#and no I'm not talking about Alycia

[steamworksfairy]

Me: I won't draw another oc. I gotta focus on Verde fanart now.

My Brain: Let me give you a bunch of new facts about that one to put you in the oc mood.

Me: V-Verde 😭

My Brain: Just one more character design 🥺

Me: OTL

Tbh I'm still fighting my brain. Hrs's newest patch release tonight is saving me via procrastination, but it's evil how my brain gives me so many good ideas and symbolisms and plot threads for one character all of a sudden. She literally went from irrelevant but so incredibly self-indulgent to will be relevant down the line. This happened in the span of like 48 hours and I'm sitting here staring at my hands because it's pretty unexpected actually.

[butmakeitgayblog]

Alycia Debnam-Carey at the 2025 SAG Awards

[southtopaz]

PSYCHO KILLER - SCREAM

Summary: in which Iris Morris has to navigate her personal relationships while surviving a psycho.

Warnings: Fem!reader, angst, mention of blood, violence, swearing, death, Amber freeman x Fem reader, Tara Carpenter x Fem reader, multiple parts

Word count: +5k

A/n: the story will follow the events of Scream 5 and 6. English is not my first language, so I apologize for any grammatical mistake. Also I use Alycia Debnam Carey as Iris face claim but you all can use whoever you might like.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

"Welcome to act three"

Iris watched as her girlfriend shot Liv in the head while smirking. She pointed the gun at Sam and just as her finger pulled the trigger, Iris didn't think twice before slamming her body against hers pushing her into the wall. The bullet ended up hitting the ceiling as she shouted for Sam and Tara to run.

Amber tried to point her gun once again at Tara but Iris was clinging into her arm making her unable to use it.

"Don't make me hurt you" Amber grunted in rage as they struggled with each other. Iris tried to get the gun from her but Amber suddenly squeezes the wound on her thigh, making Iris scream in pain and let go of her.

Suddenly she felt something dig into her stomach. She hitched a breath as she looked down and saw Amber's hand holding the handle of a knife. She could feel the blade twisting in her insides as they locked eyes.

"You just fucking stabbed me". She choked out, her eyes fired in betrayal. The girl who had been nothing but sweet to her, the girl who always made sure they didn't leave each other without saying I love you, the girl who cooked her favorite meals. That girl was also the same one who was stabbing her right now.

"You left me no choice baby. I don't want to hurt you but I can't let you ruin everything". She pressed one of her hands on her cheek as she listened to Iris's sobs. "Don't cry baby, everything is going to be okay. Just don't get involved".

"It was you". She breathed out in pain. "At the hospital, you attacked us, you are the one who hurt me".

"You weren't supposed to be there". Amber gaze sombered. "But of course you had to be there with Tara. I had to slowed you down somehow". She took out the knife out of her body and Iris let out a scream of pain as she tried to support herself with the wall.

"She's your best friend".

"She needs to die".

"You're insane". Iris whispered hatefully at her now clearly ex girlfriend. "I won't let you touch her".

Amber had a new wave of rage engulfed her and she growled as she stepped forward and stabbed her once again.

"Stop pissing me off, don't talk about her". Amber pulled the knife out of her stomach once again and then rested it on Iris's cheek as she gently whispered. "Can't you realize I'm doing all of this for us? So that we can be together forever".

Iris didn't answer as she doubled up in pain and she slowly fell to the ground.

"You're mine". Amber looked at her. "No one is going to take you away from me, not her nor anyone".

"I hate you".

Amber looked at her sadly. "You'll learn to forgive me". She left her there and Iris couldn't do anything but pass out while looking at Mindy's and Liv's bodies.

A few moments later, she woke up dizzy from the blood loss and she tried to straighten up using the wall for support. She got on her knees and saw Sam's jacket lying in the ground. She crawled to it and once she took it, she wrapped it tightly around her stomach to stop the blood from spilling. She heard shouting coming from the hall and she thought she recognized Sidney and Sam's voice. She hurried up in the best way she could but before going there she grabbed an umbrella she saw resting beside the chimney. It will have to work for now.

"Shoot him". She heard Sidney's voice.

She approached the door just in time to see Richie getting close to Sam. "Thank god you're okay, cause I really... really wanted to be the one to kill you". And then stabbed her in the side while Richie held her up with his other hand. Sam stared up at him in horror just like she had stared at Amber moments prior. He twisted the knife inside Sam as she screamed in pain, Sidney tried to move towards him but he pointed a gun she didn't see him holding at her. "Sit the fuck down".

Before he could hurt any of them once again, Iris came out of hiding using the umbrella to hit Richie in the head repeteadly. He let go of Sam as he fell to the floor but it wasn't enough to seriously hurt him as he threw a kick at her that hit directly at her stomach and she fell backwards with him pointing his gun at her.

"You know Iris, you keep annoying me".

"I fucking knew it was you, you bitch". He stood up and kick her once again just to smile once he saw her doubled up on pain.

"You were right and yet you still failed". He was going to kick her again when Amber swiftly took her mask off and locked eyes with her.

Just as Richie put the gun threathreadly into her forehead, Amber spoke up. "That's enough Richie, we have other things to worry about".

"You see the only reason I haven't already stab you to death is because Amber put you off limits". He looked her up and down. "Seeing the state you are though, seems like she did the damage herself".

She spat at him and he fell backwards in disgust. "Fuck you".

He wiped her spit and gave the gun to Amber as she raised it at Sidney. Iris watched with tear-filled eyes as Richie pulled Tara's inhaler from his pocket, displaying it for Sam with a look of satisfaction. "I can't believe this worked," he said, tossing it behind him as he smirked smugly. "I know. It's a bummer it had to be me"

Richie then pulled out a voice changer from his other pocket, laughing manically. "But it was really the best choice for the movie."

"This isn't a fucking movie!" Sam retorted, wincing with pain from the stab wound and the betrayal.

"No, but it will be". Richie replied coldly, as he turned to Amber. "That's the point, right Amber?".

"Right Richie. Third Act bloodbath, check! Killers revealed, check! Time for the big finale!" Amber chuckled with delight as she strengthened her grip on Sidney's hair.

Iris couldn't believe this side of Amber was the real Amber she never got to meet. This psychopath killing machine. "You won't get away with this".

"I told you to not get involved baby".

"Don't fucking call me baby you psycho".

Amber chisted her teeth as she motioned to Richie to get a hold on Sam. "Now that's not the way to talk to your girlfriend". She tilted her head. "Let's get them to the kitchen".

"Stand up and walk". Amber turned to Iris as she spoke while she kept her gun pointed at Sidney, motioning for her to walk slowly while keeping a tight grip in her hair.

"Or what? You won't kill me Amber".

"No but I'll kill everyone else in front of you".

Iris slowly started walking towards the kitchen while she felt Amber shouting at Sidney to move. She needed to think of a plan and she needed it now.

"Someone has to save the franchise," Richie began, as he and Sam entered the kitchen, following Iris, Sidney and Amber. The ghostface girl had thrown the older woman to the floor near the end of the cupboard, with Sam on the other side. "The truth is, no one has made a great Stab movie since the first one."

Amber roughly grabbed Iris's shoulder and pushed her beside Sidney to keep her in check. She bounced up and down with excitement, her eyes locked into Iris, not liking the way the girl was looking at her.

"Cmon baby don't look at me like that, I'm also doing it for you, I told you". She tried to get closer while holding her knife.

"How the fuck would this be for me? You became the exact person who took my sister away from me".

"This people, they are not good for you, they don't get you like I do". She softly spoke to her as if trying to convince her. "We can become the final girls of this movie, we will be famous and rich, just you and me. No one to hold you back to this fucking city, especially not your stupid mother”.

"Then you should just kill me cause I would never be your final girl". Iris growled under her breath. “Don’t you ever insult my mother again bitch”

Amber slammed her knife into the table with such force that made Iris jumped. "You don't know what you're saying dear". She was shaking with barely contained rage.

"Hey, Amber, you want to go get the very ex-Mrs. Riley?" Richie asked her in order to distract her from her conversation with Iris just as he pointed his knife at Sam.

"Yeah I do" Amber said smiling as she hands him the gun, she was previously pointing at Sidney.

Once Amber left, Iris felt more blood spilling out from her as it seemed the jacket torniquete didn't work anymore. She gripped tightly into the kitchen table and tried to steady herself. Sidney beside her made a move to check on her while trying to take a knife before Richie started shouting.

""Hey! Whoa..whoa." Richie yelled making her step back as he approached her. "Sidney Prescott. You know...I’m a really big fan." Richie said with a grin.

"Go fuck yourself" Sidney scoffed at him.

"You see the last stab movie?" He questioned as if any of them gave a shit about those movies.

"Not really a fan of scary movies." Sidney replied.

"That checks out. Anyway, it sucked balls. Because nobody takes the true fans seriously. Not really. They just laugh at us, and why? Because we love something? We’re e just a fucking joke to them. How can fandom be toxic? It's about love! They don't fucking understand that these movies are important to people." He yelled into Sidney's face as he took the opportunity to raise his gun at Iris. He truly hated her ass.

"Cool motive, still murder you fucker".

"Richie..." Sam pleaded from her spot holding into her stomach.

"We're gonna help them! Hollywood's totally fucking out of ideas, so we decided we'd give them some new source material to follow. You know, bring it back to basics. Because that's how you make a great stab movie, Sam." Richie now turned his gun to Sam while looking at her with a dark crazy gaze. "Based on actual events".

"I don't know who needs to hear this but no one gives a shit about your stupid movies Richie". Iris shouted in his face.

Amber reappeared with an injured Gale, now forcefully placing her into a seat by the other counter.

"Gale!" Sidney called out to her. Amber now stood in front of the woman mimicking some stabbing motion.

"You did all this just to make me the hero of your fucked-up movie?" Sam's nostrils flared outwards as she snapped at Richie.

"Sweetie, you're not the hero." He said while prolonging eye contact with his girlfriend as he rested his gun underneath Sam's chin. "You're the villain. The daughter of Billy Loomis who sees fucked-up visions of her dead dad? Sidney Prescott killed your father. You did all this just to get her back to Woodsboro".

"You know the biggest problem with stab movies is? There's no Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. No bad guys coming back. But the illegitimate daughter of the original mastermind? Now that's a fucking villain" Amber intervined smiling excitedly at Sidney as she explained their plan.

"How did you know?" Sam questioned.

"About your father?" Amber laughed loudly. "I mean, it's a small town and your mom's a drunk! I met Richie on the Stab subreddit. I've been obsessed ever since my parents bought this house. We realized pretty quickly we had similar ideas."

"Wasn't that hard for me to find you in Modesto" Richie got close to Sam. "It wasn't that hard for me to fuck you, either. But I guess being a sexually available woman is supposed to be empowering these days."

"Fuck you!" The woman snapped back.

"Well, now you're just quoting the original," Richie chuckled.

"But it wouldn't work with just you, Sam," Amber smiled mischievously, turning to look at Sidney. "See, we had to bring the legacy characters back to make it matter. Can't have a bona fide Halloween without Jamie Lee".

While Amber and Richie did their monologue, they seemed to forget about her as they were too excited with their schemes. She had the time to take notice of a knife laying in the table under some red cup.

"Dewey had to die to make it real. To show that this wasn't just some bullshit, cash-in, run-of-the-mill sequel. Because our movie has fucking stakes! 'Cause anyone can die in a requel". Amber continued talking and Iris silently motioned Sidney to grab the knife as she nodded in acknowledgment. The woman lunged for the knife that was lying on the table, but Amber was too fast and she sunk her knife into Sidney's stomach in a quick motion.

Iris let out a scream and she tried to move forward but Amber grabbed a hold of her hair and pushed her to the floor. Gale fell off her chair as she watched Sidney getting stabbed and Richie was now pointing his gun at Sam once again when he saw her making a move towards the other three women.

"Sit the fuck down!"

"I'm so sorry, Sid". Richie teased as he crouched down to her. "We can't let you live, either. I mean, surviving this many times... that would just be ridiculous. This time the fans are gonna be the ones who win. That about cover it?"

"Nailed it, Richie."

"Get Tara out of the closet. We got to start staging the bodies!"

"If they move kill them, don't wait for me". Amber informed his accomplice before she left the room. "Except for Iris don't touch her".

"If she doesn't cooperate?".

Amber turned her gaze at her. "We'll make her". She winked at the girl and left the room in an excited stride.

The moment Amber left the room, Sam moved to Iris in order to press harder into her wound. She saw the girl looking paler every second they keep wasting and losing her balance. She wasn't going to let her pass out.

"You need to hold on, okay?". Sam whispered, they could both hear Gale words of encouragement towards Sidney.

"We're gonna die, Sam. I'm sorry".

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to do with this".

"Look at Amber, she's insane. I should've known fuck I'm so sorry". Iris silently cried out in fear. "I'm the reason she hurt Tara".

"You really should've listened to Dewey," Richie laughed to himself. "He nailed it in one! Dude, look at the love interests! Are you fucking stupid?" He turned his head at Sam. "I even had you convinced it could be your sister."

"Even you Iris, always thinking you're smarter than everyone else. You didn't even realize you were sleeping with the enemy". He got close to them as he raised his gun at her.

"Amber said you can't kill me".

"No, but I can still hurt you". He kicked her in her side, making her twist in agony. Sam tried to lunge forward at him but he was faster and threatened her with his gun, forcing her to go back to her place.

