#Now just one unhinged celebrity has to accuse her of being ‘bad’

[number1hoaxstan]

Taylor is still in her reputation era (people are mad at her for things that don’t make sense)

[batboyblog]

Less than 60 days out from the election, how do you think we’re doing, considering the recent debate and Taylor Swift unleashing the Swifties?

I'll start this by saying we're with-in the margin of effort, if either side really puts their backs into it, and pushes and shows up, volunteers in big numbers and turns out voters it could go either way.

So having said that, I feel good, right now the national polls are close, but all show Harris ahead. The swing state polls likewise are close but mostly show tied or leaning to Harris. On top of which Senate Democrats (and the candidate for Governor in NC) are running far ahead of her in polling, I hope thats a sign that late undecideds will break Democrat, they often do break toward the incumbent.

On the debate, I'm often skeptical that debates shift things. That said I think anyone watching would say that debate is pretty unique in the history of Presidential debates. The media has been working very hard to uh "sane wash" Trump and what he says. That debate was an unfiltered view of Trump. I'm frankly shocked he brought up the pet eating, the right has been meming about it but I thought he'd only say some dogwhistle to it not just straight up say some of the most racist shit imaginable on live TV. The bar for Trump was very low and he still failed totally to meet it. Likewise Harris had a high bar and met it, she was claim, she was professional, she came across as ready and smart while also serving as the audience surrogate to let us all know "yeah this is as crazy as you think it is"

just briefly here the attack on Haitian Americans is crazy, and racist, and the whole "the immigrants are eating dogs" goes back 100+ years, I've read people accusing NYC Jews in the early 1900s of kidnapping and eating neighborhood cats and dogs. But also its politically crazy too since Florida where Trump and Republican Senator Rick Scott have both been slipping in the polls as America's largest ethnic Haitian community, just over 500,000 or roughly 2% of the state, so great plan to call them pet stealing and eating monsters just before an election.

The other factor is the Laura Loomer. If anyone doesn't know who she is click that link and enjoy, but basically she's a white nationalist and Islamophobe (that's according to her) and the person extreme far right Republicans point to as proof that they're not "that bad" any ways, Loomer seems to have been with Trump, on his plane the day of the debate and every day since, and Republicans are wigging out

MTG, and any number of Trump super supporters are sounding off about how much they don't like this, and the internet is "joking" that Trump and Loomer are sleeping together. Together with his unhinged debate being connected with one of the worst people in American politics might cause serious problems. In any case a campaign of just alt-right memes is not gonna win most Americans.

On TSwift, I mean the data I've seen showed a really big jump in people exploring registering to vote after her message which is good. I'm again skeptical about how much of an impact she'll have? celebrities in general don't have that big of an impact, basically 90% of famous people are Democrats/liberal, but their fans don't always go along, don't get me wrong I'm happy she endorsed I just am unsure how big an impact it'll end up having.

So to repeat what I said at the top, we're in the margin of effort, if everyone who doesn't want Trump volunteers and puts in the work Harris will win, so

VOLUNTEER

[lubdubsworld]

Bird Bones

Chapter 1  /  Chapter 2  / Chapter 3/ Chapter 4

Chapter 5

“So, did you guys think about it?” Seokjin asked casually, watching me struggle back into my shoes after getting down from the examination table. He looked a little nervous as he stared at me and I bit my lips.

“I haven’t seen Jungkook in a while. He’s gone to Seoul with Hoseok for their dance showcase.” I said hesitantly. The last few weeks had been hectic, with Hoseok preparing for the showcase and me having to tell the administration I was pregnant. Surprisingly, most of my professors were kind about it, agreeing to share notes with me personally on days when I had to miss classes. I would miss out on a few lab credits because they coincided pretty closely with my due date but that was a whole six months away and I didn’t want to worry about it right now. 

Seokjin hummed in response and waited till I was sitting down in front of him before leveling a look at me. 

“I see and ….he would have to agree too...because?” Seokjin asked pointedly, and I flinched. 

 It was a loaded question, one that made my throat dry. 

We weren’t married. There was zero reason to have his approval to put the baby up for adoption. 

With Jungkook out of town , his parents had contacted me again about the NDA. I’d told them to sort it out with their son first before approaching me again , but I knew they were getting nervous. Jungkook was making it clear that he was sticking around and it was making everyone nervous.

Including me. 

“Its not... I’m not going to say no if he says no or anything like that. It’s just ... he asked me to keep him in the loop that’s it.” I protested. 

“I’m not saying anything.” He held his hands up. “ Just ....remember who he is, yeah? He’s not.... He’s not for you.”

It was hard to forget , I thought miserably, what with everyone throwing it at my face every day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I continued to stay at Hoseok’s place while he was at the showcase. It was better than the dorm for sure and I knew that it only made people resent me more. As a professor in my college, Hoseok had a lot of perks and most of my peers thought i was enjoying them in exchange for sleeping with him.

On the weekend before he was due to come back home, Hoseok called me from his hotel room.

“How are you holding up?” He asked casually and I could hear voices in the background. I wanted to ask him about Jungkook but I didn’t.

“I’m fine. I got my check up and Seokjin oppa told me we could fix a date to meet Yoongi and Namjoon.” I said softly, settling into the comfortable couch and tugging on the phone line. 

“Hmm.... fair enough. I’ll let Jungkook know. He’s out with Sana tonight so-”

“Sana?” I felt my breath catch in surprise. 

“Oh, yeah. she tagged along....you didn’t know?” Hoseok said casually and I gulped.

“Uh...no.. I mean ...whatever...they’re....she’s his girlfriend, right...” I laughed, sounding incredibly hollow to my own ears. Hoseok would see right through it.

“Fiancee.” He said curtly.

“What?”

“She isn’t just a girlfriend. She’s his fiancee...he proposed to her last year on the Han river with a hundred grand ring.....” His tone was dry and emotionless and yet each word cut to the bone. I couldn’t fucking breathe.

“You’re....you’re trying to hurt me.” I accused hoarsely.

