Kale Ivy Institute discussion

~RP

This is outdoors, by the back exit. There's always classical music played here, and the gazebo is very large.

Ophelia quickly left the dance even though it hardly even started yet. Not everyone was there and she wasn't entirely in the mood to talk to people on her team just yet. Most of them she hardly liked, but she stuck by them because they were on her team. Black Gavels all the way. Yep. That was the sort of girl she was, or was supposed to be. Sighing softly, she walked up to the gazebo, her fingers tracing over the small black diamond in the middle of her silver pendent.

Black jewel. Black Gavels. That was her team. That was who she was. Why? All because she was the Actress. It was the team she picked, but maybe regretted that decision after meeting Antonio. The were on different teams and relationships between two people on different teams --well they were bound to happen-- but hardly acceptable. It was something that put a strain on her "relationship" with Antonio. Well one of the things. . .

There she was, walking up the path to the gazebo. Antonio glanced around, and, finding no one else around, sprinted after Ophelia. "Ophelia!" he called. He caught up to her just as she reached the gazebo entrance. He took her by the shoulders, then wrapped her in an embrace. He hoped she wouldn't be mad at him for this, but it had been three whole months since he'd last seen her. Ad they hadn't officially broken up at the end of last school year... they'd just left their relationship hanging. Tony hadn't been seeing anyone over the summer, which had been hard to do since girls seemed to enjoy hanging all over him.

"Antonio," Ophelia gasped. At first she wrapped her arms around him, but pulled away quickly as she looked around nervously. While she couldn't see anyone, she doubted that there wasn't someone watching somewhere. Swallowing hard, she smiled up at him, unsure what this meant. "I'm sorry but just...we have to be careful," she whispered, looking down at her feet before turning her attention back up at him. "How have you been? How was your summer?" There was another question Ophelia wanted to ask, but it died on her tongue. She was too scared to ask it perhaps a little too scared to know the answer. After all, three months of not knowing where they stood, it was hardly easy to ask about it now. Nonetheless, it didn't stop her from saying, "I've missed you."

Walking through the building, Lydia had decided to come outside. She wasn't avoiding anyone, she just knew that she couldn't be around Sadie for too long without pushing someone else over the edge. That girl always advocated bad things, and it was easy to succumb just because they were fun. As she walked through the dance halls though, she was pretty sure she was going crazy. For a second there, she had almost thought she had seen Stiles. Like... maybe it was wishful thinking... or maybe not, because she didn't want him here. Kale was her escape--her past didn't catch up, it wasn't supposed to work that way.

So instead of sticking around to let her mind play tricks, she decided to get some fresh air.

Leaned up against the wall, Serena was relaxing after meeting up with some of her friends. They had danced a while but she slipped away a few minutes before. Hoping it wasn't someone looking for her, she glanced up, only to be surprised when saw it was Lydia. Watching her for a few minutes she pretty much figured there was something on the girl's mind. However Lydia never struck her as the one to share but she smiled anyways and went over to her. "Hey Lydia." A distraction never hurt especially when trying to forgot something. She would know that of course. But let's not go onto that topic. That's a story for another time.

"Hey, Serenity." she smiled, an automatic response. Lydia had instincts when it came to certain people, depending on who they were, she could just turn on a million-watt smile in a millisecond if need be. With Serenity it was like that, since she needed to keep up appearances. It wasn't that they weren't friends... it was just Serenity did kind of make a big deal out of little things. So she wasn't about to let on if anything was bothering her, because then the girl would ask like a thousand and five questions to make sure she was OK. "Excited for student counsel this year?" she asked, making a move for small talk.

Serenity smiled, she knew when someone was trying to avoid something but she left it at that. She would hate it if someone pried into her problems when she didn't want them too, especially not-, let's not go there actually. "Oh yeah, congratulations on president,"She gave her a big smile. "But then of course everyone knew you were going to get the position,"And it was true. Lydia was probably the best choice for it. "And you?" She cocked her head,"Have you seen any freshies by now?" She asked her curiously. the initiation weren't that far away and she was excited. Yeah it was embarrassing for them but it was a good memory to laugh about later.

