* SWEET / LIFE

back to where we came from, playin' air guitar on the roof / in the kitchen, up on the table, like we had a beautiful view.

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henrietta‌:

“ on just keats ? ” the brunette asked, brows furrowed slightly as she thought about the idea for a while. “ i mean… it could probably work. we could definitely make that work.” she began nodding as she eyed the board by anne’s desk, inhaling deeply before continuing. “ it’s just the problem of getting people to come to it. because we need to appeal to quite a few twenty-years olds, right ? i think maybe we need something a bit more flashy to bring people in, you know ? ”

hearing it from henrietta’s mouth did make the whole thing sound a little — ambitious was the nicest word to use. “ the romantic poets in general, then, hm ? ” anne nodded deeply when she pointed out the real problem, which was something pretty common to all fests that were held at riverbank, except the music fests. of course. “ flashy — so, like, what do you guys want from a fest ? i assume lots of music, dancing, right ? ”  sure, it was a shallow characterisation, which is why her voice was quieter than usual in speaking. “ i mean, that’s just some of you, of course. ”

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                                 anne and poppy bryant — a moodboard. 

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lucinda‌:

     luci’s eyes were just wide enough to feign the perfect amount of interest, lips curled in a false smile that was too pretty to really question the motives. she’d scoped out the type of person scout was rather early on in their interactions. and just like the actress she was, she was happy to play the part – anything to stroke the other’s ego. after all, their confidence always radiated into adoration towards her. what more could she need ?

          ‘ that’s what i like about you. you’re unafraid to go for the things that you want. ’ the redhead hummed lightly, the proclamation matter-of-fact on her red lips. her compliments always had a self-serving purpose to them but scout didn’t need to know that. let them stay oblivious and happy and so very into her. ‘ – myself, i’ve been doing it for all of my life. ballet lessons, vocal sessions… i had them all. my first role was annie, i think. ’

scout had bragged about their theatrical past to many people, increasingly so as they rose in the ranks of the drama club at riverbank. but anyone who heard their stories would know that while they ended on a cliché most of the time — and the rest is history — their beginnings were always a little abrupt, right from sophomore year of undergrad, with no mention of what came before, despite the fact that prior experience would’ve been required to get in then. but luci knew the story of the disastrous high school twelfth night production, because they wanted her to know.

their usual chuckle in accepting compliments was replaced by a wide grin, one followed ever so gently with a downward tilt of their head. if you weren’t well-aware of how they usually behaved, you’d miss it. 

    “ that explains everything, to be honest. you get on that stage like you’ve always been there. d’you still do ballet ? ”

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rosalie‌:

“$4000? that’s a lot. much more than i was expecting. you know how much good that will do?” 

rosalie for the most part enjoyed her chair position over looking the fraternity’s community service (which — let’s be real — was the biggest appeal to omicron and the main goal of the frat), but it was a big job. she highly appreciated alejandro. the advisor made her life a lot easier. 

“what are we doing with all that cash?”

alejandro hummed in assent, glad that at least one of them was enthusiastic. an extra 4000 meant that there was now 4000 more to budget and figure out. 

with relative purpose, he flipped open his little notepad and got his pen ready to take notes. of course, he didn’t have any ideas (he’d been banking on her in that regard), but it was nice to be poised. before long, he’d begun to google ‘charity ideas’ on his phone. hey, everyone had to start somewhere. 

     “ luncheon, ” he said, pronouncing the word with care. “ how’s that ? ”

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rafael‌:

he manages to catch himself before he gives his own amusement away, the corners of his lips twitching only slightly before he schools them into something much more grateful. they should be assigned loyalty cards immediately, as it seemed they’d be walking out with half the shop. “that is one of my many virtues.” this time rafael lets out a short chuckle. tone taking on a teasing lilt now. “an aura? what makes it so dangerous then? only tell me if the answer won’t make you any redder.”

the man’s face contorts then, a playful tut leaving his lips. “well no one could ever one again just like her, but i think it would still suit. nobody would ever have guessed morticia would have worked, but it did. maybe this could be your fall revamp.” he suggests with a grin, tucking his own soon-to-be purchases under his arm. not that he had much business speaking on fashion when he had been rotating bomber jackets over the same four looks for the past ten years. “do it for sandy.”

