“It has been long.”
I know. I wanted it that way. She thought to herself, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying it out loud. Instead, she responded with “Yeah, it has.” She awkwardly accepted his hug, pulling away quickly so that it wouldn’t last too long. “Nothing exciting really.” She answered, wrapping her arms around her body. “What about you?” She asked, directing the question back at him.
@Kristi - Adonis
Leon finished up his breakfast and put his dishes in the sink, turning the faucet on for a second to rinse them off. As he always did, he put Young-Mi’s portion on a plate with directions for how to reheat it. Since he had to wake up earlier than her in order to get to school on time, he always made extra of whatever he made himself for breakfast so that she wouldn’t have to worry about what to eat. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left their apartment, locking the door behind him.
He had only been at the school for a few minutes when Hera texted him that they were waiting for him. He sent them a quick text in response as he started walking towards a back exit. When he got to their car, he found them sketching. As he got into the vehicle he noticed Hera looking him up and down and did the same, wondering what it was that she was so concerned about. “Stop giving me those looks. I have a suit in my backpack.” He responded, once they revealed the purpose of the shady inspection.
“Are you okay? This isn’t like you.”
Leon knew they were right. This was definitely out of character for him and a few months ago, he would have never dreamt about doing it. However, he had now settled into his new situation and was in the mood to test out his newfound independence that had been brought on by the ghosts of his parents’ past. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He answered, leaving it up to her whether she believed him or not. He knew that he’d never told them the details of what caused him to go AWOL at the beginning of the school year and while he felt bad about keeping them in the dark, he didn’t want them to worry about him.
@raviola - Hera
What does one do when they’re woken up by their younger sister and the question of why Amie was posting pictures that were very much not like her to post. Something which brought Eddie to have to find said posts in question and the trend among the senior class. Needless to say, he was shocked by the events that had begun to unfold earlier that morning, as it wasn’t like the Amie he was used to. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve guessed that the Taylor-DeLoughrey twins had decided to trick everyone with a switch. Though, one perk of your best friend being one of those twins is that you learn pretty well who is who. Which left Eddie in the confused position of not knowing what was going on at all with Amie. However, that was only the beginning of his confusion caused by the Taylor-DeLoughrey twins that day, as at school Phoebe came up to him, saying the name Edward. Eddie never went by his full first name. He hadn’t for as long as he could remember. There were probably more people that called him by his last name, Flynn, than there were that called him Edward. Though, then came the question from Phoebe that really shocked him. It was one of those moments where someone in Eddie’s position would have been taking a sip of their drink to then spit out when hearing those words. It was one thing to have someone comment that they would make a cute couple, but to ask if they were sleeping together was a whole different deal. “What? Me and Amie? No.” The closest to “sleeping with Amie” there was, was the two of them watching a movie and falling asleep on the couch together. “I wasn’t with her, I don’t know where she is, or what’s going on either.”
@astxrism - Phoebe
@benitz786 - Amie mentioned
Enrique felt his hands tightening around the steering wheel at her mention of it being a sensitive topic. Was it? Maybe… okay yes… right now anything involving his family was a sensitive topic but that just… wasn’t something he wanted to get into right now… or like, maybe ever. After all, there was a reason that he was intently avoiding any family gatherings including talking to his brothers. Right now this impromptu trip was just another reason to avoid his family - especially with the various missed calls on his phone informing him of the annual family dinner the Montoya troupe had. Hearing another ding on his phone, Enrique found his mind wondering to Diego’s words at Haloween - the oh so innocent question of I’d like to know what happened to my brother. Well, Enrique didn’t have a response to that or maybe… just maybe… he didn’t want to respond. Either way, he was almost glad when the conversation shifted from his family to the one belonging to the girl sitting beside him - even if her family dynamic was just as (if not more) strained as his own. Why did he know this? Well - he could hear it in her voice - the way her words were laced with malice and frustration. Maybe the devil did prefer company because… well… Enrique Montoya was actually having fun for the first time in a while, driving to an “unknown” destination with Annie Williams.