Lydia grinned, and it wasn't forced. She recalled her earlier experience by the fountain fondly, thinking of Ariana. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Sadie found her latest project. There is a Freshman that seemed incredibly willing to be pushed in any direction that got her popularity, so that'll probably keep her busy for a while. And thanks, I worked hard, I'm happy it finally paid off." She wasn't sure if she should congratulate Serenity or not... since she might see it as coming in second?

Serenity shook her head as a giggle escaped her,"You really are too cruel Lydia. Honestly leaving her with Sadie is like leaving her with Ben. But at least with Sadie she'll toughen up and learn the ropes. Maybe prepare her for well you know,"She told him with a shrug. "Oh everyone knows. There was no doubt your were going to win." She smiled sheepishly,"I was honestly not expecting to win vice. I started campaigning last minute and expected like assistant or something. I kind of felt bad. Kind if anyways."

Brushing her skirt, Lydia pulled out her phone--feeling it buzz against her leg, where it was previously tucked safely inside the outfit's hidden pocket. She ignored it for a second as Serenity spoke, amused with her words. "If she can't handle being around Ben, I doubt Sadie will keep her as a pet anyways. No one likes a girl that's that easy." she laughed, "And assistant wouldn't have done you justice, so don't feel bad."

She paused to glance at her phone, noticing she had a message from Roland. Great--the espionage was starting early this year. It read; Damn girl, how many hearts do you plan on breaking tonight? I count one.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Serenity smiled,"Yeah well there's a reason Ben manages to sleep with girls. He has to have something up his sleeve,"She shrugged. "Poor freshie doesn't know what hit her. But at least she's gotten on the right team,"She told her. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw her confused look because of her text. "Don't tell me Ben is asking you for a hookup, or better yet Roland is asking you for help on F-con 5 for stalking like earlier,"She told her jokingly.

The only thing Lydia suspected Ben had up his sleeve was a condom. She honestly didn't understand the conniption girls had over him, to her? He was an overconfident, suggestive, prick. Lydia didn't find him attractive one bit. "He wouldn't ask me, he already knows the answer." she mumbled in response, tucking her phone away. "No, it was just Vivian updating me." she remarked, "Speaking of Vivian, I think I'm going to go find her. See you around, Serenity..."

Roland was seriously going to get it--she was so not playing the game by his rules tonight.

Cheryl [cherchima] wrote: ""Antonio," Ophelia gasped. At first she wrapped her arms around him, but pulled away quickly as she looked around nervously. While she couldn't see anyone, she doubted that there wasn't someone wat..."

"My summer was good, but you weren't in it." Antonio grinned down at her. "I've missed you, too." He heard footsteps and quickly pulled Ophelia into the shadows not he other end of the gazebo. Luckily, the structure was large. They weren't spotted as Serenity and Lydia had a quick conversation.

((I'm sorry this is short; I'm kinda in a hurry. And sorry for disappearing on you earlier!))

(^^ oh it's fine!)

Ophelia was about to dart back into the dance room when she heard someone approach, but luckily Antonio thought of a better plan. So maybe she was a little more scared than usual about meeting him like that, but at the same time she didn't care. She really did like Antonio a lot, which was why she was practically heartbroken the entire summer because he wasn't in it either. Smiling a little up at him, Ophelia leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "What did you do on your vacation? Did you go anywhere fun?" she asked.

Antonio wrapped his arms around Ophelia again. It was great to be back at school, if only to see her. He wondered, with a little bitterness, how long their relationship would last this time before someone found out or one of them suddenly decided it 'wasn't working out'. "My father went on a two week business trip to Amsterdam, and he let me come along," Tony said. "That was pretty fun. Other than that, I lazed around, ignored my summer homework, and missed you." He smiled his flirtiest smile at Ophelia, then leaned down to give her a peck on the lips.

