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Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ

"I'm not in the business of denying myself anything."

0 · 1,586 views · located in Manhattan, NY

a character in “Upper East Side”, as played by chanelindistress

Description




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{β€œDanger sweetens the brew. Makes it more delicious.” }
-Robin Maxwell, O, Juliet

{Animals: Maroon 5|| Break Your Heart: Taio Cruz|| Good Girls Go Bad: Cobra Starship|| Talk Dirty to Me: Jason Derulo}
{Enemy: The Weeknd|| Turn Down For What?: Lil John|| Remember the Name: Fort Minor|| I Put A Spell On You: Annie Lennox}



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Name
Ricardo Torrez Slim-HelΓΊ

Nicknames
"I'm not extremely particular when it comes to nicknames. You could try calling me "Your Majesty," but it's up to you."
Rick or Ricky {Most common}; An assortment of other extremeties (ie. Asshole, Dick, Jerk, etc.)

Age
18

Date of Birth
July 31, 1997

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual

Ethnicity
47% Mexican| 13% Dominican| 15% Dutch| 25% Native American

Grade Level
"I had to come back for the best year."
Senior (12)

Role
"Some might call me the big man on campus. Others, as they should, call me the King."
The Athlete

Hometown
"I was born in Mexico, but my father moved my mother and I up to this mansion when I was six. It's been home ever since."
1009 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY






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Body Build
Because of his distinguished athletic career, Ricky has very defined muscles, though he has yet to reach the brawny side of things by maintaining a sort of lean yet physically-fit figure with broad shoulders. He stands at 6'1.

Hair Color
Raven

Eye Color
Dark brown

Distinguishing Marks
"I haven't exactly found the right tattoo yet. Everyone will know when I do."
Just a few old scars from very rough play with childhood friends and siblings

Clothing Description
If there is one thing to take away from the items Rick chooses to wear, it is the fact that each item in his closet is name brand. Never a knock off, never anything below his standards. It is not to say that each item's brand is in plain view, but the material - the overall suave attitude he carries with him when he wears his clothes suggests that your parents couldn't afford it with their salary.






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Academic Career
To clear things up, Rick is the most popular guy at St. Jude's Academy for Boys. And that's including the fact that he was absent for the second semester of junior year due to an exchange student program over in California due to athletics and the training he received while there. Already a contender for some of the top schools in the nation, Rick obtained his role as the King Bee during the first semester of sophomore year and even his time away has not detracted from his power over both schools. With a smile that could charm the pants off of both guys and girls, it's not really that much of a secret how he has managed a 4.0 or even the respect from the student body. As for extra-curricular activities, Rick plays lacrosse, basketball, and he is learning Muay Thai on the side.

Future Plans
Rick is in the mind frame of enjoying his final year at St. Jude's while maintaining his role as the big man on both campuses. He has yet to have relinquished his power and it's not going to happen any time soon, not unless he finds some pathetic junior he might possibly have the potential to bear the weight of his crown. He does plan to attend Cornell or Columbia, and eventually go into real estate. It's one of his father's many ventures and since his Dad has already succeeded on that front, it's only a matter of time until Rick has to prove his worth and potential when compared to six other siblings. Besides, no one else in his family has locked eyes on real estate and that's his biggest goal since he actually loves architectural designs.

Hobbies
β˜…Sketching β˜…Instigating β˜…Having sex β˜…Hanging out with friends β˜…Attending social events β˜…Playing video games

Bad Habits
β–ͺPlaying both sides of a situation despite knowing which side was wrong and which was right β–ͺManipulating people to get his way β–ͺScheming β–ͺIs a constant flirt β–ͺHard to piss off, but once he is angered, he stops at nothing until he gets his revenge, even if it's violent






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Personality
You remember those boys that your mother warned you to specifically stay away from because they will break your heart and leave you in a puddle of nothingness and hurt? Yeah, Ricky is that guy and he's not ashamed to admit that. You see, after being taken advantage of at a young age, Ricky made it his life goal to never be someone who can get hurt easily again. It meant grooming his physique, attitude, and countenance into that which no one would ever try to take lightly. So, when you see him roll up to St. Jude's or Constance's campus on a motorcycle or some expensive town car, know that if you give this man the time of day, you very well might lose your panties, dignity, and maybe even your heart depending on whether or not he's in the mood to not be on the market. Rick likes his freedom, really likes it, and has no qualms against seeing someone he's attracted to and letting them know that he's attracted. In fact, there hasn't been a person he has met that he didn't want, told them, and didn't have. Please, Rick isn't a guy that takes no for an answer. Actually, he doesn't take anything as something he cannot have or accomplish. There's a person, he gets them. There's a certain grade he wants, he works for it. He's a hardworking guy, whether or not his nonchalant and sometimes callous attitude would have you to believe otherwise, and he's damn well persistent when it comes to the things he wants. Rich or not, he knows that some things can't be taken for granted and you can't expect things to fall in your lap. Well, girls do, but you get the big picture.

Despite how many hearts he has broken or how many happy relationships Rick might have ruined, the one thing you cannot say is that he is not one smooth son-of-a-gun, which he definitely is. After all, you can't be on top and just be a dick! No, that would never work and the person that told you that obviously didn't want you to succeed. In any world, you have to be confident and damn well sure of yourself, but you have to appear humble and well, you got to have a charm that can win the hearts of peers and even adults. Suave with eyes that has had many hearts thumping wildly, Rick almost always knows what to say to get in your pants, heart, and mind. And when it comes down to it, he could be your greatest ally or worst enemy. It's really up to you, when you think about it. Having grown up in prestige, he's actually a guy that would rather sit and play video games, or joke around with a soccer than actually attend every black-tie event and be all snobby. So, when you consider his friendships, they're based upon the fact that Rick does have the capacity to be a loyal friend and a fun one whenever you want to party or simply goof off. However, if you're not a friend, don't expect him to bend over backwards to make that happen. He can be friends with whomever he wants and if he chose you, then obviously there is something awesome about you. If not, there's obviously a reason why that is. And if you piss him off, let's just say Rick is a ruthless sort of guy. He is not temperamental in the sense that he immediately seeks revenge for small things like the dude who accidentally bumped him in the hall or the girl who might have spread a rumor. It's a continued sign of disrespect that forces his hand. Mess with his crown and he messes with you, and if he messes with you, you will no longer live in New York. End of story.

Rick is notoriously known for liking entertainment of all varieties. Whether that means gossiping or simply seeing people go at it, he is all for it and the truth of the matter is that he is even willing to instigate a few situations, especially if it means he can get a good show. That's where he can be manipulative and deceptive, since not many can tell when he's genuinely giving them sound advice or trying to start something. Sometimes he's being helpful, other times he just likes fucking with people and seeing how it all works out. It depends on his mood. Some guys might think it's a girl thing, the gossiping, but Ricky loves it. He doesn't even flinch when people spread rumors about him. He's just not that emotional. Besides, as he would tell anyone, you are no one unless you are talked about and since he's cocky enough to believe that he is everything every guy should want to be and every girl should want to have, he is more than willing to be the one thing you talk about. Please, give him the entertainment. He adores it.






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Likes
β–²Confident women β–²Sex and lots of it {He even has a little black book!} β–²Most sports β–²Versace, Armani & Ralph Polo β–²Parties β–²Flirting β–²Instigating issues between people β–²Gossip β–²Sketching β–²Rumors about himself β–²Video games and hanging out with friends β–²His mother β–²Fyodor Dostoevsky & Machiavelli β–²Architecture β–²People who entertain him β–²Motorcycles β–²Waking up late on Saturdays






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Dislikes
β–ΌPeople who honestly think he cares about their opinion β–ΌAnyone who tries to damage his image β–ΌBeing underestimated β–ΌCauliflower β–ΌAnyone touching him in his sleep without permission β–ΌFlings who try to stay the night β–ΌCommitment β–ΌSubways β–ΌGolf β–ΌWhen he has to go to his father's country club β–ΌBeing compared to his older brothers β–ΌLosing β–ΌNot having control β–ΌPumpkin β–ΌBeing told what to do β–ΌSeeing people lie to themselves β–ΌCoconut β–ΌDealing with girls and their tears β–ΌSexual Abuse






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History
Editing...






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Roleplayer
Girl2Fine2

Dialogue Color
#C35817

Face Claim
Daren Kagasoff


So begins...

Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine
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Sienna had only hiccupped and wiped her eyes at Charlotte's last pieces of advice, knowing that the class president was more than right. "You're right...you're right...I just..." Just didn't know what to do now? Was going to regret her decision at some point? Sienna didn't finish her sentence and she only hoped Charlotte would not ask her to because she did not know how. All she knew was that Charlotte was right - she handled everything wrong. She should have realized then to cut her ties with Vincent and Sydney. She didn't regret snapping at the blonde, never. Not in a million years would she regret going off on Sydney and the blonde had been lucky that was all Sienna had done. However, the post was out, speculation was running her phone rampant, and she honestly wanted to get home and to her ice cream.

"Thanks, Lottie," she said softly when it seemed like the tears would stop. She even managed a small though lackluster smile. "At this point, you're probably the only friend I've got so...thanks." She hugged her fellow Constance girl one more time before deciding to take Charlotte home, texting her own driver. Sienna didn't feel like waiting on a taxi and spending anymore money for the day. After a ten minute waiting period, Sienna and Charlotte were inside the Alvarez family town car and another ten minutes later, Sienna was dropping her friend off with the promise of picking her up for the party. She had not said much during the car ride to Charlotte's place nor had she checked her phone during that entire time, but once she saw to it that her friend had entered the building, Sienna's drivers pulled away from the curb and she turned her gaze to her phone.

Jane's text from earlier remained unanswered. She couldn't offer her friend a response at the moment. She couldn't just make up with Sydney Vale. Sydney would expect immediate regret and for Sienna to take full blame and, after crying in Charlotte's arms and having time to breathe, Sienna felt like she deserved more than groveling at Sydney's knees. She did not exactly expect Sydney to do such to her, but she definitely wasn't planning on finding out any time soon. Instead, she flipped through her phone to see various messages from classmates she almost didn't recall until memories of destroyed chemistry sets, volleyball matches, and failed cooking experiments danced across her mind. Most offered their support and a few, their allegiances though Sienna didn't understand why they would do that. She had not done what she had done out of a desire for Sydney's throne. She just wanted to get back at her at the only way she knew how. By affecting Sydney's image. Sienna's image was just as important to her, but her heart came first and Sydney had aided in breaking it. Despite validating Charlotte's wisdom of her not "handling the situation correctly", Sienna still felt like revenge had been served.

Saturday, September 6th | 7:30 PM

To occupy the void left in her life since she wasn't exactly on speaking terms with either Jane or Sydney, Sienna had woken up early on Saturday morning. No matter her mood and because Cynthia had been upset about the revelation of who Vincent had cheated with getting to her from one of her manicurists (how the hell it had spread that far, Sienna could not even fathom!), Sienna still had to go to her modeling session. And it was also Hailey's birthday and she couldn't ruin the day for her friend just because she was in a bad mood. So, Sienna did something she rarely did. She cooked. She was not the greatest and had to get kitchen staff to help her since Cynthia had gone back to their Long Island estate for the weekend, but she ended up satisfied with the assortment of breakfast food. Because it was Sienna and she loved pancakes, they were definitely an option and because Hailey loved chocolate, they were chocolate-chip. Plating a stack of pancakes and topping it with whipped cream, a chocolate sauce drizzle, and candles, Sienna and Esmee surprised the blonde singer with breakfast-in-bed followed by presents. Esmee had gotten Hailey a Cartier love bracelet from her own summer job money and allowance from their parents. Sienna and Jane - and only because she promised Jane she would include her and literally had to swallow back a lump of emotion when she acknowledged her friend's involvement in the gift giving - had gotten Hailey two new outfits complete with accessories and jewelry, and a paid day of relaxation at Caudalie's with Esmee.

After the girls had eaten and bidding both Esmee and Hailey a good day with a promise to check on everything for Hailey's party for the night, Sienna had gone off to her photo shoot with Young&Reckless. She was getting a large endorsement from both them and Pepsi, so she had to do small things like campaigns, photo shoots, interviews, and commercials. Luckily, she didn't have to act today. She was too tired for any of that. Esmee had taken to washing her hair for her last night and had even put in cornrows because Sienna had not cared enough to stop her. The only thing she had focused on was the smell of her Black Vanilla conditioning products from Carol's Daughter. So, Esmee did what she did and it was fine because the stylists all decided to apply a sew-in weave to her hair, thus leaving Sienna with a red hue for the six hours that she was there. It was a surprisingly sexy color that she would have been more than interested in had she cared. Sienna had had to focus on not giving away too much emotion to Piper when she saw the natural redhead and ignored Sebastian all together, not remembering his name being on the list of models for the shoot.

Once that was over and promising her friend to text her later (and taking out the blasted weave!), Sienna had checked with the club they had rented out for the evening's festivities. As a means to take pressure off of Hailey because she deserved to enjoy her birthday, Sienna had made the final plans for the evening. She had made sure the night would be fun. There would be paint in one of the lounge areas for people to use if they had not already gotten themselves painted, most of the drinks glowed in the dark, there were neon lights with a timed fog machine, the DJ knew some of Hailey's favorite songs, and there would be light snacks and a birthday cake. A few of Hailey's friends were flying in as a surprise and a few of the friends Sienna had introduced her to in California were coming. Overall, the evening was going to be great and satisfied, Sienna returned home to get ready, surprised to see Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ waiting for her when the elevator doors opened.

"Rick," she breathed and Ricky's hand shot out of the elevator, stopping the doors from closing in on a flabbergasted Sienna. He only smirked at her expression. "Miss me?" Her answer was throwing herself into his arms. Ricky didn't hesitate in allowing her to do such, wrapping his firm arms around her waist and spinning her around for a moment. He wasn't surprised when Sienna didn't immediately release him when her feet touched the ground and allowed her the chance to cling. He had seen the Facebook posts that turned into tweets and then full-on debates between classmates who normally did not speak to each other. And least of all about two of the most popular girls at Constance Billard.

Which was why Ricardo was a bit excited for the school year. While being in California had been fun and attending such a prestigious institute for the time that he had had been challenging considering those were some of the best athletes in the country, there was nothing like good old New York, particularly the Upper East Side. For years, he had been entertained by the various gossip blogs that had emerged in the last few years and even more-so, by the whispered rumors in the hallways surrounding each and every student. Some guys felt like it played with their manliness to be involved with gossip, but their heterosexism did not leak into Rick's mind. No, in fact, he reveled in the gossip, oftentimes starting issues or making them worse. And it wasn't like many chose to challenge him. The ones who did either learned their lessons and probably don't live on their side of town anymore, or were some of the few Ricky was entertained enough by to not be upset with. Which included the blonde in his arms.

It took Sienna a minute, but she had come to the conclusion that she honestly had missed Ricky. While both his and Sydney's need for absolute control and demands could be overbearing, she couldn't lie when it came to having grown tolerant of Ricky. Granted, if she and Sydney had never gotten into a tiff over Vincent, then Sydney would be her girl and Ricky would be just another bothersome manwhore like Vincent. But he wasn't. He was fun and she loved flirting with him. Partly because she knew she would never give in to his advances and partly, well...all anyone had to do was look at him! Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ was absolutely gorgeous! There was no doubting his attractiveness and why doing absolutely any and everything came natural to him. Even the air about him was intoxicating at times, especially when he put on that damn smolder. However, and luckily for her and her emotions, he only had a teasing smirk on his face. "You didn't tell me that you were back yet." Ricky shrugged, following Sienna on the path to one of the smaller kitchens. Already comfortable in the Alvarez family home, he walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out one of their bottles of scotch. "Kinda thought seeing my gorgeous face would put you in a better mood," he replied and Sienna rolled her eyes, pushing two glass cups towards him. "Yeah, whatever." This was what she needed. Playfulness. Familiarity. Something to get her mind off of everything else.

