Setting
Default Location for Upper East Side
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Manhattan, NY is a part of 
Upper East Side.
14 Characters Here
Sienna Alvarez [254] "I swear, guys. This is gonna be our best year yet."
Jane Lynch [203]
Sydney Vale [183] "She's going to regret saying that about me."
Charlotte H. Buchanan [148] As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story."
Vincent Mast [113]
Carolina Daily [93] "I didn't become heartless. I became smarter."
Connor Harkins [88]
Brent Barclay [66] "I wouldn't have an attitude problem if you weren't so damn pesky."
Victoria Walsh [58] "I know things about you before you even know about them."
Ricardo Slim-Helú [47] "I'm not in the business of denying myself anything."
Start Character Here »
Sienna was leaning against the bathroom sink, scrolling through her Instagram feed to see pics of her outside of the building already posted online. Which was creepy and slightly on the stalker-ish side, but she wasn't going to make it that much of a big deal. When the bathroom door swung open, Sienna smiled. It was Piper, who was looking absolutely adorable at the moment. "And you're looking as gorgeous as ever." She replied easily, pulling out the pink lipstick she had used for Esmee. Her sister probably would want a small touch-up as a small consolation until they returned home where Sienna's dress would be waiting for her. When Piper commented about the night possibly going off without a hitch, Sienna only snickered. "The night's still young and we've got plenty of time to fuck shit up." She said with a knowing grin. It was the Upper East Side. It was New York. Everything happened here. After a few minutes of the two girls in the stalls exchanging clothing items, Jane was the first to emerge and instantly, Sienna was on her Jane-must-be-protected-at-all-costs mode.
No matter how much she got annoyed with Sydney or her occasional suspicions about Piper, Sienna was fiercely protective of her friends or anyone she cared about. Her love for people went deep, sometimes too deep. Which was why it's been so hard for her to actually remain in a real relationship since Vincent. So, seeing the distressed expression on Jane's face about her appearance - particularly after Esmee had come out looking like she owned the black outfit the senior had come in in, it was easy for her to boost her friend's confidence. "You look hella sexy right now, J. If I swung that way, I'd definitely be trying to take you home tonight." She assured Jane, giving the brunette a quick hug. She then turned to Esmee, who was making a face. "Stop with the face before I kiss you." Esmee immediately recoiled while stealthily swiping the lipstick from Sienna's clutches. "Ewww! Save the cooties for your future husband," Esmee griped back, leaving Sienna to gape as her little sister hurried out the bathroom to catch up to her friends. "That little sneaky bitch..." She hissed.
Sienna made it her priority to keep Vincent out of their conversations, at least where she was concerned. Oh, Vincent was in the vicinity? Great! Everyone should just say hi, exchange some pleasantries, and keep it light. She didn't delve deeply into her feelings for him - had not allowed herself when she had specifically allowed herself to cry in Jane's arms instead of Sydney's because if the blonde had offered anything more than words of consolation, Sienna would have snapped her head off. And it seemed like the girls understood that. At least, most of the time. However, Esmee wasn't the girls. She lived with Sienna. She understood the closeness of the Alvarez and Mast families. Knew that both mothers were adamant about keeping their friendship alive despite whatever had occurred between their children. Understood that no matter how much Sienna denied her connection to Vincent and that no matter how many times she told herself that she could give two fucks about him, she would come running if he needed her. Esmee was really lucky that a text had popped up on her phone because Sienna had been two seconds from snatching that little demonic offspring up and embarrassing her in front of her friends.
"Well, there's no running now," she explained to both Piper and Jane, linking arms with the two girls and leading them out of the bathroom. "She's already at the bar and no, J, we cannot avoid her. Better to get this over with than deal with her holding a resting bitch face for the rest of the night." She gave Jane a pointed stare, understanding the heiress' reluctance to see the queen bee. No one in their little circle would forget the obviously icy reception Jane received from Sydney earlier in the day. Especially not the girl who had been on the receiving end. Sienna also didn't want to deal with Sydney ruining their night before it started, so she gave Jane's hand another comforting squeeze, bumping Piper as well with her hip. "We get through this and we can turn up for the rest of the night."
They had, surprisingly, acquired the elevator space to themselves and the ride to the floor didn't take long at all. Sienna surmised that the girls who had been waiting had wanted to be respectful. It wasn't like she cared. The faster they got her to a shot of alcohol, the faster she could get her night started. Before they left, however, she found herself sending one text before sliding her phone into her clutch.
To: Vincent
Hey! U here yet?
Sienna appreciated the somewhat mellow atmosphere of the floor they landed on, wiggling her fingers at a few classmates. She noted one of the Dalton boys she had flirted with last year, though she couldn't remember his name, and shot him a coquettish smile. It wasn't hard to spot Sydney in the spacious area and she led her girls over to their queen, immediately taking in Sydney's attire. Instead of situating herself in the nervous energy that was Jane, Sienna played her best emotion: exuberance. Besides, Sydney wasn't going to put on a show at her own party, right? "Regal and phenomenal, as always, Syd. And look! The whole crew's all here. Ready to party?"
No matter how much she got annoyed with Sydney or her occasional suspicions about Piper, Sienna was fiercely protective of her friends or anyone she cared about. Her love for people went deep, sometimes too deep. Which was why it's been so hard for her to actually remain in a real relationship since Vincent. So, seeing the distressed expression on Jane's face about her appearance - particularly after Esmee had come out looking like she owned the black outfit the senior had come in in, it was easy for her to boost her friend's confidence. "You look hella sexy right now, J. If I swung that way, I'd definitely be trying to take you home tonight." She assured Jane, giving the brunette a quick hug. She then turned to Esmee, who was making a face. "Stop with the face before I kiss you." Esmee immediately recoiled while stealthily swiping the lipstick from Sienna's clutches. "Ewww! Save the cooties for your future husband," Esmee griped back, leaving Sienna to gape as her little sister hurried out the bathroom to catch up to her friends. "That little sneaky bitch..." She hissed.
Sienna made it her priority to keep Vincent out of their conversations, at least where she was concerned. Oh, Vincent was in the vicinity? Great! Everyone should just say hi, exchange some pleasantries, and keep it light. She didn't delve deeply into her feelings for him - had not allowed herself when she had specifically allowed herself to cry in Jane's arms instead of Sydney's because if the blonde had offered anything more than words of consolation, Sienna would have snapped her head off. And it seemed like the girls understood that. At least, most of the time. However, Esmee wasn't the girls. She lived with Sienna. She understood the closeness of the Alvarez and Mast families. Knew that both mothers were adamant about keeping their friendship alive despite whatever had occurred between their children. Understood that no matter how much Sienna denied her connection to Vincent and that no matter how many times she told herself that she could give two fucks about him, she would come running if he needed her. Esmee was really lucky that a text had popped up on her phone because Sienna had been two seconds from snatching that little demonic offspring up and embarrassing her in front of her friends.
"Well, there's no running now," she explained to both Piper and Jane, linking arms with the two girls and leading them out of the bathroom. "She's already at the bar and no, J, we cannot avoid her. Better to get this over with than deal with her holding a resting bitch face for the rest of the night." She gave Jane a pointed stare, understanding the heiress' reluctance to see the queen bee. No one in their little circle would forget the obviously icy reception Jane received from Sydney earlier in the day. Especially not the girl who had been on the receiving end. Sienna also didn't want to deal with Sydney ruining their night before it started, so she gave Jane's hand another comforting squeeze, bumping Piper as well with her hip. "We get through this and we can turn up for the rest of the night."
They had, surprisingly, acquired the elevator space to themselves and the ride to the floor didn't take long at all. Sienna surmised that the girls who had been waiting had wanted to be respectful. It wasn't like she cared. The faster they got her to a shot of alcohol, the faster she could get her night started. Before they left, however, she found herself sending one text before sliding her phone into her clutch.
To: Vincent
Hey! U here yet?
Sienna appreciated the somewhat mellow atmosphere of the floor they landed on, wiggling her fingers at a few classmates. She noted one of the Dalton boys she had flirted with last year, though she couldn't remember his name, and shot him a coquettish smile. It wasn't hard to spot Sydney in the spacious area and she led her girls over to their queen, immediately taking in Sydney's attire. Instead of situating herself in the nervous energy that was Jane, Sienna played her best emotion: exuberance. Besides, Sydney wasn't going to put on a show at her own party, right? "Regal and phenomenal, as always, Syd. And look! The whole crew's all here. Ready to party?"
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #00C5CD || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #007478
The Twins' Outfits
"I can't believe you were so worried about this morning. You did great, as always." Rosie shouted out of the twin's shared walk in closet where their mother decided to keep all their 'good clothes', meaning the ones they could only wear once for one occasion. Charlotte just rolled her eyes as she finished doing her makeup with a dark red lip. She looked at herself in the mirror before tapping her finger on her chin. Something felt off. But, what was it? The fact that you could see the small beauty mark on the right side of her lips? Or was in her cochlear implant sticking out from behind her ear? What was it?! Something didn't look at and it was infuriating! She groaned as she got up in frustration and made her way to the walk in closet where her sister was still in her towel deciding between two black dresses. Rose turned her face towards her twin with a raised eyebrow. "Help me." She begged as her sister chuckled and walked back out with Charlotte right next to her. She pointed to the light blue vanity seat with the name Lottie written on it in gold, cursive writing. "Sit." Lottie didn't argue as she sat down and let her sister go at it. She looked at her sister in the mirror as the younger twin looked at her with her arms crossed. "Why is your hair in a ponytail?" Lottie turned towards her sister. "Well, I was going for the crisp, clean white look since I'm wearing--.."
"No! You're not wearing white. That's too predictable, too.... Charlotte-like." Rosie scurried to the closet to grab something as Lottie scoffed. "Well then, what should I wear?" Her sister came out with a rather short but, form fitting black dress complete with a lacy pair of heels. "This little number." Lottie scoffed at her sister's smirk as she shook her head. "No way. Rosie, I have an image to uphold and that dress is the last time I need to wear." Rosie rolled her eyes and laid it on the seat next to her before showing the white dress Lottie was planning on wearing. "Well, you're not wearing white."
"Why not?"
"'Cuz, I am." Her sister's smirk grew even more as she returned her sister and undid the sleek ponytail, letting her curls fall down, making the look look absolutely stunning. "There, happy? Now, I getting dressed." She wasn't really mad was she? But, before Lottie was given the chance to ask her sister had slammed the door to the closet and locked it from the inside, knowing Lottie couldn't get in. Lottie scoffed before turning to the dress and heels. "Goddamn it." She got up from her chair and snatched the dress from the chair and started getting dressed in the short black dress. God, her sister was a child!
Within ten minutes, Lottie was knocking against the door to get her sister out. "Are you done bitchin' and cryin' the car's here. And I'm... wearing the dress...." She said with the last part being in a muffled tone to keep some of her pride intact. Rosie cracked the door open and poked her head out and looked at her sister with her mouth open before coming out of the room with two purses for the pair. "I knew you'd look sexy! You're going to blow little Miss. Perfect out of the water looking like this. I mean, god you look like a friggin' model." Her sister gushed as the pair made their way down the step and to the elevator. "Well, I mean. Look at you. You're like an angel or somethin', like that." Rosie locked arms right before the doors opened to the first floor and the two walked outside to the waiting black Bentley for the Buchanan twins. "Fine, let's agree on this. We both look hot." Charlotte laughed as she slid into the car. "Deal."
As the car pulled off, her phone went off. When she read it, she chuckled. "Connor?" Lottie lost her smile for a second to make contact with her sister. "Mind you own, why don't cha." Her sister put her hands up in defense as Lottie text him back.
To : Connor
-__- Yes, we're coming. We should be there shortly.... I haven't missed any drama, have I?
-__- Yes, we're coming. We should be there shortly.... I haven't missed any drama, have I?
It wasn't long until the car had stopped and the two made their way out, stating to their driver, they would be in touch. The man nodded before getting out to open the door for he pair. As they got out, Lottie linked arms with her twin, something they did... a lot before making their way into Sydney's home. As the two entered, they looked around before Rosie pretty much forced her to the bar to help her 'loosen up' before the night and drama really got started. But, of course Lottie was against. "You know I don't drink, I'm gonna go socialize. Meet up with me later." Rosie rolled her eyes. "Fine, your loss." She then turned to someone to her right as Lottie rolled her eyes and started to look for Connor.
Outfit
"Dude, it fucking reeks all the way down the hall of weed. I guarantee you Long is going to be up here any second to threaten to evict us again." Brent had just walked in after spending much of the day in Greenwich Village selling to college kids. His brother had discovered a goldmine in NYU students last spring and had passed the territory on to Brent. As well as the day went, his high mood was sufficiently lowered when he returned home. Not just because his brother had become increasingly reckless about their drug use in their building, despite how persistent that their landlord Mr. Long was about them not doing that, but because "home" wasn't really home anymore. It hadn't been since his parents had relocated to Arkansas for his mother's treatment, and even more so in the past year as his brother's personal drug habits had spiraled out of control.
"Chill out, bro. When Ching Chong Chang comes I'll just blame it on Mrs. Beady down the hall. You know she lowkey hits a blunt every night." One look at Cameron, and Brent knew that he was high on something. Their apartment smelled strongly of marijuana, but that was nothing new and Cam seemed to be on something stronger. If Brent had to guess, he'd say cocaine. The white remnants on their coffee table would have confirmed that. His brother had a bright grin on his face that almost reminded Brent of the brother he used to know, years before he stopped doing the drugs and the drugs started doing him. As his gaze shifted up towards his brothers brown eyes though, he was met with emptiness. Cameron's offensive and crude sense of humor was still there, but his real self wasn't.
"She's eighty-something years old and uses an oxygen tank. I don't think that story'll go over well." Although Brent was known as the "bad boy" by his peers, he was the more sensible and reserved one when it came to the Barclay brothers. At home, he was more of the cautious nerdy kid that he was for most of his life, than the careless badass he had transformed himself into during high school. He had to be. It wasn't like Cameron was going to step up to the plate, and if both of them were as reckless as he, they'd probably be homeless or dead by now.
"What the fuck's wrong with you tonight? Damn, I'd think you'd be grateful that I didn't wake your ass up at six AM this morning like mom used to do to me every fucking morning before school starts." Brent thought that Cameron hadn't even caught his last comment, because as he had said it, a familiar blonde walked out of the bathroom and carefully placed herself on Cameron's lap. After kissing her for a good thirty seconds, he responded to Brent's remark with a hint of anger.
"You were passed out until three thirty. Not like you could've if you wanted to." He was bothered by his brother bringing up their mom, and even more so that he pointed out her absence. By now, both of them were used to their mother being sick and needing to spend most of the past few years in a different state for treatment. They wanted her to be there if it meant she had more hope for a future. But still, Brent was the baby of the family and he missed her. No matter how hard he acted, he loved his mom and would have done anything to have her back home and healthy with them.
