Home Again

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina was happy when she heard the pilot say they were starting their descend. She couldn’t wait to get back to New York, her friends, her sister and pets. She’d missed them all terribly on her extended trip. She really hadn’t meant to stay longer than that week, and it had turned into nearly a month away. She felt terrible leaving Maddie like that, but she knew the baby of the family would understand if it was work related. Work kept them in their stylish penthouse apartment. Work kept them in New York and away from the prying eyes of their protective parents. After that initial week and a half of Poland, she and Andrew boarded a plane and headed for Italy with the warm sun and the cooling gelato Rina loved so much.

She spent the first couple days being home, at home catching up on all the work she’d had her professors and tutors email her. She hadn’t taken much time out of her trip to actually do any of the work. She’d brought her books along with her, but for the most part, they’d stayed in her hotel rooms untouched. There were a couple papers she’d had to write quickly, using references on the internet and in her texts that she absolutely had to get done but other than that, they were collecting dust in the corner. Now that she was home, she spent plenty of time getting all of that work out of the way and emailed in to the proper teachers. She would hand over hard copies when she got the chance but as long as the emails were sent, she knew she would be in the clear for some time. Her classes were almost over and that meant that soon enough she would be back in Europe with Andrew, under the pretense of work with Maddie. She wasn’t ready to tell her baby sister about the budding relationship just yet. Hell, she wasn’t entirely sure what was happening herself. But she knew she was having fun and enjoying herself, which after the childhood she’d had, no one would blame her for.

Rina had texted her closest friend when she’d stepped of the plane and was able to turn on her cell phone to make plans for when her school work was all done. She’d gotten a couple texts from Andrew while she’d been in the air among some from Maddie saying she wouldn’t be home when Rina got there thanks to a late rescheduled class. She sent Andrew a reply first, letting him know she’d made it across the ocean in one piece, then sent one to her sister to tell her the same thing, adding that she couldn’t wait to see the other girl when she got in from her class. Rina had called a car service before she’d left, making sure there would be a driver waiting for her when she landed, and the company didn’t not let her down. A black sedan waited with a driver holding a sign with her last name on it. She smiled, waving the man over to help with her heavy bags. Rina had fallen asleep in the back seat, with her text books surrounding her. She hadn’t gotten any sleep on the plane and hadn’t been planning on sleeping until she had at least a couple assignments crossed off her endless list.

Now though, she’d finished everything and had it all out of the way, she’d texted Lexi again to see if she was free for lunch. And while she waited for a reply, Rina put all her texts up on the shelf, to wait until she needed them again. She hoped there wouldn’t be a need, but she still hadn’t finished finals or anything like that, so there would still be a need to at least study what she’d highlighted. When she got a reply from Lexi, Rina raced through the penthouse to shower and get ready. She had missed her friend terribly and wanted to see the other girl. She dressed as quickly as she could with the first things she dug from her closet and slipped her feet into a pair of flats she’d picked up and hadn’t been able to wear before she’d left on her trip. Grabbing her keys and phone, Rina left a quick note for Maddie and checked Tails’ food dish before heading out. She’d already checked Sonics, so she didn’t have to worry about her hedgehog not having fresh food. She’d done that enough on her trip, constantly texting Maddie to remind her.

In no time, Rina was opening the door to the dark sedan without the help of the driver and stepping out to the sidewalk. She hardly looked like a girl that should be using a car service to get around, but looks were deceiving and Rina liked that. The blonde model spotted her friend quickly enough and a smile brightened her mood more. She’d missed talking to her friend. She headed straight to her side and tapped her shoulder. “Miss me?” she asked, laughing.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 850
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi hadn’t really found the time to relax in the recent weeks. At the very second that the ball had been mentioned her family had gone into overdrive on, well, everything. They always did and it was the downside to the social lifestyle they were all born into. Lexi had hidden away in the library making quick work of her college work. Summer wasn’t far away and this was the last chance she really had to show the professors exactly what she was capable of. When she hadn’t been in the library she had been hanging out with Denver, the butterflies still twirling around her stomach whenever she was with him. All in all, Lexi was pretty happy with everything, but she did miss having Rina around. Rina was the one friend Lexi could tell anything to without fear of it quickly being churned out in the Rumour Mill or used against her in some bitchy effort to ruin her happiness. She knew girls who would waste no time in doing that, but Rina wasn’t one of them.

