#cori: I don’t think you’re in any place to judge him

[guccigarantine]

cori and elle cosplaying as kurapika and chrollo

[imaginewarehouse]

Various Males x Fem!ExModel!Reader || Oneshot

Plot: You, a retired model get hired at Cloud 9 and, not-at-all-surprisingly, you get harassed by every allegeable (According to them) bachelor in the place- but god fucking damnit! You’re just here to get a paycheck??!  

“You can’t knock ‘em out, you cant walk away,

Try desperately to think about the politest way to say,

“Just get out of my face,”, “Just leave me alone,”

“And no you cant have my number,”,

“Why?”

“Cuz I lost my phone.”

(Inspired by Lily Allen’s Knock ‘Em Out)

Includes (In order of appearance after the introduction bit): Sal Kazlauskas, Garret McNeil, Tate Staskiewicz, Isaac (And I think my favouritism here definitely bleeds through*Cough*), Elias Greene, Cory, Jonah Simms, and Marcus White.

Warnings: Sal, harassment (They leave after you say no though. Just to be sure) 

🔆  🔆  🔆

“And uh, yeah one last thing before we all hop off to work! We have a new Cloud 9 family member. Y/N! Would you like to stand up?” Glenn, the lovely man who took your interview a week ago and then went out of his way today to look for you out front in the morning to show you around quickly and guide you through clocking in, finds you in the crowd of workers and gestures for you to stand.

Oh, uh- uhh, okay! Up we get, then, you think as you stand up like he said and take a look around at all the judging eyes, which normally wouldn’t phase you but here is a lot scarier than what you’re used to. This an entirely different environment to getting up at a modelling gig- you know nothing about working this kind of job! You’ve never done it, so, you’re afraid they’ll judge you right off the bat and make it difficult for you to ask questions. And you can’t keep bothering Glenn- he has more important things to do.

Oh god, you hear whispering. You peer around. Where is that coming from?-

“This is Y/N L/N! She’ll be working with Go back’s today,” Right, Go Back’s Easy enough; Glenn explained them earlier before the meeting started. “So if you see her in your area- be sure to say hello and see if she needs some help, K? Good. We’re jazzed to have you with us Y/N.”

“Thank you!” You quip quickly, then sit down and focus on Glenn again, hoping dearly at the same time that attention disperses from you immediately.

Glenn smiles, glancing down at his clipboard for any last-minute messages. “Okay! I think that’s it, so- “

The whispering from before suddenly cuts off. “Uh yeah, question?” Glenn stops short when a man in the back kind of rudely cuts him off, but sighs out a ‘Yes, Marcus?’ as the woman beside him - Dina, - rolls her eyes severely. Oh, you let a tiny ghost of a smirk slip over your lips. That’s kind of a reaction, isn’t it? “Yo- new girl.” What- me- w h y- You immediately get awkward again and twist around in your chair, but don’t really know who to look at. Luckily the tall brunette in the warehouse uniform is pointing, so you figure it out pretty quick that that’s who you’re looking for, and calm down. Mostly. 

Yeah? You raise one eyebrow. “Hi?”

He grins back to the right and the left of him, to his equally pleased buddies and pals, before raising a Vogue magazine- and it’s the issue on which you scored the front page. Jeez, that was months ago! “Is this you?”

A chorus of ‘Ohhhhh’ and general excitement travels around the room and for the first time ever, you’re half ashamed to admit that yes that is you. In your usual circle this is something to be proud of… but you get that it isn’t really like that, in non-modelling circles. In fact, it could be something to be embarrassed about.

Especially seeing that oh dude and his gang of Michael Myers fashion wannabes look like a hungry, dim-witted, wolves rather than plainly interested about your modelling career.

But, still, you smile politely and nod. Hopefully it’ll be forgotten before the afternoon, at least. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Nice.”

Hmm… you really, really hope that it’s forgotten soon, at least, as you turn back around to face the front again as Glenn sends everyone off to work. Because if not, then these boys are going to learn the hard way that models take self-defence classes religiously.

Or at least you are going to have a very uncomfortable day, which is just great. You groan inwardly at the thought, as you gather up your coffee from the table beside you and drop it in the trash can on the way out.

~

You’re just doing your own thing and someone

Comes out of the blue,

They’re like,

“Alright”

But he’s saying

“Yeah can I take your digits?”

And you’re like, “No, not in a million years, you’re nasty.

Please leave me alone.”

