Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Long-term fantasy roleplay partners wanted » Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! »

0
followers
follow

Owen Collins

"Never settle."

0 · 2,695 views · located in Beverly Hills, California

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

Description

Image
Image

"There’s something about the people who knew you when you were young- before you had decided who you wanted to be. Before you knew what face you wanted to wear in the world. They’re the only ones who really know you, you know?"
— Sarah Treem, A Feminine Ending



Image

Image
Image
Name:
Owen Pierce Collins

Preferred Name:
Owen

Age:
23

Birthday:
April 12th

Sexuality:
Heterosexual

Occupation:
Model



Image
Image
History:
His parents, Pierce and Kristen Collins, never should have been married. While they thought they could make a nice little family together, after only a few years of marriage, it was apparent that there was no real love between them. Kris started having affairs, which she justified to herself because Pierce was spending excessive amounts of time at work rather than with her and once Pierce found out about this, he returned the infidelity. At least his was more genuine than hers, Owen reasons. He had fallen in love with fashion designer Aimee Kachingwe, who was also married at the time. As soon as their affair was brought to light, both of their marriages fell apart and the pair ended up marrying each other soon after. Things didn't end there with the perfect "happily ever after" finish, though. His mother wouldn't have it that way. She felt like Pierce had humiliated and betrayed her, even if she had been the one stepping out first and more frequently. Kris had always been the attention-obsessed one and her true colors certainly came out in response to the affair and quick remarriage. She started a long and painful custody battle that kept the tabloids active for months. Between leaked voice mails, photos of him with his new wife during the affair, and false allegations that Pierce had abused her and the kids, Kris did everything she could to ruin her ex-husband's image and come out on top by stealing his two prized-possessions: Owen and Alexandra.

Unlike Kris, Pierce wanted the kids so they could be raised properly, which apparently wasn't on her agenda. Five million dollars was enough for her to end the ordeal and give him primary custody of the children. Although she was granted visitation rights, Owen avoided her at all costs. During the custody battle, he enrolled at a boarding school about a half-hour away and lived for the last year years of high school. He was overwhelmed by how horrible his mother was acting, how his family was being trashed by the media and how his once sweet little sister was turning into a terror. Unlike her, he was actually glad that his father had remarried Aimee. Despite her also being unfaithful in her own previous marriage, Owen found her to be nice enough and appreciated the efforts she made to get to know him and Alexandra. He had more reservations with her daughter, Tinashe, but the girl grew on eventually too and by now, he considers Aimee to be a better mother figure than his birth mother, and Tinashe to be just as much a sister as Alexandra.

For the past year, Owen has lived at the family's house in Beverly Hills. He could easily get his own apartment somewhere but feels like it's his duty to keep the house in order when his dad and Aimee aren't home, especially with the way Alexandra is acting. Besides that, he has been travelling frequently for his modelling career. He was in a few ads here and there throughout his childhood but after graduating high school, his career took off. He's been featured in numerous high-fashion campaigns and runway shows, was featured in one of Madonna's music videos, and recently wrapped up filming for a Taylor Swift music video.

Secret(s):
Everyone has them. If there was one thing your character doesn't want anyone to find out about, what is it?


Image
Image
Image
Image
Positive Traits:
Responsible, Intelligent, Romantic, Considerate, Humble

Character Flaws:
Uptight, Opinionated, Overprotective, Stubborn, Controlling

Personality:
The older brother role that he was born into is thoroughly reflected in Owen's personality. He's responsible, protective and considerate. When it comes to his loved ones, his heart is always in the right place, even if his actions are interpreted as being overprotective and restrictive. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to make sure that his sisters, are always taken care of, and can't accept the fact that they might not need him now as much as he felt they did when they were younger. He likes to think that his parents' divorce didn't affect him very much, but it made him grow up quickly. The amount of attention that the custody battle brought upon them, as well as both of his sisters' questionable behaviors forced him to be the responsible one. He felt guilty that his father had to deal with his psycho mother and the increasingly rebellious Alexandra and Shay. Someone had to be the responsible one and it looked like he was the only one willing to accept the job. Even with friends though, Owen tends to be the responsible one. He's usually the designated driver, the one making sure that no one's drinking too much or going home with strangers. It's not like he doesn't let loose sometimes, but he's not the type to go crazy with alcohol or partying, ever. Not only is he not interested in that type of lifestyle, but he doesn't want any more negative attention directed at his family.

He puts great value on his friends and family but doesn't allow many people into his inner circle. While always friendly and polite, he's reserved around strangers until he knows that he can actually trust them. The elite social circle he was raised in seems to be a dog-eat-dog world and he cares too much about the people around him to let anyone get too close and potentially hurt them. This not only involves the people he interacts with, but those that his family interacts with too. He's known for kicking guys that his sisters bring over out of the house, even if they just claim to be friends, because he either doesn't deem them worthy of his sisters, or just doesn't trust their intentions.

Maybe the most surprising trait about Owen is how humble he is. It doesn't take much to make him happy and for a guy who's made millions off of his appearance, he isn't vain or narcissistic. He's a nice guy who puts his loved ones before himself, even when they don't want or need him to.

Likes:
Water sports // Lacrosse // The beach // Bacon // Pizza // Takeout Food // Driving // Sailing // Strawberries // Budweiser // Reading // Hot showers // Urban cities // Travelling // Sunday mornings // Modelling // Fashion // 90's cartoons // Homemade breakfasts

Dislikes:
Lavender scent // Anime // Clutter // Looking at photos of himself // His mother // Golf // Coffee // Earthquakes // Country music // The problems his sister causes // Crowds // Long flights // Minivans // Jellybeans // Marshmallows

Fears:
Drowning // Suffocating // Clowns // Losing any of his family members // Scandals involving him or his family // Poverty

Aspirations:
Make amends with his mother eventually // Get married & have kids // Buy a house in Nantucket // Move to New York // Own a nightclub



Image
Image
Height:
6'1

Weight:
160 lbs

Hair color:
Brown

Eye color:
Blue

Other:
He has a small scar on his right wrist from a surgery he had after breaking his hand as a child, but besides that, he has no other distinguishable marks.

So begins...

Owen Collins's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image ImageImage

The drive to Huntington Beach was long enough, thanks to the evening traffic, that Owen considered turning back more than once. He had too much time to think, and even the pop station that he had idly turned on wasn't doing enough to drown out the feeling of guilt as he recalled Shay crying to him earlier. Was he being the worst brother in the world by doing this? She had everyone else at the house to help her feel better, he tried to remind himself, and if he had joined them this evening, he probably wouldn't have been comfortable watching her and the underage portion of the brood drinking their sorrows away. He eventually decided that what he was doing was okay, especially since he didn't really plan on staying in Huntington all summer. It was too late for him to turn back at that point anyway, because he was already pulling into the gated beachfront community.

Ariana had a half an hour to herself at the beach house before Owen showed up. After their phone call, she just knew that he was going to come, so when the bell rang, signaling that someone was trying to buzz through the gates, she wasn't surprised. He had made the smart decision and the right decision by choosing her over his sister and Ariana was going to prove that to him. She would allow herself to be more into him, to see if she could actually love him without brushing him off as a temporary boyfriend, because he had just showed her that he cared about her more than his own sister. Granted, they weren't blood siblings and Ariana was going to point that out if Owen had chose Shay instead, but she knew that they saw each other as true family, and now that made him choosing her even more important.

She waited for him at the front door, a smile resting on her face as she watched him step out of his car and sheepishly approach her. He only had a backpack with him, but she would deal with the short-term stay appearance later. For now, she had to be thankful that he had shown up at all and she started by throwing her arms around his neck as soon as he made it up the walkway. "I love you so much," she said when she pulled away from his kiss and rested her head on his shoulder. It had felt so natural coming out of her mouth, but it was probably the first time that she had actually told him she loved him, or at least initiated it. She realized that soon after it came out of her mouth, but she didn't want to backtrack. After Owen had put his relationship with Tinashe on the line for her, she wanted to love him, and even if that love had been forced for the past year, she was going to try to make it real now. She would give him the chance that he deserved.

"I love you too." It was so nice to hear Ariana tell him that he loved her and for the moment, the doubts that he had about making the right choice disappeared. This was where he needed to be, and the passionate kiss she had graced him with reminded him of that in more ways than one. He didn't want to let her go, even when she pulled her face away from his and nestled it into his shoulder. He needed to prove that their relationship was more than just Ariana's way of getting back at Shay, as it had been insinuated by others before. His smile turned sultry as he pulled her into her own house and towards the stairs. They both knew where this was going and the way that Ariana tried to bite her lip to suppress a smile told him that she was just as excited as he.

She was prepared when they got to her bedroom. She had spent the half hour before Owen's arrival searching for the sexiest lingerie she could find. Most of her clothes were at her family's more frequented houses, but she found a white lace bra and underwear set that she was sure she looked good in. And when Owen nearly tore her clothes off, it seemed to do the trick. Twenty minutes later, with both of them out of breath but beaming, things did feel better and Ariana no longer felt guilty for forcing him to choose between she and his sister. If she hadn't given him that ultimatum, they wouldn't had wound up where they were now. Her head rested on his bare chest and she allowed him to stroke her hair for a few more minutes, soaking in the serene silence before tilting her head to look at him. "Since you didn't get to go to Providence with everyone else, I'm going to make you dinner," she smiled. He smirked. Since when did Ariana know how to cook? He doubted whatever she made would compare to Providence's seafood, or even his sister's cooking for that matter, but he wasn't going to object. Especially not when she slid off of the beg and with a finger, motioned him to follow her without putting on anything other than the lingerie she had started off in.

