sample thread: nuu posting!

[serious strawberry]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»cнαяℓσттє נσαии нαиsσи«

"cαℓℓ мє cнαяℓιє"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ahh...the annoying, yet familiar sound of the alarm clock. It was a noise that Charlotte did NOT miss all summer. But alas, summer was over. Her freedom was gone. Back to the boring, day to day prison routine, with very little interruptions to the routine. Of course, she could only thank her lucky stars this was the last first day of school for high school. The last year for stereotypes. She could finally leave this life behind, only bringing along one reminder. Closing her eyes and sighing, her hand moved down to her stomach. She inhaled and stepped down onto the cold, hardwood floor. Rubbing her eyes and stretching, Charlotte stood up and walked toward her chestnut wardrobe. She grabbed a few articles of clothing and head toward the bathroom.

After locking the door, Charlotte took off her pajamas, slipping on her dress, doing her hair and makeup until it was perfect, and putting on her beret. She took one last look at her reflection and put on her fake smile. Might as well seem like the optimistic, cheery girl she was before everything that happened. Charlotte wrapped her arms around her chest and walked out. She grabbed her backpack from her room, shut off the light, closed the door and walked downstairs.

Charlotte threw her backpack onto the couch and turned on the family computer at the same time her mother walked out of her room. They gave each other a quick glance before her mom scoffed and walked towards the kitchen. She hasn't spoken to her for 5 months, when she told her the news that she was not only single, but carrying her grandchild. One quick peek at the clock and she grabbed her backpack, put on her shoes, and head out the door. She tossed her bag into the passenger seat of her car and turned it on.

The ten minute drive to school went by fast and soon enough, she parked in the school lot. She opened her bag and pulled out her schedule. Parenting class was first. She sighed. This class was here because of the rise in teen pregnancy. She placed her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes. She needed this class. No one else did. She was part of the statistic that put this class on everyone else and she bet she was going to get dirty looks because of it today. Looking at the rear view mirror, she deeply inhaled and smiled again.

Charlotte took her backpack out of her car and locked the doors. Of course, people were staring at her. It was pretty noticeable now, so of course they were. She just kept her head up and tried to ignore the whispers. The bell had rang. Second bell was coming soon. She just had to get to class peacefully. Seeing the chair closest to the door, she eased herself into it, leaning on her arms when she sat down and got as comfortable as she could.

Oh-no! Open Crevices!: Outfit is clickable through the picture :3

✰-----------------------------♥----------------------------✰

xxx xxx xxx xxx

[serious strawberry]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»cнαяℓσттє נσαии нαиsσи«

"∂σи'т cяy вєcαusє ιт's σvєя. sмιℓє вєcαusє ιт нαρρєиє∂"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A hand slammed down onto an alarm that was going off loudly. Usually, this would annoy young Charlotte Hanson, but today, it was different. Today was the day she would finally be able to move out of her parents house and into her first apartment. The girl opened her eyes and scanned around her bedroom. It was nearly empty besides a few packed bags and an outfit she left out for the move day. The blankets and pillows she slept in this night were merely spares. In fact, half her stuff was already at the apartment building. Sure, she was a bit upset she was leaving, but the sooner she left home, the sooner she could fulfill her dream. Charlotte inhaled deeply and a huge smile came across her face. Can you imagine? Her name in lights! People paying to see her. Preform. Doing what she loves. Nothing was going to stand in her way, whether is be lack of money or boys, she was going to somehow make it big. And why wouldn't she? She doesn't want to sound conceited, but she isn't that bad of a singer. In fact, she thinks she is pretty great.

Charlotte's feet slammed down onto the hardwood floors and she rose. Doing a little dance, she moved on over to her outfit she had left out. A red dress with her favorite nautical themed jewelry. She slipped her dress on, put on her jewelry and flats and walked into the bathroom. Because her makeup and toiletries were already at the apartment, Charlotte had to borrow some of her moms, but since they used pretty much the same stuff, there was no difference. She quickly did up her hair and walked back into the bedroom, slinging all bag across her body full of clothes and dragging a suitcase full of...clothes. Her bedding and other necessities were gone. Plus, she had to downsize a few things, so a lot of her stuff was donated or sold. Charlotte pushed back her bangs before taking one last look at her room and walking out.

Her mother was at the dining room table, holding back tears. It was kind of sad seeing her mom like that, but she knew that was coming. Charlotte was the youngest of four, so the baby was leaving home now. "It's okay, mom. I'm moving only twenty minutes away" She was trying her hardest to comfort her mother. All she did was nod and smile at her. "I know...Here, let me take on of your bags. Your father is kind of waiting in the car." Of course, dad was excited for her to leave. On top of Charlotte moving out, her parents were also moving to a smaller house now that the kids were gone and her dad was flippin excited. Charlotte handed her mom the rolling suitcase and they were out of the house. She looked at the house when they were out and almost got teary eyed herself. She has spent most of her life in that house and she was kind of sad to be leaving it.