There’s already so many Go Back’s! You think excitedly, as you get to work looking for where things should be. You’re glad to have something to do- at your first job with Chuck E Cheese, before you got into the modelling thing, you were basically useless the first day because you weren’t allowed to grill yet, you didn’t know how to assemble, and they didn’t want you out on the floor for the birthday party that was happening, in fear that you would mess up royally. So you just sat around trying not bother anyone, and that felt terrible. So, wandering the aisles of Cloud 9 with a full shopping trolley searching for products and neatening things up? Sounds like a good deal to you. Yes please.

“Uhh, hi.”

You practically jump entirely out of your skin, hearing the voice right beside you and whip your head around to see a balding guy in a blue Cloud 9 jacket. Is this man licking his fingers!?

“Uh,” You step back with your brightest, most polite smile, picking something up from the Go Back’s cart and rounding it to put it between you and the man, before acting like you’re stupid enough to be putting barbecue sauce in the Barbie section, and then… “Oh, oops! Silly me!” You flash the guy a nervous look. “I’m still working things out… “

Well? Better to look like an absolute idiot, then be standing within grabbing radius of the creepy man licking his fingers that you’re all alone in the middle of an empty aisle with. “Um… so, what’s up? Did someone send you to find me, or… am I doing something wrong? You know better than me, after all!”

“No… “His gaze licks up your form and if it weren’t for all your ‘training’ in staying still and not feeling this kind of thing- you absolutely would have wigged out. “You’re doing fine… Just wanted to see you.”

Boy- if anyone else could see your face right at this moment, full of disgust and mild horror, you’re sure you would be YouTubes next hit. Or a meme. “Oh… “You nervously chuckle. “Um, well, I’m gonna… go… “You pull the trolley around so that you can back up out the back of the aisle and escape through stuffed toys, into the open but his hand comes down on the other end of the trolley- stopping it. Before you can stop yourself, verbal diarrhoea spews from your lips. “Glenn has my resume- there’s a photo on there you can have.”

“That’s okay I prefer them to be breathing.” Both his hands are on the end of your trolley now, tight so his knuckles turn white, and he’s breathing unnecessarily heavy. He’s even leaning over the trolley some like his body really can’t handle whatever terrible heat is plaguing it right now. Oh god, oh god oh god oh god… this is so gross.

“Well, that’s… u-understandable...”

He looks up into your eyes, now, and doesn’t blink. Who the hell is this guy?! “Say… “ Oh no, oh no- he’s coming around the trolley-he’s coming around-he’s close-too close-too close-mayday-MAYDAY- Slowly, in your face, he licks up his thumb, makes an ‘Mm,’ sound, and you deeply wince; So much so in fact that one of your eyes completely closes. “Could I take your phone number?”

You absolutely couldn’t have helped what happened next if you had wanted to.

“Eeeeuuuwwwwwwww no not in a million years, your nasty, please leave me alone!!” You exclaim in a high voice before abandoning the trolley and rushing off to customer service.

~

“No you cant have my number,”

“Why?”

“Cuz I lost my phone.”

By the time you got to the front desk, you had basically calmed down and were mostly just stressed that you left the Go Back’s behind- but still must look troubled as the guy manning the front desk makes a confused, half-concerned but mostly intrigued kind of face at you as you stop there. You’re about to explain your appearance - that or just shrug, not too bothered about reporting whatever mess that was. Not on your first day, at least. No way. - when his face relaxes, and he nods. “Ohhh. Damn, Sal got to you?”

Sal? Was that the guy’s name? You didn’t check. “Oh, was that his name? I was a bit too preoccupied by his eyeballs sucking out my soul, to notice his name tag.” Now that you’re thinking about it, though, you glance at this man’s name tag. Garret.

“Yep, that’s Sal. That’s just one of the wonderful things involved in working here that you’ll just have to get used to.” Garret grins, offering you a chill perspective with a side of cynicism. You sigh, truly feeling relieved that you’ve found a normal person and relax your back against the taller part of the desk.

“Brilliant.” The sarcasm drips off the tip of your tongue.

“You’ll have to deal with a lotta that here, though, looking like you do.” You turn your head to the side to look already exhausted just by the idea, at him. He shrugs. “Hey, I don’t make the rules. I just speak the truth.”

“God- I feel sorry for the other women working here.”

“Oh, no. They’re in a completely different wheelhouse to you. Sorry.” Garret leans on his forearms on the desk, and you roll over to lean on your shoulder and pay attention. “See, you’re a model- “

“I was a model,”

“You were a model- which through primitive male thought process makes you prime real estate. Whoever manages to ‘bag’ you, for lack of a better word I apologise, gets some serious bragging rights.” He shrugs, and looks vaguely apologetic but still some how shameless as this utter bullshit slips out of his mouth. “We can’t help it- some of us don’t even know we’re doing that, but we are. Actually, I’m probably the only one who’ll admit it… which… kinda makes me your best option. Self-awareness, and all that.”

