the world never did help a smart girl.

Rolling down the creaky window of her old van, she looked out and saw a familiar face trying to assess the situation they were both in now. “We’re alright,” she replied, referring to her and her family in the back seats. “My car on the other hand? Can’t really say for certain,” she admitted.

“Is any father that cool? Sounds like you take after her a lot, which means she must’ve been pretty amazing. Never took you for the type to care about whether or not things were off limits. If by any chance, he chooses that day to be home and we do get caught, I can always say I forced you to show me around the attic. After we get back, we can pretend like we’re perfect angels and ask for his autograph. It’s strange cause I can think of a day I’d want to go back to in nearly every other decade, but I can’t remember a single thing that happened in the eighties. They’re an easy thing to become obsessed with. I think I was always pretty obsessed with the great unknown and what represents that better than outer space? I still believe in wishes. At least, I believe in them whenever I really want something to happen and that’s probably the only time it matters. I’m more of a dog person, but every now and then, I find someone whose company I actively seek out. Very rare, but it happens. I think that might be the tamest thing I’ve ever heard someone do while on E. Did she think she was a vampire, though?” He asked, completely joking. “She was on kitchen duty because my parents aren’t that cruel, but she had to stay in the staff house the whole summer and that was the summer the AC broke in there. Yeah, I knew my dad was the devil, but it’s always fun to find out just how terrible he can get. I don’t know what I would say to him. It doesn’t feel right to have another sibling.” He admitted, not wanting to disrespect Jess by ‘replacing’ her. “The beach is enough of an excuse, but you can always say you’re there to visit me. Oh, yeah. That’s not even a job they apply for, they just get assigned to it on their first day there if the position is open. I pity the poor guy, but I also laugh at his pain. This weekend sounds good. It’s not like I have any big plans for the rest of the summer anyways. We can leave and come back whenever we start to miss home.” 

Quentin had been MIA since prom, mostly keeping to himself in his secret hide outs. School was officially over which meant no more need for his foster dad to be careful with the bruises. It was something Quentin had become used to over the years, and usually he played it off pretty cool. It wasn’t like he could do much about it, his foster dad was a lawyer and had friends in high places. So, it was either take the blunt of it in place of his younger foster brother, or let him endure the pain and humiliation. Walking into the local Starbucks for a pick me up, sporting a freshly swollen black eye. He didn’t even notice his classmate standing in line in front of him waiting for their order. Trying to play it cool, he offered them a smile as they looked over at him. “Hey, what’s up? How’s your summer going so far?” he asked. Dropping his head down and hoping that his questions would keep the conversation off of his bruised face.

“You’re right, but I was hype on it,” Belly sighed, pushing her mane of unruly curls away from her face. “Me too. I was cringing the whole wine bit because I actually enjoy the taste of wine. Well, anything but red. I don’t think weed in wine is a good idea either, but this dude seemed like he knew his shit. But who cares if an A-List rapper openly dislikes your product on television, right?”

Stella hadn’t felt like cooking tonight, the kitchen in the Valdez’s apartment rather bare. There was certainly not enough food in their cabinets to make anything decent, so the young outcast decided she’s just grab some fast food for her and the her siblings. Going out to eat was considered a treat to her siblings, so they were defiantly excited to be hearing that they’d be eating Tacobell for dinner.  Stella had lost track of time and before she knew it, it was past dark and none of them had ate yet. After shoving all four rugrats into her beloved Clifford, she made her way to the Mexican restaurant that was a few miles from her place. On her way back, she heard a giant thud while trying to get through one of the many not so great roads on her side of town. She quickly cursed to herself, she knew this couldn’t be good. Trying to pull towards the side of the road, the big red van stopped at a loud hult. Getting out of the car, she realized that she must had fit something hard, causing one of her tires to become flat as a pancake, the hit bending the rim of said tire too.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Stella sighed out, running a hand through her hair.  

All she had wanted to do that night was just get some food and come back home, but nope. Her poor Clifford had to take a shit.

The step-monster had two major rules, both of which involved going out at night, and while Thalia had never classified herself as much of a rule breaker, she didn’t really think of her step-mother as a parent and therefore, didn’t respect her enough to actually listen. Since she couldn’t very well quietly sneak away in her car, she decided to head out on foot for some food. Of course, she didn’t leave the house without assuring Ely she’d be back, nor did she leave without grabbing her mace, pocket knife, and a few protection charms for good measure. While she wasn’t typically the paranoid type, she was still shaken up over what had happened at the after party and knowing that someone was killing her classmates made her think that being out at night was even less safe than it had always been. It took her about a good twenty minutes to do all of this, but once she had everything she felt she needed, Thalia slipped quietly out the door and started on her walk. She didn’t get very far before she spotted the broken down behemoth of a vehicle, her thoughts instantly going into overdrive as she considered the best way to approach the situation.

