Cameron Castle

Have a pizza my heart

[castle-cameron]

who: @roryjackson​ what: Trying to get out of playing the game To say that Cam was a nervous wreck would have been an understatement. And to make matters worse, he didn’t even have Parker anymore to ease the fears he had about how the game was about to go. And so needless to say he may or may not have been avoiding just a little bit. His helmet in hand as he made a b-line out of the locker room, feet shuffling towards the exit. This was too much. He couldn’t do this. He felt so certain of that as his eyes avoided eye contact with anyone who might have recognized him. Which unfortunately meant he wasn’t watching where he was going when he ran himself directly into Rory. “Shit... Shit I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to do that..” He started, looking around for where he’d dropped his helmet. Once he had it back in hand, his eyes finally met hers, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her as quickly as he could away from the crowd. “Rory I don’t know what to do I can’t play in that game. I’m going to get myself killed.” 

[castle-cameron]

harveyiii​:

WHO: HARVEY AND ANYONE WHAT: HE’S PRETENDING FOR HIS DAD, so like you could call him out, or tell him you don’t care, or idk, he’s just an emo boy getting ready for his football game WHERE: THE POTLUCK

Harvey had always felt this deep responsibility in his bones to be the life of the party. He was Harvey Hargrove The Third - he was the man with the house, and the life, and everything everyone wanted. He was the captain of the Football team, and president of the Fraternity. Maybe that was what made it so easy to float through the potluck, and why it was so easy to fake the cheesy grin dipped over his lips. 

Wasn’t it only right to pretend that he was having the time of his life with his privilege? Wasn’t it only right to put on a show? 

The truth was that Harvey didn’t really know. Regardless of his knowledge of the nuance of Public Appearances, though, he knew the feeling of his father’s eyes on the back of his head like he knew his ABC’s, and that meant… pretending - well, for as long as he could in the face of the Gang. Even if not all of them were his friends right now. 

It was easy to see the way his perfect mask fell the moment he locked eyes with [INSERT NAME HERE] - even if the smile never left his lips. It was just a little more hollow now: like he was caught. Playing pretend again, Harvey Hargrove? Shame on you. 

“Hey,” Harvey choked the words out over the table of Chili that separated them; they lingered for a moment, before falling and bubbling into one of the stray crockpots: ‘Southwest Style - spicy!’ 

“He’s not looking is he?” When in doubt, bring up your Daddy issues, right? Harvey peeked over his shoulder. “God forbid I have to hear another speech about crushing the Stompers tonight. Don’t know if he’s been trying to quote Varsity Blues all day, but…” 

“He’s doing it.” 

🍕

Sure he hadn’t lived in Cherry that long, but he didn’t really need to, to know almost everything he thought he needed to know about Harvey Hargrove the Third. He was captain of the football team, president of the frat on campus, and of course the seeming leader of the infamous gang that the town spent so much of their time witch hunting. Or at least that’s what it all looked like from an outsiders point of view. A view he was kind of hoping may or may not change with his sudden participation in college football. 

Cam had been standing in line for a plate of food of his own, looking at the line up of chili’s and potato salads and grimacing a little. He wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like he was any place to judge. His family spent all their time serving pizza and lasagna’s. But still there was something about it that he was certain was going to leave him feeling sick after the game. When all of a sudden he felt a pair of eyes on him, looking up to find they were none other than those of Harvey himself. 

“Hey..” he offered in response to his teammate as it came his turn to step up and take a plate of food. He did so, slowly, but made a point to shoot Harvey and almost disgusted glance, partially in hope of making the other boy laugh, and partially to truly express his concerns about the chili. But as Harvey continued, Cam made a point of looking around until he found the OG Hargrove himself, who seemed readily engaged in a conversation with one of the refs fo the evening. 

“No. You’re good.” He assured him as he let his eyes fall back on Harvey. “That sounds absolutely miserable. Talk about expectations and all that amirite? Do you know if the teams actually any good? Probably be good for me to know so I don’t run in and end up getting my ass handed to me tonight.” 

