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Chanel Owens

0 · 3,835 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: Caraline Forrester
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An hour and a half into her spa day, and Cara was feeling too relaxed to even worry about the dynamics between Chanel and Grace and Cassie. When they had first got there, it wasn't like there was anything wrong that would make her need to worry anyway. Grace and Cassie had acted just has Cara had imagined they would. They had seemed iffy for a just a moment, but not because of Chanel specifically. It was just how those girls were, and though she wouldn't admit it, Cara was the same way. It wasn't like there was any reason for them to not like Chanel right away, but it was just how they all were. It was how the social system they grew up in worked, really. You had a specific circle that you belonged in and unless someone was clearly at your level, you didn't interact with them. If Grace and Cassie had invited some new girl along, Cara would have been skeptical too. Probably even more so than the girls were, if she was being honest. After Chanel started talking, they seemed to realize that she was nice, and since Cara had brought her along, she had to be acceptable and normal too. Plus, the girls didn't have too much time to interact before being whisked off to get facials and massages and treatments where silence was key to relaxation. If the other girls had gotten even half as good as a masseuse as Cara did, than she knew that they would come out feeling as minimally bitchy as they could be, which allowed Cara to feel even more relaxed. She didn't know if she even wanted to involve Chanel heavily in her "real" life, but it was good to know that if she ever wanted a plus one to an event, Chanel would be an acceptable choice. "You know, I was a little bit skeptical about having anyone other than Tracy work on me, but Heidi really knew what she was doing. I might have to start requesting her."

"I don't blame you. Tracy's been on maternity for like, ten years, and it's totally unfair to you. You were loyal to her for way too long. Definitely time to move on," Grace exaggerated, shaking her head as if it was disgusting for the facialist to take a few months off of work to take care of her newborn. "Who usually works on you here? How was Annette? It's a good thing that Lindsey didn't become because she would have like, murdered you if you tried to take Annette from her. She's the only person she trusts with her face." Cara sat in between Chanel and Grace, with Cassie on the other side of Grace, so Grace had to lean forward slightly to see Chanel as the manicurist worked on the girls' hands.

"Oh my God, Lindsey is so dramatic, but I'm seriously beyond jealous of her right now. Have you seen her boyfriend?" Cassie chimed in, and much to Cara's relief. She knew it was stupid and incredibly shallow to somehow think it was embarrassing or off putting that Chanel had never been to this spa before, but things were going so well! She didn't need the girls flashing her any "um... what?" looks and making everyone feel uncomfortable. Good gossip was always entertaining anyway, and even though Cara knew Chanel would probably respond to the girls' questions anyway, she was happy to jump in with her own comment before Chanel could. "I feel like she totally talked him up though. Wait, Grace, where has Will been? I feel like I haven't seen him in forever and I totally want him to meet Chanel."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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The ninety minutes or so that she'd been at the spa had gone unexpectedly expected. Cassie and Grace were nice enough, and there wasn't too much time for socializing once they got onto the actual spa treatments. Now that they were getting their nails done, it opened up room for conversation, something that Chanel normally would have been okay with, but right now she was feeling reserved. This feeling itself made her uncomfortable because she wasn't used to it and she secretly prayed that she wasn't eluding it, but she was sure the opposite was true. If it didn't show in her demeanor--which, to be fair, was still relaxed and not as tense as she felt--then it might have shown in her behavior. For the majority of the time, she'd been rather quiet. At least by Chanel standards of talking. She hadn't been totally silent, and she chimed in when she felt comfortable enough to, or when she was directly addressed, just as she was being now by Grace. Luckily Cara said something before Chanel got a chance to say anything. She looked at Cara and then back at Grace reverting her eyes to the woman who was painting her nails.

She wasn't sure. She walked a big walk, but talked an even big talk. It was easier to convince herself of social standing that she didn't really possess when she was actually around Cara, and it was that ease that didn't make Chanel as wary about meeting the girls. Although she was nervous, it wasn't like now, where she was confronted more with just how blase she really was. It wasn't until she saw the girls interact with each other, seen how normal this was for them, that she began to feel ostracized. It was really just an internalized reaction that wasn't at any real fault of the girls. But being around them made her feel more exposed to who she really was, not just economically, but as a person. Chanel thought she had everyone fooled, but really she was just fooling herself. No amount of spa trips or Instagram pictures could negate her of knowing the truth. And she didn't necessarily mind it, but she would have rather not feel it in this circumstance. She'd always been the queen bee, the center of attention. Now she mostly remained quiet when she could because she didn't want to give herself away. Because she was in unknown territory and it was much easier to pretend this was her reality when she wasn't pretending that it was. Better to be silent than to be thought of a fool. Wasn't that the saying?

She knew she was being selfish though. Who cared if these girls found her out or if they didn't like her? She didn't get that vibe from them, but still, how would it affect her? She'd never had any close girlfriends that didn't simultaneously double as enemies, so it could have been that she was just naturally catty around other girls and automatically thought there was some competition there. At the end of the day, she didn't know them and they didn't know her. So the only one who really had something at stake was Cara. Chanel didn't really get the impression that she was putting a damper on Cara, but she still had to acknowledge that these were Cara's friends and not hers. If Chanel brought along a friend, she'd expect that friend to uphold Chanel's reputation. It was shallow, but it was unspoken manner. She'd play along best she could, but only because she felt like she at least owed it to Cara. The girls hadn't been mean to her, so there was no reason for her to show out. Cara had been nice enough to bring Chanel along, and she understood that friendship dynamics that Cara had with Grace and Cassie because she had similar ones back in Pittsburgh. She understood the small nuances that made up their circle, at least on a surface level. So when Cara and Casa spoke before Chanel was able to, she was grateful. It gave her enough time to think about what she wanted to say, which was honestly a rare enough action on its own, but this wasn't really about her. She didn't want to embarrass Cara anymore than she wanted to be an embarrassment.

Ultimately, she decided evade Grace's question because everything she came up with was dry and smartass-y. It ranged from 'I wish a bitch would' in regards to psycho Lindsey all the way to her 'not concerning herself with formalities,' such as learning the names of her nonexistent facialist. Neither were wrong. If Lindsey really had a problem, Chanel would surely fix it, and she couldn't even recall who worked on her today. Regardless, she decided both were ill advised and kept quiet on the subject and instead followed Cara's lead about Will. "Yeah," she said, still not looking at either of the girls as she watched the nailbrush stroke over her fingernails. "Cara told me about him, but I feel like you never told me his name." She glanced at Cara as she addressed her, as if to confirm that this was true. When she looked back at her hand, she pulled the free one up towards her and sighed theatrically. Chanel flashed the back of her hand to the girls. "Do you like this color? I feel like I should have gone with the other one."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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"Oh my God, I totally love it. So fall. You're so lucky that your skin is like, the perfect color. Anything would look good against that complexion..." Grace answered, which was followed by approving nods by both Cara and Cassie. Her girl friends could be so superficial at times, but one of the benefits of having friends like that, was that they knew how to compliment each other. If one was worrying about the way a dress fit, all it took was one comment of self doubt for the others to chime in with an abundance of reassurance that they were going to be the hottest thing in the room. Aside from Cara being just as bad as them, it was one of the reasons why she actually did like her friends. She would bitch about them and act like a bad friend behind their backs, but that was just how their friendship was. In the end, they were always there for her, or at least they acted like they were. Plus, Cara couldn't complain about them treating Chanel nicely. Now sitting there with the three of them, she felt like Chanel fit in seamlessly, but it was still reassuring to exaggerate in her mind how her worries had been unneeded. "...Which reminds me! We have to plan our winter trip, ladies. Let's go somewhere fun this year. Somewhere warm. Somewhere where I don't have to carry around flasks of Fireball twenty-four/seven in order to have a decent time."

"Hey! I liked the Alps! You guys were excited before we left, so I refuse to take blame for that trip not turning out perfectly!" Cassie chimed in, a petulant look on her face as Grace criticized the trip she had planned the year before. Normally, Cara might have considered remaining neutral on the topic, but she had been the first to admit, while they were there, that she was totally over the quaint ski town they stayed in about three hours after they got there. "Oh my God, definitely no snow. I only agreed to go there last year because I thought we were going to Australia, not Austria."

"Oooooh, Australia. That's a good idea. Our winter is their summer, right? So it'll be nice there in December. I've never been, I would totally be down for that."

"I am not flying that far. I'm way too lazy for that. Let's do something close. Does your family still have your house in Kauai?"

"Really, Cara? You want Hawaii to be our big winter trip? You are literally so boring."

"I hate flying and my dad is probably going to drag me somewhere the week before we usually go anyway. Let's stay in the country this year. Please?"

"All in favor of going to Australia without Debbie Downer?" Cassie's hand that wasn't being worked on shot up into the air. "Everyone else in the group has their hands up in spirit, too."

"I hate you both," Cara said, visibly annoyed although she knew the girls were kidding. "We do a winter trip every year," she said, glancing back to Chanel now, once she realized that in the midst of their bickering, she had shifted in her seat enough that her back had been towards Chanel. "And last year we somehow ended up in the Swiss Alps," she continued, before Cassie chimed in with, "Because their skiing is incomparable!", in an attempt to defend her poorly rated trip. Cara just rolled her eyes then, and continued speaking, "We ended up in the Swiss Alps, and it sucked. Whatever we do this year, you should totally come." The invitation was a sincere one, although Cara would probably never follow up on it with details. She would forget that she had mentioned it to Chanel and get too caught up in planning the details out with her childhood friends to recall extending the invitation. That would be especially true if Chanel never mentioned it again, and if Cara considered the "poor Chanel" comment from earlier, maybe she had a reason not to.

