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Jasper McQueen

"It gets under your skin and lives inside you."

0 · 853 views · located in Smithbrook

a character in “Beautiful Lies”, as played by tigerz

Description

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Kehlani: Gangsta 0 Halsey: Strange Love 0 Apashe: No Twerk 0 Jason Walker: Down 0 The National: Fireproof


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N A M E
Jasper McQueen

N I C K N A M E S
Little J, McQueen #2, Jax, Jack the Lad, Jazz

A L I A S
Jack Dallas; Escort name

A G E
20

G E N D E R
Male; Intersex

S E X U A L I T Y
Pansexual

O C C U P A T I O N
Male Escort


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H E I G H T
5'8

W E I G H T
140 lbs

A P P E A R A N C E
Jasper isn't one to boast anymore about his looks like he did in high school but he will say he is an attractive enough young man to be successful in his line of work. He doesn't have his fathers blonde and wavy locks like his sister does as he was given his mothers dark brown hair and blue eyes. He used to keep it cut short almost like a marine style hair cut that framed well with his face though lately he's been letting it grow out in waves and comb it back. He lately has been growing out a small beard to give him a more rugged appearance since it makes him appear older for his line of work. Jasper's a relatively small looking guy but he's got a lot of spunk and also keeps his body well toned. He's no stranger to tattoos or piercings and has both ears pierced along with two tattoos. One is on his shoulder while the other is along the left side of his ribs.

S T Y L E
Jasper's sense of style is always changing depending on what client he's with. He always seems to cater to his customers needs though out on the street on a daily basis his style is a bit different. He's a huge fan of band t shirts and jeans though he does enjoy dressing up and presenting himself more flamboyantly and catering to the stereotype of men who do contemporary dance.


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S E C R E T
What's a family without it's secrets? The McQueen's were well for their socialite status, catholic purity, and children meant to do great things in the world someday. At least it could have been if their oldest wasn't thrown out for being gay and became an alcoholic because she can't admit what she's so afraid of. Jasper may not be running from something but he sure does have a lot to hide from the world.

Jasper was born different from everyone else though it wasn't really noticeable until puberty didn't hit him like every other boy his age. Jasper was born with an extra X chromosome that gave some complications to his gonads. In simple terms, Jasper is intersex and has to take hormone replacements in order for his body to appear like that of a normal male. No one but his family knows about this as he isn't sure how people would feel if they knew this about him though that's not even his worse kept secret.

Sage wasn't the only McQueen to get kicked out of the house and cut off from their families large funds. Jasper had been thrown out as well when his parents discovered he was lending money to his sister so she could support herself when she came back form the Air Force. Jasper was left with no way of paying for Julliard and had to find new ways to support himself and his sister because he just couldn't bring himself to abandon her. Jasper became a male escort. It's enough to pay for rent and school though he'd rather that lifestyle be kept hidden from everyone including his sister.


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P E R S O N A L I T Y
Compared to Sage, Jasper is the easy one to deal with lately. He was always some one who was well liked in school thanks to his boisterous personality and willingness to act flamboyant. He was a big ball of wild energy in school that could never sit still in class. He was always doing something to get others to laugh and just had a sort of shinning aura that drew people to him. The McQueen's were always a popular bunch so it was no surprise that Jasper was as well. Jasper managed to be friends with everyone even if he could be a bit annoying with the way he seemed to live life much harder than everyone else and simply didn't care about what happened to him. But he was always a good friend. He gave people a shoulder to cry on and never gave up on anyone and he' still the same way.

Still after everything that's happened and how hard people try to push him away, Jasper still sticks around. He gave his sister a home at the cost of losing everything and is still around for his two best friends no matter how hard they try to get him to just give up on them. It's just not in his nature to walk away from someone. Jasper spends s much time caring for other people and putting others before himself and that he never stops to think about what he wants. He doesn't care how bad things go for him if it means someone else is happy. He bottles up everything he feels for the sake of not hurting people but it's eventually gonna just blow up in his face and he'll finally self destruct.


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Q U I R K S
Smokes pot after sex; Fixes hair; Smirking; Swearing; Clicking his tongue; Turning bright red when embarrassed; Stuttering when nervous

L I K E S
Pot; Parties; Making people laugh; Sex; Dancing; Music; Contemporary; Shopping; Long boarding; Julliard; Men; Women; Sour candy; Male dancers

D I S L I K E S
Alcohol; Drunks; Cigarettes; His job; Ignorance; His family besides Sage; When Sage drinks; Being pushed away; Spicy food; All drugs except for pot; When Sage goes out partying

T A L E N T S
Dancing; Got into Julliard; Makes other people laugh; Contemporary dance; Singing; Looking out for people; His job; Street fighting; Watching out for his sister

F L A W S
Puts everyone before himself; Doesn't focus on himself; Stuck taking care of Sage; Doesn't give up on people; Has to work as an escort for money; Got cut off by family

F E A R S
Losing Sage; Alex not having the same feelings back; Never leaving his job; Never making it as a dancer; Being stuck taking care of Sage for the rest of his life


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H I S T O R Y
It's a bit of a surprise that the well known Irish Catholic family stopped having kids after 5. Maybe they just gave up on trying for a girl so many more times after having 4 boys. Jasper was born the youngest of the litter and his mother settled for making Jasper the more feminine one so she could act like she had a daughter again. Jasper was raised with a love for dance and continued to do since they age he could walk and had a special love for contemporary dance to the point that his parents started preparing him for Julliard once he showed he was talented enough.

Now the McQueen's were a very well known family in town thanks to their socialite status and children that all seemed to be very popular with a certain talent to them. Sage, musician and bad ass MMA fighter/Boxer; Alexander, star quarterback; Derek, class president; Scout , chemist genius and hacker. Their family seemed all too perfect until complications finally happened. Jasper was just 12 when Sage had eventually been thrown out of the house and cut off from being able to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston and went on to join the Air Force. Jasper didn't really know why this happened since he had problems of his own to deal with. Puberty didn't hit him like everyone else and it became noticeable he wasn't just a late bloomer when they went to the doctor and found out he was born Intersex. His family had him keep this secret locked up and Jasper did just that as he went through high school.

Eventually Jasper went on to attend Julliard like his family attended and did well until the day his older sister he lost touch with showed up again. She stumbled upon him in a drunken state and Jasper immediately helped her out and tried to clean her up but it didn't work. He couldn't bring himself to abandon her like the rest of his family did so he had her stay at the apartment his parents got for him but then his parents found out and cut him off as well for it. Sage was too busy blowing her money of on booze and party drugs and Jasper could barely make rent or pay for school with two jobs until an escort position landed on his lap. He didn't want to do it but the money was too good to pass up. He keeps it secret but an old friend dying might mean secrets surfacing.

So begins...

Jasper McQueen's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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#, as written by partially-stars
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dialogue: #02857e | outfit: here


Alex pulled a face as he looked his reflection up and down. His shirt and trousers just seemed to make him look scrawny, and his hair was a mess- well, it wouldn't lie in the exact mess he wanted it to. He honestly would have rather stayed in the hotel room until it was time for his flight home- but this was a memorial service for Lisa. He couldn't believe she was dead. She hadn't just been popular- she'd been genuinely loved by so many people. She tutored those who struggled with school. She'd been a member of every committee going and had so often been the reason they hadn't descended into chaos. She was the one who paired up with the weird kid in the class so they wouldn't be alone or singled out by a teacher. She'd tracked down Alex after he moved away and had actually kept in contact with him- or, rather, kept messaging him, telling him about her day, and not expecting a response. And, eventually, he had messaged back.

But now, she was gone. With the police enquiry, the funeral had felt strange- nobody meeting anyone else's eyes, polite small talk the only conversation anyone made. The funeral had been strange, a mere formality. But this was voluntary, something the family genuinely wanted to do to celebrate her life. It wasn't anything religious- just something to remember her by. Had it been any other event, he would have stayed home. But not this.

His unsatisfactory appearance would have to do. Besides, most of the people there had seen him worse. He wasn't exactly the picture of health, but he'd been a hell of a lot worse the last time they'd seen him. Painfully underweight, barely able to function when sober, self-destructive, miserable... Well, okay, that last one hadn't changed that much.

He shoved his phone, hotel key, and wallet into his pocket, picking up a jacket and leaving the hotel room. As he headed for the venue, it occurred to him everyone else who could be here. Cas, Oliver, Callum... Callum. Alex still didn't like to think about him all that much. Callum had broken him and had the guts to say it was for the best. And the worst thing was, Alex had still loved him. He'd buried himself in self-destruction, because Callum had been the only person to ever stop him from completely derailing. Alex's therapist had told him multiple times that closure would probably do him good, that reaching out to Callum might be for the best. Alex had disagreed. That said, if he ran into Callum... Well, they'd just need to see what would happen. Alex was in town for another while anyway, until his parents got back from their last minute holiday abroad.

The room was starting to fill up fast, even though the service itself didn't start for another hour. There was to be a reception before and after to encourage the memory of Lisa- although Alex wasn't planning on sticking around for too long after, especially if there were a lot of familiar faces attending. He kept his head down, taking a leaflet and heading to one corner. He just wanted this to be over already.



