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Weston Cullen

0 · 1,211 views · located in Miami, FL

a character in “Another Year at Fulton University!”, as played by BurningBridges

Description

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"You don’t realize how alone you are until you’re staying up every night thinking about things you should never think of and you cant tell anybody because you have nobody to tell."




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Name:
Weston Leonardo Cullen

Nicknames:
Wes, West

Age:
19

Gender:
Male

Birth Date:
August 12th

Sign:
Leo

Sexuality:
Bisexual

Ethnicity:
50% Polish, 25% German, 25% Portuguese

Major:
Architectural Engineering (although he's considering changing it)

Occupation:
He's working as a college campus tour guide this year.




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Childhood/Family Life:
Weston's family life was average, if not pleasant, growing up. He lived in a traditional home with married parents, an older sister and older brother, and a younger sister. His father owned a law firm in Boston, and his mother worked as a paralegal there. The Cullen's were always well off, though they were never exceptionally wealthy. Grant and Monica always provided well for their children, and they were able to survive in an upper class suburb outside of Boston, while sending all four of their children to private school, and affording a few nice vacations a year, without any strain on their finances. They weren't buying islands or flying around in private planes, but they could run with the best of them in the upper class suburb that they lived in, so they were always content with their finances. His parents' marriage was healthy, and they treated their children well, so Weston doesn't have an abnormal or tragic back story. His parents always expected him to do his best, but they never pushed him so hard that he had anxiety over bringing home exam scores that were less than A's, or admitting that he hadn't made it onto the varsity sports team that he tried out for. It helped that he was always a bit of a mama's boy, so any disappointment that his father might have had for him never reached Wes' ears when he was a young boy.

When Weston was around twelve, however, he began to face an internal conflict. Despite being raised in a Roman Catholic household, where he was taught at a young age that homosexuality was a sin, he found himself not only feeling attracted to females, but males as well. For a while, he really tried to ignore it. He acted like any other thirteen year boy, engaging in silly relationships with the girls in his grade, where a peck on the lips was a huge deal. In the back of his mind, though, it was so hard to deal with how he had other feelings that he was taught were wrong. For a while, he hated himself for feeling that attraction, but surprisingly, by senior year, he came to terms with who he was. He was absolutely never openly bisexual, and he never engaged sexually with males at all, but he had found a little bit of inner peace that he hadn't possessed before. Even if he couldn't be open about who he was with the rest of the world, he was open with himself. He taught himself that the church's teachings were outdated and at times, hateful, though he still found it easiest to keep that to himself, and continue to be the perfect son in public, that his parents trusted him to be.

Although his parents really wanted him to attend Boston College, the school that they both graduated from, that his older sister graduated from, and that his older brother was currently attending, Wes knew that he needed to get away. He needed to get out of Massachusetts, and out of his family's grasp, so that he could really find and embrace himself. Fulton University was the perfect option for him. The campus was known for its prestige, yes, but additionally, its diversity and acceptance levels. It was far enough away from his family that he wouldn't feel the threat of a family friend seeing him doing something his parents wouldn't approve of, and going back to them. It was perfect... until his father learned that the campus sported Greek Life. Of course, Grant insisted that he pledge Beta, and though Wes was away from home now, he still had that "good son" persona in him, so he went through with it.





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Quirks//Habits//Oddities: At least four of these. Everyone has them.

Good personality traits:
Approachable • Thoughtful • Social • Confident

Bad personality traits:
Susceptible to peer pressure • Insecure • Secretive • Vain

Personality:
Weston is a Beta for a reason, but for the most part, personality-wise, he's a watered down version of his Beta brothers, and that's for the best. Like most of the other Betas, he has an appeal factor to him. He's attractive, social, and respectable. Teachers love him, his friends' parents have always commended him for having such wonderful manners and being so well behaved (around those who matter), and he's always willing to join in on fun with friends. He possesses a sense of confidence that's admirable, and he walks around with an air that speaks to how he's someone who's comfortable with himself, knows what he wants, and isn't afraid to ask for it. If only that were really true on the inside, and Wes would be set. In fact, he might actually be a true Beta if that were the case.

Unlike his Beta brothers, Wes struggles to truly maintain that arrogant front that they all seem to wear so naturally. All of the traits described above are things that he's capable of feeling, but during his early teenage years, he realized that he was bisexual. That was when his true and genuine confidence level plummeted. He was only able to fit in with the "cool" crowd and keep his friends because he kept his sexuality closeted, and although he did and still believes that it's worth it to live in denial, it has taken a toll on his mental state. Even now in college, he has found himself feeling less and less attached with his real identity, and that more and more, he's falling susceptible to the crowd's influence. If his fraternity brothers say that something is cool, he'll agree without even thinking about it, just because he wants to fit in. Over the past few years, he has started struggling with anxiety due to the fear that's instilled in him about being outed sexually. He knows it would disappoint his family, and likely, make him lose all of his friends as well. So, as a defense mechanism, he's fallen into the habit of going along with the crowd (his fraternity brothers), and acting arrogantly and cruelly, in fear that standing out and speaking his mind will turn attention on to him.

People who know the real Weston know that this persona he's taken on is something that he truly struggles with internally, because really, he is a good guy. He's always been the kind of guy who has been confident and likes being popular, but he has always tried to be popular by being well-liked. Unlike now, his goal was always to be well-liked for good and pure reasons, like people appreciating his sense of humor, how he loves helping people, and is awesome at giving advice.

Greatest joys in life:
What makes your character happy? Is it food? Family? Friends? Money? At least four.

Greatest fears:
What terrifies your character? It can range from mental to physical

Life philosophy:
"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein




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❤ Boston
❤ Soccer
❤ Sour candy
❤ Disney movies
❤ Snow
❤ Cold beer
❤ Feeling accepted
❤ Helping people
✘ Pressure and being forced to make decisions
✘ How he's aware that he falls to peer pressure a lot, but won't stop himself
✘ Sleeping in a hot room
✘ Rainy days
✘ Fast food
✘ Snakes
✘ Whole wheat bread
✘ Airplanes




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Thoughts on Greek Life:
Weston believes that the Betas are the best fraternity on campus. They're the guys that everyone wants to be, and yet, it's gotten to a point for him where he wishes he wasn't one. He would never admit it, but he wishes that he was in a fraternity that was more accepting, like the Kappas or Sigmas. It's hard having to conform to the Betas standards when a lot of what the Betas are, revolves around being arrogant and unpleasant to people from other fraternities. It's easier for Weston to be less discriminatory towards sororities, since his brothers can joke about how he just likes to "get around" and that they can't blame him for wanting as big of a contestant pool as possible when it comes to sex, even if he generally just makes friends in the sororities besides Alpha because he genuinely likes the people.

Plans for after college:
Wes really wants to be a teacher, but with the major that his parents pushed him into, he's not going to be able to do that. If he can work up the courage, he might change his major to teaching and deal with having to take extra courses over the winter or summer to make up for starting the program late. However, at this point, even he doubts that he'll be able to tell his parents that he wants to trade in the potential of making six figures to be a teacher, a job that's traditionally more of a working class job. So, to put it simply, he doesn't know, even remotely, what his life after college is going to look like.




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Build:
6'3, 186 lbs,

Hair Colour:
Brown

Eye Colour:
Brown

Style: What is your characters style. I appreciate Links but please include a description as well.

So begins...

Weston Cullen's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Ya Ya Silva Character Portrait: Abigail Chu Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault
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G U Y SXNXT I E SX&XG I R L SXW /XP E A R L SX

Location: Miami, Florida, USA
Time: 8:15 PM
Most people spend Sunday trying to prepare themselves for the droll and unwanted responsibilities that come about come the dreaded Monday morning. They sip their tea, drink that last bit of wine, and lay in bed trying to decide if they're really going to be petty enough to pretend like they're sick in this call to their office, scrounging up every excuse in the book as to why they can't go to work, school, or wherever the daylight happens to take them. However, for the students at Fulton University, instead of the lackadaisical doings of their typical Sunday evenings, the air around campus (and throughout the city) is alive with anticipation as people pre-game and prepare for a night of carefree drinking, dancing, and even drama...

...especially drama, particularly when the Greek life students are involved.

Some students are still in dorms, apartments and houses getting ready for the Guys in Ties & Girls in Pearls event hosted by Fulton's own Greek Life Alumna Association. Girls are just finishing the finishing touches to their hair or just sliding into velvet dresses, lacing up and slipping into heels of various styles. Sipping on glasses of wine or champagne, giggling over their shared excitement over how the night could unfold and the plans they've already made. Maybe even the tipsiness they already have. And guys are fastening on cuff links, straightening up the suits some just got from dry-cleaning or delivered by their favorite tailoring services. Quaffing glasses of scotch or taking shots to the head in preparation for how absolutely trashed they're bound to be by night's end.

Regardless of where everyone is - even those who are known for being rather prompt as opposed to fashionably late - it's bound to be a night of sensuous, luxurious, riveting and possibly even scandalous fun...so just like the Alumna Association asked on twitter, where can we find you?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Naomi Sato Character Portrait: Nicholas Reyes Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Eliana Bain
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_____ T H EXP E R F E C T I O N I S T _____

Outfit: Currently a white fluffy robe
Location: Theta Chi House { Her Bedroom }
Dialogue Color ✦ #06916C
Thought Color ✧ #985D5A




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_____ T H EXG O O DXG U Y _____

Outfit: Here
Location: Theta Chi House
Dialogue Color ✦ #FF5100
Thought Color ✧ #AF0100



"Maybe I should just..." Nicholas paused, sighing as he leaned his head against the door to Amaris' bedroom. Most of the other Thetas had already left with the promise of texting Amaris when they arrived. Some were just going out for drinks and something to actually eat before the Guys in Ties & Girls in Pearls event since the most that would be served were hors d'oeuvres. After church service Amaris had grudgingly attended for Nick's sake, they had partaken in a very late lunch at a Cuban restaurant that left them both still relatively full, so they had separated for some wind down time before getting ready. Amaris paused on the bed, her left hand in the jar of As I Am's DOUBLEBUTTER® CREAM, and glanced at the closed door, an eyebrow raised in question that Nick could see without actually being face-to-face with the Theta president. "Maybe I should just change. Ya know, it won't even take that long and not many people'll see me if I just - " Amaris sighed herself before cutting him off. "Let me see," she requested before swiping a bit of the rich emollient onto her fingers so that she could rub into her palm. Nick fought back a whine. "But - " Amaris hurried up with her demand of "Now!" that elicited a groan. Chuckling to herself, Amaris proceeded to liberally apply the cream to her hair, running her covered digits through her curls and coils so that each individual strand received the moisturizing blend of natural butters and organic oils.

