#and i randomly drew tonight and i was like wow this is so nice why haven't i done this more?
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Our society is so obsessed with productivity and success that, without even realizing it, I've started to feel like it's not worth it to put my time and effort into things unless they correspond to those values. Which is...so stupid?? No I'm never going to be a great artist but why should that stop me from drawing? Sure there's no productivity or success in that but it makes me happy. The end goal of productivity and success is happiness but I feel like we kind of forget that? Like if I'm happy sitting here doodling, that's great. Not everything has to be related to your long-term plans for success or whatever. You're allowed to do things for no other reason than that they make you happy
#a little realization that i just had over on snapchat#but wanted to expand on#idk I just haven't drawn or played music or anything in ages#and i randomly drew tonight and i was like wow this is so nice why haven't i done this more?#and it's cause i kinda felt like what's the point I'm not a great artist#but who cares!!#i don't need to be#i can do it just for fun#same with music#but writing is tricky cause that's how i plan to make a living and a career#so there's a lot of pressure to be good so i wind up just not writing much cause it's not just about enjoying it anymore#but i guess i need to allow myself to write for fun and not be great?#oh and by success i mean like wealth/status i guess#they're kind of intertwined#and yeah i just feel guilty putting time/effort into things that aren't productive#like i shouldn't be drawing when i could be cleaning up or doing homework etc#but you don't need to be doing something productive all the time that's dumb#well i need to sleep I'm thinking too much#i wonder if this will still make sense in the morning#courtney rambles
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I had been stuck in the Dark World for who knows how long. The days didn’t seem to matter down here. No sun, no moon, just the vibrant green grid that coated the sky that would twitch and surge with occasional frequency. When I first got here, I fought hard to get back to the surface, to fight for any sense of normalcy, for home but after a while the dream began to fade. The options began to run dry when compared to the dangers that surrounded me. And so I settled. I survived. I searched for food, begged for shelter from kind Darkners. I did what I had to to live. The Queen was not an option. Whispers from Darkners told me how I was just what she was looking for, that would help her expand her reign to the Light World. As much as that would probably help me, I didn’t want to ruin the lives of others for the chance to see my family, as much as I missed them with every passing minute. The sound of bustling cars and the blinding lights of neon signs stung my senses, my palms pressing into my eyes to drown out what I could. Damn it this place never slept did it? There was always something, some sort of noise. Whatever bags I had under my eyes were probably made cartoonishly drastic with the lack of pure rest I was getting. ‘Supose it was better then being dead... My body felt heavy, and I knew I’d have to find a place to rest or I’d fall asleep mid crossing of a road and get run over by one of those goofy cars I’d seen. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad... I recalled the time one of the car’s rear bumped into a fire hydrant (or at least I thought it was) and made a squeaking sound. The darkness of a certain alley called to me, the silence a sweet lullaby to the roaring around me. Was it dangerous? Oh yeah. Was it stupid? No shit. Was I going to do it? The shadows the engulfed me were perfect and if it wasn’t for the underlying stench of garbage it’d probably be ideal. Still beggars couldn’t be choosers and if tonight was good enough I would have to consider having this as my permanent sleeping spot. My back slid against the cool wall across from the dumpster, eyes half lidded as they read the advertisements littering above. Why the hell did the Queen have ads anyway, if she wanted she could monopolize any products she wanted... Despite the quiet I couldn’t shake the feeling that creeped down my spine. The presence of something other then myself around me. I tried to close my eyes, I was in the city after all. It’d be concerning if I didn’t feel like people were one second from crawling up my ass. Though I had to admit I didn’t expect to actually feel something begin to touch me. My eyes snapped open, elbow prodding into a blurry shape that yelped and tumbled backward, it’s grasp my on shoulder tearing a hole in my already worn shirt in the struggle. “Hey! What the hell?!” I barked, standing over the perpetrator. My shoulders slumped when I saw what looked to be a doll staring up at me with wide eyes, an over exaggerated smile permanently spread across it’s face. The creature’s jaw opened wider with a clack, it’s small body shooting upwards to stand on it’s small pointed feet. “WOAH WOAH WOAHAH- [Live worms]!” The darkner’s voice was deafeningly loud, a shrill tone that cut the air like newly sharpened blades. “ I THOUGHT YOU WERE [Roadkill]. NICE TO KNOW I WON’T BE [Sleeping with the fishes] T0NIGHT!!” Well he had a certain way of speaking that was obvious. What the hell was going on with him, he talked like he was constantly being cut of random clips of other people speaking. He talked like a youtube poop or any other shitpost that would randomly shove memes into them for a quick laugh. “You thought I was dead? I was just... I was... uh.” I looked around me, eyeing the dirt and debris. “I was... going to sleep... here.” Dammit, telling people I had to sleep in such ratty places were always a blow to the ego but I suppose it was better then saying ‘Oh I was just sitting down here to die’ The puppet shook his head and waltzed over to the dumpster, his small hand smacking the side with a sense of pride. “ [Finders keepers, losers weepers] HUMAN, YOU PICKED A GOOD SPOT. TOO BAD [so sadd] I GOT HERE FIRST. THOUGH FOR A DEAL I SUPPOSE I COULD [Share the love~]” “Got here first... what are you talking about?” The Darkner let out a laugh, distorted echoes filling the air as he leapt inside, a solitary hand popping out to beg me to come closer. This was a terrible idea, but despite my best judgement I followed, and witnessed what I could only describe to be a makeshift bed inside. The puppet laid on top of musty mats and raggedy rugs, a single stained pillow resting just beneath his head. My god was he living in here? The creature continued his laugh, lurching only a few inches away from my face. “ [Sweet deal] ISN’T IT? J3ALOUS, [baby]?” I shirked back, cheeks reddening at the tone of his last word. I was most defiantly not jealous, in fact I was filled with remorse, something his pride did not help with. “It’s... uh something. I guess this means I’ll have to find another alleyway um, sorry for bothering you-” “SPAMTON.” “What?” His hand shot out towards my chest, fingers wiggling for a handshake. “SP-SPA MTON G SPAMTON, [Number 1 rated salesmen 1997]” He announced, an extra flair of bravado laced his titled. His hand was surprisingly warm for what it was made of but nothing that would be described as body temperature. “Jenna. Also 1997.” “WHAT A YEAR. LISTEN LIGHT nER, I AM DEALSMAN [yes/no?]” “Um... y-yes? I don’t-” “THEN LET ME MAKE A DEAL YEAH? FOR ONLY [many] KROMER, YOU MAY STAY IN MY [Privately owned] ALLEY. IT’S A REAL [steal] YOU’RE ROBBING ME [deaf] HERE!” My brows furrowed as I searched his face for any context clues for what the hell he was trying to say. Kromer? What the fuck was ‘kromer’? The only thing I knew of currency down here was dark dollars not kromer... even if he did ask for dark dollars he didn’t name a price, he just said many. And the amount of dark dollars I had was zero. “Uh I don’t have kromer. I don’t even have dark dollars I’m kinda broke Spamton, in case you couldn’t tell from uh...” I trailed off realizing saying that sleeping in an alley wasn’t a very smart thing to say to someone who slept in an alley. He seemed surprised by my words, beginning to tug on my coat, flipping my pockets to see if I was really lying. I had to push his mitts off me a couple of times, to which he eventually got the idea the way his hands began to rub at his extended jaw. “NO KROMER... WHAT CAN YOU DO?” “What do you mean?” He seemed to sense my change in tone, his grin beginning to wobble nervously “[Whoopsie daisy!] LET ME START AGAIN. DO YOU HAVE A [trade]? A [skill] TO [Exchange for goods and services]?” he croaked. I eyed the ground, rubbing the back of my neck. What the hell was I good at again? “I mean, I can draw, I suppose...” “ARTIST? WOW OWOW!” Spamton’s face lit up before digging in the dumpster, pulling out a few napkins and a ball point pen and shoving them into my hands. “WHAT A [trade] TELL YOU WHAT. YOU DRAW A [one-of-a-kind masterpiece] AND YOU CAN STAY THE NIGHT!” “You’ll let me stay... if I draw something for you on this napkin. Am I getting that right?” The doll nodded feverishly, basically hovering over my shoulder as I played with the pen. This was certainly the weirdest way to pay someone that I could imagine... well no but one that was in the realm of reality. I had to ask Spamton to give me some space a few time, the feeling of his breath on my neck making me more then nervous as I drew. God he was like those kids in school that would ask for drawings but ten times worse with the amount of personal space he’d give you. Besides I needed something to draw and with nothing on the mind why not draw the most interesting thing in front of me. I held the finished doodle out to Spamton only to have it snatched out of my fingers so fast I swore we could have started a fire. “WOAH...” The puppet sank inside of the dumpster, his face softening as for once in what seemed like forever the alley way grew silent. “THIS IS... ME?” “Yeah. Sorry I didn’t know what to draw, you kind of put me on the spot. Besides everyone likes drawings of themselves right?” I shrugged, being pulled away from my thoughts by an overdramatic sniffle. Was he... crying? Not quite, just damn well close. Spamton’s shoulders quaked as a warm smile returned to his cheeks, slipping the napkin into his pocket with glee. “SO GOOD... THANK YOU.” “It’s really nothing, honestly that was a pretty shitty drawing.” “WHAT? YOU’RE [&#!^]ING ME! THAT WAS [BIG SHOT]” He was screaming again, hands gesturing wildly about. “It wasn’t but thank you. I wish I was better to be honest. I’m not very happy with my art, not at all.” I turned away from his gaze, unsure of why I was overcome by a choking sensation building my throat. Why the hell was I telling this stranger this sort of stuff anyway? I mean I could hazard a guess it was the fact that this was the longest conversation I had had with anyone since I had gotten down here but with how things were it could be some magic power the doll possessed to tell him my deepest darkest secrets. “YOU DON’T THINK THIS IS [Big?]” “No.” “WHY NOT?” “I don’t know. I just... I think it doesn’t look the way I want it to. Doesn’t look good to me, and I don’t know how to fix it. Which I guess is a little funny considering how long I’ve been drawing. Just keep... drawing and drawing and never improving, least not how I’d like. It’s just garbage to me.” Spamton’s face seemed to fall, his glasses fading to a dark inky black. “YOU FEEL? NO GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO? YOUR [passion]?” “Yeah.” A laugh ripped from his chest, his head lolling back with each chuckle. I felt my soul began to crack, a shame flooding my body with how hard he seemed to laugh. Did he find this funny? Humorous? I felt tears prick my eyes as I snapped my head back to glare at him, his head glitching back to stare back at me. “YOU’RE JUST LIKE ME, JENNA. A [slime] A REAL [slime]!” With a quick motion the puppet jumped to the ground, his hand resting against my arm as he spoke. “YOU’RE A REAL [BIG SHOT] YOU KNOW THAT? STAY AS LONG AS YOUR [Greasy little heart] DESIRES!” Well... that was unexpected. He’d really let me stay here as long as I want cause I was pathetic? Or did he just feel sorry for me? What was going on? And why was he calling me a slime... or us a slime? “Oh... uh thanks? I didn’t think I was being much of a big shot whatever that is but I apricate it. Really.” His head clacked with every little nod, leading me to a pile of cardboard boxes and patting them with the grace of a car salesman. “BEST [Seat in the house] ALL FOR YOU. [Night night forever]!” Spamton beamed, awkwardly swaying side to side before stumbling back to the dumpster a few inches away and crawling inside of it, much like a wild animal. I couldn’t help but laugh a little. This guy was weird. Kinda creepy but also kind of funny. I honestly couldn’t pinpoint a feeling on him but at least he didn’t want to hurt me just make weird ass deals and make me ‘big’. Did that mean famous? Was this guy so into my art he wanted to be some sort of manager? I rubbed my eyes and let out a yawn, the excitement of the day finally beginning to fade. God I forgot how tired I was, that little guy made me feel like I was gonna go into fight or flight. “Hey Spamton?” “YES?” his voice echoed from inside the metal container. “...Thank you.”
