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cleverhottubmiracle · 6 days ago

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Looking for more of the freakiest, flyest men's fashion trends 2025 has in store? Swing by our New Arrivals shop, and then check out what our editors are buying right now.In the GQ offices, celebrating the new year involves more than just champagne and resolutions: it means a fresh slate of men’s fashion trends to kick off 2025 on an impeccably-shod foot. Around this time every year, we thank our sweats and shorts for their service, set them aside in favor of fuzzy sweaters and raw jeans, and barrel toward new sartorial horizons at full speed. Which begs the question: What do we see coming around the bend in 2025?To answer just that, we polished off our crystal ball (and, uh, mixed our analogies), and peered intently into its murky depths to suss out 15 men's fashion trends way more exciting than, like, a half-hearted commitment to start exercising. (Said crystal ball is actually the GQ Recommends braintrust—we’re a little more calculated than a mystical orb, and a lot less cursed than ChatGPT—but the point stands.)To predict the can’t-miss menswear moves of the coming year, we scoured runway stills, street style shots, and our very own mood boards to make sense of where the state of our highly specific union is headed next. Take a look, glean what you will, and start shifting your 2025 fits into high gear.1. Pants With a Literal TwistWhat could possibly be in store for the big pants agenda in 2025? Instead of worrying about fit, you should think about construction. And if there’s one thing to keep a close eye on, it’s pants with twisted seams. Delinquent seams—whether curling around the front or back of the leg—have all the makings of enjoying a breakout year: They're an approachable touch of roughed-up freak with a healthy dose of Y2K nostalgia. If you're looking for your next swerve, go curved. —Michael NolledoSunflowerIndigo Wide Twist JeansJW AndersonTwisted Workwear Denim JeansJacquemusScala de-Nîmes Denim PantsLemaireTwisted Seam Belted Straight Leg Pants2. Clasps on FireI'm seeing classic styles—peacoats, truckers, waxed jackets–get updated with clasps reminiscent of vintage fireman jackets. (Mfpen has a beautiful, denim fireman clasp jacket dropping in a couple of months.) I dig it. The simple change gives a workwear edge to more formal pieces, meaning you can still enjoy the classic style's functionality, but without the associations that come with, say, a big Barbour zip, or some giant rounded peacoat buttons. There are some very special finds on eBay and Depop, but here are a few if you want to go new. —Louis CheslawPurdeyLatch Corduroy and Leather-Trimmed Cotton-Canvas CoatJunya WatanabeLobster-Clasp JacketCarter YoungNewman PeacoatSoundmanBanger Fireman Coat3. Cowichan KnitsFor well over a century, Indigineous craftspeople hailing from the Cowichan territory of Vancouver Island have been knitting their namesake sweaters: brawny shawl-collar cardigans built to battle the British Columbian chill. You can still cop the genuine article from traditional knitters like Kanata, though these days there are plenty of updated interpretations to choose from—like Faiz T.S.'s bomber jacket hybrid or Haven's blacked-out banger. —Yang-Yi GohKanata Hand KnitsKS19 Cowichan SweaterFaiz T.S. & Co.Handknit Cowichan Bomber SweaterBuck MasonHandknit Harbor Wool CowichanHavenPacific Handknit Cardigan4. Bulked-Up Boat ShoesBoat shoes roared back in the past couple of years, so I understand that declaring any vertical of the polarizing style to be “back” or “trending” isn’t all that helpful. But within the category, the bulkier, more sturdy, more structural ones are infinitely more interesting—and more utilitarian—than the classic two-eye, flat-soled iterations. As such, I’m seeing them everywhere, worn with everything, in every context. Maybe this one is less of a trend and more of a mainstreaming, but either way it’s happening. —Reed NelsonL.L.BeanAllagash Handsewn MocsTimberlandx ALD 3-Eye Lug ShoesSperryAuthentic Original™ Unlined Lug 3-Eye Boat Shoe5. Clean, Crisp, Raw DenimIn the years since the last raw denim renaissance, we've seen bold blue jeans trends from threadbare shredded options to tripped-out colorways to overdyes and acid washes. But 2025 will be a reset back into a cleaner, simpler aesthetic. We'll incorporate the unadulterated, deep, inky indigo back into our wardrobe to anchor every outfit. We may not be approaching it like the selvedge-obsessed fade-it-yourself denimheads did back in the 2010s. Instead, it'll be more of a sobering up or a denim detox. —Gerald OrtizLevi's501 Original Shrink-to-fit jeansAbercrombie & FitchBaggy JeanStüssyNew Classic Jean Denim6. Plucky PinstripesPeople who wore pinstripes used to fall into two camps: Yankees (of the New York variety) and Gordon Gekko acolytes (also of the New York variety). You don't have to be either to pull off the cold-weather pattern today, though orienting your style—if not, y'know, your morals—around the latter is a great place to start. We dig a chilled-out suit as much as the next guy, but the the most righteous way to flex your sartorial chops this year is a little more severe: brash lapels, strong shoulders, nipped waist, and a healthy dose of swaggering braggadocio. —Avidan GrossmanBuck MasonItalian Wool Flannel Townsman BlazerBuck MasonItalian Wool Flannel Graduate PantSunflowerWide Pleated Trouser7. Rough RingsShiny silver has been getting more and more scuffed up, and with retailers like SSENSE and Harrod's stocking up on designers like The Ouze, I don't see it stopping. It tracks to me—I'd never worn jewelry before as I didn't want to attract that kind of glinty attention, but have loved the rougher pieces I've picked up over the last few months. —LCThe OuzeHallmark Signet RingBleue BurnhamGarden Impression Signet Ring8. Retro Pinnies2024 was a big year for both mesh and cropped shirts, so it does seem natural that folks would discover that there’s a pre-existing garment that’s already married the best of both worlds: practice jerseys (and pinnies), preferably those modeled after the ones worn in the 70s, 80s and 90s. They’re airy, they’re a little (or a lot) slutty, they usually have some sort of funky detailing—like knit trim or a funky collar—and, like vintage tees, you can make them as personal as you want. Vintage is still the best route and eBay’s inventory is stellar, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of contemporary options. —RNMitchell & NessLos Angeles Angels 1984 Authentic Pullover JerseyB1ARCHIVEFootball Jersey T-ShirtMitchell & NessMilwaukee Bucks Hardwood Classics Practice Jersey9. Tartan Dress ShirtsSolid and striped dress shirts are always a safe bet with a suit or sport coat, sure. Get some plaid in the mix, though, and suddenly you're Redford in All the President's Men or Wes Anderson in any era—a little rumpled and professorial, ready to roll up your sleeves, loosen your tie, and get to goddamn work. —YYGPolo Ralph LaurenCustom Fit Striped Poplin ShirtHusbandsWide Collar ShirtJake's x Dick CarollBrushed Cotton Tartan Work ShirtAnglo-ItalianBrushed Wool Button Down Sport Shirt10. Slouchier SweatsJoggers are dead. The sweatpants that killed 'em are cut more like Y2K-doused jeans: big, baggy, and with hems that spill over sneakers, slip-ons, and—if you're a diehard Saint Laurent buff—kicky boots. If your trousers already worship at the altar of Armani's louche heyday, making the jump should be cinch. —AGSaint LaurentSatin Crepe Flared SweatpantsBalenciagaBasketball Series Baggy SweatpantsDries Van NotenCotton-Jersey SweatpantsLes TienGarment-Dyed Cotton-Jersey Sweatpants11. Belt It OutWomen have long known that a belt's ability to keep pants from crashing to the ground is the least of its benefits. In 2025, guys will finally see belts as something closer to jewelry—a fancy flourish on par with an icy necklace, wild sunglasses, or new shoes. I'm talking about belts adorned with studs, painted in vibrant colors, and sculpted in ways that belie their ability (or lack thereof) to battle gravity. —GOMaximum HenrySlim 3 Piece BeltLu'u DanTwisted Snake Cowboy BeltKapitalNeptune Disco Buckle Belt12. Crewneck CardisThere’s plenty of swervy knitwear moves you can make right now (see above), but the best one this season is the most simple. The rise of the crewneck cardigan is here, and like the demure assurance of a grandmother, it can support your fits like no other sweater can. The simple tweak of the neckline gives you more occasions to wear them than your standard cardi, whether open or buttoned all the way up for a purposeful take on the classic crewneck sweater. You don’t have to add pearls, but we wouldn’t be mad if ya did. —MN& DaughterAda Crewneck CardiganCelineChecked Brushed Jacquard-Knit CardiganTodd SnyderNomad Cashmere CardiganBodeRound-the-World Intarsia Cardigan13. Gentlemanly GorpIf round one of Gorpcore was all about technical fabrics, round two is for guys who no longer want to just be outdoors. They want to be outdoors in fabrics that their great, great, grandfather could have worn. If he was, say, an Austrian shepherd. I'm talking corduroy, boiled wool, felt, fleece. No '-Tex' in the mix. —LCConkersRelaxed Farmer ShirtCawley8 Wale British Cord Sandy Jacket14. Tiny TickersOne of the best things I bought this year was a teeny-tiny Seiko bracelet watch from the '70s, which is definitely more bracelet than watch and all the better for it. It’s a women’s model, but I have dainty wrists—and these days, the gals are beating the guys at their own game, anyway. If the coos of delight my new watch-let elicits are any indication, small watches will only be getting bigger in 2025. —AGSeikoEssential Two Tone Stainless Steel Bracelet WatchLonginesMini DolceVita Bracelet WatchCartierPanthère de CartierTissotLovely Square Bracelet Watch15. Zippy SweatersZippers and sweaters are an uneasy alliance to be sure—snags are catastrophic in the teeth of a zipper and the mechanisms by which they’re affixed to knitwear are often tenuous. I don’t care about any of these things, though, and it seems like others agree with that sentiment—zip cardigans are popping up in the wild in place of the button kind, track jackets, quarter-zips and the like with increasing frequency. And while it might be uneasy, the alliance is fruitful: when the zipper is bulky or shiny, it contrasts a knit in a more dramatic (re: interesting) way than buttons do, and when it’s low-profile, the placket fades away to an extent that buttons simply can’t. (I've been wearing an old one for two months and can't stop.) —RNStüssyFull-Zip Brushed Merino SweaterGapFull-Zip Sweater CardiganAndersen-AndersenNavy Full-Zip Pockets Cardigan Source link

