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Alaina Clarke

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a character in “Gossip Girl: The City That Never Sleeps”, as played by predictmeifyoucan

Description


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Alaina Clarke


☽ "People don't think it be like it be, but it do." ☾

Face claim ✦ @syddpink
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #91395f
Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #91395f




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✦Fᴜʟʟ Nᴀᴍᴇ✦
Alaina Darelle-Rose Clementine Clarke

✧Nɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ✧
Alaina or Alaina Rose - Everyone
Lainie (hatess this) - Mostly her mom
Darelle or Clem - Her dad


✦Bɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ & Zᴏᴅɪᴀᴄ✦
March 18, 2001 - ♋

✧Aɢᴇ✧
16

✦Gᴇɴᴅᴇʀ✦
Cishet

✧Sᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ & Mᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs✧
Straight and single



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✧Hᴀɪʀ✧
Naturally dark kinky-curly hair. In the summertime it can get quite light and the red undertones in her hair are more prominent. She wore it straight a lot in middle school, but has since embraced her natural curls. She'll only straighten it for special events. She currently alternates between her natural curls and a protective style (box braids and faux locs being her staple). She currently has faux locs.

✦Eʏᴇs✦
Dark brown.

✧Sᴋɪɴ✧
Light brown, yellow undertones.

✦Hᴇɪɢʜᴛ & Wᴇɪɢʜᴛ✦
5'5, 120 lbs

✧Eᴛʜɴɪᴄɪᴛʏ✧
Her mother is white New York native with English, German, and Scottish ancestry. Her father is black southern native; as such, he doesn't know where his origins stem from.

✦In Depth✦
Her styles is quite mutable. Her most common go to styles are the 90's aesthetic and 'Instagram Baddie' look. Sometimes she'll wear a lot of makeup, with the dad caps, and sneakers, and other times she'll go for a vintage windbreaker with the vintage aviator glasses. There are times when she'll dress like many of the other girls in the Upper East Side: the more polished, preppy, sophisticated look, but it's not her usual, and definitely not her preference.


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XXXCarefree✦ Spunky✧✦ Weird✧ Honest
╚══════════════════════════╝

Alaina has always be weird, or 'unique' as her parents preferred to call it. She always preferred standing out and doing the unusual. She always had many interests, from 'typical' girly things all the way to the more masculine interests. She never tried to be one thing, and her parents never forced her to, instead encouraging her expansive personality. Because she's so mutable, though, it can also mean she's very indecisive, and has a hard time with commitment. She takes her emotions seriously, and doesn't enjoy being forced to do something her heart isn't totally into. To her, that's being ungenuine, but of course, in the real world,that could just mean being an adult and dealing with things you don't necessarily enjoy.

Even though Alaina can be non-commital and, at times, unpredictable, she is loyal to those she loves. She tries to be nice to everyone she meets, but won't forge a fake friendship for the hell of it. So once she actually considers you a friend, it's more than a friendship--it's an investment. That's not to say she's a blind loyalist,
though. And for some, that could mean she isn't loyal at all. While she will always be there for those she cares about, she cares about herself the most and if they change too much, she won't have a problem with moving on. Before she is loyal to other people, she is loyal to herself, and only forges friendships with people who align with who she truly is. So while others might see it as a betrayal, or being so readily to dispose of people who evolve into something different, she sees the actual betrayal being on the person. But Alaina also isn't the one to get caught up in the mess of old relationships. Once ties are cut, they're cut and there's no need for messiness. Her cut-throat way of thinking with so many aspects of her life can come across as totally careless, but she doesn't believe in wasting time when you can just cut to the chase.

Alaina is not one for rules. While she won't go as far as to purposely break them--she's no idiot--she does have a Fuck The Establishment mentality as of late.She's always questioned authority, not to be disrespectful, but out of genuine confusion. Her teachers would describe her as a good kid with not-so-good tendencies. It still continues in high school, where she won't fully apply herself to something she doesn't believe in, and instead just focuses on being completely negativity-free. Her free-spirited nature isn't in her lack of care for her surroundings. In fact, it's quite the opposite. She's incredibly passionate and unapologetic, simultaenously, which results in her carefree, but boisterous personality. Instead of the serene, mellow boho free-spiritedness, she's more of the I don't give a fuck one. That's why, while she completely disregards the social groups as being a complete waste of energy, she isn't going to sit up here and pretend that 'we should all be friends.' That's about as ingenuine as the cliquies themselves. She doesn't like being told to not be herself, but that doesn't mean people are free from her criticism. Her strong disregard from restrain, rules, and general commonality can have unintended consequences. She doesn't fully grasp the concept that just because she doesn't care, doesn't mean that others don't, and it isn't her place or right to force someone to not care. Alaina can be very arrogant when it comes to things like this. Sometimes being so unbothered isn't really a good thing, and can actually be downright insensitive and uncaring.

All that being said, Alaina is quite a sweet girl. She just believes her time and energy are precious, and she won't devote a lot of her happy-go-lucky energy to people she doesn't know that well, let alone like. Her cut-throat behavior can easily be misconstrued into something that it's not, even though Alaina means it out of respect for her own time and the other person. Fuck formalities.


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✦Lɪᴋᴇs✦
✧ Music ✧ ↣ Like many kids, Alaina dabbled in classical instruments, like piano and violin. Starting with piano before stopping at age ten, and then being stuck with the violin because her mom refused to let her not play a classical instrument. While she doesn't hate it as much as she used to, she did end up developing an appreciation for classical music. She wouldn't say it's her favorite, reserving that spot for more modern tastes. She won't listen to just anything, but she sees music as periodical, such as life is.
✧ Art ✧ ↣ Alaina has always been a hands on character. As a child, she loved arts and crafts, and that enjoyment hasn't ceased. She favors drawing and painting, and has become quite skilled at it over the years. Like many artists, it acts as a release, but she mostly does it after enjoyment for it and doesn't use it solely as a form of emotional expression.
✧ The Beach ✧ ↣ She never grew up around one, so that's part of the reason why she enjoys it so much, but the open atmosphere coupled with the serene scenery holds a special place in her heart.
✧ Authenticity ✧ ↣ She likes things to be as transparent as possible, even when it comes to her. That's why she can be so non-committal, because as soon as she feels that her heart isn't in it as much as it once was, or as much as she would like it to be, she quits.
✧ Tacos ✧ ↣ She loves tacos. She even works at a taco shop.

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✧Dɪsʟɪᴋᴇs✧
◆ Cliques ✦ ↣ The in-group, out-group isn't her cup of tea. Oddly enough, though, her disdain for the groups can be as strong as people's like for them, where she effectively puts as much energy into the established hierarchy that she tries not to acknowledge.
✦ Early mornings ✦ ↣ Not a fan.
✦ Useless rules ✦ ↣ Useless as she sees it. A rule could have a lot of logical purpose, but if she sees it as flawed in some way, then she considers it arbitrary, and will challenge it. This happens a lot in the classroom when she finds the discipline to be over-the-top and stifling.


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Quirks & Habits
✦✧✦✧
Is a lover of memes. Has a weird obsession with tacos.


Talents | Strengths | Skills
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Flaws | Weaknesses
✦✧✦✧
Can be too hard on herself and others. Doesn't always give her full effort. Is quick to shut down things and people she doesn't believe in or agree with.


Hobbies
✦✧✦✧
She likes to paint in her free time, and has been playing the violin since she was four. She likes reading biographies and black literature since the school system is obviously shit for teaching anything about POCs.


Fears
✦✧✦✧
Ending up alone. Drowning. Heights. Spiders. Dying young.


Secrets
✦✧✦✧
Alaina doesn't think of herself as having secrets per say. Just things that aren't anyone's business, but to anyone else, they'd be secrets. One of them being her eating disorder, being a virgin, and another being the self-hatred she deals with. She comes across as very confident and uncaring of others opinions, which is true, but she struggles with loving herself as such.


Goals | Dreams
✦✧✦✧She wants to have a comfortable living in the future, one similar to her current one in terms of privileges and luxuries. Not really being a planner,
or that committal, her dreams and goals come and go, in and out of existence and passion. She wants full independence, financially and emotionally. If you asked her, though, she'd just she just wants everyone wants, which to be happy. But that's a cop out answer, and deflects from her actualizing what she really craves, which is security and authentic relationships, inter- and intra-personal. She is a dreamer in the way that she ignores and fabricates her own set of values and rules, but by the same token, that same mindset and lifestyle leads her to not being a dreamchaser. Alaina believes that you can become so caught up in a dream that you end up chasing it away for the rest of your life. She'd much rather just seek day-to-day fulfillment, at least for the time being. What she doesn't realize, though, is that taking life with a day-to-day approach can cost you a lot of missed opportunities and time. Sometimes chasing a dream is better than sitting and watching it get away from you.

