Coby Clarkson's Story

Coby's journey hadn't been a hard one. Like every other year, she caught a plane a couple days before the camp started and stayed with her Aunt until the first day. Then it was just a two hour drive from there. Most of the time she and her aunt would chitter chatter about life and get what ever years worth of gossip that they had collected out of their systems. Most of their talk was about family affairs, who was getting married, what kids were born, and all that good stuff. Her Aunt Lydia was really the only adult in the family that she felt comfortable talking to. They were very similar, and connected on a deep level.

Her Aunt was a successful, single woman who had the same desires as any woman, and generally got what she wanted. She shared many of the attributes that Coby possessed. They were both ambitious, stubborn, attention seekers, and man eaters. Her Aunt, just like she, was also the youngest of the bunch and often times a little secluded from the family scene. After all, she was the only one left in her generation that still wasn't married. So, the drive to Camp Liberty was also a drive Coby looked forward to.

This year they had very lightly spoken about Coby's brothers and their endeavors, then delved into advice about love, sex, make-up, and the works. And by the time that they had arrived at the camp, Coby was more prepared than ever. With a simple kiss on the cheek and an unloading of her couple of suitcases, her Aunt drove off to enjoy a summer vacation in Jamaica with her new man toy.

Coby stood by herself, dressed in a grey textured tank top, a red and black striped mini skirt, a pair of stockings (garter and all), and her favorite silver Vans. Coby smiled to herself as she looked around at the chaos. There were kids all over the place; some crying into their mother's chest, others dropping their pillow on the ground, but most were meeting up and hugging their dearest friends. This immediately made her think of Grayson. Sure, she had kept some contact with him other the school year, but that was nothing compared to the boy in the flesh. She wondered if he had already arrived as she started herself toward the red cabin. Miss Clarkson took her time as she strolled to her cabin, she waved at people she knew and intimidated people she didn't know. By the time she got to her cabin she was disappointed at the amount of people she was disinterested in. Literally, there wasn't a single soul that she was willing to stop and talk to.

Oh well. That meant a little more time for the princess to her things together. Coby knew that she was later than she usually arrived, but the girl still took her time to put away some of her stuff in the cabin. Soon, after unpacking about six things, Coby grew bored with the task and decided that she should probably go find out who was in her activities group and what the schedule was.

Within minutes she was looking at group no. 6. Luckily, there was no one in particular that she despised. In fact, there were a couple of people she even really know. But there were her two boys, Grayson and Oliver, on the list. She smiled to herself as she unconsciously cut the line and received her schedule. As she walked toward the media room she read. Hill walking. Hill walking? Really? Coby rolled her eyes. This was not the first thing she wanted to be doing. Whatever. It would be fine with Grayson there.

Speaking of the devil she over heard him speak as she entered the media room. He was joking with Oliver about how there were no gifts for his arrival. Coby smirked as she came up behind him and gave him a little tap on the bum. "You don't get chocolates, I know. But you get me!" She said with mischeivous eyes and a playful smile.

"You don't get chocolates, I know. But you get me!" Grayson smiled as a familiar female voice spoke from behind him, accompanied by a cheeky tap on his, well...cheeks. He'd know that voice (and those wandering hands) anywhere. He made a big show of turning around to face her, making sure she got a good look at all the sexy she'd been missing out on the past nine months. "Well look what the cat dragged in," he smirked, taking in the sight of one of his closest camp friends. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Coby." And she was. The structure and community of Camp Liberty was all well and good, but it wasn't nearly as fun without the anarchy brought by Coby Clarkson. She was standing before in her default position: a hand on her hip, head cocked slightly to the side, looking up at him with that mischievous look in her eyes that said she was up to absolutely no good. In typical Coby fashion, she was dressed completely inappropriately, wearing an outfit more appropriate for a night out on the town than a morning tramping through the wilderness. But that was Coby for you. "There was no need to dress up for me," Grayson teased, nodding to her garters and flouncy skirt. Coby had a reputation for promiscuity, as well as for not giving a shit what anyone had to say about it. So far, the two had never done any more than flirt, and said flirtation was so difficult to differentiate from their candid friendship most of the time they didn't bother trying. No one really knew if it was friendly teasing or something more, and to be honest, neither did Coby or Grayson.

