warwick avenue

“you’re a blessing, honestly.” isabella replied, giving hayley a grateful smile as she tried to pull herself together somewhat. unable to really do so due to the amount of alcohol she’d already consumed earlier that evening. she’d said she wanted to have fun at the carnival, so fun was what she was trying to have.. no matter how she did so. “i mean, i’m not opposed to cuddling as that’s one of my favorite past times but i’m not sure anyone else would really be down for that.” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, nearly missing the shirt that was thrown in her direction. “somehow, i find that hard to believe.” isa retorted, raising her brow as she threw the shirt on over her head. “if that was the case, the tent would smell like a dump and it doesn’t.” she pointed out a girn making it’s way onto her lips before she felt her brows knit together at the question of her remembering who she was in a tent with. “um, sort of? i know a few names and i happen to know the guy who’s in my tent is extremely good looking… but that’s besides the point.” she said as she felt a small blush creep up to her cheeks. “harlow and hadley are the names i remember because they both start with h’s.”

“I’m sure we could find someone who would be down to cuddle you, Is,” Hayley assured the woman, pretty confident that she could find someone for her, before sitting down on the little space she’d reserved for herself. Already, there were other people’s clothes all over her area, which normally she’d go crazy about, but could cope with given that it was just for the night. “Nah, true story,” Hayley denied, shaking her head profusely. “He’s probably off drinking all the alcohol available from the drinks tent or putting some other life ruining substance into his body,” the girl announced reluctantly, wishing she didn’t have to say those words about another family member. “Oh, wait till the morning. When people start throwing up and people can’t find a toilet and decide to...well, y’know, do it outside the tent, shit starts to get a little smelly.” She’d been here for too many years to forget that. “Interesting...there’s a few guys that could be, I guess.” Hayley wondered who it could be. “Guess a lot of people just come to the festival to let their hair down a little. You drinking to forget anyone or anything in particular?"

mina: you are lucky they did young lady. then i would have to give you my best mom lecture, and send you to your room without any supper. i'm joking... kind of.

mina: what booth are you doing again? oh right, inking todays youth... and the rest of them. hmmmm, i don't know if i could see ink on saggy skin. hey, i'm not judging.

mina: sounds perfect, we'll be up in a couple minutes. isaac always takes longer than all of us to get ready.

hayley: you would 100% have killed me, i know it

hayley: the kids would've obviously loved me

hayley: saggy skin? come on min. you know you're beaut. it would look wonderful on you. i could do a classy one

hayley: i haven't shown you my latest one, yet

The night had simultaneously passed in a flash yet gone in slow motion. The bonfire, the carnival, the show; they were all things Reggie would still remember the next morning, but perhaps a little blurry. Could you blame him? All he wanted to do was have a little fun, and he did. No, he was. The alcohol was making sure of that. He had played vigorously on stage and had even accidentally hit a girl with an empty beer bottle, had taken pictures with those who recognized him as one of ANTISOCIAL’s members and was pretty sure he asked a single mom out of a date during the bonfire. Yes, it was true, as mature and collected as Reggie seemed he was still a typical ‘rockstar’ at heart. He obviously hadn’t been doing much thinking the whole day, and he definitely didn’t think twice when he found himself laying down on the beach with Hayley right next to him and out of impulse, kissed her. A sloppy kiss at that thanks to the alcohol, but a kiss nonetheless. The words ‘I might be drunk’ left him as soon as the two pulled away, followed by a drunken laugh as he too fell back onto the sand. “I’ll have you know I’m, like, a great lover.” Reggie spoke with his hands although all he could see was the sky above them, a rather boring sight compared to the woman next to him.“You can ask my ex-wife.” The slurred words became even more distorted as he moved onto his side and pushed himself up with his elbow, not even bothering to keep his distance as he hovered over Hayley. “No, wait, ask Summer. No, no. Autumn I meant Autumn. Who names their kids after seasons?” He scoffed as if the idea repulsed him and as if he hadn’t just kissed the girl he was speaking to. “Oh, I know. I’ll write a song about it. Make you tingle in all the right places.”

