solilac

[solilac]

[solilac]

𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣

[solilac]

hi everyone, long time no see~! life happens, as it does, but i’m here today with a slightly boho inspired lookbook. all cc is listed below, and they’re available now on the gallery~ c:

genetics/makeup: skin overlay, blush, eyebrows, eyeliner 1, eyeliner 2 (#98), lipgloss 1, lipgloss 2

everyday: hair, earrings, necklace, dress, shoes

formal: hair, necklace, jacket acc, top, bottoms,

active: hair, top, leggings

party: hair, necklace, dress, shoes

hot weather: hair, necklace, top, skirt, shoes (the ones in the picture are from island living but the shoes in the everyday/party outfits will work fine)

cold weather: hair, earmuffs, outfit, tights, socks, boots

[solilac]

happy new year!

[solilac]

Isla didn’t see the inside of her dorm for a long while after returning to campus. She chose against entertaining long calls waiting for appointments and telling her story to every new voice to come across the line, parking behind the administration building instead of her dorm.

It took a few deep breaths and tense hands peeled off the steering wheel for her to take the first step though. She wasn’t sure what the result would be, only that she wouldn’t spend a single day on campus without someone knowing what Kody had done.

So she went. With Kalyn’s reassurances and comfort still fresh in her mind, she pushed open the doors to the Administration building with no real idea what awaited her.

First was a secretary with no real intentions of being any help. Levelling bored eyes on the girl in front of her, she’d insisted that Isla was going nowhere without an appointment. Bolstered by only coffee and a few pep talks from her sister during the drive home, Isla had somehow managed to circumvent her first secretarial obstacle to get deeper in the building.

She ended up waiting multiple hours in a waiting room watching scheduled appointments begin and end while she curled further and further into her chair. Eventually, after official working hours were over, she was ushered into the office of someone marginally more willing to help.

No disciplinary action was taken that day, that much Isla had expected. But the incident was on record, and being investigated. Sophia had already called and given her statement on what had happened, responding almost immediately to Isla’s texts regarding the matter.

When asked if anyone else could give a statement, there was only one person Isla could think of. Liam was perhaps just as involved as she had been that night, though she knew neither his number nor if he’d even be willing to give his account of that night.

So she went with the assurance that it was being looked into, and told to send along anyone else who’d been there that night. It still tasted a little too much like placation, but it was enough to get her out the door. She followed her growling stomach to the commons, and the promise of dinner.

--

Oddly, Sophia put up a fight when asked if she knew Liam’s number. “I don’t get why my statement wasn’t enough,” she insisted while Isla struggled to keep her phone pinned between her cheek and shoulder as she shoved sopping laundry into the dryer.

“It was, they just want as many people as possible to corroborate the story or whatever.”

There was a huff from the other end of the line, and then silence. It stretched long enough that Isla edged out a quiet, “Hello?” to assure herself that she hadn’t been hung up on.

“I’m here. I just think it’s a bad idea to open the can of Liam worms while you’re dealing with this shit.”

It was Isla’s turn to laugh. “I’m not asking him on a date, dude. I’m asking him to give a witness account of the time I was almost assaulted. I don’t get why you’re being weird about this. I'll just DM him on Instagram if it’s gonna be this much of an issue.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll text you his number.”

And that was, strangely, that.

--

She was surprised again by his voice when he picked up the phone, tone politely curious when addressing an unknown number. She couldn’t deny the curl of something in her stomach when his tone changed upon realizing it was her, a kind of bright surprise coloring his voice.

He agreed at once to call administration to give his statement, brushing off her concerns with a laugh when she tried meekly to suggest he leave out the part where he punched Kody.

“I’d rather not edit the story. Dickhead deserved it, anyway.”

She couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped her. He wasn’t wrong, that was for sure.

“Thanks, Liam.”

His tone warmed further when he assured her it was the least he could do. “Hey, do you mind letting me know when they make some kind of decision?” he added.

Assuring him that she would, she let him go. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to let go of the warmth glowing in her cheeks and dripping down into her chest. Maybe Sophia had been right. Maybe she shouldn’t have opened the “Liam can of worms” as she put it.