"I'm surprised you aren't with your queen," she commented after receiving her half-filled glass of scotch. Ricky stared at her, long and leisurely, before smirking. He detected the jealousy underneath the inquiry and happened to like it. It made things all the more fun when shit really hit the fan. Ricky did not favor Sydney nor Sienna more than the other. Did he like it when he girls fought? Oh, yes, he did. Sienna was a tough and fiery little ball of wonders, and Sydney was...well, Sydney was more his equal than he would typically give her credit for. Both of them gave him a bit of entertainment, just in different ways. If anyone else messed with them, he would be more than ready to stand up for them. Them at each other's throats? Delightful. "I will pay my respects before the night is over." There was a pause before he added, "Jealous much?" Sienna scoffed and swallowed down the liquor, gritting her teeth so that she wouldn't allude to the liquor having still taken her aback. A warmth spread in her belly and wanting that feeling again, she drank more until the glass was finished. Noticing Ricky still watching her, Sienna tilted her head curiously. "How did you get in here anyway? And where's...?" Rick answered only a beat later. "I buzzed in just as Esmee and your friend were leaving. Esmee just let me on in." Sienna hummed, maneuvering around the island until she was beside Ricky. Pouring herself more alcohol, she took another drink. "So, I'm guessing that means you're coming to the party tonight." It was more of a statement than a question, especially after noting Ricky's apparel.

Instead of the usual formal attire Upper East Side kids were used to or even the business casual they frequented, Ricky wore black Levi jeans, a simple white muscle shirt underneath a specially designed black varsity jacket with neon green accents, and black and green sneakers from Adidas. It was unsurprisingly tame. There would be paint at the party and Ricky was too cool to ever really have his body painted. Sienna would joke later that he was too stuck-up, but for now she simply appreciated the display of pectoral muscles beneath the thin white fabric of his top. "Careful there, sweetheart," he teased, the deep timbre of his lowered voice forcing Sienna's gaze to meet his. "The last girl that looked at me like that got laid." Heat rushed to her cheeks and Sienna immediately retorted, "It would be a cold day in hell before you and I ever happen." Ricky only chuckled and Sienna growled. "Down, kitten. I was only playing." Sienna only glared at him and Ricky's smirk grew. "Gotta go anyway before I hit up this party of yours. Need to check on a companion of mine who you've been ignoring." Sienna didn't have to question who he was speaking about. It was Vincent.

"And until he gives me something worth paying attention to, I'm gonna keep ignoring him," Sienna stated sharply. She had not answered not one of Vincent's text messages and didn't plan on doing so. She did not know about his having gone to see Sydney instead of her. All she knew was that Sydney obviously meant more to him than he had initially let on and Sienna was hurt. Perhaps she should have reminded herself that she had said that their night had been supposed to be a one night stand. She had prepared herself to be ready for it to be that way. However, she didn't want to focus on that and only shooed Ricky out of her kitchen. "Go on then. I have to get pretty and you're holding me up." Ricky only chuckled as she led him to the elevator, offering her a smirk when the doors closed. Sighing, Sienna only rushed to get herself together. Ricky had managed to hold her up for twenty minutes and she promised to give rides.

On his way down, Ricky leaned against the back wall of the elevator. He had not truly spoken to Sienna about the Sydney-Vincent situation and had chosen not to. He wanted her more pliant and receptive of his words. At the moment, she was vulnerable, but enough to fully let down her guard. It would take more time and he could always plant the seed of suspicion later. For now, he decided, he could text his other friends.

To: Vincent
Omw 2 r place & u better b ready. No excuses.

To: Sydney
I kno u missed me & all, but the least u could have done was give me a welcome home kiss babe. Heard u were dealing w/ a mutiny. Not gonna say I'm not surprised u couldn't handle urself w/out me here, but don't tell me ur in cowering, Syd. Come 2 the party

After a ten minute shower, Sienna returned to her bedroom to put on a matching printed bra and panty set. It was a daring move, especially considering her outfit for the night. But she was feeling reckless. The fact that she had downed two glasses of scotch when she had not eaten dinner yet said enough. The bra's stripes would glow in the dark beneath the revealing top. After applying a shimmering lotion that left her skin feeling silky smooth and giving off her signature scent, Sienna pulled on a pair of Abercrombie & Fitch shorts and a pair of multi-colored Giuseppe Zanotti wedges. The colors would glow in the blacklight of the club. Still topless, Sienna headed over to her vanity to work on her makeup. While the long lashes seemed pink in regular light, they would glow blue later and the eyeliner would be pink. Despite her earlier plans to have glitter all over herself, she didn't feel the need to show off artistically. She just felt like being sexy and stupid for the night. It would be a bad decision later and she would probably get chastised later, but who the fuck cared? Once her face was taken care of and a pair of silver hoops were in her ears, Sienna set to fixing her hair up. One of her favorite stylists had done her nails earlier. It didn't take long to get to the final product for her hair as she had not straightened in last night and the braids had played on the naturally curly state from her mother's genes. Satisfied, Sienna finally pulled on her long-sleeved top, a mid-driff baring little thing with large fishnet holes. It revealed the bra beneath and the neon pink shade made her skin pop. The flat tummy she had worked to keep toned would be revealed and she even chose the belly button ring whose diamond would glow pink. The top would also glow later in the night and after a spritz of perfume, Sienna was ready for her night.

Once in the town car, Sienna checked the time. It was ten minutes after eight, and so she sent out her texts, biting her lip at messaging Jane. She didn't know how the brunette would feel about her ignoring her plea, but she couldn't ignore Jane forever either.

To: Piper
Picking up Charlotte first. Where do u want me 2 pick u up at?

To: Charlotte
Omw, love. B there in 10

To: Carolina
I am so sorry 4 not messaging u back. A lot happened and I'm really sorry. R u coming to dis party tonite?

To: Jane
Hey, I'm omw 2 Hailey's party. Do u need me to send anyone 2 pick u up? Do u need anything?

To:Hailey
Omw. Everything good so far?



Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Sydney wasn't nervous, but her patience was draining as she waited for Jane in the foyer. She just wanted this drama to be done and over with. Sienna and her little stunt would be a bigger problem, one that Sydney didn't care to think about, or try to fix at the moment, but Jane was going to be easy. She would apologize for the comment about her summer, and insist that the was just trying to protect Jane by keeping the Vincent thing from her. They had been best friends for years and Sydney was convinced that even a day of silence didn't mean that Jane had sided with Sienna. If for some outlandish reason it did, than Sydney was here to change that. She had to, if she wanted to put Sienna back in her place and make it out of senior year with her crown.

Sydney suspected that the soft footsteps coming from the steps were that of the Lynch's housekeeper but as she looked up with an irked glance, she found that it was Jane. Clad in a white robe, she drifted down the stairs silently. Sydney's pointed look followed her friend with every step, trying to decipher the blank expression she gave until she spoke. And boy, did that catch Sydney off guard. Since when did she need to tell Jane before she was coming over? Especially after a night like yesterday, Sydney would have thought Jane would be thanking her for making the first move to mend their friendship! And really, getting ready to go where in a robe? Her bed, where Sydney was sure she had spent the last 24 hours anyway? She couldn't imagine that Jane was going to Hailey's party, and Sydney herself had no plans on doing that either. Even after Ricky's provocative text. Her friend's new found attitude was not amusing but it pointed to only one explanation: Sienna had gotten to her first. Her final words only confirmed that, as if she were quoting Sienna who insisted that "Sydney is going to try to turn you against me!!!!" in her typical crybaby ways.

"Really, Jane? I come over here to try to be the bigger person and make things right after yesterday, and you have to give me this attitude?" She realized that her tone was too condescending to be used with Jane when she remembered who was really feeding her the behavior. "Okay, let's start over." She took a deep breath and tried to smile. Poor Jane, believing Sienna so easily. She's too sweet for her own good. "What I did to Sienna was... wrong." It was physically hard for her to admit that and get the last word out. "But, you know that we all felt that way about Vincent during freshman year, Jane. If it hadn't been me, it would have been you. He caught me when I was drinking and tricked me into believing that he and Sienna were over, and yeah, I should have stopped it before it got that far, but I wasn't thinking. And imagine that was you, Jane. Would you have told Sienna right after?" Sydney wasn't sure if Jane actually would have kept it from Sienna for as long as Sydney had. Again, her friend was too sweet for her own good. Her conscience probably would have weighed more heavily than Sydney's. Regardless, she hoped that she was getting through to the brunette. "I mean, I loved her and I knew that it would ruin our friendship... just like it did now. I didn't want it to happen this way... I didn't want to hurt her, but there's nothing I can do about it now." An apology would probably do some good, even if it didn't mend their friendship, but Sydney could not apologize to Sienna. Not after what she did. "And it's not like she's innocent in all of this either, Jane. What she did to me was like..." Was like Sydney sleeping with Sienna's ex? Maybe. "Was like me killing Esmee. That's basically what she did to me, so she's not the victim like I'm sure she's telling you she is, anyway." The claim was definitely dramatic but Sydney needed to be dramatic if she was going to come out looking even partially justified in her actions.

She stopped speaking, opting to avoid addressing her comment about Jane's summer until she heard Jane's response. Maybe she wouldn't even have to apologize for that, yet. They could agree that Sienna was the one in the wrong and go see a movie or something, and Sydney could relish in her victory.

To: Ricardo
Keep dreaming Rick. And haha she wishes I was cowering. If you're lucky maybe you'll get to see me but don't get ur hopes up. It's not easy to squeeze some last minute trashy party into my schedule. You should know that.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Vincent's Saturday went horribly. He had been kicked out of Sydney's the night before which was bad in itself, but when it was clear that she wanted Kelley, or all people, for emotional support, he knew he had screwed up. When he woke up the next morning, not only were there still tens of unopened messages from guys congratulating him on the coveted Sydney Vale 'score' but also an equal amount of ones from his mother expressing how "disappointed" and "devastated" she was by his actions. She was still in the city from her night out with friends and he reluctantly agreed to get breakfast with her, where she continued to express how unacceptable it was for him to hurt Sienna like that. She went on and on about how close she was to leaving his father years ago when they were dating because he put up the same womanizing from as Vincent did, and how Sienna was smarter than she was at that age and was going to realize her worth and move on sooner than later. Vincent knew she was right, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to deal with his mother dramatically tearing up over Eggs Benedict and choking back a sob when he reassured her that he was going to make it right no matter what it took.

After her car picked her up to drive her back to the island, he was in the mindset to actually make things right with Sia. It wasn't going to be that easy, though. His countless phone calls went unanswered and he didn't want to leave her a voicemail where he could say something that would be interpreted wrong and just dig himself into a deeper mess. He wanted to talk to her in person and explain... well, he wasn't sure what he wanted to explain. He had taken his hits for what he had done years ago when he had come clean to Sienna in the first place. Maybe it was wrong for him to expect her to bury the hatred for Sydney for so many years just to keep tensions from boiling over, but he aside from apologizing again for sleeping with Sydney, he didn't know what else he had done wrong. He didn't think there was anything wrong with hanging out with Sydney yesterday. Nothing had happened. He had only went over to apologize for leaving her party early and to clear the air between not only them, but her and Sienna. If there was any apologizing to be done, he thought after giving up trying to call her and walking back to his apartment, it was Sienna to him and he to Sydney! Sienna could have had the decency to give him a head's up after informing Sydney that she knew all along. The way she had done it, through that online post that he was convinced she was behind, made him look like the complete dick (rightfully so, however), for telling Sienna without giving Sydney, her best friend, the chance to clear her name first.

Even though he didn't think he had done anything wrong to Sienna that he hadn't already apologized for, he wasn't actually mad at her. His mother's visit had reminded him even more of why he loved Sienna and couldn't just let her go. He needed to win her back, even if he didn't think he had done something wrong to lose her yesterday anyway. However, he wasn't going to beg. Not at this point, anyway, and especially not when he caught wind of Ricky being back in town. His relationship with the sports' star was an interesting one. They were commonly called best friends and Vincent did see Rick as a best friend, but there had always been a little bit of tension between them. He often brushed it off as harmless competitiveness between the two of them, but when it came to Sienna, it was far from harmless. Vincent liked to pretend that he didn't care if anyone flirted with Sienna because "she's free to fuck whoever she wants, just like I am", but when Rick did it... it just crossed the line. Maybe it was because Vincent thought that Rick was one of the few guys who could woo her into sleeping with him, or because he expected his best friend to just back off and let him figure out what he wanted on his own time. Either way, finding out that Rick was back in New York today of all days irked Vincent more than he would admit.

When night set in and it was around time for Hailey's party, Vincent wasn't sure if he wanted to go. Sienna was definitely going to be there, and what was he going to say to her? He doubted Sydney would show up, probably citing that it wasn't her "scene" even though he knew good and well it would be an attempt to avoid Sienna. Ricardo's text didn't leave him with much of a choice, though, and left him scrambling to find an appropriate neon outfit in his closet. Vincent had went to a couple of raves over the summer but he just wasn't in the mood to go all out in neon. Honestly, he doubted that he would even stay at the party for very long, especially when the inevitable bumping into Sienna occurred. He ended up in a pair of bright orange, Vineyard Vines club pants and a plain white v-neck that accented his toned body. He didn't text Ricardo to confirm that he would be ready, because it wasn't really necessary. Vincent was downstairs and waiting for his friend when he pulled up, and as he slid into the back of the car, he tried to put on a carefree expression. "Cali finally get sick of you and ship you back here?" he greeted Rick with a grin. Even if Ricardo's return was destined to spell trouble, it would at least mean that there would be another guy around to have fun with, since Connor was normally too much of a refined, good guy to actually get into trouble with.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine
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Ricardo lounged comfortably in the back of the Slim-HelΓΊ town car, legs crossed before him coolly and idly flipping through the recent posts on Twitter and Facebook. Most people had already come to this Hailey's party and were having a good time. Not that he particularly doubted that it would be a fun night. If the girl was a friend of Sienna's, she either had to have a sass that Sienna was known for or had to have a fun bone in her body. And, if her fans had anything to say about it, Hailey Nelson was a fun person to be around. Ricky smirked to himself. He couldn't wait to meet her.

In the midst of checking on the status of Sydney and Sienna's social media war, Sydney messaged him back. He didn't rush to answer or even read what she had to say. It would seem as if he had been waiting for her to respond to him, which he was not. So, he did not rush. He continued to flip through images and posts, grinning at a few of the girls who he once thought as complete crudes wearing some rather scandalous outfits for the night. Something told him he would be enjoying this party a lot more than he originally believed. Finally, after it seemed like a good three minutes had passed, Rick finally pulled up Sydney's text message and had to chuckle. He loved the little attitude she seemed to have. Truthfully, he appreciated a few things about Sydney Vale and loved messing with her, especially. Sienna was fun, yes, and he did love her. But Sydney...there was something about her retorts and her ability to seem unfazed that amused him to no end. The car door opened and he knew Vincent was climbing in, but Rick concentrated only sending his message out.

To: Sydney
No need to pretend, babe. We both know you have more than enough time.

To: Sydney
Also, you should probably check the posts. Something tells me you have more issues than Sia just outing you. Looks like your followers aren't as loyal as you thought, Syd.

Rick wasn't being mean. He was simply orchestrating. There was a difference. Nothing he did to Sydney was particularly cruel, more teasing than anything else. Besides, it would prompt her to action, even if it was something as small as attending a party by someone she probably could give two fucks about. Smirking inwardly, Rick finally turned his attention on Vincent. To be completely honest, Ricardo had missed his friend. Vincent was one of his best guys, one of the few he actually liked the most in New York. Granted, he was sure that Vincent's opinion on him went interchangeably between friendship and contempt, but that really was Vincent's fault. He knew Ricardo liked fucking with people and who did Vincent think he was kidding? The idiot watched Sienna from afar, even when the guys were talking about other girls. He claimed nonchalance, but the second Sienna came into the vicinity, his eyes stayed on her. Even if they strayed, he was like her little bitch, never really straying too far. So, Ricardo had decided to help his friend along. Obviously, he wanted everyone to think Sienna meant nothing to him. That he could give two fucks about who she was with. So, Rick flirted with her. Was that cruel? Actually, it was. Did Rick care? No, especially when Vincent could end it at any second.

"Glad you could still joke at a time like this," Ricardo replied in a rather bored tone, getting a text from a few lacrosse players already at the party and asking about when Rick was getting there. Sienna must have told everyone that he was back already. Smirking, Rick fully stared at his friend. "Got any plans on what you're doing about this 'cause man, this is bad. Even for you. And when were you going to tell me you fucked Sydney Vale? That's like, going-down-in-legends material right there."


