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Chanel Owens

0 · 3,792 views · located in New York

a character in “A New York Life”, as played by predictmeifyoucan

Description

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Birth Name:
Chanel Owens

Nicknames:
Nelly
Chachi

Age:
22

Date Of Birth
June 11

Sexuality:
Heterosexual

Occupation:
Freelancer
Barista

Origin:
Oahu, Hawaii [0-1]
Austin, Texas [1-2]
Newark, New Jersey [2-4]
Raleigh, North Carolina [4-5]
Orlando, Florida [5-7]
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [7-20]
New York City, New York [20-present]




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Personality:
| Kind | Manipulative | Selfish | Carefree | Indulgent | Curious | Materialistic |
Chanel does her best to be as nice to people as she can. The majority of the time, she's wearing a smile or is laughing. She tries to see the good in people and situations and is all around just trying to live life with as few restrictions as possible. This makes her come off as immature to some as she's already 22 and doesn't have a clear projection for the future, but to others she is seen as very free spirited and relaxed. She's always ready to do something fun, almost too much to the point that it actually inhibits are ability to get things done. She would much rather go to a concert or walk through Soho instead of doing actual work. To quench her extrovertism and need to do right by the world, she occupies a good chunk of her free time with social activism. In this way she can still interact with people while actually being productive. Her carefree nature can be charming, but also reckless. She likes to pretend the rules don't apply to her since growing up she was used to always getting things to go her way. She doesn't like being told that she can't do something, and if that something is even as trivial as her buying something she doesn't need to buy, she'll still ignore what she should do in place of whatever satisfies her in that given moment.

While she is an agreeable person, this isn't how she is by nature. Even as a child she has always been very manipulative and calculating, determined to get what she wanted. Because she also incredibly charismatic, her ways were mostly ignored, or completely masked for what they really were. She loves gossip and drama and always being in the know whether that involves having knowledge she shouldn't or following the latest trends. She feels the need to have the best and be the best because at her core she is very competitive. She's what most would call incredibly fake, and she was honest enough with herself to admit that such was probably true. Her cold nature comes through projecting her own insecurities in the disguise of confidence and aggression. She's always forced her ideas and personality onto people in a way that made it hard to resist, partially because she was intriguing, but also because she was intimidating. None of this changed until her brother's suicide attempt when she was eighteen. After that she was consumed with guilt because it was the people like her that almost took her brother from her, and even now she accepts some responsibility for his attempt. Her kindness and activism, then, is more so out of a need to make herself feel whole again and distract from the guilt she still feels over her brother's suicide attempt. Deep down she knows that this friendly persona isn't who she truly is and so she tries harder if not to convince others, then to convince herself.

Likes:
| Shopping | Novelty | Oranges | Candles | Organic | Collectibles |
Chanel loves buying things and acquiring new items. She's always up for trying new things and indulging herself. Much of her recklessness comes from little luxuries that add up. Although she is the exact opposite of a Type A personality, she likes to give off that aesthetic so that other people know as well. So she'll waste money on expensive organic juices, a multitude of curly hair products, pricey items from so called 'boho' stores, and expensive gym memberships. Her finances don't allow for it, but she chooses to ignore this and does as she pleases. Of all things, she has a guilty pleasure of buying authentic jewelry and pieces of art with lots of cultural backstory. Her dresser, if not her body, is an array of trinkets and bracelets that she 'just had to have.' She's also very big on music and loves going to concerts, even if that means going out of state to see someone live. Because she gets bored easily, she likes discovering new things. This is where her excessive shopping habit comes in, but also her tendency to scope out new restaurants and places she's never been before.

Dislikes:
| Settling | Work | Her Guilt | Restrictions | Familiarity | Pumpkin anything |
Nelly hates feeling tied down which is the main reason she hasn't found stability in the two years since moving away from home. Although she is trying to be a better person, she's used to being spoiled and thinking that only the rules she likes actually apply to her. Sitting for too long makes her anxious and as though she's not doing enough which in turn opens the door to her closeted guilt. She busies herself not only because she physically cannot sit down but for so long, but because she needs a distraction from her own self.




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Background:
Born to a veteran and a dance instructor, Nelly lived a relatively modest life. Before second grade, her family moved around a lot due to her father working in the military and within that time her younger twin brothers were born. Once her father finally retired, the family settled down in Pittsburgh where they carried an average but fulfilling life. Her childhood was a good one what with memories of the smell of Moroccan cuisine and the familiar, nostalgic sound of Arabic spoken by her father. Things were relatively simple and happy. One of the earliest turbulent moments that ever happened to her was when she was 10 years old. Her mother had gotten into a brutal car accident that reared her unable to to teach dance anymore. Similar to Nelly, her mother was unable to sit still for too long, her mother went to school for two years to get an associates in Nursing and has since stayed with that.

Apart from that, she would say she really enjoyed growing up in Pittsburgh where everything seemed to go according to plan. Her home life was good, as was school which was never problematic for her especially since she never had problems with fitting in. This lack of issue didn't stem from her simply not being concerned with the peer pressure that came with growing up. In fact, the opposite was true. Out of fear of being left out, she was very dominating over everything and formed her own rules and cliques, always being the ring leader of whatever she did. Her teachers dubbed her a leader because of her vivaciousness and willingness to take charge, but to others she was intimidating and even somewhat of a bully. However, due to her charm and discreet manipulative nature, she was able to keep friends and was well-liked among the majority of the peers.

Even though this was true, it could also be said that most liked her only on the surface, and didn't really enjoy her for what she truly represented. Such caused a lot of drama and tension when she entered high school. Chanel always found herself entangled in some form of drama and her cattiness only got worse as her need to be a part of something intensified. While her flaws were a driving force in the way she acted, it was never conspicuous enough in the presence of her persuasiveness and natural charisma for people to totally exile her. People knew that she was, for lack of a better term, fake. She would use people and tear them down and seemed to play games with people, just to prove that she could. Nevertheless, there were still many who would say that they didn't necessarily dislike her, but that there was something about her that made them wary of her true intentions.

By the time high school graduation came around, she was sick of all of her classmates, and they felt the same towards her. She'd lost most of her 'friends,' but didn't seem bothered by it all too much. So while she got through school mostly unscathed and used to being in control of everything, it wasn't until after she got her diploma that she started to experience the exact opposite. Chanel had decided to take a gap year before going to school, just working and enjoying life. Unlike her, one of her brother's had always struggled in school both academically and socially. It had been an issue for so long that Chanel pretty much ignored it, even as it worsened through middle school and into high school for him. She was at a party when she got a call from her mother, frantic and in tears, telling her that her brother was being rushed to the hospital after trying to kill himself.

To think about life before that moment is odd her now. To be able to fathom that her life was so normal before it happened feels almost surreal. After her brother's attempt, everything at home changed. With all of the stress that was now put on the family, her parents began fighting more, her brother declined mentally, and Nelly became consumed with guilt. She didn't understand the exact extent to her brother's bullying, but it was because she chose ignorance over action. Not only that, but she felt responsible because she was one of the types of people who drove her brother to suicide. Even with everything going on at home, she attended university the following year as planned.

At first it was a relief, a good distraction from her problems--from her guilt. She went in with the intent on being a graphic designer, but after just a semester she was convinced that college wasn't for her. She stayed another semester before dropping out and moving back in with her parents. She busied herself with working and tried to mend relations with her family. While things had improved over the past two years, she still couldn't look her brother in the eye without feeling guilty. Eventually, it became too much to handle and she left for New York City. The reason she gave her parents was that she didn't want to be a burden and wanted to go and start her own life, but in reality it was for far more selfish reasons.

While at first the idea of moving to the city was thought to be temporary, she has since stayed and tried to reinvent herself in different ways. She became more involved in social issues and now will sometimes write for different papers or websites if she is able to find a gig. Outside of that, she hasn't really settled down like she told her parents she would. Instead she had been doing many small jobs and typically only long enough to get her to the next paycheck before she gets bored and quits. As her interests continue to vary in this phase of reinvention, she completely thrusts all of her energy into a hobby and will try to find a job that correlates. Since she quickly bores, though, she never really sticks with anything and so has only really gotten her feet wet in the past two years since being in New York. To make her lack of security seem like less of what it is, she calls herself a freelancer, which isn't necessarily false. While the types of jobs she'll freelance varies, she has consistently stuck with social awareness writing and jobs that involve graphic design of some point, mostly for small companies. As of now, she's still all over the place but relies heavily on freelancing as a means of making money. This is harder, though, because she does not have a college degree and most clients are looking for someone with more qualifications. When finances become too tight, like now, she will get a more stable job, and so currently she works part time as a barista at a small coffee shop, but she's already considering quitting.




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ImageHeight:
5'10

Weight:
123 lbs

Face Claim:
Imaan Hammam

Hex code:
#c7256e

So begins...

