Re: Streets of Manhattan

[Guest]

Jake sobered a bit at that question, truth was he had been avoiding his parents like the plague. Mostly because he wasn't sure just how upset they would be about this and decided he'd wait before seeing them. At least until they had signed divorce papers, "Oh well see, I've kind of been avoiding them. I figured they were pretty mad about all of this so I let them cool off and when we signed the papers I'd see them, even though my mom isn't really crazy about divorce she might see the exception in this case."

Jake let out a small huff, his breath turning into fog then looked down at Evelyn, "Speaking of angry family, your cousin Leon? He threatened me over a Facebook message."

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn was a little disturbed by the comment on Carmen not being okay wiht divorce. But then the mention of Leon side-tracked her.

"Wait, what?" She nearly stumbled over a loose brick because she was staring up at Jake, wide-eyed. "He called me SUnday and I talked to my aunt and they were obviously not happy but he never mentioned...."

[Guest]

Jake stifled a snicker when he saw Evelyn trip, "Um yeah you know it was the typical big brother looking out for a sister type message. He seems protective of you. I doubt he'd mention that he did that to me to you, but I would do the same thing if it had been Lola in the situation."

"My cousin Ramon though, he congratulated us. And he said you were very beautiful girl. So hey you have the approval of the family back home." Jake smiled thumping her on the shoulder.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Oh, gee, that's a relief consideirng your mom hates me," she replied with a sigh. "But Leon is harmless...most of the time. Jesse, Ashlee's brother, though, might not be."

[Guest]

"Nah my mom doesn't hate you, she hates me. Actually I'm sure about her hating me. But Ashlee's brother, he the type that would go beat up Seth? Actually what am I saying most guys wanna beat up Seth when they first meet him." Jake snorted.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Nah, thing is, I think Jesse and Seth would have gotten along if this hadn't happened. I'm kind of afraid of what Jesse will do when he gets here, though," she replied, frowning as the large golden M came into view down the street.

[Guest]

Jake frowned, thinking about this. But the thing was that Ashlee and Seth had already gotten divorced. So for them the whole issue had been put behind them. He decided to change the topic, "So Red, you gonna buy me dinner?" He winked.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Aren't you just the gracious spouse?" Evelyn returned, shrugging her shoulders to relieve the weariness that was overtaking her. "You owe me half your stuff, you know that, right?"

[Guest]

"Ahscuse me?" He raised an eyebrow at her and scoffed. "Yeah right you're lucky if you get the laces off of my shoes."

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn looked down at Jake's sneakers. "If you let me hang you with them, sure." She reached the door to McDonalds and ran ahead, letting it slam behind her in Jake's face.

She turned and blew a kiss at him through the glass.

[[To [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

[Tiger-Lily]

[[From [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

"Ooh, I forgot you had a Mustang," Evelyn commented, as they reached Jake's car. She hesitated. She wasn't sure if Antonio wanted to sit up front so she glanced at him as Jake unlocked his ride. Seth's silver car was parked several meters away and he and Jesse hopped in.

"Wanna ride up front, Tigger?" she asked.

Across the quad, Ashton unlocked his car and held the back door open. "Whoever calls shotgun gets it."

[Guest]

"Shotgun!" Lola called out.

Ashlee threw her a glance and then slid into the back seat with James. Lola smiled climbing into the front.

Antonio smiled at Evelyn, "Thanks but I'll sit in the back I see enough of Jake's ugly face." Jake pulled a face at Antonio and he pulled one right back at Jake climbing into the back.

Jake had got in and after Evelyn closed her door he started his engine and smiled happily listening to the engine purr. "I love that sound."

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth had incidentally said the same thing to Jesse. "This is my one true love," he declared, patting his purring dashboard with pride. He glanced at Jesse and said, "Oh, buckle in with both belts. I um...don't follow every driving rule."

***

Ashton started his car, waiting a moment while it warmed up. "Hey, Ashlee," he said, looking at her in the rearview mirror, "How come you didn't ride with Evelyn?"

***

Evelyn stifled a grin. Boys with their toys. "Do you need a moment alone, Jake?" she asked cheekily.

[Guest]

"Very sick car bro." Jesse said admiring the car and buckling himself in tightly.

***


Jake hugged the steering wheel of his car, "My one true love!" He proclaimed and then leaned over and gave Evelyn a kiss on the cheek, "Moment over. Let's fly!" Jake whooped.

***

"I need a break from the lovebirds." Ashlee said with a small smile, although thanks to Evelyn she was starting to think of the Italian boy driving his car and how Lola was sitting in front and not her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Ashton's car had been a few spaces from Jake's and he had just pulled out while Jake's was still parked. Through his windscreen, Ashton had seen Jake lean over, apparently to Evelyn.

Ashton smirked and slammed his hand on his horn, blaring it at Jake and laughing silently.