While Nick counted to ten into his head before opening the bedroom door and stepping inside, shoulders too tense for his own good and pose too awkward to be comfortable. No matter, though, because once Amaris caught sight of him, she was wearing a wide enough grin that it was hard to ignore the small gap in her two front teeth that she swore up and down - combined with her freckles - didn't make her look as adorable as Nick had once stated. "Hello, Daddy," she purred and Nick glared, exasperated. "Yep, I'm changing," he stated firmly and Amaris was on her feet, though her hands never left her hair. "Okay, okay, I'll stop, Jesus." She rolled her eyes at the uncomfortable hand Nick ran over his hair, hurrying up to get the cream off of her hands and onto her hair so that she could use them. "You look good, babe, I swear." To which he answered with a distrustful glance and retorted, "Yeah, cuz I let you dress me like the dudes you seem to like." Amaris painted on her face a rather insulted expression, placing a hand over her covered chest while the other one grasped a hold of her vibrating cell phone. "Okay, first of all, I resent that. If I was really trying to dress you like any of the guys I like, you just wouldn't have any clothes on, I'm just saying." Nick guffawed at that and offered a "wow" while she seemed to continue as if she didn't hear him at all. "Second, if I let you go back to your room now, you won't come back out and I really don't have time to be owning Fulton any money for a damn door." Which was true. In the four years that they had known one another and been best friends, Nick had obstinately refrained from attending two events and proved that his stubbornness could not be matched, at least not when Amaris actually wanted to go out and was not about to spend the night outside his door trying to convince him that going out was a great idea. "And furthermore, you actually do look good, Nicky. Like, really good. I sent a pic of the clothes to Jenny and Gigi, and they both loved it. I would never set you up."

Nicholas knew this. He had gotten the stamp of approval from both of his little sisters before he had even gotten out of the shower earlier. He also trusted Amaris, particularly with fashion, but with pretty much everything. She had rarely ever steered him wrong. At the same time, it wouldn't be inherently him if he didn't feel self-conscious, nervous. And he had every reason to be. While he admitted that in the last few days, things had slowed down, just a little, between himself and Weston, he hadn't exactly explained to Amaris - who, thankfully, hadn't pressed - why things had slowed down. As much as he knew they probably would share a laugh over his reckless behavior, how comfortable can any one person be with admitting that they had gotten caught getting very comfortable with being on their knees for and in between their boyfriend's legs just as their frat brothers walked into their bedroom? Particularly when said boyfriend-not-boyfriend was Wes, a Beta, and his Big, Hudson, (who already seemed to hate everything that nick was, was the one who caught them. Nick could still feel the mortification welling up within him and it made his shoulders sag from the tension he had entered the room with. Which Amaris noticed but said nothing about as he dropped into a seated position on her bed. "I know, I know," he said finally, shaking his head after at her questioning look to which she nodded in understanding. He wasn't ready to have the conversation and unless it seemed absolutely detrimental to his existence to have the conversation, Amaris wasn't going to force it out of him. "You know how I can get with things like this." Nick rubbed tiredly at his eyes, belatedly recalling that he was wearing contacts instead of his glasses. Amaris smiled softly.

"How about this, babe? I take a pic of you and send it to Eli and Omi. If they text me by the time I'm ready to go and say that they like it, then you know you're good. If not, we'll stop by the house and you can change," she offered and he smiled gratefully. Appeased, Amaris smirked and with the camera already opened on her phone, she snapped a faceless pic to send to the two girls before plugging the phone back up to its charger. "Alright, get out. Mama needs to get ready." She stated and Nick chuckled, chucking one of her smaller pillows at her and hightailing it out of the room before the retaliating pillow could hit him. Still laughing softly to himself, Nick thought about it for a moment before taking a small selfie of his own and proceeding to send a text to Wes, even as his nerves told him that it wasn't a good idea.

To: Wes
Whatcha think?

To: Eli, Omi
Baby boy feels self-conscious. What do you girls think?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Maddox Rei Izumi Character Portrait: Nicholas Reyes Character Portrait: Andre Rocha Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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#, as written by M95
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H U D S O N - A L L E N
Location: Beta House
Outfit: Here
Hex Color:

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W E S T O N - C U L L E N
Location: Beta House
Outfit: Here
Hex Color:
"Dustin, pour me a glass of scotch," Hudson ordered, walking out of his bedroom just as a sophomore Beta passed by. The younger boy already appeared to be ready to leave, but nodded eagerly at Hudson's request. Given that Hudson had spoke to Dustin's Big, James, just a couple of minutes before, he knew that neither of the boys were running out of the house at that very minute. Anyway, even if they were, Hudson knew that they would simply have to wait. He wanted his whisky, and he was too busy to get some himself. At least that was what he would claim, if the boy objected, which would never happen to begin with. Really, though, it wasn't like Hudson was standing around doing nothing. After leaving his bedroom, he headed down the hallway to Weston's room, and knocked on the door. He would have just barged in, had he not tried to do that and found that it was locked, and in the moment he stood outside the door, he stepped across the hall to bang on Archie's door. It was a loud knock, but only playfully so, especially once he heard Maddox's voice on the other end too. As long as Archie's Big was in there with him, Hudson knew that was one less Beta he had to worry about. "You two better hurry up and get down there. If us Betas don't show our faces, every sorority girl on campus is going to go lesbian rather than having to choose a Kappa or Sigma to go home with. You know how big we are on community service, boys. Let's be good citizens and keep the ladies happy tonight, but that doesn't mean I approve of any pity fucks. If you plan on bringing home a Theta, you better text me first for approval." Hudson was purposely being a pompous jerk, and the boys behind the door would know that, but as playful as he was being right now, it was hard for people who didn't know him to distinguish when he was being playfully arrogant and offensive, like now, and when he was just being himself. The two sides were so similar, and his serious personality contained many of those traits too, that you had to actually know Hudson, and the tones of voice that he used in different situations, to tell whether he was being serious or not.

Weston had spent most of Sunday afternoon trying to get ready for tonight's big affair. Like most of the Beta boys, it wasn't hard for Wes to look good. His wardrobe consisted of more than just sweatpants and t-shirts, and he had brought up by parents that insisted that one's appearance mattered. Therefore, he wasn't opposed to wearing clothes that were geared towards black tie events, and it wasn't hard for him to pick out a suit and bow tie from his closet that fit the night's dress code. He showered and shaved, eliciting jokes from his fraternity brothers about how he loved like a twelve year old with his cleanly shaven face that he brushed off, and was dressed and ready for the night by eight o'clock. He had opened his laptop then, trying to get in a little bit of last minute work in for a class he had the next day, when his phone buzzed with a text from Nicholas. As he looked at the picture, his mouth immediately turned upwards into a smile, but he nearly dropped his phone in a fit of anxiety when there was a knock at his door, and he heard Hudson's voice on the other side. Almost instantly, he swiped a finger over his conversation with Nick to the left, and hit delete to delete it in its entirety. The last thing he needed right now was for Hudson to see that boy's name on his phone, even if seeing it had almost instantly given Wes butterflies. By the time that he had gathered himself, put his laptop away, double checked his appearance in his mirror and opened his bedroom door, Hudson had finished whatever he was saying to Archie's closed door, and had a glass of something in his hand. Weston automatically assumed it was scotch, which was Hudson's go-to drink. Seeing that made him crave a glass too, but given what time it was already, he wasn't opposed to just waiting until they got to the venue. "What's up?" he said to Hudson, patting his pocket to confirm that along with his phone, he also had his wallet on him.

"Good, you're ready," was all that Hudson answered with, once Weston emerged from his bedroom. He looked the boy up and down once, before nodding in approval. A voice in the back of his mind spoke, saying, 'See, the kid is Beta material. He fucked up once, but once he's dating an Alpha, he'll know not to fuck up like that again.' Although Hudson normally preferred to drink his scotch slowly, savoring the quality of the top shelf liquor he always kept on hand, he drank his glass fairly quickly now, as he led Weston downstairs. A car was waiting for them, but it wasn't an Uber or a cab. He had scheduled for a limousine to pick them up, but only because it wasn't only him and Weston who would be traveling in it. "Come on, we don't want to keep our Alpha ladies waiting," Hudson said once they were outside, ignoring the confused look on Weston's face upon seeing the car.

"Even for you, a limousine seems a little 'much' for such a short drive," Weston commented lightly, looking at Hudson with a curious smirk.

