#college student missing france | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

whencartoonsruletheworld · 2 months ago

Text

Hey so like many of you, I saw that article about how people are going into college having read no classic books. And believe it or not, I've been pissed about this for years. Like the article revealed, a good chunk of American Schools don't require students to actually read books, rather they just give them an excerpt and tell them how to feel about it. Which is bullshit.

So like. As a positivity post, let's use this time to recommend actually good classic books that you've actually enjoyed reading! I know that Dracula Daily and Epic the Musical have wonderfully tricked y'all into reading Dracula and The Odyssey, and I've seen a resurgence of Picture of Dorian Gray readership out of spite for N-tflix, so let's keep the ball rolling!

My absolute favorite books of all time are The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Classic psychological horror books about unhinged women.

I adore The Bad Seed by William March. It's widely considered to be the first "creepy child" book in American literature, so reading it now you're like "wow that's kinda cliche- oh my god this is what started it. This was ground zero."

I remember the feelings of validation I got when people realized Dracula wasn't actually a love story. For further feelings of validation, please read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. There's a lot the more popular adaptations missed out on.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is an absolute gem of a book. It's a slow-build psychological study so it may not be for everyone, but damn do the plot twists hit. It's a really good book to go into blind, but I will say that its handling of abuse victims is actually insanely good for the time period it was written in.

Moving on from horror, you know people who say "I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down"? That was me as a kid reading A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Picked it up while bored at the library and was glued to it until I finished it.

Peter Pan and Wendy by JM Barrie was also a childhood favorite of mine. Next time someone bitches about Woke Casting, tell them that the original 1911 Peter Pan novel had canon nonbinary fairies.

Watership Down by Richard Adams is my sister Cori's favorite book period. If you were a Warrior Cats, Guardians of Ga'Hoole or Wings of Fire kid, you owe a metric fuckton to Watership Down and its "little animals on a big adventure" setup.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was a play and not a book first, but damn if it isn't a good fucking read. It was also named after a Langston Hughes poem, who's also an absolutely incredible author.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a book I absolutely adore and will defend until the day I die. It's so friggin good, y'all, I love it more than anything. You like people breaking out of fascist brainwashing? You like reading and value knowledge? You wanna see a guy basically predict the future of television back in 1953? Read Fahrenheit.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are considered required reading for a reason: they're both really good books about young white children unlearning the racial biases of their time. Huck Finn specifically has the main character being told that he will go to hell if he frees a slave, and deciding eternal damnation would be worth it.

As a sidenote, another Mark Twain book I was obsessed with as a kid was A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Exactly what it says on the tin, incredibly insane read.

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin is a heartbreaking but powerful book and a look at the racism of the time while still centering the love the two black protagonists feel for each other. Giovanni's Room by the same author is one that focuses on a MLM man struggling with his sexuality, and it's really important to see from the perspective of a queer man living in the 50s– as well as Baldwin's autobiographical novel, Go Tell it on the Mountain.

Agatha Christie mysteries are all still absolutely iconic, but Murder on the Orient Express is such a good read whether or not you know the end twist.

Maybe-controversial-maybe-not take: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a good book if you have reading comprehension. No, you're not supposed to like the main character. He pretty much spells that out for you at the end ffs.

Animal Farm by George Orwell was another favorite of mine; it was written as an obvious metaphor for the rise of fascism in Russia at the time and boy does it hit even now.

And finally, please read Shakespeare plays. As soon as you get used to their way of talking, they're not as hard to understand as people will lead you to believe. My absolute favorite is Twelfth Night- crossdressing, bisexual love triangles, yellow stockings... it's all a joy.

and those are just the ones i thought of off the top of my head! What're your guys' favorite classic books? Let's make everyone a reading list!

#literature #classic books #classic literature #classic lit #mine

1K notes · View notes

bronva · 2 years ago

Text

American college student missing in France

The FBI has joined the investigation into an American college student who went missing in France. Ken DeLand, a student at St. John Fisher University in New York, hasn’t been in contact with his parents in weeks. His parents said that’s unusual for their son.

View On WordPress

#american #cbs #college #france #missing #news #student

0 notes

saetoru · 2 years ago

Note

Rich boy reo in college sounds so cute!!! Because you're probably his first real love (and maybe even his first partner), and he would literally buy the world from you,(also, he probs doesn't have an idea how normal, healthy relationships work bc all of his sources come from like, super stereotyped and cliche media about how girls love expensive things, jewelry and money and shoes). And I picture his first real date with you is not at a fancy five star restaurant , but rather something like instant fire noodles ramen outside a conbini, so he's a little bit unsure, y'know this man has a personal chef at home cooking all kinds of extravagant food, until he actually tastes it and now he's addicted to the "broken collage student" diet. He's just so glad to experience new thing with you, even if they might seem mundane to you.

✩ ‧₊˚ ✩。SWEETS — MIKAGE REO.

✩ — contents ⋮ introducing to you all: college au! rich boy! reo as your boyfriend—this time in your adventures, he tries a powdered donut for the first time

✩ — note ⋮ if you’ve been around for rb! gojo, you know the drill ;) also nonnie ty for the ask it was so cute

“what is that?” he asks, unsure. you look at him like he’s grown two heads.

“it’s a powdered donut, reo,” you raise a brow, “have you never seen one?”

“who powders donuts?” he tilts his head. it’s a bit cute, the slight pout on his face as he tries to decipher your odd little snack, the crinkle of his brow as he thinks deeply. “what’s it filled with?”

“nothing. i don’t like jelly donuts.”

“jelly?” he gapes, “just what do they feed you?”

“what do they feed you?” you ask incredulously. he shrugs, thinking about it deeply like it’s something he can’t hope to list all in one go.

“whatever my pastry chef makes, i guess,” he hums, “my dad had this one come from france once, and he made these—”

“eat this,” you hand him the donut, cutting him off as you purse your lips. “you’re not normal until you do.”

“my mom says those are bad for you,” he says like some kind of know-it-all kid—you suppose in a way, he is. “she says processed foods are not good for—”

“reo,” you say with a roll of your eyes, “your mom doesn’t love you if she doesn’t want you to have a powdered donut.”

“hey,” he pouts, “that’s not true. she’s just looking out for me—”

“just a bite,” you insist, holding it out to him as he eyes it like it’s poison in your hand, “i’ll even feed you,” you tease, reaching to pinch his cheek.

he grumbles, swats your hand away as he blushes and huffs a little at your smug grin—but ultimately, he caves, leaning forward and taking a small, hesitant bite of the confectionery in your hand.

the reaction is just what you expect: he chews, then he furrows his brows, and then he looks at you incredulously. you smile at him with a knowing look on your face as he snatches the last few bites of your donut from your hand—you can’t even be mad that he’s stolen your snack.

“why did my mother never let me have these?” he whines, “i’ve been missing out my whole childhood.”

“i’m sure you were doing just fine with private pastry chefs from france, baby,” you snort, reaching to thread your fingers through his hair as his head rests on your shoulder.