Chanel Owens's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Thursday, November 26th, 2015 | 11:00 AM

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Marie Casanova
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#, as written by Bandit
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{Written with Writer}


Even though she had lived in New York for all of her life, Makayla had never been to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade before. Obviously, growing up, her family was never actually family-oriented, so the idea of them making the trip into Manhattan to see the floats was laughable. Even as a teenager, though, she never went, and last year, she didn't even think of it in time to bring Holly to it. This year, she took advantage of the festivities and decided to go see it with her sister. Honestly, she didn't do it for herself as much as she did it for Holly. Anything new to distract her and keep her occupied was worth trying out, and even though it was only eight in the morning when she and Holly headed out, Makayla was already ready to crawl back into bed, so she opted to walk the hour-long trek uptown, rather than take a cab. She hoped walking there and back would tire out her sister, who was always bursting with energy. Plus, Makayla knew the cab fares would be substantially greater on a busy day like today, and she didn't have money to throw away like that.

By the time they reached the parade area, the streets were so packed that they could barely get a glimpse of the floats passing. Luckily, Holly didn't seem bothered by it, and Makayla was happy enough that the girl managed to remain content with standing on a corner and essentially staring at the back of people's heads for forty minutes before growing antsy, giving Makayla the signal that it was time to head back home. To many, spending over two hours total commuting to and from the parade, for a lackluster view would seem pointless, but it was free, and Makayla tried to take advantage of as many free activities as she could with Holly. It was essential to keep her moving and out of the apartment, or else everyone would go crazy, Makayla included.

"Can we get brunch today?" Holly asked, noticing a sign outside of a small cafe a block away from their building that was advertising brunch specials. "Since we didn't have breakfast or lunch yet, we can combine it into one."

Leave it to Holly to try to turn a trip that was supposed to be free, into one that would cost Makayla good money that she didn't have. She and Holly never ate out at restaurants. Cara would take her sometimes, and sometimes Chanel would insist on a lunch out, but it just wasn't something that Makayla could afford, and she hated feeling like charity. It was one thing for someone to treat Holly, but Makayla stuck to the food that her food stamps could buy, or fast food if she needed something on the go. "We can have brunch at home. I bought you that cereal you said you wanted yesterday, remember?"

"You're not supposed to have cereal on Thanksgiving, Kay! That's not something pilgrims would eat." Mimosas and fancy omelettes probably weren't served at the first Thanksgiving either, but cereal didn't sound exciting or festive.

"We're eating our Thanksgiving meal tonight, remember? Cara invited us over, so we'll have food pilgrims would eat then. And you told her you would make cupcakes, right? So we need to get back home to work on those." At first, Makayla had wanted to smack Holly when her sister volunteered that they would bring cupcakes. Knowing Cara, she would expect some organic, gluten free, thirty dollar box of cupcakes from some bakery in the Upper East Side, and frankly, Makayla didn't have the money for that. She knew she couldn't complain, since she was going to get a free meal (and hopefully, lots of free booze) out of the evening, but she still couldn't toss money to the wind like that. However, Holly insisted that they make the cupcakes, and Makayla could deal with that. She had already borrowed the baking materials from Cara the night before, had spent five dollars on the cake batter and icing, and had the eggs and other needed ingredients in their kitchen. Not only was it an affordable option, but one that would again keep Holly busy, and one that Cara couldn't complain about, because it just seemed like Holly wanted to bake, not that Makayla was being cheap.

"I wish that you got the vanilla and chocolate frosting, Kay. I think Nick would like chocolate more than vanilla," Holly stated as she followed Makayla inside of their building. The thought of a fancy brunch was out of her mind now, as baking cupcakes did sound far more interested. She was excited for Thanksgiving at Cara's, especially since it was going to be the first real Thanksgiving she would ever have. Or the closest thing to a real Thanksgiving, since this was last minute too.

"He'll get over it," Makayla insisted, nudging Holly to walk faster up the stairs. After that walk, the five flights up really had Makayla wanting to crawl into bed again, but it was only eleven o'clock, and she knew she couldn't do that for at least another twelve hours. "Put your jacket in the closet and then we'll have cereal, and then work on those cupcakes," Makayla instructed as she set her bag down in the kitchen of the apartment. She wasn't sure if Marie or Chanel were home, but she was curious as to whether they were coming to Cara's too or not. She wouldn't have been surprised if they weren't. Though she knew little about their pasts and family lives, she always felt like people's lives had to be more normal than hers.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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A rush of heat burned her fingertips before she could yank them from the flat iron that unraveled her curls. Now two hours into the task and still not finished, she was beginning to regret the decision to even straighten her hair. As she sucked her finger, her phone slid across the dresser some as it began to vibrate. When the screen brightened and a picture of her mother surfaced on the phone, a quick surge of fear ran through her stomach as she sat the flat iron on the towel she had placed down. It wasn't so much that her mother had such power over her to make her afraid, but it was knowing the reason she was calling that made Chanel hesitate before gliding her thumb across the screen. Before she was able to get a word out, her mother beat her to it.

"Chanel, you were supposed to call back. Are you okay? You didn't call back," her mother said in her newly characteristic frantic way. She'd never really been a helicopter parent. Not so finicky. At least not before...

"Actually, Mom, I...uh. I think I'm going to stay in New York this year."

"What?" Her mother gasped. "But why? You didn't say anything."

"I know, I know. But I just got this new job, and the boss kinda hates me, and he wants me to work tomorrow, so I kind of have to. I mean, I don't have to, but if I want to pay the rent and have a place to stay and..."

"Chanel." Her mother said sternly, indicating that she was talking too much. Or at least she hoped that's what the tone signified, and not the fact that she could detect every ounce of lie she was telling. "You never said anything about a new job."

"Yeah, well." Chanel danced the phone in her hands a bit, staring at the picture that reflected. It was one of her and her mother about two years ago, a little before she'd moved out. Her heart clenched. "Look, I'm straightening my hair, and I kinda want to finish. I'll call you later, okay?"

"You know what I said about using that flat iron so much. It'll ruin your hair. Do you want your hair to fall out?"

"I think I'd look good bald actually. Mom, I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she said as soon as her mother began to panic. Another five minutes passed before she was actually able to hang up. Chanel sighed and grabbed the flat iron, running it down the fine pieces of hair near her ear. Part of her felt guilty, but another part of her felt relief. No, she didn't get a new job anywhere. Nothing came up. Her suitcase was still packed in the corner of the room, her train ticket bought and wasted. She'd packed a week in advance and bought the ticket two weeks early in hopes that it would prevent her from flaking. But here she was straightening her hair for nothing and avoiding her family. Then there was another part of her who told herself that they'd have just put her in a bad mood anyway. And they would have. It wasn't her fault they were so overbearing to the point of pushing her away. None of this was her fault. It wasn't.

When she finally finished, and now in a freshly bad mood, the room was a couple degrees warmer and her neck was already damp with perspiration. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and unplugged the straightener. As she exited the room to get somewhere cooler before she sweated her hair out, she fiddled with her phone, looking for a distraction. She swiped through her messages before getting to Cara and it was then that she remembered Cara saying something about coming over. Chanel opened the fridge and dug out a breakfast smoothie she'd made the night before. It wasn't very filling, or all too tasty, but hours of unqualified google research told her that this small 'meal' would give her plenty of energy. It was bullshit, but she was too cranky to really care. "Hey. Is the offer still on table?" When Cara finally responded confirming the invitation, she quickly responded with "All right. I'll be over in a bit!" It was now eleven, and Cara was right down the hall, so she figured she could take her time. Besides, she had to mentally prepare for the day if she wasn't to project her shitty mood on others. Taking a quick swallow of her smoothie, she hopped on the kitchen counter and opened Instagram, losing herself in others' lives to distract from her own. Before she could be completely consumed, though, Makayla and Holly entered the room. Chanel smiled widely, putting her phone down. "Hey, you guys. Busy morning?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Ryan Forrester
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Cara could not believe that she was spending Thanksgiving alone. Yes, she had invited some of her neighbors over, but in her mind, it was still alone. It beat spending it on the other side of town with her father, stepmother and stepmother's family, but it still sucked. As of two weeks ago, she had been planning on flying out to Rhode Island with her boyfriend, to spend it with his family, but after sleeping with Nick, she abruptly ended that steady relationship, and was now left without any decent plans for the holiday. Even after extending the invitation to celebrate at her place to Makayla and Chanel, Cara was still desperately searching for other plans all morning. All of her girlfriends who lived in the Upper East Side were celebrating with their families, and many of them were celebrating on vacations out of state. By eleven o'clock, finding other plans seemed like a hopeless endeavor, but around that time, Cara realized that she didn't actually have any food to fulfill the dinner invitation that she has extended to a few of her neighbors. She liked to think of herself as a girl who could be domesticated, a younger and prettier Martha Stewart, if you will, but that wasn't really the case. Anyone with money could make an average apartment like hers look a little more upscale. It didn't mean that she was actually creative or crafty, just wealthy.