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Sienna had not taken any selfies and despite Esmee's requests, she could not. Both she and Jane were huge on social media, particularly when it came to posting photos of themselves. Whether together or apart, that was a thing that really was them and Sienna was a powerful artist in the social media world. And yet...she wasn't in the mood and she felt just a bit bad for turning her sister down again. She had ignored Esmee last night and was still avoiding actually talking to her sister. Leave it to a situation like this that would make her regret their dynamic. Esmee, the one who had been allowed to enjoy her childhood more than Sienna and actually live, was the mature one while the big sister was the one who could cry in her baby sister's arms. How pathetic could you get after that!? Of course, Esmee would argue that that was the perfectionist or maybe even the Cynthia in her that thought that. Sienna would probably tell Esmee to shut up.

To: Carrie
YAAAAYYY!! Ur coming!!!

Smiling at Charlotte's text message, Sienna glanced out the tinted window of the town car to see that they were pulling up to the apartment building Charlotte lived at and her smile widened. She wanted to show her friend that she was better - that she was doing good. Even if she truly wasn't. Sienna had barely waited for the car to officially stopped before pushing the door open, eyes wide and excited and her mouth agape. Charlotte Buchanan looked hot! She had felt like, with all the compliments that had circulated through school, that she and Charlotte had had the best outfits that night. But this...she could only thank Rose because she knew Charlotte would not have been able to come up with this one on her own. "Oh. My. God! Is that Madam President Buchanan looking scandalous and on the prowl!? Better hurry up in here before the paparazzi show up!" Sienna exclaimed, grinning all the while. She was glad that Charlotte was looking just as scantily-clad as she was. Not like most raves consisted of people actually dressed in layers or anything, but even she knew that the cropped top she was wearing was just a bit daring even for her. Combined with the shorts and the wedges, she knew she looked like a girl looking for trouble.

To: Piper
On our way now, girlie. U still comin?

To: Jane
Just let me kno when & if u get there

To: Hailey
Heard the party's great. Hope ur havin fun

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Carolina Daily Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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It was selfish and wrong, but Sydney was more than satisfied when Jane dropped her mock-confidence and returned to her old self. She didn't necessarily need Jane to be the lapdog that most people thought her to be, but a Jane that blatantly denied her requests and stood up to her so brazenly was not something that Sydney was used to, or wanted to get used to. The plead that she made, for Sydney to talk to Sienna tonight, wasn't one that she wanted to hear, but it was preferred over the bitch she had dealt with moments before. "Sienna and I will talk at some point, but tonight is not that night," Sydney declared. Her eyes were averted from Jane's longing gaze for a mere second as she glanced down at her phone. Ricardo had responded to her text, but she knew that whatever it said wasn't important enough to warrant an immediate response. If anything, it was going to annoy her and she could deal with putting that off for a few minutes anyway.

"Why not tonight?" Jane replied, her hands absentmindedly fidgeting with the ties of her robe. Sydney's declaration sounded more like an excuse than anything. She probably wanted to put off talking to Sienna in hopes that she would reach out to her first, so that, in true Sydney fashion, she could claim that it was Sienna who came running back to her, begging for forgiveness. It wasn't like Jane expected Sydney to do that to Sienna, either. She really did recognize that both of her friends had wronged each other, but Sienna never would have done what she did if Sydney hadn't done hers first. And really, in Jane's opinion, no matter how much of a dramatic spin Sydney put on it, what Sienna had done didn't seem to compare to what Sydney did with Vincent.

Jane's tone was not accusatory but Sydney was getting annoyed over why she needed to be persistent over this. It had barely been one day since the fight. Sydney wasn't ready to forgive Sienna for what she had done, and even if Sydney had some type of apology to offer Sia, she doubted the singer would be ready to accept it either. Sydney knew that this was just Jane trying to make everything perfect and innocent and happy, like usual, but this wasn't some normal fight where that would work. What Sienna had done yesterday was game changing and Sydney doubted that things could be mended at this point. "I don't want to do it somewhere so public. You know how embarrassingly loud she can get, and I don't think it would be right to steal the new girl's attention on her own birthday. This is probably the only night that she's going to be really relevant, anyway." Hailey wasn't important enough to even be referenced by her name. Not after that little show she put on on Thursday morning, and even more so after her attempt to buy drugs off of Brent Barclay right in front of Jane. Remembering the new blonde reminded Sydney of last night's ordeal and before Jane could insist again that they go to the party, Sydney decided to do some convincing of her own. It was wrong to redirect the conflict of the conversation onto someone else, but Sydney didn't care about Hailey. In fact, she actively disliked her by this point, so in her mind, it didn't seem comparable to how she had thrown Jane under the bus to change the topic during yesterday's dinner. "Besides, that girl is bad news anyway, Jane. I tried to warn Sienna about it and of course she didn't want to listen, but I caught that girl buying drugs at my party." She whipped out her phone, still ignoring Rick's text as she pulled up the photo she had sent Sienna. "It's probably crack or something, for all we know. She did it right in front of you too, and I know you were drinking too much to remember but still, what nerve! Honestly, she wasn't even invited and this is why. I knew she was going to be a problem."

Jane understood that it probably was best to avoid dealing with their friendship problems in the middle of a party, but when else were they going to do it? Even if they were in the privacy of one of their homes, there was still a good chance that Sienna was going to claw Sydney's eyes out or that Sydney was going to try to turn the tables and make things worse. No matter what, Jane doubted that the pair would be able to speak civilly, but she so desperately wanted this resolved. It had only been one day, but that one day had been daunting in itself and she couldn't imagine an entire school year like this. Especially when this was their last school year, and one that they had all vowed to make the most of. Jane wanted to convince Sydney that she could just pull Sienna aside and talk outside or in a separate room, but unsurprisingly, Sydney changed the topic of conversation to Hailey. Jane had her own reservations about Hailey but drugs? That wasn't something that Jane would have suspected. And then the photo was thrust into her face and Jane's heart dropped. She knew exactly what those drugs were, and it didn't take much problem-solving skills to piece together who they were really for if it was Brent Barclay dealing them with Jane standing nearby. "That's not crack, it's Ritalin..." she whispered, not even recognizing that she was speaking aloud as her eyes focused on the phone screen.

Since when did Jane know anything about drugs? Especially something like Ritalin, which Sydney had only vaguely heard of herself. As far as she knew, Jane thought that drugs were just as classless as she. The idea of her friend being able to identify a bag of white pills was surprisingly to say the least, and Sydney honed in on it before Jane had a chance to realize that she had even spoken. "I never knew you were interested in pharmacology, Jane," she said, quirking an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Enlighten me." It was her way of saying "explain yourself" without scaring Jane off. The startled look on her friend's Jane suggested that she was already regretting speaking, though.

"I'm not!" Jane shot back nervously as Sydney wondered how Jane was able to identify the drug so easily. Of course Sydney knew that Jane wasn't "interested in pharmacology" and Jane didn't even consider claiming that she was, because both of them knew that would have been unbelievable. "I just know... someone who uses it." That came out more guilty-sounding than she had wanted to, and before she could stop herself, she was the one throwing someone under the bus. "Piper buys it from Brent some times, okay? But please don't tell anyone I told you that. She would kill me." It wasn't a lie. Well, at least Jane didn't know that it was a lie. Last year when she had met Brent one night to buy some pills, Piper had been there. Jane had no other option than to tell Piper what she was doing meeting up with someone that was so... not their type, and to protect her own reputation, Piper claimed that she was with him for the same reason, despite it being untrue. Because Sydney already disliked Piper, Jane didn't think she was doing that much harm by outing Piper's secret, especially when it was to protect herself. She was still reeling from the girls somehow finding out about her disorder in the first place. She didn't need them to know how bad it actually was, especially if Brent was lurking around trying to force her back into those habits.

The fact that Jane's explanation for the pills didn't strike Sydney as being suspicious pointed to how much she already disliked Piper. She was surprised that the redhead did drugs, but not shocked. She wouldn't put something like that past Piper and hearing the secret actually heightened her mood. Once again, she had been right to dislike someone for no reason because hidden beneath the pettiness was a reason. As Sydney liked to say, her intuition was spot on like usual. "Hmm... not surprising," she surmised, allowing a smirk to creep onto her face. "Maybe Hailey won't be friendless after all, then. The two trap queens can be friends and we can finally drop her from our group." The comment evoked frown from Jane, and Sydney rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding, you know I won't tell anyone." Not yet, at least. Piper hadn't done anything to warrant such a nasty move and Sydney wasn't willing to go that low for no reason after Sienna had just done so to her. "Which is why I don't understand why you couldn't tell me about where you were this summer." She really didn't come over with the intentions of bringing up Jane's summer since Sydney knew that what she had said yesterday didn't come across as the compassionate and concerned friend that she wanted to be, but they seemed to be back in a good place. Maybe she could get an honest answer from Jane now.

The shock of the Ritalin being brought up numbed down Jane's senses enough that Sydney bringing up her summer didn't make her heart race this time. It was already out in the open and if anything, Jane had a reason to brush Sydney off now. Her friend had already addressed the issue so insensitively yesterday that she didn't think she was required to give it much thought today. "I was going to tell you at some point," she said before quickly switching gears. Her bare legs had grown goose bumps from standing in the air conditioned hallway and the reminder of her summer made her feel vulnerable in nothing but the bath robe. "I need to get dressed. Come."

Sydney could tell that Jane was trying to change the conversation and she wouldn't accept that. That was her game, and didn't she deserve an answer anyway? As selfish as it was, Sydney was offended that Jane couldn't even give her best friend some sort of insight, especially now when they were away from Sienna. She followed Jane upstairs, but spoke as they walked. "Then let's make 'some point' now. Like, you know I would have been there for you, Jane. How long has this been going on? You've been a stick forever and Sienna and I were concerned for you last spring but we didn't think that it was anything like this. Why didn't you say something?"

She wasn't going to let this go, apparently. Luckily, Jane's soak had calmed her down and knowing that she had mended her relationship with Sydney and that Sienna was texting her again made her feel better than she had earlier. "I really don't feel like talking about this right now, Syd. It's not 'anything like this'. My dad went crazy after my doctor said something and sent me there without me even knowing where I was going. There was nothing wrong, which is why I didn't say anything. I just didn't want to make a big deal out of a problem that doesn't even exist." She tried to keep her tone light and shrugged nonchalantly as she made her way into her bedroom and headed straight for her closet.

"You're insulting me, Jane. I'm not stupid. Even Sienna picked up on how you act, and that says a lot. I won't push it any more tonight, but just know that this is not the end of this conversation. I want real answers." Sydney followed Jane into the walk-in closet and sat down on one of the chairs as she watched the brunette shuffle through the racks of clothing. "Don't get too dressed up. I don't feel like going out, let's just do something casual." Jane had stepped behind one of the privacy screens to change, so Sydney turned her attention to her phone to finally answer Rick. Sienna had her minions and Sydney had hers. If a few of them wanted to side with Sienna on this, oh well. Sydney didn't think that it would be an amount considerable enough to hurt her, because at this point, she didn't need feel like she needed a million followers anyway. It was senior year and one rumor that she was not going to confirm wasn't going to be enough to ruin her, despite Sienna's hopes.

To: Ricardo
You are so right Rick. Let's dedicate a moment of silence to me losing the admiration of those completely useless and pathetic girls who I didn't and never will care about </3 :(

"I'm still going to that party," Jane reminded Sydney. She had lost most of her confidence since Sydney first arrived, but she wasn't going to be completely submissive to all of Sydney's wishes. Her best friend still didn't deserve that and honestly, the few self-sufficient comments she had made earlier were liberating in a way. If she wanted to go to Hailey's party, she was going to go whether Sydney liked it or not! She had found a dress that she had purchased with Sienna the day before and slipped behind a privacy screen to change into it. Matched with black lace-up boots, it definitely wasn't a typical Jane outfit but from Sienna's description of the party, it didn't seem like a place for a typical Jane outfit anyway. The dress was small and tight which had her pulling at the non-existent bulge that she was sure was protruding from her stomach, but after brushing her issues off to Sydney, she tried not to put too much thought into it. She wanted what she had said to her friend to be true, and she tried to put the "positive thinking" method that she had been taught in therapy to use tonight. Plus, she was sure that the party would have enough drinks for her to forget what she looked like anyway. "You should come, too. I think it'll be fun."

Sydney didn't understand why Jane insisted on going to this party even after Hailey had been outed as a drug user, but she remained quiet. If Jane wanted to go, then so be it. She would have to learn the hard way, but whatever. It was clear to Sydney that she and Jane were on good terms again and it would make her look like the bigger person if she allowed Jane to hang out with Sienna, anyway. Not like Sydney really had the control to choose who Jane could and couldn't hang out with, but she liked how it sounded in her head. "Um, no thanks. I'm not into doing lines of coke in the bathroom with some wannabe singer." She was talking about Hailey, but if Jane thought she meant Sienna, that worked too.

"Open bar!" Jane chimed in, hoping that it would be enough of a convincing factor for Sydney as it was for her. She knew it wouldn't be, and she didn't really care. Honestly, the night probably would be easier without Sienna and Sydney in the same room if neither of them wanted to make up with each other.

"We aren't all alcoholics, babe. Besides, my grandpa wanted to get dinner tonight, so if you're going to abandon me, I guess I'll go do that. Don't drink yourself to death!" she sighed dramatically, although her tone was playful. She stood up and headed out of the closet, only rolling her eyes when Jane cheerfully dismissed her with, "Your loss!". It took less then three minutes for Sydney's car to pull up and for her to be back on her way to her apartment. She really did plan on staying in with her grandfather tonight, but when she got a text from Vincent, those thoughts flew out the window.

From: Vincent
Ik you don't want to talk to me and I get it but I don't think u should come tonight. It's just gonna be too much drama with you two there.

Was he out of his mind to try to tell her what to do and where to go? And to protect his precious little girlfriend who had fucked her over?! Oh, hell no! It left Sydney reeling and trying to recall what cute neon outfits she had on hand as she ordered her driver to speed it up.

Jane felt like she and Sydney had left off on a good note, despite the blonde probably being annoyed that she had decided to go to the party regardless of her wishes. It left her in an exuberant mood that came close to how she used to feel when she was hyped to go out at night, and it was an extreme contrast to how poorly she had felt all day today. She straightened her hair quickly and put just as little effort into its styling as she left it in a simple ponytail. A glance out her window showed that Max hadn't left yet, which only had her sending a text to Carolina once she was already on her way down to the car.

To: Caroline
I'm omw to the car!!!! Let's go

To: Sienna
OMW!!!!!!!!!! How am I supposed to know what you're wearing if you don't post an Insta?! Or are you saving your post for today for one with me <3?!

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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The smirk on Ricardo's face spelled trouble, but Vincent was happy enough that his partner in crime was back in town to water down the guilt and nervousness that he was feeling. If anyone brought out the womanizer and sheer cockiness in Vincent, it was Ricardo. "It didn't take you long to catch up on the latest drama," he remarked, though it wasn't as surprising as Vincent acted. Ricardo was the Sydney Vale of Saint Jude's. If something happened, he knew about it whether he was in the middle of the drama or on the other side of the country. In fact, it wasn't even unlikely that Rick could manage to be on the other side of the country and still involve himself in the middle of the Upper East Side drama if he wanted to. He didn't have any idea about what he was going to do about the drama, actually. He tried reaching out to Sydney and was kicked out of her house. Even Kelley, who never hid the fact that she didn't like Sydney, wouldn't tell him what Sydney said this morning when he spoke with her. He had tried to reach out to Sienna too, and she didn't even give him any sort of response to work with. How was he supposed to fix all of this when neither girl wanted to speak with him, and he wasn't even sure who he owed an apology to at this point.

"Come on, man, you know I don't kiss and tell," Vincent replied to the second half of Rick's comment. He tried to leave his expression only at a smirk, but even he couldn't resist snickering at the evidently false statement. "This is why I didn't tell anyone though. You know better than anyone that drama between these two doesn't end well and if they end up ripping each other's hair out, I don't want to be the one in the middle of it." That was unavoidable at this point.