"Only the best for Audrey. Besides, you have a girl of your own you get to woo now too. You can thank me later, but I managed to set you up with Charlotte Arnault," Hudson explained, only half-interested in the conversation he was having, as the rest of his attention was focused on his phone as he texted Audrey to say that he was on his way, and also to read Valentine's text message. He smirked at it, but opted not to respond right away, in favor of continuing speaking. "After whatever the fuck that was I walked in on last week, I was worried about you. No Beta of mine, nonetheless my Little is going to be doing gay shit in my own house. Trust me, Weston, I was pissed off after that. I was considering terminating your brotherhood with the Betas, but I know you, and I know that whatever that was, wasn't you. You're probably going through shit and somehow, that seemed like a good idea, but you should have just told me that you needed to get laid. Your problem's solved now, though. You're going to date Arnault until further notice, even though I'm sure it'll only take one night in bed with a girl like her for you to be following her around like a lost puppy. Again, you can thank me later. Right now, just try and act charming, Wes. We've got an image to maintain."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Audrey Green Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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A U D R E Y - G R E E N
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #00cc00

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H U D S O N - A L L E N
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #4A4A4A

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W E S T O N - C U L L E N
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #536878
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C H A R L O T T E - A R N A U L T
Outfit: Here
Jewelry: x, x
Hex Color: #9f7d64
"Warning - I wasn't able to preempt Charlotte for what's going on here. I'm assuming you've already spoken to Weston?" was the first thing that Audrey said, when she and Charlotte got into the car. The duo were met by Hudson and Weston, with the former looking far more comfortable and at ease than the latter. It was a scene that Audrey expected to walk into, given that she and Hudson had discussed that it would be best for each of them to explain the situation to their Greek house member before getting together. Audrey hadn't had the time to tell Charlotte, but just looking at Weston's face allowed Audrey to assume that Hudson had held up his side of the agreement.

There was tension in the car, and had been since he had revealed to Weston what was really going on here, but the moment that Audrey stepped into the car, Hudson was smiling again. It was a smile that he couldn't help being there, and it was as if there was no wiping it off of his face, even if he wanted to. Why he was so mesmerized with Audrey, he would never really know, but it was noteworthy that Hudson wasn't even undressing her in his head as he looked at her, like he did to most girls. "Can't you tell by that enthused smile on his face?" he answered, not looking at Weston then, but knowing that there was no smile on his face. He sent him a hard glare that was sure to signal that he better put one on his face now, if he knew what was good for him, though.

"Perfect, then let's get Charlotte in the loop," Audrey smiled, looking at Weston briefly, in an attempt to re-read his expression in some way that would allow her to believe that maybe he wasn't as bothered as he looked, and that he had taken the news well enough to convince herself that Charlotte might to. She turned to Charlotte a second later, with an eager smile, as if she had amazing news that she couldn't wait to share. If business failed for her (which she knew it wouldn't), at least she could have a backup career in acting...

"Yeah... I'd appreciate it." It was the first thing that Charlotte had said since getting into the limousine, and that was mostly because she was really confused about what was going on. It would have been strange enough to have to sit in a limo for the duration of the ride with just Audrey, but adding Hudson and Weston into the mix was perplexing. Hudson would have been one thing, since she knew that he and Audrey were close friends. Had Weston not looked so uneasy, and had Audrey not brought Charlotte along because she wanted to talk, then maybe Charlotte could have pieced this together as Audrey and Hudson wanting to ride together, and Weston being invited because he was Hudson's Little. Given the situation in reality, though, there was no way to logically explain why she was here, and what Audrey was going to get her "in the loop" about.

Audrey didn't waste a moment in beginning to speak, once Charlotte acknowledged her. "Well, as you know, I've been worried about you," she began, her smile fading almost instantly as she looked at Charlotte with a more somber expression. "You're just always... off track. You have so much potential and that's why you made it as an Alpha in the first place, but you don't utilize it, and it's upsetting. It's really upsetting, and you know me, Charlotte. I can't just sit around and watch one of my girls waste away, due to all of these meaningless distractions." And by meaningless distractions, Audrey most certainly meant all of the unworthy friends that Charlotte seemed to choose over her own Alpha sisters. "So, I've decided to do what any good president and friend would do. I've set you up with a distraction that will actually do some good for you," she continued, pausing only slightly, before looking towards Weston with a smile, as if she were the host of a game show, revealing a contestant's grand prize. "Meet your new boyfriend, Weston."

"Are you on drugs?" Charlotte was smirking, and not because she found her own comment to be amusing, but because it was her first reaction to what Audrey said. It was hard to interpret it as anything other than a joke, and she wanted Audrey to know that if it wasn't a joke, it was a laughable suggestion, because Charlotte wasn't going to treat her words as a serious demand.

"You should be thanking me, Charlotte." Audrey wasn't getting sharp just yet, but she allowed a tinge of hurt to accompany her words. She had prepared for this, so again, the offense was feigned and rehearsed, but a part of her did want to believe that Charlotte was reacting ungratefully. She was doing a good service by helping and guiding Charlotte. However, even if her voice was still cool and calm, it seemed necessary to tell Charlotte what was on the table before the girl let her mouth get the best of her. "If Hudson and I hadn't come up with this option, I would have had to terminate your sisterhood with Alpha Theta Pi, and if I had to do that, I would have felt inclined to do the same for your sister. Isn't this more fair for everyone?" Of course, it was wrong for Audrey to include Juliette in this in any way, shape or form. Juliette was a model Alpha member, not to mention the sweetest Little that Audrey could have ever asked for, but no relationship in the world was more important to her than her own image. It was messed up and sad, really, but if Audrey had to toss her friendship with Juliette away, just to prove a point that she would get her way, then she was willing to do that. It would hurt, but Audrey would be able to convince herself that it was necessary.

"Not really." Fair?! This was far from fair. This was absolutely absurd, that was what this was! The smirk had disappeared from her face, but Charlotte still couldn't believe that this was something that Audrey was actually proposing. She knew better than to think it was a joke at this point, as more time allowed her to remind herself that Audrey probably was crazy enough to be capable of this, but even for her, this seemed low. It had nothing to do with Weston, a boy that Charlotte only knew on a surface level, but just the situation as a whole.

"Can I just add in that--" As if Weston wasn't feeling uncomfortable enough about the situation, knowing that he could do nothing other than accept it as the better option, at least for now, but on top of that, he now had to deal with the awkwardness of this girl freaking out over how horrible it was going to be to pretend to date him. He knew it was being dramatic to take it so personally, given that anyone in Charlotte's situation had a right to react that way, but it was an awkward position to be in, nonetheless.

Hudson cut Weston off almost immediately. As bad as it was, he was enjoying the show that Charlotte was putting on, even if his eyes had barely left Audrey for a second. He didn't need Weston interrupting them, because as he had said earlier, his opinion on the matter held no weight. "You don't get to add in anything, unless it's a compliment on how nice Charlotte looks." Weston answered that with silence, that was only intended to prove a point that what he was going to say had nothing to do with going along with this bizarre scenario that Hudson and Audrey were forcing on him and Charlotte. "Really? You're not gonna tell the lady that she looks good, Wes? Shit, you really should be thanking me for this. You clearly don't know how to treat a girl."

"That's not what I meant," Weston sighed, looking towards Charlotte apologetically, even though it appeared as if she was caught up enough in her own emotions, which mostly came across as being anger, on her face, to even acknowledge what was going on in the car. "You look great, Charlotte, but I really think that--"

"You think that this is the best option to keep you in the Beta house, and that I'm a wonderful Big for setting you up with a girl like Charlotte." That was enough to shut Weston up, and once the boy seemed to sink back into his seat, Hudson was able to turn his attention back to the girls, fighting back a smirk that so badly wanted to shine on his face. It wasn't his fault that he had a soft spot for some good drama.

"You can't do this, Audrey. Can't even you see how absolutely crazy this is? You can kick me out, I really don't give a fuck at this point." At this point, it would be a relief to be kicked out of the Alpha house, and right now, she thought she would be even happier to be kicked out of this car. Even if it was still moving. She'd take some scratches and bruises, even a broken bone or two, from jumping out of the moving limousine over having to deal with this absurdity.

"Should I text Naomi and tell her not to take Juliette with her, but instead to tell her to start packing?" It was an ultimatum, and because Audrey knew the answer that she would ultimately receive, she was able to give it with an innocent smile, as she pulled out her phone to signal that she wasn't bluffing.

"You're so fucked up."

"I need an answer, Charlotte. Should I text her and tell her that, or are you going to embrace your relationship with Weston?"

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Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Audrey Green Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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When Charlotte stepped out of the limousine, being the first one out of the four occupants to get out, she felt like she had sold her soul to the devil. Call it dramatic, but she had never been the kind of person who bowed down to people's requests. She liked doing what she wanted to do, when she wanted to do it, and how she wanted to do it. Her privilege and upbringing played a role in it too, probably, but she was just used to being able to get her way, and do her own thing, without having to worry about too many consequences. It was startling for her to be in a situation where it felt impossible to say no. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and by the time that the limo had come to a halt outside of the venue, Audrey was smiling at her and insisting that she had made the right choice. She had preserved she and Juliette's spot in the Alpha house, and she had paid a bizarre price for it. With Audrey watching from behind, she followed directions and clasped Weston's hand as they headed inside of the venue.

Audrey and Hudson had insisted that the two of them needed to spend the night together, but at the very least, Charlotte could say that she was glad that the two house presidents hadn't insisted on following them around all night, too. She didn't doubt that the two of them would be watching, but watching from afar was highly preferred over them actually hovering over her and Weston all night. Like Audrey and Hudson had said in the car, one of Weston's Beta brothers was waiting for them near the entrance with a couple of drinks, to avoid them having to go over to the crowded bar themselves, and in Audrey's words, get "distracted". Charlotte took this as one more attempt by Audrey, to keep Charlotte away from Zetas and "bad influences", but at that point, she couldn't even object. She took her drink from the senior Beta, and followed Weston over to some couches in the quieter area of the venue, that had a little bit more of a lounge vibe to it.

