((Jessica Romero continued from Problem))
Jessica didn't know why she had decided to attend the party. She had never been a big fan of them. But she had the urge and desire to do something even if she didn't know exactly what it was that she wanted. So to that end, she had put on a costume and made her way to Dani's house. Plus ever since she had somehow won the volleyball captaincy she felt pressure to show up to social events. Jessica still wasn't sure how exactly she had ended up winning. She had put her name down on a whim and had somehow come away with the vote. She had expected Ashlyn or Dani to win but instead, it had been her.
Regardless she felt incredibly self-conscious walking around dressed as a zombie. She knew that was a completely stupid feeling to have but despite her own reassurances, the feeling remained. Jessica was friends with Dani and knew her well so she was aware that her family had money but she wasn't prepared for just how big the house actually turned out to be. It had loomed up at her in the October darkness and the interior was crammed with students from JEM. Some she recognized and some she didn't.
Compared to some of the costumes she glimpsed her own corpse paint and torn clothes getup seemed vastly outmatched and supremely underwhelming.
She had been wandering around the party with no real purpose. She had a red solo cup of beer in one hand that someone had passed to her. So she had a drink at the very least. It tasted like beer but also burned her throat when she drank it which didn't seem right, but Jessica had already walked away and left the mysterious drink giver behind. She had also yet to really talk to anyone and she didn't count the guy who had drunkenly slurred that she was cute and then asked what her number was.
Upon entering yet another room Jessica was relieved to see someone she knew. That the person was Dani was slightly awkward as it meant Jessica would need to go through the process of thanking her for the party and saying it was really cool and she was having a good time etc. Not all of which were true but sometimes lying was the best way to avoid awkward encounters, and she didn't want Dani to fuss over her for the rest of the evening and try and make sure she had a good time. Because she knew Dani was the type of person who would do that.
So instead Jessica took two big swigs of the beer, which burned her throat like fire, she was sure beer wasn't supposed to burn. Did they make beers that burned? She didn't think they did. Then threw her arms over her friend's shoulders from behind.
"Hey, Dani." She drawled in her raspy voice, the Montana in accent really showing for some reason. "How's the party goin'?"
COME ON BABY LETS GO PARTY *THWOMP* *THWOMP* *THWOMP* *THWOMP*
Dani's Halloween Party
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TheLordOfAwesome
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(OOC: skipped with permission from Yona!)
Someone by the window said something to her regarding the temperature. Dani turned her head to address when someone threw their arms over her shoulders and started talking to her. Immediately she recognized the voice of Jessica Romero. Dani chuckled, looking over her shoulder to eye her friend that was currently attached to her.
“Hey, Jessica!” She greeted her fellow member of the volleyball team. “Party is going great so far! How about you? Are you enjoying things so far?”
Judging by the scent of alcohol on Jessica’s breath that she could smell, Dani could take a guess that she might be having a good time. That or she was having a bad time and was using booze to make it better. Could be either or as Dani had come to learn from experience when it came to people and their alcohol consumption. She never personally touched the stuff, but she would be a poor host if she didn’t offer the drinks to her party guests.
She turned her attention back to Ren, realizing she had just ignored her previous conversation partner.
“Jessica, you remember…” Dani paused, staring at Ren for a moment as she realized she didn’t actually remember who this was. Panicking for a moment she mumbled some garbage noise, hoping the loud din of the ongoing party would cover up that she wasn’t actually saying a name, while gesturing to Ren. “... from school! We were just talking about my costume. Got a lot of compliments on it from a few guys. Speaking of which! Have you gotten any attention while you were here?”
Dani turned, smiling at her friend. She hoped the sudden change in topic would be enough for everyone currently standing here to forget the fact she clearly didn’t remember Ren’s name.
Someone by the window said something to her regarding the temperature. Dani turned her head to address when someone threw their arms over her shoulders and started talking to her. Immediately she recognized the voice of Jessica Romero. Dani chuckled, looking over her shoulder to eye her friend that was currently attached to her.
“Hey, Jessica!” She greeted her fellow member of the volleyball team. “Party is going great so far! How about you? Are you enjoying things so far?”
