W R E T C H E D L I F E .

everything that you'll never find rocky zhōu. the southsider.

[ofsouthsidcrs]

meet corrine ROCKY zhōu ––– the southsider.

aka. wretchedrocky666 on aol

basics.

full name: corrine zhōu

best known as/only known as: rocky

age: twenty

birthday: may 13th 1979

zodiac: taurus 

gender: cis woman

pronouns: she/her

occupation: southside gang member & part time projector operator at the drive-in

personality.

positive traits: dependable, humorous, adventurous, focused, observant

negative traits: resentful, abrasive, stubborn, dishonest, led by emotion

mbti: ESFP - the performer

super hard shell with super gooey centre is the best way i can describe her without rambling for a seriously unfortunate amount of time

dot point biography. 

tws: drug use and addiction, implied negligence

rocky remembers her childhood as a happy one, but it’s probably the rose coloured glasses slipped on by nostalgia that has her truly thinking that. it wasn’t unhappy, but it wasn’t anything incredible either. 

she’s the zhōu’s eldest daughter, her little brother a little over thirteen months younger than her. for most of her life her family was very close, she loved her little brother, she loved her parents and knew she was loved by them in return. even when she was a total twerp of a child.

until, of course, the fateful year she moved to the southside. her dad lost his job in the summer before rocky was supposed to start high school and not to be dramatic but: rocky felt like she lost everything as a result. a selfish and extreme thought that causes a pain in the pit of her stomach every time she thinks it.

in the beginning, she convinced herself it would take some adjusting. her parents said that. that the whole family would have to make adjustments, that people around them would adjust, that it would be uncomfortable and that it would take time, but it didn’t matter where she lived she was still her blah, blah, blah – and she believed them. until she realised she was being totally delusional. 

sure, she was adjusting. slowly but surely she was settling into southside high, making new friends, finding new places to hang out. but the people she grew up with weren’t adjusting. most of her friends since elementary school (The Gang, as it were) dropped her. it made her sad, it made her angry, it made her jealous, it made her bitter. she hated most of them so much for it, truthfully she still hates most of them. but as rocky’s life on the southside continued to unfold and she spent less time in cherry proper altogether: the hatred was sort of put on the back burner. it’s there, it’s still hot, but she’s gotta bigger shit to deal with most of the time.

such as: her parents becoming drug addicts. of course rocky wasn’t the only one having a hard time with the move. her parents struggling to find consistent work, struggling to keep a roof over their kids heads and food in their stomachs, found themselves reaching for something to ease the pain. something that was exceedingly accessible in cherry’s southside. i don’t imagine it to be a secret-secret but i do imagine it to be a little bit of a mystery why rocky joined the southside gang in the first place. most people just assumed it was fate for a girl like her, or maybe it was her new friends, and never dug much deeper than that. but the truth was, her parents had quickly accrued a debt with the southside gang. she was so young, and scared, and lonely, and desperate that when a friendly (aka manipulative lmao) gangster suggested she run for the gang to help pay off the debt – she all but begged them to take her on board.

but of course, this didn’t really help much in the long run. rocky started to work off her parents debt, but all it really did was make it easier for her parents to get drugs. after a time, it became less about helping her parents and more about helping her brother, helping herself.

once again, things started to settle. sure, they weren’t what they were (she had accepted they never would be) but it didn’t feel like everything was falling apart at the seams like it once had. rocky was fortunately/unfortunately pretty damn good at working for the gang. she saved enough and moved out of home at seventeen– a hard decision made harder by the fact that she had to leave her little brother in her parents’ care. 

most recently, and this would only really be privy to other southside gang members: rocky wanted to leave the gang. why did she want to? unknown. what stopped her? also unknown. but after she tried to leave she was when she was moved up slightly in the gang, when she was trusted more, and when she started going into cherry proper again .... suspicious ... no?

headcanons.

her first fake id had the name “rochelle” as a tribute to the nickname rocky

speaking of the nickname rocky: there is a story behind it but it’s long, long, long forgotten by most. if asked, rocky will say because corrine wasn’t stupid enough

rocky wasn’t an angry kid, just impulsive and reckless and a bit of a shit. she used to do things for the thrill of it, to get a laugh, or to prove someone wrong when they said she didn’t have the balls to do it. jump off a roof, throw a punch, sneak in somewhere and run from authority – it was all fun when she was a kid. but like just about everything else, it changed when she moved. she still did those things, but it wasn’t really about the fun of it anymore. more to feel anything over the anger or the numbness or the angry numbness.

