#and g would gossip about me as well. and she’s apologised since then but she’s still friends or at least associated

[fingertipsmp3]

Realising I maybe don’t actually like my supposed ‘best’ friend

[deprivedwithjoy]

Delusional Party Girl

E X P O S I T I O N

My name is Alysa Gabrielle and they say I'm a narcissist. I don't know what they're talking about, was it because of what happened earlier? Why are they attacking me with these false accusations? I don't get it, I know myself, I was a good person.

'...this is so annoying.'

'I dislike people, but I will never frown upon gossip.'

'To me, it's just a normal conversation between my friends and I, it's not my fault that some people are just way too insensitive to even recognize their own flaws. Gossiping is not even that serious, this is what all girls do, nothing about this is wrong or offensive. Imagine not being raised well enough to be this overly dramatic, attention-seeker much? You must have been spoiled rotten when you were just a child.' Closing my brown eyes for a second, I sighed heavily before glancing at the rat next to me. She's crying, wow, the audacity. Obviously, she is only doing this to manipulate the guidance counsellor into taking her side. Then, she scratches her big flat nose with her trembling thin hand. My nose is wrinkled at the sight of her dark and bruised skin, it's a miracle how she managed to stay alive despite how ugly she looks in the mirror.

Before Thea Valdez caught me staring, I shifted my head in the opposite direction with a forced smile pushing the corners of my lips. Unlike her, I prefer to put on a facade that is calm and modest, it's always better than humiliating myself in front of everyone by crying a river. 'Ugh, when will this rat of a woman learn to close her disposal? Is she not tired of being a laughing stock?' My lips pressed together in annoyance, fed up with her pretentious antics, I began reaching out for my phone inside the leather sling bag.

'I need anything to distract me from this, I don't think I can endure being in the same room as her any longer.'

R I S I N G A C T I O N

"Alysa," her voice was shaking when she called my name. It was clear that she dared to sob like a vulnerable child in front of an enemy, who knew that she was also capable of dropping her dignity to break the ice? If she is not going to apologise for what she dragged me into, then she is not worth my time. Thea continued with her speech, "Tell me... what did I do to deserve this?"

For some reason, I want to snap at her; to lose control and to strangle her before the guidance counsellor returns. But if I did that, I would be held accountable for the crime of homicide. Obviously, there should be a less disastrous way for me to handle this situation. "What are you talking about? No offense but you must be on crack or something. I did nothing wrong and I should be asking you that question. Are you sure you're not overreacting by reporting me to one of the scrawny teachers?" The room went silent, I glanced at Thea to see her reaction. Her tear-stained face was puffy and swollen with grief. She's a possum that plays dead whenever a predator is scanning the whole place, why be a victim when you can face the truth? It's easier to live when you're already gone.

"You're still denying it?" She paused briefly whilst raising an eyebrow. Out of the blue, Thea fixed her composure replacing the traces of insecurity in her orbs with boldness. "Look, no matter how many times you try, you can't gaslight your way out of this. Not anymore. We both know what truly happened, you were there. I did not sabotage Amy to ruin her relationship with Justin. Someone threw acid to her face and it was not me." Her attempts to intimidate are slowly getting on my nerves. Since when did I gaslight her? Without a doubt, this rat is mentally cornered against the wall and shifting the blame is her sole exit. I can't let her win the argument, this is so unfair.

"Here you go again with the false accusations."

"You've said it yourself! You are jealous of Amy and Justin being together. You envy how pretty Amy looks, how smart she is, and how almost everything in her life is perfect. You have a motive behind ruining her face, everyone in school knows it. You are not as innocent as you claim, Thea. If you want me to forgive you, you have to confess. You don't have to keep lying to yourself, this has to stop." I exclaimed in a tone seemingly filled with worry.

C L I M A X

After painstakingly constructing every word that is about to come out of her mouth, Thea spoke, "I disagree. Allow me to repeat myself for better clarity, I did not sabotage Amy." Think of me as a cat on hot bricks, I can climb the roof with ease. However, it's different when you know a wild beast is chasing after you. Every step burns because you're aware of what a single mistake could cause you, everything. Glancing to my left, a weak hand trembles in fear. It hides beneath the table for protection, grasping the fabric of my pants for support. Alysa pierced a glare into my soul with no emotion. Her eyes are tinted in brown yet it's empty and cold. 'I finally stood up to this narcissist... now what? How is she going to react? Whatever she throws at me will be recorded and used against her. While I'm here, I also think it's wise for me to gather all the evidence by pushing the right buttons...'

