#* ◟ 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 ◟ annual white party .

[srtrlites]

even though it's a painful subject ( clearly ) given it's very fresh , ( not to mention who it involves ) cassie also feels somewhat at ease with milo . in fact , he always manages to calm her down ⸺ whenever she's sad over a boy or anxious about her family , milo's always been there . it perhaps explains why their bond is so tight , & why she's also close with his family too & why , under any & all circumstances , she will never ever consider him to be anything other than her best friend . anything otherwise would just result in a disaster , just like everything else . when he apologizes for something he didn't do ( which is totally his style ) cassie could feel the corner of her lips tug into a small smile . “ you don't need to apologize , “ she tells him , right before a sigh drops from her glossed lips as milo mentions the confrontation . “ kinda ... i mean , i talked to ricky but it wasn't a long conversation , & i haven't talked to juli because , well ... i don't know what to say to her , “ her eyes drop to the floor , slender fingers moving up & down the fabric of her white clutch as she avoids eye contact . “ honestly , i just want to forget this night even happened & go home , “ problem , of course , being that it's not late enough for her to make a graceful exit when the evening's just begun . “ but enough about me , how's your night ? “ she's almost eager to as she places a hand on top of his .

if  there's  one  thing  milo  likes  to  believe  he's  good  at  is  at  reading  people .  it  doesn't  really  take  a  genius  or  an  expert  to  know  what  someone  is  saying  beyond  just  words .  in  his  case ,  it  was  easy  for  him  with  cassie ,  unfortunately  for  her ,  he  knows  her  like  the  back  of  his  hand ,  there  is  nothing  or ,  well ,  very  little  that  she  could  hide  from  him .  he  didn't  have  to  do  much  before  she  eventually  told  him ,  eyebrows  forced  together  into  a  pronounced  frown  as  he  heard  her  talk ,  almost  in  disbelief  at what  she  was  saying .  part  of  his  brain  not  knowing  how  it  was  possible  that  two  people  that  supposedly  cared  about  her  would  do  something  like  that .  “  that's . . .  awful .  i'm  sorry  they  did  that  to  you .  ”  he  knows  that  this  words  probably  don't  offer  a  lot  of  comfort ,  the  situation  being  a  complicated  one  and  although  he  didn't  have  anything  to  apologize  for ,  it  felt  like  the  only  thing  he  could  offer  at  the  moment .  “  i  mean ,  yeah ,  that's  true .  unfortunately ,  people  are  so  complicated  and  weird  and . . .  stupid .  did  you  confront  them  about  it  ?  ”

[srtrlites]

sometimes she hates how transparent she is with what she's feeling , especially in situations where she's trying to hide them . which explains a small sigh of defeat that drops from her glossed lips as she looks over at her friend . “ let's just say i found out something horrible & instead of crying about it , i decided to do the healthy thing & avoid it with alcohol , “ a smile forms on her features as she jokes ( but not really ) , the one that looks evidently forced as she raises her empty glass up . “ raspberry spritz sounds delicious right about now , “ not unusual thing for someone with a sweet tooth like cassie , hazel eyes sparking up a bit at the mention .

as  far  as  her  acting  goes  ,  she’s  unable  to  use  her  talent  in  real  life  therefore  the  amusement  ,  followed  by  a  surprised  look  on  her  face  is  impossible  to  hide  .  “  the  party  has  been  going  on  for  what  …  an  hour  or  two  and  you’re  already  avoiding  someone  ?  spill  .  ”  there’s  a  soft  ,  yet  mischievous  smile  on  her  face  once  figuring  out  she  might  hear  some  tea  .  narrowing  her  eyes  ,  ocean  takes  a  second  to  think  .  “  technically  ⸺  beer  is  still  more  safe  than  red  wine  .  but  i’d  say  martini  or  if  you’re  more  on  the  sweeter  side  ,  their  raspberry  spritz  is  to  die  for  .  ”

