HOPING THAT NOTHING EVER BLOOMS! (penn.)

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Well, Kat hadn't expected that. Penn had offered to come over and drink with her, setting down her beer next to the computer, she started to type a quick refusal until he mentioned food. Raising an eyebrow to herself, she glanced at her own feline sitting on the couch next to her. Sighing slightly as the cat purred and rolled onto it's back on the leather couch- Kat glanced back to the computer and thought about glorious food. She had gone to breakfast this morning with her aunt to discuss planning her mothers bachelorette party- at which time Kat had been extremely hungry from puking up her breakfast before leaving thanks to a massive hangover. So she had aten 5 waffles, they then went shopping for a while before Kat became hungry again- at which time her aunt, Ang, had told her she should watch her figure instead of pigging out. Kat had been self consis all day since then. She was worried enough about her weight, even though the girl was the size of about half a toothpick- she constantly got looked at for the amount of food she could scarf down. She just constantly felt hungry, and would normally be munching on food that very moment if she hadn't given the little she had left for the week to Blaise for his trip back home to visit their parents, Kat staying behind for summer classes. Since she was such a pessimistic protective big sister, she often sent him with two or three bottles of water and a bag of chips, incase he got stranded somewhere. So she was left without much food at all, and she was starting to get light headed about it. Looking around her loft home, she sighed slightly at the modern interior. Standing up, she smoothed the silky romper she adored sleeping in and walked into her room- having typed a positive response once he had mentioned bringing over more drinks and pizza.

Scuffing her slippered feet on the floor as she walked along the tiled floors and up the two step wooden stairs that seperated the little living pit from the rest of the home, she walked towards the open door to her bedroom and took a sip of her drink as she walked. She normally didn't drink much beer, but when alone and not enough energy to mix something better up- she dealt with it. Sifting through the racks of clothing she had, she yawned before coming across the oversized hoodie she was searching for- pulling it on over her head, she glanced in the mirror at the black hoodie that fell to her knees in length, glancign at the pack momentarily and smirking at the logo 'Poor Little Rich Girl.' Zipping it up halfway, the silky retro flower print romper still showing through at the top. Dragging herself back out to the main room, she closed her bedroom door and walked a few feet to Blaise's door, closing it as well. Glancing at the overall home, she smiled slightly- happy she had decided to clean today. The house easily reflected her style, filled with retro items from the pop art wall paintings to the white leather couch. With a bit of her social class's trademarks thrown in- mainly from the sheer size of the place, and then with the flatscreen T.V mounted on the wall, facing down slightly towards the seating area that was in a little pit below the wood areas, this area was tiled- with a shaggy black carpet in the middle. It accented the white leather couches, chaise and recliner all very nicely. Kat had a taste for design and interior decoration, as it seemed. The kitchen was also nicely sized, with a wet bar nearby for good measure. It had marble countertops, and a double oven wall. Kat enjoyed baking, and so this was one of her favorite things about the home. She planned on staying here after college, espically since it was near to her working office- the theatre. Taking another sip of her drink, she walked aimlessly to the kitchen, grabbing her blackberry storm off the charger stand and clicking through a few messages from her agent before setting that down- going to pick up her personal cell phone, her beloved Iphone. Sliding herself to sit up on the counter, she flicked through a few messages and did some replies- mostly to her sisters and one to her brother.

As her cat, Bombalurina- slinked across the kitchen floor towards her cat tower- Katheryne smiled slightly. Sliding off the counter, she walked back into the pit, closing her laptop and sitting back on the leather couch, picking up the remote and turning the T.V on, flicking through a few channels before stopping at the Bravo channel, smirking slightly at the Real Housewives show that greeted her. Stretching herself on the couch, she lounged on her side with her head supported by her palm, held up by her elbow resting on the cushion next to her. Tapping her fingers against her belly, she wondered when Penn would arrive. As if magically, she heard a faint knock on the door and sighed, sitting up and grabbing her beer as she called- "Hey, come in- the doors unlocked." most people found her insane for this, but she barely remember to ever lock it, and so that's usually how it stayed. Taking a sip of the drink, she turned to look at the door, hoping she wouldn't have to bother standing- seeing as she was already getting a tad tipsy.

