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

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

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

0
followers
follow

Jade Davies

"The world is not enough"

0 · 715 views · located in New York

a character in “the last of the real ones”, as played by TushoKa

Description



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████


Image
Image
"If you fulfilled your dreams, you're not dreaming big enough"
Therefore I am - Billie Eilish
NDA - Billie Eilish
Jealousy, jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image Image
Image Image



F U L LXN A M E
Jade Mildred Davies

N I C K N A M E (S)
Jay-jay (only by her brother and she hates it);
Jaded (could be reason to stab someone)

B I R T H D A Y
December 11th

A G E
24

S E X U A L I T Y
Bisexual

E T H N I C I T Y
African American

H O M E T O W N
Brooklyn, New York

H E X
cb0e36



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
Image





S T Y L E
Jade likes to experiment with different styles. She enjoys dressing up as often as she can, and even when it looks like comfy wear, there is a deliberate effort behind it. Her cash flow allows her to buy the clothes she wants. She prides herself in her good sense of fashion and she wants to be noticed. She only has a small apartment, but about 50% of it is filled with clothes.
And on top of that, she also likes to accessorise. Necklaces, bracelets, scarfs and above else, big flashy earrings.
Her shoe wear changes depending on the time of day. During the day she wears sneakers mostly, but at night the heels come out to play.



H E I G H T  & W E I G H T
Jade is quite tall with 5’8’’, especially since she doesn’t shy away from wearing heels. She is likely to stand out in a group. She is quite skinny with 116 lbs, and she has always been skinny. She has struggled with this in high school as she was not able to gain weight, but she made her peace with it now.



A P P E A R A N C E
Jade makes sure she gets noticed by everyone. She could never complain about receiving attention from all kinds of people, not unless it was too much. She always had a very light complexion and was taller than most girls from an early age. Most people she meets would classify her as friendly looking, because she has a natural smile on her face. Her clothing style is abundant in bright colours and cute dresses. When she feels like it, she just as easily pulls off a jeans and sweater look in winter. If wearing jeans she likes to wear skinny ones, cause it makes her long legs stick out.

Her hair is usually styled in long wavy curls. It’s very thick hair and pitch-black. At times she also straightens her hair when she goes out, but she does prefer it curly. She likes to let her hair down, but in practical situations she ties it up in a ponytail, or a bun (when she’s working).
No matter what hair she leaves the house with, it’s not her original style. Her brother is one of the extremely few that has seen the extreme frizz that normally grows out of her head. It’s one of the things she spends most time on before going out and she hates to see her hair ruined. She is always dead scared of getting her hair wet, because it will bring it to its original state in mere seconds. Not easy living in New York.

Jade always likes to take care of herself. Even when staying at home, by herself, doing nothing, she’ll still put on make-up. She also likes to have her nails done. She was never able to do it herself in the way she wanted, but since she has some cash to spare she likes to spend it at the nail salon.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image Image Image
Image Image Image


L I K E S
Being in control • going out • making heads turn • working with kids • lip gloss • fashion • cappuccinos with a shot of hazelnut syrup • scotch • thriller movies • audio books • healthy eating • summer season • scented candles • making long hours • playing with peoples feelings •




D I S L I K E S
Rainy weather • champagne (makes her nauseous) • traffic • working out • when someone else has the same outfit • not being in control • when people think she doesn’t have a brain • following others • when she can’t shut down her brain at night • people who get super noisy when they are drunk •


███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
P E R S O N A
Jade is a very sociable person, she feels comfortable in her own skin and speaks easily and confidently with most people. Because of her constant smile most people see her as very nice and approachable. With most people so used to her smiling, it stands out when she looks upset. The death stare she used to focus on her brother can now shoot daggers at just about anyone that’s in her way.


She is very manipulative and will always try to exert power over other people. For this reason she doesn’t always match with dominant personalities. She hates herself for looking up to Lauren, as she should not be looking up to anyone.


Jade is selfish with the people close to her, but generous to those that don’t know her that well. She tries to wind people around her fingers and use them as she wants to. With more than a few this is working perfectly. With her innocent look, doe-eyes and bright smile a lie get her out of any trouble.


Jade will rarely be steered away from her goal, keeping her eyes on the price in all situations.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
Image
Image




H I S T O R I A
Jade grew up with her brother and her mom in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was a sailor and had been in New York twice since Jade’s conception and a total of 0 times after her birth. She lived on the same block for most of her childhood. It was a neighborhood where everyone takes care of each other. As her mom was mostly working, the aunties living on either side of them watched out for her and her brother.

Ever since being a child, Jade had been demanding and dominating to anyone she used to hang out with. When the other kids had enough of her she’d go and complain to her mom, brother or aunties. Her pouty lip always seemed to convince them that she was the party being wronged, and they would defend her every time.

She liked to collect gifts. Sometimes they were actual gifts, other times she would just take whatever she wanted without asking. In school she would manipulate the other kids into giving her things. The social games she played at school never took away from her studies. She was always a good student and those things that didn’t come to her naturally, she got through putting her nose in the books.

Since she was one of the few girls on the block, all people kind of saw her as their daughter. When her mom was not able to pay for a private school they had a fundraiser with the entire neighbourhood, so she could still go there. As such she did not go to the same school as her brother. She finished her high school with high grades, and she was accepted into medical school on a special scholarship.

She moved in with her brother who lived closer to her campus and who was studying on his own. She started hanging out with his friends and partying with them whenever she could. Most of all she loved hanging out with Lauren. She had an air about her that Jade had never seen in anyone else. Whenever she was around her she hated herself for looking up to another person so much. She wanted to be everything that Lauren was. She wanted her friends, her life, her riches and her status.

Lauren didn’t like Jade, but she liked the medication Jade could provide. Who needs to see a doctor for a prescription if you could get the pills without going through any trouble. Jade didn’t know if it was Lauren or if it was any other way, but she got approached by a small man with a big friend. After an interesting discussion Jade started taking medication for more people than just Lauren. It took a lot of her time, and her grades slipped, causing her to lose the scholarship. Not willing to give up her lifelong dream, she started dealing instead of just providing medication. One pill leads to another and soon Jade was making enough money to pay for her studies by herself.

The more she was dealing, the less time she had for any of her friends. Why whimper after Lauren when you can be Lauren herself. Finally, she was making the money she needed in order to elevate her life. There were stories and there were suspicions, but her lying and scheming ways were well enough advanced to get through anything unscathed. Her brother knew she sometimes did drugs, but he had shown her weed first, so he could only blame himself for it.

Unknowingly he drove her to a location where she picked up the more serious stuff for her dealing. When she was inside and her brother waited in the car, police started coming from everywhere. She ran, and ran and ran. Like a miracle she got away and nobody even seemed to be chasing her.

The next morning she learned that Julian was the one caught and they had found her cocaine in his car. Going to visit she once again put up the victim face and begged him to take the blame for her. Any involvement with drugs would get her kicked out of med school, with no option of ever returning. Of course she promised to stop using, and of course she told him it wasn’t her fault. Of course she left out she was dealing and of course she left out she had no intention to better her ways.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████


Image
Image

R E L A T I O N S H I PXS T A T U S
Single for now. No one meets her standards to be noted as an equal. And those she does want to have around are not answering her calls.

S E C R E T S
Drug dealing Well duh! Okay, to be honest though, not a lot of people know how deep into this she is. She flaunts her newborn wealth, not the way she gets any of that wealth. Most people think she is a user, cause she always seems to have something on her to calm down, or hype up, or about anything in between.

Drug using Contrary to popular believe, she herself does not use drugs as much. Of course there is the occasional use, or the taste test, but in general any pill from her purse will disappear in someone else’s mouth. She does enjoy watching the effect drugs have on others.

Getting out She has tried to stop. She tried to cut off her contacts after she had dumped Ella on the pavement in front of the hospital. However, it’s not that easy. For the amount of people she has in the palm of her hand, the small man with the big friend are not among those people. She was warned and when she continued to ignore them, she was assaulted on her way from the metro stop to her apartment. They roughed her up, punched her in the face and stomach and left her bleeding on the street. She knew it wasn’t a mugging as nothing had been taken. She couldn’t tell anyone, so she just told people she was mugged without going to the police.

T A L E N T S
Dancing, she has always been able to move on and with a rhythm. She is a great public speaker and is good at reading other people’s emotions. Her fashion sense is on point. Persuasion, Jade can make you do things you never even thought of.

S T R E N G T H S
Her brain. For all the fuck ups in her life, she is doing great in med school. The one scare of being thrown out because of low grades was enough for her to shape up. She does well under pressure and she’s a workaholic.

W E A K N E S S E S
Debilitating jealousy, whenever she is jealous she gets this red glaze in front of her eyes and she’ll be looking to make the person pay for making her jealous.
She can’t boil an egg, let alone anything else in the kitchen.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

So begins...

Jade Davies's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

soren bowers.
Image
Image
outfit. #4d5676.
Image
xxx I've been staying up all night
xxx Shaking needles out my spine
xxx But the doctor says I'm fine
xxx Feels good to be alive, but I hate my life

Image
The concept of the party had started as yet another one of their deep, meaningful conversations on the balcony. They got talking about all the people they’d been friends with once upon a time and where they’d all ended up. Some, Soren had managed to stay in contact with over the years. Others, not so much. He and Erin had begun talking about the parties they’d found themselves at and the ones they’d thrown in high school. Quite often, it had ended in everyone screaming at each other, with the same few members of the group sometimes even throwing punches, before they’d all stormed off home. They wouldn’t talk for maybe a day, and then it would be like nothing ever happened. Rinse and repeat, over and over again. But oh, when things were good, they were really good.

Erin and Soren had looked at each other, and it seemed they’d had the same idea at the same time. A party, just like the good old days, but with everyone in a slightly better place, and without the ringmistress that could spark a fight in seconds with just a smirk and a well-timed comment. Almost immediately, they began digging through their contacts to find people.

More or less everyone that had been invited had agreed to attend. Camilla’s reply had been rather blunt; an ambiguous “k” in response to his Instagram message, and then leaving the follow up messages entirely on read. Ever since the whole debacle where an unreleased Beautiful Strangers demo had somehow ended up being sampled on a Sophie’s valentine track, the relationship between the two bands had been… frosty. Beautiful Strangers had made the PR decision to attempt to end rumours of a feud, with band members tweeting about Sophie’s Valentine whenever they released new music, and Soren covering one of their songs on an Instagram live. The efforts weren’t reciprocated, but Beautiful Strangers’ management and the band themselves were at least content that Beautiful Strangers didn’t look like the asshole in this situation, which is all they really needed from it. So, to be honest, Soren would have been more surprised had she replied positively to his message but he still had no idea whether or not she was going to show up. He and Erin had a bet running; him betting that Cam would, Erin betting that she wouldn’t.

The thought of seeing everyone again was a little bit strange. They hadn’t been in a room together in years, and they had no idea how they were all going to interact. Perhaps they were being a little naive in hoping they’d all be able to have a good time and forget everything that had gone down between them; but it was worth trying. They were hoping that the copious amounts of alcohol would help and not make things any worse, but they knew that they were also possibly taking a risk and that things might go to hell. They told themselves that the important thing was, that they’d acknowledged that things might go to shit and that there was nothing they could do about it.

Despite that acceptance, the pre-party nerves were worse than ever. He’d taken as many painkillers as he could without risking getting drowsy or overly spacey to make sure he wouldn’t be sore and grouchy at the party. He told himself that was fine, that it was a one time thing for a special event, that it didn’t count, and tried to put everything out of his mind. But the reality of what exactly was involved was starting to kick in, and he was beginning to question if this was a good idea at all. He never would have admitted this to Erin (because saying it out loud might just result in her materialising in front of them like Voldemort), but at the back of his mind, he was afraid that Lauren would show up. He had no reason to believe she would; but she always had a way of knowing about things she shouldn’t. She always found out about these things, and she would seize any opportunity to start drama. In some strange ways, it was reassuring to know that she really hadn’t changed in the slightest. When she’d shown up backstage in Vancouver, of all places, it was like stepping back six years into a conversation in high school. She was sickly sweet, charming, flattering, pretending to have changed. And then when it had become apparent that she wasn’t going to get what she wanted by being nice… the claws had come out. She’d been somewhat shocked when he’d still told her that he didn’t care, he didn’t want her in his life; and that had been one of the most satisfying moments of his life. But he still didn’t want her showing up and starting shit; and he knew that if she heard it was him and Erin throwing it, she’d be even more determined to wreak havoc.

He spent most of that day in his room, working on music in an attempt to try and distract himself. It was all rough, demos of demos, just playing around on his old keyboard and the guitar to try and get melodies in his head, but it was enough to serve as a distraction. When he realised that he needed to start to get ready, he instinctively saved everything he’d recorded and backed it all up to an external hard drive. As an afterthought, he hid the hard drive in a drawer, made sure his laptop was shut down entirely, and then locked his bedroom door as he headed out to the kitchen. Paranoia? Perhaps, but he wasn’t risking having anyone getting their hands on something they shouldn’t. He didn’t trust anyone not to go snooping around their rooms; and, well, if Cam showed up, he definitely didn’t want to risk leaving any Beautiful Strangers material lying around. Just in case. He didn’t think that any of Sophie’s Valentine had been directly involved the first time, but he wasn’t going to risk it happening again.

Once out in the kitchen, he and Erin had a few drinks and scrolled through instagram together, liking everyone’s pre-party posts and gossiping about everyone. The things they’d heard people had been up to since they last saw them, how they thought people must have changed… it was exactly what they both needed to try and chill some of the pre-party apprehension. They were both nervous. How could they not be? But neither of them wanted to acknowledge that, and so, they settled for just distracting themselves for a while.

He was almost surprised at how happy everyone seemed to be to see each other. The bad blood seemed to have vanished, or at least be put to the side while everyone was still sober. Camilla even showed up (Soren had shot Erin a triumphant grin at that point) and was somewhat civil to the both of them. The party was beginning to really kick off now, with a few people dancing and chatting in the living room, a few chatting out on the balcony, and others grabbing drinks and snacks in the kitchen. Soren excused himself from the group he had been talking to and headed towards the kitchen to get another drin




evie addams.
Image
Image
outfit. #b59eab.
Image
xxx I don't feel sorry for you
xxx Cause now the tables turning
xxx And now the bridge is burning
xxx It's coming crashing down

Image
The thought of seeing everyone again after this long was strange. Evie had only spoken to most of them through DMs and texts over the past few months, and she knew there were a few people likely to be there that she hadn’t spoken to at all since she’d graduated. But everyone she longed to see and longed to have fun with were going to be there, and that was what mattered to her at the end of the day. She was determined to focus on the good things of this party and not worry about the bad. This would be different, she told herself. She was different now, everyone else had changed, and things would be better. She kept repeating that reassurance to herself as she got ready for the party. It would be fine. She was going to have fun

Once upon a time, getting dressed for these types of events had been an absolute nightmare for her. Everything she’d worn had always felt wrong, especially when she was standing beside people like Lauren, Camilla, and Jade, who always seemed to be so effortlessly stylish and who could pull off anything… and who wouldn’t hesitate to make derogatory comments on what people were wearing and whether or not they thought they looked good. Lauren had usually helped with planning her outfit, and Evie had been so grateful for that. It guaranteed the group’s approval and her exemption from those harsh, mean comments that they would make about everyone else. But now, she could see that for what it had been; another opportunity to manipulate and control her, usually to make sure that she didn’t look as good as Lauren. Those comments had probably still been made behind her back instead of to her face. Now, she didn’t need to impress anyone. She could dress for herself and wore what made her happy; not what she thought would get the approval she needed.

