Introduction
Constance Billard School for Girls and St. Jude's School for Boys are the two most elite private schools in New York, if not the entire country. Although admission to the schools are extremely competitive for scholarship students, or those who cannot afford to attend on their own, it seems like if your parents can afford the nearly the annual sixty-thousand-dollar tuition fee and have a big enough name, it isn't quite as difficult. Money's power, right? In many respects, yes, but even the largest bank account doesn't exempt these wealthy children from criticism. Recently, a blog was created where a person under the alias of "Gossip Girl", has been airing everyone's dirty laundry. Although it was easy to brush the first few posts off as just malicious lies probably stemming from personal vendetta, Gossip Girl is proving to be the most reliable source for up-to-date UES gossip.
In a community that was already plagued with drama, elitism and division, Gossip Girl will surely only make senior year more interesting for the students of St. Jude's and Constance Billard this year.
Okay, hi! I just want to use this little section to give you a rundown on the idea for this roleplay. Obviously, it's based off of the television series Gossip Girl. I'm sure there have been other fanfics of this show on this website, as I've seen a couple on other rp sites, but I'll do my best to make this one as unique and worthwhile as possible!
To start, this roleplay is going to pretend that Blair and Serena and all of the other original GG characters never existed. *Gasp* I know, how horrible. I love them too but I think that it would get too messy trying to match up every little detail to meet their world. The mysterious GG blogger will not be Dan and will be one of the current CB or St. Jude's students.
Below, you may notice the list of available roles. I did make general titles for most of the roles but feel free to interpret them in whatever way you think makes sense. I don't like doing the "face claim" thing where I pick the face claim's for every character in the roleplay because I don't think that's fair to you all, as writers. I want you to love your character and for that to be possible, I think it's helpful for you to pick exactly what they look like. To be honest, I am not picky about "overused" face claims and such because that's such a subjective term and at least on other websites, most of these roleplays die out within one page of posts so it's not like any of these characters are really used and developed anyway. Touching on that subject, I really do want this roleplay to last. This is a crazy time of the year for everyone with finals and holidays and working so I understand if it takes you a few days to make a post. However, I do expect you to keep us updated. If you have a week full of finals, take two minutes out to make an OOC post about it so we know to move on without you.
I hope that this roleplay will be very interactive and that we can all communicate and make it enjoyable! If you are interested in creating a character and participating, please post in the OOC with which character you are interested in, if you intend on them being a scholarship student or not, and what I should call you out of character if it's something different than your username, and then fill out the character sheet code and submit it! I don't want to exclusively reserve roles for anyone so until a character is officially accepted, you are free to try for the spot. You can personalize your character sheet in any way you please. Just make sure you include all of the listed sections. I would hope this is already known, but if you have any questions for me, please message me or post in our out of character thread.
The Queen Bee | Annelise Walton | Taken by Girl2Fine2
The Heiress | Katherine Quinn | Taken by BurningBridges
The Pretty Face | Kenna Valoir | Taken by AngelGirl
The Voice | Maria Montgomery | Taken by Lvdwilt2000
The Bookworm | Melissa Cane | Taken by MoonlightWraith
The Free Spirit | Alexandra Billington | Taken by lolamarie26
Original Character Idea | Hana Lane | Taken by royals
Original Character Idea | Kasey Griffin | Taken by Sophiex
St. Jude's School for Boys Students
The Model | Cliff Parker | Taken by royals
The Athlete | Lex Manning | Taken by Girl2Fine2
Prince Charming | Mark Cane| Taken by MoonlightWraith
The Funny One | Joshua Sinclair | Taken by Duct Tape
The Artist | Benjamin Henderson| Taken by Duct Tape
Original Character Idea | Cole Traverse | Taken by Sophiex
The Adventurist | Lance Cavendish | Taken by DuBois_Scarlett
Original Character Idea | Open[/url]
- Code: Select all
[font=timesnewroman][center][size=300]Name[/size]
[img]gif[/img][/center][hr][/hr][right][img]gif[/img]
[img]gif[/img][/right]
[size=110][b]Full Name:[/b]
First, middle (if applicable) and last
[b]Nickname:[/b]
What your character is normally called
[b]Birthday:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
The roleplay will begin on September 5th, 2014 so you can use that to match their birthday up with their current age.
[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b]
[b]Grade Level:[/b]
Most will be 12th grade students but if you would like to make an 11th grade student, that is fine.
[b]Character Role:[/b]
Whatever role you chose from the list[/size]
[hr][/hr][center][size=300]Personal Life[/size][/center][hr][/hr][right][img]gif[/img]
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[size=110][b]Family Life:[/b]
Describe their family relationships and childhood.
[b]Academic Career:[/b]
What got them into their school? How well do they do academically?
[b]Future Plans:[/b]
Do they plan on going to college? If so, which one? Career aspirations?
[/size][hr][/hr][center][size=300]Disposition[/size][/center][hr][/hr][right][img]gif[/img]
[img]gif[/img][/right][size=110][b]Personality:[/b]
Include good and bad traits. No one is perfect and no one is totally flawed.
[b]Hobbies:[/b]
[b]Bad Habits:[/b]
[b]Likes:[/b]
[b]Dislikes:[/b]
[/size][hr][/hr][center][size=300]Physical Description[/size][/center][hr][/hr][right][img]gif[/img]
[img]gif[/img][/right] [size=110][b]Face Claim:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight/Build:[/b]
[b]Hair Color:[/b]
[b]Eye Color:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]
Anything else you think is important[/size][/font]
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 11 authors
It's Thursday, September 4th and for the students of Constance Billard School for Girls and Saint Jude's School for Boys, that means that school is back in session. Both schools are located only a couple of blocks away from each other in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the neighborhood where most of the students reside in.
Although today is the first day of the school year, academic classes are not in session until tomorrow. Today is the day of the "welcome assembly", where the upperclassmen of both schools will come to Constance Billard from 8:30 to 10:30, and the underclassmen from 10:30 to 12:30. The short day will allow the Head of School to welcome the students back, and address any changes that have occurred while the students were on break. Students will also have an opportunity to socialize with their friends and possibly new classmates, and introduce themselves to their teachers for the year. Textbooks will also be available for pickup.
Later that night, Annelise Walton will be hosting a back-to-school party for the students at the Elmo Restaurant & Lounge. All students, regardless of their social standing, are welcome to the event. A DJ, open bar and light snacks from the menu will be provided, as well as a photo shoot in the dining area to welcome everyone in.
It sounds like an easy and enjoyable day, but with a new anonymous blogger leaking gossip and rumors about the students on a blog, things are destined to be less than perfect.
If ever one was looking for a perfectionist, it can be found in Annelise and even as she finished her last yoga pose, her mind drifted back to the party she was throwing. Annelise was all about themed events, particularly if they had some reference to a historical event or a specific time period. That was the one thing everyone could always look forward to and considering that this was the party to kick start her senior year, it could be nothing short of glamorous and perfect. She was paying homage to the time of the thirties all the way up to the fifties, when there was a speakeasy named El Morocco. Anyone who was anyone attended and they would dance, sing, eat and socialize to their hearts' content. It was a talked about thing and why would anyone not want to be glamorous for one night? She had rented out the restaurant and lounge for it, hired photographers, got catering, and hired one f her favorite DJs. And in true Annelise fashion, she was freaking out.
"Maybe I should just go down there and just check everything out," Annelise said, still wrapped in her silk robe and seated on a stool at the kitchen island. Before her sat a cup of chai tea mixed with milk and sugar and a plate which consisted of a half-eaten Egg's Benedict with a large mushroom in place of the meat. Maria, her childhood caretaker, shook her head. "But what if they messed up the flashing lights or the snacks need another tasting and God forbid even one of the photographers backed out! I swear, I'll - "
"It's fine, Little Missy," Maria reassured her and pushed a small bowl of mixed fruit towards the socialite. Annelise sighed and pouted a bit. "You're Annelise Walton, since when has your anything short of perfect, huh?" Ask my father, she thought bitterly before painting an appeased smile on her face.
"You're right, you're right." Annelise set her fork down and told herself to take a few deep breaths. She always did. Yes, her vision was important and yes, she needed to be on top of everything, but there were only rare times when her vision was not met or something went awry. She shouldn't freak out. It was her first day back at Constance. It was her senior year, matter of fact. No worries, that should be running through her mind. After making that decision mentally with a comforting smile from Maria, Constance's Queen bee set to finishing her light meal before heading back to her room and getting dressed.
