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Holly Maddon

0 · 2,314 views · located in New York, NY

a character in “In The Concrete Jungle”, as played by Writer

Description

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Name:
Holly Jade Maddon

Preferred Name:
Holly

Age:
16

Birthday:
May 2nd

Sexuality:
Heterosexual

Hometown:
Orlando, FL {Age 0-5}
Memphis, TN {Age 5-12}
New York, NY {Age 12-16}

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Personality:
Her most notable characteristic is definitely how energetic she is. As long as she is awake, she makes her presence known through her constant chatter and curious questions. She struggles to keep her attention centered on one thing and is known to jump from task to task, and even stop mid-sentence in a conversation if something new catches her attention. She would never go out of her way to insult or be mean to someone, but lacks a speech filter and tends to say things that she overheard and weren't intended to be repeated, or ask invasive personal questions. She's naive, absentminded, inattentive and forgetful, but she rarely does any of this intentionally, and it's mostly related to her ADHD. It certainly gets annoying, especially when there are nine other people stuck in the same room as her, but she usually fails to see any signs of people getting tired of her. She's a cheerful and optimistic person, who, for the most part, is always happy.

One of her major faults is how dependent she is on other people. If it weren't for her sister, she most likely would already be dead by now. She is not intelligent book wise and the same goes for her street smarts. Not only does she struggle to read people, but like a child, she tends to trust everyone and expect them to be just as genuine as she is. Her naivety and overall delayed development is probably linked to her learning disabilities and drug damage done while she was in the womb, but the years of abuse probably play a role in it too. They caused her to become easily nervous, jumpy and emotionally unstable.

Likes:
Candy, dogs, sunny days, nail polish, hot showers, socializing, gifts, attention, watching movies, her sister

Dislikes:
Arguments, school, being called stupid, rain, milk, coffee, isolation, silence, darkness, bugs, spicy food

Fears:
She has many "normal" fears, with spiders, clowns and rodents topping the list, but her biggest fear is probably school. She did so poorly throughout her academic career and it not only resulted in humiliation in the classroom, but physical abuse at home, so it's tied to painful memories for her.

Dreams:
Holly's dreams vary drastically depending on the moment, but they all share the similarity of being virtually unattainable. Between wanting a dog, a pool, meeting Zac Efron... they're just not going to happen. What would be most beneficial for her at this point would to get her high school diploma or GED and manage to get some sort of normal job and living situation.

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History:
Holly's mother, Amy, was probably the worst candidate for motherhood. She had had a poor childhood herself, and ran away from home when she was sixteen, to live with a boyfriend who was ten years her senior, in Florida. He dumped her a few months after the move, but she had no money to return home, and her family didn't want her back either. She ended up turning to prostitution to make a living, and through her interactions there, picked up on cocaine and methamphetamine addictions. Amy was eighteen when she scored an attractive businessman for the night, but he left her with far more than a nice payout. He left her pregnant, and though she probably could have saved up for an abortion if she wanted to, she didn't. Instead, she continued to work and funnel all of her earnings into drugs, secretly hoping that it'd kill the baby before she had it. Things didn't go her way, and at twenty-five weeks, she gave birth to a premature baby girl, Holly Jade Maddon.

Amy was in a relationship at the time of Holly's birth, and it was under his influence, that Amy agreed to keep Holly. She didn't want a kid, and neither did he, but they knew that their welfare benefits would increase substantially with a child, especially one that was born so prematurely. That was the only reason why the pair kept the child around, really. For the most part, she spent most of her toddler years being neglected. Her mother's boyfriend's teenage sister would usually babysit her, but in a trailer littered with used syringes, crack vibes, and an aroma of marijuana that made even her hair reek of the drug, it was clear that Holly's welfare was not at the top of anyone's priorities.

Holly probably would have been removed from her mother's care by the time she entered grade school and the government was forced to monitor her well being, but it came before then. When Holly was four, her mother's boyfriend had an affair and got another woman pregnant. Amy stayed with him through all of this, but well that child was born and the mother demanded child support, the boyfriend insisted that Amy demand that of Holly's father as well. The money was the only motivation that they had to track down the man, and they got really close to getting their cash. However, when it was disputed whether her father was actually her father or not, they were ordered to get a blood test to confirm that she was his offspring. When she was taken in to do it, a CPS investigation was launched due to the malnourished and clearly neglected, and possibly abused state that she was presented in. Her mother and boyfriend were arrested for child endangerment and neglect when a warrant was served on the house and its conditions exposed. Holly was set to be put into foster care permanently, but the DNA rest revealed that her father was really her father, and per her grandmother's insistence, they took her in.

She was six when she made it to Memphis and started her new life at her grandmother's home. It was really nice at first, especially compared where she came from. She had her own bedroom, with a real bed, and clothes that were always clean and fit her correctly. Plus, there was a pool in the backyard and a kitchen that was constantly filled with fresh food. A child who came from an upbringing like hers couldn't ask for much more, and for the first year, she was allowed a happy and normal childhood. However, about a year into her new life, it was apparent that none of the extra tutors and support classes that her grandmother enrolled her in were helping her in school. She was being held back in kindergarten, of all things, and at age six, couldn't write her own name or even recite the alphabet correctly most of the time. She wasn't disobedient in terms of being a bad child, but she couldn't follow directions because she couldn't focus enough to pay attention to them. She was too active, and yet to disengaged from the things she was supposed to do. This, in addition to the diagnosis of her having a severe case of ADHD, dyslexia, and various subject-specific learning disabilities, didn't sit well with her grandmother, who wasn't going to stand to have a granddaughter who was born out of wedlock, and was also incredibly delayed academically and emotionally. She thought that maybe some good old fashioned discipline would somehow shake the attention deficit from the child, and so for a while, whenever Holly did poorly in school, it would result in physical disciplinary action at home. Of course, this did virtually nothing to fix the problem, and if anything, it got worse as she got older, and learned through her grandmother, father, and her peers, that she was incompetent. At the age of eight, when an uncle moved back in temporarily, Holly became the victim of not only "well-intended" physical abuse, but sexual abuse as well. It wasn't a regular thing, but just because it wasn't a nightly occurrence didn't mean that it didn't damage her.

When she was seven, her half-sister moved in. At first, Holly didn't have much of a relationship with her. Her grandmother didn't encourage the two to spend time together, and in fact, Lateefah was actually sent to live in the pool house when she moved in. However, Holly was desperate for a companion and it was just in her nature to engage anyone who was around her. At some point, one of her many attempts to befriend Tee must have worked, because she actually began to allow her to hang around her. Having Lateefah made life easier for Holly in more ways than one, but she became more than just some half-sister to her, she became like a protector. She was the one who stepped in enough to put the sexual abuse to a halt, and was there to lift her confidence and spirits, after a horrible week at school.

Unlike Holly, Lateefah inherited their father's intelligence, and when she was seventeen, she left for college. Understandably, Holly was devastated and felt like she had been abandoned. The only person who she really felt like she could turn to was gone, and she didn't know how to handle it. She was still facing the backlash from doing so poorly in school, being at barely a first grade level at age nine, and with Lateefah gone, it made her susceptible again to being "babysat" by her abusive uncle. It took three years of dealing with that for Holly to reach her breaking point, and for a girl who's normally so optimistic and energetic, her even having a breaking point says a lot. Whenever her uncle would abuse her, he would leave her with a "gift" which was basically her promising to keep their "little secret" to themselves. It was money, usually a ten or a twenty, depending on how much she struggled, and because Holly always associated that money with bad emotions, she kept it all hidden in the back of her closet. When she decided she wanted to run away, that was what she used when she got off of the school bus at the wrong stop, the one that was in the center of town. That was where she found a bus station, and was able to get a ticket to New York. She only called to tell Lateefah the good news when she was actually in New York, using the payphone at the bus station.

Job:
Holly doesn't work. She relies on her sister for money.
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Height:
4'11

Weight:
87 lbs

Hair Colour:
It's naturally a shade of dark brown, but it's been dyed red since she left home.

Face Claim:
Ariana Grande

So begins...