Oh. A dry laugh comes out of you as you feel a text come through in your back pocket and pull out your phone. As you see that its not an urgent message, you immediately put the phone back and glance around for any supervisors before returning to your conversation with Garret. “Oh- of course it does.”

“Exactly!” He grins, and you can’t tell through his expression at all whether he’s genuinely this clueless or if he’s just shooting his shot. “So- “

“No, you can’t have my number.”

“Why?”

Deadass, in a very monotone voice, you say: “I lost my phone.”

Then the two of you just have a stare off for a minute. Garret because he just saw you use your phone, and you because you wont back down.

~

“Oh yeah, actually yeah I’m, I’m pregnant. I’m having a baby in like 6 months, so no. Yeah, yeah… “

“You know,” The chemist pipes up from behind the Pharmacy desk as you put back some pill boxes he said were fine to return to the shelves, and you glance over at him to show you’re listening, and check his name tag. “I myself considered a career in modelling, before this. People even say, now, that I could model.”

Oh boy. You think, fighting not roll your eyes. And how old are you? Early 30’s? I don’t think so buddy.

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t recommend it.” You flash him a nervous grin before returning to your shelving. “You’re good for, like, 3 years. But then you hit 22 and unless you look like Victoria Justice shared with you whatever youth fountain she got chucked into, then you have to find something else to do with your life- despite having nothing to fall back on.” Okay… so… I might be a bit bitter.

Tate chuckles - and oh boy, he sounds just like your old manager. Totally fake, -, hiding his hands in his lab coat pockets. “Yeah, you’re probably right… Besides, I got the better end of the deal, anyway. Doctor for the doctors, they call us.” They call Pharmacists that? Who? That’s news to you. “Ahhh, yeah… I’m doing pretty well for myself.”

“Yep.” Forcing a fake smile his way, you leave the shelf you were stocking and get closer to the desk to stock another, as Tate’s eyes follow you waiting for encouragement of some kind. Doesn’t he have a job to do?? “You chose well!”

“Yeah, thanks. I know.” Ffffff-f a r out. This guy! “You know, you and me, we’d make a good couple.”

Oh? Dear god? You pause your shelving in surprise at the bomb this man has just dropped so casually, fish oil tablets paused on their journey to the shelf mid-air. Could Garret’s crazy-pants theory have been right?

“Ohh,” You giggle nervously, returning to work a bit faster now. “I don’t know. I think for a pharmacist like you, I would envision, like… “An actual doctor? No, I can’t say that. “A personal trainer, or something. Keep you both healthy all-round, you know? Now that’s a power team.” As long as that personal trainer has humility enough for the both of them, at least.

“Mergh,” He makes a face, like ‘What the heck are you talking about??’, before shaking his head of the things you just said and leaning over the desk towards you. You keep packing, even faster now. Like the Flash. Go! Go! Go! Death Con 5!! “So, whadaya say? I could pick you up Friday after work, and we could head up to one of my timeshares?” He says that like it’s such a selling point! You think, fighting off the powerful urge to laugh but still feeling the panic deep in the pits of your soul. “Stake it out together for the weekend? Get to know each other?”

“Uhh… “Excuses! What are they? You slowly stop stocking, turning around to face him and crossing your arms. The man deserves to at least be faced as he’s rejected; You’re kind enough to give him that, at least. “I’d love to! But, the thing is… “Chewing your bottom lip, you think hard.

Ding Ding Ding!!

“The thing is, Tate… “You fake some nerves, now. “I’m actually, uh… “You look up, face relaxing. “Pregnant.”

Oh boy, the way that man recoils at that word, like a terrified, disgruntled, blonde hedgehog. You’re going to laugh so hard about it, later!! “Oh.”

“Yeah! Oh, I mean, yeah… I’m gonna be having a baby, in like, 6 months so… yeah… Yep.“ You shrug to him, as if its just so unfortunate. “Shame.”

~

She looks in her bag, takes out a fag, tries to get away from the guy on a blag,

Can’t find a light.

‘’Here, use mine.’’

‘’See the thing is I just don’t have the time.’’

Ahh, lunch. Now you can check your texts! Hmm, you look through your notifications and gradually lose excitement. Mum… mum… mum… phone bill company… friend… mum again…

Ah, the glamorous life of the famous.

