Advantageous (Carleigh)

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Rather than eating in the crowded lunchroom with the rest of the cattle, Sera would rather have gotten in her car and taken herself and her friend to somewhere a little less....annoying. But, whatever, it is what it is, or so they say, and Sera had been eating in this lunchroom for a number of years now with little complaint. It just irritated her that she would have to spend at least another year doing it when she ought to have been released from this damn-near prison already. The one good thing was that she had some companionship from others which would make the stay more tolerable.

Carleigh was one of those companions. She was a cheerful girl, very sociable and even bothered to talk to someone like Sera without expecting anything in return, though Sera was still willing to give it. Then again, it wasn't like Carleigh needed it. In actual fact, Carleigh reminded Sera much of her former-best friend, Marissa, except with a much higher social standing. While Sera wished the girl's grades reflected that standing as well, she had to allow some flexibility in this sort of environment, one which was mixed with students from all sorts of backgrounds. Therefore she had no choice but to make some sacrifices in her standards.

Still, Carleigh's friendship alone was advantageous. She was from a wealthy family, her father an entrepreneur who might prove a useful connection in the future. Her social standing was high within the school itself. She was very well liked amongst her peers, even, as she observed, by those Sera would consider to only be a waste of her time.

Carleigh was...well, Sera liked Carleigh. She was so much like Marissa that she simply couldn't help it. She also, like Sera, had an express interest in fashion. That, Sera found very pleasing.

However, Sera often wondered what Carleigh thought of her. What benefit did their friendship provide for Carleigh if the other girl wouldn't accept the gifts she offered? She sighed, spooning up another bite of food from her lunch and idly inspecting it. "You want to go shopping this weekend? My brother's store has their new line up already."

[Carleigh Davidson]

Unlike her friend sitting across from her, Carleigh didn't mind sitting in the lunchroom to eat lunch. She fed off of the energy, the constant buzz of a thousand different conversations going on. By nature, Carleigh was an extreme extrovert, who was uncomfortable being alone and in silence. Though, if Sera had preferred to go off campus, the blonde would happily oblige. She enjoyed the Asian girl's company, even if at times her behaviour made Carleigh raise her eyebrows in response. It almost seemed like.. well, she didn't know. Sera was always offering her gifts, and although she appreciated the gesture, Carleigh also came from a wealthy background and felt bad accepting the extravagant gifts.

Now that she thought about it, Sera was always offering something to the blonde girl. Her friendship was enough. Carleigh did genuinely like the other girl and her company, as they both were interested in fashion. It was fun shopping with someone else who actually enjoyed excursions to the mall every weekend. Although she was envious of Sera's intelligence, Carleigh also knew that her friend could help her with the classes she struggled with. Friendship was about giving and taking, and Carleigh viewed theirs with a positive perspective. By nature, the blonde was a sociable creature, but did spend a fair amount of time around Sera. She genuinely enjoyed any and all time spent with the stunning girl.

Picking up her sandwich, Carleigh chewed with a thoughtful expression, nodding along to the other girl's question. "Sure!" She exclaimed, a beaming smile on her face. She was never one to turn down a shopping trip. The activity was their main bonding action, a similar hobby between the two teenage girls. "Sounds like it would be fun. Did you get a sneak peek at the new line?"

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It was the clamor of the other students that grated on her nerves yes - while Carleigh was an extremely extroverted individual, Sera would have to place herself on the complete opposite end - but it was also having to associate so closely with people whom she simply didn’t enjoy the company of. And it didn’t make sense to no go somewhere better when one had the means to do so. And they both had the means. Sera would even drive the two of them if it came down to a simple transportation issue. But nonetheless, Carleigh’s ability to befriend so many people and put up with, so to speak, with the annoying habits of people who didn’t deserve to know such radiance was something that Sera quite admired. What was her secret, she often wondered? How did she get so many people to like her simply by being?

Sera shook it off. It was nothing that she needed to think about now. What Sera had with Carleigh worked for them. What she had with her other “friends” worked for her as well. And whatever worked worked. If she were able to attract others in the effortless way that Carleigh and her brother did, then she would have already.

