#I’ve been a boober for almost 2 years now

[monsterbananatv]

I’m totally normal about this… yup, definitely not crying, nope not at all, why would you even think that?

[katrinawritesthings]

Junghee/Taeyeon; Fucktown Academy (Part 4/4): PG

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“Are you ever going to tell me why you’re in here?” Junghee asks lazily. “It’s chill if you don’t want to.” She shrugs. Taeyeon shrugs back.

“You say that like you’ve ever asked me,” she says.

1-2-3-4

“You got it?”

“I got it.”

“Okay.” Taeyeon leaves Junghee to her wiggling at the edge of the pool roof and walks to her usual spot, sitting down at the back corner and letting her feet dangle over the edge, bag safe behind her. Junghee clambers on eventually with lots of little noises of exertion and then comes to sit next to her. Taeyeon gestures blandly at their view: the backs of the bleachers, the football field, the mountains behind it, the sky above it all. Junghee nods just as blandly.

“Pretty,” she says. She points down to the field where the football team is busy with practise. “What happens if they see us?” she asks. Taeyeon shrugs.

“We hop off right here,” she says, pointing with her thumb to the edge of the roof on her other side. “Creep through the bushes, hop the wall, nut in front of the prep dorms, knock over their shitty garden gnomes, hop over the other wall, and then either hide in the library and pretend we were there the whole time or keep running along the path to the observatory. They usually give up by then.” She shrugs and leans back on her hands. Simple.

“Mmhmm,” Junghee says. “And you’re not in here for resisting authority and parkouring across the school grounds?” she asks.

“No,” Taeyeon says. The sun is just starting to set behind the mountains so she closes her eyes so it doesn’t shine in them. They’re up here because Junghee was pouting about being a space gay and wanting to see the stars, so Taeyeon took her to the best roof of the school for stargazing. They’re a little early for it but that just means that they’ll have time to settle in and get comfortable before the giant burning balls of gas in the sky start showing up. “You were telling me about social justice class?” she asks, slipping her arm around Junghee’s shoulders and her hand into her undercut. Junghee nods, leaning her head against Taeyeon’s comfortably.

“Yeah, so,” she says, “I told him that I didn’t want to sit there and have a “debate” about queer shit because it would just turn into me finding out which students in that class, you know, hated me, and that for the topic he was proposing there was no debate because there’s the side that’s saying ‘we just want to exist and have rights’ and there’s the side that’s saying ‘we’d rather you were dead,’ like, that’s it, there is no grey area, there is no nuance, that’s literally, it, right.

“And I told him that I was getting real tired of his whole neutral preachy bullshit where he’d act like it’s possible to just ‘not pick a side’ like refusing to stand with the oppressed doesn’t automatically make you one of their oppressors. And I told him that as a giant fucking queer, my opinion was vastly more important than his on this topic and that he should, you know, listen to me maybe? As someone that knows what the fuck she’s talking about?

“But he was like, ‘why do you think your opinion is more valid than mine or queerphobe mcfuck student boy over here that just admitted that he’d like to see you locked up for your identity? We’re all equals and deserve equal opportunity to speak,’ and. Oh my fucking gosh, I swear to fuck, I’d been doing so so so good all semester, I was starting junior year off right, I’d been calm and polite and really managing my anger really well, but I fucking. Snapped, my dude.

“Like all I wanted was to sit out for this one discussion but he made it a whole big fucking thing like I was being the ignorant one, and then the whole period was just us two arguing with each other in front of the entire class, which was honestly, pretty rad, but, anyway. I got expelled for cussing out the social justice teacher, and then my parents figured that if I couldn’t even get along with a justice teacher then, like, what the fuck, and so. Now I’m here.”

Taeyeon watches the football team run through drills at one end of the field, back and forth, back and forth. They look almost like ants from up here, which is an incredibly disturbing thought. She hates ants.