As they grew closer to their destination, Vincent decided that maybe Rick was right, and he needed to do something about this. He still was leaning towards owing Sydney more of an apology than Sienna, but it was much more likely that Sienna was going to show up tonight. She was Hailey's closest friend in the Upper East Side, and it wouldn't make sense for her to miss a party, especially not one thrown by the girl who was rooming with her. It was probable that Sienna still wouldn't want to talk to him tonight, but maybe he could avoid some stress and drama by making sure that Sydney didn't show up too. He clearly didn't think the move through, because telling Sydney not to show up somewhere in a way that sounded like he was siding with Sienna spelled trouble, but the message was sent before he could rethink it.

To: Sydney
Ik you don't want to talk to me and I get it but I don't think u should come tonight. It's just gonna be too much drama with you two there.

"But seriously, when did you get back? I figured you were staying on the west coast this semester too." As the seconds passed and he received no response from Sydney, he knew that he had screwed up and decided not to inform Rick of his stupid move. Knowing Sydney's rage and Ricardo's ability to find out everything, he would find out on his own anyway.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Piper Vine Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Ricardo only allowed Vincent a wry smirk at his acknowledgement of already being caught up on the latest scandal. What could he say? It was kind of hard not to be involved or even know about it when 1.) he was a follower of the gossip page Victoria (though he had yet to discover that it was actually her, to begin with) had started, 2.) he also was one of Sienna's followers on all of her social media sites, and 3.) it didn't matter if he was in Tahiti, he had followers all over New York. If it was out in the public, he was going to know about it. And if it was undercover, he was bound to find out eventually. That would just take his own determination. Surely, it shouldn't surprise Vincent by now. Especially considering the latest drama involved one of his closest companions.

He couldn't help but laugh, then, after Vincent tried to play off what happened. It was an easy laugh and definitely not for show as Rick was privy to doing. It was line he had shot at Vincent several times before in the past, and he liked the carefree atmosphere that typically surrounded them when they were together. He liked Connor, sure, but Vincent was definitely his type of guy to be around. At the expression on Vincent's face, Rick hummed thoughtfully. He understood that the lacrosse player was in a really tricky situation and there wasn't much he honestly could for his friend, at least, not something Vincent wanted. So, he chose not to offer a response, noting that they were closer to this loft. Rick glanced down at his phone momentarily, flipping through two apps before humming to himself. He almost was not paying attention to Vince's inquiries, but when he did, he glanced back up with a small smirk. "Nah, the West Coast was fun and all. I met a good number of people on Sia's California friend list and the parties were sick, but the West Coast doesn't nearly have as much drama for me. Besides, where else am I going to find a few ladies in the street, but freaks in the sheets?" He said the last part on a chuckle as the driver informed them through the intercom that they were outside of the complex. Rick didn't answer, only opting to turn it off.

He turned and opened the door, waiting only for Vincent to get out of the vehicle before grabbing his arm. He waited until his best friend met his gaze and continued, still in a somewhat playful tone, but with a biting seriousness he wanted Vince to feel. "I'm not going to tell you what to do because honestly, unlike you, I'd love to see them rip each other's hair out," he admitted. "At the end of the day, you have THE two hottest girls in Constance to choose from and I'm telling you now, you better choose. Sydney's not a girl you take ten years to not pick. She's just not. She's a bitch, but a bitch you'd rather be upfront with now than face her wrath later. And Sia..." Rick paused. He cared about both girls more than he admitted to most people, and he was aware that between the two, Sienna was the more emotional one. The more fragile one. Even if she had not answered any of Vincent's messages yet, Rick knew she wasn't as fine and dandy as she tried to make herself seem by going out to her modeling gig today and helping with her friend's party. He knew, better than anyone, that there was something wrong when the #1 Most Powerful Social Media User in the celebrity world - a title Sienna coveted - did not use none of her sites in twenty four hours. Which was why he continued on his little speech. "Sienna's strong and likes to pretend she's big and bad, but I know, a bit better than she does sometimes, how she feels about you. But trust me, she's not waiting forever." Once all of that was said, Rick's signature smirk was back on his face, he released Vincent and continued on the path inside of the building. He did, however, end up adding over his shoulder, "And I mean, if you don't wanna pick, I can pick for you. I forgot how hot Sia was 'til I saw her earlier."


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Sienna rolled her eyes at Charlotte trying to dismiss her sexiness. Whatever Rose was deciding to do with her twin this year was definitely a thing Siena had to appreciate. It was just different and exciting seeing Lottie outside of her comfort zone, especially when she was killing it. It was enough to remind Sienna that she could have a normal party night, despite most likely not being friends with Sydney anymore and possibly not having her party girl. "I don't know, Lottie, I'm beginning to like this new look. I see tall, dark, and gorgeous boyfriend in your future already." Sienna said wistfully, already imagining seeing Charlotte on the arm of some dark-haired cutie. He didn't have to have dark hair, but Sienna was all for any guy Charlotte might decide to show an inkling of interest in. Sienna had already had her fair share of individual, not in her love life perhaps, but definitely behind closed doors. It would be more exciting to see Charlotte's love life flourish, especially since hers sucked.

Which was why she quickly reached for her phone, blinking at Jane's text message. Despite her consistency on Instagram and Twitter, it was one of the few times in Sienna's life where she was not in the mood. It was a rarity, and one Esmee would only give her a knowing look to. She knew it said something when she did not post on her social media sites and she honestly did not care if there were rumors already circulating because of it. But she did, however, decide to appease her friend just a bit.

To: Jane
Duh!! =D Gotta w8 4 my fave girl if I wanna post da best pix <3 <3

It was a great distraction when Charlotte, a person who was less involved in social media unless it had something to do with her volunteer service and the various social media pages Sienna made for their Student Government Association events, leaned over to take a pic or two with her. She knew she wasn't being entirely normal and the closer and closer they grew to the loft, the more Sienna honestly did want to snatch off all of her clothes and curl up under her blanket with ice cream. No, can't do that, she had to remind herself. This is Hailey's party. I'd be the worst friend ever for not showing up. She wasn't surprised when Charlotte finally asked her about how she was doing. However, she ignored that question in favor of texting Piper, texting her driver to hurry up, and answering the second.

To: Piper
I'm in serious need of a Mai Tai, so we're going ahead of u. The party's not far from us and I'll send my driver ur # so he can kno where 2 pick u up at

"Ha, if you're asking if Sydney Vale actually called me at any point since we effectively split up, then you obvi don't know her well, Lottie. Besides, she's probably already plotting my murder and has a hit out on me as we speak," Sienna declared, possibly dramatically. She was still looking at her phone, not at anything in particular, but because she honestly didn't want to know how she was doing. And she definitely didn't want to care about Vincent. "Vince called twice, but he didn't leave any messages. And he's text me, more along the lines of begging to know if I was really the one who leaked the info or if we could please just talk about all of this. Nothing more. Hasn't even come to see me." She didn't mean to say the last sentence with such bitterness. She never gave him any inkling of wanting to see him, so he had every right to keep his distance. Still, some irrationally jealous part of her demanded that he know things like that, especially if he had missed her as much as he claimed the other night. You and I both know that it was a lie, her mind taunted.

Luckily, as she had messaged Piper about, they were close enough to the building to not fully go into a conversation. She wasn't trying to dismiss Charlotte; the girl was one of the few genuine friends Sienna had in the Upper East Side. At the same time, she didn't want to focus on herself. She never did. She wanted to focus on the fact that she could hear the music when they stepped out of the car and that she could see the lights from where they stood. "This is going to be so much fun," she declared excitedly to Charlotte when the blonde stood beside her. She was not aware that she had only just arrived a few second before Vincent and Ricardo, leading her friend inside of the building. Just as they hit the lobby and waited for the elevator to get to Hailey's loft, she turned to Charlotte a playfully pointed look while stating, "And you better dance tonight, ma'am."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine
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Sunday, September 7th | 12:30 PM



Sunday was turning out to be an extremely busy day for Sienna and she wasn't exactly sure how she felt about it yet. The party last night had been pretty damn fun and exciting, especially seeing some of the more prim and proper students actually throwing the cares and inhibitions away. She herself had had a good time, especially with Jane, Piper, and Charlotte being her party buddies at different points of the night. She didn't know nor care if Sydney had made a presence, and if she had, Sienna had not paid it any mind. She had made it her mission to enjoy herself and downed two Mai Tai cocktails and only three shots, which was definitely safer than her typical antics. Maybe it was because she was trying to be coherent enough to evade Vincent when he did appear with Ricky...

...which brought her to her current issue. "Let me guess, you're vying for best friend of the month award," she snapped into her cell phone while sending out a few blasts online to the various volunteers for the afternoon. It was a very classy event they were hosting, a lunch of sorts with very light entrees, champagne, and a few other delicate treats. She had helped Charlotte and Victoria with the initial planning, but eventually stuck to doing her original job, which was more along the lines of garnering media attention of alumnae who still be around, various donors who would probably donate funds again, a few other social media management duties that had been bequeathed to her. Afterwards, she would have a small dinner with Jay Z and BeyoncΓ© about her upcoming EP, another session in the studio despite having doing one earlier in the morning, and finish whatever homework she had not touched. She had not had time to construct an attire that would allow her l show out and even had decided on one of her most bare looks, opting even for the bare minimum in regards to makeup. The dress she chose was classy and casual, and the shoes were just edgy enough. She even had to deal with the fact that Hailey was preparing to leave since, apparently, Sydney slamming her for drugs Sienna still believed did not belong to Hailey had run amuck through the halls and a few other rumors had spread. It was too much stress and dealing with being new to all of it, Hailey had not been prepared for anything. So, she was leaving and Sienna had oversaw her getting on a flight extremely early in the morning. Which was why she was not in the mood to play by Ricky's rules.

"Oh come on, Sia. Give me a little credit," his voice rumbled through her ears over the speakers, and Sienna scowled because she could hear the chuckle he did not release. "You say it like it's a bad thing." Sienna growled and Ricky laughed a bit at the sound. "Don't you think that if I wanted to talk to him, that I would have already done so?" Ricky smirked on his end, finishing with his tie. He was in the process of getting presentable for this event, having shooed away his conquest from the night before at the crack of dawn. He really hated when girls wore make up that they were only going to fuck up by morning. Honestly, it was an unattractive look and was probably the real reason he had sent her away so early. "The only reason you haven't spoken to him is because you're scared." Sienna paused and his smirk only grew at her silence.

It had never been hard for Ricardo to understand Sienna. She liked to think she was a bit more complex and in a way, she was, but she also was not hard to decode. Her fear at whatever she would hear from Vincent at the explanation of his "relationship" with Sydney was the main reason for her ignoring him, not her anger at the lacrosse star for being in a Snapchat. Ricky had singled that fact out last night when he acknowledged her ignoring Vincent to her face and seeing the almost guilty look in her eyes was enough to solidify the fidelity of his theory. No one could say that the king of St. Jude's wasn't an intelligent individual, that was for sure. Sienna's mouth opened and closed twice, and Esmee looked up from the seating chart Sienna had asked her to look over, running her hands through her pin-straight hair she stared at her sister curiously. Shaking her head, Sienna rose from her seat and left her laptop with Esmee, opting to walk out in the lobby instead of continuing the conversation in the ballroom. "Fine, I'll talk to him before this. Satisfied? She griped into her phone and Ricky could only laugh and admire his attire for the afternoon with pleasure. "Delighted." He replied and was not surprised by the click that followed.

Once off the phone with his Royal Asshole-ness, Sienna huffed and puffed, pouting for just a few minutes. She had fallen for Ricardo's tricks again. She could have ignored his allegations and ended the call altogether, but - and she was very aware that he knew this - she wasn't going to let him just call her out like that. She wasn't scared of talking to Vincent. It was freaking Vincent! She could have this conversation with him and then he could go back to telling everyone she didn't mean a thing to him, and she could go back to hating him. And damn those thoughts for saddening her for the seconds they dwelled in her mind. Messing with the loose strands that framed her face unlike the rest of her hair, which was styled in a side bun, Sienna paced along the floors for two minutes before making her decision. She dialed Vincent's number and waited for him to pick up, not giving him much time to say anything before cutting in, "Look, we've got thirty minutes til this event begins, and I can't leave since Charlotte isn't here yet, so if you still wanna talk, I'm here. And if not..." She bit her lip for a second, contemplating it before continuing. "..if not, then I'll see you when I see you." She hung up before the conversation could go any farther, staring down at her device for a few seconds longer than she would have admitted.

The cool air from outside grazed her warm skin due to various guests exiting the hotel and it reminded her that she needed to be on the move. She needed to make sure that everything was in place so Charlotte wouldn't have too much to stress over other than her speech. Preparing herself for possibly speaking with Vincent and dealing with the unwanted pleasantries that came with lavish events such as these, Sienna turned back and headed towards the ballroom once more, sending out messages to various peoples.

To: Jane, Piper
Plz tell me ur either coming 2 this thing or r doing something far more fun than me :P

To: Lottie, Carrie, Victoria
So far so good

To: Connor
At least u can do is b on time

To: Lee
Don't worry, I only have ur # 4 this 1 event. R u still volunteering or what?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Carolina Daily
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Sienna braced herself when Charlotte tossed her a determined gaze, opting to pay more attention to the clock as it winded down to the actual beginning of their little luncheon and the fact that, as she requested, there were tweets already surfacing. Reposting a few of them, she distracted herself with that task when the class president walked away in a hurry. A relieved breath expelled from her lungs as Sienna practically plopped into one of the chairs, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. She didn't understand why it felt necessary for her to keep it a secret that Vincent wanted to actually talk from Charlotte; over the years, Charlotte had proven that she was a much better friend than even Sydney sometimes. Yet and still, Sienna felt inclined - not to lie - but to protect. What she was protecting she did not know, but it only came natural. She would tell Charlotte, eventually, but for now she just needed time to process. More than that, she just needed to get through the day.

Jane arrived in her line of vision when Sienna was staring at her phone blankly, not really sure how to respond to Vincent's inquiries about dinner. Her fingers had already typed out her response, but her thumb seemed unwilling to press enter and instead, had pressed backspace. It was only a second in when Jane was standing right before her and smiling, causing Sienna to smile in return. Though, like Jane's, her smile did not hold the typical brightness it was known for. However, it was also in the presence of Jane that Sienna allowed herself to vanish thoughts of Vincent from her mind. She had to chuckle a bit at Jane talking a mile a minute, as usual, and didn't even attempt to answer Jane's questions. Besides, it was Jane who looked absolutely stunning and Sienna had half the mind to tell her that. A simple BCBG dress meant nothing to Sienna when Jane came dressed to impress. However, just as she was about to make her comment, Jane's curious gaze met hers and Sienna felt baffled. Why was Vincent calling Jane? Sienna even had to glance at her phone for a second in befuddlement because there was not another message from Vincent and he and Jane weren't close enough for him to randomly call. An irrational part of her mind taunted that maybe he had a thing for her whole friend group and Sienna never needed a drink so fast in her life, wrestling with Esmee over text message to find someone to get her champagne.

"If I knew you were looking like that, I would have been made my way over here," Ricardo leered from a few feet away and Sienna looked up, taking a shuddering breath in the midst of her internal freak out and eyeing the King Bee. "Don't you have some dignitaries to be charming with your Dad?" She sniped and Rick smirked, his eyes catching some little twinkle from the overhead chandelier and Sienna glowered at him for being unfairly attractive, and knowing it. "I see there's still an extra sparkle in your bitchiness today," he remarked, walking over in measured steps. Ricardo had arrived with his father some ten minutes ago and had weaved his way skillfully through a few upstanding members of the Upper East Side, laughing at a few humorless jokes and flirting with even a few married women, even under the eyes of their husbands. His father would be giving their donations and all he had to do was make an appearance. Which would have been preferable to make with two of his guys by his side, but with Connor MIA and Vincent having familial issues, he had no choice but to attend on his own. And what better way to spend his afternoon than antagonize the one person who was quite easy to antagonize?

