$$$$$$

      “ and ? good things, i’m assuming ? ” she bit down on her lower lip in complete concern, knowing a decent amount of the boy’s turbulent history with his father. there was a slim chance that his behavior was a direct result of his father’s antics, which did nothing more than worry the latina. having his father manage him never sat well either, but was it really her place to tell him otherwise ? while jake was under the impression that sofia was still using him, her entire approach to their relationship completely changed. the money, the diamonds, the walk-in closet ... it wasn’t enough. the moment she signed that contract, her entire life felt staged. the only up & down she faced, her pure addiction, held itself within jake. this was easily the only time she truly felt something, except the moments when the boy decided to turned to his demons. the boy standing across from her possessed so much light, except the bright lights & expectations were practically eating him up alive. sofia wanted nothing more than allowing the male to witness himself from her eyes, ( then & maybe then ) he’d realize how special he truly was. “ whoa, baby, relax, ” she started, her arms automatically wrapping themselves around him, “ all i did was make a suggestion, but seein’ you all worked up like this ─── ” a momentary pause was taken to collect her thoughts, mostly because she was sure he w a s n ’ t going to like it. “ it makes me stand by what i said, you need a break, ” sofia’s practically pleading with him within this moment, her voice stern yet shaky, “ to hell with what he thinks, jake. if you’re not physically, emotionally n’ mentally in that ring then you’re asking to lose. ” she returned the favor by locking her chocolate hues with his, hands cupping his cheeks to reassure her claim, “ i care about you n’ your face WAY too much to let that happen. let me deal with him. ” 

      ‘ gianna .. ’ she took this moment to gather herself for whatever was coming next, especially since the first name accompanied by a pause was never a good sign. the boy’s next words easily went through one ear & straight out of the other, fully aware that processing his current relationship would’ve ended her right there on the spot, “ wow, uh, okay, ” it’s taking almost everything within to keep it together, as mild as it might’ve seemed, “ let me just commend you for being honest, man, that’s pretty rare these days, ” her lips formed a slight pout as her eyes occasionally sneaked peeks at him, still unable to fully engage in any form of eye contact. this was definitely a defeat, in more ways than one, since seeing her crush in the arms of another  woman would’ve easily been her demise. it wasn’t fair. the chemistry was practically instant, certainly something that couldn’t have been faked, which should’ve given her leverage over her competition. it must’ve been fabricated, considering that’s what the majority of hollywood relationships were. staged affairs. “ a n y w a y, i really like you, jake ... i do, but there’s no way on god’s green earth i’m lettin’ a scandal stand in the way of my dreams. ” arms fold themselves across her chest in the meantime, desperately maintaining this nonchalant facade, “ not that you’re not worth the headlines n’ endless paps, but that’s NOT the way that i want to start, ” while the brunette wished nothing more than to play hard to get, she couldn’t help but spit out compliments. he was practically laying out his entire lifetime on the table, girlfriend & all, all the risks ... for her. that had to mean something. right ? the addition of his newfound girlfriend destroyed every imaginable scenario in her head, leaving the brunette to wonder what was in store for the pair next, “ besides, it isn’t fair to sofia. you know, especially when it looks pretty serious. i just, uh, i think flyin’ all the way out here was a mistake ── meeting you though ? now that’s something i wouldn’t change for the world. ”

      “ clear your head, huh ? ” she inquired, tilting her head slightly, “ sounds to me like you’re just overthinkin’ instead, ” pure & utter honesty coated itself around the female’s words as she spoke to him, realizing that she partially served as his well deserved voice of reason. sofia’s main mission posed itself in making sure the male kept himself together, as well as their image together. sure, they might’ve been ‘ america’s power couple ’ for years, but there was more to the story that no one knew. honestly speaking, the latina would stop at absolutely nothing to keep it that way. regardless of his actions, there was nothing the boy could do to make her change her mind. nothing. tempers might’ve flared more than sofia wished, but where you ever truly a couple if you didn’t argue ? besides, the male possessed more redeemable qualities that could’ve easily out shined his past. she appreciated his energy, his incredibly misunderstood personality, & well, his beauty. that, however, was definitely questionable as she stood before him. something was definitely off. either sofia was paranoid, or his enthusiastic was something she would have to used to. regardless, if she knew anything than pushing wasn’t the way in. their recent outings depicted them in the way sofia saw them, super engaged in each other’s vibe& incredibly affectionate, which meant keeping it that way had to be the key their success. except that was hard to do with headlines, personal sources & paparazzi flashes constantly trying to bring you down. it was a lot sometimes. “ but while we’re on the topic ... ” for the first time in a while sofia was hesitant, making sure he knew her intentions came from the good place, “ can’t you, like, postpone that ? i really think you need a c o u p l e more days to relax. ”

