Love Your Friends, Die Laughing

"Such a douchebag." she rebutted as he tried to trip her. She dodged it and walked over to the keg to pump two more drinks out of it. She made some small talk with a few people around the keg and ended up drinking her cup and needed to refill it again before she returned over to where Donovan was sitting. "I should totally dump this on you. But that would be a waste of beer." she teased as she sat back down.

"Don't be mean, now!" He yelled as she was halfway to the keg. He saw her standing and talking as she got the drinks and he made friends with the guy a few feet away, just asking them where they were from. Before he knew it, Kacey was back and threatening to pour the beer over his head. "That would be a really bad waste." He said, taking his cup and drinking some. "I have an idea." Donovan stood and walked to a kid who had a guitar. He asked to borrow it for a few minutes and the guy agreed. He walked back to Kacey and sat with the guitar. "Would you like me to serenade you?"

Growing Pains | Kingston & Donovan

Kingston looked at Donovan and nodded, “Of course there will be a part of you that will always love her, like you said, you had a thing for a year and a half,” he agreed, “I honestly don’t understand what happened though. What made you want to end things, I didn’t get it. But I’m not going to call you a bad guy for it, if you just don’t feel it anymore, that’s more than fine. I get it. I just think you should try and give Avery some kind of explanation.”

"Maybe I will next weekend. I still haven’t quite gotten all my stuff in place but you should totally come around for beers and a football game." Kingston looked at Donovan and smiled as he took the second bottle as he had finished the first one. "Exactly. I was losing my mind living there. I love my parents, of course, they’ve done so many things for me. And I’m forever grateful because of that. But they need to let me spread my wings."

"I gave her my explanation. We know each other too well, it just was over the top. Plus, between me and you, I always got mad when she was needy." He shook his head a little and polished off the beer before waving to the bartender for another round. "I know that's just her and I have no right to be mad about it, which is kinda why I just had to be done." Donovan finished his explanation and handed Kingston the next beer, opening his own and taking a sip.

"Definitely!" He replied to the invite. It would be fun to hang out with his friends in the new place Kingston got. Especially for some of his favorite stuff, beer and football. "Nah, she'll be okay with it soon, she knows you had to grow up." He said with a small nod. Of course his friend had a protective mother, all the best kids did.

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

"Oh yeah, it was definitely the smile. Or maybe it was the hair that did it." she joked considering his hair was pretty messed up from the water. Not that hers was much better. She ran her fingers through his hair and laughed. "I know, hanging out with me is pretty expensive. I could probably charge by the hour." she teased and chugged back most of what was in her cup. She didn’t hold back when it came to drinking. "I’m gonna go for a refill, you want some?" she asked as she got to her feet and held out her hand for his cup.

Donovan laughed and tried to fix his hair after she had combed her fingers through it. "It was absolutely the hair." He said and smirked at her again. "You'd be rich after just one day!" He exclaimed with a chuckle. As she offered a refill he drank everything he had left and handed her the cup. "Such a gentlemen." He said and tried to trip her as she walked away.

Poison & Wine ★ Avery & Donovan

Avery stared down at the red plastic cup in her hand, which seemingly kept refilling itself with pineapple juice, tonic, and tequila. Courtney Palmer, her new roomie, had accompanied her to the party as her date, but within the hour, she’d disappeared, forcing Avery to intersperse with complete strangers to ensure she didn’t go running to Donovan. Kingston had presaged her that he’d be bringing Donovan to the party, and she’d solemnly sworn to play nice and be civil, but she hadn’t expected to feel this belittled at the sight of Donovan talking to and dancing with other girls. They’d only been officially (or rather “unofficially, in Donovan’s words) broken up for a few hours, and already he was allowing girls to throw themselves at him. He looked like a complete tool attracting trashy girls—and yet he’d been afraid Avery Whittaker would taint his image? She rolled her eyes. She filled her cup to the brim with tequila, not bothering to water it down with juice or tonic, and allowed the crowd of tightly-compacted dancing bodies to consume her. This Electric Night Remix by Lizi Kaybegan blaring through the speakers, and as if on cue, the lighting dimmed. She sipped at her drink, getting the majority of it on the floor or her shirt, but managing to maintain her buzz. Her head spun as she accommodated her body against that of the other guests—some she knew and had grown up with, others she’d never seen in her life.