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Fic request: YujiKiri. I don't have any concrete plot, but I'll throw you some themes for inspiration: flowers, coffee, cuddling.
I started with this simple image and then- BAM. Inspiration. Funny, probably unwanted story: my sister and I used to toss three words at each other to use for inspiration warm-ups for drawing or writing. This prompt made me think of that and I got a warm, fuzzy nostalgia feeling.
The busy street emitted a symphony of sights, sounds, and smells—enough so that the senses dizzied, and mind went a little numb from it all, but not so much that it felt completely overwhelming on its own. Signs flickered on one shop after another, signaling passersby that evening crept closer and closer. Cars zipped past, a few blaring their horns aggressively at other drivers, a few blasting music choices of all flavors, and some nearly silent until the driver hit the brakes, producing a high-pitched squeal. Various food scents wafted along the sidewalk, enticing the hungry citizens inside.
And here I stood, awkwardly leaning against the wall of a coffee shop, with a bouquet of flowers in hand. I counted the cars going by according to color. So far, three green, nine white, one deep purple, and about twelve blue. Oh, and a yellow one. I stole a glance at my watch and drew in a deep breath. I’d gotten out of class early to stop and buy the flowers, and in my rush, I’d ended up at the coffee shop fifteen minutes early.
The minutes dragged on as I waited. A week prior, I finally mustered up the courage to ask my crush on a date. His emerald green eyes lit up when I’d asked him out. My heart raced as he said he’d be delighted to go out with me. So, I put on my best semi-casual-yet-comfortable outfit and planned a date out. First, we’d have coffee here. Afterwards, if he was up to it, I had a special spot where I wanted to sit and stargaze with him. I didn’t know if he liked that sort of thing, but I had to work up the courage to ask him.
My mouth watered as my nose was assaulted with the smells of food around me. I heard my stomach start to complain about being empty. I sincerely hoped that it wasn’t making this kind of racket when Eugeo showed up. I checked my watch again. Just a few more minutes until he arrived. I ran my fingers through my hair, smoothed out the lines of my top, and readjusted my grip on the bouquet of blue roses I’d picked out for him.
“Now that I think about it, what is he supposed to do with a bunch of flowers for a whole date?” I mumbled.
My heart sank a little. What was intended to be a romantic gesture quickly melted into a worry. Flowers would need water. I had to think fast. I slipped into the coffee shop. Behind the counter, to my good fortune, was a good friend of mine. I leaned over to her, since she didn’t seem particularly busy.
“Pssst. Argo.”
“Oh, hey, Kii-boy!” she said, flashing me a grin. “What can I do for ya?”
I held up the bouquet.
“Would it…be possible to set these up on a table in a vase or something with some water?” I asked.
It was a silly question. What kind of a coffee shop just had vases lying around? But Argo didn’t seem too bothered by it. She gave me a wink and held out her hand.
“I’ll get you a nice seat, on the house,” she said. “Oh, but the vase’ll cost ya!”
I rolled my eyes and handed her the bouquet.
“Sure thing, just don’t tell him,” I said.
“I wish ya the best of luck,” she said. “I’ll put you two in the window seat. Since you’re paying for the vase, he can just take it if he wants.”
I pressed my hands together in thanks and gave her a hasty bow before I dashed back outside to meet Eugeo. A small part of me panicked, since I’d spent a little while inside of the shop, but to my relief, he wasn’t standing outside looking for me when I resumed my totally composed standing position against the window. I glanced down the sidewalk, curious. I saw him turn the corner a few blocks down and waved. He waved back.
It took him just a few minutes to walk over. I didn’t mind the wait. It gave me a minute to steady my racing heart. My first date with Eugeo—I could not let this turn into a giant mess. I drew in a breath and let it out slowly through my lips, enjoying the fresh, early-autumn air flowing through my lungs. I straightened myself up and got off of the window to greet my date.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I had to run an errand for my brother, and it took a little longer than anticipated.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” I said, waving my hands dismissively. “I wasn’t waiting here all that long.”
Wow, what a bold lie, I thought to myself.
Eugeo didn’t seem to notice, though. He smiled at me, appearing to be relieved that he hadn’t caused me any stress. He glanced up at the sign over the coffee shop and tilted his head to the side.
“I’ve never been here before,” he noted.
I perked up.
“Oh? It’s my favorite little place to grab coffee,” I said. “Or tea. They have good tea, too. Sometimes I grab a breakfast on my way to class. The staff is really friendly.”
I opened the door for him. He blushed a little, likely not expecting the gesture. He dipped his head at me and entered the shop. I followed behind him and guided him over to the table where Argo had expertly displayed the flowers. His eyes lit up just like they had when I’d asked him out. He gently caressed one of the roses.
“These are my favorite,” he said.
“W-well, they’re for you,” I said, trying to make sure he understood that they weren’t just randomly placed on the table.
I could practically hear Argo snickering behind me, even though she probably was in the back, fixing drink orders. Eugeo looked up at me, surprised. I raised my eyebrows.
“You placed these here?” he asked.
No sense in lying to him.
“Well, no, but I got the staff to arrange them here for you…” I said, trailing off.
That didn’t sound nearly as impressive. I could feel the heat of my embarrassment in my face. I nervously looked across the table at Eugeo. He still smiled just as brightly as before. I wondered why. When he noticed me looking, he closed his eyes.
“I didn’t know you had a sweet side, Kirito,” he said, his tone teasing.
“I-I…well…I…uh…”
Eugeo laughed.
“Thank you,” he said, reaching over to grab one of my hands.
Suddenly the embarrassment wasn’t the reason I was blushing. Our hands were touching. I was only saved by Argo slinking over to take our orders. Eugeo, who’d already expressed he’d never had anything here before, asked me what my favorite drinks and pastries were. I gave him the run-down. Argo was quite impressed by my reviews of their products. In the end, I went for a strong iced coffee and Eugeo ordered a caramel macchiato. We both ended up getting a fruit-filled pastry as well.
It didn’t take too long for Argo to return with our orders. The traffic in the coffee shop was rather low today; it was normally like this at dusk on a Thursday. That was why I’d picked today for a date. It was slow enough that our orders wouldn’t have us waiting an uncomfortable amount of time and the noise level inside of the shop was low enough that we could hear each other speak.
“I’m curious to know,” Eugeo asked. “What made you suddenly choose to ask me out?”
I blinked over at him.
“What do you mean?” I asked, stifling a laugh.
Eugeo tilted his head to the side and smiled.
“Everyone’s known you’ve had a crush on me for forever,” he said, once again employing a teasing tone. “I was just curious why now you decided to finally act on it.”
“E-everyone?” I stammered.
He nodded. I drew in a breath.
“I guess…I guess I just realized that if I never asked, I’d never know,” I said. “But hold up, if you knew the whole time, why didn’t you just ask me?”
It suddenly occurred to me that he might only have said yes because he was being polite. That was how Eugeo always was—polite. My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of this just being a formality. I held my breath. Eugeo’s cheeks tinged a little pink. I prepared myself for the absolute worst.
“This is going to sound silly,” he said.
I bit into my lip.
“Despite it being so obvious, I still wasn’t sure you actually wanted to date,” he said.
My expectations were torn asunder. He’d delivered an answer that I hadn’t expected. Eugeo started to twiddle with his straw. He took a sip of his coffee and glanced down to the side. The pinkness of his cheeks turned into a darker shade.
“The truth is, I regret not having asked you out first,” he admitted.