After a twenty minute drive, the family finally arrived at the apartment building Charlotte was moving into. "We're going to miss you...Here, let me help you unpack" Her mom smiled at her. "No, you guys have to do some packing today. Besides, you have helped me every step of the way. I'm going to take care of myself now" She hugged her father and kissed her mother on her cheek. "Bye" Her mom then lost it. "Bye...sweet...heart..." She said between sobs. Charlotte smiled at her and walked away. Walking towards her new life seemed...exciting. She couldn't believe this was happening. It all still felt like a dream.

When she got to the building, she pulled out her key from a small pocket in her bag. There was a small tag on it. 6A. Her first ever apartment. To herself. Charlotte smiled to herself and walked towards the elevator. People were...dancing. It was strange, but she loved it. Of course, she wasn't THAT outgoing to join them intensely, so she just stood and watched, moving her hips a bit. She had this strange feeling she was going to enjoy it here.

✰-----------------------------♥----------------------------✰

xxx xxx xxx xxx

[serious strawberry]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»ℓєт'ѕ ℓινє ιт υρ тσиιgнт«

αи∂ ωє'ℓℓ ∂σ ωнαт fєєℓѕ яιgнт ιи ѕριтє σf ωнαт мιgнт нαρρєи ιf ωє мαкє тнє ѕтαяѕ ιgиιтє

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A blue 2008 Hyundai Accent pulled into the parking lot of a California apartment building. The car belonged to a young Charlotte Hanson as a gift from her parents after they got a new car. Grabbing her keys, she opened the back and pulled out her bedding before shutting and locking her car. Because she didn't know the area, she didn't want to take any chances with her stuff. She opened the main door to her apartment and went straight to 131. Since she had seen the apartment ahead of time, Charlotte already chose room she would live in, but since they were equal in size, it didn't really matter. Jiggling the keys for a second, the door opened with a little creak, nothing a little WD-40 couldn't fix. After going to her room, she ripped open the two large garbage bags she was carrying with her bedding and laid it on the floor to air out as she made a few more trips to her car to get some boxes. Four trips later and she had most of her things out, just about two more smallish boxes left filled with shoes, bags, belts, and other accessories, which could wait a while to be brought in. It wasn't that important to accessorize just quite yet. After a few seconds of relaxation in her new place, she realized how oddly quiet it was, as her roommate hadn't arrived yet. To pass the time, Charlotte made her bed up all nice and pretty and snacked on a candy bar she bought a few miles before she got here. Realizing there was no food in the place, she made a mental note to go shopping as soon as possible, just not today because she really didn't want to go out in public tonight.

Overtaken by boredom, the girl went to check out the bathrooms. Thankfully, there was one and a half, so she didn't have to wait very long to get ready in the morning. God she hoped her roommate wasn't someone who took two hours in the bathroom in the morning. She already had to deal with that with her younger sister and she had been hoping to escape to normal life she had back in Washington. Opening the shower curtain, she noticed it was exactly the one she had at home. A small smile appeared on the face as she walked back to her room and opened a box that said 'toiletries'. For now, all it was was three towels her parents gave her, travel sized shampoo and conditioner, a toothbrush, and a travel size toothpaste. It was pretty much a fresh start for her. She needed to go shopping and buy all her essentials back. For now, what she had was going to have to do. She walked in to the bathroom and stripped down, turning on the shower. After a quick wash, she hopped out, dried herself off, and got dressed again. Still feeling kind of creeped out in her empty apartment, Charlotte grabbed her car keys off the kitchen table and walked out, making sure to turn off all the lights and lock the door, knowing her roommate had a key to get in. Liking the fact her apartment was on the first floor, Charlie just had a quick little walk to the parking lot where her car was in her designated spot in the front. With the placement of her apartment, she felt like she scored. The apartment had only been advertised for less than two weeks before the blond jumped on it and only a week to find a new roommate, whom she had never met nor knew what she looked like, and now, here she was.

This was a city Charlotte felt she could excel in her career with. Of course, starting out would be rough. Right now, she had a job as a barista at a local cafe that often played live music. If she was lucky, she might have an opportunity to sing there, which was why she took the job. Despite the fact she worked there, she hated the coffee they sold there. It was always either too weak or too strong, they were never consistent with the taste and people usually went for entertainment and the delightful snacks they made. Thinking about work made her crave coffee, but didn't want to go there, so she figured she could find a Starbucks close by. There were four in her small town, so she was pretty sure she could easily find one in a city. Opening the car door, she was careful not to hit to car next to hers. The last thing she needed was someone bitching at her about a dent. She sighed and ran her hand trough her hair before starting the car. She was absolutely exhausted and needed a pick-me-up. After a quick drive, she stumbled upon a regular Starbucks. Charlotte smiled at her little victory of finding one. Right now, she needed a frappuccino more than anything and only Starbucks knew how to make it right. Stepping up to the counter, she ordered her usual Caramel frapp with whip cream and after a quick three minutes, it was on the counter awaiting her pick up. Taking the first sip, she was please and found an empty small table to enjoy it at. After sitting down, she noticed a girl walk up to the counter and ask where Palm Tree Drive was. The street name sounded oddly familiar and then it hit her. That was her street. Putting on a friendly smile, Charlotte approached the girl. "Why hello there. I live on Palm Tree Drive, if that helps. I just moved in and was waiting for my roommate and decided to come down here." She brushed her hair back. "I'm Charlotte, by the way. I'm no good with directions, but you could always stalk me back" She let out an awkward laugh, in hopes that it made her sentence seem less awkward then it actually was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»єνєяувσ∂у ѕιиg ιт ωιтн мє «

