{ JUSTICE SMITH, 21, CIS MALE, HE/HIM } Is that ASHTON CARMICHAEL? A SENIOR originally from SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study MECHANICAL ENGINEERING on an ACADEMIC scholarship. They’re THE NERD on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

          “Some people might find it attractive.” He laughed. Wilder doubted that his roommate would even notice him flirting. Still, he was like this with most people anyway. He was ignoring the freshman now, the argument already forgotten. Wilder had always been the type to argue for argument’s sake regardless of his own feelings. “I’m chaotic and you’re smart. We make a fun pair.” He wasn’t going to deny that his roommate was attractive. Wilder thought most people were attractive, even if he wouldn’t tell them that. Still he never expected anything from his flirting. Most people chalked it up to him being charming.

          “That’s a lot of traveling. I like the beaches in Barcelona? Have you gone there before?” Wilder kind of wanted to see Ashton’s box of shells. It sounded nice, almost normal. Something that Wilder never really had growing up. “What’s Australia like? I’ve never been.” His family had their houses in Raleigh, at the beach, and DC, but he’d done some traveling with his dad over the years. During the summers and sometimes during winter break. “That sounds like something I’d do to be honest. Except I’d probably not tell you to fuck off, just distract you by saying how nice you look.” He laughed. “I’d like to, but I can’t eat that during hockey season.” 

+

“ Well please point them in my direction.” Ashton’s dating life was very non-existent. He’d been single his entire four years unless you counted his close-calls that ended because of situational differences. Constantly he’d put his academics and fear of opening himself up to another man get in the way of relationships. There was also his hatred of dating apps which always ended with someone just trying to hook-up.  “ You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. Intelligence isn’t just measured in academics. I actually have a book I’ll let you borrow that discusses different forms of intelligence. I know I’m pretty smart, but my emotional intelligence compared to yours is severely lacking.” Ashton’s way of flirting differed from the average person as they usually involved light compliments and gift-giving. Fear often took over when he found someone attractive, and with Wilder how could anyone not be attracted to him.

- Please tell me you didn’t watch that happen.            Oh but he had. In fact, he’d watched it so intently it had lured him from one far stretch of the quad to the other. An eagerness to his gait which faltered far quicker than expected. As if he’d anticipated an explosion only to be left thoroughly disappointed.           “Watching your talents go to waste?” The freshman crossed his arms across his chest as he spoke, a Cheshire-cat grin stretching out, full, across his features. “All of it.” If Ashton had been under the watchful eyes of any other peer, Mitch would presume pity would ebb and flow within them. Instead, the feeling never reared its head; amusement taking root in its place. The contrast between jock and nerd was ever-present. “It was impressive, actually. I’ve never seen someone look so fucking done.” He supported his weight against the table, arms loosely crossed around his torso, as it creaked beneath him. There’s a brief juncture shared between them. An opportunity to observe him beneath the September sun. Maybe he’d unearth something new -  a look to lend itself further insight into the current thoughts of Ashton Carmichael. “Although, I’ve heard calling someone a moron in far too many words might have that desired effect. Try sticking to three next time.”

+

Ashton shrugged, “ All I ask for sometimes is just a little appreciation. I get paid to do this but not enough to be disrespected like that.” He was thankful it was Mitch that saw the encounter, at least he knew how to make the senior feel appreciated for his effort. “ Believe it or not, I’ve had more embarrassing moments while tutoring.  But I’ve never had someone just walk off on me. I’d rather get ghosted than get ignored.” The practice problems took a fair chunk of his time to complete which was time he could have spent working on other tasks out of his busy schedule.

“ I’m not supposed to share people’s grades, but I have a feeling he’ll be back. You know, I still don’t understand athletics. Wouldn’t someone do everything in their power to stay eligible for something they love to do? It’s college, you can pass doing the bare minimum.” Ashton was mostly voicing his frustrations, trying to avoid getting too angry from the encounter. Thankfully Mitch was there to bring light to the situation as Ashton would have just sat on what happened and let it get to him. He began putting his materials in his backpack while keeping his attention focused on Mitch. “ I completely understand that math is the square root of evils in academics next to organic chemistry. All I ask for is effort. Makes me wonder if I’m trying to hard.” Ashton wanted people to succeed. “ I know I can be pretty extra when it comes to this job and I ask for a little over 50%, but I do wish for academic success for everyone.” His gaze went towards the athlete who had been chatting with his friends. “Even if they are assholes.” 

