Introduction
they were an atom bomb waiting to off. a bunch of misfits, broken people attempting to make their way through life. the only thing they had in common was their love of partying, but it brought them together as friends when they first met. of course, it didn't last. friendships turned to relationships turned to bitterness turned to strangers all over again. some tried to get their lives together all over again. others let their lives fall apart even more.
after three years, they're spread across the globe. but for whatever reason, they all find themselves back in town. somebody suggests they all meet up again. for old times sake, they say, a party planned for one last hurrah. but when they arrive at the host's apartment, the host is noticeably absent.
it's just after midnight when they find the body.
the police is called, the party having come to a sudden and unpleasant halt. as if it isn't bad enough, they all have secrets they want to hide. some of them are motives, some are illegal secrets, and some who threaten their perfectly constructed life. and the police immediately suspect foul play from within the group.
the group don't know if the threat comes from within the group or not. they don't know which is better. because for all the bad blood between them, they can't wrap their head around the thought of one of their former friends killing someone. but if it's somebody else, that means that they might all be targets. but can they figure it out before the killer strikes again and without the world finding out their secrets?
after three years, they're spread across the globe. but for whatever reason, they all find themselves back in town. somebody suggests they all meet up again. for old times sake, they say, a party planned for one last hurrah. but when they arrive at the host's apartment, the host is noticeably absent.
it's just after midnight when they find the body.
the police is called, the party having come to a sudden and unpleasant halt. as if it isn't bad enough, they all have secrets they want to hide. some of them are motives, some are illegal secrets, and some who threaten their perfectly constructed life. and the police immediately suspect foul play from within the group.
the group don't know if the threat comes from within the group or not. they don't know which is better. because for all the bad blood between them, they can't wrap their head around the thought of one of their former friends killing someone. but if it's somebody else, that means that they might all be targets. but can they figure it out before the killer strikes again and without the world finding out their secrets?
rules;
first things first, a reminder that god-modding is forbidden. god-modding typically means controlling a character without their player's permission. so when in doubt, ask. romance and violence are pretty much a given for a drama-driven rp like this, but keep it within site rules. most importantly, if things get steamy, either fade to black or bring it off site. there will be adult themes within the rp. if the content veers into uncomfortable or distressing, please PM me and we can work around it or i can ask other players to alter as necessary. please keep the drama to the ic. any issues arising among members of the rp should be dealt with over pm. reservations go in the ooc as they're easier to keep track of. real face claims only, please. characters can be as old as you like, but must be and must appear to be over 18. you have 48 hours to submit a WIP. that WIP can be a blank sheet, i just want something in to know you're still on board. you will then have 5 days after submitting your WIP to finish your character. i will grant extensions as long as you pm me. any further questions or issues, please pm me! i don't bite, promise. when reserving, i'd like your character's face claim, a 250px wide image of said face claim (don't worry if you can't find one, i'll figure something out :D), their speech colour, and a brief description of their history with the group (take a look at my character for inspiration!)
i have set up a discord server for chatting and discussing relationships! you aren't obliged to join, but trust me, it's so much easier when it comes to pming about relations!
Soren Bowers - 24 - Josh Ramsay - #0035a5 - partially-stars
Soren's career took off a few months before the group began to fracture and disintegrate, so he was barely aware of the arguments and the drama that was fracturing the group. But that didn't mean he didn't have problems of his own. Repeated health issues delayed the recording of the album, and the album only got made on time with the help of copious amounts of prescription painkillers. The stress of recording the album and everything that came with it mean he never fully recovered. But he refused to give up or slow down, despite being dependent on strong drugs to finish out the tour. It was only when he discovered the hard way that alcohol and that amount of painkillers didn't mix that he realised things needed to change. But it's been harder than he's imagined, and he's relapsed into taking the painkillers more than once. It's not the only secret he has, but it's the one he wants to keep the most.
Erin Monahan - 25 - lynn gunn - #800000 - wolf's bane109
Erin was always one of the ones to stand out in the crowd, even back in school. From being well known and having a large group of friends, to knowing how to let loose and just enjoy life, then there was her brother who was the polar opposite of her. He was the nerd time that kept to himself and as such she was usually left to babysit him and bring him along with her friends. But after an accident with the police, Erin was left alone and has had nothing but issues with the cops since. From her past with them with her parents, and then her brother, she has grown to hold a large disdain for any form of cops or law enforcement. But as the years past, and when everyone had moved away or left, Erin decided to stay in the city and become a bartender, thanks to her family. Everything was fine and slowly started to rebuild itself as years went on, that was until the party happened. Now with what transpired, Erin doesn't know if she made the right choice of staying in New York all this time, or if she should have left. As it seems that more of her dark past and secrets may just come to light with what happened...
Nathan Miller - 25 - Liam Hemsworth - #E19D29 - nonconformingrole
Nate was always the life of the party: he would take any dare, any time, from anyone. He had a troubled childhood, which led to a little bit of aggression in his teens. His friends knew him as an overall nice and gentle guy, but some people would really push his buttons, and he had a tendency to push back against authority figures. His life fell apart just after high school, his parents decided they were done with him, and he slowly started falling through the cracks. He had hardly been able to hold down jobs longer than a few months, and finding a reliable place to live had been even harder. He’s not always been proud of the things- or people- he did to keep his head above water, but after the group fell apart he had no one to turn to and no resources.
Gemma Donati - 24 - Anya Chalotra - #8B008B - katyisaladybug
Gemma looks like she's got her shit together, but she's reaching rock bottom. In high school, she was the geek who longed to party with the freaks. Luckily, she's the daughter of a renowned Italian jeweler and a retired Bollywood actress. She quickly discovered inviting peers over to her boujee Staten Island house while her parents were away on business trips was a great way to make friends. That's how she got initiated into the group. The parties were legendary...like, Gatsby-esque affairs. But that all ended Senior Year, when her parents came home early one night. The scolding she received from her father was sobering, and enough to make her break ties before college. Fast-forward years later, and Gemma's working as a freelance documentarian. She's engaged to an Italian businessman daddy set her up with. Their relationship isn't particularly pleasant, and both of their families hold dark secrets within heritage. Ever heard of La Costra Nostra? Gemma has reason to believe the host may have been on a hit list...
Shane Tompson - 27 - Josh Dun - #0c9973 - wolf's bane109
Like most in the group, he took to the party life like a moth to a flame. He was there for the music and social interactions at first, occasionally only taking part in drinks and sometimes dabbling in the harder stuff. But as things went on and progressed, he took a nose-dive for the riskier side of things. In his senior year was when he ran into the group, which only further escalated his drive for drugs and alcohol. It was only when he passed out and was rushed to the hospital for a possible overdose at one of the parties where things went wrong, that he was sent to rehab for three years. It was only when he was released that he was given an ultimatum, find something other than drugs to put his energy and passion into, which ended up being art and photography. He left the state for college when the group started to deteriorate, and lost contact for a while. When he finally came back last year he had a degree in photography and had his own line and was well known, making a name for himself as he left his past behind him. But now with the party, his past may just come back to bite him in the ass and ruin everything he spent the past few years rebuilding.
X
Khepri Mahajan - 26 - Naomi Scott - .euphoria. - #C4A7CF
The golden girl. The Valedictorian. Little Miss. Perfect. Khepri was always seen as the 'perfect' girl to most of the outside world, the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect girlfriend, unable to do anything wrong because of her family name. Even with the friends, she surrounded herself with. Below the surface of this 'perfect' facade, was a girl who always dreamed of leaving her hometown and her strict upbringing and never coming back, going from place to place for as long as she could without being bogged down with anyone. At first, she stayed hoping things would fall into place but after everything that's happened, she couldn't do it. She got as far away from the city as she could and to become an investigative reporter. Hopefully one of the biggest in the world. She's stationed back in New York for now and her career has plateaued, nothing has piqued her interest like the hard-hitting stories that she used to do. Until now, where she just landed in the middle of the story she has been looking for.
Camilla Rhodes - 25 - Brie Larson - #A38E8E - Maci-Care
Camilla was the type of girl that loved being the center of attention and having the limelight on her. This sort of formed into making her seem like a bitch to some people as she knew people envied over her and felt like people either wanted to be with her or be her. From a young age she loved to sing and during her later years in school she learned that being the front woman for a band would give her more attention, especially having a pretty face, and thus she and a few of her friends formed the band Sophie's Valentine. Camilla wasn’t afraid to use her looks and charm to get what she wants, she also often blackmailed people who fell for her to get what she wanted and quickly discarded them when she was done. Camilla's band did seem to have one issue, Beautiful Strangers, Soren's Band. And was often annoyed Beautiful Strangers would play at most parties, but she knew it was only because of how he was closer with Jamie. Quickly after a death within her close friend group Camilla and her band got offered a record deal in England and quickly left their city behind to follow their dreams.
- 17 posts here • Page 1 of 1
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 7 authors
soren bowers
xxxevery face along the boulevard
xxxis a dreamer just like you
xxxyou looked at death in a tarot card
xxxand you knew what you had to do
The morning of the party, Soren was almost waiting for the pain and the exhaustion to hit. He’d left it until the last minute to confirm to Jamie that they’d be able to play, but Jamie hadn’t had a problem with that. And almost immediately after confirming they were going to play the party, Soren had had a string of bad days. But he was determined not to let them down and that he would play the party, even if he had to be carried off the stage. And then the day before the party was… a surprisingly good day. And that had him convinced that the day of the party was going to be hard. But instead, he woke up to discover that he was actually feeling the best he had in a while.
For a few hours, he kept expecting to hit the metaphorical wall. He went to rehearsal to run through the setlist with the rest of the band. They hadn’t had a show in a few weeks and it felt good to be playing again. He thought that the rehearsal could be what led to him crashing, but instead, it almost made him feel even better. And when he walked out of that rehearsal,he actually let himself start to get excited for the party.
Even since getting back, he’d hardly seen any of the old group besides Erin. He wasn’t even sure where half of them had ended up. And even with everything that had happened between them, he still found himself looking forward to seeing them. He missed the old days, the days when everything was easier. He knew they couldn’t go back to those days. But for one night, they could pretend.
Rehearsal ran on longer than expected,so he had just enough time to get back to the apartment and get changed. Their equipment had already been delivered to Jamie’s apartment, so he could relax and just try to enjoy himself, not having to worry about possibly overstretching himself. He got completely stage ready and called himself a taxi. “Rin, I’m leaving, we still have to soundcheck at Jamie’s! I’ll see you there!” He called as he left.
It seemed that Jamie had hardly changed when he opened the door to them. “Look at you all, proper stars now!” He said, wrapping Soren in a hug. “It’s good to see you, Soren. How have you been?” He asked.
“Good! Wow, it’s been too long, man!” Soren replied. “Thanks so much for asking us to play!”
“Nah man, I was delighted to see you guys could play, your new music has been great! And now I can boast that the great Beautiful Strangers played one of my parties,” he said. “I’ll leave you guys to get set up and soundchecked and all that, but we’ll catch up later, yeah?”
The soundcheck went well, and they got a few technical issues ironed out, and were ready to go as people began to arrive. They excused themselves to get warmed up, Even if this was “just” a houseparty with old friends, he was still determined to give it everything he could.
When they got up on stage, it started to feel like they were back in the good old days. They were singing their own songs and covers, just like they always had, but now they had the experience of touring and it had only made them better. It was the best of both worlds, and it felt so good.
He was breathless and grinning as they finished the set. They took a few minutes to move their equipment into one of the spare rooms, before stepping back out into the party. But Jamie was waiting for Soren, just off to one side, almost in the shadows. “Hey, Sor. You were amazing out there. Like, seriously, I’m so glad that you guys were able to play. It was amazing to see you play again.”
“Thanks. Yeah, it was good to play a house party again. Keep us grounded to our roots, right?” He said with a laugh. “Remind us what it’s really all about.” Jamie laughed.
“It… it really does feel good to see everyone again. I don’t think I realised how much I missed some of you guys,” he admitted almost nervously.
“Yeah. Feels almost like old times, doesn’t it?” Soren replied.
“I don’t know about that. I feel like we’ve all changed a little too much.”
“Have we, though?” Soren asked, and Jamie stopped for a second or two.
“You might just have a point there, Bowers,” he said almost teasingly. “Come on, we’ll get some drinks.”
Soren and Jamie grabbed a few drinks together and got chatting about their lives since. Things had changed for both of them, but it seemed that Jamie’s life wasn’t all that different. Not really. Soren wasn’t totally sure how it happened, but Soren found his hand resting on Jamie’s thigh and found himself leaning in a little. And then Jamie jerked his knee away, startling Soren away.
“The fuck, Soren?” He asked, getting to his feet and taking a step backwards.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“Seriously? You thought I was into you?”
“I didn’t- I’m sorry-”
“Get real, Soren,” he said, turning and walking away. Soren honestly could have got his stuff and walked away after that. Just gone home and pretended it had never happened. But he hadn’t spoken to any of the others yet. And as he looked back towards Jamie, there was a flash of anger, of frustration. He wasn’t going to leave because that would have been letting him win. So instead, he downed another drink and went in search of someone to talk to.
For a few hours, he kept expecting to hit the metaphorical wall. He went to rehearsal to run through the setlist with the rest of the band. They hadn’t had a show in a few weeks and it felt good to be playing again. He thought that the rehearsal could be what led to him crashing, but instead, it almost made him feel even better. And when he walked out of that rehearsal,he actually let himself start to get excited for the party.
Even since getting back, he’d hardly seen any of the old group besides Erin. He wasn’t even sure where half of them had ended up. And even with everything that had happened between them, he still found himself looking forward to seeing them. He missed the old days, the days when everything was easier. He knew they couldn’t go back to those days. But for one night, they could pretend.
Rehearsal ran on longer than expected,so he had just enough time to get back to the apartment and get changed. Their equipment had already been delivered to Jamie’s apartment, so he could relax and just try to enjoy himself, not having to worry about possibly overstretching himself. He got completely stage ready and called himself a taxi. “Rin, I’m leaving, we still have to soundcheck at Jamie’s! I’ll see you there!” He called as he left.
It seemed that Jamie had hardly changed when he opened the door to them. “Look at you all, proper stars now!” He said, wrapping Soren in a hug. “It’s good to see you, Soren. How have you been?” He asked.
“Good! Wow, it’s been too long, man!” Soren replied. “Thanks so much for asking us to play!”
“Nah man, I was delighted to see you guys could play, your new music has been great! And now I can boast that the great Beautiful Strangers played one of my parties,” he said. “I’ll leave you guys to get set up and soundchecked and all that, but we’ll catch up later, yeah?”
The soundcheck went well, and they got a few technical issues ironed out, and were ready to go as people began to arrive. They excused themselves to get warmed up, Even if this was “just” a houseparty with old friends, he was still determined to give it everything he could.
When they got up on stage, it started to feel like they were back in the good old days. They were singing their own songs and covers, just like they always had, but now they had the experience of touring and it had only made them better. It was the best of both worlds, and it felt so good.
He was breathless and grinning as they finished the set. They took a few minutes to move their equipment into one of the spare rooms, before stepping back out into the party. But Jamie was waiting for Soren, just off to one side, almost in the shadows. “Hey, Sor. You were amazing out there. Like, seriously, I’m so glad that you guys were able to play. It was amazing to see you play again.”
“Thanks. Yeah, it was good to play a house party again. Keep us grounded to our roots, right?” He said with a laugh. “Remind us what it’s really all about.” Jamie laughed.
“It… it really does feel good to see everyone again. I don’t think I realised how much I missed some of you guys,” he admitted almost nervously.
“Yeah. Feels almost like old times, doesn’t it?” Soren replied.
“I don’t know about that. I feel like we’ve all changed a little too much.”
“Have we, though?” Soren asked, and Jamie stopped for a second or two.
“You might just have a point there, Bowers,” he said almost teasingly. “Come on, we’ll get some drinks.”
Soren and Jamie grabbed a few drinks together and got chatting about their lives since. Things had changed for both of them, but it seemed that Jamie’s life wasn’t all that different. Not really. Soren wasn’t totally sure how it happened, but Soren found his hand resting on Jamie’s thigh and found himself leaning in a little. And then Jamie jerked his knee away, startling Soren away.
“The fuck, Soren?” He asked, getting to his feet and taking a step backwards.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“Seriously? You thought I was into you?”
“I didn’t- I’m sorry-”
“Get real, Soren,” he said, turning and walking away. Soren honestly could have got his stuff and walked away after that. Just gone home and pretended it had never happened. But he hadn’t spoken to any of the others yet. And as he looked back towards Jamie, there was a flash of anger, of frustration. He wasn’t going to leave because that would have been letting him win. So instead, he downed another drink and went in search of someone to talk to.
Setting
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Erin Monahan
xxxBeg me for mercy
xxxAdmit that you were toxic
xxxYou poisoned me just for another dollar in your pocket
xxxNow I am the violence
xxxI am the sickness
xxxWhen there's blood in the water
The days that lead up to the party had been as normal as any before hand. With a mix of going to and from work at the bar, to doing her best to not drive herself to pure insanity. Erin found herself struggling if she was actually going to go or not to the party. Was it really worth going especially if it was hosted by Jamie? But with a little nudging and encouraging from Soren, who also suggested it would be some good free publicity for her bar, The Golden Owl. After some debate, she decided it was worth the shot, as well as Jamie said he'd pay her well to bartend for the evening. He'd supply the alcohol, all she had to do was, "Look cute and serve some fire drinks." as he put it. The falling out she had with him was the worst for multiple reasons, reasons she decided not to dwell on. Just go to the party, serve some drinks, show off what her bar has to offer and just enjoy the night, as well as a free show from Soren's band. In the end, the positives outwayed the bad, and she finally convinced herself to just deal with Jamie for a few hours and just enjoy herself. She could do that much. It wasn't asking for too much anyway.
Erin had woken up early that morning as she had to help open the bar and help get some minor problems taken care of before she got the real issues out of the way. It was by the time that she got home for about two hours when she heard Soren call out to her as she was in her room. He said how we was leaving a bit early to get things set up, and how he'd see her later. "Alrighty, loser! Cya then!" she called out from her room and into the hallway, a small chuckle echoed. She finished getting dressed and put in her small gages, looking in the mirror as she stared off for a moment. Her phone buzzed on the table is what brought her back to earth. Checking the message which read, 'Hey, Rin. Address is linked down below. Make sure to not be late. It's gonna be a night to remember.' it read. She rolled her eyes, as much as he bothered her, she had to admit...He had a certain flare. Something he was always good at faking.
