RYAN DESTINY As ALEXANDRA CRANE In STAR (2016-2019)

any mention of marie never fails to make kennedy advert their gaze from santiago. it's subtle, usually under the pretense of being occupied with something else, like inputing a password into a laptop. "thank you." they say, not willing to comment on the two reminders that passweord held. 3126— the house the two grew up in. marie—that house was never meant for kennedy and their mother to begin with.

it takes them back to one of their earliest memories as a new 'family'. at the time kennedy was certain their mother's attempt of uniting their two families was just a ploy to make her own father jealous. a classic move: mom and dad split. mom and dad introduce new partners. mom and dad get back together again. but suzanne's affinity with jonathan herrera was of a different beast. when suzanne wasn't with him, she was daydreaming about him—his wealth, his gifts, his home—3126. the future he would provide her and by extension, his daughter... and kennedy absolutely hated it. so the first time santiago mentions his mother and how she was not coming back, kennedy responds with. 'well my father isn't dead so he is.'

an apology had been given. indignantly. from behind her mother's legs. an 11 year old who knew the cruelty in their words but was too overwhelmed by their own emotions to worry about anyone else's. though the years had slowly managed to mend the bad foot in which the two started their sibling relationship, there is a part of kennedy that still replays that moment. they can still picture santiago's expression—the hurt in his brown eyes, raw and clear in their memory. he deserved a better apology and maybe tonight was the best night to finally give it—

"that's so depressing, santi. don't say that." they say instead, brows pinching together both at his words and at their own internal cowardice. "the city could suit you too, you know." now that they secured access to a laptop, kennedy's shoulders visibly relax. "you know what? after crashing in that disgusting dumpster fire that june, finch, and avery like to gaslight everyone into believing is an actual apartment... the guest room doesn't feel too bad." they say with a chuckle. if a zombie apocalypse hits kennedy swears that their apartment will be ground zero. "i was thinking of renting something closer to work for the time being." closer to santiago too.

then maybe jon's requests to 'talk some sense' into santiago would lessen to the occasional text or phone call. kennedy knew coming back to town would revert them back to the role they often played within the family— the devils advocate. if the oldest can't lead by example, they're expected to play the role of a third parent. "he doesn't mean it." there they go. "he’s just saying that cus he thinks it’ll... i don’t know. stir something in you.” a sigh escapes them then as they go pinch the bridge of their nose, the wright of the night settling in. "sorry, i know i brought it up but... can we not talk about our parents tonight? i don't want to fight." not when their chest still aches from the panic that gripped them earlier—the panic at the thought that the body found tonight might have been his.

⁑ he rolls his eyes at the comment, all in good fun. ❝ yup. i'm, uh, so well - versed in it, didn't even open the laptop to clear it out. ❞ all said while the dust on the laptop cover tells an entirely different story. as it hums to life, he presses the back of his hand to his temple – like added pressure could stop the pounding in his head. as an afterthought, he adds, ❝ password's marie three - one - two - six. ❞ ( small reminders of his late mother are constants throughout his daily life, if one was to look close enough. )

❝ sorry, freshly accepted i'm doomed to red creek livin' forever. the city suits you, though. ❞ a tired laugh escapes him. just 5 years ago, santi would've shrunk away from the thought. now, it's met with bittersweet acceptance. a life in red creek is— well, it's exactly what he deserves. a small sting ignites in his chest at mention of his own father's excitement. for all intents and purposes, kennedy was his child too. she probably saw his fatherly side more than santi ever would. ❝ noooo. just makin' sure they haven't roped you into a permanent residency of the guest bedroom or somethin'. ❞ he exhales sharply through his nose at the invitation, not quite in him to have a laugh over it. ❝ tell jon he can ask me himself. last i heard from him, i'm not welcome at the table. ❞

SALVADOR  IS  NOT  SHY  about  the  look-over  he  gives  francis  the  moment  he  walks  in.  more  curious  than  anything.  with  how  slow  the  night  has  been,  salva  finds  himself  grateful  for  the  new  face,  even  one  sporting  a  hairstyle  that  simply  screams  daddy’s (or  mommy’s!) money.  a  look  around  the  room,  realizing  the  waitress  who  was  scheduled  to  be  with  him  was  nowhere  in  sight.  typical  for  this  time  of  shift.  salvador  himself  was  known  to  disappear  for  periods  at  a  time,  usually  to  take  an  unnecessarily  long  smoke  break  or  to  talk  someone  up.  anything  to  stop  the  night  from  dragging.  with  a  sigh,  he  makes  his  way  over,  grabbing  a  grease-stained  ticket  book  and  plucking  the  pen  he  had  tucked  behind  his  ear.  the  click  sounds  louder  than  it  should  in  the  empty  diner,  but  salva  pays  it  no  mind.  that,  and  an  expectant  look  are  the  closest  thing  to  a  greeting  he’s  going  to  give. 

