#also want to apologize for theo's RUDE behaviour

[svcreds]

                         ↬ @seoulvice ♡

                    " if you're looking for my brother, he's not here. so leave. learn to use a phone. "

[jadedxrealityw]

-Fragile- George Weasley x Female Reader

    ☼-☪-☼

   Kody: I know another George x reader, fight me. This is based around the quote “She was not fragile like a flower, she was fragile like a bomb” -Rahul Singh Rathour.

   Summary: George Weasley falls for a Slytherin girl who was an expert at keeping her negative emotions hidden. He was her little light at Hogwarts and kept her sane for the most part. Until one day when she’s pushed over the edge. 

   House: Slytherin

   Possible Triggers / Warnings: mental breakdowns, child neglect, manipulation, shit parents, panic attacks.  

    ☼-☪-☼

    She was not fragile like a flower, she was fragile like a bomb

   maybe you should have seen a therapist when you were little. Bottling up emotions was considered self destructive by most sane people, but it had become second nature. Growing up with parents who were always fighting, you just learned to keep things to yourself, so you weren’t a burden. 

   it was odd, despite all the shit you were put through, you were still kind. You were still yourself. You found comfort in fellow housemates like Draco Malfoy. You avoided him since he seemed like a snob, plus he was younger then you, but all that changed once you found him crying in a broom closet.

   the school year had only just started and he explained to you that his parents had been bickering with each other the whole time while shopping for new books. You didn’t speak a word of your family to him because you felt like it would take attention from his problem. You didn’t want to be selfish

   you and Draco soon became friends after that, but even as you two grew closer you never told him about your problems. You continued to bottle things up, which didn’t make much sense, since you had someone to confide to, maybe you had gotten so used to hiding your inner demons.

   you had heard of the Weasleys, pureblood family who had a lot of children. All of them different in so many ways, but exactly the same. The one who had caught your attention was George Weasley. Him and his brother were always up to something that involved a potion.

   lucky for you, you were always brewing a potion when you had freetime. Due to all the stress and not having a way to let it go, you would make yourself a draught of peace to keep your emotions in order. it worked for the most bit, it only lasted a couple hours so you only took it during classes.

       ☼-☪-☼

   6th Year

   you were stirring your elixir with a utensil when the creaking sound of the door opening caught your attention. You look from the cauldron and towards two ginger haired twins that were giggling and whispering things to each other that you couldn’t hear. 

   “Alright you grab the stuff we need- oh”

   both of them had looked up at you, freezing in there spots. “I’m guessing you're not supposed to be in here?” you spoke, going back to stirring. They both looked at each other before Fred Weasley spoke up “Your not going to say anything are you?”

   you simply shrug your shoulders before placing the utensil on the table “I could care less, as long as you don’t say anything either” you say. The both of them grin before Fred goes to the cupboards to gather his needed ingredients, leaving you with George. 

     he casually steps over to you and leans over your shoulder to look into your cauldron. He didn’t have to lean at all actually, he was much taller then you. “A draught of peace? Feeling stressed lately?” he questions, cocking his head to the side in a curious manner. 

   stressed was an understatement , but he didn’t know that “Something like that” you respon, figuring if you gave him a vague answer he’d take that as a sign to leave you alone. George only seemed more curious “How mysterious” he mumbles lowly to himself before leaving you to your potion.

   eventually you fill up about five vials full of potion and put your cauldron back in it’s respective area. Once you pocket the vials, you leave the twins to there mischievous task and you were on your way. That was your first encounter with George Weasley.

