Allison Greene

People say you're born innocent, but it's not true. You inherit all kinds of things that you can do nothing about. You inherit your identity, your history, like a birthmark that you can't wash off. ... We are born with our heads turned back, but my mother says we have to face into the future now. You have to earn your own innocence, she says. You have to grow up and become innocent.

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

suddenly he’s included in her world? laurie doesn’t bring it up, but he left that world behind a long time ago. because he did make a choice. that’s the reason his family looks down on him, the reason she looks down on him, and the reason just about everyone he grew up with looks down on him. “just because everyone acts like you don’t get a choice doesn’t mean you can’t make one.” it’s her life — he’s not going to push her to make a choice or not. but he does know that ever since he decided to live his own life and not the life his parents wanted, he’s been a lot happier. “that’s none of my business though.” he quickly adds. they’ve got this far without having any strong arguments and he doesn’t have the energy for it tonight. “thank you,” he offers her a small smile. art has been his passion for so long that he can’t wait to do it full time. no school, no family business — just what he loves. “yeah, as much as they threatened my parents never actually took away my inheritance. that’s part of why i wanted to go to school here. the art scene is pretty awesome, there are some very talented people around here.” 

“Oh no.” Allison said and shook her head. She didn’t know why she was being this open and talking about her feelings but here they were anyway. “No, you don’t remember my parents much. I don’t have a choice. At all. It’s either do this or be killed basically.” Allison said and took another bite. “You may have escaped but with DJ being the way she is, there’s absolutely no way I could ever...” Allie just shook her head again and looked down at the pizza. She wasn’t trying to argue, she just didn’t think he understood. Allie was her parent’s golden child, the one they showed off every chance they could get so everything she was...it was a front that her parents made her have. She didn’t have the chance to be herself and that was one disconnect between her and Laurie for years. “I would say so.” she said. “You should try to talk to the art teacher about opening something.” she said and smiled a little. “I’m sure it would be very successful.”

[innocxntly]

peytonclarke-s​:

When the realization hit Peyton, she couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. “Oh, that Laurie,” she said thoughtfully. Though Peyton loved Allie to death, the amount of time that hte younger girl had spent ranting about this–sworn enemy of hers–had pretty much blurred together in Peyton’s mind. At one point, she just resolved that the two would end up as one of those enemies to lovers tropes. She knew better than to bring it up; Allie would deny it instantly, and she wasn’t in the business of vexing her any further. Instead, she let Allie babble on a bit about her husband before realizing she’d mentioned her relationship with Harry. “Oh, no, I’m sure we’ll be alright,” Peyton said, the uncertainty in her voice betraying her words. “Really, it’s just a matter of talking things out. And as for my thesis–” Peyton paused to think of Allie’s advice. “The muse has always been my problem,” she admitted. “Don’t go telling anyone, but I’ve been trying to draw inspiration from Tie-the-Knot. The reactions are so dynamic, and the setting’s quite unique. If I can spin the story right, it’d be one hell of a … fiction, inspired by true events.”

Allison understood why she wasn’t bringing Laurie up more than that sentence because if someone had brought up someone else to Allison the amount of times Allie brought up Laurie, she’d get annoyed. But he was just so frustrating to her and she had no one else to really vent to. Caroline would get it sometimes but Peyton was the one who got it the most. So when they moved on to talk about her thesis, Allison decided to just drop the Laurie conversation. “Hopefully.” Allison said and decided to hop up on the table to sit on it, deciding that Laurie would not be arriving in the next few minutes. “I’ll be your muse.” She teased and flipped her hair jokingly. “I think it would be a good idea. Surely a lot of made up outcomes as well as ones so real that they almost seem made up.” 

[innocxntly]

 tpeytonclarke-s​:

Peyton hung on to Allison every word, ever so enthusiastic to catch up with her. She’d never had any siblings of her own, and so she reveled in getting to be like one with Allison. Their families were quite please about it, actually, so Peyton often got to hang out with her in their down time–it just so happened that Peyton hadn’t really gotten much ’ down time ’ since the whole program started. “Laurie Wilson.” Peyton repeated thoughtfully. “I’ve heard the name, but I can’t say I know him. Although I’m docking him points for being late,” she joked. At Allison’s description of Laurie, Peyton went on instant defense mode. “Treating you terribly? How so? You know I can’t FIGHT for the life of me, but I’m ready to come at this kid,” she said sternly. At the question of how she was doing, though, Peyton found herself shrugging a bit. “You remember when I told you about my first boyfriend, Harry? We’re actually paired together,” she divulged. “We haven’t seen much of each other, though–not sure if he’s around–but I suppose we’re … well, we’ll figure it out.” Pause. “As for school, I’m still trying to get through my thesis. I’m always reminded that this novel’s not going to write itself, but I can barely get past the first few chapters without wanting to rewrite.”

“You’ve heard the name from me.” Allison pointed out. “And probably his older brother. His older brother is the one who is the president of the student body, the one who cheated on all those girls.” Allison pointed out. “But Laurie and I have hated each other since we were kids, so you’ve probably heard me talk about him from time and time again,” Allison said and rolled her eyes. The fact that she even had to bring him up in college was annoying. She had hoped that when they graduated, they could get far away from each other. She laughed at Peyton’s quickness to protect and she just shook her head. “You’re fine, I appreciate it but it’s something I’ve dealt with my entire life. It would take a book to write about the things he’s done to me so I'll just say that’s he’s the worst.” Allison explained. “Oh well that’s...awkward.” Allison said and let her eyebrows knit together. “I’m sorry you have to go through with that but maybe it’ll be a good thing?” she asked. Allison was glad when they moved onto the thesis though, having something else to talk about. “Well, maybe you need to rethink it. Get a different muse?” she asked. 

[innocxntly]

peytonclarke-s​:

Once her eyes had sufficiently adjusted to the darkness, Peyton got to see better who the person across from her was. “Allie!” she said laughingly, instantly comforted at the sight of the blonde. She reached out to hug Allie briefly. “I’m so happy to see you here.” Pulling away, Peyton went on to a full-on barrage of questions–she hadn’t seen the younger girl in a while, after all, so this was a pleasant surprise. “How has school been? How have you been? Oh–and the program–how are you holding up? How’s your husband–no, WHO’S your husband?” she paused to take her breath, smiling widely. “Sorry, sorry. You know how I can talk your ear off.”

Allison couldn’t help but laugh at the other. She was such a breath of fresh air compared to half the people in this school and things were always so easy and bright with her around. “I’m happy to see you too!” she said. Their families, both being insanely rich, had known each other for a long time and Allison had taken to Peyton the minute they met. They were completely different personalities but Peyton was like a sister to her and she just didn’t know if she could live without her. “School has been good, for the week or two I’ve been here,” Allie said with a grin. “I’ve been okay. This program is a mess and they paired me with that absolute demon Laurie Wilson, who is late by the way. That’s why I’m out here,” Allison said and rolled her eyes. “He’s the absolute worst and treats me terrible and it’s not fair at all but I’ll power through it,” Allison said. “What about you? How’s the program for you, how’s school, who’s your husband...I wanna hear it all.”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

“is that what you want to do? take over the family business?” laurie asks curiously. he never really had to worry about taking over the family business. he’s pretty sure his parents would rather sell than let him take over. not that he cares — that’s always been his older brothers dream. and he’s happy to let the other have it. he folds his pizza over in half and takes a bite, almost humming at the familiar taste. his family loved to take him to restaurants that serve fancy meals that he could devour in one bite, but these kinds of places are his favorite. greasy, homemade, big portions — perfect. wiping his mouth he swallows before answering her question. “i want to do galleries. not just for me, but for up and coming artists too.” he’s already built somewhat of a name for himself in the art world, but having a gallery would make getting publicity a lot easier. 

“Does anyone in this world really have a choice?” she asked. “And I’m not saying the world in general. You know what world I mean...our world. It’s a different world than most people live.” The world she was talking about was the world that Laurie had separated himself from, the world that her sister had separated herself from, and the world that Allison was slowly becoming the poster child for. One that she almost felt like she could never escape. She took another bite of pizza and hummed at the taste. God, she wished she ate like this more often. The fact that she was eating like this, on a “date” with Laurie blew her mind. This was a situation she never pictured herself in. Allison’s attention diverted at his words and she nodded. “That’s cool. Really cool,” she said. “I think it’s a really smart idea. I’m sure you’d be able to do it. You have the money to open something up and there are a lot of artists here in Philadelphia that could use that recognition. You’re in one of the best cities for art appreciation.”

[innocxntly]

peytonclarke-s​:

Peyton wasn’t too big on jewelry, but she quite liked rings. They stayed in place and they weren’t too flashy–the rings for the Tie-the-Knot program fit the bill perfectly, she thought as she fiddled with the one given to her as a ’ wedding gift. ’ She’d stepped out of the venue to take a breather, wandering over to a quiet corner; she’d hoped to find a moment alone, only to find someone already hanging around the spot she’d been eyeing. “Oh, hello,” she greeted awkwardly, not wanting to be rude. “Would you mind some company? They’ve started this conga line inside, and I’m not quite sure that I want to be part of it …”

Allison had decided to wait outside of the dance for Laurie, since he was running late and she was getting more and more annoyed by the second. But seeing Peyton come out and hearing her voice was a great solution. Somehow the girl always calmed her down and Allison wasn’t surprised they were meeting out here now. Peyton had never been one for huge events. She turned and grinned at the other, smiling as she leaned against the table. “From you? Always.” she said. “The reception too much for you?”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

it was a dingy place and laurie was well aware of that. but the food spoke for itself, and he’s hoping to prove a point to allison tonight. walking up to the counter he’s greeted by name and for the first time tonight, he smiles. he’s comfortable here, much more comfortable than he was at the dance. he orders himself a slice of pepperoni pizza before turning to her, waving her towards the counter. “what do you want?” he asks her. after she’s ordered he pays and then moves over to wait for their food. “not surprised, no.” he agrees with a nod, glancing over at her. allison had loved to dance for as long as he can remember. even back before they hated each other. some things never change. he nods again at her assumption. anyone who even knows who laurie is knows he’s always been the art kid. constantly doodling and always getting perfect marks on his drawings in art class. “yeah, i am.” once their food is out he grabs the tray and goes to sit in his normal booth in the corner, setting her plate down on the opposite side of the table.

Allison watched as his demeanor completely changed and he couldn’t help but smile at the other, secretly. It was nice to see him smile for once and definitely showed a different side to him than she had seen in a long time. “Oh uh...supreme.” She said and nodded as she confirmed her own decision with herself. Rarely did she ever get to eat like this so if she was, she was going to go all out. “My parents wanted me to go into business so I could take over theirs. I still think that’s the plan but I was pretty stubborn about my major. I think they realized i could still take it over without a degree in business and so they compromised.” Her parents weren’t exactly happy about her decision but it was the one that she knew she had to make for herself. When she sat down, she smiled and folded her pizza and took a big bite, smiling at the taste. “So uh....do you want to teach with that or open a gallery or what?”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

“i’m not saying i would, i’m just saying you don’t need to remind me every two minutes. i’m used to you hating me, it’s not a new discovery.” his freshman year laurie had quite a bit of fun finding smaller diners throughout the city. there were several that he still frequented, but none more than this particular pizza place. he went there so often that they normally greeted him by name when he walked in the front door. “sure, sounds alright to me.” he nods, rounding the corner to the shop. when she brings up what they should talk about laurie shrugs. he’s not sure there’s much he could talk about that would be interesting for her, if anything. “i don’t know,” he replies quietly. if he was being honest, laurie had only been on a handful of dates. he wasn’t the best kind of person for a relationship, which was no surprise to anyone that knew him. “what, um — what are you studying?” 

Allie rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything else. She didn’t feel like arguing the whole time and knowing them, they could do a lot of that but tonight wasn’t the night. They walked in and she looked around and her nose scrunched up a little bit. Never had she ever been in someplace so small and greasy but the food smelled delicious. She tried not to let her face do all the talking and let people make assumptions of what she thought so she quickly turned to study the menu. “Me? Dance.” Allie said and rocked back and forth on her heels as she decided what she wanted. “Are you really that surprised though?” she asked, joking with him a little. “Let me guess, you’re studying art?”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

laurie didn’t bother to make sure no one was watching – didn’t really care. it wasn’t the first time he snuck out of something and he doubted it would be the last. stuffing his hands in his pockets once they were outside he sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. being around so many people made him tense, so he let himself relax. he wasn’t heading towards anywhere specific really, just kind of around campus, somewhat towards the dorms. he rolled his eyes when allison finally spoke up. “i get it, y’know? you wouldn’t ever want to be seen with the likes of me, you don’t have to keep saying it.” it makes her sound even more like a bitch than normal. because they both knew neither one of them wanted any of this. she didn’t need to keep bringing it up. “there’s a pizza place right outside campus. we can go there.” it was small and didn’t have a lot of seating, but it was kind of his favorite place to go for pizza. 

“You wouldn’t either, don’t act like I’m being the bitch here when we both know that if you had the choice you’d leave the minute you could.” Allison said but there was no snap this time. She was just merely pointing out the obvious. “Alright.” she said and nodded. Allison didn’t know many of the smaller, greasier places in the city. Whenever she went out, which was often since her family was nearby, they went to the expensive fine dining places because her family liked to flaunt their money. “There’s a dessert place we can go to a couple blocks away from Love Park. We can go there after. I’m definitely craving some chocolate.” Allison said and walked out towards the entrance of campus. The sounds of the city met her ears and a smile couldn’t help but appear on her face. She loved the city so much. “So uh....what should we talk about?”

[innocxntly]

lonvlyheart​:

caroline knew it was a little weird to be wearing white to a wedding reception, or rather, a little cliche. truthfully, it was the only dress she could find that she adored on such short notice. considering it was also out of her comfort zone, caroline felt the tiniest bit self conscious, hoping she wouldn’t turn the wrong way and regret her choices. currently, she was at the punch table, pouring herself a drink and then hoping to find her partner. when she noticed allison, though, she placed a smile along her lips. “hey!” she exclaimed, turning her body towards her. “i haven’t been here long! found the punch table, that’s about it,” she commented, laughing a little bit. “thank you! you look absolutely stunning, i love your dress!” she complimented, her voice seemingly going a higher octave as she spoke.

“Thanks.” She said with a grin as she looked down at herself and then back up at Caroline. Despite not being the best friend in the world back to her, Allison really did love Caroline and really did appreciate her friendship. “I don’t think I’m going to be here long. Laurie wants to ditch and there’s no way I could be here alone. It wouldn’t be good.” She admitted and took her cup off the table once more and took another drink. Honestly, tonight was a huge chaotic mess and she wished it wasn’t happening but at least her friend was having fun. “Have you seen Nicky yet?” she asked curiously. 

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

making his way over laurie pours himself a cup, wishing he had the idea to bring a flask or something beforehand. if he’s going to get through this year, he’s going to need to start thinking ahead. his eyes scan the room, seemingly finding that everyone else seems to be at least halfway getting along with their partners. when she makes her way back over to him he has to physically keep the annoyance from showing on his features. “no i was kidding, i’m actually having a great time.” he says flatly. as if laurie would ever not be serious about ditching a formal occasion. he hesitates a moment, wondering why she’s suddenly changed her mind and decided she doesn’t want to stay. as much as he wants to bite back with ‘i wasn’t taking a shot, just trying to get the fuck out of here’ he doesn’t let it slip. she’s agreeing to leave, which means she can’t complain that he ditched her and left alone. “fine, let’s go.” he tosses his empty cup into the trash and heads towards the exit.

Allison followed after him and looked around to make sure no one saw them leave. This was against everything that her parents would have wanted. If they heard about her doing this, she would have been in so much trouble but they weren’t here and here she was doing it. When they left though, it felt like a huge weight was being lifted off of her shoulders. No one was watching but Laurie and she honestly didn’t care what he thought about her. She continued walking in silence behind him, wondering what was next when a loud grumble came from her stomach and she sighed. “Normally i would never offer to hang out with you but we can get our required “date” done this week if we do so do you wanna go and find a cheesesteak or some pizza or something in the city?”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

his lips purse together at her snappy reply and laurie shook his head. “whatever,” he mutters, eyes going back to wandering around the room. fuck him for trying to have an actual conversation apparently. sometimes he wants to ask her — figure out why she decided they shouldn’t be friends anymore. it was a fleeting want, but still there every once in a while. “you’re right, i don’t.” he’s not in the mood to argue with her tonight. which he’s normally not, she just pushes him to that point. taking a step back and letting go of her hands. “i’m gonna go get a drink,” he tells her as he’s turning around and heading towards the punch table, wishing there was alcohol.

Allison sighed and watched him walk over, deciding to go over and talk to Caroline herself. But her eyes kept wandering back to the boy and after awhile she couldn’t take it. She walked over to him and crossed her arms. “Were you serious about getting out of here?” she asked. If they were going to leave then they had to do it now before anyone noticed and said anything. If he was going to offer then why not say yes. This could also get them out of their weekly date requirement so why not kill two birds with one stone, right? “Cause if you are, then let’s go. I’m only going to agree to this once so if you don’t do it now you’ve lost your shot.”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

“what do you mean?” he couldn’t help but ask. laurie had always figured that there was some reason she treated him the way she did. it should’ve been obvious that it was her parents. most of the people he hung around with at events and things stopped talking to him once they found out all he did was piss all the stuffy rich people off. hearing her quiet words laurie glanced around. he didn’t remember seeing any rules about having to stay here until the thing ended. and while he obviously didn’t want to be here, it seemed like allison didn’t either. kind of surprising to him but whatever. “we could uh — do you want to leave?” he asked her. as much as he didn’t really care to spend time with her, maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if she wasn’t under whatever pressure to be perfect in front of everyone.

“It’s nothing that concerns you.” Allison said a little harshly. She didn’t like that she could so easily slip into telling him everything with a simple nudge so that response may have come off too harsh but she was trying to protect herself and her own emotions and feelings. They had hated each other this long, what was the point of changing now? When he looked around and then asked the question, Allison laughed and shook her head. “We can’t just leave, Laurie. And what’s this business about being a we? I thought you didn’t like people enough to be associated with them.”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

“you sound like my mother.” laurie had always figured that allison’s parents were quite a bit like his. and her words more or less proved that he was right. they always expected nothing less than perfection. that’s why his older brother was the favorite and laurie was the family disappointment. “that’s an awful lot of pressure to put on yourself,” he comments. there’s no malice in his tone, he’s really just observing. he tried for a short time, to be perfect. but he quickly learned that he couldn’t please everyone and be happy himself. he simply nods — takes that as her telling him to shut up. his other hand moves to rest on her waist, moving with her as they danced. 

“Yeah well when you have a sister like my sister, there’s no other choice.” Allison let slip. Why was she telling him this? Why was she telling him anything? She hated him. But it was nice to be honest. She didn’t want to always be this stuck up, perfectionist where looks mattered what you did in life affected your social standing. Just because she came from old money didn’t mean she always had to be on her best behavior but her sister had taken that choice away from her. She just danced with him quietly and sighed as the song ended, not sure if they were to keep going. “This dance is terrible.” she muttered. 

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

“you realize none of this means anything, right?” no one was going to base who a good partner is on what kind of grade their fake marriage got in college. once they were inside laurie looked around. the university really pushed out some money for this whole stupid thing. “i don’t know,” he mutters with a shake of his head. there was a reason he had stopped going to fancy events at a very young age. he didn’t fit in with that kind of crowd. as much as he didn’t mind dressing up, it was the expectations that came with it that bothered him. at the mention of dancing he hesitated a moment. as much as he didn’t want to do any of this, he figured it’d be easier if he could get it all over with quick and then figure out an excuse to dip out early. “sure, what the hell. let’s dance.” he offers his hand to her. if they’re going to do this, might as well do it right. 

“Everything means something.” Allison said back, repeating the phrase she’d heard a thousand times. “Everyone is always watching, it doesn’t matter where you are, what you look like...anything. Everyone’s watching. So you better be your best.” Allison said and let her gaze drop for a second before coming back. As he reached his hand out, she looked down at it and blinked for a few seconds, seeing if it would go away. When it didn’t, she took it and looked around before putting her hand on his shoulder. “dancing is fine. we don’t have to talk while dancing. Probably for the best.”

[innocxntly]

xscmebodyelse​:

possibly the last thing on earth laurie wanted to do was spend his saturday at a fake reception with allison. he hated shit like this. his parents used to stuff him in a suit and force him to go to parties at the country club, and it was the bane of his existence. this might be even worse. he takes his time getting ready, does’t bother paying attention to the time at all. he knows how allison is — she’s going to be freaking out all night about everything being perfect. and it’s going to drive him insane. as soon as he’s walking up the steps she’s fiddling with his clothes. “chill out, allison.” laurie mumbled, taking a small step back. she looked nice — though usually she did. he hadn’t ever denied that she was attractive. just pointed out how horrible her personality was. he sighs, unable to believe that this is how his senior year is going to go. “right, let’s do this.” laurie nods towards the door, making his way inside.

“Chill out? I’m not stepping in there with you looking less than perfect. I may hate you but if we’re forced to do this then it has to be...perfect.” Allison said, not finding a better word other than that. She was forced her entire life to be perfect and to act perfect and put out the best image possible that it was ingrained in her now. If things weren’t perfect, her brain freaked and she lost all control. Maybe that’s why she set such a high standard for other people. “So what do you want to do? I know we have to go get those rings and put those on.” she said and rolled her eyes at that. “but other than that...i mean we could dance I guess.” she said, trying not to gag at just the thought of that.

[innocxntly]

@lonvlyheart​ - caroline

Allison had been at the dance for a little bit now and things with Laurie weren’t improving so she decided to take a break and go see Caroline, who happened to be at the punch table and was a perfect excuse to ditch for a little bit. She made her way over to the table and smiled over at her best friend. “Hey C!” she said and grabbed a cup and started drinking it. “How long have you been here? You look gorgeous by the way.” she said, her sweet voice almost going over the top to cover how annoyed she was by the night already.