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Colton King

0 · 1,557 views · located in New York

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

Description

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ImageImageFull Name:
Colton Robert King

Nickname:
Cole

Age:
24

DOB:
December 2nd

Sexuality:
Heterosexual
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Likes:
Homemade meals, gambling, beer, weed, sex, Halloween, chocolate, peanut butter, free things, actually having money for once

Dislikes:
Religion, war, cocaine, cats, Indian food, cold weather, waking up before noon, humidity, Star Wars, clingy people, homosexuality, hospitals, people who talk nonstop, iced tea

Personality:
Right now, Colton would describe himself as being a hard worker. He works five days a week, eight hours a day, and doesn't complain about it. When he's not working, he has a tendency to switch between being distant (and high) and a jerk (and drunk). He's constantly being an ass to people, because for the most part, he's not interacting with people at all. More than anything, he tends to be distant and in his own world. On his day off or after work, he wakes up, goes out for a smoke and to get something to eat, and if he has the money, he'll pick up a case of beer. Then, he'll either pour the beers into a McDonald's cup and roam around as he drinks, or go back to his apartment to get drunk and pass out. He's in his own world, just trying to relax, and really isn't the kind of guy who's trying to strike up conversation or make friendships with people. However, when he gets enough alcohol in him, or when he's sober and is bored and sees a fun opportunity, he can definitely be a pain in the ass. He likes to push people's buttons and get reactions out of people for his own amusement. He can be crass, derogatory and immature, and depending on the level of intoxication, aggressive too. Colton lacks morals in a lot of situations, and is the type of guy who really is only focused on his own needs and desires. Like they say, it's a dog eat dog world, and Colton's not trying to waste his time, energy or money, on helping someone else, when he's already struggling himself.

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Occupation:
He works at a deli five days a week.

Hometown:
Lancaster, PA: 0-2 years old
Fort Bragg, NC: 2-6 years old
Fort Hood, TX: 6-8 years old
Lancaster, PA: 8-10 years old
Fort Benning, GA: 10-13 years old
Lancaster, PA: 13-18 years old
New York, NY: 18-24 years old

Background:
His scattered childhood is probably an indication that he was part of a military family. His father, Colonel Robert H. King, proudly served in the US army for 30 years, and was deployed four times, for nine months a piece. Joining the army was something that was expected of Robert, so when he and his wife, Laura, had four children, Robert expected the same of them. He believed that it was their duty to serve their country and continue the proud and respected King lineage. As a kid, Colton didn't object to the idea. Like most little boys, his father was his hero, and he wanted to be just like him. His three older brothers all joined the army when they turned eighteen, so for most of his childhood, it really was just what he expected to do when he got older. Aside from the whole moving around a lot, and missing his father frequently, Colton's childhood was pretty average. His dad held a high enough ranking where he made decent money, and his mother worked as a nurse.

He only began to question his future when he turned ten, and his father was scheduled to deploy again. That meant that they had to leave their home in Pennsylvania, and again relocate to a military base, where his father would train before deploying. It wasn't fair. He had just finally started to make friends again, and he was on a baseball team that he loved, and now they had to leave? He had to make new friends, start at a new school, and get into a new routine, all over again. He didn't want to leave, and when he got to Georgia, his resentment for the move made him resistant to making new friends. He didn't end up making any, and in the process, actually became a target for bullies. This was before he hit puberty, so he was just a scrawny kid who couldn't do much for himself. His brothers were all either in high school, or graduated by that point, and even though he needed their protection, he never went home crying about the bullying. It would probably only result in a beating from his father, who would see it as his son being weak and a disappointment. Those pent up emotions turned into anger, and by the time his father came home, Colton had declared that he hated him. He hated him for ruining his life and putting his career aspirations over his family.

This was more than teen angst, and even when they moved back home to Pennsylvania and Colton had the chance to stay in one place for his entire high school career, he didn't soften up again. He shut his family out, barely made it through school to get his diploma, and decided that he was going to go to college, and not join the army. He had been saying that for years, but apparently, his father thought that he would change his mind come his eighteenth birthday. When he didn't, his father told him that they weren't going to pay for school, and he had to move out. With too much of an ego to beg his parents to let him stay, he packed his bags and never went back. One of his friends was going to school in New York and was living off campus. He offered Colton his couch if he'd pay part of the rent, and Colton agreed. He got a job at a deli during the day, and in a retail store as an overnight freight worker. He made enough money to get by, and did this for three years, until his roommate decided to move in with his girlfriend, and Colton managed to find his own apartment in a surprisingly affordable building downtown.

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Face Claim:
Harvey Newton Haydon

Height:
6'2

Hair Color:
Dark brown

Eye Color:
Blue

So begins...

Colton King's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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#, as written by Thunder
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"Shit, Kace, would you put the phone down for two damn minutes so we can get going with moving this shit?"

"You've got arms. Start moving, boy."

He used his foot to push one of the boxes across the floor and into the back of her legs as if to say "I'm serious", before grabbing one of his own and heading towards the apartment door. "I've got half the amount of stuff that you do and I helped you move your shit all afternoon, so start bringing shit up there. Five flights with all of your shit wasn't as easy as it looked."

"Quit your whining. We got the big stuff up there, didn't we? The rest of this stuff isn't gonna be a big deal. Your possessions consist of like, a pack of cigarettes, a case of beer, two t-shirts and a pair of jeans anyway," she responded, following him out the door with a box. "I've got half the amount of stuff that you do and I helped you move your shit all afternoon, so start bringing shit up there. Five flights with all of your shit wasn't as easy as it looked." All of her big items: the bed, dresser, couch, television along with the rest of her boxes of clothes, shoes and personal items had been moved upstairs hours before with the help of one of Colton's friends. Now, it was her turn to help him with his things, but she was bored of all of this moving. Her morning had been spent at work, and now, all she wanted to do was collapse in that studio apartment she had been moved into. She had not minded living with Colton, at least not as much as she would tell you, but she was excited to be switched into a studio apartment. It would be smaller, but having an apartment all her own was going to be welcomed.


She left the apartment door open as they headed back upstairs because after twenty trips up and down today, she was at a point where she was too lazy to continue to have to lock and unlock the door. Plus, all that was left in the apartment was his things, and if someone happened to steal them, that wasn't going to be Kacey's problem. "You sad that you're not gonna get to live with me anymore?" she teasingly asked. She was being moved into apartment 5D, and he was going to be in 5B, so it wasn't like they were going to be nations apart, but she still wanted to see his reaction, which unsurprisingly, wasn't more than a half-smirk. "Yeah, because I just don't think I'm gonna be able to live without hearing you and your girlfriend moaning through my paper thin wall when I have to get up for work in two hours, or having to consistently tell you to stick your nonstop invitations to come to church with you up your ass. What am I gonna do with myself?"

If her arms weren't full, she would have slapped him for that sass, so she settled for trying to combat her grin with a forced scoff. Colton was a complete ass, but he was the kind of boy who grew on you. Once you looked past that hard exterior... and came to terms with the fact that his interior only slightly less hard and rigid... he would grow on you. Some days, Kacey didn't know if it was just his built body and that smirk that was growing on her, or if it was actually his personality. Either way, and despite being excited to have her own apartment, and one that didn't have someone else's shower water dripping through its ceiling, she was going to miss dealing with that sarcastic attitude. "Well, just for that, I hope your roommate is a lesbian nun."

"It's a dude," Colton responded as they finally reached the fifth floor. They rounded a corner and reached Apartment 5A, and he set the box down in front of the door. Larry, the building manager, had given him a key to the apartment earlier that day, and after a bit of searching, Colton found it in his pocket. He shoved the key into the door ten or fifteen times, jiggling the knob and then asking Kacey to try herself, before coming to terms with the fact that the key wasn't meant for that door. "Un-fucking-believable," he muttered, banging his fist on the door partly out of frustration, and partly hoping that the roommate would be home and answer. There was no answer, and with a sigh, Colton texted the building manager. "Let me go get the right key from him while you keep bringing stuff up here," he said to Kacey. Though he had texted the man, Colton figured that going directly to his apartment would save time and energy. On the first floor, he departed from Kacey and headed to the building manager's apartment instead of their old one... only to find that there was no answer on the other side of the door. Typical, that that scumbag would have family to be with on Thanksgiving and Colton didn't. He grabbed another box from his apartment and caught up to Kacey's slow pace on the stairs by the third floor. "Of course the bastard's not home," he said.

"Just stay in my apartment for the night, then," Kacey suggested. With how long Larry had taken to give them a decent solution to the leak in their apartment, it didn't surprise her at all that the man had given Colton the wrong key and wouldn't answer his phone. "Come on, Kace. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't wanna sleep with you? You're a good friend, but I just don't see you in that way," Colton answered, smirking almost automatically. She had set herself up for that one, but he had also set himself up for the punch in the arm that he received a beat later. "Your walls so thin, you should know by now that I've been sticking with girls lately, and some angsty, pasty-looking boy like you isn't gonna change that," she said defensively, though she was used to this playful ego Colton would take on constantly, just to get under her skin.

"You wanna use my couch, or what?" She set her box down in front of 5A and promised herself that if he made another obnoxious comment, she wouldn't feel bad turning into her new apartment and spending the rest of the evening relaxing, like she wanted to be doing now.

