By The Sea [Kennedy]

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

Hunter dashed along the trodden path that wound its way toward the lake. School had let out five minutes ago and he couldn't afford being late again for his meeting with Kennedy. His golden hair was a complete disaster as it flew into a tangled mess behind him as he ran. Shorter pieces flew into his eyes as he desperately and pointlessly tried to fend them off. Hunter was nearing the lake. The surface glistened in the early morning sunlight as a lone bird plunged up and down in the clear air. He half wanted to stop where he was and stare at its agility and grace, but the other half still stung from his last chewing out from his friend. This time he would be the one to arrive early. Hunter was now running parallel to the lake, feeling intermittent sprays of water shower his face. He ran; his flip flops dangerously close to falling off, hair flying everywhere, and water in his eyes. And in spite of it all, the day was glorious.

He came around a bend in the path, the crystalline lake still beside him, and nearly tripped over a tree root growing stubbornly from the ground. Hunter stopped to regain his balance and when he looked up he saw the bird swooping down on him. For a moment he thought it was aiming for him, but it flew gracefully over his head, just brushing his hair with its feathers. Perhaps it was a sign that it was too beautiful a day to spend it doing homework about things like History. He found the dock down the path and lay down his keys and phone on the wooden surface. The boy took of his shoes carelessly and dipped his toes in when he had reached out towards the waters. Hunter pulled a hand through his hair, trying to retain its usually chaotic mess and securing it with his nimble fingers. He stared up into the sky but had to shield his eyes even with his shades from the intensity of the blazing sun. Then, for no reason at all, he laughed out loud and had a genuine smiled on that warm day in mid-July.

People’s forms sparkled under the midafternoon's sunlight, the water droplets that littered their skin from their swim in the lake drawing Hunter's eye as he appreciated for a moment, in the stillness of nature and the calm that resided after his hard day at school, how utterly beautiful a serene moment could be. Hunter was sitting on the edge of the small dock, his feet dangling in the water as he considered diving into the water himself. Maybe in a bit. For now he just wanted to enjoy everything going on around him. Hunter let his mind drift while he waited for his friend to join up with him. Ever since he found out about Kennedy’s little secret back in February, the two had spent a considerable amount of time together. They were friends to begin with, as were their parents, so it was only natural for that to happen. And since Kennedy was one of the few friends with common sense and a mature enough outlook to not get wasted every weekend, had it made sense that he would have more time to spend with the youngest Beaufort girl. Or at least, that’s what he told his brother when he pointed all of this out to Hunter.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The clock slowly inched its merry way to releasing them for the day. It was almost torture, sitting inside while the sun crept overhead, warming the once frigid land into a summer paradise. Sure, June was a good month to have off by July was even better. Didn't the United States have some sort of holiday in July with fireworks? It had to be coming soon. Maybe she could ask Hunter about it once they got to the lake. They were meeting up as soon as possible after school, which meant the brunette would have to rush through her Thunder dorm and put on more suitable clothes and get out there before it got too late and he thought that she bailed on him.

Kennedy started putting her things in her bag, hoping to dash out the door as soon as the bell rang. However, it seemed the teacher had... Other things in mind. His droning voice had continued to instruct the anxious class, though the words fell on deaf ears. Thirty seconds left. As if this thought were stated aloud, the teacher suddenly turned and glanced at the object of his defeat before turning back to his class. "We still have thirty seconds of class left," he pointed out before nodding towards the desks that were starting to be abandoned.

"Please get out your reading books and open them to page sixty four." A collective groan was received, but he pressed on. "Please find the symbolism used on the page and what it represents. Whoever can tell me the right answer will release the class for the day." Kennedy sighed, knowing a vast majority of the class would be waiting for somebody with an inkling of intelligence to find the answer. She shuffled in her backpack, hoping to find the answer and get out of there quickly.

It would take four more minutes before a group of the kids in the class found which symbol he was looking for. Shit, she swore to herself. Hunter would have a huge head start on her. The brunette shoved her book back into her bag and flitted out the door. The halls were mostly empty now, her lithe form easily making its way at a jog to the dorms. She kept a good amount of clothes at the Academy for reasons like this. Quickly changing, she grabbed a tote and shoved towel and a book into its depth.

Looks like I'm running.

She made good time, making it to the shore maybe ten minutes after school got out. The Beaufort glanced around the lake before noticing her blonde friend perched on the edge of the dock that stretched into the waters. It seemed that he hadn't been sitting there long, the warm sun having not driven him to diving into the lake.

Something fluttered in her chest. Kennedy made her way quickly to the dock, suddenly aware that her outfit didn't cover nearly as much skin as she was used to wearing. She pulled at her skirt swimsuit bottom, messing with her hair which was mussed with her jogging. She noticed that his hair wasn't as well kept as it usually was, but she personally liked seeing him like this. He was happy, obviously enjoying himself more than she had seen him like recently. There were other people at the beach as well, but none really caught her attention. They wouldn't on any normal day anyways.

She came up quickly behind him, pressing at his shoulders as if to push him into the water before plopping down next to him, discarding her flip-flops and tote near her companion's items. "Hey, Hunt," she greeted, nudging his side. "Sorry I'm late. Teacher held us in four minutes late," she explained, looking out at the lake. It seemed like it was just yesterday they were off in the snow. Now it was just past the summer's eve and they were at the beach.

