#Ricky being my future ocs

[alsobooger]

I hope I was in a toxic yuri codependency in a past life

As soon as I have ocs yall best believe I will be drawing them in this shirt

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

Semi-coherent Nope thought of the day: the way that the Haywoods and Ricky/Jupe understand and react to Jean Jacket is an extension of the way they navigate the experience of working in Hollywood as POC.

Ricky cannot differentiate his identity and experiences from the narratives which Hollywood has imposed on him: he's the Asian kid from Gordy's Home and Kid Sheriff; he still calls himself Jupe and runs a theme park based on a role he played as a child. He relates to the Gordy's Home incident not through the lens of his own memories but the media around it — the SNL sketch he describes to Emerald, the memorabilia in the hidden shrine in his office. It's his inability to conceptualize the world outside the lens of spectacle that prevents him from understanding what Jean Jacket is and why she behaves the way she does — he starts from the assumption that he can make her into a theme park attraction and works backwards from there.

In contrast, the Haywoods and OJ in particular are characterized by their ability to see things as they are, and their insistence that others do the same with them: they make a deliberate effort to combat the erasure of Black people in Hollywood — and their own ancestors in particular — by recounting the history of Haywoods' Hollywood Horses at the start of each safety meeting rather than resigning themselves to being the nameless "horse guys." Similarly, OJ refuses to accept the official narrative surrounding his father's death — that the coin that killed him fell out of a prop plane — when it contradicts his own memories of the event, and it's his trust in his own judgement, coupled with his refusal to anthropomorphize animals (including extraterrestrial ones) is what allows him to accurately predict Jean Jacket's behaviour. Neither Jupe nor the Haywoods deserve to be treated the way they are under the Hollywood system, but OJ and Em find a way to avoid being (literally) consumed by it, while Jupe does not.

[redninjaoutfit]

Lore dumping about my Bully OC Colt De Luca:

He was brought up in New Coventry with Lucky who, despite only being 4 years his senior, has always been his primary caretaker since the uncle who took them in after the early death of their parents neglected them heavily and used them for unpaid child labour

The uncle was a butcher and often "employed" his nephews at the shop to make them "earn their stay". Colt absolutely hated it there and rebelled whenever he could even at the risk of a beating

He grew up with Lefty and Luis. While he remains attached at the hip with Lefty to this day, the same cannot be said about Luis. Colt considers him his worst enemy and despite being a naturally benevolent person he regularly wishes the worst upon him (why? Well that is for me to write and for you to find out 😈)

His and Lucky's relationship is complicated. Colt is bitter that Lucky refuses to see him as an adult and remains overly protective of him while Lucky is often kept up at night worrying about his brother's safety and future. They love each other unconditionally though and if you attack one the other will be after you

That being said, Colt's not a particularly talented or willing fighter, preferring to resolve conflict with words and mediation. He does support the Greasers in brawl though - from afar, usually with a slingshot or firecrackers. He's also a great escape artist

Before he completed his initiation into the Greasers he was bullied by both Bullies and Jocks who saw him as real estate fresh meat even with Lucky breathing down their necks. The Jocks' abuse was far worse, not aided by the fact that he's quite a sensitive soul and has yet to hit his growth spurt

He is by far the most studious Greaser though smarts don't come to him naturally and he hates studying. He doesn't like having to excel academically but his brother has always taught him that he HAD to become successful and one day move away from New Coventry onto something greater. He often lets the other Greasers copy off him or even tutors them, even the older ones - for a fee that is (usually paint and cigarettes, even though Lucky berates them for giving his little bro cancer sticks)

What he is a natural at though is art, both writing and especially painting. Colt takes pride in depicting the concealed, unseen beauty of New Coventry and Blue Skies in his paintings. He's even sold a few - not for very large sums but money is money. He is the best in Ms. Philips' class and it makes both Peanut and Ted jealous, though only the latter takes it out on him physically

ALWAYS covered in paint. You will not catch him completely paint-free, he's always splattered in one place or another

Despite going along with Johnny's and his clique's plans against the Preppies he ultimately wishes for peace. He is secretly great friends with Parker and close to being perceived as a friend by Bif. Though he'd never admit it especially after all he's done for him, Colt thinks Johnny isn't exactly stable and fit to rule

Hates the Jocks more than Ricky and the duo often pull pranks on them, varied in degree of cruelty. Though he suffers from a hero complex, willing to rush head first into dangerous situations to help a stranger, he would never aid a Jock in need

[legofanguy]

Rose Cooper in A Night at Billy's Pizza

A Five Nights at Freddy's crossover with my ocs along with @legofanguy1999 and @kayla-na-sfw ocs for @ghostsfanficevents event Spooktober day 31 Halloween.

Rose Cooper take a sigh as she arrived at the pizza place she will be working at for the weekend as her mother wanted instead of getting herself in trouble of training for her father family thieves ways and Rose got out of the car. A brown bear in a business shirt and top hat meet Rose up front and said to her, "Greetings, my name is Freddy Fazbear, owner of Billy's Pizza. You must be here for the night guard job." and Rose said to Freddy, "Yes sir, Mr. Fazbbear." which Freddy said, "Good, I was hoping that was not thinking that because of a stereotype of raccoons being night people." and Rose think of her ancestors and her father whose pull their heist on another criminals in the dead of the night may help with that stereotype as she followed Freddy inside Billy's Pizza.

Freddy Fazbear show Rose around the inside of the restaurant and she see a brown raccoon wearing a blue overalls working on a animatronic of a yellow skin humanoid creature wearing a azure shirt and gray pants and Freddy said to the raccoon, "Hey there, Alfred. I'm surprised that you are still working at this place and those animatronics." and Alfred look up and said to his boss, "Hi, Mr. Fazbear. I'm giving Billy here a final tune up before his final show on next week." Freddy said to Rose, "Yes, my once successful pizza chain has not been doing so well, so I'm planning on closing it. Your job as night is to make sure no one break inside and steal anything such as Billy and his friends as well old bad Captain Paul Badbeard."

Freddy and Rose meet a red fur wolf and dog hybrid wearing a blue uniform and Freddy said to Rose, "Ms. Rose, this is Julie Sanders, one of the last employees here in this restaurant along with Alfred whose we just meet." and Julie said to Rose, "It's nice to meet you, Rose. I'm glad that someone is willing to help carry on the will of Billy's Pizza, despite its dark and troubled past." Freddy said to the girls, "I will leave you girls to get to work right away."

Entering the backroom of Billy's Pizza, Julie show Rose the remaining three animatronics and said to Rose, "This is Jessie." pointing to a animatronic of a girl with brown hair in a ponytail and wearing a green shirt and white skirt and then Julie point to a blond hair animatronic that look like Billy's twin brother with a red shirt and black jacket and brown pants, "This is Ricky." Julie then point to a pirate animatronic and she said to Rose, "This is me and my sister Roxxy's favorite Captain Paul Badbeard, despite him being the villain goes against Billy and his friends in the show." and Julie suddenly got sad and she said to Rose, "My sister Roxxy went missing along with three other kids years ago at a birthday party at this Billy's Pizza, and the missing kids case is one of the reasons why this place is going to be closing down along with other locations." and Rose said to Julie, "I understand if you mess your sister such I have a younger brother."

Arriving at the office, the day guard said to Rose, "I'm glad that you want to take the job. Do be careful as the animatronics move around at night and they don't seems to like us night guards for some reason. For that reason, I managed to ask Julie to build these steel doors to keep the animatronics out, but it does drain the power of this place and, if the power goes out before your night shift, you are a easy prey for the animatronics."

As the clock reach midnight, Rose is in the security office and she said to herself, "Okay. I can handle this. It can be training for my future." and she start looking at the cameras, where she got a surprise as the Ricky and Jessie animatronics are off the stage and the two of them are matching toward the office. Rose remember the warning about the animatronics and she quickly close the steel doors, which the raccoon and fox hybrid see from the windows that Jessie and Ricky are looking inside the office, looking a bit mad they cannot get to her. Once Ricky left, Rose open the right steel door once Ricky reach the hallway, and she saw that the animatronics were plotting a trick as Captain Paul Badbeard run toward the office and Rose quickly hide from view as the pirate animatronic come in and let out a scream, only to be confused over where Rose went to. Thanks to her training, Rose managed to sneak out of the office by the vent and she think to herself, 'I was never good at following orders.'

While sneaking around, Rose got attacked by a person wearing a Billy suit with a knife and Rose quickly protected herself and knock them on their feet. Rose take off the mask and reveal the attacker as Alfred which Rose said, "So those animatronics were not going nuts. You were making them attacking people at night."

After Rose call the police, the cops take Alfred away as he shout, "I build those animatronics, but that bear gets all of the credits. I wanted to shut him down for my revenge." while Freddy ask, "I would never imagine Alfred was behind all of my troubles this whole time. I wish I knew where he hide the bodies of those missing children." and Julie help the police open the Jessie animatronic to check what Alfred did to it, where they find the remains of a wolf child and Julie gasp in shock, "Oh my..... This.... This was Roxy...." Freddy overhear that and he quickly said once he saw Roxy's remains, "Open the rest of the animantronics!" and the police soon find the dead bodies of the missing kids inside the animatronics and one officer ask, "Could those kids' ghost control those animatronics at night?"

[jillyb2004]

Hey!! have you ever shipped a crosship rarepair from 2 different fandoms? my favourites are Rectangular Businessman (12 oz mouse) X Magic Myc (inside job) X Bill Cipher (gravity falls) and Pyronica from gravity falls x Man woman from 12 oz mouse !!!

Yeah I have actually! In fact I now have 3 CrackShips that I’m absolutely proud of…

The first one I made was Tattoo from The Secret Life of Pets and Short Fuse from The Penguins of Madagascar Movie

The Second one was Cape from Cats and Peachtopia aka Cats 2018 and Loki from Total Drama’s Ridonculous Race that was so batshit crazy that it will be the most out of the 3 to unlikely ever become canon

My newest addition to my CrackShip line up is Mr.Boss from Smiling Friends and Deputy Denny from Squidbillies

If I were to rank all of my CrackShips based on how their relationship would last and their likely chances of ever becoming canon in a potential crossover, I would put it like this…

#1. Mr.Boss x Deputy Denny since they are both owned by Adult Swim and Warner Bros respectively and although they would have a poor start with Mr.Boss being a wealthy businessman who has psychological issues but is very kindhearted and Deputy Denny being a stick in the mud and a literal man child, but overall they do manage to make their relationship seem comprehensive and even got married at one point while having Lucy The Daughter of The Devil be there surrogate mother for their baby daughter Janice (who is an oc I’ll potentially make in the future) and become one big happy family

#2. Tattoo and Short Fuse since Short Fuse is a reliable member of The North Wind and what if he saved Tattoo’s life at one point or another and it just worked out over time?! Tattoo is a shy awkward pig who is very fun once you get to know him and Short Fuse is a wildcard but can also have his arrogant moments but manages to tone it down in front of Tattoo so that he wouldn’t end up scaring him away and ruining his reputation in The North Wind organization. Plus the other members of The North Wind are very inflamed (especially Classified) about the fact that Short Fuse is dating a pig that he saved one time and still kept him around for so long! Short Fuse ended up quitting his job at The North Wind later on to focus more on his love life and his future family of 3 adopted kids named Sparkle (an elephant seal), Ricky (a naked mole rat) and Corky (an axolotl) after getting marrying Tattoo shortly after leaving which is why his old pals who worked at The North Wind betrayed him and never bothered showing up to his wedding since deep down inside, Short Fuse really misses them

Now he has new friends to hang out with called

LugNutz (an elephant) BBQ (a porcupine) and Quaff (an ostrich) that him and Tattoo often go to a bar in time square New York

(Yay More Oc’s to make in the future!😊 Great…😒)

#3. Cape and Loki since Cape is 3d and Loki is 2d, their possibilities of being canon are just nonexistent since Cape is from a movie made from China and Loki is from a show made in Canada and since Cape is too lighthearted and optimistic for Loki’s aggressive and outrageous attitude, it’s pretty clear that they might never last a long term relationship

So that’s all you need to know and if there’s any more CrackShips I might come up with in the future, I’ll be sure to let u guys know!

Anyways stay safe out there and have a good rest of your day!

[shylittleunicorn15]

i have brought my au art of mfn that i said i was gonna post today(sorry i got distracted that's why its so late)

George has arrived i had to retake his because his head was surprisingly out of focus

She! she's a favorite of mine next to Norman and i really love how her design came out(because i eye'd her part of the wiki page to get it just right) also dont ask why she looks like she has claws its because i like giving every character i draw sharp fingers and i originally made her fingers round as you can see on her fingers where the sharp tips are

Ricky also had to be retaken too

+ bonus!

here's a new oc a fanchild there isn't a lot of fankids out in this fandom considering its still quite new his name is William and he's 3 who is he a fankid of? Norman and George cause yes how did he come to be? Ricky found out about teen pregnancy and got an idea so he called in a commission for a baby puppet and pitched the idea to Gordon who thought it'd be a good idea to get a bit deep when the baby got there the two realized he looked like he had a bit of George and Norman in him so they became his parents (with a bit of supervision by Gordon since they are the ages of 15(Norman) and 16(George).) but the two puppets are happy to be parents despite being fairly young

+ some bonus arts

i headcannon George has hair but just hides it

i love this one cause its a silly idea

they love their baby boy!

a little look into future them

despite these little quarrels they love each other!

working on a digitalization of all the characters

btw the mfn logo and a lot of the character designs changed/will change because since Gordon took over he decided to change a few things up a but its still the same

[starrycrim]

If you had to assign a theme song to each of your characters, what songs would they be and why? We think about this a lot with our OCs, and we believe personally that Ace's theme might be Crazy = Genius by P!ATD. But that might just be bcuz we fangoy over that band!

