Little White Lies (A battle of two bands)

[Mr.Scales ⚖]

"Kitty ready to get beat" He knew she hated that nick name, the same nickname he called her a long time ago, he looked back at Krim who was about to leave "Yeah that's a good idea, see you there, i'll drive my bike after i'm done here" A small smirk came from his mouth, but you couldn't really see it, He really didn't care what any of the others, All he could think of is the battle of the bands and how he would beat Katrina

He waited till Krim left, he grabbed his keys out of his back pocket and started walking away "See ya vixen losers" he
Walked out the door and walked to the parking lot, he sat on his bike and took out his phone and text his band 'Band rehersal at 5:00 pm.' He then got on his bike and drove out of the parking lot

(sorry this was short, did this on my iPhone)

 

[Trignome]

He had arrived at the threshold of freedom. As Mason pushed open the double doors of the building, he breathed in a deep breath of only-mildly-stagnant air. It was quite refreshing, especially since he was no longer confined in the frustrating boundaries of high school. Like maggots writhing in a fetid wound, the numbing idiocies that he was forced to bear witness to in this accursed institution made Mason want to cringe and stare in macabre fascination. When he was a kid, he thought he had found the perfect co-existence with the other students; they minded their business, and he'd be their friend. Then a horrible plague swept through middle school, even more dastardly than cooties, and It. Destroyed. Everything.

The day puberty began, Mason's childhood had ended.

It felt like the kids at school changed overnight. Girls no longer laughed; they giggled. It was the strongest, not the fastest, boy that was now popular. Smart students developed lethal allergies towards intellectual plebeians, and the jocks steadfastly believed in "survival of the fittest". Boy and girls could no longer hold hands or play; the word "play" had an entirely new meaning all together. Now, if people wanted to spend time with friends, they had to 'hang' themselves. Mason scuffed his sneaker against the crumbling edge of the school's front pavement. He wasn't going to 'hang' with anybody. What, it really does sound like a 'lover's suicide'. Smiling bitterly to himself, the boy sat down on the curb just beyond the school property and leaned against the flickering bulletin sign. Welcome to Little Haven High School the glowing white letters read, an amiable message that belied the true nature of the high school's neurotic staff.

Glancing down at his watch, Mason frowned with mild concern. There was still 47 minutes to go before school let out. Bah, school. He grimaced with displeasure and slowly threaded his fingers through the grass that brushed against his palms. A gentle wind wafted through the trees lining the dusty, grey road, rousing the emblazoned leaves in one, final requiem before their descent. Even as Mason slowly relaxed with the swell of the chorus, he could hear, faintly, the revving of an engine. With a low, guttural whine, a motor bike tore out of the school parking-lot, rumbling past him and far down the road before Mason could so much as blink in surprise. The rider seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that the figure seated in the shade of the school sign was currently considering manslaughter. Shit, I didn't see his face. But if and when I find out who he is… Heaving a sigh of exasperation, Mason wished he could have at least heard the final cords of the concert. But sensing the stillness settle back upon the trees, he knew the conductor had long since left.

A small, curt noise roused him from his murderous, though-not-entirely-seriously-murderous, thoughts. Mason looked up expectantly, the vague form of a smile ghosting briefly on his lips. He reached out a hand and called to her. "Cerberus." The elegant figure paced by him once, then sat down with the sun reflected merrily in her sapphire eyes.

She tilted her head and barked.

 

[Whisper]

Liona Arielle Stone

After pulling herself together the girl grabbed her purse and removed a bottle of pills and her water bottle from the bag. She opened the pill bottle and shook it whereas two capsules fell into the small palm of her hand. She popped the pills into her mouth and took a swig of water before placing all of her items back into her bag and turning on the water in the restroom. She splashed water on her face allowing the nice cool sensation to calm her soul; her blue eyes were bright bright and filled with determination as she smiled and ran her fingers through her soft blonde hair while her reflection stared back at her. She turned off the water and slung her purse over her shoulder and picked up her drumsticks as she unlocked the stall door and her black boots clacked along the creme tiles as the sound echoed through the restroom. She walked through the hallway once again creating a beat with her drumsticks along the lockers and walls of the hall. The sound calmed her as a soft smile remained on her face as her skin illuminated a proud and happy glow. She had finally met the double doors of the building so she stuck her drumsticks into her purse as she strode towards the door as her long wavy blonde hair flowed behind her as if it were water. She walked out to the parking lot and didn't even bother to pick up her helmet from her locker and simply walked over to her bike. She shot a quick text to Kat before taking off and heading towards Manhattan...

Text: I gotta do something right now and will be heading towards the city. Text me a time and place for the rehearsal when you get a chance and let me know if you need me to pick up something while I'm out. If I don't reply it doesn't mean I didn't get your text, it just may mean I didn't have a chance to reply. L8rs.

She drove for about a hour and a half before arriving to Manhattan. The blue eyed girl parked in a parking garage on East 64th street and suffer the ticket into her purse before exiting the garage and stepping out onto the busy streets of Manhattan. The same streets she grew up around. The strong scent of chemicals and smoke filled her lungs, a poisonous gas she had already grown use to. She walked among the sea of people for a few blocks before entering Central Park from the west entrance off of 59th street. She walked until she reached the parks reservoir and looked around until she spotted him. Hatred welded up inside the girl as she walked towards the famously well-known figure. He had a cold stare upon his face as she approached him, as her eyes mirrored his emotions as she reflected the same feelings back at him.

"Hello Liona."

The man greeted with such a cruel manner.

"Good Evening Father, oops my bad Michael I forgot. I'm not qualified enough to be accepted as your daughter. So let me rephrase myself. Good evening Michael."

She replied in a even more brutally cold tone as her composure and eyes remained the same never once breaking contact with his. It was apparent that at that point the man was boiling with anger for he turned red as his once icy blue eyes became dark seeming almost murderous as he took a step towards the girl and striked her across her face with the hard palm of his hand before removing an envelope from his pocket and throwing it at her face. She didn't stumble, she didn't take a step back, instead she firmly stood her ground and turned her head where as she could face him once more. Her eyes still cold and emotionless like her face.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that. Nor ever slip up and call me father again. Anyway hurry up and count the money I have somewhere to be and I don't have time to waste on you."

She stared at him for a while more before bending down and slowly retrieving the money from the leaf decorated pavement. She stood back up and counted the money in a sluggish pace as her face continued to show no expression. When she finished counting every dollar twice she stuffed the envelope into her purse before speaking once more.

"If you didn't wish to waste your time why meet me and waste mine? You have more than enough money to send it to me in the mail like you use to when my mother was sick. So why not do me that favor as well? Goodbye and have a pleasant life."

With that she walked away. Unlike Belle her father knew that after she walked away that was the end and regardless of what the opposing party may say after she already took the last word would do nothing but contradict themselves, or embarrass themselves further. She already had the last word and no matter what else he says would be energy consuming for he had already lost that battle.