“nuh uh, they’re not like these,” he holds up his (your) nearly gone donut for emphasis, “these taste like pure sugar. i love it.”

“yeah they’re great,” you chuckle, “welcome to the lower class.”

“shut up,” he huffs, shuffling closer to you as press a kiss to his forehead, “you’re not lower class to me. you’re the classiest, most elegant, most priceless—”

“even in my coffee stained sweats?”

“especially in those,” he nods, “i’d never seen such artistically placed stains before. i was mesmerized.”

“oh good,” you giggle, hearing his quiet laugh ring next to you as he looks up and gives you a soft grin. you lean in, pressing another gentle kiss to his forehead as he closes his eyes and hums.

“thanks,” he mumbles, making you raise a brow in question.

“for…?”

“for letting me experience that,” he shrugs, a bit shy as he stares down at his lap.

reo’s always been a bit out of place. he’s always been the kid with the twisty crayons and mechanical pencils that the other kids stared at jealously. he’s always worn the brands no one can even pronounce as everyone around him went shopping together. he’s always eaten freshly packed lunch with a balanced nutrition while everyone else got soda from the vending machines.

a part of you feels bad for reo, feels a small bit of sympathy for the way he never really knows what to say or what to add in a conversation he can’t really relate to. you always watch him trip over his words when people complain about insane gas prices and the way eggs do not need to be that much per dozen.

so you smile warmly, grab his hand and lace your fingers as you grin, “experience a powdered donut?” you tease, making him huff, “oh, baby, wait till you hear about cupcakes.”

“i’ve had cupcakes,” he says indignantly, turning away from you with a pout.

“not the kind with cheap sprinkles,” you hum. “you’ll love them.”

something tells him he will, that here—with his head on your shoulder and your fingers in his hair, with store brought sweets that his mother would have heart failure seeing—here he’s just a guy, a normal guy who’s in love and that’s all there is to it.

“i love you,” he says quietly.

you smile, lean down and press a kiss to his mouth as you teasingly lick off the small bit of powdered sugar on his lips. “yeah, i love you too,” you hum, “but i would love it more if you didn’t steal my snacks next time.”

i lub him :( *holds reo in one arm and satoru in the other* these are my rich and spoiled lil pumpkins :(

#rich boy! reo #teepods.writings #drabbles.#reo x reader #reo x you #reo x y/n #reo fluff #blue lock x you #blue lock x reader #blue lock fluff #bllk x reader #bllk x you #bllk fluff #mikage reo x reader #mikage reo x you #mikage reo fluff

1K notes · View notes

constantinerkives · 1 year ago

Text

Million Dollar (Wo)Man // teaser, (M)

PAIRING: Hotel Magnate! Yoo Jimin x Fem! Reader WARNINGS: Sugar Mommy AU, college AU, age gap, OC is in her final year of college while YJM is 34, profanity, strangers to paramours, Chopard and Cannes Film Festival Karina, good lord. OC has a slight crush on the dean lmao. OC short-circuits when pretty, older women talk to her, smut, more warnings to come SYNOPSIS: Money in exchange for companionship? Why not! If only she wasn't the dean's half-sister. Yikes.

"Excuse me, miss," Your ears perk upon hearing an unfamiliar deep yet feminine voice. Sultry and alluring. "But have you seen Joohyun?"

Joohyun? Your brows furrow. How can someone say the dean's name so casually?

You turn in the direction of the stranger, and your eyes subtly widen at the sight of the towering beauty behind you. Your eyes take in her appearance. Her long black hair was styled; slid back, allowing you to have a good glimpse at her smooth, fair countenance, familiar doe-shaped eyes framing those sharp, intelligent hazel-colored crevices. You mentally pick your jaw from the floor.

"Joohyun?" Your voice came out as a squeak, and you fought the urge to palm your face. "You mean our dean?"

A playful grin curls on her plump lips, "Yes," Her hazel-colored eyes scour your features, "And my," She purrs, "Aren't you a beauty?" Your cheeks warmed as the woman continued: "I should count myself lucky for asking a pretty girl like you." A subtle shade of pink dust your cheeks as you clear your throat softly, "Thank you," You muse as you shift your weight from one foot to another. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for-"

"Karina," Your posture straightens upon hearing her authoritative voice. Irene takes a stand beside you. Her face turns in your direction with slight surprise before she regains her calm countenance and returns her gaze to the said stranger: Karina.

"I see that you've met one of my students," The dean gestures a hand towards the raven-haired beauty. "Y/N, meet my..." She trails off before Karina's lips release a deep chuckle, shivers run down your spine, and your stomach churns at the sound. "Don't be shy now, Hyunnie."

Hyunnie?

Karina holds out her hand for you to shake, "I'm Karina Bae, her half-sister. And you are?"

Half-sister?

That explains the familiar features, and if you have to compare the two of them by age, Karina seems to be ten years younger than the older woman next to you. But still, both women are drop-dead gorgeous. They won the battle of genes.

"Seol Y/N," You reply in a trance as you reach to shake her hand, expecting a handshake, but she surprises you by bringing it up to brush her mouth against your knuckles, a shock traveling up your arm at the contact. Her eyes never leave yours, and you hold your breath, afraid you'll do something embarrassing if you do. Hopefully, your face doesn't show how the action flustered you. You gawk at her as she releases your hand.

"A pleasure, Y/N." Your body glows at the way her tongue smoothly caresses your name. It's embarrassing how quick you are to succumb to the younger Bae. You instinctively look away from her raving eyes as the dean clears her throat.

"Easy, Karina." The dean chides, "She's my student,"

A heart-throbbing smile graces Karina's lips, "Anyways," She raises a paper bag. Was she holding something all this time? How come you didn't notice? "As you can see, sister. I just returned from France," The hazel-eyed beauty hands it to her, "And I bought a present."

You eye the two of them, feeling as though you're intruding on a moment between the siblings. Irene's lips curl upwards and takes the paperbag, "You shouldn't have, Karina. Is that why you came here?"

"Of course," Karina grins, "I can't come back to my alma mater empty-handed now, can I?"

"Thank you, Karina."

The latter merely hums in reply, "I'll get going now. There's no need for me to stay if a party lacks drinks." She grins while Irene rolls her eyes. "It's protocol,"

"Sure," Karina turns to you, "Take care, Miss Seol."

Perhaps she was waiting for you to hold your hand out again, but your brain decided that risking another touch from this gorgeous woman would have undesirable consequences. A wave sufficed for now.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Karina."

You were wrong. Karina doesn't even have to touch you to get you woozy. Her wolfish smirk was enough to make your knees wobble. She departs, leaving your eyes to follow her lithe physique.

COMING SOON!

#karina x reader #aespa x reader #female reader #kpop oneshots #kpop imagines #yoo jimin #yoo jimin x reader #constantinewrites #karina smut

385 notes · View notes

attn-pls1 · 6 months ago

Text

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐝𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐑

Université Marie Anastasie Labelle (UMAL) is an international college in Paris, France founded in 1949 by a French scientist of the same name. Labelle loved traveling and seeing the world and in her old age used her wealth to transform her estate into a safe haven for foreign learners.