You roll your eyes, and get to responding to your mothers texts about dinner and when you’ll be home and how your first day is going, not noticing the not-so-jolly, not-so-green-(unless-you-meant-pot) giant approaching you. When you finally finish responding to both your mum and your friend, you put your phone away and start unwrapping your lunch- a typical ham sandwich that you’re actually pretty excited about. That’s one good thing about your sudden drop in financial status; You can put in your damn sandwich as many pieces of ham and cheese as you like. Grinning excitedly, you pick it up and have it halfway to your mouth before another person - a very heavy, large person, - drops down beside you on the bench you’ve commandeered behind the store. You close your mouth without any delicious lunch inside it and look up, politely to the person who’s joined you.

And all you can think, is wow.

He could put you in a suitcase and walk off with you right now and have no problems.

That’s wow.

“Hi! I’m Y/N,” You introduce yourself, offering a hand for him to shake.

“I know.” Oh, well yeah okay that’s understandable. Glenn did introduce you to everyone this morning. Despite the man’s less-then-excited response, he takes your hand in his and shakes. It makes you all giddy inside, honestly. So b i g. “Names Isaac.”

Do you remember Isaac in the breakroom this morning? You wrack your brain for him, because surely if he was there you noticed him-

Oh. Yep, you remember him. He was one of that Marcus-Dude’s pals chuckling and whispering behind him. He was one of the men that had the magazine with you on the front, and if there’s one thing you know about men who carry Vogue in their locker’s it’s that they fit into only 2 groups- interested in fashion, obviously… and interested in the women. And this man clearly is not interested in fashion. Immediately, on this realisation, you feel disappointed- you really could have liked this man right off the bat…

But it looks like he’s just going to be another of the men at this store you have to get to know, before becoming friendly with.

“So,” He starts, and you fight off a wince. Hopefully, you don’t know what’s coming. But… the likeliness of that is not high. “You wanna go out, some time? I’m a big fan of your work.” He smirks.

“Oh, ha ha.” You laugh sarcastically, shaking your head and returning to your sandwich. You take a bite and- Ahhhhhh, so worth the wait. Oh my god. Food orgasm. “At least you’re honest!”

“Yeah, so is that a yes?” His face brightens a smidgeon, which is a lot seeing as he doesn’t seem to be totally all there, in the first place.

You look up at Isaac, and look apologetic. He was honest with you so its only fair that you’re genuine with him. “Sorry… “

“Ah- actually, I don’t know if this’ll change your mind, but I have 2 weeks to live, so… “

Never mind on that honesty thing, then.

Dull-eyed, you stare up at him. “… Uh-huh.”

“Its true! I have, uh, cancer.” He insists, nodding his head and forcing his eyebrows up his forehead all serious-like.

“Cancer.” Right.

“Yep.”

Right, time to look in the bag... You start to wrap up your lunch again - sadly, as now you’ll have to wait until the end of the day and the bus ride home to eat it, - and plop it back away in your bag, getting up and pulling out a cigarette instead- that should hold you over until the end of the day. “My lunch break is actually over, so I should go- Damn, where’s my light?“

Isaac rifles through his pockets until he pulls out an old looking neon orange lighter, and offers it to you. “Here, use mine.”

Oh, no. You stare at it like a deer in headlights. If you accept that, like you really want to right now because it’s been a month since your last smoke, then you have obligations to sit with him for another couple minutes, at least.

Aghh… You groan and whine on the inside, before making up your mind and flinging the cigarette into a puddle. “See the thing is, I don’t actually have the time-”

~

“Go away now, let me go.”

“Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?”

“Ughhh… “This one has been giving you looks all day, but had no courage until now to speak to you- but the thing is? He didn’t have the smarts, either, to take off his wedding ring at least before he decided to be a bastard and bother you. So you feel absolutely no regret about being exactly as dismissive or plain rude, as you feel. “Elias? Go away now.”

The nervous man, who’s been ringing his hands this whole time and stuttering through failed date requests that you pretended you didn’t understand because of his struggle, gets panicked. “Just let me ask!- Will, will you go out with me?”

“No.” You yawn, dropping a piglet toy into a basket.

“But!- “

Turning away, you start pushing your trolley along to get to the next aisle. “Let me go.”

“We can go wherever you like!”

Sighhhhhhhhh. You turn around and grant him an audience, putting your hands on your hips and raising you brows at the wedding band on his left hand.

“Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?”

~

“Please fuck off.”