"Um... She's not here!" Amber's voice called distantly from somewhere in the house. Iris's heart flutter at the thought of Tara being safe.

"The fuck you mean, she's not here?" Richie nervously flickered his gaze.

"I untied her," Sam admitted, enjoying the look on Richie's face. "Guess you're not as persuasive as you thought." Iris started laughing, coughing from the pain in her abdomen, which only made her laugh harder. Maybe she was going insane.

Richie aimed the gun at her but jumped when the telephone next to him rang, its high-pitched tone echoing through the house.

"That's for you". Sam told him.

"Yeah, like your gimpy little sister's gonna make a difference. She's our fucking pincushion at this point." He grew more agitated the more his plan seemed to waver. "Amber! Fan out. She couldn't have gotten far."

"I can't find he..." Amber's voice was abruptly silenced by the sound of her scream. Sam and Iris looked at each other preparing themselves to attack. Maybe it was the adrenaline, the hope that maybe they could survive this or maybe she was just insane but suddenly she didn't feel any pain.

"Amber?" Richie called out to her losing his concentration. Both Sam and Iris took advantage of the distraction, lunging at Richie as he headed toward Amber's cries. Sam pushed his arm upward, firing a bullet into the ceiling as they fought over the gun in his hands.

The three of them fell as Sam slammed Richie's hand into the floor to try to get him to let go of the gun as another bullet was fired. Iris took advantage of the momentum and straddled Richie's hips to punch him over and over again in the face. Richie used his knee to kick her in the stomach to push her off him. Just as he was standing up, Sam bit him in his injured arm, making him scream in agony.

"Go look for Tara, I got him".

Iris rushed as fast as she could to the other room and found Tara hitting Amber with one of her crutches. Amber hit her in her broken leg making Tara fall from the pain and she quickly moved towards her and slammed her head to the wall.

Iris moved and tackled Amber making both of them fall into the floor.

In the dimly lit room, the two of them clashed with fierce intensity. Iris tried to gain the upper hand, her muscles straining as she tried to pin Amber down. The room echoed with the sounds of grunts and thuds as they fought, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Amber put her thumb in her stab wound making Iris weakened her grip on Amber's body. The girl spun them around and now Amber was on top.

"Stop fighting me you bitch".

"Amber you need to stop, you'll die" Iris tried to make her reason.

"Too late to back down now baby, join us please I don't want to hurt you". Amber put her hands around her throat choking her slightly as she tried to overpower Iris.

"So you can go and kill them all? So you can go and kill Tara?".

"God you are choosing her? After everything?". Amber threw a punch to her face, leaving Iris's head spinning in pain. She could taste the metalllic taste of blood in her tongue, she's pretty sure her nose is broken. "I thought taking that stupid letter and writing that text would've been enough to separate you two but it seems I have to kill her for you to stop caring".

"You fucking bitch". Tara was back on her feet, and swinged her crutch at Amber's head again.

Amber yelled out in pain, but she was quick to turn around and grabbed Tara's shoulder throwing her over the couch. Tara's head hit the one of the tables and she felt unconscious.

"Sam! Where you going!?" Richie's voice echoed through the house "Your big scene's coming up!"

Amber took a last look at her and walked back into the kitchen, before being dragged down to the floor by Sidney.

Iris crawled her way back to Tara and once she saw her still breathing, she stood up with the last of her efforts and moved towards the kitchen.

Amber screamed as she slipped, the gun in her hands clattering to the floor as she scurried to her feet and grabbed the knife on the counter aiming at Sidney's head taking the woman by surprise.

Iris in her panicked state did the only thing she could think of. Distraction.

"NO Amber no I love you, don't do it". Iris tried to distract her. Amber lowered her knife and turned to look at her with a hopeful smile mixing with her maniac face.

"You do?".

"NOW". Iris shouted as Sidney lunged forward and made Amber lose her grip in the knife as they sent her towards the kitchen counter.

Sidney grabbed a glass bottle of hand sanitizer from the kitchen countertop, drew her arm back, and smashed it against Amber's face.

"Fucking hand sanitizer?". Amber shrieked, blinded as she frantically clawed at the liquid stinging her eyes. Gale and Sidney seized her, forcefully hurling her over the counter.

"No, no, no, it's not my fault!" Amber yelled, her voice and facial expressions now changing to the Amber she had know for years. It almost hurt her seeing her like this. Almost . "It's not my fault!"

"Let me guess, the movies made you do it?" Sidney rolled her eyes tiredly, this is definitely not the first time she heard this.

"No, it was the message boards! I was radicalised!"

"By movie fans?"

"Yes, they're so mad! Please, it's not my fault, I'm just a dumb kid!" Amber begged, she raised her arms in a pleading manner as she looked at them. "I wanted to be a part of something!"

"You have to believe me Iris, you know me" She continued pleading.

"A part of something?!" Gale shouted, her anger escalating as Amber struggled to pull herself together. "You killed my best friend!"

"Yeah". Amber replied, her psychotic grin making a come back. "And he died like a pussy!"

Gale struck her in the face with a blow, and Amber grabbed her shoulders to threw them both across the room in a fit of rage. She shoved her fist into Gale's gunshot wound, making the older woman cry in pain.

Iris moved to attack, slamming into Amber and clawing at the woman to release her from Gale. She tried to wrap her arms around her neck to try and stop from attacking anyone else.

Amber shrugged Iris off by punching into her thigh and making her stumble into the floor.

Iris let out a muffled cry of pain as she knelt over the ground, the blood pooling out of her again and pressing a hand against the wound on her stomach as Amber turned around to look at Gale on the ground.

"I was the last thing Dewey saw before he died too. I can't believe I get to do you both!" Amber chuckled with delight. "No last-minute saves this time. Your story's over! Time to pass the torch!"

Gale took one look at Iris surprised she was still trying to fight before turning back to Amber and reaching up to press on her shoulders. "It's all yours, bitch!"

She head butted Amber so strongly that it sent her tumbling backwards towards Iris. The girl stuck out her foot in purpose, making the girl trip over it, sending her tumbling into the stove and accidentally switching the gas on in the process, erupting the kitchen stove in flames.

Sidney and Gale both rushed to help the girl stand up and they all walked over to Amber's defeated figure.

"You want to do the honors?" Gale asked Sidney.

Sidney shook her head. "This one's yours."

"No no don't shoot me please". Amber shouted while trying to placate the fire in her body. "Iris baby, aren't you forgetting something?".

A rage washed over the younger girl, remembering the game they used to play to say I love you to each other but now it just didn't hit the same. A cruel smile was plastered on Iris's face as Amber locked eyes with her for the last time. "No, I'm not forgetting anything".

She turned to Gale, who was waiting for her permission. "Kill the bitch".

Gale shot her three times in the chest making her fall backwards and since the girl's body remained covered with hand sanitizer, once she fell face first into the stove, she set herself on fire. With a final thud, Amber collapsed to the floor, leaving the other three people in the room stunned.

"Enjoy that torch". Sidney muttered.

Iris stumbled forward and had to lean on Gale as Sidney rushed to her side once more.

"You need to sit Iris". She tried helping the girl but Iris refused the help.

"I'll sit when Tara and Sam are okay". The other two women looked at each other before they each wrapped an arm around her to help her walk towards the living room. Once she saw Tara slowly waking up, she distangled herself from the women and crouched down to her.

"Thank god you're okay". Iris whispered as she rested her hand on Tara's right cheek.

"How am I still alive?". Tara muttered in confusion.

"God if I knew, I think you might be the fucking terminator". They shared a painful laugh. "Amber's dead".

"I'm sorry".

"I'm not, I hope she rots in hell". Iris saw Amber's gun lying beside Tara and grabbed it without ever thinking. She then helped the girl stand up and the four women made their way towards the sounds of fighting. It seemed like Sam was finishing Richie off.

They found the girl cleaning a knife off with Richie's dead body at her feet.

"Careful, they always come back," Sidney muttered once she saw Sam coated in his blood.

She grabbed the gun from Sidney as she turned to face them, then shot Richie three times in the body, including once in the head just to make sure.

"Well damn".

A moment of stillness fell upon them all, and then the women spun around in response to a high-pitched scream coming from behind them. Amber was running towards them with her face completely burnt with her skin melting off. She charged towards Tara when Iris pulled out the gun she kept hidden and shot her straight in the head, finally silencing the girl forever.

"You were a shitty girlfriend anyway". After she pulled the trigger, she fell unconscious.

The paramedics carefully maneuvered Iris into a stretcher through the narrow corridor.

Iris, who was pale but now conscious, was gently secured and her wounds were now attended.

As she was being rushed into the ambulance, she saw Chad and Mindy in the same situation as her. Chad had a mask of oxygen over his face as he gave her a thumbs up while being loaded up into his ambulance. Mindy's stretcher was placed right beside her and the girl had a huge bandage over his shoulder and some stitches in her forehead. They just stared at each other for a moment before Mindy raised her hand to high-five her. Iris softly laughed while holding her stomach in pain.

"Love you Minds, thank god you're both alive".

"Love you too, Ris" She smiled gently at her. "Though we really need to talk about your terrible taste in women".

Iris gave her the middle finger and said goodbye when she saw her disappear into the ambulance. A few seconds later, she saw Sam and Tara making their towards her. Sam had her stomach wrapped in a bloody bandage while Tara was walking with the help of her crutches. Overall they all looked like shit.

They both were wearing worried expression as they noticed the state she was in. Bandages with blood already pouring, stitches in the forehead, a black eye and a bandaid in the nose.

"Careful guys you both looked like someone died in here". Sam merely gave her an unamused glance as Tara snorted. "In my defense they just gave me five different types of drugs".

"You're an idiot"

"But a hilarious one" Iris winked at Tara while the girl just smiled at her stupidity.

"You're traumatized".

"Is there a difference truly?

Sam went into serious mode and laid a hand on Iris's shoulder out of gratitude. "Thank you Ris for what you did out there, you had our back".

"And you guys had mine, we are a team now".

"I called your mom, she's definitely on her way". Sam added, as Iris widened her eyes in fear.

"Oh god she's going to be so mad".

"Well she did tell you to not get involved".

"You know what's the worst thing though?". Iris sighed in disappointment. "It's not the betrayal, the blood nor the killing".

"It's the fact that my mom will literally never shut up about this like I'll have to hear countless of hours of her telling me "I told you so" because she never liked Amber".

"Admitting you were wrong? Yeah that definitely sounds worse than dying".

"God I know"

Some minutes later, Sam left claiming she needed to talk to the police so she stayed with Tara, who was holding herself with her crutches.

"You know those crutches are an amazing weapon, wouldn't want to cross you".

"I was worried for you". Tara took a deep breath as she ordered her thoughts. "You could've died in there Iris, you shouldn't have jumped at Amber like that".

"She was going to kill you". Iris steeled her expression. "I told you I was going to end whoever tried to hurt you".

"Not if it costs your life". No one was out there to hurt them anymore but Tara's heart ponded with fear at the thought of losing Iris forever.

"Duly noted. I guess next time I'll just let you die."

"You're an idiot". This was the second time someone called her that in less than fifteen minutes. Tara leaned forward slightly towards Iris. "But I don't know what I would do without you".

Iris clasped their hands together. "Then it's a good thing we don't have to find out". She brought Tara's hand to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to it. A deep blush raced up Tara's cheeks, she had to turned her head in embarrassment.

They kept their eyes locked together, refusing to take their eyes off each other and after a moment of silence the shorter girl spoke up.

"Your mom is coming... she's fuming". They both turned around to see the woman marching their way wearing an angry expression. "Not even almost dying will save you"

"Jesus". Iris was dead, rip.

"What phrase you want in your grave? I was thinking beloved friend but I kinda would be lying"

"Fuck you carpenter".

[sassymajesty]

Welcome back! 😊 let's talk about it's what's inside... what was your favorite part? (Aside from Nikki obviously 😝

when i tell you i got stumped trying to think of anything that wasn't nikki 🧍🏻‍♀️ i'm just a simple lesbian

but i really loved how they used the colored lenses thing brooke showed them at dinner to show who they were inside. during round one, when the actual windows become red? cinema 🤌🏻

the acting was also fucking solid. alycia was fucking incredible and carried the movie in my humble opinion. but everyone acted their asses off. it's a relatively short film and we didn't get to know many people, but you KNEW what body cyrus was in within three words

shelby's whole arc was incredible too. she deserved better than that goddamn imp. and watching her spit his own words back at him healed something in me. of course, my personal opinion, the best revenge would have been for her to run away with the girlie he wanted so much. but alas, we can't always get what we want

what about you, what was your favorite part?

[helloalycia]

𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 [𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄] — 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐀𝐌-𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐘

one / two / four / five / masterlist / wattpad

summary: it's four years into your relationship with Alycia but you're still not on the best terms with her parents, so you're forced to spend a week at their mansion and grow closer. Of course, it's not so easy when her dad hates you.

warning/s: none.

author's note: here’s part three, hope someone reading likes it haha. also i’m trying out a new layout for my imagines with hopes it’ll speed up putting it together on tumblr (as i copy it over from wattpad and have to format it which is annoying lol) - feel free to let me know what you think or if you prefer the old layout! :)

Four years later...

"I'm still not too sure about this, Alycia."

Alycia looked at me and raised an eyebrow playfully. Her blue-green eyes were practically bursting with amusement, and she obviously found my discomfort hilarious, as usual.