'That's what she does to me all the time.'

'It's astonishing how she is able to convince herself into believing her own lies. I can't even convince myself of the truth.' Taking a deep breath, my stare lingers at the white ceiling. Later on, a painful memory flashed within the pile of thoughts and it delivered me into the past. Like a curious child peeking through the window, I was embraced by the shivering blow of zephyr sent by the dark clouds forming in the sky. Any moment now, my black hair will be drenched in rain for marching out of school without an umbrella. I was never a big fan of this stormy weather. Imagine the homeless people living across the street, they are more prone to suffering from illnesses than a middle-class man complaining about dinner to his wife with a roof above his head. And besides... I kinda dislike changing clothes.

'...it's not that it's hard. I just can't look at myself for too long.'

'Otherwise, it would hurt a lot when you're confronted by the fact that even you yourself harbour a particular hatred towards your own face.'

Suddenly, clouds finally spat out their beads of water and one by one, these soldiers of nature came crashing like bullets to the ground. Puddles began plinking as the rainfall became heavier. It didn't take long for me to feel comforted which is ironic because I never liked rainy days. Perhaps, the mood often shifts when you're alone inside the classroom with the wind whispering softly to your ear. I have no options left other than to wait. It's pretty scary to realise how quickly time flies once you trap yourself in a deceptive illusion. Thea, you're a naive pig who has its mind transported into an unfamiliar dimension, and that dimension... was not as great as you thought.

Standing in front of me was Amy with a cigarette stuck in her bleeding mouth. No matter how dim the lights are, her ocean orbs will glow under any circumstances—and by that, I mean, despite how terrifying the sight is when she examines her darned reflection. The female student's once white and flawless skin is now peeling itself from the flesh of her body. Her dirty blonde coloured hair is now burnt as well, it must have been so painful for her and I do not have the right to judge.

"Thus, I was not the one who threw acid to her face. I was the only one she could find to ask for help."

"I was there because it was raining and I didn't bring an umbrella."

"She was there for a smoke break but forgot that she was wearing a lab coat. Smoking in a laboratory filled with chemicals was never a great idea, so why label me the culprit?"

"I've said this before and I will say it again. You can't gaslight your way out of this, Alysa."

F A L L I N G A C T I O N

A few minutes had passed since I confronted her with the truth. Normally, Alysa would have a response by now; with one brow raising and the edge of her lip twitching—waiting for the right moment to explode like a ticking time bomb. It was a miracle for her to remain silent. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Peace was not derived from tranquility, rather—it can only be felt once you are able to predict the movements of an enemy. Out of the blue, Alysa stood up from her chair ambling towards the glass door in a hurry. The clacking of high heels can be heard as she leaves the guidance office.

E N D I N G

Thea Valdez is the equivalent of a deer caught in headlights, not because she was afraid of what Alysa will do; but because her mind is engulfed with questions and unnecessary doubts of her previous argument. Every time she is involved in a drama with Alysa, the news will spread like wildfire. That innocent-looking party girl had a reputation of having many deceptive tricks up her sleeve, Thea can't just accept her defeat. Not after all the effort she invested in constructing her plan to expose Alysa's lies. Later on, she was then reminded by the guidance counsellor that the entire conversation was recorded. Gathering the courage to take a stand once again, the truth of her innocence prevailed.

[onkeywritings]

Beautiful Life

Rating: G

Warnings: N/A

Beautiful Life part 1 (before X)

When Jinki isn’t studying fresh-water fish and baleen whales, he is sipping black coffee in a secluded spot in his favourite café. The barista, a senior named Yunho, knows him all too well and has taken it upon himself to gently jab at Jinki’s lack of life every time he enters.

But it isn’t Jinki’s fault that he is a marine biology student and that he wants to be the best student in his class. And to be the best, he has to study.

Jinki’s interest of all things marine has been there for as long as he remembers. A memory game with sounds as a toddler and ever since then, he’d fallen asleep to the gentle song from the giant whales.

Jinki knows his major is looked down upon by some people.

His mother wanted him to be a doctor, his father saw him as a lawyer. Jinki, however, could only see himself as a marine biologist - and a good one at that.

So he’d pursued his passion and it led to a lot of black coffee and minimum hours of sleep to become the best.

A group of girls, freshmen Jinki assumes, stumble into the café and chatters loudly about an idol.

“He’s so cute!” one of them says and shows her cellphone to the other’s in the group. They continue their conversation about the idol while they order and Jinki looks up to grin at Yunho.

