Swift Cul-De-Sac (Advanced;;Open)

[Ivy]

Read all the plot lines, pick a character, and give him or her a name. Then wait until all the character slots of filled and let the role play begin!

NEED 2 MORE MALE CHARACTERS; MESSAGE ME FOR DETAILS.

Plot:
There were four houses in their little cul-de-sac, with a total of 6 kids. They grew up together, all the houses were called home and every parent treated them as one of their own. They were close, until gender roles started being recognized, and with gender roles comes separation. The old days of them playing in the field until midnight were lost. Two of the girls branched off to their own, while one of the girls stayed as one of the guys. Still, feelings started to emerge as they entered high school one by one. Sides were chosen, romances blossomed, and that's where our role play starts.

I'd Lie:
He tells me about his night, I count the colors in his eyes. I'll never fall in love, he swears, as he runs his fingers through his hair. I'm laughing cause I hope he's wrong. And I don't think I'd ever cross his mind, he tells a joke, I fake a smile, but I know all his favorite songs. And I could tell you, his favorite color's green. He loves to argue, born on the 17th. His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eye, and if you asked me if I loved him, I'd lie.

Kaitlyn Jackson (Ivy)
Sophomore; The Scholar
Relations:
Kaitlyn and Connor have always been close friends. When they split from the group, she grew disconnected from Hailey, and most of the boys. However, ever since she was little she's always looked up to Andrew and had the biggest crush on him. She couldn't ever tell her best friend that she liked his brother because she was afraid what her response would be.

Andrew Moore (Lt. Vaughn)
Senior;; Mr. Congeniality
He's very protective of his sister Connor, although he's grown apart from her and Kaitlyn when they separated from their group. He and the other three are still extremely close and tight knit. Being very well liked at school, he's constantly the center of female attention, however he's fairly reserved. So only the cul-de-sac kids really know him well.

You Belong With Me:
She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers, dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time. If you could see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along so why can't you see? You belong with me.

Hailey Foster ( Lizz)
Junior;; The Tom Boy
When the genders split, Hailey remained with the boys and became best friends with Zach. She and Kaitlyn used to be really close, but she's always secretly disliked Connor- mostly likely because she's always had a thing for Zach and he's always obviously had a thing for Connor. She guess you could call it jealousy, but Hailey has too much pride to ever admit how in love she is with her best friend.

Zach Connolly (Cedric)
Junior;; The Athlete
Zach and Connor have been dating since they were in middle school, but now he feels like they're growing apart. He doesn't know whether to fight and try to keep up with everything, or if it's finally time to let her go. They have the stereotypical high school relationship that everyone would envy, but it just doesn't feel right. Zach is brothers with Mitch, he and Hailey have been best friends since day 1.

The Story of Us:
I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us, how we met and the sparks flew instantly. People would say they're the lucky ones. I used to know my spot was next to you, now I'm searching the room for an empty seat 'cause lately I don't even know what page you're on. Oh, a simple complication, miscommunications lead to a fallout. So many things that I wish you knew, so many walls, I can't break through.

Connor Moore (Ivy)
Junior;; The Cheerleader
Relations:
Kaitlyn and Connor have always been close friends. She's been dating Zach since middle school, but a lot can change since then. She knows very few people know her as well or care about her as much, but she feels like she's missed out on so many opportunities because she's only been with one boy her whole life. Also, she can't help but to think what will happen with college right around the corner.

Mitch Connolly (zucpy)
Senior;; The Alpha Male
He's always been the leader of their little group, from when they were a group of 6 to when they went down to a group of 4. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. The only thing that he could never get, was Connor. He never told anyone, not even his brother whom he's extremely close to. So when Zach showed interest in Connor, he didn't want to seem like he was trying to steal his brother's girl. He doesn't want to admit that he's happy that they're having problems, and he knows that it would be wrong to date his brother's ex, but he's always loved Connor.