        ☼-☪-☼

   five vials only lasted you a week, so later on a friday night you snuck out of your dorm and into the potions classroom. You had on a grey hoodie, black leggings, and fuzzy white socks, something you wore to sleep in. It was comfortable. 

   today was especially stressful for you because most of the Slytherin house was irritated, which meant they were short with there words and snappy. The twins had pulled a prank on the Slytherin house by leaving pastries for them inside the dungeon.

   the Hufflepuffs would usually leave treats for Slytherins so it wasn’t strange, but it was actually a spiked cauldron cake that turned their hair different colors. You were one of the lucky ones since you had woken up late, never getting the chance to eat one. 

   once you entered the classroom, you were met with a  ginger boy. George Weasley, the twin who kept his orange locks shoulder length. It was how anyone really told the difference between the two. Fred cut his long ago and George had not, pretty simple. 

   “Oh, you again. Hello” he spoke before going back to chopping up some ingredient. His casual tone ticked you off more than you’d like to admit and you just scoffed, going to collect your items. The wizard seem to notice your behaviour “Bad day?”

   you grab the cauldron from the shelf, exhaling deeply “Yes actually. After the stunt you pulled on Slytherin” you reply, irritation seeping into your tone. A very cocky grin made a way onto his freckled face “Oh? Then maybe you shouldn’t have started it”

   your grip of the cauldron tightened. Any tighter and you might smash it to pieces. Placing the cauldron down harshly, you turn your head to face him “Look whatever feud you have with a couple Slytherins isn't my damn problem, mess with them not the collective house. It’s rude”

   as soon as you finished speaking you put your face in your hands. So much for not stressing out. You shake your head a bit to push away any remaining thoughts then go back to what you were doing, collecting whatever you needed. George on the other hand looked a mix between guilt and confusion. 

   he felt guilty because it was true, he could have just pranked the two or three Slytherins he was initially after, but he didn’t. He was confused because you had blew up on him so quickly, almost like you were holding it in for so long that it was waiting to be let out?

   “i guess i got carried away this time. I apologize- wait what’s your name?” George suddenly asked, realizing he didn’t know who you were exactly. All he could guess was that you were Slytherin by your previous statements, which surprised him a bit since you seemed....nicer.

   once you were settled at a table you looked up at the 6′3 boy “Y/n, i accept your apology, George Weasley” you say then look back down at the table. George lets out a small chuckle “I guess i don’t need to tell you my name then. I must be very popular then” You couldn’t help but snicker at his smugness. 

   “yeah i guess you are”

    ☼-☪-☼

   7th Year

   and ever since the beginning of sixth year, you’d meet George and sometimes Fred in the potions classroom to chat while you made potions. You loved the times you could hang out with twins, they always made you laugh when you had a bad day.

   but you cherished the times you got George alone. you just connected with him a different way. Whenever you worked on a potion he would push your hair out of your face or stand behind you, looking over you shoulder. The small touch sent ripples through you that you had never felt before.

   at first you thought maybe it was because you had thought of him as your friend, but whenever Draco or Fred had touched you you didn’t feel anything. Soon enough he started his casual flirting which included him complimenting your looks or how good you looked in a certain outfit. 

   it made your face feel hot and your stomach feel all queasy like you had bug or something, but you were never actually sick. After searching the library for possible answers you overheard Hermione Granger talking to Ginny Weasley, they were talking about what they felt when a certain guy talked to them.

   increase in heart rate, sweaty palms, queasy stomach, etc. Then they said one thing that changed your perspective “Don’t you hate being in love with someone, it’s so heart wrenching”  you spent the rest of that day in your dorm room stressing out like usual, but this time is wasn’t over your parents.

   now you had two things on your mind, your parents and George. A weird mix for sure. You were in love with George? How could this of happened? but you knew exactly how this happened, that Weasley twin used his charms and good looks to seduce you.

   what a bloody menace.

   now you were sitting at the Slytherin table in the great hall. Draco sat next to you, chatting it up with Blaise and his boyfriend Theo. You were just about to take another bite of food when an owl, a familiar owl flew over the table. It had a letter in its claws.

   once it passed over you it dropped the letter. You reach up and catch it in your hands “Ooo a letter” Draco comments, wiggling his eyebrows like a dork. You roll your eyes playfully and nudge his shoulder. He chuckles and turns back to face Blaise once again.

   you turn the letter in your hands, the wax stamp catching your attention. It was the initial of your last name, which meant it was from your parents. Great. You pop off the wax seal and slip it into your robe pocket before taking the sheet of parchment out of the envelope.