Someone grabbed her by the waist from behind and pulled her close against them, their bodies moving in unanimity against the boisterous music. She lifted her cup to her lips to polish off the remnants when she felt herself being pulled in the opposite direction, forcing her to drop her cup on the ground. Their grip around her wrist tightened as they migrated up the staircase, down the hall, and into a vacant bedroom. “Let go—yo—you’re hurting me!” Her words garbled, and alas, the grip lessened. She stared up through her thick lashes and was staggered to see it had been Donovan who’d dragged by her feet out of the dance floor. Avery crossed her arms securely over her chest, fighting to find the right words to break the silence. Her hand still stung, but she disregarded the throbbing sensation as she took several steps away from Donovan. “What the hell?” She managed, her eyes narrowing as she eyed the door, which he now blocked. “Aren’t you afraid someone’s gonna see us? I might ruin your image, remember? Move,” she urged, closing the gap between them instantaneously. She fought to move him out of the way, wondering if the room had begun spinning or if it was all in her head.

Donovan entered the party with Kingston by his side. He'd only had a few beers at the bar and he was feeling perfectly fine. But the further into the night he got, the heavier the drink he filled his cup with. It seemed everywhere he went, Avery was across the room. Their eyes would meet for a split second before they both made a face and turned to move on with their evening. He wasn't being uncivil and neither was she, but it was still uncomfortable seeing each other so soon after what happened in the coffee shop. His cup was full and he was dancing to some electronic song he didn't know with a girl he also had no idea about. It was loud and he was only moderately tipsy but identity didn't matter to him. What mattered was that he was having fun, expanding his social circle, and looking great doing it. At this point, Kingston had disappeared. Donovan wasn't worried, he knew his buddy could hold his own and he had his phone just in case. Though he couldn't see King anywhere, there was Avery, once again filling her cup.

Knowing she'd been drinking quite a bit, Donovan had been keeping a slightly watchful eye over her. When he noticed a guy grab her quite forcefully and begin dancing on her a hint of worry washed over him. Avery no longer was giving him any attention. She hardly had her eyes off her sloshing cup for that matter. As she finished the cup Donovan knew she would regret not sobering up a little and thinking about what she was doing. He didn't want to play babysitter but he also wasn't going to let some asshole take advantage of Avery while she was drunk. He moved across the dance floor to her and grabbed her wrist. Her cup dropped unintentionally and he started moving her up the stairs. Donovan pulled her into an empty bedroom and released her when she began complaining about his grip. "Oh shut up." Donovan replied, rolling his eyes. He knew Avery was beyond drunk and was at the shitfaced portion of the night. As she barged into him he put a protective arm around her and led her to the bed. "Please just sit your ass down for a second! You're entirely too drunk and the asshole you were dancing on was about to rape you right there so relax for a second!" He was trying his hardest to not be a dick but the bit of alcohol he had in his system certainly was not helping. He could tell she was dizzy and he helped her to sit. "Just relax, Av. You need to take a minute in here and calm down."

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

Kacey enjoyed being one of the guys and hanging around Donovan was exactly that. He never made her feel like some fragile girl that needed some big strong guy to save her. Kacey could hold her own, and everyone knew that. “That’s okay, you’re a pretty cheap date anyways.” she teased and nudged him with her elbow playfully. “I should just start charging to hangout with me for a day. I could make a lot of money that way.” she joked because she doubted anyone would pay her to hangout.

"Wow, I really appreciate that." He said with a laugh and drank some more. "Maybe it was me that got us the free drinks. My good looks and flawless smile did all the heavy lifting." He said and smirked at her, nudging her back. "You'd be rich!" Donovan said. "Granted, I would have to tag out because I'm too poor for what I'm sure your high charges would be. Cause you're so awesome, it'd be worth so much money!" He continued, still drinking.