[PENN KINGSFORD WENTWORTH]

Penn smiled in relief as kat finally relented. He didn't want to be alone tonight, as he undoubtedly would be. He hadn't been bringing girls home for a while now, and he didn't know why. He had the oporotunity, but never felt the drive. He didn't feel like the chase was even very satisfying anymore. It saddened him to know that he was beginning to burn out on it. He would definitely take up the role of a wingman for his guys, though. He owed them that, even if he wasn't out there getting any. Who knew, maybe it would come back to him. He dialed the pizzaria's number and ordered two large meatlover's pizzas. He knew that he would eat everything that Kat didn't. He ate everything in sight when he was intoxicated. He got the munchies like no other person. Even his friends couldn't believe how much he could put away. He tended to keep the frat house fully stocked, but every so often he would run out. When that happened, he threw a major bitch fit. He was prone to flying off of the handle, and sometimes he was a very mean drunk. He took after his father in that. More than once had he found his mother with bruises after quarreling with his drunken father. It was where he had learned that alcohol made everything a little bit easier. He grabbed his shirt off of the couch, and sprayed some cologne on. He had gone for a run earlier, and hadn't put his shirt back on. He had planned on taking a shower, but had gotten distracted by the fridge.

He ran a hand over his cleanly shaven face. It had been quite a while since his last shave, and he felt like a new man. He wondered fleetingly if the girls would stop calling him a puppy. It usually made him made, but he secretly loved it. Puppies were adorable, everybody knew that. So for Jade to call him her puppy? He shook his head, sliding into his slate gray camaro. He had wanted a porche, or anything fast, but his father had shot him down. He had claimed that they needed to keep their money a secret. It had pissed Penn off. What was the point of having money if you couldn't flaunt it? He was at a loss for an answer, so he slammed the car into reverse and tore out of the parking lot of the frat house. He had fifteen minutes to wait for the pizza to get done, but it was a few minutes drive to the pizzaria in the first place. He sat in moody silence for a few minutes, hating his father for his profession. He wasn't even a real father. All he had time for was drinking with his buds, and smoking a cuban cigar! Because the cuban ones were so much superior to regular ones. He scowled. Thinking about his father made him tense. He pulled into the next grocery store, and made his way inside. He picked up two things of vodka, some flavored frilly drinks, and some rum. He had figured that Kat would appreciate the girly drinks, but he couldn't be sure. He payed for them quickly, and put them in the empty trunk. Usually he had coolers full of beer, but the guys had gotten rid of all of that the night before. They liked to have parties at the frat house. Only twice had they ignored his rule about drugs, and last night had been one of them. He had definitely lost his cool, and he knew the guys who had brought them had resented him. He knew that either way he couldn't have won. He didn't want the frat to get disbanded just because of a a few left-handed cigarettes. It meant to much to him, and he couldn't have it taken away from him. He wondered if people would ignore his rule at the mixer. If they did, he would most definitely be unhappy. He might even take action. Last night all he had done was yelled, and thrown a couple of punches. It was a good thing he had been drunk, otherwise he might have given the guy a black eye. Sometimes he had to wonder why he had been given the spot he was in, but other times he could imagine. Most of the guys looked up to him for his expertise with the ladies. The others knew how good he was at mixing up drinks. You couldn't find anything better at a bar, made by a professional.

He picked up the pizzas, and sped to the appartment that belonged to the pink haired lady he was meeting that night. He hadn't met Kat in person before, but had heard a lot about her from his friends. They all viewed her has one of them, or a little sister to them. He found it strange, he just couldn't see why none of them took her seriously. Especially Brad. Brad and Kat would definietly look cute together, but he was so damned stubborn. Penn had tried to convince the guy to get with Kat many times, but each he had protested vehemently. He wondered if it was because the guy actually had a thing for her. Kat was pretty, loyal to her friends, and protective. She was everything that he looked for in a friend. He guessed that was why it was hard for his friends to take her seriously. Maybe if he told them that he had been over.. He could do her a favor. He smiled to himsef. He was willing to bet that it would definitely piss her off. He turned off the car, and gathered up his loot, and hurried to the door. Keeping the pizzas from falling with his chin, he knocked on the door quickly. He heard the muffled response, and turned the handle quickly, pushing his way into the room. He noted his surroundings, and then turned to set everything down. "Got ice?" He asked her. He handed her a box of pizza that she could have for herself, and kept the other.