The short haired brunette was tucked up in the college library with a textbook and a bottle of vitamin water when she felt the vibrations of her phone on the desk her belongings were neatly placed on. Sitting up and untangling her legs from one another, Lexi picked up the Blackberry device and smiled softly as she read the message. It really had been too long since she had relaxed and just had a good chat with Rina. She knew her friend had been away for some time on work business, but Lexi hadn’t really noticed the difference until the final few weeks. When her sisters were dragging her out dress shopping and kidnapping her to spend hours staring at new hairstyles for her longer haired siblings and trying new make up in the department store, all Lexi really wanted was a kindred spirit who could understand just how exhaustive and tedious it all became after a while. She was excited for the ball, but the preparations her sisters deemed “necessary” were too much for the modest Ryanne who just wanted to stay in the shadow of her family’s reputation and lifestyle. Lexi much preferred the history she studied over the materialistic world her sisters chose to remain in.

After sending a quick text to agree to meet the fashion savvy blonde, Lexi collected her things together and made her way off campus after checking out two new books from the stacks. Her car was only parked next to the building so it didn’t take very long at all for the petite brunette to throw her things in and start making her way through the city to the sounds of Gwen Stefani. Soon the Hard Rock Café was close by and Lexi pulled her car up to park, grabbing her hat and hopping out of the vehicle. She didn’t know if she was meeting Rina inside or outside the building, but there was only a second before her friend’s hand quickly tapped her shoulder and that familiar voice reached her ears. Grinning, she turned around to give her friend a warm hug. She felt as though they had so much to catch up on that she didn’t even know where to start! “Of course I did! How have you been?”

[/color] Lexi asked, the grin still fixed on her face.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 602!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina accepted the hug, squeezing her friend lightly in return. She didn't know how much to say so she figured staying as close to the truth was the blonde models best bet. She rolled her eyes laughing. "Busy. I had a job in Poland that took a lot of time," she said with an overdramatic sigh. She was thankful she wasn't one of those models that people kept tabs on. She could go around without disguises and that meant there weren't many, if any pictures of what she'd really been up to in Europe. Then she really would have had to tell her dear friend the truth. She would, in time, but right now, because of Andrew and everything going on, she didn't want to spill something that might be more secret than she'd thought herself. Not that she wouldn’t tell the other girl there was a new man in her life she was getting to know. She would just leave out full names and any association with the city. He was a Grant, and Rina knew of Lexi’s background. It was safe to assume they ran in the same circles and had probably at least spoken to each other a time or two at one of the fundraisers or galas the city’s upper crust participated.

She was aware of how many frequent flyer miles she was going to rack up flying to and fro, but she could make a few calls and tell some people she’d be here or there and pick up a few jobs so she wasn’t just spending money every few weeks to visit another transplant. She’d turned her phone to vibrate in the car so the friends wouldn’t get interrupted by useless messages. And those who she cared for knew she’d be with Lexi, and that unless it was important, she’d be ignoring them until she was sitting on her couch in her pyjamas. There was so much to catch up on! She’d missed a month in New York, anything could have happened in those thirty-ish days! She knew how much her life had changed by one chance encounter the first full day in Poland! She could only imagine what happened to Lexi!

Rina brushed hair out of her face. “Ready? I’m starving! I feel like I haven’t had any good food in a month!” she said laughing. She felt like in the last month she walked more than she ever did. In Poland, she told Andrew her favourite stories about the former Capital while they walked through the market square and heard the sad song play from the tallest church tower be cut short as it had been the very first time it was played. In Italy, she didn’t know as much, despite having spent nearly a year there over her career. And though she’d gone to hang out with Andrew and get to know him better, she did make a couple calls, and got herself a couple print ad shoots because she felt like she’d be somehow letting Maddie down if she didn’t actually do some jobs like she’d said she was. They didn’t take much time out of the month a couple days here and there and that was it.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 538
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi smiled, brushing the hair from her face as she stepped back from her friend and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “I know the feeling.”

[/color] She said, nodding in agreement. The two girls hadn’t been busy in the same manner as the other, but Lexi still felt as though she hadn’t really had much time to herself to relax; the approach to summer was always the same with the end of the semester coming up, holidays at work to be covered and the usual summer events that began to explode on the socialite calendar. “Well, New York is still New York.”[/color] The brunette said with a small smile as she gestured to the street surrounding them with her arms.

She felt as though she had a lot to catch up with in her friendship with the blonde model. There was definitely a lot happening in her life and she assumed Rina was the same. Considering Lexi was usually the quiet kind who kept everything simple, she felt as though there was a lot to talk about. She hadn’t mentioned her changing relationship with Denver or that he was her date to the ball with anyone yet who wasn’t family. She didn’t like to go about revealing all the details of her life to those she socialised with, but it was different with Rina and she felt that she could share more with the blonde than with the other people she called friends. Plus, every girl needed to gush from time to time and maybe Rina would need the same girly afternoon Lexi was finding herself in the mood for. Right now though, Lexi was just glad to have her friend back to an afternoon of their usual catch ups and laughter.

