Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

0
followers
follow

Liam Bradach

"Just trying to make it work."

0 · 289 views · located in Las Vegas

a character in “Las Vegas: Skin City”, originally authored by hoodrattt, as played by RolePlayGateway

Description

Image

Age
23

Height
6'1"

Occupation
Mixed media/journalism/retail


Goodbye to sleep,
I think this staying up is exactly what I need
Well take apart your head
Take apart the counting, and the flock it has bred

Goodbye to love,
Well it's a ride that'll push you up
Right against the wall
(Right against the wall)
Chew it up and swallow it

You're brought back but you're running
I'll find sleep in the end tonight
I can't shake this little feeling
I'll never get anything right

Goodbye you liar,
Well you sipped from the cup but you don't own up to anything
Then you think you will inspire
Take apart your head
(and I wish I could inspire)
Take apart the demon, in the attic to the left.

(goodbye my love)
You're brought back but you're running
(goodbye my love)
I'll find sleep in the end tonight
(goodbye my love)
I can't shake this little feeling
(goodbye my love)
I'll never say anything right

I'm on my own, never say anything right
I'm on my own, never say anything right
I'm on my own, never say anything right
I'm on my own, never say anything right

Well take me, take me back to your bed
I love you so much that it hurts my head
Say I don't mind you under my skin
I'll let the bad parts in, the bad parts in
When we were made we were set apart
Life is a test and I get bad marks
Now some saint got the job of writing down my sins
The storm is coming, the storm is coming in

You're brought back but you're running
I'll find sleep in the end tonight
I can't shake this little feeling
I'll never get anything right

I'm on my own, never say anything right
I'm on my own, never say anything right

Take me, take me back to your bed
I love you so much that it hurts my head
I don't mind you under my skin
I'll let the bad parts in, the bad parts in
Well you're my favourite bird and when you sing
I really do wish you'd wear my ring
No matter what they say, I am still the king
And now the storm is coming, the storm is coming in.




ImageLiam spent a lot of time in high school being one of the most prized students and athletes. After watching his sister get spoiled half to death he would have thought that his parents would help him pave his way to a future but - that luxury never really came. Instead of relying on his family, Liam became to loathe his parents in a way. Call it a primary case of sibling jealousy, but Liam just didn't think it was fair.

All in all, he came to find life wasn't fair. Though he was sure to stay in touch with his younger sister, Demi, after he moved out, he didn't really talk to his parents much. His mother pined for the occasional lunch date and phonecall where she'd try to figure out what he was up to and how he was doing but Liam was immune to her attempts. Despite his lack of family connection, Liam turned out well rounded and centered. Between his charm and serenity, employers were more than thrilled to have him as a part of their staff. Needless to say, Liam never struggled financially or socially. In fact it came naturally to Liam, being friendly and caring.

It wasn't until his second year in his second ever apartment that he figured out how vacant and lonely the house was. In no rush to find a solution to the emptiness, Liam didn't chase females or extracurricular company. Dwelling in night clubs, pubs, bars and cafes became habitual. Perhaps it was just dumb luck and fate that dropped Belleville's delinquent Jaylene Sullivan into his hands.

So begins...

Liam Bradach's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jaylene Sullivan Character Portrait: Summer Vorhees Character Portrait: Kaleb Dean Sivaj Character Portrait: Liam Bradach
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Jaylene rolled away from Liam, naked discomfort hanging in the distance that parted them. Liam's hands until then craned in place as if he were still holding her, unable to process that she had so coldly withdrawn from him. After a few seconds, he sat up, pressed his palms to the bed and swung his legs over the side. Behind him, the seventeen year old, blond bombshell gathered the sheets in her hands and pulled them around her. Soundlessness raked its claws into the atmosphere. It wasn't a difficult request, not too much to ask. At least Liam didn't think so.

"I'll take you to that little boutique you like or whatever, too, if you just come to dinner with me." He breathed quietly, defeated.
"I don't want to go out," she began.
"You know the festival started already and you haven't even gone?"
"I don't want to eat, I don't want to fucking hang out and shoot the shit with Demi." She continued as if Liam never interposed about the Electric Daisy festival.
"What is wrong with you today?" Liam's shoulders slumped before he got to his feet.
"As if you don't know what I'm going through right now - as if I haven't explained a thousand fucking times," she held up her hand when he opened his mouth to speak.

