A Little Gathering

[Vallery Preston]

No one had said that there was going to be something up on the roof, per say, but everyone had been talking about it. Throughout the day, all that Vallery heard whispered in the halls was, "Did you hear about the roof? Tonight, eight o'clock." She wasn't planning on going anywhere or doing anything tonight, but now her plans had changed. If there was something going on , you had to be there - it was just a given, especially for the seniors at Somerset. If there was a fling, you had to be ready to party hard all night long, or suffer the embarrassment of staying home in your dorm and being lame.

Val headed up to the roof at eight fifteen, when there was a handful of lower class men showing up. Upper class men typically came up late - "fashionably late" you might say - but that wasn't her style. She popped up to the roof with a trusty bottle of Dr. Pepper in her hand, determined not to drink anything alcoholic. She headed straight for the two-foot-wide ledge and hauled herself up onto it. Sure, it was supposed t be dangerous to be sitting on a ledge on a roof, but it was wide enough for her to feel safe, stable, almost. She looked across the parking lot like a vulture, waiting for some of her classmates to arrive so that she would have someone to mingle with.

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It was warm enough to wear short sleeves, but she knew it was going to get cold. Her legs were wrapped in a snug pair of jeans, and she wore a flattering maroon t-shit. Over that was a black sleeveless sweater. She wore a comfortable pair of Converse and a few black beaded bracelets, along with her typical ear jewelry. Comfortable, casual, and not what the cool girls would wear to a party - that's just Vallery's style.

[goodgollyalex]

( www.polyvore.com/roof_top_gathering/set?id=77994029 )

A gathering up on the roof? Had people lost their minds? Whatever the case, Shana was digging it. She was still at the library studying for her English test which wasn't going to be easy at all. There was just so much grammar to cover; Shana hated grammar with a strong passion. Just as she hated pickles. Those two things were just nasty.

When her phone began vibrating with a Facebook feed update, she read it and then decided that she needed a break. After all, Shana was intelligent and she was aware that she would have to be staying up tonight with grammar. Grammar and her cat, Norman. And maybe a few snacks, too.

The climb to the roof was long and the elevators were off-limits to people that were not handicapped therefore, Shana had to go up the stairs. Good thing her oxfords were incredibly comfortable! Hallelujah.

She noticed that there weren't too many people there but come to think of it... The roof had a nice view. Regardless, she was going to stay up here for awhile. Might as well enjoy it.

"Sup'? You must be Vallery, right?" Shana approached the girl with a bright smile. Vallery seemed like a comfortable, chill out type of girl and well, Shana was definitely much like her despite her choice in outfit. The new pink highlights in her hair, make up and bow definitely did no avail.

Shana just likes, as she would say "painting her face".

[Derek Mathaw]

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Derek honestly didn't think that Shana was going to be there. He had been planning to send her a text about, when he got to the roof and saw her there. Grinning, he waltzed up being her and nodded to Vallery. She had been one of his friends for about two years now, since they were in classes together. But as much as he liked Val, he couldn't help but want Shana to himself. Sidling up to her, he pressed his hip against hers and snaked an arm around her slim waist. Resisting the urge to pull a cigarette out of his pocket and light up (as he often did up on the roof) he kissed Shana instead. He was trying to quit for her, he had to remind herself - kisses meant more than smoking, to him.

"Hey, babe," he greeted, his lips brushing against her nose. "I like the bow. You look cute." He appraised. He had been studying as well, for a different class, of course, just in his dorm, when Val texted about the party. So he hadn't exactly.. dressed up. He was wearing a button down shirt made of thin denim, over a black cotton v-neck, and a pair of dark jeans. Topped off with Converse and his braided "Hope" bracelet that Rosalie had made him years ago, he figured it was okay. "What's up?"

[Vallery Preston]

Val nodded in hello to this strange girl who walked up. She looked over her, not in a judging way, and noted the pretty pink clothes. "I like your style," she said matter of factly, just as Derek walked up. She watched them for a moment with an uninterested gaze, lips drawn into a grim line to hide her pang of melancholy. Oh couples, she missed being part of a couple... It had been a while since she was in an adorable relationship like theirs. When he stopped kissing her (finally) she leaned in and wrinkled her nose. "It's cute, you two, I love the affection. A Hollywood director would get a kick out of it, you're great together." She praised, like a casting director at an audition would. "But are you going to do this the whole time? Because.." She glanced around, rolling her eyes and cracking a good natured smile. "I'm in the mood for some games."