Groaning, Lexi’s hand came to rest on her own flat stomach and she shook her head. “I seem to have found myself eating more take away than my body can handle.”[/color] She said, pulling a face. Recently it seemed better than cooking and everyone she spent time with seemed to want to order in. The young historian wasn’t used to eating that kind of food all the time and she was craving a properly cooked meal rather than something in a container. Still, take-out food was good and it was only the next day when Lexi felt the need to make her way to the gym to work off whatever it was she had actually eaten the night before. She hopped through the door of the building and glanced around whilst one of the hosts quickly led them to a vacant table and handed them the menus. Lexi hadn’t been here in the longest of times and she had a feeling she would be a while choosing a dish unless something jumped off the page at her. “So, what’s the news?”[/color] She asked, smiling again as she dropped her hat to her bag and smoothed out her dark locks.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 529!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina loved that she could go away for a month, come back and aside from there being a few more robberies and a gala or fundraiser, she hadn’t missed anything at all. She had to go talk to her teachers eventually about the work she missed, if there was any at all since she’d emailed all her work while away. But homework could wait; there was girl time to catch up on and some proper food to devour. They’d mostly gone to little cafés for lunch, restaurants for dinner and room service for breakfast. Spring was always the better of the runways around the world. The different Fashion weeks were Rina busy time, and that was falling right about now. Thankfully, she hardly had to jet set all over to try clothes, run practice and check makeup. Most everything was in New York already, and if it wasn’t, when the designers came into the city in search of some new blood, they brought along the clothes they needed for the models already on their roster. Rina was a well-loved model for the catwalks and print ads, but not so well known that she was watched constantly being photographed. She was nowhere near Angel status. Still, Rina sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes to the sky. “And I was so hoping something had happened while I was away, aside from the ever growing pile of homework I just barrelled through,” she said, looking back at her friend with a smirk twitching her lips upward.

“Room service and cafés are not the way to survive for a month, let me tell you,” she said, laughing. Though at least she ate and didn’t starve herself for her picture perfect figure. There was no need after all that her body went through! She was lucky she even gained a few pounds since she was twelve! She was tiny for a model and barely weight one-oh-five soaking wet. But the Cancer diet wasn’t something she’d recommend to anyone. Laughing, happy to be back in New York, Rina followed Lexi through the doors and around the floor to an empty table. It felt like forever since Rina had actually stepped through the doors of the restaurant and sitting there looking down at the menu, she’d forgotten what was written inside the plastic covered pages. Absently, Sorina opened the first page of the menu glancing down at it quickly but not really seeing the words on the page.

Hearing Lexi’s words, the Romanian model lifted her eyes to her friend, smiling. “Who said there was news?” she asked as innocently as possible. She probably couldn’t pull it off with the devilish spark in her eye, giving her away. But she was going to try and act the innocent one. Besides, she was still trying to figure out how to tell Lexi about Andrew without saying too much. She could be vague, or try. Thoughts of the troubled man kept creeping into her mind whenever she gave herself a second to wander. She wanted to stay close in case he wanted to talk. They’d spent most of their time together, getting to know each other while avoiding the problem he was currently running from. She still didn’t know the real reason behind his great escape from the USA, but she was a stubborn soul, determined to get the answers she wanted. It was just going to take a little more time.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 572
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi let out a soft laugh and fixed her hair across her forehead. There was always something happening in New York and she knew of no one who could slip through their days in the city without something happening eventually. There was always someone in her life experiencing a form of drama that was probably worthy of a bad movie or daytime soap opera. She'd been able to ignore most of it recently since she was floating through her own life in some sort of happy little bubble that had her sister's questioning her at every chance they got. She could be miserable or mediocre and they were fine to let that slide, but the second she was caught humming whilst she made breakfast or putting that little extra thought into her clothes shopping they were on her like the Spanish Inquisition. While she wasn't angry or jealous for her friend jetting off and staying away for so long, Lexi had wished to talk to the blonde model a little more, just to get away from the three brunettes and their curious nature. "Well, this is New York, there's always something happening. And there's a masquerade next month."

[/color] She teased with a flick of her hand in a dramatic fashion, adding the final sentence with a nonchalent shrug of her narrow shoulders.

Nodding her head in understanding, Lexi relaxed in her seat and her dark eyes flicked around the room as her thoughts drifted to what she wanted for lunch now that she had the chance for a proper meal. "I don't even know where this month has gone; it's been a blur."[/color] With school, work and everything else that was going on in the historian's life, she didn't even recall collapsing into her bed some nights, just the screech of her alarm clock the next morning when the sunlight danced through her half closed blinds. It was chaotic and Lexi would be relieved when the summer finally came and school was over. She could do with a vacation of her own, even if it was just out to the beach for a week or so.

