Setting
Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Pink Floyd
※ With: Jamie
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.
Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit
※ Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
※ Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
※ With: Ellie
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.
friday 4th september
club
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.
friday 4th september
club
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.
Friday 4th September – 6:30 PM – Club – Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Pink Floyd
※ With: Jamie
"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.
Friday 4th September 6:30 PM– Club – Outfit
※ Mood: Chilled – Light - Content – Upbeat
※ Listening To: Way Away - Yellowcard
※ With: Ellie
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.
saturday 12th september
home
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.
saturday 12th september
home
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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: No One
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.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Sky
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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
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.
saturday 12th september
home
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.
saturday 12th september
home
"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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: No One
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.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Sky
"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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
"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.
saturday 12th september
campsite
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.
saturday 12th september
campsite
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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: No One
"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.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Sky
"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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
"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]
saturday 12th september
campsite
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.
Her pho
saturday 12th september
campsite
"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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: No One
"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.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Sky
"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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
"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.
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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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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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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.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: Everyone
"Hi Alex," She greeted robotically after a while. "Hey has anybody got a drink yet? What do you guys want?" She asked trying to brush off her nerves by being casual and calm. Bella had been balancing her joint between her hands and teeth since they started putting up the tent and now it was done she sighed gently before taking the last drag and flicking it out. It'd hit her enough to cope through the evening and she looked up at the already dimming sky and blinked in effort to gaze at the shying sun but even as it began to wilt it still burnt her eyes.
"Damn, I've made more friends today then I've made in the last 7 years," Bella mumbled with a small expression of amusement but her comment hadn't been directed towards anyone at all as she started passing out beers to people, she passed two to Nate to dish out before she looked over at Jamie.
"Beer?" She offered gently. She knew Jamie wasn't as much as a drinker as the rest of them which is why she bothered to ask.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Everyone
She just always looked really sad when he told her it was nothing. He knew sooner or later he'd have to face the music with his Mother and with Ellie but he really didn't want to.
He wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wanted to be drinking with Ellie on school campus again because they didn't have anything better to do, he wanted to talk to her when something pissed him off and listen to her rant and rave when something went wrong but he couldn't even be friends with her now because he'd fucked up. He sighed, he'd been so deep in thought he hadn't noticed the way Sky had deliberately brushed his arm as she reached to retrieve a drink off Bella when she began handing them out.
Nate accepted a beer of her with a thanks and just nodded to the newcomer, swallowing the first mouthful of beer and his doubts and pride with it.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
She knew what she was doing was incredibly judgemental but she didn't mean it in such a way, she was judging them yes but her judgements would not influence her actions or literal feelings towards the people in question it was just something she found interesting to do because more than often she seemed to get these things right but everybody had such weird vibes about them, it really through her like Nate- he was incredibly charming and gentlemanly but she'd never met somebody who's so much of a typical boy, smoking, drinking, skateboarding and loose jeans but at the same time he occasionally dressed very nicely and he always held open the door regardless of who was behind him.
She knew she probably stuck out like a sore thumb the most and not just because of her ethnicity. She could tell they were all from very normal and average families, middle class, 9-5 jobs the only exception was Nate but that was because his Father worked 24/7 from what she'd gathered and her parents, they don't have to work another day ever if they don't want to and Skylar had a modelling career lined up as soon as she finished college, the contracts were already signed but no body here seemed like the kind to have any kind of plan or rational thought- they were all so much looser than she was and she kind of envied how they'd just go with the flow all the time.
At the new arrival, she beamed and seemed more welcoming about his arrival than anyone. "Hey, I'm Sky," She greeted politely from where she sat by the tent with a beer that got passed along a line from Bella to Nate, to her.
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Once the tent was up, the drinks started to be passed out. He nodded as Bella asked him if he wanted a drink. "Yeah, cheers," he said, taking it from her and opening the can. He didn't usually drink beer, seeing as he usually drank to get blackout drunk. But now he didn't have to.
The tension in the group was tangible, now that the distraction of building the tent was gone, and Ellie's date had arrived. He took a mouthful of his drink, before looking over at Sky. "So, Sky, what kind of music do you like?" He asked. "Think carefully about your answer, we're all quite passionate about our music here," he remarked, grinning.