Ashton leaned back in his chair doing his best to keep the athlete out of direct sight. “So what are you up to? There’s no way you’re just looking for awkward encounters around the quad.”

Monty had in fact been standing, staring, and very unabashedly eavesdropping that whole time. In his defense, though, it was difficult to ignore the rare phenomenon of someone attempting to argue with a stoic, living brick wall. “Cringe, dude,” he answered immediately when his hovering presence seemed to finally register for Ashton. “Maaaaajor cringe.” Without waiting for an invitation, he quickly slid into the recently vacated seat, twisting around for a moment to watch the jock who was starting to pal around with his friends. Monty clucked his tongue lightly and shook his head. “At least he didn’t try to give you any bullshit excuses, yeah? Just cut and run, made a clean break.” Except for all the time and effort Ashton had clearly already put into lesson plans for future tutoring sessions, but… oh well. Even Monty wasn’t considerate enough to think of that. His gaze swung back to the other, perking with a hopeful smile. “Hey, how about some good news,” he suggested. “I’m still coasting with a solid B in statistics. Woo-woo!” He mock cheered, giving a mini fist pump, as if they weren’t only a handful of weeks into the semester.

+d

He nodded his head along to the continuous use of the word cringe, mostly because he didn’t know how to respond. From an outsider's perspective, Monty was right, it was ‘major cringe,’  Ashton tapped his fingers on the table, trying to hold back the smile that was trying to force its away across Ashton’s lips. “  You rarely hear someone use the word ‘cringe’ out loud, Monty.” He slumped back into his chair, “ - but you aren’t wrong.” Still, it made Ashton wonder why the athlete showed up in the first place if he was going to just walk away when they hadn’t sat down longer than 5 minutes. It took Ashton longer to walk and get ready. “ In the 3 years I’ve been doing this job, that was a first. But seriously, why even show up in the first place?” Ashton was an assigned tutor through the athletic office, so they were bound to run into one another again. “  Alright. That is pretty good news.” Hearing about the academic achievement of others was always good news in his mind. “ Stats is a hard course. Anyone that says it’s easy are the same ones that brag about never needing to study for a test.” Ashton wasn’t uptight with his studies, but he wasn’t that annoying. “ How else has everything been going? If we are going to talk about achievements. I just hit 1000 subscribers on Twitch, totally not bragging about it.”

-

“Yeah…” There’s the sound of Kit sucking in a breath through his teeth. “Sorry, man. Got front row to it,” he admitted, grimacing momentarily in apology before pushing his mouth into a curved shape. “For what it’s worth,” Kit started, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the athlete that just walked away, “–that guy sucks at basketball so… he’s probably getting benched either way, whether he tanks the test or not.” A failed exam was the least of De Marco’s worries if he continued to miss three-pointers on the court. Not that Kit was hating on the guy or anything. They were actually kind of pals. Shot hoops with him just the other day after crossing paths at the gym.

“You’re Ashton, right?” He pointed loosely to the senior. “The tutor guy?” Word about his services made its way to Kit thanks some of the boys on the team. Highly recommended; though there were some comments about Ashton being a stickler. “I’m Kit,” he introduced himself, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m kind of in the market for some help. Do you do science stuff?”

- “  Why do they put people on the team that suck at basketball?” Ashton questioned, his gaze still focused on the athlete who really hit a nerve with the man. He leaned into the back of his chair, as he could figure out a lot of things but athletics was not one of them. “ Help me understand this. If someone loves the sport they play and want to continue playing - wouldn’t they do everything to stay in the game? I can understand calculus and organic chemistry but not the simple concept of athletics.” Ashton shook his head, and the added information the other was providing him was throwing him for a loop. “ Well, it looks like he really needs to focus on his studies because it sounds like there’s no future in basketball for him.” Though it confused him, learning the athlete might get benched resulted in a chuckle.

