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Nate Carlile

"I am the passenger,"

0 · 2,040 views · located in Booth Lane College

a character in “Skins: Secrets Out”, as played by LivyGrey

Description

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β•” β•—
Sarcastic || Entertaining || Trusting || Positive || Shy

[ The Passenger || Iggy Pop ]

"I am the passenger, I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped backsides
And everything looks good tonight"

β•š ╝





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Full Name: Nathan Carlile

Nicknames: Nate ( Everyone )

Age: 18

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Occupation: Student | Waiter | Mechanic

Religion: Agnostic (Learning towards theist)

Heritage: English

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Birth Day: 7th August

Birth Sign: Leo

Languages: English

School Year: 12







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β•” β•—
Compassionate || Caring || Difficult || Immature || Flirty

[ Heroes || David Bowie ]

"We could be heroes, for just one day,"

β•š ╝




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Family Members: Nate lost his family as a child, he only knew them in the years up until he turned 10. A car crash on route to his Birthday party stole the life of his brother, sister, mother and father. Nate only survived because he'd been sat in the middle seat of the back with nothing to fall into. He hasn't coped with this loss very easily but has recently pulled himself together.
Academic Career: An unsuccessful student, Nate has an arrange of D-C grades and the rest are all fails. He was very unsuccessful at GCSE and is expected to achieve all zilch at college on his A-Level courses. Nate though very charming, literate and thoughtful- he isn't a natural academic, so school was always a trouble for him but he achieved an A grade in English and has since taken multiple engineering, electronic, mechanics and computing courses and is quickly growing a reputation for his skills.
Future Plans: He's a hopeless romantic and dreams of finding someone to share his time with but career path wise, he isn't overly ambitious or wondering. He just wants to work in metal works, something that takes tinkering and something he can take pride in. Otherwise, he isn't that fussed.
Personality: Nate is a sociable guy, he likes meeting new people, making partying, hanging out and even just chilling around school but that doesn't take away from his naturally quite timid character though the truth of his lack of confidence is for the best part unknown to most because he glosses over it by naturally being quite charming and outing out the norm to reinforce this idea of him being confident and self assured because he tries to hide from people he isn't. Nate is really just somebody who wants to have fun, growing up in a very fortunate, financially secure family- he has little reason to worry about finding immediate work, getting into University or even with how he'd afford to go out on the weekend, it's all there for him. He probably won't even need to worry in the future, he's supported by an influential and powerful family so one of his short comings is that he doesn't always understand the need to work hard and be independent or why people can't come hang out with him every single weekend but he tries to acknowledge this flaw by being really generous and offering to give up things all the time and go out and do cheaper things than clubbing for example he'll always pay fuel money if he's given a lift and he'll buy the first round of drinks or the booze for a party, or pay the taxi- it's the little things behind the scenes that he tries to cover as much as possible because he does often find himself feeling guilty that he's in so much easier a position than the others but despite this he's a good listener and he'll let you talk about anything- he never judges, he's been told terrible things but he doesn't hold people to it, he has the morals of a saint except for marijuana he's record is clean but what rich boy doesn't dapple in drugs? He's a good person but he's incredibly protective and this can often drag him into unfortunate circumstances like fist fights or in people's bad books but he'll never let anyone walk alone. He could see someone who gave him hell alone on a park bench in town and he'd sit next to them, ask them what was up and if he could help- he just would and no body has ever been able to deny that. He may be naΓ―ve but he makes up for it in compassion and a golden heart.
Fears: Loss | Loneliness | Birds | Death | Snakes | Acid Rain | Confined Spaces
Quirks: He plays with his hair a lot and is prone to rubbing the back of his neck, twiddling his thumbs, biting his lip and swearing when he's nervous. He also accidentally sticks his pinkie finger when he's holding a glass. He's also massively known for raising his eye brow a lot and his friends insist he can raise his eyebrow in a million different ways but he doesn't see it.
Hobbies: Sports, he plays every game under the sun and at the most of them- he's naturally pretty good. He's also known to spend a lot of building and tinkering with cars and mechanics, it's expected he'll dive in to the luxury car industry very soon. He's sizing up courses and universities from all over the world to study his options in more depth.
Passions: Cars
Bad Habits: Swearing | Marijuana | Staying Out Late | Too Honest?
Guilty Pleasures: 80s movies
Likes: Cars | Sports | 80s Movies | Dogs & Cats | College | Friends | Gigs | Smoking | Joking Around | Pranks | Romance- He's a complete sucker, all or nothing kind of guy | Girls who aren't afraid to stand out | Looking after people | Talking | Listening | Easter | New Year's Eve | Carbonara | Caramel Lattes | Norway
Dislikes: Fighting | Reading | Academics | Being Alone | Supermarkets | Red Wine | Sitting Still | Confrontational Characters | Bullying | Marginalization | Depersonalization | Zoos, Safari Parks & Aquariums | Seeing people upset/alone | Letting people down | Action movies | Caroline Flack | Tea | Coca-Cola | France | England | Reptiles | Eating fish





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Head Strong|| Misguided || Lonely || Dependent || Adventurous

[ Bitter Sweet Symphony || The Verve ]

"I'm the son of rage and love,
The Jesus of Suburbia,"

β•š ╝





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Face Claim : Chance Crawford

Height: 6,2

Weight / Build : Athletic

Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde

Eye Colour: Blue

Other:







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Thoughtful || Handy || Charming || Understanding || Deep

[ The Blood || The Cure ]

"Tell me who doesn't love what can never come back?"

β•š ╝





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History: 2+ paragraphs

So begins...

Nate Carlile's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
Bella never stopped grinning or moving, not even for a second- her mouth felt dry from doing her best to sing along and keep up and her stomach ached like the worst cramp she'd ever had but then as if just after wards, she'd been trampled on by an overweight Clydesdale. She didn't give into it though, she wasn't going to let her Mother ruin this because Jamie and dance, to her that was all she really had left.

When the song ended Bella cheered louder than anyone, she didn't care if she looked a foul she was just so happy for Jamie to see him up there doing his thing and absolutely kicking ass at it. She whistled at the stage and smirked at him a little before her expression collapsed into slight laughter at her own ridiculousness.

A girl in the pit next to her poked her shoulder gently and Bella smiled at her, she was probably couple of years younger than her and appeared to by herself and this girl just grinned at her with cropped black hair and a crooked smile.

"The guy on keyboard keeps noticing you, lucky shit," She uttered to her and Bella laughed gently and beamed back at the girl.

"He's my best friend. He taught me how to play," She laughed and the girl looked surprised and full of disbelief.

"Really? You're bloody awesome," She gasped and Bella just smiled at her.

"Right back a y'," Bella chimed, smiling to herself. She forgot what it was like to be a fan-girl at a concert, the girl next to her had probably never heard Jamie before but in one concert had that ability to appreciate his talent and it made her smile because she forgot what that was like, to hear something new and being envious of anyone who'd gotten close to it. Like when she used to meet people at gigs who'd been to the band's last tour and had VIP passes or whatever, she'd just kind of forgotten what that was like and it was refreshing to be complimented too even if it was by a child who wouldn't ever even know her name. She made a vow to herself right then to make sure she told Jamie about this girl, she kind of figured it'd mean something to him that some one appreciated what he did and his music, so made a mental note of that before she let the thought go.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
"Trust me Elle, if I know one thing about this world which is incredibly unlikely judging by academic career it's that I'm the biggest idiot in it and I probably don't belong in this century or anyone- you're right and I'm a dick but I don't know what I can to change that except never do anything at all, I'm sorry, I'll try and not do anything, I swear," If he'd ever needed a blunt in his life it was now but he wasn't going to her let her down again now, he'd screwed up enough for one night even if it was inevitable he'd do it again because he was Nate, his whole life had been him screwing up- it's all his Dad reminded him of, maybe that's why he was never home anymore maybe he was sick of watching his son screw up. Nate had never been confident, his Mother and Father had both been highly intelligent, University graduates with promising careers and more positive qualities than pounds in the back and they were a well of family, Nate's mother had never needed to work she did it because she liked to and it was something Nate never understood. If she didn't need to work why didn't she do her hobbies instead? Foster a child like she always said she would once Nate was old enough to more or less take care of himself but that's maybe what set him apart from his Father, a lack of strive and ambition.