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✦ Matthew Clarke✦ ↣ Father ↣ Living
✧ Emilia Clarke (nee. Badger)✧ ↣ Mother ↣ Living
✦ Bennett Clarke✦ ↣ Brother ↣ Living
✧ McKayla Clarke✧ ↣ Sister ↣ Living
✦ Isabelle Clarke✦ ↣ Sister ↣ Living
✦ James Airth✦ ↣ Cousin ↣ Living
✦ Alexandra Airth✦ ↣ Aunt ↣ Living
✦ Alan Airth✦ ↣ Uncle ↣ Living


✦Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ✦
Both of her parents being legacies to the girl's and boy's school, they met when they were teenagers. Her mother, not unlike the other kids, was of an extremely wealthy family. Her father, on the hand, did have such a fortunate economic background, and was instead there on scholarship, having been sent up north to live with his relatives to find better opportunity. As is apparent now with the family's comfortable upper middle class lifestyle, he found great opportunity in New York City, settling there and starting a family. Alaina Darelle-Rose Clementine Clarke is the third child of the the Clarke household, her personality as much a handful as her name is to pronounce. Her verbose name is the product of compromise between her parents, plus her father's mother final say in giving her granddaughter something that actually spoke to her southern roots. The Clarke children grew up less flamboyantly than their other counterparts, but still went without want and lived an incredibly privileged lifestyle, such as their annual summer vacations in their cabin down south or their holiday abroad tradition for Christmas. Her parents, especially her father, always stressed the importance of gratitude and being humble, but the children were still spoiled greatly, especially Alaina's multiple endeavors such as horseback riding and ice skating, all of which she got bored of pretty quickly. That being said, her parents worked hard for their earnings, especially her father who doesn't have a hefty sum of wealth in his back pocket like her mother does, and as such, they expect their children to be as well. While they spoiled them as any parent would want to, they also had a tough love philosophy. They refused to raised absolutely needy children. Their parents never wasted money on chauffeurs or a staff for the home. Instead, the kids were expected to learn discipline and principles, having chores like more kids across the world did, and when they became of age, they were also expected to get jobs as well. The way her parents put it: her and her father were rich, the kids were not. Although it was still without question that her parents gave her everything their money could buy, within more reason than her peers' parents, there were some things they couldn't buy, and worse, some things they didn't adequately prepare her for.

Alaina never had issue with standing out, at least not at first. As she reached early adolescence, and she noticed more and more how people hardly ever recognized her as being her parents child, especially her mother, the negativity began to internalize. Being a brown face in an all white space was already odd enough, but something that didn't actively bother her, especially because she enjoyed being the unique one. But when people constantly made comments about her 'actually' being related to her mother, she began to struggle with identity issues, never feeling enough of anything. That was when she was fed up with being different, because it no longer felt like her choice, and if anything, it was beginning to feel quite awful and even shameful. She wanted to blend in, for just a second, but she quickly realized that that wasn't possible, and the more that reality sank in, the more frustrated she became. She didn't want to be both because to be both meant to be neither. Just as she didn't like to half do anything in real life, she only committed herself in whole, she wanted to feel like a whole person as well. She tried compensating for that in middle school, by straightening her hair and trying to distance herself from her blackness as much as possible, but that in turn led to even more self-hatred issues, as well as an eating disorder. While not officially classified, she has an unhealthy relationship food, where she'll abuse it to punish herself when she has episodes of loathing for herself, or when she's incredibly stressed. As of now, she's getting help for it, but her parents still don't need anything about the other personal issues she's facing. To them, she seems like a normal teenager, lashing out at her mother, when in reality it goes deeper than that. Realizing she'll never be white, she rationalizes that it would be easiest and best to estrange herself from that half of her as much as possible, and she does that by overcompensating at times. She prefers connections with her black and brown peers, more out of self-preservation purposes than anything else. That's why her high school persona is a complete 180 from her middle school one. It is her way of teaching herself to be unapologetic.



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Ⓒⓞⓟⓨⓡⓘⓖⓗⓣ
Character Sheet By : The Toxic Cereus
Inspired By : AmeliaIsGhostly
Filled Out By : Ya girl

So begins...

Alaina Clarke's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cali Kwon Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Xavier Clifton Character Portrait: Elise García Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke
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M A N H A T T A N

Date: Friday, August 18, 2017
Time: 1:45 PM



Leave it to New York to be one of the fewest places during the summer that you don't want to be at in August. Seriously, who the hell told the weather to just drop like that?

Hey, readers, Gossip Girl here and luckily for you, Manhattan's little darlings won't let some small drop in the weather ruin the rest of their summer fun and I'm pretty sure James Airth is going to be the leader of our little motley crew in the next four hours since he's throwing a yacht party. They're disembarking from the Hamptons, so you already know to be prepared for scantily clad minors running around with alcohol they probably stole from mommy and daddy's liquor cabinets. Then again, I'm pretty sure that a lot of it was purchased with mommy and daddy's credit cards, but who am I to judge? As you all already know, I will be one of the first to order one of those succulent apple martinis because love him or hate him, but Airth's bartenders usually make the best martinis. And what will our favorite little darlings be doing in the meantime?

Well, last I checked while Sydney and The New Girl's - and yes, I do know her name, it's just so much more fun to call her The New Girl for a bit longer - parents are still on their honeymoon until the school year starts, you actually haven't seen the two together yet. In fact, you haven't seen them anywhere near each other. I wonder if we should ask Airth about that since Alaina's been getting real chummy with her and he went bowling with those two the other day. And believe it or not, Katherine Arnault is back in town. I know, I know - she just dropped off of the face of the planet and without either of her besties, Alexis or Sydney, at that. Isn't she like, their little lapdog or something? Then again, sweetie's been caught in the worst divorce ever since neither of her girls are talking and isn't Alexis just coming back from vacay? Or are we still not ready to just call it what it probably was, which was rehab? Or damage control? I'm sure we can all find something we can agree upon when referring to our now crown-less diva. Nevertheless, while I myself am getting ready for this yacht party and the jacuzzi that you all know I'm gonna stay in, let's see what our little lovelies can get themselves in to in the meantime.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOXO, Gossip Girl.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

Katherine had countless things that she needed to be doing right now. Countless. The list that she had been making in her head for the past hour and a half had to encompass at least one hundred different things that suddenly seemed so important, that as each minute ticked away, she felt like she was closer to suffocating with the stress of it. She had her outfit picked out, and she wasn't going to do her hair and makeup until she got to her house in the Hamptons. Her overnight bag was packed, and her father was going to send a car to pick her up from therapy with her bag and outfit already in it, so that she could head straight to the heliport to fly out the her family's Hamptons house. She had enough time where she could allow herself to relax, but now that she was attending a group therapy session, she was able to suddenly convince herself that she had a million other places to be. Had she not had this, there was no chance that she would be doing any of that, though. In fact, she would probably still be in bed trying to avoid the monstrosity of a friendship conflict she was going to face tonight between Sydney and Alexis, or off shopping for clothes that didn't pertain to tonight's activities at all.

If feeling anxious to get out of this session wasn't stressful enough for the mere sake of time-constraints, then the fact that the girl who had just joined their group today was a girl that Kat went to school with definitely was. Katherine had only been to one session before this, as she had only gotten home from being in residential treatment less than two weeks ago. She was supposed to remain in treatment until literally the day before school started, but she had agreed to this plan where she would return home and in addition to seeing a psychiatrist, attend a weekly group therapy session as well. While she knew that it wouldn't help her, she was willing to pretend to be okay with the deal for a few weeks, just to avoid unnecessary drama with her father. She hadn't minded sitting through the therapy sessions and partaking in these silly games and activities, because she was so used to it, having done it daily all summer long, but the idea of someone she knew being there changed that entirely. She didn't know Alaina Clarke very well. She knew her mostly as being Jameson's cousin, and that was that. She seemed kind of weird, or at least on the more irrelevant side of who Katherine normally cared about, so she never bothered much with her though. Because she was related to Jameson, it would have been a lie to say that they didn't interact every once in a while, even if it was only in a group setting. Even though she didn't know her well though, Katherine was still mortified to see her here. Her eating disorder was something that she hid from everyone, aside from a very small group of friends who nearly forced it out of her, so having an acquaintance who knew her enough to know it was her, but not enough to care to protect her secret, left Katherine feeling overly stressed out. Still, she managed to sit through the session and play the stupid game of Jenga that their group director, Anna, had customized for her eating disorder recovery groups. She not only managed to play it, but she managed to play it with Alaina, who, only by Kat's amazing luck, had been selected as her partner.

"Shopping," Kat answered, not pausing for even a second after Alaina read off a block that asked her what made her most happy. That was an easy one. Kat preferred the ones that didn't relate to food or eating disorders, at least when Anna was nearing their group. When she was focused on others, Kat could offer a bullshit answer to move on, but if the woman overheard her "rejecting" recovery in any way, it would end up costing her a fifteen minute discussion on healthier alternatives and underlying feelings that provoked her to say that. And Katherine didn't have time for that. She pulled a block out from the stack, being careful not to let the others topple down. "Name one way your relationship with food is negatively impacting your life," she read, once she had flipped the block over to the side with words.

