} like he's a problem she's already solved but won't tell him the answer to.) — "What are you staring at?" Her voice is sharp, but her cheeks — crimson. She crosses her arms, instantly hiding what she just so boldly showed. "Give me my panties back. Or..." She takes a step closer. Her voice drops to a half-whisper. — "...or keep them. I don't care." She turns away — but doesn't leave. Her shoulders are tense. She's waiting. Four pairs of eyes. One room. The rain outside — the only sound that doesn't demand an answer. But they're waiting for one. All of them.

}.*

 🏀 🌙 🤍 ☕ 💡 🤍 Jake wipes his hands on a towel, hangs it on the hook. He doesn't come over right away — first he dims half the lights so the glow turns softer. He stops one step away from her. Closer than a teacher should. "I'm not going to pretend I called you here just because of Karl." A pause. He looks straight at her, no smile. — "He's a good kid. Really. But I see how you come for him every day. Wet coat, red eyes. And you act like everything's fine." He tilts his head slightly, voice lower, almost a whisper. "I'm not prying into your life. I just want you to know: here, in this gym, you don't have to pretend. Not with me. Not with him." A short pause. — "If you ever want to talk — I stay after class. Every day. Until it gets dark." He takes a step back, giving her space. But his gaze doesn't let go — warm, attentive, waiting. 🌙 ☕ 🏀

}, and in her eyes there was no anger — only ancient, calm expectation of an answer. 🌵 🌮 💃

}, a slow, almost challenging smile curling her red lips.* "I was beginning to think Stark forgot he had a second guest," *she said, her voice a low, accented murmur.* "Or maybe he was hoping we'd eat each other. Come in. The isolation is much better shared."

*You are in class giving your opinion on a topic the teacher has assigned to you when suddenly you hear a abnoxious sigh followed by Ian's British accent.* Once again you prove why the American education system is failing. *His snide comment isn't unusual for him as you two have always gone back and forth in a battle of wits. He leans back waiting for your retort.*

*The music was booming. Your friends asked you to come here and you really wondered why you said yes. You really weren’t a party animal, and you weren’t exactly good at talking to new people. And the people who’d likely come talk to you are… the escorts who really only talk to you if they think you’ll give them money. The situation made you awkward, so you just settled against the wall, becoming your final form, the wallflower. But it seemed like this made things even more awkward. You were kinda just standing there, watching a clump of people jump in the middle of the room, and watching beautiful woman walk up to random guys, no doubt trying to see who would pay for some fun. Some were human, some had horns and wings, some had fluffy ears. Someone stopped right next to you. You looked over to see… quite the odd specimen. She had cat ears and a cat tail. But, both were made of slime. She was a slime girl… pretending to be a cat girl? Or was she a hybrid? She had a cute bunny suit on, and was carrying a tray that undoubtedly would have drinks on them. But right now, none were there. She stopped at your table, or well, what she assumed was your table. In truth, you were just standing awkwardly next to it. She spoke in a cheery voice.* “Hey! Do you want anything to drink?” *You shook your head, you didn’t know what alcohol would do to you right now, maybe if you got more comfortable… the slimy catgirl blinked at you like she was contemplating before speaking again in that cheery voice.* “Well, if you ever change your mind, that tablet there has the whoooole menu! Hehe~” *She winked at you, and you managed a small hesitant smile and nod, showing that you got the memo. But this made her smile falter a little bit, looking around. She then looked back at you, asking in a far less over exaggerated cheerful tone.* “You… feeling okay?” *This question didn’t feel performative, but genuine. Like she was some regular person checking in on you. It threw you off, so you just nodded. It was clear you didn’t fit in here, but you didn’t feel like making it someone else’s problem. However, she didn’t seem to believe it, sporting a small, but cute pouty face. She approached you, it felt like she was backing you into the wall you already had your back on. But, she simply just put a slimy, wet hand on your shoulder to boost herself up to whisper in your ear.* “Down the hallway to the left, there’s private rooms. If there’s an empty one, you can use it to take a breather.” *She back away, gives you a wink, then walks off to the bar, obviously with a little sway in her step, she DOES work here. And well… you definitely considered what she said, getting away for a few minutes without actually leaving sounded like a good call honestly. So you got up and followed her instructions. You went down the closest hallway, and took the first left. You found a lot of doors… let’s see… occupied, occupied, occupied, occupied, occupied, available! You grabbed the handle and opened the door. It was a small bedroom. With the lights, colors, and various things hanging on the wall, you knew it was made for… well… intimate experiences let’s call it. But it had a bed, and well, she said you could use it. So… why not. You locked the door and just sat on the bed. You took out your phone and just started scrolling through notifications and stuff. You noticed that you couldn’t hear much. The rooms must have some pretty solid sound proofing. Would definitely explain why you couldn’t hear the other rooms activities. Suddenly, a voice sounded in the room, which genuinely scared you a little.* “Heyyy!~ Is the room to your liking?” *You looked for the source of the voice. And looked at the vent in the wall. A slimy head was dangling out of it. It was her again. The sight caught you so off guard that you genuinely didn’t know what to say. She took no time pushing herself through the vent and landing as a puddle with a SPLAT! Then she reformed right in front of you, staring into your eyes.* “I figured you could use the alone time… so I’ll ask again and I want you to answer honestly this time. You okay? Like, you’re not much of a party guy, are you? That’s totally okay! You wouldn’t be the only one. So… just stay here for a while until your social battery is fully charged! Though… I do have to stay with you. You can’t be in here alone! Just the rules of the club… Oh! I’m Li-Quinn! What’s your name?” *Questions seem to just bounce from one to the next with her…*

 🏀 🕯️ Connor doesn't move. Only his gaze — heavy as wet asphalt. He looks at you as if you're the only door in the room that isn't locked yet. The ball in his hand goes still. Somewhere behind him, the candles tremble, and shadows crawl across his cheekbones. "You're not lost." He says it flatly, not as a question, and tilts his head slightly to one side. "Lost people knock. You walked in quietly. Which means you knew where you were going." He slowly shifts the ball onto his knee, freeing one hand. His palm comes down on the desk between you — close. Too close to be an accident. "You want to know why the light in this classroom never goes out, even though there's no electricity wired here?" A pause. He doesn't smile. In his eyes — something dangerous and honest at the same time. "Or you came for something else. Something you haven't admitted to yourself yet." He leans in a fraction. His voice drops to a whisper, and in that whisper is all of Shallow Creek: the rain, the cobwebs, the wax. "I'm not asking who you are. I'm asking: will you stay when the candles go out? Or will you run, like everyone else?" The shadows behind him reach toward you. Beneath his hand, the ball creaks faintly. And you understand: he won't let go. He's just waiting for your move. ☔️ 🌲 

}. Her voice carries a strange, ghostly whisper.* "You know we're not alone here... I saw a silhouette in the upper window when you were standing by the door. Please... don't go inside first. I don't want you to see what I will find in there." 🪾 🗝 🏚

}. The girl who radiated absolute sunshine. The girl who was friends with literally everyone in the school. The complete, terrifying opposite of my quiet, shy, introverted little world. I completely froze. My fingers curled inward, desperately gripping the spiral edge of my notebook until my knuckles turned bright white. You had pulled up the chair right beside mine, looking at me with total, gentle confusion rather than annoyance. You had realized I wasn't ignoring you on purpose—I just hadn't heard a single word you said while I was staring out the window. I just sat there, my breathing shallow, completely bewildered by the fact that the brightest girl in the entire school was actually daring enough to sit next to me.*