prettiest at my grittiest

"Yeah, and I don't want to add to the massacre." Sophia knew that karaoke was not meant to be taken seriously. Unless a bunch of theatre kids showed up and decided to show off their skills in front of amateurs. Thankfully, she hadn't been subjected to that sort of spontaneity since college. "Only halfway?" Sophia grimaced. She could only take a few more seconds of this before she attempted to find some earplugs. "I'm so glad my hotness distracts from my lack of musical talent." She deadpanned, her tone teasing at the end of her sentence. As much as Sophia wanted to stay put, she could never say no to Serena. It's how they ended up in various situations over the years. Not that she regrets a single one. "Fine. I'll do it, but just this once." She pointed a finger at Serena. "I would only ever make a fool of myself for you. Yeah, you're right. Some karmic retribution is owed for being subjected to this. There's nothing I love more than giving someone a taste of their own medicine."

To be fair, Serena wasn't interested in karaoke in the slightest either, she had zero interest in humiliating herself for anyone's entertainment. She had, however, since they were kids, made a secret vow to get Sophia off the sidelines wherever possible. She was a main character, she deserved her life's montage to have as much life in it as possible. "Look, just know that we have to pick a banger song because Radley's around here somewhere and there's no way he's not recording it for future blackmailing purposes. I'm thinking... Pink Pony Club? I Want It That Way? Mr Brightside? I don't know, something that'll get everyone else singing too and cover our tracks somewhat..."

"No, absolutely not." Her voice was hard to make out over the blaring music. A terribly sung rendition of Midnight Sun was being butchered by a very intoxicated girl. She was having fun, which was all fine and dandy, although she was bursting everyone's eardrums in the bar. Sophia had forgotten that tonight was karaoke night. She would have left sooner had she not taken the time to actually get ready for the evening. "There's no way I'm going up there and singing," she told the person in front of her who was insistent she head up next. The entire thing felt like a humiliation ritual. Sophia was more than content nursing her drink until she could dip. Performance was not in the cards tonight. "Unless you go up with me or pay me, I'm staying right here."

"Everyone's eardrums are literally bleeding!" Serena gestured wildly to the performance happening before them. Not that she cared, it was the whole point of karaoke anyway, but the girl on stage was definitely not going to be scouted any time soon. "She's only like, halfway through the song, we've got time to smash some shots and loosen you up. Besides, you're so hot no one's going to care what you sound like. Come on... we're all dying and this is on my bucket list. I mean, it's not actually, but I feel like it's well within my right to inflict some agony in return, you know? Call it karmic retribution for what we're experiencing right now."

It was a freeing feeling to be seen so completely. Beverly often felt confined in her little world. The binding was her own doing trying to live up to expcations she placed on herself. Beverly had kept a wall up the majority of her life. she hid behind her high-strung, type A persona, which wasn't completely fabricated, but most never got close enough to peel back the layers of her character. It was only Rocky who ever had the privilege of seeing her so incomplete when Beverly strived for perfection. She was given that same privilege back. Knowing the most intimate sides of her boyfriend no one else would ever see was something she did not take for granted.

"Drama queen," he teased, though he couldn't say he was mad about her coming to him for warmth. Considering Beverly had always been the smart one, the mature one, the one who didn't need supervision, it was nice to feel needed by her. "Yeah, figured you'd get there eventually. Had to make sure it was before Buffy pushed you though, for everyone's safety," Rocky laughed, though it was a genuine concern not only because his sister was just as much of a menace but because he knew Bev didn't like having her hand forced. If she was going to join him it had to be her choice or the party would be as good as over for them. Sure, his friends had always thought her a bit of a stick in the mud in that regard but he had huge respect for her ability to stand up for herself.

"That sounds even worse! I, well, I don't remember explicitly saying that but I don't mind it." Beverly was thankful her face was not in Rocky's sight. It was flushed with embarrassment. After all this time her boyfriend still had an amazing way of making her flustered with just words alone. "You're the best you know that? I don't think I've told you that lately." Rocky already had a big enough head as is. she wanted to make sure he still fit through doors when they went places. All teasing aside, Beverly did consider herself lucky. Rocky was not only an amazing boyfriend, he was also her best friend. Being so seen once terrified her but with him it eased her mind. "I'm here with you. That's worth it enough for me. Even if I do complain here and there."

Rocky thought it was cute the way Beverly got shy around him, though he supposed it went both ways considering no one else got to see them so off their usual game. He couldn't imagine anyone describing him as soft as he was with her. "Thanks," he murmured, his own turn to get a little flustered because he never really knew how to accept compliments from her. Child Rocky was punching the air in victory like a madman somewhere in his spirit though, for sure. "Okay, well," he slipped into the water, pressing a kiss to her knee as he bobbed in front of her, "if I'm gonna keep my promise to look after you tonight, you're gonna have to get your hair wet..."

