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"i guess so. there's always something going down at these things." and there was, unbeknownst to riley, but it was probably better it stayed that way. all the drama around his birthday happened the day after. "this town isn't boring, that's for sure.''

He shrugged, taking a quick drink before commenting, "Dunno if it's that shocking. Doesn't the whole built your own boat thing really wow people?" While impressive, he'd give the other more credit than that. Despite the hiccup in their friendship, Xavier thought Riley was a decent guy, reliable, dedicated to his family. Him winding up in a relationship didn't seem outlandish. "No one who I think would appreciate my efforts." He took a lighthearted jab at his single friends. Honestly, he never knew the status of Brett and Bea enough to know whether he should wingman or not. And as for Lennon, he wasn't really sure if she was okay with being with someone again and certainly wasn't going to push based on the few things he knew about their last ex. An earnest smile made its way to his face as he pushed the joking to the side to be a hair more sincere, "And hey, you deserve to be." He may have struggled to hold onto the feeling, but that didn't mean he couldn't wish it for his friends. "Lucky us. I think I'd lose my mind if the most exciting thing this town had going for it was a massive ball of twine or some other boring 'world's largest' whatever."

"Is that so? I would never guess. I thought small towns were supposed to be quaint and quiet. I mean, I know this town has some fame attached to it with the record business, but I'm surprised to hear you speak so dismissively. Does this town have the delightful small town racism that plagues so many? Considering the welcome wagon I received when I moved here, I thought most people seemed rather liberal and kind. Perhaps a bit overzealous, but ultimately harmless." She asked, taking one last drag of her cigarette before putting it out on the brick wall behind her. She'd throw it out once she went back inside. "Regardless, you'd get an invite, you're discerning and I appreciate that."

"I mean, it has its stereotypical quaint and quiet types for sure, we're in no shortage of interesting characters around here." Despite how annoyed she seemed by it, she was actually relatively thankful for the rowdier crowd — so long as they stayed away from her. Gave her something to talk about and be entertained by. "Nothing like that. Just some burn outs and sleazy dirtbags. Like, one of my friends had this really charming birthday party on Halloween, right? And these two guys decided to get into a fistfight at it like we're still in high school." María scoffed. Teddy so didn't deserve to have fragile male egos ruin her special day. She momentarily beamed at the compliment. "And you wouldn't regret it. Unlike some people around here, I have class."

"Yeah, I got them microchipped when they got fixed. I was thinking about asking Tabby to help me out and bring her microchip reader out there to prove he's my cat." It was there much more reasonable approach to the problem. That being said, Elvira still wouldn't mind shelling out money to have an Etsy witch curse Winnie for the headache this was causing. "She's so delusional, who knows how that'll go." Head rested in their hands, "I'm going to end up in some low-level courtroom over this whole thing." That was maybe a little dramatic, but the issue seemed to keep snowballing. "Oh. Makes sense. Guess it's just one of those things you have to deal with then. It could probably be worse." They only said that because they were supposed to be looking on the bright side more. "Like she just says you go out? It's not like she's giving out details if you left with someone, right?"

Margot: Heyy so it's been almost 2 weeks since I have last seen or heard from you. Margot: Please send proof of life @offkeykisses

— lizeth selene

There was definitely fallout between the two, however... "I don't want to key her car." Even with how sour every interaction was, Elvira knew it would just escalate things. "Things between us are just complicated." It felt like all they were doing was providing vague non-answers. At least she could latch onto the other part of the conversation easily. "Maureen. I think she's doing a lot of musical theater for her set. You should check it out, unless you're more interested in the other one." They tried to picture the schedule in their mind, "I don't remember who else is performing at that time, though." Their former bandmates and Maureen were about the only people they zeroed in on.

she  knows  it’s  better  to  just  tell  them  right  away,  since  not  everyone  is  comfortable  with  being  touched  by  someone  they  don’t  know.  truthfully,  she’s  just  been  hoping  the  confetti  would  fall  on  its  own,  but  alas.  june  watches  as  they  struggle  to  find   the  piece  in  their  hair,  only  stepping  in  when  her  help  is  needed.  "  yeah,  sure,  it’s  a  little  tricky  though,  "  she  says,  laughing  softly.  once  she  manages  to  get  it  out,  she  holds  it  up  to  them  with  a  smile.  "  there  you  go.  you  should  take  that  home  as  a  little  keepsake.  people  usually  do  that  at  this  kind  of  thing,  no?  " 

Once the confetti was out of their hair they offered something that verged on a smile, "Thanks." Fingers gingerly took the confetti, weighing whether or not they actually wanted to keep it. They still felt weird about the whole night. If they weren't, Elvira decided they weren't going to toss it in front of the other. "Mmm I don't know. I could see people doing it at larger music festivals, like keeping the wristbands as keepsakes, but I don't know how many people are going to do it for a small local one like this." Still, she tucked the confetti into her pocket, an idea forming in their mind. "One of my friends performed tonight, though, so our friend group might want to create a little keepsake for her. The confetti could be a nice touch."