cαυѕє уσυ киσω ωє иєє∂ тσ ℓινє тσ fєєℓ αℓινє. тняσω уσυя нαи∂ѕ υρ ιи тнє αιя. тσиιgнт ωє'ℓℓ fιи∂ ωє иєє∂ ℓσνє тσ ѕυяνινє

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[serious strawberry]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»ʟucιℓℓє נudιтн нαиsσи«

"∂σи'т cяy вєcαusє ιт's σvєя. sмιℓє вєcαusє ιт нαρρєиє∂"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The harsh sound of the alarm clock rang through Lucille's ears a couple seconds after she had already turned it off. Christ, she was tired. Ripping off her blankets, she was greeted with the bitter cold air as she had forgotten to close her window last night and it was snowing. She quickly gathered one blanket and wrapped it around her as she rose off of her bed. Leaving the warmth and comfort of her luxurious king sized bed was the worst on mornings like this. School. What she dreaded most of all. It wasn't the fact that she was a teenager and that was just...normal. No, she rather liked school. Science, English, History, Math, and ASL. All classes she enjoyed. It was the people. Sure, she had a few friends, but she didn't like going to a rich school. She knew she was rich and she was happy she got to take advantage of a private school education, but some people just flaunt it. All they can talk about was all the new stuff they bought and what their last vacation to Prague was like and where they want to go next. They weren't her kind of people. She liked having money, of course. But what was the point of bragging about it to other people who have money? Or the people who are on scholarships? Are they trying to make them jealous? Stereotypical jerks. She never has and never will respect people like that. Of course, she was guilty of flaunting her wealth, but not very knowingly. She loved to drive her expensive car around and wear her expensive clothes and go to the mall with her expensive purse to buy more expensive stuff. Generosity was a word that could describe her, though. She loved getting other people expensive stuff or paying for trips with friends. She was spoiled and acted spoiled sometimes, but she loved to spoil other people.

Picking up her uniform she had all nicely hung on hangers, Lucille strutted on over to the bathroom where the shower called out to her. With a smile, she hung her uniform on the coat hanger draped on the door of the bathroom and put her towels on the rack. After yanking out the braid the had gotten extremely loose after a night of sleeping on it, she turned on the water. A short wait for it to heat up later, and she was able to hop into her own personal karaoke bar. Quickly washing her body and shaving her legs, she was able to get the boring part out of the way and sing as the water would be running through her hair. She picked up the shampoo bottle and put a small dab on her hand and ran it through her hair, from the roots out. As the soap was rinsed out of her hair, lyrics of one of her favorite songs ran through her head. A rather sexy song titled 'Faster' sung by Matt Nathanson. She couldn't help but sing along. Of course, after the first time the chorus came around, her mind wandered to another song. Three half songs later, she was finally ready to leave the shower and adventure back into the real world.

Lucille took one towel and wrapped her hair up in it and grabbed the other one to wrap around her body. She tucked it in at the chest and walked over to the mirror. She smiled at the person staring at her. That person smiled back. She took off her head towel and brushed it down. Not wanting to do anything special, she decided to just let it dry naturally. It always gave her the most perfect waves. Reaching for her uniform, she allowed her other towel to drop and quickly got dressed. She was hoping for a good day. There hadn't been a lot of those recently, but she always tried to remain optimistic and hopeful for the future. Only bummer was her future sucks as far as she's concerned. She's not too happy at her parents right now. Shaking that off for the moment, Lucille turned her focus back to getting ready. Staring at her reflection, all dressed up in the usual uniform, she put on only a little foundation, some blush and a thin line of black eyeliner. The finishing touch, the cherry on top, was her black bow headband she has held onto for year. Her favorite accessory she liked to match with pretty much every outfit. And she could, too. It went with anything. It was black. It was a bow. It was adorable.

