Summer, in contrast to her brother, seemed determined not to bring a date or escort. Whatever Ollie's case may be...

She appeared dignified, dressed to the nines in an elegant gown and makeup to match. Her hair was curled in gentle waves, falling over her shoulders.

Everyone would see and rave about Summer Atreides, the heiress of the Prescott name and business. Everyone would be craving a chance to speak to her, dance with her, just have a second of her time...

Summer stood to the side, sipping from a glass properly as her rather intoxicated and equally as obnoxious sibling jostled into her. She spared him a scowl, huffing as the drink sloshed onto the ground.

"Watch it, moron," she hissed, narrowing piercing red eyes at him.

"You've taken enough for the both of us. Someone needs to remain dignified."

knox prescott

☉

that's the truth though. and he chuckles, watching it spin before him, pupils like an owl's. his gums tingle and he can't stop his nose from twitching and his fingers are shaking and he can feel each distinct bubble from the champagne pop on his tongue. the people are loud and rowdy, but sometimes the noise reaches a weird apex. and it's quiet and he's alone with his thoughts. 

summer makes him laugh again. "dignified. daddy's not here to be impressed, sister mine. and i'on't think any of th' boys you got your eye on wanna fuck an ice queen either."

speaking of fucking, where's ollie? he turns on his heels and squints and harumphs when his boyfriend doesn't suddenly appear before him. 

"you fuck cross boy yet? better hurryyyy or imma snap that shit up."

Summer Atreides

☉

Her gaze, having rested on the alcohol that wet the tip of her heel, slowly cut back up to Knox, giving a daggered glare at his comment.

"Everyone fucks you because you're easy, Blue. You have no will to hold back and stop to think about your own safety. You're a slut, you know that? Even your own boyfriend doesn't want to be around you," she shot in retaliation, shoving him back with an elbow.

Summer decided that she wasn't sober enough to deal him in the state he was in. Fucked up by drugs, alcohol, and horniess. The combination was a mess, and she had to deal with it daily. Her fingers were deft in snatching another glass as a tray came back around.

"Besides. I know plenty of these fools want me. I just don't give in so willingly, unlike your sorry ass."

A sharp smirk grew as she chuckled into the champagne. However, her brows furrowed for a moment when Knox brought up jayden cross.

"You do not need to interact with Cross. He is off limits to you. Stay in your weird horny circle with your stupid fuck boy boyfriend."

knox prescott

☉

he squints at her, as though that'll make her jumble of gibberish easier to understand. it's like he's wading through her words. he's always been a strong swimmer. he can do this. his eyes widen as he sucks in a breath, exhales past slightly parted lips. and then back to the squinting, brows furrowed. 

whatdja say?

but she's still talking and HA SHE CALLED ME A SLUT and then oh-ow-fuck. knox can take jabs at his gods-given gift of being an adonis, at the harem of men he touts around him, but bringing up the one boy he loves who decidedly won't love him back? 

nah, fuck that shit. 

he sours. unlike your sorry ass. fucking bitch. she's just mad no one wants to pull her pretty little princess panties down for her. can't get ravaged like him. be wanted like him. 'cause all these fucks here are scared of her and he knows it. 

but he'll let her have her damn high horse. 'cause something more sinister worms its way in the back of his mind. only summer can make him as vindictive as her. he licks his lips and when she raises the champagne glass, he goes to flick the bottom of it so just a little too much pours out over her. 

but before she can retaliate, he simpers and staggers back, wheeling around, looking for

ollie.

Summer Atreides

☉

the prescott family was esteemed — in more ways than one. his father had held business with them for years — though the nature of business had always remained closed to jayden and his brother. as they arrive to the party, alexei disappears in the throng of well-dressed suits and satin dresses, his clean-cut appearance fitting in perfectly with many others. this was the kind of thing that his brother thrived in.

[break][break] his father and mother were no different, mingling amongst the investors with the kind of ease that only they could. he watches as his mother laughs at a joke his father says, though the sound is all teeth and sharp glass.

[break][break] he swallows, turning away from them. before the party, his father had warned him. 'behave yourself.' he had been speaking to the both of them, but jayden was well-aware that they'd been speaking to him.

