My Dad, He’s Like, A Financial Planner. And I Think He’s In Trouble.

CHURCHES  MADE  KENNEDY  UNCOMFORTABLE.  anything  that  has  to  do  with  divinity  or  a  higher  power  did.  her  guard  has  been  up  since  the  moment  she  stepped  foot  into  the  chapel,  sharp  gaze  set  on  the  praying  priest  just  a  couple  pews  ahead  of  them.  a  stark  contrast  to  her  more  doleful  stepbrother  beside  her.  "if  it  makes  you  feel  any  better,  i  doubt  that  was  what  KILLED  her."  the  words  are  delivered  in  a  deadpan  tone,  making  it  hard  to  decipher  if  that  was  a  callous  attempt  at  a  joke  or  an  inside  thought  that  was  not  meant  to  see  the  light  of  day.  perhaps  it  didn't  truly  matter.  not  when  the  possibility of  another  tragedy  was  beginning  to  feel  less  like  a  threat  .  .  .   and  more  like  a  promise.  with  so  much  to  lose,  how  could  she  possibly  give  herself  the  space  or  even  the  time  to  mourn?  “i  think  it's  one  of  the  newcomers  or  –  no.  maybe  someone  who  was  around  for  the  original  murders.  someone  old  enough  to  remember.  or  maybe  it's  both.  maybe  jacob  thorne  has  a  long  lost  sibling  that's  come  to  town  to  take  revenge."  too  many  questions,  not  nearly  enough  answers.  “what  do  alaina  price,  daniela  estrada,  and  kirby  sloane  even  have  in  common?”  aside  from  being  a  couple  of  bad  bitches. 

🗝️ open to all. 📍 redemption chapel, jan 24th.

the news breaks, as does half of red creek alongside it. there's an unfair lump lodged in santiago's throat. he wasn't close to kirby ; her death was not his to mourn, and yet ... he sits in the back pew of redemption chapel, hands wound in his hair. it was between here & the cemetery— the weather chose for him. he breathes in, has a hard time breathing out. halloween night plays through his mind. ❝ i asked about her name. ❞ he wants to laugh at the memory, but doesn't have the heart. a puff of frustration leaves him instead, ❝ grow up in a box like red creek & i still had to ask for her name. jesus– ❞

“god, took you long enough! wait... what are you supposed to be?” they take a moment to do a quick look over, assessing his attire with open amusement before getting down to business. “anyway —" attention is shifted to their phone, a wall of text displayed on screen. “i already requested an official statement from the police on behalf of the register but nothing yet. my guy at the department is being real stingy with the details too — makes me think it’s definitely something bigger. like someone important…” has anyone seen the mayor? “… or foul play. got some guys on record saying that norwood street was closed via police tape a few hours ago. they must have found the body there.” they gasp, look up to meet ricardo's eyes with a sudden realization. “do you think it’s that estrada girl that went missing a while ago ?” then… a smile. it’s brief and easy to miss under the moonlight but it’s there and it’s hungry.  a subtle way of matching his sentiment about the attention it would bring this small town, to them. “i'll have something at your desk by five. i just... i need coffee or water or something. gonna go to redstone and see who i can interview there.” they aren’t drunk by any means but now that the adrenaline of the party and the news was beginning to subside, they could feel their body begging to crash. “don’t be an incel and make me walk there alone in the dark. think there might be a murderer out on the loose.” OoOOOOooooO

○    NOW DELIVERING TO . . .    ⏤ @brntout !

location :  lurking thru da streets

time:  1 : 54 am

as soon as ricardo makes out the familiar shape , he's moving swiftly towards them . " HEY ! " he calls out , completely ignoring the fact that some people might be on edge or jumpy with the news that's currently out there . but , he doubts that KENNEDY is included in that bunch . she blurs the line between typical in a way that ricardo has begrudging respect towards . ricardo falls into line beside them . " what have you heard and how quickly can you get a story up by - " ricardo twists his wrist to look at his cartier watch " by 6am ? we'll be pushing first print , but it'll get us some attention in this forsaken , weird , boring - as - shit town finally . " and with attention comes MONEY .