Cameron had already returned his attention to the female, whose name had slipped Brent's mind. She had been Cameron's girlfriend for a couple of weeks and he was sure that his brother had called her Caroline, or maybe Callie. Something with a "C". All that Brent was certain of, was that she was addicted to coke and even worse, that she didn't pay for it when she used with Cameron. He didn't want to be around her any more than he wanted to be around his brother, so their impromptu make out session was enough of a reason for him to disappear into his bedroom. It was 8:30 and although he had skipped out on the first day of school this morning, he didn't plan on skipping the first party of the year too. Sydney was hosting tonight, as she did every year, and Brent knew that her house would be filled with rich dirt bags willing to drop a couple of dollars on some low grade drugs. It would be a good opportunity to make some money, get Cameron off of his back, get out of his bad-vibe apartment, and see some of the few people he actually liked.
"Wherever the fuck you're going, bring that shit with you." When Brent returned to the living room and made it obvious that he was leaving, Cameron only pulled a hand out from his girl's shirt to point to a brown paper bag on a table. "We need to start moving these pills, man. Get rid of all of that shit by the time you come home." Brent took the bag and stuffed it into his pocket, and although he wanted to tell Cameron that he should get off his ass and start moving the drugs instead of using them, he didn't. He just needed to get out of there and a fight with his drugged out brother would only spell bad news.
After stopping for one-dollar pizza, Brent boarded a subway to the upper east side. It usually took twenty minutes or so to get to Sydney's area, but he chose to get off at a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. The air was considerably crisper than it had been at this time of day a month ago, but Brent appreciated it. He was wearing his signature leather jacket, a navy v-neck t-shirt, black skinny jeans and black high tops, so he wasn't dressing for a heat wave anyway. For the most part, his outfit fit the color standards of Sydney's party, but that was only a coincidence. He would have worn the same thing if it was a neon themed party, too.
He knew which building was Sydney's because he had been there countless times visiting her mom. It was a weird thing to think about, and Brent knew that just as much as Sydney did, but her mom was one of his best customers. The woman was as wild as a twenty-one-year-old with the bank account the size of a seventy-year-old millionaire's. He had an unspoken agreement with Sydney that he never bring up her mother, or how he knew her, as long as she turned her head the other way when he made a couple of bucks at her parties. Maybe he was blackmailing her, and maybe that was wrong, but Brent had never claimed to be a saint. Even if he hadn't known which building belonged to her, though, it would have been obvious by the long line of teenagers streaming out of one. Sydney's grandfather must have been good friends with everyone else who lived in the neighboring townhouses, since he was sure those rich pricks normally wouldn't take kindly to flashing cameras and squealing girls outside of their million dollar mansions at this hour. It took almost thirty minutes for him to inch his way to the front of the line and when he did, he was relieved that it just took saying his name once for the bouncer to let him in.
Despite being in the home many times, he wouldn't have recognized the space as being the one that he was normally in. It probably had to do with his lack of interest in decor, but Sydney had also transformed the place well for her party. He hadn't even reached the dance floor level, but the second floor of the home looked elegant and lively and he could already spot kids who he was sure would want to buy from him tonight. However, the person that caught his attention more than anyone else was someone who he had no chance of making any money off of. It was Charlotte Buchanan, the hot blonde standing a few feet away from him. Her long legs were exaggerated in lace heels and her body complimented in a tight, plunging black dress. It was enough to turn him on, even more than the normal, uptight, Little Miss Perfect usually did.
"Damn, Buchanan. I didn't think Sydney would call the Fun Police in this early in the night. What're you here to do? Pour all the vodka down the sink? Make sure that everyone has their number two pencils sharpened for the first day of classes tomorrow?" He smirked, finding it too easy to sink back into his playful banter against the girl, even after not seeing her for months. "I will say, you're looking pretty good tonight though. For a second I thought you were the fun twin. I would've expected an angel like you to be in white, but I guess you wanted to match me with the black."
To: Piper Vine
Ur gonna pass me with no hello? Damn I thought we were better friends then that. Anyway tell Jane I have a ton of pills for her. She owes me after going MIA all summer
His attention only shifted away from her briefly, as he spotted Piper, Jane and Sienna passing by. He sent a quick text out to the first of the three and then looked back towards the blonde with a small smirk. "But really, what's a girl like you doing out on a school night? Is your lover-boy/partner in presidency on his way?" Even Brent, one of the lesser involved people in the social scene thought that Charlotte and Connor were an item.
Outfit
If Connor's continuous texts and attempts to buzz into his apartment weren't annoying enough, Kelley had spent the last two hours locked inside of his spare bedroom. He was dressed and ready to go on time, though Connor probably wouldn't believe that, and it was his cousin who was really keeping them waiting. It was as if they were at the same point that they were at twelve hours ago, with him banging his fist against her door. This time, however, the other side wasn't silent. Some rap song was blasting from Kelley's side of the door and while it was loud, he knew it wasn't loud enough to completely drown him out.
"Kell, I'm serious, Connor's about to have a heart attack down there. Would you just come out already? I'm sure you look good." Similar to the last ten similar comments, this one garnered no reaction from the blonde. He was ready to slam his hand against the door again when it swung open, revealing the girl clad in a black dress. She looked good, but when didn't she? The girl could be lying on the bathroom floor with tangled hair, reeking of the odor of alcohol and still turn guys on. As her cousin, it wasn't something that he necessarily liked, but they were close enough in age where he didn't think it was his job to approve or disapprove her behavior. She had her own older siblings for that. "Finally," he sighed with relief. As he pulled out his phone to check the time, already well aware that they were late, he found another message from Connor, along with ones from Sydney and Sienna. This time, he had to roll his eyes at Connor's. His friend was usually an easygoing guy but if anyone cut into his time to be in Sydney's presence, he threw a bitch fit.
To: Connor
Calm down dude. Oliver isn't here so it's just me and Kelley. We're on our way down rn
To: Sienna
We should be there in 5. I'm with Connor and Kelley. U gonna come find me or am I going to have to search for u?
To: Sydney
Does it matter what color my pants are? They're gonna end up on ur bedroom floor tn anyway. Regardless of whether its u in bed next to me or one of ur virgin freshman friends
When they reached Connor's car, he quickly insisted that the long wait was not his fault and Kelley had no problem owning up to it. It seemed to shut Connor up at least, and they were able to switch conversation topics onto what they expected the night to entail. Soon enough, they were pulling up in front of Sydney's building. By now, the line to get in wasn't too long. Most of the freshman or outcasts had been turned away when their name failed to show up on the guest list, and it didn't take more than ten minutes for the trio to make their way inside. Vincent was the first to separate from Connor and Kelley. He wanted to find Sienna just as genuinely as he had acted when he texted her, and his first thought was that she had to be on the third level dancing. While he was known for his ego, as perfectly shown in his text to Sydney, Sienna was one of the few people who had the power to make him nervous, so Vincent decided it would be easier to approach her with a purpose. He decided that he would get drinks first, and then go find her upstairs to offer her one.
Sydney could only roll her eyes when Vincent responded to her text about the dress code. She shouldn't have expected anything less from him. No matter how charming he was, he was also a player and he never hid that from her. Not like she wasn't already aware of it. She had slept with him while he was dating her best friend. That alone spoke volumes of his character, and yet he was different enough... alluring enough... to keep her enticed despite his unfaithfulness. She knew better than to let him know that though. His ego was already hundreds of levels too high.
To: Vincent
You're disgusting. Show your face in ten minutes or you're not getting into this party.
Luckily for her, and her friends, Sienna, Piper and Jane came over just as she set her phone down on the bar counter. Sienna was radiating the energy that she was known for and although she was still annoyed at them for being late, it was enough to bring a smile to Sydney's face. Maybe senior year really was going to be different for their friendship. "Thanks, girl. You look amazing too. I had doubts about the black and white, but that romper is so much cuter than I remembered it to be." Since Sienna was currently her favorite person out of the three, she refused to acknowledge the other two girls with even a glance until she had finished responding to Sienna. After dealing with Piper for three years, Sydney doubted that she would be able to shake her from the group senior year either, so she needed to be nice. At least, she needed to be nice tonight since she didn't need any unnecessary drama at her first party of the year. "And Piper, I love your dress. Those guys from Fordham Prep have been eyeing you ever since you walked in." She couldn't stop herself from making eye contact with a group of attractive guys across the room and waving it them to acknowledge how obvious their gawking was. She had saved Jane for last, mostly because she didn't know what she was supposed to say to her. All it took were three months for Jane to transform from her best friend to a complete stranger. "I'm glad you decided to wear white. It makes you look so..." She cocked her head to the side as if she were searching for the right word. "Innocent," she decided on. Innocent was the exact opposite of what she thought Jane to be, although the crimes Sydney was accusing her of probably weren't as hostile and calculated as she was treating them to be.
Sienna's last comment reminded her that this party was about having a good time, and even if it took ever fiber in her being not to snap on Jane then and there, she was going to try to have fun. They could deal with all of their drama tomorrow, but for now, they needed to start the year on a positive note and having everyone back together was a positive thing. "Four shots of vodka, please," she requested as she tilted her head towards the bartender. When she turned it back however, she quickly changed the order. "Make that five." It was Vincent, finally showing his face, but showing it two minutes too late. Sienna was here which meant that Sydney had to treat Vincent like any other guy, or worse, considering that she was supposed to be Sienna's friend.
"You four clean up nicely," Vincent smirked as he approached the girls. He ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly as he took a moment to take the four, beautiful women standing in front of him in. His examination of the two blondes were probably considerably longer than that of Jane and Piper's. He was checking Sienna out, and he couldn't deny doing that to Sydney too, but he was staring at the latter more to try to read her expression. It didn't look nearly as pleasant as it had when he had spotted her from afar and walked over, but was she really offended about his earlier text? He doubted it. He was always crass.
"It's nice of you to finally show your face," she responded, as if her girls hadn't only shown up a minute earlier than he.
"You know my schedule is packed with parties, Vale. You should be happy that I squeezed y-" His smirk didn't disappear even when Sydney cut him off by redirecting her attention to the bartender who had slid five shots in their direction. He was now standing beside Sydney against the bar, and took two: one for himself, and one that he handed to Sienna. "Cheers?"
Sebastian had decided upon wearing a tight black shirt that accentuated his muscles and white jeans, or rather his sister had forced him to change into that after he stepped out of the bathroom in a white shirt and white pants. "You look like you're going to church." Adelaide had told him, which had made him chuckle and indeed, his attire didn't exactly look fit for a teenage party. So, he'd allowed Adelaide to shove him back into the bathroom to wait while she rooted around in her ex's old clothes before producing a plain black t-shirt for him to wear.
"Don't you think it's a bit - I don't know," Sebastian made a gesture with his hands, trying to convey what he wanted to say, "casual?" he finished. To which Adelaide shook her head, "No, it's perfect. It's called effortless class Seb, you don't constantly have to look like you're going to a business meeting to be fashionable y'know." Ruffling his hair to make it look a little unkempt.
"Okay, okay thank you Miss Fashion Expert," Sebastian teases, strolling out of the bathroom and into the living room where Gerard was playing with his dinosaur toys Sebastian had gotten him for Christmas. "I'd much rather just stay in with you guys Addie, I really don't care about this party." He says, turning back to face his sister but she only shook her head. "No, you act enough like a middle-aged man as it is, you go out and enjoy your youth while you still have it!" Adelaide says with a frown, grabbing Sebastian's shoulders and guiding him to the door, "We'll be absolutely fine, won't we Ger," She calls over her shoulder to her son who looks up at them, "Go, go, go Sebby!" He grins.
"Yeah Sebby go, go, go away and don't come back until at least after midnight - I mean it young man, you better party as hard as physically possible." Adelaide says, sticking out her index finger at him and doing the best impersonation of their father's lecturing face. Rolling his eyes, Sebastian walks out the door so he's standing in the hallway, "Aren't you supposed to be warning me off heavy partying? You're such a bad influence Addie!" He laughs, hugging her, "Thank you." He mutters as they embrace. Pulling away it's Adelaide's turn to roll her eyes right back at him, "Get out of here Mister!" She demands, giving him a peck on the cheek before closing the door.
After exiting his sister's apartment complex, Sebastian pulls out his phone and quickly texts Hailey as he waits for the car that would take him to Sydney's, to arrive.
To: Hailey
From: Sebastian
Are U gonna be at Sydney's? Can't believe Ur here!
From: Sebastian
Are U gonna be at Sydney's? Can't believe Ur here!
Sebastian then slid the phone back into his trouser pocket as the car arrived. Opening the door and stepping in, Sebastian leaned over to where the driver was sat and told him Sydney's address. Leaning back against the cold leather headrest as they sped off towards their destination. Sebastian still wasn't sure about going. It wasn't that he didn't get along with anyone - well, Vincent wasn't exactly his biggest fan but he could easily be avoided - Sebastian just always felt guilty leaving his sister, who was only a few years older than him, at home while he ran around the Upper East Side, going to event after event. Adelaide didn't exactly seem jealous, but he know that she'd love to still be apart of that world.
Licking his bottom lip, Sebastian tries to focus on the positive more, telling himself that tonight would be amazing. He was reunited with his friends again, and besides it was an excuse to drink. Sebastian wasn't exactly one for binge drinking but now and again, he enjoyed getting a little tipsy. He did hope Jane wouldn't pick up her pre-summer excessive drinking again though, although it was unlikely she'd ever stop that. Sighing, Sebastian mentally kicked himself for focusing on the negative again, what was with him today? He was usually the most cheerful person in Manhattan.
When the car pulled up to Sydney's, Sebastian thanked the driver before jumping out. He was a little late, due to Adelaide forcing him to change his outfit, but he didn't reckon anyone would mind. Easily bypassing the queue that had formed outside of Sydney's place and making his way into the lobby. Sebastian smiled at a couple freshmen he didn't recognise who where staring at him, which was actually quite off-putting, the girls erupted into giggles when he turned away and headed towards the elevator.
As he stepped in, the freshmen followed, meaning he was stuck in an elevator with the four girls. After a couple of seconds, a girl, who Sebastian assumed was the leader of the group, due to her Sydney-eque hair and chronic bitch face, moved a little closer to him before saying, "Weren't you in one of Sienna's music videos?" She asks excitedly, her voice slightly too bubbly for Sebastian's liking. Smiling sheepishly, "Uh, yeah I was." is all he replies, but it seems to be enough for the girl who gives a soft squeal, "Oh my god! I love her, she's like, my idol." Biting his lip to keep himself from laughing, Sebastian nods slightly. These girls would have a field day if they knew what really went on between him and Sienna behind the scenes. "So, are you like, friends with Sydney?" She continues, to which Sebastian sighs, this elevator was taking way too long. "I guess. I mean, she's a mutual friend between me and Jane." He shrugs, assuming that the girl wanted him to bring her up with Sydney or something [which was definitely never going to happen]. The girl then smiles a wide smile, baring all her teeth and revealing a small pink lipstick stain on her front tooth before turning back to her friends, "Dani, would you be a babe and take a picture of us?" She asks in a sickly sweet tone before wrapping an arm around Sebastian's shoulder. "Oh, um." Sebastian manages to get out before being blinded by a bright light as the flash went off. It's all he can do to let out a small, if slightly uncomfortable smile as the picture is taken.