can drive, doesn’t have a car. she usually gets around on foot, borrowing cars, or hitching a ride if she has to

though she kinda rags on it all the time, she quietly rather enjoys her part time gig at the drive in. it can be boring as hell, but it’s nice to just be alone. to have a simple and easy and normal job to do. even if it is only basically one shift a week

writes poetry and its BAD and she knows it and never ever lets anyone read it. but it’s the only way she really knows how to deal with her emotions sometimes. she has journals full of completed and half written poems dating back to when she moved to the southside.

wanted to play drums as a kid but her parents redirected her to guitar (because who wants an already loud kid to have a drum set) so she plays guitar. she’s tried singing some of her poems over guitar but she’s not really musically creative and it’s never really worked. she much prefers just learning her favourite songs and the feeling that comes with finally nailing them.

has a tendency to draw on her arms and legs when she’s bored. she’s no artist but she rather likes it. she has one tattoo of a dragon but she thinks she might like to be covered in tattoos one day, proper patchwork style. but for now she’ll stick to just drawing, it’s almost mediative to her. self soothing in the same way poetry is

has been arrested 4 times but has managed to only be charged once with vandalism and trespassing when she was 16 – did three weeks of community service as a result

albums i most associate with rocky/i believe in my heart rocky would be obsessed with: celebrity skin by hole, garbage by garbage, all killer no filler by sum 41, tragic kingdom by no doubt, dookie by green day, and enema of the state by blink-182

PINTEREST ––– & ––– PLAYLIST 

[ofsouthsidcrs]

harveyiii​:

Rocky’s wound, at the very least, could be hidden beneath her shirt; Harvey’s wounds from the weekend were written over his face in more ways than one. Wounded pride was etched over every line in his skin, and the bandage that was taped over his actual wound was a constant reminder. He doubted everyone in the group didn’t already know about the complete blow-up between he, and casey, and elaine - Zahra. So, instead of getting into it - nobody wanted him to get into it - Harvey just shrugged his shoulders, and pointed toward his face a little. “Turns out that this face,” Bandage-and-all, “Doesn’t exactly help Dad’s win elections.” 

He waggled his eyebrows - canned laughter fell from his lips. A very clear, ‘let’s not get real about it, Rocky Zhou!’ 

Nobody wanted him to get into it. “You know, that and the whole Sophomore year thing,” Harvey raised an eyebrow - he hardly even hissed when it pulled at his bandages. “Heard you’re starting this year too, right?” 

-

Avoidance? Expected. Message? Received. But she was glad that he seemed to humour her none the less. Hold a conversation for longer than the two seconds it took to get some game tokens. She sucked her teeth, falsely sympathetic for the loss of votes, genuinely sympathetic for the injuries he sported. “ Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think there’s a little more than your ugly mug keeping your dad’s name off people’s ballots. ” Her tone was joking but it was the truth, wasn’t it? Maybe not from his position, the prodigal son, or whatever. But from her’s it felt clear. “ Like, I dunno. I just got a feeling, you know? ” She smiled, leaning more towards joke than serious. She could be cool. It was one of her few recognised talents.

She nodded in acknowledgement. Sophomore year. If she was lucky, that wouldn’t be her next year. This would be over with. “ Scary stuff. ” She mused, grin pulling at the corner of her lips. And then the question in return. She nodded. “ Yup, ” She popped the ‘p’, following it with a quick smile. Not that grin that she sported so easily. “ Would love to say I’m the first Zhōu to go to college, but my dad stole that title. Bastard. ” It’s an affectionate joke. But! She wanted to talk about her dad probably as much as Harvey did so she moved on before the joke even had time to settle. “ You got any tips for lil old freshman me or what? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

elainefm​:

❤️‍🔥

Elaine and Rocky had never exactly been the best of friends even before her move to the Southside. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for Elaine to get herself caught up in the other girl’s gravitational pull. Well, that and the fact that she wasn’t really in the place to be picky about who she spent her time with. Whether she liked it or not, the only people she felt all that comfortable surrounding herself with since the Candy Girl began her reign were those who also had targets on their backs. She should be reconsidering it, since one of their own had thrown her to the wolves the second he got the chance. But Elaine wasn’t exactly heartless, no matter how much she pretended to be. And meandering outside the group could only bring more people into the mess, it could only add new fuel for Candy to throw into the dumpster fire that was now her life. “You know, people do this funny thing called reading for fun, it’s riveting- really. You should try it sometime,” she teases as she sets the book aside, not bothering to save the page- she hadn’t taken in any of the story anyway, “You looked like you were in the Labrinyth, sweetie.” 

“So anyway- did you get your class list, yet?”