Maybe.

--

Liam didn’t need to wait long for an update. Mere days later, Isla was woken by the sound of her phone ringing insistently next to her head on her pillow. Grasping groggily for it, she found herself leaping to immediate alertness at the formal greeting that awaited her on the other end of the line. “Yes, this is Isla. Speaking?”

It was the Dean of Student Affairs calling to inform her that they had concluded their investigation. Kody was being expelled, and though he couldn’t officially reveal what had led to their decision, the Dean assured her that every measure was being taken to assure his peaceful removal from campus. His tone sharpened with purpose when he revealed that multiple incidents had occurred that night involving Kody, and they were working closely with all involved parties.

She knew then that it hadn’t been just her, and a vicious part of her hoped that Liam’s fist hadn’t been the only one to meet Kody’s jaw that night.

There were tears in her eyes when she thanked the Dean for letting her know, and they were as much relief as they were sorrow that someone else had seen the edge of his anger. She had escaped his ire, but send a little wish into the universe that the one who didn’t escape would see justice done.

For her though, it was over. It was over. No more worrying he’d corner her in the Commons or linger around corners in her dorm building. No more dreading her last year at university being spent looking over her shoulder. No more. In fact, after the shock faded, she found herself falling back to sleep easier than she’d had in ages following the call from the Dean.

Now, to share the good news.

[solilac]

She wasn’t hiding, or so she told herself. She was resting, recuperating after the scare of a lifetime. If anything, she was waiting for her heartrate to come back down to something resembling normal – she’d been feeling just a few beats too fast for far too long.

Sophia never complained about having her hole up in her bedroom. She gladly took the three days Isla stayed there off school, citing the passing of an imaginary relative in exchange for time with her best friend.

Isla could only allow herself those 72 hours though. After they’d passed, she could no longer call it anything but what it was – avoidance. It didn’t sit well with her. For so long Kalyn had been teaching her that there was nothing she couldn’t do, nothing she had to fear because she was strong enough to overcome anything that might stand in her way. To let herself be driven from school, her future, her life, seemed an insult to the confidence Kalyn had in her little sister.

And so the fear eased, began to twist in vicious angles into something angry, something with teeth and claws that longed to fight back. She vowed to cry no more tears as Sophia dried the last of them off her cheeks while she readied herself to leave the sanctuary she’d made of her best friend’s bedroom.

“Go kick ass,” Sophia had said, her arm tight around Isla’s shoulders. “Make him regret fucking with you. He doesn’t get to win,” she continued, and it began to feel like she was parroting Isla’s own thoughts.

Offering one last hug and heartfelt thanks for Sophia’s hospitality, Isla fit herself behind the wheel of her car. She wasn’t alone though, not strictly. Kalyn kept her company the entire ride without ever actually being there, her voice a constant companion on speakerphone.

[solilac]

Liam’s voice was deeper than she remembered it. His shout for Kody to get off of her was nearly a growl, the hand around her arm clenching tight enough to wrench a whimper out of her when Kody found himself interrupted yet again.

“Fuck off, man. S’my girlfriend,” Kody spilled in unsteady syllables, glaring opening at the man who dared deny him his prize.

“Hey, I know you,” Liam ground out as he approached the couple on the front step. “You’re that little dickhead that was saying that nasty shit about some girl you wanted to get with. Marcus’s brother, right? This is who you were talking about? You were saying that shit about Isla?”

It wasn’t until Liam was well within striking distance that Kody seemed to remember who he was, his eyes blowing open wide at the realization. He tried, and failed, to offer anything akin to a response, his hand merely dropping Isla’s arm like he’d been burnt. At once, Isla put distance between her and Kody, one hand rising to curl around the sting left by Kody’s grip on her.

“Hey man, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-,” Kody began, only to stop when a set of hands curled around the collar of his costume. Liam was holding him at arm’s length, anger roiling off of him like a physical force. He shook him sharply, sending his head wobbling on his neck.