His eyes carefully tracked his brother's movements, hyperaware of how familiar the shielding was. Painfully aware of how much comfort it immediately filled him with, and how much he hated himself for feeling that. "I can handle myself." He muttered under his breath. Xavier so desperately wanted to pick a fight to assert his independence and air out his grievances with Roman, but their current setting wasn't lost on him. This wound becoming a spectacle for the rest of the town would just add humiliation to it. His grip tightened on the bottle in his hand, paying attention to the weight of it and the condensation. "And a karaoke night would be better for you how exactly?" Brow raised as his tone was sharp and skeptical. "They typically try to get everyone involved at some point at those things. So, still a nightmare for you. Unless you're big on performing with all eyes on you these days." I wouldn't know sat on the tip of his tongue only to get swallowed down. Watching Roman frown and stumble through his words left Xavier conflicted again. The resentment in him wanted to stay harsh and distant. But there was a competing need to soften and ease his brother's discomfort by joking around like when they were kids and he didn't know how else to return the care his brother gave to him. "So your coworkers basically think you're a hermit living in hazardous conditions. And here I thought my reputation left a lot to be desired." His voice sat in more neutral territory this time around, unable to commit to either direction fully. "Please enlighten me on how books are different, I'm dying for a mind numbing lesson."

They had hoped Billie would simply agree with them and let it drop. Clearly the other was a little more comfortable with being open with personal grievances than Elvira was. It was pretty obvious they weren't getting out of this without some sort of explanation, though. They silently wondered which conversation would've been worse. Shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant manner that contradicted the impulse they had to hide earlier. "We just used to be close and aren't now. This thing's supposed to be fun, so why potentially get my mood dragged down by whatever that conversation would've entailed?" It was very far from the full story, but she hoped it was enough. And if it wasn't, they were already trying to pivot the conversation, "I have a friend performing tonight, so the energy needs to stay positive."

he let's out a low chuckle, shakes his head as he tries to rid himself of the smile that so easily appears. it's no use — of course it's no use. " see, i would, but i prefer to do my begging in person. maybe that'll motivate you instead. " finds himself scanning the crowd, searching for the only face he cares to see right now. " the middle, too ? that might be a little desperate, " he teases, a sense of relief washing over him when xavier finally comes into view. mirrors the others actions by putting his own phone away. isn't quite sure what to do with himself then. the desire to reach out is so strong, his fingers flex by his sides as he practises restraint. he's aware of how many people are around. knows how easily things can be ruined. can't help the voice at the back of his mind that's trying to convince him that he's not the type of person people want to be seen with. " maybe. " he takes a step closer, then another. undeniably nervous now. " you gonna fight them off if they do, or let them have me ? "

A quiet, breathy laugh left him on an exhale, "Guess I'll just have to add 'a little desperate' to the growing list of things you bring out in me then." It made his head spin a little to outright acknowledge how easy it was for the other man to get things from Xavier that others couldn't. How he was operating far outside his usual comfort zone that allowed him to cleanly disconnect if need be. The corner of his mouth naturally tugged upward as the distance between them grew smaller. He took a step closer himself, fingertips reaching out to absentmindedly trace along Kai's forearm as if he couldn't manage the same controlled restraint. "The first option." The idea of someone else exchanging the specific attention they gave each other caused an unfamiliar feeling to stir in the pit of his stomach. In the unlabeled space they occupied, he wasn't sure he had the right to feel that way. "Never learned how to play nice and share." Underneath the confident and slight teasing delivery, he felt his own nerves kick in, very aware of what he implied. Still, it didn't seem to be enough to stop him from adding, "Think it'd be pretty stupid of me to go with the second option anyway."

