castle of glass.

“you need to stop talking to me as if i’m a child.” eric sneered. this was probably one of the worse days that he had actually dealt with charlie. their dynamic has not always been the most friendly but he was definitely starting to feel himself get a little bit more annoyed and more aggravated with his words. “you sure you are able to do half? seems like you’re the type who really don’t want to do anything at all.” he said. eric sat up in his chair, hearing her words spew out about his father’s job position at the university as well as eric’s own position even being able to be here. the male narrowed his eyes at her, feeling his heartbeat in his ears. “see but you’re not me. i have a perfect GPA because i’m actually able to work hard on my own accord. daddy doesn’t need to do anything.” eric snapped. “and besides, i’m not gonna let some stuck up girl ruin my GPA because you hate the idea that i have money.”

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Iris Hodge & @charlottemonet​​​​​

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Finders Keepers Thrift Shop

Iris had made a conscience choice when she was younger to thrift as much as she could. It was never a financial reason, which confused her parents to no end. They’d attempt to buy her expensive brands throughout the years, only to be combated by a young Iris who, while grateful, preferred the sustainability of buying secondhand. It always just made her feel slightly better and at ease knowing that her clothes weren’t going to end up in a landfill after a few months of wear and she was proud to say her closet was thrifted for the most part. With warmer months looking ahead, Iris had noticed that she was severely lacking in summer-wear and decided to hit up Finders Keepers after getting out of class.

She had spent a while looking through tops and skirts, only to come up empty-handed. Sometimes she’d hit the jackpot and find ten things to buy and other days, like today, she’d have wasted an hour looking for an item. With a sigh, she moved onto the dress section, hoping she’d at least be able to find a flowy summer dresses. Her fingers scanned the section, until her fingers grazed a white floral sundress. Bingo. Iris was secretly hoping to get a couple of things, but as she pulled the dress off the rack, she could sense that she’d be okay with just this purchase. She fiddled with the dress, her fingers hooking underneath to make sure there were no discernable stains on the garment. Noticing Charlie in the same section, a bundle of nerves flowed through her, suddenly second-guessing if the outfit would even look good on her. “Hi, could I get your opinion?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to bother her to begin with but as she glanced down at the dress she knew she needed a second opinion before committing. “Do you like this?”

to be quite honest , thrifting was one of the only things charlie really did in the name of self care - - after all , retail therapy is definitely a thing , right? she hadn’t been looking for anything in particular , mainly just picking up a few pairs of levi’s and shirts she had tucked away in her little hiding spot. ( which surprise surprise , was in between the racks of the dress aisle ). she had just finished dumping her collection into a shopping cart when she heard iris’ voice barely speak up behind her. her body froze , slowly dropping the shirt she was just holding up to assess the damage of before she took a deep breath and turned around to face iris. “ iris….” she began , a faint smile on her lips before she remembered that she had been asked a question. “oh - - the dress , yea i think it’s gorgeous. you’ve always had an eye for these kinds of things you know” she smiled , her hand gesturing towards the dress as iris held it up. “ yea it’s - -yea you’d look really good in it.” god , charlie hadn’t been this flustered since…well…probably the last time she saw iris (pre-breaking things off of course). “i’ve been coming to this place ever since you showed it to me , it’s like a gold mine on most days” she laughed , gesturing towards her cart full of stuff. “it’s been a while huh? how have you been?” she asked , in her mind it was better to address the elephant in the room first. 

despite how corny the gesture may have been, james couldn’t help but to be proud of himself for the succeeding gesture. “i might be a dork, but at least i was able to get you to smile. and wow, is that a beautiful sight to see.” his smile began warming up as he mood did, and before he knew it he was smiling ear to ear. “your spot? is that like the whole unassigned assigned seating situation, but library edition?” he asked, genuinely curious by it. “i’ve been here all day, unfortunately.” a sigh left his lips as he took a seat next to the brunette. james would rather be anywhere but the library in this moment. “but i saw you and you looked like you weren’t in the best mood, so i thought i would check in…and give you this guy.” with a smile, he pointed towards the stuffed animal. “you know there’s science behind how brown teddy bears help with school induced stress…don’t quote me on that though.”

closed starter : { @charlottemonet​ }

JD looked like a mess, something had gone wrong with a fix in class today and it had ended up in him getting covered in oil, and because of his schedule that day, he didn’t have a chance to get cleaned up before his next class. So here he was, walking around covered in oil and trying to keep a low profile. He could feel eyes on him, but he only saw one pair that he recognized, his ex-girlfriends sister. “Let me guess, you’re enjoying this?” He asked, figuring Charlotte probably wasn’t his biggest fan.

“i mean , i’m not not enjoying it” charlie shrugged , trying to keep her composure from laughter as she watched jd trudge to his next class covered in oil. “here , wipe off your hands before you get that shit everywhere” she said , offering him the towel in her hand that she had brought to the gym but hadn’t used due to her very lazy workout. “do you like , wanna come wash your hands and your face? my apartment is right here and i’m due for some good karma , just don’t fucking touch my cat” she warned him , unlocking the door to her complex and holding it open in case jd wanted to take her up on her offer. 