There was a slight pause in the conversation as the girls were led over to drying stations to finish off their manicures, but once they were seated comfortably again, Cara looked back over at Grace. "You never answered my question about Will, though. Where has he been? I want Chanel to meet him, or one of our guy friends. Who's single?"

"He actually studied abroad this semester in Germany. Didn't I tell you that?" Grace didn't wait until Cara shook her head before continuing with a theatrical sigh, and then, "Ugh, it was this whole big thing because he was obsessed with the idea of studying in terrorist-ridden Turkey, but my parents were like 'um, no' because we obviously don't want him to turn into like, the next Jihadi John or get killed or whatever, so he just went to Germany. It's whatever, but he'll be back in December, I think. He's dating some weird Asian bitch that goes to school with him. AKA, you definitely don't want to stoop down to my brother's level, Chanel. You could totally do better. Hmm... that's a good question."

"Austin just broke up with his girlfriend, I feel like he would totally be into Chanel," Cassie offered, before her serious expression turned brighter as she looked at Cara. "Wait, wait, wait. I heard that Ryan has a girlfriend. I want the details. True or false?"

"Um, absolutely false," Cara replied a beat later, all while shooting Cassie a strong glare. It was more out of "are you stupid?" over her being offended or anything, because Cara was just convinced that she had to be stupid to think that Ryan would have a girlfriend. Cara was convinced that for one, her brother was too much of a loser to get a girlfriend, and two, if he were to have one, she would be the first to know. She lived with him, and just with Cara being the way she was, she thought she would somehow be able to sense that he had one, even if he didn't bring her home. "Where did you even hear that from?"

"My dad had breakfast with your dad today! He said that your dad said that Ryan brought over his cute blonde girlfriend for dinner."

"Yeah, well my dad must have cracked open one too many bottles of Petrus last night if he thinks that's reality." Just as she was readjusting her hands under the dryer, her phone vibrated against the table. She carefully unlocked the phone, being careful not to damage the somewhat-wet nails as she did so, and then read the message from Makayla. Eye rolls seemed to be her reaction of the day today, but she slid the phone across the table towards Chanel and nodded towards the screen. "Write something back for me? I totally feel like I'm going to be meaner than I should."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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{Collaboration with LaurenAFI}


Chanel had been glad that she hadn't been able to chime in in the middle of the girls' conversation. When Hawaii was mentioned, she became excited because there was an opportunity for her to actually contribute something without feeling uncertain. It only took a mere few seconds for her to silently bless any and all high powers that she hadn't said anything at all. That would have been a nightmare. Having hardly recovered, by the time Cara was directly addressing her, she could only smile and pulse her eyebrows in a 'Yeah, maybe' manner. She normally would have been rather giddy, but Chanel still wanted to remain at least a bit composed. She knew she could be quite rambunctious and Rated R. While she didn't always feel the need to conceal this, when she didn't have complete control over the situation, she tended to do so. It could be quite unnerving for someone like her. She felt most uncomfortable when she wasn't socializing and being paid attention to. She needed constant stimulation and acceptance or else she was left with her own thoughts. And although now the girls were being entertaining in their own right, she still couldn't held but bounce her leg, and even that was getting tiresome. So when Cara actually gave her something to do, something that in a way alienated her for the present moment, she smiled readily, not bothering to mirror Cara's peeved reaction. "Yeah, totally. Let me work my magic." As she scooted the phone closer to her, being careful not to puncture the damp nail polish, she looked over Makayla's text. "So do you want, like, passive-aggressive, short and sweet, raging bitch. Ask and ye shall receive."

The other girls had become invested in a conversation about their friend Austin, and Cara was glad. She knew that if they weren't talking about something interesting, they would have wanted to know what she and Chanel were talking about, and Cara didn't want to explain this dilemma to them. It definitely wouldn't have been as bad as talking about Nick, but she knew that their potential reactions to this too, would bother her. It would remind them that she had said she wasn't spending Thanksgiving with her own family, which she was already lucky hadn't been touched upon more in depth when Ryan came up. Last night's Thanksgiving had been catastrophic, but it wasn't incredibly embarrassing or anything. The food was all pretty good and it wasn't like she had spent it alone or in the slums somewhere. It just... it wasn't up to their standards and Cara didn't want to have to explain herself. Plus, if she even considered going into details about Makayla and who she was and what she did, she was sure that the girls would demand that she move out of "the projects" and start questioning Chanel on why she lived there too, and it would just get uncomfortable for both of them. "I don't know," she answered first. A second of pondering led her to continue with, "Do you think that I should just be the bigger person? Like, I'll act like it's okay and it was no big deal, but then later when you talk to her, you say something about how what she said was super offensive? And how so not okay it was for her to get like that when she has Holly? So that it makes me look like such a good person for forgiving her so easily when you, the neutral party, claims that what she did was beyond forgivable?"

As Chanel typed into the phone, she couldn't help but grin. "Coming right up." It took a special kind of person to really have Chanel shake her head at in both amusement and disbelief, and Cara was that person in every good way possible. Although their personalities compared and contrasted in many different ways, their mutual melodrama being one of them, it was still a bit refreshing to be on the other end. Chanel was quite used to be being the crazy one in the group, and she liked it, but she also liked being surprised. While Cara wasn't as flamboyant in personality as Chanel was on the regular, and it was usually Cara who was shaking her head at the other, Chanel did get a kick out of some of the things Cara said, or at least how she reacted to them. "Also..." Chanel said, this time her voice quieter. She didn't glance in Cara's direction until after she finished speaking. Her mouth was barely moving and it hardly looked like she was talking to Cara at all. "Ryan's 'blonde girlfriend?'"

Cara trusted that whatever Chanel would write would be good. Chanel was crazy and dramatic like she was, but she had been the one to tell her not to talk badly about Makayla because she liked her, so she thought that Chanel would be the one out of the two of them to construct something on the nicer end. When Cara whispered something about what had been said about Ryan, she shook her head. It wasn't even in a way to tell her to stop talking about it, but more so, dismissing the validity in it all together. "I'll tell you later," she said before turning slightly in the opposite direction to address the other girls again. "Chanel and I are going to go once our nails dry. Are you guys sticking around?"

"You're really not going to stay for pedicures?"

"I thought we were all doing Bergdorf's after!"

"Another day! We have stuff to take care of."

"Ugh, you always have 'stuff to take care of', Cara! Just stay for pedicures and then we'll do Bergdorf's another day. Or we can do Barney's! You know Barney's is always quicker."

"I would if we had the time. Please, you know that I don't turn down shopping without a good reason, but we're super busy today."

"With what?"

"Tell me you're going on a date with Patrick!"

"I am absolutely not. I told you, we're over. I'm over him, let's move on."

"Over him enough where you wouldn't hate your BFF for pouncing on that?"

"Go for it, Cass." She knew that Cassie was only being partly serious and was probably just pushing her buttons in hopes of getting her to loosen up, but Cara wasn't in the mood for that. In fact, it made her want to leave even faster. Deciding that her nails were dry enough, she pulled them out from the nail drying machine and stood up. "I'm going to go get dressed. I'll text you two later. Are yours dry too, or do you want to meet me in the front in a little?"

To: Makayla
No, don't worry about it. It's okay :)

"Nah, they're good." After sending the text, Chanel handed Cara's phone to her as she stood. "It was really nice meeting you girls! Enjoy your pedicures for me." While Chanel was ready to go, she also couldn't say that she was happy about passing up a fancy pedicure. Perhaps if it had just been her and Cara she would have been more disappointed, but she was ready to get into more familiar grounds. She always thought of herself as being born into the wrong life and that Cara's lifestyle was the one for her, but it could be rather intimidating when you were around a bunch of people who actually shared this as their reality. It was one thing to just have Cara but it was different when there were more people and for today she'd gotten a good enough taste. Besides that being a reason she didn't care too much about leaving earlier, but she thought Cara had done enough for her today. Chanel was hardly ever bothered by Cara treating her to things, but this was rather large. She'd taken the time to actually look up the place in the car and nearly passed out after seeing the prices that ranged into the hundreds. She still had to ask her parents for help with the rent, so it was disorienting to fathom that Cara could just drop so much money like that. It never really processed in Chanel's mind before, but it really settled in today. That being said, she didn't regret coming and she did feel extra expensive as she followed behind Cara."So can you tell me now? You know I can't wait too long. It makes me nervous and then I have to go to the bathroom and I literally cannot pee for another hour or so unless I want to mess up this manicure."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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Cara was glad that Chanel followed her. She didn't want her to have to be alone with the girls, and she didn't want there to be a possibility that she would have to come back up to the spa area to retrieve her after she got dressed. It wasn't like Cara disliked the girls or was sincerely angry at them, but when she was over something, she was over it. And she was definitely over this spa day. Chanel being there had been interesting and Cara appreciated the day because now she knew that she could bring Chanel around the girls without their being judgement or non-acceptance. While today, Cara had felt like she had to be on her toes to make sure nothing happened, she knew it was probably unneeded and that the stress would diminish if she kept inviting Chanel around. However, she didn't even know if Chanel actually liked them. What's not to like? she wondered immediately, but the second thoughts followed that up with her knowing that there were at least a few unfavorable characteristics about the girls. She mostly didn't want to acknowledge that because she knew that she possessed some of those too. "I actually don't even know what she was talking about," Cara admitted as she led Chanel into the locker room. "If I had to guess, my dad probably just made it up. Growing up, Ryan was always... a disappointment. And I know that sounds mean, but it's not even me talking. Like, he just wasn't the son that our dad wanted. Ryan never wanted to play any sports, like... okay, I was friends with people, and my dad was friends with their dad, and then Ryan was friends with the weirdos. You know what I mean? Like... he was just weird and my dad feels like he has to compensate for that when he's around his friends because obviously we don't want everyone knowing that Ryan is so weird." Really, that was what Cara believed. The possibility of him bringing a girl back to the apartment, especially without Cara knowing, was just nonexistent. He didn't have any female friends, nonetheless blonde ones, or ones that her father would approve of.