With a slight yawn, Lucille walked out of the bathroom only to be greeted by her younger sister who had just walked out of her bedroom. Little Lottie looked so cute in her petite little nightgown. Out of all the eight year olds in the world, Lucille dubbed Lottie as the cutest! Her opinion may be a little biased, but still. After the exchange of good mornings and a hug, Lucille rand downstairs to the kitchen. Peaking at the clock, she realized she wasted a majority of her morning belching out the lyrics of her favorite songs and had to leave the house within the next five minutes if she was going to make it in time to have a little social time before classes. Opening the pantry door, she noticed a few boxes of pop tarts, grabbed a smores one, and grabbed her book bag and laptop. After putting on a warm jacket, she slung the bag over her shoulder and popped a pop tart in her mouth, put on her glasses which she always kept by her car keys, grabbed her keys and was out of the door. She piled everything into the passenger side, finished her first pop tart, and put the other one aside for later. She started her car and she was off to yet another day of high school.

Driving in the snow was still a bit intimidating, but Lucille managed, keeping a death grip on the wheel at all times. Pulling into the parking lot, she walked out, opened the passenger door, and grabbed her stuff, including the last pop tart, and made her way to the front entrance. The appearance of the school still took her breath away. She quickly made her way to the commons and the table she usually sat when meeting friends in the morning. There was still about 20 minutes until first block. She took her laptop out to play a few rounds of solitaire to pass the time as she bit into the last half of her pop tart.

✰-----------------------------♥----------------------------✰

xxx xxx xxx xxx

[serious strawberry]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♪ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

»ʟucιℓℓє נudιтн нαиsσи«

"∂σи'т cяy вєcαusє ιт's σvєя. sмιℓє вєcαusє ιт нαρρєиє∂"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ♫ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There were so many thoughts rushing through Lucille's head right now, not even having to do with the marriage. Just small stresses. When something big was going on, everything small was magnetized to one-hundred times worse than it really was. Like now, what was running through her mind was the project due tomorrow in Mr. Nass' government class. A paper she had been working on for about a week and a half that she just had to type a few more paragraphs for. And Charlotte. Her grades are falling in school. Sure, she's a third grader, but that can be a sign of stress at home. What if she wasn't there enough for her? The more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed a night off. No homework. No home. Maybe she could ask to stay the night with Theo in the dorms? But she didn't want to disturb her roommate. Usually that didn't bother her, but with two girls who are struggling to sleep, maybe it might get on the roommate's nerves. When Lucille woke up in the middle of the night, she had to get up and do something to help get back to sleep. The most common thing she did was pace the floor or sit in a chair and read something. Or even getting a quick snack. Because of this, she could be a disturbance to someone who didn't understand. She could ask to stay with Adrian. He was, after all, roommates with her best guy friend and she knew he wouldn't care, but what if they got caught? She was too much of a good girl to get in trouble. But as her senior year kept moving on and on, she figured they couldn't do much except empty threats. Because of her good girl attitude, she had no record, so they couldn't take away her graduation from her for one offense. To have no risk, she could ask Adrian to stay with her. Bigger bed, parents who weren't home at night half the time, and more room to do stuff. But then that would kind of miss the point of not wanting to be home tonight. She then smiled to herself as she realized her mind went everywhere when she was tired, one thing relating to another until she had gone in a pointless circle.

As Lucille's mind began to start another train of thought, beginning with that government paper, she realized how quiet she was, which wasn't normal, considering her usually talkative attitude. Then Theo began to talk and she turned to her. "Yeah. I need it. It's always harder for me to sleep at home, though. Maybe I should have decided to live in the dorms. What stopped me was Lottie. I can handle leaving her home with the nannies a few times a week, but not everyday" Then her phone vibrated. She assumed it was Theo because she was just typing, so she ignored it at first. "You sure? It'll be fun!" She flashed her a smiled. "I'm not gonna try to convince ya. I understand" Lucille wouldn't be going if it weren't the fact she wanted to talk to Luke tonight about everything. She loved talking to Theo about everything as well, but guys were just easier to give more details and she never felt weird crying around guys. She never understood that. Shouldn't it be easier to hold it in around guys and easier to just let go in front of people of her same gender? She was a weird girl, though. She wouldn't deny that.

When Adrian pushed her hair back and stroke her cheek, Lucille couldn't help but get goosebumps. Maybe it was the fact that it was slightly colder in the commons than normal, or it could be because she would miss that, so it seemed more romantic than normal. Either way, the goosebumps died down fast. "Gorgeous? Sexy?" She gave an awkward laugh. "There's a fine line between being sweet and being a flat out liar" She was obviously joking. She knew how to take a compliment and wasn't the kind of girl who posts pictures on their social networking site with the caption 'This is such an ugly picture of me' "Thanks, babe. If you can see it, I guess I can, too" She smiled at him. She took in and appreciated every compliment she gave her because she knew he was sincere. Her phone vibrated again, this time with a name she only had in there for an emergency contact for Adrian in the freak chance that he was unconscious, his phone was dead, and every other person wasn't answering their phone. She quickly went to her messages and started replying to Theo's first.

To: Theo
From Lucy
Message: I know, right? I would probably enjoy saying the word 'fiance' if it was Adrian.
But it's not):
And I don't know what I'm going to do.
It's hard to not cry when I'm writing this to you)':
So who are you stuck with until 'death do you part'?

