presley had remembered everything they needed; some booze, a cooler, a few light snacks (no brownies, this time), but, evidently, she had forgotten the ice. she was positive, however, that the bransons had ice in their home, because… well, who didn’t? so, she grabbed onto the cooler and a random person’s hand, declaring, “you, me, the branson residence, ice.” she turned to them, grinning, “don’t worry, ollie’s aunt doesn’t bite.”
He glanced over at Presley when she grabbed his hand, then looked down at her cooler, raising his eyebrows. Lucas wasn't drinking. He didn't feel like it tonight, not to mention he didn't want to have to go out and actually buy his own alcohol -- though he figured his friends wouldn't mind sharing. Tonight it wasn't his thing. Possibly that was a mistake. "You brought a cooler and you forgot fill it with ice?" He asked, with a mildly amused look that crossed his face. But he didn't argue about going with her, allowing Presley to take charge. “What was the point?”
“make some fuckin’ room , will you ?” lennon slides onto the hay bale turned makeshift chair in front of the fire , nudging the other with their elbow. in the other hand they grip a fresh beer . the bottle sweats & so does lennon , but if they get bit by one more mosquito they’re going to lose it. so it’s worth heating up a little more to avoid that. anyone else may believe they’re in a pissy mood because of it , but this is just how lennon talks , even during their greatest of moods. "having fun ?“ they ask the big fish they’re basically hip-to-hip with , stubby nails nudging under the bottle cap & yanking it off.
Surprisingly to people who don't know him well, perhaps, but Lucas liked spending time outside. He might come across as a nerd who doesn't get out much, but that wasn't really true. And the Branson Family Farm was ... nice. So, while he might not generally seem happy he wasn't as unhappy as he seemed. But it was something he wouldn't have to explain to his friends, least of all Lennon who had a similar temperament. "Maybe," he says, shrugging at her question, "well, no, I guess not yet. But I’m not having a bad time either, and the party just started. Nobody has even had the time to pressure us into playing truth or dare yet. How have you been, Lennon?"
presley made a bit of a face at the accusation, trying to play it off, even if it did hurt a little bit. she knew lucas didn’t mean it like that, really, she just… was a little raw right now. she swallowed her emotions down. presley turned to her old friend, almost grabbing his hand before she thought better of it. “you deserve a change,” she said, even though she was just as terrified to lose him, “you deserve to win, like, the nobel prize in chemistry.” she frowned to herself for a moment, “that’s a thing, right?”
she had to appreciate that little smile. “listen, libraries are important. i just suck at using them.” which was true, presley’s attention span had vanished in recent years. she added, voice a tad quieter, “i miss that. you smiling. you didn’t even smile a whole lot back in boston.”
"Yes, that is a thing." He said nodding his head. "That'd be great, but it's not the goal. I just ..." Lucas paused a moment, debating on how he should go about saying this. Despite what some people may thing he did at times care about how his friends felt. So, he went over the words in his head getting destracted for a moment by Presley's other comment, and rolling his eyes. "I don't smile. That's why you never saw it happen. It's bullshit what they say about smiling using fewer muscles, you know."
Eventually Lucas tapped his fingers against his knee, turning to look at Presley, next to him. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way. How you feel is fine, it's ... how you feel." He was attempting to be more empathetic. And probably doing pretty poorly, "I think it's fine to be afraid of losing touch with your friends, and things not being the same. But that's because you are able to sit there and think about how good things were. I don't want a Nobel prize, I just want to leave."
if there’s a hint of a smile on her face, it vanishes once lilah notices the pointed look lucas offers in response to her peace offering. a blush soon splotching onto her cheeks when he’s brushing past her, heavy footsteps leading her to the dumpsters (half crushed soda cans and greased pizza boxes laying around the perimeter of them rather than inside). she swallows hard, stomach stirring. her ears crimson as she stews in her own embarrassment, missing the bit where he gives her the option and instead foolishly slips the shoebox into the bin because that’s the part that processed first. “ i’m sorry, “ she murmurs the apology. “ it wasn’t my intention … i didn’t mean to make it a problem. i just. wasn’t thinking. “ then she curls a strand of hair behind her ear before she quirks something that resembles a small smile. “ i’ll leave you alone. put dio behind us and all that. “
Lucas couldn't help but roll his eyes. Maybe someone else would be sympathetic, or a little more ... nice. But that person was not, and had never been Lucas. But that was something Lilah already knew. He reached his hand out and grabbed her shoulder to prevent her from walking away. "You threw up on my shoes Lilah. First of all they're machine washable. Second of all ... who gives a shit?" Listen. He was trying to be sympathetic. This was the first time she'd ever gotten drunk. It was new to her. But she was being a little silly.