That damn letter. Parisa and Mitch had debriefed, but she was reluctant to reach out to Kit and Diego – the former more than the latter. Taking a bite out of a blueberry scone as she typed on her laptop, Parisa minimized the screen with her marketing research paper momentarily and instead went to check her student email. The mail she would rather think about than the one she received via anonymous delivery. 

Taking her AirPods out as another student spoke, a puzzled look crossed the girl’s features. “Me?” Parisa asked, looking around and realizing she was the only person in the direction the guy was speaking. “I mean, I was a bit occupied so if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t pick up on any of it,” she mentioned, glancing at the athlete and his friends. “Don’t waste your energy on him, life’s too short to spend time focusing on people who don’t appreciate you.”

-

Ashton was happy his encounter was thankfully unseen, and hopefully the jock would pass his math exam with a decent grade. He really wanted to avoid having to mention their tutoring sessions have constantly been cut short because someone so extreme apathy they can’t sit for an hour session twice a week. In Ashton’s opinion, it was much easier to learn math than have to work-out, train, and practice physically nearly 5 days a week. Especially when someone was going out of their way to give examples that would allow them to pass with flying colors.

“ Thank god.” He lightly massaged his temples, preparing for the headache this man was going to most likely give him the rest of the semester. “ This entire job seems to focus on people who don’t appreciate me.” Ashton pulled out his lunch from his bag that he packed, figuring there was no time like the present. “Are you alright? You seem pretty pre-occupied even with those airpods in.”

Wrong place, wrong time was sort of like Keys’ thing. Some people were talented athletes, some were scholars, but not him. No. He was good at finding himself in the middle of situations he would rather not be a part of. But when they were caught and direct eye contact was made, Keys widened their eyes, rocking back on their heels for a moment. “I didn’t watch that happen,” they blatantly lied with a wide and amusedly sarcastic grin.

-

Ashton appreciated the clear act of denial, but that encounter was hard to avoid if you were close to the crossfire. He moved all of his materials back inside his leather satchel, already planning on just emailing to the jock. Part of him hoped he’d look over the materials when he realized the exam was coming up, but he was also being realistic. “ I appreciate the act of obliviousness. I do gotta admit though, he really through me off with that move.” He gestured towards the open seat next to him. “Want to join me? There’s pizza coming. I was going to surprise the man but that act of defiance doesn’t deserve any pizza. And there won’t be any math involved, I swear.”

-

“Oh. Of course I watched that happen,” Ollie said, his cheek leaning against the palm of his hand as he rested his elbow on the table in front of him. A too smug smile crossed his face as he looked over at Ashton. He shouldn’t be mean, but it was hard to feel too bad when there was more often than not a direct correlation between Ashton’s failure and his own success. That was how business went, sorry to say. Not that his business was as well known or as accessible as like Ashton’s legit school offered tutoring was. But when there was a will and a student who didn’t want to put the work in, there was a way and they would find him eventually.

He lowered his hand and folded his arms in front of himself, sitting up straight. “You try to hard,” Ollie said, “I think that’s your problem. If you wanted to some advice.” He probably didn’t, but Ollie didn’t care. “No one is going to take you seriously if you do more work than they do.” The irony of him saying that was thick, considering he did all the work, himself. But it was completely different. “You have to pretend to be cool- which I know is difficult. But pretend to be cool, and make them do the work for you. Isn’t that the point of tutoring? How are they gonna learn if you do the work for them?”

Ollie tsked, and wagged a finger at Ashton like he was admonishing the other man. “You are going to work yourself too hard, and then you’re not going to be any use to anyone,” he said. “Especially not to me.”

- Ashton was not completely embarrassed by the encounter. When you lived a lot of your life being the kid that was constantly raising his hand to answer a question in class there was not much leeway to be ‘cool.’ He was more disappointed than anything because of the lack of effort he was greeted with daily. 

