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Gossip Girl



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Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:17 am
Gravity says...



Dylan

Declan was out running with Bash, and I was on the phone with Henry.

"Okay so what's the difference between an ion and a cation again?" I asked him. He sighed, he'd explained this to me probably a million times.

"I'm sorry Henry, I just can't grasp this. At least I know more about balancing chemical equations than you do."

"It's a basic chem class," Henry said, "We don't even do labs. So why is this so hard?"

"I have no idea," I replied. Just then the doorbell rang. "Hang on a sec," I told Henry, "I think that's my food delivery."

I got up and walked to the apartment door and swung it open, balancing the phone between my ear and my shoulder so I could take my thai food. But it wasn't the delivery guy in front of me.

"Go away," I said to Bash, and I swung the door shut in his face.

"Is everything okay?" Henry asked, his voice sounding tinny through the phone speakers.

"Yeah, it's fine," I said, "It's just a rat at my door." I turned to head back to my bedroom when Bash knocked on the door again.

"What?" I asked, opening the door impatiently. He pointed at the phone.

"Sorry Henry, I gotta call you back. Try to do number ten by yourself and then let me know what you get, we can compare answers." I ended the call and slid my phone into the back pocket of my designer skinny jeans.

"So, what can I help you with?" I asked, crossing my arms as I leaned against the door frame.

"I had hoped to be able to return this, and I wanted to thank you for the gesture," he said clearing his throat. "And I also wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. You were just trying to be polite and I..."

"Acted like an ass," I finished as he trailed off.

"Precisely," he nodded.

"Thank you for apologizing," I said. I was grateful for the apology, but I also knew that didn't change his opinion of me.

"Your brother and I seem to get along well. We are evenly matched in sports and it looks like we might even be friends," Bash said, as if the word itself was unfamiliar. "I know how close you two are, I was hoping we could try to be civil from now on."

"Fine. Just don't make any more comments about my weight. Or eating habits. Or appearance."

"I can't fathom why anybody would make any negative comments about your appearance," Bash joked cracking a smile. I was instantly irritated. The day before he'd been making jabs at me about my weight, then he decided to compliment me.

"Well thanks," I said awkwardly. "Listen, I've gotta go. Henry and I were doing homework and-"

"-I understand," Bash interrupted," I don't want to keep you from your work. Have a good night."

"Thanks, you too," I said. And then he turned and walked down the hallway to the elevator.

***

After finishing my homework, Declan walked into the apartment.

"Where have you been?" I demanded.

"Uh, with Bash? Just like I told you?" he said, but his back was turned. Declan never could look me in the eye when I was lying.

"That's really funny because Bash was here over an hour ago and he said he hadn't seen you. He doesn't strike me as the type to leave a friend in the middle of a run."

"Why do you care where I was?" Declan said defensively.

"Because you're my brother and you're the only person on Earth I can trust with everything. Mom and Dad aren't the most stellar role models, you know." I pointed out.

"You don't need to know where I am every second of every day!"

"No, I don't, but if you're going somewhere and you don't want me to know where you're going then just say that. Don't lie to me. What if you'd gone missing or something happened to me or Mom or Dad and we couldn't find you because you said you were with Bash? This is New York, this isn't the suburbs of Seattle like in Lincoln Wood. Bad things happen here!" I exclaimed.

"You are being way too dramatic," Declan said, annoyed. This wasn't like him, he was usually pretty patient. "I can take care of myself and we aren't exactly in Brooklyn. This is the upper east side, not downtown Detroit."

"Fine," I relented, "Listen, everybody is going to that stupid club opening tonight. I don't know how they all got invited all things considered, but maybe we should go?"

"I have a suit for it," he said, "I'd hate for it to go to waste."

"Okay, let me go get ready."

I retreated to my room and sat on the bed for a second, turning on the TV. After turning on HGTV I went to work with my curling iron and various kinds of makeup, carefully applying everything so it was just so. I'd heard through the grape vine the opening has a 20s theme, so I added a jeweled and feathered headband around my head to be true to the time period. My dress was a deep jade green color with gold fringe, and I'd worn the classic 20s t-strap pumps.

I definitely thought I looked nice, but Declan did, as well. He'd chosen a gray suit with black pinstripes and a sharp 20s style hat, along with black and white classic wing tip shoes. He offered me his arm and escorted me to the town car.

"Are we getting Claire?" he asked.

"I haven't heard from her. I'll text her but if she wants to come she can take a cab."

Coming to the club tonight? I sent, but I didn't get a response.
And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)





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Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:56 pm
NicoleBri says...



Vada Marie

It was the day of the club opening and I hadn't even thought about who would be there. All I knew for sure was that Isadora and I were going. After all, we had been talking about it for days now.

I checked my emails and sure enough skaterboi had emailed me back. We had been talking for months and he was a distraction for me, it was different now and I have been thinking about calling off the emailing, we don't want to or even need to meet so what was the point?

Sighing, i clicked into the message. I didn't wanna talk about my life so not even bothering to read it, i began my own,

"I am done emailing. If you want to be friends we should meet or just stop it altogether. I know we said we wouldn't but I changed my mind."

I hit send, not even a minute later,

"Let's meet. Tonight. @ the new club in town. We can maybe go out for dinner at the café across the street."

I was in total shock. I didn't think he would agree, I figured if I sent that then it would scare him off. Great.

"Uhh, okay. Tonight @ 6. See you then."



Spoiler! :
So i made a short 10 minute post because j am at work. No one was included in it but she will definitely be at the club though. Anyone can add Vada. @fictionfanatic you are still posting right???
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Thu Jun 22, 2017 1:40 pm
TheForgottenKing says...



Sebastian

Sebastian tapped his pencil against his calculator as his math teacher, Mr. Brown, prattled on about number and algorithms. He stifled a yawn as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at it quickly before putting it away, an annoyed look on his face. Mr. Brown must have caught it, because he immediately spoke to Bash.

"Mr. Trapani. I can tell from that expression that something doesn't make sense. How may I assist you?" Bash always had a answer ready when a teacher called him out. Even when he wasn't paying attention.

"Appreciate it Mr. Brown. My only problem is I don't get how we're getting X out of G. Now, I get it as far as dividing the multiple of Q, but after that I'm lost." Bash sat back with a satisfied smile as Mr. Brown went into a lecture. He glanced at his phone again and rolled his eyes. It was the team group message, and they were all going on about the supposed club opening. He quickly began typing.

"Who the hell goes to those things anyways? Washed up people looking to hook up or score some drugs. One quick call can lead to the cops doing a routine investigation. Think of what could happen to all the people who are underage!." He ended the text with a winky emoji, and sent it, than grinned as the barrage of friendly insults came in, all claiming he was the wash up looking to hook up and score.
He sent out another text before Mr. Brown.

Tell ya what boys, to make up for it, I'll throw you almost wash ups a team barbecue. Tonight, 5'o'clock sharp. We can use the indoor pool, heated I may add, Two guests max. Let's show those club scene babies that Trapani's haven't forgotten how to be welcoming. Guest of honor? Mr. Declan Irving. Be there or be square ya bums."

Bash set his phone onto Do Not Disturb as he returned to thumping his pencil against his desk. Slowly, the day droned on, until at last he was happily in his Cadillac, Luca driving slowly. He called up his mother, letting her know his plans, before alerting the staff the preparations for his team.