"For the millionth time," she said, and she wasn't exaggerating, "it will be okay! They know we've been together for a few years now, and they know that you mean a lot to me, so stop panicking!"

As always, I nodded and released a breath I was unaware I was holding. Despite having met Alycia's family a few times before, I was still nervous because this time was different. It wasn't a meal at night and then say goodbye, it was staying for a week and getting to know them better. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong.

Not only were her parents insanely intimidating, but they were also loaded with millions of dollars, and they didn't seem to like me very much.

"Miss Debnam-Carey, we have arrived," the driver from the front of the car informed Alycia.

Yeah, a driver. Her parents sent for someone in a car (that probably cost more than all of my belongings put together) to pick Alycia and I up. All through the journey, I had been freaking out internally and failing to hide it on the outside.

"You ready?"

It took me a moment to realise that Alycia was talking to me. I looked to her, and the humour that was painted on her face throughout the whole journey was gone and replaced with reassurance.

"As ready as one can be when they are about to epically embarrass themselves in front of their loved one's parents."

Her adorable giggle echoed in the backseat of the car as the vehicle came to a halt. "I got you, Y/N. Don't worry."

The door to my right was opened by the driver, who had stepped out of the car without me noticing. I took a deep breath before stepping out of the vehicle. Only for my jaw to drop. Their house was beautiful.

Or should I say mansion.

The whatever-it-was was huge, spreading across a large amount of land. Only in front of me I could see a white, stone-carved fountain that was spouting crystal blue water, which was obviously artificially enhanced but beautiful nonetheless. Around the fountain was a cobbled pathway that led to the front door and around the driveway. Surrounding the mansion was acre after acre of empty land, being used for various rich-people activities.

If this was what the front of the grand house looked like, how did the rest look?

I felt someone's hand push my jaw close and I looked to my left to see that humoured grin on Alycia's beautiful face again. "Don't want to catch flies now, do we?"

I rolled my eyes but smiled, already feeling better knowing that she was still the same old Alycia I had fallen in love with. Despite the millions her parents owned.

"Come on," she said with a smile, lacing her fingers through mine and tugging me to her side a little. "I'll show you around."

—

"And that's the golf course," she finished, releasing my hand and looking to me with a bright smile. "What do you think?"

Alycia had shown me around the whole of her home and it was pretty hard for me to stay sane when her mansion of a home was freakin' beautiful. The amount of facilities that she had was unbelievable and it only made me realise how much harder this visit would be.

"It's amazing, Alycia," I responded, smiling weakly. "This is going to be an awesome week."

She smiled at my response, but when she saw the worry in my eyes, her smile faded away and she grabbed my hand once again. "Y/N, what did I tell you about worrying?"

"To only do it when I'm worrying about whether there's a ghost living in our flat?"

She sighed and cracked a smile, knowing humour was my defence mechanism to hide my feelings. "I never said that."

I scoffed. "I mean, have you seen the way our doors keep swinging close without anyone touching them?"

"Y/N–"

"Like, seriously. I'll literally be on the other side of the room and bang! The door shuts–"

"Y/N–"

"–and I'll spend the whole day wondering if somebody previously died in that place or if I'm just losing my mind–"

I got cut off when I felt a soft pair of lips press against mine. It was only short, but boy was it amazing. Alycia pulled away and laughed at my expression, which probably resembled a younger me getting my first kiss off Alycia a few years ago.

"You really need to quit babbling sometimes," she said, knowingly, patting my cheek with her hand.

"Sorry," I mumbled, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "I'm just being stupid. I promise I'll act normal now."

She shrugged and grabbed my hand, leading me back to the house. "If you say so, but you can't act like something you aren't."

It took me a few seconds to realise what she'd said since it was said so casually, but when I did, I gasped and looked at her, feigning offence.

"I'm kidding," she said in between laughter. "Sort of."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Oh, okay. That's fine. I guess I'll be sort of kidding when I tickle you!"

"Y/N, don't," she warned me, losing her amusement, and when I took a step forward, she backed up. Green eyes fixed on mine and she repeated, "Don't."

I quirked a brow, resisting the urge to smile. "Don't what, darling?"

It was silent between us, her not moving a muscle as she waited for me to dare make a move. All it took was for me to step forward and she yelped before running away.

"Alycia!" I shouted, chasing after her, but damn she was fast.

She kept looking back every so often to make sure I was far enough from her, so I ran that extra bit faster, closing in on her until we finally reached the house. Running inside, she was out of sight and I immediately slowed down upon entering the main atrium.

Too uncomfortable to be alone in someone else's house, let alone a rich person's house, I forgot what I was doing and tried to swallow down my nerves.

"Alycia!" I whisper-shouted, eyes scanning the space to try and find her. "Where are you?" The uneasiness settled in when there was no sign of her. "Alycia!"

Just when I was about to give up and ring her, I felt someone jump on my back and I automatically caught their legs, holding them upright instinctively.

"Hey, loser," Alycia's voice said into my ear, sending uncontrollable shivers down my neck. She leaned down further and kissed me on my cheek.

I craned my neck so that I could see her face, only to see that annoyingly attractive smirk on her lips all over again. "You're actually so annoying. Why am I even with you?"

She laughed it off. "'Cause you love me, duh!"

"Sure I do," I mumbled, before looking around.

She had shown me around earlier, so I remembered seeing a couch to the side which gave me an idea.

"Giddy up, horsie!" Alycia shouted, whilst patting me on the back simultaneously.

I smirked and walked forward, towards the couch. "I'll show you just how much I love you, Alycia."

She didn't respond, but I could sense her confusion. I headed towards the couch and turned around so that my back was facing it. She eventually realised what I was going to do and tried to jump off me, but I sat down before she could escape.

"Get off!" she ordered, trying to escape from my weight of a body that was currently crushing her and preventing her from standing up.

I purposely pressed myself down on her even more and laughed at her helpless struggling. "I just love you so much, Alycia. I can't help but be close to you!”

Her body was shuffling about beneath me and I could hear her whimpers as she tried to shove me off, but she wasn't strong enough. I thought she would give up, but instead, she began to use her hands, ruffling my hair and slapping my face with them.

"Not–" slap, "so–" slap, "funny–" slap, "now–" slap, "–is it?" she asked between laughter, making me squeeze my eyes close as she slapped me wherever she could.

Even without turning around, I could already imagine the obnoxious smirk adorning her lips.

I stood back up to get away from her, but she clung onto me from behind and began to slap my face again. I tried running away from her, but she wouldn't let go, her arms and legs clinging to me like a koala.

"Alycia! Let–" I tried prying her off me, but it wasn't working. "–go!"

"Then say–" she smacked my forehead, "–you love me!"

We were both as stubborn as each other, so the next minute consisted of Alycia smacking me and clinging to me, and myself trying to pry her off but failing miserably. We were so caught up in annoying each other that we didn't even realise we had an audience.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat on purpose.

Alycia and I paused and turned to the left, only to see Mr and Mrs Debnam-Carey standing there with raised eyebrows. I looked back to Alycia and saw her mid-smacking my face, and I didn't look any better as I attempted to throw her off me. Oh, God.

"This looks a lot worse than it is." I laughed awkwardly, letting Alycia down off my back gently.

"Mum, dad!" Alycia yelled happily, immediately running to both of her parents and embracing them in a tight, loving hug.

They returned the hug, but their eyes were studying me up and down over her shoulder, and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under their gaze. Talk about bad timing.

"You guys know Y/N," Alycia introduced as she motioned to me.

I stepped forward and Alycia grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently for reassurance. She sent a hopeful smile my way and I felt the majority of my nerves die down. Her smile always made me feel ten times better; she had a certain power to make me feel good, and I loved her for it.

"Lovely to meet you both again," I greeted her parents, smiling nervously. I put my right hand out and they both shook it.

"You, too, Y/N," her mum responded, smiling a little. "We're glad you could join us for the week. It'll be good to be able to get to know each other properly."

I nodded in agreement. The reason I'd been with Alycia for so long and not gotten to know her parents as much is because it took her a long time to feel comfortable enough to introduce me, and when she did, I got the vibe that her parents didn't like me as much. It had been really difficult to 'befriend' them, if you will, which is why they invited me over for the week.

"Has Alycia shown you around the house?" her dad asked, seeming as if he were ready to snap his fingers and have someone give me a full-blown tour. Which to be honest, he probably could.

I nodded again. "Uh, yeah. You both have a lovely home by the way."

They smiled kindly and nodded their heads as a thank you. I internally relaxed, glad that I'd said the right thing. So far, so good.

"I'm sure Alycia can show you where you're both staying," her mum explained. "You can freshen up and then you'll be joining us for dinner tonight. We're having lamb. Sound good?"

"Yeah," I said with a nod, before smiling. "Thanks."

They smiled my way before leaving the main atrium. When they left, I let out a deep breath that I wasn't even aware I was holding.

"You looked like you were about to combust into thin air," Alycia noted aloud, an amused smile on her lips. "You okay?"

I flashed her a small smile. "Perfect."

—

Dinner rolled around quickly enough, too quick for my liking. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Alycia and I unpacking and messing about in our room, which was huge by the way. It was beautiful, though, especially with its balcony that overlooked one of the many grounds that the Debnam-Careys owned.

"So Y/N," Alycia's mother began after we had all dug into our meals and awkward small talk was made. "What have you been up to lately? You're doing a teaching degree at university, right?"

I was surprised to know that she actually remembered from our last chat which was a pretty long time ago, but nodded nonetheless.

"Uh, yeah. It's going well. It's kept me pretty busy, but I know I'll achieve something at the end of it, so I don't mind."

"Not too busy to keep Alycia happy, though, right?" her dad teased playfully, though I could tell that he genuinely wanted to know. I always got this vibe that he didn't like me as much, at least compared to her mum.

His comment caused Alycia to flush with embarrassment and sink lower into her seat to avoid being seen, though it made no difference.

I chuckled and glanced at Alycia, lacing our fingers together underneath the table. "Alycia's happiness will always be my top priority," I spoke with sincerity, smiling at the embarrassed Australian beside me.

Neither of her parents responded, but when I looked back at them, her mum was smiling as she looked between us. I wish I could say the same for her dad, but he was studying me like a battle plan, detecting whether I would make the right or wrong move in the future. And so returned my nerves...

"How is your company doing?" I asked them both, hoping to make good conversation and not say anything wrong. "I heard its picked up quite a bit recently. There was that new TV advertisement, right?"

The Debnam-Careys were rich because of their world-renowned summer camps, ironically where Alycia and I first met and she tried to pretend it was her aunt who owned it. It was their number one achievement, I had learnt, and sometimes I was sure that they were more proud of that than they were of Alycia, but I never said anything because it wasn't any of my business.

Alycia's mum finished chewing her food and nodded her head, saying, "It's definitely getting more popular. The advert helped, yes."

I nodded and tried to think of something else to ask or say, but I didn't know what. And all whilst I was trying to think, a good two minutes had passed, it being full of an awkward, uncomfortable silence. And this is exactly what I was dreading.

The whole meal was filled with random small conversations that soon ended with silences, and it was the most uncomfortable thing I had ever had to endure. So, you can imagine how happy I was when it was over.

"They hate me," I repeated for the millionth time, all whilst pacing up and down in Alycia and I's bedroom. "I probably looked like some boring person who has no interests."

Alycia sighed from where she was sat at the edge of the bed, and ran her hands through her hair. "You always overthink things, Y/N. It wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be."

I paused and looked to her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? The highlight of the evening was you dropping your fork under the table, only to drop my fork under the table too."

She chuckled and stood up, moving closer to me and taking my hands in hers. "I only did that so I could talk to you under the table."

"I know." I cracked a smile. "And I appreciate the mini pep talk you gave me."

She did that cute smile she does, where her nose scrunched up and her eyebrows furrowed together, and I felt the need to lean in and give her a small but tender kiss on the lips. It certainly took her by surprise, and when I pulled away, she smiled at me with confusion.

"What was that for?"

I moved a piece of hair from her eyes and smiled down at her. "I don't really tell you enough, but I appreciate you a lot."

She chuckled gently. "I love you too, you idiot."

I rolled my eyes playfully, not bothering to explain what I meant. Instead, I leaned in again and kissed her, appreciating the way she relaxed and began to kiss me back. I was certain I'd never get tired of her lips against mine.

—

"You're kidding me, right?"

Alycia laughed and shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not."

I raised both of my eyebrows at her, still not believing a word she was saying. "You've got to be joking! You're seriously telling me that you and your parents did this 'afternoon tea' every single day for three years?"

Alycia nodded and took a sip of her tea. "Between the ages of 9 to 11. They believed it was the key to developing my social skills." She bit her lip as she thought to herself, before adding, "Evidently that didn't work since I'm super awkward with people I don't know, but yeah."

I couldn't help but laugh at her seriousness. We'd been here two days and Alycia had invited me to 'afternoon tea' with her and her parents. Of course, they'd said they were going to be a little late, so Alycia and I got started as they'd wished.

Honestly? It was a little weird, but the little cakes were delicious and Alycia's table etiquette was a sight to see, so this was all worth it.

I wasn't really sure how Alycia's parents felt about me at the moment to be honest. It had only been two days and yet they still made no effort to show me what they were thinking. Alycia assured me that was just their personality, but I wasn't so sure...

"Oh, look, my parents are here," Alycia pointed out, her eyes on the door.

I followed her line of sight, looking to the door on the side of their house (mansion) that led outside where we were sat, overlooking one of their many well-kept gardens. She was right – her parents were here, but they weren't alone.