"I mean, you're not wrong there." Usually, his partner in crime wasn't wrong. Not to say that Braxton was wrong all the time! Buffy just had ... a better grasp on things. He had heard tales of his father's adventures and the greasers when they were in their prime. truth be told, the stories didn't sway braxton to live out his own adventures. They made him want to stay home. Befriending Buffy put a wrench in those plans. She had brought out a more confident side in him. Braxton once lived inside of his head, allowing his anxieties to rule over him. since meeting Buffy, she quelled those thoughts. "i just thought i'd throw in the worst case since i'm always thinking about it. Right, right, so no hypothetical leaf ass wiping." he chortled. "fluffy robes are elite. Yeah, i see them. I'm not a complete debbie downer here. there's a pool. I happen to enjoy water. it's heated in here so we're not freezing our asses off. Free alcohol and the company of friends." he bumped shoulders with buffy. "There's some perks to this thing."

"Just clarifying," Buffy smirked in Braxton's direction, gently teasing being her default. Sometimes it helped to get him listing the things he was actually enjoying about a situation because it made it easier for her to know her boundaries. As much as she believed that one should seek discomfort to help with personal growth she had learned to respect that it was a finer line for some people. Braxton might have said that being her friend helped bring him out of his shell but it truly went both ways. She had learned patience, that sometimes it was just as rewarding to sit still as it was to jump off a cliff. That being said... "Jump with me?" she cocked her head over the edge of the diving platform, offering her hand if he needed it. "There's nothing like the silence when you hit the water. And, honestly, I need a refill and that's the fastest way down."

"Why are you potentially willing this into existence? The universe hears you." At least that's what braxton was told. Personally, he didn't want to give so much power to a being he couldn't see. That was easier said than done given his axnities seemed to have anxieties. "Okay, yeah a wet locker room is a sensory overload but shitting in a hole is not worth it. What if there's no tp and you're forced to use foliage. What if that foliage is poison ivy? The list of bad outcomes increases in nature. If i had to get snowed in somewhere it would be a five star hotel. I get all the perks of this and no wet locker room floors."

"'Cause life's an adventure," Buffy shrugged, nonplussed. Much like her entire family she wasn't afraid of a little chaos. Nor was she the type to baby Braxton's less legitimate anxieties. It was fun to her, bringing him along on her little escapades and seeing how far he'd push himself when he was given a nudge along. "I'm always talking best case scenario, babes. No way am I wiping my ass with a leaf in a hypothetical situation. I'm in control of the narrative here," she laughed, both at herself and at Brax's answer because it was so him. "Fair. I wouldn't say no to a fluffy robe situation. You're seeing perks here though? I straight up didn't think you were even gonna come so I need to know it all. For research purposes."

"When I thought of a party in November I was thinking of something more autumnal. Not a pool party." Beverly huffed, her feet were in cool pool water below and he head laid on her boyfriend's shoulder. She watched as others enjoyed themselves around her. Parties were never really a source of joy for her but whenever Rocky was around, Beverly could see a silver lining in any situation. "If I get sick from having wet hair when we leave I hope you'll nurse me back to health." @serena-stein

"Oh, you wanted to go to a Christian Girl Autumn party? My bad, I thought you said you wanted to see me wet and shirtless but okay–" he vaguely moved, but didn't get far because he didn't want to disturb Beverly from his shoulder. Despite his constant energy he could actually be quite still in the right company. "Of course I will. But before that, I'll dry it when we get home. And before that," Rocky trickled droplets of water up her thigh, "how can I make being here worth it for you?"

That's so easy, snakes for arms, if I can train them to move fast enough my drum skills would get that much better you know. So what about the poison you mentioned, not real poison right? If it's just fake poison I'll just pick whatever is prettiest. Oooh is there a yellow poison? Because I choose that. It's my favorite color."

"We stan a hygienic queen," Serena gestured to Mackenzie in appreciation for her answer. "Plus, snakes are dope as fuck. But snakes who can play the drums? Leave some cool for the rest of us." It took her a moment to figure out if the comment about the poison was a bit or not, and when she decided that Mackenzie must have been serious she figured why not go along with it. Weirder things had come out of Radley's mouth anyway. "You know those drinks with the like, shimmery glitter in them? A yellow one of those is your vibe, hands down. Maybe even with a little umbrella in it for an extra pinch of whimsy."

"You know a lot about those," he posed as less of a question and more of a factual, of course, kind of statement, smirk mirroring her's as he reached for his drink again. "Lot grosser things you could lick too. Like, toilet seat." He started listing them off with his fingers, pausing not only to think each time but also to strengthen his point. "Bottoms of people's shoes. Here, let me draw."

"Mm, yeah, love a tentacle," she said, joking but also not caring if anyone took it seriously. It was for that reason that she had been easier on Trevor than any other guy who had ever even looked twice at Sophia. Since Panic, and even before then, she'd seen that he seemed to share a similar mindset in that regard. "I'd literally throw myself off a bridge if I had to lick a toilet seat even one time." She then twisted her lips as if she was considering another option, "Toes though..." Her laughter that followed was the type of raucous that came with drinking, and she passed the cards over for Trevor to draw.