"Let me see if these people know his number, so I can text him and see if he can open the place up for me. What did I say his name was? Elijah? Isaiah?" The distance across the hall to 5C was a little less of a walk than next door to 5B, so he opted with knocking on 5C's door. "I think there's only another box or two. Be a dear and bring 'em up?" he said, looking from the door back at Kacey and flashing an obnoxiously bright grin in her direction, that shockingly resulted in only an eye roll before she headed back downstairs.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Cara did not say a word when Makayla came over and reprimanded Holly for asking for lemonade. She didn't think it was a big deal, and had actually wanted one of the boys to go out and get it to make the apartment seem a little less crowded, but she knew her opinion wasn't wanted. Makayla was the one who was in charge of Holly, and even if Cara thought that she was overreacting or that they could solve the problem easily, she let Makayla do her thing. She had learned over not to get in the way with things like that because even though she would think she was helping, Makayla would feel like she was stepping on her toes, and it wasn't worth it. She frowned just a little as Makayla led Holly away, closed the fridge, and returned to the island where she filled up her wine glass a little bit more. Part of her wanted to tell Ryan to hurry up with the food, but he looked like he was working quickly with the turkey, so she held her tongue... and sipped her wine. Despite it being her apartment, she felt uncomfortable and unwanted. She didn't know Isaac, the boy who stood a few feet away, and she didn't want to know him. Roman and Nick were watching television with Holly. Brooklyn, Chanel and Makayla had moved out of eyesight. This Thanksgiving sucked. She just hoped that the food that they (because shopping for the food definitely meant that she had done as much work as Chanel and Ryan) cooked would make up for it. If only Ryan would stop acting like they had three years to get the damn turkey ready.

She spaced out for the next few minutes. Looking at everyone's Instagram posts of them with their families, in their beautiful homes with catered or chef-prepared foods made her want to lock herself in her bedroom and spend the rest of the night crying, as if she didn't still have the opportunity to have that within a drive uptown's time. That was how Cara was, though. She wanted to be stubborn and get her way, and when that didn't happen, she wanted to throw herself a pity party and act like her life was tragic and sad. Snapchat and Facebook only made her mood worse, and by the time she decided that looking through all of this was basically a form of self-harm at that point, Chanel had returned to the apartment, Ryan finished cutting the turkey, and dinner had been served. She was glad that Chanel took the initiative and announced it, because Cara was feeling petty enough to just go around and tell the few people she liked that they could eat, and leave the others out. If Isaac and Roman went hungry, oh well. As she had told Ryan, she'd sleep fine either way. Plus, the good mood that Chanel always seemed to be in made Cara want to lighten up a little bit too. Too consumed in her own self-pity, and not the most perceptive person to begin with, she didn't notice the way that Chanel's eyes looked a little pink or that maybe her smile was just a tad less authentic looking than usual when she approached her.

"It's the designer lift Armani one!" she answered, beaming at the compliment. Chanel was definitely more than a good friend tonight for just helping with the cooking. Aside from taking her wine away earlier, she had done everything in her power to perk Cara's mood up, and the compliment was one more thing to add to that list. "But your makeup looks flawless too. Whatever you use really stays on perfectly," she noted, and she meant that genuinely, but only because she didn't know that Chanel had reapplied some of it minutes before. "And yeah, everything is good I think. Thanks for all of your help today, by the way," she continued, reaching out to give Chanel's hand a squeeze as she thanked her. She stood up and turned the corner of the kitchen to where the plates were, and picked one up for herself and handed one to Chanel. "Obviously it's not the best Thanksgiving in the world, but I think we're making it work. I will say that after this, I'm definitely pushing spa day up to tomorrow. Tell me you're not working or can call out."

Chanel answered her comment about Thanksgiving, putting an optimistic spin on it like she always seemed capable of doing. "Don't even think of it as a Thanksgiving. Think of it as more like a Friendsgiving. Or a half-Friendsgiving since you aren't really friends with everyone here, but whatever." Cara nodded in agreement, adding some food to her plate as Chanel sipped her own drink, which Cara hoped was alcoholic, before responding to the spa comment. "Girl, you know damn well I can barely keep a job for more than two minutes. I was going to get a waiting job, but they wanted me to work late nights, and I was like skerr. Bitch you can keep that. But yeah, I'm free. These pores need some TLC."

Cara wanted to respond with excitement, since she was sure her friends would like Chanel (and it would prove to them that her building wasn't just filled with meth users). However, she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "I swear, if this is another one of Ryan's junkie friends, I'm kicking him and the rest of the crack heads out of here." She set her glass of wine and plate down on an empty space on the counter and headed to the door with her bitch face already in place. "Can I help you?" she snapped, before she had even completely swung the door open to reveal the man on the other side. He was someone who she had never seen before, and at least compared to Isaac, was nicer looking. But he was definitely still a drug addict. He had that whole tough guy, tatted, "I ride a motorcycle and beat my girlfriends" looks to him, and Cara wasn't into that kind of guy unless she was heavily intoxicated.

"Uh, yeah," Colton said when the door swung open and a blonde addressed him in a manner that spoke to how badly she didn't want to be dealing with him. He would say the same, but only because being locked out of your apartment with boxes on Thanksgiving, after working an eight hour shift and moving boxes and furniture for another few hours wasn't an ideal day. Not because the girl he was looking at wasn't some pretty nice eye candy. If Kacey had been bringing girls home that looked like this, he wouldn't have been complaining. Hell, Colton was pretty sure that if she had brought home this girl, he would have tried to join in on that one. The fact that the little black dress she was wearing was short and tight didn't make it easier for him to keep his eyes on her face and not on her body as he explained himself. "I'm moving in across the hall to 5A and the key Larry gave me doesn't work. I wanted to see if you knew the dude who lives there, Isaiah is his name, I think, and if you had his cell number by any chance." Hearing more people than just her in the apartment, he added, "I'm assuming you live here," in case she was actually just a guest of the apartment owner.

An opportunity to get rid of Isaac for at least a few minutes? Perfect. Isaac hadn't done anything wrong, and had actually been more cordial than Cara would have imagined was possible by someone like him, by bringing over a dessert. Still, Cara refused to shake the idea that he was a bad seed from her mind, and that getting rid of him and Roman would somehow make this dinner ten times more enjoyable and classy. As if, like Roman hadn't pointed out, her bad attitude was probably the only thing keeping it from its potential high. "He'll be right over," she said, in a tone that was too sweet to be genuine, but only because her motives of sending Isaac over were more for her benefit than to help this man with his key issue. She closed the door in his face (gently, in her defense), rolled her eyes when she caught Chanel's attention passing by, and found Isaac. "There's a guy at the door looking for you," she stated plainly, not giving him much of a chance to answer because she didn't want to engage in conversation, before heading back to Chanel. "Ugh, just another one of Ryan's creepy friends, I bet. He was looking for Isaac and said something about his key not working, but I bet it's just code for 'I want to buy drugs'," she scoffed as she picked up her plate and continued to add some food to it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Busy scooping a mountain of mashed potatoes on her plate, she wiggled her brows at Cara suggestively before glancing at the door and then back at her. From Chanel's expression, Cara could probably already tell what the girl was thinking. When there was a knock at the door, she wondered who it could have been too, and while she wasn't sure what to expecting, she definitely wasn't expecting the guy that conversed with Cara for all of a few seconds before she closed the door. Chanel was always a bit melodramatic, to put it lightly, and she liked surprises, so when Cara told Chanel what was up, she gasped theatrically, placing her hand to her hurt as if Cara had actually hurt her. She gave her a knowing look. "Shit. His fine ass can buy me for all I care. Did you see that sexy piece of white meat?" She placed a slice of turkey on her plate, deciding against getting a second slice due to the large amount of potatoes she'd just shoveled onto her plate. "Cara, do guys just deliver themselves to you or something? What fucking perfume are you wearing?"As she moved, Cara scoffed next to her. "Um, were we looking at the same guy?" When Chanel turned to give her an unenthused expression, Cara was giving her a grossed out look. On the verge of sticking her tongue out at her, Chanel stopped and clasped the edge of the counter, her eyes wide with excitement, her childish grin even wider. "Oh my god, let's make him a plate. Just get him some turkey, mashed potatoes, my number, perhaps. It's the spirit of giving after all. Totally not weird at all. Matter-of-fact, let's just invite him inside for a few seconds. The more the merrier, right?" Cara pulled Chanel closer to her, looking into the cup Chanel had. "Am I already drunk enough where I'm missing something, or are you drunk enough where you're that crazy?" Chanel threw her head back and laughed and nudged her away playfully. "Shut up," she said. "I'm gonna do it!"

Without pausing for any protest, she swooped her hair to one side of her shoulder and opened the door. There were many people she knew who were pretty, but only from far away. This one was a looker, and although she tried being polite by not raking her eyes over him, she did cock her head slightly, pleased by the view. She could definitely see why Cara didn't like him, and he wasn't really her type either, but hell, that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the aesthetic. It was less likely that there was just something so special about him that made her go over to open the door, and it was more so because it was just in Chanel's very nature to be overly excitable. It wasn't just handsome boys that did this, but beautiful girls as well. She was constantly pointing out someone of interest to Cara, whether it be awing over a girl's lashes or a guy's hair. Little things excited her, especially when such things were as unexpected as this. Because she got bored so easily and hated routine, she made the most out of it by making it a bigger deal than it actually was. Still, though, she tried to tone it down so as not to seem desperate, but there was still no hiding the smile that she at first had to force on. This proved to be a good distraction, and giggling over cute boys was always something Chanel liked doing. "Hey," she said. As she continued, she gestured behind her, inside the apartment. "Do you want to come inside for a second? Get some food? There's plenty to share."

"I would, but all of my shit is out here," the boy said as he took a step back and nodded at the boxed that were placed outside of Isaac's door. That makes sense, Chanel thought. As to why she'd never seen him before. When she looked back at him, he continued, this time with a smirk. "And I'm only used to the first floor crowd, so I don't know how many thieves you've got up here yet." At this, Chanel laughed some. She would make sure to recount every detail of this to Cara later, even though the girl probably wouldn't be very intrigued. Half the time, Chanel just talked to hear her own self speak. This time, though, she was surprisingly quiet as she listened to him. "But thanks," he said. "It does smell good, so I don't want to keep you from it. I'll just wait out here until Isaiah's got a minute to lend me his key." Chanel blinked, thinking, who the hell is Isaiah? before she remembered what Cara had said. "Oh, oh, oh. You mean Isaac. Yeah, he's in here. He should be able to let you in. I had no idea he was getting a new roommate, that's literally so exciting. And Isaac is honestly so sweet, so you don't have anything to worry about." Chanel hardly knew Isaac enough to call him an acquaintance, but she definitely didn't the guy well enough to where it would validate or even warrant her speaking so highly of him. With her, if people entertained her talking, even if it was just for short little hallway conversations, they were some form of friend. There was that, and she also wanted to keep the conversation going just a little while longer. Luckily, the guy didn't seem taken aback any as he continued speaking.