She definitely wasn't a chef, but ordering in on Thanksgiving didn't seem appropriate. At home, her family always had a personal chef prepare their Thanksgiving meal, but she didn't have that here, and she wasn't about to call her dad and beg to borrow the chef for a few hours, after she had made a huge deal about how she didn't want to celebrate with his new wife, who she would never see as family. She wanted a classic Thanksgiving meal of turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing, and everything like that, and like she was with everything in her life, she wasn't going to settle for anything less than what she wanted.

To: Chanel
Do you know how to cook a turkey? And where to buy one? I think it's just going to be me, you, Ryan, Kay and Holly. Maybe Nick too :).

To: Chanel
And then I guess Brooklyn too. Which means the future heroin addict might come too :/. UGH literally this is what I get for being nice and inviting Nick

To: Chanel
But yeah, I need a turkey that will be ready by dinner time. Where do people buy those? Let's do a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's run ASAP!

To: Ryan
Help me cook stuff for tonight :) <3?

After sending the three texts to Chanel, and one to Ryan, Caraline returned her attention to her full length mirror, where she analyzed her outfit choice for a moment, before deciding that it would have to do, and continuing to finish her makeup and hair.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon
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It wasn't that cold out today, but Holly tended to get cold easily, so she was somewhat relieved when they got into the building and were met with a wave of warmth. Upon Makayla's nudge for her to take the lead, she led them up the five flights of stairs to their apartment. "I wish we had sprinkles for the cupcakes. Sprinkles and chocolate frosting, because not everyone likes vanilla, Kay. And some people like sprinkles, like me. Did you forget to buy them or did you not buy them on purpose?" Holly continued, still stuck on the topic of the cupcakes as they entered the apartment. Makayla seemed to be over it, instructing her to take off her jacket and get ready to eat, but Holly wasn't going to move on that quickly. She wasn't planning on moving on that quickly, at least, but when they stepped into the apartment, Chanel was in the kitchen, and the sight of another person had her switching her train of thought immediately. "We went to the parade," she exclaimed when Chanel asked if they had had a busy morning. They had, but judging by Holly's energy, you would never know. All of the walking would hit her later on when she would become fatigued, but living in the city meant that they walked a lot in general, and coupled with Holly's unusual abundance of energy every day, she tended not to crash until the night time, regardless of what she did that day. With everything that was going on today, from spending an hour walking uptown and an hour back downtown and nearly every minute of that time talking to Makayla about everything and anything, and then all of the festivities at Cara's later that night, it was possible that she would crash sooner, though.

"Why didn't you go? There was a balloon of Ronald McDonald and we almost got brunch but we didn't because we're going to have cereal instead," she continued, glancing towards Makayla at the thought of cereal, and only then remembering what her sister had told her to do. She left the kitchen abruptly and briefly - only for long enough to toss her jacket onto her bedroom floor and kick her shoes off before returning, and continuing the conversation as if no time had passed. "Want to have cereal with us? Makayla finally bought Fruit Loops, and then we're going to make cupcakes to bring to Cara's. But just cupcakes with vanilla icing." She sat down at the small kitchen table, looking towards Makayla for a second as if she was preparing to say something to her, before looking back to Chanel. "Why does your hair look soft today?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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She couldn't really be too disappointed. She'd technically gotten to sleep in late, but it still feel like she'd just woken up since most of her time awake had been spent straightening her hair. So when Holly's burst of energy came full force, she couldn't say she was totally prepared for it, but she also wasn't surprised. Chanel opened her mouth to respond, only getting a "Well," out of her mouth before Holly disappeared into her bedroom and returned just seconds later, this time without shoes or her jacket. In that time, she took to glancing at Makayla who definitely looked like she'd just been out for some time, unlike Holly who was not sitting at the table looking completely unfaltered. It was strange how consistently energetic she was, albeit admirable to an extent, and Chanel tried feeding off of this positivity.

"Fruit Loops actually sounds pretty bomb," she said. And it did. She preferred Apple Jacks, but that wasn't what resulted in her saying, "I'm just gonna stick to this though," as she raised the hand with the smoothie in it. She kind of had an idea that no one was helping Makayla. She didn't like to pry or anything, but she'd feel kind of like she was mooching if she helped herself to some. Not only that, but she did have some of her own cereal. "Oh, awesome. I think Cara likes vanilla, so that should be good. I should probably figure out what I'm bringing, now that I think about it." Just as she thought that, her phone vibrated before her three times back to back. She raised her brow as she grabbed it. Speak of the devil."

She smirked and shook her head as she wrote back. "What did I tell you about dragging people, Cara? Let's go to Trader Joe's. I need to get some conditioner and some turmeric for a face mask I've been wanting to make. Give me like ten minutes and I'll be over." If they were to have this turkey done at a reasonable hour, they'd need to go now. Chanel grinned some at Holly as she jumped off the counter. "Because I straightened it. I like it like this for the holidays, but it took forever so I'm not doing this again for a while." After chugging the rest of her drink, she put rinsed it in the sink quickly. "I'm about to go out, so I'll hit you guys up later. Just text me if you want me to pick up anything while I'm out." she said. Normally she'd invite the two of them, but right now she sort of just wanted to hang out with Cara. After the conversation with her mom, she wanted to just worry about herself. And this turkey that was somehow going to be cooked within the next few hours. "Holly, you can tell me about the parade later on, all right?" she said without really waiting for an answer. She was sure she wouldn't hear about it anymore if something more excited happened between now and when she saw Holly next, but anything was possible. After taking five minutes longer than she said she would to get dressed, she rubbed her lips together to blend in her lipstick and was out the door with a final wave to the others if they were still in the kitchen. Within the next moment, phone in hand as she'd gotten a text message from somebody else, she knocked on Cara's door. As she waited, she thought back to Cara's earlier messages. She wasn't quite fond of Roman either, and she didn't have any particular opinion about Brooke, but part of her felt weird about not inviting them. Especially if Nick were to come. It wasn't any of her business or her place to decide who was invited, and maybe they had other plans, but she didn't know. It wasn't that dire anyway and soon she'd forgotten the whole ordeal and instead began obnoxiously drumming on Cara's door in some made up rhythm.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Cara heard the knocking on her apartment's front door, but she took a minute or two to answer it, as she needed to finish getting ready. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she sang, grabbing her purse as she hurried out of her bedroom and to the door. Earlier texts had suggested that it was Chanel at the door, but with five people living in their apartment, Cara wouldn't have been surprised if it was someone else. She knew that Nick and Brooklyn were out, and so was Ryan, and she didn't keep tabs on Roman, so she knew it was possible that it was him knocking on the door too. As she neared it, though, she identified the knocking pattern as one that would be typical of Chanel and she smiled in relief. She wouldn't have minded seeing Nick sans Brooklyn, or Ryan on a normal day, but she knew that he was still annoyed with her for refusing to go along with their father's dinner plans. "Oh my God, I literally love your hair like that," Cara gushed as soon as she opened the door. "I'm telling you, you have to wear it like that more often. Literally flawless." She shut the apartment door behind her. There was no need to invite Chanel in or waste any more time. It seemed like hosting Thanksgiving was really happening, and it was already as last minute as it could be, so there wasn't any more time to be wasted. When Chanel responded with, "I'm not sure if charring my fingers is worth the look, but I've never had my priorities in check so, I guess we'll see," and a wink, Cara smiled but nodded. "So true, and you know I love your natural look anyway. Natural is so in."

As they headed down the stairs and exited the building, she continued talking. "But staying on topic, are you sure Trader Joe's sells turkeys? I'm sure they'll have pies and stuff too. Then what else will we need? God, I feel so domestic! Like a legit housewife! This is going to be fun," she continued. She wasn't as excited as she sounded, because this definitely wasn't her first choice plan for Thanksgiving, but she was trying to convince herself that it could be fun. She could engulf herself in that housewife vibe if she wanted to. It wasn't going to be a Thanksgiving she was used to, but it would be a Friendsgiving. Again, not exactly with her preferred group of friends, but Chanel was cool enough to not make her feel pathetic. And then Holly and Makayla would come, and she would be doing her good deed of the month, and maybe if she was lucky, Nick would come and Brooklyn would be working or something. People who were trashy enough to go to strip clubs in general probably didn't magically develop standards on Thanksgiving. Maybe her workplace really would be open and Cara could spend her first Thanksgiving (of what she delusionally imagined to be one of many) with Nick.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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It was no secret that Cara was just as privileged as she was well off, and so by this point some of things she said didn't come off as surprising as they used to. And even still, Chanel was past the point of being shocked by some of things people said. While she didn't grow up nearly as well off as Cara did, she was still very fortunate for everything she did have. That included the suburban neighborhood she was raised in and the decent-for-a-Pennsylvanian-public-school education she'd received. But even with all that, it was nearly inevitable for her to be the token brown kid. It wasn't until middle school that'd it begun to bother her, and in high school where she began to pick up on the questionable things some of her white counterparts would say. By now, there weren't very many surprises. But growing up in a mostly white neighborhood, she still identified with that culture, at least partly. It wasn't until she'd tried her hand at black organizations in her one year in college that she really began to hang out with more people that looked like her. Even with them, though, she felt a distance. With Cara, there came a sense of familiarity. Cara represented not only the kind of people Chanel had associated herself with in school, but the kind of people she tried to be like without even realizing it. The discomfort that came with generally being the only 'splash of diversity' was so nostalgic that it was almost, ironically, comforting. Sometimes she wished it wasn't like that, but that didn't stop her from actually enjoying this fictitious persona that felt like a disguise whether she was around white people, or her own. Even with all that being said, it was hard not to glance at Cara from the side of her eye with the slightest brow raise. She might have been used to this, but that didn't mean she was exactly numb to it either. Chanel's released some of her frustration by rolling out her neck as if that would prepare her for the smile she gave Cara the next moment. "That's the spirit," she said as they walked.