Since Bash wanted to make it his barbecue, he had the staff simply pick up things from the store, than told them to take the evening off. His mother was leaving to go visit his father, and than would be sleeping in a penthouse that was closer to the prison.

An hour later, he was in his American flag swimming shorts, some flip flops, and his team tank top, barbecuing hot dogs and hamburgers, as guests began to arrive slowly. He wasn't concerned that they would take up parking space. Suffice it to say, the Trapani's enjoyed their privacy, and his father had bought both homes on their left and right, demolished them, than created a large "chill zone" with an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tubs and sauna, are basketball hoops, and an amphitheater complete with a fire pit. A place for the children of anyone in the Family to enjoy themselves. Last summer, Sebastian had even gotten his lifeguard certificate, and he spent most of the summer watching the children of the Family swim in the Olympic sized pool, the deep side having a depth of 20 meters, perfect for the diving board.

On the other site, his father had created a greenhouse and maze, just for his mother to enjoy her days, tending her beloved flowers. Bash knew more than a few people would be hooking up in said maze. Hopefully he'd beable to shoo them out before his mother returned the following midday.

The first guests began to arrive a little after 5, complaining about traffic and this and that. He turned around to offer someone behind him a plate, froze, than smiled graciously." Im surprised to see you here."
"I make my own luck"- Shay Patrick Cormac





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Sat Jun 24, 2017 5:38 am
Gravity says...



Dylan

"Oh shit,"

Declan said, the glow of his phone illuminating his pale face in the dim light of the club.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked. I'd just said hello to Vada and noted that Claire was nowhere to be seen. I was already bored.

"Bash his having a barbecue right now," Declan said, sighing.

"Great, why do I care?" I snapped, recalling our previous conversation.

"He's sort of my only friend at St. Jude's, Dylan. And he named me the guest of honor, check the group chat."

I opened my phone and read the message, I normally had the groupchat muted for school but I had forgotten to unmute it.

"Once again. Why should I care?"

"I have to go," he insisted.

"See there's this difference between want and need," I said sarcastically, "want means-"

"I know Dylan." Declan said with a hint of annoyance. "But we always do what you want to do and never what I want to do and it's getting just a little old."

I felt the smile fade off my face, all the bravado gone. "I'm really sorry Dec..." I said, trailing off. "I'll go with you, can we just stop at home to change?" I paused, "Why's he having a barbecue in the middle of September? It's the beginning of sweater weather."

"That's Bash Trapani for ya, making the impossible possible."

We stopped at home and I stared in dismay at my hair and makeup.I had already removed my headband, but didn't feel like taking out the intricate retro bob updo I'd fixed in my hair, and the vintage eyeliner I had painstakingly applied.

"I'll just have to make this work, then," I muttered to myself. Fashion was very important to me and appearances, as my mother had taught me, were everything.

So, I carefully hung my dress and changed into a black high waisted bikini which covered all of my stomach, but had enough cleavage and just enough skin underneath the top to be sexy. It was very retro looking, but also very chic. I figured I'd just put on some skinny jeans and a sweater and bring a large purse with me, so I could change in and out of my clothes when I pleased.

"Dyl?" Declan called, "Stop primping, let's go!"

After rolling my eyes I followed Declan out of our building and into the chilly New York air, waiting for our town car. School had only been in sessions for a few weeks, so September was on its last leg. It wasn't freezing, but the night air was still cool and I was thankful I had worn a light sweater.

40 minutes later, we'd entered the Trapani mansion, and I was awestruck. Yes, I'd seen it while delivering the brownies to Bash, but hadn't been able to fully appreciate the size or the beauty of the building itself. Fountains in the front were lit up, the spray of water causing the fountain lights to waver and shimmer in the dark. The large oak door seemed to hold a sort of allure, not unlike how Fitzgerald probably imagined the Gatsby mansion. When Declan and I followed the rest of the party goers to the back of the house where the indoor pool, hot tub, outdoor pool, and maze were, I realized the extent of the luxury. The penthouse Declan and I lived in seemed to pale by comparison. As I stripped off my sweater and jeans (leaving the stilettos on because come on, they were cute) I realized there were patio warmers which shielded everyone from the September chill. Bash stood by the grill in swim trunks and a lacrosse tank top as if it were completely normal to be grilling at 10:00 at night in 50 degree weather.

"I'm surprised to see you here," he said, and I immediately looked around, praying Bash was talking to somebody, anybody, other than myself.

"Why's that? You did name my brother the guest of honor, you must've known that would come off as a fairly calculating move." My voice was cool the whole time, and almost coy in a way. I took a cocktail from the table and began to sip on it, my red lips leaving a small stain on the straw.

"I suppose you're correct," Bash said, his facade never faltering except an almost imperceptible flicker of his eyes, "going swimming tonight?" he asked me, gesturing to my swimsuit.

I immediately felt just a little more confident. This was my favorite swimsuit after all. It's just Bash, nagged a voice in my head, why do you care if you look good in front of him? Except I did care. He'd insulted my weight, and I hoped he was regretting every body shaming comment he'd every said or thought after seeing me in that swimsuit.

"No, I decided to wear a swimsuit to your party just so I could dip my delicate ankles in the pool and spend the rest of the time parading around half naked," I said, sarcastically, glancing around at the rest of the girls at the party who'd obviously just worn bikinis to show off.

"I see," Bash responded, chuckling a little bit. "Well, I do hope you enjoy the party. If you see Declan anywhere, will you send him in my direction?"

"Sure, as long as I can send myself in the opposite one," I said with more than a hint of sass. Bash just smiled and shook his head, turning back to the grill. I got the impression that he was used to the red head temper by now, something Declan seemed to avoid just fine.

I headed off to the hot tub to relax, regretfully kicking off my heels and setting my bag down. I didn't know really anyone there, so I just sank into the bubbles and twiddled idly with my phone.

Where are you? You disappeared? my phone buzzed, flashing a text from Declan across the screen.

I'm chilling in a hot tub and I'm fine. I have a cheesy romance novel and plenty of food, go hang out with your lacrosse buddies, I sent back, content to be in the bubbles. Yup. This was definitely a hundred times more relaxing than being in a club.

You sure you'll be okay? came Declan's text a few seconds a later. Just then an attractive guy hopped into the hot tub and sat next to me. He had black hair, which was neatly styled, plenty of muscles and pretty brown eyes. The other guys and girls in the hot tub greeted him and then he turned to look at me.

"Hey, I don't think we've met before, I'm Matt, I'm the goalie on the lacrosse team."

"Dylan, I'm Declan Irving's sister," I said, smiling at him.

"Declan... the red headed kid who's really fast and can keep going for hours? Him?"

I nodded, and Matt laughed, "Yeah, he's great! He's pretty quiet but when he starts talking he has a pretty great sense of humor. How are you enjoying the party so far?" Matt smiled again and I hastily texted Declan back:

I think I'll be just fine

And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)





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Sat Jun 24, 2017 5:58 am
Gravity says...



Declan

I was sitting at a table with Bash, Zach, and a couple of girls. Zach was one of our defenders. Definitely not the most intelligent guy ever, but I was just happy to be at a social event where everyone was speaking a language I understood.