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dialogue: #faa0fa | outfit here


They'd rebuilt the house. Somebody else lived there now and had made it their house, unrecognisable from Ellie's childhood home. Ellie was incredibly glad for that much. It made coming home so much easier- not at all like being at home. It was the town she'd grown up in, but without the painful reminders. Or, at least, most of them.

The scars wrapping around Ellie's torso were so easy to hide. They could be covered with just a dress. The fainter ones on her arms were slightly harder to cover, requiring her to wear a jacket. But even still, as she looked herself up and down, she could have easily been her old self. It was so easy to pretend that nothing had ever happened. Maybe everyone had forgotten and moved on. Maybe she could fly home in a week or two and leave this all behind for good. That thought was comforting.

As she left her hotel, she scanned the streets, watching for a familiar face. Then again, most of them were probably already at the service. She wanted to go, but she didn't want to deal with people. She was still going to be there almost an hour before the actual service or whatever it was began, but she wasn't intending on being all that social.

Nobody approached her in her short journey to the venue, something she was glad about. It was already pretty busy when she got there, which allowed her blend into the crowd pretty easily.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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#, as written by afreerobin
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Dettie did not want to be here. This place held too many painful memories. That bench over there, she ate ice cream with here mother on the bench. Under that big tree Dettie had her first kiss. God. Being back was so strange. Every time she walked past a corner she expected Cas to swagger up to her, grinning his cocky grin. When she passed her old school Dettie could of sworn she saw Gemma waving at her.

It was too hard being here. She'd stay a week, maybe a week and a half then she'd go back to Australia. It would all go back to normal and Dettie could live her dull, boring life.

Entering the reception Dettie realized that maybe she wasn't dressed correctly. Wearing a leather jacket, skin tight ripped jeans and a shirt low enough to show the tattoo on her collar down wasn't really funeral material.

Oops.

She picked up a leaflet, skimming it. Hopefully her appearance made people leave her alone. If an old friend came up and tried to talk to her it would be so awkward. Dettie didn't exactly have any friends in Australia and Cas was the only one she ever kept in contact with.

And if Gemma or Lina wanted to talk to her...well Dettie couldn't be held responsible for what she'd do. Seeing the two girl, women now she supposed, she fell in love with would shatter her whole not caring demeanor.

Keeping a careful eye out Dettie sat down on one of the free chairs. She flipped her sunglasses down, hoping they'd hide her face a bit.

A few hours then she could return to her hotel. She could do this.




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Gavin didn't like funerals. He didn't like chatting about his dead friends to strangers. And he definitely didn't like leaving Patty alone. But he wouldn't want Patty to be here. She was barely five and did not need to see a bunch of stuff adult crying around a dead body. Plus none of his old friends even knew had a kid, excluding Lina. He couldn't lie to his cousin even if he wanted to.

He had put on a suit for this and was really regretting it. The tie was digging into his throat and the dress shoes were uncomfortable. At least the venue looked good. Gavin would hate for Lisa to be remembered in a crappy place. She deserved more than that

He crossed his legs, drumming his fingers on his knee. It was getting crowed now. What time was it? Gavin glanced down at his watch and wondered how Patty was doing in daycare.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton
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0.00 INK

#, as written by συιʝα
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Hex:#D0B9A9XXXXXOutfit: funeral worthy
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Lina sat on the edge of the bed shaking her leg nervously while her hands sat on her lap, rubbing against one another. She had just came back from tour when she got the call and what was suppose to be a happy reunion with Gemma was turned sad and nerve racking. She never excepted for Lisa, the multi-tasking, lovable, softball mate to have . . . died. At least not so early in her life. Lina also didn't except to be back in her hometown so early or ever really. Deep breaths were inhaled in order to calm herself before she got up and decided to finally get dressed. Looking into the mirror Lina stared at her own reflection while adjusting her blazer. If there was one thing she could pull off it was black on black.

With her hair tossed over to the left Lina thought she was ready but when Gemma called out for them to leave she realized she wasn't. She just got all nervous again even while driving over to the funeral her hand kept squeezing the steering wheel while she tried not to look at her surroundings, only the road. But when they stopped at a red light Lina's eyes trailed off to the right to a specific corner of the street where she remembers resting against the stop sign on her way back from her first fight. She was so sore that she didn't think she was gonna make it home. Then there were those times where she'd walked that corner with Dettie or raced Gavin on their way back from school or when she'd pick her brother up late at night because he was too drugged out to make it back home. Gripping the steering wheel again she looked forward trying not to think about back then. This wasn't the time or place to think about those things and so she turned up the radio, letting the music distract her until they got there.

Standing at the entrance Lina could feel the anxiety creep up on her again. That nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach came back and twice as strong this time. "breathe, breathe, breathe ..." she mumbled softly, her hands shaking faintly but then began fiddling with the cuffs on her blazer. She didn't know if she wanted to go in anymore. She would like to see Alphie, Sage, Jasp, hell even Alex just to see if they were all okay but at the same time she wouldn't know what to say to them. She's been gone for so long and distanced herself from them before she left too. They probably would barely recognize her now since she looks nothing like the lovable jock she was back in high school.

Feeling Gemma grab hold of her sleeve calmed Lina down a bit. Enough for her to link arms with her best friend and escort her in, taking another deep breath for good measure. At this point Lina prayed that Gemma wouldn't feel her whole body shaking with each step they took. When the casket came into sight Lina let a tear or two escape but she wiped them fast. Lucky for her she was barely wearing eyeliner. The flowers were perfect and Lina couldn't help but to smile a little. It was a bit more happy than sad although it was still clearly sad because those flowers were so Lisa. Clenching her jaw to stop herself from tearing again Lina lead Gemma to a seat towards the middle since it looked like others had the same idea to sit in the back. Lisa wouldn't have wanted people being all sad at her funeral. If there is one thing Lina knew well about her it was that her favorite softball captain was one of those people who loved making others smile and she would want the same at her funeral.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by tigerz
00000S A G E 0 M C Q U E E N 00000000000000000|000000000000000000000 J A S P E R 0 M C Q U E E N
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[ O U T F I T ]
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[ S E C R E T ]
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They were running late. Though it really shouldn't have been a surprise considering Sage was knocked out drunk from smiley face blue pill and Captain Morgan rum combination. Jasper of course had been the one to clean her up though he did give her a rude awakening with a surprise cold shower which ended with Sage waking up swinging like she did every time he did this to her. Sage hated this but Jasper did mean well. She hardly ever slept and it was a miracle she managed to get more sleep than Jasper. She did comply when Jasper told her to get ready since she was sober for the time being to know that the events leading up to today had been tough on her younger brother.

It'd been a long couple nights for Jasper. He'd been booked by his Madam to accompany and older and distinguished gentleman for the evening. It wasn't entirely bad. He preferred his older customers with deeper pockets since they always seemed to spoil him and tip well. The man took him out for the night to attend a business type gathering which wasn't Jasper's first. He'd been shown off like a piece of arm candy so the man wouldn't appear single and finished the night off with his usual duties for his customer that always enjoyed booking him for such events. Once his job was finished, he went home at an ungodly hour that was normal in the city of New York before Sage as always since she was out partying and taking God knows what with her 'friends'.

The next day, Jasper had taken the liberty of packing for him and his older sister before heading to his school to inform his teachers of his short absence. He finished his day off by informing his Madam of his departure and getting a bonus of sorts by doing what he does best... Sleeping with her. The two had a rather inappropriate relationship between boss and employee. Jasper wasn't a fan of it but it gave him extra money in his pocket for the trip. Sage of course spent her time drinking and stealing from his stash of dope before Jasper got home to slip a sleeping pill into the drink he poured for her just so she'd hopefully pass out and make the flight back home peaceful and it worked.

After arguing back and forth over how to dress for the funeral, Jasper finally gave up and let Sage show up with him at the funeral in their expensive rental car. Jasper was dressed formally his own stylish flare added to it while Sage showed up wearing a not so appropriate t shirt and jeans with a flannel over it and a beanie to cover her wet hair that probably hasn't been washed for a week. They came in quietly... Well, Jasper did while Sage stumbled in having to grip her brother's arm to steady herself thanks to the drinks she was sneaking from her flask in her back pocket.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton
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Hex:#D0B9A9XXXXXOutfit: funeral worthy
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Lina was never good with names but she somehow managed to always remember the names of people she has seen around a lot so when Flora approached them she had no trouble remembering her name. Which is saying something because even now Lina can't remember half of the names of the kids she had class with. "We're doing okay," Lina answered for herself and Gemma with a slight smile and nod. A greeting to Flora.

Lina would have liked to at least greet Flora properly but something kept pulling her attention away form the girl and that was Dettie. Something about felt off. Her smile fell and it was replaced by a questioning gaze. Some may say it was more of a glare but it wasn't. For anyone who knows Lina they would know that that expression meant that something felt off to her. Something she had to think or wonder about. That look hadn't lasted for more than a couple of seconds though as Lina was brought back into the conversation, choosing not to respond to Dettie's moving on statement.

