SUNSHINE / RIPTIDE ✧

     he hopes that the chuckle that leaves his lips sounds as charming as he intends it to and that it doesn’t give away its mocking nature, because in all honesty, she was so fucking naive, he laughed at how easy she was making things for him. it was an enjoyable sight, to watch her fall for his every word, and he could only imagine the power trip he’d get from watching her crumble underneath his touch wherever she decided to let him take her later that night. it was a twisted logic, just as twisted as his mind was but he had never been told no in his life, and he couldn’t imagine this being any different with how the situation was playing out in his favor so far. “it might be a large room, but you’ll have to agree with me that it’s full of possibly the most uninteresting people in this city.” he said, offering her a bit of raw truth with a roll of his eyes. that was the realest he’d been all night, because he truly did hate most of the people in there. pleased, his grin only gets wider when her little hand rests on his arm and he’s training his eyes intently on her, reading her like a book and allowing his teeth to sink into the pillow of his lower lip. dumb or not, her innocence was sexy, in a way. or maybe it was just the way her clothes exposed her sculpted figure just for him. every man in the room clearly wanted her. but he’d be the one taking her in the end. he knew it. he liked the certainty her whole demeanor was giving him. “no, i’m being 100 with you. you’re for real the most beautiful girl i’ve ever met.” perhaps and exaggeration, but not too much because she was incredibly beautiful in reality. a frown is etched onto his face when she says she’s not interesting, not because he doubts she’s right, but because he has to play the role of the lovesick puppy if he wants this to work. and he’d be damned if it doesn’t work. “hey, that’s interesting? don’t be so hard on yourself. you gotta be pretty smart to go into law.” he said, a little impressed this time for real. most of the girls in this room lacked the aspiration to be anything more than a trophy wife, or perhaps their fathers had robbed them of those dreams saying that’s all they should be. it was sad, but it also wasn’t his responsibility to care. all he could do is vow to himself that he’d never marry someone if it wasn’t out of mutual love. remy’s next words had tyler smiling with less than pure intentions, nodding as he gets up from his seat and offers her his arm once again. “lead the way, beautiful.” is all he says, standing tall and proud, ready to see where things go from there.

by now the champagne has taken it’s effect on the female, only a drink and a few sips in and remy is feeling more ---- free. this exactly why she often opts to leave the drink trays to the other party - goers. tolerance so low it’s embarrassing. already touchy enough with the male, aside from the offer of his arm in the beginning, the brunette has already placed her hand on his upper, very muscular, arm. a placement she is unwilling to draw away from. his comments, not only on her beauty but the reassurance that what she has to say isn’t as comma - inducing as she suspected only solidifies her quickly developing affection. hardly her fault, the only belasco offspring had always been such a romantic. people would certainly file her into the hopeless category. anyone who showed remotely any interest in her she was convinced might be her soulmate. and tyler was just her newest obsession. a worrisome notion considering his true intentions with her for the night, but the beauty was so wrapped up in him suspect nefarious intent. the offer to split from the crowd and find privacy to become more acquainted with one another far from lewd. the offer rather innocent, in fact.

hand dropping from his arm to find his own, leading him towards the large doorway of the room, quickened pace to avoid being spotted by her father. sure his direction to distract tyler had not included sneaking off with him mid party. the whole goal was to be present. unable to resist her sudden desire to spend more time with the dark - haired male, away from prying eyes. ❝ my room ---- everywhere else will be crowded with guests. ❞ again a absolutely pure suggestion, certain to be twisted by the male she was leading up the stairs. a scandalous move by anyone other than remy. who was convinced the male was just as innocent in his intentions as she was. her fate was sealed in one simple move. by the end of the night she would be nothing more than another conquest.

