Fresh Poison (IC)

[PlayingMonster]

Jess raised her chin as she walked down the steps of the police station, knowing that she was being watched, and not wanting to give anything away. She'd been rattled by the police turning up at her door. She wasn't going to deny that. But she wasn't going to let everybody else see that. Somebody had thought that it was a good idea to throw another party tonight, the first since the murder. Jess's parents had been reluctant about letting her go after what had happened at the last one, but she'd talked them into letting her go. She needed to let loose and get high without having to worry about anyone noticing. But right now, she needed to do some shopping. She was running low on her favourite red lipstick as well as some other bits and pieces.

---

Spence pulled on his leather jacket and headed out. He'd arranged to meet up with some friends, but he was starting to regret that decision. Being with friends usually involved at least one person wanting to get food, and then everybody ended up getting food, and things just got awkward for him. Especially today when he wasn't in the best of moods as it was. His mom and dad had started getting suspicious about his eating habits, so it was probably time to change them. He was tired of this constantly changing pattern and of how it made him feel, but the thoughts wouldn't let him stop. He needed to be thinner, thinner, thinner. He ran his hand through his hair as he sat down on the steps where they usually all met.

 

[BB-Bauers]

Elliot threw on her black coat and was about to head out to meet her friends -- before she realized she didn't have any money on her. Turning around, she went back into her room and pulled her wallet out of the top drawer of her dresser. She pried it open and peeked inside, but it was empty... No cash except for a couple of singles. "Drat..." she muttered to herself.

Glancing warily back over her shoulder to make sure her bedroom door was shut, Elliot peered at the loose floorboard under her bed. She pushed the furniture aside and lifted the board, pulling out one of several hidden shoe boxes stuffed with cash. Forty dollars was plenty to have in your pocket at once, right? Elliot took two twenties from the box, folded them up and stuck them in her pocket before shoving the box back where it came from. She put the room back to the way it was before, sighed with contentment at the arrangement, and continued with her previous plan. Elliot brushed off her coat and left the bedroom, trotting down the stairs and heading out. "Bye mom! I'll be back later!" she called.

The air was appropriately crisp and chilly, considering the general social climate that had overtaken Mountain Brook. Not that it had been the friendliest place on earth before all this, but even so -- ever since the murder, the whole town had just totally clammed up. "Hey Spence," Elliot greeted as she came upon her old friend sitting on the usual steps. "How's it going?" She took a seat next to him, shoving her hands in her coat pockets and scrunching up her shoulders to block out the chill.

 

[King]

R A P H A E L

"C'mon, I'll be gone for like, half an hour, dad." Raf tried to convince his father to let him go out. After the, incident, Raf's father was way too paranoid to allow anybody out of the house when he heard about the murder. Raf was also paranoid. He was scheduled to be interviewed with the police in the evening. But he thought, as long as they didn't ask to see his phone, nothing could go wrong. If anybody found out about his teacher, then all would go wrong. Raf wasn't making it better for himself, especially since he was planning on running by the school to go and see his teacher. Of course, he tells people he just wants high grades and that explains why he spends so much time there. Raf nibbled his lip as his parents spoke to each other. He just wanted to warn the teacher not to mention him to the police, if he ended up in contact. He also wanted to put their 'relationship' on a low. Things were getting way too close for it to be safe.

"Be back in half an hour or you'll be even more grounded." His dad nodded his way. Raf didn't waste any time, he thanked his parents quickly before rushing off through the doors. His stuff was waiting by the door, so he just slipped on his shoes and began walking.

It felt like his heart was constantly beating too quick. Everything worried him; People looking at him, children shouting, even dogs barking would set him on edge. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets as he walked quickly, his glasses steaming up slightly as he breathed heavily in the cold. Raf would hopefully avoid the party tonight, but somebody was bound to force him into drinking and a possibility of another murder case. As he walked the usual way to the school, Raf spotted a couple of people sitting on the steps. Keeping his head down, Raf walked closer.​

 

[Mundane Monster]

"Candace honey, can you wipe Richie's face for me? I have to take this call." Her mother called from down the hall and Candace let out a cheerful, "Sure thing, mom!" even though the mere thought of going anywhere near Richard made her skin crawl. Her parents rarely asked her to care for him because of the way he acted around her, but every once in awhile they got bogged down with things, so she had to pick up the slack. She never complained though. If she made a fuss it would be a lot harder to get her parents to admit him into an institution because it would look like she was the problem not him. So she just had to remain quiet and malleable.