Lina nudged Gemma softly, smiling. "Yeah, I was actually thinking about doing something like that myself. Now we can do it all together." she agreed, unconsciously managing to intertwine her fingers with Gem's. For a split second though, something caught her eye in the crowd. Well, two somethings. Two heads that sported brown hair, hair that she knew all too well. One belonged to her favorite cousin in the world that she hasn't seen in about a month and the other belonged to her lovable idiot, Jasper. With a new feeling running through her, excitement Lina almost leaped out of her chair. "Uhm, hey Gem wanna go greet some old friends?" even though they were mostly her friends, Lina didn't want to leave Gemma behind because she didn't know how she'd fare by herself. She knew seeing Dettie was harder on her than it was on herself but Lina was the type to always push her own feelings to the back of her head in order to focus her attention on someone who needed it.

Looking back at Dettie, Lina adjusted her blazer and licked her lips since they felt a bit dry. "Want to join us?" Lina's eyebrow rose questioningly. Somewhere deep down she hoped that Dettie would say yes but at the same time she didn't hold her expectations that high. Of course the invitation wasn't just for her though, it was also for Cas and Flora. She would be okay if they didn't but happy if they did.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton
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Flora was feeling better already. Sitting alone was just making her sadder, and the company had helped her ignore the whispers, too.

That said, the tension was palpable. Clearly there was some history between Gemma, Lina, and Dettie that Flora wasn't aware of. She felt a bit awkward for getting in the middle of whatever it was, but she decided not to mention it.

When Dettie suggested going out as a group, Flora smiled, her earlier discomfort forgotten.

"That sounds great. I'd love to catch up."

This was good. It was an opportunity to reconnect with people she wasn't close to in high school. Flora really regretted pushing everyone away as a kid, and she jumped at the chance to make up for that.

Plus, she didn't have many friends as it was.

She noticed Jasper and Sage entering and decided to join Lina and Gemma in greeting them.

"Sure, I'll come."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham
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#, as written by InakoUchiha
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speech ; #FFB7EE || outfit ; here



Cas laughed a bit as he turned towards the group of females near him. He actually wasn't paying attention, his eyes were drifting to the door, and over to Callum and Alex. He wanted to talk to him, they hadn't been close since Alex and he talked in high school. But then again that was before Alex had his breakdown over whatever it was. He hadn't really known. He wanted to talk to Alex, and see how things were. "Um...Dettie yeah sure. I'll see ya later Tink, Flora, Lina, Gemma. I gotta go ask something. Gonna invite Alex." he spoke as he started to head that way. His eyebrow raised as he heard the last bit

".....way you want me." ignoring it. Castiel kind of awkwardly spoke towards Alex. "Hey Alex....Callum. I was wondering if after this you guys wanted to go do something with the girls and I..... he spoke, pausing when the thought popped in his head. Nice going, just make it sound like you're a fucking female. he thought before he would continue to speak and place his hand behind on his neck and give a nervous look before words blurted from his mouth.

".....was interrupting something wasn't I? I was just wondering if you guys wanted to catch up. Sorry that I interrupted you." his face heated up in a blush as he would rub his neck and smile a bit more.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham
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#, as written by afreerobin
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Dettie could hardly keep herself from sagging in relief. If Lina or Gemma had turned her down she wasn't sure what to do. 'Cool. We'll hash out the plan later.' Maybe she could do this? Gemma had used her old nickname, causing Dettie's face to light up. Things were going well.

Then her lifeline slipped from her fingers. Cas ran off, leaving Dettie stranded with her two ex's and a women, who she'd admit was attractive, that she didn't know all that well. She knew he needed closure as much as she did, but still, Dettie had evoked bestfriend code.

Honestly. Men.

She tugged a strand off hair behind her ear and tried her best not to act nervous. 'I can't interupt Cas now. So yeah, I'll go with you guys.' Her sunglasses slipped down a bit as she gazed at the interlocked fIngers of Lina and Gemma. A few years ago that would of been her.

Dettie cleared her throat and put her sunglasses back in their place. 'Lead the way ladies.'

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton Character Portrait: Jasper McQueen
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Hex:#D0B9A9XXXXXOutfit: funeral worthy
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Having all the girls agree had put a pep in Lina's step as she made her way over to Gavin and Jasper who really weren't that far away form each other. "Gavin, Jasper!" she called out, quietly, still keeping in mind that she was at a funeral. Upon approaching them Lina noticed that she was still holding onto Gemma's hand and in a way that made her just nervous now so she quickly let go but not in a rude way or so she tried to pull off. A figure next to Jasper caught her eye but at the same time. It was his older sister and freshmen puppy crush Sage.

Lina let a gentle smile cross her features. She knew how Gavin felt about funerals and anything that had to with death so he was the first one that she hugged. She pulled him into a big embrace, one that was sure to comfort him even if a little. After pulling away Lina smirked slightly towards Jasper while looking him up and down. "You've become one snazzy bastard Jasp."

Noticing Gavin's tie being a bit too tight Lina reached out and adjusted it so it wouldn't choke her dear cousin out. "I think you should come to me next time you deiced to wear a suit." Lina tried to lighten the mood a bit but she couldn't help but to let a sad smile replace the old one. Her eyes wandered back over to Sage who she couldn't manage to even speak to at the moment and just waved. "So," she paused glancing over to the coffin that made her feel uneasy. "How are you guys doing..?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton Character Portrait: Jasper McQueen
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#, as written by afreerobin
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Hex Color:#1C6122



Gavin looked up in time to see his favorite cousin striding towards him. He stood grinning, and opened his arms for the embrace he knew would come. It felt good to see her. If only Patty was here.

She took a step back, allowing him to get a good look at her. Lina looked good. Better. He was an only child and Lina was the closest thing he had to a sister. He couldn't help being just a bit protective over her.

He brushed off her suit comment. 'I'm a grown man Lina-Mae.' His eyes twinkled in a way they haven't for a long time. 'I've been catching your music when I can. Patty and I love it.'

Gavin grinned and let out a breath. While Lina was busy waving to some girl he gazed at her companions. There was Gemma, Callum's sister. Gavin remembered her. A sweet girl. Then Dettie. Gavin knew more than he'd care to admit about her. He wasn't too fond of seeing the girl that gave up being with his cousin.

Then, the other girl. She looked vaguely familiar though Gavin couldn't put a name to her face. Shrugging he turned back to Lina. 'I'm doing okay Lina. It's hard being here cause, well you know. But it's good it see old friends again.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Gavin Dean Character Portrait: Lina Stretton Character Portrait: Jasper McQueen
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Hex: #993333 | Outfit: x


Gemma walked with Lina towards the others. At one point, Lina had let go of her hand and she suddenly felt like she was moonwalking without a tether. She shook it off and continued their trek to Gavin, Jasper, and Sage. Sage and Gemma used to be friends. Not the best of friends, but not total strangers. Gemma gave a small wave to the group and a soft smile. There was something.. off about Sage. She wasn't... focusing? Her eyes seemed to be everywhere, but nowhere. She heard the change in Lina's voice as she talked to her cousin and she looked over to find her staring back at the coffin. There was an uneasy set to her shoulders.

She gave her friend a faint smile and turned to Sage. "Hey, Sage." She said. "How've you been?" She gave a soft nod to Jasper in greeting. He used to spend some time with Callum and Alex, but she wasn't sure if they were friends or just mutual acquaintances. Most people gravitated towards Alex. Callum was his eternal shadow. Based on how her brother had looked at Alex, at some point that had changed and they had gone their separate ways.

She searched the room for him now and she felt her heart get a little lighter in her chest. They were talking. There was hope after all. Maybe there was hope for her and Dettie? Cas was walking up to them now after leaving the group. It was obvious he was interrupting something. Something important, but Gemma couldn't quite tell what. Callum wasn't paying him any attention. Instead his gaze was hard on Alex's. Like he was searching for something.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor Character Portrait: Lina Stretton Character Portrait: Jasper McQueen
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Alex stared at Callum's outstretched hand. What was he supposed to do? Shake it? That was all wrong. After everything they'd been through, a handshake was all wrong. Alex found himself in the rare position of actually craving physical contact. A handshake wasn't going to be enough to fulfill that. But would anything else be too much? Would he be giving the message that he wanted more, when he wasn't sure what he wanted? Or would a hug just be a hug between best friends?

Cas' arrival provided a welcome distraction. It felt like years since Alex had last seen him, and Alex's smile wasn't entirely forced. Cas stumbled over his words, and quickly apologised for interrupting. Alex shook his head. "It's fine, Cas. What type of thing is it? Because if it's painting nails and talking boys, I think I'll pass for tonight," he said, before immediately reconsidering. Was that pushing it too far? Would Cas be offended? He shouldn't have left the hotel room. He should have just stayed in and drawn and have avoided messing all this up. He wrapped his arms around himself, wanting to run out of the room and forget this had ever happened.



