Venus

Meadow University

_{An Alaric Sterling @Otterpop & Lola Russo @Venus Collab
With Special Guest: Mia @TootsiePop}
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

"Oh, shit. I'm gonna be late."

Alaric had been so preoccupied with getting his room into a state that was somewhat normal that he'd completely forgotten about his date with Lola, at least until he looked at his phone and saw a text from Parker.

Make sure to use protection!

He began to scramble around his room, tossing things here and there as he searched for something that wouldn't make him look like a complete idiot. Lola didn't seem like the kind girl that should be kept waiting-- in fact she didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd even think about going out with a guy like him. But now wasn't the time to think about that, he needed to try and impress this sorority girl with some leather and a good time.

In the end he settled on an outfit that he just threw together, ran some light gel through his messy hair until it looked decent and decided that it was good enough. At least he wasn't going looking like a homeless junkie, he thought he looked pretty damn good in fact.

Alaric swiped the keys to his baby and rushed out the door. Luckily Lola's sorority house was popular and easy to get to, but by the time he pulled up in front of the massive building it was 9:15. He couldn't panic though, no no no. He needed to play it cool and chill, the last thing he wanted was to have this bombshell think he wasn’t worth her time….if she didn't think that already. After a small internal pep talk Alaric walked up to the door, knocking on it several times and waiting.

Scurrying to the stairs, Mia held onto the railing and loudly whispered to her other Sister, who was in her bedroom, “He’s finally here!” Since she was the doorkeeper, she knew what she needed to do. Marching to the door, making him wait longer than Ty, she stared at it for a good sixty seconds before creeping it open and looking at him with a sickening sweet smile, “Hello stranger! How can I help you?” Playing it dumb was her thing and because of his tardiness Mia had to give him a hard time.

Was it supposed to take this long? He always thought the empty-headed girls were like door watchers or something and assumed that one of them would open it quickly. After what felt like forever a little blonde girl opened the door, her smile was freaking him out. It was almost too….nice? Was that even possible? In his experience sorority girls were pretty damn scary. ”Alaric, I’m here to pick up Lola. Is she ready?” He asked, his voice steady and confident. Parker always said these girls were like lions and would pounce on weakness, he couldn’t show any sign that he was actually nervous as hell.

“I don’t know!” Mia brightly chirped, before leaning in and narrowing her eyes, “Are you ready?”

Alaric started at the small girl, blinking a few times as he tried to process exactly what she meant with that question, he knew damn well it had another meaning somewhere in there. He put a little smirk on his face as he spoke, he had an idea that would make Parker the proudest dad friend ever. He leaned in towards the small blonde and spoke softly so that only she could hear what he said, ”If you mean ready to hear her scream my name, then yes.” He leaned back and set one hand on his hip. ”But also ready to get some drinks, so tell me, is she ready?”

Not breaking her poker face, but internally gushing, Mia laughed in his face (think high pitched, sounds almost like a stripper giggle). What a daring boy. A man slut. Confident enough in making his lovers’ scream. Lola was indeed a thirsty freak. Maybe, just maybe, she could learn to like him. “Like I said, I don’t know! Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Throwing the door open, the tiny blonde revealed her intimidating Sister, standing close enough where he could see her in all her hotness, but not close enough where the door would’ve hit her in the face. “I’ll leave you to it. Ta ta for now!” And with that, Mia skipped away to the kitchen, humming.

Upon first impressions, Lola Russo admitted to finding herself pleasantly surprised with what she was seeing. It wasn't often that she was proven wrong, but Alaric was definitely doing a good job of it so far. From the way his hair sat atop his head in a nice blend of messy and styled, to his fantastic choice of outfit with generous amounts of black and leather, the young man was exuding the confidence and sex appeal Lola looked for in her guys. Unluckily for him, his good looks didn't take away from the fact that he'd committed one of the biggest sins a guy could do when dealing with her. Unfortunately for him, the blonde wasn't going to just let his lateness slide- even if he was looking like tonight's midnight snack.

"You're feeling awfully confident for someone who's kept me waiting for the last- " she checked her phone's watch quickly before turning her hard hazel stare back to her date's face with a haughty expression. " -seventeen minutes without notice."

He wanted to cringe so bad but stopped himself from doing so, he couldn’t believe he actually said that with her almost in earshot. But that thought quickly vanished as he looked his blonde date up and down, eyes widening at her bold choice of outfit. It was sheer as hell, her decision to not wear a bra and wear a tiny little thong obvious. He was surprised that she was so comfortable wearing something like that in public, though he had to admit that if she was trying to make him see her it was definitely working. The poor boy had to steady himself internally, if he somehow failed to impress her he knew Parker would kill him.

After a mental reboot Alaric leaned against the door frame, “I’m confident because I know I can make up for it.” He grinned as she raised her eyebrows and smirked back at him, those grey eyes of his once again running up and down her body.

"I guess we'll see about that, won't we?" she shot back, that challenging tone quite clear on her voice. There was no denying the way Alaric had stared Lola up and down more than once. And frankly, it filled the young woman's heart with a sense of pride to know that her thirst trap was getting the results she wanted.

"Now tell me Princess, you ever ride on something like this?” He asked and gestured to the sleek black motorcycle that waited on the curb, two helmets resting on the handle bars. He could easily drive a car but chose not to, his baby was much more fun and thrilling than some giant hunk of metal.

"You know what? I can't say that I have," the blonde admitted with a smile that hid how nervous the sight of the bike made her. It was true. Although she had worked with motorcycles for photo shoots during her career, she had always been reserved about the idea of actually riding them. Sure: the motorcycle certainly gave Alaric more brownie points on the cool scale. Call her paranoid if you will, but Lola's worry about suffering any sort of disfiguring or incapacitating injury went far beyond whatever curiosity she might have.

This was a perfect opportunity then, even though Lola didn’t seem like the type to be into leather and chains any girl thought a dude with a motorcycle was cool….as long as he didn’t look like a biker demon from hell. With a small chuckle Alaric led her to the bike and handed her one of the helmets, “Well that’s something I can easily fix. Now, hop on, Princess. If we don’t hurry all the good booths are gonna be taken and I really don’t think sitting next to the bathrooms is date-worthy.” he said with a cheeky little grin.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

Monday, August 14th, 2018: Day one of one hundred and eighty. The beginning of King Academy's school year, as well as the start of senior class. One step closer to adulthood, one step away from the rules and regulations of adolescence. There will be laughter, tears, a few thrown punches, and above all, multiple stories to tell. People to whom have never gotten so much as a passing glance will suddenly find themselves at the center of conflicts they didn't think they would ever get into, relationships intertwining and tangling themselves between love, friendship, hatred, and a mess of emotions. The only thing you can really count on is that tomorrow's another day...although, that doesn't really mean it'll be a better one. But life goes on, and all we can really do is keep going.

🦁 First Day of School

Pages 1 to 4

🦁 Santiago’s Back to School Pool Party

Pages 4 to 8

🦁 Happy Monday!

Pages 8 to 9

🦁 The Homecoming Hunger Games

Pages 9 to 10

🦁 Homecoming: Night of a Thousand Stars

Pages 10 to 15

🦁 Just Another Sunday Morning

Pages 15 to 18

🦁 The First Assembly

Pages 18 to 20

🦁 Kavi’s Halloween Party

Pages 20 to 24

🦁 Lunchtime Shenanigans

Pages 24 to 25

🦁 Winter Break Happenings

Pages 25 to 26

🦁 Last First Day: Beginning of the End

Pages 26 to 29

🦁 The Second Assembly

Pages 29 to 30

🦁 A Celebration of Friendship

Pages 31 to 36

🦁 Yet Another Sunday Morning

Page 36

🦁 The Brunch and The BBQ
🦁 It’s Promposal Season!
🦁 Senior Prom 2019: Theme TBD
🦁 Prom Aftermath
🦁 Looking Towards The Future
🦁 Graduation 2019: Every Ending is a New Beginning
🦁 Life Beyond Kings Academy
🦁 Epilogue: A Moment In The Life of...

Project Untamed

_{@TootsiePop@Rosalia@metanoia}
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Their first challenge was too easy. The fact that they only required everyone to make ‘one’ shot to get a clue was laughable and not a challenge at all. Since Griffin had this in the bag, he tried to prod the other two on going first, having more faith in Sol than Nicholas. “Looks like we can’t hard carry you in this one. Don’t miss!” He proudly boasted. “Or do, and have Sol tear you a new one for making us lose on the first challenge.”