Taking the now vacant seat beside Sienna, Rick had to smirk at how she attempted to scoot away from him, making sure that there was a sizeable distance between their shoulders. Leaning in, Rick inquired, "So, did you do as I instructed?" Sienna pressed her lips into a thin line, sucked her teeth, and then stared at her laptop, busy making posts and reposting various tweets from other people. She couldn't wait for some of the students to filter in their photos so she could repost those as well. "Doesn't matter if I did or didn't. He wants to meet for dinner and I can't. I have work." She almost included an insult, something to rile Ricardo up because she knew it would and his presence was not soothing to her at the moment. It was just annoying. Ricardo's eyes narrowed for a second and without another word, he scooped Sienna's phone up and was on his feet before she could utter a word. "Give me my phone, Rick!" It was a loud hiss, but not a yell, and Sienna was glaring full daggers at him now. But Ricardo was not paying her any mind, swatting her reaching hands away while simultaneously sending out a message from her phone.

To: Vincent
Dinner works. Just come around by place by 6 if you can.

"There, all done," Ricardo exclaimed and lowered her phone, allowing Sienna to snatch it out of his grasp. Her eyes flew wide open at the text she now could not retract because it was already sent and delivered, and she glared at Rick. "I have work - " Ricardo immediately cut her off, "That you can miss." There was a glint in his eyes and a knowing grin on his mouth and Sienna wanted to claw it all away. "Leave it to me."Was the last thing he said before going off into the crowd and Sienna grumbled to herself about nosy bastards and meddling jackasses. Honestly, who the hell did Ricardo think he was? And he knew what he was doing because now, she couldn't even reject dinner with Vincent. Telling him that it was a joke would make her seem even meaner after ignoring him as she had and while she originally was willing to continue her trek of ignoring him, the text made it impossible now. Not long after Rick left, a champagne glass was placed on her table and Sienna immediately set to sipping it, trying to hold a little sense of propriety.

In the meantime, Rick worked his way back through the various guests, not really in a rush. It was quite easy to get Sienna out of her next Sunday engagement. Her employer was not one of the richest men in the world, Rick's father was. And what better way to monopolize the time of a man who was one of the biggest name in the recording business than to set up a possible business venture between him and the third richest man in the world? However, that would have to wait for his eyes landed on a stunning blonde. Walking up to her calmly with a knowing smirk, Rick stepped before Mr. Vale first, shaking the man's hands while saying, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Vale. Glad to see you could make it to this illustrious event." After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Vale patriarch while casting Sydney a rather lascicious wink, Ricardo turned his full attention on her as her grandfather became distracted with a golfing buddy. "I knew I couldn't let the day go by without paying my respects to the most gorgeous woman in the room. And how are you, Sydney?"

Back with Sienna, she was busy going through her phone, garnering messages from followers, classmates, and a few of her minions, all claiming that the rumor mill stated that Sienna was spreading lies. It was a surprise that none of her girls were against her, and maybe it was a shared disdain for Sydney as opposed to fully liking Sienna, she didn't know. But the point of the matter was that it had been there. Even if she made Victoria take the post away and Sydney had everyone hear her claim that nothing about it was true, the seeds of doubt had been planted. Sydney may think that Sienna was too emotional to pull certain things off, but there was a reason why she was one of the best in social media at their school. Because she knew how it worked. So, she was fine with girls thinking she lied. It was a welcome distraction from the knot forming in her stomach and needing more, she sent out a few texts.

To: Victoria
The fact that you're still working money when you should be mixing and mingling baffles me. Come here

To: Carolina
Closest table to the left window

To: Jane
Come baaaaaaaaack!

To: Ricky
Btw I hate u

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Victoria Walsh Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Sydney was actually relieved to see Ricardo, and that relief prevented her from rolling her eyes as he charmed his way through small talk with her grandfather and the other adults standing by. She would be forced to here from Alan later on about how Ricardo was "such a pleasant young man" and "someone who is really going places in life" like she had heard so many times before, but for now, it was worth it. A text from Jane indicated that her go-to girl was with Sienna, and until she figured out how to respond to Jane's plea for her to make nice with Sienna, she needed someone of value to be seen with. As much as she liked to downplay Rick's looks and power to his face, she knew just as well as he, that he was the male version of her, social wise. He was probably the only person in the upper east side who could get away with the things that she could get away with, and maybe, the only person who could call her out on those things without her feeling threatened.

When her grandfather had become consumed in a conversation with someone else, she met Rick's gaze and allowed her formal smile to shift into a smirk at his expected and charming compliments. "Well, aren't you a gentleman, today?" she said, faking a flattered tone. If she didn't know Rick so well, she would think he was charming, and while she didn't doubt that she was the most gorgeous girl in the room, she was too keen on his flirting to take it to heart. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for most of the Constance Billard student body who would probably spread their legs right then and there if Ricardo said something like that to them. "Walk with me," she continued, slowly pacing away from her grandfather and the dignitaries he was conversing with. Still smirking, Rick conceded and stepped in line with her, nodding to Mr. Vale as they went. If she wanted to speak with Rick on a real level - which she wasn't sure she wanted to do - she needed to be away from the ears of the people that both teenagers were forced to keep good impressions around. She was tempted to ask Rick why he didn't bring his little boyfriend around with him. Vincent was noticeably absent and she was sure that if anyone knew where he was, it would be Rick. Sydney never hesitated to call Vincent out on being a bit of a follower around Ricardo. They were close to being equals, but it seemed like Vincent's true personality always faded when he was around Rick and trying to... impress him, or maybe more accurately, live up to his "player" persona. This normally involved him either brushing off Sydney or Sienna, and even though Sydney sometimes got a laugh out of him doing it to Sienna, there was a part of her that was bothered by it too. Only because she had received that treatment too, and the good friend inside of her felt like one of them deserved Vincent. If he was playing her, Sienna at least deserved his real love, and if he was playing Sienna, she deserved his true love. He couldn't be messing around with both of their heads and get away with it. She didn't always feel this way, but sometimes, when she was being sensible, she knew that she would rather Sienna walk off with true love than neither of them. Today wasn't one of those days, though.

She plucked a champagne glass from the hand of a waiting server, offering them a small smile of appreciation as she headed further into the event. Her phone was buzzing yet again with messages from Jane, and this time, while it still made her feel guilty for putting the brunette in a tight spot, her smirk widened. Of course Sienna was desparetely searching for anyone to be her friend at this point. Stooping so low to befriend Victoria Walsh! If Sydney wasn't standing next to the nosy Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ, she probably would have chuckled aloud. "Did Daddy send you to drop off his check?" Sydney asked distractedly as her fingers tapped against her phone screen in response to Jane. Laughing again at her inquiry, Rick replied, "Daddy drops off his own checks. I'm just here to look pretty,", which, even with Sydney barely paying attention, elicited an eye roll from her. She didn't think anyone could call her conceited in the presence of the King of Saint Jude's.

To: Jane
Poor thing... she always has been desperate for attention

And I told you that I'm going to talk to her Jane. You know I wouldn't lie to you


Maybe she did really feel guilty for not being the best friend to Jane lately, or she was feeling detrimentally cocky after hearing about Sienna's desperation, and now, as she got closer to the back of the ballroom, seeing it with her own eyes. Either way, it gave her the confidence to separate from Ricardo and approach the girls on her. "If you must. Don't do anything I wouldn't," Rick responded after she insisted that she needed to excuse herself "to take care of some business". And business was exactly what it would be. No, she wasn't going to apologize to Sienna like Jane wanted, because as far as anyone outside of their circle knew, there was nothing for her to apologize about. She would, however, give Sienna the chance to apologize for herself, or, if she wanted to continue to play games, at least get credit for being the bigger person in Jane's eyes.

"There you are, Jane. Your dad was looking for you," she said as she approached the girls from the opposite side of the table. She didn't acknowledge Tori or Sienna yet, only giving Jane a smile that was probably more icy than she wanted it to be. Adrian hadn't been looking for Jane, but she needed a reason for approaching the table, and with the recent exposure of Jane's eating disorder, it seemed to be a valid excuse that her father was trying to check up on her. "He said something about the food being served soon and wanting you to eat with them." She maintained an innocent tone to her voice, but she knew that was an unnecessary thing to say to get rid of Jane. Especially with the way it had been brought up in the first place... this was another act of insensitivity. It was just hard for Sydney to not act that way, especially when she needed to seem big and bad in front of Sienna, to remind her of who she was messing with. Sydney didn't want Jane to be at the receiving end of her coldness, but it spoke greatly when the defenseless girl who was supposed to be her best friend was. She glanced at Victoria next, not attempting to be discrete as she looked her up and down. "If you see Charlotte, tell her that the decor in here looks wonderful. One day in and she's already proving herself to be the best class president we could have had," she smiled. Another low blow? Yeah. Did Sydney care? Definitely not. Lastly, she glanced towards Sienna. "Have a moment to chat?" If the girl dared to say no, Sydney was going to have to pull out the big guns and send her packing just like she had with her dumb, blonde little friend.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine
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By the time Sienna had made it back to her family's penthouse, the tears had reluctantly ceased in their non-stop waterfall. She wiped her face as best as she could while she had been in the backseat, using the makeup removal wipes before her door was opened. After her talk with Sydney and a text from her manager, Gabriella Mosci, confirming that her dinner with Jay Z and BeyoncΓ© were cancelled due to an 'unforeseen' possible business venture - no doubt, Ricky's doing - she didn't feel the need to wear make-up anymore, not even the minimal that she had been wearing in the first place. It was obvious, even to her old caretaker, Katherine, that Sienna was not in a good mood. "ΒΏQuΓ© pasa, pequeΓ±a?" Katherine asked, immediately at Sienna's side when she noticed the rather dejected look on the singer's face. Sienna didn't even humor Katherine's concern, not bothering to halt on her stride to her room nor speaking in her native tongue. "Nothing you can help me with." She felt the older woman's dark gaze piercing insistently at the side of her face, so she glanced at her and figured to fix her with something to do so Sienna could be free to do as she pleased. "I have a guest coming at six...Vincent. Fix something up for us, please. If anyone needs me, tell them I'm working." Katherine had been with the family since Sienna was a baby, so she was aware of who Vincent was and also understood what they both would enjoy for dinner. Sienna was at her bedroom door by that point, pausing only because Katherine seemed unwilling to move, so she glared at her until she did. When the caretaker was rounding the corner, Sienna pushed into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Once in the safety of her private quarters, she knew she couldn't stay trapped in the four walls. While comfortable and spacious, she knew she would feel suffocated long before Vincent would arrive and she didn't want to feel sick of her own room when she had to sleep here tonight. More than ever, she realized, she wanted to return to Long Island. Back to her family's estate, to the panoramic views of the nearby waters behind the wide expanse of land that made up her lawn, the game room, her private recording studio. She missed the comfort and privacy of that space - she missed the ability to truly escape. Despite the penthouse being fully hers and bought with her own money, her family's first home was the only home she wanted to be at. However, it was a Sunday and if she went back now, she wasn't going to school tomorrow and it was Sienna's goal to not miss a day so that the absences she took for her career would be the only ones tallied against her. It was a trivial matter to be concerned with, but it was enough to clear her head. A bit more able to think, she pulled out her phone and tossed her back on one of her small sofas to send out messages to a few friends.

To: Rick
U better hope I don't kill ur friend

To: Vincent
Anything in particular u want 4 dinner? Speak now b4 Katherine starts cooking

To: Piper, Carolina
Wasn't feeling all that well, so I went home. Srry. Enjoy the event. Maybe a girl nite 1 of these days?

To: Jane
Look, we talked. Things were exchanged. There's no war...I hope. But we need space. I'm still ur friend and we need 2 talk about ur summer soon, but I need space from Syd 4 now.

To: Madam President
Srry 4 leaving & srry 4 being elusive. Apparently, Rick is playing fairy godfather/matchmaker/therapist cuz he's making me talk 2 Vincent tonite & I didn't know how to word how I was feeling earlier. Talked 2 Sydney. No WWIII 2 b worried about, 4 now. I couldn't b there anymore. Srry

The last two gave her pause. Sienna knew that Charlotte was the more understanding between Jane and her, and that she would be willing to hear Sienna's side of the story. Jane, on the other hand, didn't want to hear anything that didn't satisfy her desires. And that was fine, it was something Sienna still found enduring because Jane could be so adorable and childlike at times. However, at this time, Sienna knew she didn't want to deal with that. She wanted Jane to understand - she couldn't force Sydney and Sienna to go back to the way they were just because it made her feel better. It obviously wasn't working the way they were before, so maybe distance was their best bet. Sienna didn't know if making up with Sydney was in the cards for her, but she...she didn't know what she was really thinking when it came to their situation. She just wanted to breathe without having to feel guilty. Once her messages her sent, she plugged her phone up to its charger, removed her day's outfit, and hopped into a long shower.

Setttled in a warm blanket of drowsiness and relaxation from the jasmine-scented oil she had added to her steam shower, Sienna stepped out of her bathroom with a plan. A good run down with the towel and some lotion, and she was dressed in a velour coral Juicy Couture sweat suit, the top hanging off of her left shoulder rather loosely. After a quick brush, her hair was pushed into a low ponytail and draped over her right shoulder. She didn't bother for shoes, just the first comfortable white socks that she found. Once fully dressed, she left her bedroom in pursuit of the one place not too many followed her into: her private recording studio. When they were looking for penthouses, Cynthia demanded that there be a space they could use for such so that Sienna would never slouch in her vocal training and recording. It knocked back two bedrooms and what would have been another man cave for her father, but it had a home-like feel to it that made Sienna feel better on days like this. It consisted of the writing room, complete with a sofa, a shelf for vocal training and music books, a shelf for electronic pianos, and then a regular sized piano Sienna had spent too much of her childhood in front of. Then the second room, on a slightly elevated level, consisted of the control room and a small isolation booth. It had been daunting as a child, being forced to spend hours perfecting songs she honestly had not cared that much about. But she had grown to love it. Plus, she didn't always work on serious pieces. Most of the time, what work she did at home consisted of covers and mixtapes that had never seen the light of day.

Once the door to the writing room was closed, Sienna didn't head to the isolation booth. Instead, she sat in front of her piano and began doing vocal warm-ups. It was a welcome distraction, a bit of an irony considering how much she bitched and moaned about this when she was younger...


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Ricardo had watched, faintly interested, when Sydney left him in pursuit of Jane and Sienna. He had watched as apparently, Sydney had acknowledged Sienna verbally because his favorite Latina finally graced the queen bee with her own look of acknowledgement. It was easy to note the tension at the table because Jane had scurried off without so much as a backwards glance at her two closest friends and well, the unimportant brunette that was left was only acknowledged for a second as Sienna lead Sydney out of the ballroom. Chuckling to himself, he murmured, "And so it begins..." Not looking back in their direction and thinking the girls might either take long or regain his attention because of a catfight, Rick turned and headed to his father's table, joining in on a small joke he honestly could give two fucks about. But it was that he was a socialite and as always, he had to play the part. So, he swallowed the biting retort about the corniness of the joke and laughed behind the glass of water. While sitting, he did manage to get two texts out.

To: Connor, Vincent
Bored as fuck & neither of u r here to entertain me. Smh

It was once the video was over and main courses were being served that Rick decided to make his rounds. Once this cycle of greeting and conversing passed, he was permitted to leave and go about his day. His father had taken his words about Roc Nation to heart, because as soon as he was finished eating, he was going to schedule something with Jay Z as soon as possible to at least begin brainstorming. It left Ricardo tasked with giving the check, which was fine with him. It wouldn't be the first time that Carlos left him with a fifty million dollar check. He stopped, firstly, at the Alvarez family table, getting a peck on the cheek from Cynthia and an uncomfortable sneer from Esmee. She gave him a different reaction from Sienna's. Sienna would simply sneer and make a quip. Esmee seemed...put off by his attention and it made him laugh a little, especially when Cynthia told her to behave. After that, he made his way over to the Buchanan family table, pausing behind Charlotte's chair. "And here's the happy and proud family," Rick greeted with a charming smile, meeting Charlotte's parents' gazes first. "Sir, ma'am, you have a perspicacious daughter. And, of course, with your hard work, I'm sure." Once that was settled and he nodded to their significant others, Rick's gaze fell on Rose and Lottie. "Rose," he purred with a wink. Finally, he grinned at Charlotte, dangling the check at her playfully. "And my favorite future US president. As always, you were great. I would stay, but I have important matters to attend to. Where do I drop this little thing off?" He knew where, he just wanted to mess with her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Victoria Walsh Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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_____ T H EXC L A S SXP R E S I D E N T _____

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L O C A T I O N : Hotel Plaza Athenee, Manhattan, New York

    {Collaboration with Girl2Fine2}

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    "So... You're boyfriend's going to be mad because he is in that video?" Her father's wife, Tatiana asked as she tilted her head in confusion from what Rosie had just told them about Brent and Lottie. Lottie groaned for the fifth time before shaking her head. "He is not my boyfriend. He's just this little twerp who loves to piss me off. And, he wasn't in it his family was." The blonde Romanian nodded as she finally got it. "Why don't you just tell him you had no idea." James asked as he turned towards his daughter with his arm resting behind his chair. "You don't know Barclay. He's unreasonable, and ill-tempered, 'sides, I don't have to explain a damn thing to him." Lottie concluded as she took a sip of her diet coke. James simply nodded. "That's my girl." Lottie and James smirked and hide their chuckles from their disapproving ex-wife and mother who just shook her head and looked at Rosie. "She doesn't have to but, she will." Rosie added. Lottie just groaned but, before she could object she felt someone come up behind her seat.

