𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓸𝔂

" — Come back, 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 in, mess my 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒. 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈𝓉 i n f e c t me, waste 𝓂𝓎 days. cause I know you 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 to drive me up the wall. I 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 you l o v e to drive me up the 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓁. " quixotic /kwikˈsädik/ adjective. › foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action.

[ambrcses]

good morning friends!! all my birthday festivities have finally come to an end. i feel like that was the longest weekend of my life HAJSJJSN i work today so i apologize for yet another day of being mia :-(( but i’m off tuesday so expect all my super late replies then ajsjsjsn also! i feel like there’s a lot of new people, so if anyone would like to plot a specific connection with aj pls hmu!!! if we don’t end up plotting, i’m down to assume connections as well! alrighty i’m done rambling. everyone have a great day 💞

[ambrcses]

𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮.

– “I DO NOT LIKE YOU,” ODETTE INSISTED, “i barely tolerate you, aj, i thought that much was clear.” but another sip of the whiskey makes her mind fuzzy, finding herself thinking that he does have a rather nice smile and he can be clever sometimes. but she squashes the thought, thinking of lana – and their bet, which she’s too stubborn to lose. “fine, yeah, i can handle ground rules,” she agrees, “which you’ll definitely have to come up with when i win.” she can’t keep the little smirk off her face, needlessly competitive over something so petty. odette doesn’t drink much and her cheeks are already starting to redden with intoxication. she’s the queen of designated driving, of texting her friends to make sure they get home safe, but tonight, she feels more reckless. it feels good to let go of a little control. her breath catches as he muses what he might want from her and when he comes up with it, well, it does sound damn near impossible. but she should have nothing to worry about, right? “fine,” she says, holding out her hand to shake his, “it’s a bit excessive, but yes. i’ll be nice to you for a full week.” 

– NODDING HIS HEAD, AJ PURSED HIS LIPS, silently giving the girl a sarcastic sure sweetie look. “oh yes, of course! i mean, just between friends.. i know you just gotta keep up the whole i hate aj act until you ‘accidentally’ lose this bet. then you won’t have to pretend anymore,” he innocently smiled. cocking a brow at her confident words, aj rolled his eyes, sneaking the bottle away from her grasp to take another gulp. “is that a smile i see? well golly, i never thought i’d be so blessed to see the day! the whiskey really must be getting to you, odette.. and here i think that you’d be a worthy opponent.” taking another sip, he passed the bottle back to the beauty, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he realized he was laughing at nothing in particular. maybe the alcohol was hitting him just as fast. “a week is not excessive! you’re lucky i didn’t make it a month!”

[ambrcses]

𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓪.

             NEVER WOULD SHE HAVE imagined a day where the idea of being invisible would be so tempting but an invisibility cloak would really prove more than useful in this very moment. she could feel people burn holes in the back of her skull –– the not so ‘ subtle ‘ whispering of people around her, fingers pointing in her direction as she pushed past the crowded hall. attention had never been an issue, truth be told if there was something the blonde thrived on it was exactly that being NOTICED, but for something like this? it was just not ideal especially when all she wanted to do was yell. possibly hit, someone or a few someones actually. would it help the situation in the long run? the answer was a sure no, but it would help her feel better so could really be classified as the wrong reaction? 

her eyes closed for a moment, drawing in a sharp breath as she loosened the collar of her polo because at the moment it felt like it was choking her. ruffling her hair for a second before the persistent whispers filled her ears once more –– and that made her look up, ready to defend herself only to find that it wasn’t needed. blue colored eyes, instantly focusing on ambrose, even if it felt like he was a million miles away. the only thing that made her react was the fact that he’d pulled her towards him, and all she could really do was duck her head in attempt to shield herself if only for as long as they were surrounded. “ thanks… “ she mumbled, unsure if he heard her or not, but once they stopped and she was able to pull away, she placed one of her curls behind her ears and sighed. “ and here i thought that RESCUING was part of my job. “ the comment was meant to be lighthearted, but she wasn’t sure if the intention went through. regardless she attempted to smile anyway. “ don’t try and steal my THUNDER now –– i’ll be very upset. “

            AJ COULDN’T STOP THE SMALL GRIN from growing on his face at his friend’s lighthearted banter. it was a nice reminder that lissa was still lissa. she wasn’t what everyone had been assuming in their unsympathetic whispers around campus. she was still a friendly face aj knew he could count on to help him when he didn’t know who else to run to. “don’t  worry.. you will always be my knight in shining armor, lis,” aj breathed out, a small smile growing on his face. even after a night of hell, she still held the same energy aj found himself wanting to be near. even it was held a bit of a damper. it was understandable. he couldn’t imagine what she had gone through. “are you.. tired? do you need a sleep? or maybe food? i don’t want to be that dick that asks if you’re okay, but i want to help. i want to be a friend, y’know? just not sure how..”