She also hates Junghee’s justice teacher, from the sound of him. Like, fuck. What the fuck. She squeezes Junghee closer to her and rubs her thumb slowly over the undercut just behind her ear. She’s found out that Junghee likes to be touched there the most so she’s taken to making that her default position.

“Tae?” Junghee says. Taeyeon watches a bird fly over the football field before she answers.

“What?” she asks. “They’re not gonna see us, don’t worry.” She gestures lazily at the team with her free hand. They never look up here anyway. And even if they did, they’d only really be in trouble if the coach saw them, so. Whatever. “What next?” she prompts.

“Uh--nothing,” Junghee says blankly. “I just--I’m done.” She sounds like she's frowning so Taeyeon turns to confirm and yeah, she’s frowning. Taeyeon blinks back at her, confused.

“Done?” she asks. “Done with what?” She thinks back to what Junghee said last. Justice teacher, big argument, her parents, what the fuck, and so now she’s here.

“With my life st--”

“OH,” Taeyeon says loudly. Oh. Oh oh oh. Fuck. Now she’s here, like, here, at this school, here, on top of the pool, here, with Taeyeon. Oh. “Yeah, sorry,” she mumbles, embarrassed. “I didn’t really. Process that part.” She shrugs. Junghee is smiling now, a little quirk of her lips, and she reaches up to brush Taeyeon’s hair out of her face. Taeyeon leans away from the touch, but shakes her hair out of her eyes and lets Junghee rest her hand on her shoulder. “Oh,” she says again.

“You’re cute,” Junghee smiles. Taeyeon nuzzles her wrist and drops a little kiss there.

“Thanks,” she says. Junghee slips her arm down around Taeyeon’s waist and snuggles more into her.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you’re in here?” she asks lazily. “It’s chill if you don’t want to.” She shrugs. Taeyeon shrugs back.

“You say that like you’ve ever asked me,” she says.

“I have asked you!” Junghee sputters and leans away from Taeyeon to look at her, holding her hands up incredulously as she makes a lot of little breathy noises. “I’ve asked you, like, a billion times.” Taeyeon looks blandly back. Not really.

“You’ve asked me if I was in here for a bunch of different specific reasons,” she says. “You never just asked me why.”

“Oh my gosh,” Junghee mutters. She puts her face in her hands and shakes her head. “Oh my fucking gosh.” The most amused smile fuzzes Taeyeon up on the inside so much that it almost shows on her outside too. She likes Junghee a whole lot. Junghee flops on her shoulder, flops further to sigh deeply into her lap. Then she grips tightly to Taeyeon’s hand as she wiggles around on the roof to get comfortable on her back with her head on Taeyeon’s thigh. She looks up and squishes Taeyeon’s cheeks with a tiny pout. “Okay,” she says. “Why are you in here?” she asks.

Taeyeon lifts her hands to Junghee’s wrists, to her hands, to lace their fingers together and press her lips against Junghee’s knuckles.

“I just go here,” she says. Junghee blinks up at her.

“You just… go here?”

“Yeah.”

“For no reason.”

“Yeah.”

“Like you just. Are enrolled in this school… just because. And not because you were kicked out of anywhere else.”

“Mmhmm.”

“What?”

“This is just some regular ass fancy private school,” Taeyeon says. She lets Junghee’s hands drop and leans back to watch a moth flutter across the darkening sky lazily. “Like, yeah, it has a reputation for taking in all the rulebreaking kids, but it’s not, like. An actual disciplinary school or anything.” She gestures vaguely towards the town. “My parents live in the city with my bro and his wifey but they had a baby and, like, I’m not dealing with that shit, so. I’ve been here since sixth grade.”

“Holy shit,” Junghee whispers. She’s holding her boobers in shock as she stares up at Taeyeon. It’s pretty cute. Taeyeon paps her hands before leaning back to look up. Still too bright for the stars. Oh well. She always likes just staring at the sky anyway. It’s soothing. Especially on nights like these, where it’s just all one big clear gradient of deep blue color that she can pretend surrounds her completely.