Being who she was had its perks and one of them had to be the leniency the administration gave when it came to the uniforms that she, her girls, and her followers wore. Constance's policies for clothing was too restrictive, too...bleh. And while yes, Annie could be seen in the navy or plaid, she favored making the look more refined. After finishing with her ensemble, she stood before her vanity and gave the final light touches to her make-up. It was a natural look with the hint of a shimmery gold shade close to her lash line and a gloss that brought out the natural pink of her lips. She had tucked the front portion of her newly-dyed blonde hair, which not many had seen, and applied a Bump-It so that she could have that voluminous, big hair look that still seemed natural enough. After sliding on her pale pink blazer, Annelise took a series of photos to do an outfit of the day collage that was posted on Instagram moments later, spritzed on her Jasmine vanilla perfume, and grabbed her tote and planner on the way out.
"I'm having the spa team come up here for some pampering for me and the girls at around noon," she explained to Maria as she descended down the stairs once more. "We'll probably just hang out and have dinner afterwards and them get ready." She paused upon entering the living room, a thoughtful expression on her face before her countenance went blank. She refused to ask about her mother's whereabouts; she knew the woman wasn't home, like always. Maria didn't say anything either and just handed her the usual bottle of Fiji. "See you after school, Maria." As Annelise stepped into the private elevator of her penthouse, she sent a text to her girls.
To: Lexi, Kat, Kenna
Leaving now. Where r u guys?
The first day of school was a day that had excited Hana for the past twelve years. In the days leading up to many of them, her mother would scrounge together enough money for Hana to buy a new backpack and outfit for the first day. She would wake up hours before she needed to and her mother would have to remind her that she couldn't go wait at the bus stop for a school bus that was still an hour away from arriving. School was an enjoyable place for her when she was a child, and became a safe haven when her mother was imprisoned. She was a good student and liked many of the people she had classes with, so she was comfortable there. She fit in at school, but now, as she sat at the kitchen table in one of the finest homes in Manhattan, she was dreading school starting.
It was her first day at Constance Billard and Hana knew that this was the last place she belonged in. Sure, she was smart enough to excel at the exclusive academy, but socially, she would be a fish out of water. One might imagine that Hana would actually be in a good spot. She was practically Katherine Quinn's step-sister, and because Katherine was popular, it might be expected that Katherine could ease into her friend group. Maybe in a normal world, that would happen, or, maybe it even could be possible in the elite upper east side if Katherine was a normal person. Hana cringed as she heard Katherine's whiny voice growing louder, and eventually loud enough for her to realize that she had also entered the kitchen. Instead of greeting her housemate, or even looking up to acknowledge her presence, Hana kept her eyes focused on her iPhone screen. No one was actually texting her, but Katherine didn't need to know that. Besides, it wasn't like Katherine was making an effort to be nice to Hana either. In fact, it was Katherine would have declared that the girls' relationship would be nothing short of volatile. Hana didn't want it to be that way, but she wasn't going to kiss Katherine's ass either.
Although Katherine had just come downstairs for the first time that morning, Hana had been ready to leave for a good hour. She had just finished the BLT that one of the housekeepers had prepared for her, and carefully sat the plate in the sink, offering the woman an appreciative smile as she passed. Normally, Hana was very friendly towards the staff that Alexandre hired to care for his home, but this woman was one of the new ones that had been hired recently, and Hana couldn't quite remember her name. Although her sister and Alexandre insisted that they had just hired new help because the old staff were slacking off, Hana was sure that it had something to do with Katherine's demanding and bratty ways. Dealing with someone like her wasn't worth the measly salary that her billionaire father paid them.
She wasn't in a hurry to get to Constance, but when she realized that it was nearing 8:10, she knew that she and Katherine would need to leave sooner than later. Alexandre had offered to have his driver pick the girls up and drop them at school, but it really was only two blocks away and when Katherine insisted that they would walk, Hana agreed that that was fine. "Are you ready to go?" she said, barely looking in Katherine's direction as she grabbed her backpack and slipped it over her shoulder. She didn't need any notebooks or pencils today, but decided to bring the school bag to carry her textbooks in on the way back. Plus, she had slipped her half-read copy of Yes Please in, too. She didn't expect to have many people to socialize with and worst comes to worst, she would find an empty corner of the auditorium to sit in and read while she waited for the painful assembly to be over.
"Um Alex your dad told me to wake you up...Alex?" A voice said from her doorway. She recognized it as Jennifer, the newest "nanny" her dad was hooking up with. By nanny she meant her dad was screwing her and she got to live in the house. Hudson was thirteen so he really could handle himself. Besides they already had a chef, maids, and chauffeurs so all she really did was sit in the house and do nothing. Well nothing but her father. Lexi simply turned her head and ignored the girl. She was succeeding until a hand grasped her shoulder. Alex quickly sat up with a scowl " First off your not my 'nanny'."She said adding air quotations, " Your my little brothers, so stay out of my room that's why we have an intercom system throughout the house ." Jennifer looked stunned momentarily but eventually stormed out the room. Lexi knew Jennifer would bitch to her dad but she really didn't care.
She padded over to her bathroom to take a long hot shower and take care of the essentials. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, then used a sugar scrub on her face, a rose scrub on her lips to make them plumper then they naturally were and applied rose scented oil mixed with baby oil onto her wet skin so it would absorb it. this process made her skin glow as well as feel soft and leave her smelling like roses all day. When she was done she braided her hair into two french braids though she finished with a fishtail at the bottom. She slicked on liquid eyeliner for the perfect winged effect then put on a pinkish nude color that looked great with her skin tone. She slipped on a pair of boy shorts and one of Cliff's tee shirts that she stole from his closet before heading into her kitchen.
She quickly made herself one of her morning juices with agave nectar, various berries, and a bit of kale. While the juicer was going she grabbed a banana out the fridge. Her mother came downstairs in her pink tennis outfit and smiled at lexi "Hello darling ready for the first day of school?" She said with a bright smile. Lexi rolled her eyes and muttered a yes before turning away. She almost made it to the steps before her dad's booming voice stopped her. "Alexandra." He said in a commanding tone," I do hope your not going to school with your hair like that," He chided "You look like a thug".
Lexi tried to hold her tongue, she really did but couldn't help turning her head to the side and saying " I saw Jenny looking for your room real late last night is everything ok with Hudson?" She gave him a sickly sweet grin before saying " I should really finished getting dressed now Daddy." Then with a satisfied grin she walked back up the steps.
When she got to her room she took out the braids which left her hair in gorgeous curls, she shrugged, satisfied with her look, before changing into her uniform. She slipped on her tight pencil skirt plaid skirt with a loose white blouse that had a deep v neckline. She put a denim jacket on top of it and slipped on her Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots before grabbing her Givenchy backpack and heading out. She opted to leave her legs out. She wanted to show off her tan for as long as she could. Her phone vibrated and she smiled when she saw it was a text from Annelise. she quickly typed a response as she headed for the front door.
Omw to school now love, gonna pick up Cliff
To: Cliff
Hey I'm gonna come get you, be ready
To: Kat
Hey doll you leave yet?
Lexi stood at her doorstep as she waited for their driver to arrive. When she saw the dark Mercedes Benz with tinted windows, which she knew were bullet proof, pull up she quickly called " I'm leaving." Then headed out the door.
In no time she pulled up in front of Cliffs house. She told the driver to wait for her before walking up to his doorway. As soon as his mom saw Lexi she sent her a smile and gave her a hug. " Hi Mrs. Parker." She said with a bright smile.
Once she exchanged small talk she headed upstairs to Cliff's room and snuck into his bed. She stifled a giggle as she straddled him before yelling " Get up Clifford the big red dog." and smothering his face in kisses. She finally broke down in giggles, fully satisfied with herself.
Cliff had had a good summer and he wasn't ready to return to the school year. Besides the few that he had momentarily seen at the Cane's welcoming party, he hadn't hung out with most of his friends in at least a month. They all did exciting things over the summer but Cliff really hadn't even made an effort to see what any of them were doing, even when he was in town and not on location for a shoot or runway show. He had been disconnected from the social scene and for the most part, he was happy to get away. He would frequently hang out with his fellow modeling friends but only because with them, there always seemed to be less drama than with the kids he went to school with. Even though he loved his friends, it seemed like drama was inevitable with them and sometimes, it got to be too much for him.