[Ivy]

(Before I start, I'd like to address 4 things. 1. In case you didn't read the role playing rules, when you speak out of character, make sure to put them in parenthesis. 2. Advance only means I expect a minimum of a paragraph each post, which is only 3-4 sentences. I plan on writing way more than that, but I've been role playing for a long time. Just take it easy and have fun, I know a lot of you are confused because none of you have ever role played and I appreciate you playing this with me. 3. Don't feel pressured and don't expect people to respond asap. Posting once every 3 days is more than enough, I understand people are busy. If you want to role play more and the person you're role playing with isn't responding, try joining another role play on top of this one. 4. Do not control anyone's character other than your own, but you can feel free to make up other characters and control those for convenience. Ready, set, go! )

The clatter of silverware against the dining plates did nothing to mask the uncomfortable silence that had fallen upon the dinner table. Mitch rolled his eyes as his parents attempted for small talk. Ever since he could remember, the Moore's, Connolly's, Foster's, and Jackson's had family dinner once a month. Thinking back, they used to have a lot of fun at the kids table. A ghost of a smile touched his lips and he thought back to the way Connor used to scream when he shot spitballs at her. It was just too easy. He looked over at her. The little girl he once knew had developed into a beautiful young woman, and he wasn't quite sure when it had happened or when he had started noticing it. Mitch wasn't quite sure when monthly dinner had started getting awkward either. Probably around the time Connor and Zach started having problems in their relationship, a few weeks ago. Now it seemed like they were all walking on thin ice around the two.

Mitch threw his mother a pathetic pout, "Can I be excused?"

"Finish your dinner, then maybe all you kids can have a movie night like the way you used to do it." Damn, she had sensed the problem too.

Kaitlyn tried to hide her panic. The last thing she wanted to do was be stuck in a room with Connor and Zach right now, and judging by the look on Mitch's face, they were on the same wavelength. They had to get out of this. She glanced over at Drew, and saw the perfect opportunity.

"Actually, I have a lot of homework tonight. In fact, Drew, I was hoping you might be able to help me with chemistry?

Mitch saw a chance to troll. "Hey Zach, weren't you asking me for biology help earlier? As I recall, Biology is Connor's best subject. You should get her to tutor you."

[bluelondoner]

Taking a sip out his milk glass, Zach practised the time honoured tradition of pretending ignorance in order to avoid an uncomfortable topic. He had been thinking about Connor when Mitch had decided to test the waters, and the comment had jarred him. Was it that obvious that all was not well? He had talked to Mitch about it before, but only in generalities. Mitch's comment seemed to suggest that there was more to it than that, even a hint of underlying joy. Well, after all, they were siblings. Jibes and taunts are what a good sibling relationship is built upon. Having convinced himself that the comment was nothing but Mitch taking his chance to cause annoyance, Zach shot back.

"Asking YOU for biology help? Must've been daydreaming Mitch. Biology's the study of living things, remember? Generally takes some ability to empathize with the living to pull off a good grade in that class."

[Ivy]

The corners of Mitch's lips pulled into a tight frown. That was a good save, he had to give his brother that one. He considered continuing their bickering, but a hunt of guilt hit him as he glanced over at Connor once again. If Zach hadn't just saved his own ass, then Mitch would have put Connor in an uncomfortable situation too. His brother was right, Mitch was generally aloof and cold, which generally passed off for unfriendly to strangers. Zach had always been the Connolly with the drive, the drive to excel in both sports and school. Mitch generally settled for passing and "alright". Still, in this case, Mitch would have given it his all. If he had been the Connolly to get Connor, he would have given her 110%.

"I don't even know how Connor and Hailey put up with you," Mitch sneered.

"Alright, boys, that's enough at the dinner table. Go on, into the family room for a peaceful movie."

Shit. Mitch was so busy trying to create chaos he forget to find a way out.

[lizzcaitlin]

"Yeah Mrs. Connollay, that sounds like a good idea. Come on guys" Hailey cut in trying to ease the tension that was only getting worse.

Hailey couldn't help but notice they way the monthly dinner was turning from awkward to a disaster. She had been waiting for this night all month, Zach had been acting weird toward Connor for a couple of weeks and now tonight with the two of them with everyone watching it felt weird. Everyone was walking on eggshells to not upset them and it was time to get out of there.