"So the closest Trader Joe's is like a fifteen minute walk from here; on Avenue of the America's." She shouldered through a group of people who were taking up a large part of the sidewalk as she dabbled on her phone. "And they also sell turkeys pre-cooked at...like, four dollars a pound. It's in store order only, so we can do that and just pop that bad boy in the oven when we get back. I can also whip up a mean banana pudding, now that I think about. That stuff is like an aphrodisiac. Maybe you can share some with Nick," she said before nudging Cara some. Chanel quickly shook her palm through the roots of her hair and raked it back through the locks, taking notice of how easily it slid through her strands before remembering that her curls were no longer there. Flipping her hair over her shoulders and tucking it behind her ears, she actually enjoyed the way its new texture cascaded over her shoulders. Maybe she would straighten it a bit more, but right now her main concern was getting to Trader Joe's as soon as possible because she wasn't wearing gloves and her hands were properly freezing. "I'm just gonna start making a list while we walk. Call out whatever comes to mind. So I need some conditioner, because your girl is low and that shit runs at, like, five dollars. Banana pudding stuff. I have seasonings at home. Let's see, what else? Stuff for a salad...pies. Rolls, maybe? Is cranberry sauce still a thing? Also, do you have wine at the apartment? This is an important question, by the way. If you don't have wine, I might have to reconsider all of this and quite possibly re-evaluate this friendship."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Normally, Cara would have just taken a cab to the store, but a fifteen minute walk wasn't horrible, and though it was brisk, the sting of the cool air somehow felt refreshing to her today. It would likely wear off before they got to the store, but for now, she was content with walking She planned on buying a lot of things once they got there, so they would have to take a cab back anyway, so walking one way wasn't going to kill her. "Okay, yes, definitely a salad, obviously the turkey and banana pudding if you know how to make that... definitely a yes to rolls. I feel like those are just a staple, and I can deal with carbs when it's a holiday," Cara responded as Chanel began to list things they needed. When the girl brought up wine, Cara faked offense as she gasped dramatically. "What kind of question is that?! Of course I have wine, but between you and Makayla, I should definitely pick up a few more bottles." Cara hoped that stores other than Trader Joe's would be open in the area. While it was a holiday, this was also New York City, so no matter what day it was, you could usually find a store open at any hour of the day selling what you needed. "And some liquor too. Just in case," she added with a playful grin. She hadn't commented directly on Chanel's remark about Nick, but the knowing look in her eyes spoke that that remark somehow involved him as well. While Cara hadn't told Chanel about her night with Nick, she had always hinted that she liked him. Usually, it was just in little comments that she thought were universal feelings, just gushing about how attractive he was or how she didn't understand why Brooklyn took him for granted. Honestly, Cara was probably closer to Chanel where she should have told her over Makayla, but because she felt like Chanel was more on her level, she was also more concerned about judgement from her. Sleeping with someone else's boyfriend was obviously a bad thing to do, but Cara was the type of person who could not keep things to herself, and since she had to tell someone, she felt like less of a bad person saying it to someone who she felt like was far from a saint too. She didn't think Makayla was a bad person at all, and actually liked the girl a lot, but sleeping with Nick when he was dating Brooklyn still seemed less contemptible than selling her body for money like Makayla did.

"I feel like pies are totally a staple too, so we'll get a bunch of those when we pass a bakery because I don't know what kinds people like. Oh, and I think Makayla said Holly's going to make cupcakes, but we should def get some other desserts too. And things like mashed potatoes, and like vegetables? And stuffing?" Cara was oblivious sometimes, but she knew better than to list some of the things that her family usually dined on on Thanksgiving. On the menu were always the classics, but it wasn't Thanksgiving unless her father's favorite caviar was served, as well as filet mignon for her grandfather and thousand dollar bottles of wine. "Oooh, I can totally bake cookies too, and you have to take a picture of me doing it so I can Insta it with a Martha Stewart hashtag," she added enthusiastically. "Why'd you end up staying in the city by the way? I know the idea of spending Thanksgiving with me is good enough to turn down any offer," she teased, "but did your family's plans fall through or something?"

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon
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Makayla tried to focus on getting their late breakfast together as Holly went on and on to Chanel. Between her and Marie, and both of their tolerances for Holly's... Holly-ness, she knew that she had to be grateful. Even after knowing her for so long, and growing to love her like a sister, Holly was a lot, and it didn't take a genius to see that. She didn't understand a lot of social clues, was always rambunctious, and rarely ever stopped talking. Makayla loved her, she really did, but she knew that others didn't need to love Holly as much as she did. Marie and Chanel both could have easily gotten sick of her after a month of them living together. They could have gotten genuinely angry by the way that Holly would sometimes leave their bedroom without Makayla noticing and wake one or both of the other two up. They could have been bothered by her constant need for conversation, or by how she would sometimes watch television with them, even though Makayla couldn't afford to chip in for the cable bill. Their own family members couldn't even tolerate Holly, so the fact that two girls who had been strangers to them could, seemed like nothing short of a miracle.

Aside from smiling at Chanel when they walked in, Makayla hadn't said anything to her. Holly was doing enough talking for the two of them, and really, she was tired. What she really wanted to do right now was smoke, but she was out of weed and out of money, so she didn't want to test her own patience by trying to be more friendly than she felt. She had only pulled the cereal out from the pantry when she realized that the room had suddenly gone silent, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Holly gone. For a moment, she furrowed her brows and considered going down the hallway to make sure that Holly wasn't in Marie's room or something, but a second later, her sister bounded back in, now without her coat or shoes. Rather than commenting on it, Makayla took advantage of Chanel keeping Holly's attention for another minute as she finished getting the cereal ready, and she poured the last of the lemonade they had into a glass for Holly. Their food stamp benefits weren't going to be refilled until the third of December, so running out of one more thing only had Makayla's mind back on how badly she needed to smoke and relax.

As she carried Holly's bowl of cereal and drink to the table, Chanel was hopping off the counter, doing something by the sink, and then waving goodbye to them. Makayla hadn't been following the conversation at all, having been zoned out in her own thoughts, so she offered a smile and said, "have fun," hoping that was a relevant response to wherever Chanel had said she was going. She sat down across from Holly once they were alone in the kitchen and smiled. She was tired, she wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for the rest of the day... or maybe the year, she wanted to roll a joint right there, or down a bottle of vodka, but she had to pretend like she was okay because she needed Holly to be okay. Makayla didn't like getting sentimental, but it was hard not to acknowledge that Holly was the strongest person she knew. Through everything that they had ever been through, Holly had always maintained her smile and her hopefulness. She didn't know any better... but at the same time, she did. She had experienced enough in her sixteen years to know how cruel the world could be, and Makayla was determined to do whatever it took to make sure that Holly had a reason to keep on being happy and hopeful, now that they were on their own. "We'll start cooking when you finish that," she said. "And then maybe we can go across the hall and see if Cara needs help with anything else."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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As they walked, Chanel made sure to add pumpkin and sweet potato pies to the list. She knew that Holly and Makayla were bringing cupcakes, but she felt like having a backup 'just in case' wasn't a bad plan, and so she also wrote down 'Cupcakes???' After two years in New York, she still didn't entirely know her way around. It was just such a big place. This didn't necessarily bother her, and when she was alone, she realized her novelty a lot less, but with Cara, for instance, who'd grown up in the city, she found herself eyeing the girl to make sure that she was indeed going the right way. From the looks of it, she was. "You seriously need your own TV show. Some of the stuff you say, Cara." Chanel laughed before continuing, still giggling some. "Also, depending on if Makayla and Holly have finished their cupcakes, I might be able to use my kitchen to make some food; just to speed things up. You should definitely wait to do the Insta pic until everyone is there though. Make it seem more festive." Speaking of festive, did they need decorations? Like little pumpkins or corn or whatever it was that people put out around this time. When Cara unexpectedly, though understandably, brought up Chanel's staying for the holidays, she had to mask her unease. Family wasn't really a red topic. It didn't take much being around Chanel to understand that she had a relatively stable home life. It wasn't that she talked about her family all the time, but it was in small instances that accumulated. Nearly everything that reminded her of something either pertained to something that happened at school or something that happened with her family. If anyone was really paying attention, they'd notice that most of these familial recollections never surpassed her brother's suicide attempt in date. Other than that, she talked to her parents regularly. Less than she probably would like to, and much less than her parents' enjoy as she almost always hears how she never calls enough. It was just that sometimes the weight of her phone was almost as heavy as the weight of her guilt.