Owen's thoughts were right. Ariana wasn't a great cook. In fact, relying on paid chefs for all of her life left her with little culinary skills aside from making toast and tea. The fact that their cupboards were poorly stocked, due to her parents expecting the house to be vacant all summer, worked to her benefit, now. "How does spaghetti sound?" she said, purposely parading her scantily clad body around the kitchen for his enjoyment. "It's that, or cereal," she proposed playfully, receiving a quick response from Owen. "Then spaghetti it is!"

How they had went from Owen teaching her how to tell if the water was boiling, to him on top of her on the Rockefeller family's kitchen island was unknown, but Owen couldn't complain. In fact, he was savoring this side of Ariana that he didn't think he had ever seen before. It was the relationship every guy dreamed of, and it was satisfying enough that he scarfed down her soggy spaghetti as if it had been made by Wolfgang Puck.

"We should go to Greystone," Ariana decided when their dishes were in the sink. She had played the housewife for a little while to turn him on, but she wasn't going to go as far as washing dishes tonight. The texts that she found from Lex, once the sexual energy between her and Owen had been worn out, distracted her from it anyway. Apparently, Owen wasn't the only Collins child who was choosing her over Tinashé. "What? I thought you never wanted to see Shay again." He tried to read Ariana's expression, expecting to see some hint at her true intentions underneath, but he found nothing. Maybe he was just really loving her at the moment, but she didn't seem to have any evil intentions up her sleeve. "I think we should go to Greystone. Alexandra wants us to come and I don't trust Colette with looking out for Christopher. I won't talk to Tinashé, and I won't be mad at you for talking to her either. I just think that going is the right thing for us to do." Now that she knew where Owen's loyalty was, she did think it was the right thing to do. Alexandra was obviously in distress and Ariana cared enough about her to not want her to drink herself to death. She already had Colette to worry about doing that, and she really didn't trust Christopher out at a club. It was only a matter of time before his risky behavior started catching up with him too. And maybe, even with these innocent intentions being at the top of her list, she did want to show Tinashé that she wasn't hiding from her. She had run away at first, but now she would reappear and remind her that she couldn't get rid of her that easily.

-------- 10:00 PM --------

To: Shay
Ari and I are on our way in. She promised not to talk to you. We're just coming to make sure you can chill without having to deal with Lex.

An explanation and warning seemed necessary, because if things came crashing down, which he prayed didn't happen, at least he could claim that he had tried to tell Shay in advance. He and Ariana had no trouble cutting the line and getting into Greystone, and with Ariana's had entwined in Owen's they sought out their friends. Neither of them frequented clubs very often, and while Ariana could appreciate the high energy atmosphere, Owen wasn't enjoying the vibes as much. It wasn't because he was a prude or didn't enjoy a night out, but he was already imagining how plastered both of his sisters were going to be, and he was second guessing bringing Ariana back around his sister so soon. He ordered her a Manhattan as they passed the bar and a Budweiser for himself, hoping the drinks would calm both of them down, and if worse came to worse, prevent Ariana from having a free hand to claw Shay with. Once they had reached the bar, it didn't take long for them to find the others, but Owen wished they had taken a minute longer so he didn't have to watch Shay down a shot like it was water.

"Hey guys, how was dinner?" Owen broke the silence that followed them appearing without any more notice than his text to Shay. Ariana pressed herself closer to Owen and smiled at the others, offering Carson and Christopher a small wave, before her eyes fell upon Alexandra. An empty shot glass sat in front of her and Ariana sent her a disproving look. She wasn't going to reprimand her in front of her own older siblings, but she wanted to talk to the girl alone anyway. "I'm going to run to the bathroom," she said to Owen more than anyone else. "Alexa, will you show me where it is?" She knew that the youngest of the group had frequented the club enough to know her way around, and Ariana honestly hadn't been there in at least a year. The need for guidance was necessary, even if she wanted Lex for more than just that reason.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage

To say that Carson was surprised to see Owen and Ariana at Greystone was an understatement, and to say that he was disappointed was even more of an understatement. Again the wave of guilt for putting Shay before his longtime best friend followed the second emotion, but not before annoyance overtook it. Tonight was going to be the night that he would work up the courage to tell her, or more accurately show her that he saw her as more than Owen's little sister. It was going to be difficult enough with Alexandra lurking around, but with Owen there, it seemed like it would be impossible. He knew that he couldn't doubt his ability to do things (or in Lex's case, people) he would later regret after too many drinks, and with that thought in mind, he swallowed the bitter shot Shay ordered him. He wasn't going to need a lot more of those to get to where he needed to be to make a move on Shay in the same building as Owen, but they just got there. He had time for the alcohol to hit, and until then, he would socialize with Owen to squash that annoying rush of guilt he felt every time he looked at Shay.

"Hey!" Carson was the first to respond to the surprise arrival of the couple, and after a silent response from the others, he felt inclined to make up for it with a friendly greeting. "Dinner was good. I mean, you can never go wrong with Providence, but Shay picked the right night to go. Everything tasted better than it normally does." That, or the vibes at the table were high without Ari and Owen, and everything just seemed better because of that. He was relieved when Ariana quickly excused herself, taking Alexandra with her. At least they could say they would get through five minutes without a girl fight breaking out. When Owen directed his attention away from them for a moment, Carson shot Shay a look that read why the hell are they here?!. He didn't know how Shay and Owen had left off, but he didn't want Shay's night to be ruined, even if the prospect of their night together had been. "I'm going to grab a beer." He was glad that the bartender had shifted to the opposite side of the bar, because it meant that he could lead Owen a few feet away from the group to talk to him in private. He didn't want him to be there tonight, but since he was, Carson was curious about what had went down with Ariana. The way that she clung to him when they walked in suggested that things had went well enough, and Carson was still Owen's best friend. Of course he wanted to hear what he was getting in return for making up with Ariana. "I didn't expect you two to show up. Are they cool or something now?" he questioned, making sure that his tone sounded more curious than it did assertive or angry. "I saw the way Ariana's face was glowing though," he continued, taking a slug of the ice cold beer that the bartender had just handed him. "And that type of glow only points to one thing: makeup sex." He couldn't resist smirking as he watched Owen's facial expression. Even if he wasn't a fan of Ariana today, he had to admit that Owen was a lucky man for being able to hit that whenever he wanted... or more appropriately, whenever she wanted.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Normally, Alexa would have been overjoyed at Shay bringing her out to a club. Her sister was cool (regardless of her refusal to admit it), and that was apparent by how easily they got into Greystone. Lex had been to Greystone many times before, the most notorious incident being with her mother. She never struggled to get in, but she was always with friends who had big names too, and that probably helped. Bouncers knew Chris at nearly every club, and despite being underage, she always got in when she was with him, but it was like everyone at Greystone knew Shay. She was greeted by nearly everyone they passed, in one way or another, and it made Lex's eyes roll. She was in the mood to be petty but she hated allowing herself to be so petty that she was even jealous of attention that strangers were giving Shay.

She needed a drink, and she needed one fast. Her patience was winding away, and alcohol would be the only fix for that, since it was apparent that Shay had no respect for her relationship with Carson. This "relationship" with Carson may have been non-existent or worse in his mind, but getting more and more annoyed with her sister as each minute passed, she wanted to blame that on her too. Alexandra's shot didn't sit on the bar top for more than a second before it was in her hand and being tossed down her throat. Even after the shots earlier in the evening, the sting of the vodka still clawed at her throat and she felt like spitting it back into the glass before eventually swallowing it. She felt pathetic for it, but she still could barely do straight alcohol shots. She needed to force herself to do them tonight, since she didn't have time to sip down a mixed drink and wait for those effects to take place, but it wasn't going to be enjoyable. "One more," she tapped her fingers on the bar as she smiled at the bartender to pour her another shot. It came quickly but Alexandra wasn't ready to take another one yet, and instead, swirled the liquid gently in the glass. "What does your sister drink?" she turned to Chris. Getting smashed seemed to be one of Colette's skills and Alexandra needed to learn how to do that quickly and painlessly tonight.

There was no time for Christopher to answer her, because suddenly everyone's attention shifted to the pair that had just approached them. Or interrupted them, as it more appropriately seemed. Alexandra had been the one to beg Ariana to show up, so maybe this was her fault, but she wasn't going to send out any more texts to her after that last one. Now that they were at the club, where alcohol was being served left and right, she was going to use that to help her have a good time and she didn't need Ari. She especially didn't need her if she was going to bring Owen along, which was obviously the case. Her second shot went down far too easily compared to the first, as she tossed it back intuitively at the sight of the couple. Owen and Carson had already started conversing about dinner when she caught the condemning look that Ariana was giving her. She didn't care though, honestly. If Ariana thought she was going to spend the rest of the night sober, she was dumber than she looked.

When Ariana asked her to come to the bathroom with her, Alexandra decided to oblige. Owen would have given her a hard time if she said no, and she didn't want to stand around with Chris and Shay either, just in case they remembered how much fun they had in Europe again. She didn't leave without giving Shay a sharp elbow to the side as she passed, knowing well that it was childish and mean. Holding hands and talking with Carson wasn't really enough to constitute her hating her like this. She was still unaware of her sister sleeping with him the night before, even if both bodies remained clothed, or their cozy night in the theater. If this was how she was acting now, with her mind not fully clouded with alcohol too, the rest of the summer probably wasn't going to go well.