"Thanks sweetie," The girl beams, snatching her phone back and looking at the picture, "Perfect!" She exclaims as the elevator comes to a halt. Causing Sebastian to let a deep breath, relieved. As she walks out of the elevator, followed by the group of freshmen, she turns back to him, "Oh by the way, I'm Louise." She says and then winks, before strutting off clearly feeling some kind of triumph at having 'flirted' with a Senior.
Stepping out of the elevator next, Sebastian walks over to the bar, desperately needing a drink after whatever that was that had just happened, slipping his phone out of his pocket and clicking on instagram, only to see that same picture of him and Louise staring back at him with the caption 'OMG just met that guy from Sienna's music vid!! Total boyfriend material!!!' Rolling his eyes, Sebastian didn't have the heart to tell her nothing would ever happen, so instead he double tapped the picture before stuffing the phone back into his pocket and finding the bar. Quickly ordering a straight vodka, Sebastian looks around, spotting Sydney, Piper, Jane and Sienna all standing together a couple seats down the bar, along with Vincent. Walking over Sebastian smiles and leans against the bar,"Hey guys," He says casually, sipping his drink and avoiding eye contact with both Sienna and Vincent.
Sienna was right. They couldn't run away and avoid Sydney all night, especially since this was her house. Jane was already on the blonde's bad side and she had almost made things worse by showing up in black and being late. Trying to distance herself from Sydney would make things even worse, and she didn't want to make this problem bigger than it was. If she could just get a few drinks in her, she knew the pit of despair in her stomach would disappear. She was back in New York with all of her friends and even if Sydney was giving her a hard time earlier, Jane was going to be more confident after a few drinks. She would be able to give her summer absence excuse without even stuttering.
Even if she wanted to turn back (which she did, once they had gotten to the second floor), Sienna had linked arms with her and Piper and it would be far too dramatic to pull away. People were looking at them, which wasn't uncommon, but when she made out Brent Barclay glancing in their direction, any thought of dispersing from her friends' sides evaporated. She had genuinely forgotten that Brent had even existed all day but if there was one person who had the power to ruin all of her progress even more than she could, it was him. She inadvertently glanced towards Piper, but didn't say anything. Sienna didn't know that either of them knew Brent more than she did, and that was one more secret that Jane planned on keeping. Still, it shrunk the amount of excitement she had for the night. One more thing to worry about.
Before she could back out in the last second, they were standing in front of Sydney. Jane took in Sydney's appearance and vibes slowly, mostly because she had what seemed like minutes before the Queen Bee even acknowledged her presence. And when she did, it wasn't the best friend, warm welcoming that Jane longed for. It wasn't even a real compliment, just Sydney pointing out that Jane had worn white as requested, and how "innocent" it made her look. The choice of word was unusual and despite feeling guilty, Jane didn't think into it enough to realize that Sydney knew that she was lying, or going to lie about something. She did recognize that Sydney was being nicer to both Sienna and Piper, which was definitely unusual, especially considering the latter, but she tried to convince herself that she was being dramatic. Sydney wasn't being mean to her. Maybe the whole 'innocent' thing really was a compliment. She was still trying to interpret the comment when she realized that she had been silent for a few seconds too long, and forced out a mumbled, "Thanks."
When the shots came out, Jane barely noticed Vincent approaching. The worst seemed to be over. The drinks were here and that was a light at the end of the tunnel in itself. "Cheers!" She didn't even notice that Vincent was directing his comment at Sienna rather than the rest of the group, but she was anxious to get that alcohol in her bloodstream. She downed the shot in an easy motion, as if the liquid was water, and slammed the glass back on the counter, nodding to the bartender to refill it. When Sebastian walked over, she beamed at him. They hadn't seen each other that morning at school, despite Jane wanting to reunite with him after months apart. To make up for that, and maybe distract herself from Sydney too, she threw her arms around him. "Seb! I missed you. Come dance with me?" Going upstairs to the dance floor would allow her to distance herself from Sydney without doing it blatantly, and also be somewhere too loud for Sebastian to inquire too deeply about her summer.
Piper Vine
Piper was a little taken aback by Jane's small outburst about her peeking under the door. Honestly Jane and Piper have changed in front of each other a plethora of times before. Maybe it was because of Jane's recent body image issues. Piper just uttered a quick sorry before letting the conversation drop. There was no point in talking about such a thing now. When Jane finally came out of the stall, Piper grinned at her. "Don't worry you look fine. Trust me I would tell you if you didn't." She was known around school to give pretty brutal advice when it came to people's appearances. Piper watched the short interaction between Sienna and her sister before Esmee left.
Soon Sienna had linked arms with Piper and Jane and lead the threesome out of the bathroom. "Yeah I guess it would look bad if we are caught by the paps running out of here right?" Piper joked, but there was a little truthfulness in what she was saying. She liked socializing, just not at Sydney's house. Well like Sienna said, there was no running now. She was stuck here. At least she gets to see all of her friends tonight. But, Piper did feel bad for Jane. Hopefully Sydney wouldn't try and bring up this summer. Piper couldn't help but smile when Sienna bumped her. "Yeah I guess you're right. We will greet the queen then go about our business." The red head teased.
As if all too soon they arrived on their floor. Piper took a deep breath before getting off of the elevator. Soon Sydney was in her line of sight, regrettably so, and Piper gave her a short smile as they approached. Sienna was the first to speak up. Now would be a great time for alcohol like Jane mentioned earlier. Piper started daydreaming somewhat when she heard Sydney compliment her. "Thank you, I also didn't notice the looks since I get them all the time. But, I should've known the great Sydney Vale would look wonderful as always. Great looking party too." Piper glanced around the room as if to put emphasis on her compliment. This was all the interaction with Sydney that she needed for the night. She said what she had to and now she just wants to have fun. But, the atmosphere got a little uncomfortable when Sydney spoke to Jane. Really did this summer piss her off that much? Piper turned her head and simply rolled her eyes before looking back at the group of girls.
Finally Sydney did something smart and order some shots. Normally Piper didn't like drinking too much because it wasn't good for skin health, but tonight would be an exception. Plus, she had plans on flirting with some of the boys from Fordham Prep. It's been a while since she has gotten any action. But, once again the awkward level increased when Vincent came over. Piper noticed the way he looked at Sydney and Sienna. Something was going on here. Maybe Sebastian would know? He acts like he isn't very fond of Vincent. When the drinks came out Piper picked hers up and downed it in one go. Sure it burned her throat a little, but oh well. She looked at the bartender and smiled handing her glass back. "Just keep them coming." As she got her second shot, Sebastian walked over as if he was a knight in shining armor.
Piper took the second shot much like the first one and sat her glass on the counter. "Hey Sebastian!" Piper greeted animatedly. She has finally found her outlet to get away from Sydney. But Jane beat her to it and took the boy away to go dance. Honestly Jane could've at least taken her along. But, Piper's second chance came along when she got a text from Brent. Sure it wasn't what she wanted to see, but nonetheless she was saved. But, really? Did he just bring up Jane and pills in the same message? "I would love to hang out with you guys all night, but I have some flirting to do." Of course she wouldn't say she was going to go look for Brent. Also technically she wasn't lying she was going to also look for the boys from that prep school. She smiled at Sienna apologetically knowing it wasn't right to leave her like this. But she wasn't one to be pushed around so she should be fine.
Piper put her phone back in her bag before grabbing her third shot and disappearing. She didn't even know that Brent would show up here. Piper looked high and low and finally found her friend flirting with Charlotte. 'Poor girl' Piper smiled to herself. She continued to approach the duo figuring she was doing Charlotte a favor. "Is he bothering you Charlotte?" Piper teased as she walked up behind Brent and punched him on his shoulder. Well Piper had to admit one of her goals was to get Connor and Charlotte together, so she didn't want Brent to try and seduce her with his...'charm'. "I will relieve you of him for a few minutes." Piper grabbed Brent by his arm and found a good secluded corner for her to speak to him in private.
"It's the first party of the year and you're already sending me stuff about Jane? At least tonight try to avoid her? I just want to find guys and flirt not deal with drama." She knew Brent, or more so hoped, that he wouldn't try anything tonight. He could be a little unpredictable though. But to be a good friend, she wasn't going to hound him about it.
While it had been great while it had lasted, Sienna's tolerance became just a bit tested as time with on. At first, it had been the near taunting and near cruel examination of Jane through Sydney's nearly scathing eyes. The comment about the dress making Jane look "innocent," as if Jane wasn't to a certain degree, had Sienna shooting her a warning look, ready to jump to her friend's defense if Sydney decided to delve deeper into this. Again, they did need to speak with Jane. It was urgent. They needed to let her know that they were there for her, but they could only do so much if she couldn't open up to them. That much she had thought they agreed on earlier in the summer in terms on confronting their friend. This need to be unnecessarily mean and near condescending was uncalled for and Sienna was not having it. Especially not on the first party of the night.
The second minor incident, which really solidified Sienna's ire, was when Vincent appeared. She had been ecstatic when Sydney called for shots and had grinned. "Finally!" She exclaimed and would have camped herself against the bar had Vincent not slid himself over. For a second, Sienna had forgotten herself. Forgotten that they technically weren't close anymore and that therefore, she should not be filled with as much elation as she was. That but really, she wasn't supposed to be allowing her eyes to rove over him, appreciating the way his clothes hugged the right parts of his athletic form and how...well, how truly male he was. Her eyes should not have flashed with that brief show of hunger, her entire body should not have felt like it was suddenly vibrating, and her smile damn sure should not have been as warm as it was. Yet and still, for just a few moments, she was not Sienna who found this same heartbreakingly attractive guy a cheater and someone to not be trusted. She was thirteen year old Sienna who had stars in her eyes every time he simply said her name.
However, it was only a second after he complimented the group that her countenance shifted. Just as she had been admiring him, she caught the tail-end of him doing the same to her - which should not have brought a flush of pleasure to her skin - before turning that same gaze to Sydney. That bitch, came the unhindered thought and Sienna's smile dimmed just a bit, her eyes narrowing just a bit. She probably wasn't as quick with her recovery as she wanted to be - as Sydney would have been and damn her brain for even making that comparison - but she snatched her gaze away from them to take the others in. She had not even noticed Sebastian coming over to actually feel a thing in his presence, Jane had distracted herself with his presence, and Piper seemed to be staring at Sienna and the two disgusting lovebirds, but she couldn't be sure. She simply masked her face with a particularly bright smile, though it lacked the typical sweetness her smiles could be known for. Instead, her eyes cut to Sydney as Vincent offered her a shot, a brief glare that could have easily been mistaken for a simple glance or not directed towards the queen bee - before landing on Vincent. "Cheers." The alcohol was only a slight bite to her throat, but the barely discernible pain in her throat wasn't the only casualty of the night.
She had been so fucking stupid! So utterly foolish to believe...she didn't even know what she had believed would happen when she saw Vincent. Did she expect them to chat like old times? Laugh about some private joke? Dance? Hook up? She honestly did not know what she expected and the sudden flare of jealousy heating her was extremely unwanted. However, as with all emotions, it came - unbridled and unchecked. Vincent wasn't hers, had not been for a while, and she had no claim over him. But that didn't stop the small part of her that wanted to exert some kind of possession over him - in front of Sydney - to make its voice be known. However, she also wanted to dance and the two people she could have escaped with apparently just bailed on her. No point in staying where I'm obviously not wanted, she thought dramatically before settling with a pleasant smile, directed at Sydney. "Well," there was a brief pause there, "This has been fun...and cozy," she said, eyeing the space between the asshole who cheated on her and the bitch he cheated with (and she really had wanted to finish the day off liking Sydney). "But there's a dance floor calling my name and...so...I'll leave you to it." As mean as it was, she let the last words come out with awkward pauses, doing so purposefully to leave the air between them tense and unnatural. It was the only payback she could offer since she had promised to not let Sydney know she knew about them.
Not saying another word, Sienna turned on her heels and walked back in the direction of the elevators, not even stopping to see Charlotte or even smile at the sophomores who liked her. She did not look at anyone or anything until she was on the elevator again and the doors were closing, leaving her with the last image of seeing Sydney and Vincent standing too damn closely, causing her throat to constrict with emotions she shouldn't have anymore. Shutting her eyes briefly and then opening them, Sienna let a breath she had not been aware she had been holding before tugging her phone from her bag. Instantly, she rolled her eyes at Vincent's text. She pursed her lips before offering him another message.
To: Vincent
Id tell u 2 come & find me, but I don't wanna piss of ur bae
Once the elevator doors opened, she blended in with the crowd of dancers, falling in line somewhere in the middle of the writhing bodies. The heavy bass of the song playing made something within her shake and instead of focusing on the emotions that had stirred, she focused on the way it made her body feel. She didn't want to do emotions tonight. Not anymore.
The second minor incident, which really solidified Sienna's ire, was when Vincent appeared. She had been ecstatic when Sydney called for shots and had grinned. "Finally!" She exclaimed and would have camped herself against the bar had Vincent not slid himself over. For a second, Sienna had forgotten herself. Forgotten that they technically weren't close anymore and that therefore, she should not be filled with as much elation as she was. That but really, she wasn't supposed to be allowing her eyes to rove over him, appreciating the way his clothes hugged the right parts of his athletic form and how...well, how truly male he was. Her eyes should not have flashed with that brief show of hunger, her entire body should not have felt like it was suddenly vibrating, and her smile damn sure should not have been as warm as it was. Yet and still, for just a few moments, she was not Sienna who found this same heartbreakingly attractive guy a cheater and someone to not be trusted. She was thirteen year old Sienna who had stars in her eyes every time he simply said her name.
However, it was only a second after he complimented the group that her countenance shifted. Just as she had been admiring him, she caught the tail-end of him doing the same to her - which should not have brought a flush of pleasure to her skin - before turning that same gaze to Sydney. That bitch, came the unhindered thought and Sienna's smile dimmed just a bit, her eyes narrowing just a bit. She probably wasn't as quick with her recovery as she wanted to be - as Sydney would have been and damn her brain for even making that comparison - but she snatched her gaze away from them to take the others in. She had not even noticed Sebastian coming over to actually feel a thing in his presence, Jane had distracted herself with his presence, and Piper seemed to be staring at Sienna and the two disgusting lovebirds, but she couldn't be sure. She simply masked her face with a particularly bright smile, though it lacked the typical sweetness her smiles could be known for. Instead, her eyes cut to Sydney as Vincent offered her a shot, a brief glare that could have easily been mistaken for a simple glance or not directed towards the queen bee - before landing on Vincent. "Cheers." The alcohol was only a slight bite to her throat, but the barely discernible pain in her throat wasn't the only casualty of the night.