My senses, which had been taking everything around me in before, suddenly shut off completely aside from the feeling of my heart pounding in my ribs. I thought they might break. Eugeo liked me back? This was a better outcome than I could have dreamed of. I’d come in expecting to try this out and take it slow to see if he’d be interested in dating more. Worry had made me think this was just a formality. But now…
“I…I…” Eugeo stammered.
He stood up and then curled his hands up into fists.
“I want you to go out with me, Kirito!”
My heart leapt into my mouth, burst, and then evaporated like steam. I had to be redder than him. A few other patrons turned their heads, curiously waiting for my answer. I swallowed. The spotlight was on me, then. I slowly picked myself up out of the chair. Eugeo tensed up. I walked over to him and awkwardly put my hand out to him. He hesitated for a moment, but then slipped his fingers into mine.
His palms were warm and sweaty. Mine were no different. The both of us were so worked up over this we probably looked like a pair of idiots. I scrunched my shoulders up a little. He went to remove his hand. I squeezed it tighter.
“Eugeo…” I said.
“Yes?”
The response sounded nervous, even though it was clear. Now was a good time to extend my second invitation—the surprise one. I lifted my chin and met his eyes. He waited, patiently but expectantly, for me to say what I wanted to say.
“Would you like to stargaze with me tonight?” I asked.
In that moment, his eyes resembled stars themselves.
“I have a special location picked out…and packed a few blankets in the bag on my bike…” I said. “It’s not too far outside of the city.”
He returned the hand squeeze.
“I’d love that,” he said.
To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug. I was too dumbfounded to react in the moment. From across the room, Argo mimed for me to hug him back. I slipped my arms around him and gave him a firmer embrace. Argo gave me a thumb’s up and mouthed for me to have good luck.
In stark contrast with the busy street where we’d had our coffee, the hilltop away from the city limits of Tokyo was completely quiet aside from the pleasant chirping of crickets. We spread out our blankets on the grass and laid down side-by-side to stare up at the starry expanse above. Without the light pollution from the city, the sky was clear and filled with dazzling white lights.
Eugeo inched a little closer to me.
“It’s a bit chilly, don’t you think?” he said.
“Should I get more blankets?” I asked.
He shook his head and slipped himself against me, cuddling up to me as if we’d been together for quite a while. My heart started skipping. He started chuckling. I didn’t see what was so funny.
“If you keep getting embarrassed, I’ll never need to wear a jacket again,” he said. “You’re like a little heater.”
I let out an awkward laugh.
“Are you sure it’s okay to cuddle on a first date?” I asked.
He sighed.
“There’s no rules, are there?” he said. “If you don’t want to, I’ll grab another blanket and mind my distance.”
My brain started screaming at once. He couldn’t do that! This was nice! I wanted him to stay right where he was. I’d rather let the flustered feeling die down as I got used to him being so close than to push back this lucky development to a few dates later.
“This…this is nice,” I said. “I like this. I think I forgot another blanket anyways.”
Eugeo laughed. It sounded like music to my ears. Another symphony. The sound of his breathing, and of his laughter, mottled with the background instrumental of crickets and frogs in the night. The scent of his cologne, the remnants of coffee on his breath, and the crisp night air. His smile, a vision of brilliant light that complemented the twinkling stars above. I let go of my tension and turned to cuddle up against him as well.
What a beautiful symphony, I thought to myself.
#ask#Fanfic Request#nekonotabi#yujikiri#kirito#eugeo#2k words for 2k kudos#sao fanfiction#my fanfic#one shot
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Protective Instinct
» Pairing: Park Jinyoung x Reader
» Genre: Fluff
» Word Count: 3,744
» Description: Jinyoung is the boy-next-door, jock-god. You’re stuck in a shitty relationship. He makes it his mission to break the two of you up.
» Part of the Varsity Jacket Series
The group of jock-gods was lingering near the refreshments table, distributing red solo cups and laughing at an inside joke. Once everyone was properly armed with alcohol, they dispersed -
Im Jaebum walked over to the screen door, stepping outside to greet his girlfriend and kissing her lightly on the lips. BamBam and Kim Yugyeom walked deeper into the living room and stole the karaoke mics from unsuspecting partiers, beginning to sing randomly and at the top of their lungs. Choi Youngjae wandered into the kitchen where his crush was munching on stale potato chips and talking animatedly with a friend. And Jackson Wang sauntered outside, where he’d spotted his latest fuck-buddy shivering in the cold.
Park Jinyoung walked over to the dining room with Mark Tuan, where a game of beer pong had already begun. Jinyoung put his name down for the next turn with Mark, before moving to chat with some of his classmates.
After a few minutes, Jinyoung slid into place behind the dining room table, replacing the very drunk girl who had just lost. He saw Mark out of the corner of his eye, toting said girl outside. Jinyoung brushed it off - Mark could take care of himself.
Instead, he picked up a ping pong ball and looked up at his opponent. It was a big beefy guy, who was already quite drunk. He smirked and slurred his words, “You think you can beat me, pretty boy?” He leaned against the edge of the flimsy table, and the whole contraption flipped end over end. The cups of beer slid off in a messy rush, sticky golden beer staining everything it touched. The drunk, beefy dude ended up on the floor, underneath the table, moaning in pain.
Jinyoung still held the ping pong ball in mid-air, his mouth hanging open in surprise. All the other witnesses did the same, standing on the perimeter of the room in shock. You saw the mess happening from your spot at the drinks table and rushed over quickly, breaking the tension.
“Are you okay?” you said, trying (and failing) to push the table off of him. Your boyfriend grunted in response, and you pushed desperately on the table, but to no avail.
Jinyoung, awakened to his senses by your entrance, hurried around the side and helped lift the table off of him. When you finally cleared away the table, and the destroyed solo cups that covered him, you found your boyfriend. He’d fallen asleep and was snoring quietly, underneath the mess. He was that drunk.
“Oh,” Jinyoung said, stifling a chuckle, “Wow.”
You covered your face in embarrassment, turning to him and whispering, “Thanks.” You crouched down and shook your boyfriend awake, supporting him as he stood up and walking out of the party with him.
Jinyoung watched you go in amazement, a new light in his eyes. Jaebum slammed the screen door shut as he reentered the party, muttering curses under his breath. Jinyoung grabbed the back of his jacket as he passed, still not taking his eyes off of your retreating figure.
“Who is that?” Jinyoung said, speaking over Jaebum’s frustrated muttering. Jaebum scrunched his face up and tried to concentrate on the profile he saw escaping through the doorway.
“That looks like Y/N,” Jaebum said, “She’s in my history course. Smart. Nice. Her boyfriend’s a douchebag though - always making inappropriate jokes, and stuff like that.”
“Then that’s definitely her,” Jinyoung said, remembering the horrific sight of your boyfriend collapsed on the floor beneath the dining room table, asleep. His eyebrows pulled together as he asked, “What’s the story with the boyfriend?”
“Ken Something,” Jaebum said, shaking his head, “I don’t know - all I know is that he’s always eating Doritos and shit in class, is always interrupting the professor and honestly, doesn’t seem like he treats Y/N well.”
That fixed it in Jinyoung’s mind. He’d felt the spark of initial attraction when he’d seen you before, but now he had to know more.
Now at home, your boyfriend collapsed on the couch. He hadn’t woken up the entire trip home, even when you bumped his head on the car door when getting into the uber. He was out.
Your roommate, hearing the noise, emerged from the bathroom, a toothbrush still dangling from her mouth. Jihyo rolled her eyes at the sight, “Drunk again?”
“Yes,” you sighed, looking at him as he slept and feeling repulsed slightly. You swallowed it down like bile that crept up your throat. You’d been having this sort-of repulsed feeling a lot lately, but you’d managed to keep it down for the most part. But as his shirt rode up his stomach to reveal the developing beer gut, his grating snores echoing in the room, you found it more difficult than usual.
“Seriously sweetie, why are you with him?” Jihyo asked, taking the toothbrush from her mouth and looking at you intently. You drew your gaze away from your boyfriend to look at her seriously -
“You know why Ji.”
She sighed and turned to walk back to the bathroom, saying one last thing before she left: “Fine. But he can’t crash here anymore. After tonight.”
You watched her disappear, the door clicking shut with a new kind of finality. The room was shrouded in darkness again, the only light coming from the gap at the bottom of the bathroom door. You sank onto the coffee table, your head falling into your hands.
Jihyo was right of course. This behavior was unacceptable. But what could you do?
Jinyoung woke up the next morning feeling energized. He’d gone home shortly after his encounter with you and your boyfriend, barely intoxicated except on his own determination. He dressed quickly and went out for his ritual run, the chill of six a.m. barely touching him as he sprinted across campus. The headphones planted into his ears played a melody with a fast tempo, so that his feet slapped the pavement with every offbeat, his heart pounding against his ribcage.
Jinyoung skidded to a sudden stop, though, at the sight of your lumbering boyfriend making his way across campus. There was a purple bruise that had swollen on his forehead, presumably from when the table had fallen on top of him. Even from this distance, he seemed dirty and hungover, a complete mess.
For the second time, the sight of this idiot stopped Jinyoung dead in his tracks. What did you see in him? The only way to find out, he figured, was to ask you. But before that, you’d need to be introduced.
Jinyoung felt his heartbeat slow as he stood still, pulling his phone out of the armband on his bicep and opening the “Ballers” group chat.
Jinyoung
6:43 AM: I need to know everything about Y/N.
It took another hour and forty-five minutes for someone to respond. Jinyoung has finished his run, showered and gotten breakfast. He’d just opened his Business & Management textbook when his phone dinged!
Mark
8:32 AM: Who?