    "And here's the happy and proud family," Lottie took a sigh of relief as she heard Ricky's voice. She turned towards the 'king' with a smile. They weren't best friends but, they were close enough plus she was probably one of the only people who had the balls to call him on his player ways without being afraid of what he was going to say. She called it how she saw it, which you had to respect. "Sir, ma'am, you have a perspicacious daughter. And, of course, with your hard work, I'm sure." She watched both of her parents offer a smile towards Ricky watching his focus turn to their dates and then to Rose. "Rose."

    You see, unlike Lottie who saw Ricky as averagely attractive, Rosie saw him as one of the sexiest guys she had ever seen in her life. "Rick." Rosie said back to him before winking. Lottie just smirked before rolling her eyes. When he turned towards her, she cleared throat as she looked up at him. "And my favorite future US president. As always, you were great. I would stay, but I have important matters to attend to. Where do I drop this little thing off?" She smirked as she looked over towards the donation table."Hey, that means a lot comin' from my favorite little heartthrob. You can turn them in right over--.." Right when she spoke she turned to her phone when it went off and read the message from Sienna. Lottie licked her lips before grabbing her phone and the check from Ricky's hand. "Actually, I'll show you where they go. I'll be back in a jiffy guys." She scooted her chair back and smiled towards the table before walking away with Ricky in tow. To the unseeing eye, Ricardo's relaxed smirk never changed and he seemed unfazed by Charlotte's response. After all, hearing it at face value, it was nothing more than a response between friends. However, after a few years of friendship, even he detected the sarcasm interlaced with the easy sweetness Charlotte Buchanan was known for. And it amused him, causing his lips to give a slight twitch that only she could see. He had been prepared to leave directly after Charlotte replied to him, but then the check was out of his hand. One of Rick's dark eyebrows rose in interest as Charlotte stood, but he said nothing at first. He simply allowed her to grasp a hold of his hand. Upon her tug, Rick glanced back at the rest of the family. "You all." His gaze fell on Rose for a second, "Rose." Finally back to the family as Charlotte pulled him away, "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

    When they made it to the back, she put the check in the box with the others before turning to Ricky with her right hand on her hip with her left resting on the table as she raised an eyebrow. Once at the donation box, Rick watched with amused interest as Charlotte placed his check in herself, joking lightly. "If you wanted to be alone with me so badly, Buchanan, all you had to do was ask." It was an unnecessary comment, but teasing nonetheless. Above any girl, Charlotte was the one he knew he could never talk into his bed. It made their friendship a bit more genuine as there was nothing else there, just two people throwing digs at one another all for the sake of playful banter. "Now enlighten me, Ricky. What are you planning and why you want Sienna to talk to Vincent?"

    Lottie rolled her eyes and kept her eyes on him. She got enough of the banter for today. At her inquiry, he turned away and glanced up at the ceiling, humming to himself in a mocking thoughtful manner. As he looked up at the ceiling Lottie's eyes filled with more annoyance. Finally, with a lascivious grin, his dark eyes met her piercing blue. "Why are you concerned? Afraid he'll stop flirting with you?"

    "Please, Vincent flirting with me is the last thing I need or want in my life. She said as she smiled as a junior girl walked past the two and said hi. She turned her attention back to Ricky and the question at hand. "Ricky, seriously. Sienna has already lost Sydney and Vincent as friends this year, not to mention that Vince cheated on her with Sydney. So, what the point of getting the two of them to talk and trying to play their matchmaker or whatever?"

    Ricky didn't even react to Charlotte's original comment, simply rolling his eyes at the next words that came out of her mouth. [b]"Matchmaker, huh? That's kinda cute. Sia's doing, I bet?"
    He didn't intend to receive a response to that, but he also wasn't about to outwardly show his frustration. They were at a social event, after all, and he wouldn't lose his composure with so many of his father's colleagues and drinking buddies around. So, he turned away from Charlotte a bit, allowing his gaze to rove over the ballroom with a pleasant smile as he stated, "I get that you're protective of her, I do. Which was why I've been flirting with Sienna in that dumb ass's face, I'll have you know."

    Pausing for a moment, Rick glanced back at Charlotte and although his face in its entirety said displayed nothing but playful in the eyes of everyone who would see them, he stared at Charlotte imploringly. "Say what you want about Vincent, but he does care about her. Love her, even. He's just...putting on a show and trying to impress whomever he's trying to impress. It's a waste of time, really, and I'm not as amused as before. And for the record, I care about Sia. Which is why they need to talk. You may think keeping them apart is what's best for them - or her, really - but it's not. And instead of acting like kids and running from each other the second one of them gets jealous, it's about time they start acting like adults, don't you think?" He had a point, she would never say that but, he did.

    She sighed sharply before nodding, keep her eyes toward the entrance and away from Rick. "Fine, you might have a point. But... What if it backfires and--..and it only makes things worst? Then what are you gonna do?" She asked with concern as turned her eyes back to Ricky's. She was no longer irritated over him trying to get the to talk, she couldn't be. She knew he meant well once he explained and she had to respect him trying to get the two to talk... now. But, now she was worried and concerned. What if did only make things worst? Then what? She already had to see Sienna upset over Sydney and have to comfort her. She didn't want to have to rush to her close friend's side once more because something happened with Vincent.Ricardo expelled a large quantity of air, shoving his hands into the pockets of his expensive pants.

    He honestly did not want to think of this not working out, mostly because he didn't want another year of foolishness. The longing looks his best friend cast Sienna's way when he thought no one was listening needed to come to fruition. So, he stated with a lack of delicacy, "Then the dumb ass loses her forever and you help Sienna officially move on. I already told him that." Sighing again, Rick nodded to a few lacrosse players who were headed to the front door. Rather decidedly, he straightened whatever crookedness his mind has deemed was in his suit before staring surreptitiously at Charlotte, "Now, if you don't mind, this Good Samaritan bullshit has left me parched. See you tomorrow, Charlotte." Giving her a wink and a warm clasp on the shoulder, Ricardo turned and headed for the exit in pursuit of a scotch at the nearest bar. As he walked away, she just rolled her eyes as she shook her head. He was definitely one of a kind. She couldn't think about it much before her phone went off, she raised an eyebrow as she saw Tori's name and the text that was under it. She chuckled as she shook her head as she responded. She really thought Lottie was going to tell her anything? Please, Lottie was from the South, that didn't make her an idiot. She quickly sent her text before deciding it was time to return to her table.

    To : Tori

    Thanks Tori, that means a lot! <3 And yea, I saw her leave when I was on stage but, idk why. Sorry hun. :(

    With luck, Brent couldn't find her and left... Probably not but, a girl could dream. She sat back down only to hear her parents getting into it over who had a better chance at a successful future; Lottie or Rosie while Rose was texting on of her friends, not even paying any mind to the ex-couple while their significant others just stayed out of it. They didn't need to get involved.


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine Character Portrait: Connor Harkins Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Connor's chance at receiving perfect attendence for the fourth year in a row at Saint Jude's was ruined by the first day of classes. Only hours after getting out of the prior day's assembly, Connor received a call from his mother that his father's sister, Ramona, had passed away. She was a single woman in her early fifties who lived alone in Florida. When Ronald inherited the investment firm from their father, he had to buy out Ramona's share, leaving her without a job but a hefty load of cash to sustain her for the rest of her life. Because she had no children, Connor didn't have the incentive of seeing cousins that made him ever want to visit her. Plus, she and his father's relationship had been shaky for most of their adult lives, so Connor was never close with his aunt. In fact, aside from memories of a Thanksgiving years ago, he had very few memories of her. Regardless, she was Ronald's only sibling and family was family. So, Connor and his parents took the first flight from New York to Boca Raton, and Jack met them there hours later.

Although he felt horrible about deserting Charlotte during the first SGA event of the year, the trip wasn't all bad. No one ever liked funerals, and dealing with a six hour wake on Friday and a funeral in the glistening Florida heat on Saturday sure made him wish he was in New York. However, it did feel like summer was being extended a bit since he was back with his brother for a couple of days. Plus, putting aside the eery feelings, their deceased aunt's beach side mansion made the off time pretty enjoyable. By four in the afternoon on Sunday, Connor and his parents were back in New York, though and after dealing with an hour's worth of miserable rush hour traffic, they returned to their Manhattan home. By then, it would have been futile for him to try to get to the event since he had to showered and get ready, so rather than rush the last two, he took his time doing them and around six o'clock, walked to the building the Buchanan's resided in. Connor had been busy enough over the weekend (and guilted by his mom into focusing the two days on family, not electronics) that he had only sent Charlotte one text explaining where he would be and how sorry he was that he was bailing. He knew that she could handle the event on her own. She was Charlotte Buchanan, aka Superwoman, but still, he had committed to being there and now he couldn't. Even though everyone knew Charlotte could handle it on her own, she was bound to stress out over it and he was supposed to be there to reassure her that everything was going perfectly. He knew that a family crisis like this wasn't his fault, but he still felt guilty over it.

In an attempt to make it up to her, and because he wanted to hear how the event had went, he picked up Chinese food for the two of them, and Rose, in case she was there. As he waited to be buzzed in, he rested the food on a table and texted everyone that he hadn't had time to keep up with over his trip.

To: Lottie
Hey Lottie, we ended up taking an earlier flight home this afternoon so I'm in NY... more specifically, in the lobby of your building. Be a gem and buzz me in ;)? I have Chinese

To: Vincent
My mom said to tell your mom thanks for the flowers she sent to the apartment. Btw... heard something about you and Sydney??? What?

To: Ricky
Lol sorry I was out of town. Didn't know u were coming home this soon though. What's up with that? and this Vincent Sydney thing?

To: Sydney
Hey Syd :) did you go to the ALS event today?

To: Piper
Am I invited to your party this weekend xD?

Setting

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Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Connor Harkins Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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Ricardo Torrez Slim-HelΓΊ was not known as a sentimental being. In fact, he has been dubbed, osensibly, as the complete opposite. A narcissistic jerk. Selfish. Ruthless. Relentless. Unfeeling. There were a lot of adjectives that, if you looked them up, you would probably spot his picture beside them. And, despite even his mother showing her disappointment, Ricardo would tell you that he honestly did not care. No, it did not amount to anything that someone disliked him for the unflinching coldness he could exude towards someone from his Calculus class. Why should he care anyway? They were no one of any consequential value and even if they were, if he had no real impression of them to think of, why waste his time putting on airs when he does not have to? He saw a girl bawling her eyes out of her ex-boyfriend? Unless he was planning on smooth-talking her and fucking her, it would make no difference. Oh, your parent died? Well, it sucks but life goes on. So, yeah, he wasn't a very sentimental being. Well, at least, that's what he likes people to believe.

Which led him to sitting in the back of the Slim-HelΓΊ town car when he very well could have already been at a bar, club, or some girl's house when her boyfriend thinks she's studying. He had had every intention of enjoying his night in fact. After leaving the ALS event from earlier in the day, Ricardo had went home and found one of his brothers had flown over from Mexico to visit. Carlos needed help in the office, which definitely stung Rick's pride considering how available he had been tried to make himself in order to prove to his father how interested he was in his empire, and Felipe decided to be of assistance. And gloat. Which led to a serious basketball match followed by a wrestling match, and even an eating competition that only Carlos could break up. After that, the brothers had sat in tense silence until Felipe conceded, lighting the mood up with the idea of club hopping. However, just as he had gotten ready, he got Connor's text. Along with some of his female minions mentioning what he had not seen earlier: Sydney and Sienna both with reddened eyes that Sydney's makeup and Sienna's rushing out did not hide.

At first, he just shrugged it off. It didn't really matter and besides, he had already comforted Sienna and Sydney wasn't the type. However, for some dumb, inexplicable reason, he decided to be fair and found himself on the way to the Vale's penthouse. Felipe had been pissed, but Rick's VIP pass to a burlesque club shut him up in a blink. So, he was where he was, foot tapping impatiently and wondering where the hell this bout of humanity came from. Finally, he arrived outside of the complex and sent out his texts.

To: Connor
Don't worry about it. We'll talk over lunch

To: Sydney
I'm downstairs. Let me in

To: Sydney
Plz

Rick waited for a good two minutes before sending the second part of his text to Sydney, smirking to himself because he knew she would have tried rejecting him if he had not at least tried showing up with a bit of respect. So, he stepped into the lobby, not even bothering to remove his shades yet and checking his clock. It was about forty five minutes pass six in the evening and if she would just go along with things, they'd both be enjoying their night long before midnight rolled around.

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Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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{In collaboration with Starstruck}



After leaving Charlotte's event early due to the unexpected emotional talk with Sienna, Sydney needed some good, old retail therapy to clear her mind. She didn't even have it in her to invite Jane along, or even answer her text messages because she knew that she didn't have the answer that Jane wanted to hear. She and Sienna weren't friends and after Sienna had turned their conversation into a sob story (which arguably, was the same thing Sydney had done), she didn't think they would return to being friends any time soon. Sydney wanted to be friends with her again. She probably wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even Jane, but she did miss Sienna. If she didn't, there was no way that she would have broken down like that at a public event. She still couldn't even believe that she had dropped her walls enough to cry to Sienna over Sienna. She wanted to brush it off as exhaustion? Maybe stress? But what she had said in the short conversation was genuine. She wished it wasn't, but it was, and now that both of them had heard the other's side, it seemed like time was the only thing that could mend their issues.

After spending a few hours in Kate Spade with a personal shopper, Sydney finally returned home. She planned on spending the rest of her night soaking in her jacuzzi tub and finishing school work. If she ended up in a better mind state, she could text Jane back and explain her side of the story. If not, she would have a relaxing, drama-free night. That was the plan... until she walked into her building's lobby and found Ricardo standing by the elevator. Just my luck... she said, momentarily reading through his texts as she approached him. He was one of the last people she felt like dealing with right now but there was literally no way around him, so with an internal groan, she told the doorman to take her bags up to her apartment and stepped towards Rick. "Make it quick, I have things to do, Ricardo," she stated with an unamused look. She really did think she was in the mood for his banter today. Apparently, no amount of overpriced purses could relieve her of the drained-feeling the altercation with Sienna had left her with.

Perhaps whomever was up in the clouds watching over everyone was on Ricardo's side because he heard the sound of heels and then Sydney Vale's voice, and the grin on his face was wide. Chuckling at her tone, he turned around to face the blonde and took her in. The red of her eyes was gone after all this time, but she did look a bit paler than normal. Though, he wouldn't point it out. Instead, Rick's eyes flicked over to Vale staff that took up her bags and whistled.

"I'm impressed. That is a much lighter load than normal, Miss Vale. I would ask if you were on a sensible spending kick, but we both know that that's a lie," he replied without hesitation, meeting her halfway. But then his grin grew and he gestured for the door. "But I jest. You've saved me half the trouble of getting you dressed. Let's go. We have a flight to catch and I'm in the mood for a funnel cake." Ricardo even started heading for the door just to hurry their journey.