Shooting Rina a knowing look, Lexi tilted her head and folded her arms. "That smirk just now said more than enough."[/color] She had seen in plent of times before with her sisters and her other friends. Hell, she might've even worn it before. It was the tell tale expression that every girl had at some point in their life and it was usually the biggest indicator of a new man and a promising new path to dare down. With the sparkle in her friend's eyes too, Lexi didn't think she was far off the mark to assume that Rina was back on the dating scene again, but with who? Another hunky model friend or some European charmer? "So, do I get his name or what?"[/color] She asked, amused by the whole thing right now and the way Rina was trying so hard to play innocent; a card Lexi knew only too well how to work.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 644!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Grinning, the blonde nodded, running her fingers through her wind tousled locks. New York was a city that never slept and there wasn’t a day that went by that was completely uneventful. Rina wasn’t of the same upper crust that Lexi was. Her parents had money, but it wasn’t Rina’s. And Rina had money, but she didn’t think of herself as a socialite or even a small celebrity. Sure there were people out there who knew her name, her face but certainly not enough to make headlines about. So when Lexi mentioned the masquerade ball, Rina was a little envious. In all her years modelling, there had never been an event quite like that. The thought that Rina was somehow invited never even crossed her mind. “Ooh, a masquerade ball, that’ll be nice for you and the doctor,” she said smirking. “I assume he’ll be your date anyway,” she added, not wanting to be completely presumptuous.

Rina knew that one well enough. Even though she hadn’t been working the entire month, she’d been busy and it all seemed quite the blur. Some of the days she didn’t even remember any small piece of; only waking the next day whenever the sun hit her face and wondering how she’d managed to miss an entire day. But then someone with breakfast was knocking on the door and Rina was sitting up in bed, stretching not the least bit worried of the missing day. The last few days were even worse having pulled a couple all-nighters just to get all her assignments caught up and emailed off. She still had to stop by the school to drop off the hardcopies later that day. “I wish I could say I don’t know what that feels like. But I can’t. There are days I don’t remember at all,” she admitted, shaking her head.

Rina clasped her fingers together, setting her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. “I do not know to what you are referring, Lexi,” Rina said, acting as though the language barrier was troubling her, though that was far from the truth and that much was obvious. Rina spoke clear and near perfect English, Her accent had nothing to do with it, but it helped in certain situations. She smiled, turning her attention to the menu sitting in front of her. “I think I want nachos, how about you, anything catching your eye?” she asked, avoiding the question. She was going to tell Lexi about Andrew but she wanted to prolong it a little bit. “How is the dashing doctor, well I hope?” she asked, turning the attention onto Lexi and her budding relationship. The last Rina had heard, he was the perfect gentlemen. The model was just waiting for when the gentlemen lost his cool around her pretty friend. Those would be the juicy stories and Rina would be happily prying any little detail from her friend when those surfaced.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 492
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

It was hard to believe that there were so many different lifestyles in one city, even one as big as New York. The Masquerade theme might have been a first for Lexi, but the idea of a ball was not. There was always something or the other planned in the way of social events and there was much more to contend with now in order for the matriarchs to find ways to keep it fresh and from what Lexi had heard, the masquerade was getting everyone excited for a night of mingling, gossiping and finding out new things to bitch about once someone else’s back was turned. She was thankful she’d have Denver there to escape from it all with. “One should never assume.”

[/color] She teased, adopting a silly British accent. “But yeah, he is. I mean, there’s no other funny and drop dead gorgeous guy to bring to these things.”[/color] She still hadn’t quite figured out why she was letting Denver see this world with all its falsities and backstabbing, but it was all happening now anyway.

Life resembling something of a twister was not usually something Lexi enjoyed, but recently she had been occupied with things she enjoyed, rather than the usual necessities that sprung up around this time of year. Plus, she was graduating soon and whilst the thought filled her with enough dread and fear to bring on a panic attack, it meant she had a reason to shop for a new outfit, as well as get measured for her gown and get all her studious affairs in order before the big day came around. At least once it was out of the way there would be time for a vacation and life might settle back into a relaxing place once more. “At least once school is out things might slow down enough for me to remember things.”[/color] She joked with a smile and soft shake of her head. “The only reason days should be forgotten is if they’re either so terrible or you’ve gotten through and impressive amount of tequila.”[/color] Lexi pulled a face, remembering the last night of memories erased by the blasted drink. It had been months ago, luckily, but there was still a part of her that wretched at the reminder of the two day hangover.