Jinyoung looked at the message and huffed, that wasn’t very much help. Where was Jaebum? He knew Y/N, why hasn’t he responded?
Yugyeom
8:34 AM: Look at this pic someone sent me!!
And then there was a picture of Youngjae, naked and face down in the dirt - his butt exposed to the world.
“Oh my god,” Jinyoung said, shaking his head in disbelief. So much for his team being any help at all.
Mark did bring it up on Monday though, sitting next to him in lecture.
“So, who is Y/N?
“This girl I met at the party this weekend.”
“And she didn’t immediately fall for you?” Mark smirked, “Odd.” Jinyoung shoved him jokingly, opening his notebook to get ready for class. Mark looked at him expectantly, so Jinyoung filled him in quickly on the details.
“And all JB would tell me is her name and that her boyfriend’s an asshole,” Jinyoung frowned, “Oh, and that she’s in his history course.”
“Oh, I’m in that class too,” Mark said, furrowing his eyebrows. Jinyoung looked at him hopefully, a new light in his eyes. He thought for a moment, “I think Jihyo’s roommate was named Y/N...Ji was my partner for a project a couple weeks ago. Let me see…” Mark pulled out his phone and texted her quickly. He closed his messages and put his phone down as the instructor took his place in front of the class. Mark watched Jinyoung out of the corner of his eye, he was carefully labeling his notes with today’s topic. He sighed and said, quietly, “Seriously dude, what’s your plan though? To break them up?”
And that’s what Jinyoung thought about for the next forty-five minutes. After the professor dismissed the class, Mark checked his phone and filled him in, “Jihyo said she’s at the quad, we can meet her there.”
Still, at home, you were talking your boyfriend out of an afternoon quickie. You held your hands up defensively and backed away from him, “You have class in twenty minutes, babe,” you said, smiling to give the effect of playfulness.
“You know it won’t take that long,” he smirked and chuckled. You laughed at his remark too, putting your hands on his biceps and forcefully turning him towards the door.
“But you have to get across campus! You need to hurry!” He grunted in response and begrudgingly walked out the door. Without even thinking about it, you locked it once he left. You sank down onto the couch in defeat, your nose wrinkling at the smell of his alcohol-laden sweat that had seeped into the fabric. You swiped the Febreeze can off the coffee table and sprayed the couch maliciously until the whole room smelled obnoxiously like lavender. You stormed out in frustrated annoyance.
Jihyo was sitting on a bench with a book open on her lap when Jinyoung and Mark walked up. She had been surprised to get Mark’s text - even when they’d paired up for class he’d been quite distant. But seeing Jinyoung with him, she understood it wasn’t about him at all. It was about Jinyoung. And you.
“Um, hi,” Jinyoung said, standing in front of Jihyo and squinting his eyes against the sunlight. He smiled hopefully, his pulse quickening in anxiety.
Looking up at him, Jihyo understood why all the girls were so obsessed. He was that guy - cute, polite, sweet. The guy that everyone wanted to take home to their parents. The guy you deserved.
“Gotta run,” Mark said, glancing down at his watch, “Have fun kids,” he smirked, darting off for his next class. Jinyoung shoved his fist nervously into the pockets of his varsity jacket.
“So, can I buy you a coffee?”
Sitting across from Jihyo at the campus café, Jinyoung wondered why he was so nervous. He didn’t even know you. Why did he care so much?
Jihyo, seemingly reading his thoughts (or his expression rather), said, “It’s probably just a protective instinct.” When Jinyoung furrowed his brow at her, she explained: “That’s probably why you like her so much. Protective instinct. Because Ken’s a dick.”
“Her boyfriend?”
Jihyo nodded and sipped her coffee, “Ken. They’ve been going out since high school.”
Jinyoung’s jaw dropped, “Why?”
Jihyo looked at him seriously, inspecting his gaze. She sighed and put her cup on the table decisively, “Look, I don’t know how seriously you’re taking this but you’re like a perfect guy, which is why I’m going to let this protective instinct thing happen. Ken…” she paused, the suspense killing Jinyoung very, very slowly, “Ken saved her life.”
Outside, you passed by the coffee shop quickly, walking to class in rush. The exchange with Ken earlier had left you frazzled and running late. But you paused when you saw Jihyo and the sight of a familiar varsity jacket. You craned your neck around and caught sight of the person she was with. He was definitely one of the jock-gods, but his name escaped you. He was the one that had helped you at the party...right?
You pulled out your phone and typed quickly, resuming you walk -
Y/N
11:53 AM: You and a jock-god??? SPILL
Jihyo
11:54 AM: We’ll talk later.
You rolled your eyes at her ominous text and kept walking to class. Once there, with a minute to spare, you slid into your seat next to Jaebum, the only person that you knew in this class (and then only because he was in your other class, too).
“Hey, how was your weekend?”
You saw him clench his jaw in frustration, his fingers clenching the cuff of his varsity jacket tightly. You raised your eyebrows at him in surprise but decided not to push it further. After a minute or so, he seemed to recover and he finished unpacking his bag.
“By the way,” he said, casually, as if he’d never been angry at all, “Did Jinyoung ever talk to you?”
“Jinyoung?” you wondered, flipping through your notebook to find the page of notes you’d left off on.
“Yeah, he said he’d helped you out at the party the other night? Tall?” he raised his hand about a head taller than him, “Dark hair? Has this whole boy-next-door thing going for him? Varsity jacket?” He pointed to the one he was wearing as if to prove his point.
“Oh,” you said, the pieces clicking in your mind, “Oh, yeah. That was embarrassing. I just saw him at the café with Jihyo - are they dating?” you exclaimed suddenly, excitement bubbling in your voice.
“What?” Jaebum said, chuckling as he shook his head, “No. He likes you.”
“But…” you said, tapping your pencil against your notebook, “I have a boyfriend.”
“If that’s what you want to call him,” Jaebum said bitterly.
“Excuse me?” you said suddenly, staring at him in astonishment.
“Look,” Jaebum said, holding his hands in the air, “Maybe it’s none of my business, but that guy is a complete asshole and he treats you like shit, Y/N. Jinyoung isn’t perfect...but he’d treat you well.”
“Thanks for your concern,” you said, turning away from him, your voice clipping the words harshly. Jaebum sighed and shook his head, turning to his own notes.
When he had begun his own work, you deflated, your defense collapsing. Jaebum didn’t get it, he didn’t understand, and he didn’t know the history. Ken...Ken had saved your life. And he had suffered for it.
In high school, you’d dated for about a month (not a great month, but an okay one) when Ken had pushed you out of the way of a car and gotten hit himself. He’d hit the asphalt harshly and spent the next two weeks in the hospital. He still had trouble with pain, sometimes...
How could you break up with someone after they saved your life?
As soon as that thought entered your mind, another one followed (as had been the trend these days), how long till that excuse no longer applies?
Jinyoung sat back in shock, staring at Jihyo in disbelief. Jihyo nodded and took another drink of her coffee, “So that’s the story.”
“That’s it?” Jinyoung all but yelled.
Jihyo choked on her coffee in shock, “What do you mean that’s it?”
“I get that she didn’t want to break up with him right after he saved her life, but it’s been years,” Jinyoung exclaimed, “And he treats her like shit!”
Jihyo rolled her eyes, “I don’t think it’s that easy for her.”
“I have to talk to her,” Jinyoung said suddenly.
“Typical,” Jihyo muttered under her breath before saying, “You don’t even know her.”
“Introduce us,” Jinyoung insisted.
Jihyo sighed and thought it out. Jinyoung was far from perfect, she could see that clearly, but he seemed to genuinely care about you. She sensed that he would want to end your relationship with Ken even if he didn’t get to be with you. He just...cared.
“She’s in class for another half hour, we can meet up with her afterward.”
That had been the longest half hour of Jinyoung’s life. He sat on a bench outside of the science building, hitting his hands anxiously against his thighs. Jihyo looked up from the book she was reading to grab his hand harshly, “Stop.”
“I’m going to go for a run,” Jinyoung said suddenly, standing and peeling his varsity jacket off. Before Jihyo could object, primarily based on the fact that he was wearing jeans, he had gone off in a sprint.
“Crazy,” Jihyo muttered.
“Who is?” you said, still feeling the anxiety induced by Jaebum’s words. You followed Jihyo’s gaze but could only see someone running away.
“Um…” Jihyo hesitated, maybe she should wait till he got back? She glanced at your face and saw the worried expression, she decided to go for it: “Park Jinyoung?”
You raised your eyebrows at this newfound information, “Park Jinyoung.”
“Yeah, you know him?” Jihyo said, glancing in the direction that Jinyoung had run off in and tucking a piece of her hair nervously behind her ear.
“Jaebum says he likes me.”
Jihyo turned to you suddenly, eyes wide. She nodded slowly and said, “Yeah...that’s true.”
You sighed, sinking onto the bench with the varsity jacket acting as a barrier between you both, “I have a boyfriend, Ji.”
“A shitty boyfriend, Y/N.”
“Not you too,” you whispered, covering your face with your hands. Jihyo scoffed and spoke bluntly -
“Tough love time. Look, Y/N, you ever think that it’s not us, your friends, with the problem but you’re supposed boyfriend? That maybe we care about you and don’t like seeing you being treated like shit and maybe we have your best interests at heart? You don’t have to date Jinyoung, okay, but you should break up with Ken no matter what.” After this speech, she got up abruptly and walked away in a huff, too angry with you to sit there any longer. You let your head fall into your hands, the truth of everyone’s statements turning anxiously over in your mind.
There was an awkward cough from above you, breaking you from your reverie. You looked up at the stranger, your eyes welling with tears. The tall shape looked familiar, and after you blinked a couple of times you recognized him as (the now infamous, at least in your mind) Park Jinyoung.