The point was, Grayson was overwhelmingly glad to see her. The two of them (and occasionally Oliver, when he could be convinced) were famous (or rather, infamous, depending on whether you were responsible for cleaning up their messes) for raising hell all over camp. Green campers were known as the camp pranksters, but Grayson and Coby's escapades tended to be of a...less innocent variety. There were even rumors that Coby had had...err...relations with the camp director's son (though Grayson hadn't been able to get Coby to confirm or deny the story). Both returning for their fourth year of camp, they'd broken nearly every camp rule at one point or another, but their combination of stealth, charm, and flirtation had kept them from suffering any dire consequences. As far as Grayson was concerned, the start of a new summer meant they were starting over with a clean slate, which really just meant they were free to get into all kinds of trouble. Oh yes, it would be good to have the dynamic duo back in action.

"But how've you been?" he prompted. "I haven't gotten a text from you in ages. I was beginning to worry you'd forgotten about me," he said, feigning offense. "But then I remembered I'm me, and I realized that couldn't possibly be true," he grinned, all smiles once more.

---

---

Just as Oliver was about to chide Lacey and tell her let Ari get a few moments of peace before more people filled in, more people filled in. A few other campers entered the room; one in particular catching Lacey's eye for some odd reason. He was a male, a kid, and Lacey's eyes followed him like a hawk. Molly came in next and a small smile stretched over his face at the sight of her.

"Hey," he called out to her, though he wouldn't be surprised if she heard him clearly because just as he spoke, Grayson barged into the room. Oliver chuckled at his friend's words uneasily, rubbing the back of his head in slight shame.

It was true. He had not spoken to Grayson in nine months. The phone he did have to contact people was...compromised. His brother found out about Lacey and Eddie because for the first time in his entire life, Oliver left his cell phone out on the kitchen counter. He had only been given a phone to recieve orders from his family, not for friendships. His father even threatened to go all the way over to Arizona to get Lace and broke the phone. When he got a new one four months ago, he had only really spoken to Lacey and she was able (and why she didn't seem to know what she wanted to do with her life when she was good at this he didn't know) to tap into the phone and block all the numbers. After that, he monitored his communication and electronic devices.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Gray. Things...there's a lot we need to talk about," Oliver answered cryptically, opting to end it at that as a few more people entered the room. All in order, he nodded to Avelyn, Colby, and Eddie with a smile directed towards Eddie. Now, it was time for the rest of the group to enter.

Coby chuckled a bit at Grayson's response, and she bit on her lip while nodding her head. Her blonde hair bounced a bit as she did this. While Gray continued to poke fun, she felt her heart purr for a moment, but ignored it. Yes, Coby had developed a mighty crush on Grayson over the years, but she wasn't going to say or do anything about. Not yet anyway.

She was more than delighted to see her extremely flirtatious, and extremely handsome partner in crime. Again, Grayson was playing games as he stated that she didn't need to dress up for him. Coby laughed at this and did a little curtsy (which of course showed her entire garter and most of her thigh, most inappropriately). "I only aim to please." She cooed. After she spoke she let her skirt back to it's original position, where only the garter would show fully if she were walking around or sitting.

This behavior was not uncommon for Coby, as most of the campers were aware of. People who didn't know her, dubbed her the Camp Liberty slut. While people who did know her were mostly just uncomfortable by her purposeful advances and unnecessary promiscuity. If she was just meeting someone new, Coby generally toned it down just a tad. She realized early on in her teenage years that most people didn't like it if you striping for them the first day that you met them (save a bundle of guys). So yes, Coby was known for her short skirts, garters, the occasional corset, and bikinis. But the talk that formulated around her didn't bother Coby, in fact most times it liberated her. She loved the attention and was rarely ashamed of the names people spit at her.

Her behavior, especially around Grayson was a little magnified. Perhaps it was because they knew each other so well, or perhaps it was because of that little crush. Coby hadn't cared to figure out why, but she was indeed a little more naughty around the boy. But I mean, let's be honest, have you seen Grayson? Coby hadn't officially decided this yet, but it was safe to say (with this being their last year and all), that Grayson was to be her sumer project. Miss Clarkson had these summer projects, you see. And they weren't so much as projects as they were conquests. Coby, every single year that she had attended the camp, chose one boy that she wanted to sleep with and would do it. Along the way to her one guy for the summer, Coby didn't hesitate to please other boys,but without fail Coby always got the one she wanted. Including one of the camp director's sons. Who is long gone now.