Erin shook her head as she finished doing her hair which was styled messily and pulled over to the side as she did her makeup. Which was minor, mainly eyeliner and mascara. Giving her eyes more of a pop compared to how they usually never stood out. She looked herself in the mirror once more, putting on a few bracelets as she rolled her jacket's sleeves up. Giving her full appearance another look over, she nodded and headed out as she took her phone and half full pack of cigarettes. Making her way out of the apartment, she found herself playing some Sleeping With Sirens, which blared through her bluetooth earbuds. Music always seemed to make time go by faster, as well as kept her anxiety to a lesser state as she made her way to the address for the party. Which ended up being only a few blocks from where she lived, which she found was odd.
Once she arrived, she realized why the address seemed somewhat familiar. It was Jamie's old apartment. As she stood outside of the complex she sighed, removing her earbuds she stepped into the building and went to the correct floor. She knocked on the door as she felt her heart racing in her chest, pounding away at the inside of her chest that she thought it would explode. It only took a few moments for the door to open, and she felt her gut drop. Sure enough, there was Jamie Fucking Blackburn, in the god damn flesh. "Rin! It's so good to see you! How have you been? Have you done something with your hair? You're looking…fine" he said as he gave her a small wink and bite of his bottom lip. "Sup, Jamie. Where you want me setting up?" Erin said dismiss fully, pretending to not have heard what he said. Which, in reality made her skin crawl. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. Maybe it wasn't too late to turn around and just leave-"The bar is in the main room, where everything will be held. Made sure to have some of the best alcohol available to only the finest bartender in all of New York, after all." he said with a sly grin as he drew closer to her, blocking her initial entry into the apartment as he rested his arm against the doorframe. Silently eyeing her from headtotoe. "I got work to do, it's why I'm here. Not for you to oggle at all night. Even though I know that won't stop you." Erin said with a tone of disgust as she pushed passed him and into the apartment.
"Hey, don't sound so upset...Or do I have to remind you about-" he started but was stopped as Erin shot him a glare, "Trust me. I haven't forgotten. But just a reminder, it never meant anything. Or do I have to remind you of that?" she quipped back, leaving Jamie to simply stand there in silence, his face turning red. "I'm gonna go check on Soren and see how they're doing. I'll be sure to check on ya later. See how everything is going. Ya know, just to make sure you aren't poisoning anyone." Jamie attempted a joke, which only garnered an eyeroll and groan from Erin. "Just go. I need to start getting shit ready. And trust me. Last thing I need for my business is to get a bad rep for that shit, Blackburn." Erin slightly returned the joke, with a very monotone reply in her voice. She didn't even need to turn around to know that he wandered off. The vibe in the air seemed to change and lessen as he walked away. She found herself taking a deep breath as she found herself alone. Coming here was a bad idea, but it was too late. And she wasn't about to dip out if this since Jamie had made it public knowledge that it was her and her bar being represented tonight. She'd grin and bare it. Just like she always did.
Time went by slowly for the first few hours as she set everything up. Taking stock and inventory of everything that they had. Jamie had supplied glass cups instead of the cheap funnel cups they ran with back in the day. The alcohol he had really was some of the best, some brands Erin even could barely afford. After making sure that everything was in place, she began mixing drinks and making smalltalk as people started showig up.
Time passed, enough alcohol had been passed out and served twice over to get anyone plastered drunk by the time that Soren's band was midway through their final set. Erin saw some familiar faces pass through the room, as well as making some drinks for old friends. One in particular that made her stop. Tall, pale skin, dark eyes, tank top and skinny jeans. But what was so recognizable was that damned, blue dyed messy mop of hair that was partially covered by a snapback. Erin looked at him silently as he awkwardly ordered his drink, giving her an awkward but genuine smile. In all these years, they looked almost the exact same. It was like nothing changed in those years. She gave him a small, curtious smile and nod as he thanked her for the drink and how it was good to see her again. "Yeah...Good to see ya, Shane. Been a while. Let me know what you think of the drink." she said with a small smile and nod of her head as he gave her the cliche cheers and walked away with his drink. Two douche bags from her past in one night, and one building. Erin began questioning her choices.
Her attention was taken aback when a tall, slender, female with shoulder length, messy shoulder length hair sauntered over to the bar. Leaning against it she gave Erin a small smile, "Hey there. What uh...What do you recommend is the best drink here?" The girl said with a sly smile. Erin paused for a moment as she thought she had seen her somewhere before, but shrugged it off. She had seen countless people in her time since she opened her bar. Probably seen her there at some point, or at a concert possibly. Shaking her head Erin leaned over and gave an equally sly grin, "Well….There's a lot of good options but...I'd probably recommend the Scarlet Eagle. Bit sweet but, will certainly knock you off your ass if not careful. Best to take it one go." Erin said as she poured a dark red liquid into a shot glass, sliding it to the girl. The girl simply gave a smug look as she downed the in a simple sweep, and gave Erin a small wink. "What do I owe ya?" Erin gave a small smile, "It's on the house. Consider it the least I can do." she said with a smile. A small chuckle and blush came from the woman, before she leaned over the counter, "Give me one dance to this next song and we call it even?" Erin gave a grin, "Not supposed to leave the bar but...What harm could one little dance do, huh?" she gave a smirk as she hopped over the bar, landing softly next to the woman. Erin poured herself a shot and downed it quickly, taking the other girl's hand as she was lead to the dancefloor.
The dance wasn't what Erin had been expecting, as it turned out to be a slower dance, but not entirely out of her pace. For the first time in a long while, Erin felt a bit of relief and even happiness as she danced with the other woman. Feeling nothing but positive vibes and energy off of her. More than once did Erin notice the subtle looks the girl would give her every now and then as they danced together in the crowd, occasionally getting a little too close. Not that she entirely minded. It was only when the song was beginning to come to an end that they both looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Before Erin even realized what happened, she felt the all too familiar sensation of lips pressing up against her's as the blonde had leaned up and kissed her. Erin simply blinked as a small chuckle came from the both of them after she returned the kiss for a brief moment. "Name's Amanda by the way." the girl said, finally introducing herself. Erin gave a small smile and nod of her head, "Nice to meet ya, Amanda. I'm Erin. Jamie's...friend." Amanda gave a small chuckle, "I know. You're an old highschool friend of his, right? And owner of the Golden Owl? I've been to your bar a few times. The place is killer. We should hang out sometime...Would be really cool to get to know you better." she said with a genuine smile. Erin first gave her a surprised smile, she didn't expect anyone to really know her. The rest of what she said was drowned out as she ever so faintly heard what sounded like Jamie yelling at Sorenz who looked distressed. A groan escaped her lips, giving Amanda a small smile as something that felt like paper was put into Erin's hand. "Sorry, I gotta go check on someone. I'll be back but, yeah. Sounds good. I'd love to catch up and...talk more." she said with a smile as she tucked the paper into her pocket, not reading it right away, assuming it was her number and what else. "Of course. I'll catch you later, Erin. And thanks for the dance it was...I enjoyed it."
Erin simply gave her a nod as she quickly moved to where Jamie was, shooting him a glare, "You really cant help yourself, can you?" she said coldly to Jamie. Who only shot her a dirty look as he grabbed her by the arm, "It's not what it seems like. He-" "Don't you ever fucking touch me again, Jamie. Or you'll fucking regret it." Erin snapped as she yanked her arm back and away from him. "You're such a bitch, Erin. That much never changed, huh?" he called after her. Erin simply shook her head, ignoring his comments as she went after Soren, trying to keep herself and not lash out at Jamie. Not now.
"Hey, Sor...You okay? You look a bit...You look like you could use a drink..or a friend right about now." Erin said with a small smile as she looked at her friend, trying to make sure that he was okay before she went back to what she was supposed to be doing.
CAMILLA RHODES
xxx You say you want a bad bitch
xxx Baby, now you have it
xxx Now you got a bad bitch
xxx Show me you can handle this
The weeks leading up the party in New York wasn't exactly easy going for Camilla. Sophie's Valentine had just ended their Lovers in the Park album tour and had just finished moving into a new house in Chelsea when Camilla got the message from Jamie. Well it more so came from her social media rep asking if she knew of a Jamie Blackburn. He was getting most of the gang back together and was hoping if she was free if she could make it. She was all for having a party to end all parties back in New York, but wasn't entirely thrilled Beautiful Strangers would be there. It would only be for a little bit and the rest of Sophie's Valentine had been talking about heading home for awhile to relax, it's been years since they were back in the states and it would be a nice vacation.
As the days got closer to the party Camilla messaged the few people she didn't mind from high school and the party days; Shane, Nate, Erin. Just doing a small check in to see how things were doing. Her and Khepri messaged back and forth for years after the group fell apart so it was nice for them to finally meet up again, the bitches would be back in town.
The day of the party Camilla slept in as she set up everything the night before, plus she could stay up later throughout the night. When she woke up she quickly sent a message to confirm their plans for tonight, make sure things didn't change.
To Queen Pri Pri: Hey hey. My driver and I will be by your place around 930. Dress to impress girl! ♥♥♥
The drive from Camilla's hotel to Pri's place wasn't a far drive as it was on the way to the party, so Camilla didn't mind picking up her home girl. When they arrived the driver stepped out and opened the back door for Khepri and closed the door behind her. Camilla reached over and gave her a hug. "You, look, amazing Queen. It's so good to see you again. And that ring looks even more glorious in person." Camilla said, holding her hand looking at the ring. The two chit chatted a little during the drive and reminisced over the days, remembering some good times and laughing at the bad., they didn't really need to do much for catching up since they stayed in contact since Sophie's Valentine really took off.
When they arrived at the apartment the driver honked a little to get people out of the way so he could pull the car as close to the entrance as possible, then getting out and opening the door for Khepri and Camilla to get out. Camilla was use to this, being chauffeured and heads turning when she arrived to locations, she threw a small smirk over to Pri. "Never gets old you know." She said as the handed some cash to the driver and told him she would call him when she was ready for pick up. The two headed up to the door, saying their greetings to some of the people that were outside.
As Cam opened the door she heard music playing, familiar sounds she didn't exactly like. Beautiful Strangers. Luckily it seemed like they were getting towards the end of the playlist as she arrived. "Enjoy yourself Pri, I'm going to make myself known to some of the others, though they probably heard our arrival when we drove up." She said to her friend, blowing a kiss and walking through the halls, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked.
Camilla was quickly stopped by Jamie, grabbing her around the waist and handing her a cup with some sort of alcohol in it. "If it isn't the infamous Camilla Rhodes. And here I thought you were too good to show up to a little house party. Looking stunning as you do on magazine covers." Camilla smirked back at him and took the drink. "Jamie boy. I'm here for the good old times, though I don't know why he's playing since you didn't ask me." She said, tilting her head towards where Soren was singing. "Cammy, it's not personal. Just his band was in town and would be easier, plus I doubt I could afford Sophie's Valentine." "Eh, probably." She replied shrugging her shoulders Fortunately it sounded like Beautiful Strangers was wrapping up, Jamie excused himself to go talk to Soren and Camilla gave him a kiss on the cheek before she left.
It wasn't long until Cam noticed a familiar face that she was still on alright terms with, Shane. She walked up behind him and reached up to grab his snapback off the top of his head and flashed him a smile. "Oh Shane, you haven't changed a bit." She said, handing the hat back to Shane, but he just put it on her head. It clashed with her outfit, she would probably take it off before walking away, but just left it on for now, the two walked over to a couple seats and sat down.
Camilla scanned the room as her and Shane talked and rolled her eyes as she saw Soren and Jamie on the couch talking. She watched them a bit, still listening to Shane talk. She watched as Soren put his hand on Jamie's thigh and then Jamie react to it, a little confused, but entertained by the whole situation. "Hey Shane, we'll talk later. Gotta go do something real quick." Camilla said as she handed the hat back to Shane and fixed her hair as she walked over to Soren and Erin.
"Good job Soren, that worked out real well for you..." Camilla said, flipping her bangs out of her face. She tossed a small smile to Erin, who still was beautiful in her unique style. Erin seemed a little confused about what she was talking about. "Oh you didn't see what Soren did? Sort of looked like he was using her power as a singer to try to entice Jamie... physically." She said with a smirk. She did a fake gasp to his response. "Whoa, no need to throw out names like that. If someone was touching me the way you were touching him, I'd probably react the same. Plus little birdie here came to your rescue when she didn't know the whole story." Erin quickly tried to defuse the situation between the two and Cam dismissed herself. "Oh and Soren, it's not a surprise no one wants to fuck you." She said with a laugh as she walked away.
Camilla peaked around a few rooms trying to find some privacy and eventually finding a room where no one was making out and closed the door behind her. She pulled out a small capsule from her bra and poured the white powdery contents out onto the dress, using her credit card to make it into lines. Before she could finish up the door opened up and Jame walked in and froze seeing what Cam was about to do. "Fuck. God damnit Jamie, ever heard of knocking." She said after getting startled a bit. "It's my apartment, and are you really doing drugs here?" He said as he walked over to her, seeing the three lines ready to go. "Yeah, just getting a small fix and then I'll be out of your way." Camilla turned her back to her product but Jamie pulled her back. "Last time someone did drugs at one of our parties, Kyle died. But do you not remember since you weren't even here and too busy trying to get famous?" She rolled her eyes and carefully refilled her capsule. "Fuck you Jamie. Shane had nothing to do with Kyle getting shot, and reality check, I didn't try, I did." Camilla brushed past Jamie and rejoined the party.
quinlan rothschild
attire / #717B92
attire / #717B92
One thing Quinlan was particularly grateful for was the opportunity to escape Seattle. In fact, to make sure he was very very far from it. He had his bags packed the night Jaime had sent out the invite without a moment's hesitation. When he told his father that he would be out for maybe a few days (although he wasn't entirely sure of that himself) he was obviously met with a little bit of suspicion. Quinn had rarely traveled in the past couple of year's, and most of the time it was strictly work related. His father had questioned him plenty but he wasn’t really up for explaining himself. It was his mother who eventually coaxed it out of him and she for one was overjoyed that he was taking time away to reconnect with old friends. His mother’s excitement should’ve made him happy but it only made him more upset. Had his loneliness become that obvious?
The flight from Seattle to New York was long. Five and a half hours long. There was a baby in the back crying and the flight attendants “accidentally” bumped into him during any occasion. “Excuse me Miss?” He said flagging down the stewardess. “Can I have another Scotch and Soda please?” She glanced down at his drink trying hard to hide her confusion. After all this was the fifth time he had asked for a drink, and hadn't touched a single one. Quinn had asked her to change it every time the ice cubes completely melted. "Of course" She said quietly and grabbed his full glass, disappearing. Quinn was too anxious to drink but the glass of alcohol in front of him seemed to make him feel better. Even if he couldn't bring himself to touch it.
His hotel was nice. In fact, it was probably grandeur to most people but Quinlan had seen better in his lifetime. His father had thousands of points from travel and even though Quinn had protested he insisted on getting the hotel for him. The room felt just as vacant as his apartment back home, other than his mother visiting and trying to liven the space it had been fairly empty other than the necessities. The venue wasn't far either he could've walked if he had really wanted to.
Quinn had gotten there a day early as he wanted to explore New York a little. There was no denying that he had felt different the moment he stepped out of the hotel, he was almost 3,000mi from home. 3,000mi from everything that had been saying him down in life. It felt a little freeing. Quinlan had made sure to dress rather causal as he took a day to explore the city - he even took the subway, well once. Which was honestly a terrifying experience. He never knew public transport was so hellish. The day itself had been fun, more fun than he had ever had in a while.
Quinlan now found himself staring at his appearance in the bathroom mirror. God, when had he started looked so tired? He washed his face a few times to bring some color back into his skin tone which seemed to help, maybe he was just overthinking things. Since when did he care so much about what others thought of him, let alone near strangers. Adjusting his cufflinks, he straightened his collar as he hoped that he wasn't overdressed, what did people wear to a reunion? There was also the fact that Quinlan looked different than he had sine he had seen all of them last. Most noticeably he had bleached his hair an icy white, a stark contrast from his previous dirty blonde locks. It was an impulsive move on his part, a true 'fuck-it' decision he had made during his first year in college, but he had grown quite fond of it and it had stuck.
When he finally arrived he found the door to the place to be unlocked, Quinlan wasn't exactly late but he wasn't really early either. There was the faint sound of music and chatter pouring out softly as he stepped inside, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep himself grounded. There were already quite a few people inside, some he recognized others he didn't. Quinn found himself sticking to the edges of the walls at first, observing the action rather than engaging. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for that yet. His eyes trailed up to the stage where the music was being performed and he found his lips parting in surprise as he really recognized the person front lining the band. Soren. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't quite describe, and a flurry of memories from high school came flooding back at once. He really needed a drink.
Quinn waited until Soren's band finished up and pushed himself off the wall making his way to the bar. He froze however as he saw who was bartending, Erin Monahan, someone who definitely would not be happy to see his face. Was this even a good idea? He quickly decided that there would be a better time to get a drink and turned around running smack into Jamie Blackburn. Quinn's stomach instantly twisted into knots. "No way. Quinlan fucking Rothschild. I didn't think you'd show. Like the hair, suits you".
"Jamie" Quinn's tone was indifferent although it held the tiniest bit of malice.
"How's the family?" He said his lips turning up into the slightest smirk.
"Wouldn't you like to know" Quinlan said angrily under his breath. Of course it was like Jamie to bring up something like this. He went to push past him but Jamie slide slightly to the side blocking his path.
"You know they really got rather unlucky when they went window-shopping for you, I-" Quinlan's expression stopped Jamie in his tracks as his gaze darkened. "Listen Blackburn, I didn't come here to hear what you thought about me okay? So I suggest you just leave me the hell alone". Quinn's expression turned into one of shock as Jamie burst into laughter, it definitely wasn't something he expected. "Oh you haven't changed a bit have you?" Jamie's gaze strayed down to Quinn's wrist, "Nice watch".
"Give it to me".
Quinn's eyes widened and his face flushed slightly as the demand completely threw him off. "W-what?" Jamie shook his head slightly to the side, "Oh come on Quinn, you know how this goes... you give me what I ask for and I won't-" Quinlan practically ripped the watch off of his wrist and flung it into Jamie's chest. It had been a Christmas present from his mother. "You got what you asked so I kindly ask you again to leave me the hell alone" Quinn didn't even wait for his response as he pushed past him and beelined straight for the bar. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was exactly sure if he was going to survive this night after all. Quinn had completely forgotten about Erin but she seemed to be absent from her spot at the bar. Great. He took a seat anyway at the counter, rubbing his wrist slightly where the watch had been trying to level his breathing. This was fine. Everything would be fine.