He sighed heavily to himself and closed his eyes, counting seconds in his head till the urge to curse was gone then he looked at Ellie.

"Let's go check Jamie and Bella aren't trying to crowd surf," He suggested with a wary and unconvincing smile. Falling out with Ellie had reminded him of his place, lower than everyone else and it brought a downer on his personality but he'd never properly explained his esteem to Ellie, he didn't want to give her the burden he troubled her enough as it was and it made him feel ungrateful- his life from the outside was picture perfect and it would be on the inside, if he just wasn't so fucking thick Pulling his sleeve over his hand, he dug his finger nails into his palm to keep himself grounded. Maybe he should just get himself another drink and keep going till he couldn't even raise a hand to wave goodbye.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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friday 4th september
club





Jamie wished it would never end. Despite the fact that he'd never played with any of them before, he was still incredibly relaxed. He was home. The singer started chatting to the crowd as the guitarist changed his guitar and played around with his setup.

"Oh, shit, I forgot to introduce somebody," he suddenly declared, provoking a laugh out of the crowd. "Those of you that have been to a few of our shows- all five of you, that is- may have noticed that this isn't our usual keyboardist. I can see some of you girls- and guys, actually- eying him up, so I'll introduce him. This is Jamie, and we owe him big time. He got us out of a tight spot, so everybody, give it up for Jamie!" He declared. The crowd started applauding and cheering, and Jamie grinned, taking a mouthful out of his water.

"Anyway, we've got two songs left to play for you beautiful people. So I want you guys to go absolutely fucking mental for these two songs, okay? And we will too," the singer said as the guitarist gave him a nod.


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friday 4th september
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Nate wasn't in great form, but neither was Ellie. She wasn't backing down, so she just nodded and headed back inside. Of course Bella was practically onstage, and Ellie could almost see the hearts floating above her head. She made her way towards the stage as the singer introduced Jamie. Ellie cheered, but couldn't clap as her arms were held in such a way as to make herself as small as possible as she negotiated the crowd.

Eventually, she got up to Bella. "How's the show?" She yelled. She didn't know if Nate was behind her, but she didn't check. He'd brought it on himself, really. He should have known by that point that she hated being treated like the weaker person. She knew that it was a complex, that it was really just her overcompensating. She could remember how weak she'd felt in her original recovery, and she could remember how much she'd hated it. And how ashamed she was of being seen in her therapist's office. And how ashamed she was every time she had to go in to get her methadone. She hated being weak.

The music was pretty damn good- she'd known Jamie was good, but he hadn't known exactly how good he was. It wasn't quite Queen, but she couldn't deny it was good.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
Bella grinned gently cheering a long with the crowd and then she smiled happily at Ellie. "Yeah he's- they're great," She corrected herself swiftly and listened to the introduction on stage contently, she was honestly so happy for him to see him up there doing what he loved. She looked over at Ellie and tried to work out how things had gone by her expression but she wasn't too sure- she still look kind of tense and she'd noticed Nate hadn't come back either but she wasn't sure if Ellie realised that.

"You okay?" She asked leaning over so she'd hear her but still having to move around so the crowd didn't crush her, she felt so small compared to everybody else but maybe that was because she was. She was kind of conscious how made weight she'd lost over the summer but she also figured it couldn't be a bad thing but it made her feel far more delicate and flimsy than she liked to admit it.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
Nate sighed and didn't follow Ellie into the crowd, he wasn't as 'punk' or whatever as the rest of them, if he listened to music it was weird things like Alt-J- not quite the metal and punk bands Jamie and Arabella seemed to adore so much. He could see the appeal- the energy, it was all raw and honest, he preferred it to pop music but he wasn't really into it and he definitely wasn't into arguing with Ellie so he kept back. He walked inside and then once Ellie had found her way back to Bella, he slipped outside again unnoticed because all he really wanted to was sit and smoke until his bones were chattering from the cold night air.

Why couldn't he just ever do the right thing? How could his parents be so intelligent and successful but himself so useless? It just wasn't fair. They didn't even go to his parents evenings anymore or ask about his tests because they knew what to expect and the same went for his social life and just about anything he tried his hand at. He could make cute little trinkets out of metal, fix a car or a bike but he just couldn't fix his own mistakes and he hated that about himself. He really hated it.

He leant on the wall leaning his head back against it and staring up at the darkening sky and the stars peeping through the clouds, everyone he knew had something about them that was sparkling, unique or bright like one of those stars but he couldn't see anything like that about himself- just foolishness.

So he did what everyone expected him to do, he fucked up. He rolled himself a roll-up cigarette and sparked it up, breathing it in deeply and holding the fumes for a moment before slowly exhaling it in well practiced rings. It almost made him laugh, the one thing he was good at wouldn't only kill him one day but would it mean the time damage everybody else too if they got close enough to breathe it in.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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friday 4th september
club





The atmosphere just seemed to be getting better and better as the night went on. He was just praying that this would be enough to hide him over for another few days. Just a few more days. The song they were playing was one of his personal favourites to play live, and he threw himself into it, barely glancing at the audience as he did so. However, when he did finally look up, Ellie had returned, minus Nate, and she didn't look happy. Their argument must have been worse than he'd thought. One without the other was a rare sight.

At the end of the song, somebody came onstage and whispered- to the singer. The singer didn't look particularly happy, but he nodded. "Sorry guys, but we've got to go. We've loved playing for you tonight! Our merch table's outside, and we'll be hanging there for a bit, so come say hi! Thank you!" He called. Music started blasting over the speakers as people started to filter out and the roadies came on to start dismantling the equipment.

"Hey, man, you did great!" The singer said, slapping Jamie on the shoulder. "If our keyboardist doesn't come back, fancy filling in permanently? I know you said you're in a band already, but we can work it!" He said enthusiastically. Jamie nodded, grinning. "Definitely!" He replied. "Awesome. Here, give me your number, and I'll get in contact at some point," the singer continued. They swapped numbers, and Jamie learned that the singer's name was Ivan. He headed back towards the others, but was stopped by a group of people, all intent on complimenting him.


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friday 4th september
club





If Nate had been there, and if they'd been on better terms, he and Ellie undoubtedly would have shared a grin at Bella's Freudian slip. But he wasn't, and Ellie didn't want to go looking for him. She just shrugged as Bella asked her if she was okay. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She'd gotten a little too good at telling that lie, but she didn't want to tell Bella everything that had happened, and then have to explain why it pissed her off so much. It was just better to leave it all unspoken.

"C'mon, let's go find your boyfriend," she said as the band left the stage. Jamie was deep in conversation with the singer, who Ellie recognised from somewhere. Probably a night out. Or she'd hooked up with him at some point. Either way, he was cute. Part of her brain reminded her that flirting with him would probably piss off Nate, and part of her brain was pleased at that idea.

"I'm going out to the merch table," she told Bella, before disappearing into the crowd again.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
Bella didn't know Ellie well enough to see through her comment, Bella was exceptional at lying, reading people and getting herself served but Ellie was better at lying and she was too caught up in the moment and the music to look into it properly- it was just so normal for Ellie and Nate to always be okay, so she just kind of assumed they were sorting it out and they'd be cool sooner or later.

At Ellie's comment she turned around very quickly and looked at her with an expression on her face which was about as serious as Bella's face ever got- "Hey, I know it's hardly a secret. I think I kind of told him anyway but please don't say anything in front of him- please?" She asked, she quite obviously didn't mean it any sort of a nasty way or offended away, she was still smiling but she was really nervous and embarrassed about it too. Where did she stand with him now? Did he even realise what she'd meant? She stopped asking herself questions there and then because she didn't want to spoil the mood and atmosphere. So she turned to Ellie and smiled at her brightly. "Yeah, come on," She agreed making her way over to Jamie and the band.

When she saw him, she grinned at him gently. When he was done talking to the singer and she could actually get to him through the crowd, she beamed at him happily- nodding at what Ellie said before she looked up at him. "You're basically already a rock star," She laughed. "They loved you," She complimented in a genuine tone.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
Nate didn't go back in, even from outside the venue he could hear Jamie and the band inside but he'd much rather be out here and he figured Ellie would want the same. He'd go home if he could but he didn't know if that'd make things better or worse in Ellie's eyes, so he sucked it up even though any joy had been drained from his face when he fell out with her. He was such an idiot and he knew it, he just didn't know what he could do about it.