Liam's shoulders tightened as he straightened his posture, twisted his torso and got a good look at Jaylene. He delved into one of the pockets of his straight leg khakis, retrieving his phone as if diverting his attention would be some sort of buffer. Up until that point, their backs were to each other like they were about to initiate an old Western standoff. However, at that point in time, Liam knew standoffs weren't unorthodox. Especially not with Jaylene Sullivan, ex-spoiled-brat-and-trophy-only-child-with-a-high-quality-complex. And it wasn't to say that he thought of her as some brash, pampered dumb blond. But her history was a huge part of her, and she still sometimes played the part accurately. He set the phone down on the bed and gazed at her, completely in the raw and fury prickling on her skin.

Sunshine trickled through the long blinds that blocked the perfectly placed patio entrance from the bedroom, the thin frame of Jaylene only a shadow against its light. She had let the sheets fall away from her body. Anyone who could have seen her in said light would have distinguished it as a peaceful gesture or a penance. Jaylene stood before filtered sunlight, ivory threads sinking down and away from her body like a mythological goddess who had reached some solitude. But instead of composure came the tensing of her muscles as one hand rested atop the tall dresser, her teeth gritted. Sometimes she found herself this way, angry at Liam for asking questions he knew the answers to. In the same regard - there was so much she hadn't told him, so much she didn't want to explore or voyage over again. Forbidding green eyes stared at Liam and then Jaylene fashioned her index, middle finger and thumb into the shape of a gun. Thrusting the finger tips to her temple, she went on.

"I shot a cop. I'm not even a legal adult. I hide in your house all day long, too afraid to do anything else. I fucked over my friends, and abandoned them. And you fucking patronize me and try to persuade me by buying me things. Jesus fuck - you know I'm not after clothes and money, right? You do know that I have a brain, right? Hey also, did this ever occur, to you, Liam Bradach," she bent at the waist, bringing her hands to the mattress again in a way that made Liam freeze, "I'm a human being, just like your sister. I'm someone's daughter. Not an object, not some brainless idiot like the girls you used to fuck before you met me. Not some random runaway with no family and no friends. I'm not nameless."

Liam would have reeled in complete distaste of her verbal expression had it not been for her body language. Instead he kind of gawked, forcing a laugh to cushion his annoyance and disbelief. As alluring as the juvenile was, her incomprehension of what she was saying and doing was explicitly offensive. Dusky chestnut eyes winced before he rose and backed away from the nude girl bent over his bed who he suddenly didn't ache to touch. In one, seething over-stepped communication, she had pillaged him of his desire for her. He'd seen her upset before but never so pointedly enraged with him. And her onslaught of bullshit, acting as though he was some habitual pedophile, actually made him slightly livid. Liam sighed as she finally shut her mouth, tugging at the seam of his shirt and grating his hand against his eminent abdominals. Rather than exhibit the same ignorant behavior as Jaylene, he browsed the surface of his own skin as if it could provide an answer or solution.

"It's funny that you're angry with me for things you've done," he shrugged, "But it's cool."
"Right, it's my fault that you basically told me to live with you."
"Holy shit!" He exclaimed as his hands flew into the air, "Do you know how fucking vapid and selfish you sound right now? Go find somewhere else to live then! How about that? Is that better than the invitation to stay somewhere safe and be taken care of?"
"Ha," she wasn't backing down, "I guess I'll go sit in another club and find another sorry douchebag."
"You're unbelievable." He respired calmly and left the bedroom.

The young girl sat in his wake, silenced. She gasped quietly and watched the silhouette of his structure fade into the living room when she turned away and hung her head. If there was something she was reluctant to admit but appreciated nonetheless, it was Liam's pragmatic ways. Unlike so many men she knew, he didn't instigate or feed arguments. He didn't raise his voice often, didn't crowd her space when it was least needed. Something miserably changed position in her stomach; deep regret and stupidity. Without a word she remade the bed and pulled her hair into a shoddy sock bun. When she had finally forced herself to submit and slide into a collared shirt and faded skinny jeans, the TV could be heard along with the key-tapping on an iPhone. Daringly Jaylene popped her head out from the bedroom, watching twilight saunter over the contemporary white walls and black kitchen appliances. Her inspection danced across Liam who, didn't so much as look up to acknowledge her. He looked tired, handsome in his well-dressed glory but exhausted and even doleful. He'd been working his ass off.