And still that feeling, deep inside, continued to fester and grow. Whatever it might be, she knew that she had to be careful. It would be disastrous if he figured out that she might be having other feelings. They were friends, and that was how it would stay. "How have you been?" Small talk, easy talk. But they needed to at least have a bit of conversation before they started to make joking arguments or shoving each other around. Right?

ooc: for some reason, i feel like somebody needs to be called sparky. will doll this up later, but i'm done with it. :3 so excited.

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

Thick July humidity surrounded the area almost in a deathly chokehold. For a second Hunter wished it was an all out downpour of rain right now, and then he could enjoy being outside without overheating and sweating. His smile didn’t falter despite the company; in fact it took on a new sort of feeling as Hunter basked in the glory of being the first one to arrive. ”Hello Kennedy,” Hunter bit back his smug remark as he finally looked over at his friend. His eyes were shielded behind his dark shades, thankfully hiding the surprised look on his face. Since when did Kennedy wear clothes like that? He ripped his eyes away and pushed the notion out of his mind, reasoning that his friend probably borrowed it from her sister or whatever. He never understood the concept of girls swapping clothes all the time. Didn’t they go shopping enough to pick out a wardrobe they liked already?

The numbness he had been enveloped in for nearly two weeks had faded since he step off the plane returning back to his new home in Canada, replaced by a sense of overwhelming ease. He was returning to Canada, to a family that mostly ignored or didn’t want him here nestled within the British Columbia, but he at least had friends to come back to. Hunter already escaped the snow drenched town every summer break to spend a month back in California. He always missed Cali; the blistering heat, the friendly people, and the blindingly bright blue sky. And he would miss his loving, flaky, and eccentric mother and her harebrained attempts to make a million dollars before her fortieth birthday. He would miss her crazy attempts at cooking, and her goofy stories about the stupid nights of her reckless adolescence. Hunter already missed her voice and her laugh, miss her smile and the smell of her hair, missed the crazy half siblings clawing after the blonde. He had a feeling he would miss her every day for the rest of his life. It had been almost five years since he was dragged off to the Academy.

That pervious summer was the first time his father tried to refuse the trip back to California, as if the blonde would ever take that. But now he was back in his tiny prison, well more like a lavish prison, ready to be made up into a perfect Ulrich boy. He was exaggerating again. Maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome, but he had the love of his two half siblings here to keep him relatively sane. And Kennedy. She was usually a good voice of reason even if she was a year younger than him. ”Let me just check the time and date before the official record keepers get here. Because I beat you here,” he replied complacently. ”For once, Hunter D. Ulrich, beat Kennedy…whatever your middle initial is Beaufort.” Now he was just pouring salt in the wounds. ”I’ve been alright, all things considered. You’d think this heat would be nothing compared to home, but it’s still hot as Hell today. What have you been up to during the break?” Hunter leaned back on the dock, letting his feet cool off in the water as his upper half was flat against the wood of the dock. For someone who grew up in California, Hunter had the great ability to remain as pale as a ghost through all seasons.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

For Kennedy, who had never really left the clutches of the Hollow, she was not really bothered by how bipolar the weather could be. While Hunter had been back in the States, enjoying his summer in California, the brunette had been lounging about outside. The warm sun of June was always fantastic for reading, the lake a nice spot to meet up with a few friends for a quick swim. She had avoided going to any galas her parents tried to set up, overall spending a wondrous summer in peace and quiet like almost every year.

Hunter greeted her, obviously trying to stop himself from making a smart retort as he glanced over at her. The Beaufort was reminded once more about how much skin was showing around her swimsuit. I should have wore a dress over it, she scolded herself, keeping a nervous flush from entering her cheeks as her friend looked away. She honestly wasn't going to wear her swimsuit at all, but she knew that if she was anywhere near the lake she would want to jump in. There wasn't really anything worse than walking around in wet clothes. Plus, they tended to hinder your ability to swim.

Of course, the blonde's ability to hold back any sort of jabs finally collapsed. She gave a laugh as he stumbled over what her middle initial was, shaking her head. There were a few things she missed during summer vacation. Hanging out with Hunter was one of those things. More than once her thoughts strayed to him and wondered what he was doing. Was it possible that the Ulrich boy had a girl back home in Cali? It would explain why he never seemed to hook up with too many girls here. It was these thoughts that brought a sharp feeling through her chest, one she couldn't really explain and wouldn't go away until she managed to forget about the subject. If he had a girl he'd tell her, right?

Hunter leaned back on the dock as he responded to her queries. She couldn't help but notice how pale he was. "I wouldn't say as hot as Hell," she threw back, trying to consider what sort of simile would serve better for the heat of the day. "It's actually quite temperate," she explained, her voice adopting a somewhat sarcastic tone. Temperate was definitely not a good description, but Hunter spent most of his summers in California. He couldn't really know what summers in the Hollow were like.

As for what she did over break... "Oh, you know. Parties." She pushed at her friend lightly, rolling her eyes. "Come on, you can't honestly say that you have no idea what I did over break." It was true. As stated before, other than being outside, she did practically the same thing year round. It may lead to a boring existence for some, but she enjoyed it all the same. "What about you? You meet any hot chicks at some parties in Cali?" she queried, drawing her feet back out of the water and sitting criss-crossed facing her friend, pulling her hair over one shoulder and absently playing with it as she awaited the answer to her joke.