Oh good god in heaven, they’re going bigger with their proposals.

“Y/N! Will you go out with me?”

This man, Corey, has grabbed the announcement phone now that you’re walking away, making you freeze like the dad possum in Over The hedge and seriously consider playing dead, too, as you slowly turn around to look at him again.

Oh, if only looks could kill- he would be so dead that even Vlad the Impaler’s victims would laugh.

This is your first day, and the fact that you’re being harassed by multiple stupid men is bad enough but now he’s calling attention to you like this? Glenn’s going to think you’re a troublemaker!! Jesus fucking Christ- you need this job! Corey continues to talk into the speaker phone, even as he looks into your eyes and sees his death.  “And… now… you’re looking at me like that, so uh… I’m just gonna… say please?”

… “’Please’ fuck off.”

“Yes ma’am-“  

~

“Go away now, I’ve made myself clear.

I don’t think so.

Nah its not gonna happen.

Not in a million years.”

Since the run-in with Corey and the following spike in your blood pressure, you’ve calmed down again. But now you’re looking into the two faces of a ‘Mateo’, who you apparently work with, and a ‘Castor’ who does not work here and is not shopping but is still in your face and is t h i s close to feeding that ugly tie to his cousin.

But, still, you’re going to stay graceful, because Castor constantly looks like he’s 3 seconds from pooing himself. “Now please go away, now… I think I’ve made myself clear.” By explaining, politely, that you aren’t looking for a man but thank you for the offer, Castor.

“Oh, but you haven’t heard what Castor does for a living! He’s in insurance,” Mateo explains to you, like this is some huge game changer. When you don’t react, he adds that there’s good money, insurance.

You almost laugh. Does this boy really think you’re such a gold digger? Boy- if I wanted riches then I could’ve easily become a C-Class actor who has no skills in the area, but is pretty so gets praised like she does- like a lotta my model friends.

Instead I’m here, at Cloud 9.

Come to your own conclusions.

But instead of saying that, though, you just shake your head nervously. “I don’t think so… “

“But!- “

“Nah… sorry, its… not gonna happen… “

“But Castor is- “

“Not in a million years… “

~

“Aw, no. I gotta go. My house is on fire.”

Now, at least this one is respectful, you think, listening to him talk about the products you’re shelving together. He had come over and offered to give you a hand when you looked confused, as a ‘Cheyanne’ had handed you a scanner earlier and then promptly ran off, despite your utter incompetence. You were so relieved that this guy turned up!!

“… so, you just punch in reduce .50, and scan! Its pretty easy, if you have it properly explained to you. I- I was actually in the same situation, as you! When I first started here, except I ended up, uh, reducing all the items in electronics to 15 cense rather than discounting it all 15 percent.” A grin spreads across your lips at the story, and thank god that Jonah had turned up before that happened to you and, with your luck, you got fired for it.

“Oh no!”

“Yeah- Amy, our uh, floor supervisor, was pretty cranky with me about that… “He laughs himself, resting his hands on his hips; Still looking nervous at the memory.

You look back down at the scanner you’re holding and shake your head. “Well at least you know, now! And thank you so much for coming to my aid, haha. I was so lost- you’ve been a huge help! A life saver, truly.”

“Yeah… “ He gives a cute little, reserved smile. “So, uh, its basically the end of the day! Hope you’re first day hasn’t been too strenuous. At the end of my first day, I know I was tired. But I got to go out with a couple of the other employees and have a drink, to destress. If-If you were free, we could… do something. Together.” Your eyebrows slowly raise up your forehead at that, and you turn to look up Jonah, sceptical. What was that? You sure have had a long day, and its about to get a lot longer if this boy is asking what you think he is. “Sorry! Sorry, that sounded weird. Um, I guess what I’m really asking, is… would you like to, I dunno, go out with me sometime? I know some great places.”

Oh, noooooo! You cry, on the inside. You thought you found a normal one!

Still, he is being so nice… The least you could do is let him down easily.

“Oh, Jonah, I actually… oh- sorry.” Your phone beeps in your pocket and you take it out quickly to have a glance - its just your mother… again, - … and suddenly get an idea. Feigning shock, you quickly put the phone away and put down the scanner. It’s time to clock out and go home, anyway, thank god. “I have to go! That was my mum, uh- I really have to go!”

“Wow, wow, wow, what’s wrong?? Can I help with anything?”

Oh… he looks so concerned. He’s sweet.

But before you can rethink your words, this living horror slips out. “My-my house is on fire.”

Oh god, you’re a horrible person.