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Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here
Like most, Alaina was dreading the end of the summer. The long beach days with her family seemed to have bled into one long blur of memory. She'd spent a good chunk of her vacation out of state and with her family down south, returning back home after the romantic nature of summer days had left a bitter taste in her mouth. The only good thing that came out of it was being able to see her cousin, but it wasn't like Facetime didn't exist. Also like most, part of that dread came from school being back in session. Alaina didn't hate school for the same reasons a lot of people did, which was because of the homework and the direct contradiction it was to the lazy, carefree summer days that preceded it. She just severely disliked her school and the people that accompanied it. She knew she was getting a quality education--her father made sure to remind her of that if she ever came off as too ungrateful, half threatening to send her to one of the public schools in the neighboring boroughs--but it was hard to appreciate it when the people made it so easily dislikable. She was just ready to graduate, as she was ready to move on from the inescapable drama that seemed to surround her, even after she worked tirelessly to keep away from it. It was impossible to avoid entirely. And with the revival of Gossip Girl, since it was clear that she was still being punished for whatever she did in a past life, she knew this school year in particular would be one for the books. The girl sitting directly across from her reminded her of that. As if her parents taking nothing of their daughter's concerning eating habits over the past year and promptly freaking out wasn't enough, being sent to group therapy was icing on the cake. And then to walk in, sit down, and see Katherine Arnault in the same room? She couldn't even be alarmed. The best she could muster was a bored stare and a shake of her head. Alaina had every reason to be worried just as much as Kat was. Kat was actually a part of the group that Alaina had tried to enter years ago, the same group that she judged so much. They were nothing but asses with mouths, if you asked her, who coddled their insecurities by gossiping and bringing everyone else down. But Alaina couldn't be bothered to worry. Sure, she was annoyed, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at all concerned for the future, but it was out of her control. Even if she never came back, she'd already been outed. Plus, she didn't have a choice, courtesy of her parents.

"Hmm," she pondered with a thoughtful smirk. Of course she'd gotten paired with Kat too. She wasn't nearly as bothered with Kat's presence as she assumed Kat was with hers. Kat, and girls like her, were impossible for Alaina to avoid. And they were more or less all the same anyways. And given that she was related to Kat's friend's boyfriend--or whatever the hell they were now--it was even harder to not interact with them at all. But she would be damned if she acted miserable in front of the girl. Plus, Jenga was a pretty fun game, and she thought the questions were pretty nice. "Well, it's gotten me stuck here," she said, chuckling heartily. Anna was nearby, but Alaina didn't care too much about it. If she got chastised, she'd just feed some bullshit about this being her way of coming to terms with her 'problem' and that the road to recovery wasn't the same as everyone else's. She carefully slid a block out from its slot and flipped it. "What does recovery mean to you?"

"Um." Even though Katherine had answered that question one hundred times over the past few months, she still needed a second to think of something that wasn't embarrassingly cheesy, but also would satisfy the ear of the program director who wasn't too far away. "It means not being so obsessive and allowing myself to get healthy, I guess."

"Compliment your Jenga partner and accept a compliment from them."

Alaina smiled ear to ear as she leaned back in her seat, listening to Kat read the question of the block piece. This should be rich. Considering they weren't friends, to say the least, it was more than funny to have such a request. She didn't expect a genuine response, but it was hard not to be amused at the faux friendliness of this all. She was being inconsiderate, though she didn't recognize that. Because Alaina wasn't totally freaked out by Kat's presence, and Alaina felt like she had no reason to be intimidating, unlike Kat, she felt that Kat had no reason to be anything but calm. It was one of Alaina's more selfish qualities, her lack in ability to empathize with things or people she felt didn't need empathizing with. So her having fun with this, even if slightly at the expense of the girl in front of her, was something she didn't see as spiteful, even if it truly was at its core. She caught Anna's eye, but that didn't make her sit up straight and look sulky or sympathetic; she didn't care about being pulled aside after group, because she sure as hell wouldn't stay. Her little regard for authority, or even tact, was clearly displayed in her demeanor, and even moreso in her words."You don't have to think too hard on it; I don't expect you to actually mean it, especially outside of Groupthinkville," she said, knowing girls like Kat couldn't think without permission, before contorting her face into a slow realization. "Or would you have to actually think harder because of that? I'm not sure how the whole non-friend thing works." It probably seemed unwarranted, mostly because it was, but Alaina didn't see it as anything insulting. She'd seen what girls like Kat could do. This was just playful teasing, and if Kat had half the brain she barely had, she would be able to tell that there was nothing intentionally malicious in Alaina's words. But if not, then that was her own problem. "I admire your loyalty. I think it's kind of a metaphor for you actually. Your ability to listen, follow, and do is just really second best."

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Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

Image
ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here

Who did this girl think she was? Kat had always known that Alaina was on the weirder side, but she hadn't pinned her as having this much gall. In fact, the snarky tone that came with many of Alaina's comments, even if it hadn't necessarily been intended, had Katherine severely caught off guard. She had witnessed Alaina's personality in small doses, maybe in some shared classes or in those group settings, but she hadn't dealt with her one-on-one in what had to have been years, and there was no way that she was this... this... ballsy when Katherine had dealt with her. The relaxed attitude had seemed like enough of a needling mood, especially because Katherine was specifically trying to avoid having to deal with the program director any more than necessary, since she was sure that it would end up costing her precious time as the clock ticked closer and closer to two o'clock. Yet there Alaina was, even just by her posture, making them stand out when compared to the other pairs of girls. It brought a scowl to her face even before Alaina offered her that backhanded compliment that had Katherine very tempted to let the girl in front of her know that she didn't know her. She could play that game too, though. "And I admire your bravery. It must have taken a lot of courage to walk into this room filled with girls who are actually skinny and have eating disorders when you look like you belong downstairs at Food Addicts Anonymous." Making fun of someone else's body, even when it was being done purely out of spite with absolutely no truth to back it up, was something that Katherine normally didn't do. She had few filters when it came to insults, but because weight and body image were things that hit close to home for her, she had the personal experience to know better than to think they were things to joke about. Then again, because of her own experience, she felt like someone insulting her based on her weight was the worst thing they could say, and because of her emotional tendencies, she was more than willing to hit Alaina with an insult based off of that and hope that she had the same emotional ties to the topic.

Kat did have a point. Unlike a lot of these other girls, Alaina wasn't dangerously skinning, nor was she struggling with anorexia. Technically, she was unclassified. She just had bad tendencies when it came to food, but she didn't do it for weight purposes. Her curves would only allow her to be but so skinny anyway. While her parents were able to accurately recognize the problem, Alaina was so used to her problematic relationship with food that she didn't see it as the issue her guardians did. She was misinformed, like many others, who believed that eating disorders were only for girls who looked like, well, Kat. It was why she had an air of arrogance about her because she really didn't think she needed to be there, just as much as she didn't feel the need to be incredibly skinny. Of course being a girl, and being a girl around a lot of other girls who looked nothing like her, she did wish she were smaller. But such were growing pains. Outside of that though? No. Maybe if this was ten years ago, but...no. She was appalled by Kat's rebuttle, but not because of the audacity of it, and instead because of the genuine nature behind the attempt. She bit back her giggles before falling into a thorough laughter. "Food Addicts Anonymous." She couldn't immediately work any words out then, so she just nodded. "Oh, thank you. Forgot I was supposed to accept it. But yes, it's very...humbling to be around girls where I'm literal goals," she said. "And this being a support group, and we're supposed to help each other out..." She distractedly uttered while trying to remove the next block. "That probably would have worked better fifteen years ago when Paris Hilton was still relevant. It's kind of a thing to not look as skinny as the heels you walk in. I guess Sydney forgot to tell y- Ooh! Three things on your bucket list. You know, like, stuff you want to do before you die. I can definitely see you wanting to do one of those trips to third world countries where you take cute pictures with little brown kids for Instagram before forgetting they exist."

The boisterous attitude that Alaina had was beginning to anger Katherine more and more, because with each bold bout of laughter, or unnaturally relaxed movement that the girl made, Kat could feel more eyes being directed towards them. They would all look away and resume their own game after a second or two, but she didn't need people paying them any mind even for that little of time. She didn't need any unnecessary attention directed on them when her whole goal of being in this group was to be as unnoticeable as possible to get through it as painlessly as she could. She could have moved on from the subject at hand, as Alaina had already pulled out another block that asked about bucket list goals, but Katherine wasn't going to let that go. Alaina was either lying to cover up being a failure at having an eating disorder by claiming that she didn't want to be stick thin, or she was bulimic. Kat was well aware that there were other types of eating disorders, since she herself was technically diagnosed with "eating disorder not otherwise specified with anorexic tendencies", but it was easier to lump disorders into being bulimic or anorexic. Tendencies included. From her experience, you were either one or the other, or a mix of both. The idea of forcing oneself to throw up seemed far too unnatural to Kat (as if near starvation wasn't), or else she would have tried it out of desperation at one point or another. "So you're bulimic," she said, smirking as if she knew something that Alaina didn't. "I could've guessed that. That's why I knew better than to compliment you on having self-control, because you must not have any," she said, smiling more genuinely herself now, but only because Alaina wasn't currently talking.