   ‘Dear Y/n, your father and i have read your recent grades and we are utterly disappointed. You’ve only gotten an Acceptable in all your classes. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have a child who can not excel in anything? your the reason me and your father have been bickering so often. For the upcoming break you will be staying at Hogwarts and studying everyday and night. We also found a journal in your room with all the horrible lies you write about us. Don’t come back until you learn how to be a grateful daughter’

   well that killed the mood. Why did they read your diary? What kind of parent does that? Was it really all your fault that your parents fought? “Aw poor Y/n? Do mommy and daddy not love you anymore? How does is feel princess?” you had almost forgotten that you were sitting next to her.

   she was a Slytherin girl who didn’t like you because you weren’t a pureblood and because your parents only acted like they cared so much about you in public. You figured out quickly she was jealous of what she thought that you had, loving parents. 

   you neglected saying anything back to because you heard that her father was locked up in Azkaban a little while ago and admittedly felt bad for her, but for some reason the way she said it. The way she was so smug with her words just rubbed you the wrong way.

   your whole life you’ve let every negative thought fester and build up like a disease. It was like a pot of boiling water that was about to bubble over and spill out. You hadn’t taken any draught of peace either in a couple hours because lunch was usually peaceful for you.

   this poor girl was going to get the anger you’ve held since you were a child and you would feel guilty for it later, but the lid on your metaphorical bottle had popped off. You stood up from your seat and looked down at her, surprising her and Draco.

   “Listen here you stuck up bitch, i can’t fathom a reason as to why you have to fuck with with me constantly?! You think this shit is a one time thing?!” you stop momentarily to throw the letter at her face. She swats it away, her face draining of color from embarrassment.

   “Try living with them for 17 years and then you’ll figure out that they only act like your family in public! They send you huge gifts on your birthday to make sure other people see! You have no right to harass me like you do! I wish i had loving parents!”

   the girl sat there stunned. What could she say anyway? That she was sorry probably, but you most likely wouldn’t have accepted that answer at the moment. You had caught everyone's attention at this point with your loud, harsh words. Even the bright honey colored eyes of George focused on you.

   angry tears had forced their way out your E/c eyes despite your efforts in trying to hold them in. You look around the great hall, looking at all the eyes staring back at you. Without a second thought you rush out the great hall, hearing two distinct voices shout for you to come back.

    ☼-☪-☼

   breathe

   breathe!

   why was it so hard to breathe? Were your clothes tightening or were the lungs in your chest failing on you. You rush outside into the empty courtyard, gripping your robe to tug it away from your skin almost as if it was choking you. You start to pull at your clothes more.

   you remove your arms from the sleeves of your robe and drop it on the grass beneath you. Still couldn’t breathe. Reaching for the bottom of your vest you slip it up and over your head and drop it on top on your robe. Lastly, you tug at your tie to loosen it.

   you were still hyperventilating. 

   “Y/n?” 

   turning around you saw the familiar honey colored eyes look down at you. A face of confusion and sadness n his freckled face. George Weasley. No, please you would only complicate your emotions more, but you wanted so badly to be his embrace at the moment. 

   he decided for you, cause as soon as he saw your tears. He felt his heart tug harshly.

   “Oh darling” he started, his voice broken and raspy like he was about to break out in tears as well “Come here” he finished and held his arms out for you and that was enough for you. You rush into his embrace and are instantly meant with calming scent of burning wood, and wood from a broomstick.

   your wheezing noise worried George and he started to rub your head “Darling you need to breathe okay? Your going to faint if you keep doing that, in and out okay?” he inhales loudly so you could hear and you copy his actions, doing the same when he exhaled.

   after a couple minutes you were breathing just fine, but you still felt terrible. “Everything's all my fault. i tried so hard to be a good person, but it’s never good enough. I didn’t burden anyone with my problems and hid them away- i just couldn’t do it anymore”

   your voice cracked, the lump in your throat going away. George pulled his head away that was resting on top of your hand and used one of his hands to gently force your chin up to look at him. He used the other hand to reach in his back pocket.

