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Chapter 7: James

I didn’t mean to get this party started like this, I thought I would mingle better if I kept it lowkey. It turns out that I was terribly mistaken. People that I had never met wanted to be near me, and the people that were occasional party mates were treating me like we were life-long best friends. “ Good ol’ James, as always!”, I heard a dude that I believe is named Garret announcing to the girl around his arm as they passed me by. My two defyers were afraid if they provoked me once again I might even steal one away from the other, so they kept quiet and camouflaged with the house wallpaper. Even thought there was an ocean of smiley and flirty faces trying to drown me, I could feel they were only doing so to keep the flame I ignited alive, and that job was getting done with no help of mine, if I am being honest. Having exit the room without disturbing the atmosphere proved me that. Of course, when I am feeling it the hours fly by,but at this point I could tell that everyone had already got used to the low lights,the loose laughter and had drunk one can too much and I was too sober -alcohol and mood wise- to enjoy it,started feeling like a sticker with no clue and I should head out before someone notices it and started to try to push me a beer or ask me to do that step again. Don’t get me wrong, I am a party guy, but at this point I know it’s better to head home than to stay longer and do things that I won’t be so proud of in the following morning just for “the sake of the party”.I was on the backyard looking for my board when I notice a vult on the porch lock. My feet finds the skate sooner than I do and slips on it, making me fall on the grass. 

“ You know, if I haven’t seen you at my counter, I would think your legs are unable to stand still”, A mellow voice comes out of the vult and says this. 

“ I bet my legs weren’t the main attraction when I took…” Fucking hell - I was almost a smart-ass with Betty.

“ When you took your shirt off? Yeah, the Magic Mike presentation really did it for some chicks.Even some boys. There were two dudes staring at you almost drooling” she laughs a little when the last word comes out of her mouth. 

“ Those must have been the douches that put me to do that. Did they look like a pair of vases?” I asked, sat in the glass with my legs wide open like I was a child playing with sand.

“Oh God, yes-” she laughs a little more. “ I thought they were strangely alike yet very different but could not tell what was it that made them that way,you know? “ A pair of vases” sums it up perfectly,thank you, James”, she says kind of ironically, makes an “OK” sign touching her indicator with her thumb and takes a sip of whatever she’s holding. Remembers my name then, not too bad.

“ I hope you didn’t waste much of your time looking at them, that The Shining twins’ look is the most interesting thing about them” 

“ Just enough to know their weirdness was no red flag. But is that your thing? Taking bets from two weirdos straight outta Stephen King’s novel?”, she arches her eyebrows.  

“ No, I mean- sometimes, if I need distraction…” 

“ ...You become the distraction?”. Actually, yes. No one has ever confronted me with that but, in the end, that’s generally what I do. 

“I guess so. At least, it must look like it now, doesn’t it?” 

“Uh-hum.I mean, that must help with some party flings, doesn’t it?” she looks at me from the top. Just then I realized that the rumors got to her. Inez. 

“Well, guess it’s better to have one than not have any, am I right?” she responds herself.

“ Date didn’t work out?” I try to sound as nonchalant as I can,

“Tough luck, I suppose.It semead like we would be a good fit but we were just indistinguishable a couple of good pals” 

“ Like you two agreed too much that it was a turn off?” She looks at me like I just got oddly personal. She didn't answer for a second and I feel like I said the wrong thing , when I remember my board is at my feet. “ B-but just like you said it’s j-just tough luck” I reach for my skateboard, attempting to make smooth movements, so my urge to get out of there tso I won’t screw up the already damaged impression she has of me. “ It’s just the first party of the year, anyways...better luck next time!”.I wish my feet were faster than my mouth. 

“ Wait,where are you going? it’s only one” she checks the time in her phone and looks at me. 

“ I-I was heading to t-this other party that a friend is having…” Correction: I wish my mouth was a little slower than my brain. 

“ Can I come with you?” 

What? 

“What?” 

“ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I just… forget it. Good night,James, see you arou-” 

“No no no no, of course! I mean, they are not that cool anyways that’s why I didn’t say yes first hand I thought you would be bored there!” I said it so fast that I’m not so sure she understood it.