Chanel had been ready, and even a little bit anxious, for possible gossip. It wasn't that she didn't get any from the other girls earlier, but it didn't apply to her, and she was still a bit cautious about not messing up to where she couldn't really enjoy the environment that she flourished in under normal circumstances. She was sure that Cara would have a lot to say, and it had to be good if they were going somewhere private for it. Chanel was instantly more comfortable when they stepped into the locker room, something she actually wasn't very comfortable with itself. She wasn't used to that tension arising from social interaction. That usually only happened under opposite circumstances--when she wasn't around people enough or when she wasn't the center of attention as much as she 'needed' to be. As she gathered her clothes, she was expecting the remainder of that tension to flow our of her as Cara spoke, but instead it actually intensified. Chanel didn't know Ryan well, especially not as well as she knew Cara, whom Chanel was still finding more stuff out about everyday. So it wasn't even out of basic respect for Ryan that caused her to remain quiet through the duration of Cara's speech. What kept her silent was the trigger of her words. In that moment, Cara reminded Chanel too much of herself, too much of her own situation. The very situation she was trying to ignore. The very situation that was the reason she was not only in this city, but in this room. She pushed the thoughts of her brother out of her mind, trying to separate the two scenarios, but it proved futile, as no words came out when she opened her mouth. She swallowed and shrugged some, shaking her head slightly. "Yeah," she said while she fiddled awkwardly. "I don't know."

Cara could sense Chanel's awkwardness in her response, but she had no idea what the true origin of it was. Instead, she just thought that Chanel was sympathizing for her and the position it put her in, trying to cover up for her dad's lie and having a weird brother to her friends. Plus, she knew that Chanel, while incredibly dramatic, also had a good heart. She probably felt weird trashing Ryan, especially when the two had socialized more than they ever probably had, the day before, preparing the Thanksgiving food. "Yeah, it's whatever I guess. You probably know what I mean, having brothers and all," Cara sighed as she unlocked her locker. There were private changing stalls on the other side of the locker room but since it sounded like it was just she and Chanel in there, she didn't bother with them, and shed her robe there before putting her clothes back on. "Like, I wish my dad didn't put me into weird positions like that because obviously they want the details on this made up girl, but I see where he's coming from. I don't know, hopefully Ryan gets his act together soon. Or just comes out as gay because you were actually so right. I think that's like, trendy, or something nowadays." Once she was fully clothed, she sat down on one of the stools and with a bit of a struggle, got her shoes on. "I feel like that spa day was totally refreshing and well needed though, don't you think?" She glanced at her phone briefly, reading the message that Chanel had sent, and inwardly approving of it. "Makayla never answered, but that's fine. I don't even care, but next time you talk to her, if it comes up, make her feel like she was soooooo out of line, okay?"

Still without word, Chanel got ready to leave. She felt another sense of relief--she had lost count how many times such had happened today--when Cara redirected the subject elsewhere. She couldn't ever admit just how right Cara was, though, when she pointed out that Chanel likely knew what Cara was talking about since they both had brothers. There were many things that Chanel had to be cognizant about, and that which she didn't pay mind to was by choice and not without consequence. Cara was fortunate to not have to worry about money, for instance. She could be oblivious to actually need. And while it was something that Chanel tried to partake in, she couldn't be oblivious to everything. There were time where it made her jealous of Cara, but she didn't expect it to show itself in this circumstance. Cara had no way of knowing why Chanel had gotten so quiet, and she didn't seem to dwell on it much, which Chanel was grateful for. But part of her wish that Cara knew, not for Chanel's own benefit where actually talking about her problems could prove great therapy. It was really for selfish reasons. She wanted to see not be able to ignore something without even realizing it. Of course, there was an easy fix: just telling her. But that made too much sense. That was too front forward. So instead she would just misdirect her own insecurities into silent frustrations over differences in life circumstance that were blossoming in the face of her greatest problem. "Yeah, don't worry. I totally will. But it probably shouldn't even be, like, hard or whatever. She already seemed pretty sorry. But I'll make sure there's no shadow of a doubt that she feels bad." Chanel fluffed out her hair, coming through any small tangles as gently as she could so as not to mess up her manicure. As she checked them to make sure they were okay, she looked back at Cara. "Ready, chica? I feel so refreshed. I'm like brand new."

"Definitely. Let's go," Cara nodded, smiling some as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and followed Chanel out of the locker room. They made a quick stop at the front desk where Cara covered their tab for the day, and then headed out. Cara slipped her sunglasses on before they stepped foot outside, not wanting any squinting or abrupt facial movements to ruin the soft, smooth way her skin was feeling from that facial. "Ugh, I forgot to call for a car. Should we just take a cab?"

"Yeah. Cab's fine. I think I have hand sanitizer in my purse, so I'll give you some when we get in. I'm not trying to touch the seats, and then my face, and then break out. I would literally give you permission to kill me." After flagging down a cab, they made the ride back to the apartment. For it to feel like so much had happened, it was still early on in the afternoon. On most occasions it seemed as thought time eluded her, but now that she was actually fatigued from the day's events, she wanted the day to be over sooner and so subsequently it was moving slower. Granted, there were many things she could do with the rest of her day. She could go tot he gym, she could look for some holiday openings at retail stores, or just look for jobs in general. She could see if she found any online listings that could keep her occupied and paid her well enough. But she didn't want to do any of that. So she just scrolled aimlessly on her phone, not saying much on the ride. She'd gotten a few texts from other friends about possibly wanting to smoke. She hadn't said anything yet, and even found the invitations odd before she remembered that now would probably be the best time. The day after Thanksgiving, it was hard for the munchies to go unanswered. Chanel didn't figure that to be a better use of her time, and she wasn't going to join them, but even she wanted to, she couldn't because she didn't have any bud. It had been a while since she'd smoked, and while she really just wanted to retire for the day, she wouldn't mind blazing in private. She knew a few people, but Nick was her go to plug, so she decided to text him to see if he had anything.

To: Nick
Hey! Are you taking orders? You know. For that 'grass' ;)

Texting him made her remember that she'd never gotten caught up with Cara about him. She knew that Cara was excited about Nick coming to the dinner last night, and since that went terribly, she wasn't sure how everything else was affected. Chanel couldn't recall Cara and Nick talking much at all yesterday, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, especially since she'd been relatively quiet the majority of the ride. As they mounted the steps, Chanel turned to her. "So did you and Nick even talk at all last night? Wasn't the whole point of the dinner like a cover up for you to actually seduce him with sexual favors and turkey?"

The car ride was fairly quiet, but at least in Cara's opinion, it wasn't in an uncomfortable sort of way. Spa days always left Cara feeling relaxed, but tired. She didn't feel exhausted or weighed down with that tiredness, but she always just left feeling like she wanted to go home, drink some tea, and rest for the rest of the day. Although she had leftovers that she wanted Chanel to bring back to her apartment, judging by Chanel's unusual quietness, she guessed that the girl was in a similar state as her, and would probably want to just go back to her own apartment immediately. That was fine with Cara, since she knew she could easily send Ryan across the hall later in the day with the leftovers. It was a Friday, which usually meant that Makayla would work at night, so Cara knew that there was a possibility that she would be in Chanel's apartment later on, anyway. Even though she was feeling passive aggressive towards Makayla, it wasn't to an extent where she was going to retract her offer to look after Holly when it was needed and she wasn't busy. Not only did she know that that would really increase Makayla's struggle, but she also didn't mind looking after Holly. It was tiring sometimes but Cara liked feeling like she had a purpose, and taking care of Holly for a few hours at a time made her feel useful without feeling too stressed out.

On the way inside, Chanel brought up Nick, which made Cara smile, even if it sort of was a guilty one. "You're literally too much," she said first, finding it impossible to suppress her giggles at the way Chanel had worded that. "But no, I didn't even say like, one word to him. Between Makayla and then Roman stealing him to go get the lemonade, I don't even know what happened. I don't think he even came back after he left with Roman. Like, just my luck that Roman came back and Nick didn't."

"The world is out to get you, I swear." Chanel continued up the stairs with her, grabbing Cara's arm in the next second as another thought came to my mind. "Oh. My. God. I did not tell you what happened yesterday with me and him. So, like, I was at your door with all the food. But my hands were crazy full and I couldn't knock. So I was literally knocking with my forehead and then Roman seriously saw-- Is that Nick?" Chanel said when they got closer to the figure on the stairwell. Her attention redirected too quickly, and her mouth moved even quicker, before she was able to completely take in the scene before her. Had she taken a few more seconds, she probably wouldn't have been as chipper as she was now. "Hey, Nick. Did you get my text mes...Wow. That's a lot of juice for just one person," she said once she finally took in his presence on the steps and the bottle of alcohol in his hand. Chanel had a tendency to talk without thinking, and essentially pointing out how pathetic someone looked didn't make the matter any better, but she didn't she any harm with her words as she looked at him.