~

“I’ve, I’ve got herpes. No- Syphilis!”

Oh thank god the day is over. Rolling your shoulders back, you kneel down at your bottom locker, open it up and take out your bag. Now you can go home and put on Gotham on Netflix, wear no pants and eat thin mints until you fall asleep.

When you get up, you aren’t watching out for a man to be standing barely half a foot away from you - Your mistake, obviously, - so you jolt right out of your skin when you see him and curse. What is wrong with these men? Does Cloud 9 offer complimentary staff ninja classes along with their lack of health insurance? Man, classy company. “Sorry!” You look up past the coveralls after stepping a safe distance back from him, and immediately feel dread deep in your chest. “Oh, hi. Marcus, was it?”

“That’s me! How was your first day?” He asks, seeming polite enough despite the fact that you’re cornered between tall boy and the lockers. And you’re too tired to try and slip away- this boy will get out of your way.

“It was good! Thanks for asking. I’m ready to go home and collapse, though.” You admit, shoulders dropping and a tired smile on your lips. Mmm… thin mints… bed… blankets… Cory Michael Smith… I can taste it… Marcus just needs to get out of my way.

“I hear that.” Evidently not quite as deeply, though, as he moves on pretty fast. “Listen- I was thinking if you’re into it we could… go out, some time.” He tilts his head forward to clarify, “On a date,”, in case that part hadn’t translated, and chuckles. “We could see a movie or get drinks, or something, I don’t know. How about tonight?”

T-tonight? The word nearly slips from your lips; All disbelief and tears and exhaustion, included. You’re so tired. “Um… you know, tempting offer, but um… “He looks so hopeful. It nearly changes your mind. “Not tonight.”

“OH! So like, tomorrow?” Oh christ- “Cuz I’m supposed to watch Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here with my mum, but… no, I can blow that off! So, tomorrow?”

You take a deep breath, not really knowing what you can say. “Marcus… “He raises his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. “… I have herpes.”

“Wait, what??” He steps back, nearly tripping over a table in his fear that just being near you will cause him to contract the disease, and you let your guard down in relief. Yep, for sure, definitely. If it makes him back off, then yes- you have herpes. You have a raging, festering case of herpes.

“Yeah! Or-“ Squinting, you pretend to sift through your brain. “Was it Syphilis?” This boys eyes basically bulge out of his head and you’re totally going to laugh about it later, but right now you have to get out of there. You waive your hand dismissively and walk on by him towards the door like you don’t have a care in the world. Before you leave though, you turn around a flash Marcus a big smile. “Either way, ew, right? Well, see you tomorrow buddy! Gotta go! Enjoy I’m A Celebrity with your mum.” Then you’re gone.

Tomorrow is going to be a much better day, once that rumour is properly spread.

[raziroo]

Chapter Four | I Take A Liking To Lilac All Of A Sudden

Pairing: Lotor x Reader (There you go)

Genre: Angst? I don't knowww

Warnings: Mentions of cancer, mild swearing

Word Count: 1,676

Author’s Note: This is kind of a filler? I can't write long shit in one sitting, so. It's important to reader and lotor's relationship, tho.

‘Good luck. Come back alive, all of you, alright?’ I asked, my eyes roving over the three people standing before me – Matt, Pidge, and Shiro. ‘It’s, like, one of the simplest things you could do. You give Lotor, you get Mr. Holt. Simple. Very simple and easily doable. Right?’ My gaze dragged over all of them once more as I picked at my nails nervously. As much as I was aware of the fact that this trade wasn’t simple and easily doable, I knew that I would legitimately have a nervous breakdown if I didn’t spew lies through my teeth.

Shiro smiled at me lightly. ‘Of course. I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong. You guys take care too.’

‘If, however, anything happens,’ Allura chided, ‘the other lions will arrive as soon as possible.’

‘Yeah,’ Pidge said with a wry smirk, ‘so try not to pass out.’

‘Okay,’ I nodded my head rapidly, ‘yeah, okay, I – I can do that.’

‘Good. Well, we’ll get going then,’ Shiro announced, and turned around, the others following him.

Hopefully, all would go well.

. . . . .

You know what? Everything actually went relatively well. Yes, my hunch turned out to be correct and Zarkon chose to go through with the ‘I was lying all along! Bwahahaha!’ route and ended up getting himself killed at the hands of his son, but overall, I’d say it was a win-win, seeing that we got Pidge’s father back (thank God, who knows what havoc she’d wreak if we ended up not getting Sam back) and the evil maniacal tyrant who’d been ruling over the universe for ten thousand years died.