Ricardo was an entitled jerk, Sydney knew that much, but did he really think she was just going to drop everything to hang out with him? And was he that confident in himself that he thought she was going to take a flight with him somewhere? He couldn't tell if he was really that sure of himself, or if he was joking. She raised an eyebrow, studying his expression intently before meeting his gaze. "Sorry pretty boy, but you're going to have to go to the circus on your own tonight. I have other plans, none of which involve Daddy's jet or fried food. I'm sure you have a number for an escort service though. Try one of those girls." He was walking away and she wasn't going to chase him. She could leave that level of desperation for Sienna and Vincent. She knew that Ricardo wasn't going to just leave her alone at that, though, so she didn't spin around to go up to her own apartment either. Despite not wanting to deal with Rick's ego tonight, she wanted to hear the delusional wit she expected from him now that she had rejected him. Rick only paused, turning to her with an unimpressed glance as she shot him down. He didn't even attempt to scowl. He only smirked before taking one step towards Sydney, hands in his pockets. "And what plans, pray tell, would you have on a Sunday night after spending insurmountable cash on a shopping spree alone, I'm guessing?" He gave her a good five seconds to respond before continuing, "Better yet, what could be more interesting on the four walls of your bedroom than the way the fireworks light up the sky just as the clock strikes midnight at the Cinderella castle?" Smirk widening, Ricardo sighed. "Come on, Syd. Let's pretend, for just one night, that this," he gestured to the space between their bodies, "is just two friends just...having a little fun. Live a little." Just to be his normal self, Rick even offered her a small wink, "Nobody even has to know."

Sydney only responded to his accurate assumption that she had went on a shopping spree alone with a scowl. She wasn't embarrassed to have went alone. It wasn't like she didn't have a ton of girls in her contact list who would have dropped everything to come if she requested their presence, but the fact that she didn't have Jane, Sienna or even Piper as options said something. She knew that was what Ricardo was getting at too. The unavoidable air of arrogance that came with him made her want to wring his neck, but tonight, maybe she could humor his ego with her presence. He was right that she didn't have any better plans and a night in Disney didn't sound bad at all. Besides, Ricardo could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but like her, he couldn't have made his way to the top just by having a pretty face and a fat wallet. Some of the draw to him was real and if Sydney wanted to have a good time with him, she probably could. A distraction from all that went on this weekend seemed necessary anyway. "I'm only coming because I'd hate to see you beg me, Rick. That might be the only emotion that doesn't look good on you," she said, finally allowing her own amused smirk to surface.


Rick's answering beam at Sydney's face spelled nothing but pleasure. In lew of her last statement, a sign of surrender, he only replied with a hand over his heart, "How gracious of you!" Her little smart retort couldn't even dent his mood. After all, Rick couldn't even lie to himself when it came down to it. Disney Land in California was great and all, but there was a timelessness to Disney World that he preferred. Besides, before he'd have to grow bored with classmates talking of the last piece of gossip they received from their little unnamed well of knowledge, Ricardo would need something that would hold him over until the next bout of juiciness.

Remaining as gentleman-ly as possible, he opened the door for Sydney to leave the building and opened it for her himself when they returned to his town car. Once inside, his driver headed towards the nearest airstrip. Maybe five or ten minutes passed when Ric nodded over to the rack of clean champagne glasses. "And how was your summer by the way, Sydney? Care for a drink?" Was she crazy? Was she really doing this? Apparently so, since when Ricardo nodded towards the champagne rack in the car, she willingly accepted, but not without a comment of her own. "I'm going to need one if I'm actually going on this little adventure with you," she said, though by now, her smirk had softened into a smile. Rick only offered his signature smirk. "My summer was good, always is. The Hamptons, LA, Monaco, Rome... it was nice. It would have been better with my girls, but I can't complain," she continued. It was true. She didn't miss Piper very much, but spending an entire two months without Jane was a downer, and at that point, she hadn't been at odds with Sienna. She was away on tour though, so aside from a few intense phone calls regarding the discovery of Jane's whereabouts, she hadn't been with her very much either. It wasn't like she had spent the summer alone. She had Connor and Jack, as well as all of the other wealthy teenagers who flocked to the Hamptons in the summer and didn't live in New York, but no one could compare to her girls. Even now, with all of this really bad drama, she didn't think that a great night with anyone else could even compare to a good night with her girls. "And what about you?" she sipped her drink. "I'm surprised I didn't see you, honestly. Don't tell me that California kept you all year and all summer."

Ricardo noted the wistfulness followed by a wave of sadness that appeared in Sydney's eyes. It vanished almost as immediately as he saw it, but it was enough to cause him to not make a comment on it. Instead, he focused on answering her question. [color=#35817]"California wasn't that seductive now. I, uh, went home. To Mexico,"[/color] he told her, a small scowl forming on his face at the memory before he fixed it with a crooked grin. "My father missed home, my mother wanted to see my abuelita, and I had nothing better to do."

It was the first time he had actually talked about his summer. When he had first met up with Vincent, Rick hadn't mentioned returning home and had planned to keep it that way. Despite the endearing smile that threatened to pull at the corners of his mouth at the memory of his mother's mother and visiting her hometown of Higuera Blanca, returning to Mexico City and encountering all of his father's list of unimportant children was not memorable. At least, not in the way Carlos has anticipated. Trying to rid himself of the memory, Ric made himself more comfortable in his seat, arm draped over the back of the plush seating and one leg crossing over the other, as he continued, "You know, parties in Puerto Vallarta, jet-skiing in Punta Mita, visiting family in Mexico City...small things like that." He didn't include the fact that Mexico City had been nothing compared to the warmth of his grandmother's hug nor the sweetness of her bakery's goods.

"Nothing better to do? That doesn't sound very 'Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ' to me," she smiled, nodding intently as he briefly detailed his summer. She was surprised, and maybe a bit relieved, that he had fallen off the map to some extent this summer too. "I've never been to Mexico," she stated with a shrug. "My grandfather thinks it's ridden with drug rings and turf wars, and I'm 'forbidden' to go," she rolled her eyes at the thought of her grandfather's dramatics. He was laid back about most things, but after Alice was "robbed" (aka drank so much at a bar that she ended up leaving all of her belongings in a cab and later blamed it on "thugs"), he forbid his daughter and granddaughter from going there again. Even when Jane had invited her to come along on a family trip to the Ritz-Carlton in CancΓΊn, she wasn't permitted to attend. Listening to Ricardo recall his visit, even in such bare detail, made her smile though. Ricardo only swirled the contents of his glass a bit, his lips twitching at the ideas running rampant in Sydney's grandfather's head. He wasn't going to lie and say that turf wars and drugs rings didn't exist in Mexico, but it didn't make up their culture. He did, however, raise his gaze to meet her, his typical twinkle of amusement gone, "There's a lot of things I do that don't sound like 'Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ'." A beat later and with a small smirk, "Maybe we'll sneak you there one of these days."

After that, Ricardo didn't bother holding any more of a conversation, not wanting to think about his home at the moment. Regardless of what he would tell anyone, he missed Mexico more than he ever did New York or California. He missed his grandmother and her bakery, and the beaches and the business of his mother's hometown. It was simple and completely the opposite of what he was known for favoring, and he and Sydney Vale weren't close enough for him to share details like that. So, he allowed the time to pass, sipping on his champagne. Finally, they arrived at the airport and after boarding one of his family's private planes, the duo were on their way to Disney World.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Piper Vine
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It all happened in a blur - Adam's sudden rush of aggression, the way they had to force the needle into Adam's neck (which definitely made Sienna cringe and want to stop them), Adam's energy being depleted before he lost all consciousness - it all happened before Sienna could get another breath in and by the time she did, she exhaled on a tremor, the breath escaping her in small, rushed huffs. More than the shock of how Adam had to be controlled was the look in his eyes: flashing with some kind of tortured fury, they struck Sienna silent, so much so that she didn't even question when the blonde male was hoisted off of the ground and dumped into a wheelchair. It wasn't until Adam was rolled past her did she breathe again, sharing a concerned look with Connor before finally paying attention to Hailey.

"I want to know everything as soon as possible," Sienna demanded not soon afterwards, meeting Hailey's gaze unflinchingly despite the obvious horror and shock she was still in. "Hospital room, discharge date, everything." Like Connor, her mind was still trying to associate the writhing guy in a fit on the floor and the guy she could spend hours making music with. At the end of that train of thought, however, there was only one thing that Sienna could come to terms with: Adam was still her friend. And that meant she couldn't give up on him. She had to be here for him, at least to bash him in the head for not being honest with her and not asking for help. It reminded her of her turmoil with Jane's situation, which only served to make Sienna monotonously agree to packing some of Adam's things.

Sienna followed Connor wordlessly through the apartment and into Adam's bedroom, taking in the room they had once played video games in. Her eyes scoped out the entire surface area before falling on Connor, ears only just catching his whisper over the memory of shoving Adam off his bed because she had petulantly believed he cheated. It took a fraction of a second for Sienna to catch on to what he was saying, and when she did, she could only nod for a moment. "Yeah...I guess..." She said lowly, actually surprised by the tears that sprung to her eyes at the thought of where Adam's mind had been last night. And it made her all the more upset with his parents. Who the fuck left their son in another country when they're sick? But Sienna swiped at her eyes before a single tear could fall, digging her hands into a few of Adam's items. "Let's just pack his things and get out of here." As much as emotional Sienna would have lingered on the things that gave her memories, she didn't want to. Not here. Not when all she could think about was the fact that her friend had been alone all this time and she hadn't known.

It took them a good ten minutes to pack a few things for Adam, a few items of clothing, sheet music and his collection of classical CDs (Sienna knew he'd like that, at least), and a few other small items before calling it quits. Sienna couldn't have called back to Hailey quick enough, opting to reiterate her demand to be notified of all Adam-related news. Once she bid Hailey a good evening, Sienna led Connor out of the apartment and back to her family's vehicle, opting to drop Connor off wherever he needed her to. "Hey," she had called, just as he was about to leave, and grabbed his arm pleadingly. "Don't tell the guys about this...please. I-I-I know they weren't friends with him or anything, but...I just really don't need this getting out any further than us." Sienna knew that all it would take is some ignorant comment from one of Manhattan's elite and it would be all over. Adam's image would be completely ruined if it got out and more than likely, there'd be unnecessary teasing and everything. Sienna's imagination painted a vivid picture and while she knew Connor wasn't the type, he did hang out with Sienna and, inadvertently at times, Jane. As much as Sienna loved her friend, Jane would either be dismissive about it or make some unwitting remark, unaware at how dangerous a single breath from her person could be.

Once Connor was gone and Sienna was in her lonesome, she was about to dial up a friend when she got the notification of Jane's text. It was enough to cause her to let out an indignant noise and her fingers impulsively punched out a response. However, her thumb didn't press down on the send button. Instead, it hit delete and she busied herself looking at other notifications before going back to what she needed.

To: Lottie
No prob, chica. Omw

To: Carrie
Excuse the vanity, Sydney replacing me w/ the bitch riding her clit don't hurt a bit. Not exactly replaceable. Btw, omw.

To: Piper
Can you believe her? Smh. U coming or what?

Sienna didn't give herself time to think about Jane's text any longer nor the fact that Sydney was welcoming Tori into her folds. However, the latter fact was bothering her. If Sydney wanted a new friend, that was fine. Not that Sienna honestly thought she'd find one out of the many girls who want to be with Sydney just because it sounds good, not because they wanted to be her friend. Tori was a completely different story. Sienna didn't presume to know how much Tori wanted to be close to Sydney, but she did know she was un-trustworthy. And maybe, to an extent, Sienna was as well, but Sienna also prided herself on being a good friend and she had only gotten involved with Victoria to protect Charlotte. But now, Tori was no longer under Sienna's control and Sienna hated it. She didn't normally want to control people, but there came a point where she needed to at least know how to keep Tori from screwing everyone Sienna cared about over. However, Sienna wasn't the mastermind or evil genius. And she needed help.

"Well, well, well, haven't heard from you in a long time," Ricardo purred into the phone, or at least, that's how it sounded in Sienna's ears. Either way, it made her roll her eyes. "Puh-leaze, Ricky! It was twenty four hours ago. Besides, I'm surprised you're not out getting your boys intoxicated." She could practically envision his chuckle through the phone and she rolled her eyes again. "And here I was, trying to be a good little boy, and you tempt with that idea." Sienna re-crossed her legs, sitting back against the leathery seats. It was only a few seconds of silence before Ricky decided to talk again, noting that her quietness meant something. "So, I think we both know this isn't a friendly little call. What can I do for you?"

Sienna opened her mouth to speak, but only paused, swallowing back whatever impulsive response she would have typically given Rick. Was she really doing this? Getting Ricardo's help on manipulating people? She wasn't really manipulative, not to the extent that she felt like she had to go to in order to make Victoria get rid of that damn post. But that was what she had to remind herself - that she was only trying to make Victoria give in already and stop being pesky. "A certain little birdy's gotten out of her cage and I want to get her back." Rick reveled in his own pause, a smirk flitting across his face. "And the innocent little songstress comes for my help. Don't tell me you're walking on the dark side now, Sia." He saw her glower long before it appeared on her face. "Never said I was a good girl and it's not that deep. I just...I'm doing this for my friends." Rick grinned at the thought, picking up the glass of whiskey and sipping some of it. The sound of him swallowing shouldn't have been as ominous. "You're a smart girl, Sia. Think. What does your little birdy love more than anything?" He didn't give her a chance to answer, no he wanted Sienna to think on it. While others speculated on whether or not Sienna had a dark side, and if she'd actually - truly (since a little post was not the full extent of Sienna's vindictiveness, that much he knew) - use it, Ricardo liked fostering it. He wouldn't ever try to change Sienna, that wasn't his goal. But he did like knowing that she wasn't squeaky clean (not that he didn't already know that), that the little perfectionist pop star didn't have all white feathers. She was just as dark as he and Sydney.

There was no stopping the pout that formed on Sienna's face at being hung up on, but she didn't have time to mull that over. She thought about the things she had learned about Tori since catching her trying to post about Charlotte. It left Sienna in her silence, but it wouldn't be long before a light bulb clicked in her head. She just wouldn't able to act on it until she had taken care of seeing Carrie and picking up Charlotte.


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Once off the phone, Rick polished off his glass before sitting back in his chair coolly, folding one leg over the other in contemplation. He was a bit curious about what Sienna was getting herself into. From the way she spoke, he doubted the little "birdy" was Sydney. If that were the case, she would have simply called him to start up their kickboxing sessions again or text him about it. Not calling him about something like manipulating someone. It amused Rick, that much was certain, but it intrigued him enough to text a few of his followers to see if they heard anything new on the block about Sienna or anything. However, what was more interesting was the idea of going out with his own group, which Ricardo hadn't been able to do in too long. He needed to rectify that soon.

Rather decisive, he added both Vincent and Connor to a group message (since the last one they had been in was when he had his old phone), and text them both. Despite his statement yesterday, they actually hadn't had the time to catch up. He hadn't had the time to see how Connor was taking the Sydney sleeping with Vincent thing, the post, or even about the conversation he knew Vincent and Sienna had last night. The latter being another source of intrigue. The two hadn't acted in any particular manner. Sienna had been rather casual and went back to simply ignoring Vincent, pointedly hugging and greeting Rick when she had seen the guys together. It didn't mean that their conversation hadn't gone a particular way, but it did not mean anything. Not until Ricardo saw and spoke with Vincent himself. So, after making sure his message was sent, Ric grabbed a jacket, his wallet, and headed out for his town car.

To: Connor, Vincent
Whatever ur doin, drop it. We're goin out. I'm bored

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Sydney Vale Character Portrait: Brent Barclay Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ Character Portrait: Kelley Hadley
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"So, you're dating her?"

"Yup."

"And you thought that through? That's what you really wanted to do?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" He slid a bag of sugar across the counter towards her and watched as she poured a portion of it into the bowl without measuring it. "Can you at least try to measure things? I want these to come out right."

"Hey, I'm the child of cooking royalty. I don't need to measure shit for it to come out perfect," she said, sticking a finger into the batter and licking the brownie mix off of it. "And no reason. I just think that it happened pretty quickly."

"Finally getting into a real, serious relationship after knowing her for what? Sixteen years? That is pretty quickly," he said sarcastically as he added the last few ingredients to the batter.

"I don't mean it like that, asshole. I'm just saying that like, after all of what just happened, it seems kind of sudden that you'd go from that to dating."

"AKA, you're Sydney's best friend now?"