"I really cannot stress enough how much I do not care. And I already said stop apologizing." He added as an after thought, shaking his head.
Ah. Well. Didn’t it seem like Jaime and Lucas had the exact same idea today. Jaime had been looking to head off somewhere to find something interesting to perhaps draw, and wondered if perhaps one of the places he used to come and hang out when he was a child would be inspiring. He hadn’t expected to see Lucas there, and briefly considered turning around and leaving until Lucas turned to look at him. Great. Too late for that. “Hi,” he greeted back, and hesitated wondering what to do.
Then he decided well … It wasn’t like Lucas owned this place, right? So, as bold as ever, Jaime took a seat right next to the other man, turning on his drawing tablet. He wasn’t going to make it that easy for Lucas to ignore him, even if he wasn’t going to talk about their shit. Jaime leaned over, looking at the laptop over his shoulder, curiously. “What are you working on?”
Lucas watched as Jaime slowly made his way over, and just ... took a seat next to him. He stared at him for a moment, almost as if he was offended by (and definitely distracted by) the close proximity but eventually turned back to his laptop with an annoyed shake of his head. Fine. He didn't care. This was fine. Even if he hated when people stared over his shoulder at whatever he was working on. It was fine. He didn't care.
"I'm getting in contact with some of the science research facilities in the area -- Uh, the Boston area -- so I can check on any paid job opportunities I might be able to take while in school next year." Lucas said, glancing over to look at Jaime. "A lot of students are taking internships which are ... not paid. And while you might not be aware of this, that isn't realistic for some people. So, I'm asking some people that I've been in contact with before and expressed an interest in getting to know me if we can work something out." He glanced down at the drawing tablet in Jaime's hands. "What are you doing?"
presley pouted a little bit. she knew they weren’t dying, but… but still. sure, they’d see each other. they’d wish each other happy birthday on facebook. but just the thought of that left presley’s heart falling to the pit of her stomach. “i’m just… i’ll still miss you, though,” she muttered, still avoiding his eyes, “it won’t be the same.”
she glanced up at lucas at the offer, managing a small smile. despite his best efforts, presley knew he had a secret soft spot buried deep within himself. “that’d be perfect,” she insisted, “my parents would love to have your mom, too. i haven’t seen her in so long.” presley grimaced for a moment, “i guess i should go to the library more, huh?”
"You're so embarrassing. I can't believe I know you." Lucas sighed, mostly joking. Sentimental, and emotional things always put him a little on edge, he didn't know how to react to them. They WERE embarrassing. But he did mean it in a joking way. And in all honesty (though he’d never say it out loud) he didn’t actually mind his friends sentimentality. “It’ll be fine, Presley. The future is only scary because you don’t know what is going to happen. Most of the time it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be. But hopefully it won't be the same. Otherwise I'll have worked my ass off for nothing." In truth he didn't really get Presley's resistance to this sort of thing, but he knew it was a thing. So he tried to be understanding.
Tried.
Lucas actually smiled a little bit, over at Presley, shaking his head. "I'll let my mom know you said that. I’ll look forward to her hours long lecture about why you should continue to support your local public library, even in the day and age of electronics. It’ll make the dinner that much more enjoyable, I’m sure."
“you know what I was thinking? shit’s crazy– so, like, if you could choose, would you rather, like, know the date of your death– the day you’re gonna die, no way to change it, or know your cause of death, like in a car accident or some shit, and nearly piss yourself every time you pull up to an intersection?” griffin ashes the blunt, about to offer it up, but then draws back and hits it again – greedily, puffing out a cloud of smoke, then waving it away with his hand. he takes pause, head cocking to one side in consideration. “don’t answer that,” he says, “because i just thought of something even crazier.” suddenly overcome by a cough, he bends an elbow to block his mouth. “alright,” he says, offering up the weed to share again. “and– i’m being serious. like, i’m so fucking serious right now. is a hotdog… a sandwich?”
