scarlet starlet

Going backstage felt illegal, especially as a non-thespian, but it was where he'd been directed after wandering in confused loops throughout the building, asking anyone he passed some variation of, 'Is Parker around?' Someone took mercy on him, eventually, pointing him down a back hall at the same time that a class or rehearsal of some sort was let out. Pushing against the tittering flow of people exiting, Monty eventually spotted exactly who he was looking for, hesitating just long enough to drum his knuckles against the nearest hard surface, as to not spook her. "I come in peace." His palms came together in front of himself, creating prayer hands that made him feel a little too similar to a disgraced tech mogul. Frowning, he dropped the gesture as he stepped further into the space, gaze already straying from Parker to instead look around at the various props and set pieces. All at once, Monty felt insanely out of the loop, disconnected from all the normal, usual college happenings any of them should've been focused on. "So, this is where the magic happens…"

her stubbornness wouldn't evaporate enough in that moment to find out. instead, she stood where she'd come to an abrupt halt, looking at him expectantly. "yeah, i guess," she answered, glancing off to her left and swallowing down a we-come-in-peace-science-fiction-alien joke. when she looked back at him she just asked, "what's up?"

Someone else could go first though.

"Are you scared?" He asked, with a dry smile on his face. "I am." Ollie didn't think that he had ever actually admitted that before. "Jesse and I got into a fight a few months ago. Did he tell you about that? After New Years Eve. G sent him some stuff about Monty and he asked me about it, and I accused him of sending Monty's name in, but he didn't." He bit down on his bottom lip, shaking his head. "I feel bad, but like it's not something I'm willing to fuck around on. Sam's still in jail, it's almost been a year, and she didn't even do anything. What does that mean for me? Or Monty? Or Link, or ..." He trailed off with a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, before he blinked wide back over at Parker. "Thanks, by the way. I never said at the party but… yeah." He gave a shrug, and didn't exactly say what he was thanking her for. Not turning on him. Not assuming the worst. Not hating him. All of it, he supposed.

parker nodded at his admission, agreement with nothing more to add. of course she was scared. with all of the facts they knew laid out, including that they were currently locked in there, it would've been a hell of a task to try and act like she wasn't afraid.

maybe she would've spoken on it, had the seconds continued to tick by in silence. instead, ollie surprised her. "what? no, i had no idea," parker insisted, brows creasing in slight shock. sure, her relationship with monty had been rocky for the last while, but she would've wanted to know. wanted jesse or ollie or, hell, even monty himself to tell her. had no one caught on yet that parker wanted to be in the know about just about everything? had it not become obvious?

not that this was about her—except for the parts that were exclusively about her. and ollie. whatever all this was coming to.

"no, don't feel bad, you have no reason to," she insisted, "and no reason to thank me, either. the shit g's saying and implying is... all wild, but i know damn sure i'll want someone to hear me out whenever they decide to put me on blast. so, don't even think twice about it." a beat passed and she scoffed. "though, if i know g at all, i know they'd rather put nate in my path, make him hate me more than he already does." aid in ripping out those stitches before they could attempt to heal for the hundredth time. maybe greer had written all about them in whatever journal g must've gotten their sleuthy hands on.

He sighed and leaned back against the console, a small frown crossing his face. "Have you ever felt like you couldn't go to anyone about things?" Ollie asked, glancing up at Parker with a small frown. "If we're right, this is all sort of just ends up feeling like, same, girl. You know? I feel like I've fucked my life up, and fucked myself up, so many times just because I felt like -- Maybe not that there was no one I could go to, but just that … I couldn't bring myself to actually do it." He bit down on his bottom lip, before letting his tongue run across the back of his teeth. "I know that shit can compound into being just a lot, I know I probably didn't make things easy for Greer before she left. But what the fuck happened? Did she just fucking hate us? Or did something really happen. I don't know…"

then parker's stomach began to churn. the space in her chest her heart resided in squeezed and squeezed and all she could do was cross her arms over her chest at all else ollie had to say. holding onto herself, she made her way back in his direction until she was leaning one hip against the desk. "i mean, i wish i knew," she answered without hesitation, without filter, "i really fucking wish i knew. because, yeah. to all of it. but then there's the dean and—" she sighed, loud and exasperated, both hands rising to habitually push some hair from her face.