She had linked arms with Ariana to navigate through the more crowded parts of the club. Lex wasn't sure if she really needed direction to the restroom, or if she was just trying to get her alone to lecture her about drinking, but she waited to see. They were in the VIP section and it was still early enough that the bathroom was scarcely populated. "Why are you here?" she questioned, leaning against the counters by the sink.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK




Tinashé had just ordered another two shots for herself when the air around them seemed to still and she turned around to see Owen and Ariana sliding through the throng of writhing bodies and excited party-goers. Unlike Carson, her surprise was not evident nor was her displeasure. In fact, if Owen were really trying to look into anything, all he would see is simple nonchalance. She couldn't even feel herself throwing a fit inside at her brother's audacity to actually bring the girl he said he would keep away form her. No...her eyebrows simply rose in interest as she stared at her brother, not even giving Ariana a glance. Shrugging to the look Carson gave, Shay turned back to the bar and downed her shots one after the other, one bite of alcohol less grating than the other. She was a bit disappointed than Carson ran away with Owen, but couldn't feel nothing but relief - which she immediately felt guilty over afterwards - when Alexandra left with Ariana. It made her feel some type of way, that her baby sister would go off with someone else just because she was pissed with Shay. At the same time, she wasn't going to react. Bitch can't kill my vibe, she promised herself before turning back to Chris, grinning lasciviously.

"You already know what time it is," she purred to her friend, pulling Chris with her through the people. On second thought, she grabbed a hold of Oliver too. The guy couldn't just be left alone with not even his friend, Jamie, by his side and Shay was interested in seeing how Oliver got down. Maybe they could find him someone to play with for the night? She led the boys into the crowd easily, with her diminutive yet petite body being able to fit through crevices and shove past anyone who acted like they were made of brick. Soon, they were dancing to some dub-step remix of a song she would have remembered if the lyrics could be heard. Overhead, the colorful lights danced across skin slick with sweat and Shay allowed herself to move freely, not all caring about Ariana being near or Owen really having had gone after Ariana. It didn't surprise her, especially after she had told him that he could go get his girl if that was what he wanted, and she refused to let the hurt wash over her. Instead, she lost herself into the music, laughing at Christopher who seemed to have already been pulled in by some blonde. She started dancing with Oliver too, just to get him to let loose, smiling all the while and laughing occasionally at his expressions.

In the midst of dancing and hanging out with her two guy friends, Shay didn't realize when a familiar face popped up behind her until hands fell on either side of her waist. Tensing and almost ready to turn around with a chop, a voice reached her ears, playful and excited, "Look who's back on the West Coast!" Relaxing, Tinashé turned around to see her fellow artist and friend, Jasmine Villegas. The pop singer, currently twenty years old, had begun their relationship by tweeting lyrics of Shay's and then it became their thing. Before either knew it, they were frequenting the same places and hanging with the same party crew. They weren't best friends, but Shay loved a good dance with Jasmine, especially once her and a few of Shay's backup dancers started posting choreography online just for the hell of it.

"Bitch!" She exclaimed and turned around to embrace the blonde. Despite being a natural brunette like Tinashé, Jasmine had dyed her hair blonde as well and only returned to her natural color for a music video back in January only for everyone to find out that she had simply had a sew-in weave because she couldn't part with the blonde any time soon. It was still a good look and Shay's smile was bright when seeing the singer. "Some people weren't even gonna tell anyone she was back though!" Jasmine yelled over the music, still pulling Shay close so that they could hear one another. Rolling her eyes, she responded, "Drama queen." Jasmine grinned. "Dance with us on stage." It wasn't far off for any performer in Greystone to actually sing or dance, or even rap and Shay had performed here plenty of times. Granted, she had told Ronnie that she wasn't dancing for the night, even when he had Nick text her to change her mind. However, that was also when she had not been in a good mood and damn it, Shay was ready to let loose, even on stage. "You gotta perform tonight," she told the blonde and Jasmine only smiled wickedly. "You too." Sharing her friend's grin, Shay turned back to the boys and yelled, "Be back." Chris looked...Chris looked like he was good and Shay had no doubt Oliver would have fun before the night was over.

They were backstage for only three minutes, only needing the first minute to convince the host for the night, Chad, to let them on. While someone else moved to let the DJ know what songs they needed to be playing and for someone else to start setting up mics for the girls to sing separately later on, Shay removed her jacket and necklace, giving them to a familiar face. She couldn't remember the person's name, but all she had to do was bat her lashes with a promise of a dance later to know that her things would be taken care of. While they were getting ready, she heard Chad go on stage and cut the music down, getting the crowd hyped up. [b]"Now, you know it's really rare to have more than one mainstream artist on the stage in here. So, ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for Jasmine V and your girl Tinashé."[/color] The loud cheer was defening and Shay couldn't help but feel exhilarated by it. She always had a rush when performing, especially when she knew she was about to dance. Singing and performing were things she enjoyed, but dancing...dancing was her first love.

The first dance by Jasmine and Shay was to a Beyoncé song, a choreography they had made up just for the hell of it. She almost didn't hear the audience under the heavy music and the sensual notes of the lyrics, but when someone shouted her name, she couldn't help but get lost in performing. She didn't care what Ariana had to say or if she judged her. She could care less about Owen's opinion on having people watch his little sister dance and how he really wished she would censor herself more often. She didn't even care about the mental daggers Alexandra was probably throwing her way. All she cared about was the way her body moved and the way each snap seemed to send a current through her veins...and maybe...just maybe...if Carson was watching her.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


It was impossible for Alexa to hide the disgust in her expression when Ariana raved about her "amazing" afternoon with Owen. Owen was a good enough guy that it wouldn't have been surprising if he showed up at Ariana's house with a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates and begged for her forgiveness, but the way her eyes lit up pointed towards a more... intimate reconciliation. And why in the world would Alexandra want to think about her older, annoying brother in that way, ever?! Luckily, Ariana didn't give her any details on the afternoon and that, she at least, had to appreciate enough to pass over the Owen-ness in Ariana's comment about not trusting Chris. Opposites were supposed to attract, but Owen and Ariana seemed way too alike for that to be true.

Alexandra propped herself up on the edge of the sink counter top as Ariana switched the topic of conversation from why she was here, to why Alexandra had texted her. "I don't know, I was bored I guess," she shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn't right of her to switch moods so suddenly, to go from begging Ariana to come and save her from this night to acting like she couldn't care less if she was here. Being selfishly bratty had become part of Alexandra's character, really. It didn't matter if it was Owen or Ariana, or Christopher or one of her girlfriends. If she wasn't in the mood to be nice, she wasn't going to be. "She was just being her normal bitchy, attention-whorish, boyfriend-stealing self." Where did that come from?! Maybe it was the fact that the bathrooms were close enough to the main dance floor that they could hear the music being cut down and the DJ speaking. And who did he announce to the stage?! That same sister she was just referring to. It shouldn't have caused Alexandra to react in any way. Tinashé was a performer. That was literally her job and what she was good at. Taking the stage at a club wasn't out of the ordinary, even if it wasn't a scheduled appearance, but Carson was there and Alexandra just knew that Shay was doing this more for his attention than for the fun of it. It made her boil inside so much that she couldn't stop herself from admitting to being involved with Carson, even if the whole "boyfriend" part was more of a dream than a reality. "And I didn't stay outside with you because she wouldn't have stopped herself from slapping me like she wanted to do to you," Alexandra eventually responded bitterly. She still wasn't angry at Ariana, but hearing the crowd outside the door roar and a Beyoncé song crank up made her grip tighten on the counter top.

If she's on stage, at least that means she's not with Carson. And once I go over there, he'll forget that she even came with us tonight. It was a confident thought, one that might be considered crazy to someone who saw her altercation with Carson earlier, but Alexandra was back in that mode. The one where she needed Carson not because he was Carson, but because he was something that was unattainable. She wasn't used to that and she wasn't going to accept that. So, with a swift flip of her hair over her shoulder, she hopped down from the sink and gave Ariana a glance only as she passed her. "I'm going to get a drink." The fact that Alexa did know this club better than Ariana worked to her advantage now, because she quickly weaved her way in and out of the club patrons and found the bar in only a minute's time. Carson and Owen had only moved a few feet from where she last saw them, and after ordering a shot at the other end of the bar and a followup Long Island iced tea, she had enough courage to approach him and her brother without thinking twice. "I didn't know Shay was preforming tonight," she said, a smile sweet enough to hopefully bypass her sipping the alcoholic beverage in front of her brother. "Hey, Carson," she switched the subject before Owen could respond, reaching out and touching Carson's rock hard chest as if she needed to catch his attention. "I don't think I ever thanked you for picking me up on my birthday night, but I really appreciated it." Her eyes twinkled with innocence but her words with laced with darkness. Her original plan hadn't been to torment Carson into giving her the attention she wanted, because she really didn't want Owen finding out as much as Carson didn't. However, nothing else was working and she needed to keep his eyes away from the action on the stage.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image ImageImage

It didn't take very long at all for Chris to spot a potential girl for the night... and another one... and another one. He didn't feel bad separating from the group because as soon as his sister showed up, everyone else dispersed as well. Alexandra ran off with her to find the bathrooms, Carson and Owen stepped away to the other side of the bar, and Shay had a similar destination as he in mind because before he could hit the dance floor, she was pulling him there herself. Just when he thought the girls he found at the bar were the hottest ones in the club, his eyes met those of a blonde that he knew all too well. Hailey Baldwin. She was the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and in the process of making a name for herself through modelling. Christopher had met her a year or so ago through Alexandra, and had his eyes on her ever since. She was smoking and feisty personality-wise, which made her even more attractive. The fact that she was now eighteen was only icing on the cake, and he knew he was getting laid as soon as her eyes lit up upon spotting him.

