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Post by Tiff on May 20, 2012 4:27:41 GMT -5
Grady tossed another log onto the reasonably large fire they had going and stepped back to watch it catch fire. He smacked his hands against his jeans to clean them off and turned to see Collins standing just behind him with a puzzled look on her face. "What's up?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest. Collins didn't say anything, which gave Grady the impression that she hadn't heard him, or whatever was troubling her was just profound enough to make her deaf to him. He took a step back and bumped her with his shoulder.
"Huh?" Collins asked, her eyebrows rising into her bangs. "Oh, uh Where's Garret? He should be out here helping you get this fire going, no better yet, he should be getting the fire going while you do whatever it is he's doing. Lazying about I bet." She dropped her arms to her side and turned around to scan the parking lot and road behind her.
"He's around somewhere." Grady replied. "It's honestly not that big of a deal, if I relied on Garret, nothing would get done and we'd be sitting here in the dark." He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, staring in the direction of the road. Collins put her arm around her cousin's back and rested her head on his shoulder. "Congratulations by the way, I don't know if I've told you enough."
Just then a pick up pulled into the parking lot and Garret got out and slammed the door. "Nobody's here yet?" He turned to the bed of his pick up and lifted a cooler out the back. "Hey Grady, guess who Isabelle says is coming." He set the cooler on the ground and reached into the back of his truck again.
Grady looked at Collins and back to Garret, he didn't know. Collins detached herself from Grady and ran to Garret's side. "Shhh." She hissed, taking the bag Garret procured from the back of the truck. "God I swear you just can't keep anything a secret can you." She painted her face with a smile when she turned to face Grady again. "You better do some quick thinking and choose a random name out of that numb skull brain of yours or so help me." She said through her teeth.
"Come on really?" Garret asked Grady. "Atticus." The smile on Collins face was wiped clean off, if she weren't trying to be discrete she'd slap him up the side of his head. "That's the best name you could come up with? Really his best friend? You're really dumb Garret Walker, really fucking dumb."
"I know." Grady raised an eyebrow, but turned to face the fire as they passed him and set the cooler and bag down. "I didn't know Atticus and Isabelle talked..." Collins glared at Garret and then her eyes lit up as she saw headlights coming down the road. "Is it Xander?" Grady asked. "Hopefully." Collins said, crossing her fingers.
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Post by kristay on May 20, 2012 23:44:28 GMT -5
Jackie was singing along to whatever song was on the radio; she was ridiculously hyper though no one could blame her. It was Jackie after all. Xander shook his head at his little sister and smiled as he saw Garret's pick up, deciding to park beside it. They had all been invited to celebrate the fact that Grady had finally graduated from high school and was going to be in college like the rest of them. Xander wasn't only there to celebrate with them though; truth to tell, he had a completely ulterior motive in mind. He wanted to see his girlfriend, who he hadn't seen in a while. Schedules had kept the both of them busy though they did the best they could with the time they did have each other.
"So what ever happened to that guy you were seeing anyway?" He had turned off the car and was watching Jackie shrug on a black cardigan, partially covering a bright purple tank top. She had dressed lightly, matching her top with a pair of black short shorts and dark slippers that revealed her newly painted toenails. Her hair was haphazardly put up in a messy top knot that revealed her slender neck and a part of her tattoo. "I don't know... I only saw him a couple of times and then... And then I don't know. But Grady's cute isn't he?" Xander quirked a brow at his little sister. "Just as long as you don't end up breaking his heart sis..." She laughed softly and smiled at Xander as she got out of the car. "You know I'm a good girl." He chuckled softly and nodded; indeed she was... Well most of the time anyway.
Xander got out of the car and locked it after picking out two heaping picnic baskets that Georgiana insisted he bring. Some of the Tays were planning to stop by but they'd be late for reasons unknown. She had forced him to bring some of her baked goodies to placate their friends; her words, not his. He walked over to where Jackie already was, saying hi to Collins and probably flirting with Grady by the looks of it. "Hey guys; were we the first ones?" He showed the two his offerings, "Where do you want me to put these?" He nudged Grady and grinned. "Congrats man."
