Fresh Poison (IC)

[King]

D R. H A R T

His son hadn't left the house for long, but Dr. Hart was quickly checking his phone. He was desperate for some extra cash and was expecting his seller to come around the hospital in the evening to get him the drugs he needed. The profitable Doctor couldn't afford to let anybody find out about his shady business, that would get him into prison for the rest of his life. He sat in his seat, reading the newspaper as his phone buzzed.

"Outta town but got client - deliver then urself? Sry."

Shit. The man read the text message and puffed out a large breath, ignoring his wife's questioning. "I've gotta get to work, I'll be back soon." He told her as he stood up, quickly going to find a jacket. Hopefully this wouldn't be too risky, Marcus just needed the money. Bad.

--

The doctor had collected the pills and stuffed them in his jacket, hoping nobody would question him. He made it out of the hospital and walked, no need to risk having his fancy cars number plate recognized. Once he had made it down the alleys, making sure nobody saw as he turned the corner, the tall man strided up to a small looking girl. Was she who he was looking for?

As soon as he saw her face, Dr. Hart took a step back. He recognized her.

"Jen?"
​

 

[PlayingMonster]

-Jenna Williams-
​

She froze, looking up at the familiar face of Dr. Hart. She recognised him from all of the school events she'd helped out at and from seeing him out with his family. And he knew her from the same. Most of the adults in town knew her from one thing or another- babysitting or volunteering or whatever. But she'd never thought that she'd meet one of them like this. She straightened up, knowing all too well that she had to be as pale as a sheet. He knew that she was up to no good here. Her former posture, the hood over her head... He knew.

"Dr. Hart? What... What are you doing here?" She asked quietly.

 

[brainparasite]

Arin Wolfe

Arin sat on a park bench, starting to doze off. Their stupid tattoo had kept them awake all night, but it was quiet now. In fact, they hadn't heard much at all today. They certainly weren't complaining; a break from the usual chaos was always welcome. They leaned back, letting a small smile creep across their face. As they started to drift off...

ARIN.
​

A loud voice startled them out of their nap. They looked around and saw no one near them. They sighed inwardly, "Right on schedule."
Fully awake again, they decided to continue what they had come here to do in the first place: people watch. They noticed that the girl they were in the middle of drawing was still there, and so was the person behind her, seemingly cut out of pure darkness.
They wondered if they should tell her about the thing mirroring her movements, but decided against it. It probably didn't mean anything beyond "Arin is crazy."
The girl turned slightly, now facing Arin. They jumped and hid behind their sketchbook.​

She knows.
​

"Oh, god, does she? Wait, about the mirror thing or that I'm drawing her? Or - Shit! Both! She knows both! She heard me!"

Arin quickly got up, picked a direction, and walked. Dammit, their asshole tattoo will never let them hear the end of this...

​

 

[crystakat]

Cynthia Cho
​

Cynthia made it a rule to never be seen in public without her game face on, and she'd been upheld that rule even during the out-of-nowhere questioning. Okay, so maybe it wasn't really out of nowhere - a murder is reason enough for a police interview - but they couldn't have given her an hour's notice? Miss Cho, feel free to spend the next hour getting ready before you show up to the precinct. No, instead she'd had to slap on the BB cream and eyeliner in five minutes flat.

Well, all that unpleasant business was over now, and the shopping bag in her manicured hand was boosting her mood considerably. Parties waited for no-one, not even dead boys, and she was just glad she'd snagged a cute dress in time. It was short enough to show off her legs and clung to her curves like a second skin - she'd no doubt that eyes would be on her. And the return policy for the boutique was within 10 days, so she had more than enough time.

Cynthia sauntered further down the street. She couldn't help but smile - all this would've been unimaginable a few short years ago. But she'd made it happen. And oh, had it been worth it.

She caught sight of a lilac-haired girl a few strides down and squinted. Who was that? She thought she knew nearly everyone in Mountain Brooks, but couldn't place the girl. She certainly hadn't talked to her before. Hm. ​

 

[brainparasite]

Arin Wolfe

After Arin got far enough away from that mental security breach, they leaned against the nearest building to catch their breath. They ran a hand through their hair, and found that it was crawling with ants. They gasped and looked it over. The bugs were coming out of a ragged hole on the back of their hand. Trying to convince themself that it wasn't real, they tucked the hand into their pocket.
They looked up and saw another person near them. A girl. Who just saw that whole thing. Shit.
A look not unlike a deer in headlights crossed Arin's face, but they shook it off and gave the girl their most nonchalant smile (which is to say, not very nonchalant).
They then heard loud, shitty laughter coming from a familiar place.