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Standing up as Penn walked into her home, she skipped a little to catch the box of pizza, smiling brightly at the scent. As he set the stuff down in the kitchen adajecent to the entryway, she opened the box quickly, taking a bite off the end cheerfully to have food after shaking for a while. As he asked for directions to ice, she pointed towards the freezer- swallowing before explaining. "Theres a box near the top, just put the cover on the counter wherever." Smiling sweetly, she took another bite of the pizza, now having devoured the end. Folding it half by the crust now, she chewed contently. "oh- and hi." she added, laughing slightly at her impolite greeting. Sitting herself on one of the barstools by where he had set the things he brought along, she held the slice carefully, taking another bite before poking around through the things he brought along. "ooh." she said quietly at the drinks, excited to have something different then the beer she'd been drinking on and off for a while now. Bomba lumbered back into the room, running her pudgy longe haired self underneath Kat's feet for a moment before sniffing at Penn's sneakers. Kat glanced over, crinkling her nose slightly before swallowing and giggling slightly. "Sorry, That's Bomba." Clicking her tongue slightly, the cat turned away from smelling at the frat boy's shoes and walked back over to cat, flopping down to sit near her.

Once she got down to the crust and a little of the cheesy part to her slice of pizza- she pryed herself away from the goodies he brought with him to look at Penn as he organized his loot. She had never really met him in person, but had instead heard many things from her sisters- mainly Jae. It was rather obvious that Jae was more interested in him then the other girls, but that was typical. Jae was more of the go get em and tease them girl of the group then herself and the rest of the girls. Andie was fine with one nighters, and then there was herself.. Who didn't really fit under a classification. She had thus been dubbed the match maker of the girls, often having a weird knack for it. She'd made couples that had lasted for years- a weird thing for the two groups member's. She was rather proud of it in that way, too. But while Penn was attractive, Kat thought little more of it. She wasn't one to notice looks as much as actions, nor to judge on them. Getting to the crust of her pizza, she nibbled on the edge before finishing it off, blinking as she realized how quiet she was being, stifling an awkward giggle- she glanced at him again. "Ewps, sorry. I forgot about talking. Haven't aten in forever." peeking into her box again, she picked up another slice, folding it in half and taking another just slightly less then dainty bite- forgetting entirely about her aunts comments earlier. The food tasted too good, even if just from the grease.

As the T.V offered background noise, Kat nibbled contently at her food fuel as she awaited him to start a conversation. She was the kind to wait for others to decide whether or not they wanted to talk. Humming slightly in between bites, she watched him curiously, still swinging her legs off the barstool as she came to the ending scenes of her second piece.

[PENN KINGSFORD WENTWORTH]

Penn said nothing as he went to work, getting them drinks. He took a few cubes of ice, putting three in each glass. He poured coke in one of them, and then spiked it with a liberal amount of rum. He liked it with a bit of an edge, just enough taste to be unpleasant to most people. "Hey," He replied to her. He hadn't expected a hello in the first place. She had barely let him come over. Only when he offered food had she allowed it. If he would have known that she kept her door unlocked, he would have come either way. It might be fun to surprise her. He would have to do that some other time. "Bomba, strange name.. However, from you I would accept nothing less." He poured her frilly drink over the ice, and passed the glass to her. "Sorry, I know ice gets in the way, but they had none in the refrigerated section. Just make sure you drink it before the ice melts." He directed. There was nothing worse than hot alcohol, in his book. It made ice more tolerable so long as the ice was doing it's job. He sipped on his drink, and then sat it down on the table. "Here bomba," he called, kneeling and holding out his hand. As the cat came to him, he allowed it to sniff his fingers. He ran his hands nimbly over the cat, praising it as he did. "Pretty cat." He smiled, and then stood up.

He walked at a leisurely pace to the sink, in no rush to start his own pizza. He felt some gratitude that Kat was chomping away. She seemed to have no real objection to his presence. He felt himself smiling, because maybe Kat didn't really hate him as much as she let on. His friends had told him that Kat was one of the most laid back girls they had ever met. She fit right in with them, and sometimes even set them up with one of her sisters. He wished that his guys weren't so blind. Kat was pretty, sweet, and smart. Ignoring her comment about talking, he commented, "I don't see why you haven't sunk your claws into any of my boys." He wasn't sure how she would react, but he wasn't going to continue until she did. He didn't want to alienate her. Her company was easy, and he found that he enjoyed it. He slowly flipped open the lid of his box of pizza. Seperating a piece from the rest, he nibbled on it. He was more reserved when he ate. Most girls were turned off when his guys ate voraciously, so relaxing about it was more of a habit. He hadn't done it just for Kat's benefit. If anything he didn't even notice. He listened to the television advertising for some sort of kitchen appliance store. He wondered how they got much business. It had to be a slow business. He felt his phone vibrate, but he ignored it. It was probably nothing of importance anyway. Most people only texted or called him for pleasure. He wasn't in the mood to talk to any of his guys, and the girls who had his number were pretty unsavory. He had been drunk every time he had given it out.