  “what  i  recommend  might  depend  on  a  couple  of  things.  how  hungry  are  we  talking…  boss?”  a  pointed  pause  to  emphasize  the  disadvantage  the  stranger  has  found  him  in—  only  one  of  them  was  wearing  a  name  tag.  that’s  fine.  salvador  was  never  good  with  names  anyways.  much  better  at  remembering  faces.  particularly  when  they  were  as  nice  to  look  at  as  his.  or  the  one  he  was  tapping  at. bronte’s.  salvador  hasn’t  even  read  the  article.  doesn’t  feel  like  he  needs  to,  not  when  it’s  all  everyone  has  been  talking  about  recently.  even  now  as  he  takes  a  proper  look  at  the  article,  all  he  can  really  bring  himself  to  care  about  is  how  hot  the  brunette  looks.  all  pissed  off  and  indignant. 

“yeah,  i  guess.”  he  replies  with  a  shrug,  INDIFFERENT.  “i  just  think  it’s  kind  of  fucking  weird  that  some  prick  took  a  picture  of  the  whole  thing.”  is  nothing  sacred  anymore?  can  lovers  not  quarrel  in  peace?  the  quip  on  her  affinity  for  pegging  makes  salvador  grin,  amusement  slowly  blooming  under  relaxed  features.  “id  say  she  was  into  it  just  as  much  as  any  girl  should  be.” which  is  a  lot,  in  his  very  humble  opinion.  “i  can  give  you  her  number  -  if  you  want  it.  pretty  boy  like  you…   think  you  might  just  be  her  TYPE.”   the  corner  of  his  lip  twitches  upwards,   “might  come  at  the  price  of  your  life  but  hey—  with  a  face  like  that  she  would  be  entitled  to  it,  right?  hot  privilege  and  all  that.”  salvador  knows  a  thing  or  two  about  that.  “so  –  what’s  your  deal?  abercrombie  and  fitch  don’t  pay  enough,  so  you  had  to  take  up  trucking  as  a  side  gig?”  absolutely  nothing  about  him  screamed  trucker,  but  that  was  simply  what  salvador  was  used  to  seeing  at  this  time  of  night. 

ꜜ ﹙ 💳  ﹚ ﹕ there was no real reason to be here aside from the fact that it was only place open in the dead of night, when sleep was an impossible dream in a sprawling lakehouse that felt suffocating⸻ its emptiness pressing down on him and his loneliness. at least here at dolly's, the hum of the old lights buzzed louder than his more dreadful thoughts, place nearly empty, save for a trucker nursing a coffee and a line cook that looked like he should be a nude calendar model instead of flipping patties. he definitely looked like a march or april kind of guy, too pretty not to be a sleazy womanizer, and so people must be hiding their eggs from him like it's easter. practice safe sex and all. he seemed fun, at least. but those were just the intrusive thoughts that invaded francis' head as he stared at the cook instead of coming up with what he wanted to order. he leaned forward, arms resting on the counter, eyes tracing the other man's nametag before looking into his eyes. “ i'll just have whatever you recommend, salvador. ” he clicked his tongue and smiled, before attention drifted to the abandoned newspaper on the counter. the article on the front page wasn't exactly what he expected from the local press ﹕ but it sure was entertaining, albeit a little disappointing that the mystery might be over when he only just got here to see how he'd fare against a sharp knife. francis tapped the photo over and over and over until he got the line cook's attention again, a low chuckle echoing faintly in the empty diner. “ this girl— they think she has something to do with the other one going missing ? i mean, she's got a face that looks like she's a little too into pegging. but hell, with a face like that, she should be able to have whatever she goddamn wants. murder included. ” @brntout