Evelyn yelped and jerked in her seat about five seconds after Jake leaned away from her. She leaned around him and looked out the driver's side window, glaring at Ashton. He waved gleefully, still laughing.

Seth was puzzled by the horn and waited a moment to see what Ashton wanted before pulling out of his spot and steering the GTR onto the road. He paused in front of Jake's car's spot, rolling down his window. "What's the problem?" he called.

[Guest]

Lola, James and Ashlee laughed at Ashton's little stunt. Lola reached over smacking Ashton's arm, "You're so mean."

Jake had jumped in his seat at the car horn, and glared at a laughing Ashton, and he looked to Seth, "Nothing let's go." He said pulling his car out and heading for the street.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Seriously," Evelyn groaned, having had enough assaults on her lovelife already that day. "If everyone's so overjoyed, why are they hell bent on making us miserable?"

***

Ashton grinned at Lola and then waited for Jake to pull onto the street that led off the quad before following him. Seth's car was already ahead and picking up speed.

***

Seth flicked on the stereo and heavy drum&bass thundered through the speakers. He accelerated. "Whooooo!"

[Guest]

"HELLL YEAHHHH!! WHOOO!!!" Jesse shouted alongside Seth in his car.

***

"They just jealous! Now time to go WHOOO!!" Jake cheered like Seth, pressing his foot on the gas as the Mustang sped down the streets.

[Tiger-Lily]

Ashton, figuring he didn't want to crash and kill all four of the people in his car, let Jake pass him by and then followed at a law-abiding pace.

Predictably, Seth soon met traffic.

"Damn it, we can't jump the curb," he exclaimed, and then rolled down his window as Jake pulled up beside him at the traffic lights. "No curb jumping. There's a cop right there," Seth said to Jake, after indicating to Evelyn to roll down her window.

"You're kidding," she muttered. "Please be kidding." Her hands gripped her seatbelt.

"Yeah, somebody's gettin' arrested," Ashton predicted.

[Guest]

"Ah shit!" Jake cursed, frowning.

"We're fucked." Antonio stated simply.

"They never learn." Lola tutted.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Don't cuss," Evelyn reprimanded Antonio automatically.

Eventually the lights turned green and they sped on. Evelyn hadn't traveled the city by car since her visit to Broadway, so she was peering out her window eagerly, taking in the city from its streetview.

"Would you want to live here ten years from now?" she asked Jake abruptly, turning to look at him.

***

"So on a scale of one to ten, how mad are yoru 'rents?" Seth asked Jesse as they sped along again.

***

"Oh, hey, James, you and Rose were looking pretty friendly last night," Ashton commented. "How's that going?"

[Guest]

"Sorry mom." Antonio muttered looking out the window.

Jake had slowed down some, and realized maybe speeding wasn't good tonight after seeing the cop. He glanced at Evelyn, then put his eyes back on the street. "Where, in New York? Yeah I love it here. I could see myself here, or back home in Barcelona."

"What about you Red? Could you see yourself living here ten years from now?" He asked her.

***

"Um pretty pissed, see when Ash was younger she kind of went through um a rebellious phase after she broke up with Luke. She came and lived with me. And she was out partying and crap. She never told my parents she was leaving, and well after that when she wanted to come here for school our dad agreed if she did good in school and didn't act out, then he'd help out financially and crap." Jesse told Seth, he took a breath. "Well he's pissed and has cut her off cause of her being irresponsible. I tried to reason with him saying it was just one mistake to give her another chance but yeah."

***

"Oh yeah, it was cool we were just hanging out. Nothing huge." James said coolly.

[Tiger-Lily]

Fuck, I didn't think this would have such dire repercussions! Seth felt suddenly, heavily guilty, a feeling he wasn't all too familiar with. Ashlee had just been her usual chipper, happy self so he hadn't even thought to ask her if her parents had found out - he had sort of assumed, since he'd changed her Facebook so quickly, that they hadn't known. But obviously, it had reached them somehow.

"Second chances are a one-time-only thing," Seth replied knowingly, wondering just how long it'd take for his parents to find out. So far, his brother hadn't said anything besides calling Seth a moron. Seth figured Rafe was secretly in shock. The divorce had greatly helped erase things, though.

Seth was under no delusions, however. News like this spread like wildfire through the Upper East.

He glanced over at Jesse - and then swerved violently around a slower car ahead of him. "Fuck!" He cleared his throat. "So how, um, how's she paying her tuition and rent?" he asked warily.

***

Ashton quirked an eyebrow at James' tone and then figured it best not to intervene. "Hey, Lola," he said instead, glancing at her before returning his gaze to the road. "We should seriously go ahead with that musical plan. So far, everyone seems all for it. Well, at least from what I get." He quirked an eyebrow in the rearview mirror at James and Ashlee. "Oh, quick recap, we're thinking about taking the whole crazy shit that's happened in our first semester at NYU and turning it into a musical to be performed here. And I happen to know students, especially Drama majors, can do it."