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

He gave Kennedy a thoughtful nod, contesting to her remark. ”True, it hasn’t reached Dante’s inferno level yet. Maybe it’s just the humidity that is getting to me.” He missed dry heat. Of course he missed winter the most. He’d take cold and bundled up over hot and sweaty any day. Heaving himself up again he looked envious out at the water. He’d get to it soon enough. Summer had provided him with enough water time with his brothers and sister. ”So you read a lot, argued with your sister occasionally, and what...cleaned your room.” He pictured Kennedy now, making sure everything was in order. "I mean, you would have done more than me if you did," he quickly added. Summer was for relaxing and Hunter took that rather seriously sometimes.

”Hot chick? And you say men objectify women?” Hunter teased. California time was not a social cal for the blonde. He literally spent all his time in that free month with his half siblings and mother. That meant a lot of baby sitting and entertaining younger kids while his mother continued to work her fingers to the bone. When he could, he snuck them off and buys things for them off his credit card. Of course his father regulated his limit when he went back home, but he couldn’t stop Hunter from trying to cheer up his family. ”Hot chicks don’t hang out in my neighborhood,” Even saying that left a bit of a gross taste in his mouth. His mother had been a…dancer once and he had sisters to think about. ”Most girls there have no souls,” he joked. ”It’s like talking to zombies, except they can’t rot since they are mostly made of plastic now a days.” The prospect of dating a duck faced bimbo was not a promising future.

”Any summer romance for you at all of these parties you went to? Because I would have to approve of him first young lady.” Hunter’s voice grew into a mock paternal concern. ”He needs to hold the door open for you, pay for you, the whole nine yards.” Half of him was serious about worrying. Hunter wouldn’t want to have his friend suffer through a shitty relationship. Plus he’d have to deal with whomever Kennedy could date in the future and Hunter was not good at fake playing nice. He had no experience, but being a guy, he knew how some other guys thought. ”And if I approve, then he can sweep you off your feet and you can live happily ever after.”

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

Kennedy gave a laugh at Hunter's remark, saying that it hadn't reached Dante's inferno level yet. "Dante believed that warmth was a Godly thing. Hence, Hell was cold," she argued playing, arching a brow in his direction. "But the humidity definitely is something to marvel at. I already feel like I've gone for a swim," she acknowledged, stretching her arms out as she spoke. Kennedy's blonde friend sat up, looking at the water as he pointed out as he explained, almost completely correctly, what she did over the summer.

"See, if you actually keep stuff in order in the first place, then cleaning becomes obsolete," the brunette explained. There were few things she was painfully meticulous about keeping organized. One being her room and the other being her school items. It kept her from scrambling which, ultimately, meant she had more time to relax. Over the summer, in fact, she hardly even set foot in her room except for when she needed to sleep. However, even those things were minimal, as she spent more than a fortnight sleeping in the hammock outside.

He teased her about referring to anybody he might have met as a hot chick, which made her smirk. Something eased in her stomach, though, as Hunt explained that there were no girls like that in his neighborhood and somewhat bluntly expressed his distaste for the girls there. "Well, I'm glad. I would hate to think that you were zombified while you were gone. Then I would have to kill you," she joked, leaning backwards and propping herself up on her outstretched arms. Truthfully, if Hunter was a zombie, Kennedy was honestly not too much of a match for him. Sure, she knew self-defense, but he was a lot bigger than her. Plus, she would never want to hurt her friend.

The tables were turned as he asked if she had any summer romanced, which left her a bit flustered. It wasn't that she had, but she couldn't completely figure out how to explain that she could not have dated anybody, even if she had the opportunity too, because she kept thinking about him? She smiled and gave him a nudge as he explained that he had to approve and set out guidelines for her to chose a potential date.

"Come on, Hunt. The only guy who does that is you and you're not interested," she retorted before realizing exactly how what she said sounded. She kept her composure for the most part, playing it off with another playful shove before she stood up and pulled off her tank-top before diving quickly into the lake to avoid the crap he was going to give her. Seriously, Kenny? Where's your cool when you need it!

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

”Ughhh, cleaning. I clean enough just so my room doesn’t get gross stale man smell. I know you know the one I’m talking about. Some dude’s are pretty nasty.” Controlled chaos and mess was more of Hunter’s style. Although his room looked relatively clean, there were small clusters of mess. Some clothes, or maybe even discarded schoolwork. If he let the maid clean the room then it wouldn’t be a problem, but he was not going to fall for that. Hunter had grown accustom to his new richer lifestyle, but he drew the line at fucking servants doing work for him. ”If I didn’t have money they wouldn’t have been interested in me anyway. Fake bitches. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t go near them with a ten foot pole.” And the pole would need something crazy attached to it…like spikes or some shit.