“I would have to see that in action to believe it,” Hayley teased him with a smirk, nudging his side, now that he was laying down next to her. “You were pretty adamant that I was wrong about you only being able to last thirty seconds.” She watched him as he hovered over her. It was almost as if she felt protected, having him so close. There was just something about his face. The way he looked so wonderful and kind but so determined and focused at the same time. “Oh wow,” Hayley chuckled at his last comment, she wondered if he was aware of what he’d just done, or whether his drunken alcohol brain had already forgotten. But then again, she’d already convinced herself that by the morning this whole evening would be a distant memory for the guy. “Your ego is pretty big when you’re drunk, babes,” she said with a smirk, not really able to stop herself under his almost contagiously captivating smile. Her eyes, however, weren’t focused on his, they were focused on his lips. She couldn’t pull herself away, she just wanted to pull him down and pull his lips onto her once again. Could she? Hayley lifted her hand and held it behind his head, gently stroking his hair. She didn’t know if she could. She always thought she was this hugely confident being, and when it was someone she didn’t know, she pretty much was; but with Reggie, when it was this stuff, she wasn’t so sure. There was a moment, a kind of ‘fuck it’, moment, but even then, she didn’t think she could do it. “If I kissed you again, could you forget that tomorrow? Can I just say I was drunk?” Hayley asked nervously. Her hand slowly pulling his head towards her, stopping just before her lips, their noses touching. “I tell you what - you write me a song and I’ll forget this ever happened. If you want that, anyway. Or you can have a free tattoo. Or some damn good sex. Or one of those really pathetic things...cuddles, is that what they’re called? Lucky dip on the options, hey.” 

“Excuse me,” River was quick to lightly argue with Hayley; his brows lifted as he feigned offence from the doubt she seems to be taking over his – what he likes to call it – ingenious idea. “I’ll have you know that I’m positive, that they would be selling like hot cakes if I ever did go forward with them. You’d be fucking surprised – not only are they fucking delicious, but they’re a blessing to suck, especially if they’re eager, and not getting any that night.” There wasn’t much that was needed to say in reference to her vagina tattoos. They had been friends for so long that all he needed to do was shove her look – one that included his brows to raise a bit higher, whilst a grin took over his features. It, however, faltered rather quickly after he accepted her generous invitation; taking a seat at her booth before he reached back for his drink. Like his relationship with Avery, the simple mention of her name had him seated back on the root of their rollercoaster ride, his hands fumbling for a tight grip he could grasp onto as he never really knew where they would end up heading – at times, he too would agree that it was better off not knowing. “What do you want us to then?” It was a blunt question – one that he did not take much time to think about as he still bitter over what had happened between Avery and him. Not that it was any of the girl’s fault. Time had always been known as limited, and chances set themselves a certain expiry date; leaving River with no control over it. And God, did he hate it. Doesn’t everyone know? With his reputation and name growing at a fair pace, it was hard to shake off fame. Though, if River had to be frank, there was a part of him that wanted Avery to know. “I don’t know if she knows about us yet,” he said after a thought, his shoulders rising into a shrug as he genuinely did not know what to say, or had thought about this matter at all. “There’s really not much to say?”

“Some people wouldn’t need a fake penis to suck on, though, Riv,” Hayley joked, teasing him about her ability to lasso a man if she needed one, “although, there’s less danger of any dodgy shit arising from an ice-lolly-penis so that is one plus side.” She could give him that, after all. Being reckless in that area could only lead to awkward conversations with your doctor, so perhaps ice lollies would be safer for all. “I know there’s not much to say, River, if you thought this conversation was gonna’ be where I admit some deep-rooted feelings to you then you might be disappointed.” Hayley chuckled to herself, shaking her head at the mess the two of them would be in if Avery was to find out about them fake dating. Even though it was fake and she could not emphasise that enough, it would still be hard to take if the girl’s best friend found out. “I thought she probably didn’t,” the girl admitted, a sigh of relief escaping from her mouth. “She doesn’t need to know, either, I don’t think. There wasn’t much to it, let’s be honest. A few fake kisses and heated arguments in the middle of Bills..” This was the easiest way. If Avery never knew, then their friendship could remain fully intact. If she did know, then Hayley figured she’d have to spend a long time convincing her friend that there was nothing to it. There were too many ties between River and Avery for it to be a simple conversation. “A pact,” Hayley began, extending her hand out to her friend for him to shake if he was down for the agreement. “You say nothing, and I say nothing?” 