"You should see Declan on the field in practice," Zach said, "He's our fastest midfielder. If your in trouble, Declan could be all the way across the field and then BAM, the next second he's right there, ready to take the ball and get it across the field." I wasn't used to this attention so when the girls oohed and aahed and giggled obnoxiously, I simply bit into my burger and watched Bash nod in agreement.

"He might be fast but he's got great endurance," Bash said, furthering the compliments, "When we go on runs it seems like Declan could run for miles and not break a sweat."

I swallowed the food I had in my mouth and protested, "That's not true at all! You give me a run for my money sometimes, pun totally intended," Zach, Bash, and the girls burst into laughter.

"Even though lacrosse season doesn't start until the Spring, we've been working our asses off to train," Zach started, and then he launched into tales of the grueling drills and workouts Bash made us do several days a week. There was a reason Zach was only a defender and not an attacker. He didn't put himself out there, and he didn't push himself in the workouts. Coaches had a tendency to put their weaker players on defense. If you had a good goalie, and Matt was exceptional, then that's what mattered.

My gaze wandered around the party and I found myself searching for Dylan's red hair. I finally found her sitting in the hot tub with, speak of the devil, Matt. I wasn't worried at all, Matt was harmless and he had a little sister who went to Constance as well. I knew he wasn't the type to try to take advantage of a girl, especially not when her older brother was at the same party.

"Hey, is that Dylan?" seems like one of the girls,(Brianna? Britney maybe?) had noticed her, too.

Zach whistled, "She's with Matt. I wonder if they'll-" I jabbed Zach in the ribs with my elbow as hard as I could, effectively cutting off whatever asshole comment he'd been about to make.

"Matt's a nice guy," I said, "It's not like that." But I noticed Bash's gaze lingered on the pair a little bit longer than necessary, watching as Dylan and Matt laughed at some joke he made while she touched him lightly on the arm.

"You good?" I asked, once Zach and the girls had gotten up to get more drinks.

"I'm having the time of my life," he said as he put a few pieces of fruit in his mouth. That was Bash, always watching what he was eating. I doubted he'd indulged in a single one of the brownies Dylan had brought him. Bash was a perfectionist, and it showed in his playing. He took it seriously, even off season.

I took out my phone and decided to text Claire. I'm worried about you. I'm at Bash's barbecue right now. You can come join me if you need to get your mind off of things, or if you want I can stop by tomorrow and check in. Then I locked my phone and set it on the table, hoping she would reply soon.

And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)





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Mon Jul 03, 2017 9:29 am
NicoleBri says...



Jameson

Not appearing at the club opening was one of the best ideas I had. Since I normally always ended up being in the middle of the crowd I decided I would try my hand at the dating world again.

I'm here. Where are you? Angela had texted. I sighed, she was a long time friend of mine, I never imagined we would be on a date. She was interested so why not? I was totally available anyways.

In the back booth. Been here for the past 15 minutes. i sent the reply.

I was never late to anything so it really annoyed me when girls expected that I would be the type of guy who was always late. I am actually always early.

I saw her walk up in a purple knee length dress. Her dark tan made the dress look ten times hotter on her. Her hair was in a wave to the left and she had a pretty decent amount of eye make up on. So hot.

"Hello? What are you staring at?" She giggled. For a minute there I was lost in a trance.

"Sorry, you just look so beautiful."

It slipped from my mouth before I had time to think. Her blush made me smile, to be honest, before now i had never thought of her in a girlfriend type of way.

"Why thank you Jameson. You look hot yourself." She had a bright smile, her teeth were pearly white and straight. Perfect.

"What would you guys like to drink?" The waiter approached, just in time might I say.

"Water, please." Angela told him.

He nodded his head and looked my way,

"Uh, a Sprite will be fine."

He wrote it down and left our table.

"So what made you decide to finally ask me on a date?" Angela asked, her hazel eyes full of curiosity.

-*-*-

By the end of the night we were in her car by the lake. She was a great kisser, one thing led to another and it was great.

-*--*-*

I woke up the next morning to a text, well multiple ones.

Angela: Definitely should hang out again. Wonderful night lover boy ;)

Vada: I still love you Jameson. I just wanted you to know that. I always will, i am kinda tipsy right now but this was the only way I could tell you. <3

My heart ached at her text. Vada was the first girl I had ever fallen in love with. A piece of me will always care about her and I just couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

I looked at the last message and it was from the group chat Sawyer, Augustus, and I had.

Sawyer: Why didn't you come to the club opening last night James??

Augustus: Yeah dude, it was awesome.

I finally replied

Jameson: Sorry guys, decided I would take Angela on a date last night. I didn't want to be a part of that mess. XD


Spoiler! :
@Nike @fictionfanatic i am not sure if yall are still participating but i did mention yalls charries but if yall didnt want them at the club opening let me know and i can change it. :) Haven't posted for Jameson in awhile so here it is! Btw Angela is one of his friends that doesn't really ever get mentioned. Yall can choose to know or not know her.
Words are a lens to focus one's mind.



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Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:43 am
XxXTheSwordsmanXxX says...



Henry


It was another boring night at home. Henry sighed as he wandered around the streets hidden beneath the hood. The flashing lights and loud music drew him to a newly opened club in uptown.

It was loud. Almost to the point that his hearing aid was whining in complaint.

"Hey!" He barely heard over the the thumping base. A man came stumbling up to him in an obvious drunken stupor. "What the hell happened to your face?"

Henry was not in the mood to deal with the man's drunken ramblings and turned away. The heavy hand on his shoulder spun him back to the man who smelled heavily of booze. "I'm talking to you freak! Don't walk away from me!"

"Take your hand off of me before you need a new set of teeth," Henry warned.

"Oh tough freak wantsh to fight?" The man said before swinging.

Henry's hands were up before he was ever close to being hit. The counter strike put the drunk on his as wondering what happened. "Stay down if you know what's good for you."

The man didn't listen. Getting to his feet he charged at Henry who quickly threw him into his back.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Someone said walking up to him. Henry remembered him as Sawyer. The fellow student's eyes flickered over the burn marks before he motioned for him to follow. "How about you join us. Students are welcome inside. Good chance for you to hang out!"

He wasn't really sure. But he didn't have anywhere else to be. "Yeah...i guess." Pushing his hands into his pockets he followed after Sawyer into the club.

Henry ended up turning down his hearing aid as the whine was getting nearly painful. There was dancing near the center and lights flashing in time to the thumping music. "How can you stand it being this loud?"

"It can get that way," Sawyer chuckled. "Henry, have you met Augutus?"

"Not sure," Henry said shaking his hand. "What's to drink that isn t alcoholic?"

"You can just get a soda. So where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I've studied wing chun for many years."

"That's pretty cool. So you can just beat up anyone that talks about your....uh" Augustus stumbled over his words.l realizing the touchy subject.

"I used to do that. It why I have been thrown out of several schools." Henry sighed not feeling comfortable with all the people around him. Getting a soda he tried to blend in with the crowd.





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Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:45 am
HazelGrace16 says...



Claire Devney

Coming to the club tonight?