On a side note, we'd like to know what bands you enjoy listening to? And which genres?

hihi! oc questions make me very happy and are always welcome <3 just for fair warning, I’m a little bad at assigning songs to characters but. I’ll try! I don’t really have a definitive single theme song(tm) for some characters so these are tentatively unofficial haha, but just for fun!

sol- mulled over different ones but the one that kept sticking out is ‘Hope for the Future’ by Bastille. very in line with their character themes and the kind of person they are.

lyra- this one was the hardest surprisingly. but ‘Passing Through’ by Kaden MacKay feels right. both the calm vibe of the song feels fitting as well as themes of making the most of their time and being with the people they love. kinda taking time to slow down in the moment of life being fast.

niko- think I’ve mentioned this one before, but I like ‘Get Used To It’ by Ricky Montgomery a lot for him. a lot of her backstory’s about trying to make things better than they were, both for themself and for others. so this one feels right.

june- the only one that wasn’t hard at all. ‘The Villain I Appear To Be’ by Connor Spiotto/Molly Pease. the most junecore song to ever song

hazel- ‘Synesthesia’ by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness for them. song gives me autumnal vibes for a reason I can’t describe, and the calm feel and the lyrics fit them and how much they love their partner Robyn and would do anything for them. <3

regan- haven’t shown them off here yet (soon), but to those who do know them :> ‘The Ruse & The Caper’ by Coyote Theory. they’re very close with their partner Ozu- they have a really strong connection with each other, and love each other for who they are. this song is very rezu to me

(rest under readmore because i worry this is getting too long otherwise)

———

as for ace- it is hard for me to assign One song to them bc they are such a complex chara along with the fact that I struggle at assigning songs anyways so I’ll try for a few (mostly based on lyrics). I would do multiple for all my charas if it didn’t mean that this post would be years long, so if you want more than one for my other charas feel free to msg me or ask :>

- ‘Kaibutsu’ (eng version) from Beastars! (linking this one bc there’s a few diff versions! I did a redraw of this album art with them actually :>)

- ‘Warmth’ by Bastille. this song is very ‘finding comfort in the people you love when the world around you is so overwhelming’ and that strikes me as the kind of person that ace would want to be for others.

- ‘Humpty Dumpty’ by AJR. fits with their struggling with hiding their problems from others because they don’t really have a good support system, and don’t want to burden or worry that others already have enough going on. they do end up confiding in the player- I think the player’s one of the people who they trust and care about the most.

- if I had to pick a P!ATD song for ace, I’d probably pick ‘Dying in LA’ myself. it feels very ‘ace while they’re in team meteor’ to me, where their desperation and loneliness gets taken advantage of and they’re recruited into this Unhealthy Bad situation that they clearly don’t agree with- but hey, it’s better than being alone like they were before, right?

———

as for me, my favorite band is bastille! as you might’ve been able to tell already, haha. although I’m also fond of AJR, fitz & the tantrums, coyote theory, ricky montgomery, imagine dragons, and p!atd :> in no order! as for genre, it’s hard to describe what single genre(s) I love since it tends to depend but I like stuff that Feels right to me. a lot of once off songs from someone I’ve never heard of just catch my attention immediately- sometimes that’s something meaningful and chill, other times higher energy, fun to sing along to. that kinda stuff!

thanks for the ask <3 I love talking about my beloveds. this was fun! please always feel free to send asks or say hi if you want! I’m (reasonably) active both here, twitter, and on discord :>

[derrypubliclibrary]

Hiii i heard u like asks! Umm i like the ride the cyclone songs but i have no idea what its about beyond "ghosts are recounting their past lives" so this is a free pass to infodump about it if u want!

oooohhhh im biting you/pos ough

im apologizing in advance (also, minor CW for shitty parents, (child neglect), and minor SA mentions (not mentioned outright but thats what happened with the carnie)) (under the cut because this is long as shit dude)

OKAY

so basically. its about these six choir kids who died on the cyclone roller coaster. before they got on 5 of them got their fortunes read by Karnak, a fortune telling machine that can predict peoples deaths!! but, he was set to “family fun novelty mode” which means that he can still predict their deaths, but he cant say anything about it. part of his pre-programed bit is “and be sure to ride the cyclone” and he feels super bad about the fact that he knew these kids were gonna die on the cyclone, couldn’t tell them, and told them to actually ride the coaster.

So! he ‘summons’ their ghosts to the warehouse where hes being stored (the crash takes place one year in the past (so this year itd happen 2022) and the musical itself takes place 20 years in the future) and he tells them that he can bring one of them back to life! the six kids (in order of their song(s)) are: ocean o’connell rosenburg, noel gruber, mischa bachinski, ricky potts, jane doe, and constance blackwood. Karnak can bring one of them back to life, and thats what they’re competing for!

Ocean’s first, each kid has a favorite ride, and star sign, a catchphrase,and a “title” (?? im not sure what to call it). Oceans favorite ride is the bumper cars, her star sign is Capricorn, sign of ambition, her catchphrase is “democracy rocks!” and her “title” is “The Most Successful Girl in Town” Shes super obsessed with being successful, getting good grades, being the youngest prime minister of canada, that kinda thing. Her song is how shes Super Awesome and Amazing and Cool and Everyone Else Sucks so You Should Pick Her to go Back. that, obviously, doesn’t go over well with the rest of the choir. Karnak also doesnt tell her that whoever comes back has to be chosen by a unanimous vote from the choir. she tries to save herself, it doesn’t work. basically, shes super self centered, not a great person. her song is What the World Needs!

next is Noel Gruber. His favorite ride is the Farris wheel, his star sign is pisces, sign of passion, his catchphrase is “being the only gay man in a small rural highschool is kinda like having a laptop in the stone age. i mean, you can have one, but theres no where to plug it in.” and his “title” is “The Most Romantic Boy in Town.” his whole thing is, like in his catchphrase, being the only gay man in a small rural town. he romanticizes Everything, which is why hes “the most romantic” (i could get into the titles but thats. so much) hes super obsessed with france, french new wave cinema, that kinda thing. he also really likes the german movie ‘the blue angel’! his song is about his hooker oc monique gibeau and her tragic life. he Loves tragedy too. i. forgot to mention that. so basically his song is about how much he wants to have a tragic life! his song is Noel’s Lament!

next is Mischa Bachinski! his favorite ride is the shooting range (or the beer gallery depending on the script, i believe), his star sign is Leo, sign of aggression, his catchphrase is “my gangster persona is just armor to conceal the fact that i am naked child wandering through the wilderness holding in my hands my wounded fragile heart” and his “title” is “the angriest boy in town!” his whole thing is that hes from Ukraine, his mother was a worker who helped clean up Chernobyl, she was dying from prolonged exposure to uranium. so, she sent him to Canada by faking his birth certificate to make it look like he was 2 and freshly potty trained and not 16. his “new parents” werent happy, so they kept him in the basement and would leave his food at the top of the stairs. his “new mom” would cry every time she saw him and his “new dad” would shoo him away:( so he turned to “ganster rap” he also has a fiance he met on the internet who lives in Ukraine! her name is talia:) he has two songs, the first is a rap about how cool and awesome he is and also how cool and awesome money is and also robots! his second song is about his internet fiancé!! his songs are “This Song is Awesome” and “Talia”!

next is Ricky Potts! his favorite ride is the gravatron, his star sign is gemini, the dual nature, his catchphrase changes depending on the script, we’ll stick with “level up!” because this is already long as shit and we’ve still got two more characters! and his “title” is “The Most Imaginative Boy in Town!” his story is that hes disabled, hes got a degenerative disease that makes it so he cant walk or talk, and in the kinda town they live in it’s obvious that no one made any efforts to learn how to communicate with him (his family canonically made up theyre own sign language??? and took a vow of silence. they also have 14 cats.) so he turned to his imagination for entertainment. he also got one of those wishes from the school. i don’t remember what his wish was but ik it was something about sexy cat girls. so. they compromised with an all you can eat seafood dinner at red lobster! he got food poisoning and had a Wild fever dream. his song is about… having sex… with cat girls… to save the day on the planet “Zolar”! his song is “Space Age Bachelor Man”!

next is jane doe! so, remember how i said that 5 of the 6 kids got their fortunes read? shes the one who didnt. she lost her head, and no parents came to claim her body, so shes the “unidentified body” of the disaster. (theres a reason her parents didnt come claim her body but thats a whole other play) her songs is all about how she doesnt know who she is and how she has no memories! her song is “The Ballad of Jane Doe”!

and finally, Constance Blackwood. Her favorite ride is the cyclone roller coaster, her sign is Scorpio, the secret nature, her catchphrase is “sorry” and her “title” is “The Nicest Girl in Town.” Her whole story is how she hated being only seen as “nice” and how even her best friend (ocean) didnt know her. shes super depressed and shit. a few hours before they go on the coaster, she loses her virginity to a carnie in a porta potty because she wanted to lose it in “the worst way possible.” her family has been in Uranium since it was a mining town, and she thought that was cool! until she got to high school and thinking Uranium was cool was “about the lamest thing you could think to do” she started thinking shit about her town, and her mom (for staying there, for thinking it was cool). her song is about how, while she was dying, she finally realized that her town is beautiful and she does have pride in it. her song is “Sugarcloud” and her monologue is “Jawbreaker”!!

and thats all im gonna say for now because this is Long As Shit holy Fuck

[melissahausen]

Predictions for AEW wrestledream

As always this is who I think is gonna win not necessarily who I want to win.

The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn (c) vs.

TMDK (Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, and Bad Dude Tito).

Six-man tag team match for the AEW World Trios Championships:

The acclaimed and Daddy ass

Luchasaurus vs. Nick Wayne Singles match:

Nick I hope cause I don't think Darby is winning.

Josh Barnett vs. Claudio Castagnoli Singles match: Claudio.

Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty), Diamante, and Mercedes Martinez vs. Satoshi Kojima, Keith Lee, Athena, and Billie Starkz Eight-person mixed tag team match:

I had no idea this match was happening lmfao. So Keith and athena.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Singles match:

everyone but mines dream match lmfao but I think Bryan gotta do it he's the best man.

Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata Singles match for the ROH World Championship and Strong Openweight Championship:

Eddie is on a roll so I'm going him, and he's only just won the title.

Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart (with Brody King) Singles match for the AEW TBS Championship :

now this one I'm torn on cause Julia hasn't lost a match in months but Kris has only just won the title ahh I don't know.... I'm going Kris but I wouldn't be surprised if Julia won.

Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta Singles match:

Ricky is on a roll right now but so is Yuta ahhh I'm going Ricky but once again I won't be surprised if Yoots won.

MJF (c) vs. The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch) 2-on-1 Handicap match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship:

Unless Adam comes to help out I think Max might have bitten off more than he could chew. But it's MJF he'll probably find a way to cheat to win.

FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (c) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) Tag team match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship:

Everyone's saying FTR are done with the titles but I'll forever have faith in my boys. I'm going FTR.

Chris Jericho and The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) vs. The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and Will Ospreay) (with Don Callis) Six-man tag team match:

Now everyone has lots of beef in this feud and everyone (apart from kota) has lost to their enemy in this. But I'm going golden lovers and Jericho cause Kenny hasn't won a match for ages lol.

Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) Singles match:

This match is the one I'm looking forward to so so so much , I think Swerve is gonna win cause its hometown advantage but I think this is gonna be my favourite match of the night. Its gonna get intense I just KNOW it!.

The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. The Gunns (Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo) (with Alex Abrahantes) vs. Orange Cassidy and Hook Four-way tag team match for a future AEW World Tag Team Championship match:

Now if the bucks book themselves to win this match everyone is gonna lose their goddamn minds.

Buuuuut ...... nah I'm joking I think OC and hook are gonna win it cause they're being pushed to the moon right now.

Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin Two out of three falls match for the AEW TNT Championship:

Well well well , emo baby in the main event I'm so goddamn proud. This match gonna be brutal, it's gonna be intense, it's gonna be bloody and it's gonna be full of surprises might get me on the edge ;) of my seat.

Frfr though I think Christian is gonna retain only because he's just won it. But I've a feeling there's gonna be shenanigans with nick Wayne and Luchasaurus and Adam copeland and maybe just maybe sting.

[pxperplxnets]

oscar and amaya

i will be posting the description of each one of my ocs and the guys that i write for.

this post is dedicated to oscar and amaya and will be linked at the beginning of the one shots that are based around them.

---------------------------------------------------

name: amaya brown

nick name: brownie, wife

birth date: august 10, 2001

place of birth: melbourne, australia

strengths: singing skills

weakness: childhood best friend.

song: fine line - harry styles

“we are already married” - amaya brown

“amaya brown had an important voice. she never really understood what that meant, but oscar said it all the time. singing had always been part of her life, she sang at parties, talent shows and doing the dishes, but never thought it could take her somewhere. that was until she met oscar. when her family moved to the other side of the country, amaya found herself living next to a boy her age. of course, they became friends extremely fast and got “married” by their moms after two weeks of friedship. she always attended his races, being his self appointed cheerleader, just as he attended every single preformance and his cheers were heard louder than the rest. they never left each others side, they were married after all.”