"I mean, you're very pretty." He told her. "More so than the sleazy whores they usually go after." He frowned in distaste. His best friends had very bad judgement. They liked to take the strippers from Sureshot home. It was disgusting to him, but they found it irresistable. He nibbled on more of his pizza, pausing to take a long drink. He just didn't get the appeal.

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Kat smiled faintly at his reaction to her pet. She was a big fan of cats, probably the next old cat lady out of her apartment complex, and she made it a habit to always have one with her. Chewing on a piece of crust as he lured the cat, she smirked slightly as he commented on the oddity of the name. "It's from the musical, CATS- the full names Bombalurina, but that's just.. a mouthful." she giggled slightly, turning back to her pizza contently. There was often something about food that halted Kat's emotions of anything beyond bliss. She wasn't a horrible eater- she just wasn't one to take small rations of things. The girls often gave her hell about this fact, and occasionally she'd go through spits of not wanting to eat until she got the shaky feeling she had endured before. But usually after a feast like this, she had a habit of then going back to normal eating schedules. As she began to reach for her third slice, she was handed a drink. Raising her eyebrows happily, she took it gingerly and took a small sip as he turned his back, explaining something about the ice. In all honesty, Kat couldn't have cared less. Alcohol was alcohol, and she was fine with however it was mixed, prepared- or even garnished. As long as there was that same mind numbing experience somewhere in there, she'd scarf it down like no ones buisness.

Watching him from the corner of her eye head to the sink, she raised an eyebrow at him eat. She had only seen the other boys eat that way unless they had some sort of a kanker sore, which she had infact seen over the two years she'd been attending. She'd almost grown accostumed to watching a mini version of Shark Week going on when she would eat out with them or something. Wiping the odd, slightly confused look from her face, she went back to swinging her legs and let the sip she had just downed settle. Before having the chance to take another sip, she was adressed again. Turning her head slightly to look him in the eye, a habit her mother was very adament about, she raised her left eyebrow in slight confusion. It was normal for Kat to display confusion through her facial expression versus words. It was something that had made her want to be an actor from early on. Clicking her tongue as she thought of an answer, she finally shrugged slightly and managed- "I have claws?"

After a moment of silence she heard his phone vibrate, a hearing skill she had developed. She knew it wasn't her phone as they were both set to chirp not vibrate, glancing to Penn almost expectantly- she was surprised to see he didn't answer. Kat was a bit of a texting whore- true to her popularity status. She could text anywhere from 134 minutes in a half minute to 250 in a full minute on any QWERTY keyboard- to the point, really, her sisters had made a big deal out of it to count. She normally didn't drop texts unless she was too busy to reach her phone- and missed calls were like dying puppies in her eyes. Shaking off the thought, she took a small sip of her drink again before reaching into the pizza box, taking out a third slice and folding it up as always- a habit she did to prevent grease leakage from her clothing. Although the hoodie would have trouble appearing dirty, she didn't want to ruin the Cocolux charm. Glancing up at him as he stayed on the topic of the boys, she closed her eyes for a moment- slightly sick of hearing of it. She got enough hell about it from the girls she was always with- and now she was hearing recitals from Penn. She herself wasn't sure, and now wasn't sure what kind of answer he was searching for in this or just a goal of conversation. "Thank you." she finally said sweetly, pushing the thoughts from her mind and giving a genuine smile.

Kat lived on compliments, it was just something about her somewhat insecure self that lapped them up like she did drinks. She didn't usually go fishing for them, but she was overjoyed when one came along on it's own. Listening carefully to him explain about the whores that they usually went after, her mind flickered quickly to Jae before pushing the thought back down under. She knew her best friend was a bit more out there about sexual relations, but Kat made a point at never looking at her like that. They had been friends since age 14 or under, she couldn't even remember. Running her free hand through the lighter side of her hair, she coughed oddly and did another signature shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine." she said simply, taking another sip before thinking of another question of her own.