Because Chanel never really liked dwelling on the negatives in life, she tried not to bring up the bad parts of her own. If not to pretend they didn't really exist, then to force a false sense of perfection onto others. She relied to heavily on others' opinions perhaps, and so if they thought she and her home life were more normal than they actually were, she could more easily convince herself that it was the truth. Still, though, sometimes she did want to be able to vent even though to do that would mean to actualize everything she was avoiding. And to be quite frank, she was still too selfish to want to do that. While she loved gossiping, she was more nosy than anything, and even more eager to hear about other people's problems than talk about her own. So while she wasn't ready to open up to Cara about the real reasons she stayed home, she'd have had no issue with Cara talking to her about something equally as troublesome. Chanel reasoned with herself that it was just because she was a good friend, but her and her sub-conscious knew that this wasn't true. She reminded herself that she'd have to try to harder. As a sort of start to this reminder, she smiled, not really at anything or anyone. Chanel circled her tongue over her teeth before rubbing her lips together. The air was making them a bit dry, but she couldn't lick them less she wanted NYX Vamp-stained teeth. Her eyes hovered over Cara's figure and, for a second of second, she considered being honest. She ultimately decided against it. Maybe not because she didn't trust Cara; they'd never gone through a situation that really tested how strong and deep their relationship was. It was more so due to the fact that she didn't trust herself. She didn't believe she was ready to allow herself that therapy. She didn't trust that she wouldn't start using this as some sort of sob story and get reliant upon her brother's misfortune just to benefit herself. So, at least for the present moment, things would remain the same.

"Well of course your favorite dumbass forgot to get the ticket. I mean, I got a ticket. I told you this already. But I didn't actually check it until two nights ago--because I was supposed to leave yesterday--and it said my departure date was Monday instead of Wednesday. So I couldn't call them until Wednesday morning, and they ultimately said they couldn't do anything about it, not even give me a complementary ticket. Chanel inhaled deeply to accumulate enough air for the over-exaggerated sigh she let out next. It was somewhat shameful how she could so quickly come up with a lie on the spot like that, but it proved a useful skill. As her father always told her, take no skill for granted. She'd like to believe that included the less acclaimed ones. "I mean, I obviously got the wrong ticket as an excuse to spend the day with you, but that's my cover up," she said with her charismatic grin. As they broke through the crowds and wind, Chanel's eyes fell upon a boy on the other side of the street. He was well dressed with dark denim jeans and an expensive looking coat that suited his haircut just right. "I know what you can get me for Christmas," she said. "I want one of your Upper East Side boys. If not to have an actual boyfriend than to just have someone to kiss me on New Years. I want to ride more than just the subway next year. It'd be a lot better if his wallet were as big as...other things," she said with a suggestive wink before laughing her loud, memorable laugh. The thought of Christmas led her to remember that the holiday shopping season would go into full force tomorrow, for Black Friday. Well, technically it was in just a few short hours since so many store were now opening sales on Thanksgiving."Are you going Black Friday shopping?

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Ryan Forrester
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Cara responded with a small laugh at Chanel's comment about a television show. She knew she was dramatic sometimes, but she honestly wasn't sure what she had said that spurred the remark from Chanel. She continued walking with Chanel, tucking her hands into her pockets as the cold started to make her fingers sting. "Oh my God, that sucks. Your parents didn't even try to buy you another one?" she exclaimed. In Cara's world, such a thing would be as easy as that. She didn't think of Chanel as being poor or middle class. When she accepted her as a friend, she knew that Chanel wasn't someone she would have been friends with a few years ago, but now Cara felt like she had grown as a person and was more diverse, and Chanel didn't seem that different from her. She had good style, knew how to shop, loved fancy and expensive organic food, and knew how to take the best pretend-candid photos of Cara for social media. "Whatever, don't even worry about it. Family holidays are so overrated and we're going to have fun tonight," she said, waving her hand to dismiss the thought. Cara didn't know if Chanel's family holidays were bad, but she definitely was trying to convince herself that her own were overrated. It wasn't the easiest task to do. Cara's father was hosting Thanksgiving in the Upper East side, in their penthouse. It was in one of the nicest buildings in the city, with spectacular views of Central Park, and yet all of the amenities it offered didn't make dealing with her father and stepmother worth it. Cara was stubborn, maybe even more than stubborn, and she didn't want to see like she was okay with the idea of her father marrying that woman. As a form of protest, she refused to ever visit the apartment she grew up in when the woman was there, and she expected Ryan to do the same.

"I mean, I guess I could help you with that but honestly, Upper East Side boys are just as overrated as family holidays," Cara said, giggling a bit when Chanel mentioned what she wanted. Upper East Side boys really had never treated Cara poorly. She had never been in a relationship where she had been cheated on or misled. In all of her relationships, she had always felt like she had the upper hand. She was a pretty girl, the kind that you could bring home to your parents, and at the same time, she was wild and fun enough where you wouldn't end up disappointed after a night in bed with her. And she knew it. She knew that she was pretty and could get any guy by batting her eyelashes a little and flirting, and that probably helped her in being confident and in control of her relationships. She was always the one to leave her partner, sometimes for no reason, sometimes for a good reason, and sometimes just because she wanted to end it before they did. Her last boyfriend, Patrick, was an Upper East Side guy. His father worked at Cara's father's company, and they were introduced over the summer at a company party. He was cute and treated her right, so Cara entertained the relationship, but he was boring. At least compared to Nick. The shallow side of Cara would never date a drug dealer, or really, anyone with a net worth less than her own, but she craved the excitement that she felt like a bad boy like Nick possessed. Plus, Cara was the kind of girl who wanted everything, so someone being off limits or taken only made her want them more. And anyone with eyes could tell you that Nick was attractive.

She considered telling Chanel about what she had done with Nick in that very moment, but the girl brought up Black Friday shopping and it had Cara wrinkling her nose. "Definitely not," she responded, shaking her head. "Like, I don't get why people go through all of that hassle for stuff when they can just buy it any other day. People call me materialistic, and yet I would never deal with crowds like that." She didn't know the struggle of not being able to afford things at their normal price, or how sales like Black Friday sales allowed parents to buy their kids their dream gifts without going into major debt. "Why? Are you going to?" she asked, her voice chipper again, as if it somehow wouldn't be awkward now if Chanel said she was going to, after she had just bashed it. As they walked, she responded to Ryan's text message.

To: Ryan
nvm! chanel and i have it under control

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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"Definitely not," Chanel said in response to Cara about Black Friday after the girl had promptly smashed it. For a moment, Chanel wasn't sure what Cara meant, but then it clicked. When she was a teenager, she used to make a big deal out of it and would want to get up as soon as she could so she could go shopping with her mom and aunts and cousins. It was kind of a family thing. Of course, many times her mother didn't want to get up early, and Chanel would always complain that the good sales were gone. She had never done it in New York, and quite frankly she was a little scared to, but if Cara was interested, she wouldn't have minded going. Pittsburgh was a big place, but there was a lot more in New York City. Asides from, going on her own would be pretty depressing. It'd just remind her of her not being with her parents, who she honestly did miss, but at the same time didn't want really want to be around. All in all, it was for the first that she spent tomorrow slightly hungover and in bed watching Netflix all day. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know what to get. I've been pretty bad with the whole gift-giving this year."

Despite her selfish tendencies, Chanel really did like giving people presents. Maybe not as much as she liked receiving them, but there was a unique joy and pleasure she got from stressing out at the mall and trying to envision the recipient getting the gift and determining if they would really like it. Of course, this in turn only spoke to her own personality and how she was actually taking the meaning out of Christmas by making a big deal out of presents. She tended to place too much value on material things, which in turn made this time of the year quite the hassle, especially with her being such a procrastinator. Chanel was quite used to living up to her parents expectations, of people thinking very highly of her, and she wallowed in that view, but she also crashed under it. However, that wasn't going to stop her from going to five different stores only to wind up at the first one she went to to get the 'perfect present' this year, just as it didn't stop her in previous ones. One of the reasons she enjoyed present shopping was because she got an excuse to go shopping. She could finally be reckless and not get judged because everyone was making stupid purchases around this time. In a way, she shopped for herself when she went out for others' gifts. She tended to get them what she thought they needed, but she would always convince herself that it was something that they really wanted, even if it wasn't entirely true.