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norajworld · 6 days ago

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ellajme0 · 6 days ago

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chilimili212 · 6 days ago

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oliviajoyice21 · 6 days ago

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cakesunflower · 4 years ago

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Just My Kind [Teacher!Calum AU] Part 8

A/N: sorry for the long wait!! just so you know, this is the penultimate chapter, so the next one will be the last in this mini series!! happy reading!

Odessa was stalling. She knew she was, and she knew she wasn’t doing anyone any favors by putting off a conversation that needed to happen sooner rather than later. But for all her love of books and the written word, Odessa herself couldn’t quite find the words she needed to say in order to tell Paige what exactly was going on. She had days to figure it out, and yet Odessa hadn’t been able to do it.

It wasn’t until New Years that Odessa was finally among all of her friends once again. Michael and Crystal had decided to throw a party at their beach house, where everyone would gather to watch the fireworks go off at midnight. Odessa tried to tell herself it wasn’t really her fault that she couldn’t talk to Paige yet—everyone had been so busy during Christmas and Odessa wasn’t too fond of being the reason to potentially ruin someone else’s holiday. It wasn’t as though she could have this conversation with Paige over the phone—though, the more Odessa thought about it, the more favorable that idea seemed.

And now it was New Years Eve and Odessa still hadn’t talked to Paige about her relationship.

Truthfully, Calum hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Paige, either, but he only recently just got back from New Zealand, so at least he had a valid enough reason.

Odessa was just being a bit of a coward, despite boosting herself up multiple times to finally get this done.

“You know the party’s going on down there, right?”

Odessa glanced over her shoulder to see Luke step out onto the small balcony of the house, which faced the beach where all of Michael and Crystal’s guests were buzzing about. Music was loudly playing, courtesy of Michael in his DJ set, mixing with the sounds of people’s chatter and the waves crashing along the shore ahead. The air smelt of salt and smoke, thanks to the tiki torches that were set up to provide some light since the sun had long since set.

“I know,” Odessa answered with him with a small chuckle as he approached her towards the railing, a drink in his hand. She faced forward again, looking at the people below. “I was just—”

“Hiding?”

She raised her eyebrows, almost startled, as she looked up at the tall blonde. “Who would I be hiding from?”

Luke threw her a look that said really? before rolling his blue eyes, luminous under the moonlight. “Paige, maybe? You know, since you tend to hide from her a lot.”

Odessa tried not to cringe—both at her predictability and how Luke’s words kind of made her sound like the coward she had called herself. Still, she defended, “I’m not hiding. I’m just. . . Mentally preparing myself.”

He hummed in acknowledgement. “To tell her about you and Cal so the two of you can kiss at midnight without giving her too much of an aneurism?”

Odessa blinked. Once then twice as her gaze swung back to Luke, gaping up at him. But Luke looked back at her evenly, knowingly, and Odessa’s heart jumped. Had Calum told him about them? They’d agreed they wouldn’t tell anyone until Paige was handled. “How did you—?”

Luke scoffed after taking a sip of his drink, lips quirking up in a smirk. “You two aren’t nearly as subtle as you think,” he told her as Odessa straightened. “Everyone saw it coming, Odessa. It’s obvious in the way you two look at each other.” She continued gaping at him as he sipped his drink before adding, “You aren’t fooling anyone—except maybe Paige, who’s genuinely ignorant about it because she has her head so far up her ass, or she knows and doesn’t care. Neither would surprise me.”

If anyone had to match Odessa’s dislike for Paige, it would be Luke, she knew.

Odessa let out a long sigh, arms folding on top of the bannister. She watched as people danced and chatted and ate down below, eyes absently searching for her not-so-secret boyfriend. “She’s got a thing for Calum and I don’t know how to tell her about us. It’s going to be awkward and I know for a fact she’s going to—”

“Make you feel like shit?” Luke finished knowingly, and Odessa nodded tiredly with another sigh. She appreciated his bluntness.

“Ugh,” Odessa groaned, ducking her head to press her hand against her forehead. They were silent for a few moments, and maybe she was seeking some kind of reassurance from Luke, or seeking for his opinion, but she lifted her head and asked him, “Do you think I’m. . . In the wrong?” Luke shot her a quizzical look and Odessa cleared her throat. “I mean, Paige all but told me to back off when it came to Calum.” She tried to keep the distaste off her face at Paige’s territorial behavior. “But I obviously didn’t listen. Did I do a fucked up thing?”

A wry smile tilted at Luke’s lips, just barely hinting at a dimple. “Are you asking because I’m an unbiased party?” he asked, the sarcasm in his tone making her smile slightly. Luke’s expression became thoughtful, serious. “No, I don’t think you did. Honestly, Essa, Paige acted like her and Cal were together sometimes, but the reality of the situation was that they were both single, free to be with whoever they want. Just because Paige wanted to be with Calum, doesn’t mean he felt the same. Obviously,” he added, shooting her a pointed look that warmed Odessa’s cheeks. With a light laugh, Luke added, “It worked out for Calum that you felt the same way about him. It sucks for Paige, but it’s not her call. And you shouldn’t feel guilty that you’re happy with someone who’s just as happy to be with you.”

Wasn’t that what both her mom and Grams and Calum had told her, more or less? Maybe Odessa just needed that same reassurance from multiple people before she talked to Paige.

Or maybe she was just waiting for someone to tell her the exact opposite. She was a masochist that way.

“Anyways, if you wanna talk to her, you better do it sooner rather than later.” At that, Odessa glanced at Luke with a raised eyebrow, and he merely jerked his chin a bit towards the left, and she followed his gaze until it landed on a small group of people chattering down below. She easily recognized Calum, chatting and drinking with a bunch of people—and Paige standing right next to him as she conversed with some girl Odessa didn’t recognize.

The sight was innocent enough, but Odessa knew when it came to Calum, Paige was unlikely to be innocent.

The inside of the house was mostly stranded, Odessa noticed, as she headed downstairs, a few minutes after Luke had left her, as everyone was gathered outside. Odessa entered the wide hall that would lead towards the back door, but just as she turned around the corner from the stairs, she gasped in startlement when a body appeared in front of her.