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"The backseat would be a bit cramped, Ellie," Alex remarked, grinning, before looking over at Sky as Alex asked her about music.
"I'm not saying we're judgemental or anything, but if you don't like rock, you're gonna feel really out of place here," Ellie remarked. "Still, as long as you're not into country, we won't judge you too much," she said, laughing a little. "Also, I'm hungry. Bella, fancy helping me sort out food?" She asked, starting to search Nate's bag of food for something half-decent to eat. "Do you think they'd deliver pizza to us?" She asked- half joking, half-serious. Pizza was really what she wanted, if she was honest.
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"So, Sky, I missed where you're from. Excuse me for presuming, but I'm guessing you're not from Liverpool with that accent," he remarked, taking a mouthful out of his beer. "Have you lived here long?" He asked, glancing at the others. Jamie seemed to be making his way through his beer pretty steadily- then again, he wasn't saying much, so he didn't exactly have anything to distract him.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: Everyone
"Wow shit Ellie- hang on there, don't talk to me about Queen. I'm still not over Freddie Mercury," She said it liked she'd known the man personally but he was such a musical inspiration to her, his death seemed like a genuine loss to her. "But that would be hilariously cool," She admitted flashing Ellie a small grin of forced confidence, music. She could talk about music and was glad the subject came up because it seemed to put a light in the eye of every single one of them with the exception of course, of Nate who still looked like a donkey in a field of horses to Bella- metaphorically of course, he might have been carefully dressed and well presented but when the light hit him right there were bags under his eyes and tension in his expression and Bella knew why just as well as anyone but she respected the guy enough to leave him alone.
"Yeah of course. We need to get a fire going too otherwise we'll be bloody freezing by the end of the hour," She remarked with a slight laugh. "Oh my god, Nate these marshmallows are actually like the size of my hand," She laughed as she pulled the bag out and she grinned gently. "Seriously though," She chuckled chucking the bag over at him.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Everyone
"Oh my god. That was...Jessica's right? She was so pissed, I put on Diamonds Aren't Forever and shit on," She remembered with a small smirk.
He laughed and caught the marshmallows when they were tossed at him. "They're my favourite, deal with it," He replied to her childishly.
For a moment, he managed to hold himself together long enough to glance at Ellie and he sighed. He felt terrible, to the pit of his stomach he felt guilt and regret but he could hardly talk to her now, by the looks of things she was already completely over the sudden death of their long term friendship.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
"Okay, okay and firstly no Bella, none of those previously mentioned artists ever have or ever will make any of my musical preference. Honestly, I'm a bit of a sucker for classical music, acoustics and things but likewise- I did go see Metallica last year and I'll never skip an Iron Maiden track, honestly I'm up for most kind of music and I'll sing a long to the Red Hot chili Peppers anytime, I'm open minded about that kind of thing," She laughed, smirking a little at Bella's expression of shock and when she turned her head, she noticed Nate wore a very similar one.
"Hold on. Little Miss Coco Chanel 2.0 went to see Metallica, voluntarily?" He queried with an arched brow and harmlessly smirk and Sky nodded laughing.
"Uh-huh, I love them. It was an amazing gig," She admitted and from across the camp Bella exclaimed dramatically; "Phew, at least she didn't call it a concert right?"
Nate laughed and grinned at the group gently and ran his hand through his hair, slightly messing up the way he'd combed it neatly over. "I'm impressed. I knew you liked the chili peppers, you made that evident when Californication came in the car- oh my god, I don't think I've ever heard someone squeal so loud," He admitted and Skylar just smiled bashfully.
"Well that's your fault for making an assumption about me just because I like my tea green and my lip gloss pink," She retorted back before smiling at Alex politely when he queried. "I have lived in Liverpool for precisely 6 days, I'm French. Flew over and moved in on Sunday, unpacked Monday, started college Tuesday," She explained casually flicking her hair out from her eyes with a small movement of her fragile looking wrist before she looked at the group collectively.
"So I take it you guys aren't going to kill me over my music taste then?" She asked jokingly with a light chuckle.