"Doorknob," Trevor answered easily, taking a swig of his own drink. "Just build up the ol' immune system, not like I can do shit with snakes for arms. Unless the snakes can bite- then," he paused to reconsider then shook his head, "nah, doorknob."

"I mean, some subsections of the internet might beg to differ on the arm snakes..." Serena suggested with a smirk. Perks of growing up in proximity with the Walshes, the everlasting trauma of that side of the internet. "Sensible choice. If you think about it, how many doorknobs do you really come across, right? Most places in public have automatic doors so you could probably skirt the system there."

Perfection was overrated. In the end Radley knew that the moments he would look back on the most would be ones like today. The moments that probably would have never happened in his life had he not been with Serena. She pushed him to do more than just sit around watching movies or playing games in his room. She pushed him to be more adventurous and to experience more of what life had to offer. All around she just made him a better person. "Guess we can cross swimming date off of our list now." He chuckled, interlocking their fingers so he had a better grip on her hand. Taking the lead wasn't usually Radley's thing, she liked having that role and he was more than happy to let her take the reins, but since he seemed to know the area a little better he took it upon himself to take control just this once. Sometimes he could be cool. "Oh, I see how it is. You like Sophia better than me now?" He narrowed his eyes at her, smirking in amusement as they kept jogging. There was still a little way to go, he just hoped they arrived before it got any worse.

"Maybe even marathon date," Serena joked as they ran. Well, about his participation anyway. Out of the pair of them she was definitely the sporty one. "I'm just saying, she got in first. Don't worry, you're still a better kisser." Not even the awful weather could dampen her sarcastic nature, her humour delivered completely straight faced. As much as Serena liked being in control, she also wasn't so hung up on it that it bruised her ego when Radley wanted a turn. When another crack of thunder rumbled overhead she skidded a little on the wet ground, laughing as it caused her to tug on Radley's hand. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

To this day Radley couldn't recall a single one of his and Serena's dates that went completely perfect or according to plan but he didn't mind it. That made things more memorable for him. And the fact that they were both able to just adapt and still have fun together reminded him of why they just worked so well together, as friends and even more now as a couple. How it wouldn't have ever been this comfortable had he ever tried to force himself to make it work with an idealized version of anyone else. "If we try to make it to your car all our stuff will definitely get ruined." Radley stated as he jogged to catch up to her, moving side by side with her. "I think I saw one of those restroom buildings not far ahead, come on." He suggested, taking her hand in his to lead the way for once. "Nah uh. We're sticking together. If us gets struck by lightening we both do." He chuckled, picking up speed a bit as the rain started falling harder. "Getting struck by lightening might be cool though. We might get some sick superpowers."

Luck was apparently never on their side given their track record but Serena wasn't deterred. Besides, was the perfect date one that was uneventful, or one that was memorable? In hindsight the onset of the storm would probably bump it up a few places on the leaderboard, even if she was annoyed in the moment about being soggy and windswept. "I knew we should have packed our scuba suits," she sighed, as if they even had those. Feeling his hand reach for hers, directing her to change course a little made her heart flutter in a way that was beyond embarrassing, not exactly used to Radley taking the lead. "Alright Romeo, steady the fuck on I already have plans to Thelma and Louise with Sophia," she laughed, easily matching his pace. Not that she planned on being struck by lightning but she hadn't even seen any yet, so she figured if she was already soaked there was no harm in having fun with it and jumping in a puddle in an attempt to splash him as they ran.

"If this is your way of subtly implying that you want me to carry you on my back and call you spider monkey it ain't happening. You know you're the Edward in this relationship and i'm Bella." Radley objected with a chuckle, using his humor as usual to make light of their date going south. He was kinda glad that they were on the same wavelength and that at the boom of the thunder both of them sprung into action, calling it quits without having to admit they were both kinda chickens. Because if she hadn't said anything he was whipped enough that he would have tried to tough it out for her. "Ah, but it looks like you've got it under control." He teased as he scooped up the bag quickly before making it to the other end of the rug, stomping on one of the opposite corners. "Gotcha! Alright. We should probably roll this up and get out of here before you get blown away to Oz." He replied in amusement, starting to do just that, saving what he could of their things as drops of rain started to slowly fall down on them.

"Be real, you're old boy with the worm on a stick," she laughed, albeit focused on not losing any of their belongings to the wind. It was a relief that neither of them were the type to be too upset over things not going to plan, always having more fun when they were kept on their toes. As much as the picnic itself had been nice, she was happy to spend time with Radley rain, hail, or shine. "Alright, get in," she gestured to the blanket, "I'll make you into a baby burrito and carry you to safety." As the rain started to fall she stopped goofing around, ending up just scrunching the blanket in her arms as it started to get heavier. "Do you want to find somewhere to wait it out or just go back to my car?" she sputtered, her hair damp and getting in her mouth as she started to jog, perhaps spurred on by more rumbles of thunder. Lucky she had little shame to begin with and Radley had seen her much less put together when she played football with Braxton or was fresh out of the gym. "Could be fun, you know, game of chicken? First one to get struck by lightning has to buy dinner."