   George pulls out the same folded parchment that you had read earlier “This? You believe this rubbish? Y/n you are the most interesting girl i’ve ever met and i wish you had told me about this. I’m your..friend and i want to help you. Listen, you are strong, brave, and anybody would be lucky to just breathe your air”

   you cracked a small smile at his words which seemed to make his face light up as well. “Thank you George. I suddenly feel very faint” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. “Probably from crying so much darling. Let me take care of you for the rest of the day, okay?”

   “Do i really have a choice?”

   “Not really, no”

    ☼-☪-☼

   George took you to his dorm- oh wait. he actually carried you to his dorm. He didn't want you to actually faint and hit your ‘pretty little head’ on the hard floor. His words exactly. The rest of the day was spent of him feeding and you and making sure you were hydrated. 

   after asking only once you opened up to him about your parents and there expectations. His face of horror was enough to make you realize that what was happening to you wasn’t normal. After you had finished talking it was almost like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders.

   you felt free.

   it was towards the evening time and you didn’t want to intrude any longer. “Thank you for helping me, it’s getting pretty late-” “You sound like your leaving?” George cut you off just as you stood up from his bed, looking at you with pleading eyes “Stay? Just for the night?”

   “What if a professor sees me when i leave the next morning and where would i sleep?” you question, crossing your arms over your chest. George shrugs his shoulders “It's saturday tomorrow no professors will be checking and you’ll sleep in my bed, with me. I promise not to be to handsy darling”

   a cocky smirk grew on his face, making your stomach twist and turn just like all the other times before. You began to stumble on your words “Uh- i- i don’t have anything to wear” you huff. His smirk seems to grow wider, if that was even possible. 

   “you can wear some of my clothes of course-” a knock cuts him off and he look towards the door “I’ll see who that is and send them away. You get dressed, i won’t peek” George sends you a cheeky wink before going to the door. what a dork. 

   nonetheless, you go over to his dresser and began to dig through the drawer while he went over to the door. Once he opened it, you couldn’t help but listen in. “Hey Freddie” George says in a sing song voice. Fred Weasley. “Hey, it’s saturday. Potion time”

   potion time?- oh for pranks. Was he going to leave you to go make potions? you pick out a burnt orange jumper with a ‘G’ initial and black sweats “Actually i can’t tonight? Maybe tomorrow?” he replies, making Fred’s face twist in confusion before astonishment. 

   “Oh! You have a girl in there don’t you!” he said quite loudly, making George shush him quickly. You began unbutton your uniform shirt. “Lower your voice, i’m not tryin to get caught because of you” he replies. You place your shirt on a chair next to you and slip the jumper over your head. It was huge on you.

   Fred stifles laughter and leans against the doorframe “Who is it” he says, making you freeze for a moment. George raises a brow “and why would i tell you that?” he questions while you push your skirt down your legs, kicking it away with your feet. “Oh because i’m your brother? Your twin brother George”

   they were adorable. You pull the sweats on and tie the strings so it was resting snuggly on your hips. “yeah yeah whatever, bye Freddie” George begins to close the door “Aw come on don’t be like that-” he shuts the door on his brother and turns back to look at you.