Judging by the scent of alcohol on Jessica’s breath that she could smell, Dani could take a guess that she might be having a good time. That or she was having a bad time and was using booze to make it better. Could be either or as Dani had come to learn from experience when it came to people and their alcohol consumption. She never personally touched the stuff, but she would be a poor host if she didn’t offer the drinks to her party guests.
She turned her attention back to Ren, realizing she had just ignored her previous conversation partner.
“Jessica, you remember…” Dani paused, staring at Ren for a moment as she realized she didn’t actually remember who this was. Panicking for a moment she mumbled some garbage noise, hoping the loud din of the ongoing party would cover up that she wasn’t actually saying a name, while gesturing to Ren. “... from school! We were just talking about my costume. Got a lot of compliments on it from a few guys. Speaking of which! Have you gotten any attention while you were here?”
Dani turned, smiling at her friend. She hoped the sudden change in topic would be enough for everyone currently standing here to forget the fact she clearly didn’t remember Ren’s name.
Lorenzo felt like somebody had ripped their personality out of their lymph nodes. Like someone is tapping the fluids from their spine,
They've been a consistent presence in almost every social gathering that there was around here. They've put so much effort into being there, having an actual gravity to their being. They want to be a black hole that pulled everybody in.
And after all that, Dani still didn't know their name.
Maybe it was better this way. One less person to remember their not-really-dead-name. One less person to try to sap the affection from like the little vampire bat that they were.
But still, it felt like Dani clubbed them over the head with a baseball bat. The fake string of syllables that she used filled up their brain like cotton. How could she forget? How dare she?
(Did they do something wrong?)
The atmosphere was oppressive, suddenly. Lorenzo was hyperaware that the people around them were sort of drinking and also smoking weed and just being uncomfortable to be around in general. Dani was a teenager and shouldn't be dressing in a bikini and posting it where people could all see that. Who's driving Jessica home? Or is she walking home alone at night? Lorenzo felt like a child. They shouldn't be here with people who act this way. They shouldn't be doing anything like this at all.
"Oh," they said.
"Well, I'll leave you two to talk to each other, then."
They've been a consistent presence in almost every social gathering that there was around here. They've put so much effort into being there, having an actual gravity to their being. They want to be a black hole that pulled everybody in.
And after all that, Dani still didn't know their name.
Maybe it was better this way. One less person to remember their not-really-dead-name. One less person to try to sap the affection from like the little vampire bat that they were.
But still, it felt like Dani clubbed them over the head with a baseball bat. The fake string of syllables that she used filled up their brain like cotton. How could she forget? How dare she?
(Did they do something wrong?)
The atmosphere was oppressive, suddenly. Lorenzo was hyperaware that the people around them were sort of drinking and also smoking weed and just being uncomfortable to be around in general. Dani was a teenager and shouldn't be dressing in a bikini and posting it where people could all see that. Who's driving Jessica home? Or is she walking home alone at night? Lorenzo felt like a child. They shouldn't be here with people who act this way. They shouldn't be doing anything like this at all.
"Oh," they said.
"Well, I'll leave you two to talk to each other, then."
Blood Tongue Nails Teeth
It turned out that Dani had already been speaking to someone else from JEM. She made as if she was going to introduce Jessica to them but then awkwardly got quieter before speaking up again. It was awkward and it left Jessica with the task of saving the situation. Social interaction with people wasn't her strong point unless it was a topic she cared about but Dani had badly dropped the ball. From her position behind Dani Jessica looked over the other student, trying to gauge where she knew them from.
A quiet "Uhh..." escaped from her throat as her brain cycled through the different options she could think of for the name, trying to match it with a face. Rebekah, Ren, Robin, Karen, wait, go back, Ren! "Yeah, I remember Ren." She finally said with a smile, detaching herself from Dani and stepping around to be more of a part of the conversation. She also took another sip from her disgusting drink and pulled a face.
"Nah, nah, it's cool, you can stay," Jessica said, waving away Ren's statement. Then she turned to Dani to answer her second question.
"Uhhh, well," She started with a sheepish grin. "I had one guy say I was cute, but he was wasted so I don't think it counts."