Taking this as a clear declaration of war, Nicholas decided to turn the tables and egg Griffin on, intentionally getting under his skin where the hawk would feel inclined to show off his prowess first and ‘make a good first impression’. This gave him the opportunity to watch exactly how Griffin shot, to improve his own accuracy. Following right after, he used Griffin’s ball to make his shots, kept his eyes on the target (rim), made sure his feet were shoulder width apart, and mimicked Griffin verbatim - but better. Minus the times that his fellow colleague was showing off, Nicholas decided to copy the first shot Griffin made which had perfect form, in terms of fundamentals, power, and technique.

The competitive spirit between the two boys were clear as the heat that surrounded them because of their annoyance for one another, and Soleil didn’t stop them. Part of her knew they’d perform better if there was a fire burning inside of them. If anything, this would guarantee a fast and efficient win for someone like her with average basketball skills, and she wanted to win. The other part of her was just very amused to watch two of her friends try and outperform each other. It was nice to not be the main attraction of a fight every once in a while.

There was no doubt Nicholas made Griffin salty, especially after using his b-ball to shoot, as well as use his STYLE to make his shots. As scarily as this sounded, they made 28 shots instead of the required ten with, with Sol missing her first and fourth baskets but making the rest of her eight. It seemed that they were off to a good start, even if the focus the two birds channeled in their spirits was razor sharp and could cut any person watching.

And after every challenge they completed, it was that much more obvious that Griffin was becoming increasingly annoyed with Nicholas. What started out as a simple, yet typical response to Nicholas matching him nearly shot for show, movement for movement, and style matching almost in a scary fashion, soon evolved into something of a competition within the competition. Nicholas became aware of Griff’s saltiness and there was no way the Grey boy would allow himself to give into defeat, so he played along, even upping the ante when he could.

Time was lost and when it came to the final challenge, this was when they reached peak petty. Nicholas was the first to step forward when they were given the location clue about the final challenge. Looking at it, Nicholas spent a few moments looking at it, seeing how to the naked eye, it wouldn’t look like much. Letters were mismatched and it read like a four-year-old wrote it.

So he turned to Griff. “Care to venture a guess, big bird? Or would you finally like to admit defeat and declare me right since the start?” He asked, handing Griff the card. Nicholas knew it. He didn’t have to spend time trying to decipher it because he already had. Now it was just about wanting to rub it in Griffin’s face when Nicholas would be proven right in that Griff can’t do the mental challenges like he had said from the start.

There were three people that got on Griffin’s nerves. The arrogant idiot, Leo, though he thinks they’re buddy-buddy. The selfish socialite, Tyler Jane, she knows he doesn’t like her. And this douchebag, who underestimated him just like Leo, but worse because he got satisfaction proving he was better. Leo desired to dominante. Nicholas, though? He was a narcissist.

For the most part, Griffin was able to keep his cool... for the most part. However, after being caged for two weeks, his emotions seemed to be easily agitated, as if he needed to break his knuckles into Nicholas’ face. That was not the role he played on campus and he would not break face now. They were almost done and Griffin would not have to deal with him until he absolutely was forced to again.

Only taking seconds to figure it out, Griffin rolled his eyes, crumpled the two cards, shoved it in his pockets, and shrugged, “Sure, I’ll take the credit. The first one is your shadow, the second one is the letter ‘e’.” And he looked at the teacher who held up a sign that said ‘SRAT BIGNULID’ “The finish line is the Arts Building. Now, Nicholas, let me tell you the difference between you and me.”

Sol was holding Griffin’s basketball as he approached the other boy, bird to bird, crossing his arms, “You might be smart but our skills are on a whole different level. I can tell you exactly what we did from start to finish of this scavenger hunt, and things you missed, and things you took your sweet time to stare at, like the two people you’re totally into, because I simply have a better visual memory than you and I catch little things that you would never see because you’re just so goddamn burdened by how good looking you are.” Griffin scoffed, clearly perturbed. If there was one thing Nicholas was good at, it was getting under his skin better than Leo and TJ put together, “I might not show all my cards, but don’t underestimate me, dude.”

"Fin, Nick, stop it," Soleil growled from the corner, staring daggers at her teammates out of her tiger green eyes. They were supposed to be finished with this scavenger hunt ages ago, but the two boys had decided to turn things into a 'my dick is bigger than your dick' competition. Fortunately for Sol, her lack of said body part meant that she'd been excluded from taking part in this mess. But unfortunately for her, she'd had to watch with growing irritation as Nick and Griff wasted precious time on trying to one-up each other. And no matter how hard she'd tried to keep them on track without using violence (which had probably been her first mistake), there was no stopping the two competitive males from doing as they wanted.

Whoever said girls were petty and emotional had clearly not met Nicholas Grey and Griffin Pierce.

Throughout Griff’s speech, the selectively observant Nicholas happened to ignore most of it but one crucial detail that he chuckled at. Maybe it was a slip-up or he actually meant it but regardless, he homed in on it. “So, you think I’m good looking, huh?” He smirked at Griff. There was no use hiding how entertained he was right now. And for those who knew him, he was his best (or worst depending on the person you ask) when he was indulging completely in whatever had his attention.

Grimacing, Griffin decided to not respond to that. Why was it the two boys that were into themselves talked to him a lot? Leo treating him as a baby brother and Nicholas… as a ‘friendly’ rival. Instead, he gestured for Sol to toss his ball to him, so they could head to their destination. Best way to deal with boys like Nicholas was to not deal with them at all.

On the other side of the equation, Soleil rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, also opting to ignore Nicholas’ narcissistic jab at Griffin. Sometimes, she wondered what girls ever saw in such shallow guys like Leo and Nick. Sure: they were attractive, and probably knew their way around in the areas where it counted. But she could never picture herself dating someone who cared so much about their appearance. She needed her man to have effortless charm-- a man with substance, plenty of depth and a smile that could put the sun to shame… Someone like Theodore Wallstrom.

Grimacing, the young woman tossed the basketball back to its rightful owner, turned on her heel, and began her trek to the finish line. She hoped her teammates had been too busy with each other to notice.

“You know silence speaks volumes, right?” Nicholas would say as he followed in Sol’s stead, breezing past the second-grade birdboy.

“Yeah, especially from you. It’s a downright blessing.” Griffin intentionally dribbled his basketball to ruin the silence that Nicholas felt so keen to point out.

As the symphony of footsteps and the air in Griff’s head clearly started to boil over, Nicholas chuckled. “No need to deny it. I know you like the sound of my voice. I mean, how could you not? I sound spectacular!”

“Do you ever…” Griffin narrowed his eyes, exasperatedly glaring at Nicholas, “...hear yourself when you talk?”

Out of nowhere, a very furious Soleil suddenly stopped in her tracks and whipped around to glare at her feuding teammates. “Can you guys just shut the fuck up?!” she growled loudly, her green eyes flashing with the anger and frustration she’d been holding back for a long while now. “Unless you both want to become punching bags on my next training session, zip it. You’re giving me a fucking headache!” And from the way her fists were balled up, there was no denying the girl meant every word.

He rolled his eyes at both of them. Part of him wanted to comment but knew it wouldn’t be worth it. Sol was borderline unpleasant whenever she got like this, so Nicholas knew when to pick his battles. “Whatever.” Yes, in a rare showing, Nicholas outright admitted a temporary defeat-- at least, until they won this challenge. Then all bets were off.

Still frowning, the Jameson girl once again turned on her heel and walked the short distance from their current position and to the arts building, her footsteps a little heavier than before. However, when she noticed that they were the only students around and there were just a few staff members left, her face lit up.

“Well how about that? Looks like we fucking won this thing after all…” she said with a smug smirk, walking past the finish line and scanning the area for any classmates. “And by a landslide, too. There’s nobody else out here yet!”

“Um… actually…” The faculty member standing before them was the smallest one of them all with big glasses, strawberry blonde hair, and a knitted sweater on. She had lost a game of rock, paper, scissors and had to stand out here, waiting for the stragglers. “Well, you see… the other teams are already heading back to their dorm,” Ms. Mulligan nervously played with the pen in her hand.

“You guys are… last.”

Immediately, Soleil’s smug grin was wiped away as her face comically fell into a disbelieving expression. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked the woman, taking a few heavy steps in her direction.

Internally shaking, not one to enjoy observing the apex predators of their experiment, Ms. Mulligan profusely shook her head, “Here’s some stickers! Thanks for participating.” Dropping the paper awards (for participation) that read ‘Congrats you did it!’ with stickers on top for each one of them (her own personal gift, they were cute animals), the faculty member was quick to scurry away, while sheepishly yelling, “I’m sorry!”

“Stickers, huh?” Nicholas repeated back in a low voice. It took him a few, slow-to-register moments but once it clicked, he couldn’t help but laugh. The team that was poised to easily claim victory had, in fact, been given the equivalent to participation trophies. He wasn’t sure if he was angry or if the entire situation amused him more than getting multiple reactions out of Griffin.