granted,  she  did  linger  around  stage  b  for  a  while  before  jennie’s  set.  not  that  she’d  ever  admit  that  to  elvira  —  she  didn’t  stay  long  enough  to  actually  run  into  her  old  bandmate,  but  maybe  that  was  for  the  best.  vada  wasn’t  really  sure  what  she  would’ve  done  if  she  had  anyway.  at  the  mention  of  jennie  never  reaching  out  since  their  fallout,  the  blonde  lets  out  a  scoff.  "  she’s  the  one  who  fucking  ditched  us,  "  she  reminds,  though  she  doubts  elvira  would  ever  forget  it.  "  i’d  be  surprised  if  she  ever  reached  out  to  any  of  us.  i  know  she  wouldn’t.  "  there's  no  reason  for  her  or  any  of  them  to  reach  out  to  jennie  either.  for  once,  they’re  not  snapping  at  each  other,  and  knowing  elvira  might  feel  the  same  way  about  jennie  leaves  her  quietly  relieved.  maybe  she  can  finally  cut  them  some  slack,  the  thought  bringing  a  small  smile  to  her  lips.  looking  back  on  it,  she’s  never  actually  asked  if  the  other  two  felt  betrayed  by  jennie  going  solo  too.  she'd  been  too  caught  up  in  the  fact  that  they  both  wanted  out,  but  then  again,  what  difference  does  it  make?  none  of  them  wanted  to  keep  the  band  going,  despite  vada's  attempts  to  talk  them  into  it,  and  in  the  end,  she  felt  betrayed  by  every  single  one  of  them.  "  well,  fuck  her.  i’m  taking  it  you’ll  be  staying  for  my  set?  "  she  asks,  shooting  elvira  a  glance.

They weren't too sure what to say. Where Vada seemed resentful, they were more mournful. Elvira used to think the friendship between the four of them could withstand anything, but that clearly hadn't been the case. It almost made them wish they never started a band together in the first place. "I didn't expect her to. Never expected her to go solo either, though." Maybe she never knew Jennie the way she thought she did. That seemed more realistic than a personality shift overnight. "Or come back here. Sort of figured she was busy without whatever's going on with her career." They didn't keep up with it. It felt odd to support her and odd not to, so Elvira generally tried not to engage with it at all. They twisted a ring on their finger, uncertain if they wanted to see either set on the off chance they got picked out in the crowd and labeled a quitter in front of the whole town. The parking lot seemed like the most appealing option. "Oh, yeah. I was planning to stay for this whole thing and I don't really know if I have the stomach for her performance." Dark eyes studied Vada for her reaction.

"Perfect, I got a seal of approval then. Next time there's something like this and someone gets upset a tomato came flying at them I'll be sure to say, 'hey, I was on the fence about this, but the Lily Preston said it was a gold star idea.' So...if there's an angry mob after you in the future, you know why." His attention was momentarily diverted to the person behind the bar as he ordered a drink. When he turned back to look at her, his expression was one of mock seriousness. "As you should be, it's a highly sought after position." It wasn't. As far as Xavier was concerned, he wasn't the type of person most people wanted in their lives long-term. That was abundantly clear to him by the time he turned sixteen and moving around never left room for the idea to be challenged much. "And one I'm considering revoking now." He shook his head disapprovingly, albeit in jest. "Not at all the same thing. In one of these scenarios I'm dead and free of embarrassment. In the other, I'm alive and being tormented with it." Slight smile started to threaten to break onto his face, "See, this is why a cow gets to hear all my deepest darkest secrets instead of you."

to  begin  with,  maria’s  got  a  point.  if  the  person  you’re  singing  about  isn’t  even  in  the  crowd,  or  at  least  listening,  why  bother  at  all?  then  again,  for  someone  who  uses  music  to  vent  most  of  the  time,  vada  could  see  why  he  still  does  it.  "  i  like  how  your  mind  works,  "  she  finally  says,  turning  to  face  maria  with  a  lazy  smirk.  "  if  it  were  me,  i  would’ve  looked  them  dead  in  the  fucking  eye  and  told  everyone  they’re  in  the  crowd.  "  she’s  already  planning  to  do  something  similar  tonight,  though  it’s  a  bit  disappointing  the  person  she  wants  there  most  won’t  be  able  to  make  it.  hell,  she  doesn't  even  know  if  the  other  two  would  show  up.  "  do  you  know  that  jennie  and  i  used  to  be  in  a  band  together?  i  don't  think  it’s  a  coincidence  we’re  up  against  each  other  tonight  . . .  whoever's  in  charge  of  the  scheduling  definitely  knew  what  they  were  doing.  anyway,  i  might  do  a  little  shoutout  during  my  set  later,  "  she  pauses  for  a  beat,  shrugging  lightly.  "  you  should  do  an  article  about  that.  she’d  read  it  if  her  name’s  in  the  headline.  "