“ Is there anywhere else we can go?”

“ I know a bar but it’s kinda far-”

“ I’ll drive.”

“ Okay.” 

I follow her. 

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I named a cactus after Phoebe Bridgers. Wonder if she’ll ever know

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I got to listen to Norman Fucking Rockwell way too late and now I’m currently obsessed with it and it must be because of the quarantine but I catch myself often thinking “does Lana love me too?” When I’m listening to it. Like she doesn’t even know that we share the same oxygen but this always come to my mind I might be sick

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that shit just happens to be under their bed or something

Do you know how in every coming-of-age movie with a shy protagonist there’s the older sibling that introduces them to “the real stuff/the good stuff/ shit that will change your life” which consists in a pile of records under their bed, and that shapes the protagonist’s music taste forever? Who introduced that music to the older sibling? Did they find it all by theirselves? Was it their mother/father? why aren’t they doing the same for the younger son/daughter? Was it some weird guy in a shop that was like “that shit that you are holding? Nah, gimme that, listen to this” and it all started? so many questions 

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OK HEAR ME OUT: Betty is the kid that has an abusive father in Seven,and also the narrator on that same song.

Why? Fasten your seatbelts now:

In Betty, the narrator mentions multiple times that she “knew everything” when she was young and mentions the father figure as a metaphore for james leaving(“leaving like a father”). Was it only it? I believe that Betty’s father actually left when she was very young and adults around her always assumed that it didn’t affect her that much because she was so little that there was probably no memory of him anyways, so she knew nothing. HOWEVER,due to the lack of that father figure in her life(I’ll go a little Freudian on this one) she is used to getting into tumultuous relationships,that usually involve man cheating on her or leaving her behind.

And,as the only other song in the album that mentions a father, I say that Seven is an adult Betty singing to herself as a child. She’s looking back and trying to explain to this little girl,missing her father silently because her mom and other adults in her life were dealing with their own vulnerability, that she’s there for her and wants to embrace all her traumas,maybe the only person that will do so.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk please let me know what u think in the comments xx

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I’ve seen the lyrics. I’ve seen the theorioes, the collages, the art, you guys weeping about it. Yet. NO ONE TO SHARE THE LICKED LINKS. I want to be part of the party too can someone hepl pls

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Chapter 6:  Betty

As sexy and witty as my date was, I have to admit, she was kind of a bummer. Up to that point I had learned a lot about her, the films she had watched, her favourite singers and why they were geniuses, but only wanted to know my opinion when it was obvious that the right thing to say was “what about you?” so you wouldn’t lose your date. I didn’t know what she expected, but as she started pausing between her sentences, I could tell she wasn’t feeling it,either. The thing about people like her is that, on paper, they have everything going for you, both are into the same music, have the same political opinions and as far as it seems wouldn’t get into a major argument that could lead to an instantaneous disinterest of the two parts. And that is, also, the default of it: you agree. A lot. A good amount of agreeing shallow statements are made while trying to know each other, you two could definitely grab lunch together every two weeks,but you don’t want to dig deeper because you can predict their motifs and morals, that are an awful much alike yours . There’s no curiosity, no instigation, it’s like you’re seeing the same movie twice but you won’t cry at the end this time.  

  Just as she was about to leave, the stereo gets louder and everyone cheerfully screams. 

“ I’m so glad I didn’t miss this!!!!” she screams to herself and runs inside. 

  Miss what? is someone fighting? 

  And as I, too, run into the kitchen, I see everyone dancing and Inez mouths at me “you have to dance!!! It’s tradition!!!”. She must have been saying this words, but the sound was so loud that I could only read her lips, and so I danced. When in Rome, you do as the romans do. And then a shoe almost hit my face. Is this what this romans do?!?!? oh,James. James is the roman throwing shoes at people, and they are loving it. So many hands are up, punching the air in his support. The girls weren’t wrong, all eyes were on this boy, and I wasn’t an exception. Every movement he made expanded his magnetic field, glueing your eyes even harder on his body. The female audience was hysterical and for the movements and then for his naked torso. His shoulders were very muscular and hard, but were still moving to the music like the beat was an invisible shirt he didn’t take off. Looked perfect in his body. I forgot that the song was this short… or did he make me want it to last longer? Anyways, I felt back to reality when his fans were applauding and he crowned himself as king of the party. The bet on him had just gained thirteen more competitors.

