" stick around until you hear that music play “

Here’s this kid bringing thousands of people together, and yet he’s all alone, carrying a torch that’s so bright, it’s burning him.

               aniyah   wasn't   looking   at   her   phone   again   !   they   were   looking   to   the   ground,   counting   to   ten,   and   singing   the   chorus   of   honey   in   their   head   before   she'd   check   her   phone   again.   that   was   until   wren   bumped   into   her   and   ruined   her   manifestation   method   (   and   they   knew   it   was   on   purpose   )   !   "   see,   now   if   she   doesn't   show   up   or   send   me   a   text   that   she's   coming   it's   going   to   be   your   fault.   "   aniyah   chided,   locking   her   phone   but   keeping   it   close   to   her   chest.   the   '   she   '   in   question   being   clem.   aniyah   had   invited   her   to   come   tonight   (   it   only   took   four   tries   and   looking   at   the   wall   beside   her   head   instead   of   directly   at   her   ),   and   she   was   sure   that   she   would   show   up   !   until   she   hadn't.   at   least   not   yet.   "   have   you   seen   her   ?   for   a   small   apartment   it   sure   is   hard   to   find   anybody.   since   when   do   you   know   this   many   people   ?   "

“  earth  to  aniyah  ?  “  she  huffs,  arms  coming  up  to  cross  over  her  chest.  yes,  of  course  she  wants  all  their  dreams  to  come  true,  clementine  to  show  up,  and  the  two  of  them  to  live  happily  ever  after  (  or  whatever  the  hell  aniyah  is  hoping  for.  )  but  she  also  wants  to  have  fun,  something  that’s  difficult  to  do  when  aniyah  is  moping  in  the  corner,  watching  the  door  impatiently.  “  i  don’t,  “  she  admits  with  a  shrug,  “  but  people  kept  inviting  people.  it’s  not  that  big  though.  i  think  she’s  just  not  here  yet.  it’s  barely  been  an  hour.  you  know  standing  here  staring  at  the  door  is  not  going  to  make  her  show  up  any  faster  ?  “  

｡*˚:✧｡ the timing is almost comical, she is talking back over her shoulder, puffing away on her vape pen as she goes to grab one of the cups that had not been incorporated into caleb's tower. that seems to be the perfect moment for plastic cups to tumble to the ground with a clatter. it's in her nature to help, hardwired into their being. "here, lemme give you a hand" she accepts the cup but she's already bending down to gather up the cups "you meant to do this? so should i just" she holds her hands up "like, just leave it? i'm sure we could get seba to pick it all up

*˖ ⊹ ────────  well,  they  didn’t  laugh.  caleb  considers  it  a  win at first,  but  winces  when  she  leans  down  to  start  gathering  up  all  the  cups.  his  embarrassment  is  punctuated  by  the  ridiculousness  of  his  knee-jerk  claim.  “  no.  i  didn’t  actually  mean  to  do  it.  “  he  admits,  head  ducking  sheepishly.  he  ducks  down  to  rest  one  knee  against  the  brick,  folding  some  of  the  cups  in  on  themselves.  “  i  don’t  know  why  i  said  that.  it  seemed  right  in  the  moment, i guess.  “  glancing  up  at  them,  caleb  drapes  one  arm  over  his  leg,  “  i  think  that  i  would  lose  some  brother  points  with  nevaeh  if  i  made  her  ex-boyfriend  play  pick  up  50.  i’ll  just  pick  them  up.  but  uh──  “  he  looks  pointedly  at  the  few  cups  remaining  on  the  table,  “  ──you’ll  probably  want  a  cup  that  hasn’t  touched  the  cement,  yeah  ?  “