The word jealous drew a scoff from him, nudging the conversation away from the part of the conversation that had the ability to piss him off— or the fact that he and Coco were quite experienced in sharing (that didn't seem relevant now or... ever, really) — and parking it comfortably in banter instead.

Still, though. There was a small, petty part of him that wanted the confirmation that he could slide into any scene Parker starred in and whisk her away like her own personal leading man (meanwhile, he was clearly in so deep he was adopting her own metaphors), so he leaned in, his lips hovering just over her ear as if his words were special and meant for her alone. But really all he did was tilt his head in the direction of the drinks and ask, "you wanna come grab a drink with me?" A pause as he trailed a slow, deliberate look down the length of her followed by a smirk, and then: "Mostly, I just wanna show you off."

like a fish on a line, parker echoed jesse's lean forward without thought. just instinct. the same that'd carried her footsteps across their dorm and her eyes across rooms countless times before. while their conversation hadn't been all that mystifying, the small motion drew her in as though they were discussing a getaway plan.

no such luck. "you're ridiculous," parker noted of the bait-and-switch, stealing a quick kiss while the lack of distance made sense for it before turning to stand at his side. there, she looped her arm with his and rested a hand over his bicep. "must be really confident you have nothing to worry about." nothing in the way she said it rang serious, grasp tightening briefly as if to affirm the already obvious—that he didn't.

But damn. G couldn't even personalize their texts? Unsurprising if they were an AI bot! (G is an AI Bot theory intensifies!) His phone vibrated indicating another text. He turned his phone around so he could read it, and glanced over at Parker as she got up to check the door. "What are they going to do?" Ollie scoffed. "What if we send two different things. Are they going to block one of us from leaving, or are we both fucked if one of us gets it wrong?" His assumption was that they might expose whatever secrets the person who was wrong had most likely. But he thought the idea of them waiting outside the door to clothes line the incorrect person was a lot funnier so he was going with that mental image.

Not that it would matter if his and Parker's history was any indication. They actually probably thought the same exact thing. "Do you want to say who we think it is on the count of three?" He said, a small grin crossing his face. He'd like to say the Dean, and maybe in a way it was in a way, but he didn't think that was completely correct. At least not to G who had been beating them over the head with the obvious answer to this question. "One … Two … Three … Everyone!"

Because that was it, right? Maybe the Dean had done something (Ollie was sure of it and not just because he was stubborn). But maybe Greer hadn't been able to go to anyone for help, people who she thought was supposed to be her friends, but look at what fucking messes they all were. He knew, at least in his experience, if he were Greer he wouldn't have gone to him either. Especially not right before she left. Besides, he knew what it was like. Needing help and being unable to find anyone to really ask for it. "It's got to be that…"

so, maybe ollie was right. maybe there was sense in... playing along, somehow, someway, in a last ditch attempt to get answers. to see if they were right. it was more likely that g was just looking to punish them, but what else were they going to do in this situation?

"okay, so let's say it," parker agreed, building adrenaline having her phone unlocked and back in sight within moments. "and if they thinks it's a copout or something," she added with a pissed tilt of her head, "they'll let us know."

Heni snorts. Parker was right. The door had been there, the entire time, and yet - none of them had ever crossed the threshold. It was easy, to talk a big game of never stepping foot on campus again, but who was to say that Heni wouldn't also fall victim to the allure of the past? Maybe a decade would sandpaper away the edges of G's actions. "There are some people I would love the opportunity to gloat to. Beyond that, I'm not fussed. You? Do you think your thirties will make you sentimental?"