"Way to embarrass yourself, stupid!"

Their tattoo was mocking them again. Shit.

 

[crystakat]

Cynthia Cho
​

Cynthia watched as the lilac-haired girl hastened towards a building wall. Her movements were odd and jerky, and she couldn't decipher the look on the girl's face. Maybe fear, though she couldn't tell from a distance. She bit back an urge to laugh - that was a little too mean.

The girl met Cynthia's eyes with a surprised expression, before composing herself and smiling. The whole thing was a tad bewildering. Had Cynthia scared her in some way? She took a few steps closer and called out, "Hey, are you okay? You seem a little out of it."
​

​

 

[brainparasite]

Arin Wolfe

Looks like their nonchalant actions didn't work. Arin looked at the girl and blinked. Her shadow peeled off of the ground and stood next to her. Arin blinked again and it was gone. They then realized that she had asked them a question.

"Oh! Uh, I-I'm fine. Just didn't get a lot of sleep."

Well, it was partly true.

She knows.
​

Shut up, brain.​

 

[crystakat]

Cynthia Cho
​

"Aw, honey, I know the feeling," Cynthia said sympathetically, adjusting her hair as she spoke. "The police come knocking at your door last night? Ugh. Can you believe someone was killed?" She gave the girl no time to reply before steamrolling on, "Hey - how do I not know you? Seriously. It's not like we live in a big town. What's your name?"

The girl certainly didn't look like the type to stand out in a crowd or purposely draw attention to herself (something Cynthia was guilty of, sue her). Not a potential friend, but there was time to kill before the party, and Cynthia didn't mind making a new acquaintance. Connections were valuable.​

 

[brainparasite]

Arin Wolfe

The stranger rattled off a bunch of questions. It was kind of hard for Arin to focus on what she was saying over their tattoo's laughter.

"I-I'm Arin. I haven't been here that long."

Hold on. What was that she said before?

"Wait. Someone was killed? I didn't hear anything about that!"

Their heart skipped a beat, and images of blood and death flashed in their eyes.

You did it.

You did it.

You did it.​

 

[PlayingMonster]

Several Hours Later

-Jenna Williams-
​

If there was one thing that the young adult population of Mountain Brook knew how to do, it was party. Everybody was dressed to the nines- the girls had broken out their contouring kits and the guys had spent time in front of the mirror, fixing their hair so it looked just right. The tensions of the interrogations had been too much for them- but now they could let loose. Alcohol was easy to get a hold of, and if you talked to the right people, you could get... other stuff. Various people had brought various forms of food, and within half an hour, pizza was being ordered. A game of spin the bottle had started in the corner, and the furniture had been pushed back to make an impromptu dance floor.

Which was where Jenna was to be found. Dressed in a sleeveless, black lacy dress and her favourite pair of heels and wearing her favourite red lipstick, she felt fabulous. Of course, the drugs probably had something to do with that. She felt light and cheery, and she hadn't even realised that she'd felt heavy for a while before that. She'd almost entirely forgotten about the incident that afternoon, and the little part of her brain that did remember was also the part that was blocked out by the drugs. She'd long ago mastered the ability to dance without spilling your drink on anyone. Her method required draining half of it before going near the dance floor, but it worked for her. The combination of opiates and alcohol in her system helped her forget about what had happened on the last night like this. After a while, she stumbled away from the dancefloor and onto one of the remaining couches, starting to unbuckle her shoes. They looked amazing- didn't feel it as much, though.
​

-Spencer Parrish-​

The first thing that hit a lot of people about these kinds of parties was that they were loud. Not that Spencer cared. He was glad for it, if he was going to be completely honest. Harder to hear those thoughts. He'd thought he'd looked good for about five seconds in the mirror, before he'd started to convince himself that he didn't, that he looked huge. In reality, his outfit was exposing exactly how thin he was, but his brain wasn't going to let him see that. It was a strange mix of conflicting thoughts that was making him feel vaguely miserable. Making him feel like he was huge, but another set of thoughts telling him that it didn't matter because who would look at him in that way?