His cigarette had grown short and the end was starting to scold his finger tips but it was keeping him warm even if it did kind of hurt. He sighed and tried to get one last puff out of it and then flicked it on the ground and stumped it out by his foot. A girl and two guys were passing him on the way into the club but then one of the guys stopped and asked them if he could have a smoke quickly and then he seemed to get kind of pissed and frantic.

"Ah shit, I don't even have a fucking lighter," He growled at the ground and Nate looked over at them and offered his out to them wordlessly.

"Cheers mate," The guy almost chuckled a bit as he took it of him and lit a cigarette.

"No problem," Nate replied, he looked at the pack in his jean pocket and then uttered fuck it to himself and rolled up another taking his precious time to ensure it was perfectly done before popping it between his teeth and sparking it up again.

"You look too posh to smoke," The girl chimed at him and Nate looked at her, his brow quirked questioning.

"You can be posh and stupid," He told her like it was a joke but his sombre mood drowned it with sincerity she didn't pick up on and she just laughed.

"Like David Cameron,"

"Sure," Nate didn't even look at her- he was completely disinterested in the conversation, he'd only offered up his lighter to the guy because if he was gagging for a cigarette that much he'd like to think someone would do the same for him. The girl seemed to take the hint though and turned her attention back to her friends. "Let me steal a puff Drew," She begged and Nate sighed walking a few paces further down the high street so he didn't have to listen to them whilst he was trying to unwind again.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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friday 4th september
club





He grinned as Bella approached. Some of the girls in the group raised their eyebrows at his reaction to her. He laughed at her comment. "Thanks! I forgot how good it feels to be on stage in front of an actual crowd," he remarked. "Dude, you would have thought you did it every night by the way you performed up there," one of the guys remarked. "How long's it been since you played live?"

Jamie had to think about that, glancing at Bella. "God, a few months. The summer was ridiculously quiet when it came to gigs," he said. "Well, fuck me. I thought you were going to say a week or something," the same guy replied. "Anyway, we'll leave you guys alone now. But well done!"

Jamie thanked the group, before turning back to Bella. He noticed the lack of people with her and raised an eyebrow. "Where's Nate and Ellie?" He asked. "And what happened in there? Everything seemed to be happening pretty fast, I barely had time to make sense of one thing before something else happened. Ellie looked mad as hell, anyway, that much I do know," he remarked. Then again, he'd heard that it didn't take much to set her off. At least some of the rumours about her had to be true- he just didn't know which.


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friday 4th september
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It didn't take Ellie long to find the merch table. She didn't even as much as look around for Nate. If he was around, so be it- if not, she didn't care. She worked her way up to the table itself, catching the attention of one of them. Not the singer, but he was just as, if not better looking, so she didn't particularly care. She had a feeling he was the guitarist.

"Hey, you were awesome up there!" She said as she got up to him. He grinned, ruffling his hair a little. "Thanks! Yeah, we felt like it was a good show. There was a great atmosphere off of the crowd, which definitely helps," he said. She nodded, starting to play with her hair. "Well, it's easy to give off good vibes when a bunch of talented people are playing great music," she said, grinning at him. He laughed a little in response. "I'm Ellie," she said, holding out a hand. He took it. "Alex," he replied.

"So, are you going to buy anything? We've still got to earn our gas money to the next gig," he joked. She nodded, looking over the table. "What are your favourite things?" She asked. "Well, of course I've got to offer you our CD. And I actually helped design this sweatshirt!" He said, holding up the sweatshirt. It was definitely her favourite thing of everything she saw, and she grinned. "Oh, wow! You're so talented," she said, forgetting to be flirtatious. But that seemed to work better, and he beamed at her. "Thanks. And can I give you my number as well?" He asked, blurting it out. Ellie nodded in response, holding out her phone.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
Bella noticed the girls and their expressions, of course she did Bella didn't miss a beat but she just smirked at them gently rolling her eyes a little as she looked up at Jamie. She listened to the compliments and praise that just rolled his way from the band and the surrounding cluster of fans- mainly girls Bella noticed but that's the way it tended to be with things and she couldn't judge, she'd queued at merchandise tables practically crying at just the idea of meeting her favourite band, she kind of missed those days- she hadn't been to a proper gig for ages. She was still clinging onto hope Green Day would tour again but it seemed unlikely.

"Some guy was hitting on Ellie, she was like no, Nate was like pow and Ellie was like what the fuck, they had a row- I was like shi-t," She dramatized the word 'shit' slightly prolonging it before shrugging her shoulders with a sigh. "Honestly, I think Ellie just has a couple of pride issues or something. Nate didn't mean anything, he was just trying to look after her- you know what he's like," She spoke calmly because she knew the sourness wouldn't last. "They're pissed at each other I think Ellie must have hit a nerve because he isn't inside but they'll be fine. It's Nate and Ellie- they're always fine," She reminded. She'd never thought Ellie and Nate ever argued or disagreed, they were always joined at the hip so she'd just always made the assumption their lives were sunshine and rainbows but she could see through it now, they both clearly had something go on to be that pissed off about the smallest incident- they'd both done worse.

"How was it though? Being on stage again, it looked pretty awesome from where I was standing," She chimed softly wanting to talk about the positive events of the evening rather than the negative ones. There was no point discussing Nate and Ellie for many reasons but primarily it wasn't their business and though Bella was the kind of girl who saw everything and knew most things, she wasn't one to talk she linked to think she wasn't the kind to gossip- bitch perhaps under appropriate circumstances but she didn't gossip there was no point to it in her opinion.

There were still girls watching, listening, judging and asking questions out loud and to their friends but Bella didn't seem to take any notice, they reminded her of girls at school- nit picking the fine details of her clothing and style, her friends and her choice of presentation and she'd learnt to block that out long ago and this proved to be no more difficult.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
Nate could see Ellie at the merchandise table chatting away with the natural charisma of hers he'd always secretly envied and he just sighed, telling himself he didn't care and drawing his second cigarette up to his lips and inhaling the intoxicating fumes deeply so they shook his chest. He half wanted to go find Bella and Jamie because he hated being alone but in a way, he thought that might be even lonelier considering how close the two were. He bit the inside of his cheek and tapped the cigarette letting his arm rest by his thigh as he tapped it boredly.

He thought to himself as he smoked, which many people would insist he didn't do a lot of. Thinking. He was constantly questioned on his thinking.

What were you thinking?
Do you really think?
For god's sake think Nate
Did you for a second think?

Think.

He sighed and a slight touch of anger boiled in his blood but considering it was Nate all it meant was that he flicked at his zipper lighter with a sad thrown, he didn't even swear or clench his teeth. He just held his cigarette between his teeth and with his spare hand, flicked his lighter on and then off again watching the warm orange flame appear and disappear as it pleased. It burnt so brightly, it wasn't always easy to look at it from so close and the centre of the flame caught his eye where it was slightly white but he couldn't bear to gaze at it long. He took in a deep breath before he inhaled the air of his cigarette making the decision he'd go find Bella and Jamie after he finished it because they'd agreed to go out together as group and he wouldn't fuck that up for everyone anymore than he already had because he may not know everything but it was no secret Bella and Jamie had a shit week and he wasn't going to let it be even worse because he couldn't think.

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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friday 4th september
club





Jamie rolled his eyes at the story. He wasn't entirely surprised. Ellie and Nate were both hotheads, and they would have to clash over something like that, and they'd both be too goddamn stubborn to back down over it. Still, by Monday, they'd probably be best friends again.

"Yeah, it was insane- in the best way possible," he said, laughing a little. "I really need to do it more often," he said. And now there was a chance that it was going to happen. He was almost hoping that their keyboardist didn't come back, so that he could take his place. He knew that if he was going to be saved, it would be music that saved him. And he knew that he needed it, more badly than he'd ever needed anything.

"So, are we going to stick around here for a little longer? Or are we going to go somewhere else?" he asked, looking around. One of the bigger bands were starting to set up now, and there was a bit of a lull in the atmosphere. The bar was starting to get busy again. He knew it would be worth waiting around for the band, but at the same time, the others might have been sick of it by that point.