Holly Maddon's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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#, as written by Bandit
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"I've had enough hot dogs in my mouth to last me a lifetime," Kiara muttered, a sly smirk finding its way to her face. It wasn't something that was normally a light topic, even for her, but sometimes she couldn't help it. If she didn't make a joke out of it, she'd probably kill herself over the pure horror of what she was actually doing. Plus, she really wasn't in the mood for hot dogs. Straight vodka wasn't going to sit well in her empty stomach on its own, and a cheap hot dog from a food cart would likely only speed up the process of her getting sick. It wasn't like she had many other options though. Her other plan would be fast food, and McDonald's wasn't made any better. She honestly wasn't banking on Cara taking them to dinner, but it was worth a try. Besides, even if she didn't get dinner now, being friends with the blonde had no down sides for the future. Kiara had seen how Cara treated Holly, and while she wasn't as undeniably cute as the redhead, she thought she could work her magic on Cara and at least get some pity points.

She followed Isaac towards the table that the three girls sat at. She slipped her water bottle, with was now empty, into the large middle pocket of her sweatshirt and put her hood down now. "Heeeeey ladies," Kiara sang, following Isaac's greetings. She squeezed herself into Holly's side of the booth, taking note of the plates of food in front of the sisters. Cara was sitting in the chair at the end of the table that she had seen Colton in earlier, and to no surprise (and Kiara's pleasure), there was no food in front of her. "I won't lie, Isaac was a little offended that none of you said hi to him," Kiara admitted, though it wasn't true. Isaac definitely didn't seem in a social butterfly mood today. She assumed that he probably would have preferred to have went downstairs and crashed in peace, but she wasn't going to allow him to do that just yet. "He'll get over it though. We both will, but hey, we might as well hang out with you guys now that we're here. What are you three up to? Pregaming for some big dinner plans?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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#, as written by Writer
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Cara didn't seem to be so sure that Brooklyn would be nice to Lateefah, and even Holly knew that to some extent as well. Even if she liked to believe that Brookyln and Lateefah were both good people, and could both be nice to each other if they just tried, she knew that it likely wouldn't happen. It didn't stop her from wanting it to happen, or still wanting Lateefah to come along with them, but after Cara questioned Tee about her relationship with Brooklyn, she had moved on to address Holly. Though Holly had a fair amount to say on the topic of her sister and Brooklyn's friendship, or lack thereof, her thoughts shifted to Cara's words. "They sell vests at Forever 21!" Holly interjected quickly. Really, she had no need for a vest and if Cara hadn't been wearing one at the moment, she probably never would have asked for one, but it was on her mind now. "Tee knows all about clothes and they sell vests there, right?" She was pushing the topic for no good reason, but it was typical of Holly to have a flighty attention span, and yet manage to get hung up on certain things for a few minutes. Like why Tee loved mac and cheese, (with love being a complete exaggeration that Holly had somehow come to believe), or yesterday, how she had insisted her sister fix her purple nail polish multiple times throughout the day because she wanted to be perfect. Today, maybe it was going to be the vests. Or so it seemed that way until Kiara and Isaac approached them.

She was greeted by a playful tug at her ponytail by Isaac, and then by Kiara pushing her further into the small booth to make room for herself. Both had Holly frowning, though it wasn't a very sincere one. It was just a lot for her to process at once, when still accounting for the music, general bar chatter, television sounds, and all of the sights in the bar as well. "Cara was visiting her grandma in Florida!" she informed the two new people as she reached towards Kiara to slide her soda back in front of her. "That's where I'm from, and me and Tee went there one time too, but not to see Cara's grandma," she explained quickly, before sipping her soda. She looked at Isaac and Kiara but didn't notice anything particularly off about the two. Maybe it was because both of them were frequently drunk, high, or coming off of a high, or maybe it was because the bar smelled of alcohol already, so it was hard for her to completely pin the smell of vodka on Kiara. Either way, she didn't comment on their appearances, and tried to focus on the conversation. All it took was Kiara to say that she wanted to hang out with them for Holly to be on her feet, and stepping over Kiara to get out of the booth. "We're getting ready to go shopping!" she corrected Kiara as she moved. "I'll tell Brooklyn we're ready to go!" She was already scurrying away from the booth as she finished speaking, and moved quickly enough that she made it downstairs without being stopped.

"Oh, Broooooooklyn!" Holly sang as she reached the last step. She picked out Colton in his area but didn't even scowl in his direction, as she was too preoccupied with bounding towards the walled off area that Nick and Brooklyn slept in. "Brooklyn! Brooklyn! Brooklyn!" she continued on her way, before stopping abruptly in the open door space when she found the brunette on her bed. "Hi," she grinned, once the girl acknowledged her. "Me and Kiara and Cara and Isaac and maybe Tee are ready to go shopping and we want you to come," she stated, and by the time that one sentence was finished, she was hovering over Brooklyn's bed, reaching to touch the girl's hair automatically.


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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L A T E E F A H ~ E K W E N S I - H A R T
"She's going to run you ragged and I don't feel bad about it."

Outfit
Location|| Finn's Irish Pub
iPod|| Pompeii by Bastille
Mood|| Tired


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Lateefah only raised an eyebrow when Holly pushed her plate in Tee's direction, eyeing her sister intensely before relieving her of the examination. Holly's appetite was increasingly becoming a detail of contention in Lateefah's mind and all she knew was that the girl would either be really hungry later, or just not be bothered with food because of her excitement until tomorrow morning. Either way spelled a headache-in-the-making for Lateefah and that was the last thing she wanted. Migraines did not need to become a part of her regularly scheduled programming, thank you very much.

She did, react, however, when Holly suggested that she liked Nick which was a harmless thought, but as with a lot of things Holly said, they came out...not the way they were supposed to, lending to a very dry, I-might-choke-over-this-foolishness kind of laugh that escaped Lateefah's throat. She shot an alarmed look at Holly but focused on Cara to distract herself from her sister's need to consistently switch topics. "The day that happens is the day I'm checking in the loony bin," she said in reference to being asked about her relationship with Brooklyn. It wasn't particularly hostile every day, thank God, but...Brooklyn pushed her. Pushed limits Lateefah hadn't even been sure she had up until those points where Nick would almost find himself girlfriend-less...well, at least unless he sported boners for dragging around dead carcasses. Some people liked that kind of thing, right?

Luckily for her, and minutely she became grateful (despite the "bitterness" she was supposed to be sporting towards Cara for leaving) that Cara seemed to still have some kind of grasp on handling Holly. At least, in the way that Holly didn't seem too overbearing for her. "Yes, Holly, they do sell vests," she answered obligingly, though she knew Holly didn't really need her for that. It wouldn't have mattered if Lateefah had said no; the idea was in Holly's mind and yeah, she was going to flit to another topic in exactly 2.5 seconds, but the thought would still be there. To some degree.

In pursuit of fishing out some money for Cara to take with her for Holly, Kiara and Isaac had arrived and Lateefah gave them both a small smile while explaining, "They are going shopping. Some of us have work in the next few minutes." While looking through her wallet for a fifty dollar bill, Holly shot up out of the booth past Kiara, singing Brooklyn's name like it was the catchiest tune on all of the radio stations. Furthering the growth of Lateefah's headache, causing the dark-skinned woman to cradle her head in hand for a second. Groaning, she looked at the trio she was left with. "Word of advice, people. Don't have kids. They don't eat their food when you tell them to, but always want sweets. And they'll drive you crazy before you turn thirty." Lateefah didn't necessarily mean it, but the headache was speaking for her more than her love for her sister. With another heavy exhale, Lateefah handed the bill over to Cara, leveling her with a stare. "Don't let her drive you too crazy. Remind her that she'll get no ice cream for a month and you should be good."

Still with some time to spare before her shift began, Lateefah went back to eating some of her pasta, though it was a bit colder than the piping hot serving she had been served minutes ago. Not wanting to seem rude, she gestured to Holly's plate, "Don't know how you guys feel about germs, but all she did was nip at that for five seconds and declared herself full. All I know is that I'm not eating it."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Colton King Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Cara had never been really close with Isaac, and Kiara had been the new girl before she left, so she didn't know her that well either. What she did know had allowed her to like Kiara, though. She had a light, free way about her, despite being in such a dreadful situation. So, she offered the two a plain smile when they approached, but didn't respond with more than that at first. She could see it in Kiara's appearance that she was intoxicated, but from what Cara knew, that wasn't anything peculiar with the girl. Isaac... she was more wary about him. It related to her background, likely, but just knowing that he did "real" drugs, the hard ones, made her think poorly of him. It wasn't to an extent where she would ever be rude to him, and for the most part, she really pitied him, but if they passed on the street two years ago, she probably would have muttered to a friend about him looking like white trash.