mina: You know Isaac and Ileana have been begging to see you. Ever since you gave them those fake tattoos which I still have nightmares about, mind you.

hayley: they came off in 3 days! come on i was the world's coolest person in their lives for those 3 days

hayley: bring them up!

hayley: i'm gonna go and get some food soon and leave one of the guys with the booth if u want to grab some?

max: Where are you?

hayley: right up by the beach

hayley: this equipment cost waaay too much for it to be getting wet

hayley: i've got the spray stuff if lauren wants me to do a fake one on her

hayley: comes off in like 3 days and she'll be the coolest kid at school

“You know,” River started, tipping the iced bottle of beer in his hand a certain angle before gulping it down like it was water out of thirst, “if it wasn’t for me performing tonight, I would have signed up for my own booth.” River stood there drenched with his own sweat; the thin fabric of his sleeveless graphic shirt stuck onto him and clung helplessly to his tall frame. “I actually thought of bringing in my infamous huge and realistic dick ice-lolly,” he explained proudly, his eyes averted over to the existing ice-popsicle booth; a bitter glance out of potential competition shot their way.

With a scoff, Hayley shook her head profusely at the thought of River bringing his 'infamously huge and realistic dick ice-lolly'. "River, no one needed that in their lives again," she told the boy, a relieved look on her face at the thought of him not having brought it. "You come for a tattoo of some form of vagina?" She asked with a look of pleading that he wasn't going to say yes, as she fiddled away with one of her tools. This was the first time she'd ran her own booth and she probably wouldn't have agreed to it had she not been desperate to have an excuse not to look after her father for the night. She pushed out the chair for River to sit down on, regardless of whether he would be getting a tattoo or not and sighed, "reckon all these tourists know how much shit goes down in this small town?" It was refreshing to see so many new people, in some kind of way. Who knew who was going to walk into the tattoo booth for a The First Wave special? But there was something Hayley genuinely wanted to speak to River about. Especially now that Avery was back in town, but first, she took the beer out of his hand and took a little sip. That was how worried she was about what she was about to say. "Av...she doesn't know about..well, she doesn't know that we used to 'pretend' about there being an us, does she? Because I haven't told her and..." The girl sighed, frustrated with herself for ever agreeing to such a thing, but it wasn't like there was ever anything between her and River, nothing real, anyway. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure if Avery would believe that, regardless of how good of friends they were. "She just can't know...she'd think it was real or overthink herself crazy about it..."

isabella had been torn on if she should even go to the bonfire or not, finally deciding why not? but after only a few hours, she found out that she was far more lightweight than she had originally thought and somehow, she managed to spill her drink down the front of her and knew she needed to change that. luckily, though, she had quite a few spare shirts tucked away in the tent she was assigned and because of it she headed back towards the tent, pulling off her shirt without a second thought due to the alcohol coursing through her veins. but the sound of crunching sand behind her caused her to turn around in almost a panic. “i-” she started, her head tilting to the side. “now this might look bad but i do have a reason to be here.” isabella continued, looking around the tend she was in. “i spilled my drink on my shirt and i- i needed a new shirt so i’m trying to find one of the spares i brought. but- now that i think about it, is this even my tent?”

“No questions asked, Iz,” Hayley chuckled, shielding her eyes out of courtesy. There was always a few awkward moments at the festival. This one, like many others, appeared to include the one usual common denominator; too much alcohol. “Well unless you were gonna’ get cosy with my brother, me, Frankie or one of the others then I don’t think so,” she spoke as she dipped down to grab the girl one of the spare shirts she’d brought along with her. Hayley threw the shirt over to the girl, hoping it didn’t hit her as some surprise projectile. “Just FYI, though, if you’re gonna’ get cosy with my brother, his feet stink and he doesn’t shower.” She enjoyed winding Harvey up with lies like this, but really she just didn’t like the thought of people fucking him around; despite knowing that Isabella probably wouldn’t. “Who’s in your tent, do you remember?” Hayley asked, checking her phone for the time.