On the topic of “Unknown” destinations, it wasn’t unknown for much longer as Ricky found himself waiting in a small line of cars at border patrol - various officers coming around to check people’s belongings to make sure they weren’t smuggling anything before letting cars through. Mexico he had pieced together, but with the addition of her notion of needing to do something that wasn’t legal in the US until she was 18, Ricky couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. “I swear Annie, if you brought me all the way here to shoot a p0rno, I will turn this damn car around,” he joked, trying to bring a smile to her lips since the dampened atmosphere when Jordan Williams came on the stereo earlier. Driving after the inspection, Rikey’s attention was brought to the fact that both of their phones rang at the same time, and with a soft sigh, he added “Blue Royalty or a party blast from one of our friends?” Really… those were the only two viable options and there was only one option he wanted to hear from her lips.
Blue fcking royalty. Great. Enrique had only heard the start of what Annie was reading before she put the phone away saying it was a mood killer. WIth the “Happy Birthday” theme - he could tell it would be and wasn’t particularly wanting to look at what was on that message. As Enrique pulled into a beach and parked his car, he found himself smiling after a few seconds. “There’s a lot of gray area in nothing bad can happen in a place like this Annie, but hey, spending my day at a beach doesn’t sound half bad. I just don’t know why you made me put a shirt on if I was going to take it of a few hours later,” he muttered in a teasing tone, letting her take the lead on where they were going.
@novella - The one, the only, Williams
@Littlefeets - Diego Mentioned
“Interesting combination isn’t it? Pierce family and your family? Who would have ever thought?” Okay okay… NO ONE call Mason out. Could you blame him for not knowing the whole mess with those two families? No. NO. So leave him alone. Either way, history was something that simply fascinated him. Pair that history with a mystery, and he was hooked - just like he was right now and clearly, how VC soon was with her sentiment of having her attention. A soft smile met his lips at those words, though… it did waver slightly when she asked about how he found the book. His mind wondered back to the kiss he shared with Olivia and he… damn he fcked up with that one. “You don’t need to know everything Veronica, Let’s just say I have a knack for finding lost things,” he responded. "…and I don’t honestly care about leaving my group if it led to that little discovery, " though, before he could say anything else - Mason felt his phone ringing alongside Veronica’s.
It only took a few seconds for him to realize what it was… and with the mention of him and Olivia, his heart dropped. Mentally cursing himself, he found himself sending a quick text to Sienna to “talk” and… well… navigate a way through telling her the truth. “Well… it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one who left my group VC…” he added, mentioning her debut on Blue Royalty as sleeping with Elio, which honestly grossed him out because… well… let’s just say Mason had his own hatred of Elio. Yes… he knew that was his girlfriend’s brother - that wasn’t the point.
“Yes… city hall and maybe let’s get out of here before we get the entire school in our business and no, don’t ask about what happened with me and Olivia,” he sighed before leading her out of the classroom and towards the parking lot where his car was.
It was a shock to the world of one Amelia’s actions that morning. Posting those pictures of herself, that was very un-Amie like, and everyone could agree on that, even Quinn when he saw the posts on social media after he woke up. If that was how the day was going to stay, lets just say it seemed like the day was going to be an interesting one. A fact that was proven soon after he arrived at school, by Amelia herself. She pushed his shoulder, calling him a “meanie”, a term most often used by someone more innocent. He turned to face the girl, doubting her claim of non-innocence. Sure, she was trying to step out of her perfect bubble of being pure, but the girl was still an angel compared to most of the senior class. “Oh really? Fine, don’t like me, enough people don’t already. And I’m not so sure about that one. Those posts earlier don’t change who you are Amelia, and everyone knows it.” Just from what he had seen on social media and who Amelia was, he wasn’t even sure if she was anything more than just talk, simply posting a few pictures that she would most likely regret posting. “If you really want me to believe that you aren’t all innocent, prove it.”