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

Kacey took the cup that was handed to her and smiled, “Thanks!” she said and took a seat by the fire. “I know, I didn’t even have to show any cleavage.” she teased. Kacey had been known to flirt to get her way every now and again. Sometimes it got her in even more trouble though. Kacey dug her feet into the sand, practically burying them. As she did so she took a sip of the beer in her cup and let it coat her throat. “So how is it being back? Do I know how to throw a welcoming back party or what?” she joked with a chuckle.

"I mean with just your top you already are!" He laughed a little and took a big swig of his beer. He was glad to be in good company, having a fun and casual evening. It was easy to be around Kasey, and it was easy for her to show him a good time. "It's good being back. You really do! You're pretty good at it, you could make it a profession or something." He laughed along with her. "But don't expect any money for tonight! I won't be taking any bill for this fun."

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

She chuckled and relaxed her arms, letting go of him. She turned her gaze to the party on the beach and nodded, “Definitely. I’m always down for free drinks.” she grinned and walked on shore to where her clothes were. She pulled on her jean shorts but left her tank top on her shoulder as they started walking through the sand. “Hey guys, the water is a little cold. Mind if we sit by your fire to warm up?” she asked the group, figuring her smile would be convincing enough.

"Sounds good." Donovan said and got out of the water, pulling on his shorts and shirt and walking beside her. They got close to the group and he let Kacey take over, a charming smile dancing on his face as well. The group agreed and handed both him and Kacey a cup welcomingly. "Thanks guys!" He said and raised his cup then took a drink and sat next to Kacey on the sand. "Well that was easy." He stated with a grin.

Growing Pains | Kingston & Donovan

"What’s been going on with me? Well, not much. Like I said, I live a boring life. I’ve moved into my apartment though, that’s pretty cool. It’s in the middle of the town, not too far from the beach so yeah, Mom freaked out of course but Dad explained that I’m twenty-three years old. I need to spread my wings and all that."

"I mean I think a part of me will always love her. It was a year and a half.." He took another big drink. "But I'm not saying I want her, either." Donovan tried to explain. "It's not like I don't want her around at all, but we definitely can't be couple-y or anything of the sort. It just doesn't work." He figured that after last night, they'd definitely be spending at least some time apart of not a lot of time.

Donovan listened as his friend explained that he had moved. "That's exciting, you should have a housewarming party sometime, you know?" He laughed a little. Of course Kingston's mom was worried, nothing was ever safe enough for her little boy. "Your dad's right, and I'm sure she'll come to terms with it. You had to do it eventually."

#para: kingston

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

"Not always. But I’ll give you this one." she argued because Kacey was a competitive person at heart. But he was more than obviously stronger than her. Not that she would ever actually admit that. "He gets the satisfaction of winning." she murmured as she held on to him and let him pull her around a little. The feeling of the water against her skin as he pulled her along felt good. She let out a sigh and turned her head, "And I guess he gets a kiss on the cheek." she teased and kissed his cheek lightly.

"Always means always." Donovan stated with a laugh. Shaking his head slightly at the satisfaction of winning, he knew she was thinking over something else. "A kiss on the cheek, totally worth the victory!" He said with a laugh and let her down. "Any interest in heading to that party and seeing what's going on?" He moved toward the shore, hoping there would be free drinks and some fun waiting on the beach.

#para: Kacey

Adventure | Kacey & Donovan

She felt him dragging her by her ankle and no matter how much she tried to get away, he was stronger. “Put me down!” she exclaimed with a laugh. But before she could fight her way out of his arms, she was being tossed into the water. She came up immediately and wiped her face, shaking her head. But the smile on her face was clear. “Oh is that so?” she mused as she moved towards him and splashed him again before jumping on his back and trying to pull him under with her. She couldn’t help but to laugh as they fought in the water but after a few moments of effort Kacey gave up, “Alright! You win!” she exclaimed and rested on him for a second to catch her breath.

He laughed as she challenged him again, jumping on his back and trying to drag him under. "You will never win that way!" He exclaimed, leaning back and nearly dunking her under again. He continued to wrestle Kacey for a moment before she gave up, resting on him. "I always win." He replied with a smirk, keeping her on his back and beginning to swim a little. "A free ride for the quitter, and what does the victor get?" Donovan questioned.