The moment Griffin saw sweat coming down the teacher’s forehead, before she even spoke, he decided while his teammates were distracted that he’d take this opportunity to magically disappear. Sidestepping quietly, he watched as the other two focused in on the poor teacher. Poor thing could barely speak.

And just like that, he was gone…

Or so he thought.

Unfortunately, Griffin and Nicholas hadn’t reacted fast enough. Before either of them could do more than run off in the same direction, the raging Soleil had turned around, and was stampeding towards them like an angry bull with bloody murder in her eyes.

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

_{A super unexpected Val & Leon adventure}
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

“Oh my god…” Leon quietly exclaimed, patting and rubbing his belly, “I had no idea that food could be so tasty...or that one person could yell so loud.” The two having left the restaurant not too long ago, walked down the Las Vegas strip, a small way to burn off the calories of the lunch that they ate, or rather Leon practically inhaled. It cost a small fortune, but they were in Vegas and it’s not like he was going back anytime soon to eat there, or burp up for a second very appreciative tasting. He definitely appreciated Val’s recommendation to go eat there and though he was fairly comfortable in his workout clothes he was strongly advised to wear something at least slightly more ‘formal’. Turning to his food companion he piped up, “Did you ever have risotto before that? I didn’t even know you could turn rice into basically a cheese pudding with toppings!”

“Right?!” the cheerful Val in the short denim dress, white sneakers and round sunglasses responded, with an ear to ear grin that seemed to be permanently etched on her face. Suggesting lunch at Hell’s Kitchen had proven to be a fantastic way to finally put aside the awkwardness of their prom date and go back to the way things used to be between her and Leon, with the added bonus of some extraordinary cuisine. Of course, not being surrounded by an entourage of people certainly helped matters (at least in Val’s case). “What about that steak, though? I swear to God, I never understood the concept of meat ‘melting in your mouth’ until I took a bite out of that filet mignon.”

“I could probably die happy after having a meal like that, but...kind of stinks we didn’t even get dessert before he closed down the restaurant though…” The unfortunate side effects of Hell’s Kitchen, piss off the chef too much and everyone pays for it...well not literally. Pondering his thoughts, Leon locked his hands behind his head, “Maybe we could get some ice cream or something? It is pretty warm out…” Leon didn’t care much for things of a ‘frufy’ nature, but something about that meal made the prospect of going for cheap, frozen treats almost not worth it. Idling close by, his eyes caught a brochure stand near a bus stop and he decided to inspect it. His eyes glazing over the different titles and colorful thoughts, maybe something would stand out that might sound better than just the ol’ razzle dazzle of ice cream. Out of everything in the stand though, one thing did stand out, two simple words, ‘Helicopter Tours’. Like the cat killed by curiosity, Leon pulled the brochure out and quickly scanned it’s contents. Vegas strip tours… Grand Canyon… Night time city lights…

Wait. What?

Immediately a grin planted itself on his face as he got an idea, “Hey, think you could wait here for a couple of minutes? I need to make a phone call.” Before even giving Val the chance to respond he started to walk away, all the while grabbing his phone to dial in the number on the cover of the brochure. “Hey, I saw your ad about sunset tours? Does that picnic come with just dessert?”

---

Within about 30 minutes Leon had booked an open tour, called an Uber and both he and Val were on a helicopter in the sky, flying over the city, with the sun hanging over the horizon. “This is pretty freaking cool right?” He yelled to Val over his headset, the whirring of the helicopter blades only partially muffled. If the brochure and flight crew had it right, they were going to be flying out over the city, to a secluded part of the area called ‘Black Canyon’ to watch the sunset and eat some kind of fancy treats. “We got pretty lucky with this, too. I guess someone else booked for today, but cancelled at the last minute.”

When Leon had told Valeria that he’d be taking her on a ‘surprise adventure’, the girl had been her usual skeptical self. The buff boy wasn’t exactly known for being creative, so a part of her was expecting that his idea of a ‘surprise’ would be something sports-related, like a basketball museum or even visiting some fancy gym he found online. However, she was pleased to be proven wrong this time around, and highly intrigued by what her friend could possibly have under his sleeve. When they arrived at their destination and Val realized what they would be doing, the short girl couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!” she cried out, grinning widely at him. “I’ve never been on a helicopter ride before! This is so fucking awesome!”

“Same here, I didn’t think they’d be this loud though! Good thing they gave us these things!” He shouted pointing to his headset. It wasn’t long after that the pilot informed them of their destination coming up. Looking out the window, all Leon saw was a vast expanse of rocky terrain overlooking a canyon, and try as he might he didn’t see anything that resembled where they might get some dessert. Thinking on it, the brochure did say that the area they were headed to was secluded, maybe it was underground and would pop up like the villain’s base in a James Bond movie. “I know it’s not Hell’s Kitchen, but hopefully where we’re going for dessert is going to be amazing!”

“Are you kidding me?! This is so much cooler than Hell’s Kitchen!” she shouted back. As if dining at a fancy restaurant could ever top a fucking private helicopter ride!!!

The helicopter slowly descended and landed upon the rocky plateau of the canyon and the two were led along a trail to their destination. The air was still warm from the sun beating down all day, but was slowly beginning to cool as it descended down towards the horizon. After a few minutes of brisk hiking, able to take in their surroundings, they were brought towards a small table situated on flat terrain. It was just big enough for two, with a chair on either side, white tablecloth, plating and silverware, adorned with a single vase containing a small bouquet of red roses. This was unexpected in both fanciness and seclusion, how Leon hadn’t seen it on the way in, he was unsure, but perhaps that was the majesty of the terrain. As for the table setting, well his only real experience in ‘fine dining’ was only an hour or so ago at lunch so maybe this was just another level of sophistication he didn’t understand. The two sat down and before a word could be said, a bottle of champagne was opened and poured in their empty glasses and they were informed the chef would be with them shortly.

Leon looked at the glass curiously, it wasn’t that he didn’t drink alcohol, but they hadn’t even carded or anything, maybe they got special service or something? “You think he was talking about that guy who was riding shotgun in the helicopter?” Leon asked as he lifted the glass to inspect the slowly rising bubbles.

“I don’t know, but I’m not complaining,” the smug girl answered, clinking her glass against Leon’s before taking a long sip of champagne.

He jumped back a little at the clink, preoccupied by his filled glass, but as Val took in her sip he felt it cordial enough to take on himself, the fizzy, somewhat dry and bitter drink flowing down his throat.

For the next few minutes, Valeria remained quiet as her brown eyes scanned their surroundings. There was something to be said about the beauty of the canyons, with mountains upon mountains of red rocks and vegetation stretching out in front of them under a blue, yellow, and orange sky, while The Strip and all its adventures seemed to gracefully fade into the distance. Although the day had been warm before, the altitude provided them with a comfortable breeze that played with Val’s long, dark locks of hair. Meanwhile, the retreating sunlight basked the pair and everything around them in a warm, comforting glow. “This place is beautiful, isn’t it?” she mused aloud, still admiring their breathtaking view.

Leon smiled as he watched Val relax for a moment, sometimes she was so high strung that it was a pleasure to actually watch her be calm for a moment of time. It’s not to say that their day wasn’t great, she was smiley and giggly and laid back, but this moment, right here, it was a good one in and of itself. “Yea, it sure is,” he chuckled, taking another sip.

It wasn’t long before their ‘esteemed chef’ appeared before them and introduced himself, “Bonjour, welcome to the Black Canyon. My name is Andrew, and it is my pleasure to be serving you this evening. I understand I am preparing you a delicacy of the dessert variety, I hope you will both enjoy it!” So polite and again, fancy, Leon was rather excited to be here with Val. With things having been so weird between the two of them lately, this was a rather refreshi-

“So how long have you two lovebirds been together?” Chef Andrew asked the pair with a polite smile.

...Wait..wut?

Valeria, who had been excitedly anticipating for the chef to start working on what she knew would be a five-star dessert, was throwing for a loop at the older man’s question. “I’m sorry… Come again?” she heard herself asking with wide eyes, curiosity getting the best of her. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

Leon found himself rather stunned by the question, only bits and pieces of it made sense to him, maybe he just meant, ‘how long had they known each other?’ “Since the beginning of high school. Freshman year, actually…” Despite the answer, his emotion was rather deadpan as his brain continued to wrack itself trying to understand the question he was being asked.

“Oh, so you two are highschool sweethearts?”

WAIT...WUT???!?!?!

Oh, he definitely meant what Val was thinking.