               trinity   constantly   felt   like   she   was   walking   a   tight   rope.   it   didn't   matter   how   far   away   from   the   ground   and   the   crowds   she   thought   she   was,   she   could   feel   the   watchful   eyes   of   through   a   telescope   waiting   to   watch   a   star   burn   out.   as   trivial   as   it   might   have   been,   trinity   couldn't   help   but   imagine   the   upturned   features   and   whispered   giggles   if   anyone   else   saw   even   a   shadow   out   of   place.   she   thought   if   she   could   get   caleb   to   corroborate   her   story   then   she'd   have   a   good   excuse   if   her   parents   questioned   the   double   manicure   charge.   except   he   didn't.                it   wasn't   fair   to   him   for   trinity   to   be   wary   of   how   much   she   let   him   see.   caleb   had   always   been   a   good   friend   to   her,   but   she'd   thought   that   of   another   friend   and   nearly   ended   up   in   a   rehab   center.   so   trinity   had   learned   to   be   cautious.   "   i   can't   ask   them   to   do   one   nail,   what   if   the   color   is   slightly   off   or   the   gloss   is   weird,   then   i   have   to   do   the   whole   hand   and   then   the   other   hand   so   everything   is   the   same.   "                she   explained   taking   her   hand   back   but   not   looking   at   the   nail   again.   she'd   just   have   to   push   down   her   worry   until   she   could   get   a   new   set   the   following   week   to   avoid   raising   concern.   "   it's   fine,   i'm   probably   just   hungry   and   seeing   things.   "   trinity   swiped   his   drink   before   he   could   drink   any   of   it   and   took   a   small   sip.   "   what   do   you   want   to   eat   ?   "

──but  the  urge  to  please  her,  just  like  the urge to please everyone,  still  itches.  as  she  snaps  the  cup  from  his  hands,  he  breathes  out  an  affectionate  huff  and  falls  back  against  the  back  of  the  chair.  for  a  minute  he  thinks,  rubbing  his  hands  together.  “  there’s  that  new  sushi  place  that  opened  just  on  the  other  side,  “  he  ‘  suggests,  ‘  then  shakes  his  head  following  an  exaggerated  sigh,  “  nah, there’s  no  way  you  wanna  go  there. i'll think up somewhere else.  “ 

               giselle   was   shaking   her   head   in   disagreement,   but   to   no   avail.   grace   had   long   turned   her   attention   away to   the   bag   beside   her.   if   it   were   anyone   else,   giselle   would've   felt   the   familiar   weight   of   guilt.   as   if   her   inability   to   foresee   all   unfortunate   events   and   avoid   them   accordingly   was   some   type   of   burden   to   those   around   her.   that   was   never   an   issue   with   grace.   the   typical   (   brutal   )   honesty   that   slipped   out   more   often   than   not   led   giselle   to   the   easy   belief   that   if   she   was   doing   something   that   bothered   grace   she   wouldn't   hesitate   to   let   her   know.                "   no,   no   you   don't   have   to   go   out   there   right   now.   we   can   get   them   once   we finishing   eating.   "   giselle   would   accept   the   shoes,   but   knew   she'd   adamantly   disagree   to   taking   a   pair   of   pants   from   her   too.   despite   knowing   she   wasn't   a   burden   to   grace,   giselle   still   couldn't   remove   the   innate   fear   that   she   was   taking   advantage   of   a   kindness.   "   the   pants   will   probably   dry   by   the   time   we're   done   eating,   you   worry   too   much   !   "   giselle   waved   her   away   before   picking   up   her   menu.   "   have   you   even   looked   at   what   you   wanna   get   yet   ?   my   treat   for   being   so   late.   "

reaching  across  the  table,  she  rests  a  firm  hand  against  giselle’s  wrist.  “ giselle, " she starts,  " i’m  offering  you  dry  clothes, not  my  first  born  child.  relax.  “  she's resolute giselle  WILL  accept  the  clothes──  or  at  the  very  least  a  ride  back  to  her  apartment afterwards──  but  grace  yields  for  now.  with  narrowed  eyes,  she  sits  back  against  her  chair  and  folds  her  legs,  breezing  past  her  friend’s  apologies  for  being  late  and  insistence  on  paying,  things  grace  knows  giselle  has  to  offer  as  if  to  relieve  her  own  guilty  conscious  for  just  being  human.  “  are  you  okay  ?  “  she  repeats  stubbornly.  giselle  didn’t  answer  the  first  time.  “  what  happened  ?  “ 