Now, Evie’s only dilemma as to what to wear was because she had no idea how dressy this party was supposed to be, if she should show up dolled up to the nines, or if she should show up in something a bit more casual. Erin hadn’t really helped when Evie had asked her, saying she should just wear whatever she liked, they didn’t mind too much. Soren’s answer of “i mean i guess similar to the parties we had in high school?” had been slightly more helpful, but she was still stuck between two choices. She’d texted Gabriella for help, and the decision they’d come to was something along the lines of “fuck it, being overdressed is better than being underdressed.”

The dress was something she never would have dared wear around Lauren. Lauren would have made some comment about how she really just didn’t have the figure for it, that black made her look pale, that she was too short to pull off a leg split, and then just claimed she was trying to help and be supportive. But Evie had fallen in love with it the minute she saw it, and had been dying for an opportunity to wear it. Was it possibly still a little dressy for this type of party? Probably. Did she care? Absolutely not.

She had been shocked when her taxi had dropped outside Erin’s apartment. She knew that The Golden Owl was doing well, but she hadn’t expected the apartment to be quite so grand. Clearly, Erin was doing well for herself. Evie was glad for that. Erin had been somewhat troubled in high school (hadn’t they all?), but she’d still tried to be a good friend to Evie, even as Evie had stuck close to Erin’s sworn enemy. She was excited to see everyone again; but for some reason, she was especially excited to see Erin.

She’d greeted both Erin and Soren with hugs. They’d both changed so much, and yet somehow not all. Truth be told, she’d only ever really known Soren through Lauren, which meant she hadn’t really known him at all, and after the breakup, it wasn’t like she could have been friends with him. At first, Lauren had played the heartbroken girlfriend who just hadn’t been able to cope with the thoughts of her boyfriend being in pain, so it was easier to just not to have to look at that. And then, as time gone on, her story changed, and Lauren confided the truth to Evie. How she’d only ever really liked him because he was fun and for the whole tormented artist thing he had going for him, and how she’d cheated on him multiple times during the relationship, including while Soren was recovering from surgery. At the time, Evie had sided with Lauren entirely, believing that Lauren’s reasons were justified. Now she knew the truth and had gotten to know Soren a little better over the past couple of months, it just further drove home the point of how terrible a person Lauren truly was.

She found herself wandering around the party, constantly finding and losing people as she tried to say hi to everyone. But now, her gaze was set firmly on the dance floor, as she searched the room for someone to grab and drag to come dance with her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Olivia Eriksen
Image
Image
Art Conservator/Starving Artist | outfit. | Song |#8B8000.
Image
xxx I wanna paint your face
xxx Like you're my Mona Lisa
xxx I wanna be a champion
xxx I wanna be a loser

Image
Livvy was shooting a wedding in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts when she received a text from one of her favorite people. Erin. Apparently, her gorgeous bar-owner friend and her rock star bestie decided it was time to get the gang back together. And, since Livvy had a job waiting for her at the Institute in New York anyway, she was more than happy to attend. And, of course, so did Simon.

She hadn't seen much of her best friend these days outside of the various video chats they tended to use. It'll be nice to get back to their roots, so to speak. In fact, she hadn't seen many of her friends since she left New York in her bus outside of video chat and social media. She's stopped in every now and then. Grab a cup of coffee and peruse the photography and art books in the reference section of the Cozy Book Nook, knockback shots at The Golden Owl, bump fuzzies with ye old fuck buddies in various homes. But it had been at least a year and she couldn't stop thinking about what faces she might see again.

It was Erin's party so of course, she would be seeing her. And obviously Simon. A few messages revealed Gabriella was going to be there too, much to Livvy's delight. She wasn't sure who else was going to be there, but she knew who wasn't going to be there. Lauren. Livvy hoped her henchmen wouldn't be there either. Though, from what she heard, they had renounced the fire-breathing bitch queen and found their own lives without her.

Good for them.

Then again. Maybe Lauren should come. It would give her a chance to finally shoot her shot and check her off her fuck list she had made in high school on a dare.

Speaking of fuck lists... her fingers began to tingle, her pulse keeping time against her ribcage. Would Dean be there? They hadn't spoken much since high school. Their breakup was... tough. Livvy was just as addicted to him as she was the high and staying away after they split was easier said than done. She saw that he was starting to clean himself up a bit, much like herself. Maybe... it would be time to start again?

She found a place to park her bus--the secure parking garage of the Institute--and tore through her closet. After a few failed attempts and a near panic attack, she had decided on a black strapless crop top and a flowing high-low black skirt with a pair of nude pumps. She knew she'd be kicking them off as soon as she got in the door but it was part of the look and wearing flats with this length of skirt in New York was just asking for trouble.

While she waited for the taxi to pull up, she stood outside the Institute and scrolled through social media. She paused a photo of Adonis slid into view. She rubbed at the strange weight in her chest at the sight of him. She had been meaning to text him. Ask him how Flur was. To just... talk like they once had, but, obviously, she hadn't. She double tapped his photo, wondering if he would be there tonight. Which made her wonder about someone else. Her mentor, Julian. She figured he'd be in attendance as last she heard he was working for Erin. She hadn't seen him since before he was locked up. They sent a few letters, but it hurt too much. It was like losing a brother. Or she guessed that's how it would feel. She was--thankfully--an only child. She couldn't imaging sharing her past with other children. Her's was rough enough.

There was a splash as the taxi rounded the corner. She waved it over and waited for it to come to a complete stop before climbing in and giving the driver the address to Erin's apartment.

--

No matter how many times she saw it, she was impressed by the size of Erin's apartment. It was much bigger than her bus, that was for sure. She watched the taxi drive away before she stared up at the door, a mix of anticipation and dread churning through her. Maybe she should go home. She hadn't thought this through. What if the goon squad was in attendance? What if she lost the control she had been working so hard to maintain? And maybe so what if she did? One night wouldn't hurt anyone. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and strolled inside.

The first person she nearly tackled to the ground was, in fact, Julian. When she saw him, she couldn't help it. It had been so long since she saw the man that inspired a great deal of her art. Who taught her nearly everything she knew about color theory and lighting. Who was just as much a part of her little family she made as Simon. After him, she wandered through the crowd, spying a few faces that were familiar, but she couldn't guess their names.

She spotted Erin and Evie dancing together and rubbed at the weird feeling in her chest.

Maybe she should see a cardiologist.

At a momentary loss at what to do, she did what she usually did.

She pulled out her small pouch of pencils from her satchel she brought with her everywhere and her travel-size sketchbook. She poured herself a drink, stood at the island in the kitchen, and sketched.







Simon Rizzo
Image
Image
Barista | outfit | Song |#489A4A.
Image
xxx I'm always screaming my lungs out
xxx till my head starts spinning
xxx Playing my songs is the way I cope with life
xxx Won't keep my voice down
xxx Know the words I speak are the thoughts I think out loud

Image
Simon checked his watch every few minutes as he pretended to flip through a magazine while he stood behind the counter of The Cozy Book Nook. When Livvy texted about Erin's party he was, hesitant to say the least. While there were certain people in their circle that he enjoyed spending time with like Erin and Julian, there were others he wasn't super fond of. Like Dean. And Adonis. and Jade. And, he shuddered to think about her, Lauren. Or the "fire-breathing bitch queen" as Livvy calls her.

But, hopefully, given the history, she wouldn't be there tonight.

He was waiting for Jennifer and Shaundra to get there to switch shifts so he could make it back to his apartment in time to change and meet Robyn at her place so they could go to Erin's together. Being Livvy's best friend meant knowing where Erin's apartment was. Plus... It was Robyn. He was honestly surprised she said yes. I mean... it's Robyn.

Anyway, he was reading the same article for the fifth time when he was literally saved by the bell on the door as the night crew came to take over. He nearly darted out the door with a salute and well wishes for a good night before he practically jogged to his home. He was definitely going to need a shower.

--

Pomade in his hair, a light cologne misting around him, and a clean shaved face. He was dressed in his bootcut jeans, a pair of polished black boots, a skeleton t-shirt, and his favorite jean jacket. On his way out the door, he made sure he had his wallet and his keys and grabbed his guitar.

The taxi was already waiting by the time the soles of his boots hit the concrete of the sidewalk. He dove inside and provided the address for Robyn's home which she had written on a piece of a napkin the last time she was in the Nook. Being a man of music, he had memorized it. He had done the same for Erin's apartment, Livvy's license plate (just in case something happened to her bus), and his Mom's, Livvy's, and Julian's cell numbers.

He stood outside the door as he waited for her to join him. And when she did, all words let his mind. All he could hear was music as she smiled shyly at him. "Wow, Robyn," He breathed, "You look amazing." He held the door open for her before climbing inside behind her.

Once they had arrived at Erin's, he exited with his guitar and gently placed it on the ground before offering a hand to her to assist in her own exit. He could've sworn he felt a zinging in his hands where she held onto his. Once she was safely on the sidewalk, he laughed self-consciously and rubbed at the back of his neck, letting go of her hand. "Sorry." He gestured for her to go up the stairs first saying, "After you."

He could feel the music in his chest as soon as the door opened and only intensified as he got closer to the sound system in the living room. Erin and Evie were dancing to some EDM song pumping through the speakers. Others were just joining conversations. He spotted Livvy sketching at the island but decided against going right up to her for now. They were close as siblings, but one conversation they had was giving each other space. They tended to crowd each other in... well... crowded situations and often times it overwhelmed them.

She gave him a smile and raised her glass to him and that was a greeting enough for him. They would talk later. He noticed her fingers were already smudged with graphite. You can take the artist out of her studio, but you can't take the art out of the artist.

Instead, he turned to Robyn, held his hand out to her, palm up, and asked, "May I have this dance, M'Lady?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight Character Portrait: Dean Sun
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Julian Davies.
Image
Image
outfit. #8744ab.song.
Image
xxx And I'm a million different people
xxx From one day to the next
xxx I can't change my mold
xxx No, no, no, no, no

Image
Julian had been nervous all day. He was looking forward to the party, but at the same time it freaked him out. The last time he saw most of these people had been way before he ever went to prison. And although they might not say it to his face, he knew he was now known as ‘that guy that went to prison’. Whatever reason there had been for him going, he still had a hard time dealing with the stereotype that came with it.

Thankfully there had been his host for this evening. He wished there were more people like Erin, putting some faith in people that did their time. He had been working his ass off for months now in order to prove her right. And although he had never seen himself as a barman, it suited him well enough. He always made sure to split his tip with his colleagues and kept an eye on the regulars. Most of the people he had seen after his sentence was because of the Golden Owl. It was the new leaf he had been waiting to turn over for quite some time. And he had no interest in going back into any unsavoury business.

”So what time will you be ready?” he shouted at the bathroom door. His sister didn’t respond. Julian had been quick and efficient. In all honesty, he did not have a huge wardrobe to choose from. So he had settled on a simple polo and just prayed it would be anywhere near what the others would be wearing.

Julian had aimlessly walked through the living room, glancing at his phone, browsing through pictures he saw of people gearing up for the party. He always hated being late, and it wasn’t the first time his sister had been delaying him.

”Come on, Jay-jay. We’re gonna be late. I don’t want to get there when the party is basically over…” He was talking while leaning and knocking on the door. He almost dropped in when the door was suddenly opened.

”Julian, if you can’t wait, just go already.” The look on her face was one of anger. He recognised it easily as she looked at him with the same frown more than once a day. ”It’s only a short cab ride, so I can make my own way, and I don’t need you to take care of me. As you can see, I’m busy.”

He could see how she’d been busy with her hair. Just like it did with their mom, hair always took forever. Jade had started as soon as she got home and had kicked him off the couch in the process. ”Well…, you might be faster if you wouldn’t be listening to music while getting ready…” he said, grasping at straws.

”This music is a medical report podcast about anesthesiology in paediatrics and is a whole lot more interesting than your whining. So go the party, and I’ll meet you there.” With that she slammed the door in his face, barely leaving him the second it took to make sure it didn’t actually hit his face.




Julian paid with the change in his pocket. He already felt guilty on how he had been to his little sister. She’s trying so hard to better her life, and others as well by studying medicine, it was not right for him to give her a hard time. As he got out of the cab, he stared at the huge apartment. Jade’s apartment was surely good enough, and he could only thank her for letting him sleep on the couch on such a regular basis. But this apartment was something else all together.

As he got in he spotted the familiar faces quickly. He saw Erin first, in the middle of the dance floor with Evie. He made his way over to them first.
”Hey boss, thanks again for the invite. Nice to have one of our old school parties.” He smiled at her genuinely.
”Hey Evie, nice to see you again. She’s not here yet, but my sister should be here soon, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you again.”
With that he let them be and walked on. He almost had the feeling like he walked in on something he shouldn’t have.

Before he made his way over to the next group, he was attacked. Livvy gave him a big hug.
”Hey Liv, it’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.” Missing her was an understatement. It was always nice to find someone who can speak your language, and Livvy was one of the few in the group who did. He didn’t know what else to say. Of all people he had expected Livvy to visit him, but she had been very distant. Of course her work didn’t give her the chance, but he couldn’t fully rationalise she had not even sought contact through phone or letter.
They let go of each other, as they were each still making their way through the room.

His next stop was the kitchen, where he picked up three beers, before he made his way over to the billiards. He had already spotted Dylan and Adonis. ”Good evening, people of the good life. Dylan, how are you?” As he asked Dylan, he gave a quick hug to Adonis.
”You guys looked like you could use some refreshments.” He handed each of them a fresh beer, before he clinked his bottle against theirs. ”Well, this is all a bit overwhelming. Cheers!”

As he looked up, he saw Simon and Robyn on the dance floor. Not sure if Simon could see it, he just held up his beer as a greeting. From his face he could see his friend was enjoying himself.






Jade Davies.
Image
Image
outfit. #cb0e36.song.
Image
xxx No one on the corner has swagger like us
xxx Hit me on my burner prepaid wireless
xxx We pack and deliver like UPS trucks
xxx Already going hell, just pumping that gas

Image
Jade was tired the moment her shift was over. But she had been looking forward to this evening ever since Julian told her about it. So she had already picked out her outfit, but after a week of eleven hour shifts, she needed to do her hair first. With part of her hair tightened to the side, she was fighting with the straightener to iron out the other. She was listening to a podcast her senior physician had recommended. They hadn’t said it in those specific words, but Jade didn’t need a lot to get the hint.

That unlike her brother who annoyed the living daylights out of her. She had said it was okay for him to sleep on the couch, but he took that suggestion with more liberty than she liked. With the comb between her teeth and the straightener on the side of the sink, she changed sides to tackle the other part of her hair. The process had been going on for hours, but usually she would last a while before she had to do this again. She would rather kill herself than to appear at this party looking disheveled.