Ophelia smiled, wrapping her arms up around his shoulders. She missed this feeling of being his arms, being this close to him, talking to him. God, she just really really missed Antonio. She never thought it was possible for her to miss someone so much. "Amsterdam? Really? That must have been fun," she murmured. "And I missed you too." When he leaned down, Ophelia instantly leaned up to meet his lips with her own --she turned the peck into a something a little more. For a moment, she let her guard down just a little, not too worried about anyone coming along and seeing them. Though she pulled back a little and warily looked around them before smiling back up at Antonio. There was still that lingering question of what they were now. Did this mean they were on again? Were they okay? Or were there some unresolved issues they should discuss? Yet she couldn't find herself asking him any of that. She was too scared.

Antonio didn't want Ophelia to pull back, but he understood her caution. He, too, looked around, and though he saw no one, he knew that what they were doing was risky. He also knew that at some point he was going to have to get his loyalties straightened out, especially since he was going to be secretary on the student council this year. Something told him they couldn't keep this relationship a secret forever, but part of him wanted desperately to believe they could. "Do you think we can make this work this year?" he asked Ophelia, trying to summarize his thought process to her.

And there was the question she wanted to avoid. "I want to make it work," she mumbled, glancing down at the ground before looking back up at him. She didn't know if it would work since there was the whole fact they were on different teams. It was so annoying though that just because most people on teams hated each other didn't mean they all had to hate each other. It was stupid this competition thing, but at the same time, people took it all so seriously at Kale, she knew she was supposed to as well. "Do you think we can?" She looked at him expectantly.

"I want to think we can," Tony answered cautiously. He didn't want to say 'yes' because that would only get both of their hopes up, and he didn't want to say 'no' because there really was a part of him that thought 'yes'. "We'll have to be even more careful than last year," he continued, thinking out loud. "And... I don't know if you know this, but I'm on the student council this year. If we're caught..." Tiny trailed off, trying to wrap his mind around what would happen if anyone found out about he and Ophelia. They'd both be socially decimated, of course, but did the teams have any power to ruin them academically? Maybe even get them suspended, or worse, expelled? He didn't doubt that the ruling Powers that Be had a ton of influence. Not to mention the fact that anything could happen and he and Ophelia could get framed for it. "We just can't be caught," Tony said firmly.

"Easier said than done." Ophelia sighed, not even sure how this was going to work out. Thinking about it realistically, this really wasn't going to work out. After all, this was Antonio's last year at Kale, Ophelia still has about another two years to go before she was finally able to leave. Though her mother kept telling her to ditch the books and become a full-fledged actress. While that was an option for Ophelia, it wasn't an option she liked. The girl actually wanted an education. "Oh right, I heard about that," she said when he mentioned he was part of student council. "This isn't going to be easy, Tony. I mean how are we going to find any time to be together without other people knowing about it? It's not like someone isn't going to eventually notice something is going on between us."

"If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun," Tony said. His eyes twinkled. "You know I like a challenge, right? Besides, we've only been caught..." - he counted the times in his head - "three times, and the third time didn't even count, and they were all in your freshman year." He sighed. "In all seriousness, Ophelia I know just as well as you do that this may not end up working out. But we have to at least try." He bent down for another kiss, soft and slow, letting this one linger. "And once we're both out of school, we don't have to give a shit about this rivalry stuff."

Ophelia couldn't help but laugh a little. "Mmm, I guess it is more fun this way." She loved how his eyes sparkled like that, it made her relax a little. Just a little. Though enough for her to step closer to him. "Yes, I remember those three times fairly well. The last one did count because they walked in on us and they looked like they were going to run off and tell on us. In case you forgot about that," she sighed, but smiled a little. "But they were dumb enough to believe our story." She chuckled softly, nodding her head in agreement. When he kissed her again, naturally Ophelia kissed back. It was times like these that she cherished the most. It was just between them, no one had to know about it. Even if they did, what hard could come out of a relationship like this one? "You're graduating this year though, I don't graduate until next year," she pointed out, staying close to Tony.