"And no, I'd rather not get malaria, but thanks anyway," she said a beat later, deciding that she wanted the last word in that conversation, so moving on now seemed like the appropriate way to do that. Rather than give three things from her bucket list like she was supposed to, she opted to just pull another block. Alaina wasn't taking the game seriously, she didn't care, and the quicker they finished, the quicker they could leave. Kat was tempted to purposely knock over the tower already, but no one else's had fallen yet, and she didn't want to be conspicuous about it. "Tell me a--"

Just as Kat was about to read off the next block, Anna sat down beside her and Katherine, and instinctively, Kat was glaring at Alaina because this was all her fault. "It seems like we're having a lot of fun over here! I might have to get you two to star in the improv skit I wanted to try out next week with the group," she said, and Kat couldn't tell whether she was being serious or just trying to gauge just how much tension was present. "So, who's up?"

"It's her turn to tell me about a time when she wasn't so judgmental towards herself," Katherine explained, stone-faced, but dropping the more obvious glare that she had been sending to Alaina.

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Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

Image
ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here

"You're such a good reader, Kat," Alaina said gently. "You have a really nice reading voice, it's such a shame people don't listen to her more," she said, looking towards Anna with a polished innocence and nonchalance. "I would say over the summer. I was away from a lot of toxic people, like this heathen at my school. Her name's Sydney, but it's just like all of these girls are so ruthless, and it makes me feel like I have to look down on myself because they look down on everyone else. But Katherine has really helped me realize how lucky I am to not have those people in my life. I'm not bulimic by the way," Alaina said swiftly, seemingly out of left field. She didn't pretend to be cheery, even in Anna's presence, but she didn't look peeved either. "It's called being black and having curves, you'll probably realize that when you start spending thousands to look me," she finished dismissively as she continued and searched for her next block. "That skit sounds fun. Maybe you could tell us more about that after we're done? Favorite food I used to eat at least once a week."

Katherine didn't know what Sydney had ever done to Alaina (other than maybe reject her, but clearly for very good reasons), but clearly, Alaina was obsessed with her. That was what Katherine told herself, anyway, rather than considering that Alaina was only specifically targeting Sydney in an effort to get under her skin (which was definitely working). No, Kat was definitely going to spin this into Alaina being their Janice Ians - the girl who was still bitter over being rejected from their social group, and now had it out for the head of it. And Kat only used "head" because Alexis was a year and grade older than she, Sydney and Alaina. She wasn't referring to Alexis' apparent fall from grace, because the drama within her own social circle wasn't something she could bring herself to think about right now. Regardless of whatever Alaina's obsession with Sydney stemmed from, Kat told herself that she was going to call her blonde friend the moment she left this building to let her know about it. She minutely recognized that such a thought allowed her to fit seamlessly into this little lapdog image that Alaina was painting her as being, and that thought aggravated her further. Enough so, actually, that after being outed for calling Alaina bulimic, and then having to watch Alaina grab another block so effortlessly, as if none of this was bothering her as much as it was Kat, she found herself reaching out and smacking the Jenga tower, causing it to collapse. It was the picture perfect image of a spoiled brat having a temper tantrum - ruining the game only because she wasn't winning, or in this instance, getting to have the last word (or more specifically, the more powerful word/comeback). If they weren't going to play the game her way, then they were going to play at all. They were done. "Looks like we're done here," she said, scrambling to get to her feet, though she didn't actually lunge for the door. Even if she was brazen enough to ruin their game like that, Kat didn't possess the bold nature to just run out the door if there was a possibility that Anna was going to yell at her or call her father or something. She would wait for permission to go, even if she did so begrudgingly and without specifically stating that she was waiting for that. "And that works out perfectly since my car should be here any minute."

As if she wasn't the one acting out of line, Kat's mini tantrum surprised her. She instinctively jolted back, just from the suddenness of it, but she watched casually as the pieces fell to the floor. If she was actively trying to get under Kat's skin, she would have smiled knowingly, as if to suggest that she had won, but that wasn't the case. She hadn't been acting completely obliviously just then, she knew she was being a headass from the perspective of Kat, but she only did that because she didn't care, or at least that's what she had convinced herself of. There was an ounce of her that was bothered by the girl's presence, she was tired of all the slaps to the face, and this was her way of finally expressing that. It was more than just Kat being there, but Kat was easily an outlet. Not caring was her way of having control, and with something as foreign as this, she needed to at least feel the wheel, even if she wasn't steering it. "Classic, Kat," she muttered as she leaned towards the ground to pick up the pieces.

Despite all of this, Anna maintained a smile. It was so genuine she wondered if the woman was even witnessing the same interactions as she was. The woman picked the stray blocks that had flown into her lap, placing them politely on the tab, and patting them together in threes. "I understand this is very frustrating for the both of you. This game can be very tough, but it's important to realize how this relates to your life," she said as she began stacking the blocks again. "These are actually the building blocks of your life right now. When things get too hard, or too frustrating, we might unknowingly sabotage ourselves, or, knock the tower over. Kat, thank you for expressing your feelings. Now you can start fresh, with a clear mind." She smiled as she inched the half built tower towards the center of the table then. "You two definitely have a lot of energy, and there's only..." She looked at the watch on her wrist, made the first attempt at a frown. "Well, only five minutes left. I don't want to distract from your game, but afterwards, I'd like to talk about how we can channel that energy in more positive ways."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Tristan Elliot Character Portrait: Sydney Persson
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#, as written by Lilac

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J A M E S ✧ A I R T H

Dialogue Color ✧ #273296
Location ✧ Airth Residence | Southampton, NY
Outfit ✧ This
By now, the annual yacht party that Jameson threw felt like second nature to a point where he wasn't stressed about it. His mother was the one who truly planned in, since he couldn't have cared less about the color of the table cloths in the dining area of the ship, or what was going to be served on the menu, or what brand vodka would be carried. As long as there was a dance floor, DJ, food and booze, he knew it was going to be a good time. Though his family owned boats of their own, they were smaller, and more intimate luxury yachts. Not boats capable of holding one hundred guests. That was why they preferred to charter boats. Having minors drink on a boat that wasn't yours always required some special connections and a little bit of extra money up front in order to have people agree to turn a blind eye on the legality of it, but it always worked out in the end in a world where money equaled power and exemption from the rules subjected on normal people.

With a big party only a few hours away, most people would be busy working out the final details and making sure that everything was in order for the night, but that was the opposite of what James was doing. His mother, still in Manhattan, was probably busy doing all of that (though in Jameson's defense, she actually enjoyed event planning, so he wasn't unfairly subjecting her to any unwanted stress), but he, on the other hand, found himself comfortably lounging on a pool chair outside of his family's Southampton home. Laying on the chair beside him was the beautiful blonde that he was lucky enough to (currently) be calling his girlfriend. Even if he was calling her that, he wasn't sure if he was calling him her boyfriend in return. His relationship with Sydney was a complex one filled with instances of cheating on his part that he was ashamed of (though at the same time, wasn't completely ready to abandon), and instances of cheating on his part that Jameson had no evidence of, but enough gut-feeling to suspect. Why he and Sydney continued to date, especially when their temporary breakups could involve such raw and volatile emotion, James did not know. He knew that he was never going to marry Sydney one day. Their relationship wasn't that deep. Still, though, he liked her. He liked her to a point where when he wasn't officially dating her, he found himself constantly calling and texting her and checking her social media. It was one of those "you don't know what you've got til it's gone" things, where he wanted her more when they were apart than when they were together. That wasn't to say that they were miserable together, or that the whole relationship was a scam to deceive the public eye, because it wasn't that either. Times like now with Sydney were good. They were relaxing, and just living. He knew that she was stressed over the recent issues that had arisen within her girl group of friends, but who could blame her? Jameson wouldn't acknowledge that she was probably stressed about her step family situation as well, because his friendship with Dinah probably contributed to that, so he focused on feeling sympathetic for her revolving around her issues with Kat, but mostly with Alexis. That's why he hoped tonight was relaxing fun. Not the drama-inducing kind of fun that he sometimes liked to watch from the sidelines. Just plain, pure, good fun before school started. He didn't know if it was possible given how his peers tended to be, but a guy could hope.

With a deviant smirk on his face, he got up from his chair and grabbed Sydney's ass as she laid stomach-down on her chair, possibly sleeping. Giving it a nice squeeze, he reminded himself that being able to do that whenever you wanted was one of the best reasons for having a girlfriend. Even if she was crazy. He was still smirking even as he stepped back a few feet from eliminate her from any wrath she might take in her immediate vicinity, and he held his hands up in playful surrender. "Didn't mean to disturb you, Sleeping Beauty. I'm just going inside to grab a drink. Want anything?" He waited for her answer before going inside, fetching himself a water bottle. Sitting out in the sun for a little while had not only left him thirsty and hot, but tired as well. He knew after showering he would perk up and be ready for the night, especially since he had slept in considerably late today. Before returning outside, he answered a few texts his mother had sent him, before texting a few people of his own. Along with some of the guys in his immediate friend group, he texted Tristan, Alaina and Dinah.

