made of steel, not plastic

REBECCA EASTWOOD senior, sixteen, queen over the school ( head plastic ), science enthusiast, blank space

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“I don’t need anything from you except your support.” Eric answered, humbly, though he could definitely have asked for more from her, he wanted to. His hug lasted all of ten seconds before he broke away, touching his busted lip where it had started to hurt again. “We should talk more after school, I’m kind of in trouble with my parents so I have to walk home.”

“You’ve always had that,” she promised with a head nod, the simplest thing in the world. In Rebecca’s mind, two things were clear: Eric is weak, and Eric is having one of the worst weeks in his life, which could serve as a revelation if he stopped being weak. “Would you like me to walk you home?” she inquired, almost amused. 

[rebeccaeastwood]

@rebeccaeastwood: free demotion to the next 30 people who are mean to @egillmore. Test me.

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

She was right, he was already a part of it, and he could hear the weight in her words once they left her mouth. He was instantly put in his place, nodding at her, the personal battle still going on inside his head regarding whether he wanted to have something done about this. His voice began to sound as his thoughts reached a conclusion. “Do it, then. Solve it.” He bowed his head to the floor after his decision, knowing it would help the entire Popular image if he had this done, and he needed to stick up for his people. They were regarded as the alphas after all. After she was done talking, all he could do was hug her. She’d offered him a kindness, and he wasn’t going to turn her down.

“And in exchange for your honor...?” Rebecca inquired, more curious about his answer than needing payment for the little favor, which had more to do with cliques and order than his validation to begin with. The hug came unexpected, but she didn’t reject it, a hand resting on his shoulder in the process. 

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“Whatever… Just don’t ask me to be a part of it… Please,” he folded his arms, knowing that she was completely right. A part of him wanted the boys to pay, but his morals were in the way of that. “There’s Anarchy around every corner, Rebecca. It sucks, but people disrespect us when we’re not looking.” When the hand was thrown up, he shut up, choosing his next words carefully. “No… Because I liked it.”

“But you already are a part of it. The victim.” The word popped in her mouth almost with involuntary pity. Yet, she felt particularly tolerant and understanding, perhaps because she didn’t want to be blaming Eric either. “Would you rather I solved your problem?” she asked, genuinely offering to. “I don’t care about what they mutter under the blanket about us. That’s the price you pay for people knowing your name. But this isn’t the regular resentfulness. It’s the simple fact that they tried to step on you and you’re letting it slide.” For a moment, she forgot how to blink at the confession, caught off guard and not all that good at the whole matter that came with the butterflies. “Then stop apologizing. Being nice isn’t everything and, for the record, you still are the nicest person I know regardless.”

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“We’re more than just friends. You’re the only person I trust right now. That puts you at top priority and I don’t want anyone else to take a hit from this.” Eric’s defensiveness wasn’t just for himself now, but her as well. He wasn’t mad at her for what they did, it took both parties to do what they did, and he would be lying if he said he was still mad. “I think I deserved it, Rebecca. What if I’m not the good guy everyone says I am…”

“I strongly believe they should take a hit. To compensate the hit they’ve given,” she nodded towards him, as if to remind him of the bandages. “Who are they to step over you? That could be the beginning of an anarchy. They need to be put into place.” Rebecca shook her head at his words, holding a hand up as if to block his words. “Because you kissed a girl?” 

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“Wait… I know who it was… I’m sorry, I just don’t want this to be a bigger ordeal than it already is. Don’t go… Please, I don’t have anyone to talk to.” there came the sad truth. He didn’t have anyone to turn to after his girlfriend cut him off. “It was Artemis’ younger brother, Gaspard and a Brain, Sebastian.”

“Oh,” she realized, faltering, and trying to come up with a new approach for Eric’s vulnerability, sensitive matters being something she did not know how to handle all that well. “Of course. We’re friends,” she repeated a famous phrase of that night. “We’ll handle them. Nobody can hit you and get away with it,” she spoke with determination, outraged that some lower clique people had the nerve to as much as touch Eric. 

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

Seeing Rebecca after what happened was off for him. Seeing the girl he would’ve definitely cheated on his girlfriend with if given the opportunity had him a little uneasy, but he wasn’t about to be rude. ”Rebecca, I don’t know what their names were… It was some kid with a stutter and a senior.”

She noticed the hostility with offence, because she expected pining, even though, in theory, she’d done Eric a disfavor if he loved her girlfriend... and his face. “Everybody has a stutter when they talk to me. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to help much without names. But excuse me. I must be bothering you,” she began, ready to leave before the conversation got awkward and he told her something that would place her dignity under the level of a Hipster’s. She didn’t want to be the mistake, especially since she found it only right that Eric broke up with the lower clique girl. 