There were a few people who he was especially excited to see though. Being Cliff's closest guy friend, Lex was definitely one of the top at that list. He was always a good friend to Cliff and to make things better, his mom was an impeccable chef. If there was one thing that could win Cliff over, it was good food. Besides Lex, he would also be glad when he saw Annelise and Katherine again. His relationship with the two was pretty different. He saw Katherine as being a complicated girl who didn't get enough credit for her feelings. She was undoubtedly a spoiled brat, but he didn't think that she was just that. Cliff knew from experience that it just took a bit of work to see that Katherine was actually a good person who just sometimes didn't word things as politely as she should. Annelise, on the other hand, wasn't a girl that needed anyone to take care of her. She was a strong and independent girl who could socially kill anyone with a few words. She had the reputation of being heartless and cold, an "ice queen", as some would say. Even though bitchiness didn't attract Cliff, he couldn't resist being turned on by her aura lately. There was something about her presence that demanded his attention and honestly, it had been bothering him. He wasn't going to settle for just being physically attracted to her though, and was determined to either ignore the sexual feelings or figure out who Annelise really was, beyond her Queen Bee facade.
Although he hadn't expected to see any of his friends until he got to school, he was pleasantly surprised when Alexandra's voice pulled him out of his sleepy state. He had actually woken up an hour and a half earlier and had showered, but had only managed to put on boxers before deciding to go back to bed for fifteen minutes. That fifteen minute nap had clearly lasted longer than that, because as Cliff sat up, he realized that the needed to be at school shortly. It never took him long to get ready, so he didn't rush, especially now that Lexi was there. When she finally shifted her weight off of him, Cliff couldn't help but to join in with her laughter as he dramatically wiped his face where he had just been smothered with kisses. "I probably have your limp imprints all over my face, but I'll admit that you make a better alarm than my clock does," he chuckled as he stood up and walked past his bed. "You look tanner than the last time I saw you but besides that, what's changed with you, Alexandra?" It was strange for him to use Lexi's full name but he had to retaliate in some way for the infamous "Clifford the Big Red Dog" reference.
As he waited for her response, he shuffled through the racks of clothes in his closet and eventually found a white button-down shirt, black pants and his gold and red school tie. It didn't feel strange for him to be walking around in just boxers in front of Lexi, so he didn't hesitate to get dressed in front of her either. There was never anything sexual about their relationship, and he, at least, couldn't imagine that ever changing. It didn't take him more than a few minutes to get dressed and slip on black socks and matching shoes. He pocketed his phone and was ready to leave, but assumed by now, that Lexi had come to pick him up. "Your driver waiting for us, or do you want me to get Joe to take us?" Cliff asked, referencing his own family's driver.
It was all too common for Katherine to wake up upset lately. There were days where she would spend hours standing in front of the mirror and pinching every bit of fat of her body, wishing that she could rip it off, or sobbing uncontrollably in the shower. The fact that she had to go to school today didn't make things any better. Even though they wouldn't be doing any actual school work, Katherine hated anything that had to do with school. She wasn't smart and she would willingly admit that, but even if she did act like she was just completely indifferent towards doing well in school, when it came down to it, even if she tried her hardest, she usually still failed. It was embarrassing and for someone who already had so many secret self-esteem issues, this was just one more to add to the list.
Besides the fact that school was starting again, her biggest trigger this morning had been a call from her father. He had left early the morning before to go on some "business trip" to Hawaii. He was supposedly scouting out a new location for one of his resorts, but to Katherine, it seemed like more of a vacation than anything work-related. If he really wanted to focus on work, why would he bring his bimbo wife along? She really didn't mind her father being gone, and actually kind of preferred it that way, but if he was gone, she didn't want him to bother her at all. When Olga, Katherine's primary caregiver, woke her up with phone in hand, she knew to expect the worst.
"Hana is family, Katherine. I expect you to treat her as such," Alexandre said, finally drawing the conversation to a close after a good hour of lecturing her on how she had to be kinder to Hana. Katherine had barely been listening though, and had left the phone sitting on her desk on speaker phone mode as she put all of her attention into getting ready. By the end of the conversation, she was ready to go, donning a sleeveless white blouse, school-provided skirt, and navy flats. Had her father actually been home, he probably would have insisted that she at least wear a pair of knee high socks with her outfit. Although it would probably pass the school code on a shorter girl, Katherine's height allowed her show more leg than the school approved of, but she didn't care at this point.
"She's not family by my choice," Katherine reminded her father quickly.
She hadn't even started on her makeup when her bedroom door was pushed open, once again allowing Olga to enter. Having known Katherine's ways for a few years, she was much more brazen around her than some of the newer staff, and after glancing down at the cell phone, she announced herself to Alexandre, before saying, "Breakfast is ready so when you finish your call, come downstairs, Katherine." The older woman didn't move from the room though, as she must have predicted that Alexandre would take the opportunity to end the conversation himself. He wished Katherine good luck at school and again reminded her to be kind to Hana, before hanging up.
"I'll be down in a second," Katherine insisted, tossing her phone onto her bed as she frantically searched for the earrings she had planned on wearing.
"Now," Olga insisted sternly, meeting Katherine's glare. She managed to hold the look long enough for Katherine to eventually give up. She scowled and grabbed her bag and phone, before sluggishly following Olga down the large staircase.
"I'm not even close to being ready and you know that I'm not hungry. I really feel like everyone in this house is trying to ruin my life," she complained dramatically. If anyone could pull off the teen angst attitude, it was Katherine.
Olga didn't budge as she continue to nudge Katherine into the kitchen. Hana, her step-mother's sister, sat at the kitchen table with an empty plate in front of her and her eyes focused on her phone. Even though the girl had done nothing more than just be present, Katherine rolled her eyes at her back. Just being present was enough for her to be annoying. Most days, Katherine would find something nasty to say about Hana but today, she simply ignored her. She similarly ignored the steaming omelet that Olga motioned her towards but after a minute of rummaging through the pantry, she settled on taking a granola bar with her. She would throw it out when they got to school, but at least it would appease the woman for now.
If the morning hadn't already been going poorly, Hana soon spoke up and brought the fact that they had to be at school shortly to Katherine's attention. Her face was bare and her hair in a simple ponytail, and although Katherine was pretty enough to pull off the natural look, she didn't think that way of herself. Part of her considered refusing to go to school until she actually finished fully getting dressed, but she didn't want to test Olga's patience today and she knew that by the time she really got ready, school would already be over. This one day, she supposed, she could go to school without it.
"Obviously I'm ready to go," she snapped at Hana as she stuffed the granola bar into her bag and brushed past her. Her eye-roll count was now up to two, and again, for no good reason. She didn't wait for Hana as she made her way out of the home and soon ended up on the street. She only paused a few feet away from their door when her phone chimed and she realized that Annelise and Lexi had texted her.
Omw too. Hopefully I get hit by a bus on the way tho!!!
If anyone understood Katherine's dramatic, uncensored and overly emotional persona, it was Annelise. Katherine knew how lucky she was to have the girl as a friend- not only socially, but also emotionally.
Yess! Be there in 5. Where are you?
Almost lost to her musings, Annelise nearly missed the ping from her phone, which alerted her to the fact that she had a new text. Annelise whipped the device out of her purse and smiled softly at the thought of her longtime friend, Alex. They had been through a lot together and at this point in her life, Lexi was more her sister than anything else. Which was why a flush of shame came over her when her heart thumped rather loudly at the thought of seeing Cliff Parker, Lexi's close male friend and crush. While the two had never dated, Annelise still wanted to uphold the girl code. Despite being very much attracted to Cliff, she just didn't want to risk a lifelong friendship. Not to mention her less than stellar thoughts of herself which will not be noted, or at least she tries not to pay them any mind. "Get a grip," she had to tell herself with a quick shake of her head. Yet and still, thoughts came, unbidden, in her mind - what would Cliff say about her new hair color? Would he like it? Would he even notice? Just as she was going to text her bestie a quick message, her phone alerted her to another text, this time from her other best friend, Katherine.
Try as she might, Annelise couldn't help but laugh a little at Katherine's over-dramatization. It was no secret that out of their group, Katherine was all emotion - emotion she didn't even know how to control. Which was fine with Annelise on most days. She found the heiress endearing and undoubtedly loyal, and there was no room for judgement in their circle. Then again, judging may very we'll be Annelise's middle name because it seemed to be a hobby. But all of that was not the point - the point was that although she knew Kat had her reasons for disliking being with her stepsister as much as she is, it was still amusing. Upon realizing that she was very much close to school and see some of the wannabes waiting near school grounds, Annelise allowed herself to pause at the end of the block so that she could send out her texts. Afterwards, she headed towards her school, ready to go back to planning out her day.
To: Lexi
Fine. Go pick him up. U luv him more anyway D;
To: Kat
If u get hit, who else do I go shopping w/?