I stared at the text from Dylan and froze up. A part of me didn't want to tell her I was going because I knew that all she’d want to do is watch over me the whole time. For one night, the idea of blending in sounded strangely appealing to me.

I threw my phone down on my bed and walked to my closet to look for something to wear tonight. I scavenged through the racks and piles of clothing until I found one of my mom’s old straight deco style tiered black dresses that I stole for Halloween a few years ago. I pulled the dress on and grabbed some black gloves and silver jewelry along with a jeweled headpiece. I stared in the mirror for a long moment glaring at a girl I didn’t recognize. I was now getting used to the brown hair but something was still missing to me. The now scabbed up scratch on my cheek suddenly made me feel as if my skin was clinging to my bones, and that was the only thing people could see. I add another layer of concealer just in case.

You’re nothing without me. Do you honestly think anyone else will ever love you? I am the only one who could possibly see the worth in a little whore like you. You will never be anything more than I say you'll be!

I shake the memory away and force myself to present a fake smile to the mirror.

See...it’s easy.

Lastly, I grab a pair of t-strap shoes and my camera bag from the top of my dresser. I easily slip past my mom who’s doing some late night work on the computer. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t notice I was gone tonight.

-------------------------------------------------------------

By the time I make it to the club, the festivities have already begun. All around me adults and teens in hiding dance to the bouncing beats of the live jazz band, and drink to their heart's content from the swarming champagne trays and open bar. I find my place at the bar before I find anyone I know. I order a glass of champagne-throwing it back before getting out my camera to take some pics of the candid clubgoers. I wave over the bartender taking a quick pic of him.

“Make sure to keep these coming.” I nod my head towards the now empty champagne glass.He furrows his brows and walks towards me.

“Hmmm. You seem a little young to be here. Got an ID?”

“No, but I do have a picture of the bartender who served me alcohol.” I hold up my camera with a smirk.

“Cunning bitch. I like it. Where you from?” He asks pouring me another glass.

“Underground.” I joke, and he chuckles.

“Well welcome to the surface. I hope you capture something other than my face tonight.”

“I’ll try as long as you keep pouring.” I throw back another glass.

“Trying to piss off mommy and daddy? Then you might need something stronger.” He says grabbing the tequila.

“Pssh. You trying to get me drunk?” I raise my eyebrows. He says nothing “And no. I’m not doing this to be a rebellious teenager. I’m just trying to forget that I’m a piece of shit for five minutes.”

“Aren’t we all?” He slides the glass towards me.

“Guess so.” I raise it to him and chug down its contents.

---------------------------------------------------------

An hour later.

“Claire?” I turn around to see the one and only Vada Marie Collins gracing me with her presence. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“I didn’t think... you’d care.” My speech hinted the beginning of slurring.

“Oh don’t give yourself that much credit Devney.” She turns to the bartender. “Two glasses of vodka and coke please.”

“I see you’re not...staying sober...tonight.” I take a swig from my drink.

“I can see you’re not sober anymore.” She mocks as she turns to me. “What happened to your face?”

“Whatever lie I’m supposed to tell you.”

“What are you talking about?” She crosses her arms.

“Nothing Vada. Absolutely nothing. Now if you’ll... excuse me.” I down the rest of my drink and hop from my bar stool stumbling along the way.. “I am done... with my clubbing... for tonight.”

“Claire-” I walk away ignoring whatever she says next.

I don’t know if two minutes or twenty minutes have gone by the time I get to the clubs entrance. Everything is spinning, and my feet feel heavier by the minute. I fall and slide down against a wall ignoring the ripping sounds of my mom’s dress.

“Claire.” Someone bends down next to me and taps my arm.

“Go away Vada.” I simply shove my arm out hitting nothing.

“It’s not Vada.” I slowly open my eyes to see Emma crouched down next to me.”What the hell were you thinking?”

“Oh...hey Emma...whats up?”

“I'm calling Declan because I can’t get ahold of Dylan.” She says turning up to talk to someone, but I don’t know who it is.

“Hey, Emma...I really miss you...I’m sorry I’m...such a terrible friend.” I lean into her, and she pats my head.

“I know you’re sorry. I'm sorry too. Why would you do something so dangerous and stupid?”

“It hurts…”

“What hurts? Oh hey, Declan. Claire’s in trouble. Uh, wait. Claire… Claire!-” Black suddenly floods my vision.

------------------------------------------

Next thing I know, I am awake in the back of a car with my head laying on top of Emma’s legs.

“She can stay at your house right?” I hear Emma say to the driver. “My parents are home tonight, and I don’t think hiding a drunk girl would be an easy task.”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine at my house.”

Declan’s voice maybe?

“Thanks.” I black out again to the soft hum of the car engine.
--------------------------------------------
The next time I wake up I’m on a couch with Declan staring at me from his place on his coffee table.

“Thank God.” He sighs. “I was beginning to think I was gonna have to take you to the hospital.”

“Where’s Emma? Where’s Dylan?” I croak out.

“Emma left after we got you here, and Dylan got a ride home from a friend about an hour ago.” He places a water bottle next to my head.

“What time... is it? How long…. have I been out?” I ask groggily.

“It's about 4 in the morning and you’ve been out for about 5 hours.”

“I need to get home.” I try to sit up when the room begins to furiously spin. I curl over retching into the perfectly placed bucket by the side of the couch.

“You’re not going anywhere like this.” He says pulling my hair back as the rest of my stomach clears.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper falling back down onto the couch.

“Don't be.” He brushes the hair from my face.

“Did Dylan see me?” I ask embarrassed.

“Yeah... I’m thinking we owe her some explanations tomorrow.” Tears prick my eyes.

“I know…”

"Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine" - The Imitation Game





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Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:16 am
Gravity says...



Dylan

"So... do you have a boyfriend?" Matt asked me and I blushed a little. He'd been hardcore flirting with me for the past hour and I won't lie, I was enjoying the attention.

"No. I'm single unfortunately." I said, in a mockingly dejected manner. "It's just too bad that I'm free to do whatever I want."

"Well I'm sorry to hear it," Matt said, his tone just as sarcastic as I was.

"Dylan." I jumped and turned around, water sloshing over the side of the tub and onto the pavement. It was Declan. "I'm gonna head out early," Declan said, "You can stay as long as you want, just don't get into trouble." He turned to Matt. "You'll make sure gets it home okay, right?"

Matt nodded, the humor gone from his face. "I'll make sure she gets home, no one will mess with her on my watch."

"Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate it."

"Whoa guys, thank you for deciding how the rest of my evening will play out. Why are you leaving early, Mr. Guest of Honor?" I asked.

"There's just something I have to take care of."

"What something? Can I come, too?" I asked, now curious.

"No, Dylan. Stay here and have fun. I just have to sort something out. It doesn't concern you, I promise."

I huffed in frustration. Declan had been frequently disappearing, and giving me a ton of vague answers, answers that I just wasn't buying anymore. But what could I do? He was my brother, perhaps the only person on the planet who actually took care of me. I had no choice but to trust him.

Then I looked over at Matt and saw his mussed brown hair, his warm brown eyes, and his clearly toned body in the hot tub. I decided my interrogation of Declan could wait one more night.

"Okay," I agreed, "Do whatchya gotta do."

"I love you, sis. You know I'm here for you. I just have to take care of this."

