Overland Park, KS, Wednesday FT

[vanillajello]

Things had calmed down. Tara and Max had made it to Boston, but they were still getting acquainted with the place. The facility. That was such a weird word, facility. Kate was going to have to get used to it, though. Her mom was going to be at one for months, now.

Kate had just baked muffins just because she needed something to do. Nothing fancy – Moosh had fucked off somewhere, so she hadn't been able to ask for any help or recipes. They were done now, anyway. Cooling on a tray on the counter.

She sighed, sitting down on a chair by the counter and picking up her phone. There were a few people she thought she should get up to date about the recent Gregson goings-on, and she figured she should start now. She also figured she shoud start with the one who'd require the fewest explanations, having already been exposed to Bryce and all, so she picked Luke's number and raised the phone up to her ear.

[ooc: NFB, mostly for Kate's favourite demigod, but open to other texts/calls as well! And that dude who's probably still here as well. ETA: Warning for various dark themes being discussed.]

Comments

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke had just gotten out of class when his phone rang so it took a couple seconds to fish his phone out of his bookbag and walk at the same time. He smiled when he glanced down at the screen to see who it was before answering. "Hey."

[vanillajello]

"Hey," Kate replied with a smile that she hoped was more audible in her voice than the last day or so of 'so... what the fuck do we do now?' feeling she'd been having. "How's things, sensei?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Can't complain. Just got out of class and I have to take care of some prom stuff before Friday," Luke shared. "Which would be more exciting and less weird if I wasn't older than the rest of the students. And some of the teachers."

[vanillajello]

Kate snorted, before she realized there was a bit of news in there. News to her, at least. "Wait, prom? Is that like this week?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Yep, it's Friday," Luke said. "And I have a daaaaaate."

Three guesses as to who that was and the first two don't count.

[vanillajello]

"What?" Kate asked. "Does that mean you've patched things up with Percy? Or, ooh, do I get to poke at someone entirely new and ask them shit like 'what are your intentions with my fine demigod friend?'"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"As much as I love the idea of you giving someone the third degree over me, it's Percy," he said. "And we haven't really patched things up, it's a platonic date. But still, it's a step forward."

[vanillajello]

"A platonic date. Between you and Percy."

Excuse her for how utterly obvious her doubt was, there.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"That's right. What, you don't think we can do it?" Luke asked. "There's no pollen around to make us gropey like at the last dance."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah but it's a dance," Kate pointed out. "You're kind of expected to at least dance with your date at some point. And though my boyfriend may seem mild, I know for a fact just how easily dancing leads to groping. The burden of social norms is a heavy one, Luke."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Well I won't be groping anybody, so it's all on him if he wants to give into social norms," Luke decided. "What about you, are you gonna show up with your boyfriend and get gropey?"

[vanillajello]

"Well, of course. It's my last chance to gt groped by a high schooler at his senior prom!"

Well, she hoped it would be, anyway.

"Also, I kind of want to get out of Kansas for at least a day or so, so it works."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Oh good, I'll get to see you again," he said approvingly. "How are things back in Kansas anyway?"

[vanillajello]

"Batshit crazy." A beat. "Well, no, not anymore. But, uh, things got pretty dark for a while there."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke frowned a bit. "What happened?"

[vanillajello]

"Bryce." She felt that summed it up nicely. "He showed up again and stuck around for days, being a fucking creeper. He was, like, killing the other alters and shit. It was way fucked up."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Shit," Luke said, sighing. "That is really fucked up. Is your mom okay?"

[vanillajello]

"She left with Dad for a treatment facility in Boston yesterday," Kate replied with a little sigh of her own. "For three months. She says Bryce is dead now or something, but she still needs help."

Like she had for years.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Well that's good, right?" Luke asked. "I mean, it sucks your mom is going to be away for so long but at least she's getting some help."

[vanillajello]

"I know, and I'm happy for her, if you can be happy for someone going to what's basically a nuthouse," Kate said, lips twisting. "We kind of have a lot of stuff changing right now, though? Like, Char's gonna move to Houston with Neil. And, uh... Lionel's dead."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"How's Marshall handling that?" Luke asked, frowning a bit more. "I mean, 'not well' is a given, but he's gonna be okay, right?"

[vanillajello]

"Well, Mom and Bod got him to go to the memorial. Um, the place where Lionel crashed his car. People have been bringing candles and stuff." She supposed it had been a step in the right direction. "I mean, he's a little quieter than usual but I think he's gonna be fine. Eventually."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah that sort of stuff takes time," he said. "So with your aunt moving where are you gonna live? Back next door?"

[vanillajello]

"Yup," she confirmed. "For the next three months, anyway. Gotta watch over the little bro, you know."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad you guys are sticking together at least." Though Luke had no doubts about that in the first place. "I'm sorry things are sucking out there."