Giggling, the young woman decided to just go with it. “Yup, we sure are!” she answered cheerfully, giving the chef a bright smile as she placed her hand over Leon’s. It was Vegas, after all, so why not have a little fun with things rather than make things awkward with the truth?

Leon’s expression was a mixture of confusion-- okay, mostly confusion. But there was also surprise. He wasn’t really expecting this and Val was… Val was definitely doing a thing that Leon wasn’t sure how to comprehend. When she placed her hand on his, he stared at it, mouth slightly agape.

“Sir, are you alright?”

Leon turned to him, mouth still hanging a bit, “Uh huh,” he nodded in a rather affirmative motion. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but rather than get any more weirded out than he was, he just rolled with whatever situation he was thrown into. “It’s great, just...the best!” Without thinking, he placed his free hand on top of hers and clasped it gently, just going with the moment.

Grinning, the young woman turned to Leon with soft, affectionate eyes. For the first time in four years, Val would be able to truly experience what being his girlfriend could be like- even if it was just by playing pretend for a little while. This chance was certainly the opportunity of a lifetime. “Being with him has made these the best four years of my life, without a doubt. I can’t complain.” she told Chef Andrew, keeping her eyes on Leon. He’d know what she was saying wasn’t a lie this time.

“I…” He felt somewhat choked and at the same time, Val kept looking in such a comfortable way that he felt a little relaxed, “I can definitely agree with that.” If not somewhat awkwardly, he did manage a smile, he did enjoy being in Val’s company even if it was… whatever this was.

As he looked at Val, and she looked right back at him with their fingers still gently grazing over each other, the chef brought them their dessert: a decadent chocolate cake in the shape of a decorative heart, with a few strawberries strewn around it for decoration. Leon’s eyes grazed over the cake, partially hungry, partially confused, before he raised his gaze back towards Valeria, who was staring in awe at the delicacy in front of them. Without wasting any time, the two picked up their spoons and dug in.

To nobody’s surprise, the dessert was gone in less than five minutes, but the best friend duo spent the rest of their time talking, laughing, and simply enjoying each other’s company without a care in the world. It was refreshing to know that, even after her weird behavior and the tense atmosphere between them after the prom night sisterzone fiasco, they were able to easily fall back to their old dynamic. It certainly further convinced Val that she’d done good in attending the trip.

Finally, it was time for them to return back to the group. But before they left, the day had one more treat under its sleeve…

“Alright you two!” Chef Andrew exclaimed with a smile, pulling out a camera, “How about we take some photos of your date before we go back?”

Valeria gave Leon a quick look, but wasted no time in standing up, pulling him up along with her, and dragging him in the direction of the nearby cliffs. Without missing a beat, he started taking pictures, flash after flash on the sweet young couple, with the breathtaking view of the sunset in the canyon behind them. Leon stared at the camera somewhat unfazed, while Val with the brightest of smiles, both of them closely holding each other by the waist.

“Now, how about a kiss?” The chef asked, raising the camera’s lens towards his eye to grasp the perfect shot.

“Um…” the young woman hesitated for a second, looking up at Leon with nervous, questioning eyes. “Are you fine with that?” she asked him in a small, rather shy tone of voice, her cheeks flushed.

She was...so innocent, and red, and yet, could he just... was his face just as flush as… “It’s not like...I’m..you’re just someone I...I…” his mouth hung open, unable to speak. Was this really happening?

Well… It's now or never, Val.

The short girl swallowed hard, took a deep breath and stood in her tiptoes. She took a second to take in Leon’s handsome features, focusing on the way his blue eyes were shining in the dusk sunlight, before closing her own eyes, cupping his face with one hand and pressing her full lips against his.

And all Leon felt in that moment was the flashing of the camera as he kissed back his best friend.

Meadow University

_{With Theodore, Madeléine, Shiloh and Connor}

---

---

As soon he got back to the Manor, Theo thought it was in his best interest to honestly kick back for a few and relax. It wasn’t that he had a tiring day. The chatter online came and went like a bad cold sore. He had just been out and about since morning in classes and walking to his next one and meeting up with some people clear across campus. It was all just very exhausting. And he had some time to kill before Shi and Connor, so that afforded him at least some downtime before he had to get his ass in gear.

He was in his room, laying on his bed, stripped down to a pair of boxers (sue him it was hot in his room), eyes closed but he was still very much awake. A few minutes or maybe close to ten minutes later, he heard a knock on his door. Rolling his eyes opened, he said in a flat tone, “Yeah?”

“Sorry to bother, sir, but I felt you should know that Master Bastien left just a short while ago,” Edgar formally told the redhead.

“I see.” Theo’s interest in where his brother was began and ended with how little his eyes were actually open. “Is that all?” Theo asked.

“Well, there might be another thing.”

Theo opened his eyes a little more, intrigued by the way the older man was leading. It wasn’t like Edgar to do this. Sure, Theo found him a bit annoying at times and always gave him hell -- well, not as much as Bas did -- but he always was upfront about almost everything he had to tell the triplets. It was, again, annoying, but Theo kind of liked that about Edgar. He appreciated that he didn’t try to hold anything back. So for him to be less than what Theo was used to, that stirred something inside that brought his curiosity to the surface.

Looking at Edgar with a raised brow, Theo said. “And what is it? What’s going on, Edgar?”

“I’M HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!”

Even before he saw her, Theo shot Edgar a scathing glare. After I’m done with him, Bas will seem like an angel in comparison. Theo cleared out the ringing in his ears by sticking his pinky fingers in it, hoping the buzzing noise would cease.

The short figure of the youngest member of the Bonfamille family rushed into Theodore’s room and struck a pose. Dressed in her customary fluffy pink bathrobe, a matching headband and white bunny slippers, Madéleine was announcing her presence in the house in the only way she knew how: by being loud and dramatic. Without wasting any more time, she skipped towards her brother’s bed and wrapped him up in a tight hug.

“Teddy-Bear! Hiiiiiiii! I’ve missed you! How’ve you been?!” she asked him while pulling away, as if they’d been apart for more than the two weeks she’d been away. “I hope you’ve been nice to Edgar while I’ve been away!”

“Of course! I’ve been a perfect gentleman to hi--”

But of course, Edgar wasn’t just trying to inform Theo of his sister’s presence. It was meant to be a warning that his friends had arrived earlier than expected, and there was currently a second pink-hued hurricane whirling it’s way through the Bonfamille manor house. “Worry not, the party has arrived!!!” Shiloh called from down the hall as she made her way towards Edgar in what she knew to be Theodore’s bedroom doorway. “And she brought party favors.” Shi hinted at the illicit substance she may or may not have stashed in her clutch to ensure that they had a fun night out.

“Oh, Maddie, didn’t know you’d be here. Are you coming tonight? Either way, cute look, love the robe — OH MY GOD!” Shiloh’s appraisal of Madéleine’s comfy cozy outfit was cut short by the sight of Theo in his boxers lounging about. “THEODORE GUSTAVE WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!” Her hand flew up to shield her eyes and she groaned. “I’m never going to unsee this…”

Theo lifted up his blanket, revealing a pair of boxers. “As you can see, I’m not nak--” Before he could finish, his sister interjected, paying him no mind whatsoever, even furthering his already limited patience.

“Thank you, sweetie! And don’t even worry about my brother’s indecent choice in clothing- or lack of. You get used to it,” Maddie replied nonchalantly with a dismissive shrug. However, Shiloh’s presence brought up a question she hadn’t even thought about. With wide, panicked eyes, the girl blurted out: “Wait a minute… If Shi is here, then that means-”

“Wha’sup Theo.” The Blonde poked his head into the rather populated bedroom. His eyes swam from Edgar, to Theo, to Shiloh and then to Madéleine. “Some stuff you’re into, eh, Theo?” He joked before offering his greetings. “Hey Shi. Oh, and hey Madéleine, haven’t seen ya in a while.”

As much as she wanted to cry out or scream, the second Maddie’s blue eyes had landed on Connor Kennedy, her ability to speak had vanished into thin air. For the last two years, the Bonfamille daughter had harbored a crush on, of all people, her brother’s best friend. She had never acted on it, of course- more out of a lack of experience than any sort of fear about Theo finding out. But there were always little signs happening whenever they came into contact: a brighter smile here, a blush there, an extra few seconds exchanging looks, the sparkle in her eyes, the enthusiastic disposition… Whether Connor caught onto them was still in question, but it made Maddie feel better to at least try.

But in moments like these, when she was caught off guard with a bare face and in an embarrassing outfit, all the young woman wanted was for the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Letting out a sigh, Theo figured there was no use hiding, so he whipped the blanket off of him and brought his legs off his bed. As he stretched, he felt his limbs release all of the tension inside them as they cracked. “You know, I wasn’t expecting you guys to be here so soon. I thought for sure I had another twenty minutes before.” He shrugged, knowing it was a moot point to dwell on the what ifs of the world. He centered on Mads, seeing she was acting awfully squierrily for some reason and then he noticed her slippers and immediately chuckled. “It’s a little early for Easter, don’t ya think?”