For a moment, Isla thought the two of them were caught in some rift, gone unnaturally still as faces began to crowd the front window of the house they’d just left. Kody and Liam had frozen into some kind of furious tableau, their faces so close together that it took altogether too long for Isla to realize that Liam was hissing something at Kody.

As close as she was, even she couldn’t catch what venom he was growling at the man clutched in his grasp, and could only see the way color was draining steadily from the face of the one he was verbally tearing apart.

Kody’s last mistake was a burst of inebriated bravado in a last-ditch effort at retaining whatever shreds of his ego remained after the lashing he’d received. In a sloppy show of retaliation, Kody had actually lifted his fist as if to hit Liam. In a sudden inferno of motion, Liam had him grounded with one sharp shove, clipping his jaw with his first punch and landing squarely on it with the second.

It didn’t last long after that, Kody’s hands crossing over his face to ward off another blow. Stalling with one fist still poised to strike, Liam had uttered one last parting shot before roughly shoving himself off of the other man. “Bitch,” he’d growled in farewell, shaking the ache out of the hand he’d introduced to Kody’s jaw.

Like a spring thaw, Liam’s expression softened when his eyes finally landed on Isla. Curled in on herself and shivering, his entire demeanor had shifted upon seeing her distress. No sooner had he opened his mouth to apologize though did he find Isla walking into his arms, her hands rising to clutch desperately at him. He’d risen like a tempest from his altercation with Kody, but strangely, all she could see was an oasis when those eyes landed on her.

At once, he smothered her in his embrace, shuffling them away from Kody’s groaning form. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-,” he began, only to be silenced by her quiet murmurs of gratitude for his intervention in the situation.

“Who are you here with? Do you need a ride home?” he began gently, only to have his answer step out of the front door to their left. Sophia’s quiet exclamation had their heads turning to find her and Alana wearing the same looks of shock as they took in the situation.

Stepping gingerly around Kody, Sophia and Alana descended on their friend at once. Isla was inundated with a flurry of questions at once, her grip loosening on Liam when Sophia pulled her instead into her arms.

Liam, looking strangely meek despite the events of the last 20 minutes, shuffled back to give them space.

“I called the uber when I realized I still had your phone. Then we heard shouting and everyone inside was talking about a fight...” Sophia said, levelling an odd look at Liam. “C’mon, let’s get you home. You and Alana are staying with me tonight. You’re not driving back tonight.”

Feeling strangely numb, Isla let herself be herded to the sidewalk. “Thank you,” she offered gently as they passed Liam, and the concern was clear on his face. Old wounds kept him from pursuing her further though, instead watching the two of them fuss over Isla as the trio disappeared into the crowd that had amassed around the scene of the scuffle.

[solilac]

The weight of the tarot card’s predictions only seemed to get heavier as the night wore on. She tried to shake it off, tried to tell herself it was ridiculous to give any weight to a stranger’s words and the cold prophecy of a deck of cards.

Her friends tried to reassure her with the same sentiments, offering platitudes in the shape of dismissal. “Not real,” they pressed. “Just a silly party trick.”

The impending sense of disaster was no party trick though. Imagined or otherwise, it was hard to find comfort in a crowd of people wearing costumes and masks to conceal them. Potential was held in every purge mask and painted skull face, her relief short-lived when the voice behind the mask didn’t match the one in her mind.

Finding refuge from the larger crowd in one of the gaudily decorated homes hardly erased the tension, but Isla found she could lower her guard at least a little with fewer people milling about. Resting her feet sounded nice too, the three of them piling onto a couch not made to hold more than two.

Alana, the drunkest of the trio, made for a good distraction at least. She insisted on making friends with everyone she could get to pay her more than a few seconds attention, her latest target a girl cuddled across the coffee table from them.

“You’re so pretty,” she was slurring, swaying in her seat. “I love your costume, what are you?”

The girl, blushing vibrantly enough to rival the makeup dusted across Isla’s face, offered a sheepish smile. “Oh, I didn’t dress up. I just live here.”

Never one to be deterred, Alana coughed around a bubble of a laugh. Whatever she meant to say was lost in an ominous gurgle in her throat though, one palm rising to contain the sound. “Ew.”