"I've been perfectly alright." She said, thinking back over her school year. Nothing too dramatic had happened. Coby was always very safe with her sex, so there was no trouble there. If anything, all the conflict came from her mother and father. But that was pretty typical. She laughed at his next comment, "Don't flatter yourself, Grayson." She said while flipping and hand up to brush his chest, "I have other boys than you." The little mischievous glint in her eye showed again, but before she could make anymore fun, the great and grand Emily Willis entered the room. Coby grinned as she walked coolly over to Emily and wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"My dear Emily!" She said as she tried to drag the beautiful girl to where she was previously standing.

---

Outfit

Grayson had caught Oliver's mumbled explanation, and for a moment his brow furrowed in concern. Though not known for expressing great emotional depth himself, Grayson wasn't immune to the feelings of others (the few people he cared about, anyway), and he sensed something was off. The two were so close now it was hard to believe they'd nearly been tossed out of camp a few years back for fighting. No one would deny Grayson was a bit arrogant (not even Grayson himself), and when he and Oliver had first met, things between them had been a bit...heated. Oliver hadn't approved of Grayson's snobbery, and he'd been very vocal with his displeasure. Never one to be pushed around, Grayson had badmouthed Oliver right back, and, after several weeks at each other's throats, a physical fight finally broke out. The altercation ended with cuts and bruises on both boys, and the two had found themselves sitting in the Camp Director's office in a heap of trouble. Faced with expulsion from the camp, Grayson and Oliver had been given two options: Learn to play nice, or pack their bags and head home. They'd begrudgingly chosen the former, and the two had been set up in a small, secluded cabin on the edge of camp, just the two of them. Neither could really say how it happened, but three days later the pair emerged the best of friends. Three years later, Grayson could hardly imagine spending his summers with anyone else. He knew Oliver too well to shrug off his friend's embarassed (and overwhelmingly vague) answer, but he sensed now was the wrong time to ask. Besides, Coby was being a bit...err...distracting at the moment.

He watched her curtsy in response to his comment about her outfit, flashing even more of her garter, and he smirked. If she cared about the girls casting disapproving glances her way, she certainly didn't show it. "I only aim to please," she purred, clearly flirting. Grayson shook his head, smiling. "Coby, Coby, Coby; what are we going to do with you? Can't take you anywhere it seems;" he said, looking around, "you draw far too much attention." He wasn't sure, but he thought Coby was laying it on especially thick this summer. They'd always flirted, but more in a joking way; in previous summers they'd both been far too preoccupied with other...err..."conquests" to consider each other in that sense. But now...well, he'd swear Coby had that hungry look in her eye, the look she only got when she was determined to get something. Coby was a girl who hated to be told no, which was fun when you were breaking every camp rule in existence, but less enjoyable when you were the one saying her least favorite two-letter word. Luckily she chose that moment to answer his question, sparing him from the difficult task of deciphering her true intentions (at least for the moment).

"I've been perfectly alright," she replied, sounding confident in her answer. Of course, Coby was a pretty good liar, so there was no telling if she was giving him the whole truth, but he was probably better off just taking her word for it. She didn't seem nearly as interested in responding to his question as she did keeping up the flirtation. "Don't flatter yourself, Grayson," she said, her hand skimming his chest, "I have other boys than you." He smirked again, a cheeky response on the tip of his tongue, but at that moment Emily Willis (ugh, what a bitch) strutted into the room, stealing Coby's attention. He watched Coby walk off, the hem of her too-short skirt kicking up as she went. Lord help him; she was going to get him in a whole mess of trouble this summer...

"Turn it off! Please turn it off! A shrill voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around to find a tearful Ari seated on the couch, staring at a disturbing news story. Oh, right...he'd heard about that... The room grew quiet as the TV was shut off, and Adam, their counselor, did the best he could to move the group along, announcing the start of introductions. The teens formed a loose circle, and Grayson listened as first Ari, then Connor, and finally Avelyn spoke. No one else seemed to be talking, and, in typical Grayson fashion, he seized the opportunity to be the center of attention. "I'm Grayson Carter, one of the reigning blue champions, as you all know," he added with a smirk, unable to help himself, "and I like surfing, parties, and the beach. And my bro, Oliver. He's alright too, I guess," he laughed, tossing his arm over his friend's shoulder. (He still felt Oliver could use a bit of cheering up.) I also like girls and booze and money he added in his head, but decided not to say so aloud. It was the first day of camp, after all; he should try to behave himself for at least the first ten minutes.

