#South Carolina Graduation

[em-dualism]

Rey, what do you think of carnivorous plants? Have you ever seen them in person?

"Like venus flytraps? They ain't bad, for plants. Wish we'd look at stuff like that more."

"But no, I haven't. I dunno, maybe Pat saw 'em in a store or something somewhere... I don't remember and I don't feel like wracking the brain about it. I wanna watch one eat a bug or something."

[thedailycounternews]

Help Sought By Columbia Police Department In Fatal Shooting of Julian Keel

Today would have been this young man’s 17th birthday. Julian ‘JuJu’ Keel was shot & killed two days ago while attending a graduation party. His deep-rooted family of faith describes him as ‘a light in our world.’ Help them & #ColumbiaPDSC investigators find Keel’s killer. They have generated a QR code & link so you can submit confidential information about the crime to law enforcement. Keel’s…

[thenumberedloversofdukeellington]

In Absentia

Sorry I have been gone for so long but I have good news:

I AM GRADUATING IN TWO WEEKS

Currently screaming like an opossum out of excitement and fear

[illnessfaker]

tw: murder, transmisogynoir

( article published feb. 24th, 2024 )

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation’s first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity.

After deliberating for roughly four hours, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter of a hate crime for the murder of Dime Doe in 2019. Ritter was also found guilty of using a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting and obstructing justice.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Ritter faces a maximum of life imprisonment without parole.

[...]

The four-day trial over Doe’s killing centered on the secret sexual relationship between her and Ritter, the latter of whom had grown agitated by the exposure of their affair in the small town of Allendale, according to witness testimony and text messages obtained by the FBI. Prosecutors accused Ritter of shooting Doe three times with a .22 caliber handgun to prevent further revelation of their romance.

[...]

Doe’s close friends testified that it was no secret in Allendale that she had begun her social transition as a woman shortly after graduating high school. She started dressing in skirts, getting her nails done and wearing extensions. She and her friends discussed boys they were seeing — including Ritter, whom she met during one of his many summertime visits from New York to stay with family.

But text messages obtained by the FBI suggested that Ritter sought to keep their relationship under wraps as much as possible, prosecutors said. He reminded her to delete their communications from her phone, and hundreds of texts sent in the month before her death were removed.

Shortly before Doe’s death, their exchanges grew tense. In one message from July 29, 2019, she complained that Ritter did not reciprocate her generosity. He replied that he thought they had an understanding that she didn’t need the “extra stuff.”

He also told her that Delasia Green, his main girlfriend at the time, had insulted him with a homophobic slur after learning of the affair. In a July 31 text, Doe said she felt used and Ritter should never have let Green find out about them.

[...]

Green said that when he showed up days later at her cousin’s house in Columbia, he was dirty, smelly and couldn’t stop pacing. Her cousin’s boyfriend gave Ritter a ride to the bus stop. Before he left, Green asked him if he had killed Doe.

“He dropped his head and gave me a little smirk,” Green said.

from the HRC:

Doe’s friends and family remembered her on social media as having a “bright personality” and being someone who “showed love” and who was “the best to be around.” Another friend wrote, “If I knew Friday was my last time seeing you, I would have hugged you even tighter.”

according to NYT's article, she also worked as a hairdresser. she was only 24.

[caitified]

Hihi really love your fics. Its my first ask haha. Was maybe thinking if you could do a fic of CC and a teammate, teammate can be either a rookie/vet but is kinda cold to CC (really just kinda awkward with new people). When CC gets shoved roughly on court, reader gets all up in the opps face and protects CC and their relationship deepens from there?

Thank you!

rookie season

caitlin clark x reader

warnings:none, i got carried away so you���re getting their entire backstory sorry 🙊

the first time you and caitlin clark really crossed paths was in the championship game during your senior year at lsu. she was the face of iowa basketball, and you could tell from the moment you saw her on the court that she had something special. she was confident, fierce, and competitive—just like you. but in the end, your team pulled ahead, winning the title in front of a packed crowd.

as the final buzzer sounded, you couldn’t help but catch her eye. there was a mutual respect, but there was also that playful rivalry. on the court, you were opponents, but off it, you could tell you had a little bit of a thing for each other. you knew that fire in her eyes. it mirrored your own.

after the game, you shot her a quick text. “close, but not close enough. see you soon clark,” you wrote, the taunting light in your words meant to sting just a little. but it was all in good fun.

caitlin stared at the message for a long time, a frown tugging at her lips. she was already upset about the loss, but this—this was a challenge, and she couldn’t ignore it. she hated losing, but she hated being underestimated more. her fingers hovered over the screen for a few seconds before typing out a response. “i’ll get you next time. count on it.”

the rivalry continued through the years, even as you went your separate ways. after graduation, you entered the wnba, getting drafted to the indiana fever, and had an incredible rookie season. caitlin, meanwhile, went on to dominate her final year at iowa. but despite her skill and talent, she couldn’t overcome south carolina in the national championship. when she lost, you couldn’t resist—sending her a cheeky text. “looks like you came up short again. better luck next time.”

you expected her to get a laugh out of it. it was playful, just like before. but caitlin’s reaction wasn’t what you expected. she stared at the message, hurt more than she’d care to admit. the loss had stung, and your words felt like salt in the wound. still, she didn’t reply. she couldn’t. not yet.

then came the 2024 wnba draft. when caitlin’s name was called and the indiana fever picked her, now you were on the same team. and things only got more awkward from there.

every time caitlin interacted with other players, like katie lou or aliyah, she noticed something. you were always friendly, always smiling, always making an effort to bond with them. it was easy. natural. but with her, it was different. you barely spoke to her beyond the bare minimum, and every time she tried to start a conversation, you gave short, one-word responses. it confused her.