Before they had even got to talking, really, Weston had done what Hudson had insisted he do immediately, and that was request a relationship status change on Facebook. Charlotte hated Facebook and barely ever used it, but knowing that Audrey would come for her if she objected, she passively accepted the request that Weston sent her, issuing a public statement that they were now "in a relationship". The entire thing made her roll her eyes, and that was the most harmless thing that she could do in reaction to it all. "Now that I'm allowed to actually speak," Wes began, referring to how Hudson had shut him down multiple times during the ride, "Let me say that I had no more of a say in this than you did. I'm basically being blackmailed into this 'relationship' too, so don't think that I had anything to do with it." His voice was apologetic more than anything. He knew that he had no more of a reason to apologize than she did, but since Hudson hadn't gone into depth in the car like Audrey had, it seemed necessary. He didn't want her to think that he was either pathetic enough to need to find a girl who had to be blackmailed into dating him, or that he was trying to take advantage of her and this situation, by going after her when she had no say in the matter.

What was frustrating for Charlotte, was that she was barely being blackmailed. Audrey couldn't leak anything on her that she wouldn't leak about herself. Charlotte didn't have many things that she was ashamed of. The things that the Alphas found to be embarrassing or repulsive were things that seemed socially mundane to her, in most cases. She was being forced into this because of her sister. That was what Audrey was holding over her head - her sister's membership to the Alpha Theta Pi sorority. No matter how frequently Charlotte said that she wanted to kill Juliette, she was a good enough sister to know that this sorority meant everything to Juliette, and she had enough of a heart to sacrifice her own dignity to protect her sister. Clearly, Audrey was well aware of that, and all the more willing to take advantage of it. That was what was infuriating about all of this. "What does he have over you?" she inquired, sipping the daiquiri in her hand. She knew that she needed to do more than just sip, if she wanted to get through this night, but at the same time, she knew that if she let that side of her take hold, she would be passed out drunk in an hour, tops.

A part of Weston felt like just being honest with Charlotte. She seemed down to earth enough to not be homophobic, and to maybe have enough decency in her to feel sympathetic towards his dilemma. At the same time, after Hudson's reaction towards it, and the passiveness that Audrey had shown in not defending him, Weston wasn't convinced that things would definitely pan out that way. It seemed safer to just brush off the question. "Just stupid shit that he's going to hold over my head, or kick me out over. He thinks dating an Alpha will turn me into future-Beta-president-material, I guess," he said, shaking his head bitterly. Although he had a drink in hand, like Charlotte, he had not taken more than a sip so far. He was too distracted and uneasy to trust himself with alcohol, though he really doubted he would have enough self-control all night to not drink. Charlotte had only nodded to his answer, and while he appreciated her leaving it at that, he felt compelled to make more conversation. Unlike her, he wasn't fully content with allowing space to be filled with silence. Especially when said space was between him and a stranger, and when that stranger was supposed to suddenly now be his girlfriend. "But I guess if we're both actually going to go through with this, we should come up with a cover story? Something to tell our friends, because I know at least mine are going to be confused about how I went from never talking about a girl, to dating her, in a matter of twenty minutes," he explained, a slight laugh following.

Charlotte nodded. She was thinking the same thing, and was actually surprised that Audrey hadn't handed them printed out scripts for what they were supposed to say, word for word, to anyone who inquired about this pretend relationship. She knew that she had a lot of people to explain this to. Her Big, Naomi, was one who she really wanted to text at that very moment and vent to, but who Audrey had specifically stated needed to be told the exact same lie as everyone else. Juliette was surely going to be shocked about this, and Charlotte already knew that she would find a way to spin this into her being offended, too. It wasn't even going to be hard, in this case, since Charlotte was well aware of the crush her sister had on Weston. Then, she knew that Michaela and Jazmyn would want an explanation about this. On top of that, she was already expecting the teasing that would surely come from them about this, and the thought of all of that and more had her reaching for her drink once again. "We can just say that we kept things private, I guess, because we didn't think that anything would come of it at first. We can say there was some friends with benefits stuff going on for a little while, and that we just decided to make things exclusive, if that works for you." She didn't know what kind of story would make any more sense than that, and the little details didn't even matter to her, much. While she would tell the lie to begin with, Charlotte knew that at some point, she would feel inclined to tell those closest to her the truth.

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Character Portrait: Daniel Alexander Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Daisy Hamilton Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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xHAYDENxBURR
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xlocation: guys in ties & girls in pearls party
xoutfit: here

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xxx"don't wait for the world to be ready.
xxxwho says you can't explore,
xxxwho says you can't explore.
xxxdon't wait for the world to be ready
xxxfond what you're looking for."


Hayden would laugh. His friends were the perfect measure of insanity he needed. He checked his phoned and cleared it of the messages, probably the thousands his family sent him on the daily. He wasn't going to answer them. He would down the rest of his Bloody Mary, and smile. He would order another one, and wait for the next one looking at his friends. He knew Daniel was talking about the girl who just walked up.

""Well, if it isn't my two favourite boys! I can tell Amaris not to worry, I can safely get drunk with two big, strong, trustworthy men to look after me," he heard the woman speak and he laughed. "I don't really know if I can fight all the guys in here Daisy. But You look absolutely stunning. As usual," he spoke with a laugh. Hayden would nod towards them and motion that he was going to go and leave.

He would walk aimlessly, listening to one of the songs playing. He would hum along as he walked, and carefully move around the bodies of people either passed out, or about to. He laughed, he somewhat remembered his freshman year. But that memory involved him, so he somewhat stopped thinking about it. But a lot of good came out of that year, he met Daniel and Daisy, which was the only reason he came. But that was going to just leave them to talk. They were cute. Hayden would mumble to himself about not being able to play Dungeons and Dragons, he just wanted to leave. As he thought he felt his body collide with someone else's and he was sent tumbling down. "HOLY SHIT! I am so so so sorry," he frantically apologized getting up. In his mind he noticed the guy was fairly attractive and he laughed. "Roll for charisma," the male bitterly thought.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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W E S T O N - C U L L E N
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A few minutes passed, and maybe it was because Charlotte had emptied her glass by that point, but she was finding to Weston to be more enjoyable than she expected from him. She had not been envisioning him as someone who would be bland to begin with, but he was a Beta, and Charlotte did all that she could to keep her relationships with the Betas on a surface level. It wasn't fair to judge them as a whole, since she herself would never want to be judged for simply being an Alpha, but it was what it was, and in this case, getting to know Wes was proving to be a pleasant surprise. Interestingly, Wes was feeling the same way about Charlotte, though his glass was still only a few sips in, so he couldn't blame him feeling more relaxed on the alcohol. While he had gotten to know Juliette pretty well over the past year, he hadn't had the pleasure of doing the same with Charlotte. He had heard briefly, and mostly through Juliette, that she wasn't as enthused with being an Alpha as most of the girls, but he barely thought anything of it. Speaking to her now, though, he could tell that she certainly was different than her sister and most of the other Alpha girls. It wasn't a bad different, but it was noticeable. If anything, though, he preferred discovering this about her, than if he had been forced into a situation with a girl who was high strung and demanding. Charlotte seemed like she had a sense of humor in her, and a real personality that she didn't use as a facade just to fit in, like he himself had been guilty of doing over the past year.

With his mind on that, and how uncertain he felt about his current predicament, he couldn't help but to also think about Nick. Though he and Charlotte were in a fairly secluded area, his eyes had drifted away from the girl on more than one occasion when someone passed by, with his hopes jumping at the thought that maybe it was Nick. It never was, but it was that bout of hope burning in his chest that was part of the reason for why he stood up after talking with Charlotte for a few minutes. He knew that while she seemed to be genuinely entertained by their conversation that had unfolded, she probably wasn't dying to continue to socialize with him, after all that had just been thrown on them, anyway. "I'm going to go grab something else at the bar. Whatever this is sucks," he said, lifting the glass that was supposed to contain some whiskey concoction in it, but tasted far too bitter for Wes to enjoy, before continuing with, "And I'll get a refill for you too. Daiquiri, yeah?"

"Yeah, thanks," Charlotte nodded, standing up herself, though. "I'm actually going to go find a few friends outside. If you stumble across Hudson or Audrey, the alibi is that you were stopping to get us drinks before meeting me outside, but you got caught up talking to some Beta legacy, or something," she winked, then giving a wave of her hand to signal her departure. Wes nodded, and as the two moved out of the lounge, they both immediately turned to their phones. Weston couldn't even remember what Nick had said, in addition to the photo, since he had immediately deleted the texts when Hudson knocked on his door, but he sent Nick a text regardless, saying, "I won't deny that you Kappas can clean up nicely. Wya?" Given that Hudson was here, Wes was unsure if he actually intended on meeting up or even socializing with Nick here, but he was curious as to the Kappa's whereabouts regardless. Charlotte, on the other hand, was feeling less nervous when she read her texts, and more relieved, though she opted on letting Michaela play the waiting game a little bit longer, by not responding. No one had told her that Jazz and Mickey were outside, but she just had a feeling that that was where the two of them would end up, so that was where she headed. Luckily, her intuition was correct, and she found Michaela standing at the outdoor bar. Walking up behind, Charlotte gave a playful squeeze to the girl's side to signal her presence. "Let me just start off by saying that I am oh so flattered by how obsessed you are with me, Miss Vaughn," she said teasingly. "I don't blame you for needing better company than Jazzy, but gosh, I didn't know I had neglected you this badly." When the bartender came over to them, Charlotte set her credit card and fake ID down on the counter. "You can open up a tab for us," she said to the man, before turning back to Michaela with a devilish grin. "Pick out something good for me to start my night off with. I'm only one Daiquiri in and I'm going to need a lot more than that once I share some wonderful news with you."