They didn't have to say a word for the energy between them to be obvious. She pressed herself close to him and allowed his hands mapped out every curve of her body as they danced. He didn't even notice that Tinashé had left the dance floor until the music quieted and the DJ announced that his friend and Jasmine Villegas were performing. It took his attention away from Hailey for a second as he turned towards the stage and considered yelling something obnoxious out to Shay. The roaring crowd and Beyoncé song would have just drowned it out, though, and he knew only a few seconds into their dance, that if he kept watching, he was going to have second thoughts about the girl he chose to sleep with tonight. "Let's go get drinks," he whispered to the blonde once he managed to pull his eyes off of Shay. She tucked her hand into his and since many of the club patrons had flocked to the dancefloor to watch the unexpected performance, it didn't take long for them to reach the bar. "I'll have a Sex on the Beach," Hailey ordered, though her eyes remained on Chris even as she spoke to the bartender. "Just a Bud Light for me," he followed up, reciprocating Hailey's flirty grin for a moment before he became distracted. On the other side of the bar now not only stood Carson and Owen, but Alexandra too. And was her hand riding up and down Carson's chest like Hailey was doing right now to him? What the fuck?!

Unfortunately Owen was far too trusting of his best friend and sister to think that there was anything more to Alexandra's uncalled for flirting than the drink in her hand. He knew that he shouldn't have let her come here underage. It was one thing when she snuck off to drink underage herself, but if he was here condoning it, he was going to have to take the blame for the things she did. Owen was sure that if she was getting touchy feely with Carson, someone who he thought was like a brother to her, than she was already five or six drinks in. He couldn't even blame Shay for still being a bad influence on Lex because she was eighteen now and they both knew that even if Shay told her to stop, she wasn't going to do it. She was an unruly brat and even as Owen tried to keep his mouth closed as she wrapped her lips around the straw and nearly inhaled the mixed drink, he couldn't. He shot Carson an apologetic glance, hoping he would realize that she was just being drunk and stupid like always. He did want to thank him for taking care of Alexandra that night too, since Pierce had informed him of how gracious Carson was with letting her spend the night and driving her home the next morning, but they didn't even have a chance to catch up themselves yet.

After he and Carson had distanced themselves from the rest of the group earlier, Owen had only confirmed that yes, his afternoon was enough to fulfill the fantasies of every guy they grew up with. He had explained how Ariana felt like she was putting in effort and Shay wasn't trying, and that as a compromise, he had agreed to spend the summer with her in Huntington Beach. In the confidentiality of his best friend, Owen had confirmed that no, he didn't really plan on that happening and hoped he could convince Ariana to move back in, but for tonight, it was best to keep the girls as far apart as possible. Then, Shay had gotten on stage and their attention drifted to that, and now Alexandra was going to cause a commotion.

His first response to her was the pull the glass out of her hand and calmly set it beside him on the bar top. He was doing his best to keep his patience in check. His night had went well so far and he really didn't want Alexandra and her selfish, "the world revolves around me" attitude, to bring that down. Next, he latched onto her wrist, pulling her hand off of Carson and dragging her a few feet away. "Give me a minute to deal with... this?" he said, looking back at Carson before they were too far away. When they were alone, or as alone as they could be in a popular night club, he gave her a pointed look. He could smell the alcohol on her, but that didn't mean much since they were at a club. Her eyes looked glassy, but he had seen them far worse. He didn't even think to consider that she was acting that way out of anything other than the alcohol's influence, though. "Are you out of your mind, Alexa? It's like we give you an inch and you take a mile! I wouldn't have said anything to you if you knew how to drink in moderation and act like a normal person. But, you know, I try to be the good cop for once and you're an hour into the night and already at a point where you're feeling Carson up?! Carson, of all people! A guy who's like a brother to all of us! Can you just stop being a brat for one second and think about how crazy you're acting?" Overprotective older brother mode had been activated by this point, but it wasn't even just overprotective. It was him being tired of the same shit with her, sick of her being so reckless, and embarrassed for their family that she had the nerve to act like this with him around. He could only imagine what she was like without him standing right there!

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage

As Owen filled Carson in on his eventful evening, a smirk appeared on his face. Owen deserved a night like that every night if he was going to deal with the crazy that Ariana apparently had in her. "If I were you, I'd call up that kid Phillps, who you beat you to asking her to prom and tell him. You remember how much we had to hear about his 'wild' night, and I'm pretty sure he was bullshitting about half of it anyway," he laughed. Their conversation was interrupted as the DJ announced that Shay and Jasmine V were taking the stage. Carson knew that she had wandered away from the bar, as his eyes had been stuck on her until she was swallowed by the crowd on the dance floor, but he didn't know she had plans to preform. It was a pleasant surprise, nonetheless. Luckily, Owen's attention was deterred by his approaching sister to notice how Carson was far too enthralled in the performance than he should have been. "Should have been", referring to what would have been acceptable in Owen's world, at least.

If it hadn't been for Alexandra, he definitely would have left Owen in that minute and found Shay backstage, so he could do what he had been waiting to do all night. She was like a mosquito that wouldn't go away, no matter how many times you swatted at it. At first, Carson had felt bad. He still kind of did. She was young and understandably thought that he wanted more than just a one night stand (which he didn't even want, but that wasn't the point). But after he had told her not once, not twice, but multiple times that it was a complete mistake and she continued to act like there was something between them... well, by that point, he was just getting annoyed. He had tried saying it nicely. He had tried shouting it at her. Nothing worked and here she was, holding their secret right in front of Owen's nose as if to blackmail him into doing what she wanted. She ran his hand up and down his chest and even when he stepped back, trying to avoid the touch, she refused to stop. "Yeah, no problem. Don't mention it." Literally, don't mention it. He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, as he glanced towards the stage that was now only occupied by Jasmine. Thankfully for him, Owen cut the interaction short and the apologetic look he gave Carson suggested that he still had no idea what went on between the two. He needed to find Shay, but when Owen yanked Alexandra off of him and he turned to go, he found that Colette was standing only a few feet away. Since when did she get here? He had avoided her demand that they talk earlier that day, but there was no running away now. "I do. I know that we need to talk about your drinking problem," he smiled. Maybe there was no running away, but could he joke his way out of it?

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Oliver McKagan Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image ImageImage

Alexandra's first response about how she had only texted Ariana because she was bored had her rolling her eyes. She came all the way here to save the brat from boredom? Before she could inquire further, Alexandra answered her second question and, well, that was more along the lines of what Ariana wanted to hear. Wait... what? Boyfriend-stealing self? She didn't know what that was supposed to mean but it made her eyes light up. A smirk found its way to her face as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Her initial thought was that Christopher was this boyfriend that was being referred to. Ariana had planted the thought of he and Shay sleeping together in Alexandra's head months ago, and maybe she was still caught up on that. It had been a lie, but she wouldn't put it past Shay to sleep with any and every guy out there, and she most definitely would not put it past her brother either.

Caught up in her own joy at the thought of one more reason for Lex to turn against Tinashé, she missed her chance to get more out of the teen before she made her exit. Ariana was close behind her... for a few seconds, at least. Then a group of young males cut her off and by the time they passed by, she had lost sight of Alexandra. The bar was easy enough to find and luckily, Alexa hadn't been lying when she said she was headed there to get a drink. When Ariana arrived, she made out the brunette on the other side of the bar with a drink in one hand, and the other seductively placed on Carson's chest. And then it clicked. It was Carson who she was talking about. It had to be. She thought she had caught Alexandra skimming his Facebook page earlier while they were shopping, and though she thought nothing of it at the time, it made sense now. Matched with the intimate movie night she caught Carson and Shay on earlier, and the fact that Oliver had informed her that Carson's bedroom was empty last night, she had an idea of what was going on. Even though she never would have guessed that Carson and the youngest Collins' slept together, she suspected that there was something there besides a childish crush on Lex's part.

She didn't even notice Colette standing a few feet away when she did an about face. She needed to talk to Alexandra, she needed to talk to Carson, she needed to talk to Owen, but most importantly, she needed to talk to Oliver. It took a few minutes, but she eventually found the bushy-haired kid in one of the private booth areas. What he was doing was even more surprising than what she had just heard. He was seated on one of the couches with a blonde in a tight red dress sitting on his lap, making out with him. Ariana knew right away that the girl had to be piss drunk. She approached them without hesitation and gave a sharp kick to Oliver's shin to catch his attention. There were very few things that could distract Oliver from a hot girl making out with him, but that kick did it and he gently pushed her off of him to clutch his hurt leg.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed, watching as the blonde beside him got up and stumbled out of the VIP section without even giving him a backwards glance. Ariana would give it an hour before the girl was escorted out of the club for getting sick on the dance floor or passing out.

"Post the picture."

"What? Ariana, I really don't think-"

"Post the picture, Oliver. You have five minutes." She didn't allow her gaze to break until he sunk back into the couch and nodded hesitantly. Her smile turned sweet, then, and on her way back out, she only looked back at him to say, "And I know you're desperate, Ollie, but try to go for the ones who have at least a little bit of class."

It took a few minutes, but when she refreshed his website for the tenth time, the post was up, and boy, did it make her smile. The photo of the two of them was accompanied by a small excerpt reading, "Undercover 323 is happy to announce that Tinashé and Carson Koch, son of billionaire David Koch, are officially an item. That's right! A source close to Tinashé sent us this photo of the two cozying up to a movie at the Kachingwe-Collins estate late last night and we received a ton of photos of the pair dining together earlier tonight. Let us know what you think of Hollywood's new power couple below!" It was a little weak, and Ariana would grill Oliver on that later, but for a mobile post, she would deal with it. Besides, it got the point across enough that she knew Tinashé and Carson would have some explaining to do.