Even Cara would have imagined that had she had the chance to talk to Nick outside of the apartment, where she didn't have to worry about Brooklyn hearing, she would have seized it. However, the second that Chanel paused in her story about Roman and asked if the figure on the stairs was Nick, Cara felt her heart skip a beat. She had wanted to talk to him... but she didn't want to now. Her nerves were suddenly getting the best of her, and it wasn't even because she had promised him not to tell anyone about them and she knew she had done wrong by telling Chanel about it... and Makayla... but mostly Chanel, now. She didn't know what else it was, but it made her want to run up to her apartment at lightning speed and not talk to him. The fact that he had a bottle of alcohol in his hand might have played a role in her suddenly being turned off. She was attracted to the bad boy side of him that she saw, but there was a fine line between being someone who seemed dangerous enough to give her an adrenaline rush, and someone who just looked... hopeless. That was what he looked like. He expression seemed blank, his posture poor, and something about his body language made him look somber. It gave her bad vibes, so much so that Cara didn't even slow down as she walked towards the stairs, not even when Chanel had said something about a text message. "I have to go... do something. I'll text you later, Nelle!" Cara said in a borderline frantic manner as she hurried up the stairs. It hadn't seemed like Chanel was settling at the bottom of the steps to have a conversation with Nick, but Cara didn't even want to wait for a one word exchange. She wanted out of there, and fast.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester
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The universe seemed to be against Nick today, because minutes after Brooklyn left him on the stairs, Makayla and Holly came through, and then Cara and Chanel. The first two weren't very bothersome, with Nick offering them a polite nod and setting the bottle down so as not to give Holly anything to talk about later on, but Nick was disappointed that Makayla wasn't interested in smoking. He didn't feel like he needed to smoke with her, per se, but he didn't feel comfortable talking to her in depth when they weren't smoking. It would feel awkward and uncomfortable, even with the alcohol in him, and so, he knew he would have to wait to ask Makayla if she thought that Chanel might have suddenly befriended Brooklyn until some other time. Makayla declining a free smoke session was unusual to begin with, so Nick doubted that she would actually fulfill her desire to go days without smoking. He'd hit her up again later on that day, thinking that by then, she would have tossed sobriety to the wind. The second pair that came into the stairwell was what really reminded him of his bad luck. He had dealt with Brooklyn, and now, the last person he wanted to deal with was Cara. Again, he knew that he only had himself to blame for this mess, but he was in too deep with this love triangle and he didn't know what to do or how to handle it. He was beyond relieved when she kept walking, leaving Chanel standing in front of him, but the relief lasted for just a few seconds before he realized that she was going back up to the apartment that Brooklyn was in. He couldn't imagine that Brooklyn would continue to keep Cara out of the loop, and knowing Brooklyn, her bringing Cara into the loop likely meant that he was going to see paramedics running up the stairs in a couple of minutes. What kept him sitting down and reaching for the bottle once again was partially that he knew he was being dramatic, and partially that he knew that him being there when Brooklyn confronted Cara would probably only make things worse.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Nick answered after another slug of the whiskey. It might have looked like a lot for one person, but it sure didn't feel like it. He set the bottle down and processed what Chanel had started to say before Cara left, and glanced at his phone. He was only seeing her text message now, and after putting it back in his pocket, he looked towards her again. "How much do you need?" He didn't sound hostile or angry, not even hesitant or suspicious. He was, since Chanel still seemed like the only possible person who could have told Brooklyn about all of this, but he wasn't going to miss a sale over it until he was sure it had been her. He probably sounded tired and a little out of it too, but he didn't even need to speak for that to be made apparent.

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Chanel only got a start of what she was going to say before Cara hurried up the steps. She had begun to follow her, but was still confused enough by her quick exit that she remained standing as she watched her leave. If she hadn't had any intentions to talk to Nick, she would have gone with Cara, but even if she did decide that Nick could wait, Cara was already gone. Her moment of daftness resolved itself when she turned back to Nick with a strained smile. Duh, she thought to herself. She couldn't say she really knew too much about the relationship--or lack thereof--between Nick and Cara, but now that the circumstance of the scenario was setting in, she had half the nerve to leave to. Part of it was because she didn't peg Cara to be the one to get flustered and scurry. Chanel knew that earlier Cara hadn't said that she was completely doting over him, and even to her it seemed like Cara was just caught up in surface infatuation. Which, at least for Nick's case, was not a hard thing for one to find themselves in. But seeing Cara leave so suddenly made Chanel question, just for a second, whether Cara actually did have feelings for him--feelings deeper than she was ready to commit to. Or, and much more likely, Chanel's hopeless romantic side was revealing itself.

She couldn't let herself get too carried away in the idea, though, but only because she had already started talking to Nick. She'd nag Cara about leaving Chanel in 'such an awkward situation,' even though Chanel wasn't feeling too weird. Inevitably, there was an air of tension about her that came from knowing something she had to pretend not to know. She wasn't too worried though. If there was one thing she was good at, it was bullshitting. Her previous excursion had her drained, but around familiar people and in familiar territory, she felt a bit rekindled, and for Nick, she probably seemed like the same old Chanel. Not the one who'd grown oddly quiet over the course of the afternoon.

After having begun to follow Cara, she backtracked down a few steps until she was on the platform and in front of Nick. She pondered for a second before shrugging. She considered splurging a bit, but ultimately decided against it. She didn't even need it that badly despite her stash being good as empty. "I dunno," she began. Chanel was close to thinking for even longer just so she could continue to look at Nick. Even if he did look pretty sad sitting here alone with a bottle of whiskey, he still looked damned good. The thought process really only showed how incapable Chanel could be at sympathizing with other people, but to her, it wasn't her fault he was handsome. "Maybe like a gram or something? Yeah," she added to herself more than anything. Chanel bounced on her feet some and readjusted her pursing, shuffling through it as though she were looking for something. She probably should have stuck to minding her own business, but she told herself that it would be rude not to inquire. And if she was on the road to being a better person, then she should definitely get into the habit of being concerned of others' well-being, even if it was more so to suit her own needs. "You okay? You seem kind of...well..." Instead of finishing, she gestured her hand to him, waving it up and down as though she were displaying something to someone. "This."

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Nick felt hollow. The anger and rage was slowly seeping out of him, but it didn't leave him feeling sad or hopeless in that moment. He just felt nothing. Like he was empty or didn't exist. Had Chanel not still been there, talking to him, the mood would have only been solidified because he could have really felt like nothing more than a ghost. Part of him wanted that right now. To not exist. To say he was feeling suicidal would be a stretch because he wasn't looking to kill himself, but he definitely didn't want to be alive when this was his reality. His entire world had just come crashing down on him, and no matter what that voice of rage in his head told him, the only person that he had to blame for all of this was himself. If he wanted to kill any part of himself, it was definitely whoever it had been that had possessed him on that night that he had slept with Cara, because it definitely wasn't who he was now. Cara was an incredibly attractive girl in more ways than one, he wasn't going to deny that, and yeah, had Brooklyn never been in the picture, he might have considered tapping that, but Brooklyn was in the picture. She was in the picture before that night, on that night and after that night, and no matter how hard he tried to tell himself that they had been on a break and he wasn't technically dating Brooke that night, he knew it was a bad excuse. How many other times had they gotten into a screaming match, "broken up", and then ended up in bed together hours later? This fight had barely been any different, and yet Nick reacted in such an impulsive and moronic way, that there was no way to excuse his act of infidelity.

He should have expected Chanel's followup question when he didn't respond immediately to her request for a gram. He made eye contact with her for the first time since she and Cara had came into the building as he responded, shaking his head slightly. "I know that Cara already told you about her and I, but I guess one of you told Brooke, and now she knows and my relationship is over." Though he still was in a self-pitying mood, at least a bit, his voice didn't hint at him trying to blame her for telling Brooklyn because he didn't even know if he should believe that now. He sounded empty, maybe defeated, if anything. He didn't have it in him to try to even lighten things up by saying that Brooklyn was probably up there murdering Cara now, because there was a chance that that wouldn't even be a joke. It was one of the reasons why he genuinely wanted to stay on these steps for the rest of the night, and maybe even pass out there after finishing his whiskey. "I guess I should have seen it coming. It was my fault for doing it in the first place, and I guess I had more to lose than Cara anyway, so I can't blame her for telling you guys. I just... I don't know." He didn't feel comfortable really opening up to anyone, and he still wasn't sharing his most inner feelings right now, but it still felt strange to be telling this to someone who was really just an acquaintance. At this point, he was convinced that she already knew all of this anyway, even if she didn't play the direct role in it that he somewhat believed she had, so he didn't think that he had much to lose. While he did not want to deal with whatever he had convinced himself was unfolding upstairs, he didn't think he had any other option. He was going to have to deal with it at some point, and now, when he had money on line, seemed like as good of a time as ever. "I can grab that for you now, if you want. Just a gram, you said?"

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Chanel could feel her heart skip a beat when Nick mentioned being aware of Cara saying something to her. For a second this took her off guard. How the hell did he know? Cara couldn't have said anything. She literally told her about it less than twenty-four hours ago, and had barely spoken to Nick between then and now--at least as far as her knowledge went. Nick proceeded to talk in an almost lifeless state which was actually more alarming than she would have expected it to be. He wasn't very rambunctious and emotionally charged as she was. In fact, she would say him and Roman favored each other and it kind of made sense as to why they were friends. Chanel thought Roman was a total scrub, and that Nick was a gorgeous gift from heaven, but it was that bias that probably clouded the intersection the two of them had. Had this been Roman on the steps, she wouldn't have cared, and she knew that for a fact. But for some reason, she wasn't as affected by Nick's sight either. Not on the surface, at least. She didn't say anything until she began to follow up the stairs behind him. "Yeah, a gram," she said before her mind went back to her initial thought.