After talking of her brother she heard the door slam, indicating he’d finally left. She wouldn’t give him much credit, but at least she knew about the party through him. Jade doubted she would have received her own invitation. She had posted some pics throughout the week, already referencing the party. She knew Lauren would at least see those. Jade wanted to see her, wanted to confront her with her accomplishments. She wanted to show Lauren, she had outgrown her. This party was the perfect opportunity for that.

Finally ready with her hair she could see the absolute mess she had made. The whole floor was wet, as if there had been a flood. With her feet she wiped a towel over the floor to fix the worst of it. Then she put on her make up and got dressed. She wondered if Gabriella would be there too. She hoped so, her ex might be able to dodge her calls, but that would be a lot harder to do in person. She missed her, there was no doubt about that. But things weren’t lost, she just needed to get in contact with her again.

Lastly Jade put on the skirt and top she had already prepared. The top matched her bright red lipstick and looking into the mirror she was happy. This will be a night to remember. She grabbed her bag and 3 small bottles from her dresser. They were all filled with a selection of pills, pretty much a party mix.
She left the apartment for the cab stand. With a wink and a smile she said hi to the driver, who had been expecting her. Getting into the back, she leaned forward and handed the driver one of the bottles. ”All there. Now, do me a favour and drop me off at this address.”
She showed the address on her phone to the driver who just thanked her and started driving.




Jade left the cab and got to the apartment she had been looking for. Okay…just gonna assume most of this is Soren’s money…
As she climbed the stairs, she could feel a tingling in her stomach. She had been looking forward to this.

Inside it was already rather busy. But fashionably late was kind of her style in any case. She walked across the dance floor towards the kitchen. She saw her brother and some others near the billiards. She waved quickly and gave a small, almost non-perceivable wink to Adonis. Something about the look on his face told her that he’d seen her post. She had been out to lunch with Adonis’ mother 2 weeks ago, and she had learned the baby that was there was in fact Adonis’.
With her aim towards paediatrics she certainly had a professional interest, but even she had to admit that she posted the selfie of Adonis’ child with herself purely to rile him up.

The kitchen had been her best guess, and when she got in, she wasn’t disappointed. She gulped when she saw Gabriella, after a whole year. The last time she had seen her had been at the hospital. Jade had come by later, some time after the overdose. Ella had been asleep when she entered. Jade had looked at the chart and had figured out quickly that Ella was going to be fine. The relief she had felt then was overwhelming, and she had left before Gabriella would have had the chance of waking up.
She looked relaxed, full on in party mode.

Doing her best not to look at Gabriella or ‘homewrecker Declan’ for that matter, she walked over to Dean. She very nearly pushed Robyn out of the way in order to get to Dean. ”Hey babez, sorry for being late.” loud enough for all of them to hear.
She leaned forward to plant her lips on his, even just for a bit. Then she leaned back and looked at Robyn. ”Oh, hi sweetie. How are you holding up? I heard about Nate. I was so sorry to hear about his accident.” she put her hand on Robyn’s upper arm in an effort to show some empathy. With her smile and friendly eyes some people might even be convinced of her concern.
”If we can do anything to help, you just need to shout, all right?”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Dean Sun Character Portrait: Declan Sun Character Portrait: Gabriella Montez
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image
xxxx

xDean SunDeclan Sunx
xxxx
xxtroublemakerfuture surgeonxx
xx#A3333D#4A6670xx
xxoutfitoutfitxx

xxwith a guest appearance by gabriella montez
keepthese
linesfor


Declan might not have attended the party had Gabriela not said she was thinking about going, and Dean said he was certainly attending. Dec was pretty sure they’d only invited Dean because it felt wrong not to invite them both in the first place. Declan understood that, but sometimes they wished things weren’t like that. In his opinion, Dean was a good, but deeply flawed, person. Underneath all his issues he cared a lot.

The night of the party, Dean had swung by Declan’s place ahead of time because, well, it was on the way and Dean was trying to repair their relationship, and he wouldn’t be as well received if Dec wasn’t there with him. So he was there, sifting through Declan’s refrigerator while he waited for his sibling to get ready. Dean made a face as he pulled some rotting spinach out and tossed it in the garbage. Declan bought fresh food, but from the looks of the kitchen they never ate any of it. Dean couldn’t blame them, they were honestly too busy.

“Are you almost ready?” He called, long since tired of waiting around, “If we don’t hurry up people are going to think you won’t show.”

Declan had been so busy. Classes, studying, hospital rotations. It was dizzying and exhausting and left them little time for the small pleasures of life like taking their goddamn time getting ready for a party. “Yeah, I’m just-” He sighed, “It’s been so long, you know?” All their old friends were going to be there. Soren was going to be there. Maybe Simon. Dec wasn’t sure how to behave, or what kind of impression to make. Their social life had suffered for their excellent grades, and sometimes Declan wondered if he’d ever be normal again.

They left the cramped bathroom and came face-to-face with Dean, “Okay, I-” A pause, and a look around the room, “Were you going through my food?”

“Half of your shit was molding in the fridge,” Dean offered as an explanation, before turning to grab Declan’s keys and toss them at his brother, “Come on, parties are no fun if you’re the only sober ones there, and if we don’t hurry we will be.”

A subway ride and a couple blocks of walking later, and they were very nearly there.

“Dean,” Declan started, intending to ask Dean not to get Gabriella mixed up in whatever trouble he might concoct while at the party, but Dean waved them off before they got off the chance.

“I know this is my last fucking chance with most of these people,” He said, looking ahead, eyes not even glancing towards his brother, “Past it, even. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Declan felt a little guilty. That was basically the gist of it, but they probably wouldn’t have been too harsh. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt tonight, is all.”

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them.

“I know.” Dean finally replied. And after that, neither of them said much.

As they neared the building, Dean looked across the street and saw a squirrel behaving really erratically, and Dean pointed it out. “The fuck is that squirrel doing?”

Declan turned their head, eyebrow raised, “Let’s just get inside and leave it alone. Might be diseased or something.”

“Gross,” Dean mumbled as they entered the building.




They hadn't been there long before Dean vanished from Declan’s side and someone else found him, “Where the fuck have you been.”

Declan quickly tried to explain, tone apologetic, “My rotation this afternoon ran a little long and-”

“It doesn’t even matter. You’re here now. Don’t you dare leave me alone.”

Declan nodded at the interruption, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He nodded along as she started detailing the gossip of the night, occasionally puncturing her comments with little interjections of “oh?”, or “no,” or even, “I knew it!”

Declan raised an eyebrow at Gabriella’s comment about Erin and Evie. They smirked, “Right down to the outfits.”

Dean had made it to the kitchen, and Declan shot him an awkward smile as they both reached out for Gabriella to hand them a beer. Then Robyn Miller, of all people, was greeting Dean like they were the best of friends. What the fuck.

There hadn’t been much for Dean to do besides ditch Declan once the two of them got to the party, and then they were quickly reunited in the kitchen. Dean shot a beaming grin at Dec and went on to his business. The goal for the evening was to get drunk, get laid, and have fun. He ran into someone on his way out of the kitchen, and was a little pissed off until he noticed it was Robyn. He smiled at her greeting, “Hey! It’s great to see you.”

“How have you been? How’s the restaurant?”

Dean nodded, “Busy,” He offered, as explanation for how both he and the restaurant were doing, “How about you? How’s-”

Then Jade showed up, blowing through the room like a whirlwind. He swallowed down his annoyance of being interrupted to put on the act of a kind and caring boyfriend, shrugging off her apology for being late. “Not my party.” He neglected to mention that he, himself, had also been a bit late. He returned Jade’s kiss, and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when Jade went on talking to Robyn about Nate’s passing. The conversation was suddenly about Nate, and he wasn’t the center of it anymore, so he was very quickly growing bored. But he kept a polite, neutral smile glued to his face.

Gabriella, who had turned to face Declan when Jade entered the kitchen, still couldn’t resist glancing out her periphery as she heard Jade call another by the endearment once reserved for her. Doing her best not to react she took a drink from her beer, looking back to Declan to see his reaction. It was evident it was just as much of a surprise to him as it was Gabriella.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Gabriella mumbled to Declan, slipping past him and out the kitchen.

Dec had no idea that Jade and Dean were… Together? He shook his head when Gabriella looked at him, trying to wordlessly convey that he would have told her had he known. He sighed, softly, to himself as she slipped past. She needed a minute, so he let her go.

Declan walked up to Dean and, with a smile, said, “Excuse me ladies,” They cut a sharp look at Jade, it only lasted a second, but it was long enough to convey their distaste for her. “Can I borrow my brother for just a minute?” With their normally-gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder, Declan led Dean out of the kitchen and to the first empty corner they could find and shoved him into it.

“What the hell, Dean?!”

“What?” Dean’s expression was incredulous, he hadn’t done anything. Of course, he didn’t know the truth about what had happened between Jade and Gabriella, but for fuck’s sake.

“Jade? Out of everyone in the world?”

Dean shrugged, but he was angry at Declan for pushing him. Dec could see it on his face, they knew Dean better than anyone. “I really don’t think it's any of your business.” Dean smiled; all teeth and no warmth, “Is it?”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

evie addams.
Image
Image
outfit. #b59eab.
Image
xxx I don't feel sorry for you
xxx Cause now the tables turning
xxx And now the bridge is burning
xxx It's coming crashing down

Image
In some ways, Evie didn’t realise that she was searching for someone in particular until that someone materialised beside her, with a wry comment and that charming smirk. Evie grinned and returned Erin’s side hug. She laughed and shrugged a little at the comment. “Never really know what to do with myself,” she admitted with an honest laugh. For years, she’d just followed Lauren around and followed her example. Figuring out what to do with her own agency, as her own person, took a little bit of time. Erin’s comment about not being a party animal herself made her chuckle a little. Evie wasn’t quite sure that she believed Erin on that, but she appreciated the comfort nonetheless.

Evie wasn’t quite sure how to react when Erin declared that she had to go with her, gently taking Evie’s drink from her and setting it down. She had to fight back a blush as Erin took her hand, but felt that her huge, cheesy smile had to give her away, as she nodded at Erin’s request for a dance. “Sure,” she managed to get out, before tugging Erin towards the dance floor.

Evie had never really gotten to spend much time with Erin before. Erin and Lauren had hated each other, and Evie had always just stuck with Lauren, no matter the horrible things that she was saying. But now, Evie wanted to make up for that, and get to know the real Erin, not the version that Lauren painted of her. And if that started with dancing and having fun together, well, who was she to turn it down?

For once, Evie wasn’t worried about how she looked or what people thought of her. As a teenager, her mind had always been on whether or not she looked “hot”, how she compared to Lauren and Jade and Camilla, what they thought of her, what everyone else thought of her. But no more. Now, she was focused on the moment and on having fun. Because that’s what she was doing; having fun. She was laughing and dancing with Erin, not worrying about whether people were staring or what they could possibly be thinking. She spotted Gabriella and gave an excited, albeit brief wave, that she wasn’t sure whether or not the other girl saw.

She grinned as Julian approached them, almost a little awkwardly, to say hello to Erin. The once or twice that Evie had swung by the Golden Owl, she’d seen Julian behind the bar, and while they hadn’t necessarily talked much, it was good to see him doing well. Her smile faltered a little bit at the mention of Jade, but she nodded. “Good to see you, mate.”

They got back to dancing and enjoying themselves for another little while. And then, as Evie turned, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, one that sent chills down her spine, and she froze.




lauren clark.
Image
Image
outfit. #540000.
Image
xxx Honey, I rose up from the dead,
xxx I do it all the time
xxx I've got a list of names
xxx and yours is in red, underlined

Image
Getting back in contact with Camilla might just have been the best decision Lauren had made. If she hadn’t, she probably wouldn’t have heard about this little party. Jade had been making vague posts about it all week on instagram as well, probably with the intention of catching Lauren’s interest. It was a cute attempt, really, but Camilla had already spoiled that surprise for Jade. Lauren had liked the posts, of course, but hadn’t particularly engaged with them beyond that. She knew that Jade was likely to try and impress her, or show her that she had somehow surpassed Lauren in terms of being the Queen Bee, a thought that made Lauren genuinely laugh.

She already knew all of her old favourite toys would be there. Lauren smiled at the thought as she leaned in to add the finishing touches to her eyeliner. It was Erin’s apartment, which meant that Soren was also guaranteed to be there. He thought he’d called her bluff when she’d threatened to tell the world about all of his little secrets. And truth be told, she’d been tempted to post the pictures she had, just to spite him. But when she’d heard about the party, she figured that she’d have the opportunity to get even more dirt on him. Being with a rockstar was exactly the angle her reputation needed right now, even one that was known to be the opposite of the stereotype. The aesthetics were all that mattered. She had her ways of getting everything else she wanted. She always had; her relationship with him had always been about the aesthetics and the fun of it all.

And then, of course, there was Erin herself. Oh, the things that Lauren had on Erin. Erin had gotten bold around the time that Evie had gotten herself sent to hospital and had blamed it all on Lauren. But a twisted smile and a reminder of the information that Lauren had, and Erin had dropped it. That sort of power over one of her most notorious critics was the most intoxicating kind.

She’d also heard through a reliable source that Dean was going to be there, which meant that his shadow of a brother was also likely to be there. At least she knew that there was likely to be a bit of fun if Dean was there. Declan was a little bit of a complication, having taken the sides of those such as Evie and Gabriella over the years, but as far as she was concerned, he wasn’t likely to be a problem or a barrier to her being able to have a little bit of fun.

Showing up to a party on time was overrated, and not her style. She wanted to make sure that all eyes would be on her when she arrived. And so, she waited, booking her taxi for an hour after the time that Camilla had told her. Camilla had been oh so generous in telling Lauren all of the details, acting as the perfect little minion. She’d fallen right back into Lauren’s clutches and all it had taken was a few friendly texts, comments hyping her up on instagram, and some juicy gossip, and it was like nothing had ever happened between them. Of course, it had, and Lauren wasn’t going to forget their little conversation in the hospital any time soon. But being friends with Camilla was in Lauren’s interests at the minute, and so, she’d make sure to stay on her good side for as long as was required.

She stepped out of the taxi and scanned the building in front of her. She shook her head, smiling to herself as she imagined how the hell Erin explained how she could afford this apartment to people. Everyone knew that the Golden Owl couldn’t be making that much money to be able to afford a nice place like this. There were one or two stragglers outside, who saw her and froze. She didn’t recognise them; which meant they either feared her by reputation, or her appearance was enough to strike fear into them. Lauren’s wicked smile grew a little. Either of those things were good. She took her time making her way into the apartment. If anyone recognised her, she wanted them to be sure that it was her. She wanted everyone to know that she was there, and that she meant business.

The dance floor was right in front of her as she finally stepped into the apartment itself. She could already see a few familiar faces. Those familiar faces began to do double takes as they noticed her. Evie and Erin were out dancing on the floor together, laughing and apparently oblivious to the looks and the comments that were being made about them. It was cute, really, but Lauren knew that with a few well placed revelations, she could change the way they looked at each other forever.