Sera smiled at Carleigh’s response, pleased that the girl would be willing to sacrifice her saturday to spend time with Sera doing something they both madly enjoyed. “I did,” she said cheekily. “Having an older brother working at From The Spectrum has it’s benefits sometimes.” Sera released a smug giggle. "It's pretty impressive." She wanted to meet the people who'd come up with it and question them about their inspirations for the looks.

She remembered a while back that Carleigh had applied for a modeling position there. Sera would have as well, but because she had family working there, she wasn’t allowed to compete. Instead, she’d volunteered to work as one of the stylists once they finally scheduled the shoot. “Did you ever hear back from them on that contest?” she asked, wondering exactly what Carleigh knew about it. Of course, Sera had the inside info, so she already knew what was happening and would offer it to her friend if she didn’t already know.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh would have gone somewhere else with her friend had she vocalized her opinion. It was a habit, to go down to the Hammel cafeteria at lunch and find a new table to sit at, or sitting with a group of her closer friends, such as Sera. Plus, since Carleigh had yet to go for her driver's licence, she didn't go off campus much during school hours, but wouldn't turn down the idea if it came up.

Her openness and bubbly personality was something Carleigh never question, nor really thought about much. It was just who she was. She had a wide circle of people she considered her friends, but it was rare to get incredibly close to her as she bounced from group to group, like the social butterfly she was. The blonde continued munching on her sandwich, totally oblivious to the thoughts Sera was thinking about.

Taking a sip of her water, Carleigh beamed back at her friend. of course she was happy to spend an afternoon in the luxurious, air conditioned comfort of the shopping mall. Plus, due to their backgrounds, both girls were extremely well off and could afford to go into the higher end stores and buy cute clothes. She always felt guilty when her eyes wandered to those sort of stores when with her other friends. Carleigh lit up, grinning. "Tell me about it! You're so lucky your brother works there. I'd always beg for sneak peeks." She said with a giggle, echoing Sera's. "I'm looking forward to it then."

Having completely forgotten about it for a moment, Carleigh's back straightened up in response. She had entered the contest to be a model awhile back on a whim, since she was into fashion and figured she had a shot. It would be great for her future portfolio, and since Carleigh was graduating (hopefully) next year, the blonde needed to start thinking about her future career plans and what to do after leaving Hammel. But that could be thought about another time. "I actually have no idea what's going, I kind of forgot I entered that contest." She admitted. "They probably tried to contact me but I never received any information from it." She added, with a slight shrug. Sera probably knew what was going on, with her brother working there and all.

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Sera was strange. While she showed no hesitation to express her opinion when being oppositional or in the face of people she deemed as her lessers, she found she had a hard time expressing it clearly with the people she hung around with, specifically those she genuinely enjoyed the company of. She was willing to suffer through a little bit for their sake if it meant that they were happy; Sera enjoyed being within their company more than she cared about always having things her way.

Additionally, Sera had been easily locked in a schedule. Even if it was not something she wanted to do, if it was a part of her schedule, Sera would do it without question, such as going to the lunchroom everyday with her friends. Sera disliked distrupting her schedule. Besides, there was no guarantee that they could get back in time before classes started again if they decided to go out to a nicer place off-campus.

Sera’s smile appeared, although meek and small. Demure, possibly. “It’s actually pretty good. I like it.” She shrugged a shoulder slightly. “They’re doing autumn colors in anticipation for the next season. I think they’d look really good on you.” With Carleigh’s blonde hair, those kind of warm hues actually looked really good. Sera would never be able to pull them off. She gravitated more towards cool colors, or simply black or white. Pink, she thought, didn’t work well with her complexion.