[castle-cameron]

roryjackson​:

🌱

“Cam!” She whines, propping her chin up on her fist as she watches him flip through the syllabus across the table. “I pull my weight! You know that.” It wasn’t Rory’s fault she had some attendance issues. But by now she knows to kind of ignore at least like, half of the things Cam says. So she isn’t really all that phased. But she kicks the leg of his chair for revenge anyway. “I assume you mean how serious the actual threat is, not how seriously the government is taking it?” She quirks an eyebrow at him. “Which I assume will be a part of,” she pauses, looking at the bolded outline on her paper, “Earth Resources and Human Interactions. Which sounds like it’ll be really depressing, so maybe materials and processes first. Or, we could do that second, after you finally tell me how your summer was since I barely saw you!” 

🍕

Did he know she pulled her weight? That seemed to be a million dollar question. The majority of what he could recall from the work they had done had been solid work, but he also remembered her missing more often than not, due to whatever shenanigans her friends always seemed to be getting her involved with. More often than not, those same shenanigans landing her in jail or worse. Literally missing. For like 2 days. “I know. I know. I believe you. I’m just saying. This year is serious serious business Miss Jackson.” Cam reminded her yet again. His serious face cracking into the hint of a grin when she made the point about the threat not being taken quite as seriously as they would have liked by their government. “Of course that’s what I meant. We’re talking about Earth Science, not the unethically large sum, we spend on our military.” He fired back, as he glanced back down at the syllabus. “That’s actually probably a good call. I definitely think we should...” he was about to continue when she finished up by asking about his summer. A clear distraction technique, yet one he fell right on into. “Well actually I kept pretty busy with work, and the summer reading, oh and signing up for freakin football of all things. I didn’t have a spare minute.” 

[castle-cameron]

who: @roryjackson​ what: Getting the ball rolling 

Cam wasn’t the type to wait for classes to get hard to start studying. Oh no. He’d been hitting the books almost as soon as his class schedule dropped, wanting to get as far ahead as possible. He’d only lived in Cherry for a short time, but he didn’t trust it. Didn’t trust things not to get chaotic before the end of the semester, and with all the extracurricular’s he’d be involved with this semester? The stakes were higher than ever and he was not about to let any of the above get in the way of him making straight A’s. Which meant that when a member of the infamous gang offered to study with him, he couldn’t help but be just the slightest bit paranoid about how it was going to go. “So I’m thinking we should start with either the Earth’s Materials and Processes, or Earth Resources and Human Interactions. What do you think?” He offered, glancing up from the syllabus to eye Rory expectantly. “Also I’m sorry I know I’ve asked you this like a dozen times, but are you absolutely sure you can commit to this study group. Because I can only carry so much. But I need to know you’re going to take this seriously. Like Global Warming kinda serious.” 

[castle-cameron]

parkerpantone​:

🎸

Parker’s mind went wild with possibilities. He’d never actually liked the people he played football with. Tolerated was probably a better rule. He played for his dad’s love of the sport. He would do everything in his power to make sure Cam was ready before regular games began.  “I mean…some of the guys we play against are about as vicious as dogs. I’d say that’s a good start.” He said, tone suddenly a little pragmatic. He pulled Cam in, throwing his arm around the boy’s shoulder and giving a solid pat. “A good receiver is a fucking godsend. Probably the position with the highest risk of injury…but still.” He said, trailing off a little bit. He didn’t like to imagine Cam all banged up. But he did like to imagine the two of them celebrating together after a big win. “You just made my day, Castle. This is gonna be our fucking year!” He chimed. Between Cam and Ozzy, Parker really felt like this was going to be the semester he truly started to feel alive. We all know something is going to go wrong…but let him have this brief fantasy okay. 

🍕

Nothing that Parker was saying had Cam anymore convinced that this was a good idea. In fact it was really quite the opposite. Vicious as dogs? Highest risk of injury? Those were not the kind of things he’d been hoping to hear when he came for help. Sure he’d heard rumors of just how dangerous the game could be, and he was certain at some point or another he must have gone to a game right? But all of a sudden as he stood in front of Parker it’s like his entire knowledge of the sport escaped him in it’s entirety. “Y-yeah of course it is!” He stumbled over the words, trying his best to sound just as enthused as Parker had. “So does this mean you have time to get some padding together so we can go out and practice? Because I took off the entire afternoon for this.” 