"Erm, who's that?" I asked, quietly, so only Alycia would hear me. There was a random man stood trailing behind her parents as they approached the table we were sat at.

Alycia was smiling on the outside as the two of us stood up, but I could see the confusion in her eyes. "Not gonna lie, Y/N. I have no idea."

I wasn't really liking where this was going, especially since Alycia was as clueless as I was, but nonetheless, I plastered a smile on my lips and watched as the three figures stopped by the table.

"Ah, girls, sorry we're late," her father apologised, and honestly, I'd never seen him look so happy in the whole time I'd met him. Something wasn't right. "I was waiting for Clayton."

At this comment, he patted the guy's – I guess, Clayton's – back, causing them both to chuckle. The guy was pretty tall, young, handsome, well-dressed... well, shit, I definitely wasn't liking where this was going.

"Sweetie, sorry we're late," Alycia's mum apologised to her, and when she looked my way, I felt like she was apologising to me too, but rather more for what was about to go down. Shit, shit, shit.

"It's fine," Alycia got out, keeping up her smile. She spared Clayton a glance before meeting her father's eyes. "I thought it was just us for tea, dad?"

Her father merely shrugged before motioning to Clayton. "Yes, but I bumped into Clayton here yesterday and thought he'd make a great addition to this event! You remember Clayton, right, sweetie?"

Alycia's forced smile was slowly being replaced with a look of confusion. Meanwhile, I was awkwardly rocking back and forth on my heels and trying not to think about what was happening.

"Charlie and Maggie's boy," her dad explained. "Remember?"

Alycia still seemed lost, and as each second passed, I was slowly losing my mind.

"We were in primary school together," Clayton spoke, a smile on his lips. "We had Miss Penny together?"

Alycia narrowed her eyes as she studied him, attempting to put two and two together. "Clayton... Clayton... wait, I think I– Clay? The kid who had that massive nosebleed in the school play?"

Clayton chuckled awkwardly, looking down to his shoes. "That was– yeah, that was me.

Alycia stifled a laugh as she nodded. "Wow, it's been a long time. I guess, how have you been?"

"Good! Good...," he said cheerfully. I wanted to fall asleep right now, that's how dry this conversation was. "I'm actually in the estate agency business now."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah..."

"Pretty big step up from primary school, eh?" I joked as I tried to make myself present, only to cringe internally at my choice to speak because literally everyone looked my way. The only person who didn't have daggers in her eyes, excluding Alycia, was Alycia's mother. She looked like she was amused, if anything.

"Erm, this is my girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N," Alycia introduced me. "Y/N, this is–"

"Clayton from primary school, I got that," I cut her off, smiling dryly. Thankfully, nobody got offended, but Alycia did send me a confused stare.

"Girlfriend...?" Clayton seemed surprised, but he overcame that pretty quickly as he smiled in my direction. "Nice to meet you, (your name pronounced wrong)–"

"It's Y/N," I corrected him through gritted teeth and a fake smile.

"Right," he did the same. "Sorry."

There was an awkward, tension-filled silence in the air as Clayton checked out Alycia pretty obviously. I didn't bother hiding the glare I was sending him.

"So, shall we get started?" Alycia's dad asked rhetorically, clapping his hands together.

I clenched my jaw as I looked between them both. I didn't think I could stand sitting through a bloody afternoon tea with this guy. God help me.

—

"...and so I knew I had to buy the car off him," Clayton was telling another one of his boring stories as I sipped from my tea. "It holds too many good memories to simply let go of!"

Alycia's dad chuckled like he'd said the funniest thing in the world whilst Alycia and her mum smiled politely. I wanted to leave. I hated it here and it was very obviously why Alycia's dad had invited Clayton here in the first place. Clayton was just as I expected him to be – rich, boring and ogling my girlfriend – and there was nothing I could do except sit and put up with it.

All tea time, Alycia's dad was asking Clayton questions about his life, whilst trying to involve Alycia and engage them both in conversation. Not once had I been spoken to, unless you counted the few times Alycia tried to involve me with an apologetic look in her eyes. So, I hated it here. And I wanted to leave.

"I've actually bought the car with me if you want to see it," Clayton said to Alycia's dad. "It's parked out front. A wonder, really."

"Oh, how exciting!" he exclaimed, before looking to Alycia. "Why don't we go and take a look?"

Alycia quirked a brow, trying to remain polite. "As much as I'd love that, I'm actually a little tired. I think Y/N and I might go upstairs to relax a little."

Yes, yes, yes. We can leave!

"I'm sure Y/N won't mind if you meet her up there, right, Y/N?" her dad asked, looking to me, before saying to Alycia, "It'll only be a moment, darling, c'mon. Clayton is a guest. We can see him off also."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but said, "It's fine, Alycia, I'll see you after. Your father is right. You should see off your guest.”

Even saying it aggravated me, but the sooner she went, the sooner Clayton would be gone and the sooner I wouldn't have to see him again.

"Very well," Alycia agreed reluctantly, before standing up. "Shall we?"

We all stood up and I was relieved when I walked in a different direction to them, instead going upstairs to our room to collapse on the bed and mentally switch off.

I'd love to say that that was the last I ever saw of Clayton, but it wasn't.

The next morning, when I thought I was going to eat breakfast with my girlfriend in peace, we came downstairs to find Clayton in the kitchen chatting with Alycia's parents. There was an assortment of muffins and pastries in a basket next to them and I instantly where this was going.

"Alycia, my dear, good morning!" her father said with a smile, stretching out his arm to hug her.

She was as confused as I looked, but hugged her father. "Morning, dad. What's all this?" Glancing at Clayton, she nodded. "Clay, hi."

"Clayton here thought he'd stop by to surprise us with breakfast," her dad explained. "Isn't that thoughtful?"

"Sure is...," Alycia agreed awkwardly.

"Your dad said chocolate croissants are your favourites, so there's a few in there for you," Clayton added with a smile, and the way he was staring at her was enough to make me want to throw up, but I simply stared daggers into his head instead.

"I really appreciate it," Alycia said kindly, "but Y/N and I were actually going to head out for breakfast."

At this, everyone looked to me and I was so used to being ignored in that moment that I suddenly felt nervous.

"It was very nice of you to get the muffin basket though," I said uncomfortably. "Looks like some... great options."

Just kill me now.

"Right... well, Clayton is going to be hanging about here today. We're talking business. So, if you're up for a good old catch up, you know where to find him," Alycia's father said to her.

"I will, dad, thanks," Alycia said with a small smile, before approaching me.

I nodded at him before letting Alycia drag me out of there. Only when we were gone did she stop to look at me apologetically.

"I had no idea he was going to be here again," she said guiltily. "I don't know what my dad is up to, but it's certainly not fair on you."

I shrugged uncomfortably. "I knew he didn't like me, but this is a little weird."

"I'll talk to him," Alycia promised, cupping my face and finding my eyes with hers. "He shouldn't be doing this."

I nodded, not sure I could do much else other than agree, and she pulled me in for a tight hug before letting go.

"Breakfast's on me," she promised, kissing my hand. "Let's go."

—

So, whatever chat Alycia had with her father didn't seem to do the job.

Later that same day, I was lounging around and watching TV by myself whilst Alycia was supposed to be hanging around with her mum. But when I finally got up to find her, hoping to join them to cure my boredom, I couldn't seem to locate either of them. And it definitely didn't help that the Debnam-Careys residence was too large for me to search without an inkling to where they could be.

I tracked down one of the staff members, finding the nearest one and hoping they could help. She was a young-ish girl, older than me but still younger than the other staff here, and seemed friendly enough.

"Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Alycia anywhere?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, she's out horse riding," the girl answered with a smile.

Barely remembering where she could be doing that since Alycia's tour had already flown from my mind, I asked the staff member, "Thank you. Sorry, what's your name?"

"Millie," she quipped, before suppressing a laugh when she saw my confusion. "Do you need directions to the field?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Am I that obvious?"

She chuckled before saying, "It's just outside. Walk past the shed over there–" She pointed her finger out of the doors from the dining room, "–and it's the one on your left. You won't miss her."

I sighed with relief. "Cheers, Millie. You're a lifesaver."

She nodded. "Anytime."

Following her instructions, I headed outside and tried not to get lost amongst the greenery. Just when I was on track, I turned to the left and indeed found the correct space where Alycia was horse riding. I began to smile as I approached, but then I stopped when I saw she was with Clayton. What the hell was he still doing here?

Her father was there too, watching from the sidelines, but my eyes were glued to Alycia who was sat on her horse as Clayton sat on his, the two of them side by side and chatting with smiles on their faces. I knew Alycia probably got dragged into entertaining him by her father – she had an inability to say no to her parents, I'd noticed. And I also knew that she didn't like Clayton like that, but it still stung a little to see them together.

Despite her wealth and class, she'd only ever been my Alycia. Nothing intimidating about her. And it was definitely more of a me problem, but seeing her like this... horse riding for God's sake, and with a handsome man who was dressed to impress and had heart eyes for her, only made me feel like I didn't really belong here. She was the daughter of a bloody millionaire and I was me. I'd never even saved ten grand, let alone millions.

And yes, this wasn't her problem. She still loved me for me. And I wasn't usually the insecure type. But right now, seeing her, maybe I was starting to become that.

Not wanting to interrupt and definitely not in the greatest of moods anymore, I returned to the house, sulking.

"Did you find her?" Millie asked, and I was surprised she cared enough to.

"Yeah, thank you. She's horse riding alright," I answered, before scowling to nobody in particular. "With Mr Sucky-Handsome Face."

Millie frowned a little, sensing my disappointment. "Is everything okay?"

I sighed deeply. "Oh, yeah, everything's great. Just having the time of my life watching some dude check out my girlfriend in front of me and try to steal her away. Nothing much."

Okay, so I was salty and it was very unprofessional of me to air my grievances to the staff, but I couldn't help it. Alycia wasn't here and I had nobody else to talk to.

"That's shit," Millie said, surprising me. "Sounds like you need to take your mind off it.

I smiled dryly. "If only it were that easy."

"Well, I was going to start baking some dessert for dinner tomorrow," she said, before suggesting, "Maybe you'd like to help? You could prepare something special for Alycia. I'm sure she'd love that."

I glanced at her. "Really? I can do that?"

Millie laughed. "Of course you can! C'mon. Kitchen's this way."

Surprised that she was offering to cheer me up and also that she was so chill to be around, I smiled a little. "Wow, thanks, Millie."

I spent the remainder of the afternoon helping Millie bake some cupcakes in the kitchen, whilst she also helped me put together a little cake for Alycia. We only got as far as baking the cake part since she had to do her other duties as a staff member, but she promised I could help with the icing tomorrow and to say I was a little excited was an understatement. It certainly did the job of helping me forget about stupid Clayton and his inability to leave my girlfriend alone.

By the time the evening rolled around, Alycia and I were eating dinner by ourselves in one of the many dining rooms of the household. It was nice to finally have her to myself, since she'd been MIA all day, though at no fault of her own.

"So, I should probably tell you if you didn't already know," she began, "but I was hanging out with Clayton earlier today."

And just when I thought I'd forgotten about that.

"It was solely because my dad invited him over and basically dragged me away from my mum," she continued to explain, a hint of regret in her voice. "I really didn't want to."

I shrugged, focusing on my dinner plate. "You can't help it if your dad makes you. It's fine, Alycia."

"I told my dad to back off," she assured me, finding my hand on the table. "He claims it's a business venture. An opportunity."

I almost snorted, but remained cool. An opportunity, sure. An opportunity to steal my girlfriend.

"I don't know what he's told Clayton, but I've made it very obvious I'm taken," she said with conviction, tugging my hand and finally earning my attention. Her eyes were searching mine. "He's nothing to worry about, okay?"

I awkwardly began to smile, really not enjoying this conversation. "I know, Alycia."

She didn't seem convinced, but clearly sensing my discomfort, she dropped the topic. With a nod, she let go of my hand and grabbed her fork to twirl her pasta. Meanwhile, I felt icky at the mere thought of Clayton hanging around her again. Why did Alycia's dad hate me that much that he'd try to set his daughter up with some guy whilst I'm right here? Talk about rude!

"So, what did you get up to today?" Alycia asked, thankfully changing the subject. "You weren't bored, I hope?"

As I remembered this afternoon's events, I began to smile, excited to share with Alycia. "Not at all. There's this girl that works here. Millie? Well, she let me help her bake some cupcakes in the kitchens. Which, by the way, your kitchen's huge."

Alycia tried not to laugh as she watched me. "That sounds lovely. So, where are these cupcakes? Do I get a taste?"

"They're not finished yet," I told her with amusement. "Tomorrow's dessert, love. Also, there may or may not be an extra surprise for you."

"Oh, now you have to tell me more," she insisted, and I laughed at her curious expression.

"It wouldn't be a surprise then, idiot," I reminded her. "Tomorrow. You'll find out tomorrow."

She sighed dramatically but nodded. "Very well. It better be dessert-related. All this talk of cupcakes is making me hungry."

"So what I'm hearing is you wanna go on a dessert run," I said with a nod, already convinced.

Her smile widened. "Hell yeah. Finish your pasta and let's go."

I rolled my eyes at her childishness, but did just that. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all and I was just overthinking it.