A quiet "Uhh..." escaped from her throat as her brain cycled through the different options she could think of for the name, trying to match it with a face. Rebekah, Ren, Robin, Karen, wait, go back, Ren! "Yeah, I remember Ren." She finally said with a smile, detaching herself from Dani and stepping around to be more of a part of the conversation. She also took another sip from her disgusting drink and pulled a face.
"Nah, nah, it's cool, you can stay," Jessica said, waving away Ren's statement. Then she turned to Dani to answer her second question.
"Uhhh, well," She started with a sheepish grin. "I had one guy say I was cute, but he was wasted so I don't think it counts."
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TheLordOfAwesome
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- Location: Washington
Dani mained a nice, keeping it from faltering even if she was cringing from the inside. So her little fucked up was noticed and Jess was kind enough to pick up the ball she oh so carefully dropped. It hurt Dani’s pride a little bit that she messed up like this, especially since she could tell she hurt Ren’s feelings.
“Yeah, no, stay, Ren.” Dani said, placing a hand on her hip and grabbing another shrimp from the nearby tray to eat. “The more the merrier and all that.”
She turns her attention back to Jess, smiling much more confidently now.
“Hey, even if they were a little drunk, a compliment is a compliment,” Dani shrugged. "I'm sure if we look around we can find a few cute guys for you. I think a good chunk of the school is here, after all.”
“Yeah, no, stay, Ren.” Dani said, placing a hand on her hip and grabbing another shrimp from the nearby tray to eat. “The more the merrier and all that.”
She turns her attention back to Jess, smiling much more confidently now.
“Hey, even if they were a little drunk, a compliment is a compliment,” Dani shrugged. "I'm sure if we look around we can find a few cute guys for you. I think a good chunk of the school is here, after all.”
Ren obeyed Dani like what she said was a command and not a request, because, to them, it was. They wished they had the confidence, the presence, that Dani had, like everything she said was either true or an order to be followed, and the kind of self-presentation to have other people buy into this effect. Instead, they were awkward, lumbering, carrying too much flesh on their bones that they dragged around. Their voice wasn't crisp, or sultry, or commanding. They worded every objective fact like it's something to be questioned, just in case somebody wanted to stick a pin their arguments and pick it apart.
First, she forgot their name, and then she told them to stay pinned in place within this conversation that has moved on and decided to carve no place for them to fit in.
They took a sip of their drink and tried their best to be a background object, a prop, and not an active obstacle and an awkward pair of eyes watching into the conversation. All the joy and casual air that had floated by them, that buzz they had from being acknowledge and talking with people that listened, had seemingly been poured right out of them like Dani sunk her teeth in their neck and drained it.
"Well, you know- in vino veritas and all. He's drunk and loose-tongued, not, like, lying."
When guys are complimenting you, they wanted to offer, It's most likely about what you wear and show, anyways. They're not really acknowledging you, they're saying that they notice you're showing skin, and they want to make sure that you know they're looking. Because they're boys, and they think that your body belongs to them.
But both of these girls seemed to not really mind putting themselves up for consumption, the same way that Ren offered themselves as a shoulder and a smile and a hand and a voice and not a person.
First, she forgot their name, and then she told them to stay pinned in place within this conversation that has moved on and decided to carve no place for them to fit in.
They took a sip of their drink and tried their best to be a background object, a prop, and not an active obstacle and an awkward pair of eyes watching into the conversation. All the joy and casual air that had floated by them, that buzz they had from being acknowledge and talking with people that listened, had seemingly been poured right out of them like Dani sunk her teeth in their neck and drained it.
"Well, you know- in vino veritas and all. He's drunk and loose-tongued, not, like, lying."
When guys are complimenting you, they wanted to offer, It's most likely about what you wear and show, anyways. They're not really acknowledging you, they're saying that they notice you're showing skin, and they want to make sure that you know they're looking. Because they're boys, and they think that your body belongs to them.
But both of these girls seemed to not really mind putting themselves up for consumption, the same way that Ren offered themselves as a shoulder and a smile and a hand and a voice and not a person.
Blood Tongue Nails Teeth
"I mean, I guess," Jessica said as a reply to both Dani and Ren, awkwardly glancing down at her drink and then taking a sip.
