not that it was the first time she’d seen the other running on nothing but fumes. but each time, even more than the last, she couldn’t help but worry. for as wonderful a friend that kayla was when it came to taking care of others, charlotte couldn’t help but wish that she’d provide for herself just a bit of that same attention !! ❝ lunch & then maybe a nap ?? or maybe … ! you can sleep & i’ll feed you little bite sized pieces at a time ?? ❞
SHE WORKS UNTIL SHE’S BURNT - OUT. it’s not uncommon to spot energy drink disappearing in long, clean lines down a parched throat ; even less so to examine indigo splashes that decorate the shadows that dance underneath jaded pigments. half - moon grin is something mischievous when it plays upon bared brims, and cranium begins to bob in a series of feverish nods whilst she falls, quickly and easily, into step with the other. ❛ the feeding idea sounds REAL GOOD, if we’re being completely honest here. ❜
“ oh, kayla, you underestimate the power of a good fitness page. ” she looks up. “ girls that follow fitness pages tend to be low on self confidence, looking for a way to better themselves. it can be a great platform for promoting self-love, acceptance, and healthy body image. ”
❛ CONVERSELY, ❜ there’s always a counter with her, always sage logic that lingers, dormant and desperate, upon silvered tongue, ❛ girls, and indeed boys and other identities, might see it and take unhealthy measures to look like the image of health you’re projecting. it’s a two - way street, babe. ❜ ( if it was anyone else, brow would raise in malignant maneuver --- your turn, sweets --- but it’s el, and all she can procure is discordant chuckle. ) ❛ it’s your world though, honeybee. you do what you want. ❜
grayson needed to wait a few minutes after michaela’s lingering friends finally wandered away, satisfied with their spontaneous conversation, before he could emerge from underneath the tiny table. they had chosen this crowded restaurant, situated in a run down neighborhood a few miles outside the boundaries of their town, because they were confident that they wouldn’t run into anyone familiar. brushing away the spiderwebs clinging to his hair, he made a mental note to look for another location soon. “ well, i mean, ” he started, clearing his throat. “ as exhilarating and unexpected as conversations with you are, that wasn’t really the brand of exhilarating and unexpected that i was looking for today. ”
--- --- --- CUE LAUGHTER, THE SOFT KIND that trickles forth from velveteen throat like honey ; it’s the kind of softened, docile laughter that she RESERVES for the other, the kind that’s paired with lovelorn beam that spreads the minute he dares to show himself. nimble digits pluck dust bunny from a broad shoulder, and calloused pads MELT under the warmth of supple skin through delicate cotton ; who knew that something so PROSAIC, SO PEDESTRIAN could bring a goddess to her knees ?? ❛ it’s, erm. it was definitely something, alright. ❜ ( and there she goes with that CHUCKLE again, saccharine and designed only for him. ) ❛ i didn’t mean for you to have to --- i just --- ❜ ringed tactiles make a grab for his own palm, and SPARKS FLY when she laces / locks digits together in a firm hold, reassuring and reverent. ❛ at least we hadn’t ordered yet. that might’ve been real bad. ❜
HARANGUE HAS BEEN RAGING for at least ten minutes now --- --- lank digits discompose brunet tresses for the fifth time in five minutes, and it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that wide - eyed male is riding out an impressive high that starts with jovial rambling and ends with catatonic figure slouched in front of a television. ❛ so, like, there’s SO MUCH GAY SUBTEXT in classic novels, right ? fuckin’ --- --- if nick carroway ain’t totally givin’ it to jay in the back of that car, i’ll be surprised. daisy was totally a beard. ❜
--- --- NARROWED OPTICS HAVE TRACKED her movements, and he’ll give himself credit where it’s due ; focus has yet to yield itself to the sweating glass that’s clutched between angular digits, captivated instead by elegant advances that he still knows like the back of an unfortunate hand. glass is raised to bitten roseates, and for a transitory second the ache of LONGING drowns out the taste of bittered tequila upon reticent tongue and amber becomes harder to ingest when it tastes like missing her. ( it’s a sick little dance / twirling around each other like strangers, like they’ve never met but hues tell wildly divergent tales when they meet over tinted glass like they’re romeo and juliet, like this is a baz lurhmann film and they’re star - crossed lovers, bound by toxiants and cutlasses. ) strange, stranger ; it’s harder to feign indifference than it once was.
❛ I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER BEEN SO GLAD TO SEE YOU. ❜ it’s not a lie, either ; cranium is prostrated and hues droop as lithe frame slowly advances, almost ready to collapse upon the other. ❛ remind me never to forget to do an assignment and pull an all - nighter to do it again, especially when i have a seven o’clock class the next day. ❜ delicate digits readjust straps that dig, unmerciful, into aching shoulders. ❛ can we get lunch soon ? i’m fucking STARVING. ❜
❛ I CAME AS SOON AS YOU CALLED, DUDE ! ❜ tousled bed hair and grooves dug into gaunt flesh indicate that breathless vocals ring true --- --- --- frayed sweatshirt still carries the scent of warm flannel sheets, twisted between calloused fingertips. ❛ what’s up ? you sounded fuckin’ . . . distraught, man, like you were bein’ chased by an axe - wieldin’ douchebag. ❜ ( syllables are slurred, nonsensical, and whether it’s by sleep or by anodynes that dance waltzes in toxic bloodstream is up to interpretation ; pupils are blown something dangerous and there is something frenetic, something corporeal in the way he glances at the other. ) ❛ if this is about fuckin’ weights at the gym, man, i’m goin’ home. ❜
eleanor sniffed as she dragged a manicured fingernail against her phone screen, scrolling through her instagram feed absent-mindedly. “ should i start a fitness page? ” she asked to no one in particular, brow creasing slightly. “ it looks easy. and fun. ”
❛ WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, EL --- --- ❜ and nothing good can come from pursed roseates and creased brow --- --- ❛ i think you could use your SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE to do something a lot more beneficial than a fitness page. ❜
round two, alternately known as: pearl never shuts up about her muses or their families, ig. :/
- ̗̀ ❛ KIANA LEDE, SHE/HER . ❜ ̖́- is that michaela rosser getting out of their car blasting body & blood by clipping ? i heard they’re twenty-one and they’ve been living in scarsdale for three months. i mean, i’m not surprised –– i hear their family’s networth is 950k. everyone’s always said they’re pretty ardent and audacious, but rumor has it they can be obstreporous and histrionic, too.