Named the number one college in France, UMAL offers thousands of courses on a variety of topics and encourages student connections with over 100 clubs to join. UMAL features a lively school culture with a majority of students living in dorms and a multitude of stores and restaurants throughout campus.

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 -- Visuals

Classrooms :

Hallways :

Library :

Soccer Field :

Yes the soccer field is important I scripted someone was on the team 😋

I feel like I'm missing something so I might update this later but I mainly wanted to finish this so I could get to the character profiles 🤷‍♂️

Sorry if this school is too americanized I don't know much about French colleges and was referencing the college pamphlets I have 🙃

°•°☆°•°

#miraculous shifting #shifting antis dni #reality shifting #realityshifting #shiftblr #desired reality #shifting community #shifting script

33 notes · View notes

writing-whump · 9 months ago

Note

Been here for a while, enjoying your fics. ❤️

Could you consider to write something including post - concussion emeto? Maybe with Matthew, because who else would be hit 😅

Greetings,

Hello A.! I'm so happy you are enjoying yourself, that's super sweet! ❤️ Thank you so much for the request! Ran away from me a little but includes what you wanted :D I'm very honoured.

This one's crying, the other's sick

Seline is upset and crying. Matthew comforts her, when it turns out he came home with a concussion.

There will be no direct trains because of construction work. You can take the bus and the train connection, but we can't guarantee your way if either is delayed.

Just great. Exactly what she needed for the travel home to see her parents.

Seline knew she was freaking out for no reason. This fact didn't make it any easier to not do it.

Her life has always been divided into two places. Bratislava and Vienna. Home and school, parents and friends, Slovak and German.

She knew and her parents knew that her life was heading into the direction of Vienna - more money, more prestige, the use of languages. Slovakia was a nice home, but everyone who had any sense, ambition and knew just a bit of English moved out for college and never returned.

But Seline doubted as many people had such a good relationship with their parents. That's why she wasn't moving out even after 10 years of travelling. She even felt sorry for all her classmates and colleagues, many of which had to move to Vienna at 18 for university. Without parents and roots and childhood friends. Independence and adult responsibilities. Or were they proud of it? Was it a good thing they couldn't be children for that long?

When she asked her friends from countries farther away, like Bulgaria or Italy, they said it was fine. That they couldn't imagine living with their parents again or still. That it was nice to live alone.

Maybe they just didn't like being around them as much as Seline. Having such close relationship with your own mother was from what Seline could see, quite the exception. Her mother was her most trusted friend, her confidante, her idol and advisor. Seline's friends didn't call their mothers for two hours a day and they didn't visit every weekend and they didn't...

Seline wouldn't have moved out if it wasn't for the fights with her younger brother. And because she got good work at the university as an assistant, but that was running out. Every year was a risk of not getting the contract prolonged. She considered studying another master degree, cause as long as she was a student, they were more likely to keep her. Graduated non-students were more expensive because of taxes. PhD students were the most risky, cause they go no funding without an actual job at a project or faculty. And those were all temporary, only for a limited amount of years. Not to mention the law in Austria that you couldn't work at the same university more than 8 years on temporary contracts, which was supposed to protect university staff. Except the universities, instead of employing people without temporary contracts, didn't employ them at all, until they came with a few years of foreign experince. Go for a two years to England. Or France. Or anywhere else. Uproot yourself and maybe we will get you back.

Very family friendly.

So it somehow happened that Thursday morning she found out that her train for Friday to visit her parents would take 1.30h instead of 50 minutes and because the bus could be late and the train that you should change after wouldn't wait in the case it was, meant she would be straned somewhere in Parndorf.

So she would have to take the train before, that was direct and safe, which meant she would travel for an hour earlier, miss the connection she would have if the train were normal, wait two hours at the main station in Bratislava to get to her parents house. Her house. Whatever it was.

This would normally not anger her to the point of tears, but it was about a week before her period, so PMS was hitting her hard.

She didn't want to go to the train sooner. Or wait at the station because she missed the direct beautiful train that would get her to the home town near Bratislava.

She could take a taxi and pay more. Or take her own car. But Seline hated driving. It was stressful and fearsome and horrible responsibility and each bigger car or faster driving car made her jump in her seat in deadly fear. Her father would scoff at her for being so panicked about it. That she should drive more to get rid of it.

Well. Because of the fear, her main goal was not to drive.

Either with time with the train, with money with the taxi or with effort and nerves with the car. Nothing was for free.

She left her car at her parents anyway. Didn't need it in Vienna with all their great public transport connections. It was a relief she didn't gave to consider going with a car and no one could guilt her into using it.

She had two roomates who liked driving and cars. But she couldn't exactly ask them for a 1 hour long drive on the highway to Bratislava to see her parents.

Isaiah didn't complain about her visiting her parents during weekends. Since their schedules at university weren't packed, they had most Mondays free and other days during the week with only one seminar or online class here and there and could be together.

Seline loved not having to commute. To stay in bed until 11, talk with Isaiah over lunch, take a walk in the park or by the river and go to a seminar at 5 in the evening, meet with friends after or a bit before. Leisure nice days. Working 8-5 terrified her. She loved the flexibility, the way she could rule her time, do homework or write essays whenever she felt like, write stories and her poems whenever she was inspired, listen to music till 2 in the morning or binngewatch series all evening.

Though evening were usually reserved for movie nights with the whole trio. She loved those too.

Standing between two worlds was always a trait of hers. Something she was at peace at. But deciding between one home or the other, one city or the other and the time between pained her still, or even more so, after 10 years of back and forth.

If she could just buy that two generational house somewhere close to Vienna, on the fringes of the city and have them all there. Travel would take 20 minutes with the subway, her parents and her pack would be at the same place and they could have a view on the fields and not on the people and noise filled buildings of the city...

Except her parents still worked in Bratislava, and her grandmother and her uncle lived there and their families lived there and...and her parents didn't even speak German.

She could go back and live in Slovakia. She would get a high paid job just for speaking German and English so well. Lots of her friends from primary school did that. Those that didn't leave for France, US, Belgium or as far as Australia, that is.

She never saw her future in Bratislava. Not with the communist looking buildings and shabby streets and corrupt government and horrible health care. But she grew up around fields, open sky and on the train. City life was culturally shocking.

Seline walked back and forth on her floor, stamping her feet in anger. She let the frustrated tears loose, no one was home. Updating her train app if the connections didn't change after all didn't bring any new results for the 5th time.

She ended up in the hall, by the stairs, leaning against the wall. Today was a good day to wallow in self-pity as any. Hugging her knees, she cried quietly, half-realizing she was just being dramatic and the situation wasn't half as bad as her riled up emotions would have her believe.

"Whoa, hey. Are you crying for real?"