To: Oliver
:*

Pleased with her dirty work, she smiled with confidence as she returned to the bar. Alexandra and Owen seemed to be in a heated conversation, Christopher had his hands full (literally) with some blonde, and that left her with Carson and her sister, who she was only noticing now. "Collie, I didn't know you were here!" she exclaimed cheerfully, though the cheer was only authentic due to the lingering thoughts of the recent post. "Where were you all day?" She knew that she was interrupting something but didn't care. Carson would soon have bigger things to worry about than whatever trivial thing her sister was catching his attention with.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage

No, he couldn't joke his way out of this. Colette's superficial laugh and response proved just that. He appreciated that she at least didn't want an explanation from him about the night with Alexandra, because he couldn't explain that again. There was no explanation for that! His eyes inadvertently glanced back over at the girl who was still speaking with Owen, and he couldn't even imagine how drunk him thought it was okay to sleep with her. It would take him ten more beers to get to that place, but still, he was sure he would still feel like something like that was unthinkable. He considered that maybe he was drugged. It was completely unlikely and didn't happen, but how else could he explain what he did to anyone, and more importantly, himself? She was his best friend's kid sister!

It was almost a relief when she brought up Shay and how he needed to man up. The ultimatum of him either fulfilling his own wants by going backstage and finally making a move on Shay, or waiting for Alexandra to do that to him didn't make him feel any better, though. Of course he wanted to go back there, but she was right, Owen was going to kill him. Then again, Alexandra was being so brazen about their night together that he knew Colette was right yet again - he was going to kill him regardless. It made sense to at least get a night of happiness in before losing his best friend. "Another beer, please," he said as the bartender sat Shay's drink in front of Colette. He got his drink before Colette got hers, and he sipped it instantly to give himself an extra few seconds to think. She was right. He needed to do this.

"You know, Bitchlette, people don't give you enough credit. You do give good advice sometimes," he flashed her a smirk as he turned to pick up Shay's cocktail. In those few seconds, their duo turned into a trio as Ariana joined. Aside from Owen, she was someone who would have the power to eliminate the confidence he had just found to go find Shay, so he didn't stick around long enough to even give her a wave. Both of his hands were full with the two drinks anyway, so he raised his eyebrows discreetly to Colette, giving her a "good luck" look, as he quickly disappeared in the crowd.

Shay was backstage like Colette said she would be and as soon as his eyes locked on her, the flood of emotions that he had felt while watching her dancing returned. She was sexy, talented, beautiful, smart and the coolest girl he knew. If gaining her meant losing Owen, so be it. He couldn't keep these feelings to himself any longer and if Owen didn't kill him, he was sure that Colette's nagging comments about missing his opportunity would. So, he took one more swig of his beer and placed her drink on a table before she noticed he was there. And when she did, he didn't let her say anything. His hands fell to her waist and he pushed her against the wall, pressing his lips to hers. Was he going to be dead if Owen saw, or if anyone who knew Owen saw? Yes, definitely. Was it a bad time to do something like that since the gossip post had just come out? Even more so, yes, but Carson didn't know about that and for this moment, he didn't care.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image



Colette indulged in a long draw from the blue substance in her glass, enjoying the way the little ice crystals were infused with the sweet fruity flavor and obvious alcohol. She had to clear her throat a bit and stir the drink in a bit more. No matter how much she loved New York and the ability to wear fall apparel, California won when it came to her favorite cocktails! Moaning in satisfaction, she did not comment or care about Carson ordering a beer. She did, however, reward him a half-hearted glare at him using Shay's nickname for her. "Don't get all sentimental on me, Koch. I'm just doing my girl a favor." She griped before taking another drink. The playful air around them seemed to be killed the second Ariana came into the vicinity and already, Colette could feel the evil aura seeping from her twin's pores.

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Colette just drank a bit more of her alcohol, knowing very well that she was trying Ariana's patience. Her sister was in too good of a mood at the moment, which only spelled trouble for Colette or anyone else who incurred Ariana's wrath, and honestly, Ariana knew how Colette felt about her. Especially at the moment given her earlier altercation with Shay and the Owen-situation that was not a situation. When she felt sated enough, Colette released the pink straw from her pink lips and turned to Ariana a rather bored expression. "When are we going to skip to the part where you really don't care that I'm here and we can stop pretending like you do?" She inquired dryly and plucked the cherry out of her beverage. Shaking the little piece of fruit on the stem idly, she added in the same tone. "Besides, false concern is definitely not becoming of you and I would think you would be all over your soul mate by now." Colette couldn't help that the word she used to refer to Owen came out with a bitter edge and turned her attention to the cherry, taking it between her teeth and snatching it off the stem.

In the midst of coming to the bar, she had not noticed Owen and Alexandra nearby. Or, if she had noticed, she had not found it in her to care enough. Whatever it was that set Owen on edge with his little sister depended on a plethora of things. Lex being too provocative? Alexa drinking? Honestly, it could have been anything really and she didn't want to care, opting to ignore the buzzing sensation of her phone. She didn't know that it was one of her old classmates inquiring about the two people she was trying to hook up. She just thought it was another annoying model trying to convince her that 0 was a size and that she should not have fired that last model. And she was also trying not to let Ariana get to her.


Image
Image



Tinashé let out a large breath once Colette had disappeared into the crowd and leaned against the back wall. As always when it came to her life, Colette was right. She was just always fucking right. No matter how much she wanted to ignore the facts, the truth of the matter was that she had to decide what she was going to do. She could either acknowledge that there was something going on between herself and Carson, or actually tell Alexandra that she was going to back off. Neither of those choices seemed easy in any way. It was terrifying to just walk up to Carson and just kiss him, especially now that Owen was there and could very well kill them both long before she could actually get her feelings or words across. At the same time, simply giving him up to Alexandra was too hard a task to swallow. So, her dilemma was set and she didn't even know what Oliver and Ariana had done yet.

The crowd obviously seemed like they were loving Jasmine, which was something Tinashé had been wanting for a long time. Jasmine Villegas had spent her entire life trying to appeal to a younger audience and she had grown up with the majority of her fans. While she tried to keep her lyrics and music relatable, she had failed to officially leave the kid scene and whenever she tried, it seemed like she was taking three steps back for every two steps forward she took. So, it was pride that filled Tinashé now as she listened to the R&B tracks she could hear her friend belting out to and dancing with. A few of Shay's dancers came backstage, and immediately she hugged her girls. Other than Rose, these had been the main females of her tour and she loved them.

They only talked for a few minutes with Shay deciding at the last minute that they weren't going to perform. She did an entire world tour and the girls had come along for the ride. She enjoyed the idea of dancing; it was her first love, after all. However, she thought she performed enough and damn it, she was on vacation! She was going to enjoy it! The girls had just left when Carson arrived, but Shay had her back turned, messing with the tablet Jasmine had left back there. Instead of messing with the blonde singer's social media sites, Shay entertained herself with a game of Temple Run, completely oblivious to Carson's presence. That was until she heard something hard landing on the hardwood table and whirled around to see her friend. Immediately, despite her earlier troubling thoughts, a small smile flitted across her face and she was about to greet him when suddenly he was there and there were large, warm hands on her waist, and then lips pressed against her own.

Warning! Warning! Pull back now! It was like an alarm going off in her head and she knew she should pull away because Owen was somewhere in the club and could pop up at any time, and Alexa was already probably plotting her murder, and...yet, Carson's lips moved against hers and suddenly her left hand was threading through the short strands of hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer. She shouldn't be pulling him closer. She should be pushing him away. Very far away. Very very far away, but she wasn't and damn it all, she didn't want to.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Owen had officially won the most annoying person in the world award. First, he snatched her drink right from her hand, and then yanked her away from Carson like she was a rag doll. Alexandra was being inappropriate and she knew that. It was wrong to hold the night with Carson over his head and threaten to spill it if he didn't react the way she wanted. It was wrong for her to do that with Owen's best friend because even if he would also be appalled at Shay doing something like that, the age difference between her and Carson was steeper. She was more than five years younger than him and was at such a different point in life than he. While Carson and Shay had been friends before this week, Alexandra and Carson's relationship had never been anything real before her birthday night. He was just her brother's hot friend and she was Owen's annoying little sister. She couldn't accept that she was going to lose, though. Not when she was losing to Shay and not when she felt like she had invested too much of herself in Carson.

As Owen berated her, she began to realize that no, she wasn't really in love with Carson. Her eyes were focused on his figure rather than the raging brother in front of her, as she confirmed to herself that he was gorgeous, but she didn't love him. Not in a way that would constitute her chasing him for the rest of her life. They slept together and that was an accomplishment, but she didn't know him, and he had made it clear that he never wanted her to know him on that level. If she didn't already feel like Shay was trying to make a move on him, Alexandra honestly probably would have let the whole thing go. She would have told Owen to fuck off, spent the night drinking with Chris, and would never give Carson a second look again. There were plenty of other good looking guys who actually wanted her. Hell, two of them were living in her house this summer too! But the sheer fact that she felt like her sister was overstepping boundaries eliminated any sense of logic from her mind. Tinashé wasn't stupid. She knew that Alexa had slept with Carson, even if she had tried to backtrack yesterday after admitting to it. But that obviously didn't even slow the chemistry brewing between her sister and Carson, and the way she had caught Carson gazing at her on the stage in a trance only proved that further. If she couldn't have Carson, Shay couldn't have him either.

She let Owen continue his tirade and continued to allow her attention to drift. Now, it was to her phone, which had lit up with a text from one of her girlfriends.

From: Bri
OMG tell your sister I'm jealous!!