When they got to the top floor, Chanel grabbed Nick's arm, pulling him some to stop him and face her. "Hey," she said calmly. Chanel knew freaking out would be a dead give away that Nick was right. But she still couldn't work out what he knew and how, so she figured playing around that would be the safest bet. Just as he had no reason to believe her, she had no reason to believe him. "Look... I'm sorry about whatever's going on between you and...whoever. But Cara didn't tell me shit. You've known her longer than me, so you should know better than I do that she wouldn't go blabbing off to some girl she just gets manicures with. We're not close like that. I only found out a few seconds ago--when you said something." Lies. Nothing but lies, but it didn't feel weird telling them. If anything, she liked it because it was one of her strong suits. She could feign innocence without batting an eye. It was much too easy to fall into this state again, and normally she tried to keep herself from doing so, but being around Cara's friends had in a way recharged that part of her that she had kept compressed. And if today was a day of indulgences, then she figured why not this too? "Cara has never said anything to me, so I don't think she would have said anything to Brooke either. Honestly, I don't know who did."

Makayla, she thought. But she wasn't going to throw Makayla under the bus. That was too close to home, literally. Chanel still had her reputation at stake, and she still did like Makayla. Maybe she'd save that blackmail for another time, but here, it wasn't necessary or appropriate in her mind. She shrugged as she glanced away and rolled her eyes nonchalantly, more so speaking outside. "I mean, I guess I can think of one other person who's close enough to Brooke and out to get Cara, but..." She looked back at him and shrugged again. In her eyes, she thought she was being clear as to who she was hinting to. And if Nick thought she was talking about Roman, he'd have been right, but if that ever came back to her, she could honest to God say that she'd never pointed a finger. "I don't want to name drop. Especially when I don't have any evidence, which I don't think you do either, right?" She said as she passed him, turning around to walk backwards. She laughed some to take the edge off of her words. "But whatever. Who knows. Your secret's safe with me though." She winked at Nick as she got to the door of her apartment. "Just text me when you've got the stuff, okay? I'll be here."

With that, she entered her apartment, greeted by the smell of a hefty aroma coming from the kitchen. A smile was already in place, but as she looked to see the source of the smell, she smiled wider. "Woah," she said. A quick glance of the room let her know that it was a full house. She didn't mind company, although she couldn't say she was particularly pleased to be seeing any of the people in the room. She didn't want to have to talk to Makayla in private, and she felt there was something awkward between her and Kacey. Not just because of Chanel being drunk last night, but because she was sure that something was happening between her and Colton, who Chanel had definitely flirted with the night before and who was definitely a few feet away on the couch. She didn't show any of that on her face as she went to the fridge and grabbed the water pitcher. "Smells like a restaurant in here." It wasn't above Chanel to ask for some of the lasagna, but she saw the leftovers and favored that over the former. There was just something homey about leftovers at this time, so she began helping herself to that instead. She reminded herself that she should still talk to Makayla, but maybe now wasn't the best time. She still just wanted to smoke and be left alone for a bit. She supposed she could make conversation, so as not to seem odd for not really being chatty, but she was grateful for it appearing that Kacey and Holly and Makayla were talking, so remained quiet and texted Cara.

To: Cara
Your boy just tried coming for me. He was like 'oh har har i know cara told you about us and now brooke knows and she's made at me'

To: Cara

I was like ???????????

To: Cara

But for real. I was like lol except not. I kinda low key implied that it was Roman because that literally doesn't hurt anybody, and i didn't want to tell on Makayla. Especially not after last night, you know?

To: Cara

He's so cute. I like him better when he's not moping with a bottle on the stairs tho

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Though she was curious, oftentimes to an extent where she wanted things just because it would bother her not to get to experience them, she was particular enough about her food that she decided she didn't like the combination of the ingredients that Makayla listed off, she didn't press requesting some of Kacey's food. Her cupcake and the turkey that Makayla was getting out of the microwave would be enough for her. It was plain and simple, and something that, from what she remembered from the busy night before, had been something that she had enjoyed. Thinking back to Thanksgiving, she was reminded of the movie that she had watched with Isaac. Just as much as she wanted to ask Kacey if she had ever seen the movie, she wanted to return to where Colton was sitting and see what he was watching, and if he would be willing to put on something better.... AKA something that she liked. Her period of contemplation was interrupted when Makayla sat her plate and glass of lemonade down on the table and instructed her to eat that, and finish the cupcake later. The vanilla icing was mostly all gone by now, so she wouldn't object to setting it down, since the cake part wasn't as enticing as the sugary frosting.

If Kacey had not followed Makayla over to the table, Holly probably would have allowed her attention to stray like it usually did, and asked Makayla a bunch of questions. Maybe why Ryan had not brought over any leftover rolls, since she liked rolls, why people at turkey on Thanksgiving, or what they were going to eat on the next holiday, which was Christmas. Kacey was still new and fresh, and exciting enough to force Holly's brain to stop from going down that route, and instead, just pay attention to her presence. Her question, despite being more directed towards Makayla, delighted Holly. "Of course you can sit with us! We like people sitting with us. No one ever sits with us, right, Kay? Well, sometimes Chanel does, but not usually. Usually it's just me and Makayla, but now that you're here you can eat with us all of the time. Do you work a lot? Where do you work?" Even though Chanel wasn't always working, and in fact, wasn't even always employed, Holly attributed her not being around to eat at the same time as them every day, to her working, whether it was accurate or not, and it led her to wonder about Kacey's profession. In a perfect world to Holly, her answer would be that she didn't work, which would mean that she would be around all of the time to hang out with them.

She stabbed her fork into one of the pieces of turkey and popped it into her mouth, and though it felt slightly dry without gravy, she was pleased with its taste. The plainer, the better, for her. "Kay, you're going to have turkey with me, right? You don't like lasagna either?" It was then that Chanel came in, and again, had she been sitting at the table with only Makayla, she instantly would have stopped what she was doing to greet Chanel and question her about her day. Kacey was there, though, and so, she remained where she was, although her eyes followed Chanel to the refrigerator, with a nearly desperate look on her face as her instinct fought with her brain over what she wanted to do.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Makayla had not immediately responded to Kacey's insistance that she have some of her food, because she was truly conflicted on what to do. Her stomach was telling her to take the girl up on the offer, but her brain and conscience said no, so she only offered an immediate giggle at her humorous way of saying it, before deciding to address Holly first. "I do like lasagna," she responded, a reassuring nod of her head as she looked at the plate in front of Holly. Most of the turkey that Ryan had left them was on the plate, and she didn't think that it was enough for her to separate it onto two plates, one for her and one for Holly. She planned on saving the rest that was left for Holly's dinner, coupled with whatever else Ryan had left them. He had clearly left more than just turkey, and enough for the two of them to have a mini feast in itself, if they wanted to eat all of it right now, but Makayla knew that would just be dumb. Their food stamp card would not be reloaded until December 3rd, so things would be tight until then, and she wanted to make this food last. If that meant picking at whatever Holly left on her plate, so be it. She would be that stingy, and refuse to make herself a plate of the leftovers until dinner, if it meant that much less stress if the leftovers could last longer. "But it's really alright," she continued, then looking towards Kacey. She tried to make sure that she sounded appreciative, because she was appreciative of the offer, and so tempted to take her up on it... but she couldn't. She didn't like handouts to begin with and after already feeling like she had made a fool out of herself the night before, she didn't want to act like she was already too comfortable with Kacey. Not when Holly was clearly already proving that they were not going to be that perfect pair of roommates who stayed out of everyone's way, the kind that you could forget actually lived with you because that was how non-intrusive they were.

"We'll be okay with this," she said as she picked a piece of turkey off of Holly's plate with her hand and put it in her mouth. It was definitely too dry for her taste, but that was okay, she would eat it anyway. She couldn't say that it was better than the lasagna that still had her mouth watering, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she had little time to focus on what she was chewing as Chanel soon emerged. She didn't make a grand entrance or even leave them with as much conversation as she normally would have, but Makayla was at least appreciative of the fact that Holly didn't jump up to greet her as she expected her sister would do. She glanced back at the area near the refrigerator, where Chanel stood, after consuming another piece of turkey and then being hit with a worry that maybe these leftovers weren't for them. Holly had mentioned something about Cara saying that Ryan was going to bring them over, but it was still possible that maybe Cara had actually given these to Chanel, or Ryan had brought them over for Chanel. Makayla did her best to keep Holly from ever indulging in anyone else's things, because while she knew that it was impossible to keep her sister completely chained down, she did her best to keep her from being too intrusive. Usually it was her having to apologize for Holly taking or eating or drinking something that was Chanel's, so she was even more alarmed at the idea that here she was, eating Chanel's food, in front of their new roommate, nonetheless, as if it were no big deal. "Chanel, I hope this turkey wasn't yours. Holly said that Ryan was going to bring some leftovers over for us, but Cara didn't actually text me to say that he had. I just assumed..."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Kacey didn't know if she was just in a particularly short-tempered mood today, or if Holly was just as incredibly bothersome as she was seeming. She felt like it was probably the former reason. Holly had energy and charisma, and they were two characteristics that Kacey normally appreciated in people. She liked people who were passionate and carefree and unapologetically themselves, so she knew it was hypocritical of her to wonder why God had not programmed this girl with a mute button. The reason for her perception of Holly being so sour probably had to do with her mood, but also because she actually did want to be able to hang out with Makayla. Again, she knew it was hypocritical of her, considering what she had thought of the girl less than twenty-four hours before, but she had developed a sort of infatuation after seeing the sudden shift in her. Maybe infatuation wasn't the word yet... but at the very least, she wanted to get to know her.