Dani suggested that they could look around to find her a guy and Jessica wasn't sure what to do with that. She was split down the middle on what to think, half of her wasn't sure if that was what she wanted in her life but the other half thought that she'd have been pushing out on some right of passage. She'd had guys she had been interested in. There had been Adam, really there was still Adam, even though Jessica knew that was just her own silly puppy love for him. They rarely if ever saw each other in person and he had gone through a series of relationships. There was Matt who had been attracted to her and she to him at different times, but those times had never truly overlapped so they'd settled into being friends instead. There had been others but it had been passing attractions to people she never saw again.
"It'd be awkward though right?" She said with a small nervous laugh, fingers gently tapping on the solo cup. "Like, you can't just pick a random cute guy and walk up to him can you?"
Dani suggested that they could look around to find her a guy and Jessica wasn't sure what to do with that. She was split down the middle on what to think, half of her wasn't sure if that was what she wanted in her life but the other half thought that she'd have been pushing out on some right of passage. She'd had guys she had been interested in. There had been Adam, really there was still Adam, even though Jessica knew that was just her own silly puppy love for him. They rarely if ever saw each other in person and he had gone through a series of relationships. There was Matt who had been attracted to her and she to him at different times, but those times had never truly overlapped so they'd settled into being friends instead. There had been others but it had been passing attractions to people she never saw again.
"It'd be awkward though right?" She said with a small nervous laugh, fingers gently tapping on the solo cup. "Like, you can't just pick a random cute guy and walk up to him can you?"
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TheLordOfAwesome
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- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
Dani smirked and rolled her eyes. What was Jessica saying? Can’t just walk up and talk to a guy? She could do that in her sleep. Though, in her experience, it was a lot more for the guy to approach you. It was fun to see what they’ll say and do to get your affection and attention. Some guys could do it well, others not so much. Though, if the guy was cute enough she would make an exception every now and then. But that was her, and this was Jess they were talking about.
“Of course you can,” Dani said, smiling confidently. “This is a social gathering. Going up to someone and talking to them is pretty much expected! Besides, you are pretty cute. I’m sure we can find you a guy who’d be really eager to talk with you!”
Already she was scanning the room for a potential suitor for Jess.
“And if they are drunk and complimenting you, like Ren said, that doesn’t mean they are lying. In my experience, drunk guys complimenting you are generally more honest than a sober guy at times.”
“Of course you can,” Dani said, smiling confidently. “This is a social gathering. Going up to someone and talking to them is pretty much expected! Besides, you are pretty cute. I’m sure we can find you a guy who’d be really eager to talk with you!”
Already she was scanning the room for a potential suitor for Jess.
“And if they are drunk and complimenting you, like Ren said, that doesn’t mean they are lying. In my experience, drunk guys complimenting you are generally more honest than a sober guy at times.”
No one in the room seemed to be concerned about the open window, so Q continued leaning against the window to smoke outside.
He eavesdropped the conversation for like 7 seconds before he decided that there was nothing interesting about it, just good ol' teenie girl talk, so by the eighth second it just turned into background noise to him.
Yeah sure, he could socialise, but he could also just enjoy the view.
He eavesdropped the conversation for like 7 seconds before he decided that there was nothing interesting about it, just good ol' teenie girl talk, so by the eighth second it just turned into background noise to him.
Yeah sure, he could socialise, but he could also just enjoy the view.
''I mean,'' Ren shrugged, ''You kinda can. Depends on the guy.''
She brushed a coil of hair out of her face.
''Like Dani said, yeah.''
Actually, they've never been complimented like that before.
