T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs

[sweetvalleygirl]

WHO: Beach Party People!
WHERE: The MAC, the party bus, a rest stop, and the Wildwood Beach!
WHEN: Friday 11am and onward into the afternoon and evening
WARNINGS: Possible make outs? Possible fights?
SUMMARY: Teens and young adults in an RV driving to NJ to have a drunken bonfire. What could possibly go wrong???
FORMAT: OPEN! There will be sections for different locations and times of day, so feel free to tag in and collect as much CR as you like!

Jessica was beyond excited. In the days leading up to the RV trip, she barely shut up about it. Even as she boarded the RV Laura had procured for their adventure and took the shotgun seat, she could barely stop talking. It was a beautiful day in the City, and the weather reports for their destination in Southern New Jersey called for blue skies and sunshine. It would be perfect beach-going weather, and it was bound to be the perfect summer night!

Comments

[borntobewildcat]

[He really didn't mean for this to be awkward, and he really should just... get out of Julian's hair but it was too late now.]

Don't worry! It's not like she told me you're life story or anything, just that you're like her. An X-Man, right? And you're her friend.

[hellionated]

[Julian just doesn't know how to...go with this, he feels belligerent for no reason he can really explain. He just. Stuffs his hands in his pockets and keeps walking, pretending like this is all cool.]

Yeah, I'm an X-Man.

And Laura's a good friend of mine.

[Suddenly] Are you guys dating?

[God damn it he didn't mean to ask that! What the hell.

...Too late to take it back now. Just staring...straight ahead.]

[borntobewildcat]

[It's a good thing that Tom wasn't drinking or smoking at the moment, because he was sure that he would have choked at that moment. He still kind of did. The question was straightforward and the last thing Tom had expected... Not to mention that it somehow made this even more uncomfortable than it already was.]

Laura and I... Uh, we're good friends. We mostly just beat up drug lords together.

[Sure they've gone on a few "dates", but it wasn't like they were together or anything. Or he didn't think they were?]

I care about her a lot. [A soft sigh]

Why do you ask? Are you interested in her?

[hellionated]

[Damn it damn it damn it. Just cause he's asking awkward questions doesn't mean you're allowed to do it back!

Julian is bad with this. Because this is about feelings. And Laura. And together, that equals complicated and he can't even really...work it out for himself much less explain it to anyone else.]

...

[Damn. It. He runs a hand through his hair before returning it to his pocket. He's still looking straight ahead and trying to figure out how to answer that.

God.]

...

Guess you could say I care about her a lot, too.

[...................]

[borntobewildcat]

[Yeeeeeah, Tom is going to be lighting a cigarette now. Yes, he kept a pack and a lighter in his board shorts. He's likes to be prepared, and after how well this conversation is going, smoking has become very necessary.]

...

And I'm guessing that maybe you like her a bit more than that, right?

[hellionated]

[Julian stops walking. This is beyond awkward, and into territory that he just...never goes into, not even by himself. The last time he thought about this in anything close to detail was when he'd half-mentioned it to Sooraya back before the Institute was destroyed. That felt like a lifetime ago.

Part of the problem was that because he'd been separated from Laura for so long, he'd not been forced to think about it. The City had changed that.

But that doesn't mean it's easy, especially not when the questions are coming from someone who's some kind of...rival, or something.

He runs a hand through his hair and makes himself look at Tom, finally.]

Look. I don't know. I haven't seen her in a long time and things aren't like how they were.

And I don't know what she wants. Do you?

[borntobewildcat]

[Tom stops when Julian does. He probably should have asked what he did, but it was the only idea he had about what was going on and it at least would have explained the strange way Julian was behaving... Or... He assumed it was strange. It felt strange, at least, but maybe that was how Julian always was.]

Honestly? Most of the time I have no idea, and I just kind of, you know, wing it. [He rubs the back of his neck.] She's hard to read, but she doesn't exactly hide her displeasure in things she doesn't like.

[He shrugs, even smiling a little, trying to diffuse the situation.]

You could always just ask her.

[hellionated]

[Julian's answering smile is probably more of a grimace. Yeah, he could ask her. But she wouldn't want to talk about it. He shakes his head.]

If it's that easy, why haven't you?

[Fair question, he thinks.]

[borntobewildcat]

[And his smile fades almost instantly.

Tom wasn't really sure how he felt about Laura yet. He knew that he liked her... A lot. She was one of his closest friends here, but even though he liked her, Tom wasn't sure he was ready to let anybody get too close again yet.]

There's nothing to ask. We just enjoy each other's company.

[hellionated]

[The fading smile pretty much tells Julian what he needs to know.

Tom is no more comfortable with this than he is, which means they're pretty much in the same position.

And what Laura thinks, or wants, or feels, is anyone's guess. Which...doesn't exactly make things easier.

Julian sighs.]

If you say so.

[Okay starting to walk again. Awkwardness is best avoided by action of some kind, so Julian's gonna do his usual and just ignore the awkward altogether.]

Waterslides aren't gonna find us themselves. You coming?