“Shit—oh, hey, Odessa.” She felt her muscles go rigid as she looked at Paige. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

Odessa’s already forced smile strained. “Nowhere—I was just in the bathroom,” she lied easily. Oh, God, was this it? Was she going to have this conversation with Paige in the middle of the hall in Michael and Crystal’s house? “Paige—”

“Have you found a someone to kiss at midnight?” the other girl interrupted her, a glint in her eyes that made Odessa’s stomach clench uneasily. Paige twirled the end of her ponytail around her finger, her hair tightly sleeked back. A corner of her lip curved up into a smirk as she held Odessa’s gaze. “Trick is to find someone single and cute and stand next to them when the clock strikes midnight.” She laughed then. “At least, that’s what I plan to do with Calum.”

At the sound of his name—at the sound of her boyfriend’s name—Odessa felt her blood turn into ice, teeth clenching together as the music playing outside become muffled in her ears. Her throat was tight, yet somehow she managed to get out a gritted, “You can’t.”

Paige stared at her, raising her eyebrows before scoffing out a laugh. “What do you mean, I can’t?” She gave an amused shake of her head, her ponytail swinging back and forth with the movement. “What, do you plan on kissing him?”

The way she asked that—it was like it was a joke, the thought of Odessa kissing Calum. And it only served to irritate Odessa more, that feeling growing more intense than whatever hesitance she may have had in having this conversation. So Odessa lifted her chin, gaze never wavering as she shot back, “What if I did?”

Any signs of amusement slipped from Paige’s face upon Odessa’s challenging tone, her back straightening and eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Wait, are you kidding?”

It was now or never. Odessa’s neck tensed as she inhaled sharply, finally finding the words. “Look, Paige, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now—”

“Tell me what?”

Odessa licked her lips, Paige’s stare penetrating and demanding, but she refused to let her nerves become known. She might as well get it over with, get it done so she could go outside and stand by Calum without worrying about Paige figuring something out on her own. Paige’s gaze was heated, eyebrows already subtly knitting together like she knew she was about to hear something she wouldn’t like. Odessa had the unfortunate luck of being the one to deliver the news to her.

But if it meant being with Calum without feeling as though something was holding her back, Odessa would see it through.

“Calum and I—we’re together,” Odessa announced, her voice surprisingly steady. “We’ve been together for a few weeks now and I just—I thought you should know.”

Okay, so she didn’t stumble over her words as much as she thought.

“I’m sorry—what?” Paige laughed, and Odessa tried not to cringe at the expression on her face, at the disbelief that coated her tone. “You and Calum?” She raised an eyebrow, doubtful in its perfect arch. “Is that a joke?”

Odessa’s eyebrows furrowed together, irritation that was reserved just for Paige sparking through her veins as she crossed her arms over her chest, wishing she wasn’t so obvious in her defensiveness as she asked evenly, “Why would that be a joke?”

��Because—” Paige cut herself off with a laugh, that same disbelieving scoff of a laugh that grated at Odessa’s nerves. “I just can’t believe that you would go after him even after I made it clear I have a thing for him.”

A thing. Odessa had half a mind to ask Paige what, exactly, this thing she had for Calum meant. Did Paige genuinely have feelings for him? Or was it just a physical attraction for her? The former had cause to make Odessa genuinely feel bad—but not entirely regretful—and the latter didn’t sprout an ounce of guilt on her part. But then Odessa felt as though it would just be insensitive to Paige to literally ask her what she meant, so she kept her mouth shut despite wanting to do the opposite.

I sincerely hope you’re not going to apologize to the girl for being in a relationship.

Her mom’s words echoed in her mind just as she parted her lips, and Odessa paused. No—she wasn’t going to apologize. Not when Paige, with her subtle yet digging comments and fake smiles, made Odessa feel less than. She did it back in college, and she still did it now. Odessa. . . She owed her nothing.

“Paige, I didn’t go after him with any shady intentions,” Odessa told her. “It just happened. We both like each other—a lot. Everything just happened on its own.”

Paige’s eyes narrowed, clearly not liking what she was hearing as Odessa mentally braced herself. She knew all of this was coming, knew Paige wouldn’t let this go quietly, but that didn’t mean Odessa wanted this conversation to drag out more than it needed to be. “We’re supposed to be friends, Odessa. You’re not even sorry for screwing me over like this? For going after the one guy I wanted?”

Odessa wanted to laugh. She really did. They were friends? In what fucking universe were they friends? Odessa recognized Paige’s tactics of trying to make her feel guilty, to get her to apologize, but Odessa steeled herself. She wasn’t going to tell Paige what she wanted to hear, she wasn’t going to quiet herself and submit to a woman who always tried to get her way without any regard for others. Paige wasn’t allowed to pull the friend card—not with Odessa.

“I didn’t screw you over,” Odessa returned, an edge creeping into her voice as her gaze hardened. Behind Paige, Odessa could just barely see everyone out on the beach through the open French doors, and she desperately wanted to go back out there. “And I’m not going to apologize for liking a guy who feels the same way about me.” With a shake of her head, Odessa challenged, “So why bother paying attention to someone who’s in a relationship? You can move on to someone else.”

“Oh, thanks so much for making that decision for me,” Paige snapped, a sarcastic, unkind smile on her face as she glared at Odessa, who, to her credit, didn’t flinch. “You seriously don’t see how fucked up this is?”

Odessa’s teeth hurt from how tightly they had been pressed together without her realization until she loosened her jaw. She could see the anger in Paige’s gaze, the disbelief—but nowhere in her eyes did Odessa see any kind of hurt or heartbreak. If Odessa had to take a guess, she’d say Paige was more pissed about the fact that Odessa was with Calum rather than truly upset or heartbroken over it. It made her believe that Paige’s attraction to him was only physical. And although Odessa had no right to deduce what Paige did or didn’t feel, she knew the girl well enough. She knew her guess was most likely the truth.

“Maybe it is fucked up,” Odessa said, chin lifting and arms still crossed. “But I’m still not going to apologize for my relationship. I just wanted you to know the truth about us so you’re not unknowingly flirting with someone’s boyfriend.” And making even more of a fool out of yourself.

A cruel smirk lifted Paige’s lips, raising her eyebrows as she challenged, “Jealous?”

Odessa was tempted to shake her head at the almost sad display of ill-placed confidence—or bitchiness. Instead, she offered a small smile. “No,” she said truthfully. “I know how Calum feels about me. As new as it is, I’m confident in our relationship to know I have nothing to worry about.”

It was a dig because Odessa couldn’t help herself, and she saw it hit its mark when Paige’s gaze hardened and her jaw popped. The indignant incredulity was clear on her face, and Odessa would be lying if satisfaction didn’t dance proudly throughout her veins. Despite being a well placed dig, Odessa’s words were true. Her and Calum’s relationship was built on the friendship they developed and trust, and she didn’t for a second doubt that what he felt for her matched in what she felt for him. Odessa knew she didn’t have anything to worry about, knew Calum was as in their relationship as she was.

Paige’s lips curled into a sneer, her hostility shining brightly as she spat, “You’re a shit friend, Odessa.”

Ah, there was that word again. Friend.

Odessa lifted her shoulder, Paige’s words having little to no effect on her. And that, Odessa realized, was something she loved. “I learned from the best,” was her simple response before she moved past her, done with the conversation. Maybe even done with her.

Paige’s affronted expression made Odessa’s satisfaction swell all the more as she walked past her and towards the beach, easily ignoring the glare she could feel Paige throwing at her back.

The salt in the air was a welcome reprieve as Odessa stepped outside, smiling over at Michael in his DJ booth, who waved at her with a grin, headphones on and tattooed fingers scrolling down his laptop. She found her way to Crystal by the drink table, and the blonde fixed Odessa a margarita before Odessa went to find Calum.

She found him easily enough, and Odessa felt relaxed when a smile quirked at Calum’s lips at the sight of her. And maybe he saw the easy going expression on her face, realized that being together wasn’t something they needed to hide—or maybe he was just on the same page as her, as always—because once she neared him, Calum held out his arm for her to step into his side. Odessa reveled in the feeling of his warmth seeping into hers, absently listening to the conversation he was part of as his cologne wrapped around her. He looked down at her, voice lowering as he asked, “All good?”