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Chapter 5: James

  I know that not a lot of people that were also taking Visual Arts were going to be there, but I wasn’t too desperate about it either. Some to who I’ve talked to during the first week were nice but most of them were those edgy, cold, Clock Orange and Tarantino worshippers that just had their heads too far up their own butts to have a real conversation with. I think Betty was the only freshman that didn’t annoyed me at some level this past few days.Hope I get a chance to talk to her better. Is she thinking the same? Did she have a nice first week? Did she think of me at any point this past week? ‘Cause I had. I saw her twice on campus from afar, but she was always in a heated discussion with a group of people. This Political majors won’t miss a discussion, apparently. I hope she can take a joke, too. I think I remember her smiling at me the last time I was around, that gives me hope. 

  I skate there, only me with a bottle of champagne that I had smuggled from my mother’s hidden bar on the attic. Didn’t blame the people for staring, I was a Kid Cuts His Face While Riding a Skateboard With A Glass Bottle In Hand accident waiting to happen. I toss my board on the grass and get in, make myself home. I have been here for the same reason more times than it’s legal, but never felt uncomfortable enough to never come back again. It always started with some dubious glances and “who’s brother is this” muffled comments, and when we were all ready to call it a night lots of hugs and cheek kisses and “hope I see you next time, man!” were delivered at me as goodbye. Thus, I always came back. 

 “Sup Jaaames” Zoe greeted me. “ Nice! we were almost running out of this one, saved the party bro” she was pouring the champagne on her cup letting it leak a bit. She wasn’t sober. 

“Yeah, I see you enjoyed some of if”

“ You don’t miss a thing, do you?” she took a sip. “ I was going to say this party is going to be good for you to mingle, but you already know most of our friends. I didn’t invite many people from your class but I hope you get to know them better, it’s good to be friends with people you study with, don’t underestimate that” She handled her tipsiness with grace, I bet she could give me a well-thought speech out of the tip of her tongue if I keep winding her up. 

“ I talked to some, but they weren’t exactly my type of people, but I guess if I’m nice to them, they’ll be nice to me” 

“Probably. But I suppose they were no Betty, am I right?” she said, stretching her name.Had I say something? 

“ What do you mean?” 

“ Rumors fly,boy. A little bird told me that you and her had a pretty agressive locked-eyes-situation last time you were here”. Inez couldn’t keep her words neither her imagination to herself, which was worse. 

“ Yeah, I guess,but whatever…”

“Speechless,all of the sudden? hehehe”  she leaned her arm on my shoulder,trying to catch her breath to talk  “well, it’s not like it’s a surprise for anyone here. In any case, you know were the porch izzzzz” 

  I sat her down on the kitchen top, handled her a glass of water and told her I would say hello to some people. As I walked around, I saw some boys that would be in my grade if I was still in high school, Trevor and Nate. Fucking idiots. They were always the ones to start a fight on a party or to make out with girls that were just too drunk to persist to refuse. I didn’t engage in the first one, but had already started some myself for the second reason. But, right now, in front of all this people they were new to, they seemed like two nice puppies. I nodded at them and went to the backyard. Needless to say, I wanted to get to Betty as fast as I could so I just waved to a lot of people, grabbed a beer and looked around trying to appear as casual as possible. And there she was, talking to a friend. She was much more relaxed than when we had met and her eyes gleamed a bit when she smiled. I feel like I could come up to her and just ask “what’s up?” and we would spend the entire evening talking, as if we had done it a million times before. The scenario in my head didn’t worry me anymore, I wasn’t revising all my pick up lines trying to decide which one would work with her, I wasn’t forming a backup plan if she told me off. I just wanted to switch places with the girl in front of her. If only I had arrived earlier, if only that girl was talking to some other friend, if only I… was touching her tight. That girl was touching Betty’s tight. How close could you get over introduction week? Well. I guess I wouldn’t be the one to know. 

