Smoke and Mirrors @arthurhyeon-blog - Tumblr Blog

Pursing her lips, she silently counted to three before turning toward Arthur. This wasn’t a situation to snap – yet. She had to take care, take deep breaths and be calm.

“I can’t really afford headphones or earplugs when I’m in charge of drama club. I have to listen to ideas for the next couple of clubs, even if they’re hard to hear over mock battle and rap scenes.” Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she ran her tongue over her teeth. Might as well give him something else. “I’ll listen to some Girl’s Generation or something when I get home. K-pop always drowns out everything else.”

arthurhyeon-blog

He wasn’t surprised at the high school drama queen reaction—she hadn’t exactly gained her reputation for being the nicest person at Bellbrook, had she? She was, though, a factor of interest, which didn’t exactly apply to most people at this school. Everyone had their little secrets, sure, ranging from angsty relationships to not-so pretty backstories, but compared to what the handful of gifted kids hid deep down, nothing was exactly comparable.

Catching on to her last few words, Arthur perked up, “I didn’t exactly peg you down as the type who listened to K-pop, but hey, nice to hear you have a solution. As for the drama club, what exactly is it that you do? I’m not exactly familiar with theatre—especially after horrid childhood memories being in Christmas plays and whatnot.”

#c: chelsea #chelsea lee #ooc: i'm verity! sorry this is so late?

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OPEN 🎨

❝ Hey– I didn’t hear you coming. ❞

arthurhyeon-blog

Arthur had been watching Veronica for quite a bit before approaching her—he was conducting an inner debate on whether to start a conversation that would not exactly be the smoothest. He shrugged, squatting down beside her on the bench, slightly avoiding her direct gaze. His tone was playful, with a hint of mischievousness. “Well, that was part of my intention, so can we say I’ve half succeeded in my secret spy mission?”

#c: veronica #veronica meade

bxxmer

“God, if I hear Hamilton one more time…”

She could have finished the statement on a better day. Alas, her head was pounding to the beat of Lafayette’s rap, causing pain that was adamant enough to keep her from chewing gum. Too many motions would make it worsen, and Chelsea was in NO mood to feel bad in any way shape or form. It wasn’t ideal, not when she had scripts to memorize and plans to somehow have theatre club focus on a new musical.

Really, she wanted Hamilton to sweep the awards at the Tony’s, but that did not mean she wanted to hear the songs over and over and O V E R —

A heavy sigh, long and e l a b o r a t e, took all the air from her lungs as she finally pushed ( alright, more like slammed ) her locker shut.

arthurhyeon-blog

Arthur winced at the sound of a locker slamming shut, and tilted his head to see who had caused the commotion—only to face a very agitated Chelsea. As for the subject of Hamilton, he was fairly unfamiliar with the musical itself, being oblivious to “music matters.” ( Inevitably though, he had overheard bits and pieces of what was supposedly Hamilton blaring from phones all over the school. Actually, he wasn’t sure if what he heard was actually from Hamilton or a random song he didn’t know. )

Taking care to push his locker shut with a little less noise, Arthur turned around to face Chelsea. He shrugged, weighing the pile of books he had in his hands before speaking. “Try ignoring it, don’t we all? Or, you could simply listen to less....annoying music? Headphones would work, or if you prefer complete silence, earplugs?”

#c: chelsea #chelsea lee

rachelxhathaway-blog

“I hope she realizes she’s not fooling anyone with that purse,” Rachel commented, rolling her eyes at the girl making her way down the hallway. “I mean if you’re going to get a knockoff purse, then at least make sure to get a top notch one or at least not spend the first five minutes showing it off, ”

arthurhyeon-blog

Arthur shrugged, he hadn’t noticed the purse at all, let alone that it was supposedly a fake. Normally he would have brushed Rachel’s catty comment off, but he felt like saying something today. Arthur looked at Rachel with a look of half amusement, half chagrin. “If you say so— but that’s not really a reason to be so needlessly vicious, is it?” Feigning a look of false surprise, he pretended to slap himself in the forehead. “Oh, I completely forgot, you don’t exactly need a reason to be vicious, do you?”

