Starting with a bang (Attn: Roxy, ANY in area)

[Thad Cotton]

[in front of locker 163]

Thad burst through the double doors of the school, dashing and whooping his way through the halls. Between himself and his two sisters yesterday's family portrait had been an utter disaster, and he was feeling quite pleased with himself. Of course, the step-harlot had used that as an excuse to dump all his eyeliner and glitter and other various and sundry self-painting supplies in the trash, and he had been unable to swipe any from Si. Time to start stocking up again. At least his mother still gave them an allowance for chores, otherwise he might have to find a job.

Then he spotted her. There, at the end of the hall, one of his favorite people in the whole world after his sisters. She was his neighbor, both locker and home, which meant he had that many more opportunities to pester her.

"And who in case she doesn't hang, can say she started with a bang? Roooooooooxyyyyyyy Rivera!!" He sang, squeezing his eyes shut and making a running leap for the girl. He opened them again to realize...he had landed on the wrong person. Oops. Maybe he should keep his eyes open next time. "Hola! Roxy! Summin' differen' aboutcha today, new hair cut?" He asked the poor individual he was sitting on, not in any actual hurry to move. "You seen Ez 'round? Need to steal her." He added. If anyone could help rectify his lack of makeup, it would be Ezmeralda Lopez, another one of his favorite people.

*tags Roxy and anyone who wishes to be sat upon. or just anyone, really.*

[Roxy Rivera]

Instead of riding her bike to school like she usually did, Roxy had been dropped off. She was in a lot of trouble for missing her audition the previous day and her mother had spent the car ride to school lecturing her...again. Somehow it had turned into a talk about responsibility and growing up and acting more mature. Roxy actually couldn't wait to get to school...just to get away from her mom.

Once at school, Roxy headed towards her locker. Just as it was coming into site, she saw Thad, running down the hall at record speeds. Pouncing on some poor girl, he screamed Roxy's name at the top of his lungs. Roxy burst out laughing and broke into a run herself to hurry over to the boy and see what on earth he was doing.

She playfully kicked him to get his attention, "What are you doing?" she laughed, wincing slightly when he looked up at her. "No makeup today? What happened? Evil-step-monster?" Being the Cotton's neighbor, Roxy tended to know what went on in their house, especially since she liked to hide out there when her own mother was going all crazy.

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie was lucky not to get a lecture. Apparently on of the other siblings had done something worse and Ez was off the hook. She was lucky like that. Well sometimes she was lucky. Ez caught a ride with Pepe to school much to her brothers dismay. But her parents insisted he take care of both his younger sisters. This particular day Ez left her tutu at home. She wore a multicolored shirt and jeans with flower designs all over. She looked like a flower child. Which is what she was going for. Her shoes were cute brown sandals with flowers ion them.

She walked down the hall and stopped at her locker first. Then she headed to find some people she knew. She hopped and skipped down the halls humming J-LO to herself and then switching to Enrique's Bailamos.

She continued to skip when she saw one familiar person, Roxy and a guy. Who looked like Thad, but with no make up. That was not good. But he did call her name and she smiled. " Hola Mis Amigos!!!" Ezzie yelled from half way down the hall. She started to skip some more and then halted in front of Thad and Roxy. "Who are you sitting on?" She asked. "Just push him off its what I do." She smiled at the person underneath Thad.

"Did I hear my name? Ask and I shall appear. I am mystical that way. Hoy es un buen dia. Como estas?" She asked then with her small Spanish rant she sometimes did.

She opened her purse and looked through it, "No me gusto. This won't do. Sorry Thad but I cannot look at you like that." She smiled and brought out a small bag of make up. "What color shall it be today. Blue, red, purple...I have a ton." She smiled.

[Thad Cotton]

Thad looked from real Roxy to fake Roxy, brown eyes wide in faux shock. "There's two of ya!!!" He exclaimed, pretending that he had not in fact glomped onto the wrong person. "Oh, I got it, you cloned yerself so's to fool the mom. Send the good clone to all the auditions and stuff." He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin, considering this theory seriously. "It all makes sense now."

He twisted his mouth into a grimace as she pointed out the lack of make up. "She said no make up, an' I complied. Least ways, I thought I complied, but 'parently glitter counts as make up." He informed his friend with an overly dramatic sigh, as though he were both surprised and disappointed with this entirely expected judgement. "Plus side? The fam'ly portraits ROCK, fer once I wan' a copy. Wait'll you see, Si's dress...." He couldn't even begin to explain the beauty that was their rebellion, but he wanted to share. Rox and Ez would sympathize, they knew all about crazy family drama and never pretended otherwise.