Attached to the text was a link to the gossip article, and Alexandra's mouth fell agape as her eyes locked in on the photo. It was dark and grainy, but her house's theater was impossible to be mistaken for any other place. And the two people snuggled up on the couch... oh, she knew who they were. This just got a lot more interesting, and Alexandra was seething. "Oh yeah? He's 'like a brother' to all of us, Owen? Well, I slept with him when I stayed the night at his place, so he's a pretty fucked up brother, if you ask me," she shot back, her voice just as outraged as his. Luckily, the club music was loud enough to draw little attention to them, but the way she yanked her arm from him was less subtle. She wasn't going to bring up the post about Shay yet because she didn't think she needed to. Owen would find out soon enough on his own, and even if she was taking a fall for admitting to the night herself, she was sure Shay would be in just as much of a predicament when he did see the post.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image

Owen was too caught up in his rant to notice Alexandra's blatant distraction in her phone but when he stopped talking and she looked up and opened her mouth... for once, he was speechless. Even Owen wasn't blissfully ignorant enough to brush what she had just said off as a lie. "I slept with him when I stayed the night at his place." The words played on a loop in his head for a good ten seconds and he had to clench his fists just to resist knocking out a club patron who drunkenly pushed past him. The testosterone and adrenaline in his body were at a point of an overload and if this were a cartoon, by now there would be smoke coming out of his ears. "He's fucking dead," Owen said at a tone that was barely audible, especially with the upbeat song that had just begun.

He was in autopilot mode as he regained his grip on Alexandra's arm and sharply pulled her towards Ariana and Colette who were standing a few feet away. "Put her in Shay's car, okay? She's leaving and I'll be out in a minute." There was no time for explanations or even a smile or gentler tone as his eyes passed by Ariana. Owen was seeing red and if he didn't get to Carson soon, he was going to snap on someone else.

The next few minutes were a blur to Owen. There were blinking strobe lights, laughing girls, bumping against bare arms sticky with sweat from dancing, and half of a red alcoholic drink that managed to spill on him in the midst of shoving through the crowd, and a bouncer that informed him that his sister was still backstage. In his head, all he could think was that he was going to kill Carson. He wanted to kill him once for even thinking of his baby sister in such a way, and then ten times more for actually sleeping with her. He had went from being Owen's best friend and right hand man to the enemy that he needed to destroy. After growing up with his crazy mother, Owen had learned that it was only he and Pierce who were ever going to have Lex's best interests at heart. With Pierce being busy with work and his new wife, Owen had taken it upon himself to be the mother, older brother and father that their dad couldn't always be. He had scared off tens of immature, bad-willed boys who tried to get with Alexandra but he never would have thought that it was his own best friend who was going to corrupt her like that.

It was like Carson was asking for a death wish, because when Owen found him back stage, it was perfectly clear that Alexandra wasn't the only sister he had eyes for. His lips were locked on Tinashé's and Owen couldn't control himself anymore. He shoved Carson off of Shay and without giving him a moment to react, his fist rattled against the left side of Carson's face.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage

Carson was half expecting that his sudden show of courage wouldn't be returned by Shay. Maybe, she would have more sense than he and push him away in fear of someone seeing them, or even because she just didn't feel that way about him. But no, she returned it! Her lips moved against his almost as forcefully as his against hers and as her hands moved through his hair, he wanted to pull her closer than their bodies would allow. It was like time had frozen and it didn't matter if there were other dancers or performers getting ready to go on stage. He was kissing the girl who he had waited far too long to kiss and there was nothing that could ruin that moment.

Or not...

Carson was positive that he could beat Owen in a fight any day. Both men were muscular and well built, but Owen had the body of a model and Carson of an athlete. If they were to square off against each other in a ring, Carson was convinced that he would come out as the champion every time. Both of them were strong enough to crush Christopher, and Oliver wasn't even a question, but he didn't think that Owen's muscular strength was comparable to his. Maybe that was why he didn't swing back when his best friend sucker punched him between his jaw and temple. Even if he could return Owen's punch twice as hard, he didn't want to fight his best friend. Plus, as Carson stumbled backwards and realized what had just happened, he knew that Owen was justified in doing what he did. He didn't know that Alexandra had just spilled what he did with her, but Owen catching him with his lips pressed to Shay's and by that point, his hands toying with the clasp on her bra, was bad enough. In the grand scheme of things, Owen was in the wrong for thinking that he could control Shay and who she dated, but in terms of their friendship, Carson fucked up. He didn't regret it, though. Not even the sudden pounding headache or the blood leaking from the lip he had bit mid-punch would make him regret it.

"What the fuck, man..." He now took a turn leaning against the wall as he tried to regain his senses. His head was spinning, lip bleeding, and his hand clutching the side of his face that had met Owen's fist. His injuries weren't horrible. His head would probably be ringing for the next couple of days and some swelling and bruising would be inevitable, but he could tell that nothing was broken. He was physically fine, but he doubted that he was going to be fine any other way. He looked at Shay and then at Owen, and realized that it was bad that he didn't know who to apologize to first.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image



She didn't feel fireworks or explosions. Tinashé hated the idea of most love stories or romances, how everyone took the first kiss as something filled with cliché terminologies and such. And so she wasn't looking for any of the traditional idealizations. However, she was surprised by the reoccurring sensation she seemed to encounter whenever it came to Carson. Heat. It wasn't some blazing fire, not at first anyway. No, it was a subtle warmth that started from where their lips were connected and as they moved against one another, it slowly burned brighter, reaching past her nerve endings to the pit of her stomach. It warmed her from the inside out and she was filled with such warmth that it seemed like her heart would have burst. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that they probably needed to break away for oxygen pretty soon because she could feel the tingling sensation in her head, which alerted to a dizziness that only came with a lack of oxygen. Either way, the heat had made its home inside of her and she gladly basked in it, practically melting in Carson's embrace and gladly giving her all in the moment of -

Suddenly, Carson's body - which, only a second ago, had her pressed against the cool wall at her back - was ripped away and Shay had gasped sharply, air forcing its way into her lungs out of shock and need. It took only a minute for her to regain focus and when she did, Shay's mouth fell open as Carson was against the wall and Owen stood only a few steps away from him, anger seeping from his aura and his eyes screaming bloody murder. Her own rage suddenly hit her and in retaliation, Shay shoved at her brother hard, glaring at him. "What the ABSOLUTE fuck, Owen!?" She hissed at him before reaching out to Carson, careful not to touch where Owen had struck him or even the blood. She didn't care how protective Owen felt about her and Alexandra, not even knowing that the latter had snitched about sleeping with Carson. All she knew was that Owen was not going to ruin something she herself had not fully allowed herself to comprehend until now. She would be damned.

"Whoa, what the hell is going on back here?" Jasmine exclaimed, emerging from the stage with her dancers. All the girls froze on those back stairs and Shay didn't even have to look at them to know that they were about to go get one of the managers and security. "It's fine, Jas," Shay spat out, still not looking at her friend. Jasmine obviously did not believe her. "What - no!" Shay cut her off. "Leave!" She yelled and the girls all let out a short gasp before filing out one-by-one. Shay knew that Jasmine was already on her way to find either Chris or Colette to help. Just great.

Turning back to her brother, Shay still glared. "Have you lost your damn mind? In a club, Owen? Really? And for what?" She growled, not willing to allow him any closer to Carson in case Owen decided his fists needed to leave any more decorations.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image

Even after a bit of his agression was released through the punch, Owen was still fuming and had Shay not shoved him away, he would have lunged again. It was Alexandra's voice playing over and over again in his head, combined with the sight of Carson's hands wrapped around Shay that had him shaking. He was planning on being violent after Alexandra's confession, but to walk in on this only pushed him over the edge. His fists were still clenched and if Carson said one wrong thing, there would be no hesitation in that second punch. For now, Carson was not the kid that Owen grew up with and genuinely saw as a brother. He was a predator, someone who was out to ruin his family and mess with his sisters, and Owen would be damned if he let that happen... again.

He turned his attention away from Carson, who had intelligently backed off to the wall to take in what had happened, when Jasmine and her dancers emerged. Shay shooed her off quickly, which was good because Owen was still angry enough to have done so himself. He never got like this. Sure, he frequently snapped at Alexandra and sometimes even Shay, but violence was not his thing. He was never the guy getting into brawls at a bar over a girl or beating some kid up for looking at him the wrong way in high school. He could get angry, but Owen prided himself in being control of his emotions in regards to most situations outside of Alexandra. While he knew that getting physical with Carson was a must, there was a tiny part of him that was beginning to remind him that this wasn't him. He was the crazy, overprotective brother, but he wasn't violent. Then again, the out of character behavior seemed justified on his part since Carson clearly wasn't the guy he thought he was either.

"Lost my mind, Shay? No, I haven't lost my fucking mind! He slept with Alexandra! He slept with our fucking eighteen year old sister, what, when she had only just become legal two hours prior?" he looked back over at Carson at the last part. He wasn't expecting an answer but the adrenaline side of him hoped he would get one just so he could push past Shay and punch Carson again. "Was this the plan all along? You got a two-for-one by being friends with me, right? First Lex and now Shay. You're fucking sick!" He looked down at Shay and then back at Carson, knowing that he could only say one more thing to his former best friend. "If you come near either of my sisters again, man, I swear you won't live to see daylight again." He could feel his hands losing circulating just from being balled up so tightly and if he even waited to hear Carson's response, he knew he was going to snap again. He released the tension in his fists as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'm driving home," he muttered to Shay, fully expecting her to follow as he let himself out of the backstage area.