She can’t exactly get her hand on Junghee’s undercut with her head in her lap, so she just stims with her spiky nails instead. She went and cut one on each hand the other day so she could have double the tingly feelies. It’s been her best idea all month. Junghee shifts in her lap to nuzzle closer. She takes one of Taeyeon’s wrists, holds her hand in both of hers, nibbles on one of her knuckles. Taeyeon wiggles it free and then gives Junghee the pad of her pinky to nibble instead.

It’s nice, to just sit here quietly with Junghee. She doesn’t think they’ve done this since they met two and a half months ago, besides the few times they’ve made out. She likes Junghee’s voice, but this this silence is nice too, in a change-of-pace kind of way. It’s comfortable to let her mind stray and wander and know that Junghee’s is doing the same and know that they’re doing it together.

“Hey, um. Tae?” Junghee’s soft hand paps her cheek gently. Taeyeon blinks slowly up at the sky. She can’t say that she’s surprised.

“Yeah?” she asks. Junghee cups her jaw and rubs her thumb over her cheek so she laces her fingers with Junghee’s other hand to show that she’s paying attention. Junghee squeezes her hand and takes a shaky little breath.

“Not to, like, admit that I can’t shut up for five minutes or anything,” Junghee says, “but if I’m not doing something, like, constantly, then my depression kinda. Invades my brain and fills my mind with bad shit and doesn’t let me think about anything else and tips me into a spiral and eventual breakdown.” She says all of that very quickly and her hand squeezes Taeyeon’s in a staccato rhythm. Taeyeon looks down at her and runs her finger lightly over her temple, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. That makes sense.

“Okay,” she says quietly. “What do you wanna talk about?” She can make conversation to keep Junghee’s goblin brain at bay. Junghee shrugs, pouting against her palm.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I didn’t have a plan for after my life story. No one’s ever actually listened to the whole thing before.” Somehow Taeyeon doesn’t disbelieve that.

“Because they lost interest or because you always got expelled again before you finished?” she asks. Junghee nips her finger a little harder than usual.

“Some of both,” she grumbles. Taeyeon feels another smile almost move from her inside to her outside. “What’s your special interest?” Junghee asks her then. That has Taeyeon’s eyebrows lifting into her bangs. Oh. Ooh. She can definitely talk about those.

She reaches behind her to rustle in her bag for the first edition of her weekly comics. She likes to carry it around with her so she can reread it if she ever feels like it while she’s out doing some mild trespassing. Her favorite issue is in there too, as well as the newest one, but Junghee should start at the beginning. Finding it quickly, she rubs her thumb over the cover, flips through all of the pages, and then hands it over.

“Also,” she says as Junghee takes it with a soft noise of interest. “Prehistoric plants, and you know that movie Happy Feet?”

“The queer penguin one, yeah,” Junghee says.

“The queer autistic penguin,” Taeyeon corrects her. Junghee looks up at her, looks at the sky, scrunches her face to think for a moment, and then nods with a shrug.

“Hey, you’re right,” she says thoughtfully. Taeyeon nods. She knows she’s right.

“Also Mothman,” she adds. She fucking. Loves Mothman. Junghee snorts, giggles, hides them badly behind the comic book. Her eyes scrunch up into little crescents above it. Taeyeon puts her hand on Junghee’s forehead and jiggles her gently. She can judge Taeyeon if she wants but Mothman is a lesbian and one day Taeyeon is going to find her and fuck her, and that’s a fact.

Junghee keeps giggling quietly as she lowers the comic book again and opens it to the first page. Taeyeon holds her bicep and taps her fingers on it quickly, excited for Junghee to read.

“Will you tell me when the stars start coming out?” Junghee asks, glancing up at her. Taeyeon nods. With the sun sinking behind the mountains now it won’t be long. Junghee smiles warmly up at her. “You can tell me about Mothman when it’s too dark to read,” she says. “Or if you don’t feel like talking a lot I can point at all of the stars and tell you which ones are you and which ones are me.”