-

“ Mmmmmmm, ” Rocky hummed in doubt, playfully. She wondered for a moment what Elaine would say if she showed interest. If she, Rocky Zhōu, let it be known that she rather liked reading. Didn’t really fit the image she’d curated, so she didn’t. “ I don’t think that’s true, I think you’re lying to me. ” She grinned, holding hands around her coffee to warm them. Even in summer, she always had cold hands. She gave a light chuckle at the mention of Labyrinth. “ Bowie at least? Right? ” She asked, she could barely remember that movie. She’d only ever seen it the once, and all that had stuck in her mind was David Bowie. Everything from the mullet and glittery eye shadow to the tight pants.

Her head tilted curiously. She didn’t know that anyone knew she was going to CCU, anyone outside the gang at least. “ I did. ” She replied, a drag to her words that implied that more was coming. “ I don’t remember any of the names if that’s your follow up question. ” She continued, that classic playful teasing to her tone. “ How’d you find out? ” She asked after a beat, “ That I was going to CCU? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

jamiecromwell​:

who: jamie and literally anyone who will talk to him​ what: he was in his dorm room and started feeling existential so now he’s looking for a distraction and saying, like, anything to find it  where: out and about in the quad

It’s not like Jamie had very many belongings to move in from his Van, but somehow trudging them up toward his dorm room - paid for fully with students loans that would surely come back to bite him in the ass -  still felt like sort of a big deal. His first place that was all his own! (Even if it technically was split down the middle with Ted Lewis… and CCU property, but whatever!) It was good enough for Jamie as he shoved his backpack full of clothes into a drawer, and set his guitar in the corner - it was good enough for Jamie as he sat on his bed and bounced just a little. Huh. When was the last time he had slept on an actual mattress and not just the mat that was laid out in his van? 

When was it all going to fall apart, like it always did? 

The thought was a whirlwind. It was a trigger, and it’s fire left him spinning out toward the buzz of the quad and the flurry of people. He needed to find a familiar face - he needed to find a moment of peace. He just needed something. 

“You ever think about how lucky we are to live at the same time as CCU cheerleaders?” Jamie said out loud to no one in particular as he waved a group of girls - out of Uniform, but wholly recognizable! Who wouldn’t know a Fighting Cherry by sight in this little town? - past. “I’d never lay down and invite God to let me suffer, but for one of them…?” 

He smirked. “I’d suffer.” 

At least it’d probably get a reaction out of someone - he was craving it. 

-

You ever think about how lucky we are to live at the same time as CCU cheerleaders? Rocky was already over this conversation. With just those sixteen words, she was over it and letting out an exasperated sigh as she looked up from book to give a judgemental glance to Jamie and then side glance to the cheerleaders. Grimacing with disgust as he continued, a small groan to accompany as she looked back down to book. Couldn’t guys just do the sensible thing and jerk off to a porno mag in the privacy of their own rooms instead of subjecting Rocky, personally, to nonsense. “ Do you ever think maybe, just maybe, the things you say would be better left unsaid? ” She questioned, unable to stop herself. So what Jamie was looking for attention, Rocky bit. Because the worst case scenario was that he would get more dramatic as everyone ignored him. “ Like, I didn’t have to hear that. But now I have, and my day is ruined, Cromwell. ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

touristdisconnected​:

Maddie was naturally a little nosey, it wasn’t that she wanted to dig up the dirt on others or even mildly stir the soil for that matter, she just liked to feel as if she were a part of things. Since that was the case, it was rather fitting that Maddie was in charge of the ledger that contained everybody’s dorm assignments for the semester. She could see where everybody would be living, who they would be sharing their quarters with, with whom they would have neighboring walls and it was all very exciting to her.

As a recent transfer student, she didn’t know everybody on the ledger and it was a perfect opportunity for her to put faces to names and feel like she was contributing something to the CCU community in the process. More comforting than that, however, was to see the gang around the place, despite all that had happened as of late.

“Hey,” Maddie greeted, “Got your assignment yet? I won’t tell if you want to do a little swapsies, there’s still time,” more than half of the names in the ledger remained unmarked, which meant, in Maddie’s exclusive opinion that as the on-duty dorm assignment director, she also had the power to move things around for the right person…or the right price.

-

Rocky shook her head as she pulled up beside Maddie. “ Nope, I’m not in the dorms. ” She clarified with ease. She couldn’t afford her own shitty trailer and to live in the dorms. And while there was a lot she was willing to give up for all this, she wasn’t quite willing to give up the small home she’d made for herself. Besides, it would be just her luck to be paired with someone completely unbearable. Even if Maddie decided she had the power to swap people. “ But I do appreciate the offer. ” She grinned at her before she peaked over at the clipboard. “ Who’d you get stuck with? Or have you moved yourself around too? ” She asked, teasing tone to her voice as a small smirk pulled at her lips.