[srtrlites]

usually , cassie would be overjoyed with these types of events , but tonight not even the gorgeous slip-dress from dior could've salvaged the night . taking the time out of all the drama , the femme decides to hide out on the terrace , hoping to catch some ( much needed ) cold air before going back . yet , she's happy when she stumbles upon franny . “ franny , hi ! “ she's relieved , eager almost , to be in the older woman's presence . “ i'm better now that you're here , “ she's smiling , for the first time throughout the night , in a genuine way . “ you look absolutely gorgeous , by the way , “

who  :  francesca  &  cassie  (  @srtrlites  ) where  :  secluded  terrace  within  the  building status  :  closed  event  starter .

               the  dress  had  been  a  good  idea  prior  to  entering  the  vicinity  —  the  actress  constantly  feeling  as  though  she’s  two  seconds  away  from  overheating,  especially  with  the  soft  feathers  close  to  her  face.  exiting  onto  a  terrace,  she’s  thankful  for  the  cool  breeze,  even  if  the  feathers  began  lightly  tickling  her  exposed  chest.  turning  at  the  sound  of  the  doors  opening  once  again,  she  smiles  towards  the  individual  coming  to  join.  “  cassie,  hi  my  love,  how  are  you  feeling  ?  having  a  good  time  ?  ”

[srtrlites]

if there's one person in the entire industry , if not the planet , that knows the depth of toxicity & hurt cassie suffered in the hands of her family ⸺ it's definitely ricky . he's been there , witnessing every word that cassie took like a lash of beating from her parents : the mind games , the name-calling , the gaslighting .... he was there for her . the one person she can always trust to have her back , to be there ⸺ it didn't matter if they were romantically involved , at least not to cassie , not when their level of closeness , their bond went beyond that . perhaps that's why this hurts so much : the idea that the one person she trusted more than anyone in the world , could hurt her like this , & with her best friend nonetheless . it's impossible for her to hide what she's feeling , especially when she knows he can tell exactly what's on her mind & heart . after all , they can read each other easily , too easily sometimes . which all makes it almost unbelievable that this is happening . when he raises his voice , it makes her flinch a little : half-surprised by the reaction considering she's never seen him like this . they rarely fought when they were together to begin with , but never like this . there's a hint of desperation in the air between them , unspoken feelings & words causing the situation to only go from bad to worse & while there's people around them watching , waiting like vultures to hear & see everything , cassie could only focus on him . her mind's half-made up to leave when he speaks again , causing her to stay put , legs frozen on spot along with her soul as he bares his soul to her for the first time since their break-up . feelings she didn't know he had , each word hitting her like a brick she didn't know he kept hidden behind all these months ⸺ it's not something she expects , not when he hadn't said a word to make her assume otherwise , not even when she asked him directly : secretly hoping he'd feel the same but coming with the terms that he didn't . which explains why she's still in shock by the time he finishes , too stunned to speak & taking her a moment to actually gather the words she wishes to say . “ you - “ she tries , still trying to control the tears bubbling in her eyes . “ so you did it to get back at me for leaving ? are you fucking serious ? because she was there for you ? for what , a whole two fucking minutes ? “ disbelief & hurt turn into anger , hazel orbs turning black & midst of the tears , she moves forward . “ & how dare you stand here & accuse me of not being there for you ! we were practically living together when your sister went off to college , all my stuff was in your apartment , 24/7 i was there & what , that meant nothing ? you think it was easy for me to end it ?  have you even considered the fact that the only reason i did it over facetime is because i couldn't do it in person ?  or that i wasn't okay either ? no , because you never asked , ricky ! you just ... accepted it like it's nothing , like we meant nothing ! & i waited for you in paris , okay ? i waited , i hoped you would show.... but you never did , you never even called back , you didn't even try ... “ her voice's cracking but she's going off , unbothered by the looks , knowing the press will have a field day tomorrow . “ so don't you dare pin this on me , because it's you who also didn't fight for us , you walked away ... & then kissed my best friend , so congrats , because if hurting me was your plan ... you did it , you ⸺ “ she reaches her own limit , a small ( near silent ) sob leaving her , “ fuck you , ricky , “ is the last thing she manages to say before she becomes aware of her surroundings , of the fact that they gathered a crowd around them eager to hear every word . like a deer caught in headlights , she's suddenly terrified of the realization she just gave everyone a public show , & her feet start to move before she can even stop them , fleeing the scene .