CHURCHES  MADE  KENNEDY  UNCOMFORTABLE.  anything  that  has  to  do  with  divinity  or  a  higher  power  did.  her  guard  has  been  up  since  the  moment  she  stepped  foot  into  the  chapel,  sharp  gaze  set  on  the  praying  priest  just  a  couple  pews  ahead  of  them.  a  stark  contrast  to  her  more  doleful  stepbrother  beside  her.  "if  it  makes  you  feel  any  better,  i  doubt  that  was  what  KILLED  her."  the  words  are  delivered  in  a  deadpan  tone,  making  it  hard  to  decipher  if  that  was  a  callous  attempt  at  a  joke  or  an  inside  thought  that  was  not  meant  to  see  the  light  of  day.  perhaps  it  didn't  truly  matter.  not  when  the  possibility of  another  tragedy  was  beginning  to  feel  less  like  a  threat  .  .  .   and  more  like  a  promise.  with  so  much  to  lose,  how  could  she  possibly  give  herself  the  space  or  even  the  time  to  mourn?  “i  think  it's  one  of  the  newcomers  or  –  no.  maybe  someone  who  was  around  for  the  original  murders.  someone  old  enough  to  remember.  or  maybe  it's  both.  maybe  jacob  thorne  has  a  long  lost  sibling  that's  come  to  town  to  take  revenge."  too  many  questions,  not  nearly  enough  answers.  “what  do  alaina  price,  daniela  estrada,  and  kirby  sloane  even  have  in  common?”  aside  from  being  a  couple  of  bad  bitches. 

🗝️ open to all. 📍 redemption chapel, jan 24th.

the news breaks, as does half of red creek alongside it. there's an unfair lump lodged in santiago's throat. he wasn't close to kirby ; her death was not his to mourn, and yet ... he sits in the back pew of redemption chapel, hands wound in his hair. it was between here & the cemetery— the weather chose for him. he breathes in, has a hard time breathing out. halloween night plays through his mind. ❝ i asked about her name. ❞ he wants to laugh at the memory, but doesn't have the heart. a puff of frustration leaves him instead, ❝ grow up in a box like red creek & i still had to ask for her name. jesus– ❞

horror and amusement meet in kennedy's shriek as nadia carries on about santiago. "ew, don't say that! you're gonna make me think i failed him as a sister." a topic ripe for debate depending on who and when you ask. kennedy is quick to take the offered lime but nadia's sweet confession causes her to pause. a guilt washes over them then. it feels awfully insincere to say they are also happy to be back in town but seeing nadia again has made their return far more bearable. they would rather lean into the truth of that. “of course — you can’t get rid of me that easily.” they scoot closer, hooking their arm around nadia's as if to empathize their point. “you owe me for all the study guides i let you bum off me. i charge interest, you know. i’ve come to collect.”

there's a reassuring squeeze on nadia's forearm as she replies. they're not looking at her. wouldn't want her to see their brow twitch at the mention of her mom. "yeah? have you heard from her at all?" the way nadia speaks makes kennedy fear the worst. the shots land right in their line of sight. "duty... what am i, a cop?" they laugh. "i probably shouldn't. i have work in the morning." overindulging in liquor was not exactly on the to-do but if there’s ever a night to let loose, it only makes sense for it to be the one where everyone steps out of their skin to be someone else. they look at nadia, taking a moment to soak the jovial challenge in her eyes. teeth sink into their lower lip in an attempt to hid the smile creeping on their features. how could they ever be expected to resist getting swept away in the storm that was nadia singh? "fuck it — it's not like anything exciting is gonna happen tonight. I'll probably end up writing a fluff piece about the party." with that, they snatch the shot closes to them. "your turn to pick the cheers!"

nadia snorts back a laugh . she always forgets kennedy and santi are related . maybe it's the fault of having never been close to her own siblings ( in age , memory or love ) . " hate to break it to you , but santi absolutely says where's my hug . and probably tells his close female friends ' my crush ? gulp . let's just say . . . you know her REALLY well ' " nadia throws back her head to laugh at her own joke , allowing her hair to rain down her back as she does . " other towns ? man , i've been in redcreek for so long i forget other towns exist . " nadia points out .

she watches kennedy chew on their lime , nadia's own untouched . she offers it to kennedy then suddenly , recklessly , feels the need to have another shot . she gestures to the bartender again . there is something heavy pressing against her throat . she doesn't want to think about it . " i'm glad , though . " she says , with a suddenness . " that you did come back . i know it's not the perfect scenario but . it's good seeing you again . " it's the closest nadia will ever get to saying I MISSED YOU . as the question turns to her , nadia's mind immediately can see a closing door , empty rooms , calls that were never answered . she works to keep her face completely neutral . " one day . " nadia says . she used to run away from redcreek any chance she could get . now though , she feels like leaving would be a betrayal . " my mum will come back though . i feel like i should probably be here when she does . " nadia shrugs , hopefully implying that there's nothing further to her words . as the fresh shots arrive , nadia grabs one again . " second shot or are you on DUTY ? " she raises her eyebrows , half - tease , half - dare .