"What about Jae?" her eyes took on a more protective trait. She figured he knew the question well enough- it was rather obvious that they could look at each other in that way (or rather, Jae was throwing and Penn was looking) but there'd had yet to be any actual play going down. As cheesy as that sounded-

[PENN KINGSFORD WENTWORTH]

"There's a musical called CATS?" He asked, trying to hide his smile. He couldn't even imagine the plot. It would have to be someting silly. After sitting in relative silence for a few moments, He drained the last of the mixture he had made for himself, and then started to make more. He glanced at Kat. "You still good?" He didn't take his eyes off of the alcohol. He planned on drinking all of the rum himself, and hoped he had a bad hangover. He figured he deserved it. He had been a jerk lately. He briefly considered just drinking rum out of the bottle, but cast that thought aside. If Kat should ask for some rum, she wouldn't want to drink after him. He was trying to be polite. He didn't want to give her yet another reason to hate his guts. He wouldn't lower himself in the eyes of one of Jade's friends. Especially one he was planning a mixer with. He knew that it was good that Kat was helping. He was sure that Jade couldn't be serious for long enough to get all of the details ironed out. She always ended up poking at him. He either came out of it angry or frustrated for one reason or another.

"Am I amusing?" He asked as she observed him. He felt like he imagined an animal at the zoo felt. It was weird that she was watching him. He felt guilty and uncomfortable. What did he have to be guilty of, though? He wasn't doing anything wrong. He watched her facial expressions closely. He loved how girls were so expressive in every moment. They showed him a lot with their faces, and he lapped it up. "I wasn't meaning to insult you.." He held his hands up defensively. "It was just a figure of speech." He sighed and picked up the slice of pizza he had been working on. He thought nothing of the speed with which Kat was putting hers away. He prefferred to eat slowly, and savor every bite. He ran his fingers along the edge of the glass. It was cool and smooth under his hand. "Unless you were just trying to change the subject.. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, really." He told her adamantly. He didn't know how to be friends with a girl, not really. He never had before. All he had were his guys, and his flings. Everything else was overrated. So why did being nice to Kat matter so much to him? He was at a loss of an explination, so he just continued eating. He didn't want to think about it. Thinking led to bad things in his experience.

"You're welcome, I suppose." He hadn't been going out of his way to compliment her, and hadn't expected a word of thanks. It just usually wasn't done. He was finally to the crust on his first piece. He absolutely hated the crust of pizza. It annoyed him to no end. He set it down in the box and withdrew another piece. He took a liberal swig of his drink before beginning to devour the second piece. He could feel himself starting to really relax, and he reveled in it. Usually he had to watch himself closely when he was getting drunk in public. He didn't want to end up taking home the ugliest girl in the bar, so he never really let himself go unless he was alone. He had a feeling that he could with Kat. He knew nothing would happen, and so did she. There were no expectations, and he felt almost completely at ease. He only had a sneaking suspicion now that she was ill at ease in his presence. He wondered if she thought he would try to make a move. She was pretty enough, no doubt. But she wasn't the type he usually chased after.

"Did you change your hair?" He asked her. All he had seen of her were pictures of a hot pink head of hair. He couldn't believe that it was now half blonde. Sure, it wasn't a natural shade of blonde, but it was definitely appealing. He could see him running his hands through it, but checked t he image as soon as he thought it. He felt as if he was betraying somebody. He wondered who. Was it himself? He chuckled. "I actually don't have a guess." He finished off his second piece, following it down with the remains of his drink. He would drink at least one glass per piece. It was what he usually did. The guys always had pizza with their liquor. They thought that getting drunk on an empty stomach was depressing. Pizza was the easiest thing they could get, so they all either took turns buying, or they made bets. The winners always treated the losers.

"What about her?" He asked for clarification. He could see the gleam in her eyes. He wondered if she thought of him as a threat. He was certainly attracted to Jade, but something was holding him back. He liked to tell himself that it was the fact that she had a boytoy, but he knew that wasn't it. He honestly didn't care who she screwed, just so long as she was happy. He sometimes wondered if he did go through with it, if he would be compared to everybody else. He didn't like that idea. He had no doubts in his ability, but he didn't like the thought in itself.

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Crinkling her nose as he said something about being a fuck up, Kat sighed slightly and shook her head. "That's not what I said, or meant even- hell, where'd you get that notion from?" she asked curiously, keeping her nose slightly crinkled, a hint of worry to her word. She may not have liked Penn a whole lot- but she still had things against people feeling badly about themselves. It was her damn maternal streak, she always felt the need to nurture people that she saw as unloved by anyone else. She got a suddenly slightly cold vibe from the frat boy, and she caught her breath a little, feeling odd as he looked contemplative. Swinging her feet as she took another small sip of her drink- and sighed slightly at the silence.