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

Eric was not having a good time, to say the very least. Rather terrible after his home invasion and assault, if he was being honest. The boys that jumped him hadn’t only beaten up his exterior, but made him question his own reasons for doing what he did. When the Plastic confronted him in front of school, he turned around, wincing after the facial expression of surprise he gave her made the bandage over his nose stretch too much. “It’s… I… It was just some boys who were sticking up for their friend. Don’t worry.” If it was worry that he sensed in her tone, at all.

She wasn’t dramatic for the fact that it was truly scary how something like that happened to a well-liked, popular guy, such as Eric. She also knew that the nice boy next door hadn’t played so nice that other night, and as much as she should have felt guilty for it, she was actually relieved. Surely, it was uncomfortable that Eric got hurt, but that was the fault of the brutes who beat him up. “I see some boys who should pay. Violence is not normal,” she explained coldly. “I think I asked for names.”

[rebeccaeastwood]

She liked mornings for the coffee they came with. Holding her latte between her palms to warm up, she walked towards the school - always walking, as she lived nearby. Recognizing Eric, Rebecca sped up to catch him in front of the school, eyes widened for a moment on how bruised and beaten up he was looking, despite not trying to give that away purposefully. After the initial shock, she tried to be nonchalant as she approached him, finally. “Eric Gillmore! Are broken noses back in style? What’s the story behind this?” She cleared her throat, this time less derisive and more serious. “Who did this?”

@gillmcre

[mercurialhigh-deactivated202010]

i’m the harbinger of death, trust me.

[rebeccaeastwood]

rebecca’s outfit for the gillmore pool party

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“My oh my Rebecca, am I flattering you with basic conversation?” Eric teased, ignoring the jab she had made at his choices of friends. “The curse could be a lot worse. I could be anti-social and never have met any of you.” He straightened his back in his seat, pulling his arm up to rest his own head in his hand. “I guess I don’t really act like the other Populars… huh? I mean, I try my best to be my own, but I still feel kinda left out.” When the second question came, he tensed up a bit. “Definitely not a demotion, just a little help… Maybe I’m doing something wrong? I just don’t wanna feel like this anymore.” he was freaking out on the inside at this point, unsure if Rebecca had come to him with a plan to demote him or not, and she had randomly just decided to show interest. “Well, I disagree with that. I mean, I haven’t exactly been trying my hardest to stay relevant, but I’d love some help.”

“Now, what a curse on the rest of us that would’ve been,” Rebecca shook her head jokingly, though she didn’t completely ridicule him, letting it see that there was a seed of truth in that. “You leave yourself out. It is all your choice. Who you are spending time with, who matters and is worth the time, for you. How you wear the crown of popularity is entirely up to you.” Rebecca became straight-forward and matter-of-factly in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t even about personal validations and setting order to the cliques anymore. It was an analyze of his social performance. “You are doing something wrong.” The redhead just shook her head, looking at him knowingly. “Oh, Eric Gillmore, I don’t think you are ready for help from me.”

[rebeccaeastwood]

thedonovanmcgovern:

Rebecca might’ve walked away, but that didn’t mean Donovan was done. Oh, no. Maybe it was time the Plastics got a little taste of their own medicine. Her scheme didn’t come to a head until the next day, but when Rebecca entered the school, she’d be greeted with the sight of dozens of copies pinned to every locker at North Shore. Donovan merely stood at her own, admiring the looks of shock and confusion on the faces of those students already having arrived.

First came shock, then came the tears she managed to suppress that morning. Yet, Rebecca managed to purse her lips together while leaving all the letters into place, with no intention of ever touching that paper again. She tried her best to seem unbothered and just shrugged it off, because she didn’t need that college, because she wasn’t a Brain to be desperate about those and because popularity was, in Plastic code, more important than a million universities. Donovan made her safe reservation on Rebecca’s black list, howsoever, and she didn’t tend to forget grudges as easily as she was forgetting names and faces.