It was true. Even though it didn't look like it, Lucille wanted to cry. She wanted to let everything out, to allow the waterfalls flow from her eyes. But she didn't have room in her schedule to cry. She just sighed and scrolled to Daemon's text. She rolled her eyes at what he said. She quickly thought of what she would say and replied fast so Adrian wouldn't notice who she was texting. He how much she hated him, and she felt bad about that. She knew Daemon was pretty much his only guy friend he had at this school. Tilting her phone sightly, she texted him back.

To: Daemon
From Lucy
Message: Everything is still new to me.
I don't want to talk about it. I want to ignore it.
And pretend like I can still spend the rest of my life with someone I like.
And I have yet to tell Adrian and I know you're friends, but don't.
Just don't feel like talking about it today.

But Lucille knew the last sentence meant she was going to try to put if off for as long as possible until she was forced to face it. Right now, she didn't feel like she was being forced. It was just there, floating in front of her. Whether to confront it and do it, rather than run away and defy her parents was harder to choose than she would think. Running away seemed to be the romantic thing to do, something that people would pay to see in the theaters as a cliche date, but in reality, those romance movies were all a pile of bullshit. It just didn't happen. Realizing Luke hadn't texted back, she decided to text him again to tell him of the news that Adrian would be joining.

To: Luke
From Lucy
Message: So Adrian is in(: Theo's not.
But, meh. We got enough, right?

Pressing send, Lucille turned to Adrian with a smile. Then she noticed the look. Oh God, she knew he was thinking no good. But she loved that look. Most ideas made her laugh. Usually it was the same one. Skipping class. And of course, it was the same. She let out a laugh. "Well, if it's for my health..." She made it look as if she was giving it serious thought. "Sorry, babe. Mrs. Freegal is really on my back about my English grade. Maybe another time" But she knew she wouldn't be able to focus in that class. Being there would do the same thing to her grade as not being there, only this way she wouldn't be bored out of her mind. Honestly, she only said that to sound innocent in front of Theo. Of course, if anything happened to happen, she would be the first to know about it, but if nothing happened, she didn't want Theo to get idea that something DID happen. She picked up her phone to send another text.

To: Adrian <3
From Lucy
Message: Ya know what, yeah.
Let's skip ;D
Gotta do something bad at least once, right?

This went against her entire good girl image, but right now, all she wanted to do was be with him. And maybe even get a little sleep in.


ohno! octagon condoms;;

✰-----------------------------♥----------------------------✰

xxx xxx xxx xxx

[serious strawberry]

Waking up with a uneasy feeling in her stomach, Lucy had to jump out of bed, rushing to the bathroom to empty the contents of her already nearly empty stomach. Ahh, morning sickness, one of the many layers on the fudge sundae that was called 'pregnancy'. Right next to 'weird cravings for ice' and 'constantly having to empty her bladder'. The cherry on top had to be between weight gain and stretch marks. Sure, it was early on, maybe two months right now, but she was feeling extremely negative about this whole thing. Just taking a shot in the dark, it was probably because she was single, twenty-two, living in a run down apartment in the Big Apple, living paycheck to paycheck, with the tips she got as a bonus. Being barely able to support herself, how on Earth could she support a mini-her? It's not like she had planned for this to happen. She just wasn't expecting anything, so she hadn't taken her pill for a few days before the night of the conception, not believing the worst could happen. Now she had something to permanently remember that drunken night at the lounge, proof that the worst can indeed happen.

So far, Lucy has been doing pretty good at keeping it a secret. Besides the slight bloating, refusal to drink alcohol, and the excusing herself to go to the restroom constantly, there were no tell-tale signs for anyone to really put something like this together. She was trying to keep it that way for as long as possible. Still, she knew who the father was and would need to get some sort of compensation for putting her through this, the only way that would be happening would be to tell him. But she had no idea how to do that. You can't really go up to a guy you only really met once and say 'Hey, yeah, remember that night a few months ago? I lied about being on the pill and now I have your spawn growing in my uterus. I'm gonna need some money to support it for eighteen years'. That just doesn't come up in a conversation. And their was also the matter of telling one of her best friends, but that was a conversation she wanted to avoid. Honestly, she wanted to keep this hidden forever. The one night stand, you can keep that a secret. The child, well, it just gives itself away after a few months.

