#somertonstart

afternoon’s were always a little crazier; there was cheer practice, of course, which always ran late, and sometimes madison would drive logan home just for the excuse to spend time with her younger sister, say hi to the family she’d spent half her life with and then eat before heading to the club for a late night performance ( if she was feeling up for it ). 

truthfully, madison was a morning person. and she missed her mornings. that was all she could think about while standing outside of dark sensations, a bottle of water in her hand, her back against the cool brick of the alley. she could have gone home - it was mid-week, a little early to really make decent tips but she liked the work out, the dancing, the gaze on her body even if it was by people she wasn’t interested in. 

the door near her opened, the back exit of the club usually only used by those who worked at the club but every now and again someone would get desperate, looking for a place to smoke. madison didn’t really mind - she wasn’t a smoker herself, but it never fazed her much. “make sure you leave that brick there,” she requested, nodding to the makeshift doorstop she’d used to keep the door open so she could come back inside. “otherwise we gotta go all the way around the front, and they will charge you again.”

As she was leaving though, she could hear her phone ringing. Attempting to dig for it in the bottom of her bag, she was worried it may be the hospital even though she wasn’t on call, she wasn’t watching where she was going. Instead of walking around the bench seat just outside of the gym, she stumbled into it - hitting her shin and dropping her handbag. 

“Shit,” she hissed. So much for feeling better after working out. Now, her shin stung and the contents of her bag were scattered on the ground. 

The weather was getting nicer by the day with winter being left behind them. Sebastian was more than glad to spend some time in the sun and that meant a long walk with the dog to the park. With his kids all busy doing their own thing, Seb was left on his own to walk around, finally getting some exercise. Champ was normally a well-behaved dog. Proper training was one of the conditions that all the kids had agreed to when the family had finally gotten a dog. Trained enough that Sebastian had felt comfortable taking off the leash so Champ could run around with another dog. But a ball bouncing by was enough to send the dog running to grab it, racing away from its owner in a game of keep away. “Champ, no! Champ drop it.” 

Sebastian’s commands fell on deaf ears and the dog kept running until the game lost its fun. Then the nearest person became his next fixation. The dog trotting over to jump on them, dropping the ball and panting heavily waiting for attention and pets. Sebastian came running over, hooking Champs’s leash back on before the chase could start again. “Sorry, he normally listens. He’s just as excited about warm weather as I am.”

Mornings had always been Logan’s favourite time of day. He was very much a night owl and often struggled to sleep, but there was something so calming about a sunrise, the glow filling every available space, the sense of peace it brought. So even though Logan suffered from insomnia from time to time, he couldn’t help but adore what mornings looked like, especially now he was in Somerton. Back in New York, everything was always moving, always loud and it was often overwhelming for him. But here it was just him and the beach. And Ella, of course, his loyal service dog. Right now though, she wasn’t working, not really, and he was quite content to watch her run around in the sand, chasing birds and digging in random spots. The sun had only just risen and it was cold out, but Logan didn’t mind. He was calm, there was no one about and he took the time to relax, working in his little sketchbook and glancing up every now and then to check Ella was okay. 

Only when he did, she had ran over to someone in the distance. Logan let out a soft groan and set his things down, hurrying to catch up with her. He wasn’t sure who it was, or why they were out on the beach so early in the morning - maybe they had just finished a night shift or maybe they had just risen early to watch the sunrise. Whatever the reason, all Logan could think about was stopping Ella from crashing into them. She was excitable but she was also a large dog and the last thing he wanted was to cause trouble. It was with a sharp whistle and a pat to his thigh that Ella stopped and sat down, watching him carefully. 

“I’m so sorry,” Logan typed on his phone, letting the app’s robotic voice speak for him. “There’s never usually anyone around so I let her run around and have fun. I hope she didn’t scare you, I know she’s big but she really is a gentle giant and a complete goofball.”

In a surprising turn of events, her roommate was not a serial killer or extremely creepy. When he had seen the picture in the ad, she thought it was definitively a scam. Her worst nightmares hadn’t come to fruition, though. They had talked, settled on the terms they talked about, and her things were now strewn around her room.

“HELL YES,” merrick cried out - another strike for her, making her the ultimate bowling champion. she probably should have warned her partner that she was a former softball pitching star and therefore bowling was.....easier for her than most people, but it was part of the fun. well, that and the beer and the nachos. the nachos were really the best part. 

“you’re up,” she grinned, waggling her finger in their face. “let’s see if you can beat my high score - unless you just want to forfeit now, and give me the $20 in the form of more nachos and beer.” 

“You alright?” He asked to the person closest to him. “Didn’t get you did it?” he asked, before turning to the closest bartender and letting them know. “Someone’s a little clumsy, huh?” Ephraim chuckled, grinning at the other person. 

“You ever notice that it feels like toilet paper is slightly over-priced? Not egregiously, so no one bats an eye really. But why is this package costing me $6, you know what I mean?” Brady held up the toilet paper he’d plucked off the shelf before just tossing it in his cart.