Hailey got up from the table putting her dishes in the sink, "Are you guys coming or are we going to be stuck in the kitchen all night? I don't know about you but the TV is calling my name."

[(FUTURE) Lt. Vaughn]

Drew couldn't help but get caught up in the nostalgia of the moment, as well. He kept thinking back on the times when he and Mitch would team up against Zach, ragging on him for dating Connor. He knew Mitch thought it was all in good fun, but in reality, Drew hated the idea of his friends dating his sister. He was one complex idea away from being completely lost in thought when Hailey's comment brought him back to reality, Finally, Kaitlyn's plea for help registered in his mind.

"So about helping you with Chemistry, it's no problem," Drew said smugly. "You've come to the right place. So what are we dealing with? NMR Spectrometry? Resonance structures? Functional groups? Fractional distillation, perhaps? I suppose it doesn't matter, I'll be able to help no matter what it is."

Drew was anxious to get away from the stress the situation was causing, and spend some time with the only person that he felt remained unchanged throughout the years.

"I'm guessing watching a movie while studying is a little counterproductive. Let's head to the basement instead," Drew said with slight hesitation. "We'll be downstairs studying if you need us!" he shouted to the rest of the group.

[Ivy]

Kaitlyn giggled, she always thought Drew's confidence was cute. He liked to joke, but everyone knew that he wasn't conceited- far from it. In Kaitlyn's mind, Drew was just the perfect amount of everything. She followed him eagerly down the stairs and into the basement. All the houses in the cul-de-sac were essentially built the same, which made it that much easier for each child to call every house home. Throwing herself on the couch, face first, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She felt like she couldn't breathe upstairs the tension was so tight. Here, with Drew, she felt as giddy as a little kid on Christmas. Rolling over to face him, she made room for him on the couch, motioning him over.

"Sorry for lying, I just couldn't stand it for another minute upstairs. Do you know what's going on with Connor and Zach? I mean, one's your sister and one's your best friend."

___
Mitch glared at the two who had managed to make their escape. Now he was stuck with the worst combination. Connor and Hailey had never got along, which was one of the reasons Connor broke away from the group when they were younger, taking Kaitlyn with her. Now on top of the childhood rivalry between the girls, Connor and Zach were also being extremely uncomfortable with each other. If he was Connor, he would have fled the scene by now. He almost admired her for standing her ground. Taking a seat as far away into the corner as possible, Mitch hoped that everyone would just shut up and watch the movie, but of course that never happens.

"What are we watching?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

[(FUTURE) Lt. Vaughn]

Drew uncomfortably moved towards the couch, leaving a good foot of distance between himself and Kaitlyn. He wasn't sure why he felt so awkward around her now. He loved her company over everyone else, and yet, Drew couldn't help but feel nervous. He felt as if he was being scrutinized, like if one simple mistake will ruin the entire relationship. He used to feel so much closer to her and the rest of the group, but he couldn't deny things were changing, and it didn't sit well with him. He knew he had to do something about it.

"So, I guess we're not going to talk about chemistry, then," said Drew, chuckling nervously to himself. "Ah, well let's see here, Zach is a great friend, but he's very different from Connor, and I feel like their relationship is the root of all this tension. I feel like we're losing the stability we had when we were younger. As for Connor, well I think she can do better... I mean... Zach is great for her, but what I'm saying is... Well Connor and Mitch just don't... uhhh..."

Drew was hesitant to express his desire to see Connor and Zach separate. Drew realized that no matter who Connor dates, he'll never find them good enough for his her. Even though they aren't the closest of siblings, Drew managed to develop some overprotective tendencies and refused to risk having anyone hurt her, especially any of his best friends. But more importantly, Drew felt the need to keep the group together and had always tried his best to cast his friends in a positive light. This became a little troublesome when his friends began to turn on each other.