     usually,  bexley would already be home,  crying her eyes out in her pajamas and watching  stranger things  reruns.  though,  she had spent  HOURS  getting ready,  picking the  p e r f e c t  dress,  &  even made out with her boyfriend  (  ex,  maybe  ??  every-things blurry for her right now.  )  just to get rowlands attention.  she never wanted to admit the fact,  though now that she’d already  EMBARRASSED  herself,  she didn’t care what she thought.  almost   every  move she made,  outfit she wore,  and act she put on was  JUST  for rowland,  he had impacted her life in SUCH a way as that and she couldn’t stand how much she wanted him.  &  she was at a  PARTY,  by herself,  and she decided to throw everything away and start to not care like everyone else in her life  ;  and maybe she’d have better luck at an endgame.  her eyes stared into elliot’s,  and she even noticed him leaning into her,  and just as she was getting ready to forget about  EVERYTHING,  she feels herself being swooped off of the ground.  she was  scared  for a split second,  though when she heard the voice she knew  EXACTLY  who it was.    “  rowland  !  “  she yells,  her arms both hitting his lower back,  the only thing she could hit at the current moment.    “  put me  —  down  !   i’ve most  CERTAINLY  not had enough  !   “   she protested,  and even if she was intoxicated she still had her  VOCABULARY  that stuck out more than anything else.

if rowland had been aware of her METICULOUS plan just to get his attention, the night would have progressed far different than it had. JEALOUSY had manipulated him. just knowing she WANTED him, it would have changed E V E R Y T H I N G. speculation was one thing, by know it was apparent he thought so, but confirmation of the fact would have put him at ease. KNOWING she might have ended up in his bed tonight, it could have saved them a WHOLE word of trouble. now preoccupied with a bexley he had NEVER encountered before --- someone who was willingly throwing herself into a situation rowland assumed she wasn’t entirely comfortable with, and for the hell of it. she could THANK him in the morning for whisking her away from elliot ---- right after she FORGAVE him, which he half hoped would follow. ❝ you’re FUCKING wasted, bexley ---- so NO, i’m taking you home ! ❞ her tiny fists pounding against his back doing NOTHING to convince him that setting her back down was a good idea. instead marching right out the front door with her still draped over his shoulder, only setting her down once they have reached the sidewalk next to where he’d parked his bimmer. unlocking the car he motions towards it. ❝ get in. ❞

cigarette pinned between the females lipstick stained petals, index and middle finger plucking it from between her lips. smoke filling the air around the dark – haired female. left foot tapping impatiently on the cement beneath her, lennon stabs the butt into the nearest potted plant outside the males home. ❝ remind me why do we have to do dinner with your parents again ? ❞ the scowl tugging her lips downwards evidence of her displeasure towards the situation.

     AUDRI  :  i knew what a lame ass was even before i ‘ let loose ‘ as you call it.      AUDRI  :  i did ask  ??  hence the tit pic ??       AUDRI  :  wow,  you’re actually an ass. but that was already obvious.       AUDRI  :  way ahead of you,  baby.       AUDRI  :  and i don’t think i will. i’m not like those easy girls you have on your fucking speed dial. 

ROWLAND : you think this makes me jealous ? ROWLAND : glad he’ll be the one dealing with your bratty ass, not me. ROWLAND : have fun, aud. ROWLAND : should i leave my door unlocked, you’ll be over around 11:30, right ?

it’s me, the ABSOLUTE worst ! i am in the midst of packing because i am moving & all of you that i owe replies to probably hate my guts and don’t want to ever speak to me again. i understand, i wouldn't either. i am going to try and be on tonight to get some things done, but i am not promising anything. my activity should peak in september, i swear. i am so sorry...

jess swallows and looks up, over her head, squinting into the distance as he wonders if he’s supposed to be responding to her. he’s the most non-confrontational and passive guy sometimes and he’s aware of it. he just doesn’t see any value in calling her out when she’s sure she’s aware of the role she’s playing. he supposes he’ll save it for when he really feels as if he can’t deal with her any longer. he nods his head as she explains where she’s expected to meet her and he’s thankful he genuinely has nothing planned. he thinks if he tried to cancel she’d probably have his head on a stick. “sure, okay. tomorrow at twelve… rental shop. got it. just text me the address or whatever.” he tells her, shoving one of his hands in his jean pockets as he watches her type her number in his phone. it’s not a sight he ever figured he’d be seeing. he wonders if she’ll make him delete it after the dance. as he takes it back, he nods his head, frowning. “yeah, yeah, got it, you’ll make me wish i was dead. look, i’m not about to leak your phone number like some asshole, okay?” jess shoves the phone back in his pocket ceremoniously. he wonders if this is showing a bit of a backbone. he looks back at his friends one last time, planning to wander back over to them and tell them the news that they all clearly have their ideas about. he’s not sure he’s prepared for how much dumb shit he’s about to hear. “anything else you need to cover while i’m here?” he asks, looking a lot less frustrated.

