Ready Or Not, Gonna Make It To The City...

[laszlo_jamf]

When; May 19^th, from sunset to evening and beyond! (Just watch out for midnight, Cinderella...)
Rating; G to PG-13?
Characters; Anyone and everyone...and maybe a few more
Summary; Finals are over, the spring dance is here--finally a way for everyone, student and teacher, to relax! All the planning, preparation, and hard work has paid off. Students of all ages and grades are invited, and their teachers are sure to be there too. The school superintendents (read: the Deities) have done their very best to light up the Square. So whether you're from Westerberg High, Trinity Girls' School, Cutler's, Bikini Bottom Middle, or City U, you must have received your engraved invitation by now. Dress is formal, but the occasion is celebratory. Come one, come all. (And even those who aren't cursed may still come to take in the decorations, the food, the entertainment, and the merriment... or they can take pictures for blackmail when this is over.) So come and spend an evening under the stars...
Log;

[This is an open log for the Fast Times at City High dance event! Tags can be open or directed to another character--just throw a label in the subject line. Feel free to NPC wait staff, refreshments, music, and anything else you might encounter at such a soiree. Have fun!]

Comments

[team_captain]

[He's been trying to find her so he smiles when he hears her name and turns.]

Rose-

[He pauses when he sees her, suddenly serious, because this is horrible, last time she looked like this -

Well.]

What happened?

[primrosella]

You need to come outside with me. Right now.

[She's shaking, just a little.]

Right now.

[team_captain]

[He puts his hand on the small of her back and nods. Whatever this is, it's serious, dead finacee serious. They're outside in just a minute.]

[primrosella]

[Once they're outside, far enough away from the commotion that she knows they're safe from making a scene, she turns to face him head-on.]

Last year, after the--I was crying and you said, you told me, you looked me in the eyes and said "Rosella, it'll be okay, trust me, I would never lie to you." And you wouldn't, I know you wouldn't, you would never lie to me, not ever. Not even if--

[She stops short, collects herself, tries again.]

You wouldn't, would you? Ever? About anything?

[team_captain]

[He looks at her, confused]

Of course I wouldn't lie to you. I'm a terribly liar anyway, you know that.

[primrosella]

[Her eyes drop to her shoes, and for a minute she doesn't move; then, finally, she unclasps her purse and draws out a letter with well-worn folds, as though it's been opened and re-folded a dozen times from reading and rereading.]

Then why is Bucky writing to you saying you were together in an orphanage?

[She ducks her head.]

I went--you said your camera was in your bag and I thought I could just dash out and...why is he writing letters like this, Stevie?

[team_captain]

[He takes the letters; his stomach has bottomed out, iced over, he feels slightly sick. Those letters were private for more than one reason.]

Because...

[He takes a breath. Rosella didn't remember this, Steve doesn't know why. Maybe because she hadn't had a lot of friends, and Steve had always had Bucky, or maybe because she didn't want to. But their parents hadn't wanted her to know and Steve wanted to abide by that.]

Because we were. He and I, not you. Our parents adopted me, Rosella. When we were five.

[primrosella]

No, they didn't.

[The words are out of her mouth before she's even realized she's said them.]

No, they didn't, you're--we're twins, we--

[It's just, it can't be true because he's always been there, for as long as she can remember. She would've known, wouldn't she?

Wouldn't she?]

You've all been lying to me?

[team_captain]

No, that's not it. I'm still your brother.

[He holds those letter close]

They thought it would be easier for you, since by the time we were six you didn't even remember that I hadn't been around forever.

[primrosella]

You could've told me. One of you--someone could have told me, I'm not just a little girl who can't--

[Her face goes into her hands, shoulders shaking outright now.]

They didn't tell me about Edmund, no one told me about you--why am I always--

[Her voice cracks, jumping high in pitch.]

Why do you all keep lying to me? Why is everything always a secret from me--why doesn't anyone tell me anything?!

[team_captain]

[His hands go to her shoulders, because he can't watch this, he can't]

Because this didn't matter, this doesn't change anything. I didn't love you because our parents adopted me, I didn't love you because I was obligated. They thought I would forget, and I didn't, but it's okay.

I still love you.

[primrosella]

If it didn't change anything then you could've told me.

[There's a definite flinch when he touches her, but she doesn't move away.]

Did you think I wouldn't love you just as much? Maybe I wouldn't have understood it when we were little but all this time? All this time? You couldn't just once tell me, sit me down and just say--and Bucky, and--

[She chokes again.]

You couldn't tell me about him, either?

[team_captain]

I'm sorr-

[There's a pause and it's even colder in his stomach]

I couldn't tell anyone about him.

[primrosella]

I'm not anyone.

[She looks up at him, abruptly, and her eyes are wet.]

I'm your sister!

[team_captain]

[Oh, he can't, he can't. He goes to hold her]

It's different, you're my sister but Bucky's like....

[The other half of me]

What if you didn't like it? What if mother and father - our grandparents can't even talk about television shows with characters who - and I know you don't think that way but it wasn't some friend or some person, it was me.

[primrosella]

[It's instinctive, how her head goes right against his shoulder, but she doesn't put her arms around him in exchange; she just lets him hold her, more because she needs someone to right then than anything else.]

I would never, ever--

[Her voice cracks again, and this time she doesn't try to force it.]

[team_captain]

[He just holds her as if that will keep her grounded. He's always been good at being there.]

I'm sorry.

[primrosella]

[And things are adding up now--his reluctance about having a date, Bucky's carefully dodgy answers, older moments in her memories of him that she never once thought twice about until suddenly this new revelation casts them in an entirely new light...]

You let me ruin your whole night--and Bucky's, and Penny, and--

[Penny, really, is the one that stings her the most, because it hits painfully close to home--a girl so happy about her perfect night, her perfect date, and then suddenly it all goes wrong--]

I need to go, I need to just...not be here right now, I--I'm just, I'll go get a cab or--I just need to go, right now, somewhere that's not here...

[team_captain]

[He pauses]

You could ruin my whole life, I wouldn't mind.

I can take you home. I'll text Penny and let her know you're not feeling well.

[primrosella]

No.

[She's surprisingly firm, with that one word.]

I need to be by myself right now, just until I can stop...

[Shaking.]

[team_captain]

I'm not leaving you alone.

[primrosella]

Yes, you are. You're going to, this time.

[team_captain]

You don't have to talk to me but at the very least I'm getting you home.

[primrosella]

Steve, I think I'll scream if I see them right now. Anyone. I'll just sit in the limo if I have to, just--just let me be by myself right now, please.

[team_captain]

[He huffs and sighs and throws his hands up in the air. Fine.]

Okay but call me when you get home. I swear if I don't hear from you before the end of this party I'll send out the national guard.