After a beer, those thoughts were finally starting to be muted. He wanted to talk to somebody, he knew that much. As he opened his second, he started scanning the room, looking for someone to talk to, someone else who wasn't already drunk or who wasn't surrounded by other people.​

 

[brainparasite]

Arin Wolfe

Arin arrived at the party, looking more put together than usual. After hearing about what happened at the last party, they considered not going. Parties are loud and crowded, but Arin wanted to get to know more people.
They slowly approached the door, the voices relentlessly telling them to turn back. They tried to be subtle coming in, hoping to find somewhere where they could sit and draw.
What they saw was amazing. Crowds of people, branches growing out of their bodies, reaching toward the sky. Fireflies danced between them as they moved.
It was the first time in a while that their hallucinations were actually pleasant.
Hopefully that was a good sign.

 

[crystakat]

Cynthia Cho
​

The party was in full swing when Cynthia showed up. She'd wanted to make a late Cinderella-esque entrance, all dolled up in her thickest, longest falsies and sky-high heels, but it looked like everyone was either too busy getting wasted or grinding on each other to care. She pouted slightly; Cynthia loved being the center of attention, relished in the spotlight. It was what had gotten her into modeling in the first place, although that had turned out to be a whole lot more work than expected.

She certainly didn't feel like dancing and sweating off 45 minutes' worth of makeup, so Cynthia grabbed a cup of ginger ale and scanned the room for someone to latch onto. She wasn't a huge fan of alcohol; who knew what kind of secrets could come spilling out when you were intoxicated? She looked past the sweaty dance floor, the teens making out under the stairwell, and -

"Je-nna!" She called out in a singsongy voice, tottering over to the couch the girl was sitting on. Cynthia knew her mostly as the pretty blonde who was usually sporting a red lip and acted overly nice towards everyone (ugh), but she needed someone to talk to. No way she could be seen alone. "Ohmigod," Cynthia squealed, looking over Jenna's dress. "Is that Donna Karan? No, wait, Elie Saab? I mean, I'd understand if those are a little out of your price range, but whatever. Girl, you are so gorgeous right now." ​

 

[King]

R A P H A E L

The boy had arrived at the party in a sweater and his usual old-fashioned clothes. His parents were one of tradition, so Raf looked like a Cambridge student constantly. He kinda liked it. As the party began to unfold, Raf found himself avoiding people awkwardly, finding it hard to find people he was actually friends with. As more people filled up, Raf found a small spot out the way of most. He sat on the floor with an unopened beer, hoping tonight would go better than the ones before.

The party was surprisingly relaxed for a community that had seen a murder just days before. He wasn't really sure how he was feeling. Mainly just a little isolated. Where was everyone? He remembered at least three of his friends had said they were going. Raf was only here because his dad had a change of heart. When he got back from the school, his father was way more lenient than before. Something must of happened whist Raf was out.

The boy didn't manage to tell his teacher what he wanted to say. Instead, he and 'sir' ended up in the store room in his classroom. He still felt guilty about it. Hopefully drinking will calm that. As he thought, Raf opened up the bottle and looked up at people passing. His eye caught Spencers. "Hey! Spence!" Raf motioned with his hand to beckon Spencer over, hoping they could talk for a bit.​

 

[Mundane Monster]

With her new outfit donned, Candace arrived at the party about thirty minutes after it had started. She knew from years of experience that coming too early marked you as a lameo, but coming too late guaranteed no fun. If this party was anything like every other party in Mountain Brook, there was bound to be some...Goodies to accompany the alcohol and if she got there too late she would never be able to get a taste. Candace wasn't a junkie, but she wasn't a prude either. She appreciated the opportunity to feel really good every once in awhile. But she never took too much. No, no never. Too much inebriation breeds loose lips, and that was the last thing she needed.

Striding onto the dance floor, drink in hand and white pill in pocket, Candace began to gyrate and mingle with the throng of drunk and high teenagers and young adults. She spotted Cynthia and was about to wave her over when she saw who the other girl was hanging with. Jen...Candace didn't really like Jen. She was too nice, too bright, too...Ugh. She didn't even like dwelling on her for too long.