He growled.

“No, I’m fucking pissed that this thing , this fact that Jungkook is engaged to Sana has been true for a whole damn year and yet all of a sudden it fucking hurts you because you’re letting your emotions get the better of you... Have I not taught you anything, Dasom?” 

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down, my breathing ragged. He was right. He was absolutely right but it stung because Jungkook was.... Jungkook was so kind. So ridiculously endearing with his childlike amazement, his adorable possessiveness over me and yet somehow  so non judgmental and so eager to be a part of the baby’s life and how on earth could I not like someone who only seemed to want to care for me?? 

And he was wrong. 

I wasn’t an idiot. I had no intention of building castles in the air, dreaming of a happily ever after with someone like Jungkook. I would get through this and things would go back to the way they were. 

Just me and.... well Just me. Alone. By myself. The way it has always been.  

I took a deep shuddering breath. I wasn’t up to explaining all this to Hoseok. Not tonight when he was clearly angry. 

“I hope the showcase goes well, oppa.” I whispered, hanging up before he could respond. The phone rang a second later and I left it off the hook after disconnecting it.. 

I sat there for a long time, staring into the darkness. I had to talk to Jungkook as soon as he got back. We needed a game plan. A clear end to this thing between us. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hoseok oppa thinks we should meet Yoongi and Namjoon this weekend. “ I said casually, watching Jungkook closely as he sipped his iced tea. He stopped for a second, eyes widening before landing on mine.

It was a late Sunday afternoon and he had agreed to meet me for coffee so we could talk about the dinner. He looked just as good as ever, bright and cheerful. The showcase had gone really well according to Hoseok and Jungkook had gotten offers from a whole bunch of entertainment agencies. 

“So soon?” He asked evenly, grip tightening on the drink. 

I shrugged staring at the long smooth fingers. Somedays i tried to remember that night. I couldn’t imagine us being graceful, having sex while drunk out of our minds . Had he been gentle? Rough? What did he like in bed? I vaguely remembered the finger shaped bruises on my wrists, like someone had gripped them together. 

Staring at his hands now, I wondered how it must’ve felt, being held like that. 

I shook my head to clear it. Nothing good would come from going down that path. 

“I’m thirteen weeks along now...First trimester is over ….there's not a lot of chance to miscarry and-”

“What the fuck why would you say that?” He whisper shouted and I frowned.

“Jungkook....”

“That’s our child you’re talking about! Don’t even say that word!”

I could only stare at him. 

“It’s going to be very difficult for you if you don’t distance yourself from this baby “ I said quietly.  And me. 

Jungkook just stared at me , his eyes blazing. 

“Our baby....  Say it. It’s  our  fucking baby. It’s not just a baby or this baby. It’s ours. We made it. Its’ going to...fucking look like us, and it’s going to get our traits and ….I just don’t understand how you can be so callous about something so amazing and----it’s our baby, Dasom...” He was looking at me in disbelief and I couldn’t take it anymore. 

“No it fucking isn’t!!!” I hissed angrily, my heart beating fast, “  It’s not ours, Jungkook. It’s... it’s not something we should be celebrating..... You and I... we’re a fucking mistake. That night was a fucking mistake and this, this baby is nothing more than an unfortunate soul that’s going to have to share the consequences of our horrendous mistake that night!” I felt tears sting. 

I refused to let his words get to me. To make me feel guilty. Jungkook with his golden life, with his perfectly gorgeous fiancee and his filthy rich parents could afford to wax poetic about the joys of parenting but i couldn’t. 

I was a poor fucking orphan with a mother who had only cared about what was between her legs. I had to fight tooth and nail just to break out of the mould everyone had made for me,. 

“Dasom-”

“No, stop...Just...stop and for once get rid of those rose tinted glasses you have on, and listen to me okay?  We’re going to give the baby up for adoption....He or she is going to be raised by kind, loving parents who can provide a stable happy environment . We’re going to stop talking to each other after that. You’re going to go get married to your Fiancee ….I’m going to go and try and build a life for myself. That’s what’s in our future....Not some utopian universe where we raise this child , taking turns changing diapers and weekends at the fucking zoo!!” I finished bitterly.

“Why do we have to stop talking to each other?” He shot back defiantly and i felt my pulse pound. 

I glared at him and he just kept staring back at me.

“Don’t-” I began but he held his hand up. 

“I told you , I’m not going to do everything my parents ask me to. I’m... I’m trying to build a life for myself too alright? I’m not going to just... I’m not married yet. I’m not married yet.” He repeated and I felt a laugh of disbelief bubble up inside me.

“What the fuck does that even mean? You’re engaged-”

“I was engaged before I was fucking born. “ He snapped, running fingers through his hair in evident frustration. “ Sana and I grew up together. We just...we’ve been told that we'll be together all our lives and its all we have ever known. But that doesn’t mean its too late for us to think about other things...other options...”

“And you’re saying I’m another option? You don’t even like me JeonJungkook-” i laughed in disbelief.

“I think you’re beautiful.” He said softly and I felt my jaw come unhinged. 

What.

 What?

“ I saw you two years ago when you dropped by the practice room to meet Hobi hyung.. I thought you were beautiful then... So wildly uncaring about what others thought and I thought you looked amazing with your long hair and easy smile...I still do.” He was staring right at me and i felt heat creep up my neck. 

I shook my head. 

“I’m not listening to this nonsense.” i said sharply, reaching for my bag from the chair next to me.

“Hyung knows... Its why he’s always telling you not to trust me.... He knows how I feel about you and he doesn’t want the competition...” He sneered and I felt my hackles rise. Jungkook’s jealousy towards Hoseok was the most irrational thing in the whole world and it pissed me off so bad. 

“Now I know you really are full of shit-”

“He’s in love with you. He’s always been in love with you and you’re too caught up in your own self pity to notice that.” He grabbed my wrist when I tried to get up from the chair. “ Sit the fuck down and let me finish.”

“You’re spouting nonsense. I’m not interested in it...” I hissed back and he laughed.

