Owen Collins, from Summer Reunited, a roleplay on RPG

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-12 04:07:27, as written by Whatsername

Wednesday, July 1st | 6:00 PM | Beverly Hills, CA

Owen and Ariana had spent the past week in London, where she had a slew of business meetings, and had just returned to LA this morning. Between jet lag and just the exhaustion from running around all week, Owen hadn't been in the mood to wake up at all today, let alone at eight in the morning, but he did so without a complaint. His father and Aimee were attending the private screening of one of Patrick White's new films and out of courtesy, Owen agreed to go as well. After a plate of bacon and some cold orange juice, he was ready to face the day, especially after seeing the elegant yet form-fitting dress that Ariana was wearing. It almost made him forget the amount of stress that had been building up inside of him about what the next few weeks would include. Tomorrow morning, his parents, as well as many of their friends, were scheduled to board a private jet to Europe to reconnect for a few weeks. All of their children would be spending the summer at Pierce and Aimee Collins house which would have been more than exciting, if they were all friends. Besides Alexandra, Owen felt like he was on good terms with everyone else, but he oculdn't say the same for the others. Most specifically, he was worried about Tinashé and Ariana. No matter how hard he tried to remind himself that the girls' problems had ended almost ten years ago, there was a part of him that knew that neither of them would be happy residing together.

When Owen had returned home from the movie screening, the house was not only filled with friends, but with staff members scrambling to make sure that the house looked flawless. Pierce and Aimee had offered to host a dinner party for the cast and crew, wanting to take advantage of the huge entertaining spaces that the estate offered one last time before their trip. There were tens of people in the kitchen preparing appetizers, entrees and desserts, people dusting, vacuuming and mopping floors, lights being hung in the backyard, lawns being mowed and boxes of alcoholic beverages being carried into the home.

By the time cars started to pull down their long driveway, the home looked like something out of a dream, and Owen was sure that Aimee was to thank for that. While Pierce relished in the estate's built-in vineyards, he wasn't too particular on the rest of the home's details and gave his design-savvy wife free reign to decorate and arrange it however she pleased. Clearly, she never failed to impress, especially when company was coming over. However fancy that house was dressed up to be, the mood of the party was going to much more casual than many of the soirees they usually hosted. After showering and changing out of his suit, he slipped on the outfit that Ariana had suggested he wear the day before. Admittedly, he felt like he looked like he was more likely to go bowling than socialize with his father's friends, but he put it on anyway. He'd modelled far worse outfits in the past and more importantly, he didn't want to offend Ariana.

Since he barely seen any of his friends yet this summer, he was anxious to find them, though the large house would prove that to be fairly difficult. Most of them had moved in the previous day, but Ariana had went to her family's home after the movie screening to get her bags and was supposed to be returning shortly. He hoped that everyone besides her was home and dressed, but had a feeling that most of them wouldn't have taken the initiative to go downstairs and socialize with the guests yet. Always wanting to make a good impression, Owen decided to wait on seeking them out and go downstairs himself, but not before sending a couple of text messages.

To: Shay
Tell me you're already down here mingling? I don't wanna rep our family alone.

To: Carson
Where are you? They just put the filet mignon out. Surprised you're not over here already lol.

To: Alexandra
Dad wanted you ready by 6. Where are you? And let's lay off the makeup tonight.

To: Ariana
Tell me when you get here :).

To: Colette
Ik Ari isn't here yet, but are you? I'm heading downstairs now so if you are, come find me.

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller

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#2015-03-12 05:53:00, as written by chanelindistress

{Bedroom || Lounge Outfit || Day Outfit || Bathroom}

Tinashé was not ready for the day.

Her turmoil in regards to the evening and the upcoming portion of her summer began when she, Chris, and Rose had finally made their way back to Beverly Hills. In truth, Tinashé had made plans to use the luxury coach Pierre had bought for her years ago, allow it to pick the trio up on the East Coast, and then cruise back to their home. However, after one phone call with an insistent Aimee (she refused to regard the woman as her mother at the moment) and a stern yet pleading Pierre, she and her friends were aboard the private Collins jet and had set down in Los Angeles by three o'clock in the morning. Tinashé was a lot of things. Sure, she might seem to have endless amount of energy. She might throw down on a stage despite being up for more than twenty four hours. She might even still make time to party despite the aforementioned work load. But if there was one thing she wasn't, it was a morning person. And it showed for while Rose may or may not have went home - she honestly could not remember, she was so beat - and Chris might have very well stayed over, Tinashé had locked herself in her bedroom and dropped dead on her queen sized mattress without a glance in any other direction. By the time she awoke again, it was past noon and Aimee had given up on trying to get her to attend the premiere.

Feeling boneless and lazy after her descent into the land of the dead, Tinashé had trudged out of bed and settled herself for a nice, long and hot soak in her bathtub complete with her Cynthia Erivo station blasting through the surround system of her bedroom on Pandora, a champagne flute filled with strawberry mimosa and a plate of hummus with softly-baked pita bread and apple slices. Even the bubbles were meant for comfort for they smelled of warm vanilla and sandalwood. She had text both Owen and Alexandra to let them know she was home, even though they probably already knew that, and then allowed herself to relax for at least thirty minutes in the tub while munching and sipping on the mimosa. Satisfied with her soak, she had thrown on a crop top and sweatpants and stayed holed up in her bedroom. Not like she needed to help with setting up or anything. It was around five in the evening when Aimee came barging into her bedroom, sighing and staring at her daughter expectantly.

"Tinashé, I thought I told you to get ready an hour ago," Aimee nagged and Tinashé rolled her eyes, glancing back at her phone where she was in an ongoing conversation with her manager, Nick. He wanted her to hurry up and release her new mixtape, Amethyst, and she wanted to give herself at least a month. Besides, it wasn't like this was the label's decision at the end of the day. This was her work without them over her shoulder and she could release it next year if she wanted. "I'm up, aren't I?" She griped back and tossed the phone back on the plush mattress, settling herself among the various pillows that lined her bed. Aimee's somewhat thin yet kissable lips, a shade paler than that of raspberries, were pressed tightly before she let out an exasperated sound. "I'm not going to ask you again. Owen has already started getting ready and is probably already talking to the guests that came. You know how important this is to Pierre and - " Tinashé interjected. "I'm here, aren't I? If I weren't gonna be there, I would have stayed in Europe with or without the others, now wouldn't I have?" Mother and daughter exchanged looks, one with annoyance and the other with hurt resignation. Aimee, seeing that she wasn't going to get anything more out of the conversation, turned away but not without snapping over her shoulder, "Tinashé, apfeka yava ne mukati tevedza awa. Guma kuchachavadza." She closed the door, not getting to see the twenty-one year old singer cringe.She hated when her mother used her father's native language. It just did something to her.

Once about ten minutes passed, Tinashé - and this was out of her volition and not because she felt like her mother would call her father who would call her and guilt her into complying - climbed out of her bed and traipsed around her spacious bedroom in search of an outfit for the evening. Before that, she had sent out several texts.

To: CJ
Please tell me you're here already.

To: Chris
Stop trying to get into my sister's pants and get downstairs. Your parents are on their way.

To: Rose
Did you go home or stay here?

After finding an appropriate outfit for the very much casual (and thankfully so) soiree, Tinashé changed into the outfit, which consisted of black skinny pants from Bebe, a simple black cami that hugged her girls snugly beneath a lightweight tribal chiffon cardigan she bought from Free People, and a pair of nude leather gladiator sandals. To compliment her attire, she pulled on a triple chain feather and skull bone necklace with turquoise accents, a rustic genuine stone ring on her middle finger with a turquoise gem in the center, and a pair of gold studs from Melody Ehsani. The look still retained some of that urban yet cool and easy look she could be seen in, and was tasteful and casual which was always a plus. Tinashé had managed to keep her newly raven hair, which was long, somewhat sleek during the last night away from America and with the very loose waves that formed in her naturally curly locks over the night, a quick brush and spritz of oil sheen left her locks sheened and flowing. After a very light application of makeup to obtain a more natural look and a spritz of her warm vanilla body spray, Tinashé scooped up her phone and stepped out of her bedroom closing the door behind her and texting two more people, including Owen after receiving his message. She had taken a bit longer than she actually intended.