“ i, uh, sure, ” gianna started, already making her way back into the driver’s seat, “ i just want to know where you n’ her stand right now. that’s all. ” any confrontation was simply unsettling for her being, & it hurt even worse having to put the male on the spot like this. she wanted to trust him, more than anything, but the female also wished to maintain her sanity. a couple months ago, any sign of this happening would’ve been a figment of her imagination. at this point, being in a scandal before her career even took off would’ve made her wish this was far from reality. “ like, in no way, shape, or form am i connected to social media cause that shit’s wild ... ” she took a moment to breathe, realizing she was mostly rambling on & one due to her undying nerves, “ but i saw that y’all were out recently n’ y’all looked pretty, um, s n u g together, ” gianna made the promise to herself to never catch feelings, especially since the other was prominently in the spotlight, but saying these words actually hurt her heart. seemingly enough, that was all she needed to know. it was real. this, unfortunately, depended on his answer to foresee their future together. blaming him would serve no real purpose considering sofia was easily everything the brunette wasn’t, ( which, if anything, should’ve drove him closer to her ). at least in gianna’s mind. still, she managed to avoid eye contact for her own safety since one look from him would’ve most likely had her reeling. “ what’s going on, jake ? i want the truth. ”

      “ send me your location & i’ll be there soon, ” she managed to reply, already rummaging through her endless void of clothes. a couple months ago, the thought of repairing her relationship with jake would’ve been enough to make her laugh. their connection sparked quickly & faded equally as fast, yet both individuals lacked the strength to physically call it quits. regardless of the facts, the pair presented one another with a lengthy amount of history. both individuals experienced the spotlight & demise of hollywood, which must’ve explained why they were practically bound to each other. no matter how many times the latina wished to rid her mind of the male, some news article headline could cause her coming right back. watching her truest love walk with someone else was disgusting ( to make a very, very long story short ), only causing the female to take the proper look into her own life. fix the toxicity. or else. their bonnie & clyde inspired love offered a sense of spontaneity, & sofia was sure this specific moment could’ve easily lead elsewhere. besides, she was in charge. her rapid fire thoughts were momentarily halted by her phone’s ringer, snapping her back into this sense of reality. unfortunately. the starlet absentmindedly threw on her outfit before grabbing her essentials, dashing straight for the door. in what was supposed to be a cool, calm & collected attitude seemed to be quickly replaced with minor panic, especially since she had zero clue what she walking into. his texts possessed no sense of urgency, but what if there wasn’t any time for formalities ? there she went, constantly overthinking his every move. t y p i c a l. the drive to jake was a seamless one, probably cause of her laser focus on trying to spot her companion for the evening. once she did, she managed to park the car directly behind his before hopping out, rocks crumbling under her sneakers, “ you’re supposed to be the one savin’ my ass, baby. what gives ? ”

      this was it, the moment of truth. hollywood was known for the glitz, the glamour & the backstabbing, yet gianna never thought that it’d come from this particular individual. admittedly, locking eyes with the brunet caused gianna to obtain & develop feelings she ever thought were possible. genuine ones too, which made this situation bother her that much more. she rarely saw herself as the crush type due to her intense feelings, but could you blame her ? the boy was easily everything she wasn’t, & everything she wanted to be. most celebrities found themselves as victims of these schemes sought out by society, except robbing him never crossed gianna’s mind once. she was too good for that. although, now ? all bets were off. her mind was fixated on the vibrating phone, debating on whether or not she should’ve picked up. then again, it could’ve been an emergency ... then why call her ? the possibilities alone were enough for her to accept the call, holding the phone up to her ear. she chewed on her inner cheek before speaking, at a complete standstill of emotions, “ sure ── just, uh, text me the address, ” she spoke, hopefully not giving her attitude away too easily. absolutely zero interest went into an outfit as gianna dragged herself into the car, already regretting her journey to her intended prince charming. the brunette couldn’t help but dwell on the situation ever more, the empty passenger seat added to her loneliness. it honestly phased her as to how real & confident he was around her, all the while possessing an entirely separate life that she had absolutely no clue about. it was wrong, & it was time to call him out. well, if she could even muster up enough courage to even look him in the eye. minute after minute passed, thought after thought played into her mind, leaving her at her destination faster than the route expressed. just her luck. she took a second to inhale & exhale just as fast, sliding out of her seat to sit right next to the male. already, a wave of comfortability swept across her entire being, not even turning her head to face him while she started, “ so, when were YOU gonna tell me ? you know, about sofia ? ”

GIANNA: oh u'll be fucking something alriiiiight 😆 can u not ? that's literally asking for me to juMP in front of it sksksk, pls ! do me a favor & explain that concept to me cause i've never, evER heard it before .. like .. ever. live in the moment ? sounds dangerous. i'm quite the entertainment, can't lie .. it's the ponytail tbh. yeah ? well, when did the jake chaves listen to what people said 🤔 don't worry tho, i'll make tonight worth it

SOFIA: probably myself if i don't get my hands on you tomorrow! sorry, i'm being extra possessive today cause i didn't nap & require attention so .. the usual 😛

SOFIA: please 🤔 it's not even fun lighting ur xbox on fire if you're gonna keep buying new ones!