  I noticed that I had my eyes glued on the two for way too long so I went back inside. I wouldn’t say that I was crushed, but definitely disappointed.What was up with me? I misled my own self; it’s not like we had have any significant communication before, and it’s not like I was short on options of who to end the night up with. I wasn’t the one to fall like this;I had never been in love before.I sat on the couch for a bit drinking my beer until I heard from behind the other couch, that was in front of me: 

  “ You good, James? Another girl dumped you again? Uni girls don’t need your help when I’m around, do they? “Trevor said, giving Nate a high five for the extremely mature - almost academic, I would say-  line that intended to get on my nerves. His goal was to either get me to fight him or to kiss him. But I guess I was still too sober for his taste. I always nod it off, never engaged the other twenty times he has ever tried to get me out of my cool. 

But I could use the distraction.

 Deep breath, fake smile and ask: “Beer pong. Me and someone against you two. What do you say?” I ask him. If life gives you two brats, you make a beer pong match. 

  “ Never saw you so engaged in making a clown out of yourself, James. I’m in. What’s in for it?” 

  “ Shit, isn’t the whole point to just get drunk? That’s what’s in”

  “ I could be getting drunk with any hot bitch on this party, I’m not wasting that on you.Don’t be a pussy and bet something already” 

  “Whoever loses has to strip to the entire length of a song in front of everyone, in the kitchen counter.” Nate said.Trevor’s shadow could talk and knew the word ‘lenght’? Really underestimated that dude. 

  “Deal.”

  It’s not that I was a good beer pong player. Neither was feeling especially lucky that evening. But I did have Ashley going for me, she made an excellent partner when it came to this game. However, I managed to balance her out and we lost. 

  “Okay! This is finally the night that we’ll know what is the color of James’ panties!” Trevor high fived Nate again. 

  “ Dreamed about it much, Trevor?” I answered. 

  “ Doesn’t matter. It’s not me who’s getting naked. I’ll let you choose the music” 

  I hesitated a bit.

 “U can’t touch this”,I said. 

 He looked at me, a bit confused . “ Don’t get me wrong, James, I’ll definitely blast this but you’re digging your own grave” 

Trevor laughed.

  But a newbie is a newbie- since it was the first time they were ever in a college party, they weren’t aware that this was the song that played in every one of them and everyone had to dance to it. It was tradition. My brother, who was here before me, two years ago, warned me of it and taught me some smooth steps to this song. That’s when I discovered that I wasn’t too bad of a dancer and, long story short, everyone knew I could dance. So, when the song started and everyone got up and I stood on the counter, their heads bounced side to side, wondering what kind of code had been passed to everyone but them. And as I did the choreo, people started blasting my name, encouraging me. Damn, U can’t! touch! this! I was having a great time being the center of attention and the fact that I had to strip just hitted me by the middle of the song, so I started doing so. I took my shoes off, kicking them away on the beat of the song, and just as I had taken my shirt off- what led some girls to scream louder- the song ended. 

“LET’S GET THIS YEAR STARTEEEED!!!!!” I screamed at the end. The crowd shouted my words back at me. 

Yeah, I guess I’m starting big.

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Jack’s faded voice on My tears ricochet delivers that extra dose serotonine, would like to personally thank the two of them for curing my depression

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Taylor could you please release a map based on the places you talk about in Invisible String? Like,I want to see that park. What dive bar are you talking about? Is the same as the others? Can we see pictures with the waitress? How am I supposed to be pinning over this withou more

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Imagine being your entire adult life in the enterteimemt industry and ONLY NOW releasing a song like “this is me trying” when you,on your EIGHTH album,feel that you could talk about being vulnerable without worrying about the backlash. And the worst part is: if you had actually wept about it in the past,people would be like “oh so real life scarred the little girl away,huh?”