   “Sorry about that-” he froze in place, his eyes taking a mental image of how you looked. He could die at that moment and be content with life. You notice his weird face and looked down at the outfit “I’m sorry, should have i have picked something else?”

   he didn’t say anything and just stepped towards you until he stood inches in front of you. He reaches up to grab your face, his thumb caressing your cheek. You also noticed a small smile on his face that was slowly growing into a grin. “George?” you ask, your voice a whisper. 

   he tilts his head a bit as his golden eyes scan your face “Can i kiss you Y/n?” he asked, catching you off guard. He wanted to kiss you? Did you want to kiss him? He made you laugh, smile, and feel like you were the only witch in the whole wizarding world. 

   yeah, you definitely wanted to kiss him. 

   you nodded once and that was enough for him. He dipped down to your height and plants his lips on yours. The calming scent of burning wood invading your nose once again. You respond quickly and kiss him back, feeling his goofy grin, still such a dork. 

   the kiss was sweet and gentle. George’s heart was beating at a million miles a minute and so was yours. Air, you needed that to live. You both pull away from each other, gripping onto each others clothes. When did that happen? “You are breathtaking darling, literally actually”

   you snort at his dorky compliment “Way to kill the mood Weasley” you comment and he chuckles lightly before looking into your eyes “I know today hasn’t been the best for you and this might make it worse, but- i am so in love with you darling. I have been since the first day we met last year”

   you couldn’t believe what you were hearing, but at the same time you were waiting for it after that kiss. “I love you too George, you giant dork” he smiles brightly as he scoops you up in his arms for a second to throw you on the bed. you gasp as your back connects with sheets.

   he climbs in next you “I take back that promise about being handsy, get ready to be my teddy bear darling”. You feel the fuzzy stomach thing again- or whatever it was called. you watch as he shuts off the lamp and grabs the blanket at the bottom of his bed.

   “i think i’ll manage” you reply as he places the sheet over your body and his. George turns his body towards you and grabs your waist “Tonight? yes, in the morning i have you all to myself as well and i don’t plan on letting you leave” he smirk was screaming what his intentions were the following morning. 

   your face must have been super red. “yeah you wish” you mumble, which makes him snicker. He knew the effect he had on you. “Night darling” he says and kisses your temple sweetly. You smile and lay your head on his chest, falling asleep in his embrace. 

    ☼-☪-☼

   Taglist: @the--queen-of-hell @sonbelleame @moonpi3 @dracosathenaeum @pxroxide-prinxcesss 

    ☼-☪-☼

   Kody: It’s 5am?! oh shit- well anyways peace lmao. 

[bloganimedevlin]

Story attempt - maybe if I write it here I’ll have motivation

Just a heads up! This story mentions rape, assault, violence, catcalling and harassment, as well as victim blaming and dismissal. If these things are traumatic for you and will bring up bad memories or trigger any sort of negative reaction, please be warned. I want to discuss these things in a story, but I really really don’t want to harm anyone. There is nothing overly overt in the story (at least, I don’t think so), but I know that even mentions of a certain type of violence can send me into a panic attack, so I don’t want to do that to anyone else. 

October 14th, 2018

Ashura was 5 years old when a little boy in her class at school pulled her hair and called her dumb. He pulled her hair so hard that some of it came out. Ashura screamed, which attracted the playground attendant. Sobbing Ashura explained what had happened while the little boy ran off laughing. The attendant comforted Ashura by giving her a hug and telling her that the little boy was just doing it because he liked her. Ashura found that hard to believe, but since it continued for the next two years till the little boy moved away, and everyone said the same thing as the attendant when she complained, perhaps they were right.

May 5th, 2021

Ashura was 8 years old when she decided she wanted to be a doctor. She had excellent grades in every subject, especially the sciences, and she saw a movie where the (male) doctor was a hero who saved lives. She wanted to save lives. Her parents told her no, being a doctor was something for boys. She could be a nurse though, to provide comfort for sick people. Ashura was confused and upset, but after a year of being told the same thing, she gave up that dream and decided to be a mathematician. Again, she was told no. But she could be a school teacher if she wanted, good to work with kids. There were so many things she wanted to be over the years that her parents crushed out of her. Then they wondered why she had no future plans. Of course, they were happy with their plan that she would just marry a rich... wait for it... doctor. 