"Yeah, yeah. It was a last minute thing. I was down on the first floor with my roommate, Kacey, and we'd been dealing with a hell of a leak for like, two months. It sucked, and we told Larry on a daily basis that he needed to get that shit fixed or we were leaving, but you know how that lease life works where we'd be screwed if we tried to leave before the lease was over, so we were stuck down there. Then, I guess some people moved out up here, so he told us we could switch. I guess this place is just a two bedroom, since Kacey got an apartment down the hall that's a studio, but yeah, it's been an eventful Thanksgiving." He shrugged and laughed, making Chanel smile in response. It wasn't really that he'd said anything funny, but she could be rather empathetic and expressive while conversing with overs. It was one of the few timea she didn't have a hard time doing this and didn't have to force it. In just about in other situation, she could be much more shallow and disinterested. Perhaps the alcohol was already taking effect, because it wasn't like this was the most enticing conversation she'd ever had, but she was feeling giddy. "Come to think of it though, with all of these neighbors moving out on your floor, should I be worried? You guys are warding people off like you've got the plague or some shit up here, apparently." Even from inside the apartment where there was more chatter, it was likely that her loud laugh could be heard. It wasn't so voluminous that it was startling, but it was definitely memorable. "I couldn't tell you," she said. "That's just going to be something you have to find out on your own." And then in an unusual turn of events, she decided to close the conversation. While she couldn't always take a hint, and she didn't really think this guy was giving her one, sometimes she was cognizant enough to know when to stop talking. Not only that, but her hunger hit her suddenly. "You shouldn't have to worry though. You seem like a keeper," she said. ""If you finish unpacking, you can still come by for a plate or whatever. Have a good Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll see you around."

After she left him, she went over to Cara, picking up the slice of her turkey with her hands and biting into it triumphantly. "Nailed it," she said. "I was like 'Oh, my god. Hey, you're super hot. Let's make babies.' And he was like," as she narrated everything that Colton didn't say, she purposely added more bass to her voice. "'Oh, hey. You're hot too. We should totally make babies.' And then I was like 'Yeah, that sounds cool. We might as well get hitched while we're at it', and he was all for it. And so basically, I might not be able to go to the spa tomorrow because I'm getting married, and also, you have to be my maid of honor." She shrugged nonchalantly as she finished off her drink, wrinkling her nose some at the sting. She could tell that she was already feeling looser, and far sooner than she had planned to be. She didn't necessarily consider herself a lightweight, although with the hard liquors she kind of was since her alcohol of choice was typically wine. Plus when you add in the fact that she hadn't eaten all day and was already pretty skinny, it didn't seem as surprising. Still, though, she couldn't seem to fathom why she was feeling the buzz prematurely, and then she questioned if she was just imagining things. Sometimes it was hard to tell since it could seem like there was a thin line between her being intoxicated and her being just Chanel. This didn't concern her for long enough to keep her from pouring herself some wine as she did a little dance in place, swaying side to side. She finished her slice of turkey and grabbed another one, looking surprised as she took another bite. "Oh, my god. This turkey is so good."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Isaac was glad when Chanel said they could eat, because it gave him something to do. He wasn't particularly hungry - loss of appetite was something he dealt with often - but he knew if he just started eating, he'd happily enjoy his meal. Everything smelled pretty good, at least. He hit the drinks first, mixing himself some Malibu and Dr. Pepper (admittedly heavy on the rum) while he watched the others line up to get their plates ready, wanting to make sure he inevitably didn't fuck up some way to handle it all and irritate Cara farther.

Which apparently somehow he did anyway, because she suddenly appeared in front of him and spoke to him. Isaac instinctually felt himself trying to be smaller, shoulders hunching in and everything. She was actually taller than him in those heels, by only an inch or two, but it still seemed incredibly intimidating. She couldn't have said more than ten words before she was gone, but it still took his mind a moment to figure out what exactly had happened.

A guy looking for him? Isaac's brow drew together. People rarely showed up looking for him, especially now with Ollie and Collin gone, he couldn't imagine...Actually, how many guys did he bring home this month? Not many. His place was fine for that kind of thing, but it was his; he usually preferred to go somewhere else or stay on neutral ground if he was hooking up with someone. Especially when there had been two other guys in his apartment. That was just a little...much. Besides all that, he'd honestly be surprised if the few men who did see his bedroom remembered his address. Which just made the whole thing weirder.

After realizing he'd been contemplating the whole thing for a handful of minutes too long, Isaac finally sat his drink aside and went to check on the situation himself. The minute the doorway came into view, Isaac had to admit the guy was surface level his type: tall, dark hair, bright eyes, tattoos. But that was about as far as it went. Not the kind of dude immediately on his radar, and from the looks of it very heterosexual, which was good at least. Isaac actually sighed out of relief knowing whatever was waiting for him wasn't as big of a mess as it could have been.

He caught the tail end of Chanel leaving, and felt his eyebrows raise in slight amusement. He wondered if she'd been chatting the whole time he'd been lost in his thoughts, but didn't dwell on it for too long before he raised his chin slightly in greeting at the guy he didn't recognize. "Hey, I heard you were looking for me?" One quick glance into the hallway answered the question of why. Isaac could see the boxes piled up by his door. "Oh, new roommate! Sorry dude, wasn't expecting you yet."

Isaac actually would have been fine living on his own. Money wise he'd been floating most of the rent when Collin had lived there anyway. But then Larry had grabbed him and explained the problems they were having downstairs, wondered if Isaac would mind taking someone in. He didn't, so he agreed, but of course he wasn't allowed a date or anything like that.

"Let me guess," Isaac started as gestured to the pile of boxes. "Key doesn't work? Same thing happened to me my first week. Fuckin' Larry." It'd been a pain in his ass, sorting that mess out. Fantastic that it was happening yet again.

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Character Portrait: Marie Casanova Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Marie had been with Collin for a little bit. Unfortunately due to certain circumstances he decided to move and so did Oliver. She spent her time saying good bye to them. Marie hadn't felt super attached to anyone in the building, but Collin and Oliver she was somewhat close to. Actually the whole apartment of 5A she was relatively close to in general. More so than the 5C crew. She slept with Roman like once, wasn't really a thing, never met Cara, but she was supposed to go over there soon.

After departing from the former 5A residents, she figured she should bring something food wise to apologize for being late, and just walking into their home. She decided a nice bottle of wine would be good, and something non-alcoholic for Holly and possibly Ryan? How old was Ryan? was he legal? It didn't really matter to Marie, seeing as she drank way before it was legal, but his older sister could not allow him to drink. Either way she picked it up and started to walk back to the apartment building.

Walking up the stairs she greeted a few people, until she got to the fifth floor and saw all the boxes. "Dang, that was fast." She commented out loud, about someone moving into 5A and she decided she would at least drop her purse off in her apartment. She opened the door, and noticed it wasn't lock. She walked in and placed her purse down in her room. Marie checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was good, and once deciding everything was a go she walked back out again.

Carrying the wine and a bottle of sparkling apple juice. The bottle looked fancy and she figured Holly might like it. When she walked back out into the hall she noticed the boy was still standing there. Before going to knock on Cara's door she turned to look at the attractive man in front of her. Someone she hadn't met yet. "Hello." She said greeting him with a smile. That was when the door to Cara's apartment had swung open and it was Isaac coming to meet his new roommate.

"Long time no see, Isaac." Marie said with a grin plastered on her face. Isaac was the man if you had a hangover, so naturally Marie found herself there a lot in hopes he'd help her out. Shifting her stuff over from one arm to the other she offered out a hand to the new fellow. "I'm Marie, I just live in 5B."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Marie Casanova Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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The girl who had greeted him at the door definitely had a personality. Colton wasn't much of a sociable person. He could do it when he was sober and bored, and interacting with people seemed to be the only thing that would rid him of his boredom. Like at work, where people surprisingly liked him. He didn't know how well the drunk Colton socialized really, because as strange as it was for him to think about, he didn't have many friends. The friends he had were people he knew through work, and they weren't at that level where they ever socialized outside of work, so whenever Colton was getting drunk, it was alone on his couch with a twelve pack of beer and a bottle of whiskey that he would drink until he passed out. Essentially, he didn't think that his personality even came close to comparing to the girl who was at the door's. Who... he realized, didn't share her name before leaving. It wasn't like he had introduced himself either, but he knew that it was going to bother him, not knowing her name. For all he knew, he would never speak to her again, so it wasn't even for politeness reasons the next time they spoke, it would just be one of those little things that would bother him. He wouldn't have minded getting her name... and number... along with the blonde's too, but if it ever happened, it would have to happen at another time because with a short laugh and a nod on his part, she was gone, and a beat later, Isaac was there. He was a decent looking dude, someone who didn't seem to have any issues that would make their living situation dreadful right off the bat. Plus, with Colton's mood regarding their landlord, when the guy complained about him, it made him like him that much more. "Right? That dude's fucking useless down there," he said, shaking his head.

As he turned to face his new apartment, he found a girl who quickly introduced herself as Marie. Maybe it was just the bottle of wine in her hand, but she was a pretty attractive looking girl too. Was he living across the hall from the America's Next Top Model house or something...? "Nice to meet you. Colton," he said, shaking her hand briefly before pulling away. He looked towards Isaac, and then towards his boxes and then back at Isaac. He wasn't going to have a problem moving those in, even if Kacey bailed on him once she got up there with the last of the boxes. The smell that still had his nose tingling from Apartment 5C reminded him that it was Thanksgiving and that he didn't need to be depriving Isaac of that heavenly food. And those heavenly women. "I'll figure everything out," Colton insisted right after Isaac unlocked the door. "I appreciate you leaving that party to open this for me anyway," he said with a grin, speaking lowly now so Marie wouldn't be able to hear as he took a step inside his new apartment. "Seems like more than just the food in there is edible, if you know what I mean. Bring something other than brownies back here for dessert, and I'm not gonna judge you, man," he laughed. He wasn't trying to be too buddy-buddy, but what guy couldn't bond with another guy over some smoking hot girls? That just went without saying.