Well, complimented. There was the inevitable 'hey girl nice tits' on social media back when they were stupid enough to do selfies, but that's more, like, sexual harrassment. It was made worse by the fact that objectively speaking Lorenza 100% fits a lot of modern 2020s body type ideals for women. Like, hourglass figure, fat ass, big tits, infantile face for the pedos, black enough to get called a chocolate princess once but not too black, that soft high voice, yknow, all that. Their mom actually was like really into Asian beauty standards and she was often like 'You're getting fatter, you know, your butt is getting too big' and then laugh a bit because she was oblivious to the current social media obsession of a good waist-hip video and kardashian style butt injections/bbls or whatever, and, like, god Ren wished he had her innocense. Because now every time mom reminded them of how fat they were it was like a shot of dysphoria right in the goddamn veins, like, there's really nothing like having your mom unwittingly remind you how many gross guys on the internet told you you were 'thicc.' And like dear fucking god they wished they were cis so that they'll love their body for what it is and flaunt it in all its matching-the-beauty-standards-of-the_decade glory, but noooo instead they talk on the internet about how they want to trade with a trans girl they've never met (''I can give my boobs to you lol'') and then joke on r/transgendercirclejerk on how fuckable they were if they weren't set on being a ''gross boyp*ssy tranner''
Oh wait what were they talking about?
Getting drunk guys. Right.
She brushed a coil of hair out of her face.
''Like Dani said, yeah.''
Actually, they've never been complimented like that before.
Well, complimented. There was the inevitable 'hey girl nice tits' on social media back when they were stupid enough to do selfies, but that's more, like, sexual harrassment. It was made worse by the fact that objectively speaking Lorenza 100% fits a lot of modern 2020s body type ideals for women. Like, hourglass figure, fat ass, big tits, infantile face for the pedos, black enough to get called a chocolate princess once but not too black, that soft high voice, yknow, all that. Their mom actually was like really into Asian beauty standards and she was often like 'You're getting fatter, you know, your butt is getting too big' and then laugh a bit because she was oblivious to the current social media obsession of a good waist-hip video and kardashian style butt injections/bbls or whatever, and, like, god Ren wished he had her innocense. Because now every time mom reminded them of how fat they were it was like a shot of dysphoria right in the goddamn veins, like, there's really nothing like having your mom unwittingly remind you how many gross guys on the internet told you you were 'thicc.' And like dear fucking god they wished they were cis so that they'll love their body for what it is and flaunt it in all its matching-the-beauty-standards-of-the_decade glory, but noooo instead they talk on the internet about how they want to trade with a trans girl they've never met (''I can give my boobs to you lol'') and then joke on r/transgendercirclejerk on how fuckable they were if they weren't set on being a ''gross boyp*ssy tranner''
Oh wait what were they talking about?
Getting drunk guys. Right.
Blood Tongue Nails Teeth
The other two seemed pretty certain that you could just walk up to any guy and start talking to him. In fact, Dani was certain they'd be able to find someone at her party who would be eager to do just that. For her part, Jessica wasn't sure how much stock to put into that statement as Dani appeared to have invited everyone from every high school in Salem to her party. Ren had also agreed though and from the look on Dani's face, she was already on the lookout for anyone with potential. Jessica felt a small flash of embarrassment from the realization that she had become the center of attention.
There she was with what was probably shoddily applied corpse paint and some torn up clothes and her friend was talking about finding her a guy from the veritable sea of them she seemed to know. She took a quick sip of her drink to help calm herself down and then spoke up again.
"So once you like find this guy or whatever, what do I talk to him about?" She pulled a face as she realized how stupid that sounded out loud. "Not like, I mean I know it's like stuff we're interested in right? Hobbies and things?"
There she was with what was probably shoddily applied corpse paint and some torn up clothes and her friend was talking about finding her a guy from the veritable sea of them she seemed to know. She took a quick sip of her drink to help calm herself down and then spoke up again.
"So once you like find this guy or whatever, what do I talk to him about?" She pulled a face as she realized how stupid that sounded out loud. "Not like, I mean I know it's like stuff we're interested in right? Hobbies and things?"
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TheLordOfAwesome
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- Location: Washington
Her smile faltered for a moment. She was picking up some lack of confidence on Jessica’s part. Which was weird to her ‘cause Jessica was not bad looking. Dani was always a big advocate for showing what you’re working with, even if most of her friends didn’t. Sure the costume Jessica chose for the party was less than flattering, but Dani was pretty certain most guys would look past it for a girl who was pretty good looking. But she can work with this, steer Jess in the right way to get a new boytoy or boyfriend if they are lucky.
