pageant queen

“I know. Sora Kim, bored, can you imagine? I’m finding it hard to believe myself,” Sora teased, her amused smile matching the other’s easily. In response to her question, she laughed, shaking her head as she did so. “Oh, totally. I oh-so-enjoyed being at the mercy of them.” She could barely say the words with a straight face. It was obvious she was disgusted by the mere thought of them. “Gross. Summer school. I’ll take a moment of silence for you when I’m having fun while you’re in class,” she joked. “I got a yacht,” she confirmed with a nod, a bit of excitement slipping through the words. She could have asked for one ages ago, but she’d never felt the need to. She’d only recently decided she was tired of using Ian’s and wanted her own. “You’ll be one of the first to know if I do. Which I probably will. Now that the drama is over. Well, drama that we don’t inflict on ourselves, anyway.” It was safe to say Luxor would always have drama, however. “The Bahamas isn’t off the table, though. Sure as hell would beat sticking around here.” 

“It’s truly a tragedy,” Gemma agreed, the smile on her face contradicting her words as she laughed along with Sora. “Well they were just so charming about it all,” she agreed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder as she rolled her eyes dramatically. A sigh followed the words, Gemma pouting at the other girl. “Don’t, I can barely handle the disappointment of it. If I think of you out having fun, I may just die,” she said, the over-dramatics just following one after the other. Her lips parted slightly, blinking rapidly in surprise at Sora’s statement, never fully prepared for the sheer exhibitionism of some of the Luxor student’s families. “Bahamas really does sound fun. Truly could not blame you for running off instead of staying around Luxor. Just don’t rub it in my face too much if you do decide to go, okay?” 

“I guess not,” unsurprising really. Sky actively made an effort to be as unknown as possible amongst Luxor students. To be honest, it filled him with a small sense of joy that Gemma hadn’t known him. Maybe he could keep the mysterious aura and remain untouched by drama for longer. “Helena-?” Okay, yes, he knew that name, having had the misfortune to at one point be trapped in detention with that girl. Not a highlight of his Luxor experience. “Inferior,” Sky echoed weakly, thankful that Helena had since left Luxor and wasn’t standing behind him overhearing his agreement. (Death by stiletto heel? Not on his list of acceptable demises.) “Isn’t it worse to waste so much effort on her, though…?”

-

“Yes. Helena. Inferior,” Gemma repeated, giving Sky a scornful look as he questioned, honestly offended that he even had to seem to process for a moment. He should just agree. “I mean...no. If you’re a ghost, you have endless time to haunt people. A literal lifetime of it, and then whatever after everyone you wanted to haunt has died. May as well use the moments productively,” she said with a shrug, incredibly blasé about the entire topic.

“It’s felt off since Fourth of July, I haven’t been able to shake it yet.” She said before looking up to greet Gemma with a small smile. She appreciated the company, especially when it was someone who seemed to be feeling the same way she was. “I think that’s what it is, it’s felt over so many times before and then another group took over…I’ve really got to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Morgan nodded her head before letting out a sigh. “If we can make it through the summer relaxed I’ll be thankful, I suppose that’ll be a good start.” 

“Yeah, well, I think that’s understandable,” Gemma said, shrugging up her shoulders. She personally highly doubted that anything would’ve happened if they hadn’t had people figuring out those stupid children’s plans, but that may have just be her talking herself out of it. “I just find it hard to believe that literal teenagers, freshman in high school, could’ve been behind all that. It makes it seem....I don’t know, unfinished or something. Like you said - like the other shoe still needs to drop,” she agreed, frowning for a moment as she thought about it. “We’ll focus on one season at a time. Summer first.” 

closed starter for @gems-campbell​​

when: sometime in the afternoon where: in the girls’ common area 

“I’m bored,” Sora groaned as she, rather ungracefully for Sora, threw herself onto one of the couches in the common room. She barely even glanced at whoever it was she was talking to, which was more like her. She typically talked just to hear the sound of her own voice. “I mean, don’t mistake me, I’m glad that all the drama is over or whatever, but I feel like this place is severely lacking in spice and I’m going to lose my mind before the summer is over.” She exhaled a heavy, dramatic sigh, before eventually allowing her gaze to drift to whoever was seated next to her. “Are you staying for the whole summer, too? Or are you going to run away when an opportunity presents itself, much like I am hoping to do sooner rather than later?” she asked Gemma, hoping that, in doing so, she would forget her boredom. “I was thinking about throwing a party on the yacht that I just had Hwi Chul buy me or jumping on the next flight to the Bahamas. Haven’t decided yet.” 

“You’re bored?” Gemma echoed in a lilting voice, glancing up at Sora with an amused smile. “What, you miss tweens thinking they could blackmail us into submission?” she joked, like they hadn’t all been actually terrorized about it for months. Easier to pretend it wasn’t serious, now that it was seemingly over. “Yeah, I have to take a summer class to stay on track since I skipped fall semester,” Gemma said with a sigh. A small price to pay, considering she was doing her Miss Teen USA duties, and at the time, it seemed like no big, but of course, now that it was happening, Gemma was just wishing she had her summer to herself. “You got a yacht?” she echoed, her eyebrows shooting up on her forehead, envy clear in her voice as she spoke. “Well, count me in for that plan if you end up doing it. Though the Bahamas sounds lovely too.” 