“why doesn’t she like me?” caitlin thought, watching you laugh with katie lou as the team played cards in the lounge after practice. “i don’t get it.”

every time you teased or joked around with your other teammates, caitlin felt the sting of your coldness. it was like she was invisible to you, even though you were teammates now. it made her question herself. was it because she lost that championship? because of how things had gone down in college? did you still think of her as just an opponent? the thought ate at her.

then came the game against one of the toughest teams in the league. caitlin had been getting pushed around, more than once, and the tension on the court was palpable. you could see her jaw clench, her shoulders stiffen. when the opposing player—a notoriously aggressive forward—got in caitlin’s face, pushing her and swearing, caitlin didn’t back down. but it was obvious she was starting to lose control.

you didn’t even think about it. you just reacted. before anyone could stop you, you were between them, your body protecting hers. you stood tall, staring the other player down, your voice cold but firm. “you don’t get to do that to her,” you said, the words leaving no room for argument.

caitlin stood behind you, a mixture of shock and gratitude on her face. she didn’t expect you to step in. she’d always been the one to fight her battles, but something in the way you had defended her made her heart race. it was different. personal. and for the first time, she realized just how much she needed that support from you.

after the game, when everything had calmed down, caitlin found herself alone in the locker room, her thoughts swirling. she hadn’t expected you to protect her like that. it made her feel something deep, something she couldn’t put into words. and she wanted to know more. wanted to understand why you acted the way you did around her, why you kept your distance.

you were sitting by your locker, wiping down your sneakers when she walked up to you. the silence between you two was thick.

“why didn’t you say anything before?” caitlin asked, her voice soft but edged with curiosity. “you’ve been so… cold with me. i don’t get it. i mean, you’re nice to everyone else, but with me… you act like i’m invisible. i just wanted to know why.”

you looked up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time with something softer in your gaze. the rivalry between you two wasn’t there anymore. not really. “i didn’t know how to be around you,” you admitted, your voice quieter than you intended. “in college, you were the one i had to beat. and then you got drafted here, and… it felt weird. like i didn’t know how to treat you.”

caitlin blinked, processing your words. “you didn’t know how to treat me?” she repeated, her voice catching slightly. she had hoped for something else, but hearing you say it made her understand. maybe she had been too focused on trying to prove herself to you. “so, you’re not… mad at me?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

“no,” you said with a small smile. “not mad. just… confused. i didn’t know if we could be something else after everything. i guess i wasn’t ready to let go of the rivalry.”

caitlin let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, her shoulders relaxing. she smiled, a genuine one this time. “maybe it’s time we let it go.”

from that moment on, things changed. you and caitlin started to talk more, really talk. you found common ground, sharing laughs, teasing each other, and slowly, the barriers you had built up started to crumble. the more you got to know her, the more you realized there was more to her than the fiery competitor you once knew. and maybe there was a lot more between you two than you had ever expected.

not me lying and saying i was gonna post a few days ago. i’m so sorry i’ve been so busy. enjoy. REQUESTS R OPEN

part two? let me know

[hcsiqs]

hii could u write caitlin x reader where they used to date in hs but then they broke up and now years later they got back in touch and they have feelings again? pls and thank u

| feels like a fever, like i’m burning alive

• pairing: caitlin clark x ex!girlfriend

• summary: ^^

• warnings: erm angst? idk man

You had just placed the last box into the trunk of your dad’s car. Today was the day you’d be leaving to drive to South Carolina, a sixteen hour drive from Des Moines, Iowa to there.

When you had picked to go to USC you had never really realized how far away from your family and Caitlin you would be and it was all now just hitting you. You were gonna be in a brand new state without knowing anyone and you would have to make friends all over again.

You felt the tears form in your eyes as you closed the trunk and took time to notice that this would be the last moment you would get to be with Caitlin. Once you both had committed to college and recognized the seventeen hour travel distance, you knew that staying together wouldn’t be an option. With her busy basketball schedule and you being on the pre-med track, it was obvious that you wouldn’t be able to make time for each other. Especially since for you, traveling back home for holidays would be hard, which just meant you would only ever see your girlfriend over summer. You both decided it would cause too much stress for the both of you.

You used the back of your hand to wipe away the tears from your eyes before turning around and seeing the beautiful brunette standing there, hands in her hoodie pocket and her head adorned with the hood. You slowly walked over to her and as soon as you were in arms reach she pulled you in with all of her strength, causing you to slightly bounce back. Her hands wrapped around your shoulders, one of her hands gripping at the back of your neck, trying to savor the smell of you for one last moment. “Please don’t go,” she whispered, her voice breaking as her grip tightened.

“I have to,” your hands went under her hoodie, wrapping your arms around her bare waist.

“Please Y/N,” she begged and you could hear the sadness in her voice as her tears soaked your USC sweatshirt.

“I’m sorry baby,” you dropped your forehead into her shoulder, your arms pulling her stomach against your own leaving no room. You pulled back, your hands traveled up to her perfect face that now had tear stains covering it. “You’re gonna do amazing things at Iowa,” your thumb ran against her cheek.

“It won’t be worth it without you,” her lips formed into a deeper frown, attempting to stop herself from crying.

“Yes it will,” you nodded your head, “You’re gonna change the game, I know it,” you smiled, but your face still held all of the sadness you felt right on the barrier.

“I love you,” she sniffled, pulling you in once more.

“I love you more,” you squeezed her waist before hearing your dad call for you. You reluctantly pulled back and then placed a soft kiss on CC’s lips, tasting the salt from her tears. You then moved away from her, her hands lingering on your waist until you were out of reach and they fell to her side.

“We’re gonna be together again. Someday,” she spoke up as she watched you walk towards the car.

“I know,” you smiled sadly before getting into the backseat of the car. Your dad quickly pulled out of the driveway leaving Caitlin standing there in her Iowa Hawkeye sweatshirt.

From never ending classes, due to you taking them even in summer, you had been able to graduate earlier from USC and were now working as a medical intern for the Indiana Fever. Lucky for you Aliyah Boston had been drafted by them the same year and you two had developed a strong relationship as you were also a medical intern for the Gamecocks women’s basketball team during your college education.

And even though you worked for the WNBA you tried to stay out of the basketball scene, not paying much attention to it as you wanted to separate your life and work. So, while you had an idea of all the amazing things your ex girlfriend had accomplished during her college career you weren’t really too knowledgeable on it. You hadn’t even watched the draft so the first day back on the job you weren’t expecting to see Caitlin Clark walk through the doors. You had just finished going over basic medical history with the other rookies, Celeste Taylor and Leilani Correa.