"Hey, Rich." She murmured as she slowly approached her brother who was curled over in his chair, his hands balled into permanent fists. He was in a sort of adult high chair, so he couldn't fall to the side and it was clear that he was past tried of being stuck in it. He jerked his head to the side when Candace approached and made a sharp shriek like noise. Candace grabbed a few wet wipes and quickly began dabbing at his face while he struggled and tried to jerk out of her reach. Finally after what seemed like hours, she finished and called for her dad to let Richard out.

"One sec!" Her father called from his study. "I gotta go, dad I'm meeting with some friends!" Candace called as she inched towards the door. No need to seem too eager. Her father shuffled down the hall in his brown bath robe and worn slippers, he gave her a worried look. "Honey, if you're going out carry your pepper spray and a taser." He warned and she snorted. "Okay, I have the spray but where am I supposed to get a taser dad?"

Her father fished a rectangular black object out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Flick the switch on the side and point the pincers at the enemy. Unfortunately I could only get your a civilian taser and not one of the taser guns they have at work. But this should keep you safe." He said, his face dead serious. Candace nodded with equal seriousness and gave him a hug before leaving.

It always paid to have a cop as a dad.

- - -

Finn trudged out of the police station, anxiety begging him to look over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him, but fear forcing him to keep walking and pretend everything was a-ok. God, he wanted a fix. But he couldn't possibly pop a pill now. For all he knows someone could be watching him, just waiting for him to screw up. So instead of giving into his cravings, Finn picked up the pace, accidentally knocking into some blond in his haste to get out of the area. He turned around quickly, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Whoa, sorry! Oh--Jenn! Sup'?" He chirped happily, but inwardly cringed. He wanted to get away, not have an awkward conversation with someone he partied with. Speaking of parties..."You comin' to the party tonight?"

@PlayingMonster

 

[XWhySoSeriousX]

This has been the third time this week that she had been questioned about the party. It always started with "Goodmorning, we're sorry to keep you here but we have more dumb questions to ask you" she nodded and smiled then answered the questions to the best of her capabilities. "No sorry I didn't know the guy....I was outside with a few friends..." Then that was followed by a few more yes's and No's. Miranda walked out of the station covering her eyes with her glasses since she was still a bit hungover from last night. There was no party she just had the desire to get drunk and a bit high at the same time.

She looked over to see a woman looking at her with complete and utter disgust and she just smiled blowing her a kiss. So what her shorts were a bit high and her belly was showing a bit, she wasn't a bad person...no not at all. Miranda sighed sticking a cigarette in her mouth letting it hand there a bit before she lit it. Deep down she wanted this to be a hit of something that wasn't tobacco, but she was in public and near a police station so she had to have a bit of courtesy. In her mind this whole murder thing was blown way out of proportion but whatever if some crazed killer was on the loose of course people were going to start freaking out, she wasn't like normal people so she still went about her day and probably was still going to that party to have a crazy time.

As she began to walk a sort of pounding sensation began in her head that this cigarette wasn't helping. She had blown a few more puffs then threw it to the ground stepping on it before she continued in her walk to wherever she was going. Miranda felt her slim hands go into her pocket as she reached a coffee shop and went inside looking around. "If only they sold aspirin...and vodka" she mumbled softly to herself pushing her glasses on her head as she went up to the counter and looked at the menu. It was a simple order, a regular coffee, cream and sugar with a blueberry muffin...cause she was starting to get a bit hungry.

Once she got her order she went out to the patio that the coffee shop had and pulled a small flask out of her messenger bag. Miranda, being the heavy alcoholic she is, poured it into the coffee and took a sip placing it back in her purse. She crossed one leg over the other, picked from the blueberry muffin, then placed another cigarette in her mouth. No one had said anything but began to scoff and in little groups left the patio. "Ew...you know you can die like that...plus it's really disgusting to do that in public, all of us want to live if you want to go smoke on that cancer stick can you do it somewhere else" some girl had approached her and said that and she just looked up at the girl from her glasses taking another sip from her coffee. "Aw that sucks...I had a plan to kill both of us, then I get to see your pretty little self in hell where we'll have so much fun" Miranda smirked winking at the girl causing her to scoff and complain to her friend as she left. "That was a bit mean of me..."

But honestly, had she cared?