@benitz786 - Amie…
In a way, Sophie knew what it was like for your entire life to be flipped upside down, then to come to Beryl. She didn’t know what it was like in Olivia’s case, but she did know how crazy it could be to make the adjustment to basically having a whole new life. She nodded slightly, listening to Olivia. People really can make a difference in making the adjustment to Beryl easier. Certain people did for Sophie especially… Sophie gave a slight nod in response to the beginning of Olivia’s question, as confirmation that she had been the new girl in beryl before herself. “I came here when my parents adopted me when I was 12, so that was about… 5 years ago now, 7th grade.” Sophie smiled, glad that it seemed she was making a new friend as she had hoped. “Of course. If you need anything, even just a friendly face, I’m here for anything, as you wish.” Sophie smiled wider with a nod as Olivia continued. “I don’t think you’re wrong either.”
@CerealKiller - Olivia
You think you met the most annoying person ever that never shuts up and then without asking for it, someone else shows up proving you wrong. That was Paige and she was the last person Finley ever wanted to be around. Tf was wrong with that girl? Look, Finley really doesn’t care about what she does or how she’s speaking to him, her words will never have any effect on him but what was her problem? Who hurt you Paige? Huh? Why are you so rude? ”Omg, chill,” was the first thing Fin said after her long and boring monologue, subtly rolling his eyes. ”I really don’t care about your opinion on my sex life so spare me from your unnecessary comments. And I don’t have time to listen to your childish insults, just… get that car back.” That’s when he heard his phone ringing… or not just his. Glancing around, he could see that the majority of students around them were reading whatever just came out and he couldn’t help but do the same, even if he was the one telling Paige to put her phone away. He could do whatever he wanted but what Paige said: “I rather not be associated with you.” She didn’t have to tell him to go away, he would gladly do it but first he quickly scanned the text, spotting his name and chuckling to himself when he read that part.
”You know…” Starting again, he looked up at the girl but still held his phone unlocked. ”When you do get my car back, I will make sure to steal it. I thought you’d take better care of it but now I see how easy it actually is. It kind of makes me bad knowing I wasn’t the first one to do it,” forcing a smile, that was the last thing he said before turning away from the devil and shifting his whole attention to the post that was bound to make a lot of mess around here.
@benitz786 - Paige 
If not Eddie then who? To be honest, Phoebe did not expect him to deny everything she said, she was prepared for the biggest disappointment in her life but that was… not what happened. And this is not like it sounds! She likes Eddie, she likes this friendship Amie has with him, she’d just be disappointed if there was something going on between them that she didn’t know about… If you saw what she did you’d understand why and the events that took place this morning would only add to it. But Eddie was not the person she was looking for. Stopping, she was simply looking at him without saying anything as if she would discover something he wasn’t telling her, see that he was lying to her. ”You weren’t with her?” She repeated after him after some time, still waiting for him to give in when she knew that wasn’t going to happen. He was just like Amie, she knew she could believe him… but you see what’s happening with her sister now. ”Are… you… sure?” She carefully spoke up again after his attempt to defend himself.
”Sh!t.” Okay, it wasn’t him but Phoebe was too confused now to apologize to the poor guy. Accepting that she was wrong and that there was so much she didn’t know about was setting in and she hated it. Not knowing what was happening and who was responsible for everything was making it hard for her to try and somehow fix this situation and help her sister. And she couldn’t tell Eddie why she had such questions for him… ”Do you… know anything… has she told you… I don’t know. Has she ever mentioned someone to you?” Nervosuly crossing her arms, Phoebe looked around them almost hoping to see her sister in school so she could take her home and have a little nice talk.
@Littlefeets - Eddie
“Yep, fake like you. You know what I’m done. I’d rather be anywhere in the world right now.” ‘fake like you’ What a great retort, Ari snorted. Really, the girl was as dumb as a rock, was thinking of a good comeback that hard for her little brain? How pitiful, well at least she had left. Ari smirked, finally! Though now she had ruin the mood of the place, Ari grimaced. The disgusting stench of one of ‘the uglies’ was now here. Well, she guess it was time to leave now.
Ari stood, dusting herself she exited the place.
She scrolled through pictures on Instagram as she walked through the halls. Ari gasped as she bumped into someone and dropped her phone, she quickly bent down to pic her phone and slowly looked up to see the person who made her drop her phone. “How dare- Cynric?” Ari eyes widened realizing who it was. Cynric was one of her ‘friends’ Well, if Ari fully gave him the honor of fully being called that. But you could say they are acquaintance, she didn’t find his face repulsive like she found almost everyone in the school. “Long time no see.” She said as she placed her phone inside her bag, “We see each other again and the first thing you do is bump into me and almost break my phone?”
