. w i t h . . y o u .

[chronicsunshincs-a]

DRUNK JASON WAS FUN, especially when grace was as equally inebriated. there's something boyish in the way he handles her, it's endearing. she snorts as he widens pulls her fingers apart before swatting his hands away. " can't trust a drunk man's judgement, so i'll just say that you're lying. " usually so hard to read, the way that he's openly affectionate with her makes her giddy. " thank you baby, " the blonde murmurs to him, a free hand running through his hair. " should i leave? i'd distract you less that way, but your lap would be vulnerable again. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"you'd say i was lying even if i was sober, just cause you could," he called out. he'd do the exact same to bother her, but that wasn't really the point here was it. his hand gripped her thigh then, riding high against the yellow fabric of her dress,"nah, i don't you to stop distracting me. stay here, protect me from shay."

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" IT'S EITHER THAT OR THE DVD symbol bouncing off of the walls of his brain. he's waiting for it to hit a corner and, poor thing, it's his brain and there are no actual corners. " it doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice savannah's shift in mood upon the mention of fletcher. usually, it's a nerve that she'd poke and prod at with anyone else. savannah's a special case. she'd use the excuse of how long they'd known each other for, but even teddy and wil weren't safe from molly's attitude. " hate to burst your bubble, but we don't own the place. —didn't he try hitting on all of the girls at the last circle party? " a vague memory of him asking invasive questions to even momo crosses her mind. " if he tries talking to us, i'm gonna make him cry. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"aw... i loved watching that as a kid. silly nate, the best part is watching it hit the corner." nate and momo's very obvious affection for each other was often part of the reason savannah didn't tease him to his face... outside of the fear that he wouldn't realize she was doing it out of love. she groaned,"can't you and wil buy it for us so we can own it?" she'd offer herself up, but she had spent her last few hundred on another knife. she tried to convince herself that the satisfaction of using it would be enough to distract herself from being too broke to do anything else. "yeah he did. here's your chance, he's on his way." even the way he moved through the crowd pissed sav off.

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" DON'T MAKE ME GET even worse. i'm more than willing to test your limits and find new lines. " the threat is almost comical paired with the softness of her voice. and even though she was sitting her pestering and prodding at him, soleil was still genuine in her offer of helping him if needed. her aunt taught her to not give handouts so willingly, but for laurent? there was a lot she'd do for him. not that she'd openly tell him that. " then stop complaining. you're making yourself sound poor. " soleil scoffs, squinting to the man next to her. " pigeons have talons and beaks, laur. i get your eyes and it's all over for you. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

he rolled his eyes at her,"trust that i know that of you already, soleil." there had been a time those threats had worked on him, many years ago. now, both adults, he found himself slightly curious to see what lines she would try to cross. "is it so hard to be near the poor? your dear followers would be heartbroken." his hand paused on its ascent, cup handing in midair as he looked at her. "that was dark. what other body parts do i need to fear for near you?"

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AN EXHALE THROUGH HER NOSE is a replacement for a laugh. " yeah. fuck therapy. " not that her family believed in that sort of thing anyways. they'd just make her go to confession, say a couple hail marys, and she'd be good as new. lilith doesn't want to think about that now, not when seven is so clearly coming onto her. " i didn't think that i was that good. " sarcasm seeps through her tone. she seems so unphased in the way he leans towards her, " should i dig out the old sweaters and tennis skirts? i might an outfit or two laying around still. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

it really wasn't a ground breaking statement, but still he liked her better for agreeing with it. too many people, his roommates especially, seemed keen on telling him how good therapy was for them. he really didn't give a fuck how good it made them feel, it wasn't for him. "nah, not really, but i'd love to see how much better you got." in all honesty, outside of the ring on his chain, he didn't have all that much of recollection of their night together. sometimes it all blended together for him. he sucked his teeth, a grin splitting his face for a moment. "you know, i think i'd like that actually. tennis skirts look good on everyone."