“Nonsense? I’ve never hidden how I felt about you. Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed me watching you , because everyone else has. Why else do you think Sana is so threatened? She knows... She knows I’m attracted to you...Knows that I want-----” He stopped and I knew he was going to say ‘you’ 

‘ Sana knows that I want you’ . 

I stared at him in disbelief. 

But he just barreled on,  completely unbothered by how upset I was. 

“ I want to get to know you better. And fine, even if you don’t want to keep the baby, there is no fucking way I’m going to stop talking to you.... “ He finished. 

I tried to gather my sense which felt like they’d been scattered to the seven winds. 

“Really, you talk about your fiancee so flippantly....but I heard you had a cozy little honeymoon in Seoul during your showcase...what of that?” I hated myself as soon as I said it because it made sound so horribly jealous. 

Jungkook snorted.

“Let me guess, Hobi hyung told you that huh? I bet he conveniently failed to mention that she was attending a different showcase , a whole damn district away? That we only went out for dinner one night and I was back in like an hour?” 

I stared at him, thrown . I felt confused and disoriented, not sure what was happening and why.

This had gone on long enough. 

I could not let this man do this to me. I just couldn’t. 

“Your parents met me again.” i said softly, staring right at him. “ They wanted me to sign the NDA. Did you tell them this? Can you go tell them this? Go break up with your fiancee, tell your daddy you want to date the  girl you knocked up while you were drunk out of your mind. And then, once he disowns you and kicks you out of your house and you have nowhere else to go, come see me. We’ll go out on a date, yeah?” 

 I waited for him to respond but he didn’t. So I stood up. I slung my bag up on my shoulders and stared down at him. 

“I’m meeting them on Saturday. If you want to be there, you can. And regardless of whether you turn up or not...I’m going. I’m giving the baby up for adoption and I’m getting on with my life. ” I said quietly. 

I walked out of the cafe without looking back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoongi sat across from me, hands twisting nervously in his lap while Namjoon poured us some water from the cut class decanter on the table. Next to me, Jungkook looked subdued and upset, eyes darting between the two men on occasion. I hadn’t talked to him after my outburst at the cafe

I peered around the house, an expensive three bedroom flat located in a good neighborhood. It was decorated tastefully and I could tell that even Jungkook was reluctantly impressed by how clean and neat everything looked. I played with the hem of my blouse while Hoseok finished his phone call, not sure what to say or how to start. 

“How are you feeling, Dasom?” Namjoon asked finally, flashing me a smile with deep dimples on either cheeks. 

“I’m doing good. I’m fourteen weeks along now and the nausea has gone down.” 

Yoongi hummed.

“My sister says the first three months are the worst.” He smiled a little and I smiled back, taking in the soft curves of his face and the nervous fingers on the lap. He looked just as terrified as I felt. 

“I’m glad you guys could meet with us. We just want to say that we’re so grateful that you guys even considered us.” Namjoon said in a rush, eyes flooding with warmth as he glanced between me and Jungkook. I felt him stiffen next to me and reached out, curling my fingers around his, pulling him closer. I linked our fingers and squeezed lightly. He squeezed back. 

“We only want what’s best for the baby, right Kook?” I said softly. He looked up at me then and I felt my heart crack at the light sheen I saw there. 

“Yeah...I...I love the baby.” He whispered and I felt a lump in my throat. 

The past few weeks, I had found myself hanging out with him way too much for my liking. For some reason, Sana stopped talking to me. She would throw occasional glares at me but she stayed away. Jungkook was conspicuously respectful. Never crossing a line enough for me to kick him away. He would throw that occasional remark that implied he was interested and shrug it off when I rejected him again. 

But he also told me that he had always wanted a family first. A wife, two kids, picket fence and all that. He loved kids,  had always been the designated babysitter to his umpteen cousins. He loved babies and he wanted as many as his fututre wife would give him. And then without warning he had just stared at me.

I hadn’t trusted myself to respond to that. 

The mind games left me exhausted. I didn’t ….not like him. He was funny , sweet and intelligent. He liked talking and he liked listening. It was just hard to enjoy when I knew what he was . A chaebol heir to a fortune. He spoke of his family with a casually dismissive attitude, about how they didn’t really give a damn about who he married and that it wouldn't be a big deal if he broke up with Sana.

But I had to remind myself that he hadn’t done it. He hadn’t broken up with her. And that meant that no matter how dismissive he was, he knew that something like that wouldn’t go by without repercussions. The fantasy of Jungkook leaving his gorgeous girlfriend because he couldn’t live without me was just that, a fantasy.  

Hoseok’s voice broke me out of my reverie.

“They’re both too young to go through with this.... Its going to be painful but like Dasom says, its the baby we need to think about.” Hoseok had hung up the phone and he stared at Jungkook, his gaze softening when he saw how miserable the younger looked. 

I pulled myself together and watched Namjoon pull out a file, containing all the formalities we would have to go through. /As i heard him explain everything, his eyes clear and intelligent, his tone gentle and kind, I felt myself making my choice. Yoongi and Namjoon loved each other deeply . They leaned on each other, evident in the way they held hands every few minutes, smiling and reassuring each other. They loved each other and they could love this baby. 

They would love this baby. 

My mind was made up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You need a ride home?” Hoseok asked casually, two hours later after we had bid goodbye to Yoongi and Namjoon. 

Next to me Jungkook stiffened. 

“I’ll drive her.” He said curtly and Hoseok ignored him, still holding a hand out.

“That’s fine Oppa, Jungkook and I need to talk.” I said tiredly. We did. There was a whole lot of formalities to be done with regards to the adoption and I wanted to talk to him about the possibility of an open adoption. Just in case he was interested. 

“You can talk tomorrow. Its already past ten-” Hoseok began but Jungkook laughed, loud and jarring. 

“What you think I’ll have my way with her and knock her up? Bit too late to worry about that right?” Jungkook drawled next to me and I felt my eyes widen in shock.

“What the- Jungkook are you crazy? Apologize!!” I hissed but he glared back at Hoseok defiantly.