After a few minutes with her head leaning on the bowl, Lucy stood up slowly. She took a few sheets of toilet paper and wiped the sides of her mouth, her stomach settling enough, but not enough to want to eat. She tossed the toilet paper in the toilet and flushed that and the remainder of her wonderful dinner of toast with jam and a glass of milk down to the sewers bellow. With the symptoms she has been having recently, the last thing she wanted to do was go to the club and have to dance tonight in front of a crowd of men with the fire of lust burning in their eyes. But hey, every night meant more money which meant more food, more bills being paid, and more money being able to be saved. She didn't have much in her savings account. About two months of rent worth, meaning if she lost her job, she could still have a roof above her while she frantically would be searching some place that would hire her. Honestly, though, she didn't want to ever lose this job. The attention she got and the fact she was breaking the law gave her quite a thrill. Just the thought of her losing her figure and not being able to preform late nights kind of scared her, but she just put that to the back of her mind. Undoing her messy braid, Lucy walked into the small kitchen and grabbed the carton of milk, drinking right out of it, closing it, and putting it back in the fridge. For the rest of the afternoon, she got to lounge around the apartment and just relax before tonight. Because of everything going on, she's been pretty depressed, finding no motivation to get dressed or leave except when absolutely needed. She had been sleeping a lot more as well, but she's just been linking that to a pregnancy symptom. With a yawn, she stretched her arms up and found herself face planting the couch, deciding that would be as good of a place as any to continue her sleeping.

- TiMESKiP -

Lucy woke up as the sun was going to bed, meaning she had about two hours before she had to be at the club. That was plenty of time to eat some crackers, get a shower in, and get dressed before she had to go. The distance from her place and the lounge was about a ten minute drive. She enjoyed being close to work, rather convenient. Sitting up, she looked around her apartment. It had gotten rather filthy recently with her not wanting to really do much. She just shrugged and stood up, heading toward the bathroom. As she was walking there, she began to strip, leaving articles of clothing spread around her apartment. One of the advantages of living alone was being able to strip whenever and wherever in her place that she wanted. Once she got into the bathroom, she turned on the shower, waited for it to warm up, and jumped in. After singing a few songs, she jumped out, wrapped herself in a towel, and began to blow dry her hair. After it was dry, she dropped her towel into the hamper and walked into her room, searching her closet for a dress she felt comfortable in, preferring to only leave the apartment in looser clothes, not stuff that hugs her figure. She saves those for work only now. After getting dressed, it was about twenty minutes before she had to leave, but figured there could be traffic, so she might as well leave now.

Just as she figured, no traffic, Lucy arrived a bit early, not really caring right now. It was better than sitting in her apartment with nothing to do than think. At least here she could think and be surrounded by lights and feathers and music and whatnot. Opening the door to the club (Indulge?), she made her way to her dressing room first, taking off her jacket and setting her purse on the table. Because she had been working there for quite some time, she had a pretty nice sized dressing room. Looking in the mirror, she lifted up her dress and looked at her stomach. It looked like she has gained maybe five pounds. Not too much because she's always been rather tiny and it was mostly because of stress, but it still concerned her. She just sighed, lowered her dress, and smoothed it back out. With a small yawn, she opened the door again and walked over to the bar. "Anything to drink, Luc?" One of the female bartender asked her. She just shook her head. It was rather hard to quit drinking. "No. Need to stay alert tonight. Maybe just a water" The girl nodded and came back shortly with a glass of ice water. She decided she would just be hanging out until it was time to get dressed and ready for the show, not wanting to socialize much. Everyday was just getting harder. She needed to tell someone, but didn't find it fair to share her burden with anyone. She just sighed and continued to drink her water.

[serious strawberry]

When her mom had opened her door and turned on the lights, Gwendolyn groaned and put her pillow over her face. Usually, she'd be all for getting up early, but that's for a jog or something fun. Yeah, she was looking forward to going to a different school, but she was going to miss home and her church. Plus, she hated long drives. It was usually a time to sleep some more, but all her sisters were coming with. And her eight month pregnant mother was driving. And she was extremely irritable. It was gonna be loud and they were gonna have to take a lot of stops for her youngest sisters, Olivia and Charlotte. Her other sister, Lucy, would probably be making annoying comments the entire ride on how annoying everything else was. The worst part? It was her car and she couldn't drive there herself because her mom was worried, therefore her mom will be driving Gwendolyn's car and her dad would be following in the family car so they could leave her car there. Unnecessary gas consumption for an unnecessary family trip. She wanted to driver herself but her mom was paranoid she would be too tired and drive off the side of the road. Her mother was always the protective type. Her father even protested when her mother said she would be driving Gwennie. He was the one who made all the money in the house and he didn't want to waste eight hours of his day and a lot of gas on something avoidable. They argued about it for a while, Gwennie taking the side of her father, but, of course, the mom won. And because of that, this was probably gonna be the most annoying road trip she would go on. Sure, they have had family road trips, but those were for an hour tops. Never more than three hours. This one was for four. And because of this long trip, they had to leave early to make it within check in hours.