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" I WAS DEBATING BETWEEN perv or creep. perv was funnier. also i'm the.. teeniest, tiniest bit drunk. just a little smidge. " grace lifts her hand to mime the amount of drunk she is, pointer finger and thumb pushed closely together but not quite touching. his compliment gets her red, a grin appearing on her face. " yeah? how do i look? "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"perv is way better than creep," he muttered before taking another long sip of his beer. usually jason stuck to one or two, but the term was nearly over and that was a reason to drink. he took her fingers and widened them slightly,"this is more accurate for you." her red face and smile sent a shook through him as it did most times. he loved her more than he had loved anything. he kissed her shoulder again, then another on her neck. "really fucking pretty. it keeps distracting me."

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" ISN'T THAT WHAT USUALLY goes on in that boy's head? " it's said more humorously than her typical insults. there were few men in that house that molly would spare from her attitude. she wouldn't be able to handle momo's upset that would come with teasing nate. " you don't? i wonder why? " savannah's hopelessly simping for fletcher, but she's not nearly drunk enough to throw that in her face. though she'll be more than happy to remind her tomorrow that she's got two days until she hits month six. besides, the face sav pulls is way more interesting. " well, it's probably no one we like. " molly looks over her shoulder with no caution, quickly catching the familiar face. " oh my god. ew. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"I like to think that it's all blank in there except for that little monkey toy with the cymbals. Sometimes he looks so startled out of no where that something had to surprise him in his head." Savannah enjoyed the company of everyone in the house, even if sometimes she found some of them hard to hold a conversation with. She shrugged,"Couldn't tell you." Anxiety creeped into her chest as she thought on Fletcher. Her strict rule had been broken for him once already and she was thinking of breaking it again. She had imagined the future of the two of them already, where she could openly admit that she wanted something more and he'd smile so sweetly but tell her that he wasn't the one for that. At least now she'd never get left that way. "Why is he out tonight? I thought we'd be safe."

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" BECAUSE I'M TERRIBLE WHEN i'm not happy. is something not connecting for you, mon ami? " as much as laurent loved to pester her, soleil knew well-enough that he cared for her. and besides, annoying him was almost always a guarantee for having fun. " if you actually need money though, i can help you. " the woman notes rather casually. he took care of her when she needed it the most, why not return the favor? " you'll have to fight me with your little arms to get me to leave, actually. so good luck, i'll be clinging onto any and every piece of furniture in this place. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"I associate you with terribleness at all times, ma chérie." Laurent was quite certain he would be annoyed if anyone else spoke to Soleil as he did, but he was also rather sure no one had earned the right. Her words softened him, his eyes turning to her with earnest affection. "Thank you, but I am doing well enough. I simply enjoy complaining." The salary and ability to have more freedom in his life style was an incredible factor to his move. "Yes because it would be so difficult to fight a woman built like a pigeon."

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" WHO NEEDS THERAPY WHEN YOU have an obscene amount of piercings? " lilith ashes her cigarette, smothering the remains. " i'll pass. i prefer to live my life with little to no clarity. " she'll figure it out eventually, or she won't. it's no secret that lilith prefers the latter. " yeah, i know. i'm saying there isn't a god. but, if there was, it'd be the devil. i mean, who would wanna revisit the first time they ever had sex? " she jokes, lulling her head to the side to look at him.

[stclenmomentswrites]

"Fuck therapy." They had put him through a few sessions with an underpaid counselor the first time he was in the system. He'd been mean and told her all the worst just to see her cringe. He remembered swiftly being labeled a problem. His body moved before his mind did, turning so his hip rested against the wall now, leaning forward into her space. "Personally I wouldn't like to revisit mine, but I'd love to revisit yours."

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a drunken snort escapes her when she's pulled down onto her boyfriend's lap. pressing his buttons was sometimes a challenge, but the way he rolls his eyes with that small smile made it all worth it everytime. an arm rests over his shoulders, taking no shame in leaning onto him. " hey! " grace takes half-hearted offense to what he says, " i wasn't even thinking of making a joke like that.. you perv. " she chastises, resting her cheek on his head. " you gotta get your mind out of the gutter, jas. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"took you that long to think of the word perv, gracie?" he asked, fingers tapping alongside her ribs in amusement. it was surreal at times, being there with her. he'd never once thought of being someone's forever before her, but here he was, sure that she was it for him. "hard to keep things clean when you're looking like this."