Weston did want a drink that he would actually consume, and he figured that it would look good if he at least ordered a drink for Charlotte too, in case he stumbled upon Hudson and Audrey and had to activate their story, so he headed away from the lounge and towards the bar. He didn't get too far though, before someone turned a corner and ended up banging right into him. The contents of Weston's drink went flying, but luckily only on to the floor, and not onto either of them, and Weston was relieved when he saw that it was Hayden who was scrambling up from the floor and not some sorority girl ready to stab him with her heel. "Shit, man. My fault, my fault," he said, shaking off Hayden's apology as he offered him a hand to help him get up. "I'm a little bit out of it tonight, as you can tell," he laughed, though he nodded to the puddle of alcohol on the floor and added, "But in my defense, that was supposed to be my first drink, so I'm not even wasted. How's your night going, though? All your boys here?" He and Hayden were friendly, so he would have engaged in small talk with him at some point during the night anyway, but there was no denying that Wes was eager to talk to him now, to hear if anything exciting was going on with the Kappas... particularly Nick.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Benjamin Cardoso Character Portrait: Daniel Alexander Character Portrait: Hayden Burr
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_____ T H EXG O O DXG U Y _____

Outfit: Here
Location: Theta Chi House
Dialogue Color ✦ #FF5100
Thought Color ✧ #AF0100



As much as he understood how important it was for her specifically to network, epecially with her being a president of a Greek organization and all, Nick honestly felt like he should have met Amaris wait for him. At least, made her enter the place with him. That way, she could take up all the attention - she was radiant tonight, more-so than she normally was - and Nick could slither away to get them drinks while she worked crowds and various one-on-one conversations. Because right about now? He was convinced that he either looked a mess and Amaris had just been trying to be nice earlier, or someone else important had walked in beside him. Not that everyone got stares of some kind when they walked in and either ignored it or reveled in it. Because that didn't exist to him, which was why he ended up having a conversation with Amaris. It didn't exactly end on a note that he would have liked, sure, but it did prompt him to text a few of his Kappa brothers to see if everyone had made it and if they were about. After all, some people didn't feel like fulfilling her best friend responsibilities.

To: Hayden, Danny, Ben
Where is everyone? I'm headed out to the pool.

Nick followed one of the side doors he remembered from originally visiting the venue some time in the event's earlier conception days and was surprised immediately by the sight of an old friend, Jessie. Jessie had graduated last year and had gone off to do Teach For America for a year since participation could help offset the financial strain of graduate school. The two had grown comfortable with one another in the time they had both been Kappas. It probably helped that it was Jessie who had even introduced Nick to the rest of the Kappas and the idea of Greek life. The fact that they had slept together prior to that discussion was a topic Nick didn't like dwelling on too much. He had just been thankful that they had kept it between the two of them. And especially that Jessie hadn't become his Big. Nick wasn't sure how he would have handled that situation. "Jess! I didn't even know you were coming back," he exclaimed once they both pulled away from their hug. The older man grinned widely, chuckling to himself. "Figured I'd surprise you guys and all. Chicago's kinda cold this time of year and I missed my Florida people. How've you been?" Nick couldn't help but grin in response. "Good, great even. I was just about to go look for Ben or one of the sophomores." It seemed possible that Jessie's grin widened even further. "Let me go get us drinks and we can look for them together. We can catch up in the meantime." Nick nodded only too quickly, reaching into his pocket once more to pull out his phone once he heard the ringtone for another text message. "I'll wait here." Once he saw the other man off, Nick glanced down at his phone, not even able to stop himself from practically beaming upon seeing a response from Weston. He couldn't even tell if it was relief that things weren't...awkward or elation that he was being acknowledged that had him smiling so hard, but either way he couldn't help but feel some inkling of satisfaction that Wes even text him. The fact that there was a compliment and a seeming desire to see him was just a completely different story and a host of butterflies in his stomach. It was only a second later that the smile dropped and Nick searched around himself, for Hudson in particular or just a Beta who had known the situation, he couldn't say, before going back to the message to type out a response.

To: Wes
Pretty sure you're looking dashing somewhere. I'm outside, near the pool. Ran into a Kappa alum. Where are you?


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Outfit: Here
Jewelry: Left Ear, Right Ear, & Right Hand
Dialogue Color ✦ #C35817
Thought Color ✧ #730800



Was it common knowledge that Mickey was the queen of denial? Because she was - even if she didn't want to admit it. After all, who else could deny so adamantly the fluttering in their belly the second a familiar voice and hands reached them? Only Michaela and she would deny the feeling to the ends of the earth if she had enough weed in her. No alcohol, alcohol made her say stupid and honest things. It wouldn't, however, bereave her of the elation that bubbled forth and formed a grin on her face at the sight of Charlotte Arnault coming up behind her. After all, they were friends - this was her best friend. And after basically being told that they couldn't hang out (even though Mickey made a point of continuing to do so just because what the fuck is authority?), she missed the brunette. Fiercely. A lot more than she wanted to admit. Then again, she could admit that before she would ever admit the way it felt like Charlotte's touch lingered on her side even when the girl had pulled away and was focused on both getting a drink and teasing Mickey.

"Ooooohhh, holding back spicy deets now, baby girl? Should've told me sooner, I would've packed some jammies, made it a sleepover," Michaela replied offhandedly and rolling her eyes in jest with the bartender upon Charlotte slapping down an ID and what looked to be her platinum credit card, but Mickey wasn't really focusing on the smaller details. Not when Charlotte was literally right there and so close. Her hands, as always, itched to touch, but Mickey's first instinct, even when she told herself that she should stop doing that because real friends did not flirt with their close friends, was to flirt. And so she turned to Charlotte a second later with a more salacious smirk and responded indifferently, casually, "I mean, we could still do that, if you want. I sleep better naked, anyway. Might even be a little more fun that way, don't you think?." She couldn't even stop herself from winking at the brunette before returning her attention to the bartender. "You guys do Zombies right? Well, I want two for me and my girl here. And send a rum and coke to the DJ."

In all honesty, Michaela knew that she should text Jazmyn, tell the girl to come find them so that Mickey could find some semblance of control and reign herself in. Because she was capable of it, contrary to popular belief. Except...she didn't do that. Didn't move to do that nor move to see why her phone vibrated - it was probably a response from Cyrus, all things considered - at all, not when Charlotte Arnault had the puzzling capability of widening Mickey's entire scope just so that she could encompass it all on her own. It was honestly selfish, really, especially when she looked this good. All dolled up and untouchable, at least for Michaela. Mickey bit her lip on a hum, forcing herself to keep her eyes trained solely on Charlotte's (and nope, they didn't dip down to the girl's lips at all, thank you very much). Which meant she had to keep talking, if only to get a response out of Charlotte, since the other girl could get a response out of Mickey with little to no words (so unfair, by the way). "But, since we're being all honest and sharing news, Miss Arnault, I must admit that you were correct about one thing," Mickey stated and ignored the voice in her head that said her voice should not be that low or silky. She wasn't trying to take Charlotte to bed, right? Of its own volition, her left hand switched her phone to her right so that it could reach Charlotte, thumb grazing where the girl's pearl earring was connected to her earlobe, reveling in the feel of the encrusted diamonds against the pad of her thumb along with the soft skin she shouldn't be touching pressed against it, while continuing, "I was feeling quite neglected. Horrifyingly, so. Lonely, even. In fact, the only way I can think of you possibly making it up to me is not leaving my side for the rest of the night. You know, just in case I get a little too needy and need my fix. Addiction is a hard thing to crack, after all."

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Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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Charlotte should have backed out of it right then, when Michaela's lips just barely grazed against her own, and suddenly her heart felt like it was beating ten times faster than it already was. She should have laughed aloud, pretended that she was only engaging in this to humor Michaela's typical sensual behavior, and acted like it was all one big joke that she assumed Michaela was in on too. She would have been lying in a response like that, sure, but she felt like it would have looked better than the way that she couldn't stop her eyes from widening slightly at the touch against her lips, a reaction stemming from surprise, intrigue, and lust. It took a second or two for her to grab a hold of herself again, and regain that control that she wanted to have in this banter, before she was able to say, "I've handled you for six years, haven't I? What harm could one night do?" Charlotte knew good and well what harm it could do, but she didn't want to back down either. With all that had already gone on tonight, she didn't think that tomorrow morning, once she was feeling sober and sane, that she could feel anymore mentally displaced than she would already, even if things turned out badly and she and Michaela were no longer friends. She already had to deal with this pretend relationship with Weston, Audrey being on her back ten times harder than usual, and the possibility of destroying her sister's social life (and in turn, academic life, because Charlotte knew for a fact that Juliette would simply drop out of Fulton as a whole if she was kicked out of this sorority), if she messed up, so adding being friendless into that mix wasn't going to make her any more stressed, simply because at this point, Charlotte thought that she was already at her limit.

She wasn't really thinking clear enough to care that by doing this with Michaela, she was potentially risking ruining all of the above mentioned things, because with as crazy as Audrey was, for all Charlotte knew, finding out that she had left this party with Michaela could end up being the straw that broke her. Maybe she would say something like Charlotte clearly still took her warnings as a joke, and she was done with her now, and therefore, would expel Juliette from the sorority as well. If she was thinking, she would have known that doing this was a bad idea, but she wasn't thinking. Not with her brain, at least. There were definitely other parts of her that were thinking, and those weren't involved in any logical processes, but they had taken over her mind for tonight and continued to tell her that she had nothing to lose. She needed some sort of release, and Michaela was going to be it. She told herself that Audrey would never find out, even while knowing that that was greatly underestimating the Alpha President's abilities, but as a "just to be safe" measure, she did text Weston.