With Kennedy’s rising blush, Hunter’s smirk only grew wider. That must of meant something went down during the break. As much as he wanted to say something or tease her about it, the words didn’t come out. For once, his mind was blank. What would he say to that, if Kennedy just one day did show up with some guy attached to her. The idea was a tiny bit unsettling to the Ulrich boy, but he couldn’t really understand why. Before he could brood any longer on the topic, his mind went blank as Kennedy quickly rid herself of her tank top and dove into the water. It wasn’t for long, but Hunter caught sight of what she was wearing, or what she wasn’t wearing in this case. Not that it mattered, because girls wear bathing suits like that all the time. And Kennedy was a girl…just another swimsuit wearing girl. For Christ sake, his step mother wore them all the time when she was sun bathing. Unlike the thought of Kennedy-or any other girl- his step mother’s image made him snap out of his stupor with a gross taste in his mouth. What was he thinking about anyway?

Hunter stood up on the dock and waited for Kennedy to resurface before fully getting to respond to her. He towered over the girl and tried to give her a reassuring smile and an easy going shrug of his shoulders. ”Guys still do that you know… maybe not all, but, there are some out there still. In Hunter’s experience of watching his friends descend on women like a piece of meat, false bravado and arrogance somehow won in the short term run. Nice guys really could finish first when given the chance or so he still hoped. Hunter took off his sunglasses and squinted as he tried to readjust to the light. ”And you’re not some leper Ken. I think you’re too hard on yourself sometimes. But what do I know-,” he reached for the bottom of his loose tank top and let it fall into the small pile Kennedy’s personal items made. "-you got to just like...let go or something. Thinking about it just fucks things up. Or at least that's what they say in all of those romantic comedies and shit." Hunter had a special gift of building things up and ruining his own created moment.

With a slight stretch of his arms, Hunter took the plunge into the water, glad that it was a bit colder than he expected. When he came up for air, his blonde hair covered his eyes as it stuck to his face. His hand quickly pushed it to the side in order to get his sight back. Hoping to cheer his friend up, he moved closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. ”Besides, you must not have looked in the mirror lately.” He smiled before applying some pressure and pushing her under the water. She was going to kill him for that, but he would just have to take whatever punishment was going to be thrown his way.

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

"Ew," Kennedy responded, wrinkling her nose. The fact that any room could get to that point bothered her. But she could understand the minor piles of mess, though those were soon picked up by her in her own house. It wasn't like it would take too long anyways or she had anything better to do, really. The Beaufort's did not have a maid, but the house kept mostly organized because of the family's general ability to clean up after themselves. Kennedy, like Hunter, wouldn't let them do much anyways. There was a line that should not be crossed, even if you were paying somebody and they wanted to do it.

The feeling that had released her stomach disappeared as he called any girls that he might have met fake bitches and further expressed his distaste. "A ten foot pole, eh? Seems like the girls you met would get along with most of the guys here," the brunette retorted, giving a smirk. It was true, at least with the people that Kennedy had the pleasure, if it could be called that, of meeting.

Except Hunter.

He'd always been different.

She could feel his smirk growing, his gaze just waiting for a taunt. Let him think what he would, he was probably just trying to figure out who she "hooked up with" over the break. She held her dive as she split easily through the crisp water. Compared to most of the girls that were at the lake, Kennedy was wearing a lot of clothing. You couldn't see the skin between her breasts or her upper-thighs. She was dressed modestly for swim wear, but she would understand if Hunter made a jab at it. Looking back, Kenny couldn't recall even wearing shorts in front of the boy. He was probably going through some sort of culture shock.

She surfaced about ten feet from the dock, cutting her dive more deep than out as she waded back towards the structure that made its way through the water. He smiled and gave a shrug before speaking, explaining that guys still did that sort of thing. The Beaufort flustered again as he continued, saying that she wasn't some sort of leper, and she allowed herself to sink a bit so that the cool water would keep the color from showing in her face. Kenny was also careful to divert her gaze as her friend took off his shirt as he continued to talk. She had already dug herself a pretty big hole and the last thing she needed was him poking some joke at her like she'd never seen a guy shirtless before.

His last part of his speech was lost with the humorous ending as he jumped into the water. She waded about in a circle, trying to track where he would surface against the gleam of the lake. Kennedy laughed as he came up, his blonde hair sticking over his eyes before he pushed it away and swam up to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, something that she wasn't used too. The contact between the two of them was minimal, to say the least. Aside from the occasional push and shove, there had only been one time where they'd actually truly shown any sort of caring gesture towards each other.

So, it took her by surprise when he made a comment as to her appearance before using his leverage to push her under the water. At least she hadn't opened her mouth immediately to make a comment, but she did have to surface quickly from lack of taking a breath. As soon as she surfaced, the brunette drew her hand back and splashed the Thunder opposite to her. "What? You like what you see?" she called back, arching a challenging brow at him. Kennedy was confident, when she wanted to be. Plus, she wasn't going to let that comment slide by so easily.

"You're lucky I don't drown you where you wade," she finished, giving a laugh and a bright smile. Despite the pretense, she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy that he did seem to notice her at least a little bit. Why do you care? He's your friend. You're just setting yourself back up for disaster, her inner voice commented, but she pushed it down. They were friends, but just friends didn't make those comments... Right?