Among the sea she was again this time her eyes were blank, signaling that she was a nuclear bomb ready to self destruct at any given moment. She walked through the streets for quite sometime until she hit broadway where she decided to roam about within for a bit.

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Krim's objection earned an eye roll, before 'Belle' gently patted his cheek. "No worries, Krim. It was a joke," she replied, now smiling. Slowly, her tense and dangerous edge slowly evaporated, as Belle regained control. Belle blinked, and glanced around with confusion. Wait.. When had she gotten here..? What was she talking about..? Though, she quickly cleared her throat, and attempted to brush it off. However, her face heated up at Saul's comment on the matter. "Oh, sure..." she muttered an incoherent reply. Though, Krim's offer gave her a much needed chance for escape, even though she was unsure of what they were going to Gauge's for. Though, just as she opened her mouth to gladly accept the offer, she recalled something; she'd driven her mother's car to school today, hadn't she? A slight pout forming on her lips, she sighed. "Wish I could; took my mother's car this mornin' though. She'll put me through hell if I don't bring it back. But eh, I'll see you there," she replied, sulkily. She hated driving.. She preferred walking, honestly. But it appeared she had no choice. She waved to both Krim and Drake as they left. "See ya dorks," she called, playfully. Though, her voice was quiet, and soft. Her playful and upbeat attitude, that hadn't truly been her, was long gone. Though, she whipped out her phone to check it, when she saw she had a message. Practice at five... So that's why Adam was going to Drake's. She quickly fell quiet and solemn, rubbing her arm and staring at the ground. With a sigh, she silently fingered through her bag, making sure she had everything she would need. After she was sure she did, she looked to her remaining bandmates with a faint, almost non-existent smile. "Anyone want me to pick anything up for you guys..? I'm gonna stop at the gas station to grab some water. I figure I may as well pick up anything else we need," she said with a shrug, looking back to the floor. Pathetic. Imbecilic. Disgusting. Shaking her head in a futile attempt to stop the voice in her head, always putting her down and trying to influence her, her gaze didn't leave the ground, her voice quiet. "And, of course, I can give anyone a ride if they need it. Or if one of you just wants to come along.." Who are you kidding? Nobody wants to come along. Nobody wants anything to do with you!

 

[AtomoSK]

As he walked out of the room Krim would wave to Saul, Belle,Lacey,Gauge and, Drake hearing all of their declines laughing as Saul mocked his driving skills. While he walked down the hallway he shook off the cloud of emotions filling his mind that had already began to take its toll on him. All the anger and the sadness was weighing on him and, his body soon began to re-educate him on why he usually avoids situations like this. However this time it had snuck up on him, he was unprepared and he had no one to blame but himself...as always. Krim felt a sinking feeling in his gut, and his throat seemed to get tighter, he clenched his eyes tightly and began to shake his head "not now.....just...not in front of them" he muttered softly making an effort for no one else to hear him, but for it to have any effect he had to say it out loud. He knew that members of both bands were still lingering around and he did not want to be caught in his current condition in front of any of them, maybe if it were someone he knew like drake who understood his problem he could manage but for the rest he knew them seeing him like this would only cause more problems and even more questions that he didn't want to answer. Even as he broke through the double doors of the school pushing them both open as if trapped in a cage he could feel the overwhelming paroxysm of emotion forcing its way out. The cool breeze slamming against him was a relief and, as it rolled across his face he could feel the outline of a single tear streak on his left cheek. He opened his eyes, and wiped the line of mascara off his face, now being thankful that no one took his offer and accepted the ride. Krim took a deep breathe, his eyes refocused adapting to the sunlight that was peeking through the clouds and began walking toward his car.

He came upon the driver's side and opened the back door placing his guitar inside, then closing the door moving to the front. He stopped, pulled out a Cigarette placing it between his lips then lighting it. Taking a long drag staring out at the street anyone who saw him would assume he was glaring at the sidewalk, that somehow the street had wronged him and he was angry with it. But in reality he was upset with himself, upset that for a moment he lost his place and allowed himself to be caught up in everyone else's conflicts. "but their my band mates...if i don't fight with them then it's like I'm against them" he thought but with that idea, came another " im already against them...im sleeping with the enemy...". his gaze softened and a small smile replaced the straight, emotionless line his lips were making. He thought of gray, running the moment where he walked into the office smiling at him over in his head. it filled him with a small amount of joy that replaced the sinking feeling in his stomach, but only for a while. His relationship with gray constantly worried him at the fact that if any of the anarchists found out he would most likely be kicked out of the band, drake would never forgive him and the rest would never trust him. He sighed and shrugged allowing the accumulation of worries to mount on top of his head and once again began glaring out at the street.

He needed a place to rest, somewhere to take his mind off of the subject, remembering that the emergency meeting wouldn't be until later, he thought of going home. But home was so...empty; he thought of going to the mall...but there were too many people. Krim sighed once again, this time out of frustration and laid his head against the car door grinding his teeth at his own emotional instability, mentally punching himself in the face for being the way he is. he stood back up, removing his headphones getting into his car and quickly after starting it turning on the radio to a local rock station. he set back in his seat, his light brown eyes gazing through the windshield searching for something, nothing he could give a name to but just something he knew he wanted. Another depressing sigh escaped his lips as he realized how pointless it was; what he wanted was buried six feet under a stone slab that read "a loving sister and brave soul". Krim threw the car into drive and backed out of the student lot and took off down the street hoping that the drive would finish clearing out the cobwebs in his mind.


(sorry about the lateness, and the quality of the post. swamped with some "take home exams" -_-)

 

[Ravenbelle]

Throughout the entire argument and trash talk Lacey stayed near the back of the group, near Krim and Gauge. She hated all this fighting! Why couldn't they all just realize that everyone here simply loves to play music and get along?! She winced, covered her ears, tuned out the argument halfway through one of Liona's immature rants. Both parties were simply putting too much energy into hating each other rather than doing the opposite or at least practicing Snd. In Lacey's opinion, Katrina seemed more vengeful than Drake, but that could be bias considering she was in his band. As much as she wanted to block all of them out with music, the most she could do was hum to herself and keep her eyes down. Her ipod had been sold for heroin. That nearly killed her. Stills kills her in times like this. It was a struggle enough to keep her dinosaur of a phone and she has a very limited plan so she could forget about recording songs from the band.

As a result, the redhead slowly developed a headache with the effort of trying to keep the bickering at bay..away from her dream castle. She does the same thing when her parents fight, though that doesn't happen as often as it used to. Most times she is afraid and wondering if that's a good thing or a bad sign. Its hard to tell anymore.