Odessa’s arm wrapped around his waist, hand rubbing at his upper back as she hummed quietly. “Yeah,” she answered just as softly, their hushed conversation drowned out by everyone’s chatter and the music playing. “Talked to Paige.”

Calum’s eyebrows shot up, brown eyes meeting her blue as his body turned towards her slightly. “How’d that go?”

She smiled wryly. “About as well as you’d expect. I think she wanted to actually fight me.”

Calum, who’d raised his can of White Claw to his mouth, pressed his lips together to suppress the startled laugh that was threatening to escape him, and Odessa’s smile widened in amusement. Now that her conversation with Paige was over, it was easier to smile about it—especially with Calum. It was easier to stand next to him, his arm around her, talking with people and just simply being there together.

She didn’t miss the looks the rest of their friends shot their way—knowing and grinning and suggestive—which only made Odessa both blush and laugh under her breath. It seemed as though none of them were surprised by her and Calum’s relationship, but they were clearly happy for them, and it warmed Odessa’s heart. It was a reminder that she really was surrounded by genuine friends, and she focused on that rather than the dark cloud Paige tried to cast over her.

Fortunately, Odessa didn’t see much of Paige as it neared midnight, which she was perfectly fine by. She enjoyed her time drinking and chatting with her friends—and more than admiring Calum while he and the boys decided to entertain the crowd for a bit by playing some music. Paige seemed to be lost in the crowd of people gathered, not that Odessa minded. She was all too focused on spending time with her friends—with Calum.

“Five minutes, guys!” Michael’s voice rang out, using the microphone connected to the speaker to amplify his voice, catching everyone’s attention.

There was an excited murmur following his words, and everyone joined together to towards the middle of where they were gathered, more so collectively in Michael and Crystal’s backyard rather than the beach it led towards. Calum and Odessa stood among their friends, her gaze snagging on Paige, who’d finally made an appearance and was standing a good distance away, several people in between them.

Odessa’s jaw clenched when Paige’s gaze met hers, and even in the night with people separating them, Odessa could make out the scowl Paige wore. And yet. . . She didn’t care. Her chest didn’t tighten in apprehension and her jaw didn’t clench in annoyance. Odessa simply didn’t care. Not when Calum was holding her close, his arm around her and hand on her hip. Odessa wouldn’t worry herself over stupid, petty things anymore. Especially not with Paige.

“Ten!” The countdown began, everyone around them buzzing with a new, excited energy, ready to welcome the new year.

“You know, you never told me what your New Year’s resolution was,” Calum mused as she stood next to him, his arm around her waist keeping her close.

Odessa blinked, realizing he was right. Calum’s own resolution, for this year, had been simple: he merely wanted to learn how to play drums and was going to ask Ashton to teach him. He’d told Odessa this as if it were no big deal, but he was a musician and Odessa liked how he was expanding his own abilities and skills in that field. It wasn’t something to brush off. “My resolution is. . .” Odessa trailed off, thinking of the last few months, a wry scoff escaping her. She looked up at Calum, the countdown around them continuing. “My resolution is to only view myself from my own eyes, and to not give other people the power to control who I am and how I act—or feel.”

It was a long time coming, this realization and applying it to who she was. Whether in big ways or subtle, Odessa had found herself viewing her self worth through the eyes of others, and it was about time she stopped doing that. From her father walking out on her and her mom to even the way Paige dismissively treated her—and all the little interactions she had with anyone else in between—Odessa had used those moments of her life as templates of how she should be treated. And it was wrong—she hated that she let others have that kind of power over her. She knew she didn’t deserve that—no one did. And with the coming year, Odessa was determined to be as uncaring of other people’s opinions, as confident in herself, as she could be.

Her confrontation with her dad, her little chat with Paige—those were just stepping stones in the right direction. Odessa refused to backtrack.

Calum looked down at her, a light shining in his dark eyes and a smile on his lips. Odessa could see the pride glimmering in his gaze and she smiled back. He wasn’t ever someone who made her feel like anything less than she was. “That’s a damn good one, Ms. Kline.”

She chuckled softly as everyone around her yelled, “Three. . . Two. . . One!”

Both Odessa and Calum raised their drinks along with everyone else, their voices melding together as they cheered, “Happy New Year!”

Odessa tilted her head up just as Calum leaned down, their smiling lips meeting for a kiss that Odessa instantly melted into. For the first time in a while, there was no weight pressing on Odessa’s chest, nothing holding her back from the person she wanted to be. For a brief moment, Odessa regretted not reaching this kind of attitude earlier, but she didn’t hold onto it as Calum pulled away with one last kiss before he pressed his lips to her temple and over the roar of the celebrating crowd, murmured a soft, “Happy New Year, Essa.”

She pressed close to him, taking his warmth and comfort for as long as she could before they broke away to hug and cheer with their friends. Odessa’s eyes closed, not wanting to see anyone in that moment except for hear Calum’s heart beating steadily under her ear, his familiar scent overpowering the salt of the air.

He hugged her close and Odessa smiled. Yes, it was a happy new year because in this moment, the smile came easily to her lips and everything felt right, something Odessa didn’t think she would completely feel when she moved to Los Angeles. But despite everything, there was contentment that settled over Odessa. And she had no intentions of losing it any time soon.

*****

“When are you getting here? Paige’s been giving me the stink eye for the past fifteen minutes.”

Odessa scoffed out a laugh at Calum’s complaint, shutting the door behind her before heading towards her car. “I’m literally getting into the car now. Just give her a nasty look of your own. You’ve got a solid bitch resting face.”

“Uh, thank you?” Calum responded warily, which only Odessa laugh as she got into her car. Honestly, the idea of Paige looking at Calum in any way other than the way she used to was welcome to Odessa, but she didn’t like that he was feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes Paige just didn’t know when to stop, it seemed.

“I’ll be there soon,” she said, hoping to keep that promise, though unsure if she would be able to given Los Angeles traffic. Calum was already at Ashton’s, seeing as he had been hanging out with Luke and he ended up getting a ride from the blonde. “Besides, you really think my presence is gonna make her stop? If anything, she’d glare even harder,” Odessa pointed out as she dropped her bag into the passenger seat.

“Yeah, but at least then we’ll be together,” Calum cheekily responded, and although Odessa rolled her eyes, she still felt a warmth spread across her cheeks.

She started the car. “Alright, alright, I’m on my way.”

She could hear his smile. “See you soon, sweetheart.”

The flutter in her chest was familiar as Odessa hung up the phone, but just as she went to lock the device and put it away, she stopped when a forgotten name popped up from her Facebook Messenger app. Her eyebrows pulled together as she remained seated in the driveway, the air conditioner cooling her skin as she clicked on the app.

The message was from her college ex-boyfriend, a guy she dated during the last seven months of her last year. Her relationship with Will had been enjoyable and there was definitely a time where Odessa had thought she could love him for a long time. And she had loved him for the time they’d dated, but things hadn’t worked out, and he had broken up with her. It had hurt, no doubt, but Will had been nice about it, gentle almost, like he truly hadn’t wanted to hurt her, and although Odessa had mourned the end of their relationship, she was glad he hadn’t been an asshole about it like some of her past boyfriends tend to be.

But why the hell was he messaging her now? Odessa used Facebook every now and again—mostly to upload pictures because her mom always told her to—and she’d forgotten that she and Will were still friends on it. She hadn’t spoken to him since they’d broken up, and that was, what, over three years ago?

Still in the driveway of her house, Odessa opened the message and read what Will had to say.

Will: Hey, Odessa. I know it’s been a while since we talked and this probably caught you off guard. But I saw that you were back in LA and as cryptic as this may sound, I really need to talk to you. It’s important and I don’t think it’s something I can just tell you through a text. Do you think we could meet? Like, today?

Odessa blinked once. Then twice. She stared at the message beneath lowered brows, bewildered over what he was saying. What the hell could he need to tell her that he couldn’t through a text? What was so important that he needed to see her right away?