The flight from Seattle to New York was long. Five and a half hours long. There was a baby in the back crying and the flight attendants “accidentally” bumped into him during any occasion. “Excuse me Miss?” He said flagging down the stewardess. “Can I have another Scotch and Soda please?” She glanced down at his drink trying hard to hide her confusion. After all this was the fifth time he had asked for a drink, and hadn't touched a single one. Quinn had asked her to change it every time the ice cubes completely melted. "Of course" She said quietly and grabbed his full glass, disappearing. Quinn was too anxious to drink but the glass of alcohol in front of him seemed to make him feel better. Even if he couldn't bring himself to touch it.
His hotel was nice. In fact, it was probably grandeur to most people but Quinlan had seen better in his lifetime. His father had thousands of points from travel and even though Quinn had protested he insisted on getting the hotel for him. The room felt just as vacant as his apartment back home, other than his mother visiting and trying to liven the space it had been fairly empty other than the necessities. The venue wasn't far either he could've walked if he had really wanted to.
Quinn had gotten there a day early as he wanted to explore New York a little. There was no denying that he had felt different the moment he stepped out of the hotel, he was almost 3,000mi from home. 3,000mi from everything that had been saying him down in life. It felt a little freeing. Quinlan had made sure to dress rather causal as he took a day to explore the city - he even took the subway, well once. Which was honestly a terrifying experience. He never knew public transport was so hellish. The day itself had been fun, more fun than he had ever had in a while.
Quinlan now found himself staring at his appearance in the bathroom mirror. God, when had he started looked so tired? He washed his face a few times to bring some color back into his skin tone which seemed to help, maybe he was just overthinking things. Since when did he care so much about what others thought of him, let alone near strangers. Adjusting his cufflinks, he straightened his collar as he hoped that he wasn't overdressed, what did people wear to a reunion? There was also the fact that Quinlan looked different than he had sine he had seen all of them last. Most noticeably he had bleached his hair an icy white, a stark contrast from his previous dirty blonde locks. It was an impulsive move on his part, a true 'fuck-it' decision he had made during his first year in college, but he had grown quite fond of it and it had stuck.
When he finally arrived he found the door to the place to be unlocked, Quinlan wasn't exactly late but he wasn't really early either. There was the faint sound of music and chatter pouring out softly as he stepped inside, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep himself grounded. There were already quite a few people inside, some he recognized others he didn't. Quinn found himself sticking to the edges of the walls at first, observing the action rather than engaging. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for that yet. His eyes trailed up to the stage where the music was being performed and he found his lips parting in surprise as he really recognized the person front lining the band. Soren. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't quite describe, and a flurry of memories from high school came flooding back at once. He really needed a drink.
Quinn waited until Soren's band finished up and pushed himself off the wall making his way to the bar. He froze however as he saw who was bartending, Erin Monahan, someone who definitely would not be happy to see his face. Was this even a good idea? He quickly decided that there would be a better time to get a drink and turned around running smack into Jamie Blackburn. Quinn's stomach instantly twisted into knots. "No way. Quinlan fucking Rothschild. I didn't think you'd show. Like the hair, suits you".
"Jamie" Quinn's tone was indifferent although it held the tiniest bit of malice.
"How's the family?" He said his lips turning up into the slightest smirk.
"Wouldn't you like to know" Quinlan said angrily under his breath. Of course it was like Jamie to bring up something like this. He went to push past him but Jamie slide slightly to the side blocking his path.
"You know they really got rather unlucky when they went window-shopping for you, I-" Quinlan's expression stopped Jamie in his tracks as his gaze darkened. "Listen Blackburn, I didn't come here to hear what you thought about me okay? So I suggest you just leave me the hell alone". Quinn's expression turned into one of shock as Jamie burst into laughter, it definitely wasn't something he expected. "Oh you haven't changed a bit have you?" Jamie's gaze strayed down to Quinn's wrist, "Nice watch".
"Give it to me".
Quinn's eyes widened and his face flushed slightly as the demand completely threw him off. "W-what?" Jamie shook his head slightly to the side, "Oh come on Quinn, you know how this goes... you give me what I ask for and I won't-" Quinlan practically ripped the watch off of his wrist and flung it into Jamie's chest. It had been a Christmas present from his mother. "You got what you asked so I kindly ask you again to leave me the hell alone" Quinn didn't even wait for his response as he pushed past him and beelined straight for the bar. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was exactly sure if he was going to survive this night after all. Quinn had completely forgotten about Erin but she seemed to be absent from her spot at the bar. Great. He took a seat anyway at the counter, rubbing his wrist slightly where the watch had been trying to level his breathing. This was fine. Everything would be fine.
Shane Tompson
xxxSometimes I wish you would leave me
xxxWhoa I'm not sick of you yet
xxxIs that as good as it gets?
xxxI'll just hide it
xxxI could slip into you
xxxIt's so easy to come back into you
The few months that lead up to the party had been some of the busiest and stressful days Shane had experienced in the past few years. She was still managing to set up his small studio apartment as well as being sure of where he wanted to take up shop in New York. Whether to work from home like he always did, or decide to open up shop like a few people had been recommending him to do for a while now over social media. He had so much to decide on and work with he wasn’t sure about what to do. He always had time to decide on a more permanent decision later, now he had to decide on his final choice for the party. He was contacted out of the blue from Jamie, a highly unlikely exchange he hadn’t been expecting. Things ended badly between the two after a small altercation with Jamie before they all lost contact. Initially he was skeptical, especially after how things between the two of them ended. But after seeing that Camilla was going, and a few others, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hopefully patch some things up with people he had falling outs with, as well as having a chance at making things up to Erin, since Jamie explicitly had hired her as a bartender. He was happy for her, he honestly was when he heard that she not only managed to get her life in order too and make a name for herself by taking over the old place her parents used to work at, but was now pulling out with gigs and parties. Seeing everyone again after all this time was going to be something he wasn’t entirely sure of how it would end, as long as he stayed sober and didn’t drink too much he should be fine. Everything should be fine. At least it’s what he kept telling himself. He remembered the last real party they all had, at least the one he last went to. He found himself shaking those thoughts from his head as he needed to think of what could happen tonight-no, what would happen. It was going to be a party with some of his old friends, and they were going to have a good time and catch up on things that had happened since high school. After all, their dreams had all taken off and some had even been around the world and Shane wanted to be able to hear all their stories and just enjoy himself, and it was what he was going to do.
Shane found himself waking up all too late after another long night of staying up and working on overdue projects. Something he had found himself getting the habit of. He quickly got up and showered and threw together an outfit, not caring what he looked like. He knew he was probably going to look far too casual for one of Jamie Blackburn’s legendary parties, but he didn’t care. He was going as himself, and not the artist and photographer that he had spent the past few years slowly building up. Shane waited for enough time to roll around and after sending Camilla a quick text to confirm she was in fact still going, even though he knew she’d most likely ignore it, he gathered a jacket and some other things and quickly left his small apartment.
The city air felt nice on his skin as he exited the complex and began his walk to the address he had been messaged. He was going to be a bit late, but it didn’t bother him too much, he had more important things to worry about than being late to a Blackburn party. He found himself arriving at the apartment a bit faster than he initially thought, and after making sure he infact had everything he’d need he entered the complex. Shane was surprised when he found himself being rather early in comparison, as he made his way through the apartment.
Stopping as Jamie Blackburn, in the flesh came up to him with a large grin on his face. “Holy shit! Shane? It’s so good to see you, I thought you’d flake out last minute!” Jamie exclaimed as he gave Shane a brief hug and handshake. Shane found himself rolling his eyes slightly at his comment, only giving a small chuckle. “Oh hey, Jamie. What do you mean you think I’d flake out on one of your legendary parties? Of course I would be here, especially with both Beautiful Strangers and then Camilla Rhodes, frontwoman of Sophie’s Valentine being here? How could I pass that up?” he said with a sly grin. Jamie couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at Shane’s comment of having two very prominent people at his party, “Well, if I’m going to throw a party, might as well have some of the best faces music has to offer, huh? Plus, I figured I’d have Cam be here, since...well, you know.” he said with a smirk and wink, which Shane was only able to flush multiple shades of red. “Okay look, I thought we decided to not talk about that, okay? So watch yourself, Blackburn.” Shane said as he stepped passed Jamie, pushing him aside with his shoulder.
Shane hung to the back parts of the apartment as more people slowly began to arrive, losing sight of Jamie in the crowd as he gave him a slight glare for a moment before being distracted by an all too familiar face. He felt his heart pound in his chest as he saw Erin Monahan herself, tending the bar. He licked his lips and swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. He hadn’t seen her in years, but even after all this time she still looked the same. Just with more tattoos and slightly older, which wasn’t a bad thing. She simply just grew into her looks and style, which was something that hadn’t changed at all. Something he was happy to see. After all this time, she was still the same.
Shane found himself smiling a little as he slowly made his way through the crowd and over to the bar, stopping as the two of them made eye contact. An awkward chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to think of something, anything to say to help break the awkwardness he felt. “Hey, Erin. It’s great to see you again, uh...I hope everything has been good on your end.” he said with a small smile, looking down at the floor before he looked back up as he heard her speak. Saying how it was good to see him again too, which he knew she was only saying to be polite and hold face for the sake of her bar. “I’ll get out of your hair but uh, before that. Mind getting me a drink? Whatever your bar’s special is, is fine with me.” Shane said with a small smile, watching as she poured him a glass, sliding it towards him. He took a glass happily, holding it in the air as he gave a small cheers gesture being excusing himself and made it through the crowd once more. At least she didn’t want to kill him on sight, that was all he could be thankful for at least. Shane was getting lost in the music and the overall vibe of the party as he looked over his shoulder and smiled. Seeing two people he was hoping would be here, but hadn’t expected them to arrive after he did. Khepri and Camilla, who were looking fantastic just as always, which brought a smile to his face. He gave them a small nod and smile, before they had been greeted by Jamie. He turned away and found himself dancing in the crowd for a little while as the band started to play another song, one he had to admit wasn’t entirely horrible. His attention was taken aback when he felt his hat being taken off and heard an all too familiar voice come from behind him. Turning on his heels a large smile overtook his face as he saw Camilla. “Holy shit, Cam! You’re looking-Like, how shit. You look fantastic, as always. But I doubt you needed anyone to tell you that. It’s so good to see you.” he said with a smile, he would have gone in for a hug but, he kept himself composed enough.
A sly grin overtook him at her comment as she handed back his hat, which he only placed atop her head as they turned and walked away from the main group of people and off to the side where a few couches were. “I know you’ve kind of become Miss Rich and Famous and all, which is well deserved and I’m happy for you, really am. But, I’m just glad you hadn’t forgotten about us small people.” he said with a smile, but noticed how she had been looking past him. He couldn’t tell exactly what she was looking at but, had noticed the change in her overall demeanor and wasn’t surprised when she said she had to excuse herself for now and that they’d talk later. He gave her a nod and watched as she walked off in the direction of Soren, having seen that since he was so busy with talking to Camilla, that Erin had left the bar to go and talk to Soren. Some things just never changed, he guessed. Taking a sip of his drink, he went to look around the apartment and see who else he could talk to, if anyone. As well as he had something he needed to do.
Shane found himself waking up all too late after another long night of staying up and working on overdue projects. Something he had found himself getting the habit of. He quickly got up and showered and threw together an outfit, not caring what he looked like. He knew he was probably going to look far too casual for one of Jamie Blackburn’s legendary parties, but he didn’t care. He was going as himself, and not the artist and photographer that he had spent the past few years slowly building up. Shane waited for enough time to roll around and after sending Camilla a quick text to confirm she was in fact still going, even though he knew she’d most likely ignore it, he gathered a jacket and some other things and quickly left his small apartment.
The city air felt nice on his skin as he exited the complex and began his walk to the address he had been messaged. He was going to be a bit late, but it didn’t bother him too much, he had more important things to worry about than being late to a Blackburn party. He found himself arriving at the apartment a bit faster than he initially thought, and after making sure he infact had everything he’d need he entered the complex. Shane was surprised when he found himself being rather early in comparison, as he made his way through the apartment.
Stopping as Jamie Blackburn, in the flesh came up to him with a large grin on his face. “Holy shit! Shane? It’s so good to see you, I thought you’d flake out last minute!” Jamie exclaimed as he gave Shane a brief hug and handshake. Shane found himself rolling his eyes slightly at his comment, only giving a small chuckle. “Oh hey, Jamie. What do you mean you think I’d flake out on one of your legendary parties? Of course I would be here, especially with both Beautiful Strangers and then Camilla Rhodes, frontwoman of Sophie’s Valentine being here? How could I pass that up?” he said with a sly grin. Jamie couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at Shane’s comment of having two very prominent people at his party, “Well, if I’m going to throw a party, might as well have some of the best faces music has to offer, huh? Plus, I figured I’d have Cam be here, since...well, you know.” he said with a smirk and wink, which Shane was only able to flush multiple shades of red. “Okay look, I thought we decided to not talk about that, okay? So watch yourself, Blackburn.” Shane said as he stepped passed Jamie, pushing him aside with his shoulder.
Shane hung to the back parts of the apartment as more people slowly began to arrive, losing sight of Jamie in the crowd as he gave him a slight glare for a moment before being distracted by an all too familiar face. He felt his heart pound in his chest as he saw Erin Monahan herself, tending the bar. He licked his lips and swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. He hadn’t seen her in years, but even after all this time she still looked the same. Just with more tattoos and slightly older, which wasn’t a bad thing. She simply just grew into her looks and style, which was something that hadn’t changed at all. Something he was happy to see. After all this time, she was still the same.
Shane found himself smiling a little as he slowly made his way through the crowd and over to the bar, stopping as the two of them made eye contact. An awkward chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to think of something, anything to say to help break the awkwardness he felt. “Hey, Erin. It’s great to see you again, uh...I hope everything has been good on your end.” he said with a small smile, looking down at the floor before he looked back up as he heard her speak. Saying how it was good to see him again too, which he knew she was only saying to be polite and hold face for the sake of her bar. “I’ll get out of your hair but uh, before that. Mind getting me a drink? Whatever your bar’s special is, is fine with me.” Shane said with a small smile, watching as she poured him a glass, sliding it towards him. He took a glass happily, holding it in the air as he gave a small cheers gesture being excusing himself and made it through the crowd once more. At least she didn’t want to kill him on sight, that was all he could be thankful for at least. Shane was getting lost in the music and the overall vibe of the party as he looked over his shoulder and smiled. Seeing two people he was hoping would be here, but hadn’t expected them to arrive after he did. Khepri and Camilla, who were looking fantastic just as always, which brought a smile to his face. He gave them a small nod and smile, before they had been greeted by Jamie. He turned away and found himself dancing in the crowd for a little while as the band started to play another song, one he had to admit wasn’t entirely horrible. His attention was taken aback when he felt his hat being taken off and heard an all too familiar voice come from behind him. Turning on his heels a large smile overtook his face as he saw Camilla. “Holy shit, Cam! You’re looking-Like, how shit. You look fantastic, as always. But I doubt you needed anyone to tell you that. It’s so good to see you.” he said with a smile, he would have gone in for a hug but, he kept himself composed enough.
A sly grin overtook him at her comment as she handed back his hat, which he only placed atop her head as they turned and walked away from the main group of people and off to the side where a few couches were. “I know you’ve kind of become Miss Rich and Famous and all, which is well deserved and I’m happy for you, really am. But, I’m just glad you hadn’t forgotten about us small people.” he said with a smile, but noticed how she had been looking past him. He couldn’t tell exactly what she was looking at but, had noticed the change in her overall demeanor and wasn’t surprised when she said she had to excuse herself for now and that they’d talk later. He gave her a nod and watched as she walked off in the direction of Soren, having seen that since he was so busy with talking to Camilla, that Erin had left the bar to go and talk to Soren. Some things just never changed, he guessed. Taking a sip of his drink, he went to look around the apartment and see who else he could talk to, if anyone. As well as he had something he needed to do.
Nate hadn’t talked to most of the old group in years; whether they’d just lost contact, or refused to talk to him, or whatever. It didn’t make much of a difference, logistically. It all hurt, but Nate would be lying if he said he didn’t understand it. He’d made terrible choices, and whether that resulted in someone getting hurt, or himself being forgotten, in the end he probably earned the cold shoulder he was facing. Somehow, in some twisted part of his mind, that made it a little easier to stomach.
He had been a little surprised when Jamie sent him a message, inviting him to a party. Jamie had walked away from the group without a glance back, gone on to better things. Nate had always assumed he’d moved on and didn’t think of the rest of them as anything more than nostalgic pieces of his childhood. But apparently he missed them. Or, some of them, or maybe just the way being a part of a group made him feel. He had to work until right before the party, and as much as he wanted to see his old friends, everything had ended on such a bad note. He told Jamie he would try to come, and he left it at that. Then Camilla sent him a message, just checking in on him, and he decided that he would go.
He was going to be a little late, but when wasn’t he? He had to head back home to shower and get changed; smelling like donuts wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it wasn’t really what he was going for. Not that he had a signature smell, or even an actual look, but nobody enjoys smelling like work at a party.
Beautiful Strangers was in full swing when he arrived. He’d always liked them okay, and he had to admit they were better than they’d been back in high school. He scanned the crowd for a moment, trying to pick out what to do, who to see. He saw that Erin was manning the bar, which felt a little awkward to him, so he decided to put off getting a drink. He probably shouldn’t drink too much, anyway; it looked like the kind of party Nate could easily ruin if he had too much to drink.
It wasn’t long before Nate heard a familiar voice from beside him, “Hey! You made it, after all.”
Nate turned to smile at Jamie, “Yeah, I made it work.” Jamie seemed happy enough to see him, and Nate wasn't sure how he felt about that. Jamie had walked away from the group so easily when things got tough in the end, so he didn't really know what to think of him anymore.
Jamie started to say something else, but his attention was quickly drawn elsewhere. He flashed an apologetic smile at Nate, “I need to go talk to somebody, but I’ll see you later.”
Nate doubted that, but he decided not to dwell on it, and just waved Jamie away. A glance in the direction of the bar told him that Erin wasn’t there, so that was his next destination. He didn’t let the bar being unmanned stop him from getting a drink, but he didn’t linger there for too long. He did some mingling, some people watching. He remembered these parties being a lot more fun. Maybe he’d just had more friends back then. “Hey, Nate,” It was Jamie again, “Can I ask you something?” Nate wasn’t sure what Jamie could possibly want from him, but he didn’t get much of a chance to think it over before Jamie went on, “How are you really doing?”
The question seemed nice enough, and Nate knew that Jamie was vaguely familiar with the fact that Nate had struggled in the not-so-distant past, but Nate couldn’t say he fully understand the purpose of the question, “Everything’s fine, I-”
“I just thought, isn’t it a little embarrassing? Seeing all your old friends succeeding, and you’re doing what? Nothing?” Nate opened his mouth to try to say something, to defend himself, but Jamie didn’t give him much of a chance, “I mean, if you’re happy, that’s what matters, but I can’t help but think about how you don’t seem to have gotten over what happened to Kyle. You just seem a little stuck.”