"for the people, probably." definitely. "but coming back on campus would throw me into a panic attack, so, none of that. it's fight over flight for now, then fresh places." another thought immerged then, parker coming away from the sink to lean against the nearest wall. "what are your post-graduation plans? aside from world domination. where will i be able to catch up with you?"

He sighed, leaning back against the control panel again, with a sigh. Though he glanced up towards Parker again as she spoke. His eyebrows furrowing. "Parks, I didn't send a name in either…" He was quiet for a moment, picturing flames staring down at the stage of the auditorium trapping them up here or something. Instead he pulled his phone out and pulled his conversation up with G. Scrolling over his recent texts, and reading out what they had sent him before. "You don't want to play the game? Two question marks with a space." At least no one would ever be able to pretend to be G when they had such obvious writing quirks. "I guess we'll have to make you a part of it then…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if anything changed. I don't expect it to have. I told them I still wouldn't send a name." It should be unsurprising that they had once again done the same thing. Neither him nor Parker had played by the rules on NYE either. Him and Parker of course. They had tried to help the police at one point too. "Well, if we die up here, at least I'm with you." He paused, before adding, "I'm kidding..." But was he?

that was, until more information on greer—not g, not the stolen moniker, but greer—was presented. or, more accurately, spilled. parker's attention was suddenly grabbed again, gaze darting back to his. another puzzle piece. but where the hell did it fit? they'd tried mapping it out, but nothing ever felt connected.

then, "holy shit, i got the same text." her eyes remained on the screen as ollie joked, one corner of her lips hardly twitching upward. she hadn't been alone, the only one iced out. the sole defiant target. she should've known. "yeah," she scoffed lightly, "though i wish they'd just do it quick and dirty, then."

as though overheard by some presence—and perhaps they had been—parker felt her phone buzz. a text. before she could tear her eyes away, she saw that ollie had gotten one, too.

g: you two have something in common, you know

a minute passed, then two, filled with confusion and the likes of well, yeah, we can see that, now. then something ollie had said stuck out to her, parker leaping from her spot and towards the door. locked or jarred from the outside. then,

g: you didn’t want to play the game g: so i guess we better make you part of it g: i’ll unlock the door for you to return to the gala on one condition only g: tell me whose to blame for greer’s disappearance

"oh, jesus fucking christ," parker groaned, back meeting the door. "they're really pushing the judge, jury, and executioner thing on us."

link let out a short breath that almost passed for a laugh, eyes flicking from the page back to her as he sketched mindlessly. "first one wasn't even mine. older kid in the neighbourhood stuck me with a needle and some ink when i was, what, thirteen? fourteen? mom didn't notice, of course." his mouth twisted into something between a grin and a grimace. "got infected, obviously. looked like shit. but i was obsessed anyway." he leans back and sets the sketchpad down, tugging up the edge of his sleeve to show her a faint, crooked mess of lines, faded but still visible if you looked close enough. "did a bunch of these on myself after. stick-and-pokes that looked like they belonged in a psych ward. still carrying them around."

he dropped the sleeve and shrugged. "kids in the neighbourhood started paying me to fuck up their skin, too. couple bucks here, a twenty there. saved up enough to buy a real kit, and once i had that, i kept going. and by the time i got to ogden, i was good enough someone actually gave me a legit chair in a shop." his grin tugged wider then, crooked and easy.

something to share another day. maybe during the actual appointment. for the time being, parker watched link draw, listened. when the tattoo of note was presented, she craned her neck downward so that she could get a good look, amused by the tale. what different childhoods they'd had. what insane amount of trouble she would've been in had she come home with so much as a drop of ink in her and her mother noticed (which, she would). it was brave—foolish as well, maybe, but brave all the same—to experience that and go full-throttle onward.

"a real self-taught artist," parker noted with a dose of swanked-up amusement, leaning back. "my brothers would've thought you were the coolest—and made sure i was no where near you and your stick-and-pokes," she laughed.