Katherine's response was a typical one, and although the attitude was not justified, Hana wouldn't expect any less of her. She simply returned the girl's eye roll and followed her out of the apartment. Although Hana knew her way around the equisite house, it didn't feel like home to her. She continuously insisted to herself that it would just take time to get used to the life she was now living, but not much had changed in the few months she had lived there. It was strange for her, since she recognized how lucky she was to be living in one of the nicest and most expensive residences in Manhattan, but couldn't help but to feel dissatisfied. Sometimes she longed for the little two-bedroom apartment that she had shared with her mother ten years ago, and other times she just wanted something new and different. But this was her new start, and she supposed that there was nothing that she could do but try to make the best out of it.
Katherine was a good distance ahead of Hana until she abruptly stopped on the sidewalk and pulled out her cellphone. Now, Hana was able to catch up with her, but she only slowed her pace a bit when she noticed that Katherine wasn't going to start walking until she finished texting. It was probably for the best that way. Hana couldn't even count the number of times that Alexandre had insisted that the two go shopping or get dinner together, and Hana would have to grab the back of Katherine's shirt or her tiny arms to stop her from walking into traffic or other people while she was preoccupied with her phone. She usually regretted helping her and was now considering picking up her speed and walking ahead of Katherine, but she didn't want to arrive at the school first. Even though she had walked to it on a couple of occasions over the summer just to see what its exterior looked like, she was less confident now that the campus would probably be flooded with students who were all already friends with each other. It would have been different if she was transferring in during freshman or even sophomore year when friend groups were still forming, but by now, everyone already knew where they fit in, and Hana felt destined to be an outsider.
As she wallowed in self-pity over her predicted social doom, she felt her phone buzz in her backpack. In a quick movement, she pulled it out, relieved with the thought that maybe one of her old friends wanted to check in. Even though Hana did have many friends at her own school, she had distanced herself from them over the summer and after months of being ignored, most of them had given up on trying to reconnect with her. She couldn't blame them, really, and soon realized that it wasn't any of them who was texting her. It was just a notification that a blog that she had subscribed to earlier that week had made an update. It was the infamous "Gossip Girl" blog; one known for notoriously leaking the secrets of students at Constance Billard and Saint Jude's. Hana had overheard someone talking about it at the welcoming party she had attended for Melissa and Mark Cane and although she was a bit weary of even looking into the drama, she couldn't help but to subscribe. Even if it was probably just lies made out of vengeance, she felt some sense of inclusion by at least knowing what was the hot topic in town, even if she didn't know many of the people the posts were about.
Although Hana was interested in seeing what the post read, she decided to wait to actually read it. She and Katherine were quickly approaching Constance Billard and the realization that she was now going to have to face her new year was dawning on her. Without thinking too much into it, she sent a text message to Melissa Cane. Hana knew that she and Mark were also new students and while they were probably wealthy enough to fit in seamlessly with this crowd, Melissa seemed to like her at her party, and Hana felt like she had no other options now.
Hey, it's Hana Lane. Are you at school already?
She didn't want to sound too clingy or anxious, but at the same time, she was beginning to doubt her own confidence in being able to fully isolate herself from everyone and still be okay. It would probably be better than clinging to the outside of the group of girls that she was sure Katherine would soon clique up with, but having at least one friend would be nice too.
βMom told me to wake you up.β squeaked the voice that could only come from Zachary, the youngest in the family.
βWhat? Why?β
βSchool starts today.β He answered jumping off of his back.
Rolling over he grabbed his clock that he had conveniently forgot to set, a blinking 6:45 AM blinking green in his face. βGod,β He groaned again swinging his legs over the side of his bed. βItβs too damn early for this crap.β
βIβll go tell mom youβre up.β Zach called back as he ran out of the room almost tripping on one of his many longboards.
With a stretch he got up and headed to the shower. After a quick shave he grabbed his pants, baseball tee as well as his white button up that he wore over it and found his shoes that were hidden under his bed. Rolling up his sleeves he grabbed the red and gold tie that hung on the back of his door and tied it around his neck as he walked down to the kitchen.
βAnyone got the time?β He asked to no one in particular.
βYeah, itβs a quarter till eight.β A voice in another room spoke up.
βSoβ¦β
βSeven forty five.β
βThank you.β
βI swear Joshua you have to start wearing a watch. Or at least check your phone, Iβm tired of always having to tell you.β Said his mother walking into the kitchen most likely from her study which was centered down the hallway across from the living room.
βPhone.β He dragged off. βThanks for reminding me.β He added as he ran back upstairs. Craaap he thought grabbing his phone which shown that it only had fifty percent battery life. Taking the charger out of the wall he stuffed the two into his pocket and picked his longboard up that Zach tripped over as he left the room for good this time.
βYou need a ride? Iβm dropping off Zach.β His mother asked grabbing her keys.
βYouβre not working?β
βI have a meeting at noon. Do you need a ride?β
βNo thanks, Iβm heading to Benβs, I'll catch a ride there.β He told her leaning on his board.
βAlright. Zach weβre leaving.β She called out. As Zach ran by him there was a slight nudge along with the realization that there was only one person that should be around, especially this morning. βHey whereβs Abbie?β
βShe already left.β She said shutting the door with an audible thud. With nothing else keeping him at the house he grabbed an apple from the counter and headed out. Benjaminβs house was on the way to school so there was no real delay, except in the case that he wasnβt awake by the time he got there.
With the beeping of his phones alarm clock he rolled off of the couch and cracked his knuckles. He knew it was the first day of school but he truly did not want to go. It wasn't going to be anything important anyway and he figured he wasnβt going to be missing anything however he needed this year to go off without a hitch and the only way to do that was to actually attempt. Grabbing a pair of pantsand a tank top he searched for a plain button up shirt in the pile of clothes he had set to the side. Finally finding a yellow one he slung it over the couch and slid his shoes on when the opening of the door caught his attention.
βHow are you not done?β Immediately recognizing the voice there was no need to turn around. Josh had said he would be heading over yesterday so they could head to school together. βI hate school and not only did I wake up before you, I got here with twenty minutes until we need to be there.β
βShut it man. I just woke up.β
βWell spray your face and letβs go.β
Cocking his head back he perked up βGood idea.β Getting up he went to the bathroom and started up the shower, dumping his head underneath the flow. This would do for now and itβs not like he wears his hair differently than messy and he wasnβt trying to impress anyone. βGrab my keys.β He shouted to Josh as he wrung out his hair.
βWhich?β He heard Josh say lightly.
Benjamin was a fan of muscle cars and the families garage had the room to fit anything he fancied so he jumped at the opportunity to get some of his favorites. He had three cars that he regularly used; a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, a 1969 Pontiac Firebird and a 1970 Dodge Challenger, at home where the only people allowed to drive them was himself and his most trusted friends, on occasion. βAny.β He replied walking back to the main room. With a nod from Josh he plucked a key from the table and tossed it to him. With a quick glance he smirked βFirebird. Nice pick.β The Firebird was Benjamin's favorite car out of all of them and anyone he knows can pick him out if they seen it. Throwing his shirt on he grabbed his tie and the two headed out to the garage. βJust throw you board in the backseat.β He said unlocking the doors. βOne last year.β He added pulling out of the driveway.
Lexi licked her lips when Cliff started dressing in front of her. She had watched Cliff grow from a boy to a man and she had to admit it was a beautiful thing to watch. Unfortunately for her the same could not be said for him. She blew a kiss at him when he complained about her lip prints before grinning wide " Good I'm staking my claim."
She let a pleased smile form on his face when he noted how much tanner she was. " Oh you know waiting for you to finally fall in love with me then have blissful sex with me." She sent him a sexy look before waggling her eyebrows at him. What he didn't realize yet, was she was dead serious. Though she planned to make him learn that soon enough.
Her phone beeped signaling text, presumably from her best friends. She grinned before typing a quick response to both of them.
Darling you know your the person I love most in the whole world. What I need is him to be in love with me
To: Kat
With my soon-to-be-lover A.K.A Cliff the big red dog be there in like 5 too.[color]
She glanced up in time to hear Cliff's statement about a driver. [color=#66bbae]" Nope Daddy dearest sent me with the bullet proof SUV.". She walked up to him and grasped his hand before pulling him out his bedroom. She waved to his mom on their way out the door as she pulled him into the SUV. It was a quick ride to school but Lexi spent most of it snuggled up to him blabbering about any and everything that recently occurred.
By the time they pulled up to the school people were beginning to congregate. She linked arms with Cliff before searching to see any of her friends. She immediately spotted Annelise and exclaimed " Annie!" Before rushing up to her and wrapping her arms around her. A few people stopped to watch two of Constance's hottest girls interaction. " You look cute." She said eyeing her outfits. Lexi was typically the one who went for more sexy but that was mainly because she couldn't pull off cute but with Annie's deceptively adorable looks, she could easily pull it off. " So how are you love?."
