Alexandra Boutros's Story

C L I F F . P A R K E R

Location: Alex's Party
Hex Code: #FF8C00
Outfit: Outfit, Vest, Temporary Tattoo
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"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word," he reassured her with a grin, as he waited for the bartender to place their shots on the counter top. He took his soon after, swishing the contents around in the small glass gently for a quick second as he tried to refresh his mind on what was even in a Kamikaze shot. Vodka... lime juice, was it? And maybe triple sec as well. He wasn't completely positive that that was the recipe, but he wasn't that concerned regardless. Even if he was, he didn't want to sound like an idiot by asking right now, so instead he just raised the shot glass in the air. "Cheers to..." he was on the brink of toasting to Alex's birthday when the energy in Katherine seemed to drain in a quick second. She went from bubbly and overly chatty, to sporting an expression that made it seem like she just found out that her grandmother died, or something. She excused herself, and Clifford looked to Alex with a look of curiosity, as if maybe he was missing something. His phone was in his pocket, but he wasn't subscribed to the Gossip Girl blog to a point where he got notifications about it. He always ended up reading the posts at some point, but he was usually late in the game in doing so, compared to everyone else.

"I hope she didn't have a change of heart, and suddenly wants you all to herself tonight," he remarked, trying to keep the mood light-hearted even without their crazy friend there to play that role. "Even if she does, though, I still feel accomplished that I get to have a shot with the birthday girl so early on in the night. Actually, honored is probably a better word," he said, and though it probably sounded cheesy, he genuinely was surprised that he had somehow managed to end up alone with Alex, and even holding on to her attention for this long. After the shot, he expected her to head off to socialize with her other friends, and he was completely content with that, knowing he could always find her later in the night, because this alone seemed like a major step in the right direction for him. "So... here's to a great night, and a new year of life filled with amazing opportunities," he offered, raising his shot glass in the air.

Location: Alexandra Boutros' Long Island Estate
Hex Code: #858585
Outfit:Lumberjack Costume
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A few minutes after Sydney left him, Vincent returned to the party, but only after spending a few minutes in the bathroom, basically talking to himself in the mirror in an attempt at convincing himself that Sydney was right. He had no right to want to beat up one of his closest friends over talking to a girl that he once dated, especially when he knew that if anyone could treat Alex right, it would Clifford. No amount of pep talking could really allow him to relax as much as the shot of tequila and Rum and Cokes that he got at the bar could. Before he had a drink, he did find himself texting Alex, and luckily he was sober at that point, because a drunk Vincent would have texted her in a far more embarrassingly emotional manner. While his phone was out, he felt the need to text Sydney too, but after that, he turned it to silent mode and told himself that he wouldn't look at it again.

To: Alex
Alex... I know I should find you right now and just say this to your face but I feel like a face to face conversation is going to end up ruining your night. So if you want to talk, let me know and I'll find you. Otherwise, just know that that post is absolute bullshit. I asked Sydney to talk to me in private bc I knew Rick would give me shit for what I wanted to ask her. But all we did was talk. I would never do anything with her again. She would never do anything with me again. The conversation literally ended with us agreeing that we wanted nothing more than for you to be happy. So please just don't believe this stupid shit. I want you to have a good night and I'll make sure you don't see my face for the rest of it if that's what it takes.

To: Sydney
I should have known something like that would happen. Sorry.

Vincent wasn't a light weight, so even with hard liquor in his system, it was going to take more than an hour's worth of drinking to actually bring out his hammered side, but given that his emotions were running high tonight, the way that he was drinking was probably going to prove to be a volatile choice. He didn't care though, because right now, all that he could think about was how he couldn't do anything right. He let his sex drive make choices for him, and he was wrong for cheating on the girl he actually loved, and then he didn't have sex or do anything even remotely like that, and was actually just innocently seeking out advice on how to be a better guy, and he was still wrong. There was no winning, so tonight, he told himself that he needed to just say "fuck it" to everyone and everything. With a fresh Jack & Coke in his hand, he found some of his lacrosse friends and told himself that that would be his motto for the night.