"I think he's worried that he's getting left behind," Ollie said, nodding his head, "I think that he's also starting to worry that he doesn't know what he's actually going to do in the future. So, I think that kind of adds to it." Not to expose his assumptions on what Monty's insecurities were. "And… I think that we both know that there isn't really a long-distance in our future. I mean I'm all for mutual masturbation over face time, but what else is there? Maybe if I were staying in the states we would try, but I'm moving to Tokyo, and I don't know when I'm coming back. It's so cool and I'm so excited. But uh… Yeah, I think we both know there is an expiration date. So, he's pretty upset about it." Ollie was too, but he didn't want to think about it too much. He'd rather just spend what time they had left together happily.

"expiration date is a little harsh," parker noted, offering a melancholy half-grin. of course, she was taking it personally. not so much ollie saying it, but the reality of it all. it applied to her—to her and jesse—too. she just hadn't wanted to confront that yet. "but you're probably being smart." parker drew a deep breath and released a chipper sigh. as if trying to hold something in and being unable to. "and who knows? maybe he'll jump on a plane and meet you out there." a hopeless romantic. a tiger couldn't change their stripes or something.

Nate had been avoiding Parker. What else was new, really, for the past four years of their lives? There had been brief periods of time where they found their ways back to each other, but it was much more frequent for their orbits to not overlap at all.

It was the pattern he had predicted from the beginning, so he didn't know why he still felt such guilt over it.

But he did.

And it was the guilt that him as hard as he nearly crashed into her, spinning the corner of the hallways of the theatre building on his way back to the guilt. Nate caught himself in time, rocking back on his heels as a hand automatically reached out to steady her, hovering or a moment before it dropped back down to his side. "Sorry," he muttered, glancing down towards his feet, their last conversation running through his mind.

"no, it's okay," she assured, a quiet and nervous breath of laughter releasing with the words. even though the almost-run-in was nobody's fault, she already felt like an inconvenience to him. an obstacle he just had to get around. whatever you say, parker. hope you can get past it. "you're only, like, three feet taller than me and would've sent me flying to the ground." flying to the ground? wasn't that just called falling? "you okay?" a small crease found her brows as she realized he was headed back towards the gala, the question both immediate and growing to imply a bit more. sure, they weren't on great terms—when was the last time they had been?—but she'd still ask. didn't she always?

"I've just found myself … not caring all that much," he said, honestly. "Everyone is all in a fuss about everything but, I don't know if it matters. Blame me for being G. Expose that I was fucking around with Greer. They already clearly hate me. What can I really do to make it worse?" Milo rolled his eyes. "I don't think they have anything else on me." Lie. "So, I'm probably in the clear anyway." And if he repeated it enough times it might even come true.

"—and if they don't and they lie, who even knows what to believe, anyway?" was that suspicious? she'd already said as much, right? besides, while parker knew milo to be the type to probably pick up on such a comment, she also figured he understood what she meant. that g was untrustworthy, point blank. truth meant little when someone twisted it for their own selfish, grander scheme.

locating the copier, parker approached it and began digging out her things. "i think i'm gonna try that again. not caring. see if it gets me through this last little bit. we can keep each-other updated on how well that goes for both of us." she looked up to offer him a semi-sarcastic grin.

His retreat had certainly been more monotonous, on the other hand. Not that he was complaining. Monotony was exactly what he needed. Nothing got his creative juices flowing better than some peace of mind and the silence of isolation. “I wrote a little bit of that too.” He answered, slight enthusiasm coating his words, happy that she had remembered about that. It was one of his favorite traits about her–the attention to detail. Mental notes that she could access as easily as looking at post-its on a corkboard. “You know how this works, you’ll get an idea, and it’ll become a source of hyperfocus for two weeks, and then your mind will create a new, completely unrelated narrative to be obsessed about.” He sighed. “But that progressed a little bit, it’s supposed to merge into other plays that have creepy aspects, like Hamlet or even non-Shakespeare works like Doctor Faustus. I’m just having a hard time drawing the common thread. I feel like I have a lot of cool scenes that work separately, but they don’t really come together as a whole story. We should sit down for you to have a look at it someday. I need to pick your brain as much as I can before you graduate and leave me to be the only Elizabethan-theatre nerd in Ogden.

