JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY

🔍

Sully barely got more than a moment to know her name before she was tugging him away from where he’d been standing. Ripping a chunk out of his cotton candy as he laughed, he dumped it in the trash on their way, the two of them making quick work of the line and finding themselves seated beside each other, the Ferris Wheel beginning to creak and move them up so more people could be loaded on. “How do you know, by the way?” He asked out of the blue, switching from looking out at the view to looking at her. “That I’m not some weirdo, I mean. We’ve known each other for all of, what, two minutes now?” 

👑

For once, Violet was speechless, captivated by the view of Cherry from the Ferris Wheel. It was weird, everything looking so tiny, including the Southside of town. It’d always felt so big and important, but it was just as much of a blip as everything else. Her attention turns back to Sully as he speaks, the coy smile back on her lips in an instant. “Because you’re too cute to be a weirdo,” she said it like it was the most casual thing in the world, shrugging her shoulders, “Unless you want to prove my theory wrong. I usually don’t like when people disagree with me, but I’d rather know now if you’re gonna totally Norman Bates me or something” 

-

Yeah, maybe she shouldn’t approach Violet. Maybe that would be obvious of her. Or maybe it would be more obvious of her if she avoided her like the plague just because they weren’t on the southside right now? Rocky thought the latter to be true– and she was bored. She could use a little normality. Someone who, admittedly, completely irked Rocky but was at least from her side of town. The so called princess of her side of town. “ Hey sunshine, ” She greeted once close enough, stupid smile spreading on her features. Almost like she hoped to be annoying. “ What’cha reading? ”

👑

If Violet hadn’t been bored she might have shooed Rocky away to get her a slushee, but as her eyes glazed over on the pages she got more and more desperate for a distraction. God, Lux’s taste was... darker than she’d imagined. Guess that explained a lot! “Um, sorry do I know you?” You didn’t honestly expect her to be nice, did you? Plus, she was supposed to be undercover.“You seem like, sort of familiar, but I just can’t place where I’d know you from.” 

🍕

Cam was not an avid beach goer by any stretch of the imagination. In fact it was more often than not, the last place one might think to find him, which was exactly what he was doing there that day. Cam had been given one day off and the last thing he wanted to use it for was to be found by dear old mom or dad. So he packed his things and made his way to the shore, taking his time to wander about in search of a spot far enough from most of the tourists so that he could actually enjoy himself. He hadn’t gotten to far down the beach when he spotted the blonde he only faintly recognized from his one his many pizza delivery runs. Which had him pausing briefly to assess if knowing her from that alone should have him turning and walking the opposite way. After all how many people, actively spent any time getting to know their pizza delivery boy? A thought that came a few moments to late as he found himself approaching her out of familiarity. “Hey you’re Violet right?” A dumb question Cam. “Whatcha reading?” An even dumber question. 

👑

Violet vaguely recognized the boy standing in front of her from her... many orders from the Pizza Palace. It wasn’t as if anyone had taught her to cook before she left home! What else was a girl to do? She wasn’t sure how she felt about him remembering her, considering she was supposed to be laying low, but loved the attention she was getting. Even if it was from the wrong person. The stupid pizza delivery boy wasn’t supposed to recognize her, the Gang was! “Okay, stalker. You are?” she said without looking up from her book, signaling to the cover instead of answering his question, “If you can’t reed the cover I don’t think you’re ready for the rest of the book.” 

🍓

Mia’s been lying low since the Pilar Hamilton incident, lest she be mistaken for someone who could actually brawl at the next Cherry funeral. She’s practically disguised behind a large sunhat and glasses, with a brooding expression on her face by the time she gets off shift at the motel. The hand print on her face hadn’t lasted beyond a few hours and yet it may as well be scorched onto her cheek with the bubbling anger Mia’s had since. If only her Gracie were around to complain to. She just had to commit a bunch of atrocities, didn’t she? Ugh - the selfishness of it all - who else was supposed to hear her tirades now?! Her brother? But as Mia’s in the midst of her internal agony, Violet appears in sight further down the beach. As if gifted by the blonde overlord herself… one Dolly Parton. The first thing to note is that Violet’s a blonde she definitely hasn’t seen before and she should know! Like 75.5% of the blondes in Cherry are in her sorority - she once did a headcount. “Sorry to bother you.” She’s not but she does replace the sour expression for her best smile. “But I was wondering if you got that recommendation from Oprah’s book club…? Loved the bit where the couple reunite after twenty years.” She didn’t. “It was so touching.” 