“What do you mean you weren’t — you sent the time to meetup in the group chat. Both Con and I showed up so clearly this is on you.” Shiloh rolled her eyes and shook her head at her friend. As his direction was turned to teasing his sister, Shi felt the need to swoop in and rescue the poor thing. She knew what a girl looked like when she was lovestruck, and Maddie was clearly smitten as a kitten, not that either of the y-chromosomal goobers in the room realized it. “Doesn’t matter, we’re all going out and having a good time tonight. Connor, can you help ginger minge find his clothes for the night? Good.” Shiloh asked and then confirmed with a smile before he even answered. “Maddie let’s go raid your closet and get you glammed, I gotchu, babe.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Connor joked, standing in mock salute. “Come on Theo, no one wants to see you in your birthday suit, dress up.” He leaned against the bedroom wall before continuing, “Also Madéleine are you alright? You’re looking red, you’re not sick are you?”

‘Sick with humiliation…’ the girl wanted to answer but didn't. Instead, she opted to nod. “I-I’m fine. I’ll be okay.” Maddie managed to croak out, giving Connor a shaky smile before turning to Shiloh. “Shall we get going, then? I have so many options to choose from that I can’t pick just one!”

“We shall!” Shi replied in a chipper tone and linked elbows with the bathrobe-clad Bonfamille to lead her away. Once they were thoroughly out of earshot, Shi began her work. “So…” She pried in an inquisitive way. “What kind of look are you thinking for tonight? Cute and coy… soft and sensual… or boldly in your face sex appeal?” Shi raised an eyebrow at the blonde as they approached her closet. “My advice is something close to the latter with how oblivious he is.” A knowing smirk punctuated her sentence.

Although it had been years since she’d told (well, more like was basically forced to admit to) Shiloh about her crush on Connor, it didn’t make talking about him any less embarrassing. The blush returned in full force, and Maddie’s eyes darted in every direction except Shi’s face. “I don’t know, honestly,” she admitted, taking a seat by the edge of her bed. “I’m not really sure what he’s into, and I don’t really think I’m even capable of presenting myself anywhere close to what anyone considers to be sexy. Cute? Yes. Elegant? Certainly. Girly? Absolutely. Sexy? Highly questionable.”

“No, no, no, no.” Shi replied with bell-like laughter as she took a seat on the fluffy blanket atop Maddie’s bed. “You don’t need to give a rat's ass what he’s into. Pick out something that you’re into, that’s where confidence comes from. And confidence is the sexiest thing, trust me, I’m a connoisseur of female sex appeal.” With a smirk she gestured for Maddie to select some options.

“Do you see the size of that closet?! I wouldn’t even know where to start!” Madéleine whined, letting out a deep sigh and letting herself dramatically fall backwards onto her mattress. She stared at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds before turning to Shiloh again. “You pick something out for me, Cupcake. Just get in there and come out with whatever you think will give me that sex appeal you keep talking about. I promise I’ll wear it, no questions or protests.”

“Ahh, feeling daring, are we?” Shiloh sprung to life, hopping down from the large king-size bed and sauntering over to the massive walk in closet. “Jesus, you weren’t kidding…” Shi mused from within the land of many fabrics… and shoes… and handbags. Thumbing through some sections, she made mental notes. “You know, you should showcase some of these, I feel like I’ve never seen you wear some of these at school. What do you think about modelling for me, we could do a photoshoot all around town — your favorite places. A day in the life of Madeleine Bonfamille.” Shi’s fingers found a particular dress that stood out from all of the frills and pink: a sleek snakeskin number that would no doubt show a healthy amount of leg. “Plus, you know who helps with my website’s programming, so he’d get a full show.” She smiled impishly and passed the girl the dress. “This one, for sure.”.

The girl lazily raised her hair high enough to peek at her friend's selection and immediately perked up. “Oh, I would love that!” Maddie replied excitedly, jumping up from the bed to grab the dress that Shiloh was offering her. She inspected the garment for a few seconds, trying to picture herself in the outfit. “Hmmmm… Well, it’s definitely different from what I’m used to wearing: that's for sure!” she laughed, pointing out her habit of wearing only pinks, neutrals and pastels. “But sure! I’ll try it out! I’ll need a coat or jacket to go along with it, though. You know how cold the nights can get around here.”

“Absolutely, I love a jacket-dress combo.” Shi replied, sporting her own leather jacket for the night. “Here, let’s get you glam. I can curl your hair while you do your makeup. My mom owns a beauty salon back in LA, so I learned young. With any luck we’ll be done before the boys start bitching.”

Meadow University

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

The breakup with Joanna had certainly taken its toll on Charlotte Diedrikson. The hyper personality that characterized her was all but gone, replaced by a quiet, morose shadow of who she used to be. Her week had been spent going through the motions as best as she could given her new living situation: shuffling between practice, her classes, more practice, and back to the bedroom she now shared with Kieran. Any mention of Joey could send her to tears.

And that Friday night was no different. After finishing with her usual routine, the girl made a quick stop for some Japanese takeout. At about half past eight, Lottie sat in the middle of Kieran’s bed, hair up in the laziest of buns and wearing nothing but a pair of pajamas already stained with soy sauce. Her brown eyes were glued to her laptop screen, watching old episodes of My Super Sweet Sixteen while taking mindless bites of the half-eaten chicken yakisoba container in her lap. From the outside looking in, she was certain she looked pathetic. She certainly felt that way. But what else was she supposed to do other than stay home and wait for the pain to ease up? Stuffing her face with noodles certainly sounded better than having to put up a facade in front of people.

Kieran, meanwhile, was doing his best to try and play the good boyfriend for his new roommate. Suffice to say it was a bit of a transition, and after hanging with Dee for most of Monday afternoon, coming back to Mac, Lottie and a giant suitcase was a major surprise. Still, he was willing to be supportive even after that suitcase moved into his room, and Lottie took up permanent residence there. He was the modern man who was willing to just lay in bed and cuddle to try and make Lottie’s pain go away. He was willing to watch whatever she wanted.

However, as he walked back into the room, microwaved chicken shawarma in hand, looking at his girlfriend staring at a bunch of spoiled 16-year-olds that wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it bit them in the arse, he got worried. “Hey Ace,” he offered as he moved to sit down next to Lottie on the bed. “Gotta… gotta another batch of kids expecting cakes in the shape of Ariana Grande at their birthday, huh? That...that’s the plan for tonight?”

“Yeah,” came Lottie’s unenthusiastic reply, not tearing her eyes away from the screen where Katie was testing out the endurance of a Hummer by running over every curve or median possible. “Why?”

“Nah, nah, it’s fine,” Kieran lied. “Can’t wait to see how Kayleigh recovers from her Ferrari arriving in the wrong color.” As he continued to sidle next to Charlotte, he continued to think about just exactly how to start broaching the subject he was worried about. “I’m surprised you don’t have these all memorized by now. How many episodes did they do?”

“Her name’s Katie, not Kayleigh. And I honestly have no idea…”the girl answered again, planning to drown out the sound of his voice when the smell of whatever he was holding finally reached her nose. “What is that?” she asked him, her face scrunched up in dislike as she pointed to the food item with her chin.

“It’s a shawarma wrap,” the boy answered. “It’s from Fattoush, that Mediterreanean place a couple streets over. It’s really good. Think it’s the garlic sauce they put in it.” It was clear from Lottie’s face that she wasn’t asking so she could figure out where he got it. That was an… interesting source of friction between the two. There was never really a discussion on favored foods outside of clubs and occasional dinner dates. “I’m guessing you don’t want a bite.” Not that Kieran was going to ask for any of the Japanese food. Too much sugar in the teriyaki sauce for him.

“No, thank you. I’m good,” she answered simply, shooting the offending dish one last glare before turning back to her show.

The silence afterwards was awkward. It felt weird to have the woman known for her prowess on the courts and her confidence in all things social be so curt and withdrawn. Kieran felt weird. This position was foreign ground to him. He felt like he was supposed to do something now. There wasn’t going to be another time. “So...um… how are you? I feel like we haven’t really talked about things much lately,”

The sudden change of topic finally caught Charlotte’s attention enough to warrant her pausing the episode and turning to Kieran. “There’s not really much to talk about, though, is there?” she replied in a nonchalant tone, but with eyes that betrayed just how sad she was about the whole thing. “I broke up with my girlfriend of two years and I’ve been feeling like crap about it ever since, even though I know it was the right decision. What else is there left to be said?”