 it’s  unbearable  ⸺  to  look  at  her  face  and  see  nothing  but  pain  ,  to  look  into  her  eyes  ;  the  ones  that  were  the  only  ones  he  trusted  and  felt  seen  and  see  nothing  but  disappointment  ,  betrayal  .  he  broke  everything  they  had  with  one  mistake  and  the  results  of  it  were  standing  right  in  front  of  him  ,  and  it  was  almost  as  if  he  was  in  the  presence  of  a  completely  different  person  .  while  he  saw  her  hurt  a  lot  of  times  over  the  years  they  spent  together  ,  he  was  always  the  one  to  cheer  her  up  ,  to  hold  her  and  tell  her  it’s  gonna  be  okay  ;  that  no  one  deserves  her  but  most  importantly  ,  she  doesn’t  deserve  this  pain  .  he  would  never  think  that  he’d  end  up  on  the  other  side  as  someone  who  hurt  her  .  the  second  ricky  hears  her  voice  break  ,  he  just  wants  to  run  to  her  ,  be  her  best  friend  but  he  knows  he  can’t  .  instead  ,  it’s  the  first  time  he  turns  around  ,  his  back  now  facing  her  and  as  he  hides  his  face  in  his  hands  ,  truthfully  ⸺  he  wants  to  scream  .  “  i’m  not  excusing  shit  ,  cassie  !  ”  his  voice  almost  raises  and  he  never  raised  his  voice  at  her  ;  but  the  more  this  conversation  continues  ,  the  more  his  despair  turns  into  anger  .  every  word  coming  out  of  her  mouth  shows  him  how  she  doesn’t  understand  anything  ,  doesn’t  even  try  to  ⸺  and  he  knows  he’s  at  fault  ,  he  knows  he  fucked  up  but  maybe  he  wouldn’t  if  she  wouldn’t  just  give  up  on  them  give  up  on  him  ;  if  she  wouldn’t  become  another  person  who  left  him  because  his  love  wasn’t  enough  ,  if  she  wouldn’t  treat  him  the  same  way  his  parents  did  .  “  have  you  ever  considered  ,  ”  he  starts  ,  his  voice  too  calm  for  the  situation  they’re  in  and  part  of  him  knows  he’s  going  to  say  something  that  might  never  bring  them  back  from  this  .  “  that  maybe  i  kissed  juliana  because  unlike  you  ,  she  didn’t  leave  ?  even  though  she  can’t  stand  me  ,  somehow  she  was  always  there  ?  and  that  maybe  she  wanted  to  listen  to  me  ,  unlike  you  ,  after  breaking  up  with  me  over  facetime  call  and  just  hanging  up  ?  i  could  count  on  her  cassie  ,  not  you  .  ”

[srtrlites]

she looks at him when he tells her otherwise , when he tells her he cares , brows slightly knitting together in confusion . because why would he care ? after everything that has happpened , cassie would've even understood he he chose never to speak to her again . “ why ? “ she can't help herself to ask , even though she's unsure if she even wants to hear the answer . “ you shouldn't care ... not after what i did , “ cassie retorts back quickly , gaze averting down considering she still feels ashamed . how could she not ? it's not her style to use people , to take them for granted , to hut them . when he reaches for her hand , cassie feels even worse but manages to flash him a small smile back . “ i don't want to bore you with my problems , “ she tells him with a small shake of her head .

when bash hears her say no one cares enough how i feel, he can't help but feel for the girl. everyone always feels like they're alone even when they're not, even when they have people in their corner rooting for them. he knows that better than anyone, and he knows sometimes, all you need is to hear that someone does care enough. "that's not true, i care." he gives her a small smile and reaches for her hand. usually, he would feel like this was crossing some sort of imaginary line but it felt right in the moment. "do you...wanna talk?"