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" LIKE ANY OF THEM ACTUALLY need to study. let's be honest. " even the fact that all they had to complain about was how life was handed to them on a silver platter spoke volumes. " what, so all of them? other than fletcher? " sounded fun enough. always the abrasive type, people loved to hate molly. her headstrong attitude and ability to poke holes in anyone's confidence is what got her this far, and she certainly isn't going to back down. savannah's presence just.. elevated it. " efficient. thanks, sav. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"Well, maybe Nate does! He's the one who asked for quiet tonight." He was, also in her opinion, the stupidest of the boys. What he lacked in brains he made up for in heart. And looks. Not that was a road she'd ever think of going down. "Fletcher annoys me sometimes! Not that I want you to bother him." Her situationship, if she could even dare call it that, was usually protected from Molly's wrath because of Savannah. "And Sosa's safe too!" A doubtful target of Molly's but a needed reminder. Glancing away from Molly she pulled a face, eyes catching one of the guys that came to circle parties often. "Guess who just came in."

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" THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING. i talk about my problems in therapy. you are one of them. a thorn in my side. " her legs kick back and forth, slowly beginning to grow genuinely impatient. how spoiled was she? not that laurent was someone she expected to be at her beck and call. in fact, she found annoying him half the fun of hanging out with him. she wondered if this was what it was like to be a little sister. " not my fault. die poor. " she notes it so casually, noting silently that he'd finally closed his laptop. " am i? should i be worse then? "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"You need someone to be a thorn in your side. Everyone else likes keeping you happy." He did too, of course, but not without giving her shit. He had known her for too long to play into it anymore, especially when he had fallen for it for most of her childhood. "New York seems determined to make that my fate, so it seems you have a powerful alley in your pursuit." He stretched his legs for a moment before standing to join her on his couch. "I am not afraid of throwing you out if you act worse and that would just make you all the more bored."

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" AND WHAT LOOK IS THAT? " she could talk about how he looks like he walked straight out of a hot topic circa 2012, but lilith matches matches it well. " the amount of boys that walk in and out of our house, i lose track of who's paired up with who in your freaky circle cult. " she had her fair share of cults growing up, and lilith was hardly interested in joining another. hence her ability to avoid parties like these at all costs. " good for them though. really going against the grain. " a scoff escapes her at his question, flicking ash off her cigarette. " ready for some real character development? if there is god, which is unlikely, it's probably not him. it's the devil, easily. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"The 'I haven't gotten over my childhood' look. Nice to see someone else fucking with it," He said with a nod to her. "Could always make a little web connecting them all. Not worth the effort but it'd keep you entertained for a night." Honestly, if Grace wasn't a sister to him, he'd probably have trouble keeping track who was with who too. It was too fucking messy, yet tidy, for him. "Aren't the two meant to be reflections of the other? No Devil without God or whatever."

[chronicsunshincs-a]

" AND I'M SURE HE'D LOVE being bothered by us. " molly knows well enough that wil took care of both of them as if they were his sisters. moreso savannah than herself, because she's too stubborn to admit to needing help. " would you? what would you do as leader? " she finishes off her drink, followed up by a small laugh, " get me another one of these and point me in the direction of any man who needs to be humbled. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"like he actually needs to study." sav was only slightly bitter that wil seemed to always understand his classes easily. his intelligence was something that he couldn't really hide from the rest of them, but he certainly seemed to try. "well, i'd take you to see all the sights! and i'd bring you to all the men who annoyed me!" savannah was not above admitting that when she and molly were together, they could fall into their old mean girl ways. she didn't mind it when the other person deserved it. waving down the bartender she pointed at molly's drink with her most charming smile. "on the way, my love."