"I love you too, Declan," I replied, "Be safe."

Declan turned around then and left the party.

"So, where were we?" I asked. The other people, after seeing Matt was pretty focused on his conversation with me, had left. Not that I was complaining.

"We were agonizing over your unfortunate single status," Matt said, his perfect teeth showing as he laughed. He really did have a nice laugh.

"Well, I'm actually pretty grateful for it right now," I said, the corners of my red painted lips turning up in a cheeky smile.

"And why's that?"

"Because I really want to kiss you right now," I admitted. Damn, I'm a little buzzed, I hope that wasn't weird, I thought.

But before I could say anything else, Matt had his hand on the side of my face, his thumb brushing his cheek with the rest of his fingers halfway in my hair. His lips met mine and I could feel my heart race. It wasn't my first, but I'd only been kissed a handful of times, and never like this.

I ran my hands down his chest and sank deeper into the kiss, my body feeling warm and tingly all over. He gently pushed me away and I found myself protesting.

"What are you doing? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. I looked down at the water, focus on the bubbles, focus on the bubbles, shit shit shit.

Matt used his finger to tilt my chin up so I would look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong. But you're a little tipsy, we just met tonight, and your brother asked me to get you home unharmed. Pretty sure he didn't mean I should sleep with you first, like some kind of manwhore."

I exhaled, realizing I'd been holding my breath.

"I think you're a cool person. I'm sure this will end up all over gossip girl tomorrow, and I want you to be able to honestly say you didn't do anything trashy."

"Yeah," I admitted, "You're right. But once I get in a car with you, people will say we slept together anyway."

"People also call Henry Campell scarface and say that you two are dating. Doesn't make it right or okay."

I smiled, "How did you know we weren't dating?"

"Gossip Girl's 'evidence' for that theory was flimsy. Plus you just told me you were single," he said, laughing.

"That's true. Aw, I'm all pruny," I said, holding up my fingers.

"Okay, we can get out if you want." he hopped out and let me hold onto him to steady myself as I made my way down the steps. I stumbled a little, but he caught me. "I think maybe you should refrain from drinking any more tonight," he chuckled, "Did you bring a change of clothes? I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go for a burger, sober up. Maybe talk a bit more?"

I grinned, "That sounds like an excellent idea. I have some spare clothes in my bag. I'll just go to the bathroom and get changed."

I passed Bash on the way to the bathroom, and he looked at me, his expression unreadable. I shrugged, tightened my grip on my bag, and went inside. I found Matt after I changed and noticed he'd also put on clothes: khaki pants and a polo top with converse shoes.

"I'm having a little trouble here," I said, feeling unsteady in my stilettos. I'd put on my jeans and my sweater, but realized I forgot to bring a change of shoes.

"That's alright, you can hang on to me," and we went outside and caught a cab.

***

3 hours later, I quietly entered the apartment, high heels in one hand with my purse in the other. My eyebrows shot up to my forehead at the scene in front of me. Claire was passed out on the couch, shoes off, wearing an obviously twenties style dress. I noted a headband, earrings, and a necklace resting on the coffee table, and she was half covered in a blanket with a bucket next to her. She hadn't responded when I asked if she was going to the club. I realized then that she had gone, without me. Declan was sitting next to her, looking at me with an apologetic expression on his face. Not only had she ignored my text and gone to the club without me, but she'd trusted Declan and not me.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I whispered angrily.

"It's not what it looks like," Declan said, before realizing that phrase never works well.

"It looks like my drunk friend is passed out on our couch, and both of you neglected to tell me there was a problem," I hissed.

"There's more to the story then that," he replied.

"Then explain it to me," I gestured to Claire's sleeping figure.

"I promised." He shook is head and glanced at Claire, who was obviously still out cold.

"Great. So not only did Claire ignore me, lie to me, and drag you into it, now you two are keeping secrets from me?" I asked rhetorically.

The pained expression on Declan's face told me everything.

"Great. Absolutely fantastic. I just had the most wonderful night with Matt, and I'm not going to let this spoil it. I'm going to bed."

And then I turned on my heel, walked into my room, and shut and locked the door.

And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)





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Wed Jul 05, 2017 11:11 pm
Nike says...



Emma Bobek

This club was sick. Everyone and no one were here, it's something you couldn't miss, especially with how GG blasted about it. I had on my high waisted jeans and black crop top, ready to kill it on the floor. Yeah, I wasn't the one to go dancing in a skirt. The music was so loud, you couldn't even hear your phone receive a message and the place reeked of cologne and cheap vodka.

I had my sights set on Sawyer. The last time we saw each other was just sex... and I don't know, I've caught feelings for him. I didn't care what Claire had to say about him, she had to be wrong. It felt different.

The only people I could recognize were people that didn't even want to talk to me, there was Vada and Augustus and all the popular kids that made partying a life style. If only I could find someone, anyone... no one.

I looked around the place and decided to hit up the bar. It was covered in teens trying to get their fix of vodkas on ice. I smiled up at the bartender and he gave me a wink back, leaning against the bar to get closer to me.

"What would you like, sweet cheeks?" He smirked.

"Anything that will make me forget." I said at a monotone.

Somehow this made his smirk even cockier as he pulled back and started to grab a glass, filling it up with whiskey. I looked behind me, trying to find sight of Claire. I knew we weren't talking and that's because of what she said to me, but she was still very important to me. The music was bumping with Zedd as I faced back towards the bar and took the cold glass in my hand. A brown liquid swarmed around it, smiling up at me. I took the shot, enjoying the burn it gave as it went down my throat.

I placed the glass back down and turned around again, this time finding what I was looking for

"Claire," I said under my breath as I went into the crowd again. She was dancing around, enjoying herself. And that's what stopped me halfway. Was she still not gonna talk to me? Was I okay with her? I didn't know. But I knew I did want her to be okay.

"Emma." I heard a voice come from behind me and I knew exactly who that was. Turning on my heel, I was met face to face with Sawyer. His eyes were so beautiful, I felt like I couldn't breathe. He was so close to me, I could feel his body heat.

"Sawyer," I said, licking my lips. "I was hoping I'd find you."

"Me too," he said. It's like the music died out and all I could hear was him, and that's all I wanted to hear.

He had his hands on my waist before I could even think about walking away. His touch burned as he pulled me closer. I looked at his lips, then back at his eyes, and I caught his looking at mine. People bumped into us but I could careless. All I wanted was him and I didn't even drink.

"I'm going to kiss you, Emma." He said with a smirk.

My heart fluttered as I nodded, stepping on my tip toes so I can reach him. He bent down and lied his lips on mine, causing my skin to tingle. I had my hands on his chest, gripping his shirt tightly as he slipped his tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss. Everything felt like a high and I never wanted it to end, but then I remembered, Claire.

Pulling away, I smiled up at his confused face. "I gotta do something."

"Can it wait?" He asked as he rose his eyebrows. "Cause I really don't want you to leave."

"It can't, I gotta go. Maybe we can meet up later?"

He nodded, "Call me and I'll get you."

With a smile, I turned back and found Claire straight away. Vada was at her tail, trying to get something out of her. After she dipped, I pulled on Claire's arm and caught her attention.