[smexyeli]

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He must have missed the talk about the party all day, since he dind't hear about it until right before it started, and after debating which was more important, homework or a party, he figured that the party would have been more fun. That and he wouldn't seem super lame when he was sitting in his dorm doing homework, instead of partying, and he really didn't have a better argument. He just didn't want to do homework, because who did?

Eli had heard about this party from his facebook, and decided that he wanted to go just to not be lame, and since it had taken him a while to pick out his outfit, which he ended up changing anyway. He ended up picking out a pair of dark jeans and a yellow elephant t shirt which he paired with a pink sweater because it seemed too cold to just go in a t-shirt on the roof. So he arrived fashionably late, but not on purpose, and it wasn't like he cared when he got there, since no one was paying attention to him anyway.

Eli tended to just slip in without anyone noticing him since, he was a quiet person. He generally didn't know who to talk to at parties, but when he got there, he recognized a few people, and decided to talk to a girl he knew from one of his classes, her name was Vallery, he was pretty sure, or he hoped so anyway. She looked like a Vallery in his mind.

"Party games?" he asked, walking up to them, just hearing the bit about her saying she wanted to play some games. "Sounds like fun," he said.

[Dave Cooper]

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Dave always felt kind of weird at school-based parties. I mean, he certainly didn't show it. Because that wasn't his style. He currently held a reputation as a "cool jock" and wasn't gonna let something like being awkward get in the way. But that never stopped the pit in his gut or the embarrassment at the back of his head. Because think about it, even if you're technically a senior, its still weird to be a twenty year old.

Either way, Dave had heard the word and knew that tonight the place to be was the roof. He'd been up there many times, often spending most of his Saturday nights there with a couple buddies to stargaze. But tonight there was to be a party. Or so he heard. For all he knew, it could be three kids playing Magic. He hoped to God that wasn't the case as he climbed the stairs, a cart of rootbeer in his right hand.

Reaching the top, Dave gently pressed his knee into the door so it would open. He would've used his left hand, but it was recently occupied by a phone. He was scrolling through his email, having been notified that he had a new message. It wasn't anything important, only iTunes reminding him that he'd bought a song earlier that day. After slipping his phone back into his pocket, Dave looked up from his hand to look around. There were quite a few underclassmen trotting around, being loud and obnoxious as usual. But off near the edge was a small group of people, two of which he recognized as seniors. One of whom he was particularly interested in talking to.

"Vallery!" he shouted from the door as he started a light run towards the edge of the roof. She seemed awfully confused as he approached. Dave didn't really expect her to remember who he was.. it wasn't like they'd ever been formally introduced. "Hey! Hey Vallery!" he was yelling again as he got closer and finally stopped before her. "Wow. Fancy seeing you here," he tried to tease, but ended up just looking kinda lame. He pointed to himself. "Dave," he said with a smile. "Y'know. Physics. You dropped your pencil, I picked it up, we're basically already best friends and we should probably share a couple rootbeers." Moving to her side, Dave lifted himself onto the edge and set the case of sodas between them.

[goodgollyalex]

"Thanks! I like yours too." Shana complimented with the up most sincerity When she caught sight of Derek, her smiled broadened and she greeted him with open arms. His eager kisses made her heart flutter, of course! However, she was well aware that they had to tone down the affection in front of others. It was nothing personal. She started laughing when she realized this and placed a gentle hand on his chest. "Alright, alright!" Shana exclaimed softly but with playful tone considering she wasn't angry. She looked up to his eyes and moved her lips to the side, smiling warmly before turning to Vallery.

Well, that was awkward! She looked almost shy at the moment before saying, "You really think so?" Shana laughed before shrugging. She knew that she and Derek were not only an attractive couple but they were a beautiful pair. She didn't know how long their relationship was going to last and honestly, she wasn't sweating. She was going to cherish every single second of it even if it were to end tomorrow for some reason.

Not only did she love Derek but she also cared for him. She would always care for him because technically he was her first love. That was more than enough. It was an emotional tie, almost.