Nate shook his head, “No, I-”
Jamie interrupted him again, which was starting to get frustrating, “Or is that just an excuse I’m making for you?”
Nate blinked a few times, as if he thought this was some sort of dream he could wake up from, or some trick of the eye, “What?”
“I mean, let’s be honest, Nate, I know life is easier when you’re relying on everyone around you to pick up the pieces-”
This time, Nate did the interrupting, “Is that why you invited me? To make you feel better about yourself?” Nate shook his head, he was fairly sure that whatever this was, it wasn’t really about him.
Then Jamie opened his stupid mouth again, “I mean, it’s really not that hard to feel okay about myself when you’re such a lazy piece of shit.” Nate had heard those words, or some variation, for most of his life, and before he really knew what he was doing, he felt his hand connect squarely to Jamie’s smug face. Jamie held a hand to his jaw, looking more surprised than he had a right to, “What the hell?”
Nate knew immediately that he shouldn’t have done that, but he was still seeing red; so, pointing right to Jamie’s chest, he replied with, “Stay in your own fucking lane, asshole.” He could feel eyes on him, he knew people were staring. Shit. Turning to walk away only confirmed it, people were staring at him. Wonderful.
outfit | #8B008B
Nobody move, there's blood on the floor
And I can't find my heart
Where did it go? Did I leave it in the cold?
So please give it back, 'cause it's not yours to take
It must've fell when I lost my mind
Deep in the cut, drowning in a pain
Somebody help, 'cause I can't find my way
Nobody move, nobody move.
-"Them Changes," Thundercat
And I can't find my heart
Where did it go? Did I leave it in the cold?
So please give it back, 'cause it's not yours to take
It must've fell when I lost my mind
Deep in the cut, drowning in a pain
Somebody help, 'cause I can't find my way
Nobody move, nobody move.
-"Them Changes," Thundercat
"My last question for you, Luba," Gemma said as she slid her index finger down the notebook page to question #5, "is this: if you could go back in time and give your teenage self advice, what would it be?"
Frizzy-haired Luba leaned back in her armchair wearing a tight yellow crop top, a black choker, and brick red lipstick: the farthest thing from proper Hasidic women's attire possible. She had escaped her sect after bearing twins at the age of nineteen, and was now one of the many subjects a part of Gemma's unorthodox documentary.
"If I could go back in time and talk to my teenage self," Luba said, repeating the question like Gemma had instructed, "I'd tell her not to keep her head down. That's what us girls were always told - 'keep your head down.' We couldn't be anything more than modest. Had to keep ourselves covered up, couldn't talk or sing too loud...I think I'd tell her 'it's your story,' y'know? There's a Hebrew saying...'Im ein ani li, mi li?' If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? You need to think for yourself. Live for yourself. It's not arrogance or selfishness. Others can try to force you how to think, but you'll burst at the seams if you keep your true identity hidden. I think I've learned how to do that now."
Luba smiled. A few seconds of peaceful silence until Gemma called 'cut,' and that was that. Emilio cheered, "That's a wrap, everyone!" and the six-man crew packed their equipment into tiny black suitcases. They were out in a matter of minutes.
"Thank you so much for doing this!" Gemma said as she hugged Luba goodbye on the brownstone steps of the woman's residency.
"Of course! Thank you for having me! Let me know when it's done. I want to see the finished product."
"Of course," Gemma traipsed down the steps, adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, then stopped on the sidewalk, remembering something.
"Hey...how do you say that phrase? The Hebrew one? It was beautiful."
Luba gave a proud grin. "Im ein ani li, mi li?"
"Im ein ani li, mi li?" Gemma recited slowly, trying to copy Luba's inflection. The words felt smooth on her tongue.
"You got it. Now you're the one repeating questions. Remember it always."
Luba winked as she strutted back to her door, "Have a good night."
"You too."
A never-ending ride on the L train later, Gemma was back in her Lower East Side townhouse trying on outfits for Jamie Blackburn's last-minute soirée. Jamie Blackburn...that was a name she never expected to hear again, let alone reunite with. She had no idea who else he invited or what kind of party he was hosting. When she asked him over text what kind of attire to wear for his get-together, all he replied was, Like it's the New Years Eve of 1999.
She had no idea how he got her new number in the first place, but was happy to see him again. Who had he grown up to be? Hopefully not a politician, like she imagined. Had he reached out to the other members of their old posse? They ruled their school back then. Some of them she felt excited to meet again, others she would have preferred to leave behind in the pages of her yearbook. But through it all, she wondered...did they still hold grudges? Perhaps Jamie's intentions for this party were good, but he had a bad habit of being more optimistic than reasonable.
Gemma settled on Doc Martens, black jeans, a cami and a sheer top, plated with little gold stars. Not too hoity toity, and not too low-key. She heard the front door creak open downstairs. Austin was home. She quickly put on some gold hoops and grabbed her purse, then bolted down the stairs.
Dinner - vegetable ratatouille - was already on the table. Gemma got used to cooking for the two of them. She didn't mind, really. Most of her film work was irregular, or from home. She had more time on her hands than her fiance did. He was already sitting at the table, talking on the phone with someone. "I clearly explained to him he couldn't cancel the day of, it's policy! Just meet that asshole later, okay?"
Gemma gave him a peck on the cheek. His beard scruff was getting scratchier. "I don't care what you gotta do, just make sure he's learned his lesson. Yeah, like last time. Call me when you get there. Bye."
"Who were you talking to?" Gemma took a seat on the opposite side of the table and shoveled forkfuls of sautéed mushrooms into her mouth.
"Friend of Dad's. Some prick decided to make a very last-minute cancellation. One of our bands was supposed to play at his house party. He already signed the contract, we paid the band's travel expenses, and he replaced them! It's a shitshow. Giovanni and his boys are surprising him tonight."
Suddenly, the mushrooms in Gemma's mouth tasted bland. She knew what kind of "surprise" this was.
"Why can't you just sue him in court? You'd earn the money back and more."
Austin made a half-chuckle, half-scoffing sound: as if to suggest what she said was childlike in reason. "Nah, this guy's practically a Kennedy. Bound to have a good lawyer. We do this tonight, he won't screw anyone else over again."
Gemma shrugged. It was no use bickering with him. What did she know about extortion, intimidation? It wasn't her world. She chewed and swallowed it from her father, Austin, and all the men in her life, and accepted it. She didn't have the power to change anything.
Austin eyed her up and down as she stabbed her fork through more vegetables. "Where you going?" he asked.
"Out," she replied.
"Where?"
"That get-together my high school friend is hosting."
"Looking like that?" his brows rose. "Must be a pretty good friend..."
Gemma dropped her utensil and glared at him, her irises sharper than the prongs of her fork. "I told you, you can come if you want! It's not a problem."
"Gem, did you hear anything I just said? I have to take a call later!"
"Take the call at the party!"
Austin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sighed. "You know what, I'm not arguing with you. Have fun with your high school friend. Don't come crying to me when you get pregnant."
Gemma snorted. "Like I'd cry to you about that, Lord knows you don't try with me..."
She shuddered as soon as the words came out. A part of her wondered if Austin knew that she knew. He wasn't very good at hiding things, after all. Many long seconds of painful silence passed. Austin rose from his chair and walked up to Gemma, his fingers turned to fists. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain bound to come next...
Instead, he grabbed her dinner plate, and threw it right in the trash.
Austin returned to his seat and continued eating his dinner.
"Just go to your goddamn party, Gem," he grumbled.
She could feel tears welling in the back of her eyes. Without saying a word, Gemma rose, shoved her chair into the table, snatched her purse, and slammed the front door as she left.
Fortunately, Jamie's apartment was only seven blocks away from her townhouse. They'd lived near each other for years and never even knew. Thinking about it made the pit in her stomach grow. She could have reconciled with him. She could have visited him after they'd graduated college, could have had him as a friend again. Instead, she'd let someone else fill her loneliness. Someone her father had introduced her to, someone who treated her like trash. Not to say Jamie didn't have asshole-like qualities himself, but getting high with him seemed like a far better alternative to marrying Austin Di Mino. Sometimes, she couldn't believe this was her actual life. As she marched to Jamie's apartment with tears streaming down her face, Gemma vowed to herself that she would go to this party and never come back.
She arrived twenty-five minutes late. Not a faux pas, considering this was a New York City party. However, it was embarrassing thinking about the greetings she'd have to reciprocate while her face looked puffy and her mascara was most likely running. As she used one thumb to ring Jamie's apartment buzzer, she used the other to wipe under her eyes - just in case it was running. Gemma stood on the doorstep for a long while; she wondered if Jamie could even hear the buzzer, what with the rowdy company he usually kept. Before she could change her mind and walk towards the direction of Union Square, Jamie Blackburn opened his front door, catching the back of her head.
"G? Is that you?"
Gemma turned around. After so many years, Jamie Blackburn had maintained his star athlete physique. Most men changed dramatically in their 20's, but Jamie looked just the same as Gemma remembered him from school. Same sandy hair, same muscular forearms. There was just one difference between him now and the old photos she kept of him on her Facebook profile: his eyes. They looked deeper. Matured. They'd seen things, she could tell.
He cradled his lower jaw in his hand. "Hey," Gemma said, noticing his shaking fingers. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. Come on in." Well that was a gruff response. This wasn't the Jamie she talked to on the phone a week ago.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Gemma grabbed his wrist before he could stride back inside. He removed his hand from his face. His cheek burned a bright scarlet color. Ouch.
"What's going on?"
Jamie stood in silence. She knew that lost, pouty face of his. It was his "I don't need your help today, thank you," face.
"Okay. Look...I had a rough start to my evening. We're talking while I take a smoke."
He sighed, but obliged with a small nod. Gemma and Jamie leaned against the complex's stone wall as she retrieved a little yellow lighter and a Camel Cigarettes packet from her handbag. She kept all her cloves inside regular old boxes, just in case. She was paranoid like that.
"Can I have one?" Jamie asked.
"This isn't weed," she smirked.
"I don't give a fuck."
She plucked another clove from the packet and handed it over, lit it as it dangled between his perfect white teeth. He took a drag, then coughed. Gemma chuckled under her breath.
"First time?" He puckered his lips and made a face of disgust, as though he'd just sucked on a lemon.
"That's not a fucking Camel either."
"Now lick your lips," she said. He did. Jamie made a quizzical face as the clove's sweet aftertaste danced across his tongue. He gazed at Gemma.
"Jesus Christ, G," he said, "you look well. Like, you're literally glowing. Like a fucking planetarium."
"And you look like a pile of shit," she replied. It surprised her Jamie was one of the few people she could be herself around. Co-hosting parties with him made her immune to his bouts of rage, his ignorant remarks and devilish yet dangerous charm. They'd picked up right where they'd left off.
Jamie took another drag - this time able to hold it in. "This party was a big fucking mistake."
Gemma exhaled. "And why is that? I'm assuming you got that red spot by drunkenly pissing someone off? I mean, who could forget that time Kenny Hewitt slammed you into my dad's bar cart..."
Jamie smiled and rolled his eyes. "Nah, Nate socked me this time," he said. "Camilla's already powdering her nose. Erin and Shane are just being...themselves, and Quinlan threw his multi-million dollar watch at me," he retrieved it from his pants pocket and handed it over to Gemma. "Also I think Soren just groped me."
Gemma inspected the fine jewelery. It was so sleek, it felt like water in her hands. "Nah, this isn't a million dollars. My dad sells this brand. Damn expensive, though. Quinlan's got taste."
"Keep it," Jamie said, pointing his clove down to her left hand, "matches that rock of yours."
Sometimes Gemma forgot she wore an engagement ring. She looked down at her hand. The white sapphire diamond gleamed beautifully in the setting sunlight. Technically, she was a lucky girl to have received such a treasure. She could only imagine how many Wedding Day Pinterest boards it was posted to, how many bridezillas would kill for her ring. Well, they could have it - Gemma would rather throw it into the fiery depths of Mordor.
"Oh this thing?" she said, waving it in Jamie's face, "Doesn't mean shit, man."
For some reason, this made him laugh. He shook his head, and looked at her with an intensity she hadn't seen in years. "You're lucky you're not alone, 'cause you're a stone cold bitch, Gemma Donati."
Blowing smoke in her face, he threw his clove to the ground and stomped it out with his sneaker heel. "Thanks for the cig. Hit the spot and cheered me up." With a new pep in his step, he hopped up his brownstone staircase, looking back at Gemma once he reached the door. "You coming?"
"I'll be there in a few," she said. After hearing about the group members who'd shown, Gemma needed a moment or two to compose herself.
"Okay. When you're ready, just hit the buzzer below mine. He'll let you through," Jamie said. "And Gemma? Remember to smile. It's a beautiful fuckin' day."
Gemma shook her head as he dazzled her with an over-the-top grin. And with that, he disappeared. With another drag from her clove, she inspected Quinlan's watch. Curious, she fastened the beauty to her wrist. Jamie was right: it did match her ring well.
Khepri didn't even hear her personal phone going off as she was too busy chewing out whatever poor sucker was on the other end of a phone call. "No! No, listen to me Eddie, your client had his chance. I asked you, I fucking asked you at the beginning to settle. But, no, you didn't. You thought me and Chris were bluffing, that we didn't have shit. Those were your words, Eddie, not mine." Khepri's fiance was chuckling as he finished packing the last of his things with the help of her assistant, Rosie as Khepri kept talking, seemingly faster and more aggressive not even letting the man get a word in. "But, I think you forgot who I was, what I do, and who I work for. I'm not some gossip columnist at a bullshit online blog. Every speeding ticket, every accusation, every lie he's told his goddamn wife in their house, I will find out." How did she find these things out? Who cares. Not important. "And when I do find out," When she finally saw the notification on her phone, she waved to get one of their attention and pointed to it. Chris handed it to her and kissed her cheek before letting her return to her rampage. "I'm going nail him to the fucking wall. You thought you could best me at my own game but, turns out you were never even a player. Make sure to watch out for my article tomorrow at 8 p.m, when Chris and I are going to make your client look like a joke." Just like that she changed the tone in her voice as she messed with her sleeked back ponytail. "Tell Helena and the kids, we said hi." Just like that she hung up the phone, unlocking her personal phone to see what Cam had to say. "Do you always have to be so ruthless, I thought that was my job." Khepri looked at the smirk on his face before rolling her eyes. "It is your job, I'm just better at it."
Her fiance laughed sarcastically before hurling a balled-up pillowcase towards the woman in front of him whose nose was in her phone. When it hit her, she 'tsked' before throwing it back. "You're a child." Chris smiled. Her assistant, at this point, was packing up the rest of her things and cleared her throat. "Okay, that's everything. Mr. Nadar, your flight leaves in 2 hours. Miss. Mahajan, the article is good to go for tomorrow night, your schedule is cleared for day to brainstorm other stories and catch up with your friends who are coming into town." She scoffed. "Perfect. I will see you in two weeks and enjoy your time off. Enjoy the sun for me." She chuckled as she waved the redhead off before the door closed. With the click of the door, Chris looked back at her. "You really should see them." The young woman groaned as she turned her attention to the emerald dress on her bed. She didn't have much time to change until Cam picked her up and as much as she dreaded it, she promised her friends she'd go. "I'm just saying you haven't seen a lot of them since we moved, since you graduated, do they even know we're--..."
"Yes, they know. Jesus, and there's a reason I haven't seen them all together. I wasn't exactly the picture of perfection when I was younger and I really don't like being reminded of it." Not to mention that Jamie Blackburn was the devil. She adored her friends, she did. "I bet you were pretty perfect." She scoffed. "Not to mention, I'm kind of busy thinking of or finding stories aren't complete bullshit." Chris sighed deeply as he looked at Khepri. "You can sigh all you want, you get to do your job. You get to travel, you get to represent and be around the most influential people in the world, you get to be out there in the action while I'm stuck at a goddamn desk at The New York Times. It's been two months! How much longer are they going to look at like this frail little bird ready to jump off a cliff."
"I told you what we worked out, six to eight months." Khepri rolled her eyes as she zipped up the back of her dress. "Khepri, it's not that they don't think you can't do your job. It's because they want to let your body and mind heal." She threw her hands up. "I am healed!" She was being a lot more aggressive than she needed to be. But, Chris was used to it at this point as he laid on the bed. "Clearly with that attitude." He said with a sarcastic tone. She moved from behind the closet door to show her fiance the green dress on her but also held up two other dresses in her hands: a red and a black one for comparison. He shook his head and pointed towards her. "The one you're wearing, you look great in green and everyone wears red and black." She put the other two back before stepping out of the walk-in and looking for the finishing touches. "I overwork myself a little too much and no everyone thinks I'm incompetent." She said as she slid on her gold engagement bracelets from both of their parents, a tradition in Indian culture, and started to put on a necklace only for Chris to help her clip the back when she couldn't get it because of her nails.
"Pri, no one thinks you're incompetent, no one's that stupid. They just want to make sure you're okay and making sure you're actually taking care of yourself." She sighed. He turned her around and left his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, it's four more months. Finish therapy, stay on your sleep schedule, relax and then you're back to annoying the shit out of the most powerful people in the world with me in no time, okay?" Before she could answer, her phone went off again this time from the front desk of their apartment building."And that's Camilla. Look, enjoy yourself, talk to your friends, and I'll call you the second I laid in Amsterdam. Alright?" He kissed her forehead as she groaned. "Okay." He let her go and started to head for the door with his luggage in tow. "Since when do you kiss my forehead?" Before he closed the door, he looked back at Pri with a smirk. "Since I realized that's the only way to calm down my aggressive and anxious know it all of a fiancee" Before she could even say anything, he winked and let the door close behind him. She scoffed once more before taking a deep breath. Finally, she was alone. She liked Chris, she did. He was a great guy who wanted to make sure she took care of herself. But, it made it impossible to do her job surrounded by people who refused to let her go through her 'creative process' This was the longest time they were living in the same place one another since their engagement about a year and a half ago. Three months of having to manage her intake and actually sleep at a normal time.
She wasn't used to it and she hated it. She opened one of her dressers and reached towards the back for a bag of orange pills: Adderall. Go figure, making the workaholic go cold turkey and go to therapy after fainting at work didn't actually do anything. But, she was doing better. Just one to help her get through the night so she could socialize and then come back to her apartment and work. That's it. She threw the rest in the hidden pocket of her purse before heading downstairs. She smiled when the car pulled up and slipped in to bring Cami in for a hug. Out of the entire group, Camilla Rhodes was the one she was the closest two. It surprised her too but, there was just something about Cam that made Khepri love being around her not mention her being there when their group really started to fall apart. The pair talked and Khepri had to show off the rather large emerald with diamonds along the sides wedding ring on her finger. Like it or not, the Nadars did have great taste and they adored Khepri which might be the reason they decided that money was no object when it came to the newly engaged couple.