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

”No you don’t understand, they really don’t have souls,” he chuckled a bit at the mental image of the stereotypical bleach blonde bimbo. ”Duck lips man, some of them have duck lips. It’s not just something you see on the Internet or a Kardashian. It’s real life. You just need to see it for yourself I guess.” Had Kennedy ever left Maple Hollow? Probably, her family was pretty loaded, so it wasn’t like the option for vacations wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Unlike Hunter, Kennedy was born in Canada, though sometimes she didn’t perpetuate the played out image of peaceful folks. Hunter could attest to her wrath even if it was all in good fun. He hoped he didn't look like some beach bum idiot quoting the Big Lebowski. ”Do you like to travel?” It was beginning to dawn on the blonde that he didn’t really know everything about his closet friend. Of course that was impossible, but the two had never sat down and played like, twenty questions or anything. They knew how each other acted and probably general interests, but Hunter lack info on some of the brunette’s preferences.

The boy froze for a minute at Kennedy's self-assured remark. Did Hunter see something? Yes, he saw images of Kennedy’s dad busting out from behind the bushes to chew the boy out, or his mother’s warning on how to be careful and polite around girls. "Yes," the blonde manages to say. His voice is little more than a whisper. ”I see….I see…a man in your future child.” Hunter attempted probably the worst Jamaican accent ever attempted in the history of the world. Raising two fingers to his temples he continued his little game. ”He rides in on a white stallion dressed in the finest silks of his land.” He voice went back to normal, ”Wait a minute this guy is starting to sound pretty feminine. Never trust a man in silk, he'll just break your heart by checking me out instead.” Hunter wiggled his brows up and down as he jokingly boosted his own ego. His ears are suddenly overwhelmed by the bevy of sound that has been forced upon him. A playful shriek in the distance droning on in their meaningless conversations.

It felt like the production of Stomp that blew through the previous summer had returned for an encore performance. Hunter shakes his head trying to clear it, to will himself back to the here and now. These spells of inattentiveness - of not really feeling present - are increasing in duration and frequency. He absently makes a note about it somewhere in the back of his mind. He looked expectantly at Kennedy who was yet again, surprised by the young girl in front of him. A slow smile spread across his face before morphing into a smirk. ”You’re really not going to tell me who this Prince Charming was during your summer rendezvous?” Kennedy had not confirmed if she had even hooked up with anyone, but she also didn’t deny it.

There was something oddly comforting about just floating in the water. Part of it reminded him about the elation of gymnastics, those few seconds where you were just free in the air, nothing attached to you as you felt like flying. Except in the water it didn’t get his adrenaline going. This was way more languid. Nice in it’s own way he thought. ”Kennedy you can’t get me to drown,” he replied back. Now he was doing his best to stay afloat and lay horizontal in the water at the same time. Hunter was having a hard time accepting he wasn’t as buoyant as he wished he was. As his head quickly dipped under the water he shot back up and spit some water out of his mouth. ”Shit, I’m sinking like the Titanic. Go on without me Kate Winslet. Even though I clearly could fit on the door with you.”

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

Kennedy laughed as she imagined duck-lipped zombies, making their way through the roads as they tried to fulfill their meaningless lives. In all honesty, from what she had seen of people like that, them being turned into zombies or having their souls taken might actually make them more enjoyable to deal with. At least then you could get away with killing them. Her blonde haired friend explained that she would understand if she actually met one. However, the question remained if she actually wanted to go about meeting somebody like that. Would her mind be able to handle something so idiotic?

Did she like to travel? That was a good question. The Beaufort was sure that, given the opportunity, that she would love to travel. She figured Hunter enjoyed the activity, and anybody else who had gone over great lengths to come to the Academy and home whenever they could. "I actually don't know for sure," she admitted.

Unlike Hunter, Kenny had long been in the realization that she didn't know a whole lot about her friend. But she guessed that was what kept the whole thing interesting. If you knew everything about somebody, it was harder for them to surprise you.

If there was anything that the Ulrich boy had been doing a lot of, it was surprising her.

She was happy to see that she took him by surprise with her comment. Even more so as she heard the almost inaudible yes that he uttered. It wasn't very long though, as the blonde quickly switched his tone to a horrible imitation of a Jamaican man. He told her that he saw a man in her future, riding a white stallion and dressed in silk. Kenny laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, come on. I draw the line at saying a gay guy would have interest in me in the first place," she argued, giving a bright smile. "At that rate, you'd be picking up more guys than me."

Her friend smirked as he asked her again who her "Prince Charming" was. She was tempted to throw out some sort of fake name, allowing him to try and figure out exactly that she was lying about it. But the words would have caught in her throat. For some reason, she could not lie about something like that. It brought a weird feeling to her stomach. You're just nervous because you don't want him to catch you in a bluff, she chided herself, but outside she just shook her head.

"You know me, Hunt. I don't go to parties unless you're there and, even then, I don't hook up with people just to hook up," she explained, though it felt almost redundant. Her friend knew that, right? He knew that nothing had happened between her and Caleb that night. She could count on one finger the number of people she'd actually kissed, and only needed three for the people who had kissed her. She wondered about Hunter. She had a feeling he didn't just date people, but she wouldn't believe it if he hadn't at least dated a few people or been surprise-kissed like she had.

Water was nice, water was calm. It was a shame that one false move for the Thunder while surrounded in it could prove dangerous, even lethal. Maybe that was why it was so soothing. So that you wouldn't want to do anything dangerous. So Hunter was partially right, in that sense, about how she couldn't get him to drown as he tried to, unsuccessfully, float on his back. She gave another bright laugh as he dipped under the water, spitting water and he thrashed back upwards, calling her Kate Winslet and to go on without him.

