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he sarcastically rolls his eyes , moving his head around dramatically as he did so . ❛ sinclair , again with the talk of these campus girls ! i've told you before , if you want to join the fan club , all you have to do is ask . ❜ he looks at her pointedly , sympathy spray painted onto his features like some sort of practical joke . ❛ unfortunately for my legion of adoring fans , my sacrifice is needed and necessary . you , the other hand ? so much to live for ! ❜ he shifts into a slightly straighter posture as he begins counting the digits on his left hand . ❛ your sorority , sloane , planning my memorial after i heroically die to the toxic mould ... you get the gist , you gonna' leave now ? ❜

six months into the internship and francesca could distinguish every walking pattern and sound without lifting her eyes from the computer screen. the high heels from her boss are the one that causes a shiver to go down her spine, but the one she hears approaching her desk causes a low chuckle to escape her lips and her head to nod even before she hears the nonsense that cooper will spew on her this time. " well, i always thought i would lead a good life not a long one, so it's okay if my time has come, " she looks up with the endearing big smile she gives to everyone who comes across her, even though she realizes that with her answer she has been spending too much time with sloane than what she originally thought. " shouldn't you be grabbing your things and going your way then ?? i am sure there will be hundreds of girls on campus sobbing if anything happened to you. "

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morgana didn't even flinch when the hand touched her lower back , well aware jason would take only a moment to realise that she was gone and that he was the one person brave enough to go after her on her own . subconsciously , she moved the cigarette further away from him . she barely even realised it was because , suddenly , there was a part of her that genuinely cared what he thought ... and it seemed to grow every day . ❛ hey . ❜ she replied , turning to face him with a small smile . for a moment there's silence as she struggles to grasp hold of the cutting remark she'd normally reach for , finally sighing and settling for something a bit more rugged . ❛ this is a shitty party . ❜

he had been caught up in a lively conversation with greer when all the attention in the room turned to historia and jett. nothing about that scene made sense in his head. it was historia and jett for crying out loud, they were supposed to be the couple going the distance. they were the couple that almost every other couple tried to emulate. that couple being the first to break up didn't set right with jason, at all. something else caught his attention, however. the glimpse of the short silhouette leaving the room unnoticed by everyone but him and he could feel his heartstrings tightening a bit in his chest. he knew his girlfriend had become quite close to jett in the past few months, but only now it put in perspective how close it had been. he gestures a quick bye to greer and follows morgana outside, watching her from afar for a good moment before standing next to her with his hand on her lower back to let her know he was there. he kisses the side of her head and looks down at her, " hi baby. "

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his entire body visibly relaxes when alondra makes it known that she's not here for nando . she's not here for him either which , honestly , helps his heart slow to a much steadier pace . sure , he didn't want her to be with his ex best friend , but it didn't mean he wanted to be with her either – he didn't really know what he wanted right now , he just knew he was glad they seemed to be on a similar page . ❛ no , it's okay . we're both here to work , i don't want you to feel like you need to avoid me . ❜ and he means it , evidenced by the fact he makes solid eye contact with her for the first time in the conversation . he nods and smiles at the mention of greg's name , running a hand over the top of his head . ❛ i miss him too , poor kid's lost both his parents to this tour now . you bring him with you or leave him with your family ? ❜

" i am not here for him, stef, " her tone clear and certain, taking more time than she should to appreciate his features. the man she loved was broken beyond repair and she couldn't do anything about it because she was the one who did the breaking. " i am only here to work for the band that hired me, we won't even need to see each other if that's what you want. " of course, she was fishing a little, wanting to know if her standings in his life were as low as she imagined. at least she wasn't met with indifference. at least she knew that somewhere, somehow, someday, she could hope for something better than this interaction. she wasn't much for hoping, sticking to facts is what had made her a great lawyer, but she hoped that stefan would one day talk to her like before all this mess. after all, he was a much better person than she would ever be. " greg misses you. "

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the look on her face almost staggered him , reflected only by a genuine one of confusion on his own face . when he spoke , it was abrupt , the words practically falling out of his mouth . ❛ what are you talking about ? ❜ there's a laugh accompanying it but it's wary and uneven . anyone who knew nico knew this was a genuine reaction of surprise – what the hell was she on about ? ❛ he sucks ! ❜

her eyes rise from her guitar and for the first time in months, there isn't a mad expression in her features directed at nico ; his indignation only met with utter indifference. she sighs, watching her brother leaving the room by the corner of her eyes and keeps on strumming her guitar to the tune she was showing hendrix before nico's great barging. " there is no game, nico. " well, there was at first when alexei approached her that night, but not now. bowie was now done with hers and nico's ridiculous moves of hurting each other. " i am seeing alexei, and i'm quite happy. "