Drew gathered up his words and began, "Zach and Connor may or may not make it, and to be honest, I don't care too much one way or the other. They're both strong individuals, and as long as they remain friends, our group will still work, and maybe we can-"

Drew quickly stopped himself, realizing he was possibly about to express some feelings he wasn't entirely sure were real, which would only further complicate the group dynamics.

"Uh...I mean maybe I can still help you with homework without things being too awkward!" Drew said, giving another uncomfortable laugh. "I think what we have among our households is very fragile. Let me draw it out for you... using chemistry. Here we have a benzene ring. Six carbons all connected in a ring with three single bonds and 3 double bonds in alternating order. This ring is among one of the most stable compounds in existence. But if you take away one of the double bonds, things began to destabilize. Here is where resonance comes in. The bonds will rearrange themselves in such a way that will average out that instability across the entire ring. The ring as a whole becomes weaker, but it can still be stable. But taking out one more double bond will result in so much instability that the ring is forced to break apart and form subunits. Understand what I'm saying?"

Drew couldn't lie to himself. Explaining his feelings and emotions through real life examples gave him a sense of detachment that allowed him to feel like it wasn't his opinion, but instead, simple observations.

[Ivy]

Kaitlyn couldn't help but to give a wry smile at how flustered Drew got, and how he had to resort to chemistry to explain himself. He was always charming, even when he wasn't trying to be. That's why everyone naturally fell for him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, ignoring his attempt to create space between them. She remembered the days where all of them would wrestle in the fields, cuddle up to each other and camp out for the night. There were no space boundaries, no personal boundaries. Now, everything was different. Kaitlyn knew that Drew was keenly aware of their gender differences, and therefore made accommodations. He didn't know that she had noticed their differences at an age as early as eight, when he was ten. This didn't make her want to pull back. On the contrary, it made her want to pull him closer.

"You can tell me things, Drew, you know I've always been good at keeping your secrets. Do you remember that one time when we were little? You knocked over a glass of milk onto Zach's prized baseball card, and he and Mitch got into this huge fight over it. I never told that it was you."

Drew always hid from everyone, emotionally. No one could always tell what he was thinking for sure, not even the cul-de-sac kids. Kaitlyn had always found it so intriguing, mysterious and attractive. She didn't want him to feel like he had to hide from her, she didn't want to be just another person to him. Kaitlyn had always dreamed of being that one person Drew could confide all his thoughts to. She wanted to prove her worth to him. Then maybe, just maybe, he would finally realize that he needed her. That's all she's ever wanted, to be needed by Andrew Moore the way she so desperately needed him. It took restraint to keep herself from reaching up and brushing those strawberry blonde curls out of his beautiful blue eyes. Kaitlyn felt like she was dealing with a wild animal, she wanted to coax him out, not scare him away.

"Were you mad when Zach started dating Connor? Did you feel like he almost ruined everything? That's when the fights between Connor and Hailey really got bad, and I was forced to pick sides. Did you feel abandoned when we left?"

_________
Connor tried to hold her tongue during the entire meal, but now she was stuck with two of last people she was interested in seeing currently. Mitch wasn't being much of a condolence either, considering he was trying to make things as awkward as possible. She could feel her blood boiling, just looking at Zach and Hailey. Connor had always been jealous of their relationship. She was his girlfriend, not Hailey. So why was it, whenever he was upset, confused, or bored, he would call Hailey first and not her. What made Hailey so much better? Connor considered herself prettier and more fashionable, Hailey had always been such a tom boy. So maybe Zach was simply treating her like one, but in the end Hailey was still a girl, and in Connor's eyes that meant she was competition.

What upset Connor further was Zach had yet to talk to her about his feelings on their current predicament, but she would bet her last pom pom that he had already told Hailey all about it. To be fair, she hadn't confronted him either- but wasn't that the boy's job? Well, if Zach wanted to play the talk to every girl other than your girlfriend, two could play at that game. With a flip of her strawberry blonde hair, she took a seat a little too close to Mitch on the love seat he had claimed his in the corner of the room. Connor knew that Zach secretly looked up to and envied his brother, which is why he tried so hard in everything he did to one up him. Yet Mitch managed to make even mediocriacy look desirable. A devious smirk graced her perfect little doll face as she thought of how agitated he would become if he saw her flirting with Mitch. Hopefully more than how agitated she got when she saw him with Hailey.