"Annie!" A very familiar and welcomed voice exclaimed and Annelise's head slowly rose from her little golden planner. She closed it with a fond smile and stood just as Alexandra wrapped her long arms around her. Grinning as they pulled away, Annelise ran her eyes up and down her friend slowly before flicking her gaze back up to meet the blue-gray eyes that always seemed to have some mischievous glint in them. Annie's eyebrow rose as she commented, "And you look like you're up to no good." Her eyes flitted over to Cliff for only a moment before she tugged her best friend a bit closer to say quietly with a broad grin, "And don't lay it on him too hard. You might scare him away." Regardless of what anyone might have had to say about Annelise, she was a good friend at the end of the day. And it didn't matter how attractive Cliff was or how much Annelise would like to pursue him herself, Alexandra came first.
Always.
"And hello to you too, stranger. Considering the fact that you've disappeared for the umpteenth time, I'm beginning to think we're not good enough for you, Cliff," she said casually, joking really. At this point, they had all grown used to Cliff disappearing during vacations and such, finding some new adventure on his own. It wasn't that Annelise blamed him for getting away, but seeing his gorgeous face more during the summer would not have hurt anyone. And she would have been the last one complaining. Finally, she returned her attention back to Alexandra when asked about how she was feeling. Annelise sighed at first. "Let's see - I'm freaking out over decorations, I'm still not even sure what I'm wearing tonight, my mother has yet to come home, and I'm very close to doing a shot and you know I don't even like shots." She added the mother portion very flippantly, accented by the carefree wave of her hand. However, only Lexi would understand how much she did care and the fact of the matter was that once again, her mother was away with whomever doing god knows what and Annelise was left alone at home once again.
Some things never change.
"See you, Max!" Lex yelled over his shoulder as he jetted out of the elevator of their apartment complex and rushed to the parking garage where his motorcycle was. On typical days, he would drive. However, his father had taken the car out of town on some business venture and well, you can't drive something that's not there. Besides, he wouldn't be able to rush through the New York traffic or the little back alleyways he had found that would get him to school on time. What sucked more, he realized as he fastened on his helmet, was the fact that today wasn't even a real school day. Constance and St. Jude's always thought everyone needed some kind of orientation or assembly, as if the fact that they were seniors or juniors didn't alert you to the fact that they were all very much familiar with the way things worked, but he wouldn't argue. Before he roared his bike up, Lex sent a text out to Cliff and Alexandra. Nine times out of ten, Annelise was already with Lexi and he didn't feel the need to check on her. They would see each other soon enough.
To: Lexi, Cliff
Omw. U guys @ school?
As Katherine walked in silence next to Hana, she almost felt guilty for how she had treated her over the past few months. It probably wasn't necessary for her to be so cold and uninviting. Even if she didn't like Hana or want her or her sister in her house, she could have tried to be civil. Things didn't work like that for Katherine, though. She was an all-or-nothing type of girl, especially when it came to her emotions. Hana had showed up at the wrong time and, well, things just didn't work between them. Katherine tried to mentally justify her actions but as she quickly glanced over at her, a tinge of guilt still pulled at her conscience. A new school is intimidating enough, and Hana obviously isn't Constance material. She'll probably have a hard enough time without me being a bitch to her... but I'm not being a bitch. It's not my problem that she's ugly and annoying. She imagined that Hana had to be nervous but just as quickly as she considered accepting blame for her actions, she pushed the thought out of her mind. It wasn't her job to make sure Hana was well-liked and when it came down to it, she wasn't innocent in all of this either.
Luckily, their walk to school wasn't long and soon enough, the street became crowded with teenagers in uniform. Most people seemed excited as they huddled in circles with their friends and gushed about everything exciting that had went on over the summer. Although many of the younger girls offered her a friendly 'hello', she was uninterested in most of them. Her eyes scanned the crowd for her real friends and she soon spotted Annelise, Lexi and Cliff standing by the steps leading up to the school. Her frown lightened up at the sight of them, and for a moment, she felt better about the day. It was genuine enough of an emotion for her to turn to Hana and offer her a weak smile. Even if I wanted to help her, I don't think I could. She just doesn't belong here, really. Poor girl. Katherine opened her mouth to say goodbye to Hana, which she thought would be nice enough, but reconsidered and once again, scanned the crowd of students around her. It took her a good minute, but she soon located a group of girls who Katherine didn't know, but assumed were as smart and socially awkward as she felt Hana was. A few of them were Asian, which was enough for her, in her usual ignorantly-offensive way, to assume that Hana would feel comfortable around. "I'm going to go find my friends but I'm sure those girls will let you stand with them. Just tell them you know me, or something," she said. In Katherine's head, she believed that she had just done a nice deed for Hana. She was trying to be kind and compassionate, and even though it probably didn't come out that way, it was nicer than Katherine usually was to Hana. "I'll probably go to Annie's after school today, so don't wait for me when the assembly's over. Kay?" she asked, but didn't wait for a response before her attention switched back to her friends and she headed towards them.
She didn't get their in time to catch Annelise's explanation of why she was stressed so she couldn't chime in to agree that she was up to take a shot too, but she did embrace both of her girl friends in separate hugs. "I want your skirt," she instantly exclaimed after giving Annie's outfit a quick glance, and couldn't resist running her fingers through Lexi's picture-perfect blonde curls. Annelise and Lexi were both gorgeous and even though she adored both of her friends, their beauty often made Katherine feel even worse about herself. Maybe it wasn't even just their appearances, but how confident they were. That alone was enviable.
Melissa sat at the table, a bowl of fruit and a glass of apple juice sitting in front of her, her mother sat just beside her.
"Why aren't you having any cereal?" Elizabeth asked when she spied the bowl, as she herself sat with a bowl of fruit loops and a cup of coffee.
"If it wasn't for the coffee you would think you were a big child." Melissa teased, with a smile and look of comical disbelief in her eyes. "And anyway, I'll get more energy for the day from a single apple than I would that bowl of diabetes and obesity."
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Elizabeth chuckled to herself, she always thought she was the funny one of the family. "You already don't fit in, in America, maybe some obesity would help." Melissa let out a gasp of surprise at her mother's words.
"Mum! I can't believe you just said that!"
"Said what?" Melissa heard the familiar voice of her father behind her and both looked up at him with a face of innocence.
"We're discussing lady things." Elizabeth blurted out and Melissa looked down from her father and had to stop herself laugh, whilst she also turned a bright red, and as she thought she had the laughter under control her father let out a disgusted sound and both them let out a laugh. "Oh, Andrew,how do you cope with me?" Elizabeth got up and planted a kiss on his cheek and he checked his watch.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" He asked, nodding in Melissa's way and she just shrugged, knotting her eyebrows and looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Go." Andrew said, in a demanding manner and Melissa sighed as she pushed herself off the seat and brought her bowl of fruit up to her room, as she passed her dad she scrunched her face up and put her tongue in between her bottom gum and lower lip, Elizabeth raised her eyebrow and Melissa and she stopped immediately, turning a bright red. As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard the all to familiar sound of Mark's alarm blaring while he slept on.
"Oi! Faggoot! Get up." She called in teasingly.
Mark sat up in his bed as his alarm blared and Melissa shouted in at him. "Nooo!" He shouted before throwing his pillow at the door and hitting Melissa, knocking the bowl out of her hands, hearing the bowl smash and Melissa curse, he giggled to himself. "Whoops, you okay butterfingers?" Melissa gave him the finger before going to her room and getting ready for Constance. Mark stretched and cracked his neck and then his fingers before getting out from under his blanket. Dandering over to his wardrobe, he threw out a pair of chinos, a formal white shirt and his favourite hoodie. He opened his laptop and went onto YouTube and hit play on his music playlist and took his bluetooth speaker into the bathroom with him as his music played, he sung along to it in the shower, albeit terribly. After showering, he applied his lynx deodorant and antiperspirant before throwing his 'school uniform' on and loosely doing the tie. He grabbed his bag and threw a pack of cigarettes in it and his books, before going downstairs and grabbing something to eat.
"Bag." Elizabeth called out, non-nonchalantly as she read a magazine and finished her coffee on the sofa.
"Why?" Elizabeth turned her head and looked at him.
"Because you're either running about with condoms or drugs." Elizabeth put it rather bluntly and Mark blushed, before sighing and tossing the bag at her. "There's a pretty strict, no smoking rule, mister. So I'll hold onto these." Mark rolled his eyes as he waited for his toast to pop. "And Mark, I know you won't but... don't tell anyone about you being gay. I don't want to see you getting hurt again and god knows what these yanks think of gays." Mark nodded his head, a slight sadness to his face that she'd bring it up. She then got up and brought the bag over to him and hugged him. "Love you." She said before she planted a kiss on his forehead and he hugged her back.