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❛ obviously . compared to me , he's just a kid . ❜ there was a fine line to toe between arrogance and confidence , specifically in the presence of other people , but alexei knew certain circumstances allowed that line to blur . bad mouthing an ex , for example . implying that you were , in every way , a better man than him . he allows his eyes to travel down to the slit in her dress , a knowing smile on his lips when he meets her gaze again . ❛ i was finalising some production work i was doing for someone else's album , getting an early night . being a good boy , as my manager would say . don't tell me i missed something exciting ? ❜ most of that was true . in spite of alexei's reputation , he was a workaholic and a perfectionist at heart , and he would've much rather spent that time working than socialising with a bunch of people he despised – but he wasn't stupid . that was far too abrasive to say to someone he was trying to seduce .

her smile grows ever so slightly, maybe easier than she would have preferred when talking to a man but she had the martinis to blame or the devilish charm the male was showing. clear hues observe alexei from head to toe as discreetly as she could in her current state while pondering his question. nico had hurt her enough for her to second-guess when another man showed interest in her as now it always entailed them wanting more from her than first perceived. however, bowie missed flirting. she missed the small talks of meeting someone new and even more the fun of the potential of something brewing. as weird as it sounds, she missed the naivety she used to have ; for once, she was drunk enough to let herself go and embrace that. the blonde was drunk enough to let alexei close … and yes, it was just because she found him hot and wanted to know if the rumors about drummers were true. " please, you would be doing me a favor. you are a much better sight, " smile a little wider and giving a new bright to her features, moving on her seat to be turned in his direction. crossing her leg letting the slit of her dress show more skin than before, " you weren't at the tour's party last night, i would have remembered if i had seen you. "

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one in a million . yeah , sure , him and every other young male poised for celebrity and political greatness in new york city ... but she didn't have to know that , did she ? she didn't have to know who he was or where he came from , she certainly didn't know already , or this wouldn't be the conversation they were having . he looks away to the floor for a moment then back to her , deciding in that moment that he was going to do something completely out of character . lie . he shook her hand with a smile . ❛ you uh ... you seem new to the city , olga , if you don't mind me saying so . did you move here recently ? ❜

" i don't think in my twenty - four - years of life have i ever had a man beseeching my forgiveness. you are one in a million, i fear, " another laughter erupts from her with her unfortunate true comment, incredibly shocked at how easy and quick she is opening up to this stranger. maybe she could regard it as the fact that she is new in town and eager to make new friends for the sake of her and blue, but she was just a girl at the end of the day and she couldn't deny that the man was easy on her eyes. hand to her heart, she tumbles her head to the side and sighs loudly, " oh the damages you would have done to me if you had said drugstore cowboy instead … irreparable. " holding out her hand to him, a big smile on her lips, " well i guess it is better to put a name to the face, " another chuckle, " olga. "

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starter.               morgana ricci and jason tamburello.

the ash fell to the floor slowly from the cigarette , some of it getting caught up in the slight breeze and making its way further down the garden before finally coming to a stop . morgana brought the habit to her lips , a nasty one she knew her father would massively disapprove of despite partaking in cigars every weekend , and inhaled as she stared dead-eyed out into the backyard . she didn't care about people like jett and tori , did she ? they were beneath her . tori , especially , who had done everything in her power to climb the social ladder morgana held such an easy domination over ... but that breakup ... she'd managed to slip away just as their argument culminated , but something about the look in jett's eyes had unsettled her . it wasn't rage or disgust or irritation ... it was something she didn't recognise . a softness that had , for the first time in morgana's life , made her feel something other than burning hot violence . she was sad .