Steadying herself against the door frame, she pulled on a pair of platform pumps Liam bought for her. It was incredibly difficult for her to admit she was wrong let alone approach someone she knew she insulted without rational cause. Her fingers scraped against her heel as she tugged the wedge on. Finally she had the temerity to approach the couch and mutter, "I'm sorry."

All Liam did in response was shake his head and toss his iPhone onto the coffee table, still not meeting her eyes with his own. His stand-out cheeks and jawline expressed nothing in his face. Jaylene's lips jerked, "If you want to go out to dinner still… I want to go with you." A stifled laugh came as a write-back, Liam lightly slapping the back of his hand against one of Jaylene's thighs. The flat screen that was mounted from the wall went black and Liam walked away from her, grabbing his keys off of the kitchen table. But still, he said nothing. After unbolting the door, Jaylene took his actions as an indication that he still wanted to go out. Nearly taking a spill right into him to follow him to the door, Liam turned suddenly and declared flatly, "I don't sleep with teenagers. I haven't had an actual girlfriend in two years or more. Don't say stupid shit anymore, please." Jaylene retreated a little and he proceeded, "I went out on a limb with you. Trust me, if I knew it was going to be this way I would have thought it through a little more thoroughly. I'm not used to this, okay? I don't go around picking up random girls."

Liam secured Jaylene's chin in one of his hands, constraining her to look at him, "Doesn't mean I'd take it back though. So don't pout or anything stupid." His mouth twitched into a smirk, awarding himself a grin from the girl in return.

The way he touched her was comparable to someone she loved very dearly. In fact, his lightheartedness and willingness to forgive reminded her exactly of Summer. Again her heart made its descent. And his dumb way of playing around and evading serious issues just for the sake of her peace of mind, his protectiveness… Well, she knew damn well who demonstrated the same behavior. But that was never going to happen again and she needed to establish and accept that for what it was. She needed to just start over and get her life on track.

As per usual Jaylene was resting her feet out of the open car window at the moment that they pulled up to a sidewalk. She had a habit of cringing and squeezing her eyes shut every time Liam dared to parallel park but, he never failed to inherit a perfect spot with flawless proximity. It was probably due to the fact that after she got her driver's license she was already a resident of Belleville so she never had to worry about parallel parking. The small Canadian town was practically a dead zone compared to Vegas. If Jaylene ever had to brave parallel parking even her small-sized BMW between two cars, she'd have an anxiety attack.

Summerlin was peachy and tolerably populated but since the assembly of the festival, the place was crawling with tourists and half-dressed girls. To say the least - it was definitely an environment Jaylene would have dived into head first if she wasn't technically on the run. Recanting her legs and feet, she opened the door and stepped out of the car to wander the avenue close in step with Liam.

They spent what felt like an eternity glancing through shop windows in the shadow of looming buildings. The sun was so lazily sinking that Jaylene didn't catch it disappearing until the atmosphere around her grew quiet and the hum of bass and electricity in the distance made her twitch. She stopped short of the border of the street, dropping her hand from Liam's. He turned on his heel, simpering and asking her what was wrong. When she started to shake her head, he beckoned to her and dragged her towards the sounds. Beyond the metropolitan avenue was vast open area which Jaylene would have never expected. The festival laid claim to the land, its variegated lights and resonance spattering the Summerlin night. Eccentric and ecstatic figures danced on the horizon, their bodies governed by the music and excitement. What if someone she knew had come to the festival? Then it was all over. She didn't want to get too close. Again she stopped short.

Image"I'm - I can't run into anyone." She admitted.
"Are you serious?" He grabbed his phone, opened the browser and showed it to her.
"What…"
"This is Belleville's homepage - the next tab is Canada's government website. There aren't any stories about you anymore, Jaylene."
"But…" She swiped her fingers across the screen.