To: Weston
Not trying to make myself seem demanding on the first impression... but I'm going to need you to disappear from this party. Going to chill with one of my girl friends, and my alibi is going to be that I'm back with you at the Beta house when Audrey asks. Fuck it up and I'm going to play the "he told me to meet him there, but I guess he decided to fuck with some other girl first, while his girlfriend was sitting around waiting for him :(" card. sorry, not sorry ;)

She put her phone back into her purse and then confirmed that her fake ID and credit card had been returned by the bartender, before finally taking her drink from the counter beside them. Her eyes remained on Mickey then, as she took a larger sip of the rum-infused drink than she should have because, god, was that strong. "Unless you don't think that you can handle a night with me," Charlotte proposed, "I guess all that's left for me to ask is whether you're driving, or I should call an Uber. Better figure it out fast though, because if you let me get more than a few sips into this drink, I think I might start undressing you right here in more ways than with just my eyes, Miss Vaughn," she challenged, her eyebrows raising slightly as she took another sip.

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Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Daisy Hamilton Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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Hex Code: #536878
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If Weston hadn't received Nick's text, signaling that he, too, was out by the pool, he definitely would have taken Hayden up on the offer and headed out there with him. He didn't know why he had even asked Nick about where he was, if the second that the guy answered back, his initial reaction was to read the text and then quickly delete the conversation in its entirety, again. It was a pretty clear representation on how conflicted he was feeling, if nothing else. On one hand, he just couldn't get Nick out of his head. On the other, though, he knew that Hudson was serious, and Wes didn't know if Nick was worth losing his Beta brotherhood over. If Hudson kicked him out, he would likely out him sexually to the rest of the fraternity too. Weston wasn't aware that some of his brothers weren't straight either, so he had no reason to believe anything other than that he would lose all of his friends, and become a social outcast. His father would be upset and confused over what happened, and Weston could already see himself falling into a deep depression over the entire ordeal. At the same time, Fulton was supposed to be an opportunity for him to feel free and comfortable with who he was. He didn't need everyone who walked by him on the street to know what his sexual preference was, and honestly, he would have been content with continuing to have a secret relationship with Nick, that no one knew about, but even that didn't seem possible now.

It was all so conflicting, and then to add into the mix that he had now to add keeping up a fake relationship with a girl he barely knew into the mix, and Weston was almost relieved when he received Charlotte's text message. It annoyed him in a sense, because for all she knew, he was actually having fun and now he was supposed to leave the event to cover for her, but he didn't want to think in that petty way right now, because he did want to leave. It worked out, luckily, for the both of them. He hadn't noticed Daisy's initial arrival, upon being focused on his phone and the text from Nick and Charlotte, but he smiled at her when he did notice her. "My girlfriend actually already wants to call it a night, so I think I'm gonna head back home with her," he explained, trying to make "my girlfriend" sound as natural as possible. "Go treat yourself to a drink, man," he said, his eyes flashing back towards the puddle on the ground, before he started in the opposite direction from the two. "But it was nice seeing you guys. You look great, Daisy."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Cardoso Character Portrait: Daniel Alexander Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Nicholas Reyes Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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_____ T H EXG O O DXG U Y _____

Outfit: Here
Location: Guys in Ties & Girls in Pearls Event
Dialogue Color ✦ #FF5100
Thought Color ✧ #AF0100



"Trust me, nothing's really changed in the house, I swear," Nick exclaimed in between fits of laughter and Jessie chuckled by the shared memory. Despite probably being able to say that he was allowed to feel just slightly miffed that all of his Kappa brothers dissed him only seconds after one another, Jessie's return with drinks and the fact that he still felt awkward about texting Wes - particularly since he still hadn't heard a word from him since earlier - enabled him to put aside all thought of either situations. The Kappa house hadn't. Hanged much but the absence of the brothers he had looked up to was definitely noticeable. People assumed all of the Kappas were meek, boring and just into their studying, but there was nothing boring about Jessie leading a group of them last year into a ridiculous display of foolishness by sliding down the step on mattresses. Or that time that they had pranked all of the sophomores by taking all of their clothes and hiding them. It was a touch cruel and sure, Nick had caved and allowed a few to borrow his own. But the point was that there were good memories. And reminiscing instead of costing on his own issues was definitely a lot more fun. That also could have been the rum and coke talking.

"You still talk to Amaris? You guys were real close last I checked." It was small talk and Nick probably, if it were up to Amaris, should have started at least moving around the venue. Then again, he wasn't aware that his brothers were currently engaging in unnecessary drama since it would have incited his protectiveness and need to placate, but Nick swallowed back the last of his drink without hesitation. The comfortable area within the pool area's lounge was a safe space he wasn't in the mood to leave. So he nodded jovially while replying in the positive, "Yeah, she's somewhere here, probably judging people at the bar." Jessie laughed outright, thigh pressing gently against Nick's as he leaned back, and Nick acutely felt that shift in body language. It made him smile, awkwardly, and when the other guy excused himself to take a phone call, Nick pulled his phone out, hesitated for only a moment and then decided to text Weston one more time.

To: Wes
Are we ok? I thought I would've heard from you by now or seen you...and I haven't. Idk what to think rite now

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Maddox Rei Izumi Character Portrait: Andre Rocha Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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#, as written by M95
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H U D S O N - A L L E N
Location: Girls in Pearls & Guys in Ties
Outfit: Here
Hex Color: #4A4A4A
When the people involved in the fight, including his Beta brothers, evacuated the building, Hudson felt more relaxed. Not drastically more relaxed, but more relaxed than he had before. At least now, the troublemakers were gone, and he could work on damage control. It looked like Valentine was already on that, which Hudson appreciated, but when Hudson passed by one of their chairmen, he caught the man's eye and decided to try to earn back some brownie points for his boys, too. The man seemed only remotely interested in the fight that had just went done, so without lingering on it for too long, Hudson ensured him that the two Kappa boys were the ones at fault. He constructed his own recollection of the fight, informing him that apparently, Ben and Danny had been so intoxicated that they had started to badmouth the Theta and Alpha girls that were standing near them. When Archie and Maddox, the Betas, began to defend the girls, the Kappas lunged on them for no reason other than being incredibly drunk and unruly, and blatantly disrespectful. The graying man seemed to believe it without a second thought, and continued to question Hudson about his plans for the next year.

Amaris' entrance wasn't needed if you asked Hudson, and really, he would probably tell her it was an interruption, but he couldn't keep himself from smiling just slightly at how smooth and well-spoken she was in stealing him away from the older man. Hudson bid him farewell and thanked him for his time, before focusing his attention on Amaris once they were on their own. "Come on, Hamilton. You should know better. People like me are interested in the dollar signs. People like you are interested in justice. If I wanted justice, I could lawyer my boys up for that nice little punch that that pathetic excuse of a Greek member threw. What am I going to get out of suing, aside from that worthless dose of justice? Chump change - Which I'm sure is equivalent to dollar signs for you Thetas and Kappas, but for me, not worth it. I'll let the board deal with those two pieces of garbage, but hey, we can still add this to the long, long list of things that you owe me for, yeah?" he said, a sly smirk on his face as he feigned a sincere smile. "Now if you'd excuse me," he continued, his eyes turning to his phone as he continued to talk, "There's a glass of scotch calling my name at the bar. Should we add a drink to the list of the things that you owe me for, too? What're you drinking tonight, Theta? Water? Apple juice?"
As he playfully taunted Amaris, he was busy texting the entirety of the Beta fraternity, in a few separate group chats.

To: Beta Brothers
As some of you may have heard, the garbage from the Kappa house consumed a little bit too much alcohol tonight. Not much of a surprise, considering we all know the fairies are lightweights, but those Mike's Hard and cranberry vodkas they drank fucked them up enough to think that talking down to our lovely Alpha girls was appropriate. Archie and Maddox stepped up to the plate and tried to get them to back off, but the animals decided to throw punches at one of the most important events of the year. Unfortunate for them, but if any of the alumni ask tonight, feel free to let them know that the only reason why our brothers were involved was pure chivalry.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Maddox Rei Izumi Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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#, as written by M95
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H U D S O N - A L L E N
Location: Fulton University Campus
Outfit: Here
Hex Color: #4A4A4A
Hudson chuckled quietly at Amaris' message. She was such a know-it-all, and though it was endearing to an extent, Hudson liked to find it more amusing than appealing. He let his ego talk when she turned on Madam President mode, as he wondered to himself just who she thought she was talking to. Did she not realize that he was Hudson Allen? The Hudson Allen? Did she really think that after two of his Betas were involved in a scuffle at an important event, that his damage control would end come the night's end? If she did, then she didn't deserve the credit she got for being smart, because clearly, she wasn't all she was chalked up to be. Of course Hudson's first move in the morning was to phone the head of Fulton's Greek board, and discuss the fight that his members were involved in. He would have went in to meet with them in person, but his three classes today were consecutive morning ones, so physically meeting with them was not possible. Contacting them in some way was the only logical thing for a good president to do, of course, but even if no fight had occurred, Hudson still would have called in. He knew how important it was to maintain connections and appear like he cared, even if he didn't really. Unsurprisingly, the reaction that the higher-ups had to the fight wasn't a pleasant one, even though they were well aware that the Betas merely acted in self-defense. Hudson rolled his eyes when it was explained to him that even given this, the board had settled on the two boys being required to complete seventy-two hours of community service, but verbally made sure to sound actually pleased at the assignment. It would be an annoyance, and he doubted that Archie and Maddox would be happy about it, but Hudson knew that it wouldn't be too big of a deal.