Something soft fuzzes up inside of Taeyeon after Junghee says that. Soft and warm and gentle. It’s not romantic love, but it’s something close. Fondness, she thinks. Affection. Enamoration? She’s not sure if that’s a real word. Or a real emotion. She’ll look it up later. Now, she gently taps the comic book down so she can cup Junghee’s face and rub her thumb over her cheek, then over her lips softly. Junghee automatically sits halfway up and leans close, eyes sliding shut.

Taeyeon hadn’t meant for her think she wanted to kiss, but she presses a soft one to her lips anyway before letting her lie back down.

“I’m glad you got suspended twenty-nine times and expelled eighteen times,” she murmurs. “I’m glad you came to this school.” She’s glad that they’re here on the roof together. She’s glad to have Junghee in her lap. She's glad to have someone that she likes want to spend time with her and compare her to the stars. “I’m glad that I got to meet you.”

Under her thumb, Junghee’s teeth press deep into her bottom lip. Under her palm her cheeks flush a warm red. Taeyeon feels the top of the comic book bump her wrist; lifting her hand, she watches as Junghee lifts it up to cover her whole face.

“Oh my fucking gosh,” Junghee whispers. She lowers the comic book, closes it, places it gently on the roof, and then turns in Taeyeon’s lap. She presses her face into Taeyeon’s stomach and wraps her arms around her waist, squeezing her tight. “I love you too,” she breathes.

Taeyeon pats her head, mildly bemused. That’s not really the message she was going for but Junghee isn’t really wrong, either. It’s just her way of saying the same thing. She paps Junghee, scritches her undercut, runs her fingers through her long ponytail lazily while Junghee squeezes her and mumbles soft gay words into her hoodie. Nothing she says is understandable to Taeyeon, but that’s okay too. She can ask for a repeat monologue later. For now, she leans back on one hand and stares up at the sky. Junghee’s little mumbles keep her occupied until the first star appears.

[tanmath3-blog]

My next victim is Brian Minekime. He is a great guy and really is passionate about his writing, art and life in general. He is always glad to help a fellow writer or a friend in need. Being supportive comes easy for him and he is always very genuine. That is a trait I have always admired about him.  Having had several opportunities to beta read for him is always fun and always a great story. He has a lot of talent and you really want to read his stories! They have never disappointed me. He has a wonderfully creative mind. Recently he painted some gourds and they are beautiful. He is a man of many talents! The quote that follows is one of my favorites that an author has shared. Please help me welcome Brian Minekime to Roadie Notes…….

    I think the most important thing I can say about myself is that I work my butt off-putting my heart and soul into my writing or my art when I’m doing that. I don’t do it for fame or fortune and continuing has come at great personal sacrifice along the way. Some days I think I should just call it quits and get a “normal” job, basically give up, then a new idea renews the creative spark and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I only hope that anyone out there reading this enjoys my work. I promise I’ll keep writing it as long as you keep reading it!! 

    1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story?

I got a late start. When I was young I didn’t have the patience or focus to be able to write though I tried. I don’t count anything until around ’07 or ’08 when I was 35-ish I began writing a few stories. I didn’t get serious about it until 2012 when I decided I was either going to try to fail or create something worthwhile… I’ve been writing practically non-stop since.

2. How many books have you written?

I honestly haven’t kept count but I’d guess I’ve written at least 40 to 50 short stories, flash fiction, novellas and one novel (not yet published). My short story “Hell Awaits” was my first published story in Kill For A Copy from Dark Chapter Press. Then a flash fiction piece (1000 word story), Tamed Brute, was published in the eBook Flashes of Darkness: Halloween Special 2015 and lastly my short story, “The Bones of Baby Dolls”, was published in KIDS: Volume I from Dark Chapter Press. Most of what I’ve written are short stories and novellas but I do have my first novel written (which won the Dark Chapter Press 2016 Prize – a novel-writing contest), another novel approximately half done but another is bursting to come out so I’ll be starting on that very soon probably in the next couple of weeks. I have it plotted out as much as I ever do which isn’t much so getting it started is the next step but I have some other things to clear off my plate first.