After a moment he apologized and she cracked a small smile, finding it funny he felt the need to apologize for nearly every single thing he said. But she didn't mention it out loud, but glanced up to hear what he was explaining. Shrugging slightly, she turned back to the glass in her hands. "Well.." she started, shaking her head slightly. "You don't know that I don't." she said simply- coughing oddly as the conversation became awkward. She didn't like the aura of uncomfortableness overtaking her mind. So she took another gulp of her drink- now having little left. She probably didn't sleep around as much as him, but she was used to that unloved feeling that pushed such an action. It was hard to be around groups of girls who had boys twirled around their fingers constantly, and then be on her total own. SHe liked to think she didn't want to push a bad impression on her brother, but she knew that wasn't true. After a moment of silence, the charge station behind Penn began vibrating, the vague tune of chirping ringing out, only more of a trill sound. "Oh, that's my brother." she said simply- standing up with her drink and reaching behind him to pick up the phone- pulling the cord out of the side. Turning the iphone on its side, she went back to her seat, setting the drink on the table as she typed a few words surprisingly fast to her sibling. She normally would have let it ring for once in her life if it was someone like Jae or Andie, but her brother was special to Kat- she refused to have him worried or anxious about her not answering. So she did, but mentioned that she had company and would then talk to him later. Picking up her slice again and taking another bite silently. "Sorry- that must've seemed awful rude to answer.." she said, drawling out her words- not sure what his opinion of answering phones when others were around was.

After a minute he pushed at her Jae question more. "Well I mean- I never heard of you to turn down something that.. easy." she said, hearing that come out as more suggestive then she meant. Shrugging it off, she bit at her manicured finger boredly. "I'm just curious why you haven't taken up her various efforts." she shrugged it off, taking another slice of pizza as she migrated down to the pit. Hearing him follow, she smirked slightly as he sat next to her. After a moment he had mentioned vodka. Raising an eyebrow curiously and excitedly, she nodded and sat up- tugging the end of her hoodie down to above her knees. Smiling as mentioned a contest, and the details- she smiled competively. "You're on." she said teasingly, scooting to the end of the couch cushion. Blinking as he mentioned the posters, Kat smiled proudly. "Op, those are my mom's movies." she glanced at the various romantic comedy advertisements. "She was pretty big for our family.." she said with a small yawn, pointing to a smaller poster less done up. "And then I took after her in that one- only it was a horror, bit different then her norm." she laughed slightly- she usually didn't point out her film, almost embaressed of the less then blockbuster hit ratings. It was a decent movie, but not up to the same par as her mother.

[PENN KINGSFORD WENTWORTH]

"I eat funny?" He felt his temper flaring. He had never been told that in his life. He felt himself feel a little bit better at her explanation, but his ego was still smarting from the blow her words had dealt. When he was drunk, his temper was almost uncontrolable, and hed didn't wan't to lose it around Kat. He had gotten in scuffles with many of his friends. "It's alright, he sighed.

"Yeah." He admitted. He had often gotten made fun of for it, so he tried to hide it. Around girls, though, it came out. He was always just a little unsure of himself. The girl who had broken his heart had taken away his self-confidence. It had been a very big shock. He had slowly gained it back, and now he had promised himself to never give a girl the power to break him ever again. He had guessed that the reason he had been so drawn to blondes was because that's what Kensie had been. He had been trying to recreate the happy times he had had with her. Now he understood that she had just been using him for his reputation. She had fed off of his popularity, and then left him when he had gotten serious. "I guess I'm just a fuck up." He mumbled. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he couldn't takwe it back now. He was feeling a little bit warm from the alcohol, and it was making it a bit hard to think straight. "I liked it." He told her. The pink gave it personality. It made her who she was. He was glad that she hadn't gotten rid of it. He finished his glass and began pouring another.

"Sorry." He muttered. He kind of wanted to help her get a guy, but he knew he wouldn't be able to. "At least you don't sleep around just to feel better about yourself." His comment was more about himself. He had often wondered if the reason Kensie had left him was because he wasn't good enough. After the thought, he always had to go out and find somebody to remedy it. Letting him know that he was more than satisfactory. Thinking back on it, he realized that he had been reacting poorly. It was no way to fill his broken heart. First he needed to mend the cracks. How he went about doing that, he was unsure. He didn't know if he would ever be whole again. He had trusted, and then been shot in the back by the girl he loved. He knew that it had been a long time ago, but it hadn't gotten easier.