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“Only the ones worth my time.” He toyed back with her, yet again alluding to the past conversation as the shared eye contact helped to deliver his message a little more serious than he hoped. His immediate notice was where her eyes were, or rather, where they weren’t, which was focused on him instead of the last students. She wasn’t known for wasting time mingling, but rather for having strong goals with her conversations, and at this point, Eric wasn’t quite sure what her goals were. “Well thanks for the pep-talk, I’m flattered, but lately I’ve just been hanging on to whatever feeling I had before this past Summer, and it’s not working for me. I just haven’t felt like I belonged… Excuse me, I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining that I’m a popular, I just feel like being stared at all the time comes with it’s own set of demons… Feel free to call me crazy if I don’t make sense.” Once he was done rambling about his hidden loneliness, the topic of his peers was brought up through the plastic’s conversation. “Oh, well that’s reassuring. You know I treat everyone the same, though, Rebecca. I just think everyone else adds to defining yourself, and I don’t see how they can be boring?”

“You seem to be having awfully low standards, I shouldn’t be flattered,” Rebecca retorted almost cheekily, meaning not to insult, rather than challenge that seemingly infinite wall of niceness that she couldn’t really understand to begin with. “The curse of being too kind,” she added with a long, but soft sigh, as her palm rested on her cheek. As difficult as it was to admit it even to herself, what he was saying made perfect sense even for those who weren’t guys next door caught in a social circle of vice, too good to enjoy the perks of popularity as well. Daring to be mean and daring to shine in all the attention received by the many people from the lower cliques wasn’t too heartwarming even to Rebecca. “No, you are not crazy. It is difficult, hence why not everybody is suited for it. Particularly difficult if you aren’t bold enough to own the good parts of it, too, and you settle for the less that’s within reach.” A small break as she gathered her thoughts. “Are you asking for a demotion or for a solution, Eric Gillmore?” Breaking eye contact, the Head Plastic closed her eyes to suppress the growing smirk as she proudly replied to his next statement, again against her own perspective and so naive. “If you think everybody is interesting, you clearly haven’t been hanging out with anybody interesting yet. No offence to those you do grace with your company usually.”

[antigonick]

She was not in love with anyone. She despised all men. She was above all that.

Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca (via antigonick)

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

“Not to brag, but… I get told that a lot.” Eric remarked, lowering his brows as his grin widened. “I’d be honored to have you wait with me, thanks.” Once the conversation picked up in tone, the popular laughed, turning his head away to watch the last few remaining students walk along, trying their hardest not to watch the two famous red-heads conversing. The school was always interested in gossip. “Well what can I say? I love the classics.” he chuckled, turning to face her again, throwing an arm over the bench to turn his entire body to her. “You speak too highly of me, Rebecca. I’m just an ordinary guy with friends in the right places. But then again, who am I to try and stop you?”

“Why? Do you offer to accompany people home a lot?” she huffed, slightly amused, although amusement hardly ever won smiles from her when nothing impressed or passed through the mask of blank expression. Rebecca didn’t even look at the people passing, already deducing they weren’t worth the time for a glance over her shoulder, instead, keeping her attention on Eric with nonchalance. “The classics thank you,” she bowed her head with her eyes closed, in sign of taking the compliment even through the joke. “Don’t be boring. Nobody ordinary gets so much attention. I’m talking about everybody in this school who follows you on twitter and watches you when you’re sitting on the bench, despite doing nothing interesting - because you, by default, are interesting. I’m talking about myself. Would I chat with somebody boring?” Rebecca moved her gaze away, tucking her hair behind her ear with still a relaxed pose and manners, speaking in a calm, monotonous voice. “Just because who you choose to surround yourself with is boring, it doesn’t mean the word defines you too.”

[rebeccaeastwood]

gillmcre:

Lifting his head up from the bench to run a hand through his hair, Eric’s lips curled into a small smile. “That, I do, no matter how hard I try to ignore it sometimes.” He scratched his chin as the auburn- haired friend admitted to her lonely travel. “Well that must be lonely. If you want, I don’t think my parents would mind driving you, or I could walk with you or something?” he offered, bringing his kind gaze on her again, his words not holding anything more than a friendly gesture. “Right, only the people who ‘matter’, right?” he teased, remembering a past conversation they shared, filling in the chatter with air-quotes.

Rebecca didn’t use to mind the walks home. If anything, they used to be the cleanse she needed as she detached from the silly dramas of the school and went home to her safe zone. Lately, howsoever, the quietness of the walk home made her sprint just to get there faster and have a trivial chit-chat with her mother as if it shook off the disappoint. “You’re too kind. That’s too much trouble for just a drop of loneliness. If anything, I should offer to keep you company until your drivers arrive,” she insisted, not too interested to move. “Quoting the classics now, are we?” she caught the reference with a lighthearted eye roll. “Only the people who deserve it. The few chosen ones, represented entirely by Eric Gillmore, the only one still on school grounds as we speak. If you don’t mind the attention.”