“Hi I’m Dr. Y/L/N, but you can just call me Y/N,” you said to the person who walked in, not looking up from your work just yet.

“I’m pretty sure I already know your name,” a familiar voice entered your ears making you look up so fast you swore you could have given yourself whiplash. You felt your heart freeze as you looked at the girl in front you, wearing all Fever practice clothes. You blinked hard several times to make sure this wasn’t just some cruel prank your brain was playing on you.

“Caitlin,” your voice trailed off as you stood up to look at her. She looked the same since the last time you saw her, but also didn’t at the same time. Her muscles were more prominent, her hair long and now changed to a middle part, but she still had that same smile on her face that you had fallen in love with when you were a teenager.

“Miss me?” she asked, even though it had the most obvious answer. You stood up from your chair tackling her in a hug. Her skin was just as soft as you had remembered it being and her embrace was just as warm. It really was Caitlin standing in front of you.

“I didn’t know you got drafted here!” you revealed, stepping back to look at the tall girl in front of you.

“First pick,” she smiled, and your hands slapped to your face. She let out a noise that you had missed hearing all these years, her laugh.

“I’m so proud of you Cait,” you beamed and you felt yourself wanting to slip back into that past state of you two. Wanting to just pull her in for a kiss and never let go. “So how's everything going? Dating anyone?” you asked, but then immediately wanted to slap yourself in the face for asking that.

Caitlin awkwardly coughed into her hand before answering, “Um yeah I’m dating this guy I met at Iowa,” she answered, her eyes falling to the floor like she wanted to melt into it.

“Oh cool, cool,” you nodded, walking back to your little desk to sit back down at.

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, walking over to the chair across from the desk, “How bout you? You dating?”

“Um no,” you shook your head, “So! Let’s get into this medical history,” you so desperately wanted to change the topic.

“Right, yeah,” Caitlin agreed, sitting down in the chair.

It had now been three months since Caitlin had joined the W and she somehow always found a way to get into your office during a practice even if she didn’t need to be there. Your guy’s connection had immediately come back, almost like y’all hadn’t been separated for those four years of college.

And as you had spent these months together, you noticed those familiar feelings rise once again. Your heart always started beating faster when she was near and you found yourself unable to think sometimes just because her green eyes were looking at you. And now you would be sharing a hotel room during All Star Weekend in Arizona because she had decided to take you as her plus one.

She had broken up with her boyfriend only a couple weeks ago, so you figured that’s why your emotions and feelings were going crazy every time you looked at her, just because there was even a slight possibility that you could be back together.

The All Star game had just ended and Caitlin was running your way, emotionally high on the win she had just gotten against the USA olympic team. She practically crushed you as she brought you into the tightest hug.

“Almost broke Sue’s record,” you giggled into her ear.

“Almost,” she pulled back. Her eyes scanned your whole face, glancing at your lips a little too long here and there.

“So, what does this All Star wanna do tonight?” you asked, a smile tugging at your lips.

“Go back to the hotel,” she smiled.

“Really? I thought you’d wanna go out?” your eyebrows knitted together as you looked up at her.

“I just wanna hang out with you,” she smiled and placed a kiss on your forehead before being called over by the WNBA team to take pictures to celebrate their win. But once she was done with photos and media, as well as had gotten her stuff from the locker room she had the two of you get into a car to drive you back to the hotel.

“To you and all your amazing accomplishments,” you giggled, holding up a shot that was in the back of the car. Caitlin did the same, you two clinked them together before downing them and then a few more after. And once the car came to a park, the two of you sluggishly got out of the car and stumbled your way back to your room.

Once inside Caitlin dropped all her bags to the floor and her hands found your hips, pushing you against the door. “I really wanna kiss you,” she whispered against your lips.

“Please,” you nodded eagerly. Her lips crashed against your own, your hands pulling her face closer to yours as her body pinned you against the hotel door. There was literally no space between the two of you, both so hungry for one another. CC pulled back to take a breath but before she could go back in for another kiss you stopped her, “I’ve missed this so much.”

“Me too baby, me too,” she smiled, bringing you into another deep kiss, her hands going under your top. “So much,” she smiled against your lips and walked you over to the bed.

allies corner

this is lowkey long and i can’t tell if it’s trash or not

[mimi-0007]

Paul Adams 1920-2013, joined the Tuskegee Airmen shortly after graduating from South Carolina State University. He flew with the 332nd Fighter Squadron (the famed "Red Tails") throughout WWII. He would retire from the military in 1962. He then would become a teaching in the Lincoln (NE) public school system. They named Adams Elementary school for him in 2008.

Paul Adams and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American aviators in the U.S. military, whose distinguished record many historians credit with helping pave the way for the civil rights movement.

The group set an unprecedented record, flying more than 1,500 missions in Europe and North Africa. Adam served in nine major campaigns and received the Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, each of which signifies subsequent bestowals of the same honor.

Doane College recognized him with the President's Honor of Distinction Award the same year. In 2007, he received the Congressional Gold Medal along with other Tuskegee Airmen, who were known as "guardian angels" by white airmen who were escorted by the African-American pilots during the war. Adams received a bronze replica at a ceremony in Lincoln. Doane College recognized him with the President's Honor of Distinction Award the same year.

And two years later, Adams, at President Barack Obama's invitation, attended the inauguration of the first black president along with other Tuskegee Airmen. Adams went on to become one of the first black teachers in LPS, and in 2008, his accomplishments were honored when the district named a new school after him.

He became a frequent visitor at Adams Elementary, where books about Tuskegee Airmen fill the library and teachers make a point to read them to students. The history became an integral part of Adams Elementary school

[mydaddywiki]

Pat Conroy

Physique: Husky Build Height: 6' 1"

Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016; aged 70) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books The Water is Wide, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini were made into films, the last two being nominated for Oscars.

Recognized as a leading figure of late-20th century Southern literature (and as a hot chub daddy), who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. A former military brat with daddy issues, if he was born a woman, he would have turned into a stripper or whore. Instead he became an author that I'd still take to a back alley for a blow-job. Sure the comb over might be a problem, but I’m positive I won’t be focused on that whilst said dick was in him.