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Isaac found himself smiling when the new guy not only agreed with his comment about Larry, but threw in his own insult as well. He was no Collin, but Isaac had a feeling they were going to get along just fine. As long as he didn't end up being a straight-and-narrow bible thumper, which honestly Isaac doubted. He tried not to judge based on outward appearances but...he was pretty sure this guy wasn't that type.

Marie showed up next, appearing outside of her own apartment, and Isaac's smile stretched into a grin. He was happy to see her, and moreso glad to see that she was armed to join the party in 5C. He wasn't exactly fond of most of the group he was currently hanging out with, but with Collin and Ollie gone he knew he needed to make more friends; he really was too social to be a shut in. It was good to see a familiar face though. He hoped Marie would still come around his place sometimes, even if she had to use the front door in the 'mornings' (after noon) instead of being able to just stumble into the livingroom. He hoped the boys moving wouldn't mess up the start of an actual friendship they had going.

"Hey hun." Isaac greeted Marie after the other two shared introductions - apparently his new roomie's name was Colton. He dug his key out of his pocket and nodded over his shoulder to the room behind him. "They just now started in on the food. Everything looks pretty decent, smells even better. I'm gunna let Colton in and then I'll catch up with you."

He left her to go inside while he went to unlock the door to 5A, and was about to offer to carry stuff in when Colton beat him to the punch, pre-declining any help. Isaac shrugged nonchalantly. The apartment was clean since all the packing the other two had done earlier that week (save a slight smell of weed), the bedroom door to the empty room wide open so it'd be obvious where Colton should go. There was really nothing he needed to point out or anything. "No problem," he said in response to leaving the party. He wasn't particularly itching to get out of there, but it wasn't something he was cursing missing every second of.

Colton's next comment almost made Isaac choke on air. It wasn't that he wasn't used to stuff like that...Collin used to say plenty of colorful things about Marie's attractiveness - it was just the articulate manner Colton used, the dessert comparison and all. He cleared his throat a little, and resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck; because there was only one person in 5C he'd be interested in bringing back, and he was pretty damn sure Colton wasn't talking about him. Not that it mattered, because it wouldn't happen anyway.

On the plus side, his Heterosexual-Meter was in working order, so that was nice to know. "Uh, yeah," he muttered a little awkwardly, trying to wrack his brain for the few times Collin had teased him about the way he talked about girls and the right things to say. In the end he just shrugged, because the topic of women in general always made him uncomfortable and that seemed safe. "I guess. I dunno. Tips and tricks before you try any dessert samples though: Cara - homicidal looking blonde, little black dress? - is terrifying as fuck. Chanel - pretty, dark skin, talkative - is a sweetheart. Marie is a peach, likes to party, and is apparently fantastic in bed, but I wouldn't know." That should at least cover the girls Colton had already met...he'd guessed Cara, since she'd come to get him in the first place. He didn't even really know Chanel well enough to call her a sweetheart, but he figured it was true.

He felt a little awkward just leaving now, but it wasn't like he could invite Colton back over there. It wasn't his Thanksgiving party, and not even one he should have been invited to in the first place. He wondered if maybe Chanel had asked Colton over, but not enough to stick his neck out and ask. "Anyway, I guess I'm going to attempt to survive the rest of that party. Feel free to put anything anywhere. The fridge is stocked, cable works, you shouldn't need anything. But if you do, ya know, just come get me." And with that he awkwardly waved as he backtracked out.

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Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Colton chuckled at Isaac's tips about the girls, but in the back of the mind was wondering who the fuck called someone a "peach". Colton didn't know what that meant, but with Kacey's comment about him ending up with a gay roommate in the back of his mind, he didn't want to know either. He didn't sound like it, but he figured that it was possible that Isaac was from the south, or somewhere where they used weird slang. Maybe he was lucky and peach was synonymous for being easy. Although Colton had been talking as if he was ready to jump into bed with any of the three girls, he knew realistically, it wouldn't happen. He wasn't a social butterfly. He worked five days a week, slept, ate, and drank copius amounts of cheap beer. That was his life. Occasionally, he'd find a girl who thought of him as being worthy of a one night stand, but that was really "occasionally". In the last year, he had gotten laid five, maybe six times. It was embarrassing when he thought about it, but at the same time not, because again, the main reason for that was because he wasn't someone who socialized. He didn't go out to bars, party, or actively try to seek out women to sleep with. Then again, he had never before been blessed with three hot chicks living right across the hall from him.

"Alright, man, thanks a lot," Colton said before Isaac departed. The guy didn't shut the door behind him, but it made sense because he still had boxes outside the door. Kacey was clearly taking her sweet time with whatever was left in his old apartment, because she wasn't back yet, and Colton wondered if he should go down and help her, but decided against it. He began to move the boxes into the living room of the apartment, until the hallway was empty, and then carried them one by one into his bedroom. He owned more than Kacey acted like he did, but he didn't own much. A few drawers worth of clothes, three pairs of shoes, some personal hygiene items, and a few other miscellaneous items, like his phone and worn out laptop. It wasn't much but Colton was a simple guy. He was lucky though, that Isaac seemed to have all of the basic household stuff taken care of, since Kacey had been the one to purchase most of them glasses, utensils, and simple things like that. He set up his bed, putting on the simple navy sheet set and comforter before tossing his pillow on top of it. Sitting on the nightstand beside his bed was a key, and he guessed that it was whoever had lived in the room before him. Hoping that it was for the front door and that he wasn't going to have to deal with trying to track Larry down for another one tomorrow, Colton decided to test it out. He headed to the front of the apartment and pulled the door open, only to find that Kasey was sitting on top of one of the boxes she had brought up. "Who the fuck are you talking to on that phone all fucking day?" he asked, shaking his head as he unsurprisingly pinned the phone in her hand as the reason for why she hadn't knocked to tell him she was there yet.

"My mother," she shot back in faked defense. In truth, her mother had only just texted her now, and it was nothing more than a strand of irrelevant emojis followed up by a text saying "Uncle Marcus that me how to text", and then one that read "Uncle Marcus taught me how to text", and then another string of emojis. Unlike Colton, Kacey had a solid family, but they were living on the other coast and Kacey didn't have the money to buy a plane ticket to see them for the holiday. She was supposed to see them next month for Christmas, but at this point, she didn't know how plausible that would be either. Her father had sent her money that was supposed to be used for the plane ticket but she had to use it for last month's rent, and she didn't feel right asking for more money on top of that. She guessed that today would be a trial version of spending holidays alone, since Thanksgiving was less meaningful to her than Christmas. "But yeah, you're welcome for bringing all of this shit up for you," she continued, standing up and using her foot to push one of the boxes into the apartment.

After quickly testing the key in the door and being relieved at it actually being a key to the apartment, he grabbed the last boxes and followed Kacey inside. "I'm starting to believe these 'rents of yours don't even exist. Do they know what I look like? And yet they still haven't flown out here to pay me to marry you and rid you of your sinful lesbian ways? Just doesn't seem believable, Kace. Especially for good, church-going folks like them," Colton said, his usual smirk present on his face.

"Please, my parents think I'm living with a twenty year old girl named Hilary who goes to NYU. Told my mom she's a Protestant, but that's the biggest issue she's got with you, Hil. If I told my mom that I was living with a tatted up white boy who reeks of beer twelve hours of the day, I think I'd be disowned," Kacey answered somewhat distractedly as she took a moment to explore Colton's new place. It was a decent place, though the layout was basically the same as their old one downstairs.

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After he had moved his things to his bedroom, Kacey spent a few more minutes in Colton's new apartments. He told her about Isaac, his new roommate, and the "models" who lived across the hall, or were at least there for a party. Kacey was surprised at how the apartment was pretty well kept. Maybe it was just her experience living with Colton talking, but she imagined that an apartment lived in by guys would be a lot messier than this one. All it had taken was her being out of their apartment for a weekend for the kitchen to be littered with empty beer cans, used plates in the sink, and pizza or takeout boxes scattered everywhere except in the trash can. The apartment's layout wasn't much different from the one they had lived in downstairs, and momentarily, Kacey was jealous that Colton was living here. Dealing with one roommate was definitely easier than dealing with two, like Kacey was facing, and apparently, Colton's roommate was a pretty normal guy. She thought she caught a whiff of a faint smell of marijuana, but she knew someone smoking marijuana wasn't going to turn Colton off, and definitely not to a point where it would suddenly make the guy the horrible roommate that Kacey was kind of hoping he would get. She didn't want him to suffer, necessarily, but there was a little sincerity behind her jokes about how she at least hoped that he had it worse than she did with her new roommates.

Aside from being curious about Colton's situation, she had also put off moving her own things into her apartment because she was a little nervous to see what her fate held for her. Larry had given her a room number and a key, but no other information to prepare her for what - and who - was held behind 5B's doors. She knew it was stupid to worry about it, and she had not spoken of the anxiety because she knew Colton would make fun of her for it, but it was on the back of her mind. Colton hadn't been the ideal roommate, but she was used to him and all of his quirks by now. Becoming acquainted with two new people would present a whole new set of challenges, and Kacey wasn't an amazing people person where she could just adapt that quickly. Not only was she worried about whether she would like them, but whether they would like her too. Self-doubt was something that lived in her. She came across as a strong and confident girl to the outside world, but it was there as a defense mechanism. She needed to keep that front up so that when people rejected to her (and since moving to New York, rejection had been a continuous feeling), they wouldn't think she cared about their opinion. She wouldn't let them see how much they hurt her. That need to remain cold and tough was challenging in itself, but it was something she clung to like a safety blanket. It was the same thing that reminded her that she needed to get moving, after it was clear that Colton no longer needed her help, and she didn't want to make it seem like she actually wanted to hang out with him.