"No! I can't leave you, Leonardo!" she mock cried, swimming over by him and putting her hands on his back so that floating would be easier as she waded. "We can both drown together!" Kennedy declared, giving a laugh and a smile towards her friend. She wasn't quite sure exactly how the Titanic went, she had never taken the time to actually watch the movie. But, she figured that it went something like that, if there were two people in love. Wait a second... she thought, before removing her hands from his back and swimming a bit away. He was going to make some comment about that, but the contact was leaving her feeling bizarrely weightless in the liquid that surrounded her.

"Have you actually watched that?" she queried, the joking sort of jab-tone reaching her voice as she did, giving him a playful shove. "I didn't know you were such a romantic, Hunt," the brunette joked, watching him evenly for any sign that he had watched the acclaimed romance movie.

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

Something peaked Hunter’s interest as his usual demeanor softened a bit. ”You don’t know?” His brow furrowed a bit at the admission. A person should go out and venture into the world every once and awhile. Adventure, beauty, excitement, mystery were all just a plane ride away. Maybe that’s why Kennedy liked to read so much. Hunter heard his brother talk about the joys of escaping into a good book often enough. ”Have you been on a plane? Have you ever left Maple Hollow?” Kennedy’s simple admission had left Hunter’s mind a buzz with questions. ”What would be the first place you’d visit if you could go anywhere?” What Hunter secretly wanted to know is if she even had the desire to go somewhere. Some people were content on just staying put.

”Caleb has given up hope that I could pick up girls. I think he secretly assumes I’m gay at this point.” Even considering a guy in any other sense than friendship made Hunter physically recoil. He wasn’t against same sex couples and such, but if was being completely honest, it made him uncomfortable. Probably due to lack of exposure or something. Logically he knew that was a bit hypocritical but he was never one to lie about how he felt. ”Pass. No Prince Charming for me.” It bothered him that a majority of his male friends thought so little of him because he refused to sleep around.

But Kennedy had to understand. She may not believe it sometimes, but Hunter felt the same. ”I don’t want to hook up with girls. I want to date a girl.” His eyes were trained up as he floated on his back, looking at the sky as he finally verbalized what he thought was common knowledge. ”And if it goes well, another date, and then another,” Too bad he had never actually been on a date. Now he felt like he was rambling. Hunter didn’t have the heart to cover it up with some snide remark though. For once he wanted something he said to be taken seriously.

As Kennedy’s hands helped him stay a float, Hunter gave up trying and let her do all the work. ”No, no, no. You’re suppose to say ‘I’ll never let go Jack! I promise.’ Then you let me sink to my death in the freezing cold water.” As if taking the actual notes to heart, he felt Kennedy’s hands leave him and he actually did start to sink. That’s what he gets for relaxing too much. Though it was Hunter’s turn to blush, the red almost reaching to his ears. ”Yes I’ve seen it,” he said quietly. Many times actually. When he was a young boy and his mother still worked late at night, he would stay up until she came home and the two would watch movies until they both fell asleep on their couch. He always woke up in his bed though, and his mother would be out the door once more. ”I wager I’ve seen more romantic comedies than you. Once you've seen one though, it's basically like seeing them all.”

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

Kennedy couldn't recall ever leaving Maple Hollow. While they definitely had the time to do so, large inheritances led to not having to work as hard to maintain your wealth status, the Beaufort family stayed within the surrounding area that they called home at all times. The brunette was not exactly content with not having been out and about, but she figured that it was for the better. How would she behave if she had to keep her powers a secret? One false move and they could have some sort of riot on their hands.

"No, no planes," she explained, trying to chose her words carefully for some reason. Apparently, not leaving this place she had so long called home was somewhat bizarre. "I don't recall ever actually leaving the town either," Kenny admitted, giving a sort of sheepish grin. But Hunter was right in thinking that was why she read so much. While the location itself was it's own sort of wonderland, she did need to feel like there was something else out there in the vast world.

If she could go any place she wanted...? There were so many places she would want to go. "Probably someplace in the States would be nice, like New York or Disney World," she replied enthusiastically, giving a laugh. "Or somewhere in Europe. It just seems like a beautiful country." Of course, places in Europe were always accompanied with romance. Just going on her own would seem pointless and almost sad in comparison to those images she saw so vividly in her head.

Kennedy, despite her joking, could never see Hunter as gay. As he talked about Caleb, she could almost feel her gut twisting. There was a lot about that boy that she didn't particularly enjoy. He just seemed so high and mighty, but he was easily dethroned. The Fire had seemed almost angry that she had turned him away, even though she was definitely drunk enough to have let him. "Suit yourself, more Princes for me," she joked, giving another laugh. The brunette would not have thought lowly of her friend because he didn't sleep around. Of course, she wasn't his "male friend".

As he admitted it out loud, however, it seemed to take a firmer hold in her mind. He wasn't like his friends, he wanted something steady in his life. Something that Kennedy, should she end up dating anytime soon, would want. What was the point of dating somebody for only a few weeks, or constantly breaking up and getting back together? Or dating somebody that you barely knew? In her opinion, being friends with somebody was required before she even developed a crush on them. "Me too," she acknowledged, giving a smirk. "I know it may seem weird, coming from the family with Dee, but I'd rather stay single than date all the wrong guys."