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

name: oscar piastri

nick name: pastrie, husband

birth date: april 6, 2001

place of birth: melbourne, australia

strengths: talent

weakness: brownies

song: mr loverman - ricky montgomery

“lets renew our vows then” - oscar piastri

“oscar piastri was a future star. he had already one f3 and f2 championships at 21 years old, and he was highly awaited in f1. however, he could have never gotten to where he was without amaya. she was his best friend -and wife- since their early childhood, and had stayed next to him through every step of the way. he loved racing with hid heart and soul, but it didnt even compare to how much he loved her. since the day he saw her from the comfort of his window as she climbed out of her car, oscar had been completly smitten with her. those feelings didnt change with the years, they only got stronger. he didnt like him that way, and he was fine with it. he was willing to hide his feelings if that meant he could stay by her side.”

----------------------------------------------------

authors note:

welp, more oscar and amaya coming soon<3

[tempural]

More oc octobers I neglected to upload here. These are my main characters. The original universe was based on rock and metal genres, but it's expanded to encompass basically every mundane character I've created in other cities. Get ready for some longass explanations.

80's-90's rock OCs:

PUSSYWHIP: Los Angeles. shock rock, cock rock, glam punk. Formed from the ashes of THE PENETRATORS when Vicky was kicked out for being an insane control freak. Vicky VD on backing vox and lead guitar, Angus is puppeteered as the "frontman" on rhythm guitar and vox. Eddie "Dirty Sanchez" is the deadman on bass. Skeets on drums.

THE PENETRATORS: Los Angeles. arena rock, cock rock, pop metal. Originally formed with Vicky on guitar, he was replaced with Benny and Jet after the spaghetti incident. Soon after, their sound went more radio-friendly and they found more success than Vicky's future ventures. Jizzy on Vox, Johnny on rhythm guitar. Benny "Donut" and Jet on lead and rhythm guitar. Jack on drums.

ANGELRAPER: Tampa, Florida. speed/thrash/death metal. This ill-named band was created by Tomathan when he was in high school track with Ricky and Alexi. He couldn't think of anything more sacreligious than an angel who assaults the children of god. They're still more of a garage band than a serious endeavor, but they have fun in the storage shed they call a practice room. Tommy "Angelraper" on vox and bass. Alexi "Corpsehumper" on guitar. Ricky "Pretty Ricky" "Tacofucker" (it was late and a dare ok) on drums.

90's mundane guys:

Prophet and Priest. Prophet used to be a musician in the 70's-80's. He was injured in an accident (hairspray, fire), and became very depressed and traumatized. Stopped making music. When Priest was a kid, he was Prophet's biggest fan. Now he's all grown up with a job n' shit, and he finds his favorite musician living in a dumpster next to his workplace. Homosexuality and cult-like brainwashing ensues. Nice!

2000's mundane guys:

Ollie and Basile and Liv. Boston, Brookyln, or San Francisco depending on my mood. Ollie and Liv are the same person in different bodies. Basile is their grouchy neighbor. You should know them by now. You can read more about them on my site.

Bobert and Chad. San Francisco. They go to SFSU and room together. Bobert works at Urban Outfitters, dresses as an 80's goth (he was born in the wrong decade dammit!!!) and is a creative writing major who writes erotic fanfiction as a hobby. Chad is a computer science major. They don't understand each other much, but they're good friends.

Ye Olde Dayz

Witchhunter and Witch. Somewhere in olde Germany. The witchhunter killed the witch's family. The witch reprogrammed him and repurposed his body to serve her. The witch is a necromancer whose power is drawn from her own blood, but her young body doesn't hold enough blood to revive her family into horrible undead minions yet. The witchhunter was eventually reborn as Bobert in its next life.

I forgot what tags I use for my own characters on this blog, so I'll tag 'em all.

[ash19871962]

Sisters

Warnings- Blood, Domestic Abuse, slight mention of suicide (not my choice criminal minds made the story for rosalyn)

Jennifer Jareau x OC Jareau

Having an older sister was sometimes a blessing and a curse. There was absolutely nothing you wouldn't do for her, after everything she had done for you. It annoyed you how quickly you guys would make up after a fight, but she was your best friend.

Both of your childhoods were incredibly different, having grown up in the same house but with totally different atmospheres. When you were two and JJ was 11, your 15 year old sister Rosalyn took her own life.

After that things changed in your house, you don't really remember it too much but Jj would tell you stories about that time. Especially at night when you were supposed to be sleeping, trying to remember a sister you don't actually remember is very difficult.

Of course you've seen pictures of all three of you but she is still a stranger to you. But to Jj it affects her deeply, Ros was her idol.

Sometimes in the back of your mind you wonder if Jj even likes you or is just using you to replace Ros. After all your 9 years younger than her? But she is still your big sister and you can't think of her like that for long.

It doesn't surprise you as you grew up that Jj is everywhere. Anything that happened she was there, when Ricky that snot nose kid from 1st grade punched you in the face, she spent hours in the garage showing you how to block your face.

At 14 years old she had much better things to do but she stayed with you. Cleaned your nose and made sure you didn't tell mom. Your mom was probably more of an absentee parent, like she was there in body but not in mind too much. Jj says Ros took a part of her, but sometimes you feel jipped.

Mom apparently used to laugh and smile, plan fun things for them all to do. But you can't remember any of this. You only remember Jj. She was the only one who looked after you, kept you safe it was almost like she was your mom at times, but you always remember her.

Remembering sharing a bed with her during storms, playing in makeup singing stupid songs, sharing secrets and just plain missing her.

She would be so disappointed if she could see you now. Not really having a choice anymore anyways, telling her is essential but your still scared what if your big sister can't help?

Shivering in the cool breeze taking into account your still bleeding a little you decide it's time to leave. Wiping the blood out of your face as best you can, the gash above your eye stings.

The fight you just had was nothing new, the bruises on you back would testify to that. Even through all this you still don't know how to even tell Jj.

It's not an easy conversation, she is either going to be so mad at you she won't speak to you or so over protective she's gonna kill him.

Your phone on your lap feels heavy, but the nerves in your stomach feel like a lead weight. Opening your messaging app you text her

Aj- Hey jayge Are you busy, can I call?

A couple minutes ago by and she texts you back

Jj- Abs! Hey hun yeah we're almost done with this case, give me a couple hours I'll text before we head to the airport ok? Love you💜

You don't want to be disappointed but you guess it'll have to do. Grabbing your phone making your way into the house stopping briefly to grab a couple changes of clothes and your memory box which has everything important in it including you birth certificate.

Making a split decision you also leave your phone but write down all the important numbers just in case. Knowing by the time Jj texts, you'll either be in the hospital or with her.

Nothing else in this house is important . Feeling like the worst thing possible is being stuck here, you leave and make your way home to Jj.

Getting behind the wheel planning to make such a long drive from Pennsylvania all the way to Quantico or at least as close as you can get.

First things first she needs a Dr, so she decides to take care of that first pulling out of the driveway and driving putting a hospital search in her GPS, locating one two towns over that she won't be recognized in she proceeds there.

Sitting in her car fiddling her humbs working up the courage to move. Finally making the decision you walk in and start a new life.

A nurse approaches you and escorts you to the back, answering questions left and right

Name Abigail Jaraeu

Age 20

What happened... Your not exactly sure how to answer this so you don't answer.

Getting changed into the stupid gown you realize how alone you are. Butterflies fly in your stomach making you almost nauseous.

The Dr, has a knowing look in his eye as he looks over your injuries, noticing more than you realize.

The gash above your eye takes 8 stitches, your nose is not broken but two black eyes are in your future, didn't even notice the split lip until the dr goes to stitch it 3 more there.

Feeling absolutely terrible it's not done, the rest of the body check shows more injuries none of them too serious just painful.

The broken wrist being the worst, mystified that you could drive all the way there without so much as a twinge of pain.

Apparently adrenaline is a real thing.

Shocked as the Dr starts applying the cast, absently shocked and numb to how you you must look.

You just want Jj.

To hug you, to hold your hand, to kiss your forehead, your scared and you want your big sister, but she is at work.

Surprisingly no broke ribs just jarred heavily, and of course the bruises, you are given a prescription for pain and instructions for the cast, and you sign yourself out against what they recommend but you know you are just ready to be with Jj.

The drive from this place to Jj is roughly 5 hours so you get started.

The phone you left at the house has to be found by now. Memories of the fight flash as your merge on the interstate, setting cruise control you let yourself relax.

The shoving, the broken mirror the outrage that you didn't do anything wrong. It made no sense to you, Johnny was supposed to be a good guy, but he ended up being the scariest thing you've ever encountered.

As your driving you remember Jj is on a case so no one is at her house. Your nephews would be with Wills Mom. Maybe you could stay there till they got back you had a key?

In this situation you didn't think she'd mind.

God you were scared, what If she yelled at you? If she did your pretty sure you would crumble.

Driving is incredibly hard with a cast but you have to make due, you have to get there. Once there everything will work out.

Feeling incredibly guilty now, you think should you even bother Jj? She literally has children what if Johnny came there?

You don't think he's that stupid but you never know. Jj would kill him.

Stopping to fill up with gas using most of the cash you have, you keep driving closer and closer to safety.

For probably the quietest drive your ever made in your life you finally make it to Jj's neighborhood.

Concerned now because it's 2 am and the street is completely deserted, you make up your mind to park farther down the road from her house just in case she's actually already home.

The upstairs light is on, and your basically a nervous wreck. All you want is her, but scared in how she's gonna react .

Slowly getting out of your car, you make your way to Jj's porch and knock softly.

Hearing the footsteps, turns the butterflies in your stomach turn to rocks.

Will opens the door angry someone knocked on the door at 2 am. The second he sees your face his jaw drops, and concern fills his eyes.

Your arms are grabbed into a hug, tears finally fall from your eyes as he calls for your sister to come down the stairs.

Obviously Jj took that offensively, as it's 2 am and she only just got home.

Upon seeing you stitched casted and crying in her husband's arms, all composure is gone.

The next couple of minutes are a blur, feeling yourself be transferred into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, but strangely you feel better.

Her hands are on your cheeks, and her blue eyes are filled with anguish but at that moment you feel safer than you have in a long time.

"What happened to you Abs? I tried calling you and Johnny said you went to bed"

There is a lump in your throat "Johnny did this, all if this"..

Out of the corner of your eye you see Will leave the room, and in that moment you know, you have to tell her everything..

The story spills from your lips, how he stared out like a normal boyfriend, then he just got so angry at everything how the fights started and how this one ended, how scared you were but most of all how you just had to get to her.

Jj stares back speechless and incredibly livid, her baby sister her best friend was hurt, and came to her.

She pulls you into another hug and in that moment it didn't matter how you looked or were you came from, you were home.

Jj would fix everything, and you would never be able to repay her.

[seaofthemind-art]

The “Abuse” Trope in MCU Spider-Man Fan Fiction: Part 1

[Edit Note: This first post completely missed my point, and as such is now being continued in "Part 2". I have made several edits and additions to this post for coherence between the two.]

I became interested in these tropes partly due to what seemed to be its abundance within the fandom. Re-reading several stories recently led me to consider how this trope has been handled in the fandom, its variations and ways that it has been turned on its head, as well as stories ideas that have not been explored yet to my knowledge.

Within the "Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)" category on AO3 there are several overarching areas that would come under the trope of abuse.

To put it in context, on the 26th October 2020 there was 28,637 works in the category; this included 626 stories tagged as "child abuse", a total of more than 2% of the stories. Of course, as we well know, tagging on AO3 is not consistent: there will be "abuse" stories which do not use this tag, whilst the tag may also be referring to a range of characters' situations (ie: Tony's childhood, Flash's backstory, OC characters). However, for these posts I'm going to look at stories related to Peter's experiences.

For all the "popularity" of these stories in the fandom, it is just an example of what are wide spread tropes across media. TV Tropes lists several related tropes including Abusive Parents and Foster Kid, showing that it is not only this fandom in which it is common.TV Tropes also makes a good point in its Sliding Scale of Parent-Shaming in Fiction, in that: what one person classes as abusive behavior may be perfectly acceptable to another.

Major Plot Categories

One of the common targets for this trope is "May's Abusive Boyfriend", which seems to have grown in popularity in the last year as Endgame has provided a convenient set-up for this trope:

the second law of thermodynamics by extraordinarythings

"It happens the same way it always does. (It's just discipline. It's not that bad. It's fine, Peter is fine, he'll be fine--). Except he really isn't fine, and Tony knows something's up, and Peter's house of cards is falling apart, and so the story goes."

Who Saves The Hero by CamelotQueen

“May brings home her new boyfriend. Something about him makes Peter feel nervous, but he makes May happy. And if May's happy, then Peter is happy. Then it escalates.”

Fear all else but never me. Please. by Webtrinsic

“May's new boyfriend proves himself to be a grade A-asshole when he decides to abuse Peter. And that doesn't sit well with Tony at all.”

i get by (but it’s eating me alive) by Livinei

““Do you not want to be home?” Tony starts. “No.” Tony considers for a moment. Peter’s never not wanted to be home. Not before… Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t know a lot about David. Peter doesn’t bring him up a lot, and when he does then he’s not very eager to discuss it for long. Tony hasn’t gotten an impression that Peter’s particularly fond of the guy, though.”