Seline almost jumped out of her skin at Matthew's tone, shooting up to her feet. "W-what are you doing here?!"

Matthew stood on the last step of the steps next to her. His knuckles were still wrapped in white bandages, so must have been boxing and returned sooner. He was gripping the railing tight and looked pale and tired, but the sarcastic tone and raised eyebrow chased her worries away. "I live here. Duh."

"T-that's my floor." She hurriedly rubbed at her face to get rid of the moisture. "I didn't hear you arrive."

"You were...preoccupied," Matthew said dryly. "So what's up? Did something happen? Should I go beat someone up?"

Seline chuckled despite the tears and her emberassment for him to catch her like this. "No. That's really sweet, but not at all necessary."

Matthew gave her a dubious look, then crouched down on the ground next to her, sliding down the wall slowly. "Something must have happened."

"Nothing happened. I'm just being silly." She waved his concern away, trying to smile.

"Uhm. Do you want me to call Isaiah?"

"No!"

Matthew blinked at her vehemence.

Seline ran her hands through her hair and sat down back next to him, back against the wall. "Nothing happened. It would just worry him."

"If he could comfort you, I'm sure he would be happy to worry. Maybe I just can't say what you need to hear."

"It's fine. Seriously. I'm overreacting because of hormones. Nothing is wrong." She flushed a little, realzing she said hormones, but when Matthew didn't laugh or say she was a hysterical girl, her shoulders slumped in relief and she relaxed a little.

"I didn't realize you two were so similar. Always such a put together front," Matthew commented, looking away with a sigh.

"You really want to hear my stupid reason?" She showed him the screen of her phone, too quickly for him to focus without realizing. "The trains won't be running at the time I wanted to go home tomorrow. I will have to leave early and wait up till my parents come home for them or take a risky train-bus connection that doesn't have to work out."

Stunned silence. "Can't you just drive?"

"No, I can't just drive," she said, annoyed. "I hate driving and I don't have my car here and you can go and say how this is my fault for not overcoming myself with the car and-"

"Fine, I give up." Matthew put his hands up in surrender. "You have a total right to hate driving. You want me to drive you?"

"I-" Seline spluttered for air. "I-I can't ask that of you-"

"Well, you aren't asking, I'm offering," Matthew said with a shrug. "I can drive you to your parent house and then go back. Your trains will work on Sunday, right? I can pick you up at the station."

Seline crossed her arms on her chest, avoiding his gaze. "It's just this one time. I can take the trains normally, the timing fits well, with them coming home and all. Just this once." Shouldn't she invite him over when he drives her that long? She didn't invite him or Isaiah to meet her family yet.

"It's no problem," he said tiredly. "Stop defending it like I'm moving a mountain for you. If you told this to Isaiah, even hinted at it, he would offer the same."

Seline nodded, eyes overflowing with tears again, this time from how touched she was. Seriously, today was such a stupid day. She was crying for everything. "Thank you."

"Oi. What now?" Matthew said, a little exasperated. He turned to her, wrapping his bandaged hand around her elbow and then pushed her forward against his chest.

Seline melted at the contact, pressing her crying face against his chest. Matthew enclosed his arms around her, practically dragging her to sit in his lap as he held her. She sat with her side and arm against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This is just over emotion. Don't worry," she said reassuringly as his hug tighthened.

He sighed into her hair.

She laughed nervously against his ear, chin on his shoulder, wanting to fill the silence with something. "No way I want Isaiah to see me like this. Giant minus point, to have such an emotional girl on his hands. He would be running for the hills."

Matthew snorted. "But you don't mind me seeing?"

"You won't break up with me," she said with a half-broken smile.

"He wouldn't either."

"Not on the first time. But on the fifth time? Tenth time? I better not give him more difficult times if I can help it, before he starts counting."

Matthew shook his head. She could feel the movement against her face as she closed her eyes. "No one is counting. That's not what couples do."

"Oh really? It's all I'm doing. Counting how much we are giving each other and if it's still ends up in mutual benefit."

She could practically hear the eyeroll in his voice. "I don't think it's supposed to work like that. It's not a business deal."

"It's very similar. I have to be pretty enough, attractive enough, smart and entertaining so when I really really need something, I can get a favour and not waste on something stupid and minor like this-"

"Isaiah would run himself to the ground caring for you and never think of something like that."

"Well, that's just because he is kind and selfless and so self-sacrifacing towards everyone. Doesn't make me any special."

Seline frowned. "I love you."

Matthew leaned forward, his face in his hands, leaving her with the view on his back. "You think emotion doesn't play any role? People aren't just a list of plus and minus traits. You feel something about them too. If everyone was so strick as you say, I wouldn't make the list for anyone."

There was a beat of silence.

Matthew jerked underneath her, looking up, face going all red. "What? Where did that come from?"

"You are right." Seline shrugged. "I'm very rational about the whole dating thing, comparing and counting things, because I don't want the pink glasses to blind me to our compatability. But when it comes to friendships or family or...well, pack, it's all about feelings and I know what I feel. I love you. In the family sort of way."

Matthew rubbed his forehead, unsuccessfully trying not to blush. "You have never said it to Isaiah, you can't blurt it out like that to me."

Seline suspected there hadn't been enough people saying it to Matthew in general. "I love him too. But if we work out as a couple, I have to love him in that other, romantic way too. I'm not sure we are that far yet."

Yes, she was attracted to Isaiah. It's been very hard for her to fall in love, to respect let alone to admire someone else, so she was very happy she found him. And he was intelligent, thoughtful, considerate and he put so much effort into everything and she admired him for many things...but she never had such a long relationship, as she was not interested in dating in her teen years, and the inexperience was making her cautious.

Matthew shook his head, burying it in his hands once again. He was breathing all harsh and fast. She could feel his chest heave underneath her. She wrapped her hands around his neck, suprised at how sweaty he was and how weirdly pale...was he like that from the start?

"Hey, Matt-"

"You two should really," he gulped loudly, shuddering, "have a talk. Being this tense and counting around each other can't be- hrrrk-" he burped loudly, slamming a hand to his lips.

Seline retracted her arms back, putting one gently on his chest and the other on his stomach. He was still breathing so fast and his stomach was heaving, like it shriveled under her palms...and suddenly Matthew leaned to the side and gagged violently over her arms on the floor.

"Matt!" she yelped as his stomach heaved and he gagged again, this time bringing a mouthful of water. Seline rubbed his stomach, feeling it contract as he heaved the third time, this time bringing up a big wave of water. "What's wrong with you? Are you- did you- you were feeling sick the whole time?"

Matthew spat onto the ground, giving a full-body shudder. "Sorry. I just..."

"Is this some kind of flu? Did you eat something bad?" Crisis always brought a calm over her, making her practical. She could feel her mind clearing from trivial concerns, emotions in the backround.

"Not really. My sparrring partner got a really good hit to my head today...I guess I was feeling a little light-headed since then." He blurred his words together a little and he was still that sickly pale.