Exchanging knowing glances over Alana’s head, Isla and Sophia sprung into action before anyone’s shoes could be ruined by another giggle from their friend. “You call the uber, I’ll get her to the bathroom,” Sophia said quickly, already halfway to the stairs. “Comin’ in hot and nauseous,” she called up the stairs, to which several pairs of feet scurried out of their way.

She remembered too late that Sophia was the one with their phones, having confiscated them after seeing Alana pocketing hers in the only space she had available on her costume – her bra. Isla had relinquished hers out of convenience, though it wasn’t feeling particularly convenient at the moment.

Her phone would quickly cease to be her only worry when a pair of feet followed her across the room to the stairs. “Sorry,” she offered, making to move out of the way of her pursuer’s path.

She’d never hated her name more than when it was uttered in the one voice she’d hoped she wouldn’t have to hear again. “Isla!” Kody chirped in sluggish happiness, his legs looking a little unsteady under him.

Struggling to arrange her features into something pleasant, she offered a weak smile over her shoulder at him. This was certainly no party trick, despite what her friends had said earlier about her reading. This was real and right in front of her, and despite the dread that had shadowed her, she found herself mired in an old, familiar fear. She was alone with the only real bogeyman she’d been afraid of in a crowd of them.

Whatever platitudes she meant to offer him went unheard, Kody sloshing with some friendly attempt at catching up in the shocked silence that accompanied his greeting.

It was all she could do to return the sentiment, agreeing that indeed it had been too long since they talked. She couldn’t quite tell him that she would’ve preferred it to have been much, much longer, though she certainly wished to.

“What’re you doin’ here anyway?”

Trying to force a smile again, she just shook her head. “I’m actually here with my friends, they’re just upstairs. Sorry, but I really gotta get back to them. Nice to see you, though.”

That same look she’d seen that day in the courtyard of the Commons slammed down over his features, his reactions not tempered like they had been that day so long ago. “Your friends are fine,” he insisted. “Talk to me for a bit, I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Suddenly all too aware that whatever restraint he might’ve had back then was surely lost in his drunkenness, she scrambled to diffuse that spark of anger she’d struck in him. “Sorry, but I have to call an uber, Kody. My friend isn’t feeling well-” she began, only to stumble back from him when he lurched forward. His arms bracketed her as he tipped forward, her routes of escape closing quickly.

“I said, talk to me,” he uttered lowly, the syllables all bleeding together. “You never talk to me, it’s always someone else you gotta see.”

Pinned now between the kitchen island and his body, a strange sense of calm came over her. Like prey fixed squarely in the sights of a predator, her panic gave way under the weight of her fear. There was no Mr. Rodiek to intervene, and no one else was paying them an ounce of attention. Her options were gone. All she had room left for was fight or flight, and the former seemed to be the only thing he’d be swayed by.

“Enough, Kody,” she hissed, and the expression on his face quickly became surprise. In some distant part of her, she found herself just as surprised at the sudden venom in her voice as he was. “I don’t want to talk. I haven’t wanted to talk, and I’m not going to want to talk. Ever. Let me go.”

For a moment, she thought she might’ve gotten through to him, beer soaked brain and all. He stared down at her like he’d forgotten who she was, his eyebrows knitting together like he couldn’t quite comprehend the words coming out of her mouth.

Then Kody came back, a steely sort of emptiness replacing his surprise. “You fuckin’ bitch, you can’t just say shit like that. Girls like you never give nice guys a shot, always running off to...” he began, dropping the thought as fast as it had come out of his mouth. “C’mon, we’re going.”

His grip on her arm was bruising as he tugged her after him, marching with sudden purpose to the front door. Either he wasn’t as drunk as he’d been letting on, or that spark of anger from before had simply vaporized what was left of his buzz. Now it was all cold purpose, Kody entirely ignoring the resistant tugs on his arm from Isla.

“No, stop!” she called, attracting some attention finally from other partiers. As she was pulled through the door though, it wasn’t anyone inside that came to her aid. A familiar face had been passing by just as Kody wrenched her onto the front step to hiss more poison at her, and it was them that stepped in.