[ambrcses]

𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓪.

      “i could just stab you repeatedly in the abdomen and be done with it.” she said bitterly, suddenly feeling vulnerable because of her small size. he was right and she knew it. lana could tell that her hurts hurt him, but she wasn’t sorry – his unwillingness to fight for her and for the future they had planned together and instead choose to move on hurt her every time he crossed her mind ( so, at least every twelve hours ) and he hadn’t apologized for that. he could deal with a little pain. “he’s only a friend. and he’s not the one i want to be with.” she muttered, avoiding eye contact. she felt foolish for still not being over him – he could live without her, he didn’t want to be with her anymore. he clearly hadn’t missed her as much as she had missed him. as soon as he spoke, it was like he broke a spell and then the moment was over. “don’t do what?” she asked softly, her hands holding his. she didn’t want him to pull away, not ever. “please don’t push me away.” lana pleaded, her voice no longer soft but delicate. “not tonight.”

         scrunching his brows together, aj’s blurred vision tried to search lana’s eyes for the reason behind her words-- although, it was quite hard since the inebriated boy was practically seeing double. he’s not the one i want to be with. her voice repeated over and over in his head, sparking a dangerous fuse for a feeling he tried to ignore for for the past year. HOPE. shaking his head, aj had to remind himself that she was the one who broke up with him. she doesn’t mean it. she probably just misses their memories, not him. he has been trying so hard to move on, to get past his first love. but as lana’s warmth from her small hands spread against his cold skin, he was quickly reminded just how weak he really was when it came to her. as he opened his mouth to protest, nothing came out. he only continued to peer down at her, sad eyes taking in her every soft detail of her face. “what do you want from me, mars?” his tone was gentle, vulnerable-- longing, even. all his anger and jealousy had vanished, all he could focus on was her. aj wasn’t sure what lana’s intentions were, but all he knew was whatever it was she needed from him tonight, he’d give it to her.

[ambrcses]

𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮.

– “RIGHT, I SHOULD’VE EXPECTED SUCH IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR,” odette replies with an eyeroll. she’d never dream of that, too anxious to disappoint her own father, but it was just another indication that she and aj were complete and total opposites, and certainly not the kind that attract if she had anything to say about it. they’d clashed from the moment she’d stepped into quentin’s room to meet his roommate, but tonight he isn’t being quite as caustic as she’s used to. “if i win, proving that i’m right about despising you, why the hell would i want your friendship?” she retorts, “sometimes you’re more dim-witted than i remember.” she pauses, thinking – what could aj possibly have that she would want? “i want a key to your room,” she says, and she blushes when she realizes how that sounds. “not, like, for anything creepy!” she defends, “i just want to…go through things without you peering over my shoulder.” she takes the bottle from his grasp and at the implication of quentin, the swig she takes is a little larger. it doesn’t go down much easier, but it goes. “what do you want?”

– “IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR? you really don’t know me at all, odette.” yes the boy was messy, and wasn’t exactly a gentleman when he came to his old roommate’s sister, but aj wasn’t a trouble maker. all he wanted was to be good and do good, in his our quiet way. but he had no interest in proving himself to the blunt girl. she could think what she wanted. maybe one day she’d see him for who he really was. “because little bird, i believe, deep.. deep down, you want to be the best of friends! hell, perhaps you even-- dare i say, LIKE me?” gasping for dramatic effect, aj gave her a pointed look, grinning widely as if he had just caught onto odette’s truth. his smile dropped at the mention of what she had actually wanted out of their little wager. a key. he blinked, his mind not even considering how promiscuous her demand may came across. his room was his safe haven. selfishly, he questioned whether or not he wanted to risk corrupting his place with an incessant, bossy blonde? but taking all of quentin’s things.. he couldn’t deny her that. “alright. if you win, i’ll give you a key-- but you’re going to have to stick to some ground rules, got it?” aj wasn’t sure what he’d want or need from odette. their mutual interests consisted of quentin, and only quentin. “what do i want?... i want you to be nice to me for a full week. shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

[ambrcses]

i was gonna try to get on and push out replies but !! a bitch is so tired from work. tomorrow is my birthday so idk how active ill be /: may is a crazy month for me bUT i’m almost back on my normal antisocial, homebody schedule of not going out and chilling at home:) PLUS school is almost over! so i’m gonna be much more active real soon! i’ll try to finish up my replies tomorrow before all the festivities. goodnight friends <3

[ambrcses]

𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓪.