"Wait, you mean to tell me you are concussed?" She tried to scramble away from his lap, not wanting to add weight to his misery. He was feeling sick and dizzy from a hit to the head and let her blabber on?

He tighetned his hold again, squeezing her against him, hanging his head on her shoulder. "Sorry...can I just...I don't really want to move." He smiled crookedly. "I can't believe I survived climbing up the stairs."

"Matt, you silly fool. You should have said something." She threaded her fingers through his hair, looking for a bump. "Did you heal yourself?"

"A little. Didn't really stop hurting all the way. And my, ehmm, ears are ringing a little." He winced at her touch but didn't pull away.

"Come on, you should get some sleep." His head was basically limp on his neck, barely holding himself up. She figured he could sleep since he healed himself with this shadow. It must have been the symptoms that remained. "You can stay in my room, I can't really help with the stairs like Isaiah can. You will be more comfortable there, okay?" And they would get away from the mess on the floor.

Coaxing Matthew to unwrap himself took another 5 minutes. She held him under the elbow, trying to stabilize him, but they both knew he was too big for her to hold his weight, should he fall. He stumbled the few steps to her bedroom, holding onto the wall and her for support.

He basically collapsed on her favourite pillow, squeezing his eyes in a painful way that cued her in on the light. She closed the curtains on the windows and fetched a wash-basin from the bathroom, then climbed into the double bed with him.

"Hmmmm...Do I have too many minus points for vomiting to get another hug today?" Matthew mumbled sleepily, rolling to his side as she adjusted the covers over him.

"You are such an idiot," she said fondly, wiggling herself under his arm, face against his chest. It was a warm, comfortable position for her too.

"You sure Isaiah won't mind?"

Seline chuckled. "From you, he won't. My guess? He will end up sleeping here today too." She kissed the top of his forehead. "The basin is right next to you. Tell me if you feel sick again. Should I get you a painkiller?"

"Nah. Can't stomach it right now. Just stay."

It warmed something inside her that he wanted her so close, that he might have hugged her the first time for his comfort as well. Or maybe just for her. He was such a marshmellow, it was a shame it only came out when he was feeling sick.

@bellysoupset

#sickfic #whump #emeto #emeto fic #comfort #concussion #I got your request Soup #and needed to write this before I get to that one #cause there will be a connection yay

46 notes · View notes

mcmeasle · 7 months ago

Text

do we think Jean ever had friends back in France? Did he share laughs and secrets with some of his teammates on his Exy team?

Did people wonder where he went when he disappeared? Did any of them try to find a way to contact him when he suddenly reappeared in Exy media as a US college student at 16 on the Ravens but couldn’t find a way to reach him.

Maybe he got sent letters to the Nest that were promptly thrown away without him ever knowing someone missed him.

#this is assuming it was sprung on him last minute and or he couldn’t tell anyone what was going on for safety reasons #aftg #the sunshine court #jean moreau #idk I just wonder if jeans life has been a series of missed connections of care until now

24 notes · View notes

itsyoung8 · 8 months ago

Text

The age of the students at Bullworth Academy (part V)

Ouais salut l'équipe! Sorry for this long time of absence but as I said, studies take up a lot of my time. Well, here is the part V which was very much awaited (it's not true, but please do it)! Sur ce, bonne lecture!

Details:

-> I'm going to assume that Bullworth Academy is a high school

-> Since it is a high school located in the United States, four years ago and not three as in Europe (ex: France). That's why I'm going to make the following cut:

1st year: 14-15 years old - Freshman

2nd year: 15-16 years old - Sophomore

3rd year: 16-17 years old - Junior

4th year: 17-18 years old - Senior

Nerds:

Earnest Jones:

as seen in the previous part (I know it's dated), I had hypothesized (although it is very likely) that Ted was a 17-18 year old senior. Since Earnest and Ted are competing for the class steward position (I think that's it lol), I came to the conclusion that Earnest was also a 17-18 year old senior.

Algernon Papadopoulos:

I couldn't find much about Algie. The only small element that can give rise to a hypothesis is that in a line of dialogue, he says that Ted nicknames him "little buddy". In this case, if the word "small" refers to his age, it would mean that Algie is younger than Ted so either a freshman, sophomore or junior. But if it's not his age, then I don't have anything to make a hypothesis about his age.

Beatrice Trudeau:

Without a doubt, Beatrice is a 17-18 year old senior. On several occasions she talks about medical school and even says in a line of dialogue "I already know the medical schools to which I'll apply". Those in their final year have to apply to the universities they want and wait for an answer (like us in France). That's why Beatrice does this. Add to that the fact that she's been applying to be a cheerleader for several years, but Mandy turns her down every year. This reinforces this idea that Beatrice is a 17-18 year old senior.

Bucky Pasteur:

"I don't think I'll ever be big enough to be a Jock but I want to try!". This is the only element that allows me to go on a lead concerning Bucky. This line of dialogue makes me say that Bucky is not a 17-18 year old senior because it would be ridiculous to want to join the Jocks in his final year. So Bucky is either a freshman, a sophomore, or a junior. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything else that would allow me to give him a precise age.

Cornelius Johnson:

If you listen closely, you can hear Miss Danvers making an announcement that Cornelius has the worst result on a sports aptitude test in the history of the academy. From that moment on, I told myself that he must be a 14-15 year old freshman. However, Cornelius says that Dan was hanging out with the Nerds last year so the idea of a freshman is wrong because otherwise he wouldn't have known Dan as a Nerd.

I came to think that Cornelius might be a 17-18 year old senior and that the aptitude test is the test for those in their final year, I don't really know.

Thad Carlson:

First of all, I went to look again at Dan's presentation sheet and I hadn't noticed that it was written that Dan could be one of the oldest students in the academy. So I'm going to assume he's a 17-18 year old senior.

As far as Thad is concerned, if he knew his big brother as a nerd, then he is either a 15-16 year old sophomore or a 16-17 year old junior.

Donald Anderson:

Donald is, in my opinion, either a 16-17 year old junior because he says "This is probably the worst year. Ever at Bullworth" and in this case the word "ever" refers to the fact that he is still at the academy for this year but that next year it may change, either he is a senior of 17-18 years old because he speaks college like all the final year students I have dealt with in the previous parts.

Melvin O'Connor:

As I said with Russell, the age to drive a car in New England is about 18. On the other hand, for a scooter, you must be at least 16 years old without restriction (tell me if I am wrong Americans) while in France, for example, you must be at least 14 years old.

When Melvin says "I thought delays were supposed to wear helmets", we can assume that he is lashing out at someone who is on a scooter because it would be illogical to wear a helmet in a car. As a result, we can understand from this line of dialogue that Melvin may not be of legal age to ride a scooter. So we can say that, maybe, Melvin is a 14-15 year old freshman.

Fatty Johnson:

I'm not going to lie to you, but I haven't found anything that would allow me to start with even the beginning of an answer. Really, I promise you, I searched his dialogues and his presentation sheet and there is nothing!! Fatty is one of the characters we'll never know exactly how old he is lol.