To: Alaina
My mom wants to make sure it's clear that unless you're staying at one of your friends houses tn you can stay here. I think I've gotten 20 texts about it within the last hour so text her back Image

To: Dinah
Hey! You already out here? I asked Syd if you were at her dad's house down the street since Ik she was there earlier but she literally ignored me lmao. Feel free to come over if you're out here already though.

To: Tristan
Don't be late tn and this year your invite doesn't include and plus ones Image those sluts from loyola that you brought last year were hot but not worth the drama

Setting

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Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

Image
ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here

Five minutes wasn't long, but to Kat, being told that she had to stay for five more minutes, nonetheless stay and resume playing, and stay after to discuss what had just happened, felt like a death sentence. She was tempted to start crying just to see if playing the victim card would get her a "get out of jail free card", and the only thing that kept her from doing it was that she hadn't been in this group for long enough to feel comfortable being that ostentatious yet. Her main goal here was just to fit in and get through the time as painlessly as possible, but today had proved to her that not one thing in her life could go smoothly. She was already sure that she was never coming back to this group again, but even staying here for another ten minutes felt like complete and utter torture. Still, she couldn't bring herself to just leave, especially after being told to stay. The thought of having to sit back down made her feel too submissive and powerless, especially when she was sure that Alaina would have something irking to say, but Kat wasn't as strong and bold as she wanted to act like she was, so after shooting a glare at the back of Anna's head once she walked off, Katherine reluctantly sat back down. "I really can't believe that you told her that I said you were bulimic," she said, in a low hiss as she bitterly restacked the remaining blocks until the tower was complete again. "You're such a tattletale. That was literally so rude and unnecessary."

"A tattletale?" Alaina cooed in mock offense after deciding against the other slew of responses going through her mind. She balled her hand into a fist and held it to her mouth, miming talking into a recorder. "Note to self: body shaming jokes in an ED treatment center is less rude and unnecessary than being called out for said joke." She leaned her cheek against her hand, the outline of a smirk on her face. Though her actions would imply otherwise, she wasn't doing all of that to get Kat to completely freak out. It was definitely an experience, but not the goal, not that there really was one. What was more surprising than the girl's outburst, to Alaina, was the fact that it was because of her. She took it as a compliment, though. It was nice to see how much weight her words carried for a person who was socially weightless. Still, she didn't push it, at least not for the time being. Kat had officially derailed, and Alaina wasn't trying to deal with any of that. "My bad, though," she said as she patted the tower so that the blocks were as even as could be. "Didn't know you were that sensitive. Thought a certain organ was required for that emotion." She wasn't nearly as annoyed with starting over as Kat was, just because she actually did like the game and wasn't as bothered by Kat as the girl was of her. She slowly pulled a side piece out and read over the question. "You should try calming down. I'm not one of your faux friends, so you don't have to worry about me telling. Probably comes as a surprise to you, but that'd actually be pretty shitty."

Kat wanted to inform Alaina that she wasn't as offended to being called out as she was to being called out in front of the person who could make her life more difficult if she wanted to. Katherine's plan for this group therapy involved her coming for a few weeks, maybe six or seven sessions, to appease her father. After that, she would insist that it wasn't helping her, that she would continue to see her psychiatrist, and that she was sticking to healthy habits enough on her own where group therapy was a waste of time. Her father was insistent on her attending group therapy right now because it had been discussed as part of her discharge plan from residential treatment. He wanted to seem like the good and involved father who was making sure that his daughter got the help she needed, but in Kat's opinion, him forcing her to do this was also his way of reminding her that he was in charge. In a few weeks, though, she was sure that he would be over it, and that his passive attitude would return where he would stop objecting to her not going after one or two tear-ridden explanations for why it was doing more harm than good. All of that would probably work if Anna didn't get involved. As long as she kept getting good reports whenever her father or psychiatrist called to confirm her progress in the group, Kat would be fine. That was why during the first class, she had played along nice and quietly with all of the activities, participating enough to make it look like she cared, but not doing it in a completely genuine fashion. Alaina was going to be the reason that that would all get screwed up, and just as much as Alaina's immediate actions were infuriating her, the knowledge of that was doing just the same.

"You better not," Kat confirmed her eyes looking from Alaina down to the block she was holding. She wanted to just cut to the chase and tell her to read it so they could get on with the stupid game, but her mouth got the best of her. "I'm sure there's some confidentiality thing that I could sue you for if you told anyone, anyway," she asserted, because when in doubt, threaten to sue. "Because even though I know you don't have any friends that matter, you probably have enough time on your hands to be the stalker freak running that Gossip Girl blog, so don't even think about writing about this there," she continued, only then pointing at the block hidden in Alaina's hand. "But let's just get on with this so I can go home. Read."

"Whats the magic word?"

"Read it."

Alaina shrugged. "Well, your counting needs work, but that's to be expected. Name the fat soluble vitamins." Without waiting for an answer, she placed the block on the top of the tower. "Let's just skip that one. Don't wanna make things too hard. We can back track and you can answer the question about the bucket list. Three things." She considered bringing up the malaria comment, but figured if a private education could fail so miserably, then even one on one assistance couldn't do much. Just seconds afterwards, she felt her butt vibrate, and like a child in class, she pulled it out, pressed it against the edge of her thigh. She smirked at the text before shaking her head.

To: Jamie
that's so sweet. she thinks i have friends. but yeah i'll text her lmao

"I doubt you could name them either," Katherine commented. She wasn't going to deny that she had absolutely no idea what the answer to that question was, or what fat soluble vitamins were purpose wise. She knew more about human biology than one would expect because of her eating disorder and the research that came with that, but most of what she knew was related to how the body worked. How to keep herself from getting lethargic and fainting, how to keep her metabolism alive... that kind of stuff. Not definition or facts like that question that Kat deemed bizarre and random for a game like this. "And I don't have a bucket list but I'll make something up so that I'm not as difficult as you are. Getting my license, joining a sorority, and getting my own apartment." Since she didn't want to hear any judgement commentary on that, she was quick to select a block from the tower. "What's the best vacation you've ever had?" In what was a random turn, mostly because with the animosity Katherine was feeling, it probably seemed unusual for her to suddenly stray into more civil, or at least personal, territory. "Are you going to your cousin's party tonight?" she asked.

It was a smart move on Kat's part to pick a block quickly and read the question. Alaina had already started fixing her mouth into something smart to say to that before she was intercepted. She was surprised by the question that followed, about the party, but didn't let that show on her face as she smoothed her eyebrows. She definitely wasn't stressing about the party tonight like a lot of her peers were. She had gotten her nails done the previous day, but she hardly counted that since it had been a girl trip with her mother and little sister. Outside of getting a new dress, and finally finishing her protective style, which wasn't even for party purposes, she hadn't done much to prepare. "When we took a family trip to Spain for three weeks. My dad surprised us, so it was pretty hectic, but it was really fun. We spent a few days in Portugal, and my sister got me super drunk, and it pissed my mom off. Super fun," she said, a genuine, reminiscent smirk hanging on her lips. She was having issues with her mom right now, but she did love being around her family. It was a big reason why she didn't want to come back home. With her older sister off to college, and her brother out of the house as well, it was just her, her baby sister, and her parents. All the space was actually suffocating. "Yeah, that was actually him just then." He was the only person in that crowd she was genuinely friends with, but she did like to joke that if she had known who his friends would turn out to be, she would have disowned them as kids. Despite the change of tone in the conversation, she did find it a peculiar question, only because she figured it was obvious. "You really think my own cousin wouldn't invite me?"

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Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Valentino Arias
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V a l e n t i n o | | A r i a s

Hex Color: #228B22
Outfit: Here



Valentino's summer had not been overly eventful, but he preferred it that way. He spent two weeks in Buenos Aires with his family, visiting both sets of his grandparents and the rest of his parents' families who still lived there. He spent a few days in Los Angeles with some friends, and a weekend in Miami too, but other than that, most of his time was spent in the city. He found a two week shadowing opportunity at NYU Langone Medical Center where he was able to shadow physicians in a couple of different fields, but that was the most of his accomplishments. Being fairly inactive didn't bother him though. He was happy to have free time to spend with his daughter, Ariana, and to have a break from the stress of the school year. Everyone always said that junior year was the most stressful year of high school, and Tino believed them. Last year had taken a toll on him, but then again, part of that was because of the social conflicts he was facing with his once good friend Jaxon sleeping with his ex-girlfriend, Alexis, and a sex tape coming out from that. That in itself was hurtful enough for him, but even though he was hurt by Alexis sleeping with Jax too, he also hurt for her. He knew how much her social life meant to her, and how hard she had worked to get to where she was, and to watch it all fall apart over one stupid choice was heart-breaking. He felt bad for her, he truly did, but he was also at a point in his life where he didn't think that he had time to get caught up in such messy, childish behavior. He had a daughter to take care of, and continuing to invest hope in regaining a relationship with a girl who had apparently changed from the one he had once loved was futile, and maybe even harmful to his mental health.