But it was probably a bit early in the party to begin plotting anyone’s downfall just yet.

As Evie twirled, she spotted Lauren and froze, the smile falling from her face in an instant and her expression turning to one of horror. That was Lauren’s cue, it seemed. She spotted Camilla and strode towards her. As she walked, all conversation seemed to die, save for whispers that were barely heard over the music; some emo shit that Soren had presumably chosen.

“Hello, darling,” Lauren called, leaning in to kiss Camilla on the cheek. “Thank you so much for inviting me to this… wonderful little party,” she said. “I’m so psyched to be able to see all my old… friends again,” she said, turning and scanning the room. Her smile widened as she realised that practically all of their old group was there. All of her favourite toys. All of the people whose secrets she still knew, who she still held in the palm of her hand.

All of the people she could, and would ruin.




soren bowers.
Image
Image
outfit. #4d5676.
Image
xxx I've been staying up all night
xxx Shaking needles out my spine
xxx But the doctor says I'm fine
xxx Feels good to be alive, but I hate my life

Image
Soren grinned at Erin as she passed. As he got into the kitchen, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him, offering him a beer. He grinned and held out his hand. “You’re a mind reader, Gabriella,” he called, accepting the drink. But before he could properly greet Gabriella, she turned to Declan (who Soren only realised was there as she did so), said something he couldn’t quite hear and left. Soren recovered, taking a mouthful of his beer, and took a moment to compose his thoughts.

And then Declan also left, apparently having not noticed Soren’s arrival either. Soren just took another drink, sighing a little. He felt vaguely deflated by the fact that the only person that seemed to have really paid any heed to him was Camilla and her comment about his shirt. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Because as he looked back out towards the dance floor, he saw something that sent shivers down his spine.

Lauren was there. She kissed Cam on the cheek, before turning to scan the room. Lauren’s eyes landed on Soren, and her smile became even more wicked. He made his way towards her, unsmiling as he approached.

“Soren, darling, how wonderful to see you as well. You look fantastic, and what a wonderful party,” she said. He didn’t smile, and that just seemed to make hers widen.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked.
“My darling friend Camilla here invited me,” she said. Soren instinctively shot a glare at Cam, before turning his attention back to Lauren. She bet him to the punch however.

“Come on then, Sor, darling, be the gracious host we all know you are,” she said, taking a step towards him and cupping his face. He froze for a second, conscious of everyone watching them. He pushed her hand away, as calmly but as insistently as he could.
“Leave,” he said, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Her eyes shone with a dangerous energy, a warning, her whole demeanour like a trickster goddess, waiting for someone to fall in her trap. And it seemed like somebody just had.
“Are you going to make me?” She asked. There was nothing playful in her tone, even if it was light. He braced himself, knowing that the sting was coming. “Do you really think you’d be able to do that? What with your bad hip and all of your… other problems?” She asked, her tone cold and harsh, and somehow still light. She made sure that everyone would hear, and that they’d be hanging on to her every word. She really hadn’t changed. And then she smiled, her demeanour changing back to friendly and open. “I really can’t wait to catch up with all of you again,” she said, turning to address the party, and choosing another target to go talk to. Soren went to follow her or to say something, but somebody grabbed his arm to hold him back.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Olivia Eriksen
Image
Image
Art Conservator/Starving Artist | outfit. | Song |#8B8000.
Image
xxx I wanna paint your face
xxx Like you're my Mona Lisa
xxx I wanna be a champion
xxx I wanna be a loser

Image
Livvy should've picked a better place to sketch she decided. Part of her was scolding herself for not interacting more, but her travel had made it hard to keep in touch with a lot of people. Many reconnected with old friends and some... made new friends. She always had Simon, of course, but they couldn't cling to one another like Rose and Jack in the Titanic. The scene with the door still upset her. There was plenty of room on that damn door for Jack! She shook her head sharply, getting lost in her thoughts. She took another sip as someone grabbed her in a hug from behind and she squeaked--actually squeaked--as Gabriella embraced her. "Hello to you too," she said with a laugh. Gabriella, one of those new friends/old friends who found new friends with old friends (she should make a mind map to follow all the friendships around here), turned her attention to Soren. Livvy gave him a small nod and went back to sketching. She saw Soren every now and then, but he was more Simon's kind of guy. They shared a love of music.

Only Julian shared Livvy's love of art.

She had half a thought to go find him when more faces filled the kitchen and she started to feel a bit crowded. With a grunt, she tossed her things in her little bag and moved around the island to try to find a different space to exist in. She heard a familiar voice--Robyn's--greet someone that made Livvy stop in her tracks. Dean.

There he was. Just as attractive as he was in high school. More so with that swagger and his hair. She felt her palms get sweaty and realized she was staring. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice. In fact, he didn't seem t see her at all. She moved to join in the conversation with Simon's new love interest and her old flame with she walked in. Livvy was never a fan of Jade. She never liked the way she treated her brother. She wouldn't be surprised if she had anything to do with Julian getting locked up. It wasn't long before Dean made his relationship clear.

And just like that, Livvy found herself leaving the room altogether... and snagging a bottle of strawberry liqueur and made her way into another room. She low-key hoped Simon didn't see. She knew she'd get an ear full of it later.

While she found Julian, much to her dismay, she had also run into someone else she wasn't entirely sure how to respond to. Adonis. Guilt swept through her again as she hadn't reached out lately. She had been busy with paintings and weddings. And he had been busy with Fleur and... if she was reading the room right, Dylan maybe? Livvy didn't know much about Dylan. She was a gorgeous woman with the kind of curves Livvy would kill for. She subconsciously ran a hand over her chest, bound in her black tube top. She took a swig from the bottle and walked over.

"Hey, guys! What's uh... what's up?" She lifted a hand to run her fingers through her hair like she usually did when she was nervous, but she spent a good amount of product trying to keep the volume in her hair so she let it drop. "Are we playing pool? Could do guys vs. ladies?"

Livvy, she thought, Shut the hell up.







Simon Rizzo
Image
Image
Barista | outfit | Song |#489A4A.
Image
xxx I'm always screaming my lungs out
xxx till my head starts spinning
xxx Playing my songs is the way I cope with life
xxx Won't keep my voice down
xxx Know the words I speak are the thoughts I think out loud

Image
As Simon danced with Robyn, he noticed movement behind her and glanced over to find Julian. He gave a small wave with the promise to catch up with him later. They haven't talked as much as they used with their work schedules but they found time where they could. Robyn was gorgeous tonight, with her curls and her adorable smile. He wanted to tell her what, exactly, he felt for her, but he still wasn't sure if she was ready after Nate. They hadn't ever talked about it.

So instead, he just enjoyed the time he had with her.

Once they finished dancing, she went to get a drink, and he moved off to the side to give others room to dance. He noticed Livvy slink off, but missed the bottle she had snatched. He did however notice Declan in the kitchen with Gabriella. It had been a while since they connected and while things ended fine between them, he did miss the friendship that had at one time. He made a move to join them...And that's when Cam walked up. He barely recognized her with the way her hair was styled, her lack of bright red lipstick. It was like, she dropped the Camilla she was on stage and became a different Camilla. Interesting.

Sputtering like a high school boy, he replied, "H-Hey, Cam-Camilla-Cam." He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "It has, in fact, been a while. You look great. Did you do something with your hair?" She asked him about his "comic shop" and he instantly knew she hadn't changed a ton since high school. It helped him mellow a bit. "Just a book store. And a coffee shop. And it's not mine I just work there. Well, I manage it." He gave an uncomfortable chuckle.

Then, he could almost hear a record scratch. Could almost feel the ice that filled the room (or was it heat?) as the fire-breathing bitch queen appeared. All sly smiles and cocky attitude. She kissed Cam on the cheek, thanking her for inviting her. His eyes snapped to his ex, filled with what he could only describe as betrayal. Not that he could say he was entirely surprised. He was just thankful Livvy wasn't in the room. She wasn't sure if she'd try to claw the woman's eyes out or jump her to complete her stupid list.

Lauren's eyes roved the room and landed on poor Soren. The energy in the room turned electric, crackling with aggression as he confronted her. She revealed something about a bad hip of his, but Simon dismissed it. The woman liked to play games. And even if she wasn't playing, it was none of Simon's business. She breezed by him, a wraith with no real substance, and he moved to go after her, but Simon reached out to grab his arm. "Let her go, man. It's not worth it." He watched her go and continued, "She likes a chase."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Gabriella Montez
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image

xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx

co-written by leisurelyatwar


Before Robyn could even say anything back to Jade, Declan made his way over. He seemed to push in between them harder than Jade had done just a hot minute ago.
”Excuse me ladies, can I borrow my brother for just a minute?”
Jade could see the hate in his eyes, but answered with a smile on her face.
”Oh hey Deckie, didn’t see you there.” she said feigning surprise.
”Sure you can borrow him. He’s your brother after all. My word…, those bags under your eyes are getting bigger by the day. Do you get enough rest between shifts?”

Declan did not stick around to answer, but grabbed Dean by the shoulder and let him out of the kitchen. Jade smiled and waved after them.

Looking back at Robyn, the widow had a puzzled smile on her face.
”So Jade? How long have you and Dean been together? I don’t recall him mentioning anything, my bad.”

It’s not like they were anything exclusive, so Jade would have been very surprised if Dean had told anyone. ”We've been exploring each other’s pants for a while now, but I'm not keeping count. What about you, where do you get your ... uhmm.. excitement now?” She wondered if Miss Goody Two Shoes ever had any real excitement. Going with the same guy since high school wasn’t particularly experimental.

“Oh, uh. Nothing really. Don’t feel ready to get back out there, you know?” Robyn answered as if she had ever been ‘out there’.

Jade pushed out her lip and shook her head a bit. If there was any time to get back into the game for Robyn, it would be now. "Well, don't wait too long. I mean... it's not like he's gonna come back. Now, if you excuse me, if you see Dean, just tell him I'm off to the ladies room." Jade stepped away from Robyn and moved into the direction of the bathroom, where she had just seen Gabriella go as well.

Suddenly the party felt too crowded, the music too loud. Gabriella kept a hand along the walls of the hall as she worked towards the bathroom, her gaze lowered. She hadn’t expected Jade to stay single, Gabriella sure hadn’t been chaste since their break. That Gabriella had been prepared for. However, seeing Jade’s lips lock with Dean’s made her stomach turn. It wasn’t jealousy - no it was more visceral than that. She felt dirty, disgusted. As much as she wanted to be angry with Dean she knew that he was just a toy in Jade’s manipulations. Her bar for him was already so low it was impossible for Dean to surprise her anymore with a new low. Jade however met new levels of deception every day.

There was a line outside the bathroom, Gabriella leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Her eyes were narrowed in a way she only did when deep in thought, staring blankly at the wall across from her. She probably should have just gone home but she didn’t want Jade knowing that she’d been able to have that effect on her.

Jade had expected a line at the bathroom and she wasn’t disappointed. She stared from a distance, eyeing the girl she had been with for quite some time. She looked good, but not nearly as good as when Ella’s head would be laying in her lap. So high on whatever she was given she could not make sense of the world anymore. [color=#cboe36]God, how I miss those days.[/color]

She walked over, and although her high heels should have made clicking noises with every step, somehow she was silent. She saw how deep in thought Ella was. She could not even have noticed how Jade had been walking up close to her, standing behind her in line.
“Oh Ella, here you are” again faking her surprise.
“And here I was, thinking you were avoiding me somehow.”

Gabriella could feel Jade’s presence before she heard her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Jade always had that effect on her. Her therapist said it was the result of prolonged psychological manipulation, that Jade wanted Gabriella a little afraid of her. As much as Gabriella agreed with her it was hard to accept that that’s all their relationship had been.

Jade’s mock surprise was convincing but Gabriella knew that Jade was too intelligent to leave anything to chance. Though Gabriella had long committed the lines and curves of Jade’s face to memory, seeing her again this close Gabriella had to catch her breath. Of course her lips were painted red, Gabriella’s gaze glancing down at them instinctually. They were even more inviting than she remembered. Looking away suddenly to break the spell Jade had over her, it took a few seconds to regain her faculties.

“What do you want, Jade?” Gabriella asked flatly, keeping her gaze fixed on the wall across them. She was tired of these games.
Jade moved sideways, getting directly in Gabriella’s eyeline. “What do I want? You seriously have to ask me what I want? Why do you think I’ve been trying to call you and message you?

Jade took a step closer, they nearly touched each other now. They were of very similar height, so Jade tried her best to stare deep into Gabriella’s eyes.
“Please babez, don’t look so sad, it does nothing for you. I miss your smile.”

Gabriella pushed herself from the wall, grateful for the extra height her heels had given to be able to look down at Jade. She seemed so small from this angle, almost harmless. Like the blossom of a poisonous plant trying to lure in its prey. Gabriella had been preparing for the moment when she saw Jade again well over a year. She had convinced herself if she knew what was coming she would be able to deflect it. Unfortunately no amount of intellectualizing could outwit Jade’s natural effect on others, Gabriella struggling not to become reactive.

“Will you please just say whatever it is that you need to say so I can go back to my life and you can go be with Dean.” Gabriella knew she sounded jealous, and maybe she was a little. It stung to see Jade with another, regardless of whatever messiness they had unresolved between them.

Jade enjoyed every bit of it. She still had her influence over Gabriella. She had always told Jade everything with her mouth shut. Her face, her movement, the moments when she blinked, all of it was telling Jade what she already knew. She still had a hold over her.
“Aawwe babez, you’re not jealous are you? Me and Dean have a very different kind of… connection.”

Jade looked compassionately at Gabriella. “Shame babez, you look stressed.” She put her hand on her bag, leaned in close and changed to a whisper. “I have something to calm you down if you like. Nothing heavy, I swear, just something to take the edge off and make sure you can enjoy your night.”

“Are you fucking serious?” A response that Gabriella had said in a very different tone once upon a time, now delight replaced with malice. Any bit of control that Gabriella had over her reactions was out the window. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

“You are poison, Jade.” Gabriella seethed.
Jade leaned back, a bit surprised at the hard reaction. She wasn’t used to Gabriella talking this way to her, but it didn’t mean this was over.

“No need to get hostile, sweetie. I’m only poison to those that choose to see me like that.” Jade saw how they were up next for the bathroom. The line had moved slowly during their conversation. In a quick move Jade softly put her hand on Gabriella’s.
“You know what. I’ll go to the bathroom first. I’ll just leave the pill there for you. And you can decide to flush it, or take it, no harm done. You don’t owe me a thing, and I wouldn’t even know.”

Jade pulled her hand from Gabriella’s and held the door open as the previous person just came out. “Won’t be a minute.” she smiled warmly at her ex, as if they just had a friendly conversation.