Losing patience for Gwendolyn not getting out of bed, her mother came over and tore her blankets off. "Gigi! Get up! You need to shower, get dressed, finish packing, and we have to leave within the next two hours. The sooner the better" One more groan escaped her lips before taking the pillow off her face and moving it to the ground, not happy. Her mom was extremely pushy. All she needed to pack was her bedding, showering took ten minutes if that and forty-five to get ready if she wanted to do her hair and make up. They'd be out the door in an hour. Who she really needed to worry about was Lucy, who spent hours every morning getting ready for school and probably would spend a good part of an hour preparing today just to take a road trip because, ya know, she might meet a cute boy at a rest stop. Wendy sighed before stepping onto the cold hardwood floor, pulling out the one outfit she set aside for the day and heading towards the shared bathroom. As she suspected, it was locked and Lucy was in there. Tired and not having any patience, she knocked, asked what she was doing, and when she said her hair, Gwendolyn continuously banged on the door until she got out. "Don't have to be such a b***h about it, Gwen" Ugh. Lucy knew Gwendolyn hated when people called her Gwen. All she could do is make a face at her younger sister and mimic her. Half her hair was in a ponytail while the other half was straightened. It was kind of funny. Sometimes she couldn't stand her sisters. Trying to take as little time as possible in the shower, she was out in about seven minutes. Then came the blow drying. It didn't take that long, but it was boring to just sit there and blow hot air at your head. During that time, she warmed up her curler. She wasn't going to do much, just big, loose curls. After everything was done, she had been in the bathroom for about forty minutes. She was dressed, pretty, and ready to go. Her dad packed her bedding away and loaded everything in the car. As soon as she was out, Lucy was back in.

When Gwendolyn told her mom she was ready to go, the frantic rush began. Olivia and Charlotte were taken away from the TV. Lucy was taken from the bathroom before she could do her make up. Gwendolyn smiled evilly a bit for that one. And dad was taken away from the computer. Everyone was getting piled into the car. Lucy called shotgun, but Gwendolyn just kicked her out when she got there. Her sister had become quite the...teenager...recently. She was extremely happy to be able to get away from her for a few months, then see her winter break, then get way from her for even longer! She might head home one weekend every month, and definitely the day her sister is born, weekend or not. She just had to work out the details later. She didn't want to think until school actually started. For now, she just wanted to rest her eyes. The drive there was boring and she ended up sleeping most of the time. They would make stops often so Olivia and Charlotte could use the restroom and her dad could catch up with them. The rest of the time she was either asleep or singing along to the radio. For the most part, the ride was boring. Nothing extraordinary. There was a crash, but she didn't witness it. However, the effects of it was rather clear when they spend a half hour on a three mile strip of road. It was bad, a fatality she was sure. She was just happy they left home a little early, otherwise she'd be late for sign-in.

After the long ride, they finally made it. She thought for a minute she was gonna be stuck in that car forever, with Lucy thinking she can sing when she slaughters songs and Olivia asking for juice or water every twenty minutes then having to pee often. When she jumped out, there was a huge smile on her face. She was here. She was gonna be here for a year. And it was beautiful. Her family followed her up to the doors, her dad rolling her two luggage bags. They decided here would be a good place to leave her. "Bye sweetie, you text or call me everyday!" Her mom said with tears in her eyes. Her mom didn't want her to go. It was like leaving for college a year early. Lucy was just excited to finally get her own bedroom. Her dad was gonna miss her, but didn't show it. Charlotte, the only sister she could really stand was crying a bit. And Olivia was ready to throw a fit because she was tired. She hugged everyone one last time. "Bye mom, dad. Bye Luc, Lottie, and Liv. And see ya soon Artemisia" The last part was said to her mom's protruding belly. She loved the name her parents picked out. Especially since she was the one who suggested it.

After the goodbyes, Gwendolyn was finally able to head into the school and start her new life. Free of bullies, homophobia, and a place she could finally be herself. She was also hoping for maybe a new girlfriend. After all, she only had one before and even then, the relationship lasted four months. When she walked in, it was obvious where the student sign in was. Because it was close to the end, the line was rather short. That also meant her roommate was already there which means she probably claimed the window bed. She was kind of afraid that was going to happen and would be rather pissed if it did. She just put it aside for now as she walked over to the line to stand in it. A short wait later and she was there. "Name, dear?" The man behind the front desk looked tried, obviously because he had been there all day, but he was still very warm towards her. "Oh...Gwendolyn Rustin. I'm a senior" The man turned around and found a folder as well as a room key. "Here, everything you need, You're in dorm one hundred and two" Gwendolyn nodded and smiled before thanking the man and walking out. 102. That meant she was on floor number one, which was rather nice. Not wanting to pull out the map, Gwendolyn just followed the signs to the dorms and found hers after only about five minutes of wandering. She put the key in and turned, opening it to find her roommate there. And with the window bed. She sighed a bit before moving her stuff to the other bed in the room, not going to argue. "Hi. I'm Gwendolyn Rustin" She said to the rather cute girl in front of her in her room. "If Gwendolyn is too long, you can call me Wendy, Gwennie, or Gigi. But please, not Gwen. Lynn if you want to call me something one syllable" Oh damn she was already rambling. She just tossed her suitcase carrying her shoes and random stuff on her bed and unzipped. She was always nervous to meet new people, so she began to search for her iPod and her camera she got for her last birthday so she could listen to music and take pictures of her new surroundings.