i’m not gonna lie, she’s based off of sam from dear white people :/
so her family are pretty much based off of reddick, boseman and kolstad from the good fight; ergo, a highly successful african-american law firm that takes on police brutality cases, amongst others ( they’re also notable for their criminal law and corporate law cases ). notoriously selective, but also notoriously hard to defeat in court. they rarely lose their cases.
she was raised to be very aware of her position in society and that she had to fight for what she wanted
her parents genuinely stuck to this ; they made her work for everything she ever wanted and it’s v much shaped the way she views the world and how she doesn’t take wealth as a privilege but moreso as a symbol of how hard her parents worked and fought
always the most opinionated, loud, sassy kid in yr class ; she probs argued with the teachers 24/7 and although her schools didn’t appreciate it, her parents sure the fuck did
they lived on the upper east side for ages bc that’s where the main firm was located but her parents decided that it was time to move ??
they’ve pretty much just moved from the upper east side of manhattan so kayla’s still v much the new kid on the block
and the whole new kid on the block thing would work out so well if the new kid on the block wasn’t so insistent on getting into verbal sparring matches and arguing with everyone
studying law at nyu, and is def getting a job with her family’s firm the minute she graduates
writes an extremely opinionated blog on civil and political rights that she’s super proud of
just . a super determined, focussed, intelligent girl who wants to fight for what she believes in
she either loves u or hates u and there’s literally no in between
WANTED CONNECTIONS !
a fling she’ll never admit to in a thousand years.
her lil tribe of friends that she’d die for.
the poor fucks she terrorises on a daily basis.
maybe ppl her parents defended / prosecuted against.
a study group or smth because we love cute dynamics.
good morning / evening ! i’m about to head off to university, but i thought it’d probs be a good idea to introduce myself and my demons first ! my name’s PEARL, i’m nineteen and i’m a pain in the ass who likes horror movies and netflix far more than she should. i’m so excited to start writing elton and michaela, so without further ado, lemme start rambling about them !
- ̗̀ ❛ NICK ROBINSON, HE/HIM . ❜ ̖́- is that elton eyre getting out of their car blasting love ; not wrong by eden ? i heard they’re twenty-two and they’ve been living in scarsdale since he was born. i mean, i’m not surprised –– i hear their family’s networth is 1m. everyone’s always said they’re pretty sycophantic and garrulous, but rumor has it they can be highfaluting and supercilious, too.
so this dickhead...... wow
his mom owns a chain of highly successful gyms around america and his dad is a plastic surgeon to the stars
it’s probs canon that he used to make fun of the ppl who used to come to his dad for cosmetic work bc he’s that kind of asshole
he’s lived in scarsdale since he was born, and his parents have lived there since they both started coming into money so their family is pre established in the community ig
went to the best schools money could buy and managed to buy his way into good grades ( that he didn’t deserve ), friends ( that he didn’t deserve ) and more ( that, u guessed it, he didn’t deserve )
the thing is tho he’s real clever but he just ? didn’t see a point in being clever when he was a kid bc he wasn’t getting anything out of it
he never rly fell into the ‘wrong crowd’ or anything but drugs and hard partying started to make their way into his life when he was abt sixteen or so ? n it pretty much started out of a need for attention and notoriety and apaz drinking until u throw up and pass out is the way he decided to do it
dabbled in weed n coke for a while but fell in love w heroin abt the same time he fell in love w classic literature
applied / bought his way into to columbia at 18 but decided to actually start working hard bc he genuinely enjoyed what he was doing
currently majors in english literature and minors in journalism, is the head of the columbia daily spectator, and is genuinely loving it
he’s tryin to worm himself off of heroin but :/ realistically that isn’t gna fuckin work bc we do love a big old addict
in terms of personality ? uhh . an absolute dipshit
doesn’t care abt anyone else besides himself, which is pre evident by the string of exes who wish he was dead
tbh he wishes he was dead as well so it works out well
he likes 2 give off the image of being some kinda philosopher but realistically he’s just another fuckin rich whiny white boy
pre much summarised by that line out of that the 1975 song; “it's not about reciprocation it's just all about me, a sycophantic, prophetic, socratic junkie wannabe”
talks a lot of shit and needs 2 be punched
WANTED CONNECTIONS !
( i’m fucking terrible w these but here we are tryin anyway )
the unfortunate string of exes who hate his guts.
his dealers. ( multiple, bc he’s a flighty bitch who can’t stick to just one. )
ppl who put up with his shit bc he can get them a discount on lip fillers.