It was really nice to actually see her as opposed to just talking over the phone and when the car came to a halt. She turned her attention to the door and got out. When Cam acknowledged the driver and how nice it was, Khepri just chuckled. "Right, just don't let it get to your head or anything." Sarcasm clearly but, the pair both seemed to change when money started to come it. When they entered the party, she let Cam depart to go 'make herself known' but not before having to be her mother. "Just don't harass Soren." She was sure if the girl heard her or ignored her by choice. She knew the two of them weren't exactly friends but, it didn't stop her from liking both of them. She grabbed a drink from the bar before seeing none other than Quinlan Rothschild himself. She had seen him and Jamie talking before turning her attention to the bar. She didn't like Jamie and less she had to see him the better.
The prick already asked for a 'favor' numerous times since he found out she moved back. Give me this, give me this amount of money, get me into this party, and maybe I won't out you or let everyone know your marriage is a shame, classic. Which only made watching him get his shit rocked by Nathan all the better, she'd have to congratulate Nate later. When he cooled off because knowing the two of them, they'd start bickering the moment Khepri brought up trying to help him. So, she turned her attention back to her blonde friend and walking towards him. She whispered in his ear with a smirk. "Stop mopping, it's a party." She chuckled before sitting beside him. "Quinn, you know, you're a lot sexier and get more free drinks when you smile." She was so busy messing with Quinn, hoping he'd actually smile that she didn't even notice Gemma. Which was for the best, for everyone's sake. She didn't need a repeat of high school and right now Pri was sober. So, it definitely would not end well.
Her fiance laughed sarcastically before hurling a balled-up pillowcase towards the woman in front of him whose nose was in her phone. When it hit her, she 'tsked' before throwing it back. "You're a child." Chris smiled. Her assistant, at this point, was packing up the rest of her things and cleared her throat. "Okay, that's everything. Mr. Nadar, your flight leaves in 2 hours. Miss. Mahajan, the article is good to go for tomorrow night, your schedule is cleared for day to brainstorm other stories and catch up with your friends who are coming into town." She scoffed. "Perfect. I will see you in two weeks and enjoy your time off. Enjoy the sun for me." She chuckled as she waved the redhead off before the door closed. With the click of the door, Chris looked back at her. "You really should see them." The young woman groaned as she turned her attention to the emerald dress on her bed. She didn't have much time to change until Cam picked her up and as much as she dreaded it, she promised her friends she'd go. "I'm just saying you haven't seen a lot of them since we moved, since you graduated, do they even know we're--..."
"Yes, they know. Jesus, and there's a reason I haven't seen them all together. I wasn't exactly the picture of perfection when I was younger and I really don't like being reminded of it." Not to mention that Jamie Blackburn was the devil. She adored her friends, she did. "I bet you were pretty perfect." She scoffed. "Not to mention, I'm kind of busy thinking of or finding stories aren't complete bullshit." Chris sighed deeply as he looked at Khepri. "You can sigh all you want, you get to do your job. You get to travel, you get to represent and be around the most influential people in the world, you get to be out there in the action while I'm stuck at a goddamn desk at The New York Times. It's been two months! How much longer are they going to look at like this frail little bird ready to jump off a cliff."
"I told you what we worked out, six to eight months." Khepri rolled her eyes as she zipped up the back of her dress. "Khepri, it's not that they don't think you can't do your job. It's because they want to let your body and mind heal." She threw her hands up. "I am healed!" She was being a lot more aggressive than she needed to be. But, Chris was used to it at this point as he laid on the bed. "Clearly with that attitude." He said with a sarcastic tone. She moved from behind the closet door to show her fiance the green dress on her but also held up two other dresses in her hands: a red and a black one for comparison. He shook his head and pointed towards her. "The one you're wearing, you look great in green and everyone wears red and black." She put the other two back before stepping out of the walk-in and looking for the finishing touches. "I overwork myself a little too much and no everyone thinks I'm incompetent." She said as she slid on her gold engagement bracelets from both of their parents, a tradition in Indian culture, and started to put on a necklace only for Chris to help her clip the back when she couldn't get it because of her nails.
"Pri, no one thinks you're incompetent, no one's that stupid. They just want to make sure you're okay and making sure you're actually taking care of yourself." She sighed. He turned her around and left his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, it's four more months. Finish therapy, stay on your sleep schedule, relax and then you're back to annoying the shit out of the most powerful people in the world with me in no time, okay?" Before she could answer, her phone went off again this time from the front desk of their apartment building."And that's Camilla. Look, enjoy yourself, talk to your friends, and I'll call you the second I laid in Amsterdam. Alright?" He kissed her forehead as she groaned. "Okay." He let her go and started to head for the door with his luggage in tow. "Since when do you kiss my forehead?" Before he closed the door, he looked back at Pri with a smirk. "Since I realized that's the only way to calm down my aggressive and anxious know it all of a fiancee" Before she could even say anything, he winked and let the door close behind him. She scoffed once more before taking a deep breath. Finally, she was alone. She liked Chris, she did. He was a great guy who wanted to make sure she took care of herself. But, it made it impossible to do her job surrounded by people who refused to let her go through her 'creative process' This was the longest time they were living in the same place one another since their engagement about a year and a half ago. Three months of having to manage her intake and actually sleep at a normal time.
She wasn't used to it and she hated it. She opened one of her dressers and reached towards the back for a bag of orange pills: Adderall. Go figure, making the workaholic go cold turkey and go to therapy after fainting at work didn't actually do anything. But, she was doing better. Just one to help her get through the night so she could socialize and then come back to her apartment and work. That's it. She threw the rest in the hidden pocket of her purse before heading downstairs. She smiled when the car pulled up and slipped in to bring Cami in for a hug. Out of the entire group, Camilla Rhodes was the one she was the closest two. It surprised her too but, there was just something about Cam that made Khepri love being around her not mention her being there when their group really started to fall apart. The pair talked and Khepri had to show off the rather large emerald with diamonds along the sides wedding ring on her finger. Like it or not, the Nadars did have great taste and they adored Khepri which might be the reason they decided that money was no object when it came to the newly engaged couple.
It was really nice to actually see her as opposed to just talking over the phone and when the car came to a halt. She turned her attention to the door and got out. When Cam acknowledged the driver and how nice it was, Khepri just chuckled. "Right, just don't let it get to your head or anything." Sarcasm clearly but, the pair both seemed to change when money started to come it. When they entered the party, she let Cam depart to go 'make herself known' but not before having to be her mother. "Just don't harass Soren." She was sure if the girl heard her or ignored her by choice. She knew the two of them weren't exactly friends but, it didn't stop her from liking both of them. She grabbed a drink from the bar before seeing none other than Quinlan Rothschild himself. She had seen him and Jamie talking before turning her attention to the bar. She didn't like Jamie and less she had to see him the better.
The prick already asked for a 'favor' numerous times since he found out she moved back. Give me this, give me this amount of money, get me into this party, and maybe I won't out you or let everyone know your marriage is a shame, classic. Which only made watching him get his shit rocked by Nathan all the better, she'd have to congratulate Nate later. When he cooled off because knowing the two of them, they'd start bickering the moment Khepri brought up trying to help him. So, she turned her attention back to her blonde friend and walking towards him. She whispered in his ear with a smirk. "Stop mopping, it's a party." She chuckled before sitting beside him. "Quinn, you know, you're a lot sexier and get more free drinks when you smile." She was so busy messing with Quinn, hoping he'd actually smile that she didn't even notice Gemma. Which was for the best, for everyone's sake. She didn't need a repeat of high school and right now Pri was sober. So, it definitely would not end well.
soren bowers
xxxevery face along the boulevard
xxxis a dreamer just like you
xxxyou looked at death in a tarot card
xxxand you knew what you had to do
Soren was starting to realise that more people had seen what had happened than he’d initially thought, and he had to stop himself from flushing red at that thought. But Erin was the first to reach him at least. He shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said, but shot her a look that said, “I’ll tell you more later.” He didn’t want to talk about it, not here, not in front of people. They’d all seen enough anyway.
He had to stop himself from tensing as Cam sauntered up to them, the smug look on her face telling him that she’d seen exactly what had happened and intended on rubbing it in his face and probably telling as many people as possible. And she started with telling Erin. “Rin, that wasn’t what happened. Because, and this may come as a shock to you, Camilla, but some of us aren’t manipulative bitches who use their position to get whatever the hell you want.” Perhaps if he wasn’t already feeling humiliated, perhaps if he hadn’t had quite as much to drink, he would have been calmer, might have been able to just let it roll off his back. But instead he was angry and he was humiliated and he wasn’t willing to let her away with it. “Well, at least I can say people buy my music because they like it, not because they just want to fuck me.”
Erin stepped in before either of them could say anything else they’d regret and go told Soren to get another drink and chill, telling Cam something similar. He had to almost physically bite his tongue to stop himself from responding to Camilla’s departing comment. But the look on Erin’s face and her insistent gesture towards the bar told him it wouldn’t be worth it. So he rolled his eyes and held up his hands, going back over towards the bar. He wasn’t planning on waiting for her to come back to get his drink. He needed to calm down, and that would be significantly easier to do with a glass of vodka and coke in his hand. But he needed to deal with something else first, more urgently.
He felt better almost immediately after doing it, but he also felt like he was still shaking as he made his way up to the bar, even as he desperately tried to act and seem normal. He stepped behind the bar to make his own drink, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the two in front of him for a minute. And then he looked up and had to do a double take. “Quinn?” He asked in surprise. It had taken him a moment or two to recognise him. Soren hadn’t seen him since he’d left for college, and neither of them had really made an effort to stay in touch. But now, here he was, in the flesh, and Soren found himself grinning. “Holy shit, it’s great to see you! You look great, your hair looks amazing!” He remarked. And then he recovered and grinned at Pri. “And, of course, Miss Mahajan, you look stunning as ever. Making the rest of us look like shit by comparison,” he said. “So, Erin has temporarily had to abandon the bar and I really, really need a drink, so I’m playing bartender right now. So, how about a drink or two?” He asked with a smirk, already pouring them a shot each. “On me, of course. Got to celebrate the great Quinlan Rothschild’s return to New York, right?” He said, clinking the glasses together before draining his. It burned, but it was exactly what he needed.
They had only been talking for a few more minutes, Soren having had another shot while they spoke, when a number of things happened in quick succession. Erin practically sprinted past them, heading out of the apartment. Considering that she’d looked fine only a few minutes before, Soren could tell right away that she was seriously upset. And then a scream rang out through the room, piercing through the music and quieting everyone else. This wasn’t a playful scream. It was a scream filled with fear and with horror. And then it was joined by somebody yelling to call an ambulance, call the cops, somebody do something. And then somebody said it, and it rippled throughout the room. “Jamie’s dead.”
Soren could feel the blood drain from his face. “I need to go, I need to go check on Erin,” he said to them. He caught up to her easily and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. “Erin, listen to me. I need you to tell me the truth, and I don’t care how bad it is. I’ve got your back no matter what, you know that. But what the hell just happened in there?”
He had to stop himself from tensing as Cam sauntered up to them, the smug look on her face telling him that she’d seen exactly what had happened and intended on rubbing it in his face and probably telling as many people as possible. And she started with telling Erin. “Rin, that wasn’t what happened. Because, and this may come as a shock to you, Camilla, but some of us aren’t manipulative bitches who use their position to get whatever the hell you want.” Perhaps if he wasn’t already feeling humiliated, perhaps if he hadn’t had quite as much to drink, he would have been calmer, might have been able to just let it roll off his back. But instead he was angry and he was humiliated and he wasn’t willing to let her away with it. “Well, at least I can say people buy my music because they like it, not because they just want to fuck me.”
Erin stepped in before either of them could say anything else they’d regret and go told Soren to get another drink and chill, telling Cam something similar. He had to almost physically bite his tongue to stop himself from responding to Camilla’s departing comment. But the look on Erin’s face and her insistent gesture towards the bar told him it wouldn’t be worth it. So he rolled his eyes and held up his hands, going back over towards the bar. He wasn’t planning on waiting for her to come back to get his drink. He needed to calm down, and that would be significantly easier to do with a glass of vodka and coke in his hand. But he needed to deal with something else first, more urgently.
He felt better almost immediately after doing it, but he also felt like he was still shaking as he made his way up to the bar, even as he desperately tried to act and seem normal. He stepped behind the bar to make his own drink, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the two in front of him for a minute. And then he looked up and had to do a double take. “Quinn?” He asked in surprise. It had taken him a moment or two to recognise him. Soren hadn’t seen him since he’d left for college, and neither of them had really made an effort to stay in touch. But now, here he was, in the flesh, and Soren found himself grinning. “Holy shit, it’s great to see you! You look great, your hair looks amazing!” He remarked. And then he recovered and grinned at Pri. “And, of course, Miss Mahajan, you look stunning as ever. Making the rest of us look like shit by comparison,” he said. “So, Erin has temporarily had to abandon the bar and I really, really need a drink, so I’m playing bartender right now. So, how about a drink or two?” He asked with a smirk, already pouring them a shot each. “On me, of course. Got to celebrate the great Quinlan Rothschild’s return to New York, right?” He said, clinking the glasses together before draining his. It burned, but it was exactly what he needed.
They had only been talking for a few more minutes, Soren having had another shot while they spoke, when a number of things happened in quick succession. Erin practically sprinted past them, heading out of the apartment. Considering that she’d looked fine only a few minutes before, Soren could tell right away that she was seriously upset. And then a scream rang out through the room, piercing through the music and quieting everyone else. This wasn’t a playful scream. It was a scream filled with fear and with horror. And then it was joined by somebody yelling to call an ambulance, call the cops, somebody do something. And then somebody said it, and it rippled throughout the room. “Jamie’s dead.”
Soren could feel the blood drain from his face. “I need to go, I need to go check on Erin,” he said to them. He caught up to her easily and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. “Erin, listen to me. I need you to tell me the truth, and I don’t care how bad it is. I’ve got your back no matter what, you know that. But what the hell just happened in there?”
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Erin Monahan
xxxBeg me for mercy
xxxAdmit that you were toxic
xxxYou poisoned me just for another dollar in your pocket
xxxNow I am the violence
xxxI am the sickness
xxxWhen there's blood in the water
Erin listened as Soren simply said that he was fine with a small shrug of his shoulders. She knew him better than anyone else in that god damn apartment, and she knew something was wrong. But she wasn't about to start prying into business she had no right to get involved in. That was her plan anyway, until the sound of heels clicking against the floor beside them caused her to shift her gaze to the side. Which had caused her heart to skip a beat for a moment, she wasn't expecting to see Camilla making her way towards them. For just a brief moment, she found herself smiling slightly, it wasn't exactly expected to see her here already, especially due to her talking with Soren but she wasn't disappointed. Maybe everything was going to be good and pleasant. But that thought was short-lived the moment that Cam opened her mouth with a smart ass remark. Erin rolled her eyes as she knew what was to come. Erin simply sighed and gave Camilla a small smile as she stood there, listening to the two exchange words she could feel herself beginning to regret trying to help. She simply clasped her hands together and waited until the two finished bickering and throwing underhanded comments to each other. Once she was sure they were finished, Erin shot them both looks before she spoke, "Okay, look. Tensions are really fucking high right now, we all get it. That much is obvious. We don't need anyone fighting over what happened. Soren, look. You need to just chill and, I dunno, get a drink or something? I have someone to talk to in a few minutes anyway." Erin said as she gave him a small nod, looking back at Camilla, finally giving her a proper look over. Realing what she was wearing which caused her to pause for a moment, but quickly shook her head as she remembered what she was there for after all, "It's good to see you again, Cam. It really is. But...Maybe just go and calm down? We don't need things escalating, and that's to the both of you." she gave them one more look before turning around with Soren and gestured to the direction of the bar. She silently watched as Soren huffed, putting his hands up in the air as he walked away, watching as Camilla gave a last retort towards the two of them, and then quickly left as well.
The last thing that she expected was to have to deal with another one of their petty squabbles, yet here they were. Erin having to be the mediator just as she always was. Some things just never changed. They were still the way they were, that much was obvious. She found herself sighing as she began to make her way back to the bar, but stopped as she saw that Soren was now talking to Quin. Yet again another douche bag she didn't want anything to do with, yet here he was. Looking smug as ever. She rolled her eyes as she thought on what to do. Maybe dance with a few people at the party, chat them up? Have a good time and just relax, but she didn't have the time to do that as she saw Nate landing a good aimed hit square in Jamie's face. She didn't know what had happened, but knowing them, Jamie probably deserved it. Erin couldn't help but smirk as she saw Jamie curse Nate out and quickly left for the door to let someone in, just like the little piece of shit that he always was. She didn't care what Nate's reasoning was, all she knew was that Jamie probably deserved it. if she knew any better, she was going to head back to the bar and do what she was being paid to be there for, but she had a small nagging feeling telling her not to. She turned on her heels and walked in the direction of where the slowly growing crowd of people were, looking at Nate as she walked up next to him. All she did was give him a small smirk and nod of her head as she looked at him.
Erin figured before she would attempt to even talk to Jamie and see what happened, that she would try to have a little bit of fun and walked over to a group of people as another song started to play. Erin smirked and could actually feel the stress from before start to fade away as she danced with the small group of people, exchanging small talk and some looks and flirts with some of them. But her attention was taken back as she saw Jamie enter the apartment again and made a beeline for the bathroom. She waited for a moment and after excusing herself she walked after him into the bathroom.
Erin slowly pushed the door open, seeing Jamie leaning over the sink as he looked on in the mirror. Checking for how bad the punch was, which must have hurt like hell considering the mark it left behind. Erin couldn't help but smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorframe as she looked at Jamie. "So what'd you do this time, hm? You really can't help yourself, can you?" she said smugly. Jamie shot his head up as he heard her speak, furrowing his brows as he looked at her through the reflection of the mirror. "What do you want now, Erin? Come to rub it in my face? You really do have to have the last laugh, don't you? It's petty, honestly." he said as he hovered over the wound on his face. A chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at him, "I'm the petty one, huh? That's how it always is, isn't it? Everyone else is always in the wrong except for Jamie Fucking Blackburn. Because he is oh so perfect in every single fucking way." Erin said, as if spitting the part out like a sour taste on her tongue. Jamie scoffed as he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, "You're one to talk, Miss Monahan. Or should I feel sorry for you since your aunt and uncle helped pay off your damn hospital bills, as well as rehab? You don't get to try this shit with me, Erin." he spat back as he walked behind her, closing the door. Erin barely even looked up at him as she could feel the look he was giving her. It was the same old shit just like it had always been. This was no different.