Hearing Ollie’s words only added fuel to the fire, but the voice in the back of his head was telling him to listen rather than react. His eyes were moving back and forth between the group of jocks and Ollie, who seemed to care though his advice was a reality check he wasn’t ready to face. “ Isn’t that the point of having a job where you’re helping someone better their academic course?” Ashton rolled his eyes, sighing out of frustration. “They could at least say, ‘Thank you Ashton for taking time out of your day to write out practice problems. I made these myself. No bullshit.” He began putting his materials and work in his backpack, not hiding how annoyed and slightly embarassed he was. “And why should I worry about being ‘cool.’ I’m a senior who is graduating at the end of the next semester. Changing things up now would...it would.” He didn’t know what to say because he refused to admit that what Ollie said had merit.

“I appreciate your input, Ollie.” Ashton stated, trying to sway the conversation away from his speechlessness.  “ And of course I’m of use to you. I’m one of the smartest people you know, I’m clearly a hard worker to a fault, and I’m clearly a great listener.” His tone was bouncing between being serious and sarcastic. “ And you have to admit, there’s some cool things about me. They just aren’t conventional.” 

          𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝘼𝙉𝙔𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙔 𝘾𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙐𝙎, it had to be one of the people matty didn’t get along with. this was a little dramatic, however, since matty didnt care for most people.  at least it was someone that he knew in the first place.  no need to make new enemies, he had a hard enough time keeping up with his current nemeses.

          matty let out a scoff, “ bah, you really think I give a shit about what some- ” his voice cuts off as he racks his brain for the correct translation of the word he was looking for, “ babaca tells me to do? ” matty’s nostrils flared with anger, knowing full well he had no right to be this upset at the simple request.  “ what even could you be reading, don’t you have some jock’s homework to do? “

+ ashton shook his head, keeping his eyes on his book. “ either way, i’d thought i share.” he would not allow himself to get frustrated but he also knew focusing on his reading was out of the question. part of him realized that not speaking would have been the best option, but even then, the two would have still found some way to push one another’s buttons. it also didn’t help that they both seemed to want to get the last word in.

“ you know you could just continue walking. all i said was I didn’t want to be bothered and you have a problem with it.” ashton couldn’t keep up the facade and immediately closed his book, turning his attention towards matty. “ you might need to go back to sleep. eat something. i have some chips in my backpack if that’ll help. you’ve probably seen the commercial. works like a charm.” he could no longer mask the frustration in his voice, as he really just expected a peaceful night. “ if you really care, and i know you don’t, it’s a book on the future of robot mechanics in the medical field. and i’m done tutoring for the week. if you need a session done, i’d be happy to point you to a tutor who actually wants to work with you.” to add insult to injury, ashton looked at his watch. “ Now it’s 1:35.”

          It’s like he was always meant to be that person to start arguments. Between his mom and dad, arguments were a second nature in the King household. He’d never been one to argue with his parents about silly teenage things. He had argued for a later bedtime, for a specific thing at the toy store, and even debated with them about travelling over seas before college. He liked to argue with anyone. Debate was one of his favorite things to do. And it wasn’t like Wilder was bad at arguing, even if he hated what he was arguing about for debate classes, he managed to make compelling arguments. Honestly, he loved to argue with people about anything. 

          The freshman was glancing their direction and Wilder grinned and waved. He’d always been that intimidatingly forward person that so many people hated.  It was the least of his concerns what a random student thought about him. “That’s not stupid. One of my best friends has a rock collection. She’s studying geology. Super smart. She likes shells too, so I heard all these facts about them whenever I took her to the beach. What beaches did you go to?” He would have automatically been disappointed in a beach in a northern state. They just weren’t the same to him. “Uh…. sitting? I don’t know. Nothing really. What about you?” 

+

“ Your tenacity and persistence are something else, Wilder.” His words were a compliment, in his own Ashton Carmichael way. The glaring freshman made him smile, as it appeared that Wilder’s beach argument really struck a nerve. Ashton wasn’t complaining, as he truly learned to appreciate Wilder’s personality and has seen his power of persuasion in action. When they’d been assigned as partners for an elective course he learned to appreciate Wilder’s ability of selling and convincing, it was the perfect balance as Ashton worked on the monetary and graphic side. Rarely did he trust someone when working on a project involving anyone than himself. There was also his emergency plan of bothering Wilder to oblivion if their project was not on the schedule he outlined during the planning stages.