Of course Sera had already heard about the results and while it would be unfair to reveal them to the contestants before the company itself did so, Sera wanted to at least give Carleigh a bit of hope. “Well…I hear that the finalist have already been chosen, but they’re also going to give all the participants a short photo-shoot of their own,” she explained. “I guess they’re trying to do a whole ‘everybody wins’ deal.” Sera thought it was a little idealistic, but beneficial to the contestants, because then it at least got their names and faces out there, which was the reason for why some of the applicants even entered in the first place. Sera herself would have, but because her brother worked for the company, she would have been disqualified. A pity really, though she was really more interested in the business and design part of it than merely wearing the clothes.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh was happy to sit and talk fashion with someone she considered a close friend. Sure, herself and Sera never talked about problems at home or anything of the sorts, Carleigh felt that their friendship didn't warrant that openness. Plus, it wasn't like she talked about her strained relationship with her family with anyone, anyway. Not even River or Liv. She ran a finger along the rim of her water bottle absentmindedly, lost in her thoughts for a brief, fleeting moment.

Then, the blonde was back. She blinked, not hesitating to jump back into the conversation about the new line. Carleigh's smile mirrored Sera's, although more open and inviting. Radiating the confidence everyone knew her for. "I'm looking forward to seeing it then!" She paused to take the last few bites of half her sandwich. "Say, you ever think about working there? Or would working with your brother be too much?" Carleigh asked, out of curiosity. If Brody ever found out his younger sister got a job at the same place as him, all hell would probably break loose. "You'd definitely have an in. Not just your relationship. Your sense of style too, they'd be crazy not too." She rambled, always one to talk.

"Oh wow, that's cool then." Carleigh's smile widened. Although she was eager to win, she wouldn't be too upset or discouraged if she didn't. "More than I expected. It's a shame you couldn't have entered." She shrugged when Sera mentioned it was a little idealistic. A lot of people were young, and still got their hopes crushed. Safer for the company to blanket them a little longer as oppose to getting a bunch of angry phone calls. "Do you know the results? If a certain blonde is a finalist?" She asked, with a blatant wink.

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While friends, Sera and Carleigh weren’t close enough for the icy girl to sense when the other was disturbed by some particular thing. Sera liked Carleigh and quite possibly wished they were better friends, but for the moment Sera was content with their current relationship; close enough to talk and gab about similar interests, but apart enough to not have any sort of risky emotional investment. Sera enjoyed their conversation and her company, but if something were to separate them from each other tomorrow, then Sera, while sad, wouldn’t be nearly as torn and distraught as she was when her brother had left her at home to come to Hammel. That first year away from her brother had been pure agony.

Still, while they were here, and while they were friends, Sera would enjoy it.

Sera kept a small smile as she turned away to ponder the question. “I don’t know. I’ve considered it, but I don’t think I’d make it well as a salesperson.” Sera wasn’t the most outgoing or friendliest of people. She’d likely just end up staring at the customer with her mouth hanging open while she mentally clothed them. “That kind of job suits Malachai a lot more than me.” And Sera was terribly envious of him for that. Malachai had always been better at socializing than Sera. “I do like them, though….If not at the store, I think I’d prefer working at the company’s primary office with more behind the scenes work.” If she could become a designer, then that would be best.

Oh dear, now she was put in quite the spot. Sera wanted to tell Carleigh, yet she didn’t want to. Because if she did, then she knew that her friend would be disappointed. But that was also why she mentioned what the company was going to do for the non-winners as well. Even just a little bit of spotlight time might be enough for someone to take notice, right? “Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you,” she asserted with a small smile. “But I do know they’ll be contacting the contestants soon with the results.” If Sera didn’t care about hurting her friend’s feelings, then she’d tell her straight away the results, or have mentioned that a blonde(two in fact) had made it to the finals. But not the blonde that Carleigh was hoping for.

[Carleigh Davidson]

It didn't occur to Carleigh immediately that Sera wouldn't be best suited for a job as a salesperson. The thought had come to her, and she had blurted it out without much regard to Sera's personality. Still, she could see her friend there in the store, pairing pieces and making the general population look better. Was there a job like that? "Maybe then... a personal shopping assistant!" Carleigh beamed at the idea. "People with no fashion sense could hire you and then you'd go around and make them look better." She nodded at Sera's next statement, even though the blonde never officially met Sera's brother, minus a few run ins at From The Spectrum, but assumed that she would know her brother well enough to compare the two.