[break][break] this wasn't just an ordinary party — rockets were in attendance too.

[break][break] dmitri pulls apart from the investors, turning to his youngest son. his fingers lightly on his shoulder, a smile on his face, though jayden can only see the scarlet-red of his irises bearing down on him. "mischa," he says. "enjoy yourself. why not find a friend? the prescotts should be in attendance today." he is smiling — but jayden is keenly aware it is only because others are watching. he swallows.

[break][break] "yes, father."

[break][break] he disappears into the crowd then, obediently, away from the prying eyes of others who would otherwise tear him to shreds. his heart only stops beating when he notices the back of his father turn at the corner of his eye, his mouth moving, but his voice muddled and voiceless.

[break][break] jayden turns frontwards, intending to do just as his father has said, when he nearly runs face-first into knox prescott . he blinks with surprise, a light flush on his face.

[break][break] "oh, there you are."

[break][break] a soft smile flickers across his face as he angles himself to look behind the younger prescott boy to his childhood friend. Summer Atreides . "i was looking for you guys."

[attr="class","ooc"] Summer Atreides / knox prescott [break]

[attr="class","notes"]timeskip: age 20, jayden

Summer didn't hear any response from her brother. She couldn't tell if it was because she struck a nerve or he was so intoxicated and drugged that he couldn't comprehend what she said straight.

Or a bit of both.

However, as he seemed to turn and pout, an evil smirk crawled on her lips. A moment of victory, knowing that she had put him in his place for the time being. From what she could tell, it was Summer one, Knox zero tonight. And it would stay that way.

"Running off with your tail tucked now? Typical. Can't even defend yourself because you've fucked yourself up so badly."

Summer didn't particularly care whether Knox heard her or not. She did, however, care when she spotted one jayden cross nearly bump into him as he came through the room.

"Shit. I have to keep him away from Cross."

With quick strides in her clicking heels, Summer was at Jayden's side in no time. She offered a kind smile to her childhood friend, looping her arm into his as she led him away from Knox.

"Hey, Jayden. I didn't expect to see you here tonight. Why didn't you send a message? You know that I would've been at a place like this. We could've met up before hand and gotten ready together or something," she offered sweetly, her demeanor completely different from the way she had treated her sibling moments ago.

knox prescott & jayden cross

☉

aaaand not into ollie. he stumbles, arms coming out, nearly smacking someone as they walk by. but when he blinks past bleary eyes and recognizes jayden by voice and sound and face (y'know, how you recognize people), he grins real wide and points to himself. 

"there i am. and there you are. just the guy i was lookin' for." he lilts his lips and thinks of how delectable it's going to be when he pulls this over on summer. 

but then the she-beast is there, elbowing him out of the way and foiling his plans. the crows are crowing and knox is trying to think of how to pal around with them, but while he's thinking, summer's pulling jayden away. 

he looks after them and then looks around the room. no ollie. it would upset him, but he's too distracted with his new game. so he totters after the pair and loops his arm around jayden's other arm, leans forward to snicker at summer. 

"he was looking for us. 'sides, don't you gotta clean up, sums? spilled a bit there, eh?" he pats jayden's arm. "she's a sloppy drunk."

jayden cross Summer Atreides

☉

having been entangled with the prescott family for as long as he had, it wasn't unusual to be caught between them. summer slides up to him, and her brother is not soon after, looping their arms together. even if he's used to it, it doesn't stop the way the soft blush crawls up his neck.

[break][break] his own family is nowhere near as close. at least they don't show physical affection in the way the prescott siblings certainly seem to.

[break][break] at Summer Atreides's words, he blinks. "oh," he says, looking a bit sheepish. "you know how i am with phones." and in fact, he was sure that his father wouldn't have allowed him to come — dmitri kept a tight leash on his son. bruised purple turns to look at knox prescott, flinching when the other pats his arm. pain still sings from the injuries earlier, even if they are hidden beneath a finely-pressed suit.

[break][break] "are you drunk?" he says, blinking with surprise. he turns back to Summer Atreides, running his gaze over her.