"So have you officially invited Nick?" Chanel said, a bit randomly. She adjusted the hat on her head, now cursing the fact that she'd even put it on. It was bound to cause frizz, and since it was made out of cotton, it was going to soak up every ounce of moisture she had it in after her frying session this morning. "I mean, Nick without Brooke, because if you did, I'd love to know how you went about that since I can't really see him not bringing his girlfriend." They walked a bit more, Chanel now remembering that she needed to pick up some gloves. She had some back at the apartment, but she couldn't find them and it was a lot easier to just find another pair that she really wanted. Useless spending was was part of the Christmas spirit anyway, and she wasn't want to kill the holiday mood, even if it meant doing so to her credit score. "And you can shut me up with this next part if you want, but I will warn you that your attempts will be useless, but...does he know you're crushing? I mean, do you know you're crushing? Like, I don't blame you. That boy is a god send with that jawline and his everything else, but...I don't know. I'm just trying to vicariously live through your slightly movie-esque love triangle to make up for my lack of a life life, I guess," she said while wiping away a fake tear. "But Brooke is really pretty too," she said after another moment. She didn't realize that she was beginning to talk just to talk, but by this point it was really too late. She had woken up a bit more, and as she rubbed her hands together, her mood was brightening a lot more, especially with prospect of a fairly interesting, albeit somewhat shallow, topic."Your roommates are actually pretty attractive, Cara. Even the heroin addict is all right from a certain light. A very dim one, but a certain light nonetheless. You know who else is really cute on our hall? Collin. His parents did good on that one. I think him and Marie are having a little fling, though, because he's been over in the morning a few times. So I guess he's off limits as well. Maybe I'll just marry my pillow or something, I don't know."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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"Oh my God, Nelle. Take that back and go get your eyes checked. That boy is not attractive, and definitely not when you throw in the fact that he's legit a heroin addict. I mean, basically, at least. I don't even need evidence to support that theory, like it's just written all over his body in all of those tattoos." It wasn't fair of Cara to call Roman unattractive, because that really wasn't the case. She didn't think of him as being her type, but he didn't have bad genes in the slightest. Additionally, it wasn't fair of her to call him a heroin addict. She knew he did some sort of drugs, but so did Nick, and that obviously wasn't enough of a deal breaker for her to be turned off there. Nick was just an exception in general. An exception to her socioeconomic rule, to her "no tattoos" rule, to her drug user rule... to all of it in general. Honestly, Cara didn't know if she was crushing on him in a real way. She didn't know if she only wanted him because he was off limits, or if she only wanted him because she had never been with a guy who wasn't clean cut, with a trust fund to fall back on like her. He seemed dangerous and exciting and new, and as Chanel pointed out, that jaw line could take anyone from a 0/10 to a 10/10 in an instant. Since Chanel had continued on with the conversation after the initial question about Nick, she didn't feel the need to respond to it immediately. "But yeah, Collin is cute. So is the other boy he lives with, the one who Ryan's friends with. Oliver, I think his name is. I could totally see you with Collin. Get Marie out of the picture and pounce on that!" she grinned as she nudged Chanel lightly with her elbow.

Part of her wanted to try to get away with just responding to those parts of Chanel's comments, or maybe trying to abruptly switch back to Black Friday, but there was the gossipy, scandalous side of Cara that also wanted to gush to Chanel about what she had done with Nick. On one hand, it was nothing to boast about, but on the other hand, sleeping with Nick was a bit of a conquest, especially when, like Chanel pointed out, Brooklyn was really pretty. "Okay, so I didn't know if I wanted to tell you this, and you have to promise not to judge me," Cara then began, grabbing onto Chanel's arm as she looked at her excitedly. "But I slept with Nick! Not even in a homewrecking slut way because he came on to me first, but I totally went for it, and like, it was so worth it." She released Chanel's arm to run her fingers through her hair as she spoke. "Like, at first, I kind of felt bad because Brooklyn and I are friends, but it's obvious that she's basically abusive to him and he's just not into her, like, at all." She didn't know how Chanel was going to respond, so out of nerves that came from a mixture of anxiety and excitement, she just continued to speak. "And yeah, I officially invited him. Or at least I think it was official. Maybe I should text him and see if he's definitely going to come. What do you think I should say? I don't want to be too pushy and desperate, so what about like 'Hey Nick! We're going to eat around 5 so if you're around, feel free to come hang out with us' and then a smiley face to just make it super casual?"

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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To say she was surprised by what Cara said would be an underwhelming statement. While her leading up to the big reveal already had Chanel on her toes, she wasn't expecting that. Her mouth opened to speak before just hanging agape, Cara filling in the silence quickly as she went on to talk about the text message she should send next. "How in the hell are you gonna go from 'Hey, Chanel: by the way I fucked Nick' to 'Smiley face or no smiley face?'" Chanel's tone was light, and there was a nervous grin on her face, but her bewilderment was still very present. She grabbed Cara's arm and looked at her wide eyed, laughing some. "Did you seriously sleep with him? When the hell did this happen?! And you didn't invite me? Oh my god. You slept with Nick?!" She squealed in disbelief as they neared the store which only earned her a few disapproving stares from passersby. To one person, she actually stuck out her tongue. "Okay," she said with a deep breath as they neared the store. She stopped in front of Cara and her look became more serious. "Let's take this step by step because my body was not ready for this piece of information. To start: I one hundred percent respect your sexual agency and everything, and if I'm going to judge anyone, it's Nick. But he is still with Brooklyn, right?" She began to walk into the store as she continued. "I mean, you need to give me all the details. What exactly happened? And how is Brooke abusive? Is she, like, hitting him or something?" She glanced over at Cara as she headed towards the produce section, checking the list she'd made on her phone. She picked up some carrots and onions and peppers; they could put that in with the turkey while it was heating to add some flavor.

"If she's really hurting him, you should seriously just sit down and talk to him. Like, real talk. I don't know why you thought I'd judge you. If anything, I'm judging Nick because why would you do that to a person? He's hurting you and Brooke, right? If he doesn't respect her enough to call it quits, then what does that mean of his view on you? But he has to trust you at least somewhat to do that, yeah? You could use this as an opportunity. What you need to do is talk to him. At least that's my opinion." It was somewhat surprising to Chanel that she was actually taking this a bit more seriously than she normally would have. It wasn't that she'd ever been cheated on, but it was kind of a strange position. This was a definitely a test--at least that's how she saw it. In New York, she was almost an entirely new person. She was given the chance to recreate herself, and as much as she wanted to gossip and congratulate Cara, she also wanted to seem like an okay person. Someone who thought of everyone and how they would be affected. Maybe she was more sensitive to this because for so long she'd ignored those who could easily be forgotten but equally affected by something.

Her opinion of Nick wasn't destroyed, and she didn't dislike him any, but she did want to have the whole story because this was a tricky situation, and it was potentially messy. If everything she said got into the wrong ears, it could completely damage her reputation. She couldn't have that. So as they moved towards the deli section, she looked at Cara sternly. While it might have looked odd on her usually cheery face, it felt more familiar than the smile she always put on. "Don't you fucking settle for some dude that's going to use you as a booty call, Cara. Fuck who you want, but if they try to get over on you, I will cause some damage, no matter how nice their jawline is." She shook her head as she inwardly rolled her eyes at the person in front of them for taking such a damn long time. There was no rush, but she hated waiting. Chanel pushed her hair past her shoulder and poked Cara in the shoulder. "What did I tell you about letting me ramble? I'll stop talking. You give me the details. And also, go with the smiley face," she said, referencing the text message Cara had been talking about moments earlier.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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As they made their way into the store, Cara didn't have to do much more than nod and occasionally giggle, because Chanel was holding the conversation together with her colorful responses. She didn't mind and she had to know that she was going to get a vibrant response from the girl. Not only was it just in Chanel's personality, but Cara had dropped a bomb that probably came out of nowhere. She was okay with not having to share the details for a few minutes, and followed Chanel throughout the store after grabbing a cart. She was paying attention to what Chanel was saying, but she tried to busy herself by grabbing things and tossing them into the cart as they walked. Most of it was random, useless things that didn't even apply to the meal they were trying to plan. She ended up with a container of strawberries, a bunch of bananas, a bag of seedless grapes, celery and tomatoes. Chanel had picked up some vegetables too, but Cara assumed that she had a purpose in mind for those. Once they reached the deli section and had to stop and wait in line at the counter, Chanel finished responding. Cara reached for the food in Chanel's hand and placed them down in the shopping cart before looking towards her with a smile, unsure of how to respond to all of her comments, and partly wishing she hadn't said anything at all. It wasn't like Chanel wasn't being supportive, because she had even said that she wasn't judging Cara, but when talking about it aloud, Cara realized that she was judging herself. It was harder to validate what they had done when she heard herself describing it out loud, but she tried to remind herself that it wasn't that bad. She wasn't that close with Brooklyn, and everyone on the fifth floor could probably hear how loud she screamed at Nick sometimes. Their relationship couldn't have been perfect. It wasn't like she was sleeping with a married man with children.