she watches with amazement at the collection he’s built up already, feeling a twinge of dissatisfaction with her own selections. no, she had to show some restraint, damn it.  maybe another trip the following month was due. blinking out of her own thoughts, she merely registers that he’d noticed her redness, and feels her face getting even warmer because of it. “ it’s a little risqué, that’s all — but it’s inspired by aretha franklin’s natural woman, i think. they sound similar anyway. ” oh, speaking of, she figured it was an obligation to pick up an aretha vinyl, if she could find it. bless her heart. 

a fall revamp. how she wished. anne was well known at college for rotating her aesthetic every six months or so, but the habit had died down after graduation. she nods heavily. this is the courage she needed. “ wanna stop by diesel on our way back, then ? ” she’d never entered a diesel, to be honest, but it seemed like the place that would have leather jackets.

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rafael‌:

“if you’re very lucky then yes.” he answers in a gravely serious tone, throwing in a nod for good measure. “i’ve signed you up to be my helper elf.” the whole charade is abandoned then, rafael’s lips twitching into a wide grin before clapping the other man on the back. if it was to be his dying wish ( dramatic, but on brand ), he would get alejandro to enjoy at least one christmas. “too bad, it’s my civic duty to ram morals down your throat at every opportunity, just as it’s yours to tell me the moon landing was real.”

“ can’t wait. ” more like he couldn’t wait to see little kids run from him in fear. but his smile disappears as fast as it had arrived when the thought ends. “ no. fuck off. ” part of him wanted to believe that it was a joke, just another bit of banter to make him uneasy, but rafael was prone to unpredictability at the worst of times, and ale wouldn’t put this past him. and in his already flustered, weakened state, the english professor has the audacity to bring up the moon landing.

                “ it’s not my fault you’re an idiot. the moon landing was real. ”

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clementine‌:

“oh! scout, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought there….” she apologised, feeling relief washing over her that she had ran into somebody she knew rather than a complete stranger. at least they knew how easily she could get lost in her thoughts and that it wasn’t any personal. she took their hand and got herself back up onto her feet, “I promise this won’t become a daily occurrence. last thing we really need to do to damage one another.” she tried to joke, picking her backpack up from the floor and slinging it back over her shoulders. 

they immediately caught clementine’s attention, clearing her throat to compose herself before responding. “yeah, of course. what’s up?”

despite their chaotic week, scout had to laugh. “ you’re a deadly combo, y’know. small and daydream-y. ” it could lead to many a tragic incident in the stream of people that kept wandering around. that being said, once she was on her feet, it was time to get down to business. and that thought alone was enough to cause their smile to shrink. 

“ admin says we gotta plan an event for rainbow bank around january. ” it was closer to late december but they could take a few liberties with this stuff, surely. “ i just needed a member to bounce ideas off of — ” the sentence cut off a bit abruptly, for good reason. they didn’t want to mention that they weren’t in the best headspace for it, that’s the last thing they needed a member to know. 

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poppy‌:

the woman snorts quietly, palm propping her head up as she kicks high heeled feet up onto the coffee table. she’d had many a reputation in new york, but to be fair… none of them were really lies. “suppose it keeps plenty of people at bay. still think runaway bride is a lot more fantastical though. no offence.” a grin ought to be out of place, it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, but then she’d always found amusement in the most unacceptable places. 

poppy laughs then, the tip of her nose wrinkling slightly. “and which ones yours? promise there’s no one more excitable than my anne.” whilst he seemed to be more agitated at the thought, poppy could only find room to boast. her sister had never got on her nerves, but there really was only so much one could take before needing reprieve. “to love eachother, that there is no wrong answer, that everyone is an artist at heart.” sarcasm curled around every word, words she’d heard from her own sisters mouth.