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So I DARED to use my writting… in top of Taylor’s ethereal, complex, almost-too-good-for-scholars writing… to make a fanfic… I really tried to achieve heaven haven’t I

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we are living in a POST folklore world like this is how medieval nuns must have felt whenever they had a vision of christ

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Chapter 4: Betty

  Time flew by since james was here, 10 days ago. The rest of  the girls arrived and I’m at ease to feel so safe among them. They all have been living together at least for a year now and the mood around the house was very familiar: a bunch of girls, who knew each other’s flaws and made the best out of it, even when the best was to let the other one simply be. Their constant chattiness was welcoming, even when they left me out of the conversation, I liked to watch them interacting, observing it so I would understand my own role in this group, how I could fit. Undeniably, I’m a people pleaser, but a moderate one, that won’t swallow her feelings up in order to protect other people from hurting. I learned how to step up for myself when I had to show up for Eliza and Skyler when they needed someone strong and that (at least appeared to) have things controlled. But what is the harm in trying my best to be liked, right? I think it’s healthy enough. I made them laugh some and got on with Clementine,my roomate, but we were too much alike, so Inez was a good company to change the air a little bit. One of the English majors, Zoe, told me to watch out for her: “Noticed how she never stops talking? That also applies to general gossip. So, you can post your secrets online already if you ever tell any to Inez, it will do the same.” she said, half-laughing “but she’s funny and proactive and knows how to fix things,what makes living with her cool and handy. As long as you don’t try to besties with her”. At first I didn’t believe her. Why would I believe in someone who slept with a professor in her freshman year?, I tough,and then oh, yes, something Inez told me.Plus,what the hell, she was over 18 already,she can do whatever she wants. 

  Maybe I should watch out. And maybe I should hang out more with Zoe. 

  We were done with our first week, that summarized as a lot of introduction: the campus, the teachers, the southmores and clubs. And, as it wasn’t obvious enough, on sunday we were to host the first barbecue of the year at our house, so we were preparing the place, putting the beverages on ice, putting away the vases Claire had made - don’t know who that was, but apparently her ceramic game was top notch- and getting the beach chairs out in the backyard. There was a bet among us about who would (1) hit on the person cooking so they would get the hamburguers first, (2) who would go to the porch with someone and (3) who would get together with James this time. His charm was noticeable to a lot of people, than.“He always hits on at least three girls every party and gets at least two”, says Ashley, the other english major. “ But he indeed is 18 this year, so he might get the third one who always goes away because he is too young” Clem says. Eighteen, then. “I think he was trying to flirt with Betty the other day” Inez says, with a malicious voice. “ Since when falling in the street counts as flirting?” I say back. “ Since he felt because he was looking at you. Don’t be ashamed, James is cool, we won’t judge you. Just don’t fall for him, he has been with half of the campus already and is starting college only this year”

“Wait,isn’t he eighteen? Shouldn’t he get in college only in the next semester?”

“ He graduated high school early. Gifted boy. In many ways” she takes a sip of her lemonade. 

“Well, I have a date coming this afternoon, so if you don’t want to lose money…”

“Whaaaat?!?! Fast, aren’t you? Who is he?” Zoe asks me with a pitched voice.

“ It’s a she, actually. Her name is Maddie, she’s in my French class”, I was opening the chairs. 

“Oh my God, we should have seen that coming. No one with this tan goes around unnoticeable. No boys for you, then?” Inez asks. 

I hesitated a bit, remembering what I was warned about. “ And make genders a barrier to have a little fun? No way, I’m in for both”. Some approving “uuuh”s and “okaaay”s follow and we all have a naughty smile on our faces. 

“Cool, that just makes our beats a little more interesting” Clem adds. We agree, laughing. 

People started arriving and the back garden had a different glow to it. It was meant to have as much people as it could take, and the scene mirrored those coming-of-age movies perfectly. Maddie arrived, greeting me with a “Bon soir, ma belle” and I blush. We grab a beer and sat to talk. Her brown, long hair reflected the christmas lights we had put outside to give it a mood. She had this blouse with big 70’s sleeves that made her look like an ABBA singer, and she seemed like a hippie daydream.