"I have no preference," Connor shrugged nonchalantly , scooting even closer to Mitch.

[bluelondoner]

Zach couldn't help but notice Connor scoot closer to his brother, but forced himself to not give it more than a momentary glance; making it known that he had noticed would just escalate whatever it was that was happening. He couldn't understand it, Connor's motives were always a blank to him. It hadn't always been like that, there had been a blissful few years where he understood Connor better than anyone, better even than he understood Hailey. That wasn't true anymore. He quickly scanned the room to try to find Hailey. Maybe if he got a moment of eye contact, she could point him in the right direction? No luck, she had left the room already, and how could he blame her? The tension between Connor and himself was dense and cloying, it spoiled the entire dynamic of their group, and yet, he could not fully get behind the idea of ending it. It had been idealistic, even exemplary, for a few months, and they could get over this. They could.

They could, if he could work out what it was that they were getting over with in the first place. Connor seemed more interested in making sure he knew that something was wrong than she was in fixing it. She had never been shy, and he couldn't understand why she had chosen now of all moments to begin. If it was Hailey, she would have understood that he couldn't understand, and would've cleared it up as soon as possible. If it was Hailey, they wouldn't even have been that misunderstanding in the first place. If it was Hailey... but it wasn't Hailey, and it wasn't fair to either of them for him to compare Connor to Hailey. Hailey was his best friend, but he'd never seem even a hint of her knowing that boys even existed: she just took the better parts of both sexes and said 'hell no' to any attempt to force her into one stereotype or the other. He admired that in her, but it made it impossible for him to think there was a realistic chance of anything more than friendship. If only. No, he was stuck with Connor, and he needed to sort things out, for his own peace of mind. He laughed at his own word choice - stuck? Stuck, with the model girl, the cheerleader extraordinaire. Yet who can account for taste? Even though Hailey was impossible, unrealistic, he still held her up higher than he did Connor, and that wasn't fair, not to either of them. His mind was made up, Connor and him needed to straighten things out.

He walked over to the couch where Mitch and Connor sat and shot a loaded glance at Mitch. "Give us a few minutes before the movie starts? Get us all Haagen-Daaz or something?"

[lizzcaitlin]

Just as Hailey was about to enter she peered in the room to seem Connor sitting on the couch next to Mitch, Zach walking towards the two of them. Connor looked way to cozy with Mitch. She watched as Zach whispered in Mitchs ear, wishing that he would turn to glance at her so that he would know that he wasn't the one in the wrong. Connor was just trying to make him jealous and he had to not let her win. Avoiding problems was what caused Connor and Hailey to fall out in the first place. She didn't even try to continue the friendship when things got difficult. Hailey never wanted to have to choose what friends to have, they just sort of chose for her. It wasn't that she hated Connor or anything, it was just that when they had grown older they didn't have the bonds they had when they were younger. Connor wanted to be popular and Hailey just wanted to make it through high school.

It was sort of depressing to think about how Hailey understood Zach more than his own girlfriend, granted that he most likely shared more to her than Connor it was just that Hailey was always willing to listen. It was more that she just knew how to deal with things better than most high school juniors. Hailey had always prided herself in that she knew how to deal with things. Which is why she decided to never let Zach know how she had always had a crush on him. It had started even before the group had even split, it was just that she always looked up to Zach and he always looked out for her. But then she stayed with the guys and Connor and Kaitlyn went off leaving her there and she stayed the tom boy of the group. She wished that she could break the barrier of being one of the guys, it was like they still didn't notice she was a girl.

Hailey watched as Mitch stood up and began to walk towards her to leave the room, Zach took Mitchs place next to Connor, she looked away to give them the privacy they deserved. Everyone knew that this moment had been building up for too long, and she didn't want to get caught in the cross fire, at least not too soon. Hailey smiled knowing how tonight Zach would call her to tell her what had gone on with Connor and of course she would be the best friend and cheer him up and tell them they can work through it, even though it killed her to say that. Hailey loved Zach. So as long as he was happy she would have to accept that Connor and him are together.

