Setting
Default Location for Welcome Back to Hollywood High
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California is a part of 
Welcome Back to Hollywood High.
20 Characters Here
Catalina Perez [115] Woah who told you to get that close to me?
Chadwick Arsenault [112] "If it wasn't for money, I wouldn't be where I am."
Sienna Gancia [93] "I'm sorry, did you think you were talking to me?"
Jasmine Villegas [93]
Ricardo Slim-Helú [89] "Even a king likes a litte fun..."
Shailene Lehman [88] "There may be a queen, but I don't serve anyone."
Isaiah Scott [88]
Alessandra Ambrosia [63]
Aaliyah Lapierre [61] "Power isn't everything ...its the only thing."
Stella Hudgens [61] "I'm like, the driftiest non-Drifter in this school."
Start Character Here »
As Oliver weaved through the floods of kids to get to his locker, he finally stopped in front of it. It wasn't long before he noticed that Florian was at his locker not far from him. He took notice that Flo was looking out into the crowd, and following his gaze Ollie saw that he was looking at Charlie. God, Charlie was one hell of good looking girl, he must admit he harbored a huge crush on her since he's seen her around the halls. Sadly he's never actually talked to the girl. He turned away from her, wouldn't want to get caught staring for no reason. His thoughts were interrupted by Flo's stealthy approach and sudden greeting. "Hey! How was your holiday?" Ollie shifted, and dug threw some crap into his locker, mostly for the looks since it was still the first day of school. "Holidays, right. Um fine I guess things happened I hooked up with the girl I met there last year. But we decided to be friends, mainly because we wouldn't handle the long distance relationship. Probably more likely that I just suck at relationships in general."
Flo threw another question at him,"How was IHOP?" Ollie closed his locker and adjusted his bookbag straps as he replied,"Breakfast was alright, Lucy wasn't happy when she heard I was going to Wales for the summer again. She thought she'd squeeze the life out of me during the summer. Heh, but I'm back to work tomorrow I think. Jobs, how fun right?"[size=98] When Oliver looked up from fixing his straps he clearly saw that Flo's gaze has shifted back into the crowd."Flo Flo Flo, what have we here, Charlie is it?" He teased as he looked at Charlie alongside Flo. It kind of feels like shit when your friend and you like the same girl.
Shaking the thought out of his head, Ollie has like zero chances that she'd ever be into him, he accepted that fact long ago. He nudged Flo slightly and said,"Okay, Bro. I'll see you around. Might see you eighth period, during your lunch, unless the Studio Art teacher makes us start doing anything today. Text Me if anything is up." Oliver then swiftly glides into the flow of students storming the halls and walks to his first period class, Ceramics II.
Pulling into the student parking lot at 8:13 a.m. the girls had gotten to school with seven minutes to spare before second period. The side entrance of the school was left opened until the end of second period so they didn't have to walk to the front entrance of the school. Alessandra had texted Aaliyah while she stopped at a light what classroom she was in and when the four girls entered the building she told them that she'd see them all later and went to find the Queen Bee. There was no point in stopping by class for the last five minutes of nothing so Jasmine went and stood outside of Isaiah class. She hadn't seen him since last night during all the madness and while he had texted her that he was alright there was nothing wrong with an in-person assessment.
As the last five minutes passed by the bell rang signaling the end of first and students flooded into the halls. "What has you all bothered and pouty so early in the morning?" Aaliyah asked as she walked over to Alessandra who was posted up against the wall across from Aaliyah's first period class looking very pouty. Alessandra said nothing as she held up her phone and to show the Queen Bee what had her in such a sour mood. "Damn. Had I know I would of warned you." Aaliyah said as she looked at the picture of Isaiah and Angelina on Alessandra's phone. "Who sent it?" Aaliyah asked as she handed Alessandra back her phone and the two girls started walking through the halls. Aaliyah had four dutiful wannabes that hung to her during school hours. It had been that way since freshman year and as the two A-Listers walked and talked the Aaliyah's wannabes stood the appropriate distance behind the two girls while following behind their queen.
"Chelsea." Alessandra answered simply as she stuck her phone in her bag. "Not as if it was secret. I mean it isn't like there were trying to hide it." You could hear the twisted scorn in Alessandra's voice and Aaliyah already knew that her selected heir to the throne was scheming. "What is "it"? Look I know how the picture looks but both Izzy and Angel are two flirty bitches. It could be nothing." "Or it could be something." Aaliyah sighed knowing that at this point Alessandra was like a dog with a bone and she wouldn't be dropping it anytime soon. "Look I have third period with Izzy. I'll talk to him then and figure out what's what. For now just chill the fuck out, play it cool and don't do anything drastic." Alessandra could see by the look on Aaliyah's face that she was serious when she said not to do anything. So until she got the facts she would hang back and obey the queen. "Okay. Fortunately for me my next two classes revolve around fashion. If there is one thing that can get my mind off of whatever the hell this mess is it's gotta be clothes." Aaliyah smiled and nodded happy to know that she wouldn't have to worry about Allie stirring the pot before she even knew what was brewing. The two royal girls shared a quick hug before parting ways to go to their individual classes.
"Allie gonna kill you. No actually Allie's gonna kill her. I can't say for sure what she'll do to you." Jasmine said as leaning on the wall outside of her vocal class. Isaiah had escorted her to class while filling her in on what had happened between him and Angelina. He was hoping that if Jasmine's reaction wasn't so bad that maybe it meant when Aaliyah and Alessandra found out they wouldn't take the news as bad as he knew they would. "Really?! Kill." Jasmine shrugged her shoulders as she looked at the people entering the classroom. "Do you think my sister will go to hell for killing an angel?" Jasmine joked with a laugh as Isaiah stood beside her giving not one chuckle. "Your not funny." Jasmine only laughed harder for a moment before recollecting herself sensing that her bestie was really stressing out about his current situation.
"Everything will be fine Izzy. Just play the date down when they bring it up. Make it seem like it's nothing. Or better yet if you can get Leah on your side." Isaiah sighed. "You say that like it'll be easy." Jasmine shrugged yet again. "I said nothing about easy, but, it's been over a year since you screwed up your chances of being my step-brother in-law. If you and Allie haven't gotten back together yet you probably never will. As her sister and your best friend my hands are pretty tied in this case. But, Allie as both of your besties has more wiggle room than I do and we both know if there is anyone Allie's gonna listen to in this case it's gonna be the Queen Bee." The late bell rang and what few kids were left in the halls begin racing into their classrooms. "Wish me luck." Isaiah said giving Jasmine a quick hug. Giving him a peck on the cheek she smiled, "Good luck Izzy." Jasmine went into her classroom and Isaiah walked the deserted halls to his second period.
Finding the school wasn't really hard. Erik had been smart enough to find his way there a few days ago, and besides he could always just follow the stream of teenagers heading in the same direction. Surprisingly enough a two hour workout at somewhere around midnight, after a party, wasn't really the best idea for staying awake at school, and by the time Erik reached the schoolground he was yawning every other minute. Luckily his first class was history, so he could probably sleep through that and make a great first impression.
Finding his locker took allot more time than Erik had ever imagined. Even with the printed out map of the school, and his superior map reading abilities -which included him walking around with the map upside down for a minute- Eventually Erik did find it, pretty much in the middle of the school and perfectly placed just between the lockers of two huge, judging by their muscle, jocks. Probably linebackers or something, of course they could be anything else, Erik only knew two types of players, linebackers and quarterbacks. "Sorry fellas, juuust have to squeeze through here if you don't mind"Erik said and granted the jocks one of his best smiles. They looked puzzled for a second, probably trying to guess where Erik's accent was from, "You from Europe or something?"The one to the left, a 6'2 fella with the size of a bodybuilder and brown hair, asked and looked Erik over with a surprisingly polite tone. "Yeah, Norway actually" Erik said with an honest smile as the jocks took a step to the side so he could reach his own locker "That's where the vikings came from or something right? the right one said, a guy with pretty much the same build as his counterpart but this one had california blonde hair. "Right you are pall, so watch outErik said and slung his backpack into the locker, then he remembered that sporty dudes were somewhere at the top of the social hierarchy common in american high schools "By the way, you guys rule this school right?"
"Well, sort of,,, Ricardo is the chief around here, but we.. Erik cut brown hair of before he could finish "Great, if you run into a chick named Sienna, tell her Erik said hi okay?" He didn't leave the jocks enough time to confirm before he noticed that he was a couple minutes from being late to his history class "See you fuckers later" Maybe calling two of the biggest guys he'd met so far 'fuckers' wasn't the best idea, but Erik didn't really care. To be honest he just hoped they wouldn't forget it, he also hoped he wouldn't be late for his first class, not at the first day at least!
Shailene decided to not test Alessandra's patience and conceded when asked to head to school. Not that she was intimidated by her best friend in the slightest. Despite their closeness, they still bumped heads. The difference was that they could get over it. Before, she would fume to Chad about how much the other brunette just drove her crazy and had her two seconds from collapsing out of sheer annoyance. Dramatic, yes, but she learned that Alessandra was simply headstrong and got over it. Like, at the moment she was upset with her and Linn for taking so long (which technically wasn't Shailene's fault if you actually thought things through), but Shailene wasn't going to make an argument about it. They were late, she reasoned, and that's what the big deal was. So, on the journey, she posed in a few pics with Linn (mostly because the outfit was darling) and posted them on Instagram. It didn't take long for there to be over one-hundred likes. Once they got to campus, she noticed that Allie had a look on her face, which hadn't been the one she had at the house because of their tardiness, but the brunette had disappeared down the hall before she could say anything. Shailene smiled at the others before heading off too; she had text Sienna and Chad earlier.
"Seriously? You spent your first period taking selfies with Tori?" The girls in question glanced over at the door of the girls' bathroom to see Shailene leaning against the wall with arms folded over her chest. Tori, at least, had the audacity to grin sheepishly. Sienna just looked like the devil. "You two are a mess." Shay said with a chuckle and a shake of her head.
"It's not like I missed much. I only left in the last fifteen minutes. She was going over introductions and all that basic shit. We didn't even do any warm-ups, btw," Sienna said and returned to the mirror to reapply a nice little layer of gloss. "You should probably be more worried about your bestie than me, though." Shay straightened up then.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tori took Sienna's phone from off the sink and handed it to Shailene, who promptly unlocked the device and her eyes widened as pictures were the first thing she saw. And oh, the pictures! "No fucking way! Angel and Izzy!" Shailene could already picture how upset Alessandra had to be and it sucked because it was the first day. She shouldn't be upset with Isaiah, she really shouldn't. She should be happy for him. At least, he was getting some. At the same time, all she could picture was Alessandra's face when the two were broken up and how much she her best friend missed being with him. But then a thought struck her. "Wait, how did you get this?" Sienna rolled her eyes.
"You're the Royal here, use your resources," Sienna said vaguely and put away her remaining make-up material. "A few wannabes have never made it as Devil Girls in auditions before. I told them they had a chance if they played as my little minions." Shailene gaped.
"That's so mean." Sienna could only grin at her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her out with a, "And that's why you're my favorite Royal." Sienna loved Shailene because she was secretly wild, because she was a sexual being and wasn't afraid to admit that. She loved her because she was a force to be reckoned with when she was mad; the girl rivalled Ricky during those times. Most of all, she loved her because unlike a few of these Royals, Shailene didn't scheme on a regular basis. She had the capacity; what she did to another model during a show had been downright brutal and it was one of those times that Shailene didn't have to raise a damn hand. Scheming and doing underhanded crap - Shailene wasn't there for that, not all the time. It was refreshing in a school where you were secretly scheming and just downright evil, or you kinda faked it til you made it. On some days, Sienna wished she was more like Shailene.
The bell rang and Ricardo met Chadwick outside of his classroom, the latter still holding on to Shailene's bag. He could have put it in her locker since they knew each other's combinations, but had decided against it. Besides, no one actually did much in those class intervals on the first day. It mostly consisted of introductions and taking notes on the syllabus. He nodded to his best friend when he saw him.
"You look like the cat that ate the canary." He commented wryly and the very knowing grin on Ricky's face had Chadwick wary. Ric only punched his best friend's arm and led him down the hall.
"And you need to catch up," he replied back as they made their way through the bustling crowd of students. "You said that this year was supposed to be the year and Izz is already beating you." Chad simply raised an eyebrow. "A few of my guys told me that he and Angelina were talking and well, you don't just walk away from a talk like that without something having happened." Chad wasn't surprised really, not by Izzy's conquest nor by Ric obtaining information. He simply nodded to himself. He had bee sucking in the actually-having-fun department. Before he could respond, a small body slammed into his.
"You are a lifesaver!" Shailene exclaimed after hugging him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. She turned to Ricky only briefly. "Don't have much time to scream at you, but know that you had me worried, mister." She also pecked Ricky on the cheek and gave him a short but tight hug. "Ok, love you guy, but I can't be late for any more classes." With that, Shailene pushed through the people, though most moved out of her way upon realizing who she was. She would text Alessanda during class, if she could.
"Seriously? You spent your first period taking selfies with Tori?" The girls in question glanced over at the door of the girls' bathroom to see Shailene leaning against the wall with arms folded over her chest. Tori, at least, had the audacity to grin sheepishly. Sienna just looked like the devil. "You two are a mess." Shay said with a chuckle and a shake of her head.
"It's not like I missed much. I only left in the last fifteen minutes. She was going over introductions and all that basic shit. We didn't even do any warm-ups, btw," Sienna said and returned to the mirror to reapply a nice little layer of gloss. "You should probably be more worried about your bestie than me, though." Shay straightened up then.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tori took Sienna's phone from off the sink and handed it to Shailene, who promptly unlocked the device and her eyes widened as pictures were the first thing she saw. And oh, the pictures! "No fucking way! Angel and Izzy!" Shailene could already picture how upset Alessandra had to be and it sucked because it was the first day. She shouldn't be upset with Isaiah, she really shouldn't. She should be happy for him. At least, he was getting some. At the same time, all she could picture was Alessandra's face when the two were broken up and how much she her best friend missed being with him. But then a thought struck her. "Wait, how did you get this?" Sienna rolled her eyes.
"You're the Royal here, use your resources," Sienna said vaguely and put away her remaining make-up material. "A few wannabes have never made it as Devil Girls in auditions before. I told them they had a chance if they played as my little minions." Shailene gaped.
