oops.

“i’m beautiful and you’re drunk!” the pianist’s words slurred together before a drunken giggle escaped from his lips. clearly this was a new thing for the male. “WHOOPS…i meant…you’re beautiful and i’m drunk.” hugo’s nose wrinkled as he looked at the other, “they told me a long island iced tea was JUST iced tea…i think they lied.”

@shstarters​

          chris just giggles at his mistake, there’s a glass of something very VIBRANT in her hand --- already half-gone. she’s not drunk though, not even tipsy really ( though she’s getting there ). “ i know, but thanks, BABE. ” a wink is tacked on to the words. “ shouldn’t come to the bar expecting something non-alcoholic --- unless you’re DDing. ” she squints at him. “ are you DDing ? i hope you’re not. ”

nic always admired her free spirit. chris could float from city to city so easily and immerse herself into the society so quickly. “ ah, so those rumors are true. “ he poked her shoulder gently, with a teasing tone. back when they were both in california —which wasn’t too long — he’d always enjoyed how quickly they could go from bickering like siblings to wingmanning for each other at whatever party they ended up at. “ i got traded in february in hopes of rebuilding the devs. “ he shrugged off the event s that had led him here — it wasn’t that big of a deal… or was it — “ and you…” his eyes finally scanned her figure. “ your travels have been VERY good to you.” 

          chris laughs, “ now that depends on what you heard ---- what DID you hear anyway ? ” while she doesn’t really care what gets around about her, she’s also curious ; sue her. gossip is like the worst game of telephone, especially when it’s a bunch of guys in their early twenties sharing a collective three braincells. eyes narrow at his explanation ---so yeah, she hadn’t been paying attention to the nhl much these days--- but she lets him write it off. the how and why didn’t matter to much to her ; all that really mattered was that her and nic were back in town together and THAT made for a lot of potential fun time. “ puh-lease, i’ve always been this hot ----- but thanks. spent a little time in the professional industry and they polished up a few edges. ”

pandora hummed in response, watching the bartender prepare the woman’s drink carefully. “oh! yeah i’m local. i’ve lived here practically my whole life.” sipping on her own beverage, pandora glanced back at her with a smile. “i’m just not a regular customer around here. just trying something new.” even as she said it, she began to miss the comfort of her own apartment. coming out of her shell was a slow process but she was determined to make it work.

          chris bobs her head in a nod. it makes sense even though she can’t REALLY relate. “ well, that’s great ------ i LOVE trying new things. keeps life exciting. plus you’re much better bar company than the creep last time, trust me. ” she goes back to her drink, and levels a wink at ronnie over the rim of her glass before her attention is back on the woman. “ so what do you normally do ? like i said, bit new in town and i’m ALWAYS taking suggestions. ”

that nickname only fell from one set of lips, and nic couldn’t believe she was even here until he spotted her red lipstick and trusty camera. “ no fucking way. “ he walked over to the brunette, surprise evident on his features as he enveloped her in a hug before stepping back. “ guess not  — “ he chuckles a bit, fingers carding through his hair. “ — what the hell brings you to little ol’ springhill.” 

          she rises her shoulders in a shrug, as she steps back from their hug, smile cavalier as always. “ what can i say, i liked the vibe --- new york wasn’t working out anyway. what else is there to it ? ” that was her, plucking places at random like darts at a map. the task at hand already forgotten, chris surveys nic once, up and down. “ you look good ---- could ask you the same thing, though. ”

chuckling, romeo licks his lips, “possibly a little in retrospect, but who isn’t?” he rhetorically inquires. without a second thought, the male lifts onto his feet, eyes enraptured by the camera in hand, “ay, you’re a photographer.” he smiles, the male himself having a similar camera to the one in her hands, “professional or for fun?” he wonders.

           “ RIGHT on ---- ” chris laughs, one finger pointing at him in agreement. she raises her one hand, camera entrapped in her fingers. “ oh yeah ---- snap, snap that’s me. ” her free hand waves around their surroundings, clusters of people out enjoying the good weather. she pauses at his question ; she feels like she’s working in a grey area sometimes. she grins, “ ---- well, i make money off it sometimes so, professional. i GUESS. if you wanna call it that. ”

the better part of her evening had been spent listening to the live performances. a show happened to keep her entertained while the drinks slid down. two drinks in and pandora’s cheeks had brightened and her usual happy state was intensified. tipsy. not drunk, yet. so as the woman who had been singing appeared beside her at the bar, she pivoted her body towards her with a smile. “oh, thank you. i just want to let you know you were amazing up there. seriously. but your secret is safe with me, i doubt anyone noticed.”