[b4civility]

𝓐𝓾𝓰𝓾𝓼𝓽,7

 Original story based on the “teenage love triangle” formed bu the songs Betty, August and Cardigan on Taylor Swift’s “Folklore”

   “Betty doesn’t realize she is touching James the first time she does so. James doesn’t realize she is everything he wants the first time he paints her sink red. Alisson doesn’t realize she wasn’t part of the plan. August slipped away like a bottle of wine, as quick as it could,staining everything it reaches. “  

-𝕯 

[ Fic not finished!! whenever I release a chapter, it wil be linked here. Stay tuned! Enjoy the reading!]

[Curse words]

Chapter 1,2,3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 5 

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 

[b4civility]

August,7

fanfic based on the “teenage love triangle” on Folklore, “Betty”, “August” and “Cardigan”. Still releasing new chapters, stay tooned! 

[NO WARNINGS] 

summary: Betty doesn’t realize she is touching James the first time she does so. James doesn’t realize she is everything he wants the first time he paints her sink red. Alisson doesn’t realize she wasn’t part of the plan. August slipped away like a bottle of wine, as quick as it could,staining everything it reaches.

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Chapter 1: Betty 

Whenever I have to pack, my head gets cloudy. Always seems like I got everything I need, except that the Object That I Take For Granted But Actually Use Everyday stays behind, like a bath sponge or a coffee pot. I know this will happen, but get a bit of a headache every time trying to fight it. All the boxes in mu checklist are checked, but this anxious feeling still buzzes inside my head. 

‘Check under the bed to see if there’s something there’, mom says. 

I check. There is, but nothing that belongs to me. 

I am moving from a house of girls to another house of girls, but at least I get to have the unspoken individuality of my belongings, the entitlement to my schedule and to have “ I would rather not talk about it” or “I want to keep it to myself” as a legitimate answer this time around. My sisters are pretty sad about it- Skyler says she will miss my closet the most. “ So I am supposed to buy my own earrings now? How much do they cost? Do you try them on at the store? Is it ok if I get them wet by accident or will they be totally ruined?” she shoots at me as I finish packing my jewelry. “ Did you not care to not spill water on my earrings when you wore them?”, I ask, but she just looks away and plays with the ones that are in her ear, that are, too, mine. They are the silver with some dark green balls at the end. I stole them from a fancy boutique when I was 14, igniting my addiction to this accessory. I stole a couple more until the guilt finally kicked in,and then became an expert on finding cheap and not that bad ones at Aliexpress. I’ll just let her have it, looks better with her short hair than with my long one. Even though we have the same kind of curls, mine weren’t as defined as hers when I had short hair. A little bit shorter than the earrings, makes her look so edgy. She loves it. 

Eliza, in the other hand, despites my wardrobe, but worships my baking skills. One Sunday or the other we bake together, she makes sour doo biscuits and I bake a cake. This is our stack for the week, and then we try a different recipe for the dessert that day. We have a nice dynamic in the kitchen by now-she hates making cake but loves eating mine and I feel the same way about her biscuits, ans since both of us have a sweet tooth, baking is taken very seriously under this roof. 

The four of us get in the car, I get the backseat since Eliza is our official DJ (not that we gave her the title, rather she took it),plus, mom likes her by her side. Never have I ever sat behind the wheels when the entire family was in the car, for some reason mom would always get cautious about it when I asked if I could drive in these situations, even though I have been each and everyone’s chauffeur at some point. 

Tomorrow, at this very hour, I would be waking up to none of them. The closest thing to not being a sister I ever had was before I was seven, when Skyler wasn’t born yet, the bedroom was all mine and dad only had one volleyball player in our backyard. The closest thing I ever got to not being a daughter when he left. I was 12, Skyler was 5 and mom was in no condition to deal with her and our loss at the same time. Grandma was around a lot for the next 2 years. I couldn’t say the same about our mother, even up to this date. 

So I was reading her body expression, her smile at what my sister was saying about the music she chose, her thin neck, blurred by some hair strands that got out of her pony tale and eventually felt on her shoulders covered by her green cardigan, and how easily breakable her peacefulness appeared. Not because of my departure,no, she has been looking like this everyday since that last day. I don’t believe the other two ever notices that, not when they got their hands full with the colossal mess they make to get their older sister’s attention. It does work, I’m even moving houses because of it;college is just a social-acceptable excuse. 