[srtrlites]

“ actually , i - “ even with the liquid courage in her system , cassie is too nice for her own good as she allows the other to swap their glasses without so much as batting an eye . “ okay , “ she near mumbles under her breath , accepting her fate . “ oh , i should probably call yolanda , “ cassie sparks up at the mention of a therapist , now ( suddenly ) realizing it's been weeks since her last session . “ & hey , at least your mom gives solid advice ... the last thing mine said was ' hope you get what you deserve , bitch ' , “ a little giggle escapes the femme's throat despite the ( horrid ) sentence , far too much used to the way her family behaves . problem is , she doesn't speak about it : not ever , but clearly the alcohol loosened her more than she realizes . “ you want the truth ? i just really wanna' go home , the whole evening's been a disaster , “ another sigh , another shrug , as she takes a sip of the sweet drink before her .

"hey, that looks super good. mind if we do a little trade?" sidney didn't wait for an answer before swapping their glasses. her own was a simple mix of cranberry juice and lemon soda. an early start tomorrow meant a sober evening for the actress. "y'know, my mother always said it's a bad sign if you're drinking upset. so how about we get you a nice water. and perhaps a solid therapist."

[srtrlites]

he doesn't need to say anything , in fact : all it takes is one look in his direction & her pretty features start to form a small smile whenever she wants it or not . then again , he's one of the rare few in her life that does have that effect on her . slender fingers slowly trace the rim of her glass , hazel hues locking with his for a mere moment before she shrugs , attempting to act like the subject didn't bother her , but alas .... she can't exactly hide from milo . “ nothing , “ yet she tries , however , the second her eyes make contact with his , it falls apart . “ everything , “ she admits with a small defeated sigh . “ i ... sort of ... found out that - “ she starts , fingers running through her hair to hide the pain in her chest . “ ricky & juli have like ... something going on ? i don't know . i didn't even know they talked , i thought they hated each other & then i saw the texts & ... well , you don't exactly kiss someone you hate , right ? “ as if she needs someone to refute what she already knows .

                    arms  raised  dramatically  at  the  confession  of  the blonde  girl  ,  his  face  being  one  of  shock  ,  as  if  he  couldn't  believe  what  he  was  hearing  .  the  overreaction  on  his  part  as  a  way  of  making  cassie  laugh  slightly  .   “  unbelievable  ,  unacceptable  .  this  won't  do  .   ”   a  shake  of  his  head  while  tsking  repeatedly  .  he  gestures  at  the  waiter  to  bring  over  a  water  bottle  before  he  focuses  on  her  again  .   “   see  ,  sometimes  i  can  be  pretty  cool  and  i  would  be  saying  oh  ,  hell  yeah  .  .  .  let's  have  another  drink  ;  however  ,  i'm  feeling  particularly  nosy  tonight  ,  so  .  .  .  what's  going  on  in  that  pretty  little  head  of  yours  ?   ”

[srtrlites]

the actress feels content sitting beside bash , always has been , in fact . there's a sense of security & calmness around him that makes him easy to get along with , & nice to have around . & while bygones should be bygones , with the liquid courage now in her veins , she feels a little bit more guilty now for the way she's been taking him for granted . “ no ... “ tone's childish as she tosses a piece of paper napkin on the table , bottom lip just slightly extended . “ but it doesn't matter , obviously no one cares enough how i feel , “ a tad bit dramatic , but hey , at least she's now sounding like a character she plays .

cassie and bash have an interesting friendship. the unrequited feelings and feeling of being used was something bash wasn't too unfamiliar with, being that he's a bit of a sap. but thankfully they put all of that behind them once cassie explained where she was coming from. that didn't stop it from hurting just a bit though. despite this, bash immediately wanted to know why cassie was sad so he asked, "why were you sad? is everything okay?" basically ignoring the part about the alcohol. he just hoped she wasn't using it as a distraction.