She watched curiously as Kiara nudged Holly farther into the booth to make room for herself, before inquiring about what their plans were. Though she smiled, she didn't respond. It wasn't necessary because Holly was quick to explain that they were going shopping, and before those excited words were even out of her mouth, she was climbing over Kiara to go find Brooklyn... which gave Cara a perfect excuse to get away from Lateefah, now that she spotted her rummaging through her purse. She knew that meant that Lateefah was going to give her money, and though Cara was already pushing back in her chair, she relaxed for a moment when she joked about not having kids. It really did seem like Tee was Holly's mother. She was the person who was responsible for her, and who dealt with all of the craziness, and just the way that Holly interacted with her too, reflected how much she trusted Tee. Though Holly seemed to love and trust everyone, it was different with Lateefah. Cara didn't remember what it was like to have a mother of her own, but she felt like what Holly and Tee had was like a daughter-mother relationship. "I'll see if she'll eat later," she assured her, standing up now.

She couldn't actually leave the table though, because Lateefah's hand was out of her purse now. It was always an event that Cara was uncomfortable with, and when she saw the girl pull out a fifty dollar bill, she felt even more uneasy. She couldn't accept that money! Not to buy Holly something that she likely had no need for. Normally, she would have just accepted it for the time being, and then slipped it back into Tee's bag later that night when she saw her. In this amount, right before Tee departed to spend her night working this same, deadend job, Cara just couldn't do it though. Not when she was still feeling guilty about how this wasn't really her life, and how it was for everyone else. Cara considered that she was probably overthinking it. Tee would've just given her ten dollars and told Holly to hold off if they were struggling that badly, but obviously, they weren't in Cara's position. Not anywhere close. "Just give it to me later. I hate having cash on me," she insisted, pushing the cash back towards Lateefah. "Besides, I really don't even think we'll end up going somewhere to buy a vest, and you know she never gets like that with me. We'll have fun, and if she really needs anything, it'll be my treat. Okay? I missed her, treating her to a silly little vest is the least I can do."

Thankfully, Holly leaving gave Cara a reason to leave too. "I'm going to go grab her and then we'll probably head out through the basement. I'll let you finish that in peace," she said, first looking towards Isaac and Kiara who seemed interested in joining them, before winking at Tee who was back to eating. She didn't want Lateefah to shove the money back into her hands, or for Brooklyn to murder Holly, so she left Tee with a playful smirk and headed down to the basement. It was... strange to be back down there. Really strange, actually. Nearly everything looked the same as when she left, but she noticed that her area of the basement was now occupied by someone else's things. Brooklyn had preempted her for that, but a part of her considered that this wasn't meant to be. She wasn't supposed to be here anymore! And yet she was. And there was Holly's energetic voice forcing her to stop overthinking things, and hurry into Brooke and Nick's area without even acknowledging Colton. "It's okay, Holly. We can catch up with Brooklyn later. She looks really tired," she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder in hopes of being able to guide her away from Brooklyn just so they could leave. She was one of the people who actually found Holly and Brooklyn's interactions to be amusing. At least, the part before Brooklyn threatened Lateefah and Holly, and then Lateefah made it clear that she wasn't backing down, was amusing.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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ImageIsaac cut his friend a sharp look for throwing his 'feelings' into conversation. Somehow he always became the scapegoat of conversation starters, and he wasn't really sure why. Kiara got away with it, simply because she was too pretty to argue with. Besides, his glare didn't last long, because of course she was already mentioning food.

Holly was talking a mile a minute, and Isaac gave her a fond smile as he kept up with her train of thought. He was usually better at it, when he was high, but he still liked her enough to pay attention. She did, however, crush all of Kiara's dreams when mentioning a shopping trip. Not that Isaac doubted that activity wouldn't end with food, but it also wasn't a quick fix.

The redhead was off in a bundle of excitement that actually kind of made his head hurt, and Isaac remembered then just how hungover he was. The whiskey had helped take the edge off, but he was still coming down, and still felt like shit. He chuckled softly at Tee's words of wisdom on children, shook his head a little. "Thank God I'm gay and never have to worry about it." If he were straight, Isaac had no doubt he'd be abstinent. Children were scary as hell.

He sat back a little awkwardly as Tee and Cara talked money, and had to admit he did have at least a little bit of respect for the latter. At least she wasn't taking cash off someone who worked her ass off for it, even if it was for her little sister. That was somewhat admirable. She was gone next, after Holly evidently.

Isaac waited until she was out of earshot before looking at Kiara. "I love you," he started. "But I am way too sober to go shopping." He normally loved shopping, because he was gay with a capital G, but he couldn't handle it with the way he felt. Too many people, too much moving, even the bar was a little on the questionable side. As long as he sat still, his stomach didn't roll. He fully intended to hit the basement, pop some pills, and sleep it off if he didn't feel better. Lord knew he could use the rest anyway.

He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Kiara's cheek before he swooped the plate of mac and cheese off the table. "I will, however, be taking this. Have a good shift, Tee." He waved over his shoulder on his way down to the basement, happily digging into the mac and cheese. The more carbs he could get in his stomach, the better.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Bandit
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While the reason for her absence, that Cara had apparently given Holly, about being in Florida to visit her grandmother was better than stating the reality of where she had really been, it wasn't that much better in Kiara's eyes. She was a girl who had lived in low-income housing her entire life, with a single mother, a frequently-changing baby daddy, and a bunch of siblings. They were lucky if their food stamp money lasted them halfway through the month, and it was a huge occasion if any of them ever got something, be it clothes or a toy, that was actually new, and not some hand-me-down from a neighbor or sibling. Needless to say, vacations weren't a possibility in their household, and aside from moving from Philadelphia to New York when she was five, Kiara had never traveled outside of the state. So, the idea of Cara being able to pick herself up and, presumably, fly to Florida, on the spur of the moment, no matter what emergency situation her grandmother posed, just spoke of the "severity" or lack thereof, of her financial situation. Though it was something that could have rubbed her the wrong way, Kiara had no reason to take it personally, especially when she planned on Cara's wealth benefiting her. The dinner plans apparently weren't going to go her way, as Holly climbed over her to leave the table with her plate of food nearly untouched, signaling that she wasn't hungry, but Kiara wouldn't give up there. Holly was malleable. All she needed to do was whisper something in the girl's ear about the dessert that some restaurant down the block served, and she was sure she could add a little something onto the bill that Cara was covering. Especially with the vodka in her system, she was sure she could get away with it. So sure, that she didn't even tell Isaac he better put that plate of mac and cheese down if he wanted to keep his hands, when he grabbed it. She would let him get away with stealing what could have been her meal for now, but only because Cara left the table after officially extending the invitation to her and Isaac. Isaac declined it and disappeared with the food,

"Lord, if that child grew up in my house, I don't know what the fuck my mother would've done with herself," Kiara said, smiling, but shaking her head as she glanced towards the back of the bar where Holly, Cara and Isaac had been before leaving her range of sight. She either would have had one of her boyfriends beat it to death, or tossed it to Kiara to take care of it she was old enough. There was no way that Kiara would have been able to do what Tee does for Holly, though. That maternal instinct wasn't in her blood. "But, damn, if I were you, I would have her ass lined up to go to school an hour before the doors even opened. You'd get like, six hours to yourself for free. Now that's she's back, though," she continued, referencing Cara, "it's almost better, because it's like a free babysitter and you can make a buck off of it. I don't know why the fuck you're tryna unload your money to Malibu Barbie. Girl, you've got the perfect chance to cling to that bitch and make her drag you up the social ladder with her!" Her tone suggested that she was joking, or being playful at the least, but she wasn't really. Kiara's job forced her to toss a lot of pride out of the window, so it was likely that difference in their personalities that made it hard for her to see why Lateefah wanted to be independent like this. Plus, Lateefah actually had potential and qualifications and real skills that could allow her to be something on her own, in the real world. They were things that Kiara lacked, so in her mind, if she didn't find someone wealthy to leach off of, she was going to be living this life until she killed herself or was killed, lately with the former seeming more likely, scarily enough.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Isaac Rankin Character Portrait: Colton King
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After letting out an amused exhale when Nick said he'd ordered extra food, Roman slid him his portion of the check and got up, giving Nick a departing pat on the shoulder as he left. Unlike on the way, the cool air was refreshing this time around. The crisp of the season tickled beneath his nose, but was quickly interrupted with the coming of vehicular exhaust and fresh asphalt. New York was a place of many people, sights, and--sometimes unfortunately--smells. His stomach was still unsettled as he walked back to Finn's, but inevitably he'd approached a pretzel stand, and inevitably he'd wanted one. It was one of his staples, and at this point he was sure 90% of him consisted of salt and dough. Had he not wasted money back at the restaurant, he would have indulged himself, but he wasn't entirely sure when he'd be working next, and he didn't want to use up all of his money so soon. If he was lucky, he might be able to get something small at Finn's. Like fries or something. Food was probably the best thing for him right now, as his stomach was holding nothing but the painkillers he'd taken not too long ago which were the reason for his nausea and slight vertigo. The sensation wasn't too overwhelming, as this had happened before, namely because he didn't like eating straight after waking. For once, he did wake up hungry, but had waited too long to put something in his body before the pills took effect.