* * *

When Finn arrived, the party was in full swing and he wasted no time, downing about three shots and finding the sleaziest guy in the room to make out with. He avoided the goodie bags with determination, and when asked if he wanted to...'Have some fun', he politely declined saying that he was applying for a new job the next day that required a drug test. Most people believed him, but some squinted at him suspiciously and stared pointedly at the shot glass in his hand, but he ignored them in favor of making out with, Brian or Ryan or whatever.

 

[Redsun_Criminal]

Alexis Callaghan
​

She knew she would be late. There was a taxi to call and Alexis was still busy fussing over every detail in the mirror. Despite her anxiety, she knew that the only way she would make contact others, and possibly find friends, would be in the chaotic setting that a party provided, where her presence would become virtually insignificant.
​

* * *​

When she did arrive, Alexis arrived a little over an hour late, and, as the throbbing bass would suggest, the party was already in full swing. She bit her lip, not sure what to expect beyond those walls. She was greeted by a stranger at the front door, and preceded to step through the threshold and into the main hall.... The smell is what hit her first, a combination of alcohol, sweat and something she'd rather not have recognized. Despite never attending a party before, she quickly noted that Mountain brook really knew how to throw one. She found herself getting lost amid the countless guests, a sea of unfamiliar faces, while attempting to find a degree of semblance in her surroundings. The room was spinning, and she began to wonder if coming here was a mistake...

Yet the music began to blot out her thoughts, and her fear went along with it. She then took a deep breathe.

Alexis resultantly managed to get a hold of herself, unlike that intoxicated teen she just saw crashing into a wall, and decided to make an effort not to appear as foreign to Mountain Brook as she actually was. She was here to find her place amongst them, and make some friends to help her escape the responsibilities of university. Looking to avoid drawing attention to herself, she stayed clear of the dance floor, and searched for the first lonely loiterer she could talk to... and decided to approach a guest with lavender hair, who also seemed to be avoiding the crowd...
​

 

[Cain]

[ J a m e s o n W. W a l s h ]​

The day's bright color was washed down and painted with the colors of the night. The streets were lit up by street lamps aligned perfectly on the sidewalks. Jameson stared out the car window with an arm hanging out the window, letting his fingertips touch the cool breeze. The small town was different from what he had imagined. Leon spoke about it being much more rowdy, but the dead silence proved his statement false. He turned to his quirky cousin driving with an irritated expression. The news buzzed around the small town was an intriguing little story. Jameson was mistaken as one of the few party goers. He was there but only for a split-second. He barely entered the house, just stood outside, turned his heels, and never came back. Luckily, the boy was smart enough to walk around the sheriffs questions.

His eyes turned to the front where the soft sound of music was heard. He heard Leon released a groan. "Another shitty party..." His cousin grumbled. Jameson chuckled softly, a bit more excited for the party. The last party he failed to endure the terrible music barely spoke to anybody, he was the stranger of the town.

Up ahead was the sight of a party; flashing bright lights, music blaring from every window and door, people in front of the lawn drinking till they exploded, and cars parked terribly. The car took a sharp turn to snag a parking spot beside a large truck. Jameson looked at Leon who adjusted his hair and smoothened out the wrinkles in his clothes. Jameson stepped out the car once Leon did so. The two walked towards the party. Jameson noticed many people staring at him -- but -- no one ever approached him, they all ran up to Leon exchanging pleasantries. Eventually, Leon brushed all away like flies and the two continued their way into the party. The scent of alcohol bursted in front of Jameson. It was strong enough to make his nose crinkle.

The two stood in one spot for a moment. Jameson observed the room scanning his surroundings. His focus was broken when Leon slapped his arm. "What?" Jameson looked at Leon. "We're gonna go save a damsel in distress." Leon smiled and led the way. They walked towards the couch where two girls exchanged greetings.

"Jen!" Leon called out. He watched his cousin jumping into the two girl conversation with no reluctance. Jameson looked over at the two, bottom to top. "...And Cynthia." Leon said but with less enthusiasm. "I wasn't aware you two were buds!" Leon laced his words with good intentions over the negativity underneath it. "You two should meet my cousin, Jameson." Leon introduced with his cheery voice.