"And they didn't tell. So it doesn't count," Antonio said triumphantly. "I mean, the first two times, yeah, it was bad, but only because those people had, shall we say, more social power than us. But those girls in the third time were pretty much nobodies." It pained Antonio to be taking advantage of the stupid social hierarchy here, but it had saved he and Ophelia before. "And I'm sure everyone's forgotten about it by now. I mean, that was two whole years ago. A vast expanse of time in Kale Ivy perspective."

He shook his head when Ophelia pointed out their age difference. "We have an entire year before we have to worry about that. And after that, I'll wait for you if you wait for me." Antonio met her gaze with his most intense, searching stare.

"With you on the student council, we can't afford to get caught at all this year. I don't want you to lose your spot, I know how hard you worked to get on the student council." She frowned slightly, knowing she would hate herself if he was kicked off, or worse, because of her. Maybe they shouldn't risk it this year. However, looking up at Antonio, she knew he was worth the risk, she just hoped he felt the same way about her. "Hmm I guess almost everything is forgotten by now just as long as no one suspects anything that is. So that means no more sneaking kisses behind trees, or rendezvous in the library in the back between the shelves," she chuckled softly, hitting him playfully on the chest.

Looking deeply into those beautiful brown eyes of his, she nodded. "I'll always wait for you," she replied without a second of hesitation. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to say that because she was scared, but at the same time Ophelia wanted this to work out. No she needed this to work out.

"There are more hidden places than trees and libraries," Antonio said playfully. "On this campus, there's any sort of place you might possibly be looking for." But, even as he spoke, he gave another wary glance around. Tony hated that they had to have this secrecy. He wished so much that he and Ophelia could just be a couple instead of having to keep it a secret that they even knew each other's names. "And I you," he said in response to her promise. There was something monumental about those words. He couldn't quite place what or why, but it felt like a solemn vow that they both might have trouble breaking. It unnerved Tony a little, but at the same time it comforted him. "I'll 'sneak a kiss' right now, thanks," he added, and bent down once more to do just that.

Ophelia smiled into the kiss, more than ready to simply lose herself in this moment with him. Who knew how long it would be until they met again? She was sure it would be a couple days, which always felt like forever to her, but who knows, maybe they would even chance a meet tomorrow. It would be nice to see him again tomorrow, but they needed to be careful. More careful than last year. She pressed her lips against his, loving how natural it felt to do something as simple as kiss him; then she wrapped her arms around him again, finding her body fit against his almost a little too perfectly. After a little while, making it last longer than the last few kisses, Ophelia pulled back. It was probably time for them to part, to mingle among their friends and pretend nothing has passed just now. "We should go back inside," she sighed hesitantly.

Antonio kissed Ophelia with passion, trying to convey all of his complicated feelings into the kiss. He cared about her, but he also cared about his team and the school. He was competitive and he didn't want to let his team down, but he also thought the rivalry was stupid and shallow. He knew that getting caught wasn't an option, and yet it was inevitable. The two of them had to take advantage of whatever time together they got, because later there would be less and less time for them. Tony sighed regretfully when Ophelia pulled back. He wanted to stay out in the gazebo with her, but they had to make an appearance at the dance if only to prove they had attended. "Okay," he agreed regretfully. He paused, then added, "We have to pretend we don't know each other."

Serenity decided to go back out to the Gazebo when she got bored. No one was there so she looked around to herself when she caught sight of Ophelia and Antonio? She bit her lip as she held in a gasp. Ophelia was fraternizing with the enemy. Normally it would just be good gossip but Ophelia was on there team. Damn, would Lydia be pissed? She wasn't particularly friends with Ophelia but it was there team?! What was that girl doing. She took out her phone and stared at it, should she or should she not? Lydia and Roland were only a call away. She hid in where she could see them but where they were unaware of her.

Ophelia nodded. "I know," she sighed. "I'll head back first." Glancing around, she caught sight of someone there, or was someone approaching them. No no one was there... Either way she got the strangest feeling they were being watched now. A feeling she always got whenever she was with Tony because she was always nervous of being caught. Not wanting to take any risks, she looked at Antonio. "Oh god, please forgive me love," she whispered to him quickly. Without explaining it any further, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face --though she made sure not to hit him too hard-- before shouting. "I told you to stay away from me! How dare you talk to me? You are nothing more than a filthy purple rave, or whatever your team is. I am a black gavel." Then she stormed away looking absolutely pissed off. There was a reason she was asked to be in movies, her acting was flawless. Anyone who was watching shouldn't have a hard time believing that nothing was going on between the two. As Ophelia walked away, she told herself not to look back and to just keep going forward. That was it. Swallowing hard, she disappeared back into the building.

