body and soul

they  turn  their  head  towards  their  girlfriend  ,  putting  down  their  phone.  they  cast  her  a  dubious  glance  ,  one  side  of  their  lips  flickering  into  a  brief  smile.  ❛  because  you’re  extremely  fucking  smart.  more  than  most  people  in  this  town  ,  ❜  it’s  an  obvious  answer  to  robin.  or  anyone  that  knows  her.  they  move  closer  ,  sliding  a  loose  curl  behind  india’s  ear  ,  hand  lingering  there.  ❛  why  don’t  we  go  out  ??  go  to  a  movie  ?? ❜

“hey, hottie.” she wasn’t usually a flirt – it was obviously uncomfortable for her to even try – but she had learned that even throwing in a pet name now & again could get her a better tips. under wasn’t the kind of place you made bank at, but it fit with her vibe. she could be trusted to break up fights & keep people on their best behavior if needed. so there she stayed, hoping she’d eventually be able to live on something other than a couch. “know what you want?”

india raised an eyebrow at the greeting, but she fixed the other with a grin anyway. she didn't envy her. it was sort of a busy night and most of the people crowded around were a lot rowdier than india. she wasn’t a frequent bar-goer, but a fight with her parents over her relationship called for something to help blow off the steam, “ummm, a vodka sprite please. with a little squeeze of lime.” she tapped her fingers against the bar absentmindedly. 

“i feel like the only people who say they’re angels are definitely actually not. something you need to tell me?” she tilted her head as she asked her question, clearly attempting some kind of serious tone but that wasn’t something she did well. “i barely exist anyway.” a small shrug happened at the same time as her words, trying to brush off how serious the statement was. “i’d be an awful stripper, don’t lie to me.”

“nope.” eva chuckled, popping the ‘p,’ “you know all my dirty little secrets.” well, except one, but that wasn’t dirty per say. plus, she wasn’t about to encroach on the subject of having children right now. she shook her head, “you exist more than anyone else to me, colleen.” she told her, grinning softly, “and i think you’d be a great stripper. you look really good naked. in my professional opinion: ten out of ten.” 

“alright, let’s do it this way.” mel took her phone out, a smirk on her face. “the internet never lies, right?” her question clearly full of sarcasm. she quickly pulled up the first article she found & started reading from it. “says that six or more cups a day regularly can put you at risk for heart disease. oh, wow, so i was almost right? what a turn of events,” she shrugged, looking up from her phone. “also, stress from work can actually kill you. maybe slow down a little? find a new hobby? yoga? painting? me?” the last option was a joke. mostly.

ariel rolled her eyes, “fine, ok, maybe you made some points. i guess i’ll just die from heart disease then, huh? i probably have a couple more good years.” she lifted an eyebrow, “i’m not going to stop working too hard- maybe i’ll cute back on coffee, but not work. my boss would kill me before heart disease could.” she tilted her head slightly, letting a small grin slip onto her face, “i figured you already were a stress relief activity? technically. though, i guess i wouldn’t mind making that a more frequent hobby.” 

“yeah, i know,” she rolled her eyes playfully, looking up from her drama filled phone. “i have no reason to be angry at you, thank god.” a small smirk found its way to her lips – something that hadn’t been happening as often. “i would love to go off the grid, but i need to be on here. to be relevant. to have publications actually want to publish my work, i have to have followers on twitter, or some shit. talent doesn’t matter anymore; clout does. i’m going to switch careers. be a stripper. how does that sound?”

“why would you ever be angry at me? i’m an angel.” she joked, cupping the other woman’s cheek and moving her thumb against her skin gently, “well, i personally love dropping off of the grid, so if ya ever wanna take a quick dip from existence, i’ll come along.” eva nodded, “i don’t know what ‘clout’ meanss but i agree. i think.” she laughed then, smirking at colleen, “i think you’d be a very good stripper, my love. you could practice here at home all you want. i obviously have no ulterior motives.” 

carrie: hey ma. my roommates are all away this week and i really don’t want to sleep alone.

carrie: is it cool if bus and i stay over in my old room? we miss y’all :(

etta: oh my god??? of course

etta: you're always welcome

etta: you could even move back in if you REALLY wanted to (no pressure, obviously, you're a grown woman and i completely understand)

“okay, fair, but carrie got most of the attractive & tall genes from you which i would like to say is wildly unfair. i’m the front man of a band. she has no need for those good looks.” she shook her head, her tone coming off as serious for once. “on occasion. gee, thanks.” ah, that’s where she gets it from. “absolutely not. none of that. please end me before you continue talking.” she grabbed her ice cream off the counter. “someone could hear you. can i emancipate myself from you even though i’m legally an adult?”

etta scoffed, “hey! do not say that, you are a beautiful girl, raven.” she slid some money across the counter as she got her own ice cream, still shaking her head at her daughter, “you are both very pretty girls. and i like that you’re short. it’s cute. and easy to kiss ya on top of the head.” she was tempted to do so, but they were in public and wasn’t quite sure what reaction she’d get, “listen, you’re my daughter and i love you always, but you can be unpleasant at times. i still love you when you are, but still.” she rolled her eyes at the other’s dramatics, though she was grinning, “if you emancipate yourself then you have to move out and you’ll no longer be living rent free. so, think about that.” 