as much as ale tried to avoid office gossip, some of it used to reach his ears in one way or another. and when the second blonde sister arrived at riverbank, there was the rumour that she wasn’t from an academic background — a second rumour that she’d been involved in some corruption in law circles, and the third rumour that she’d run from her husband. all respectable, but it was her confirmation of the third that gave him reasonable closure. “ no matter the reputation, we’re all suffering here. ”

anne bryant. a name that he’d heard, but he can’t put a face to. “ my personal idiot is rafael alvarez, the english professor. ” while he didn’t seem excitable enough to suggest becoming owners of kittens, it was the same kind of idea that seemed just a little too distant to be real, but not entirely out of reach. ale has to laugh, a good genuine laugh when poppy enlists all the virtues of art school. “ and here i was learning multivariable calculus. i think i want a refund, to be honest. ”

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clementine‌:

of all the things that clementine thought she was, she never expected to describe herself as “lonely.” she had always been a popular girl, the type of girl that would have her fair share of hugs and waves to everyone she came into contact with. she was extroverted, like that. however, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness over the past month. all she had wanted was to see her fathers and her baby brother, though not in the way that most people would think. she had wanted to see her family but back home in Italy, she was missing her home country now more than ever. she didn’t know what had made her feel so nostalgic for her past. 

she was lost deep in thought when she accidentally bumped into somebody, her small frame causing her to fall down instantly. “oh god, I’m so so sorry.” she said embarrassingly. 

this week was — difficult. for a student of business, scout had absolutely no mind of management. three different priorities for the week had become jumbled up with each other to the point where they permanently had a coffee in hand, and foundation was getting worse and worse at covering up their eye bags. 

something slammed into their chest as they stormed through the halls, nearly enough of a physical jolt as to make them drop a folder they were clinging to. their facial expression as they looked down at the roadblock was one of sheer disdain, but it melted into neutrality immediately. “ clem, jeez, sorry — ” they weren’t going to be setting the best impressions for rainbow bank if they kept bumping into their own members without any concern.

       “ hey, wait — ” they murmured, like an afterthought. “ d’you have a second ? ”

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rafael‌:

“then i’ll look her up. maybe i’ll surprise us all and end up her biggest fan.” he glances across at her, his expression suddenly dramatically sombre. “it all rests on your shoulders though. what is ariana grande’s best song? if it’s awful i won’t listen to anymore.” what was the fun in life if he couldn’t make absolutely everything a challenge? oh, and about him too. 

a wide grin spreads across his face, lighting up each features as he nods his head in gratitude. and he makes a note that he ought to spend more time with anne, great for his ego. “because you have excellent taste, and grease is the pinnacle of that. written all over your face, you’re a sandy.” and then he plucks the album from the shelf with far too much smugness.

“ you are full of surprises, always, ” anne notes, knowing that he’ll take it as a compliment. a cyndi lauper comes into her view as she surfs through the options, and it’s some unearthly force, way out of her control, that makes her take it. she couldn’t walk out of the store empty-handed. that would be greater humiliation for an art enthusiast than overspending. “ i’d say this one called — ” a gentle pink flushes her cheeks. “ dangerous woman. it’s an aura. ”

the grease vinyl is a musical buff’s dream, with an old-fashioned poster cover, danny and sandy in their leather looks. a good background track to get drunk to and dance in her pajamas at 11pm, which was as far as she’d go partying these days. “ no, you’re right. ” her voice reeks of fake disappointment. “ i don’t think i could wear a leather jacket like olivia though. ” the weather was getting colder — maybe biker chic was worth a try. 

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rafael‌:

“wrong again, ale.” he retorts, already puffing up his chest to save the few fragments he had left of his ego. “it’ll be christmas soon and then it’s all downhill until summer. when i’ll hopefully be rid of you for at least six weeks.” deep down he knows he doesn’t really mean that, more than a couple of days and he’d start going a little stir crazy without him, but it’s much more fun to get on his nerves instead. “grow up? grow up? there’s nothing more mature than accepting yourself and living with no regrets. not that you’d know. most spontaneous thing you did was switch out your coffee for a tea last thursday.”