In fact, it seemed that Sera often compared herself to Malachai. Carleigh brushed off the thought, not thinking much of it, and continued on with the conversation. "I see what you mean. Get everything going for the storefront. The team behind the success."

She waited for an answer, with wide, expectant eyes. Carleigh assumed wrong when Sera didn't reveal any concrete facts, and pouted a little in response. "Awww, okay." The blonde finally relented, giving up on trying to get information out of her friend. Besides, if Sera told her and word got out on who the finalists where, she would probably get in a lot of trouble. And Carleigh didn't want her curiosity to cause harm. "Guess I'll have to be like everyone else and patiently wait." Patience was a virtue she had yet to yearn. Already, the anticipation and excitement were killing her on the inside.

"I wish it were the weekend already." Carleigh pouted again.

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“A personal shopping assistant?” she echoed Carleigh’s suggestion. That…actually sounded like a good idea. She’d get to work with only a handful of people on a regular basis and have the freedom to play dress-up with them like they were her own personal human-sized dolls. The idea was extremely attractive to Sera and it was obvious in the way she seemed to go vacant as she daydreamed about it for a few moments. “I may consider that.” She knew that Malachai did that as a regular salesperson often enough. She had even heard how he’d taken that hussy-of-a-writer to his store and showered him with a wardrobe of new outfits. The thought irritated her, but she didn’t have to worry about that guy anymore. That was something nice to think about at least, along with the personal shopper idea Carleigh had bestowed on Sera.

She nodded. “Yes. Those jobs tend to pay more as well.” Though Malachai had worked there long enough and was a good enough salesperson that he would likely still dwarf her starting pay, no matter which position she took. It was a long road to success, she supposed. And Sera was always just right behind Malachai.

No matter how hard she tried to catch up.

“Sorry,” she said with a small smile. Sera hadn’t considered the confidentiality part of the matter, just the potential of possibly hurting her friend and making her upset with Sera. Sera didn’t want her friends, her close friends, to be upset with her.

“Me too,” Sera agreed. The week was long, and the weekends so short. Sera poked at her meal. “You know…my brother and I are going on a camping trip this summer with a number of our friends.” It wasn’t so much a camping trip as it was a cabin retreat for a weekend. “Would you like to come?” She didn’t bother mentioning that it was all-expenses paid. Sera didn't think such a thing would entice Carleigh more into coming.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh nodded enthusiastically when Sera repeated what she said. It had been a random thought that the blonde blurted out, but now that she thought about it, the job was perfectly suited for someone like Sera. Only, she wasn't so sure if there was a huge market for personal shopping assistants in the small town of Pilot Ridge. The mall was average at best, and nobody really seemed to put fashion as a priority. The other students in the cafeteria were proof. Carleigh's eyes flickered to some of the bad combinations, doing her best to ignore the urge to cringe. "I think you'd do a great job." She said to her friend with a grin. The blonde hasn't considered the thought that, since she would be a senior soon, she should get a job. The thought alone made Carleigh wrinkle her nose. "That's also important to keep in mind." She added with a nod when Sera mentioned the salary.

Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness clearly wasn't investing in the right things.

"It's okay, I understand. I'm just teasing." She assured Sera, not wanting her to feel guilty about not sharing the finalists. Had Carleigh been in the same situation, she'd likely do the same thing. If her big mouth could contain the secret.

At the mention of a camping trip, Carleigh perked up. It was something fun to do with her friends, and her excitement showed as she nodded eagerly. "I'd love to come! That sounds like a lot of fun." The blonde grinned at Sera.

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There probably wasn’t a very large market for personal shopping assistants here in Pilot Ridge, but maybe in Burlington? That was still stretching it, however. Those kind of jobs were more likely to be found in places like New York, and Boston, and Baltimore. The bigger cities, not in some back alley two-bit town like this. If Sera had her way, she would have been going to school in one of the cities. Both she and her brother would have. At a school that had more of her kind of people in it. Sometimes Sera couldn’t stand being around the spawn of so many commoners.