[solilac]

hii~

i just wanted to throw a little psa out there into the universe because my next few story posts are going to be heavy. i'm tagging everything with my usual "legacy:carter" tag, as well as "tw" and "cw" but I just wanted to give a little forewarning so no one is caught off guard. just wanted to make sure everyone is safe and comfy. c:

-mei

[solilac]

yusuf kaya

[solilac]

here is emery whitman c:

[solilac]

The day of the Halloween party was nothing short of hectic. Between making the two hour long drive from Britechester, finding a replacement wig for Sophia after an amazon order went awry, and realizing Isla had forgotten the boots she meant to wear with her costume, they managed to visit the same Target three times that day. 

Somehow the three of them managed to make it in one piece to the venue, a normally unassuming cul-de-sac decorated to the nines by one of the reigning sororities at Sophia’s school. Dressed in matching shades of red and black, the three of them took full advantage of the photobooth set up in the driveway of one of the houses. 

As Isla was thrilled to find out when she spotted the booth mid-picture, there was in fact a tarot card reader. “Focus, dude!” Sophia chirped with a laugh, guiding Isla’s face back toward the camera just in time for both of them to be blinded by the flash. 

Placated for only so long, Isla dragged her friends over to have their cards read at the earliest opportunity. She went first of course, altogether giddy with excitement (and the contents of her drink) she watched as gilded gold cards were shuffled.

Her excitement dimmed only slightly when one card seemingly leapt out of the deck mid-shuffle, gold illustration glinting as it landed next to Isla’s foot. “The tower?” she asked, handing it back to the reader. 

At once, a serious look fell over the face of the tarot reader. “Oh, interesting. That’s usually a negative card, but we’ll see how it fits into your reading.” 

Unfortunately, it fit a little too well. With a reversed King of Cups and an upright Hermit, the reader predicted a sudden situation with someone with bad intentions that would be a test of her inner strength. 

An old name entered her mind for the first time in a while, Isla only half listening to assurances that she had everything she needed to overcome the situation. That name would be in her mind for much longer than she wanted it to be, despite her friend's assurances that nothing would come of it.

[solilac]

Perhaps even more surprising than her undefeated streak in the nightly dorm ping pong sessions, was how little of Kody that Isla saw. As term marched on, he was only an occasional specter in her peripheral vision, always giving her a wide berth and never daring to drift too close.

At a loss, she could only chalk it up to Kody being adequately spooked by the accusatory glares sent his way by Isla’s friends. Administration certainly hadn’t done anything to dissuade him, so she could only assume it was the attitudes of those around her, and their coursework diverging as he began to pursue an engineering degree.

In a way, his distance was just as uncomfortable as his closeness had been. When he’d been her shadow the year previous, at least she always had a read on him. She knew where the danger was at all times, because it was usually somewhere in her personal space. With him distant though, she didn’t know what to expect. Had his interest truly waned, or was he perhaps biding him time?

Even those worries began to wane as time went on though. As one term turned into another, and the air began to nip sharply with the chill of coming autumn, Kody ceased to feel like the threat he once had. Now existing as a mere passing thought, Kody slipped from her radar entirely.

Better things swept in to take his place. She was enjoying Art Club more and more, her easel making a permanent home in one corner of her dorm room. She’d even taken an art class as an elective, which had been stressful in its own right, but also a welcome breather from her more book heavy Communications courses.

She’d even found time to make some questionable young adult choices, like deciding to attend a block party in another city. It was actually being thrown by attendants of Sophia’s university, who had been the one to invite her. While initially hesitant, Sophia had tempted her with promises of cute costumes, free drinks, and a possible tarot card reader.

Ever swayed by Sophia’s ideas of a good time, Isla had agreed to go and immediately began swapping costume ideas plucked from various Pinterest boards. For all her comical grumbling, Isla was truly excited.

[solilac]

no really, this girl is a ping pong addict

[solilac]

Cai Bevans

[solilac]

unfortunately, sometimes you have to take time away from your nightly ping pong tournaments to get some actual work done

[solilac]

ramen for breakfast is the opposite of a bad choice 👍