“It’s called football? The idea is you kick it,” Jack said scathingly. “The throwing should really be kept to a minimum. Just the goalie, to be honest. Unless it went offside.” Not that Gemma had requested a statement on the rules of football, but here Jack was anyway. “The internet is best in here,” he said stubbornly. “You go somewhere else. It’s not like you need to see the expressions of the Denmark players who just fucking lost in precise HD.”

-

Gemma blinked slowly at Jack when he decided to keep talking about the sport for some reason that she couldn’t possibly fathom. “Kicking. Throwing. Doesn’t change my interest much,” she said. “I don’t want to see the expressions of the Denmark players at all actually. Unless they’re hot. Then maybe I could be convinced to watch. Or at least tolerate it being on if you lower your voice at least a little bit. The pitch is awfully irritating when you start yelling like that.” 

@luxorstarters​

The fact that it was past four in the morning ​in America had apparently escaped Jackson Fielding, who was living contently in the timezone of another country. More specifically, England, although that much was probably obvious from the fact that not only was he proudly wearing his Sheffield United shirt, he was blasting Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis at decibels which people across the building could probably still make out. And all of this in the common room which other students supposedly were able to use. (But then again, he’d never been one for considering the feelings of others.) Glancing up, he gave a look of absolute disgust. “You’re seriously asking me to quiet down? Seriously? Look at this,” he gestured wildly to the screen of his laptop. “England only went and fucking won against Denmark,”  his voice was raising with genuine joy, “we are in the finals of the Euros and you’re gonna ask me to shut up?”

-

“Ah, yes, see, I don’t know what any of that means. Because I’m pretty and I don’t pay attention to grown men throwing a ball around like children,” Gemma said with a sigh, pushing her long hair over one shoulder before giving Jack a dismayed look. “Could you at least just....go be loud about it elsewhere? I’m sure someone....somewhere cares.”

@luxorstarters​

“Hi, sorry-” Normally, stopping another student to talk was the absolute last thing Sky would ever do. In fact, he’d probably had nightmares about doing just that. But this was kind of an urgent situation, as conveyed by his tone of voice and the shifty looks he was giving the other people walking around. Lowering his voice to a hushed tone as if he was preventing others from overhearing, he looked around one last time before continuing, “could you please tell me why everyone thought I was dead???”

-

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” Gemma said, her expression completely clueless as she looked up at the totally unfamiliar male. She could’e sworn she had never seen the kid in her life before. “Do I know you? I had no idea anyone died. Other than that girl Madeleine Benoit murdered,” she said, heaving a dramatic sigh, still trying to milk being threatened. “Well, I guess you didn’t die. If you’re here. Unless you’re a ghost, in which case, you should probably haunt someone who knew you when you were alive. That would be my suggestion, at least. I, for once, at least partially plan to haunt Helena so she is constantly reminded of how inferior she is to me.”  

@luxorstarters

Sitting in the courtyard with a messy ponytail and a half-burnt cigarette, Rhiannon stared across the campus, her hands shaky and her eyes slightly red. Tobacco wasn’t her favorite substance to smoke, but it worked well enough to ease her nerves. Upon noticing a figure enter her peripheral, Rhia’s eyes hesitantly traveled up to acknowledge the other. “Hey,” she called softly, the curt greeting devoid of her usual liveliness. She was too exhausted to give a fuck about that currently. “Did you, uh, want a hit?” she added after a moment, lifting the cigarette toward the other as her gaze drifted away.

“Since when did you start smoking cigarettes?” Gemma asked in a lilting voice, her head tipping up ever so slightly as she considered her roommate over the tip of her nose, quite literally looking down on her, though it was nothing personal - just Gemma’s typical airs. “But I wouldn’t mind. Much preferable to you constantly trying to offer me weed,” she murmured with a shrug, reaching her hand for the cigarette in Rhiannon’s hands and sliding it between her lips, slowly inhaling from it, her gaze on the other girl, noticing something seemed different - maybe off? - about her, but not able to realize what it is, forever clueless about other people’s moods. “Anyways. Have any summer plans?” she asked.

status: open location: lounge @luxorstarters​

morgan tried her best to relax after the fourth of july party, everything was supposed to be better now that the crusade had been locked away. it was supposed to be a time of celebration, now there was nothing holding anyone in luxor back from freedom — something till felt like it was missing. the brunette wasn’t sure if it was christopher she was missing or something else entirely, honestly it was probably a mixture of both and now she had all the time in the world to sit and let her thoughts dwell on all of it. she looked up as she heard footsteps approaching, surprised that someone else was still hanging out inside. “hey, feel free to join me and our newfound freedom. is it just me or are things still feeling pretty weird? i’m not sure what to do with myself.” she laughed a little, trying to make the atmosphere in the room lighter than it just was. 