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friday 4th september
club





"Thanks," she said, grinning at him as she took back her phone. "So, have you got any other gigs coming up? I think I might have to come along and see you again," she said. He shook his head, grimacing a little. "Nope. Things have gone a little quiet now. We were hoping that the band playing tonight might consider having us as support on their upcoming tour, but we haven't had any luck yet," he said. She frowned. "Aw, man, that's a shame. But, if you're not going to have to run off to get to your next show, then maybe we could hang out for a bit?" She asked, grinning. He nodded.

"Definitely sounds good to me. Give me a minute, and then I'm all yours," he said, disappearing to talk to some of the band. He was only a minute before he returned. "Right, so what're we going to do?" he asked. "My friends are inside- let's go meet up with them first. If you want to hang out just me and you, just say the word, and we can go somewhere else. I just don't want to disappear on them!" She said, pulling him back inside to find Jamie and Bella.

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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
"I don't mind Ellie's checking out the merchandise and Nate's pissed off. So I'm happy to go with whatever you guys want to do, you know me I'm chill- why'd you even ask?" She laughed gently offering a bright smile. "And you should do it more often and you could, even the band seemed pretty hyped about your performance tonight," She reminded, she was honestly so caught up in being happy for Jamie and his success in the evening that she kind of forgotten of her own looming misery and the pain in her stomach was fairly numbed from alcohol and all the second hand smoke from Nate smoking like a chimney since they'd been out. It was the selfless side of her, she forgot herself because she was too busy celebrating or protecting everybody else.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she grinned over at Jamie and looked around at people hanging around by the venue. She looked at him and tried reading his expression and she laughed a little.

"You want to stick around for the band don't you? We can stick around, I don't mind," She chimed softly running her hand through her hair and swiftly brushing it down one shoulder the way she always wore it and had a habit of styling it to.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
Nate cringed inwardly as he glared at the wall and part of him wanted to swing for it, just to let the out energy but that would just be another exhibit of his stupidity and he was ever growing in his frustration because he couldn't shake it off his mind how useless he was. God, Ellie had better odds in a fight than him- why'd he even bother?

Was it sexist?

Was he sexist?

He'd hate himself if he was because he'd always tried to be non-judgemental, accepting, fair and unbiased but was he just shooting himself in the foot?

That was one of his largest flaws- the obsessiveness. No, he didn't get psychopathic obsessions with girls or anything but he never knew how to let anything go or accept things, everything he did that he knew he was capable of doing he had to do to the best level- his mechanics for example, his hair, tidying his room. The things he had the potential to show any level of skill at it, he let himself be controlled and possessed by it and give it his all and maybe that was because it'd make up for everything else he was shit at.

He prolonged the last drag of his cigarette and procrastinated before he went back inside but he practiced smiling to himself for a second, so he no one would know any better when he went back inside and nodded to the group he'd leant his light to politely.

"Cheers for the lighter man," The guy called and Nate shrugged at him.

"It's cool," Nate told him. The girl caught his arm on his way in and looked up at him and Nate sighed.

"Fancy a drink?" She asked and Nate shook his head gently.

"I came here with some people. I should go find them. She's already pissed off enough," He didn't mean to finish his sentence the way he had but he shrugged it off and wandered back inside and started looking around for the others.

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friday 4th september
club





"Yeah," he admitted, grinning a little bashfully. "I've seen the next band live before, they're incredible. If you thought the buzz was good when we were on stage, wait until these guys get on. But first," he said, taking her hand and starting to pull her through the crowd, "Let's get another drink." A lot of people at the bar recognised him, but he used that to his advantage, working his way up to the bar itself as he chatted about the show. Yes, he'd gotten lessons as a kid. Yes, they'd been classical lessons. He'd taught himself to play keys for rock music. Yes, really. Yes, he was in a band, but things were a bit weird with it.

Eventually, he escaped and turned to the bartender, shaking his head. "Two vodka and cokes," he ordered, knowing that Bella would drink whatever she was given. She was like him, in that regard. Well, he doubted she'd drink some of the shit he had to buy to be able to afford his drinking habit, but in a club, she'd drink just about anything. He scanned the crowd. "Jesus, that must have been some hell of an argument. I can see Ellie, but she's not with Nate. Did she punch him or something?" he asked, laughing a little as Ellie approached.


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friday 4th september
club





It took Ellie a minute to spot Jamie and Bella. It took them several minutes to traverse the dance floor, because Liam kept meeting people, and they kept talking to him about the show, and then the whole cycle would repeat. But Ellie didn't mind. The more time she spent with him, the more she actually wanted to hang out with him- and not just to piss off Nate. He seemed pretty cool. Even if they didn't hook up, just hanging out together seemed like a good idea.

But, she reminded herself, that could result in something serious. That could result in her having to let him in, in him seeing all of her dirty secrets. And even Nate didn't get to know them. If she could have her way, her parents wouldn't either. So this all just had to be a fling, or else purely just to piss Nate off.

She beamed as they reached the others. "Hey guys! This is Alex- well, Jamie, you already know him," she said, laughing a little. "We're probably going to head off after this, by the way, so if I disappear all of a sudden, don't worry," she said.

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Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Pink Floyd
β€» With: Jamie
Bella smiled gently at him. "Then we'll stay," She agreed lightly holding onto his hand tightly because she could have sworn the crowd was intent on crushing her as they tried to slip through it up to the bar. She laughed softly to herself as she watched Jamie chatting away to anyone who came up with a question, she couldn't think of the last time she'd seen Jamie look so natural and confident- she honestly didn't remember, maybe it was a first. She joined his side at the bar, laughing relief that they've managed to escape the pressing crowd.

"That guy he threw himself at it did it for her. I think it split his cheek open a bit," She admitted cringing slightly. "He's okay though. I'm sure his Mum will kiss it better when it goes home," Her words were meant a joke about how openly Nate was a typical 'Mummy's boy' and though you couldn't tell out loud, when the words formed in her head they came out dry and slightly sour and her free hand grazed subconsciously over the part of her stomach where she knew her bandage was and then she sighed and moved her hand to accept her drink from the bar instead.

"Cheers," She chimed touching her glass to Jamie's before she took a quick drink and then looked over at Ellie as she came bounding over wrapped around one of the guys Jamie had been performing with. "Well you'd look at there we're with the band," Bella joked lightly smiling awkwardly.

Where was Nate?

"Nice to meet you, great show by the way. Hey El- is Nate alright? I didn't see him come back in. Did he pass out from the one shot he took or something?" She tried to ask the question humorously for the sake of the atmosphere but she was slightly concerned- Nate was a total airhead, drunk or sober and he was probably stoned too by this hour and in the middle of the city there was limitless trouble that moron could get himself into.




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Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit

β€» Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
β€» Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
β€» With: Ellie
Bella didn't see Nate come back in because he never did come back in, she would have seen him otherwise but at the door he'd noticed Ellie had gone up to the group again with that same guy from the merchandise table and he couldn't be arsed with it so he text Jamie wishing to avoid contact with Ellie as much as possible for the mean time.

To: that Jamie dude from music
i've ran out of filters. going to find a shop. text me if you guys go anywhere else and i'll catch up.

Though the text didn't tell the whole truth, it told enough of it. He was genuinely going to go to find a shop and to by a pack of roll ups but not because he'd run out of filters, it was more for the excuse of going somewhere else where Ellie wasn't about to fuck with his head. He liked to think she didn't mean to and somewhere she knew that he wasn't trying to get on her nerves and he was just genuinely highly unintelligent but part of him wondered if she did get that but just didn't really care.

Fuck!

He sighed and walked back out of the club, basically walking into the girl who'd been trying to get his attention earlier and she looked slightly startled and he looked at her guiltily.

"Oh shit, I'm really sorry. Bad night- I was in a rush, I didn't see you. You alright?" He rambled, she nodded and the two guys who were still smirking arched their brows at him and Nate just shrugged at them honestly. He genuinely didn't know what he was doing or anything else really.

"Nah it's cool. Don't worry about it. But whoever's pissed off with you- y'know, you mentioned it earlier when I was slagging off David Cameron a bit. She's really thick, you seem pretty decent from the approximately 17 words I've heard you say," She shrugged before smiling at him and Nate just kind of laughed.