She had been so fucking stupid! So utterly foolish to believe...she didn't even know what she had believed would happen when she saw Vincent. Did she expect them to chat like old times? Laugh about some private joke? Dance? Hook up? She honestly did not know what she expected and the sudden flare of jealousy heating her was extremely unwanted. However, as with all emotions, it came - unbridled and unchecked. Vincent wasn't hers, had not been for a while, and she had no claim over him. But that didn't stop the small part of her that wanted to exert some kind of possession over him - in front of Sydney - to make its voice be known. However, she also wanted to dance and the two people she could have escaped with apparently just bailed on her. No point in staying where I'm obviously not wanted, she thought dramatically before settling with a pleasant smile, directed at Sydney. "Well," there was a brief pause there, "This has been fun...and cozy," she said, eyeing the space between the asshole who cheated on her and the bitch he cheated with (and she really had wanted to finish the day off liking Sydney). "But there's a dance floor calling my name and...so...I'll leave you to it." As mean as it was, she let the last words come out with awkward pauses, doing so purposefully to leave the air between them tense and unnatural. It was the only payback she could offer since she had promised to not let Sydney know she knew about them.
Not saying another word, Sienna turned on her heels and walked back in the direction of the elevators, not even stopping to see Charlotte or even smile at the sophomores who liked her. She did not look at anyone or anything until she was on the elevator again and the doors were closing, leaving her with the last image of seeing Sydney and Vincent standing too damn closely, causing her throat to constrict with emotions she shouldn't have anymore. Shutting her eyes briefly and then opening them, Sienna let a breath she had not been aware she had been holding before tugging her phone from her bag. Instantly, she rolled her eyes at Vincent's text. She pursed her lips before offering him another message.
To: Vincent
Id tell u 2 come & find me, but I don't wanna piss of ur bae
Once the elevator doors opened, she blended in with the crowd of dancers, falling in line somewhere in the middle of the writhing bodies. The heavy bass of the song playing made something within her shake and instead of focusing on the emotions that had stirred, she focused on the way it made her body feel. She didn't want to do emotions tonight. Not anymore.
There was no denying that Sydney's interactions with Jane were more cold than necessary. She knew, maybe better than anyone else, that it was almost impossible for Jane to do anything with truly evil intentions. She hadn't spited Sydney in the way that Sydney was portraying she had. Jane must have been so absorbed in her own illness that she was too scared to open up to anyone, even her best friend, about it. Sydney was not the victim here, and she had no right to act so insulted that Jane had needed to take time away from their hectic lives to get healthy. Even though she knew this, she did think that it was valid for her to be hurt and at least a little offended.
Jane was supposed to be her best friend. When Sienna would cross a line (usually with good reason, in her defense), or when Piper would try to act like she ran the school, Jane was the one that she could vent to. She was the friend who was always on her side and validated Sydney's cold actions. Jane's sweetness balanced out Sydney's sometimes ruthless behaviors, but even besides Jane being a necessity to her, she was also one of her favorite people. She was the same girl who would restlessly sit with her during the entire performance of "The Nutcracker" every winter. The same girl who had paraded her around France during Sydney's first visit there when they were in the fourth grade. The same girl who she had sobbed to a few nights after she slept with Vincent, claiming that she had lost her virginity to the wrong guy (and the only girl clueless enough to not put the pieces together that that guy was Vincent). Sydney thought Jane was her best friend and was so used to the heiress always being the completely open one that she had been caught completely off guard when Sienna called her that summer day.
While Sydney's anger towards Jane had been brewing all summer, when she was away, Sydney was able to dramatically imagine her friend's frail body hooked up to machines or being forced to sit in a mental hospital filled with insane people. She was genuinely scared and sad for Jane and had every intention of fulfilling her agreement with Sienna that they were going to be diplomatic about the situation and put Jane's health and happiness first. But then the Instagrams were posted. Jane didn't look sick or sad, and she sure as hell didn't return with the emotional apology and truthful explanation that Sydney had envisioned. Instead, she decided to be sneaky about it, and that was what was driving Sydney crazy. She couldn't stand to think that Jane didn't trust her as much as she thought she did, or that Jane was underestimating her ability to find out the truth. True or not, Sydney was convinced that even if Sienna hadn't told her about Jane's rehab stint, she would have found out almost just as soon.
Her pride was strong enough to keep her cold towards Jane, and she barely flinched when she ran off with Sebastian before Sydney even had a chance to acknowledge him. Whether she would have said hello to him or not was debatable anyway. For all she knew, he was close enough to Jane to have known about her being sick the whole time and just hadn't mentioned it anyway. even Sydney recognized that it was bizarre, but when Piper followed suit and ran off too, Sydney almost wished that the two models and Jane would have stuck around. Their company would have been a million times less uncomfortable of that than Sienna and Vincent together. Again, her pride was getting the best of her and instead of excusing herself, she remained firmly where she stood, only leaning to her side to pick up the shot she had waited to drink. Sydney refused to let the awkward tension in the trio make her feel out of place. This was her house! And if we're working on a timeline, Vincent is more my man than he is her's anyway. A smile that bordered a smirk set in on her face as she studied Sienna's expression, before the other blonde shifted on her feet and excused herself. Sydney had been so glad that she had left that she didn't really consider what she had said until she was out of sight.
Instantly, she turned to Vincent with a scowl. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?"
"What was what supposed to mean?" Of course he knew what she was talking about, and he was just as caught off guard by Sienna's underhanded comment as Sydney was, but he needed to downplay it. If he acted nonchalantly, he hoped it would calm Sydney down.
"'Fun and... cozy' and 'so...I'll leave you to it'," she hissed. Jane hadn't exited that way. Piper hadn't exited that way. Neither of them would have a reason to even hint that there was anything going on between her and Vincent. She had believed that Sienna had no reason to suggest such a thing either, since Vincent had sworn to keep that first night, and the following ones, between them a secret. But why would she say such a thing, when Sydney had thought she had done well at playing nice with her today, if she thought they were just as platonic of friends as Vincent was with Jane or Piper?
"Oh, come on, you know how Sia can be. She just doesn't want to see me talking to any hot girls besides her," he smirked.
It wasn't enough to ease Sydney's tense expression, but it did allow her to consider that maybe Sienna was still in the dark about her and Vincent, but just jealous. That made enough sense and seemed to be plausible. Every guy at Saint Jude's wanted her. It had to be obvious to everyone that Vincent was in to her, she supposed. "Go find her and make sure that's all it is."
He already had every intention of finding Sienna, but Sydney telling him to gave him a legitimate reason to desert her at the bar and head towards the elevator. She already said she was going to the dance floor and without even stopping to acknowledge a few guys from the lacrosse team who had called out to him from the other side of the room, he was headed there. He boarded the elevator with a couple of junior guys who must have been from a different private school because Vincent didn't recognize them. He guessed that they were younger too, since they were probably only three beers in and were acting like buffoons. They were lucky that he only heard them commenting on how sexy Rose and Charlotte looked, because if they had said a thing about Sienna, he was in the mood where he probably would have knocked them out.
The elevator stopped at the third level when his phone pinged with a text from Sienna. It distracted him enough for him to miss his stop at the third floor and not notice as the doors closed and the box shifted up to the fifth floor of the home. Sienna was upset with him and while Sydney thought that he was just chasing after her to make sure that she wasn't suspicious of him and her, he really wanted to talk to her. They had been civil all morning and he didn't want that to stop. Well, he did want that to stop if it meant that they could actually move past that and get closer again, but he didn't want to leave that behind for hostility.
To: Sienna
Since when have you cared about pissing Sydney off?
As the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, he absentmindedly jammed his hand against the 'close door' button. He was anxiously waiting for Sienna to respond, hoping that she'd chime in with some playful remark, when someone stepped inside the elevator. It was Sydney's mom.
"Vincent! It's so nice to see you!" He wasn't expecting to see anyone, so he jumped at the sound of her shrill voice. It caused him to slip his phone into his pocket and return to reality, and though he felt weird even thinking it, it was a pleasant reality. Sydney's mom was a MILF, there was no doubt about that to any guy that had ever laid eyes on her and tonight, she was looking especially hot.
"Mrs. Vale, it's nice to see you too. Are you going... up?" He reached his hand out to press the sixth floor button but she shook her head. She was dressed to go out, he should have realized that.
"First floor, love. You know me, I'm not going to hover over you kids while you're having fun," she laughed.
She was right, he did know that. Anyone close to Sydney knew that her mom was more of a sister than a mother to her, and while Vincent's mom wasn't dictatorial either, Alice Vale took being a friend over a parent to a whole new level. She had been home for less than an hour after spending a week in Vegas, hadn't told Sydney that she was home or even when she was going to be home, and was now on her way out to a club opening in midtown. Her home was full of underage drinkers and what she was most concerned about was whether her diamond earrings clashed with her gold bracelet.
Vincent was glad that their elevator was fast because he only had to spend a minute or so in the elevator with the wildly attractive older woman before the doors opened. "Well, this is my stop," he said awkwardly, as he shifted forward. "Have a nice night." She seemed much more comfortable than he and only looked up from her compact mirror to smile at him. "Whatever you do, don't tell Sydney I'm wearing her new Prada dress!" The door closed behind him before he could reassure her that he definitely would not, and he was more than relieved to be surrounded by hot girls of his own age. He couldn't focus on them though, even if he did get a fair amount of flirtatious waves and "accidental" bumps as he walked through the dancing crowd. It was dark enough that Sienna wasn't immediately recognizable in the crowd but it didn't take too long for him to find her.
"I think you were the only one who thought that little incident was 'cozy'," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the blasting music. There was no way they would be able to talk on the dance floor and Vincent wasn't feeling drunk enough to dance. "Will you come hang with me downstairs now, or do I have to wait until you tire yourself out from dancing?" he asked lightly. He hoped that she would opt for the former, however, since he knew that she could spend an entire party dancing. "Let's at least get drinks." Even if she wasn't feeling his vibes enough to stop dancing, maybe a drink would be a more enticing offer to lure her away from the loud music and public scene.
Connor was barely relieved when Vincent and Kelley finally piled into the town car and they were off to Sydney's apartment. They were still running late and even if the two cousins sitting next to him didn't have a care in the world, he wanted to be there on time. By now, he was sure that ten guys had already made advances on Sydney. It wouldn't be something new that Connor would have to deal with. He was used to his own brother getting with Sydney, despite knowing of his crush on their friend, but it still bothered him. He didn't think he was crazy to think that there was something there between he and Sydney, and he even thought that she acted like it sometimes too. It must have never been enough for her to actually make a move, since in the lifetime that they knew each other, it was always him trying to initiate something and her playing it off as a joke or just being "cute". Connor was resilient enough to never let that get him down though.
Almost as soon as they were admitted into the party, Vincent deserted him with Kelley. He was almost positive that it was to go find Sienna, but he wouldn't have been surprised if Vincent had finally thrown his hopes of getting back with her to the wind and was going to go seduce some "lucky" sophomore girl. Connor didn't mind Kelley, she could be fun sometimes when her crazy was toned down enough, but he felt awkward being alone with her. "I think I'm going to go find..." His voice trailed off as he received a text from Charlotte.
To: Charlotte
I just got here too so no drama that I know of... but we are at Syd's house. Wouldn't be surprised if we missed some soap opera worthy drama already ;).
By the time he looked up from his phone with the intentions of apologizing for getting sidetracked, Kelley was gone. He shouldn't have expected her to want to hang out with him any more than he wanted to hang out with her, but her leaving first certainly made things easier. Like most of the guests, Connor had decided to stop on the second floor of the townhouse first before moving up to the more lively, dance floor level. He was going to text Charlotte again to ask her where she was, but as he aimlessly moved through the crowd, he spotted her before a text was necessary. Luckily for him, Piper was pulling Brent Barclay away from the blonde. Connor didn't have any real problems with Brent, but he didn't like him either, and that distaste probably would have been enough of a deterrent for Connor to avoid Charlotte until she had finished speaking to Brent.
He took her appearance in quickly, but even a second of staring at her was enough to take in that she looked amazing. Charlotte had always possessed model-level beauty, even though she rarely, if ever, acknowledged that herself. Sometimes, Connor thought he took it for granted that the girl he called his best friend was so gorgeous, but the looks of admiration and more accurately, lust, always reminded him that Charlotte was grade A hot. "You look... amazing. Not that you don't look amazing normally, but... you know what I mean." Leave it to him to freak himself up over one of the girls he felt most comfortable around! Where did that come from? He tried to relate it to the fact that at that very moment, he had also spotted Sydney a few feet behind Charlotte at the bar. Charlotte didn't drink and she definitely was not friends with Sydney, but he couldn't think of any good excuse to trick her into going over there with him. "Wanna come say hi to Syd with me?" Okay, she definitely wouldn't "wanna". "Please?"
Hailey looked at Charlotte and the others as they made their way inside for the assembly. It wasn't long before someone shouted her name out as she turned around and seen Sebastian pulling her into him for a hug. She smiled as they embraced briefly then smiled while looking at him. "Nice to see you again, Sebastian." She was excited to see him again and he still looks the same. Her eyes went to Sienna's as she looked at herself and Sebastian. She stepped away after taking a small sip of her coffee and sitting down in a seat nearby. The assembly wasn't exactly like she had thought - It was actually interesting and not boring at all. She heard muttered rumors about a party at Sydney's tonight but after their first meeting, she had already decided in her mind that she was not going to go.
After seeing and hearing Sienna and Esmee leave for the party, she was up in her room, getting her laptop ready for Netflix. She wanted to go to the party but didn't want to cause any unnecessary drama on her first night out. She groaned slightly while hearing her phone chime. It was a text from Sienna, asking her if she was coming to the party. Hailey grasped her phone while biting onto her bottom lip, not even responding but instead she sat her phone down beside her on the bed. Her favorite show Once Upon A Time was starting up on Netflix, just as her phone chimed again. This time, it was Sebastian, asking her if she was going to Sydney's for the party. Again, she bit her lip but this time thinking as she paused her show then jumped off of her bed.
Hailey went over to her closet and rummaged through the enormous amount of hangers then found something amazing to wear. A small smirk came over her lips as she went into her bathroom and showered then got out and wrapped a towel around herself and her hair. She then applied a small amount of makeup on her face then emerged from the bathroom. Her eyes were fixed on the dress that laid across her bed and the heels that sat on the floor before her.
She honestly hoped that Sienna wasn't going to be mad for not answering her text but given their friendship, she was going to get over it. Hailey sat down at her vanity area and applied clear nail polish to her nails then waited for them to dry. She then applied the same to her feet. She didn't bother with whole getting a pedicure or manicure thing since its only been two days since she had that done and it still looked good as new. After that was done and dried, she applied a second coat of makeup to her face then got dress. She reviewed over herself in the mirror then unwrapped the towel from over her hair, letting the now curly hair bounce well above her shoulders. After looking over herself in the mirror again, she grabbed her black clutch purse then proceeded to walk out of her room and towards the elevator.