(Reply with Colt!)

@Kit

Cole sighed as he looked at the silver bracelet around his wrist. It was supposed to be the token he was supposed to wear all day, but he hardly wanted to be there. It was ridiculous this whole thing. Whatever it was. A dance? Yeah, it was a dance filled with people ready to spit on him. It seemed like a dog eat dog world here, though he got the feeling the dogs here were much more savage and rabid than the ones back at his old school. The thought alone frightened him. He really didn't want to be there. This was too much for him. He just wanted to go home. Though instead he wandered towards the gazebo where there were already a few people there, though there was someone hiding and spying on the other pair. With a frown, Cole approached the girl and said loudly and blatantly. "Spying on people is wrong. And creepy." No he wasn't the outgoing sort, and he was sure the girl was going to rip his head off, but at the same time Cole didn't like the thought of people sneaking around like that.

Serenity frowned at what Ophelia did, it didn't seem like her at all. Even with the impressive performance she would be sure to keep an eye on the both of them. Lost in thought as she wondered what to do she was surprised when a boy snuck up on her. "Oh my god!" She swiveled around and put her hand to her chest. "You scared me so bad!" Taking his arm she gently pulled him close,"I know its wrong,"She told him softly, not caring who he was and she knew exactly who he was but she always felt bad for him. "But- Okay there's no excuse but that's forbidden,"She bit her lip and paced around. "I don't know what to do,"She shook her head,"I'm Serenity by the way. Serenity Lightwood, I'm a model,"She offered her hand and smiled, a famous one at that. And her family were hollywood stars so..

Cole grunted when the girl suddenly pulled him close to her. He frowned, instantly taking a step back because he never liked being close to anyone. It made him uncomfortable. Looking over at the pair, the girl was now walking away, which made him confused on what this other girl was even talking about. "Walking away from someone is forbidden?" This school made no sense whatsoever. "You don't do anything. It's none of your business what they do, whether it's forbidden or not." Okay so Cole knew nothing about the school aside from the fact everyone was split into teams, and everyone hated each other for reasons unknown to him. But really, when did kids ever get along in high school? "Cole," he replied bluntly, not saying anything on the matter. He wasn't a model and he didn't come from a rich family. He came from no family, only sent there by an old couple that adopted him a little less than two years ago. In all honestly, he didn't care about this girl. Well okay that's harsh. He didn't want to care about this girl or get to know her because, like everyone else, she would end up hurting him.

"It's not forbidden walking away from people,"Serenity told him shaking her head. "You don't understand it is my business,"She sighed. By joining student council she made a commitment to her team. By not saying anything, she's responsible too. She looked at the boy, maybe he was right and she should just stay out it. Great the first day of school and she has some potential drama in her own head. "So your a freshman?"She asked smiling at him, deciding to think on it later. "I'm a senior,"She showed him her ring. "How are you liking the dance? I know some people can get over whelmed sometimes." She looked around,"Oh! Wanna sit?" She asked gesturing to some chairs. "Sorry about that I'm trying to gather my thought,"She smiled kindly at him.

"All I see going on is a girl walking away from a guy. It's their life, not yours, so it really isn't any of your business." Cole sighed, looking away. Sure maybe something could have happened between the two but unless the girl had actual proof, Cole couldn't understand why she would assume the worst. Having been burned by rumors and people making the wrong assumptions about him his whole life, he hated the idea of it happening to someone else. See the young boy did care a little. Maybe he shouldn't have approached the girl. He should have stayed away just as everyone has been staying away from him. The last thing he wanted was to start up a conversation with her. "Uh no, I'm fine," he muttered as he stayed standing where he was. What was this girl on? Cole glanced away, knowing he wouldn't be going back into the dance anytime soon, though he couldn't just be rude and completely abandon this girl either. "Yeah, my first year here. It's nice." So the guy wasn't much of a talker either, but you can't really blame him.