Hobi chuckled a bit.

“You’re really asking to get your ass kicked Kook-ah... I’d tone down the blatant disrespect if I were you....” He said , eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“Maybe I will, if you stop lying to Dasom about how you really feel about her.”

I lost it entirely, turning around to shove him away.

“Jungkook what the fuck?!” I shouted but he gripped my wrists, stopping me from hitting him again. 

“Tell her hyung....tell her how you picked up a fucking engagement ring in Seoul....? How you told Seokjin hyung that you were going to propose when she graduates because, let me quote you, ‘ she’s docile and adjusting. She’ll make a nice companion’“

I froze. I turned around to stare at Hoseok and felt my heart drop at the sharp sharp look of guilt om his face.

I stopped struggling against Jungkook, sagging against him when ice cold disbelief flooded my veins. 

No. No , it couldn’t be.  

“You-what?”  I whispered. 

Hoseok stared at me. 

“ Don’t tell me you didn’t see it coming.” He said blankly. I felt bile rise up my throat. 

“Oppa-”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Hoseok snapped. 

I flinched when Jungkook’s grip tightened around me , a growl making his chest tremble. 

“Hyung , don’t-” He began angrily but Hoseok cut him off, staring at me with blazing eyes. 

“You’re always around me ..” Hoseok ground out, “ You’re literally the only person I’ve known and loved all my life.... So sue me for wanting to take responsibility for you and-”

“I’m not your responsibility.....I’m twenty years old...”

“And look how well you’re doing yeah? Knocked up with some guy’s bastard .....Just like your moth-”

I felt Jungkook move behind me and my instinct kicked in. I turned quickly gripping his arms and putting myself between them to stop him from lunging at Hoseok. 

Hoseok looked unapologetic as he stared at me. 

“If you marry me, you’ll at least be respectable.” He said softly and it was like a veil getting torn, showing him for who he really was. 

Someone who thought I was a charity case. A poor , flailing mess of a human that needed his charity to survive. 

I nodded quietly. 

“Okay. Thank you for lowering yourself enough to consider marriage with someone like me....” I said softly and he hissed.

“That’s not what I-”

“That’s exactly what you meant.” I said sharply, turning around. I couldn’t look at him anymore.

“Take me back to the dorms, yeah?” I looked at Jungkook and he nodded.

“Anything you want.” He whispered, wrapping his arms around me before throwing one last glare at Hoseok. 

Author’s note : Send me an ask about what you thought and I will love you forever <3

[malilimago]

Starry Nights Part 12!

Riley is a nanny who seems to have it all. She’s got an awesome job with an extremely rich family that only needs her a few hours during the week, a loving Fiancé, and wonderful family and friends, but somethings missing. Lucas is a Veterinary Technician in a very similar situation. See what happens when their two world collide on one starry night in December.

Word Count: 2,300

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Better off Dead (1985): "First, we have: Frawnch fries…and…Frawnch dressing…and…Frawnch bread…and to drink, Ta-da! Peru.“

Author’s Note: It’s been awhile, but I’m back with part 12!  As always, a shout out to my inspirations!: @iwantyoutochooseme, @whenrileymetlucas, @katdvs and @grizbehr! Y’all are amazing! And to all those who’ve stayed with me THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT! I appreciate it SO MUCH! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Part 12: “Pillowtalk" 

Lucas 10:41pm

When we enter the apartment a feeling of relief comes over me. These past few nights have been WEIRD to say the least, so it’s nice being somewhere I’m familiar with. I look to Riley and can tell she’s ready to be done with this evening as well and I don’t blame her. Like I said tonight’s beenWEIRD!

“Well.” We say at the same time. 

“Sorry, go ahead.” I chuckle.

“No, you go first.” She insists.

“I was just going to say, I had a really fun time tonight.”

“You’re such a liar.” She accuses politically. “But, that’s okay.”

“I’m being serious!”

“Fine-” 

“Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional. I’ll take it.” 

Her face brightens as her brows lift. “You’ve seen the Italian Job?”

“Of course, I love movies like that!”

“Me too.” She sings.

I’m just about to ask her what her other favorite films are when-

*Buzz* *Buzz* *Buzz*

I close my eyes and watch my insides cave in on themselves.

This can’t be happening.

“You should get that.” She whispers.

Yup, this is happening. 

I reluctantly do as she says and jam my hand in my pocket to retrieve my stupid, STUPID PHONE! I shake my head as I see who it is and hold it up for Riley to see. She gives me an apologetic smile and encourages me to answer it.

“Hey, Pey.”

She gives me another smile than tiptoes towards the bathroom, my spirit deflating with each step.

“LUCAS?!” Peyton screeches through the earpiece, triggering my younger sibling flinch.  

“Hot damn! Peyton! Where’s the fire?!” I shout back.

“WELL IT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY THING THAT GETS YOUR ATTENTION! NOW! Christmas!”

I roll my eyes and shuffle towards my room. This is gonna take a while… GREAT.

Riley 11:28pm

I finish up in the bathroom and peek out into the hallway. I can hear Mrs. Hanson’s voice seep through the crack of Lucas’ door. I let out a soft chuckle as I quietly creep back to my room. I slowly lock the door and when I hear the click I let out a silent cheer!

Finally!

I quickly strip down to my undies and dance to my suitcase. I need some much-needed sleep! The past few days have been… Weird.

I take in a deep breath and smile big as I shake out my over-sized sweater with its huge Santa head eating a loaf of bread on it!

It was last year’s Christmas gift to Charlie from Maya. She thought he’d get a kick out of it since he specialized in breads, but he didn’t. In fact, he was deeply offended, which is why I own it now! 

I throw it on then clumsily slip into my awesome calf length tube socks! When I’m finished, I wiggle my freshly warmed toes and let out a tiny giggle.

I’m complete!

I glance over to my pajama bottoms and stick my tongue out at them. I only brought um for Lucas’ sake. Ya know, just to be polite when I walk around at night, but right now I don’t care! I just want to be free and let my legs breathe!

