Sydney Persson's Story

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Dialogue Color: #02661C
Outfit: This
Location: Airth Residence

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Jameson's house was usually a good spot to pregame at, be it his one in the city, or out on the island, because of how lax his mother was. AJ had learned years ago that James' mom, Alexandra, was the cool aunt of the family, and that James was lucky she was his mother. AJ loved his own mother as well, and honestly probably qualified as a mama's boy in a way, but there was no denying that James could get away with murder in his house. While AJ had his mother's affection like most son's did, he still had rules to follow and he knew his boundaries and limits. Jameson never really seemed to have them. He wasn't a disrespectful or rowdy kid to begin with, but Alexandra was the type of mother who doted on him at every opportunity given. Never once had AJ heard her yell, and she always went out of her way to make sure that everyone was having a good time. She was a really sweet woman, and although her pushover tendencies probably didn't always make her the best parent of the year in terms of enforcing rules, they worked in AJ's favor since he and Jameson's friends frequently needed a place to drink at, and she never seemed bothered by the boys doing it there. Had the Arnaults party today not been one that attracted many of the affluent adults of Manhattan as well, then The Airth's compound on Long Island would have been the perfect pregaming spot for many of the popular kids attending. However, because it was Mr. Arnault and his new wife who were hosting it, AJ's parents, as well as Jameson's mother (without her husband, due to him being away on business) would be attending too.

Because The Clarke's didn't own a summer house in the Hamptons, but had one down south instead, AJ's family was staying with his cousins as they frequently did. While James' parents were okay with him drinking underage, AJ had to be more careful about it. His parents weren't crazy strict, and every now and then he could get away with trying a glass of wine at dinner, or having a beer with his father at a sporting event, but he knew he had to be respectfully careful and discrete about it. That was why now, as his parents and younger sister hung out inside the house somewhere, AJ didn't feel guilty about drinking a beer with a lime as he laid out by the pool with James. Had Alaina been there, he would have expected some comment about how stupid they looked sunbathing, but without her there, he didn't have to worry about the shame. In fact, he was actually enjoying the afternoon of lounging poolside. It was a nice break in the day, after spending a few hours at the Southampton's Bathing Corporation, a pristine and exclusive beach club that their grandmother was a member of, where he spent a few hours playing tennis with James, and before they had to get ready for The Arnault's party.

He doubted his family would be heading to The Arnault's right at four o'clock on the dot, but he wasn't sure whether he was expected to be there then, or not. Usually, to parties like this, he would show up with Sydney. Since Adeline was her best friend, though, there was always a chance that she would be there before the party started. He wouldn't know, though, since it had been nearly three days since Sydney had answered his last text. He had called and texted her numerous times since then, and at this point, he could barely even remember what their last fight had been about to warrant this silent treatment. He knew that if Sydney knew about him sleeping with Esme last month, the retribution would have been much harsher than this, so he assumed that she really was just unnecessarily pissed that he had cancelled a date night they had been planning on last week. Although the public wouldn't know it, it seemed like he and Sydney were fighting more often than they weren't, and AJ hated that.

To: Sydney
Are you really still ignoring me?

After he sent a text to her, he leaned over and finished his beer, purposely pushing the empty bottle closer to Jameson's side of the table in between them, just in case his parents happened to come outside. "Day three of Syd ghosting me..." he said aloud with an annoyed huff. "I really don't get girls, man..." At that thought, he also decided to text Esme.

To: Esme
Hey you on the island yet? W Syd?

Also, only really because his phone was out and in his hand, he decided to send his sister a text too. He knew that the only reason for why she wasn't there was because she and their mom had gotten into an argument earlier that day, and maybe it was that mama's boy instinct in him, but he felt like his sister was dragging this too much. Plus, the fact that he and James had had to entertain Isabelle for a little while today, while Alaina had been off doing whatever she was doing with her friends, still got on his nerves, despite how much he loved his baby sister.