｡*˚:✧｡ "no, but seriously, how am I supposed to be looking at the stars when you're right there?" the smile on her face vanished in an instant as her gaze darted, catching a glimpse of someone familiar. no, it couldn't be. what would he be doing here? she quickly brushed it off, turning her attention back to their conversation with a forced nonchalance. "sorry, I thought I saw someone." she can't help but look back out on the crowd, who was that talking to andre? all she can see is the back of his head "who is that talking to your cou- no! what is he doing here?" (@apcthetics)

*˖ ⊹ ────────  carmen's  attention  shifts  abruptly  to  something  going  on  over  her  shoulder  mid-conversation  and  wren  furrows  her  brows,  glancing  behind  her.  "  huh  ?  "  she  echoes,  unsure  of  what  to  expect───  she  sees  nothing  unusual,  except  andre,  who  wren  is  very  sure  is  not  the  one  causing  such  a  reaction  from  anyone.  it's  the  waving  that  clues  her  in.  "  oh.  that's  andre's  roommate,  "  she  explains,  her  confusion  dissipating  as  she  pulls  a  face  towards  her  cousin  and  then  looks  back  to  carmen.  "  e...  something  ?  i  don't  know.  i  haven't  ever  really  talked  to  him.  "  she  studies  her  for  a  minute, suspiciously,  and adds, "  but  i'm  sensing  maybe  you  have  ?  "  

"good morning" she breathed out with a smile. she is waving off his apologies for even the thought of waking her which only caused the smile on her face to grow even more "i was just wondering where you had gone. but here you are, you know, you're the guest i should be the one cooking you breakfast" crossing the floor toward him, she noticed his head ducked in embarrassment. unable to resist, she gently reached out, coaxing his chin back up with a tender touch "it's perfect, kal. you're here and you're making me breakfast. there's nothing better than that. how about i make you some tea, hmm? something to settle those nerves" she added, brushing a curl away from his face, having fallen when his head had bowed.

he  catches  her  fingers  in  his  fist  and  presses  them  against  lightly  his  lips  before  they  pull  away.  using  another  deep  breath  to  steady  himself,  kal  forces  his  thoughts  to  quiet  a  little.  that’s  much  easier  to  do  when  gina  is  there,  although  his  stomach  twists  in  a  different  set  of  knots  as  the  reality  of  the  situation── not  what  kal  worried  it  would  be──  starts to set  in.  it's hard to fight off the goofy smile that threatens while he  pulls  the  orange  in  half,  handing  the second piece to her.  " tea would be nice. " he agrees quietly, holding her eyes for a moment longer and then breaking his gaze away to turn it back towards the stove. " it's... honestly, it's kind of a shitty breakfast as far as impressing you goes anyway. " he sputters out a laugh at his own ridiculousness, " all this and i...── i couldn't find where you kept your flour. "  

she is in the middle of chewing, lost in her own world when kasper's voice had her drawn back to reality for her opinion. it was a rare moment—dilan, not the go-to person for artistic opinions, was being sought after for her viewpoint. she was already in the middle of throwing out a "looks good" before her eyes even land on the sketch. "wait.." once realization hit "she looks kind of hot and like she enjoys to shuck corn a normal amount" of course she is acting like she can't make out what the writing says. she is squinting at the words scrawled beneath the drawing of her "is that what it says?" she knew rightly, even in poor writing it read very clearly "beware: hot girl shucking corn" she's still squinting, nodding approvingly "i've always thought of myself as a muse. i think this is just going to make our neighbours love me even more"

