kennedy hawthorne

“I'm letting you know now that I’m going to need at least three of these pillows here,” Kennedy said, pulling two of them towards her as she curled up on the far side of the couch. The part of her that was still sort of rational wanted to cringe at how little it took to get her this uninhibited with her words. Two glasses of wine and for some reason she had absolutely no control over her mouth. Once the two pillows were securely tucked under her arms, Kennedy shifted and placed her glass down with a light clatter, her other hand patting the cushion next to her. “Sit sit, I will take your glass.”

Daisy mimicked the movement, raising the glass in a mock toast. “Not at the very first neighbourhood party, at least. Third or fourth, maybe,” there was an amused glint in her eye, and she drained what was left in her glass before returning to survey the celebrations from above. “Seen any certified disasters so far? I want to be close when lightning strikes.”

She let out an undignified snort. “Stick close to the open bar long enough and lightning will strike pretty quickly,” Kennedy offered. She’d seen a few people a single drink away from embarrassing themselves. “Maybe I’ll join them at the next party. Make good impressions this first round and then go wild later. You have a good plan there.”

Daisy had spent almost the entire day getting ready for the open house- and had spent that time with a glass in hand, not allowing it to empty. She was old enough to know better, but she had pre-gamed anyway, and now, in the fear of peaking too early, was doing all she could to ensure she lasted the night. She had found a quiet little balcony overlooking the pool- quiet enough that she could collect herself, but not so far removed from the party that it would kill her vibe. She wasn’t entirely surprised that the brunette found her hiding spot, and turned to look at them with a smile on her face. “What can I say? I’m feeling the party spirit,” she said. “Need to make sure I don’t make an idiot of myself, or they won’t let me into the next party.”

Kennedy grinned, lifting her own glass the slightest bit in agreement. “Always a good plan, not to make a fool of yourself,” she said, amusement coloring every word. She put the glass down on the balcony ledge, bracing her hands next to it. “I’m sure there are some people downstairs who don’t share that sentiment. We’ll probably hear all about it later.”

The cool air was slowly helping Declan gather his bearings. This was the first social gathering that he had attended upon his discharge, and though it hadn’t been as draining as he had thought, he still felt himself needing to steal away for an occasional moment to himself. The fancy clothes were nothing new, but the mingling among neighbors was nearly foreign to him. Declan’s forehead creased at the sound of another voice; he’d heard footsteps onto the balcony but figured whoever they belonged to would keep to their own, though the distraction wasn’t unwelcome. An easy half-smile creased his lips and he laughed under his breath. “Really gotta work on my poker face, huh? What’s got you joining the loser’s club?”

Kennedy let out a small laugh, shrugging in reply. “It could be better, but I won’t fault you for it for now.” She moved closer to the balcony, away from the door to look over the pool in the back. “I’m joining mostly for curiosity’s sake. I’m not sure how much this house is going for, but I most definitely would not be able to afford it.” Her smile turned wry, and she turned towards the stranger. “Cheers to whoever scores the house, though. Which street are you on?”

reagan was surprised to hear another voice, but she smiled at the question and shrugged. “my editor called and then i liked the view so much, i figured i’d stay up here for a little bit. hope that’s not a problem.” she said, the smile still apparent on her face. “you need some air, too, so… i’m not alone in it, right?”

She shook her head. “Not a problem at all,” Kennedy replied before acknowledging that yes, she actually did need a bit of air from the party. “It’s kind of funny how quickly a house as big as this can get so stifling so quickly. All the formality.” She let out a small chuckle. “Unless this sort of party is your thing?”

     erin wasn’t foreign to this in the slightest — events, that is. for the past twenty-three years she’d been going to galas, parties, award ceremonies; but, it was the intimacy of this particular one that she wasn’t used to. typically she’d see a familiar face or two — but that certainly wasn’t the case. instead of falling into casual conversation, she was stuck shelling out ice breakers like it was a college orientation. so, when the time was right she decided to take a much needed breather. she’d been turning to reenter the home when she was met by the brunette. her lips curled into a courteous grin. “—— y’know there are only so many nice to meet you’s i can say in a short period of time before i actually sound like a broken record.” she teased. “but i guess one more wouldn’t hurt. i’m erin.”

A small chuckle slipped past Kennedy’s lips. She could understand the monotony of new greetings. Meetings after meetings meant that she was well versed in introductions. House parties, she supposed, were no different. “I’m Kennedy,” she replied. “I live on Lighthouse Way. And you?”

DOMINIC, ALWAYS THE wallflower at events like this, had simply stepped out to clear his head. he could handle meeting new people if it was one or two at a time; parties, however, were not his favorite. he got overwhelmed, everyone else got too drunk, and he tended to just not enjoy himself. and he somehow always ended up spending time with those he**disliked **the most… for example, now that he was finally alone, he was graced by the_unpleasant _woman with the pineapple allergy. he nodded in response to her question. “socializing isn’t really my thing,” he said with a shrug, leaning against the balcony rail.

It took her a moment to place his face. But as soon as she did, Kennedy had to dip her head down in embarrassment for a moment. First impressions had already gone sour with this one, she knew. But hopefully this encounter wouldn’t be _too _uncomfortable. “Fair enough,” she said, taking sip of her wine. “The meatballs were good, thanks.”

LEANING ON THE BALCONY as she watched all the people below mingling and enjoying the party, an easy smile tugging at her lips. it was nice to be one of the guests for a change, most of her life she had been one of the employees at an event like this, but now that she owned her own establishment and owned her own home it was finally her turn. hearing someone’s voice, she smiled at the brunette and shook her head. “oh, no. i came up to look at the view and got distracted. i can go back downstairs if you’re wanting some time to yourself.”

She waved her hand and shook her head. “No, no, stay,” Kennedy requested, a small chuckle making its way out of her mouth. “I’m just exploring the house. There’s no need to leave on my account.” The curator placed her glass on the balcony before holding a hand out to the stranger. “I’m Kennedy.”

jaime looked up at the woman, blinking owlishly. “no, i just saw a pigeon shitting right over there,” jaime replied, gesturing towards the—that’s right, the aforementioned pigeon innocuously doing its business. he, then, held his camera up with a smirk, before positioning it back to the bird. “it’s good content. d’ya wanna be in my vlog?“

His casual tone threw her off, and she had to pause to keep the friendly smile from morphing into an expression of annoyance. “I’d rather not, thanks,” she bit back. Another hesitation, and Kennedy let out a small sigh to get rid of the tension. “Do people really enjoy watching... that?” she asked, gesturing to the current subject of the camera.