Yunho subtly tries to flip him off but Jinki just shakes his head fondly and tunes out the excited squeals and the male voice that sounds throughout the café when the girls loudly play the music video.

As they file out of the café again with their frappuccino’s and cafe latte’s, they silence after them is both pleasant and deafening.

Jinki returns to his text books and he doesn’t look up when he hears Yunho loudly drum his fingers on the desk.

“Jinks!” a shrill voice says and two slender arms wrap around his neck. The weight on his back forces him towards the table.

“Junghee!” he says and tries to shake her off but Junghee stands her ground. She’s a lot stronger than she looks, but Jinki doesn’t make the mistakes of assuming anything about her anymore. It would be needless too, considering they’ve been best friends since elementary school and share everything.

When she lets go and removes herself from behind him to sit in the chair opposite of him, Jinki reaches up to massage his neck gently. Junghee leans over the desk and takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee before she scrounges up her nose in that cute way that makes Jinki want to protect her forever.

“Guess who just asked me out on a date?” Junghee says excitedly when she’s forgotten about the disgusting coffee.

“Uuuuh.”

Jinki tries to remember, he really does, but he comes up short. There are plenty of people interested in Junghee, but few she has any interest in. Junghee sighs when she realises her best friend really doesn’t know.

“Tall, brown hair, gorgeous body?” she tries but Jinki doesn’t look any less confused. So she continues. “English major, loud obnoxious laughter?”

Jinki shakes his head and sighs.

“Oh for god’s sake, Jinki, come on. It’s Minho!”

“Minho?” he asks. “Wait, Minho? As in Choi Minho who you’ve been pining over the last year Minho?”

Junghee sighs in relief.

“Yes!” she exclaims and her features light up in a giddy, girly smile. That’s not something Jinki often sees on her face and he wrinkles his nose.

She laughs and reaches over to close his books. Jinki protests but Junghee isn’t having any of that when she stuffs his now-wrinkled papers into his bag followed by the books and drags him out to “celebrate being noticed by the hottest man on campus”.

Two weeks follow and Jinki is busier than ever. He needs to find scuba-diving gear before the class start in another two weeks and he has yet to finish a big essay on kelp forests as eco systems that is due Friday.

So Jinki feels pretty hung up with dark circles under his eyes and probably wrinkles on his cheek from when he fell asleep over his textbooks in the morning.

Yunho looks at him with pity and hands him an espresso on the side, just to make sure Jinki stays awake, and Jinki - tired as he is - doesn’t watch his steps as he walks towards his table.

As fate wants it, his bag is open and the books in it tilt until they tumble out. With a squeak he tries to grab them with his feet and the coffee is dangerously close to tipping over the edge as well as he balances on one leg.

It’s just inevitable, really, that the book Jinki tries to save lands directly on a stranger’s foot. It’s also just an unlucky coincidence that it’s the heaviest of his books. Jinki looks up, ready to apologise when the stranger speaks up.

“You just broke my toe!” he says and clutches his foot. Jinki widens his eyes almost comically and places the coffee on the table so he can bow 90 degrees before he sinks to his feet and gathers his book and the few papers that went with it. 

“Did you hear what I just said?” the man says and Jinki looks up to get eye contact. The man is beautiful and angry. He’s probably also in pain if his facial expression is anything to go by. “You just fractured my toe. You’re going to pay for medical expenses. Give me your name and number.”

Jinki blinks unintelligently.

“I … it’s a book. I’m pretty sure they don’t fracture toes…” Jinki says nervously, not entirely sure. But it’s just a book, right. A book can’t fracture bones, even if it is a heavy book on marine mammals.

“Oh yeah?” the man challenges. “But I’m sure your book just broke my toe, so…”

Jinki sighs.

“I’m sorry, I really am. I can take you to the hospital?”

The stranger looks up as if Jinki is an idiot and shakes his head.

“No, I just want you to pay, is all. Hand me your name and number.”

Jinki frowns.

“I’ll pay if I take you to the hospital. I don’t want to just receive a huge bill for some procedure you might not have needed. I’m not stupid.”

They glare at each other, but Jinki doesn’t back down. A minute later the stranger exhales deeply and agrees. He acts out his injury and Jinki lets him because he’s too tired for another argument.

“What’s your name?” Jinki asks while they’re waiting to see a doctor in the ER. The man looks at him with suspicion and Jinki doesn’t understand. “It’s just a name?”

The man looks towards his feet and nods a little.

“Kibum. My name’s Kibum.”

Jinki nods in understanding.