“I think so too,” Sera agreed with a broader smile. She was glad to have someone like Carleigh around who could relate to her plight.

Sera released a silent sigh of relief. “I know. I’m still sorry,” she said again with a slight snicker. She’d probably still go to the even to give her friend some support. And maybe help out with the make-up. Sera didn’t trust them, honestly, to do a good job, no matter how good the pictures of Malachai came out.

Sera’s smile brightened with Carleigh’s excitement. “Really? Perfect!” It wasn’t so much of a camping trip as it was a cabin trip with local tours of the area, but it was roughing it enough as far as Sera was concerned. And it was something fun to do with her friends. “I’ll put you down on the RSVP list. And Malachai will be there too along with some of his friends. It’ll be great!” Sera was excited about this trip, though it might be truer to say she was having a great time organizing and coordinating it. “I’ll text you the details once I have them finalized.”

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh's smile widened, mirroring Sera's at the talk of salary. Afterall, how would she be able to afford her lavish lifestyle when she grew up? She was content living off of her parent's money, but it was something the blonde would have to think about and take seriously soon. Graduation was just around the corner.

She brushed aside the thought, not wanting to damper the mood. "You know, we should take a trip to California." Carleigh said suddenly. Although, she wouldn't want Sera to meet her family. They were... something else. Another year was coming to a close and Carleigh still struggled with getting along with her family, hence why she stayed in Vermont ever since manifestation. "It's beautiful out there." Rich, populated towns. Sera would fit in perfectly.

"Really!" It gave her something to do in the summer. Not to mention, Carleigh enjoyed spending time with Sera. And a camping trip with friends sounded exciting. "Alright, sounds good to me!" She said with a beaming smile. It sounded like it would be a group of people Carleigh was unfamiliar with, but with Sera there, she knew she would be fine. Meeting new people was something the extroverted teen was good at. "Do you need any help?" The blonde offered, knowing that her dark haired friend most likely had everything under control.

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Sera felt much the same as Carleigh when it came to maintaining her own lifestyle. She may have her parents money to hold her up now, but she was expected to be able to keep it up herself in adulthood. Sera was expected to work hard. Like her parents did. She wasn’t allowed to be like one of those spoiled, lazy “rich kids” who never bothered to lift a finger for themselves.

“To California?” Sera’s eyes lifted at the thought. While she’d been to California enough times before, it was always a place that she enjoyed returning to, especially in the cities along the coast. And going with a bright and bubbly friend like Carleigh would make the experience…all the more memorable. Sera smiled until her already narrow eyes were almost completely closed. “I’d like that,” she said softly.

Sera was always up for taking another trip. The camping trip was something she was hoping to do with her friends, and her brother, without any of the “friends” she had to manipulate her way into having. That comment that Malachai had made about her at the hospital when she brought up the trip had hit a nerve in the introverted girl. So she was determined to not have to fall back on those kinds of tricks…this time. “Great,” she said with a nod. Sera shook her head gently. “No, I’m okay doing it myself. I like doing this kind of stuff.” Sera liked organizing things, functions, and the like. It was…therapeutic for her.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh nodded enthusiastically when Sera repeated the idea of a destination. It would be a lot of fun, going with her friend to the many beaches and shopping centers. Her own smile widened as she agreed that it would be a fun trip between the two girls. It was a beautiful state with lots to do and keep them entertained. "Awesome! Maybe we can go winter break or something." She said with a shrug. The dreary winters of Vermont sucked all of the energy and life out of the blonde.

Not really. But she did do better in the heat of the sun. "We can plan it another time." Afterall, they did have the camping trip to look forward to. Even if Carleigh had no idea who anyone else going was, she was sure that it would be a weekend of fun and meeting new people. Still beaming, she nodded as Sera declined her help. Not that she was expecting her friend to accept it. Nor did she hold a grudge or anything of the sorts against Sera. It was her weekend of planning, and as she said, Sera enjoyed this sort of thing. Carleigh would've had someone else plan a weekend, since her flighty personality would've most likely neglected some aspect. "I'm really excited." She told her.