AIN'T GOING OUT LIKE THAT | mac, accalia, esme, quinn

Quinn was standing in the kitchen, leaning over uncomfortably to get a better look at her laptop screen, when her phone blipped in her pocket alerting her to a SUSURO blast. She fished the device out of her back pocket and felt her face going to pale when she saw her picture splashed across the screen next to Geoffrey and Lia. Something about her having an impassioned conversation with Geoff. It was suggesting that there were feelings beyond hatred there. That maybe there was love? She felt sick to her stomach at the thought but she couldn't tel if it was because the idea was disgusting or if she felt guilty about it. She tossed her phone on the counter and looked back at the laptop, hoping it would distract.

@esmeralda , @mac , @accalia , @quinn

Accalia generally didn't check SUSURO, but she and Geoff had both recently been the center of it the last few weeks, so she was finding herself checking it on occasion. Like now... and she really wished she hadn't.

There was no way she could trust Susuro, right? Still, Susuro had gotten so many things right so far, it was almost silly to not believe what she was saying. Or in this case, implying.

She closed her phone, unsure what to think, and stepped into the kitchen only to find Q there. She loved Q, there was no way she could get mad at her about this... but what if Quinn really did have feelings for Geoff? Would it matter? Lia crossed to the counter, leaning against it beside her. "Hey, what's up?" best to start casual.

Did she read it? Quinn bit her lip and smiled, "Nothing really." She chimed turning her laptop so that Accalia could see the word document, "Just writing an article for the paper. Nothing too exciting." She tensed a little bit hoping that Lia wouldn't notice that she was thinking about something. Normally, she would vehemently deny anything that SUSURO posted and complain about how the gossip blogger didn't use sound journalism. But something made her hold her tongue. What disturbed her was how uncomfortable it made her to think about having feelings for....him. No, she couldn't possibly...Besides, Lia probably didn't even read SUSURO. She didn't normally....

Accalia glanced at the laptop screen, but didn't really register what she was looking at. "Always hard at work," Lia smiled, turning away from Quinn to face the sink. She turned on the water, as if she was going to do the dishes, but turned it off after a moment of letting it run. She placed her hands on either side of the sink, biting her lip a moment before speaking. "So, I read Susuro today," she started, giving Q room to jump in if she chose...

Quinn couldn't tell if her body visibly tensed, but she felt like she had been dipped in Krazy Glue and left out to dry. She raised her eye brows and tried to look like she hadn't seen it, "Oh yeah, anything earth shattering?" She said in a voice she had hoped would sound sarcastic. SUSURO didn't do honest journalism. It wasn't worth reading or taking seriously. In fact, if she put too much thought into it, she was afraid the irrational rambling would be made legitimate.

So, maybe Q hadn't read it. Maybe that was better. She wasn't a fan of Susuro, of course, being as hard core involved with real news as she was. Accalia understood her lack of respect. Still... Susuro had been proven right every other time.

She turned slightly, facing Q. "Well, if it's true it just might be," she said. She was surprised with the lack of shaking in her tone, the steadiness of it. She raised her own eyebrow now, "maybe you should read it."

Quinn's stomach dropped. She had  read it, after all. She spun around and leaned against the counter, looking at Lia with a heated glare, "You know that basically everything she says is a lie and gathered through nefarious means." Quinn rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't take stock in a single thing she has to say." Gods I hope she drops it. Quinn really didn't want to be asked what she felt about Geoff at the moment, because she wasn't the best liar and she honestly didn't know what the answer was. At the moment, she was hoping that her faux anger covered up enough of her nerves from the lie.    

Quinnas glare was surprising, and proved exactly what Accalia suspected. Susuro must have been right, to an extent. Though, she may just be glaring because she really hated Susuro, like she said. Accalia wanted to believe that it wasn't true but... her gut told her it was.

But why should it matter? She dated Geoff five years ago. She was fifteen years old... so then why was this so hard to accept?

Accalia nodded, "yeah, you're right," she knew she should back down, but she could hear her heart pounding in her ears, "it's not like you and Geoff ever speak anyway."

That was it. Mentioning his name made a bunch of strange feelings bubble over. She spun around with the express purpose of avoiding Lia's gaze, "Di Mercurio? Seriously? Gross." She turned her head slightly so that Lia could see her roll her eyes, "I would never." He whole body was rigid, though, and she knew it was obvious now that she was lying about SOMETHING.

Mac walked into the kitchen, and she could sense the tension in the air. So, naturally, she decided to say this, "so, Q, you banging Lias ex?" She lifted herself onto the counter and reached over for an apple, taking a bite with a nonchalant grace and a cavalier smile.

"Oh, are we not laughing about this yet?" she said after she swallowed her first bite.

Quinn rolled her eyes again and sneered at Mac, "Evidently not." She whined, looking back at her laptop for a moment. It was completely silent, and finally she couldn't stop the words, "Okay fine!" She yelled, slamming the laptop shut and turning to look at her roommates, "I did see him at the docks, but it wasn't all romantic like that blasted gossiper said." Shaking her head, she could feel anger bubbling in her gut, "We bumped into each other and I screamed at him then it was over." She looked Lia straight in the face and, despite the fact that it wasn't everything it was almost the whole truth when she said, "Lia, I swear. That was it. Did you really think I could betray you like that?"

As unsurprising as behavior was, Lia's throat closed up a little at her words. She didn't answer and bit her lip a little in confusion at what was going on there. There was a long moment of silence, but Lia didn't really notice it that much. Suddenly, Q slammed her laptop shut and Lia's eyes widened as she burst out in explanation.

Lia shook her head as Quinn finished, "No, no I don't... I don't really think you could betray me, Q but it's not like Geoff isn't an attractive guy. Plus, I think I'd be more worried about him hurting you like he did me," she admitted, making full eye contact with Quinn as well. "I mean... what were you fighting about?"

Quinn shook her head, irritated about something she couldn't quite put her finger on, "What do you think?" She asked Lia in response to the question, "I was reminding him what a shitty person he is." Biting her lip, Quinn looked down at the counter. A heaviness fell on her heart and she didn't truly understand why she felt so guilty about making him feel bad. Part of her didn't believe that Geoff was capable of that sort of thing and another part of her knew he was. It made her feel dizzy and she tried to walk over to a kitchen stool was so she could sit down.

"Hell yeah, Q!" Mac exclaimed, having nearly finished her apple now as she watched the two converse. She was sitting on the counter, however, so she saw a little crestfallen behavior from Q out of the corner of her eye. Maybe she'd have to ask her about this later... still, Mac and the girls had been good friends with Geoff while he and Lia dated. He was around them all the time, after all. Hearing that he got chewed out was a little sad, even if he deserved it.

As Q moved to find a stool, Mac grabbed a fresh apple, offering it to her, "you look like you need sustenance. As do you, Lia," she said, nodding at the other brunette near the sink.

Quinn took the apple if only to distract herself from the awkwardness of this conversation, "Can we just talk about something...ANYTHING...else?" She asked, her exhaustion apparent in her voice. She snapped her head toward the door for a moment, hearing the neighbors come home and slam the door before getting into their daily argument. Quinn pressed her hands over her face and wished, more than ever before, that they had quieter neighbors, "Gahhhh."