Cliff Parker
Cliff had had a good summer and he wasn't ready to return to the school year. Besides the few that he had momentarily seen at the Cane's welcoming party, he hadn't hung out with most of his friends in at least a month. They all did exciting things over the summer but Cliff really hadn't even made an effort to see what any of them were doing, even when he was in town and not on location for a shoot or runway show. He had been disconnected from the social scene and for the most part, he was happy to get away. He would frequently hang out with his fellow modeling friends but only because with them, there always seemed to be less drama than with the kids he went to school with. Even though he loved his friends, it seemed like drama was inevitable with them and sometimes, it got to be too much for him.
There were a few people who he was especially excited to see though. Being Cliff's closest guy friend, Lex was definitely one of the top at that list. He was always a good friend to Cliff and to make things better, his mom was an impeccable chef. If there was one thing that could win Cliff over, it was good food. Besides Lex, he would also be glad when he saw Annelise and Katherine again. His relationship with the two was pretty different. He saw Katherine as being a complicated girl who didn't get enough credit for her feelings. She was undoubtedly a spoiled brat, but he didn't think that she was just that. Cliff knew from experience that it just took a bit of work to see that Katherine was actually a good person who just sometimes didn't word things as politely as she should. Annelise, on the other hand, wasn't a girl that needed anyone to take care of her. She was a strong and independent girl who could socially kill anyone with a few words. She had the reputation of being heartless and cold, an "ice queen", as some would say. Even though bitchiness didn't attract Cliff, he couldn't resist being turned on by her aura lately. There was something about her presence that demanded his attention and honestly, it had been bothering him. He wasn't going to settle for just being physically attracted to her though, and was determined to either ignore the sexual feelings or figure out who Annelise really was, beyond her Queen Bee facade.
Although he hadn't expected to see any of his friends until he got to school, he was pleasantly surprised when Alexandra's voice pulled him out of his sleepy state. He had actually woken up an hour and a half earlier and had showered, but had only managed to put on boxers before deciding to go back to bed for fifteen minutes. That fifteen minute nap had clearly lasted longer than that, because as Cliff sat up, he realized that the needed to be at school shortly. It never took him long to get ready, so he didn't rush, especially now that Lexi was there. When she finally shifted her weight off of him, Cliff couldn't help but to join in with her laughter as he dramatically wiped his face where he had just been smothered with kisses. "I probably have your limp imprints all over my face, but I'll admit that you make a better alarm than my clock does," he chuckled as he stood up and walked past his bed. "You look tanner than the last time I saw you but besides that, what's changed with you, Alexandra?" It was strange for him to use Lexi's full name but he had to retaliate in some way for the infamous "Clifford the Big Red Dog" reference.
As he waited for her response, he shuffled through the racks of clothes in his closet and eventually found a white button-down shirt, black pants and his gold and red school tie. It didn't feel strange for him to be walking around in just boxers in front of Lexi, so he didn't hesitate to get dressed in front of her either. There was never anything sexual about their relationship, and he, at least, couldn't imagine that ever changing. It didn't take him more than a few minutes to get dressed and slip on black socks and matching shoes. He pocketed his phone and was ready to leave, but assumed by now, that Lexi had come to pick him up. "Your driver waiting for us, or do you want me to get Joe to take us?" Cliff asked, referencing his own family's driver.