“I’m Jinki,” he says and leans back against the chair.

“I didn’t ask,” Kibum counters and Jinki just hums.

Jinki is about to fall asleep when the nurse finds Kibum and asks him to follow. Jinki stays in the waiting area and instead fumbles with his phone.

He could read up on toothed whales while he’s waiting or he could finish up the kelp forest essay but he doesn’t really want to study. Instead he texts Junghee who answers immediately despite having classes. He tells her about Kibum and their trip to the hospital and Junghee tells him he’s a clutch before she digs for information on the stranger.

When Kibum returns, he’s looking rather grim. Jinki smiles wide when he notices that Kibum’s foot isn’t in a cast or a boot or shows any other sign of injury.

“Don’t say it,” Kibum says when he’s in ear-shot and Jinki just grins.

“Not broken?” he asks and Kibum mumbles incomprehensibly. He sits down, defeated, on the chair next to Jinki and then he steals Jinki’s phone.

When he hands it back, he closes his eyes and leans back. Then a whisper sounds and Jinki looks around and finds a pre-teen girl gossiping with a slightly older girl. Kibum ignores them too, but Jinki catches the words “isn’t that Kim Kibum?”

He doesn’t know Kim Kibum, but it’s obvious to him that Kibum next to him doesn’t want anything to do with the girls, so Jinki stays quiet. After 5 minutes of being silent, he stands and grabs his bag. Kibum reaches out to grab his wrist and prevent him from leaving.

“I’m coming with you,” he says and stands. Jinki just looks at him, exhaustion slowly overtaking his body again and reminding him that he only slept 3 hours in the morning.

“Sure,” Jinki agrees and he walks out of the ER, followed by a limping Kibum who may be clutching his lower arm a little too tight.

Jinki doesn’t think much of the encounter until he sits on his bed and finds that he has a new contact. The text message sent from him to the new contact says “for injury money” and the name of the contact is ‘Kibum’.

He slowly pulls his feet towards him and leans back against the wall when he sends a text to Kibum.

[victoria-hyde]

Arthur Grimm: The Gatsby Method

This is an original work, to help me flesh out the characters in my own world.

Cyrene Hughes knew absolutely nothing about the Union leaders, which was not good considering she was currently waiting in a crowded hall to hear the new one speak. She was incredibly lost without any familiar faces to guide her. Cyrene tried to move away from the bustle of the busy room and felt her shoulders knock into someone. She quickly turned around, ready to express a thousand apologies to the man in the shockingly green cravat, whom she walked into. His shiny chocolate hair jiggled like a baby giraffe as he turned to meet her gaze. His smile was warmer and more genuine than any sun.

"What can I do for you, dear?" he asked, genial in every way. The three others paused their chatter due to the intrusion on their discussion. Improvise she thought.

"Well, um... I-," she began, shy as four pairs of eyes fixed their gaze on her. "I-I was won-wondering I-if you could... maybe, possibly, tell me who Arthur Grimm is? My name is Cyrene and I'm j-just cur-curious. You- you don't have to if you don't want to, I just wanted to know since he's about to give a speech and-"

The albino woman rolled her eyes with no discretion whatsoever. "Hush, child. You'll get your gossip." An intense dislike bubbled up from the pits of Cyrene and latched onto every aspect of this woman.

The lady next to the insufferable creature, gently reached out an olive hand to the pink-eyed demon. "Charity, ease up! Cain't you see she's like a cat on a hot tin roof?" She enthusiastically spun towards Cyrene, tucking her flaxen hair behind elvish ears. Charity huffed. "Don't mind her, Charity's a bit big for her britches," she theatrically whispered to Cyrene, hand cupped to the side of her mouth. "My name's Laura. Anyway, Arthur's real hilarious, but seems to be a bit jumpy. Us, we're like two peas in a pod!" She crossed her fingers to emphasise the fact.

"Laura, have you even met the man? He's downright scary. Not to mention the negative energy he has. He needs to lighten up and smile," the last member of the group lazily stated before facing Cyrene. "I don't like him." She immediately pegged him as a hippy.

"For once, I agree with Dave," Charity scoffed. "Grimm is nothing more than an inexperienced, edgy wannabe. He's probably going to kill us in our sleep." That information was a little worrying.

"No, don't say that! Arthur wouldn't-" Laura cut herself off and looked desperately towards the gentleman in the emerald cravat. "Gordon, back me up here! They're givin' Arthur the short end of the stick!"

"You're so sensitive," Charity sneered in a condescending tone.