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He laughed at Skye's response. "No, we won't be killing you over that, then. We're still probably going to drag you along to some concerts, though, especially if Bella gets her way. You'll be living in concert venues," he remarked, laughing a little as he took another mouthful out of his beer. "Big bands, small bands, obscure bands, immensely famous bands... We do them all. Then again, if you've been to see Metallica, nothing we go to will shock you too much," he said.
"Hey, Bella, remember that gig we went to where there was like, what, ten people there? Including the band," he said, laughing a little. They'd just gone because they'd both been avoiding family and had been looking for somewhere to hide. The band hadn't been bad as such- just really inexperienced. The lack of people had clearly rattled them, though.
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"You know what, I think we should try ordering pizza. Bella, you keep working on that fire. Jamie, do you have the number of that place that does those vegan pizzas you like?" She asked. Jamie nodded and called out the number to her. She input it into her phone and hit call.
"Hi, can I order two vegan margaritas, two pepperoni, some vegan garlic bread and fries, please?" She ordered. When she told them the address, the guy on the other end just laughed and asked if they were camping. As she hung up, he told her to have a good night.
"Well, that's the food sorted," she remarked, before sitting cross-legged beside Bella. She glanced over at the others. "C'mon, take a- uh, well, not a seat, but a patch of ground."
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"You get to see a lot of crazy shit when you're a touring guitarist," he remarked, as Ellie went to order food. "I could tell you some stories- both hilarious and some horrific ones. And that's not even talking about when I've been in studio," he said, shaking his head. As Ellie told them all to sit down, he sat down beside her, but left his legs stretched out in front of him.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Surprised - Chilled- Nervous
※ Listening To: Whatsername - Green Day
※ With: Everyone
"On the subject of bands, have I made you listen to The Front Bottoms yet?" She asked absentmindedly before grinning at the mentioned memory.
"Oh yeah, the crowd was so small people were buying rounds for the whole audience," She remembered shaking her head with a slight laugh. "Wasn't that the week I'd tried to dip dye the ends of my hair as well whilst stoned? I'm pretty sure that was the same week but that was funny too," She recalled and she wasn't 100% sure but she could remember the event distinctly, she'd been smoking pot so long throughout the day that she'd almost hot boxed her bedroom and then she'd decided it'd be a hilarious idea to try and dip dye the ends of her hair pink, thankfully she didn't try and bleach it but her hair was slightly redder than it should have been for weeks and weeks afterwards. Jamie had ridiculed her for it and to be fair, it taught her a lesson for smoking weed but only for a matter of months.
Bella shot Ellie a look at her comment about Jamie and curled her lip to bit it subtly to stop herself from commenting or screaming; 'shut up' defensively like a teenager.
"Of course I will be, moral support and that shit," She shrugged taking a swig from her drink calmly.
"Wait, I have one of those blanket things so we don't have to get our arses covered," She commented, she leaned through the window of the truck and chucked the blanket over at Ellie so she could spread it out properly before dumping herself on the ground between Jamie and Ellie and smiling lightly. Even though the atmosphere was awkward and tense, this was the highlight of her week being here with them- she wasn't even close to anyone here other than Jamie but there were actually the people she held onto the most now Donnie was gone, she'd looked after that kid all his life and it still left her feeling sore as hell that he'd ran away with his step-dad and left her behind to rot. She was thinking about this as she leant over to try and set up a fire, she'd brought a load of firewood which was dried out for this very purpose and even a load of bricks so she could construct a sort of pit for it so she did that and dumped the wood in middle, then dotted a couple of fire lighters in the mix before going at it with a lighter and stuffing the gaps with burning newspaper, she seemed to be quite focused on what she was doing but that was normal for Bella with everything she ever did.
Friday 11th September 2:30 PM– Camp Out – Outfit
※ Mood: Moody | Anxious | Bitter
※ Listening To: Before You Start Your Day - Twenty One Pilots
※ With: Everyone
This Alex guy seemed alright and he obviously got on really well with Bella and Jamie but Ellie's presence was just destroying him, he felt terrible and sitting in the shadow her figure cast from the fire was almost too much for him. Everything felt so ominous and surreal, he shouldn't be over here fooling around with Skylar, he should have been over there with Ellie blasting music out of a Bluetooth speaker and encouraging everyone to dance and getting so drunk their eyes went fuzzy. It just didn't feel right competing against her like this which is why he made the decision to stop, he vowed to himself he wouldn't rise to it again, if she wanted to get it on with Alex, so be it but he wasn't going to use Sky as some kind of toy to piss off Ellie.