#c: rachel #rachel hathaway #oooh nice catfight

leetlucaschandler-blog

Lucas glanced over his shoulder with a slight jolt – he hadn’t expected Arthur Hyeon to be the one answering his self-deprecating joke. He turned to face the other boy, hoping his inner panic wasn’t showing on his face. Ever since that one dream where Arthur had randomly appeared, the senior kept showing up in his slumber. If the other boy had any idea how many times Lucas had imagined his face, he probably would’ve wanted a restraining order.

“Oh yeah,” he laughed. “Hangovers and light beers are the pinnacle of a teenage existence after all,” he said, a little too loudly. He shrugged at the question, drumming his fingers on his backpack strap. He never could sit still. “I’m not that mysterious,” he said, smiling genuinely at the other boy. “Mostly, I’m just a nerd. A socially awkward nerd at that, I tend to ramble, even to people I don’t really know. Like you. I mean, I’ve – I’ve, uh, seen you around and stuff, but I don’t really know you. It’s Arthur, right? Arthur Hyeon, you’re a senior this year.”

arthurhyeon-blog

Arthur wasn’t the best at paying attention to what others said, he was more interested in watching Lucas himself. The boy was clearly your typical awkward teen, and Arthur found his rambling rather amusing. Not many people were so openly flustered at his very presence, he found it rather flattering. He grinned at Lucas, the usual Arthur grin reserved for most of the Bellbrook population. “That’s me, your tired, soon to leave senior,” he said. “You’re Lucas, right? I’ve seen you around—and stuff, as well.” Maybe he was teasing, but it was harmless, no offense intended.

“Nice to know your, um, socially awkwardness.” He couldn’t help letting out a chuckle. Rubbing his chin, Arthur looked at Lucas with a humorous expression. “Still, it’s hard to believe that you don’t have any interest in the common teenage antics. In my very personal opinion, it’s always best to grab the chance when you’ve got it, when else do we have the chance to be completely irresponsible?”

#t: lucas #lucas chandler

caiusdevries-blog

Wrapping his digits around the plasticized grip, the subtlest of sighs eleviated his once clenched lungs. Reassurance nestled itself in the very crevices of his spine; an ease no narcotic could’ve ever supplied. The impression of a smile indented the corner of his lips, but still it was muted and soft, inconspicious to the naked eye. Feeling the penetrating gaze of the other on him, he cut the reunion short; closing the teacher’s drawer and placing his belongings meticioulisly and rightfully in place. To be honest, he thought Arthur would’ve been gone by now, so seeing him there still, caused the boy to wonder what his intentions were.

“Probably” He dismissed his question, not there to trigger a spark in the inflammable air suspended between them. Logan kept his guard up; his brows arched, expectantly.

arthurhyeon-blog

Any other day, Arthur would have been ready to engage in this draining conversation, but today was not that day. There was some reason he was still standing there, talking to Logan, ( probably the prospect of digging a little deeper before leaving the situation ), but at the moment he couldn’t seem to find it. Arthur sensed the boy was trouble, and he was wary of digging too deep just now. Besides, Logan’s words and expression made it evident that he was not so eager to talk at all.

He shuffled his feet, stretching his arms while walking towards the door. “Nice—meeting you.” There was little truth, or mirth in his words, only brittle humor, if you could even call it that. Some other day, he promised himself. Some other day.

#t: logan #logan miller

janeyhall-blog

She listened in interest, and a little amusement, not for the subject but for his passion. She wasn’t surprised, he was probably one of the best in the class. And one of the few (with her included, of course, she wouldn’t take up a class she had no interest in) that actually payed attention. “Latin is exquisite, but as you said, grammar happens to be my enemy in this subject.” That, and her organisation. Admittedly, she had become a little more messy with all this senior year fuss keeping her occupied. “Halloween’s entertaining, yes,” she shrugged. “But it’s more interesting to listen to something intellectual.” A little more shadier towards everyone else than intended, but the truth otherwise.

arthurhyeon-blog

This conversation, was not going as he expected. He had an idea of how this conversation would go— more catty, less amusing—but Jenny Cassidy, was indeed the girl of wonders and surprises. Arthur couldn’t help smirking at the word intellectual, it was an absurd notion to him that anyone wanted such things here. Bigger cities, maybe, but not Bellbrook. “If you’re looking for intellectual, this place probably isn’t what you’re looking for. I’m surprised that, what is it , eighteen years of Bellbrook hasn’t discouraged you yet.” No doubt she would move on, like a select few, to a bigger, brighter city to conquer yet again.