the explanation was a relaxed one, not at all containing the tells of a ready-made excuse or delusional thinking. in fact, parker didn't seem very worried about it—no more than they were each constantly worried about... everything. it allowed her to shift between the topics of conversation without pushing towards one to avoid the other. she was merely being swayed to-and-fro.

you know how this works. really, she did. not from the writer's perspective—parker wasn't a writer, insisted she couldn't put pen to page the way he did. but she nodded in understanding at the rest. "oh, the horror," she hissed, casting a glance around the student-littered walkway. truly, they'd been spoiled with their time together at ogden, however grim other aspects of it had been. "let's, any time." obviously, it wasn't that simple—and with the end of the academic year closing in, parker felt the desire to be more concrete. "next tuesday? evening?"

"A lot has happened though…" He looked down at his phone trying to judge how much time they had before fifteen minutes came up. It hadn't taken him long to get here, maybe about five minutes. So, they had about ten to talk. Good, because there was a lot he hadn't yet had the time to fill Parker in about, and he thought it was important she get the context he had. He pushed himself up onto the console table, making sure he didn't sit on any buttons and looked back at Parker. "So… as of this moment I have talked to two people who, after they were told to send names, were told to go investigate something else. They were both told to go look around the Dean's storage for things to do with Greer. And both found letters from Penny to the Dean. Have you heard about this yet?" Maybe she had. But just in case she hadn't… "One letter was like super professional about those letters that people received last year, remember? Apparently Greer had given them to Penny to deliver on a specific date. I think whatever date they were delivered, because knowing Penny she would not miss a deadline." Maybe that was why Greer had her do it. "And I thought this was really weird. Because why would Penny be telling the Dean of all people this, you know? Like… huh?"

He held his hands out dramatically, "but then, the second letter-- Well, I think it came before, but it was the second letter I heard about. That was once again between Penny and the Dean. And it was super flirtatious and like wink wink nudge nudge. And she was thanking the Dean about helping her with the election, and all of that. And it was so obvious like… why he had helped her. You know?" He gave a very over obvious wink. "And it all started coming together. My theory that the Dean had something to do with Penny's death during New Years Eve. Because there is so much that was just so weird about that. It really feels like that is what happened." Ollie nodded his head insistently. "But that maybe if that's the case … maybe if the Dean killed Penny for some reason… Maybe he is really involved with what happened to Greer. Like… really involved. And maybe even what happened to Ida ties into it somehow. You know? It's just…"

Ollie trailed off, knots tying in his stomach over thinking about this all again. He heaved a deep sigh. "Anyway… I've been thinking about it a lot. And like they're clearly doing it in a really fucked up way but if all of this is true I can kind of see why G wouldn't just come out and say what they know. Like… Look at what happened to Penny!" He hopped down from the table and shook his head. "And … I sent G a text earlier tonight apologizing for being an asshole. That I still wouldn't have sent in a name for their stupid little game, but that I really do want to help figure all of this out. You know? And then… They sent me a text to come here."

well, the latter wasn't entirely true. i guess i understand more than i thought i would.

parker's mind jumped to another individual, another conversation, before swiftly burying it down. it'd only worsen the anxiety that was squeezing its fist around her heart. besides, there was much more to absorb. like, oh, the fact that the dean might've been having an affair with penny. the explanation made her face twist with disgust. greer, penny, ida. greer, penny, ida. greer, penny, ida—and a murder attempt. and actual murders. eddie, milo. greer, penny, ida, the dean. mari, greer. the dean, greer.