“Things are definitely feeling weird,” Gemma mused with small smile as she glanced towards Morgan - she hadn’t been planning to stay in the lounge, but she figured that there was no harm in joining in the other girl that she hadn’t really spoken to since game night. “I’m still waiting for them to drop something else on us, if I’m being honest - I suppose it’ll be awhile before we all stop feeling paranoid,” she admitted, blinking her long lashes before letting out a sigh. “But hopefully....things will stay good. We could all use a relaxing summer.” 

Hunter didn’t know how to deal with his mother without arguing any longer, even though he was trying hard to have a peaceful night with her for his own sake. He glanced away while she kept talking non-stop about something he didn’t really care about, meeting eyes with a familiar blonde, cracking a smile at her as soon as he realized she was walking towards him, accompanied by a woman he assumed was her mother. The blonde wanted to laugh thinking about how many times they have talked about their mothers meeting, but he couldn’t. “Hey,” Hunter leaned to kiss her cheek before greeting her mother. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Campbell. I can see where Gemma took her beauty from,” He offered the older woman a smile before looking at his mother. “Mom, this is Gemma, my friend who likes using me as her model,” Hunter teased with a soft chuckle. “This is my mother, Amelia.”

“Can you pay attention to what I’m saying for once in your life, Hunter?” Amelia asked him, she was getting tired of his attitude, but she had calm down once she realized two women coming their way. “Hi! It’s lovely to meet you, dear. You’re so pretty!” The woman said smiling at the blonde girl before turning to greet her mother. “It’s nice to meet you too, Maureen. Hunter is right, you’re both beautiful,” She complimented the other politely. “I don’t know about you but I don’t buy it when my son says they’re only friends,” Amelia leaned closer to the other woman briefly, as if keeping it a secret between the two of them. “Well, I have to agree that he is indeed a good model, and I’m not saying this because I’m his mother,” Amelia chuckled softly. “Photography project? What’s your major, Gemma? You’re not Hunter’s classmate at pre-med, are you?”

-

Gemma’s expression shifted into a smirk as Hunter leaned in to kiss her cheek, lightly squeezing his arm before he pulled away, a playful expression on her face before she schooled it into something more sweet, more right for charming parents rather than charming Hunter. Different strengths, but one’s she was both good at. At his greeting to her mother, Gemma resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing Maureen would just about swoon for that, like anyone who needed validation so desperately they put their toddler into beauty pageants would, Hunter of course knowing how to be the perfect gentlemen. “So lovely to meet you,” Gemma said in her perfectly practiced pageant voice as Hunter introduced his mother. 

“Oh, of course she’s so pretty. She wasn’t Miss Teen USA for nothing,” Maureen immediately chimed in, before holding out her hand to also greet Amelia. “Well, they certainly seem fond of each other, don’t they?” she whispered back in response, though her eyes instantly focused on the two of them, critically staring as she was so prone to do. 

Gemma and her mother were entering the convocation dinner, the blonde girl already pouting from the lecturing she was having to endure. This night would not be over soon enough. As they were on their way in, she spotted Hunter, with a woman who had to be his mother - he was wearing too similar of an expression to her own. She watched him for a moment, before he looked over in her direction, their eyes meeting and Gemma flashing a smile at him. “Hey, do you want to meet one of my friends?” Gemma said, interrupting Maureen abruptly, something that earned her a glare and probably a lecture on manners later on. Her and Hunter had joked about how terrible their mothers would be, but maybe it would actually...distract them from going at them for a few moments.

Without waiting for an answer, Gemma led Maureen over towards Hunter and his mother, winking at the blonde male as she got closer. “Hi, I’m Gemma,” Gemma chirped, holding out her hand to introduce herself to his mother. “And this is my mother, Maureen. Hunter and I have become great friends recently. I used him as a model for one of my photography projects actually,” Gemma said, her grin all too self satisfied as she glanced up at Hunter again. 

Who: Open. @luxorstarters​​ When: During convocation dinner.  Where: Dining hall.

Chico had just retrieved his food, going to find himself a spot as far away from his family as he could. “Bro, like how do you guys eat the food like this all the time.” He asked the person next to him. “I’d be forreal ordering Subway or McDonalds every day.” He said with a laugh, obviously disgusted at the ritsy seeming food. “My school has a bunch of vending machines in the cafe.” He continued talking at the person. 

-

Gemma overheard the unfamiliar male’s words, her nose scrunching up at even the idea of eating something like Subway or McDonalds. Luckily, her mother had stepped away for a moment, leaving Gemma to sulk alone - she knew that that statement would send her off on a lecture, even though the boy saying it was a stranger. “The food is good,” Gemma murmured in response, though the way she was just stabbing the helpings on her plate with her fork and shifting it around didn’t seem to back that up. “It certainly could be worse. Like, it could be Subway,” she pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.