His father was involved in many philanthropic efforts across the country and globe, and Hudson knew that it would be a breeze to get seventy-two hours of signed off service for his two Betas. He probably could have got it signed off without them having to lift a finger, but given that the two of them did make fools out of themselves, Hudson was going to make sure that they completed the service. He was already planning on requiring the boys to put together some sort of fundraiser, be it a bake sale, barbecue, car wash, or whatever, to support some local cause, with a shelter for homeless veterans, and a local nursing home, being the first that came to mind.that they would hold more than once. He had received confirmation that as long as the boys were actually working the fundraising event, it would count as service hours, albeit indirect community service, and then, using the donated money, the boys would put together care packages for whatever organization they chose, deliver the care packages, and spend the day volunteering there. If they spent four days, two weekends, doing this, Hudson was convinced that they would be fine. Sure, maybe he was cutting a few corners, but he was sure that he could write off five hours as "preparation" for the fundraising event, in the form of the boys handing out flyers, contacting people via social media, and gathering the needed supplies for the event. Then, four days of the actual fundraiser, over two weekends, would equal thirty-two hours, at eight hours a day, plus an hour for the setup and cleanup each day. The day of the actual volunteering at the two given charities could consist of an eight hour shift as well, especially if they whipped up some sort of party or event to host at the shelter or nursing home for the residents. Fifty seven hours right there. He would allow the boys to choose how to spend their last fifteen hours of volunteering, be it in the form of volunteer tutoring on campus, helping out at an after school program for a local elementary school, or helping older neighbors in the neighboring suburban communities with yard work. Needless to say, Hudson already had a game plan, so he certainly was not worried, and did not need Amaris trying to inform him of anything. Regardless, though, her text brought a smirk to his face as he sat in his lecture class, and he was quick to reply to her. If nothing else, the text had reminded him that he needed to inform his brothers of their new requirement. Additionally, he sent a text to Weston.

To: Amaris
You humor me, Hamilton, you really do. Still drunk from last night? Only explanation I can come up with for why you'd imagine that I didn't speak with the board myself. Both of my boys have secured volunteer opportunities, and you know that in the worst case scenario, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation would always appreciate their help, so no need to worry about us ;). Might I suggest that you send the Kappa boys down to the side of the highway to pick up trash? You know, get them prepared for the kind of work that felons do during court ordered community service, since prison seems like their next destination?

To: Maddox, Archie
Board wasn't happy with the show you put on last night, but as I told them, it was pure chivalry. Don't know if they believed it anymore than I believe it myself, but they want 72 hours of community service out of you. We'll throw 2 weekends worth of fundraisers on campus for a nursing home or shelter or something, and then spend 2 days volunteering at the organization. Thinking that we throw Halloween parties for old people at some of the nursing homes in the area, but I'll figure it out. Gonna turn it into a Beta-wide event, and I'll make sure that it takes care of 57 hours of the requirement, so you two can figure out what to do with the other 15.

To: Weston
Just letting you know that "you" sent flowers to Charlotte today. She should get them by 3 PM. You're welcome.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Nicholas Reyes Character Portrait: Weston Cullen Character Portrait: Hudson Allen
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W E S T O N - C U L L E N
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #536878
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Weston had taken today pretty slowly, even though unlike most of his peers, he had not woken up hungover. He had pregamed only a tiny bit before last night's event, and had not even finished the one drink that he had at the party before leaving, so there wasn't enough alcohol in his system for him to have even felt buzzed. Having to cover for Charlotte, and lie about her being at the house was annoying, but only really because it felt forced. He didn't want to be at the party last night for any longer than he was, so being given a reason to leave early was secretly welcomed. It played into his favor that some of the other Betas were involved in a physical altercation, because it must have kept Hudson so tied up, that he never inquired about actually Charlotte being at the house. Weston was asleep before most of the guys even got home, and had no trouble waking up for his eight o'clock statistics class. He was physically present for that class, and the Contemporary Literature class that he was currently sitting in, but mentally, it was harder for him to remain focused.

He couldn't stop his thoughts from constantly returning to the fucked up situation that he was now in with Charlotte, thanks to Hudson and Audrey, but also, thanks to Nick. Weston knew that it was absolutely moronic to try and blame the Kappa for this, but he wanted to. He wanted to really badly because he didn't want to have to acknowledge that he should have known better to engage in something that was so reckless (by Beta standards, at least). He should have known from the start that something like that wasn't going to end well, even if it felt so right. That was what made all of this so conflicting. Wes didn't think it was a relationship that he could realistically uphold, given how he did value his Beta membership and just the comfort of keeping what he knew, but at the same time, giving up what he and Nick had meant more to Wes than just giving up a hookup. Nick was the first and only person that Wes had ever been open to about his sexuality, and after years of hiding it, it felt exhilarating to know that someone else knew, and he hadn't burst into flames and sunk into the pits of hell at that revealing moment. Nick had allowed Wes a chance to get to know that other side of himself, and he didn't know if he could mentally and emotionally give that up any easier than he could give up his Beta membership. A part of him wanted to continue to push off dealing with the matter, but seated in the back of the class, with no Betas around, he felt less anxious about sending a text to the Kappa. After responding it, he opened Hudson's recent text to him, and replied with a lie.

To: Nick
Hey, sorry for disappearing last night. Some things came up, ended up leaving the party right after you texted me, actually. Heard I missed our brothers getting into it. If you're around tonight or tomorrow before the carnival, do you want to grab dinner off campus? Would prefer to keep it on the low given everything that's happened...

To: Hudson
Thanks. I'll assume that that's your tip that roses are a good "thanks for the sex" gift? Hope we didn't keep you boys up with the noise last night lol.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Eliza Li Character Portrait: Daniel Alexander Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Daisy Hamilton Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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Location: Kappa House
Outfit: Sweat pants and a long sleeve t shirt
Hex Code: #804080

Danny let the water pour over him in the shower. He just stood there for a while, remembering the rollercoaster that had been the night before. The cut had turned into more of a knot, and Danny rubbed it vigorously whit soap for the sake of keeping it clean. He didn't really want to leave the shower. Daisy was plenty enough to distract him from the impending consequences of his actions. Now he knew he was going to have to face them, and he would have to go to class. At least he had made sure he no classes until after lunch on Monday. Danny hated Mondays with a passion.

Eventually he climbed out of the shower. Looking to the clock, he noted the time. It was 11:30. Danny threw on something comfy to walk around the Kappa house in. He heard his phone buzz, and realized he had several messages. Sitting down on his bed, he typed out a reply for each one of them.

TO: Liz ღ
Ok, I deserved that. Let's just make some time to talk to today.

TO: Kappa GM
I'll be down in a sec.

TO: Daisy ;)
Yeah, I think I'm fine. Had fun last night. Thanks for ummm... taking care of me ;)


Looking up from his phone, he thought for a second about whether or not there was anyone else he needed to text. He had an idea, and pulled up Daisy's conversation again.

TO: Daisy ;)
Quick question... Can you give me that Archie guy's number? I wanna call him and see about apologizing and patching things up.

TO: Weston
I didn't see you last night bro. You on campus?


With the last text to Weston, Danny closed his phone. He headed towards the bathroom once again to brush his teeth and his hair. Then, as reluctantly possible, he descended the stairs to the Kappa kitchen. He walked in and past Hayden, slapping him on the back as he went by.Grabbing a banana and a water, he turned to face him, "Some night huh?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Benjamin Cardoso Character Portrait: Eliza Li Character Portrait: Hayden Burr Character Portrait: Nicholas Reyes Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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_____ T H EXP E R F E C T I O N I S T _____

Outfit: Here
Location: South Campus Entrance
Dialogue Color ✦ #06916C
Thought Color ✧ #985D5A




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_____ T H EXG O O DXG U Y _____

Outfit: Here
Location: South Campus Entrance
Dialogue Color ✦ #FF5100
Thought Color ✧ #AF0100



While Nick set about ordering his Angus beef Kalbi soft tacos and ginger brussel sprouts and waiting for them to be finished, Amaris received a few text messages, notably a few from Theta girls wanting to make sure that the joint event with the Kappas was still on for the week. It was an understandable concern. They had all put in work for things to play out and their partnering as brothers and sisters was instinctual. However, it was no surprise that there was concern as to whether or not whatever punishment the Kappas would receive could affect the likelihood of any event that they might have planned, to mentioned the Theta livelihood since both houses were a reflection of one another. After reassuring her baby sisters, Amaris had to roll her eyes at Hudson's very typical and arrogant response, opting to respond to his last in the string of messages she had to overlook.

To: Blake
Might have to get a burner phone to go over the details, do some deleting with this one, but I might actually take you up on that.

To: Liz
Been out of class all morning. Heading to the Kappa house soon to have a talk. Did you need something?

To: Hudson
Right, because the majority of the felons who actually belong in prison don't walk around in Armani suits and Givenchy watches, tucked safely behind Fortune 500 companies, huh? Funny how a capitalist society you benefit from works, isn't it? But please, continue to coddle your boys behind your Daddy's money and his generous ventures. I mean, that's the only type of work they'll be good for, unlike mine, right? Getting knocked down and running back to Daddy Warbucks to fix it?

It was a bit harsh and Amaris probably should have went back to edit her response. At least, if she wasn't the relentless individual that she inwardly was. Rolling her eyes one more time, she turned back to see Nick closing his containers of food and slid her phone back into her bag. "So, what are we doing? Eating outside...going back to the house?" She asked, hand waving to one of the benches nearby and then back to the campus. Nick pulled his own phone out, frowning upon seeing an actual text from Weston. At the forefront of his mind was a strong desire to respond in the positive, exclaim that he was available tonight - now, really - so that they could at least talk. Now, the why for his compulsion to acquiesce to the sophomore was still a question Nick didn't want to answer. At the same time, he felt what seemed like an irrational desire to ignore Wes, despite being given a reason - though, half-assed, if the Amaris in his head had anything to say about it - simply because of the fact that he himself had been ignored for days. Or, at least just plain not spoken to at all.