@Nil - Cynric
what a shocker right? she thought sarcastically to herself as he mentioned the surprise in Azure-Pierce drama. After all, those and the Parkers were probably the most drama prone families to walk the earth, but that’s a story for another time.
”a knack for finding lost things huh?” she repeated with an impressed nod and a raised brow ”who would have thought you could be gifted in things that don’t include running after balls” she added, teasing him with a playful smirk
Then both their phones buzzed at the same time, which didn’t take a genius to figure out what it was. The blue royalty message of the day, isn’t that just lovely? Can’t go on with a beautiful day like this without a little drama. Or… maybe not. As she saw she was exposed for sleeping with Elio, Veronica sighed ”for fcuks sake” she muttered. Especially now with Mateo being back, this wasn’t exactly the thing she wanted to see most as news for the public.
Though did it even surprise her it was released? Not really, but what did surprise her was the next thing right under it ”well well well, what do we have here… she said. Mason and Olivia thought? Colour me surprised. Not such a good loyal guy after all ah mason?
”what can I say, my group was boring, needed some spice. Can’t say Elio was too spicy though” she added with a shrug ”you and Olivia though? I have to admit that sounds a lot spicier” she continued, raising a curious brow at the boy, totally ignoring the fact that he told her not to ask. oopsie? What can I say,
”i just have to ask though. But we both know I can get the story either way so might as well cut things shorter isn’t that right Mase?” she added with a raised brow, glancing at the boy as putting her phone away.
”anyway, city hall?”
@benitz786 Mason
@Madilnel Elio mentioned
She knew what she saw, she heard it, she felt it. Though all this time… well, guess she was wrong? Though she wasn’t hallucinating, and it all just made so much more sense with every second. Well… not to you, to Olivia. You can stay confused, I don’t mind.
Anyway, back to our business. Olivia nodded as she listened to Sophie tell her when she came to Beryl, raising her brow as she mentioned being adopted ”You were adopted? Oh wow.” she said in somewhat surprise. Though technically now she herself was adopted in a way, by her cousins yeah, but still, it wasn’t her actual family. ”if it’s not too personal can I… ask what happened to your parents?” she asked, though… let’s just say parents were a hard topic for her considering hers were… yeah. Let’s l just say she could relate in a way, and it wasn’t exactly the most fun feeling to relate to.
The girl smiled as Sophie offered a friendly face, which she definitely seemed like one. And Olivia liked that, she always appreciated a friendly face in the middle of a wildfire ”right back at you” she said with a smile
@Littlefeets Sophie
“Yeah, it has.” Adonis coughed, “So… uh… you and Ives? How are things.” He asked scratching his neck, well this wasn’t awkward at all. Internally, Adonis sighed. D-mn when was she going to get over the breakup? Till their grey and wrinkly? Sure the breakup ended in a mess but they worked it out, or at least Adonis thought. “Nothing exciting really.” She answered, “Oh” He responded, Clara wrapped her arms around her body and Adonis stared at her. She was still as beautiful as before. “What about you?” She asked, “Well, I’ve been doing stuff.” He replied.
@Caticorn - Clara
31st October
“No, I’m okay, really, it’s-” Though Lenora’s voice soon was drowned out as the crowd of people that had been watching soon dissipated as soon as Elio left and were walking through and between JP and her. As much as she appreciated him and Ezekiel for helping, but maybe it was her own fault for what she said to Elio. And she probably deserved anything that he did or said after that. “It’s fine, J, thank you but please don’t- you don’t have to do that, I can take it,” She told him, her guilt creeping into her voice. How did a conversation beginning so promisingly turn out how it did? No, she had the answer to that: her.
12th November
Having hardly spoken to Elio after the last incident, Lenora had felt a lot less anchored as she had usually gotten used to feeling with him. She wasn’t ready to know a life that didn’t have him in it. Call it denial: maybe Lenora just didn’t want to see it could be better. Though fortunately one thing that continuously helped and effortlessly took her out of those thoughts was approaching her. “Ezekiel, hey, hi,” She exclaimed with a smile that fell into place. “As do you, Z, equally lovely,” She replied before he went onto vaguely mention and ask about the events that had taken place.