When the rival bands finally calmed and V&V had cleared the commons, Lacey was so out of it that she hardly noticed anythjng going on outside her head. Not good. Her mind is not a particularly nice place to stay for too long. When Mirabelle decided to offer rides out, Lacey but her lip. She had to think fast. She knew her father would not be home, but could she risk letting Belle know where she lives? What if she decides to drop by someday without warning and--oh forget it it's not like anybody would intentionally want to be around her. Just as Mirabelle turned to go with a somber expression on her face, Lacey said "Wait." Mira didn't stop. She wasn't loud enough. Lacey is too soft spoken and the only time you may ever hear her the first time would be onstage if she sings.
So she worked up the courage and impulse again and caught up to her drummer. The shorter redhead looked up at the brunette and timidly cleared her throat. "Um...if my bike fits...would you..um..maybe let me pick up my keyboard at my housebeforerehearsal? Won't take long.."

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Mirabelle blinked when she heard Lacey reply. That wasn't what she had been expecting... Though, she shook it off, glad that at least someone liked her enough to at least take her up on her offer. She offered the redhead a smile, nodding her response as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, sure thing!" she replied, softly. "Should be easy to fit.. The van has a pretty big trunk," she mused. "Anyone else..?" she asked the others, just for clarification. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Hah! I loved that movie! She assumed no one else wanted to tag along, but hey, it was only polite to ask.

 

[Adira]

Katrina huffed in annoyance at Drake and walked outside. She was standing alone on the corner as she send a message in the bands group chat. "Hey guys MANDATORY REHEARSAL: My house 5 o'clock. Don't be late, we have a lot to talk about." As she hit send she looked at the time on her phone and muttered. "Shit" under her breath. Wrapping the knitted scarf around her neck she dug in her back pack for her car keys and crossed over to the student parking lot. Once in her car she started the engine and within a few minutes she had her radio turned up all the way singing along to the song. Her voice echoed around her in the tiny, compact car. Though she was only a junior her voice had matured very quickly, making her a beautiful singer. She loved to sing, but unfortunately she was also to hard on herself when it came to the band. They were everything, her band mates, her music, her songs. It was her little piece of happiness, something that gave her hope and for once she was striving towards something, even if it was a long shot.

Once in her garage she set up for band rehearsal and was sitting down on the old, grungy couch when she noticed out of the corner of her eye her microphone. Laying, unused, in the mic stand. She set aside her cal homework and got up. Katrina reached out and grabbed the microphone in both of her hands and looked around. No one was home and her band mates had yet to arrive. So with a deep breath in she let out a soft "hold on to me love.. you know i can't stay long, all i wanted to say was, "I love you and I'm not afraid.. Ohhh" Her eyes closed as she fell into the song playing in her head. "holding my last breath, safe inside myself ,are all my thoughts of you, sweet raptured light it ends here tonight" The song went on and on and when she ended Katrina was out of breath and fell to her knees. She thought over her life and was disappointed. She needed this recording deal. They all did.

 

[Whisper]

Liona Arielle Stone

She walked through the city for quite some time as warm salty tears flowed down her cheeks, she was tired of everyone's bullshit and just needed some release as she freely allowed her tears to stream down her face like rivers. Her blank blue eyes soon snapped back to life as the phone within her pocket vibrated she stuffed her hand into her pocket and crossed the street and entered a small Dunkin' Donuts as the warm air soothed her gelid skin as she removed her phone from her pocket and joined the shops line. She wiped her tears and didn't care that her eyes were red, after all what would she be able to do? The heavy hood of the girls' eyelids squeezed shut as her lungs felt a bit heavy again when she reached the front of the line she managed to breathe out a order of decaf coffee. After receiving her coffee she seated herself at a table and took her medication for her attacks. She swallowed the pills as her water washed it down her throat. She placed the pills and water back into her purse and went on to read her text. After reading the meeting time she looked at the time and saw it was 4:30 she replied and said she would be there in 25 minutes depending on traffic. She stood from the table and began to sip her scorching hot coffee...

By the time she reached the parking garage she had finished her coffee so she simply hopped onto her bike and drove back to New Haven making good time by weaving in and out of traffic. She arrived in New Haven at 4:56 and took a small detour before heading over to Kats place she stopped off at her house and swapped vehicles. She drove her deceased mothers white Mustang out the garage and picked up some Chinese food for everyone before she finally arrived. The blonde parked on the street and removed the three relatively large plastic bags from the backseat of the car and strolled into Kats garage.

"I bought Chinese food for everyone but where are the others?"

She stated before setting down the food somewhere. She looked at Kat and asked,

"What happened I missed an another amazing singing solo of yours?"

 

[Mr.Scales ⚖]

Drake drove on the streets on his motor cycle, Looking to his side and back on the road, cars driving in front, beside, and behind him. He turns into the parking lot of a local Starbucks, Once he parks his bike in the spot, he grabs his helmet and walks to the coffee shop. He walks in and orders a coffee and takes his phone out while hes waiting.

After sending the text to Krim, He pays his coffee and goes outside and sits on the bench,He begins to think about all the wrongs he has done, He's done more wrongs than rights, He regrets being an asshole to Katrina,Krim, pretty much everyone he's met, He regrets hurting everyone close to him, especially Katrina, He didn't mean to hurt her, he was young and- "Oh fuck it, Theirs no way of changing things" He forgets to drink even a sip of his coffee, When he walks out he puts his helmet on and gets on his bike, he starts the motor and drives out of the parking lot

When he gets home, He parks the motor cycle in the driveway and walks to the door step, he walks to hte door and looks at the eviction notice on the door, he rips it off and opens the door slamming it behind him, he grabs his gas mask and puts it on and head phones, He walks in the garage and turns his speaker on, he then plugs it into the gas mask that his deceased father got him and begins to sings.


The speaker begins to static, making the mask stop working, He takes the gas mask off and puts it on his dads old tool bench, He tries to make it work but notices that the cord is ripped, He gets mad and punches the garage door, denting it, "Ah!" he yells from the pain, the punch ends up busting his middle knuckle, he holds his hand falling to the ground,crying.

 

[Lilpuff]

Kara watches the different arguements unfold, choosing to stay out for once. She didn't want to waste her breath fighting with a bunch of people she already didn't like. She left the group, holding up a peace sign with her fingers as she departed. "Later, losers!" She called, walking down the hall toward the student parking lot. She didn't have a car, of course. This was where her younger sister Amber insisted she pick her up, not wanting to show her friends from cheer that she was related to an "emo freak," as she so generously pointed out on a daily basis. While Kara had to work to earn money for her own car, doing babysitting and washing cars, her sister only needed to ask and there it was, sitting in the driveway the morning of Amber's sweet sixteen. Amber spent the day driving it around, while Kara and her other, more tolerable, sister Maxine spent it playing checkers and trying to tune out the squealing. Standing by the curb seething at the memory, she waited for her sisters cherry red Mercedes to pull around the corner.