June 23rd, 2028

Ashura was 10 years old when her family started complaining about the clothes she wore. She tried to follow what they told her to, but no matter what she wore, they would always find fault. It was like she couldn’t win. If she wore light and breezy clothes fit for summer, her parents freaked out that she was “showing too much skin” and would be considered a slut. If she wore stuffy clothes that made her hot but covered her body “properly” her parents would exclaim that no man would ever want a women who was so boring. Apparently boys would call her names no matter what she did, and her parents and society supported that. 

February 2nd, 2032

Ashura was 14 years old when a group of men on the street yelled at her that she had a “nice ass, perfect for fucking” and “Let me rape you, sweetie.” Ashura had only gone out that evening to fetch groceries for her mother. There were other people around, but none of them said or did anything, so she felt scared and alone. Would the men actually try and rape her? How should she respond? She didn’t know and ran all the way home, even though her lungs burnt all the rest of the night and she only stopped shaking when she fell asleep. It would happen again and again, over the years, and it was always still as terrifying as the first time. Still as confusing. But it also became infuriating. 

April 7th, 2034

Ashura was 16 years old when her classmate tried to rape her at a party. It wasn’t even a party with drinking and drugs, it was a birthday party. He ambushed her and  dragged her into an empty room after she had gone to the washroom (the party was outside so the house was unoccupied) and tried to tear her clothes off. Thankfully for Ashura, she had been taking mixed martial arts since she was 11, and managed to fight him off. Running back to the rest of the party attendees (including adults) she showed them her ripped shirt and frantically explained what had happened. Instead of going after the boy, they told her she shouldn’t have gone to the washroom alone, and perhaps she had misunderstood the boy’s intentions. When she got home, the response from her parents was similar, but they also banned her from any more social events until she turned 18. The boy was still in her class the next school year and Ashura avoided him like the plague. Thankfully, he did the same. Unfortunately, Ashura still got teased by the other students about her “fake rape story.”

 August 27th, 2036

Ashura was 18 when she moved out to go to university. Her mother cried because “you shouldn’t move out until you have a husband to look after you!” Her father disapproved because she might be attacked by “strange men” because she lived alone. Turned out that her father had been right in his estimation of how shitty “strange men” could be, and Ashura’s fighting training came in handy more times that she could count over the next four years. A man tried to break into her apartment after having followed her catcalling her one evening. Another evening a man interrupted her supper at a restaurant to ask for her number, after she said no he stalked her for a while before trying to attack her one early morning a few blocks away from her apartment. She saved a friend from being raped. A drunk man tried to assault her in the middle of a supermarket of all places - no one helped - instead they looked disapprovingly at her after she had beaten him off. The list goes on. 

January 19th, 2040

Ashura was 22 when her work department got a new boss who thought it was okay to grope and demean and otherwise sexually harass his female employees. She nearly got fired twice before she was moved departments for “causing trouble.” This “trouble” was standing up to the boss and telling him to back down when he slapped his assistant’s ass every morning. All the other employees seemed to find fault in her, not him. The assistant halfheartedly laughed it off and told Ashura that she couldn’t afford to lose her job. Upper management sent Ashura to counselling, as if that made any difference. She was told she was “overreacting,” “couldn’t take a joke,” and “made people uncomfortable.” The new department had a nice boss, but some of her co-workers were just as bad as the previous boss, they just were more covert about it because they did own the place. Ashura continued to fight back against them as best she could. Especially Jackson Miller, a project manager who had his own assistant that he often verbally harassed. Ashura couldn’t stand him.

September 1st, 2044

Ashura was 26 when her fiancee of two years got really drunk at a friend’s party. The bar was upscale and nice, the party people were pleasant enough, and before this moment, Ashura found her fiancee to be sweet and decent. She planned to marry him, after all. She hadn’t chosen him, her parents had, but getting to know him had been fine, and he let her do what she wanted most of the time, so she figured he was supportive. But they had never spoken about marriage beyond his proposal. And it was this particular night that Ashura realised she should have checked. Theo, her fiancee, was pretty wasted when he started to call her by other women’s names. Weird, but she supposed that he was out of it and it didn’t matter. Then he started hitting on the waitresses. They were polite and firm, good at dodging his hands, and excellent at that fake light laugh that women give a man who they cannot get away from because of their jobs. Ashura tried to get him to stop. His friends, however, who were also rather drunk at this point, kept encouraging him and talking over her. Frustrated, Ashura left to go to the washroom. She ran into one of the waitresses there and felt that she had to apologise for Theo’s behaviour.