"I had no idea you were going to be here." she turned to him before settling back and leaning her back against the edge. "I was at the library studying for that horrible grammar test tomorrow but somehow, this intrigued me. And that's the way the cookie crumbles." she laughed before looking to Vallery who had proposed a game.

Shana turned her head to look up at Derek and smiled brightly, "How was your day?" she asked him.

[Vallery Preston]

Vallery grinned as more people joined their little group. The lower class men were being total idiots over near the other side of the roof, and she didn't want to have to ask them to join in. She figured she would let them be little dorks, becaus sit was cute, but she didn't want to be associated. Already they were bringing out the twister mat - and that looked like it was going to be an exhausting disaster for them. "Let's play something..." She tried to think on the entirely opposite level as a childish board game - considering none of them actually had games, or a deck of cards to play with. "I guess truth or dare seems like the safest thing... For now," she tried to grin mysteriously.

She glanced up as Dave entered the scene, and offered a tight, somewhat confused smile. She didn't recognize him until he mentioned his name, and the physics class they were in. "Oh - oh!" She exclaimed in realization. "Hey, yeah, a soda sounds good but i'll take a rain check." She held up her almost empty Dr. Pepper and shoved her feelings down inside her heart. Okay, so he was cute, and the first guy from her physics class to actually try to socialize with her outside of copying answers. Not to mention he seemed eager to be friends, which made her want to get to know him. Plus, his little joke about how they should be best friends had made her crack a smile, and she knew their personalities would work well.

"Want to sit in a circle?" She asked, gesturing around. She slipped carefully off of the wall and sat with her legs criss crossed, back against the ledge wall. She gestured for Eli to come closer, sensing that he was a little more reluctant. She offered him a hand, as brazen as ever. "I'm Vallery," she introduced herself. "And you're Eli, right?" She smiled, then released his hand and clapped her own. "Let's get this started... Who's first?"

[Derek Mathaw]

Derek stuck his tongue out at Vallery when she basically told them (politely) to break it up. For that, he kissed Shana just one more one and then proceeded to join the circle, holding Shana's hand gently. Their fingers intertwined, puzzle pieces fitting together once more, and he smiled at her. "Truth or dare, sounds good," he laughed, "I guess you can't teach old dogs new tricks." He appreciated the fact that they always went back to this game. It was the best ice breaker, since you get to know about people. It was great for boredom blocking and lead to interesting stuff at parties. "Honestly, this is the best game. We play this all the time at this school, and it just gets better," he said,proud to admit that he had been in most of those games and seen them end up either terribly weird or amazingly hilarious. Their small group looked like a great crowd to play with, considering less people meant more chances to ask the good questions or do the good dares. He waited till Val asked who would go first, then closed his eyes, whirled his free hand around, and his pointer finger landed on... Dave. "Yoooou!" He cried, Soulja'boy style. "Choose your victim, and they choose truth or dare. You ask the questions."

[Dave Cooper]

Dave lowered himself from the wall when Vallery did and took his place next to her on the ground, mimicking the way she'd leaned up against the wall. Only, he was more leaning on his shoulder so as to keep the 'circle' shape. Just after removing one of the caps from a bottle of rootbeer, Dave looked up to see the boy (who he'd heard his name was Derek) pointing at him. "Oh me first?" he asked, then took a sip and let out a low 'ahhh'. "Hmm. Alright uh..."

Dave looked around for a minute. Since he was going first, he wanted to pick the perfect person and ask the perfect question. After sighing a couple times and taking in everyone's face, Dave landed on Vallery and asked for truth or dare.

Dare.

Smiling, Dave put his hands together and brought them to his chin as he tapped the tips of his fingers against his skin. "Alright I dare you too...." he paused and giggled. "How weird can I make this without making it too weird?" he thought out loud, dropping his hands. Smiling at himself, he giggled again when the dare came to him. "Alright I dare you to sit on my lap for.. for uh.. the rest of the game. Boom. Look at that. Awkward, yea!" he cheered, fist pumping and then patting his thighs so she could come sit.

Congratulations, Dave Cooper, for starting the game and already making it the most uncomfortable thing ever. You, sir, are a champion.