After it finally did, half an hour later, Kara was about to hop in the passenger side when the window rolled down. Ambers made up face, still sweaty from cheer practice, popped out, frowning at her. "Sorry, we're driving to a...cheer thing this afternoon. Super important. You're gonna have to walk home." She said, fake pity in her voice. Kara rolled her eyes. A "cheer thing" is what they said when they wanted to go out with friends on a school night. Peering into the back seat, she saw Maxine, staring out the window. "Max, why didn't you text me?" She asked her sister. Maxine pointed wordlessly to Amber, who had Maxines phone in her hand and a grin on her face, Amber said, "Sorry, Kara. Better get walking!" She gave one last pitiful smile, then sped off. Kara cursed under her breath, then began walking home. It was a few miles, which was probably good, as she could get her anger out in the walk home instead of at home, where her parents would "ground her" for making too much noise, shaking their heads as if they were disappointed in her behavior.

Finally reaching home, she got a text. She pulled out her phone to read it. It was from Katrina, saying there was a mandatory rehearsal today at 5:00. Looking at the clock above her bed, she saw it was 4:48. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. If Amber had taken ten minutes out of her day to drive her home, she wouldn't have to be late for rehearsal! Grabbing her guitar case and hurrying out the door, she pulled out her phone and responded to the group chat, speaking out loud as she typed. "Will be a little late, can someone give me a ride?" She typed. She knew a few band members lived in this area, so she hoped one could spare a few minutes and come get her.

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​

Gauge blushed when Lacey led him away from the fight, ignoring the pain in his ass from where Liona had kicked him. He then watched as Lacey asked anyone for a ride. His heart was racing, and his mind kept screaming, Do it, you fucking idiot! But he missed his chance, as Mirabelle offered to drive her. Gauge walked over at the last second, offering to take her. "Mira, I live closer to Lacey. I'll drive her. I don't want you to go too far out of your way." He said, trying to be as nice as possible so she would accept. Gauge allowed himself one look at his crush, but once he did, he couldn't look away. Her long red hair falling in perfect waves down her back, her tan skin with a field of freckles dotted across her cute button nose, her grey eyes that crinkled at the edges when she laughed. It was safe to say Gauge had spent a fair amount of time staring at the girl. And there, barely visible under the knitted jumper she wore, were dark purple bruises, some fresh but some turning yellow after a couple days.

Gauge first noticed the bruises about a year ago. They shared an art class last year, and when the shy girl rolled up her sleeves to paint a portrait, her arms were covered in the ugly bruises. Lacey, always a quiet girl, had looked at him then, and noticing that he saw the bruises, she held up a finger to her lips, telling him to keep silent. He did the same, showing her he wasn't going to tell, then turned away. To Lacey, the exchange probably meant next to nothing, but to Gauge, it meant everything. For the first time, he could be trusted with important information, something people usually relucted to do because of his outward appearance. And he saw a new side of the red-headed girl, now knowing her silence was not just because of shyness but of a fear to let anyone in.

It was a miracle when he formed the band and she signed up. Before, he had only seen her from afar, trying to work up the courage to talk to her even for a little bit. But now they spoke on a daily basis, and he even had her phone number. Now, all he had to do was ask her out. He sighed, then stopped staring so he wouldn't freak her out. If only it were that easy.

 

[Sashakiki]

Gray watched as everyone left and sighed, at least there was pratice later and even though he wasn't one to always go, he didn't want to get screamed at for not going. He grabbed his bag and left the school, jumping into his moms car, she had been asleep when he had left so he had just taken it. He barely had his license but its not like anyone was gonna stop him, the car was insured and payments were up to date thanks to his oldest brother. He drove home and dropped off his bag, being quiet as possible since he was pretty sure his mom was still asleep. He picked up his video camera plus tape recorder and a calender, since he was pretty sure that Katrina would want to plan out the dates for practice. He put that into a smaller bag and then started doing his homework, it wasn't a whole lot which was nice and he turned on some music to drown out the silence.

He was taken out of the music when he heard his phone buzz and looked at it. It was from Kara, sure it was a group message, but it still made him feel special. Looking over it he grinned, nobody else had responded yet

He grinned to himself, there, he didn't sound too weird in that message. He put his phone down and grabbed his things, he should probably get going now if he wanted to pick up Kara and be there on time. He walked back out to the car and sat down it. He lit a cigarette and let out a long breath of smoke. He rolled down the window and drove out of the parking lot.

 

[Midnight Maiden]

After a while of regaining composure in her little undetected corner/hiding place, Bloodrayne managed to recompose herself. She blinked, as she realized she'd gotten a text while she was out of it. After glancing over it, she popped up to her feet, skillfully making it out of the school commons and to the student lot. Then, she typed up a quick reply.

She then shoved her phone back in her pocket, and looked around the lot for her car.

..Oh, wait; she didn't have one.


But hey, her uncle's old motorcycle always did her plenty good. With a soft sigh, the blonde pulled on her R2-D2 helmet, revving her engine before driving off. Making sure to stick to the speed limit, she made her way to her aunt's house, parking quickly. She dashed inside, helmet still on, and quickly grabbed a few things; a book, an apple, mints, and her wallet; she always loved taking the band to dinner after rehearsal. After this, she stuffed them in her shoulder bag and slung it over her shoulder. Then, she pulled off her helmet and tossed it on her bed, calling to her little brother, Liam. "Hey, Liam? Tell auntie I'm borrowing the car once she's back from that lunch date!" she instructed, waiting briefly for a reply that she expected wouldn't come. With a sigh, she carefully grabbed her keyboard, before loading it up in the car. Then, she hopped in and started driving. Luckily for her, she had a great memory(and a series of elaborate mental maps), which made getting to Katrina's house quick and easy. Upon parking the car, she cheerily made her way to the garage's entrance, absentmindedly fixing her ring splints' positionings. She then went to rap lightly on the garage door, humming softly as she patiently awaited to be let in.

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Belle became a bit downcast at Gauge's offer; then became a bit confused. She definitely wished someone would want her company, but she knew that(at least, according to the voices) Lacey would more than likely take Gauge's offer over hers. After all... As she was constantly reminded; nobody wanted her for company, or to even be around her. Though, what did living closer have to do with it? After all, all Mira wanted to do was stop at the gas station.. She wasn't stopping at her house. She had two drum sets; one, she kept at her house. The other, she left in Drake's garage and used only for practices and performances. Though she shrugged, and looked down. "If that's what Lacey wants, sure, go for it," she replied, quietly. Ha. So much for company, huh? One things for sure.. If she chooses to ride with you, which she won't, she's definitely crazy.

 

[Pine]

Saul stared at the face of his watch in disbelief, scrutinizing over the block numbers with furrowed eyebrows. Since when do I read military time? He paused, counting and re-counting over and over again in his mind, as he didn't trust himself to come up with the right answer the first time. Sixteen minus twelve... three, four? Do I count the minutes? Do I need to carry something over? No, wait... why is this so hard? The boy's head snapped up, eyes wide, successfully breaking through the fatigue that a long day at school had seemingly brought down on him hard enough to impede his processing of mental math. Crap.