To: Colette
I'm not trying to go in there w/ just Owen. Text me when you get here.

To: Owen
Of course I am, bro. Can't you see me? I'm wearing my invisibility cloak.

To: Alexandra
Owen's being annoying. You still mad at me? D:

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-12 08:00:13, as written by ShieldMaiden

Wednesday, July 1st | 5:00 PM | Beverly Hills, CA

The chauffeur was woken by the sudden sound of knocking that came from inches behind his head. Eyes groggily turning toward the darkened window behind him, a groan was heard as he lowered the automatic window that separated him from the young woman that had crawled over the seat to reach the pane of glass. "Yes, Miss Rockefeller?" He had not even considered wiping that sleepy look from his eyes. After all, the girl and her "guest" had kept him up the entire night since she had gotten back to the Golden State.

"May I ask what time it is?" The smile on her expressions concerned him. From all the years he had driven the Rockefeller family, there were specific smiles they gave that sent chills down his back. "It is -" The man turned his head toward the clock in the car, but he never even got the chance to repeat what he saw. "It's 5:03. Tell me, Roger," His name was Richard, but what does it matter? "Can you do math?" "Yes Mi-" Once again, interrupted. Colette was not expecting an answer. "Good because you're going to figure out how we're going to make 90 miles in 60 miles per hour streets."

She did not wait for his answer. Typical. Roger was going to get her there on time, as always, but she was simply not a morning person - if 5:00 P.M. could even be considered morning. Already, she was setting to work. Her top coming off first as the young woman sifted through the small excuse of a closet situated in the back of the limo. Yes, closet, she was not in caveman in that she would wear one outfit for more than a few hours.

"Nice car." The voice came from the side, mixed with the roar of the engine. "Didn't seem that big last night." "Nothing seemed that big last night under the influence of alcohol." The witty retort was responded with a snort from the man that sat shirtless in the corner of the limo. "Savor it. Good? Now get out." Colette had an after party to attend. "Woah, wait there little lady. I mean-" She was already opening the door for him, one hand pulling him out of the limo that was already beginning its drive. "At least give me my shirt!" From the tinted window flew out the shirt that he had called for, and with it, the vehicle was off.

Wednesday, July 1st | 6:00 PM | Beverly Hills, CA
Outfit

Her phone was having a party of its own.

By the time the limo came to a stop, the young woman was unrecognizable from earlier. Her hair hung in soft waves against her shoulders, lightly brushing over the bright Valentino top matched with the floral patterned Max Mara skirt. With Jimmy Choo heels and Chanel bag to match, her make-up reflected the same casual sunny look her outfit was going for. Colette's color scheme matched the California weather perfectly - and with her new summer clothing line coming out, such bold colors were definitive of her style. The sunlight streamed in as the door was pulled open by the chauffeur, who had already begun the process of transferring the insane amount of luggages into the large household.

Ik Ari isn't here yet, but are you? I'm heading downstairs now so if you are, come find me.

That was the first message she saw as she clicked on her phone that would not cease its constant vibrations. The number held no name - Colette knew perfectly well who it was. The number was all too familiar.

That message had wiped away the smile in exchange for the exasperated roll of her eyes as she swiped to delete the message and onto the next one. If Owen was looking for a response, then he had underestimated her determination to avoid his presence at all costs even in his family's household. At least the next message did not further dim her day.

From: Shay
I'm not trying to go in there w/ just Owen. Text me when you get here.

Shay was practically the reason Colette had reluctantly accepted the invitation. While the Upper East Side was growing to be dull, Beverly Hills was like mismatching a pair of bikinis. It was awful. "I will have your luggages delivered to your room. Will that be all, Miss Rockefeller?" The man's courteous voice had startled her from her daze. Glancing up from the phone, this time the smile was genuine. "Take the day off, Remy. Keep your phone near by, in case I need an escape route." Richard. His name was Richard, but he had to give the girl credit for her creativity in names that started with "R".

To: Shay
I'm too sober for this.

There was her indirect form of informing her friend that she had arrived. The large estate was hauntingly familiar and the last time she had stepped foot in this house seemed strangely far away.

To: Shay
On the watch for your brother. Who's up for two months of hide-and-seek? XOXO

The second text was sent as she stepped through the front doors of the large estate. Not once did she glance up from the phone that has yet to leave her hand. From Owen's earlier text, it was apparent that her evil twin has yet to arrive. Maybe a game of hide-and-seek with her mirror image did not sound too painful. Somehow, this sounded like a cheap knock-off of a teen horror movie.

To: Chris
If you wear that T-shirt you think you look so cool in. I will not forgive you.

The playful text was sent to the only sibling she wished to see this summer. Not one move or even a thought was given to texting her twin. Though with that last text, she raised her gaze from the comforting world of social network. "Time to enter the real world," She faintly mumbled to herself. With all its drama and chaos.

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-12 23:03:28, as written by LaurenAFI

Hair/makeup | Outfit

Alexandra had all intentions of attending Mr. White's movie premiere this morning, but after her father and Owen had ganged together to veto the "skimpy" playsuit she wanted to wear, she refused to go. There were times when Alexa purposely wore inappropriate outfits to bother her father and on those occasions, she would still throw a fit but would eventually change. Today, she genuinely saw no problem with her outfit. It was summer for God's sake, did they expect her wear a snow suit in over seventy-degree weather? It was nothing that she shouldn't have expected, but it definitely made her regret almost missing Owen and Ariana when they had been in London all week. She had only begun to wish they were home because Tinashé had abandoned her for months, and if their home sometimes felt empty with the family of five, it definitely did with three. All it took was for Owen to open his mouth once for her to wish he was thousands of miles away again, though.

Her day was spent shopping. Even though she was there multiple times a week, it could take her hours to get through all of the stores on Rodeo Drive. It was nearly five in the afternoon when she left her final store, six bags in hand and her bank account around five grand lighter. Her car was waiting outside for her, thanks to the valet service, and it took her no more than ten minutes to pull past the first of three sets of gates guarding her home. She left the car, in a purposely obnoxious manner, right in front of the house rather than in the multi-car garage or down the driveway where the other cars were parked. Someone would surely move it, as would they take the shopping bags out of the back. There were shoes in one of the bags that she wanted to look through, but being that she was already running pretty late, she didn't want to make a big entrance by plowing through the halls with tons of bags.

She had never changed out of the outfit that Pierce and Owen had shot down earlier and had no intentions of changing now. After tossing her bag into her bedroom, she headed down to the game room, where Chris had told her he was waiting via text. The game room had been one of her favorite features in the house when she was younger. How many people could say that they had a two-lane bowling alley in their house? The magic of it had worn off once she hit thirteen and thought she was too cool for it, but it was still something that new friends were amazed with when they stopped by the Collins' home for the first time. Her lips curled into a smirk as she reached the bottom floor and spotted Chris transforming the billiards table into a beer pong table. She had lost count of the amount of times that the table had to be replaced because someone had stained it with alcohol when doing what they were doing now, but she didn't object. Her reservations were less with him ruining the table and more so that not only were her father and Owen both home, but tens of other adults, including his parents, were probably here by now too. It was unusual for her to even have a second thought before doing something reckless, and as soon as she realized that, she shrugged and stepped towards him.

"Wow, I'm surprised to see you here," she said bitterly, although she was still smiling. "Did you get bored of Europe, or just with sleeping with my sister?" She still wasn't exactly sure if she believed Ariana's claim that Tinashe didn't want her to come to Europe because she wanted to sleep with Chris, but she definitely wouldn't put it past him. "Fill mine with water," she decided as she took a seat on one of the couches. It wasn't even a question that she was going to need alcohol at some point to get through the night, but she wasn't going to start yet. As she waited for Chris to finish setting up their game, she pulled out her phone and found a text from Tinashé and Owen. Even if Owen's message wasn't as rude as it was, she would have ignored it anyway. She really didn't feel like answering Tinashé either, but knew that she had to stop being petty at some point. It could wait until after a game of pong, though.