Born in Atlanta, GA, Conroy moved often in his youth, attending 11 schools by the time he was 15. He did not have a hometown until his family settled in Beaufort, SC, where he finished high school. During his senior year in high school, he was a protégé of Ann Head who was an influence on his future writing. His alma mater is The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, where he graduated from the Corps of Cadets as an English major. He briefly became a schoolteacher (which he chronicled in his memoir The Water Is Wide) before publishing his first novel, The Boo.

Conroy lived on Fripp Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina until his death in 2016 at his home from Pancreatic Cancer. Living in South Carolina, I use to imagine running into him and offering him THE DICK. Then write his own biography about how we were secret lovers for years. Fucking like dogs in heat every time we get together. Yes… that would be a top seller.

Conroy’s first two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his wife, the writer Cassandra King; four daughters: Jessica Conroy, Melissa Conroy, Megan Conroy and Susannah Ansley Conroy; five stepchildren: Emily Conroy; Jake, James and Jason Ray; and Gregory Fleischer; and seven grandchildren.

Works: 1970: The Boo 1972: The Water Is Wide 1976: The Great Santini 1980: The Lords of Discipline 1986: The Prince of Tides 1989: Unconquered (teleplay) 1992: Essay on the Hidden Subculture of Military Brats at the Wayback Machine 1995: Beach Music 2002: My Losing Season 2003: Unrooted Childhoods: Memoirs of Growing Up Global 2004: The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life 2009: South of Broad 2010: My Reading Life 2013: The Death of Santini 2016: A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life

[donttxtathebeach]

Forever & a Day| chapter 1 : Where the waves meet

Setting: A Quiet Beach in Charleston , South Carolina — A Year Before They Officially Start Dating ;starts off July of 2019 after drew started shooting season 1 of obx.( I don’t think that’s when they started shooting but for my sanity and how I planned this out it is )

warning: none:)

Word count: 1k

previous|next

masterlist

summary :

A lot of old feelings resurfaced. And while they tried to play it cool, you could tell there was something there. History? Chemistry? Maybe both. The beach turned into more than just a relaxing spot—it became the place where the past and present collided in the most unexpected way.

It was a picture-perfect Charelston day—a serene, sun-kissed beach with the sound of waves crashing against the shore, the salty breeze ruffling through the air. The sky stretched out in a brilliant shade of blue, the horizon blurred in the distance where the ocean met the sky. Y/N Williams, 21 -year-old (almost 22) supermodel who had been living her life in front of cameras since she could walk, was finally taking a well-deserved break. The kind of break that didn’t come often enough.

The beach house, nestled on the quiet coast of charelston , was her home, having moved out of her parents house as soon as she graduate, not because she did not want to be around them but becase she wnated to have her own space to be her. It was her sanctuary—a place to escape the chaos of the fashion world. Her mother, Maliah, had taught her to love the sea, while her father, Austin, had always been her rock, showing her how to navigate life’s challenges.

For the next few days, Y/N, along with her closest friends, Hailey Bieber and Sofia Richie, were here to recharge before the new fashion seasons kicked off. They’d spent most of the day lounging in the sun, enjoying the sound of the ocean and the laughter that filled the air. The girls were only all together for a week before all getting thrown back into their normal routines. She had suggested that they come visit her hometown, knowing how grounding the beach was. Y/N was in her element—no makeup, no cameras, just the soft light of the afternoon sun and the soft, rhythmic pulse of the waves.

She had thrown on a simple bikini, her tan skin glowing with the golden warmth of the sun, her hair perfectly framing her face falling into the most perfect beachy waves, her natural hair. People say it's fake but thanks to her mother's genetics her tan stays all year long. She had the kind of effortless beauty that only came when she was far from the spotlight. They had just gotten back from the store, oppting for buying grocieries for the week instead of going out for meals. She stretched her legs out on the towel, content and peaceful as she closed her eyes, feeling the world slow down.

Hailey adjusted her oversized sunglasses and leaned back, her smile wide as she took in the view. " I still can't get over your face when I pulled into the trader joe's parking lot, it was truly pricless" Haliey starts. " What that car is like my baby, I just wanted to make sure she was in the right hands" Y/n states like its obvious. “This place will never not amaze me ” Hailey changes the subject.

Sofia, lounging on her stomach next to them, half her face hidden behind large round sunglasses, joined in with her signature sass. “Seriously, this is like apainting in real life. I need to get myself a place like this.” the girls have all been here before, but never at the same time. Having grown up modeling together, if you had at least one of them, another was attached at the hip. She had formed a sister like relationship with sofia and a very special bond with haliey.

Y/N smiled lazily, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. “It’s home,” she said, a fondness in her voice. “Nothing like a little south Carolina sunshine to reset.”

She let out a deep breath, feeling the weight of her busy life melt away for a moment. Here, she was just a girl by the ocean, no one to impress, no cameras in sight. Just the sound of the waves and the cool breeze.

Elsewhere, a little further down the beach, Drew Starkey was caught up in his own world. Drew, who had become a household name playing Rafe Cameron on Outer Banks, was just another guy on the beach, his damp hair still dripping from an earlier swim. He was playing a casual game of football with his younger brother, Logan, both of them laughing and teasing one another in the carefree way only siblings could. Drew, had ditched his shirt a while agoleaving him in navy swim shorts, his athletic frame moving fluidly as he chased after the ball.

“Catch me if you can, Logan!” Drew called over his shoulder with a grin, clearly relishing the competition.

Logan, not one to back down, smirked and darted after him. “You wish! I’m about to leave you in the dust!”

They sprinted across the beach, the friendly rivalry lighting up their faces. He moved with that confident, natural athleticism, but as they both ran for the ball, it took a sharp turn to the left, just out of their reach. Neitherof them had noticed how close they were getting to where Y/N and her friends were lounging.

Then, the inevitable happened.

Drew’s foot caught awkwardly on the sand. In a split second, his body lurched forward, and before he could regain his balance, he tumbled right into Y/N, crashing down on top of her with an audible thud. The world seemed to pause for a moment, and then a copious amount of sand flew everywhere, covering her and her towel.

