my lips aren't clean

WHERE: frank's pub, september 21 WHO: open.

that's the thing leaky loved about sports, it brought people together. even in unlikely times. so leaky was nothing but pleased to see nat and the rest of the woman's soccer team crowded in frank's pub, a place he didn't frequent but a few of his frat brothers had dragged him out too. "i'd like to see you take them nat, shouldn't you be the one getting wasted and celebrating your win?" he laughs, stepping over to her and leaning against the bar. "what's the next stop for you, paris 2024 for the olympics?"

"Yeah," Ollie was already digging through his pocket for his phone, pulling it out and scrolling through his texts. This had happened so long ago that it took him a while to find it. The text, however, was still a mystery to him so he didn't think there was anything wrong with sharing it with Leaky. Maybe he'd have some insight or something. He handed over his phone so he could read them.

this was a lot to process, leaky's eyes scanning over the texts. he wasn't sure exactly how to respond. g was doing all of this? how? literally how... "maybe they just know you're super charming so it's only natural your interrogation would go well?" he tries to be optimistic about, hopeful that g is just great at guessing rather than having their finger in every fucking pie. didn't they know greed was a terrible thing to harbor?

In a moment of deliberation, Rhia pored over his inflection, the nonchalant acquiescence, his ever-pleasant expression in search of clues that would unravel a seemingly harmless statement. "I was screaming the loudest, promise," she teased with a shy shrug. Though Leaky's easy playfulness placated her worry a moment later; she was simply overthinking again. "I'll have to check with my manager and get back to you on that," though she hardly intended to do so. She would play a song for anyone who cared to listen.

he just laughs and nods along. it's fun to think about sometimes who is actually out there in the stands cheering him, the team, on. but if he thinks about it too hard he is always reminded of who is missing, and the anxiety is too overwhelming. so he doesn't. it's just him and his teammates on the field after all. "well, when they do, i wanna be the first to hear." he winks.

leaky pauses, taking a step back as logan admitted her belief in him. though he expected to feel relief...he didn't. another feeling more along the lines of guilty settled in his stomach, a rock taking form that he was sure he wouldn't be able to shake. "did g tell you anything else?" so g was targeting him? but why, g had been the one to convince him to go into the office to see penny's file. then again it was clear g was targeting them all. they had told nova about him, or at least hinted at him, and now logan. who was next? would someone believe them? "i don't wanna see anything happen to you either, so you be safe too alright?" don't make dumb decisions like me, he wanted to add but refrained from doing so.

she shook her head. "no, that was everything." as much as she tried to bat it away, doubt crept in at the edges of her mind. what would g gain from lying about leaky? "yeah, i'll be safe. even if g was making stuff up about me, i don't think anyone would believe me doing anything interesting," she smiled as she attempted a joke, but she couldn't ignore the uneasiness. when logan trusted someone, she wanted to do so wholeheartedly - she didn't want to believe her trust was susceptible to a silly lie from an unknown number. "we're all good. alright, let's get out of this closet. smells crazy in here."

He sent Leaky a look when he asked who told him, though he didn't really think Leaky actually expected a full answer. "Someone who had no reason to lie about it. Someone I trust," Ollie said sternly, assured in that assessment. Though he was sure not many people would trust Link, he did. At least when it came to something like this. He'd had no reason to lie at the time, seemed to regret that he'd told Ollie, and followed up to make sure he hadn't spilled the beans during the interview made him extremely certain that Link was not only telling the truth, but that they had the same ideas surrounding it. There was something shady going on for sure. He raised his eyebrows in a considering expression at Leaky's suggestion, nodding his head. "That's possible." Maybe they stole it off of Penny's body when they murdered her!! Ollie kept that thought to himself though, because he was trying not to sound insane.

"adults love keeping things from kids, it's like a power thing." leaky spoke absentmindedly, reeling from everything he had just heard from ollie, new theories permeating his mind. he's startled by ollie's finger now held up, the other quickly diving into a rant about their theories. "you got a text after your interview?" his eyebrows scrunching together, that was fucking weird. "do you think it's like just students? or like...staff...the police? anyone and everyone is just working for g?" wait fuck, had he done g's dirty work without realizing it? penny's file? g had never told him what was in it, just that he should look at it...was it really so g could find the information that was on penny? he had always assumed g killed penny, because of what was in the file. but what if... "what if g is also trying to solve all of this?" he lets the question slip. like penny died and wanted to see why whoever killed her had? or whatever it was? maybe he was overthinking it now, maybe he had watched too much of pretty little liars. "this is fucking crazy." he repeats, head nodding. "but like...what else do we have?"

"Me?" Her brows lift, hazel orbs widening as if the question he's presented is completely preposterous. There was nothing out of the norm about someone stepping out from an event for a moment or two — it was a sight she'd seen a million times before, a recess from all that was occurring within the walls. "I'm fine. I just needed a break from...well, all of that." A dismissive hand waved towards the door. It's not a lie but it's also not delving too far; a break from the noise, the bodies, the chaos, the dread; it was all the same in the end. "Though I can't say I'm doing as excellent as you must be." Her expressions shifts then, hinting at something scandalous when the reality is anything but. "It seems that you've won the game and the girl." After all, it wasn't as if the cheerleaders had been able to pay attention to anything other than Leaky's display after the game. "I think you've made the start of the year rather difficult to live up to. Especially for anyone planning on asking anyone out."