Narrowing her eyes, Lexi wagged her finger at her friend. “Nu-uh! That is not going to work on me, Rina!”[/color] She stated, sitting up a little straighter in the chair as she tried to stare her not-so-innocent friend down. “Stop trying to dodge the topic.”[/color] She playfully hit her friend with the menu in her hands and giggled lightly, casting her eyes downwards to glance over the menu. “Is it really bad that all the take out is making me want a salad?”[/color] She asked, pulling a face. The petite brunette wasn’t usually the girl to order salads out, since it was something she could throw together at home, but right now it was the only thing on the menu that was calling to her.
At the mention of ‘the doctor’, a slight blush floated to Lexi’s face, remembering how much had happened since Rina had left, and she kept her eyes on the menu for a second longer than normal to try and control herself, but the smile still came, regardless. “We were supposed to be talking about your love life, not mine. Denver is fine, though, since you asked.”[/color] There was actually a lot she could tell Rina right now, but if her friend was going to play all coy and secretive, then Lexi would too; an eye for an eye, and all that jazz.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 653!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina loved how different New York was to Bucharest. She knew both cities were culturally diverse, but it was more pronounced in the big apple. That or she’d never seen the different sides of Bucharest. She had spent most of her childhood behind the sterile walls of the children’s hospital and she hadn’t really been long out of the hospital when she’d been discovered. “Doesn’t hurt that he wears a white coat, goes by doctor and treats you like a queen,” Rina added, grinning happily. Since childhood, she hadn’t ever had the time to even think about white picket fences and happy endings. But Lexi seemed so happy in her relationship with the doctor and it made Rina think about it all. It was still too soon to tell where her relationship with Andrew was going. She hoped somewhere, they did practically spend a month together, but that didn’t mean anything; especially in Rina’s world.

When Rina started college, she’d made sure her classes and her work schedule didn’t clash too much. Obviously, there would be times it would, especially with the major fashion weeks, but other than that, she had a pretty easy time managing the two. She guessed it was probably only a little bit more confusing than the usual balancing act of classes and work. Rina laughed, nodding. “I wish. That’s my busy season,” she said, shrugging. She was so used to it that it wasn’t a huge deal anymore. This summer would be a little different. This year Maddie was really living with her and she didn’t know if her younger sister would be staying in New York or going back to Bucharest. There wasn’t much time left to figure that out though, and she had to know soon so she could make plans for the plants and Sonic and Tails. “Tequila is the drink of the Gods. It’s why mere mortals get so sick after consuming it. It was never meant for them,” Rina said, shaking her head. Straight tequila wasn’t something she could drink, mostly sticking to vodka and mix.

Sitting at the table, Rina wished she had a drink to hide behind. But she had nothing more than the menu in her hands and she already knew what she wanted. She’d been craving since she walked through the door and nothing was going to stop her from getting them; not even an upcoming shoot. “I’m not dodging, I’m adding to the suspense of the moment,” she replied loftily, rubbing the spot Lexi hit with the plastic covered menu. Rina shook her head, smiling. “No. It’s the whole reason I’m ordering the nachos! I feel like all I’ve eaten for the past month is salad!” She had eaten plenty of other things, but when she didn’t know what she really wanted; Rina always fell to salad like it was her comfort food. After all, who could really screw up a garden salad? Rina didn’t miss the blush. Something fun happened while she’d been away! “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!” Rina said wiggling her eyebrows. She was going to spill anyway, she was just too happy and excited by the prospects to let this little game go on much longer.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 539
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi was a hopeless romantic in so many ways and to call her a dreamer would be a pretty accurate depiction of the short haired brunette. She was on Cloud Nine right now, but that didn’t mean that she was thinking of a house in the suburbs and the children in the front yard. In fact, that thought was up there with graduation for freaking her out. Denver did make her smile and he did fill her mind more times throughout the day then he probably ought to, but she wasn’t at the point of dreaming of white weddings and happy endings; she was a little too grounded for that, despite everything. “You know I don’t care that he’s a doctor. It might’ve affected how we met, but he could be a garbage collector and I’d still invite him to the ball.”

[/color] She smiled to herself and then pulled a face at her blonde friend. “’Treats me like a queen?’ What on earth is that?”[/color] She laughed, shaking her head.

Lexi didn’t quite know how Rina managed to balance everything in her life. She got to travel a lot, which was something Lexi envied her for, but not for the rest. She couldn’t live with the cameras, runways and spotlights that came with her friend’s modelling career, but Rina seemed to love it, or else why would she do it? Lexi’s life was only kept busy mainly by social plans and that would probably remain the same even once her time at college was over, which was pretty soon. “Oh dear, well at least you won’t have to catch up on work all the time.”[/color] She offered with a smile as she tried to find something optimistic to say to her friend about it all. Laughing again, Lexi faked a shudder of horror and brushed her hair back from her face. “The last night I had like that was a long time ago, thankfully. The Gods can keep the stuff!”[/color] The blue blooded girl could handle her wine, drinking it moderately at least once a week, but hard liquor was not her closest friend. She could handle a glass or two of Jack Daniels from time to time, but the rest were enough to put her into a laughing mess of skirts and heels, sitting on the sidewalk whilst waiting for a cab to collect her.