After spending a lot of time at Sienna's, she knew her way around the Alvarez's place. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped on it and hit the button for the lobby. Seeing the doors close, a smirk appeared among her lips, once again. She walked out of the elevator when it reached the lobby area and stepped off. Everyone's eyes fell on her immediately as she had got a few cat calls. She walked outside and the doorman looked at her with a smile and tipped his hat towards her. "Do you know where the address of Sienna's and Esmee's whereabouts are?" She asked as he handed her a small slip of paper. "Sienna told me to hold on to it in case you change your mind." Hailey took the slip of paper and opened it.
She saw a driver coming up and got inside of the limo, handing the driver the slip of paper and the driver nodded his head and took her there. Honestly, she was not nervous at all. She was actually ready to party with her fellow peers. After a few minutes of driving, the driver stopped in front of a six story house and Hailey's eyes gleamed with excitement. She thanked the driver then got out she waved him off. Hailey went up the door after getting snapped enormous amount of pictures by the paparazzi. She stood there in a pose and smiled then went up, where she was let in.
She asked a few of the girls where the party was and they told her. She thanked them with a smile and walked over to the elevator, hitting the appropriate button and waited for the elevator to take her to her designated destination. After the elevator and the doors rolled opened, Hailey stood there for a moment, with a pose then proceeded to walk off the elevator. Her ears twitched at the mutters as she was enjoying the attention she was getting. She wondered how long would it be before someone she knew or someone that didn't like her, spotted her as she maneuvered her way through the sea of people. She walked over towards the bar and leaned against the counter, ordering herself a Cosmo and taking a small sip from it when it was placed before her.
After seeing and hearing Sienna and Esmee leave for the party, she was up in her room, getting her laptop ready for Netflix. She wanted to go to the party but didn't want to cause any unnecessary drama on her first night out. She groaned slightly while hearing her phone chime. It was a text from Sienna, asking her if she was coming to the party. Hailey grasped her phone while biting onto her bottom lip, not even responding but instead she sat her phone down beside her on the bed. Her favorite show Once Upon A Time was starting up on Netflix, just as her phone chimed again. This time, it was Sebastian, asking her if she was going to Sydney's for the party. Again, she bit her lip but this time thinking as she paused her show then jumped off of her bed.
Hailey went over to her closet and rummaged through the enormous amount of hangers then found something amazing to wear. A small smirk came over her lips as she went into her bathroom and showered then got out and wrapped a towel around herself and her hair. She then applied a small amount of makeup on her face then emerged from the bathroom. Her eyes were fixed on the dress that laid across her bed and the heels that sat on the floor before her.
She honestly hoped that Sienna wasn't going to be mad for not answering her text but given their friendship, she was going to get over it. Hailey sat down at her vanity area and applied clear nail polish to her nails then waited for them to dry. She then applied the same to her feet. She didn't bother with whole getting a pedicure or manicure thing since its only been two days since she had that done and it still looked good as new. After that was done and dried, she applied a second coat of makeup to her face then got dress. She reviewed over herself in the mirror then unwrapped the towel from over her hair, letting the now curly hair bounce well above her shoulders. After looking over herself in the mirror again, she grabbed her black clutch purse then proceeded to walk out of her room and towards the elevator.
After spending a lot of time at Sienna's, she knew her way around the Alvarez's place. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped on it and hit the button for the lobby. Seeing the doors close, a smirk appeared among her lips, once again. She walked out of the elevator when it reached the lobby area and stepped off. Everyone's eyes fell on her immediately as she had got a few cat calls. She walked outside and the doorman looked at her with a smile and tipped his hat towards her. "Do you know where the address of Sienna's and Esmee's whereabouts are?" She asked as he handed her a small slip of paper. "Sienna told me to hold on to it in case you change your mind." Hailey took the slip of paper and opened it.
She saw a driver coming up and got inside of the limo, handing the driver the slip of paper and the driver nodded his head and took her there. Honestly, she was not nervous at all. She was actually ready to party with her fellow peers. After a few minutes of driving, the driver stopped in front of a six story house and Hailey's eyes gleamed with excitement. She thanked the driver then got out she waved him off. Hailey went up the door after getting snapped enormous amount of pictures by the paparazzi. She stood there in a pose and smiled then went up, where she was let in.
She asked a few of the girls where the party was and they told her. She thanked them with a smile and walked over to the elevator, hitting the appropriate button and waited for the elevator to take her to her designated destination. After the elevator and the doors rolled opened, Hailey stood there for a moment, with a pose then proceeded to walk off the elevator. Her ears twitched at the mutters as she was enjoying the attention she was getting. She wondered how long would it be before someone she knew or someone that didn't like her, spotted her as she maneuvered her way through the sea of people. She walked over towards the bar and leaned against the counter, ordering herself a Cosmo and taking a small sip from it when it was placed before her.
Leave it to Vincent to interrupt her dancing before she could even truly start. Her phone made some little buzzing motion in her clutch, but Sienna opted to ignore it. Unless it was Esmee, who would call if it was anything serious per their agreement, she wasn't concerned. Sienna hadn't paid enough attention when she first arrived to the dance floor, but the song she could hear was definitely one she could get with. It was a club remix to an Ariana Grande song and it had her laughing with a few fellow seniors because they were trying to sing with it despite the many musical breaks when Vincent appeared. All of the girls paused and stared, except Sienna. For a second, she pretended that she didn't hear him though her movements had stopped.
After a few seconds had passed, Sienna finally dragged her gaze to his, shifting on her feet slowly as she allowed herself another slow perusal of the attractiveness that was Vincent. When she finally did meet his gaze again, the only words she spoke at first were, "Go dance." Which had been directed to the girls around her who, after only a moment's hesitation, dispersed into the crowd. Once the girls were gone, there was a pregnant pause what with Sienna staring Vincent down with an intensity she couldn't dissolve even if she wanted to. She didn't know if Sydney and Vincent had been messing around as of lately. She had no reason to suspect anything. At the same time, it could have been plausible. Sydney Vale had already proven that she was a remorseless and treacherous slut once; Sienna wouldn't be surprised if Sydney was the real skank of their circle. However, Sienna's mind wasn't on Sydney and how easily she could ruin her with one simple tweet if she wanted to be extremely petty tonight. At least, it wasn't wholly on her. Despite not having a particular claim over Vincent in a while, there was still that small part of her brain that forever labeled him as hers. He had been hers since she was a child and their separation had not changed that, not as much as she liked to claim. Not as much as his reputation liked to make it out to be. And as him being hers, Sienna felt...entitled to prove that in some way.
Without saying a word and seemingly on beat to whatever slower...more provocative song that came on, Sienna stepped closer to Vincent until she was flush against him. The heels gave her an added height, leaving them practically nose to nose. With the close proximity, her gaze immediately fell to his mouth before flickering up to his gaze, locking his to hers. She didn't move to touch him any further; her hands stayed to her sides. Their noses brushing just a bit, Sienna's eyes never left his and her teeth tugged gently at her lower lip just to get a reaction out of him. She could have kissed him and she wouldn't be surprised if he let her. She could have closed that small distance and sure, there were witnesses all around and this could get back to Sydney (and that really should not have thrilled her so much), but Sienna could not find one fuck to give. Vincent was hers and if the flash of want in his eyes said anything, he definitely would not have stopped her from kissing him. However, just as it seemed like she would, she released her bottom lip and her mouth curved into a teasing grin. She even giggled. "Sure, let's drink. Grabbing a hold of her ex's wrist, she pulled Vincent back towards the elevator, throwing over her shoulder in a volume just a bit over the music, "You owe me a dance before the night over, by the way."
When they got to the elevator, a few Constance girls with a few Dalton guys were hanging out by the elevator, mostly flirting and Sienna levelled the girl with a glare that rivalled Sydney's. "Move." It wasn't fair that she was being a bit bitchy to the ones who did not do a thing to her, but she got the results she wanted. The girl stepped out of the elevator she was holding up and Sienna tugged Vincent inside, leaning against the back wall while he pressed for them to go down. All the well, a smug smirk was on her face.
After a few seconds had passed, Sienna finally dragged her gaze to his, shifting on her feet slowly as she allowed herself another slow perusal of the attractiveness that was Vincent. When she finally did meet his gaze again, the only words she spoke at first were, "Go dance." Which had been directed to the girls around her who, after only a moment's hesitation, dispersed into the crowd. Once the girls were gone, there was a pregnant pause what with Sienna staring Vincent down with an intensity she couldn't dissolve even if she wanted to. She didn't know if Sydney and Vincent had been messing around as of lately. She had no reason to suspect anything. At the same time, it could have been plausible. Sydney Vale had already proven that she was a remorseless and treacherous slut once; Sienna wouldn't be surprised if Sydney was the real skank of their circle. However, Sienna's mind wasn't on Sydney and how easily she could ruin her with one simple tweet if she wanted to be extremely petty tonight. At least, it wasn't wholly on her. Despite not having a particular claim over Vincent in a while, there was still that small part of her brain that forever labeled him as hers. He had been hers since she was a child and their separation had not changed that, not as much as she liked to claim. Not as much as his reputation liked to make it out to be. And as him being hers, Sienna felt...entitled to prove that in some way.
Without saying a word and seemingly on beat to whatever slower...more provocative song that came on, Sienna stepped closer to Vincent until she was flush against him. The heels gave her an added height, leaving them practically nose to nose. With the close proximity, her gaze immediately fell to his mouth before flickering up to his gaze, locking his to hers. She didn't move to touch him any further; her hands stayed to her sides. Their noses brushing just a bit, Sienna's eyes never left his and her teeth tugged gently at her lower lip just to get a reaction out of him. She could have kissed him and she wouldn't be surprised if he let her. She could have closed that small distance and sure, there were witnesses all around and this could get back to Sydney (and that really should not have thrilled her so much), but Sienna could not find one fuck to give. Vincent was hers and if the flash of want in his eyes said anything, he definitely would not have stopped her from kissing him. However, just as it seemed like she would, she released her bottom lip and her mouth curved into a teasing grin. She even giggled. "Sure, let's drink. Grabbing a hold of her ex's wrist, she pulled Vincent back towards the elevator, throwing over her shoulder in a volume just a bit over the music, "You owe me a dance before the night over, by the way."
When they got to the elevator, a few Constance girls with a few Dalton guys were hanging out by the elevator, mostly flirting and Sienna levelled the girl with a glare that rivalled Sydney's. "Move." It wasn't fair that she was being a bit bitchy to the ones who did not do a thing to her, but she got the results she wanted. The girl stepped out of the elevator she was holding up and Sienna tugged Vincent inside, leaning against the back wall while he pressed for them to go down. All the well, a smug smirk was on her face.
Kelley didn't get over her hangover until almost five o'clock, when she finally managed to leave Vincent's apartment. Her parents were oblivious (or maybe just tired) enough to believe that she really had went to school with Vincent that morning, and didn't put up a fight when she told them that she would be going to Sydney's party that night. As far as they knew, Sydney was the type of daughter that they wanted Kelley to be. She was poised, well spoken and polite. Her grandfather was well-respected in the New York community, and in their household, as he often hosted artists from George's record label on Saturday Night Live. They didn't know Sydney as the vindictive and heartless girl that many of her peers thought her to be, but at the same time, Kelley didn't really know her as that either. She and Sydney definitely weren't close friends, but they did know each other well. They attended the same grade school, often saw each other at elite functions that their parents dragged them to as kids, and more recently, through their mutual tie to Vincent. Kelley had always been aware of Sydney thinking herself to be higher than her, but because she rarely got involved with catty drama, she found it to be more pathetic than hurtful. Sydney might have been proclaimed Queen of Constance, but Kelley surely wasn't one of the peasants bowing down to her. As long as Sydney kept her snobby attitude to a minimum, the pair were usually good with avoiding real issues.
Even if she didn't plan on spending the night glued to the Queen Bee's side, Kelley wasn't going to reject an invitation that included an open bar. So, as soon as her family's strained and almost painfully silent dinner was over, she headed back to Vincent's house. Here, she was able to shower and get ready without having to deal with her parents attempting to force her to change after she stepped out of her room in an outfit that was too revealing. She thought it would be less stressful at Vincent's but as she worked on straightening her hair after showering, doing her makeup and getting dressed, he proved to be almost as annoying as her parents. The constant knocks and texts went unanswered because honestly, she didn't think that they needed to rush. When she went out, she normally didn't leave the house until eleven or twelve. It was barely nine o'clock and she didn't think that getting to Sydney's was that urgent. When Vincent gave his final knock and explained that Connor was anxiously waiting for them, it made more sense. His juvenile crush on Sydney was no secret to her... or anyone, probably. Connor was a sweet boy, but too nice for her taste. She didn't understand how someone like him, who had the potential to find a decent girl like Jane Lynch or Charlotte Buchanan, could settle for being a doormat to Sydney Vale, someone who he had virtually no chance with. A part of her considered sleeping with him just to prove to him that there were other girls out there that could satisfy many more needs than Sydney could, but even if she was used to mindless sex, she didn't think she could sleep with Connor. He just seemed so... young, even if he was almost a year older than her.
Vincent was right. She did look good, and when she finally appeared from his spare bedroom, she knew she did. Dressed in a black cutout dress and Jimmy Choo heels, Kelley already felt good enough to know that the night would be a success. She felt good enough that she wasn't even slightly bothered by Connor's apparent annoyance with her when she got into his car. Sydney didn't want him two years ago, she didn't want him last week, she didn't want him twenty minutes ago, and she sure as hell wasn't going to want him when they showed up. That's why, when they did get into Sydney's house, Kelley quickly detached herself from him. She did not want to get tangled up in the web of emotions she imagined pouring out when Sydney rejected him for the trillionth time. Instead, she headed towards the bar, in search of a nice, cold drink, but was almost just as satisfied when she spotted Piper and Brent along the way.
"My two favorite bitches!" she grinned as she approached them, conveniently plucking a glass of Bacardi white rum from the tray of a passing server. "Pipe, you are looking fucking fantastic, and you, my friend, look sexier than ever," she said as she ran a hand down Brent's chest. Kelley was unfiltered and crass enough to drive her parents crazy, and it often left people in social settings wondering if she was so wasted that she didn't remember to refine herself to adhere to the Upper East Side standards. A lot of the time, she was wasted, but even dead sober, Kelley was the girl cursing during a dinner party or acting way too flirty with someone's boyfriend. She just didn't care. It was too hard to be someone that she wasn't, and if that meant that she offended people along the way, oh well. Besides, Brent was looking good. Even if he was wearing that leather jacket that he seemed to sport every day, hot or cold out, he looked good. He was rough and tough, the boy that would give your father a heart attack if you brought him home. It was all the more reason for her to be attracted with him, and now she was wondering how she had went almost two months without sleeping with Brent. The two of them had somewhat of a no-strings-attached relationship going on, where for the past two years or so, they would engage in casual sex when they were both drunk enough. Brent always hooked her up with free weed and he was just a chill guy to be around, regardless of his bad reputation. She was glad that Piper didn't seem to mind him as much as many of the other girls did, too. "Why aren't you with your BFFs? I'm surprised that Miss Queen Bee didn't have you roped to her side with Paris Hilton and Beyonce tonight," she mocked, as she glanced back to Piper. Out of Jane and Sienna, Kelley definitely preferred the latter, but she didn't feel like she clicked with her as much as she did Piper.