As he had only been partially tuned into the conversation going around him, he blurted, "Sorry, Belle, I have to catch the bus." With that being said, he tucked his thumbs beneath his steps and half-jogged to the school's entrance. It wasn't until he was bursting through the double doors, unable to resist him even as heavy as they were, that he fully registered what had just been said and the implications of his own addition to the conversation. Sorry that I can't go with you guys, my other ride is here. Saul shook his head in exasperation. Well, not even really sorry. Don't want to end up lame for choosing raucous teenagers as my mode of transportation. He tried to ignore the fact that he qualified as one of these 'raucous teenagers' for the moment.

He twisted his body, slipping into the throng of kids that were standing about. It was just his luck that his bus was the most inconsistent. It was never in the same spot in line and it never arrived at some set time. The only thing that was established was that it arrived five minutes after school at the earliest, and generally it rolled to a stop by the curb, more often than not with one tire on the crosswalk.

The sea of students swayed in a subtle way that most people would overlook, but Saul was keen enough to notice the pattern of everyone shuffling right into his pre-determined path. Freshmen. He rolled his weight back to stop his momentum as a monstrous backpack slid in front of him, the likes of which he almost exaggeratedly swerved around. Next was a circle of squealing girls bouncing before him, huddling fanatically over a phone screen displaying leaked nude photos of their favorite celebrities. Frowning in his building vexation, he ducked his head and rammed through the ring of girls, raising a collection of scoffs from them. Finally, the shadow of a taller boy cast upon him heading in the same path as he was, which Saul was more than happy to take advantage of, until he heard the tapping of crutches against the sidewalk and saw him bob back down, making the same progress through the crowd as a snail might.

Saul gave a disgruntled sigh, scuffing his shoe against the pavement as he drew himself to a halt yet again. He rolled up to the balls of his feet, lifting his chin to look over the multitude of students and scan his eyes over the painted numbers. Forty-seven, forty-seven, forty-seven... A torrent of air blew from out of flared nostrils as he slammed back down on his heels. It's in the other line, then.

After what seemed to be entirely too long, the boy had managed to disentangle himself from the crowd, rushing the last stretch once he had found an opening. He bounded from off of the curb, inhaling deeply and relishing in his freedom from such a claustrophobic-inducing environment. His body racked forward with a cough, his hand clapping over his nose and mouth. Exhaust. Bad idea. Saul took in a breath from inside his palm before he moved forward, avoiding another intake of fumes, exhaling small puffs of air to help sustain himself until he could reach the safety of air conditioning. Walking down the aisle, still carefully regulating his breathing in spite of the odd looks he received from the less sympathetic individuals suffering his same plight, his ears were filled with the rumble of engines, and the sweltering waves of heat the buses gave off were less than comforting.

He blinked away the stinging sensation that had begun to envelope his eyes just as he finally to the exalted, brightly colored vehicle. There was a sudden, familiar hiss of air the bus gave off every time the door would begin to unfold, but he managed to run the last couple of steps and stick his arm in the doorway just in time. A sheepish grin slid over his expression as the door recoiled back, reluctantly held back by the mechanism to stop in it's guillotine-like path. Saul released his final puff of breath, somewhat relieved that he would be able to go on another day without having his arm lopped off. However, as the door swung back open and he removed his arm from the doorway, any semblance of a smile he once had was instantly vaporize on the sight of the bus driver.

"Oh, I almost gotcha' there!" the woman began cheerily before peeling off into a squealing fit of laughter. "Good thing I was looking for my glasses, otherwise I mighta' just- whop!" The bus driver made a chopping motion, making her frizz of hair shake with the motion.

Saul alighted the steps in a brisk fashion, brushing past her without so much as a nod of acknowledgment. She was the most obnoxious case of loving the sound of her own voice and had the classic jacked-up-on-heroine look to her. This all might have been acceptable, except for the fact that she had a manner of talking down to all the students like this was one of her elementary school buses that managed to set his teeth on edge. Needless to say, he tuned out the rest of her energetic rant and went straight to finding a seat.

Once he was comfortably out of earshot of suffering from her endless ranting, he looked at all the faces of the kids, all either talking to the person next to them, warding him off with their gaze, or best of all, avoiding all kinds of eye contact. Saul was pleased to find that one of the only empty seats was next to a boy pressing his face up to the window, cuddling up close to his knapsack. Delighted that there was nothing off-putting about him, except for perhaps the small possibility that he was of the athletic jock variety, he turned to seat himself. However, almost instantly a wall of cheap cologne attacked his senses. Saul did not bother to contain the gagging noise that pushed out of his throat, rising up before he had even managed to fully settle onto the seat and swooped back into the aisle.

Only one seat left. The boy made his way to the very back, having to hold onto the back of one of the seats to steady himself as the bus jerked forward. Once Saul was comfortable with moving again, he finished the last stretch of his journey. Removing his backpack to hold in his lap, he squatted down before stretching his legs out and leaning back against the emergency door. Hands hovered above him, a small puff of smoke rising as the so-called delinquents of the school passed around an e-cigarette. At least they share. He paused, a faint smile lifting the corner of his lips. It smells like cotton candy here.

 

[Trignome]

Two figures, a boy and a dog, walked together under the dappled shade of the road-side trees. The sun shone, the dog barked, the boy smiled.

The phone rang, the boy scowled.

Reaching into the side-mesh of his backpack, Mason pulled out his cellphone and flipped it open. His eyes scanned the message quickly, and an incredulous expression settled on his face, a light dusting of WTF that shaded his face red with frustration. 5, at her house? Is she insane? Forgetting the fact that the time was displayed in the corner of the cellphone screen, Mason lifted his wrist and checked his watch. It was 3:30 now; school had ended only half an hour ago. Was Kara expecting all the band members to get to her house at exactly 5? Most of them didn't own cars, and he personally couldn't even drive one. Well, he might make the time if he ran; but..running meant sweating, and sweating meant effort, and effort spent running was just effort, spent.

There was also the issue of Cerberus. Mason glanced down at the husky patiently circling around his legs. He dropped his free hand and combed his fingers through the short, coarse fur, wondering if he could convince her not to follow him all the way across town. She's not going to like this... Taking his hand away, Mason took a few steps in the opposite direction from where they were just heading; Cerberus immediately bounded over to his new position and lay across his feet, as if hoping to anchor him to the sidewalk. He pulled his feet out from under 60 pounds of furry dog and knelt down beside his friend, taking care to slip his cellphone back into his backpack first.