             TEAR STAINED EYES, dark circles and a head full of disheveled looking curls the blonde had lost track of just how long she’d been inside of that station. what she hadn’t forgotten? well that was the experience of being forcefully woken up in the middle of the night  –– only to be dragged out by a band of incompetent idiots. her initial reaction had been to think someone was pulling a terribly bad prank over her, and she’d almost asked. she just couldn’t bring herself to believe it not until, she was questioned, the mention of a set of master keys and the books, the mere sight of them had made her blood run cold. ‘ they aren’t mine ‘ she’d said the words so frequently they had become a mantra but nothing she said mattered. her ‘ rebellious ‘ nature being brought to light, after she’d been asked about her relationship with quentin. where they really going to frame her as the ‘ bitter ‘ ex - girlfriend? most importantly who would BELIEVE it? lissa was a lot of things, but hung up on the past wasn’t one of them. but then there was silence at least until her father came storming in, the family attorney and her godfather at his side and they instructed her not to say a word. which wasn’t unusual she’d been in legal trouble before but this? her father hugged her, and he was taking a protective stance? did she hit her head? maybe that was it, she had a concussion and this was a very lucid dream. 

’ you’ll stay home ‘ her mother had told her, but she refused. if she ran away it would look like she had something to hide and she found herself surprised when his grace agreed. he’d even praised her resilience. which was far from the truth at the moment, lissa felt everything but RESILIENT in fact all she really wanted was to curl up underneath her bed covers and not come out. but regardless she held her head high at least until she began to hear whispers around her. ‘ i bet she did him in, maybe that’s why she befriended odette. it’s the perfect cover ‘ and on and on they went and normally she would have thrown a punch, or six but she found herself with little to no energy for that. instead, she rolled her eyes and kept on walking at least until she was out of view that’s when she ran her attention on everything but her surroundings, something that made her come to a hasty stop. “ bloody hell… ANNOUNCE yourself would you! “ she whispered yelled, her voice sounding as empty as she felt, blue eyes displaying that same emotion. “ god gave you eyes yeah? USE them. “

            just as expected, ambrose found himself a sleep deprived zombie the morning following the school’s impromptu sleepover. it was bad enough not having an ounce of privacy or a moment of peace, but after having witnessed a herd of uniformed men come and collect a confused familiar face, aj’s mind hadn’t been able to stop racing. wondering why? why lissa? what part did she have in the craziness of this investigation? he was scared-- for her, his friends, their safety. he wanted this to be over, for things to go back to the way things were.

deciding to skip all his classes, emailing all his professors with a half-assed i’m sick excuse, aj had planned to quickly turn in all his assignments and return to the safe haven of his room. the blonde knew how to smile and make people feel welcomed, but today he didn’t want to pretend like everything was okay. he didn’t want to be the face of good company. he wanted to be alone. but all that changed when his sights landed on alessandra. she was on edge, that much was obvious-- and frankly, understandable. aj couldn’t imagine the kind of night she must of had. aj slowly approached the girl glaring at a random peer, judging eyes burning holes into her side. he hated how people made her a spectacle. lissa didn’t deserve this. “hey..” his voice was soft, not wanting to startled the girl, secretly hoping his presence wasn’t pushed away. he just wanted to help, he wanted to be there for his friend. putting his hand on the center of her back, he tried his best to coax her away from the crowd that seemed to form. “let’s get you out of here,” he leaned down to whisper in her ear, gently pulling her into his side. “--go on! mind ya’ business, people!” aj grumbled to lissa’s audience with narrow eyes.

[ambrcses]

𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓪.

     as soon as she recognized who it was, lana quickly pocketed the promise ring he had given her. she still kept it with her at all times, even though it seemed like he was moving on and she was trying to do the same. but it made her feel loved and safe, both things she really needed in times like these. since when did he call her lana and not mars ? “well, i could have stabbed you in the eye. or gone for the throat. pens can be deadly, amrbose.” if he was calling her by her name so could she. however, the blonde felt a pang of guilt as he mentioned ryder. he had seen them. “ryder is my friend – and even if he liked me, at least someone is willing to do anything to be by my side.” and now her tone is bitter too, but she softens up as she realizes he’s intoxicated. putting the pen back in it’s place, lana took a few careful steps towards him, and delicately put her hands on either side of his face. “you’re really drunk, aren’t you ?” she asked softly, looking into his eyes.