Kieran was in uncharted waters here and he had no idea if his boat was taking on water or not. There was a chance to turn back, but there was no way for him to see that. Just too foolish to figure it out. So he pressed on. “I mean, that’s just it, eh? You ended the relationship. You’re telling yourself that was the move to make. And yet you’ve been holed up in here watching useless brats complain about stuff that don’t matter a spit in the real world. That tells me that there’s more to the feeling crap than just the end of that relationship. So, I’m here to listen. Do ya need to get something off your chest, or… I dunno?”

Charlotte was silent for a few seconds, deciding whether to continue to lie and pretend it was nothing or collapse into his arms like a crying mess. But in the end, she decided to take the middle ground. Letting out a deep sigh, the young woman carefully placed her food on the nearby desk, shifted around in bed to find the perfect position to lay her head on his lap. “I guess the only thing that’s really bothering me is that I have no idea why we even fought in the first place…” the blonde admitted. “I tried asking her what was wrong and all I got was her pushing me away. I thought our relationship was better than that, you know? That if something was bothering her she could tell me.”

If Kieran were a more perceptive person, he might have figured out that the conversation that led to the break up might have something to do with him and the proposition Lottie made at the party. But he was not that perceptive when it came to interpersonal relationships. Only hockey. “Well, I can’t pretend I had the understanding of how Joey works that you do. So, I don’t know what was going through her head when she did that. But if she was reacting like that, then you know you did the right thing for you.” He started stroking the blond hair that rested on his lap, shawarma now discarded to the floor beside the bed. “If she actually wanted the relationship to work, she would, you know, realize that you gotta be open about this sort of stuff if anything is gonna last. Least that’s what my mom says.”

“I know, that’s what I keep telling myself too. But it’s so hard...” Lottie admitted, tears finally welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. “It was two years of living together, having each other’s backs and just loving one another without any real commitment holding us back. I wish she had just told me what made her change her mind so I could fix it.”

“Sometimes you can’t force people to tell ya anything,” Kiki admitted, both to Lottie and to himself. “I can’t fathom why she would want to throw your relationship away so easily. But, I’m gonna bet you two things. One, she’s just as miserable as you are from the sounds of it, and two, she doesn’t have one of the best pillows in the world to comfort her the way you do, Munchkin.”

That brought a smile and a watery chuckle out of Charlotte. “That’s very true!” she told him, wiping away her tears, taking up a seating position and bringing Kieran in for a tight hug. He was the perfect life-size teddy bear to bring her the comfort she so desperately needed. “Thank you so much, Kiki. I’m really, really happy you’re here for me.”

Kieran smiled, seeing and feeling a bit of the old Diedrikson flame begin to come back to life. He was more than happy to return the hug and wrap Lottie up. “Anytime, Lottie. Anytime.” He rested his head on hers as he continued to hold her close. He definitely had the ability to make her feel that she had that waiting for her when needed.

Meadow University

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

At thirteen minutes past nine on that Friday night, a very visibly annoyed Lola Russo stood in the corner of her bedroom, carefully studying every inch of her outfit in the full-size mirror. Was it sheer? Yes. Was she aware of just how sheer it was? Yup. Had she purposely skipped the bra and worn the black thong knowing fully well that would be exactly where her date's eyes would wander off to? Absolutely. In fact, the blonde was secretly hoping her choice in attire and her sex appeal were enough to get her laid tonight. If she went through another Cassian Lee episode, Lola swore she'd be packing her bags and moving to Sicily in hopes that a hot mafia daddy would ask her if she was lost baby girl, kidnap her, take her shopping and sailing on a yacht, and make her his spoiled mafia princess. _{God, she fucking loved that movie.}

The unfortunate thing about making plans past dinner time was that she’d been present at the Delta house when Miss Congeniality’s date made his timely appearance. For the past week, that airhead Mia Somethingortheother had been bragging to anyone who would listen about how her beloved Junie had scored a date with Tyberius Delamar, making Lola physically sick with jealousy in the process. It wasn’t that she had a thing for Ty-- they’d hooked up a few years ago, and that had been the end of it. It was the fact that, even with her good looks, her sex appeal, her juicy bank account and her B list celebrity status, she failed to attract someone worthy of her time at this stupid school.

During that past summer, Lola Russo had been wined and dined by an NFL player from the LA Rams, bedded by a Navy sailor that looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch model, and taken on a week long vacation to Bali by the soon to be head of the Tres Doncellas Vineyard and Winery. And even with this astounding track record, the girl had been quick to accept Alaric's invitation to hang out. Turns out that the Blake that had annoyed her so much before had been her only friend at Meadow U, and now that he was gone she'd been feeling super kind of lonely lately (not that she would ever admit it). In times like these, the young woman wished she just stayed in California for college. At least back home she had her family, her girls, and a whole lot of hot guys to choose from. She didn’t have to resort to this.

As if her bitter attitude wasn’t bad enough before, it only worsened earlier: when she’d caught a glimpse of Ty Delamar looking stunning in a fitted suit, holding a bouquet of sunflowers and waiting for Junie. The face he made when he saw his date was a painful stab at Lola’s ego.

Great… She gets the in person invitation, the flowers, and the fancy dinner with the rockstar-looking sex God. And what do I get? A middle of the night text invite like some ordinary girl, from a short guy with questionable fashion sense who not only isn't even here on time, but who probably doesn't even know who Dolce & Gabbana are and spells Chanel with two n’s.

How is this even fair?!

And even though she knew this was probably karma for sending the infamous fight video to the headmistress in order to get back at Dickhead Lee, it didn't mean Lola thought she deserved it.

With her bad mood back again in full force, the young woman gave another glance at her cellphone and let out an annoyed huff. No texts, no calls, no explanations, and still late. Who did this guy think he was? How much longer did he plan to keep her waiting? Did he not understand who he was dealing with here?

Alaric Sterling had five more minutes to show up before Lola left everything behind and flew to Italy to start a new life as a mob boss’ wife.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

Santiago didn’t miss the way Archer's eyes filled with nervousness and how he scrambled away in panic after making mention of his boyfriend. Frankly, it made him feel equal parts sad and guilty. Sad, because he knew it had to suck living in fear of negative thoughts, words or actions just because you happened to be attracted and love someone of your same gender. And guilty, because although he’d always been one to shut down the football team or his friends every time they made homophobic remarks, he felt like he hadn’t done more to prevent the behavior and stand up for what he believed in. He made a mental note to take some time to talk to Archer in private later. The boy needed to know that he didn’t judge him, and that he was 100% on his corner.

He was abruptly brought back to reality by Stella nearly deafening him in one ear in her attempt to call out Carter’s attention, and couldn’t help but snicker at both her panic and his girlfriend’s remark. Santiago had heard all about her crush on the guy during their dinner date: their history, their current interactions, and her high hopes for the future, and had offered her whatever advice he could to make sure she was aware of both the potential risks and rewards. Diablo was more than happy for his new friend, and the last thing he wanted was to see her get played with and hurt again-- even if he knew Carter enough to trust that wouldn’t be happening.

Out of nowhere, the sound of a male voice rang across the speakers, identifying themselves as Ryland Aspen. The Devil had heard of him from April, when she’d told him the story of how he’d pissed off Julie enough to have her tackle him against a wall of lockers (a move that would honestly both scare him and turn him on if he was in the other boy’s position). With this story in mind, he was more than surprised when he watched the young man call the attention of and start serenading his old attacker.

“That’s one way to get her attention…" he heard his girlfriend mumble beside him.

“Yeah, tell me about it…” Santiago observed with the most amused, widest of grins as Ryland danced and sang his way around the room. “You gotta give it to him, though: it takes balls to go after Julie like that. God knows how many guys tried before him and ended up humiliating themselves...” And yet, to his and everyone’s surprise, Ryland’s theatrics seemed to be the way to the ginger queen’s heart. Before they knew it, Julie was smiling at the boy, taking his outstretched hand, and leading him off to the dance floor. “Holy shit, he really fucking did it! Damn, man. Mad respect right there.”

Santiago didn’t have much time to celebrate Ryland’s success, however. The attention of the love of his life was once again completely focused on him, and she was giving him the sparkling eyes and loving smile that took his breath away. When she mentioned their future daughter’s good looks, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “If she does, then that’s going to be all you, princesa,” he told his girlfriend with a smile, planting yet another kiss on her lips and holding her close to him. But the warm feeling inside his chest quickly faded away when he remembered a serious, important topic he and April needed to discuss right away before he could forget.