Jameson softened his expression pulling off a half smile. "Hey." Of course, Leon didn't appreciate the lack of words coming from Jameson words.​

 

[PlayingMonster]

-Jenna Williams-
​

Jen beamed as Cynthia sat down beside her. The other girl was essentially social royalty. Even in this fancy-ass town, models of Cynthia's standard were rare. Her beam just widened as Cynthia started complementing her dress, listing off a host of designers that Jenna could only stare at and dream about. "Thank you! And no, my dress isn't that fancy, I just got it online," she said. "You look amazing too! But, of course, that's no surprise." She finished removing her shoes and sat them on the couch beside her. That felt better. It was at that point she heard her name being called, and she looked up, grinning at Leo. An unfamiliar- but definitely attractive- guy stood beside him, and she smiled at him as Leo introduced him as his cousin. "Hey, I'm Jenna, Jenna Williams. But you can call me Jen," She said. He looked oddly out of place among the rest of the party-goers. Somewhat serious, and he looked almost uncomfortable.
​

-Spencer Parrish-
​

Spencer had never been so glad to hear his name called. He drained his beer, before picking up another two and bringing them over to Raf. As usual, he looked like he was attending some sort of debating competition instead of a house party- but Spence kinda liked that. It would have been strange to see Raf in anything other than his usual, scholarly outfits. Spence sat down beside Raf, crossing his legs. "I brought you this, but I see you have one already," He said, holding up one of the beers and putting it down beside Raf, before opening his own. "You look good," Spence said honestly. He'd been told he flirted a lot while drunk, and he could already feel his walls starting to come down. He wasn't entirely sure of Raf's sexuality- it was something a gentleman never asked- but it wasn't like he hadn't flirted with a few straight guys before. The variation in reactions was hilarious- from almost running a mile to actually flirting back. Part of him was amazed that he'd never been bullied, because it wasn't like he was secretive about his sexuality. It must have been a confidence thing- which was ironic, because most of Spence's confidence was fake. No, all of his confidence was fake. Not that anyone, male or female, had ever picked up on that. And he liked to keep it that way.​

 

[King]

R A P H A E L

As Spence made his way over, Raf sat up and crossed his legs too, his tight jeans just stretching over his knees. He saw another beer, and shrugged, "Well, another won't do any harm." He smiled and reached for the second bottle, placing it in the space between his legs. Raf sipped his beer, smiling when Spence complimented him. Being the slightly oblivious boy he was, Raf didn't exactly see it as flirting, yet. "Oh well, thanks!" He smiled, liking the attention. It wasn't like he got them all the time. "You look great aswell man." He nodded at him, his curly hair bouncing on his head. Spencer always seemed to be confident, and Raf was a little jealous of it. "Parties kinda suck, huh?" He said, sipping his beer. The party was just slow, maybe if Raf downed a couple more drinks he could get dancing. Maybe.

​

 

[PlayingMonster]

-Spencer Parrish-
​

Spence shrugged at Raf's comment about the party. "It's going better than the last one, anyway," he remarked. Even besides the murder, there'd been something like three fist fights and an ambulance had been called for somebody at some point. Things could get rowdy at these parties. Spence took a mouthful of his beer and looked back up at Raf, getting momentarily transfixed by the movement of his curly hair. Spence's hair could never lie that neat- it was usually standing at various impressive angles from his head. But he liked it like that. He'd probably look even more ridiculous with tidy, neat hair. "Still, these parties aren't so bad when you're with the right people," he said, before taking another mouthful of his beer. "Or even just one person." He glanced over at Raf, grinning slightly. ​

 

[crystakat]

Cynthia Cho
​

As Jenna replied in that oh-so-pleasant manner of hers, Cynthia noticed Candace on the dance floor. Knowing her friend, she'd probably purposely arrived "fashionably late", and Cynthia bit back a remark. Jen was not someone she wanted to gossip with.

A voice interrupted her thoughts and she realized good-looking two guys had approached their couch. Leon, who she already knew, and a tatted-up boy whose name was Jameson. She didn't miss Leon's change in tone when he addressed her, something that pissed her more than a little - most people didn't show it if they didn't like her. After Jenna introduced herself, Cynthia said brightly, "I'm Cynthia Cho. And Leon, I don't know what you're talking about. Jen and I are super close." They obviously weren't and had never been, but hell if she was going to admit that. She threw an arm around Jenna and beamed. "Jameson, so nice to meet you. You know, you're so cute, I never would've guessed you're Leon's cousin!" She giggled and took a swig of ginger ale.​