"Love you too, mom." He teased before she let go of him and went back to her position on the sofa.
Not long after, he finished his toast, Melissa slowly made her way down the stairs, her eyes focused on her phone.
I'm leaving now, shouldn't be more than 5 minutes. XO
She tucked her phone back into her purse and smiled at Mark.
"This is okay, right?" She asked as she showed him the full outfit she was in.
"Not that kind of gay." He reminded her and she simply rolled her eyes.
"It'll do, I don't have time to change."
It was a short drive and Melissa was try to her word, it was only about 4 minutes but that may have been because she forced her mum to drop and Mark off at Constance instead of midway so as they both had to walk an equal amount. "See you later, mum." She said as she hopped out and then turned to Mark. "Later bum boy." Mark rolled his eyes and nudged his sister before making his way to St Judes. On his way he found a small packet of cigarettes in his hoodie pocket and took one out and had a smoke. "Today's already looking up." He hummed to himself as he dandered to school, taking his time and not really caring if he was late, even if the schools were only a block away.
Melissa walked into the entry courtyard and spotted Hana, "Hana! Hey." She called out as she waved to her and walked over and hugged her. "What's point in a uniform if everyone just wears what they want?" Melissa asked as she watched the other girls in their custom uniforms. Melissa took out her phone and typed a quick text. "I'll just text Maria and tell her we're sitting her.
Hey, Maria, Hana and I are sitting in courtyard. You can't miss us.
Kenna pulled out a water bottle and banana from the fridge and began to eat as she pressed the button on her remote that opened the closet. She'd demanded sweetly that her father have the movers install everything in the room electronically so that she could control everything by the remote without having to move a muscle. Perusing through the clothes, she finally got to her school section and smiled. While being one of Annelise Walton's clique had it's downsides, one of the upsides was that her uniform could have any sort of modification it needed.
Kenna moved several outfits aside before she decided to go with an earthy look, picking out a suede brown skirt, white blouse, green blazer, and brown sandal-heels. She liked the way the tones looked on her olive skin, and she finished off the ensemble with her brown cross-body bag. Brushing out her wavy brown hair, she sat down at her vanity mirror and began the day's makeup adventure. After all, she was early.
She started with her eyes. Taking out her brush and palette, she swept over them with a glittery brown, and filled in the creases with a dark chestnut. Blending them together, it created a sort of bronze. Taking another brush, she swept a pearl colored underneath her brow to make it pop. Grabbing her eyeliner, she made a line of medium thickness above her eyelashes and ended it with a wing. Finishing it off with mascara and a peach-colored lip gloss, she looked runway ready.
Finishing off the water and banana, she made her way downstairs. Her father was sitting at the marble island, and one of the maids was fixing him an omelette. "Hi, daddy," she chirped, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and hugged her with one arm, smoothing his hand down her back. "Hi, sweetheart. Ready for the assembly?" He asked and she nodded. She was just about to answer when her phone beeped.
Leaving now. Where r u guys?
She looked at the clock and saw that it was just about to be her time to leave. The other girls responded and Kenna typed a quick reply before heading to the massive five-car garage.
Jst gttng n car. Bts.
Her car was a beautiful teal-toned 2014 Ford Fiesta, and she adored it. She named her Beelzebub and never went a day without driving in her. Turning the car on, she sighed in pleasure at the hum of the motor. She didn't know a lot about cars, but she knew when one was in good shape and Beelzebub surely was.
It only took Kenna about five minutes to drive to school and when she arrived, she pulled in to her designated parking spot just outside the school gates. It was an unspoken rule that if you parked in said spot not only would you face Kenna, you would have the wrath of Annie, and no one wanted that. She locked up Beelzebub and spotted her very stylish friends. Grabbing her bag, she passed by a smoking kid in a hoodie. She recognized him to be new and she gave him a little wave, having a feeling that he would come in handy sometime soon. Turning her attention to her friends, she joined the circle. "Oh my gosh, Annie, your skirt is to die for! Did you get it in Paris?" Kenna asked. She too had missed Annie's rant but she could only guess what it was about. She squeezed her friends hand briefly, a rare show of care towards Annie, and smiled. "Don't stress, dear, it gives you wrinkles."
Shallow as she was, Kenna could only hope that Annie understood her comment. Kenna may value beauty and style, but she was intelligent and knew how to help her friends. She wasn't as close to Annie as Lexi was, but she was still there for her, and she wanted Annie to know that. It wasn't just a warning about bad skin, it was a way for Kenna to show her loyalty without cracking the surface.
She looked around at all the Constance and St.Jude's kids, eyeing a couple new and old ones. "Hey, that guy, Lexi you know him don't you?" Kenna pointed her shoulder towards Lex Manning, one of Lexi's close friends. Kenna was always blunt, and never really knew when she was stepping out of line, so if she was the only way she would find out was if one of her friends told her. Luckily, they knew this about her. "I like him. I don't think I've ever talked to him outright...but I like him."
Lexi waggled her eyebrows at Annie's statement about her being up to no good. She frowned a bit and bit her lip when the she mentioned laying it on thick with Cliff. She wished she could explain it to Annie but it was hard to explain. I mean how do explain loving somebody you could never have for years.
As Annie began to list off all the things she had to do, Lexi rolled her eyes a bit. " Oh shut up Anns you know you'll look cute as a button tonight. You're mom will show up last minute as usual." She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows at her friends comment about shots. " However I'm all for the shot if you want." Lexi knew that Annie was playing off the mom comment. Annie had always been more of a mom than her actual mother was. It only bonded them more. She wanted to make her feel better but she was quickly silenced by the arrival of their other best friend Kat. She embraced the beautiful brunette a hug and allowed her to play with one of the soft curls.
She grinned at her friend " You look hot too B-T-Dubz." She laughed and turned to see Kenna. She liked Kenna and all but had to take her in small amounts because Kenna easily pissed her off. She knew she was Annie's friend and all but the girl was kinda a piece of work sometimes. Kenna rattled on about Annie's outfits before making a comment about her wrinkles. Lexi made a warning noise in the back of her throat but let it go. She moved from Cliff to flank beside Annie. She didn't do it to intimidate Kenna but rather to show Annie she was there if she needed her.
When she glanced at Lex, Lexi's raised an eyebrow suspiciously " Yeah me and him are really close." She waved at him from afar and pointed Cliff in the direction of Cliff as well. She was about to explain how he was Cliff's friend too when Kenna mentioned liking him. " That's fine and all but if you're going after him don't play games." She said bluntly " Because if he get's hurt I'll hurt you."
"No, Spain. My Dad bought it for me," she explained to the newly arrived brunette and decided to slide her planner into her Guess satchel. Annelise didn't bother bringing a larger bag. They weren't attending class and she saw no point. She would send someone else around to buy her textbooks and the like. All she needed was her schedule and to see some of the newer students. She was brought from her musings by Kenna's comment about wrinkles. Instead of responding at first, Annelise hummed in agreement, the smile on her face rather cordial instead of as warm as before the girl had arrived. She wouldn't allow the retort to come out, didn't want Kenna - anyone - to know that her feelings were so close to the surface. It was Annelise's fault. She forgot that while these were her friends, she didn't need to let her wall down that much. However, the one tick that only Alexandra and maybe Katherine would pick up shined through - her running her hand through her hair despite it not being anywhere near her face. It was a defense mechanism she picked up back when she was a child, a way to appear like she wasn't affected.
"Good luck with that," Annelise retorted with a small chuckle. She had tuned back in when she heard Kenna speak about wanting to take a chance at Lex, who had just pulled up with his bike and parked. Annelise's sweet honey brown eyes rose to meet Kenna's gaze and the smile on her face formed into a smirk. "You see, Lex's type...varies. Not that I'm telling you not to go for it, you should. Like Lexi said, just be careful." Only Alexandra would understood what Annelise was saying underneath the support. Alexander Manning didn't tell many people of his bisexuality, which baffled Annelise because she honestly didn't have any fucks to give. Then again, some people were really sensitive. And well, she wanted to watch the show. Kenna pursuing a guy who chased just as many dicks as skirts would be more entertaining than anything else. It was mean, yes, especially considering that they were friends. But it was whatever. Kenna was her friend for the moment. Anything could happen.