She beamed at the compliment. Flattery didn't get a person everywhere with María but it never hurt. More than anything, though, she appreciated Vada's honesty and rejection of the concept of 'forgive and forget.' "Exactly! Especially if they broke my heart." She always had too much of a flair for dramatics and turning everything into a public moment. "Okay, see, I thought I remembered the two of you being in a band together, but then I saw the lineup and thought surely no one was messy enough to put you two on at the same time." Truth be told, she was quietly thrilled about it. There was likely some other drama brewing in a small corner of the festival grounds, but she admittedly wanted to see something bigger. "Kind of shady of whoever put it together. Like, smart, don't get me wrong. There's definitely a marketing tactic there if people are in the know when it comes to the history, but you'd think they'd run it by the two of you to see if you were comfortable with it." All a distant afterthought at the mention of a shoutout. "Oh? You have something planned?" She was likely already going to be at Ruby Valentine's stage but this sealed the deal. "I mean, I definitely could depending on the angle."

after  the  previous  set  ends,  she  slips  over  to  the  bar  for  a  drink,  feeling  a  bit  overwhelmed  by  the  constant  high  energy  of  the  night.  head  turns  slightly  at  the  sudden  voice,  interest  flickering  in  her  eyes  at  the  mention  of  one  particular  performance  she’s  heard  people  talking  about  in  passing.  "  is  it  really  that  bad?  "  granted,  she  had  been  on  the  other  side  of  the  venue,  supporting  a  friend.  "  noah  and  wes,  right?  i  wasn’t  there,  but  they  definitely  put  on  quite  a  show.  everyone  seems  to  be  talking  about  it.  "  if  anything,  she  actually  admires  their  courage  to  go  up  there  and  perform  in  front  of  a  crowd  —  something  that  june  can’t  imagine  herself  doing.  it's  too  nerve  -  wracking  for  her  anyway.  "  well,  i  hope  nobody’s  getting  into  fights,  fist  or  not.  "  she  laughs.  "  at  least  not  in  the  middle  of  anyone’s  set.  that  would  be  really  awful.  "  

"Yep, that's the gruesome twosome that may have singlehandedly ruined Grease for a good chunk of the town." Despite how he spoke, he only took issue with one of them. To be honest though, he wasn't sure Wes and him would get along too well either if it wasn't for Xavier's brother linking them in an overly complicated way. "I think if they only performed a single song and people are talking about it this much, then it had to be pretty fuckin' bad." Not necessarily true, and he knew that. Small town and all, people liked to talk about whatever even remotely interesting thing was happening around them. That being said, it had been that bad. "I'm not hopeful. I think I could count the times these things go off without a hitch on a single hand." More consequences of living in a small town. Everyone was so interconnected that putting them in a space together always led to some sort of conflict. He shrugged, "To be fair, I don't know if anyone would notice an argument while they were performing. They're definitely not going to hear it over everything else." A physical fight on the other was a lot harder to ignore.

"I'd say so." It was pretty easy for their friend group to overlap due to having very similar dispositions. Usually if one of them got along with someone, then the other did. And to be honest, the concept of things getting messy due to a split wasn't even something her mind registered. Cooper was her forever person, without a single doubt. Rashmi let out a gentle laugh, "Oh, is she the pesky noisy neighbor type?" She felt mild discomfort with labeling someone she didn't know with that title. "Must be hard living next to a musician. I can't imagine practice sessions are all that quiet."

Her finger immediately flew to her chest before she shook her head, "Oh, no, that's okay, really." It was a kind offer, but she was never very good at being the one to accept something instead of offering it. "You just finished performing, right?" Rashmi had actually missed it, having promised Winston she would watch him. Still, she managed a small glance at the other stage and was fairly certain the other woman had been up there. If not, well, then she just embarrassed herself in this conversation and hopefully Cooper would pop up to save her from it. "If anything, I should be the one grabbing a drink for you. How are you feeling about it?" Despite not knowing the other, she almost compulsively felt the need to check in as if it was her sole responsibility to make sure everyone was having a good time.