Y/N’s eyes snapped open as she felt the unexpected weight land on top of her. “Oh my gosh… what the hell ......Wait Drew, is that you?” she gasped, the words tumbling out in shock. her mind was going crazy, how could it be, was it really him. the boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago. " who is Drew" Hailey moths to sofia, even though she knows who it is sofia just shrugs her shoulders trying to watch the scene in front of them unfold.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Drew was sprawled on top of her, blinking in disbelief. It had been years since they had seen eachother; he had heard how she was doing becuase his sister brooke, the two having been attached at the hip since they could talk , and the occasional instagram stalking whenever he found himself on the app; which was a very rare occassion. All those times they hung around eachother growing up became a distant memory once they both went thier seperate ways. The realization hit them both at the same time. Drew—her old childhood friend—was here. On top of her. At the beach behind he house , of all places. They hadn’t seen each other in years, not since they were kids, playing on the beach, their families spending summers together.

The last time Y/N had heard anything about Drew was from the his sister and that was not even a week ago. Y/n had called Brooke to let her know that she would be out of town with a few friends, but wanted to let her know that they needed to schedule lunch when she was bak in New York. Brooke and y/n saw eachother often, living in the city had it's perks. it allowed them to meet up when both there schedules allowed it. Y/n frequents New York Hvaing opted to buying her own place since Modeling Season caused her to frequent the city for shoots.

Drew scrambled off her quickly, his face turning red from embarrassment. “Oh my god, Y/N, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there!” he said, his voice a mixture of panic and humor. He ran a hand through his damp hair, still laughing nervously as he brushed the sand off his body.

Y/N, still in a daze, sat up and blinked a few times, processing the situation. A small, surprised laugh escaped her lips. “I mean, seriously, Drew?” She chuckled, shaking her head, trying to make sense of the fact that the Drew , was the one who had just crashed into her on her beach towel. “You couldn’t have picked a better landing spot?” she laughed.

Drew’s grin was sheepish, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, clearly flustered. “Yeah, that was not my finest moment,” he admitted, looking up at her. “I was just—y’know, I got caught up in the game with Logan, and—uh, I misjudged the jump. I swear, I’m usually better at this.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, brushing sand off her stomach as she laughed softly. “Well, I’ll give you credit for one thing. You gave me an unexpected exfoliation. So, thanks for that.”

Drew laughed, the sound rich and warm, as if the awkwardness of the moment was already starting to dissolve. “Hey, I’m nothing if not helpful,” he joked, feeling that familiar comfort between them starting to resurface.

Logan, who had been standing off to the side, watching the entire thing unfold, finally called out with a laugh. “Nice form, Drew! You definitely took her out with that one!”. Drew shot his brother a playful middle finger before turning back to Y/N. They fall into comfortable scilence before y/n begins to speak " Oh these are my friend'sHailey and sofia, they're here to unwind before our schedules get hectic again" y/n states ignoring the questioning stares she is getting from her friends.

He smiled at them, as the warmth of old memories bubbling to the surface. " it is nice to meet you guy's maybe not what you pictured your day to look like i presume" he laughs, the rest of them following suit lightening up the atmosphere. “Okay, seriously though, I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t see you guys until I was already going for the ball.” His voice softened with sincerity, something that only a few people could get from him. “I hope I didn’t ruin your day or anything.”

Y/N couldn’t help but smile, her face softening. “You didn’t ruin anything,” she said, the warmth in her voice surprising even herself. She paused, then teasingly added, “But next time, maybe check before you launch yourself into the air?”

Hailey, who had been watching from a distance, called out playfully, “I hate to ruin, whatever this is but i'm not going to act like I am on the same page as sofia .” she laughs.

Sofia, with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous glint in her eyes, added, “Yeah, so you are going to have to catch Hailey up on everything, because i'm still a little lost on the whole Childhood friend lore”

Y/N flushed slightly, the color rising in her cheeks. She laughed, trying to keep things casual, but her eyes lingered on Drew for a beat longer than she intended. “We’ve known each other since we were kids,” she said quickly, shrugging it off. “Our families are close, his sister brooke, you guys rember brook and I are really close .”

Drew, noticing how Y/N’s gaze seemed to linger, raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, exactly. Old family friends. And now I’ve just made an unforgettable first impression. Perfect,” he said with a grin, trying to lighten the moment.

He glanced over at Logan, who was still laughing, and then at his parents, who had been watching from a distance. Drew turned back to Y/N, giving her a smile that carried the weight of the moment.

“Alright, well… I’m gonna go rescue my dignity and grab a drink. I totally owe you for this, Y/N,” he said, his tone light but sincere.

Y/N, still smiling, brushed the last of the sand off her towel. “hey don't worry, accident's happen Drew, it truly is no big deal.”

Drew’s grin widened as he gave her one last look. “You got it,it was nice well..... falling into you ” he said, before turning back toward his family, still laughing at himself.

Y/N watched him go, the familiar ache of nostalgia stirring deep inside her. It had been years since she’d seen him, but standing there in the soft glowof sun, it felt like no time had passed at all.

As Drew walked away, Hailey and Sofia exchanged a knowing look, clearly sensing something between them that Y/N hadn’t quite admitted to herself. Hailey leaned in with a smirk. “So… that didn’t seem like ‘nothing.’ that was not a "just friend's" encounter ?”

Sofia, always one to poke fun, grinned widely. “Yeah, I’m not buying that ‘old friends’ excuse. What’s the real story here, Y/N?”

Y/N chuckled, shaking her head, though the blush on her cheeks didn’t quite fade. She glanced out at Drew, who was now a few yards away, talking to Logan.

“I don’t know… I guess it’s just… good to see him again,” she said softly, her tone more thoughtful than she intended. She wasn’t sure if it was the familiarity or the unexpectedness of it all, but something inside her felt like it had just shifted.

The air between them was electric, even if she wasn’t quite ready to admit why.

[willowbeesims]

Caroline Rhode Downing 🤎

Caroline Downing (26) grew up in the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina with her older brother, Eric, and younger sister, Kaia. She was quite reserved as a child, preferring to bury herself in books and daydreaming rather than rambunctious play like her siblings. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English language and literature, she has been working as an editor at a local publishing house for several years.