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dialogue: #faa0fa | outfit here


Ellie hadn't missed the influx of arrivals. She'd been choosing to ignore them, until a few familiar voices reached her ears. Curious, she turned around- and immediately spotted a few friendly faces. Excitedly, she got to her feet and made her way over to them.

She wrapped an arm casually around Lina's shoulders, before noticing who she was talking to. He'd been a few years above her- but she couldn't quite place a name to him. "Hey," she said simply, before turning her attention to Lina.

"Have you been avoiding me or did you just disappear for a few months?" She asked. All the while, she was trying to think of the boy's name. Gerald? Gary? Something like that, she was pretty sure she'd heard his name somewhere before.

She wasn't quite sure what caught her eye- but something did, and she glanced over to see Jasper and Sage. Sage's appearance shocked her. She looked just as much of a mess as she had the night that Ellie had found her. She'd thought that with going back to live with Jasper and all that, things might get better but... maybe not. She could feel herself tensen a little, and just prayed that Lina hadn't noticed.

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Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Ellie Powell Character Portrait: Lina Stretton Character Portrait: Jasper McQueen
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Sage and Jasper quickly became popular with the small crowd of people that formed around them. Leave it to the McQueen's to still hold people's attention in the room despite them both not wanting it. At least Jasper didn't. Sage seemed to have no problem with it based on the drunken smirk that formed when Lina asked how everyone was. "Well I'm just wonderful, hot stuff." Sage's speech was slightly slurred though she wasn't as drunk as she would be once the day progressed further. Jasper rolled his eyes just as Sage decided to give Lina a once over.

Sage took out her flask and took a quick swig of it's contents and nearly choked when Ellie approached them. Obviously she'd be here but it still took Sage a bit by surprise though she quickly coated that in flirtation. "Long time no see, princess" She stumbled forward a bit though Jasper held onto her despite his embarrassment. All he wanted to do was leave at this point before their family showed up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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speech ; #FFB7EE || outfit ; here



Cas's eyes would widen as he listened to Callum's question. "What about you, Man? Find anyone to suit your fancy?"

Well, Oliver. But he hadn't seen him...in....three years? Boy he didn't even know how long it had been. The male still thought about him. "Um, well. Honestly you don't find a lot of gu...women interested in a youth pastor. They want to be wild and crazy when it come to relations. It's just not really my thing. I had my eye on someone when I was in high school, but that really never worked out. I didn't voice my emotions on that person. I was hoping they'd be here...." he spoke somewhat glumly. His dark blond eyes looked towards Callum and Alex. Yep, they were something. Not together, but not completely apart. Somewhat like Dettie and h.....hOLY SHIT HE LEFT DETTIE ALONE. "I'll see y'all tonight...right? Don't leave me with the load of chicks. I don't want to hear about syncing periods." the male smirked, as he walked towards the ladies.

He looked over, and saw...Sap and Jason? He didn't really know their names, but they hung out maybe once or twice. He turned his attention back towards Dettie and Gemma. His silence being clearly out of politeness, and slight awkwardness.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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Dettie smiled, so fond and bright that for just a second she looked like the teenager that could kiss Gemma under a tree, giggling when they couldn't get it just right. Then Sage spoke and the magic was broken. She never had a problem with the girl but the stench of alcohol was overbearing. Dettie wrinkled her nose and the carefree smile was replaced with something more forced.

'School? I bet you got tons of scholarships. You always were the smart one.' A sigh escaped her lips and Dettie crossed her arms. 'I never got to go. I got sent to live with my aunt after the whole...ordeal. She wanted me to stay home, be this perfect little girl and not some ga-'

Cas's return cut her off. Thank god for that. Dettie definitely did not want to rant in front of Gemma. She didn't mean to, but Gemma was so easy to talk to and it all kinda spilled out.

Going red Dettie rubbed the back of her neck, looking anywhere but at Gemma. 'Erm....Sorry about that. I just, missed you. A lot. I already said that didn't I? Heh...sorry.'

Okay so not as planned. Time to avoid this new awkward situation. 'So, um, school. How's that?'

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor Character Portrait: Ellie Powell
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0000A L E X 0 H O L M E S 00000000000000000|00000000000000000000000 C A L L U M 0 W I L C O X
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hexcode
#02857e 0 | 0 #004d00

outfit
alex 0 | 0 callum

song
talk me down | troye sivan





He knew that he'd said he'd go, but now, he was regretting that. The memorial service had exhausted him enough as was. The thought of having to deal with any more people was exhausting him enough as it was. He'd asked Callum to pick him up, but his phone had died at exactly the same moment he'd decided that. And now his phone was taking ages to turn back on. Callum would probably be here before Alex even got around to texting him. Just perfect. He'd hardly moved from the bed except to retrieve his sketchpad from his backpack that was acting as a storage for everything that wasn't clothes. The room wasn't that untidy, but it certainly wasn't an image of cleanliness. Paper scattered the floor where he'd ripped out pages that he hadn't been happy with. He couldn't put what he wanted to onto paper, and that was frustrating him a little. So, eventually, he'd just decided to start attempting to catch up on some sleep and pretend that everything that was happening... wasn't.

Callum took a deep breath as he stuck the key into the ignition of his 2011 Ford Bronco and turned it. The engine revved to life, growling hungrily for the open road. He reached out an pat the dashboard. "Sorry, pal. No roadtrips just yet. We have to go get Alex." He eyed the camera bag he had sitting in the shadows of his trunk and thought he should take it to the outing. Get pictures of Gemma, Lina... Alex.

He shook his hand and put the car in drive. He wasn't sure he wanted Alex to know about his new hobby. Not until he was any good at it. Alex was always incredibly talented art wise. Callum couldn't even draw a straight line to save his life. Even his hearts looked strange. He occasionally watched his phone as the GPS guided him to the hotel Alex was staying in. Guilt ate at the lining of his heart as he waited. It got to the point that Callum groaned and put his face in his hands, regret pressing down on his shoulders like weights. If only he had stayed. If only he had tried harder... but he had tried. He had done everything he could think of, everything the internet said to do, but Alex wouldn't listen. But he recovered, right? Yeah because you leaving pushed him over the edge. Callum stuck a hand out to lay into the horn and remembered at the last second that he was outside a hotel and not Alex's house. The car gave a soft honk causing head to turn in his direction. He lifted his hands apologetically and sat back in his seat with a sigh. He grabbed his phone from its mount on the dashboard and typed out:

Dude, we're going to be late Erased it. Wrote You gonna come down before I grow old and die alone?. Erased it. He groaned. Why was this so hard? He apologized. Alex knew how sorry he was. Maybe it was that Alex hadn't exactly said he had forgiven him. And Alex hadn't specified just what... they were exactly. Everytime his mind reverted back to before, it felt too easy. He needed to tone it down, but toned down didn't make him Callum. He tried again.

O prince up in his tower high cometh down lest we beest late for the ball. or I kicketh the bucket of old age. Sent.

The first Alex knew of his phone turning on was when it buzzed with a text. He rolled over, retrieving the phone. His stomach squeezed on seeing Callum's name. He read the text, a small smile crossing his lips at the message, but guilt stole it from his face.

Sorry, dude, really not feeling up to it. It was too brief, but what else could he say? Elaborate on his depression? Say how he'd just spent the whole afternoon asleep or drawing or staring at the ceiling? It wasn't necessary, so he wasn't going to share. He wasn't going to guilt-trip Callum. He felt bad enough for bailing on him.

Below, Callum's phone gives a happy chirp as his phone received a message. Despite the sounds, Callum's face wasn't happy. He opened the message and he sighed. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and reread the message. Was it because of him? Because he was the one giving Alex a ride? Maybe he could text Cas... No. If they were going to fix things. It was going to be Callum. But that didn't mean Callum wouldn't offer.

Come on, Man. Don't do this. Is it me? I can text Cas if that would help. He was completely oblivious to the real reason for Alex's sudden distance of the situation, but he felt that if Alex didn't come down, Callum might never see him again. The ache for the open road was already settling in his chest. He wasn't sure how long he could stay in this stupid little town that held so many secrets. He also wasn't sure which window was Alex's but he stared up into him as if willing his friend--his love if he was being honest--to look down. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, look out your tower. See the prince waiting for... many an hour?" He groaned. Poetry was never his strong suit.

He was watching his phone for the reply, knowing that it probably wasn't going to just be a simple reply. And, sure enough, when he read the message, he just ran a hand down his face. He couldn't even send a freaking text without hurting anybody.

No, it's not you. This morning just took it out of me, you know? He sent, staring at the screen and reading Callum's last message. He just wanted to see Callum face to face again. Here, they could talk it out again. They could talk it out in private.

This tower of mine has a lift, if you want to talk face to face. Third floor, room 347. He sent, locking his phone, but staying staring at the screen.

Callum was muttering about his lack of social skills under his breath as he waited for a reply. As soon as his phone chirped, he quickly unlocked it and read the message. His eyes read the words slowly at first and then reread them before practically jumping from his car and made his way inside. It took everything in him not to run to the elevator. As he waited, he typed a reply:

I suppose I can brave that metal beast. I better get a kiss at the top." No. No no. He erased that last part and just sent: I suppose I can brave that metal beast. They just started talking again. No need to fuck it up with his failure of a flirt. He bounced on his toes as the metal doors slowly slid open and he practically hopped inside. It was completely empty so he didn't need to worry about bothering people with his fidgeting.