[attr="class","ooc"] Summer Atreides / knox prescott [break]

[attr="class","notes"]timeskip: age 20, jayden

Summer rolled her eyes, partly from being annoyed by her brother but also just to be extra dramatic. Because this was not who Knox was looking for, and she knew it. And she was not going to let him pull one over on Jayden.

"No, I don't think he has any interest in you, you dumb slut," she said with a huff.

"He's a liar. This little asshole spilled a drink all over me before he was going to go off to find his fuck boy boyfriend. He's too fucked up to think straight."

Summer sighed, wiping down her dress with annoyance.

"Anyway. Care to get some food? We can chat over in a quieter area."

knox prescott & jayden cross

☉

he doesn't take summer's bait. not this time. just simpers as she explains his hilarious prank. if she didn't smell like a wine-drunk mom before, she certainly does now. and watching her continuous attempts to try and pry jayden away from him only makes knox want to come back for more. so he hovers, keeping close and shooting summer smug grins over jayden's shoulder. 

"'scuse me, but i'm so fucked up i'm finally thinking straight," knox says with a wave of his hand. the place where ollie is at that moment exactly is right down the hall, tangled in a broom closet with his hand down some other guy's pants. 

"food sounds great," he says and licks his lips. 

jayden cross Summer Atreides

☉

'dumb slut?'

[break][break] these aren't words that are used in his family. he's sure that mother has never used them, and he's positive father hasn't. he wonders if he should perhaps ask alexei about it later — but thinks better of it, when imagining the withering gaze that hsi brother would likely send his way.

[break][break] "what's a slut?" he murmurs, half to himself but also half to Summer Atreides. after all, she's his friend. perhaps she would enlighten him?

[break][break] still - the way it always is with the prescott siblings - the two seem caught in their own world of bickering to notice. he blinks gently as summer mentions her side of the story, lips pitched into a frown. "are you... are you sure you don't want to clean off, summer?" it must have been inconvenient, if she'd really been splashed with wine. "i would happy to get some food, though."

[break][break] his head inclines towards knox prescott.

[break][break] "you can come too."

[attr="class","ooc"] Summer Atreides / knox prescott [break]

[attr="class","notes"]timeskip: age 20, jayden

"A slut is exactly what Knox is. An attention seeker who sleeps with anyone he can get his nasty little paws on. So keep him at a distance, Jayden. That's my warning. His boyfriend is no different."

Summer shot Knox a look, her jaw tight and her head raised to challenge him to come at her, defy her. She could play even worse.

"I highly doubt you are. You're better off letting another sleeze get you off while Jayden and I enjoy our meal together and discuss things. Important things you have no part in."

Jayden asked if she wanted to get redressed. However, if she went off to change, Knox would do something to sabotage her, take over Jayden. And she couldn't have that.

"I'm fine. It's hardly noticeable," she dismissed, leading him away.

And leave it up to this idiot to invite Knox. She huffed, glaring at her brother.

knox prescott & jayden cross

☉

"summer, just because you don't understand what it really means to get lit doesn't mean you can bring the rest of the party down," he snips, words never losing their playful confidence. jayden and summer are walking quite fast, however, so he can only hold onto jayden for so long. as soon as his fingers slip free, he's left spinning, out of orbit with no one to tether himself to. 

but summer's wrong. he really is thinking straight because the stars have aligned and it's all eyes on jayden now. around bodies, prim and proper, knox's gaze drops to follow the sashay of his hips. summer continues to cart him away and knox laughs gaily. 

you can come too, he'd said. an invitation that everyone else except the boy who owns his heart has ever uttered to him. he sets himself up for disappointment again when he looks around the room - over heads and under drinks and behind curtains - but ollie is nowhere to be found. 

when he gives up his efforts, someone's sweaters in the spare closet are being stained with bodily fluids.

having given summer the reprieve she needs, knox goes crawling back. they're seated at a table for two (summer's doing, no doubt), but that doesn't stop knox from yanking a chair up and plopping himself down beside her. shoulders on the table (so very improper), he interjects whatever the hell she's saying to ask jayden,

"i've got a lil' extra if ya wanna share. nicked it from merrick's shipment this morning." sly fingers tug at his sleeve and the baggie with its funny little pills makes itself known to present company.

Summer Atreides jayden cross

☉