       aj shrugged lazily, his balance slightly off causing him to stubble back, catching himself before falling on top of unsuspecting sleeping peer. “yeah, maybe pens have the potential to be deadly. but you, specifically, could hardly even reach my eye. thus making your pen not so deadly.” he ignored her obvious jab, his full name sounding foreign as they fell from her lips. but what he couldn’t ignore was the girl’s sly way of confronting his lack of a back bone when it came to his parents and their past relationship. it hurt more than he’d admit out loud, it was like rubbing salt on a wound that never quite heals. he only had himself to blame though, and he knew that. “well then,” his jaw clenched as he bit back all of the angry things he wanted to spew out of drunken jealousy-- but that wasn’t who aj was. he couldn’t find it in him to be mean, even if it was ryder. “you two must really deserve each other.” with furrowed brows, aj froze, wanting to back away from the girl but unable to actually move. relishing in the small comfort her touch brought him, aj let the girl to hold him for a moment. only allowing himself a few seconds of her familiar contact. “don’t..” he shook his head, his hands sloppily pushing hers away from his face. “don’t do that.”

[ambrcses]

 𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮.

– “NOW, I KNOW YOU’RE JUST TRYING TO ARGUE WITH ME, because that tastes terrible. fact.” although she’s a little miffed at how smoothly it goes down for him, like she’s being shown up. she’s not much of a drinker, but she’s always been competitive. so, she takes the bait. “fine,” she concedes, narrowing her eyes at him as his hand reaches her face. she has half a mind to slap him away, but his hand is gone before she can process it. “i maintain that a few sips of this,” she takes the bottle from his grasp, “and i still won’t like you.” she takes a sip quickly, and it actually goes down this time, but not without a sputtering cough and watery eyes. “what are we wagering?” she doesn’t care what; after all, she’s never been more sure.

– “WHISKEY IS MY FATHER’S DRINK OF CHOICE. i’ve been sneaking drinks for years. once you learn how to appreciate the taste, it’s actually quite delicious.” it didn’t take a genius to figure out how competitive the girl can be. she was naturally ambitious, fierce-- aj knew she’d never back down to a simple, yet taunting bet. with a playful roll of his eyes, the tall boy offered a small pat to her shoulder, a weak attempt to soothe her small coughing fit. aj was just finding too much amusement in odette’s hard exterior. “well that all depends on what exactly you want out of this, ms. cromwell?” a warm grin sat on his lips, his tone was was ludic, laced with charm and confidence. must be the alcohol. it was odd, talking to the girl in such a fashion. but it also didn’t feel wrong. his hand reached for the bottle, his fingers lingering on her own. “a poem, perhaps? declaring you the fairest of them all in edinburgh?” he teased, bringing the glass to his lips to take another drink, before offering it back to the other. “hm! or maybe a promise of my undying, unwavering friendship?”

[ambrcses]

𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓪.

     the young woman was trying her best to find the positive side to this sleepover thing. the girl sang masquerade absentmindedly as she arranged her stuff in her backpack, her juice-soaked sleeping bag already handed in to a teacher so she could take it to the laundry. many people had already dozed off, but lana wasn’t tired yet. so now there she was, putting her stuff in order. suddenly, she heard a noise behind her and, startled, she turned around, a montblanc pen she fully intended to use as a weapon firmly grasped in her right hand. however, relief washed over her a she recognized the face. “hey !! you startled me – you shouldn’t walk so quietly around people in times like these.”

       it had been a long night. aj started out fine. well as fine as you could be for being locked in a room full of confused, anxious college students. but as the night went on, the tall boy found himself a few drinks-- maybe even a bottle deep, overwhelmed with everything. unable to sleep and frankly, incredibly bored, aj resorted to wondering around the wing, allowing his feet to lead him wherever they pleased. unfortunately for him, his free roaming took him to a particular blonde. one he was not too pleased to interact with, especially after seeing her cuddled up next to ryder of all people. “pft. yeah, i’ll remember that,” aj scoffed, his hazy eyes darting to the pen in her grasp, causing them to narrow. “a pen? really lana? what exactly were you planning on doing with that, hm? maybe they should start assigning body guards to those who need it-- or maybe ryder can just protect you. the poor idiot will do anything to be by your side.” his tone bitter, the alcohol in his system causing his to get more upset than previously before. but all rational thoughts seemed to slip away the second he saw her delicate face.