Lex parked his bike before sliding his helmet off, running a hand through his curly hair to somehow fix the rather annoying helmet hair he was rocking. Shoving his keys in his pocket and slinging his backpack over his shoulder casually, he walked with a cat-like ease towards Annelise and her brigade. To be honest, if he could, he would just avoid her. However, she was best friends with one of his good friends and her saving grace at the moment was the presence of Cliff Parker. Not that Annelise would care that Lex didn't want to be in her presence, they weren't exactly the best of friends. Still, he honestly did not want to deal with her very knowing smirk. It had aggravated him since she found out about his sexuality because he had eyed her personal trainer too long. Not that Annelise had blamed him. As she had said, Christian was delectable and he had been when Lex took a bite. He chuckled at the memory.
"Morning, ladies," he said politely. He smiled warmly at Alexandra before his gaze turned to Annelise, who blatantly ignored him. Not to be mean, but because... "Your Majesty," he offered with a very charming smirk. Annelise only returned a pleasant countenance, the corners of her mouth lifting just slightly to indicate the beginning of a smile that she wasn't going to give him. Lex only grinned knowingly. She played this game all the time and on most days, he would roll his eyes and keep it moving. On others, when they had not seen each other after a minute, this was just her way of acknowledging that she did, in fact, miss his presence to some degree. She'd go back to teasing him later. Finally, he stepped a little closer to Cliff, nodding to Katherine and Kenna as he passed them. Lex clapped a hand on Cliff's shoulder. "And you! Didn't realize I wasn't important enough to be informed that you had come back. Thanks a lot. How was your summer?"
Cliff could barely get out a 'goodbye' to his mother before Lexi pulled him out the door and into the waiting car. He was smiling by now, and for what had recently become fairly uncommon, it was a genuine smile. As much as he enjoyed getting away from his Manhattan friends to recharge, once they reunited, he realized how much he loved them. Especially Lexi. She could make him laugh in his darkest moments and her crazy antics never ceased to entertain him. She was so alive, all of the time, and today was no different. The car ride to school consisted of light conversation and of course, physical affection from the blonde. Cliff leaned his head back against the head rest, but his eyes remained focused on her as she snuggled up against him and went on about her summer adventures.
Even with the normal New York traffic, it didn't take too long before they pulled up in front of Constance Billard. Cliff was interested in catching up with Lex and some of his lacrosse teammates, but he allowed Lexi to lead him over to her Annelise. Without realizing, he raised an eyebrow in intrigue as he caught sight of the petite socialite. Even though he had social media accounts and updated them on occasion, he hadn't seen any photos of Annelise post-hair change and he was pleasantly surprised with the change. She was definitely hot, and had now crossed over into the 'sexy' category. It was something he'd probably end up admitting to Lex later that night after a few beers at Annelise's party. When her eyes turned to him and she addressed him personally, he quickly readjusted his sight to be focused at her face rather than body. He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind, all while offering her a small smirk. "It took you long enough to figure that out," he joked in response to her comment about how he probably disappeared because he thought he was too good for them. "Nah, but really, I've just been all over the place. Word on the street - or should I say the 'web' - is that you haven't been hanging around here much either," he added. A gossip blog was probably the last thing that anyone would expect Cliff to read, but hey, was it wrong to just want to see what was written on it? He didn't have to believe any of it to find it amusing that someone would care about other people's lives so much to waste their own time making up lies about them.
Katherine and Kenna soon approached, and Cliff offered them both a friendly wave before the four girls began to talk about things that he wasn't interested in. He easily zoned out though and only returned to reality when Lex appeared in their circle. Cliff cocked his head to the side and grinned at the sight of his best friend. They didn't greet each other like the girls, with squeals and long embraces, but Cliff's grin was enough to know that he was happy to see Lex. He hadn't seen his earlier text asking if he was at school yet, and honestly, even if he had, there was a slim chance that he would've responded anyway. Cliff was known for "forgetting" to answer people's texts, even if he was very close with them. "My summer was alright. A lot of travelling and shit, but it was all pretty good. I'm kind of glad to be back, though. It's the beginning of the end, man. We've got to make this year count," he figured that he and Lex would go into more detail about what they had missed when they had the time, but for now, he figured that the simple explanation would be enough. "What about you? How's your mom's restaurant going?"
The closer that they got to the school, the faster Hana's heart seemed to beat. She was definitely nervous, but she tried not to let it show with Katherine standing close to her. The girl was already condescending and rude as it was, and Hana didn't want to give her anything to hold against her. She would maintain her strong and indifferent front and hope that things didn't end up as badly as she expected them to. A wave of relief set in when Melissa Cane not only responded to her text, but reassured her that she would be at the school shortly, too. At least I won't be alone for long... she thought, although she tried to slow her walking speed slightly, hoping that she could cut that five minute difference down by even a little bit.
Even as they moved through the growing crowd, Katherine remained silent and Hana expected that she wouldn't bother to say anything before separating from her and flocking straight to her friends. Needless to say, she was surprised when Katherine stopped walking and spoke to her. Even though she was probably giving Hana a hidden insult in her comment, Hana also knew that Katherine was an idiot. She was too stupid to realize that what she was saying wasn't as nice as she thought it was and that blindly directing Hana to a group of strangers didn't make her the modern-day Mother Theresa. She was still a dumb brat, but at least she was making some type of effort to make things less hostile between them. That had to count for something, Hana supposed.
"See you later," she responded quietly, although Katherine had already turned around by now and was on her way to her clique. Luckily, in that moment, she heard someone calling her name from behind and she spun around to see Melissa Cane coming in her direction. Hana was more than glad to return Melissa's hug and not in agreement to her comment about the uniforms. She was wearing the white polo shirt with the CB emblem embroidered on it, as well as the school-distributed plaid skirt, and figured that everyone else would be wearing the same thing. As someone who went to public school for her entire academic life, Hana wasn't used to uniforms, but almost felt like they might make things easier. It would be one less thing for peope to comment on, if they were all wearing the same things. She couldn't have been more wrong though, and Katherine's uniform differences were nothing compared to what her friends were wearing. "I've never had to wear uniforms before at my old schools, but I actually thought that having to wear them would be one less thing to worry about. I didn't realize that people could turn a uniform code into a fashion competition, too," she said lightly, allowing a small smile to appear on her face. Even though she was relieved to have a friend, she was still nervous for the next few hours, and really, the next few months. "Has your brother made friends already? I expected to see him with you."
On another note, Kenna shrugged at Lexi's warning. She knew they were close, and she wasn't bothered by her protectiveness. Like she had been thinking earlier, she was expendable. Lexi didn't care if Kenna may have been considered her friend, and Kenna saw the way the blonde shifted closer to Annie at her remark. Obviously, Kenna's silent message had gone unnoticed. That was fine to her, she didn't need them. Or so she kept telling herself.
Annie chimed in on the matter as well, and Kenna couldn't help but wonder why she had voiced her opinion of Lex at all. It wasn't like they would help her at all. But, as always, Kenna spoke before she thought. And as Annelise smirked at her, she did so again. "Whatever, he's a player. Aren't we all? You're just jealous you didn't try earlier. After all, he is--" She cut her words off as Lex approached, her eyes flashing angrily at Annie's. She may be the outsider, but she was just as popular as Annie. And the Queen Bitch had another thing coming if she thought her words would affect Kenna in any way. At least...visibly affect her.
Lex nodded to her and she smiled, hoping to hold his gaze for a little as she met his eyes, but his attention was quickly averted to his friend Cliff. No matter, I'll just make my move in class when no one's around to catch his attention but me.
She looked at her phone to check the time as her friends conversed. "When is this assembly supposed to start, anyway?"
Montgomery's Penthouse Maria's bedroom
Maria awoke with a smile knowing today was school. Oddly she liked school. It was where she had fun. She had met the Canes a while back and it was fun. They were really nice. Maria got out of bed and made her bed and quickly skimmed through her closet for it. She changed into her green navy skirt. She then put on her white short sleeved blouse. She grabbed a pair of low heels appropriate for school. And lastly grabbed her blue jacket. She went to the bathroom and did her hair.
She walked down the hall and sat on the table. There was her breakfast made up of yummy bacon and eggs. Her grandmother was sitting on the table and Robert was too. [color=FF00FF] "Good morning Grandma, Grandpa." [/color] She ate her bacon and looked at her cell phone that buzzed. She quickly texted back to Melissa Cane who texted her.
Melissa Cane:
I will be there in just a minute. I am just leaving."
"Bye Grandma, Grandpa," "Bye sweetheart have a good day." She walked out the door and walked to school which was only a block away from where she lived. She walked to the courtyard and saw Hana and Melissa. She smiled and waved and walked over. "Hey Melissa, Hana, How are you doing?"
Instead of responding, Annelise's famous knowing grin flitted across her face and she exchanged a look with Alexandra. She was well aware that her best friend didn't favor the newcomer. The only reason why Annie even allowed her in her presence was because she did in fact like Kenna's clothing style...and well, there was one reason why she stayed and it had nothing to do with Annelise needing to keep her eye on the brunette. She had plenty of informants who could do that.