rory should have guess he would need her to plan everything, clearly jess had not expected the agreement in the first place. she assumed he was willing to accept the no, it would free him up for whatever uneventful night him and his friends had planned. most of the geeks and outcasts opted to skip prom night, claiming they were uninterested with the whole ordeal. rory suspected it was likely thanks to their lack of dates. going stag was far too embarrassing. ❝ already done, make sure you’re not late. ❞ the female quickly sends him the address, copying it from the website she’d pulled up on her phone once she’d handed his back. a smile spreads on her lips, although far from sweet. ❝ good boy, you catch on quick. ❞ even reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, as if a reward for his good behavior. willing to bet this small contact between her and him is enough to make his friends wonder exactly where this conversation had wandered. which gives her an idea, cruel as it might be. ❝ yeah, just one more thing. ❞ the female takes a step closer to the dark - haired male. reaching up on her tip - toes to press a kiss to his cheek. ❝ see you tomorrow, jess. ❞ she doesn’t even stick around to watch his reaction, instead turning on her heels and stalking towards his friends. ❝ move. ❞ hands stretched outwards, slicing the group of  awestruck dweebs in half. she expected a thanks tomorrow. certain she’d just spiked his popularity with his friends.       

        He couldn’t believe the plan had actually worked and gotten him a ticket for an overnight stay. While he often hoped for a change in dynamic between them, he never could get used to Tanner actually throwing him a bone — and he wasn’t even the one to propose it this time! This might have been his biggest chance to make the right moves, and he wasn’t intending to miss out on any of it. “At least you know me enough to keep your expectations low.” Truly, his entire character rode on the specifics of his reputation. He just wasn’t a serious guy usually. “Hey, don’t put the blame on me!” He started to laugh in amusement of her dramatics. “I said I wouldn’t mind a rom-com ‘cause I like cuddling, but you’re the one who agreed to the scary movie. And I gave you multiple chances to say something, but nah, tough girl wanted to sit through it.” He reminded her with a knowing grin. So he claimed he wasn’t going to rub her submission to him in her face, but it was just too big of a feat for someone with a compulsion to gloat, such as himself. It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime instance in which Tanner demanded his presence more than he did towards her, so he figured he could get away with a little more than usual as long as her fear for the doll and its effect remained. He wasn’t so evil as to torture the poor girl with this new power, but— the temptation was there. “Maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.” He reasoned. Cockiness aside, Dillon couldn’t find one true reason as to why Tanner refused to acknowledge him as anything other than a nuisance or her brother’s best friend. He knew there was chemistry between them one way or another, and he just needed her to see it too. “Alright, example number two. I’ll be the first to say that I’m fuckin’ annoying. I get it, that’s a turnoff for you. But if I hadn’t been so annoyingly persistent, we wouldn’t be here. Which I’m sure you’d probably like, but you gotta admit, I’m dedicated as hell.” He rose his eyebrows for emphasis. “Also a good trait.”

she’d always wondered if their situation would change if for some reason aiden was absent. perhaps this was her chance to explore. aware it wouldn’t be a complete one - eighty. she had grown so used to how they operated. could she even break the mold ? dillon was still dillon after all. ❝ i;ve learned over the years it’s probably best to do that. ❞ no hint of malice in her tone, this again meant to be a joke. it was unnerving, but she was willing to play nice in case he got fed up and decided to split on her. which explains the playful punch she is giving his arm at his next comment. ❝ okay, you should know me well enough by now to know i never back down. so yeah, i was determined to tough it out. you should also know i hate scary movies. ❞ she failed to mention that the original through of them cuddled up on the couch had been precisely the reason she’d turned down the rom - com option. looking at them now it was laughable. ❝ so the next time i claim i’m all for it, i give you the permission to remind me how much of a chicken i am. ❞ allowing the proposition of a next time to hang in the air. knowing dillon would take the offer and run with it. 