“Though, I’m surprised you don’t find Halloween more entertaining. Isn’t this the only time when we can dress up like crazies legally?”

#t: jenny #jenny cassidy #late af but hey i did it

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It was less that Garrett was a nocturnal creature and more that mornings just tended to really suck when you preferred to be out and about as long as possible. Even worse when it was a weekday, so when it was finally Friday and he could just sleep in the next day, you could always count on him being outside.

He was standing outside of a 7-11 with a soda can in his hand, back against a wall and a skateboard resting beside him. He’d like to take the car, but his house was less than a block and a half away. Plus the engine tended to kill the whole sneaking-in, even if Garrett was the least stealthy person ever. He was about to send a mass text, see if anyone was up for hanging out even if it was almost midnight, when Garrett recognized someone from school approaching.

“Hey! Wow, I didn’t think I’d see you here so late. What’s up?”

arthurhyeon-blog

He was rarely awake after midnight, not unless he had an agenda or, god forbid, homework. This was neither occasion, though, he had simply felt a rare surge of energy past midnight. Arthur had sneaked quietly out of the house, careful not to disturb his parents. ( Not that he couldn’t put them back to sleep again, or that they would wake up in the first place. )

Not having a car, or the will to drive, Arthur sauntered out the 7-11, and upon hearing Garrett’s voice, he looked up, an easy smile on his face. He liked Garrett, Arthur found his humor and powers particularly entertaining. He shrugged, stretching his back. “Too much caffeine, I suppose. That, or I needed some fresh air. What about you, the sugar keeping you up, or is it some business you need to attend to?”

#t: garrett #garrett conway

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“Shame I won’t be trying it to find out.” Hannah merely shrugged. There was truth in his statement—potentially, there was so much she could get away with. Her entire life hinged on an act, anyway, and it was almost alarming at how good of a liar she was. “I will survive till senior year, thank you very much,” she countered, hands propped on her hips in an indignant manner. “I mean, you made it. And in one piece. So why shouldn’t I be able to do the same?” Maybe she’d end up sacrificing a few—okay, a lot—hours of sleep, maybe she’d want to throw her textbook at a wall, but she’d survive. High school was only temporary.

“I don’t think you should pursue counselor as a career choice in that case,” she teased, putting a slender finger to her chin in mock thought. “Well, my parents are definitely aiming for Ivies.” She let her hand fall to her side. “See, they both went to Harvard, so obviously they’ll expect me to follow in their footsteps. Or end up in Yale or Cornell or, you know, one of those.” Perhaps it wasn’t particularly spoken of ( How could they? Her parents weren’t around half the time to discuss how she was or what she wanted, let alone next year’s college applications ), but there was always that expectation looming over her head. “But who knows? Maybe I’ll end up in California. I’ve heard Berkeley’s amazing. I mean, I’m not really aiming for any school, just, like, a good one. Preferably miles away from here.”

arthurhyeon-blog

They were significantly different people, even without the extra super powers. Maybe he would have judged her differently had he known more, but at the present, that was the only conclusion he could come to. He also doubted the part about getting out in one piece. Everyone was affected by high school, the residues settled into the cracks of your mentality whether you liked it or not. It was the peak of irresponsibility, that last threshold were you could do illegal fuckery and get away with a warning from the school. Despite this, Arthur found himself rooting for Hannah. The girl had spunk, if there was anyone who was going to be able to dust off Bellbrook, it would be someone like her. Impervious, and also a little oblivious. He smiled, and this time it was more genuine. “I like the attitude— there’s much to be admired about it. Hannah ‘I will survive until senior year’ Jeong.”