“Yeah, talking about hobbies and interests is always good but not a great start point. You gotta segue into it,” she said, currently running through a list of guys she was aware of that could have potential interests that overlap with Jess’. “Introductions are important. So find something about them that you can engage with them about. We’re at a costume party so you can just open things up by asking about their costume. ‘What made you choose it’, ‘I never would have thought of it’, blah blah blah.”
“Once you get introductions out of the way, segue into questions like how they’re liking the party and stuff. Organically work your way into talking about hobbies and stuff. Hell, if they do it for you that just makes it easier ‘cause then you can answer and say ‘what about you?’” She look at Jessica with a stern look, leaning in slightly. “And laugh if they tell you a joke. Guys like it when girls find them funny, so laugh. Even if the joke isn’t that funny, laugh.” She paused, then added, “Unless it is, like, a joke in poor taste then feel free not to laugh or get the fuck outta there.”
She sighed, correcting her posture and started scanning the room for any guys.
“Hold up, let me find a guy to demonstrate with- Aha! There’s one!”
Her gaze settled on Quentin, standing by the window. Dani smiled, adjusting her costume and took a step forward. Time to put on the charm.
“Hey, you! Would you mind coming over here and… and…”
She stopped dead in her tracks, her smile faltered and she was now frowning. She saw Quentin standing there, window open, a clearly lit joint in his hand. She had been so focused on Jess and Ren that she had forgotten the weird smell that she had picked up mere moments ago and was now coming to a realization as to what it was.
Her head slowly swiveled in the direction of where the smoke detector was, should BE, only to find that it was notably NOT where it should be on the ceiling. Her head swiveled around some more until her gaze fell on a nearby table where the detector and its batteries sat. The corner of her lip twitched, her fingers curling and her knuckles popping. Slowly she looked back to Quinton, her gaze burrowing into him with newfound intensity.
Then she smiled again.
Not the easy going, friendly smile she had been wearing. It was a wide, teeth being bared grin. Her eyes wide and her body quite rigid saved for her slow and deep breathing.
“Excuse me,” she said calmly. “But can you explain what you are doing inside my house right now?”
“Yeah, talking about hobbies and interests is always good but not a great start point. You gotta segue into it,” she said, currently running through a list of guys she was aware of that could have potential interests that overlap with Jess’. “Introductions are important. So find something about them that you can engage with them about. We’re at a costume party so you can just open things up by asking about their costume. ‘What made you choose it’, ‘I never would have thought of it’, blah blah blah.”
“Once you get introductions out of the way, segue into questions like how they’re liking the party and stuff. Organically work your way into talking about hobbies and stuff. Hell, if they do it for you that just makes it easier ‘cause then you can answer and say ‘what about you?’” She look at Jessica with a stern look, leaning in slightly. “And laugh if they tell you a joke. Guys like it when girls find them funny, so laugh. Even if the joke isn’t that funny, laugh.” She paused, then added, “Unless it is, like, a joke in poor taste then feel free not to laugh or get the fuck outta there.”
She sighed, correcting her posture and started scanning the room for any guys.
“Hold up, let me find a guy to demonstrate with- Aha! There’s one!”
Her gaze settled on Quentin, standing by the window. Dani smiled, adjusting her costume and took a step forward. Time to put on the charm.
“Hey, you! Would you mind coming over here and… and…”
She stopped dead in her tracks, her smile faltered and she was now frowning. She saw Quentin standing there, window open, a clearly lit joint in his hand. She had been so focused on Jess and Ren that she had forgotten the weird smell that she had picked up mere moments ago and was now coming to a realization as to what it was.
Her head slowly swiveled in the direction of where the smoke detector was, should BE, only to find that it was notably NOT where it should be on the ceiling. Her head swiveled around some more until her gaze fell on a nearby table where the detector and its batteries sat. The corner of her lip twitched, her fingers curling and her knuckles popping. Slowly she looked back to Quinton, her gaze burrowing into him with newfound intensity.
Then she smiled again.
Not the easy going, friendly smile she had been wearing. It was a wide, teeth being bared grin. Her eyes wide and her body quite rigid saved for her slow and deep breathing.
“Excuse me,” she said calmly. “But can you explain what you are doing inside my house right now?”