Watching him float eased her mind, the smile staying on her face as he corrected her dialogue before pointing out that she was supposed to let him sink to his death. She was sort of glad that her jab might have distracted him from any smart alec comments as he turned a bright red as he admitted that he had seen the Titanic. The brunette nodded as he said that he had probably seen more romantic comedies than she had. "It's probably true. I've never taken a liking to them."

She thought for a moment, weighing her options on wording the sentence before saying it. "What do you like about them?" Kenny asked, arching a brow at him as she waded back closer so that she wouldn't have to talk so loud if he was being sensitive about it or something. "I mean, if they're all the same," she continued, trying to convey her confusion. "And nothing like that happens in real life," the Beaufort finished, watching her friend. "Y-you don't have to answer, of course. I'm just curious."

ooc: if somebody doesn't get kissed by the end of this, we may be doing our jobs wrong. XDD

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

”Shit that sucks,” he replied, quickly giving Kennedy an apologetic look, ”I mean, I just don’t think I could do that. I’d go stir crazy in that big mansion all summer.” Hunter had to physically stop himself from making a snide remark about one of her choice by dunking part of his face underwater. He should have expected Kennedy to want to go to Disney the minute she boarded a plane. "There's a Disney in California, but I've never gotten around to going." Europe did sound nice to the boy though. Maybe somewhere cool like Sweden or Iceland. They probably had really nice places to visit there even if it was cold as balls. ”Hmm, well, you should get on that before life gets in the way.” Hunter had only been out of the States once –not including his time at school- when his father finally convinced his stepmother that Hunter should join the family on their winter holidays abroad. And of all places it was some Caribbean island filled with other rich snobby people who could afford such luxury.

Hunter caught a strange look from Kennedy from his peripheral vision at the mention of Caleb. It was quickly followed by a joke, but Hunter’s curiosity was peaked. Hunter knew that his opinion of Caleb was usually the in the minority bracket, but the blonde saw something in him that others just glanced by and scoffed at. Even after their little misunderstanding at Hunter’s party, he still felt akin to the other boy. Everyone automatically wrote Caleb off for how crazy he could get at parties, but none of those ‘holier-than thou’ people ever stopped and tried to help him. If he turned his nose down at Caleb’s self-destructive ways, what kind of friend did that make Hunter? He was in a tricky spot watching over his Fire friend but it was the only way Hunter knew how to be supportive -until Caleb decided to make a change in his life of course.

With the mentioning of Kennedy’s sister Dee, Hunter remained quiet. What he really wanted to do was defend her for her actions since they reminded him of what he picture his mom must have been like-before ending up with four kids. It was hard at times, but Hunter tried his best not to judge people who turned away from commitment for whatever reason. Though bringing up Kennedy’s sister felt like navigating a field of landmines, so the boy let it be. So the only thing Hunter felt comfortable saying was, ”It’s not that weird.” That should have been safe enough to avoid an upset Kennedy. Talking about relationships was starting to make Hunter…nervous…or maybe anxious. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he was happy to drop the subject for now.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Hunter chuckled. ”I never said I liked them,” he teased, admitting that the films were far from his first pick. ”I use to watch them with my mom when she’d get home from her jobs real late at night. After checking to see all of my younger siblings were sleeping and before her next shift she'd pop in a movie and I usually fell asleep by the end of it,” Growing up as an only child meant Hunter got as much attention and affection as he desired whenever his mother had a rare moment of free time. Until the arrival of his first half brother, followed by a half sister and quickly another half brother. His mother supported them in every way she knew she could, their studies, their interest, and their hobbies. She loved everything about her children, but it was the only thing she had in life, her family of children all with different fathers and none of them in her life.

He knew why his mother probably loved them; she wanted her life to end up like one of those movies. She probably, just once, wanted someone who didn’t leave her. ”I just like the memory attached to them I guess,” his voice sounding almost far away even in his own ears. Hunter tried to give an indifferent shrug before dipping back under the water. Why did he go and tell her all of that? He had never blurred the line between his childhood in California and his adolescence in Maple Hollow. Nothing that personal at least. Hunter was just use to not talking about either life in front of both sides of his half siblings. He had tried it once, and that opened a whole can of worms when both sides began to feel possessive of the blonde. When Hunter reemerged from the water he was grinning once more. ”Pretty lame right?” he joked, opening the door for Kennedy to strike back with some funny remark. ”But if I date a girl that loves them, at least I’ve have a high tolerance for them.”

[KENNEDY LYNN BEAUFORT]

OUTFIT

Kennedy gave a shrug as he commented that staying inside Maple Hallow sucked. However, she couldn't help but laugh as he said he'd go stir crazy just staying in his mansion all summer. "Well, yeah. It's boring if you just stay inside, but there are a lot of places to explore," she explained, though she figured the boy--with his habits of parkour--knew of a lot of places that were interesting to visit. Not to mention with the constant traffic of people, it was hard to ever walk around and not meet somebody new unless it was the middle of the school year.

"Honestly, I just think a theme park would be nice," she admitted, giving a shrug. She didn't know the names of many in the States, but she assumed there were a lot more than just ones owned by Disney. That was what she got for hardly ever reading books with any history facts. Bizarre, though, that many books that could have incorporated a theme park easily did not do so.