"Not quite." She hopped off of the counter and slid the tray of uncooked brownies into the oven. "I guess it's safe to say that you aren't either? How'd she take the news of you and Alicia Keys dating?" She knew exactly what Vincent's silence, as he wiped down the counter, meant. Sydney didn't know, and that he knew that was as bad as she thought it was. "She doesn't know? Shit, you really are stupid," she smirked, though shaking her head at the obviously bad place that Vincent had put himself in.

"No one knows. It's not like we're keeping it from her exclusively." When Vincent remembered that they were at Kelley's and that there were house staff to clean up after them, he stopped worrying about the mess they had made while baking and looks over at Kelley. "Besides, it's not her business anyway."

That last comment had Kelley laughing at loud. "Since when has something not being her business ever stopped Sydney Vale from acting like it is?" She leaned back against the island and crossed her arms over her chest. It was apparent that Vincent didn't want to talk about this, but Kelley didn't care. She felt like she not only deserved an explanation, but she needed to knock some sense into Vincent too. Before he responded, her phone buzzed with a text message from Brent who invited her to the library with him. She had school work to do and was in the mood to hang out with him, especially since she hadn't seen Charlotte enough today to pester her about the rumor involving the two. "I'm going to go meet up with Brent at the library, so get lost," she said playfully, before adding, "Unless you wanna chill here alone until Taryn and my mom get back from nursery shopping."

To: Brent
Yeahhhh give me 20

Vincent had been planning on bringing the brownies to the movie night that he and Sienna had planned to have tonight. Just as they had started cooking though, he had seen a text from Sienna explaining that she had to cancel for tonight. With hanging out with her out of the question, he had decided to hang out with Kelley, but now she was ditching him too. He decided not to respond to her inquiry about how he thought Sydney wasn't going to find out, because he didn't have an answer. She became preoccupied with her phone anyway, so it was a seamless transition into skipping over the question. "I'll leave once my brownies are finished."

"You know I don't want them unless there's weed in 'em anyway," she shot back with a grin as she headed out of the kitchen and to her bedroom. When she reemerged fifteen minutes later, Vincent was still in the kitchen, but packing his things into his backpack that he thrust over his shoulder as she entered. "Leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting up with Rick and Connor. The brownies are all yours. Maybe you can eat them after you smoke," he said, rolling his eyes at the last part. Ricardo had texted him in their new group chat a few minutes ago and after a bit of contemplation, Vincent had decided that he had to go out. They were definitely in need of a guy's night out and he was going to have to explain his situation with Sienna to the boys at some point. With Connor, he could probably get away with avoiding the subject, as he had been able to do with the Sydney scandal so far, but that was impossible with Rick. Vincent figured that it would be easier to handle it now over beers than during their lunch period or something.

To: Ricardo, Connor
I'm down. I'll be outside of Kelley's building in 5.

After taking the brownies out of the oven, Kelley had one of the kitchen staff put a few into a container for her to take to Brent. Vincent was right; if the two decided to smoke after the library, brownies would be a nice way to fight the munchies. Minutes later, the cousins left the Hadley apartment together, but Kelley hailed a cab while Vincent waited on the sidewalk outside of the building. He considered hailing a cab himself, but he didn't know what Ricardo had planned for the night and where he wanted them all to go. While he waited, his phone pinged again with another text from Sienna, and he realized he hadn't answered her first one.

To: Sienna
Hey sorry. Yeah movie night tomorrow sounds good. Is everything cool with Charlotte and all of that?

Btw I made brownies for nothing though, so you owe me ;) big time

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Jane Lynch Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Piper Vine Character Portrait: Carolina Daily
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As they waited for the girls to come downstairs, Sienna busied herself with texting one of her mentors. The older woman was not privy to texting Sienna everyday and it was the same vice versa, but it was during her more stressful days that she did seek that comfort and contact. It was just a bit rude, being so enraptured by her phone when there was someone beside her whom she could speak with, but Sienna needed the advice of someone older and the woman on the phone was someone she had trusted since she was thirteen. It was in the middle of speaking about a business endeavor that the car door was opened and the Buchanan siblings entered. Sienna glanced up with a bright smile and exclaimed, "Lottie!" Of course, she was happy to see Rose as well, but it was no secret which sibling she was closest to and Sienna reached over to hug Charlotte first, and then Rose. Besides, with all that had been occurring recently and despite Piper's comfort and support, Charlotte's had been unending for the last few years and Sienna would always consider her a closer friend. She did manage a greeting to Rose as well, "Hey, supermodel." It was a bit puzzling that Carolina wasn't with them, but Sienna didn't question it and opted to wait a few more minutes for the last girl to arrive. In that short time, she also text Jane and Tori.

To: Jane
Ok

To: Tori
Ok, look, you've had your fun. It's not getting Charlotte impeached any time soon and you know it. So, put that post down before you give that girl an aneurism. Enough is enough. I'm only going to ask one more time.

Soon enough, she was there and Sienna ended her phone conversation with the promise of discussing the situation more once she had time. If she was really doing an endorsement with House of Dereon for her Reign campaign, then it was important to get everything worked out now so that she could start doing the photo shoots and such for it once the EP was finished. She now had one more song to finish, and she had to shoot the last bit of the video on Saturday so that they could edit and release it by next Friday. It was a lot, but Sienna worked best under pressure anyway. Smiling at Carolina's greeting, Sienna tucked her phone away, but not before requesting that her driver attempt to get to her house in fifteen minutes instead of the typical thirty. It was a difficult feat to carry through with, but damn it all, she wanted to get home. Running a hand through her hair, Sienna's thoughts and attention returned to the girls and she shrugged a bit before grinning, "Well, it won't be as grand as a spa day, though we can do that before Pipe's party. I can cover it. Tonight, though, I thought you guys could try on some dresses in my mom's vault, we do homework, dinner and then have an actual girl's night. Nothing too grand, just movies, junk food, you know, something normal." Yes, Sienna - who hated appearing boring and always had a plan and was always over the top - wanted something normal and low-key. After all that happened, she felt like she earned it. They all did. "I mean, I'm always down for shooting our own music video complete with a pillow fight, but that's all up to you guys.". She then turned to Charlotte. "What do you think, Madam President?"


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[center]It didn't take Ricardo too long to get his driver and the car on the road. Rick was still trying to figure out exactly what he planned to do with the guys, but it was going to be something great. He knew he could get invited, no problem at all, to the top exclusive clubs in New York. It was a matter of getting his guys to agree to it. Vincent would come, no doubt. The promise of Provocateur's elite models would lure the lust-ridden jock to Rick's side, no doubt. It was Connor he knew that would take some convincing. Since the class president decided to go MIA for the last few days and then still remain sporadic, it was hard to keep tabs on him. More than that, Connor was the type to do homework first and while that was important (to a lesser degree), Rick wanted him out and about and he wasn't taking no for an answer. After all, if the idiot didn't want to see that supermodel-level-sexy Charlotte had a thing for him whereas Sydney did not, then at least he could find a hook up while they were out.

A few minutes later and Ricardo was scooping up Vincent, looking up from his phone after sending a few text messages to friends. Smirking at Vincent, he said, "Provocateur's doing a Burlesque theme tonight, I hear. Thought we'd have a guy's night since you've got bae problems and Connor is the next Houdini with his disappearing acts. Plus, I'm bored." He snickered at the thought of Vincent's issues, though for once, he didn't care enough to pry. They could do that later. For now, Rick wanted to hang out with his favorite guys from St. Jude's. While he had had his new crew in California, there was something refreshing about being back with people that he actually liked and regardless of how people saw his relationship with Vincent, he did consider the guy a best friend of sorts. Connor too.

To: Connor
Coming 2 get u. U better b ready or I swear I'll have the master of prank 4 ur ass

To: Connor
No jokes, dude

To: Sienna
I'm gonna assume u have ur plans. Care 2 include me?

To: Charlotte
Now, Buchanan, I'm a lil hurt. All this time I've been trying 2 win ur heart & its already taken?? Why, I never!

To: Charlotte
But srsly, r u ok?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte H. Buchanan Character Portrait: Sienna Alvarez Character Portrait: Piper Vine Character Portrait: Carolina Daily Character Portrait: Brent Barclay Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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ImageLottie's outfit : Rosie's OutfitDΙͺα΄€ΚŸα΄Ι’α΄œα΄‡ Cα΄ΚŸα΄Κ€ ✦ #007478 | TΚœα΄α΄œΙ’Κœα΄› Cα΄ΚŸα΄Κ€ ✧ #7A7A7A

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      Charlotte turned her glare from her sister to a smile towards Sienna as she squeezed her hand. "Don't you worry your pretty little head off, Buchanan. I told you it'd work out and it will. I'll make sure of it." She sat back as she looked towards Sienna. "I know, I'm just worried. Everyone thinks I stole money or somethin', I would never do that and on top of it I'm 'dating' Barclay. Of the guys in New York it had to be him." She shuddered softly as she turned to her phone which started ringing the same time Sienna looked towards her phone. She pulled it out and read the text from Ricky with a small smile on her face. Aw, he really did care but, of course he could never just ask her if she was okay. Oh no, he needs to somehow, in some form or fashion slide a flirty, but completely kidding comment towards her. She unlocked her phone and responded before putting it back in her bag.

      To : Ricky
      Aw, you really do care. And, Other than worrying that my presidency is ending right before my eyes and my reputation is going down the toilet along with the idea of me ever getting a date with anyone anytime soon...


      She sent separate message just to make the point clearer, and little funnier.

      To : Ricky
      I would have to say I'm fine. And, I'm sorry. </3 I just didn't want to hurt your pride and I didn't know how to tell you that my heart belonged to a delinquent. You understand, right? :(


      She sent the message before putting her phone away just Sienna handed her her phone to see that the post was deleted. "See. Step one, completed." She tried to play it cool but, she couldn't help but smile in relief and let out a deep breath. "Thank god." She said as she sighed and looked towards her sister. "See, I told ya everythang was gonna be alright." Rosie said as she leaned her head on her sister's shoulder as the car started to pull away from the house.

      It didn't take to long for the group to get to the Long Island house as the car pulled in to the estate. Lottie and Rosie always loved coming to this house, it was huge! Easily the biggest house they have ever seen because believe it or not, the Buchanan's still were raised on a farm, or at least on farm land and you can't just get rid of those roots. So, to see such a big house even now amazed them. "My mom remodeled again. Said she wanted a ballroom or something like that." Rosie nudged Lottie softly with a smile on her face, and let's just say Rosie was in love with the more... expensive and grand things things in life, especially compared to her more, simple sister. When the car stopped and the group got out, Lottie got out before her sister and was handed her bag as she started to walk behind Sienna as she entered the house. "Take them to rooms so they can change and put dinner in the media room, please." When they were escorted to their room, Rose closed the door as she tossed her bag on the bed along with her body. She let out a deep sigh as Lottie just rolled her eyes at her. "Can you not." Rose just shrugged as she got up from the plush bed and tossed her silk pajamas on the bed next to the bag before looking towards her sister who was in the bathroom, already wiping off her makeup and taking out her contacts. Before she slipped out and '"Hey, hey, hey. Before you take out your hearin' aid... thang. I just got somethin' to tell ya.

      "Not a hearin' aid, but what? Lottie said as she turned towards her sister."Everythang's gonna be alright, really." Rosie said with a genuine smile on her face. Lottie tightened the cap on her contacts as she walked out of the bathroom, tossed them in her bag, and hugged her smaller sister. Rosie rubbed her back not even pulling away as she spoke to Charlotte. "And 'sides, dating Brent is the worst thang, seeing that he's your soulmate anyway." Lottie pushed her sister off of her as she groaned. She just walked to a mirror set in the room as she started to finger comb through her hair, ignoring her sister's laugh as she slid her hair into a bun, exposing the small patch of hair where it stopped growing because of the surgery. Without even paying attention, both Lottie and Rose turned towards each other to say something but, stopped the second they both noticed they had the same bun. "No, change it."

      "No, change it." They said in unison before Rosie raised an eyebrow as she looked shocked. "Why me?!"

      "Cuz.... I'm... older." Lottie stated with a winning smirk. "Oh you always gotta play that card, doesn't count it you're only an hour older, bitch." Lottie had a hand of her heart as if she was offended. "I'm actually an hour and thirty minutes older--.."

      "Oh my bad, Madam Pres." Rosie interjected to interrupt her sister before Lottie started to speak again. "And, second. I have had a very sh--sh--.." Rose rolled her eyes "Just say it, you know you wanna." Lottie took a sharp breath before speaking again. Shitty. Okay, I have had a very shitty, crappy, god awful weekend and day and all I wanna do is wear my signature bun. Let me wear my signature bun." She commanded as she looked her sister in the eyes, finally allow herself to blow off some steam from the whole... thing. She had said she was fine over and over again and while for the most part she was, she still was human. She still got irritated with life, which lead her to most go off on her sister whether she deserved it or not (even if most times she did). Rose held her hand up before starting to remove the bun in exchange for a ponytail. "Fine, damn someone's in a pissy mood and it ain't me." Rosie said with a smirk before ducked the shirt that her sister had thrown her way as she tossed on her. Rosie rolled her eyes towards Lottie who was buttoning the buttons on her satin pajamas and sliding on her pants. Rose tossed on her black satin night gown before tossing her day clothes on the bed while her sister folded hers nicely before setting them her in bag. The two look at themselves before fixing one another pajamas. Rosie with how high it stopped and Charlotte with her collar. "Perfect."
      "Perfect."

      They rolled their eyes in annoyance right before hearing Lottie's phone on the bed, seeing that she tossed it there as they came into the room. Both of their eyes quickly turned to it. Rose saw the name first and hurried for the phone as she read the message from Brent. "Oooo, he's gonna beat up Connor!" Lottie groaned as she snatched her phone to read the message. Great she was going from talking to one pain in the ass to talking to an even bigger pain in her ass. She opened her phone as she responded. Man she was in a sassy mood apparently.

      To : Barclay

      Please, you wish I cared that much and you wish you'd get a night. She sent it before sending another just to mess with him.

      To : Barclay

      And, blondie? What happened to Little Miss. Perfect? :( You finally find someone else to piss off everyday?

      She slid her phone in the shallow pocket of her pajamas before guiding her arms towards the door."Shall we, I bet we're the last one out anyway."[/b] Rose chuckled as she opened the door and started to walk out first. "Hey, there's two of us. We have an excuse." Lottie chuckled as she softly pulled her sister's ponytail. "Whatever you say, Rosebud."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Vincent Mast Character Portrait: Connor Harkins Character Portrait: Ricardo Slim-HelΓΊ
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["No bae problems in this court," Vincent remarked. In a sense, it was true. He and Sienna were dating (though he was supposed to keep that to himself), and having a girlfriend and as of now, no issues in the relationship was a good thing. However, Vincent couldn't really make what happened with Sydney disappear. He told Sienna that he was going to cut her out of his life completely, but that had been easy since she hadn't made a single attempt to contact him either. Running into her at some point was going to be inevitable though. Even if she and Sienna never made up, they all ran in the same crowd and it would be impossible for them to never see each other again. Vincent couldn't imagine how his first encounter with her would go. He hoped that Sydney would give him her signature cold shoulder, and realistically, she probably would, but what if he caught her in one of her moods? One where Sienna had done something to infuriate her and regardless of the consequences, she would frame Vincent into looking like he had done something wrong to not only get back at Sienna, but himself too. He knew that he couldn't mess up his relationship with Sienna again, but control over that wasn't completely in his hands. It was definitely stressful to think about, but he reminded himself that right now, he didn't need to worry about it. He was going out for a guy's night and knowing Rick, it would definitely be a good time.

"I don't know what the hell is up with him. He's got Charlotte Buchanan who'd probably accept his hand in marriage if he proposed to her right now, and he won't even make a damn move. If anyone's got bae problems, it's him." as they neared Connor's apartment, Vincent pulled out his phone to text him. "You too though, man. A couple days back in New York and no word of any hookups? Were you staying at convent in California or are you just keeping me out of the loop?"

To: Connor
we're here, you better come dude

"I think you should go for Piper this year... or Jane. They're both off limits to me but if they weren't, you know I would've hit that years ago." Despite being in what he hoped to be a serious relationship with Sienna, it was hard for Vincent to turn off his old attitude towards attractive girls. That was especially true around Rick, who was possibly worse than him in that respect.