"Look, I have to go. Something...sort of came up, and I can't miss it."
She bumped her nose against his outstretched hand, then nipped his pinky finger. You PROMISED we'd go today. didn't you? You said you would!
Mason slumped forward, head bowed in sincere apology as he tried to bargain with Cerberus. "I'm sorry. Yeah, I know I promised, and I know we had plans first, but I'm really not sure if the other band members are really going to understand." ...the fact that my time with a dog is more important than a competition rehearsal.
Bright blue eyes regarded him coldly, a frown tugging Cerberus' mouth into a wide grimace of disgust. Ugh. That's such a human thing to do, breaking promises so offhandedly. I thought we were friends? Or maybe you think those people more important than me? She turned her face away from him in a clear gesture of unrelenting disappointment.
"Ah, jeez." Mason lay both hands palm up on the ground as a gesture of defeat. "I swear, I'll take you to the dog park tomorrow. So...forgive me, okay?"
Cerberus didn't budge, simply heaving a small huff of breath and continuing to look away from him.
"I'll share a box of fries with you on the way there?" two black, pointed ears perked up at the offer, but she still maintained an air of bitter nonchalance.
Mason sighed in resignation. "Okay, okay! I'll get you fries and a quarter-pounder. With bacon. And a GINORMOUS helping of fries. I'll pay the guys to fill the entire bag with fries, so please don't-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before he was bowled over by 60 pounds of happy dog.
Sitting excitedly on his chest, with no trace of anger on her face, Cerberus gave him a long lick on the cheek before leaping off and excitedly wagging her tail. Really, really, really? A whole bag of fries and a burger? Just for me? She grinned mischievously and barked at him. Well, then. I'll be waiting for you tomorrooooooooow!

Mason sat up and watched his friend bound away down the street, black and white coat gleaming in the afternoon sun as she suddenly spun around to look back at him in giddy triumph. In a few moments he was completely alone on the sidewalk, sitting there with the strange sense that he'd just been played for a fool. I guess I have to remember to bring my wallet tomorrow. Smiling sheepishly to himself, he took his phone out again and opened a new text box, thinking up an elaborate response detailing his current dilemma and why he might be a bit late for the band rehearsal.

But of course, what he'd thought of saying and the text he'd actually sent were two separate things entirely. There was no way he felt obligated to explain himself to the other band members. It wasn't necessary; none of them were his friends.

Tucking his phone away, Mason shouldered his backpack once more and began his long, tedious trek across town.

 

[AtomoSK]

Krim stared out at the street dimly as he road over the cracked side streets of the city. He hadn't particularly figured out where he was going however the more he drove the closer he got to home. Realizing he didn't have any other choice he approached the apartment complex he lived in. It was a cheap motel that allowed paying by the month, it had chipped paint, prostitutes on the corner and, a back-lit sign that only worked half of the time. But it was home, a home that his sister had fought hard for the two of them to get. "...the two of us....right" he thought to himself as he gazed at the rotting structure, a place that at one time caused him a very pure form of happiness, only to now remind him of what once was. he swerved into the parking lot and prepared to exit his car, he was paused at the faint sensation of vibration on his left thigh. he reached in his pocket of his blue jeans pulling out his phone. He slid his finger across the screen slickly and clicked on the notification bar which relayed to him that he had received a text message from drake. "hang out?...." krim smiled, secretly thanking his friend for saving him from the confinement of 4 walls, 1 bedroom, and thin insulation. he quickly went to reply

LiveTyping.com

Krim quickly refastened his seat-belt, he restarted his car pulling back out of the parking lot and once again hitting the road. the grin of a more desirable destination kept the grin on his face sustained. being thankful that he could be distracted from the obvious.

 

[Mr.Scales ⚖]

drake walked out of his garage after sending the text, closing the door behind him, He walked to his bathroom, grabbing a peroxide bottle, He puts in on the counter and grabs a towel, he opens the bottle and puts the towel over it, he starts pouring it on the towel when accidentally swerving the towel and the peroxide falling on the cut, The feeling burns on his fist, a burning sensation,he screams from the pain,falling to the ground he holds his fist, He grabs the bandages and a pin and ties it on his hand, five minutes later he gets a text back from krim saying yes, he then takes the time to text back

after putting his phone back in his jean pocket, He hears noises from his front yard, he walks to the front,opening the curtains slightly of his window, He sees a man in a suit and a couple in the front, the man had a clipboard and a nice suit, He walks out of the house "Who the hell are you people?" his arms in the air "Are you Mr.Beckham?" The man says, Drake walks up to him "Why would you want to know my dads name?" the man looks at the clipboard "Because he hasn't payed the bill in over 2 weeks"

Drake gets angry and stands at him face to face "Get off my fucking lawn, Before i make you" He begins to get hot tempered,"What if i say no?" the man gets closer to him "I'm glad you asked" the couple stepped back,Drake grabs him from his tie and picks him up from the ground with one arm "Let me down!" the man says, Drake throws him on the lawn and points at him "Come her again and i'll beat your face in" the man and the couple get in their vehicles and drive away

 

[Ravenbelle]

Lacey Peppre

Before Mirabelle could agree or disagree to graciously drive her home, Gauge suddenly caught up to the pair and offered a better idea real quick. Lacey bit her lip and cast her eyes down. She though it would make sense to go with Gauge in order to save time. Surely rehearsal would be very long today, but ever since he had seen the bruises, she was paranoid about being alone with him. Sure they text each other sometimes, but never enough for him to know much more than her keyboard stuff and well, where she lives (it was a stupid decision to tell him she knew). If he chose to start asking about her injuries, she would have to lie and she doesn't like to lie to her friends. Unfortunately, she also dislikes making her friends do favors for her. So when Belle left her the decision of which car to ride, Lacey crossed her arms and took note of Mira's expression. Why did she look so...sad? Lacey had an urge to help her. But music always helps and the sooner everyone get yo rehearsal, the quicker the music can start to drown everything out.
"Oh um..yeah. Now I don't have to make you go the long way, Belle. I'll um..see you at rehearsal." Lacey gave a soft smile to her bandmate but it didn't seem to help. She wondered what seemed so wrong after she had been so rude and confident and tough against the rival band. Nevertheless, Lacey worried. Usually not one for physical contact, she hesitated in her action, took a second, and gave Mirabelle a warm hug and wave before departing with Gauge. Her cheeks were red now and she didn't know what to to with her awkward self, but she swiftly retrieved her bike from the rack at the parking lot, put it in the back of Gauge's car and entered when the time came. "Thanks for letting me ride with you..."

 

[Pine]

Saul pushed against the rubber ridges of the bus floor, lifting himself so that he may peek out the window in the emergency exit door. The vanilla colors of his neighborhood filled his view just as the bus rolled to a stop, the momentum pulling him forward before he allowed himself to plop back down. Amidst the usual, amiable chatter of the bus occupants, there was a subtle humming of bass coming from the back that helped drown out their meaningless conversation. The bus hissed finally, and along with two other kids, Saul rose to his feet, slipping his backpack over his shoulder. He dusted off the crumbs that had collected on his palms from propping himself up on the floor by rubbing against his jeans. After the kids before him had moved forward a significant enough amount, he gave a grateful smile and wave to the surprisingly flamboyant stoners in the back, earning wisps of vapor blowing past him in exchange. Watsky. I'll have to check him out later.