“I’m guessing you didn’t look at those practice test?” He said to the person he’d been tutoring, who clearly didn’t take the time to view over Ashton’s practice questions that would have made the exam a lot less harder. “I’ve had this professor before and tutored several people who’ve had the course. These practice problems would have been an easy A. We’ve been” Academic ineligibility was on the line for the athlete he’d been tutoring, and Ashton was 100% certain the boy was on track to be benched for several games.

“ Your first test is in 3 days and I can show you how to do the work and answer questions, but I can’t make you understand what you’re not trying.” Ashton was straight-forward with these sessions, and he hated wasting people’s time. “ But we can go over these questions, and I can pull out another set of practi-”  Before Ashton had a chance to pull out more work, the athlete had already gotten up from their seat across from him and started walking away from their table. He sighed while watching the man he tutor immediately turn his attention towards a group of other boys that were walking up to him. “ What was the point of this if he was just going to do that anyway.” Ashton sighed, right before realizing there had been someone who viewed the entire encounter. “Please tell me you didn’t watch that happen.”

open starter. location: the quad

          𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙎 𝙒𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙉'𝙏 𝙊𝙐𝙏.  not that matty should’ve expected them to be, but maybe he was just hoping that the universe could sense his stress.  not that looking at the sky really helped with that - oftentimes it did the exact opposite when his brain began to spiral.  it was why nights started to become synonymous with partying. the footsteps on the sidewalk beside him were the only thing that pulled him out of his head, “ its 1am? “ he questioned the person by him without looking, head still tilted towards the clouded sky.

+

Ashton enjoyed nighttime, as it was a time when everything was winding or beginning to winddown. The campus was usually empty aside from either people like himself who stayed up for whatever reason. He couldn’t sleep, choosing to read one of his assigned books for a course that was entirely reading and then writing book reports.  It was a little too late to be reading in the quad, but he didn’t have any classes tomorrow and had the option of sleeping in. 

The lamppost behind him was providing all the light he needed with the added lack of noise around him. The quiet was unfortunately soon interrupted by the voice of Matty, someone he didn’t expect nor really wanted to be around because their interactions were far from friendly. Ashton kept his head down looking at his book, but did peek down at his watch. “ 1:30 am. Please don’t say anything about me reading. These are my moments of peace.”   

open starter location: a campus party time: evening, saturday september 17

A weekend off from work and with all his assignments completed for the time being, Gabe figured it couldn’t hurt unwinding for the night at whatever party his schoolmates had planned on a whim. Mixing himself a drink, the man observed everyone else and struck up a conversation with the person next to him. “Did you go to the party last weekend? I was working so I didn’t, but I heard that a game of spin the bottle happened. Think anything like that’s gonna happen tonight?” Taking a sip of whatever he had just conjured - not a bad mixture, for using campus party alcohol - he shrugged lightly. “Not opposed to it if it does…”

+

Going to parties on the weekends was a rare occasion for Ashton, as he tended to stand in the corner or whatever spot he could that contained the least amount of people. He’d been dragged by his best friend, who enjoyed this scene way more than himself. Ashton didn’t feel any shame for his party approach, but he did find himself secretly envying the people who were able to enjoy the party for what it was. At the current moment he’d been leaning against the counter where the drinks were placed, looking at his phone as a temporary distraction. He did drink, but stayed around the tipsy range because his going overboard would involve long academic rants and references to things he felt a majority of the people around him wouldn’t care for. 

“ Wasn’t able to make it.” Ashton said before taking a sip from a cup that his friend prepared for him. “ I did hear about spin the bottle. For some reason I always assume its usually beer pong or some game of never have I ever that always ends up turning into a passive aggressive targeting fest.” That’s been his experiences. Ashton also lacked the confidence to play spin the bottle. “The thought of making out with someone I don’t know..not my strong suite.” He took another sip from his drink, still not at all used to the strong after taste that hit his throat. “ I really should have not let someone with a high alcohol tolerance make this drink. It taste like they filled the cap with sprite and that’s it.”