Lexi rolled her eyes at the pitiful excuse Rina offered her and shot her friend another knowing glare. “Whichever way you phrase it, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re holding out on me.”[/color] She declared, raising her eyebrows as she tried to read her friend’s expression, knowing that there was a lot hidden beneath that long blonde hair. “A chicken Caesar salad suddenly sounds like the greatest thing on the planet next to ice cream.”[/color] She said, shaking her head as she finally settled on her meal for lunch today. Dropping the menu, Lexi folded her arms and shot Rina a playful glare. “Who says I have anything to tell? It’s you with all the secrets fit to burst.”[/color] She teased
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 525!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina had always been a romantic, despite the troubles she had in the past with her own love life. She didn’t want happily ever after in the fairy tale sense, but she did want someone around who surprised her with flowers and didn’t mind holding her hand as they walked down the street. “I know, I’m just saying that it’ll help with your parents. You were saying they haven’t met him yet. They might take it a bit easier on him,” Rina said, thinking that was a logical course to take; though she’d never been too concerned about her parents meeting the man she was seeing. Her past relationships had hardly lasted, the longest one being a year. And even then she was left in the dust for another model; the downfall to stupidly dating a model in the first place. After that, Rina had stayed away from the industry for the most part; having only had one date with another model, and that was still fairly recent. Rina shrugged, laughing herself, ”Oh, I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head.

Having the childhood she did, Rina was very done with being bored and sitting around doing nothing. She’d done enough of that, with the only thing available to her was school work and reading between trips to chemo and other tests. Now that she was out and on her own, she barely sat around doing anything unless it was school work once again or she was catching a show on the TV. So, balancing school with work and all that travel was pretty easy for the Romanian model. Rina nodded, laughing. ”There is the upside,” she agreed, laughing. Modelling hadn’t seemed like work ever, Rina enjoyed it so much, even the parties she was basically required to be at. There were a few she wished she could have missed, but a little alcohol helped with those nights. ”They absolutely can! I’ll stick to vodka and cola,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Even Rina could admit her excuses were flimsy at best. She was just trying to work out how to tell Lexi without accidentally spilling Andrew’s identity in her babbling mess of excitement. Laughing, Rina rolled her eyes. ”I am,” the blonde said willingly enough. It wasn’t as if she could lie and say she wasn’t; it was obvious that she was. ”Oh! Ice cream for dessert! I’m indulging,” she declared, continuing to ignore the reason she was so giddy. ”I don’t think I’m about ready to burst, but I do have news,” she said as the waitress stepped up to their table. Rina ordered her meal and drink right then. She waited until Lexi ordered before setting her elbows on the table and putting her chin on her hands. ”I’ve met someone,” she said stating the obvious. Why else would she be so giddy? Work excited her and made her happy, but it was nothing compared to a new relationship she hoped went further than a few months of fun.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 502
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi adored that Denny wasn’t the type of guy to shy away from hugs or holding her hand. She valued little innocent things like that in a relationship and she was always smiling from the simplest of touches. If that made her old fashioned or ridiculous to some people, then so be it. Smiling, Lexi nodded, understanding what her friend was saying. “Yeah, I guess. My dad is glaring at walls at the moment. Then again, he’s kind of got a good reason to; the last boyfriend he met cheated on me, so…”

[/color] She raised her eyebrows and trailed off. It didn’t take a genius to work out how protective her father must be from that alone, especially when he saw the heartbreak of his youngest daughter from a guy five minutes ago he had approved of. “It’ll be fine. I know it will.”[/color] She waved the worry away with her hand and smiled, laughing at the response her blonde friend gave him. “You’ve got a way with words, have I told you that?”[/color] Lexi teased, chuckling softly as her giggles faded.

Lexi knew that while this summer could be a little easier on her workload, she still had a lot to do. After graduation she needed to discover what she really wanted to do with her life and find a job that was something more rewarding that a few short shifts at Tiffany’s during the week. She might not have been in a rush financially to get a fulltime job, but she still wanted one so that she could feel like she was doing something with her life. Melinda spent most of her days playing the pampered socialite and she couldn’t understand how the eldest Ryanne could do so little and still be happy. Lexi felt like she needed something to strive towards, a goal to chase in order to keep herself happy and healthy. Aside from a vacation, she didn’t want a lazy summer. “Nothing beats a good glass of wine.”[/color] Lexi said with a content sigh. She had never been a big drinker, but her choice of alcoholic beverage was usually a fruity white wine, unless she was in a nightclub and then she opted for a rum and coke, but she kept those to a minimum. She wasn’t a lightweight when it came to handling her drink, but she knew that a few glasses would leave her head spinning and her nose tingling.