Despite her reservations, Odessa glanced at the time. She was meant to be at Ashton’s house, given that he was throwing—an albeit casual—dinner party. She was already going to be the last one to arrive, and Calum was expecting her. Odessa rolled her lips into her mouth. Curiosity itched at her, wondering what Will had to say. She had no reason to be wary of him; he was a nice guy, from what she knew and experienced. Chewing on her lip, she typed a response.

Odessa: Hi, Will. Yeah, been a long time. I’m actually on my way to the valley to a friend’s house, if you’re anywhere around there? If not, you can just tell me through here or we can meet tomorrow?

His response was quick, surprising Odessa by telling her that he was actually already in the valley, in a café that Odessa realized was literally on her way to Ashton’s house. Will said he’d wait for her and she let out a breath, pulling out of the driveway and calling Calum, putting him on speaker as she drove.

“Are you here yet?” was how Calum chose to greet her.

She smiled briefly. “No—and I think I’m gonna be a little later than I thought.”

“Everything okay?”

Odessa took a breath before quickly telling Calum about Will and the message he sent, and how she was going to meet up with him really quickly before getting to Ashton’s. When she finished, Odessa realized that Calum was as curious as her to find out about Will’s message. “What do you think he has to tell you?”

“No clue,” Odessa said, huffing out a breath. “But I’ll fill you in once I know. Sorry you’re gonna have to deal with Paige by yourself for a little while longer.”

Calum let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I’ll try to survive,” he answered sagely, prompting Odessa to laugh. “Just find out what Will wants and then, if you can, spill the tea.”

Odessa’s nose wrinkled, another laugh bubbling out of her as she stopped at a red light. “Spill the tea?” she repeated. “You realize you’re totally playing into every teacher stereotype of trying to stay cool with the kids,” Odessa teased.

“Fuck you, I am cool,” Calum said, the sounds of their friends in the background just barely heard. “I’m the coolest teacher in that entire school.”

Odessa raised an eyebrow, though she knew he couldn’t see her. “Excuse me?”

A pause. Then Calum said, “After you, of course, sweetheart.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, nice save,” Odessa scoffed. “Anyways, I’ll see you at Ash’s and fill you in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Odessa turned on the radio to keep herself distracted instead of wondering about what Will, after three years of seeing each other, could have to say to her. She genuinely couldn’t think of any reason, and wondered if she should be worried or not as she headed towards the café he’d told her he’d meet her at. Odessa recognized it as one that Ashton said he often went to on his morning walks, and realized his place wasn’t too far from the café as she parked her car in an open space.

Taking a breath, Odessa got out and walked into the somewhat busy café, and it took her a second to recognize Will, sitting at a table for two by the window. His blonde hair was a lot shorter, but he was still handsome. Her stomach didn’t flutter at the sight of him like it had once long ago as she walked towards him, catching the moment he looked up from his cup of coffee and recognized her as well.

“Hey, Odessa, you look good,” he greeted kindly, a small—almost nervous—smile on his face as Odessa took the seat across from him.

“Thank you—you do, too,” she answered truthfully, gaze involuntarily dropping to his hand. Her eyebrows shot up, a small smile on her lips. “You got married?”

Will glanced down at the silver band before nodding, a smile on his face. “A year ago, yeah.”

“Congratulations,” Odessa said, feeling a bit stiff backed as she held her purse on her lap. Cutting to the chase as her curiosity got to her, she asked, “What was so important that you had to see me right away, Will, after so long?”

A hesitant shadow crossed over Will’s face. “What I want to tell you. . . You’re probably—actually, definitely—going to hate me for it and, although you don’t have any reason to trust me, you need to know I hate that I waited so long to tell you.”

His words had Odessa frowning in even deeper confusion. She had no reason to trust him? What was he talking about?

“Do you remember when we broke up?” Odessa blinked at his question, feeling her shoulders tense as her blue eyes met his own. “I told you it was because I didn’t see us working out in the long run but the truth is. . .” Will’s grip on his mug tightened, knuckles whitening as his eyebrows drew together. One look at him, and Odessa knew whatever he needed to say seemed to pain him. “The truth is, I fucked up. And I needed to end our relationship before I hurt you any more than I already had.”

Odessa was frowning, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in her chest, lips parting as she started, confused, “Will. . .”

“I saw your pictures on Facebook,” he continued quickly, as though if he didn’t say what he needed to now, he wouldn’t be able to get it out otherwise. “And I saw that you were hanging out with Paige again, and knowing her, she didn’t tell you what happened.” Odessa’s breath caught at the mention of her, and her mind quickly began making deductions, was coming to a quick realization of what Will could have to say. “When you and I were still together—Paige and I. . . We hooked up a couple of times.” No. “It was towards the end of our relationship, but that doesn’t matter because it shouldn’t have happened at all. And I’m really sorry, Odessa, for disrespecting you like that. I was stupid and I hate that I did that. But I thought you deserved to know the truth, especially since you’re always around Paige without knowing the truth.”

The noise of the café was nothing but a background ringing in Odessa’s ears as she stared at Will, parted lips and unblinking eyes, his words settling into her heavily. He had cheated on her. And maybe something was wrong with Odessa, but she didn’t feel the sting she knew she for sure would have had she found this out at the moment it happened. And although it was innately wrong that she was finding out years later—innately wrong that it happened at all—Odessa found her anger not entirely directed towards Will, but towards Paige.

That hypocritical bitch.

Will was definitely in the wrong and Odessa understood that. Their relationship may not have been perfect, but that didn’t give him the right to find comfort and pleasure in someone else while he was still her boyfriend. But Odessa had run out of any grief she had over the end of their relationship. It hurt, of course, knowing that she had been cheated on, and she felt a bit like a fool for being oblivious to the fact for three years. But Will was her past, there was no room for him in her life anymore, and she knew it was mutual. His betrayal didn’t sting as much anymore.

Not the way Paige’s did. Because even though they weren’t close or good friends by any means, even though Paige had her faults and flaws and bothered Odessa to no end, Odessa hadn’t expected this from her.

What boiled her blood the most was that Paige had the fucking nerve to bitch out Odessa for being with Calum—someone Paige had no relationship with other than a tentative friendship—while she had been the one to hook up with Odessa’s boyfriend in the past.

What in the ever-loving fuck?

Odessa wasn’t sure what happened next, how she ended up from being in the café to being in her car. She vaguely recalled Will saying he didn’t expect her forgiveness, not that Odessa was jumping at the opportunity to hand it to him, and she kind of remembered just sort of. . . Numbly thanking Will for telling her the truth, at least.

She got into her car and, God, she was angry. She was hurt and she was embarrassed, but she wasn’t sad—no, she was just pissed the hell off that Paige had been belittling her in far more severe ways than Odessa could’ve ever imagined. She was outraged that this woman, who constantly played the friend card against Odessa, had been doing so while giving a big fuck you to Odessa and her relationship with Will.

Odessa’s skin felt hot, the anger boiling her blood as she drove to Ashton’s house, teeth aching from how hard she was clenching them, knuckles whitening from her grip on the steering wheel. More than anything, Odessa wanted to scream at Paige, to tell her how fucking sick and tired of her she was, because even though this shit with Will happened years ago, Odessa has had enough. Paige wasn’t her friend. She never had been. And Odessa was itching to get rid of her from her life for good.

She was done being nice to people who didn’t deserve it.

When Odessa parked her car in front of Ashton’s house, she took a minute before going inside, trying to relax her breathing. She wasn’t about to create a scene in front of all of her friends at Ashton’s place. It would take a tremendous amount of willpower, but Odessa was going to try and hold off confronting Paige until they were alone. Although, the idea of letting everyone in that house know what kind of person Paige was, was highly tempting.

Finally, after pulling herself together, Odessa walked into the house, hearing the sounds of everyone’s lively chatter come from the living room as she entered. “Hey, guys, sorry I’m late,” she said by way of greeting, catching all of their attention.

She was answered with everyone greeting their hello’s and Ashton saying, “Don’t worry about it. You’re right on time.”

It seemed that food was just being served, and as everyone got up to fill up their plates, a comforting presence was by Odessa’s side as Calum said, “Hi, doll.”

Some of the weight on her chest lifted as he smiled down at her, and Odessa relaxed enough to tilt her head back and welcome his greeting kiss. But Calum must’ve felt that something was off because he pulled away, everyone already moving towards the dining room as he asked her with a gentle frown, “You okay?”