The Homes We Make by iamq

“Peter Parker isn't the type of boy to run crying to Tony Stark because he can't handle a punch. Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds aren't the type of friends to ignore Peter's rapidly declining health. Eugene "Flash" Thompson isn't an idiot.”

to this day by hopeless_hope

“It's months before anyone realizes May's boyfriend abuses Peter. The effects are lasting.”

Promotions Aren’t Always A Good Thing by Agib

“When May gets a new boyfriend, Peter's okay. When Carter moves in, he can deal. When May gets a promotion so she works days and Carter works nights, Peter finds it harder to deal. When Carter starts abusing him, he begins to feel crushed by the weight of it all.”

The Black And The Blue (All That It Takes Out of You) by Buckets_of_Stars

“David wasn't a person Peter would ever want to be around, but with him being May's new boyfriend and all, it makes it harder and harder to avoid him. But it was fine, May was happy and of course, Peter still has Tony. But that was before the hitting started. Before David spit neglectful words in his face and the spiderling begins to question his very worth.Tony, on the other hand, is not having it.”

Vertigo by GalaxyThreads

“Coming back from the dead wasn't nearly as awesome as TV made it out to be. Peter's learning this on the go. And it really doesn't help that May's new husband absolutely hates him. And that May is pretty ignorant of that and him now. But it's all fine. Really.”

Your Heart Changed (mine stayed the same) by @loboselinaistrash​ [WIP]

"Peter Parker is back but 5 years into the future and the world has changed. Peter goes home with May only to find she had moved on, with a husband and two kids. Peter struggles to find his place in this new family with a strict step uncle, the longer he's there the harder he finds it to stay on his good side, uncertain if May will believe him."

A Peter Parker Problem by @spagbol99​ [WIP]

"Peter comes back to find May has a husband and a kid. A new family he has to fit into. But he has done it before, he can do it again. The only thing that feels solid is Tony: the Blip and fatherhood have mellowed him and Peter loves the bond they have now. He knows Tony would be there for him through anything. But Tony needs to focus on his own recovery - not small time Peter Parker problems. When things at home take a turn for the worse, Peter decides that he'll handle it himself. He is Spider-man. He's been to space and fought aliens. He can get through anything. After all, if May is happy, he is happy, right? Right?"

--

This premise has been turned on it's head by a couple of authors with the straight opposite of this trope in "May has a new boyfriend who is decent (and confused)":

The Secrets We Keep by @euphoric-melancholyy​

"May has a really awesome, loving boyfriend who's just a little confused as to why she lets her teenage son stay out til 1 every night and sleep somewhere else every weekend. Also, he’s friends with Tony Stark? Chris - May’s new boyfriend - feels like he’s missing something here."

A Good Kid  by kuragay

"Ricky thinks that May's an exceptional woman, and he thinks that Peter's an exceptional kid. But there's no denying that the Parker household is full of mysteries, and most of them are centered around Peter and his supposed internship with Tony Stark."

--

Then there has also been several stories changing the abuser, such as in the concept of "What if May (or Ben) is the abusive carer?":

Brooklyn by @hailing-stars​ [part of a longer series]

"After leaving Peter with Tony and months of no contact, May shows up in Peter's life again, interrupting Tony's plans to adopt him. Peter has to decide who he wants to live with, but soon learns the decision may really not be his."

Parker Luck by CreepyLittleLullaby

"He never met one, he got left behind by the other, the next one died, and the only one he had left was pushing him away. And he doesn't know what to do. Peter really has rotten luck when it comes to parental figures. No matter how hard he tries. Parker luck will always prevail."

Please, Understand by jipseebree

"When Aunt May discovers that he's Spider-Man, something inside her snaps. She starts to abuse him and he deserves it, doesn't he? After all, people have died because of him. People who wouldn't have died if he was a better hero."

Spiders hunt alone, anyway by karma_is_a_turtle [WIP]

"Ben’s death hits the Parker family hard, May worst of all. May Parker struggles to cope with her husband’s death and her nine-year-old nephew grows up learning how to pick up her slack."

Always Silent, Peter Darling by LlibLo

“After a traumatic experience at age 6, Peter Parker hasn't spoken a word. Most blame it on the fact that he witnessed his Uncle die in a horrible fire, this is only partly true. Now, almost 10 years later Peter is given the chance to finally speak, but will he take it? Or is the fear of his Aunt to much for him to take that chance? Either way, Tony Stark can tell something's not quite right about the kind hearted May Parker.“

It’s All Just Static In My Head by Blue__Dreams

“And then May was shot. Foolishly, childishly, Peter hoped Iron Man would swoop in and save the day again. He hoped and hoped and hoped. And Ben drank and drank and drank. As Ben grew worse, and their fridge grew empty, as Peter’s face became more bruised, and his powers grew, Peter realized, you can’t depend on superheroes. So Peter created his own hero - Spiderman.“

 I told you I had issues by Bergen            

“Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and right now, a little exasperated. Because some guy is swinging around New York, shooting webs and making trouble, Fury is breathing down his neck, and his latest intern took off with his coupon for a free coffee.“

--

Another focus for the abuse trope are the "Skip Wescott" stories, which take their concept and the character from a one-shot from the comics. @irondadfics​ has a good rec list for this. Many of the stories take it further than the comic that inspired them, and within the fandom it has also become common to see it re-mixed in variations of “Abused by Other Person of Authority” AKA: Babysitter/Teacher/Foster Carer/etc.

Although Skip is a common character for authors to use when they need a character as the abuser who isn't a complete original character, both original characters do appear as well as other characters from within the MCU.

The Third Option by Uncertainty_Principle

“Ben and May divorced before Peter’s parents died, so when Ben is murdered Peter goes into foster care. It takes just a tiny taste of superpowers for Peter to decide he doesn’t want to put up with his horrible foster father anymore—the streets are infinitely more appealing. All he wants is to be Spider-Man anyway.“

take a look at me now, there's just an empty space by @lyssismagical

“As much as Peter does want to disappear to his bedroom and avoid the awkward attempts at a one-sided conversation or inquiries about the life Tony’s read about, he craves the closeness to another person. The last time he felt properly close to someone was May. Every home in between had people who tried or people who didn’t, either way, it never felt the same. He was just another mouth to feed, another set of house visits and questionnaires from Elaine, another troubled kid under their roof. He was never treated like a human being, like a kid.“

Like A Flame That Flickered Out Too Soon... by @mysterycheerio

““He did this to you?”. Peter nodded. “And this is why you haven’t been talking?”. Another nod. Tony left the room in a hurry. Peter didn’t know where he went. Pepper knew. Rhodey knew. The whole damn neighbourhood around Stark Mansion knew, his yells were so loud.”

The Education Complication by Buckets_Of_Stars

“When young Peter Stark was diagnosed with Asthma, he was given two very important rules to always follow: 1. No long distance running. 2. Always have your inhaler with you. But when a new Gym Teacher with a hatred toward Iron Man gets hired, the 13 year old is going to find that following these two simple steps has never been more difficult.”

--

This is just a selection of the stories which can be found on AO3, from which it should be already clear that these cover a wide range of treatments of the subject.

Across all the categories, the reactions of characters to the abuse is varied; as well as some notable omissions in the range of stories. 

This we will look at in Part 2.

[i-am-a-bad-influence-writes]

Hayloft - Part 3

Series Masterlist - Bucky Masterlist - Full Masterlist

Summary: A young girl finds a soldier hiding in the hayloft on her father’s farm. Intrigued, she visits him more and more until her father finds out and puts him to work. As they grow closer, something else grows too.

Pairing: James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes x OC Jenny Richelle “Ricky” Hill

Warning: Strong language, inaccurate war description

Author’s note: Based on the song Hayloft by Mother Mother and the lovestory of my grandparents. I am Dutch and the war was a bit different here, so I will be basing this on the stories I’ve heard about my grandparents.

Word count: 1421

‘Hey, where’d my confident Jenny go,‘ he teases. ‘Oh go fuck yourself,‘ she grins. ‘Gladly, through I’d rather fuck you.‘ She stares with wide eyes into his as a smug smirk plays on his lips. ‘Fuck it,‘ she mumbles and straddles him, dipping down to connect his lips with hers. ‘My dad is going to shoot you.‘ ‘Angel, that only makes it more exciting.‘

‘Good morning fellas,‘ Jenny chirps happy as ever while she throws open the door to the shed. ‘Gosh, what has gotten into you,‘ Johnny sighs, ‘you’re too happy.‘ ‘I’m trying to even out the mood in the room,‘ she teases and puts their breakfast on the table. She looks over at James who gives her a lingering look up and down her body. He bites down his bottom lip when their eyes meet. She’s certain the heath on her cheeks is showing. ‘Morning angel,‘ he smiles. ‘Well, aren’t you charming,‘ she huffs, pretending to be just as stuck-up as she normally is, ‘get up before my dad comes to drag you all onto the field.‘ ‘Yes ma’am,‘ James replies and throws off his blanket. For a second, Jenny’s eyes stick on his body. She’s seen it all the night before, but it’s impressive non the less. ‘I’ll see you at dinner,‘ she rushes out. ‘She was acting weird,‘ Johnny grumbles, jumping out of the top bunk. Timothy gives Jame this look. He doesn’t know how to describe it, but he knows Timothy knows. While Johnny goes outside to put his head under the faucet, both Timothy and James get dressed. ‘Next time you go at it on the hayloft, please warn me,‘ he hums quietly. James feels his blood run cold. ‘I’m sorry?‘ ‘The hayloft. You can see it from this window,‘ he points out the window he sleeps next to. He looks at James white face and smiles. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not gonna rat on you. Just be careful with mister Hill. From what Johnny told me, he’s not scared to put a bullet in someone’s head.‘ ‘We’ll close the window next time,‘ James awkwardly jokes, rubbing the back of his head. ‘Yeah, you better.‘

‘Good morning Michelle,‘ Jenny smiles, ‘how’s the board?‘ ‘Ain’t got none of them in a minute,‘ she hums, sipping her coffee, ‘what’s got you so happy?‘ ‘It was my birthday yesterday,‘ she tells Michelle with a grin, ‘my mom managed to make a cake. It was amazing!‘ ‘That’s nice,‘ Michelle answers, not really paying attention. It strikes Jenny as weird. Normally, Michelle wants to gossip and talk for at least an hour before Jenny goes on her merry way. ‘Okay,‘ Jenny sits down on the corner of Michelle’s desk, ‘what’s wrong?‘ Michelle looks up at her and she gets a good look of her tear stained eyes. ‘He got an honorable discharge,‘ she cries, ‘because his foot got blown off.‘ ‘I’m so sorry honey,‘ Jenny wraps her arms around the crying woman, ‘there’s nothing honorable about that man. Is there any way you can leave him?‘ ‘I can try to go back to Canada,‘ she mumbles, ‘but I don’t think I’ll be able to.‘ ‘When is he getting back?‘ ‘Probably in a month, but he’ll expect me to visit him in the hospital.‘ ‘I say, call your parents, see what you can do and ask for your pay early so you can leave as fast as possible,‘ Jenny tells her, ‘I love you and I wish you could stay, but it’s not safe for you here.‘ She nods and heads into the back of the office to make a call. While she does, the front door opens and sergeant Winter steps inside. Now that Michelle isn’t at the front, it makes Jenny feel a bit iffy. ‘Good morning miss,‘ the sergeant says as he takes his hat off. ‘Morning sergeant Winter,‘ she smiles at him, ‘back for the coffee and biscuits?‘ ‘It’s a nice extra,‘ he smiles back at her, ‘but no. I’m here to take off a few pictures.‘ ‘Oh, you found some,‘ she asks curiously. ‘No, not really,‘ he tells her as he moves to take of the three top pictures. Timothy, Johnny, and James. ‘These three have been gone for so long, we’re kind of expecting them to be dead. Most of these lads get shot when they try to steal from farmers or hide in people’s houses.‘ ‘So those three are basically dead to the army,‘ she asks, lips pulled to a thin line. ‘That’s what it comes down to, yes,‘ he nods. ‘Most curious,‘ she chuckles, ‘can I get you some coffee sergeant?‘ ‘Not today, thank you. I heard your coworker’s husband got a honorable discharge. She must be happy to get her husband back in the house. The work floor is no place for a woman.‘ Jenny has to suppress all urges to barf at the man’s comment, but there’s really not much she can do. ‘Agreed, though I grew up at a farm, so I’m used to the work,‘ she tells him, trying to force a friendly smile. ‘Fair, but a woman like you should have a good husband to take care of you,‘ he says as he takes a few steps closer. ‘Of course. My fiancé is in the army,‘ she tells him, showing him her grandmother’s wedding ring on her hand, ‘we’re planning to get married when he gets back.‘ Sergeant Winter seems a bit taken back. ‘I wish you the best miss. I’ll pray for your fiance’s healthy return.‘ ‘Thank you sergeant.‘