[jakesjohnson-deactivated2016090]

[aiinsworths]

( @jcmes, @ambrcses )

[boutella]

[viclinists]

@ambrcses !

[ambrcses]

text !

Parker: right

Parker: i'm starting to feel like 'how are you' has become a bit of a rhetorical question

Parker: i feel you. though comfort seems like a luxury right now.

Parker: i'm ok. this all feels so shitty though

Parker: like seriously? locking us in a classroom???

Parker: where all of us are in one place????

AJ: suppose you're right. if someone really wanted to hurt us, it'd be pretty easy. considering we're all in one place..

AJ: its kinda fucked. i feel like we're kinda fucked.

AJ: who do you think is doing this? WHY is someone doing this?

[ambrcses]

𝓳𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼.

— we’re living in our little hollywood || @ambrcses, @aiinsworths, @ladyaurelic

This was going to be a good thing, right? Everyone sleeping together, and maybe they’d actually connect with each other. But who was James kidding? This had incited nothing but pandemonium, the police being on campus and Warren Ashcroft being missing. Quentin’s death had been real, but in James’s mind it had been a needless act of violence against the one percenters. But this? This just felt real now. 

But he was going to dispel those worries. He wasn’t going to worry about this, not when his friends were halfway through the pillow fort, that looked structurally unsound and questionably discreet, at best. James was standing barely a foot away from the structure, tapping his chin. “Are you sure we’re going to fit in that thing? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a starfish.” And there were other things that Lana had called him. 

“I’m going in first.” He announced first dibs, like this was that book at the library everyone wanted to read, and he was almost ready for the others to protest, while James put in his dental guard for the night. Boy was a grinder, all right. 

aj was embarrassingly out of breath as he stood next to james, hands on his hips as attempted to calm his heart rate. who knew building a fort would be such a strenuous activity? “if we can’t all fit, we’ll just steal another table to grow our empire,” he smiled brightly, quite proud of their mediocre accomplishment. a loveless childhood left him quite naive in the art of building a pillow fort, but with the help of his friends, aj was living his fortress dream. “if your big body knocks down all of our hard work, i will cry james. literally cry. don’t make your friend cry.”

[ambrcses]

𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮.

– “YES, ALWAYS,” the answer and sharpness of her tone are almost automatic at the sound of aj’s voice, but she’s immediately embarrassed by the fact that he’s catching her in a position that is less-than-put-together. she wipes the droplets from her lips and face with her fingertips, glowering at him. “shut up,” she mumbles, placing the bottle between them. “apparently not, but i think it’d take more than this bottle for me to be able to tolerate you anyway.“

– "ODETTE PLEASE, YOU ARE THE QUEEN OF INTERRUPTING,” aj scoffed, his body moving next to her, leaning against the brick of the terrace. raising a brow, his hand reached out to grab the bottle the girl had used as a barrier. his eyes scanned over the label before taking a swig himself, letting out a slow breath as the golden liquid burned his throat. “damn.. that’s pretty good.” a small smile grew on his face at odette’s usual jab, finding the familiarity comforting in this time of tensity. “... wanna bet?” aj challenged smugly, his hand raising to the other’s face, his thumb gently wiping away a lingering droplet. “a few more sips, i think you’d tolerate me just fine. who knows? maybe we’ll even become, dare i say, friends.”

[ambrcses]

𝓼𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓮·.

she’d   momentarily   forgotten   that   she   wasn’t   always   the   best   with   coming   up   with   dares,   lips   pursing   in   contemplation   as   she   eyed   their   surroundings,   “i   dare   you…to   ask   to   borrow   someone’s   bra   and   wear   it   on   the   outside   of   your   clothes   for   the   rest   of   the   night.”

his smile faltered as his bright eyes narrowed at sophie. “a bra? really?” he deadpanned, before cracking a small smile. “man, if only your sister was around.. now that would be a hilarious reaction i would want to see.” looking around the wing, his eyes scouted for an easy target. “-- which unsuspecting poor soul out there do you think is less likely to punch me in the face?”

[ambrcses]

𝓼𝓸𝓱𝓹𝓲𝓮.

“okay   come   on   then…truth   or   dare.”   the   youngest   cromwell   proposes   with   a   smirk,   currently   sat   criss   cross   applesauce   upon   her   sleeping   bag,   “might   as   well   make   things   interesting.”

cocking a brow at the familiar girl, aj nodded his head, silently letting her know he was game. “dare,” he said boldly. “don’t hold back, little bird.”