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #00C5CD || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #007478
Charlotte continued to look for Connor or... anyone really just so she didn't seem like a wallflower. She was about to get back on her phone and ask where Connor was just when she saw Brent Barclay walking towards her with a smirk. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Here we go already." She thought to herself before he started to speak to her. "Damn, Buchanan. I didn't think Sydney would call the Fun Police in this early in the night. What're you here to do? Pour all the vodka down the sink? Make sure that everyone has their number two pencils sharpened for the first day of classes tomorrow?" She bit her lip, rolled her eyes, and scoffed softly as she watched the smirk on his face grow slightly. Really? Already? Brent Barclay could never give Lottie a break. Whenever they saw one another, someone was going to be a smartass and start a little bickering back and forth conversation. And since Lottie had too much pride, she didn't stop until someone pulled her attention elsewhere. "I will say, you're looking pretty good tonight though," She tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder as she placed a hand over her heart. "Why, thank you. I can't believe I just got a compliment from future criminal, Brent Barclay." Sarcasm. Something she used a lot of around him. " For a second I thought you were the fun twin. I would've expected an angel like you to be in white, but I guess you wanted to match me with the black." And stiffened a laugh by covering her mouth as she shook her head. "Oh, without a doubt. It's my goal to match with you at every event you sell at. I mean, why wouldn't I want to match colors with the biggest pain in my ass?" She smirked as she circled around him. She watched him go on his phone and turned to see Sydney and her little group of followers. Not to say, she didn't like the others but, when they were with Syd. She couldn't stand it. Without her around they were different and not just a cookie cutter version of one another like they were with their little leader around.
She turned her attention back to the migraine in front of her as she raised an eyebrow. "But really, what's a girl like you doing out on a school night? Is your lover-boy/partner in presidency on his way?" She scoffed, trying to hide the red that was almost forming on her cheeks. "I'm not a nun, I do have friends and a social life outside of that school. And, Connor and I are just friends and he's coming." Before either could say something else, Piper interjected. "Is he bothering you Charlotte?" She looked him up and down before shaking her head and chuckling. "Nope, he's just being Brent, you know a giant pain."
"I will relieve you of him for a few minutes." She smiled towards the red head as she felt her phone go off. "Thank, darlin'. I think Connor's here, so great timing." She watched Piper pulled her away as she waved towards him and winked. "Bye, Brent." When the two were gone, she looked at her phone to see that it was Connor. She looked around but, before she could text him. She heard someone talking to her and smiled when she saw it was Connor. "You look... amazing. Not that you don't look amazing normally, but... you know what I mean." Lottie looked towards the ground as she slid a piece of hair behind her ear. Sure, she was used to compliments especially with how she was dressed tonight. But, those were just guys that wanted her in bed. This one was from Connor! Connor, the guy she has held a torch for for years now. She saw him looked behind to Sydney and it reminded her of where she stood in his eyes. She softly cleared her throat and lost her smile a bit before he turned back towards her. "Wanna come say hi to Syd with me?" She raised an eyebrow as she put her hand on his forehead. "Are you sick or dying or... somethin'? Do you really think I 'wanna' say hey to her?"
"Please?" She straightened out her dress and looked down at her heels before sighing, giving in. "You are so lucky you're my best friend. Now, lets go before I change my mind." She told him before stopping him from walking as she grabbed his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "But, if she starts anything, Connor. It's your fault for what I do to finish it." She was kidding, of course. For the most part. But, the last thing she needed is for Sydney to ruin her mood especially so early in the night and she definitely didn't want to be the first dramatic thing to happen during the party that people would gossip about the next day.
Charlotte's smartass responses were just what Brent needed to bring himself out of the pit that dealing with his brother had put him in. With every sarcastic reaction she spat back at him, his smirk grew wider. For someone who had a reputation of being such a teacher's pet, Lottie knew how to be cheeky, and man, did he find that to be attractive. When she asserted that she and Connor were just friends, he was quick to create a comeback: Yeah, tell me that in five years when you two are married and you're sleeping next to me while he's on a business trip, because you're both too boring for your own good. Before he could get it out of his brain and say it out loud, Charlotte showed up. If it had been anyone else, he probably would have been annoyed that they cut in and let Charlotte get the last word in, but it was Piper and he liked her. Plus, he was expecting a response from her regarding his text about Jane. So, he allowed Piper to drag him away from Lottie, but not before mockingly blowing her a kiss when she sent him off.
When he and Piper were a good distance away from the rest of the crowd, he leaned back against a wall. He looked her up and down, before meeting her gaze with a small smile as she began to speak. She responded to his inquiry about Jane, but not in the way he wanted. Avoid her? Why did he suddenly need to avoid the girl that had essentially kept his family afloat for a few months. Brent was well-aware of Jane's body image issues but he didn't pity her. She was filthy rich, living a life that people literally dreamed of having. Poor her, for thinking that her one hundred pound body wasn't quite as skinny as Taylor Swift's. He wanted to roll his eyes simply at the thought of it. Brent was ignorant to the pain and difficulties that an eating disorder brought, and like much of the world, brushed Jane's issues off as vanity. Even if he did want to take her seriously and feel guilty for fueling her illness, he needed the money too badly to let his conscious get the best of him. "She owes me money, Pipe." It wasn't true. Whenever Jane bought from him, she paid upfront and never even flinched when he upped the price of a single pill to a ridiculous amount. Even if she didn't really have debt to him, he still did feel like she owed him her business.
He didn't think that Piper would understand what he was going through though. She probably wasn't as wealthy as Jane, but Piper surely had her own nice sized trust fund waiting for her. She was a cool girl, but she wouldn't... she couldn't... understand what it felt like to be living in his shoes. "I'll play it cool tonight, but you've got to get her to hang out with us sometime this week unless you wanna cough up the cash for her." His smirk should have signified that he wasn't being serious. He wouldn't really ask Piper for money. Not because he wasn't sure that she had it, but because they actually were friends. Besides, it wasn't just the money that he wanted from Jane. He could have asked her for a couple hundred dollars and gotten it within a day, but he felt like he needed her to be addicted. He needed her to be sick so that he could always rely on her for business, since it was becoming more and more apparent to him that his brother wasn't going to do anything to help their family out.
From behind Piper, he watched Kelley Hadley approach them, his smile only growing bigger when she joined their group. In true Kelley fashion, she didn't hesitate to blurt out the first thing on her mind. Just as she claimed him to be looking sexy, she was too. She always looked good though. After not seeing her for most of the summer, he was glad that the blonde was making an appearance at Sydney's. It was one more person to help him feel less stressed out, and unlike Piper and Lottie, Kelley could help him physically feel less stressed too. As the two girls spoke, he dug through his pocket, feeling pills and small bags, before finding a dime bag of weed. He was sure that Piper wouldn't want to smoke, but Kelley was always willing to do... well, anything. "Pipe's going to ditch us for some pansy Fordham Prep guys anyway, so shall I roll one for us?" he looked to the blonde as he waved the small plastic bag in the air.
Vincent didn't get the reaction he had imagined from approaching Sienna. After the uncomfortable way she had left he and Sydney, he imagined that she was going to be annoyed at him at the very least. Maybe she had beat him to getting a second drink, because the way she moved so closely to him... basically pressing her body to his, made him wish he was drunk enough to be brazen too. Because all he needed was two or three more shots, and his lips would have been all over her, regardless of who was watching. She was so... sexy, beautiful, perfect. For all he knew, ten songs had went by before she stopped dancing, released her lip from her teeth, and giggled. How could she do that?! How in the world could she go from turning him on to a point where he was ready to tear off her clothes right there, to just switching it off so suddenly? It left him feeling lustful, but enticed too. She still had power over him, whether either of them wanted to acknowledge it or not.
"I want more than just a dance before the night is over," he smirked, unsure if it was audible over the loud music or not, but willingly following her to the elevator. An elevator was one of the few places he hadn't banged a girl in but as she forced a group of kids out of this one, he was reminding himself that there was a first time for everything. She positioned herself against the elevator wall and rather than pressing level two, he hit six. They could use a few more minutes alone. With the way she was looking tonight, all he needed was a few minutes. How did this elevator suddenly get twenty degrees hotter than when he had stepped it in earlier? He pulled off his suit jacket, tossing it over her shoulder as his eyes remained set on her. "I'm going to leave this upstairs," he added, just as the elevator door opened. "Wait for me?" He didn't want her to go downstairs without him. No, Vincent would have been just fine if they stayed up there all night.
He pulled her out of the elevator before she could return down without him. "You know it wasn't very nice to leave me with her... with that," he grinned, taking her hands in his as he walked backwards down Sydney's hallway. He really wasn't planning on sleeping with Sienna tonight, so he only needed to find a bedroom to toss his jacket in, but he wouldn't mind kissing her. In fact, as his eyes met hers, he didn't know if he would be able to resist kissing her. His hand jiggled the handle of a door, and it had to be just his luck that out of the tons of bedrooms in this house, he had chosen Sydney's. Even worse, she had come up while he was dancing with Sienna, to switch heels since the ones she was wearing were already giving her blisters.
He was still facing away from the door when he heard her voice, and God, did that kill the mood. "Excuse me?" Sydney assumed that it was some random party guest who had wandered upstairs, maybe to steal something, maybe to nail a girl in privacy. It wasn't a stranger, but she was right about the second part. Vincent and Sienna. If Sydney wasn't so good at maintaining her composure, she would have jumped on Sienna then and there. Did this bitch really think she could sleep with Vincent in her house?! In her fucking bed of all places? Maybe Vincent didn't remember which bedroom was, but there was no way that Sienna was drunk enough to forget which room on the floor was hers. She was floored. What could she possibly say to brush this off? She was calm enough to not try to attack Sienna or Vincent, but it would have been impossible for her to erase the shock and hurt from her face. "Can I help you two with something?" Something aside from my bed.
Vincent wasn't as good as Sydney at covering up his emotions. What could he have possibly done to deserve karma that was bad enough to leave him sneaking up to the bedroom of the girl he had cheated with, with the girl he had cheated on? "No, I- I just wanted to leave this up here," he said, scrambling to pull his jacket off of his shoulder as if it was enough evidence to clear him of the offense. "They're keeping the coats in the closet on the first floor," she said, her eyes barely remaining on Vincent for long enough to finish speaking before switching to Sienna. Just when she thought she could deal with Sienna, she had to go and be the disgusting slut her reputation pinned her as. And now, Jane was looking like the best friend she remembered. Hell, even Piper seemed like a good friend compared to Sienna. And that pissed Sydney off even more. She had no reason to be mad at Sienna for any reason beside leaving her party to hook up with a guy. She had no reason to feel so possessive over Vincent of all people. But she did, and there was no hiding it now. "And you need...?" she couldn't resist glaring at Sienna. Sydney had betrayed her years ago, but tonight, she felt like she had been stabbed in the back.
Sienna was not oblivious to the tension in the elevator once those doors closed. In fact, it had her smirk growing into an all too pleased grin at the discontent on Vincent's face. She liked this power, this ability to still affect him in some way - it was all too heady and seductive and Sienna was elated to play with it. While onboard, she did not question why Vincent pressed for the elevator to go up, not really caring. She was too busy trying to decide how risky it would be to push him against the left wall and kiss him. God knows that if she started now, she wouldn't want to stop. However, the last thing she needed was for them being risqué on the elevator to be the gossip of the Upper East - let alone in Sydney Vale's place. That was messy, even for Sienna. She was about to tease Vincent when he asked her to wait for him, but then his hand slid into hers and well, she couldn't help but follow along.
"You're a big boy. I'm sure you could handle the big bad queen bee," she said in response to his comment about her leaving him with Sydney. While way too comfortable for her own good because they were holding hands - and damn, when was the last time they even held hands? - Sienna couldn't help but notice the direction they were going in. I guess it's not too surprising, she thought. Probably fucked her every time we all left. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth and Sienna half-glared at the back of Vincent's head for a moment, not even paying attention to the fact that the door he seemed to choose was actually Sydney's bedroom door. Unlike either of the two, Sienna did not look shocked nor did she get frazzled. In fact, the only real response to the rather unfortunate circumstance - after all, how many times can you say that you wound up alone with your ex-boyfriend and the girl he cheated on you with twice in one day? - she gave were the fact that both of her eyebrows were raised with interest. It was a peculiar situation to be in and while her heart was beating a mile a minute - was this the moment? was this when they were finally get all of this out in the open? - her eyes zeroed in on Sydney's face as she caught the tail end of...what was that? Hurt?
Sydney Vale? Hurt?
"You mad, bitch," was the first thing that Sienna wanted to say and it almost slipped out, just like that. In the same taunting, smug tone she first heard the phrase in. All she could do was tilt her head to the side a bit, eyeing her friend with a smirk on her face that was all too reminiscent of the satisfied ones she had seen Sydney have a few times before after getting a dig at her. It must hurt, huh, she thought, as if Sydney could somehow hear her thoughts. Hoes can't ever understand how much it hurts when someone touches your stuff until it happens to them. Sienna could not find it in her to care what Sydney might think about what was happening - what might have already happened. All she cared about then and there was that she was still holding Vincent's hand and Sydney looked pissed, even if she had scrambled to hide it. And that made her way too pleased.
"Nothing that you can give me, sweetie." Sienna replied to Sydney, her voice rather pleasant. Her smirk morphed into an easy grin and she squeezed Vincent's hand lightly, glancing up at him for a moment before returing her gaze to Sydney. "Actually, we were just about to go grab a drink after dropping off his coat." It was mean and unnecessary, but she couldn't help but add with false concern, "And you know what? You look like you could use a drink, Syd. You're looking a bit...heated." The knowing smile on Sienna's face spoke volumes and returning to her more bubbly self, Sienna pulled Vincent along. "We better go. This one owes me a drink and a dance. Don't forget to enjoy your party, Syd!" Not looking back in Sydney's direction once, Sienna dragged Vincent back down the hall with her. She didn't say anything to him for a moment, just walked with him until they got to the elevator and she pressed for the second floor. As the elevator doors closed, she tossed her long hair over her shoulder all the while comenting, "You know, for someone who didn't mean anything to you, you seem real comfortable here."
"You're a big boy. I'm sure you could handle the big bad queen bee," she said in response to his comment about her leaving him with Sydney. While way too comfortable for her own good because they were holding hands - and damn, when was the last time they even held hands? - Sienna couldn't help but notice the direction they were going in. I guess it's not too surprising, she thought. Probably fucked her every time we all left. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth and Sienna half-glared at the back of Vincent's head for a moment, not even paying attention to the fact that the door he seemed to choose was actually Sydney's bedroom door. Unlike either of the two, Sienna did not look shocked nor did she get frazzled. In fact, the only real response to the rather unfortunate circumstance - after all, how many times can you say that you wound up alone with your ex-boyfriend and the girl he cheated on you with twice in one day? - she gave were the fact that both of her eyebrows were raised with interest. It was a peculiar situation to be in and while her heart was beating a mile a minute - was this the moment? was this when they were finally get all of this out in the open? - her eyes zeroed in on Sydney's face as she caught the tail end of...what was that? Hurt?