"You need my help moving your stuff in? Cause if not, I'm gonna crack open one of these Bud Light's and chill," Colton asked after Kacey announced that she was leaving. She shook her head, remaining in the open doorway for just a second to say, "Nah, I've got it. I'll text you if I need something." 5B was literally the next door down on their side of the hallway, but Kacey took her sweet time as she pushed each box from outside of Colton's door where she had left them, down to 5B. She didn't knock or use her key to get in until the last box was in front of the door, and since she had a key, she decided to use it. Luckily, unlike Colton's, hers actually worked after jiggling the door knob a bit. Maybe it was the theatrical side of her, but she held her breath as she pushed the door open... and to no surprise, was not shocked in a good or bad way at what she saw. It was an average apartment. It wasn't ridden with trash or filled with prostitutes. In fact, it was silent. The lights were on inside but by the sounds of it, no one was home. That was a relief. It reminded Kacey that she was probably one of the only people in the building who was doing nothing for the holiday, but she tried not to focus on that now. Now, she just had to find which bedroom was hers and start moving in.

With a large bag that contained most of her bedding, she headed into the apartment and down the hall that held the bedrooms. The door to the first two bedrooms were closed, so instinctively, she headed towards the last door that had a door that was cracked open, but dark inside. Just in case someone was in there, she tapped on the door lightly as she pushed it open further. There was no noise on the other end, and once she found the light switch, she confirmed that the room was empty. The room had basic furniture in it, but nothing personal, so it was clear that this one was hers. Before going back out to get more boxes, she decided to set up her bed first. It wasn't going to feel like her space until that was personalized, and since she assumed the other apartment occupants were out of the building, and maybe even out of the city, celebrating with friends, she didn't feel weird leaving the rest of her boxes in the hallway for a few minutes.

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After Kacey left, Colton made himself comfortable on the couch. With a beer in hand, he flipped through the channels on the television before landing on the football game. His brothers and father had always been huge football fans, and despite not sharing that same passion as them, he could watch the games on TV without growing bored. Colton wasn't very sentimental, and even when he thought about his family, he usually didn't get emotional or upset. It sucked, being forced to choose between one's happiness and their family, but Colton didn't regret leaving home and cutting off his relationship with his parents. Sometimes he missed his mom, other times he wondered how his brothers were doing, but no amount of curiosity or nostalgia would make him want to subject himself to his family life again. He didn't grow up in a neglectful or abusive home, but he grew up in one where if you had your own thoughts, you were a traitor. If you didn't want to go to church every Sunday, if you ate without saying grace, and if you didn't hold strict, Christian, conservative, Republican opinions, there was something wrong with you. His father was a military man and he demanded respect from all four of his sons. For most of his life, Colton gave it to him. He tried to be a good son, he really did. When he got old enough to think for himself, it became harder, and then when he turned eighteen and his parents expected him to join the army without even considering his desires, he couldn't take it. He could only be a pretend version of himself to appease the bullies in school and the bullies in his family for so long, before he couldn't take it anymore. His mom's signature apple pie that she served every Thanksgiving reminded him of all of the good things that he missed about his family, but with the good, he always had to remind himself that there were ten times the bad to counteract that.

Just as he finished off his beer, his phone vibrated against his leg, signaling someone had texted him. Colton didn't have many friends. He had a couple of guys at the deli he worked at who he was cool with, but none of them texted him just to chat. If they did, he probably would have ended those friendships really quickly. He suspected it was Kacey, and he was right. She said, "Changed my mind....get the fuck over here and help me unpack!"

"This girl..." he muttered, shaking his head in exaggerated disbelief. A smirk had automatically appeared on his face when he read the text though. She needs to try a little harder to hide this crush she has on me,
he thought. He didn't really believe that Kacey liked him like that. Though she claimed to be bisexual, he had only ever seen girls coming in and out of the apartment with her, and regardless, he knew that even if she was into guys, it didn't mean she would be into him. Which was fine. He wasn't into her like that either, but it didn't stop him from wanting to tease her about it whenever she just so happened to desperately need him for something. He wasn't sure what had made her change her mind so suddenly about wanting his help, but he wasn't going to say no. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and he thought that maybe he would get lucky and one of the hot chicks from across the hall would just so happen to be outside their door when he walked out. It didn't happen, and he wasn't surprised, but a guy could dream.

A minute later, he was at Kacey's new door, and she opened it almost immediately upon hearing him knock. "So you realized that you really did need these muscles to help you out after all," he boasted playfully as he stepped inside. "Eh, not a bad place. A little bigger than my place, but I guess that makes sense for a three bedroom. Your new roommates out, or should I introduce myself and make it clear that none of them are gonna beat me out as being your number one roommate?"

"No one's here. The weirdest shit just happened, though. I didn't think anyone was here when I was coming in, and then all of the sudden I'm coming out of my room to get another box from the hall, and this girl comes out of one of the other rooms. She was a normal looking girl, but fuck, the stuff that came out of her mouth was so weird."

"What'd she say?"

"I don't even know... something about the apartment being family friendly, but that they fuck with 'non family friendly' stuff too? And I asked her what her name was, and she told me it could basically be Chanel. What the fuck does that even mean?"

"Aw, Kace, are you sure you're not just overreacting because you miss living with good old Hilary?"

"Shut up," she snapped, slapping him on the arm. Leave it to Colton to not take me now living with a psycho seriously, she thought bitterly. "You should switch apartments with me. The world won't be missing much when Chanel the crazy hoe chops you up with a butcher knife in the middle of the night, but if she takes me out, she's taking a future star in the making out. Who's more valuable-- a boy who spreads cream cheese onto bagels every day, or a girl who's destined to be the next Diahann Carroll?"

Colton headed towards the fridge after brushing off Kacey's slap. What they had in there would be a true testament to how crazy they were or not. "New Yorkers love their bagels, and I don't know who that is, so not such a compelling argument. Besides, the dude I'm living with seems chill, and the people you're living with have weird taste in food. That's a major deal breaker. No beer or Hot Pockets? Are they kidding me?" He shut the refrigerator doors and turned back to Kacey with a serious expression. "Maybe she is a maniac."

"You're uncultured and annoying," she rolled her eyes. Oh, right. This is why I hate him. It was impossible to talk to Colton about anything seriously. It wasn't like she regularly came to him looking to have heart to hearts, but dammit, he needed to switch rooms with her! First impressions said a lot about people, and the impression that Kacey was getting from one of her roommates wasn't a good one. She watched in exasperation as Colton continued to explore her apartment, pulling open drawers and then heading towards the hallway with the three bedrooms. "Your bedroom is the one at the end. You've got an amazing view of the brick wall of the building next door. Appreciate it."

"I'm telling you, Kace. I'm not switching with you. This apartment gives me bad vibes. They lure you in with the smell of good food, yet that fridge had nothing but some organic shit and fruit in it. You know that I can't work with that." He headed towards the last bedroom though, just to see where she would be living. Flipping on the light switch, he saw that she had set up most of her stuff. He never really went into her room in their old apartment, so he didn't remember it to a point where he could say that it was set up the same way. Regardless, it seemed like a decent living space, so it confirmed to him that she was just being dramatic. There was no way he was moving in here. Living with chicks seemed like a cool idea overall. They were usually cleaner than guys, always having nice smelling soap and air fresheners and stuff, but Colton's new roommate seemed like a decent one too. He sat down on the edge of her bed. "You wanna go get something to eat? Your psycho roommates are playing mind games on me, making this apartment smell like Thanksgiving and not actually having any decent food in that fridge for me to steal. How's Taco Bell sound to you?"

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"I'm not eating Taco Bell. That shit is disgusting."

"Sorry, didn't know you were suddenly a food critic. What about Boston Market? The one up on West 23rd? We can pretend we give a fuck about Thanksgiving and get turkey and mashed potatoes," he suggested. Colton wasn't a picky eater and the smells of traditional Thanksgiving food that were still coming from this apartment's kitchen had him craving Boston Market over Taco Bell anyway.

"Yeah, I could actually go for that. Let's go now though, before you're cool new roommate Chanel gets back to sever my throat. You're gonna love her though, don't worry," she said, looking at him seriously. She was convinced that she could get him to move into this room for her somehow. An idea came to mind, and she considered that maybe all it would take was buying him his Boston Market, and then paying for beer on the way back. She definitely wasn't against trying it at this point.

"Keep dreaming. You wanna walk or take the subway?" He leaned back on her bed, propping himself up with his elbows. Her bed was comfortable enough that he was ready to call it a night and pass out there, but it was going to take more than a comfortable bed to get him to agree to live with someone who Kacey continued to insist was crazy.

"It's only like ten minutes, right? I'm good to walk. I need to find my coat though, give me a minute." She moved away from the bed and turned to her closet. Before Colton had gotten there, she had time to hang most of her clothes that needed to be hung and put the others into the dresser. After retrieving her coat and a scarf, the only thing that she couldn't find were her gloves. It wasn't that big of a deal. The walk to Boston Market was only ten minutes, like she said, but her fingers and toes always seemed to freeze instantly when she was out in the cold, so she wasn't going to risk it, even with a short walk.

Colton was wearing a sweatshirt and leather jacket already, so he didn't need to return to his room to get ready. As Kacey headed over to her closet, he pulled out his wallet and saw that thankfully, he had cash on him. He had money in his account too, but he did his best not to touch it. Rent always crept up on him and he didn't know how many more of his checks would bounce before Larry kicked him out of the building all together. In their old apartment, he had an excuse, that he shouldn't have to pay full rent anyway when every time he went to bed, there was a chance that he'd be woken up to someone's sewer water dripping on his face, but now, he couldn't use that. He heard a noise from outside of the bedroom and glanced down at Kacey, who was squatting in the closet searching for something. She didn't look away, so he assumed she hadn't heard anything, and glanced at the open doorway, and then back over to heard. "You better hide in there, it sounds like your crazy roommate is back and ready to suck your blood."

"What?" Kacey questioned, snapping her head back with an irritated expression before she too heard footsteps, and a second later, someone calling out to someone named Chelsea. "Fuck!" she muttered. She couldn't remember what Makayla's voice sounded like, so it was hard for her to differentiate this one from Makayla's. For a second, she looked back at the closet as if hiding in there was actually a plausible idea that made any sense, before snapping back to reality and getting to her feet. She stuffed the one glove she had found into her coat pocket as she hurried to the bedroom doorway. Peering into the hall, she spotted a girl coming her way, but she looked nothing like the girl Kacey had met earlier. That brought her some initial relief, but the wave was short lived because she knew that this girl could be just as weird. Unsure of what to say, Kacey waited until the girl spoke to say anything.