When he was last in the basement, no one was really there, which was somewhat unusual. He was hoping it would be the same when he got there, but held onto his doubt the same way he held down the bile rising up his throat. When the ground took a sudden spin beneath his feet, he decided to sit down. Finn's was just a block or so away by this point, but he was convinced that if he kept going he'd vomit or succumb to the vertigo. For ten minutes, he sat and just breathed, catching bits and pieces of people's conversation as they passed. Roman reached into his pocket and lit a cigarette, wondering why he hadn't done so before. Immediately he could feel his body reacting, rewarding him for the damage he was ultimately doing to it. He picked up the habit when he was about seventeen. Or was he sixteen? It didn't matter really. He was starting to feel a bit more like himself, and as he looked in the direction of the bar, he figured he could make it, but decided to continue sitting because it was a nice day, and really he was just feeling lazy. The basement could get cramped very quickly, and although it was a place to sleep, he wouldn't really call it home; too little space for too many people with too many problems. It was why he went out when he could, just for the sake of being out really. There were obviously more people around him when he was out in the city, but the cluttered streets were a norm by this point, so they could easily be ignored, and it still felt more spacious out here--more anonymous.

As he was finishing his cigarette, a woman came and sat next to him on the bench. Although he was the only other person on it, she chose to sit closer to the middle, which was by default too close to him. He didn't refrain himself from cutting her a look, wondering why she couldn't scoot over. While he was being dramatic, and arguably just moody, he didn't think so. He liked his space and didn't understand why the woman was sitting that damn close when there was room on the side of the bench. This and the fact that he was done with his cigarette was enough to get him onto his feet and moving back towards the bar. Besides the little situation back there, the trip to Finn's was relatively solitary, and therefore relatively pleasant. The next couple of minutes to the pub passed peacefully and unbothered until he entered the slightly stuffy atmosphere of Finn's. It was no busier or emptier than it usually was, he noticed as he walked towards farthest end of the bar, a couple of seats from an older man with a scraggly beard and deep, protruding eye bags. He locked eyes with Finn and nodded him over. As he waited, he saw Kiara and Tee sitting in a both on the other side of the room. He sighed inwardly as he knew that wherever Tee was, Holly couldn't be too far, but as he glanced around, he didn't see--or more importantly--hear her. It was strange, but he didn't focus on it for too long, mostly because he didn't care, and and also because Finn had come to him. "What?"

"Can you spot me a sprite?" Roman said. Finn grumbled under his breath some before leaving and returning with a sprite. "Thanks," he said, beginning to wonder if he should've just leeched a drink off Finn instead of soda, although the former probably wasn't the greatest of choices. This made him think of Brooke, who was honestly just an alcoholic in denial, but was the reason why he half expected to see her at the bar. If she wasn't downstairs or out and about, it wasn't out of the ordinary to see her up here having a drink, although she had a steady supply for herself. This made him get off the stool after deciding to try his luck finding her. He wanted a drink because his unsettled state was putting him in a sort of mood. He'd take it with some pills to amp the effect, that was if Brooke wasn't in a stingy mood, or if she was even here. He had half the mind to ask Kiara or Tee if they knew, but he continued towards the back without doing so. As he opened the door to the basement, he was greeted with the sound of Holly's hyper, enthusiastic voice. He mentally prepared himself--which involved him trying to tune her out while he could and even considering going back upstairs--as he sipped on his sprite some more and went down the steps. First he noticed Isaac in his respective part of the basement, and Colton sleeping in his own. As Killens passed, he gave Isaac a quick nod of acknowledgement. If he'd been trying to pay attention, he would have noticed on the way down that the other voice besides Holly's belonged to Cara, but it had escaped him. "Hey, Brooke," he said as he turned the corner of the wall that separated Nick and Brook's space from the rest of the basement. He saw Holly leaning over Brooke on her bed, not unsurprisingly, but he also saw Cara trying to pull her away. What the bloody hell? Had he not spoken, he would've quietly turned around and left, but it was a bit too late for that. Instead, he recovered quickly and hovered against the wall, waiting for whatever was happening in front of him to be be finished so he could talk to Brooke, whom he was giving a look that could only be translated into "What the fuck is going on?"

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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When Brooklyn relaxed back on her bed, she did so to signal to Colton that she was done with this conversation. He said one more thing, trying to object to her assertion about him and Tee, but Brooklyn kept her eyes and mouth sealed shut, and a moment later, she heard him walk away. While she hoped that he would be the only interruption she would have to deal with, she knew that hope was too good to be true. Before she could sink back into a trance, she heard Holly's voice and it grew closer, with her name being audible in the girl's words. Fuck my life, was all she could think, but she knew she was lucky that by now, her headache had fizzled away and she was just feeling tired. She had just woken up a few hours ago, but tired was a state that she felt frequently, and a lot of the time, it wasn't even physical exhaustion, but more so, emotional and mental tiredness where sleep was the only escape.

She didn't even have time to pull her pillow over her face before she could feel Holly right next to her, and then touching her. In a way, Holly's innocence and curiosity was endearing. She was so good natured and cheerful, and yet the charm of it wore off very quickly. After living with her for over a year, Brooklyn knew that her attempts to stop Holly from being Holly were futile, but it was also impossible for her to live with her without complaining. She wasn't patient or tolerant, and that was especially true towards people who had no respect for personal space or boundaries. Holly felt into that category more than anyone else and yeah, after hundreds of threats that she was going to cut her hands off if she ever touched her again, Brooklyn could never do more than yell at Holly. Even that was rare. Most of the time, she directed her annoyance and anger at Lateefah. As she slapped Holly's away from her head, she peeled her eyes open and found that Holly's sister wasn't in sight, so snapping about how incapable she was at doing anything was out of the question for now. Instead, Brookyln sat up again, but tossed her legs over the side of the bed. It was clear that she wasn't going to get any rest right now, and there was no point in wasting her time trying.

"Remember when I asked you to wait by the door if you ever needed me?" Brooklyn questioned, looking at the redhead carefully. She wasn't in a bad enough mood to be snippy with Holly right now, so her tone was more curious than angry as she asked. "And to keep your hands to yourself? Especially when I'm trying to sleep?" She knew that no matter how many times she tried to set boundaries, Holly would always disregard them. Brooklyn still wasn't sure if the girl actually did forget, or if she just got so consumed in her own excitement in the moment, that she just became far too impulsive. Normally, Cara's arrival probably would have been helpful but Brooklyn wasn't about to snap right now. She was actually considering going shopping, especially since she wanted to spend time with Cara. She did not want to deal with STD-infected Kiara, but that was a different story, and one that Brooklyn wasn't going to allow to ruin her plans.