Just as we said our sorries, she went limp in my arms and I couldn't hold her up. The both of us hit the ground as the crowd around us started to spread out. She was lying on top of me, crushing my legs, I wasn't the strongest person. The music felt deafening as my heart raced. I could feel her breathing but she resembled a corpse.

I pulled out my phone, dialing up Declan. He was the only person I could think of that could help her. Sawyer was drunk as all hell, same with Augustus.

"Hello?" Declan answered.

"I need your help," I said through tears. "It's Claire."
Last edited by Nike on Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“There is no need to call me Sir, Professor.”





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Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:07 am
Gravity says...



Image

Good Morning My Lovelies,

2 big events went on last night, and most of you are nursing some unfortunate side effects of the alcohol.

[photo of Bash's party]

Little Bash Trapani, hosting a lacrosse party the same night as the club opening, hoping to challenge the main stream. The guest of honor? Declan Irving. Our Knight in Shining Armor has made quite an impact on the lacrosse team, and his baby sister has, too.

[Photo of Matt and Dylan in the hot tub, with another photo of them getting in a cab together]

Big Red lured herself a wolf at the Trapani party, and the pair were seen getting into a cab together at the end of the night. Looks like Dylan decided to open her legs after all.

[Photo of Declan carrying a passed out Claire]

While Big Red was being carried off to bed by her new man, our Knight in Shining Armor was spotted carrying Claire home. We all have our demons, and Claire has found comfort for hers in the bottom of a bottle. I wonder what drove Little Blue to that extreme.

[Photo of Emma kissing Sawyer at the club]

Spotted. Emma wiggling her way into Sawyer's bed once more. I guess that isn't news at this point, this wouldn't be the first time Chicago has been seen sleeping around. I wonder, has Sawyer bothered to ask Emma about her sordid past? Or does he simply not care?

[Photo of Jameson and Angela sitting in a booth]

Jameson has yet to be a character on my little blog, but he was seen cavorting with a longtime friend. Maybe he'll find his way out of the friend zone... maybe not.

Finally. Perhaps the most interesting part of the evening,

[Image of Bash staring at Dylan and Matt as they get into a cab, a hint of jealousy in his eyes]

Bash Trapani, you cold cold man. I didn't think anybody would be able to melt that icy heart of yours. It seems, however, that you have an interest in Big Red. I sense tension among the players of the lacrosse team, and it certainly isn't because of happenings on the field.

Last night was full of some very interesting drama... Keep it up my lovelies. I do always enjoy knowing what happens next. Happy Hangovers.

Who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell.
You know you love me
XOXO,
Gossip Girl






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Sat Jul 08, 2017 7:07 pm
NicoleBri says...



"Claire.. don't walk away from me!!" I yelled to her as she stumbled past. She used to be my best friend but now it was completely different. We barely talked and when we did we muttered a lot of choice words to one another and bring up the past.

I gave up trying to talk to her because once she is drunk there is nothing to stop her from doing whatever the hell she wanted.

I sighed and got the vodka and coke that Claire had ordered earlier, I needed it. I took a sip of it and it instantly burned my throat, definitely what I needed, more vodka than coke.

I lingered in the corner of the room a bit more before walking to the front door, it was time for me to get out of there before I did something stupid.

I took out my phone and sat down on a bench, my thoughts went to Jameson and all the fun we used to have together every time we went out. Our relationship was notorious. That was the way I loved it but then at the time it got old... How? I couldn't even tell you anymore.

I saw his name in my text messages and decided to shoot him a little text, "I still love you, Jameson." without thinking, I pressed send and put my phone in my purse, got my car keys, and left to go sit in the car. I might have been too drunk to drive but it didn't stop me. I was too far gone.

I started the car and somehow in a flash I was home. To my bed. Asleep. Enjoying what fantasy I had conjured up in my mind.
Last edited by NicoleBri on Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:11 am
Gravity says...



Declan

I'm not gonna lie. It was a long night.

I was afraid Claire would wake up before morning and be sick, or be confused as to how she got here. But even more, I was worried she would wake up and hate herself. Hate herself for being wasted... for being in he relationship with Mr. Anderson.

So I sat up all night, I drank several cups of coffee. I read a book. Since the club opening had been twenties themed, I decided to pick up The Great Gatsby. There were a few things by Fitzgerald that I really liked. Call me mainstream, but Gatsby was my favorite. Even though Daisy was whiny, and most of the time Nick either doesn't have a clue or he knows everything, I really loved Jay. To me, he was selfishly selfless. He held parties every night, just hoping Daisy would come wandering in, but he doesn't pursue her until she does. And then... then he wrecks her marriage, has an affair with her.

I looked at Claire. Was I doing that with her? Somehow hoping she would just wander into my grasp and completely blowing her relationship with Mr. Anderson out of proportion because I was jealous?

No, I decided, remembering her bruises. It wasn't out of jealousy. It was out of my stupid need to protect everyone around me.

I sighed, and around 5:30, decided she wasn't gonna wake up anytime soon. So I turned off the lights, and headed into my room to take a shower.

When I got out, Claire was still passed out and the barest hint of sunlight was peeking through the curtains. I laid down on the other end off the white sectional couch, draped a blanket over my legs, and prayed I could sleep.

I laid there and exhaled, waiting. Maybe it was the caffeine, maybe it was everything whirring around in my brain. Who knows, it was probably both. Regardless, sleep wouldn't come. But then I heard a groan from the other side of the couch.

"Thank God," I say dryly, "I was beginning to think I'd have to take you to the hospital."

I turn my head to look at her in the dim lighting. She has black makeup smeared under her eyes, which are now bloodshot. "Where's Emma? Where's Dylan?" she says hoarsely.

"Emma left after we got you here, and Dylan came home a few hours ago."

"How long have I been out? What time is it?"

"Eh. Almost 6. you've been out for about 5 hours."

"Fuck. I need to get home," she sat up, clutching her head and then threw up into the bucket I had strategically placed right next to her.

"You aren't going anywhere like this," I said.

"Did Dylan see me?" she asked, and I noticed a small tear in the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, she did." I replied. "We both owe her an explanation when she gets up."

"I know," she said, but her voice was thick with tears. "I have the hangover from hell," Claire said, and I chuckled a little bit, which made her laugh.

"I'm glad I didn't get any puke on your floor," Claire said, "If vomiting were an Olympic sport, I would win. Full points for aim."

"And for smell," I joked, and then we both laughed a little. Then Claire moaned again.

"I'm gonna go empty out this bucket, try not to throw up on the floor, okay?" I said, and she nodded, weakly, shutting her eyes. So I got up and walked into the bathroom in my room, emptying the bucket into the toilet before rinsing it out in the sink. When I walked into the living room Claire was huddled into a ball, clutching the blanket to her. I knew from experience, the leather couch was for show. Not comfort.

"Okay, come on," I said, holding out my hand to her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You are going into my room, you're gonna take a quick shower because you smell like a distillery, put on some of my old clothes, and then you're going to lay down and rest in my bed until Dylan wakes up."

"What if I throw up on your bed?" Claire asked.

"Well Ms. Olympic Gold Medalist of barfing, I'm confident in our ability to get it in the bucket. But if you happen to throw up on the bed, then I'll just have to do laundry like a normal person, won't I?"