"No, what do you want to know?" He pushed. He wasn't afraid to answer any questions about her. He wasn't the kind of guy to without information if somebody asked for it. He liked honesty most of the time. He watched Kat walk away without warning, and was intrigued. He picked up his loot, and followed her. He took a seat next to her, and took out some more pizza. He was really starting to get into it now, and he liked the laid back setting. It was much easier than being with a big group of the guys. "do you like vodka?" He asked, gesturing to the bag that contained it. He was about ready to start taking some shots of it. "We could have a contest." He smiled at her. His friends were always throwing down challenges. "First one to quit taking shots buys the other person brunch for a week!" He suggested. He was sure that he would win, and he loved brunch. He was never up before midmorning anyway. He took a peek around the pit, surprised to see somebody who resembled Kat on the posters. "Who's that?" He nodded to them.

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Crinkling her nose as he said something about being a fuck up, Kat sighed slightly and shook her head. "That's not what I said, or meant even- hell, where'd you get that notion from?" she asked curiously, keeping her nose slightly crinkled, a hint of worry to her word. She may not have liked Penn a whole lot- but she still had things against people feeling badly about themselves. It was her damn maternal streak, she always felt the need to nurture people that she saw as unloved by anyone else. She got a suddenly slightly cold vibe from the frat boy, and she caught her breath a little, feeling odd as he looked contemplative. Swinging her feet as she took another small sip of her drink- and sighed slightly at the silence.

After a moment he apologized and she cracked a small smile, finding it funny he felt the need to apologize for nearly every single thing he said. But she didn't mention it out loud, but glanced up to hear what he was explaining. Shrugging slightly, she turned back to the glass in her hands. "Well.." she started, shaking her head slightly. "You don't know that I don't." she said simply- coughing oddly as the conversation became awkward. She didn't like the aura of uncomfortableness overtaking her mind. So she took another gulp of her drink- now having little left. She probably didn't sleep around as much as him, but she was used to that unloved feeling that pushed such an action. It was hard to be around groups of girls who had boys twirled around their fingers constantly, and then be on her total own. SHe liked to think she didn't want to push a bad impression on her brother, but she knew that wasn't true. After a moment of silence, the charge station behind Penn began vibrating, the vague tune of chirping ringing out, only more of a trill sound. "Oh, that's my brother." she said simply- standing up with her drink and reaching behind him to pick up the phone- pulling the cord out of the side. Turning the iphone on its side, she went back to her seat, setting the drink on the table as she typed a few words surprisingly fast to her sibling. She normally would have let it ring for once in her life if it was someone like Jae or Andie, but her brother was special to Kat- she refused to have him worried or anxious about her not answering. So she did, but mentioned that she had company and would then talk to him later. Picking up her slice again and taking another bite silently. "Sorry- that must've seemed awful rude to answer.." she said, drawling out her words- not sure what his opinion of answering phones when others were around was.

After a minute he pushed at her Jae question more. "Well I mean- I never heard of you to turn down something that.. easy." she said, hearing that come out as more suggestive then she meant. Shrugging it off, she bit at her manicured finger boredly. "I'm just curious why you haven't taken up her various efforts." she shrugged it off, taking another slice of pizza as she migrated down to the pit. Hearing him follow, she smirked slightly as he sat next to her. After a moment he had mentioned vodka. Raising an eyebrow curiously and excitedly, she nodded and sat up- tugging the end of her hoodie down to above her knees. Smiling as mentioned a contest, and the details- she smiled competively. "You're on." she said teasingly, scooting to the end of the couch cushion. Blinking as he mentioned the posters, Kat smiled proudly. "Op, those are my mom's movies." she glanced at the various romantic comedy advertisements. "She was pretty big for our family.." she said with a small yawn, pointing to a smaller poster less done up. "And then I took after her in that one- only it was a horror, bit different then her norm." she laughed slightly- she usually didn't point out her film, almost embaressed of the less then blockbuster hit ratings. It was a decent movie, but not up to the same par as her mother.

[PENN KINGSFORD WENTWORTH]

"I.. I don't know." Penn slapped his hand to his forehead. He was getting a headache already. He needed to hurry up and get wasted. It was the only way the headache would go away. He was used to it by now. He hadn't had much the night before, and he was feeling horrible today. He needed to drink, it made him feel nice. He cleared his throat, more to cut through the silence than anything. If ever there had been an uncomfortable moment when it came to Kat, this had to be it. He wondered where it would go from here.