[ofsouthsidcrs]

harveyiii​:

who: @ofsouthsidcrs​ what: harvey wants to play games, but the urge to feel bad about himself wins out where: the mini arcade

Harvey had been eyeing the mini-arcade for the better part of, like, the entire morning, so it was no surprise that fucking second his father walked away from the Student Information Table, Harvey made a beeline for the tent that the Drive In had set up. The sound of 8-bit soundtrack was like a siren call - he could hear Pac Man munching on dots in the distance. It was so close! …But the sight of Rocky Zhou watching over it all gave him pause. 

It’s not like he had been responsible for drugging anyone - if he had been, he definitely would have skipped himself out on the worst trip of all time. But he was the one who had invited everyone to tag along, wasn’t he? It was his Savior’s Complex, at least, that had taken the hit. “Hey,” Harvey’s voice was measured as he looked down at Rocky, but it sounded more like an, ‘Are we good?’ 

‘Am I welcome here?’

“How’ve you been?” He actually said that part. “My head’s felt like fuckin’ hellfire all week, but… You know, can’t really say that’s all from the drugs? So.” 

-

There was something calming about the loud bells and whistles of the arcade machines surrounding her. Or at least, Rocky decided there was. If they weren’t calming then they’d be maddening. And Rocky had plenty of things in her life more worthy of madness than PacMan. She liked the way they seemed to drown out everything else. Some part of her knew that she liked that it made it hard to think, but she tried not to give in to that. It was too close to something else.

Harvey at orientation was not all that surprising. But she still found herself a little shocked when any of her old friends approached her. Though the weekend at the Hargrove lakehouse probably bonded them enough to just call them friends again. Not that Rocky would be so bold. “ Hey, ” She greeted in return, tone friendly. Friendly for Rocky, at least. She shrugged in response to his question. Feeling the abrasiveness of healing scratch on her shoulder against the seam of her shirt. Some sort of symbol of her body trying to answer the question for her. Her head tilted slightly as he continued. The things that slipped tongue when you tried to fill awkward air. She wondered if he meant to say it. “ Oh yeah? ” She questioned, gentle but ever curious. “ What else is causing hellfire for you, Harv? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

elainefm​:

who: closed starter for @ofsouthsidcrs​ what: elaine??? having a crush?? on whomst?? where: blossom records’ cafe

Elaine’s hatred for the frizzy little muppet named Mackenzie Walsh was squashed only by her need for good coffee, and it totally wasn’t fair that the only other good spot in town had burned to a crisp months before. She’d watched carefully as he made her drink, ensuring that none of his spit made it in, before finding herself a seat. So what if she was sitting alone? That was totally chic now, she’d decided so herself! Though she can’t help it as her eyes begin to glaze over at the book she was reading, her attention shifting around the cafe until it lands on Miss Mama Bird herself. Her expression is measured, though a small smile peeks its way out as she’s distracted by the beating in her heart. She really needed to get it together before the school year started. But what happens in the summer stays in the summer, right? 

“Are you gonna sit down or just stand there looking lost?” 

-

Unsettled, that was a word for how Rocky felt since the lakehouse. Though had she ever really been settled in the first place? Probably not. But the metaphorical ice beneath her feet had once felt somewhat safe– it no longer did. Right now it felt like one mis-step and she was in the water. But she still needed to be there. The fact that she was a little freaked didn’t erase that she had business in Cherry. So there she was in Blossom Records. With a coffee and a hope that time would pass quickly. Familiar voice draws her attention as she’s looking for a place to sit. Elaine. If she’s honest, she’s a little surprised at the invitation. Maybe she just had to spit tequila in the rest of the gang’s mouths and the ice would feel thick again. Maybe that was the secret. A small chuckle leaves her lips as she concedes, moving towards her table. “ Well, I was going to, ” She opened, her tone ever light and playful, “ but I didn’t wanna interrupt you and what I’m guessing is a super boring book you’re gonna have to read for a class but you’re getting ahead of it? ” Inflection turning upwards at the end, making it a sort of question. A subtle what are you reading as she slipped into chair. Subtle or stupid. “ Did I really look that lost? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

cristianova​:

🗽

Cristiano nodded at Rocky’s response with a smile at first. That was good. He didn’t really see eye to eye with the girl anymore…but that didn’t mean he wanted her to suffer all weekend. The lakehouse was a safe place. The first time he was invited…it really made him feel comfortable in the friend group. He wasn’t the weird sculptor activist kid. Well…he definitely still way. But he was the weird sculptor activist kid with friends his own age! Cristiano didn’t want to block Rocky from that kind of joy. But right before he could share that excitement, Rocky snapped back. “Yo, cariño! Chill!” Cris responded, avoiding eye contact and looking back in the mirror. “I’m actually…glad you’re here.” He said, a weak-willed campaigner’s fib. In a way…Rocky making an appearance hammers home Cristiano’s goal for the gang this weekend. Channel enough nostalgia to recharge the gang. With all the rumors and secrets flying about back home…they needed to be a united front. Rocky wasn’t his first choice in a comrade…but she would do. “I want things to go back to the way we were before puberty and untimely death ruined everything for us. Things were normal! You were part of that. You know…before you belittled my entire being and then abandoned me for the Southside.” He said, with a laugh that sounded stale. It was definitely a sour wound. 

-

Glad she was here? Yeah, somehow Rocky doubt that. Call it intuition or the obvious avoidance paired with grimace. But she didn’t comment. Instead pressing her lips together in a tight smile and gave a small nod of her head. A combined reaction that read a sarcastic: Sure, Cristiano. But it wasn’t saying it. And again, her silence had to count for something, right? 

As he continued, Rocky’s brow furrowed. Was that really the angle he was gonna pitch? That he had been abandoned. Certainly, Rocky had stopped talking to him after she ripped unnecessary holes into everything about him that she could. But he had stopped talking to her too. And he wasn’t the one who had lost most of his friends for reasons he couldn’t control. That was Rocky. “ Abandoned, ” She repeated the word, pretending to think over it for a moment before she clicked her tongue and continued, “ That’s a word to use, for sure. I didn’t know you missed me so much, Van Allen. ” She mused, a playful sarcasm but sarcasm nonetheless. A small beat before she addressed the other thing he said. “ Things can’t go back to the way they were, nostalgia’s a liar like that. Gotta find a new normal instead. ” 

[ofsouthsidcrs]

elainefm​:

❤️‍🔥

Elaine moves around Rocky to fish out everything she needs, pretty much on autopilot. She was comfortable in the Hargrove kitchen, sometimes more comfortable than she was in her own, but that probably had something to do with the fact that Harvey was usually right behind her. Her baby-bird? God, it sounded even more gross now that Rocky put it that way. So why did it still send a rush through her when she thought about it? “If you wanna put your lips on me you can just say that, Zhōu,” fuck, “Don’t get your hopes up though- I’m taken and you’re so not my type.” Denial, party of one! 

“Looks like we’re stuck with strawberry banana, who exactly let the boys do the shopping?” she rolls her eyes, “I guess if you want anything done right you gotta do it yourself.” 

-

Rocky’s not sure if the comments are intended as jokes, much less if they’re jokes she’s supposed to laugh at. But she does anyway. She laughs because it’s stupid. Like, of course Rocky wasn’t her type. No shit, Sherlock. Besides the heteronormative assumptions, she also wasn’t a title. Not like Harvey or Casey– or shit, she guessed Zev now. But that wouldn’t stop her from having fun with it. “ Boooo, ” She dragged out in jest, “ You’re no fun at all. ” She teased, looking over at the blonde for a quick moment. An easy grin on her features. 

Despite Elaine’s tone, Rocky felt a little relieved to know those were the ingredients she was stuck with. Way better than the hulk green smoothie she was picturing in her head. “ Amen to that, ” She agreed, eyes on the eggs. Making sure they didn’t get too far gone or she was sure she’d never hear the end of it. “ But, they did manage more than beer and hotdogs which was kind of all I was expecting, so I’m, like, fractionally impressed. ” She said, tone dry but features giving away the light hearted nature of her words. She stepped away from pan for a moment, opening one cupboard in search of plates but nope. She tried a second, but again, not what she was looking for. Damn it. She turned to Elaine, who seemed to know this stupid place like the back of her hand. “ Do you know where the plates are? ” 

[ofsouthsidcrs]

elainefm​:

❤️‍🔥

Elaine was a morning person, though it wasn’t as if she had a choice. When she was younger there had been before-school ballet lessons and pageant rehearsals at ungodly hours. As she grew, it turned into a workout before school- as if the one she got at cheer practice in the afternoons wasn’t already enough. It helped that she sort of liked the early morning, the damp grass and the cool air and the quiet. No one was around to watch her, it was the most free she felt on most days. Being on vacation hasn’t broken her from her schedule, and she’s just returned from a run through the trail. She’s surprised to see someone else in the kitchen, and more surprised that it’s Rocky… cooking? 