The doors slid open again on the third floor and he quickly made his way to room 347. He found it and lifted his hand to knock. And dropped it. Stop being a baby He lifted his hand again, took a deep breath and knocked. He let one word escape his lips, a whisper that sounded like a shout in the quiet hall, "Alex?"

Callum's reply made him smile a little, and his eyes shifted from the screen of his phone to the door. A few moments later, the knock came. He got to his feet, casting an eye over the room. It suddenly seemed ridiculously untidy, but there wasn't much he could do about it. So he just ran a hand through his hair, and opened the door. "Hey," he said, standing back to let Callum in. "Sorry about the mess, I just... I meant to tidy up, but then I fell asleep and... yeah," he said, shrugging. God, this was so much more awkward than he'd imagined.

Callum's heart jumped when the door swung open revealing a lightly disheveled Alex. He looked like he had been sleeping before Callum had texted him. He stepped inside, his eyes sweeping about the room. It was a mess, but it wasn't any worse than the back of his Bronco. "Hey, don't sweat it. You should see the back of my truck." Was it a truck? It was definitely bigger than a car. It felt powerful like a truck... he was sticking with truck. "But what's with all the paper?" He knocked a wad of crumpled paper across the floor with his foot, landing next to a pile of shoes and a backpack bursting with clothes.

He smiled at Callum's response. They'd never been the tidiest pair, and it was kind of comforting to know that some things never changed. "Just... drawings that weren't going to work out. I was getting frustrated, hence why they're flung... literally all over the room," he admitted, running his hand through his hair again. He sighed. "Sorry for backing out, dude, I just... Like I said, I've been asleep all afternoon, and I still don't have the energy to go out and try and deal with people again. I'm just... constantly tired lately," he said. It wasn't a lie. He was telling the truth, and praying that Callum wasn't going to question it.

Callum smirked. Everything about Alex was still so... Alex it was almost like he had never left. Like Alex hadn't fallen deeper and deeper into a pit. Almost. He tried to smile more, echo his friend's from before, but it was forced and weak so he dropped it. "You alright? It sounds like you need caffeine, dude. Not more sleep." Not that he had said he would be doing more sleep. "Plus being around people might be good for you." He wasn't sure he could go if Alex didn't. He pushed the thought down. It was selfish and not how he needed to think to get Alex back.

Was he alright? That was the million dollar question. Alex just forced a grin. "Caffeine doesn't help all that much, to be honest. Trust me, I've tried." God, everything felt so forced with him. All he wanted was to sleep and everything else was just forced, just a mask to get him through life. "And I don't know- I was fine until I went out this morning and then bam, exhaustion. Do you really want me falling asleep on you?" He asked, half jokingly. Considering everything they'd been through, this felt... all wrong. Like small talk and nothing more, all while they pretended it was fine. When it wasn't.

Callum nodded as he listened, thinking of anyway to help his love--his friend. "Sounds like you're not getting enough sleep." He looked up at Alex, his eyes worried. "Do you want to talk about it? About what happened? I mean either between us, or rehab, or whatever. Sometimes.. talking helps." How many times had he heard those words from Gemma as he shut her own, too afraid to tell her of his business... of what Alex really meant to him. He chuckled again. "I mean, if you did fall asleep on me, it's not like I would mind."

Alex decided against saying that he was sleeping ten, eleven, twelve hours a night, and then napping during the day. According to his therapist, that was normal, and that it would pass as he recovered. But that wasn't happening just yet. Probably because he wasn't sticking to all of her advice.

He shook his head as Callum asked if he wanted to talk. "I... I don't know if I can. I'm still trying to get my own head around it. Coming back here, seeing everyone..." Seeing Callum... "It's all kinda brought up the memories and the feelings and... I can't deal with it right now, Callum. Especially because the only thing that brought us here is someone dying." It could have been him. It was only luck, really, that he was still alive.

Callum took a step towards Alex, sick at the lost look on his face. "Nothing is going to happen to us, Alex. What happened to Lisa was an accident." He took a deep breath. "You're getting help right? What does your.. doctor? Therapist say?"

Alex didn't know what he wanted to do. Step closer to Callum? Step away? He wanted to both, but he didn't want to do either. So he stayed where he was, ignoring the sudden pressure on his chest. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to talk about his problems, not to Callum.

"It's just... standard for a recovering addict. She says that if I wasn't an addict, I'd probably be on meds, but that she thinks I'd resort to abusing them." He wasn't going to say the word. Depression. He didn't want pity, he just wanted Callum to leave so he could go back to sleep and forget that it had ever happened and just... not leave the room until he was flying back. He wasn't going to tell Callum, but he agreed with the therapist. If anyone handed him anything stronger than paracetamol, he'd be downing it in the hope of taking the edge off.

At the word "addict" Callum winced. He feared Alex had been that bad. In fact, he knew it was true, but didn't want to accept it. Without permission, a memory surfaced. Alex's eyes wide and distant as he talked about whatever his drug addled brain was thinking. At first, Callum laughed with him. Even considered joining him if he wasn't thinking about how much Gemma would kill him. Then things went downhill quickly. Their inventory was depleting more rapidly than they could sell it and Callum, for a long time, refused to believe Alex was dipping into the stash. He had been wrong. He agreed with the therapist. He wasn't going to say it though. "Alex, you need to get out of this room. Some fresh air, some laughs. Then you can come here and crash or... He paused, his brain crying out Don't do it! "You could come back to the motel with me. Crash there. That way you're not alone." And I'm not alone anymore.

No. No, Callum wasn't getting it. He couldn't actually face it. The thought of heading out to a party, where everyone else would be talking about how great their life was and how they'd gotten everything they'd wanted. And then they'd look at him and he'd either have to tell more lies or tell the truth and deal with their pity and their general disappointment. He didn't want to deal with any of them. He wanted Callum to stay here with him and just chill and forget about the outside world and all their problems, but Callum wasn't going to let him do that. Callum sounded like his freaking therapist, preaching to him when he had no idea what he was going through.

He took a step back, running a hand through his hair. Being back here, having Callum talking to him like this- it was like he was back then, back when he'd either be high or so painfully sober, when everyone was telling him what to do and what was right for him when they had no idea what he needed. "No, Callum, I can't." He couldn't even say any more than that. He couldn't elaborate. He could feel the frustration starting to build already, but ignored it, trying to suppress it. If there was one person he didn't want to lose his temper with, it was Callum.

Callum froze. He knew that look. The fear that only disappeared when he was shorting shit or shooting up. He took a step back. He needed to fix it. How could he fix it? He looked around the room, trying to think of something quick. Before Alex exploded and the radiation would hit him right in the chest. He kicked a ball of paper when he took a step back and an idea snapped into place. "Show me what you're working on?" He wasn't sure how Alex would react to the change of topic. He knew Alex probably thought he was probing and being an ass and he would rather face his reaction to that request than make the gap between them bigger. He still wished he had the strength--and permission that's very important--to cross the room and kiss him. His hands shook with the need, but he stuffed them in his pockets.

Alex forced himself to take a deep breath. And another. He was fine. He was okay. He wasn't going to have to leave just yet. Callum wasn't leaving. He nodded once at Callum's request. Then again as he moved back to the bed, retrieving the sketchpad from the bedside locker. Another deep breath. He flicked through the sketchpad, landing on the draft he was happiest with. His therapist had been encouraging him to put what he was feeling onto paper, but Alex had never been good with words. So he drew. Sometimes he just drew what was in front of him. But he drew more than that too.

He sat down on the bed, staring at the drawing. His mind picked out the flaws and he wanted to rip it up. But instead, he looked up at Callum, forced a smile, and patted the bed beside him. He looked back down at the drawing, trying to see it for what it was. He'd never seen the Grim Reaper as a bad spirit. Somebody who was just trying to do what he was supposed to, but who was portrayed as evil for that. He wondered if the Grim Reaper was an outcast too. So he'd drawn the Grim Reaper in human form. Hollow, gaunt cheeks, but bright eyes that shone from even beneath his cloak. Hands that could carry a human as easy as they could take their hand. Like him but also nothing like him. He slid it across to Callum.

Callum waited. For and explosion. For a smle. When he didn't get either, he still considered the diversion a success. He watched as Alex pulled a sketchpad from the bed and began to flip through the pages. He waited until he was given the okay to cross the room and sat beside Alex. There was a small forced smile that reminded him of all the times Alex smiled apologetically after a bad episode. He gave a small smile back, just as he would before and took the picture. His jaw dropped. It was obvious it was modeled a little after Alex, but at the same time it was a totally different person. Not a person but a concept: The Grim Reaper.

The detail was amazing, though. Almost like a photograph. He brushed his fingers over the page, careful not to smudge it. He could feel where Alex had erased and reworked the picture, the dents from pressing harder with the pencil. He closed his eyes for a moment and pictured Alex working. He had seen his work in the past, but had definitely improved. And Callum couldn't help but be proud of him. He opened his eyes and grinned. "This is crazy good, Alex. You've gotten so much better." He looked up at Alex. "Not that you've needed to improve."