Erin emotionlessly looked up at him as he spoke, taking in everything he was saying. She could feel the bitterness in his voice, as well as anger. "So why don't you just fucking say it? What's keeping you from saying it now compared to all those other times, huh?" she asked, looking up at him with a clenched jaw. "Because no one would even fucking miss you if it had worked. Your friends would have moved on without you like they had done. Nothing would have changed, and if anything, they would have been better off without your punk ass." he barked, leaning in closely to her. "Especially Kyle." he whispered into her ear. Erin pushed him away, feeling her face slowly turn red the more he spoke. "Don't you ever fucking dare talk about him ever again, Jamie. Or I swear to god I will-" "You will what? Fight back? You're in my house, Erin. If you were to do anything, you wouldn't be able to afford the expenses. It's honestly a wonder your bar is still open. How is it barely even afloat? Did you get some sponsors to keep it open? Sleep with them as well?" he said through gritted teeth. "It meant nothing to me, Blackburn. Sleeping with you honestly was the worst decision that I ever made." Jamie chuckled as he walked around her, leaning against the sink.
"Debatable since you kept coming back for more every time you got lonely. Because you know no one else would dare want to sleep with your otherwise pathetic ass." Erin shot him a glare, feeling the anger slowly rise through her entire body. Her face turning several shades of red as she stepped closer, "You know full fucking well what I was going through. You cared-" she was cut off as a bellowed laugh escaped his lips, shaking his head. "You thought I actually gave a fuck about any of it? About you? You were a girl that kept coming back for more every time she had a heartbreak or needed someone. If anyone was the slut back in the group, it was you." he said with a smirk. Erin furrowed her brows as she took a few steps back from him, "You keep telling yourself that, Blackburn. I made mistakes, ones that I wish I hadn't. I was a kid, I've changed since then. So don't even try to go there." she said as she turned, opening the door. Jamie quickly lunged into action, slamming the door shut once more.
"Don't you fucking turn your back on me you, cu-" he coughed and held his stomach as Erin slammed her elbow into his stomach, using that as a distraction to open the door and step out. Jamie quickly regained his composure as he chased after her, not caring that they were out in public eye. He grabbed her by the arm, squeezing hard enough to get Erin to try to pull away. Which she did as he became distracted by a few of the people that started looking in their general direction. "Don't you fucking walk away from me. I'm not finished talking to you!" he called out. He didn't know how it happened, all he knew was that there was an audible echo as his hand made contact with Erin's face which caused her to fall to the floor. Erin looked up at him as she moved backward, further away from him. "I am tired of your abuse, Jamie. I've had enough. If you ever fucking touch me again, I will finally go to the police. I'm not scared of you anymore." she said as she could feel her face slowly growing darker as she sat there on the floor, finally seeing just how many people had seen what had happened between the two. "Erin, it was an accident. I swear! I didn't mean to. You have to believe me." he pleaded. Erin shot him a glare as she slowly got to her feet with the help of someone she didn't pay any attention to. "That's what you said all those other times before too. I'm done listening to your lies. I'm not your toy to continue using until you're bored and tired of it. I've put up with it enough. If you ever, ever come near me again...I swear...You'll regret it." she didn't know what came first, the burning feeling behind her eyes as tears slowly began to fall, or the feeling of nausea and anger that was still slowly rising. She looked up as Jamie mumbled something, and excused himself back down the hallway from where they had just previously come from.
Erin could feel herself becoming rather lightheaded and weak. She only nodded when people had asked if she was okay and if she wanted to leave. She simply just shook her head as she tried to put on a brave face, "I uh, I just need to go to the bathroom...I'll be fine." she tried her best to brush it off as best as she could. She slowly made her way towards the hallway which had the bathroom at the end of the other hallway, seeing Jamie walk into another room further down. Shaking her head she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Erin finally took a deep and steady breath, and then the tears began to fall as she slid down against the door. She knew she shouldn't have come. Coming to the party was one giant, mistake. She ruined everything, made a scene, and possibly caused the whole party to be ruined. Erin combed her fingers through her hair as she did her best to calm herself, taking deep breaths as she was told when she was attending therapy. Looking down at the silver scarring on her wrist she sighed, she really was a mess. Maybe he was right, maybe if she-no. She couldn't let what Jamie said get to her, that would be letting him win. Something she wasn't going to let happen. She wasn't sure how much time had passed or how long she had been in there, but she finally found herself getting up to her feet as she rubbed her face. She needed to get back out there, just talk to someone do something. Anything. The party had to go on. But she had something to do first, and joining back up with the others could wait.
Exiting the hallway a few short minutes later Erin looked around as she made her way through the crowd. Not caring what they said or asked. She knew she looked like hell, who wouldn't. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there. She didn't want to be there anymore. She should have stayed but, she just couldn't be there anymore. It was only when the sound of screams and someone calling for an ambulance her heart sank. Erin looked at the bar for just a minute, but didn't care as she walked past Soren and Quinn. Not paying them any mind. It was only when someone grabbed her by the arm and forced her to turn around that she blinked. "Wha...what? Soren what are you-" it was then when the words "Jamie's dead." hit her ears that she froze, looking up at Soren. Erin shook her head as he continued to ask her what happened, and what was wrong. She didn't even know what happened, everything just happened. "I don't know, Soren. It just...Everything happened so quickly. He hit me and one thing lead to another....Words were said but, I never once touched him, Soren. I don't even know what happened, I swear. I...You have to believe me. Please?" she pleaded as tears began to trickle down her face. She didn't know what happened, everything went by so quickly. She didn't want to believe it, not that it happened. Not that Jamie was gone. Not like that. It wasn't until people started to crowd around wherever the scream came from. It was true, he was gone. Somehow. All she knew was that after what happened, and the people that saw their argument, she was going to be the first suspect. The ex is always the suspect, even if it was a long time ago. "Soren, I want to get out of here, please...? I don't...I just...I want to go..." she pleaded, feeling herself slowly become more and more anxious and nauseous the longer she spoke. The longer she acknowledged this. It couldn't be true, right? There was no way that Jamie was actually dead.
CAMILLA RHODES
Outfit | #A38E8E
xxx You say you want a bad bitch
xxx Baby, now you have it
xxx Now you got a bad bitch
xxx Show me you can handle this
After walking away from Jamie, Camilla heard him say a few more comments towards her but she just walked away ignoring him as she searched for another room for her to do her business. Luckily she finally found a room and this time locked the door before getting started. After doing two lines she whipped her head back and took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair. She tucked the vial back into her bra, left the room, rejoining the party with an extra kick in her step.
Within minutes of reentering the main room she quickly spotted Shane and walked over to him. “Hey, sorry about walking away earlier, had to deal with someone as well as give myself a little kick.” Camilla said, quickly showing the vial to Shane and tucking it away again. "Care to dance?" Cam asked, keeping close to Shane. She could already feel the drugs started to take effect as the two dance, but she just let herself enjoy herself for the time being. It was nice not to worry about public eye too much and just enjoy herself.
As the song was coming to the end Camilla and Shane were face to face, a smile coming across her face as she was looking up at Shane. The moment was quickly gone as a commotion caught both of their attention, Camilla turning barely in time to see Jamie's fist make contact with Erin's face. Cam covered her mouth as she let out a gasp, completely shocked as she watched Erin yell at him and run off.
Camilla excused herself from Shane as she went to look for Jamie, wondering what the fuck was going on. She quickly found his bedroom and let herself. "Jamie? You in here?" She called out, but not seeing him. She looked around his room until she felt her nose running and then noticed some blood drip onto his carpet. "Fuck..." Cam mumbled to herself as she quickly went into his bathroom suite to clean up. As she used some tissue and wiping up her nose she heard someone enter the room and Jamie talking about something. I need to get cleaned up before I talk to him. She thought to herself, ignoring whatever Jamie was saying or talking about as she tried to hurry up to stop her nose from bleeding.
"Help! Someone call an ambulance!" Camilla yelled, peaking out of the door way and going back to Jamie's unmoving body. Her yelling did catch some people's attention and some others came over checking Jamie's pulse, saying he's dead. As more people came over, Camilla excused herself from the room and walked over by the window to get some fresh air, breathing heavily. She wasn't sure if she was in shock for seeing Jamie's state or if side effects from the cocaine she took earlier.
quinlan rothschild
attire / #717B92
attire / #717B92
x
x
Quinlan wasn't sure how much time had passed as he sat at the bar, tracing the intricate lines of a coaster with his fingertips. Maybe this was a mistake. He gripped the edge of the bar and went to push himself up when a honeyed voice whispered in his ear and his lips instantly curled into a smile. "Smile or not I still got you to come over here, didn't I?" Quinn said swiveling the bar chair to face her a lazy smile on his lips. Kephri was one of the few people that crossed his mind on the flight over, in fact, he'd hoped that he would run into her. Their friendship didn't truly blossom until it was too late, but that didn't change the fact that while it had lasted he always enjoyed her presence. In a lot of ways they are similar, something that made his shoulders relax around her. It was if he felt like he didn't have to consistently keep his spine straight around her. Quinlan was happy to see that she looked as beautiful as ever, he could only hope that she was happy - wherever life had taken her.
"You know there's something so different seeing you in person rather than a tv, how's life treating you?" It was a typical question but he meant it. She was one of the few that he was generally interested in catching up with. Even if he didn't have much to offer on his side. Quinn's eyes slid down to her wrist, an eyebrow poised. Her engagement was genuinely shocking to him, for some reason he probably would've believed her presidency over her engagement. Quinn never pegged her for someone to be tied down, then again how much did he really know about the others before they went their separate ways. "I'd like to meet the man who managed to tame the infamous Kephri".
Engaged in a playful banter with Kephri he hadn't even noticed that his name had been called. He turned his head slightly past Pri's head to see Soren, a smile on his face. Quinn was honestly surprised Soren had remembered him. They had been friends back then but nothing close. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he tilted his head forward in a friendly nod. "Thanks Bowers, your set was great. Glad I got to see it in person". Quinn chuckled as he grabbed the shot glass, "you know if I'm going to get treated with compliments and free alcohol, I'll make sure to come to these more often" he said with a slight wink before tapping the glass with Soren's and downed it in a few second. It burned his throat slightly but the only indication of that was the smallest twitch of his nose.
Quinlan felt rather at ease talking to Kephri and Soren, it was a strange feeling. He didn't want to admit that this was the happiest he had been in a very long time, even thinking about that fact was embarrassing. Still, like he always did he found himself comparing his life to the others. He got a little caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Soren's gaze was focused behind him and watched his eyes trail to the side before Quinn turned just in time to see Erin dash past. Odd. Quinn didn't have time to process the look on Soren's face before a shrink scream drowned out the music, making the hair on his arms stand straight. Almost by instinct he was on his feet, a half step in front of Kephri, as to what he was shielding her from he wasn't sure.
The scream caused only more immense confusion and chaos as people began to shuffle in different directions. "Sor-" Quinn turned to advise Soren to stay but he was already hightailing it after Erin. "Kephri, I- you should probably leave. Something isn't right." He wanted to stay next to her but his voice trailed off and he found himself pushing up out of his seat weaving through the crowd of people. Quinn was pushed back every few steps he made occasionally hearing the hushed whispers of, 'Jamie', 'Ambulance', 'Dead'.
A nauseating feeling overtook him as he could taste something metallic in the back of his throat. Still, he pushed past until he came upon something he thought he'd never see in his life. First, Camilla Rhodes, he didn't have time to go into detail... and... Quinn staggered back slightly bumping into the wall a horrified expression on his face. "Cam" His voice was breathless and the color slowly leached out of his face making him almost as pale as his hair. The scene before him was enough to burn nightmares into his mind and before saying anything else he dashed from the room and pushed his way to the nearest bathroom retching whatever was left in his stomach.
"You know there's something so different seeing you in person rather than a tv, how's life treating you?" It was a typical question but he meant it. She was one of the few that he was generally interested in catching up with. Even if he didn't have much to offer on his side. Quinn's eyes slid down to her wrist, an eyebrow poised. Her engagement was genuinely shocking to him, for some reason he probably would've believed her presidency over her engagement. Quinn never pegged her for someone to be tied down, then again how much did he really know about the others before they went their separate ways. "I'd like to meet the man who managed to tame the infamous Kephri".
Engaged in a playful banter with Kephri he hadn't even noticed that his name had been called. He turned his head slightly past Pri's head to see Soren, a smile on his face. Quinn was honestly surprised Soren had remembered him. They had been friends back then but nothing close. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he tilted his head forward in a friendly nod. "Thanks Bowers, your set was great. Glad I got to see it in person". Quinn chuckled as he grabbed the shot glass, "you know if I'm going to get treated with compliments and free alcohol, I'll make sure to come to these more often" he said with a slight wink before tapping the glass with Soren's and downed it in a few second. It burned his throat slightly but the only indication of that was the smallest twitch of his nose.
Quinlan felt rather at ease talking to Kephri and Soren, it was a strange feeling. He didn't want to admit that this was the happiest he had been in a very long time, even thinking about that fact was embarrassing. Still, like he always did he found himself comparing his life to the others. He got a little caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Soren's gaze was focused behind him and watched his eyes trail to the side before Quinn turned just in time to see Erin dash past. Odd. Quinn didn't have time to process the look on Soren's face before a shrink scream drowned out the music, making the hair on his arms stand straight. Almost by instinct he was on his feet, a half step in front of Kephri, as to what he was shielding her from he wasn't sure.
The scream caused only more immense confusion and chaos as people began to shuffle in different directions. "Sor-" Quinn turned to advise Soren to stay but he was already hightailing it after Erin. "Kephri, I- you should probably leave. Something isn't right." He wanted to stay next to her but his voice trailed off and he found himself pushing up out of his seat weaving through the crowd of people. Quinn was pushed back every few steps he made occasionally hearing the hushed whispers of, 'Jamie', 'Ambulance', 'Dead'.
A nauseating feeling overtook him as he could taste something metallic in the back of his throat. Still, he pushed past until he came upon something he thought he'd never see in his life. First, Camilla Rhodes, he didn't have time to go into detail... and... Quinn staggered back slightly bumping into the wall a horrified expression on his face. "Cam" His voice was breathless and the color slowly leached out of his face making him almost as pale as his hair. The scene before him was enough to burn nightmares into his mind and before saying anything else he dashed from the room and pushed his way to the nearest bathroom retching whatever was left in his stomach.
outfit | #8B008B
I should've known
I'd leave alone
Just goes to show
That the blood you bleed
Is just the blood you owe.
-"No Time to Die," Billie Eilish
I'd leave alone
Just goes to show
That the blood you bleed
Is just the blood you owe.
-"No Time to Die," Billie Eilish
"Yeah?" boomed a gruff voice over the intercom.
"Hey, Jamie Blackburn said you could buzz me in?"
"Oh yeah. Holdup..."
Before Gemma could say 'thank you,' the electrical hum of the unlocked door blared. She quickly stepped through, noticing the world's tiniest elevator in the lobby just to her left. She squeezed herself in and tapped the button to the sixth floor. The ceiling of this particular elevator was one giant mirror. Craning her neck up, Gemma fixed her poker straight hair and smoothed out the fabric of her mesh shirt. Her eye makeup already looked worn-out. The top of her forehead was a little sweaty, too. She couldn't tell if it was from nerves or the humidity outside. Perhaps she'd get a better understanding once she got to Jamie's place.
The elevator dinged.
"Oof!"
As soon as the door opened, she was knocked into the brick wall that was a young man's shoulder blade.
"Oh shit! Sorry 'bout that? You alright?" It was the same voice from the intercom.
Gemma rubbed her own shoulder and looked up. The bearded man, who wore a Wu-Tang tee and sported a buzz cut, was scratching the back of his head in anxiety. He had pale blue eyes, a little red around the edges. She could smell the weed on him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." Gemma said.
He gave a short laugh. Maybe he thought she was being cute, maybe he was just being polite. As she sifted past him in the elevator, he leaned against the door's opening. He pointed a finger at her, and the corner of his lip tugged upwards.
"I've seen you somewhere before," he said, "you work at that piercing place in St. Marks?"
Before she could shake her head 'no', he spoke again, something dawning on him.
"Shit...you're the girl I buzzed in, right?"
"Yup."
"Sounds like it's fuckin' crazy in Jamie's place."
Gemma smiled. "He's thrown ragers since high school."
With this new information, the man's brows lifted. "Well, I haven't known Blackburn since high school, but I did get invited to this rager. Couple of us chillin' at my place, smokin' and shit. Dunno if you're that kinda girl, but if you need a place to hang and get away from the chaos...mi casa es su casa. Goin' to the bodega now, I'll be back. Number 609."
"Thanks," she said, genuinely pleased by the invite. Parties could get draining after a while.
The man moved away from the elevator door and tilted his head up as it closed.
"Name's Stuey," he said.
"Gemma. Nice to meet you."
She waved him goodbye, and he gave a small nod back. He placed his hands in his jean pockets, and Gemma was surprised to see his cheerful expression flatten just before he was out of view. What a scowl. From that face alone, she could guess why he wasn't celebrating at the other apartment. Stuey was a cordial guy, but probably not the type to play along with Jamie's pretentious tastes.
Finally, she arrived. And she noticed a few things from across the room. Soren Bowers, easy to find in any crowd, was standing behind a lavish bar. She'd probably missed his set. Hopefully he'd be playing again...his music was electrifying. Soren lifted a shot glass and clinked it against Quinlan Rothschild's. Well, nothing had changed there. Quinn looked sharp as ever, his hair now an icy blonde color that put Draco Malfoy to shame. Fitting, considering his upbringing.
And there was Khepri, standing between them. The one, the only. Gemma was most nervous to see her again. Khepri wasn't the forgiving or forgetting type, and she was respected because of that. Gemma stared more. Khepri blended in naturally with the scenery around her, like someone inside a painting. It became her. There was something about her velvet dress and poised smile...Gemma felt the need to fix her posture because of it.
She couldn't see Nathan, but she heard about him from the comments around the room...
"Can you believe that guy punched Jamie?"
"Oh my god, what a dick."
"Why the hell was he invited?"
She'd have to hear his side of the story later. If there was anything she'd learned from seven years of documentary filmmaking, it was that no story, not even well-known ones, were ever one-sided. From high school, she'd known Nathan wasn't easily prone to violence. Perhaps Jamie gave a good reason for the punch.
And then she watched a beautiful blonde woman strut over to a bald guy leaning against the nearest wall.
"Hey. You seen the lady bartender?" she asked.