Friday 11th September – 2:30 PM – The Road – Camp Out Outfit
※ Mood: Excited - Bubbly
※ Listening To: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
※ With: Nate
No, it couldn't be like that because Skylar had basically invited herself anyway but it wasn't impossible that's why Nate had agree to letting her come.
She smiled at Alex and nodded gently. "Merci, I've had a lot of practice. My mother was only half French, so she spoke English- I was raised to speak both languages and I've got to admit it comes in so handy," She laughed brushing her hair down her shoulder in a manner that made the thick silver bangles on her wrist clutter around the joint of her hand making small tinkering noises as they did before she knotted her hands together in her lap as she took a seat on the blankets besides the others. When Nate offered her a joint, she accepted but the truth was she'd only smoked marijuana once before and it made her feel kind of anxious but she went with it because she wanted to fit in here and Bella had make it look cool as ice and as easy as drinking water so she embraced it and took a drag, trying to swallow the urge to cough- she held onto the smoke for a moment than exhaled calmly washing the burn away with a mouthful of beer afterwards.
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He just shook his head at Ellie's comment, sitting down beside Bella on the newly spread blanket. Even if there hadn't been anything other than friendship between them, it would have been the same. Bella still would have been up the front, screaming her lungs out for him. That much he knew. He just watched her starting the fire, glad that they'd started talking again. Despite all the shit that had happened as a result, despite all of the shit they'd been through, they'd come out better on the other side. And now they were here, and they were doing okay. Well, they were surviving. Jamie felt like okay was stretching it- but he had done some writing while he'd been feeling so low, so there was that.
He went to take a mouthful out of his beer, only to discover that it was empty. Alex laughed at him, before throwing another at him from beside Ellie. He caught it easily and grinned in response. "Thanks."
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She resisted the temptation to raise an eyebrow as Nate started smoking. Alcohol and weed? He'd be fucked by the end of the night, then. Sky also took the joint, but she was clearly much more inexperienced. She just rolled her eyes and turned to helping Bella with the fire. "For fuck's sake, Bella, you're going to burn yourself," she remarked. "Put the paper in first, then light it," she advised.
"Hey, Ellie, catch!" Alex called. She caught the can easily. "Cheers, mate," she said. "Oh, come here," she said, pulling out her camera. She leaned in closer to Alex as she snapped a selfie, showing it to him on the display afterwards. "Come on, huddle up everyone, let's try and get a group selfie!" She said.
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Jamie was the first over to join the group, his newly opened beer in hand. Alex beckoned the others over, grinning. He loved them already, and he knew that they were going to be insane to hang around with.
"Oh fuck off Jamie you enjoyed that gig almost as much as I did. Don't try and pretend now," She laughed at him rolling her eyes. "Were they not metal enough for you?" She chimed mockingly with a small smile of civil mockery. "The itself Jamie deary, was by far not a bad one- in fact the idea was genius it was merely the...execution that brought disappointment I'm afraid," She corrected. Though Bella wasn't a massive smoker- she wasn't Nate was probably the way to do it before college she'd been a lot worse for it so there were countless stories of Bella being dragged off of her high horse through stupid acts of her being stoned and disorderly.
Whilst she was setting the fire, she turned her head and noticed Jamie looking over at her and she offered him a small grin which for once in her life, met her eyes with a slight glimmer of light. It was hardly a secret this evening was a break for Bella, a sense of freedom before she went home and got a serious reality check but out here in the woods with the few people she'd even dare to think about calling her friends, she was happy. As happy as she ever really allowed herself to be.