Here's the end of that part. Next time I will try to deal with students who are not in any group. It's going to take me a little bit of time but that part will be there. Thanks for reading! Bonne journée tout le monde!

#bully canis canem edit #bully cce #bully scholarship edition #canis canem edit #nerds #earnest jones #algernon papadopoulos #beatrice trudeau #bucky pasteur #cornelius johnson #thad carlson #donald anderson #melvin o'connor #fatty johnson

28 notes · View notes

senditcolton · 8 months ago

Text

call my bluff... call you babe (4)

CHAPTER FOUR

summary - New Year’s Eve usually signifies the hope that a fresh start brings. And after a New Year’s party, that seems true for Maddie. But for Tyson, he is left wondering if he’s ruined his new year before it even had the chance to begin.

word count - 3.9k (plus edits)

warnings - alcohol consumption

previous part ~ playlist ~ series masterlist ~ join the taglist ~ bonus! ~ next part

“A Mediterranean cruise?” Maddie says, her face scrunching incredulously although her parents can’t see her expression from the other end of the line.

“Yes! With stops in Italy, France, and Spain. Can you believe it?” her mother squeals.

“I’m sorry, I’m still just trying to wrap my head around the fact that you guys won a vacation… by watching Wheel of Fortune.”

“It was a giveaway – you know the ones where if the contestant wins, you could win – and they finally pulled our Spin ID!” Madeleine’s mother explains for what feels like the dozenth time since Maddie accepted their call. “But, there is some bad news.”

“You aren’t bringing your favorite child along with you?” Maddie sighs dramatically, before taking a sip of her coffee.

“You’re our only child, honey,” her dad chimes in from the background.

“Makes it easy to be the favorite then.”

“Well, yes, there’s only two tickets,” her mother says, the worry in her voice dragging out the sentence.

“Mom, I was just joking,” Madeleine huffs out a little laugh at her mother’s concern that she was seriously upset about not being able to go. “What’s the actual bad news?”

“It takes place at the end of December.”

This time, her mother’s confession did make Maddie place her coffee cup back down on the café table, her eyebrows furrowing at the implication.

“You mean, during Christmas?”

“Yes. I know that you wanted to visit, honey, and we want to see you and hear all about Colorado but… we couldn’t turn this down.” Madeleine can feel her heart softening with her mother’s gentle explanation.

“No, I totally get it. You guys deserve to have a vacation, especially one as awesome as this,” she replies, a smile forming on her face. “Besides, airplane tickets are expensive and I am a broke college student again.”

“Except you’re not a student,” her dad teases, his voice now coming through the phone clearer as he sits down next to her mom, the shifting of the fabric crackling through the phone.

“A broke college employee, then,” she quips back.

“Fair enough. Alright, Lanes, we gotta get going okay. But we’ll talk to you later, okay?”

The chime of the front door pulls Madeleine’s attention towards the sound to see Ashley walking into the café, her vintage briefcase pack slung over her shoulder.

“Sounds good,” Maddie says, lifting her hand to catch Ashley’s eye. The brunette responds to her wave with a nod, walking through the crowd towards her. “Ashley just got here so it’s a good time to say bye.”

“Ditching us for your cool new Colorado friends?”

“If I told you that it was Tyson, would you feel differently?”

The contrasting answers of her dad’s “no” and her mom’s “yes” has Madeleine breaking out into giggles.

“Well, we don’t have time to unpack all of that, so I’m going to hang up now. Love you, miss you, send me tons of pictures of Italy and Spain,” Maddie says.

“And France! Don’t forget France,” her mother calls out.

“How could we ever forget France?”

“Goodbye, sweetheart. Stay safe, have fun, and we’ll talk to you soon,” her father says.

The three of them finish uttering their goodbyes and Madeleine hits the disconnect button at almost the exact moment Ashley sits down across from her.

“What this I hear about France?” Ashley asks, taking a sip from her insulated water bottle, her expressive and inquisitive eyes landing on Madeleine.

“My parents are going on a Mediterranean cruise over the holidays,” Maddie explains. “Which unfortunately means that I will be alone on Christmas.”

“Nonsense, you can come over to mine. It’s just going to be me, Amber, and Dominic,” Ashley says, referencing her partner and their adorable three-year old son.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. No one should spend the holiday alone.”

*~*~*~*~*

Four months.

In approximately 5 and a half hours, it would’ve been four months since Madeleine packed her bags and moved out of the country that she had previously called home, leaving so many memories behind.

And that was the best decision she’s ever made. She had a great job, a great apartment, great friends. She had never been happier. And, of course, there was Tyson.

Tyson, who told her about all the best restaurants in the Denver area. Tyson, who added her to his family ticket list so she could see the Avs play any time she wanted. Tyson, who sent her weird memes and random texts while he was on the road. Tyson, who somehow managed to make time for her despite his hectic schedule. Tyson, who invited her as a plus-one to almost every team event.

Like tonight.

Madeleine stops staring out the passenger window to look towards her best friend, his hands on the steering wheel, the streetlights illuminating his profile.

“Hey, thanks for this,” she says, her voice soft.

“You’re always my plus-one Maddie,” Tyson laughs. “Besides, I think that if I didn’t bring you, I’d get an earful about if from Gabe and Mel. They seem to like you more than they like me.”

“Maybe that’s because I’m so much more responsible than you are,” Maddie teases.

“So, I can’t tell them about that one summer in high school where you - ”

“If you finish that sentence, we can’t be friends anymore.”

“We’re friends because I can finish that sentence.”

“And we pinky promised to never talk about that again,” Madeleine quips back. Tyson glances over at her and she can see that boyish sparkle in his eyes, one that was surely reflected in hers.

“You know I’d never break a pinky promise.”

“You were dangerously close.”

Tyson just chuckles, a soft shake of his head as he turns into Gabe’s neighborhood. Madeleine looks out the window again and sees the cars already lining the Landeskog’s lengthy driveway. After somehow managing to parallel park, Tyson hops out and walks around to opening the door for Madeleine. She easily takes his hand, exiting from the car and moving to tug at the hem of her black dress.

“I’m not overdressed, right?” she asks, her blue eyes darting to Tyson. She watches as Tyson’s eyes trail down her body, taking in her outfit for the second time that night.

“You look great,” Tyson says. “And if you are overdressed, it just means you’ll be the best dressed here.”

His encouraging compliment makes her blush, a soft smile appearing on her lips. Tyson returns her grin before he leading her up the driveway and to the Landeskog’s front door.

The party seems to be in full swing when Tyson opens the door, the sound of music and chatter hitting Madeleine’s eardrums. She lets Tyson take her grey trench coat from her as she walks deeper into the house, her boots tapping on the hardwood floor. She rounds the corner into Gabe’s expansive living room, her eyes scanning over the crowd of faces. Before she can even decide who to greet first, a squeal of her name from across the room calls her attention.

“MADELEINE!!!”