Outfit: Here

Hex Code: #000080

Location: Alexandra's Long Island Residence
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K A T H E R I N E - A R N A U L T

Outfit: x, x
Hex Color: #CF009F
"Hmm... I think so," Thylane answered, a smile playing on her face, but only before adding, "But you probably know better than I do. Can't say I've had any experience there." She didn't have any experience sleeping with anyone, and if she was being completely open, she would have to admit that this was the first real kiss she had ever had, too. As a child, she had to kiss little boys very innocently in some of her photo shoots, but of course, they were only small pecks. In grade school, she kissed a boy on the playground during lunch hour, and before moving to New York, one of her best childhood friends had kissed her during a game of truth or dare, but she hadn't kissed anyone since becoming a teenager or moving to New York. She had never made out with anyone, or been able to feel so close with someone as she did with Katherine at this very moment, and God, did it feel good. The fact that she had had a friend crush on Katherine for God knows how long probably had something to do with how this felt so euphoric, like such a relief, too.

"I don't know better than you, and you know that, T!" Katherine objected. Thylane had served as her personal therapist in the past few years, especially when Sydney and Alex were feuding. When no one else was around or willing to listen to her complaints, Thylane was always willing to offer her her time and advice. Though Kat probably was not as verbally grateful for it as she should have been, her friendship with Thylane was one that she cherished. She felt comfortable telling her things that she would have been embarrassed to admit to most people, so even if she wasn't drunk like she was now, she wouldn't have felt weird joking about how sexually inexperienced she was with Thylane, because she talked about it with her in normal conversation.

"You're a good enough kisser that now it's hard for me to believe that you're a virgin," she said, making a mock accusation, though her voice remained soft. She allowed her fingers to glide down Katherine's neck, tracing her collarbone. She wanted to allow them to fall farther down on the girl's body, but even with liquor in her system, Thylane knew that she had to have self-restraint. She was more intoxicated right now than she had ever felt (which wasn't really saying much, since she had only ever had a drink or so at parties), but she was still completely conscious of what she was doing. She was feeling bolder than usual, but not out of touch with herself.

Compliments made Katherine happy, but rather than say thank you, she leaned in to kiss Thylane once more, almost as if she was going to need that reminder when it came to the question that Katherine posed once she pulled away just enough to whisper into her ear. "Can't you change that for me? Tonight?"

It took a lot for Thylane to not say yes to that, and either turn out the lights right here and help Katherine undress, or insist that they call a ride to go back to Katherine's home, without anyone even noticing that they left. This was what she had wanted forever! Suddenly her fantasy was right at her fingertips, and yet her conscience told her that she couldn't do it. She valued this friendship too much, and she knew Katherine too well to think that the girl would wake up tomorrow feeling as comfortable with all of this as she seemed to be tonight. "I wish I could say yes, but I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and never want to look at me again. I like you too much to risk that."

"No... I think you just need more tequila! Be back!" she announced, as she gently pushed Thylane off of her. Her smile widened at the thought of tequila... it was exactly what she needed too, right now. Thylane's claim that it was surprising that she was a virgin had her thinking (albeit hazily through her drunkenness) about why she still was a virgin. Seventeen wasn't that old to have never slept with anyone, but given that all of her closest friends had, she definitely felt a bit more than insecure about it. She had body image issues that had always been the first reason she gave herself for why she could never sleep with anyone, but when it came down to it, Kat couldn't feel intimate towards anyone that she didn't truly like, and truly know. She wasn't like the girls who saw a cute guy and instantly knew that they wanted to go home with them and have a one night stand. She couldn't relate to that mindset, because it was impossible for her to have those sort of sexual or romantic feelings for anyone that she hadn't known for quite some time. In fact, the only person who she had ever thought she was close to feeling that way towards was Ace, a guy that she went on a few dates with a few months back, but because feelings like that scared her so much (and because she was in a bad spot mentally for other reasons), she ended that almost as quickly as it begun. Tonight though... for the first time in forever, Katherine felt comfortable in this environment. Things felt natural, and she wasn't scared of how she looked, or how Thylane perceived her as they sat on Alex's bedroom floor, ignoring the spirited party going on downstairs in favor of just enjoying each other's company.