“ christmas, ” he repeats, incredulous in pitch. “ are we gonna get you as santa, this year ? ” unlike halloween, which had some merits as being a shitshow of strange costumes, there was absolutely no redemption for christmas. aside from, and this was being rather charitable, the discounts that one happened to get for the season. “ i didn’t come for a moral studies lecture, ” he interrupts, before raf launches into one. alas, his need to parry every barb that comes his way overcomes his willpower. “ and i regretted it immediately. so why take risks ? ” that reminds him. he needs a coffee to get through this conversation. 

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jade‌:

     jade smiled at the sight of scout, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. she couldn’t claim to be ecstatic to see them ; after all, their prior conversation had cut them both to the bone and the silent treatment had been the only way to recover from it all. still, the woman stepped into the quiet apartment, dropping the half-empty bottle of whiskey into her brother’s arms as she invited herself in. with her now free hands, she ran her fingers through her dark tresses as she spun about, deceivingly warm gaze surveying the surroundings.

          ‘ got rejected from stanford today. ’ she answered pleasantly, a cynical smile in place. ‘ the very same stanford that has been begging me to join their psychology program since undergrad, the very same that sends that stupid little gift basket every holiday. ’ jade was rambling. but who cared, really ? this needed to be off her chest.

     the university hadn’t given her a reason why for her rejection. but they didn’t need to. she knew exactly what had changed.

          ‘ my prediction… ’ she piped up, her voice softer than ever expected. she was too exhausted to be any louder. taking a moment to collect her thoughts, jade flashed the other a broken smile, blinking back the rapid onset of more tears. ‘ i won’t get in anywhere, i think. not even a state school. i’m being… what’s it called – blackballed. that’s what it’s called, right ? that’s what’s happening, isn’t it ? ’

     her sad gaze landed on scout as if they had the answers between the two of them. for once.

they couldn’t pretend as though that first smile didn’t — scare them. because they knew each of her smiles from the others, and this one could have only one descriptor; insincere. they bowed out of her way easily, the whiskey landing with a sharp smack onto unprepared hands. scout’s eyes had to follow her as she entered, a single eyebrow raised through the same. she’d never answered her question, and they were about to pose it again with all the more force when she finally spoke. their fingers curled around the bottle as she did. 

      that explained it all, all too perfectly. 

their free hand presses the door closed, slow and painful in its creak. this was not the news they’d expected to receive — ever, in their life. the worst news they’d ever had to prepare themselves for was that she’d be leaving home for athens. then came the news of her trial, something they weren’t prepared for, but one that they’d resigned themselves to nonetheless. but this — this was so far, far out of the realm of possibility that it felt like some big prank to win their affections back. 

but she wouldn’t have sauntered over drunk as fuck for that. not a single muscle had the courage to move when she turned, least of all their lips. blackballed. jade fucking thompson, blackballed. it sounded like a line from a script. 

“ sit down, ”  is all they can say. and after a pause almost vicious in its biting silence, he feel forced to speak again, as if there were a gun at their head. “ when did you get the email ? ”

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@ofrcsilience 

           “ an entire exhibition on keats and keats alone. what do you think ? ” 

and with that, she pins a little post-it with rough scribbles onto the corkboard by her desk. before every event, there had to be brainstorming in order, and it was a chilly fall afternoon, perfect for the purpose. she inspected the board then, lips pursed in disapproval. it was still utterly, utterly empty. now taht she finally had some time to think about a literary fair in more practical terms, she found that ideas were beginning to fail her. and they had far too many post-its for the purpose.

                             “ keats. how much can we wring outta that guy — ”

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@0fthegh0sts ( rosalie. ) 

         “ so about the thanksgiving soup kitchens — ”

not that he had no sympathy for whoever would be using them ( likely famished students themselves, to be honest ) but it was a chore to have to look over the resources every year, figure out a budget. damn omicron and its do-gooding. nevertheless, there was some activity to look forward to, some accounting to be done. and some planning. all of which he couldn’t claim to be an expert at, but could claim to enjoy, to a degree. 