Three hours later we have completed our journey from Mendax to Verum, the college town just 20 minutes away from campus. Five other girls were to live with me, none that I have met yet, but their facebook page tells me I got another Political Science major in the house, two English majors, a biology southmore and soon-to-be-graduated journalist. I sort of hoped I was going to be the first one to arrive so I could get my stuff in place first, not have all the stubbornness that run through my family’s DNA thrown at them as a first impression and possibly bake a Homecoming/Welcome/If My Words Fail Me At Least I Have This Going For Me cake. Plus, I own Eliza this last/ first moment, so I’d ask for her help. 

 The house was unapologetically pink. The pastel tone suited the wood-revested building very well, so much it felt like Barbie Dream House: College edition. The family house energy of it, the immense porch space, the spacious interior corridors,two livingrooms and the hugh gress space in the backyard were the opposite of what you would expect of a college girls’ residency, yet everything you wish they all looked like. Besides, this was a very prospect location for an off campus party, so I think I got the upper hand with this one. 

“ You are in a Barbie movie scenario for your entire graduation. I’m so jealous I can’t barely put it into words” Skyler said, staring at it, blinking as if she was waiting for it to disappear the next time she opened her eyes. “ Yeah,I will be sitting at the porch waiting to see if Ken shows up anytime soon,too.” I answered as I stood next to her, holding boxes. “Yeah, be sure to look very carefully for him at the massive Homecoming barbecue you guys are going to be having in this abnormous big backyard of yours”.So it was that obvious.” But don’t get attached to the first cutie you see, ok? Someone better could be just around the corner... ”. I don’t even want to imagine how her college years are going to be like. Probably a little cooler than mine; she always knows how to make a fun moment even funnier. Is it legal to bring your underaged sibling to a uni party? 

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you in mind whenever I get more-than-two-dates invested in someone here”

Did Skyler really thought that my next romance would just fall into my backyard, like that?  

Chapter 2: James 

The sound of the wheels rolling on the concrete always get people looking, even when you are far from them. Anyone in top of a skateboard becomes a model in a suburban street, whose streets turn into a red carpet filled with paparazzi. I try to say something like “good morning” or “hello” to whoever I am passing by in an attempt to make my politeness overcome the annoyance of the loud noise, and convince myself that it works. Somehow, I often end up in a situation where it would be better not to be seen: whether is when I am riding my board and I get loud or in places I shouldn’t be attempting to land a trick at, or when I am pointing my camera at someone, trying to get a picture without them noticing. As if it isn’t happening for the hundredth time, I awkwardly pause, try to wave at them so I don’t come out as a stalker and gesticulating an apology all at once. People generally frown and move some place else, as a anyone in their right mind would. But only my headphones come with me for the ride when I know I will be taking The Pink House road. Two years ago I was riding by for the fourth time in the same week - ok, that was pretty stalker-y - getting shots of the house, the thing that struck me at first, and then the feature that actually grabbed my attention: the girls. There were four college girls living there, all who seemed so bubbly,so full of life, so enjoyable to the eye, so hot. By that time I had the count in my head, and one of them was missing. Didn’t mind much, got some rather good photos of Claire, the only one that I(oddly,but actually) knew. We made out at a uni party that I had sneaked in to the year before. As soon as I looked forward, A bloody face jumped in front of me,screaming, scaring me enough so that I felt in the concrete, scratched an elbow and hurting my feet. 

“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T WEAR PROTECTION PADS!!!!! AND ALSO WHEN YOU ACT LIKE A CREEP FUCK,BASTARD!” 

As I pointed my head to the sky, the bloody shadow took away the mask, to reveal the fourth girl missing. “I-I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.. I was just… The house, I-”

“Oh God ,it’s a creepy kid”, she said, throwing a hand to help me get up. “ So just because you are a cute teenager you think you can spy on stranger’s house like that?!?”- she said I was cute- “Yo, it’s no stalker”- kinda was- “just a random kid with a camera. Partially broken camera, you might wanna pick that piece up”. That was the day I met Inez. We got quite acquainted since that day, and photographing a place that you are allowed in got boring after the first two times so we just became friends.