I fall backwards onto my bed, bumping my nightstand as I do. Without warning, an unexpected item falls to the ground creating a loud clanking sound. Of course, I scream bloody murder till I realize it’s just Joey’s baseball bat!

Oh thank goodness!

However, my relief is short lived as another loud noise pierces the air. Lucas!

“RILEY?!” He calls as he pounds on my door. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”

I clutch my chest and with a newly found vigor, reply, “YES!” as I try my best to steady my pounding heart.

“Are you sure?!”

“Yeah!” I reassure him as I rush to the door and open it. “I accidentally-” My jaw comes unhinged as I gawk at Lucas’ shirtless body. Greek Gods do exist! He snaps his fingers, bringing me back to earth.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asks with a concerned expression etched into his gorgeously formed face.

“YEAH!” I reply with a nervous chuckle. “I accidentally knocked over a baseball bat.”

“You play?!”

“No! I was- it was when- I-”

“Long story?” He guesses as he flashes an adorable smile.

“Yeah.” I reply shyly.

WHY IS HE SO CUTE?!

His eyes drop to my chest and I feel my cheeks heat up.

He’s checking me out!

My feminist mind is about to unleash a harsh rant on equality and respect when he says, “Nice sweater.”

SHIT! I totally forgot what I was wearing!

My eyes shift to the floor as I stumble through the explanation of it.

“It was a Christmas mess- GIFT! Christmas gift from Maya to Charlie and he was a prick and tried to throw it away- NOT THAT I THINK HE’S A PRICK per say, just an asshole- JERK!” How I keep sticking my foot in my mouth, I have no clue, but boy do I wish I could stop! “I’m sorry I-”

Hey!” Lucas interjects. “ONE! Stop saying sorry for having an opinion and TWO! You wanna do something crazy?”

“Please!” I squeak.

Riley 1:03am

A silly grin makes its way across my face as Lucas and I tumble to the ground. He must have magical powers or something because it’s been years since I’ve done anything like this!  

“You’re brilliant.” He pants.

“The feelings mutual.” I grunt, propping myself up on my elbows as I do. We look to each other and high five. All of the sudden a feeling of regret comes over me as I think of Auggie.

“My brother would’ve loved this.”  

“My siblings too.” He sighs. “I know!” He states as he sits up.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s dedicate this to them!” 

“That’s a PERFECT IDEA!” I cheer.

He rolls out of the ginormous fort we’ve just finish making and calls for me to follow. When I stand up, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Lucas?” 

 A slight sting takes over my right arm as a puff of feathers explode beside me. I turn to find the culprit sporting a cheeky grin as he holds his pillow at the ready. 

“Lucas!”

“Forgive my rudeness, fair maiden.” He cackles in a horrible yet charming British accent. “But, twas you who suggested we dedicate this mighty fortuitous to our kinsmen!”

“Tis true, but an attack I did not!” I reply with an equally bad British accent.

“Well, Darlin’, that’s how it’s done in the kingdoms down South.” He states in a thick southern drawl. 

“Fighting?” 

“Mmmhmm.” He hums.

“For what?”

“Rule.” He replies with a bow as he tosses the other pillow in front of me. “This Palace needs a ruler before a proper dedication can commence.”

“Then a ruler it shall have.” I retort as I shift my gaze into a glare and pick up the offering.

“TO THE DEATH!” I shriek, quickly striking him in the head.  

“TO THE DEATH!” He repeats as he deflects my feeble attempt and swings his mighty weapon of fluff! 

I barely miss his deadly blow as I fall to the floor and speedily crawl behind the couch. I do my best to regain my bearings, but am cut short when Lucas leaps over my useless cover and shouts. “HA-HA!” 

He lounges for me, but I skillfully doge him once again and race towards the Kitchen. I’m just about to clear the entryway when I feel a cushion knock my balance off. I stumble to the ground, losing my pillow in the process. I watch as it slides across the floor and a feeling of dread creeps in as my eyes dart to Lucas to see if he’s caught my disadvantage.

HE HAS!

I scramble towards it, but he beats me to it and kicks it further away. I quickly jump to my feet and tickle his exposed underarms. He’s so caught off guard that he loses his focus for a split-second, allowing me to snatch his pillow from him!

“HEY!” He laughs. “That’s not fair!”

“All’s fair in love and war!” I quote as I get a good whack at him before running it to the Kitchen. He catches up to me and traps me at the island.

“I see I’ve misjudged your abilities.” He huffs as we circle it.

“That you have!” I state as I book it for the dining room. He’s close behind me, but not for long! I pull the highchair in front of him and laugh as he trips over it. That small distraction gives me enough time to slip back into the hallway. I wait at the end of it making sure he’s still following from that way. When he rounds the corner I quickly flip off the lights and sprint back to the family room where I hide behind the recliner. I peek behind it as he defensively re-enters the room, his eyes peeled for me.

“Can we call a truce?!” He calls out with his awful British accent still intact. “I’m winded!” 

I remain quiet as I position myself right next to him then yell, “NEVER!!!”

I spring out and send the final blow to his stomach! 

His eyes widen as he looks to his stomach than back to me. 

“Riley!” He Wheezes.

I nod with great satisfaction as I watch him fall to his knees. 

“Any last words?”

“Long live Cuddle Bunnies!” He huffs.

“Awww! That’s lovely.” 

He salutes me the dies (tongue out). I salute him back and for a moment, bow my head in reverence of fallen opponent. After a second of mourning I muster all the strength I can and shout, “I’m the QUEEN!” as I make my victory laps around the now “dead” Lucas Friar. He sits up and joins in my celebration!

“All hail, Queen Riley!” He cheers.

I giggle, slightly embarrassed at how serious I got and take a bow before going back into my fort. He tries to follow, but I stop him.

“First, state your loyalty Sir …” I search his eyes for a name and he laughingly replies, “Mortimer Twigglebottomsmythe.”