James plays with Jenny’s fingers, watching the ring shimmer in the dim light on the hayloft. Their bodies are covered in dried sweat and lose strands of hay poking at their skin. ‘Why do you wear a ring?‘ She curls closer to his chest, covering herself with his shirt. ‘I’m the daughter of a rich farmer,‘ she chuckles, ‘I get swarmed by men left and right.‘ ‘You’d get swarmed either way,‘ he hums, gently grabbing her jaw to turn her face to him, ‘you’re stunning.‘ He presses a sweet kiss on her lips. She grins when she lays back down on his chest. ‘I’m going to replace that ring one day,‘ he whispers soft enough so she can barely hear it. She decides not to say anything about it. ‘They took your pictures off today,‘ she tells him, ‘I asked the sergeant and he says it’s because you three are considered dead to the army.‘ ‘Ah, that’s a relief.‘ She swings her legs over his thighs and straddles him again. ‘It is,‘ she smiles as she dips down to his neck, leaving sweet kisses. ‘Angel, we only just finished. Are you sure you can take it?‘ ‘You’ll take care of me, right?‘ His eyes grow wide as he realizes the trust she has in him. She trusts him to take care of her, love her gently, stay by her side. She’s willing to risk her father’s wrath to lay down in the hay with him time and time again. ‘Always.‘

Time passes fast than ever. Jenny and James have their routine. In the morning, Jenny sneaks James a kiss before she leaves for work. Then, when she gets home, they sneak another kiss before she gets to work on dinner. After dinner they go onto the hayloft to read. Well, most days Jenny reads to James while he admires her face and her changing facial expressions while she tells him stories. It’s like she’s acting out the stories and he adores it. Reading often turns into something else and then return to their beds to do it all over again the next day. ‘I wish we had met in a different time,‘ Jenny sighs as she closes her book for day. This is the third time they’re reading Of Sons and Lovers. They both adore the book. ‘Me too angel,‘ he says, eyes closed, laying back on the hay, ‘though I do enjoy sneaking around with you.‘ He looks like he’s experiencing pure bliss, like this is all he’s ever wanted. ‘I think we should talk to my parents.‘ His eyes shoot open. ‘Sorry?‘ As if on que, she puts her hand over her stomach defensively. Like she’s protecting something. ‘We’ve been sneaking around for months, I need to know if they’re okay with us being together,‘ she mumbles, ‘because I really want a future with you.‘ He sits up and takes her hands in his. ‘If that is what you want, then we’ll talk to them.‘ ‘Thank you.‘

[danwhobrowses]

AEW: Predicting the Next Champions (from Dec 2020 Onward)

Note: Spoilers for AEW Dynamite ‘Winter is Coming’ 2nd December Show

So Winter Came, and it came for Jon Moxley’s title reign. With a new champion, Kenny Omega’s reign will begin and most likely rule into and potentially beyond the year 2021 - along with what seems to be a budding relationship with IMPACT wrestling as well. At this current point I am expecting all the current champions: Darby, Cage, Young Bucks, and Shida to still be champions come the year’s end. So now is time to determine who will take the title from them? Note: While I am Legitimizing the FTW Championship for these predictions I am not doing predictions for the AEW Diamond Ring since it seems to be an annual trophy thing, the same applies for the Deadly Draw medals.

Potential AEW Trios Championship Prediction: Death Triangle Alternative Options: Jurassic Express, Best Friends & Orange Cassidy or Dark Order This is just an out-there one because there currently is no Trios Championship, but recently Tony Khan has noted that there is the possibility of a Trios Championship being introduced in 2021, and with several stables having 3 members it does look very likely.  So for my money, PAC and the Lucha Bros’ faction Death Triangle (or Triángulo de la Muerte) will be the first to claim the gold. Currently a tween faction having feuded with Eddie Kingston and family, Death Triangle is definitely one of the most popular trios stables in AEW, to the point that we’ve anticipated their reunion longer than they’ve been a stable. Also, the Lucha Bros are due a title win, they fell short on the AEW Tag tournament and kinda hovered in the midcard, so they do need this the most. Alternatively, I can see other trios winning with the same appeal. Jurassic Express have been a favourite babyface faction who also seem to lose more than they win, the Best Friends with OC could use their experience to establish a solid reign and the Dark Order’s resurgence and usage of the Freebird Rule could allow them to enable dominance by numbers. While Team FTW and the Inner Circle could also be long shots, FTW have their own title and the Inner Circle, may have other plans for them. One can wish that the Trios Championship could be Intergender to allow more women to wrestle and be involved in factions, could have All-Women trios or mixed Trios but I do doubt so I won’t entertain for now.

FTW Championship Prediction: Cody Rhodes Alternative Options: Eddie Kingston, Lance Archer, ‘Hangman’ Page, Wardlow or Mr. Brodie Lee Recently the FTW Championship has been gaining attention due to Team Tazz’s prolonged feud with Darby Allin overlapping with Cody Rhodes. The rankings do have Cage and Starks very high up without title matches - save for Cage’s Casino Ladder Match victory entitling him to one. In the prior Dynamite, Tazz demanded that the FTW Championship be legitimized, and I feel like this will only happen if it changes hands to Cody. As much as he is talented and has a good head on him, Cody has unfortunately been reluctant to leave a form of spotlight. With the Shaq thing going nowhere like the Tyson thing was with Jericho, Cody making a ‘rise up’ feud with Cage and winning the FTW Championship would be a means to keep Cody in a top billing as he looks to legitimize the title only under his possession. This could also further storyline with Tazz, having ‘Hook’ perhaps side with his father and FTW fight to reclaim their branded title, or even Tazz vacating the title from Cody in stubborn rage. The alternative would be down to who else would have Brian Cage in their corsairs to be a legitimate threat. The FTW Championship this way could be a ‘Big Man’ belt since not many can beat Cage and share the FTW mantra Tazz would allow the belt to change hands for. With that in mind, Archer, Wardlow and Brodie are definitely ‘Big Man’ wrestlers capable of dethroning Cage and Eddie Kingston would definitely be someone who fits the FTW attitude, the man is money after all. Hangman Page would also be a decent shout to further his slow-burn storytelling, having Hangman fall into nihilism with this title, but for it to bring him no joy since this first singles title of his is from an illegitimate championship.

AEW World Tag Team Championship Prediction: Santana & Ortiz (Inner Circle) Alternative Options: FTR, Best Friends or Dark Order It is no easy feat to dethrone the Young Bucks. There’s not much else you can say about that, because of this it is not easy to determine who in the uber talented tag division can usurp them. Acclaimed, TNT, Private Party and Top Flight are not ready and Hybrid 2 are so talented but not in the champion mentality, the Trios Title talk also makes JE and Death Triangle less likely to just go for the tandem title. As a result, I am picking the former LAX to beat the Bucks. While Jericho and Hager seem to be representing the Inner Circle’s tag front right now, I do not think they would be successful to defeat the Bucks, this could trigger Santana and Ortiz to finally get involved. Like the Lucha Bros, despite some stellar matches they have found themselves aimless, so this is a good time to rebuild them to the great tag team we know them to be. With the advantage of the Inner Circle backing them also, it would restore legitimacy to the faction’s name. Other than the Inner Circle, FTR are probably the most likely to usurp the Bucks, I only don’t think they will because as the former holder it’d be a bit of a flip flop. The feud doesn’t need a title after all. Best Friends may not have to team with OC to capture gold, the same way that Dark Order don’t need to go for the Trios to capture gold, the Dark Order’s overness and the fact that the Bucks have taken responsibility for their booking could mean that they will seek to pay off the faction as a whole.

AEW TNT Championship Prediction: MJF Alternative Options: Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy or Miro Darby Allin is definitely entertaining as hell, but now he has the test of seeing if he can carry momentum on a weekly TV basis as a champion. I am certainly sure he can do it, but his downfall can easily be putting his body in too much harm’s way, which fits the strategy of MJF. Potentially without the AEW Diamond Ring when his challenge comes around, MJF can certainly profit from being a title holder in year 2 of AEW, his prior snipes at Darby especially before his World Title match against Moxley can fuel his confidence going against him and with the Inner Circle and Wardlow flanking him it can lead to him resorting to cheat tactics for heat and potentially lead to his downfall for when he loses the title, as well as neutralizing the legendary Sting - who I expect to stick around Darby, or at the least have a paternity test - for that extra dose of nuclear heat. Ricky Starks is considered the common alternative right now given their long-term feud, but let’s not forget Sammy Guevara had a great series of matches with Darby in the early days too. Miro right now is in one of AEW’s weaker gimmicks at the moment but a TNT title reign can restore dominance to his character. One possibility we do have to consider though is the heel turn, Darby could easily become consumed with defending his championship by any means, or his challenger obsessed with claiming gold, the former would better suit against opponents like Orange Cassidy - who will then be forced to ‘try’ - or Jungle Boy - who would seek to establish himself as a future world champion and not just an athletic midcarder.

AEW Women’s World Championship Prediction: Britt Baker DMD Alternative Options: Abadon, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa or Jade Cargill Despite its criticism, I believe that Hikaru Shida’s record-breaking title reign has been for the most part great. Shida herself has made a great fighting champion, calling on all contenders and having very good matches, to the point where we hold Shida matches at a higher standard to others. While I would love to have a strike match between her an a strongly-booked Tay Conti, I don’t think it’ll happen in time for Shida to still be champion, because the Doctor is in. Britt Baker was intended to be the Face of the Women’s Division, but after failing to connect with the crowd she became a revelation as a heel, only to be cut down by injury. In my opinion, AEW have maintained confidence in Shida’s reign because they want Britt to overcome her, likely by snide heel tactics to subdue Shida when she continues a juggernaut run through the division. Bringing a heel champion in will also open the door for more face challengers to shine, including returns for Riho, Statlander and Yuka Sakazaki. Currently Abadon has began to feud with Shida, crossing paths for the first time since Abadon’s only AEW loss against the then-not-champion Shida. Leaning on having the champion face fear, despite the Champion’s insistence that she is not afraid, it is still possible for fear to take over and for Abadon to win the championship, her gimmick definitely stands out and she has a definite following, there is also crossover value for her if AEW link her with or against IMPACT’s Su Yung and/or Rosemary. Other than Abadon, Statlander’s return from injury could start with a Heel turn of her own, allowing Statlander to use her power moves to more intensity, former NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa may also rekindle the rivalry for a second crack. While I’ll admit I’ve not seen Jade Cargill wrestle, if looks are to be judged, Cargill can certainly rule as a smarmy heel champion, and there can be added story with Vickie Guerrero allying with her and guiding her to get personal vengeance on Shida where Nyla failed.

AEW World Championship Prediction: ‘Hangman’ Page Alternative Options: PAC, Brodie Lee or Brian Cage Storytelling doesn’t have to be convoluted to be great, AEW and NXT have proven that with stellar stories even when we knew how it would end. And climbing Adam Page from the gutter to the top is certainly the story one would top off a big PPV or an Anniversary show on. Granted, it’d be a super slow burn, but Omega is certainly a champion you expect to hold ‘Big Platinum’ for a long time, it also serves AEW better to limit the amount of times their main belt changes hands, which I’m sure the EVPs are all well aware of. Kenny’s alliance with Callis can usher in some IMPACT wrestlers to perhaps bolster Kenny’s allies and opponents but for now I feel that AEW should keep their world title at the very list restricted to their roster. Outside of Hangman, PAC definitely has unfinished business with Omega, the Bastard’s talent cannot go amiss and his character has been a proven success in WWE and the Indies as strong titleholder. Brodie may also fit the top title, his feud with Moxley was brief but very entertaining, I would love him to have the same coveting that he did in the Moxley feud, even having Dark Order members carrying the title for him to the ring. The final option so far has to be Brian Cage, in NJPW Kenny had multiple foils; Okada, Tanahashi, but one of the major ones was the ‘Stone Pitbull’ Tomohiro Ishii, a man with plenty of physical similarities to Brian Cage. Cage’s deceptive speed and monster power could prove to be a similar foil to Omega as Ishii had been for him years prior. So yeah, congrats to AEW’s new champion, I wonder how many I’ll get right.

[calif0rnia-lovers]

High Expectations: Young!Mayans

Part I: Veronica, not Ronnie

Pairing: Angel Reyes x OC (Ronnie Vargas)

Sarah Jeffery for Veronica Vargas

Santiago Segura as Young Angel

Summary: When he interjects himself into a dispute between Veronica and her ex-boyfriend, Ricardo, Angel lands them both in detention. All Ricardo can think about is kicking Angel’s ass next time he sees him. Veronica how the detention will look on her permanent record (Oxford wouldn’t really want to hear about her near-death, fightclub experience in her personal essay). Angel, he just wants to pass his midterms so he doesn’t get kicked off the team before the homecoming game. And to convince Veronica to attend the dance with him. According to his busted throwing hand, Angel may not have his priorities straight.

A/N: No one asked for Young Mayans but here is part one for Angel Reyes. Don’t try and tell me EZ Reyes was the only Reyes brother with dreams of a different future. I had so much fun writing this, so please let me know what you think

Words: 8K.

Angel knew from the moment his hand connected with Ricky’s nose he was fucked.

It hurt like shit.

Growing up in Santo Padre, Angel Reyes had participated in his fair share of fights. Many times they were over his younger brother, Ezekiel. Smart kids are always the target of bullies. Other times, Angel was defending himself and his slick remarks. Either way, Angel has punched enough people to tell when his hand was broken. 

Luckily, his hand wasn’t broken. Ricky’s nose was broken.

Although not broken, Angel’s hand was definitely going to fuck with his ability to throw a football for a couple of days. 

But Angel didn’t care.

See, Angel has never liked Ricardo Deza, despite the two of them being co-captains for the school Varsity football team. To be honest, 90% of the world doesn’t like Ricardo Deza. Since the moment he could speak, Ricardo has always talked to everyone as though they were lesser than the dirt on the bottom of his shoes. That’s the only way you know how to talk when your dad owns more than half of the city.