To: Alaina
Hope you plan on apologizing to mom for being such a bitch

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ADELINE ▿ ARNAULT

Outfit
Location: Kitchen
Dialogue Color: #7957C2

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CHARLOTTE ▿ ARNAULT

Outfit
Location: Kitchen
Dialogue Color: #3BAD45

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After secretly spending her entire summer at an eating disorder treatment center in Illinois, being back home was a transition. She had only gotten home on Monday, and although school had begun on Wednesday, she hadn't returned to school yet. She had been sick earlier in the week, and though it was pretty clear at this point that it had only been her anxiety making her sick, and not an actual virus, it was impossible for her father to force her to school when she was working herself up into getting physically sick because of the nerves. While it probably seemed extreme, Adeline wasn't good with change. It was one of the reasons for why transitioning into living at the treatment center had been so difficult for her, and coming back home after such a long stretch was no different. Coming back home to a new living situation, with her father having gotten married while she was gone, only made the transition seem more extreme. Additionally though, Adeline had the added element of having to stress over being gone for so long, simply because such an unexplained disappearance wasn't acceptable in the social scene that she was involved in. Had she had any forewarning about her father planning on sending her away, she would have made up some excuse for the disappearance that would be to come. She didn't have that luxury though, so now, she could only trust that her family had really kept up the lie that she was away in California for most of the summer visiting her mother, and in France for the rest of it, visiting her father's extended family. They had claimed that she was taking a break from social media, purging herself, if you will, though anyone who knew Adeline knew that she would never willingly do something like that. She knew that her close friends had to know that the story her family was selling was a false one, but now that she was back, she didn't know how to explain the truth to them. Sydney, in particular, was who she was worried about. She was her closest friend, and one of the most trusted people in her life, and yet her struggle with her weight had always felt like too big of a secret to share. Adeline had never wanted to admit that she had a problem, so that too, had allowed her to remain mum about the problem. Even now, when telling the truth was probably the only option that she had to explain such an inexplicable disappearance, she felt sick over having to admit to where she really was. When something made her anxious, Adeline's go-to response was to ignore it instead of facing the responsibility, and that was why she had refused to even touch her phone upon returning to New York, until today.

She sat on one of the high-top chairs at the island in the kitchen of her summer house silently, although the house itself wasn't silent. Thankfully, the kitchen itself was empty for the time being, aside from Simone, the family's chef. Down the hall there was another kitchen, and that was the one that was typically used to prepare big meals for parties like the one her family was currently preparing for. Because the party was being hosted outdoors, most of the event planners and staff involved with setting everything up were out there, and luckily for Adeline, she was pretty sure that her father and stepmother were somewhere out there as well. She was only just beginning to get over the bad mood that her father had put her in earlier in the day, after someone had informed him of how she had thrown out the meal that was supposed to be her lunch (and despite having zero evidence, Adeline was convinced that that someone was Grace). That was the only reason for why she was currently sitting in the kitchen. She had been forced to sit down for lunch #2, and this time, Simone wasn't going to let her cheat like she had with the salad that she had originally been given, despite it not fulfilling all of the requirements of her post-residential meal plan guidelines. Now, she was waiting for Simone to finish the grilled cheese sandwich, that would also have turkey and a sliced tomato inside of it. She was sure that it would taste good, but eating a 345 calorie sandwich, especially when bread was one of the foods that she dreaded the most, made her feel very uneasy. She had just finished sending out a text to Sydney, Esme, and Olivia, knowing that it was a pathetic and lackluster message to send after literally not being heard from for months, but not knowing what else to say, when her sister, Naya and Alaina entered the kitchen.