[(FUTURE) Lt. Vaughn]

Drew started to ease up a little. Kaitlyn was right, there was no reason to feel so awkward around her. It surprised him that Kaitlyn still remembered the situation with the baseball card. Drew thought back for a moment and remembered feeling so conflicted that he had to tell someone. In the end, Kaitlyn's straightforward thinking made perfect sense to just let the brothers duke it out. Brothers couldn't be torn apart so easily, but had they found out it was Drew, the brothers might have formed an alliance against him. That was all in the past, however, and the issues at hand were a little more pressing than spilled milk.

"Yeah, I apologize, I just haven't felt like myself lately. I'm not mad at Zach for dating Connor, and I'm not upset that you and Connor kind of branched off either," Drew said. "I guess I'm just more worried than anything. What we have here amongst each other is pretty special, and I think we all can see it's starting to fall apart. I can't let that happen."

Drew reflected for a moment before continuing, "You know, I've always felt like I had to keep this group together for the sake of each other, and our parents. I just always figured that the only reason all of our families are able to get along so well is because our group has been so close. I never wanted to do anything to jeopardize that."

Drew's thinking became more clear, his words flowing more freely as he subconsciously started to open up. Even though he's kept the details of his emotions fairly secret from the group, he tended to speak with passion whenever he was talking about a topic he felt passionate about.

"What Connor and Zach have together I guess I've always looked at as kind of a threat to the integrity of the group. What happens if they break up? It would create so much unwanted tension between all of us. And I guess in a way, it's that reason why I'm hesitant to push anyone too hard, or say something that might be considered overstepping the bounds."

Drew paused for a brief moment with an expression crossed between concerned and excited on his face.

"It's also the reason why I've never really acted upon how I feel about you. Ever since we were kids, I've always enjoyed your company the most because you make me feel important. I'm glad our group of friends has stayed together for so long, and I'm going to do what it takes to try to keep us together, but that doesn't mean I'm only interested in the friendships we share. I figure now that we're already at a period of instability, I might as well tell you how I feel. I don't want this group to break apart and have you drift away before I can say what I want to say."

Drew sat there, relieved he had gotten what he wanted to say off his chest, but he waited anxiously for how Kaitlyn would respond to this sudden out pour of emotions.

[Ivy]

Fuck. Connor's eyes darted from side to side uncomfortably as she and Zach was the last two left in the room. She even considered jumping out of the window to her left, but decided that exit would be slightly over dramatic. There was a reason why she and Zach had put off having this "talk" for so long, it was because neither of them wanted to know the final answer. She snuck a glance at those gorgeous eyes of his, the ones she spent all of middle school cooing over. Connor considered Zach to be her first love, and probably would always love him. However, did she have feelings for him right now? No. Well, feelings, yes, positive feelings, no. She remembered the days where her heart leapt at the sight of him, the days where his perfect lopsided smile would send the butterflies in her tummy rumbling. Connor would never be able to shake off the memories of them cuddling in the movie theaters or having picnics in the park.

Zach Connolly, the boy next door, the star athlete. Zach Connolly, her first crush, her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first love. They had it all, so what happened? She wanted to blame Hailey, but she knew she couldn't. Some time in the past year, Zach had started to pay less and less attention to her. She could have spoken up, she could have fixed things- but she didn't. Connor was the baby of the family, slightly spoiled also by her friends. She opted to take the immature path, that ultimately ruined their relationship. Instead of confronting Zach, she acted out, flirted with other boys and spent less and less time with him. She wanted him to fight for her, realize that she wouldn't always be there and come groveling. He disappointed her, he hurt her. That only made her angrier, more upset. In turn, Connor began acting more distance, colder to him, which she now realized only sent Zach practically running into Hailey's waiting arms.