          chris gives another smile at the woman. “ thanks, babe. i don’t do it much but ronnie keeps me coming back with his raspberry margaritas --- ah, there we are. ” she lets out a happy sigh as the bright pink drink is set in front of her. the sugar on the rim is sweet against her tongue as she take a sip. “ oh man, great work as always ------ so you local ? i don’t think i’ve seen around before. ‘course i haven’t been around that long either. ”

𝐀  𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄  𝐎𝐅  𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊  𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒  𝐈𝐍  𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒  as  she  walks  down  the  sidewalk  .  shadows  cast  from  the  clouds  covering  the  sun  and  the  shades  she  was  wearing  darkened  her  vision  just  briefly  enough  where  she’d  missed  the  crack  in  the  sidewalk  tumbling  forward  .  grabbing  onto  the  first  thing  that  she  could  ,  papers  fly  into  the  sky  slowly  falling  back  down  to  the  pavement  .  it’s  not  until  she  attempts  to  right  herself  that  the  real  horror  hits  ,  her  favorite  pair  of  heels  ,  one  now  cracked  ,  stuck  in  the  sidewalk  space  .  ❛    goddammit  — ❜  she  mutters  ,  boasting  a  defeated  sigh  before  she  looks  up  to  the  person  she’d  nearly  crashed  into  ,  ❛    you  wouldn’t  happen  to  have  any  ….  i  don’t  know  ,  gorilla  glue  or….  tape  ,  would  you  ?     ❜ @shstarters​

          chris’ on her way back from her shift at the dinner, attention glued to her phone and instagram. so engrossed with what’s on her screen she almost doesn’t see the collision before it happens, only just pulling up short before she stumbles over the figure and makes everything so much worse. she peers down at the woman at her feet and then over at the broken shoe in question, brows raised. “ GIRL, it’s gunna take way more than some krazy glue to fix those. ” one foot ( vans, no heels at the diner, she’s not STUPID ) traps a paper before it blows away. “ what size you wear ? i got some flats in my purse you can borrow if you want. ”

( open starter @shstarters​ )

the blasting music from the speakers manifested a humming under her skin. second drink in and pandora could not remember the reason she had gone out to begin with. what had started with a scrabble game at her father’s house turned into a night sitting in cloak & stagger nursing her rum and coke. evelyn, her traitorous step-mother, had questioned her on her social life. considering the most she had done recently was reach out to peyton and annoy will with her never ending chattering. this was an attempt at being around others her age, right? then why was the regret setting in.

          gigs at cloak & stagger are ALWAYS the best --- not that chris goes after them all that much. her voice is somewhat of a last resort when it comes to money makers, though she’s been told she sings pretty damn well for a photographer. but they’re the best because they always include a couple drinks along with the small pay she gets. she plops down next to the unsuspecting woman at the bar, a slash of a grin leveled at the bartender. “ gimme my freebie, ronnie ---- think i deserve it for hitting all those notes. ” she turns her head to examine the woman at the bar, friendly as always. “ lil secret, i was a little drunk ------ cute top, by the way. ”

sat on the floor looking up at the sky with his legs crossed, romeo takes a deep breath leading shadow to bark and jack jack to quack. chuckling, the male turns to look at his pets, both the dog and the duck not on a leash or tethered to him in anyway yet they remain seated. “i always think about the day i’ll be able to travel up there.” he confess with infatuation. at the foot steps behind him, the male turns his head completely amused, “…their human interaction is on point, trust me…this isn’t a one way conversation.” @shstarters​

          it’s EXACTLY for moments like this that chris takes a camera with her near everywhere --- now this is a new one for her, and she frames up the odd scene and snaps off a few candids. it’s not creepy --- DEFINITELY not. a girl needs her photography practice. it’s curiosity not guilt that brings her closer to the guy ( close enough that he catches his first sentence though she doesn’t think it’s directed at her ) ; if anything this promises to be a good conversation at least and if it’s one thing she hates it’s being BORED. “ darn --- and here i thought you were just crazy. ”

is that LIZ GILLIES? no, that’s just CRYSTAL 'CHRIS' MACQUILLIAN. SHE is TWENTY-FOUR years old and is a PHOTOGRAPHER & WAITRESS AT SUNSHINE DINER. rumor has it they’ve been in town for TWO MONTHS. on a good day, they’re LAIDBACK & ADAPTABLE. but watch out! they can also be FLIGHTY & SCATTERBRAINED. ON THE WAY BY MARC SCIBILIA plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around springhill! @shstarters​