To: Sydney, Esme, Olivia
Can't wait to see you guys today

Soon after Naya had joined them, the girls headed downstairs. Charlotte was feeling her high enough that she didn't really want to start drinking... until she remembered that she had to spend the entire afternoon and evening socializing. It would have been bad enough if this party was at someone else's house, but because it was her father's name on the invitation, she had to be extra careful about seeming all prim and proper to represent the family properly, and that just wasn't something she was comfortable doing. It wasn't in her nature to be that person. Adeline seemed to handle it fine, and she definitely was the one who had the friends that her father probably appreciated more, but Charlotte had never caught on to the allure of putting up a fake image just to impress other people. It wasn't fun, and it felt like a waste of time. Thinking about that made alcohol sound all the more enticing. "You're drinking, right?" she said, cocking her head to the side to look at Naya. It still felt necessary to ask those kinds of questions, though it probably wasn't fair to Naya that she had such an ingrained reputation of being sweet and innocent. Charlotte asked because of that, but also because she knew that if she was drinking alone, her father would have something to say, but that if Naya was doing so too, he wouldn't be so quick to criticize. She was his new stepdaughter, and although Charlotte wasn't like Adeline, calling out any "injustice" the second it was noticed, she wasn't blind to how her father was putting in an extra effort to make Naya comfortable and happy in her new home. It was surprising, but it was a sign that he liked Grace for more than just her youth. "I'm sure Simone will make us food and drinks," she said reassuringly, as they headed towards the kitchen.

Despite the party not starting for another couple of hours, and it being apparent in her own attire, and Charlotte and Alaina's too, that no one was dressed for the occasion yet, Adeline couldn't resist commenting on Naya's very showy outfit. It was something that was probably understandable to be worn lounging around the house, but it wasn't something that Adeline would ever wear, and as most people knew, she couldn't comprehend that other people would think differently than her. "Are you and Grace heading back to the brothel you guys came from, or did you finally find out that my dad signed a prenup, and that if you want anything close to this kind of life after he dumps her in a year or two, that you better use these parties to 'network' and find yourself a sugar daddy of your own?" It was an unnecessary dig, especially considering that Naya literally had not said a word to her, and that in the past five days that Adeline had been home, Naya and Grace had been nothing but nice to her. Adeline's mood seemed like a wild card lately. There were moments when she was cordial towards her new stepmother and stepsister, and others when she was venomous. The latter usually came about for no clear reason, though it was typically Adeline projecting her frustrations about other things onto them. They were an easy scapegoat to release her anger when she was feeling anxious about her weight, or the thought of returning to school, or still feeling frustrated over her entire summer being absolutely destroyed. In reality, there was a logical part of Adeline that did exist, that wasn't bogged down by her drama-queen antics. That piece of her knew good and well that there was no reason for her to lash out at Grace and Naya, especially considering that the rest of her family, including her mother (who Adeline was very close with), had taken to them quickly. Being irrational was part of who Adeline was, and specifically because they had been introduced into her life during what was probably her lowest point in terms of her struggle with her eating disorder, she was just more inclined, now, to associate negative feelings with them.

Charlotte hadn't been expecting to see Adeline in the kitchen of all places, but she was less surprised by the words that came out of her mouth, than her physical being as a whole. The comment towards Naya warranted an eye roll from her as she passed the island, ignoring her twin but glancing back at Naya, "Are you as shocked as I am that she managed to add a few new words to her vocabulary this summer?" she asked. Had Alaina not been standing there, then Charlotte surely would have made an insensitive added comment about how she thought she had only added some weight, not vocab words too, but she was decent enough not to go that low in front of someone who Charlotte assumed had no knowledge of Adeline's situation. She was just about to round the corner to approach their chef, who, by all means was a nice...though sometimes cold seeming, when she decided that Naya probably had a better chance of getting them a meal. "You ask," she mouthed to Naya, smirking and waving to the woman whose back was towards them. Simone was probably busy right now with a bunch of tasks lined up by her father, and because Bernard seemed against saying no to Naya right now, she was sure that that message had been passed along to the staff as well.