 

[PlayingMonster]

A guy suddenly slammed into Jen. As she started to form an apology, she recognised him as Finn. She grinned at him. "Hey, Finn. Yeah, I'm going. The parentals took some persuading, but eventually they relented. I'm dying to let loose after all of this," she said, shaking her head a little. The police still had their suspicions about her- especially when she'd been... patchy at best about the evening. She knew it sounded suspicious, but if she told them that she'd been high, there was a chance her parents would hear and... yeah. That wouldn't end well. "How about you?" She asked.

---

Spence looked up and grinned at Elliot. "Hey, Ellie. I'm good, how are you?" Good was a bit of an exaggeration, but he'd been worse. The fact that he wasn't long out of a binging cycle and had actually put on a little weight was probably why. He hadn't started passing out yet. He was good in terms of avoiding suspicion about his health, but in not much else. His own hands had been in his pocket for a few minutes now, and he was braced against the cold. He was in a constant state of coldness, but it was a little easier to hide when everybody else was cold.

 

[BB-Bauers]

~ Elliot Fontaine ~

Elliot offered a small smile in return, though she was still concerned for her friend. Spencer in particular had been a bit off-kilter for a while now -- even since before the whole town had been shaken up by this murder case. But whenever Elliot tried to ask how he was doing, Spencer consistently said he was fine. Whether or not she believed it, Elliot wasn't sure. But she certainly didn't want to pry. If something was wrong, Spencer would tell her... right?

She shrugged in response. "Eh, I'm alright. Just kind of chuggin' along, y'know?" Just as she was picking her head up, Elliot noticed someone walking by -- and it was someone she recognized, too. He looked like he was in a bit of a hurry to get somewhere, but Elliot still thought she should acknowledge him. "Hey, Raphael!" she called, waving in greeting as he walked by. She didn't really know him too well, but she had met him at that fateful party a while back and they had talked briefly. Keeping up friendly appearances seemed like a good way to brighten up the town a bit -- at least, it was a start.​

 

[Mundane Monster]

Finn gave her his trademark smile. "Hell yeah I am, I can't miss a party girl! It'll ruin my sweet reputation." He joked, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth. The motion looked usual on him because he often did stuff like that, but what Jen couldn't see was that his hands had been trembling so bad, he had to put them somewhere out of sight.

He then gestured to the station casually. "They're questioning everybody huh. Crazy. I mean, maybe it wasn't you know...Murder . It could have been an accident. People die by accident all the time." Not really, not where they lived, but just saying the words made Finn feel better.

 

[King]

Damn it.

As Elliot called his name, Raf looked up and forced a small smile. They met at the party the other night and she seemed nice. Except she kept calling him by his full name. He hated that. Well, he couldn't escape now. "Hey Elliot. Hey Spence." Rad knew Spence a little better, and he seemed pretty cool. The boy did look tired constantly but he didn't blame him in a city like his. The smile he forced faded as he stopped, hands clenched in his pockets. "What're you doing out here when it's this cold?" He make light conversation, smiling a bit as he forced another laugh.

Hopefully they wouldn't find him too awkward, Raf had a problem of seeming too nerdy and awkward around others. His hands went white in his pockets as they tensed nervously, worried he'd loose track of time in school. His teacher was enticing. Raf knew it was so wrong but every time they were together it didn't feel like that. Plus, he couldn't afford to be late. "You been interviewed yet?" He asked, huffing out cold air as he looked over at Spence, giving him an awkward smile.​

 

[PlayingMonster]

Jen shook her head. "Dude, he was stabbed like three times, and the weapon had no prints on it. That was no accident. Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing," she said. "Hey, I'll let you go, I've got some stuff to do." She'd suddenly remembered how empty her bottle of pills was, and anxiety twisted her stomach. As hard as it was at times to hide it while she was taking them, if she went into withdrawal, it would be even harder. She typed out a quick text. Need some pills. Alley on 24th, an hour. I'l have the money.

---

Spence nodded. "Yeah, I was interviewed yesterday. One of them looked suspicious the whole time, and the other was clearly trying to be good cop. They said that 'they'll let me know if they need any more information. Where're you headed anyway?" He asked, leaning against the wall a little.

 

[Mundane Monster]

Finn wanted to slap himself. In all his nervousness he had forgotten about the stabbing. It was just that a guy died--was killed-- and he had freaked out! He knew the police were suspicious of him! He could see it in there eyes and by the way that they spoke to him! They'd screwed up his whole disposition and now he was messed up. But he needed to be right before the party. He needed to just take a study buddy and chill...

Finn scratched his chin awkwardly and tried to come up with a response, but came up empty and just watched Jen walk away. On one hand he was relieved, but on the other hand he was freaking out. He wondered if Jen had noticed how unlike himself he had been. He hoped she didn't mention it to anyone.