The game took less than five minutes to be nearly over. Chris was a pro at it and although Alexa wasn't inexperienced with drinking games in the least, she wasn't good when she was sober and uninterested. He was down to his last cup when he grinned at her. "If I get this one in, you kiss me," he proposed. His cheeky smile made it impossible for her not to smile, although she had no intentions of actually kissing him. "And if I get mine in, I don't," she responded. He nodded and easily sunk his ball in the last cup of water in front of her. He said nothing, which was good, because it might have thrown her off from sinking her bounce shot. "Alright, you got me this time. I've got all summer to win that bet though," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes. It wasn't that Chris wasn't attractive enough for her to want to kiss, but he was her best friend and according to his sister, more than a best friend to Tinashé. "Keep dreaming, buddy." She helped clear the table, which luckily didn't have a drop of alcohol on it, and pulled her phone out. "We should go up there, I guess," she muttered while responding to Tinashé in a purposely bratty fashion, acting as if she'd deleted her sister's contact.

To: Tinashé
Sry, new phone!! Who is this?

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-13 05:41:02, as written by Collapse

{ Outfit || Hair & Makeup || Car }

After touching down in LA, Ariana left Owen, citing business meetings in Burbank as the reason for why she wasn't heading directly back to his house with him. In truth, she did have to stop by the office for a few minutes, but it definitely wasn't for as long as she had suggested it was to Owen. She didn't feel bad for doing so. She had spent the last week and most of the past two months side-by-side with him and honestly needed some space. That was especially true since she agreed to spend the next eight weeks at his home. It would have been a much easier decision had her parents not scheduled construction work on their own Beverly Hills home. Then, at least she would have been able to spend a few nights a week at her own house. She supposed that she could always come up with some emergency that called her to the New York apartment or Miami house, maybe even their chateau in the south of France. At the same time, a part of her was excited for the summer. Her attraction to Owen had been growing, and even if she wasn't as committed to a long term relationship with him as he was to her, he was fun to pass the time with. He was a trophy boyfriend in the very least.

"Babe? I'm waiting outside, come get me," Ariana said to Owen through the blue tooth speaker in her car. She had opted to drive herself to Owen's house for no reason besides that she wanted to have access to her car over the next few days. Rather than park it with the rows of guest cars, Ariana pulled past that area and down the driveway to the Collins' garage. She typed in the pass code that Owen had shared with her months ago and one of the doors pulled upwards, revealing an empty space inside. She left the white car inside and as she waited for Owen to meet her on the front walkway, she slipped her phone out of her clutch to text Aiden and Carson.

To: Aiden Chang
Hey Aiden! Are you at Owen's already? I just showed up, hope I see you :)!!

She was nicer to Aiden than she was to most people, but in her defensive, it was hard to not be nice to him. He was always friendly and caring and sometimes even brought out a softer side in her.

To: Carson
Where's my favorite philanthropist?

To: Alexandra
Your favorite sister is here ;)

When she spotted Owen headed towards her in the outfit she had recommended, she squealed and stepped towards him. "I missed you," she whispered into his ear before pulling him in for a gentle kiss. She held the position for a moment, running her hand through his tussled hair before stepping back. Her eyes met his and she was satisfied with how captivated he seemed. It almost made her feel bad about sleeping with one of her coworkers/exes last week when they were in London. Almost.

As they headed towards the house, she slipped her hand into his. "Is everyone here already?" she inquired. She had spotted her parents' BMW among the sea of cars so she knew that they were there, but was more interested in the kids their age. Her brother and sister were probably at the top of that list, but she was also prepared to see Tinashé too.

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-13 08:12:08, as written by Whatsername

Tinashé's response and Alexandra's lack of one made it apparent that neither of his sisters had plans to follow their parents' request for them to actually be present at the party. He tried not to let it bother him. The guests would probably be here for another three or four hour and he reminded himself that it wasn't his job to police his sisters, now matter how necessary it seemed. Not only did he genuinely have their best interests at heart when he pestered them about things, but he also felt like he needed to help Pierce and Aimee. Both were good parents, but both had equally been through hell and back raising two teenage daughters. Sometimes he thought that it was nice to give them a break by taking care of some of the petty issues on his own.

Instead of texting the girls again like he wanted to, he put his phone into his pocket and opted to make up for their absences in extra mingling. He allowed his father to introduce him to men that he was sure he had met before, and agreed to show some actor's wife to the nearest restroom. He laughed at jokes that he didn't find remotely funny, accepted a glass of Pauillac from a passing server and explained several times when asked about his sisters' whereabouts that they were still upstairs getting ready.

"That's women for ya," Mr. Craig Sanders chuckled after hearing the explanation. He was an older gentleman at maybe seventy or seventy-five years of age and had been a writer on Mr. White's film. Owen had met him a couple of times before but only considered the man to be an acquaintance. He wasn't sure if the man was just getting old or if he genuinely didn't care, but he was always calling Owen by the wrong name. Regardless, Owen laughed along out of courtesy and as he spotted Alexandra and Chris quickly passing by the doorway, he attempted to excuse himself from the conversation. Before he could, however, Craig pulled two cigars out of his pant pocket.

"You ever smoke a 'King of Denmark', Warren? Here, show me out back and you can try one."

"I appreciate it, Sir, but I don't smo-" Owen tried to politely reject the offer. Smoking was a bit of a guilty pleasure, secret habit for him. He knew his parents would murder him for picking up some an unhealthy habit, and only did it when he was very stressed, or away from home. It was hard for him to decline tonight, though, since he was quickly interrupted.

"Nonsense! I won't take no for an answer, son. You won't know what you're missing 'til you try one."

It seemed useless to argue, so with a forced smile and nod, Owen led Warren out of the room, down one of the long hallways and out to the side of the house. Thankfully, only a few minutes after they stepped out into the cool summer eve air, Craig's phone went off. He motioned to Owen that he would only be a minute but after five minutes, the man's pacing and ranting to whoever was on the other end of the line didn't seem to be ending any time soon. Soon after, his own phone began to ring and as he answered it, he heard Ariana on the other line telling him that she was here.

"Of course. I'll be out there in a second," he replied with clear relief as he hung up. He caught Craig's glance for a moment but the older gentleman shooed him away- a rejection that Owen happily accepted. Rather than walk through the house and possibly be caught in conversation with someone else, he opted to walk to the front of the house outside. Their property was large enough that it took him at least seven or eight minutes to reach Ariana but when he did, he couldn't have been happier. They had been apart for less than twelve hours but it felt like forever. Even if she wasn't the most beloved girl in their friend group, he couldn't get enough of her. "I missed you too," he smiled, reluctantly allowing her to pull away from their kiss.

When they reached the door of the house, he waited to open it until after answering her question. "I'm honestly not sure. Most of the adults are here, but I haven't spoken to any of our friends yet today. Shay is around somewhere, and I know I saw Alexandra and your brother in the hallway earlier, but besides them, I'm not sure." The answer to her question was better answered when they opened the door and he led her inside. Feet away from the door stood both of his sisters, both of her siblings, Carson and Oliver. Rose, Jamie and Aiden were missing, but besides that, it seemed like the whole gang was there.

Some of his favorite people were all in one room together, but Owen wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He almost immediately doubted that it was going to be possible for everyone to live in one house together, no matter how big it was. "Hey guys," was all that he could come up with as he gave a slightly awkward wave to the group that he was beginning to feel like they had intruded on. He wanted to chastise Tinashé for leaving him hanging with a bunch of old and boring people, and Alexandra for blatantly disregarding their father's request that she not dress that way, but decided that it wasn't a good time. Even the presence of Carson, his best friend and a guy who always seemed to lighten the mood, didn't alleviate the stress that he expected would soon be coming on.

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-13 19:55:44, as written by ShieldMaiden

How her expression lighted up at the sight of her friend. A sudden change, with not a trace of her earlier look of distaste at having seen Owen’s message. ”Casual dress code? What are we, cavemen?” There was no doubt that Colette had received the memo for the dress code. The pompous comment was hardly an exaggeration for her.