[srtrlites]

perhaps it's not just the anger or disappointment she feels at the situation itself , perhaps it's the fact it's him , out of all people ⸺ her ricky . someone that she trusted completely , at times even blindly , someone she grew up with , who knows about her past & how utterly naive she's been about a lot of people . sure , they're no longer together & haven't been for quite some time now ( her fault ) but it still hurts , it still feels like a betrayal when it's done by two people closest to her & it didn't matter when or how , or even how many times . the pain's evident behind her hazel orbs , the same ones that used to hold such kindness & affection for the male , are now looking at him in a different light . there's a part of cassie that now hates the fact he can read her so easily after all these years , wishing she could keep some of her emotions or feelings now hidden , tucked away somewhere safe , away from him . when her name drops from his lips it feels like a slap in the face , her eyes closing for a mere moment in order to fight away the tears . “ no , “ she's quick to comment , head shaking as if it's going to shake away the bubbling emotions residing within her . “ ⸺ don't , “ she then looks at him , tone nearly cracking in two but she keeps her cool , jaw clenched tightly . “ that's your excuse ? “ she asks , almost in a laughing manner , even though her eyes are now starting to fill with tears . “ she's my best friend , ricky ! my best ⸺ “ her voice finally cracks , alarming some of the bystanders that now pick up on the former golden couple of disney arguing . finger raises in his direction as she takes another step away , the last thing on her mind being to cry in public : or worse , cry in front of him . so instead , she musters up enough courage to look him dead in the eye , despite her vision already slightly clouded .  “ i never want to see you again , “

 perhaps  it’s  because  he  knows  her  ,  possibly  better  than  anyone  else  .  not  only  they  dated  ,  they  grew  up  together  ⸺  everything  they  experienced  ,  they  experienced  it  together  .  she  was  always  by  his  side  just  the  same  way  he  was  always  by  hers  ;  so  it’s  just  as  easy  to  read  her  body  language  ,  when  something  feels  out  of  place  for  her  .  and  even  despite  breaking  up  ,  despite  the  heartbreak  he  experienced  but  never  let  her  see  ⸺  accepting  what  it  was  ,  accepting  the  friendship  she  offered  him  because  he  knew  that  long  distance  was  difficult  to  pull  out  ,  but  she  was  too  important  to  just  let  her  slip  away  from  his  life  .  his  brown  orbs  are  focused  on  her  features  and  it  feels  like  something’s  breaking  inside  of  him  yet  again  as  her  pain  is  so  clear  when  she  finally  looks  at  him  ,  he  could  read  her  so  easily  .  ricky  feels  the  heat  hitting  him  once  he  hears  the  words  not  okay  ,  his  mind  slowly  putting  two  and  two  together  .  there  would  be  no  other  reason  why  she  could  be  so  mad  ,  so  hurt  unless  she  knows  .  something  he  tried  to  avoid  so  much  ;  hide  at  all  cost  to  just  not  cause  her  any  pain  finally  came  to  face  him  .  “  cassie  …  ”  that’s  all  he’s  able  to  say  ⸺  maybe  in  too  big  of  a  shock  ,  he  never  thought  about  what  he’d  do  or  say  if  this  conversation  ever  had  to  happen  ;  always  believing  she  would  never  find  out  .  believing  juliana  would  have  her  best  interest  at  heart  just  as  much  as  ricky  had  ,  but  maybe  not  .  jaw  clenching  ,  he’s  not  even  able  to  look  into  her  eyes  anymore  ,  his  gaze  now  on  the  ground  like  a  kid  getting  yelled  at  .  “  cassie  ,  we  broke  up  when  …  when  it  happened  .  it  didn’t  mean  anything  .  ”