People had forgotten. In a way this granted her freedom, but at the same time doused her in despair. There wasn't an excuse not to live anymore, to go out and be at leisure. She grasped the phone in her hand and walked towards the flashing lights and noise with Liam until they were a few yards from the admission parking lot which looked fairly vacant. Tilting her head, she mused, "It sounds so busy but there's like - no cars." Liam chuckled a little and wrapped and arm around Jaylene, "A lot of people travel by bus and camp out at the festival. They just get dropped off." In concession her head bobbed as she peered at the parcel, when a fateful sight shattered her equilibrium. The old truck that she had sat inside of, slept in, hotboxed in and shared memories with her friends in was maybe ten yards from where she stood. Squinting, she forgot to breathe. Nah. Not them. They wouldn't drive all the way out here for a festival when they could have a party at home, at the lake.

She convinced herself otherwise, abandoning her premonition and leaning into Liam's side, one palm pressed to his torso. 'There aren't any stories about you anymore, Jaylene.' Her friends had moved on, ceased searching. Her family, too. Summer probably found another best friend, probably Avery. Kaleb wouldn't ever get lonely with his looks and charm. Glancing up at Liam, she tried to mask her unsavory shock and sadness, "Can we get some food now?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jaylene Sullivan Character Portrait: Summer Vorhees Character Portrait: Kaleb Dean Sivaj Character Portrait: Liam Bradach
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Something ached inside of her, a feeling she had no choice but to welcome only because any rebuttal was foolish. A burning for home was evident. The only home she ever knew, Belleville. Even at dinner she found herself marinading in her emotion but was mindful enough of it to mask it and laugh and carry on with Liam.

From the other end of the table, rapt eyes looked out onto Jaylene. Liam would occasionally take a pensive rock on his chair, clasp his hands behind his head and beam at her in the wake of some diverting conversation or comment. Despite being in tune with her antics and tête-à-tête, he knew she was concocting ways to avoid going to the festival. And he wasn't having it. Maybe he wouldn't tell her that now, but it was going to be conveyed irrefutably. Nonpareil teeth peeked from behind his slightly chapped lips, paired perfectly with his dark eyes and hair. He pushed the soles of his size eleven Ralph Lauren Salisbury's against the foot of the table. He caught the predatory glimmer in his date's olive eyes when their waitress feigned actual interest in whether or not their food was satisfactory. But Jaylene didn't speak when the server focused her attention strictly on Liam and asked if there was anything else she could get him. Instead Jaylene's face relaxed, she smirked to herself and finished her water.

Jaylene watched Liam wave off the young woman with a polite, drop-dead smile. It appeared though then, the waitress floated away as if being carried on air. Jaylene's flushed cheeks tautened. Nostalgia battered the pit of the Sullivan girl's stomach. Up until she realized she was only bitter because Liam had been putting past romance interests in mind with his quirks, she could feel jealousy rising in her throat. She wasn't truly jealous of anyone who coveted Liam. Why was her wistfulness becoming so blatantly ugly and envious? Did she really miss... It wasn't meant for Liam. And it was maybe that alone that made her feel so guilty, causing her to project bizarre anger onto him. Jaylene sighed, her sternum relaxing as she smoothed a hand across the top of her head and lightly prodded at her bun. She'd never really been the jealous type.

"Do I sense some competitiveness?"
Liam gave some thought as he signed the check.
"Not really," Jaylene said colorlessly, "I wish."
"You wish? That you were jealous?" His brow furrowed.
"I wish I was more jealous, it would make me feel more human."
"Don't think too hard about it."

Jaylene slumped in her seat, tilting her head and crossing her arms. The inquisition that lingered as a consequence of his final thought on the matter made her squirm. Don't think too hard about it? What the hell does that mean? But much like the confused possessiveness, she dismissed her incertitude about Liam's request. Playing with the concept of her innermost thoughts would make her crazy. At the end of the day, she was the one he was wearing on his arm proudly. But was that even what she really wanted anymore?

Don't think too hard about it.