Sydney Vale? Hurt?
"You mad, bitch," was the first thing that Sienna wanted to say and it almost slipped out, just like that. In the same taunting, smug tone she first heard the phrase in. All she could do was tilt her head to the side a bit, eyeing her friend with a smirk on her face that was all too reminiscent of the satisfied ones she had seen Sydney have a few times before after getting a dig at her. It must hurt, huh, she thought, as if Sydney could somehow hear her thoughts. Hoes can't ever understand how much it hurts when someone touches your stuff until it happens to them. Sienna could not find it in her to care what Sydney might think about what was happening - what might have already happened. All she cared about then and there was that she was still holding Vincent's hand and Sydney looked pissed, even if she had scrambled to hide it. And that made her way too pleased.
"Nothing that you can give me, sweetie." Sienna replied to Sydney, her voice rather pleasant. Her smirk morphed into an easy grin and she squeezed Vincent's hand lightly, glancing up at him for a moment before returing her gaze to Sydney. "Actually, we were just about to go grab a drink after dropping off his coat." It was mean and unnecessary, but she couldn't help but add with false concern, "And you know what? You look like you could use a drink, Syd. You're looking a bit...heated." The knowing smile on Sienna's face spoke volumes and returning to her more bubbly self, Sienna pulled Vincent along. "We better go. This one owes me a drink and a dance. Don't forget to enjoy your party, Syd!" Not looking back in Sydney's direction once, Sienna dragged Vincent back down the hall with her. She didn't say anything to him for a moment, just walked with him until they got to the elevator and she pressed for the second floor. As the elevator doors closed, she tossed her long hair over her shoulder all the while comenting, "You know, for someone who didn't mean anything to you, you seem real comfortable here."
Isabela Monroe
Dialogue Color || Thought Color
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Outfit
Skylar Grey - Tower
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"Hell if I should know babo!" Bell sighed and calmed herself, she was a bit embarrassed about her actions but her emotions just took control for a second but she got them back under control. Isabela has went through this same scene many times before with her best friend. A dream would pop up, nonsense will spew out from the hole on her face, emotions are exchanged then she apologizes and everything goes back to normal but these little silly things are happening less often since she is learning how to control her emotional outbreaks. After shooing away a couple that wanted to snog right beside the two, Bell turned back around to face Minho.
"Aish, I'm sorry bro, I'm good now but umm-" she trailed off her eyes wondering around as her face bared a sheepish expression. " I don't know why you flew off or where too, all I know is that you saw another bird and was gone."
Her face was now facing the side as she acted innocent, her lips wrapped around her straw ingesting the sugary coldness. " It was stupid, forget about it I'm over it." she nodded to herself matter of factly before planting herself next to Lee rather eagerly with an all to familiar twinkle in her eye.
"So, how is Jin? Did she eat this morning? When are you two coming over, mum's been kinda bugging me about it, well dad too." Bell stopped for a second a small smile making it's way across her lips.
"Well everyone at home is bugging me about it honestly." she chuckled leaning her head on her brothers shoulder. "I missed you, I mean I saw you over summer break but still."
Bella stood like that for a while before lifting her head slightly enough to look at Minho. " So, Anything new in life? Any boys I should now about and interrogate?" she teased honestly wanting to know.
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After the morning haggle was over and done with, Bell had the afternoon to herself. She invited Minho to go grab some food and they do now she was over his house, planning their evening events. Bella knew of Sydney's party and really couldn't care much for it but Sienna was going to go and she wanted to see her friend that she hadn't gotten to see this morning. Plus she was sure Kelley was going to be there too but Bell wanted to spend time with two of the most precious people in her life.
Bella sat on the floor of Minho's room with little Jin sitting in between her legs as she brushed through her beautiful silky hair. "Dangsin eun aleumdaun heeo jin eul" Isabela hoped she said it right, she was still picking up new words here and there from both Minho and Hyojin that she didn't know before. Bell smiled when Hyojin thanked her but then turned around and started to play with her hair.
" Haha, my hairs isn't as yours but I try squirt." she patted the child on the head affectionately before pecking her forehead and letting her continue to mess with her hair.
"So Min, you know how Sydney has her party today right? I was wondering if you wanted to do some crashing of the party." Bell slightly laughed at how she said it before hugging the cute little Hyojin. " There's a carnival in town, we can take little Jin here for a bit until she gets tired out then crash that party, looking fabulous of course. " she waited for Lee's response as Jin proceeded to pinch her cheeks and Bell did the same but rather soft.
The morning passed rather uneventfully. Lee listened to his best friend ramble with a small smile on his face that was just for her before they settled in for the assembly that was less interesting to listen to...so actually, he and Bell spent a lot of time huddled close together whispering under their breaths.
He'd spent a lot of the summer with her, at least as much as he could get away with, because his mother worked twice as hard to clean up after parties and whatnot. Usually. Jane, oddly, was fairly absent from the activities that had gone on that summer...there were some rumors about camp or something, but Lee knew the truth.
Not that he would dare tell anyone. Or cared enough to, for that matter.
So his mother hadn't worked as often as she had in the past, but Lee still spent most of his time at the Monroe's place, little sister in tow. He liked her family. He liked it a whole hell of a lot better than his own.
The hardest part about the last couple of months had been not having Sebastian. He frowned as he pondered over the way his ex-friend had nearly spoken to him this morning. He missed his company, so much it ached. So, he'd spent a good amount of his time sleeping around when Jin wasn't in his care. A fact he admitted with a pinched expression because Lee had never really been known for being slutty.
He also apologized for flying away in Bell's dream, and promised he'd never leave her in real life.
Lee had never really been the one to go the parties thrown by his classmates. Sure, he liked to party, and he was well known for sneaking into clubs and bars with his good friends, but the stuff that Sydney and her posse threw were usually too high class for him.
But there was little to nothing Lee would tell Bell no to.
Jin was more than happy to see Isabela come home with him. She immediately took ownership of his friend, curling up into her lap and gibbering away in a mixture of Korean and English. Bella understood a good bit of it, but he always shot his sister looks to be considerate.
He sighed heavily, knowing he probably couldn't get away with denying the offer. Besides, Hyojin would more than enjoy the carnival and she deserved a little fun. "Only if we look fabulous," he joked.
Piper Vine
Piper crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. "I doubt filthy rich Jane owes you money. You must think my IQ is in the single digits." She chuckled the last part. She knew Jane, and if the girl wanted something she would drop any amount of money on it. No matter the cost. The model felt some relief when he agreed to leave poor Jane alone for tonight, but was a little thrown off by his sudden proposal. Sometimes Piper forgot she didn't tell him her true financial state. It took everything in her not to laugh of the suggestion. One of her paychecks was probably the same amount as a single pill that he charged Jane. "Yeah, I wouldn't count on seeing her again. Besides I am technically paying you. Not just anyone can be blessed with my presence." The red head just went with joke instead of making it obvious she didn't have that kind of money.
Just as she was about to thank him, Kelley came over. Piper and Kelley have been friends since Sophomore year and really hit it off ever since. She was a fun person to be around and her and Piper really got along. Plus they both had a thing for flirting. It made for a great time at social events. "Thank you, you look amazing as well." Piper responded to her good friend. It didn't take long for Piper to notice the sexual tension between her two friends. Honestly did everyone hook up with everyone at the two sister schools? Piper preferred to date outside of the two schools. Though that could change this year. Who knows. "Huh? Oh I'm not with them right now because one I hate Sydney, and two ever since this past summer Sienna and Sydney get all uptight when Vincent is around. It's strange." When she finished her sentence, Piper noticed one of the boys from Fordham looking at her again. He was just her type physically. Tall, great hair, and a toned build. He almost looked like he was a swimmer. She heard Brent say something and she had to break eye contact with her hookup for the night.
"They aren't pansies Brent. They just aren't all doom and gloom like you." Piper stuck her tongue out as she teased her friend. Honestly the alcohol was starting to take affect so she was doing some things that weren't very characteristic of her. "Now you two use protection all right? Safe sex is the only sex." Piper pointed her empty shot glass at her two friends before smiling. "Now I'm off, so have fun. And Kelley I'll see you in class tomorrow. Though I will probably have a hang over so don't yell around me." Piper waved to both of her friends before leaving them to do whatever it was Brent said earlier.
Piper headed towards the guy she was staring at earlier and smiled once she stood in front of him. "You've been looking at me since I got here you know?" Piper grinned. "So do you want dance or just keep staring?" She bit her lower lip as she looked up at the handsome student. The guy just laughed and took Piper's hand and lead her to the dance floor. This was the type of night she was looking for. Not dealing with any drama, just having fun.
About several songs in, Piper somehow ended up in one of the many bathrooms making out with the boy she had been dancing with. It wasn't the most romantic place, but Sydney would flip out if Piper had used one of her rooms then she wouldn't hear the end of it. Almost a half hour passed and Piper exited the bathroom feeling recharged. it really has been too long since she was able to have sex. like stated before the bathroom wasn't the best place, but oh well. You win some you lose some. She left her phone number with her hookup and headed back to the bar. She didn't see any of her friends around, so she just took another shot by herself. Sure she could've went to go look for them, but at this point she didn't exactly care. She just sat at the bar, that was until her phone vibrated. Putting her drink down, Piper looked to see who it was. It was Thomas. She opened the text, and quickly jumped up as she read it. She has to go.
Piper stumbled out of the stool she was on and quickly headed towards the elevator to go back to the lobby. She couldn't have reached outside any faster. She looked around once on the curve to see if there were any taxis but of course there weren't any. She could call but how long would that take? Taking her chances, she called for a cab to come pick her up around the corner. Luckily for her, the driver clearly noticed the zip code, and arrived in fifth-teen minutes. She gave the man her address and she was gone. She could've informed someone that she was leaving, but the text her brother sent her had her so worried she wasn't really thinking too clearly.
Once she arrived at her apartment, she took her heels off so she could run or more accurately stumble up the stairs to her door. She practically burst through the door and did the same to her brother's room. There she saw Thomas all bloody with an already forming black eye. "My god what happened to you?!" Piper dropped her thing on the floor and knelt before her brother to check the wounds on his face. "I just went to the corner store and some guys jumped me." Thomas mumbled as he averted eye contact with his older sister. "What the hell were you thinking? You know where we live you can't just go out at night." Piper scolded. "What were you looking for?" She needed to know what made him take such a huge risk. "Amy asked me to get her some candy." Piper almost blew up when she heard the reason her brother literally put himself in danger. For Amy? Piper sighed and rolled her eyes. Standing up, she grabbed her brother's hand and lead him to the bathroom so she could disinfect his wounds. She wouldn't do it now, but Amy would definitely hear from her when she saw her in the morning.
"Take your shirt off." Piper instructed as she needed to see if he possibly had any broken ribs. He did have some bruising on his torso, but nothing that was protruding. That doesn't mean he couldn't have a fracture. "I'll take you to the doctor in the morning to make sure everything is all right. Do you feel nauseous or hear in ringing?" She questioned. "No, I'm fine." Good so no concussion. "Listen to me, don't you ever do this again okay? You don't need to please Amy that much that you put yourself at rick. Okay?" Piper looked her brother in his eyes making sure he got her point. He just wordlessly nodded his head. Piper smiled and gave her brother a tentative hug. "Now let's go to sleep. I'm going to really feel that alcohol in a couple of hours." For the first time her brother grinned a little so it soothed Piper some.
This wasn't going to end well. Even when Sienna's tone had turned cheerful and she led him back down the hallway, he knew that this wasn't over. He wasn't intuitive enough to pick up on the hurt in Sydney's eyes, but he would have been blind to not notice the anger. Whether the rage was directed towards him or Sienna, or both of them, was unknown, but he was more than glad to get out of there when they did. Sydney was vindictive, controlling and catty, and Sienna was just as vengeful and catty, and maybe a little possessive too. It wasn't a good combination, so maybe it was bad that Vincent was turned on thinking that both of the girls were probably pissed off enough at the other to want to fuck him just to spite the other. When he returned to the elevator with Sienna, it seemed like her emotions weren't being channeled into sexual energy like he had hoped for, or even physical energy directed at Sydney (he had imagined far too many times how hot a cat fight between the two would be). She was annoyed at him, and maybe for good reason too, but this time he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong. If anything, Sienna was the one who could have prevented that from happening.
"Not comfortable enough to know where her bedroom was," he pointed out in defense. "Don't try to tell me that you haven't been in that bedroom one hundred times more than me. A 'head's up' or 'hey Vincent, that's the last room you want to go into' would have been appreciated." A warning like that might not have even stopped him from dragging her into the room at the time, since he was too caught up in the moment, but he couldn't take all of the blame for this. Sienna was used to being on Sydney's bad side. He wasn't, and even though he wouldn't dare say it to the girl in front of him, he did feel a little bit guilty. He hadn't picked up on how Sydney's startled reaction was more than just her being surprised that someone walked into her room unannounced, or how she seemed to struggle to add her signature icy edge to the "have fun" she got out as they hurried down the hall. Still, he felt guilty. He had slept with Sydney less than two months ago and even though he was sure that it was just another one of their casual hookups, he knew that it would never really be "no strings attached" with her. At least not when he bumped into her on his way to hook up with Sienna.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a room full of people who were having a carefree, good time. Ten minutes ago, he had been one of those people and he needed to get back to that spot. Sienna was never going to be just another girl to him, but right now, they weren't dating and they didn't need to have real emotions attached to their relationship. He didn't really have a right to be annoyed at her and at least in front of Sydney, she didn't seem that troubled by the encounter either. You're Vincent fucking Mast. You don't need to feel like you owe a girl an apology for almost fucking another girl in her bedroom! If that was a rule, you be sending out ten apology notes a week! He inadvertently buffed out his chest a tad, and tossed his jacket on the nearest empty chair. He would forget it existed by the end of the night, but oh well. He needed a drink to bring back his energy and maybe more than one to get Sienna to forget that that had just happened.
"A Mai Tai for my lady, and a whiskey, neat for me," Vincent ordered, leaning his back against the bar to face Sienna soon after. Damn does she look good. He was slowly recovering from the Sydney incident and the way that his eyes slowly roamed up and down over her form proved that. "I was kind of pissed when you didn't show up to the annual barbecue in July, but I think it was a good thing that I didn't get to see you all summer. Not only did it remind me that you aren't the only Alvarez with good genes," he smirked as he glanced over at a group of girls walking past them, convinced that he had spotted Esmee in the crowd, "but it was enough time away to remind me how beautiful you are." Beautiful was a word that fit. She was beautiful, but he was feeling more lustful than romantic. His mood had certainly rebounded by now, and he wanted to get out of here. The drinks were good, the vibes were good, the music was good, but there was no way that he could convince Sienna to go back upstairs with him. "Let's go get milkshakes at the diner." It was random and sudden, but was he supposed to just ask her to come back to his place? He didn't think that would go over well, and since he knew she liked them as much as he, and that the diner a block from his apartment served the best ones on the Upper East Side twenty-four hours a day, he thought it was a foolproof suggestion.