[inafieldofdaisies]

WIP Wednesday | This one is different and no doubt would be long but there are important things to address

This midweek we're talking about as Joseph would say, the snakes in our garden(s), or one snake, depending on how willing you're to believe those two people have just met and are so similar, that everything they do is just a big coincidence and not actual blantant stealing of ideas.

I was first faced with the accounts on Novemeber 13th, two follows at once early in the morning, I didn't think much of it, happy I was getting FC5 mutuals in my notifications instead of bots. I followed them back and got on with my day until late that night I began to notice the first patterns of both accounts potentially being run by the same person when their posts began popping up on my dash. There were mistakes, ways of behaving when posting that stood out to me and would no doubt stand out to you as well as you examine all the things I've managed to gather (I won't exactly be pointing out some tells because as far as I can tell they're not aware of them and I refuse to teach them how to scam people better next time). Months back and ever since really I've been dealing with someone I will not be naming in this post, who was consistently targeting my ideas - from stealing paragraphs and inserting them in their fic to moving onto copying smaller things once I caught their sampling, which then escalated to them literally renaming their already established OC into Sabrina once they believed I wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

The same methods I noticed within those accounts, starting with @ladyofedensgate-xo posting a new FC5 OC reveal that evening with Alycia Debnam-Carey, a character by the name of Harper Montgomery (remember that name). After the whole rename thing and suddenly days later being followed by two new similar to each other accounts, one that was out of nowhere picking the exact face claim I have for the leading heroine of my WIP gave me a pause, made me look deeper into the profiles. Both had no prior activity before November, followed the same list of people, a huge chunk of my mutuals and people I would mention in my tag list for games and writing posts. There were multiple things popping out as behaviour, posting and formatting that inevitably led to me blocking both, suspecting the person that had previously stolen from me was making a return under new identity.

Then me and some mutuals got to talking, turns out, this isn't the first time those 'two' people had infiltrated a fandom and began introducing OCs that would resemble other people's or went as far as to copy things from others. Last time they went by @little-wolf-seed and @ladyofedens-blog, claiming they were two sisters and they were being stolen from, only for both to delete their accounts shortly before the new ones debuted. History does repeat, one of the accounts (same @ladyofedensgate-xo) was deactivated by the next day, November 14, only for a new one to emerge immediately, a carbon copy of its predecessor: @angelofdarkness-things. I got a follow from them again, immediately sending them to blocked, while still keeping an eye out for what was happening.

My attention was grabbed by a Pinterest link AngelOfDarkness had in her pinned post, leading to boards upon boards of OCs (I'm taking large numbers) ready to be deployed, potential back-ups if they get caugh and have to start a new. All boards were created at the same time, with two Pinterest profiles only following each other: breannamarie1220 and alexisdawn10206 (Again they'd go as far as to make posts about just now becoming friends and AOD offering to write for Red Queen and how we should all take that offer, cementing the claim they're different people. Now, I ask: have you ever seen two different people, strangers have pretty much the exact same accounts when it comes to appearance?)

I begin looking at each board, frowning at awful casting choices and race swaps of canon characters, only to be faced with multiple names of my own characters being split and shuffled around and multiple of my faceclaims (those they could figure out) appearing as their to-be-debuted OCs. A list, that would be followed by screenshots (and just in case, either of the them decides to suddenly start changing faceclaims after this post or deleting: everything has been documented, so don't expect a swift exit like last time, or people easily forgetting you).

Sabrina Donovan | by faceclaim: originally they had Alycia casted as a Maya McCoy (last name sounds familiar? Maybe because they literally separated another mutual's Deputy's name in two to give to their characters), only for it to be moved to a Valerie Montgomery (Montgomery again. HM) in the early morning hours today.

Mercedes Sibley | by faceclaim (or what they deemed close enough to her actual fc) given to a Jazmine Stone, a lookalike model by the handle emblu was picked to drive confusion, imo.

Oliver McKenzie | BY NAME and FACECLAIM: now here it gets hilariously bad - they actually mashed Oliver with John's last name prior to joining the project (Duncan) -> Oliver Duncan (Oliver McKenzie debuted as a character in my AU of John Seed as John Duncan). Dylan Riley has been given the face of Boyd Holbrook (Ollie's fc).

Leslie Parish | by faceclaim to an Adam Lancaster.

Oakley Moore | on October 26th I announced her full name Oakley Elizabeth Moore and how her nickname is Lizzie -> Lizzie Palmer in a board. At one point they shared an edit of an Oakley lookalike , for once not tagging an OC (which is unusual for them), so I won't be shocked if she gets casted next as the 'newest OC they can't wait to introduce'.

Smaller characters that are reoccuring in my wips: Both of John's closest Chosen: Mathias Bennett (last name for two characters for each Pinterest account, one is misspelled, which they often do to claim it's not the same name) and Brother Wyatt (first name) -> Wyatt Reed; Both of John's named clients, one is Owen Montgomery (both of his names picked like apples, Montgomery again. HM.) -> Harper/Valerie Montgomery and Owen Palmer. The character that drives the AU and John is in charge of defending: Nathaniel Mooney (even listed as character on my AO3) -> into Nathaniel Graham.

I've noticed MULTIPLE MUTUAL'S OCs NAMES also being ripped off on some scale (so my advice would be to check out the boards yourself), @socially-awkward-skeleton had her Chosen OC Caleb Winters pretty much stolen: exact faceclaim -> Kaleb Rhodes (is he a Kardashian? Now, that would be an interesting headcanon.)

Honestly, at this point, a better question would be which OCs they didn't get to... and the weird creepy behavior continued with saving headcanons into boards (Mer's white dog, Oliver's K9, Sabrina's entire aesthetic, her tattoo - exactly two butterflies, which are everywhere you look - in bios, names, board titles). Having Sabrina's nickname her father had for her and would literally call her in every single one of her memories (Monkey) -> Monkey in their bio only to edit out both the butterflies and Monkey just a couple of hours ago (did you realize you're a carbon copy of your alt Pinterest or? "A strawberry shall fix it! Fool 'em.", she told herself.)

Then the situation only got worse and up the creep-o-meter.

I was notified of something concerning by @adelaidedrubman , who earlier had also been followed both on her main and side blog she uses for reblogs: After getting a strange ghost notification on an blog she doesn't even use and has no activity on, let alone that many followers, she can only see 4 of the 7 people following her. Unblocking the previously mentioned shady accounts, she gets this:

Somehow, both had discovered an account out of use and followed it. An account belonging to the person they had previously followed and been blocked by.

I truly personally believe they still watch my blog and what I post (which btw, whatever your name is: if only you put that much effort into writing your own fics and coming up with characters, headcanons and names instead of stalking multiple mutuals in hunt for ideas...).

Once I finally decided to update my pinned post on my blog with new gifs (which take hours to edit sometimes) of Sabrina, they suddenly pinned a snapshot of one of the exact same gifs to their Valerie Montgomery board. Hours later they reblog the other gif they could find and CHANGE THEIR LAYOUT TO MATCH SABRINA'S SIDEBLOG-> Alycia in the icon and butterfly in the header (my header has been up since April 25, I made it specifically for her blog). Both icon and banner are now changed, one could only ask why even select the previous ones to begin with, if not to fuck with a person you've been targetting.

Now we move onto how they describe their OCs as headcanons, who one of them loves to tag with "Do Not Steal" (Who's stealing here, honey boo? None of us that you've set your sights on have given you any type of permission since you make it a big deal to have it). Little examples in the screenshots below, they have snippets for other characters too, so chances are someone would recogize their blorbo being put in a wig and renamed.

As I'm writing this post, Alycia is still a faceclaim to Valerie (tomorrow she might be moved to a third faceclaim with how they've been behaving), they constantly change things around (despite claiming they have this clear idea of their OCs) and act like they're being stolen from by tagging everything with "no stealing", deleting posts that could make them look suspicious (including the ones I've pointed out of the gifs featuring Alycia and matching my own edits of the scene), taking claim of simple headcanons like Jacob owning a cabin and horses being ridden in Montana, while also mass-following mutuals from multiple fandoms like FC5, COD, Mortal Combat, RDR2, the list goes on and on. They're looking for a place to take root, the next person to leech from. If you're tagged in this, they follow you (and they have been picking OCs names from people they've followed before) and your content, ideas, characters identity might be next on their list of OCs they gather as pokemons. Beware and if they do deactivate after this... well, it won't be as easy to disappear this time around.

To the two Swipers that can't stop swiping: Don't mistake the kindness of the fandom(s) and its people for encouragement to be shady and turn people's happy places into hell. True intentions shine through with time, you can sense when someone deeply loves their characters and when they only push them out like they're on a conveyor belt to gain exposure and false validation for someone else's creativity. This is something you both can't fake, no matter how many times you reemerge as a new person.

In Jacksfilms' wise words, "Stop Stealing."

@corvosattano @florbelles @cassietrn @voidika @theelderhazelnut @onehornedbeast @direwombat @jillvalentinesday @henbased @madparadoxum @josephslittledeputy @trench-rot @g0dspeeed @redreart @purplehairsecretlair @laindtt @mrdekarios @nightbloodbix @simplegenius042 @aceghosts @stacispratt @clicheantagonist @wrathfulrook @strafethesesinners @strangefable @unholymilf @josephseedismyfather @shellibisshe @macs-babies

[stickseascn]

hey, isn’t that JOSEPHINE “JOEY” DAVIS-SCOTT, who looks a little like ALYCIA DEBNAM-CAREY? i hear SHE is a THIRTY-TWO year old CIS WOMAN who works as CO-OWNER OF THE CRYSTAL RIDGE WINERY who has been in town for HER ENTIRE LIFE. they ARE a member of one of aspen creek’s founding families. you can usually find them at WILLOW STREET or CRYSTAL RIDGE WINERY. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of LEATHER JACKETS, SOFT SMILES BENEATH HEAVY EYELINER, AND A HEART THAT’S TOUGH BUT EASILY BRUISED. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through!

basics

full name: josephine davis-scott nickname: jo, joey age: 32 years old date of birth: august 21st, 1992 zodiac sign: leo sun, cancer moon, aries rising gender & pronouns: cis woman & she/her sexuality: bisexual occupation: co-owner of crystal ridge winery; manages social media for the winery and the davis-scott bed & breakfast; photographer; painter

family

mother: evelyn davis-scott father: james davis-scott sibligns: tba davis-scott, tba davis-scott, harlow davis-scott, penelope davis-scott nephews: alice reeves, teddy li, tba, tba, tba

personality

mbti: ESFP-A (the entertainer) moral alignment: chaotic neutral temperament: sanguine parallels: jess o'brien (chesapeake shores), pacey witter and jen lindley (dawson's creek), brooke davis (one tree hill)

about

she’s the youngest child in the davis-scott family and often felt a bit out of place among everyone -- her older siblings, nieces, and nephews, many of whom were born just a few years after joey herself. her house was always bustling, whether with family or the guests at the davis-scott bed & breakfast, where she spent most of her childhood and teenage years.

despite her outwardly extroverted nature, joey often felt lonely. that’s part of why amara has been so important to her ever since they met in kindergarten. the two girls have been inseparable ever since, navigating middle school, high school, and college in raleigh together, then amara’s pregnancy, and ultimately opening the crystal ridge winery side by side.

spotify wrapped

stick season - noah kahan

dirty little secret - the all-american rejects

don't tell me - avril lavigne

thnks fr th mmrs - fall out boy

the middle - jimmy eat world

hanging by a moment - lifehouse

the best of me - the starting line

disease - matchbox twenty

she will be loved - maroon 5

love song - sara bareilles

i'm a slave 4 u - britney spears

like a prayer - madonna

come clean - hilary duff

bleeding love - leona lewis

like a boy - ciara

since u been gone - kelly clarkson

i hate this part - the pussycat dolls

wanted connections / plots

exes: someone from high school or college. ideally, i’d love a dynamic similar to pacey and joey from dawson’s creek -- where jo takes on the pacey role lol. they’ve disliked each other since childhood, but things started to shift when they entered high school, and something romantic developed. however, it all abruptly ended before college. now, they've crossed paths again and are trying to convince themselves they can still be friends, but it's not easy being friends with someone you once loved.

work-related plots: people joey has worked with before, or is about to collaborate with. she’s a photographer and a painter with an impressive portfolio. she photographs events, weddings, parties—basically anything. in addition, she teaches a few free art and photography classes, particularly for kids.

some kind of enemies: joey is known for her abrasive personality. she’s outspoken and isn’t afraid to defend her ideas, no matter who she’s talking to. maybe your muse doesn’t like how blunt she is, or they have opposing views. it would be fun to have an enemy in such a small town. this conflict could be something recent or something that dates back to their school days.

[lexa-griffins]

I'm hoping we see more of Alycia's white dress from that Cartier event🤞

Would babygirl or rich brat Lexa wear this 👀 Clarke would be so tempted to pull Lexa's back zipper down to free her ass

So am I, but so far nothing 😣

Oh this is a babygirl/sugrbaby Lexa outfit for sure. Classy and long while still very curve hugging.

Clarke was the one who helped Lexa zip the dress, she knows it was not an easy feat. She spends the entire night kind of playing with it, thinking about just how easy it would be to pull it back down and set that ass free from its fabric confines. Even when Clarke is talking to people away from Lexa her eyes will eventually find Lexa somewhere in a small group talking - about her charity, if Lexa's gonna talk to people you best believe she's gonna be getting them to donate to her cause - and become waaaaay too entranced in the way the zipper line curves around her ass and the way the fabric clings around her hips.... good lord, the things Clarke is going to do to that woman as soon as they are alone and the zipper is down 😳

[disabled-dragoon]

You don't have to answer this ask if you don't want to but I kinda need advice and I do not know where to start.