"Ezzieeeeeee, you sayin' I don' look good wi'out make up?" He stuck his tongue out at the girl, then laughed, "Kiddin', kiddin'! I know, it's pretty horrifyin'" He gave the other freshman a look of gratitude, "You're such a good frien', how'm I ever gon' repay you?" He wiped fake tears from his eyes, to show just how touched he was by this gesture, even if he had planned on asking her for the favor she was offering of her own volition. If he had been wearing something colorful, he would have asked that she make him match, but he was all in brown today, and that wasn't nearly exciting enough. Well, okay, sometimes just black or brown was okay, but since she was offering to do him up with fancy colors he couldn't do anything normal. "Decisions, decisions." He eyed her kit with interest. "Why donchu surprise me?" He suggested. He trusted that whatever she came up with would be entertaining.

[Roxy Rivera]

Roxy laughed when Thad suggested she cloned herself...it was just like him to say something like that. Rolling her eyes she shook her head, "Why don't you let the poor girl go," she laughed looking at the girl that Thad had mistook for her.

"Family portrait...wow that must be something," Roxy said. "I'm in make me a copy too," she said, sticking her tongue out at the boy. She knew the Cotton kids could be something else so if the portrait was good enough that Thad actually wanted a copy...well, it must have been quite spectacular. Roxy wished she had the guts to openly rebel like that. Usually her rebellions happened in her auditions when she did crazy things like sung all her lines or starting mooing or something. Things her parents would never find out about.

"Hey Ez," Roxy said when the other girl joined them. "How did last night go?" Turning her attention back to Thad and his non-makeup issue, she simply shrugged. She didn't really mind that the boy wore makeup, but she didn't think it was a necessity either. He looked fine without it, but if they were going to make him over... "I call purple!" Roxy didn't always wear the most dramatic makeup but it could be fun to play around and experiment sometimes. "You'll have to wear red or blue," she teased, looking over at Thad.

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie looked through her colors and handed Roxy the purple. "Family portrait. What portrait? Oh no...what did you and your sisters do.." She said smiling knowing all the Cotton kids pretty good. She knew Thad the best. "I am in a ocean mood so i am going for blue and green." She looked through for the colors and began her work. "I was lost among the crowd. One of the younger sibs broke mama's favorite lamp and then tried to cover it up. So she decided to give all the younger siblings a lecture about telling lies and being honest. So i was safe." She smiled.

Ezzie continued to work on Thad. You did not rush art. "What about you Rox....what did your mom do? Man Thad you should have joined us. We both rebeled and left home." She winked. "But I am more intrigued to hear about this picture and your step mom. This should be very interesting."

"Okay now I will add in some yellow." She told him as she continued to do his make up just the way he liked it. She was good. The one thing besides her clothes she was confident about. "And you are done." She fished out a mirror. "What do you think? I can always redo a color and mix it around. I can make some kick ass colors that way." She smiled.

[Thad Cotton]

Thad sighed, regretfully getting up off his hostage, fellow Freshman Aimee Lim. She scurried away, looking rather terrified. "Bye, Roxy Clone!!" He called after her, then turned to his two friends.

"Hummmm. Sure thing, I'll demand copies for everyone, maybe plaster 'em all over the school!" He suggested, then looked up at Ez. "Yeah, can you b'lieve the witch wanted us to have one 'cause it was Valentine's Day and she thought it would be, Iunno, romantic or summin'." He shrugged, he didn't understand why it was so important to her. He was not lacking in family and couldn't understand that not everyone else was so blessed, and that familial acceptance was very important to most step-parents. He and his sisters were probably lucky she cared so much, but because she didn't understand their artistic natures they didn't see this.

"She tried to get Si to wear this dress, it was all, like, flowy and sugary pink and stuff. But since she stole one o' Fal's books again, Si agreed to wear it. She did, too, she just...kinda....tore it up first. It looked AMAZING!" He added, impressed with his oldest sister's modification talents.

"But nex' time you wanna rebel, you gotta call me, I'll climb outta window if I gotta." He pouted, trying to stay still for Ezmeralda, but it was so hard, he kept wanting to fidget or blink. "Anything's better than listenin' to miss harlot lecture, ugh, it's like she thinks she's got a right now she lives with us, and mom let's her." He felt that this was a betrayal, but then this whole affair had started with, well, an affair, which was a serious case of betrayal, one he still couldn't forgive her for. If only she would decide she had made a mistake, and asked dad if they could still get back together. He knew his father would agree in a heart beat, he had been desperately in love with his ex-wife.