"That's so mean." Sienna could only grin at her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her out with a, "And that's why you're my favorite Royal." Sienna loved Shailene because she was secretly wild, because she was a sexual being and wasn't afraid to admit that. She loved her because she was a force to be reckoned with when she was mad; the girl rivalled Ricky during those times. Most of all, she loved her because unlike a few of these Royals, Shailene didn't scheme on a regular basis. She had the capacity; what she did to another model during a show had been downright brutal and it was one of those times that Shailene didn't have to raise a damn hand. Scheming and doing underhanded crap - Shailene wasn't there for that, not all the time. It was refreshing in a school where you were secretly scheming and just downright evil, or you kinda faked it til you made it. On some days, Sienna wished she was more like Shailene.
The bell rang and Ricardo met Chadwick outside of his classroom, the latter still holding on to Shailene's bag. He could have put it in her locker since they knew each other's combinations, but had decided against it. Besides, no one actually did much in those class intervals on the first day. It mostly consisted of introductions and taking notes on the syllabus. He nodded to his best friend when he saw him.
"You look like the cat that ate the canary." He commented wryly and the very knowing grin on Ricky's face had Chadwick wary. Ric only punched his best friend's arm and led him down the hall.
"And you need to catch up," he replied back as they made their way through the bustling crowd of students. "You said that this year was supposed to be the year and Izz is already beating you." Chad simply raised an eyebrow. "A few of my guys told me that he and Angelina were talking and well, you don't just walk away from a talk like that without something having happened." Chad wasn't surprised really, not by Izzy's conquest nor by Ric obtaining information. He simply nodded to himself. He had bee sucking in the actually-having-fun department. Before he could respond, a small body slammed into his.
"You are a lifesaver!" Shailene exclaimed after hugging him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. She turned to Ricky only briefly. "Don't have much time to scream at you, but know that you had me worried, mister." She also pecked Ricky on the cheek and gave him a short but tight hug. "Ok, love you guy, but I can't be late for any more classes." With that, Shailene pushed through the people, though most moved out of her way upon realizing who she was. She would text Alessanda during class, if she could.
Isaiah was let out of his second period class ten minutes before the dismissal bell rang along with the other students in his Sports and Entertainment Marketing class. "Hey Izzy!" Jackson shouted as he raced down the hall to catch up to Isaiah who stopped and waited for him. "What's up?" Isaiah said as he started walking again when Jackson caught up. "You going to Venice?" Isaiah looked at Jackson with a raised brow "When and why?" A dumbfounded expression came across Jackson's face "Dude! When is now and why is because first days fucking suck!," Jackson exclaimed gaining a chuckle from Isaiah before he continued, "Everyones going Iz. You've gotta go!" The two boys stopped in the middle of the hallway as Isaiah pondered on the idea for a moment before saying, "What the hell. Senior year, right?" A grin that spread from ear to ear appeared on Jackson's face as the King of Jocks agreed to go to Venice. "YES! Alright the majority of the jocks are going to be chilling at the rec center. If I see you there maybe will get a game going and I can kick your ass in front of everyone." Isaiah rolled his eyes with a smirk. "If you think you can even come close to me in any sport am thinking that Ricky may have kicked your ass worst than I originally thought. You may want to take a quick detour on your way to Venice and get looked at by a doctor." The two jocks laughed as they pounded and went their separate ways.
A part of Isaiah wanted to see Angelina and see if she was going to Venice, but he didn't know he schedule to know where in the school she was. Plus, he figured he should probably distance himself from her until he spoke with Aaliyah about his current predicament. Instead of just going to his car and heading to Venice Beach on his own he walked to the class that he had escorted Jasmine to getting there just as the bell rung dismissing students from their second period classes. "Jazzy Jas!" He yelled as he popped up behind her wrapping his biceps around her and giving her a hug. "Come with me to Venice? Right now!" Breaking out of her best friend's hold she looked at him with her 'are you crazy face'. "Venice?! You know what I don't even wanna know. I've got dance Izzy." Isaiah gently took hold of her wrist and pulled her to him to keep her from going anywhere. "Which you won't even be doing today. Come on Jas. It's the first day of school and I won't be here to make you ditch during your senior year so I've got to get you to do it at least once during my senior year. Rather it be now when you have nothing to lose than later when you have everything." Jasmine rolled her eyes to which Isaiah responded by giving her his puppy dog eyes. "I fucking hate you sometimes." "Yes!" Isaiah said wrapping his arms around her and picking her up off the ground as he spun them both around.
"We're going to Venice." Aaliyah told Alessandra as she exited her second period class. "What? When?" Alessandra asked clearly confused as she started walking in the direction of her next class. "Now." Aaliyah said gripping Alessandra by her arm and yanking the brunette back to her. "Okay ouch." Alessandra said pulling herself out of Aaliyah out grasps. "What's in Venice?" Aaliyah shrugged in response to Alessandra's question. "Don't know but everyones going. Which means we're going. Let's go." Alessandra wasn't about to argue with the Queen Bee. There in truth would be no point to it and as much as she had hoped fashion would get her mind off of the Angelina and Isaiah photos swarming all over the school it hadn't. Mostly due to the fact that they didn't even doing anything fashion related during class. "Alright. I'll text Jas, Shay and Linn and see if they need a ride to the beach." Alessandra said whipping out her phone as she and Aaliyah made their way to the student parking lot.
"No." Shailene just leaned on the tips of her toes, not pouting but smiling in the cutest manner that she could. Sienna was leaning against Ricky, who was propped up against his locker which was conveniently located beside Chad's. Chad rubbed the bridge of his nose, irritated, before meeting the diminutive brunette's hazel gaze. "Shay, we have class."
"Dude, if I stay in class any longer, I'm gonna combust. Suck it up and bring your ass," Sienna exclaimed and Ricky laughed lightly. Chad rolled his eyes and Shailene practically vibrated. She could see already see him conceding even if he did want to admit it. Everyone was apparently going to Venice, Ric had told them upon picking Shailene up from class. Literally, he had hoisted her up out of her seat before she could grab her bag, got it himself, and proceeded to head to his locker where he had text Sienna and Chad to meet them. She had glowered at first, but only until he explain Allie sent her a text, which had pretty much as much confirmation as she needed. She had texted her best friend immediately and told her she was coming. Sienna groaned. "Dude, just admit that you're whipped and let's go. I personally want a milkshake and you do too. Plus, I'd love to see Ric get his ass beat by Izzy in a game." Ricky snorted derisively.
"Fuck you." Sienna rolled her eyes with a grin.
"We've been over this, Ricky. Not until you've been tested twice." She had said it sweetly that Chad laughed a little and Shailene only smirked. Shay grabbed her bag from Chad before poking him in the chest.
"You're going. End of story. I'll see you all there." She tossed her best friend a very pointed look before heading down the hall. She had been late too many times in the last two days. She didn't think being late now would be helpful and plus, this would be the perfect time to see if Allie needed a girl moment. The last thing she needed, Shailene surmised, was to be in Izzy's presence so soon without at least having some time with the girls. And there was a spa over in that direction too.
"Fine, whatever. We'll go. But no fights, Ricky." Chad finally said once Shailene was away and Sienna grinned, triumphant. Ricky gave an almost insulted look.
"You guys act like I get into fights on a regular." Sienna shrugged and before her best friend could put on his backpack, she hopped onto his back. Ric pretended to stumble at the added weight. "Dude, I can feel your fat ass trying break my back."
"Just means you're either getting old, old man, or you seriously need to lift more weights," she countered and after Ricardo readjusted her so that he could hook his arms under her long legs and her arms were around his shoulders, they were off with Chad shaking his head at their antics.
"You guys are such kids." Sienna beamed at him.
"And that's why you love us!" He only smirked. "Sienna, Ric! Hold up!" Jackson called from behind just as they approached the front door. Sienna slid down at that point, turning around so that she could fold her arms over her chest and stare levelly at the other jock. Ric didn't react much, he just turned to face the guy. Nervously, Jackson rubbed the back of his head. "Look, about last night - " Sienna cut him off. "Don't wanna hear it. What do you want?" She didn't see the look Ric tossed her from behind. Jackson sighed before saying, "There's this dude, Erik. That's what the others called him. Anyway, he was asking about you and I just thought you should know it." He had told her to get on her good side, she surmised. Ricky and Chadwick, meanwhile, had cast each other a sidelong glance about the guy she hadn't told them about and were currently grinning from ear to ear. Sienna, despite the tough façade she was playing, couldn't fight back the small smile that formed on her face and she bit her lower lip a little. Straightening herself before anyone could tease her about it, she cast Jackson an impercitbly blank face before grinning a little. "Then invite him to Venice. In fact, you should give him a ride. And give him my number." Jackson gaped. "But we're about to leave now." Sienna shrugged. "Then I guess you better hurry up." She didn't wait for Jackson to concede; she just knew he would and headed outside. The guys stood together for a moment in silence and before Jackson could utter an apology, Ric clapped his hand on the guy's shoulder. "I'm over it. See you at Venice, man." The three pounded before the guys headed outside to antagonize Sienna.
Meanwhile, Shailene hurried over to the parking lot where she found Alessandra and Aaliyah. She smiled. "So, what's the plan?"
"Dude, if I stay in class any longer, I'm gonna combust. Suck it up and bring your ass," Sienna exclaimed and Ricky laughed lightly. Chad rolled his eyes and Shailene practically vibrated. She could see already see him conceding even if he did want to admit it. Everyone was apparently going to Venice, Ric had told them upon picking Shailene up from class. Literally, he had hoisted her up out of her seat before she could grab her bag, got it himself, and proceeded to head to his locker where he had text Sienna and Chad to meet them. She had glowered at first, but only until he explain Allie sent her a text, which had pretty much as much confirmation as she needed. She had texted her best friend immediately and told her she was coming. Sienna groaned. "Dude, just admit that you're whipped and let's go. I personally want a milkshake and you do too. Plus, I'd love to see Ric get his ass beat by Izzy in a game." Ricky snorted derisively.
"Fuck you." Sienna rolled her eyes with a grin.
"We've been over this, Ricky. Not until you've been tested twice." She had said it sweetly that Chad laughed a little and Shailene only smirked. Shay grabbed her bag from Chad before poking him in the chest.
"You're going. End of story. I'll see you all there." She tossed her best friend a very pointed look before heading down the hall. She had been late too many times in the last two days. She didn't think being late now would be helpful and plus, this would be the perfect time to see if Allie needed a girl moment. The last thing she needed, Shailene surmised, was to be in Izzy's presence so soon without at least having some time with the girls. And there was a spa over in that direction too.
"Fine, whatever. We'll go. But no fights, Ricky." Chad finally said once Shailene was away and Sienna grinned, triumphant. Ricky gave an almost insulted look.
"You guys act like I get into fights on a regular." Sienna shrugged and before her best friend could put on his backpack, she hopped onto his back. Ric pretended to stumble at the added weight. "Dude, I can feel your fat ass trying break my back."
"Just means you're either getting old, old man, or you seriously need to lift more weights," she countered and after Ricardo readjusted her so that he could hook his arms under her long legs and her arms were around his shoulders, they were off with Chad shaking his head at their antics.
"You guys are such kids." Sienna beamed at him.
"And that's why you love us!" He only smirked. "Sienna, Ric! Hold up!" Jackson called from behind just as they approached the front door. Sienna slid down at that point, turning around so that she could fold her arms over her chest and stare levelly at the other jock. Ric didn't react much, he just turned to face the guy. Nervously, Jackson rubbed the back of his head. "Look, about last night - " Sienna cut him off. "Don't wanna hear it. What do you want?" She didn't see the look Ric tossed her from behind. Jackson sighed before saying, "There's this dude, Erik. That's what the others called him. Anyway, he was asking about you and I just thought you should know it." He had told her to get on her good side, she surmised. Ricky and Chadwick, meanwhile, had cast each other a sidelong glance about the guy she hadn't told them about and were currently grinning from ear to ear. Sienna, despite the tough façade she was playing, couldn't fight back the small smile that formed on her face and she bit her lower lip a little. Straightening herself before anyone could tease her about it, she cast Jackson an impercitbly blank face before grinning a little. "Then invite him to Venice. In fact, you should give him a ride. And give him my number." Jackson gaped. "But we're about to leave now." Sienna shrugged. "Then I guess you better hurry up." She didn't wait for Jackson to concede; she just knew he would and headed outside. The guys stood together for a moment in silence and before Jackson could utter an apology, Ric clapped his hand on the guy's shoulder. "I'm over it. See you at Venice, man." The three pounded before the guys headed outside to antagonize Sienna.
Meanwhile, Shailene hurried over to the parking lot where she found Alessandra and Aaliyah. She smiled. "So, what's the plan?"
"So, what's the plan?" Shailene said when she found the two girls in the parking lot waiting by their cars. "No plans just yet. Just waiting on Linn." Alessandra said as she opened her car door and sat down inside leaving the door open. She sat in a sideways position so that her leggy, olive skinned legs hung outside the car. "So, what are we going to do if the pictures are exactly what they appear to be?" Alessandra asked looking over at Aaliyah who was sitting in the passenger side of her car in the same manner as Alessandra was currently on her phone.
To: Cat
Heading to Venice. R u coming?
Aaliyah looked up from her phone for a moment just to give Alessandra a look before she looked back down at her phone and pressed send. She hadn't seen Catalina in what seemed like forever. Before she could find her at Isaiah's party the whole fight had broke out and this morning her bestie was busy having breakfast with Sienna and her posse. Aaliyah was still trying to figure out what she felt and thought about the pictures that she had been sent this morning that for now she was keeping to herself for the meantime and now on top of that she had Alessandra's possible drama with Izzy and Angel to worry about. "Facts first. Drama later." Aaliyah said simply as she placed her phone in the cup holder compartment.
"Hola chicas." Jasmine said as she joined the three royal ladies. "I'm not getting in the middle." Jasmine spoke directly to her sister before Alessandra even had the opportunity to press her for information. "Your my sister and he's my bestie. At the end of the day you know I have your back but am staying my unpopular ass out of popular folks business." Alessandra rolled her eyes in annoyance but she respected what her sister was saying and understood why she didn't want any parts in whatever was to come. "Just in the car." Alessandra said as she checked her phone to see if Linnaea had texted her back yet.