          Wilder could argue with just about anyone about anything, even if he was wrong. He loved the beach and this just didn’t compare. His parents had a nice decent sized house at the beach and Wilder loved to pile his friends in a car and drive down for a few days in the summer. It was his favorite thing to do in the summer. Nothing, absolutely nothing, beat the beaches he was used to except maybe over seas beaches in certain places. He’s not done that much international travel in his lifetime. Personally, he liked being were he was from and he didn’t care what other people had to say about it. 

          The freshman scurried off and Wilder couldn’t help sitting back, feeling accomplished. “Funny because I do not think so. Plenty of people just know this is how I’m like.” He’d gotten annoyed at plenty of people his own age and didn’t get offended when he was annoying like this. “You’re missing the point, darling.” Wilder responded, kicking some sand up. “It might be technically a beach, but it’s nothing compared to the beaches that I’ve grown up going to. Entitled people acting like this is just as good as a real beach… when it’s not.” 

+

Ashton wasn’t a debater, far from it. There were battles that he knew he could win, but this wasn’t one of them. He’s seen Wilder in action and he man had tenacity and persistence on levels he’s hardly seen. Though he wouldn’t openly admit it, he had a deep level of respect for Wilder as he was completely himself and didn’t allow others to put him down because of it. They were similar in that regard, as Ashton has embraced his ‘nerdiness’ as he’s been called one since he was in elementary school.

open starter location: the boathouse time: evening, sunday, september 18th

Olivia was pissed. She needed a break from all of the noise, the drama, the gossip, the cup that seemed to be overflowing with tea at every possible moment. So she escaped, to the one empty place on a Sunday night, the boathouse. There she could listen to the quiet lull of the water, the waves and focus on what was right in front of her. No matter how hard she worked, the junior felt suffocated by her again. Surrounded by Greer. Sure, the campus was always focused on their rivalry, but truly for Olivia, it was resentment. The missing girl had been handed everything, that the Liv had ever and always fought for. Her brain clouded by her frustration, she took the moment to call home. “Dad, I’m fine. How’s Mom? Yes, I’m swamped with work….no, no classes start soon….I, I love you too.” She sighed, hearing the exhaustion and stress in the older man’s voice. “I’ll be back up there as soon as I can…we can talk about it… later, I gotta go.” The silence on the other line, deafening as she muttered to herself, not noticing the other standing nearby. “Fuckin’ Greer.”

+

There were many nights Ashton’s brain felt as if it was on 10, where even the confines of own room filled with a video game library of over 1000 games didn’t help put him at ease. Not even his homework would put his mind at ease, which was odd as doing calculations normally gave him the proper ‘brain high’ as he’d call it. He decided to go on a long walk with no determined path in mind, attempting to allow the sights and sounds of his walk give his brain a distraction from the thoughts running through his mind. These thoughts ranged from Greer’s disappearance to the declining health of his grandparents. Everything seemed to grow increasingly out of his control when he’s been used to approaching situations with logic and not being surprised by the outcome. 

Ashton stopped in his tracks when he felt his phone vibrate, hoping it was a message from his granny with good news from her doctor visit. Unfortunately the notification was far from that, with a text saying they were running more test. Just as Ashton was about to go down the google train of despair, he overheard Greer’s name mentioned.

“ You know, I’ve been trying to not think too much about her but even that’s proven difficult.” He said, not making the frustrated tone in his voice. “ I even tried my usual distract myself with my engineering assignments. You would think complicated calculations that need to be perfect every step of the way would help..” He massaged his own temples with his thumb and middle fingers. “ And I get the feeling this is going to be an ongoing thing.”