3. Anything you won’t write about?

I don’t really find anything is off-limits depending on the setting though I can’t see myself writing about pedophilia from the predator’s point of view. My novelette Harvester of Sorrow (available FREE!) is about an abused altar boy getting his brutal revenge and the first short story, The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance, I ever posted on my website is about a child molester/murder being punished in hell but neither glorifies the molester, quite the opposite. That’s one of the things I love about horror is that there are no real taboos. My job as a horror writer is to take a reader where he/she wouldn’t go otherwise but for me there are shoes I don’t want to walk the proverbial mile in. When I write a character I am that character experiencing what they experience so rape and molestation are things I stay away from for the most part but again it all depends on context.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc...

To me age is just a number, I’m 44 but it’s only what you make of it. I really don’t think of it much unless it’s my birthday. I’m single now and in kind of “it’s complicated” relationship. I have a 22-year-old son who most mistake for my little brother when we’re out together. I did a fine job of turning him into a comic, horror and metal lover who also dabbles in some writing and music so I hope he finds his own success with his art. Creating has become the all-consuming beast in my life whether I’m writing or creating art. I started my website in 2014 (originally with a partner) to have an outlet for my writing which was getting rejected all over the place then it blossomed to also doing movie reviews and metal album reviews as well as some other fun stuff. I’ve slowed it down this year to concentrate more on my writing career.

5. What’s your favorite book you have written?

I’m all about whatever I’m working on currently. I like to think I improve with each new story though admittedly some can be duds, it happens. Ironically I’m currently re-editing the first real story I wrote back in 2012 which ended up as a novella at just under novel length with about 35k words. I had proofed and edited this story a couple of times but it’s amazing how much I’ve learned about writing and editing since then making for a much slower process than I originally anticipated. With any luck folks will get to read it soon though I can’t reveal the title because I plan on changing it but the working title is “Impending Doom.” It’s about a banker who wakes to his worst nightmare which only gets worse as it goes along with a few twists along the way. It might be important to note that I worked in the financial sector for about 15 years so the inspiration is a little obvious perhaps.

6. Who or what inspired you to write?

I could give you a laundry list of writers I admire but they weren’t the spark that got me in front of the keyboard. I was an avid reader for years devouring books but often finishing a book thinking “I could do better than that” and after a long run of books I read that I literally hated the ending of I decided it was time to put up or shut up. It took me about a week of thinking what I wanted to do then I sat down and began. I haven’t looked back since. So to answer the question, what inspired me to write were bad, uninspired and predictable stories. I didn’t start writing with delusions of grandeur but rather just to see if I could. People seem to like it so I think I’ll keep at it.

7. What do you like to do for fun?

Drink beer, watch hockey or UFC and eat chicken wings – real wings can only be found in Western New York! I also love watching movies especially horror obviously. Also if you can keep a secret *peeks around to make sure no one’s eavesdropping* when I’m completely alone I like to crank up some metal, head bang and sing along (generally poorly). Shhh, that’ll be our little secret.

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book?

I do but nothing anyone would probably even notice. I almost always finish with a flurry generally after an extraordinarily long writing session. I get excited when the end is within sight so 12-24 hour writing sessions are pretty much the norm when I’m near the end. Once I finish I lean back put my hands behind my head and try to take a deep breath, kind of basking in the accomplishment. In a sense patting myself on the back then I usually crawl into bed and pass out from exhaustion. Not much of a tradition but a tradition nonetheless.

9. Where do you write? Quite or music?

I write almost exclusively at my desk but occasionally I’ll sit in my TV chair which is more comfortable if I’m going to be writing for several hours. As for music, well, I couldn’t write without it. I have different playlists depending on what I’m writing but generally I listen to doom metal almost exclusively. Doom is very powerful, emotional music which helps put my mind in the right space to write. If I’m writing some action I might play some Slayer or something fast but it’s usually brief. A couple of albums I always listen to for a story of any real length are Kongh – Sole Creation, Pallbearer – Sorrow & Extinction and my personal favorite YOB’s Clearing The Path To Ascend. Music has gotten me through the worst times in my life so every tale I write shares a title with the music that inspired the idea. It’s my way of paying respect to something that has given me so much through my life. The only rule I have in that regard is that my story and the song must have different subject matter which is generally not any problem.