Jackie smiled widely; the bonfire was big and roaring and she was excited for their celebration to begin. Parties always made her feel full of life and thankful for all the friends that she had gained here. She hooked her arm under Collins and grinned at her. "So how are you? I haven't seen you in forever! How are you and Xander eh? He's been really busy lately; he's always moping about not being able to see you more."
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Post by Tiff on May 21, 2012 1:57:47 GMT -5
Collins squealed when Xander parked next to Garret's truck. Grady nodded his head and chuckled to himself. "Of course it is, only Xander Burkeheart could make Collins squeal like that." He turned to watch the reunion when he spotted Jackie. "Jackie Burkeheart, that's who Isabelle said was coming, I am a bit slow on the uptake aren't I." Garret laughed and fished a soda out of the cooler. "Just a bit."
"Thanks Xander, anywhere is fine. But I'd hurry, someone has been itching to get her arms around your neck and I wouldn't make her wait." He stole a glance at Jackie, smiling to himself as he watched her hook her arm under Collins.
"I am fantastic. So glad my school year is over, who knew the first year of college was so hard?" She smiled, her eyes parting from Xander to meet Jackie's. "We're good, unless you know something that I don't." She grinned, she knew there was nothing wrong. "I miss him too, I almost wish I could take a year off just so I can spend time with him, but my parents would kill me, so it's just better if I stay on the track I'm on. How about you? Still bubbly as ever, I see. Any boy toys hanging around?" She was fishing, but she hoped Jackie wouldn't notice.
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Post by kristay on May 21, 2012 3:30:29 GMT -5
"I think it's always like that actually. It's the adjustment period and all that jazz." She had known well enough since Aya, Georgie and the others were barely seen outside the house after school was over. They were either cooped up in their rooms studying or in the University Library looking for references. Jackie tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and raised her brows in curiosity. Collins had never asked her about her love life before. "Naahh, there was this cutie, Mugen... But I dunno; I guess we're just friends. Why? Do you have someone in mind?" Her lips curved into a teasing grin
Xander quirked a brow at Grady and grinned as he set the baskets down. "Georgie threatened to castrate all of you if you didn't enjoy her food by the way." He hurried back to his girlfriend and Jackie smoothly excused herself. "This is why I love you Jackie." He murmured before wrapping his arms around Collins' trim waist. Jackie scoffed and walked away, turning her back once to watch her eldest brother turn into sappy jelly at the touch of one girl. She moved back towards the cooler and picked up a can of Sprite. She opened it and took a sip, absently eye-ing Grady. "So what are you going to take for college anyway?"
Going to the beach with Doll. It's for Grady's celebration thing. The text was brief and probably not something Monte would have wanted to hear but Aya didn't mind. They had been sleeping in the same bed for the past week and she had been getting the best sleep of her life. She found it incredibly cute that they had actually spent the nights sleeping and not doing other nightly activities. "So how are you and Garret anyway?" She had decided to hitch a ride with Doll; hoping that Monte would come and she could go home with him at the end of the night. Doll's lips curved into a shy smile at the thought of Garret Walker. "Well... I don't know really." Aya grinned at her cousin. "But you like him?" Doll bit her bottom lip and nodded as she parked next to the familiar Honda Civic.
Aya stepped out of the car and smoothed the black, purple, pink and white batik skirt she had on. Not very beachy but it was comfortable and matched the white v-neck and flats she had decided to wear. Doll got out at just about the same time, locking the car before walking towards the growing crowd of people. She had decided to wear dark jeans with with a sea-green tank top. She had a black cardigan tucked under her arm. She caught sight of Garret and made a beeline to him; though her pride refused for her to admit that she had missed him, the truth of the matter was that she hadn't stopped thinking about him since the last time they had seen each other.
Aya grinned as she saw the look on Doll's face; she really was into him no matter how much she tried to play it cool. She went to get a bottle of water before saying hi to Grady to congratulate him. She couldn't help but quirk a curious brow at Jackie however. Everyone knew Grady had a big crush on her.
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Post by Tiff on May 21, 2012 18:32:00 GMT -5
Collins nodded in agreement. "Yeah next semester I'll know what to expect, it won't be so hard. I predict straight A's by the first semester. I had a hard time adjusting to middle school when I moved up. I got my first 'C' and then the next year I'd adjusted and seventh grade became the easiest year of my entire school career." She glanced in Grady's direction for a second, but her eyes landed on Xander's imminent approach and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. "No, no one in particular." She knew Grady would have a hissy fit if she told on him, so it was better to just keep her lips sealed and give very vague hints instead.