"I mean, she's not like abusive like really abusive, but you know what I mean. She can be... mean. I don't know! I just feel like they're not good for each other, and obviously he wanted more. It happened a few weeks ago, like right after one of their really big fights, and she stormed out to go to work, and Ryan and Drugged Up weren't home, and I was trying to console him at first, but then it just, like, happened. I don't even know how, but it was so good, Nelle. Like he was probably the best guy I've ever slept with. It's not like that though, like a booty call kind of thing. Yeah, he's still with Brooklyn, and he doesn't want her to find out, so I guess it's something we're just going to have to do when she's not around." The realistic side of Cara knew that Nick probably intended for it to be a one time thing, but if it had been that good for her, she was sure it had been that good for him too. She didn't see it as a booty call, though. Sure, she had broken off her very stable relationship just because of it, but it wasn't like she was waiting around for Nick day and night. She wanted more... but she wasn't that delusional to expect it to happen right away. She just hoped it would eventually. "So obviously don't say anything to her! Or anyone, for that matter. I told Makayla, but it's not like she's really relevant enough to tell anyone important. No offense to her, obviously." Cara wasn't really aware of Makayla's close friendship with Nick, but even then, she wouldn't have thought to be concerned with anyone telling Nick. It was Brooklyn finding out that she was worried about.

To: Nick
Hey Nick! We're going to eat around 5 so if you're around, feel free to come hang out with us :)

Now that she had explained herself and had Chanel's approval on the text, she sent it to Nick, and opened Ryan's without responding, since an answer didn't seem necessary at that point. When it was their turn to place an order at the deli, she let Chanel do the talking, since she still had no idea how this whole turkey thing worked. Chanel had mentioned something about it being a few dollars per pound, but Cara wouldn't have known how many pounds they needed or any of the specifics like that. She would eat the turkey, but ordering and preparing it weren't her specialties. "So, what other sections should we hit after this? Besides alcohol, what else is on your list?"

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Ryan Forrester
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They first started when he was eight, became common when he was ten, and gradually became more and more problematic afterwards. In the beginning, his nightmares were really just anxiety-induced. But now that he was rid of that part of his life, it made no sense that they kept coming back. They were no where near as frequent, or as violent, and in fact they hardly ever consisted of anything when they did happen. He rarely ever had actual dreams, and tonight--or that morning rather-was no different. For the majority of his time asleep, short as it was, he felt like he was holding his breath. His chest tightened and his nerves heightened. He felt fear without being frightened. A couple of times he was able to wake himself up, a quick gasp escaping his lips as though they were a result of him actually yanking himself awake. His heart was beating no faster from what he could tell, but it still felt the way it did before a fight; when he was on edge and uncertain. The temperature of the room also helped to keep him from drifting deeper into his slumber, bittersweet as that truth was. On the one hand he was incredibly exhausted, but on the other, his subconscious was warning him about drifting back off. While normally he would have gotten up to open the window so as to let in a nice breeze, today he did not. Instead, he lay accumulating tension in his muscles and sweat on the nape of his neck as he slept. That was until he felt something against him shortly after hearing a higher pitched voice which was undoubtedly Brooke's, but he was too disoriented to really register it right away.

He flinched at her initial touch, looking over his shoulder to see her. With a slight scowl, he curled back up, facing the wall, and tried going back to sleep. When she nudged him again, he swatted at her hand lazily and missed. Killens squeezed his eyes tighter in the hopes of getting back to sleep, but this only proved futile as in the next few seconds an abundance of light was cast on the room. Given that he wasn't sleeping that well to begin with, he probably shouldn't have been annoyed as he was, but it was that exact reason that had him in a bad mood and flinging his pillow sharply in Brooke's direction. "What the fuck?" It was clear that he was annoyed, but this didn't stop Brooke from smirking, seemingly unmoved by his frustration, and saying, "He's waiting in the kitchen, hurry up," and then leaving.

The calloused rigidity of his hands smoothed over his face as he yawned and stretched. He stayed there for another minute or so, listening to his heartbeat and the movement from outside. It was never in his favor to get up right away, let alone not on his own accord. He enjoyed just sitting and listening before actually having to get up, but it was nearly impossible to do that with the window closed the way it was. As he glared over at it, the stickiness that suctioned his shirt to his skin became more noticeable, and as he sat up with a groan, he took his shirt off, tossing it to the bottom of the bed. His senses were still heightened when he cracked the window and embraced the chill. It seemed to calm him enough to finally leave the bedroom at least somewhat less irritable, but it didn't stop him from glaring at Brooke. He hardly took note of the set up before him: Ryan on the couch and Nick doing something in the kitchen. When he found Brooke, he went over to her and looped his arm around her neck in a playful choke hold. "What'd I tell you about waking me up, huh?" he said. It wasn't uncommon for Roman to mess around with Brooke in this nature. While he mostly made verbal jabs at her, sometimes he did get physical, like now. Although his voice seemed more serious due to the fact that it was deeper with the remains of sleep lingering in his chest, he was never rough enough to actually hurt her. "Thought I told Nick to get you a leash," Roman said before finally letting her go, giving the back of her head a slight push.

Roman went to the fridge, looking inside for a moment before grabbing a leftover tomato and some beans from yesterday. After grabbing a plate, he placed a piece of toast in the toaster oven and leaned against the counter, finally pulling his phone from his pocket and seeing the seven messages he'd received. Three were from Nick and Brooke, and the other four were from Hannah, the latter of which he didn't bother reading at the present moment. Reading the messages made him smile somewhat and he waved his phone in Brooke and Nick's direction. "What lovely parents you two are," he said. Sentimentality wasn't really his thing, but the texts did get a small smirk out of him. He recalled what Brooke had said earlier when she was busy being obnoxious by waking him up; something about hanging out with Nick. He was sure that it was her doing since she was the one to come get him, and Nick would never be that pressed to hang out. That being said, he highly doubted that whatever play date she had planned didn't involve him smoking with Nick and Makayla, so he wasn't entirely sure what to say, or who to address--at least not right away. When his toast was ready, he plucked it out and began eating his breakfast. It wasn't a full meal. Had he had eggs and black pudding or even mushrooms, he would have had his full English, but for now, this would do. "I'm game," Roman said to Nick, nodding towards his phone. "When are you going?" He bit into the tomato, chewed slowly and swallowed before continuing. "So why is Brooke up my ass about hanging out with you today?" His question was directed at Nick, but he was giving a Brooke a look from the corner of his eye as he spoke.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Chanel listened to Cara as she spoke, but subconsciously she was elsewhere. The person in front of them was being incredibly annoying. It could have been that Chanel was just being impatient, but even the man's voice was obnoxious to hear as she spoke to the person behind the counter.How hard is it to order a damn bird? Chanel thought. With some forced up strength, she turned her head away from the man in front of them, knowing she would start looking peeved if she continued to dwell in his stupidity. When it was finally their turn, she went for the ten pound bird. While they waited, she glanced back at Cara and gave her a soft but disapproving look; the way her mother would do if Chanel said something that was funny but still inappropriate. "Be nice. I like Makayla; she's actually pretty cool. I can't believe you told her before me, though." As she was placing it in the cart that seemed to be filled with a bunch of random stuff, Chanel gaped at the weight. "What'd they do, give us a pregnant bird? Geez," she said. Chanel checked her phone, deleting the items on the list that they had in the cart."You get stuff for mashed potatoes? Oh, pies! We also need pies, but I don't know of any bakeries near by. Do you? They might have some here. Chanel pulled the cart from the opposite end, heading to the section that held her conditioner. She grabbed three bottles and remembered she needed turmeric. "Let's head back over near the seasonings."

As they walked, Chanel was quiet, which was slightly unusual, but when they approached the aisle she needed, she looked over her shoulder at Cara. "You need to keep those pretty legs of yours crossed and talk to that boy," she said. "Has he been, like, super weird around you? I mean, I guess not if he's coming to the dinner tonight? Oh, yeah. What'd he say to your text? Did he ever respond?" Chanel pointed her finger at the seasonings, drawing it left to right and down as though she were reading a book. After two run throughs, she finally came upon the little container of orange powder. "Here we go." She turned to Cara and shook the turmeric in her hand some before dropping it in the cart. "This is great with face masks. I have manuka honey at home, and some rhassoul clay. It's actually from Morocco, where my mom's from. Those together make an amazing facial treatment. You need to let me pamper you, especially with all these secrets you've got," she said playfully with a wink. Chanel knew very well that she had changed the conversation from what she had initially freaked out over. It wasn't that she wasn't interested--no, the exact opposite was true--but she did need to fathom it a bit more because, like she'd already realized before, this was a big deal. Not because Cara's involvement with Nick was problematic on its own, but because Chanel's reputation could very well be at risk. While she probably saw her role in the situation as being way larger and way more important than it actually was, it was innate for her to think of herself. So when she spoke to Cara next, she tried to make sure she was still kind in tone, but she also wanted to make it known that she wasn't trying to be silly anymore. Although her face wasn't angry or bothered, her smile was gone and instead her brows were raised curious and suspiciously, an air of caution and worry to her, as though Cara might be making a mistake. "Do you really think there was more to it that night? Between you and him, I mean. Because if so, and if Brooke's really so mean to him, then you have everything he needs, right? Just be nice to him. Don't even compete with Brooke because if she's really that bad to where he comes to you after something like that, I think you already have your foot in the door. You just need to help him realize that. Make up for the void that Brooke is leaving and I think it'll work out. Part of that will come from talking to him, at least, that's what I think," she said. "But be direct. No bullshit, and that's coming from someone who's mastered the art of bullshitting, okay?"