10. Anything you would change about your writing?

I don’t think I’d necessarily change anything but I do strive to take what I’ve learned to make the next one better. I make fewer typo mistakes than when I started which makes proofreading quicker and I’ve edited enough of my own work and others to recognize subtle errors I used to miss like redundancy. The only major thing I’d like to add, not necessarily change, is more complexity. I believe in working your way up to things and what I’m building toward is an epic trilogy that’s been rolling around in my head for years. I don’t think I’m a good enough writer to pull it off yet but I’m getting there.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer?

I have no dreams about being rich and famous, if it happens it isn’t something I have much control over. My dreams are far more humble. I’d like a nice comfortable life that I can enjoy. No longer worrying about where I’ll live tomorrow or what I might have to eat. I’m a simple man with no extravagant taste. A small house with a small yard, a couple of dogs & cats and Satan willing even a good woman by my side. That’s all I really want, a nice quiet life and to continue writing until the day I die.

12. Where do you live?

Right now I live in the middle of nowhere in the country about one hour south of Buffalo, NY just above the Pennsylvania state line. It’s nice and quiet here but who knows where I’ll be tomorrow.

13. Pets?

Currently I’ve been adopted by a 13-year-old cat named Corky though he responds better to Boobers, don’t ask me why bc I don’t know. He enjoys disrupting my writing process by trying to lay on my lap while I sit at my desk that’s when he isn’t outside trying (but failing) to catch chipmunks.

14. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The rush I get when I get a killer idea or when I’m on a roll and my fingers can’t keep up with the story. Athletes call it being “in the zone” but for a writer it’s when you breeze through a few thousand words in just an hour or two. I’ve spent days “in the zone” and I’ve spent weeks or even months waiting to be. Much like a surfer you just have to ride the wave as far as it’ll take you then paddle your ass off to catch the next one.

15. What is coming next for you?

I really wish I knew but I do have tons I’m waiting for an answer on. First off, I’m one of 14 finalists competing in “The Next Great Horror Writer Contest” through HorrorAddicts. The grand prize is a book contract with Crystal Lake Publishing! The contest involves numerous writing challenges until the winner is announced in October. You can keep up with my progress simply by listening to their podcast. Then my (not so) short story “Cold Heart, Cold Soul” has been accepted by Stitched Smile Publications for a Seven Deadly Sins anthology with a tentative release set for late this year, sometime between October and December if all goes well. Stitched Smile also posted a short story I wrote for fun, Smoke & Stone, just a few days ago if you want to read the last thing I wrote. It was completely written in one day so don’t judge it too harshly. Aside from that I currently have six short stories and novellas pending approval with various publishers. My goal for this year was to submit, submit and submit some more so to that end I have a list of over a dozen anthos I plan on submitting work for as well as the novella I’m re-editing currently and the novel itching to get out of my head. It should be an exciting year for me so all I can really say is “like” my Facebook page where I post updates as I receive them. I should hear about some soon but you never really know in this business. All I can guarantee is that I’ll be pumping out the horror this year including some fun ones like a Mrs. Claus anthology! I’ll be posting updates as often as possible on my website, Thy Demons Be Scribblin, where you can also find a ton of short stories I’ve posted over the last couple of years.

  Feind on the web:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01AH12BVM?ref_=pe_584750_33951330 Website: http://www.thydemonsbescribblin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeindGotteshorrorwriter/ Twitter: @FiendGottes Tumblr: Feind Gottes

  Some of Brian Minekime’s books:

  Getting personal with Brian Minekime My next victim is Brian Minekime. He is a great guy and really is passionate about his writing, art and life in general.