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ADELINE ▿ ARNAULT

Outfit
Location: Kitchen
Dialogue Color: #7957C2

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CHARLOTTE ▿ ARNAULT

Outfit
Location: Kitchen
Dialogue Color: #3BAD45

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Carbs were a struggle for Adeline, even after months of intensive therapy. There were certain foods that she had grown more comfortable with while in treatment. Before going, she had a very limited set of food that she felt comfortable eating when she did allow herself to eat. Her safe foods included most raw vegetables, most fruits, rice cakes, and plain baked chicken. She would eat other things from time to time, but not without feeling anxious and guilty afterwards. Treatment had helped her quite a bit, though she still had ways to go. She had learned that dipping her celery sticks in peanut butter wasn't going to kill her, and made it taste a lot better, and that getting her calories through a real meal, like salmon and vegetables, was much more enjoyable than being forced to get them through drinking Ensure every day, like she had to do in the beginning of her treatment when she was still set on refusing some meals. She was doing better now, and even she recognized her own progress, but despite knowing that Simone hadn't doused this sandwich in oils and fats, it still made Adeline feel uncomfortable when it was set in front of her. Eating around other people, especially Naya and Alaina, who she didn't know well enough, made it even worse.

At the very least though, everyone in this room knew that Adeline had a problem with food. Naya and Charlotte didn't know that Alaina knew, but Adeline did. Alaina was seated three seats away with her, with an empty seat and Charlotte in between, and the girl wasn't paying her any mind, but it didn't stop Adeline from feeling like she was somehow watching her. Knowing that Alaina knew, though, made Adeline feel somewhat better, because at least now if she was called out on something by Simone, like how she was pulling the sandwich apart and first only eating the tomato, it wasn't like her secret was being spread to anyone who didn't already know it. "Arrête ça," {Stop that} Simone said to her, flashing her a predictably stern look, when she had moved away from the stove for a few seconds to get plates, and had witnessed Adeline dissecting the food on her plate. She was well aware that she wasn't going to get away with tearing the sandwich to pieces and somehow making it look like she had eaten most of it, but she still felt better tearing off small pieces at a time to eat, rather than just being a normal person and taking a bite out of it.

Charlotte smirked at the girls, mostly because she didn't doubt what either of them said. Naya was definitely too much of a good-two-shoes in Charlotte's opinion, to ever be able to keep up with her, even with Charlotte trying to push her towards the dark side more strongly, and Alaina was just as unenthused by parties like these, that it didn't seem improbable for her to find eating tacos and going to bed to be a better plan. Especially with their high setting in, it didn't sound like a bad deal to Charlotte anyway. "My bed is big enough for the two of us," Charlotte pondered, "And this is Naya's first year as an honorary Arnault.." she continued, leaning forward to look past Alaina and at Naya more directly, "So, you must end up on your own today." Even if socializing with the type of people who would be coming to today's party wasn't Charlotte's cup of tea, it wasn't going to be as bad as she was chalking it up to be. Her father would probably bother her in the beginning about being polite and mingling with his guests, but after the first hour or so, she would be able to disappear with her own friends, and her father would be too consumed with his (and hopefully, a lot of wine too), to bother her.

Only a few more minutes passed before Charlotte watched Simone turn the stove off, pour the seasoned meat into a bowl, and place it in front of them, along with a series of other small bowls with various toppings, and hard and soft taco shells, so that they could make their own tacos. Although it was probably Simone's way of saying "do it yourself", since she couldn't verbally say that to them, the make-your-own setup she had produced was preferable in Charlotte's mind, anyway. No one ever put as much cheese on her tacos as she actually wanted, so now, she was able to pile the toppings as high as she wanted, and she wasted no time in doing so. It had served as enough of a distraction that she didn't even look up when one of their staff members entered and said something about guests. Though the "Miss Arnault" line meant that it was just as possible that she was speaking to her as it was Adeline, Charlotte wasn't expecting anyone, so she didn't waste any energy in looking. When she heard Sydney Vale's voice, however, she turned her head to confirm that it was her. "I don't think I know who I was more grateful to not have to deal with this summer, between the two of them," she muttered to the girls beside her. Sydney never really bothered her, likely only because she was Adeline's sister, but that didn't mean that Charlotte liked her. They kept out of each other's way for the most part, but Charlotte wasn't blind to how controlling and domineering the girl was. She had such an esteemed reputation for a reason, and Charlotte could respect that, but it wasn't one that she was envious of like so many other people. Since Sydney was already starting with her, albeit it indirectly with the reference to the witness protection program lie she had used earlier this summer, Charlotte didn't hesitate to return the favor though. "Aren't you forgetting to say hello to your sister-in-law, Sydney? Unlike the Perssons, the Clarkes and the Arnaults don't keep secrets, so take a seat and tell us what's on your mind," she said, patting the empty seat beside her that Sydney was lingering beside. She doubted that Naya or Alaina wanted to deal with Sydney, but Charlotte couldn't help being obnoxious. She could tell that Adeline was startled and uncomfortable, so why not possibly make everyone else as well?!