The one downside was that now there needed to be a new Emperor, because following Zarkon’s death, not only the Galra empire, but simultaneously the entire universe had gone into a state of chaos too. There was no doubt that underlings and generals would try to take over smaller parts of the empire, and once that happened, Voltron being able to do anything would be a stretch.

And, according to Lotor, a ceremony to crown the new emperor, the Kral Zera, would now be taking place. Once he said that, he really didn’t need to say more – it was obvious what his implications were. A new emperor was to be crowned, and if Voltron was to achieve peace, Lotor would have to go and secure the throne. It was a sensible thought to be had, no problem. The thing was, to reach the Kral Zera, which was taking place in two days, in itself was a decision to be taken with utmost thought. The Paladins just didn’t have enough time to decide.

On the one hand, Shiro and Lotor were adamant that the latter be crowned emperor; the other Paladins, however, were justifiably hesitant. I had been standing there listening to them going back and forth, not saying a word myself, like always.

To be honest, I just wanted to go sleep. For some reason, I’d been feeling overly anxious these past few days. White was still not responding to me, I was having regular dreams about the day I woke up here. It was always that one day, that first conversation I had with Shiro. It was as if my subconsciousness too wanted me to reach out to Shiro because there was clearly something weird going on with him.

My suspicions only solidified when I heard Shiro’s voice boom through the room. My head snapped up. Lance with a look of shock and the slightest bit of fear on his face, Shiro’s visage twisted with uncharacteristic anger.

‘Shiro. I think you should just relax a little.’ The man turned to me, brows pinched.

‘I am relaxed -’

‘No, I really think you aren’t… so, like… take it easy, yeah?’ I asked, jumping my eyebrows, arms still folded in front of me, maintaining a calm yet defensive posture. I could feel the entire room’s gazes on me. After all, I almost never spoke in such discussions, or any discussions, really, and indirectly opposing Shiro, of all people, was way too brave a thing for me to do.

Shiro looked at me with slight disbelief, a glint in his eye challenging me to speak up. ‘You want me to take it easy? Take it easy? The fate of the universe depends on this, taking it easy is really not an option right now. I’ve put my foot down – as the Leader of Voltron, I’ve taken this decision. You aren’t someone befitted to oppose me.’

Ok, wow. Everyone shared the same opinion apparently, as now the silence seemed piercing. Clicking my tongue, I tilted my head. ‘Well, maybe not as a Paladin, which I’m not, or a member of the coalition. But as a friend, Shiro, you’ve been acting strange. Everyone realises this. You realise this. … Maybe, I don’t know… maybe all this reflecting on you’ve been doing, maybe the role of leader is taking a toll on you? I, heh,’ I chuckle, ‘I really am not sure. But you’re not relaxed, and you’re not acting yourself.’

‘Could you please not tell me how to be a Paladin?’

‘While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void. If I don’t return to claim the throne, there’s no telling who will.’

Does being royalty instantly make you a hundred times more dramatic? Sinister forces? Deadass?

I walked out.

. . . . .

Shiro went behind our back.

Yeah.

Acting like a complete bitch, he took Lotor to the Kral Zera, where, for your information, he could’ve been blown up. By Keith.

I wanted to deck Shiro. Instead, I visited White. I had hopes she’d respond to me, since I’d been brave and spoken my mind. I prayed on all the Gods and Deities above that my expectations became reality.

Yeah, they didn’t. She didn’t budge. The whole entire two goddamned hours I sat in front of White, she ignored me. Frustrated, I ended up punching her, resulting in bleeding knuckles. Lotor saw that, by the way. He seemed to always be keeping an eye on White, regardless of me being there or not, which I admit is a little strange, but I wasn’t judging. These aliens seemed to worship the Lions.

Lotor also invited us to the Galra headquarters, and lord oh my lord, was it fancy. Allura had gone off to do research with Lotor (I’d been about to make a joke about what “research” those two were really about to do, if you catch my drift, but then I saw Lance looking at the pair glumly, and thought better of it. I’d lightly punched Lance on the shoulder, and raised my eyebrows so as to say ‘They’re gorgeous aliens who could give Bella Hadid and Harry Styles a run for their money, it can’t be helped.’ He laughed.) I accompanied Hunk, Lance and Pidge in their shenanigans for a while, but ended up wandering around the place.