***

Evelyn watched the lights of Midtown twinkle in the distance. If she turned her head just a bit, she could even make out the Chrysler building and if she looked through the back window, she knew she'd see SoHo and the rest.

She reached up and twirled a strand of bronze hair, tugging it as she thought for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. Even though Wall Street is pretty much where my whole career's at.

"I mean, I've lived in cities my whole life, grew up in West Seattle, and it's huge, that city, but I kind of never want to set foot in it. Too many bad memories." She let go of the curl and tucked some hair behind her ears. "I mean, I love visiting family there but it's like, the moment I get off the plane, I start counting how many days I have till I leave. Ash Creek...somehow, I don't think a small town could hold me or would want me. I'm apparently an easily hateable person." She cracked a small grin. "Plus, small towns are too slow-paced. It's the same old thing and I get bored really easily."

She paused and her smile toned down a notch as she looked over at Jake. "But then, I mean, I'm fairly sure Luke would be in LA ten years from now. It's just where the music industry's at. Carrie plans to go back to Seattle after graduation, Ashlee...I don't know. LA is big in fashion too, so she might or might not stay here. And I don't exactly like to picture a future where I'd have to be -" She broke off and bit her lip, looking back out her window and feeling somewhat silly. Futures shouldn't be based on where your friends went. She knew that.

But so far, her friends had been her only constant. In Seattle, she'd had Carrie and Leon. In Ash Creek, she'd had Luke, Ashlee and even James. She hadn't brought up James, figuring it might not fly so well with Jake given their earlier conversation, but...

She somehow didn't like the idea of being alone in New York ten years from now without any of those certain few people around.

She didn't really want to say it outloud right now though. It somehow felt weird having Antonio listening in and he didn't know why she might be oversensitive to the idea of being alone in a huge city. He didn't, unlike Jake, know she'd always been alone for nearly a decade.

"It would kind of suck, is all," she said, to fill the silence. "To have to get on a plane just to see your best friends, you know? And I don't award people best friend status so easily, in case that weren't obvious." She flashed a weak smile at Jake and returned her gaze out the windscreen.

[Guest]

"Um she was telling me when we were out earlier that she's picked up more shifts at work, but seriously you don't make too much working at those clothing stores. She has money in her account and stuff. I think she's getting loans and stuff." Jesse said.

***
"Oh what do you say you guys? You up for it? I can totally do it as an independent study thing, and Ashlee since you're into fashion I'm sure your major would encourage you to design costumes." Lola said turning back in her seat to talk to them.

Ashlee smiled, "Um yeah! I would love doing that!"

James laughed, "Wow really? This is going to happen. Sounds cool to me, I need to find my other calling I suppose."

***

Antonio hadn't been listening, he had been distracted by the game on his phone because he figured since everyone had harassed them earlier that they could talk without him being nosy.

Jake flicked his eyes at her and smiled faintly, but he sort of frowned. It must have sucked having to be alone and uprooted like that for most of her life, back and forth between places moving, and not really having family. He knew that wherever he went, whether it be Spain or New York he at least had his family here. As far as his friends went, he knew if Lola wanted to she go to Hollywood and pursue acting there, if she ever wanted to try for film acting instead of stage.

He knew Seth was going into business, and with Jake going into international business. That meant either of them would be traveling around for their work depending on what them did. But they knew coming back to New York they'd still have people here.

"You don't wanna picture a future where you'd be alone?" Jake said silently, looking to her for a moment then flicking his eyes back on the road. "I don't think anyone wants that. But know if you stay in New York, and Ashlee goes to Paris or something and Luke is touring all over the world. I'll be here if you decide to stay." Jake smiled and he reached his hand over to gently squeeze her's.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Shit," Seth muttered, more to himself than to Jesse. He lifted one hand from the wheel and rubbed his chin, feeling slightly stubble there. "Do you think, in the events my parents don't decide to cut me off, that she'd let me help out?" he asked absently.

***

Ashton wondered if James realized he'd be re-enacting some of his romantic encounters with Evelyn. Ashton wasn't aware of all of them but he had heard enough to know James and Evelyn had had at least one such encounter here, even if it wasn't mutual from both sides.

There was the infamous law class scene Seth had filled him in on.

"I think Evelyn might be a problem though," he said. "And um, I somehow don't think Jake will like it if, um..." he hesitated, flicking his gaze into the rearview mirror and meeting Ashlee's as he raised his eyebrows.

***

Evelyn pulled her gaze off the windscreen down to Jake's hand holding hers. Shockingly, there was no comment from Antonio. She turned and looked back at him.

He was immersed in his phone, playing a game judging b the tiny music emanating.

Evelyn flashed Jake a smile in silent thanks and turned her gaze back out her window, her fingers giving his a brief squeeze. "How're you faring with your hair, Tony?" she asked, wanting a subject change.

[Sponsored content]