To: Ariana
U were right about Carson. He fucked Lex and was 30 seconds away from doing the same to Shay.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image



Shay could only figure that Alexandra had told Owen herself. There was no other way he would have found out. She trusted Colette too much for her best friend to be a factor, she didn't know if Alexa had told Ariana, and no one in the house knew, if she remembered correctly. So, obviously, Lex had to have told him. There was no other way around it. However, it didn't stop even Shay from tensing a bit at the violent rage brewing in her brother's face and she tightened her grip on Carson in case Owen made any sudden movements. Tinashé had seen Owen angry before. He had yelled, snapped, and there were times when he would grab either Shay or Alexa too hard. She would never tell him about the bruise that would form on her arm later from the rough treatment and would never think too hard on it. He just was not prone to violent fits and after giving him a few minutes, or at least an hour, he was relatively good. But this...this was different. This was actually intimidating.

However, Shay was never one to back down and she would be damned if Owen thought the conversation was over. Even if she had flinched when he threatened Carson. Swallowing down what little bit of fear that clouded her own irritation with him, Shay rose back to her feet, eyes still defiant. "And then what? You guys not be friends anymore!? Owen, this is ridiculous and Lex said that that night didn't mean anything." It probably was not helping her case, admitting that she had known about Alexandra and Carson, but still. If he was this mad at Carson, she could only imagine what he would have to say to Alexandra when his rage turned on her. And damn it all, Shay would have never believed Owen to be the type to hit a girl, but his patience with their younger sister was probably thinner than normal. "Look, I talked to both of them, and I'm sorry for not telling you, but it really wasn't any of your business. Our sister came to me and told me it didn't mean anything...neither of them even remember how Lex winded up in his room in the first place." She knew it wasn't helping and knew that at any second, Owen could turn his anger on her. But she was going to stand her ground on this.

"I-I-I just think we all need to talk this through because you're taking this way too hard and come on, this is your best friend," she pleaded, gesturing to the man behind her. "You can't be ready to just end this. Not over a mistake."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image

Owen clearly hadn't had enough of the fighting yet, because as soon as Shay responded, he turned on his heels and was back for more. "A mistake?! Fucking the freshly eighteen-year-old sister of your best friend is what you call a mistake?! Me keeping that New Years Eve party you threw back when we were in high school a secret from our parents was a mistake. Letting Lex go to that Kanye concert in Manhattan with her friends was a mistake. But this? This isn't a fucking mistake! Even if I did want to believe that what happened with Lex was a mistake, which it definitely was not, what the fuck was just going on here? He was about to do it again, round two, and he thought he could fucking get away with it too, Shay." When his rant was over and enough of his anger was expelled at Carson, he realized what she had admitted a moment earlier. She knew about this all along! Even worse, she was still willing to make out with Carson after knowing it! At that point, Owen didn't know who to channel his anger at and again, he could feel his blood boiling. "You knew about this?! You knew that this creep was staying in our house all along and you didn't even tell me? I don't give a fuck who she came to first! We both know that I raised our sister and yeah, it is my fucking business when it's my best friend who's in her pants." His anger with Shay was different than that of with Carson, but either way, he felt betrayed. Not only was she just as bad as Lex for clearly having a thing for Carson (which he was aware was unfair of him to have a problem with), but she knew about what he did to Alexandra and didn't think it was "his business".

He shook his head, allowing his hands to fall to his side as he let out a sardonic chuckle. "I can't fucking believe this. The two people who I thought I could trust... and then this..." He continued a few steps down the path he had started on before Shay's response. "You know what, you two have fun together. Go run off to Vegas and get knocked up. We can throw you and Lex a joint baby shower and it'll be a great fucking time, right, Shay?" This time, he really was leaving. His head was clouded with rage just as much as it had been when he first walked back there, but he exited with a joker-like smile on his face. Unless he was going to release his aggression on Carson, or God forbid Shay, he needed to tell himself that this was a joke. His friendship with Carson had been a joke. His sibling bond with Shay had been a joke. All of it.

His pace was much slower now than it had been when he was looking for Shay. He tried to calm himself down, knowing that having this much rage inside him was not going to mix well with seeing Lex after all of this. When he spotted the trio of girls by the front door, he tried to take a few deep breaths before approaching them. Even if he couldn't shake what had just happened from his thoughts, he didn't want to snap on Ariana. That was the only relationship that he had left standing at this point and he would be damned if he let that go. "I'm taking Lex home. Do you two want to come, or are you staying here?" The tension in Owen's voice was apparent even as he tried to suppress it. He refused to look at Alexandra and surprisingly to himself, he refused to meet Colette's gaze either. It was one of the first times that he was actually seeing her all summer and he felt... guilty that it was in this setting, at this time.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Ariana had to roll her eyes at Colette's response. Feigned concern might not have suited Ari, but the bitter energy that her twin constantly exerted wasn't very becoming of her either. She gave her Manhattan a slight stir before sipping it. "You might be right, Coll. Maybe it's time for you to try to act concerned about something other than a pretty dress now and again. You're lucky Mom and Dad didn't see you last night in the state you were in." Her tone was less cheerful than before, but not chastising. Colette would know merely by the words spoken then and many times before that Ariana found her to be irresponsible and careless. The drinking was a main part of it. Colette definitely went overboard with the drinks far more frequently than anyone else that Ariana knew, but it went beyond that. In a similar situation to Owen's, Ariana felt like the pressure of her family's reputation had been placed onto her shoulders. Maybe in her case, she had taken it on more than he, since she was the one actively trying to make herself look better than her siblings, but still. It was tiring to be the one who always had to make good impressions on important friends of her parents while Miss Alcoholic and Mr. Raging Hormones had fun elsewhere.

When her sister brought up Owen, a smile pulled at her lips. She really didn't mean for it to look as menacing as it did, but Colette's unfiltered expressiveness just egged Ariana on too much. Even though she had grown to have more feelings for Owen than she expected, she could never forget that one-upping Colette was the root of their entire relationship. Clearly, she had won yet another battle against her less competent sister. She paused to sip at her drink one more and before she could relay Owen's location to Colette, he was making an appearance of his own. He was dragging Lex with him though, in a manner rough enough for Ariana to raise an eyebrow. She knew that their sibling relationship was far more externally explosive than that of hers with Collie or Chris, and she rarely interjected when he berated Lex verbally but he didn't like to see her pushed towards them like a doll. She wrapped an arm around Alexandra when Owen tossed her towards them, and wanted to condemn the treatment until her eyes fell upon Owen's and she realized that he wasn't just his normal pissed self. He was angry and something told Ariana that it wasn't just him reading the post about Shay and Carson. Why would he be so angry with Alexandra if it was only that?

He requested that they bring Lex to Shay's car and stormed off before Ariana could ask him what was wrong. Her worried glance towards Colette was completely genuine, though she already doubted that infamously-selfish Colette would care about anyone's problems but her own. She set her drink down on the bar top, grabbed Lex's wrist in one hand and Colette's in the other. After Alexandra's attitude in the bathroom, Ariana was unsure if she was going to be able to get whatever just happened out of her, and she thought that the younger girl liked Colette as well. Certainly not as much as she liked Ari, but maybe enough to get her talking. She didn't even give Colette a chance to slip away before starting towards the entrance of the club. "What happened, Alexa?" she questioned as they reached the front door. She waved down one of the valet guys and requested Shay's car, silently nodding towards the distraught teenager who they knew to be her sister. She looked over at Colette as she waited for a response, hoping that her sister could come in handy for once and let her know what had just went down.

A few minutes later, when Owen appeared, Ariana wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She didn't want to go back to his place at all. She was still set on spending her summer in Huntington Beach, with or without him. He still looked irate and she did not feel like spending the rest of the night listening to him verbally assault Lex, or Lex scream and throw a tantrum either. At the same time, was she really going to abandon Owen, her boyfriend, and give Colette a chance to step in and regain the girlfriend spot that had rightfully been hers? No, Colette couldn't replace her. If she could have, it would have happened months ago. Besides, Owen was still technically in the dog house for taking so long to chase after her after Shay grilled her. "I have to be up earlier tomorrow for a meeting near Huntington, so I'm just going to take a car back there tonight." The look on Owen's face left her hesitant to publicly inquire about what the hell had just happened, especially with Alexa only a few feet away. In this light, she couldn't make out the bruised and swollen look on his knuckles, but the sweat glistening on his forehead suggested that something physical had occurred. Again, for a reason she was unsure of, she shot Colette a worried glance.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Christopher Rockefeller Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image



It had definitely been the wrong thing to say. On every level in the world, admitting that she had known about Alexandra and Carson when Owen looked close enough to murder was definitely the last thing that should have escaped her mouth. Yet and still, it had and even her brave front was not enough of a defense for the tirade Owen practically leapt in only seconds after the words had left her mouth. Shay was impulsive, yes. That much was clear. But even she had to curse her own impulsivity and need to say anything because the look on Owen's face spoke more than the words that followed. And it was only after she had flinched away from him did they actually sink in.

And oh, they sunk in! Combined with his outrage towards for her having known about what went down between his best friend and their little sister was a disappointment and...was that disgust? Aimed at her? Tinashé swallowed back a large lump of unwanted emotion when Owen chuckled. She did not like that sound. She did not like him being as disappointed in her as he seemed. She didn't like the way she could feel her body almost shaking. This was worse than when she had snapped at him earlier and cried. This was worse when he had blown up on her for even throwing the party he had referenced. This was worse than any moment she could recall Owen being upset with her because she had never felt so much disgust from her big brother. Suddenly, Shay wasn't the big, tough bad girl who had a penchant for singing. She wasn't the tough girl who shot back whatever anyone else tossed at her. No, she was that same teenager who thought someone she had come to see as family hated her and it was hitting her that this time, Owen wouldn't turn back around to convince her otherwise. She hadn't even realized that the tears had glassed over her eyes until a lone droplet fell onto her cheek and Shay quickly swiped it away, still visibly shaking.