The melody of the last song looped in his head, successfully allowing him to ignore whatever animated farewell the bus driver had in store for him as he skipped down the steps and onto the street curb. Saul stood by the sign for the bus stop as the other two kids headed down the sidewalk, awaiting for the cars that had begun to line up behind the bus to all pass. Finally after a motorcycle breezed by with a crunch of gravel, Saul stepped out onto the road, entirely disregarding the crosswalk just a few paces away and took a diagonal path straight to his home. It was only when he heard the revving of an approaching engine behind him did he sway from his path, delivering himself onto the sidewalk once more.

He had been squinting all the while, as the sun was glaring right at him for the lack of clouds to obscure it, but as he turned down the stone path to his house, a shadow fell across him and he relaxed his gaze. Saul slung his backpack forward to unzip the front pocket as he ascended the front porch, grappling for the keyring that hung inside. With a flick of his wrist and holding steadfast to the key, he pushed aside the various fish, angels, crosses and bible quote ornaments that made up the majority of the ring, as opposed to actual keys. Saul unlocked the door with care, twisting the knob and cracking it open, before pulling out his key and using the end of it to push it the rest of the way. He poked his head in when there was enough room, his eyes sweeping over the spacious living room and searching for any occupants.

Somewhat satisfied but still cautious, he stepped into his home, shutting the door slowly behind him. He proceeded forward at a sluggish pace, sliding his backpack behind him once more and clutching his key. Saul stepped expertly over the variety of Legos and other toys that were scattered over the floor, the carpet aiding in muffling his footsteps as he passed the wall to peer into the kitchen. Check. He tossed his head over his shoulder, looking back at the shut door of the master room. Check. He looked back over to the clear doors of the office. Check. A grin slid over his face. Oh, that's right. Mom had a nail appointment.

Without another moment of hesitation, he turned heel and dashed up the stairs, skipping every other step as he did so. "Johnny!"

"What?" a voice called back.

"Come here!" Saul arrived alighted the final step gracefully, turning down the hall and toward his room.

"Why?" the younger boy called again.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Just do it!"

"Fine! Fine!"

A moment later as he was pushing open the door to his room, a boy appeared that almost mirrored him in appearance - cropped, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, dressed relatively smart in a collared shirt, and a look of annoyance. Saul gestured into his room with a dip of his head and Johnathan followed, though his eyes were locked on the glowing tablet he had in his hands, focus on whatever sort of dumb game that could have actually been approved of by their parents. Saul shrugged his backpack onto the floor and made his way to the desk in the corner. His younger brother nearly bumped into him as he came to a halt, stripping the plain brown jacket from the chair it had been draped over and threw it on, stuffing his keys in his pocket. He then lifted a paper weight, the image of a child praying etched onto the stone, and beneath pulled out a dollar bill. "Ten bucks if you do all my chores before Mom and Dad's home," he offered, presenting the bill to the young boy.

This was enough to call Johnathan's attention finally, his thumb sliding to pause the game. He lifted his face from the screen, considering the proposition. "Where'd you get the money?"

Hustling. Saul lifted his eyebrows impatiently. "Do you want it or not?" Finally, the child nodded in assent and reached out to grab the bill, but it was quickly snatched back. "After you do my chores."

The corner of his mouth creased into a frown, and he flipped the cover of the tablet over the screen. "Ugh, fine," the eleven-year-old finally complied, trudging out of the room, but not before taking the bag from the trash can.

Saul smiled triumphantly, stuffing the bill into his pocket. It was only then that he recalled what he suspected was another vibration from his phone earlier. He pulled the phone out again, and sure enough, it was Drake incessantly reminding them about the rehearsal at five. "Yeah, got the memo," he muttered, not bothering to respond before he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Saul hefted up the case of his guitar from the floor and turned to shut the door when he noticed Abraham standing in the doorway. "Yes?" he inquired, irritation creeping into his tone.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm going out."

"Where?"

"None of your beeswax," he snarled now. Saul could already tell where this conversation was heading.

"But Mom said you're grounded." Abraham puffed his lower lip out.

"From what? Thomas the Tank Engine? Dora the Explorer?" He gave an incredulous laugh, though he knew his rhetorical rant held no meaning to the seven-year-old.

The younger boy was not amused, frowning from under his furrowed brow as he folded his arms of his chest. He took in a breath and continued, "Mom said you're not supposed to go anywhere."

Ah, Abby, you've forced my hand. Saul approached the door and set his bass down, lowering himself to Abraham's level as he clapped his hand on his youngest brother's head. "But that's okay, though, because Mom's not going to find out," he began to threaten lowly, fixing the boy with a serious stare.

"But Mom-" He stopped himself as Saul pulled out a stuffed monkey that had been hanging behind the door on the door knob, it's hands and feet fitted together with the aid of Velcro. "That's Nanners!" he cried out in disbelief, before rushing to grab him. "Give him back!"

Saul rose quickly to his feet, holding the hostage high above his head, nodding curtly as he did so. Abraham jumped up and down in a futile attempt to retrieve one of his many beloveds, screaming about how he stole him and for him to give him back. "You tell Mom about this, and Nanners is going in Dad's shredder." Saul knew this wouldn't actually work, but Abraham's tiny elementary school mind didn't have to know that.

The boy's eyes widened even further, and he began to viciously pound on Saul's chest. "You meanie! Give him back, give him back!"

It wasn't until one of the particular blows from Abraham actually hurt that Saul finally gave way to his temper. He seized the boy by the shoulders and pushed him onto the floor. Abraham finally stopped at this, suddenly aware of how futile his efforts were as he laid on the floor, propping himself up on his elbows and sniffing a little. Saul crouched down again, still making sure to hold the monkey from out of his reach. "If Mom asks, I'm taking a nap. Tell Johnny, too."

"But lying is a sin and the Bible says sinners go-"

Ugh. His youngest brother being brainwashed such that he so readily began reciting all of that made him sick to his stomach. "But the Bible also says it's okay to lie for a friend," he fibbed smoothly, nodding to his monkey hostage. "If you don't, Nanners is going in the shredder." Abraham began to make whining protests again, but one look silenced him again.

Saul rose to his feet a final time, wrapping Nanners around the back of his neck and picking the bass up with him along the way. "Remember to tell Johnny, too." With that, he shut and locked his bedroom door, huffing a short sigh as he did so. Hopefully I didn't forget anything. He twisted his arm to check his watch, frowning perplexedly once more at the numbers that were still fixed in military time. Without bothering to rack his brain to decipher it, he made his way over to the window. He set the case of his guitar down briefly as he undid the latches and pushed the window open, before he set his foot on the sill, grabbed his bass and slipped out.