When she caught his gaze it reminded her for a long moment how much she'd actually missed him in that single week she'd been away from school. She found it too easy to forget that it was his company that got her through things most of the time and then when he was about it all felt a lot harder and people made assumptions about this but it'd been the same before her feelings for Jamie got tangled and complicated. Since they'd started college he'd been the only person known to be capable of calming her down, it was practically countless how many fights she would have gotten herself into without him around to keep her in line when things got a little bit too intense for comfort. She shrugged off the thought and looked at Ellie flashing a devilish smirk.
"Fuck off, I'm lighting the fire. I'm doing it my way," She told her simply. "What could go wrong?" She joked and in fairness, she continued lighting the fire in this same reckless way and no problem arose because of it, after a few moments the fire started crackling properly like it was really going and she smiled contented with her victory.
When the group gathered for a selfie, Bella didn't bother she wasn't into the whole thing- she was usually the girl taking the picture than the girl posing for it, so she stayed where she was sprawled out on the blanket slowly drinking her beer and consciously frowning a little into the trees when she noticed how quickly Jamie had got through his considering he wasn't much of a drinker but she told herself he was probably just making up for the fact he was never the drinker and always the designated 'Mother' of the group so she didn't comment.
He wouldn't lie, he genuinely thought she was lovely and interesting but he wasn't into her- not at all really but he kept convincing himself that was okay because Skylar herself had used the term; 'No strings' but it still all felt kind of wrong and awkward to him especially when she was sat him making subtle messages with passing touches and her choice of words but he ignored it for the best part and played dumb and all things considered, it was a believable show . The thought almost growled at him as it passed through his head but he swallowed his tongue and looked at the group posing for a selfie and before he could protest, Skylar had grabbed his arm and dragged him into the background of the picture and laughing he was made to crouch behind Ellie and Alex in order to get into the frame.
Noticing how Bella hadn't even contemplated moving an inch he shouted over at her; "Hey Swift, get your arse over here- group photo, you are not getting out this," She replied to him with a middle finger and small dismissive laugh.
She didn't smoke much of the joint, she didn't really enjoy it- she offered it back to Nate but he shook his head and when offered, Bella did the same so she stumped it up instead and grabbed Nathaniel's forearm to drag him over into the picture and she giggled gently as she leaned over Nate's shoulder to get into the background of the picture.
"Awh come on Arabella,"
"Calling me Arabella is going to get you no where soon honey, well it will but it won't be anywhere you want to be. It's Bella, Arab, Bell, Swift, Swiftie or Bells- any of that shit I can handle but not Arabella, I'm not a bloody princess," She scowled gently but Sky laughed off her entire comment and nodded with a small shrug.
"Okay, get over here then Bells," She chimed but Bella just casually shook her head and didn't move.
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Once the photo was taken, they disbanded, Jamie going back over to Bella. "Is everything okay?" He asked quietly. Ellie suddenly yelled something and slapped Alex on the arm- but then laughed, giving herself away. "Sky's perfume isn't that sickly sweet, if that's what you were worried about," he said, laughing a little and taking a mouthful out of his beer.
"You're going to be in school next week, right?" He asked. "Because if I have to spend any more time around Ellie, Nate and Sky, I think I might either hurl or punch somebody," he remarked. He was concerned about her, but didn't want her to know exactly how much.
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She looked up at the sound of a newcomer arriving and beamed. "Guys, pizza's here! Pay up, bitches!" She yelled, shoving the camera back into its case and retrieving her purse from her pocket as she headed over to the delivery guy.
"You guys look like you're having a good time already," he remarked, and she nodded. "Yeah, the party starts early with us," she responded, handing over the money. Alex took the boxes and bags from him, digging for his wallet with his free hand. "Here's your copy of the receipt," the pizza guy said, handing it over, before wishing them a good evening and leaving.
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"Alright, so Jamie, here," he said, passing one of the vegan pizzas to him, and passing the others out around the circle and starting to dish out the rest of the food. Once that was done, he gave Ellie his share of the payment. She tucked it into her back pocket and started into a slice of pepperoni, washing it down with a mouthful of her beer.
"So, do you guys do this often?" He asked. He could tell that there was a little tension in the group- but overall, everyone seemed to get on well, and the jokes came naturally to them. They had so many stories to tell about each other, both good and bad- but they told them without making newcomers feel uncomfortable.