But she agreed with Hunter. She did need to start getting out and seeing the world before she tried to settle down. It would make it a lot more difficult for her to get out and about once she started working at what essentially was a full-time occupation. "Maybe you can take me sometime," Kennedy pointed out, giving a smirk. Though her tone was somewhat serious, she wasn't expecting him to take it anything more than just a joke. She wasn't going to make Hunter take her anywhere. Wasn't that crossing some sort of friendship-line?

It wasn't that she completely disliked the Fire, but Kennedy wasn't used to not understanding things. If the boy did change his ways from being such a flirt, she wouldn't doubt that they would become friends at some point in time. He was a friend of Hunter, after all. Which meant there had to be some sort of redeeming quality that she was overlooking.

Of course, bringing up her sister probably wasn't the best idea in a conversation with Caleb already involved. The two just didn't seem to mesh in the first place. Not to mention that awkward moment on the porch. So she was as happy as Hunter when he finished the subject off with "it's not that weird", which made her give a happy grin. In all honesty, though, she needed to get control of her thought process before she did or said something even more stupid and awkward.

Of course Hunter would say he didn't like them, but she wasn't expecting him to go any further than that. Their conversations were usually on a pretty platonic level, something that really didn't get into detail. You found a like or dislike and they tended to just leave it at that, not going into detail that might bore the other person. Though, as the blonde continued speaking, boring her was not what he was doing in the least. It was actually really sweet, in her opinion, as he talked of his mom. She really didn't know anything about his family life except for he had a grandmother who was nothing short of grumpy and his parents from various "rich-people" gatherings. For bring friends, it was sometime amazing how little they knew of each other.

Hunter dunked under the water as he said that last part, giving a sort of half-hearted shrug as he did. When he surfaced again, he was smiling and joking again. She didn't fully take the opportunity to strike, giving a weak laugh. "Well, at least you're not a girly guy," Kennedy replied, giving him a playful push which was all but lost while they were in the lake. You couldn't really shove somebody that didn't have a foothold in the first place.

Part of her was glad that whoever her blonde friend ended up dating would be able to have him go to the movies with her. "Chickflicks" and romance were not her type at all, so she would definitely avoid dating anybody who had too much of a predilection for them.

"So... Um," she started, trying to find a new topic that they could talk about. There were a million things, it seemed, that she suggest as conversation but none of them wanted to reach her lips at the moment. Instead, with a fiendish grin, she went under water and allowed herself to sink a good six feet before quickly grabbing Hunter's ankle and trying to pull him under in a surprise attack. For as long as the Thunder could stay serious, she wasn't too fantastic at doing so when she was around her friend. Being anything short of herself around him was almost difficult.

[HUNTER DOUGLAS ULRICH]

OUTFIT

Reading about imaginary and far away lands was probably enjoyable for Kennedy. Maybe it was due to his dyslexia but his imagination was lacking when it came to the written world. His mother might have read him a story once, but he couldn’t remember for the life of him what it would have been. Thank God for movies and books on tape or else Hunter wouldn’t be able to say he understood any fables and whimsy that Disney used. ”Next time I go to Cali book a ticket so we can darken Disney’s doorsteps with our sullen attitudes. Or at least mine,” Hunter said. ”You know you need a passport right?” he teased. ”And there are snakes on a plane,” he quoted from Samuel L. Jackson, ”So be ready for that.” Did he just invite Kennedy to come to California with him? Like, where his mother lived in the slums and teenagers shouldn’t walk around at night?

Hunter promised his mother time and time again that he was never embarrassed by what life had dealt them, even after moving up to Canada, but that didn’t mean other people wouldn’t judge. There was no way Kennedy had been exposed to the type of environment that Hunter was use too. Books, TV, newspapers couldn’t prepare her for something like that. But she did say she wanted to get out more. ”The Spangler house is very multi-cultural, so we can just count that as you visiting a bunch of places all at once.” The small apartment was a melting pot, but that was what you get when your mother has had some less than stellar ‘boyfriends’ in the past. ”My youngest brother is half Russian, my other brother is half Irish, and who the hell knows what kind of mutt my sister is,” he joked. ”It’ll be like you visited Epcot or something.”

Hell no to be a feminine man. Although he could be criticize at times for how tight his jeans were, but that was whatever. ”Damn right,” he said, beaming at his proclamation. He was a man, who back in the day would have hunt for food and protected his family. Turning his head back and forth he searched around for where his friend went. Obviously she ducked her head underwater, but what he wasn’t expecting was the sharp tug at his foot. In a moment of surprise he went under, taking more water than he wished, coughing it out underneath the surface. He struggled to get out of her grasp while not accidentally knocking out her teeth in blind resistance.

Gasping for air, the blonde pushed the water out of his eyes and frantically searched for the brunette. ”You are so dead Beaufort!” Diving back under, this time intentionally, Hunter blindly searched out for where his friend could have swum off to. His hands reached out in front of him while trying to make some contact with the other student until his hands began to tentatively brush up against something that felt like skin. Unknowingly Hunter grabbed around the girl’s stomach and forced the two back up. With Kennedy trapped in his grip, Hunter felt that alone could have been sufficient punishment, but as always Kennedy made him want to push the line even more so. Without much support under him he tried to lift her as much as he could out of the water, but it was almost futile. ”Revenge is so sweet!” With his last bout of temporary strength, he tried to toss Kennedy up some and back into the water.