 

[Trignome]

A school bus turned at the corner of an intersection, rumbling past a small crowd of pedestrians. Most of the people seemed to have some purpose while standing there, waiting for the little white man to start walking. Standing just behind Mason, a man with a black leather brief case was glancing at his phone every five seconds. A starry-eyed couple was busy double-checking their directions for a restaurant downtown, while a haggard-looking mother was trying to assuage her temperamental toddler. Mason's eyebrow twitched with irritation as the shrill pitch of the child's cries seemed to emanate an air of spoilt and extremely pre-pubescent fury. Children: a bad source of happiness, and a good source of protein. Smiling sardonically at his cannibalistic jest, Mason adjusted his backpack's straps and wondered if he could make it to the rehearsal if…His eyes suddenly widened as a horrifying realization just dawned on him. Shit. My bass! Turning back around and pushing past the still-howling tot, Mason was soon running helter-skelter back down the street and heading towards his subdivision as quickly as he could.

The sun shone bright and the weather was warm, comfortably warm. With a face-splitting yawn, the large, tiger-striped tom stretched luxuriously on the toasty warm planks of the porch. Before he could resume his napping, his ears pricked up at the sound of a familiar pair of sneakers pounding furiously down the sidewalk. Blinking once, the cat sat up expectantly; he didn't have to wait for long. Mason stumbled to a stop just before the steps of the porch and sat down, exhausted from his long-distance sprint. Hades batted at Mason with a paw, leaving faint, white scratch marks on the human's arm. Tsk. You're out of shape. What's gonna happen if the windbeast catches you and tethers you to its horn again? Still slightly out of breath, Mason chuckled a bit before reaching over to rub Hades behind his right ear. "That sort of enslavement is voluntary. It's called 'vacuuming'."

The tom cat leaned slightly into Mason's affectionate scratch and purred. Whatever. Just keep doing that…more…more…now stop. SHTAAAAAAP. Hades whipped his head around and bit Mason's hand. "Ah, okay. I understand; I'll let you nap now." Mason tugged his hand away and stood up, brushing the dirt off his jeans before stepping over the large cat on his porch. Hades anchored a claw into the hem of his pants. Your mom bought tuna fish from the grocery store today. I could smell it when she took the bags inside. Feigning an air of nonchalance, Mason shrugged and began opening the door. "So…what does that have to do with me?" Hades gave him a baleful expression as he dug his claw deeper in Mason's jeans. You're going to eat tuna tonight, 'kay? You will eat tuna tonight. And by you, I mean me. The tom-cat spared one, final look at Mason before unhooking his claw and continuing his nap. "You could say 'please'. But no, it's 'I'mma shred yah pants if yah dun' eat tuna.'" Satisfied that he'd gotten the last word in the argument that Hades was no longer interested in, Mason twisted the doorknob by reflex and found, to his surprise, that the front door was already unlocked. He stepped inside and closed it firmly, before locking it from the inside.

After kicking his sneakers off and pushing them into a corner just next to the shoe rack, he made his way into the kitchen. "Mom. You forgot about the door again." Elise turned away from the sink, her bob of grey-blond hair circling in a light, secondary motion around her head.

"Ah, again? That's what, the third time today? Or maybe this week? Hmmm…" She shrugged and waved over at Mason, while a wet kitchen knife was still in her hand. "I suppose I'm just a little loopy now. It must be senility!"

Slipping his backpack onto a chair, Mason walked across the room and rummaged through the pantry, before finally pulling a strawberry poptart from a box on the second shelf. He glanced at the label: 'dried mushrooms'. He shook his head in mild exasperation as he walked back out of the pantry. "Age isn't the issue here. You've always been careless."

His mother beamed happily and winked at him. "You really think so? But only your father would really know, right?"

Mason's expression stiffened slightly, before he relaxed and nodded with a wry smile. "Yeah, only dad would know how crazy you were." Of course, she meant dad. He cleared his throat, in an attempt to also clear his mind. "Uh…so something came up with the band; we're having a meeting at Katrina's house."

Elise's smile widened into a mischievous grin. "Oh, at Katrina's house? Is there something else you're not telling me?"

Pausing to take the poptart out of his mouth, Mason thought very hard for a few moments, before he finally realized what his mother was talking about. "Yeah, actually. Can I have a tuna fish sandwich tonight?"

Elise nodded quickly, an eager expression still on her face. "Sure, sure. So, I'm assuming this Katrina is a girl? And you're going to her house?"

Mason took another bite out of his snack, his expression still monotonous and unassuming. "Yes, we have band practice today. Sorry, were there family plans tonight, or something?"

Sighing in resignation, Elise simply slumped against the counter and dismissed Mason with an exaggerated waving of her hands. "Nevermind. Just…don't forget to come home by dinner-time." With that, she turned back to the stalk of celery she'd been washing in the kitchen sink.

When Mason was halfway across the living room, she heaved a great sigh. Mason turned around. "Hm?" Elise waved at him. "Nothing, dear. It must have been the lonely meatloaf making noises again."

Mason was almost at the top of the stairs when Elise cupped her hands together and projected the loudest sigh she could muster. Her son popped his head over the banister and asked, "You alright?" Elise nodded dolefully. "It was the meatloaf, since it's so lonely."

As Mason walked into his room, he briefly contemplated the insanity that was his parents, before dumping his backpack onto the bed and grabbing his bass case. Then he walked downstairs and into the main foyer, gently setting his case on the ground before kneeling to tie his shoe laces. Finally, he thought, as he slipped outside and closed the door behind him. After making sure he'd locked it properly, Mason stepped over Hades and slowly made his way down the street. At this rate, I'll never make the rehearsal in time. But he couldn't risk have his instrument damaged, so he continued his moderate pace, all the while wondering if he'd be able to get across the entire town in only…he checked his watch, careful not to jostle the strap on his shoulder. 50 minutes? Katrina's going to murder me.

He was walking through the neighboring subdivision, taking great pains not to make any sudden movements, when a faint sqeak caught his attention. Turning to the house on his right, Mason saw a window on the 2nd​ story slid open. To his utter horror, it appeared that someone was preparing to jump out of the room. Oh, gods. OH GODS! A suicide attempt, right here? What do I do, should I call the cops and I don't know what todomywholebrainiscrying Swiftly setting his case on the grass, Mason dashed over to the side of the house and stood directly under the window, with his arms outstretched towards whatever unfortunate fool was thinking of ending their life. He began to shout, "DON'T…" before finally coming to his senses. I'm being absolutely ridiculous. When dealing with a suicidal subject, one must always remain calm and reasonable in order to assuage the person's anxiety.

He took a deep breath, then said, as evenly and somberly as possible, " Don't. You'll make your parents cry."