“Hi…” he whispered, scratching the back of his head. Sweat beaded his forehead and trailed down his neck. The edges of his hair were damp and stuck to the sides of his face. There were sweat stains on the t-shirt he wore, and his chest was heaving with the exertion.
“Were you...running?”
“Yeah…” he said, looking away from you in embarrassment, “It helps with the nerves.”
“Nerves?”
“Yeah, Jihyo was going to introduce us and I was...nervous,” he gulped the word down uncomfortably, his eyes finally registering Jihyo’s absence, “Where is she by the way?”
You looked at the floor, “I pissed her off.”
“How’s that?” Jinyoung said, taking Jihyo’s place on the bench. If you’d paused at all during this interaction, you would have commented on how odd it was. How very strange it was that you, who typically kept things so close to the vest, were spilling your secrets, were suddenly so comfortable with this stranger.
Maybe it was knowing that he liked you. Or that the look in his eyes was so warm and welcoming that you couldn’t help yourself. Either way, you told him the truth.
“I’m foolish,” you sighed.
“I hardly believe that,” Jinyoung smiled slightly, tucking your hair behind your ear in a way that seemed comfortable and familiar.
“Well it’s true,” you smiled sadly back at him, “My boyfriend’s terrible. And I won’t break up with him.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard something about that,” Jinyoung chuckled. You smiled at him, a knowing glance passing between you both about the other’s activities. He leaned towards you and said, “I don’t know why...but I care about you. I know that I don’t really know you or anything, but...if I can offer some advice?” You nodded your consent and he continued, “Dating someone because you owe them a debt…” he paused, considering his words carefully, “Is a disservice to everyone involved.”
You watched his expression carefully, trying to gauge how much of this “advice” was simply for personal gain. But you could see genuine concern in his eyes.
Without thinking you raised your head up and locked your lips with his, pressing against him in a desperate, needy way. At the simple touch, a spark ignited within you and you wondered how you hadn’t done this before, why you hadn’t kissed someone else. This kiss was so different than everything with Ken...this kiss was clean (for one thing) and sweet, romantic and slow. There was no desperate, lusty urgency in this kiss.
Jinyoung’s hand cupped your cheek delicately, savoring the taste of your lips and the pressure of your body pushing against his own. His hand fell through the soft tresses of your hair until it landed on the curve of your neck, pulling you closer.
“What the hell!”
You both broke apart as if you’d been electrocuted. You swiveled around to look at the intruder of your intimate moment - Ken. He was in front of you both, his face purple and his sausage hands raised in anger.
High from the kiss, and the serotonin, you stood up and yelled back: “We’re done! You’re disgusting and a pig and you treat me like shit! And I don’t want to be with you anymore! I haven’t wanted to be with you since our first year of college, and I should have ended it then! I was stupid, but I refuse to do this anymore! We’re through.”
“Are you kidding me, you dumb…” Ken advanced towards you angrily, his emotions bubbling over the surface.
“Hey man,” Jinyoung said, that protective instinct kicking in again as he stepped between you and danger, “Leave her alone.”
“Pretty boy?” he shouted, throwing his fist and hitting Jinyoung square in the cheekbone. Jinyoung, athletic as he was, fell backward into your arms. You stumbled under the weight until you were sitting on the bench with his head in your lap. Ken growled something unintelligible before storming away from the scene, kicking a trash can over as he did so.
“Oh my god,” you whispered, watching Jinyoung’s face, “Are you okay?”
He blinked his eyes open, smiling suddenly, “Now that you’re available…”
a/n: ahhh the ending was kind of rushed
#aghaseshimkoong#got7#got7 fic#got7 fluff#got7 x reader#park jinyoung#park jinyoung x reader#park jinyoung fluff#jinyoung#jinyoung fluff#jinyoung x reader#varsity jacket series
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Frankfurt 0-0 Arsenal LIVE: Score, Unai Emery makes SEVEN Europa League changes | Football | Sport
FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL
Frankfurt XI: Trapp, Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger, Da Costa, Kamada, Kohr, Sow, Kostic, Silva, Dost
Arsenal XI: Martinez, Chambers, Luiz, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Willock, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang
Unai Emery makes even changes from Watford draw
FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL
30: Chance! Great counter-attacking football from Arsenal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang driving down the left channel. He clips the ball over to the advancing Joe Willock, who loses composure and leathers it high.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
27: I don’t want to use David Luiz as a punching bag – but he’s looking vulnerable. The centre-back completely misjudges the flight of a Frankfurt corner – allowing Hinteregger to chest it down and leather one at goal. Blocked.
24: Arsenal are creaking now as Frankfurt continue to boss things here. Emiliano Martinez keeps Arsenal in it when making a fine save from Filip Kostic, who struck a firm effort having beaten Calum Chambers for the umpteenth time today.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
21: Chance! Frankfurt should have the lead. Kostic strolls in down the left and angles his run towards goal only to fire high and wide. Andre Silva then sits Calum Chambers on his backside with a nifty turn before winning the corner. This place is going mad, just imagine if they actually scored!
18: Injury concern for Arsenal with Lucas Torreira in agony. He strides to meet a through pass from Saka and looks to have twisted his ankle when jumping over goalkeeper Trapp. Fallen very awkwardly.
He’s getting booed by the Frankfurt supporters, who aren’t exactly sympathetic. Oh… he’s fine. Miraculous recovery…
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
15: Frankfurt get away with one as Sow gifts the ball to Saka in midfield. The teenager runs at goal but delays the pass to Aubameyang, who can’t find a way past Hasebe. Good opening not taken advantage of.
13: Silva has a pop from distance having been afforded far too much space by David Luiz. The striker doesn’t need a second invitation to fire wide of the target.
Hinteregger earns an early booking for tugging back Chambers. Silly.
10: How’s that for a stat. Half of Arsenal’s starting XI have played in the Bundesliga. Don’t ask me to go through them all – it’ll take me far too long.
I also can’t hear myself think with these Frankfurt supporters. They haven’t stopped signing since about 5pm. I wonder if they offer a discount to anyone sitting behind one of the nine giant flags they are holding…
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
7: Slow-burner? Did I really say that?! Well things have burst into light now as Lucas Torreira squanders an absolute sitter.
Bukayo Saka sends a delightful cross in from the left to an unmarked Torreira, who arrives to balloon it miles into the stands from five-yards out. Should be 1-0 to the Arsenal.
5: First shot of the evening falls to Djibril Sow. He arrives on the edge of the area to crack a first-time effort straight at Emiliano Martinez.
3: How have things started? Very slowly indeed. Lots of huff, puff and tackling – not much fluency, chances or even completed passing. We’ll call it a slow-burner.
FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL
1: Right then, the long and winding road to the Europa League final starts now. It’s a hard journey – but it’s worth it. Just ask Chelsea, who lost at home to Valencia… OK, that didn’t work, but you know what I mean.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Europa is massive for Arsenal
17:50: BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves: “I think the Europa League is massive for both of them [Manchester United and Arsenal]. They’ve fallen behind Manchester City and Liverpool, they have.
“The fact of the matter is this competition I think for both teams is, in a way, must win. I don’t see either of them finishing in the top four the way they’re currently playing. So I think the best way to get in there is this competition.
“I think for Arsenal, with all the players they have, can they find a way to win this competition? They probably have one of the best squads in the competition.”
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Frankfurt fans…
17:40: Not much to write in this update, other than these Frankfurt supporters are completely committed and certifiably insane.
A quick Google search led to hundreds of videos of supporters shaking stadiums, taking 12,000 fans away for a group stage game against Bordeaux and removing seats in protest of not being able to stand.
To say a hostile atmosphere is expected inside the 51,500 capacity Commerzbank-Arena would be an understatement.
youtube
Twitter round-up
Ally: Wow Aubameyang starts this match after playing for 90 mins in all our games. Meanwhile, Ozil is rested after just playing 70 mins.
Dan: Ozil being rested is a terrible decision. If anything the man needs more minuets. Definitely not match fit and we won’t see the best of him until he gets back into the swing of things.
Ire: Betting companies need to have an option to bet on Ozil getting “rested”… Cuz based on the last 2 seasons, that’s a pot of gold.
I suspect that’s why they don’t have a market for that, Ire…
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Ozil rested…
17:25: Yep, one 70-minute appearance and Mesut Ozil deserves a rest. Sounds about right.
The German playmaker made his first appearance of the season against Watford on Sunday. The 30-year-old missed the start of the season after being targeted by carjackers and because of illness.
“Really the first match he played on Sunday, he played well and was good physically,” Emery said.
“Now he is ready to help us, not tomorrow but on Sunday – we are going to play another match and tomorrow we are thinking to do some rotation.”
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Predictions
17:15: Frankfurt have a fun game on their Twitter feed. The randomly generated scorelines stop when you click on it – revealing your prediction.
Mine, as you can see, says it’ll be 5-4 in favour of Arsenal tonight. Just checked and it’s 200/1 on Betfair. Easy money I reckon.
Another tweet Frankfurt sent out read: “Dear Arsenal fans, a warm welcome to the Frankfurt City Forest for the first group match of the 2019/20 Europa League campaign. We are very pleased to be able to greet you in our wonderful stadium. Let’s enjoy an exciting and fair European cup tie together!”
Awwww, aren’t they nice.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: TWITTER)
Elsewhere…
17:10: Arsenal aren’t the only British representative in action this evening – not by a long shot.
Celtic are also in the strange, silly and unnecessary 5:55pm slot. Neil Lennon’s side travel to France for a tricky clash with Rennes.
Later tonight Manchester United welcome Astana to Old Trafford, Feyenoord travel to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and Wolves host Braga.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Twitter round-up
James: Shkodran Mustafi x David Luiz is the most ambitious crossover event in history.