"what?" parker spat, unable to filter or conceal her appalment. "ollie, you have nothing to apologize to them for. they've fucked with everyone in ways that don't connect to greer at all." right? right? "if they know all of this shit and really want justice for greer, why all this? i mean, i—i haven't even heard from g since i didn't send in some name." a palm rose to press against her forehead. then the comparison dawned on her. "why would they put someone willing to help and someone refusing to be involved together?" then again, maybe this was her punishment. maybe g was the arbiter, but ollie would be made the executioner.

he gave her a once-over before looking back down at the bow and arrow. "you sure you're not just trying to trick me into writing sonnets on your skin?" he asked, tone dry, though there was something softer in the words. then he nodded at the notebook, tapping the corner of the page with his finger. "i can make this into something you won't hate in a week. something that actually looks like you, instead of... i don't know, a ren fair prop gone wrong?" he says with a small laugh. he then lifts his eyes back to her, expression sharpening. "you're set on it?"

jovialness simmered into something softer, more genuine, and parker redirected its accompanying grin from the page back to link. "yeah," she then spoke decidedly, offering a nod, "set on it. you know, i can see how people get addicted to these things. the, like, artistic gratification." parker shifted where she sat. "have i ever asked you about how you got started?"

His internal fretting was pushed to the side when Parker spoke again. "I'm glad too," Ollie said, nodding his head, and reaching over to nudge her with his elbow. "I'm happy for you too. Jesse really cares about you, you know?" His mouth quirked up a little bit into a smile, though maybe it wasn't fully formed. "It's hard to not feel like there is a ticking clock on all of this, though. Right? Does it feel like that to you too? Monty's really worried about me leaving…"

that said, parker had done what she'd set out to do. no use lingering on it when they'd only come up empty. whether or not ollie asked monty about it—about the broader strokes and implications—wasn't her business. so, she was quick to lean into the happier sentiment she'd laid out for ollie to take. "oh, he only wants me for my minis collection and criterion login. it's so obvious." a chuckle bubbled beneath parker's close-lipped grin, eyes rolling jovially. it filled her expression with amusement, sure, but also genuine warmth.

it dimmed a touch with ollie's following question, earning a swift, "i don't know, i try not to think about it." given the quickness with which she answered, that was obviously not quite the case. "what has he said about it? i mean, if you feel alright saying. is it, like, wanting to be together, but the long-distance? worried for him, worried for you?"

g: you want to help ?? g: come to the auditorium's control booth in fifteen minutes xx

He had made this bed for himself right? He couldn't really complain. However anxiety was still bubbling up inside of him, but also interest. He was an inherently curious person, and it's not like he had to do with someone told him to do. But as he excused himself from the dance, he couldn't help but think of last year. Sam mysteriously excusing herself from their conversation and saying she was just going to go back to her room. It gave him anxiety. Not for fear of something that could happen to him, but just thinking about everything that already had.

So, he headed from the reception hall to the Tate Theater and up the steps to where the control booth was located. It wasn't the first clandestine meeting he had been sent on, and maybe it wouldn't even be his last. And as he opened the door he couldn't help but be reminded of Mean Girls. Coach Carr??? Maybe he was here to find some professor making out with some student. How normal would that be.

the name slipped from parker like a wet dog from a distressed owner's grasp. her head had whipped over her right shoulder, the rest of her body quick to follow suit until she was facing one of her closest friends. her partner-in-seeking-out-the-truth. one of her few confidants.

maybe it was because of their relationship that, while a sickening ache came to occupy her stomach, the slightest thread of hope lassoed its way around her heart. was it at all possible that g had brought them together to actually give them an answer for once? if so, they had a twisted way of not letting her in on it. come to the auditorium's control booth in fifteen minutes xx was more a demand and less an olive branch.

parker stayed near the desk covered in various control panels, near-paralyzed with fear. still, she managed a groan and dramatic bulging of her eyes.

"okay, what'd they say?"