The smile that Callum's compliment produced was the first fully real smile that Alex had smiled in a while. "Thanks. Drawing is a great way to avoid my family," he said, shrugging a little. Was that too personal? No, not really. Callum had seen and heard all of his problems. This wasn't anything new.

"Listen, Callum, I'm sorry. Coming back and seeing everyone and... seeing you. It's tough. You know as well as I do that I could never really deal with my emotions all that well in the first place, and I've kinda got to learn to deal with it all over again. I get angry a lot and I get anxious a lot and... I'm afraid of losing everyone again," he admitted, not making eye contact. "I'm afraid of losing you again," he added, more quietly. "So a lot of the time I just feel like... it's better not to get close to begin with." God, his therapist was going to be proud of him when she heard what he was about to say. "But... it's not the same with you. I want things to go back to the way they were. I'm not easy to deal with, though, so if you don't want to... I understand." Wow, not only had he made a decision on what he wanted, he'd also admitted to it. He was on a roll.

Callum beamed when he saw Alex's smile. His real smile. "We all have our escapes." he replied with a shrug similar to Alex's. He saw the change in Alex right before he spoke and he listened, his full attention on him. He felt heat rise to his face when he said I'm afraid of losing you again. When he finished, Callum opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The words hadn't formed yet, they were still lost in the words Alex had spoken.

His face heated and he stammered a bit, trying to get the words out. "I--You mean--We--" he took a deep breath. "Back to how things were, how?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes soft. His heart pounded in his chest in hopes of hearing what he needed to hear.

It was unusual that Alex could talk when Callum couldn't. Maybe the therapy was working after all. As he watched him, he was reminded exactly why he'd said what he had. He was tired of trying to deny it to himself. He still loved Callum, as much as he'd tried to persuade himself otherwise. So at Callum's question, he leaned across to kiss him.

Callum's pulse thundered in his ears as he waited for Alex to answer. Please Please Please It sang. Alex's blue eyes grew intense in a way that Callum recognized and before Alex even moved, he had his answer. He leaned forward as well, his hand coming up to cup Alex's cheek softly, his thumb gliding across his cheek bone. He paused, only for a moment, building the tension and then his lips met Alex's. It was as soft and warm as he remembered, this time without the tingling of drugs burning through Alex's veins. He held himself back from being too forceful--too passionate. Not for fear of hurting Alex, but so he could speak. He needed to make sure Alex understood something if they were to move forward.

"Alex," he whispered as he pulled back slightly, laying his forehead against Alex's. "I need you to understand something." He looked up into those blue eyes that held him captive since the day they met. "I meant what I said back at Lisa's..." he didn't finish it. Death had no place in their conversation. So instead he went around the word. "I'm not going anywhere. If you want me, you have me. I've learned what it's like to not have you and I don't want to taste that life again. I made a mistake and I'm sorry, but if you're taking me back. I'm not letting you go. I will always be here for you. In the way I never was before." He leaned his head down, his lips just barely touching Alex's. "I love you, Alex Holmes."

It was everything he had been waiting and hoping for. Everything he had remembered. His skin tingled where Callum touched it, like static electricity. Even when Callum pulled away, resting his forehead against Alex's, Alex could still feel the electricity. His hand rested around the back of Callum's neck, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling, even as Callum met his eyes. The idea of having Callum all to himself, without fear of losing him... Alex wasn't so scared any more. Having Callum this close made everything feel a little better.

"Good," he replied. "Because you're not getting rid of me," he said. At Callum's words, his smile just grew. "And I love you, Callum Wilcox," he said, before closing the slight distance between them to kiss Callum again. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed it. It was almost exactly like everything his doctor had told him to avoid, because it would just get him hooked again. And she was exactly right.

He pulled away, but not too far. He couldn't remember the last time he'd grinned this much. "Well, haven't we got a party to go to? I think I'll just about be able to manage it now that I have you," he said.

Callum felt heat running through his veins at Alex's kiss. He heard his words echoing in his ears. His heart was racing--fluttering really--in his chest. He desperately wished he had his camera so he could take a picture of this moment and hold onto it forever. There was a tingling sensation on the skin of his neck and his lips. Pretty much wherever his body met Alex's. When Alex pulled back he felt a grin take form on his face. The chuckle that bubbled up from his core was practically a giggle. He was drunk on Alex's kisses and high on his touch. How could Alex have prefered drugs to the feeling of this?

He looked up at his love from under his eyelashes, the action more effective now that he wore contacts instead of his glasses. "Party? What party?" he asked huskily. He chuckled again, laying his forehead against Alex's shoulder. "Man the party. I almost forgot about it. You really want to go?"

As Callum leaned his head against Alex's shoulder, Alex rested his head against Callum's. He'd missed being this close to somebody. Not just sex, just having this kind of physical contact. Just being near somebody like this. He ran a hand through Callum's hair as he talked about the party. "Well, we both said we were going," he said. "And I don't particularly want to have to try and answer the questions of what we did while we weren't there," he teased.

Callum closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of Alex's fingers in his hair. It was comforting and the warmth of being near him was making him sleepy. Alex's teasing snapped him out of the feeling. Callum growled and turned his head, kissing the skin of Alex's neck. "Don't tempt me." He sighed happily and pulled back. "You're right though. We said we'd be there and we should. You should change." He stood, pushing back Alex's hair from his face and giving his forehead a soft kiss. "I'll wait outside your door otherwise I might distract you and we'll never get out of here." he teased.

Once Alex was finished and had whatever he wanted to take with him, Callum took ahold of his hand, and lead him down to the Bronco where he grabbed his camera bag and set it at the space below Alex's feet. As he drove towards the gathering of old friends, he had one hand on the wheel and one hand intertwined with Alex's fingers. He smiled to himself and turned on the radio, singing along to whatever song was playing for the millionth time.

The feeling of Callum's lips on his neck sent shivers down his spine again. But then Callum pulled away, and Alex sighed a little, grinning at the forehead kiss and gentle tease. He changed quickly, the change of clothes helping him to feel somewhat normal again. He couldn't believe how well things had gone. He'd pictured an argument, him exploding at Callum over something small... and it had gone the opposite. It had gone exactly as he'd wanted it to go. That didn't seem to happen all that much.

The drive to the pre-arranged spot was just as good. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this... peaceful. Callum's fingers in his, Callum singing along to the radio... He wanted to say it was like the old days, but it wasn't. In the old days, he'd either be high and singing along with Callum or babbling about something strange, or trying to recover from a hangover or general low, when he wanted to ask Callum to stop singing, because he had a headache, but didn't, because he didn't want to let Callum know how bad he was feeling.

He got out of the car, taking the supplies he'd picked up on his way back from the service with him. It was only a short walk to the site, but it looked like everyone else was already there. "Sorry we're late, guys. My ten minute nap turned into a few hours."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor Character Portrait: Ellie Powell
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"Give me back my flask you little shit!" Sage was pissed. She got as close to her brother as possible as means of intimidating him. "You're not getting anything after the stunt you pulled at the funeral." Jasper spoke calmly towards Sage's obvious threat. She probably could best him in a fight but Sage was too smart to hurt the guy paying for her bills. She only glared at him for a while before deciding to stand down when he wouldn't and seemed to shrug it off. "I'll just get more at the party." Sage stuck her tongue out at him while she stumbled to the door. "I think you've had more than enough today." Jasper hoped she wouldn't drink more but he couldn't control what happened. He wasn't even sure why he agreed to let her tag along.

"Whatever, asshole." Sage muttered after making it to the car. She got into the passenger seat and decided to pout the whole way there as she smoked her cigarette. Jasper chose to stay quiet as well the whole way there until they finally stopped and he turned to her and spoke calmly and forcefully. "This isn't New York anymore, Sage. You can't get away with this stuff now." Sage rolled her eyes. "Not even with Ellie." Sage didn't respond to him. She simply stormed out the car and slammed the door behind her.

Sage pulled out another cigarette and lit it before walking towards the bonfire with Jasper behind her. She definitely wasn't as bad as earlier but she was definitely still buzzed from what was left in her system. Jasper made her shower before coming but she chose not to change since she was too lazy to pick out a new outfit for tonight. Sage recognized a few people though no one stood out until she realized Ellie was there. They hadn't really seen each other since Ellie called off their little 'fun' by sending her to live with Jasper. Well, and at the funeral when Sage made a display of her drunken self. She wasn't sure if she should sit next to her so she chose spot across from Ellie and awkwardly stared at her with nothing to say as she smoked. Jasper took a seat next to Sage though his eyes seemed to trail more in the direction of Alex and Callum. God he hoped Lina would get here soon or maybe ELlie would come over so they could catch up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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#, as written by συιʝα
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Gemma rushed around, flustered and fluttering about as she prepared for the gathering later that day. He had been there. Not at the funeral, but at the school. They had driven by it on the way to the Wilcox household and there he was. Older, of course, a little grey in his hair, but it was him. He carried his briefcase to his car and he looked her way when he heard the car driving by. She knew he couldn't see her. She knew he wasn't looking at her. But she could feel his eyes and she watched him as they passed. She had clutched the arms of her chair and took deep breaths, trying not to get sick all over Lina's car.