Gabriella felt frozen in place, still feeling the shadow of Jade’s hand around hers. The worst part was that no matter what, Jade would always leave Gabriella wishing she could get high. It wasn’t just the association she made with her ex. Jade made her feel out of control. When she was using she convinced herself she liked not having to make any decisions for herself but look where it got her. Staring ahead at the door Jade disappeared behind, Gabriella held her breath waiting for it to open again.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Damien Wolfe Character Portrait: Gabriella Montez
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image

ImageImageOnce inside Jade redid her make up a bit and washed her hands. Making Gabriella stew in her own thoughts for a bit. From her bag, she took one of the pill bottles and took the cap off. She shook out a few pills on her hand and picked the one she was looking for. It wasn’t the heaviest, but it was more the temptation than the actual effect in any case.

She put the pill on the side of the sink. There was a jar of crystals as decoration, and Jade picked out the green ones, knowing it was Gabriella’s favorite color. She placed them in the shape of a heart around the pill, making it stand out. All finished she opened the door again to let Gabriella in.

After sending the texts to Dylan, Damien slipped effortlessly through the throng of inebriated individuals towards the direction of the bathroom. Out of office, Damien retained his authoritarian image, compelling people to get out of his way. In contrast, others stood in awe of the sumptuous grandeur of what was Mr. Wolfe casually walking by. He was aware that they were watching him, and he desired that they do so. He wasn't an attention seeker, yet he exuded the kind of assurance that goes unnoticed. Damien worked hard to have his name plastered on billboards all around New York City. He was in charge of the room, and he looked fantastic doing it.

When he turned into the corridor, he wasn't shocked to find many individuals waiting in line for the toilet, whether they needed to use it or whether they planned to snort lines privately. Damien was a little irritated by the latter's notion since it reminded of his mother who died of an overdose when he was just four years old. He didn't recall much of what happened that night since his thinking process was still forming. Damien did, however, recall the neglect he felt days before they were found, as well as cops taking him away from the terrible sight. So, knowing that some of them were just there to take heavy drugs, he was not happy. Damien was well aware of how it typically ended; he was also aware of how it could destroy someone. Similarly, because Damien was the source provider, it started to ruin him, but business is business. Nothing mattered as long as Damien remained in power.

He was ready to turn around to avoid standing in line when he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was Gabriella Montez, his wife's close friend and the woman he was having an affair with. He watched her from afar, awestruck by the sensuous way her clothing embraced each curve of her flawless figure. There was no denying she was incredibly sexy; Damien was drawn to her like a mosquito to a flame, but he didn't mind the burn.

Having her in his company was risky since Dylan was unaware of their sexual connection. He was free to kiss and fuck whoever he pleased, but with Gabriella, things were different, and he didn't want Dylan to know he had feelings for her best friend. Thus, he was prepared to take the risk when he started approaching her. “Ms. Gabriella Montez,” he greeted her, the sound of her name lingering on his tongue with delight, “you look good as always.” She seemed to be more than attractive, as shown by the provocative grin that stretched over his face, the same smile that had brought them together in the first place. He leaned towards her ear, placing his palm on the wall next to her head, and said, "Really good."

This is the part when they would simultaneously pull each other's clothing off; she would reiterate that it was a terrible idea, but they would go ahead and do it anyway. He moved his head away from hers and examined her from the side, paying special attention to her cleavage. He was about to continue speaking when the restroom door opened in front of them, prompting Damien to pull away slightly from Gabriella. He stood there watching as Jade Davies, the troublemaker, walked out, holding the door open.

The expression on her face told Damien she was up to something, and having grown up with Jade, he knew nothing good could come of it. “Ah, there she is,” he said sarcastically, “still getting into trouble I see.” It wasn't a question. He was well aware that certain things never changed, and this was true for Jade. Damien grew up in Brooklyn alongside her and her brother, Julian, when he was in foster care. He attempted to keep her from bad habits, but she was just as obstinate as he was. Finally, seeing her after all these years gave Damien faith that she was in a better place.

Standing now in between Jade and Damien, there was little time for Gabriella to process her situation. Damien had swooped in while she was still recovering from the wake of Jade’s presence, his voice snapping her back to reality. Where Jade had left Gabriella feeling cold and hollow, Damien’s devilish smile and familiar expression was enough to fill her with fire. She had every intention of indulging him, admittedly because she wanted Jade to see Gabriella had other much more powerful people looking out for her now. Before Gabriella could step in towards him the door opened again, prompting Damien to move back.

As Jade opened the door she saw a familiar face. She got a big smile on her face as if she hadn’t seen him in years. “Damien! My Brooklyn brother!”
She stepped past Gabriella giving him a quick hug with her arms around his neck. As she let go she stepped back a bit and put her hand on his wrist. “How have you been? Looking mischievously into his eyes, she paid no attention to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked down to Jade’s hand over Damien’s wrist. She wasn’t sure why but it made her ill at ease. There was a part of Gabriella that would never be able to stop herself from over analyzing every little thing Jade said or did. She did it for so long it was innate even after having avoided her for over a year.

“I’ll let you two catch up.” Gabriella said as she went into the bathroom, only glancing over Jade to give Damien a look implying she hoped to see him the next time she opened the door - alone.

Gabriella had been so distracted by Damien's sudden appearance she almost forgot why she had been angry in the first place. He had that effect on her. In truth she was addicted; to the thrill, to the sex, to him. It was the same thing with Jade. Before she thought it was just the drugs but it was more than that. The danger of never knowing what comes next was exhilarating . . . until it wasn't.

Staring up at her were little green things arranged in the shape of a heart around a single pill. Gabriella's initial instinct was to flush them but every time she tried to reach for them she froze. She didn't trust herself to let go of it. It wasn't that she wanted to do drugs, it's just that it was difficult to just get rid of them. Once they were gone they were gone - but if she could hold onto them then she could just know where they were.

Something in this scenario surfaced a memory from the recesses of her mind. It was common with her recovery to have random things trigger memories from when she was using. It had been during one of her relapses, trying to play off that she was sober to Evie. She became paranoid they might search her for drugs she had hidden them. Thinking about it now she never came back for them, she wondered if they were in the same spot . . .

Jade had given Gabriella a side glance when the latter turned into the bathroom. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Damien, but she didn’t need Damien to mess up her plan. She thought her ex might be more inclined to take the pill if she could hear Jade having a great time with Damien. Anything and everything to work on her nerves, to have her need that relaxation only one of those pills could give her.

Damien was taken aback in the hallway outside the restroom when Jade rushed into his arms for an embrace. He let his hands hang at his sides, unsure what to do with them, before eventually hugging her back. When she referred to him as a "Brooklyn brother," he grinned to himself, recalling the wonderful times he had with her and Julian before he went upstate.

Damien's lips curled into a grin when Jade drew away from him and smiled. He'd always had a soft spot for Jade, even as children, but it was never romantic. He treated her as though she were the little sister he never had and protected her accordingly. Damien even sends money to her bank account anonymously to assist her in paying for her medical school education.

Damien was so absorbed in Jade's presence that he missed Gabriella entering the bathroom. “I'm doing well,” he said, “I took over my father's business after graduating from Harvard... you remember? Wolfe Enterprises on Wall Street? You should come by someday. I'd be happy to give you a tour.”

Jade smiled broadly at his suggestion. “Oh my, you’re going to be sorry for that offer. You know I still don’t let any chances get by me.” she added a subtle wink.
“You ever go back to the old neighborhood? They will be surprised the scruffy kid turned out like this.”

She thought back on their run ins as kids. Damian had been at their house a few times. And although Julian could do no good for her mom, Damian could do no wrong. He had this kind of charm about him. Jade pulled her phone from her pocket. “Give me your number, so I can give you a call when I come by. I’ll bring you a coffee, promise.” She unlocked it and put it in his hands to put his number in.

“I really hadn’t expected to see you here. Isn’t this party a bit minor for Mr. Big shot?” She laughed as she said it. Not cause it was funny, but because she was sure Gabriella would be able to hear it.

The sound of Jade's laughter broke Gabriella's train of thought. She should have called her sponsor but she was weakened. Gabriella scooped the pill up, slipping them into a secret inner pocket of her jacket. She made sure to flush in case Jade was listening so that she could cast some idea of doubt that she kept the pill. Funny that she had come to the bathroom to try to escape Jade, just to be cornered and slipped drugs and virtually trapped with the two drug dealers she's fucked standing outside the door. Gabriella leaned against the door listening intently to see if Jade was still out there.

Jade heard the flush inside the bathroom. Of course that didn’t say anything. Gabriella had been there to specifically go to the bathroom, but somehow Jade had the idea her plan worked. She took her phone back from Damian.
“Well, I’m sure I haven’t seen all of the ol’ gang just yet. Will you excuse me?!”

She looked up at him with big eyes, just like she had done so many times when they were still kids and she leaned up to kiss his cheek. Letting him go she walked to the end of the hallway before turning around. “Oh, Damien? Don’t forget to say hi to Ju, I’m sure he’s looking forward to seeing you.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Dean Sun Character Portrait: Lauren Clark Character Portrait: Declan Sun
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImagexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxImage
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx╔══════════════════╗
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx I should move 'cause New York is gettin' muddy out
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxThere's L.A. but it's always kinda sunny out
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxAnd I don't wanna hurt no more
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxSo I set my bar real low

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx╚══════════════════╝

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOutfit ║ Hex: #2A9DF4

Image Image Image Image
<3
Robyn nodded when Dean mentioned being busy, it made sense. She cocked her head a bit, listening to what he was about to ask when she almost fell over when someone walked past her, but blamed it on the tight spaces of the atmosphere and people drinking. Though Robyn was surprised to see it was Jade and her friendly greeting with Dean, she didn’t remember him mentioning her at all during some of their talks at his work. She was about to sneak away when she saw Gabriella walking through the crowd, but was brought back when Jade turned and spoke to her.

As Jade spoke, Robyn started with a smile and was about to return the greeting when Jade brought up Nathan. Robyn’s demeanor changed immediately, a bit more solemn look crossed over her face. This was one of her worries about coming to this party, being constantly reminded about her husband and the accident. Of course people would ask if she was okay, but she was here to try to enjoy herself and forget about all the bad for at least a night. She darted her eyes to the ground and rubbed her arm for a moment, trying to compose herself and get ahold of her emotions. Robyn only looked back up when Jade spoke again, offering anything to help if needed. “Yeah, it’s been-” Robyn started to speak, slowly and with a light mumble, but was cut off when Dean’s brother interjected and pulled him away.


She was thrown off a bit with Declan pulling Dean away so quickly, but it gave her enough of a distraction from the current conversation with Jade. “Weird…” Robyn spoke out loud, more so to herself rather than to Jade or anyone else. “So Jade? How long have you and Dean been together? I don’t recall him mentioning anything, my bad.” She asked Jade, throwing out a smile. Robyn was genuinely curious about the two of them, especially since she felt like her and Dean were starting to get close.

Robyn let out a slight giggle with how Jade explained her and Dean, but then took a bit back by asking how she was… ‘getting her excitement.’ “Oh, uh.” She stuttered for a moment. “Nothing really. Don’t feel ready to get back out there, you know?” She shrugged, hoping Jade would understand what she meant. Robyn struggled with herself and trying to figure what to do with herself and her dating future. Not sure what Nate would “approve” or look down upon her for doing. Jade’s next moment threw Robyn off. it's not like he's gonna come back. Jade’s words hung around Robyn, even after she left, saying something about the ladies’ room. Robyn hovered around the kitchen for a bit, downing two quick cups of the alcoholic punch. She let out a few deep breaths before grabbing another drink she was going to bring to Simon and headed out of the kitchen hoping Simon wouldn’t be too upset that she took a bit too long.

As she walked back into the open space, she scanned the room and finally settled on Simon and took a step towards him. But she stopped when she noticed someone he was talking to, Camilla Rhodes. Robyn was surprised to see her here, they didn’t exactly end on bad terms either so there wasn’t any bad blood between them. But she knew about Camilla and Simon’s past, and felt a bit of envy seeing her talking to Simon, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

All of the sudden the room stood still, Robyn shifted her gaze to where everyone else was, and saw Lauren. The last person she expected to see here. She just sat back and watched. Her and Lauren weren’t on bad terms, and might even be friends if they spoke, but the blonde woman had a secret she held over Robyn’s head that she didn’t want anyone to find out about, so she typically avoided her. Robyn turned away after seeing Lauren greet Camilla and decided she didn’t want to deal with the old friend at the moment and hoped to get away.

“Robbie!” The voice rung in her ears, and it seemed like Robyn hadn’t been able to get away in fact. Robyn let out a sigh and turned around facing Lauren. “Hey Lauren! It’s been awhile hasn’t it?” She asked, with a smile on her face, still holding the two drinks in her hand, one meant for Simon. “It truly has, hasn’t it? For me? Thanks.” Lauren spoke, taking one of the drinks out of Robyn’s hand. “Kind of a bummer party. Expected more from a self proclaimed rockstar.” She continued, throwing a laugh out and taking a sip of her drinking.

“Ye-” Robyn began to talk, but was cut off by Luaren. “So, see you're still wearing those rings. Didn’t he passed a year now?” She asked bluntly. Like with Jade, she was taken back by the comment. “Uh, Y-yeah. It helps. Helps remember him.” She took a glance down at her ring after speaking. “Mhmm. I bet Robbie.” Lauren set down her drink and took Robyn’s from her and set hers down too. Lauren was now holding both her hands now, pulling her gaze to meet her own. “Listen here darling. You have to learn to move on. Do you really think Nathan would want you to be sulking around?” She paused.

Lauren’s voice seemed to have empathy in it as she spoke. “You’re still a beautiful woman, and shouldn’t be held up hiding all of that from the world.” Robyn flashed a smile to Lauren. “Thanks Laur.” “Anytime Robbie. And you know Nathan wasn’t much to begin with.” This made Robyn react with a quizzical look. “You know what I mean. Just another poor savior child, much like Julian. Ending up behind bars, probably would’ve been Nathan if you didn’t have your savior complex.” Robyn pulled back from Lauren. “It’s not like that. What happened to Julain was terrible, and Nath-” “Nathan what Robyn? I know he still visited his buddy behind bars. Plus you always knew there was better out there, or do you not remember that night with you in that sexy cheer outfit after graduation?” She continued, slapping Robyn lightly on the ass.

Robyn was speechless from what Lauren was saying. She wanted to move on from that drunken night. “Just, leave me alone Lauren.” Robyn said, taking a step past Lauren, but being yanked back, into a close embrace with her. “Oh come on. You loved that night. Maybe Nate’s passing is a good thing, a sign we should reignite some things.”

In the next moment there was a loud smack, and Robyn was standing a few feet from Lauren, holding her face after she was just slapped. “How dare you. Nathan deserved better than what happened. Maybe it would be better if you were dead and he was here instead.” Robyn was practically yelling at this point, and people had taken notice of what just developed. She didn’t pay attention to whatever reply Lauren said as she stormed off.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Evie Addams Character Portrait: Camilla Rhodes Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Dylan Knight
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK





Image
Lauren Clark
Image
Image
Image
Chaos | Attire | hex: #540000
Image
Image
Olivia Eriksen
Image
Image
Image
Starving Artist | Attire | hex:#8B8000
Image





It was a good thing that Livvy had kicked her heels off when she had arrived. Otherwise, she might’ve tripped over her own feet. She wasn’t drunk but she definitely wasn’t sober anymore. I took a lot to get her to the slur-your-words-and-lose-all-sense phase, but she was definitely in the unsteady-flushed-cheeks-overly-confident phase She padded out of the den, walking tall with her shoulders back and head high. Lauren was a predator, any sign of weakness would have her pouncing. If Livvy was going to pull this off, she couldn’t be a lamb. She had to be a wolf.