He grabbed the mirror from her when she finished, admiring her handiwork. "Looks perfec'!" He announced happily, handing the mirror back and tackling the girl in a grateful hug. "You're the bes'!"

[Roxy Rivera]

"Ug," Roxy groaned when Ezzie asked about her mom. "She grounded me for the weekend," Roxy admitted, "but I don't intend on staying home at all," she said. Roxy was pretty good at sneaking out. She'd just pretend to be bitterly locked up in her room when really she'd sneak out the window, climb down the drain pipe, and be on her way to freedom. She'd done it before, so she didn't see any reason in even pretending she wouldn't do it this time.

As Ezzie worked on Thad's make up, Roxy turned around (since they were in front of her locker) and opened it up, using her tiny locker mirror to apply the purple eyeshadow. She smiled when she finished--just the pop of color she needed, considering the bulk of her outfit was black and white today. She'd jazzed it up with accessories, but the eyeshadow really completed the look in her opinion.

Roxy waved at the poor clone as she ran away, but doubted the girl paid any attention. Turning back to her friends, she tossed Ezzie the eyeshadow before taking a look at her makeover on Thad. "Looks good," she said. "So what are you guys up to for this weekend anyway? Better not leave me on my own, because sneaking out is far less fun that way," she joked.

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie hugged Thad bad. Had it been anyone else they might have pushed Thad away and been like why are you hugging me, but not Ezzie. She loved hugs, "Denada. I enjoy helping in anyway I can. Pissing off the step parent is a plus." Ezzie had never met Sandra, but with the say the Cotton kids talked about her she seemed a bit too much, "she stole a book and made Si wear what. You're kidding? Does she not know you three at all." Ez shook her head with a small smile, "parents. I tell you they know nothing sometimes. Clueless. The only point of sneaking out is to get caught. I could walk out the front door and no one would notice." Her Brother Pepe might. Pepe acted liked daddy to the kids who got ignored, but Ez still ignored Pepe's advice about sneaking out.

Ezzie put her make up away, "I am here to solve all make up crisis that happen. Nice choice in color by the way Rox." She admired the color choice, "Grounded that sucks. I did not have plans except maybe to sneak out to the beach. Midnight surfing is fun if you know what you are doing, but dangerous too. There has to be something we can do tomorrow." Ezzie would need to think.

"I might be able to see if there are any parties going on. Sierra would know. I can ease drop on her conversations." Ezzie laughed. She loved doing that. Nothing better then being a pain in her sisters side. Ezzie was aware her crazy ways might cause trouble one day, but so far she had yet to see that day. "I am up for anything. Just say it will be fun and you can count me in." Ezzie told them.

[Thad Cotton]

"She jus' doe'n't get it at all," Thad lamented. Which was ridiculous, she had fully gotten the message that the children would prefer her to leave, she simply refused to do any such thing.

He nodded his approval at Roxy's eye shadow, "Yeah, purple, great color!" He echoed Ezmeralda's compliments. Of course, Roxy could have picked any color and he would have thought it looked great on her, she could pull off anything.

"Mmm, no plans," He shrugged. "S'ppose to do chores. Maybe try'n' catch the elusive Abra. Or maybe I'll do that durin' class...." He mused. He brought his DS with him everywhere, who knew when you would need something to do, and leveling Pokemon was a great way to spend idle time when there was nothing else of interest going on. Sneaking out of the house, though, that was even more tempting than games.

"Aww, we would never leave ya on your own, Rocks, donchu worry 'bout that. We'll wreak havoc somewhere wi' chu." The only question was what, exactly, they would decide upon to do. Crashing the upperclassmen parties, that sounded pretty entertaining. Parties were always great, of course, provided the hosts shared his definition of "party" -- loud music and carousing. Sitting around playing board games, as fun as that could be, was not a party, but he'd heard a few people refer to it as such.

He released Ezzie and put one finger to the side of his mouth, pondering what sort of fun plans they could have sneaking Roxy out of the house. "We should all switch places sometime," He suggested, "Like, after school I'd go home to Roxy's place, and Roxy'd go to Ezzie's and Ezzie'd go to mine. Or summin'. Just...insist we b'long there." Not that any of their families would fail to notice they had the wrong child, except possibly Ezmeralda's, and even then that was a stretch, but he would love to see their reactions, anyway.