[castle-cameron]

parkerpantone​:

Parker was really excited for this school year. After a summer filled with bad news and begrudgingly long pool shifts, it was going to feel real nice to get back to what he knew. Football. So when Cam came running into him with a bag full of gear and the request he’d been waiting months for…he instantly lit up with a big smile. “So you finally fucking caved?” He asked, glee dancing across his face. He actually could see Cam doing well as a kicker or even a receiver. He definitely didn’t have the build for defense. “You know I got your back, Cam.” He said, firmly punching him in the chest. “I’m actually trying for quarterback this year…I’ll need a receiver I can trust. How fast are those chicken legs?” He teased, looking downwards. 

🍕

As soon as he’d found himself standing in front of Parker, he almost instantly regretted this decision. Parker had the build for something like football. He screamed sports guy in Cam’s head. Which had never been something he could have possibly equated himself with. Even in high school he’d been more of the duke it out for valedictorian kind of kid than the athletic type. He’d been on the debate team, and apart of the science and robotics club, not anything that involved running. But Parker’s excitement felt palpable and he knew it was a little too late anyways seeing as he’d already come all this way. “I mean considering the amount of dogs I’ve had to run from during pizza deliveries I’d say I can run pretty fast. Is being a receiver a good thing?” 

[castle-cameron]

who: @parkerpantone​ what: Guess who signed up for the football team this year? 

Why? Why? Why? Had he decided that signing up for Football was going to be a good idea? Perhaps he’d done it in a moment of insanity. Perhaps he’d done it because he remembered that it was going to look good on a resume? Was it? Either way he’d done it which left him sitting with a feeling of what the fuck do I do to prepare for this. Which was when he recalled that there was in fact one person he knew that might be able to help him. The same person who’s home he found himself running towards with a backpack full of gear firmly strapped to his back. “Parker! Just the person I was looking for!” He announced semi excitedly as the door swung open. “I need you to teach me football.” 

[castle-cameron]

who: @ofjaspars​ what: A little pre CCU Cleaning Where: CCU Library

Did Cam realistically have any reason to be panicking about the upcoming school year as much as he was? No and yet it hadn’t stopped him from packing his things up early and heading to the CCU Library to see which of his books he could get an early start on. He wasn’t about to let anything affect his grades the way things had the semester before and he needed to be sure of that. However as soon as he found himself sat at a table, he found himself horrified by the realization that he’d yet to dump out his backpack of everything he’d used the year before. “Jesus... How does anyone know what the fuck to get rid of...” He mumbled to himself as he started pulling a series of papers out of his backpack, until he found himself literally surrounded by a pile. The panic heightening in his chest until he spied a familiar face about to walk past. “Hey! Psssttt! Jasper! That’s your name right. Come over here I need your help!” 

[castle-cameron]

rorycollins​:

🌱

Rory winced at Cam’s brutal description of the local politics. But she wasn’t disagreeing. “Ugh, please let’s not draw comparisons between the film and Cherry,” she groaned. “That’s way too close to coursework, and we’re still off for a couple more weeks, Cam!” He was a really good lab partner, especially when she was reeling from all of the crap that had been going on this year. But she’d be perfectly content to put a ban on anything that sounded even a little like school. “Alright, Mr. Know-It-All,” she teased, “what should we do instead?” 

🍕

At the mention of drawing comparisons and coursework, Cam shot her a half amused glance. “Speaking of course work, what do you think the odds are of us getting partnered off as lab partners again this semester? Because we can’t fuck around this semester like we did in the last one Collins.” He mused, as he playfully nudged at her shoulder. “I’m not gonna be carrying your ass across the finish line again. Gotta keep all the Cherry craziness to a minimum you know?” Cam teased, nodding his head in agreement for that to be the last statement he made about school. “Well I’m just gonna start by saying arcade games are off the table, not going to try and embarrass myself there. But I could always kick your butt at bowling?” 