"Compare it to her 17 hundred thousand that she's heard me say and you've got 17 hundred thousand reasons she'd tell you I'm not pretty decent, I've got to go but enjoy your evening," He told her briskly before making his way down the street and looking for any sign of somewhere he'd find a pack of roll ups but also for the longest route to get there.

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile
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saturday 12th september
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A week had passed since the gig, and Jamie had majorly crashed. He'd been in school, if only to convince the others that he was fine- but in reality, he was far from it. And now he had a campout to deal with. It had seemed like a great idea at the time, but he was starting to second guess that decision. He was glad that they were going to be sleeping outside, at least, because it was an excuse to sleep in long sleeves and long bottoms. Nobody would think twice about it, which was exactly what he wanted. They probably already had an idea that something was wrong, so he couldn't add more fuel to that fire. They had to think he had just had a few off days, that was all. Not that he wanted to throw himself off of a freaking bridge or something.

He started emptying his stash into a duffel bag. As far as any of the others knew, he'd bought and "borrowed" it for the campout. He totally hadn't been hiding it under his bed for weeks. He'd come close to smashing some of the bottles recently, but thankfully hadn't. Once the duffel bag had a believable amount of alcohol in it- which, to be fair, was the vast majority of his stash- he threw a change of clothes and some essentials into it, before slinging it over his shoulder and heading out.

His mom had agreed to let him have the car for the weekend, and he retrieved the keys to it as he left. He called a brief goodbye before heading out to the car and throwing the bag in and getting in himself. Even as he drove towards their agreed meeting site, the tension in his bones didn't ease at all. He just wanted to go back and get back into bed and sleep. But, he told himself, they would undoubtedly be getting drunk, which was almost as good.


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saturday 12th september
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It was weird not being over at Nate's, getting ready before this kind of thing. They had hardly spoken since the previous Friday, and she honestly didn't give a shit. He might have been her best friend and everything, but he was fucking clingy, and she was glad to have a bit of a respite from his bullshit. She was glad that Bella and Jamie were going to be there- they'd hold them back if things went wrong. She'd been tempted to invite Alex, but wasn't sure if that was too much or not. She'd decided against it- but she wasn't beyond texting him to come if Nate was acting like an idiot.

She threw some old clothes into her backpack, as well as a bottle of vodka she'd managed to buy without her parents noticing. As far as they knew, she was just bringing a 12 pack of Coke. She retrieved the said 12 pack from the end of her bed, before scraping her hair into a messy pony tail, pulling on her parka, and headed out. She drove herself to the campsite. It was only thirty minutes away on foot, but she didn't feel like carrying the multipack of Coke all that way. So instead, she just drove, making things much easier for herself. She was the first there, unsurprisingly, so she turned the stereo up full, blasting out My Chemical Romance, put her feet up on the dash and waited for somebody else to arrive.

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott
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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
β€» With: No One
Bella was shitting herself. She'd told the group she'd managed to get permission off her Mother to go off camping this weekend but she hadn't breathed a word of it to her Mother, she hadn't even been allowed to leave the house since of her night out with Jamie and everyone. She hadn't been allowed to, she'd got so claustrophobic she'd started smoking in the attic because the colder temperature made her feel smaller and the room feel larger, she'd been denied food most days as well and she was terrified people would notice she was getting skinnier. None of her t-shirts and jumpers fit properly anymore, they all slipped off her shoulders and Bella was trying to pretend it was some new style of hers but the clothes were old ones, they'd recognise them for sure and know better but Bella was trying to kid herself just so she'd have the confidence to go.

She'd tried to cheer herself up by braiding her and spending a bit more time on her make-up than she normally would, she listened to some of her favourite songs and put her Green Day CDs in the car she'd borrowed off of a school friend in return to get served whenever Bella was working in the club. Bella thought she'd gotten the better end of the deal but she couldn't care less either way- she was going to the camp out.

She was just waiting for her Mother to go out to her Pilates group and then she'd pack up and go. She had her bag with two bottles of vodka and two bottles of coke, a small amount of weed and a number of extra layers and changes of clothes for herself. She'd also grabbed blankets, speakers and woolly socks and forced it all into that one bags, the only thing she had to left to do was sneak out and to buy snacks on route to the camp. She was kind of worried about seeing everyone today, they'd inevitable ask questions about where she'd been all weak but Bella had decided she'd tell everyone she'd had her stomach bug and kind of milked it for a couple of days too and she'd probably tell Jamie the truth but only if he second guessed her original story.

After what felt like hours of waiting, she finally saw her Mum's car disappear down the road through her bedroom window and Bella practically cheered. She grabbed her bag and some random albums to take with her for the car journey and walked down the street to where she'd hidden the car round the corner then she climbed in and was finally on the road.

On the way, she picked up as many random snacks and additional drinks she could afford than she ten minutes later, she was first to arrive on site and as far as she could remember, Nate was bringing the tents so she turned her stereo right up blasting the 'American Idiot' album and walked round to sunbathe in the open back of the truck whilst she smoked a joint to try and chill out the adrenaline rush she'd gotten from sneaking out the way she had.




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Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit

β€» Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
β€» Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
β€» With: Sky
Nate had only just started waking up and he only woke up because Skylar turning her head had tickled his chin with how her hair grazed over the freshly shaven skin. He chuckled slightly and sat up rubbing his naked shoulder which kind of ached from how he'd slept. Besides him, Skylar was still asleep and by the looks of it was wearing his shirt and it kind of made his stomach churn because it was the same one Ellie usually nicked but he'd been too stoned to realise it the night before.

He'd met the exchange student the next day at school after the night at the club, they'd gotten on really easily after they were partnered in up design tech to work on a project and naturally with Nate being recently scorned and on twice as much weed as was usual for him, he'd embraced the idea of seeing the girl and they'd be sleeping together but today was the first time he'd really regretted it, not because of Sky or anything but just because of why he was doing it.

He was only doing it because he was a self-destructive arsehole because he wanted Ellie to find out and remember he existed because he knew the only way he was going to talk to her again now was to piss her off enough to get her to hit him or something, maybe- just maybe, that was his subconscious was making him do. He rolled out of bed and showered quickly before he decided to get dressed and wake up Sky.

"Hey Sky, we gotta go. The others will have left by now. We should get going. Have you met any of them yet by the way? They're cool, but the swear like sailors just to warn you," He told her trying to act casually because he really wasn't used to waking up to a girl in his bed when it was only really a fling.


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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Excited - Bubbly
β€» Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
β€» With: Nate
.Sky rolled when she heard Nate and the French (recently) transferred student, sat up with blinking eyes and then her wide eyes turned to Nathaniel and she nodded calmly swinging herself out of bed and getting up. She'd got a bag of things for the camp out by Nate's drawers so she picked it up and grabbed an outfit out and whilst Nate was busying himself tidying his room and making the bed, she dressed herself in tight skinny jeans and a rich black blouse before putting her earrings in and slipping into her boots.

She turned to look at Nate over her shoulder as he was talking to her and she shook her head before speaking softly but in an accent that was very distinctively French. "No," She replied. "But I'm looking forward to it," She told him politely laughing softly when he described them. "They sound great," She commented in a genuine tone.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come though? I know you asked Jamie but will everyone will be okay with it?" She asked softly and Nate just nodded.

"They'll have to be. Because I'm not third wheeling with Bella and Jamie even if they won't call it official yet," He chuckled smiling at her. "You already to go? I packed my stuff into the car last night so if you've got everything you need, we can leave now and hopefully meet them on time and grab food on route if you're hungry," Sky smiled gently at him and nodded.

"Oui merci," She chimed playfully, flinging her hair down one shoulder and running her hands through it looking in a mirror from her make-up bag. She made natural beauty look easy and she knew that which gave her a slightly distasteful personality but very few people could blame her for it, especially when some many people- even 'gentlemanly' guys like Nate, welcomed her with open arms.

"Let's get this show on the road then," The French girl giggled leaning over to briefly kiss Nate merely for the fun of it before rushing her way downstairs with her bag and leading the way to the car. Cringing, Nate followed her looking at the shirt on the floor and he didn't know what annoyed him about it more, that he'd let Sky get away with wearing it or that it'd been chucked on the floor.