The man shrugged, "I think she went to the bathroom? Saw Jamie go in after her..."
Well, that explained the elaborate bar setup; Erin was here. Not much of a surprise, considering Soren was in attendance. The two had always been tight. Gemma wondered how she was doing. Hopefully Jamie wasn't holding her hair back while she hugged a toilet in the bathroom. Of all the friends she'd made in high school, Erin was the one who crossed her mind most often. She wondered how Kyle's passing would affect her. It had affected Gemma. That night frequently replayed in nightmares. The screaming, the gunshot, the scrambling of teenaged bodies...she couldn't go into her parents' living room without holding her breath. Her own house felt like a graveyard.
Gemma stood in place for a while, unsure where to go, who to talk to. Maybe she'd grab a drink from Soren once Quinn and Khepri were gone. If only Austin had come, she'd have someone to talk to easily. He was good for that, at least. He was charming when he talked to others. She loved watching strangers' faces light up as she talked about his work, how beautiful his fiancee was. Oh, the way he said that word, fiancee, like it was the synonym of addiction. He could dance well, he could put himself together. Austin was the sexiest man alive in a suit. He made her feel like a goddess in front of others. In a way, she loved being his accessory. She loved it when he showed her off. They had so much together...
Gemma sighed. Perhaps she'd decided to abandon him too quickly. She'd let her emotions get the better of her. Maybe she could fix things. Counselling, perhaps? They were madly in love, after all. They were the power couple among their friends. It was only the last three months of their relationship that turned sour. The other four years had been a fairytale. On his best days, Austin was the life of the party. He was a good man. Maybe it was her fault. All relationships are complicated, right? She wasn't an entirely sinless creature herself.
She took her phone out of her pocket, scrolling down the contact list to 'Austin'...
And then a noise. It wasn't clear due to the party music, but Gemma thought she heard a door slam open. Whack! Gasps as people moved away, forming a hole in the center of the room. Inside that hole was Erin, on the ground. Jamie above her. The side of her face was flaring up, like his had before.
"I am tired of your abuse, Jamie. I've had enough. If you ever fucking touch me again, I will finally go to the police. I'm not scared of you anymore."
Not only did she look angry, but distraught. On the verge of tears. What the fuck was going on? Abuse? Gemma knew he wasn't drunk. No...Jamie had been close to sober when she met him outside. People just stared. Sheer quiet, save for the music. Why wasn't anyone doing anything?
"Erin, it was an accident. I swear! I didn't mean to. You have to believe me."
It was an accident.
I didn't mean to.
You have to believe me.
She couldn't believe the words that left his mouth. From Jamie's lips, they stung like poison. It was like watching a videotape. It was like a mirror, and now she could see clearly. It was an accident. I didn't mean to. Austin's words. You have to believe me. His excuses. Gemma didn't like to admit it to herself, but there was a pattern to every beating. A pattern in the pain, and a pattern to every make-up. It was now, in this moment, she was aware of the circle she'd trapped herself in. It was just like Erin's circle. The happy thoughts faded away. The bruises came back. Her blood started boiling, and something inside her woke up.
Gemma pushed through the horde of people, into the empty space. She grabbed Erin's hand and helped her up. "You okay?" she asked. But Erin couldn't hear.
"That's what you said all those other times before too. I'm done listening to your lies. I'm not your toy to continue using until you're bored and tired of it. I've put up with it enough. If you ever, ever come near me again...I swear...You'll regret it."
Erin brushed past her, heading back towards the direction of the bathroom. People were still silent. Some guests even had their phones out, recording the whole shitshow. It was Gemma and Jamie in the circle now. His eyes were starting to water, but she didn't care. Suddenly, she wasn't looking at one of her closest friends from high school. She was looking at a monster.
"G," he mumbled, practically begging, "you have to believe me."
But Gemma didn't blink. "Y'know, you really 'oughta kill yourself for that."
She didn't recoil or look away. It was what her father did whenever he was furious. The more she glared, the more Jamie seemed to crumble in place. She could hear his heart shatter. After many years, the cord of communion between them snapped. He ran off, and Gemma was left in the center of the circle. Some people clapped. Most wore eyes of disapproval.
Reality set in. She tried to ignore everyone's glares. "Erin!" Gemma cried as she chased after her old friend, who looked like she was going to pass out. Before Gemma could reach her, the bathroom door shut in her face. She knocked once. Twice. "Erin?" But she couldn't hear anything from the other side of the door. She kept her head down, avoiding partygoers' gazes. Gemma joined Soren, Quinn and Khepri by the bar, not saying anything to them. She poured herself a heavy glass of vodka, no mixers, and chugged it all down. The alcohol went straight to her brain. Despite the burn in her throat, the numbness was calming. By morning, everyone will forget this ever happened.
Time seemed to slip through Gemma's fingers. She couldn't tell if it was from the anxiety or the alcohol or both. She spent a solid ten minutes standing alone against a wall. It was all so hard to process. How long had Jamie been hurting Erin? Did Soren know? Did anyone else in the old group know? Why hadn't they said anything? The room felt less claustrophobic as people stopped staring at her like a witch to burn and got back to the party, albeit awkwardly. Gemma watched a group of college-aged girls shake their heads and leave; there'd been enough violence for the night. She saw Erin and Soren bolt through the front door soon after. Maybe this party was meant to be over as soon it started. In fact, maybe this party was never meant to happen in the first place.
Discreetly, Gemma walked over to the door and turned the knob. As soon as she could leave herself, a blood-curdling scream shot through the apartment. "Help! Someone call an ambulance!"
Was that Camilla? Yes - there she was, on the other side of the room. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Gemma jogged over to the hallway where she stood. Camilla was breathing heavily by an open window, a fire escape underneath her. Perhaps it was best to leave her be. Khepri could tend to the situation. She assumed the two were still very close.
Gemma continued down the hall, squishing herself inside a pit of panicked bystanders. She could see the light from Jamie's bedroom, but not his body. "Check his pulse!" she heard someone cry. She caught a glimpse of the carpet floor. Bright red...was that blood? The sight sobered her up. She felt her heart slip into her stomach.
"Jamie's dead," announced a voice. You could hear a pin drop.
No. This can't be happening. Slowly, the people around her began to hyperventilate. Gemma just stood in shock. This was all happening so fast. She felt a tap on her right shoulder. It was the bald guy from before. His arms were crossed, and he looked down at her with a mix of curiosity and disgust.
"Didn't you tell Jamie to kill himself?" he asked.
Several heads turned in her direction.
Oh no. Gemma felt like she was sinking into the floor. Her chest began to tighten. She didn't answer the question. Her instincts took over, and before she knew it she was on the other side of the room. She could feel peoples' eyes shooting daggers into the back of her skull. "She made him commit suicide!" someone shouted. An angry mob of voices rose in agreement. There was a camera flash. Her hands shook in trepidation as she finally reached the knob of the front door, turned it, and left everyone behind.
It was like an earthquake inside her mind. What number was it again? Her balance wavering as she strode down the hallway, Gemma opened the door to apartment 609. She saw a messy living room with a ripped-up couch, some pizza boxes on the floor, and bongs underneath an end table. There wasn't enough oxygen getting to her lungs. Her nose was filled with the smell of burnt weed and sweat.
"Who's there?" said a muffled voice from behind a door, probably inside the bedroom. A chorus of footsteps marched down the hall: four stoner guys and a girl. No Stuey in sight. Surprisingly, they didn't seem disturbed, just concerned. "Miss, are you okay?"
She tried to approach them, but her feet turned to gelatin. Gemma lost her balance and knocked her back against the hardwood floor. The sheer impact forced the last bit of air out of her lungs. Everything felt like it was slipping away. "Dude, she's fucking passing out!" she heard someone say. The last thing she felt before the black was a dozen hands trying to shake her awake.
Kyle, and now Jamie. Two friends dead because of her.
N a t h a n Miller
outfit - #E19D29
Nate wasn’t sure what he expected from Erin, but he certainly didn’t expect for her to walk up and nod to him, as if she approved of what he’d done. It didn’t take long for everyone to go back to the party, and Nate went to search out a glass of water. He took a few minutes to compose himself before heading back into the party, and the first thing he saw was Jamie making a beeline for the bathroom. Nate found himself cringing internally at the mark on Jamie’s face; that was going to leave a bruise. It looked like it hurt, and Nate once again began to debate the merits of leaving the party and never again talking about what happened, but instead he decided to try to talk to Jamie first. At least try to smooth things over before he left. He didn’t need to lose more friends over his stupid lack of impulse control, so he’d wait on Jamie.
But Erin walked in behind Jamie, and the door closed behind them soon afterwards. He rolled his eyes, pulled out his phone to check the time, and looked around the room, trying to find someone to talk to, or something to do. He wandered a short way away, but his attention was drawn back when he heard a door slam behind him. He turned to see Erin rushing out the door, Jamie close behind her. Something wasn’t right.
Nate’s stomach was in knots the minute Erin and Jamie rushed into the room, and everyone around could see that this wasn’t going to end well. Nate felt a pair of eyes on him, as if silently urging him to do something. He didn’t know what anyone expected him to do, and briefly forgot that he’d even hit Jamie in the first place. He felt about two feet shorter than he was, in that moment. He’d always said he would react a certain way if he ever encountered a situation like this, but instead it had him feeling like a scared little kid. Something inside him half expected Jamie to flip a switch, turn his anger on Nate instead. That’s what had always happened when he was a kid. Instead, Jamie’s hand came down on Erin’s face, and he heard the gasps, the whispers around them. Then Gemma was speaking up, and before Nate knew it, Jamie and Erin went off into separate rooms, and the small crowd around them had dispersed. Nate felt, for a moment, like he was going to cry.
He should leave, now. That was the smart thing to do. After all, what more could he do?
He didn’t go far before he felt like he needed to sit down. He’d thought he’d known what kind of person Jamie was, but he was wrong. He quickly found himself adding Jamie in with his father in his mind. I hope you die alone, in pain, and miserable for every moment of your pathetic life. It didn’t make him feel any better, but he did begin to feel less like a scared little kid, and more like a grown man. He wanted to check on Erin, or Gemma, or… He didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he needed to know that they were okay before he left. Or that they were going to be okay. Then he heard someone yell.
He didn’t immediately head towards the source of the yelling, but when he realized that the yelling was someone calling for an ambulance, he got up and headed in that direction, just to try to get a look and see what was going on. It was chaos, understandably. He didn’t quite make it to the room, having been distracted by Camilla hyperventilating by an open window. He walked over, thought about putting a hand on her shoulder, then decided against it. “Hey, Cam,” He didn’t know what to say, he was no good in difficult situations. He looked around, as if to find someone who could handle this better than he could, but most everyone was focused on Jamie, and the fact that he was dead.
There was a small commotion, and then Gemma was running past, and Nate really didn’t know what to do then. Without another word, he left Camilla and went back into the main room, looking around aimlessly. The last time he’d been at a party when someone died, he’d been well on his way home at this point. He really and truly didn’t know what to do.
When Quinn turned to see her, she couldn't help but let her smile grow. She couldn't explain it, but, out of everyone, Quinn just seemed to get her. She didn't have to constantly have the weight on her shoulder that he thought she was too much or too 'perfect' to him like she had to with other people. "You know there's something so different seeing you in person rather than tv, how's life treating you?" She raised her eyebrows for a moment before sighing. Her eyes looked up as if she was searching for an answer. She hated this question. Life was treating her pretty shitty, not in comparison to other people, but shitty nonetheless. "Hm, let me think about that. I'm engaged to someone chosen for me because apparently, I'm that awful to be around, I'm stuck in this shithole of a city, my anxiety's running rampant, sleep is for the weak, and oh! I'm pretty much forced to see Gemma again, the girl I almost fought in a high school hallway... So, pretty fucking great. Can't complain." She took a deep breath before chuckling. "Yea, I have one of those faces that look better close up. I think they call it natural beauty but life... It's pretty great. I get to be in New York for a little while, rest up before moving back, and not to mention, I've finally found a man who can handle being second place." Perfectly vague. Just how she liked it, and with a sincere smile and a tapping of her fingers, it was perfect.
"Okay, first off, he has not tamed me. I can't be tamed. I tamed him, and second of all, trust me, you are first on the guest list, sitting right next to Elon. And I'm expecting a very nice gift, Mr. Millionare." In all honesty, she wanted to hear more about his life as opposed to talking about her own. It was bullshit. Her fiance, if you could even call him that, her career right now, it was all bullshit. The two kept talking, and it was perfect. She was finally getting her mind off of everything swirling around in her head, and at this point, she wasn't even thinking about Gemma or Jamie. She was only snapped out of it when she heard someone from behind the bar calling Quinn's name. She looked up and saw none other than Soren, her favorite little disaster. She looked as he complimented Quinn with this cute smile on his face and the same stupid smile that was on Quinn's face the second he saw Soren. "Wait, what the fuck is going on here?" Her eyes kept going from Soren and Quinn with a smirk growing ever so slowly on her face. She wasn't going to meddle, but she needed to do something for the two of them. It was in her blood. She had to. She winked when Soren turned to her and placed a hand gently underneath her chin as he complimented her. "Oh, I love the way you spoil me." She had to admit seeing the two men around her flirt in their sad ways was adorable. Sad, but adorable.
Being around the two of them brought her down to Earth even if it was just for a brief moment in time. The last thing she needed was for it to all come crumbling down. Sadly, as if like clockwork. That is what happened. Erin ran past the group, followed by a blood curling scream. Jamie's dead. Just like that, all hell broke loose. Some people were running towards the door, others were racing towards the room, and others, like Khepri for the first time in her life, didn't know what to do. Soren was out the door, and Quinn was in front of her. She peeked around him to see the scene unfolding in front of her. Her mind was racing, not because she was panicked, she couldn't be. Not when everyone else was, but it was because of the symphony of noises around her. Quinn left her side in a frenzy, and finally, Khepri stood, took a deep breath, and tried to regain her wits. This was the first time she had been in a scene like this, she had reported on deaths and tragedies, but she has never been in the middle of one. She wasn't there the night Kyle died, but she saw enough of the aftermath to know that the rest of the group were probably going through it right now.
She took a deep breath before pulling the plug of the music, leaving the room only filled with the madness of the crowd. The Indian-American pushed her way into the room, pulling people out of her way. These idiots were going to ruin the crime (if it even was a crime) scene. They were going to get themselves fucking arrested. "Move. Everyone get the fuck out of here! You leave this apartment or touch this body. You will get arrested. Now, get the fuck out of this room!" When Khepri had to be the most rational person, something was wrong. She was supposed to be the one coming up with the plan to keep her friends from getting arrested, not the one who kept people calm and had to be the mommy of the group. But, since everyone else was losing their mind. She didn't have much choice, did she? She pushed people out of her way as she tried to close the door, getting her first look at the body. Trying to remember every detail of what was going on in the room. "Eyes open. Red liquid on the carpet. Could be blood, could be wine. He's probably covered in fingerprints, so that's great. Fucking idiots."
"Okay, first off, he has not tamed me. I can't be tamed. I tamed him, and second of all, trust me, you are first on the guest list, sitting right next to Elon. And I'm expecting a very nice gift, Mr. Millionare." In all honesty, she wanted to hear more about his life as opposed to talking about her own. It was bullshit. Her fiance, if you could even call him that, her career right now, it was all bullshit. The two kept talking, and it was perfect. She was finally getting her mind off of everything swirling around in her head, and at this point, she wasn't even thinking about Gemma or Jamie. She was only snapped out of it when she heard someone from behind the bar calling Quinn's name. She looked up and saw none other than Soren, her favorite little disaster. She looked as he complimented Quinn with this cute smile on his face and the same stupid smile that was on Quinn's face the second he saw Soren. "Wait, what the fuck is going on here?" Her eyes kept going from Soren and Quinn with a smirk growing ever so slowly on her face. She wasn't going to meddle, but she needed to do something for the two of them. It was in her blood. She had to. She winked when Soren turned to her and placed a hand gently underneath her chin as he complimented her. "Oh, I love the way you spoil me." She had to admit seeing the two men around her flirt in their sad ways was adorable. Sad, but adorable.
Being around the two of them brought her down to Earth even if it was just for a brief moment in time. The last thing she needed was for it to all come crumbling down. Sadly, as if like clockwork. That is what happened. Erin ran past the group, followed by a blood curling scream. Jamie's dead. Just like that, all hell broke loose. Some people were running towards the door, others were racing towards the room, and others, like Khepri for the first time in her life, didn't know what to do. Soren was out the door, and Quinn was in front of her. She peeked around him to see the scene unfolding in front of her. Her mind was racing, not because she was panicked, she couldn't be. Not when everyone else was, but it was because of the symphony of noises around her. Quinn left her side in a frenzy, and finally, Khepri stood, took a deep breath, and tried to regain her wits. This was the first time she had been in a scene like this, she had reported on deaths and tragedies, but she has never been in the middle of one. She wasn't there the night Kyle died, but she saw enough of the aftermath to know that the rest of the group were probably going through it right now.
She took a deep breath before pulling the plug of the music, leaving the room only filled with the madness of the crowd. The Indian-American pushed her way into the room, pulling people out of her way. These idiots were going to ruin the crime (if it even was a crime) scene. They were going to get themselves fucking arrested. "Move. Everyone get the fuck out of here! You leave this apartment or touch this body. You will get arrested. Now, get the fuck out of this room!" When Khepri had to be the most rational person, something was wrong. She was supposed to be the one coming up with the plan to keep her friends from getting arrested, not the one who kept people calm and had to be the mommy of the group. But, since everyone else was losing their mind. She didn't have much choice, did she? She pushed people out of her way as she tried to close the door, getting her first look at the body. Trying to remember every detail of what was going on in the room. "Eyes open. Red liquid on the carpet. Could be blood, could be wine. He's probably covered in fingerprints, so that's great. Fucking idiots."
Nothing in the room seemed too disturbed to draw her attention instantly. She closed the door. By the time she turned the hallway was still filled with drunk and high people who were still very much in shock. Full disclosure, she was she. On the inside, she was shaking. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't. Not now. She'd deal with this scaring memory later. She again pushed her way through the people to make her way to the main room. Without a word, she walked toward Cam and wrapped her arm around her as the blonde looked towards the window. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. "Hey, I'm sorry your friend's dead?" So, instead, she just rubbed her arm and finally took a breath of fresh air as she waited for the police to come.
soren bowers
xxxevery face along the boulevard
xxxis a dreamer just like you
xxxyou looked at death in a tarot card
xxxand you knew what you had to do
The minute the tears started flowing down Erin’s face, he knew things were bad. She didn’t cry easily, and he could tell things were really bad. At first, he thought that maybe she’d just heard about Jamie and was upset. And then she told him what had actually happened, and he just had to exhale slowly to try and keep himself calm. One of them needed to keep it together, and him getting angry wouldn’t do either of them any favours. “Of course I believe you, Rin,” he said, pulling her into the tightest hug he could muster, holding it for a few seconds. But he exhaled heavily as she said she just wanted to go home.