Her parents, Richard and Maria, are owners of an award winning winery in Charleston and a renowned equestrian center in the Scottish Highlands. Her brother, Eric, was positioned to oversee the building of the family’s equestrian center in town when he tragically passed away in a fatal car accident last summer.

Life for the Downings haven’t been the same since. Though a semblance of normalcy and routine have returned, each member has been on their own journey with grief and healing. This experience of loss has brought them closer than ever and as the season changes, they hope to commemorate Eric’s memory by completing his passion project and finding gratitude in simple things.

Caroline’s outfit inspired by @classicpixels new lookbook!

[offender42085]

Post 1240

Before and After....

Charles Davenport, Jr., South Carolina inmate 378281, born 1993, incarceration intake November 2018 at age 25, scheduled for release November 2035

DUI resulting in Death

In November 2018, a former University of South Carolina student was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in the DUI death of another USC student.

It was one of the harshest DUI-killing sentences handed down in recent years in South Carolina, where drunken drivers who kill innocent people typically are sentenced to six or seven years, said a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Victims Advocate Council.

State Circuit Court Judge George McFaddin handed down the sentence for felony DUI involving death to Charles Davenport Jr., 25, during a lengthy hearing. McFaddin sentenced Davenport to 25 years in prison — the maximum sentence — but suspended five years of that sentence.

In November 2017, Davenport was driving his pickup truck at an estimated 76 mph — more than twice the legal limit — and accelerating on Rosewood Drive when he rammed a moped driven by David Newell, according to evidence. Evidence presented at the hearing showed Davenport had a blood-alcohol level nearly double the legal standard for being under the influence. He also had ingested Xanax — a sedative — and THC, a chemical that produces marijuana’s “high.”

Newell, a 22-year-old graduating senior from Maryland, just had finished his last exam at the School of Business when he was killed.

The combination of drugs and alcohol, along with Davenport’s excessive speed, were factors in Judge McFaddin’s 25-year sentence.

Along with members of Newell’s family, about 40 members of Newell’s Chi Psi fraternity also were in the courtroom and told the court about their loss.

During the hearing, Davenport apologized.

Since Davenport's incarceration he has been described as a model inmate.

4y

[kaijuno]

LOUISE JENKINS MERIWETHER

(May 8, 1923 – October 10, 2023)

Louise Jenkins Meriwether, a novelist, essayist, journalist, and social activist, was the only daughter of Marion Lloyd Jenkins and his wife, Julia. Meriwether was born May 8, 1923, in Haverstraw, New York, to parents from South Carolina.

After the 1929 stock market crash, Louise’s family migrated from Haverstraw to New York City. They moved to Brooklyn first and later to Harlem. The third of five children, Louise grew up during the Great Depression, a time that would deeply affect her young life and ultimately influence her as a writer.

Louise Jenkins attended Public School 81 in Harlem and graduated from Central Commercial High School in downtown Manhattan. In the 1950s, she received a B.A. in English from New York University before meeting and marrying Angelo Meriwether, a Los Angeles teacher. Although this marriage and later marriage to Earle Howe ended in divorce, Louise continued to use the Meriwether name. In 1965, Louise earned an M.A. in journalism from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her first book, Daddy Was a Number Runner, a fictional account of the economic devastation of Harlem in the Great Depression, appeared in 1970 as the first novel to emerge from the Watts Writers’ Workshop.

The circumstances surrounding this photo are largely unnatributed to larger context but some citation indicates that Jenkins-Merriwether was being questioned by police at a protest.

[afriblaq]

Did you know that in South Carolina, you didn't have to pass the bar to practice law until Black Americans started graduating from law schools?

[pfctipper]

Kind of fascinated by this little section in one of Dick’s books:

Our OCS class graduated on July 2, 1942 […] Following lunch at the officers club, we were free to go our own way, though few of us had actual assignments. Nixon was assigned duty at Fort Ord, California, and attached to the military police unit on post. With no immediate openings in the paratroopers, I returned to Camp Croft to train another contingent that had recently arrived. As an officer I didn’t last long at Croft: about five weeks to be exact, before receiving orders to report to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, at Camp Toombs, Georgia […] Following a brief leave, I arrived in Toccoa in mid-August. Disembarking from the Southern Railway train adjacent to the Toccoa Coffin Factory, Lewis Nixon and I were directed to board an army truck for “Camp Toombs” - Richard Winters and Cole C. Kingseed, Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (2006)

Camp Croft is in South Carolina and Fort Ord is in California. I don’t know much about the USA rail system, or how involved the army would have been in coordinating their travel, but regardless of whether Dick was travelling from South Carolina or wherever he was on leave - how likely is it that they’d end up on the exact same train into Toccoa? Maybe something they’d either planned themselves, or they’d departed from the same place (maybe Nix had leave too?)- or a coincidental train/station reunion after five weeks apart? Who knows, but very sweet that he makes a point of highlighting that the two of them (and only the two of them?) arrived together anyway.

[thedeviltohisangel]

All The Things I Did (7): I Thought About Thinking It Through

a/n: ok so the first blurb of the sleep talking interlude has been somewhat negated so I apologize but promise it is worth it. heavy shit this chapter as we get the full story on sidney landry. but john might say the L word...

warnings: mentions of domestic violence, mentions of character just wanting it all to stop

When John walked into the pub that night, the sounds of an angel laughing reached his ears but the cause was making his fists curl. Cass was seated at a table in the back corner with a man, who he presumed was Mr. Foster, sitting across from her. Her chin was in her hand the way it was whenever he told her a funny story. Her smile was as soft as candlelight as she nodded along to whatever he was telling her. Swears he felt his blood boil when her hand brushed against his across the table.

“Hey, baby, I didn’t think I was going to see you here tonight.” His annoyance was washed away as she turned to greet him with a smile. She said his name and brought him in for a kiss, John using her proximity to press a few more to her lips.

“John, this is Captain Will Foster. We went to spook school in Maryland together.” John kept one arm around the back of her chair as he shook the man’s hand. 

“Major Egan, it’s an honor, sir.” 

“Hear that, Cass, some people think it’s an honor to meet me.” She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her soda. “You’re the one who’s going to keep an eye on my girl in Berlin?”