"Tired?" Brooklyn repeated Cara's claim, questioning her description. She knew Cara was probably just trying to be helpful by leading Holly away, but the mock glare sent in Cara's direction reflected how much of a sensitive, petty bitch Brooklyn could be sometimes. "I'm sorry. Not all of us got to wake up and take an hour-long soak in our jacuzzi tubs today." She grabbed her bag from beside her bag, and not needing much more, took a step towards the pair, just as Roman walked in. "No time to chat, Roman," Brooklyn smirked after he greeted her with a look of confusion. Likely because of Cara. No, definitely because of Cara. Brooklyn could have taken the opportunity to put the two on the spot about their night together months ago, but in the moment, it didn't even cross her mind. "We're going shopping, right Holl?" She said, surprisingly engaging with Holly before the redhead had to initiate it. It didn't come without a small jab, but Brooklyn couldn't help herself. "I think we should stop at CVS on the way home. I want to pick up a nice, big bottle of that new candy kind of juice called Zzzquil for you to try tonight," she insisted, peering towards Holly.

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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There was no way that Holly could have waited by the door for Brooklyn to acknowledge her before coming in. Holly didn't understand why Brooklyn insisted on such unnecessary things to begin with! It wasn't like she was touching anything... besides Brooklyn's hair... and it wasn't like she was going to bother anyone. Brooklyn was clearly already awake, so touching her when she was sleeping didn't see applicable now, and if Tee wasn't there to witness it, did it really count as not following directions? Holly didn't think so, and the fact that Brooklyn hadn't chucked something in her direction or cursed Tee's name made her feel even more relaxed in the space that wasn't hers. "You shouldn't sleep during the day time, Brook-Brook-Brooklyn! That will be one of the new rules in your book. No one is allowed to sleep during the day time except Colton because no one wants to talk to him anyway, and maybe Nick can if he wants to too, because we like Nick." Halfway through that, Holly wasn't even sure what she was saying, but she liked hearing her own voice and continuing to talk seemed more natural than stopping and thinking to her.

Cara appeared before Holly could busy herself with something of Brooklyn's and actually piss off the brunette, but surprisingly, Brooklyn didn't agree with Cara and send her off. She got out of bed, apologized for something and said something about a Jacuzzi. Holly wasn't really listening, but she caught the glare Brooklyn shot at Cara, and frowned. She didn't realize that Brooklyn was being sarcastic, but again, didn't have time to harbor on the thought for too long. She had shot up from the side of Brooklyn's bed where she had been sitting, over to the girl who was now heading towards the door, when Roman appeared. Normally, his presence would have excited Holly because seeing anyone usually made her happy. It meant that there was something new to talk about, and someone new to talk to. Roman was never particularly interesting, like Cara and Kiara tended to be, because he was pretty quiet, but that didn't stop Holly. Considering how much she talked, she seemed to make up for everyone else's lack of words when they weren't in the mood to entertain her thoughts. Now, Brooklyn dismissed him in favor of going shopping, and was being particularly inclusive towards Holly, so the excitement of seeing Roman was pushed to the side for now."Yes, Roman, she's right! No one has time to chat with you because we're going shopping!" Holly added, clinging to one of Brooklyn's arms with both of her hands with excitement. "And you are not allowed to come because we're going to buy vests and you would look like a turtle if you wore a vest!" She released Brooklyn, probably just before she was pushed off, and gravitated back to Cara instead. "Right, Cara? Even if he got a vest that wasn't green like yours, he would still look like a turtle. A red turtle or a blue turtle or a purple turtle who talks like he's Mary Poppins." Holly probably would have continued speaking to Roman, or rather, about him, had Brooklyn not addressed her again. Instinctively, she gravitated back towards Brooklyn with eyes wide with interest as she spoke of some juice that was like candy. "Does it taste like cotton candy? I bet Tee would like it."

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Cara was caught off guard when Brooklyn didn't object to the trip with Holly, and actually seem bothered that Cara tried to get Holly to leave her alone. She refused to believe that this was the new Brooklyn. Holly had probably just been lucky enough to catch Brooklyn in a good moment, because there was no chance that Brooklyn had suddenly shifted into someone who was tolerant of Holly's ways. She rolled her eyes at Brooklyn when she again, made a jab at her. For now, she'd let her have her fun but she knew that at some points, the jokes about where she came from were going to start getting old. However, she knew that even if she did express her annoyance, it wasn't likely that Brooke would stop. "Whatever!" she said, shaking her head in defeat. "But if you're going to come, you have to be nice. Not just to her, but to Kiara too!" Cara chimed in. She was lucky to get Brooklyn to be nice to Holly, but Kiara would be a different story, because at least Holly was nice to Brooklyn. Kiara, and Tee too, didn't take the animosity that Brooklyn directed towards them, so it seemed impossible for Brooklyn to ever have a decent time with them because she couldn't stand anyone being nasty back to her.

Cara spun around to head back out to the main area so they could leave, but the empty doorway was no longer empty, and instead, Roman stood there. Cara had no right to be surprised. It was Roman who had always lived here, and her who had disappeared without warning for months, but him being there definitely caught her off guard. The last time that she had seen them, they were having sex. She had managed to get by during the next day without running into him, and that night, she left the basement for good. She had gotten away without having to confront whatever that night between them was, but she clearly couldn't get away from Roman forever if she was going to be living with him. She looked at him like a deer in headlights for a moment, before deciding that she could at least try to avoid him forever. Upon deciding that, she peeled her eyes away from him and didn't even muster up a smile in his direction. She simply acted as if he wasn't there, and was lucky that Brooklyn brushed him off and didn't engage in a deep conversation with him. Cara was definitely frazzled, so she only realized that Holly was speaking when she asked for her confirmation, and even then, she was barely listening. "Mhmm, Holl. That's a good movie," she responded, thinking that Holly had been talking about Mary Poppins the whole time.

She took Holly's hand, deciding that now, they definitely needed to get the hell out of there. Passing Roman without a glance, she rolled her eyes at Brooklyn's suggestion, and Holly's obliviousness towards it. "We'll get you something else, but not that. Brooklyn's just joking," she shook her head. "So, tell me about everything that's happened since I've been gone," she said to Holly, trying to perk up as they headed out the side staircase that led into the alley. "Did you decide to keep trying with school?" Cara knew that Holly was very opposed to anything school related. On one hand, she couldn't really blame her. A lot of the city's schools that weren't private or in the very upper class neighborhoods were underfunded. Kids who were normal learners could sometimes be left behind, so someone like Holly, with major learning disabilities, was bound to be left behind. At the same time, getting her diploma was necessary if she wanted to do anything in like. Lateefah couldn't support her forever, or at least Cara didn't think it would be healthy for either of them for that to happen. Plus, she was sure that it would be easier for Lateefah to have and maintain a job more relevant to her interests, once one came along, if Holly was in school all day. It made sense, but Cara was also aware of how school was one of the very few things that could set Holly of. She was the happiest person you could meet most of the time, but with school, meltdowns seemed inevitable for Holly. At least, that was according to what Cara had seen the year before when Holly actually was in school.

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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It was times like these where it was hard to believe that him and Holly were the youngest in the basement. Roman watched her with a quizzical brow as she went on about him being a turtle and sounding like Mary Poppins. Although he knew better than to be insulted by anything that came out of Holly's mouth, he still couldn't help but wonder how he looked like a turtle. When Cara hastily led Holly out of the basement and up the stairs, he was grateful for more than just one reason. Killens watched them leave from his peripheral, glancing back at Brooklyn as they went up the stairs and said, "Don't enjoy this."

When they'd finally gone, he sipped on his sprite, switching it to the other hand as the current one holding it was getting cold. It had been months since he'd seen Cara last, and after a few weeks had passed he was sure that he would never see her again. It was strange that she was here now, after all this time, since he figured she would have visited Holly or Brooke a while ago, but he didn't concern himself with those affairs too much. Roman wasn't aware that Cara wasn't just visiting though, which is the only reason he brushed off the encounter, although his face showed some signs of peevishness. "How kind of her to grace us with her presence," he muttered. It was less her showing up unexpectedly that bothered him, but the fact that she arrived in an outfit that was likely worth more than those in the basement collectively make in a month, Brooklyn aside. "Look, if you're going to CVS, get me some candy, and in return I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you weren't behind this," he said, nodding back towards the staircase, where Cara and Holly had just been. He'd started to walk away before realizing why he came downstairs in the first place. "Right," he said, turning around once he remembered. "Give me some rum," he said as he leaned back against the wall.