With that thought, Finn turned on his heel and headed back to his apartment to calm himself with one of his study buddies. Or two.

* * * *​

After leaving her house, Candace had headed to the mall for a new outfit. Because she was her, she would be attending the party later and she needed a cute outfit. The past few days had been chock filled with parties and she had already worn most of her outfits, so she didn't want to be seen in the same one. Plus the recent events had made her want to occupy her mind with anything else. The police where making everyone nervous and stressed out with their unbiased suspicious of just about every young person in town. It was ridiculous. Thankfully having a cop for a dad made the other cops be less horrible to her and she didn't have to suffer through the horrendous good cop bad cop routine like everyone else, but still...No one liked being forced into an interrogation room and questioned for hours.

So now she had turned to cathartic shopping. When she got to one of the clothing stores she realized she should have called someone to meet up with her, because trying on clothes wasn't very fun by yourself plus she needed someone to help her choose between outfits. Whipping out her phone she sent a mass text to all of her friends, and sat down to wait for a response.​

 

[Cain]

[ L e o n M. P e a r s o n ]​

"Hiss---!"

The hissing noise emitted off of a bronze kettle pot. Another shriek left Leon with a blind ear. He grumbled softly slowly dragging his house slippers against the ground each drag. He flipped the knob off leaving the hot water to hiss once more before relieving the heat. He poured the hot water into an already mug with a tea bag. Leon placed the kettle back on top of the stove and walked towards the couch. The silence was peaceful, far better than the night before. He could remember the loud guests and idiotic men and women. It was to his surprise that he was the civilized one. It was simple to say that Leon had his whore years or days -- but -- this party, he wasn't that into it. The men and women were soiled and he was sure some bore STD's. He couldn't get himself into that mess, again.

Soft footsteps approached Leon. A lanky female with ash blonde hair and smeared makeup on her face. "What a mess. You look like an abused victim." Leon commented. The girl growled softly at Leon and walked towards the kitchen. Before she opened the fridge door Leon warned her, "Nothing in there."

The girl groaned loudly turning to the couch and dropped her body onto the couch sitting beside Leon. It was quiet and none of the two made a noise. The possible factor into the silence was death. Leon couldn't recall who would go after such a person. A simple victim who was slain in such a brutal manner or that was what he heard. The town became paranoid and townspeople were quick to lose all trust. One could say it was dangerous to simply walk out of your own abode. Nevertheless, Leon was not one into stupid rumors. There was another party and he was one of the few to be invited. Of course, without a thought, he could accepted. "Leo..." The girls voice called out. "What?" Leon asked.

"The party tonight might not be a good idea." She spoke in a timid tone. "Don't be a bitch, you aren't going to die. Maybe the kid got stoned and decided, a few more wouldn't hurt." He rolled his eyes and took another sip. "Whatever, with or without you I'm still going." Leon stood up leaving the tea on the coffee table. He entered his bedroom preparing himself for the day. Simply pulling one of the strings of his silk robe all came down. He adorned himself with brand named clothes and a cashmere scarf to match it all.

"I'm leaving." Leon walked out of the apartment complex in style. Each step he took was taken in precision, to marvel all the people under him.

The burst of the outside air blowing against his face was refreshing, rejuvenating. His arms swayed as he walked on the sidewalk. People threw a smile or a wave at the sight of the infamous Leon -- but -- he was never the type to do the same. Just a simple thin smile and continue. As he walked past people it became noticeable that no one else spoke about their day, instead, they spoke about the murder. He rolled his eyes. There was no significant memory held in his brain about the party. Just a rude policeman with a condescending tone. The policeman rapid fired with questions he couldn't find the answers to. He remembered the threats and the derogatory comments about his sexuality. It was a stressful thought.

The thought vanished when he noticed a group of familiar faces from the night before. He raised his perfect eyebrow and walked towards them with little reluctance.

"Well, well, Spencer, Ellie, and..." His words stopped when he noticed a third party. An unfamiliar face he couldn't point out or remember. He canted his head to the left a bit. "I don't believe we have met or spoken. Who are you?" He inquired in a blunt manner.​

 

[King]

R A P H A E L

Raf nodded quietly as Spence spoke, his eyes wandering around the floor. As Spence asked him where he was going, Raf looked up quickly. "Uh, just to the shops. I gotta collect a couple of things." He lied. The shop wasn't really that far away from the school, he could probably buy a drink on the way back. So, it was only a half lie.