Instantly, the two friends were acting as if they have not seen each other for ages, when in fact it was mere weeks before Colette had visited Shay in Paris. Shay’s arm looped around hers, and the sound of Colette’s laughter rang through the estate. ”I would not mind hide-and-seek at the spa.” The brunette raised her hand as to pluck a pink macaron off of a silver platter. ”So long you have something fruity. The New Yorkers do not know how to make a Sangria to save their life. As she complained, for about the fifth time since her arrival the day before, about the Upper East Side’s incompetence in making beach cocktails, the faint vibration in her purse reminded her of the phone’s presence.

From: Chris
HEY the green mushroom shirt is a classic. Don't hate coco

”Oh my God, he’s going to do it.” The fearful prediction was soon proven to be reality as she raised her gaze from her phone, toward the familiar figure that was making his way toward them. In that instant, she even forgave him for using the name “Coco”. Her brother calls her by a stripper name, her sister a dog breed, tells a lot about each of their characters. ”One of these days, I will sue you for your criminal sense of fashion.” The accusing tone was hardly serious, but at the comment about her twin, the sudden drop in her smile was blatantly obvious. Two months. ”I’ll get the candles, you get the holy water.” If only she could play everything off as a joke in front of her sister. And if only a banishing spell or something of the like can repel evil spirits like her.

”And aren't you looking... bright today,” Amazing how quickly a smile can be plastered onto the bitter expression that was there merely a second earlier. Though of all, she had seen him most recently. ”And you look as scrubby as always.” The returned hug was complete with an expressive raise of her brow toward Shay. The look of ‘I know something that you don’t’ was always there in the presence of those two, but the second she released him, the playful look was gone.

”Hey guys,” The voice sent chills down her back. What was that Shay was saying earlier about heading in? The smile on her lips was strained, refusing to even turn to acknowledge the one that had was closing in on the distance between him and the group. The pair of high-heeled steps that followed was also far too familiar. Speak of the devil. ”What was that about hide-and-seek?” She had lowered her voice to a level that only the girl beside her should hear. The other faint ”Hi guys” was hardly acknowledged as Colette turned her head to greet the incoming trio. Of course the first time she had to see them was for them to be together. ”That’s adorable.” The brunette nearly hissed through her smile. ”I’m going to go vomit now.”

Setting

Beverly Hills, California

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#2015-03-13 23:50:01, as written by LaurenAFI

Alexa followed Chris through her house and smiled at his dramatic detour from the room his parents were in. She didn't want to see her's either, so she didn't complain when they circled the room and ended up at the grand stairwell in the front foyer. They weren't the only people present in the entrance room, however. Her sister Tinashé and his sister Colette were present as well. Alexandra wasn't in the mood to socialize with her sister. She knew she was being a drama queen about the whole thing, but especially since Chris hadn't denied the claim that they were sleeping together, she was still annoyed. Tinashé had some nerve to agree with her dad that she not go to Europe just because she wanted to sleep with Chris uninterrupted. Presents were probably the best way to win Alexa over though, so even as she rolled her eyes at her sister's remark, she couldn't stop herself from smiling faintly. "Nick Jonas doesn't compare to the boys I got to hang out with while you were gone anyway." Or more accurately, boy, and as if on cue, he walked in. Carson Koch. The most perfect creature to ever walk the Earth and best first-time she could have imagined. She didn't even notice Oliver walking beside him as the twenty-three year old came in, hugged Colette and Shay, and greeted her and Chris. Her 'hello' wasn't as enthusiastic as she would have wanted but she knew it was just Carson trying to keep their relationship on the down-low.

"Let me have some?" she had stepped towards Tinashé, gently pulling the glass from her sister's hand before waiting for any approval. Suddenly, she didn't feel the need to wait to indulge in alcohol anymore. If she wanted to get enough courage to talk to Carson seriously tonight, she was going to need some liquid courage. She was ready to turn around and follow the group to wherever they were going with drink in hand when the front door open again, this time by Owen and Ariana. She quickly thrust the drink back into her sister's hands out of instinct more than actual fear. She didn't really care if Owen saw her drinking since she disregarded his wishes all of the time without a second thought.

"Too late," she smirked at Shay, who she knew was trying to avoid confronting Ariana for as long as possible. Unlike maybe everyone else in the room, Alexa wasn't on bad terms with Ariana. In fact, with her own sister's disappearance, she had gotten fairly close with Owen's girlfriend. She knew that she and Tinashé had a rough past but if it was okay for Owen to sleep with the girl, she didn't see how it could be that bad for her to just hang out with her. Besides, Tinashé had ditched her. It wasn't like she was getting the "sister of the year" award either. Still, her relationship with Ariana wasn't as strong as her's could be with Shay and regardless of how buddy-buddy she could act with Ari, she had no real alliance with her. "Hi Ari," she smiled as she pranced over to hug the girl. "Oooh, I love your shoes. Where did you get them?"Okay, so maybe she didn't care that much about Ariana as she did about bothering Tinashé still. But at least Owen couldn't complain about her having a bad attitude when, according to the cold air that had come in with the pair, few of the others were pleased to see them.

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#2015-03-14 00:27:12, as written by Collapse

Owen was little help in preparing her for who she would be dealing with upon arrival. Although she appeared to be cool and collected, she was caught off guard when she stepped inside to find Colette, Chris, Alexandra, Tinashé, Carson and Oliver standing right in the foyer. She had expected to at least have a few minutes to prepare herself before speaking with them and she definitely hadn't thought that she would be dealing with all of them at once. 'There's no time like the present,' she reminded herself as she pasted on a smile and studied each of them. She didn't spend much time looking over Carson, Oliver or Chris. They were all easy to deal with. "It's so nice to see you, Carson!" she exclaimed, her smile turning a bit more flirtatious as she wrapped her arms around him. When she pulled away, she offered a wave to Oliver and then embraced her younger brother, who was taller than her even with heels on, in a hug. "Christopher, I thought Mom threw that shirt out," she said disapprovingly once she had released him and studied his attire. If there was one thing that she and Colette could agree on, it was that Christopher needed a wardrobe makeover.

Her eyes lingered longer on her twin sister who she had to admit, looked nice. Like Ariana, Colette knew that one could never be overdressed for an event and her fashion-obsessed sister never failed to impress clothing-wise. It wasn't much of an enviable talent, as they could all afford to hire stylists to do that for them, but since it was the only talent she thought her sister had, she would let her think it was important. The girl needed something to live for. "You look cute, Collie," she said sweetly, although she was sure her sister would be able to hear the condescending undertone that she possessed. Despite them only being minutes apart in age, Ariana always treated Colette like she was younger and less able than she was. Even if she wasn't that much younger, she definitely did feel wiser that Colette in every other aspect.

Her gaze turned to Tinashé and she genuinely did have the intentions of saying hi to the girl when Alexandra spoke up. Her attention was redirected to the younger girl and her smile became more genuine when she complimented her shoes. "These old things? I actually found them in Collie's closet." She glanced over at her sister again, "Hope you don't mind that I'm borrowing them." The fact that they generally wore the same clothing sizes was one of the perks of being a twin. Even if her sister did object to her wearing them, it wasn't like she was actually going to take them off. She made a mental note to tell Alexa that she needed to lose the heavy makeup later on, but for now, she kept quiet.

Now that Ariana had sufficiently interrupted her introductions, she didn't think it was necessary to go back to Tinashé. She was sure that the girl was still offended over the things she had done to her when they were children and Ariana certainly wasn't going to apologize. It was probably better that there first interactions weren't in front of the rest of the group, especially with Owen standing next to her. She had done a good job of keeping up her good girl reputation around him and if anyone could send that crashing down, it was Tinashé.

After Aiden slipped inside behind them, she waved at him too but didn't want to stick around to chat right now. She needed a martini ASAP and since she felt like her entrance was sufficient, there was no better time to leave than now. "Come, let's get something to drink," she said, tugging Owen's hand.

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#2015-03-14 00:59:17, as written by chanelindistress

Tinashé couldn't even allow herself to giggle at Colette and Chris' greetings to one another, nor could she really give Alexandra's ever present attitude much attention like the girl typically wanted. As soon as Owen called to the group and the sound of heels accompanying him filled her ears, she knew they had not moved fast enough and mentally cursed the entire group. She even pressed herself a bit closer to Colette, remaining as discreet as possible because Lexi had given her a look that had Shay two seconds from slapping her like one of her parents should have done five years ago. Taking a sip of her Mai Tai, she finally allowed her eyes to drift towards the one person she didn't want to see: Ariana Rockefeller.