Kacey had some friends in the city, but they were mostly just acquaintances. Some were people she worked with, and a few were girls who had the same agent as her, and frequented the same auditions. Strangely, Colton was the only person she was "close" with, since moving to the city, and "close" needed to be put in quotation marks because their closeness wasn't one that developed for any real reason aside from living together. Though Kacey was not desperate for friends and never felt incredibly lonely, when she felt like she met someone who could be a potential friend, she usually seized the opportunity. No one wanted to be friendless, and though she was comfortable with herself, she did want friendships that were similar to the ones she had throughout her youth. Although she thought Makayla could be potential candidate for friendship, there was a reason that she was more interested in becoming friends with her, than Chanel, or even Holly. It extended past the reasoning that Chanel wasn't there right now to talk to. It had to, considering that despite being intoxicated, Chanel had seemed incredibly personable the night before, when being compared to Makayla. It was a physical attraction, and even just mentally acknowledging that made Kacey want to roll her eyes at herself, but she couldn't help it. She didn't actually think anything would become of it, but was it wrong to want to be friends with someone who was definitely pretty, and definitely cute, and possibly really sweet too? She didn't think so, but she wished that she had a chance to figure that out without her redheaded sister's shrilly voice making up 99% of the conversation.

She remained quiet while the sisters talked, mostly because at that point, she had a mouthful of food. When Chanel came in, Kacey smiled at her, allowing the expression to widen at the comment about it smelling like a restaurant. She wanted to do more than just roll her eyes at herself as her inner monologue raged on, though. It was beyond childish, but the way that Holly had sought reassurance that Makayla was going to eat her food, rather than Kacey's, bothered her. It was sheer, petty jealousy with absolutely no grounds to validate it with. She had to remind herself that she had known these girls for less than twenty four hours. Why the hell did it matter to her what Makayla ate?! Or if she ate anything at all?! Kacey wanted to attribute her caring to just her being a good person, but she knew that that claim was a laughable one. Again, it was more than just looking at Makayla and seeing any average person, and that's why even as she internally told herself that she had no reason to be pushy, she continued to be. "Oh my God, girl, you're gonna make me make you a plate in order to get you to eat, aren't you?" she said with a dramatic sigh, all while keeping a grin on her face to make sure that the mood remained light and playful. As she set her fork down, she didn't wait for Makayla to insist that she was fine with the meager serving of turkey, and spun around to grab a clean plate and pile some of the lasagna onto it. It looked like Chanel was already putting together some food from the fridge for herself, but she just in case, she glanced at her and said, "It looks like you're covered, but help yourself to this if you're hungry later. Like I was telling them, my body does not need the calories of a full lasagna and it's gonna take will power that I do not have to finish this tray on my own in like, a day," with a chuckle. As she returned to the table, she set the plate down in front of Makayla and returned her playful grin to her face. "Please have some. You'll be doing me and my never-gonna-happen summer-body-in-the-making a favor," she said, before sitting down and taking another bite out of her food. Although she knew at this point, she could have gotten away with ignoring Holly's earlier questions, she decided to be a good person and looked towards her after finishing her bite. "And I work as a waitress. I guess you could say that I work a lot, but it's nothing crazy. Do you go to school?" She was more interested in knowing whether Makayla worked, and if she was around a lot, but it seemed more appropriate to return the question to Holly first.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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With an episode of American Dad playing, and a perfect sandwich in his hand, Colton was content. He tuned out the chatter in the kitchen and was in his happy place for a while as he scarfed down the hero and drank his beer. He had a big appetite and a tendency to eat quickly, so it shouldn't have surprised him that he finished the sandwich within minutes, and that his stomach still felt empty. The amount of disappointment in himself, for not savoring every bite of the chicken parm hero was incredibly dramatic considering how trivial the situation was, but he didn't allow himself to live in pity for very long, since he knew that Kacey's lasagna sat just a few feet away in the kitchen. In a perfect world, he wouldn't have had to leave his spot on the couch at all, but in a perfect world, his roommate also wouldn't have turned out to be as weird as Colton was beginning to think he was. Getting up for a few minutes and getting free lasagna was a return that seemed to benefit him anyway, and so headed into the kitchen. His day got even better when he got in there though, since Hot Chick #2 had suddenly appeared. He had definitely made the right choice today, in forcing Kacey to let him into the apartment so he could eat there. He had to deal with the minor inconvenience of chatting with Holly, but it wasn't a big deal when comparing that one inconvenience to the return he was getting.

Similarly to how Kacey felt uncomfortable "flirting" with Makayla with Colton there, Colton felt the same about Kacey, but only because he knew that she would be that person who would brazenly call him out on it, right in front of the girl he was trying to woo. And yeah, while Colton was cocky, he knew that he wasn't that smooth, or at the very least, he was pretty rusty. He wasn't all that experienced in trying to woo girls and knowing what words to put together to get them spreading their legs. He didn't even know if that was the result he wanted from all of this, but he figured that it was worth a shot. Trying to hit on Chanel was probably going to be a situation that applied to one of those corny, inspirational sayings that were posted in elementary school classrooms: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." He probably wasn't going to end up in bed with a girl who he was truly convinced could be a model, but at least he'd get some practice in flirting, since he would be the first to admit that he was far too lazy to really invest as much time as he wanted to in the whole dating and hookup scene.

He had heard the last bits of what Kacey had said to Chanel, and waited for her to sit back down before he headed towards the counter that Chanel stood by. "Look who it is," he grinned, an attempt at announcing his presence to catch her attention, although he felt stupid for saying it. It wasn't like it should be been a surprise that she was here, in her own apartment... "Thanks for inviting us over last night. That turkey hit the spot. Now that you treated me to a meal, you've gotta have some of this lasagna that I made, though. It's only fair." He maintained a smirking expression, even though he could feel the eye roll that Kacey was giving the back of his head. Maybe it was a lame attempt at getting her to hang out with him, but he really couldn't think of anything casual to say that was better than that.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Nick lived with Cara and Roman, and in a way, you could say that he was close with both of them, so it didn't take long for him to realize what Chanel was implying. It took just as long for him to shoot the idea of what she was saying to be valid, though. Maybe she didn't know, and maybe he had just unnecessarily made himself out to be a jerk to someone else, but he didn't think that Roman had been the one to tell Brooklyn. For one, there was no way that Roman could have found out about it. The night that he had slept with Cara, Nick had adamantly made sure that no one else was in the apartment. Even if Roman had somehow come into the apartment while he was in Cara's room, there was no way that he would have connected the noise coming from behind the door with him. More so, though, Nick trusted Roman. He was like a brother to him at this point. If Roman had suspicions of anything, Nick thought that he would have come to him first. He had to know that Nick was the more level headed of he and Brooke, and going straight to her with suspicions of that would definitely result in a war, even if those suspicions were not confirmed. Like Chanel had said, Cara and Roman hated each other too, so while it did make sense that Roman might try to use this against Cara, it also made sense that in no world would Cara ever spill something like this to him. Never. He refused to believe the claim for another minute, but supposed that it was possible that Chanel really didn't know anything about it. Although he was pretty caught up in his own thoughts at the moment, nothing about her body language or tone seemed to suggest that she was lying. "Yeah, will do," was all that he said. He was more confused now than he had been five minutes ago, but he knew that pressing Chanel on the issue wouldn't do any good, especially now that he was more uncertain on if she actually was the source or knew anything more.

As she shut her apartment door behind her, he turned towards the door across the hall, but stopped midway as he tried to fish his key out of his pocket. Did he really want to go in there? He knew that he wanted to get the drugs for Chanel, so he could make some money, and he knew that he needed to face the two blondes behind the door at some point, but now? He had a thing for putting off his problems, which was evident in more ways than one with the dilemma that he was currently facing. Although he couldn't hear anything going on from where he stood by the door, that didn't necessarily signal relief in him. For all he knew, Brooklyn had killed Cara the minute she walked in and was now silently trying to clean up the place to hide the evidence. If for no other reason, he decided to call Roman to give himself a few more minutes to collect himself before going inside. He paced down the hall a little bit, just far enough where if someone walked by, he wasn't standing directly outside of his own door. It took a moment for Roman to answer, but he eventually did.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man. Are you home?"

"Hey, mate. What? Am I home? Nope. Where are you?"

"Oh, never mind then. I'm on my way home. Look, I'll talk to you later." He hung up almost as soon as the words had escaped his mouth. It might have seemed abrupt and a strange and unnecessary phone call in general, but Nick had quickly realized that talking to Roman wasn't going to bring him any comfort either. He didn't know that Roman knew about all of this, of course, but even the idea of telling it to him himself made him feel uneasy. Because he knew he was wrong. There was no way to spin it into him being justified, and because Roman was just as close with Brooke as he was with him, he knew that the conversation would be a very awkward one. Maybe just as bad as facing the girls would be. In a moment of courage that felt displaced considering his current state, he returned to 5B's door, unlocked it, and entered. Cara and Brooklyn were standing in the kitchen, and though he had walked into silence, the way that Brooklyn's mouth had opened, and then closed when she noticed him coming in, signaled that it was just a momentary thing, and the girls were in the middle of fighting. Nick was never a wordsmith, but he felt beyond speechless as he walked in. There was nothing to say, and he didn't know who to make eye contact with as he impulsively said "I'm sorry, alright? This is my fault. Don't fight," with his hands raised halfway in surrender.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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Having paused in the middle of making her plate so that she could text Cara, she looked up from her phone when Makayla addressed. Immediately, her facial expression changed into that of shock and apology. "Oh, shit. No, it's not mine. I should have asked." She knew she had a bad habit of just assuming possession and ownership over everything without questioning it once, and she felt that this looked poorly on her, and probably more than it actually did. She told herself she shouldn't have just walked in and started picking, although it did make some sense considering she did play a large part in the preparation of everything. Cara had apparently listened to her advice about not throwing the food out, and while she was sure Cara didn't care one way or another over who ate it, Chanel didn't want to be a pig and take all of it. Chanel supposed she was being sensitive with this just because this was the first time she'd really had any prolonged contact with Makayla since the previous night. The girl seemed completely normal now, but Chanel knew she wouldn't feel better, or at least feel the weight of responsibility rise from her shoulders, until she talked to Makayla. "Eat as much as you want of this, Makayla. Seriously," she said as she closed the containers. Kacey had appeared at that time, and Chanel returned with a warm smile. Since she hadn't finished making her plate, there wasn't too much on there. Just some macaroni and turkey. Kacey's offer was tempting, but Chanel's imaginary awkwardness ruled over her desire, and she decided that what she had would settle for now.