Maddie barely has time to turn before Sydney is crashing into her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“I’m so happy you’re here. Is Tyson with you?”

“Right here,” Tyson’s voice sounds behind Maddie. Both her and Sydney turn to see him wandering into the room.

“Perfect. Can you go talk to your boyfriend? He’s driving me crazy.”

Tyson just responds to Sydney’s exasperation with a laugh before he disappears into the crowd to find his ginger best friend.

“What’s JT doing now?” Maddie asks.

“Nothing,” Sydney replies, hooking her arm in Madeleine’s. “It’s just easier to steal you away from your boyfriend by distracting him with mine.”

“I’ve told you before; Tyson isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just didn’t want him hovering over you the entire night – which he would have!” Sydney says, pulling Madeleine into the kitchen. “Boy needs to learn that separation is healthy.”

“We hadn’t seen each other for five entire years before we reconnected. I think we can handle being separated at a party for five hours.”

“We’ll see about that. Now red or white wine?”

Once a full cup of red wine is securely placed in Madeleine’s hand, Sydney brings her back into the main room, the two of them finding a free space on the couch to squeeze into. They spend a few minutes there, catching each other up on their respective lives – Syndey about her holiday break and Maddie about her dread concerning the upcoming semester and the workload it brings to her job.

Eventually, Sydney gets pulled into another conversation and Maddie takes the opportunity to get up and wander around the party. She waves hello to a few people, briefly talks to Andre, asking him how he was settling in, before getting roped into a game of pool with Nate and Mikko – a matchup which she miserably fails at. She departs from the table with the excuse of needing to get a consolatory drink. When she wanders back into the living room with a freshly refilled glass in her hand, her eyes take in the scene in front of her.

Even in the hubbub and the chaos of dozens of bodies and voices, a sense of calm falls over her. There was still a part of her that couldn’t believe this was her life. Here she was, in an expensive house surrounded by people who made more money than she could ever hope to, and these faces that used to be strangers were now people she considered to be her friends.

And it was all thanks to Tyson.

She looks around, trying to locate him amongst the crowd of people, her ears pricked for the sound of his laugh. It takes a few moments before her eyes land on his frame; tucked against a wall and having a conversation with Cale. She starts to walk over to them, weaving her way through the crowd but by the time she gets to the opposite end of the room, Cale had vanished.

“Hey, Tys,” Maddie says, walking those last few steps towards him. “Where’s Cale?”

“Oh, he just went to get a drink, I think,” Tyson replies, his body slouched against the wall. Madeleine steps next to him, her body mirroring his as she takes a sip of her wine.

“What were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing really. Just wanted to ask me a question.”

The natural follow-up to that statement was to ask what the question was. But there was something in Tyson’s clipped words and tone that warned Madeliene to not pull on that thread. So, she didn’t.

“I need to perfect my pool skills,” she laughs, turning the conversation to a new topic. “I can’t keep embarrassing myself in front of your friends every time a pool cue is shoved into my hands.” A small rush of relief flows through her when she sees Tyson visibly relax, that crooked grin appearing on his lips.

“Who’d you lose to this time?”

“Nate. And Mikko.”

“Well, playing against Nate was your first mistake. That man takes everything way too seriously. You never stood a chance,” Tyson jokes, poking fun at his teammate.

“Did you ever find JT?”

“Yeah. Don’t know what Sydney was complaining about. He seemed fine.”

“She actually just wanted to steal me away from you.”

“She’s gonna have to try harder than that.”

It is ridiculous at how fast the butterflies form in Madeleine’s stomach at his words, at the way he looks down at her with a gentle smile playing at his lips. She just takes another sip of from her wine glass, hoping that if Tyson decides to chirp her about the blush in her cheeks, she can blame it on the alcohol.

She glances back at Tyson, ready to breeze over… whatever that moment was. But before she could utter a single syllable, she hears her name being called from across the room.

“Madeleine!” Sydney’s voice raises above the din and Madeleine looks over the crowd to see the blonde waving her over to the bar, JT by her side.

“Speak of the devil,” Tyson chuckles, taking another swig of his beer. Madeleine just shoots him a small apologetic smile before pushing herself off the wall and making her way to Sydney.

Turns out Sydney just wanted her help convincing JT that Italy was the better vacation spot for their summer getaway instead of Barbados. The pictures conveniently stored on Madeliene’s phone were a good bargaining chip, along with the glowing testimonials from her parents about the coastal towns – information that Sydney knew Madeleine had, hence the summoning.

“I feel like I’m being ganged up on,” JT jokes, smiling at his girlfriend.

“We are just providing actual proof from people we know and trust, not random strangers on the internet.”

“Well, in that case, let me find Burky. I think he went to Barbados once.”

“No! That’s not fair,” Sydney protests, quickly grabbing her boyfriend’s arm.

“How so?”

“Because I’m your girlfriend and you have to agree with me. Those are just the rules.” Sydney’s elbow moves to jostle Madeleine. “Tell him, Maddie.”

“Sorry, I’m with JT on this one. We presented our evidence, now it’s only reasonable that he presents his.”

“Thank you, Madeleine,” JT laughs before turning a satisfied smirk towards Sydney.

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Sydney whines, the sentence directed to both Madeleine and JT before she turns her full attention to her boyfriend.

Madeleine just shakes her head, a smile on her face as she puts her phone back in her purse. With a sigh, she rests her elbows against the marble countertop, looking out over the crowd as Syd and JT carry on their playful argument next to her. Another sip of red wine moves down her throat, the pleasant buzz settling in her sternum, before her eyes look up and connect with the baby blue eyes of Cale making his way towards her. She smiles at him, one that he returns, his usually rosy cheeks growing a shade redder. Madeleine chalks it up to alcohol as Cale appears directly in front of her.

“Hey, Madeleine,” Cale says, moving to stand next to her by the island.

“Hey, Cale. How you doing?”

“Pretty good. You?”

“Good. Party is fun,” Madeleine replies, her eyes dancing down Cale’s frame. It might have been her years of constantly observing people that made it easy for her to read body language, but it wouldn’t take an expert to notice that Cale Makar was nervous.

His shoulders were stiff, his arms crossed in front of him, a beer bottle hanging from his hand. And while he was trying to appear casual by leaning his body against the marble countertop, he seemed like he was trying a little too hard. Madeleine just listens to him talk, a bemused smile playing on her lips.

“Yeah, Mel usually does a good job with these kinds of get-togethers.”

“I’m sure she does.”

“Yeah. I mean Gabe helps out but it’s really all Mel,” Cale continues, the words a little stuttered.

“Cale,” Madeleine says, her voice a little sharper, the tone of it calling Cale’s eyes to connect with her. “What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Are you actually trying to regale me with Mel’s party planning or did you come here for something other reason or are you just drunk and can’t think of anything else to talk about?” she teases, watching the flush on Cale’s cheeks once again darken. “Any of which are perfectly fine options. It is a party after all.”