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Cara hadn't gotten items for the mashed potatoes, so she darted away for a moment after Chanel brought that up to retrieve them. When she returned, she dumped them into the cart and followed Chanel with the cart. Surprisingly, Cara had momentarily forgotten that she was waiting for a response to Nick, but was relieved to find that he had answered when she pulled her phone back out. "He said 'cool sounds good period'," she said, beginning to type a response to him, but quickly deleting it and putting her phone away once again. She didn't think that a "perfect!" or "can't wait!" would be too harmful, but she also didn't want to come across as some stalker who cared that much. She wasn't paying as great of attention as she should have been as Chanel explained what she was picking up, but the world "pamper" definitely brought a smile to her face. "Oh my God, we really do need to do a spa day. Come with me and my girls next week! We made an appoint at the Caudalíe Spa down at The Plaza. I'll call tomorrow and tell them to add you in. They're massages are seriously to die for, and I'm sure they have whatever this Moroccan stuff is that you like too," she exclaimed, not giving Chanel a moment to say no as she finished picking out the items for her facial mask. Cara could appreciate the organic beauty rituals that Chanel was into, but she wasn't the type of person who could deal with putting things together like that. She liked organic things, but preferred to just save the time and energy and buy them in an already made formula. That way, if something went wrong, she had a company to blame, and not just her own carelessness or stupidity.

"And don't worry about the pies," she commented a beat later, as she pulled her phone back out. "I'll have someone take care of it for us." It wasn't as sketchy as it sounded. She took a moment to send a text message to one of her father's assistants, first confirming that they were still in the city today, and then asking them to make a few calls to the bakeries in the city to see who was open and could make a last minute delivery. Her father's firm frequently made large orders at some of the upscale shops in the city, so she knew the woman could pull some strings to help her out. Like her father, she had little regard for the fact that the woman technically didn't have to be working on a holiday, and probably had family plans of her own to tend to.

She hadn't responded to Chanel's first set of questions that were on the topic of Nick, but once they got online and Chanel brought it up again, it would have been too odd for her to have ignored them again. It had worked the first time, with the way the conversation was flowing, but now they were just waiting in line and she had to answer. "Ugh, I don't even know, Chanel. I'm just like, so bipolar with this. Like on one hand, he was so good and I can totally see us being a couple down the line, but Brooklyn is obviously crazy, so I know that's going to be messy. Like, even if I talk to him and tell him he needs to be the one to deal with, obviously she's going to come for me too. I knew she was jealous of me the day I met her, and I mean, I guess she had a reason to be now that I was right that Nick was into me, but still. It's just weird, because I don't know if it's worth it. Like, remember my ex, Patrick? I think I introduced you to him once, but whatever. He was a really nice guy, super cute, my dad loved him, and he was an investment banker or something, so he had his life together, basically. But I got bored, and I always get bored. Nick obviously isn't like, a guy that I would normally go for, but I get bored of everyone. I feel like I'm emotionally available or something. Ugh, it really sucks. Like, I like the chase but then when I win the prize, I'm already over it." Now, Chanel didn't need to be the one apologizing for rambling. "Like, I'm not going to get over it until I have it, so I guess I should just go for it anyway and talk to him like you said, but I feel like I would be a literal homewrecker if I had him break up with her, and then I dump him," she added, as if she really was in control of the situation that fully. As if she could snap her fingers, and Nick would leave Brooklyn and be by her side.

She was too focused on Chanel to acknowledge the cashier when it was their turn and she asked them how they were. Cara only pulled out her credit card and sat it down on the counter for the woman to swipe when she finished ringing everything. "And I know I probably sound so shallow for saying this, but I don't know if I'm the kind of person can look past him being...," she paused, unsure of what she wanted to say. Poor? A drug dealer? Uneducated (even though she didn't have a college degree either)? "That different from me," she eventually chose. "I don't know if I could ever seriously be with someone like that."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Cara, while perhaps daft on the reality of most peoples' lives, what with her large financial freedom, actually proved quite useful from time to time, like now with her offering of a spa date with some of other girls. Chanel eagerly agreed to the spa date, not only because it sounded luxurious, but because she was excited to hang out with new faces. She wasn't immediately nervous about meeting Cara's equally wealthy friends since she'd never had problems with fitting in before. There were few people she ever saw as out of her league, and being friends with Cara sort of self-validated her own ego. If she was already hanging out with a girl like Cara, who Chanel at this point believed to be pretty much on the same level as her, then Cara's friends weren't a problem at all. Of course, she thought as they moved through the waves of people and to the checkout line, there was no guarantee about whether or not her friends would be sweetly oblivious or raging bitches. Were it the latter, she still wasn't too concerned. She'd quickly shut down anyone who tried belittling her, but she would have to figure out how to do that without seeming like a raging bitch. She didn't have problems with being bitchy just because she didn't like it, because in fact she did. But she couldn't have Cara thinking there was some other side to Chanel, even if there was.

Chanel listened as Cara spoke the majority of the time, which only helped waiting in line move faster. She took notice of the blase manner in which Cara gave the cashier person her card. Chanel blinked and watched carefully as the man took Cara's card. She'd planned on paying for her own things, just because that was what she normally did, but she had no hesitation in keeping her money in her wallet once she realized that Cara was paying, which wasn't abnormal out all of her. It wasn't the first time it happened, and it made Chanel envious enough to actually admire it. In some ways she wished she were like Cara. She didn't crave the blonde hair or the blue eyes, but her status was enticing. Chanel could visualize herself in the same way, and although her spending habits were disastrous, she still had to be more cautious with her money than Cara ever would. Chanel's ultimate misfortune, as she tells herself and has told her parents before in a whining fit should they have ever not bought her something she desires, is that she is not as rich as her lifestyle craves to be. She believes she was born to roaming through the streets of New York City and living life with so few restraints that it was near reckless. Of course, her reality didn't stop her from trying to pretend best she could that she did live as close to that lifestyle as possible. And even though Cara had many things that she wanted--even as she listened to Cara talk about Nick, it was hard to keep her eyes from rolling after a while. Sometimes she wished she had Cara's problems--Chanel also enjoyed being spoiled. So she leaned back with a sly smirk on her face, and didn't mention Cara paying for everything, just as she was sure the girl wouldn't bring it up either.

"All right, all right, all right," she said when they were finally collecting the bags. "He might not be boyfriend material for whatever reason. You want a guy who has enough money to lick Benjamin's off your ass? I'm all for it, believe me: I am your number one supporter on that front--or back, in this case." She readjusted the bags in her hand, knowing for sure that they'd need to take a cab back to the apartment. "But maybe there's a middle ground? Like, maybe you could get close enough to him where he's willing to take a break from Brooke--and I mean, sometimes that's what you need. Not a break up, but a break. If and when that happens, you go in for the kill. And by the kill, I mean the D. Well, he'd be going into you, I guess, but that's a technicality." She shook her head as she realized she was getting off topic. "The point I'm trying to make is that he doesn't need to be boyfriend material in order for you to tap that, even if it's just momentarily. But...Damnit, Cara. I don't know either. On the one hand, don't drag him around--unless it's in bed and he's totally into that. But on the other hand, please fuck him, at least for Chanel." Once they left Trader Joe's, Chanel took the liberties of flagging down a cab. For a brief second she considered having Cara do it, knowing well enough that taxi's would damn near get into an accident to pick up a pretty blonde girl like Cara. While sometimes if she had a hard time getting a taxi she'd wonder if it was because of her, she knew that her male counterparts of the same shade or darker fared worse. There were times when Chanel herself would have to wave down a cab for them because it could be near impossible for them to get one. Today, not totally unsurprisingly, was an easy day for a cab. As one pulled over, she looked back to Cara. "Forget about Nick for now. We're going to cook the hell out of this bird, and then see how fast he drops his boxers or whatever it is he wears." Like clockwork, a mischievous grin rose to her face and she wiggled her brows suggestively after she spoke. "Ooh. What does he wear?"