Lucas had an answer for Griffin's first question. Obviously he would want to know when he was going to die. That way he would be able to know how much work he would have to do, and how much time he had to do that work. He wouldn't be here wasting time sitting around and listening to Griffin ramble on if that were the case. He opened his mouth to say as much when Griffin interrupts him with an even stupider question, and he shakes his head. He declined the weed because, well, he’d already been through this with Presley. If he seemed like the type of person who would do weed to anybody they were sorely mistaken. "Yes. Why wouldn't it be? Is this what you learn about at your school? Next stupid fucking question. Why are you like this?"
LOCATION: lucas’ residence
TIME: late afternoon
AVAILABILITY: closed, @lucasgarrido
so maybe she spent the majority of the day trying to figure out lucas’ shoe size. going to each boutique shop in downtown elmridge and even reaching as far as asking a shop owner if they keep a record of that kind of stuff — they do not. eventually lilah came to the conclusion that she should just guess and save the receipt (better safe than sorry), or else she would be window shopping her whole sunday away. which now explains why she’s marching up the steps of lucas’ condo and knocking on the front door, shoebox cradled carefully in her arms. warm smile present. cheeks cherry red from the heat. sighing with relief once the boy opens the door as a way of greeting. “ i come bearing gifts ? “ she offers, displaying the shoebox as innocently as possible to him.
If Lucas could tell his friends to stop coming over, that would be for the best. Maybe would tape a sign outside of his door. If you want to contact him call him. Maybe he was just in a bad mood. And even worse mood when Lilah held out the shoe box in her hands. If there was one thing he really didn’t like it was ... well, things like this. ‘Gifts’? Charity. He leveled her with a glare for a moment, before walking past. "Great. I can show you where to put them," he said in a flat tone. Motioning for her to follow him across the shitty little apartment complex’s parking lot. Then once he got to the bins, he opened one of the dumpsters holding his hand out towards it. "My shoes are fine. You wasted your money. Take them back or throw them out. Your decision, but it’s not my problem.”
presley almost shrunk back at lucas’s look, but refused in the end, frowning up at him and keeping herself calm. she hadn’t meant to spook him, she was just… sometimes it was hard to know what to do with all her energy. presley narrowed her eyes at his dismissal, “um, first of all, there’s plenty to miss.” she couldn’t stand it when any of her friends belittled themselves.
she sat on the front steps when lucas motioned for it; presley wondered what was happening in the house that he didn’t want to let her in, but she kept her mouth shut. “right,” she sighed, clasping her hands over her knee. “i just… i miss you too, y’know? and i know you’re, like, mega busy,” presley chanced a glance back up at him. “so i just… i dunno, i wanna spend time with everyone this summer. before…” before you’re all gone, and i’m here, alone.
Lucas took a seat on the steps next to her, and though he completely understood she was ... being emotionally vulnerable, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "We're graduating college, we're not dying." People had gone through something like this when they were graduating High School too. And yet here they all were. Sure, it wasn't easy to get them all together but it wasn't nearly as impossible as some people had made it out to be either. Listen, he was not the person to come to for emotional support, but that was something Presley and every body else already knew well. "You're being a little ridiculous, Presley."
And then he gave a pause as he thought her offer over, tapping his fingers against his knee with a resolved sigh. "My mom has work off on Thursdays. Maybe we could all have dinner then."
There are many places in Elmridge that Lucas used to go to get away from being bothered by anyone. The Library is good at times, but his mom can be a little bit of a pest -- especially now that he's not actually at home. The coffee shop might seem like a good idea but it was always too crowded with teenagers he'd rather not see unless they were paying him money to tutor them (god knew they all needed it). So, while pulling a laptop out and sitting on the edge of a rickety little bridge threatening to break down into the small creek below it at any moment might not be the most obvious choice -- it was the choice that was going to ensure him peace and quiet.
So he thought, until he heard footsteps behind him scattering the gravel of the pathway. Please say it's just some person walking their dog. With a turn of his head Lucas deflated, when he saw Jaime. Great. He needed this right now, but also shouldn't be surprised. Jaime had come here just as much as him when they were younger. "Hey," he greeted, simply. Not pretending to be cheerful about it. No need to bullshit his own friend.
even though she knew lucas never really liked to do this, presley’s mom just kept bugging her about it. plus, pres kind of wanted it to happen, too. so, she rolled up to lucas’s apartment, ringing the doorbell and waiting on the front steps, arms clasped behind her back. when he answered the door, presley shot him a massive grin. “you,” she said, pointing at him, before pointing to herself, “me. dinner. with my family.” presley shot lucas a grimace, rocking on her feet in nerves. “my mom misses you.”