Get knocked up? Really? Was that what this looked like? That she was just as much of a slut as a few of the gossip-spreading blogs and holier-than-thou critics said? It reminded her of when Lacey from Buckley had said that the only good her music career would bring her was two kids, a deadbeat dad, and a welfare check. It reminded her that she had taken a lot of criticism and sardonic humor before. Had shoved it to the recesses of her mind or shrugged it off because no one could affect her. She had hardened herself too much to be broken down by a few words of criticism. But this wasn't from some overweight asshole who still kept their Star Wars poster in their room and lived in their parents' basement because they were too pathetic to do anything more than gossip about the people who had the lives they wanted. No, this had been said by Owen and on a good day, she would have slapped him or told him off. But he was gone and she was left, frozen with the icy heat of his stare and the bitter droplets of words she never thought he would say.

"...are you okay?" She said, blinking back the tears she did not want to shed before she turned to Carson again. Looking at him, all she could feel was guilt. She should have pushed him away. She should have done what Owen had asked her to do. She should have pretended. She should have pretended that she could tolerate Ariana. She should have pretended like this was going to be the best summer of their lives. She should have continued pretending that she didn't feel a thing for Carson and shoved whatever it was as deep inside of her core as she could. Because now she had ruined everything and Owen hated her. Despondently, she grabbed her jacket and phone from Carson, not even acknowledging the drink or even the eye contact he was probably trying to make. "We should...um...get out of here. I should...call a cab." Making that decision and refusing to touch him again for a random wave of paranoia that Owen might actually run back to them just because he could sense them touching, she refrained from getting anywhere near Carson and heading back out into the club. She was walking blindly and she wasn't reaching for her phone at all. She wasn't dialing a number. All she was doing was shoving past people and before she knew it, she was standing in front of Chris and some blonde, and suddenly, there were tears falling and she didn't care who saw them. She didn't care that Chris was about to get laid or that the others had left him in their haste. Go run off to Vegas and get knocked up. All she could hear was Owen's voice in her head - hard, angry and disgusted - and the tears ran faster. "I fucked up. I fucked up really bad and he hates me." She didn't clarify who hated her, she just needed one of her best friends.


Image
Image



Colette couldn't even fight the impulse to roll her eyes the second she heard the judgmental tone in her twin's voice. Was there a name for killing one's sibling? One's twin? Twinicide, or something like that? There had to be because she did not know if she could deal with an eternity of Ariana breathing down her neck over every little thing she did and did not do. It still bothered her, probably just as much as it bothered Chris, that Ariana decided to take it upon herself to be the perfect one and then have the audacity to judge the two of them for what they did. What could they do? They wanted something, Ariana went for it. They worked for it, she worked harder. There was no end and the fact that Ariana sought to criticize Colette's line of work - the only good thing she had that her twin had not tarnished or snatched away - had her drinking her Blue Hawaii until she heard the loud, hard sound of her sucking air through the straw. She had just been about to order a shot of really anything when suddenly, Owen was there and Alexandra was being shoved towards them. Her eyes immediately went to Owen's and she followed his line of direction keenly, noting that he was headed in Shay's direction. "Oh shit..." Colette mumbled under her breath and was ready to grab her purse and leave. However, Ariana suddenly had a tight grip on her wrist and seemed unwilling to release her.

Colette would have shouted some exclamation at her sister had she not caught the actual - wait, was Ariana actually worried? The Ice Queen - practically Elsa's twin sister - was worried? It was enough to render Colette speechless and immobile, allowing for Ariana to pull both her and Alexandra to the door like Owen had requested. Still in a flurry of confusion and concern because she realized where Owen was going, Colette pulled out her phone. She had hoped there would be a message from Shay. She would never imagine Alexandra actually telling on herself to Owen and Colette bit her lip because she had just sent Carson back there to make moves on Shay and - god have mercy! This was not good. However, it wasn't a message from Shay that made her hold her breath. One of her fellow models and the friend she brought with her to Shay's concert in Paris had forwarded her the post about Carson and Shay. A post that had been made ten minutes ago! "This is bad. This is really really bad," she said more to herself when they reached outside. Ariana was still trying to coax something out of Alexandra, but Colette's eyes were suddenly narrowing on her sister.

This had to be Ariana's doing! There was no way in hell Shay and Carson where an item yet. She had been watching them dance on that fine line for nearly a year! Probably longer, if she really wanted to stay and think about it. And now...oh God, and Owen was on his way back to them. She didn't know if Ariana had posted anything; no one knew the owner of the site. But still, like all bad things that happened to those around her, especially after Shay had pissed Ariana off, Colette concluded that it was her sister's fault. She didn't even acknowledge Owen at first when he came outside, glaring at Ariana even when her sister cast her another concerned stare. You are going to pay for this, was all she could think, as if Ariana could somehow read her thoughts. Ready to return to her friend and the club and whatever scene Owen had left behind him, Colette swiftly turned her gaze upon the brooding male, noting the harsh tick in his jaw and the fact that he wouldn't look at her. So, she let her eyes rove over him, not caring what Ariana thought she was doing. She wasn't checking Owen out. She just needed to find something - anything. And then her eyes landed on the knuckles of his right hand - swollen and purpling just a bit. She didn't need to ask what had happened.

"Oh my God, what did you do?" She asked, feeling more appalled and overwhelmed by the minute. There was no way in hell Owen could have hit Carson, right? His best friend in the entire world? Yet and still, Owen's current countenance and the swelling of his knuckles pointed her in that direction. Colette didn't wait for her sister to say anything or for Owen to say another word. She harshly snatched away from Ariana with a force she didn't even know she had, growling at Owen, "I'll find my own way back." She didn't know what had fully had happened, but she knew she needed to find Shay soon. Not sparing the trio another glance, Colette forced her back into the club in search of either Shay, Carson, or even both.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tinashé Kachingwe Character Portrait: Alexandra Collins Character Portrait: Ariana Rockefeller Character Portrait: Carson Koch Character Portrait: Owen Collins Character Portrait: Colette Grace Rockefeller
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Alexandra rarely feared Owen. She was so used to being shouted out and demeaned that even his public condemnation didn't phase her too much. When she confessed to sleeping with Carson, his entire aura changed in the blink of an eye, though. He grabbed her arm harder than she ever remembered him doing, and pulled her towards the bar, where he promptly shoved her towards Colette and Ariana. Alexandra physically fought with Owen frequently. It was more recurrent when she was younger and she could bite and kick and punch him with very few repercussions, especially when their mother was involved. Even recently, she never hesitated to shove him out of her way if he was trying to block her from leaving the house or accessing alcohol, and yeah, he would return the aggression sometimes, but it was never enough to really hurt her. It was normally just too tight of a grip on her wrist when she wouldn't willingly do something he wanted, and it was almost always justified by her unruly behavior. This was too different though, and it had Alexa biting her lip as she looked back at her brother with fear in her eyes. It began with fear for herself. He was really angry and she was the one who had made him that angry. However, he told Ariana and Colette to bring her to the car and that he would meet them there in a minute. Before anyone could intervene, he left, and her fear for herself turned into fear for Carson. If Owen was angry enough to shove her with an unnecessary force, there was no telling what state he would leave Carson in.

It wasn't like texting Carson would have helped since he had blocked her number, but she didn't even have time to do that. Ariana followed her brother's direction and led her and Colette towards the front of the club. By the time they reached the front door and Ariana instructed a valet driver to pull Shay's car up, Alexandra was crying. She was scared for herself. Her summer was definitely ruined. There was no way Owen would ever let her out of the house again and of course as soon as their father heard, he would agree. Alexandra wasn't even considering pulling their mother into this. Owen's fury seemed strong enough that not even their mother's influence would break it, and Lex didn't want to test it. She was scared for Carson, too. Not because she was still convinced that she loved him, but just out of general concern. And then there was Shay, who apparently really did have a thing for Carson, as made apparent by that post, and who would be feeling Owen's wrath ten times harder than she originally would have when Owen found out and her and Carson too. It would have been bad enough for Owen to hear that Carson had a thing for Tinashé, who was old and mature enough to arguably have a real relationship with him. Now, Lex had set the idea into Owen's head that Carson was just another scumbag looking to sleep with his sisters behind his back, and she doubted he could ever trust Shay's relationship with Carson after that. Not like she really care for Shay's sake. She still was the boyfriend-stealing bitch that she had described to Ariana, but she had to feel bad that Shay was going to experience the same wrath that she had just gotten a taste of.

"I don't know!" was all she could that she could manage to sob through her tears when Ariana tried to get an explanation for Owen's behavior. She didn't want to admit to being the cause of all of this, even if everyone would find out sooner than later. Instead, as soon as she spotted the truck pulling up outside of the club, she pushed past Ariana and Colette and out the door. Her hands instantly reached to cover her face as the swarm of paparazzi began snapping away, quickly noticing her distraught expression and shouting questions that she had no intentions of answering. Thankfully, one of the bouncers stepped forward and helped lead her to the car without her tear-filled eyes or hand-covered face causing her to trip before sliding behind the protection of the tinted windows. Her tears fell faster than they had in the club and she didn't bother to swipe at her wet cheeks or running nose now that there was no one around. In a fit of impulse and anger, she texted Shay. It was a move that she had enough sense to regret a minute after the message was delivered, but there was no way to take it back.

To: Shay
I hope he was worth it slut