Eddie nodded to the girl as she left to the restroom. She had said her name was Audrey, Eddie would remember that. The young man was remarkably good at connecting faces with names, and often times would meet someone one day and be waving and calling them by their name the next day. That was just part of Eddie. He just remember people, which was probably why people thought he was so friendly. He knew that people liked to be known, and he was one of the few who took the time to know.

"Turn it off! Please, turn it off."

Eddie's attention was instantly brought to Ari. Who was seriously stupid enough to turn the television to the news? A little bit of red angry boiled inside of Eddie. He couldn't believe that already, with Ari trying to get away from this nightmare, the incident was on the TV. He let out a huff as he realized there was really no harm done and everyone began to introduce themselves. Eddie listened to each and every one of them introduce themselves, ranging from some of the lovely to some of the most disgusting. Eddie made eye contact with most everyone, save for Grayson. Quite frankly, Eddie wasn't in the mood for those kind of daggers. So, he pretended like he was preoccupied while the sleaze ball spoke.

Knowing that Molly would either avoid introductions all together or wait until the last moment, Eddie gave her a little encouraging nudge. The girl might as well just get it over with. He smiled at her stubborn words and rambling. Yup, that was Molly for you. She was so intelligent and constantly read, yet she couldn't take all the words that were in her head and form a proper sentence in front of a bunch of bozos.

Next Audrey spoke. Eddie nodded his head. He liked her already. Taking his moment the young man did his little intro. "Hi everyone. I'm Eddie Andrews," He sent a friendly wave around the room and continued saying "I'm grey. I like sports, chocolate milk, and watches." He then stuck up his hand to prove that indeed he did like watches by showing off a classy all black mens watch.

---

---

Lacey and Oliver both stared at Ari, concern shining in their eyes despite the beginning of the introductions. While Oliver did note the arrival of more people, Lacey's eyes were fixed on Ari only, not at all comforted by the small smile Ariadne graced her with. She was about to whisper over to her when a soft nudge hit her shoulder and she glanced back at Oliver. He nodded towards the rest of the room and Lacey glanced at Adam, who gave her a very pointed look.

"Right, intros," she let out on an awkward pause. Getting ready to spoke, Lacey grasped a hold of Ari's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "So, I'm Lacey - "

"Alacia," Oliver coughed, correcting her. With her free hand, Lacey punched his shoulder.

"Shut up, Robot," she growled and turned back to the crowd, plucking at her shirt for emphasis. "I'm red. And I like Captain America obviously, computers and I've recently got a thing for winning, which...sorry to say, the Red team will be doing this year, so don't anyone get your hopes up." Everything that came out of her mouth was playful and Lacey even added a wink to the guy she heard was on her team. It was surprising that she could get out only three likes, but it wasn't important. She said her piece. That was what mattered. Now she could concentrate on Ari. With that in mind, Lacey shot Oliver a look over her shoulder. He only grinned.

"Sorry to disappoint, midget, but you and I both know who the real champs are," he told her smoothly, grinning at Grayson in particular. "I'm Oliver and I'm on blue. I like winning, sports, and video games."

Coby played with the hem of her far too short skirt as people introduced themselves. She really didn't care to know all of these people's names and cabin, and she certainly didn't care about the three things that they liked. Coby planted herself back next to Grayson as the masses began to speak up about themselves. She rolled her eyes at Emily's comment. She was fully aware of Grayson and Emily's hatred for one another. Which is Coby's mind made her life a little more fun, actually. Her two best friends were actually enemies.

Coby only looked up when girls were speaking. Not for herself of course, but for Grayson. If she was going to do this whole thing with Gray this summer, she had to act like her normal self. And trying to find Grayson the perfect conquest for the summer was often one of the things that the girl helped with. But so far she wasn't sure about any of these girls. Except maybe the British one. A face of disinterest and distaste was stained across Coby's face. Then the girl yawned, taking the opportunity to be a little rude. Honestly, this whole introductions thing was dumb. If she wanted to know who someone was, she would ask.