She wasn’t going to lie to him. “Not really,” she answered and as soon as those words were uttered, Odessa’s gaze snagged with Paige’s, who was standing in the entryway that joined the dining room and living room chatting with Michael. Her hazel eyes met Odessa’s blue, and she watched as Paige unapologetically glared at her. The sight renewed the fire in Odessa’s blood, her own scowl forming, unafraid of sending her a dirty look back. It deepened Paige’s frown, as though she hadn’t expected it, before looking away.

Calum, who never missed anything, raised his eyebrows as he kept his gaze on Odessa. “Whoa, that was a little murderous. What’s up, Odessa?”

She needed food. It wouldn’t calm her down, but it may keep her distracted for now. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised, blue eyes meeting his concerned brown. “I’m hungry.”

Odessa could feel Calum’s gaze on her, but he didn’t persist as they gathered around the table to get food. Ashton wasn’t much of a cook, so he’d ordered food from a pizza place and a Thai place, and Odessa found herself filling her plate up with some noodles and rice and chicken. After swiping up a beer, Odessa found a place on the ground next to Calum, most of the couches and chairs occupied, not that she minded.

For the most part, Odessa stayed quiet as she ate and everyone around her chatted, keeping her attention on her plate because she knew if she looked up, she’d see Paige sitting on the recliner opposite of her. And then if she saw her, Odessa wasn’t entirely sure if she could stop herself from dumping her plate atop Paige’s head.

But they barely got five minutes into eating their food when Paige’s voice broke through the conversations going on among them. “Ugh, I need to heat up my food,” she grunted, getting up from the recliner, gaze briefly yet patronizingly meeting Odessa’s. “It’s cold since we had to wait to eat.”

The comment was unnecessary and solely for baiting, but Odessa was waiting for Paige to open her mouth. She saw the exasperated look Luke shot Paige, but Odessa kept her gaze on the other woman as she coldly said, “At least you learned to wait. You didn’t seem to care much about it when you hooked up with my boyfriend in college.”

Silence. Absolute silence fell around them as Odessa felt Calum stiffen next to her, but she kept her gaze on Paige, who froze where she stood. Odessa could feel everyone’s gaze on them, but she didn’t care. She merely, coolly, looked on at Paige, pettily eager to see her try to get out of this one. Unable to say anything, Paige settled for a pathetic, “Excuse me?”

“Do I need to refresh your memory?” Odessa asked, getting up to her feet, raising an eyebrow. “You need to be reminded how you slept with Will, who was my boyfriend at the time?”

Paige’s nostrils flared, clearly not liking the fact all of the attention was on her because of this topic. Her grip on her plate tightened as she said through clenched teeth, “That was years ago, Odessa.”

Was she kidding? “That’s not the point,” Odessa snapped, no longer caring for putting a leash on her anger. The idea of not losing her control of her outrage in front of her friends, of not creating a scene, was out the window. And if doing this right here, right now, meant that her friends would get to see what kind of a person Paige was, Odessa was fine with that. She was done cowering because of that woman. “The point is that you’ve been acting like we’re friends from the moment we met and you’ve used that to push me around—and I’ve been an idiot to let you until now.” With a scoff, Odessa added, “You were never my friend to begin with.”

Everyone was silent—it was as if they weren’t even in the room. Paige glared at Odessa as she said, “What’re you crying about it now for? You’re not that great of a friend either, Odessa.” With a sharp gesture towards Calum, she snapped, “You won.”

If possible, Odessa was even more pissed. Although Calum and Will had something to do with the situation overall, they were not the main cause of it. The main cause was Paige—it always had been. “Everything’s a fucking game with you, isn’t it?” Odessa retorted sharply, eyes narrowing as she walked around the table, feeling everyone’s eyes tracking her movements. God, Odessa couldn’t even be embarrassed about creating a scene—she was too angry. “Relationships aren’t something to win or lose at. Putting others down to make yourself seem more important isn’t something to be proud of, Paige. When are you going to grow up?” Her blood was boiling and her skin was hot, throat burning from the raging fire that brewed. “I’m not ashamed to admit that you’ve made me feel like shit ever since I’ve known you, but I’m telling you—I’m done with you. You go around calling people your friends, but the truth of the matter is, your so-called friendships only exist to heighten your own sense of self-worth. And you’re not going to find that with me.”

Her words—her rant, really—was followed by a deafening silence, not even the sound of anyone’s breathing interrupting the tense air that seemed to suffocate them all. Odessa’s sharp, heated eyes remained fixated on Paige, and as disappointing as it was, it was also unsurprising to see a lack of regret or apology in Paige’s gaze. No, of course she wasn’t sorry. Owning up to her mistakes would be out of character for Paige, wouldn’t it?

Some people just never changed.

And Paige, with her hard eyes and down curled lips, ignoring everyone’s troubled and disturbed looks, wasn’t about to prove Odessa otherwise.

tags: @irwinkitten @loveroflrh @meetashthere @astroashtonio @hereforlukescruff @loverofhood @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbabiesss @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @malumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @miss-saltwatercowgirl @pastelpapermoons @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @neigcthood @ohhmuke @mindkaleidoscope @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist @vxlentinecal @pettybassists @vaporshawn @lu-my-golden-boi @visualm3nte @isabella-mae13 @dontjinx-it @lifeakaharry @neonweeknds @antisocialbandmate @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave @calpalbby @grreatgooglymoogly @sunnysidesblog @miahelizaaabeth @dramallamawithsparkles @kaytiebug14 @hoodskillerqueen @bitchinbabylon @empathycth @xhaileyreneex @tpwkcalum @sublimehood @madbomb @raabiac @britnicole11 @outofmylimitcal @wildflower-cth @wildflowergrae @bloodmoonashton @vxidhood @gosh-im-short @notinthesameguey @mycollectionofnuts @cthwldflwr @everyscarisahealingplace @socorroann @talkfastromance4 @calumftduke @musichoney @treatallwithkindness @partlysunnycal @dead-and-golden @kaeleykaeley @harrys-sun-flower @br-hoe @spaceshipsmixtape @zhangyixingxing1

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withlovesea · 5 years ago

Text

Staring

[Short Story based on Wattpad story by alyloony]

[Photo got randomly on Google images]

[2016 Content. Wrote this when I was sixteen]

They say that, “A wish will be granted on the ninth day if you count nine stars in nine nights.”

Only desperate people would believe in that saying, and she was one of them. There’s no harm in trying, that’s why she tried. She had a wish and she was desperately in love. Being with that person was her one and only desire.

She was a writer and a clumsy student wearing glasses. One dusky night, she was trying to make a new story for a future book she’s dreaming of. Unfortunately, hours passed and still no ideas pop into her mind. She unconsciously looked out her window and saw a man looking at the twinkling night sky through his balcony. It was amusingly a beautiful scene. The dusky night matched the small glimpse of sadness present in the man’s eyes and the stars lighted the whole scene, making it glow. She was fascinated and finally thought of an idea for her book. That night she can’t stop thinking about him and gained infatuation. Before she went to sleep, she drew a big sparkling star on the cover of the book that reminded her of the scenery.

At school, she awkwardly stumbled at the hall causing all her papers to land on the floor. Then, a man helped her, it was the man she saw that night. Stunned, she stared at him for awhile without noticing that he was already reading her draft for the book. “This is nice, did you write it?” he said while handing the papers to her. She nodded and smiled. “I would like to help you continue your story, Can we meet at the playground after class?,” he said with a smile then waved. The girl still shocked, never thought they would meet and even meet again later at the playground.

As she went to the playground, he was already there waiting for her. He approached her and smiled. The girl, never knowing it was the start of a genuine friendship and the deepening of her feelings. They talked all day, shared jokes and stories about themselves. He helped her with the story. And as the moon rises, they parted and said goodbyes. While walking, both of them had a smile on their face. That night, the first nine stars were counted.

The next day, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine,” she counted, sitting on the swing. “What were you counting?” he said as he comes and takes the swing next to her.

“Nothing, just admiring the stars,” she said.

“Oh. About your book, it’s a very nice story, like Romeo and Juliet. You know, my grandma once told me that I looked like that charming Romeo,” he joked.