“I know, Rin, I know. But… we can’t really go right now. We need to talk to the cops. If we leave now, there’ll just be even more questions. We go in, we tell them what happened, and then we can go home. We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible, and then we’ll go home and get drunk or go find some swings or something. Come on,” he said, linking his arm through hers and gently guiding her back into the apartment.
Inside, everything felt as chaotic as when they’d left, if not even moreso. People seemed to be reeling from what had just happened. And as Soren made his way in, he could feel eyes on him and Erin. People seemed to glance away when he met their eyes, but he could hear the whispers.
They left kinda quickly, didn’t they?
I bet one’s covering up for the other.
Did you see him and Jamie earlier?
Soren could feel the panic building in his chest, but he needed to stay calm. Erin had put up with enough of his bullshit for this long, he couldn’t break down on her now. He gently sat her down. “You want a drink or anything?” He asked, before the arrival of a group of new bodies temporarily distracted everyone. The cops had arrived.
It didn’t take long for them to start interviewing people. Unsurprisingly, they split Soren and Erin up. The cop that pulled Soren aside had a hard expression and a set jaw, but there was a softness in his mannerisms that seemed to suggest that he wasn’t as harsh as he seemed.
“How did you know Jamie Blackburn?” He asked. Soren sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“We were friends. We hadn’t spoken for a few years but we were on good terms, and he invited my band to play the party tonight.”
“When did you last see him?”
“We had a… conversation about 11, I think? Then I had… to go to the bathroom. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Can you think of any reason anyone would have wanted to hurt Jamie?”
“No, he was… He used to be a pretty nice guy. I think he had a few disagreements with people tonight, but it was all… trivial stuff. Too many big personalities and too much alcohol, right?”
“Did you have any disagreements with him?”
“I… I don’t…” Soren took a deep breath. He needed to keep it together. “I misunderstood the signals I was getting, and I made… a move on him. He… did not respond well to it, yelled at me, and left.”
“That must have been embarrassing.”
“I mean. Yeah, it was. But that was all. I was embarrassed, and I went to the bathroom to calm down and freshen up a little bit. And then I came back and got some drinks and caught up with a few old friends. I didn't see Jamie after that.”
“Thanks, Soren. We’ll be in touch just to ask you a few more questions at a later stage.”
Soren exhaled as the cop walked away. The cop had been entirely unreadable, so Soren had no idea if the cop had believed him or not. This was all starting to feel a little too like the night Kyle had died, and that was a night Soren had never wanted to revisit. He shot a glance over at Erin to see how she was doing, not wanting to approach until the cops were done with her.
“I know, Rin, I know. But… we can’t really go right now. We need to talk to the cops. If we leave now, there’ll just be even more questions. We go in, we tell them what happened, and then we can go home. We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible, and then we’ll go home and get drunk or go find some swings or something. Come on,” he said, linking his arm through hers and gently guiding her back into the apartment.
Inside, everything felt as chaotic as when they’d left, if not even moreso. People seemed to be reeling from what had just happened. And as Soren made his way in, he could feel eyes on him and Erin. People seemed to glance away when he met their eyes, but he could hear the whispers.
They left kinda quickly, didn’t they?
I bet one’s covering up for the other.
Did you see him and Jamie earlier?
Soren could feel the panic building in his chest, but he needed to stay calm. Erin had put up with enough of his bullshit for this long, he couldn’t break down on her now. He gently sat her down. “You want a drink or anything?” He asked, before the arrival of a group of new bodies temporarily distracted everyone. The cops had arrived.
It didn’t take long for them to start interviewing people. Unsurprisingly, they split Soren and Erin up. The cop that pulled Soren aside had a hard expression and a set jaw, but there was a softness in his mannerisms that seemed to suggest that he wasn’t as harsh as he seemed.
“How did you know Jamie Blackburn?” He asked. Soren sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“We were friends. We hadn’t spoken for a few years but we were on good terms, and he invited my band to play the party tonight.”
“When did you last see him?”
“We had a… conversation about 11, I think? Then I had… to go to the bathroom. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Can you think of any reason anyone would have wanted to hurt Jamie?”
“No, he was… He used to be a pretty nice guy. I think he had a few disagreements with people tonight, but it was all… trivial stuff. Too many big personalities and too much alcohol, right?”
“Did you have any disagreements with him?”
“I… I don’t…” Soren took a deep breath. He needed to keep it together. “I misunderstood the signals I was getting, and I made… a move on him. He… did not respond well to it, yelled at me, and left.”
“That must have been embarrassing.”
“I mean. Yeah, it was. But that was all. I was embarrassed, and I went to the bathroom to calm down and freshen up a little bit. And then I came back and got some drinks and caught up with a few old friends. I didn't see Jamie after that.”
“Thanks, Soren. We’ll be in touch just to ask you a few more questions at a later stage.”
Soren exhaled as the cop walked away. The cop had been entirely unreadable, so Soren had no idea if the cop had believed him or not. This was all starting to feel a little too like the night Kyle had died, and that was a night Soren had never wanted to revisit. He shot a glance over at Erin to see how she was doing, not wanting to approach until the cops were done with her.
Erin Monahan
xxxHell raising, hair raising
xxxI'm ready for the worst
xxxSo frightening, face whitening
xxxFear that you can't reverse
Erin silently stood there as Soren took a moment to fully process what she told him. She didn't know if he truly understood what she was implying, but all that mattered was that he believed her, even if he was only saying it for the moment. Erin returned his hug, and wasn't wanting to let go. She needed someone, something to help keep her grounded. Something to help make this feel any less real than it really was. Erin looked at Soren when he explained that they couldn't leave just yet, that they had to stay and answer questions or things would get worse. She wanted out of here, now, but she knew full well that there was no way of her not being looked at as a suspect.
Silently and reluctantly, she linked her arm with Soren's and let him walk her back to the apartment. Knowing full well what was going to happen. They'd be questioned by the cops, just like that night when Kyle-No, she couldn't think about that now. It wasn't the time for that. Making their way back into the room wasn't a problem, it was the looks they immediately got from the others. Averting her eyes was all she could do to keep herself contained in that moment, and not just rush out of the apartment and make herself look even more guilty than she already did. She knew people were going to talk, there was going to be rumors about this for months. There always was after something like this. Erin ignored them all the best she could as Soren helped her sit on one of the couches, asking if she wanted a drink or something. Yeah, alcohol, would have been her preferred answer, but she simply shook her head no. She needed to remain as sober as she could for questioning, as the cops would already have a million questions for her, the last thing she'd need it to be seen as an angry and crazy drunk ex-girlfriend of the deceased. This was all one big fucked up mess, and here she was, in the middle of it once again.
They sat there silently for a few minutes until more people started to enter the apartment. Without even having to look up, Erin knew who they were, and why they were here. Cops, fucking great. Erin shook her head as she watched as they pulled Soren away and began questioning him. They'd need individual answers, and without being messed up due to a second party's input. Erin took a deep breath and looked up at the officer that stood infront of her with a pen and notepad, preparing herself for what was to come next.
“Please state your name, and how did you knew Jamie Blackburn?” the officer questioned, her disposition was a bit kinder than Erin had been expecting on initial assumptions.
"Oh uh," Erin stammered for a moment, licking her lips for a moment. "Erin Monahan, and I knew him since back in high-school we uh...We were friends and haven't really talked to him much since then. But he recently got into contact with me again and asked if I could man the bar for the party. That's all." Erin said softly, before looking down at the floor.
"Were you just friends? The way you mentioned him sounded rather-" the officer began, but was cut off as Erin shot her a glance.
"We...We hooked up from time to time back in the day...As kids do. There was nothing more to it. You can believe me of that." Erin said a little bit too coldy.
"Why's that? Something bad happen? Bad breakup?" the officer pushed more, writing down in the notepad.
Erin scoffed, shaking her head as she looked back down. "He turned out to be a piece of shit, I'll say that much. Besides, I found out girls were a lot less of a hassle." Erin quickly quipped back under her breath, regretting the latter part of her statement.
"Alright...When was the last time you saw him?"
Erin sighed, sitting back in the couch for a moment, "We got into a small disagreement and...We both stormed off after it, enough people saw it...I went to the bathroom to calm down and, then the next thing I knew after leaving the bathroom was someone saying he was dead." wrapping her arms around her more as she could slowly feel herself becoming smaller and smaller as a pit formed in her stomach.
"What was the disagreement amount? Did he say or do anything? You said there was enough witnesses, care to explain from your perspective first?"
Erin sighed and took a deep breath before she answered, being careful to think the next thing through, "We got into an argument like we always did...He got angry and lashed out and...He slapped me. Just like he always did..." Erin said with a few sniffled as she wiped her eyes.
"Do you think maybe...You may have done something then, in retaliation? For hitting you? Must have been awkward and humiliating to have people see it." the officer said, with a bit of a softer and tender tone.
"I didn't-I...Okay look, Jamie may have been a piece of shit, and abusive but...I'd never purposefully hurt him-"
"Maybe then it was an accident? Self-defense? Maybe you were tired of his abuse and decided you'd do something to protect yourself finally? Victims of domestic abuse tend to-"
"Look, are we donne here? I don't think this is the time or place to discuss this shit." Erin spouted off, a bit too harshly than she would have liked to. "I'm sorry, I just...I don't want to keep talking about this..." Erin said with a small glance towards the officer.
"We'll keep in touch, Ms Monahan. We'll make sure to call you if we have any more questions for you. Thank you for your time." she said with a small smile and nod, and quickly walked away and went to question more people.
Erin sighed heavily, looking up to see Soren finally done with his questioning as well. She quickly got to her feet, and met him half way, "I really want to get out of here now, Soren. Please? I need out of here or I'm gonna need a quick smoke. Just, something to calm my nerves." she gave him a small smile that quickly faded away all too fast.
Shane Tompson
xxxSometimes I wish you would leave me
xxxWhoa I'm not sick of you yet
xxxIs that as good as it gets?
xxxI'll just hide it
xxxI could slip into you
xxxIt's so easy to come back into you
Shane simply remained closer to one of the walls as he stood, just enjoying the music and vibe of the party. Trying to enjoy the small things in life was something he had grown accustomed to over the years. Shane turned his head and smiled as he heard Camilla apologize for having to leave for something, "Oh nah, you're fine, Cam. Promise." he said with a smile. He raised an eyebrow when she mentioned about having to gotten a kick, and saw as she pulled something out that he was all too familiar with. Drugs, of fucking course she brought drugs. He was going to make a comment about how she needs to be more careful and not just show it off like that, but she had offered him a dance before he could say anything. How could he pass up such a chance? The two danced for a few minutes before Cam gasped as she looked past Shane, as if something had happened.
He looked over his shoulder to see what got her attention, only seeing the aftermath of what happened. Erin and Jamie walking off in different directions as the crowd slowly began to disperse. He watched as Cam excused herself, going after Jamie. He listened to the crowd as they mumbled amongst themselves about what had happened.
"Did you see that?"
"Yeah, why do you think Jamie hit her?"
"I don't know, maybe she did something to piss him off?"
Shane blinked as he was able to make out some of what was being said. Did Jamie really hit Erin? Either way, he wasn't about to let something like that slide. He made his way down the hallway, stopping as he passed by Gemma who was busily calling for Erin in the bathroom, who seemed to not answer, which resulted in the other girl to leave. Shane looked at the door, knocking for a moment.
"Come in." Jamie answered from the other side of the door.
Shane opened the door, closing it behind him as he entered. He immediately shot Jamie a look he hadn't seen in tears, which Jamie to back up a little. "Is it true?" Shane questioned. Jamie shot him a quizzical look, "Is what true?" he questioned. "That you fucking hit Erin!" Shane exclaimed, quickly enclosing the space between him and Jamie as he pushed him against the wall, looking him dead in the eyes. "What the fuck, Shane? She came at me wreckless first, alright?" Jamie exclaimed in retaliation.
Shane kept Jamie close to the wall, making sure he wouldn't be able to squirm free, "That doesn't give you the fucking right to hit a girl, Jamie! Especially Erin." he said coldly, making sure to never break the glance he held with Jamie. "What's your deal with Erin, anyway? I thought she hated your punk ass, especially after what you did-" he was cut off as Shane held him pinned to the wall, "Don't you fucking dare bring that shit up again, Blackburne. It's long since passed. I've tried to make up for it." Shane said softly, not loosening his grip on Jamie. "Say that to Kyle then, Thompson. Do you think she'd ever forgive you for what you did? You got her brother killed, Shane. There is no fixing that! Now how about you let me go, or I will call the cops for assault, think that would go good for your little business?"
Shane simply let go of his shirt, dropping Jamie as he backed away. "If I ever hear that you hurt Erin again, or anyone else, I will personally make your life hell, Jamie." Shane said coldly before he turned walked away. Slamming the door behind him as he left a few minutes later after continuing to talk to Jamie. Shane needed to cool his head, he just had to, before he did something stupid or that he'd regret. He walked back to the main room and just tried to collect himself. He tried to dance with a few others, but as time went on, nothing was working. Shane grabbed a drink from the bar as he saw that Erin was still nowhere to be found, and regrouped with a few others and started to dance with them, as well as try to spark up some conversation.
He felt his stomach drop when he heard people well for help, and for someone to find an ambulance. Jamie. The words hit him like a truck. He didn't know what happened, but he knew that things were going to go to shit. It was just like last time. He couldn't let things get any worse, but he wanted out of there. Before he knew it, Shane bolted out the door of the apartment and down the hallway, almost tripping over his feet. He needed to get out of here. He knew if he was questioned by the cops, if anyone knew anything, he'd be screwed. And he wasn't going to let this ruin things for him. Not just because of Jamie Blackburne.
He looked over his shoulder to see what got her attention, only seeing the aftermath of what happened. Erin and Jamie walking off in different directions as the crowd slowly began to disperse. He watched as Cam excused herself, going after Jamie. He listened to the crowd as they mumbled amongst themselves about what had happened.
"Did you see that?"
"Yeah, why do you think Jamie hit her?"
"I don't know, maybe she did something to piss him off?"
Shane blinked as he was able to make out some of what was being said. Did Jamie really hit Erin? Either way, he wasn't about to let something like that slide. He made his way down the hallway, stopping as he passed by Gemma who was busily calling for Erin in the bathroom, who seemed to not answer, which resulted in the other girl to leave. Shane looked at the door, knocking for a moment.
"Come in." Jamie answered from the other side of the door.
Shane opened the door, closing it behind him as he entered. He immediately shot Jamie a look he hadn't seen in tears, which Jamie to back up a little. "Is it true?" Shane questioned. Jamie shot him a quizzical look, "Is what true?" he questioned. "That you fucking hit Erin!" Shane exclaimed, quickly enclosing the space between him and Jamie as he pushed him against the wall, looking him dead in the eyes. "What the fuck, Shane? She came at me wreckless first, alright?" Jamie exclaimed in retaliation.
Shane kept Jamie close to the wall, making sure he wouldn't be able to squirm free, "That doesn't give you the fucking right to hit a girl, Jamie! Especially Erin." he said coldly, making sure to never break the glance he held with Jamie. "What's your deal with Erin, anyway? I thought she hated your punk ass, especially after what you did-" he was cut off as Shane held him pinned to the wall, "Don't you fucking dare bring that shit up again, Blackburne. It's long since passed. I've tried to make up for it." Shane said softly, not loosening his grip on Jamie. "Say that to Kyle then, Thompson. Do you think she'd ever forgive you for what you did? You got her brother killed, Shane. There is no fixing that! Now how about you let me go, or I will call the cops for assault, think that would go good for your little business?"
Shane simply let go of his shirt, dropping Jamie as he backed away. "If I ever hear that you hurt Erin again, or anyone else, I will personally make your life hell, Jamie." Shane said coldly before he turned walked away. Slamming the door behind him as he left a few minutes later after continuing to talk to Jamie. Shane needed to cool his head, he just had to, before he did something stupid or that he'd regret. He walked back to the main room and just tried to collect himself. He tried to dance with a few others, but as time went on, nothing was working. Shane grabbed a drink from the bar as he saw that Erin was still nowhere to be found, and regrouped with a few others and started to dance with them, as well as try to spark up some conversation.
He felt his stomach drop when he heard people well for help, and for someone to find an ambulance. Jamie. The words hit him like a truck. He didn't know what happened, but he knew that things were going to go to shit. It was just like last time. He couldn't let things get any worse, but he wanted out of there. Before he knew it, Shane bolted out the door of the apartment and down the hallway, almost tripping over his feet. He needed to get out of here. He knew if he was questioned by the cops, if anyone knew anything, he'd be screwed. And he wasn't going to let this ruin things for him. Not just because of Jamie Blackburne.
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View All » Add Character » 9 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Jamie Blackburn
i can't hate the ones who made me.
Quinlan Rothschild
"I always seem to wonder why people don't like me, then I realize I don't like myself either."
Camilla Rhodes
"Everyone's out there to either be you, be with you,or be better than you."
Gemma Donati
"I have forsaken what is right for what is easy, allowing what I know is evil in my house."
Khepri Mahajan
"She's enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees." w.i.p
Nathan Miller
"The night is still just getting started."
Soren Bowers
"i felt the sun rise up and swallow me."
Trending
Camilla Rhodes
"Everyone's out there to either be you, be with you,or be better than you."
Gemma Donati
"I have forsaken what is right for what is easy, allowing what I know is evil in my house."
Soren Bowers
"i felt the sun rise up and swallow me."
Quinlan Rothschild
"I always seem to wonder why people don't like me, then I realize I don't like myself either."
Khepri Mahajan
"She's enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees." w.i.p
Jamie Blackburn
i can't hate the ones who made me.
Nathan Miller
"The night is still just getting started."
Most Followed
Soren Bowers
"i felt the sun rise up and swallow me."
Jamie Blackburn
i can't hate the ones who made me.
Gemma Donati
"I have forsaken what is right for what is easy, allowing what I know is evil in my house."
Khepri Mahajan
"She's enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees." w.i.p
Camilla Rhodes
"Everyone's out there to either be you, be with you,or be better than you."
Nathan Miller
"The night is still just getting started."
Quinlan Rothschild
"I always seem to wonder why people don't like me, then I realize I don't like myself either."
Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » are we the waiting: Out of Character
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by partially-stars on Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:53 pm
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are we the waiting
by partially-stars on Tue Mar 31, 2020 4:37 pm
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are we the waiting
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