This summer was just what he needed: relaxation. It seemed like it was destined to end on a good note too, with tonight's yacht party that James was throwing, combined with a few other activities that he had planned over the next week. Although the party didn't start for another few hours, Tino was already in the Hamptons. Unlike many of his peers, his family didn't own a house on Long Island. It was hard to use the "it's too expensive" excuse when they owned a townhouse in Manhattan, but his parents weren't the type to spend money on things just to keep up with the crowd. The had found an area just outside of Miami that they liked better, and that was where their summer house was. Today, Valentino was spending the day at his friend Jake's house, where they had spent the morning and early afternoon surfing and hanging out at the beach. He had just finished showering in the private bathroom off of a guest bedroom when he texted a few friends, including Alaina and Dinah, whose whereabouts and plans he was curious about. Additionally, he sent out a text to his parents to check on Ari, since they had taken her down to Florida for the weekend.

To: Alaina
Wya and what's your plan for tonight? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever lol

To: Dinah
Are you going to James's party tonight?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Valentino Arias
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D I N A HXJ A N EXI R V I N G
_____T H EXN E WXG I R L _____

Outfit: Here
Location: En Route to Airth Southhampton Residence
Dialogue Color ✦ #8A4E62
Thought Color ✧ #3A0012



It would be when Greg had already pulled out from the driveway and Dinah was comfortably lounging in the back of the vehicle that James would text her back, and she didn't feel the need to fight the eye roll that came upon reading the message. It was a touch too late for him to tell her not to show up. Mostly because no, she was not about to retreat back to her bedroom until it felt "safe" for her emerge. She was growing intolerant of that now that the summer was almost over. It wasn't her fault that Sydney had an issue with her. It wasn't like Dinah asked to randomly have the girl's boyfriend contact her out of left field. Could Dinah have chosen to keep him deleted from her contacts? Yeah, but he seemed like a cool guy at the time, not a complete and utter fuckboy. Definitely a fuckboy to some degree, but Dinah had pardoned some before - hell, some have even been considered some of her close friends and a part of her main crew back in Los Angeles. So, she couldn't' exactly fault him for his drunken behavior and declare that all communication should be muted. Nevertheless, she didn't ask for Sydney's disdain. She didn't ask for a sister or even another mother. She didn't ask for a new friend. Shit just happened. Now, was she trying to stir up more shit? Not at all, which was why she found herself having to caution James when it seemed like he was being too careless. Dinah knew what she would want from a guy and being asked about a girl who obviously made her uncomfortable when said girl was around her boyfriend, especially since he had never mentioned knowing her before, was beyond uncomfortable. So, she was going to help him out if she could. That didn't mean she felt like being somebody's dirty secret. Plus, James said he was down the street as if they were in walking distance and not as if this drive wouldn't make Dinah mad if she had honestly tried walking it. So, she wound up texting him, and then Alaina because the girl's opinion on her cousin always amused Dinah, even though she could tell that there was love there.

To: James
Dude srsly?? Image its 2 l8 4 dat n im almost there. is she there?? Cuz i kno u gotta have a game room or sumthing.

To: Alaina
Y is ur cuzzin like dis?? Plz tell me u can come 2 his place a lil earlier? i need 2 be saved plz

It was only after her text to Alaina was delivered that Dinah received the notification about Valentino's text, which made a small smile form on her face. Dinah couldn't say something as cliche as Valentino not being like a lot of the guys she both hung with and had been involved with, but he had a maturity about him that Dinah honestly did prefer in her circle. Now, a part of that might have more to do with the fact that he had a kid with him when they met, but in all honesty, Dinah hadn't hesitated in asking for his number that day in the park. She hadn't meant it lasciviously or anything like that; she had just really liked his vibe. The cute little girl and the fact that he himself had been really cute with her may or may not have aided in getting Dinah just a touch more interested in getting to know him. Besides, New York was going to be a permanent residence and though Dinah could tell herself day in and day out that she didn't depend exclusively on social interactions and developing interpersonal relationships, she did need them, to some extent.

To: Valentino
actually omw 2 his southhampton place now 2 chill. care 2 keep us company??

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

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ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here

Outside of being Jameson's cousin, Katherine didn't know much about Alaina's life. To an extent, she didn't care, mostly because they weren't friends and their interactions today had reminded Kat why they weren't friends. At the same time, she always liked learning new information about people, even if she didn't show it. It was easy to excite Kat because even if she came off as being shallow and snobby and selective (all of which she was), once you met her criteria, she was very social and very friendly. The reference to getting drunk in Europe was relatable, and almost made her see Alaina in a more human light. Almost. "Obviously I know he invited you," she snapped back in a defensive manner, as if she needed to defend her intelligence. "That's why I asked if you were going. You really don't seem to be a rush, getting us stuck staying after, so it's not a stupid question. Don't try to act like it is."

Alaina furrowed her brows at Kat's reaction. She wasn't even trying to be bothersome and this girl was still whining? She shook her head to herself, not saying anything, although her face showed that there were definitely some choice thoughts going on through her mind. "Rushing is a waste of time and energy. The yacht isn't going anywhere and neither is the alcohol. In twelve hours, people will still be drinking. Are you that excited to impress people who pretend to like you?" Alaina's mannerisms had a tendency to make her come across as brass and rude, like now. She was too slick to fit the standard description of speaking without thinking, but she did tend to say what came to mind. Her question was definitely jab, and she was being condescending, but if formalities were a waste of time. And if Kat seemed to be as short on it as she was making it seem, she should appreciate Alaina getting right to the point. The girl didn't have any reason to take offense. She thought Kat was pretty dimwitted, but she gave the girl enough credit to at least know that her so called friends didn't really care about her, or that her pampered world (as if Alaina herself wasn't pampered in her own right) was completely crafted and fake.

"I'm not looking to impress anyone. I spent the past two months dealing with this," she said, motioning in a vague fashion around the room, "without access to a single drop of alcohol, so that's what I'm rushing to get to." She wasn't lying. Though Kat enjoyed parties for the social aspects of it, she wasn't a social climber and never had been. She had never actually been not popular, so that helped, but even in general, she wasn't the kind of person who went out of her way to impress people. She cared about what people thought of her, but when it came to that, all she focused on was her weight and body image. Putting on makeup and wearing nice clothes was something she merely did for her own enjoyment. If she was going to be critical of anything about herself (or insist to herself that someone else was going to be about her), it involved her weight. Otherwise, she didn't care what people thought of her. She knew that people thought that she was dumb, but it wasn't something she shed a tear over. She knew that people felt like she was a brainless follower of Sydney and Alexis, and though that bothered her a bit more, she also knew that it wasn't true. Katherine had a mind of her own, and her own thoughts. She just knew how her friends worked. Maybe she valued her friendships with them more than they did of her, so she was a lot more passive about things that involved them. She kept her mouth shut when it came to certain things just to avoid conflict. It didn't mean that she always succumbed to their desires, because every one of her friends knew the side of Kat that represented her upbringing in a very stark manner - where she would refuse to leave her house if her idea for plans was rejected, but when it came to conflict and drama in the group, she usually tried to be as quiet and neutral as possible.

Thanks to the parasite that was Gossip Girl, Alaina knew that Kat had vanished this summer. While she was away at her beach house down south, though, it didn't ring any alarms. She thought it was odd that such a big note would be taken, as if these people were completely confined to the city limits. It was quite the contrary, and so while Alaina had little regard for it to begin with, she rolled her eyes even more when she read it because she figured these copycat didn't take into consideration that maybe, like a lot of people in their financial circle, was out on vacation. Then again, Alexis being all the way over in France was still able to be discovered, but it just went to show how little Alaina really fed into all of this. She wasn't groomed to swiftly connect the dots in such a way, even though it wasn't any sort of puzzle given the repetition of her immediate environment, but she tried doing away with all of the chatter when she could. Ironically, though, that still didn't prevent her intrigue from the resurrection of the blog. While it would have seemed more suspect for Kat to be out on vacation without anyone knowing about it, Alaina was more surprised to find out that she'd been doing this, or at least something like it, for the past two months. It put reality into perspective and actually dampened her mood. She couldn't do this for two months. Surely not. "I'm not mad at ya," she said, giving Kat a devilish smirk that would assume more amiability between than actually existed. She hadn't stayed sober the entire summer, but she definitely recalled more nights than a lot of her peers probably did. As she looked through the tower, she glanced over towards the girl. "What about you? Favorite vacation?"