Lexi was eager to hear about what her friend had been up to and with whom. She knew Rina well enough to know that there was something going on to keep that smile on her face and Lexi knew that there had to be a guy involved; the avoidance and her own questions had been enough to prove that so far. Rolling her dark eyes, Lexi shot Rina a look and dropped her shoulders in a slump. “You’ve met someone? Really? I never would’ve guessed.”[/color] She said sarcastically, swatting at her friend’s hand. “C’mon, I gave you more information than that when you first asked about Denny!”[/color] Lexi pointed out, implying that this was not a fair exchange compared to when Rina had finally figured out Lexi had been spending so much of her time with the young doctor. “Give me the details.”[/color] She demanded, once the waitress had left their table.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 600!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina had only spent about five minutes with the charming Doctor but it didn’t take a genius to see he cared for her friend. He couldn’t stop looking down at her and Rina hadn’t missed their intertwined hands. He had seemed sweet and she liked him. He made quite the first impression, though the huge smile on her friends face would have told strangers she was happy because of him. “I know that feeling,” she said, referring to the cheating bastard ex-boyfriend thing. Her father didn’t know a damn thing about that or the man she had been seeing probably wouldn’t still be seen around the modelling world; though she would take a guess to say it would be her mother that snapped his neck and not her father. Rina had always been closer to her mother anyway, while Maddie had been the daddy’s girl. “But Denver doesn’t seem the type to do something so mean. Plus, he really likes you, Lex. I mean really likes you,” she said, though she felt like she was just stating the obvious. Rina smiled, nodding her head in agreement. “Your night will be perfect!” She said encouragingly. Rina laughed. “You haven’t in at least a month now,” she said, teasing.

Rina still had another year or so left of her schooling before graduation, and then she was just going to do modelling full time for as long as she could. Though eventually those parties that were basically mandatory in her industry meant there would be a lot of alcohol involved. Normally, she could stuck to two or three drinks at those functions and still make it out of there without a broken heel or pictures of her surfacing drunk like some other models. “I only drink that when I have to,” Rina said, rolling her eyes. At the parties she went to the wine wasn’t exactly as free flowing as the vodka.

She couldn’t tell Lexi everything, no matter how much she really wanted to. It wasn’t up to her and because it was all so new, she wanted to make sure she didn’t ruin it so soon into whatever it was. “I met him in Poland the first full day I was there actually,” Rina said laughing, completely ignoring the sarcastic remark her friend made, though she also waited for the waitress to leave. “He’s name is Drew, and actually he’s from here. He’s doing a European tour thing,” Rina said, talking herself into believing it wasn’t a complete and total lie. Andrew was sort of touring Europe though it wasn’t because he wanted to. “We spent my time in Poland together then took off for Italy for another two,” Rina continued, grinning devilishly, though nothing of that nature had happened while the pair had been together. They spent most of their time touring around the cities, eating and talking; a lot of talking. “Which is why I’m home two weeks later than I should be and grinning like I just won the lottery. Maddie kept calling me and asking how much longer the shoot was going to be because she doesn’t like taking care of Sonic, so I had to come back,” Rina finished, her brows drawing together at her sister’s girly nature. There was that, and she couldn’t miss much more school, even if her professor’s understood. But it had all been just too nice to pass up. Rina wanted to tell her how they had met specifically but she didn’t want to just drop everything in a rush and risk spilling something she shouldn’t have.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 596
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Back when Lexi’s heart had been crushed by the cheating ex-boyfriend, it had taken a lot to convince her that things might ever be as good as they were now. A lot of help from her sisters, one perfect revenge plan and even other attempts at dates had taken their time to make her feel better. Now that she was dating Denny, the drama with Chris seemed like some old nightmare that couldn’t hurt her anymore. At Rina’s words, she couldn’t hide the huge smile that crossed her lips. Lex really was falling for Denny and it was impossible to hide that from anyone, especially one of her closest friends. “I know. And we got to know each other pretty well first, when most guys usually want to leave all that until later.”

[/color] She tried to bite back her smile, but knew the attempt was futile. “I really like him too.”[/color] She said quietly like some lovesick school girl. It might have been pointing out the obvious, but she had wanted to say it anyway. Laughing, Lexi brushed the dark hair from her eyes and shot her friend a look. “That’s only because I haven’t seen you in at least a month.”[/color] She teased, laughing again before she sat back in her seat.

Lexi’s first drink was probably a glass of expensive wine and it was the only thing kept in the apartment she shared with Chelsea. Her sister had been talking of moving out recently, but Lexi wasn’t worried by that; she was old enough to live alone at twenty two! Chuckling, she shook her head. “I enjoy the warm buzz from wine. It leaves me with less of a hangover if I drink too much of it.”[/color] She said with a casual shrug. She had never been a big drinker anyway and even on nights out she was usually the most sober of the group by the time they crawled into their cabs to go home.