Her exit wasn't as quick as she hoped it would be, because even now being in only fuzzy socks (ones that she might have stolen from Alex's closet), and not having to deal with her high platform heels, it took a great deal of focus and agility for Katherine to actually be able to get onto her feet and stay on them. It was only then that she really felt the shots from earlier take their toll, and because Katherine was definitely a lightweight, it was not likely that she was going to be able to stomach another shot so soon, but she was going to try anyway. "My little midget baby!" was the first thing that Katherine exclaimed when she got downstairs, luckily seeing Alex early on once she reached the party level of the house. She flung her arms around the girl, partly out of how overjoyed she was, and tended to be when drunk, and also because she needed a little bit of assistance stability-wise. "I thought you died! I thought Edward Cullen showed up and kidnapped you and none of your fake friends stepped in to save you like I would have!" Though her 'fake friends' comment had to be thrown in, it seemed like for the moment, Kat was forgetting the altercation between herself and Sydney earlier, and since her phone was tossed to the side somewhere in Alex's room, she hadn't read her friends responses. "Ugh, I'm so glad that you're alive and beautiful and let's get shots to celebrate! Thylane and I are having our own party in your room, but once she agrees to sleep with me I'll come back down here and bless you all with my presence once again!" Katherine said, and surprisingly, rather than slurring her words, she kept up the quick paced speed that she was known for in her speech. She was just too excited, really.

Katherine's clumsy exit only made Thylane's smile grow, and though a part of her wondered if the drunk girl would even remember to return once the excitement of the party downstairs caught her attention, she wasn't overly worried about it. For one, Kat's shoes were still up here, and secondly, Thylane could at least feel reassured that Katherine's friend group would be going through issues of their own tonight, to hopefully make Kat more inclined to want to be around her over them. Though she knew that it probably wasn't the smartest move, even Thylane, who was used to being secretive and private about her own business couldn't contain the secret of what had just happened. She had to text someone, and given that she didn't have many friends, she found herself texting Cassidy.

To: Cassidy
Omg I just made out with Katherine!! Should I assume that she's never going to talk to me again after tonight

K A T H E R I N E - A R N A U L T

Outfit: x
Hex Color: #CF009F
Katherine fed off of Alex's returned energy, feeling more and more convinced that what she was talking about was a good idea, but it was either Katherine's naivety when it came to all things sexual, or just her sheer level of drunkenness, that allowed the meaning of Alex's words to somehow get lost in translation. It was only when Alex departed from her side that Katherine's expression changed from an excited one, to one of confusion. Why would Alex suggest that they use protection, when they were both girls? They didn't need condoms if neither of them had anything that needed to be wrapped in one, Katherine thought, and she was probably visibly puzzled as she remained standing there for a good minute trying to figure out what Alex meant. Trapped in thought, she completely forgot that she came down there to get more drunks for Thylane and herself, and returned upstairs with nothing in her hands, but thoughts definitely on her mind. Somehow, and it was probably only Kat's mind that could come up with this logic, Kat came to the conclusion that Alex must have thought that Thylane was physically a male, that she was transgender, or something along those lines. Any normal (or sober) person would have known better than to even humor or think such an idea could be true, especially when Katherine was closer to Thylane than Alex was, so if anyone would know something like that, it would be Kat, but she wasn't thinking normally or soberly tonight.

She returned to Alex's bedroom, still wearing a confused expression, and she was careful to shut the door behind her gently now, doing her best to regain some sort of more controlled behavior, despite what her intoxicated body wanted to do. Thylane was still sitting on the floor, and Kat approached her in an almost nervous manner. "Okay, T, I think we have a problem," she said unsurely, playing with her fingers in a restless manner. "Alex thinks that you're a boy, and like, that's fine if you are, because I know a lot of people are coming out as transgender or whatever nowadays, but I'm going to be so confused and maybe a little freaked out if you actually are," she admitted. It was undeniable that Katherine was not the most politically correct person to ever walk the earth, and even she was aware of that, but the unnecessary and dumb concern she had over this wasn't coming necessarily out of the belief that Thylane might be transgender in itself, but more so that it would freak her out in terms of just finding out now.