#para: Kacey

Growing Pains | Kingston & Donovan

Kingston nodded while he listened to what Donovan said about how he had left because of family problems but also because of things that had happened while he was in Savannah. Especially with Avery and suddenly Kingston felt a little bad about hanging out with her, even though he was friends with her too. Kingston took another sip from his drink and nodded.

"I know you are struggling with Avery, and whatever happened between the two of you when you were together… Maybe you need to try and talk to her, man. Give her an explanation, you know what I mean?" he looked at Donovan and shrugged as the bartender came over. Kingston ordered another two bottles for the two of them.

"She needs an explanation."

Donovan nodded in reply. "I know she does, and I saw her last night and tried to give it to her. It didn't really go over well.. like it was pretty heated..." He trailed off and shook his head with a sigh. Taking another swig he thought about what else to say. "I mean she said she loves me, and I said it back but like it can't work out. Like I'll always care for her, but we can't make it work."

It was rough all over again, bringing it up like this. He didn't want to think about the night before. "It doesn't matter though, there's not much more I can do.." He cleared his throat and forced a small smile as he looked at his friend. "What's been going on with you?"

#para: kingston

Avery wasn’t really listening to what he was saying. His mouth was moving, his voice was carrying, but the words were lost. Her eyes dug into the mess of sugar she’d made as if memories of them when they’d been together and happy projected into the substance. When she worked at her parent’s law firm as the receptionist, Donovan brought her lunch every single day, and had flowers delivered every Friday. Every night, he’d come over and play with her hair until she fell asleep. He’d take an assortment of obnoxious pictures of her sleeping and impishly threaten to post them online when he wouldn’t get his way. Somehow, she’d managed to get him to watch all of the seasons of Desperate Housewives with her, twice. Sometimes, he’d wake her up in the middle of the night, they’d pack an overnight bag, and take random road trips anywhere, stay in expensive hotel rooms, and order room service. She knew eventually she’d have to move on and when she did, it would never pale in comparison to what she had with Don. She’d never be able to love anyone the way she loved him. “Okay,” Avery finally managed, using the back of her hand to hinder the tears that threatened to spill down her neck. “Thank you for the drink, and for coming out here to talk to me. I love you, okay? I won’t be around to constantly remind you, anymore, so I hope you don’t forget it.” She lifted herself from the seat, gathered her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, and rummaged through her purse for her sunglasses. It was still raining outside and the shades were unnecessary, but she refused to let anyone see her with swollen, red eyes and no concealer.

She wasn't listening and he couldn't blame her in the slightest. His excuses were pointless and meaningless anyway. This was it for them, a rough ending. The happiness and memories of the times they had floated through his head but it wasn't enough to change things. It was better this way, he kept reminding himself. Donovan watched her silently as she wiped her tears. The three words that were most important rung in his ears as she dug in her purse, looking for something. "I.." He stopped himself and let out a heavy breath. "I love you too.. and I'll always be here when you truly need someone." He let the words float between them. He meant it, he didn't like seeing her hurt and he knew there was nothing he could do but offer up his best. He did love her. And he would watch out for her the best he could and he would be there as well as possible. "Just, don't remember me this way." He said as a closing statement.

eloise-bradshaw

It’s nice to meet you too, Donovan. Where were you? If you don’t mind me asking.

Just in New York, visiting family.

Did you move here or are you visiting?

#chat: taylor

eloise-bradshaw

Oh, well. In that case I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Taylor.

Very nice to meet you, Taylor. I'm Donovan West.

#chat: taylor

She hated him for everything he said because he was right. He knew how she worked and vice versa—for Christ’s sakes, they were together (unofficially) for a year and a half. She thought she’d known him like the back of her hand, but one day… he just changed. He stopped answering her texts the way he’d used to, and anytime she called, he’d send her to voicemail. He chose beer-pong with his friends over watching a movie with her, and he’d forget about their dates or monthaversaries. Avery should’ve seen the signs, for they were all blatantly in her face. It’d started with the night he’d grabbed her wrist and shoved her into a wall and ended when he left to New York and didn’t talk to her. She should’ve left well enough alone, but she loved him so much, and she knew she had to fight for what she wanted. Still, there wasn’t much she could do once Don made up his mind. “I care what people think, too, Don, but I would never that get in between me and the person I love. Why does it matter, anyway? We have the same friends; we go to the same parties. If anything, your world might fall off its axis once people realize we’re not together. It’s always been you and m-me.” For the umpteenth time, her voice cracked. By then, she’d lowered her tone, finding no sense in making a scene over nothing. That was it. They were over. She was wasting her time, energy, and her love.