"Soon enough," Annelise replied to Kenna's inquiry about the school assembly. The brunette felt put off, obviously, and she was throwing a tantrum. It was a headache, that was what it really was. Annelise then thought of something, and then took a moment to observe Kenna's countenance as she asked, "How's your Dad anyway? Did he enjoy his summer?" From what Annelise had seen, he definitely enjoyed making out with her mother - when the blonde actually made an appearance around the penthouse before Annelise had left for France. She was aware that Kenna didn't know, and both adults made her promise not to spill anything yet. It had been an accident when Annelise had seen, Henry wanted to be able to have that conversation with his daughter. He didn't trust her reaction and Annelise thought the bitch had a daddy complex, but she left it alone. Idly, she glanced at the guys, who were engaged in their own conversation.
Alexander laughed a bit after Cliff told him that they needed to make this year straight. "Damn straight," he exclaimed with a grin, though he was aware that he had made his years count already. Unlike Cliff, Lex had had his fair share of fun and, hopefully, this year would prove to be the best. "And I didn't do much. Took a few photography courses, met a few people, and helped out with mom - who's doing really good by the way. She had good business with the tourists and a few critics gave her some rave reviews, so she's hoping to expand in the next year. Says you should stop on by sooner or later."
Katherine enjoyed the company of Alexandra and Annelise and as they gushed over each other for a moment, things seemed the way they should. It lasted for only a moment though, because two things simultaneously occurred that brought her excitement down a few levels. Her father had texted her, and Kenna Valoir showed up.
Kenna was expected and really, Katherine didn't despise her as much as Annie and Lexi did. She could be overbearing and Katherine definitely complained to Annie regularly about how she felt like their "friend" was mean for always trying to squash her excitement, but she tolerated her. In part, it might have been because Katherine simply didn't look into comments as deeply as her friends did, even if the underhanded compliments really did have meaning behind them. Sometimes Katherine was just too slow to catch onto it, and other times, she just didn't want any drama in their group. Besides, she and Kenna had their good moments too. They were usually on the same wavelength when it came to making nasty comments about people beneath them, and it wasn't difficult for the two to engage in mindless chatter about fashion or the likes. She wasn't half as bad as some of the other girls around, and at least for now, Katherine wasn't totally put off with her presence.
Although she didn't see it that way in the moment, it might have been a good thing that her father had texted her just after Kenna showed up. She paused and spaced out from their growing group conversation and focused all of her attention and emotions back on her father. The first text read, "Bad weather in Hawaii so we're leaving early. See you later tonight". Katherine wondered if there really was bad weather on the island or if maybe, there was just bad weather brewing in his relationship with Ashley. There was no ground for the thought, since the two did seem perfectly happy over the past few months, but she secretly hoped the opposite. Before she could send him an uninterested "k" in response, another message from her father appeared on the screen. "Spoke to Josh Rhodes and he said Clifford is having some friends from NYFW over tomorrow night. Are you going? If so, bring Hana. If not, you two can come to a benefit auction with Ash and I in midtown." She barely digested the second half of her father's message before her eyes and attention flitted over to Cliff, who was now conversing with Lex Manning. Katherine returned his friendly nod. She wasn't very close with Lex and really, if he wasn't linked to their group through Annie, Lexi and Cliff, she probably would have never seen him as anything close to a friend.
"We're coming to your party tomorrow!" Katherine declared excitedly. She was surprised that he hadn't mentioned the event to them, or at least to Lexi, but then again, Cliff seemed to keep everything on the down low. Her entitled attitude shined through though, when she wouldn't dare to consider that he wouldn't want them at his party. If he really didn't want them there, it would only take a few phone calls from her father to some connections to get him knocked out of his little modelling crowd, anyway. Her happiness level had once again risen. She would now just try to focus on Annie's party, which was destined to be a success, and then a second night of drinking, and even better - with male models.
Kenna moved her glance to Kat at her outburst, "And there's the exuberance we all know and love," She rolled her eyes, and assessed Kat briefly. The girl was another one of Annie's confidants, so therefore pitted against her, but Kat wasn't all that bad. Besides her personality, Kenna might actually like the brunette. The girl had good taste in shoes.
"You're having a party? And you didn't say anything?" Kenna asked Cliff as she took the opportunity to survey Lex again. He was tall, handsome, and he had a reputation. His mom owned a catering company, which meant he knew how to cook. He cared about Annie. That was a problem. Annie would be able to say anything, do anything, to influence his opinion of her. That was a serious downside to this potential relationship. Not to mention Lexi was one of his best friends, and the blonde wasn't too fond of her either. There were many forces playing against her in this situation, but Kenna was prepared. She was strong too, and no matter how many jabs Annie presented, or how many obstacles the girls put in her way, she would be able to survive. And she would make sure Lex knew that she had many sides to her too.
Lexi bit back a grin when Kenna claimed that Annie was jealous because she wanted Lex. She chose to stare at the ends of her hair intently instead. She wasn't always Kenna's biggest fan but they had some pretty good moments and Kenna always did a kick ass job on Lexi's makeup whenever they went out. Lexi began to space out a but was snapped back to attention when Annie mentioned Kenna's dad.
Annie had told her about seeing Kenna's dad all over her mom. She gave Annie a disapproving look. Kenna could be a whiny bitch sometimes but that was a low blow. She may not like Kenna all the time but she was a friend none the less. Plus it was obvious Kenna was like obsessed with her dad. She was the ultimate Daddy's girl. Maybe it was because she was on the opposite of the spectrum but Lexi thought it was super creepy.
She was about to ask if they should go inside but Kat started gushing about some party Cliff was having. She turned to look at him, hurt quickly flashing in her eyes before she turned back to Annie. She wasn't Cliff's girlfriend or anything so it wasn't like she had any right to be included in all his functions. " I'm ready to go inside." She said briskly to Annie. Annie's tell was playing with her hair but Lexi's tell was her voice. Lexi always dragged her words out a bit. She picked up the habit when she was in school in California. So if Lexi's words were short and clipped then she was either hurt or pissed. In this situation she was hurt. She knew Cliff knew it but right now she didn't want to talk to Cliff.
Before she left she quickly gave Cliff a hug and murmured, " See you later." in his ear before heading towards the school. She knew that Annie and Kat would leave with her. At the moment she didn't care what Cliff or Kenna did.
Inside most people had already found their friends and were chatting with them about their summers. The loud commotion of many combined conversations dulled a bit when the girls walked in. Lexi flipped her hair and plastered on her easy going smile at everyone.
Annelise only smiled, softly, when Kat practically exclaimed about Cliff's party, which Annelise's informants had told her about since they heard some models talking about it at one point, but she had not bothered Cliff about it. She hadn't seen the need. As Kenna hounded Cliff about it, Annelise's eyes focused on Lexi and her smile straightened a fraction. "Yeah, it's boring out here anyway. Let's go." She didn't offer a parting to Lex or Cliff, they would see each other later today. For now, Annelise had her girls and she linked arms with Lexi before glancing at Kat and Kenna. "Come, loves. The faster we get this over with, the faster we can do a spa day." She didn't turn to see if Kenna was following, she knew Kat would and no doubt, her favorite brunette would link arms with her as well.
As they walked inside, Annelise painted on a very charming smile, nodding to a few teachers. She spoke to the girls idly, not caring really about anyone else in the room, "I thought we could get massages, facials, and our nails done this afternoon and do a light lunch. We'll have snacks at the party tonight, but we could get something cooked before we get there. Does everyone else know what they're wearing?"
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View All » Add Character » 23 Characters to follow in this universe
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Lance Cavendish
"And I should care because?"
Cliff Parker
"Life is about finding yourself."
Lex Manning
"I just wanna get through the year." {WIP}
Annelise Walton
"I'm the queen, watch me rule!"
Alexandra Billington
I chose the bohemian life over the lies
Trending
Lance Cavendish
"And I should care because?"
Annelise Walton
"I'm the queen, watch me rule!"
Lex Manning
"I just wanna get through the year." {WIP}
Cliff Parker
"Life is about finding yourself."
Alexandra Billington
I chose the bohemian life over the lies
Most Followed
Annelise Walton
"I'm the queen, watch me rule!"
Cliff Parker
"Life is about finding yourself."
Lex Manning
"I just wanna get through the year." {WIP}
Alexandra Billington
I chose the bohemian life over the lies
Lance Cavendish
"And I should care because?"
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128 posts · 23 characters present · last post 2015-02-13 04:31:02 »
Manhattan, NY Owner: royals
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