Sky was flaunting herself with confidence like she always did, a lot of people had asked questions about the gorgeous blonde who just out of no where appeared on campus claiming to have a holiday home in Orlando and Canada as well as a successful modelling career ahead of her and for a few days people had been really into trying to get into her life but the majority of people had grown bored of her but that was why she was trying to make an effort. She'd heard a lot about Nate's friends- they were the cool crowd, everybody seemed to know them around school and she'd certainly heard a lot about that Bella girl, she seemed to know how to draw attention to herself. Apparently she'd dumped her ex-boyfriend by punching him in the face was now screwing her best friend who was in a band? She'd heard so many rumours about the group she couldn't keep them clear in her head but she wasn't going to judge them- she thought they all sounded so awesome and down to earth, she just wished she possessed reputations and characters like theirs. Everybody just saw her body and her bank account, no body cared about anything else she had or did but she was going to prove herself. She was determined and it started tonight with this camp out.

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He lived perhaps the furthest away from the campsite, which gave him plenty of time to compose himself. His speakers were turned up to the full, blasting Of Mice and Men in his face. He allowed the music to distract and relax him as much as possible, trying not to think about what was ahead of him. Part of his brain reminded him that he needed to be careful, that he needed to regulate his drinking so that the others didn't notice. And part of him wanted to get so flat out drunk that he didn't care about the others or what they thought.

As he drove, he took deep breaths, trying to make sure that he'd appear composed when he reached them. Bella had surely picked up on the fact that he wasn't on form- but hopefully she didn't have any idea of how bad it was. And he intended on keeping it that way. Sure, she'd seen him through panic attacks before, but this was difference. This was hard proof of how much a fuck-up he was, and would be the thing that drove her away for once and for all. The guys in the band had been impressed by what he'd shown them- but that wasn't the depths of what he felt. That was the bare surface.

The band. That was a good thing to think about. They'd met up during the week, and they'd briefed Jamie on what was going on. Their keyboardist was taking a break from touring to try and sort out his personal life, so they wanted Jamie to fill in until further notice. And if the keyboardist decided to leave altogether, Jamie was in as a full member. Which was insane- they played bigger crowds than he ever had with Celine, and apparently there was a chance they'd be doing a full UK tour, supporting a pretty big band. It was only as the very first support act, the one that some people didn't even bother being there for- but still, it was something.

The thought of actually being able to play music for a living was insane. It seemed closer than ever now, and Jamie felt so much better as he thought about it.


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saturday 12th september
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Before the first track was even over, Ellie noticed another car. It might have been there before she pulled in, or it might have only just pulled in then. She hadn't noticed, if she was honest. It was unfamiliar, but she spotted a familiar female figure in the back of it. She retrieved two cans of coke and got out of the car, heading over to Bella. She climbed into the back of the truck and sat down beside the other girl, holding out the can.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" She asked, despite the fact that she already had. Ellie just didn't feel like being alone- not if she was going to have to deal with Nate for however long. Her anger and frustration had subsided somewhat, but her pride meant that she wasn't going to back down. And besides, she was still kinda mad at him.

Part of her wanted to ask Bella for some of the joint, but she didn't. She knew that weed was nowhere near the worst of what she'd done in her time, but she still didn't want to go back down that road. A relapse of any kind could set her back in her recovery, and she didn't want that.

"If I go to swing at Nate, you'll hold me back, right?" She said, only half-joking.

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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
β€» With: No One
Bella turned her head as a car pulled up but she didn't get up. "Hey Ellie- how you doing?" She called over grinning lightly at her. "Cheers," She added gratefully when Ellie passed her a drink. "I've got some booze in the back of the truck if you want anything by the way and of course not, get your ass up here," She laughed softly trying to keep her mood light and free although things at home this week with her Mother had been worse than ever she was in high spirits to have some time away with her friends and Jamie- she was especially glad she'd get to see him because she hadn't even been able to text him properly in the week whilst she'd been trapped in her bedroom at her. She was incredibly conscious of her decreasing weight but she figured Jamie wouldn't comment because he knew what her situation was like at the minute and no one else was likely to feel comfortable enough to ask anyway, so she assured herself it'd be fine and pushed the thought to back of her mind.

She spent a long moment inhaling from the joint and then breathing it out in practiced circles falling back against the truck and sighing with her knees folded so they pointed up at the sun and ran at a perfect right angle to her body which was parallel with the Earth and the sky.

"Only if you're out of reason. You guys still not cool yet?" She asked softly. "I thought you guys would have figured it out by now, you usually do. What's changed hey?" she queried gently in a genuine tone as apposed to a nosy one, she wanted to know more so she could try and help rather than for the sake off gossip. "is it to do with the French bitch?" She asked, admittedly she was jumping to conclusions but it wasn't unlikely.




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Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit

β€» Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
β€» Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
β€» With: Sky
"So Sky, did I explain who we're meeting? You'll like them. They're really..." He paused for a long while trying to think of the best way to describe them and it took so long the air was starting to feel thin and he felt slightly awkward. "Out there." He finished eventually. "Yeah, they're really out there. Bella and Jamie, they're incredibly musical. He's gotten himself involved with this ace rock band at the minute and it really looks good for him from what I've heard and Bells- she plays a bit of everything really but I think she's more of the dancing kid, I remember she was in my form in Year 7 and when they asked us what we wanted to do when we grew up, she said Angelina Ballerina. At the time it was supposed to be hilarious but she's close to it," He laughed and Sky laughed too, smiling over at him with genuine interest.

"They sound awesome," She chimed and Nate nodded, trying incredibly hard not to think about Ellie. He was torn between desperate to see her and wanting to keep her as far away from him as possible. His mother had been asking a lot of questions; Haven't see Ellie this week- she ok? and when Nate was trying to get out of going to school she'd try to bribe him with Oh look, suck it up today for me just this once and you can call Ellie over for tea . He hadn't told her about anything that had happened. He didn't want to disappoint her because sometimes he really thought the middle aged woman loved Ellie more than she loved her onlyson.

"They are," Nate grumbled miserably. "There's Ellie too- she's...spirited," He told her quietly. "I'm gonna be honest with you. She wants my guts for garters at the minute, so if she takes it out on you- it's not personal. She just really fucking hates me," He sighed. Two parked cars came into his vision and he spotted the girls crashing out in the back of a truck he was fairly certain he'd never, ever seen Arabella drive- had she nicked it? He wouldn't put it past her but he really doubted she had. He pulled up next to Arabella's truck and took a deep breath before climbing out.

"Y'alright?" He greeted trying to sound cheerful.


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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Excited - Bubbly
β€» Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
β€» With: Nate
Sky had her earphones in for most of the journey but she took them out when Nate started describing his friends to her and his fall out with Ellie and she cringed. She felt really bad for him, from what she'd seen over the last week he was a really nice and genuine guy, bit annoying and a bit of a downer though but she couldn't make an assumption about him based on that.

"Oh shit I'm sorry. I'm sure you guys can sort it out," She uttered uncomfortably. She was relieved when the car pulled up because watching Nathaniel wind himself up and get stressed out was starting to influence her own mood and mentality.

She bounced out the car after Nate and brushed off her shirt pulling her hair down one shoulder and she smiled at them both really happily, brightly and in an incredibly friendly manner.

"Bonj-, sorry no. Urm hey, Arabella and Ellie right?" She asked lightly walking over to them.

Nate stood between them and gestured. "Bella, Sky. Sky, Bella. She's the French new student, she wanted to meet some people and I mentioned you guys so here she is," He explained with a defeated shrug. He didn't even look at Ellie because he didn't want to let her ruin his weekend but it was killing him. It was really killing him. That was the only reason he'd really slept with Sky, was to try and stop himself from missing her but it wasn't that simple and he'd known that when he'd tried it but he'd been hoping but it really wasn't that simple and there wasn't even enough weed in the world to make him get over it either because he'd tried that too. Sky had been complaining because he'd been smoking like a chimney all week apparently.

Sky smiled really invitingly, warmly and kindly. She presented herself as being especially bubbly and polite because she wanted to appeal to the girls- they were both incredibly cool, like she'd imagined from what Nate had said about them and it made her feel incredibly self-conscious because she wasn't as bold as them or distinctive and quirky, the brunette looked like she could rule a kingdom as she laid back with her head held with regal confidence and an overwhelming smirk.