Usually, Angel just ignored the guy. But when he saw Veronica slap him, Angel knew there was going to be trouble. She couldn’t slap Ricardo Deza and not be put in her place. Especially when she does it in front of nearly half the football team, and senior class. 

Ricky has spent the last month complaining about Veronica, more than usual.

His usual complaint was that she wouldn’t sleep with him. Despite a year of dating, it never happened. Not for a lack of trying on Ricky’s part. Veronica Vargas has always been consistent, especially when her mind is made up. When Ricky tried to push her to the next level in the back seat of his car last month, she broke it off. Right then and there. And Ricky has been having trouble grasping that they’re no longer together, which means he can no longer tell her what to do.

He had waited for her outside of her AP Calculus class, catching her the second she stepped into the hallway. He had two homecoming tickets in tow.

Angel was busy opening his locker and his own business when Veronica made it to hers, just a few lockers down.

“I’m not sure how many times I have to say no before you get it, Ricardo,” Veronica had sighed as she concentrated on spinning her combination. “I’m not going to the homecoming dance. And, even if I was, I’m not going with you.”

“Babe, come on,” Ricky pouted, his shoulder resting against a nearby locker as she switched out her books. “I know you were trying to make a point. The point has been made. Stop being a bitch about it and just take the ticket. Take me off a timeout, or whatever it is you think you’re doing.”

Shutting her locker, Veronica gave Ricardo a smile.

“Sorry, Ricky,” she smiled, tucking her AP English book against her chest. “The answer is still no. Stop texting me about it, and showing up to my classes. It’s starting to look pathetic. Everyone knows we’re not together anymore. Why don’t you just ask one of the cheerleaders? I’m sure they’ll go with you, and might even let it hit in the backseat of your car since apparently, it’s deal-breaker for a real relationship when you can’t.”

Angel had seen Ricky reach for Veronica when she’d turned away. A few students had passed, diverting their gazes when Ricky’s hand bruisingly dug into the skin of her upper arm, and he yanked her body from the center of the hallway dragging it back towards her locker. A few more students stopped in their tracks, their conversations slowly dying out as he pressed her back against the locker his six feet easily blocking her from their view.

The initial shock of his actions had delayed Veronica’s reaction, her books falling from her arms in the process. But when his grip tightened, his face scrunching up in anger, as he hissed out her name she moved to yank away from him. Her act of defiance caused Ricky’s grip to painfully tighten. 

Her hand hit him before she realized what had happened. But the second his grip around her arm loosened she was shoving against his chest and stumbling sideways to wedge herself from between his body and her locker. 

She hadn’t even realized that Angel had stepped in, and diverted Ricky’s path until he was being pulled away to reveal a bloodied nosed Ricky doubling over. 

The events that followed had been a blur. 

Angel was carted off by members from the team. Ricky was taken to the nurse’s office. Veronica was taken to the principal’s office. But, instead of being asked to file an incident report she was given a pack of ice for her arm. She was also given a speech about how sometimes relationships get testy when emotions are involved. How that a “good boy” like Ricardo Deza sometimes has trouble when he doesn’t get his way, but that doesn’t mean he acted out of ill intent. Her favorite was the last line, that a broken nose should be good enough punishment for his mistakes. Not writing up a report that would hinder him from playing in the biggest game of the school’s football season. After his speech, the principal asked if she was okay and if she wanted to call her father.

Veronica was smart, she knew that if she called his office her father would ask two things. 

When did you break up with Ricardo Deza Sr.’s son?

What did you say to piss him off?

Not: 

Are you okay?

Stay put, I’ll be right there, I’ll handle this little shit.

The principal knew the same thing. So she declines the phone call and asks if she can go back to class in time for her AP English midterm review session. 

Her request is granted, but not after she is provided a pink detention slip.

Veronica goes through the rest of her day, trying her best to ignore the whispers and stares she gets in class and in the hallways. And when the final bell rings, instead of attending the weekly SGA meeting she heads to detention for the first time in her life.

Readjusting the strap of her backpack resting on her shoulder, Veronica slightly shakes her head. Never in a million years did she think she would ever be in room 230 after school.

Room 230, her AP Calculus classroom, moonlights as the after school detention center. 

As she takes in the nearly full room, Veronica still cannot shake the feeling that she was wrongly sent her. The pink slip, signed by her principal, would beg to differ.

“You going in, or what?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Veronica takes a step through the doorway allowing the kid behind her to slip past and take a seat.

Mr. Riley, the gym teacher, is seated at the front of the room. With his feet resting atop the desk, he is focused on the laptop in his lap. Typing away, he doesn’t seem to care that no one has stopped to complete the sign-in sheet.

Veronica pauses before the desk. Clearing her throat, she offers up the pink slip. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Riley. I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here.” Her voice falters once he makes no move to look and see who is speaking to him. “Um, is there anything else I have to do besides sign in?”

Not bothering to glance away from his screen, Mr. Riley nods towards the desk.

“Drop it in the basket, and take a seat, Vargas.”

Dropping her pink slip inside the basket by his feet, Veronica turns to find all eyes in the room are on her. Most people just glance back down at their phones, a few smile and shake their heads. Spotting a seat in the back, she makes her way towards it.

She sets her bag down on the desk and takes out her planner.

Written on the board in chalk it reads. 

No passes. No talking. And no disturbing me. Leave at 4:30.

Nearly fifteen minutes have passed, when the classroom door opens. Veronica, like everyone else, glances away from her desk to watch Angel Reyes walk in.

Despite getting into a fight, he appears unscathed. Or affected by what took place. He dawns the same boyish grin that he does every time you see him.

He digs into his pocket, fished out his pink slip and tosses it into the basket by Riley’s feet.

“How’s it going, Riley?” He drops the rolled-up bag of food in his hand off at the desk. “Got you some fries today.”

Although he’s late, Riley doesn’t bother looking up. The only sign of acknowledgment is the thumbs-up he shoots in Angel’s direction.

Clearly, Angel’s being late to detention is a regular thing because no one else bothers to look at him past the quick exchange. 

He’s in the process of going to his seat when Angel sees Veronica. He had wondered if she’d get the same consequence as him, while Ricky was let off with a warning. He can’t help but smile once he realizes she’s the only one actually using detention to study.

The dark curls falling around her face are what captures his attention. He’s never seen them in this light. They’re usually pulled back, high in a neat ponytail. As he stares for a moment longer, Angel realizes that’s not the only thing out of place - apart from the projected valedictorian sitting in his usual seat. She is dressed in a maroon sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.

She had changed out of her dress from this morning, the sweatshirt she wore hiding the bruises left across her skin.

As if she could sense his gaze, Veronica blinks. Looking up, she meets a pair of familiar eyes. Eyes that tend to linger on her when she passes or responds to a question. Eyes that tend to find her in class when she thinks no one else is noticing her. 

Plastering a smile on her face, she gave him one before returning her attention to her textbook.

Instead of simply taking her quick acknowledgment and going about his merry way, like she hopes he will, Angel takes the seat in front of her. Heat rushes to Veronica’s face as Angel drops his backpack to the floor, before turning in his seat to face her.

“You must be taking a page out of my book, Ronnie.” 

Veronica doesn’t have to look up from her textbook to know that a cheeky grin is accompanying Angel’s words. So, she doesn’t.

“Clearly, you don’t think the rules apply to you,” she huffs. “But I’m not getting written up for talking when it clearly says on the board. No. Talking. I think I’ve had enough trouble for one day.”

Angel’s brow arches as he glances over his shoulder, his eyes moving to Mr. Riley who is still typing away on his laptop. 

“Riley?” He chuckles, returning his gaze to Veronica. “He’s not gonna write you up. He only puts that up there incase another teachers walk by.”

Instead of speaking, Veronica lifts her left hand and gives Angel a thumbs-up sign. He chuckles as she turns the page and continues reading. He watches her for a few seconds slightly impressed by how easily she has maintained focus. Most girls don’t, at least not when he’s involved.

Angel rests his arms against the back of his chair, silently observing her. After a few seconds, he releases a sigh of boredom before reaching forward.

“What are you looking at anyway?” He takes the book from Veronica’s hands, ignoring the wide eyes that lift to meet his. He starts to turn the book for a better look, but his swollen hand slows down the process allowing Veronica to halt his actions. 

Veronica glares at him, the sight of her nose scrunching pulling a smile to Angel’s lips. Ignoring his smile, she drags the book back across the desk.

"If you’re looking for gratitude, then here. Thank you for stepping in when no one asked you to. That’s all you’re getting from me. Nothing else. Now, turn and leave me alone, Reyes."

Angel smiles, as she redirects her attention back to her book. 

"You do know that's not actually my full name. Right?"

Angel watches her eyes briefly close, the soft breath she takes somehow making him smile. He knew she was getting irritated. He also knew that she was nearly as cute angry as she was any other time he saw her. 

"Really, you have it plastered across the back of your jersey. It's kind of hard not to notice when it’s all wear. Well, that and your letterman jacket." 

"If I knew you'd took that much notice, I'd put on something a little nicer for you," Angel smiles as her eyes meet his. "I figured you thought it was sexy, like the rest of the girls at this school, being as you date football players and all."

For a moment, Veronica doesn’t respond. As much as she’d hate to admit it, Angel was right. Veronica originally attended all of the football games because her younger sister was part of the cheerleading squad. Eventually, she began attending the games for Ricardo. You can’t date a football player and not attend the games. Even if you weren’t that big of a fan, to begin with. Even though she attended the games for Ricardo, she always noticed Angel. It’s hard not to notice Angel. He was just as cocky on the field as he was off of it. It drove Ricardo insane that Angel didn’t have to have his father buy his spot on the team. She finds her eyes taking him in for a moment. A heat warms her cheeks once she realizes he’s watching her as well.

She blinks, her gaze falling to the book. 

Yeah," she sighs. Leaning forward, she pushes his arms that have been resting on her desk away. "Well, you know what’s not sexy? Getting detention."

Angel smiles watching as she uses the now freed space to place her book back out flat across her desk. Leaning back over it, she focuses on the page. 

"I beg to differ.”

“Shocking” she huffs, not giving him the satisfaction of returning her gaze to his. 

Angel shrugs and leans forward. He rests his arms back on her desk, his action bringing him closer to her. 

“I think it’s pretty hot when a girl stands up for herself. Even if it means fucking up her squeaky clean record.” 

A heat rushes across Veronica’s skin as she rests her chin in the palm of her hand. She tries her best to ignore the words that have just come from the young man sitting across from her. But as she starts to re-read the sentence she realizes she can’t.

Despite having attended the same schools since primary, Angel and Veronica have never shared this many words in a single sitting. In fact, when they were younger the closet interactions Angel had with Veronica was being on the receiving end of her glares when he interrupted class with a joke or a smart comment. On occasion, he would get a subtle smile out of her when she thought he was actually being funny and not annoying. Or, he’d get a quick smile if she caught his eyes on her in passing. The most they would exchange in words was a “hey” or “thank you” when he managed to catch the door for her throughout the halls.

“Angel, I’m trying to study,” she whispers, her gaze briefly meeting his. 

“Why?” Angel chuckles as he watches her eyes widen.

“Because we have a European history midterm in two weeks.”

The emphasis Veronica places on midterm has no visible effect on Angel. Instead of reaching into his backpack to retrieve his own textbook, as she’d expected, Angel’s expression remains blank. As if he is waiting for her to add more pertinent information to her statement.

“..And…”

“Because we have a European midterm in two weeks,” Veronica speaks slowly this time, her brow furrowing as she searches his face for any sign of panic.

“Yeah, but you’re the smartest person I know,” Angel shrugs. "I mean, there’s also my little brother. Kid's a walking sponge."

The end of his statement causes her eyes to lift from the page, to find Angel’s face is mere inches away from hers. The closeness causes her to sit up straight. When she doesn't speak, Angel adds. 

"He's in eighth grade and a certified genius. I keep telling my parents to let him skip highschool. Send him off to college early." 

"The one who orders the double chocolate milkshakes?"

Nodding, Angel watches her attention return to the book. 

He's not surprised that she actually remembers Ezekiel. When their parents have to stay late at the shop, Angel takes Ezekiel to the team's favorite spot. Mary’s Diner. Angel isn’t allowed to leave Ezekiel at home alone unless he wants to risk death by his mother, so he carts him wherever he goes. Ezekiel sits at the counter, finishing homework while Angel jokes around with the team in their booths towards the back. 

Veronica is a waitress there. Not because her parents won’t give her money, but because she doesn’t want to take it.

There was one night when Ez found her studying on her break. He’d asked her what she was reading, and after her briefly explaining it to him he asked if he could read her book when she was finished. Now when he comes in, she provides him with the latest book from her AP English class.

"Are you going to talk to me the entire time, or let me study in peace?”

Innocently lifting his hands in the air, Angel watches as she mouths a thank you before returning her focus to her book.

Angel doesn’t say anything else to Veronica for the remaining hour and a half of detention. He starts on his English homework but isn’t able to get any close to finishing. Instead, his mind is on Veronica. 

When the bell rings, Veronica is already packed and is nearly out the door by the time Angel can shove his belongings in his backpack.

He quickly catches up with her, the smile on his face causing her eyes to roll.

“So I was thinking-”

“I’m late for work.” Turning the corner, Veronica causes Angel to nearly trip over his feet as he attempts to redirect his path. 