As for her home life, he was rather smug about getting it right, though it was a pretty cliche. Arthur’s parents were mostly the same way, and he suspected that under different circumstances he would stand in Hannah’s place. An alternate life. “I’m sad that you doubt my ability to be a counselor, I like to think that I’d be pretty awesome.” ( What with the dream reading and unconscious manipulation, sure. ) “But, California, sounds nice. I wouldn’t know though, since I’ve never been. Don’t blame you for wanting to leave, but can I ask what’s such a strong push factor here?”

#t: hannah #thus the phone meme #hannah jeong

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Half of her almost experienced an overwhelming surge of guilt at not paying a proper amount of attention to the lecture. This was the gate into college, and therefore a hearty career, and so it went without saying that she should be putting for her best effort. She didn’t want to stay here forever, now, did she? In a place where she only felt semi-accepted? Then again, thinking of going out into the world where there were possibly no other GIFTED individuals ( or perhaps even more dangerously-gifted ones that didn’t want to have control over themselves or bother to associate with those just like them ) was equally as terrifying. Sometimes, she had this kind of mind-numbing paralysation, caused from FEAR, preventing her from stepping out and even perhaps doing something grand with what she’s been granted.

The good news: she didn’t have to REALLY think about any of that right now. It was in her lane to decide whether she wanted to continue where she was or actually try to take some notes. In his surge of bitterness, she tuned into what was being said and managed to jot down a couple of points - but she was quick to realise that what was being repeated could be found in both the assigned readings in the textbook and the homework assignment from yesterday.

❝You know what, I think it is. That - and they specialise in ignoring the actual problems whilst acting like nothing is wrong.❞ She thought of her parents, how they remained blind to all of the dreams and nightmares that plagued how, how they wouldn’t let her take medicine for what was transforming into severe insomnia. Ignoring the problem meant it doesn’t exist. It was the one part of her life, she dared to think, that made her resentful about it. ❝And I think she, at the very least, has been programmed, because you know what: we covered this on our own time in last night’s homework assignment. So we aren’t even missing anything - but heavens forbid we vocalise an opinion like that. Young people are always in the wrong.❞

Her face turned slightly troubled as he shoved the book away - but she smoothed it back out into that gaze of being c o m f o r t a b l e. She wasn’t someone who liked to prod, not unless there was a good reason being given to her. Now wasn’t the time and this definitely wasn’t the place to launch into some divine-comedy-sort of discussion about the badlands of dreams.

❝Let’s just drop Freud in the looney bin and forget that he ever existed. Then he’ll have to make like Darwin and go through natural selection. He can make a duck call out of pieces of rubbish and call to all the other loons he’s trapped down in there with. Pictures or it didn’t happen.❞ Her brow furrowed as she mulled over what she had just said. ❝Um - never-mind. So if you don’t spend all of your spare time philosophically buzzing like our brother Sigmund, what is it that you like to read instead?❞

arthurhyeon-blog

Admittedly, he didn’t fully understand everything she said, her words were peppered with one too many references for his taste. It worked for her though, the odd tangents and the sheer happiness— it all added up to the whole Addy-ness. She was undoubtedly the group’s peacemaker, and had significantly more friends outside their group than anyone. Still, there were the odd flashes of emotion across her face, almost like sorrow? regret? he couldn’t tell either way. It must be exhausting though, to be the constant ray of sunshine everywhere she went. Sure, he thought of himself as a optimistic person as well, but his brand of nice came with a tinge of self satisfaction.

Amid thoughts, he noticed her hand jot down a few notes and quickly felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t meant to distract her from the class. ( College mattered significantly less to him, and anyway, it was Latin. ) The pang quickly subsided though, as he listened to her talk. He glanced at the blackboard—she was right, the teacher was writing familiar phrases on the blackboard.

There was a phrase of hers that stuck in his head: Young people are always in the wrong. It was the truth, he knew that, especially since Johnny had gone missing and no one, absolutely no one other than the twelve even noticed. Arthur knew better than to bring it up to his parents or any adult , but the thought lingered in his mind still. Snapping out of his thoughts, he leaned back in his chair, and attempted to answer Addy’s question.

“Ever heard of Jung?” He snorted, stretching his legs to prop them up on the leg of his desk. “Just kidding, I have no interest in delving into psychological texts anymore. Let all these serious white dudes rest in hell, or wherever adults go when they die.” Arthur picked up a pencil, and put it behind his ear, a half-hearted attempt to look academic.