This is going to be a long vent I am so sorry.

I'm a minor and I have chronic pain. When I was young I was always told I had hyper mobility because my dad has it (that was a lie). I was also told that it was untreatable, incurable and I could do nothing but live my life in pain (again a lie).

A few years ago I started spiraling down disability/mobility aid youtube, because I was in so much pain and I could barely walk. Which made me have to stop ballet, and that made some of it better.

Anyways, a few months ago I went to my physiotherapist and mentioned my hyper mobility. She said I didn't have it, and did the exam on me. She also said that my chronic pain came from not sporting enough (i stopped sporting because of my pain.)

Either way that kinda broke me, because there was no explanation for anything and I was still in pain. So I went to my local doctor and she said I probably have fibromyalgia and she said I should go to a special physiotherapy (I have school and exams and I said I'll do it after I finish high school, she thought that was a good plan).

But yeah, I am still in pain right now. And I kinda want mobility aids because there are days I can barely walk. I discussed this with my mum, and she kinda doesn't know what to do with it. I just want to go to the doctor and ask them, but I don't know how to convince her.

My dad is apparently anti-mobility aids, and he also said he lied about being hyper mobile. He says he has this unnamed thing going on, and that I should do the thing his physiotherapist told him to do, like 30 years ago. For a disorder that didn't exist back then and he doesn't know anything about. As in, he doesn't even know -what- condition he has.

Oh his advice btw was to not try to find external help, but fixing it myself because that's the only way to get rid of the pain.

I'm so pissed off about it, but I know talking to him wouldn't help (he's kinda bad dad like that).

I just feel sick because of the pain and I don't know what to do. It really sucks it really really sucks.

I don't know if you can give any advice or anything at all, but anything would be appreciated.

- 💚

I don't know if there is much advice that I can give you in this situation, unfortunately. My fear is possibly making the situation worse for you, and I do not wish to do that.

I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this. It sounds awful, but it's good to see that you are trying to take steps to make things better, however difficult they may be at the moment.

That first physiotherapist was ridiculous, good on you for getting a second opinion. Waiting for physiotherapy isn't ideal, but I'm glad you have the option for the future and I really hope it helps you. You should never do exercise beyond your comfort levels, however, if you want to look into some light physio-like exercises while you're waiting to see if helps at all, I have some links here that may be useful to check out:

Justin Agustin: A fitness influencer who does a lot of videos on "beginner workouts" and gentle exercises to help with mobility. Actually, all of the exercises in this video are exercises that I have done in my own physio at some point.

Alycia Klein: This woman has the same condition that I do- Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia- and posts videos about exercises and stretches to help with muscle spasticity and pain. I know it is not the same, but it could be of some use to browse. She is actually mentioned on the official Spastic Paraplegia Foundation website as a reputable resource.

Gentle Chair Yoga: Yes we're all sick of the "have you tried yoga" comments, but hear me out on this! Chair exercise can be incredibly beneficial for those of us who simply cannot stand long enough for much else. And this video, though 9 years old, is created by the Canadian LEAP service.

None of these resources are substitutes for actual medical advice, of course, and you should never try and push yourself beyond your limits if you do try them, but I am putting them here in case you decide to look into them.

In terms of mobility aids, other than sitting your mother down and discussing it with her, I do not have much advice here. I would recommend doing some research into exactly what type of mobility aid may be best for you, and, if possible, having a trusted adult and/or acquaintance in the room with you while you talk to her. It can make the discussion easier, should you choose to do it. Also, sometimes it can be easier if a professional- such as a teacher- brings the issue up with them first so you don't have to be the one to broach the subject first.

You're going through a difficult time and it's easy to start to feel like no one is listening to you. But that's not true, and you always have a space here to vent or seek advice if you ever need it.

Take care, anon.

[alarrytale]

'Louis is more gay presenting'

He's trying very hard not to be with all this talk of 48 hour drinking sessions, wearing football shirts, saying he's 'mildly trashy' and just trying to conform to all the laddy lad stereotypes. Other celebs see this not Larry rumors.

I think he's trying hard to interest Ava Lily in a stunt by liking all her posts but not getting anywhere. He doesn't get papped anywhere in the world either and hasn't since 2020. I don't think this will change unless he stunts with someone the media is very interested in, like Florence Pugh. We can hope 😭😭

He is trying very hard. He's been trying for years, and it must be so hard trying to go against yourself like that. He's not pulling it off enough though. If other celebrities don't see it i think their PR people and management do. It's very widespread knowledge in the business that HL are gay and together.

I agree about Ava Lily. I think he does the same with Alycia Debnam-Carey (the runner up beard from 2016 lol). Neither of them would help him get much exposure and engagement though.

I think he should give up the bearding/stunting and start hanging out with celebs and networking. However i don't think that's very him or aligned with his current image. I still think that would be a better way to get him noticed, and a healthier way for him. Get papped on a yacht with a couple of famous footballers. Do Soccer Aid again. Go to events and socialise. Get a group of celeb friends that you do things with that will get attention (see Harry and Nick and their London gang, or TSwift with her possy). Go to the beach with Ed Sheeran. Go skydiving with Stephen Fry (i'm just throwing suggestions out there). I'd love for him to hang out with girls and just be friends. He can go go-carting with Florence as friends and be papped. He'd be relaxed, no pressure. The media will speculate and drum up engagement. There is so much he can do (that Harry put effort in and did) or what Niall is currently doing (ie. with Shawn Mendes).

Stunting sucks, it's a tried and tired method, and there are other ways to get yourself out there.

[butmakeitgayblog]

😳

[haroldstylcs]

So, you got my best friend pregnant, before we even got to properly meet. I'm not sure how is the proper way to this. You know how it usually goes, the brother going all manly and protective, the whole if you hurt her talk? We need to take care of that bit of this introduction. And you gonna have to pretend like I was super intimidating, maybe even tell Alycia about it. How does that sound? @pascalispunkhq

[southtopaz]

PSYCHO KILLER - SCREAM

Summary: in which Iris Morris has to navigate her personal relationships while surviving a psycho.

Warnings: Fem!reader, angst, mention of violence, swearing, mention of death, Amber freeman x Fem reader, Tara Carpenter x Fem reader, multiple parts.

Word count: 2k

A/n: the story will follow the events of Scream 5 and 6. English is not my first language, so I apologize for any grammatical mistake. Also I use Alycia Debnam Carey as Iris face claim but you all can use whoever you might like

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Reaching Amber's house didn't take them too much time and for Richie to realize which house was it, wasn't that hard either considering a party was going on. This isn't what she thought Amber refered to when she talked about a memorial.

"Perfect, your girlfriend is having a party Iris". Richie sarcastically said. "Completely normal, I mean who has a party in the middle of a killing spree? I'm aborting the plan.

Iris truly hated to admit that Richie was right, who the fuck would have a party right now?

"No, we're already here. I'll go in there quickly and get it. I'll be back in five". Sam opened the door.

"I'm coming too". Iris joined in and so did Tara.

"If you think I'm waiting out here just to get murdered, you're out of your mind".

"Look at you learning so much from the Stab movies. What else did you learn Richard?"

"Iris you're pissing me off, you know that right?".

"Yep love that, too easy bro".

Sam was the first to open the door, revealing flashing lights and a group of teenagers who were clearly drunk. As soon as everyone spotted Tara, they began cheering, and Amber emerged from the crowd to hug her.

"What are you doing out of the hospital?". She asked worriedly. "Should you even be up and around?".

"She needs her spare inhaler". Amber seemed to finally notice Iris's presence and her gaze hardened when she realized that wherever Iris was going, she was going with Tara. The moment lasted for a second before she questioned Tara over where they were going. Tara shooked her head apologetically in response.

"It's fine. Don't tell me, just be safe okay? I think it's in my room".

Amber faced the crowd to announce that the party was over, which was met with boos and expressions of disappointment. The three of them made their way upstairs as they heard Richie shouting to everyone that the party was over.

They walked down another hallway and ended up in Amber's bedroom. She let out a sigh when nothing appeared, leaning back against the door. "Tara you keep looking here, Iris and me are going to look in the other room, okay?" At Tara's hum of agreement, they walked to the room next doors.

Iris started looking for the inhaler but she saw Amber making no move to search for it.

"What are you doing? Not going to look?"

"When were you going to tell me, you were leaving with Tara?". Iris sighed, she realized Amber brought them to this room to talk, not to look for the inhaler.

"When we were already gone".

"I can't believe you had the audacity to leave without even saying goodbye, with her out of everyone". Amber got closer to her pointing a finger at her chest.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean Iris".

"I don't want to leave Amber, but I have no choice". She tried to calm the waters by placing a hand on her girl's cheek, smiling when she was allowed to do so. "I mean look at me darling, i have a black eye, a cut on the lip and trouble walking because I got stabbed on the thigh. My mom is worried this will get me killed".

"You're not going to get killed, I won't allow that". Amber sounded so sure of what she was saying, she almost believed her.

"Well you don't know that. Aside once everything calmed down, I was going to tell you to come with me". Iris smiled cheekily at her. "You didn't seriously think I would leave you behind".

"Well I don't know since you were so ready to leave with Tara". Amber rolled her eyes. "I thought you didn't like her".

"Well we finally solved our issues". Iris locked eyes with her. "It's crazy I hated her for something she didn't even know". She laughed quietly.

"What you mean? You never really told me what happened".

"Remember that letter I wrote? She never read it". She couldn't help but remember Tara's words. "And I never told you but there was an awful text I received from her phone but it turns out it wasn't her either". Amber was staring blankly at her no reaction at all. "Tara has the theory someone did it on purpose". She breathed out. "Insane right?".

"Yeah completely insane". Amber stared directly into her eyes as she said those words.

"Anyways, so we're cool now. Isn't that good? Now we can be the three of us just like we used to". Iris glanced at her hopefully but all she got was a blank stare from Amber which only lasted for a second before she masked it with a smile that seemed entirely too fake.

"Yeah that sounds good". Amber backed away from her touch.

"You don't sound too thrilled at the idea, why?".

"Well after everything with you and Tara..."

Ohhhh. She was worried. Iris quickly grabbed her hand and spun her around so she could hold her in her arms. "Don't tell me you're jealous, Freeman".

At Iris's smirk, Amber tried to wiggle herself out of her arms but she wasn't really trying. "Of course not, that would be ridiculous".

"Okay good, cause I don't care about the past, I only care about the present". Iris leaned forward so that her lips brushed Amber's. "And you are my present. I only want you".

Without a word, their lips collided in a kiss that was both frantic and fervent, a raw surge of emotion and need. Their breaths mingled, and the world around them dissolved into insignificance as their bodies pressed together, seeking solace in each other's embrace. Iris forgot about everything else as the only thing she cared about was the feeling of Amber's body pressed against her. She tilted her head to the side as Amber pushed her into the wall and ran her finger across her jaw, making her shiver under her touch. Amber smirked at the reaction she got from the girl and broke the kiss to reach lower and connect her lips to her neck. She peppered kisses along her jawline before she got to her ear. She bit down her earlobe, making Iris whimper at the feeling.

"You're mine" Amber whispered possesively. “Don't you ever forget that". She planted one more kiss to Iris's lips like she was  savorating the moment. "Cmon, let's go find Tara".

They found Tara in the other room waiting for them with her inhaler. They were heading downstairs to leave when they were startled by shouting and the sound of breaking glass coming from the living room. Tara and Iris looked at each other before the latter rushed to the room, finding Sam pressing a hand on a wound Mindy had in her shoulder. Iris wasted no time rushing to her best friend's side as she started pressing too.

"Mindy stay with me okay? Don't you dare". Iris hissed in fear. She couldn't lose her too.

"That's a lot of blood you guys". Mindy coughed in pain as she noticed the blood coating her shirt. She passed out and Iris started lightly slapping her cheek to keep her awake.

"No Mindy fuck no".

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?". Amber screamed in terror, her gaze flickering frantically between Sam and Iris, as she shouted at the blood coming from Mindy's shirt. Tara stood beside her in her crutches, staring at the scene in complete horror.

Amber got closer to them and she got down to inspect Mindy too. She then took hold of Iris's shoulder to keep her away from Sam.

"No, I didn't do anything, the killer he..." Sam stood up, trying to explain herself.

"Is she okay?".

The sound of beers clattering to the floor made everyone turned their heads towards the sound. "What the fuck?". Richie shakily said as he put his arms up.

"Richie where the fuck were you?"

"I went into the basement to get some beer". Richie shouted, pointing at the bottle shattered on the floor, his shock evident at seeing Mindy hurt in the corner of the room.

"You went to the basement alone?" Amber demanded.

"To get beer? What the fuck Richie?" Iris shouted at him as she tried to wake Mindy up.

"I asked her to come with me! She said no!" Richie replied. Panic erupted as the outside door burst open, and Liv rushed in, her hands smeared with blood.

"Stay the fuck back" Amber yelled pushing Tara and Iris behind her in order to protect them.

"Jesus christ". Liv sobbed as she noticed Mindy passed out on the floor coating in blood.

"I was with Tara and Iris, but the rest of you were wandering around". Amber crazily looked at everyone while pointing her finger at them. "One of you is the fucking killer".

"Fuck you Amber, fuck you". Liv was hyperventilating as she looked at her friends.