In the past, that name sent chills to her spine and cold, hard fear to her chest and made it hard for her to breathe. She had always felt frozen in the hallways of Buckley when Ariana and her followers would call to her in the halls, the tiny hairs at the back of her neck standing upright as if they could somehow catch the jabs and harsh criticism from girls who probably still wet their bed if some of the rumors had said anything. Tinashé started with Ariana's shoes. Or, Colette's shoes now that she remembered them. "You wore them better, btw," she whispered very quietly to her best friend. Her eyes drifted further upwards, to the tasteful attire Ariana was sporting. While Shay had never been frumpy in her appearance growing up, the constant and sickening admiration Buckley kids showered Ariana with always made her feel bland and unattractive in the former Queen Bee's presence. Ariana's hair and jewelry? On point, as always. Other than Chris, it seemed the Rockefellers were always going to be attuned to the latest trends and fashions. Finally, Tinashé's gaze finally met Ariana after the girl acknowledged Alexandra.

And all she could do was smile, even when Ariana could say nothing.

Now, when looking upon her worst tormentor and the one person who doubted her the most, Tinashé couldn't - for the life of her - remember why she cared so much about Ariana Rockefeller. She couldn't remember why it was that Ariana had been so sought after and looked at like some sort of goddess - some symbol of perfection that could never be attained or even allowed to be close to. She couldn't remember how she could have possibly stood for so long against the biting words and hits, even if Ariana herself had never raised a hand but allowed her posse to do so. Instead of the fear and the anxiety, all she could feel was a chill that had not been present before. It tightened and coiled deep within her, squeezing at something inside of her in such a painful grip that she ended up having to drink some more of the alcohol in her hand in an attempt to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling. It wasn't the hurt from the many nights she came home crying only for her mother to turn the other cheek. It wasn't the many lyrics she had written out on papers that would never see the light of day because if they did, it could tarnish the Rockefeller name and she could never do that to two people who made her Buckley years bearable. And it wasn't the fear that clawed its way up her throat every time she had once wanted to say something at Ariana that could hurt - that could make her feel something other than the unwanted and truly unfounded resentment she seemed to have had for Tinashé.

It was rage.

Unadulterated and unchecked rage that was slowly eating away at the carefully constructed layer of her sanity, forcing her to link back up with Colette in fear that if she did not have someone who could ground her, she'd finally do the one thing she had been wanting to do since she was thirteen and acquired her black belt in taekwondo: whoop Ariana's ass. The smile she gave Ariana was not welcoming. It was not warm and kind like the one she would give Jamie, Aiden, Oliver, and anyone who wasn't Ariana. It wasn't the truly endearing smile reserved for her family and best friends. No, it was cold and seemed to spread over her heart-shaped face with an ease reminiscent to the bitches of Buckley and every mean girl that ever existed. It spoke volumes and try as she might, the only change she could make was when it slipped into a small smirk just as a familiar face popped behind Ariana.

"Hey, Aiden," she said smoothly, the lilt in her naturally soft voice edgier than normal. She wasn't composed like Colette and the others. Years of shoving down her hurt left her not as skilled in that department and she needed to be as far from Ariana as possible. She pulled at Colette, muttering to her, "Project hide-and-seek starting now," she said and unlike Ariana, she didn't' feel like announcing that she was leaving. She pulled her best friend with her further into the house and away from their group of friends and blended in with the various guests until they were near some models and a few actors from the film. "Sorry...I-I-I just..." It was rare for Tinashé to show that she was affected by one person, a sort of shield she had managed to put up between herself and the outside world so that they could never see that vulnerability again. However, Colette was one of the few people she allowed such a privilege and she downed the rest of her alcohol. That action shouldn't have given her as much relief as it did. "It's been so long since I saw her face to face. I wasn't exactly...ready." She shot her bestie an apologetic look before pulling out her phone.

To: Jamie, Rosie
Pleaze tell me ur on ur way?

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#2015-03-14 09:09:05, as written by Whatsername

"Hey Aiden, nice to see you." Aiden's arrival was a good opportunity for Owen to pretend he wasn't paying attention to the way that Ariana was interacting with everyone else. He shook his friend's hand and gave him a friendly smile but was soon forced to return his attention to the others.

Owen knew that there was no way that Shay and Ariana being back in the same room together after so long was going to go seamlessly, but for the circumstances, he didn't think it went that poorly. Neither had verbally acknowledged her which was probably better than them trying to sort their problems out right now, or pretending like they had no issues and acting like friends. He had picked up on his sister's peculiar facial expression, mostly because he was watching her closely in case she came up with some nasty comment or tried to shred Ari to pieces right in front of them. Ariana had probably purposely left Tinashé out of her greetings though, so he guessed that the look was justified. No, he knew the look was justified. Even if he hadn't known Tinashé during most of the bullying, the stories had been relayed back to him by her mother and his father. Ariana had made her life a living hell and it was not only wrong, but ignorant, for her to think that she could just suddenly let go of those feelings. Owen knew that, and he was a good enough brother to not expect Tinashé to do so. At the same time, he needed her to be open to at least talking with Ariana about it. If she gave his girlfriend a chance to apologize, maybe they could start over, or just be on civil terms while they all lived together. There may not have been much benefit in a friendship for either of the girls but it took less than five minutes for him to realize that there was no way that he could spend a summer with the two of them hating each other. Their house was big, but not big enough for the two to ignore each other forever.

As Ariana tugged him inside, Tinashé and Colette had turned to walk down the opposite side of the hallway. He wanted to call out to them and tell them that Ariana would join and he'd meet them with drinks in a few minutes, but he refrained. It was too much of a dream, of wishful thinking. Besides, he wasn't sure if Colette and her sister were on decent terms either. The girls fought often, but he had never seen it in more than a sisterly-bickering manner. The way she had ignored his text earlier hinted that maybe she even had a problem with him. Owen had no idea what he could have done to a girl that he considered to be a close friend, but imagined that maybe she was siding with Tinashé in him being wrong for dating her mortal enemy.

He followed Ariana into the most populated room in the house. The servers were beginning to fill banquet-sized tables with different steaming dishes and since today's party was on the casual-side, it was a buffet-styled meal rather than a sit-down one. A passing cocktail waitress offered the pair martinis and although Owen declined the offer for himself, he did take a Manhattan off of the tray for Ariana, and swiftly handed it to her. He hoped having a drink in-hand would put her in a better mood for his next question. "Hey, do you think you can try talking to Shay tonight? I know whatever happened between you two was years ago, but I think she might still be upset about it." He tried to tread carefully, not because he was scared of Ari, but because he didn't want to give her the wrong idea. He didn't want her to go to Tinashé and act like he had given some sob story about how she was still a broken little girl because of the years of bullying. At the same time, he wanted her to realize that Tinashé was his sister and even if he had never brought it up, he hadn't forgotten how poorly she treated her either.

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#2015-03-14 22:29:13, as written by BurningDark

Outfit

Rose was very late.

She was almost never late for anything, but after going on the tour with her best friend Shay, she was dead-tired. When she had returned to her house in the early morning hours, Rose could only remember crashing in her room. As she drove to the Collins' house, no, mansion, Rose was only now fully awake. She was about 10 minutes from the actual house, but its looming presence could already be felt, and the top was poking through the trees and buildings surrounding it.

Her car was the only flashy thing she owned. Rose hated driving, since her parents had died in a crash, but Shay had insisted on her learning- right after she'd gotten her own license. She only drove herself because she couldn't trust a chauffeur. At least she had a cool car. The only reason Rose was even bringing it was because she might need to get away from the madness. And madness there would be. She knew that some of the girls hated each other with a passion, especially Shay and Ari. While Rose didn't know what it was to have enemies, she could always sense the high tensions between the two. Pulling out her phone when she felt it vibrate, Rose read quick texts from both Aiden and Shay.

From: Shay
Did you go home or stay here?