"My appology is funny to you?" He raised an eyebrow, seriously hurt. When he was drunk, any little thing offended him. He was really a pussy, but none of his friends could remember. He smiled to himself, thinking this. "I'm relatively sure that I do know that you don't!" he countered, teasing her. He knew that he had put her in a weird position, and he found it very humorous. He wasn't sure if he wanted to let it go, or if he wanted to cling to it. He thought it would be fun to make the conversation run it's course.. But it wouldn't be the nice thing to do. He couldn't believe he was trying to be nice to her, but he couldn't stop it. He wanted her to like him. He knew that she probably didn't approve of him, and he had his heart set on changing her mind for her. Not through physical things, but by being his usual charming self. He wasn't really a total jackass. He just knew what he liked. "You have a brother?" He blurted. He had had no idea. It made sense, he guessed. She had probably mentioned him at some point in time, but he had been busy with Jae, no doubt. He blinked as he saw the ease at which she responded. He wasn't a brilliant texter. He would be lucky if he got twenty words a minute. It took a lot of concentration for him, and he often hit the wrong keys. It was just one of the prices he paid for being a guy, he supposed. The blackberry's keys were too close together for him to press the buttons he wanted. "No. It's fine." He shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Who was he to tell her what she could or couldn't do? It was her house, after all. She set the bar for what was accepted behavior. He still wouldn't check his own phone,though. There's no telling what he would have to read, and he wouldn't be able to reply consciously.

He couldn't help but laugh boisterously at her choice of words. They were barbed towards both Jae and himself. "Nothing is ever easy when it comes to her." He replied blithely. He regained his composure. "I haven't taken her up because it frustrates her for me to shoot her down. I know it makes me sound like a dick, but it's funny." He answered honestly. "Yes, I am sexually attracted to her," he continued, "but she would no doubt get tired of me immediately after. I couldn't stand for that to happen." His eyebrows knit together. "She is a really fun person.. I want to be her friend," He bit his lip. "I don't think she would bother with me after I gave her what she wanted." He looked away.

Pouring four shots each, he held up three fingers. "3....2..1.." He downed his first shot without missing a beat. He took his second shot just as effortlessly. He hesitated on the third, and coughed violently. He pushed on to the fourth, draining the glass. He then poured himself more. His head was swimming and his eyes were watering from his mishap.

[KATHERYNE SAALINGE AUDLEY]

Sighing as she made Penn uncomfortable, she shifted- feeling weird and out of her element. She had never been good at heart to heart conversations with new people, and she still considered Penn a new person. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed softly and turned back to her slice of pizza, ripping off a bit of the crust. After a moment he talked about his apology being funny, and bit the bottom of lip. "Oh.. W-well no.. Just- the irony.. I-I meant.. y'know, causee- uhm. Nevermind." blinking at him without much of an explanation, she laughed meekly- as if testing the waters if her stumbling over her words was chuckle worthy.

Blinking as he repeate about her having a brother almost incrediously, Kat smirked slightly. "Yupp. He lives with me- the schools around my parents house suck. He's a doll." she said proudly. Some people found it odd that she was more of a mother to him then sister- but it's just she acted. She'd been in charge of him since he was 13, and she'd grown to be more of a mother then a sister. But of course, she was normally the best mom ever. She let him stay out as late as he liked, and normally didn't punish him. She had her limits, such as what alcohol of hers he could drink and how much. She casually overlooked messes from parties as long as he cleaned up once he woke up, and her only real cut offs were to drugs and sex. As she had done such things at his age, and regretted them. She wouldn't have her brother be as much as a fuck up as herself.

As the conversation turned back to Jae, Kat smiled slightly as he mentioned her response to Jae's response to being turned down funny. Chuckling slightly- she shrugged slightly. "Eh.. Alright then." she took the answer without any more questions. Mostly because he was right. She'd watched Jae go through tons of guys- and it was mainly the only reason she could keep from giving into the many times they were both heavily intoxicated and easily could have woken up together. She had a sense of mental control when drunk- constantly screaming at her not to sleep with her when she was drinking by her side. It was just habit to turn her down for fear of being hurt as well as the dozens of boys she'd seen ripped apart.

Watching him pour the shots, she smiled slightly. She enjoyed competitions- she was also rather sure she had a chance at one like this. As he poured the shots, she flipped her hair to one side, blocking her view of him. Hearing him count, she smirked and readied herself- easily downing the first and second glasses, taking a moment to let it burn down her throat passage way as he coughed next to her- keeping the glass on her lips before she deemed it safe and downing the third and fourth quickly, putting the glass back down at the same time as he did, smirking as she flipped her hair again to look at him, swallowing down the few fully together- a tatic she found useful in drinking competitions. "Hit me." she said teasingly, holding out the glass.