Katherine vacationed quite frequently, but because a lot of those were to different homes that her father owned, or to her mother's house in Los Angeles, they didn't feel like real vacations. She went on those often too, with friends and such, but since she hadn't been on a single one this summer, it felt like forever ago. "My dad owns an island in the Bahamas that I like going to sometimes," she offered, in a way that was casual and not an attempt at bragging. Because Alaina was James' cousin, Katherine assumed that she was just as wealthy as he was, so she had no reason to think it was anything but a casual, run of the mill response. Deciding that that counted as Alaina's question for her, whether it was official or not, Kat reached for the tower to pull another block. She enjoyed conversation with people she liked, but even then, she wasn't the type who overwhelmingly liked sharing information about herself. When it was someone she disliked, that was even more true, and this particular setting made her feel more insecure than she normally was, so she felt like Alaina was judging every word that came out of her mouth. "Name two things you've done this week to sabotage recovery."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault Character Portrait: Valentino Arias
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ALAINA || CLARKE
Location: Group Therapy | Manhattan, NY
Dialogue Color: #91395f
Outfit: Here
Alaina had checked out of the discussion, evident by her wondering eyes. Before she got the chance to think and answer the question that she already wasn't paying attention to, Anna's sing-songy voice rang through the room. Surprisingly, the woman was short with her departing speech, the shuffle of bodies and bags erupting shyly from the tables as people gathered themselves and their things. While Alaina didn't care about staying after since she wasn't in any real hurry, she wasn't pressed to stay either. She purposely ignored Anna's stare on the two of them, but glanced over when she saw another participant distract the director. She briefly caught sight of Anna's widened, gleefully surprised eyes as the girl began talking to her. Alaina looked back at Kat, perking her brows briefly, her smirk mischievous. With a final two-finger salute, she slipped through the door, phone in hand as it vibrated for what felt like the umpteenth time. The most recent one being from her mother, letting her know that they were outside. Her mother had a tendency of saying she was outside when she was really five minutes away, so it was a pleasant surprise to see the white car just outside the center. And had she had any doubts about if the car was her mom's or not, the small pair of frantically waving hands from the backseat would have eradicated them all. In a near direct contrast with her behavior inside, her lips spread into a wide, goofy smile as she waved back at her sister just as crazily. Alaina squishes her face against the back window, immediately making Izzy giggle, and just as quickly hearing about it from her mom.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?"

Alaina leaned between the two front seats as she buckled in, ignoring her mom. "Hi, chicken," she said, Izzy clucking in her customary response. Before she was able to fully enjoy the moment when her sister, her mom went into what she liked to call Survivor Mode, where the woman would turn something fun into a list of chores. Alaina slipped one ear bud as she half listened, picking up some arbitrary reminders such as showering, and thanking her aunt for taking her. She was good for making parties seem like a task. Whenever she did this, she had a hard time fathoming all the stories her dad told her about how her mother was quite like Alaina at her age. She was fun and sociable. Glancing at the woman now, she couldn't help but think what happened? "I'm listening," she said when she felt her mother watching her. Reading through her texts, she saw Tino's and attempted to think of the last time they saw each other. It took an uncharacteristic length of time, which was really only about a few seconds, but that was enough to prove his point. She knew it had to have been before she left for the beach, which meant around the beginning of the summer. It was a frustrating fact, but she figured that tonight would be the perfect way to catch up for lost time, at least some of it. She was typically open with him about a lot, but she didn't mention her going to group therapy, and didn't plan on it. The lack of transparency felt weird coming from her finger tips, since he was one of the few people she could really vent to, but it would have been a bit of an abrupt shock to say 'hey! it's been forever. just got out of therapy for my eating disorder, ttyl!' And then knowing Tino and how he was much more lax with the party scene, at least compared to his old habits, get shitfaced would prove all the more difficult.

To: Tinooo
in the car with my nagging mother. & i plan on making up for lost time and getting dangerously drunk with you :))))

She added the exaggerated smiley in place of a question mark, because she was half serious, only because she knew what the answer was, but figured it was worth a shot. It was no secret Alaina prided herself on being her own person, and as such, she appreciated people like that as well. So she respected Tino's transformation, because she could see it objectively and why it was good for him, but she also enjoyed the fact that it was a separation from the status quo. Still, though, Alaina wasn't so caught up on being unlike everyone else that she confined herself. Like a lot of her peers, she enjoyed going to parties and getting drunk. She wasn't caught up in getting into every single party, since it wasn't that deep to her and it sounded more like a task or a business strategy than what it really should be, which was fun. As with many things, going to parties and getting drunk were a lot more fun when you were sharing the thrill and experience with your friends. And while Alaina wasn't one to stop and persuade people to be just like her (at least not so directly), when it came to this, she broke her own habit. It was hard to really enjoy yourself when the point was to let loose, and your friend was next to see you not doing the same. Being irresponsible around a responsible person kind of ruined the whole irresponsible aspect. She wasn't banking on him getting as drunk as she planned to, but with it being a minute since seeing each other, as well as it being the first party of the year, she at least hoped she could get him to being a little tipsier than he normal got.

To: Tinooo
don't freak out, i'm only kidding (sort of). you're taking at least one shot with me

Reading Dinah's text brought a confused grin to her cheeks. She shook her head, electing to text James first. She didn't know Dinah that well, especially since she only met the girl through her cousin and had yet to get to know her as well as Gossip Girl claimed. She planned on seeing her around school more, and she was excited about that aspect because another brown face in a predominately white space was always welcomed. That being said, Alaina didn't think anything of the girl's friendliness. Some people, in the beginning of relationships, were usually quite shy and cautious with their words, but for her personally, that was a waste of energy. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened down there that would require her.

To: Jamie
lmao you need supervision. what did you do to do dinah?

She wasn't just trying to prove a point with Kat back there, she really was taking her time. She still needed to get a few things from her place, something that her mom chastised for since Alaina could have done all of that this morning, but chose not to. She of course had to be ready in enough to time to fly in with her aunt, but she was really doing the bare minimum. She didn't have any pre-party rituals or anything of the nature. It was probably also because it was her cousin's party that she was more relaxed about it since it inherently felt less formal. Alaina didn't like being on other people's time; she enjoyed her independence, but her parents were careful with how much to delegate. She would have been fine with training to the Hamptons, but her parents refused to do that, just as her aunt insisted she not take a car all the way out there. Not that her family would ever get a helicopter for her to go there, or anywhere for that matter, they still had their uppity ways about them, although Alaina couldn't see the protective nature of them not wanting to send their sixteen year old daughter two hours out by herself.

To: Dinah
what happened? lol. i'm coming in with my aunt, so i'm really on her schedule

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Sydney Persson Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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K A T H E R I N E . A R N A U L T

Location: En Route to Southampton, NY
Dialogue Color: #CF009F
Outfit: Here

Somehow, luck was on her side because like Alaina, Katherine managed to slip out of the session without being caught by Anna. She didn't even glance in the woman's direction to see if she was going to attempt to stop her, because she didn't even want to risk it. Not only did she feel like she did not have the time to deal with any unnecessary lectures, but since Alaina was gone, being stopped now would only infuriate her all the more, since she would feel like she was the only one getting in trouble for something that she was convinced was 95% Alaina's fault. She would take responsibility for 5% of it, but only because she knew that declaring that Alaina had to be bulimic was inappropriate, even though she was still certain that it was true. That was the least of her worries now, though, she told herself as she slid into the back of the black SUV that was waiting for her outside. She had bigger things to worry about than a girl whose name would not be known to a single soul had her cousin not been relevant.

Said cousin was one of those "bigger things" that Kat had to worry about, actually. While Katherine had learned to act civil towards Jameson, only because Sydney demanded it, she disliked him. Strongly. Could anyone blame her? While James had not wronged Katherine personally, and in recent times, had actually made attempts to befriend her in ways that were nicer than she deserved, she still didn't like him. He had been the one to nearly destroy her friend group (before it destroyed itself) when he cheated on Sydney with Alexis. Sure, Alexis was to blame there too, but since Katherine still wanted to be friends with her, and for a moment, Sydney claimed that she forgave Alexis for it, Kat found it easiest to blame James. He was the one who should have known better, whether the logic was there to back it up or not. So, while she acted civil towards him, and could make conversation when it was absolutely necessary, it was no secret to those in their inner circle that Katherine preferred to not be around him. It was impossible to ignore him completely given how closely their social circles ran, but that didn't mean that she didn't try. She didn't understand why Sydney was still dating him, and she also didn't understand what was so alluring about him that Alexis had slept with him when she and Sydney were still on good terms, but she did know that he was trouble. Trouble and drama, and those were two things that Katherine had enough of from other sources.

To: Sydney
I should be there in 45!!! Image

To: Dinah
Ofc!!! You are?! ImageImage

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: James Airth Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Jaxon Heize Character Portrait: Tristan Elliot Character Portrait: Katherine Arnault
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D I N A HXJ A N EXI R V I N G
_____T H EXN E WXG I R L_____

Outfit: Here
Location: Airth Southhampton Residence
Dialogue Color ✦ #8A4E62
Thought Color ✧ #3A0012



To: James
Rlly?? Dude did u leave or sumthing??

It wouldn't have occurred to Dinah that James was actually still in the house and just refusing to have her inside. She wasn't aware that he was that shitty just yet, just absentminded and careless. It would make sense to her brain that perhaps he wasn't there, which was why the guard said no one was allowed to be buzzed in, and not because James was actually inside with Sydney, and didn't want to have his girlfriend go off on him. He hadn't read her first message from what she could see, so Dinah had nothing else to go off of in this situation. It didn't, however, not make something drop in the pit of her stomach, an uneasiness that had her not responding to Alaina in the way that she would have prior to the current series of events.