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starter.               scout nolans and caio aguilar.

when she's pulled into the room , she does what any , self-sufficient young woman would do and goes to punch her assailant in the throat . thankfully , it isn't entirely dark , with the room being semi-lit by the moonlight and a flickering bedside table lamp the previous occupiers must've left on by accident , and she catches enough glimpses of caio's face to know that it's him . not like she needed many glimpses these days , with how deeply she'd found herself studying him when he wasn't looking . scout hadn't seen him since that night , so it was scary that she seemed to have remembered his features perfectly . she stares at caio , incredulous for a second , thankful for the smallest of glimmers , before it settles into a mix of confusion and ... anger ? sort of , to mask how much she'd missed him . ❛ are you insane ? i nearly broke your windpipe ! ❜

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starter.               historia valentin and jett walsh.

there was a horrible pit in tori's stomach and the one person she wanted to talk to about it could never know . yvie's party was not only rapidly approaching , it was the talk of the campus , and she knew it was no use putting this off any longer . her time with jett had been magical . truthfully , she would've given up every ounce of popularity and status she'd gained to have just one moment of real , honest time with him . even if it only lasted for a minute , even if it only lasted a second ... she felt so stupid . she had fallen for a boy that would never be hers , fallen for someone whose happiness would mean leaving her behind . she watched her door slowly begin to open and turned back to rummage through her drawers in a bid to hide the a melancholic look on her face , putting on her best chipper tone in spite of how she felt inside . ❛ hey ! thanks for coming so quickly , we have a big event this weekend and you need an outfit ! ❜

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starter.               nico mercer and melina boz.

nico stared at the scenery in front of him with the face of a kicked puppy , despondent at the idea of facing his current situation . bowie was dating him ... actually dating him , and it was all the tabloids could talk about . he had been relegated to a footnote on the front page , a tiny little box on the bottom left ( the worst spot ! ) that said he'd been seen with a new model that week . lola had reassured him that it was fine , that any press was good press , but it certainly didn't feel like that . on the rare occasions he wanted to think , he'd come to the nearest park and surround himself with nature . it seemed incredibly out of character for him but he didn't really know why did it , he never cared enough to question it .

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starter.               nico mercer and bowie petronis.

❛  alexei  astor  ?  ❜     nico  says  with  an  amused  chuckle  as  he  walks  into  the  studio  ,  gossip  magazine  rolled  up  in  his  left  hand  as  he  gesticulates  to  the  room  .  hendrix  rolls  his  eyes  in  the  background  ,  sighing  out  a  ‘  good  morning  to  you  too  ‘  in  nico’s  direction  before  promptly  leaving  .  nico  doesn’t  notice  the  tiredness  in  hendrix’s  tone  ,  of  course  ,  instead  simply  giving  him  a  brieft  pat  on  the  shoulder  to  say  goodbye  as  he  moves  towards  bowie  . ❛  come  on  ,  what  game  is  this  ?  you  go  low  ,  i  go  lower  ?  if  you  want  me  back  that  badly  ,  all  you  have  to  do  is  beg  .  ❜

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when  he  looked  away  ,  she  studied  him  further  with  a  more  determined  intent  .  despite  the  fact  she  was  the  one  running  ,  he seemed  more  eager  than  her  in  this  moment  to  escape  something  .  her  ,  perhaps  ?  that  thought  only  drove  her  closer  to  hunger  ,  as  she  felt  a  familiar  pit  open  up  in  her  stomach  that  would  only  be  satiated  by  something  dangerous  .  when  he  finally  looks  back  , the  look  in  her  eyes  is  different  –  for  the  first  time  in  a  long  time  ,  she’s  excited  .   on tour . with the new romantics , she could safely assume . it would certainly explain his distance . ❛  you  look  different  .  ❜     she  reaches  out  to  run  her  index  finger  ever  so  lightly  down  the  side  of  his  face  ,  knowing  it’ll  elicit  a  reaction  one  way  or  another  .     ❛  but do  you  feel  different  ?  ❜

romeo snarls at her answer, looking away for a minute to try and mask the chuckle that wanted to leave his lips. if anything, he related to the feeling of running. he was running too, but for a different reason from stella. he was running from everything bad left in their hometown to something better, while the blonde seemed to be running for something worse than what she left behind. he takes a deep breath and looks back at her when her questions linger in the space between them. " my band is out on tour, " his reply is dry, not wanting to give her any more openage to his life because as much as he wanted to keep a decent distance from her, romeo knew that if she said the right thing he would be back in a heartbeat under her spell. after all, most of his songs were still about her. most of his thoughts were still about her, though he was sure he never crossed her mind once since she skipped town.