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Brooklyn was often accused of being Holly's biggest critic, and it probably was true, but there were moments like right now, where she actually found the girl to be funny. It was worth noting that Brooklyn only cracked a smile when Holly had let go of her arm and was closer to Cara and Roman, as she bothered Roman. It was hard to get offended by the things that Holly said, because not only did everyone know that her intentions were usually pure, but the things she said were rarely real insults. Calling Roman a turtle would annoy him at most, and just because Brooklyn knew that she would be annoyed if the comments were directed at her, she found it funny. For some reason that was still unknown to her, Holly seemed to enjoy bothering her more than many of the others, so when someone else got their turn as her target, how could she not appreciate the moment?

She only lingered behind when Cara and Holly left because she realized that she was going to need alcohol. She had rolled her eyes at Cara's comment about having to be nice to Kiara and Holly if she came. She was already making an effort to be nice to Holly, but Kiara was another story. She was complete garbage, and it had nothing to do with her lifestyle (even though Brooklyn never hesitated to use it as a topic for insults. There really was no specific reason for why Brooklyn despised her so much. Maybe it was because she was pretty, or because Nick seemed to like her, or because she had a mouth on her that could compete with Brooklyn's. Regardless of the reason, Brooklyn didn't like her, and if she was going to even entertain the idea of being civil to appease Cara, she was going to need alcohol. That was what she told herself, at least, when she could hear Nick's voice ringing in her head about how she drank too much, and how it was abnormal.

She rummaged through one of her plastic storage containers, not even looking in Roman's direction as he muttered something about Cara and then went on to talk about wanting candy from CVS. She was ready to tell him that he better keep dreaming, when he spoke again, and this time, with a request that was even more laugh-worthy. "You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I'm giving you anything," she laughed, looking at him with a raised brow after securing three mini bottles of vodka in her purse. There were times when Brooklyn was generous with her alcohol, but that was only when she was already so drunk that she didn't know what she was doing. If Roman seriously thought that he was going to get a handout of one of her most needed items when she was sober, he was probably in need of a brain MRI or something. "I only buy enough alcohol for myself. You know that," she said in a mockingly sweet tone. She only bought enough alcohol for herself, and yet the stash that she had in the container she was now closing was probably enough to keep her large habit fulfilled for at least two weeks. "Wait until your buddy comes back from who-the-fuck-knows-where, and maybe he'll run to the liquor store for you," she suggested, now on the verge of being sarcastic and serious as she stepped past Roman.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester Character Portrait: Roman Killens
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Holly was ushered out of Brooklyn's area by Cara before she even had a chance to see what Roman had to say to her. She frowned, but because Cara kept talking, didn't linger on it for very long. As they headed up the side staircase, Cara first asked what she had missed. That was a question that could take years to answer. She missed the day that she and Lateefah had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, or when they went swimming at one of the public pools but it started thundering so they had to leave early. She missed the time when Brooklyn screamed so loudly at Nick that Holly considered that maybe Brooklyn was mean, and the day when Roman had a bruise that was green and blue. She missed a million dog sightings, lots of mac and cheese and the infamous way-too-early morning wake ups from Holly, but when she continued and asked about school, Holly's train of thought ended abruptly. She was offended that Cara even brought that up. It was definitely dramatic to an extent, but school was one of the few topics that Holly didn't find to be entertaining. Even as a little kid, when the curriculum was nothing more than learning how to cut with scissors or trace letters, Holly struggled. It was impossible for her to sit still, to focus on anything, and to follow instructions. Despite what some teachers (and sometimes, her grandmother) thought, she wasn't an unruly child. She was wild and constantly distracted, but it was something that was, and still is, out of her control.

Medication might have helped, and it was probably suggested by school counselors, but her grandmother didn't think it was necessary. She wasn't going to have one of "her" children taking medication when she believed that all Holly needed was a physical reminder on why she needed to start doing well. There began the cycle of her strong dislike for school. She felt stupid in class, especially once her peers were old enough to realize how far behind she was in comparison to them. She felt stupid at home, where her family gave up trying to give her extra support and decided that she was struggling because she wasn't trying. More than anything, though, she felt hopeless. There were days when she really would try to focus in school or at home while doing homework, but it was just impossible. If she could keep herself trained on a worksheet for long enough to finish even a handful of its problems, they'd all come out incorrectly or she'd get stuck on a word she didn't know and have a mental breakdown.

That was how she was as a kid, and though she maintained much of her youthful demeanor, she's grown at least a bit since those years. Now, if nothing else, it'll at least be a little easier for her to recognize when she's the target of insensitive jokes by peers. At sixteen, she wants to fit in, and attending a normal high school with kids who had normal learning capabilities, when it sometimes took her ten minutes just to figure out what the words on a menu meant, just spelled failure. She knew it too, and at this point, straight up refused to attend. After school ended last spring, she told Tee that she was never going back, and somehow, she had thrown enough fits that Lateefah actually had given up trying to force her to go back this year. "Tee said I didn't have to," she declared, looking up at Cara warily as she tried to figure out what her intentions were to bring up such a dreaded topic. Before she could analyze Cara's face, she noticed her earrings, and was reminded of the bracelets she was allowed to buy, and then the vests, back to the shopping trip that she was supposed to be taking with Cara and Brooklyn and Kiara. As they stepped outside, she spotted Kiara ahead, where the alley met the sidewalk, and that distracted her from the missing Brooklyn. "Do you think Kiara likes vests, or just sweatshirts?" she asked Cara as they approached the brunette.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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It was pretty nice out today, so Kiara didn't mind waiting outside for a few minutes for the other girls. As she leaned against the side of the building, she craved a joint, but she knew that she didn't have time to do that now. Besides, she didn't really have the money right now to be smoking more than once a day, and she knew that she should save that one time for later. Hopefully, she'd be able to catch up with Nick at some point during the evening, and maybe he'd let her get a couple hits off of whatever he was smoking. For now, she would have to settle with the vodka that was beginning to make her empty stomach feel unsettled. Kiara had too much of a tolerance at this point to be alarmed by the feeling, but it wasn't comfortable either, and she cursed Isaac for stealing, what she now deemed, her food, and for not taking Tee up on her offer. Even though she was still outside of the bar, it was too late to go back in and take her up on that offer. Not because Kiara had too much pride, really, but because she heard someone emerging from the stairwell that came up from the basement, and a moment later, there was Holly and Cara.

Though they were a few yards away, she could hear Holly talking and she cracked a small smile at how random the girl was. She could literally make a conversation out of nothing, and seemed to come up with the strangest things to talk about. "I like sweatshirts better than vests," she said, answering for herself when the girls were close enough. "Vests don't keep your arms warm." The one that Cara was wearing, at least, seemed to serve little purpose aside from fashion. Kiara didn't know fashion well enough to even give an estimate on how much Cara probably spent on it, but if it's purpose was warmth, it looked thin enough where it shouldn't have been worth more than ten dollars. She pulled her hood over her and sunk further into the over sized sweatshirt as she looked towards the pair. "So, where are we going?"

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Lateefah Ekwensi-Hart Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Though Cara and Holly had left the basement through the side staircase, Brooklyn went up through the main one. Normally, she probably would have taken the side one as well, to avoid having to deal with Finn, and people in general, in the bar. She wouldn't have been surprised if Nick was up there though, and while she'd adamantly deny in, Brooklyn was looking for a fight a lot of the time. When she felt like she had been wronged, she was eager for situations to unfold, and confrontations to occur because she wanted the apology that she felt like she deserved. For what? Brooklyn wasn't even quite sure this time. All of her arguments with Nick seemed to blend into each other, and for now, if nothing else, she felt like it was rude of him to go missing all day, even if she had been sleeping for most of it. He was the one who could make his own work schedule up, so she felt like it was more of his responsibility than hers to make sure that they were spending time together. Unfortunately, she didn't see him in the bar, and even more unfortunately, she crossed paths with Lateefah. "Shit, they still let you work here after you poisoned that other couple's food last week?" she questioned, barely loud enough for the family at the table to hear, as she passed by. She made eye contact with Tee for only a second, smirking as she did so, but not slowly her pace a bit as she headed past them and out of the bar. Finn likely wouldn't appreciate her comment, but Brooklyn just hoped (though doubted) that Tee's tip would be affected by it. Bitch deserves it! she thought, although what she had done to deserve it wasn't something that Brooklyn could come up with at the moment.