"You guys going to the party tonight?" He changed the topic. Raf wasn't sure if he wanted to go but he'd probably end up there anyway. The phone in his pocket buzzed. He took it out quickly to check the text he had just got.
"Raphael, your Father has gone out. Work I think. Stay out a little longer. - Mom."

Raf raised an eyebrow, why would is dad go out this time, for work? Whatever, he thought. Raf put the phone back into his pocket and sighed out cold air. As he did, a voice graced the small group. Some guy greeted the two, then looked at Raf with confusion. Raf only recognised his face a bit. He was at the party. Liam? Lional? Leo? Something like that. Raf let out a small huff awkwardly and took off his glasses quickly, "Uh, I'm Raf Hart. I was at the party." He said as slipped on his glasses again, wrinkling his nose. He wasn't surprised he didn't recognize him, Raf spent most of the party drinking in the corners of the house and making conversation.

"Anyway gotta rush, see you." He nodded and eyed the three before he walked off quickly. Way to look awkward as hell, he thought. The boy kept his hands in his pocket as he rushed off quickly, keeping his eyes on the ground. It only took him 10 minutes to end up at the school gates. ​

 

[BB-Bauers]

~ Elliot Fontaine ~

Elliot watched as Raphael and Spencer exchanged a few words. It was clear that Raphael was feeling more than a bit awkward -- the tension in his shoulders definitely wasn't just from the chilly weather. As they talked about being interviewed, it made Elliot realize that she still had yet to talk to the police. There certainly were a lot of kids that were at that party... She figured it was only a matter of time until they got to interviewing her as well. And she was not looking forward to it.

By the time Elliot had snapped out of it, she realized another person was approaching the group. It was none other than the infamous Leon. Elliot was friendly enough with Leon, but she had never quite figured out how she felt about him. He was charismatic and charming for sure, but the rumors surrounding his reputation and his curtness did not go unnoticed by Elliot, and she was always slightly wary around him -- like he was just unpredictable enough that she was never quite sure what he would do next. Still, Elliot was careful not to treat him any differently than she would treat any other acquaintance. "Hey, Leon," she said in greeting, smiling up at the fashionable man from her spot on the stoop. "Nice to see you again."

At that moment, Raphael hurriedly introduced himself and ran off, seeming just as uncomfortable as he had been when he first showed up. "Oh -- bye, Raphael! See you around," Elliot called after him as he left. She sat there, wondering if something she was doing was making him even more awkward than usual...​

 

[PlayingMonster]

She wasn't entirely comfortable doing this in broad daylight, but she also wasn't risking going into withdrawal. She'd gone through a few days of it a few months ago and... yeah. She was avoiding that as much as possible. She pulled the hood of her rainjacket over her head as she approached, keeping her head low and her eyes pointed steadily at the ground. The only thing was that she had decided to go for a more natural look this morning, and so was not wearing her trademark shade of red lipstick. She often received several lots of lipstick at Christmas and her birthday, because people knew how much she loved it. Her hood was also covering her blonde hair, so she kept telling herself that nobody would necessarily notice it was her. She adopted a slightly different gait as well, shortening her stride and hunching her shoulders. When she got into the alley, she leaned against the wall, keeping her head down. After a few minutes, she was vaguely aware of someone approaching her. She looked up, ready to either punch them or tell them that she wasn't interested, but stopped as she recognised them. It certainly wasn't her usual dealer.

---

Spence hadn't even gotten a chance to reply to Raf about the party before Leon appeared and Raf darted away. Shame. He was a rather pretty boy, pleasant to look at, and generally a nice person. Speaking of pleasant to look at... Spence grinned at Leon. "Hey, Leon. I'm guessing you're going to be there tonight?" He said, straightening up a little and ruffling his hair. He knew Leon from a number of parties, which were the only places where Spence wasn't that self conscious. Everybody was either drunk, stoned or some combination of both to notice his size. And, well, the fact that Spence was usually drinking as well helped. He knew that that kind of relationship with alcohol was far from healthy- but he also knew that most of his habits weren't healthy. At least he didn't smoke.

 

[Cain]

[ L e o n M. P e a r s o n ]​

He nodded as Raphael spoke. The boy was timid and stood out as awkward -- not the type to be around Leon, for sure. He watched as the boy hurried out of the group. Leon raised his brow with his arms crossed watching the boy scurry off. "Weird kid..." He muttered softly watching the boy walk off in a quick manner. When Raphael scurried off in a good distance he returned his attention to the two other sitting down. He wasn't close to the two sitting before him. They weren't well-known, to him, but they weren't intolerable.