"yea, you." he nods, wiping his hands together before slipping them into his pockets. it wasn't odd for people to slip in and out of events like homecoming, especially after the announcing of homecoming court, but there was just something about carmen's demeanor that had him pausing. "oh well," he laughs softly, hand now reaching to scratch the back of his head, suddenly shy by everything that had taken place. "i think people will be fine, it was cheesy that's all. easy to be cheesy." he tries to downplay it, though it had taken a bit of bribing for his teammates to join in on the scheme. "it wasn't too much was it? i mean it probably was but..." he stops himself, no need to overthink it. "are you having a good evening at least?"

"You're actually the biggest fucking softy I've ever met but, hey..." Hands rise in a display of defeat, the acceptance that he may be wrong, though they both know it's not the case. "Whatever helps you get your beauty sleep at night, baby."

"right, right, she's yours first got it." leaky chuckle, hands held up in surrender. he was just thankful that nova had wanted to share ruth him, and put up with him in general. it was nice to have someone that he thought maybe had his back in a real and genuine way again. he glances at nova's back, another bite taken out of the apple as he ponders what this is all like for him. not that he was trying to creep in and replace them by any means. but he wondered how sharing worked in their mind.

Ambrose laughed a little, and shrugged. "Not perfectly," he said, shaking his head. "I'm much more of a practice makes perfect type." If that hadn't already been obvious anyway. It wasn't that Ambrose couldn't play from ear, but he was much more comfortable when he either had something in front of him to read, or just already knew it from memory. Maybe it was a lack of confidence, maybe it was more technical that way. He didn't know. "Thank you," he said, sending Leaky a smile as he finally slid his music folders, and books into his bag. "I'll see you around, I guess. Or maybe next time I'll be sure to bring my guitar with me or something and we'll play together," Ambrose offered. "It was nice to meet you Leaky!"

"ah well, still. a big deal." leaky nods, smile wide. it's always cool to talk shop with someone, even though they were leagues outside of what he could ever be - it's just nice to know that someone cared the same way you did about something. "oh really? that'd be good. i've...i've actually been trying to find someone to like just jam with ya know?" he beams now, excited by the prospect. "would love to, if i can keep up with ya at least," he chuckles standing up to shake ambrose's hand before stepping over to the piano. "have a good one ambrose, i'll see ya around!"

In the months she was gone, she expected everyone to forget about her. Question, worry - sure - but then eventually they would move on. Her name would slowly disappear as time passed, whispered less and less until it was drowned out by the constant nonsense flowing across campus. Yet, the bright expression on Leaky's face and the thrilled way he called out her name, Rhia, filled her with delight. She laughed joyously and wrapped her arms around Leaky's neck, letting his hug momentarily pull her off the floor.

"oh sure you were." he says with a half-nod half-chuckle. honestly he didn't peg rhia for the type to find herself at a college football, and enjoying it. not that it mattered much anyway, she was here, homecoming was happening, and leaky was hopeful that the night was going to be a good one. "my lips are sealed, just give me a sneak peek before anyone else yea?" he teases with a quick wink in her direction.

she put her hands up in surrender amidst his passionate defense. "take a breath. if you say it's bullshit, it's bullshit. i trust you." maybe some would call her naive, but she was a good judge of character, right? there were plenty of people at ogden she thought had something to hide, but leaky was not one of them. "just keep an eye out, alright? maybe someone's targeting you, i don't know, but i don't wanna see anything happen to you."

leaky pauses, taking a step back as logan admitted her belief in him. though he expected to feel relief...he didn't. another feeling more along the lines of guilty settled in his stomach, a rock taking form that he was sure he wouldn't be able to shake. "did g tell you anything else?" so g was targeting him? but why, g had been the one to convince him to go into the office to see penny's file. then again it was clear g was targeting them all. they had told nova about him, or at least hinted at him, and now logan. who was next? would someone believe them? "i don't wanna see anything happen to you either, so you be safe too alright?" don't make dumb decisions like me, he wanted to add but refrained from doing so.

Who: Open. When: Saturday, September 2nd. Where: The Homecoming Gala.

leaky tries to ignore the streak of disappointment that comes with sassa's name being called and his not following. but it's okay, he's had enough glory today, enough of the craziness of homecoming that he can let this go. what really becomes startling is the lack of mention of greer. no one slipped her name into the court winning, no one gasped her name. it felt like...they were all forgetting her. they were moving on. it was weird. leaky takes a breath, heading over to the bathroom while the court moves to dance and be celebrated, that's when he barely catches carmen as she swings through the doors, looking a bit...distracted. "just had go pee." he nods toward the bathrooms where he was headed to. "are you...are you alright?"

"They do, yeah," Heni says, followed by a barely audible sigh. It had been like that back in Manhattan, too - you spent all year dreaming about leaving your peers behind in the dust of the city, only to run into them (and their parents, no less) when out for a stroll on the beach. Was it not bad enough back then - when the chance encounters reminded her of nothing worse than homework and insignificant pieces of gossip? She didn't quite know what she'd do if a reminder of Ogden was sprung on her without warning. "I think everything was simpler back then."

briefly leaky finds himself lost in though, reminiscing on simpler times, childhood summers running around town till sundown and then catching fireflies. those bleed into teen summers, grueling practices, first kisses...he shakes his head, bringing him back while heni looks up at him. "oh! uh," he pauses, surprised by her question and he looks around. it's just a dance - no harm there. "sure, heni wanna dance with me?" he smiles, holding out a hand to her before backing up slowly onto the dance floor, making sure to shimmy his shoulders a bit to emphasize his point.