Boom: David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi paired together for a Europa Group Stage match away at Frankfurt. What could possibly go wrong?
Jack: Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz AND Calum Chambers. Sounds like Unai Emery wants a sweet payoff and few months off.
We’re one Mike Dean officiating away from complete and utter comedy tonight.
Team news – Frankfurt
16:50: I’ve no idea how many changes Frankfurt have made – but I know there’s no sign of Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic or Sebastien Haller.
All three of last season’s heroes have been sold to Real Madrid, AC Milan and West Ham for well over £100million.
There’s still more than a couple of threatening players in Frankfurt’s ranks with Bast Dost, Andre Silva and Filip Kostic all starting.
Frankfurt XI: Trapp, Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger, Da Costa, Kamada, Kohr, Sow, Kostic, Silva, Dost.
Subs: Ronnow, N’Dicka, Falette, Fernandes, Joveljic, Chandler, Paciencia.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Team news – Arsenal
16:45: Unai Emery has made seven changes from the trip to Vicarage Road.
The four survivors are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Granit Xhaka, Sead Kolasinac and David Luiz, the latter presumably a punishment for conceding that late penalty.
Elsewhere Emiliano Martinez starts between the sticks with Calum Chambers at right-back with Shkodran Mustafi partnering Luiz in the middle.
There’s starts for youngsters Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and someone I’ve been hugely impressed with – Bukayo Saka.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
Starting XI…
16:40: Well… Unai Emery has certainly made changes from the side who drew with Watford on Sunday. What a game that was… for the neutral.
Arsenal XI: Martinez, Chambers, Luiz, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Willock, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang.
Subs: Leno, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Nelson, Guendouzi, Martinelli.
Afternoon
16:35: The return of Thursday evening football… how I’ve missed you.
That’s right, folks. Europa League action returns to our screens with an unusually exciting opener. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Usually it’s someone like Astana, Qarabag or Ludogorets – but tonight Arsenal must travel to Bundesliga outfit Frankfurt.
Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena is an absolute cauldron. I remember last season against Chelsea they had flares, terrifying flags and even dismantled the seats.
This will not be a walk in the park.
Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)
FRANKFURT vs ARSENAL – TEAM NEWS
Arsenal continue without striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is sidelined until October with an ankle injury.
Full-backs Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney have resumed training but haven’t made the trip to Germany. Rob Holding is in line for a first appearance for nine months.
Serbia winger Filip Kostic and midfielder Mijat Gacinovic are expected to be available for last season’s Europa League semi-finalists.
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#Premier League Frankfurt 0-0 Arsenal LIVE: Score#Unai Emery makes SEVEN Europa League changes | Foo
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Revenge, Interrupted (Part 13)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Caroline sat silently next to Stefan as he drove, again. It felt like deja vu, to be honest.
She hated the old insecurity that had flared up in her because of Rayna. It was so childish and dumb.
How on earth was she jealous over a fake boyfriend?
God, he’d looked over at her when Rayna had asked him out, as if checking to make sure it was okay or just out of politeness or… who even knew? Why did he have to be so honourable all the time?
Then she’d basically said yes to the date for him and promised to help him sneak around… what was she thinking?
Enough. She was just going to have to get over it.
She turned back to Damon and Elena. “It’s so great that your friends are in town”
Damon grinned. “Missed those little assholes.”
“We’ll be with them the whole day! Oh, do you two want to come and meet them? They’re great, I promise. Kai is crazy and Liam is hilarious and Nadia is so cool.”
Caroline didn’t really want to. “Uh, maybe next time.”
“Same.” Stefan said.
“Heh, you two will have the entire place to yourselves then,” Elena said.
“Please don’t do anything we would,” Damon added.
Caroline rolled her eyes.
“Actually, I was thinking we could have a date.” Stefan said easily.
She looked at him, surprised.
“How do you feel about a Harry Potter marathon?” He asked.
“Pass. Seen it a billion times.”
“Hm. I couldn’t find my Star Wars box set…”
“Blondie, run for cover, I am warning you.” Damon said.
Stefan gasped. “I meant to check out this other sci-fi series I found at the DVD store. Ever heard of Battlestar Galactica?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Sounds dumb.”
“No, these stories are awesome, trust me. We’re dating now, we should support each other’s interests. I’m ready to go shopping with you if you want.” He said bravely.
Damn it, he pulled the dating card. Now Elena was saying “Awww” and Damon was muttering about “space and chill”.
She gave Stefan a forced smile. “Sure, babe.”
He leaned over and whispered, “Told you I’d get you back for the game.” His breath was hot and sent chills down her spine, and she felt the urge to kiss him again.
Instead, she muttered “You suck” quietly, so only he would hear. He shook with a silent laugh and went back to concentrating on the road, pulling her hand into his on the gear again.
They were very convincing.
~*~*~
Caroline woke up in her new room and smiled.
It was her first day in her new apartment.
She got out of bed, humming, pulled on a robe, and went looking for Bonnie and Elena. Neither of them liked waking up early, and it was only 8:30 on a day without school, college or work.
The loft was empty. Like, not just bare because it had just been moved into, but devoid of her roommates too.
Maybe they were with Damon. She poured some coffee that was in the pot and made her way to the Salvatore loft. She knocked on the door and Stefan opened it, wearing a shirt this time. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved.
“Morning, Caroline.” He said.
“Hey, seen the girls?”
“They left with Damon an hour ago.”
Caroline nearly dropped her mug. “Bonnie and Elena… were ready to leave by seven thirty?”
She had always been the early riser and morning person. Since when were they?
“I know, it’s like a whole new Damon. They were so excited. I don’t even want to know what these people did in college.”
She nodded. “No kidding.”
“So, you hungry?” he asked.
“Uh… yeah. I’m not sure if Elena bought anything that’s breakfast material.”
“I made pancakes and have some batter left.”
Caroline nodded and followed him into the kitchen. “Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble.”
She sat on the counter, legs dangling as she watched him cook. She really needed to stop checking him out but every time his shoulders moved under his shirt she wanted to touch them. Preferably with him standing before the counter she was sitting on so she could…Wow, she needed to shut off her brain.
“Okay, here you go.” He handed her a plate of pancakes that smelled delicious. “Whipped cream or maple syrup?”
“Honey.”
He turned. “Honey?”
“Yeah, pancakes are incomplete without it.”
“I don’t think we have any,” he said, rummaging around some shelves.
“I think Elena bought some yesterday” she said, getting up. He followed her to her apartment and looked around in awe.
“Woah. Your apartment looks great.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks. I did a bit of decorating.”
“A bit? Damon and I moved in a week before you and no way is ours even half as unpacked as yours.” He said, plopping down on the sofa as she went through the cabinets.
She turned around when she heard a laugh and Stefan say, “Um, Caroline?” He held up a tattered teddy bear.
She felt her cheeks grow slightly warm. “Stefan, meet Ms Cuddles.”
“Ms Cuddles” he repeated, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Pipe down, Spock. She belongs to all three of us and has been a huge part of our childhood so be nice.”
He patted the teddy bear on its head and put it back down on the sofa. “So you have seen Star Trek.”
“Okay, let’s go.” She said, rolling her eyes in mock irritation.
Back in his loft, they sat on the table together and chatted as he ate.
“Mmm, this is really good. If you hadn’t gotten a job, I’d suggest becoming a chef.”
He seemed to blush a little. “Glad you like it.”
I like you, her brain randomly thought.
What the fuck.
“So when is your date?” she asked, scrambling to think about something else.
“Um, today. Come over whenever, the sci-fi space saga awaits.”
Caroline’s chest hurt a bit. “No, I meant with Rayna.”
“Oh. I texted her and she said tonight.”
“Cool. They should still be out then.”
“Yeah, the plan is still on though, right? It would be such a waste to throw away all this hard work and time. Another reason I suggested it was because we need to be as convincing as a couple as possible., so we should spend more time together. Like, Damon called us interesting.”
She nodded. “What did he even mean?”
Stefan shrugged. “Who knows?”
”So, I’ll shower, arrange the loft for a bit, and then come over in an hour or so?”
He smiled.And his smile might have made her go weak at the knees, but she firmly ignored it.
~*~*~
Caroline put absolutely no extra effort into her appearance. She just wore her best dress that fit her perfectly and always got her free drinks, washed and blow dried her hair until it was soft and silky and not a bird’s nest, and put on her favourite lipstick.
Everyday stuff, really.
She reminded herself that he was going to be going on an actual date with someone who could become his actual girlfriend, and then sighed and wiped the lipstick off.
It was too red, anyway. Elena’s pinker one looked more natural.
She set up the loft a bit, arranging all the décor they’d bought the day before until it looked pretty and like a home and she was satisfied. Then she walked over and into the loft next door without knocking.
Stefan was nowhere to be seen, but a laptop lay on the table with a bored-looking blonde girl on the screen.
She looked surprised on seeing Caroline enter and the feeling was pretty much mutual.
“Uh… hi?” Caroline said.
“Are you an intruder? Because I will call the owners up right now.” The girl said.
Caroline shook her head quickly. “No, I know them. Stefan!” she called out.
“He’s inside.” The girl said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Phew, glad you’re not some thief. I’m Lexi.” she flashed her a friendly smile.
“Caroline. Oh, so you’re Lexi. Nice to finally meet you.”
“You too.” She smirked. “You are certainly his type, for sure.”
Caroline bit her lip, wondering what that meant.
“Oh, nice dress,” Lexi said.
“Nice jacket,” Caroline replied. The girl had this punk rock kind of look and it really suited her.
“Hey Lex, I think you’ll like this one.” Stefan’s voice came from his room. He came out wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, looking hot as always, and stopped in his tracks when he saw Caroline.