Sienna folded her arms over her chest as Vincent descended into a miniature tirade, rolling her eyes at his trying to turn the situation on her. One, it was his fault for even taking her upstairs in the first place. Why he needed to leave his coat in some random room in Sydney Vale's home, she didn't really care to know. He should have known that the upper levels were off-limit, and so should she have, but she had more of a right to be upstairs than he should ever have. She was supposed to be one of Sydney's best friends. If she wanted to go upstairs because she was too drunk off her ass to try to go home and deal with Cynthia's knowing sneers, then she could do that. He had no business being so familiar with Sydney's home. Two, neither of them knew Sydney was going to be there and they were both seemingly caught up in being alone for the evening to really pay attention. And three, Sienna didn't care as much as Vincent seemed to. She didn't care if she hurt Sydney's feelings or if Sydney thought something was going to happen in her room had she not been there. Nothing would have happened; Sienna wasn't that disrespectful when it came to Sydney, but she also didn't feel like she needed to apologize for anything or dwell on the matter any longer. So, she sent Vincent a scathing glare when the elevator doors opened.
"Well, if you're so upset about it," she began sweetly though the smile on her face was far from genuine, "Then maybe you should just go apologize to your girlfriend." The word left a bitter taste in her mouth and instead of letting it linger, she allowed her hand to ghost over his, fingertips brushing upwards on the hand that draped his jacket on a chair. With a coquettish twinkle in her eyes, one of Sienna's eyebrows jutted upwards and with a smirk, she said, "Unless, of course...you have...better things to be doing." With a small wink and pulling her hands away from him, Sienna continued on their trek towards the bar, shooting a look at one of the guys closest to them who relinquished his stool for her. Smiling appreciatively, she perched herself on top of the seat, eyebrow still kinked at Vincent actually remembering her favorite drink. Sienna had fallen in love with the Mai Tai when she was thirteen - yes, a horrible year for a girl like her to be drinking alcohol. However, they had been on a cruise and it just so happened that Cynthia decided that she was allowed to actually try something. And it had juice, which had definitely appealed to her, and over the years, it just became the her go-to. Straight alcohol was always great, but Sienna wasn't going to deny her love for sweet things.
Crossing one long leg over the other, Sienna allowed an easy grin to form on her face when Vincent started talking again, his attempt at trying to dissolve the tension from earlier. And she couldn't help but contend with it. She didn't want to think about Sydney or what drama would ensue the next day over this issue. She didn't want to think about the fact that, and she was judging this based off their chemistry for the night, he wouldn't be hers when morning came. He would just be some guy she slept with and she wanted that thought to remain as such. Vincent would never be just a one-night-stand to her, but that was all she was ever going to get from him again. No matter what she wanted. And, given the way the rum blended with the pineapple juice and sent an icy thrill down her spine when the bartender slid the drink her way, she could eventually make herself okay with that. Sipping her drink, she met eyes with Esmee, who only raised an eyebrow before continuing on with her friends. Focusing back on Vincent, Sienna smirked. She faintly wondered how many times he had said that line to a girl he was trying to pick up. She also wondered how many times it would still end up making her blush. "Vince..." She had no idea what she wanted to say and her grip on her glass tightened a bit, but before she could actually say anything more, he made another proposal.
Instinctively, Sienna remembered that Sydney hated when anyone left her party early, specifically in their circle. She literally hated it. Everyone should stay for as long as they could, or at least until it was obvious that her event was something to be admired. And she never really liked being left with Jane-duty, which was why Sienna ended up smiling to herself and then to Vincent. Perfect. "Sure, I'm kinda done here anyway," she answered and slid off the stool, only taking another long sip of her drink for liquid courage. She didn't know if she was coming home for the night, so while they prepared to leave, she sent the only texts she found necessary to send before refocusing her attention on Vincent.
To: Esmee, Hailey
Leaving early. C u when I get in
To: Jane
Leaving early, hon. Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't ;D
"Well, if you're so upset about it," she began sweetly though the smile on her face was far from genuine, "Then maybe you should just go apologize to your girlfriend." The word left a bitter taste in her mouth and instead of letting it linger, she allowed her hand to ghost over his, fingertips brushing upwards on the hand that draped his jacket on a chair. With a coquettish twinkle in her eyes, one of Sienna's eyebrows jutted upwards and with a smirk, she said, "Unless, of course...you have...better things to be doing." With a small wink and pulling her hands away from him, Sienna continued on their trek towards the bar, shooting a look at one of the guys closest to them who relinquished his stool for her. Smiling appreciatively, she perched herself on top of the seat, eyebrow still kinked at Vincent actually remembering her favorite drink. Sienna had fallen in love with the Mai Tai when she was thirteen - yes, a horrible year for a girl like her to be drinking alcohol. However, they had been on a cruise and it just so happened that Cynthia decided that she was allowed to actually try something. And it had juice, which had definitely appealed to her, and over the years, it just became the her go-to. Straight alcohol was always great, but Sienna wasn't going to deny her love for sweet things.
Crossing one long leg over the other, Sienna allowed an easy grin to form on her face when Vincent started talking again, his attempt at trying to dissolve the tension from earlier. And she couldn't help but contend with it. She didn't want to think about Sydney or what drama would ensue the next day over this issue. She didn't want to think about the fact that, and she was judging this based off their chemistry for the night, he wouldn't be hers when morning came. He would just be some guy she slept with and she wanted that thought to remain as such. Vincent would never be just a one-night-stand to her, but that was all she was ever going to get from him again. No matter what she wanted. And, given the way the rum blended with the pineapple juice and sent an icy thrill down her spine when the bartender slid the drink her way, she could eventually make herself okay with that. Sipping her drink, she met eyes with Esmee, who only raised an eyebrow before continuing on with her friends. Focusing back on Vincent, Sienna smirked. She faintly wondered how many times he had said that line to a girl he was trying to pick up. She also wondered how many times it would still end up making her blush. "Vince..." She had no idea what she wanted to say and her grip on her glass tightened a bit, but before she could actually say anything more, he made another proposal.
Instinctively, Sienna remembered that Sydney hated when anyone left her party early, specifically in their circle. She literally hated it. Everyone should stay for as long as they could, or at least until it was obvious that her event was something to be admired. And she never really liked being left with Jane-duty, which was why Sienna ended up smiling to herself and then to Vincent. Perfect. "Sure, I'm kinda done here anyway," she answered and slid off the stool, only taking another long sip of her drink for liquid courage. She didn't know if she was coming home for the night, so while they prepared to leave, she sent the only texts she found necessary to send before refocusing her attention on Vincent.
To: Esmee, Hailey
Leaving early. C u when I get in
To: Jane
Leaving early, hon. Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't ;D
Amid dancing with Sebastian and downing drinks every time a cocktail waitress passed, Jane managed to lose track of time. She wasn't sure if it had been twenty minutes, an hour, or maybe even three since she had last seen Piper, Sydney and Sienna, but she wasn't very concerned either. As soon as the alcohol hit her system, her mood jumped substantially and her energy was back. It helped that she was around Sebastian, a friend who she never seemed to have drama with, and maybe more so that she wasn't near Sydney. No matter how many drinks she consumed, she couldn't forget how obviously upset Sydney was with her. Jane knew that even if she got away with avoiding the blonde for tonight, she couldn't avoid her and her questions forever. She didn't want to, either. While she had no desire to have to lie to her friends, she also didn't want this uncomfortable evading relationship to continue either. Jane could do petty drama. She could make petty remarks about how she was sure Lottie could scoff at Isabella in the hallway and remind her friends not to get too close unless they wanted to get her "disgusting lesbian germs". She could even agree with Sydney or Sienna when one ranted about the other. What she couldn't do, was the cold and calculated drama that Sydney Vale had mastered in her youth, and that was just what she was dealing with today.
At some point during one of the more upbeat songs, Jane had separated from Sebastian to dance with a Saint Jude's junior who was looking pretty cute until he started kissing her neck. She wasn't in the mood for a quick hookup like that, and especially not from someone whose name she didn't know. If Jane couldn't remember your name, it meant that you were either some scholarship student, which was an instant turnoff, or you were an underclassman. She was sure that this boy fell under both categories, and as soon as she realized that, there was no point in dancing with him any longer. He was so not her type.
She had a server to bring her clutch down to the bar at some point during her dancing, but when she showed up there, she was surprised when it was handed to her by one of the more familiar bartenders. She didn't even remember leaving it with them, and had only come to the bar for another drink. It was a pleasant surprise, though, and as she waited for a shot of vodka, she found her phone in the bag. Sydney had texted her, asking her where she was and Sienna had texted her to say she was leaving. There was no point in ignoring Sydney's text, especially if she was tired of dancing by now and both Sienna and Piper seemed to be gone.
To: Sienna
WTFF I didmt even get to see u woooow
To: Sydney
2nd fkloor!!!
To: Piper
where are yu?!!
Jane was drunk enough to not even notice that the shot the bartender slid her with a wary expression was almost completely watered down. Three months away, and Sydney still knew that Jane couldn't control her alcohol consumption on her own. She was so used to the vodka burn by now, that the actual alcohol would have tasted just the same, so she tilted her head back and savored the cool liquid without noticing. As she perched herself on a bar stool, she noticed a blonde standing a few feet away with a drink in hand. What's her name again? There was no way that Jane, in this state, was going to remember. She knew that she had seen the girl this morning, and was drunk enough to block out their encounter at the airport ever existing, but she couldn't remember her name for the life of her. It would have been smarter to just avoid it, since Hailey knew more about her than she wanted her to, but Jane was drunk and too amicable for her own good. She waved towards the blonde until she caught her attention, and motioned to her to come over. "You look sooo familiar! Where do I know you from?" She exclaimed, doing her best to prevent the words from slurring together.
He was lucky that Charlotte agreed to come find Sydney with him, since he wasn't ignorant to the past between the two blondes, but he couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the whispered threat in his ear. She was the last girl that he could imagine being menacing or aggressive. Lottie got the rap for being some innocent, sweet princess, and while Connor knew her well enough to know that she wasn't all sugar and spice and everything nice, he knew she was more sweet than sour. Maybe he should have taken the comment more seriously though, since it wouldn't have been the first time that Sydney had tried to start something with her and she reacted more expressively than he would have imagined. Even to this day, years after it happened, Connor was still surprised by how heated Charlotte had gotten when she finally had enough of Sydney's tyrannical ways. He appreciated it, because even if he was incurably head over heels for Sydney, the sensible part of him knew that she did ask too much of him sometimes, and that he had become just another disposable option for her. But if Sydney recalled the event, he was still under her spell enough to readily agree that Lottie had been dramatic.
It was too tough for him to give up hope on Sydney some day returning his affection for her, and that's why he paraded Lottie around for nearly thirty minutes in search of Sydney. He sent her multiple texts and even tried calling her, to no avail. No one else knew where she was, but then again, he was asking Saint Jude's guys who probably had never had the honor of saying more than a few jumbled words to the queen bee. He never crossed paths with Sienna, Piper and Jane, and eventually, feeling too guilty to continue wasting Lottie's time, he glanced back at her apologetically. "I really thought that Devin was serious when he said he saw her come down to the kitchen, but yeah, I guess not. I'm sorry, I'm ruining your night. Want to go back up and dance or something? We can find your sister, I'm sure she's having fun. Plus, you have to give me the run down on what's happening Sunday." He led her back to the elevator and pressed for the second floor. Charlotte didn't drink alcohol, and Connor wasn't a big drinker either, but he decided he could go for a beer now. And maybe he was hoping that Sydney was somehow going to magically appear at the bar too, but he wouldn't say that aloud.
Piper never failed to amuse Kelley. She seemed so authentic, and while she could be much more poised than Kelley, she was always so real when they were hanging out. It was always just fun, with no drama involved, but then again, that was probably because they were extremely close. Piper belonged in Sydney's group, whether she wanted to admit it or not, and Kelley didn't. She could never keep herself refined to some cookie cutter form of who she was expected to be, just to fit in. She and Sydney didn't get along that much more than she and Piper did, but Piper's desire and ability to be a controlled and seemingly flawless girl was what allowed her to be in Sydney's group.
She watched Piper until she was swallowed by the crowd, before turning back to Brent, who held a bag of weed in his hand. "Where the fuck are we supposed to smoke that?" Kelley had no problem smoking in her own house when her parents weren't home, but even she didn't know if they could get away with doing it in Sydney Vale's house. She wasn't considering that it was rude to do, or illegal at that, but she really wasn't sure where they could do it without being disturbed. The first three floors of the house were crowded with people, and Kelley imagined that Sydney's mother and grandfather, among house staff, were going to be upstairs. It was worth the risk, though, and even if Brent got thrown out, she doubted that she would. That was one of the many perks of being a pretty blonde girl in the Upper East Side. The wild side of her was often overlooked by people who didn't know her well enough, and she was accepted as being another kid to some CEO or millionaire.
She blamed it on her brain not working well enough for being too sober, but it took her ten minutes to realize that Sydney's apartment had access to a private roof. How had she not thought of that! "Meet me on the roof, I need to get a drink first," she said, giving Brent a devious grin as she turned away from him. At the bar, she ordered a glass of vanilla vodka. When the bartender questioned whether she meant a shot of vodka, and not a glass, she just laughed it off. "I didn't stutter, did I?" she questioned seriously, though she offered him a flirty smile. It was all it took, and a couple of minutes later, she was stepping onto the rooftop deck with a glass of alcohol in hand. The view of Central Park, the crisp but not too cool air, and the ambiance of the space were beautiful in itself, but what Kelley appreciated the most was the smell of lit marijuana. "Really, you couldn't wait five minutes for me before lighting up?" she teased, opting to sit on his lap instead of the chair next to him.
Within twenty minutes, his bag of weed and her glass of alcohol were finished, their clothes were scattered on the ground around them, and as Piper had directed, an empty Trojan wrapper lay on the ground. His phone going off a couple of times was what ruined their moment together, but Kelley was drunk enough that she was okay with him hurrying downstairs after he made sure she dressed herself properly. She remained alone on the roof with a satisfied smirk on her face for another couple of minutes before deciding to rejoin the party. She didn't know where Brent had run off too, but she didn't care very much either. When it came to Brent, Kelley was completely happy with their casual relationship. It was so easy and she felt like it benefited her just as much as it did him. When she returned to the party and was unable to find him or Piper, she decided to text a friend that she hadn't seen all night.
To: Isabela
Bitch where are you???? I think Jane wants to hu with both of us tn!!!!!
Her relationship with Bella was interesting. Nothing had ever happened between them, despite Kelley sometimes considering it, but she also was sure that they had the potential to be more than just friends. They clicked and at least in Kelley's opinion, it was so easy for the two of them to just have fun together. Plus, she was one of the people who could tolerate Kelley's crude and sarcastic sense of humor.