Cicada Nights

(Buddy Thread!)

The area that feeds into Aurora High is representative of the ethnic and economic diversity that makes Seattle so unique. The architecture is varied, illustrating the growth and expansion that the city has undergone. Turning a corner can lead you from townhouses and apartments to quiet tree-lined streets of modest single-family homes, while the next turn might lead you to areas of much higher or lower property values. The unifying sight in the area is the herds of students who trudge to and from the school daily.
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Little Boy†
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Cicada Nights

#1

Post by Little Boy† »

The night air was pleasant, the porch an oasis of light in the darkness of suburbia. Somewhere, a dog was barking. Out across the backyard, Oswaldo could see neighborhood lights flicking off. It was a quarter to twelve. It was time for the rest of the world to go to sleep.

Oswaldo burrowed the bottom of his face down into the neck of his orange sweater, exhaling hot air- and a particularly noisy burp. Os shifted in his seat at the sound, looking around at his friends and grinning sheepishly.

"Erm. Excuse me?" He said with an easy smile, looking at his friends lounging in the patio chairs. Os reached down, grabbing at his cooler. Bringing it up and examining the contents, Os frowned. Nearly empty. It seemed like he'd just opened it a few moments ago.

Noooo my alcohollllll-

"I think I need another," Oswaldo stated, getting up from his chair. "Would anyone like somethin'?"

Oswaldo looked down at the table, littered with empty beer  and pop cans, torn open bags of chips, and several board games. It had been a successful night, all told. It was a lazy Saturday- Oswaldo wasn't working and his Dad was away in another city for the weekend, bitching at publishers or something along those lines. He didn't exactly care. What mattered was that for 48 hours his Dad was out of his hair- and had conveniently left enough cash to buy him and his friends both pizza AND booze.

Some of his buddies had even been thinking of staying later, even spending the night. While he tried his best to act casual about the idea, inside Oswaldo was beaming. There was nothing as depressing as a silent house as the last guest filtered out.

Although knowing these guys, they'll probably dip my hand in a glass of water or some stupid shit... So maybe a silent house would be better after all? Oh I don't even know.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#2

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

"Ginger ale, if you got any left!"

Sean Mulcahy looked out from Ozzie's porch, observing all he could of the darknening neighborhood from his seated perch atop the railing. His feet dangled below him, about a foot from the porch and even further from the ground below. An empty ginger ale can was precariously balanced on the railing next to him. Luckily, these were the kind of people who wouldn't give Sean any shit about being a pirate and not drinking any real ale. These were his friends.

"How'd you manage to score the beer anyway, Ozzie?" Sean called after the boy who was planning on fetching drinks. "Like, I understand the pizza and the soda, but do you got a connection somewhere? ... Not that I'm against it, I mean... y'know me." Sean flashed a smile and looked back over the backyard. He had, earlier in the night, initially wished that they could have a campfire or something, but he remembered in the nick of time why they couldn't have one before he had the audacity to ask. Sometimes, when you look at somebody's face so much and don't judge them for it, it's easy to forget half of it was burnt off.
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KamiKaze
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#3

Post by KamiKaze »

((Alex Ripley continued from Dodge Brawl))

Well, there were many ways one could "score" beer when underaged.

Shoulder tapping. Taking it from your parents. Fake IDs. Sometimes even cashiers just hand them over without checking.

She didn't know which one Ozzy used, but could be any one of those things. Either way...

Alex wasn't touching the beer. If there was going to be beer, someone had to stay sober, correct? After all, someone could end up drunk, and then something happens, and then all sorts of horrible things happened, and then no one would be able to do something to help with whatever trouble. The incident with Megan, even though it was some time ago, was still fresh in her mind. So, Alex, for now, was playing it safe. All she did was just go for the soda, really, but she politely didn't bring it up.

Otherwise, the evening was fun!

How could it not be fun? Here she was, hanging with her buddies. They ate pizza, played board games, the works. And guess what? They had decided to stay over for the night. And that was good, too. It had been a while since the last time she slept over at someone's house, after all. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because no one asked her? Or she didn't remember the last time, and it turned out to be recent?

Anyways. Fun.

Oh, that's right. She was thinking of ways he could have gotten the booze after Sean brought it up, and she forgot that Ozzy had asked if they wanted anything.

Alex peered down at her can. The root beer had since disappeared, making the can lighter in that awkward way. Well, she could ask, right? Of course. That's why he was asking. Obviously.