"Do you know where in Venice Izzy is going?" Aaliyah asked figuring Jasmine would know. "Rec center. Apparently that's where all the jocks are meeting up." Aaliyah nodded getting up out of her car. "I should get going then. Jas I leave you with the impossible task of getting your sister's mind off of her imagined drama. Good luck." Jasmine giggled as Aaliyah walked around to the driver side of her car. As the Queen Bee drove off Jasmine turned her attention to her sister who was looking like a kicked puppy. "How bout some retail therapy? Let's go to Abbot Kinney. We can shop for a couple of hours and then have lunch at Centanni Trattoria." Alessandra mood did a complete 180 as she now wore a smile from ear to ear. She loved shopping and Centanni Trattoria was her favorite restaurant in Venice. "Now that's a plan. I'll give Linn another thirty seconds and then we are leaving without her. Both you bitches in. Now."
Americas history turned out to be more boring that Erik had ever expected. It also turned out that the teacher, a mr.Strafford, was the strictest 60 year old ever created. As a direct consequence of that Erik's attempt at getting some sleep had turned out disastrous and now he had detention, most likely he also had a teacher that really disliked him; what a great start of the schoolyear! Another thing he learned about mr.Strafford was that he as most other teachers did not like to be corrected. During the introduction to the class he had given a brief history on America, leading with "Columbus discovered america in ...." and Erik had sort of interrupted and informed the teacher that it was in fact a Norwegian explorer called Leif Erikson that discovered america first. Strafford did not like that, at all. So when the bell finally rung Erik almost ran out of the classroom.
Back at his locker he met another jock, not one of his lockermates though. "Hi! You are Erik right?" The dude asked, Erik had a feeling he had seen him before, but he couldn't really remember where. "Yeah, tell me... have we met befo--"then it struck him, this was one of those champions who ruined last nights party "Wait! you are one of those fighters from the party right?"Erik exclaimed with a smile on his face "uhmm... yeah"He did look like he wanted to say something else but Erik cut him of "Awesome, have to admit; you had some decent punches there. Didn't really see much of it, but you should try to use your body more when you hit" Erik extended his hand towards the jock who now stood with a little puzzled look on his face, but he grabbed Erik's hand nonetheless and gave it a small shake "Uhm, thanks.. I'm Jackson. A bunch of us are going to venice and Sienna told me to get you" Jackson said with a quick glance at his watch. Erik had to admit that he wasn't completely sure how they were going to get to Italy and back by tomorrow, but then Jackson explained a little further "Oh yeah, you're not native. Venice is a beach" "yeah, that makes allot more sense than Italy... uhm... I really shouldn't skip first day" Erik said as he threw the historybook into the locker, he could barley hear Jackson's sigh over the sound of himself smashing the locker shut "look man, Sienna will have someone kill me if I don't bring you, and I'm already on her bad side so please? Besides, one day isn't much" Erik couldn't argue with Jackson being on allot of people's bad side at the moment, and just because Erik was such a nice guy he decided to go with him. Also Sienna was gorgeous and her in swimwear sounded allot more interesting than school. "Fair point, lead the way mate"
A couple minutes later Erik was sandwiched between two other dudes in the back of Jackson's surprisingly nice car heading for a place called Rec Center. "Here, Sienna told me to give this to you" Jackson said and handed Erik a small piece of paper with a phone number on it, Erik being the brilliant detective he was quickly deciphered it as Sienna's. [color=brown]"Danke shön mine kumpel"[/b] Erik said in German as he put her number into his own phone. Then he decided to send her a text, just to see if he actually got the number right, or if it was just a trick.
to: Sienna <3
"Hey, thx for the number. Just thought I should let you know that your pall can live another few days. Very convincing fellow. See you soon I hope :D"
"Hey, thx for the number. Just thought I should let you know that your pall can live another few days. Very convincing fellow. See you soon I hope :D"
"Guys, seriously?" Sienna asked when she looked up from her phone in the backseat to see Chad glancing back at her sheepishly through the rear view mirror and Ricardo blatantly staring at her. She had been browsing through the latest Instagram feed; her pic with Chad gained more likes and praise through comments, and her selfies were getting straight up compliments. She saw a few numbers in the comments too, but she was gonna ignore that for another time. She had been texting Tori and some of the others about the new guy, which led to a nice teasing fest since everyone had remembered them at the party. Sighing, she looked up to see her boys still staring. "I will slap both of you if you don't stop." Ric grinned and Chad laughed.
"Coming from the person who hounds us all day about any person who shows us attention." Sienna rolled her eyes and leaned up into the space between the driver seat and the passenger seat, arms draped over the backs of the seats and her phone in her lap.
"Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I wasn't checking to make sure that you're using protection, young lady? It's a dangerous world out in these streets." Sienna guffawed.
"Ok, Dad. And what the hell would you know about these streets, rich boy?" Not that Sienna knew much about that life either, but still. Her phone pinged to signal another text, but before she could get it, Ric had already snatch it up. "Ric, give me my phone!" He moved out of reach and pushed back at her grabby hands, flipping through the touch screen so that he could get to her text messages. Chad shook his head.
"Looks like it's from her new boy toy," he told Chad as if Sienna wasn't in the car. Ric cleared his throat despite her protests and began to read it aloud, "Hey, thanks for the number. Just thought I should let you know that your pal can live for another few days. Very convincing fellow. See you soon I hope." Sienna glowered at her best friend and Ric gave her a pitifully pleased look. "And he even gave you a heart and a smiley face, look!" The boys laughed at that and before Sienna managed to snatch her phone back, she slapped Ric on the back of his head before collapsing back into the backseat.
"Je vous déteste," she muttered before sprawling on the backseat so that she could be on her back. A little pleased smile because of the fact that she had still been on Erik's mind despite the hectic night made its way to her face and after saving his number in her phone, she sent him a text.
To: Erik
What can I say? I'm a very convincing person too. See you in a bit.
Shailene leaned against the vehicle idly, opting to not sit down for too long. As she did so, she also crossed her legs a little to be a bit more comfortable. She had just been sitting for an entire class period; she really didn't feel like sitting down again so soon. Besides, as Alessandra said, they were waiting on Linn. She didn't make a comment about the Izzy and Angelina thing, but hummed in agreement to Aaliyah's saying of 'facts first, drama later.' They didn't always agree on things, but Shailene was definitely on Aaliyah's side in this light. There was no point in charging headfirst into unknown territory when it was obvious that there were two sides to the story. And while Allie had probably already started conjuring up ways to get back at Angelina, Shay didn't think any of them would do. Not until she had at least talked to Izzy. Or get over him, she wanted to add, but bit her tongue.
She smiled at Jasmine's suggestion of retail therapy and even more-so, Centanni Trattoria. It was a great restaurant and Shailene was actually down with shopping. She hadn't bought much during their last excursion and truthfully, she wanted a few more skirts. Jeans had begun to take up her wardrobe and that just wouldn't do. Besides, it was always fun trying on different things with Allie and Jas. "Now, you're talking my language. And I love Centanni's risotto." Shailene climbed into the vehicle then, checking her wallet to make sure she had both her cash and her credit cards. Not that she was going to spend it all at once, but one could never be too careful.
"Coming from the person who hounds us all day about any person who shows us attention." Sienna rolled her eyes and leaned up into the space between the driver seat and the passenger seat, arms draped over the backs of the seats and her phone in her lap.
"Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I wasn't checking to make sure that you're using protection, young lady? It's a dangerous world out in these streets." Sienna guffawed.
"Ok, Dad. And what the hell would you know about these streets, rich boy?" Not that Sienna knew much about that life either, but still. Her phone pinged to signal another text, but before she could get it, Ric had already snatch it up. "Ric, give me my phone!" He moved out of reach and pushed back at her grabby hands, flipping through the touch screen so that he could get to her text messages. Chad shook his head.
"Looks like it's from her new boy toy," he told Chad as if Sienna wasn't in the car. Ric cleared his throat despite her protests and began to read it aloud, "Hey, thanks for the number. Just thought I should let you know that your pal can live for another few days. Very convincing fellow. See you soon I hope." Sienna glowered at her best friend and Ric gave her a pitifully pleased look. "And he even gave you a heart and a smiley face, look!" The boys laughed at that and before Sienna managed to snatch her phone back, she slapped Ric on the back of his head before collapsing back into the backseat.
"Je vous déteste," she muttered before sprawling on the backseat so that she could be on her back. A little pleased smile because of the fact that she had still been on Erik's mind despite the hectic night made its way to her face and after saving his number in her phone, she sent him a text.
To: Erik
What can I say? I'm a very convincing person too. See you in a bit.
Shailene leaned against the vehicle idly, opting to not sit down for too long. As she did so, she also crossed her legs a little to be a bit more comfortable. She had just been sitting for an entire class period; she really didn't feel like sitting down again so soon. Besides, as Alessandra said, they were waiting on Linn. She didn't make a comment about the Izzy and Angelina thing, but hummed in agreement to Aaliyah's saying of 'facts first, drama later.' They didn't always agree on things, but Shailene was definitely on Aaliyah's side in this light. There was no point in charging headfirst into unknown territory when it was obvious that there were two sides to the story. And while Allie had probably already started conjuring up ways to get back at Angelina, Shay didn't think any of them would do. Not until she had at least talked to Izzy. Or get over him, she wanted to add, but bit her tongue.
She smiled at Jasmine's suggestion of retail therapy and even more-so, Centanni Trattoria. It was a great restaurant and Shailene was actually down with shopping. She hadn't bought much during their last excursion and truthfully, she wanted a few more skirts. Jeans had begun to take up her wardrobe and that just wouldn't do. Besides, it was always fun trying on different things with Allie and Jas. "Now, you're talking my language. And I love Centanni's risotto." Shailene climbed into the vehicle then, checking her wallet to make sure she had both her cash and her credit cards. Not that she was going to spend it all at once, but one could never be too careful.
Honey went through her day in the same lax manner that she had adopted. She was surprised to hear that right after the fight at the party everyone was ready to party at Venice today. She was going to bum a ride off Ricky but decided to get in her own SUV. She wanted to stop by her house anyway.
She came home to an empty house as usual. She figured her nephew was with the nanny and his mother was being a waste of time. She quickly peeled off her clothes. She changed into a crochet halter top. She bought it for Coachella but it was quickly becoming a favorite. She slipped on frayed high waisted shorts. They weren't as short as the ones from the party but they did show a little cheek. She slid a flower crown in her hair and tucked her tan heart shaped glasses in her bag before slipping on her Jeffrey Campbell flats and heading to the elevator.
She quickly sent out a text to her friends. All of which she hadn't seen since last night. She was becoming frustrated with Aliyah. They used to talk everyday but now she was lucky to get a text. Just as she was about to text her her phone lit up with a text from her.
To:Aliyah
Of course meet you there. Text me when you get there
Of course meet you there. Text me when you get there
Honey grinned as Venice came into view. She always loved it here, it had such a fun vibe. She hopped out her car and slipped on the heart shaped glasses. Not many people could pull off the look but Honey always looked like she was headed to a festival so people were pretty used to it. She pulled out her phone and shot a selfie before posting it on instagram. Then sent out a tweet about venice.
To: Chad
Hey coming to Venice?
To: Shay
Hey I just got to Venice, what's the plan?
Hey coming to Venice?
To: Shay
Hey I just got to Venice, what's the plan?
"So you're from Scandinavia or something?"Jackson asked from the driver seat, casting a quick look up at the rear view mirror to look at Erik, "Yup, a real viking sitting back here" Erik replied with a joking tone and added with a little wink "So you better watch out" The joke didn't really hit home as the only response he got from the other jocks was a sort of snort from the guy to his right. "So why did you decide to come to America?" Erik had to take a short moment to come up with a more awesome story than the fact that he had been too late to apply for anywhere else. "Well, I've watched allot of movies. Plus I've heard stories. America seemed awesome and so far it actually has lived up to its reputation" Erik had to laugh a little to himself before he added "So basically I came here to live the American dream" That joke worked, the tallest one in the car actually laughed. "hey man, I think I read something about the exchange thing, aren't you supposed to be, like, sent to the countryside or something? How the hell did you end up in LA?" This time it was a the black kid to the left of Erik who asked. This was pretty much the best chance Erik would have to come up with a kickass back story. "Well, I shouldn't really tell you this"[/b] He started with a secretive voice [color=brown]"but my father is a rather powerful man back home. I used his contacts in the government to send me here" Erik made sure to make his voice sound like he was telling a secret. He even leaned a little forward to further increase the impression. "Wow man, really? what you father do for a living? The black kid asked in a sort of awestruck voice. "Well.... I guess I can tell you as much as this: He is pretty high ranking among the special forces. Military Intelligence. Pretty much at the tippety top."
Luckily enough they believed him, at least it sounded that way. They did ask allot of questions about his father, but Erik just responded with something about classified information and such. "okay, just stop asking. I can't tell you any more than what you already know" Jackson laughed a little, maybe he didn't completely believe Erik after all, but he did change the subject. "So how did you nail Sienna?" He asked with a mockery in his voice. "Well, I don't think I literately nailed her. We only danced a little, shared a brief kiss over the beautiful sight of two roosters fighting in a pool. But I think it must have been my extremely powerful aura that attracted her to me" Erik said in the same tone as Jackson. "But more importantly, may I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"He asked looking at the other jocks. "yeah, of course man" the black one said and started to point around the car "The one on the other side of you is Larry, the silent one in the front is Frank and you know Jackson.
A few minutes later the car pulled up in front of the center, and not soon after that Jackson and the other jocks had started a game of basketball, they had even been nice enough to invite him to join them. So now Erik was running up and down the court in his AC/DC T-shirt and jeans with the other jocks. He was far from the best player among them, but he wasn't the worst either.