There’s a bit of snark at the tip of her tongue, though it wilts at the offer and dies when she remembers the game of truth or dare. She flushes, once again, from her chest up to her face. Thank god she could blame it on the run. “Yeah, sure- as long as you don’t spit them into my mouth this time,” she shrugs, sounding much more casual than she feels, “I was gonna make a smoothie. Trade ya?” 

-

She looked up again when figure responded, actually taking them in now. Elaine. It wasn’t surprising that she was up. She was someone with a routine and in some sort of way Rocky respected that. Even if she thought it was super fucking weird to keep it up on a weekend away in memoriam of your dead friend. But whatever. It was surprising, however, that she accepted her offer. Even with a little line about the game, causing a small smirk to tug at the corner of Rocky’s lips. “ Oh c’mon, you don’t wanna be my baby bird anymore? ” She joked in reply, smirk spreading to an easy smile. A smoothie? In a lakehouse? She raised a brow, momentarily. Most the group was still asleep and Rocky was already thinking: what in the rich people shit? But, she decided to accept nevertheless. “ You got yourself a deal, Archer. ” She was already here, might as well indulge in the rich people shit while she had the chance, right? “ What kinda smoothie? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

who: open what: rocky’s cooking breakfast y’all where: the lakehouse, kitchen

Rocky wasn’t really a morning person. Her job for the last few years had essentially required her to be a night owl. But there was something about being here, and with this whole group, and no Lux, all of it– it made sleep sort of limited for her. And there was only so long she could lie on pull out couch in the den before she had to get up and do something. That morning: breakfast. She wasn’t a bad cook, in fact she was a pretty good one. She’d been cooking since she was a kid. But her presentation had always been a little lacking. Hearing movement, she glanced up out of habit but didn’t really take in who it was before she spoke, “ I’m making eggs, you want in? ” She offered, eyes already back on the work in progress in front of her. Moving it around a little with a spatula. “ Your choices are scrambled, intentionally or unintentionally. ” She joked, smiling a little to herself. 

[ofsouthsidcrs]

touristdisconnected​:

🏝️

Maddie’s face lit up at the sound of Rocky’s Britney cover, albeit it a little out of key “ - baby, thinking of you keeps me up all night,” she tacked on with more enthusiasm than Rocky had offered, even adding a little wiggle of her hips to spice up the routine, despite how exhausted she was from the night’s events. She chuckled as she watched Rocky struggle with the couch, evidently she hadn’t realised yet that Rocky’s failure, despite the comedic value it provided, likely meant that they’d be sleeping on the floor for the night if they couldn’t remedy it. “Of course we get the bogus bed,” she complained, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, “Thanks Harv,” she wasn’t really that bitter about it, she just enjoyed the theatrics. 

When she realised there was a latch securing the bed inside the frame of the couch, you could practically see the lightbulb above Maddie’s head as her eyes lit up and her face brightened with renewed faith in their comfort. A moment later she was pulling the bed out it all its springy glory, though most of her attention was admittedly on what Rocky was saying and not what Maddie was meant to be doing. “Did it go how anybody expected it to go? My bingo card for the night did not look like that- I honestly expected more making out,” she confessed as she rolled herself onto the unmade bed and playfully tossed a couch cushion at Rocky below her.

-

Rocky heard movement, and when she turned her head she was pretty sure she was witnessing Maddie figure out the bed where she had failed but she didn’t bother getting up to help. Only offering moral support in the form of a cheer, lifting her arms above her to pump them in the air as the bed unfolded. She chuckled at her comment, letting her arms flop against her stomach again– only for her to be hit with a cushion a moment later. Letting out a small gasp of shock, and then dragging it out dramatically like she’d been shot in a middle school production of Bugsy Malone. Rolling to the side first before pulling herself up, elbows on the edge of the pull out, looking over at Maddie. “ So did I, ” She admitted, face shifting to one of concentration as she thought on it for a moment. “ What was it? You and Cris, ” Puke. “ And that’s it, right? Officially? ” She asked, looking to Maddie for confirmation. “ Like honourable mention to Mac and Casey– oh shit! ” She exclaimed, suddenly remembering the baby bird-ing she had played part in. “ Me and Elaine too. ” Her words accompanied with another grin. If she remembered correctly, that was on Maddie’s bingo card. She thought for another moment before she chuckled lightly at herself. “ I was about to say maybe they’ve all gotten sick of swapping spit with each other but that’s a fucking joke. Clearly it’s something to do with the fucking audience. ” She rambled, somehow managing to make it through all that without a drunken fumble. “ Bunch of prudes. ” She grinned again, a wicked sort of smile.