"Oh my gosh, hi. I'm Chanel. I had no idea you were moving in today, I would have totally helped you. I'm so, so sorry. That was, uh, Makayla you saw earlier. She's next door at my friend's apartment. We're having this little Thanksgiving dinner thing and you're totally one hundred percent welcome to come. Seriously. There's plenty of food, alcohol. Everything. Do you need help with anything?" Well, she definitely seemed more normal. She was friendly, a bit more than an average person, which kept Kacey wary since the same could be said for the girl who was apparently actually called Makayla? And this girl was actually Chanel? Kacey didn't know who Chelsea was then, but she tried to keep track of the names as Chanel spoke.

"Hey, don't even worry about it. My old roommate, Colton, helped me out, so it was no big deal," she said first, as she stepped aside in the doorway slightly to show Chanel who she was talking about. "Larry actually just told me today, at like three, that he wanted me to move up here. Colton and I were down on the first floor but the shower from the apartment above us was literally leaking into our apartment, so we've been waiting for him to fix the problem or switch us out for a good six months now. But yeah, sorry to surprise you, and thanks. We'll probably just go grab something to eat in a little, though. Wouldn't wanna intrude on you guys..." She felt like that was a perfect answer, one that was polite and appreciative, but also got to the point that they weren't looking to socialize or introduce themselves to the community. It wasn't in either of their personalities... or so Kacey thought.

"I mean, Boston Market doesn't close til ten. I think we've got some time to stop over and introduce ourselves. I got to meet you and that ever-so-pleasant blonde, but I'm interested in meeting this Makayla now that we know you're actually Chanel."

Leave it to Colton to decide that free beer was worth not being such a hermit for once. "I don't know... we don't--"

"Come on, Kace. We'll only stay for a few minutes to introduce ourselves and say hi."

"Are you sure we won't be bothering all of you?" Kacey said, fighting back the urge to glare at Colton before she turned to Chanel again.

"Yeah, we'll just say hey, maybe grab a few beers. A bite of turkey, you know?" He normally wouldn't have been so playfully obnoxious, but it amused him seeing Kacey bothered but not able to lash out at him because she was trying to make a good first impression. And then... yeah, the free beer and food did play a role in it too.

Kacey knew that she was lucky to have a nice roommate who seemed normal, but in the moment, she was wishing that the girl wasn't quite as inviting as she was as she said, "You won't be bothering us at all. We wanted more people over anyway."

She wanted to sigh in defeat, but kept the smile on her face as Chanel spoke. She would look like the unfriendly bitch if she insisted that they didn't go. She didn't even have a good, solid reason for why they shouldn't go. She just wasn't in the mood to socialize, was still convinced that she could somehow make these girls Colton's new roommates, and she also was now just annoyed that Colton had agreed to go when he knew she didn't want to. "Okay, I'm down," she said, stepping away from the doorway for a moment to pass Colton, who had stood up since Chanel came in, and grab her bag from beside the closet. She was going to have to live with only one glove tonight, since she no longer had the time to search for the other. As she followed Colton and Chanel to the front of the apartment, she wanted to elbow him when he opened his mouth to say, "So, how long have you and... Makayla, been living here? You guys know each other beforehand?" She didn't know why he was suddenly being friendly when it was him who sat home and hung out with himself 99% of the time when he could have been putting this social side to use. She was, however, curious to hear what Chanel said. If she had to live with these girls for even a few days before she could bribe Colton into switching with her, it was going to be useful to know as much as she could about who she was living with.

"Well, I've been living here for about...two years, I think? And Makayla and her sister Holly moved in about six months ago. So I didn't meet her until then, but they're both really good roommates. Really sweet people. And Makayla's just a bit drunk tonight. I promise this isn't a usual thing at all. You'll hardly hear a peep out of her. Had you two known each other before rooming together?"

Kacey nodded along, tempted to say, "Oh, really? I hadn't even noticed", when Chanel brought up the other girl being drunk. It was good to know that that wasn't her normal personality, at least, but what was that about her having a sister? So there was going to be four of them living in there? It wasn't a huge deal at all, but Kacey wanted to make it out to be, just to validate her claim that she needed to move into Colton's room more. Since Colton seemed to be Mr. Friendly tonight, she allowed him to continue to be the voice of their group, but she quickly regretted it once again. "Ah, that's cool. So I guess the fifth floor is the home of the party people, and not the thieves like I was initially worried about," he commented. Kacey could say all she wanted to later about he was only being friendly to piss her off, but the good vibes he had gotten from this girl earlier were only being validated now. The free beer and food promise still did have something to do with it, but he was also in a better mood now knowing that he would have an excuse to accidentally bump into one of the model chicks every now and then when he wanted to hang out with Kacey. "And us? We actually met on Christian Mingle a w--"

"Um, no. Don't mind him, he's always annoying like this. I didn't know him until I got the key to my old apartment, and I'm thanking God that I'm finally getting rid of him after a year," Kacey said, laughing a little, but only so she didn't seem as bitter and annoyed with Colton as she felt right then. With Chanel being so friendly, she knew that she needed to at least act somewhat approachable too, but it was hard with him being such a dick. "Are you sure your friends won't mind?" Kacey asked once more when they were outside of their apartment. It was her one last chance to maybe get out of this.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King
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He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised, even if just a little, that Cara actually gave him twenty dollars. Roman only glanced at it on the counter for a second, having to look twice to confirm what he thought he'd just been imagining, but it was in fact a twenty. "Rehab from your smart ass mouth?" he said a he took it and held it up in the air, squinting at it. It mostly had to do with the fact that he was now, and unjustly so, twenty dollars richer, but he decided he'd back off. Just a little. Again, he was bored and no one was around, so it didn't really matter what he said so long as he didn't touch her. "But hey, with my new found riches, I could probably get us both our own needle if you ever wanna, you know." He pat the pit of his elbow and winked. Roman was well aware that Cara thought he did every single drug that was out there, including heroin, and while it annoyed the living shit out of him, he figured he'd play into it now. As he stuffed the twenty into his wallet, he glanced at her after looking around the kitchen. "You know, Cara," he began slowly, his tone softer than it had been seconds prior. He took his time to finish his sentence, first by putting his wallet in his pocket and then by looking for a fork. "I do have to give credit where credit is due though." When he finally found one, he stabbed it into the mac and cheese container and took a bite. He continued thoughtfully, purposefully. "You probably are one of the rudest people I've ever met." Clearly the backing off was short lived, if lived at all. As he finished chewing, he pulled the lemonade towards him, figuring he'd make a little concoction. "But at least you look nice tonight," he said without attempting to hide him look at her before turning his eyes away and shrugging nonchalantly. "And the food isn't shit."

Roman knew good and well that Cara hadn't lifted a thumb in the preparation or making of the food, but he decided against making some unnecessary comment about her cook had done a good job or something. The pies did look a little bit professional, but he was trying to eat them, so he wouldn't bite the hand that was feeding him until he'd actually eaten. Well, he wouldn't bite it as much. He knew he was just being a nuisance at this point, but he decided that he'd just blame it on the alcohol that couldn't possibly have anything to do with his actions since he'd only had a single beer. The assortment of food and dessert, while impressive and appealing, did look juxtaposed to the nearly vacant room. Holly and Isaac in the living room and then Makayla at the table. There weren't that many people to begin with, even though it did feel crowded earlier, but this was kind of sad. "Don't tell me you ran everyone out while Nick and I were gone," he said, and then, trying to deflect from his continued jabs, "Do you know where they went?" Just as he was finishing the rest of his sentence, the front door opened. He recognized Chanel's voice, and normally wouldn't have looked over, but he'd done so instinctively. Chanel wasn't alone though. Doing so before reminding himself not to, he furrowed his brows in confusion at the two new people behind her.

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Chanel dug into her pocket, forgetting at that moment that not only was the door unlocked, but that she didn't live there and so wouldn't have a key to even use. It was probably because she was too wrapped up in talking to the other two, and the fact that she was intoxicated and still a bit on edge with Kacey's sudden arrival. Her name was Kacey, right? She'd forgotten to repeat when the girl said her name. Her father had always told her to do that, as it was 'good business practice,' not that he'd ever owned his own business. He was one of those people who liked reading self help books on how to become a millionaire by thirty. "They won't," she said, still fumbling for which pocket her key was in. "But if you are nervous, Kacey, about coming in, you really don't have anything to worry about. I mean if you really want I could totally bring you a plate. I'm just realizing how in your face I'm being. Sorry about that. I kinda just talk without thinking sometimes. But I promise you that it's okay. We have so much food to spare, you'd be doing us a favor honestly." She smiled before scoffing at herself. "Where is this damn--ugh God. I'm so dumb." She turned the knob and opened it, rolling her eyes at herself, but in their direction. "Disclaimer, I'm kind of drunk too."

She opened the door and stepped out of the way, still holding it for them to come through before finally closing it behind them and locking it. "Heyyy, everyone," she said with a wide smile. She locked eyes with Cara first in order to nonverbally communicate to her to not freak out and to just go along with it. She was hoping that if she caught Cara's attention soon, that the girl couldn't make Colton and Kacey feel unwelcomed too soon. "This is Colton, and this is Kacey," she said gesturing to each one of them respectively. "Kacey's my new roommate and Colton's her friend. I invited them over and stuff. This is Makayla, Holly, Isaac, Cara, and Roman," she said as she pointed to everyone. "Aaaand the food's over there, guys. So help yourself." She went over to Cara, not acknowledging the perturbed glances from Roman who was standing close enough to Cara to suggest that they had actually been communicating, but that couldn't have been possible since neither of them had had their throats slit by the other. She hugged Cara lightly from the side with one arm. Her voice was tight with anxiousness, hoping that Cara wouldn't be too upset that Chanel came back with more people. "The desserts look great!" she said, although they looked about the same as they had before she left, just placed a bit differently. "Also, oh my god, you're so pretty up close. Most people are hella ugly, but you're actually so pretty."