At Jamie's comment about Sky's perfume Bella couldn't help but scoff slightly as she tried to sniffle a laugh as she looked over at him shaking her head. "Well, even if it's remotely sweet- I've always preferred spice, so I'm good without getting in on any of that," She replied gently leaning back and sipping from her can calmly, kicking her legs out in front of her like a child, she turned her gaze up to his for a moment when he questioned her and a moment of sincerity crossed her eyes like a thin cloud passes the sun in a strong breeze. "No but I'll hold up," She replied to him quietly, leaning towards him slightly so she could whisper her response because she really wouldn't get through a single day if anybody else ever knew. "And I don't know. I'm gonna try but I think my new nickname is gonna be Cinders as this rate," She said it like it was a joke but she didn't laugh, she wanted to but she couldn't. The whole thing with her Mother was beyond funny, she knew she was probably sensitive about it because it was directly her own problem but then again, if it was anybody else she wouldn't think it was something to joke about either. She looked at him and smiled a white but weak smile; "It'll be fine," She told him nudging his shoulder gently when everybody started swarming over the sudden arrival of pizza.
"But don't punch anybody, I'm the one that kicks ass at school," She reminded jokingly. "Has Jace's face gone back to white after I painted it purple yet?" She asked curiously because she hadn't actually seen him since the unravelling of those bitter but in hindsight slightly amusing events.
She let go of the serious conversation as the food arrived and she chucked her input of the money to Ellie before flopping back down into her previous position lazily. The smell of all the food kind of made her stomach churn a little, her Mother's new trick the previous month was to refuse to feed her or even let Bella feed herself and consequently Bella's appetite had been slaughtered because of it and it terrified her that it'd reached the point where even the smell was almost too much. She chewed her lip momentarily and sighed before throwing back another mouthful of beer and taking a deep breath. It'll be fine. She repeated the words she'd said to Jamie only moments ago to herself multiple times in her mind, no one could know anything was wrong so she had to eat and plus she didn't know if she'd be able to when she got home but that didn't make it easier to stomach the thought.
She looked at Alex as he addressed the group and she shrugged gently. "Jamie and I used to do it a lot as kids but this is the first time we've done it as group actually," She thought out loud trailing off and hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them as everyone talked and relaxed.
He listened to Bella and Alex's conversation and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, we usually just go to gigs or parties around the town but this makes a nice change- so much more chill," He commented in a genuine manner.
"Bella if I give you the Bluetooth speaker can I trust you not to kill anyone with heavy metal?" He asked and Bella just smirked at him from behind the hair that had fallen in her face and she shrugged softly.
"No promises deary," She chirped before catching the small but powerful speaker he chucked her way and then she turned it over, found the 'on' button and set about connecting it to her phone and it took her a matter of minutes to begin playing 'Bukowski' by a band called Moose Blood and it was a song she really loved and plus it wasn't anything like heavy metal so no one could get pissy about it. Nate nodded in approval to the song she put on and grinned offering a thumbs up across the camp.
"Good choice child," He commented humorously.
She laughed and passed her money to Nate to exchange to Ellie before she relaxed and accepted a piece of pizza, sitting back whilst she ate, some how managing to even make the consumption of fast food look reasonably elegant and graceful.
"Moose Blood?" She confirmed quietly when the track came on and Bella nodded to her and she grinned.
"Thought so, they're pretty rad if I'm honest," She commented casually and the other girl nodded once in agreement but was seemingly distracted regardless.
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"Have we been to one of their gigs?" He asked Bella. He'd been to so many with Bella, he was almost forgetting which was which. They were all awesome- the atmosphere was incredible, and even when he didn't know the words to the songs, he could still sing along to some of the choruses.
"I think I've met them, actually," Alex remarked. "Moose Blood, you said? I've a feeling I played guitar for a band that was supporting them in a really small club. They were pretty cool guys."
"That's awesome," Jamie said after swallowing his mouthful of pizza. Balancing the half eaten slice on his leg, he reached over and retrieved a slice of garlic bread and a handful of fries, before taking a mouthful out of his beer.