“WOW! You are definitely from the Southern Kingdoms.” I joke. “So, go ahead. State your loyalty Sir. Mortimer Twigglebottomsmythe of Austin.”

He takes my hand and gazes deeply in my eyes as he replies, “From this day forth my loyalty will forever be to you Queen Riley of Greenwich Village.”

He finishes with a kiss on my hand and I feel my heart pick up speed.

“I guess that will do.” I exhale.

“Will it?” He taunts and I pull my hand back as I stick my tongue out at him. 

He flashes his famous Friar smirk and starts to crawl forward, but I stop him again.

“But I pledged my loyalty?”

“I know. Now you must bow.” I demand coldly.

“But-”

“Bow!”

“How deep do you want it?” He asks with his cheeky smirk still in place.

I gulp hard and shrug. “You may go as deep as your devotion.”

“Okay.”

He sprawls out flat on the floor and my eyes widen because in Mulan that meant a lot of respect?!

“Can I come in now?” He asks, his face still pressed against the rug.

“Oh yes, of course!” I stutter as I help him up. “I’m so sorry! I kind of get carried away with things like this.”

“It’s alright, your highness. I’ve experienced worse.”

“Your sister?”

“ZAY!”

A fit of laughter takes me over as I imagine King Zay forcing everyone to kiss his pinky ring.

“OH MAN! That is worse!”

Lucas 1:54am

Our laughter settle as we resume our positions in the fort. We take a moment to marvel at our work as we try to steady out breathe. This has got to be one of my best. I glance over to her and find she’s already looking at me.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

The feeling from her room come back and all I want to do is grab her beautiful face and kiss her, but I stop myself. 

“What is it?” She asks as I back away.

“I’ve never been good at hooking up-”

“Is that what you think this is?” She asks, clearly upset by what I’ve just said. 

“NO!” I correct. “Far from it, which is why I can’t kiss you.” Her shoulders slump over and I can tell she still isn’t getting what I’m trying to say, so I rephrase it. “Because if I kiss you now, I’ll never leave.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” She questions as she wiggles into my arms. I breathe in the scent of her hair and feel my body weaken. 

DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! SHE SMELLS LIKE STRAWBERRIES! NEXT YOU’RE GONNA TELL ME SHE LOVES BASKETBALL!

I clinch my jaw as I massage her arm. “Not at all, but we gotta be real about this, Riles. We both have a lot goin’ on right now.” She’s about to cut me off again, but I stop her. “AND I WILL BE DAMNED if I’m the reason you don’t get time to heal!”

“I don’t need time!” She pouts.

“You think that now, but I promise you, you’ll be grateful you had it. I mean look at me! I was given that opportunity and it lead me here to you.”

“But, what if that doesn’t happen for me?” She asks as she leans back to look me in the eyes. “What if this is all we get?”

I lightly brush her cheek and whisper. “Then I am the luckiest man on Earth to have gotten a week in your world.”

A tear falls as she quickly tucks her head back into my chest. I pull her in closer and pray.

Oh, please, PLEASE say she’s wrong! But if not. Thank you for this moment.

I lightly kiss the top of her head and rock her till we both drift off to sleep.

[newsbiteswithjennysok]

Nov 6, 2019

1. Rapper T.I. has made the shocking revelation that he accompanies his 18-year-old daughter to the gynecologist every year to ensure that she is still a virgin. Appearing on the Ladies Like Us podcast, the 39-year-old stressed how important it is to him that his teenage daughter Deyjah Harris has not had sex yet, admitting that he accompanies her on her annual gynecological checkup to confirm that her hymen isn't broken.

'And yes, not only have we had the conversation [about sex], we have yearly trips to the gynecologist to check her hymen.'

Lest the podcast hosts Nazanin Mandi and Nadia Moham think he was joking or exaggerating, T.I. then went into more detail about their doctor visits.

'So it's this one time we go, I think this might have been after her 16th birthday. This is what we do. Right after the birthday we celebrate,' he said.

'Usually like the day after the party, she's enjoying her gifts. I put a sticky note on the door: "Gyno. Tomorrow. 9:30."

Of course, doctors can't share patient information without the patient's consent, so T.I. cajoles his daughter into giving it.

'So we’ll go and sit down and the doctor will come and talk and the doctor’s maintaining a high level of professionalism,' T.I. explained.

'He’s like, "Well, you know sir, I have to, in order to share information" — I’m like, "Deyjah, they want you to sign this ... so we can share information. Is there anything you would not want me to know?" "See doc? No problem."'

The doctor has even explained that there are many other ways for a hymen to break besides sex, and in fact, many virgins no longer have hymens intact — but T.I. doesn't care.

'So then they come and say, "Well, I just want you to know that there are other ways besides sex that the hymen can be broken, like bike riding, athletics, horseback riding, and just other forms of athletic physical activity."

'So I say, "Look doc, she don’t ride no horses, she don’t ride no bike, she don’t play no sports. Just check the hymen please and give me back my results expeditiously."'

T.I. defended his actions, explaining that he thinks a lot of people wish their parents had been more protective of them, suggesting that his daughter will look back on her father's behavior and be grateful that he was so involved.

'I think that most kids in hindsight, looking back, they always thank their parents for not allowing them to damage themselves as much as they could have,' he said.

But he went further, admitting he doesn't want guys to take the time to woo his daughter even though she's now an adult.

'They're no fun. Who wants a virgin?' he asked. 'Like, really? All that work.'

The hosts of the podcast laughed hysterically throughout T.I.'s story, but also called Deyjah a 'prisoner' and told the rapper he was encouraging men to be 'vultures.'

T.I. is not nearly as worried about the sexual activities of his 15-year-old son, King — who is already sexually active.

2. Hollywood mega-agent Patrick Whitesell, 54, goes public with six-month relationship with Australian actress, 36, after his divorce from Lauren Sanchez is finalized following her affair with Jeff Bezos. Pia Miller, 36, has reportedly been dating agent Patrick Whitesell, 54, since May.

Lauren Sanchez, 49, filed for divorce from Whitesell in April and the same month Miller called off her engagement to photographer Tyson Mullane.