From: Aiden
Hey Rosie, Aiden's here. Have you been there yet? See you there, kay? <3

The little text heart at the end of Aiden's message made her heart do a little dance. She had had a crush on Aiden for... well, for as long as she could remember. She knew that he only thought of her as a sister, and tried to keep her feelings down. After all, she did have all of her friends to look out for. Even though Rose constantly had problems with putting everyone before herself, she was always supportive of anything her friends did or needed, sacrificing her own time in a heartbeat. She was too nice to say no.

Pulling into the driveway of the Collins' mansion, Rose checked her phone again. Another text from Shay had popped up.

From: Shay
Rosie: Pleaze tell me ur on ur way?

Rose sighed. If she could guess, Shay was probably trying not to claw out Ari's throat. Being on the tour with Owen had been fun, but she could feel the complicated emotions for Ari's boyfriend stewing in her best friend. Noticing that the text was also to Jamie, Rose's eyebrow rose. Her sister was usually on time, but her wallflower tendencies might have held her back from the huge party. Shrugging, she texted back Aiden and Shay.

To: Shay
Sorry Shay. I went home after the tour because I was tired, but I'm back now.

To: Aiden
Hey Aiden! I'm here too. I was there last night, but I went home after.

Rose smiled as she sent the texts. Her meticulous grammar was apparent even in her texts. Walking up the steep driveway, she was glad she'd worn flats. High heels would be torture to walk with up this driveway. A valet took the car after Rose got her bags out. Carrying the two suitcases into the house, she spotted tons of people she didn't know. Her father's movie, of course. Handing her suitcases to one of the staff, Rose maneuvered the long hallways down into the game room. She assumed that was where everyone was gathered, and she found herself correct as she entered the packed room.

"Hello everyone." Rose's soft voice didn't usually make a dent in the conversation, but with the charged emotions she could feel, at least a few of her friends would be grateful for her appearance.

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#2015-03-15 07:35:16, as written by Collapse

To free space for her martini, she released Owen's hand and readily accepted the drink. The first sip indicated that it was a little too strong for her normal liking, but today she wouldn't request a new one. She was probably going to need it. It wasn't that Ariana needed to get drunk to feel confident enough to confront people and be herself, but it never hurt either. At work, she could send interns scattering with one icy smile. When she was in school, all it took was one up-and-down glare for a classmate to know they had made it to her list. Today though, and for the rest of the summer, she was supposed to be with friends. Everyone that she just spoke to (and didn't speak to, in Tinashé's case) were supposed to be people that she loved and cared about. There was no room for being bitter and nasty with them, because that was the opposite of how she was expected to treat them. It wasn't that easy for her, though. She had never been able to switch her abrasive personality on and off depending on who she was with and while it was a barrier that kept her from being hurt, it kept out any real and genuine friendships with it.

Though she never acknowledged it, of course she saw how close both of her siblings were with Tinashé. She knew how Owen and Carson were like brothers, how Jamie and Oliver were both weird together in their own little world. Oliver and Chris both seemed to want to get Alexa in bed, no one ever grimaced at Aiden or Rose's arrival, and she had witnessed herself how close Owen had come to pursuing Colette. Sure, she got along well with Owen and Carson, and Alexa too, depending on the girl's mood that day, but Ariana never felt like she really belonged in the group. Whether it was brought on by her own past behavior or not, she wouldn't admit, but at least in the present it forced her to remain guarded.

After accepting her drink, Ariana led Owen to an empty table. She had spotted her parents on the other side of the room and knew that she needed to speak with them at some point, but first she wanted to eat. Just as she was about to ask him to go make her a plate of food, he brought up the dreaded topic of apologizing to Tinashé. She kept a cool smile on her face as he spoke, and leaned in closer to him to act like she was actually interested in what he had to say. It was apparent that the topic of conversation was making him uncomfortable but that was unexpected. Having to stick up for his loser of a sister for her entire life couldn't have been easy and it was clear that little had changed since their Buckley days. "Of course I'll talk to her," she reassured him. "You don't really think she's had nothing better to do than dwell on what happened when we were kids, right?" Step one: make Tinashé seem like the obsessive and dramatic one. "I mean, I do remember that there were some girls who I hung out with who weren't nice to her, but I didn't think it would still be bothering her this many years later." Step two: eliminate any blame from herself. She would talk to Tinashé, maybe with Owen there as a witness, but that didn't mean that she was going to apologize, or at least apologize for what Owen expected her to.

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#2015-03-15 08:56:38, as written by Collapse

"Uh, no, I forgot. They're in the trunk now." Oliver was caught off guard by Carson breaking the silence in the car. He had been lost in his own thoughts, mostly worrying himself over how the summer would go. Even though Carson lived in his own apartment now, Oliver had spent a few years living in the same house as his stepbrother and wasn't worried about doing so again this summer. He saw Jamie, his best friend, almost every day too, so there were no reservations with her. He and Rose were friendly, mostly due to his connection with Jamie, and he was friends with Shay, Aiden and Owen as well. His relationship with Colette was definitely weaker since no matter how many times they had seen each other, she was always calling him by the wrong name and clearly didn't find him to be of much use to her. They were different, and Oliver was okay with where they stood. At least he preferred it to how he interacted with Ariana, who found out about his blog almost a year ago, and since then, he's tried to avoid her like the plague.

Lastly was Alexandra, Owen and Tinashé's sister. When he moved to LA and started attending Buckley, Alexa was the first girl he ever developed a real crush on. She was popular, came from a world-renowned family, and had the rebellious attitude that he could never muster in himself. She was cool, and he began to idolize her. It probably didn't come across as a big deal to most people since Oliver has made it clear that he's more than willing to get with any girl in the friend group, thanks to his futile yet relentless attempts of seducing the girls. However, his crush on Alexa is more than just corny pickup lines. Her presence makes his heart race and his sentences become jumbled messes. She's totally out of his league and nearly everyone's told him that, but he hasn't given up. What better opportunity to woo her than this summer when he's literally going to be living a few doors down from her?

As exciting as it was, it also put Oliver into a panic. He had spent all morning attempting to work out in the gym in his family's home. He wasn't very physically fit, something that he readily admitted, and after only a few minutes of weight training, he realized that he was probably a permanent lost cause in that department. Instead, he opted to use an exercise bike and swam a few laps in their pool. Following a long shower, he spent the rest of the day packing and over thinking every possible scenario that could go down over the summer. In the midst of it all, he forgot to bring his bags over to the Collins and by the time he remembered, Carson was already calling him down to the car.

Oliver made no attempt to keep up with Carson after he got out of the car as he had to haul his two suitcases inside with him. When he made it through the doors, he found the foyer to be more occupied than he would have guessed. After a few minutes, everyone besides Jamie had showed up, but just as quickly as it filled, it began to empty out. He didn't have time to greet Tinashé or Colette before they separated and disappeared down the hall, or Owen and Ariana who entered the dining area. That left him with Carson, Alexandra, Chris, Aiden and Rose, all of whom he was sure would be going off to do their own thing soon anyway. If Alexa hadn't been so focused on Carson, Oliver would have said hello, but he used that as an excuse for himself to not have to approach her yet. "I'm going to go put my stuff upstairs," he said to no one in particular as he picked up the bags again. He was sure that some of the house staff would have taken care of it, but it was another excuse for him to avoid interaction with Alexa yet, and one that he would gladly take. Besides, his best friend wasn't here yet and if anyone was worse with socializing than him, it was her.

To: Jamie
What's your excuse for missing another party this time???

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#2015-03-15 21:36:55, as written by BurningBridges

Between Shay's physical jab and Colette's verbal one, Carson was grinning by the time that Owen and Ariana walked in the door. Unlike both girls, he was happy to see the pair. Owen was his best friend, and while being in the same room as him and Lexi made the guilt churn in his stomach, he tried to ignore it. What happened, happened and as long since Lexi had managed to keep quiet about it up until now, he hoped she could do the same for the rest of eternity. What Owen didn't know wouldn't hurt him and just as likely, wouldn't hurt Carson. He was friends with Ari too, and probably one of the few people who was happy to see the pair unite a year ago. Although he was homeschooled and didn't attend Buckley with the rest of the crew, everyone knew that Ariana was the girl that every guy wanted to not only sleep with, but date. She was that untouchable prize that you dreamed about throughout your awkward teen years so he couldn't blame Owen for seizing the fantasy now that he had the chance.