[serious strawberry]

When Ari approached Athena asking for a quicky, she honestly didn't know how to respond. She wanted to hook up with someone tonight, but Ari was the usual and she wanted something more. Of course, she could never say that to him. Before she could respond, her phone buzzed and she pulled it out. As soon as she read the text, she heard the sirens. Saved by the bell. Well, not really. Oh s**t, the cops! She didn't know how to react other than to finish her drink, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, throwing the glass aside to hide the evidence and look as innocent, sober, and bored as possible, like she was the wallflower or the designated driver. Although, she was a little more than buzzed and feeling the side effects of the brownies, hoping it wasn't too obvious. Before she knew it, she was approached by an officer, getting asked a few basic questions. When he asked if she had been drinking, she couldn't help it. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she nodded with guilt and began quietly crying. She couldn't lie, she knew she'd be caught, and she has always been an emotional girl. The officer nodded and led her outside, sitting her down on the sidewalk, lecturing her. "You are in a lot of trouble, young lady" With that, she was led into the car in cuffs, being taken with her friends to be sentenced to three weeks at a rehabilitation center, which she believed was totally unfair because this was a first offence and honestly one of the few times she has ever had an alcoholic beverage, definitely not enough to call her an alcoholic.

After the whole ordeal, Athena was escorted home by the police and greeted at the door by two lovely parents who were obviously just woken up by the door bell. When they saw her with the cops, her dad grabbed her and pulled her in while he stood outside to talk to the cops while her mother started crying her eyes out. With all the noise, it woke up her brother, but he just stood on the sidelines to watch everything unfold. After five long minutes, her mother not even looking at her without crying again, her dad walked through the door and couldn't control his rage. "You said you were at Jess's! I cannot believe you would lie to us to go off and get drunk with your idiotic friends!" He stomped off the the kitchen, slamming cupboards so that his anger was directed at something that wasn't her. She followed him to the kitchen sheepishly before speaking up. "Dad, I'm so sorry. I was stupid and I shouldn't have done what I did. I'll gladly take any punishment on top of this rehab trip His hand balled into a fist and he couldn't help but swing at her, hitting her arm with a lot of force. It hurt pretty badly, but she felt like she deserved it and just turned her head toward the way of her room. "Athena, your mother and I are extremely disappointed. Go to bed. Now. Your mother and I and your brother all have work tomorrow and can't take it off to drive you there, so we need to discuss what's going to happen. With that, Athena turned to her room, closed the door, took off her clothes and stumbled into bed. She knew she needed to find a ride, so she decided to text the one person she really trusted and ask if he could.

to; alex
from; athena
wow. cant believe it got busted
listen, my parents have to work tomorrow and can't take me to that damn rehab center
and i'm guessing i need a ride
if you could, that'd be awesome
anyways, i'm going to bed.
goodnight.

With that, Athena put her phone on the charger out of habit, even though she probably didn't need it for a month or....three. Well, it was worth trying to sneak it in the rehab place even though most of her friends were heading to the same place. After starring up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours with tears quietly falling down, the girl was finally able to go to sleep.

timeskip!!

Athena was woken up to her father yelling at her to get up and pack as he was heading out the door. She opened her door to say bye to him. "I talked to your mother last night. She'll tell you what's going to happen. I just hope you found a ride last night or your walking there" Before she could respond, he was out. His voice a lot calmer than last night. She could tell he was feeling remorseful about hitting her last night. It's not like it happened often. It just happened when she was either being a b***h or...arrested. She went to the garage and grabbed her rolly luggage thingy she used for Summer Camp and dragged it in to her room, open it, and began stuffing it with her clothes and shoes and toiletries, making sure she had everything she could possibly need and was finished by the time her mom came out of her bedroom.

It was an awkward few seconds before her mom decided to speak first. "I'm not gonna yell at you. I'm just gonna tell you what's happening. You will find a way to get to Think Clean. When you return, you will be grounded to your room for two months. No TV, computer, phone, nothing. You can leave for babysitting Lucy, food, bathroom, and any obligations you have to go to. There is no bargaining. This is it." Athena just nodded before heading back to her bedroom. She heard her mother leave and went into the living room where her brother was now awake with her sister. Every morning, the usual was she would care for her while her brother got ready for work then he would take Lucy to daycare if everyone was leaving or was probably leaving. The morning was silent between them while she fed her sister, held her, and had to change her one. When it was about five minutes before her brother had to leave, she strapped her into her carrier which would go into the car seat when he left. When her brother was ready to leave, he lifted her carrier and looked toward Athena "I am extremely disappointed in you. But I will miss you" He gave her a side hug and a kiss on the top of her head before heading out the door. Her brother did love her. Since she was home alone, she checked her facebook, updating that she wouldn't be on for a while and to not bother asking because she wouldn't be able to respond. She then grabbed her phone and began playing some games, sitting around for a while.