Startled really was the best way to describe how Adeline felt when Sydney came in unannounced. Before this summer, Adeline had never spent more than a couple of days without speaking to the blonde, who was undeniably the best friend she had had since she could comprehend what friendship meant. So, in addition to having to adjust to every other element of being abruptly uprooted from home and thrust into a treatment center, it was difficult for her to adjust to spending months apart from her best friend. She loved Sydney and had missed her a lot, and so while she had been incredibly anxious to see her again, only because she knew that the blonde would expect an answer for her disappearance, she had also been incredibly excited to see her. In the moment though, that excitement seemed non-existent, and that was mostly because Adeline was caught off guard, and it didn't take much to sense the contempt in Sydney's voice. The presence of Camilo, someone who Adeline was pretty close with as well, and had wanted to first see on terms when she was more prepared, only threw her off more. Suddenly, she felt like eating ten of the sandwiches in front of her would be less anxiety-inducing than dealing with this, and her sister egging Sydney on wasn't helping matters. She purposely kicked Charlotte in the leg as she turned in her seat and stood up. "Hiiiiiii... no, no, we can walk and talk," she said, clearly anxious as she nodded with certainty.

"Pas avant d'avoir fini de manger." {Not until you finish eating}

Simone's voice was serious enough that Adeline didn't ignore it like she typically would have. "Je vais me tuer et vous blâmer si vous me faites rester ici en ce moment," {I will kill myself and blame you if you make me stay here right now.} she snapped back, turning her head back towards Sydney a second after speaking, only because she knew that there was actually a chance that Simone would get angry at her for being disrespectful. Adeline feared few people, because she struggled with the concept of having to listen to authority, but Simone had been a consistent enough presence in her life that she had probably been reprimanded by her more times than she had by her actual father.

Simone didn't respond as Adeline hurried out of the kitchen with Sydney, though her expression spoke to how the girl was definitely screwed once she ended up alone with Simone again. Charlotte was mildly disappointed that a confrontation hadn't occurred, but with an amazing looking taco in front of her, she couldn't be that upset. "For the non-French speaking folks in the room, that was my completely mentally-stable sister using her infamous, 'I'm going to kill myself if I don't get my way and I'll blame you in the suicide note' line," she explained in a sarcastic, yet nonchalant way, because Adeline's dramatics were really too be expected at this point. Looking to Naya though, she smirked and said, "What do you think Grace would do if you ever used that on her?", before turning to Alaina, "And I don't know how you deal with AJ dating her. I mean, I guess it works to your benefit. I've never read about Gossip Girl trashing you in her blog, so Sydney must be using her connections to keep her sis-in-law safe. God only knows that you deserve to be dragged through the mud for making such a weak taco when you work in a fucking taco shop," she teased, as she looked at the taco on Alaina's plate, which was quite possibly only bare looking because she hadn't finished making it. That didn't stop Charlotte from being obnoxious and annoying and literally flinging a spoonful of shredded cheese at Alaina, though. Maybe she needed to take a few more hits, she minutely considered, because this troublesome energy she was suddenly embracing probably wasn't going to do her good once guests started arriving...

Alaina shrieked when she felt a handful of shredded cheese come her way. She turned to Charlotte with a devilish grin, her arm beginning to extend towards the lettuce before Naya's witty comment allowed her to feel sufficed enough to sit back down and place the lettuce on her taco and not on her friend. Naya was probably right, even if she was joking, but Alaina actually didn't care that much. Simply because she loved tacos just that much. She obviously knew a bad taco when she saw or tasted one, but when it came down to corn versus flour tortilla or hard or soft shell, she wasn't so particular. She wasn't very elitist about much, and tacos were no exception. She was very flexible with this odd liking of hers, though that wasn't to say that even she had her moments where she wanted a real authentic taco. Most other times, it was just a matter of nuance, like now. She had taco materials in front of her (and the margarita was an obvious bonus) so she was elated. So much that the guilt she had been feeling just seconds before was slowly beginning to dissipate, for the time being, as she went ahead and grabbed a hard shell taco and began preparing that one.