[castle-cameron]

ofjaspars​:

👻

Truthfully, other than his cats and Kamilla, Jaspar knows very few citizens of Cherry. But his pizza guy? His pizza guy he definitely recognises. Put it down to the love affair he’d had with pepperoni all throughout the winter when he hadn’t wanted to venture outside. So, he’s all too happy to help the other when spoken to. “Oh c’mon, dude. Nobody’s meant to be bad at video games,” he comments with a warm, reassuring, smile. Because somehow - even through how tired he’s been since trying to solve the mystery of the lost town square memories - his smile stays in place. “It’s all about perspective.” He sidles in a little closer to the machine Cam is on, gentle gesture to ask if it’s okay to take over to show him how he gets through the level. He’s not an expert by any means but he does have a steady hand… part of wanting to be a doctor requires it but he’s positive (and certain!) it can be taught to the other. “Just about seeing your growth positively is all. If you can think it, you can achieve it with enough practice and all that stuff that Hallmark have nailed better than I ever could put in words myself.” 

🍕

“See you say that but I feel like I die in the dumbest ways in these things.” Cam huffed as he welcomed Jaspar beside him to look over the game he was playing. He’d just started on a fourth round, when almost immediately the giant Game over icon flashed across the screen. As far as he was concerned he really was hopeless. “Yeah well my perspective is that these little ghosts have it out for me. And that if I was ever being chased by real ghosts I’d probably be fucked. Not meant to survive the zombie apocalypse.” He sighed as he stepped away from the machine to give the other boy a turn. “Seeing your growth positively? Is that even possible in a video game? I’ve always assumed these were like luck based things. You either had it or you didn’t.” Cam started, although logically he was smart enough to know that wasn’t the case. He was just bad at them. “Do you really believe all that Hallmark stuff?” 

[castle-cameron]

winnifredwu​:

who: @castle-cameron​ what: wasting time at the drive-in where: bowling @ the drive in

Man, she really should have thought this through a little better. Winnie wasn’t here because she cared about some stupid old movie, or because she wanted to get drunk and eat shitty food. No, Winnie had elected to show up to this thing for one reason: she loved bowling. It was the closest thing to a sport that she actually enjoyed. She’d conveniently forgotten that you kind of need more than just yourself to bowl. She hadn’t come with any friends, and she didn’t have that many in town to begin with, so she just began searching the crowds for a familiar face. Luckily, it wasn’t long before she spotted someone she’d been in classes with before. The Marine Biology department wasn’t huge, being a bit of a specific degree program, so she pretty much knew everyone else who was in those courses. “Hi, hello, uh,” she tried to get his attention. “It’s Cameron, right? We were in th-that Ecology course together?” She knew she was forgettable, but she was hoping he might remember the course. 

🍕

If there was one thing Cam had become really good at in his short time in Cherry, it was how to make himself look busy even when he wasn’t. Or at least he thought he had. It was a skill he found came in handy considering the lack of friends he’d managed to compile even after a full semester at CCU. Which had him wondering if this was how it’d have been regardless of where he went. Would he have felt just as alone at NYU had he stayed? And for some reason he couldn’t let himself believe that that’d have been the case. But regardless, he’d been sitting and staring mindlessly at the back of a menu that he’d read at least seven or eight times when Winnie approached. “Yeah that’s uh... that’s me.” He said, trying to place where he’d recognized her from the moment she’d approached. Which was made all the easier when she filled in the blanks for him. “Oh shit! That’s right. I.. yes. I totally remember that. That professor was a wild one.” He mused as he wracked his brain for her name. “Winnie right?” He offered back as he finally set down the menu. “How’s your night going so far?” 

[castle-cameron]

who: @ofjaspars​ what: some arcade fun It was completely lost on Cam how people did shit like this. How was literally anyone good at video games. What kind of brain power did it take that he was clearly lacking. Which was saying something, because generally Cam considered himself to be a fairly intelligent person. He did well in school, maintained his grades, and was always on the top of his game when it came to his parents bi-weekly family trivia nights. But shit like Galaga? Mrs. Pac Man? Centipede? Mario Kart? It was like all the hand eye coordination he considered himself to be so on top of during his deliveries was somehow out the window. Which became ever the more clear when he found himself getting his ass kicked all over again despite it being his third try. 