Almost instinctively, she became glued to her phone after putting her plate in the microwave, but she only had the chance to open Instagram before Colton was beside. "Hey." She smiled, feeling a tightness that likely didn't show itself, since the awkwardness here, too, was only in her head. She cocked her head in surprise and pointed towards the lasagna. "Did you seriously make this? I wish I'd met you before yesterday. I could have needed the extra pair of hands." She laughed, this too feeling foreign on her. She made it a point to inch towards the microwave since she didn't want to stand too close to him. "Isaac's a really good cook too actually," she said as she pulled the plate from the microwave. She moved towards the lasagna then, deciding that even if he might not have been up for grabs, she still wasn't going to say no to that face. As she put the lasagna on her plate, she glanced over at him with a small smile. "Kacey really lucked out with you," she began. Although she felt uncomfortable because of what she presumed to be a relationship between him and Kacey, bringing it up seemed to alleviate that tension. Perhaps by announcing she acknowledged it, it would show that she definitely wasn't flirting with him the previous night, even if that wasn't true. "You two are super cute together."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Nick Moreno Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Ryan Forrester
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Cara was lucky that the apartment door opened after that last comment came out of her mouth. Brooklyn could feel her face growing hot, and she so badly wanted to abandon any humane instincts and just lunge at the girl for it. She didn't care about trying to seem controlled and unperturbed by the words that Cara was saying, because they did sting. Not because they were incredibly icy or well played, but because a part of Brooklyn felt like what she said was true. Cara wasn't some five dollar whore on the corner. She was a very pretty girl who came from money, and was set for life in a way that Brooklyn would never be. A girl like Cara didn't need to weigh Nick down with responsibilities because she didn't need him to get a real job to provide for her. She could provide for herself, and probably five more generations of herselfs if she really needed to. She had things that Brooklyn didn't have, and that alone had always made Brooklyn a little bit uneasy. Finding out that she had stolen the one thing that Brooklyn had, that she didn't have, just validated every self doubt that Brooklyn had had about herself. It made her feel insufficient and useless, and she hated it. The stronger and harder side of Brooklyn knew that it was wrong to use "stolen" for what Cara did, because Nick was not a victim in all of this. He couldn't be stolen unless he wanted to stray too, and as she had reminded herself before, it was Nick who owed her his loyalty, not Cara. If it hadn't been Cara who he cheated with, it would have been someone else, and Brooklyn was positive about that. It didn't make her hate Cara any less, and it took a lot of strength not to ignore the sound of someone coming in in favor of tearing the girl's hair out, but she managed. It wasn't like seeing Nick helped to suppress her rage, but it at least gave her a chance to redirect it towards him. "Of course it's your fault. Does that even need to be said? And we're not fighting. Not anymore, at least. I'm not wasting my time on either of you anymore."

"Good, because you're going to need as much time as you can to start packing. You can both show yourself out by the end of the day, and take your little buddy with you. Ryan and I don't need to be living with garbage."

"That's funny, because that's not what your brother said last night." She didn't care that Nick was standing right there. She didn't outright repeat that she had slept with him, but only because she was just refusing to acknowledge Nick in the moment. She wasn't going to hide that she had slept with Ryan, because she had done it as an act of vengance towards Nick too. He just wasn't relevant enough in the moment for her to want to rub it in. For now, she just needed to take care of Cara, because like Ryan had said, they weren't going to be forced out just because Cara was a bitch. Maybe Nick would be, but not her and Roman. She still despised Cara, but she did want to laugh at how easy she was making this. Establishing that she wanted both of them out meant that her night with Nick meant little to her. Nick had lost a loyal girlfriend and a house, all for a one night fling. For nothing. It shouldn't have made her happy, but it did, because at least now she knew it wasn't worth it. "I'll move into his room. Nick and Roman can find their own place." She wouldn't actually let Cara kick Roman out either, but she needed to establish that she was very willing to settle down in Cara's brother's room if that's the level of pettiness she wanted to play at.

Call it oblivious, but despite what Brooklyn was saying, Nick didn't even fathom that there was a possibility that Brooklyn had slept with Ryan. She wasn't being direct enough, and in his mind, Ryan was too young and innocent to be getting girls, nonetheless girls like Brooklyn. Maybe they had talked the night before, and maybe the kid was nice enough to think letting Brooklyn sleep in Roman's bed would fix their problems, but that was as far as Nick was thinking into it. Granted, he was in panic mode, so that probably accounted for the lack of thoroughness in his thoughts. "Come on, this isn't that deep, guys. Can we just work it out? No one has to move out over this. You can have that room, Brooke. I'll sleep on the couch. I'll sleep in the fucking bathroom. I know I'm the only one to blame here. You two don't need to go up against each other and get crazy because of this. If anything, I'll move out, but can you just consider letting it all go?"

"Those drugs are definitely catching up to you. You literally have zero brain cells." Cara felt like she was the least heated out of the three, and probably for good reason. This all mattered to her in only a superficial way of wanting to have it all. She wasn't the one losing a long time relationship, or being potentially kicked out. She was confident that she could fuck him again if she really wanted to, so she didn't mind Nick brushing off their night as being a mistake, and she knew that Ryan's word meant nothing over hers, so she only rolled her eyes at Brooklyn's claims about living with him. "The three of you have until nine tonight to get your stuff out, or you'll find it on the curb." She wasn't going to humor Nick's irrational suggestions that they all just forget about this. She had had her fun, and now that it came back to bite her, she was over it. She wasn't going to take responsibility for it because like most things in her life, she didn't have to. She flashed them both an obviously-forced smile, and returned to her bedroom without another word. She only then saw Chanel's text, and it didn't surprise her.

To: Chanel
Makayla must have told her bc I know you didn't. No one else knew. Oh well. I had to kick them out. Life goes on but Makayla's dead to me.

To: Ryan
you're absolutely dead for sleeping with her, ryan. good luck getting rid of all of the stds she gave you. and i'm telling dad you slept with a stripper btw

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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Her claim that Isaac was a good cook too was just one more idea to reassure Colton that his instincts were right about something being weird about his roommate. What dude in their twenties was a good cook? It was stereotypical, but it just seemed weird to Colton. It was probably more that it was known that he was a good cook, than it was him actually being a good cook. It was one thing to make sandwiches for yourself, but to make sandwiches for other people just seemed weird. Add that into the hobby list of drawing on the floor during the day, and Colton was sure he was rooming with a freak. Knowing that Hot Chick #2 lived here now, and that his own roommate wasn't as cool as he had originally surmised, made Colton want to punch himself for declining Kacey's insistence that they switch apartments. She could have had herself a cooking buddy, and he could have had himself a roommate with benefits. His sudden amount of interest in Chanel was laughable even to him, and he knew that even though he was being uncharacteristically friendly right now, it was probably something that would pass. He didn't have the energy or motivation to chase girls like he wanted to, and he supposed it was just all of the carbs from his sandwich, and the convenience of Chanel living right here that made him act this way. That, and the fact that she really was hot. Really hot. Her friend, the blonde one, had been hot too, and she had only gotten the title of being "number one" because he had met her first. If he wanted to be shallow enough to rank them, she would definitely fall into second place behind Chanel.

Before he could explain that he was joking, because he definitely didn't want to be placed into whatever category Isaac was in at this point, Kacey jumped in. "The only thing he made in that is that empty space in the pan, girl."

"She's right, I lied," he agreed, a guilty, though hopefully charming, smile appearing on his face. "I just needed a reason to get you to hang out with me, and I guess it worked," he continued, nodding towards her plate. At the comment about him and Kacey being "super cute", he answered before Kacey could, because he knew her rejection of the claim was going to be just as adamant as his. "I hope you mean 'lucked out with you' as a roommate thing, and 'super cute', as in 'super surprising she hasn't killed me yet'," he said. "If she was into guys, I wouldn't have been able to live with her because she would have been all over --"

"If I was into guys I still wouldn't have wanted anything to do with you," Kacey interjected, her eyes rolling farther back now, as Colton looked back at her with a smirk. "I'm sorry in advance to both of you that I know him," she said, shaking her head in dismay that was only barely playful as she put more food in her mouth to keep herself from telling Colton to fuck off.

"But really, she's just a friend. Not even really. Just a girl who cooks me lasagna because she's in denial about wanting me," he said, deciding to direct his attention back to Chanel now. There was only one empty chair at the kitchen table, and though he would be a gentleman and offer it to Chanel (especially since this was her house...), he wanted to eat with her. He wanted to get to know her and figure out what she was all about, and maybe if she really was a model too. "Are we allowed to eat on your couch, or are you one of those people who doesn't like food leaving the kitchen?" He had eaten his sandwich there minutes before, but it felt polite to ask now that Kacey wasn't the only resident of the apartment home.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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Kacey had gotten up from the table for a moment, but returned a few seconds later with a plate of food for Makayla, and insisted that she eat it. It was still impossible to deny that the lasagna smelled amazing but it didn't look like something that Holly would want more than a half of a bite of. Obviously, that had no relation with Makayla's tastes but Holly thought it did, or at least, that it should. She and Makayla almost always ate the same food, but Holly was too ignorant to really grasp or notice that that was mostly because Makayla just bought foods that fit Holly's tastes, rather than splurging on things that she wanted. She just assumed that her tastes in food were universally the right ones. She would have questioned Makayla on whether she was really going to eat it or not right away, but soon after sitting down, Kacey addressed her earlier question, and deserved her attention first. "Not today. I don't have to go to school again until Monday and then in a month I have off from school for like two whole weeks because it's going to be Christmas. Me and Cara talk to waitresses all of the time. Want us to come visit you when you're at work again? Do you work at a restaurant that has mac and cheese and french fries?" She took a small sip of her lemonade before looking towards Makayla. "Why are you gonna have that if we have turkey? I thought you didn't like wasting food."

