paint me golden

MERRITT: ah, how was that?

MERRITT: cool, it's cool. i'm good, sav.

SAV: fun, like it always is.

SAV: yeah.

D: i get why you did.

D: um...

( a pause, he paces a bit )

D: it's just a lot to see... him, charlie again. kinda lost my... mind for a bit there.

D: but it won't happen again.

S: i just ...

[ a sigh, a hand running through blonde curls ]

S: i feel like you guys shelter me from things, or you don't tell me what's going on anymore. i'm not a kid, i can handle it.

D: never.

D: hey, i just wanted to check in with you.

D: and... apologize. i know i upset you. at the... bonfire. with the... you know. i'm sorry.

S: i should have ... i shouldn't have yelled so i'm sorry about that.

ambrose. 

he’s holding a warm cup of coffee in his hand as he returns back to his truck where he hopes that savannah is still sleeping peacefully; the night before still feels like a part of his life that can’t connect to the person that he’s become the past few years. today feels so different that when he comes into her view and smiles at the sight of her bedhead and her sleepy grin upon seeing him, he almost picks up his pace to get closer to the jeep. “mornin’, you. i got you some coffee.” he answers as he easily climbs up on to the cargo bed, leaning in to press his lips to hers quickly. there’s so many things to say and to explain but he feels as if the fact that she stayed and waited for him means last night is maybe what she wants to. he hands her the coffee cup and shifts a little to get rid of his sweatshirt, leaving him with his white t-shirt and his shorts. “i went for a walk to take pictures, i know you don’t get to sleep in a lot so i didn’t want to wake you up or anything.”

august. 

guilt washed over august at savannah’s assumption. as usual, the girls seemed to be on the same lengthwave until they weren’t. savannah regretted the way she had talked to her brothers last night, august regretted the way she hadn’t. “no i… i had to get out of there, i should have stayed but i––i couldn’t,” august said, thinking about her breakdown in the woods, the anxiety attack that followed once she was safe at her parents’. she tried to remind herself that she wouldn’t have been much help for dante or merritt if she had stayed in that state, but it didn’t do much to appease her guilt. “dante texted me last night and i spoke with merritt earlier today on the phone but still… it’s a mess,” she agreed before finally looking up at savannah. august raised an eyebrow at the blush on her cheeks. “i promise, you know that. what’s going on?”

DANTE: ringing... ringing...

[ a moment as she balances her phone between her ear and shoulder ]

MERRITT: i'm fine, i guess.

MERRITT: where'd you run off to after everything happened? i couldn't find you.

SAV: i was hanging out with rose.

dianna. 

dianna walked next to savannah, giving the blonde the chance to run away from the conversation whenever he wanted. she could still feel savannah trembling in her arms as she held her back, away from her brothers, away from the fight. all dianna could think about was that if it had been zac, she would have wanted someone to hold him back too. dianna had too many memories of fights gone ugly, she was only glad the night before hadn’t been that bad. “good, good. owen came over to watch the fireworks with us after the bonfire so zac has been having a great weekend. me… could be better,” she agreed with her. “just wanted to check in, i didn’t get a chance to say goodbye after it all went down.”

august. 

the two girls had talent for escapism. it took different forms: daydreaming, leaving hiking trails behind, avoiding difficult topics in favor of lighter ones. but even though august knows it was not savannah’s intention to bring the mood down, the mention of her brothers is enough for august to feel winded out. after a terrible night of sleep, they are still the only thing she can think about. “yeah, i don’t think we ever will,” she murmured, putting down the camera. “you okay? i know we said we were not going to talk about it but…” august shrugged. “i mean, those are our idiots. we should talk about it. and also you, where did you disappear to last night?” august rambled, pulling out the old trail map to avoid savannah’s familiar eyes, as she looked for the spot where they had taken off. the map was sprinkled with arrows and doodles the girls had added through the years. their treasure map. 

dianna. 

closed starter for @hvndstied​

dianna double-checked that all the locks were in place before walking away from the record store. she was pleased with the amount of people that had trickled in during the holiday weekend, but she was also exhausted. the events of the camping trip kept replaying in her mind, along with her overwhelming feeling of impotence. she fixed her bag on her shoulder, looking up when she thought she caught a familiar face through the corner of her eye. “sav!” she exclaimed, double checking no one was coming before walking across the street to catch up with the youngest evers. “hey, how are you?” she asked, worry crossing her face. 