The actress stayed Mexico's El Dorado Beach Club May where Whitesell is believed to have a second home Miller posted a Paris snap June with Whitesell and the partial caption, 'I'm in love' In August they did Italy with Ryan Seacrest and last month visited Utah. They posed for a picture together in October as his divorced was finalized and  finally appeared on the red carpet together on Monday in Los Angeles. Hollywood agent Whitesell represents A-listers including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Miller appeared in Aussie soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours.     

                    It was almost three years after Whitesell appeared with Sanchez and Bezos at a party for Damon's Manchester By the Sea.

3. It was recently reported that they had an 'attraction to each other.' And it seems like Kylie Jenner and Drake are one step closer to creating another super couple. The 22-year-old self-made billionaire and 33-year-old Canadian rapper have been hanging out as more than friends according to a People report on Wednesday morning. An insider for the publication said: 'He and Kylie have been spending time together recently.'

'They seemed to be enjoying each other's company,' another source told the site. 'They were joking around and Kylie was laughing. She seemed to be really happy and in a great mood and her and Drake seemed very comfortable with each other. There seemed to be an attraction there.'

This comes after Kylie's split earlier this fall with ex-boyfriend and father of daughter Stormi Webster, Travis Scott.

Drake has dated several celebrities, most notably Serena Williams and Rihanna.  

4. CrossFit co-founder Lauren Jenai has just gotten a wedding present she never imagined — her jailed fiance Franklin Tyrone Tucker is being freed on $2 million bond just before the couple was to be married in jail. The 11th-hour bond deal has even brought Jenai closer with her ex-husband, she said — as he offered to chip in and help with a loan.

Oregon-based Jenai was in Key West, Fla., with her family this week to marry Tucker inside the Florida detention center where he’s been held for about two years awaiting trial on murder charges. But on Wednesday morning, a bond deal was reached with prosecutors that could see Tucker released as soon as Wednesday, Page Six exclusively learned. “It’s a huge success and a long time coming,” Jenai told us of Tucker’s impending release. She was still hammering out the logistics, but, “once everything’s in place, he can walk out of the jail.” She told us the development was a total shock. “It’s shocking … I don’t know what I’m doing or saying,” she said via phone. “I’m happy.”

After his release, Tucker will remain under house arrest with an ankle monitor, but he’ll be able to leave the house for church, legal meetings or a job, Jenai said, and the terms are being hammered out.

Jenai told us that she and Tucker’s lawyers have been trying to negotiate a bond deal for a year-and-half. Initially, she’d said she would put up $1 million, but this week, prosecutors came back with a $2 million offer. (There were logistical issues since Oregon is a “no bond” state, Jenai said. The state does not have bail bondsmen or bounty hunters.)

As Jenai tried to get the money together, she even called her ex-husband, CrossFit founder and CEO Greg Glassman, she said. The pair had gone through a bitter divorce, but Glassman jumped into action to help his ex, we hear.

“We had a bad divorce, we’ve had issues,” she said of Glassman, who she added was “leary” of the relationship with Tucker. But she said that despite their divisions, she and her ex are now friends.

She said she called Glassman when she needed to get together an extra $100,000 to make the bond deal happen. “I said, ‘If you say no I understand,’ but 10 minutes later he was making it happen.”

In the end, she did not need the funds, but Glassman told her, she said, “‘I was going to do this … I hope I get love credit.’ It was really cute.”

Jenai reportedly sold her CrossFit shares for up to $20 million as part of her split from Glassman in 2013.

5. Logan Paul, the controversial and unhinged YouTuber, will take on rival influencer KSI in an amateur boxing match in Los Angeles on Saturday that is being hailed as the 'biggest event in internet history'. Paul, 24, is best known for his outlandish and, at times, tone-deaf pranks. In the last two years, he has faced criticism for filming a suicide victim in Japan and was accused of animal cruelty for tasering rats. Now, the loud-mouthed influencer is set to rake in millions through the fight, which will be aired on sports streaming giant DAZN.

‘I’m excited to ruin JJ's face and I want to thank DAZN for giving me the platform to do so.'I’m finally getting what I wanted from the beginning — no headgear, 10-ounce gloves, and the opportunity to dismantle JJ’s repugnant face in Los Angeles, my home city,' he said of his British opponent in a recent statement. He also claimed to have been preparing by 'drinking the blood of cows'.  But despite putting in the hours in the gym, fans have questioned his jacked-up physique.

Some are even demanding that he be drug tested.

He is typically unperturbed by the criticism.

On Twitter, where he has 5million followers, he joked: 'I hope I pass my drug test' beneath one of the photos critics had called into question.

On Monday, he was busy touting the special boxes VIP ticket-holders will receive when they attend the match at the Staples Center on Saturday

He is still pushing ticket sales. They start from $41 but cost up to $725.  

[hacktagmedia]

Omarosa says Trump is a racist who uses N-word – and claims there’s tape to prove it

Former Apprentice contestant and ex-White House adviser writes in new memoir that she witnessed ‘truly appalling things’

Former Apprentice contestant and ex-White House adviser writes in new memoir that she witnessed ‘truly appalling things’

Donald Trump is a “racist” who has used the “N-word” repeatedly, Omarosa Manigault Newman, once the most prominent African American in the White House, claims in a searing memoir.

The future US president was caught on mic uttering the taboo racial slur “multiple times” during the making of his reality TV show The Apprentice and there is a tape to prove it, according to Manigault Newman, citing three unnamed sources.

Trump has been haunted from around the time of his election in 2016 by allegations that outtakes from the reality TV show exist in which he is heard saying the N-word and using other offensive language.

In her book, Unhinged, a copy of which was obtained by the Guardian ahead of its publication next week, the former Apprentice participant insists that the reports are true, although she does not say she heard him use the word herself.

She also claims that she personally witnessed Trump use racial epithets about the White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband George Conway, who is half Filipino. “Would you look at this George Conway article?” she quotes the president as saying. “F**ing FLIP! Disloyal! Fucking Goo-goo.”