[srtrlites]

usually she doesn't mind the time spent in front of the camera , especially with ricky , & especially now when they're finally apart of the same project ⸺ but not tonight . tonight she's acting , portraying a character with a smile on her face , facade impossible to tear apart unless you're close enough to see the way her jaw is clenched or how seemingly tense her body actually is : especially when he clenches the grip around her waist a little bit tighter , as if he's already reading her mind about running away . when the flashes stop it feels like she could finally breathe again , partially unaware she's been holding her breath up until she lets it out . his question makes her become aware of the fact he's still there , slowly turning around before her hazel eyes land on his . the femme's silent , staring into his eyes as if she'll see the truth behind them without asking . it's funny though , how they still look kind & gentle , meanwhile all she could see is deception & lies . “ no , i'm not okay , “ she answers , gaze still holding his even though everything in her urges her not to : this is something she's used to after all . she's used to being hurt , used , & lied to by those closest to her . which is why she feels nothing but anger & disappointment ⸺ mainly in herself , for allowing once again for someone to make a complete fool of her . “ what happened ? “ she repeats , somehow finding the question amusing in a way , as she takes a step back from him , slightly shaking her head . “ why don't you go find my best friend & i don't know .... kiss her a little bit more to find out ? “ tone's a mixture of sarcasm , anger & hurt but she tries to keep herself in check as she takes yet another step further away . “ i can't believe you , “ is all she manages to muster without raising her voice .

 his  face  keeps  switching  directions  from  one  camera  to  another  ,  head  movement  following  the  voices  shouting  at  them  and  the  smile  barely  leaves  his  faces  .  in  the  meantime  ,  he  clenches  his  grip  on  cassie’s  waist  ,  carefully  to  not  hurt  her  but  strong  enough  to  make  sure  she  doesn’t  escape  the  second  the  cameras  move  on  to  someone  else  and  with  the  way  her  body  tensed  around  him  ,  he  could  sense  that  this  could  be  the  last  second  he  sees  her  .  a  couple  of  more  pictures  ;  he  doesn’t  let  the  cameras  see  that  her  question  confused  her  ,  the  last  thing  he’d  want  is  more  attention  focused  on  them  ;  and  just  as  the  flashes  stop  ,  his  brown  orbs  are  now  focused  entirely  on  the  blonde  .  “  are  you  okay  ?  what  happened  ?  ”  he  rarely  heard  her  tone  like  this  ⸺  even  when  they  were  together  ,  they  barely  fought  ,  it  was  rare  for  cassie  to  be  mad  at  him  ;  clueless  as  to  what  she  knows  ,  not  even  allowing  the  thought  of  the  actress  ever  finding  out  about  what  he’s  been  hiding  occur  to  him  .

[srtrlites]

it's unusual for cassie to behave this way , to avoid her closest friends throughout the night , but then again conflict has never been her thing . in fact , she hates it . which explains why ever since finding out about the betrayal of the century she's been avoiding the guilty party like a plague : funnily enough , however , it seems impossible when she's basically pushed to pose for pictures . the femme's usually calm demeanor around her ex is now replaced with a more stoic one , almost as if she's ready to run the second the bright camera flashes stop . in a way , maybe she is . clearing her throat , cassie focuses on the camera lenses with a smile : trying her best to appear she's having fun when in reality she wants to dig her nude almond nails in the male's biceps . “ mhm ... “ is all she replies with to his joke , jaw slightly clenching . “ can we just get this over with ? “ she makes it obvious she doesn't want to be around him , her voice cold , & with a hint of anger bubbling under surface .

🍃   𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒚   𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒚    ⸺    closed  !

𝒘𝒉𝒐    :    ricky  +  @srtrlites

𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆    :    palm  springs  ,  la  .  the  white  annual  party  .

 one  second  he’s  walking  in  with  cassie  ,  ricky  letting  her  laugh  at  him  over  his  last  fuck  up  on  set  and  they  were  doing  nothing  but  exchanging  jokes  and  laughs  and  now  it’s  another  second  and  he  can’t  find  her  and  once  he  does  ,  she  seems  to  be  avoiding  him  .  at  least  she  was  until  now  ,  when  they  are  finally  dragged  together  in  front  of  the  embroidered  wall  for  the  pictures  ;  both  as  cast  mates  and  dior ��ambassadors  .  “  at  this  point  you’re  harder  to  find  than  beyonce  ,  ”  he  jokes  ,  completely  unaware  of  the  real  reason  why  she’s  avoiding  him  the  entire  evening  yet  his  voice  is  soft  ,  almost  whispering  .