MERRITT: hope you're okay.

MERRITT: sorry for my jackassery tonight.

SAV: i'm sorry, too.

CARMEN: it's good to know i am not alone

CARMEN: she did, but she had to. i didn't have her number

SAV: you're never alone

levi.

it was always impossible for levi to stop himself from constantly correcting savannah when he found her working through some of her homework, so much so that he could tell that she was always annoyed in his presence. but he didn’t really care how pissed off he made her. in all honestly, he thought it was adorable the way she never held back with her snide remarks whenever he pointed out she’d made a mistake. “ you might want to look into a tutor, little evers, “ he mused, sliding into the seat next to savannah. levi chuckled, looking from the blonde down to the question she mentioned. “ yeah, you’ve got the wrong notation here. “

carmen.

“you’re late,” she teased savannah as her friend sank on the seat in in front of her at cornelia street. sav was only a couple minutes late, but carmen felt like teasing her a little. just a little. out of everyone in lake wisteria, savannah was probably the only person that would be able to bring some humor out of carmen. her savior, her most unexpected friend during her darkest hour, and the only person outside of her family she had kept in touch with for the past year. “how’s my favorite getaway car?” she asked @hvndstied​

dante. 

though he’d grown quite the affinity for the place, the getaway was dimly lit, run down in its corners, wear of years of slung drinks and chipped paint showed its age, yet dante’s little sister enlivened it. she’d had that effect for as long as he could remember. her levity and care for others, it turned lights on in dark spaces; it made people kinder. it was truly a gift, one that dante had cherished since they were in that quiet and neglected house all those years ago. “oh, well, in that case,” dante smirked, winking at her. “make it a double.” one of dante’s finest skills was his ability to split his attention. with the schedules of his two dynamic and brilliant little siblings, he’d learned how to balance plans, do three things at once with precision. he poured a gin and tonic, listening easily to savannah’s healing laugh. “here you go, man,” he offered to the customer who’d ordered it, delivering the drink before he turned back to his sister, his chuckle bright, embarrassed. “oh, that picture is the worst! that sweater looks like a condom,” dante laughed heartily, returning to the box of glassware. he began to wipe clean each piece. “yeah, okay, and what about when you had gum in your hair,” dante countered, leaning over to lift a few strands of her hair to imitate the way in which her blonde locks matted in his favorite school picture of her. “to that end,” he concluded. “maybe it’s just an evers things to not take good pictures.” 

there was something about dante and the getaway. he was in charge here, like he’d always been and it suited him. but it was something more. this newfound sense of responsibility had his shoulders straighter, a twinkle in his eyes that set off blue hues. he just seemed lighter. maybe it was the idea that all of this might be his someday. or maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with a certain hollis boy. whatever it was, she would get to the bottom of it at some point. “ you’re reading my mind, evers, ” she grinned back, eyes dancing over her glass as she took a sip. a move she soon regretted as the word ‘ condom ’ left her brother’s lips and she almost snorted out the drink she had so lovingly mixed for herself. “ wow, grandma really did a number on us buying those outfits. ” her nose wrinkles as she remembers the infamous picture day where she had to cut a chunk out of her meticulously braided hair. “ y’know i don’t start fights but if i ever find out where stephanie gonzales is, she is gonna get a whooping, ” she countered, raising a finger to make her point stick. though, she was almost certain she was nowhere near convincing. she leaned her elbows on the bar, absentmindedly sorting out some of the cutlery. “ somewhere in history, there is a curse on the evers family and our school pictures. but i like the ones that august takes. she always makes us look good. ”