“Hi. Wow. You look pretty.” He said.
Caroline blushed. “You too.”
His eyebrows furrowed.
“Handsome, I mean. Not pretty. Though, guys can be pretty too-“
“Wow!” Lexi cut in. “You two are hilarious. Stefan, that’s no different from literally everything you own and you can wear any to the date-“
“Date with Rayna.” He told Caroline quickly. “She was giving me what she calls much-needed advice.”
“Yeah sure, you can wear anything you have and it won’t make a difference because she probably likes you for your personality or looks and not clothes. Nice to meet your Caroline, see you later Stef. Have fun on both your dates.”
The screen went black.
“She’s nice.”
“She’s usually way nicer. She was just in a bad mood today.”
“Does she live here?”
“No, but she said she’ll come visit soon.” He said happily.
Caroline nodded. One thing was for sure, they definitely weren’t anything more than best friends.
Why did that make her happy?
“So, let’s do this.” She said, dramatically taking in a deep breath.
“Bonnie told me to make sure I have some of this stuff,” he gestured to the junk food lying on the table. “Apparently movie night, or day-“
“Equals chocolate and chips and ice cream.” Caroline finished. “Yep.”
Stefan drew the curtains and she got the blankets. It felt so natural, like they had known each other forever, like this closeness had always been there.
But it’ll be over soon, Caroline reminded herself as Stefan hit play and the dark room lit up with the glow of the TV.
~*~*~
A few hours and a season and a half later, Stefan’s phone rang.
“Hey Damon.” He answered. “How’s the reunion?”
Caroline could hear faint buzzing from his side and from Stefan’s amused expression it seemed Damon was filling him in on a lot.
She picked up the DVD for the next season and was halfway through the summary when Stefan snatched it from her and mouthed “Spoilers”.
She rolled her eyes and mouthed “Nerd”. She wasn’t about to admit it to Stefan, but it was quite interesting. Sitcoms were more her speed, but she liked the concept.
Stefan put the phone down and turned to her. “How cool is this?” he grinned. She couldn’t help but smile seeing his face.
“It’s okay.”
“Okay? Our human-alien ancestors travelling the cosmos to find the mythical Earth is okay?”
“Did it have to have robots? Like seriously, it’s creepy.”
“First of all, they are called Cylons and second of all, they are awesome.”
“Awesomely creepy”
He looked offended. “I can’t even look at you right now.”
She laughed and pressed play, only for both their phones to be buzz a few minutes later.
Tyler had replied. She read it, pleasantly surprised. Apparently they were coming to town in a few days. She wasn’t sure who “they” were but it obviously included Liv and Jeremy. She quickly asked him for details and then put her phone down and turned to Stefan.
“All okay?”
His eyebrows were furrowed. “Damon said he’s on his way back. With everyone.”
“Oh.” So she was finally going to meet her best friends’ college friends.
“Yep.”
“Oh no.” she suddenly realised.
“What?” he asked, his forehead creasing.
“Isn’t your date tonight?”
“Uh, yeah, shit.”
She smiled resolutely at him, determined not to let any feelings get in the way this time. She was going to get completely back on track with the plan. One hundred percent.
“Not to worry, I’ll help you sneak about.”
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Understanding the Undead ch.2 (katlaska) - comeapart
a/n: i want to rematch ghostbusters every time i go to write more of this fic. except ghostbusters has less… menacing villains. ch.1 here
An hour later, Brian was still trying to make Justin see reason whilst they got into full drag. It felt too early, but they had press events and filming for Logo to do. Justin was convinced it wasn’t Ginger, but Brian was still going to ask later, just to check. “So why isn’t it here now?” Katya asked, licking over her lips before applying the red lipstick, probably smearing it onto her teeth in the process.
Alaska was sat on the counter in the bathroom, using what she had called the ‘good light’ to draw on the perfect brow. “I told you, it doesn’t come out in the daytime. It only appears when it’s dark.”
“So you’ve seen this ‘ghost’ often enough to work out a pattern?”
Alaska turned to look at Katya, raising the half of a brow she did have and staring at her. “I didn’t text you because I had a bad dream, Katya. If it had happened once, I would’ve just ignored it. I lived with Sharon long enough to figure that one out.”
Katya finished applying her lipstick, moving to sit opposite Alaska on the ridiculously long counter. She still wasn’t quite over the fact that Alaska had clearly been given the best room out of all of them. Didn’t Miss Congeniality count for something? She looked over Alaska once more, noticing her hands shaking ever so slightly as she drew on the brows. “Look, I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but like… Have you talked to someone about this? Like… Professional?”
“We’ve been over this, Katya Zamo-whatever. I am not having another breakdown, and even if I was, I don’t have psychosis.”
“I love it when you butcher my name. It’s almost as good as when you offered Detox money to stay on All Stars but not me,” Katya joked, but Alaska just glared. Clearly, she wasn’t seeing the humour in the situation, and she wasn’t happy about all the attempts Katya was making to lighten the mood. “I’m just saying, y’know? Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to-”
“If you don’t believe me, you can stay here with me tonight. And if I am crazy, fine. I’ll go see someone. You can pick, anyone you like, I’m not fussy. But if you see it,” Alaska drawled, looking over at Katya with big eyes. “You’ll fix it with me.”
“Alright, fine. Fine, I will, because this is ridiculous. Ghosts aren’t real, Alaska,” Katya rolled her eyes, looking at herself in the mirror. She didn’t need eyebrows, because that was an unrealistic expectation of women. Some people didn’t have eyebrows, and that was perfectly fine, and not wasting half an hour on drawing on two lines seemed a lot better than wasting that half an hour. It was an eyebrow strike, per se. Alaska glanced over, shaking her head.
The worst case situation was that there was a ghost, and even in that case, Katya’s room was free and Alaska probably wouldn’t be against going there instead. The best case situation was that this was another one of Alaska’s weird mind games to get Katya to fuck her, which was completely awesome because it made her feel less guilty for crushing on her friend. Alaska nodded at herself in the mirror, standing up and readjusting the bra she had put on.
“Come with me.”
Alaska turned away without waiting for Katya to reply, which only made Katya pay more attention to her body. Since when was Alaska so bony? She was tall and slender but Katya had never seen this many bones on her body, not since that time in LA at one of the Drag Race premieres. They had made out in the bathrooms for twenty minutes and completely ignored the fact that Alaska was still heartbroken, and since then, things had gotten a lot easier. All of the bones on her body looked tense, and Katya was pretty sure she was pissed.
It wasn’t that Katya thought Alaska was insane, it was more the fact that Katya knew ghosts weren’t real. And Alaska also did, or used to, until today. If anything, Katya probably thought she should take more vitamins and stop forgetting to eat breakfast. She followed Alaska into the room connecting to the bedroom and looked around, clearly confused.
“Um… This is nice?” Katya offered, to which Alaska just stared at her. There was a bed and a couch and a TV, and wow, if Alaska wanted sex, all she had to do was ask. “I’m not really sure what you want me to look at. The bed’s unmade?”
“Oh my god, Brian. Fucking- That,” Alaska frowned, furrowing her brows and pointing a fully nailed hand to the wall. Alaska’s hands were still shaking, and Katya tried her best to ignore it, turning to look and feeling a cold shiver fall through his body. There was a handprint burnt onto the wall, and fuck, if there were actually ghosts, Katya was not going to stay the entire night. She wasn’t a ghostbuster. Brian had read a book or two about ghosts, but none of them said anything about handprints. Alaska was biting at her lip, chewing at it in a way that Katya was pretty sure hurt. “They appear randomly. But they’re mostly on that wall. I think it might be where I leave my stuff, because I moved it after the first night but they followed?”
“And they only appear in here?” Katya asked cautiously, swallowing and trying to step back, then realising that required being closer to the wall and stopping herself.
“I mean, yeah? The handprints do. I don’t… She doesn’t stay in here, though.”
“And now the ghost is a girl? Alaska, girl, are you… Are you sure it’s not-”
“If you ask me if I’m seeing things one more time, I will get Ginger to smack you,” Alaska said with a hint of desperation to her voice, clearly annoyed with Katya. “Brian, there is a handprint on my wall. There is a handprint, that you can see, and it doesn’t disappear when you touch it. I thought it was marks or dust or something at first, but it’s not, and they disappear. They disappear and when I wake up in the middle of the night, I see them appearing and it fucking scares me. But my phone doesn’t work in this room, so I can’t even call you and make you rescue me,” Alaska breathed, looking down at her nails and shaking her head.
“Alaska-”
“Katya, it has fingerprints. It’s not- You can’t be serious!”
“Okay, okay. Girl, okay, we’ll figure this out. I’ll go see if Shangela has a sleeping bag or something-”
“Katya, we aren’t going to be sleeping,” Alaska said, her voice low and way too serious for Katya to feel like anything would even possibly happen. “Or if we are sleeping, it’s going to be together. Oh my god, stop looking at me like that, it’s not funny,” And Katya went back to her slight frown, because Alaska was giving her another look.
“Maybe we should go to my hotel room tonight, since mine definitely isn’t haunted and you probably need to calm down before we can figure this out?”
“No! No, Katya, I am not letting you think I’m insane. Not until you have to see it too,” Alaska hissed, and wow, snake lady was mad.
“Okay, okay, sorry. We need to go downstairs. I think we have filming today,” Katya said carefully, and Alaska just nodded, picking her phone up and shoving it into her bra before leading her out. Katya stopped at the door, holding it open with her foot when Alaska tried to close it. “Don’t you need your keycard?”
“I have it. It’s in my phone case. Not all of us are like you, grandpa,” Katya would’ve been hurt if she wasn’t too busy worrying about Alaska’s sanity.