It was pretty sound advice that she'd heed to accordingly. After they got back to the apartment, Liam hazily unlocked to door and opened it for Jaylene. There was a buzz flickering just on the surface of his glistening eyes. Microscopic red streaks reached for his pupil, threatening either sleep or complete obliteration. He peered at Jaylene playfully, waiting for her to make the first move. As she stepped past the dark-eyed gentleman, she took notice of his glazed look. Part of her wanted to laugh because he wasn't nearly close to being completely canned the way she and her friends used to get - but part of her wanted to coax him into bed as well. Liam wasn't heavy on drinking, wasn't heavy on anything at all really. Seeing him slightly half-cut unnerved her and excited her, made her hungry for the life she'd left behind. His treads were inelegant as he turned to shut and lock the door then go straight for Jaylene who he bundled in his arms and leaned into. She fought the urge to poke fun at him, call him a light weight or crack jokes. Instead she leaned back into the gravity, inhaling the scent of his virile cologne. In her heels she met his height perfectly so that she could rest her face right into the crook of his neck. For a long time they stood, slightly swaying in the splintering street light that cascaded through the apartment windows. Coolheaded Liam remained, quiet as his muscles hardened and pacified. The girl whom he held so fast to closed her eyes, raking her fingers from the back of his scalp to the base of his neck. The truck flashed into her mind for a moment, precipitating Jaylene's termination of the short time spent before the windows, "Let's go to bed."

He happily followed her to the bedroom like a puppy, grinning and bumping into things on the way. After he nearly knocked over the entire end table by the doorway, Jaylene pushed him towards the bed to sit him down. With one lifted, dainty index finger, she commanded, "Stay there." She padded to the sliding patio door, pulling the curtains shut and then removing her shoes. Liam watched with vacuous eyes, rocking quietly back and forth. When she returned to him, she was half dressed and at work on getting the damned Ralph Lauren boots off of his feet. But when her fingers braved the top button of his jeans, she stopped. A slow glance upward caught her in the midst of a dead stare with Liam.

From where he sat on the bed, Liam was completely at ease. He could have very well just slept sitting up with his clothes on. Nonetheless then came Jaylene's provocative ways and her patience, making him want her with a fierce desire he wasn't sure he could subdue. Her jade eyes locked on his own as he rested his weight on his elbows and watched her. Seeing her in that way, with perseverance and kindness conducting her so naturally - it made him crave her more than ever. It was a far cry from the angry, acidic young woman he'd come to hours earlier. Her eyes bore into him. The change in the temperature and air was evident - even felt ten shades different. It was her wavering and anxiety. Liam relaxed, closing his eyes for a just a second prior to touching her cheek. Then everything went black.

"Really?" Jaylene asked, pressing her hand to Liam's shoulder after he hit the bed. Her brow creased, a small scowl on her lips. "Come on Liam," she whined, tugging at the lower section of his jeans until they came loose from his waist, "Fuck." Ultimately she tossed the discarded clothes into the hamper, lifted Liam's legs onto the bed so that he could sleep almost like a normal person and turned out the lights. For a while she lingered by the bed, at Liam's side to make sure he wouldn't budge. But sleep weighed in on her, calling her to the couch rather than the mattress that Liam had unintentionally monopolized in his slumber. With an extended yawn, Jaylene dropped onto the sofa and turned on her side so that her face could bury into the furniture while she slept. Her last couple minutes of consciousness necessitated deep thought and the repetition of Summer's voice, her laugh.

The girl was in such a peaceful sleep that when unforeseen clamor shook her from senselessness she almost fell from the couch. Soon the droning of the pandemonium became familiar, music. Sleepy eyes glared at the stereo below the TV, then at the kitchen where pans were clanging around. She sat up to rub her eyes, stretch and get a good look at Liam who was up entirely too early for someone who passed out drunk. Her once presentable hair style now sagged to the side, strands of her tresses a disarray. Sweet batter infiltrated her senses.

When he caught her narrowed eyes peeking out from behind the safety of the sofa, Liam grinned, "Good morning."
"Hi," she whispered, not entirely awake.
"Get up and have some breakfast." He instructed.
"What for?" She began her descent to settle into the cushions again.
"We're going out." He stated as if there wasn't a chance she could question it.
"Come on Liam…"
"We're going to the festival - I took off work so we could go together."
"Wha - no."
"Demi doesn't want to go alone, either." He concluded.
"Ugh."