"Err, home," he answered uncertainly and Amaris quirked an eyebrow at him, a resounding soft click coming from her mouth at whatever her tongue did to make it. It let Nicholas know that her patience was growing more and more thin. So, he hurried to acknowledge his other responses, notably from Hayden, Danny, and Ben. "Ben wants to know if he actually..." One look at Amaris and Nick was trailing off quietly on the second half that he finished up, "...had to...um, come." Amaris whipped out her own phone in the next second.

To: Benny
Lovebug, you showed your ass yesterday. There's no bargaining. I better see you soon.

"So, how long are you going to pretend like that boy isn't the reason you've been acting weird?" Nicholas sighed, sending at least a response to Hayden and a reluctant one to Wes before putting the device away entirely. "Can you stop referring to him like that? You sound so..." Amaris shrugged as she chipped in, "Patronizing? I know. I'm doing so, purposefully. Mostly because he's the only explanation as to why you're acting like this." She gestured to Nick's form with a casual wave of her hand and he had to roll his eyes, though cursed how much he really didn't have a poker face. If something bothered Amaris and a few of his other friends, they were good at pretending like it didn't bother them, Amaris in particular. An entire week had passed from an argument she had had with her mother and Nick hadn't even known she was as bothered, other than the occasional bout of snapping, until he realized that she had been stuck on a file that normally would have never given her issues for that entire week. Nicholas, on the other hand, couldn't particularly lie. At least, not in his facial expressions. He could go on and say that he was alright, and he was good at brushing off people's concerns, but there was no denying the hurt in his eyes or the set tension in his jaw. It was frustrating, to say the very least.

Amaris seemed to continue without much thought to his internal musings, undeterred and unrepentant. "About a week or two ago, you were basically frolicking through the woods, singing to the birds and the squirrels - " Nick chipped in an indignant, "I was not!", but again she continued as if he hadn't said a word. "Now, you've been moping like a little lost puppy. And it's sad, it's really sad. What's worse is that my intelligence is being questioned. It really is if you really thought I didn't notice. You've been more sullen and self-deprecating than you normally are, and I'm 100% positive that boy has something to do with it." She turned to him piercing brown eyes that made Nick wince at their quiet demand that she followed with an, "Out with it.". Nicholas sighed again, cursing to himself the fact that he had been doing that a bit more often since the whole Beta house debacle. "Can we like, not do this here?" Amaris stared at him a beat longer, seemed to make a decision in her own head, and then nodded once, tightly. "Ice cream and wine at my place then. Tonight." There was no room for arguing, particularly in the undoubtedly tense silence that followed as they returned to campus. It was probably a good thing Nick said told Wes to get with him tomorrow. It didn't look like Amaris was going to be in a negotiating sort of mood.

To: Hayden
Don't think Mare's gonna care about ur state of dress

To: Wes
Tmrrow, b4 the carnival.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Ya Ya Silva Character Portrait: Abigail Chu Character Portrait: Archie Hervieux Character Portrait: Amaris Hamilton Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault
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XXXF U L T O NXU N I V E R S I T Y
A N N U A LXXXXXXXXC A R N I V A L

Location: Miami, Florida, USA
Time: 6:30 PM
“The area was encompassed in a bubble of warm, fragrant steam from the funnel cake deep fryers. It smelled like sweet vanilla cake batter you licked off a spoon.”

~ Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

There was something about carnivals that brought out one's inner child. The whimsical surge of energy combined with various food stands packed with every sugary, fatty and downright delicious delicacy coating the sticky sweet air that surged upwards into passing group's nostrils. Screams from passengers aboard rides echoed all around, little beeping noises from won games filled people's ears. The playful ambiance of such events welcomed couples holding hands, students and even families, all searching for a little bit of fun after a long day. Carnivals were places to have fun, to relive just a small piece of one's childhood. It was also a place where anything could go and perhaps, where certain rules no longer apply...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Jazmyn Clarke Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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C H A R L O T T E - A R N A U L T
Image
Location: Carnival
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #9f7d64
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W E S T O N - C U L L E N
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Location: Carnival
Outfit: Here
Hex Code: #536878
He was a complete ass for doing it, and Weston was quite aware of that, but he had never texted Nick back the day before, about meeting for dinner, or even just to talk, today before the carnival. As it had always seemed to feel lately, the idea of reaching out to Nick seemed like a good idea and a necessary one at first, but then he chickened out at the last minute. He knew that it wasn't right to subject Nick to his uncertainties, leading him on and then ghosting him at the drop of the hat, but Wes wasn't doing it on purpose. He didn't text Nick thinking that he was going to bail a minute later, it was just that he wasn't as confident with this as he wanted to be. He wanted all of this to be as easy as him just doing what his heart told him was right, and saying "screw it" to the formalities, but as always, life wasn't that easy. He had so much to lose no matter what he did, that doing nothing seemed like the safest route for now. He knew that it would only be a safe route for a short period of time, and that that time was already dwindling dramatically, but he hoped that he had at least one more chance to get his act together before Nick was the one saying "screw it", and turning the tables on Wes by not answering him the next time Wes tried to talk to him.

Instead of meeting up with Nick, Weston had spent the afternoon before the carnival with Charlotte. It wasn't a plan that either of them would have engaged in, had Hudson and Audrey not arranged their relationship, but at the same time, neither of them really dreaded the time spent together. Weston got along with people fairly easily, and while Charlotte could switch between being abrasive or reclusive, she could be more warm than she wanted to admit, at times. Besides, spending two hours at the school's library, each doing their own thing but sitting at the same table, didn't really require much effort on either party's behalf. Charlotte was able to finish a research paper that wasn't due until the next week, while Weston knocked out most of the homework that he had due for his classes over the next two days. Following that, they both went their separate ways to get ready for the carnival, and instead of taking the campus shuttle there, Weston had an Uber pick himself up, and then Charlotte. Again, they weren't necessarily doing this out of sheer desire, but both agreed that it was easiest to just play along and act like they were following Audrey and Hudson's rules, to avoid any further conflict.

When they got to the carnival, however, Charlotte was definitely less interested in spending the night with Weston, than he was in spending it with her. Wes had a reason to want to keep Charlotte at his side, and that was because he knew with her there, he wouldn't get any stupid ideas about talking to Nick, or even engaging with the Kappa. In fact, with Charlotte there, Nick felt like he would actually probably avoid Nick, if possible. Charlotte, on the other hand, was happy with herself for being able to spend a few hours at the library with Weston, and for showing up to the carnival with him. She felt, though, that her obligations for the night ended there. She didn't need to take a cheesy, romantic ride on the ferris wheel with him once the sun set. She didn't need him playing carnival games to win her an over sized teddy bear, or waiting on a long line to buy her cotton candy. He wasn't really her boyfriend, and she felt like they had put on enough of a show for that for the day, and that now, she should be allowed to spend the night with the people that she actually wanted to engage with. That thought had her sending a text in her group message with Jazmyn and Michaela reading, "Which one of you is buying me my first funnel cake ever <3????" while she stood in line with Wes at a food stand that he insisted on stopping at after playing just one game after their arrival.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Michaela Vaughn Character Portrait: Charlotte Arnault Character Portrait: Jazmyn Clarke Character Portrait: Weston Cullen
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#, as written by M95
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J A Z M Y N ~ C L A R K E
Hex: #00AEFF
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Jazmyn had arrived at the carnival with two friends, London and Kaya, who weren't in the Greek system, but she had met through mutual classes since they were all sophomore nursing majors. "This bitch..." It could be said that the muttered comment was meant towards Charlotte, and how typical it was that Little Miss Money Bags had never even classic street fair or carnival food. Jazmyn oftentimes wondered just how many things she and Mickey had introduced Charlotte to back at their boarding school, Crossroads, because a lot of the time, despite how much she loved Charlotte, it seemed like she came from a very different world from them. The comment wasn't even meant for Charlotte, though. In actuality, Jazmyn muttered it about Mickey because she was positive that her Zeta sister had seen the text from Charlotte, but had probably responded to her in a private text. It wasn't even jealousy that made Jazmyn roll her eyes at that. It was just... it was typical Mickey, and since Jazmyn still half wanted to believe that Mickey didn't even have the balls to do anything last night with Charlotte, and was all talk, the suss nature that she decided her friend was having furthered that belief.

To: Charlotte, Mickey
Don't you worry your pretty little mind, Princess. I'll buy you whatever your heart desires tonight. At least one of your friends gotta be able to satisfy those desires you've got tonight, and we know who already had her shot at that and failed miserably....................

To: Mickey
Guess we ain't talking then! Make way for your girl's new side hoe

The text was something that Jazmyn would go through with, if only to get under Mickey's skin, but she was sure that the text in itself would do that, and that in itself had her smiling as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I'm bailing for a minute," she eventually decided, once the girls spotted some of their fellow nursing classmates in the distance. It seemed like a safe time to go, since she wasn't actually leaving them stranded, and she had every intention of catching up with them later, if her Zeta sisters or Charlotte didn't keep her entertained all night. She was heading towards the food stands partly because of Charlotte, but also, mostly because she was actually hungry herself. She had purposely skipped dinner at home because she wanted to eat at the carnival, so Charlotte's text had come at a perfect time.

As she approached the crowded area that was speckled with different food carts, offering things as carnival-centric as fried Oreo's and fried Twinkies, to the more generic carts that offered things like pizza, and chicken fingers, and tacos, she eventually spotted Charlotte standing besides Weston. Surprisingly, the notion that Charlotte and Weston were dating still hadn't made its way to Jazmyn's ears, so she was a bit perplexed at the idea of Charlotte hanging out with a Beta. Wasn't that like... the opposite of what she enjoyed? With an expression on her face that expressed that confusion and skepticism, she approached them, ignoring the glares that she got from people on the line behind them, because it wasn't like she was actually cutting the line to order something here. "Long time, no see, Princess. Why didn't I get to hang out with you last night at the party, hmm?" she inquired, a knowing smirk on her face as she asked it though.