She listened carefully to what her friend was saying. Lexi was actually interested in Rina’s new love and her smile remained on her face as she listened to her friend. A few weeks earlier their roles had been reversed and she was so happy that Rina had met someone who seemed to make the blonde girl smile in the same way that Denny made Lexi smile. “He sounds great, Rina. So, are you going back out to meet him or is he coming home to New York?”[/color] She asked, sipping at her drink and smiling still. Lexi had a feeling there was probably more to Rina’s love story, but she also knew that people liked to have their secrets. She had kept Denny’s existence from people at first and there were still other areas of her life, mainly her past that she never spoke about, keeping those little secrets to herself. Secrets added to the magic of the moment and the mystery; two things Lexi loved almost as much as history.
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• • •

TAGGED! Sorina!
WORDS! 538!
OUTFIT! Summer Chic!
LYRICS! Radio Nowhere - - - Bruce Springsteen
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina remembered the days of broken hearts and had always assumed there would be a couple more cracks before she found the one that would heal them all. Even about heartbreak, she had a positive outlook on it all. She had an entirely different mindset since she’d been discharged from the children’s hospital. She didn’t think there could really be anything worse than nearly dying as a child. She had fears, Maddie being diagnosed with something, her parent’s falling out or one of the three dying. Those all seemed pretty terrible and were ranked pretty high on Rina’s list but even with all those things and knowing if any of them were to happen she would really break, she could find silver linings in it all. She had friends to help, work to keep her busy and classes to take her mind off the things that would need to be done in those situations. Thankfully, nothing of the sort had happened so she was still pretty optimistic about life. “He seems like a genuinely good person. Don’t bring him around your sisters!” Rina said, gasping but she knew from the few short minutes she’d chatted with the man that he was all about Lexi and not even her sisters would be able to sway him, though she also knew they might try.

Rina’s grin widened at the tone she knew well. It was the same tone she only reserved for shoes these days. That love-struck voice wasn’t heard very often from Lexi but since she’d met the charming children’s doctor, she was hearing it more often. Rina loved having Lexi as a friend. With the brunette, she wasn’t Sorina Lupescu, charming, sweetheart model from Bucharest with a thirst for the world. She was just Rina. She didn’t have to put on a show, wear what she called costume makeup and say just the right thing. She could put her foot in her mouth and laugh when she finally realized she messed. She had family money, but like Lexi, she wasn’t some stuck up bitch tossing it around just to prove she had it. She thought it was because of her childhood that she just didn’t see monetary gain as something to achieve but her mother was very down to earth and cared more about her girls’ and the books she helped to get published than the flow of cash. If she could get her hands on a pair of heels that were so overwhelmingly overpriced, it was all she bought; the woman, like her daughters, was obsessed with shoes. “There were text messages and phone calls between then and now! You could have made up for it!” She said, happily, laughing at them.

“Remind me to not invite you to the sponsored parties I have to attend from time to time, unless they’re wine,” Rina said smirking. “They’re almost never sponsored by wine of any kind.” In the few hundred she’d been to, it seemed, she only remembered two sponsored parties with wine. The rest were spirits or hard liquor. But even she felt annoyed by it because there were things she just didn’t drink so she ended up sporting a tumbler of something all night and just pretending it was drink number this or that. Those were the nights that annoyed her the most. She could have been anywhere doing anything and yet she was stuck at a party for a minimum of two hours. By the time she finally found her way out of the throngs of people, it was too late to do anything because the people she would have called were already busy. So she was left to either go clubbing by herself or find her way back to her apartment, her pets, her books and a bad late night movie.

Rina smiled, thinking about that. Eventually she wanted to try and get Andrew back stateside, but with the way things were at home, he wasn’t exactly open to the idea just yet. It would take some time, some visits but she hoped he would come back to New York with her one day. “I have to stay here until after finals, but then I’ll be going back over there, plus there’s work for me if I want it. The few designers I actually keep in touch with have already said if I’m in the area to stop by and we’d plan something, so…” the model said, shrugging. There were still a few weeks before finals were around and she was rushing to make her exams. As it was, she had two new assignments to work through before then and the final projects for three other classes. But, Rina had a good business oriented mind, facts, figures and what they represented came easy to her; she’d have the work done in no time at all. “He’s a total doll. He even helped me with my homework when I was over there. I was totally stuck!” Rina said, laughing at the memory. She’d had school work to do while she was away and tried her best to put in at least an hour of the stuff a day while she’d been away, more if she could swing it, but that assignment had totally stumped her; probably because she hadn’t read that far into her texts yet. But Andrew had sat down with her when she got frustrated and starting mumbling in Romanian at the books and computer screen to help her work through it.

Tag|| Lexi!!
Words|| 917
Clothes|| Good to be Home
Music||I'll be There For You by The Rembrandts
Notes||<3