👑

Violet barely looked up from her book as the other girl spoke. Now this was someone she’d never really seen Lux interact with, so really- it could go in any direction. It was one of those WWLLD (what would Lux Lewis do?) moments, where she really had to try and channel the things she’d learned from the other girl. “Really? I thought it was sort of cliche,” she says, finally lowering the book to look up at Mia, “I mean, why wait around for a guy for twenty whole years? There’s like- totally other eligible bachelors and bachelorettes out there. Was he really that special?” 

“Anything Britney.” 

“Skinny caramel latte extra foam, double espresso.” 

“The leader, duh.” 

“One word... shopping.” 

🔍

Sully had been to the boardwalk before. Once, as a kid, he, his siblings and Lux running around like feral spoiled children. His older brothers had been in charge of doling out money and had given Sully what he thought was the smallest portion. He’d spent the whole day alone trying to stretch every dollar to its fullest possible potential and he liked to think that memory said a lot about him. Or maybe it just said that he was too chicken shit to ask his mother for more money or tell on his brothers for trying to make a profit.

It seemed he’d made a good choice in assuming this would be the best place to meet locals, considering the blonde he was currently looking down at, giving her a knowing look. “I don’t think that’s what I’d say it makes you sound like at all.” He shook his head, subtly searching her features for some hint that he reognised her from somewhere, but he didn’t. She looked somehow familiar, though, like she was made from the same cookie cutter as his cousin. Blonde, slim, pretty. “Not technically, but it’s been a long time.” Sticking his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a small handful of tickets. “You want a few? I don’t mind sharing… I’m Sully, by the way.” 

👑

This was too easy. If only she’d known that before, maybe it wouldn’t have taken her so long to cross over to the Proper side. As overprotective as her father was, she’s sure she could have worn him down after awhile. But there was no time like the present, right? “Violet,” she says, taking his hand in hers and pulling him towards the nearest ride instead of accepting the tickets. She had a better idea, “C’mon, I’ve been dying to ride the Ferris Wheel, but I didn’t want to sit next to some weirdo.” 

Violet never really was much of a reader, but there was little else to do when you were forced to lounge on the beach and “keep an eye out”, whatever that was supposed to mean! This entire undercover thing had it’s moments of excitement, but it was mostly full of moments like this one... trying to pass the time and do the job she was assigned all at once. Lux’s little friends had proven themselves harder to track down than she’d expected, so she was kind of hoping for some sort of miracle by sitting in plain sight reading what she’d written down as Lux’s favorite book. And if none of her friends came by... well she was still hoping someone would, anyone really, even if it was one of her father’s little henchman. At least then she’d be able to get a freakin’ slushie or something!

WHO: open WHAT: sully is trying to get to know all the cherry residents, so he’s out and about!  WHERE: the boardwalk 

“Am I the only one who thinks these ride tickets are overpriced?” Sully currently had one hand occupied by a ball of cotton candy that rivalled the size of his head and the other by a handful of ride coupons that he was squinting at, looking back and forth between them and the booth he’d just bought them from. Despite having been in Cherry a week, he’d selected today to do the ‘tourist-y’ thing, strutting down the boardwalk with a big stupid grin on his face, waving at babies, starting up conversation with anyone he vaguely recognised (or didn’t). It was all part of the persona he was trying to wear like a slightly ill-fitting suit, a face to put on that was more easily trusted than the usual Sully Lewis who’d been drifting through life for the last year or so. Shooting them another humbled grin, he tucked the tickets in his pocket. “I sound like a dumb asshole, don’t I?” The self-depreciating bit worked wonders too, he figured. 

👑

As close as Violet had been to Cherry Proper for her entire life, she’d never really had the chance to experience the Boardwalk. Her father had always forbidden her from stepping foot onto the other side of town, warnings of the potential dangers she could face enough to scare her from really trying. She’d gotten glimpses, convinced her brother to take her on a car ride through once or twice, watched the Proper kids closely when they played sports games against the Southside in high school. It now makes her wonder if her father and Uncle Hasim had been planning this all along, if they’d hidden her away for all those years so that she’d be nearly undetectable now, though she’s more sure it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with how overprotective her father could be. 

Were the tickets overpriced? She was inclined to agree even if she didn’t have a clue, if only to get on the good side of the newest face in town. She recognized him, from the pictures she’d seen hung around the Lewis house... now she’d just have to piece together the relation. “Do I sound like a dumb asshole if I say I have no idea how much ride tickets are supposed to cost?” she shifts an easy smile onto her lips, “Are you a first timer, too?”