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Character Portrait: Chanel Owens Character Portrait: Makayla Wright Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers
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Cara had glanced over at him when he had made a rebuttal about him needing rehab from her, but when she caught him examining the bill as if to make sure it wasn't fake, she scoffed, and refused to look up from the desserts until he began to speak about buying them needles. It was a comment that was so disgusting to her, that she refused to hide it in her expression as she glared about him. "You are absolutely despicable. Don't even look at me," she said after he had complimented her on the attire, and possibly the food. Claiming that it didn't taste like shit wasn't a compliment in her book, and actually, nothing he said would count as a compliment because she refused to consider his opinions as being valuable. The only reason why she felt her cheeks grow red was because he had caught her off guard with the compliment, and because he was pissing her off, she told her self. She knew that he was just trying to get under her skin, but joking or not, she would take his drug related comments as more evidence that she had been right all along about him. "I would take the money back, because I don't want to be contributing to your illness, but maybe I'll get lucky and the hit you buy with that will do the trick and kill you." A satisfied smile accompanied the dig, but it had taken her longer than she wanted to come up with it, so she had to respond to his earlier asked questions about the others after she had said it. "And please, the only person running anyone off is you and how disgusting you are," she said. She had only realized then that he had brazenly begun to eat macaroni right out of the serving dish, so her glare intensified as she leaned over to snatch the fork from his hands. Yup, disgusting was the perfect word. That, and annoying, unnecessary, classless, and irritating.

Chanel's voice was her saving grace... or so she thought. She broke her glare at Roman to offer the girl a relieved smile, only to find her coming in with two other people. One was easily recognizable as the boy who had come over looking for Isaac earlier, but the female was someone who Cara had never seen before. The girl being there caught her off guard, but she could have brushed off Colton being there as Chanel just actually being drunk enough to be trying to make a move on the guy she had been gushing about earlier. Cara then remembered that the only reason why Chanel had left was to see her new roommate, so this was probably her. She looked normal enough, and just because Chanel had been the one to bring her over, and it wasn't Ryan inviting his weird friends, Cara decided to play nice for the moment and smile as Chanel introduced them, confirming it was the new roommate. "Hey," she said with the smile, mentally patting herself on the back for being what she felt like was unnecessarily friendly to these strangers. Luckily for them, I love Chanel... and I owe her after today... Well, now we're actually even.

She continued to hover by the desserts, doing nothing really, until Chanel was by her side. Even though Chanel was always energetic, Cara was sure that a lot of her personality tonight was being amplified by the alcohol. She didn't mind it. Makayla was actually being quieter than Chanel at the moment, but Chanel's intoxication level felt controlled and like that of a normal person. It was the kind of drunk that Cara could have fun with, even though she felt like her buzz wasn't comparing to Chanel's at all. "I love you," she said in response to the compliment, wrapping both of her arms around Chanel for a quick squeeze, that she held for long enough to say, "but if you brought him back over here to fuck him in my room, I will kill you." She pulled away just in time to hear Holly calling her, and she gave Chanel a pointed look that meant "I mean it", before continuing over to Holly. "What will you like?" she repeated, contemplating the question as she looked over the desserts. "Well, two cupcakes looks like more than enough, so why don't you just start with that for now? We have so much that everything will still be here by the time you're done with that."

"Okay, but make sure no one eats it all, okay?" Holly said, seemingly unsure that Cara was being honest that it would all be there as Cara led Holly to the table that Makayla sat at.

"I promise it'll all still be there, Holl. Here, let's sit and eat at the table." As she got close enough, it was impossible to ignore the bottle of whiskey that hadn't been sitting in front of Makayla five minutes ago. She wanted to cringe at the sight. It was bad enough that Makayla was already this drunk, but drinking what Cara guessed was straight whiskey on top of that, was only going to make things worse. She had never seen Makayla like this to begin with, so she already thought this was as drunk as she could get. Any more drunk, and Cara was sure she would be passed out on her kitchen floor. She was used to taking care of Holly and it was something that came naturally to her, so Cara definitely possessed a compassionate side that some people didn't see, but she also didn't know how to take care of someone who always took care of themselves. It would have been different if this was Chanel on the verge of blacking out, but Makayla felt so much older to her. She just had always seemed so mature and capable and responsible, that it felt odd trying to look after her. She felt even more uncomfortable doing it with Holly standing right there, since she doubted Holly had even noticed anything was off with Makayla so far. After catching Chanel's gaze and giving her a "what the fuck?" look, she turned back to the girl seated at the table. "Makayla..." she began, unsure of where she wanted to take the conversation as she reached over and pushed the bottle of whiskey to the other side of the table. She didn't lunge for the cup Makayla had, but she felt like she should have too. "You can't keep drinking. You're already really out of it, girl. Seriously, I've never seen you like this before. Why don't you go back to your apartment and try to sleep for a little while? We can bring Holly and all of her dessert in, and we'll put a movie on for her since she doesn't seem as... ready for bed... as you are."

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Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Introductions were always awkward for Kacey, and even more so tonight, when she wasn't in the mood to be socializing with strangers to begin with. Earlier in the day, she had felt bad because she was going to be alone on Thanksgiving, but she would have much rather spent it alone than with strangers. She just decided that she would hold Colton to this plan to stay for five minutes to get some food, and then leave. She didn't care if that meant taking the food back to his apartment and eating it there, since this seemed to cancel out their Boston Market plans. She just knew that she didn't want to awkwardly sit in a stranger's apartment when everyone else there seemed to know each other. When chaos erupted on the other side of the room after Kacey and Colton had made plates that partially consisted of real food, and partially consisted of desserts, it was just one more reason for why Kacey knew this was a bad idea. She tried not to stare, and could tell that Colton was doing the same, but the kitchen wasn't that big where she couldn't hear almost every word that the first roommate she had met, was saying. It sounded like she was pissed as hell at the blonde girl, and Chanel was doing what she could to reel her back in. Her comment about Makayla being drunk was definitely on point, or so Kacey hoped, since the aggression the girl exhibited wasn't something anyone would want in a roommate's sober personality. It wasn't a great characteristic of a drunk either, but at least it was more excusable when alcohol was in the picture. "Now you're definitely switching with me," Kacey hissed when Colton was the only one close enough to hear her. "I didn't know for a fact that these people were this crazy until you forced me to come over here. Now the fact's been written in stone, and I'm not fucking with this type of crazy shit. You--" She stopped speaking when Isaac came closer. She didn't know that he was the boy that Colton was rooming with, but she guessed that he was friends with Makayla and Chanel if he was here celebrating a major holiday with them.

The food on her plate wasn't ice cold, but it was close enough to room temperature that she wanted to heat it up before eating it. The microwave was closer to the table side of the kitchen than it was to where she was standing, and she felt too uncomfortable to make the initiative to use it in general, but even more so when it meant she would have to get closed to the scene unfolding at the table. By now, she looked over for a second again, to catch Chanel supporting a good amount of Makayla's weight as she tried to lead her away from the table. She looked at Colton with another glare, as if to repeat her earlier comments about how she was not living with them, since she still couldn't say anything bad with Isaac standing there.

Unlike Kacey, Colton didn't mind that the food wasn't hot. He had already consumed all of the turkey he had put on his plate, and was buttering a roll, pretending he hadn't heard a word of Kacey's complaints, when Isaac came over. "Hey man, this is my old roommate, Kacey," Colton said, also pretending he hadn't heard what Isaac had mumbled about pills and alcohol. He was more brazen than Kacey when it came to being an ass, but he wasn't going to comment on Makayla's intoxicated state when he guessed, like Kacey, that everyone here was friends with her. "Kace, this is Isaac." He took a bite out of his roll, deciding that not only was this meal good because it was free and didn't require him to walk in the cold, but also because it was just good tasting in general. He was tempted to leave the rest of the dessert on his plate and just make a plate filled with dinner food, but decided to clear off the rest of the mashed potatoes and macaroni first. It wasn't going to take him more than three minutes anyway.

"Hey," she smiled. "It's nice to meet you." She wanted to add "future roommate", but only would have if Isaac wasn't actually close enough to hear. She didn't need to be the crazy new person in his eyes, that Makayla was in hers. Colton had gotten comfortable positioning his plate on one of the few empty spaces on the counter and eating while standing, but Kacey kept her plate in her hands. She definitely felt out of place and uncomfortable, and even more so when Chanel, the one who invited them, left. She took Makayla with her, which meant that both of her roommates were gone. That wasn't counting the sister that Chanel had mentioned earlier, who she also thought had been introduced as the redheaded girl moments before. She didn't know if that was right, considering that that girl looked absolutely nothing like Makayla. Makayla looked like she possessed Asian ancestry, along with some sort of African blood too, or maybe it was even a Hispanic lineage, like Dominican. She wasn't sure, but she definitely didn't look anything like the white girl with unnatural red hair that stood by the table. "Why don't we go back to your apartment and eat there?" she said, turning to Colton. Her voice was tainted with sweetness, but only because again, it wasn't just Colton who was there to hear it. She had to act nicer than usual to keep herself from seeming like she was ungrateful for the invitation over here in the first place. "It looks like everyone's getting ready to leave anyway."

"Yeah, alright," Colton agreed. It really did look like the party had ended the moment they walked in, and he didn't want to overstay his welcome either. He made sure to make a new plate, piling on much of the dinner foods that looked like they were going to be wrapped up and stored away for leftovers anyway, and then another plate of desserts. "You don't mind if we chill in the apartment, right?" he addressed Isaac after he was ready to leave. It was now his apartment too, but it felt like a common courtesy to ask, just in case.

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Caraline Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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Somehow, Chanel managed to get Makayla out of the apartment without anyone getting clawed up, which Isaac thought was a small victory of some kind. He was a little impressed with the outcome, honestly, because Chanel had obviously had a drink or two herself. She'd managed though.