She was a fool, that much she would admit. It was too late now. While she was out flirting, she realized there were so many missed opportunities while dating the same boy for almost 4 years. Connor realized just exactly how much she was desired, which got to her head. She didn't even know what it was like being with anyone other than Zach. Connor knew that Zach and her had lost their connection and she could no longer trust him to provide what she needed. Yet at the same time, they had been together for so long that Connor was almost afraid to lose that instability. She didn't know what would happen if she didn't have Zach. She's always had Zach, even before they dated. She was afraid if they were to break up she would lose him forever, in every sense of the word. She wasn't ready- but now Zach didn't really give her a choice. Connor tried to appear as calm and collected as possible as she cleared her throat expectantly. He's the one who kicked everyone out of the room, so she sure as hell wouldn't be the one who would start this dreaded conversation.

__________
Kaitlyn's mouth was left agape for a second before she could remember to close it. The same thing happened once again as she tried to conjure up the words to reply. Finally, after a minute or two of silence, Kaitlyn broke out into a giggle. She couldn't help it. She had dreamt of this very moment for years, when Drew would finally confess his feelings for her and sweep her off her feet. Now that she heard those exact words come out of his mouth, she couldn't believe it. She almost refused to believe it. What were his feelings for her? As a sister, as a little sister, as a best friend? Because she had served all of the roles above for him growing up. She took her hand off of his shoulder and leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes for a minute. She needed to gather her thoughts, but it seemed like with every second that past her heart was pounding louder.

"I really enjoy your company too, Drew. Thanks for almost taking care of me growing up. I think I'm going to head upstairs and see if the tension has subdue." Kaitlyn pushed against her knees as she pulled herself into standing position.

She really didn't want to go upstairs, but she was scared. She was afraid that she was hearing things or misinterpreting what Drew was trying to say. Kaitlyn didn't want to get her hopes up only to have her dreams crushed. Neither did she want to make a fool of herself if he was simply implying that he had yet to ever thank her for being his ever loyal comrade.

[(FUTURE) Lt. Vaughn]

Drew didn't really know what to do now. He suddenly began to regret saying so much. The group may have already been falling apart, but this could possibly only make things worse. Was it really a good idea to allow himself to date someone so close to his sister? What if something happens and Kaitlyn decides he's not what she wants? She would undoubtedly vent to Connor on all her problems, and one way or another, that would come back on Drew.

"I'll be up there in a second, I'm just going to pretend we were actually studying and throw some books around, maybe zip and unzip my backpack a couple of times to make it sound a little more convincing," Drew joked. "Watch yourself up there, god knows what's happened since we've been down here. It could be a whole new world."

As Kaitlyn walked away, his thoughts returned to what he just said. He knew what he said, and he meant it, but he wondered if that was really the best opportunity to say it. "What did you just do, Drew?" he asked himself out loud. "This better work, this is probably my only shot." Drew got up and and started pacing while glancing around the room, unsure exactly of what he was doing as his mind was still busy re-evaluating the situation. Finally he snapped back to reality and realized he had no reason for being down in the basement any longer. He proceeded up the stairs, back into what was sure to be a situation more tense than when he left.

Noticing that it was only Connor and Zach in the room, Drew bolted immediately without saying a word, knowing that even a simple "hello" would make things more awkward than they needed to be. Drew knew something was about to happen, and he'd rather not witness it, but instead, try to fix it if something terrible did come from their talk. Looking around the rest of the house without any luck, Drew figured the rest of the gang had gone outside, probably to hang out on the benches at the end of the cul-de-sac. That's where they would always go to relax and reflect on the day.

[lizzcaitlin]

Hailey watches as Mitch walked toward her, she could feel the tension in the room building as Mitch walked out. "I have a feeling we arent going to be watching a movie today...I think we should let them two work it out and give them some alone time. Lets go to sweet frog or something." Hailey didn't give time for Mitch to change his mind and started walking towards the door.

"We're going to sweet frog" She yelled into the kitchen where all their parents were still eating.

Hailey didn't want to admit it but she needed out of the house too right then. She had this weird feeling something bad was about to happen and she didn't want to be around when it did.