As Angel was put down from the ground by her dance partner, Edgar she gave him a high-five before leaving her to grab his phone just to get the tenth picture of Izzy and Angel together. He just rolled his eyes before stuffing his phone in his dance pants pocket. Angel saw him roll his blue eyes which made her raise an eyebrow as he looked back at her with a devious smirk. "What are you looking at?" She asked him as she started walking towards the dressing room with Edgar in tow. He just shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. Just looking at half of the cutest couple of Hollywood High." He said with a joking tone just as Angel groaned. All period, she had been getting looks from the other girls in the class as they whispered about her and would stop talking whenever she would come close to them. To be honest, it reminded her of her sophomore year when all the stuff with her parents was going on. She didn't say a word as she went to her small locker with her name written on it as she didn't want to say anything just for the information to get to Alessandra again. "What is with everyone today? We were just talking, there's nothing between me and that little pretty boy." She could hear a girl scoff before coming up to her and Edgar. "You know, Angel, a picture's worth a thousand words." Angel just rolled her eyes before turned back towards her locker to get everything out. She slipped off her top and started to get into her regular clothes as she watched one by one the girls exit the room, leaving only the two best friends. "Okay, so really. What's going on between you and Isaiah. From what I overheard this morning, he asked you on a date." Angel scoffed as she looked over to her friend. "It's not a date. He just asked if I wanted to hang out. She said as she just shrugged.
"Yea, right. Unlike you, I've seen the looks he gives you when you're not paying attention, I hear the things the guys say about you. And trust me, I think it was a date." Edgar said as he fixed his hat before smiling at his reflection one last time before closing his locker and leaning against it as he looked at Angel who was slipping on her white heels. She cleared her throat before looking up towards Edgar. "Oh please, Edgar. Like his little bodyguards would ever let him date me... On second thought, like he would ever want to date little orphan Annie." She said as she slid her backpack on as Ed softly nudged her. "You know I hate it when you call yourself that and Allie and Leah don't own him, you know? If he wants to go on a date then he's going to go on a date, he's a big boy and--.." Angel stepped in front of him with a serious face.
"And, he's a jock, an A-lister. What's he want with me?" Edgar just sighed as he wrapped an arm around the small girl and started walking again. "Angel, c'mon. What's not to love about you? You're sassy, sexy, and that accent of yours could make anyone want you." Angel rolled her eyes as she looked around at the people looking up from their phones to look at her only to look back down at their phones. "Do the pictures really look like we're... a couple of something?" Eddy chuckled as he nodded and unlocked his phones to show just a few of the pictures he got on his own from where he was. He swiped through them and stopped at one of Izzy's hand on her cheek as she looked up at him. She groaned as she rubbed her face in frustration. "You guys really do look adorable together." He said in sarcasm as he pinched Angel's cheek before she swatted his hand away while rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since entering the hallway. She looked back at the picture before sighing. "God, Alessandra's going to rip me to shreds. Edgar just chuckled as they entered their vocal class and took a seat near a window. "Oh, please. What's that little wannabee going to do. Get her army to attack you for dating a guy who dumped her like sophomore year? Besides, your knight in shinning armor said he would handle it. So, don't worry. Let's go practice." God, she loved Edgar. He always knew what to say to calm her nerves. As they laid their stuff down, they walked into one of the booths only to see Jasmine and Isaiah hugging right next to the door. "No, you're not going to start over thinking this. Keep walking." He said as he pushed her softly into the small sound booth. "You know everything about everyone, right?" Edgar shrugged as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I mean, I'd like to think I do."
"And you're my best friend."
"Of course."
"So, you would tell me, if there was something between those two?"
"Duh, who do you think I would tell first? Alessandra?" He asked with sarcasm in his voice."Is there anything between them?" Edgar could tell that she really was worried. He just sighed before pulling her in for a hug only to have her struggle to get out of it, she never did like hugs. "No, Angel there is nothing between them. From everything I've heard throughout the years, they're just friends." Angel just scoffed as she crossed her arms. "Seriously. Besides, you're ten times better than her... in every possible way. You have nothing to be jealous of." Angel's mouth just hung open as she shook her head. "I'm not jealous."
"Sure, you're not. C'mon let's practice." He said as he and Angel started to warm up their voices before their class started.
~~~~~~~ After Second Period ~~~~~~~~~
During their class, Edgar was looking at his phone a lot before finally showing Angel what he was up to. He, along with a few other students decided to skip the rest of the day and tell everyone to do the same. Angel smirked before nodding. But, after looking at the people he sent the message to aka almost every known or popular person in the school. She shook her head. Edgar just rolled his eyes before whispering in her ear. "Please, I'll be your bodyguard. Promise." Angel looked annoyed at him before sighing in defeat. If she didn't say yes, he would probably make her go against her will. Angel mouthed the word 'fine' before having Edgar kiss her cheek.
The bell rung and the two made their way to Edgar's locker, not far from the door of the vocal class as he went to grab his jacket as he put it on, the two looked towards the room just to see Jasmine and Isaiah again. It was adorable seeing Angel get worked up, especially since she rarely got like this over another person. He closed his locker door and grabbed her to go the other way to where he told his sister to wait. "Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you're jealous." Angel nudged him harder than before before getting all defensive. "I'm. Not. Jealous. I don't care." The small girl said as they two put on their sunglasses as they walked outside to see Evangeline. Edgar handed her the keys to their Bentley before pulling her close to him. "écraser la voiture et je vais vous tuer." {Crash the car and I kill you.}
Evangeline just smiled before nodding and scurrying off. She was never much of a talker. The two made their way to Angel's car before pulling out of the parking lot with her music blasting. "I need to stop by my house to get a swimsuit." Edgar just whined before looking towards the girl. "No! Angel, you have a great body and you need a hot swimsuit to show that body off. All of yours just make you look kinda like a stick." Angel scoffed before shaking her head and sighing. "I don't have money like that anymore, Eddy to buy a new one--.."
"But, my sister and I do." He said with a kind smile on his face. "God, if you were my type I'd kiss you." Edgar just chuckled with her as he leaned his seat back to relax for the next twenty minutes before they got to his beachside house.
"Fuck it! Linnea can find her own ride to Venice. Am done waiting on people today." Alessandra said turning the key in the ignition starting her car. Alessandra was a very impatient person and she was not fond of waiting on people. The fact that she had not only waited on Shailene and Linnaea earlier today but allowed them to make her late for the first day of school was something that she did on the strength of friendship alone. In hindsight the fact that she only ended up attending one class before cutting out for the day made it less of a big deal but there was still the principle of the matter. Alessandra Ambrosia didn't wait on people. Everyone knew this about her and now here was Linnaea pulling the same stunt twice in one day. Who the hell did she think she was? Aaliyah Lapierre. It took a lot more than blonde hair to be the Queen Bee.
Alessandra drove the forty minutes from Hollywood to Venice. When they arrived on Abbot Kinney Blvd Alessandra parked her Rolls Royce on the strip. As she turned off the car she took out her phone and texted Aaliyah letting her know the game plan of the day. Once the text was sent she looked at the other two girls in the car, "Let's do this!"
On the court Isaiah and his team was destroying the other team. As it turned out Hollywood students weren't the only ones having a ditch day. When he arrived at the rec center dressed in his shorts and sneakers ready for some friendly competition between him and some of his teammates he found some of his fellow jocks ready to throw down with some jocks from Bernstein. There rival school. It hadn't taken him long to defuse the tension and get the Bernstein jocks to agreed to settle things on the court. They were currently in the second quarter of the game and his team was up by fifteen. Students from Hollywood cheered on the Isaiah and the Sheiks and those who he could only assume were from Bernstein cheered on their fellow Dragons.
Aaliyah had arrived ready to have a conversation with her childhood best friend but when she found him in the midst of what was looking like a semi-important game she decide to let Izzy do his thing. She would interrogate him once he'd won and was too tired to fight or lie to her. In the meantime she was busy taking selfies while paying some sort of attention to the game unfolding before her. She had gotten a text from both Catalina and Alessandra. She responded to both ladies texting Alessandra back first and then Catalina.
To: Allie
Meet you guys at Centanni Trattoria. Txt me when ur on ur way there.
To: Cat
Rec center.
Putting her phone away she cheered on her favorite jock as he made a three-pointer. She loved watching Isaiah play. Even when they were little Isaiah always had a way about him when he stepped onto a court or field. He just got into a zone that was all his own and no one could touch him.
Edited
"So, what's the score?" Ricky asked as they found a parking spot. Sienna slowly sat up, having been sprawled back on the backseat for the forty minute ride.
"Hold up, Stella's keeping score." She said and pulled her phone back out to text her friend and, hopefully, fellow cheerleader. She didn't doubt that Aaliyah would accept the girl once she tried out. Stella was too damn good of a tumbler for anyone to not accept. They needed people of her caliber and Aaliyah could fake all she wanted, but the brunette was going to be a Devil Girl. Even if it meant Sienna had to go over the captain's head. "Seven to five. We're in the lead." Chad's eyebrow rose for a second. He had just looked up from sending Honey a response, not having seen it while he was driving.
To: Honey
At the rec w/ Sienna, Ric and I think Stella. See you here.
"Stella's there? Didn't think she'd want to show up." Sienna shrugged and climbed out of the vehicle.
"She probably didn't check with Jas yet. One of the jocks asked her to keep score and record them so everyone could know what they need to work on when the season starts." It was a smart thing to do and besides, Stella would have probably made the calculations and such on her computer. She was a whiz at that thing and one of the only Preps who actually was. The girl could take a computer apart and put it back together in about an hour. Anything any of the Listers needed, she got them. It surprised Sienna that Stella caved, but then again, she hadn't shown up for Izzy's party. The most liked Lister couldn't not show up again. "Enough small talk. I wanna see our guys kick ass." She also wanted a milkshake, but that could wait.
When they got inside, the game had become quite intense and the both teams had followers cheering them on. A good number of Sheik followers cheered when they saw Ricardo enter with Chad and Sienna flanking his sides. It was how he liked it - his most trusted two by his sides at all times. He grinned at the spectators conspiratorially, sliding off his button-up to reveal the white tank top beneath and handing it to Sienna. She glowered, but didn't say anything. On the way, after teasing Sienna, he had changed into his basketball shorts and another pair of sneakers. Ricky also nodded to Aaliyah when he saw her, but Sienna didn't bother acknowleding her presence and Chad just smiled. Sienna did note Erik's presence but didn't move to get his attention yet. Staying out of the way, the trio made their way over to where the team was sitting and a few of the guys who weren't distracted by the game pounded Ricky.
"I see Stella! We're going over here." Chad said and Sienna took Ric's other clothing and followed HHS's puppy over to the actual Vanessa Hudgens mini-me. Seriously, now that Sienna saw her and the dark hair that she was sporting, Stella looked more and more like Vanessa. She had definitely slimmed down a bit over the summer, which would have worried Sienna last year, but it was a healthy weight. Stella would never be able to get rid of her curves, which were definitely some of the best at Hollywood High, and she was glad the girl was accepting it. "Hey, Stella!"
The girl in question only looked up from behind her Canon EOS camera, which looked very expensive and was propped up on a stand, and waved at them. "Hey, guys!" Any other day or location and she would have been upset about the audio, but that wasn't what she was filming. She was mostly into the game and what the guys were doing. She had initially not wanted to come to the game and had been ready to text Jasmine to see what her plans were, but all the guys shot her their best puppy eyes and she couldn't resist. So, once everyone ditched school, she headed home, which was equivalent to driving to the rec since she was only five minutes away, and changed clothes. She had shown up in leggings and an oversized shirt, and wanted something lighter for the beach area. She had changed into black Rusty Palmer denim shorts and an ivory Grecian tunic that left her shoulders bare and draped over her hands like bell-sleeves. The tunic pretty much covered the shorts and you only saw a hint of them, but the look managed to make her naturally tanned legs look even more sleek and sexy. To work with the fact that she knew she was going to be filming and keeping score on her Mac, she put on strappy heels that weren't too high. Her thick and restored blackish-brown hair was in very loose waves, she wore a choker necklace set, and, as always, she had her bracelets and rings and on her left hand. Even her make-up was on point to help with her new look.
"Isn't that the new Canon EOS that costs over a thousand dollars?" Chad asked curiously, stepping behind the camera to be beside Stella. Sienna put Ric's stuff on the bleachers, turning around to admire the back of Stella's top. Stella nodded.
"Wouldn't take anything else," she murmured and swat at Sienna's hands when the other brunette tried to tickle her through the backless top. "Where's Shay? I haven't seen her or Jas yet." Sienna shrugged with a "Don't really know, don't really care." Chad rolled his eyes at his friend before turning to his fellow Prep.
"Retail therapy with Allie." Stella pouted slightly, glancing back at the game as one of the Bernstein guys, Connor, scored a three-pointer. The Sheik followers boo'ed at that, but there really wasn't anything they could do about that little fact. She hummed thoughtfully before squatting to type into her laptop. A few guys gave catcalls at the way her thick, luscious waves was flipped over her shoulder to reveal more of her side profile and pretty face, but the look from Sienna must have been enough because they were silenced moments afterwards.
"You guys should probably just sit down. We don't need Sienna kicking somebody's ass because they complained about y'all standing up," she noted dully and the two headed back to the bleachers. Stella had chosen a good corner on the Sheik side, but it was definitely more annoying with the three of them crowding around her camera than her svelte yet curvy form by itself. Still, as her friends walked away, Stella couldn't help but want someone else she liked near her. Just to keep company. She pulled out her phone to send out a few texts before concentrating on the games. If her stats were correct, the guys were definitely going to need to shape up if they wanted to continue their winning streak.
To: Jazzy J
Retail therapy session n u didn't invite me? U suck D:
To: Janny
Evry 1 skipped school and came to the Venice rec. Gregg is still at school with my batteries, so come keep me company. He'll give you a ride. Jas abandoned me D:
"Hold up, Stella's keeping score." She said and pulled her phone back out to text her friend and, hopefully, fellow cheerleader. She didn't doubt that Aaliyah would accept the girl once she tried out. Stella was too damn good of a tumbler for anyone to not accept. They needed people of her caliber and Aaliyah could fake all she wanted, but the brunette was going to be a Devil Girl. Even if it meant Sienna had to go over the captain's head. "Seven to five. We're in the lead." Chad's eyebrow rose for a second. He had just looked up from sending Honey a response, not having seen it while he was driving.
To: Honey
At the rec w/ Sienna, Ric and I think Stella. See you here.
"Stella's there? Didn't think she'd want to show up." Sienna shrugged and climbed out of the vehicle.
"She probably didn't check with Jas yet. One of the jocks asked her to keep score and record them so everyone could know what they need to work on when the season starts." It was a smart thing to do and besides, Stella would have probably made the calculations and such on her computer. She was a whiz at that thing and one of the only Preps who actually was. The girl could take a computer apart and put it back together in about an hour. Anything any of the Listers needed, she got them. It surprised Sienna that Stella caved, but then again, she hadn't shown up for Izzy's party. The most liked Lister couldn't not show up again. "Enough small talk. I wanna see our guys kick ass." She also wanted a milkshake, but that could wait.
When they got inside, the game had become quite intense and the both teams had followers cheering them on. A good number of Sheik followers cheered when they saw Ricardo enter with Chad and Sienna flanking his sides. It was how he liked it - his most trusted two by his sides at all times. He grinned at the spectators conspiratorially, sliding off his button-up to reveal the white tank top beneath and handing it to Sienna. She glowered, but didn't say anything. On the way, after teasing Sienna, he had changed into his basketball shorts and another pair of sneakers. Ricky also nodded to Aaliyah when he saw her, but Sienna didn't bother acknowleding her presence and Chad just smiled. Sienna did note Erik's presence but didn't move to get his attention yet. Staying out of the way, the trio made their way over to where the team was sitting and a few of the guys who weren't distracted by the game pounded Ricky.
"I see Stella! We're going over here." Chad said and Sienna took Ric's other clothing and followed HHS's puppy over to the actual Vanessa Hudgens mini-me. Seriously, now that Sienna saw her and the dark hair that she was sporting, Stella looked more and more like Vanessa. She had definitely slimmed down a bit over the summer, which would have worried Sienna last year, but it was a healthy weight. Stella would never be able to get rid of her curves, which were definitely some of the best at Hollywood High, and she was glad the girl was accepting it. "Hey, Stella!"
The girl in question only looked up from behind her Canon EOS camera, which looked very expensive and was propped up on a stand, and waved at them. "Hey, guys!" Any other day or location and she would have been upset about the audio, but that wasn't what she was filming. She was mostly into the game and what the guys were doing. She had initially not wanted to come to the game and had been ready to text Jasmine to see what her plans were, but all the guys shot her their best puppy eyes and she couldn't resist. So, once everyone ditched school, she headed home, which was equivalent to driving to the rec since she was only five minutes away, and changed clothes. She had shown up in leggings and an oversized shirt, and wanted something lighter for the beach area. She had changed into black Rusty Palmer denim shorts and an ivory Grecian tunic that left her shoulders bare and draped over her hands like bell-sleeves. The tunic pretty much covered the shorts and you only saw a hint of them, but the look managed to make her naturally tanned legs look even more sleek and sexy. To work with the fact that she knew she was going to be filming and keeping score on her Mac, she put on strappy heels that weren't too high. Her thick and restored blackish-brown hair was in very loose waves, she wore a choker necklace set, and, as always, she had her bracelets and rings and on her left hand. Even her make-up was on point to help with her new look.
"Isn't that the new Canon EOS that costs over a thousand dollars?" Chad asked curiously, stepping behind the camera to be beside Stella. Sienna put Ric's stuff on the bleachers, turning around to admire the back of Stella's top. Stella nodded.
"Wouldn't take anything else," she murmured and swat at Sienna's hands when the other brunette tried to tickle her through the backless top. "Where's Shay? I haven't seen her or Jas yet." Sienna shrugged with a "Don't really know, don't really care." Chad rolled his eyes at his friend before turning to his fellow Prep.
"Retail therapy with Allie." Stella pouted slightly, glancing back at the game as one of the Bernstein guys, Connor, scored a three-pointer. The Sheik followers boo'ed at that, but there really wasn't anything they could do about that little fact. She hummed thoughtfully before squatting to type into her laptop. A few guys gave catcalls at the way her thick, luscious waves was flipped over her shoulder to reveal more of her side profile and pretty face, but the look from Sienna must have been enough because they were silenced moments afterwards.
"You guys should probably just sit down. We don't need Sienna kicking somebody's ass because they complained about y'all standing up," she noted dully and the two headed back to the bleachers. Stella had chosen a good corner on the Sheik side, but it was definitely more annoying with the three of them crowding around her camera than her svelte yet curvy form by itself. Still, as her friends walked away, Stella couldn't help but want someone else she liked near her. Just to keep company. She pulled out her phone to send out a few texts before concentrating on the games. If her stats were correct, the guys were definitely going to need to shape up if they wanted to continue their winning streak.
To: Jazzy J
Retail therapy session n u didn't invite me? U suck D:
To: Janny
Evry 1 skipped school and came to the Venice rec. Gregg is still at school with my batteries, so come keep me company. He'll give you a ride. Jas abandoned me D:
Honey sighed as text began to come in about going to the rec. center. She was dressed for the beach not the rec. center. She pulled the flower crown and sunglasses off. She pulled her hair into a high big bun except for the bangs flowing down her face. She immediately spotted Aaliyah and strolled up to her.
She spotted Chadwick, Sienna, Stella, and Ricky and made a quick detour. " Stells" She said with a grin. She gave the girl a quick hug, before learning in and giving Chadwick a kiss on the cheek, "Hey big daddy chaddy ", she said with a wink. He had a little pale pink kiss mark on his cheek but she left it there. She liked seeing her mark on him. She had to bend over to do that and heard a few "damns,", a few "How did he get hers", even a few guys asking where's their kiss. She nodded at Sienna and Ricky but with Aaliyah right there, there was no way she was interacting with them. She waved at them before heading back in Aaliyah's direction.
"Hey love," She said pulling the blonde into a hug. "Sorry I've been so M.I.A " She let the blonde go and glanced at the game. There was something deliciously sexy about watching guys play sports. Even though Honey was always paranoid of sweat. She hated it. She wouldn't let you touch her if you were sweaty unless she was sweaty too and even then she didn't like it.
She smiled at Alessandra but didn't bother to do much more. She was well aware of how the girl felt about her. She decided instead to focus on the game. if she was truly honest, she wanted to sit with Chadwick and Stella but she really had no choice in the matter. She turned to her friend, " So what's up. Besides the fact that you sent a wannabe to watch me rather than just asking me?" She said the second part casually. She really didn't care but she was curious. " I thought you were ok with me and Chadwick. I told you I wanted him like a month ago"
When Ricardo and his flock of sheep stepped onto the scene Aaliyah like everyone else in attendance of the Sheiks vs Dragons game took notice. If there was one person who could turn heads almost as well as she it was Ricardo Slim-Helú. The small trio all had different responses to seeing Aaliyah at the game.When Ricardo had nodded in her she just rolled her eyes in annoyance. She still wasn't quite sure what the deal was between him and Catalina but whether it was something or nothing Aaliyah would eventually get to the bottom of it. After all she was Aaliyah Lapierre after all. Sienna predictably unacknowledged her presence which only made Aaliyah smile from ear to ear. The fact that years later she was still underneath Sienna skin to the point that the girl would go as far as to pretend that she didn't exist spoke volumes to Aaliyah and it only made things better. The Hollywood High Puppy had sent a smile her way to which granted him a small yet friendly smile in return.
As the spotlight on Ricky and his posse simmered down Aaliyah all but forgot they were there. That was until Catalina walked onto the scene moments later. The fact that the two blondes had noticed each other immediately upon Catalina's arrival and she had yet and still thought it was to acknowledge others before the Queen herself made Aaliyah side-eye her suppose to be bestie for the second time today and it wasn't even noon. Ali, Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria all paid close attention to the interactions Catalina made with Ricardo's flock. A girl who Aaliyah didn't know particularly well Catalina grinned and hug as if the were friends which Aaliyah found to be odd. She unsurprisingly placed her lips to Chad's cheek which was very Honey-like of her to do. When she nothing but nod in the direction of Ricardo and his bestie Aaliyah just chuckled to herself. Smart choice. "Hey love," Honey said when she finally found her way over to Aaliyah and her exclusive group of wannabes. When Honey hugged her Aaliyah reluctantly hugged her back as she wasn't really feeling the other blonde this morning. When the awkward hug broke Aaliyah locked eyes with Emily who was giving her look that asked if she should make room for the blonde to join them. Aaliyah gave a subtle nod and Emily parted away from Aaliyah and Honey took the empty seat beside her. "Sorry I've been so M.I.A " Aaliyah nodded saying nothing in response as she watched Isaiah make a dunk. The Dragons had caught up the Sheiks and now the teams were going basket for basket.
"So what's up. Besides the fact that you sent a wannabe to watch me rather than just asking me?" While Honey had attempted to sound nonchalant in her asking Aaliyah knew when she was being questioned. "I thought you were ok with me and Chadwick. I told you I wanted him like a month ago." The four wannabes eyes trailed to Aaliyah who was staring out onto the floor. "Leave us." The wannabes didn't need to be told twice as they got up from their seats and relocated to seats a couple of levels down from the two Royals. "Catalina, trust and believe that if I had eyes and ears sent on you, you wouldn't know they were there." There was an ominous tone in her voice as she locked eyes with the other blonde as she spoke. Breaking the eye contact as she looked back onto the court she added, "And I could care less about what happens between you and your mr. big daddy chaddy." While her voice no longer had the same ominous feel to it she was still deadly serious in her words. She truly didn't care about the love life of Chadwick Arsenault. What she did care about however was the feelings of her best friend in regards to her ex.
As the second quarter ended the game came to half-time and both times left the court to recuperate and hydrate. Taking her opportunity Aaliyah stood up, "I'll be back." She descended the bleachers and walked over to where her best friend Izzy was sitting down drinking so water giving to him by a friend of his. "Don't tell me your winded already. I guess someone fell off over the summer?" Aaliyah said jokingly as Isaiah who was pouring sweat just chuckled lightly as took another gulp of water. "Never that." He said as he got up with a smile. He was going to hug her but she maneuvered around him, "Boy! You are a sweaty mess. Don't you dare touch me." Isaiah couldn't help but laugh with a roll of his eyes. "Fair enough. So, what are you doing here? You don't get enough of watching me play from the sidelines as you cheer me on every season." Isaiah gave her an inquiring look as while it wasn't out of the question that she would just show up to watch him play that was more of Jasmine thing to do. Aaliyah he figured would be down splashing in the ocean or cruising the boardwalk with her girls. "How could I? Your kind of amazing. On the court at least." Aaliyah teasingly joked as the two shared in a laugh.
"Okay but on a serious note -," "Okay here we go." Backslapping his bicep which admittedly hurt her more than it did him she rolled her eyes as she wanted to get to real point of her presence at this game. "What's going on between you and Angelina?" Isaiah knew it had to be coming before she even asked the question. Before the game had gotten underway his teammates had also questioned him on the matter and that was when he got wind of the photos of him and Angel and him that had gone viral. "It's not what it looks like." Isaiah said as he had long decided on taking Jasmine's advice of playing down his "not-a-date" with Angelina. "Well why don't you tell me what it is like because a picture worth a thousands words and there are about a dozen pictures of you and her being reblogged every second." Isaiah laughed but Aaliyah face was nothing if not scare serious. "What do you want me to say Ali? We walked. We talked. People snapped photos." "And that's all this is? Just a simple walk and talk." Part of Isaiah just wanted to brush off the whole thing and say 'Yeah. That's all it was', but in the end Friday would come and either before or after Aaliyah along with everyone else would know about Isaiah and Angelina's 'not-a-date'. Better she hear it straight from the horse's mouth then one of her disciples later.
"Well...we're gonna hang out this weekend." Aaliyah groaned loudly as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you trying to get that girl killed?!" Aaliyah restrained herself from going upside his head as she kept her composure. The last thing she needed was to make a scene that would get back to Alessandra faster than she could dial the girl's number. "Ali-," Isaiah started to say but was cut off by the blonde, "No! No, Izzy! Out of the fucking question!" Isaiah was far from surprised by his best friend's reaction but he wasn't going to drop it or be deterred. He had told Angelina that he would handle things and handle things he would. "It's been two years Ali. Two. We broke up the summer of sophomore year and I haven't been with anyone since." Aaliyah was boiling on the inside but remained cool as a cumber on the outside as she raised a brow and asked, "So, your saying you want to be with her now?" Half-time was coming to a close and the guys on his team signaled to him that he needed to wrap things up with the Queen Bee. He nodded to the guys before giving his undivided attention back to the blonde in front of him. "No, Ali. I'm not trying to date Angel or anyone else for that matter. But, like I said it's been two years. I get that I hurt Alessandra and I will probably never be able to live that one down, but I deserve to have a life. I mean it's senior year Ali. I'm not gonna not have fun and go out without with different girls because after two years Alessandra still isn't over it." Aaliyah sighed as she understood were her best friend was coming from. As the guys called for Isaiah he gave her an apologetic look. "Look I've gotta go. I understand if you have to take her side because of that fact that she's your friend and girl code and all that stuff. But, just remember that am your friend too and that am not doing this to hurt her. I just wanna enjoy my senior year and have a good time." Placing a kiss on Aaliyah's cheek Isaiah left the blonde and headed back out onto the court to play the third quarter.
Aaliyah felt stuck and she didn't know what she was going to do. On one hand Alessandra was her girl and probably one of the most loyal friends she had at the moment. To not side with her felt like she was committing the ultimate betrayal. On the other hand Isaiah was also her friend. In fact he was one of her best friends and had been since they were little tots. Truth be told he had a great point. It had been two years. Not two days, or two weeks or even two months but a full two years since he and Alessandra broke up. By all accounts he had ever right to move on with his life. She didn't know what the long term plan was at the moment but she knew what her next step needed to be; she had to go see Alessandra. Walking back to the bleachers she dismissed her wannabes giving them permission to do whatever they wanted. She had business to attend to and they weren't needed for this particular endeavor. Then walking up the bleachers the rest of the way to where Catalina sat she grabbed her bag that was seated next to the blonde. "I'm going to Abbot Kinney to meet up with Allie, Shay and Jas. You coming or staying?"