“Yeah, it- I’m okay it was like, what, four weeks ago? Three- ? Two, it was two, I know,” She continued, the certainness in her voice slowly deteriorating as she did. “I’m sorry that you had to come over, though. I get that it’s an awkward situation since you’re- you know, friends with him,” Lenora said to him, shaking her head and looking away. “Yeah, I don’t want you to, like, chose sides or anything, it’s okay,” Though after a moment of letting the conversation about Elio continue, she turned it around onto him. “But you, how are y- are you okay?” She asked him.
Their conversation soon was interrupted by the sound of phone notifications echoing down the hallway, too loud to ignore it. Along with everyone else, Lenora pulled out her own phone to see the Blue Royalty blast that had just been sent out, which mentioned way too many names - including hers and Elio’s. “He-” She started as she read the part about him, though she interrupted herself, her face falling into her hands in frustration at the seemingly never-ending knocks back her and Elio were taking.
Was he still talking? Seriously. For fcks sake, Paige Pierce was going out of her bloody mind. Did he not know what stop talking meant? Was it that hard to understand? Suffice to say, she wasn’t bloody paying attention anymore - her entire focus was flipping through social media, leaving comments, and texting people she could actually stand being around. Fin, on the other hand, was mumbling something about his sex life which… didn’t Paige just make clear she didn’t give two shts about? In her life, Paige didn’t think she had ever met someone so bloody obsessed with their own voice. Wait… WAIT… cousin Dan was a close second. That man could brag.
The only time Paige actually heard what he was saying was when he mentioned that he would steal it when she got it back, which made her scoff and then full on laugh. “I don’t actually think you know how to do anything without daddy’s money, Fin.” she stated, walking towards him as he turned around. Paige Pierce was always the one to have the last word, and this assh0le better not think any different. “And, Fin, fcking try it. I’ll saw your dck off myself if I hear you were the one to take it… and, make your life hell. Trust me, unlike you, I have connections more than daddy dearest,” with that, she gave him a fck you smile before walking away from him. Last word, baby, last word.
Here is the thing - Ezekiel loves his friends. He loves being there for them, protecting them but also pointing out things he does not like about their actions. Lenora was his friend and even if Elio was as well, he didn’t like the way he treated her. He never really liked it. Never understood how after… How she could always go back to him and let him treat her the way he does. But who was Zek to mess with their relationship and act like someone who has the right to speak about that? He was no one, really. When he actually wanted to do that. ”Had to come over?" Ezekiel repeated after her, laughing lightly with a confused expression on his face. ”I’m here because I want to and I’m not picking sides…" That was a sad thing to hear. Sad to see that she was thinking he was talking to her because of what happened with their group two weeks ago. Like there was nothing more than that… But that wasn’t the case. Whoever knows him knows that he would talk to anyone no matter what, he simply loved being around good people that made him feel… okay and Lenora happens to be one of them. ”You should know whose side I’m on," quietly adding, maybe in a joking way, there was a soft smile on his lips before she turned the conversation onto him. ”Oh, I’m," a short pause as he placed his hands in his pockets, not knowing how to answer. How was he? Depending on what exactly she meant his answer could be different, but it never is. Something like that would always end this way. ”Excellent." A forced smile he could always easily fake, avoiding talking about himself and his problems. Feelings. Whatever. It really didn’t matter if he was okay now, or if he wasn’t.
Whatever he was about to say next was quickly forgotten, hearing their phones ringing. But Ezekiel kept his hands in his pockets, watching Lenora checking whatever, from what he could guess, they all received. What else could it be at this point? Yesterday’s blast was not enough? Seeing her reaction was when he did the same thing, not expecting to read… that. ”He did," barely a whisper as he looked back at her, sadness written all over his face as his phone was still in his hand. ”And you are surprised?" Just standing there in front of her, this time he was more serious, his voice almost stern. ”I really don’t understand why you are doing this… I’m sorry to say it like this but this is getting hilarious,“ hurting her now was the last thing Zek wanted to do but he couldn’t help saying what was on his mind. A light chuckle escaped his lips but there was still visible sadness in his eyes. Concern. Worry. ”Lenora,“ looking back at his phone to once again check what was written about Elio, his voice got quiet. ”He fcked someone else because he was mad? That’s…“ he shook his head, lost for words before finally continuing and now looking back at her. ”Fcked up and I don’t know how you don’t see that you deserve so much better than that. I would’ve never-“ Stop. Not going there now. Not doing that.