"You alright Frog?" She asked her and Sky smiled gently, laughing off the greeting. She'd expected teasing and derogatory remarks- she was the newbie it was bound to happen and regardless, it didn't come off as offensive either almost more like automatic acceptance. Sky felt like her reaction to this was the most important thing under the sun so she bit her tongue and considered it.

"I'm good. You alright Pommie?" She replied and the brunette- she thought her name might be Bella smirked at her and rolled her eyes.

"Nicely played," She commented before looking away from Sky at the blonde girl, who Sky presumed was Ellie and the moment she properly looked at her, Sky felt almost immediately intimidated and shut down by her.

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott
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saturday 12th september
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The thought of travelling the world, playing music every single night, was enough to calm him down. Well, that and the music pounding through his bones. He knew that his hearing would more than likely be shot by the time he was forty- but if he lived that long, it would be enough of an achievement that he probably wouldn't care. For him, making it to the end of the year would be enough achievement. But for now, he was okay. He kept telling himself that as he approached the campsite. On seeing it, it was oddly familiar and strange at the same time. He'd been here so much with Bella when he was younger- but that had been so long ago. A lifetime ago.

As he pulled up, he took a moment to survey the scene. Bella and Ellie, chilling in the back of Bella's truck. And Nate with... Oh. An unfamiliar blonde, who, hair colour aside, could not have been more different to Ellie. This girl was gorgeous- but in a pristine, polished kinda way. Ellie was pretty- but in the same way as a fire or a thunderstorm is pretty. He didn't know if it was a deliberate jab at Ellie or not, but he could see things getting messy in the near future. Hauling his bag out of the car, he headed over to them.


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Ellie's head snapped around to look at Bella so fast, she nearly gave herself whiplash. "What French bitch?" She demanded. But before she could get an answer, the aforementioned pair pulled up. Ellie allowed her expression to harden again, staring them down as they approached. The girl was fucking stunning- all money and soft edges and fancy clothes. And besides the blonde hair, she couldn't have been further from Ellie. She was even taller than Ellie.

She continued staring them both down through the interaction. Ellie wanted to hate the girl- who Nate had introduced as Sky- but the truth was, she seemed so genuinely nice and bubbly and warm. She was literally the complete opposite of Ellie, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt like it was deliberate.

But she didn't need to hate Sky, she realised. Sky probably had no clue of what was happening- after all, wasn't she the new French exchange student? She'd heard that Nate was hanging around her, alright. And so her plan was formed. It was Nate she was going to tear down, piece by piece- not Sky. Unless she found out that she deserved it. In that case, she'd take her down as well.

She typed out a quick text to Alex. "Hey, boy. Everybody else here at this campout is in couples- feel like coming and keeping me company? xx"

smiled at Sky. "Hey, I'm Ellie. Forget what you've heard about me, because I daresay none of it's true," she said, laughing a little. The girl had been in school for however long, she'd undoubtedly heard some rumour about Ellie. Ellie turned to Bella. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention it- I invited Alex, the guy I met at the gig last week. That okay?" She said. She didn't as much as glance at Nate. Two could play at this game.

"Oh, Bella, Jamie's here. Jamie, this is Sky. Sky, this is Jamie. Jamie's fluent in French, so you'll have someone to bitch about us to," she said, laughing a little.

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott
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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
β€» With: No One
Bella visibly cringed at the whole situation and practically leapt out the truck to go see Jamie for an excuse to get out of it but she did take the time to shout back at Ellie.

"Chienne! Je parle français aussi, parfaitement ainsi!" Bella had been fluent in French for a long while, she'd been learning back when she still lived in Chelsea probably even before Jamie started learning the language and she didn't usually boast about it but it was something she was kind of proud of and in the presence of a French person, it was totally relevant. "Which translates to, 'Bitch, I speak French too, perfectly as well,' so stick it," She teased light heartedly before walking over to see Jamie.

"Hey slow coach- I'd accuse you of being late but I think I was early so I can't, bummer," She commented casually trying to ignore the intense atmosphere that had built up since Sky climbed out the car. Bella had to admit she was gorgeous in a way that was actually really sickly, she reminded her off toffee apples and Bella kind of had a vendetta against them but she seemed fun but she did wander why the hell Nate had brought her. "Yeah of course it's okay Ellie. As long as he brings a contribution to booze," She joked.




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Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit

β€» Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
β€» Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
β€» With: Sky
Nate had seen the expression to appear on Ellie's face and also the way she rapidly punched at her phone and if he was actually angry at her, he would have smirked but he wasn't. He was trying to punish her, wind her up or get at her. He was just making a point that he was okay without her even if it was tearing him apart inside, he'd been taught by the best how to play mind games. He rolled her eyes at her performance a little and sighed to himself, did she really think that was what this was about? She didn't know him well enough by now to see through his little façade? That actually hurt more than whatever it was she was trying to accomplish.

"Right, well anyway- I have the tent so get your asses over here and help me put it up," He called over to Bella and Jamie. He could have been civil with Ellie tonight but when she chose to ignore his presence but to mock it, he decided he wouldn't acknowledge hers either. He also decided, he'd have a fun time too- if that meant getting stoned even though he knew Ellie hated it, so be it. If that meant flirting with Sky, so be it. If she already thought he'd fallen to her level, he might as well play the game.



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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
β€» Mood: Excited - Bubbly
β€» Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
β€» With: Nate
"I swear to God, I've only heard good things. Nate told me about you, he made you sound like a pretty lovely person so," She shrugged at her smiling gently. She wasn't lying either, besides being under the impression the girl hated him- Nate hadn't said a single bad word about Ellie and when he explained the situation to Skylar, he'd sworn he never had either and she didn't have a reason to disbelieve him.

"Ah cool," She giggled smiling and she grinned at Bella's exchange and she arched her brow.

"For an English person- she's pretty good," She admitted to Ellie softly with a slight laugh. "What gig were you at last week then?" She asked politely in order to make conversation, whilst she helped Nate get the tent and the poles out of the massive bag in the boot of the car. She unzipped it and together they carried it out and laid it out on the ground.

"Merde," She breathed looking at the complex pile of metal and fabric at their feet. "Any of you got a clue where to start?" She asked brushing her hand through her hair and pushing it back from her eyes.

As the new arrival- Jamie? She was pretty sure it was Jamie joined the group she offered a friendly smile. "Hi, Jamie right? I'm Sky. I've just started at the college this week," She explained charismatically.[/left]

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Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott
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saturday 12th september
campsite





He'd expected a number of different reactions from Ellie- but being nice wasn't one of them. He just grinned at the new girl, Sky, as Ellie introduced him. "Ma grandmère est francaise," he said to her by way of explanation. Despite the fact that she'd had perfect English, she'd always only spoken French to Jamie as a kid. Which, really, was a good thing, because it meant that he didn't have to put nowhere near as much effort into it in school. He could do reasonably well without any effort at all.

He laughed at Bella's response to Ellie before turning to Nate to start to put up the tents. "Yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Sky. I hope you're not afraid of trouble, because you've certainly found it with us," he remarked. He grinned as Sky swore at the tent. "It's not as bad as it looks, really," he said, glancing over at Nate. "Don't suppose you have the instructions, for a start?" He asked. He could feel the tension as well as any of the rest of them, and he knew that it was only going to worsen as time went on and Ellie's date showed up. He also knew that ignoring it was probably only going to make things worse- but what else could they do? Mention it now and start an argument before the night had even began? Perhaps the alcohol would relax everyone.


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Ellie raised an eyebrow as Sky said that she'd only heard good things. Well, that was interesting. Nate hadn't been bitching about her, then. "Trust me- stick around for long enough and you'll hear plenty of shit about me," she remarked. She didn't move from the back of the truck as she waited for a reply from Alex. She glanced up as Sky asked her about the gig, and smiled. "Oh, I've forgotten the name of the band! I was actually only really there for the support," she admitted, grinning. Her phone buzzed with a text, and she opened it up, grinning at

"Sure thing. What should I bring? Besides alcohol, obviously. xx"

She grinned and typed out a reply. "Food would probably be appreciated. And the usual camping stuff I suppose. Come ASAP, they can't seem to put up a tent. xx"

The reply came quicker this time. "Dear god, my manliness skills are needed. I shall be there post-haste, my dear."