vikram wasnt usually out during this time but with festivities to prepare for he decided to hit the town to get some last-minute chores done. primarily, buying too much halloween candy. his eyes meet hers down the street but he doesn't expect her to stop and talk to him. "hi matilda," the greeting begins as a whisper but gains volume at the end as he clears his throat. "sorry, i think i'm used to talking to you in the library." there's a knowing smile as he says that. "i hope so." see her around, he means. matilda's energy is soothing, something that vikram thinks he will need if he's going to be surrounded by so many people. "eh, nothing special. just gonna follow the crowd around and see what everyone else gets up to. you'll have to let me buy you a drink if we do run into each other." he clears his throat once more, "are you dressing up?"

closed starter with: matilda and vik (@brntout) setting: 6:05pm, downtown

With headphones in and hands thrown deep into her pockets, Matilda walked briskly down the sidewalk, more than ready to make it home. For reasons that seemed foreign to her now, she’d decided to walk to work that morning, and after stumbling upon a hoard of work that she’d forgotten about, she was now scrambling to make it home with enough time to grab dinner and get ready for the night. Despite that, she stopped at the sight of a familiar face walking on the sidewalk in her direction. “Hey, Vik,” she said, taking her earbuds out and dropping them in her pocket. “You gearing up for anything special tonight? Will I see you out and about?” 

MARIA 2024 | Dir. Pablo Larraín

“if they do let me back there, don’t expect me to be able to pour anything other than a straight liquor. id be a shit bartender.” kennedy was very aware her strengths and bartending was simply not one of them. she follows the other with amusement awed by how yasmine walks through the room like they own the place. it was her idea to get a drink but they are more than happy to let yasmine take charge. with their encouragement, kennedy squeezes herself into an opening. she raises a hand to get the bartender's attention, then stops, and turns back to yasmine. "wait — what are you having?"

they nodded their head solemnly and hummed in agreement. "they might even let you behind the bar. it's doubtful they would care about the legalities of it tonight." they continued walking and shoving their way through the crowd, hardly acknowledging how many shoulders they bumped or toes they stomped. "time to test your theory," yasmine said as they pulled their hand kennedy and pointed toward the bar.

“tonight? whatever the hell you want!” kennedy replies to nadia's quip with an easy grin. in a town full of try-hards and depressed wannabes with broken dreams, nadia's levity was such a treat. especially on nights like these, where kennedy is certain they weren't the only one hoping to snag her attention for a couple moments at this party. in true kennedy fashion, they feel like they've won. they make their way out of the dancefloor, maneuvering through sweaty, stumbling bodies before reaching the bartender. it's only a bit quieter, but at least kennedy doesn't feel like they have to yell. "you know me, i'm a basic bitch. tequila soda for me. what are you getting? my treat, for letting me drag you out there! "

" abso-fuckin-lutely . " nadia says easily . while kennedy could dance and move , nadia's extent was shuffling on the spot , and still managing to get grossly SWEATY . " what are we ? " she teases , at kennedy's warm , SOFT touch on her skin . " but more important , what are we drinking ? "

the mention of santiago makes kennedy visibly cringe, nose scrunching in distaste as they shake their head. “no, thank god! do you think i would be able to show my face around town if i knew my brother was one of those losers? it's giving 'wheres my hug?'" kennedy lowers the octave of their voice to imitate what a man would so i don’t even know if he’s like, dating. maybe he should be.” perhaps a crush would give santiago some of the motivation that kennedy worries he sometimes lacks. “you don’t have any friends from other towns that you could... i don’t know, introduce him or something?” it's a silly question, one that they don't actually expect nadia to humor.