He had never meant to hurt her all those nights ago. It had been well over a month now. She was going off on him, he hadn't answered her call or something of the sort. He was losing his temper because of it and he grabbed her wrist. The fear in her eyes didn't make his grip loosen, he was in his own world. She had kept yelling at him and he shoved her back into a wall. As soon as he saw the hurt and terror in her eyes he had stopped, trying to apologize. But it was the moment he knew they couldn't work out. She was needy, and that was fine, just not for Donovan. He didn't want them to forget each other completely, but it was clear at this point that they were through. He knew she and Kingston were close, so he was confident they would have to be adults sometimes and deal with each other's company. All the more reason Donovan didn't want to make things worse. Both of them were back to talking normally, still clearly upset but not causing attention to be drawn to them. "It matters because you know me differently than they do. And when I act different than the Don you know, you don't like it. It's like two different worlds and it's getting harder and harder to mash them together." He tried to explain it but it didn't hardly make sense to him.

Suddenly, Avery had regretted texting him or bothering to see how he was doing, and especially for asking him to meet up with her. “I should have known this had something to do with your stupid image! God, Don, will you grow up? We’re not in high school, anymore. Who cares what people think?” She’d gone completely against everything she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do and made a scene. Some bystanders were curious; others were used to the outbursts exchanged between couples in Savannah. She was sick of feeling this way, tired of crying herself to sleep and so terribly over telling herself, every single day, that this was just a phase and that he’d come back to her. He wasn’t going to. Her mother had told her she couldn’t hold Donovan accountable for how he felt—he was a man, and still too young for commitment. These were his college years, when he was trying to figure out who he was and what he’s meant to do. Still, Avery had hoped he wouldn’t have minded growing up with her. “Fine. Fine, Don. You win, okay? You won’t hear from me anymore. I’m not gonna be chasing after you, anymore, like some lovesick puppy. But trust me… when I stop coming around, you’re gonna notice, and you’re gonna miss it. Good luck finding what you had with me in somebody else.”

Of course what he said upset her, this wasn't new to either of them. These fights were typical between them. Though they were not always this serious, they were this heated and over similar things. He could feel people's eyes on them as Avery's voice raised more and more. This was exactly what he meant to avoid. Every second he spent with a negative look his way threatened his social standing. At this point, with her so upset, it wasn't the first thing on his mind, but it was still there. She was a time-bomb and always had been. Every time she went off it took casualties and he wasn't sure he could take it anymore. Sure, it would be great if they could be civil. She was right, he would miss her company and companionship. Miss the way he felt around her, like he didn't have to hide a part of him away. But that seemed over now. "I care what people think." He stated with a sharp ending to it. Of course he did. It was important to him. "You say it like it's so easy. I guess I just won't reply to your texts anymore again and see how it goes. In a few days you will come around, hoping that my feelings haven't disappeared. That's what you were here for tonight, to see if they were still there. Of course they are. But this is exactly why it doesn't matter, it can't work."

Growing Pains | Kingston & Donovan

Kingston took a drink and nearly choked on the beer. He coughed and laughed nervously as he looked at Donovan as he hadn’t told him about his weekend get-away with Avery. Nothing had happened, they had just talked and hung out but Kingston had feelings for her; hell, he had for a while - sure they had never been very strong in the beginning but the more they had hung out, the more they had appeared, “well, I couldn’t just be sitting at home doing nothing while you were gone.”

"Why did you disappear then? I mean, there must be something that made you leave? Was it, what happened with you and Avery?" he said and looked at Donovan, taking a toothpick and putting it between his teeth.