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 —tha show 

it was an unfortunate series of events - - with oliver falling sick and roman and the rest of the band running late to he venue , charlie had no other choice but to call lorenzo and ask ( beg ) for him to come play backup for her. 

honestly, it didn’t go as terrible as she expected it to - - it honestly felt like they were back to how the way things were when they were together. making it a point to glance back at him and smile every once in a while just as she had ever time they would play together before. even after they had broken up , nothing could compare to the look of that smile on his face that he for once seemed to not be able to fight. all was going well until she remembered she had forgotten to tell him about one crucial part of the setlist , the song she ended every show with - - the one he had written without even realizing it. 

“all i wanted was you” 

the last line of the song echoed through the building as she rested her lips against the mic , choking back tears as she tried to focus her listening on the people in front of her screaming and cheering for her as she finished - - it was the only thing loud enough to drown out the noise in her head. she had never intended for lorenzo to hear that song , not like that anyways. she had meant to show it to him in private , to give him the chance to sit with the song they were meant to write together but was finished on her own. 

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 —coffee shop that i forgot the name of 

“maisy , right? i believe this belongs to you” there was a faint smile on charlie’s face as she extended the little black book out to the other , partly because she was trying to be polite but mainly because she was just excited to get her own book back. 

for most of the week , charlie had paced around her apartment wondering how she could be so stupid as to have misplaced her book. she took it everywhere , which was honestly part of the reason why she shouldn’t have been surprised when she finally did lose. though the book may have only contained pages with random song lyrics and chords she would use to write songs later on , it felt like a piece of her was missing when she couldn’t just reach in her tote and scribble her thoughts down as soon as they popped into her mind. 

“yes it is. it’s literally how the professor even drew it in the lecture.” eric protested. “did you even look at the board or were you too busy online shopping to realise that you were meant to be taking notes?” there is a typical parent nag that if you roll your eyes enough, they will get stuck to the back of your head. at this point, that might turn into a possibility for eric if he was going to have to put up with charlotte’s complaints for one more moment. the second he heard the textbook slam shut, eric leaned back in his seat and just gave her a cold look. “well you seem to know everything, how about you give us a solution since apparently i do everything wrong in your eyes.” eric suggested, the sarcasm still remaining in his words.

Oliver followed behind Charlie with a large smile on his face, tonight had been absolutely incredible, and for some reason he felt like this night in particular had been their best in a while. Oliver blushed at her compliment, and he hoped it was too dark for the girl to see. His arms wrapped around her, ignoring for a moment how sweaty he was. “Me? Charlie let’s talk about you.” Oliver had been honored when Charlotte had first asked him to support her, he loved her music and energy so to share the stage with her was an amazing experience. “To be honest, sometimes I wonder the same thing.” He looked down at his fingers, wiggling them a bit. Olivers eyebrow raised at her idea, they had some time, and he too was starving. “Yes, let’s do it.” Before Charlie could even respond, Oliver grabbed her hand and quickly bolted out the door. Obviously they had some time, there was no need to rush but he wanted to sit and enjoy his food if the two could. 

one second charlie was looking at oliver’s fingers and the next that same hand was grabbing her own and pulling her out of the stage door. she let out a loud laugh as the two sprinted down and across the street , her hand staying interlocked with his thought the entirety of their ( very short ) journey. she knew she could’ve let go of his hand before they got into the restaurant , but to be completely honest she didn’t want to - - call her cheesy but she liked the way their hands fit into one another , it was a perfect match. “i don’t know about you , but i’m getting a burger and a milkshake , i’ll probably regret it later but god nothing sounds better than a strawberry shake right now … my mouth is watering just thinking about it” she teased , leaning her head on oliver’s arm as the two of them stared up at the menu. after the two had both ordered and gotten their food , charlie finally released her grip on his hand so she could carry her tray over to the nearest free table and sit down on the seat across from him. “dude look over there i think i see kellin quinn” a little smirk grew across her face while she lied straight through her teeth, not-so-sneakily creeping her hand over to his tray to steal a couple of fries while his attention turned away. 

“how about we play a game of fuck, marry or kill?” marley suggests, slight southern twang still evident in her voice even though she hasn’t been in nashville for a few years now. mystery glistened behind bright orbs and while she very much looked like the girl next door, she was anything but. those who knew her, knew that but those who didn’t were often deceived by her looks.  “alright, i’ll go first. ahem.” she straightened up, pushing golden locks behind her ears, “i’d fuck ollie, marry yvette and kill nico.” sweet smile before her gaze is back at her companion’s, taking a sip from the bottle of wine in hand before offering it their way, “your turn.” (the last three people on your dash!)