“Dammit. I seriously don’t get how people do this. Are you any good at these things?” He asked, making a point to try and make conversation with Jasper. He was someone he definitely recognized from deliveries but that didn’t always mean they recognized him. “I think I was meant to be bad at video games.” 

[castle-cameron]

rorycollins​:

who: open! what: took one look at rebel without a cause’s wikipedia page & said jesus christ not this where: either u agree to go to the food shack with her or u have to decide where they are i don’t make the rules 

“Who picked Rebel Without a Cause?” Rory’s brow furrowed as she squinted at the screen over a sea of cars. She’d really been hoping for something a little more light-hearted, or at least something that she could get engrossed in enough to forget the everything else going on lately. Town Square. Lux. Town Square. Sleepwalking. Rebel Without a Cause was… not going to do it. She forced a smile to her face, some lightness into her voice. “Okay, if I’m gonna watch a movie about California teenagers fighting each other, knife fights, and doing stupid stuff that ends in multiple deaths, I’m gonna need to go get a drink.” She hadn’t really planned on buying anything aside from her movie snack but desperate times called for desperate measures. “Wanna come with? I’ll share my skittles in exchange for company.”

🍕

“What are you talking about? Nothing says tone deaf quite like Rebel Without a Cause. Here I was thinking that was the theme of this whole election we have going on right now. Who can avoid listening to what the people actually want more.” Cam started, the disapproval clear in his tone. He wasn’t sure why the hell he’d showed up to this outside of his parents thinking it’d be a good opportunity to make friends. Like he really needed help with that. Although he did quite often find himself running into Rory of all people. “Oh wait so your plan was to actually sit through it. You know there’s other options right? Not that the promise of skittles and drinks isn’t incredibly enticing.” 

[castle-cameron]

southsideroyal​:

who: violet and open what: keeping up appearances where: the beach

Violet never really was much of a reader, but there was little else to do when you were forced to lounge on the beach and “keep an eye out”, whatever that was supposed to mean! This entire undercover thing had it’s moments of excitement, but it was mostly full of moments like this one… trying to pass the time and do the job she was assigned all at once. Lux’s little friends had proven themselves harder to track down than she’d expected, so she was kind of hoping for some sort of miracle by sitting in plain sight reading what she’d written down as Lux’s favorite book. And if none of her friends came by… well she was still hoping someone would, anyone really, even if it was one of her father’s little henchman. At least then she’d be able to get a freakin’ slushie or something!

🍕

Cam was not an avid beach goer by any stretch of the imagination. In fact it was more often than not, the last place one might think to find him, which was exactly what he was doing there that day. Cam had been given one day off and the last thing he wanted to use it for was to be found by dear old mom or dad. So he packed his things and made his way to the shore, taking his time to wander about in search of a spot far enough from most of the tourists so that he could actually enjoy himself. He hadn’t gotten to far down the beach when he spotted the blonde he only faintly recognized from his one his many pizza delivery runs. Which had him pausing briefly to assess if knowing her from that alone should have him turning and walking the opposite way. After all how many people, actively spent any time getting to know their pizza delivery boy? A thought that came a few moments to late as he found himself approaching her out of familiarity. “Hey you’re Violet right?” A dumb question Cam. “Whatcha reading?” An even dumber question. 

[castle-cameron]

sullensleuth​:

WHO: open WHAT: sully is trying to get to know all the cherry residents, so he’s out and about!  WHERE: the boardwalk 

“Am I the only one who thinks these ride tickets are overpriced?” Sully currently had one hand occupied by a ball of cotton candy that rivalled the size of his head and the other by a handful of ride coupons that he was squinting at, looking back and forth between them and the booth he’d just bought them from. Despite having been in Cherry a week, he’d selected today to do the ‘tourist-y’ thing, strutting down the boardwalk with a big stupid grin on his face, waving at babies, starting up conversation with anyone he vaguely recognised (or didn’t). It was all part of the persona he was trying to wear like a slightly ill-fitting suit, a face to put on that was more easily trusted than the usual Sully Lewis who’d been drifting through life for the last year or so. Shooting them another humbled grin, he tucked the tickets in his pocket. “I sound like a dumb asshole, don’t I?” The self-depreciating bit worked wonders too, he figured. 