He stepped forward and returned Ari's hug but was somewhat relieved when she and Owen left the room. Besides Alexandra, it was clear that he really was one of the few people happy to see them together. Since he knew Shay so well, the way that she kept her mouth shut and pulled Colette away from the group spoke volumes to him. He knew that Ariana had caught her off guard, even if she hadn't spoken directly to her. Colette was clearly put off by her presence too, but he guessed that after literally growing up with the former queen bee, Colette was more used to Ari than anyone else. If anyone could combat the girl's poor vibes, it would be the one who shared her DNA.

In the moment after Owen, Ariana, Colette and Tinashé disappeared, Carson lingered in the foyer. Should he chase after the two girls, or follow his best friend and girlfriend into the dining room to socialize? Aiden and Rose had walked in amid the chaos, so as he considered the options, he gave them both a distracted half-wave. Oliver struggled to pull his bags upstairs and in hesitant decision, Carson turned to follow the path that Colette and Shay had taken. "I'm going to go see what the girls are doing," he explained mostly to Aiden and Rose, although Alexa and Chris were still present. He could hang out with Chris any day without things being awkward, but even though no one knew about his night with Alexa, he was going to make an effort to limit his time with her.

The two girls had done a good job at distancing themselves from the group, since it took a few minutes and a few minor conversations with acquaintances before he caught up to them. "Really? You two are going to try to ditch me this early on in the summer? Not cool, not cool." Shay's expression alone showed that she wasn't in a great mood anymore but he hoped he could lighten the mood.

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#2015-03-16 04:09:19, as written by Whatsername

His warning of Ariana's arrival couldn't have come sooner, because moments later, the devil herself was walking through the front door behind Owen. Chris couldn't imagine a pair of people who could bring the mood of a room down more quickly. They were like real life Dementors and he knew that his feelings towards them weren't even as bad as some of the others. Alexa wouldn't be happy to see her controlling, fun police brother, and he and Colette had similar feelings towards their sister. Tinashé didn't seem to hate Owen as much as Alexa did, but her resentment for Ariana probably rivaled Colette's. It was strong and noticeable. Maybe not to most people since she didn't verbally object to being near Ari in that moment, but he caught a glimpse of her frozen smile and knew that she wasn't happy. He didn't blame her, either, but even with Ariana's snide remark about his shirt, he didn't hate her as much as the others. She was his mother in a twenty-year-younger form. They had the same condescending tone, the same judgmental look and the same belief that if things weren't done in their traditional and favored way, that they were being done incorrectly.

"Nope, she hasn't gotten her hands on this one yet," he replied casually to her insult on his shirt. Colette had nagged him about it once today - and tens of times in the past - so it didn't bother him slightly. His sister had already moved on to greeting the others by the time he responded, so he gladly shifted backwards. Luckily for him and all of them, she didn't stay in the room too long and just as quickly as she came in, she was leading Owen out to get drinks. As he glanced around to examine the damage, it was apparent that Colette's lifetime exposure to Ariana didn't do much to ever prepare her for their sister's high and mighty persona. She probably fared better than Shay though, who was pulling Colette away before he had a chance to join them.

That left him with Carson, who almost immediately fled after the girls, Oliver, who was walking upstairs and who Chris honestly couldn't have cared less about, Alexandra, Aiden, and now Rose. "Hey Rose," he said once he heard her voice. He honestly wasn't sure how long she had been standing there. The girl could be so quiet that her presence sometimes went unnoticed. At the sight of her, he realized that Jamie was the only person he hadn't seen so far today. "Where's Jamie?" He wasn't very close with the blonde but after seeing her recently, had found something about her to be attractive. To this day, he still had no idea what that was. She was nearly the opposite of the type of girl he usually went for, and their personalities were strikingly different. So much so that he rarely had anything to talk about with her, but when she was around, he always found her unadorned commentary to be amusing. For someone who seemed to lack interest in conversations and socializing, she seemed to pick up on a lot of things that he, someone so involved in the conversations, never would notice.

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#2015-03-16 04:37:10, as written by BurningDark

Rose made her way through her friends, a few waving or saying hello. "Hello, Chris!" She grinned as he greeted her. She was about to stick around for friendly conversation when her phone pinged again. She read the relieved message from her best friend, and quickly apologized before dashing off. "Jamie? I don't know. Gotta run, though. Sorry! See ya later, Chris! Duty calls- well, Shay calls, that is."

She made her way to the first dining hall, passing through a few others on the way and occasionally taking a small appetizer. When she reached the first dining hall, she waved and hurried over. Carson had made his appearance while she was coming, and the three of them were hanging out. She heard Shay and Carson bickering good-naturedly over bowling, and as he took some food as well, Rose was relieved to see she wasn't the only hungry one. "I'm here. Is the world ending?" She smiled, nudging Shay. "Long time no see. Like, fifteen whole hours."

Rose had left pretty early in the morning, around three, and had been sleeping until recently. She'd loved being on tour, with the exception of the crowded, screaming stadiums. However, there was no way on heaven and earth that she wouldn't support Shay on tour. Sometimes, her obsession with supporting people definitely got in the way of her health.

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#2015-03-16 06:51:47, as written by LaurenAFI

Alexandra didn't care when her brother and sister, Ariana, Colette, Rose and Oliver ventured out of the foyer, but she did frown as Carson chased after Colette and Shay. She wanted to talk to him and after her many texts over the past month had gone unanswered, she felt like she deserved a conversation with Carson. She wasn't angry with him as much as she was confused. Didn't that night mean as much to him as it did to her? Granted, she didn't remember much of it either, but the series of selfies she had taken in his lap made it look like they had both had a good time. He had asked her to not bring it up again because Owen wouldn't react well to what would happen, but she didn't care for Owen's opinion on anything, nonetheless her love life. She was eighteen now and in her mind, it meant that she could do anything she wanted. Any social limitations were lifted and their five-year age difference meant little to her.

Alexa's focus drifted from Carson for only a moment, when Chris questioned the passing Rose on Jamie's whereabouts. Since when was Jamie relevant to... anyone? Even when the girl did show up to social events, it wasn't like anyone actually noticed her, aside from when she decided to make an unwelcome comment. Chris was the last person she would imagine to have any interest in their blonde peer being present. Though the inquiry had caused her to raise a brow, she decided not to question it. Maybe he was just trying to make conversation with Rose, who soon left the foyer anyway. However, she did turn to Chris once she left to bring up a different subject. "It looked like your friend-with-benefits was upset. Better go make sure she doesn't want you to fuck the sad out of her." Though she didn't want to sleep with Chris herself, it was apparent that she was still bitter about him apparently doing so with Tinashé. In a more expected way, the feelings stemmed from her believing that had been the cause of her exclusion, and not out of jealousy. "I have to go check something upstairs, but when I come back I want a beer pong rematch." Her tone was more playful now, but only because she didn't want him following her upstairs.

She nearly ran up the stairs, but was forced to a halt when she almost stepped right into Oliver, who was hauling two suitcases towards a guest bedroom. "Hey Ollie," she batted her eyes. Alexa usually disregarded Oliver unless she needed him, and this was a perfect example of that. She knew that he was the type of guy who was desperate for any type of female attention and though she wasn't aware of the extent of his crush on her, she knew how to manipulate him. With a finger twirling a strand of hair, she spoke again. "Would you text your brother for me and ask him to come upstairs? I needed him to help me with something on my computer but my phone just died," she explained, or more accurately, lied. "Just tell him to come upstairs though. Don't say it's for me or else Owen or Shay will come up instead, and you know how annoying they can be." A flirtatious giggle was added in for the extra effect and she was almost positive that he would follow through with it. She only wished that it was this easy to get Carson wrapped around her finger.

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#2015-03-17 20:20:52, as written by Whatsername

Owen shifted uncomfortably when Ariana refused to accept what she had done to his sister. Sure, it had occurred years ago, but from what he had been told, it was bad enough that it was understandable for her to still be upset over it. Part of him felt stupid for thinking that Ari would admit to being guilty of it though. He knew her well enough to know that she aimed for perfection and now that they were all grown up, why would she admit to being an imperfect child? He decided that her agreement to talk with Shay was as much as he would get out of her. If he was lucky, maybe she would come through with a genuine apology when speaking directly with Shay. "Thanks, it would mean a lot to me, and to her too I think." He would leave the conversation there for now.