@lucasgarrido
"Presley..." He shouldn't be surprised by Presley's exuberance, really. But the moment he steps outside and she nearly attacks him with her words, Lucas has to remember where he is and who with. Right, he's back home with his friends. The ... strange lot they are. He takes a bracing breath, and sends Presley a look that is a warning of sorts. "Tell your mom there is nothing to miss. And I appreciate it, but I'm fine."
He didn't invite her in. Not because he didn't want her to stay, more because well, he needed to keep the apartment sterile -- as much as he possibly could -- at the moment. For reasons. So, instead he shut the entrance door and motioned for her to sit down on the front steps. “But I’m sure that answer doesn’t surprise you. I have too many tutoring sessions in the evening this week. I don’t think I would have the time, anyway.”
Growing up Lucas and his family were pretty fucking poor. Like lets be real here. They lived in the Local trailer park, and they got by on one steady income which was sadly not a lot. (oddly librarians not paid a lot who would have known). A lot of their money was then spent by his dad, so yeah he didn’t have a lot. However they did get by, and Lucas accumulated quite a few things through his scientific endeavors. There were left over posts from the library he hung up in his room, news articles, awards he was given from the school. Things like that. He had his own computer his mother got at the rental shop and paid of over a few years, he had a giant desk, and a tiny bed. But honestly, Lucas didn’t hate his room. He didn’t really need a lot just a desk and he was happy tbh.
Anyway continue reading for important things Lucas owns. Also I said I was going to do it last night so I did it. And I built the Garrido Trailer that Lucas grew up in in the Sims 4 (I actually build a lot so I’m okay at it I think). I didn’t decorate the entire thing. You’ll see. Just the outside, the kitchen/living room and Lucas’s (completely unusable by sim standards) bedroom. But I thought it was kind of fun so I added it.
Right now he is renting a place with Q for the summer and I added a section to my Pintrest board for Lucas here you can check out that has probably what things would look like more now at this apartment (I think it’s an apartment) he has with Q for the time being.
SIGNIFICANT ITEMS
1. NEWS ARTICLES. When I say news articles I mean news articles about him. I imagine that Lucas has been features in the local Elmridge papers a few times through his life. During Science fairs, and other events similar to that. Maybe something to do with Baseball though he was certainly never great at it, but you know it might have gotten his picture in the paper sometime. Even now into his college years he still collects things like that. He wants to chronicle his success. Who can blame him for that? But there is certainly a giant collection of news articles that he keeps with him in a photo album. Maybe when he gets a real place of his own - not just a temporary one - he’ll put them all up on the wall or something.
2. A QUILTED BLANKET. While his mom was pregnant with him, her and a few friends around Marigold Park quilted a blanket that he has been using since he was a child. It’s not like ... tacky or anything. It’s just a regular sort of quilt. Do you know how much bedding costs? A fuck ton. If he has a perfectly usable blanket he’s going to use it. It’s absolutely not for the sentimental value. Please... He loves his mom and he loves her blanket she made for him okay leave him alone.
3. SCIENCE EQUIPMENT. These aren’t necessarily something he’s been carrying around with him since he was a child. They get updated, changed out, new flasks and beakers and what have you are brought in. But Lucas has amassed a significant amount of science equipment from his first kindling of an interest in it until now. A lot is sealed away in boxes unless he knows he’s going to need it. Especially expensive things like microscopes, or dangerous things like burners. As much as I joke he doesn’t actually have those out laying around unless he’s going to be using them. Safety first okay. Anyway, if you ever are tasked with helping him move please move things very carefully you are probably lugging around a shit ton of very breakable material and he will be very upset if he loses something.
THE GARRIDO TRAILER (imagine it’s in a trailer park with other ones that I didn’t want to have to build just to give off the illusion)
The Kitchen.
The Living room.
Lucas’s bedroom with his desk, and a lot of shit under it. Some posters and such on the wall. I imagine he would sit on his bed to use the desk.
The other side of his room featuring some news articles and some art I imagine Jaime drew for him, that he put up on his wall.