“I’m really sorry about how badly the men are acting this evening.” Ashura ventured, the other woman turning to smile at her, “It must suck, especially Theo - my fiancee - he has been really rude.”

The waitresses’s smile dropped, “Fiancee? He has a fiancee?”

“Err, yes?”

“Oh no..... I thought you were another one of his flings. Honey, he comes here all the time, and trust me, he has been a lot worse some other times. He is also always here with a different girl so I just thought.....”  

“Oh.” Ashura thought about it for a moment, “Well, my apology still stands. Also, thank you for letting me know.”

She waitress looked very guilty (guilty! Why? she had just given Ashura crucial information that was important to her relationship) as Ashura practically ran out of the washroom. Getting back to the table, she sat down quietly next to Theo and waited till there was a lull in the group conversation before catching Theo’s attention. He looked at her with a grin and asked what was wrong, told her to drink more. 

“Actually I think we should leave, I need to talk to you about something.” 

“Nah, babe, it’s not even midnight.”

“Theo, I insist, it’s important.”

“Lighten up, don’t ruin my fun.”

Ashura suppressed a sigh, “We. Need. To. Talk.” she said very calmly and firmly, even though she felt like screaming. Theo finally properly looked at her and, his words slurring together just a little, remarked,

“Women should really just learn to keep their mouths shut and their legs open.”

She should have punched him, she should have. But instead, Ashura gave a little laugh, stood up, took her ring off and dropped it in his glass, and walked away. As soon as she got home she called her parents and told them the engagement was off. 

Her parents were devastated. They asked her if she was sure, they said it was impossible, that Theo was a nice boy. They said he was just drunk. The dismissed the flings and called the waitress names. They told her that she was lucky to have a man would was not violent, she ought to put up with a few verbal jabs, they weren’t that important. Her mother cried, her father shouted. Ashura listened in silence and then ended the call be telling them to reach out to Theo’s family to tell the the engagement was off. That was it.

Theo’s parents were apparently furious, she heard from her mother later. Not at Theo, mind, but at Ashura. Ashura shrugged and said she didn’t care. 

September 3rd 2044

Ashura was called into the director’s office at work. She had been working non-stop for the past six months and had passed so many tests and interviews so that she could finally be a manager. The director very pleasantly told her that while she was an excellent employee, who had been with them for 8 years at this point (she started working at the company when she started her university degree), that they had found a more qualified person to be manager. Apparently, “more qualified” meant male, because the new manager was 23 and had been working at the company for a year and a half, he had only entered the workforce a year and a half ago after graduating. He didn’t have any knowledge of the projects that he was in charge of - projects that Ashura had been working on for ages. Ashura was livid. But she was civil about the rejection because the director was not too bad of a boss in general.  

September 5th 2044

Ashura knew she was probably going to get fired, but Jackson Miller had taken it too far. He had decided that because she hadn’t made manager, that it was a good idea to grope her. So she did the first thing that came to mind and kicked him in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital and she was sent home with harsh words from management on her behaviour. Never mind that he had grabbed her ass, she was clearly the one at fault. Management said they’d call her when a decision about what to do with her was made. So Ashura went home. Angry, but happy that she had finally done something to actually stop Jackson. And thinking that perhaps it was good she was going to be fired, maybe another company would value her more and be less on board with harassment. It would all work out, she had the rest of her life to look forward to, after all.

September 7th 2044

Ashura was 26 when the aliens “invaded.” 

To be continued...................