“So, uh, Coach Kinsley and Sergeant Mullins called me again this afternoon…” he began, scratching the back of his head again as he always did when he was nervous. “I have 30 days to get back to Kinsley about the scholarship, and Sarge says that I have pretty much until then too to sign the contract and be shipped off to Basic with the group that leaves the first week of June, right after graduation.”

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

What the fuck just happened…

For a moment, Ariana simply stood there, struggling to believe how quickly everything had crashed and burned right before her tear-filled eyes. To any onlooker with brief knowledge of the situation, this might look like yet another occasion of the school’s playgirl toying with a guy just for kicks and her own amusement. The truth, however, was different from what they would expect. There was a reason as to why Ariana had freaked out when confronted with the proposition of commitment-- and it wasn’t just the shock of how unexpectedly it had been. Looking back on it, Max had gone about it in a really sweet, considering way. But how could she have explained the reasoning behind her unexpected, less than desirable reaction when the words simply eluded her?

The girl wanted to call out to Max, to follow him, to stop him in his tracks and explain herself, but was seemingly frozen on the spot. Her legs refused to move, her jaw was tightly locked with panic, and her voice was stuck in her throat. All she could do was feel her heart breaking as she watched Max’s face fall in disappointment, step away and defeatedly retreat back into the safety of the ballroom after his failed attempt at officializing things with her.

When she was finally able to regain movement, Ariana immediately pressed her back and leaned her head against the nearest wall. She shut her eyes tightly and took deep, shaky breaths as her body trembled, fighting against the overwhelming desire to become a sobbing mess right then and there. She certainly had every reason to. Her remaining friends with benefits relationship was more than likely over for good, she had broken the lacrosse captain’s heart, and her mood was so shot that even the prospect of taking Jasper’s virginity later that night wasn’t appealing anymore. Hell, she didn’t even want to sleep with anyone anymore. All Ariana wanted was to cry on her best friend’s lap, stuff her face with ice cream, curl up under the covers with her and spend the rest of the night with the one person who not only had her back and didn’t judge her, but who also understood.

She needed to find Chrissie before her head would explode.

Finally, Ariana’s shimmering eyelids fluttered open, and the brunette stepped away from the wall. She took a few more, slightly calmer breaths before dabbing away any moisture from her under eyes, squaring her shoulders and sauntering back into the ballroom. Once inside, the young woman’s hazel eyes darted around the room, frantically trying to find her best friend for some much needed reassurance and moral support. However, what she saw only served to put her in an even worse mood: Danielle Kennedy, deep in conversation with Jasper and giving him the eyes.

Whatever progress Ariana had made in getting ahold of herself was gone as quickly as it had arrived. Sure, the brunette had been polite and friendly to Max’s cousin, but that didn’t even begin to excuse this behavior. It’s not that she was jealous, but more that she was worried about her reputation. How would it look like if this nobody came out of nowhere and blatantly stole her date in front of her whole class?! It was enough that she’d totally made herself look like an asshole with the lacrosse captain she’d been screwing since the semester started. But to imagine the Ariana Mossos getting snubbed by a new girl and getting away with it… It was a scene the Palm Beach princess wouldn’t allow to happen.

Scowling, Ariana stormed in their direction, her heels angrily clicking against the floor. She was just seconds away from putting this newbie in her place when she collided hard with a tall, willowy figure in a short, pink velvet dress. Thankfully for the both of them, the figure in question was none other than the one person the young woman needed the most: her beloved drama queen best friend.

“Oh my God, Peaches, I’m so glad it’s you!” Ariana exclaimed, wrapping Chrissie into a tight hug. “Something’s happened with Max and I don’t know what the hell to do anymore.”

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Fuck! What now? You do wonders to fuck up your own shit, Sonny Drake. But now you’ve done it and for what?

Yeah, for nothing. For...well, he didn’t know why he did it. Could be that SOnny had a few too many, but that wasn’t true because he only had one or two solo cups full of the spiked punch. That wasn’t enough to do any real damage. He was tipsy and had some hint of a lasting buzz, but nowhere close for him to feel as though the alcohol was to blame. So what? What was his reasoning? Sonny could blame it on his fear of Julie’s dad and feeling an obligation to remain by her side? Maybe it was how good of a time he was having. No huss or fuss - just a good time with his good friend.

As Sonny let out a stressed sigh, hearing the backdrop of some song start to play, a clear as day sign that the DJ regained full control over his booth, it became more apparent than ever that Sonny had acted, yet again, impulsively. From where he stood and how Marisol exploded at him, he could see how she might see this as him being an asshole again. He could even see how others might see that as well. He pulled her away from what appeared to be her trying to get footage of the big moment and Sonny had obviously acted without thinking the entirety of what was the present situation and the consequences to come from it.

And the more Sonny thought on it, the more he became convinced he had no fucking idea why he did this.

“Yeah, I bet,” he said, rolling his eyes at Marisol, scoffing at her last comment. “It didn’t seem like you were too happy to see me earlier, with how you and Rye were dancing.”

The young woman rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you even managed to shift your complete attention away from Julie for the first time this week, even if it took Rye and I almost dry humping on the dancefloor for you to notice me," she immediately argued back.

“I was just doing what you wanted to do. You know, the whole plan of setting those two up--” Sonny gestured to Rye and Julie. “And trust me, if you met her father, you’d want to make sure she had a good time too instead of grilling me for not being a perfect boyfriend.”

"So you're telling me that it's my fault you've been blowing me off to hang out with Julie lately?" Marisol pressed on with a scowl, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "As far as I know, setting two people up doesn't require daily afternoon visits to each other's houses, a fitted suit, or an entire new wardrobe, unless you're looking to be the person who gets set up with her."

“Oh please!”

He was finding it more difficult to reason with her than he ever had to in the past. Now granted, Sonny knew that he wasn’t completely in the right here. What she said was true and he and Julie had seen more of each other but so fucking what! It wasn’t a crime to spend time with a friend and Marisol should know that. Sonny had never felt anything but friendship for Julie, but of all people, his girlfriend thinks that?

Sonny rubbed his temples and shook his head. “You’re seriously mad at me because I had to put in the hours for your plan?!” Swallowing the words he had almost said, Sonny got at Mari’s eye level. “Getting a new wardrobe took more time than I would’ve preferred. If I had my way, I would’ve worn the suit I wore to Homecoming, but Julie convinced me. And yeah, maybe I like the way I look tonight. Is that a crime?” He asked with an attitude.

Marisol could only scoff. “‘Put in the hours’? Son, all you had to do was fucking ask her to the damn dance, show up to her house the day of to pick her up, bring her here, gas Ryland up to her a little bit, and then we would throw them together and watched it all play out. Whatever hours you say you put in for the sake of ‘my plan’ are your problem. Though, judging by how many of them you ‘put in’, I’m sure it was everything but a problem.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Sonny asked, arching an eyebrow. “Seriously, Mari: tell me what exactly is bothering you so much about how much time I spent with Julie?”

“Gee, I don’t know! Maybe it’s because you’ve always had a thing for the pretty popular girls?” the short girl spat, her eyes flashing with anger. “First it was Romina Stauffer back in elementary school. Then, you moved on to Serena Hotchkiss and Patricia Lowe in middle school. Then you start messing around with the Palm Beach Princess Ariana Mossos herself for basically the entirety of the second semester of sophomore year- who popped your cherry and whose cherry you popped, I might add-, and who you barely got over during junior year. And let’s not forget the time you made out with our lovely class president Victoire Bailey at that Diablo party last semester, and the few weeks you dated her wannabe actress stepsister Nadia Aurelios behind my back not long after that. So, yeah: you can see why it’s not completely outlandish of me to jump to conclusions given your track record.”

“Congrats on knowing my romantic history!” Sonny clapped his hands for emphasis. “What’s next? Are you going to list off everyone I don’t like at this school?” He scoffed at her. “Or maybe you want to list off every person I haven’t talked to at this school? Really, that would be amazing.” He let his words sink in before laughing and cut it off into a flat expression. “I have never wanted anything from Julie other than her friendship. She’s like a fucking sister to me, Mari, and the fact that you would even think that just shows how little respect you have for me.”

“Oh yeah? Wasn’t I ‘like a sister’ to you at some point too?” she definitely pointed out. “Don’t give me that ‘just a sister’ excuse. We both know that’s bullshit.”

“Well it’s true. And we never were truly like brother and sister. If we were, last summer wouldn’t have never happened. So when I say Julie is like a sister, I mean she is to me what Drea is or what Nikki is to Kavi. Like, holy shit! The girls I’ve been involved with, regardless of the reason or nature, have always -- always -- been when I was single. I don’t cheat and I never have cheated. I’m not Kavi!” While a part of him knew he should stop, he couldn’t, so he didn’t. “And since we’re airing it all out there, the only reason I spent so much time with Julie this past week was because my mother felt it would be a good idea if I gave this whole date arrangement shit a -- and I’m quoting her -- ‘a genuine effort’!” His last words came out louder than he probably intended them to be.