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" I DON'T BLAME RUBY. " grace nods sagely, reaching out to pat his shoulder. lots of people are willing to do stupid things if it meant getting with someone from the circle. no matter how idiotic it may be. " you're very comfortable to sit on. —oh, speaking of! brings me to my next question.. " she gestures to her boyfriend's lap, holding back a goofy grin, " am i allowed to sit, or will i also be shoved off for trying? " the blonde stifles a laugh, gesturing to herself. " i think we all learned last time we went out that i'm pretty good at mechanical bull-riding, so i think i'll be fine if you try anything. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"i do. don't sit in my fucking lap if i don't know you." jason rolled his eyes at his girlfriend, but his annoyance was betrayed as false as a little smile pushed through. she was annoying, but she was his favorite type of annoying. "just sit down idiot." his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her down onto him. the beer made him a bit looser, still aware of the people that could be watching them, but not caring. his lips found her shoulder, placing a light kiss there. "i'm not going to fall into your riding joke trap."

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" BORING. LAME. BOO. BOO. " soleil whines dramatically, having half the mind to slowly slip off of the couch in pure boredom. she'll wonder briefly what her band is up to right now. " burn my notes and i'll just talk about that in therapy, too. it'll be a vicious cycle. " raised as an only child, laurent was the closest person she had to family aside from her aunt. he'd been there for her a lot. " well then, i'm keeping my money, thank you very much. " her body turns now, hanging upside down on the couch. " it's not that teddy doesn't let me. he just likes spoiling me. sometimes i joke about paying the bill when we're on a date and then he looks like he's about to faint. i'm not complaining, as you may or may not know, i love to be spoiled. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"maybe it's time you focus on yourself in therapy instead of what i've done to you," he replied with an eyeroll. he had never disliked being an only child, which is probably why the universe dropped sol at his doorstep. apparently it was determined to disturb his peace. he tutted at her,"very selfish of you. i would enjoy having more money." in france. he'd enjoy it in france, though he was enjoying new york more than he had anticipated. finally typing out his final line of code, he saved the program and closed his laptop. "i did not know, you're acting like a very humble woman right now."

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GAZE FLITS TO THE RING IN QUESTION, a nod punctuating the moment. " yeah, sure. that rings a bell. —i can't believe you're still wearing that thing. " wearing purity rings was something that her parents had all of their children do. in hindsight, it was fucking weird. " all those cigarettes and no lighter? suspicious. " she'll still pull out her dinky lighter, holding it out for him. " grey. the angry one that isn't dating one of my blonde roommates. " they all sort of blend together, no matter how many times logan tries explaining it to her. " guess the world is smaller than i thought. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

"At this point it's just part of the look." After a while, he forgot what the ring had meant, it had just become a part of his look. Now going without it felt wrong to him. The light from the fire gave the perfect light to see his shit eating grin as he took a long drag. "I'm a sus guy, I guess." He blinked at that statement before letting out a loud laugh. "I didn't fucking realize how many of them are dating blondes. Yeah, Grey isn't dating anyone." Angry was probably the best way to describe them too, but Seven wasn't really sure he had the right to agree on that. Everyone was angry at something, Grey just didn't bother hiding it. "It's not God leading you back to me?"

[chronicsunshincs-a]

for: @stclenmomentswrites

ANOTHER HOUSE PARTY IN FULL SWING for the circle. for a group made up of hot women and emotionally unavailable men, their parties were always the hottest event on campus. though honestly, it's beyond grace's capability of understanding just why their friend group is so popular. she pushes further through the crowd only to see her boyfriend on the couch, and an upset woman picking herself off of the floor and going elsewhere. " what was that? " grace asks with a toothy, slightly inebriated grin as she approaches jason. " pretty sure i have a design class with her. what the fuck's her name.. rachel? rian? she seemed upset. "

[stclenmomentswrites]

It was always when Grace went off to hang out with her friends that someone would find him. He could see Shay hanging to the side, waiting for a moment for one of them to be alone. If it hadn't been for one of Jason's roommates distracting him for a moment, he might not have been blindsided by her. Alas, he was left defenseless from her and suddenly she was in his lap. He was quick to push her off, a bit roughly due to his less than sober state. He looked up to his girlfriend with a shrug,"She sat on my lap. I didn't want her on my lap so I removed her from it." He didn't correct Grace on her name.