Claire gave me a weak smile and then tried to stand up again, and I did my best to carry most of her weight.

"I don't think a shower is the best idea right now," she said.

"There's a bench in there, which I normally use for my shampoo and stuff. But you can sit on it. Trust me, you need the shower."

"Fine," she relented.

I grabbed a pair of old sweatpants and a t shirt before I walked into the bathroom, put the toilet seat down and sat on it, waiting patiently as Claire undressed. The toilet was one of those that had its own little room, so I couldn't see anything. I just wanted to make sure I could get to Claire if she fell. I heard the water start and I assumed she was doing normal girly stuff. Washing her hair, etc.

Sighing, I unlocked my phone and tapped snapchat, looking through the snap stories of Bash's party and the club. The water shut off a few minutes after I watched Claire drunkenly dancing with Emma and Vada.

"You okay?" I called.

"Don't be so loud," Claire muttered, her voice echoing through the bathroom and I just chuckled to myself. A few minutes later I heard the bathroom door creak, and I emerged from the toilet room to see Claire's towel hanging over the shower door, her clothes in a pile in the corner, and the door wide open. I carefully walked towards the bedroom and saw where Claire had faceplanted on the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.

"Claire?"

"Mmph."

"You need to get under the comforter," I whispered,

"Mmrphg."

"Is that even a word?" I asked rhetorically, nudging her.

"Mmmmphgrrrrrrrr!" she screamed into the pillow, before slowly getting underneath the covers. I pulled my plain blue comforter up to her chin and set the bucket on the bed next to her, well within her reach.

After carefully, and quietly, leaving my bedroom, I was greeted with the sight of a very tired, very pissed off Dylan sitting at the kitchen counter.

"So, how is she?" Dylan asked, drawing her tangled red hair into a bun.

"Not good. But she'll live," I replied, sitting down next to her.

"What's going on with her?"

I hesitated, "I don't know if it's my place to say."

"Declan, it wasn't your place to keep secrets about my best friend away from me, and it sure as hell wasn't your place to be running around pulling her out of every scrape she gets herself into. I assume that's where you've been disappearing?"

"Guilty," I admitted reluctantly.

"Spill the beans, ghosty."

"Our skin is exactly the same shade," I protested. But she just glared at me. "Okay." I exhaled. "Do you remember that photo Gossip Girl released last week?" I asked.

"Yes. I remember every single photo Gossip Girl sends out," Dylan shot back sarcastically. But then, in a softer tone, "which photo?"

I pulled it up on my phone and showed her. It was the girl, who I now knew was Claire, with Mr. Anderson.

"Yeah, of course I remember that, literally nobody has been able to shut up about it," Dylan said, "What does this have to do with Claire?"

I stared at Dylan expectantly, and then the lightbulb went off. She gasped, "No! That's not... is that?" she pointed at the photo.

I nodded solemnly, and then zoomed in to the bruises on Claire's wrists. "I figured it out when I saw the marks on her arm. I made her tell me what was going on and she begged me not to say anything to anyone."

"So the bruises came from... Mr. Anderson?" Dylan asked. "He grabbed her?"

"He did more than grab her. He's the one who persuaded her to dye her hair brown. He manipulated her and used her, and then when he found out about the photo he was really not happy. Claire didn't tell me exactly what happened but..."

"The bruises on her face," her voice was shaking, "he did that?"

"He did that," I said quietly.

"I'm such a bitch," Dylan groaned, putting her face in her hands, "I should have known... and then I got mad at her for not telling me."

"There's no way you could have," I rubbed her back, trying to console her.

"But you did!" she exclaimed, and I could tell by her voice that she was crying.

"Because I'm very observant, it was a fluke that I noticed. Nobody else did, this happened right after Claire dyed her hair brown. She was still "Little Blue" as far as anyone else was concerned. It isn't your fault, Dyl."

She finally dropped her hands from her face, revealing her tear stained, freckled cheeks. She always looked like a little girl when she got like this, and sometimes I wished she'd let other people see her freckles.

"Do you promise it's not my fault?" she sniffed.

"I promise. Just try not to pressure her into talking about it. Claire didn't tell me exactly what went down between them the last time she saw him, but I think he said some really psychologically damaging things from what I can gather. She needs stability, normalcy. People to look out for her and keep her out of trouble. She'll talk when she's ready to talk, if she's ever ready. She was abused."

"I mean, I get that what she went through was hard but it's not like he hit her on a regular basis or sexually assaulted her," said Dylan. "Is that still abuse if she chose to be with him?"

"Men like Nick Anderson... they seek out girls like Claire. Girls who try to act tough on the outside but are actually very vulnerable. They make those girls reliant, convincing them they are worthless. Claire physically had a choice to be with him, yes. But psychologically, her self esteem, her sense of self worth, her happiness was almost completely dependent on him. He was using her for sex, and he destroyed everything about her in the process. He didn't technically physically abuse her until the end, but sometimes the mental abuse is just as bad."

"I didn't think of it like that," Dylan said softly, "She seemed just fine."

"Because she was in denial. She seemed exactly what she needed to seem to fool everyone, including herself, into thinking that she was just fine."

"Poor Claire..." Dylan said trailing off.

"No," I said, "Strong Claire."

Spoiler! :
And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)





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Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:17 pm
XxXTheSwordsmanXxX says...



Henry


Henry had been in the computer lab from the start of lunch. He didn't really fell hungry and decided to catch up on a little research for his program. From the corner of his eye he could see the people still staring at him. Still wondering where the scars came from.

"Hey there," a girl with dark hair said, quickly taking the seat next to him. Henry gave a nod but continued staring into his work. "You're that...Scarface guy right?"

Henry shot her a look that could kill before he closed his eyes and took a breath. "That's what the glory hound has labelled me."

"Ah...not a fan, huh?"

"What gave me away?" Henry answered taking down a few notes.

"Well, I'm Vada."

There was a long moment of the two of them staring at screens typing and clicking away until Vada turned to look at what Henry was doing.

"Studying to become an arsonist?" she asked quietly.

"Does every damn person here like being in everyone else's business?" Henry snapped back in irritation.

"Okay...okay. Sorry," Vada said returning her eyes to her screen.

Henry sighed as he rubbed his temple. "I'm sorry," Henry said. "I didn't have a very good night last night and I am a little groggy. No you don't have to worry about me burning down the school."

"Well that's a relief. So...why are you looking up house fires and different reports on them?"

Henry took a moment to judge the girl in front of him. How she seemed to have a genuine curiousity rather than a nefarious air. "Okay...I am working on a program that will detect fires before they become too much to do something about. I am studying different causes of house fires to try to program for them."

"You write programs? That's cool. So...any chance you know how to hack into someone's account?"

"First, that would be illegal and second, just someone's account? Or Jameson's?"

Vada blushed at the name as her mouth gaped. "How...how did you..."

"You pulled up his photo five times since you sat down."

Vada sighed before giving out a short laugh. "I guess it's sort of obvious," she admitted. "So, anyway, does this program have something to do with what gave you the scars?"

"Tell you what...you tell me why you want into Jameson's account and I'll tell you how I got the scars," Henry said, never expecting her to actually take him up on it. The smirk that he gave her said it all. His taut and slightly shiny skin wrinkling with his smirk.