"Why is there blood on your hands?". Sam noticed and got into defense mode.

"What?" Liv looked down at her hands, noticing they were full of blood. "I found Chad, and he's..."

"Chad? No you're fucking lying". Iris tried to get close to the girl but Amber stopped her.

"You're the killer". Richie accused her.

"No, I'm not"

"Liv stop". They heard Liv shouting hysterically. "Liv just stop!" Amber said gesturing with her hands.

"Fuck you Amber. I'm not the fucking killer". Liv yelled back at Amber. They didn't know that was going to be the last time they heard Liv's voice.

"I know!" Amber snapped, her eyes rolling in exasperation at the argument and drama. Without hesitation, she pulled a gun from her belt and shot it straight into Liv's head, smirking as everyone gasped in horror at the sudden, shocking turn of events.

"Welcome to act three"

[sassymajesty]

Nina I know you just got an anon about alycia’s recent post, but her *most* recent one with the white dress??! I can’t believe the complete disregard and lack of respect on her part. We are all JUST recovering from the black dress— now this?! she’s wants us dead I’m convinced. Also picturing oifan Lexa in the black dress and this one?! WHEW

it's been over a month (it's been a rough time when will it end) and i think we could all die again use the refresher

i really think she should be more conscious about her fashion choices, they're dangerous. she knows we're gay and listen. between that and her posting once every six months, i swear one of these days she'll claim a victim. i mean with that goddamn white dress yOU CAN SEE HER BELLYBUTTON AND SOMEWHERE A LITTLE BIT SOUT— [blacks out]

anyway! oifan!

i don't know how, but i'm gonna weave some business trip or business meetings where they wear things like this. you guys can overlook how far from the corporate reality it all is, right? right?

because imagine lexa in that little black number for an afternoon meeting with a potential venture capital place where she turns her charm to a hundred. and clarke gets to watch lexa toe the line between talking business and flirting a little, drinking whiskey neat and looking so hot doing so that clarke even forgets the part where she's supposed to come in

all she wants to do during the whole meeting is take lexa up against a wall and see how far up she can push that dress, she wants to taste the whiskey on her lips and clarke tells her just that on the ride back to their hotel

they have a dinner meeting with someone else and they barely make it on time. lexa shows up in the hallway with that white dress, complaining about having to go with her hair down because clarke made them late — to which clarke answers that she didn't complain about that when her mouth was on her. they don't even make it the whole elevator ride down before clarke promises to keep her up all night

[helloalycia]

𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 [𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑] — 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐀𝐌-𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐘

one / two / three / five / masterlist / wattpad

summary: as you try to avoid witnessing Clayton making moves on your girlfriend, you start to hang out with the help some more, only making Alycia jealous in return.

warning/s: none.

author's note: super delayed (my bad), but here’s the final part! hope you guys liked this one :)

Alycia's parents were treating her to lunch today, so I busied myself with icing the cupcakes Millie let me help her bake yesterday, and also the little 2-tier cake I'd baked for Alycia as a surprise.

It was fun, I wouldn't lie, even though I was terrible at baking and icing and anything creative in that aspect. But Millie was great company and it was a nice enough distraction from the utter boredom I otherwise would have felt with Alycia being gone. 

"So, how did you and Alycia meet?" Millie was asking as we dyed our icing.

"It was actually at a job, working over the summer at one of her parents' camps," I answered. "Though, back then, I definitely didn't know she was the daughter to millionaires."

"Would that have changed anything if you did?" she asked with an amused smile.

I shrugged, weighing it up as I'd never really thought about it. "I'm not entirely sure... I think if I knew before speaking to her, I may have avoided her. But that would have been based on a preconceived idea that she's stuck up and spoilt, y'know? Obviously, I spoke to her because she was my buddy at the time and we got along from there. And by the time she told me about her parents, well... she's lucky she's cute."

Millie laughed at my joke. "That's adorable. You guys make a lovely couple. And you're right about getting to know Alycia. I've worked here for a year or so, mostly for her parents, but the few times she's visited and we've interacted, she's been kind."

I smiled, knowing that sounded like Alycia. Nothing like her parents, thank God.

"So, how did you end up being a private chef?" I asked curiously.

We passed time as we decorated, talking about how she went to culinary school, what she did when she wasn't baking and her love for it all. It was refreshing, especially because I'd never met anyone who did this for a living. And after she helped me not make a fool of icing the cakes, but also assisted me in decorating Alycia's, a waiter entered the kitchen to let us know of Alycia's return.

"That's your cue," Millie encouraged, before nodding to the cake in the box on the counter. "Knock 'em dead."

A little excited, I smiled gratefully before grabbing the cake and heading to the front door with hopes of finding Alycia. They were still outside, I noticed, when I glanced out the window, and then I realised they weren't alone. Her parents, her and fucking Clayton of all people were getting out the car, chatting and smiling. Had he gone to lunch with them? What the fuck? I literally stayed behind so Alycia could have some bonding time with her parents, not him.

Frustrated, I stepped away from the window and realised my anger had gotten the better of me because I'd unintentionally squeezed the box in my hand and, consequently, the cake.

"Fuck," I mumbled, before backing away from the door and returning to the kitchen.

"How did she– wait, what happened?" Millie started, but stopped herself when I tossed the cake box on the counter.

"Fucking Clayton and his fucking lack of boundaries," I muttered with irritation, before leaning my head in my hands on the counter to contain myself.

"Oh, Y/N..."

I'd never discussed anything of my feelings towards Clayton to Millie, but it was pretty evident how I was feeling right now. I thought I was over it, especially after Alycia's reassurances last night, but clearly I wasn't.

"It doesn't matter," I said with a heavy sigh. "It was stupid anyway. Just throw it out. It's basically bird food now anyway."

No doubt giving me a disapproving look, Millie grabbed the box and said, "Don't be silly."

I glanced up when I heard her shuffling about, only to see her taking the cake out the box and cutting a decent enough slice that wasn't destroyed by my inability to contain my anger.

"Go," she ordered, pushing the plate towards me. "Give this to your girlfriend."

I narrowed my eyes at the cake. "She's too busy with Clayton."

Millie gave me a knowing look. "It's her dad, not her, now go." I just about rolled my eyes when she added, "Don't be a child, Y/N."

Grumbling to myself, I straightened up and grabbed the plate. But not before glancing at her and saying, "You're getting too comfortable with me."

She cracked a smile, resisting the urge to laugh, before wafting me away with her hand. I groaned inwardly before returning to the front of the house, where Alycia, her parents and Clayton were just entering the atrium. As soon as Alycia spotted me, her face lit up and she ran to me, almost making me drop the plate as she hugged me. Admittedly, it made me forget why I was annoyed in the first place and I immediately returned the hug.

"Ooh, what's that?" she asked distractedly, eyeing up the cake slice. "My surprise, perhaps?"

Unable to stop my smile, I was about to reply, but was instantly cut off by her father.

"Oh, that can't be Millie's handiwork, surely," he said with a loud laugh. "What on earth is that decoration?" Glancing at Clayton, he added, "This is why you have to be picky with the help."

Clayton laughed at his joke whilst I tried very hard not to throw the plate at his head.

"Dad!" Alycia scolded with a look. "That's not nice!"

Her dad played dumb, then looked to Clayton for approval, which only boiled my blood more.

"Y/N, what is it?" Alycia asked, expression softening when she looked back to me.

"Nothing," I managed to say without flipping out irrationally. "Just leftovers from a practice batch Millie made." Swallowing hard, I took a step back. "In fact, I should probably throw it out. It's not that nice anyway."

Alycia frowned, about to speak, but bloody Clayton of all people spoke up.

"Alycia, your dad and I are going to get a drink, would you like to join us?"

Seconds away from smashing this plate on his head, I rolled my eyes and turned to leave instead. Storming back to the kitchen a second time, I made a beeline for the bin.

"Seriously?" Millie asked with playful disbelief. "You still haven't–?"

"It was a stupid idea," I snapped, setting the empty plate before her, before leaving to get some fresh air.

—

Not even half an hour passed when Alycia found me returning to the house after a well-needed sulk around the property.

"Y/N!" she called once she spotted me by the outdoor dining area. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I haven't been very far," I said nonchalantly.

She frowned guiltily, eyes flickering between mine. "I didn't know Clayton would be there. My parents took me out and he was already sat there at the table."

"He always seems to be present, don't you think?"

She sighed. "I know."

I lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "Seriously? Why not doing something about it, Alycia?"

She raised her eyebrows too. "Don't you think I'm trying?"

I tried not to scoff as I crossed my arms. "Well, not hard enough."

Definitely surprised by my attitude, she gave me a look. "Y/N."

I looked down at my shoes, knowing my anger would return if we discussed this any longer. "Forget it. See you at dinner."

"Y/N," she started as I began to walk away.

"Or maybe we'll see Clayton, who knows?" I said sarcastically, before rolling my eyes as I left, ignoring her calls.

It wasn't her fault, I knew that, but she wasn't exactly telling her father to back off, at least not well enough. I was uncomfortable and her parents were doing a pretty great job at making me want to leave. So, why couldn't we?

—

Dinner time that same evening was awkward as hell and I was counting down the seconds before I could leave to go up to our room. Her parents were chatting, talking about the business and Alycia, and I was staying quiet because I seriously couldn't be bothered. The only relieving thing was that they hadn't invited Clayton.

At one point, the dessert was brought out – the cupcakes that Millie let me help her make, though she did ninety-nine percent of it – and her dad felt the need to comment.

"Ah, see? This is Millie's handiwork," he said with a smile as the waiter placed some cupcakes before us all. "None of that rubbish from earlier."

I bit my tongue as I distracted myself with my cup of tea. Alycia glanced over at me, wanting to say something, but as usual, she didn't.

When the meal was over, Alycia and I headed straight upstairs for bed. I never usually went to sleep so soon after eating, but I didn't want to stay awake and have to talk things out with Alycia, not when I was still so upset at the situation. So, after getting ready for bed, I jumped right in and laid down, turning my back to Alycia who was still unchanged from her day clothes.

"Y/N?" she called gently. "Can we talk?"

I closed my eyes, frowning to myself. "I'm tired."

I heard her sigh from behind me, and though a small part of me felt bad for treating her like this, the rest knew that it wasn't fair how I was being treated this whole trip. The sooner we left, the better. But for now...

"Okay," she muttered. "Goodnight, I guess."

I didn't say anything, but the door closed and I assumed she'd gone into the ensuite to get ready for bed, too.

—

I'd hoped going to sleep would put me in a better mood, but when I woke up the next day, I was only reminded of how shitty everything had been and my mood still remained.

There were only two days left before Alycia and I could go home, but for now I had to suck it up. I still wasn't in the mood to talk to Alycia, so I avoided her the best I could, which I soon discovered was ideal because none other than fucking Clayton was back at the house again. Apparently it wasn't for Alycia, based on what the staff chatter had to say, but rather for a business meeting with her dad. Either way, it was an excuse for him to be around and I would have rather stayed away.

Deciding that Millie was the only other person here that I knew and felt comfortable enough to be around, I went to bother her as she worked in the kitchens. Plus, I owed her an apology after my outburst yesterday.

When I found her, she was preparing some ingredients for something and almost didn't notice my presence until I stopped by a stool at the counter.

"Hey," I said with a small smile.

When she saw me, she returned my smile with a relieved one. "Y/N, hey. How are you doing? You seemed really upset yesterday."

I leaned in the palm of my hand nervously. "Yeah, look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It wasn't very nice, especially not after you tried to help me with the whole situation."

"It's okay," she assured. "I can see how annoying it must be to find out Clayton is always around. I'm guessing that's why you're here now."

I sighed, trying not to get worked up at the mere mention of him. "Yeah. I hope that's okay. I just can't stand being around him. And Alycia isn't helping the situation, so we're kind of not talking."

At this, Millie gave me a disapproving look. "You can't just not speak to her. You know this is an awkward spot for her. It's her parents, not her."

"I understand that, but how about me? I'm at my girlfriend's house to hang out with her family and instead of that, they're trying to show her off to another guy right in front of me. Why do I have to be okay with that?"

Millie sighed, shrugging as she worked. "You're right. It's shitty. But you need to communicate this to Alycia, not avoid her."

I put my head in my hands and groaned quietly. "Can I avoid her a little longer? I'm not in the mood."

Chuckling quietly, Millie nodded. "I suppose so. Maybe I can teach you how to make fresh pastry."

Glad she was letting me stay, I smiled for real and jumped off the stool. "Thanks, Millie."

It was probably a terrible sign that I enjoyed spending more time with a pastry chef than I did my girlfriend's family, but I didn't care. If they couldn't bother to make half the effort with me that I was making with them, then I couldn't change that. Besides, there were only two more days left. I could surely survive that.

After spending the morning with Millie, chatting away mindlessly and watching as she worked because it was better than watching TV for hours on end, it was soon lunchtime. We were supposed to be having an outdoor afternoon tea for lunch, with some baked goods that Millie and a few of the other chefs had prepared in advance. I was stood outside with Millie after she set the table, the two of us talking by the doors, when Alycia found me.

Millie and I's conversation ceased as soon as Alycia stopped by us, glancing at me with a tense jaw.

"Alycia," I greeted, still mildly irritated.

"Can I speak to you, please?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before glancing at Millie and adding, "In private?"

I looked at her with disbelief, but before I could say anything, Millie nodded awkwardly.