“Yeah, right,” Cale says, his free hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I – um – did actually come over to ask you something.”

“Okay,” Madeleine replies, fully facing Cale. “Shoot.”

The deep inhale that Cale makes is noticeable, his chest rising with the action. His eyes close as he gathers his thoughts before turning his body completely to Maddie, his gaze locking with hers.

“Will you go on a date with me?”

“What?” Madeleine asks, the words hitting her unexpectedly, her smile slightly faltering as she takes in his request.

“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Cale reiterates, his blue eyes wide and earnest. His question finally fully registers and her immediate response is a grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

“I would love to go on a date with you, Cale.”

“Really?” Cale asks, making damn sure he was hearing correctly.

His need for reassurance makes her laugh, the smile growing. Madeleine doesn’t hesitate to put her drink down on the island before throwing her arms around Cale. The hug catches him off-guard but it isn’t long until his arms are wrapping around her tighter, holding her close. She finally pulls away, her blonde hair tickling her cheeks.

“Yes, Cale. Really,” she restates. Her response makes Cale visibly relax, his own excited smile appearing on his face. There is a brief pause before Cale pulls her into another quick hug.

“Hey, you two,” a feminine voice sounds from behind Madeleine which causes Cale and her to break their hug, Maddie turning back to Sydney. “Are you coming into the living room for the ball drop?”

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” Madeleine replies, her smile not waning from her face. Sydney rolls her eyes as she takes JT’s hand, pulling him away from the kitchen. Before they completely disappear around the corner, JT shoots Cale a thumbs up. The gesture causes Maddie to turn around to face Cale, one eyebrow raised in question.

“Some of the guys may have been hyping me up earlier tonight.”

“That’s pretty damn adorable, Cale,” Madeleine replies before cocking her head towards the living room. “Shall we?”

Cale happily follows her in, the room already packed with almost the entire guest list. They two of them squish themselves into one of the back corners, the Time’s Square Rocking New Years broadcast displayed on the flat screen hanging above the fireplace.

The minute countdown begins, a cheer going up from the living room. The lingering conversation slowly dwindles as the clock does; the voices that were previously speaking about anything else now joining into the countdown. Madeleine eagerly joins in, the rumble of Cale’s deep timbre right beside her.

“Five… Four… Three… Two… One… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”

The hurrah is almost deafening as everyone raises their glasses. Madeleine takes in the celebration around her, smiling at the multitude of couples kissing, starting the New Year with their loved ones by their side. A small chuckle escapes her as she sees EJ lean in to place a smooch on Gabe’s cheek after the two of them pull away from their respective partners.

Madeleine is content to kiss the edge of her wine glass and take another sip of alcohol, a celebration similar to most of the other single guests. But she is slightly caught off guard when she feels an arm loop around her waist, gently pulling her into a strong frame before she feels the sensation of a kiss being pressed onto the top of her hair.

Her head turns, that broad smile on her lips as she looks up at Cale, her blue eyes sparkling in delight.

“You know, for someone who needed hype-men and liquid courage to ask me out earlier tonight, you seem pretty comfortable now,” she chirps.

“Eh, I can blame all that liquid courage,” Cale shrugs, a teasing smirk on his lips. Maddie can’t help the giggles that fall from her lips at his 180-degree attitude change before relaxing into Cale’s hold, her back leaning against his chest.

The mere possibility that her saying yes to his request for a date was the reason for his newfound confidence warmed her from the inside out. Which was good because in the back of her mind, she had noticed a small chill enter the room.

The sound of a loud splash echoes in from outside, almost everyone’s attention turning to the open back door. Curiosity takes a hold of the party, guests pushing into the backyard. Madeleine is among the first few to make walk out onto the porch.

The water of the Landeskog’s outdoor pool is still rippling, the dark shape of a body under the water unrecognizable until the person breaks the surface. Madeleine shakes her head the instant she recognizes the face.

“What are you doing, Tyson?” she laughs, walking closer to the pool’s edge, her boots lightly splashing in the puddles on the concrete from Tyson’s cannonball.

“Going for a swim,” Tyson replies with a shrug of his shoulders.

“In the middle of winter?”

“Pool’s heated.”

Madeleine just laughs again, shaking her head at her best friend’s antics. Her eyes are bright and her cheeks hurt from smiling when her gaze reconnects with Tyson’s, a similar expression painted on his face.

“Care to join me?” he asks, one arm beckoning to the open expanse of the water.

“You’re crazy, Josty.”

“And you love me for it.”

If Madeleine hadn’t been distracted by the action of zipping off her boots and if her mind was cleared of the halo that the previous glasses of wine provided, perhaps she would have heard the weight behind Tyson’s words: that soft and subtle plea. A silent question that was begging for the answer ‘of course I do’ to fall from Madeleine’s lips.

But when Madeleine takes a few steps back before take a running leap into the pool, her body swimming up next to Tyson’s, it seems approval enough. If not for Tyson, then for the other guests to follow their lead, the heated water filling with bodies.

Maddie swims up to Tyson, her arms reaching out to him. Tyson easily extends his reach, his own arms taking a hold of her waist, supporting her as hers rest on his shoulders as they both tread water. Madeleine looks around, loving the smiling faces around her before she looks back to Tyson. He is staring at her, his lips curled in a small smile.

“Still think you’re the responsible one out of the two of us? Convincing everyone to jump in the pool?” Tyson jokes, referencing their previous conversation in the car.

“I think that statement is still accurate,” Madeleine quips. She can see Tyson’s eyebrow raise in question, silently demanding an explanation. “When it was just you in here, people thought you were being weird. When I jumped in, they realized what an amazing idea it was.”

The laughter that falls from Tyson is intoxicating, warming Madeleine more than the heated water ever could, as he directs his brown eyes back to her.

“So, you’re saying that I need you to make my wild ideas seem logical?”

“You always need me Josty,” she teases. “But I also need you. That’s what being friends means, right?”

His smile stumbles, the downturn of his lips so fast and subtle. It was a falter that anyone else could easily miss, but not Madeleine.

“Right,” Tyson replies, his voice twinged with melancholy. Madeleine is about to ask what was wrong but before she can speak, Tyson’s blinding grin is back, his eyes holding no trace of sadness. “Happy New Year, Maddie.”

The change in his demeanor is so drastic that Madeleine convinces herself that she must have imagined it.

“Happy New Year, Tys,” she replies before turning her head back to crowd of people splashing around her.

The joy and laughter from everyone’s lips fills the quiet night, the hope of a new year thrumming through the air. But in her reminiscing, Madeleine misses the subtle flex of her best friend’s hands on her waist.

As if he never wanted to lose her.

As if he was afraid that he already did.

taglist: @starjoyyy @fallinallincurls @kenna-thomson @tkachvkmatthew @m00nlightdelights @cixrosie

#nicole writes #CMBCYB #tyson jost fic #tyson jost imagine #tyson jost fluff #tyson jost x oc #buffalo sabres fic #buffalo sabres imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine

28 notes · View notes