Vada took a moment before she smiled. "Jameson and I used to go out," she admitted, to Henry's surprise. "It was the best relationship of my life. I got drunk one night and I messed it up. I slept with someone while I was drunk and he found out about it through Gossip Girl. He forgave me, because he is always like that. Things started to really get serious between us and I got scared...so I ran. I just...I just wanted to know if he hates me for it. I miss him and I want to try and fix things...but he keeps avoiding me. Then there was Gossip Girl again showing that picture of him and Angela and...yeah...that's everything."

Henry could see the heartbreak in her eyes. She quickly put on a smile and lightly wiped at the tears starting to pool. "Alright...fair is fair. You're turn," she stated expectantly.

Henry sighed as he ran his hand down his face. Looking back to Vada, who had that expectant expression. "Alright," he huffed. "When I was four years old, there was a fire in my house. Both my parents were killed and I was left with third degree burns on the left side of my body."

"My god," Vada gasped. "You were four?"

"Yeah...I don't talk about it much because I really don't remember it or my biological parents. And I don't want it going on some attention seeking gossip looking for the next best story."

"No..no I get it...Um...I'm gonna head to class." Vada stood up and headed toward the door before she stopped and hurried back. "And uh...can the whole Jameson thing...stay between us?"

"Yeah...sure," Henry said watching as she walked away. Looking back to the fire on the screen the horror that those people must have felt as the flames erupted around them. He could feel his scars heating up as if the fire was right there with him. He could hear a scream in his mind and quickly shut the screen off. His heart was racing and he felt like his blood was on fire.

I'm having a panic attack, he thought to himself. He continued to take deep breaths even after the bell rang for the next class.





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Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:31 am
Gravity says...



Dylan

That Monday in school I walked down the halls after Chemistry, stopping at my designer mahogany "locker" cubby thing.

"Hey sexy," I turned around to see Matt standing behind me, giving me one of his lopsided grins.

"Hey there," I replied, smiling coyly as I put my things back into my locker. "I had a great time the other night."

"Did you have as much fun as Gossip Girl says you did?" he asked. And he held up his phone. Of course, the headline was Matt and I leaving the party together, everyone assumed we'd had sex.

"Oh yeah, totally," I said sarcastically, we both knew nothing had happened. "Here comes Dylan, sluttin' it up." Matt laughed and put his arm around my shoulders after I shut the door to my locker. I felt a little tingly feeling.

Oh God, Dylan the thought raced through my head like a lightning bolt, not a crush.

I honestly couldn't believe it. Somebody so smart, so funny, so kind and so fit was into me?

Stop it Dylan, you're a big girl but that doesn't mean you're ugly. Own your curves, I tried to tell myself. I tried to tell myself this all the time, but no matter how hard I tried, I still seemed to beat myself up.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked, a little worried.

"No, I'm fine," I said quickly, brushing it off.

"So listen, how would you like to go out sometime this week? I thought we could go to a concert or to a nice restaurant if you wanted. Maybe another party..." he trailed off.

"You mean like, like a date?" I stuttered.

"Exactly like a date. It could even be a date if you really wanted it to," he joked, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun," I said slowly. I was still leaning against the locker and Matt put one arm out to steady himself, trapping me on one side. I vaguely thought about sneaking out from under him, but his blue eyes shone with excitement and his lopsided grin got to me. He was cute, and I liked him. So I didn't fight when he went in to kiss me, hell. I even kissed back.

"I better go," Matt said, turning around to look at a very annoyed looking Bash, standing just a few feet down the hallway.

"That might be a good idea," I said, and Matt scurried off to his class. Bash approached me and I tried to keep the annoyance at bay, pushing a lock of red hair out of my face."What now?" I said, annoyed.

"You're distracting one of my star players," Bash criticized.

"I thought Declan was your star player?" I asked, giving him some sass. "Or was that just something you said to get him, and me, to the party?"

"You know Dylan," he said, completely ignoring my comment, "I thought you were classier than this." he held up his black iphone, which had the Gossip Girl website pulled up, showing the post of Matt and I getting into a car together.

"Classier than having sex with someone I only just met? Something tells me you're no stranger to that," I short back, and he looked almost... embarrassed. I reveled in the moment a little bit. It's not often you can make somebody like Bash speechless.

"For the record," I said with a mock cheerfulness, "We didn't sleep together. Not that you care. Since when do you even read Gossip Girl, anyway? You don't strike me as that kind of person."

"Yeah. Whatever." Bash seemed to lose all interest, and then he walked away, hands in his pockets with his bag slung over his shoulder.

I walked into my math class and took my usual seat next to Claire. She looked like she had a lot to say to me, but I gave her a small smile and shook my head. I didn't want her to think I was mad, but now wasn't the time or the place to talk about everything I had learned. The students filed in until the bell rang, and Mr. Turner stood at the front of the room to take attendance.

"Henry Campbell... Samuel Calloway." My head shot up at the unfamiliar name. I knew everyone in my math class, there was no Sam Calloway.

"Calloway? Samuel Calloway?" I looked around, but I only saw a new girl, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. Definitely not Samuel.

"Um," the girl said awkwardly, raising her hand. "I'm Anya. Anya Calloway."

"Oh, I don't have an Anastasia here. Just Samuel," Mr. Turner said, "Do you have a brother?"

"Just Anya. See, the thing is-"

"Oh for Christ's sake," Vada piped up, "Mr. Turner, this is 2017. Your roster is wrong. Anya used to be Samuel, but now she's Anya because she was born in the wrong body and is badass enough to know who she is when the rest of us are all clueless. Just change the damn sheet and move on already."

The classroom exploded, some people clapped and others just started dying of laughter. Personally, I chuckled, leave it to Vada to be so hilariously sassy.

"Alright class, settle down, settle down. It's very nice to meet you Anya. Well class, looks like we have a new student. Would you like to stand up and tell us where you're from?"

"Jesus! She's from New York, she went here last year," Vada said, laughing, "Get a clue." The class exploded again and Mr. Turner turned pink.

"I don't want to hear any more from you," he glanced at his roster, "Vada Collins. I'm going to finish taking roll and then we'll continue with the lesson." Anya shot Vada a grateful look, but I could tell she still felt awkward as class went on.

Once the bell rang, I was the first one in the hallway and I waited by the classroom door for her to come out.

"Anya?" she turned to look at me and paused, putting on her bookbag. "I'm Dylan. I just wanted to introduce myself and say I'm sorry about the beginning of class. I can't say I know what it's like to be in your situation, but I do know what it's like for people to make fun of me or misjudge me."

"Hey Dylan, it's really nice to meet you." she shrugged, "I'm used to it, but unfortunately not everybody is proactive when it comes to being nice. I did attend Constance before but now... it just all seems so different."

"I'm a new student here this year," I told her. "I'm not sure if you had lunch plans, but me, my twin brother, and these other girls named Emma and Claire sit in a group at lunch, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?"

"Yeah, actually," Anya smiled, "That would be great."



Sorry Nicole, if I misused Vada. If you want me to take her out I will, I just thought if anyone were to do this it'd be her.
And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations

-Florence + The Machine (All This and Heaven Too)








Prometheus, thief of light, giver of light, bound by the gods, must have been a book.
— Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves