she loves control;

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stefan.

“If it’s not then no deal. Loyalty, actual fucking loyalty. I don’t trust you but I trust you have your best interest at heart, and you can trust that you’re looking at your best interest in the flesh.” He wanted to say that he couldn’t believe his ears, but he didn’t put the criminality past his dad, it was his dealings with people he knew for a fact his father considered beneath him that surprised Stefan more than anything. “Speeds up acquisition of properties if you’re taking things by force and not by the book. How do you factor in? And what has he promised you?”

“And I understand why that would be.” Kennedy nodded, she knew what she’d done and quite honestly, she stood proudly in it. She wasn’t a saint and she never claimed to be. Kennedy looked out for herself first and foremost and those closest to her second. Unfortunately, Stefan just found himself having to be second in her pursuit. “Ding, ding, ding.” She told Stefan, as it certainly had. With Ace and his rambunctious gang of lunatics, the South Side had been easy pickings. Honestly, the plan had been marvelous, if she said so herself but she could see a storm a brewing and she was not going to go down with any ship. This was her get out of jail free card and she was playing it. “He didn’t really promise me anything, other than learning how to play the game from one of the people who clearly plays it best.” Kennedy told Stefan, as that’d been it. His father might have been morally corrupt but he went for what he wanted, with no apologies. That was something she commended.

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stefan.

Stefan was actually surprised that Kennedy seemed to be giving in and caving. She was nothing if not cunning, and if she was actually considering giving him information that in itself told him that his hunch about his dad being into something that could end him was something of a confirmation. She was like a cockroach, in no matter what happened, she’d figure out a way to survive. He wanted to grin and gloat, but he knew it wouldn’t be beneficial to him, so he held it back, and turned to face her for the first time since she’d sat down, “Firstly, whatever you tell me I’m going to need something to back it up so keep that in mind; documents, audio, something. But what is the connection between Ace Claymore and my dad? Is he his dealer or something?”

Kennedy nodded, as she suspected that Stefan would have wanted as such. “That can easily be arranged.” She told him, with a roll of her eyes. “What more would you want?” She asked him, with a forced grin. “Oh, that connection?” Kennedy asked him, as it appeared that Stefan wasn’t as clueless as he appeared to be. “Ace Claymore works under Mr. Alves’, he’s sort of the new overlord of the Southside. Nothing happens on that side of town without that man knowing. Given your father ran a campaign that was all about changing the Southside, how do you think he actually managed to get that to happen without meaningful opposition from those who live there?” She asked Stefan, as surely even he could put two plus two together after that. “So there’s your answer to that.”

stefan.

“I could tell you that, but then I’d be telling you things that you don’t need to know. Nobody’s asking you to go against my father, we’re not in a war here.” He chuckled, they were very much so, but he didn’t need Kennedy fueled up with even an ounce of info against him. “I’ve got plenty. If I didn’t don’t you think I would still be in my office right now? My Barbie and I have very expensive taste. Here’s the thing Kennedy, I don’t have time anymore for people who don’t have my interests at heart anymore so you can hold on to that loyalty tight and see first hand where it gets you with him. Or you could rub my back now and you have my word that when the time comes, I’ll be able to land you somewhere you will be happy with. I don’t trust you, obviously so all I have to offer you at the moment Kennedy is my words. You can take it or leave it, and it’s a gamble but you like playing games.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes, as she’d expected such an answer from Stefan. Of course, he’d be playing that to his chest and that wasn’t something she was honestly comfortable with. They’d both thrown many a bomb at one another, if she played into his game... she was trusting him to not leave her with anything but scorched earth and she wasn’t so sure that Stefan wouldn’t do such a thing. So what was she to do? Stick with his father or take a chance with her former friend. Kennedy jutted her lips out, twisting them as she contemplated what she was going to do. This was one of those moments, that’d lead her in two very different paths. “I do enjoy a good gamble.” Kennedy nodded, holding her cup up to down the contents of it. “What is it that you want to know, Stefan?” She asked him, not so sure she’d made the right decision but the way she saw it— what Polo and she’d done had revved up the eventual. One of these sides was going to win... why not find herself on what she believed would be the winning team? Especially now that they had her.

stefan.

“My empathy levels aren’t what they used to be.” He told her and took a sip of his scotch, “You’ve got a fucked up definition of friendship.” He let out a dry laugh, biting back the word ‘useless’ by taking another drink, “Spare me. Maybe I’m just curious to see who he’s going to use as a whipping boy and scapegoat now that I’m gone.” She didn’t know everything, she didn’t know half of it, and before this year maybe Stef would have been more inclined to enlighten her, but that’s not how things shook out between them. What she didn’t know was that Stef had a new resolve to not only have everything belong to him, but to take it. He didn’t want his dad to be dead, he wanted him alive to see Stef win, to beat him. “Since we’re giving advice, friend, if I were you I wouldn’t be so inclined have such a strong a allegiance to someone who’d push you in front of a bus without a second thought if it served his interest. We both know I can find out the connection there. If you were a reason I found out then that might be beneficial for you down the line.”

“Don’t we all?” Kennedy asked him, as that appeared to be the Rosewood way of things. They all threw stones from their perfect glass homes. She twisted her lips, as the way he spoke made her wonder if he thought that she would be the new scapegoat. The thought had definitely ran through her mind. If Mr. McKibbon could treat Stefan, his flesh and blood in such a manner... what was stopping him from treating her the same way? “Uh huh.” She said, as she could only imagine what it was that Stefan was going to say. But rather than it be a quip in her sexual exploits or her assumed relationship with his father, it was rather a proposal. One, that quite honestly, she wasn’t against. Sure, his father had done much for her and her career. But she knew that one day, whether it be today or a couple of years from now, they would find themselves butting heads. So why wait for that day? When she could make the first move and perhaps, come out on top. “If I were to help you, what’s in it for me, Stefan?” She asked him, point blank. “I will not go against your father, if all you’ve got is your quips and those perfectly tailored suits of yours.”

stefan.

Stef flipped her the bird in response to her comment about him and his features, “You don’t have anything to gloat about so I didn’t really figure that’s why you were here. I also don’t buy the genuine concern for your friend angle.” Stef didn’t trust Kennedy and hadn’t for a while, that wasn’t going to change because she’d suddenly discovered soft skills and decided to switch up her approach, “But fine, since you’re here anyway and you want to call yourself a friend why don’t you tell me what dealings my father has with the leader of a gang in the southside. I’m assuming they’re not golf buddies.” He noted that it didn’t seem like she was playing ignorant and truly didn’t know what had happened, which probably meant her father wasn’t telling her everything. He didn’t say anything though, just catalogued it in the back of his mind.

Kennedy bit her tongue when he spoke of her having nothing to gloat about when she happened to think she had plenty. If she really wanted to cut deep, she’d bring up the fact that she’d gottten revenge on his little brother for calling her the help and if he continued to be a brat... Stefan could very easily be next. But, she wasn’t here to fight. At least not yet. “You see, that really hurts because I am trying to be your friend right now.” She said with a nod of her head. “Oh, so I’m only your friend when you deem it nessacary, huh?” Kennedy asked Stefan with a roll of her eyes. “Stefan, that business, if there’s anything there, is solely your fathers business and given the fact that you’ve abandoned your post... I really don’t think it concerns you.” She let him know. “And that’s why I’m here. Why would you just up and leave? It makes no sense.” Kennedy told him. “Look, I don’t claim to know everything between you two and honestly, your father terrifies even me—” No small feat given she was Kennedy. “but if I were you, I’d ride this out until the old man croaks. Then it all belongs to you.”

stefan.

Stefan rolled his eyes the moment he heard Kennedy’s voice drift to his ears. They had been friends once, but like most of his friends from high school their bond wasn’t one built to withstand the real world and adulthood. “I very much mind, and call me crazy but that really just feels like something that’s none of your goddamn business.” He said in a tone as casual as if he were telling a stranger what the date was, “Whatever this is, not interested. Go slither somewhere else.”

Kennedy shook her head, as she got the response that she was very much expecting from Stefan. “Honestly, sometimes I think you just enjoy this little back and forth between us more than you show it off on those gorgeous features of yours.” Kennedy told Stefan, ordering what he was having. “But I didn’t come here to gloat, I came here with genuine concern for my friend.” She said. “So, if you really, really, really want me to go... I’ll go.” Kennedy said, as she’d leave if that was the case but she knew Stefan. Inside and out. If he wasn’t talking to her... who was he really talking to?

“Here you are,” Kennedy spoke as she found Stefan exactly where she’d known he’d be. Once word got around that Rosewood’s very own Ken doll hadn’t come in to work for several days now, she knew that something was up. Stefan might have been a plethora of things; great and bad but no one could say he wasn’t a hard worker. “Mind explaining to me what you’re doing here, scotch in hand rather than in the office?” She asked, taking the seat besides him. “Let me guess, Barbie and you decided to call it quit for the 50000th time.”

( @thestefmckibbon )

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PRISCILLA QUINTANA as Isabella; └ Good Trouble - S03E01 (2019- )

#kennedy.#( that look when everything goes exactly to plan.#alexa play it was kennedy all along. )

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polo.

Polo raised an eyebrow at her reasoning for her vendetta - was she not the mayor’s helper? and it seemed like a lot of anger to be holding onto over an ex or whatever - but he also didn’t actually care about her reasons, just that it was going to give him an outlet for all the anger that had been bubbling beneath the surface for too long. “Fine by me. We gotta make a stop though.” It wasn’t much of a detour, just a quick stop to pick up his dad’s old baseball bat from home (he made Kennedy wait outside because no fucking way did he want her in there, or to risk Ace seeing them together if he was home). “Now we’re cookin’ with fire,” he chuckled as he came back out, bat resting on his shoulder as they headed for the joke shop. Yeah, he knew of the Turnblads, knew they were harmless, but his mindset was too far gone to care. He didn’t even wait for Kennedy to speak of any plan she had– he was sick of plans, sick of being told what to do, so as soon as they arrived he let loose. The bat cracked through the glass of the door with such a satisfying sound that he had to force himself not to get carried away, reaching around to unlock the door and step inside, the glass crunching beneath his boots the only sound in the dark. “Don’t say I never gave you nothin’,” he snorted, plucking a floppy rubber poop off a shelf and tossing it at Kennedy.

“A stop?” She asked him, the scrunch in her nose letting him know that she wasn’t quite interested in a stop. Especially when she’d found herself in front of what appeared to be a major fixer upper. In fact, that was being too kind to the state of the home in front of her. It was a dump. But he’d soon came out with a baseball bat. The sight of it actually making her giddy. What that said about her? Probably not the nicest things, but she wasn’t striving to be the next Mother Theresa. No, she wanted to get shit done. Fuck the back and forth, all this town really needed was something to light up how everyone truly felt. This was it. Watching Polo go to town on the shop, it let her know that she’d finally found one of these south siders that was her type of person. She followed in Polo’s path of destruction, feeling a great sense of pride in knowing she’d helped orchestrate what’d just happened around her. How was that for a little helper? “Fuck off.” Kennedy rolled her eyes, although the smile on her face let him know that she wasn’t at all bothered by what he’d just done. “Well, this place is truly fucked to hell, isn’t it?” She looked around, a grimace on her features. “So what’s our next stop?” She asked Polo with a raise of her eyebrow.

#c: polo

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#soundtrack.#( very that. )

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