She heads to her locker. Concentrating on her combination, she ignores him as Angel rests against the locker beside hers.

Instead of speaking, he lets his eyes rest on her face. Her eyes briefly move to his a few times as she packs up her backpack.

“What?” She asks after a few moments of silence.

“So I was thinking-”

“So you said. About what?”

“Us.” Angel’s response causes Veronica’s eyes to roll. 

“There is no us, Reyes,” she laughs dryly. Retrieving her jacket from her locker she shoves it in her backpack. 

���Come on, Ronnie,” Angel smiles. “Sure there is. I nearly threw away my entire future defending your honor today.”

“Did you? First of all, noone asked you to defend my honor. I was doing perfectly fine. Second of all, everyone knows you hate Ricardo. You were probably just looking for an excuse to prove your dick is bigger than his. Isn’t that what you guys do?”

“I’m just saying, usually when a guy stands up for a girl-”

“What?” Veronica halts her actions. She focuses her attention on Angel, her eyes narrowing. “She lets him take her to the backseat of his car. Is that what is about?”

“Hey,” Angel shrugs, his smile causing her to roll her eyes. “Just remember, I’m not the one who suggested it. You did when you were projecting your misguided anger onto me-”

“Hm, okay.” Veronica scoffs.

“I pay attention in class, sometimes,” Angel grins. 

“Okay, well do me a favor. Leave me alone. Don’t try and play me like one of the bimbos on the cheerleading team-”

“Isn’t your sister a cheerleader?”

Angel’s quick tongue has always been enough to leave people flustered. It even trips up his mom at times, but his mother was used to it by now. Veronica was used to minding her own business. She never really found herself in situations like this. Maybe that’s why Angel’s response does leave her flustered. 

“That’s beside the point. You know what I mean. I’m not phased by the fact that you’re a captain of the football team.”

Angel disregards her previous statements, his eyes drop from hers. His smile and lingering gaze bring the heat to her cheeks.

“I’d like to see you swap out your jeans for your sister’s skirt one day. Maybe next week at Parker’s Halloween party. I could take you. Give you a ride-’

“I am not someone you can trick into the backseat of your car.” 

“That’s okay. I don’t trick girls into the backseat of my car. After a few minutes, they practically beg me to get in.”

“Oh, wow!”

Slamming her locker door shut, Veronica pays no attention to the strange glances floating her way. The only glance she can see is Angel’s. The cocky smirk on his face stroking the anger fueling deep inside of her. It was a strange feeling. One she hardly let show. It was a feeling she was usually an expert at suppressing. In the thirteen years, he’d known her Angel had never seen Veronica get mad before, apart from this morning when she slapped her ex-boyfriend across the face. Either she was having a really shitty day, or Angel didn’t have her figured out as he thought.

Veronica turns away from Angel. She knows what her mother would say if she could see her eldest daughter now. He’s the type of guy that likes to see you riled up. Don’t give him the satisfaction, Veronica.

She takes two steps towards the main stairwell, but wheels around the second she replays Angel’s words in her mind. Heading back in his direction she feels her face heat as Angel lets his gaze pass over her from head to toe. She didn’t understand how he could appear so calm and collected when he’d left her flustered.

“Actually, you know what. I take that back. I don’t know what I expected from you. You’re just living up to every single expectation I had about you from the moment we met-”

“You’re exceeding mine. I didn’t think you’d be so stuck up.” Letting his hand find her waist, Angel avoids the swipe of her hand that comes in response. “How do manage to fit a stick up your ass and wear those jeans?”

Veronica’s eyes narrow. The look that flashes inside of them causes Angel to brace himself for a slap that never comes.

Instead of responding, she shoves past him and starts towards the parking lot.

“Come on, Ronnie.” Angel rolls his neck, calling after her. “I was kidding, geez. Can’t you take a joke? I thought we were having a fun lover’s quarrel thing going back and forth-”

By the time Angel has caught up to her, Veronica’s near her car. And he’s run through nearly a hundred different apologies. Each of them shittier than the last. As she moves to unlock her car door, Angel reaches around her. Knowing better than to touch her, he presses his hand against the door as it opens.  

“Do you want me to run you over? If so, give me two seconds to get inside my car, and I will happily oblige.”

Angel releases a sigh before taking a step back. He watches her open the door before tossing her backpack into the back seat.

“Look, I was being an idiot. My mom, she says I have too much sass for my own good-”

“She sounds like a smart woman.”

“She is.” Running his hand over his face, Angel reaches out to catch Veronica’s arm as she moves to get inside. “And she’s also scary as hell. I’m barely passing my classes and the coach reached out to her. Said Principal Weathers is riding him about the grades of the varsity football players. If I don’t get C’s on my midterms in the next two weeks, I’m off the team. If I’m off the team, college is off the table. Ronnie, you’ve got the highest grades in school. I know you don’t like me but…”

Angel’s words came out faster than he intended. His face is hot by the time he’s done getting them all out. It doesn’t help that Veronica’s gaze has lifted, from where his hand rests against her elbow, to his face.

He looks as though he is going to share more, but doesn’t. Instead, he releases her arm before glancing over his shoulder. He looks around the nearly vacant parking lot.

“I gotta pick up my brother. I’m already late as shit. Look, I’m sorry about being a dick.” Angel takes a step back reaching into his pocket for the keys to his truck. “I’ll figure it out. Forget I said anything.”

Not waiting for a response, Angel starts towards his truck.

Instead of getting straight into the car, Veronica finds her gaze following Angel. She bites her lip, her mind drifting to the look she’d seen on Angel’s face a few seconds prior. She knew that look. It was one she only allowed herself to see in the mirror. The look that came when she felt like the cracks in her perfect facade were showing. It was the look of someone afraid everything they’d hoped for could slip away in a matter of seconds because of their failure to meet high expectations. Gripping her eyes shut, she takes a step forward.

“Angel, wait.”

Pausing, Angel turns to find Veronica’s eyes closed.

“I work after school,” she starts. “I have SGA, the newspaper, the debate club…I can tutor you in the evening, but you have to be serious-”

“I can be serious-”

“No, for real. I am not doing the work for you-”

Nodding, Angel takes in the look of skepticism on her face.

“I got it.”

“And I’m not sleeping with you.”

Angel smiles, a chuckle escaping his lips. His hands innocently raise in the air.

“My intentions are pure, Ronnie,” he smiles. “I promise. I’ll keep my hands to myself, as long as you want.”

Placing his hand over his heart, Angel adds a “scout’s honor.”

“My dad will not let you inside of my house. So where are we doing this?”

“My place. I gotta keep an eye on my brother.”

“Fine. Eight o’clock tonight.” Turning back to her car, Veronica opens the door. She pauses. “It’s Veronica. Not Ronnie.”

After a quick shift at the diner, Veronica Vargas is standing in the center of the Reyes kitchen, a smile on her face. 

In the time it took her to work her shift, get off and get to his house Angel has done a couple of things. He’s taken the time to shower, his dark locks still wet and curling. He’s changed into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. He’s cleaned up the kitchen for once without his mother’s threats. He’s vacuumed the living room and cleaned the bathroom. He’s unnecessarily threatened his younger brother to be on his best behavior, and not to hint that Angel has a crush on Veronica. He’s also ordered two boxes of pizza, all while trying to ice his swollen right hand. 

Veronica is opening a bottle of water as she watches Angel reach up to brush his damp curls back from his eyes.

“Alright, man.” Angel smiles as he passes Ezekiel, his hand reaching down to ruffle his younger brother’s hair. “You can watch more tv later once you finish your math homework. You know pop will kill me if that shits not done-”

“Already done.” Ezekiel’s words come out muffled through his mouthful of pepperoni. He rolls his eyes at the look of skepticism on Angel’s face. Tossing his math notebook across the table, Ezekiel continues eating his gaze drifting back to the tv across the room.

Angel stares down at it for a second. 

“Did you check it?” 

“No need too,” Ezekiel shrugs before taking a sip of his soda. “I can if it makes you feel better.”

The smile on Veronica’s face grows as she watches Angel shake his head. 

“Whatever man, can we get the table? We’re gonna try and study for a test.”

Ezekiel excuses himself, swapping out his seat at the table for the sofa.

Sitting her backpack by the newly freed seat, Veronica glances up to find Angel watching her. 

“You hungry?”

He motions toward the open box of pizza in front of him. 

“I’m fine,” Veronica smiles, warily eyeing the pepperoni pizza. “But thank you.”

Angel takes note of her expression before moving to quickly close the pizza box.

“Shit-wrong box.” Dragging the second pizza box from underneath, he clears his throat. “You don’t eat meat right? I wasn’t sure what type of pizza vegetarians eat. So I uh…I just ordered a supreme. Swapped out the meat for more vegetables. I didn’t know if you liked everything that’s on it but-”

“It’s perfect.”

Taking in her smile, Angel nods before offering her plate.

It takes Angel thirty minutes to realize three important things about Veronica. Two of them are things Ricky didn’t seem to grasp in the year they dated. 

1. She doesn’t think he’s stupid, but she will also not tell him the answer to a question no matter how much he flirts with her.

2. She doesn’t like her smile and covers it up almost instantly when he’s able to get her to laugh. 

3. She has a really good poker face but plays with her hair when she’s nervous. 

Despite his attempts to distract her with his humor, Veronica can keep Angel on track for two hours. 

“You haven’t wrapped your hand?”

Blinking, Angel realizes from the look on Veronica’s face that it’s not the first time she has asked the question. Which means his staring at her has also not gone unnoticed.

Finishing the pizza crust in his mouth, Angel shrugs. He tosses the ice pack into the kitchen sink before shooting Veronica a smile.

“I tried,” he admits as he carries his glass towards the table. Dragging the seat alongside hers from beneath the table, he returns to his seat. “But, I couldn’t get it to stay.”

“Then why didn’t you just ask me to do it?”

Now that he thinks of it, Angel knows that would have been the smart thing to do. Veronica’s mother was a nurse at the local hospital. He shrugs in response, hoping she thinks it never crossed his mind. Not that he hadn’t asked her out of embarrassment. What athlete doesn’t know how to wrap his own hand?

“You have to wrap it, or it’ll be ten times worse when you wake up tomorrow,” Veronica huffs as she pushes her plate across the table. Retrieving the previously discarded pair of scissors, and athletic wrap from the center of the table, Veronica motions for Angel to drag his chair closer.

Carefully drying his swollen hand, Veronica’s brow furrows as she studies the damage. Most of the swelling has gone down. His skin is red, the knuckles already starting to bruise. Angel knows he needs to think of a story to tell his mother before she gets home.

Angel allows her to move his fingers, the sharp hiss he releases as she attempts to form a fist causing her eyes to shoot up to his face. Waving away her look of concern, he takes a sip of his soda.

“Are you taking that scholarship?”

Veronica’s brow arches. She lets her gaze briefly meet Angel’s before resting his damaged hand against the table.

“What do you know about that?” Veronica’s question leaves Angel silent. He shifts in his seat. He picks up his pencil and returns his focus to the set of notes he is meant to be copying. “Are you keeping tabs on me, Reyes?”

Angel’s smile grows at the sound of her giggle.

“You make it hard not to,” he quietly admits. Feeling as though his entire face is reddening beneath her gaze, Angel clears his throat. "No one was surprised that you got a scholarship. You’re...perfect compared to everyone else in our class.”

Veronica scoffs, the sound causing Angel to steal a glance in her direction. The light rolling of her eyes is followed by the furrowing of her brow.

“According to my mother, I am far from perfect. But, thank you.”

“I don’t know,” Angel chuckles. “If I got a scholarship offer from Stanford, my mom would probably die from a heart attack.”

“What about your dad?”

Angel shrugs at the question. The corner of his mouth turns up in a tiny smile.

“He’d probably call the school, check if it was a mistake.”

The halfhearted laugh that comes from Angel causes Veronica to pause her actions. She takes a moment to study his face before picking up the roll of bandages. Picking up his right hand, she carefully begins to wrap it.

“When I told my dad I wanted to study law, he laughed at me. Like, literally laughed. And not just a quick chuckle. A full, stomach clutching, nearly choked on his dinner type of laugh.”

Angel’s eyes lift from his work. The look of disbelief on his face pulls a giggle from Veronica’s lips. She nods. She waits until she has successfully finished wrapping Angel’s hand before continuing her story.

“I know,” she giggles. “Most lawyers would be excited, or proud, if their child, was crazy enough to follow in their footsteps. Not Eduardo Vargas. When he was finished laughing, my dad looked at my mom and said. See this is what is we get for you filling her head with that feminist, women can do anything psycho-babble. Sweetheart, I would hate for you to rack up student loan debt only to get out into the real world and find female lawyers never make it. Unless you want to be a divorce lawyer, and I raised you not to settle. Why not be a nurse, like your mother?”

Veronica’s admission is news to Angel. Her father is the most respected lawyer in Southern California. Angel always assumed that she was expected to follow in her father’s footsteps. Her younger sister, who was more focused on cheerleading and popularity, definitely was not going to be the one to take over the family business. Every time Angel saw her family, it appeared as though Veronica was the apple of her father’s eye. He often found himself thinking that her father looked at Veronica, the same way his father looked at Ezekiel. His gaze was always full of nothing but pride.

Learning that the highest ambition Eduardo Vargas had for his brightest daughter was nursing school shocked Angel.