   “ i spoke to the administration, they’re willing to give us $4000 dollars more this year. ”

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rafael‌:

“the little one with the-” a vague hand gestures to his own mop of curls, tracing some sort of ponytail. “all that hair?” despite his need to keep up to date with his students, his pop culture knowledge is embarrassingly stuck at 2002. but he can vaguely remember someone belting out something on snl by that name. “you’re really barking up the wrong tree here. baby keo might be your best shot.”

rafael waves his find in front of her then, a grin on his lips. woodstock live, red hot chilli peppers. clearly, he’s thrilled. “all my reservations about this place have been cleared. i’m willing to give byron the benefit of the doubt.” the literature professor runs his hand along the shelf then, “stick with bonnie and then…” his eyes light up then before he offers his suggestion to her, “get the grease soundtrack too.”

she laughs, nodding profusely. “ yes, that one. she’s got a very high voice, but it’s also really strong — not like a falsetto or anything. ” but anne’s good sense gets the better of her — what she could get on spotify was not worth dishing out on a record for. no, for this kind of memorabilia, there had to be something personal there, which is why she figured that she would pull out every single one of the records on the 80s’ shelf till she found something by abba, or yet another bonnie tyler. 

anne’s lips purse and eyebrows rise at his find. “ nice find ! ” and it’s clear that rafael has good taste in music, because he knows precisely what advice to give her regarding her choice. “ how’d you know i love grease ? did you find the soundtrack somewhere — ? ”

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poppy‌:

“your ambivalence proceeds you.” she drawls, but there’s a hint of a smirk on those subtly feline features. it’s only just surpassed a year since she packed up her west side apartment and moved south, but she’s still managed to get the staff room regime down to a t. the personalities, the comings and goings, who to bother with and who to not even look twice at. people had always fascinated her ( why else would she have gone into a career so focused on motives ), and his lack of care was enough to provide interest until her next lecture at least.

she arches a brow, “have you met my sister? you try saying no to the epitome of goodness.” a pause. “and the cat isn’t so bad, entertaining most of the time.” poppy lets out the most delicate snort she can manage, sinking further into the aged brown sofa. “they’re impossible to shake off once they set their mind to something. like perky attack dogs.” and she would certainly know all about artists.

he smiles, almost out of pride. “ you can have reputations a lot worse. heartless bastard is probably the best out there. ” and yet, he can’t understand rafael’s opposition to it all. alejandro cannot admit to knowing the professor before him very well, although he could certainly recall a few students that were reminiscent of her. posh, east coast, probably went to harvard or yale or something. not that it was a bad person to be — but she didn’t fit one aspect of the cliché. those types were usually insufferable, and she’d done nothing to offend him in that regard yet.

“ no. i’d prefer to keep it that way, by the sound of her. i already have one over-excited arts teacher to deal with. ” disdain drips from his tone. rafael still hadn’t let him live down his lack of costume on halloween. “ perky attack dogs — shit, that’s it. and what the hell do they teach them in liberal arts that they’re so damn happy all the time ? ”

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ariela‌:

ari wasn’t the type to get upset over relationships (she would say girls but she’s had enough “gay panics” to say that wasn’t true). it just wasn’t her style. she had dealt with so much more in her life that it seemed stupid to get upset over so trivial. so she was more than confused when she found herself feeling jealous at the halloween party when she saw rosalie and kat kiss. even more so confused when she felt the effects of that kiss for days after the party. it’s not like her and kat were dating. they only ever hooked up when ari could excuse it by being drunk. obviously, kat meant more than she was willing to admit. 

“you ever feel like life’s just like orange juice after brushing your teeth? horribly unpleasant.” 

              “ jesus. what’s up ? i thought halloween was great. ”

their attention was only half on her ; the other half was on their phone, working out how they were gonna plan a collab with justice for all now that — otherwise, you could argue that their attention wasn’t anywhere in particular, because they’d stopped responding to the rainbow bank group chat minutes prior. getting involved in ari’s life was the one remedy for the strange mix of boredom and stress they felt. prior experience. they clicked their tongue after posing the question, waving a hand dismissively. 

“ no matter what it is, it’s probably not as big of a deal as you think, ” and that was going to be her dose of their wisdom for the day. but it wouldn’t end there. “ what happened anyway ? had a fight ?”