she paused, probably noticeably so. don’t be an ass, ran through her head a few times. “it is, actually,” was all she managed to say with some semblance of manners attached to it. she knew etta had understandable reason to be upset with her, but she didn’t control where she was able to get work. she didn’t control where the directors who wanted to work decided to shoot. “haven’t gotten into an accident yet,” she returned the other woman’s tone. “aw, that’s sweet of you to say. maybe ‘walden’s finest’ will be the headline of my bio from now on,” she held back an eye roll. she wasn’t ashamed of where she came from, but she wasn’t exactly shouting it from rooftops either. “& what does that mean, scott?” her voice almost was mocking, but she was working hard to walk away from the interaction without an issue. she didn’t need a reason to tell charlotte about it later.

“well, good.” a shrug fell from etta’s shoulder quickly, a tight smile working its way onto her face. there was no reason to be rude. well, etta felt there was plenty of reason. but they lived intersecting lives, they couldn’t help but see one another every now and then. plus, hunter had almost been her son too. there was too much that tied them together, “that’s good at least. though i think i’ll steer clear of the roads of briar glen. just to be safe." and because she fucking hated briar glen. but that was beside the point. she swallowed, letting out a breath, “it was supposed to be a kinda compliment alluding to the fact that you’re not ordinary, blah, blah, somethin’ stupid that i’ll most likely regret saying. whatever. don’t make me elaborate anymore.” she told her, voice as neutral as she could make it. 

sneakers pattered against the cleared off trail of roselake. going on her runs helped her clear her mind, especially after reading a particularly rude article or comment regarding her past. she knew there’d be people after her for what she did - - so, it was easier to just try to forget. slowing down her stride to a speed walk, bringing her water bottle to her mouth when her foot came across a tree root. the stumble led to the bottle’s contents to slash down her chest soaking the sports bra she wore alone, causing her to lash out at the person infront of her. “hey, bitch!!” she chimed, in a less than friendly manner, “–fucking watch where you’re going.”

“like in a whole day?” she let out a small amused laugh at the question. “i think if we’re talking in an entire day, five cups is probably the most you should be drinking. cups, not venti lattes from starbucks. even then.. that should not be a daily thing.” she wasn’t really one to talk, though, considering she had a thing for energy drinks that should most likely be stopped.

“yes, in a day.” ariel nodded once like it was obvious. she let out a sigh, “listen, i cannot function like a regular human being if i do not have plenty of caffeine throughout the day. do you want me to just stop working? i’ll be like a robot whose off-switch has been hit.” she was being dramatic, but she really was pretty sure she couldn’t function without that much coffee in a day. 

“genes are weird, i can’t even think about that. someone just knew i was your daughter the other day by looking at me & i was so fucking confused.” raven’s brain is only made for song lyrics & dad jokes, thank you very much. “mostly salty, though,” she smiled a little before ordering the exact thing her mom had just told her to, planning on ignoring any teasing that will come along with that choice. “you just said the word hip so that does in fact, make you hip,” she smirked, her voice full of sarcasm. “you’re welcome, i guess.”

“well, listen, at least they’re good genes.” etta replied smugly before laughing, “agreed. but very sweet when you wanna be. i’ll give you props. you’re great on occasion.” she teased. as raven ordered, she shot her a smirk, “it’ll be delicious. i guarantee it.” she wouldn’t rub it in too much, but she did like being right, “what? what word should i use instead of hip then, huh? is there some hipper word that i should use to replace it? radical? tubular? wicked? do any of those things even mean the same thing?” 

alicia: Yeah, I did.

alicia: I don't know what else she's lying about.

alicia: You don't need to hear this though. Thanks for answering me at all.

etta: she's probably not keeping anything else from you

etta: she loves you, alicia

“i think i’m ready to purge my social media forever,” apathy was very present in her tone as she spoke. her “schedule” as of late mostly consisted of her resenting other people for having better lives than her & half-assing articles to be posted on b list news websites. she sat on the arm of their couch, her hand in a bag of cool ranch doritos on her lap. “like, do people really think that these stupid listicles are valid sources of information? & why are people pretending that just posting one opinion piece on the debates makes them, i don’t know, knowledgable & interesting?” she sighed, throwing her phone on the couch next to her. “i’m sorry, i don’t know why i’m angry at everything today but i am.” @pvnacea

eva tilted her head slightly, a chuckle escaping her lips as she took a few steps toward her partner, “people will believe anything the internet tells them. the government too.” she shrugged, “and we all know that’s bullshit.” she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to colleen’s forehead, “you can be angry. as long as it’s not at me.” the brunette grinned, “being mad at stupid people on twitter is perfectly fair. we can always go throw your phone in the new pond in the backyard if ya want. start fresh, go off the grid. imagine. there’re so many possibilities.” she was only half-joking. eva herself had had the same phone for about six years, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to figure out a newer one.