When Honey made her way over to them, Ricky had just been called over to the team to be subbed in for the third quarter and could only nod in her direction. Chad and Stella were quick to greet the blonde beauty, with Stella giving responding to the hug and Chad actually leaning into her signature cheek kiss. Despite himself, a wave of pleasure washed over him at the obvious jealousy from the guys in the crowd and he simply tossed them a look that appeared more smug than anything else. Sienna had been on her phone, so she really didn't pay the girl any mind, opting to go through her Instagram feed. It was about to be halftime anyway, so she didn't really need to pay attention. She did, however, look up once Honey went over in the direction of Aaliyah with a raised eyebrow. She didn't watch the interaction for too long, but she had known Aaliyah for far too long to not know what the face she was making meant. She was pissed.
Once halftime started, like Aaliyah, Sienna headed over after getting a bottle of Gatorade from one of Ricky's devoted subjects to help him get hydrated. She bypassed the two besties to get to her own, and propped herself on his lap to give him his drink. "You do know I'm sweaty, right?" He asked and gave his best friend a puzzled look. Sienna shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, how're you holding up?" Ricky didn't say anything at first since he had unscrewed the top and drank some of the blue liquid. "I'm good. Probably need to make some of these guys run suicides, but it's whatever." She nodded and he gave her a very telling look. Sienna only sighed dramatically. She would have to leave soon, but she needed to get it out. "I didn't get to say this earlier, but obviously you're feelin' Catalina. Which I don't blame you for because I objectively find her attractive. But she's feelin' you and Chad and I already told him this, but bros before hoes. It's the three of us forever and I don't need you two fighting over some chick." He would have argued, but like Sienna, he knew that they didn't have time to do that. Ric also understood where she was coming from. So, he grinned and said, "Careful, Sia. I'ma start thinking you're getting soft on me." She told him to shut up and punched him in the shoulder before climbing off of him. "Ooh, and we're going to the Neon Lights party the Preps are throwing this Friday. No excuses!" Ricky didn't know what the hell she was talking about, considering that it had been an invite-only party and he hadn't been near his phone since they had gotten there. Instead, he set his bottle down, pounded Jackson who he was going to sub for for the rest of the game, and then smirked at Izzy once they got back on the court. "Yo Izz, ready to put this one in the bag?"
Back at the bleachers, once Honey and Sienna both were away, Stella glanced back at Chadwick with a very knowing smirk. He only blushed. "Don't say a word." Stella laughed. "Didn't even say anything. But one of the hottest girls in school, Chad? Nice." Chad blushed further, but didn't say anything at first. He only walked closer to the dark haired beauty to see what she was typing. "What's that?" Stella looked up at him only for a moment. "A flyer for the Neon Lights party the other Preps are throwing. Surprised you don't know about it. Then again, you hang out with more Royals than I do." Chad grinned. "I like how derisive you're being for the girl who hangs out with everyone." Stella only grinned before finishing her piece of work. She still didn't know how she had been roped into all that she had been, but here she was. It was a basic layout, at least basic compared to her other work. But it was finished and now, all she had to be concerned about were the rest of the invites and the party ideas.
Instead of making her way back to her friends, Sienna found herself jogging up the bleachers lightly to where she had seen Erik sitting. A few other people from HHS were there and once they saw her expectant look, they (begrudgingly) relinquished their seats. She plopped beside the guy before shooting him an easy grin. "So, how did you enjoy your time with the guys? Talked about me?" She knew he had been; Jackson had text her, but still, she wanted to mess with him for a bit.
Meanwhile, Shailene had already been to two different shops with Alessandra and Jasmine, and they had found themselves at Heavenly Couture. She only had one bag, mostly because the other two shops really hadn't appealed to her that much. However, she had shopped here before and she did like their tops. As they browsed through the selection, she glanced at Allie before being firm in the resolution she had made upon their arrival. She had done pretty good with distracting Allie during their little shopping trip, but she was her best friend and Shailene knew she needed to be upfront about what it was she was feeling. "Allie, I need to say this and if you don't want me to after this, I'll leave it alone. But I'm your best friend and I can't not say anything, even if you don't want to listen." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Look, I get it. Izzy is the first guy you've really loved and I understand that, but when is it going to be time for you to just move on and let it - him go? I've got your back no matter what, you know that. But I don't want to see you tearing into this girl over a guy, and I hate saying this, who hasn't been yours for two years. And no, this isn't me defending Angel once again. We're not friends anymore. I just want you to be happy and that's not going to happen with you worried about him. I hate saying this, but she's not worth it and one little...whatever they've got going on is not worth anything you might already have planned." Shay let that sink in for a minute before adding, "Alright, I've said my piece and I won't bring it up again. Just thought you should know where I'm coming from."
Once halftime started, like Aaliyah, Sienna headed over after getting a bottle of Gatorade from one of Ricky's devoted subjects to help him get hydrated. She bypassed the two besties to get to her own, and propped herself on his lap to give him his drink. "You do know I'm sweaty, right?" He asked and gave his best friend a puzzled look. Sienna shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, how're you holding up?" Ricky didn't say anything at first since he had unscrewed the top and drank some of the blue liquid. "I'm good. Probably need to make some of these guys run suicides, but it's whatever." She nodded and he gave her a very telling look. Sienna only sighed dramatically. She would have to leave soon, but she needed to get it out. "I didn't get to say this earlier, but obviously you're feelin' Catalina. Which I don't blame you for because I objectively find her attractive. But she's feelin' you and Chad and I already told him this, but bros before hoes. It's the three of us forever and I don't need you two fighting over some chick." He would have argued, but like Sienna, he knew that they didn't have time to do that. Ric also understood where she was coming from. So, he grinned and said, "Careful, Sia. I'ma start thinking you're getting soft on me." She told him to shut up and punched him in the shoulder before climbing off of him. "Ooh, and we're going to the Neon Lights party the Preps are throwing this Friday. No excuses!" Ricky didn't know what the hell she was talking about, considering that it had been an invite-only party and he hadn't been near his phone since they had gotten there. Instead, he set his bottle down, pounded Jackson who he was going to sub for for the rest of the game, and then smirked at Izzy once they got back on the court. "Yo Izz, ready to put this one in the bag?"
Back at the bleachers, once Honey and Sienna both were away, Stella glanced back at Chadwick with a very knowing smirk. He only blushed. "Don't say a word." Stella laughed. "Didn't even say anything. But one of the hottest girls in school, Chad? Nice." Chad blushed further, but didn't say anything at first. He only walked closer to the dark haired beauty to see what she was typing. "What's that?" Stella looked up at him only for a moment. "A flyer for the Neon Lights party the other Preps are throwing. Surprised you don't know about it. Then again, you hang out with more Royals than I do." Chad grinned. "I like how derisive you're being for the girl who hangs out with everyone." Stella only grinned before finishing her piece of work. She still didn't know how she had been roped into all that she had been, but here she was. It was a basic layout, at least basic compared to her other work. But it was finished and now, all she had to be concerned about were the rest of the invites and the party ideas.
Instead of making her way back to her friends, Sienna found herself jogging up the bleachers lightly to where she had seen Erik sitting. A few other people from HHS were there and once they saw her expectant look, they (begrudgingly) relinquished their seats. She plopped beside the guy before shooting him an easy grin. "So, how did you enjoy your time with the guys? Talked about me?" She knew he had been; Jackson had text her, but still, she wanted to mess with him for a bit.
Meanwhile, Shailene had already been to two different shops with Alessandra and Jasmine, and they had found themselves at Heavenly Couture. She only had one bag, mostly because the other two shops really hadn't appealed to her that much. However, she had shopped here before and she did like their tops. As they browsed through the selection, she glanced at Allie before being firm in the resolution she had made upon their arrival. She had done pretty good with distracting Allie during their little shopping trip, but she was her best friend and Shailene knew she needed to be upfront about what it was she was feeling. "Allie, I need to say this and if you don't want me to after this, I'll leave it alone. But I'm your best friend and I can't not say anything, even if you don't want to listen." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Look, I get it. Izzy is the first guy you've really loved and I understand that, but when is it going to be time for you to just move on and let it - him go? I've got your back no matter what, you know that. But I don't want to see you tearing into this girl over a guy, and I hate saying this, who hasn't been yours for two years. And no, this isn't me defending Angel once again. We're not friends anymore. I just want you to be happy and that's not going to happen with you worried about him. I hate saying this, but she's not worth it and one little...whatever they've got going on is not worth anything you might already have planned." Shay let that sink in for a minute before adding, "Alright, I've said my piece and I won't bring it up again. Just thought you should know where I'm coming from."
Honey knew what Aaliyah was really asking. It was a me or them thing. After Aaliyah's recent bitchy treatment she really wasn't in the mood to deal with her. "I don't know what your issue is. I have never ever betrayed you and you know that. " She stood up, "You also know that I'm not going anywhere that I'm not wanted. "
With that she spun around and headed up to where Chadwick and Stella were sitting. She hated arguing with Aaliyah but she wasn't going to take her shit either. That's why they became friends in the first place. She walked back over to the group and lifted the corner of her mouth. " Room for one more?" She said casually. Her neck was killing her from putting all of her hair into a bun so she sat in the seat in front of Chadwick. She settled in between his legs, easily leaning back and relaxing against him. She gazed up at him momentarily with her deep hooded eyes but offered no explanation.
She looked up at Stella. " Soo I hear your being pressured to join the cheer squad" She said while casually examining her bangs. Her dark roots and pale her were her signature thing but she didn't like too much root to be shown so she bleached it regularly. You would think this would damage it but her hair was so damn thick that it had no effect. "You really should. One it's good for people to see we're not all bitches " She extended one finger then another " Two you know the cheers" She extended another "Three your super hot ", she extended another " And you could spend more time with Me, Sienna, and Jas"
It really was brilliant when you thought about it. Stella would make the perfect addition to the team and alot of the girls already liked her, those who didn't could suck it. "I'm sure Jas and Sienna have already mentioned this but I thought I'd say it too "
She left it alone after that, deciding instead to change the subject "Will you guys be going to the Neon lights party? " She rolled her neck again "Ugh if my label would let me I'd cut a little bit of this. Well maybe not I may not be as hot without my hair. It's kinda my thing "
Stella was sifting through her texts waiting for Gregg to tell her what was up with him and Janice being on their way. She would seriously need that battery soon if the guys were going to need her to film the rest of the game. She could watch if the camera went off; she had great memory. However, she would have simply liked to give them the footage and be done with it. Unlike Sienna, Stella wasn't always interested in watching the guys play unless she was either really rooting for someone or if she was watching for the sake of watching sweaty bodies. And considering that fact that she was always cheering on Ricky and wasn't really attracted to anyone in particular on the team, she just didn't care enough. She had smirked and shook her head at Sienna, who was obviously on the prowl a few seats above where they were with a guy who looked like he could be their age, but seriously needed to shave a bit more. He was attractive, but Stella wasn't a fan of facial hair. She also wasn't surprised by Sienna's choice. She had dated a twenty-something year old before.
"Sure, no problem," Chad said when Honey surprisingly made her way back over to them. Stella was a little puzzled by that. Wasn't Honey best friends with that Aaliyah chick? Apparently, no one just left the Queen Bee's presence without being dismissed and well, if they were best friends, she couldn't possibly fathom Honey just being dismissed. Then again, she didn't care about that relationship enough and she had heard enough about Aaliyah from Sienna to know that the Queen Bee could be...trying. Both of her dark eyebrows rose when Honey settled herself between Chad's legs, allowing herself to drape over the male Prep very comfortably. And the fact that Chad only smiled down warmly at the crooner's face had Stella looking away for a moment with a surprised smile and a lot of questions. She knew the two had a thing for each other, but she didn't realize it had gotten...serious? She almost didn't notice when Honey began to address her.
Stella laughed a little as Honey began to list off all of the obvious reasons why she should join the squad and at this point, she was sold. It was one thing to be considered the unofficial Sweetheart of the second most popular clique in the school, it would be another to be affiliated with the Devil Girls. And while she loved her group (some days), she did have friends within the team. "Sure, I'll try out. Not sure how Aaliyah feels about me, but I'll do it. It'll give me something to do anyway." Stella had held dance sessions when she wasn't hanging out during the summer, but other than that, she hadn't really done anything else. And it seemed like a feasible idea. She would have no excuse to not work out or critique her own body if she was on a sport's team. She smirked at Honey's complaint about her hair. "I highly doubt anything would make you look any less hot. Don't you agree, Chad?" Stella gave him a very pointed look with a smirk that had him blushing.
However, even if he wanted to turn the attention off himself, Chad couldn't find it in himself to lie either. "Of course not, Honey's always gorgeous." He said and moved a few stray strands of hair that had fallen from Honey's bun away from her face. He was still blushing, but the smile he gave her was definitely genuine and he was more relaxed now since she had placed herself between his legs. The fangirl in Stella was already shipping them and thought they were cute. "Stella said that the Preps are throwing the party at the BLOK. You can either show up in neon colors or use the glow in the dark body paint." It wasn't a surprise that it was at BLOK, especially if Stella was helping out. She was connected to a lot of dance spots because of the studio she was affiliated with and the Preps had used that to their advantage. The brunette in question nodded.
"It's invite only and obviously, we're all invited. The Preps really wanted this to be exclusive, but you know me, I talk to everyone. So, it's a big list," Stella explained and winced as one of the Bernstein boys committed a foul that knocked one of the Sheik guys down. It sent the crowd into an uproar, but it was a situation that was resolved easily. "We're really throwing down since everyone thinks the Preps can't party or something. We're putting the solution from the glow sticks in the bubbles to blow around the space every ten minutes, DJ DefStone is working for us, and a glow in the dark balloon drops every time the music stops. If you catch the balloon, you gotta do the dare that's inside or try a mystery drink from the bar." She looked over Honey's hair briefly after her explanation of the party before adding, "And if you really think you need a quick fix, you can see Nikki from Nine Zero One. She does V's hair a lot and mine back when I was a blonde since that's her speciality. And they're super awesome there and give you champagne, wine, and snacks while you're being treated."
"Sure, no problem," Chad said when Honey surprisingly made her way back over to them. Stella was a little puzzled by that. Wasn't Honey best friends with that Aaliyah chick? Apparently, no one just left the Queen Bee's presence without being dismissed and well, if they were best friends, she couldn't possibly fathom Honey just being dismissed. Then again, she didn't care about that relationship enough and she had heard enough about Aaliyah from Sienna to know that the Queen Bee could be...trying. Both of her dark eyebrows rose when Honey settled herself between Chad's legs, allowing herself to drape over the male Prep very comfortably. And the fact that Chad only smiled down warmly at the crooner's face had Stella looking away for a moment with a surprised smile and a lot of questions. She knew the two had a thing for each other, but she didn't realize it had gotten...serious? She almost didn't notice when Honey began to address her.