 ❝ or i’m just used to the roll you play in my life. i think you do well as brothers annoying best friend. ❞ she couldn’t help it, he’d allowed himself to gloat on the fact she was curled up with her head in his lap. it wasn’t like he hadn’t heard it before. ❝ that i’ll give you, you don’t let up. and no, without your annoying nature we probably wouldn’t be here tonight even. so, yeah i guess it’s a good trait. you’re probably amazing at convincing someone to give you a refund. probably just give it to you so you’ll go away. ❞

        The longer he sat in isolation, the more Lucas began to regret inviting Tanner in the first place. What good could possibly come out of the two of them having alone time, not to mention at this hour? He initially thought that being in a familiar place with no other witnesses around would open him up to at least a mature conversation regarding their feelings, but the mere thought of facing her and confessing sent nerves throughout his body. He was even startled by the alert of her arrival, which promptly brought along an atmosphere of impending doom. He shuffled to the intercom, a scowl painting on his expression as he detected her slurs. “You’re fucking wasted.” He stated the obvious, though part of him was relieved that maybe he didn’t have to face their reality just yet. Even the few drinks he’s had weren’t enough to shake his tension, so if anything, this might just become a typical hookup after all. “Come up,” He granted access, “And don’t be so damn loud. The nosy ass neighbors have called enough shit on me already.” Despite him calling her over in attempt to be civil, he couldn’t help but maintain the stern attitude towards her. It was almost an automatic setting at this point, and after her confession, he thought being cold might push her away in the end. The outcome of this night could very well go either way, but Lucas wasn’t sure which he would have liked better. While impatiently waiting for her to show up, he brought out more bottles of alcohol despite it being the very last thing the two of them needed at the moment. He figured it could act as the middle ground between them, considering he didn’t even want to think about her without having some sort of alcohol in his system. When the elevator finally dinged, he looked expectedly at the doors, his expression clean of emotion as he faced the blonde. “Took you long enough.”

his accusation makes her laugh, really anything would make her laugh given her current state. the female brings her finger to her lips, miming him to hush, quickly realizing he has no way of viewing her. ❝ shhhh ! ❞ she breaths out into the intercom, ❝ i’m like ---- tipsy. ❞ she finishes, taking a moment to figure out exactly what she was at the moment. except tipsy had been about two hours ago, she was exactly as he’d called her, wasted. when he presses the buzzer the female grabs for the front door. keeping as quiet as possible to her best ability. although tanner is often disobedient when it comes to lucas, this she takes seriously. she’d already upset him once that night ( and somehow been invited over ) she wasn’t about to chance it a second time. fearing he might not be as forgiving. shoulder pressed into the wall, keeping her upright as she moves towards the elevator. it feels nice to lean against the wall, a relief from all the standing and waiting she’d just been doing. the only sound the arm of her blazer gliding against it and her heels clanking together as she moves. without shoes on her feet she is considerably silent. 

once at the elevator she is once again leaning against the wall until it arrived to again park herself against the railing surrounding the inside. growing nearer to his suite she allows her thoughts to focus on the possible outcomes. knowing very well what he expects of the night. obviously lacking any discussion of the prior incident. tanner held little assurance that she would even turn him down. the way he’d reacted, she’d give anything to return to their old selves, wipe his mind clean of her confession. nothing convinced her it was better this way, him knowing her feelings because they were obviously not reciprocated. 

ding ! this is what snaps her out of it, doors opening to reveal the male waiting on her. ❝ i’m here now, aren’t i ? ❞ shrugging off her jacket and tossing it on ( or at least towards ) one of the chairs surrounding the island in his kitchen the female once again turns to face him. her whole demeanor has changed, feeling sober once again. the bottles he’d pulled out looking enticing at the moment. ❝ no girls tonight ? ❞ why she’s asking this question is beyond her. maybe to bring some normalcy back to their relationship. tanner had always portrayed the jealous side piece extremely well.