As she made her way towards Lauren, she spotted Adonis coming in from the front of the house. His clothes were more ruffled than when he had been in the den with her. Jumping to conclusions, she narrowed her eyes, flipped her blonde hair over a shoulder, and pretended she didn’t see him. Half of it was an act in case Lauren was watching. The other half… she rubbed at her chest absently.

She strode up to Lauren and ran a finger up her arm. ”Well, Well,” Livvy purred, ”Miss Lauren Clark. I would ask what brings you here, but I think it’s safe to assume the lemming invited you.” Her blue eyes snapped to Camilla a moment before returning to Lauren. She gave a sultry smile. ”I take it not much has changed. Still like causing chaos?”

Lauren was pleased to see Livvy making her way over to her. She’d missed seeing Livvy around; another one of her beloved toys, even though she hadn’t played with her quite as much as some of the others. And, well, it seemed like Livvy hadn’t changed much, if at all. Her demeanor as she made her way up to Lauren, followed by her opening gesture, confirmed that one thing had at least hadn’t changed. Which, of course, meant that Lauren could play her games.

She smiled, laughing a little at Livvy’s comment about Camilla. “Livvy, darling, don’t be so mean,” she said, in a tone that indicated that she actually loved Livvy being so mean. At her question about whether or not she was still causing chaos, she feigned shock and hurt. “I am shocked at that accusation,” she said, before laughing. “Of course I do. That’s why I’m here,” she said. “So come on, tell me, sweetheart, tell me everything that’s going on with you. I want to know all of the gossip and the scandal of your life.”

Livvy shrugged her pale shoulders. ”Not much to tell, I’m afraid. Just been traveling the country.” She feigned a sigh of disappointment. ”Sadly high school was the most exciting time of my life.” She linked arms with her, ignoring Camilla altogether, all a part of the act--though she still wasn’t a fan of Camilla after her break up with Simon. ”What about you?” She cooed, ”What has the great Lauren Clark been doing in her spare time since the whirlwind of high school?”

She started to tug her into a walk, heading in the direction of the hallway.

Lauren wasn’t sure that she believed Livvy’s act of disappointment, but she played along anyway. She let Livvy link her arm, even resting a hand on Livvy’s arm as she did so. She had to hold back a laugh as Livvy almost began to drag her towards the hall, out of sight of everyone else. She was curious to see how she was going to play it, though, and so Lauren let her.

“Oh, you know. Working. Mom and Dad gave me a job in marketing. It’s mundane from time to time, and I work with some of the dumbest and most boring people I have ever met, but they do what I tell them, and the money isn’t bad either. And of course, I do a little bit of influencing on the side. I was posting all of those pictures anyway, so why not get paid for including one teensy little brand in them?” She asked with a laugh. “I should get you on my Instagram. Everyone would fall in love with you right away,” she said, raising an eyebrow at Livvy.

"I'll definitely think about it", She replied, and it wasn’t a lie. It’s the kind of exposure people kill for. However, knowing who Lauren was, she was sure it was too good to be true.”It would be a great opportunity.”

She stopped at the bar, plucking a bottle of rose and pouring them each a glass. She tucked the bottle beneath her arm and held a glass out to Lauren. ”Why don’t you tell me more about it?” She offered, leading them back towards the hallway. ”Or, you could share some gossip with me. Sadly, my travels keep me fairly isolated so I don’t hear much.” Or not anything I’d share with you, she thought. For a moment, she thought about sharing Adonis’s attraction to Dylan but ultimately decided against it. He might’ve deserved some trouble, but getting Lauren involved was asking for catastrophe and she could never do that to him.

”Although, She paused, taking a sip of her wine. ”The best I’ve got is that apparently Dean and Jade are a thing!” She tried to sound surprised and a little disappointed. He was her hot ex after all. And… she did miss him every now and then. She still followed him on social media, but they didn’t talk often. At least his relationship with Jade was less scandalous but just as juicy of a story.

Lauren accepted the glass of rose and took a small sip from it. She loved a party as much as the next person and was no stranger to getting wasted; but she felt that, at least for this one, it was probably better to stay sober and in control. She raised an eyebrow at Livvy’s request for gossip. It seemed like the girl’s motives were somewhat mixed here, or else she was trying to play into everything she knew that Lauren enjoyed in the hope of impressing her. Lauren decided to give Livvy the benefit of the doubt and play along.

As Livvy mentioned that she had gossip, Lauren gasped, before grinning in vicious delight and leaning in. Her act almost shattered as Livvy told her what it was, having to resist the temptation to laugh. “Oh, I’m sure that won’t end badly at all,” she said, the only outward indication of her reaction as she took another sip of her wine. “I give them a month,” she said.

“So, you’ve given me some good gossip. Let me see if I can share anything… do you want to know something about someone we went to school with… or about someone here at the party?” She asked, her grin sharp with the realization that she could cause a little bit of chaos here, with either a well-placed truth or an even better-placed lie.

Livvy tipped her head back in a laugh. ”I’ll bet $20 it’ll be two weeks.” She took another sip of her wine. She hummed in thought and replied, with a giggle, ”From the looks of it, I don’t think those are as different as one would think.” She nibbled a little at the tip of her tongue as she thought. There were two things influencing her decision: the first--and her original reason for asking--was to see what Lauren knew compared to the things she knew and the second was that she was curious about the people she used to go to school with.

However… if she allowed herself to open that door, she could potentially find out something about someone she wasn’t supposed to know. So, in the end, she chose to play it safe. ”About someone here at the party,” she replied. There were plenty of people here who hadn't gone to school with them with that the odds were in her favor. Unless Lauren knew just where to strike.

Lauren had known that Livvy wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to find out some gossip about the people they’d gone to school with. And now, of course, she needed to decide what exactly she wanted to spill. She could begin her campaign to ruin Soren’s life here and now; but from memory, Soren and Livvy had only ever been passing friends, so she wasn’t quite sure that that would have enough of an effect. Lauren took a moment to evaluate the situation. As far as she was concerned, she had three options for the highest amount of drama.

Number one. Erin. Lauren was aware of their past together and got the impression that there was still some unfinished business there. Some of Erin’s secrets could completely change Livvy’s impression of her, and might just touch a sore spot.

Number two. Evie. Would Livvy sink to Lauren’s level and use that information against Evie though, to win back Erin? Probably not, but she loved the idea of dangling that temptation in front of Livvy.

Number three. Adonis. Adonis and Livvy had some strange little dynamic going for them. Admittedly, Lauren didn’t know the details of what was going on, but she knew that she could cause some true mayhem there. And so she took a long sip of her wine and rifled through her mental list of secrets, looking for the juiciest of them all.

“Well. I heard that Adonis has gotten himself into some trouble. Working with some… dangerous people, on what is very definitely the wrong side of the law, if you catch my drift,” she said, raising an eyebrow suggestively and taking a step closer to Livvy, lowering her voice to a low murmur.

That wasn't what Livvy was expecting. "Adonis?" She frowned. Her mask, the entire act, shattered. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t care. Not if it was about Erin, Julian, or Simon. Not when it was about Adonis.

Not your business, she thought to herself. She led them down the hall, testing doorknobs as she went. If they were going to talk about this, they needed a more private space. Besides, that was her original plan anyway. She wondered if it had to do with Dylan. She knew the young woman was married now, though, she had to admit, she didn’t know to whom. Dylan didn’t really run in her circle in high school so she didn’t know much about her now. Besides, what did it matter who her friend slept with anyway?

She knew she had just been thinking he deserved some trouble, but the way Lauren was describing it… it was more trouble than she would’ve liked. The words were out of her mouth before she could think. ”What kind of trouble?”

The words had the desired effect, as Livvy’s cute little act shattered before Lauren’s eyes, and Lauren smiled, raising her glass to her lips as she did so. But if Livvy’s mask was shattered, that only made her intentions even clearer as she began trying doors. It was as they reached the last one that Livvy stopped again, to ask her what kind of trouble. “Well,” Lauren started, before reaching past Livvy and opening the door. This one opened. Lauren grabbed Livvy’s free hand and pulled her into the room, closing it behind them. By the looks of it, it was Erin’s bedroom. Lauren sat down on the bed, pulling Livvy along to sit beside her.

[color=#540000]“I don’t know the *exact* details,”
she said. “But I heard that he’s involved with some very dangerous people. Involving drugs, and possibly weapons,” she said, managing to feign some level of horror at it as if she also didn’t have her ties to some of the people involved. “God only knows what kind of trouble he’s gotten himself into now.”

Livvy knew she was in deep shit as Lauren dragged her into the final room. She was too intoxicated and curious to realize just what she was doing. Being here often enough she knew who's room it was. Erin. They were going into Erin's room.

She wanted to backpedal, to pull Lauren from the room before she found anything that would cause more trouble for her friend. More trouble than apparently what she was already causing just by walking this path.

It was too late. She could tell by the hungry look in Lauren's eye. She opened the wrong door and found herself tumbling into trouble. The room spun as Lauren whirled her around to sit beside her on the bed. Erin's bed.

This was a mistake, She thought. She couldn't handle the girl in high school. What made her think she could handle things now? Before she could find a way out of the situation, Lauren was spilling Adonis's secrets.

And it was worse than she feared. She squeezed her eyes shut a moment. What did you get yourself into, Nis? She thought. She took a deep breath and pushed it all down, down, down. She knew Lauren likely saw through her act now, but she had to change the subject. If she was sharing this with Livvy who else knew?

Then, she realized, she should stop acting. "Well that's not what I was expecting," she said with an awkward chuckle. "That's a lot to process." She waved a hand dismissively, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I can always process later."

She downed the rest of the wine and placed it on a nearby surface. When she looked back at Lauren, the room shifted with her. She gave a startled laugh. "Whoops. Too much."

Then she reached up to trace Lauren's cheekbone and said, "I just realized. I've never drawn you before." She felt herself shift into artist mode, noticing the many colors that make up a person. She curled a lock of Lauren's hair around her finger. And said something she knew she'd likely regret later. "You're beautiful."

Lauren smiled with satisfaction that her words had had the intended effect as Livvy attempted to recover from the news, but managed to make it look something like a sympathetic smile instead. As Livvy downed the rest of her glass of wine, Lauren just took a delicate sip from hers, putting her still mostly full glass down beside Livvy’s empty one.

Livvy being that drunk made it so much easier. She finally had the guts to actually reach out to Lauren, revealing the real intentions she’d had all along. Lauren played along, leaning in towards Livvy a little.

“I know,” she said as Livvy said that she’d never drawn her. “You know, I’ve always hoped you’d ask. Any excuse to be around you,” she said softly. At Livvy’s compliment, Lauren just smiled, reaching out to tuck some of Livvy’s hair behind her ear, her hand lingering by Livvy’s face a little longer than it needed to.

Livvy’s blue eyes widened with surprise. She searched Lauren’s eyes for a lie, but couldn’t see through the alcohol-induced fog in her brain. Instead, she saw the light reflecting off Lauren’s irises, painting them gold. She admired the flawlessness of her skin, without a scar, mark, or pore. She studied the lighter strands among the dark of her hair. Then found herself leaning forward, investigating the red of her lips.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Her cheek was warm where Lauren’s hand lingered a little too long. Was this actually happening? Or was she passed out on the couch imagining the whole thing? Was she actually about to cross Lauren Clark off her high school “Fuck” list. The “coolest girl” in school?

She was close enough now that their noses were touching. She could smell the wine on Lauren’s breath, light and lingering. She released the strand of Lauren’s hair and lifted it until it rested against the warm curve of her neck. She swept a thumb across Lauren’s jawline. ”I’ve been wanting to ask since high school.” She finally said. Then, when she couldn’t take the tension anymore, she closed the distance between them, brushing her lips softly against Lauren’s.

Lauren smiled, right up until the moment that Livvy leaned in and pressed her lips against Lauren’s. Lauren let the kiss linger for a second or two, before she pulled away, her smile becoming wicked. “Oh, that’s adorable,” she said, her tone dripping in venom. “Did you really think that I would want you? Someone as… plain as you? Your stepfather may have had a point, you know. Who could want someone so plain?” She asked, cruelly tracing a finger along Livvy’s face.

It was at that point that her phone buzzed, and she very deliberately swiveled away from Livvy to pick up her bag and fish out her phone. And then she smiled, a smile that said whoever was on the other side of the text was far more interesting than Livvy. She kept her attention on the phone as she replied to the text, an unspoken dismissal.

Livvy blinked. First in confusion. And then in disbelief. She sat back, tilting a little further than she meant to. ”You literally said-” and then she stopped. Lauren had never actually said ”I want you”. She had only said she had been waiting for her to ask.

No one would want you,” her stepfather’s voice murmured in her mind. ”No one, but me.” And then she could feel him. Where Lauren’s hands had been. Where her exposed skin was at her waist.

She was going to be sick.

She rose and hurried from the room. There was a line for the bathroom, of course. Where else? The balcony. Air. Air would help.

She padded through the kitchen, not noticing anyone she passed, though she heard Dean’s distinct tenor. She could see the light on the ground though she wasn’t looking up. At least, not until she opened the door to step out… and Evie and Adonis were standing there. He looked like he was ready to unleash hell on her at first. She knew he hadn’t known it was her. Adonis has gotten himself into some trouble. Lauren’s voice purred.

”Sorry to interrupt” She found herself mumbling before she quickly shut the doors, whirling around and heading back in the direction she came. She ran her fingers through her long hair repeatedly. No doubt making it look wilder. No air. That only left… distraction. And she knew just who would be able to help. She stepped back towards the kitchen area in search of Dean.




Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Lauren Clark
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image

ImageImage
x
x
x

lauren clark
outfit - #4d5676
x
x
x

jade davies
outfit - #cb0e36

Image




Jade walked past the kitchen and poured herself a glass of champagne, not skimping on the luxury she had come accustomed to. She walked past a few people near her, not even registering them. She leaned against the doorpost of the kitchen when she saw Erin carrying in Livvy like she had lost the feeling in her legs. Wow, that looks a bit dramatic…
She thought of checking up on her, but then, it wasn’t like she cared about Livvy that much. And it looked more like a case of not being able to hold one’s liquor.

Jade looked at the other side and saw someone coming in from the balcony door, tears in their eyes. Well, I guess Lauren did show up after all.
She turned around to grab another glass of champagne before making her way to the balcony herself. She opened the door and saw her standing at the end, her used-to-be role model for pretty much everything in life. She walked closer.
”I knew if I just followed the tears I would get to you sooner or later.”

Lauren raised an eyebrow at that familiar voice, smiling with delight as she spotted Jade. “Oh, you know me so well, darling,” she said, wrapping an arm around Jade and kissing her on both cheeks. “You look amazing, being a doctor clearly suits you,” she said. “God, it’s really been too long. So, come on, tell me everything that’s been happening. With you and with everyone else, I want to make sure I haven’t missed out on any potential dirt,” Lauren said with a wicked smile.