"I should get back to work," was all she said, before returning to the kitchen.

When she was gone, I looked back to Alycia. "That was a little rude, don't you think?"

Alycia's green eyes stared holes into mine. "What are you doing?"

I was confused. "What?"

She crossed her arms with annoyance as she asked, "Do you like her?"

Absolutely baffled now, I raised my eyebrows and stared at her. "What? Are you joking right now?"

She clenched her jaw, unimpressed. "All you keep doing is avoiding me and hanging out with her instead. What gives?"

The audacity of her to make such assumptions was laughable, to the point where I had to stop myself from doing so.

"Wow," I said with both irritation and impatience. "You're kidding me, right?" Judging from her know-it-all expression and the patronising glare she was giving me, I knew she wasn't. I continued, "Maybe if you stopped appeasing your dad's wishes this whole trip and hanging out with Clayton all the time, you'd see that I'm bored! Millie is the only bloody person I can hang out with here!"

Alycia scoffed frantically, shaking her head and looking away. "That's hardly fair."

I widened my eyes as I gave her a questioning look. "Isn't it?! What's not fair is that I'm here to bond with my girlfriend's parents and, instead of doing the same, they're trying to set you up with a new man whilst I'm literally right here!"

"That's not what's happening–!"

It was my turn to scoff as I cut her off. "Sure it's not. Because he just so happens to be around all the time, doesn't he?" Giving her an angry glare, I said, "He drools over you, Alycia. And do you think I like watching him check you out? Because I bloody don't!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but just on cue, someone approached us and interrupted, and it was damn Clayton.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but Alycia–"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" I shouted at him, before losing my patience and shoving past him to return indoors. I didn't have to deal with this – it wasn't fair!

Storming up to our room, I shut the door and tried very hard to contain my frustration, but it was too late, I was already fuming. It wasn't fair! I didn't deserve to be treated like this! And I wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Being here was only making me miserable, so I had to leave. Alycia could stay the rest of the trip with her parents, but they didn't want me here and I didn't want to be here.

Pulling out my suitcase, I grabbed as much as I could from the wardrobe and threw it in, deciding to pack everything up. Clayton and Alycia's parents could live happily together, but I didn't care to see it.

I was midway through packing when the door suddenly opened and Alycia appeared.

"Y/N, we need to talk," she said sternly. "Not argue."

"I'm not interested," I said dismissively, throwing another shirt in.

She must have realised what I was doing, finally paying attention, as she lost her irritation and looked to me sadly. "You're leaving?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "No, I just thought the suitcase was a looking a little empty. What do you think?"

"Y/N!"

I ignored her and continued to pack, moving to grab some toiletries from the dressing table.

"Please, let's just talk this through," she tried again. "I don't want to fight."

"Neither do I, but I can't be here anymore," I said, throwing my toiletries in my bag. "We can talk it through at home. You should stay the rest of the week."

"We're literally talking right now," she pointed out, making me roll my eyes. "C'mon, just sit. Please."

I met her eyes with a hardened stare. "Not in the mood."

She frowned and then her jaw clenched and I saw her impatience shining through. "Y/N."

I was stubborn, but so was she, and I refused to let her get her way this time.

Returning to my packing, I planned to ignore her presence until I finished, and even when she rounded the bed to approach me, I blanked her out. A little too much, in fact, as I didn't realise she'd pulled out some handcuffs from her back pocket and snapped them onto my wrist, connected to hers.

"Alycia!" I scolded. "Unlock it right now."

She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Nope."

I bit back my irritation. "Maybe when you were a kid this sort of behaviour was cute, but it's not now, so let me go."

"Talk to me then," she insisted. "I don't like how things ended before and I don't like seeing you upset."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to speak to you right now and I just want to leave," I retorted. "So, respect that."

Her gaze softened. "Please."

I outstretched my free hand. "Key. Now."

Just when I thought I'd have to wrestle it from her, she sighed and gave in. "Fine."

As she patted down her pockets, I pushed my hair from my eyes and groaned inwardly. "Where the hell d'you even get handcuffs anyway?"

"Toy set from when I was a kid," she mumbled, before I watched her pat her pockets some more. Judging from the worried look she had, I couldn't imagine the news being good.

"Alycia, give me the key," I repeated, growing nervous, and she tensed her jaw with annoyance. "This isn't funny."

"D'you see me laughing?" she snapped, before checking her back pockets and coming up with nothing.

I tried to pull my wrist from the metal cuffs, but it pulled her wrist too, making her yelp, and that's when I realised she really wasn't joking.

"Alycia, are you insane?!" I shouted, already stressing because of what this meant.

"Just shush!" she ordered, though the guilt was seeping through. "Panicking doesn't help!"

I gasped sarcastically. "Sorry if we're bloody handcuffed together and I'm panicking! Because in case you didn't realise, darling, we're handcuffed together!"

"I know!" she shouted right back, before giving up with her futile searching. In a quieter voice, she said, "I've lost it. I must have missed my pocket when I put it in."

I groaned loudly, attempting to sit on the bed, but she of course came with me and I had to remain standing.

"Look, let's just go back downstairs and retrace my steps," she said hopefully. "It'll show. And if not, there's gotta be some tools somewhere."

I stayed quiet, not wanting to snap at her even more when I was already pissed off and she was the last person I wanted to be handcuffed to right now. Instead, I let her lead me downstairs and around the living room and old playroom, with hopes of finding the key on the floor somewhere. But we searched everywhere and there was nothing. Not wanting to give up, Alycia assured me we might be able to find some tools in the shed outside. But of course, it was just our luck when there was nothing there either.

"No offence, but you're terrible at this," I told her bitterly, before flagging down the pool boy who was nearby. "Hey, mate, are you alright to give us a hand? Alycia over here has handcuffed us together and we need something to unlock it with."

The pool boy, more of a man in all fairness, glanced at our handcuffed wrists. "Have you tried the key?"

I closed my eyes, containing my constant frustration that didn't seem to leave me today. Thankfully, Alycia responded so I wouldn't have to.

"We lost the key. We were thinking something like a screwdriver or a hammer. Anything else, really."

"Hmm...," he thought to himself. "I'm not sure about the wrist part, but I can definitely separate you by chopping the chain with a butcher's knife."

How hadn't I thought of that? It was genius!

"Yes!"

"No!"

I blinked, looking to Alycia. "I'm sorry?"

"Y/N, are you insane?" Alycia asked with disbelief. "That's so dangerous! What if he missed?!"

I opened my mouth, stunned. "Are you– are you kidding me right now, Alycia? Insane? You bloody handcuffed us together! The only insane one here is you!"

Taking that as his cue to leave, the pool boy turned on his heel and left Alycia and I to bicker.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, not even attempting to disguise her annoyance anymore. "Sorry if I had to take extreme measures to talk to my girlfriend!"

"I said I would talk about it back home!" I reminded her, before yanking our wrists towards me. "Now c'mon! I don't want to be handcuffed to you any longer!"

"I said no!" she said, yanking me back as I attempted to walk away.

Frowning, I pulled her towards me. "We're using the knife, dammit!"

"I said no!" she repeated firmly, yanking me back towards her.

"Alycia!"

"No!"

"We're going to the–!"

"You're not listening–!"

"Alycia–!"

And before either of us knew it, she'd yanked me too hard, enough for me to go tumbling right into her and knocking us both into the pool. The cold water shocked the anger right out of me and I immediately tried to resurface, gasping for air. I made sure Alycia was okay beside me, momentarily stunned, and when she was pushing her wet hair from her eyes, the realisation settled in and my anger returned.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I shouted.

"Me? You're the one who fell into me!"

Swallowing hard, I began to swim to the stairs. Thankfully, she got the hint, and we both returned to our room dripping wet.

"We'll go to the garage in town first thing in the morning when it opens," she suddenly said when we were stood there making a mess on the carpet. "They'll have tools."

I resisted the urge to glare at her. This was probably the biggest fight we'd ever had and, right now, I hated her.

"I'm showering," I said without giving her much choice. "Come on."

Yanking her into the ensuite, I shut the door and grabbed a towel, mumbling to myself, "I'd have a bath but I can't because tweedledum is handcuffed to me..."

"I'm not stopping you," she said defensively. "Go for it."

I glanced at her, trying to see if she was joking, but when she wasn't, I thought what the heck? I deserved a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Though preferably one that didn't include her. Unfortunately, I couldn't manage that, but I could still have the bath, so I filled it up as I undressed and forced her to sit on the edge of the tub, look at the door and be quiet. Being Alycia, however, she couldn't manage that, and she was nonstop talking about how she didn't like Clayton or what her dad was up to or anything about this week so far. And I'd finally had enough.

"Alycia!" I snapped, opening my eyes. "The whole point of this is for me to relax. Be quiet, please."

She sighed, but thankfully listened, and I closed my eyes again, trying to forget that she was attached at the wrist and sat on the edge of my supposed-to-be relaxing bubble bath. Just when I thought I was doing better, she suddenly moved, making me open my eyes, and then I saw her jump into the bath with me, sitting opposite me and with her clothes still on.

Widening my eyes, I looked to her. "Alycia!"

"I'm sorry," she said with a pained voice, ignoring my shock and her current situation. "I know I need to do more. This week hasn't been fair on you. But my dad doesn't listen and I don't know what else to say. I don't mean to appear ignorant. I care about you, Y/N, so fucking much."

The sincerity in her voice was convincing enough, but I was still staring at the fact that she was soaking wet and fully clothed in the bath with me.

"Say something," she pleaded.

"You're wearing clothes?" I said with disbelief.

She rolled her eyes. "Forget that. Just talk to me. Please."

Despite the stupidity of everything, it was the distraction I needed to finally tell her how I was feeling. I hesitated, not planning to do it whilst sat naked before her in a bubble bath, but she clearly wasn't going to leave, so it was now or never.

"I've tried to be respectful, but your parents don't like me, Alycia," I started, meeting her eyes. "I can't stay here any longer whilst they do what they're doing. I just want to go home. This whole week has been a train wreck."

She sighed dragging her hand down her face. "I know."

I sighed too, looking down with embarrassment. "I know you don't like Clayton. But seeing him with you doesn't feel good. It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't help it if I feel jealous sometimes. Especially when I'm here because of you. I don't know. It just sucks."

She rested her cuffed hand on mine, rubbing her thumb gently. "I feel the same with you and Millie. And it wasn't fair of me to accuse you of anything. I was just pissed because you already hated me and she was making you smile and I got stupidly jealous."

I frowned, meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry to make you feel like that. I don't hate you, Alycia. I've just been upset. I'm not usually the jealous type and it got ugly."

"You're not," she agreed. "Neither am I. I guess this whole trip has just pulled us apart, huh?"

I hummed in agreement, leaning on the side of the tub with my elbow. I didn't know where to go with this. Her dad wasn't listening and that couldn't be changed. So, now what?

"I love you," she said, earning my attention. "I want to make things right. And that starts with you being comfortable. So, we'll leave tomorrow."

"It's your family, we can't just leave."

She lifted a brow. "Wanna bet?"

I gave her a knowing look. "Alycia. No. Look, I'll go. You stay. I'll see you back home in a few days."

"I'm not staying without you, and you don't want to stay, so we go together," she insisted, moving closer to me, unbothered by the fact that she was chest deep in water. "Besides, I don't really want to stay either. Not when my girlfriend is being shit on time and time again."

That was all I'd wanted to hear, selfishly enough.

"You're sure?" I asked. "I'll stay if you really want me to. And I won't sulk."

She cracked a smile. "I'm sure, love. We've been here long enough."

I nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Alycia."

"Thank you," she corrected. "For being so patient."

I gave her a small smile, before nodding to her clothes. "Take them off, idiot. You've already made a mess from jumping in here."

She laughed, pulling off her clothes whilst still in the water, only making a further mess of water on the floor. I rolled my eyes but gladly pulled her towards me, struggling at first but managing to keep her between my legs and hold her tight.

"Sorry, I was jealous," I mumbled into her shoulder.

She kissed my cheek and leaned back. "Me, too. And I'm sorry I couldn't try the cake you made me. It looked really nice."

I sighed. "No, it didn't."

She began to smile, her body moving slightly as she held in a laugh. "Yeah, no, it didn't."

I squeezed her playfully, making her laugh properly, and refused to let go.

[alyciaacosta]

closed starter for @reyhansayar at half moon bakery & cafe.

Reyhan was the first breathe of LA air Alycia had breathed since being kidnapped to Half Moon Bay at the start of the year. After a morning of hot yoga and now gossiping in a coffee shop, overpriced espresso in hand, Aly almost forgot where she was. The hells-cape that was a small, Norcal town, with nothing of promise for miles upon miles aside from the beautiful woman who sat across from her. Not someone Aly would call friend, although there were few she'd ever call that. No, she didn't really do friends, rather pawns or people she could use as a means to an end. It wasn't any different today. Aly was bored out of her fucking skull, and Rey was the first interesting, well dressed person she'd seen since leaving the LA city limits.

"...so I'm either going to divorce him or kill him. I haven't decided which is more cost effective yet."

Aly was talking about her husband. The bane of her existence as all of LA county knew by her countless, public affairs. For awhile, Aly was even sleeping with a couple different celebrities and was a favorite topic in TMZ. An heiress running wild, but she was more than that. A brilliant, titan in her industry. The future heir of the conglomerate, The Acosta Group, whether her father would admit to it or not. It was only a matter of time before she ceized his crown.