GIANNA: u can find out on the ride to ur mom's place 🙈 or, we can do the logical thing n leave it in my savings account. life is hard, jake, u never know when some shit will spring up .. u know what i mean ? don't be selfish, silly ! besides, i'd be a fucking clown to turn down an offer like that. lies , throwing myself into the fish tank would've been drastic siR ! that would be heavily considered during my decision making process, yes 😛

GIANNA: nevermind 🤭 don't make it sound like it's all bad ! sometimes i get tipped really well, u know, a whole six dollars ! u know what i want ? a yoyo ! now hush ... even tho it's totally appreciated, jake. i'm honestly surprised she even liked me .. i will say tho i tried exTRA hard not to embarrass myself n that was stuPID hard :/ anyway, i will keep my options open & u will see at the end of the night 🤫

SOFIA: ' i still don't know why i need security ' then proceeded to talk about his weapons for hands .. baby, /that's/ why! more than than usual? well, screw me for thinking that you peaked in the fun department. what am i in for, jacob? you're cute if you think i don't have anything already .. it's boring as fuck without you lol

    saying that jaxon was at a crossroads would’ve been the biggest understatement  ,   especially once one analyzed the severity of the situation  . on one hand  ,   his friendship with the female standing before him meant more than words could’ve possibly expressed  . the same  ,   however  ,   could have been applied to his lasting friendship with daran  . which ever side jaxon found himself on  ,   he was sure that the opposition would never let him forget his choice  . oddly enough  ,   siding with the brunette seemed to be the safest bet  ,   considering his growing disgust at the other way for allowing this to happen  . again  . ❝ he did ? well  ,   he’s goin’ to be hearin’ a mouthful from me later  ,   ❞ a couple nods try to reassure the other of his actions  ,   but probably to no avail  . this wasn’t his fight  ,   yet it seemed like jaxon had everything to do with it   ,   ❝ but of course  ,  you know you’re always welcome here  .  ❞ genuine truth fell behind these words as he spoke  ,   trying to be as gentle as physically possible  ,   ❝ just do me a favor n’ toss ‘em out of your mind  ,   alright ? do that  ,   n’ i’ll get you out of these clothes   .  deal  ? ❞

    ❝ he’s not going to be doing much of anything if y’all keep hopping up on each other like this  ,      ❞ she’s practically pleading for the intense stare down to end  ,   not wanting a fight to break out before her  .   there’s been countless occasions where the innocent bystander walked out injured  ,   and this wasn’t a risk that she was willing to take  .   so  ,   she might’ve left out the minor detail of having a boyfriend  ,   but never did trinity expect that it’d lead her to this moment  .   like  ,   ever  .   ❝ thank you  ! finally  ,   jesus fuckin’ christ  ...  ❞ the biggest sigh of relief fell from her plump lips as she casually slides into the sofa  ,   the plush cushions preventing a rough fall  .   her neck turns to view thomas’s dilemma  ,   only for the next couple of seconds to play out in a complete blur  .   ❝ ─── thomas ! baby ! what the fuck’s goin’ on ! break it up ! ❞ throughout her yelling  ,   she’s in there  ,   intertwined in the mess  ,    pushing and pulling on each male once the opportunity presented itself  .   this was definitely not how she planned to spend her sunday night  .   she was disgusted to even look at either of them   ,   mostly due to how dismantled they could possibly be  ,  it wasn’t going to be pretty  .

i’m off to sleep, but that shouldn’t stop you from leaving cute stuff for me to come back to ! i would still love some replies to THIS .... think about it, yeah ? maybe ?

when caleb wasn’t tagging his art across town, he found his income in a small tattoo parlor not far from his apartment. it wasn’t the best job, nor did it issue the best paycheck. but, he was surrounded by people who shared the same passion as he did, and for him that was the most important part about the job. in his heart, he knew being here would be better than the childish schemes that his friends operated on. he found himself separated from them for the majority of the day, ( since they focused on sex, drugs and EVERY illegal crime you can think of ), which made caleb responsible for supplying them with the money ━━ which he didn’t mind as long as he was having fun. you would think that being employed would mean being involved with customers for assistance, but caleb mostly sat as the front desk, sketching tattoo ideas and humming his favorite beatles record. today, however, was bound to be different. approaching the employee’s break room, he knocked before carelessly barging in, chocolate eyes instantly fixated themselves on favorite co-worker. “ well, well, well … look at what the wind decided to blow in today, ” he snarled, knowing his playful banter always worked like a charm, “ so, you finally decided to show up. if we’re being honest, i really didn’t think you were going to make it through the first day. congratulations, i’m impressed. ”