Jade was happy to meet the greeting and returned the kisses. As she received the compliment on her looks, she stepped back and circled around, showing her dress off. ”Wow you must have changed as well, if you need me to get any dirt on people.” she replied with a cheeky wink.

”Oh well, not sure how much news I have in any case. You must be up to date. Julian went to jail, i’m sure you knew that...” she started listing their old friends on her fingers. ”Nate died, Robyn cried. Gabriella pretends to be off drugs.” Then she held her hand next to her mouth and continued the line in a whisper. ”but I’ll make sure that’s not going to last.”

”Otherwise..uhm.. Erin just carried in Livvy like the latter can’t use her legs anymore, wonder what happened there…. Dec’s still a dick… and..oh, watch this” Jade grabbed her phone from her purse and scrolled through the pics till she pulled up one of herself with a little girl. She held the picture in front of Lauren. ”Guess who this beauty is” she said smiling.

Lauren had to force a laugh as Jade implied that Lauren somehow needed her, as if she wasn’t just trying to find out how much the other woman knew. “Nobody talks to me any more,” she pouted as an explanation. Nothing that Jade said was news to Lauren, although she was amused by her comment about Gabriella.

The only thing that caught Lauren off guard was when Jade showed Lauren a picture of her with Flor. Something about that felt wrong. But Lauren didn’t dwell on it.

“That’s Adonis’ kid, right? Can’t believe he was so careless as to get somebody knocked up,” she said with an exaggerated eye roll. “Come on, Jade, is that really all you’ve got? I would have thought that my right hand woman would have been able to find out more spicy gossip than that for me, I knew about all of that already,” she said, allowing a little bit of displeasure to seep into her voice in the hope that might make Jade spill the good stuff; if she actually had any.

Jade made a sound in disbelieve. “Wait, you can’t believe he was that careless? Do you know him at all?” Jade rolled her eyes at Lauren. If anyone of their group would get a person knocked up, it would always be Adonis. Or maybe Dean, but at least Jade made sure he wouldn’t do so with her.
“Of course that’s not all I got, but it’s all I’m sharing.” She turned and put her back against the railing and crossed her legs. “We hardly saw each other the past few years, and you still believe I am just here to feed you information? I kind of stepped away from that oversharing I used to do for you.”

Lauren’s smile was beginning to become difficult to keep in place. Jade had clearly gotten a little too big for her boots. But she kept that intrigued smile on her face, right up until Jade refused to tell her anything else. Lauren raised an eyebrow.

Jade could see the smile fading from Lauren’s eyes, just the plastered on smily lips left. Lauren used to be her role model, but had become the step to bring Jade herself to greater heights. She felt pride dwelling up in her chest, standing just a bit straighter than before.

“That’s a shame, you know. I really loved our old friendship,” she said, her smile fixed in place but no longer reaching her eyes. “And, you know, Jade, I’ve been keeping an eye on you. Just making sure my former bestie was staying out of trouble. And I got my hands on something really, really interesting. I have friends in the hospital; did you know that?” She asked, pulling her phone from her bag and tapping into a video. She tapped play, and held the video out to Jade.

Jade rolled her eyes once again at Lauren’s so-called friends at the hospital. If this was Dec’s handy work, he would pay for it dearly. Jade looked at the phone, seeing herself in doctor’s uniform. It was clearly CCTV footage taken during one of her shifts. Looking around before opening a door with a card key that could not have been hers. It was a medicinal storage unit and as a resident, she was not allowed in those.

Jade could see the time skip on the clock that was ticking away on the screen. Seeing herself get out the door, you could just recognize how she placed a few bottles of pills in her lab coat. The footage was quite old, and Jade remembered the day this happened. She had only just started there and she did not have any contact with the suppliers she had now. However, this video with the right, or wrong, people could be the start of a nasty inquiry she was not prepared to face.

She kept her face stoic, trying to show no reaction to it. “So you got someone to send you the security camera images from my place of work. Wow Lauren, you really have lost your touch. And this is supposed to impress me somehow?”

Lauren could recognise some of her own mannerisms in Jade’s face as she tried to hide her reaction to the video. To give the other girl credit, Jade did a good job of covering up her reaction.

“I wouldn’t say I was hoping to impress you. See, Jade dearest, I don’t really care about impressing you. But you know, this really did trouble me. Because well, stealing is wrong, Jade, especially from a hospital. So, let’s talk business, shall we?” She said, She took a step closer to Jade and dropped her smile. “40% of all your earnings from your sales. Or I send this to all of your supervisors, and possibly even some of my friends in the police. And you back the fuck off and remember which one of us is, and always will be, the queen.” She said, fixing her smile back on her face, as if she’d just made a casual offer.

“40?! 40 fucking per..?” her face was no longer one of calmness. She could not even finish the sentence at the same time as processing it. “You must be out of your goddamn mind to ask for 40%.” Jade pushed her finger in Lauren’s face. “If you really kept an eye on me, like you said you did, you know that is a fuck-ton of money. Earnings you yourself wouldn’t be able to explain.”
She lowered her finger, but she was still seething.

“You are no longer the only one with friends in nice places, Lauren. You want money, fine, I’ll get you 5% and I won’t send the hounds after you.” Jade threw up a smile of absolute sarcasm. “You know what, let me be generous, I’ll get you 7% if you will buy yourself a wardrobe that didn’t go out of fashion before even you did.” With the last comment Jade touched Lauren’s dress at the shoulder.

Lauren’s smirk didn’t drop, even as Jade began to rant at her. It was adorable, really, and in some strange way, Lauren was almost proud of her for the venom with which she attacked Lauren. She’d clearly taught her well. But that anger, that fire, was her flaw. Lauren didn’t respond at Jade’s attack on her dress sense, knowing that it came from a place of desperation.

“40%. Or I ruin you, and your career. Who knows? Maybe I might even drop in the fact that I know you were the one to drop Gabriella off to the hospital. That you were the one who was nearly responsible for her death,” Lauren said, her smile held in place. “You know what, Jade? I’ll give you some time to think about it. Just don’t take too long, okay?”

Jade was left behind as Lauren walked away from her, still smirking. Jade couldn’t leave it like that. “If you ‘ruin’ me, you can be damn sure I’ll drag you down with me!”
Others were looking at them as Lauren left the balcony.
Jade looked over at them with a death stare. “What the fuck are you looking at?”
As the two quickly looked back in front of them, Jade made her own way off the balcony.

In the apartment, she grabbed her phone from her purse again, quickly looking through her contacts. As soon as the phone rang, her face put back on the more familiar sweet smile. “Hi sweetie, I miss you, are you on shift tonight?” As she exited the building she whistled for a taxi and got in quickly.
“Lenox Hill Hospital…, get me there in 5 minutes and I’ll pay you triple.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Robyn Miller Character Portrait: Soren Bowers Character Portrait: Lauren Clark Character Portrait: Gabriella Montez Character Portrait: Olivia Eriksen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image Image Image ImageImage Image Image Image

x
x
x
x


xSimon RizzoJulian Daviesx
x
x
x
x
"Best of Bros"

x
x

xx#489A4A#8744abxx
xxoutfit.outfit.xx



Once Simon was sure Soren wasn’t going to go after Lauren (at least for now), Simon headed to a different room. Cam, Robyn, and Livvy had all vanished into the crowd of the party. So, it was time for him to go in search of his other best friend. Julian.

He found him in a den of sorts, a pool table in front of him. It seemed a game had already been started though there was no one else in the room with him. ”I heard playing with yourself could make you go blind.” He said jokingly as he walked up to his friend. He saw a strawberry liquor bottle on the side of the table and he picked it up, quivering an eyebrow. ”Dude, since when do you drink strawberry liquor?”

Julian lifted his shoulders. ”First of all.., don’t knock it till you try it. Second, desperate times…” he pointed out the empty beer bottles on the side.

Simon shook his head and picked up a cue stick. ”If you want, we can finish this game out. I could hit solids. Or we could just start over.”

Julian threw the white ball he had picked from the floor up and caught it again, just playing with it. ”Fine you can be solids. The wonder twin picking up where the other left off.” Julian put the white ball back on the table and lined up his shot again, making sure not to make it bounce like before. ”But since you have a head start, I’ll make the first move.”
He made his attempt, but it didn’t hit right, and he was left with the same amount as when he started. ”Are these damned cues skew or something?”

Simon paused at the “wonder twin” comment. ”Livvy was here? Where’d she go?” He smirked slightly when Julian didn’t quite make the shot he was hoping for. ”Sure, Sure, Sure,” he said, ”It’s the cue. Not the buzzed guy holding it.” He bent over the table, aiming for the solid red to the left, hoping he could hit it just right that it would slide into the corner pocket.

It did not. He swore under his breath and examined his own cue. ”Though… you may be onto something.”

”I tell you, it’s these cues, man” Julian used his own to point in the direction in which Livvy had disappeared, chasing Lauren. Then he finally made his first successful hit of the night, smiling with pride.
”Don’t blame me for letting her go, but she was looking at Lauren with hazy eyes.” He missed the next one, but actually knocked in one of the solids.
”Jeez, I’m on the wrong team here. So yeah, Livvy.. Lauren… I guess steering into the skid can be a tactic too?”

Simon frowned. ”Livvy and Lauren?” He lined up another shot, nearly knocking in a striped, but totally missed the hole. Concern started to rise in him and he thought about going after Livvy, but he promised her space. Besides, she was a grown woman. She could take care of herself… right? He did add, ”You didn’t stop her? Anything involving Lauren is likely to end in chaos.”

”Look, don’t give me that. Livvy is as grown as you and me, probably more now I think of it. If she wants to go looking for trouble, she can find it in more ways than one at this party.”

”Good point.” Simon rubbed some chalk on the end of the cue, waiting for his next turn. Changing the subject a little he said, ”Robyn and I came together.” He wanted to know what his friend thought. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. He’s been with other girls since high school but they never lasted and he wasn’t with Robyn. They were just friends. And he’d never put her in a position she wasn’t ready for after Nate.

Julian smiled at his friend as he had this unsure look in his eyes. ”So, am I supposed to read something into this?” To be honest, Julian was not sure what answer he was hoping for. Robyn was someone he always liked, and one of the people in his life that was a little bit more together than most, even with the passing away of Nate. He had to be an asshole though, to be anything less than happy for both if Simon and Robyn would end up together.

Simon rubbed the back of his neck. ”I don’t know, man. I guess… I like her a lot. She’s smart, funny, gorgeous… but since Nate passed so recently, I’m giving her the space to process it all, you know?” He glanced at the table. ”Your turn by the way.” He placed the chalk on the side of the table before continuing. ”But I do want to tell her I like her.” He laughed uncomfortably. ”Yikes. I sound like I’m in high school again talking about Cam.” He ran a hand through his hair. All fidgets. A quirk he picked up from hanging around with Livvy too much.

Julian looked at Simon, sizing him up on his plans with Robyn. ”Maybe you can ask her to hold hands with you on the cab ride home.” a big smile on Julian’s face, happily teasing his friend. He walked around the table looking for his next shot, finally finding one that seemed doable. He bent over in concentration, hit the ball and missed it by a hair. ”Oh crap..”

Simon let out a laugh. ”Tough luck, man.”

Julian went to stand next to his friend and poked him in the ribs. ”Look man, if you’re going to wait for her to get over Nate before making a move you can prepare for a dry spell of a decade. I tell you, not everyone is going to wait for that, not in Robyn’s case.” He waited for Simon to make his next move. There were a few options, so Julian did not expect to get to his turn again soon.

”Don’t just tell her you like her. She will say it’s too early, and you’re going to be friend-zoned for life. You already have Livvy, you don’t need a second.” Julian loved his friend, but a little more action would not be the worst idea.

Simon puzzled over the table for a minute, noting the remaining balls in play. There was one that would be a straight shot to the corner, but only if he hit it from the right angle. He made his way around the table, lining up the shot. He took a deep breath, nudged the cue forward into the ball, and watched as the ball slowly rolled forward…and landed in the pocket.

He let out a Whoop! before turning to his friend with a big grin. And responded to his earlier comment now that he sunk his shot. He pointed a finger at him. ”Livvy doesn’t count. She’s practically my sister.” He had once thought of her that way back when he was just starting to like girls, but then he realized she could be quite the brat when she wanted to be and decided they weren’t the right fit for one another. Besides… he didn’t want to lose his best friend.

“Finally, I was beginning to lose hope for us in this game.” Julian actually sighed with relief. “I’m not saying you want anything more from Livvy, but no action would put Robyn in the same position.”

His eye was caught by Gabriella who apparently dropped her bag. He noticed Lauren walking away from her and by the look in Gabriella’s eyes, she had gotten the full load. However, he had a difficult time to feel sorry for the girl. She had always been a bad influence on Jade and it’s because of her he was busted with drugs in his car. He saw the anger and shock in her eyes, but broke eye contact. If she used her stare to reach out for help, she was barking up the wrong tree. His friend pulled his attention back to the game.

Simon looked around the table for his next shot. ”You make a good point though,” He saw another that could work, but he’d run the risk of sinking the 8 ball. ”So you’re saying I shouldn’t just tell her I like her, but put some action behind it.” It wasn’t a question. He just wanted to make sure he understood what his friend was saying. There was this party hosted by the shop’s book club that was supposed to happen in a few weeks. Maybe he’d ask her to go with him. It wouldn’t be as wild as this, but he was told it would be a good time.

Julian shook his head. His friend needed some pressure otherwise he would still wait months before doing something. ”I tell you what, let me give you a goal post. If you don’t ask out Robyn on a date to actually happen in the next 2 weeks, I will.” Julian was surprised at how serious his suggestion was. He had always liked Robyn and the thought of asking her out had crossed his mind before. But he did not want to cockblock his best friend intentionally.
”Do we have a deal?”

Simon raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t expected Julian to give up such an ultimatum. If his friend liked Robyn, it would be fair to give him a shot, too. But… He didn’t want to miss his chance. He reached out a hand to his friend for a shake. ”Deal.”
Julian had a big smile on his face, as he definitely enjoyed a bit of competition. Especially if it would help out his friend.

He found his next move and went to strike. That’s when he noticed Lauren leaving a stunned and pained looking Gabriella. He missed. He frowned, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything other than a soft swear at scratching.
Gabriella and Simon had always been like passing ships. She was friends with Livvy, he was friends with Livvy, but neither really interacted. Though he did have some short, choice words for her once he found out she helped Livvy down a darker path in high school. Even if Livvy said it was more Jade’s fault Gabriella was on the path. Or… is that what she said? He shook his head, going back to the game. Lauren was on a warpath tonight and it seemed Gabriella had somehow stepped on a landmine. He didn’t want to be in the blast zone unless he had to.

”Your turn,” He muttered, eyes following Lauren. Livvy wasn’t with her which wasn’t a good sign. He’d have to find his friend later… or confront Lauren about it. Right now, he wanted to finish a game with his friend that he’s been missing. ”I’d go for the green one.”