CLOSER 2004, dir. Mike Nichols

there was a chill in the air — both physical and metaphorical. people filtering out of bars and diners, a sea of buzzing phones and slurred questions. ‘who’s body did they find?’ it was shocking, confusing even and while vikram did not fit the role of a hero nor did he like pretending to, the sight of a lone woman stumbling away from the crowd was enough to spring him into action. after all, he’s already got one body to embalm… best not make it two.

so he approaches, black cape flowing behind him, contrasting the white half mask he still has on his face. an eerie silhouette. it’s not surprising that she’s startled by his sudden presence. “sorry — uh, did you lose something?” quick to bring attention back to her behavior rather than how ‘goddamn quiet’ he moves. “i can help you look for it. i don’t think it’s uh, a good idea to be out alone right now.” 

○    LOCATION   ⏤   red   creek   main   street   . ○    TIME   ⏤   11   :   57   pm  ○    STATUS   ⏤   open   to   all   !

warehouse  party  ?  shut  down  .  pumpkin  bucket  filled  with  candy  ?  stashed  somewhere  on  main  street  .  plan  to  go  home  and  write  this  night  off  as  a  minor  success  because  at  least  she  didn't  laze  around  her  apartment  in  ratty  pajamas  and  watch  practical  magic  for  the  third  time  this  week  ?  in  motion  …  if  she  could  remember  where  her  bucket  went  .  she  didn't  do  all  that  schlepping  around  town  for  nothing  ,  not  in  this  tiny  ass  skirt  .  and  now  ,  as  she  looked  around  the  quickly  emptying  main  area  of  the  town  ,  kirby  realized  that  maybe  she  was  an  actual  idiot  .  murderville  ,  usa  ,  was  not  where  she  wanted  to  be  caught  after  midnight  on  halloween  of  all  fucking  nights  ,  oh  jeez  .  as  she  quickly  looked  under  benches  and  behind  some  cars  ,  she  sensed  someone  slightly  to  the  side  of  her  and  jumped  only  slightly  .  “  shitfuck  !  you  are  so  goddamn  quiet  ,  jesus  christ  !  ”

Barbie (2023)

vikram has never been good at delivering jokes. there was always something for him to fall flat in. his tone of voice, his expression, sometimes the context of the joke itself. "um, no? more like... i'm flirting with you by referencing a killer cheerleader while we live in a town with a —" okay. maybe he should have read the room better, with that one. he's grateful he's not facing her now or else she might catch the hint of a redish hue on his skin. vikram moves the flashlight further down, before catching a glimpse of a pumpkin shaped item a couple of cars down. "oh, i found it!" he proclaims, placing both his hands on the concrete to push himself up and go to the car in question. now that he knows where it is, he doesn't have to pull the chivalrous get-on-the-knee move. he simply bends down to retract the bucket before turning around to offer it to kirby. "is this it?"

“  are  you  flirting  with  me  by  referencing  a  masked  serial  killer  while  we  live  in  a  town  with  an  active  killer  on  the  loose  ?  ”  kirby  was  not  serious  ,  she  hoped  her  smile  would  show  that  but  also  …  read  a  main  street  buddy  .  okay  ,  that  was  nice  of  him  ,  pulling  out  his  flashlight  .  she  recognizes  that  it  will  do  very  little  ,  as  the  street  lights  are  on  and  the  bucket  is  neon  orange  ,  practically  glow  in  the  dark  .  however  ,  she  recognizes  that  he  is  trying  to  help  so  she  bites  her  tongue  so  as  to  not  ruin  his  moment  .  “  it's  somewhere  over  here  .  i  live  less  than  a  block  away  and  i  thought  if  i  hid  it  somewhere  over  here  ,  i'd  be  able  to  get  it  quickly  and  be  munching  on  a  snickers  by  the  time  i  got  back  to  my  place  .  ”  she  had  a  half  a  mind  to  crawl  but  she  also  had  common  sense  so  no  ,  she  would  not  be  getting  on  the  dirty  ground  .

Anyways🤔