"Oh, may I have another root beer, please?"
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#4

Post by Little Boy† »

Oswaldo headed toward the plastic blue freezer he'd hauled up onto the deck, crouching down and yanking open the lid. The cooler had been outside for most of the day- and in the heat the majority of the ice had melted. Several cans of beer and soda floated in the frigid water and Oswaldo reached in, grabbing a root beer (and after a bit of searching) one of the last ginger ales.

I should probably restock this... Probably have more ginger ale in the fridge. Ah well, I'll do it later.

"Sure thing guys!" He called back over his shoulder. Returning to the table Os collapsed in his seat, handing Sean his Ginger Ale and sliding the Root Beer across the table toward Alex. It caught on a chip bag, and rolled half the way there.

"Oops- sorry Alex. Might wanna flick the bottom on that one." Os said, mimicking the action with his own cooler. "I heard it helps get rid of the bubbles."

Os turned back to Sean to answer his original question. "How'd I get it? Oh man, I got connections. With the mob. They run liquor, bootlegging operation outta the southside. My contact is Jeff, the kid across the street."

After a moment of grinning stupidly at his own rambling tale, Os continued. "Yeah, he has a fake ID. I suppose I coulda just asked my cousin or someone, but when Jeff got it he was really eager to see if it would actually work. So I passed him some cash and he went on a been run."

Os took a sip of his own beer, and grabbed for a nearby bag of bbq chips. "It's kinda silly. The guy is of legal age in about a month and he spends a couple hundred on a fake ID."
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MK Kilmarnock
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#5

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

"That's a criminal for you!" Sean said in his usual energetic manner, having taken his can of the sweet, sweet bubbly. He cracked open the can of ginger ale and took a sip, facing out towards the backyard once more. He had been joked with a couple times by his friends that an actual pirate should be drinking ale, or grog, or something alcoholic, but Sean didn't really fell like the kind of guy to try that. It wasn't that he found it 'morally wrong' or anything like that. Ozzy was free to drink all the beer in the world if it made him happy (though Sean had an inkling that such a feat would kill the guy), but it just wasn't for him. Didn't like the smell of it. Naw, he'd take something sugary any day. "If you can bend the rules and get away with it, why do anything legally? Hehehe..."

Sean re-situated the can in his hand so he could lean back on the railing and drop down, hanging by the underside of his knees without actually spilling it. Once he could actually reach the floor of the porch, he carefully set the can down off to the side and just hung there, staring up at an upside-down Alex and Ozzy.

"So, like... what about prom? Whatchoo guys doing?"
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Laurels
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#6

Post by Laurels »

((Claire Monaghan continued from The Short Filmography of Claire Emilia Monaghan))

Claire sipped her beer quietly as she listened to Oswaldo explain his contact. She normally didn't drink, but she figured that she wouldn't have many chances to drink with friends before they were whisked to colleges across the country. Plus, she knew how to drink in moderation, mostly by only having one beer, then drinking soda for the rest of the night.

She popped a potato chip in her mouth as Sean asked about prom. She quickly swallowed the chip before speaking up.

"Oh! I have plans!" she said, excitedly raising her hand in the air.

"Yeah, I'm going with Jack from Film Club. It's really awesome. Got to play on the whole 'I've got no date, you've got no date, let's go be platonic dates' card."

"Don't have a whole lot else in mind. I might just wear my Mio dress. My mom wants to really take me shopping though. It's been a long time since she did prom dress shopping with Emma, and she wants to really have fun with me before she waits three years to shop again with Jessica. I don't really get it, but I think my mom sees it as a sort of special mother-daughter bonding moment. It must have killed her when my dad took Mason tux shopping for prom."

Claire took a quick sip of beer.

"But what about you guys? Any plans or dates? Come on, we're a fine looking batch, we've all got to have plans."
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CondorTalon
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#7

Post by CondorTalon »

((Corey Esposito continued from Clap Your Hands.))

Corey sat on the porch, fiddling with the empty Dr Pepper can in his hand. He hadn't asked for another fill, mostly because he wasn't even that thirsty. He was just enjoying the relaxing evening he could spend with his friends. He honestly didn't hang around outside much, but how could he turn down a night of fun with all of his buddies?

The subject of the conversation had somehow steered to Prom, and any plans for it. Claire asked if they all had plans.