“Oh, really? I guess your grandma’s good at lying,” she said as they both burst laughing.

“Well, you can’t be Romeo without a Juliet. Do you even have one? I bet none,” she sounded challenging and teasing.

“Oh, how can you be sure that I don’t have a Juliet?” he said playfully while smirking.

“Then tell me who is she, Mr. Montague,” she said in a humorous tone but you can predict that she’s nervous on what he will answer. What will happen to her if he already had someone? She would definitely break.

He stood up, went behind her and whispered, “It’s a secret.” Then quickly, he pushed her swing making her gasp and astonished. Then both of them laughed and chuckled all the night.

The third day approached and at school, the girl was good at playing badminton, she played with some of her girls. As they were playing, he passed at the gym and saw her. He smiled and waved. It made her day. That night, she got a message from him saying that he doesn’t want to sleep yet, so they’ve chatted for hours. And of course, she didn’t forget counting nine stars.

The next day, everything seemed to be going right. They meet at breaks, have lunch together. They seemed to have a perfect friendship. The boy didn’t run out of stories to tell and the girl seemed to be enjoying his company. That day, at the playground, they tried to finish the book, decided its dramatic ending that will touch the reader’s heart. As they were discussing, the girl secretly counted nine stars in the sky. She felt excited about her wish. She wanted to be with him until the end. She wanted her feelings to be answered back. She counted on high hopes. As she meet his eyes, both of them smiled widely, as if the whole world disappeared and it was only them.

It was the fifth day and girl seemed to be burning up with confidence that her wish might be granted soon. That day at school, the boy approached her and said that he wanted to talk on something important. That he was shy to tell it to her and they should meet at the same place, tomorrow. She was getting nervous because the boy kept reminding her about it. Her heart was racing and there was only one thing she could think of, “Will he confess?”. She left her classroom, unknowing that she left her book and dropped it in the floor. The book she’d been writing with him. She was so excited for tomorrow. That night, full of high hopes, she counted nine stars again.

The next afternoon, the day she’s been waiting all night. Jovially hopping along the road, she reached the playground. He was already there, hands in his pockets feeling nervous. Her heart skipped a beat as they face each other.

“What is it, that you wanted to tell me?” she asked with a feeling of excitement and nervousness.

“How to start this, there’s someone I like,” he said while rubbing the back of his head.

“And?” her heart was racing with mixed emotions like fear and excitement. Because this time, she knew what he was going to say. Maybe her wish will really be granted earlier than expected.

“I would like to court Abigail. Can you help me?” That exact moment, she fell apart, torn into pieces and completely devastated. She managed not to cry in front of him. But when they waved goodbyes, her fragile eyes broke into tears as she tried to mend her broken heart. The person he likes already had someone, and worst, she was a friend of hers. He needed help from her and helping him means sacrificing her feelings. She walked home, crying, but still, she counted nine stars. Still hoping and still waiting for the ninth night.

It was the seventh day, she had nothing to do but cry silently in her room. Thinking what she should do and what to decide. Will she help him? Then, sacrifice her happiness for one’s happiness. Should she stop counting nine stars every night? She didn’t know.

The boy’s plan was to invite Abigail in the coming ball this Valentine’s day and confess. And he needed tips and help from the girl. Thinking that Abigail was a close friend to her and he was also close to her, so he was confident that she would help. The girl decided to give what the boy wants. Helplessly, she stared at the night sky and counted nine stars again with her tears falling down her cheek. As her chance to be with the boy faded.

Eight day, one more night she said to herself. This time she was at school, prepared to invite Abigail and pursue her to go to the ball. While talking to her, she wished that she would decline but fortunately and unfortunately, she gladly accepted. The boy knowing this, was very much happy, he even hugged and thanked her a lot. And there she was, faking a smile. There was nothing else to do but to rely on her wish. “…six, seven, eight, nine, only one night left,” she whispered. One night left to make a wish, her wish that might change.

Valentine’s day came and so is the ninth night. It was the night everyone was waiting for. It was also the night wherein something will be destroyed and created. A goodbye and a hello with both be born this night.

Nervously, she got out of the car and went to the ball. She was dressed elegantly and simple. When she reached the venue, her heart started to go wild. She pushed the door and saw everything. He stood there, wearing a nice suit, handing out a bouquet of roses to her friend, Abigail. Shocked, she gladly accepts the flowers and they slowly danced through the night. The boy was happy, you could see it in his eyes and the old glimpse of sadness already disappeared. But the girl, was greatly ruined. She walked out and turned her back, thinking that she should be happy for her friends, ‘cause in the first place she was the one who assumed. Tears fell in to her face.

It was the last night to count stars and the night her wish will be heard. “Dear nine stars, my friend found his happiness today. I should be happy, but I’m not and worst of all, my book is still missing,” she said to thin air while feeling the sadness sink in. “I wish the person meant for me would come,” she wished helplessly and completely doubt the stars. She didn’t believe anymore but still counted anyway.

“One, two, three, four, five..,” as she hopelessly started counting above the cloudy night sky. “Six, seven, eight..” The last star to be counted was missing. “Why is it so cloudy today? I can’t find the ninth star, maybe fate really hates me,” she said to herself as tears started to cloud her sight. She was looking back and forth at the night sky, finding the last star. As she was circling through the pathway, she stumbled upon a rock and bumped a person who held her tight. “Are you okay?,” he asked. He had beautiful brown eyes. She was about to answer but to her surprise, he boy was holding her long lost book. And, at the cover of her book, a big shining star lies. The boy noticed her familiarity to the book and while pointing at the star, he asked, “Do you know who’s the author of this book? I’m looking for her for days.”

Stunned, she can’t move an inch. As the last teardrop fell on her face, she whispered, “Nine.”

#stars #short story

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friendlyneighborhoodcloud · 5 years ago

Text

Staring

[Short Story based on Wattpad story by alyloony]

[Photo got randomly on Google images]

They say that, “A wish will be granted on the ninth day if you count nine stars in nine nights.”

The next day, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine,” she counted, sitting on the swing. “What were you counting?” he said as he comes and takes the swing next to her.

“Nothing, just admiring the stars,” she said.

“Oh. About your book, it’s a very nice story, like Romeo and Juliet. You know, my grandma once told me that I looked like that charming Romeo,” he joked.

“Oh, really? I guess your grandma’s good at lying,” she said as they both bursted laughing.

“Well, you can’t be Romeo without a Juliet. Do you even have one? I bet none,” she sounded challenging and teasing.

“Oh, how can you be sure that I don’t have a Juliet?” he said playfully while smirking.

He stood up, went behind her and whispered, “It’s a secret.” Then quickly, he pushed her swing making her gasp and astonished. Then both of them laughed and chuckled all the night.

“What is it, that you wanted to tell me?” she asked with a feeling of excitement and nervousness.

“How to start this, there’s someone I like,” he said while rubbing the back of his head.

“And?” her heart was racing with mixed emotions like fear and excitement. Because this time, she knew what he was going to say. Maybe her wish will really be granted earlier than expected.

Stunned, she can’t move an inch. As the last teardrop fell on her face, she whispered, “Nine.”

#stars

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simpmaru-nara · 7 years ago

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Re: Thor Ragnarok

Okay so I’ve got a lot to say about this movie so I recommend you settle in for the long haul. Also there’s gonna be spoilers obv since I’ll have to reference the movie to make some of my points. I’ll try to stay away from any big ones, but go into this knowing that it will spoil some points.

To get started I’d like to say that if you are going to see the movie for pure entertainment value then the movie’s pretty alright; gorgeous graphics, some good jokes, fun costumes, etc. But even in that aspect much of the action was lackluster simply because it was often diminished to make room for dialogue or to cut to uninteresting parts of a fight. For instance in the final big fight there are three different points of interest and we spend too much time seeing the least fun parts of all those fights. And the gladiator scenes, which were extremely played up in the trailers, only last for about ten minutes and end by leaving the viewers both confused and disappointed.