[ofsouthsidcrs]

cristianova​:

🗽

Cristiano grit his teeth. Did he really want to be the kind of guy who made a big deal about a bathroom. He tilted this head, gesturing for Rocky to come in. In turn he slid down to the second sink and splashed water on his face. As he reached for his can of Noxzema, he finally eyes Rocky once more. “Are you having fun?” He asked pointedly. He tried not to pay attention to Rocky in general…but he didn’t realize she getting close to the gang again this summer. “Like we all have loads of memories being here…and I know you don’t really. I hope its not like…awkward or anything. ” He pondered, rubbing the product through his skin. He was genuinely curious…but he knew how it sounded. He didn’t really care to fix his words. “At the end of the day…an awkward weekend in the lakehouse is better than an awkward night in Harvey’s basement.” 

-

Anyone else might have earned a verbal thanks from Rocky but Cristiano instead earned: silence. Silence as she slipped past him and towards the sink. Which had to still count for something because it wasn’t a sarcastic remark nor insult, right? In that silence she squeeze toothpaste onto toothbrush, wet it, and got to work. Quicker she was out of here the better, she thought. When he spoke, she looked to him and raised brows slightly for a moment. Not answering straight away on account of the toothbrushing of it all. She wondered if his words were an attempt to throw her off, unease her a little– she couldn’t quite tell. She leaned over to spit out excess toothpaste into the sink, turning it on a moment to wash it away. “ It’s not awkward. ” She said, looking to him as she stood up straight again. Tone somewhat assuring, somewhat blunt. Following words with a quick pursed smile. “ Do you think it’s awkward? ” She asked, letting that sit for a beat before she added, “ Because if you do, you can just say that. Instead of asking me if I think it’s awkward and all this pussy footing around bullshit. ” Another quick smile, this time a sarcastically sweet sort of one, before she started brushing her teeth again.

[ofsouthsidcrs]

cristianova​:

who: @ofsouthsidcrs​ where: the bathroom nearest the family guest room what: mean girl cristiano rising

Cristiano was so glad he passed out before the skinny dipping began. Not that he was a prude or anything, he just knew his assets looked a lot better at room temperature and with adequate lighting. He thought on this truth as he checked himself out in the mirror. He figured he had some time to center himself before the events of the day. He had learned the precise science of tuning Kitty and Elaine out this weekend…but he was pretty sure they were wrapped up in something else. Right before he could enter phase 6 of the 10 phase Cristiano Van Allen skincare routine, he heard a couple of bangs on the door. “I’m in here.” He said gently. But the banging continued. He sighed and wrapped a towel around his waist before opening the door. It was Rocky. Of course it was Rocky. “Isn’t there a bathroom closer to the den?” He asked bluntly. 

-

Rocky should have seen this one coming. That all these motherfuckers would be bathroom hogs. Like, okay we get it! You’ve never had to share a bathroom before! But Rocky was going to go insane if she had to stand around waiting to brush her teeth a moment longer. Like, seriously, she was about two seconds away from doing it in the kitchen like some kind of animal. Even knowing that would earn serious protest from anyone who caught her. So here she was, pounding on the door she knew contained another bathroom. About to reply that she didn’t hear water running when door opened in her face. And she’s face to face with a half naked Cris. Of all fucking people. Like, literally she might have preferred Kitty. Her arms cross across her torso, toothbrush and toothpaste sticking out against her arm. “ And there’s circles closer to hell. ” She quipped in response, tone sarcastic and dry. “ It’s in use, obviously. You gonna let me brush my teeth or what? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

who: @touristdisconnected​ what: just two girlies and a pull out couch <3 where: lakehouse, the den

Post skinny dipping there was, like, no way in the world you could have convinced Rocky to get fully clothed again. She’d pulled on underwear and cropped tank for the sake of her modesty, a towel around her shoulders for warmth, but that was it. Boots and jeans? It had been a cute look when she’d dressed herself sober but she abandoned them at her feet for the rest of the night. Only just remembering to retrieve them as her and Maddie finally headed inside for the designated couch and floor space in the den of the Hargrove lakehouse. Dumping them on the floor once she spotted her bag and making her way to the couch. Pulling at a cushion she looked back at Maddie and said “ I’ve got that stupid Britney song stuck in my head, ” And though she intended it to come with a pout, intoxication caused a smile and a laugh instead. “ That one, the whoa-oh, crazyyyy – but it feels alright, ” She sung ( badly ), trying to keep her voice low for fear of disturbing the others with her fucking singing of all things but breaking it with another giggle.  She tugged at the couch, trying to get the pull-out out but completely unsuccessful. Opting to slide to the floor instead and stretch her arms up and over the cushion she’d just abandoned. She thought for a moment. She hated that this felt good. But it did, it did feel good. She’d missed this. She adjusted, looking for Maddie in the darkness. She was glad she was there. “ Is it completely and horrifically cliche if I say that didn’t go how I expected it to go? ”

[ofsouthsidcrs]

libbylogan​:

𝐖𝐇𝐎: libby & whoever is unfortunate enough to interact with her

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓:​​ she is eating snacks like they’ve wronged her, and totally MAD

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: the arcade @ the drive in!