Serenity finally looked at him and cocked her head,"Maybe we started off on the wrong foot,She told him softly. If there's one thing she didn't like was people not liking her because of a bad start. "I promise I don't spy on people all the time." She bit her lip,"So can we start over? And maybe you won't think so bad of me." She was a little hopeful but he seemed like he really didn't want anything to do with her. This is why she doesn't spy on people like Roland. She actually cares about what people think of her. The first time she's done it and look what it's gotten her into! This was not her thing.

"But you do spy on people on occasion." This was one of the reasons Cole didn't have any friends. There have been some who tried, but he was too closed off to let anyone it. He didn't want to let anyone in, or anyone close to him. Cole's silver bracelet was engraved with 'Blue Torches', which was clearly visible --meaning he was the enemy as well. Tugging on his shirt a little, all he wanted to do was find somewhere quiet where he could be alone to contemplate on how to get out of there. Though what really bothered him was why this girl was trying to...impress him? Didn't she get the memo that he was a "toxic", whatever that meant. People avoided him like the plague. He was used to it. He liked it that way. At least that was what he told himself. "I didn't mean to bother you and your spying. I'll just leave."

Serenity shook her head,"No! I don't spy on people! This was the first time,"She played with her hands. "And you weren't bothering me. I like talking to other people," She told him. "Why do you think so bad of me for one experience?" She frowned, he didn't seem to want to listen to her. "No,wait. Your not nothing me. Not at all. In fact I'm quite curious,"She told him. Even if he did walk away from her,she was interested. She would show him she wasn't a bad person to him. Even if they did start off on the wrong foot she'll convince him, no matter who he is.

"I probably should go anyways. You're not even on my "team" or whatever," Cole muttered, wishing the girl would just leave him alone already. Hah. That was a first. Him wanting her to leave him alone when it normally was the other way around. Either way, Cole didn't want to talk to anyone. He wasn't in a talking mood. "You're black, I'm blue." Yeah he saw the black gem on her ring, while he was new, he wasn't stupid. Before he enrolled, he got the whole different colors and teams thing very well. "Uhh bye..." With that, he turned and started to walk away, hoping the girl would just leave it at that.

Startled, Antonio touched his stinging cheek. The next thing he saw was Ophelia's back as she walked away from him. For a moment, he felt totally and completely crushed. Then he forced his brain to make sense of the situation. She must have seen someone, he concluded, or thought someone saw us. But, gosh, that had been a pretty convincing performance. But Ophelia was an actress. Of course it had been convincing. Tony sighed and leaned against the gazebo wall, trying to collect his thoughts. He'd have to wait a few moments anyway before he went back to the dance.

A few feet away, a boy and a girl sat down on a bench. Antonio frowned in confusion. He definitely hadn't seen them there before. Oh, no, were they who Ophelia had seen? Had one of them - or both of them - seen he and Ophelia together? Please tell me we're not already off to a bad start, Tony thought desperately. He sighed again. Closer scrutinization of the two from afar revealed that the girl was Serenity - a Black Gavel senior. Ophelia's team was the Black Gavels. The boy was someone Antonio didn't recognize. A freshman, maybe, or at least someone pretty far down on the social ladder. Tony wondered why Serenity was talking to the guy.

Pull yourself together, Antonio scolded himself. He took a couple of breaths. Luckily, Ophelia hadn't slapped him hard, and his cheek was pretty much fully recovered. He straightened up, taking his weight off of the gazebo's railing. Time to go back in to the dance. But to go back inside, he would have to pass Serenity and the other guy... one of whom might have seen he and Ophelia making out. Ugh. Antonio forced his feet to start moving. He came out of the gazebo and made his way down the pathway towards the building. Look casual. Don't look uncomfortable. Don't seem guilty. At this time, Tony would have given a lot to be as good an actor as Ophelia.