said cracking a smile before looking down at his naked chest. “Uh hence the shirt…” he said gesturing to his shirt.

"Word on the street is there's gonna be a party this Friday night... hosted by those lovely ladies over there. You two plan on attending? Cause you definitely should!" she stated her light eye’s sparkling in the sunlight.

“Oh?” was all that Teddy could muster as he looked over his shoulder at the ladies who seemed to be deep in planning something. Parties were nothing that interested him in the slightest. Sure he liked to drink, maybe even a little too much sometimes. But when he drinks he likes to do it alone or with a couple of friends. He turned back to face the other two pickings at the remnants of his food. “Yeah maybe… what do you think Wes?” he asked. Not that the answer would change his mind… he would not attend.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

“I wonder what it’s spiked with” Julie mused holding the clear cup up to the lights as if to see if she could spot it. Of course, she couldn’t but as the only thing she could taste besides the fruit flavor was the taste of alcohol she had to assume it was bad smuggle vodka. The redhead sat down on a chair next to Sonny, even though her shoes looked amazing with her dress they hurt like hell.

When he asked her if she was having a good time she just looked up at him and smiled sweetly. “Well you can tell your mother that I am having a wonderful time” she laughed a little. But she couldn’t help but wonder why he would think otherwise. But before she could elaborate on those thoughts, a tall figure caught her and Sonny’s attention.

“What is he up to?” her date asked.

The girl rested her head on her hand “Good question…” she whispered back raising an eyebrow. She hadn’t really had much interaction with the mysterious transfer student save for their introduction where she had almost felt him up. But Julie had a keen eye she had seen and felt his intense stares whenever she had said hello to Sonny and the rest of the Misfits in the hallways of King’s. No doubt that she found him interesting, and let’s face it very good looking.

Julie looked on with an amused look on her face as Ryland started speaking about who he was and his friends. A smile spread across her face as he apologized to Ariel and ended with the sentiment to do what made you happy. And anyone who knew Julie knew that was her life motto. She almost wanted to stand up and cheer him on, but there was no time for that because he suddenly changes the tone by speaking her name.

Her head slipped of her hand in shock, her eyes wide as she looked dumbfounded towards Sonny who looked equally confused. Which at least confirmed that this wasn’t some planned prank from his side. But then Ryland started to sing. The shock had yet to wear off, and Julie could do nothing but to rise from her seat and look around. She was looking for something to make sense and finally found Chanel standing a few feet away she locked eyes with her best friend and mouthed “What is going on?” as if Chanel would have the answers. She usually did. Being the center of this kind of grand gestured made her slightly uncomfortable, usually, she was the one making it.

Soon enough he had stopped singing and had started dancing, and he danced very well. Even when he was dancing over to them where they stood dumbfounded. It was as if all sound was drowned out when he arrived as he spoke a few words to Sonny, Julie couldn’t really concentrate on anything but the dancing boy in front of her.

Her eyes traveled all over his frame. Broad shoulders, long hair, and kind eyes that crinkled as he smiled. She focused next on how he was dressed as she always did, grey casual suit paired with a striped t-shirt… I could work with that Julie thought to herself as her blue eyes traveled down and landed on a pair of white pointy-toed shoes that looked like they were from the nineties… bold.

"Care to dance?"

A small smirk crept on to Julie’s face as she tore her gaze away from those moving white vintage shoes, facing Ryland once again. She confidently grabbed his outstretched hand and took the lead towards the dance floor.

“I hope you can keep up… new kid” she said as she passed him. The onlookers whooping and clapping as they joined them dancing around.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

Even though the DJ was not really pumping out the Music that Archer usually would listen to he appreciated that he did a good job of getting people pumped and out on the dancefloor. Even someone like him with two left feet enjoyed himself flopping around with his date. At least he could make April laugh with his movements. After a few dances, he realized that as much as he was enjoying dancing with April, there was one person he would like to this with the whole evening. Kavan.

When the song finished he grabbed April by the hand and lead her back to the table where Stella, Santiago, and now Carter stood. “I’ll let you take the next few dances.” he said patting the devil on the shoulder in an attempt at male bonding, which he regretted immediately. His face probably showing it. “I’m going to find my better half… see you guys later” he gave a small wave to the group as he made his way through the crowd in search of his boyfriend.

It didn’t really take that much time to spot the tall, dark, and handsome teenager standing and talking to some of their classmates. When Archer got closer he recognized the blond one as Jasper and the other one as… wait, what? Was that his cousin?! Why the hell was she here? He wracked his brain as he drew closer. He seemed to remember that his mother had mentioned that Dani and her family might be moving back. But seeing her at the dance was came as a shock.

When he arrived he snaked an arm around Kavan planting a kiss on his cheek. “Hey, Van… missed you!” he whispered to him before turning to the others. “Jasper… nice to see you.” His green eyes flicked to his cousin, confusion swimming in them. “Dani… surprised to see you here.” he began “I didn’t know you had moved already… also who brough-” then it hit him. Of course, his aunts had set up an old fashion cousin date for her and Max. Again he thanked the stars and the moon for April. If not for her maybe he was the one who had to commit social suicide and come to a dance with his cousin.

“Well… Welcome to King’s I guess!” he chuckled awkwardly. It wasn’t that he and his cousin didn’t get along. It was just that they had very little in common. And their father’s had always lumped Dani together with Warren as they both were athletic and Archer… was not. But before they could exchange more than pleasantries. The music got cut off and the room became silent and a familiar voice echoed through the speakers.

Archer’s eyes widened as Ryland spoke. What was happening? It sounded like the boy had had the realization of a lifetime. When he finished a lot happened at once, first Ryland stood awaiting Red’s response, then Torvie stood up in a huff and marched right over to Marisol and started talking very intensely.

His knee jerk reaction was to step in and defuse the situation but for the third time that evening, he had to convince himself: This is not your problem… stay out of it. Instead, he tightened his grip around his boyfriend and gave him a worried look.

“Happy Valentine…” he gave him a weak smile.