Libby was pissed. She was pissed, and she wanted to scream it at the fucking sky as loud as she could - where the hell was Harvey Hargrove the Third! and how the hell was she supposed to get home without him! But instead of shrieking like a banshee, she stomped through the Drive-In like a bat out of hell instead. Had anyone seen him? No. Was anyone leaving soon? No. 

No, no, no. 

She swore she was going to lose it at the next person who delivered bad news - yes, she would shoot the messenger, thank you very much! - so instead of setting herself up for failure with everyone that was seemingly having the time of their lives tonight (what the hell you, guys! It’s just some lame Drive-In!) she decided to post herself up in the back of the arcade instead. Soda in hand, and stupid movie snacks at her side - Libby could at least take comfort in the fact that everyone was too busy to pay attention to her huffing and puffing over her pack of Twizzlers… You know, until the eclipse of a familiar face stepped into her eyeline, and stopped her chewing in it’s tracks. Ugh. 

“Kind of a dramatic entrance, no?” Libby raised an eyebrow, and waited - but impatience had always been her strong suit. 

“Can I help you? I was watching that loser play Dig Dug, and I was sort of looking forward to the crushing defeat, so…” The blonde leaned toward the side to peak past them; anything to prove a point. “I’d like to get back to the show.” 

-

“ I was going for a Michael Myers thing, ” Rocky quipped in response, a jest though she was a complete and total drama queen when she wanted to be. And often when she didn’t want to be. “ Brooding, creepy, suddenly in your line of sight, oh my god how long was he there. How’d I do? ” She asked jokingly, tilting her head ever so slightly with a mischievous grin pulling at her lips. 

Brows raised momentarily, turning so she could look to the machine and loser in question, before back to Libby with questioning look on her features a second longer. “ I bet. ” She stated, a blunt sarcasm with it. “ I can only think of a million things I’d rather do than watch some dweeb lose Dig Dug from a distance and one of them is stick a fork in my eye. ” Another one was actually play Dig Dug. “ Is there a hostage situation going on that I don’t know about? ” First Ozzy, now Libby. Only difference was Ozzy at least seemed to loosen up a little. Libby was wound tighter than Rocky thought she might have ever seen before. “ Blink twice if you’re being held here against your will, Logan. ” She grinned, though leaving off the offer to sneak her out back. For now, at least.

[ofsouthsidcrs]

rorycollins​:

🌱

“Exactly!” Rory exclaimed. It always bugged her when Cinemaniacs did “classic” showings. Hordes of older people always showed up to bash anything made in the last thirty years and wax poetic about the oldies. “Like those are the good old days?” Her nose wrinkled. “The bar’s got to be higher than that.” She was sort of surprised- albeit pleasantly so- when Rocky actually agreed to go with her. She’d tossed the offer out, mostly expecting to get shot down. Huh. Maybe Rebel Without a Cause was good for something after all. “It wasn’t just proximity,” she shook her head, quick to dispel that notion. Everyone was always telling her she was too friendly for her own good, but it hadn’t ever really gotten her in trouble before, had it? “C’mon.” Rory held the skittles bag out in offering as she started towards the back of the Food Shack. “If you’d been in charge of picking the movie, what would you have put on?”

-

As Rory’s nose wrinkled with distaste, Rocky’s smile spread a little more. Almost allowing a chuckle past her lips but not quite. “ People are nuts. Likes James Dean isn’t even that good looking, ” Natalie Wood though ... “ He literally looks, like, forty and he’s supposed to be a teenager. ” She shook her head disapprovingly, smile remaining on her lips. It wasn’t just proximity. Maybe it was just something about the way Rory said it, or maybe just Rory herself, but Rocky found herself believing it. There was something genuine about her. She’d always thought that, and she was glad to see that hadn’t seemed to have faded despite everything. “ Thanks, ” She said as she reached for the bag, collecting a few skittles and popping them in her mouth as she followed after the other. She wasn’t even really sure if she was thanking for the skittles or for the fact that Rory wasn’t only asking based on closeness, but she hoped it at least seemed like the former. She looked over at her again as they walked, a couple movies immediately coming to mind but she didn’t name them just yet. “ Well, does it have to still be, like, “classic”? ” She asked, raising her hands to put air quotes around the word, “ Or do I get free reign? ”