A voice called out a question. He turned to Spencer who was quick to start up a question. In reaction to the question, Leon smirked and positioned himself in a dignified pose. "Of course!" He gesticulated playfully dismissively. "I am the life of all parties." He spoke highly of himself.

"Anyway, what are you two sitting here for? I'm quite bored and I don't find myself sitting on steps." He pointed out. A bit of boredom had him wanting to be an active person. The mall was an enticing notion, however, being alone was not something he wished to do. He raised an eyebrow at the two wondering if they were truly up for going to the mall. They weren't the most well-known people nor were they the type of people he was seen out with -- but -- they were certainly better than nobody. With Leon's friend paranoid of the outside, he had no choice.​

 

[BB-Bauers]

~ Elliot Fontaine ~

When Spencer noticed Leon, his entire demeanor changed. Elliot took note of the small grin that graced his face, the fact that he sat up straighter, and the way that he ruffled his hair. She had known Spencer long enough to understand what that subtle shift in behavior meant, and she couldn't help but smirk. Interesting choice... but I can roll with it, Elliot thought jokingly to herself.

She proceeded to roll her eyes playfully when Leon announced himself as the life of all parties, but to be fair, it wasn't a complete overestimate. He really did make a room light up when he walked in. Some people perhaps called it being obnoxious, but most people -- like Elliot -- were grateful for it, as his behavior usually drew the center of attention and made shadow-dwellers at parties feel less pressure to be social.

When Leon seemed to be inviting himself along to hang out, Elliot looked over to Spencer, remembering his subtly flirtatious hair ruffle. On a normal day, she perhaps would have politely turned Leon away, seeing as she wasn't quite trusting of him... But it seemed that Spencer may have been interested. "We were just sitting here, hanging out, waiting for some friends..." She paused in thought, suddenly aware of being unsure as to the plans of their other friends. "Actually, Spence -- were we waiting for anyone else?"​

 

[mingummy]

: Kade "Kay" Vanleuven :

Taking a drag from the cigarette hanging limply between his fingers, Kade contemplated his current situation. He'd left home in an attempt to avoid his mother's well meaning but annoying mother-henning. She was worried about him being upset from the drama of the party. Little did she know, Kade wasn't really that sad. He hadn't known the girl personally. His worries laid in the investigations going on. Kade has no interest in going to jail but if they found his stash of stolen stuff he might just end up there.

Kade leaned back against the school wall and sighed. "Please be kind to me." He begged the God he didn't believe in. It was funny. Kade has zero faith, but in times of stress he always turns to the heavens. It could be just the human need for guidance from someone 'all knowing' but sometimes he felt like his instincts were telling him someone was up there. Kade slapped a hand to his forehead and muttered a quick curse. Now was not the time to be philosophizing about Divine Beings, he had to plan for the shitstorm headed his way.

"Arggh." ​

 

[PlayingMonster]

Spence pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking it. "Gus says that his mom changed her mind at the last minute, so nope. Just us, then," he said, standing up and stepping off of his step. He needed to remember his usual confidence. His confidence had been fake for far too long now- or, at least, some of it had. When he was distracted, it was a lot easier to be confident. But when he was alone with his thoughts, his shoulders tended to slump, his gaze tended to dip, and he tended to want to go home, bury himself somewhere and wake up when he was finally happy with how he looked. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon, so in the meantime, he pushed his shoulders back and made himself look people in the eyes. He'd get there eventually.

 

[mingummy]

« Keanu "Fuzzy" Mah'ai »

A slightly manic mood had affected Keanu as he stressed over the questioning he'd just gone through. He was fidgeting like crazy, which wasn't exactly a new thing for him but the running around and cleaning stuff was. He had nothing to feel guilty over so it'd be nice if his brain would let his body rest instead of jerking him around. It was fear though that had him in a craze. If he was suspected in any way over the boy's death, who know's how far they would go in investigating him. The threat of having his greatest secret outed was very real and terrifying.

It was then that he received a text: Party tonight. You coming?

Hell yeah he's going! He needed the outlet for his energy, plus alcohol is an easy way to relieve stress. They all needed it after the events of the last couple weeks. Now to find an outfit that he could feel confident flirting in. Who knows what pretty boy could show up at the party? Just the thought of some hot rugby player chatting him up was enough to forget the questioning. Keanu picked up his phone and sent a quick text back to his friend.

I'll be there. Need anything?





​