Stella laughed a little as Honey began to list off all of the obvious reasons why she should join the squad and at this point, she was sold. It was one thing to be considered the unofficial Sweetheart of the second most popular clique in the school, it would be another to be affiliated with the Devil Girls. And while she loved her group (some days), she did have friends within the team. "Sure, I'll try out. Not sure how Aaliyah feels about me, but I'll do it. It'll give me something to do anyway." Stella had held dance sessions when she wasn't hanging out during the summer, but other than that, she hadn't really done anything else. And it seemed like a feasible idea. She would have no excuse to not work out or critique her own body if she was on a sport's team. She smirked at Honey's complaint about her hair. "I highly doubt anything would make you look any less hot. Don't you agree, Chad?" Stella gave him a very pointed look with a smirk that had him blushing.
However, even if he wanted to turn the attention off himself, Chad couldn't find it in himself to lie either. "Of course not, Honey's always gorgeous." He said and moved a few stray strands of hair that had fallen from Honey's bun away from her face. He was still blushing, but the smile he gave her was definitely genuine and he was more relaxed now since she had placed herself between his legs. The fangirl in Stella was already shipping them and thought they were cute. "Stella said that the Preps are throwing the party at the BLOK. You can either show up in neon colors or use the glow in the dark body paint." It wasn't a surprise that it was at BLOK, especially if Stella was helping out. She was connected to a lot of dance spots because of the studio she was affiliated with and the Preps had used that to their advantage. The brunette in question nodded.
"It's invite only and obviously, we're all invited. The Preps really wanted this to be exclusive, but you know me, I talk to everyone. So, it's a big list," Stella explained and winced as one of the Bernstein boys committed a foul that knocked one of the Sheik guys down. It sent the crowd into an uproar, but it was a situation that was resolved easily. "We're really throwing down since everyone thinks the Preps can't party or something. We're putting the solution from the glow sticks in the bubbles to blow around the space every ten minutes, DJ DefStone is working for us, and a glow in the dark balloon drops every time the music stops. If you catch the balloon, you gotta do the dare that's inside or try a mystery drink from the bar." She looked over Honey's hair briefly after her explanation of the party before adding, "And if you really think you need a quick fix, you can see Nikki from Nine Zero One. She does V's hair a lot and mine back when I was a blonde since that's her speciality. And they're super awesome there and give you champagne, wine, and snacks while you're being treated."
Honey tried to hold back the blush as Chad moved the strands from her face. She smiled one of the rare genuine smiles that exposed how young she really was while listening to him talk about the party. She was almost surprised herself how natural it felt being that close so him. To most people Honey was like an exotic tiger. She was beautiful to look at but no one could keep her. Whenever she was around Chadwick though, she turned into a soft little house cat.
"Stella said that the Preps are throwing the party at the BLOK. You can either show up in neon colors or use the glow in the dark body paint." She nodded, she expected it to be at BLOK if Stella was helping organize it. Honey jumped a bit as the crowd went into a sporadic uproar over a foul. The group next to her was especially aggressive. They kept standing up and each time it was like they were getting closer. Which was especially disconcerting since they smelled like cheap beer.
She took the bun out letting her thick hair fall all over her and Chadwick before turning her body half way. so that she was facing the opposite way. Her cheek rested against Chad's rib cage. He smelled amazing, she couldn't pin point what it was but it smelled great. She managed to drag her attention back to Stella. Who was continuing about how they were proving the Preps could part as well as everybody else. She nodded, " Sounds great, what are we supposed to wear?" She asked while glancing up at the court. She was contemplating asking Chad to go with her. She really wanted him to ask her but she knew he probably wouldn't.
"Sounds great I'll go if you go with me. I loved when V did the autumn colored ombre hair. I wish I could experiment but chances are the label won't let me until touring season. " She bristled a bit at that "They're ridiculous. My true fans don't care what my hair looks like as long as I make good music" She was really starting to hate the publicity side of music. It was all "don't do this", "be nice to her", "go here", and "you can't do that". She missed just singing and performing. She wanted to wear what she wanted and do what she wanted.
She turned her attention back to the game. Even though the group died down she stayed tucked into Chad. She looked up at Chad then at Stella. It was strange how she felt happier with them then she did with her best friend. She frowned a bit at the thought. Were they even still friends?
"Yo Izz, ready to put this one in the bag?" Ricky asked as the team stepped back on to the court ready to wipe the floor with the Bernstein Dragons. "You know I am, but I don't about you. I mean you looking sweaty already and you haven't even had any play time. And Aaliyah was wondering if I had fallen off. I guess she hadn't been looking at you." Isaiah teased with a laugh as the third quarter got underway.
Back on the bleachers Honey was drawing in the attention of those in the stands as she made a big scene. "I don't know what your issue is. I have never ever betrayed you and you know that." Aaliyah just stared at the girl with an amused look on her face as she stood stood up, "You also know that I'm not going anywhere that I'm not wanted." As Honey dramatically stormed off to sit with Chadwick and Stella Aaliyah muffled the laughter that was bubbling in her gut. Well someones pmsing today. She laughed at her own thought as she descended the bleachers taking her phone out of her bag. Aaliyah wasn't stuttin Catalina or her melodramatics today. If her friendship with Sienna had showed anything it was that were Aaliyah was concerned anyone was replaceable. At the moment Aaliyah was inclined to turn the other cheek as she had the Alessandra-Angelina-Isaiah love triangle drama at the fore-front of her mind but that didn't mean that Catalina's bitchiness would remain unchecked, especially if she planned on making regular public outbursts. Aaliyah had an image to uphold and if Catalina couldn't fall in line then she would be knocked out of the line. Yes, Catalina was a royal but any and everyone could be replaced and at Hollywood High there was always someone looking to take your place. At the end of the day Aaliyah was Queen which meant she was above all. She controlled the social order at Hollywood High and if she chose to she could knock Catalina Perez off the high pedestal on which she stood and not even the King Bee himself would be able to stop her.
At Heavenly Couture, Jasmine was in one of the dressing rooms trying on several different items of clothing that she had liked. Heavenly Couture wasn't really Alessandra's kind of store as she was more fond of designer labels and pricey price tags but when doing retail therapy she would buy pretty much anything. As she was browsing a selection of tops on a sales rack, Shailene took it upon herself to voice her opinion on Alessandra's current situation. "Allie, I need to say this and if you don't want me to after this, I'll leave it alone. But I'm your best friend and I can't not say anything, even if you don't want to listen." Alessandra looked up from the rack to meet Shailene's gaze with a look of exasperation, she was not in the mood to have this conversation. "Look, I get it. Izzy is the first guy you've really loved and I understand that, but when is it going to be time for you to just move on and let it - him go? I've got your back no matter what, you know that. But I don't want to see you tearing into this girl over a guy, and I hate saying this, who hasn't been yours for two years. And no, this isn't me defending Angel once again. We're not friends anymore. I just want you to be happy and that's not going to happen with you worried about him. I hate saying this, but she's not worth it and one little...whatever they've got going on is not worth anything you might already have planned." Shaliene paused for a moment in an effort to let her words resonate with Alessandra before adding, "Alright, I've said my piece and I won't bring it up again. Just thought you should know where I'm coming from."
"Good to know where you stand on the matter." Alessandra said nonchalantly before adding, "Now if you don't mind I'd like to get back to my retail therapy." With that Alessandra left Shaliene standing where she was as she walked to the other side of the store to continue her browsing. She paused for moment when she got a text from Aaliyah asking what store they were in. Texting the name of the store to Aaliyah Alessandra was curious to find out just what it was the Queen Bee had found out. Still inside the dressing room Jasmine was stilling on the bench strolling through text messages she had gotten over the course of her shopping spree with her sister and Shay. She read the text from Stella and instantly felt like a bad friend. She had been caught up in all things Alessandra and she hadn't even stopped to think to invite Stella along for the fun.
To: Ella
Sry x 100. Got caught up in sister duty and total spaced on ur invite. Join us at Centanni Trattoria after the game.
Jasmine sent her friend an apology/invite before putting her phone away and going back to trying on the remaining articles of clothing that she'd yet to try on.
"Well this is a cute little place." Aaliyah said as she entered the clothing store. She wasn't sure where Jasmine was but she noticed that Allie and Shay were positioned on opposite ends of the store. She wouldn't have thought much of it if Alessandra didn't look like she was just done with the world. "I'd take it retail therapy just isn't doing it today?" She asked as she came to stand beside Alessandra who pretending to browse the selection before her. "So? Are they dating or what?" Alessandra asked getting straight to the point. Aaliyah sighed before answering Alessandra's question. "Well, the good news is that your ex isn't looking to downgrade just yet. Commitment doesn't seem to be apart of his grand plan for his senior year." Hearing Aaliyah words did make Alessandra feel a bit better but she knew that where there was good news there was also bad. "As for the bad?" Biting down on her bottom lip Aaliyah knew Alessandra wasn't gonna like what she had to say next but it had to said. "They're gonna be hanging out this weekend. Not going on a date! Just hanging out. Where? I don't know. When? I didn't ask, because it wouldn't make a difference. Allie, I'm telling you right now to leave it alone." On the way over Aaliyah had made up her mind that she would tell Alessandra not to get involve. Isaiah deserved to move on and truth be told Alessandra really needed to.
"Leave it alone?! Are you fucking kidding me Leah?!" Alessandra shouted as she knocked the clothes off the racks and onto the floor. Aaliyah had expected her to be upset but this went beyond her expectations. "Allie, am only gonna say this once, calm it the fuck down. We are in public and you're making a spectacle of yourself." Looking around the store at all the onlookers she suddenly felt incredibly stupid and embarrassed. "Sorry." Alessandra said apologizing to her Queen who only nodded in response. "Allie? Are you alright?" Jasmine asked as she approached with the clothes she had decided to purchase in her hands. Alessandra nodded slowly as she looked at the mess of clothes on the floor before looking back at her sister. "I'm good Jas. I swear." Jasmine looked at Aaliyah who gave her a nod that told her everything was fine. "Okay. I'm gonna go pay for this. Brb."
As Jasmine walked over to the counter Alessandra picked up the clothes she had knocked down and set them back on the rack. "Allie I get it. First loves are hard to over. But, it's been two years. You've got to let him go. You need to move on." Alessandra stared at the rack in front of her as she could feel the tears filling in her eyes. She knew Aaliyah was right. Aaliyah. Shailene. Jasmine. They were all right. She need to put Isaiah in the past because that was exactly what his was. Her past. An ex. They would never be together again and she had to accept that. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as she got her composure under control. Once she had her self-control back she opened her eyes and looked at the blonde who still stood by her side giving her look of sympathy and understanding. "Out of all the people in Cali. It just had to be her huh?" Aaliyah laughed with a shrug. "If it makes you feel better I think Honey maybe catching feelings for Ric." Aaliyah whispered into Alessandra's eye and her jaw dropped as she was genuinely shocked. "What?!" Aaliyah just sighed shaking her head as she put her hand up to stop Alessandra from asking anymore questions. "Conversation for later. For right now I just wanna shop." Alessandra nodded as Jasmine rejoined the girls with bags in hand, "Where to next ladies?"
Before Shailene could utter another word, Allie was already moving to the other side of the store and all she could do was shake her head. Fine. Whatever. Alessandra didn't have to listen to her now if she didn't want to. At the end of the day, Shailene felt like she told her best friend what she needed to hear. She didn't feel like some random person trying to give out random advice that Alessandra didn't need to hear. As her best friend, she should be allowed to say what was needed. For now, however, Allie was obviously not hearing it and as Shailene had said, she wasn't pushing it. If she wanted to be upset with her, that was fine too.
Just like her bestie, she no longer really was looking through the selections; Shay was simply flipping through them. She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed by a sense of guilt that the logical side of her brain didn't want anything to do with. Shailene shouldn't have had to feel guilty for voicing what anyone else who wasn't intimately involved with the situation would say. It was common logic. Alessandra should let Izzy go and move on with some uber-sexy guy, or just be on her own. Like Allie, Shay understood that letting someone you really cared about go isn't ideal; they both were pretty possessive individuals. But it was time. Two years was time. Before she could mull over that any further, she heard Alessandra's exclamation and her head whipped in that direction to see the commotion. "Oh shit..." She took a few steps closer only to notice Aaliyah already there, more than likely spilling truth tea and comfort that left Shailene frowning. It was stupid, really, being jealous over Aaliyah and Alessandra's friendship. They had been friends longer, she had reasoned. Aaliyah was also the Queen, of course Allie would listen to whatever the blonde said, she had told herself countless times during moments like these. It still didn't stop her from feeling just a bit jealous. Shailene didn't approach the two until Jasmine went to pay for her things.
"Hey, Leah." She said in a friendly tone. She eyed Alessandra with worry and sympathy with perhaps a hint of an apology, but didn't voice anything. She didn't think her bestie wanted to hear anything else she had to say and at this point, she wasn't in the mood to argue with Alessandra in public lest the other brunette cause another commotion. But she also wasn't going to not show her support. As she had told Allie, she had her back regardless, but she didn't know if Allie needed her to reaffirm that or not at the moment. So, she focused on her Queen. "Apparently, the Preps are throwing a Neon Lights party at the BLOK. Are we going?"
Stella only shook her head amusedly at the obvious display of affection between Chadwick and Honey. Chad wasn't the most open person to public displays of affection, so she was pleasantly surprised by his conceding to Honey's obvious need for the aforementioned. "Aren't you two cute?" She cooed just as a random dude walked up to her. "Stella, right? Gregg was dealing with something with his car, wanted you to have your batteries." Stella sighed in relief. "You are a god-send. Thanks." She didn't question it further and reached down to her phone to text Gregg what was up, but then saw the text from Jas. Smiling, she sent out a quick message before responding to Honey. "Anything really, mostly club related since, well we'll be dancing and it's probably gonna get hot and I, for one, am not combusting because I decided to wear ten layers."