Grady made a face at Xander and opened the basket he'd set down. "I'll be sure to eat my fair share then." He plucked a brownie from the variety of sweets and unwrapped the saran wrap, taking a large bite as Xander hurried off to Collins. He was too busy eating the brownie and watching his cousin to notice Jackie walk right to him. He jumped a little when she asked her question. "Oh." He covered his mouth and tried to swallow the rather large bite of soft brownie. "Um." He chewed and finally it went down, his face flushed a light pink, but in the fire light it wasn't noticeable. "I, uh, I want to be a Sports Biomechanics engineer, so uh, I'm going to get my degree in Sports science with a strong biomechanics component in something like engineering, maths, physics or a similar field, maybe even anatomy and then get my masters. I haven't really decided on all the details yet. I've been told it's best to work on the general education credits first because then they're out of the way and you can focus on the stuff that really interests you. Wh..what about you?" He cursed himself for stuttering. He regrettably took his eyes off Jackie's cute little face when Aya walked up. "Hey, thanks." His eyes moved back to Jackie and a grin appeared at the corners of his lips. He knew everyone present knew of his crush and that him standing there talking to her was a big deal in his opinion.
Collins wrapped her arms around Xander's neck and stood on her tip toes to press her lips to his. "You and I need to spend an exponential amount of time together this summer, the school year is killing me." She kissed his lips again and settled back onto her flats. Her hands tracing down his arms to a more comfortable level, her gaze going to Grady and Jackie. "Does she know yet?" She asked. "I swear everyone in town knows he has history's biggest crush on her." She bit her bottom lip and brought her eyes back to his blue ones. "How goes the Business Management course of study?"
Garret grinned as his two favorite people pulled up and got out of the car. He downed the rest of his soda and pitched it into a nearby garbage can before lifting Isabelle easily off the sandy beach. "Missed me huh?" He asked, squeezing her tight, but refusing to set her back down. He waved at Aya and grinned, happy to see Montgomery Mondego was not attached to her side. If he didn't get enough time with Isabelle it was nothing like the little time he got with his best friend.
Monte groaned when he got the text. It wouldn't have been so frustrating if he knew Garret wasn't going to be in attendance, but Grady was his younger brother and because their social circles were the same, Garret would be there unless he wanted to spend the evening alone. Monte knew he didn't technically have to go, but he'd grown used to spending every night with Aya and he didn't want tonight to be any different. He slid his phone back into his back pocket and finished up loading Avery's dishwasher. When he finished he walked upstairs where Avery was rocking Harper to sleep. "Keep your cell on, I might need you to bail me out of jail." Avery laughed. "Going to Grady's grad party? I'll keep it on, just try to be civil and if not, just don't get caught." Monte laughed and started to go. "Uncle Monie" He stopped just outside the door and stepped back into the room. "Harper?" The little girl held her arms out to him, her fingers flexing. He smiled and lifted the little girl from her fathers arms, giving her a hug, she pecked him on the cheek in return and squeezed her little arms around his neck. "Good night Monie." He gave her back to Avery and waved to her. "Night Harper." He slipped from the room, his mood infinitely better, and left through the back door. There really was no point in him driving when he could walk. His eyes saw her silhouette and he told himself he'd try to be pleasant to her best friend.
Mara pulled her Nissan Pathfinder next to Garrets Tundra and she and Chelsea got out. Atticus was a little slower getting out, once out he tucked his ear buds into his pocket and leaned back into the SUV. When he reemerged he was holding a rather large battery operated boom box. "Atty once you set that down could you come help us carry the rest of these?" Mara called to her brother, as she held up a large paper bag from Palmer's diner. Chelsea followed behind the siblings, carrying an equally large paper bag. "Abby didn't know how many people were coming, but she sent enough burgers, fries, and onion rings to feed a small army. Congrats Grady, Abby wanted me to tell you she's proud of you and might stop by after diner closes if she's not too tired." She looked from Grady, to Jackie, and with a smile plastered on her face, she looked back to Grady.
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