"Hmm... not sure, really. I haven't asked anybody yet... although there are a few girls I am considering asking. Really, though... uh... if I can't get anyone to go with, I'll just stag."

He grinned.

"After all, what's high school without Prom?"

He tossed the empty can between his hands, until it slipped and landed on the floor, rolling its way across the porch.

"Eh, oops!" he exclaimed, as he scrambled to pick it up.
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Little Boy†
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#8

Post by Little Boy† »

((Guess Kami is actually away, so I will post nowww~))

"But what about you guys? Any plans or dates? Come on, we're a fine looking batch, we've all got to have plans."

WELL OUCH CLAIRE. YOU ICY BITCH.

Oswaldo's brow furrowed for a minute. "Define, fine-looking." He deadpanned, before flashing Claire a quick smile.

Of course Claire hadn't meant anything with her statement- it was totally innocent. Claire was hilarious, and pretty far from an icy bitch. But of course, Oswaldo couldn't help but think of himself first when talk went to looks. Os wondered if that was self-centered of him.

It doesn't seem very narcissistic. I mean, it's not like I'm saying I'm gorgeous. I'm actually saying the opposite... Oh man, the Doc would have a field day with this kind of sappy self-centered bullshit.

AHAH. SO IT IS SELF-CENTERED. DEBATE RESOLVED.


For all his internal debating, Os' simply shrugged his shoulders at Claire's question, sipping his cooler.

"In all seriousness though Claire, I don't think I got a date." Oswaldo said, grinning to himself. "Unless any of you guys feel like setting me up, I think I'll be flying solo with you, Corey."

That was something to be proud of at least.

Well, not going to Prom with Corey specifically...

That was sorta embarrassing. But when he'd entered high school, Oswaldo never thought he'd go to Prom. Frankly, he was glad he changed his mind. Or rather, he was glad his friends had changed his mind, convincing him that on the most important night of the year no one would bother enough to hound him or stare at him like he was some sort of freak. The fact that he'd decided it on his own however, left him with an intense feeling of accomplishment. He was committed to having a good time, others be damned!

Thank God people are so self-centered. Much easier to walk when no one is watching.

Corey let out a shout as his can rolled across the porch. Os watched it, not caring enough to move and chase it.

"Don't worry about it- I'll clean up later," he said casually. "Hey Corey, if we're going to Prom, can we rent a Limo? We should arrive in style, don'tcha think?"
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KamiKaze
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#9

Post by KamiKaze »

((Sorry for the delay!))

"Thanks!", Alex said, flicking the bottom.

Sean laughed, saying that it was better to do anything illegally. Maybe it was a joke (well, okay, it probably was, really), but... that's where Alex and Sean differed. While Sean was the kind of person to laugh about using a fake ID, Alex would never even joke about touching one. Maybe it was all those stories she heard, about what they did to people with fake IDs, but she wouldn't touch one personally.

But she continued to smile. Really. It was kind of funny someone would go to the effort of getting a fake ID when they're about to be legal. It's like, you can wait. Going through all that effort to make yourself a fake ID, which you can get in trouble for, only to turn legal in a month anyways... that was ridiculous, and kind of funny.

Alex had to hide a giggle at that.


Prom?

Oh dear.

She hadn't thought of it much.

To be honest, Alex didn't know what to do about that. She didn't really have anyone she was crushing on- not right now, at least. Perhaps she could go with a friend, like Kyran or someone. Claire was going with Jack. Corey and Oz didn't have anything planned either.

"I... kind of don't have anything planned as well" she said, an embarrassed smile on her face. "It kind of creeped up, you know?"

Gah, and she'll have to go dress shopping, didn't she? Alex couldn't really see herself in something too fancy. Maybe she could put a Ripley-ish bent on it, but you know. Maybe she could somehow pull off a Victorian or steampunk look, now that she thought of it. But how could she do that? Might be hard!
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MK Kilmarnock
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#10

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

Sean listened to each of his friends' answers to his question. It seemed as though quite a few of them didn't have plans. He listened to Claire's comment and immediately looked to Ozzie, knowing such a statement might make the poor guy feel uncomfortable (no matter how often Sean told him the scars made him look badass). He listened to Alex's plans last, and came to realize that prom was, indeed, creeping up on all of them.

He listened to the blood flowing right to his head. Yup, definitely time to turn back up.