“I’ll do my best, sir, but this is Cass’ operation. I’m just here to do what she tells me.” Cass blushed and ducked her head. “Lieutenant Cooper graduated top of our class. Highest marks the entire year.” 

“It’s not that impressive,” she began. “Not like I can fly a plane.”

“None of that,” John stated as he gripped her chin between his fingers. “You are the smartest, most gorgeous, most impressive woman that has ever walked this earth.” She smiled in spite of the ridiculousness and let him pull her in for another kiss. 

“Careful, John, or all this is going to go to my head. Then I’ll be truly insufferable.” 

“I have never once complained about your company.” As it always did, the rest of the world sealed itself off from the space between them. As soon as they had their eyes on each other there was nothing else that mattered. “Can I get you a refill?”

“Yes, please.” John kissed her forehead and was off in the direction of the bar. 

“You and the Major, huh?”

“He is…a welcome surprise. I saw him get off a plane one day and couldn’t shake the look in his eyes.”

“Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back,” Will replied with a swig of his beer. “You always were good at learning everything about your target without giving up even a hint of yourself.”

“John’s not my target. He’s my-” She stopped. What was he? Was there a word to describe their relationship status? Partner seemed too severe and official. Boyfriend seemed too trivial. “Mine. He’s just mine. And I’m his.”

“Simple. That works.” Oh, if he only knew. The feelings they had for each other, ability to express them agnostic, were simple. They were pure. They were real. They were warm and comforting and made her nerves tingle. But the world around them was so complicated. The lives they led as individuals were complicated, how were they supposed to twine them together? “And to think you were a runaway bride when I first met you.”

“Runaway bride?” John chose the perfect time to return. Catching the one part of that comment that Cass felt in her chest. “You?”

“It’s an exaggeration of the circumstances.” Cass transitioned to damage control. The topic of why she had left South Carolina in the first place hadn’t come up between her and John. And she had wanted to keep it that way. There was no use pouring salt in her old wounds.

“Oh, come on, Cass. Engaged to marry the big time banker’s son and fleeing the engagement party to enlist in the OSS? It’s an incredible story.” For the second time that day, John found himself furious with the tone someone was using to speak to her. She had fully retreated into herself, focused on the condensation rolling down the side of the bottle, her hands shaking in her lap at the reminder of that night. 

“Doesn’t seem like she wants to talk about it, Captain.” There was authority in his tone. It was protective. Purposeful. No room to misinterpret his words. “You okay?” It looked like she was having trouble breathing. As if the amount of trauma trapped in her chest was suffocating her. 

“No. I just need some air. Alone.” She doesn’t think she could look John in the eye. Not when he now knew the awful truth. Not when she was now nothing but damaged and spoiled goods. John watched her walk away with a clenched jaw. 

“Major-”

“I don’t know what the fuck happened in South Carolina, Foster, but if I ever hear you mention it again it will be the last thing you ever do.” John drained the rest of his whiskey and slammed it on the table. He didn’t wait for a response. He meant the words he said. And Will knew it.

----

“There’s more than one of them,” John mocked as he sat across from the RAF officers. “I can see more than one of you, too. I could knock all of you out.” Cass hadn’t come back into the pub and John had just drowned his anger and worry in amber liquid. Buck and Veal helped settle him down as he yelled he could do it in only one punch.

“You want to get Major excited? Baseball. Specifically the Yankees,” Curt offered.

“Really? I would have thought it was the little poppet who left close to tears.” No one tried to stop him when he stood this time. 

“Say that again,” he threatened. 

“Why don’t we make a bit of sport out of it, Major?” 

“I’ve got him, John, let me take care of him,” Curt reasoned. Really, they were all afraid John might kill him. A better man would know when to step aside. Let a more level head prevail. But John wasn’t in any particular mood to take the high ground. 

“Not this time. People in this goddamn pub need to stop talking about her.” They all milled outside and John tossed his blazer into the grass. He wondered if Cass would appreciate the gesture or be repulsed by it. If she ever believed violence was the answer or always chose to think her way out of everything. He ducked the weak hand of the Brit as he thought about the way she looked earlier. The way she had hid herself from his gaze and his touch and requested she be alone. He didn’t like the hole in his chest that she left whenever she wasn’t near.

His fist landed square on his target’s face and the sickening crunch of breaking bone echoed throughout the night air. He pictured Harding’s lovesick eyes when his Cass entered the room. Pictured Foster and his words quelling the fire inside of his Cass in an instant. Pictured this pompous asshole watching his Cass walk from the pub with a shake to her shoulders. Cass was a deity that mere men were not meant to get too close to. John didn’t even believe he deserved the way she looked at him. The way she touched him and comforted him and made him feel at home in a faraway land.

“You good, Bucky?” The others were cheering and laughing and slapping him on the shoulder but Buck looked concerned more than anything.

“I gotta protect her, Buck. I can’t let this place take her from me.” He couldn’t even feel the wounds to his knuckles or the blood of another man trickling down his fingers. “I’ll find you guys later.” John ignored their groans and pleas and grabbed his jacket from the ground before heading off in her direction. His north star. He would always follow her home.

----

He knocked softly against her door, Mary not hiding her eye roll at his disheveled uniform and bloodied knuckles when she had begrudgingly let him in, his forehead landing against the wood as he waited for her to answer.

“You found me,” she whispered softly as she cracked the door open an inch. 

“Always will,” he replied sincerely. “Can I come in?” She nodded and opened the door wider, John closing it behind him as she sat on the edge of her bed. He looked around and noticed a packed bag on the floor and a stack of envelopes on her desk. The one on top looked like it was addressed to her parents. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back after…” John shook his head.

“You were upset. He shouldn’t have said what he said.” Cass chuckled drily and looked at the ceiling. 

“You have my back, just like that? Without even knowing what it was he was talking about?” He sat down in her chair, elbows landing on the top of his thighs. “What happened to your hand?” She surged forward and held his hand in hers with a delicacy that made him shudder.

“I was having your back.” Not asking any further, she opened a drawer and pulled out a first aid kit. “And to answer your question, yes. It doesn’t matter what he was talking about. If it made you uncomfortable, it needed to stop.” He didn’t wince as she cleaned the blood from his hand, kissing each knuckle for extra measure, and wrapping a bandage to seal in her love.