fingertips press against their own throat as they down the drink, a small grunt escaping them as they do so. "eugh, i think i just grew a chest hair." kennedy is biting into the flesh of a lime wedge when nadia asks her question, one that makes them fix their posture a bit. "of course. i didn't come back to town to settle down here or anything if that's what you're wondering. this is just, temporary. you know, while i figure out what to write next." kennedy isn't certain why they feel the need to explain themselves but they do. maybe it's to claw onto any superiority they might feel at the fact that they did it. in a town of wasted potential and unfulfilled dreams, ken made it out. "what about you?"

nadia pulls a face at the idea of tinder . and dating . and dating anyone in this town . it all feels too incestuous for her . " that makes two of us . " she agrees . " you have to tell me which redcreekian had ' searching for tinderella ' on their profile . was it santi ? please say it was santi . " the amount of shit she'll give him will TRIPLE . nadia barks out a laugh , loud and unceremonious . the bartender gives them another look but nadia is done paying him any mind . she raises her shot glass to kennedy before pressing it to her lips and downing the substance . immediately , it burns . nadia winces slightly but she's WELL VERSED with shots by now . " fucking CHEERS . " she rasps out , nodding . nadia looks around the bar , the crowded space , the familiar faces . " do you ever think about leaving redcreek ? " she doesn't know where the sudden question comes from , but it rips out of her from somewhere deep and unfounded .

"already? i'm not done smelling the candles." he's been at it for fifteen minutes now, moving from one jar to the next like he was shopping for a new scent at a home goods store, not browsing the shelves of a psychic shop. "you know," he says, "i used to see this girl a couple years ago that was seriously obsessed with this shit? had a rock collection and everything. kept saying she was going to curse me if she ever found me cheating." clearly in no rush to leave, he looks up from the displayed candles to flash nadia a grin, amused by her accusation. "you're still here aren't you?" there it was again, that playful challenge in his voice, the same air of flirtation he always slipped in, whether or not she acknowledged it. "locking me up isn't the only way to have fun with me, nadia." his grin lingers. always hinting, always offering. he has yet to make a move to leave. instead, he resumes the task of sniff testing every candle the sisters of the moon has to offer "hurry up and close up then. i'll give you a ride home." his tone gives little room to argue but he'd never turn down an opportunity to. "unless you have plans after this?"

○    NOW DELIVERING TO . . .    ⏤ @brntout !

" we're closing up . " nadia announces to salvador , looking him up and down as she flips the sign on the door . if anyone should know sisters ' moon hours , it'd be HIM . nadia rests a hand on her hip , jutting it out as she turns to face him properly . " and there's nobody here left for you to hit on , which i know is the real reason you're here . " her voice is drier than ever . she knows salvador , because he is everywhere , all the time . with a smile , a glint in his eye . HE'S A FLIRT and not even a good one . the amount of times nadia rolls her eyes while hearing him try his way with hana could make her eyes permanently stick . " chop , chop , salvador . locking you inside here does sound fun but i need this job , and something tells me holding you hostage inside would get me fired . "

"what if i said that i thought it was you?" he asks, nonchalantly folding freshly dried clothes into his basket. after a pause, he breathes out a chuckle. "i feel like you and the rest of your family would be the type to pay for some poor soul to kill in exchange for money. like those rich people in the purge." do the talbot's even have that type of money? salvador assumes they do and if he sees any of alaina's relatives running around town with a new set of wheels, he'll know exactly who to blame. "who do you think?" he asks, finally looking over her way.

open to : any where : silver coin laundry mat when : after the questionings

avery is sprawled out on a bench inside the laundry mat, newspaper covering her face. she's been quiet for a good five minutes when she finally rips the newspaper away from her face and turns to the innocent person doing their laundry. " who do you think did it? " her own clothes long forgotten, probably hogging a machine.

requests — anonymous asked — can you gif the ‘you’re not my type’ ‘we just had sex’ 'if you were i wouldn’t have, i’d have gotten to know you first’ conversation separately?