“As for me, I prefer stuff that has a little more action. Mostly mystery, supernatural-ish stuff, I guess. Contemporary and oldies alike. Newer stuff is good, but nothing beats the originals. Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde are some solid favorites, I read Frankenstein most recently.” ( Frankenstein he had enjoyed less, too much dialogue about what it was to be a monster and shit. No need to remind himself what being different felt like, that he was an expert in. )

He smiled sheepishly. Arthur never felt quite at ease talking about what he liked —surprisingly little people asked after his personal life. Most people, he found, really liked talking about themselves. As arrogant as Arthur seemed to other kids, he was exempt from that particular narcissism. “Just getting into the Halloween spirit, I suppose. Best holiday ever, if you ask me. But enough about me, what do you like to read?”

#t: addy #addy eum

caiusdevries-blog

Tucking the cigarette between his two front, he defied gravity as he pushed himself off the wall; his fatigued side already aching for the support. Without glancing at the other, he stepped in. The smugness was an absent expression, in all actuality, his face was placid as always. “Thanks.” He uttered incoherently, not bothering to give the air much volume to carry the word of consideration.

Finding his marker, Logan made his way to the obsessively organised desk with the tools needed to break open the locked drawer placed neatly in a cup. Grabbing the envelope opener, he moved with ease and experience; wedging the thin metallic piece between the lock and working the lock with a paper clip. A low click indicated that the drawer was now unlocked. His eyes glistened as his water-gun was found stashed right where he guessed. Chivalrous as ever, he traded the weapon with his cancerous one, after putting it, of course.

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He watched Logan’s fingers working adeptly at the lock, it was obviously not the first time that he had done this. It was a surprise to Arthur that picking locks was actually a thing, he had thought it was something out of a movie. ( Another surprise was the neat desk, Arthur had pegged him down to be less organized, if not a complete slob. ) Hearing the lock open with a click, he was genuinely interested in what would emerge from the desk drawer. Until, of course, the water gun made its appearance. What was the appeal for the fucking water gun, he would never understand.

Swallowing his distaste, Arthur inquired, “I suppose there’s some sort of story that resulted in the imprisonment of your preferred weapon?” A quirk of his mouth revealed a mirthless smile, almost a taunting one.

#t: logan #i find it funny that this exchange is so silent #logan miller

janeyhall-blog

“Not as predictable as most would believe,” she remarked, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. Jenny wasn’t always one for dramatics, as surprising as that sounds. Most of the time, she preferred the opposite. Quiet schemes often succeeded over the overdone ones. No point in being dramatic if it isn’t useful to her. “It never really was a pain in the ass.” She didn’t mean to gloat, but she couldn’t care less if it came off as that. Half of her summers would be spent on studying for her weaker subjects, so it’d be taking candy from a baby during the actual school year. “If anything, I’d say Latin takes up that role.”

arthurhyeon-blog

“I have to admit, Latin is hard, but the language itself—“ he gestured wildly with his hand, a look of excitement, slightly bordering on maniacal, “It’s exquisite. Once you get past the verbs and grammatical stuff, that’s where it gets really good.” Why he was saying this to Jenny Cassidy was questionable, he doubted she was even half interested in the content itself. Never could know what was going on that mind of hers, all the little wheels churning. It was a burden to be the HBIC, and he didn’t even want to know what she had done for that title. “Any—way, that’s probably less of an interest to you than the upcoming holiday, is it?”

#t: jenny #jenny cassidy

leetlucaschandler-blog

“Working at the store all day is really cutting into my social life. Ha, jokes – I don’t have a social life.”

arthurhyeon-blog

“Shame, really,” he laughed. “You’re missing out on a lot, what with the underage drinking and after effects of being hung over.” Arthur had taken a small interest in Lucas after witnessing that rather unpleasant scene in his dreams — it was more of an amusement than a concern. He knew that his dad owned the record shop ( empty most of the time, hadn’t bothered checking it out ) and had vaguely overheard something about the suspensions, but other than that, nothing. “Just joking. Tell me, is it just that you prefer not….socializing, or is there some mysterious reason that I don’t know about?”