To: Alaina
nvrmind. its nothing. ill c u tn

Dinah wasn't what one would call a particularly emotional person and something like this was not bound, in any way, to make her cry. But it was a stark reminder that this wasn't her home, her people, and these were not her friends. She already had known that, but severity of that knowledge had only slowly begun to permeate her consciousness. She wasn't an overly self-conscious person. Dinah didn't spend her life faltering in her steps nor being weighed down by what she called unnecessary insecurities. There wasn't going to be another person who looked exactly like her, so why be ashamed of her darker complexion and natural hair? Or even not being as skinny as some of her other friends have been? But all of those were superficial insecurities she learned to shove away. This was new. This was a sense of belonging and she hadn't fully gotten that since being in New York. New York had just been an interesting place to visit whenever her father brought her along or her grandmother decided she wanted to see snow in a different place than on the West Coast. New York had always been a stop on the map, but never a permanent location...until now. And it wasn't Dinah's location. And she hadn't been confronted with that fact so much as she had been in this one moment where someone she thought was a friend dissed her. She didn't know for a fact that James had just dissed her, but it felt like it.

But again, Dinah wasn't an overly emotional person. Even though she felt the random, sharp sting at the back of her eyes, she released a heavy breath and shrugged to Greg in a what-can-you-do-manner. Besides, the situation was a reminder that she need not "Guess I'm shit outta luck," she shrugged, not really expecting an answer. The older guy, more than likely in his early thirties, gave her an apologetic and patient look. He was nice and he hadn't even been in Dinah's presence for too long for her to know it, but she felt it in his kind blue gaze. "So, what do you want to do, Miss Irving?" Dinah quirked her lips in consideration, phone already having notified her of Kat's text while she was looking up shops nearby to entertain herself with. "Cold Stones?" Greg's answering grin made Dinah smile just as brightly.

To: Kitten
Yep. is there a dress code i need 2 kno about? da host is ghosting me



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T R I S T A NXE L L I O T
_____T H EXP L A Y E R_____

Outfit: Here
Location: Johnny's Pizzeria
Dialogue Color ✦ #E8A317
Thought Color ✧ #985300



As soon as he had sent his text out to Jaxon, Tristan was already summoning an Uber. He knew that the bus or train could have aided in his travels, but there was something about waiting for them - especially since he didn't feel like being disappointed by the online schedule at that particular moment - when he was already hungry that didn't sit right with him. Besides, as he had figured it would be, it wasn't time for surge pricing just yet, so he was willing to pay the four dollars and fifty five cents to get to Johnny's. Johnny's was worth it anyway and he probably would've went even if Jax hadn't agreed to be down for the cause. It just so happened that the blonde was and who was Tristan to not want some company while he chowed down on some mozzarella sticks?

To: Jax
C u soon

On the way, Tristan laughed to himself about James' current desire to be the good guy. It was honestly laughable. As a person already filed under the category of shitty guys that girls still wanted to get with despite knowing that they were shitty, James was higher up on the list than he obviously wanted to believe or acknowledge. The dude could still get some ass, that much was certain. Regardless of how much they wanted to be mad about being used and all that, the same girls who would whine to their crew one day were the same ones thirsting after the exact same kind of guys that hurt them before, knowing damn well the guys were drawn to formulating friendships with one another for a reason. Shittiness attracts/begets/whatever-word-you-wanna-use shittiness, that was how Tristan rationalized it. So, it was laughable that James could honestly tell himself that he was all for Sydney now after the shit they had been through. Tristan was a lot of things, but the one thing he had never been was the person who had cheated on someone. Granted, his only real relationship had been with Alexis, but it had never occurred to him to step out on someone. He might currently be one of the guys girls were convinced that they could step out on their significant others with, but he didn't do the cheating, mostly because he didn't delude himself into thinking that he was for relationships at the moment. Tristan honestly saw it all crashing and burning for James in the future when it came to Sydney. But he was going to take this "permission" to go after Dinah as what it was. Eventually, Tristan had arrived at Johnny's and got a table by the window, not even hesitating to go ahead and order himself both french fries and mozzarella sticks, and a Sprite.

To: James
Will do

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dinah Jane Irving Character Portrait: Alaina Clarke Character Portrait: Valentino Arias
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V a l e n t i n o | | A r i a s

Hex Color: #228B22
Outfit: Here



Although Tino smiled at the quick response that Dinah sent him, he had to decline. He recalled James mentioning earlier in the week that he would likely spend most of the day with Sydney before his party, so even if Dinah was going to be there too, he figured that if James had actually wanted him there, he would have invited him himself. He guessed that the three of them hanging out had something to do with Sydney and Dinah being related, so that being an easy option for James, and that his presence might force their easy and relaxing day to be less casual than James intended it to be. Plus, since Tino was with Jake, at least until they figured out their pregame plans, he wasn't just going to bail on him, and he also wasn't going to invite Jake along too, when he himself was already Dinah's plus-one invite. Unknowingly to Tino, it was a good thing that he had declined Dinah's offer too, because he definitely would have had a few choice words for James, even if he didn't know that he purposely ghosted Dinah, and assumed, like Dinah, that he had invited her over and then thoughtlessly left and didn't tell her that. He didn't know Dinah to any extent where he felt an inherent need to protect her, like best friends would, but she seemed like a really cool and nice girl, and any person knew that what James was doing wasn't cool. While he and James were good friends, even with their differences, something like that easily could have led to a rift in their friendship because Valentino was at a point in his life where he wasn't afraid to call people out on their shit. He was comfortable with who he was, and though his upbringing and youthful behavior left him with many friends in that "A-list crowd", he was no longer interested in following trends and doing things just to be cool or fit in. His goals and interests no longer aligned with that. He had matured in a good way, and he wasn't ashamed of it, even if his friends liked to tease him about it.

To: Dinah
Gonna have to pass on that one lol I can only take so much Airth in one day and tonight will meet that quota. Excited to see you later though!

Jake called out to him that he and their other friend, Blake, were heading out to the car since they were all getting ready to get lunch at La Parmigiana, a nearby Italian restaurant. Tino yelled back to let them know that he was coming down too, and as he slowly made his way downstairs and outside, where he slid into the back of Jake's Jeep, he texted Alaina back.

To: Alaina
Always trying to get me wasted so you can finally have an opportunity to take advantage of me, Clarke. Don't think I don't see your motives. Despite what everyone wants to say, I know I haven't lost my charm

To: Alaina
Unfortunately no amount of alcohol will get you out of the friend zone Image

To: Alaina
But lol really no shots for me. I'm gonna stick to beer like always. Or maybe I'll be classy and have wine. I know your aunt always keeps any party under her name stocked with the good stuff.

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S O U T H H A M P T O N

Date: Friday, August 18, 2017
Time: 6:50 PM



Okay, so lovelies, the reason that I absolutely love yacht parties isn't even the opulence of the ships. It's not the margaritas, though I will tell you that these apple margaritas are literally to die for!! What I love so much is that there's literally no place to run. On land, you always have the option of leaving. You're upset? Someone stepped on your Jimmy Choos? You found out that Ashley has totally been making out with Jake behind your back even though she swore that she didn't because she knew you were just waiting on making your move on him? You get to leave. You get to about face and run all the way home to mommy and daddy, and cry into your Egyptian cotton and wait for the next day to pretend like nothing had ever happened. Your reputation remains pristine. With yacht parties, as fun as they are, the drama is even more fun because you have nowhere to go. Oh, you can go on another part of the ship. You can even hope and pray that one of the state rooms are still available so you can blow off some steam. But at the end of the day, more than likely, they're not available and like or not, the person you don't like is going to be in the same vicinity as you. And I am forever living for the insurmountable possibilities that situations like these can bring!

Nevertheless, it's been about an hour or so since the good charmer Jim Jam - come on, you all were thinking it too - had us all set sail and I don't know guys...the party's great and all, but don't things feel a bit...tense? Maybe because the good sis Alexis Leon surprised everyone by showing up tonight and looking mighty fine. One might even say she makes for a better blonde than Queen S...of course, one would say that if they weren't deathly afraid of getting their eyes scratched out. Then again, I'm pretty sure the host isn't having too good of a day either. I mean, I know it's not a big deal cuz she's new and not really as important because she hasn't really done anything - and I'm in serious need of the entertainment if she's gonna do something - but new girl definitely swerved him. That's the word, right? I'm not exactly hip to all this young people linguo. But anyway, that definitely happened and it might not seem like much, but not many girls - or any, to be quite honest - swerve the good charmer. And I'm sorry, but if I see a girl put her finger up at him of all guys so that he can't say a word, and then proceed to walk away without giving him the time of day. And go out on the dance floor and dance with - out of everyone - the player?? I'm of the right mind to speculate that something juicy's probably gonna pop off. Maybe she got tired of playing the other woman?? I'm also not so sure, but I honestly could've sworn I saw Alaina and Katherine coming out of a building in Manhattan together earlier today. Is the old queen's return the only thing the new queen's gotta worry about? Cuz I spy with my little eye a possible new bestie for baby Arnault. But I could be wrong...we'll just have to see.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOXO, Gossip Girl

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