She really did like Alex. Not only was he hot and talented, but there was something about his personality that Ellie loved. When she was with him, she forgot that she'd spoken to him with the intention of getting back at Nate. She forgot about the whole Nate thing altogether. This wasn't just about getting back at Nate any more. She found herself genuinely wanting to hang out with Alex, even when nobody would see them together. And she knew that letting him get closer was a bad idea. Letting him in was a bad idea. But while this whole mess was still a problem, she needed somebody like him. After all, he knew the boundaries.

She finally hopped down off of the truck and went over to where they were examining the pile of cloth and poles, just as Jamie asked about the instructions. She bit her tongue, refraining from making a comment about Nate.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott
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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
β€» Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
β€» With: No One
Bella laughed gently at the exchange and wandered how Nate hadn't told anyone of them to 'fuck off' yet, she could remember plenty of times her and Jamie had sat talking in French just to wind him up a little bit but they only ever did it because he made it so easy but he didn't react he was totally calm about it and she almost hated it because that's how she realised Nate was as much involved in the mind games as Ellie, they were as bad as each other but she'd like to think Nate was purely defensive but she questioned it. As Ellie and Sky were chatting about the band, Sky asked who the support was and Bella grinned lightly and gestured dramatically to Jamie.

"This guy," She laughed before walking over to help Nate and Sky with the tent. She could remember more or less how to put up a tent and she crouched down it and unpacked the poles, coordinating them into piles according to which they side they were supposed to be on and in order of how they should be put up. Although Bella didn't study much or particularly revise she was gifted with an inquisitive mind and picture perfect memory, so new things as well as recalling old ones came perfectly naturally to her. It's why she was so good at languages and factual subjects but her strong-mindedness and ability to share her opinion reflected on her more creative subjects too, she was curious about a lot of things in life and she'd always found it useful like when her unseen poetry exam in Year 11 was on a poem she'd read before in her free time at a library. She didn't know everything but she knew a lot of random things and she liked it more than coming across as some kind of hard core nerd who revised for everything because that wasn't really her attitude to anything.

When Jamie said about instructions she laughed. "Fuck off, I've got this. Woman power," She told him with a small grin. "Take that and put them through the loopy things on your side," She ordered grinning gently, passing over a couple of rods and she did the same to Nate who rolled his eyes and pretended to imitate her bossing around until she turned around and hit the back of his head gently.

"Nate, spell the capital of Tunisa,"

"T-H-E C-A-P,"

She glared at him and he stopped smirking in amusement before going about the instructions Bella had verbally laid out and she was right because as she did the same the porch of the tent took shape even if it wasn't pinned up, you could actually see the shape more now.

She looked up and gasped dramatically when she saw Ellie grinning at her phone and she waited for Ellie to look up at her and she winked knowingly, mouthing the word 'cheeky' at her before turning a blind eye like she hadn't noticed anything, she wouldn't embarrass her in front of the guys but she wouldn't ignore it either.




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Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit

β€» Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
β€» Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
β€» With: Sky
Nate did his best not to look at Ellie because it just made his stomach pit with guilt, he hadn't really spoken to anyone other than Sky since the fall out, he'd avoided Bella and Jamie all week just out of embarrassment which brought something to his attention- his philosophy teacher had been asking him about where she was all week.

"Hey Arabella-" He called prolonging her name till she turned around with a raised brow. "Where you been all week?" He asked obliviously and panic flooded across the brunette's face for a second and she opened and closed her mouth twice before she answered.

"Mum's been kind of sick. I had to up my game a bit until my step-dad got back from London," She lied quickly and Nate was suspicious but he nodded it was plausible but thinking about, he didn't even know she had a step-dad. She was so secretive with everyone but he figured they weren't really that close anyway, it just occurred to him that except Jamie probably, none of them actually knew anything about her.

He looked over at Sky and grinned at her gently when she caught his eye and he laughed softly. "Hey are they are any pegs in the bag where you are?" He asked casually.


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Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit

β€» Mood: Excited - Bubbly
β€» Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
β€» With: Nate
"Seriously he plays?" She asked grinning at Arabella when she told him and the dark haired girl nodded gently. "Well he didn't before for that band but yeah, we were both in a shitty little band but hey, he got a lucky break," She explained looking over at Jamie with a small grin. Sky nodded along and smiling.

"What do you do?" She asked. "In the band," She added.

"Primarily, I play piano and squeal along at rehearsals for the sake of humour. But to be honest, he's probably the best keyboardist and vocalist I know," She commented and Sky smiled softly.

"That's pretty awesome. All I've ever really done as far as hobbies is ballet when I was a kid but I was proper shit- it was for my Mother's bragging rights primarily," She claimed light heartedly whilst helping put poles into the main sheet of the tent as the other's instructed and Bella's eyes lit up like Hyde Park at Christmas.

"Really? I dance, that's my thing more than anything. I've literally done ballet since I could walk. I used to get bitched at for wearing black tutus," She smirked with a small laugh and Skylar laughed with her.

"I can imagine that," She admitted.

When Nate spoke to her she looked confused for a second whilst she was looking through the bag for them but then she found a plastic bag full of metal right angled pegs and she tossed them to him, which he only just caught. He called back 'cheers' and then she looked at the two girls again and smiled charismatically.

"So, have you guys always gone to college here?" She asked in a friendly, chatty manner. If there was one thing to fault about Skylar, she arguably talked too much and possibly tried a little too hard but she made it look so effortless it was hard to tell she was bothering at all.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Arabella Swift Character Portrait: Jamie Chapman Character Portrait: Ellie Wallace Character Portrait: Nate Carlile Character Portrait: Skylar Grocott Character Portrait: Alex Robinson
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saturday 12th september
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He shrugged at Bella's comment, grinning a little bashfully. However, the attention was quickly directed away from him as the girls started talking about dancing and such. He only looked up again as Nate asked Bella why she hadn't been in school. He knew her well enough to know that he response was a lie, but he chose not to comment. That was a conversation that they needed to have alone- he was the only one who had any idea how bad her home life really was.

Bella proved herself as a leader as the tent started taking shape. Even if Ellie and Nate were pointedly avoiding each other, there was enough of them to make up for that lack of communication. Considering how different Bella and Sky seemed to be, they also seemed to be bonding well. Ellie's niceness was a little strange, but Jamie felt like that was only because he was so used to her being... Not quite that nice. Then again, none of the rumours that flitted around the school about her were particularly nice either, so it was entirely possible that she was just returning the favour the majority of the time.

After a while, when the frame of the tent was almost entirely up, a newcomer appeared.


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Ellie listened to the two girls ramble on, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes. Once they didn't decide to put on an impromptu recital when they were drunk, they'd be fine. While everyone else was distracted with the tent, she went back to the car and retrieved her camera from the bag. "Oi, bitches!" She yelled to get their attention, before snapping a shot of all of them and laughing. Her camera was near-professional standard and weighed a shit ton, so she put it back into its case, slinging the strap of the case across her body and going back to finish helping.

After a while, yet another car pulled up. She recognised this one and straightened up, beaming. Alex got out, carrying a carrier bag full of food and drink. A backpack was slung over one shoulder as well, with a guitar case slung over the other. She went over to him, grabbing him in a hug. He returned it easily. "Hey, El," he said, looking up at the others. "C'mon, come meet everybody," she said, grabbing his arm and bringing him over to the others.

"Everyone, this is Alex. Well, Jamie, obviously you know him, but everybody else. This is Bella, Nate, and Sky," she said, pointing them out in turn. He grinned at them.


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Alex had stopped in his local supermarket on the way to the campsite and had stocked up on supplies. He'd spent a lot of time camping with his friends as a teenager, and knew what food was ideal for a bunch of teenagers on a campout. He'd also gotten two six-packs of beer, not knowing what they were drinking. He'd also brought his guitar, knowing how musical Ellie's friends were.

She seemed pretty eager for him to meet her friends, and he grinned as she introduced him. "Hey. Ellie said that my tent building services were needed," he said, before noticing the half-assembled structure behind them. "But judging by that structure, I don't know if you guys do or not!"

He put down the bag of food. "I didn't know how much food you guys had, and I got paid for a session today, so I bought plenty. Undoubtedly we'll eat it," he remarked.