Outfit: Here

Hex Code: #000080

Location: Alexandra's Long Island Residence

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K A T H E R I N E - A R N A U L T

Outfit: x
Hex Color: #CF009F
In the time that Katherine was gone, Thylane had spent a couple of minutes in Alex's bathroom, fixing herself up to look decent for when Katherine returned. After a few minutes of toying with her hair and makeup, she returned to her seated position on the floor, not long before Katherine returned. "Transgender? What?" Thylane responded in utter shock. There was a shock factor to Kat that contributed to her likability, in that you knew you were never going to have a dull moment with her. The things that came out of her mouth were often dramatic, scandalous, and quite often, on the verge of being offensive to someone, and yet the things that managed to surpass those qualifications were usually entertaining and humorous. Katherine had a way with words, and though that way was not eloquent or witty, it was frequently endearing in a way that only Katherine Arnault could get away with. The words that had just come out of Katherine's mouth, however, made Thylane finally stand up, as if she needed to be on her feet to prepare for what genuinely felt like an attack on her character. Being transgender wasn't a bad thing. Thylane was open to all types of people and didn't harbor any feelings of hatred or prejudice towards people who identified differently than her, but it was common knowledge that other people weren't like that. Being accused of being something that you were not, in terms of your sexual or gender identity, often still came with a negative connotation, and beyond that, being told that she was being gossiped about by her friends who Thylane already knew were of higher social standing than herself, felt offensive in itself.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm the one who deserves to feel confused and freaked out right now. You think I transitioned from a boy to a girl?" She had to laugh out loud as she heard herself say that, though there was certainly a sarcastic tinge to it. Despite the laugh, repeating it only enraged her more, and that was apparent in the way that she quickly switched over to speaking French, with her words coming out sharper than a knife blade. "Vous êtes tellement idiot, Kat. Ne savez-vous pas comment penser pour vous-même? Avez-vous déjà envisagé de me défendre contre vos amis méchants, ou est-ce une amitié unidirectionnelle où je dois toujours vous défendre et me permettre de faire un pas sur vous?" {"You're so stupid, Kat. Don't you know how to think for yourself? Have you ever considered defending me against your bitchy friends, or is this a one-way friendship where I always have to defend you, and let myself be stepped on by them?"}

"Oh my God! Why are you being so dramatic right now, T? That was literally so unnecessary and rude for no reason and I'm seriously so offended right now..." Katherine responded, her mouth agape as she looked to Thylane with true horror on her face, as if her reaction was just about as misplaced as it could get.

There was no use in getting overly upset. This was who Katherine was, and Thylane told herself now that she knew all of this when she signed up to be friends with her. Katherine was shallow and selfish, and Thylane was a fool for thinking that someone like Kat, who lived in a universe where everything really did revolve around her, could ever be a good friend to someone like her, nonetheless more than a friend. This was a mistake. It was all a mistake, and Thylane forced herself to head towards the door at that thought. "You're absolutely crazy. I really can't deal with you right now, so, goodnight. I'm done with this," she snapped, barely waiting by the door long enough to hear whatever Katherine had to say in response to that.

"Good. I hope you had fun at the last party you're ever going to be invited to!" Katherine shouted back, though Thylane was already partially out of the room by the time she got the statement out of her mouth. Once the girl was gone, Katherine followed her to the door, but only to slam it behind Thylane. The alcohol and the emotions probably played a role in it, but she truly didn't understand what had set Thylane off like that. It wasn't like she said anything wrong, she told herself. She was merely "repeating" what her very trustworthy friend, Alex, had told her. Even then, all that had been asked was a question. She wasn't being stupid, like Thylane accused her of being, and her friends weren't being bitchy to her either. As counterproductive as it seemed, Katherine told herself that Thylane had some type of version of a guilty conscience, and this was her way of reacting to Alex being right about her. Katherine had her own way of reacting to Thylane's outburst though, and that was apparent in what she sent Alex and Sydney once she sat down on the edge of Alex's bed.

To: Alex, Sydney
I know this party is about you Alex and Ily but you needto kick Thylane out RIGHT NOW. All I did was ask her if she was transgender like you said she was and she flipped out and called both of you SO many names and said she was going to do everything she could to ruin this party please kick her out