"Oh, there are our parents," he tilted his head towards his stepfather and mother who were chatting with Ari's parents. "Shall we?" he grinned and offered her a hand after standing up. Pierce spotted the couple just as soon as Owen spotted them, and seemed to lead the other parents towards them anyway.

"Ariana, so nice to see you!" he exclaimed as he stepped towards them and offered her a hug. The close friendship that Diana Rockefeller had with his ex-wife had caused a rift in the Rockefeller/Collins friendship during the divorce, but Pierce and David had managed to work around it. Still, Pierce wasn't oblivious to the fact that Ariana was friendly with his ex-wife and encouraged Alexandra to be as well. Plus, even if Shay wasn't living with him for much of the time that the bullying occurred, he had seen enough to know that she wasn't the sweet little girl that everyone believed her to be growing up. He trusted Owen though. If his son was able to fall head over heels for Ariana, he had to assume that she had grown into a more mature and kind woman.

"Mr. Rockefeller, Mrs. Rockefeller." Owen greeted the man with a firm handshake and the woman with a loose hug. As the parents of his serious-girlfriend, being around them always made Owen nervous. They were nice people and seemed to approve of him enough, but the knowledge of that didn't stop his palms from sweating and heartbeat from speeding up. "Thanks for letting Ariana, Colette and Christopher stay with us this summer. I'm sure it'll be a good time," he said. Small talk wasn't his favorite pastime but he had enough experience with it to keep a conversation up until his father had finished talking with Ariana.

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#2015-03-20 05:03:46, as written by Collapse

When Owen ended the conversation by expressing his gratitude, Ariana smiled and rested a hand on his. "Of course. Anything for you." Though she wasn't being completely genuine, she did appreciate that he put the topic to rest. She didn't want to fight with him this early on in the summer, and especially not in the same house as Colette. Owen was an attractive guy - everyone knew that. However, he had never been attractive enough to draw Ariana in until she found out that her sister was into him. Colette had spilled the secret after one too many drinks the previous summer and almost immediately after that, Ariana decided that Owen was perfect for her too. It was completely wrong to do and Ariana knew it, but she couldn't stop herself form enchanting Owen until he asked her out, and that didn't take very long. It would have been easier if Colette had blacked out that night and didn't remember sharing the secret with Ari, because then her sister wouldn't have had a reason to be mad at her. She probably would have still been upset that she didn't get the prize boyfriend, but she couldn't blame Ariana if she hadn't known. Colette didn't forget that Ariana had went for him right after she shared her crush with her, though.

Since she started dating Owen, the relationship with her twin had been rockier than ever and their minimal acknowledgment earlier suggested that it wouldn't be getting stronger any time soon. If her sister wasn't going to accept the fact that she was dating Owen now and move on, than Ariana was going to have to rub it in her face that she and Owen were a perfect couple, even if they really weren't.

Ariana's chuckle was half-hearted as she placed allowed Owen to take her hand and lead them to their parents. She never had a problem with socializing, as putting on a phony smile and bullshitting a conversation were two of her specialties. From birth, Ariana was taught how to act in social settings. She knew how to pretend to give a damn about how gorgeous the new yacht someone bought was, or how amazing their child was at soccer. If her business goals ever fell through (which she wouldn't even consider allowing to happen), acting would probably be her forte.

"Aren't you looking dapper, Mr. Collins!" Ariana exclaimed playfully as she gave her boyfriend's father a hug. "I wouldn't expect anything less from someone married to a designer, though." She was glad that Aimee had excused herself before they had time to chat, because honestly, Ari disliked the woman. As Shay's mother, it automatically put a divide between them and since Ariana considered Pierce's ex-wife to be a friend, she was even more biased into disliking her.

After a few minutes of small talk between her, Owen and the three adults, she decided to excuse herself from the conversation. After her mother brought up Christopher and Colette's absence, it seemed like a perfect opportunity. "I think I saw Christopher in the kitchen a few minutes ago. Let me make sure he isn't getting into any trouble, and Colette... I'm not sure. I thought I saw her by the bar a little while ago," she smiled, the facade of the responsible and caring older sister coming into play, while simultaneously shaming her sister.

To: Colette
I'm sure mom and dad would appreciate it if you said hi to them, Collie. You're starting to act like Christopher.

Her drink was nearly empty, so she headed to the kitchen anyway, sure that there would be someone there to get her a refill . When she entered, there were several workers in the room, but she was surprised to see Alexandra in there. The girl was usually social - too social for her and Owen's liking - and it was unusual for her to be isolated during a party, especially when Chris was around. "What are you doing in here?" she inquired in a curious, non-accusing tone as she leaned against one of the counter tops. After Tinashé "abandoned" Alexandra that spring, Ariana did her best to take over the big sister role. She knew that Owen, Pierce and Aimee did their best with the teenager and it was enough most of the time, so it wasn't like Ariana's presence in her life was necessary. However, similar with how competitive she felt with Colette, there was a drive inside of her to prove that she was more fit to be a role model than Tinashé. It was one of the reasons why she had began feeding petty lies to Alexandra about her sister. She knew that, whether Alexa admitted it or not, the young girl had a lot of respect for her step-sister and if Ariana could decrease that in any way, she was going to do so.

"And what's with all of the makeup lately?" To compensate the judgemental tone, she continued in a more gentle voice. "You're like me - we were blessed with the good genes in our family. We don't need to cake on that stuff to look gorgeous. Besides, boys don't like big lips like that. It makes you look like your sister." She managed to get in jabs at Colette and Shay, still while sounding like she was trying to be helpful. Perfect.

Although Oliver wasn't thinking it in the moment, maybe it was for the best when Jamie appeared and warded Alexa off. The text message that Carson sent him indicated that eating was clearly more important than the unexplained issue that Oliver told him he was having, and Alexa had already rejected his offer of assistance. He was of no use for her apparently, and so she left to go find him herself, but Oliver preferred to tell himself that she would have stuck around if Jamie hadn't intruded. Though he wasn't happy that his rare one-on-one with his crush had ended so abruptly, he was undeniably glad to see Jamie. Oliver had trouble filtering his sometimes weird personality around most people, but with Jamie, he didn't have to worry about trying to restrict himself to social constructs. They were best friends, and he always felt comfortable around her. However, he was glad that she hadn't walked in on his fumbling and stumbling moments earlier. Though Jamie was well aware of how he acted around girls he liked, it was still embarrassing for it to be pointed out, and she would certainly be the first to do so.

"Do you have to always be so rude to her?" Oliver asked in a strained tone once Alexa had disappeared down the stairs. This was probably one of the few times when Jamie actually was the perpetrator in the girls' bitter exchanges and Oliver knew that, but he was lovestruck. Alexa could punch him in the face and he would still ask her out to dinner the next night. After gawking over her for six years, he grew used to the idea that she was an unattainable dream, like most girls were to him, but it hadn't ceased his lust for her. If there was one thing that Oliver McKagan wasn't, it was a quitter.

When he noticed her lack of bags, it reminded him of his own, which were currently set at his feet. "Our rooms must be down this way," he said, picking up his bags and starting down the hall that he hadn't explored yet. One by one, he poked his head into bedrooms until they found one with Jamie's luggage, and then one across the hall that was empty. Oliver figured that was enough of a sign to claim it as his own and he readily dropped his bags to the floor of his summer room. He was ready to flop onto his bed and go to sleep. Not only was he physically tired, but he also felt like his minimal conversation with Alexa was enough progress for the week. Another side of him was telling him that if he had been able to talk to her that well less than an hour in to the party, who knows where he would be by the end of the night. It was enough motivation to draw him back out of the bedroom and into the doorway of Jamie's. "So, how was your dad's movie thing?"

Owen Collins

0 · 2,685 views · located in Beverly Hills, California

a character in “Summer Reunited”, as played by Whatsername

Description

So begins...

Owen Collins's Story

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