He really hit her with a guilt trip! The music coming from the speakers made her feel slightly better but, she wasn't exactly thrilled about anything at that point in time. Shaking her head, she got up and tried her best to prepare herself for what was in store.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jaylene Sullivan Character Portrait: Summer Vorhees Character Portrait: Liam Bradach
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Passion Pit drilled into Jaylene's head as she plucked apart a golden pancake with her index fingers and thumbs. All throughout her breakfast, she was silent and indisposed to coffee that Liam continued to ask her to drink. His dusky eyes burrowed against the image of Jaylene, still half asleep and displeased by her lack of loop holes. Crossing arms against his trunk, he raised a brow and glanced to the glittering sun beyond the confines of his apartment. Despite his slightly improper posture, he still loomed over Jaylene. Finally she peered up at him, her eyes shooting daggers. At this Liam straightened his posture and dropped his arms to his sides, "Really?"

At first her finger tips traced the fruit bowl in front of her, then she seized the pottery with both hands, dumping the fruit out. Liam only watched in silence, confused. Mid-swing of her arms, she stopped and set the bowl down. It was then that she realized depression had subdued the real Jaylene, forcing anger and sadness into her blood stream to deputize for the cocaine she'd been missing. She was acting out precise withdrawal symptoms. In the periphery of her vision, Liam turned away from her and set an empty mug in the sink as if so conversant with the teenager's hell fury, that he wasn't even surprised. Jaylene didn't breathe for what felt like minutes. Crushed by the discernment within herself, she lowered herself back into the dining room chair. Slow, shaky hands placed two bananas, an apple and a plum back into the small basin one by one.

ImageLiam knew she was upset that he'd tripped her up so bad and beat her at her own game - that he was more or less giving her no other option but to leave the house. Liam knew that Jaylene knew when Demi showed up, she'd be absolutely heartbroken if Liam's girlfriend wasn't joining them for her first ever Electric Daisy Festival. He wasn't really one for using extortion, but Jaylene had become so quick with excuses and insults that Liam was literally running out of options. With the urge fought to scratch his nails against his scalp, to face palm or even knock something over, Liam yawned. Besides, he'd already precisely styled his hair into a side slick. Rubbing his hands together for a moment, focusing on two particular callouses on his left palm, he felt the quietude absorbing his home. He could sense that she'd left the kitchen, even pushed the chair in and fixed the fruit bowl before going anywhere. Within minutes he could hear the water pressure squealing from the bathroom, then the jets from the shower head shooting against the tile. As much as he'd have liked to accepted this easily as a victory, he still felt somewhat guilty for pressuring Jaylene into going to the festival.

But it was only fair that he gave her her space. After cleaning up the kitchen and reluctantly putting away pancake leftovers, he made his way to the bedroom. Prior to making breakfast, Liam pulled the blinds so the sun could ignite the bedroom with glory. In the midst of making the bed he heard humming, muffled singing and sighing from the bathroom. A reflection with dark eyes and hollow cheeks stared back at Liam. He was standing before the lengthwise mirror on the opposite side of the bathroom door, cuffing his straight leg khakis at the seam and brushing off fresh boat shoes when the song she was singing became familiar and the running water shut off.


"I'm on my own, never say anything right.
I'm on my own, never say anything right.
I'm on my own, never say anything right.
I'm on my own, never say anything right."



ImageJaylene trilled to herself quietly, the iHome playing just loudly enough for her to hear it over the shower. Blindly her hand grasped for the knob to turn off the water. She was fighting her inner demons which were telling her not to bother having a good time or genuinely attempting to make the best of things. Manicured nails grated the surface of her skin as she ran her hands through her hair and dried it. Fuck it. Whatever. If she was going to go to the festival she was going to take her sweet ass time and making sure every meticulous detail of her appearance was nothing short of on point. So when she finally emerged from the bathroom, her sunshine hair fashioned into loose spirals and her lips painted cherry red, Liam and Demi were waiting for her.