I searched for her, but instead saw a brown girl istead. A new girl. Someone I was not ready to see. I stopped breathing the second she raised her head and I could see her almond eyes better, the spark on her cheeks reflecting the sun. The next thing I knew I had my face on the concrete, with the same elbow scratched, again. 

“Shit, are you ok? You're bleeding” she (yes, she!) said to me.

“I-I’m cool, I’m cool… you know,just...whatever, happens all the time and shit...” . My mouth doesn’t know how to work when my brain is in complete shock with the view, apparently. 

“You should at least wash it, your elbow could get infected, come on inside” she said, as she held my hand and arm very softly. You could see she was trying not to touch the injury much, but I swear I wasn’t feeling my entire body. 

Chapter 3: Betty 

“I suppose we should have a first aid kit here, somewhere…”- he’s painting my sink in red as the water runs in the wound. What a way to start. “Eliza, Skyler, help me; you go look if you find anything in the bathroom and you, keep at the kitchen cabinets”.

“It’s on the upper shelf, actually”, he answers.

It was.What the fuck?

“So you live here now?!?!” I hear a voice from behind that isn’t my mother’s. It’s the biology major,even though she is blonder than her facebook pictures.

“I-I-I just… arrived…. I’m sorry he… I was just...” Was I ever going to come up with the right sequence of words to explain that I, a girl she never met, had got into her house with a bleeding,also strange boy and two teenagers running wild looking through her stuff? The chances are beyond unlikely,at its best. 

“Not you, I was expecting you- I mean  him”, she arched her eyebrows.

“Inez ! long time no see, girl!”, he replies with a sort of laughing, trying to lighten up the mood. I wasn't understanding one bit of what was going on.

“ You couldn’t wait for the party so you just brought it right in yourself, huh? Look at the mess you made in my kitchen! You know, I am leaving here next year so you better make a good impression of yourself for the other girls if you want to keep falling in our doorstep and getting aid” 

“I don’t think I’m their first option but I can make it work, never smile at someone and didn’t get a smile back” he says softly, kind of taking advantage of it, as he smiles at Inez, and she tries to hold it, but smiles back. I smile a little bit too, but still- what the fuck is happening?!?! 

“ You believe that your white teeth will get you anywhere, don’t you?”

“It got me aid the first time I ever felt in your doorstep. Also got you letting me teach you how to skateboard,which was super cool” he started sounding a little bit more teenager-y. How old was he? 

“ I always wanted to skate, you just happened to have a skateboard”. The air in the room was decrisealing chaotic. What he did worked. 

“Oh, like we were the only two people here, I am so sorry; hi, I’m Inez, welcome home,Beatrice!” she turns to me, shaking my hand, with a relaxed smile on. 

“Thank you, you can call me Betty” He really softened the mood, the words even came out of my mouth normally. 

“Ok, sure. I was meant to be here earlier but I had a salon appointment. But you met the house mascot already,so that’s one thing out of the list”- she points at this skater, sitting on the sink- “ This is James, he’s around more than he should. Do you need help? with the boxes?” And then I remembered of my sisters, running loose around the house and my mom, probably on the car outside. 

“ My sisters and I got everything by the porch already, there aren’t many”

“Fine, I will just wrap up this skater’s arm in a band-Aid and then I’ll show you your room. Clem is your roommate. You are enrolled in political science too, right?”

“Yeah”

“Nice, I think you two will be quite a match then. James, get your board rolling outta here, you are done, you can stop scarring my new roomate. 

“ Thanks, ‘Nez” he hopped out of the sink. “ It was never my intention to scare you. Nice meeting you, Betty” he gives me a quiet smile, looking into my eyes just for a second before looking at the ground. He ran a little bit down the hallway, got on the skateboard and went out of sight. He had this boyish posture, stubborn, unaware of his own size. His broad shoulders moved along with his waist as he strolled away. It was nice meeting you,too,James.

[b4civility]

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