Julian looked around the table. There were some options, but since his skill was so deplorable this particular evening he was unsure about any of it.
”Really? You don’t think that one is in the way?” Julian pointed out the orange one in the middle.
”Oh..okay, I see. So via the long rail. You have that faith in me, to make that shot?”
Julia walked around to where Simon was standing and put the cue over his thumb and index finger. He took his shot and the cue ball bounced off the long rail, past the green ball, bounced off the short rail and hit the striped red into the pocket.
Julian raised his eyebrows, stunned by what happened. ”Well… Would you look at that.”

With a triumphant step he got ready for the next shot. His short moment of luck made him cocky. ”Okay, here we go. Green ball, right corner pocket.” He concentrated, planning his shot to hit one rail before knocking in the green ball easily. He pulled back and knocked the cue ball hard. Being the expert he was, he did hit the rail he planned on. And he did hit the green ball perfectly. However, the green ball then hit the 8-ball, tilting it into the side pocket.
”Wait..shit! No, no,no, that doesn’t count!”

Simon let out a laugh. ”Man, isn’t that game?” He thought a moment. ”I could give you the out but I…” he trailed off, looking back towards Lauren. ”I should probably find out what happened to Livvy.” He placed the cue onto the table and gave his friend a quick hug. ”We need to hang out more, man. You should come by the shop. Or I guess maybe I should come by the bar.”

Julian looked a bit defeated, still looking at the corner pocket. ”I...yeah, I guess that’s game.” When Simon mentioned Livvy, Julian finally looked up at him. ”Uhm.. Yeah, sure. You go find Livvy, I’m just gonna go and get some air. It’s really hot in here.”
He put the cue on the table. ”Hey, if you want to take Robyn home later, just let me know, I’ll make sure Livvy gets home safe.” Then he leaned in closer and whispered to his friend. ”And if things get ehm… frisky, safety first. Let me know if you need the talk.

Simon watched his friend, concern wrinkling his brow. He opened his mouth to ask if his friend was alright when he spoke again. Simon found himself laughing again. ”I think I’m good on the talk, but thanks.” He gave his friend a pat on the shoulder, then gave it a good squeeze. ”I’m here if you need anything ok?”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jade Davies Character Portrait: Adonis Galante
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Jade Davies.
Image
Image
outfit. #cb0e36.song.
Image
The taxi driver put some speed behind it. During the day it would not have been possible to make it to the hospital in that amount of time, but late in the evening it was a bit better. Especially if you, like the driver, would know where they were busy with road works.

With a minute to spare they arrived at the hospital and Jade got out. She dropped enough cash with the man to make it worth his while. She didn’t listen for a response as she made it to the staff entrance at the back of the hospital. Inside, she made her way to the second floor. She was way too obvious in her outfit, so she made a beeline for her locker to grab her doctors coat. She looked at the mirror inside of her locker and undid her hair from the tight bun it was in.

All that time for fucking nothing... She let her hair hang down and grabbed a hair tie from a small box inside the locker. She put her hair in a high ponytail. She checked her face left and right and put up a smile. ”Welcome to your shift, doctor Davies.” She gave herself a small wink, almost as if assuming a character.

Jade walked out of the locker room, not seeing anyone on the way. The hospital was generally more quiet at night, and that would give her a nice background story for what she had in mind. She needed to deal with this quickly, so she could make her way back to the party before anyone would notice she was gone.

Next stop was the cafeteria. As soon as she stepped in she realized she was out of luck. All chairs were on the tables and the soft zooming of the cleaning machine was the only audible sound. She gave a friendly but discouraged nod to the cleaner. If the cleaners were here, it usually meant the kitchen staff already left. Jade closed the door again before she heard a shattering sound in the kitchen.

The cleaner looked at her and raised his shoulders in disinterest. Jade walked over to the door of the kitchen quickly. There was a security code on the door, so she knocked instead.
”Hello? Everything all right? It’s doctor Davies, do you need any help?”
The person must have not expected it, because the moment Jade spoke she heard something else shatter.
”I’ll come in, just give me the code to the door, I can help.”

A shaky voice came from inside the kitchen. ”It’s 665566, but you don’t need to come in.., really!”
Before the voice had finished, Jade had already typed the code into the panel. She heard a soft click and she opened the door. Inside she saw a young woman, sitting on her knees, picking up the glass pieces of the bowl she had dropped earlier. Jade could see a cut on her hand. The girl stared up at Jade, her eyes watery.
”Please don’t tell anyone, they are complaining about me already, if they find out this they will fire me.”

Jade almost felt sorry for her. She hadn’t seen the girl before, so she couldn’t have been there for long. Jade put up a soft smile, trying to make the girl feel better. She could introduce herself as Jade, but doctor Davies made more of an impact, especially on younger people.
”No need to panic, just calm down.”
She bent her knees until she was at eye level with the girl. She spoke soft but firm at the same time. ”My name is doctor Davies, what is yours?”
As she asked it, she wiped a tear away from the girls cheek.

”I’m Samantha, but most call me Sammy.”
Her high voice spiked as she said her own name. She used her hands to wipe her tears away right where Jade had just done so.
Jade’s eyes squinted warmly as the girl introduced herself. ”All right Sammy, here’s what we are going to do. Let’s get this glass out of the way, then we’ll take care of that cut on your hand and then this will be our little secret.”

Sammy looked delighted at that, especially the secret part and she nodded her head quickly. Together they finished picking up the small pieces of glass all over the floor. Jade grabbed one of the carton food boxes and they placed all of it in there, before putting it in the trash.
”All right, now put your hand on the workbench here, palm open upward. ”

As the girl did what Jade said, she grabbed the first aid kit from the wall and opened it up on the workbench. She picked out some disinfection fluid, gauze and a roll of bandage. She put on the latex gloves and sprayed the disinfection fluid on the wound in the palm of her hand and cleaned off the blood and dirt. Then she put the gauze on the wound and used the bandage to put figure-8’s around it. ”You’re lucky, Sammy, you won’t need any stitches.”

She finished it off by putting on two bandage fasteners to keep it in place.
”There you go, that does it.” Jade said as she took off the gloves and threw them in the bin.
”Thank you, doctor Davies, thank you so much for helping me. I wish there was anything I could do back for you.”

There it was, the line Jade always wanted to hear. The more people owed you, the more willing they were to do anything for you.
”Well, it may not be payback in full, but I’d kill for some doughnuts. ” She pulled up her lip in order to make the request look more playful than it actually was.
”I have some! I just made a small batch to get started tomorrow.” Sammy’s face lit up when she realized there was something she could do in return.
”Wait, just one second.”
She disappeared to the back and Jade grabbed her phone to check how much time had gone by. She had been away from the party for about 20 minutes at the time and looking at Instagram, she wasn’t missing much.

Then she saw it. A post from Lauren’s account with her and Dean kissing. From the clothes she could see the picture was just taken. The caption was sappy as hell.

When that special someone is right under your nose all this time

It was so clearly just taken to annoy Jade, she might as well have been tagged. She knew that Lauren never had the slightest interest in Dean, and aside from a decent lay , there was not much he could offer.
Jade wasn’t as annoyed that Dean was gone, but more so that it would be Lauren he had gone to. If thinking with your dick ever needed a picture to illustrate...
She resisted the urge to reply or put any comment/barf emoji on the post, knowing it would only make Lauren’s smile a bigger one.

As Sammy appeared again with a small box, Jade locked her phone and put it away. She was here to do something, and Dean’s stupid decisions were just a distraction. Jade put up her smile again as she saw the four doughnuts in the box.
”Oh my goodness Sammy, you’re such an angel.”
The girl smiled and handed over the box.

”Now, I’m on shift this whole week, I’ll come see you in two days to check on the wound, okay?”
Sammy nodded enthusiastically.
”Now your shift must have ended some time ago. So don;t stick around too long and go home, sweetie, please.”
With a last wave Jade exited the kitchen.

Outside she passed the cleaner again who looked even less interested in her than before. She walked through the hallways on her way to the person she had called at the party. It had been pure luck that he was the one on shift, but Jade thought she earned at least a bit this evening. She waived hello to one or two of the doctors she passed, all of them just smiling back at her.

She knocked on the door to the small office and opened it without waiting for an answer.
”Bill, are you able to cheer up this poor resident in her break time?”
She stepped forward into the only light that was on in the room. Putting up the best pouty lip she could, and the one she had used every time she needed something from someone.
”Jade? I didn’t even know you were on shift tonight. You sure you want to spend your precious break time with an old fart like me?”
The man leaned back in his chair, looking at Jade with a smile on his face. He was a big man, his stomach standing out far further than it should. He had a big bushy moustache, as black as the few hairs still left on his head. He was wearing the suit and the pin that all security guards of the hospital wore.

The room smelled like sweat. It was not much more than a cupboard and the air circulation here was poorer than in the rest of the building. The heat of the computers and the monitors made the air stuffy, and all of this did not set well with the large man's armpits.
”You know I’m not supposed to let others in here.” He said it with a smile on his face, like he was only half serious.

It was a good thing Jade had the perfect weapon to take the serious half out of the equation. ”You mean you’re going to make me eat these all by myself?”
She held out the small box of doughnuts and opened it in front of his face.
Seeing the delicious pastries he sat up straight and leaned over, almost licking his lips.

”Okay then, you know, you drive a hard bargain, you.” He grabbed the box from her hands and put it on the desk in front of him. He reached with his hand behind him and he pulled forth another rolling chair, putting it next to him. ”Come, sit.”
Jade took the seat, smiling.

Bill had been an easy one to figure out quickly. He liked his food and he liked to think of himself as the glue that held the hospital together. He had worked there for most of his life, and he always provided a pair of open arms to any newcomer. He had three sons, and no daughters. This made him vulnerable to the young female residents. He would always back them up and gave a much harder time to the young male doctors.

Being the head of security, he had been a prime target for Jade. It might be a connection you could use at times, and such a time had now come. This wasn’t the first time she had been sitting here, and he had explained some things about the system before. Plus, Jade wasn’t stupid when it came to computers.
”Don’t you ever get bored, just staring at the screens?”

Jade took a bite out of her first doughnut when Bill started his second.
Still chewing, he replied.”Oh well, it’s nicer to watch TV, but this pays the bills. We can’t all be doctors, young lady.”
Jade laughed and playfully put her head on his shoulder.
”There must be some videos you watch more often, a kind of ‘best of’, so to say. To make the time go faster, I mean. How long do you even keep these files for?”

Bill licked his fingers finishing the second doughnut. Jade was plucking on her first still, savouring the food quite a bit more than he did.
”We keep all of them for exactly 3 years. After that we delete them from the system completely.”
Jade took one or two bites before asking on, not to seem too eager.
”I guess some other company will come in to delete them then, right?”

Bill tried to get to an all time record by attacking the third doughnut. With a full mouth he waived his hand. ”Ah no, it’s nothing. You can either delete or shred the file after selecting it, so we do it ourselves on a daily basis. Thank you for the snack, doctor Dimples.”

Jade smiles as she finishes her own as well.
”They are a bit dry though, I should have gotten a soda as well.” She put up a sad face and turned to Bill. ”Argh, and I was just so happy to finally sit down.”

Bill made an attempt to get up himself. ”No worries, Dimples. You treated me to a nice snack, let me treat you to a drink. Coke okay?”
Jade clapped her hands in played excitement. This was exactly what she had hoped for.
”You really are the sweetest man around. Anything but Pepsi is good.”

She watched the door close behind the large man before she pushed his chair out of the way. The playback system was easily navigated, and the date she had seen on the video on Lauren’s phone had not left her mind since she saw it.
She typed in the date and a large number of files came up on the screen. She didn’t have the time to go through all of the videos separately, so she selected all of them. In the menu she looked for the ‘shred button’ Bill told her about. She found and clicked it, all the while keeping an eye on the door.

From the corner of her eye she spotted the security guard on the live cameras. She kept moving her hands over the keyboard nervously, not even typing, just keeping an eye on the percentage of deleted videos.
As the files were deleted, she got a hunch and went back to the search box. She typed in ‘Jade’ and she saw a few videos come up. She recognized the first right away as being the video Lauren had. The others seemed to be close up of her walking in the hallways, and two of her eating lunch. She read how the user name on all of them were A306040.

On the camera, she saw how Bill was making his way back, with a coke in his hand. She just clicked on the one video and deleted it quickly. The videos of her eating lunch, they could have. Fucking pervs.

She set back the monitor as she found it and moved Bill’s chair back just as the door opened again. Bill entered and handed her the coke.
”You are the absolute best!”
She opened the can and took a sip out of it before holding it out to the security guard.

”No thanks, not for me.” He sat back in the chair which gave a squeaking sound as he sat back again.
”Well, my break is finished, back to the boring shift. You know what, I’ll check with the doctor on call if I can go, I’m just here for extra credit in any case.”
She got up out of the chair.

”I hope they let you go, it’s a good night for young people to have fun, not to be locked up here, like me. And you look like you could go to a party just as you are right now…, maybe lose the doctors coat.”
Jade laughed at the joke. That was exactly her plan, to get back to the party.

”Well, thanks for the company, time here is better when you are around.”
She gave him a quick side hug, happy her plan had worked exactly as she had wanted it to.

”That sounds like what I should be saying to you, dimples. Now you know the story, right? You were never in here.”
Jade mimed the locking of a key in front of her mouth and opened the door. When she left his office, she made her way back to the locker room to drop off her coat. She finished her coke on the way to the front of the hospital.

The same taxi was still standing there. As soon as the driver saw her, he got out of the car and opened the door for her. She got in and waited for the driver to get back in. ”All right, same deal if you get me back to the same place in the next 5 minutes.”

Sitting in the back, she took the pins back out of her purse, and put her hair back in the same tight bun as she had before. She redid a bit of her makeup, so it looked like no time had passed.
Okay, so the original video is gone. Next is Lauren’s phone, and then any copies she might have. And tomorrow I have to figure out who the hell user A306040 is.

The taxi pulled up to Erin and Soren’s apartment again and she gave the driver another generous amount. She stepped out of the car and walked to the front door. Waiting outside as if he’d been expecting her to appear, Adonis flicked the butt of his cigarette falling into step with Jade. He could tell by the look on her face that she was on a warpath so he saved her the favor of mincing words.

“Hey, I need something to get Lauren talking.” He said simply, already knowing dropping the L bomb was enough to get her attention.
Jade didn’t jump or even flinch with Adonis’ sudden appearance. She looked around, seeing if anyone kept an eye on them. The coast looked clear and she put her hand on Adonis’ chest, and pushed him backwards. The first option she could see was a storage unit, hopefully unoccupied at the time.

Jade kept pushing him back into the storage unit and closed the door behind her. Their faces were closer together than they had been in years. But neither of them had the look of passion on their face they had all those years ago. She grabbed her purse and pushed it into his hands. ”Hold this.”

Without waiting for response she rummaged in the purse Adonis was now holding. She took out the familiar box of pills and a small plastic bag. She took 3 pills, all the same and closed the plastic bag. She put the little bag into Adonis’ breast pocket and grabbed her purse back from his hands.
”One is okay, two works better, three might kill her. Understood?”