"  i  thought  the  manic  pixie  dream  girl,  artist-muse  thing  wasn't  popular  anymore  ?  besides,  cold  pasta  doesn’t  really  seem  like  the  type.  "  he  remarks  distractedly,  focusing  his  attention  on  throwing  his  fork  into  the  sink.  it  lands  in  the  basin  with  a  metallic  thud,  and  kas  gives  himself  a  nod  of  approval.  "  anyway,  "  he  settles  back  into  the  counter across from her,  his  spotty  attention  coming  back  around  to  dilan.  "  i  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  more.  i  think  if  this  was  survivor  and  our  neighbours  could  vote  who  was  getting  kicked  off  the  island,  you  would  be  second  only  to  that  really  nosy  woman  on  the  first  floor.  "

౨ৎ    ‎‎‎‎‎‎˒ weaving   through   congregations   of   other   aquarium-goers,   gabriella   swipes,   pinches   and   taps   at   her   phone   screen,   brow   furrowed   in   concentration   as   she   works   on   curating   a   photo   collage   for   her   instagram   story;   pictures   that   kas   had   taken   of   her   in   front   of   a   flurry   of   different   fish   tanks   perfectly   positioned   alongside   one   another   on   the   screen   ( and   perhaps   a   sly   `soft-launchˊ   that   had   been   snuck   in   there,   too ).   she   had   become   so   engulfed   in   creating   her   masterpiece,   in   fact,   that   she   had   barely   taken   notice   of   the   tanks   that   she   had   wandered   past,   or   who   she   had   been   wandering   off   from;   despite   having   pleaded   with   kas   for   him   to   come   with   her   because   it   would   be   `cute.ˊ   with   that   being   said,   though,   any   `dateˊ   with   kas   that   wasn’t   just   him   showing   up   at   her   apartment   for   a   night   of   intimacy   was   a   win   in   gabriella's   eyes ──   okay,   perhaps   she   was   still   trying   to   convince   hope   that   things   were   slowly   ( more   like   at   a   sad,   squashed   snail's   pace )   blossoming   into   something   more   serious,   but   maybe,   just   maybe   .   .   .   ?   nevertheless,   with   a   triumphant   `hmphˊ   escaping   her,   gabriella   taps   to   post   her   collage;   just   in   time   to   be   snapped   out   of   her   social   media   trance   with   kas   shaking   at   her   arm,   urging   her   to   come   and   look   at   something   he   had   spotted   inside   of   a   small   tank.   based   on   his   animated   reaction   to   whatever   was   in   there,   gabriella   was   expecting   to   see   something   exotic,   never-seen-before,   perhaps   even   exclusive   to   this   aquarium   alone.   what   she   didn't   quite   bet   on,   however;   was   what   she   was,   in   fact,   met   with   when   turning   towards   the   tank   that   kas   had   glued   himself   to.   ❝   it's   .   .   .   a   seahorse,   babe.   ❞   she   replies   after   a   moment   of   stunned   silence,   features   somewhat   forcing   themselves   to   express   something   along   the   lines   of   excitement   ( that,   combined   with   something   of   an   apologetic   smile   of   her   own   in   the   direction   of   the   less   than   impressed   mother   and   child   duo   next   to   them ).   ❝   look,   there's   more   of   them   over   there.   ❞   she   leans   a   little   closer   towards   the   tank,   pressing   a   finger   against   the   glass   to   point   out   another   one   of   the   peculiar   creatures   entangled   in   a   strand   of   seaweed.

"  i'm  not  stupid,  gab.  i've  seen  horses.  "  kas  says  it  with  an  unwarranted  amount  of  confidence,  scoffing  in  the  direction  of  his  loosely  termed  '  date  .  he  pauses  to  wait  for  her  to  give  him  a  real  answer,  before  adding  :  "  they  don't  swim.  " it  takes  him  a  few  seconds  to  notice  the  informative  plaque  sitting  on  the  wall  beside  the  tank,  and  he  has  to  reread  it  a  second  time.  "  oh,  shit.  "  he  mutters  to  himself  as  the  realization  dawns  on  him,  and  he  glances  sheepishly  in  gabriella's  direction.  "  that's  crazy.  those  things  do  NOT  look  like  horses.  "