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he  more  than  happily  turns  when  she  does  ,  triumphant  smirk  on  his  features  as  he  folds  his  hands  behind  his  back  .     ❛  peri  wasn’t  as  forgiving  as  you  thought  she’d  be  ,  was  she  ?  i  doubt  i could  say  anything  to  you  that  she  didn’t  already  .  ❜     he  pulls  his  hands  from  his  back  and  shrugs  before  crossing  them  over  his chest  instead  ,  taking  a  good  look  around  at  the  art  that  adorned  the  walls  . ❛  she’s  not  the  same  person  you  left  ,  is  she  serena  ?  she  really  …  transformed  after  you  disappeared  ,  it  would’ve  almost  been  beautiful  if  it  hadn’t  been  so  revoltingly  violent  .  ❜     he  laughed  ,  freeing  one  hand  and  wagging  a  finger  in  the  air  as  if  he  was  recalling  a  plesant  memory  .     ❛  you  should’ve  seen  the  way  she  ran  her  ex  boyfriend’s  new  girlfriend  out  of  town  .  wow  .  ❜ matteo  looked  directly  at  her  ,  a  sigh  escaping  his  lips  as  he  refolded  his  arms  .     ❛  you  would’ve  been  so  disappointed  .  ❜

she chuckles mirthlessly, not looking in his direction while standing in front of the next piece to take in. " i don't think you should be criticizing someone about their holier-than-thou attitude, " serena glances over her shoulder to his direction, then turning back to the art piece, " of course, you would think that hours of endless entertainment on the expense of yourself and others is better than caring about something or someone. " caring. that was the one thing serena wanted and wished from him, to care enough about their relationship and change so they could be together. for him to be a better man. and yet there were they, standing on opposite sides of a room in a cold war of hurtful side comments. however, her whole body turns in his direction this time, eyebrows furrowed not believing in what she was hearing. " what do you want to say with that, matteo ?? " her tone harsher than the usual sweet one, " don't dance around it, be a man and say it with your whole chest. "

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she  smiles  ,  one  that  was  somewhat  more  genuine  than  she  was  used  to  in  a  man’s  presence  .     ❛  men  usually  wait  until  the  second  date  before  calling  me  that  .  ❜     she  didn’t  know  why  ,  but  watching  harrison  put  on  his  shirt  …  it  made  her  breath  catch in  her  chest  ,  and  a  long  thought  dead  blush  began  to  kiss  her  cheeks  .  this  was  the  first  time  they’d  been  truly  alone  together  ,  not  simply  off  to  the  side  of  an  event  or  in  the  crowd  of  a  gig  ,  and  instead  of  taking  charge  and  being  all  over  him  …  she  found  herself  suddenly  giddy  with  uncertainty  . ❛  i’m  bored  of  tables  in  restaurants  .  ❜     she  said  matter-of-factly ,  kicking  off  her  shoes  and  rolling  onto  her  stomach  so  she  could get  the  phone  and  menu  .  granted  ,  she  hadn’t  exactly  dressed  for  room  service  ,  but  what  sort  of  plastic  doll  would  she  be  if  she  didn’t  wear  a  mini  skirt  for  every  occasion  ?  she  glanced  over  her  shoulder  at  him  ,  stomach  flipping  as  she  did  so  .     ❛  unless  you’d  rather  go  out  ?  ❜

he holds the cards to his chest, somewhat speechless as he closes the door to his bedroom and looks at dilan sitting on his bed. shaking his head while chuckling he places the cards on the small entrance table. " oh i created a monster, " harrison chuckles more, walking to the wardrobe and putting on a shirt -- something about being shirtless in front of dilan still didn't feel right at the slow pace of their ' relationship ', which he was hoping to change now they would spend more time together in this tour than previously. looking back at her, he bites his lips crossing his arms in front of him. " i'm sorry, i'll have to raincheck on that bouquet, " he smiles small and sheepishly, an arm open and points at the phone by his bed, " but i can offer you endless hotel food or, if you give me enough time, an actual table downstairs for us to have dinner. "

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❛  the  marriage  statistics  ?  dude  ,  c’mon  .  look  at  you  !  have  you  never  watched  the  oc  ?  90210  ?  one  …  ❜     he  struggles  to  find  the  rest  of  the  title  ,  clicking  his  fingers  in  the  air  a  few  times  before  he  finds  it  ,     ❛  tree  hill  ?  ❜     coop  admittedly  had  a  soft  spot  for  noughties  teen  dramas  .     ❛  you’re  going  to  be  that  couple  married  at  19  ,  solving  the  romantic  problems  of  us  lesser  evolved  peasants  .  ❜ he  throws  his  hands  up  in  the  air  .     ❛  i  just  think  it’s  nice  ,  is  all  .  you  finding  someone  you  click  with  so  well  before  you  can  even  legally  drink  .  ❜