Both flip and goo-goo are terms of racial abuse for Filipinos.

Critics have previously questioned Manigault Newman’s credibility and are likely to accuse her of seeking revenge against the administration after her abrupt dismissal last December.

At the time, she writes, she felt a “growing realization that Donald Trump was indeed a racist, a bigot and a misogynist. My certainty about the N-word tape and his frequent uses of that word were the top of a high mountain of truly appalling things I’d experienced with him, during the last two years in particular.”

Recalling her sudden and unceremonious departure, she writes: “It had finally sunk in that the person I’d thought I’d known so well for so long was actually a racist. Using the N-word was not just the way he talks but, more disturbing, it was how he thought of me and African Americans as a whole.”

Trump hosted NBC’s The Apprentice from 2004-2015 before running for the presidency and still likes to laud his high ratings.

His insurgent election campaign was rocked in October 2016 by the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about grabbing women “by the pussy”. The media firestorm prompted Bill Pruitt, a producer on the first two seasons of The Apprentice, to tweet that there were “far worse” tapes of Trump behind the scenes of the show.

Further allegations emerged that Trump had used the N-word in the recordings. Then, following the New York property tycoon’s shocking victory over Hillary Clinton, the actor and comedian Tom Arnold claimed to have the video of Trump using racist language.

The White House staffer Kellyanne Conway and former aides Hope Hicks and Omarosa Manigault Newman at a press briefing last year. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

“I have the outtakes to The Apprentice where he says every bad thing ever, every offensive, racist thing ever,” Arnold told the Seattle-based radio station KIRO. “It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children.”

But Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which owns the rights to the reality TV show, and its British creator, Mark Burnett, have resisted pressure to release the footage because of “various contractual and legal requirements”.

Once close to Trump, Manigault Newman was among his most high-profile supporters during the election campaign and drew a top salary of $179,700 as director of communications for the White House office of public liaison. She held her April 2017 wedding at Trump’s luxury hotel, close to the White House.

Hers is the second memoir from a former Trump administration member, following that of the ex-press secretary Sean Spicer, but it was always expected to be less adulatory. This week the Daily Beast reported that she had secretly recorded conversations with the president and “leveraged” this while seeking a book deal. On Sunday she is due to appear on NBC’s flagship political show Meet the Press.

Some commentators have struck a note of scepticism about her book. Brian Stelter, senior media correspondent at CNN, wrote in an email newsletter: “Is former ‘Apprentice’ star Omarosa Manigault-Newmana reliable source of info about the Trump White House? Buckle up for debates about that in the coming week. Because she’s about to betray Trump in a new tell-all book.”

For its part, the White House has previously dismissed criticisms from her. In February the deputy press secretary, Raj Shah, said: “Omarosa was fired three times on The Apprentice and this was the fourth time we let her go. She had limited contact with the president while here. She has no contact now.”

In the book, she recalls how in late 2016 Trump’s team held a conference call and scrambled for how to respond to the tape but it never came out. Then a source from The Apprentice contacted her and claimed to be in possession of it. Trump was in office and Manigault Newman continued to investigate. Advertisement

She continues: “By that point, three sources in three separate conversations had described the contents of this tape. They all told me that President Trump hadn’t just dropped a single N-word bomb. He’d said it multiple times throughout the show’s taping during off-camera outtakes, particularly during the first season of The Apprentice.”

Recalling that she appeared on the first season, Manigault Newman reflects: “I would look like the biggest imbecile alive for supporting a man who used that word.” She says she confided in the former White House communications director Hope Hicks, who said, “I need to hear it for myself,” and continued to ask her frequently about what progress she was making.

She believes that Hicks told the White House chief of staff, John Kelly, that Omarosa was close to getting her hands on the tape, and this gave him cause to terminate her job, though he found a different pretext.

Four months after her departure, she spoke by phone to one of her Apprentice sources. “I was told exactly what Donald Trump said – yes, the N-word and others in a classic Trump-goes-nuclear rant – and when he’s said them. During production he was miked, and there is definitely an audio track.”

Manigault Newman also recalls her interactions with Trump during the filming of The Celebrity Apprentice in late 2007 – a time when the little known Democrat Barack Obama was in the ascendent. “During boardroom outtakes, Donald talked about Obama often. He hated him. He never explained why, but now I believe it was because Obama was black.”

In January, Trump was widely condemned for reportedly dismissing Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “shitholes”. Manigault Newman describes a similar experience that appears to support that account. When she told Trump that she was going to Haiti, she writes, he demanded: “Why did you choose that shitty country as your first foreign trip?”

He added: “You should have waited until the confirmations were done and gone to Scotland and played golf at [his course] Turnberry.”

In another damning passage, she describes his “broken outlook” and how “the bricks in his racist wall kept getting higher”, wondering if he did “want to start a race war”. She adds: “The only other explanation was that his mental state was so deteriorated that the filter between the worst impulses of his mind and his mouth were completely gone.”

The book comes days after Trump faced renewed allegations of racism over his persistent descriptions of the congresswoman Maxine Waters as having a “low IQ” and CNN journalist Don Lemon as “the dumbest man on television”, as well as criticism of the basketball star LeBron James. This weekend marks the first anniversary of the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, that erupted in deadly violence; the president claimed there were “very fine people on both sides”.

Elsewhere in Unhinged, published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Manigault Newman takes aim at Trump’s sexism. Recalling more outtakes from The Apprentice, she says he asked personal questions about female contestants such as “What do you think she’s like in bed?” and “Do you think she’s sexy?” He allegedly asked male contestants: “Who you think would be better in bed between the two of them?”

Asked about the allegations in Manigault Newman’s book, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “Instead of telling the truth about all the good President Trump and his administration are doing to make America safe and prosperous, this book is riddled with lies and false accusations.

“It’s sad that a disgruntled former White House employee is trying to profit off these false attacks, and even worse that the media would now give her a platform, after not taking her seriously when she had only positive things to say about the president during her time in the administration.”

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