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She didn't recognise the song, but it was pretty damn good, even if she wasn't particularly one for pop punk. They seemed like the type of band that would be awesome live, regardless of it you knew the band or not. They were the best kinds of bands, if she was honest.
"Aw, I was half-hoping you'd say they were assholes so we could have a bitching session," Ellie teased Alex, before taking a bite out of her pizza. "Holy crap, this stuff is so good," she said around the mouthful of food. "I could live off of this," she remarked.
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At Ellie's comments about the food, he nodded. "I know, it's so freaking good! He said, reaching for a piece of garlic bread. "Honestly, I understand. And, I mean, I'm pretty sure that you actually could live off of it. You have the major food groups right here, especially if you alternate the types of pizza," he remarked, grinning. "We're showing our punk pop side," he laughed.
He wasn't sure if it was just him or not, but he felt like the awkwardness was starting to dissipate. He and Sky had been accepted into the group almost immediately, and the tension that had originally been there seemed to be disappearing- possibly thanks to the alcohol and food. He'd been to enough parties to know that those two things usually helped get rid of any tension- until somebody got ridiculously drunk and started a fight. That was usually when Alex left.
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She thought about it for a moment and then after a while, her expression lit up with excitement as she remembered. "Yeah, yeah we have- they supported Frank Iero when we went two summers ago," She told him. Bella took pride in her memory, especially when it came to gigs because although she'd been to nearly every gig to ever occur in Bristol- she remembered every one, headline acts, support and even warm-up acts like anyone who did something interesting at an open mic hour. She could often associate it back to her outfit as well.
"You met Mickey Chapman? I'm ridiculous jealous. He was like my teenage crush," She laughed jokingly before taking a swig of beer, her eyes widening slightly in fear it wasn't sitting right but she assembled herself and appeared to be just fine but she put her drink down and sat up straight again crossing her legs neatly and taking a deep breath.
"You okay Nat?" She uttered quietly.
Nate looked at her and smiled like everything was beautiful and grand and nodded, finishing his beer and casting it aside but he answered her.
"Yeah, yeah of course I am," He told her softly with a grin so convincing it was frightening before she finally withdrew and leaned back again leaving the subject to dissipate because she didn't know him well enough to realise he was lying.
"So, who have you played with or for before then?" Skylar asked Alex turning her attention for a brief moment out of curiosity and to just in general to keep the conversation going.
saturday 12th september
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"I was totally in love with Avril Lavigne for a few years. And then Hayley Williams. And then Lzzy Hale," he remarked, laughing at himself a little. There had been a while where he'd genuinely believed that he was going to marry her, and when his parents had broken it to him that that was probably not going to happen, he'd been heartbroken. He cringed a little at the memory, but mostly just laughed. Now that he had some alcohol in his system, he was relaxing more and more and could feel himself coming out of his shell.
"You've only had pizza two or three times? You poor, deprived child. Pizza is the food of gods," Jamie remarked, taking a bite out of his own slice. "And yes, that includes the vegan stuff," he said, laughing. He resisted the temptation to add something like "and it's even better because no animals get hurt!" Even though that was what he thought, he didn't want to come across as preachy, even if it was only a joke. Didn't want to overwhelm the newbies.
saturday 12th september
campsite
She poured her own drink when she got back to the group, leaving the various items for everyone else to mix their own. She stayed silent for a bit, just drinking and listening to the others talk. She wanted to make some comment to Nate, something to counter his, but the moment had passed, and now it would just seem petty. So she kept her mouth shut and ate her food, listening to the others chat. She knew that Jamie and Bella were relishing the break, and she didn't really want to ruin their night, but she wanted to tear Nate to shreds.
saturday 12th september
campsite
"Ah, nothing really that big. I'm mostly just tracking for and playing with local and smaller bands at the minute. The only time I get to meet anybody famous is if the band I'm touring with is supporting them or if I happen to meet them in the recording studio while at the water cooler," he joked. "But, all joking aside, I met Austin Carlile at a festival I just so happened to be playing at once. He's such a cool dude," he remarked.