Veronica could see the thoughts washing across Angel’s face. She knew what he was thinking. She also knew what question was forming in his mind, and that she didn’t have an answer for it. So, she decides to change the subject.

“So…earlier, at school, you mentioned college. What schools are you looking at?”

Angel shakes his head. Tapping his pencil against the kitchen table, he gives up focusing on the paper before him. Resting back in his seat, he watches as Veronica rests her chin in the palm of her hand.  

"I'm...college isn't really on the table for me. I kinda always knew that. I'll probably just get a job down at-Shit!”

Angel reaches up, wincing as he massages the part of his arm that Veronica has just punched. “What was that for?”

“I just poured out one of my deepest darkest secrets to you-”

“Did you?”

Ignoring his rolling eyes, Veronica smiles as Angel continues to massage his arm.

“I did, and I don’t do that often. So, please, Reyes don’t sit here and give me some bullshit lie because you’re too macho to share your feelings with me.”

“I’m not-” Angel releases a sigh, his hand running over his face before falling back to the table. “I don’t believe people like me are meant to get out of Santo Padre.”

“People like you?”

“I’m not as smart as you-”

"Sure you are.” Veronica takes note of the skepticism molding Angel’s face. “Seriously. You do not need straight A’s to be smart, Angel. Sure, I know things that you don’t. But, you’re also really good at things that I suck at.”

“Like what?”

“Well, when you’re not being a self-centered jerk, you’re nice to people that jocks are never supposed to be nice too." The smile that spreads across Angel’s lips brings one to Veronica’s. “You’re friends with everyone. It’s kind of annoying if I’m being honest. It’s like you have this way of figuring out something that makes them laugh, or smile, and you remember it. You’re really good at making people like you. I don’t make friends easily, but you make it look so easy.”

"I must not be that great at it,” Angel smiles softly. “I’m still working on you.”

Veronica smiles before lightly rolling her eyes.

"I’m trying to give you a compliment, Reyes. Don’t make me take it back.”

For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. The smile that the two teens share leaving a warmth across Veronica’s skin that she’s never experienced before.

“U.C. Davis.”

“Huh?” Veronica blinks, heat rushing to her cheeks as she watches Angel return his attention to the notes he is meant to copy.

Angel begins writing.

“You asked what college I was looking at. Coach says a scout is coming to the homecoming game.”

Veronica’s eyes widen as she lets Angel’s words sink in.

The homecoming game was the biggest sporting event of the school year. The entire town comes out for the game. Each year, Santo Padre Regional High School was scheduled to play against their rival. Their rivals were the best in the state, and each year Angel’s team always remained undefeated until the homecoming game.

“There’s going to be a scout?”

“Yeah, but as of right now I’m benched. Coach lets me practice, but he’s been working with our second string QB a lot lately. Just in case...”

Veronica nods in understanding.

“In case you don’t pass your midterms.”

“At least Ricky will get to play,” Angel smiles. “Pretty sure he’s looking to use it as an excuse to win you back.”

“That won’t happen.” Now it is Veronica’s turn to smile. “Because I’m going to make sure you pass your midterms.”

Angel shifts in his seat, his eyes briefly meeting hers.

“We’ll see...That’s why mom has been stressed out. She hasn’t told my pops yet. I think she’s tryna spare me another one of his ‘I told you so.’ He’s not a big fan of me trying to play ball...doesn’t think it’ll end me up anywhere. I don’t blame him though. How many of us make it outta Santo Padre on a football scholarship?”

“There always has to be a first.”

Veronica looks up from her textbook to find Angel’s eyes on her. The smile on his face causes her brow to furrow.

“What?”

“My mom would like you.”

A giggle escapes Veronica’s lips as she returns her eyes to her textbook.

“Is that a line you use on all the girls you invite over?”

“Hell no,” Angle chuckles. “I never introduce the girls I invite over to my mom. She has high expectations for her baby boy.”

“As she should.”

"What about you?”

“Oh, I definitely can’t take you home,” Veronica teases. “One look at you, and my dad will definitely have a heart attack. He can’t have anyone corrupting his baby girl.”

Angel’s laugh mingles with hers, the sight of the grin on his face causing her to bite her lip.

“But seriously...something must be stopping you from taking that scholarship to Stanford.”

Veronica’s fingers lift to her hair. She absentmindedly begins to toy with the ends. She takes a deep breath. Releasing the breath she is holding, she meets Angel’s gaze.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, but...I may have applied to Oxford University?”

Angel’s brow rises. “Where’s that?”

“Oxford, England. I just…figured there aren’t many people who look like us out there." Veronica finds her words picking up as Angel’s gaze remains steady on her. She finds his expression unreadable, but feel as though he can read hers easily. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s just. Everyone in my family is from here. They are born here. And sure, they go away to great schools, but they always come back and die here. More than half of my family has never even left California. My sister doesn’t think that there’s life outside of Santo Padre. I don’t want to be like that.”

“So...you’re getting a shit ton of student loans to fly to England for a few months every year? Wouldn’t it be easier to take a trip during the summer?”

Veronica laughs quietly before giving Angel a smile.

“You sound like my mom.”

"Naw, I’m just messin’ with you. I get it,” he sighs. “Besides, what’s the point in having a perfect high school record if you don’t go to the school you want?”

They’re both quiet for a moment.

Angel lifts his bandaged hand and examines it in the light. His eyes shift to Veronica’s face as she takes his hand in hers.

“I’m sorry you busted your throwing hand over a stupid fight.”

Angel lets off a soft shrug, his eyes steady on their hands.

“It should be fine by homecoming. Besides, I never liked Ricky anyway.”

“Well, I think UC Davis is a great school." Veronica smiles. “I’m not an expert in football. I mean I don’t really understand anything other than what a touchdown is, but I think you’re really good. And if that’s what gets you into college, Angel, that’s great. It means a lot that you’re actually trying to get your grades up. Colleges take note of that. Just don’t go punching anyone else, okay? At least not until after the homecoming game.”

The wink she sends his way as she releases his hand brings a grin to Angel’s face.

“Thanks for helping me.”

“It’s no problem,” Veronica waves. The sound of her phone buzzing in her backpack pulls her attention away from him. “If you want I can also help with any other applications or essays that you may have left for your back up schools.”

“You don’t have to.”

"It's kinda second nature for me. My parents have been prepping me for college since I could speak.”

Angel watches her as she rummages through her bag in search of her phone. She is too busy checking the message from her mother to notice the look on his face. If she’d seen it, she would’ve figured out that it probably took everything Angel had not to lean over and kiss her right then and there. 

“I could pay you-”

Veronica giggles, the action furrowing his brow.

She responds to her mother before looking up at Angel.

“You don’t have to pay me, Angel. Seriously.” She gets up from her seat and begins packing up her backpack. “All I ask is that you feed me during our sessions.”

“Okay.” Angel smiles as she zips up her bag.

“I have to go. Ten thirty curfew. If I’m late, even by two seconds, my dad will have the police kicking down your door.”

“I thought you didn’t tell him you were coming here.”

“Trust me, he’d find me somehow.”

When Veronica slings her backpack over her shoulder she briefly pauses at the sight of Angel standing up. Hastily clearing the table, he shoots her a glance taking note of her raised eyebrow.

“Let me walk you to your car.”

“You don’t need you to do that. It’s just across the street.”

“Exactly,” Angel smiles. “So it won’t take that long. It’s ten o’clock. It’s too dark for you to walk alone.”

“Okay.” Nodding, Veronica lifts her hand to wave to Ezekiel who is lounging on the sofa, a book in his hand. “See you around, Ez.”

He lifts his hand to wave, his gaze moving to his brother. He waits until Veronica has stepped onto the porch to speak.

“Mom said you can’t leave me home alone.” Ezekiel teases.

Angel pauses in the doorway as he tugs his hoodie over his head. Facing his younger brother, Angel takes a deep breath.

“Yeah, I know. Technically I’m not leaving you home alone. I’m gonna be at the end of the driveway.” A mischievous grin spreads across the young boy’s face as his mouth opens in response. Before he can get out his words, Angel has the front door open. “Ez, just stay here.”

Angel leads Veronica down the front steps. Neither of them speaks until they reach the front gate. Veronica bites her lip before taking a deep breath.

“Look, I’m sorry for earlier.”

“Why are you apologizing to me?”

“I said some pretty mean things to you earlier at school. I was just pissed about Ricky. It wasn’t your fault.” Veronica glances over, the soft smile on Angel’s lips growing as he digs his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “What? Usually, when someone apologizes, the response is thank you.”

“You weren’t mean.” Angel chuckles, the look of confusion on Veronica's face causing him to stop. “Not compared to what I said. Besides, I’ve heard worse things.”

Angel unlocks the gate, pushing it open to allow her the chance to step through. But Veronica remains where she is.

“So...I was thinking we could try an hour every day after school, and on Saturday. Sundays I have church, and my parents will not let me miss that.”

“Okay.”

Taking a step through the gate, Veronica turns back around to face Angel.

“Also, you were having trouble with questions ten and twelve on your Calculus homework. I had Benson for Pre-Calc. She always over explains everything. I wouldn’t try and do it the way she says in class. Just look back over chapter 6. I believe it's pages…” Veronica trails off as a smile spreads across Angel’s lips. Although he has been staring at her as she speaks, the look on his face tells her he wasn’t listening to what she was saying.

He blinks, his eyes dropping for a moment to where his hands rest on the now-closed gate.

Shaking her head, she rummages through her bag for a pen. Taking his hand in her, she writes her number across the skin of his palm.

“Just call me in case you forget?”

Angel nodded, watching as she smiles before taking a step back. She turns, looks both ways and crosses the street towards her car.

“You never told me what you want for helping me study.” He calls after her. “And supplying food for study sessions, that doesn’t count.”

Veronica shrugs. Retrieving her keys from her bag, she smiles.

“That’s because I don’t want anything.”

Angel studies Veronica’s eyes. Even under the dim street lamps, he knows that they are honest. He’s not surprised. Veronica has a reputation for helping others, but that doesn’t stop Angel from pressing forward.

“I can get you into Parker’s Halloween party this Saturday.”

Veronica instantly shakes her head, her gaze leaving Angel’s. Parker hosted a Halloween party every year, since freshman year. It was outside of Santo Padre. His parents owned a house bigger than one Angel could ever afford in his lifetime. It was always the party of the school year. Veronica has never been.

“No, thank you...I don’t really do parties.” Veronica backtracks. Beneath Angel’s gaze, she feels the need to explain herself. Yet again. “And by “I don’t really do parties,” I mean I’ve never gone to one-I mean-I’ve been to a party before, obviously, but not this type of party-”

“That’s why I’ll take you,” Angel smiles. “Show you the ropes. Teach you beer pong, and how to dance to shitty music. Protect you from drunk guys that want to hit on you.”

“As much fun as that sounds. No thank you.”

“Come on, Ronnie, you just got me to study the longest I’ve ever studied in my entire life.” Angel chuckles as he pulls back against the fence, his weight rolling to the back of his heels. His eyes look up to the sky. “Stop being impossible, and let me return the favor. Besides I’m not letting you go to college never having been to a party.”

Veronica bites her lips, shifting her weight between her feet as Angel’s gaze returns to hers.

“What?” He smiles.

“Pass your weekly quiz this Friday in Benson’s class. And I’ll go. And by pass I mean, at least a 75 percent.”

The grin that spreads across Angel’s face is full of confidence. It also brings a smile to Veronica’s lips. Usually, Angel wouldn’t dream of starting to study for a Friday quiz on a Monday night. He’s more a study the period before kind of guy. But he also wouldn’t dream of passing up a chance to take Veronica Vargas to a party.

I guess there’s a first time for everything. 

“You better start looking for a costume, Ronnie.” Angel smiles as he takes a step back from the fence.

“Okay,” Veronica giggles. “You better start studying.”

Veronica is fully buckled in and just about to pull off when she realizes Angel has changed his path. Instead of heading back inside, he has stepped into the street.

She watches as he crosses the street and heads towards her car.

Rolling down the window, she waits until he stops at the door to speak.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just, earlier when you were apologizing...I wanted to say something, but I didn’t.” Resting his arms against her car, Angel watches as her eyes search his face before meeting his. Her brow furrows in confusion. “I’m sorry for what I said to you at school.”

“You already said that,” Veronica smiles softly. “It’s okay.”

“I also wanted to say that you don’t have to apologize for standing up for yourself.”

“Okay.”

Veronica response is the only word that her brain is able to formulate at the moment. Because the rest of her mind is flooded with the features of Angel Reyes. The features she has spent the entire night trying not to focus on while she sat less than a foot away from him in his kitchen. The features she is trying not to realize are less than a few inches away from her own at this very moment. She watches his hooded eyes drop down to her lips. Her mind realizing that if he pushes himself forward he can easily kiss her. 

When she doesn’t say anything else, she is almost certain he is going to kiss her. 

Before she can give him the chance, Veronica reaches down her finger tugging at the button for the driver’s side window.

Angel quickly removes his arms from the windowpane and takes a step back. 

“I’m sorry!” She calls, the now completely risen window muffling her voice. “I really have to get home. I have a-”

“Ten thirty curfew,” Angel smiles as he takes a step back towards the house.

“Yeah.”

Despite the heat on her face, Veronica smiles as Angel lifts his bandaged hand to wave. He laughs, softly shaking his head. 

“See you tomorrow, Ronnie.”