Now, she was grabbing things they would need. Sleeping bags, food, etc., but she was so scattered. Like paper on the wind. She was practically pacing back and forth, wearing a tread into the wooden floor of the living room. Each time she was inching closer and closer to the table that contained framed pictures of her family and a ten dollar vase her mother had bought at Pier Imports. If Lina were to approach her, it would take a few times to get her attention.

Although the drive home from the funeral was a bit too quiet for her liking Lina was still able to relax a little. Seeing her friends again felt nice, really nice since she didn't have a double life to hide from them anymore. Now back at her temporary home Lina was out of the shower for the second time today since she didn't like feeling sweaty or dirty. With the house empty, besides her and Gemma, Lina stepped out of her room wondering what Gem was up to.

Dresses in only her pants, shoes and bra Lina walked up to Gem with her towel still around her shoulders. Hands holding onto each end. She watched her pace back and forth, not noticing how close she was getting to the table before heading towards the kitchen and pouring herself a half glass of milk.

Now Gemma was muttering to herself. It was a jumble of the past and a list of things they would need for the trip. She thought she was ready to be back home. She thought she could handle seeing him again, but they didn't even speak. For all she knew he didn't even know it was her. Gemma's hip hit the table and the items on it shook with impact but didn't move. Gemma hadn't even noticed. She was trying to pull herself back to the present. She was distantly aware that Lina had finished her shower, but didn't completely realize that she was standing nearby, drinking a glass of milk from the kitchen.

Sipping her milk little by little Lina began to think, remembering the first time she had met Gemma until now. She was actually one of the first people she was able to interact with normally since her junior year. It felt nice just being herself again and being around people she loved. Finishing off her milk Lina called out to Gemma, "Yo, Gem. Do you like s'mores? I was thinking of passing by the store on our way over to that place. S'mores are essential for a camp out or anything that has a fire pit actually." she smiled to herself, quickly cleaning her cup in the sink.

Gemma heard Lina's voice call from the kitchen. Something about s'mores and fire-pits. Gemma wanted to respond, tried to respond, but she was lost in her head and all that came out was. "Sounds good, Lee." If one was paying attention, that was a red flag right there. Gemma had never called Lina anything, but Lina. Her hip smacked into the table again, knocking one of the frames on its face. "Did I finish my history homework? And have you seen Cal?"

"History homework ..." Lina thought for a second running her wet fingers through her hair. "yeah, I'm pretty sure you finished that last night." She continue. "But Cal, just at the funeral or have you forgotten already?" Lina rounded the corner to where Gemma was at. She was noticing by her voice that Gem seemed a bit off. "Hey, you alright?"

Gemma heard Lina answer from the kitchen. Cal was at a funeral? Whose funeral? What did they need s'mores for again? When Lina came around the corner and spoke, Gemma jumped, and spun around halfway through her step causing her to teeter off balance. Time seemed to slow as her weight shifted towards the table and she felt. There was a loud bang followed by the shattering sound of broken glass. What brought her back to reality was the sharp pain in her palm. She hissed and looked down. There was a long bloody gash on her palm and a few other cuts on her legs from the fall. She was confused and sitting in broken glass. She looked up at Lina, confusion and pain in her eyes. "Lina? What the hell just happened?"

Lina blinked and in that instant there was a loud crash. Eyes landing immediately on Gem, Lina jumped to her side helping Gem up carefully making sure she didn't step in any glass. In fact she basically picked her up bridal style, tip toeing around the glass and carrying her to the kitchen. "You spaced out?" she said while setting Gemma down on the counter. Glancing at her palm Lina's eyes widened. "H-Hey!" she stuttered, pulling off the towel she had around her neck and pushing it against Gem's palm. "Hold that there for a second." Lina's voice was now a bit shaky as she began remembering the times she would patch herself up from fights. It felt weird remembering that stuff.

Gemma hissed as the course cloth of the towel was pressed into her palm. "I spaced out? I was thinking about what we needed and then.." and then what? Gemma could feel the blood beginning to soak through the fibers of the towel and stain her good hand. Then she remembered. Him. Oh no.. She called out to Lina. "Did I say anything weird?" Then she muttered to herself. "Might've been a cheap vase, but Mom's still gonna kill me."

Grabbing a small cloth from one of the drawers Lina wet it, only a little as she looked through each cupboard for something that can help. After a minute of rummaging and totally forgetting that she could have simply asked Gemma where the medical stuff was at. Lina proceeded to grab the peroxide, butterfly stitches and a small roll of bandage. She headed back towards Gemma, settling in front of her as she pressed down on the towel a bit more. "Sorry, might hurt a bit." she apologized as she worked on Gem's hand making sure the bleeding had stopped before pouring some peroxide over it. Lina watched it as it bubbled a little and blew on it softly hoping to stop any stinging that was bothering Gem.

Gemma felt relieved when Lina returned, but she hadn't answered her question. She braced herself as Lina tipped the bottle of peroxide until it came down on her palm. She sucked air in through her teeth and tensed her shoulders. Then she chuckled a little. "Ya know when I was little, I had scraped my knee on the playground. It was pretty bad. When I went to the nurses office she put peroxide on it. She told me not to be afraid because it was only pixie dust." She smiled a little as she watched Lina. "It stung a little, but I pretended it was magic working on cleaning it and closing it up."

Lina couldn't help but to laugh softly at Gemma's little story. "That's awfully cute, you know?" Lina dabbed at the wound gently drying it off before looking at the small pile of things she had grabbed and forgot about the ointment. In just a few seconds she had retrieved the ointment from the cabinet and was back in front of Gemma, carefully applying the stuff.

Taking a short breath Lina began again, putting the finishing touches on Gemma's hand. "I-" she hesitated for a moment. Her hands stopped working for a second but then they resumed, wrapping the bandage around her hand in such a way where she could still use it normally. "I learned how to patch myself up. Got into pretty nasty figths in my senior year." her lips curved up into a slightly saddened smile as she finished. "There! That should do it."

Gemma smiled, the bright memory chasing away all the dark of her thoughts before she fell. "Yeah. I had seen her a few more times.. and then she was hospitalized with lung cancer. She came by to visit once she recovered though. She decided to travel the world." She watched in awe as Lina carefully patched her up, disappearing for only a moment to retrieve the antibacterial ointment. "I was going to ask how you knew what to do." Her fingers were gentle in ways that sent shivers down Gemma's spine. "I-I don't remember you getting into fights in high school.." She thought back for a moment.

She remembered seeing Lina covered in bruises a few times. A split lip once. Gemma didn't ask why. It was none of her business then. That and she had her own things she was dealing with. She cursed at herself for not being a more attentive friend all the same. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone." She said softly, suddenly wishing she had told someone about what was going on.

Shaking her head Lina looked up at Gemma and gave her a happier smile. "Don't worry about it. I came out fine, see?" Lina flexed her right arm and patted her bicep. Her silly little smile faded a little though as she gathered all the things she had taken in order to put them back. "My brother had gotten into some trouble during that time. Owed some very bad people a whole lot of money." she began putting everything back in it's rightful place, talking as if it was nothing when in reality she was panicking on the inside.

Lina didn't know how this secret would affect her relationships with her loved ones so she never told but here she was, telling the one girl who she recently realized she had feelings for. "I stepped in and helped him out," she paused briefly as she took a clean rag to Gemma's other hand. The good one that had gotten stained by her own blood. "who would've thought that fighting could pay that well."

Gemma smiled softly at her friend. She suddenly remembered a day at school where Lina had come in with a black eye, but she still smiled like she was now. Gemma suddenly wanted to touch the now healed skin just below her eye but her hands wouldn't move. It was a good thing two because Lina had gathered together the supplies she had gathered and went to put them away. Gemma could've poked her eye out and she didn't know how to patch up an eye... Instead, she said, "That's incredible, Lina."

She ran her fingers over the bandaged skin. "I mean it. Both for becoming so good at this." She waved her injured hand. "But also because you were able to help your brother." She looked down at the white tiles beneath her feet. "I... Callum and I didn't talk much senior year. I don't know what he was doing and he didn't know what was going on with me. I wanted to handle it myself. I didn't need my big brother looking out for me.."

She took a deep breath and looked up at Lina with a sad smile that mirrored the one she had worn before. "I was manipulated by Mr. Briggs. To do.. things." At "things" she looked down at the floor, her face red and her body tense. "He seemed pretty cool at first.. Like he wanted to help me. And then... things changed and he... well he changed."

Her cheeks felt hot for a few seconds and Lina was glad she wasn't facing Gem at the moment this happened. She didn't except her to actually take it the way she did. Somehow a certain weight was lifted off her shoulders. She had told someone her secret for the first time and it felt . . . liberating in a sense. It didn't mean she was about to tell every soul about it though. No, it was still a secret and Lina just wasn't ready to have everyone know it.