As Ellie appeared with the stronger stuff, he leaned in to mix his drink. He didn't feel like getting flat out drunk, so it was mostly Coke. "But yeah, I'm slowly working my way up the ladder. I'm tracking for this up-and-coming indie band next week. I was doing my research on them, and apparently they're going to be the next Arctic Monkeys. So I'm definitely going to do some networking there," he said, laughing a little as he took a mouthful out of his Coke. "What about you? Had any brushes with famous people?" He asked.
"What? Are you okay? I know France is slow but I didn't think they were so slow they didn't have pizza," She chimed jokingly offering a small passing smile as she spoke. "To be fair, I actually think the Vegan one is probably nicer, Nate don't kill me," She called back dramatically but when she looked over at him she realised he was far from in a joking mood and so she didn't enforce the humour and instead fell quieter.
She kind of wanted to talk to Nate, she could see how low he was feeling and really wanted to try and cheer him up because he'd been moping around that way all week and although she hadn't seen him because she'd been of school, she'd heard enough about it and everyone had been saying he'd been smoking a thousand times more than usual and skipping his classes which he very rarely ever did anymore since he finished AS. She'd catch him at some point, she told herself and tell him to pull himself together and give him some big motivational speech teaching him how to get on and live with things but for now, she tried to make up for it by passing him a drink when he finished his first knowing he wasn't much of a spirit drinker and offered a reassuring smile.
She had to admit, she'd already taken a shine to both Alex and Sky- they both seemed really relaxed and laid back which was kind of all you needed to be to make it in this kind of friendship circle, they were both really different too and though Skylar stuck out like a black sheep, she was getting on with everyone fine and Bella was always welcomed someone who could have a drink and a laugh, she also privately reckoned Skylar had an eye for trouble and might suffice for a possible partner in crime some day.
"You met Austin Carlile? That's fucking awesome," She laughed nodding in approval. "Yeah that sounds pretty great," She commented, a very notorious drinker of coke and vodka, it would have been expected of Bella to be the first to dive in on mixing herself an almost straight glass of vodka with less than a capful of coke in it but the idea didn't at all appeal to her tonight and so she pretended to turn a blind eye to the alcohol like she hadn't even noticed it was there.
Maybe he'd slept with Skylar but he had not done it to annoy Ellie, even if they were still friends he would have done it because why not? Skylar was attractive, she had a nice personality- they'd agreed no attachments and he was single. He would have done it regardless, inviting her to the camp out? He would have done that also because he'd moved around enough to know how hard it is to make friends, especially in the middle of the year. It wasn't all about Ellie and Nate sometimes wandered if she actually realised that but he recognised that thought as being an incredibly harsh one and he winced slightly with the guilt.
"Damn Skylar only twice in 18 years? You're wasting your life. Get some pizza down you for hell's sake- it's basically my own religion," He told her jokingly though strictly speaking he was Christian he wasn't the best one considering he swore, fought people and smoked but he did honour the commandments to the best he could and he went to church on Sunday the majority of the time but he didn't follow the bible literally and he didn't preach either which is why very often he could be light hearted about joking about religion. It wasn't the be all and end all to him but he appreciated having something to have faith in, even if it was occasionally quite hard to keep believing in.
"Oh really? Yeah, Of Mice & Men singer right? I'm not really that into them but I've read a lot about him, he's pretty down to Earth and admirable to be honest," She commented passingly as they all talked about different things. When questioned on brushings with celebrities, Skylar noticeably paused before answering of course she had close connections and new many people from the French modelling and fashion industry and many of those individuals had arguable celebrity status but she didn't want to give them that stereotypically impression of herself so she tried to think of something else, something less related to the reality of her life.
"I once saw Micky Flanagan- you know, the comedian in a museum," She shrugged with a small smile and she could recall the event well even if she hadn't probably spoken to the man other than a brief 'Good morning' as many would consider polite when passing somebody by. As she began to think about it she'd even be recognised a few times herself growing up, she could remember a French mother approaching her whilst she was eating breakfast in a coffee shop to ask her if she was the girl out of the 'Boden' catalogue and Skylar had felt genuinely ashamed to say 'yes'. She loved modelling but the stereotypes and the demographic people trapped her in because of it always made her feel so small and pathetic which is why she was going to try and keep it from a secret from everyone in Liverpool. She didn't want to carry on that burden here.