Just before she was able to complain about the lack of la salsa verde, to her surprise, Sydney and Milo looked in, the former looking as though someone had already done something to piss her off. It went without saying that Sydney wasn't her favorite person, and even Alaina could admit to being cold to the girl, even when Sydney herself was being cordial (which was always around family). Alaina wasn't going to take that into consideration though, because she felt that being kind to your boyfriend's family was a requirement, not something that deserved recognition, which was part of the reason why Alaina was purposely cooler to the girl in the presence of family. But even Alaina had her limits and she wasn't so pressed about the girl dating her brother after years of them dating. That wasn't to say that she had warmed up to the girl, but rather the sour taste of the girl's presence and involvement in her life (albeit it only being through her brother, and even then contact was minimal) had become tolerable, just not enjoyable. Oddly enough, Alaina typically felt more inclination to be cold towards Sydney when they were around her family. It was really just Alaina playing her cards and using the home turf to her advantage, though she was never so out of line as to really be abnormally crass to the girl. It was just her way of challenging the girl and not for any particular reason. It wasn't a matter of power or revenge, but Alaina didn't respect the girl enough to not use it to her advantage. And more often than not, Alaina was the one who ended up paying for it because there had certainly been more than one occasion where she was scorned for not being the friendliest to Sydney when she was their guest. Now, she was more or less used to the girl and she tended towards just ignoring her presence altogether, save a few slick remarks that Alaina was never known for being able to withhold from no matter who the person on the receiving end was. In the Arnault's house, she knew better on how to act. Sure, Sydney wasn't her favorite person, and after having a few clues that her and her brother's relationship was more on the toxic side (though she didn't even consider AJ's own involvement in it) the girl definitely didn't fare better off in her mind, but with that being said, Alaina didn't despise the girl. She wasn't going to really go out of her way to make it known each time she saw her that she disliked her. The reasoning for this was less congratulatory than it sounded, though, because Alaina could be very non-committal, especially when there was little benefit for her. And jabbing at Sydney every chance she got not only provided her very little benefit, but what little it did give was fleeting. It also sometimes came down to her mood, and Alaina firstly wasn't in the instigating mindset, but most importantly she had food in front of her. Her love for tacos far surpassed her disdain for Sydney Perrson.

That was why Alaina rolled her eyes at Charlotte and not at Sydney, and if the girl had been closer, she would had pinched her side because she didn't want to be acknowledged by Sydney just as much as she didn't want to acknowledge the girl herself. Luckily, her sister and the girl's puppeteer disappeared without much stir and Alaina could only shake her head in anticipation for what the rest of the day would be like because even she couldn't miss Sydney seeming very...Sydney to Adeline. It wasn't any of Alaina's business, and she didn't think it was anything deep, so she decided to mind her own business and focus on the food in front of her. "Dressed to impress Milo," Alaina said, though she turned to the girls with an amused smile that was obviously improperly timed because it probably seemed like there was some inside joke between the three of them that had something to do with Milo's attire. In general, Alaina didn't bother with the 'A-listers', nor did she ever refer to them as such. Of them, though, Milo seemed the least harmful. She actually thought he was really sweet and was sometimes confused on how and why he rolled with the people he rolled with. Her brother was obviously a part of that crew, but again, Alaina didn't see her brother as being as bad as the others in the group which was clearly due to her own bias, but she also felt like she crucified her brother enough about her affiliation choices. "Help yourself to a taco," Alaina said, scooting one of the plates forward just half an inch. "You know A.J. isn't here, right? He's at James'." She leaned forward to look at Charlotte then, her brow raised in slight confusion. "Wait, who all is coming?"