Jokingly, the girl leaned against Grayson as if she were going to fall asleep as she continued to listen to people talk. Next, Coby took her opportunity to mock the introductions system. She raised her hand in an attention grabbing kind of way, "I'm Coby Clarkson. Red cabin..." She then went on to make fun of those who had already gone and spoke in a gawky, sarcastic way "I like good books, old movies, and... Oh, my boyfriend." She clapped her hands together as she said this, with a hug fake smile on he face. Then Coby went back to her default position, her hands on her hips, satisfied with her personal jabs at Ari, the British girl, and Lilly.

---

---

Lacey squeezed Ariadne's hand once more, gently of course, when she heard that they would be in the same group. Of course, she was semi-disappointed that Oliver couldn't be with them to fight off a grizzly bear, but having Grayson as eye candy more than made up for it. She leaned over to whisper in Ari's ear, grinning.

"Hopefully, I don't get lost like I did last year," she jested lightly, recalling her little show of attitude when she decided that she didn't want to deal with the group and snuck off. It didn't do her any good because Adam had to come find her and if the small "detention" she served wasn't enough, Oliver teased her for an entire week for running from a raccoon. It's safe to say that Lacey learned her lesson and knew she was going to follow the group this year. When she stood and gathered her electronics, Oliver smirked.

"Think you can manage for four hours without me, midget?" He inquired and Lacey scoffed.

"Wow, the robot can crack a joke?" she retorted sarcastically and he chuckled. "C'mon, admit it - your life is boring without me. And you really think you can manage without your bestie over there?" Lacey gestured to Grayson inquisitively, eyebrow arched just barely in sign of playfulness. Oliver laughed and glanced over at the rest of the group, his eyes falling slowly on Molly Kingsley. She still seemed to fade away, but knowing they were in the same group caused her to become even more perceptible to his sight. He smiled softly at her before turning back to Lacey.

"I think I'll manage," he replied. Oliver nodded to Ariadne gently, grateful that Adam had enough sense to keep the two girls together. While it was obvious that Lacey was the source of comfort Ari needed, Ariadne was also a crutch for Lacey - a means to keep her grounded and remind her that she didn't have to shut everyone out. Of course, Oliver wasn't the best person to give advice about letting people in, but Lacey never came across to him as someone who should bottle herself up. She deserved to be open. Nodding to Lacey again, he told them both that he would see them in a few at the totem pole.

Lacey turned back to Ari, laptop bag clutched tightly in her hand.

"I'll get come get you at your cabin, kay?" She exclaimed and then headed out. Once at her cabin, Lacey finally moved her suitcase over to the bunk beds. She never had one and upon coming to Camp Liberty, she fell in love with the bottom bunk. Don't ask her why - she's just super weird like that. It was just comfortable and plus, it kept her close to a wall plug. It was probably horrible that she was so dependent on technology when surrounded by nature and what-have-you, but she didn't care. It took a record of five minutes for her to actually find something she liked, which wasn't that much to think about since all they were doing was walking. Lacey braided her hair before sliding the beanie over her head with minutes to spare. After checking her laces and grabbing the earphones for her phone, she left her cabin at a leisurely pace, heading over to the pink cabins.

Meanwhile, Oliver made his way over to the totem pole, dressed and earphones in place. He nodded to Avelyn when he arrived, pointedly ignoring Nate's presence altogether.

"Hey," he said. It wouldn't exactly hurt to start conversation while waiting, right?

Coby ignored the rest of the introductions and instructions. She stood back with her arms over her chest and tapped her foot in a stereotypical Coby kind of way. Her blonde hair was strewn over her shoulder and her face was filled with the highest quality of boredom. She was so fed up that she failed to even take note of who was in her group. All she heard were the names that mattered. First, there was herself. Then Grayson. And of course Emily. She was more than pleased with that combination, though she was sure at one point her two besties wouldn't be able to stand each other. it was a four hour hike after all.

Seeing everyone else make their exits, she followed suit but acted as if she had started the parade. Her walk was confident as she strutted to the Red cabin. On the way there was fiasco with the door of the boys cabin. She ignored what ever it was that was happening. Coby wouldn't have wanted to help anyway.