When Marisol heard Sonny’s last statement, she pursed her lips into a straight line and nodded in bitter understanding. And although she should feel satisfaction at how everything made absolute sense now, it didn’t stop the ache in her chest at yet another confirmation of how everyone thought she wasn’t enough for her boyfriend. “Of course...” she trailed off, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “Leave it to your mother to encourage her beloved little Jackson Jr. end up with a prim and proper lady like her rather than a fucked up tomboy like me, right?”

Sonny squinted at his girlfriend, head bobbing back slightly, and shook his head. “What? No, that’s not it.” He wanted to make sure she knew that his mother never thought anything of the sort and to affirm this, he wanted to take her hand but after how she reacted when he grabbed her earlier, he just gave her a stern look. “Listen: yeah, my mom has her reservations about me. But it’s not like she ever thought of you as less than or anything of the sort. So what if your clothes aren’t always matching or you don’t have perfect poise. No amount of increases in my allowance or new cars will change the fact that I love you in that way, not Julie. And even if my mom doesn’t approve, she has no choice.”

In typical Mari fashion, instead of focusing on the probably fake and highly questionable reassurance her boyfriend was offering her, her attention went to another part of his speech. “Higher allowance? New car?” she repeated, visibly confused. “What are you even talking about?”

“I, uh--”

Even before he realized what had left his mouth and the direction of this conversation that just seemed to be getting worse the longer it remained, Sonny knew that he fucked up. Just when things were going perfect in his life in the sense that he and Mari were finally moving past everything that threatened to tear them down last semester and he was actually starting to feel happy for once, this dance allowed the universe to throw him one curveball after the other, prompting him to wonder if he pissed someone off in his previous life and that’s why he was offered this unappetizing platter of shit pie.

As he felt his throat getting dryer and dryer, Sonny coughed a few times and tried that again. “My grades have been loads better lately, so she decided to reward me,” he shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

“Really?” she asked him, eyebrow raised questioningly in a way he knew meant she thought he was full of shit. “What car did she get you? Because as far as I know you love your orange truck from hell more than me.”

“Close,” he added with a half-grin. “If only mom liked it as much as I do,” he rambled, scratching the back of his neck in an effort to stall. He knew regardless how he said it, it was very likely that Mari wouldn’t be happy about it. With a sigh, Sonny came out with it. “Here’s the thing: she didn’t want me to pick up Julie in my truck, something about it being tacky or whatever...” He let out another sigh and continued, “So she bought me that silver Audi that you might’ve noticed in the parking lot.” His stomach tightened up as the tension in the air suddenly became twice as thick.

“So you’re telling me that your mother bought you a brand new car straight out of the dealership just because she didn’t want you driving her majesty around in your truck?” the young woman inquired in outraged disbelief. Her voice and freshly balled-up fists were both shaking with anger now, and it was taking an outstanding amount of self-control for Mari to not flip out right then and there.

In addition to seeing that rare way her face scrunched up, Sonny noticed her fists were balled up. He knew she had a tendency to overreact but this was giving him war flashbacks to when she took a bat to Vic’s car. He didn’t think she would do the same to his Audi, but whenever Marisol let her anger get out of control, she became someone else - she became something else. In whatever ditch effort he could muster, Sonny had to try and detonate this big bomb in a really small package. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he retorted quickly, “It’s just a car--” A really nice car. “--It doesn’t have to mean anything. So just take a breath…” Before you use my face as a stress ball.

"Are you really this stupid?!" the short girl cried out, her face getting red. "It's so fucking obvious that your mom doesn't like me-- has never liked me-- and she'd rather you be with girls like Julie. And why not, right?! They're obviously the better choice for you! Any other polite, pretty priss out there is a hell of a lot better than the potty-mouth tomboy in your mother's eyes, and we both know I'll never be able to live up to that! So how about I just do the both of you a favor and fuck right off?!”

“You’re twisting my words,” he sait swiftly, cutting her off. “You seem to have this idiotic narrative that I like Julie or that my mom doesn’t like you. I honestly don’t know what ever gave you that idea, so allow me to paint you the picture of what’s true...” Sonny coughed and stared Mari down, knowing this was his only chance to get it right. “I have never liked Julie like that. I will never like Julie like that. Sure, maybe in some alternate reality where you and I aren’t madly in love and I was every bit the mommy’s little follower you think I am. Then, sure: I would be serenading her like Rye is. But news flash, Marisol!” He raised his voice, “That’s never going to happen. Despite any track record of mine suggesting otherwise, the only person I will ever see myself with is the idiot standing in front of me who needs to understand how much I love her!”

The beginning of Sonny’s monologue had Marisol poised and ready for a fight. She was about to interrupt her boyfriend and list all the different ways his mother’s behavior had given her the idea that she was considered inadequate for her son when he chose to stare her down.

“You really mean that? Or are you just trying to placate me?” she grumbled, her eyes still locked on the ground. Marisol knew Sonny well enough to tell that he was being serious, but she still wanted to hear his confirmation.

“Plac-what?” He asked, bearing a genuine confused, blank expression on his face.

Marisol couldn’t help but look up at him and roll her eyes. “It means to make someone less angry,” she clarified as the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a hint of a smile. “Jesus, Sonny, how did you even pass the vocabulary portion of the SAT’s?”

“Bold of you to assume I even took them.” He remained silent for a few seconds. “...don’t tell my mom I just told you that. I got her to finally get off my back about college and shit and i know she’ll give me one of her trademark lectures the minute she finds out.”

The girl’s mouth finally broke into a smile. “Cross my heart, hope to die,” she promised, holding a closed fist to the heart. “Though you’ll be the one hoping to die after your mom eventually gets ahold of that bit of information…” she snickered.

Sonny’s response came in the form of a chuckle. He glanced away from Mari for a moment to see if Rye and Julie were grinding on the dancefloor but he couldn’t spot them. He frowned and took out his phone as it vibrated in his pocket and he saw the group text from the two of them, which quickly shifted Sonny’s mood swing from disappointed to satisfied.

In the moment he read her message and the added bit from Rye, Sonny wanted to keep his grin but he honestly couldn’t believe how much of a dick he was. Of course, he was grateful that somehow he made it better with Mari, but as for Rye and Julie? Yeah, that something else altogether. Maybe if he didn’t have it in his head that he needed to be by Julie’s side to make the date go well then maybe Sonny wouldn’t have reacted so...aggressively when Rye made his move.

“So, listen,” Sonny said, pocketing his phone, “I know I’ve been a shit boyfriend tonight and, well, I, uh…” He rubbed the back of his head. Communication wasn’t his strong suit and he always struggled getting his point across, “You know I suck at articulating myself but you wanna dance? I’m no good but they’re playing a dope song right now and I want to...make it up to you, that is. And I know how much you love it when I do this.” Sonny did his best attempt at a salsa hip shake, which looked awkward on him because of his slightly overweight figure and how out of practice he was. He certainly wasn’t going to win any dance competition with his hip shakes.

Marisol couldn’t help but snort. “Okay, first of all: don’t ever do that in public again,” she told him, her eyes sparkling in amusement at his terrible attempt at dancing. “And second, it hasn’t all been your fault. I haven’t been the best of girlfriends tonight either, soooo… I’m sorry about everything I said before. You and Julie looked so good together and were having such a good time, and I know she’s totally your mom’s dream girl… So that shit kinda just… Messed with my head a bit. Guess I have some shit to work out still, right?” she laughed awkwardly, shaking her head.

Sonny had a poorly-timed joke ready, but then he noticed how uncharacteristically vulnerable Marisol was appearing, especially after she mentioned his mother and how she might prefer Julie or at least, the type of girl Julie was. It made him think about a lot of things, some immediate and some not so immediate. Even after everything they both said and the actions that emphasized their words, Sonny could tell that under it all, what his mother did affected his girlfriend deeply. It was like her version of a scar that nobody could see but her.

He grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s all good in the hood!” She shot her a rare cheerful grin. “We’re imperfect for others, but together, we cancel each other’s shit out.”

“Bad for others but perfect for each other: going strong since the year 2000!” she laughed, closing the distance between them to wrap her slender arms around him in a tight hug. “I love you, dipshit. I hope you always remember that.”

He smiled and chuckled out a single laugh. “Love you more, dumbass!” He nibbled lightly on her neck, holding her close to him so she couldn’t escape. A few seconds later, using his superior strength, he picked her up by the waist. “The dance floor awaits!” he declared before dragging his gleeful girlfriend back to the dance floor.