Sean strained and pulled and curled until he was sitting back on the railing, giving a little sigh post-exertion. "Well," he started as he turned around on the railing, "I'm... not even sure if I'm going. No real reason to go, I guess. It's not like I have a date..." Sean laughed at his own little joke. Nothing said a date was mandatory to go to prom, and you could even go as friends, but wasn't a date like... half the reason for going? "And I figure I just have more fun partying with you guys like this."
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Laurels
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#11

Post by Laurels »

Define, fine-looking.

Claire turned to Oswaldo. He said that pretty bluntly, but his smile assured her that he didn't take the comment that poorly.

Shit, I forgot how self conscious he can get. Wait, I can save this.

"We are so fine-looking, that Stacey May-Mordetsky and Miles Strickland look at us and say dayuuuuuuuuuuummmmmm!"

She laughed slightly. She hoped that made Os feel better. She knew he didn't like his scars that much. She personally felt his scars made him like Richard Harrow from Boardwalk Empire: scarred from chaos, but a gentle figure who can get a lot of followers and fans.

The group then began to voice their plans. Seemed like no one else had a date yet. Corey and Oswaldo seemed like they were going to go stag, Sean seemed very unenthusiastic about the whole thing, and Alex seemed somewhat overwhelmed by Prom.

However, Claire did like some of the ideas they had. Corey and Oswaldo renting a limo sounded super fun. Their group could ride into Prom with sunglasses and top hats, then slowly enter the hall in one formation while some badass song like "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" or "Iron Man" played in the background. Claire mentally drooled at the vision.

"Dude, we should totally do something awesome at Prom. Maybe we could convince enough people to do the Macarena or something? Or maybe we all go to someone's house for After Prom and do a sleepover? That would be cool."
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CondorTalon
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#12

Post by CondorTalon »

Corey managed to pick up the can and stumbled back into his chair. A limo, huh? Corey thought about it. Hell, it'd be pretty awesome.

It seemed everyone had mixed reactions about it. Sean seemed a bit hesitant, while Alex apparently hadn't thought of it much. To be honest, it wasn't really a big deal for Corey. If he could go with his friends and have a good time, that was good enough for him.

He laughed at Claire's suggestion of the Macarena. He now had a mental image of someone Miles or Cody doing the Macarena. He chuckled a bit.

"Sorry, that's a bit hilarious."

He straightened up a bit.

"Yeah, an after party sounds good."

He mentally wondered if his parents would allow the party to be at his house. He'd have to ask them.
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#13

Post by Cake »

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Little Boy†
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#14

Post by Little Boy† »

((Apologies guys, that I have been so late on this post. I had a really stressful week, so I had to take a few days off, which stalled this post.

Anyways, I need to take Oswaldo out to plop him into another thread. Feel free to stay as long in here as you like- I give you guys permission to gm Os if you require him for any house-party topics))

Alex quickly got up, and headed inside to answer her phone. Oswaldo gave her a wave as she went, smiling to let her know that at least he didn't take any offense to her ducking out for a few minutes. It was no biggie. Probably just her parents, or a friend.

"Afterparty..." Os mused to himself. "That will be fun."

He said the words a little more confidently. After-parties usually didn't consist of the entire school population, and a greater margin would be friends. Plus, with a few drinks in him, he'd probably loosen up a whole lot more. Maybe he could go an entire night without mentioning his therapy to himself?

That was an annoying habit he was still trying to break. Sometimes he'd even catch himself laughing after a very funny joke, and wondering what Doc' would say if he could see him.

"Whatever you guys decide on, count me in." Oswaldo said. "I just want an excuse to hang out. I'm all about those!"

Oswaldo leaned back in his chair, content. For awhile longer he listened to his friends talk and laugh. It was a good night. No dad, no worries. Just fond memories and cold beers. Just how life should be.

[[Oswaldo continues elswhere]]
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MK Kilmarnock
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#15

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

((Skipping order for Sean's exit.))

As the night went on, Sean became more comfortable with his decision. Prom just didn't seem like a big deal to him. What mattered most was his friends, as well as hanging out with them on nights like this. As sappy as the thought was, it was true that there was no other place he'd rather be. Except the ocean. And maybe a couple lakes. And maybe sitting at a table with a heaping pile of buttered pancakes. Still, aside from any of those places, this just couldn't be beat.

As he was set to stay the night, Sean eventually removed himself from the porch railing and headed for the door.

"I'mma turn in, folks... night!"

((Sean Mulcahy, continued in How I Spent My Suspension))
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