🍕

Literally the last place Cam wanted to be was the boardwalk. In fact he actually believed he might have had more fun walking around the charred remains of the rest of the city. But that wasn’t exactly on the table. Not when his parents had sent him specifically on a mission to pass out pizza coupons to the many tourists walking about. He’d managed to draw the line at wearing the full blown pizza costume, but that didn’t save him from dawning a pizza palace shirt complete with a vizor as he handed out coupons to each passerby that would give him the time of day. When Sully started talking at him, he assumed it was going to be something snarky as it often had been throughout the day and was surprise when it was instead a simple complaint. “I mean this entire fuckin boardwalk is overpriced if you ask me. How much did they charge you for that cotton candy? Bet you could buy a bagged version at the convenience store for at least $2 cheaper.” 

[castle-cameron]

freeseyourbrain​:

— ☏ —

We were just arguing about tipping amounts. Frankie wasn’t a genius by any means, but something she prided herself on was her ability to pick up on body language, facial expressions, and most notably… a lie. “Tipping amounts?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows, clearly not convinced.. For someone who had just been arguing about tipping amounts, Cameron looked fairly peeved about it and considering the amount of business they probably got? She was sure they’d make it by even if one Southsider decided to jip him a buck or two. “It looked like a bit more than just a tip,” granted, anything involving the Southside came with more baggage than one would like. Maybe the Southsider had threatened Cameron. With what? She didn’t know, but it was her only working theory. Unless…

“Oh wait, I get it,” Frankie nodded, feeling as if she accomplished the biggest mystery of all. “You’re scared about your parents finding out that you’re dating a Southsider so you’ve got to play up the whole,” she waved her hands around in the air, “we hate each other thing, is that right? A little Romeo and Juliet action, if you will.”

🍕

Cam nodded when she asked again about his answer. It was all he could think to do really. And while lying had never really been his specialty, he didn’t think he was doing a terrible job at it. It was plausible right? The worst part was that he hardly felt like he was doing anything wrong, and still felt the need to lie. But he also wasn’t trying to get his parents into anymore trouble than they’d already gotten themselves into. “I don’t know what you mean. I basically live my life off tips so when people short tip me, I’ve gotta... you know? Give em a piece of my mind.” Cam reiterated, although this time was barely convincing himself. 

Her guess as to what was really going on wasn’t any better, but he wondered briefly if the excuse was one he could more easily get away with. “Um... you know what yeah. That’s actually exactly it. What gave us away?”

[castle-cameron]

rorycollins​:

🌱

Rory giggled. It was sort of nice to see Cam’s irritation directed at someone other than her. She’d still argue that missing a study session wasn’t her fault when the reason she couldn’t come was because she was in jail. And she’d made up the notes! “Jealous,” she whined. “I want unlimited pizza, Cam. Share your good fortune.” Her nose wrinkled as she tried to sift through the memories and stories her uncle had told her. “One weekend they decided to try and test chugging rum and cokes and mentos to see what would happen. There was some serious cleanup after that one. And this is why I didn’t work at the Drafthouse while it was still standing.” 

🍕

Cam shot Rory a knowing look as she whined. Shaking his head in disapproval. “You know the way to get free Pizza Collins. I have no doubt we’re going to end up in a class together next semester. Show up for our study sessions, and I guarantee there will be a piping hot pie in it for you. I might even let you pick the toppings.” Cam scolded playfully while scratching as his chin like he really had to think about it. He listened as she went into her story, mouth agape as he tried to picture the scene. It wasn’t pretty. Nor was he certain it likely any better in real life. “I can’t say I blame you. See I knew you were smart Collins. I’ve seen my fair share of weird shit on pizza deliveries but that might take the cake for me too. I’m sorry to hear about the Drafthouse by the way. Is your family doing okay?”