@egustarters​

it was a little hard for charlie not to laugh at marley’s somewhat questionable fuck marry kill decisions , “can’t believe you’d marry my sister over me - - honestly i’m pretty offended”  there was a playful roll of her eyes before she took the bottle of wine from other and raised it to her lips. one long sip from the bottle and a good survey of her surroundings later , charlie finally gave in to her turn of the game. “alright so , i’d definitely fuck asher , marry alex and then kill lorenzo…god , it’d be slow and painful too” she was mostly joking about that last part , clearly her anger over she and lorenzo’s break-up wasn’t something she had learned to cope with yet. a grunt fell from her lips as she tilted the top up to drink the last of what was left in it, frowning as she held up the now empty bottle. “well i guess that’s it for this one, is there more inside or are we gonna have to go make a run for more? i don’t even feel drunk yet” she huffed. 

joey looked at charlie as she explained how libraries worked - it was amazing how joey was twenty one year old and how he was only understanding the concept of a library. “well, that’s stupid… who can read a book in a week? i don’t think i could get past a hundred pages after a week. or even fifty.” he said, letting out a sigh as he looked over at charlie and raised an eyebrow at what she was saying. “i have no idea what that means, but you’re pretty smart so i’m sure that what you’re saying is right.” he said with a small chuckle, as he looked over down at the textbook once it was slid in his direction. he sighed as he remembered the real reason why he was there and pursed his lips. “magazines are pretty cool, i like those quizzes where they asked you who would you date from the jonas brothers. i got joe… who do you think you would get?” he asked, hoping that it would distract charlie from the work they had to do, but it didn’t seem like she was letting him go until they solved that math problem. “okay…” he said as he looked down at the math problem and frowned. “i don’t think so, all my other classes are pretty much related to dancing and i’m actually good at that, so i don’t think i need any more help.” he said with a small sigh. “i don’t even know what a prime number is.” he frowned.

“there’s no ‘think’ , i always got kevin - - i think he and i are soulmates and priyanka chopra just stole him from me … maybe that’s why people don’t like her” she laughed , the memory of taking those quizzes on the back of tigerbeat magazine were probably some of her fondest from her pre-teen days and nostalgia was a feeling she always welcomed. “it’s honestly kind of stupid that they make you guys take these classes when they have nothing to do with your major - - like if you wanted to do math then you’d have chosen a math major , you know?” this was always the part she empathized with joey on , it never really seemed fair to her which was why she had always been so eager and happy to help. she let out a hushed laugh at joey’s comment about prime numbers , “honestly you’re better off not knowing than having me try and explain it to you” she chuckled. 

it didn’t take them too long to finish the worksheet , a sigh falling from her mouth when they had finally finished going over the last problem on the worksheet. “see , that wasn’t so bad was it?” a hand reached up to pat him on the back as she tucked the now finished worksheet away in the folder where she kept all of their other study materials. “you’re still hungry right? i could probably eat a whole pizza right now so…you in?” 

starter: open @egustarters​ // location: library 

james typically liked to consider himself a rather giving man…and a man that had to build up his resume. so, it was no surprise that he found himself stuck behind the tabling of a toy drive taking place in the lobby of the library. he had been sitting there, feet up on the side of the table, fidget spinner spinning in his hand as he desperately attempted to pass the time. his eyes naturally shot up every time he heard the door open; his parents had always said he was one to be a little bit too nosey. seeing that it was someone he immediately recognized, he gave them a warm smile before noticing how quickly they practically ran off. maybe they just weren’t in the mood? or maybe they were only there to actually do what the quiet, dreadful place was created for them to do…study? 

still, james wasn’t one to go unnoticed. putting the fidget spinner back down, he grabbed a random teddy bear that were in one of the boxes and quickly sat up. his confidence had always been very much apparent in the way he walked; put together and his head held high. some people would probably even say it was something along the lines of walking with purpose. too bad the only purpose he had in that moment was to be annoying. he began to tread carefully as he grew closer to the other person, the last thing he wanted was to be snapped at. the man held the teddy bear in front of him, using it as a shield. “hi buddy! my name is mr. cuddles, and james and i come in peace…looks like you could use a stress bear.” he spoke in a mocking, high pitched voice, using the arm of the stuffed animal to wave at the other. sitting down, he simply just handed the bear over to the other. “you good?”

at this point , charlie’s just about ready to bang her head into wall as she rushes through the library. To be honest , she’s a bit pissed off — she had found the perfect place to study , it was quiet , right near a hydro station and it had a beautiful view of their campus that she could see from the window right next to her. it seemed too good to be true until it was , her once serene study spot completely ruined by a group of idiot football players who she figured probably couldn’t tell their left form their right…and of course they were being loud enough to drive charlie away from the once productive spot. 

she’s so caught up in her aggravated haze that she doesn’t even notice james waving to her before she quickly existed the section of the library he was sitting at in favor of sitting down at one of the booths down the hall. her hand is busy flipping through he pages of her textbook trying to find her place again when james ( and mr.cuddles ) comes up to her. “who’s this?” her aggravated demeanor quickly melts into a faint smile as she reaches for the bear. “you’re such a dork  , i hope you know that” she softly laughs , shaking her hand as she pats the bear on the head. “ugh , i don’t know if good is the way i’d describe myself right now — i wanted to get this homework done before the show tonight so i could spend the rest of the weekend getting wasted but those stupid football players ruined my spot and fucked up my focus” she huffs, slouching back into her side of the booth before she looks up at james. “have you been here long? i was sitting right by the door but i didn’t see you walk in so i guess you got here before me , huh?”