The lift downstairs was painfully quiet, with Alaska nearly saying things and Katya nearly listening up until they met with a nice lady who handed them gloves and ice-skates and sent them to the hallway to put them on. Ginger and Shangela were already ready, and Katya was jealous, because they were smoking outside while she had to navigate the tiny death-traps onto her feet somehow.
Alaska was clearly struggling, because she was Alaska with the bowlegs that made her look a little bit like Bambi walking for the first time. She nearly fell the second she stood up, but because she was Alaska, she managed to stay upright by some unfair advantage gravity gave her, and just stared down at Katya before giggling and offering her hand to her.
Katya took her hand, standing up and stumbling straight into the wall, dragging Alaska with her before bursting out into laughter, grinning up at her. Alaska just shook her head, taking Katya’s wrist instead (which Katya had a pretty good bet on being because of her fake nails) and dragging her outside to Ginger and Shangela before disappearing off to the side with Shangela, leaving Katya alone with her best friend.
“Girl, where the fuck have you been? I haven’t seen you since we had to film all of that indoors promo stuff yesterday,” Ginger laughed, offering Katya a cigarette and a lighter and an option to talk about ghosts.
#alaska thunderfuck#katya zamolodchikova#ginger minj#katlaska#ghost au#aspen au#comeapart#rpdr fanfiction#submission#understanding the undead#canon compliant
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WIP for playwriting class
So our assignment is to write a 10-minute, one-act play, and here’s a rough draft of it!
TWO OF CUPS
Characters
Sam, a bouncy but anxious Russian college student who is desperate to make more friends, as she is new to the small town. She is a regular to Lillian’s Cafe and people-watches with her.
Marco, a loner who often carries around eccentric knicknacks and has a very interesting sense of fashion.
Lillian, the barista who is an aspiring singer. She is Sam’s closest friend
Setting: The Cafe Lillian works in. A half-full pastry display shelf and a table with a cash register is located stage left. There are 3 or 4 small tables with two chairs to each table scattered around the stage.
Act I, Scene I
Marco is sitting at the table closest to center stage, stirring a cup of coffee. Lillian is standing behind the display case, visibly tired.
SAM
(walking onstage, setting off a bell. As Lillian spots her, she stands up a bit straighter)
Hello, Lillian! How are you?
LILLIAN
I’m pretty good! Looking forward to tonight, though!
SAM
Me too! The open mic is going to be fun. Have there been any new customers since I was last here?
LILLIAN
Shhhh!
(pointing to Marco.)
He’s right over there. Moodiest thing I’ve ever seen. Came in here, ordered a black coffee in this edgy voice, then sat down at that table.
SAM
Well, he is quite a looker.
LILLIAN
Do you want food or something?
SAM
(A bit distracted)
Like, really cute- Um, no thanks, I can tell you have had a long week.
(Lillian gives a thumbs-up, putting her head on the table. Sam walks over to Marco’s table and sits down.)
MARCO
What do you want?
SAM
Oh! Um, well, I was just wondering what you were doing here, at Lillian’s Cafe.
MARCO
Same as you, I guess. Coffee, pastries…tarot cards.
(Marco pulls out a pack of tarot cards.)
Want your fortune read?
(Sam nods. Marco chuckles.)
SAM
Wait, why are you laughing at me? Did I do something wrong? Oh goodness….
MARCO
Nah, I’ve just never seen someone so excited to have their fortune read. Some of them are pretty-
SAM
I don’t care, can you read my fortune now please?
(Marco hands Sam the cards, and she shuffles them. Marco takes three cards randomly from the deck and lays them out in front of him.)
MARCO
(flipping over the first card)
So here we have the past card, the eight of wands. Have you moved here in the recent past?
SAM
Yes, actually, I have!
MARCO
Ah, I thought so. Not just from your accent, though. This card means that you had started a great undertaking, which I assumed to be moving house. But -- this is just my interpretation -- it appears that you did so pretty quickly.
(flipping over the second card)
Your present card is the Hermit. Now, you see, it’s flipped upside down. When it’s reversed like that, it means that fear, concealment, and … unreasonable caution are prominent in your life around now. Hmm. Ready for me to go on to the next one?
SAM
I- I think so.
LILLIAN
Hey Sam, you doing alright?
(Sam gives a thumbs-up to Lillian, like she gave her earlier.)
(With disbelief)
Alright.
MARCO
And now, for the future. Now, this could be recent, it could be way in the future. But-
(Marco flips over the third and final card)
Ah, the two of cups. Representing friendship, love, affection, harmony, all that jazz.
(Sam quickly stands up out of her chair.)
SAM
Wow. That is truly strange. Freaky, even. It was really nice talking to you, but. I have to go.
(Sam starts to walk away.)
MARCO
(grabbing onto Sam’s arm)
Wait! Most of these aren’t even that accurate. It’s just some cards, some pieces of paper. Some junk.
SAM
I cannot believe that. The past and the present cards? They were true. Too much so. So the future must be, too. And it seems like you really care about this! There is no way you would know that much about your tarot cards and think they are just junk! Please let go of my arm. I need to get to class anyway.
MARCO
Yep, right away. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I understand if you don’t, but, if you want to talk, here’s my number.
(Marco scribbles on a napkin and hands it to Sam. She takes it and hurries out of the cafe.)
(Marco leans back in his chair, sighs, and begins to clean up his cards.)
LILLIAN
Y’know, that was pretty freaky.
MARCO
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to -- well, freak -- you guys out so much. I just thought-
LILLIAN
No, it was cool. I think Sam got freaked out so much because she really has a hard time opening up to people, y’know, because she’s so anxious about her singing career, and when you flipped over the cards, I guess she just felt really vulnerable. And… when she walked in here, Sam said you were cute, so when you drew the two of cups…
MARCO
Oh, jeez, I see. This is kind of awkward now, I can leave if you don’t want me here…
LILLIAN
No! I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong. In fact, do you think you could do a reading for me?
(She flashes a genuine smile.)
MARCO
Sure. Just one card though, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, too. You can ask a question, and I’ll draw a card and read it based on that question, does that sound alright?
LILLIAN
Sounds great. What will my friendship be like with Sam in the future?
(Marco is hesitant to draw a card.)
Oh, come on, just do it.
MARCO
(Lays out the deck on the countertop, exhales, and draws one card.)
The five of wands. Right-side-up. It represents strife, quarrelling, competition, and cruelty. I’m just going to… choose another.
(Lillian nods, concerned as Marco fishes another card from the deck.)
Alrighty then. The tower. Associated with combat, danger, ambition, and plans being destroyed.
(Frantically)
I can pull another, I wouldn’t take them word for word, I’d just say that you and Sam are going to go through a… difficult time in your friendship.
LILLIAN
A bad time?! You said cruelty. You said danger. You said combat. I’d say those are pretty portentous of a bad time. A really bad time.
(A ringtone starts playing and Lillian looks surprised)
Oh. It’s Sam, I better take this.
(The lights go down as spotlights come up on Lillian and Sam (who is standing on the other side of the stage). Neither of them are holding a phone.)
Hey Sam, how’s it hanging?
SAM
Fine. Hey, about the open mic tonight?
LILLIAN
Yeah? We’re still singing that duet from Heathers, right?
SAM
Um, I just realized that I have an acting thing that I need to go to. I am really sorry for cancelling, I know this meant a lot to you.
LILLIAN
Oh my God, Sam! You can’t do this to me! I’ve been preparing for months, you- you utter ass! Just because I say we’re friends, just because you visit me at the coffee shop, it doesn’t mean anything! I work my butt off trying to afford the rent, trying to get the vocal solos I deserve, and you just cruise on by in the dorms with your 4.0 GPA even though you transferred from Russia halfway through the year! It’s annoying. You’re annoying, Samantha.
SAM
Wow. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you’re being a real jerk. One of my classes got rescheduled, that’s why I can’t be there tonight. I don’t hate you or anything, I have to do this. I thought you could understand.
(the spotlight goes out on Sam, and after a few seconds, the lighting comes back to normal at the cafe. It is just Marco and Lillian onstage.)
LILLIAN
(on the verge of tears)
Cruelty and competition, huh?
(she leaves the stage in a huff, leaving Marco alone.)
MARCO
It’s a curse, it really is. No matter what I do, I always seem to make people hate each other. I’ve torn so many friendships and relationships apart, You’d think I’d be numb to it, but every time, it tears me apart.
(He holds up his tarot cards.)
I thought that, with these, I could control the power a bit, that there would be the slightest chance that I could pull a good card. One that wouldn’t make someone storm out of the room mad, or upset, or uncomfortable. It’s all a waste. They don’t help. If I could just keep my mouth shut. Damn.
(Marco shakes his head in defeat. The bell on the door rings, and Sam enters.)
SAM
Is- Is Lillian still here?
MARCO
Just missed her.
SAM
Are you alright? I’m sorry about running off earlier. I’m sorry about a lot of things.
MARCO
Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m the one who ruined your and Lillian’s friendship.
SAM
Do not worry, she’ll calm down in a little while. Did you hear any of the conversation?
MARCO
Only her side of it.
SAM
Calling me Samantha. She knows I hate that stupid name! I thought she was my friend, I trusted her to not sink to that level. But I guess I was wrong about that. I’m wrong about a lot of things.
MARCO
Can I ask what you did to get shouted at like that?
SAM
I cancelled on her. We had been practicing this song for only a week or so, and yesterday my private acting tutor had to postpone our session to tonight, and I remembered about the open mic where Lillian and I were going to perform the song together and. It’s all falling apart.
MARCO
You’re not a bad person. That’s exactly what I would do in your situation. I’m sorry she reacted so terribly to that.
SAM
Yeah, I guess I am too.
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