“I appreciate that, John, but what he said was true.” He winced now. 

“About being another man’s bride?” The thought made him sick. The thought that Cass was already someone else’s. That she hadn’t told him and let him fall in love with her and share in those sacred moments together. That maybe that was why she so rigidly didn’t want him to say so. 

“I was supposed to be. Before I left for training, I was engaged.” She paused and waited for his reaction. Waited for him to be angry or upset and tell her she wasn’t worth the trouble. 

“And I’m sure you left for a reason, Cass.” His desire to understand her almost hurt her chest. It reminded her exactly why she had left. Why Sidney Landry was most certainly not the man she was meant to marry. “You don’t have to tell me. I don’t want to drudge something up if you’ve already gotten over it.”

“No, if…if me and you are going to be me and you, you need to know. You deserve to know.” John leaned forward to hold her hands, kissing the back of them with all the love he could muster. “His name is Sidney Landry. His father is the biggest banker in the state and they’ve been looking to get their claws into my family’s business for decades.” Her hands shook slightly and he squeezed them tight.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m not leaving.”

“By all accounts it was an advantageous match. They were wealthy and powerful and Sidney could have any girl in Charleston that he wanted but for some god awful reason he wanted me. My mother was so delighted. She had found a man who was willing to try to tame me.” A tear rolled down her cheek and John’s thumb wiped it away. 

“Cass…”

“I had no choice but to say yes and let him parade me around like some blue ribbon. I was so miserable every second I was with him. He would grab my arms so tight they bruised everytime we went somewhere. He would say the crudest things about me having his children. I spent months just wanting it all to stop.” The tears were coming in full force. Her hands grasping John’s like he was her anchor in the storm. His own eyes were swimming with emotion as he watched her exorcize these demons from within her. “One night he had been drinking so much I couldn’t understand what he was saying. But he was so angry I wouldn’t let him touch me. So angry that he…”

“You don’t have to tell me,” he repeated, “I know all I need to, Cass.” John already knew he was going to kill Sidney Landry. Didn’t know when but he knew it would be slow. 

“His hands were around my neck and I thought he was going to kill me. I hit him as hard as I could over and over before he stopped. I ran and I ran and I ran until I couldn’t breathe.” 

“You ran all the way to London, huh?” he said in the hopes of getting a smile to crack across her face. It worked. 

“I thought I ended up here because I was running away from him but maybe I was really just running to you.”

“That sounds about right,” he murmured as he stroked the top of her cheeks. “What you went through…You are so fucking strong, Cass. You deserve to be happy and to feel loved and protected.”

“I’m so damaged, John. I’m not meant for a life of teacups and doilies and standing there silently. No one is going to want this version of me.” Now that he knew the truth, she expected him to run too. To find a simple girl who could be the wife he deserved and the mother to his children he deserved. 

“That’s not true, Cass, because I,” he swallowed and held her face between his hands, steady and strong, “because I love you. I am so fucking in love with you, Cassandra Cooper. I love every last bit of you and I love this version of you and know I’ll love every version that comes after.” She kissed him ferociously, not able to get enough of him even with no distance between them. “Come home with me when this is all over. Do me the honor and make me the happiest man alive.”

“I will, John, I will.” He kissed her with a groan, eager to lock this promise between them. “John, you need to know that I leave for Berlin in the morning. The operation it’s…it’s…others have tried and they haven’t come back.”

“I’m not letting you say goodbye,” he reasoned. “Not when you got me thinking about an after.” Oh it was so cruel and dangerous for the universe to do this to him. Give him the one thing he’d been wanting only to have her live her life on the same edge he did. 

“If something happens to me, I need you to know I feel the same way you do.” She just needed to get through this. If she could survive Berlin, she could survive this whole thing. She could love John Egan wholeheartedly and unabashedly. She could find the courage to go back home if he was with her. “When I went to see Harding this morning, I went to turn down Berlin.”

“Turn it down?”

“I would have rather been here with you than anywhere else. No matter what those consequences were. But then I saw Buck’s letter and I was so angry.”

“I know. I deserve that.” She shook her head.

“No, you don’t because here I am doing the exact same thing.” 

“Hey, you’re not going to need those farewell letters on your desk, okay? You’re going to go to Berlin, kick someone’s ass or steal state secrets to end the war and you’re going to come right back home to me. Just like how I am always going to come right back home to you.”

“Forever and ever?” she asked. 

“Forever and ever,” he promised. “You going to let me hold you while we try and get some sleep tonight?” 

And that was how Mary found them before the sun rose the following morning. John protectively wrapped around Cass from behind, their fingers interlocked at her middle. And they both studied each other for a few more minutes until Mary said it was really, really time for Cass to go. John not wanting to forget a single thing about this very moment. Cass not wanting to forget a single detail about the face of the man she loved. The face of the man she was fighting to keep safe. 

“Don’t get distracted by thoughts of your love for me while you’re flying,” she teased as he pecked her lips a few times. 

“I am going to fly so much faster with that admission off my chest.” She giggled and fell back into him easily, her plane whirring to life behind them. 

“If you do, I might let you show me how much you love me when I get back.” That twinkle of mischief was there that he loved so dearly. 

“Is that so? You better hurry then. I’m a patient man, Spook, but not when it comes to loving on you.” 

“Cass! We got to go! Weather’s moving in!” Her heart dropped along with her smile as she turned back to John. The part she was dreading.

“I’ll see you when I get back,” she said, her fingers tracing the contours of his face one last time. His knuckles brushed her cheek and he kissed her one last time. 

“I love you. You come back to me in one piece. That’s an order, Lieutenant.” 

“I’ll do my best, Major.” She pulled him by the front of his jacket for her own last kiss. To tell him she loved him without saying the words. Those would be for after. 

She walked backwards until she couldn’t anymore. Her hand pressing to her lips before she released it into the wind, John catching the sentiment with ease. He had never felt such torment watching a plane take off as he did in that moment. It was carrying everything he held dear off to a faraway place. 

“Please come back to me, Cass.”