" bye, baby, " the nickname fell from his lips easily while he held onto her hand, and then her fingertips as she started to walk away, but he did not want to let her go. brown eyes followed the small blonde silhouette for as much as he could until cooper's voice snapped him out of his trance. " yeah, " jett chuckles awkwardly, hand scratching the back of his neck, " i guess we are. " as he starts to walk in the opposite direction of his ' girlfriend ' with his friend, there is a silence after cooper's question. the whole charade with historia was starting to get too real for jett, the feelings he caught for her being both the most incredible thing he felt but also the most anxious agony. " we are nineteen, dude, let's beat the teen marriage statistics, yeah ?? " he jokes.

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she  works  very  hard  to  not  seem  too  eager  when  she  takes  the  beer  ,  and  works  even  harder  to  avoid  drinking  the  entire  thing  all  at  once  .  claudia  hadn’t  been  uncomfortable  in  a  long  time  and  it  was  a  difficult  feeling  to  sit  with  .     ❛  since  when  did  you  care  about  the  general  public  ?  ❜     the  playful  yet  knowing  sentence  comes  out  all  too  easily  and  she  finds  herself  smiling  ever  so  slightly  without  even  realising  .  despite  the  guilt  and  shame  she  felt  ,  colson’s  presence  had  done  what  it  always  had  –  calmed  her  .   claudia  takes  a  few  more  sips  from  the  beer  when  he  asks  about  her  life  ,  something  she  most  certainly  didn’t  want  him  knowing  about  .  the  personal  accomplishments  ?  going  independent  ?  sure  ,  but  if  she  told  him  about  those  things  …  well  ,  it’d  only  be  a  matter  of  time  before  he  figured  out  the  rest  .     ❛  you’re  the  mystery  tour  guest  .  you  don’t  think  i’d  rather  hear  about  what  you’ve  been  up  to  ?  ❜

he places his beer can on top of the mini fridge, grabs another one, opens it before handing it to her, and shrugs. " i didn't know i was coming either until a few days ago, it was more of my management's decision than mine, " he sighs grabbing his beer and taking another chug of the yellow liquid. as much as he was good at playing the nonchalant guy, being able to keep the conversation going despite the baggage between them ; there were tugs in his heartstrings and questions in his mind he wouldn't dare to ask. " something about it being good to popularize my name with the general public or whatever, " he chuckles sarcastically and rolls his eyes. colson hated playing the fame game, anything that came from it seemed rotten … but even then, he would do anything to keep singing and being able to connect with new people through his music. " how has life been treating you ?? " the singer asks as if he hasn't kept an eye on her career ever since she left with his heart on her pocket.

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hunter  himself  was  laid  back  on  his  bed  ,  his  guitar  in  his  hands  as  he  absentmindedly  strummed  a  few  of  the  arrangements  he’d  had  floating  around  in  his  head  .  his  own  songbook  was  splayed  out  next  to  him  ,  extra  pieces  of  paper  and  added  sticky  notes  spilling  from  it  like  guts  .     ❛  and  then  i  can  hit  him  with  a  car  ?  ❜     he  replied  in  a  curious  tone  .  of  course  ,  he  wanted  nothing  more  than  to  tear  alexei’s  skin  from  his  body  in  strips  ,  but  rosa  didn’t  want  violence  .  she  wanted  a  song  .  and  that’s  what  he  was  here  to  support  . shuffling  down  to  the  edge  of  the  bed  ,  he  sits  there  and  watches  her  ,  leaning  on  the  guitar  as  he  spoke  again  .     ❛  what’s  this  guy’s  problem  anyway  ?  not  loved  by  his  parents  enough  ?  ❜

starter.               rosamaria ferreira and hunter holloway.

she had been camping on hunter's floor for the last hours, her songbook open on his center table, scribbling to no end after her unfortunate meeting with alexei. tapping the pen hard to the paper, her breathing was still deep as if she was trying to find some way to center herself from the anger her ex had made her feel with a few exchanges of words. " you know what, i am going to write a song that will make him so fucking mad. we will play at every show we do from now on and it will be fun seeing him like that !! because he fucking deserves it !! " she flips to a brand-new white page of her songbook, looks at hunter and smiles, " and unfortunately for him, i know the thing that makes him the most angry right now is me. " turning her attention back to the page, she starts writing and humming the rhythm she was envisioning for the song.