In fact “confused and disappointed” was the mood for the entire movie

Despite excessive exposition the story somehow manages to be extremely vague with lots of unanswered questions. The first ten minutes of the movie is just Thor explaining how he ended up in the position we find him in and explaining the plot-important villain he faces. It tells instead of shows and is interrupted several times to make way for uncharacteristic jokes. It’s boring as hell and still doesn’t answer most questions one could have about what’s been happening to Thor since last we saw him. Then it transitions in probably the most disappointing way possible to answer a question that people have been burning with since the cliffhanger in the last Thor movie; what happened to Asgard and Loki? Thor arrives in Asgard to find Loki; who apparently has been met with zero suspicion in the face of extremely odd behavior and the creation of a god damn gold statue. Despite being questioned at every turn by the Warriors Three and Sif (who was suspiciously absent in this movie but I’ll get to that later) in the first movie, apparently in this movie everyone is content to praise the saint Loki who died for their sins. The entire situation is treated with a lot of nonchalance even after Loki is unmasked. Even more casual is the mention of the time that has passed with Loki in charge and absolutely nothing is said about what he’s done as king. Several movies building up Loki’s desire to rule, believing himself more worthy than his hot-headed brother, only for it to end up being something he does nothing note-worthy with. We were led to expect more. Oh and also apparently Thor and Jane broke up? Why? Oh right because we needed room for his new love interest. Of course this type of empty story telling carries on throughout the entire movie. It’s never truly explained how the last Valkyrie survived or how Bruce ended up in space.

Actually I’d like to talk about that last one a little more. The writers behind this movie used huge cop-outs in a few key points. One of the biggest was Hulk explaining what happened to him after the events of Age of Ultron. They used the dumb child-like personality they built for him as a way of dodging responsibility for explaining how the hell Hulk even ended up where he was. The quinjet, as far as we know, is not a space-faring vessel. It’s a god damn plane and yet we’re meant to believe that somehow the Hulk managed to fly that thing into space and make it far away from Earth and crash land on Sakaar before anywhere else. It’s ridiculous yet it’s the only explanation we’re offered from an illiterate Hulk. More than that we aren’t given any reason for why Thor is in the Hulk’s quarters. It’s made fairly clear that Hulk’s feelings towards Thor are mixed and the Grand Master wanted Thor dead in order to keep his Champion but for some reason both keep Thor alive and even choose to let him stay with Hulk? And no one questions it; not even Thor.

Thor, and the entire cast for that matter, is wildly out of character the entirety of the movie. Everyone is ripped to shreds in favor of humor. It’s like the writers went, “Hmmm, how do we make Bruce Banner funny? Oh!! I know! Just make him really weird for no apparent reason and also give him mood swings because we’re just going to forget that he had complete control prior to this movie and instead he’s going to be neurotic.” And they did that to everyone. Thor had a sense of humor in the earlier movies; typically more subtle and friendly, but here he’s openly sarcastic bordering on cynical. His jokes come across more Stark-ish (if Tony suddenly genuinely stopped caring) than they do Thor’s brand of humor. And Loki. God Loki... he’s reduced to a running joke about betrayal and being untrustworthy. “Silver tongued” Loki appears to have lost any amount of wit or actual mischief and is instead predictable and weirdly subdued. And all of this humor is ill-timed.

The writers absolutely refuse to give a single moment in the movie any depth. Any time that the plot manages to touch on something meaningful there’s humor thrown in as a buffer that only succeeds in forcefully detaching you from the plights of the characters. Thor’s in a cage and being threatened by the literal catalyst of Ragnarok? Better toss in a couple of jokes so it doesn’t seem too intense. Thor and Loki actually have a chance to talk about their problems and/or work as a team to establish a dynamic? Better make a joke about how easily Loki will throw Thor under the bus. Odin just died and Mjolnir was destroyed? Quick lets move onto the next thing before things get too heavy. The movie completely fails in making you care about anyone in the main cast. In fact, the person I was most invested in for the entire movie was Heimdal. The man has a total of maybe 10 minutes of screen time, but damn if he wasn’t the most interesting thing going on in the story. That’s at least half way because they didn’t try to force any awkward humor with him and they didn’t kill him. Which they killed a lot of characters in this movie and never give it the proper time or even weight to be grieved over.

Among the characters who were killed were the Warriors Three. A fact which is never acknowledged even as it happens. We at least get told (through Exposition Golem Alien because the audience can’t be trusted to deduce anything obviously) that Mjolnir being destroyed is a heavy weight on Thor and we see briefly the level of grief Thor feels for the loss of Odin, but the Warriors Three were Thor’s best friends. He grew up around them, adventured with them, they play a significant part in the first Thor movie, yet even before they die they’re widely forgotten about both by the plot and by Thor. Interestingly enough, however, is that Sif does not appear in this movie.

Sif remains completely AWOL for the entire movie, and honestly I’m pretty sure the reason is because the writers were reluctant to kill her off since she’s the Hot Warrior Babe. Because obviously they showed no hesitation in getting rid of the warriors as a casualty of the opposition to Hela and if Sif had been present she would have been right beside them and equally dead. Couldn’t do that so instead she’s just mysteriously not there. And I make this accusation with more than just Sif in mind. The movie also doesn’t want you to think that Hela isn’t attractive. In every scene we see her in she starts with her hair down in a sexy cat suit until she’s ready to fight at which point her wild black hair turns into her war helmet. There’s no real reason for the transition other than the fact that if she was always sporting the war helmet then she would come across as less attractive.

Besides the casual “must remain sexy” attitude towards Hela there was also a huge lack of continuity in the story, which kind of ties in with the lack questions answered, but still stands as it’s own problem. In the first Thor movie Odin takes Thor’s powers and casts an enchantment on Mjolnir. “Whosoever holds this hammer, should he be worth, shall possess the power of Thor.” Obviously Thor is the one to eventually pick up the hammer again and regain his power, but the importance of Mjolnir relative to Thor’s abilities is not diminished at that point. Yet magically in this movie Thor doesn’t need Mjolnir he just has these powers naturally. Even though, you know, Asgardians have never been shown to just naturally have elemental abilities and it was established that Thor doesn’t have much magic prowess the way Loki does. But that’s okay we’ll just ignore that because it’s really cool to see Thor turn into an anime character with glowing white eyes and electric fists (an ability he didn’t have even when he possessed Mjolnir). Also there’s the fact that Asgard’s history is vaguely outlined in the first movie as well and it’s made very clear that Odin is not the one who carved a spot for the golden city. He’s not the first king; his father was king before him. So no, Hela, you didn’t help Odin drown the realms in blood especially not while he was busy trying to end a war with Jotunheim as was explained as what he was doing around the time Thor was born and Loki was adopted. And it’s not just this either; there were plenty of other errors there, even with Doctor Strange.

And the scene with the Doc was odd in it’s own right. Last we saw of Doctor Strange he was giving up the infinity stone and taking over the New York sanctum as a talented, but still young sorcerer. When we see him in this movie he throws around magic like candy; appearing to be extremely proficient and wearing a familiar comic-book-esque outfit. Which raises the question, where is he relative to the power he (if we’re to go off the comics) is meant to possess? Is he the supreme now? What has he been doing since the end of his movie? The timeline is wonky at best and leaves you grasping blindly to try and put it together. It’s only made worse by the first after-credits scene which seems to be leaning into Infinity Wars territory.

Honestly I could talk about everything this movie could have done better for hours. I could pick apart the entire movie start to finish for all the things that were just wrong. But this is already an essay sized post so I’m gonna wrap it up. I care about this franchise. I care about the MCU. And that’s why it makes me so upset, as a fellow writer, to see how god damn lazy every part of Thor: Ragnarok was. The writer’s consistently and shamelessly cop-out of any meaningful story telling. “Show not tell” is a concept burned, drowned, and buried. They tear apart these beloved characters so thoroughly that they are nearly unrecognizable all in the pursuit of getting some good one-liners out there. I don’t have the words to describe my disappointment because Thor isn’t the first recent Marvel movie to do this. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 made some similar mistakes and now I’m feeling like the MCU no longer cares about building a coherent story line with dimensional characters. Instead they just care about making a movie as quotable as possible so that they sell some merch. And that’s a shame; I don’t want to see the MCU die because of a cash grab that sacrifices legitimate investment in the franchise.

#thor ragnarok #thor ragnarok spoilers #marvel #mcu #long post #i wrote a god damn essay yall i'm sorry #if you managed to read the whole thing and wanna yell with me feel free to hmu #alien babble

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