Demi was far darker in complexion than Liam - she'd obviously taken to the sun from a young age. But her eyes were the same almond shape, mysteriously dark and inviting. She was slightly taller than Jaylene, and even skinnier. It appeared that she went all out for the festival, bright green eyeshadow smoking around her umber eyes and a tie-dyed dress clinging to her figure. And there stood Jaylene, far from the girl she would have been a few months ago, but still with the same aura in her high-low mint colored dress and nude pumps. Sure, she was overdressed - but she wasn't positive she even wanted to fit in at the event. Demi squeaked with excitement and swooned over Jaylene's outfit, "Oh my god! You look great! Did your legs get like, five inches longer? Holy shit - your makeup! God, you and Liam are going to look like a model couple lost at a parade." Demi pushed some hair from her dark eyes, and shot up from the couch and ran into the bedroom, jumping up and down.

Image"We are gonna' paaaaarty," she crooned, bumping her hip into Jaylene's then hugging the girl.
"Definitely," Jaylene smiled vaguely over Demi's shoulder at Liam who was in awe of the Sullivan's girl rejuvenation.
"I can't wait to snatch me up some fresh meat."
"Ha!" Jaylene burst into laughter at Liam's blatant discomfort over what his little sister had just said.

Instead of taking the car, they all settled on walking. Liam recognized the noticeable distance between himself and Jaylene. Rather than being glued to his arm, digging her nails into the fabric of his shirt for comfort, she was trotting along with Demi. Was she spiting him? Was he being punished for wanting her to have fun? It didn't matter regardless of her reasoning, so he happily hung back behind the girls, hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face as they strolled past admission and got their bracelets.

A candied scent carried in the air, pervading Jaylene's senses and shocking the withdrawal privately in her soul. Demi ran ahead, leaving Jaylene behind as she bloomed spontaneously into life and color as soon as she merged with the music, the crowd and the coloration. And she fit in perfectly, her face resplendent and every bit of her completely alive. In no time she was dancing a couple hundred feet away, having flowers placed in her hair by random entrants that donned rainbow tutus, face paint and glitter. Jaylene simpered to herself, the ghost of recollection weighing on her thoughts. That's who I am, too - or… who I used to be. Arms slid around her waist, a familiar jawline resting just beyond the nape of her neck, "Take, take me back to your bed; I love you so much that it hurts my head." His breath chilled her, its spike traveling down her spine and tearing open a hunger that ached for his mouth against hers. But she declined, not thrilled by his attempt to charm her with familiar lyrics, pulling away from him and proceeding towards the thundering music, the harlequin lights and the sinking sun.

Yeah, I'm being punished, he thought to himself as he watched the rhythm of her hips get further away, but never to unite with the crowd. She stood out.

ImageJaylene ultimately traveled so far from both Demi and Liam that she found herself at the end of a long cue of people, waiting to get on the ferris wheel. So many of them had approached her, their overly sensitive hands wanting to touch her face, play with her earrings like chimes and feel the fabric of her dress. And she'd oblige them, knowing completely well that the essence of a successful trip had everything to do with touch, taste, and smell. A part of her began to cave in when she saw bowed heads, soon to shoot up and sniff heartily. But how pathetic would she look, asking to get a bump from complete strangers?

In the polychromatic crowd, the Sullivan girl glanced back and forth, once or twice mistaking complete strangers for people she knew. People she left back home. The emphatic music drilled into her, her visuals painted by twirling femmes, flickering hulahoops and body friction. Pivoting slightly, she swung her eyes towards a less colorful sight, one that ironically wiped all of the hue from her face. Discernible, undulated hair, alluring collar bones and those unmistakable inviting eyes. Summer.

"Thought I lost you." Liam interrupted the image of home, deterring Jaylene.
"Holy shit, Liam, you scared me." she said, trying to peek around his shoulder.
"See something interesting?" He grinned.
"I could have sworn…"
"Relax, Soda Pop," he joked, "No one is here that you know."
"Ugh," she sighed, hearing the old nickname making made her raw and homesick for someone else, "I swore. Seriously… Fucking weird…"
"You're probably just confused by all the shit going on around you. Sometimes I get like that - think I'm seeing people I recognize when really they're just strangers. Cool off, have fun." He cupped her chin and kissed her supple scarlet lips.

Image