“ Yeah me too I would love a park like, I just want a quiet outdoor area where I can read” She said with a smile “ No they wont plus to be a public nuisance you have to call the cops and whos going to call the cops on a kid? No one.” She said with a smile

“You live in the Haunted Mansion?” He asked, pretending to be completely serious despite the smile on his face saying otherwise. “So your mom was actually a witch? That’s really cool. Now you have an excuse to find more things. That’s why we’re avoiding Captain America for the mission. We just have to find the perfect day in the eighties to go back to. It’s a little cheesy, but that’s part of the appeal. I remember when we first moved here, there was a meteor shower going on and my dad took us up to the roof to make wishes. I don’t think any of my wishes came true, but it’s still a nice memory. I like being around people every once in a while, but not all the time and definitely not all at once. And if I’m gonna be piss drunk, it’s gonna be with one person in a wine cellar.” He teased. “Oh shit, really?” He asked, pretending to look at his arm for sparkly skin before laughing along with her. “Last year, he made Jess work at the hotel to help pay for damages, so it could’ve been that much worse. Yup. It was really awkward hearing all about how he paid her to keep quiet while my mother was also pregnant, but I knew better than to step in. Apparently. It definitely sucks.” He agreed, not attempting to justify it like he usually did. “You won’t see it on this side of town, but you can always spot it somewhere on the west side. It pales in comparison to the guy who has to wear the whale costume, though. He curses like a sailor, so catching him in it while he’s off shift is an experience. At this point, there’s only so much trouble I can get into that I haven’t already, so I don’t mind stealing it again. Definitely needed. We can just buys some snacks, fill up the tank and drive until we’re too tired to keep going.” 

“I can respect that too. If you don’t see yourself wanting to raise a human in this world, don’t let anyone talk you into it or try to change your mind. That’s your decision.” Grey was the opposite, always envisioning himself getting the place in his life where he had 2.5 children and a white picket fence, a golden retriever, and a really gorgeous, intelligent wife. The Cooper twins had been given a second chance when his mothers adopted them and over time the idea of a family of his own seemed to be in the cards. Obviously not now, but maybe in the future if it could happen. But Grey wasn’t ever going to shade anyone who didn’t see that kind of future for them, especially women. “Maybe you can write quietly and publish a cute little book of your poems. I sure as shit would buy it. I’d even ask to have you sign it,” Greyson mentioned, throwing Tally a genuine grin. “Anything to support a friend.” Kicking a couple leaves in the grass as Thalia gathered her things, Greyson scanned the park to see if Mr. Drug Dealer had left the premises so he wouldn’t be spotted. That guy was always too friendly, stopping Grey and saying hi to whoever he was with. Luckily there wasn’t any sight of him. “Did you know Scoops got a couple new flavors? Oh, and they brought back cake batter, thank fuck.”

“So, I was watching this crazy show on Viceland. It’s called “The Most Expensivest” and it’s hosted by 2 Chains. Which makes it even better. Pretty much they go through a bunch of crazy expensive shit and each episode is themed. I just watched someone explain how they made THC wine. They take the alcohol out of the wine and they infuse it with THC instead and guess who hated it? 2 Chains. He was straight trying not to roast this dude with a handlebar mustache while trying his hipster wine. While so stoned out of his head they had to cut like four times. Safe to say I found my favorite show.”

Casper smirked as he leaned back with his shirt hanging open, a modelesque smirk on his lips. “I’m not used to being the one in front of the camera, so make this quick and then give it back. That thing is breakable.” He reminded them as tugged his shirt aside to show off some of his abs. If he was going into the summer single, he really had to step his tinder game up. He was not going to go the entire summer without getting laid and he knew he couldn’t rely only on his ex girlfriend. Not with the Outcast hanging around. The threesome had been a fucking blast, of course, but it did show him a connection building that he would have never expected on a regular basis. 

Grey kept looking at the trash panda child with no parent in sight. Knees dirty and a hand print smeared on the front of his little tank top, that kid was going to town on that piece of trash while looking up at the sky peppered in fluffy clouds. “My life goal is to be that free,” Grey muttered, breaking his gaze and looking over at the brunette next to him. “Oh yeah? Good for you. If you don’t want kids, more power to you. I couldn’t imagine having to grow a little human in your body and then birth it. So I actually don’t blame you.” Shrugging, Greyson tossed the rest of the grass in his hands and set his sights on retrying his left shoe laces. “See, there it is. It’s a premonition to the future. Are you more of a quiet, write on paper type? Or are you a slam poetry kinda gal?” At the mention that she was interested in his food quest, Grey’s lips pulled into a grin. His shoe tied, Grey took no time in standing up and pushing his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “I’m ready when you are.”