He hadn't actually realized who he'd ended up next to until Colton spoke, easily stealing his attention. He winced a little because he'd honestly forgotten those two had showed up right before shit hit the fan. Fantastic introduction to the floor, if he said so himself.

It was nice to have a name to the girl, and to know they were probably fairly good friends, which meant he might end up seeing her around a bit. He was glad he was mostly sober for once in his life, because he was going to manage to remember everything that had happened in the span of only a handful of hours. "Hey, yeah, nice to meet you too," he responded with his usual smile. She seemed nice enough. Uncomfortable, but honestly who the hell wouldn't be?

His last thought was farther validated when Kacey turned to Colton, suggesting they get the hell out. Again, Isaac didn't blame her in the least. He did smirk a little as he watched Colton pile his plate up, though. There was a good bit of food left, so Isaac didn't say anything, and just shook his head when Colton asked if he cared if they hung out at the apartment. "Nah, go for it. I'll probably be home soon myself but, I mean, that's fine..." Like Kacey had pointed out, 5B was emptying, and after she and Colton left there were only four of them. And he, obviously, didn't belong.

He'd managed to get through most of his dessert, just had one cookie left, so he kept that and put his plate away. He was just finishing off his drink when Roman passed him and canceled their plans; Isaac had to admit he wasn't surprised, but mildly disappointed. After all that, he'd been looking forward to a smoke and some chill time. Kind of like a reward for actually showing in the first place. But he just nodded, repeated a quick 'later', and then went to make his leave.

On his way, he passed Cara in the livingroom with Holly. The redhead still seemed a little frazzled after everything that had gone on, and Cara seemed tired, even as she had her phone in her hand. Isaac knew the best thing he could probably do would be to get out and get out fast, but there was still a boy inside of him that had striven to be well mannered regardless of where he came from. It'd backfired in his youth, of course, but the habits still remained. So he found himself hesitating at the door.

"Um, hey, Cara...thanks for...you know, letting me come." Or at least for not kicking him out, which he felt he should add. Technically his invitation had come through Ryan, but the younger Forrester was nowhere to be found and Isaac definitely wasn't going to go looking for him. He nodded, feeling like he'd done enough, and headed home.

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Character Portrait: Colton King
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L & M Delicatessen was only a five minute walk from Colton's building, so his commute was never bad. He didn't mind working there, really. Despite what his parents would say about him being lazy and having no drive, he was a good worker. He was always on time, efficient when working, and almost always in good spirits. The deli was a family owned business, and luckily, the owner and his son, who now managed the place, both liked Colton. The other guys who worked behind the counter got along with him well too, and that made his job that much more enjoyable. Unlike jobs in retail or restaurants, his customer-interaction levels were pretty low. Occasionally he was put on the register and took people's orders, but most of the time, he was behind the cashiers making sandwiches and fulfilling orders. L & M wasn't a huge place, but they had a pretty big menu. Breakfast was served all day, from six in the morning when they opened, to one in the morning when they closed. They offered an array of items, including everything from traditional bagels and muffins, to egg combos, pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, omelettes, bacon sandwiches and grilled cheeses. Come lunch time, they served a countless number of sandwich combos, as well as salads, gyros, burgers, fries, mac & cheese, wraps, chicken, soups and chili. They had a lot to offer and the people of Chelsea seemed to like the place, and having consistent, regular customers made him like the job and workplace environment even more. It was a good job, really. Colton had little complaints, and his eight hour shifts from five in the morning until one in the afternoon usually flew by.

On busier days like today, he would usually skip his break. It was a thirty minute paid break, so most employees would jump at the chance to be able to sit down and relax for a little while, but Colton didn't mind working through it. He didn't want to upset the balance in the team by having one less pair of hands available during their lunch rush, which was arguably even busier than their morning breakfast rush. Besides, it was now nearing eleven-thirty, which meant that he had less than two hours before he went home. He already knew that his lunch choice today would be a meatball parm hero, but he would bring it home once his shift ended. A sandwich as good as that didn't deserve to be eaten at a tiny table when he only had a rushed thirty minutes to appreciate its goodness.

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Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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The lunch shift was always busy and because of this, Colton ended up staying a little later after one, when his shift usually ended. He had Saturday and Sunday off, so Friday was payday for him. Luckily, he was paid off of the books so he got it all in cash, with no taxes taken out. His deli job treated him well enough that it took care of the the bills, beer and food, but not much more. That was okay with him though, because he didn't want or need more than that. He had about $500 in his savings account set aside for emergencies that he doubted would ever occur, so he was fairly satisfied with his life, financially speaking, at least. It wasn't something that would ever support a family but right now, Colton was happy with his family consisting of "me, myself and I". At least before yesterday, he got all of the socialization he needed from work and from living with Kacey. There were days when he craved more... maybe a real set of friends to go out to the bars with to watch sports games, or maybe even a girlfriend... but he didn't need any of that either. He was the kind of person who wanted it and wouldn't complain if he had it, but was too lazy to actually go out of his way to fix it. Living on the fifth floor, doors away from a bunch of girls who he was still convinced were models might change that, but he wasn't planning on really acting on it as deeply as he had acted in front of Kacey. Even as he made his way through the fifth floor's hallway, the major thing that was on his mind was the chicken parm hero in his brown paper bag and the six pack of Bud Light in his other hand.

With the correct key now, he managed to open his apartment door without a hassle. Getting inside, he found something that he hadn't expected. There was music playing and Isaac was laid out on the living room floor working on some sort of drawing. It felt stranger than it actually was because Colton wasn't expecting it. There wasn't anything wrong with someone being into art, but it just was not the kind of guy that Colton pinned Isaac to be. He wasn't the type of person who was very hard to please, but he could admit that he had been hoping that the apartment would be vacant when he returned home. Chicken parm heroes were a pretty big deal, and they deserved a perfect setting to be eaten in. Having to sit in the kitchen which overlooked the living room felt intrusive and even if it didn't make Isaac uncomfortable, Colton knew that he wouldn't be able to kick back and relax in the way he used to in his old apartment. Those formality type feelings would probably vanish within the next week or so, but for now, he still felt like he had to try to act decent. "Hey, man," he said as he passed through the living room and acknowledged Isaac with that and a casual nod and into the kitchen. He set his bag and beer down on the table and left them there as he headed into his bedroom. He changed out of his work t-shirt into a plain black one, and left the jeans and sneakers he had on, before texting Kacey, saying, "U home? I wanna eat at ur place. Free up the TV for me". He knew that there was a good possibility that she was at work or just out doing something else, so he didn't leave his apartment yet. Instead, he returned to the living room and kitchen area and cracked open one of his beers. He wanted to dig into his sandwich but thought that it would ruin the vibes if he were to open it up here and start eating it, only to have to move in a few minutes when Kacey answered, so he resisted the urge to pull at the tin foil it was wrapped in.

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Character Portrait: Kacey Rogers Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Ryan Forrester
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#, as written by Thunder
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To: Colton
Nah chill. You're not welcome here unless u wanna switch apartments

She didn't mean it as seriously as she had the night before, because at least now, she knew that Makayla was a normal person. The conversation that she had had with the girl before she and her sister left was more than normal, it was actually nice. It made the unsettling vibes that she had originally gotten from Makayla vanish into thin air, and though it was for reasons more vain than Kacey wanted to admit, the reasons weren't what mattered to her. All she cared about was that she could be comfortable in this apartment that she was paying rent for. Makayla's sister was likely to become a problem, but Kacey would try to keep herself together on that front. She didn't think of herself as not being a people person. At the very least, she was at least good at pretending to be one when her tips at work depended on it. More so, she just struggled to act like she cared or was tolerant of behavior that bothered her. If someone's presence was a nuisance, she was bound to say something. She didn't want to come across as being a bitch on her first day in the place but at the same time, not being able to leave her room without being bombarded by questions and chatter wasn't going to fly. For now, she was glad that she had been left alone with some peace and quiet that allowed her to make her lasagna, finish organizing her bedroom, clean up her work space from the lasagna, take it out and add the layer of mozzarella cheese on top, and then pop it back into the oven for another fifteen minutes.

Typically, the oven timer went off just as there was a knock at the door. She wasn't going to let that hour and a half of hard work go down the drain for nothing, so she hurried to remove the tray from the oven first. After tossing her oven mitts onto the table, she hurried over to the door to open it. "Hi?" she said, the tone relating to the confusion she felt upon seeing the stranger with that much food, before realizing that it came out sounding bothered and unfriendly. She had to remind herself that this was no longer she and Colton's apartment, where no one that she didn't know was coming in and out of the apartment. For all she knew, this was another one of Makayla's definitely-not-blood-related siblings. "The other girls aren't home right now," she continued, trying to sound softer now. "If that stuff is for them, you can leave it inside and I'll let them know you left it."

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Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin
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As expected, Isaac ended up completely lost in his art. He only got up once or twice to stretch his tired fingers, turn the record over, or drink more tea. He ended up with a nice buzz, lead stained fingers, and more than one canvas covered in sketches that he would paint later...maybe soon, if his mood stayed up.

He was still zoned in when the apartment door opened, and for a moment Isaac actually forgot he had a new roommate, not the people who were used to him taking up all the room when he felt like it. Colton's voice startled him, just enough to drag his eyes away from the canvas he was working on, and he gave a smile. "Sup dude," he responded in a way that was more acknowledgement than expecting an actual answer.

Which was fine, because Colton ended up moving to his bedroom anyway. Isaac debated for a moment, between not moving at all and actually taking a break. New people always made him uncomfortable because they were uncomfortable. It was like the first week Oliver had been there all over again.

So Isaac got up, stretched out, and took the needle off the record player, pulling the apartment back into silence. That kind of made his skin itch, but it was fine. He was good.

Colton retreated to the kitchen, and Isaac heard the familiar sound of a beer open up as he went back to his drawings, sitting down this time. He liked his High Art for the colors and the imagination, but his line work was particularly good when he was (mostly) sober, so he counted the last couple of hours as a win as he pulled a canvas into his lap and worked on smoothing out a few details. "I can move if you want to, like, chill or something," he finally offered. "I don't mind at all. I can draw anywhere, don't have to be taking up all the space."