Once she was at her cabin she dug through her suitcase, searching for the perfect combination of walkable and flirtable. She may be a little wild in her attire, but that didn't mean that she had no idea what to wear for a hike. Then she thought of the perfect outfit. Her shirt was a sheer black material that her bright red and pink bikini would show through perfectly. Her pants were long skinny jeans that were black with a silver pin strip. She had a form fitting sweatshirt that was plain black and her hiking boots, which were a combination of black, red, brown with silver laces. Perfectly ready to go, with her make-up touched up and her hair brushed through, Coby headed toward the meeting spot.

She then turned to the girl and shrugged her shoulders while saying "Sorry, love, you've got to be quicker than that."
It was there that a collection of campers were already standing, waiting to get the day going. She sighed, thinking about how long this hike was going to be. But then the little devil spotted Grayson, doing his own thing not saying a word to anyone. She smiled seeing Grayson chewing on some candy, how typical of him. The British girl that Coby had no idea was, came up to him and started talking. Coby ignored her. So, being Coby, she sneaked up behind him, then went in for the kill. She launched her hand into his pants pocket, grabbed a couple of the jelly beans and with success stuffed them into her mouth. "Mmm!" She exclaimed, spinning around to face him now, laughter coming from her mouth.

She then turned to the British girl and said, "Sorry, love, but you've got to be quicker than that." With a prissy little smirk. Coby was just playing, but most people didn't understand that.

Grayson had just caught his seventh jelly bean in a row (and was going for his eighth) when the high, clear call of Audrey Mortenson reached his ears. "Hey, you." He wasn't sure who she was talking to, but because Grayson considered himself a vastly interesting person and the type who attracts all kinds of attention, he could only assume she was speaking to him. He looked to be sure, and, in the process, missed the jelly bean he'd tossed, which landed unceremoniously at his feet. His streak broken, he scanned the clearing to find the source of the voice that had so rudely broken his concentration. His eyes landed on a girl with a colorful nap sack and some very pink pants making her way towards him, and he racked his brain for her name. Aubrey? No, Audrey...the one who liked music or kittens or something. He couldn't remember the details exactly, but it was pretty easy to tell by the way she was dressed, and her bubbly air of confidence, which color she was in. "Grayson, right?" she asked, coming up beside him with her hand outstretched. He gave a slight nod, his eyes now on her open palm. "Mind sharing?" she said, referencing the jelly beans, and Grayson smirked. Well, she was forward, wasn't she? He certainly seemed to attract that type. "Sure," he answered, producing a handful from his pocket. He separated a few beans from the bunch, leaving the cherry ones (his favorites) for himself. "Go on," he said, "pick your poison."

Just as he was preparing to tip the jelly beans into Audrey's hand, he heard a giggle behind him, immediately followed by the sensation of someone moving their hand (none too gently or discreetly) into his pants' pocket. Grayson knew only one girl crazy enough to pull a stunt like that, and he had a feeling the blonde devil was behind him at this very moment. I mean, any other person shoves their hand into your pocket and it is, at best, uncomfortable and, at worst, a form of assault, but Coby and Grayson...well, let's just say the circumstances were a little...different. The pair were infamous for their crass behavior and open flirtation, and as far as Grayson was concerned, camp just wasn't camp without Coby making some kind of scene. He laughed along with her as she withdrew her hand, waving her closed fist in front of his face triumphantly before popping the jelly beans into her mouth. "Mmm!" she exclaimed, seeming extremely pleased with herself as she munched on the sugary candy. Grayson made a big show of rolling his eyes, reaching into his pocket to get a few more jelly beans for himself. "Nice one, Coby...but now you owe me," he teased, tossing another jelly bean into the air and catching it neatly on his tongue.

Coby, however, was too preoccupied with marking her territory to respond to his comment. "Sorry, love, but you've got to be quicker than that," she sneered, wearing her trademark expression of faux sweetness and venomous spite. She liked to tease, but Grayson also knew she could be domineering and even possessive; she liked people to know she was in charge. He didn't know Audrey well enough to know how she'd take Coby's "teasing", so he took it upon himself to diffuse the tension. "Take it easy, Coby; there's plenty to go around," he smirked, his suggestive tone making it perfectly clear he wasn't just talking about jelly beans.