Deadline [open to everyone]

This was her sweet sixteen. Hey, who didn't fantasize about a day like this at some point? Even she was guilty of a little romanticism from time to time, but somehow, this wasn't at all like she'd imagined when she was younger. She slumped against the wall like a corpse, a weak smile flitting across her lips. Her face tingled and her head was swimming, but as long as she kept moving and kept drinking, everything would be normal. It was her special day, after all. You had to keep up appearances.

Jane cranked up the radio as loud as it would go to drown out her thoughts. Maybe she'd overdone it this time.

The only thing left was to see if anybody decided to show up.

Jake practically flew out of the shower, He brushed his teeth, smelt his breath, a squirt of cologne and ran to his closet. What to wear... What to wear... Although it was unlike him to go to a Birthday party, he couldn't miss this one. Being Jane's birthday, the student had to look nice, and hoped what he put on was appropriate. Dress pants, a suit vest, and a purple tie. Perfect! Jake grabbed the bouquet of flowers and gift card that he'd gotten from Roseburry and headed to Jane's.

Although he was extremely excited to see her, he was nervous as well. What if she doesn't like the gift? Thoughts and concerns ran through his head. Calm down, everything will be fine. Giving a sigh, he stood in front of her dorm. A radio was turned up to the max and it was probably best to just go in instead of trying to knock. Closing the door behind him, the tall student walked in, quickly spotting Jane. "Hey!" He said over the radio, a cherry smile upon his face.

He'd been standing down at the end of the Autumn halls as he stood, watching a man in a fine tuxedo shift around flowers and cards around his hands before inviting himself in to the noisy room. Preston wondered for a moment if the guy knew that there was in fact such a thing as trying too hard. Of course, there was no chance in hell he'd go above and beyond to get laid...

Pres glanced down to the platter in his hands, where a simple, but elegant rested on the sweet silver. It was pure vanilla white, with sleek edges and yellow frosting resting at the edges. Inside, along with the cake, was a sweet rum syrup filling. Half of it was to cheer up Jane on her special day, the other was admittedly selfish, as he'd jumped at the opportunity to practice his baking. (If anyone asked however, he'd say he'd bought it in town or something. No one need know.)

Rather than try to knock like lover-boy, he headed straight in, sadly cutting their alone time short. "Fuck, I hate being early to a party." He mused, glancing around and finally spotting the birthday girl slumped against the world. What a foul. She looked wasted and the party hadn't even started yet. He slid the cake onto the nearest table and pushed past Jake, offering her a hand. "Get up and tell me where the good shit is." He said.

She dropped her gaze to meet Jake's eyes, her vision unfocused. "Heyyy...!" she slurred, her head lolling to the side. It wasn't sightly to be this out of it before anyone had even arrived, but on a day like this, she just couldn't help herself. "Are those flowers...? You're so sweet..." He'd all dressed up for the occasion and she was just in her casual streetwear, mussed up hair and half-assed make-up. Someone else slipped in after him, much less elegant.

Jane clasped his hand in a sloppy grip and pulled herself up to a half-standing position, fumbling forward and flopped against his chest, as if her legs couldn't support her own weight. "My, my, that's not how you greet a lady on her special day..." There were three people here so far, including herself. Was he going to be that quick on the draw? Even her dormmates had abandoned her... If she was being honest, she'd cranked up the radio hoping to draw Tab out of whatever dark hole she was hiding in, but no luck so far. Well, considering how sad it all was, she couldn't blame him for wanting to get buzzed. She pulled herself off him, grasping him by the collar to keep herself upright. "Are you here for me or poor Maisie's stash...? I'm still in debt, y'know, I'm being very generous sharing it all. She's small but she's got a bad bite. Like a chihuahua." Her head was spinning. Jane tipped back the bottle again. When she pulled away, a dab of it splashed across her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it off. "Hic... That's a pretty cake..."

Damn, Jane was really out of it. Honestly, he could understand why, for no one except him and Preston had showed up, and he would've most likely got wasted in this situation too. But still... for some reason, it was kind of weird being around someone so drunk and being surprisingly sober. Turning around to glance at Preston, Jake felt his cheeks grow hot. Damn, guess I dressed up a bit to much. He felt like a total idiot, but this was his first time going to Jane's "party", and he had no idea what to expect. Besides, wasn't there a motto 'better to dress up just in case than look like a total bum?'

Turning back to Jane, he could tell there was no point in asking where to put the flowers. Walking over to a small side table, he gave a sigh. "So," Jake made his way back to the two and reached in his pocket, taking out a tin liquor bottle. "Where is this stash I heard you talking about?" The tall student finished his sentence taking a sip of the vodka. It always burned his throat but was always worth it. Thank God someone else has a stash, I thought I was the only one.