”Do you," taking a deep breath in, stopping himself from saying anything else that might hurt the girl, Ezekiel glanced around them. It was just a matter of time before she started getting looks from other students… pitty or surprise that she was still dealing with her lovely boyfriend. Before it would be too hard to ignore their whispers. ”Maybe you should skip school…today?"
@novella- Lenora
Asking no further questions about the artist of the previous song, Ricky made a guess of what Annie was planning on doing to which she raised her eyebrows. “Montoya, I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you but I would never do that with you,” Or anyone else for that matter, but that kind of took away the effect of singling him out in that statement. Though after a moment of consideration, Annie entertained his idea. “And also, come on, if I was going to shoot one it would be in a little more of an interesting place. Like, imagine the number of views you would get for sex under the Eiffel Tower or Leaning Tower of Pizza,” She suggested, mostly joking - it was always an option if things hit rock rock bottom.
Annie was hoping she could, as per usual, ignore whatever sh!tty gossip post that had probably just been sent out. But, when Ricky drew attention to it by asking, she reluctantly took her phone back out, intending on just reading the title of the post. “Fvcking Blue Royal–” Though her words trailed off as she began to read the words around her own name. She wasn’t even playing that stupid game and yet there it was bringing up that fvcking wedding. How the fvck did they already know about that? No. Nope, no she didn’t care, it wasn’t her problem. It was a good thing she had already made up her mind that she wouldn’t be attending the wedding to have the uninvited eyes of Blue Royalty watching out for her inevitably unfiltered reactions. Closing the post before making it past the second point, she came back into the conversation with the driver. “Yeah, some sh!t about the Montoya birthday to kill the mood,” She muttered back to him.
As they arrived on the beach, Ricky made a comment about this just potentially being a ‘day on the beach’. “See, that so beautifully leads me to the purpose of this, and why you have a shirt on,” Annie declared with a smile though it soon fell at his lack of enthusiasm at her build up to this announcement. “Okay but can I get a drum roll or something at the very least?” She asked him through a sigh. “Well, okay, so technically we’re not going to be on the beach. Like, on… ground, like, feet on ground, on the floor,” Annie tried to explain, continuing as it seemed he didn’t get it. “Oh, my God, just look up,” She finally said as a hang-glider flew above them.
benitz786 Enrique Montoya
Since the Halloween party. nothing very interesting has happened in Karen’s life, which was pretty usual. Sure she’s been to a few parties but nothing noteworthy. Deep down, she was hoping something interesting could finally happen in her life, especially being senior year at Cerulean High. Today, she sat in the library waiting for her partner named Neveah who she was supposed to work on a project together with. She liked meeting new people and potentially making new friends, so she was hoping the girl was easy to work with or nice. When she looked up from the computer, she noticed Neveah walking towards the table. Karen waved and smiled.
@Kristi - Neveah
After the Halloween party back then, Nevaeh had gone to another. One her friend was hosting, the though the decorations were equally as shabby as the one in that manor… the party was quite fun. She had enjoyed herself. Anyways, Nevaeh headed to the library. She was grateful for Mia and Tyler for showing her the way before. The library was now one of her favorite places in the school, but Nevaeh was going to the library today to meet up with a girl named Karen. Her partner for a project. Nevaeh scanned the library, finally spotting Karen she smiled. “Hey” She sat down on one of the chairs. Nevaeh got her laptop out of her bag, “So we are supposed to do a report on either Albert Einstein Theories, Teen Pregnancy, mermaids real or myths or technology and how it affects us.” Nevaeh smiled at Karen, “Which one do you want to do?”
@Kbail - Karen