She had gotten a bit of spite out at Tee, so when she found Cara, Holly and Kiara outside, she decided against saying anything offensive to Kiara. So long as the girl kept her mouth shut and didn't bother them, Brooklyn hoped that she wouldn't even need to down any of the alcohol in her purse. She approached from behind Kiara, and caught the girl asking what the plan was. Though she knew the question was directed at Cara and Holly, Brooklyn didn't hesitate to make her presence known as she stepped past them a foot or so. "Let's go to CVS first. Holly, Cara's going to buy you your special juice for tonight, and I need some things from there, she stated matter-of-factly as she started walking.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Cara didn't want to question Lateefah's authority, because she knew that when it came to Holly, she knew best. Cara was able to handle Holly in long doses but even she doubted that she would be able to take care of her 24/7 like Lateefah did, and had been doing for years. While she guessed that it was possible that Lateefah told Holly she didn't have to go back, she was sure that there was more of a backstory there. It had probably been Lateefah's last option, but easier for her to do than to fight Holly every morning to go. It made Cara feel a bit guilty. She recalled helping out the year before, getting Holly off to school or picking her up if Tee was working an afternoon shift. No amount of bribes would ever make her like school, but at least when Cara had been around, she could make the hour before school less anxiety-ridden with a trip to a diner for breakfast, or buy Holly new pencils and folders every day if it made her feel better. Tee could do that as well, but Cara knew that it was easier for her to do, considering that she wasn't budgeting money every month. "Interesting," was all that she responded with, because she knew that going any deeper would probably irritate the girl. Plus, Holly had already returned back to the topic of vests, and it had Cara laughing at just how trivial of a topic it was for Holly to get hung up on. Cara considered just taking her vest off and giving it to Holly, if it would quell whatever it was in her mind that was keeping her lingering on this topic.

"I'm not sure wh-," she began, only to be cut off by Kiara answering Holly's question for herself. Cara smiled at the girl, appreciating and being reminded that Kiara too, seemed to be pretty good with Holly. She had always seemed to be a little brash, but Cara also knew that her remembrance of that trait might have been enhanced due to the interactions between her and Brooklyn. When those two weren't trying to kill each other, she actually seemed like a nice, fun person. "That's a good point!" she followed Kiara's reasoning with. "Maybe we'll find you a sweater or a jacket today. Something that you can wear in the fall and the winter when it starts to get really cold," she suggested. Kiara then asked about where they were going, and before Cara could explain that they were waiting for Brooklyn, the brunette appeared on her own and dictated the plans without asking for anyone's input. It didn't bother Cara, and she just hoped it wouldn't bother Kiara this early on either. She shook her head as Brooklyn reminded Holly of the sleep aid that she was apparently supposed to buy her, but didn't even comment on it, hoping that Holly would brush over it and forget it as well. "After that I want to run to Bed Bath & Beyond too," she added, taking Holly's hand as she followed Brooklyn down the street. "Maybe we can stop at Barnes & Noble too, and get you some cool books to read," she suggested to Holly in an overly energetic tone, hoping that that would outweigh the negative association she knew Holly had with reading.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Holly had been focused enough on Cara, that she was surprised when she heard Kiara answering her question for herself. She made a good point, that vests didn't do a good job at keeping your arms warm, but it wasn't a good enough reason to deter Holly from wanting one like Cara's. "Yeah, but if you wore your sweatshirt under your vest, your arms would still stay warm!" she insisted, slipping away from Cara to hold onto Kiara's sweatshirt, as if to analyze if that was really keeping her arms warm either. Cara seemed to take Kiara's side, suggesting that they look for a sweater or jacket instead of a vest. Considering that Cara was sporting a vest herself, that made little sense to Holly, but she had been asking Lateefah for a new jacket. She supposed that getting one of those wouldn't be that bad, but in the back of her mind, she knew that if she saw a vest, she was going to still insist on that instead.

Before Holly could suggest that they stop for ice cream before starting to shop, Brooklyn stepped out of the bar and declared that they were going to CVS first. Holly didn't object to that, especially since Brooklyn already started walking, and Cara was chiming in about going to other places afterwards. Bed Bath & Beyond sounded fun, but Cara's suggestion that they go to Barnes & Noble for her didn't entice Holly. It just reminded her of Cara's questioning of her educational plans a moment before, and quickly had her shaking her head. "No, we don't need to do that. I don't want anything from there for me. But Tee's birthday is coming up! It's one of the days in November and she likes books. She gave her books away today because they're not really necessities like money and nail polish, but I think she likes them." Holly couldn't understand why Lateefah liked them, or why she had kept some of her school books for so long, but she considered that that might be a good birthday present. It wouldn't be one that she would be able to use too, which made it less attractive as she thought about it, but she redirected her thoughts towards Brooklyn mid-way through that thought process.

She pulled away from Cara's grip and quickened her pace to catch up with Brooklyn, who was a few steps ahead of them. "You're walking too fast!" she chided her as she grasped onto her forearm. "What are you going to get from CVS? Tomorrow will you stay awake during the day, since Cara's here now too? And are you going to go to work tonight, or do you want to stay and hang out with me and her and Kiara until Tee finishes working? Tee says the job you do isn't good, you know." Like most areas of Manhattan, you couldn't walk more than a few blocks without running into a pharmacy, so it only took a few minutes before the girls made it to CVS. "I'll help you find what you need, Brooke!" she exclaimed as she held the door open for the girls. She was sure they didn't sell vests here, and Brooklyn had been the one who seemed enthusiastic (at least, enthusiastic in terms of Brooklyn's emotions) about getting Holly some mysterious candy-like juice, so she thought she would be the best company today.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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Kiara was glad that once they started walking, Holly clung to Brooklyn a few paces ahead of her and Cara. Surprisingly, though, she didn't even take advantage of her few minutes alone with Cara to spark up a conversation about her home life, and if she had any brothers... or cousins... or just wealthy friends. Just when she thought that this little trip was going to improve her mood and wallet, the alcohol in her stomach started acting up, and she wasn't sure if she would even make it to CVS without her body rejecting it. Ironically, as she walked, trying to focus on her eyes not blurring up and keeping her mouth sealed shut just in case, she was craving more alcohol. It was like instinct for her, that once anything mildly inconvenient happened, she needed a bottle or alcohol or a handful of pills to put her back into a mindset where none of it mattered, or sometimes, and even better, where none of it was real. She loved the drugs that made her feel like she was floating, and where she wasn't really sure what was real and what wasn't real. She rarely could afford the good ones like that, though, and right now, she knew that there was no way she could take a hit to her wallet like that. Hell, as they approached the CVS and she saw a Wendy's across the street, she was second guessing whether she even had enough money to spare on that. But her stomach lurched once again, and Kiara decided that food was necessary. She drank so much that alcohol rarely made her this sick when it was still fresh in her stomach. It was usually the morning after, or at least a couple of hours later, when it really started to bother her, so she guessed that what she was feeling now was a mixture between hunger and the alcohol beginning to bother her. It wasn't like this was a very unfamiliar feeling either.

"I actually just saw a friend across the street who I've been trying to catch up with. I shouldn't be over there long, but if you guys finish without me, don't wait." She was glad that it was just Cara who she was speaking to, because she was sure that if Brooklyn wasn't already inside, she would reassure her that they wouldn't have waited regardless. If Holly was there, she would have gotten a million questions about where she was going, and possibly even a request for her to be allowed to tag along. It was easier this way, and Kiara didn't even mention that she was going to get food because she didn't want Cara to feel like she had to give her money in this way. Kiara had no problem accepting money, but she didn't want to be a beggar. There was a different between accepting handouts and hinting for them, than actually straight out requesting them. Her stomach twisted again, and forced her to spin away from the door of CVS without waiting for Cara's answer. She wanted that food in her stomach before the alcohol came up, and before she convinced herself that she didn't need to waste her money on food right now.

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Character Portrait: Kiara Moore Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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"Alright, then maybe we can go to pick out something for both of you," Cara nodded, as Holly shot down the idea of getting books for herself, but suggested that they get some for Lateefah. Cara didn't think of herself to be nearly as intelligent as Lateefah was, and she wasn't much of a reader herself, so she didn't really plan on buying books for Tee. If she gave Holly free reign on picking out the books, she would sure they would be ones far too juvenile for Lateefah, or ones about dogs or celebrities, or something that would entertain Holly more than her sister. She kept the idea of shopping there as a possibility though, because she did want to try to help Holly get back on an educational track. She knew it would be a long shot, and maybe she was overstepping her boundaries to even attempt to do so, but it seemed like it could only benefit Holly. Maybe she wouldn't see it that way now, but it would. She needed a degree if she wanted to be anything in life. Well, she needed a degree, or she needed the financial security of a trust fund, and they all knew that Holly would not have the latter.