To: Jazzy J
U know me so well XD
Chad listened idly to Honey's complaints about having to conform for her label. Casually, he ran his fingers through the hair she presented to him, a habit he had picked up back when his sister had been around. He hummed thoughtfully before saying, "Maybe you should talk to your label. They can control how you act in public, I guess. But what you do with your private life shouldn't really be any of their business." Stella nodded in agreement. "I can go with you any time, Nikki usually clears her schedule whenever one of us visits. But Chad's right. That's partly why Jas left her label, why Sienna is allowed to do what she wants with her life, and how Ness still does what she wants even though she's still technically tied to Columbia. It's one thing when labels are worried about publicity, it's another when they're asking you to sell your soul."
Just like her bestie, she no longer really was looking through the selections; Shay was simply flipping through them. She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed by a sense of guilt that the logical side of her brain didn't want anything to do with. Shailene shouldn't have had to feel guilty for voicing what anyone else who wasn't intimately involved with the situation would say. It was common logic. Alessandra should let Izzy go and move on with some uber-sexy guy, or just be on her own. Like Allie, Shay understood that letting someone you really cared about go isn't ideal; they both were pretty possessive individuals. But it was time. Two years was time. Before she could mull over that any further, she heard Alessandra's exclamation and her head whipped in that direction to see the commotion. "Oh shit..." She took a few steps closer only to notice Aaliyah already there, more than likely spilling truth tea and comfort that left Shailene frowning. It was stupid, really, being jealous over Aaliyah and Alessandra's friendship. They had been friends longer, she had reasoned. Aaliyah was also the Queen, of course Allie would listen to whatever the blonde said, she had told herself countless times during moments like these. It still didn't stop her from feeling just a bit jealous. Shailene didn't approach the two until Jasmine went to pay for her things.
"Hey, Leah." She said in a friendly tone. She eyed Alessandra with worry and sympathy with perhaps a hint of an apology, but didn't voice anything. She didn't think her bestie wanted to hear anything else she had to say and at this point, she wasn't in the mood to argue with Alessandra in public lest the other brunette cause another commotion. But she also wasn't going to not show her support. As she had told Allie, she had her back regardless, but she didn't know if Allie needed her to reaffirm that or not at the moment. So, she focused on her Queen. "Apparently, the Preps are throwing a Neon Lights party at the BLOK. Are we going?"
Stella only shook her head amusedly at the obvious display of affection between Chadwick and Honey. Chad wasn't the most open person to public displays of affection, so she was pleasantly surprised by his conceding to Honey's obvious need for the aforementioned. "Aren't you two cute?" She cooed just as a random dude walked up to her. "Stella, right? Gregg was dealing with something with his car, wanted you to have your batteries." Stella sighed in relief. "You are a god-send. Thanks." She didn't question it further and reached down to her phone to text Gregg what was up, but then saw the text from Jas. Smiling, she sent out a quick message before responding to Honey. "Anything really, mostly club related since, well we'll be dancing and it's probably gonna get hot and I, for one, am not combusting because I decided to wear ten layers."
To: Jazzy J
U know me so well XD
Chad listened idly to Honey's complaints about having to conform for her label. Casually, he ran his fingers through the hair she presented to him, a habit he had picked up back when his sister had been around. He hummed thoughtfully before saying, "Maybe you should talk to your label. They can control how you act in public, I guess. But what you do with your private life shouldn't really be any of their business." Stella nodded in agreement. "I can go with you any time, Nikki usually clears her schedule whenever one of us visits. But Chad's right. That's partly why Jas left her label, why Sienna is allowed to do what she wants with her life, and how Ness still does what she wants even though she's still technically tied to Columbia. It's one thing when labels are worried about publicity, it's another when they're asking you to sell your soul."
Honey grinned at Stella, "Dully noted" She silently thought of what she could wear. Neons did not look good on her golden skin. She probably could just wear a white crop top and white shorts. Maybe she'd have a henna lady do a design on her body in glow in the dark paint.
She leaned her head into Chad's hand, relishing in the rare show of affection. A few people kept throwing them curious glances. Even a few players had caught on and glanced at them. She was glad that Ricky was watching the game and Sienna was busy with the man boy. She didn't see how she was causing an issue. Chadwick made her feel like something other than some sex symbol. For somebody who had been leered at and who had been taught to use her body to her advantage, that was an amazing feeling.
Chadwick tried to give her a solution and she shrugged. "Sex sells. In the music industry if your not the girl next door then you have to be either the alternative girl, the quirky girl, or the sex symbol." She shrugged, "I'm too exotic looking to be the girl next door, I'm too mainstream for alternative, and I'm not into the whole quirky thing. The image they're going for is the blonde bombshell, the more skin the better."
"The only thing they have no control over is my family issues and my relationships. I told them they can't tell me who I can and cannot be with." She explained. She didn't know why she thought to mention that but she couldn't resist the urge to.
When Stella mentioned the other girls labels she shrugged. "Don't get me wrong I love Jay. But the people he hired are watching me like a hawk. They love Rihanna's bad girl persona but don't want me following her footsteps. They want me to the island barbie, which I don't typically mind but sometimes I wish I was normal. I wish I could randomly dye my tips sky blue, or go on a date to the movies without security" She nodded to the entrance of the court where her ever present bodyguard Tony stood. Most people never noticed Tony but he was always there watching out for her. Except when she snuck out, like at Izzy's house. "Or even better to hang with somebody without everybody wondering why I'm not following Leah around or trying to figure out who I'm hooking up with."
Basketball wasn't really Erik's thing, not that he could keep up with the other HHS guys as long as it just was friendly competition, but when a group of other jocks showed up the competition turned more serious. In the start Erik actually thought it was just another group fro Hollywood High, but the tension that started building up between them indicated a higher level of rivalry. So after a quick question to Larry he discovered that the other gang was in fact from a completely different school. Erik had to admit that he was a little surprised by the fact that it existed two high schools with jocks whom on the exact same day decided to skip school and go to the exact same place. To Erik that was actually sort of amusing.
Luckily enough it didn't break out some massive gang-ish fight. A game of basketball was thrown together instead. Of course everyone couldn't play, so Erik happily placed himself on the sideline and watch the game with a few of the other jocks instead, cheering with them every time he suspected the HHS guys did something good on the field, and obviously booing whenever the other school did likewise.
Erik was paying attention to the game when the other guys suddenly stood up and moved a few seats away. For a short moment he thought they had decided to ditch him, but then Sienna dropped down besides him, even flashed a smile directed at him. "So, how did you enjoy your time with the guys? Talked about me?" Erik had to laugh a little, again he couldn't tell if it was because it had been funny or it was because Sienna was so pretty. "yeah. He said while scratching the back of his head, pretending to be a little embarrassed "Talked about you allot actually" A small cough forced Erik to stop talking for a short moment. "Couldn't help it. You are a very interesting subject" Erik finished with a little wink. "By the way, how did the bestfriend duties go last night? Richard or something right? He still in one piece?"
Chad pondered solemnly, but honestly had no actual response to Honey's predicament. It sucked that she couldn't live the way she wanted, and it momentarily baffled him that if Honey were to go out with someone (hopefully, him) that they would have to deal with security. He remembered the option of having security being offered, but his Dad respecting Chad's boundaries and wishes. They didn't need it, not if they didn't talk about family lineage and didn't put the other surname out there. Not that it stopped people from finding out or anything, but still. If someone as historically relevant as a descendant of the Rockefeller family could live their life as they wanted without everyone hounding them, why couldn't a teenage girl? "Just because it sells doesn't mean it's actually good." Stella nodded slowly, eyeing the guys on the court. She was awaiting the end of the game. She would have to take the audio off; this conversation wasn't meant for the guys to hear and truthfully, they wouldn't care for it.
"Well, we'll always help you sneak out. Wouldn't be the first time someone in the crew needed to evade security. Trust me, Ricky seems free right now, but you know who his father is. There's no way in hell he isn't being guarded, his Dad's just good at making sure Ric can't tell so he can live his life," she explained, smirking as the King of Hollywood High School dunked on one of their opposing teams. Another roar from the crowd arose and Chad held on to Honey to keep her from jolting at the sound, much more prepared this time. Knowing that the camera would be fine, Stella walked over to the two and sat beside them. She smirked in remembrance before turning back to Honey, saying, "And like Chaddy said, sex sells, but that doesn't mean it's good. Especially if it contrasts with your music and the way you want things to go. Just because Sia was put into the alternative category doesn't mean that she wasn't putting out her own image or doing what she wanted. Come on now, she's one of the hottest girls in school and young Hollywood, she could have very well been a sex symbol. Pretty sure you've seen how abrasive she can be and I'm not saying it's easy, since Jay Z is so powerful, but there's a reason Sia went from Columbia to Sony, and even then has so much control. Even now, they want her to release this EP and she's the one that's deciding when that happens. She dyes her hair when she says she wants to, and she gives the public what she wants. It pisses people off, but if you're giving them good music and the people aren't complaining, who cares? You're getting the label attention and you're doing you, and she's always said that that's the biggest thing." Stella smirked a little. "Ok, maybe she used less words and probably more swears, but you get the picture." Stella would never presume to know that much about labels or the music scene; she had steered clear of it. Sure, she liked going to karaoke bars and belting out her favorite songs with the radio, but she knew that wasn't her territory. But she had too many friends not to understand that some things had to be challenged, which was why she listened to whomever she listened to. They weren't always mainstream; they were people who did their own music, regardless of what the masses were doing. She had found too many singers online who weren't getting mainstream recognition, but had garnered more faithful followers and acclaim that not even some of the most famous could claim.
Stella also paused for a moment before smirking at Chad sinisterly and then winking at Honey as she said, "Besides, when you and Chaddy go on a date, not even the paparazzi's gonna question you. Who the hell ever questions a Rockefeller?" Chad shot her an exasperated look, but Stella only laughed. It wasn't knowledge he shared often, but if something were to happen between him and Honey, the crooner deserved to know, right?
Back with Sienna and Erik, she smirked while eyeing the male. Every male she was associated with scratched the back of his head at some point, and it always baffled her. But she didn't say anything. She only allowed the fact that he had been talking about her to wash over her. She quirked an eyebrow at being an 'interesting subject', full-on ignoring the game now. She was well aware that many had things to say about her, ranging from her voice to the fact that she had blacked about two jocks' eyes because they said the wrong thing. Some things were positive, others not so much. But still, being called an interesting topic was intriguing.
"Ric's fine. A little bruised, but it's not the first time. He told himself he was being some chick's knight in shining armor or something," she exclaimed with a flippant shrug. She slid just a closer though, eyeing Erik carefully as she inquired, "But this, um, 'interesting subject' thing, though. Enlighten me on that." She spoke in a sort of ominous tone, knowing that it made people nervous. The conversation could go two different ways and she was curious about the way it would end up. Was she testing him? Mostly. Was she being mean? A bit, but she was always a bit mean and a bit playful. There was nothing new to this. Maybe to him, but not to her.
"Well, we'll always help you sneak out. Wouldn't be the first time someone in the crew needed to evade security. Trust me, Ricky seems free right now, but you know who his father is. There's no way in hell he isn't being guarded, his Dad's just good at making sure Ric can't tell so he can live his life," she explained, smirking as the King of Hollywood High School dunked on one of their opposing teams. Another roar from the crowd arose and Chad held on to Honey to keep her from jolting at the sound, much more prepared this time. Knowing that the camera would be fine, Stella walked over to the two and sat beside them. She smirked in remembrance before turning back to Honey, saying, "And like Chaddy said, sex sells, but that doesn't mean it's good. Especially if it contrasts with your music and the way you want things to go. Just because Sia was put into the alternative category doesn't mean that she wasn't putting out her own image or doing what she wanted. Come on now, she's one of the hottest girls in school and young Hollywood, she could have very well been a sex symbol. Pretty sure you've seen how abrasive she can be and I'm not saying it's easy, since Jay Z is so powerful, but there's a reason Sia went from Columbia to Sony, and even then has so much control. Even now, they want her to release this EP and she's the one that's deciding when that happens. She dyes her hair when she says she wants to, and she gives the public what she wants. It pisses people off, but if you're giving them good music and the people aren't complaining, who cares? You're getting the label attention and you're doing you, and she's always said that that's the biggest thing." Stella smirked a little. "Ok, maybe she used less words and probably more swears, but you get the picture." Stella would never presume to know that much about labels or the music scene; she had steered clear of it. Sure, she liked going to karaoke bars and belting out her favorite songs with the radio, but she knew that wasn't her territory. But she had too many friends not to understand that some things had to be challenged, which was why she listened to whomever she listened to. They weren't always mainstream; they were people who did their own music, regardless of what the masses were doing. She had found too many singers online who weren't getting mainstream recognition, but had garnered more faithful followers and acclaim that not even some of the most famous could claim.
Stella also paused for a moment before smirking at Chad sinisterly and then winking at Honey as she said, "Besides, when you and Chaddy go on a date, not even the paparazzi's gonna question you. Who the hell ever questions a Rockefeller?" Chad shot her an exasperated look, but Stella only laughed. It wasn't knowledge he shared often, but if something were to happen between him and Honey, the crooner deserved to know, right?
Back with Sienna and Erik, she smirked while eyeing the male. Every male she was associated with scratched the back of his head at some point, and it always baffled her. But she didn't say anything. She only allowed the fact that he had been talking about her to wash over her. She quirked an eyebrow at being an 'interesting subject', full-on ignoring the game now. She was well aware that many had things to say about her, ranging from her voice to the fact that she had blacked about two jocks' eyes because they said the wrong thing. Some things were positive, others not so much. But still, being called an interesting topic was intriguing.
"Ric's fine. A little bruised, but it's not the first time. He told himself he was being some chick's knight in shining armor or something," she exclaimed with a flippant shrug. She slid just a closer though, eyeing Erik carefully as she inquired, "But this, um, 'interesting subject' thing, though. Enlighten me on that." She spoke in a sort of ominous tone, knowing that it made people nervous. The conversation could go two different ways and she was curious about the way it would end up. Was she testing him? Mostly. Was she being mean? A bit, but she was always a bit mean and a bit playful. There was nothing new to this. Maybe to him, but not to her.