CONNECTIONS

Best friend [senior only] - This is a person who has been friends with Ashton since their freshman year. They don't have to be nerdy like him at all. They became friends their freshman year at orientation, and have been friends ever since. This person has met Ashton's grandparents, and has even been to Ashton's house on some weekends (maybe even holidays). Ashton's grandparents even send this person gifts on their birthday and holidays. The best friend knows Ashton for who he really is, and doesn't hesitate to call him out. Ashton tells this person everything, and is one of the few people that know his back story. - open

Shell Buster - This individual has for some reason taken on the role of getting Ashton to truly live the college experience he's avoided for all of these years. Most of Ashton's time in college had been dedicated to his studies, video games, his few organizations and his job. He'd never been interested in parties, larger scale events, etc. Ashton drunkenly opened up to this person at a random party (one of the few times he actually drinks), and this person noticed that Ashton is a lot more fun when he's actually living in the moment. - open

Crush - Someone that Ashton is genuinely nervous to communicate with. He hasn't been the best when it comes to expressing his feelings, as a majority of his interactions are far from it. Ashton usually beats around the bush, but finds himself wanting to make excuses to hang out with this person. This can involve super smash bros nights on his switch, invites to the campus cafeteria, offering to help with an assignment, etc. Ashton has hardly ever dated someone because he's afraid to put himself out there as he struggles with abandonment issues. This connection can be a crush on someone straight as well. - open

Tutoring - Ashton is a part time tutor in many math, science, and engineering courses. This is how he makes a majority of his money, so he has a variety of people he tutors. When he tutors, he is known for being one of the more serious tutors who genuinely wants to see results with his jobs. He expects the other students to arrive on time and at least somewhat attempt to try. Your character(s) can react accordingly! - open for many

Video game partner - This is someone who enjoys videos as much as Ashton, and is just as good as him in a variety of the games that they play. They are constantly on discord playing matches with their other friends and are known for spending hours upon hours playing new games. The two can be completely different (can even hardly see one another in person) but online they come off as the best of friends. The two random get tidbits about one another's lives as its easier to speak through a microphone than in person. - closed @ keys

The Almost Could've - This is a person who Ashton nearly dated, but pushed them away when his anxiety got the best of them. This person saw Ashton for who he truly was, and the two of them were presumed dating by their friends and the people around them. Ashton, struggling with abandonment issues, was allowing the voice in the back of his head to scare him into backing out to prevent any potential hurt. Ashton has been avoiding this person, not wanting to have to dive into the deep depths that are his true emotions. He's never been in a relationship before, and the fear of heartbreak is not something he wants to put himself through. - open (asher is homosexual/homoromantic).

New friend - This is someone who Ashton has encountered on campus that he hasn't disliked being around. They aren't the closest, but haven't hated one another's company. Often times they find themselves in the same areas (whether that be the library, dining area, common rooms, etc.) and though they may not have the same interests - they have interesting conversations. - open to many

Do we have a problem? - Ashton and this person have never gotten along for their own reasons (ones that we can plot). This is a person who sees the more sarcastic/apathetic side of Ashton. They'd been paired on several group projects together in previous classes, with the work always getting done with words being said. On campus they make speak to one another, but often times its out of respect rather than will. They had one bad interaction and its lasted since with both of them being too stubborn to talk out their problems. - closed @ matty

LOCATION: the beach

TIME: afternoon

STATUS: open

          “…saying you can’t call it a beach if it’s on a river. Anyone that lives anywhere near a real beach will tell you. It’s not the same. And sure I grew up in a city not at the beach but my parents have a beach house. You’re telling me that this beach is the same as somewhere in the Outer Banks? Hold on let me show you photos of my dad’s team at the beach last year and you tell me this has the same vibe.” Wilder pulled out his phone to show the other student the beaches he grew up on, but as he looked down, the other student took the chance to run off. “Okay coward. You’re just admitting I’m right!” He yelled after the student. “Freshmen. I’m clearly right. We should change this place to Ogden River Shore, even though that doesn’t have as good of a ring to it. I’ll workshop it.” 

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The beach had always been his granny’s favorite place, no matter where the beach was. Many of their family vacations involved the beach when the weather had warmed up. Even on their New York trip they found the nearest beach, lit a fire, and ate smores while playing in the freezing cold water. Ashton found himself reading books and working on his laptop out here from time to time along with many FaceTime video calls with his grandparents. He was a pretty reserved person, and it been the best place to avoid seeing most people. Today he was just walking, as his grandparents didn’t answer his calls.