She wanted to tell Gemma that she did it for nothing because he didn't leave his little habit but at the same time she did save his ass so in a way, yes, she did help him. Lina went ahead and began rinsing the two rags she had used on Gemma while leaving the towel for the washer. She carefully listened to Gemma as she spoke but when she mentioned Mr. Briggs, Lina couldn't help but to glance over at her. Gem took a deep breath before she continued and as she spoke once more Lina didn't realize how tight her grip had gotten on the rag. Her knuckles were almost white and she felt heat on her cheeks but not the good kind.

Closing her eyes for a second Lina took a second to calm herself before turning the water off and drying her hands. Once again she stood in front of Gemma. Her hand reached out and lifted her head up gently. "You know, I could always give him a good punch." she offered, jokingly on the outside but she wasn't so sure it was a joke on the inside.

Gemma closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the look of pity on Lina's face. That was another reason she hadn't told her brother. Or really anyone else. There was really only one other person who had seen her and so far she had kept it a secret. She felt Lina's fingers on her chin, lifting her head up to look her in the eyes. Heat bloomed on her cheeks at the gentle touch. The afternoon light was coming in through the windows as the day turned to evening and the yellow turned to orange. They turned Lina's eyes gold and Gemma couldn't help but stare for a moment.

She smiled softly and looked away. "You couldn't before and you'd definitely can't now. You'll be arrested." She looked back at Lina. "I can't have you lose your singing career right after your big tour. Not because of me." She also thought, I don't know what I'd do if you got locked away. And that's when she felt something snap into place. For years, Lina had been by Gemma's side. She helped her study, distracted her early in the morning after having a nightmare, sung to her when she couldn't sleep. She had been a close friend if not her best friend for years and she realized she had come to rely on her. There was something else. Something she was afraid to voice in case she was mistaken.

Smiling, Lina thought about it. "Well, you may be right," her eyes locked with Gemma's once more, admiring her beautiful features. "You're pretty special to me and I think it'll be worth it." her smile brightened but then the clock caught her eye. If they didn't leave soon they might be the last ones there but Lina didn't mind if they stayed like this for a bit longer. Feeling a blush creep across her face Lina tried to look away but couldn't. "Uhm, you wanna get down from there? I think it's best if we get going soon. I still need a shirt." she laughed.

Gemma shook her head, but smiled softly. "No hitting. Promise?" At Lina's bright smile, Gemma found herself smiling back. It was beautiful and contagious and definitely more to their friendship than what she had originally thought. When asked if she wanted to get down. She merely nodded and put a hand on Lina's shoulder to help her hop down without injuring her ankle. It was that far of a drop, but still. Tile flooring is terrible on the bones. Lina's skin was warm and the air around her smelled of sweet soap and shampoo. She smiled remembering when their dorm room at school used to smell the same. "Thanks, Lina." She said softly and went to grab the rest of the things they needed to pack them into the car. Including the things they needed for s'mores. She also managed to grab Lina's favorite candy for the trip to surprise her.

"I promise, now give me five minutes. If you want," Lina reached over and grabbed her keys off the little hook that was on the wall. "you can get the car going and i'll bring the things." instinctively Lina leaned in and pecked Gemma on the forehead before rushing off to her room. After applying her very much loved rose lotion on her body Lina gave herself two little sprays of the lightly scented vanilla perfume she always used. Now that she was all dressed and ready to go she grabbed the backpack that had their more personal items and slung it across her shoulder.

Lina then grabbed the rest of the things and headed out to the car where Gemma waited for her, locking the door behind her. Stuffing it all in the back Lina hopped in. "Ready?"

Gemma took the keys with a nod and touched her skin lightly with her fingertips where Lina's lips had kissed. She smiled softly in the direction of her friend for a moment and sighed before gathering everything up in one fell swoop and headed out to the car. She made her it was the right temperature for the day. Within minutes, Lina had joined her, smelling of vanilla and roses so sweet and comforting she suddenly wanted to sleep on her shoulder. But they were in the car and Lina needed to drive so she just replied with, "Ready And they headed off down the road.

Gemma rolled down her window, allowing the air to blow back her hair and fill the car with the scent of the outdoors. Which mingled beautifully with Lina's lotion and perfume. She also turned on the radio and sung whatever was playing. It was light and bouncy and happy and for the first time that day, she felt it. Happiness. She grinned like a fool at Lina. By the time they had reached the campsite, her throat was sore from singing and laughing and her cheeks ached in way they hadn't for a long time. She helped Lina carry the stuff over and greeted everyone with a wave of her injured hand. "Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" "We brought the magic that are s'mores!" Lina chimed in, appearing from behind Gemma.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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Odds Are - Barenaked Ladies

The service went well, meaning Flora only cried twice, her makeup only ran a little bit, and she mostly managed to ignore the whispers telling her that everyone hated her and they were only being nice because they pitied her. All in all, a relative success.

On the walk back to the hotel room, she felt uncomfortably exposed, like everyone she passed on the street could somehow tell she had been crying. The thought kind of made her want to cry again. She cranked up the volume of the music in her ears.

"Nope. Nope. No, don't do that. Wait 'til you're back at the hotel."

By the time she got back to her room, Flora had stopped feeling bad, thankfully. She disconnected her headphones and played her music out loud while she changed into something more casual and fixed her makeup. She grabbed her backpack and filled it with what she might need. Just the essentials: the obvious food and drinks, a sci-fi novel, her trusty notebook, and her favorite framed moth, to look at in case she started feeling anxious. She occupied herself afterwards by fishing another book out of her suitcase and opening up to where she last left off.

For a while, she was alright. Then, her tattoo started talking to her.

"You killed her. They all know you did."
"Shut up. That's impossible."
She didn't say that out loud. She wasn't that far gone.
"How do you know?"
"Oh, how do I know? Well, for starters, I was miles away!"
"I'm just saying, it's not like you can be sure where you've been. You know, because you're so crazy."

She sighed and turned her attention back to her book, ignoring the cruel laughter.

When the time came to leave for the party, Flora was a bit nervous. The whispers continued to wear her down the whole time she was trying to relax. Her mind was flooded with warnings, predictions, omens.

She boarded the bus on her way to the campsite reminding herself that it's just her mind trying to scare her. She put on the happiest, most positive song she could think of and resolutely ignored the twist in her gut.

She had almost managed to calm herself down by the time she got to the party, but her nerves flared up anew when she actually saw her old classmates again.

She managed to give a bright (fake) smile and a cheery hello before she sat down by the fire.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Callum Wilcox Character Portrait: Alex Holmes Character Portrait: Gemma Wilcox Character Portrait: Sage McQueen Character Portrait: Alphonsine Bernadette Cunningham Character Portrait: Castiel O'Connor
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Dettie should of expected this. Cas and Ellie never got along, something about a boy probably. Honestly Dettie thought they'd be good friends if they would just talk. 'El.' She said, watching Cas walk off. 'Let's saving the verbal war for later alright? I'd rather just enjoy your company. I'm sure you've been busy. Everyone here is more interesting than me. I work in a garage. What about you?'

Anything thay would of been said what cut off by the ringing of a phone. Dettie groaned. That ring tone was picked only for her aunt, the most annoying women in the world. The women only agreed to let Dettie come back here if she'd always answer her calls. She held up a finger to Ellie, an apologetic look in her eyes.

She took a step to the side and answered the phone. 'Hey Aunt Martha. I'm kinda busy, catching up with old friends and such. What's up?'

'Alphonsine.'

Well shit. Her aunt wasn't the kindest person in the world, but atleast she tried to take care of Dettie. She had never used her full name after Dettie asked her to use her nickname. A little worried now she chuckled. 'Auntie M? Is something the matter?'

There was sniffing on the other end of the phone. 'It's Rose.

'My mom?' Now Dettie was confused. Marta didn't talk about her sister much anymore.

'Alphonsine. Sweetie.' Oh god. Pet names? Something was majorly wrong. Her aunt was so quiet now Dettie could hardly hear her. 'Your mother died. She had a heart attack last night.'

Oh.

Dettie blinked once, twice. She hadn't seen her mother in six years, since she went to prison for what Dettie had done. She loved her mother very much, but seeing her was painful. Yes the women took the blame so Dettie could be free, but all those years of abuse and her mother never tried to stop it. She'd only patch Dettie up and whisper that it would get better. Her father would get sober and they'd be a good family. Yet the next day she'd get beaten again and all her mother would do is watch.

But still. Now she was dead. She died alone in prison and it was all Dettie's fault. Her voice was much softer than it had been in a while when she spoke again. 'Thank you Aunt Martha. I won't be going home early. I'll need to make plans for her. Bye.'

'Alphonsine wa-!' Dettie turned her phone off and stuff it in her pocket. Her eyes, looking slightly glazed, trailed over the camp. She didn't cry. Shouldn't she be crying? Or at least be sad. Instead Dettie didn't really feel anything.

Dettie stepped forward and sat heavily down in a chair. Hands clinched she stared at the fire and muttered one strained word.

'Shit.'

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