Makayla was glad that the misunderstanding about the leftovers hadn't been too embarrassing, because it didn't seem like Chanel was claiming them as being hers either. It was a relief, because after whatever had went down the night before, the last thing that Makayla needed was one more reason to feel like a horrible roommate. "We're not gonna waste any food. You're gonna eat the turkey, and I'm gonna eat this." She was surprised at how insistent Holly was being about this, considering how flighty the girl's attention usually was, but it wasn't all that uncommon for her to sometimes obsess over random things that were trivial and unimportant. Things that mattered seemed to escape her mind within seconds, but something as unimportant as what Makayla ate, would almost seem to make her anxious. It was something that didn't really alarm Makayla, although in this case, she wished that her sister would just relax about it, instead of making things uncomfortable with Kacey sitting right there. Holly's quirkiness was something that Makayla tried to see in an endearing light, but she knew that it was hard for everyone to be as understanding of it as she was. She only had a chance for her to actually thank Kacey for it when there was a break in her quarrel with Colton, and she reached across the table to squeeze her hand to catch her attention, and also show that she was really grateful. "Thanks. I appreciate it." She knew that Kacey had no way of knowing about how life and situation after knowing her for less than a day, but she could tell that Kacey was trying to be helpful, and she appreciated it because it didn't feel like it was in a pitiful way.

There was little time for a response to be made to Holly's questions for Kacey, because Colton had walked over to Chanel soon after, so even if Kacey did want to answer, Holly wouldn't have been listening. She was now even more tempted to get up because not only did she have Chanel to greet, but Colton to re-greet. Something kept her in her chair though, as she nibbled on her turkey and watched the pair at the counter intently. She followed the premise of what Colton was saying to Chanel, but didn't catch on to the fact that he was pretty clearly trying to flirt with her. "Can I eat on the couch with them? I want to watch a show," she said immediately following Colton's question that had only been meant for Chanel. After getting that out, she processed what had been said a few seconds before. "Why do you not like boys?" she followed up with, her head turning so she was looking at Kacey now. "When me and Makayla get a dog it's going to be a boy dog. A boy dog who's a Golden Retriever and his name is going to be Charlie."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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A smile appeared across Chanel's face as she glanced back and forth between Colton and Kacey. Although she knew Colton couldn't have been lying when he said that Kacey wasn't into guys, she instinctively looked over to the girl as if to confirm this. For one reason or another, she felt a relief knowing that. After taking a second longer to really evaluate where that feeling came from, she looked at Kacey a second longer while the girl moved back over to Holly and Makayla at the table. It was likely her inner high school mean girl coming out. The possessive, competitive side of her that still refused to disintegrate no matter how hard she tried to wish it away. Kacey was definitely a pretty girl--gorgeous even. Knowing that she wouldn't be a problem was more than welcomed, but then she questioned why she cared anyways. It wasn't like she was going to date Colton or anything. Chanel settled with telling herself that it meant that whatever awkward feelings she had felt were completely in her head. And that in turned meant she could play around with Colton. Unlike Makayla, for example, Chanel's personality wasn't very reserved, especially when she saw someone of possible interest. When she first saw Cara--and this could have been from the sheer vibe that the girl gave off--Chanel knew that she wanted to befriend her. She didn't think it even possible for any sort of relationship to produce from talking with Colton, but a nice face was a nice face. Perhaps in the same way that Cara had been intrigued by Nick, Chanel was intrigued by Colton, and so when she looked back at him, her smile was wider and more genuine than it was more a few seconds prior.

"No, go ahead," she said as she turned to getting a plate for him. "You can eat on the couch, I don't care. But," she paused as she pulled the plate from his grasp at the last second. "You are going to have to make up for lying to me though." After finally handing him the plate, she felt her phone vibrate and looked to see that it was from Cara. Before reading the message, she had been glad, and even a bit eager, that it was her, even though she'd texted the girls hardly any time ago. Chanel, being the kind of person who had to tell every bit of news--good or bad--as soon as possible, was quick to tell Cara about what was happening, but upon reading what Cara's message said, her brow furrowed. God damnit, she thought, rereading the message a few times more. She considered not responding, but with a sigh, she sent something quick.

To: Cara

Please for the love of God tell me you're just being dramatic and that you didn't actually kick anybody out

To: Cara

If you love me, please tell me you didn't

Trying not to show the internal distress she was feeling, she looked back up at Colton, heading over to the fridge. "Want something to drink? We have..." she began as she looked through carefully, for once seeming peeved by her abundance of organic material. Chanel glanced back at Colton with a breathy laugh and looked back into the fridge as if something had changed. "Water and a lot of green stuff. And some strawberry vinaigrette," she said with a weak attempt at humor.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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#, as written by Thunder
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Admittedly, Colton wasn't as suave as he talked himself up to be. When Chanel insisted that he had to make it up for lying to her, he could have responded that he'd do so by taking her out that night to grab dinner, or to some bar down the road. He could have even said that he needed time to think about what to do, since his offense had been so heavy, and that he would text it to her once he made up his mind, just to get her number. But nope, the first and only thing that came to his mind was. "I'll let you choose what to watch on TV. That make us even?" He knew it was lame as soon as it came out of his mouth, but it was hard not to smile as he peered over at her. It would be cheesy, and a lie, to say that he was smiling because she was oh so beautiful, and he was sure she would one day be his wife. He did think that she was beautiful, but the smile mostly came from embarrassment at his own lack of romantic skills, because she was hot and part of him thought he had a chance with her, and because he was nervous. He wasn't acting it, really, but she did make him feel a little jittery. If it wasn't her herself, it was the idea of her, at least. He hadn't slept with anyone in a couple of months and none of the girls he had ever slept with had been as hot as Chanel. Maybe he was being over zealous by even fathoming that it would be possible getting in bed with her, especially since she was Kacey's roommate and things might end up awkward if it went badly, he thought, but ultimately, he knew if he got the chance, he was going to go for it.

As he glanced back at the kitchen table, he realized that both of Kacey's roommates were tens, actually. Makayla was a lot tinier than Chanel, so she didn't have that whole model thing going for her, but she was undeniably attractive. Holly telling her that the girl had tattoos upped her score to an eleven, maybe, too. It made him think that despite her pixie-like stature, she was tough. He already felt like he was in the pursuit of Chanel, but maybe if that didn't work out, he'd use Makayla as a second option. Although later on, he might have teased Kacey about trying to hit on Makayla, he didn't seriously think she was, because he wouldn't have thought that Makayla was anything but straight. It was completely ignorant, but unless a dude told him that he was into fashion or had a high-pitched voice, Colton would "give him the benefit of the doubt" and assume he were straight, and unless a girl had a mullet and deep voice, give them that same "benefit of the doubt" and assume they were straight. He had missed Holly asking Makayla if she could sit with Chanel and Colton on the couch, so for the moment, he was glad that Kacey was occupying them. While he could and had entertained Holly for a few minutes, he didn't know her and didn't want to have to entertain her for more than that. Especially not when he was trying to land himself a good time with Hot Chick #2.

Colton wasn't into that "green" fad at all. He couldn't fathom why people liked taking shots of wheat grass, drank pressed juices that had to taste like shit, and tried to cut everything out of their diet that might have been even slightly processed. Eating McDonald's every day wouldn't do anyone good, but Colton thought it was a waste of time and energy to try to live the lifestyle that had become so trendy in New York. In certain areas, including the West Village, you couldn't walk for ten minutes without passing by some store selling organic and herbal supplements, healthy juice bar, or some vegan restaurant that charged you fifty dollars for a piece of lettuce. Since Chanel had turkey and lasagna on her plate, Colton could at least internally sigh in relief that she wasn't some weird vegetarian. He was being dramatic, acting as if that would have suddenly been a turn off, but to put it simply, he didn't understand people who fell for health crazes. "It's all good, you can save that stuff for your boy Isaac," he joked, someone associating Isaac and the hobbies that he seemed to have, and the weird vibe Colton had created regarding his presence, to being interested in stuff like this too. "I have beer over there. I'd offer you one, but I don't see you as the kind of girl who drinks in the middle of the afternoon." He hadn't said it in a way that suggested he was challenging her, but when he thought about it, he decided getting a little bit of booze into her system couldn't hurt. He wasn't trying to get her drunk... not at all... but alcohol always did anyone's personality good. It was the only thing that kept Colton from crashing in his bed right after work, and while he could drink his entire six pack without even feeling tipsy, he just felt more relaxed knowing he was drinking that over water. "I'm all for you proving me wrong though," he added, his smirk widening as he winked at her and turned away, and carried his plate to the couch. As he sat down, he rested the plate on the coffee table and crumbled up the foil and paper bag that his sandwich had been wrapped in and pushed it to the other side of the table to make space for what Chanel would be bringing over.

To follow up on his poor excuse of a promise, he placed the television remote in front of her spot on the table, and relaxed back into the couch after bringing his plate to his lap. "Alright, here's my first question for you," he said once she had come over to the couch area. "Are you and that blonde chick across the hall really models, or did you just befriend her because you're both tall or something?" he asked with playful interest as he stuffed a forkful of lasagna into his mouth.