Cara didn't mind the silence that she was granted when Holly hurried to catch up with Brooklyn, and she and Kiara were left a few steps behind. She didn't really knew Kiara well enough to strike up a conversation, and she probably wouldn't have wanted to anyway. There wasn't much to say, and she was already dealing with enough of an inner monologue inside of her head as she thought about what she was doing. Coming back here was her only option, or so she had told herself hours ago when she had stormed out of her family's penthouse in a fury. She wasn't treated properly or respected at home, and it wasn't like she had her boyfriend's place to crash at anymore. Her father refused to finance an apartment for her unless she was going to school, and not only was Cara not motivated enough for college, she also just didn't want to go to spite him. She wanted to run her life her way, and if he wanted her to go to college, than that was exactly what she did not want to do. It was so petty and it was clearly only hurting herself. Her father and his wife would be jetting off to Maui the next morning, and here she was... heading to CVS to buy things to turn a corner of a basement into her home. It wasn't a fair trade, but Cara just couldn't run back there. Not after she had stormed out like a brat, and not after that bitch had tried to act like she was the ruler of her house.

Cara was ready to follow Brooklyn and Holly into CVS, but was stopped by Kiara as she stepped into the doorway. The girl's face definitely looked paler than it had a couple of minutes before, but Cara didn't think very much of it because again, she didn't know her well enough to be certain that she seemed off right now. "Oh, okay," Cara nodded as she explained that she was going across the street to meet a friend, and that they didn't have to wait up for her. She hadn't minded Kiara's company, and knew that she would be a good person to distract Holly with if Brooklyn reached her limit and snapped, but she also knew that at least now, there wouldn't be a cat fight between her and Brooklyn in CVS. That was a good thing, at least.

With Holly off with Brooklyn, Cara headed to down one of the aisles and picked out some basic things. She filled her basket with items like deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, feminine care products, Advil, hand sanitizer, lotion and so on, before running into Holly and Brooklyn on the makeup aisle. She did need makeup products, and she knew it was bad, but she decided she would hold off until she could get to Sephora later that day or tomorrow. "Did you want to get a new toothbrush, Holl? They have the cool electric ones here," Cara suggested, pulling the toothbrush she had selected from her basket to show Holly. She glanced at Brooklyn with a smile that bordered a smirk, trying to figure out how close she was to leaving them to go do her own thing. Holly wasn't crying, so that seemed like a good sign.

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Character Portrait: Holly Maddon Character Portrait: Brooklyn West Character Portrait: Cara Forrester
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It was her luck, that even with Cara here, Holly would still want to bother her. One would have thought that Cara coming back after three months would have warranted at least an hour's worth of Holly's attention, with further questioning on where she was, or even just comments about the jewlery she had on, or what was in her purse. But no, Brooklyn had clearly done something horrible in a past life, because there Holly was, literally clinging to her at one point during their walk to CVS. She supposed that she was lucky that pharmacies seemed to be rampant in New York, because before Holly could really piss her off, they had found one. Brooklyn didn't wait for Cara and Kiara, who had paused at the door, though as she got a food feet in, she realized that she should have, because lo and behold, Holly was following her yet again. Really, she knew that if she truly despised Holly as much as she claimed she did, she wouldn't have come on this trip at all, or at least would have waited for Cara to come in, to make sure that she occupied Holly while Brooklyn did her shopping. She allowed the redhead to come with her, or more accurately, lead her, because there was some part of Brooklyn, deep, deep down, that appreciated the liveliness. Even on the worst days, Holly's presence held some purpose in at least reminding Brooklyn that there was light in the world. That not everyone was as selfish and cruel and out to get her as she sometimes liked to believe.

"What are we gonna buy?" Holly asked. She was walking a few paces ahead of Brooklyn through the front of the store. She made it past two of the aisles, uninterested in the things she saw down them. Momentarily, she had forgotten about the Zzzquil that Brooklyn had promised, and was sure that she and Tee had been to this CVS before, which meant that if she walked to the last aisle, she would find the one with the candy.

Brooklyn didn't answer Holly right away as she focused on reading the signs above each aisle, and trying to remember what she had needed, exactly. Honestly, she preferred shopping when she was drunk. She was more reckless that way, but she liked being able to spend her money without feeling guilty about it. On sober trips like this, she would buy the lower quality store brand makeup and then, in a few hours, get pissed off because those same fake eyelashes refused to stay on her eyelid for more than five minutes. She'd end up stopping at a real makeup store on her way to work, and spend double what she would have spend originally, just because she was in one of her "fuck it" moods, where she'd snap at Nick for not even offering to buy them for her.

"I need to buy makeup. You're not buying anything unless your sister gave you money," Brooklyn responded as she grabbed Holly by the back of her shirt to prevent her from turning down the next aisle. She redirected her to the cosmetics aisle, and knelt down in one of the sections as she tried to find her products.

Holly didn't get discouraged when Brooklyn stopped her from reaching her favorite aisle, because hanging out with her was still fine. Plus, she was sure that Tee gave Cara money, and that she would get her candy before they left. And her vest. She would have to find an employee to see if they sold vests here, just in case Forever 21 was out. Holly doubted that, though, since Tee confirmed that they did sell vests there, and Tee was always right. She went to a really, really good college, and that meant that she was smart and always right. "Do you like spending a lot of money?" she questioned, automatically playing with Brooklyn's hair when the girl knelt down in front of her to look through the makeup. "I want to get your job so I always have money to spend on things."

"Shhh," was all that Brooklyn said. She officially hated her sober self, as she realized how stupid it was to be fighting herself over spending an extra dollar fifty on eyeliner from her preferred brand, over the poorer-quality one. She kept the better one in her hand, grabbed a tube of mascara and a couple of pairs of fake eyelashes, and stood back up. She could have purchased a few more things, but they weren't necessities right now (at least not to her sober self), and she also wanted Holly to stop touching her head. "You won't need to get a job once your sister becomes the next Donnatella Versace. Isn't that what her life plan is? Be homeless for a few years then hit it big as a fashion designer?" Brooklyn mocked, glancing at Holly briefly as she led Holly out of the aisle, and towards the one with sleeping aids.

"I don't know what that is," Holly frowned, as Brooklyn referenced the designer she was comparing Lateefah to. She followed her through the store, surprisingly focused on the brunette to an extent where she wasn't even touching everything they passed, or trying to come up with a reason for why she suddenly needed the products. "And we're not homeless! Not like real homeless people who live in boxes. Tee's going to get us a real apartment by Christmas," she declared. She really didn't think they were homeless, because the basement counted as a house, and they weren't like the dirty, sick looking men that they sometimes passed on the streets with cardboard posters requesting money. That was what homeless was. They were just saving up money until they could afford a nice apartment, or at least that was what Tee had been saying for the past year.

Brooklyn could have laughed out loud at Holly's insistence that Lateefah was set on getting them out of the basement by Christmas. She should have appreciated the idea of having that bitch and her annoying sister out of there, but the idea of her moving out before Brooklyn made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. That would just push Brooklyn over the edge. She knew it was, because to her, Lateefah was the lowest of the low. For no real reason, really. Brooklyn just felt like she was better than her, and that she deserved more than Tee did. If she achieved Brooklyn's dream before she did, when Brooklyn had been the one living on the streets for far longer, than she figured she would just have to kill herself. Or kill Lateefah. There would be no other way to cope with that. Before she could utter some nasty response to Holly to make sure that she knew that her sister had to be smoking crack if she was serious about that, Cara appeared, and after meeting her gaze for a second, asked Holly something about toothbrushes. "You better get one for her sister, and Kiara too. God only knows how dirty those bitches' mouths are after sucking all that dick," she advised in a serious tone. Without waiting for the backlash, or typical Cara roll of the eyes that she was sure she would get, she spun away from them without an explanation and continued to the aisle she was destined for. After a quick scan, she found the sleep aid she wanted for Holly and hurried back to where she left the girls. "Let's go."