Gordon shook his head in mild amusement. "Come now, you two. Don't slander Arthur like this. Cyrene, Arthur's a sweetheart, he's just a little unsure of himself. He may come off a bit intense at first, but don't let that fool you." Cyrene smiled weakly at the four, eager to leave.

"Ur... thanks I g-guess," she awkwardly managed to stutter before disappearing into the crowd. While she waited for Mr Grimm's speech to start, Cyrene aimlessly wandered around the room, accidently overhearing pieces of gossip like:

"I heard he secretly practices satanic rituals!"

"My cousin said she saw him take down a church grim."

"Some say he's never smiled."

"Bet you a hundred bucks you can't make 'im laugh."

"My brother told me he's a time-traveller."

"I think he likes strawberries."

The rumours ranged from outrageous, to slanderous and just plain boring. Cyrene doubted any of these were true. The chatter of the room seeped back in as she regained the awareness of her surroundings that she had lost in her pondering. Somehow, Cyrene had managed to end up in front of the sweets table. There was strawberry pie, strawberry punch, strawberry shortcake, strawberry biscuits, strawberry moose- Everything was strawberry. She supposed the rumour of his delight with strawberries was probably true. The snack table was testament to that. Cyrene was suddenly left gasping for breath as she fell to the floor, the person who collided with her sprawled nearby. Her attacker gazed up with a manic grin, strained from their panting.

"Did you hear?" She gasped. "Arthur Grimm killed a man with his dragon breath."

Cyrene decided this was getting ridiculous. The gradual lessening of light and chatter couldn't have come soon enough. A single beam of pale green light cut through the darkness, illuminating a sleek wooden podium CenterStage. A tense hush spread like a shadow throughout the hall and rustling cloth danced through ears as people leant forward in anticipation. Cyrene found herself caught up in the eagerness of the magnetic situation, leaning forward in hopeful expectancy with the masses as a muffled click could be heard travelling towards the limelight. She could see a single black, leather combat boot edge forwards into focus. The rest of the man elegantly side-stepped into focus, the exhilaration inflating to a suffocating weight between Cyrene's ribcage. The light glinted off his deathly pale skin like a knife on a cloudless night. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his slightly messed up hair which dark glaze showed it had once been slicked back. Two short hacks echoed through the silent hall, the man seemed to take this as his cue to begin.

"Salutations to you all. My name is Arthur Victor Grimm," Grimm began in a monotone with an English accent faded by either time or habit. "As you are all surely aware by now, Julian Riles has stepped down from his position as Necromancer representative. I have been closely working with the other representatives for quite a while now, and in consequence, have been chosen to take his place." Despite his solemn countenance, there was no mistaking the passionate blaze in his eyes. "Does anyone have any questions?" Someone closer to the stage put their hand up. "Yes?"

"I heard that Representative Riles passed away. How did he die?" Arthur seriously leaned into microphone.

"I tried to tell the mourners that 'I'm sorry' and 'I apologise' mean the same thing, except when they're at a funeral." The room bristled uncomfortably at the implication. A single chortle suddenly pierced the air. It was a combination of guffaws and snorts that made it sound like the laugher was chocking. Cyrene spun, and sure enough, Laura was uncontrollably giggling. Arthur briefly nodded towards the elven woman. "Thanks Laura," Grimm's attention suddenly returned to the audience. "That- that was supposed to be a joke. Julian didn't die. I'm not sure what kind of gossip has been going around, but it's wrong. Please let me know if there are any other rumours I can set to rest." It was suddenly deafening as the overlapping shouts directed at Arthur demanded to know the truth to his own rumours. The words muddied together, and the shouts grew incessant.

"Did you really take down an army!?"

"How often do you laugh?!"

"I didn't know you told jokes!?"

"How old are you really!?"

"Can you take me back to the Jurassic Era!?"

Cyrene saw his florid cravat waistcoat sharply dip inwards as he inhaled. It was hard to tell whether it was out of temper or anxiety. His faced furiously twitched as he gave the most pained and obviously forced smile. Cyrene cringed.

"I look forward to working with you all," he uttered through gritted teeth before firmly striding off the stage. Despite having left the limelight, the crowd would not cease their fire. Cyrene sunk to the ground in fear and confusion. Despite the words of Laura and Gordon, Arthur Grimm seemed to be a ball of contradictions and mystery wrapped in a glossy dusk cravat. He seemed intimidating and chilling, she had no doubt he could kill someone in their sleep like Charity said, but he seemed just as anxious as her in a way that only someone who has experienced the feeling can recognise.