Space was beautiful. Even through a window, I wanted to just stare at it for as long as I could, enjoying a show more realistic than ever before. It was really similar to all the Marvel movies I’d watched; I felt a weird sense of pride at that realization. I remembered how I’d cried at the end of Infinity War, my friends clinging to me and bawling as well; how loud I’d squealed at an absolutely steamy piece of Kakashi fanart Cory had drawn; how happy I’d been when Sasha, my neighbour and childhood friend, had come out victorious after battling cancer for years.

I hadn’t realized when the tears had started slipping down my cheeks. I wiped at them, but they wouldn’t go. Sniffling and wiping so furiously my skin would get burned when I heard footsteps, I turned to see Lotor approaching me.

‘Hey -’ shit, my voice was so thick. Clearing my throat obnoxiously loud, I greeted him again. ‘Hey, uh… what… how’s yours and Allura’s research going?’

‘The research has been going quite smoothly.’

‘Hmm. Nice.’

Lotor was staring – no, correction - scrutinising me. I could feel it, his intense as hell eyes burning into the side of my face. I wasn’t going to give up, though. I stared at the window with as much concentration as he me.

He was the first to speak up. Ha.

‘You’re not of the Paladins.’

‘Really? I didn’t know, thanks,’ I still wasn’t looking at him.

‘Deepest apologies if I offended you -’

‘You didn’t, it’s okay.’

‘…’

‘…’

‘…If you wish to answer, why do you appear… distant, compared to the other Paladins? You say they are your friends, but there’s such scarce interaction… you seem acquaintances at best.’

‘… They are my friends. I like to think so, because, well… because I don’t have anyone to go back home to.’

‘Oh. My apologies, I didn’t mean to pry.’

‘You didn’t pry, chill. It’s not that my family’s dead or anything, it’s just that… no, well, my family is dead, but… like, they’ve been dead for around three hundred or so years…?’ I turned to Lotor, brows furrowed. He looked less confused than me.

‘Sorry, no, that’s – that’s shit explanation, um… you could say… I… I’ve lived past my time. I’m alive when I’m not supposed to be.’

I didn’t explicitly mention, as you can see, that I was a time traveller, because I wasn’t really one with that fact yet. I’d accepted it, yes, but that didn’t mean I was comfortable with it. It was still a foreign truth, something I didn’t take great joy in talking or thinking about.

When I turned to Lotor, I felt like he’d understood what he needed to already.

It was bizarre. A lilac alien was the last person I would expect to understand me so easily, but it was what it was.

[before-we-get-started]

Dream Come True

Colin Shea x O/C Corinne MacAdam

Multi-Chapter Story - Complete

Summary: Colin Shea and his band Rock the Cradle are finally making it big - until something unexpected happens. When he meets a girl that makes him reconsider his player ways, he thinks his life may be coming together, until she blows it apart.

Warning: Bad language, smut, suicidal ideations - no one under 18, please

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please do not read if you are underage. I do not own the character of Colin Shea; the rest are my original characters. By reading beyond this point, you understand the disclaimers as posted.

Chapter Nine

The sun shone through the tall windows behind Cori’s bed. She rolled over, shielding her eyes, then closed them again. Her first thought was that it was Saturday, no work and whatever fun things she had to do. Then reality hit her – the night before. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut. Seth was cheating on her, or at least had a fling with someone, when he’d said he was out of town. Colin had kissed her, and realized she was the one he pulled from the ledge, the one whose life he’d saved, the one that made him miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. All bad.

She slowly sat up, realizing she was still dressed from the night before. Everything on her bed was damp, including the clothes she was wearing. She’d gotten absolutely soaked in the rain. She crawled from the bed to the bathroom, peeled out of her dress and turn the shower on as hot as she could take it. She lingered until the water started getting cold, then stepped out and dried off. She put on her terry cloth robe and went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea. Then she dropped onto the couch, laid her head back on the cushions and tried to figure out what to do next.

Her phone – what had she done with it? She jumped up, looking for her clutch, and found it on the nightstand, her shoes set neatly in front of it. Had she done that? There was a blanket from the couch on the bed. She didn’t remember covering up with it. Then again, she was so out of it, who knows what she did.

She checked her phone. There were 20 missed calls from Seth and multiple text messages – “where are you?” “Cori, please call.” “Cori, tell me where you are, I’ll come and get you.” “You’re scaring me, please call”.

Notably absent was anything from Colin.

The time on her phone said 1:14. She’d slept the morning away, which was probably a good thing. Being awake just made her feel like shit.

First things first. She texted Seth – “Saw you coming out of the hotel with the redhead. We’re done, lose my number.”

Next she texted her mom, who had left messages checking on her. “Ma, I’m good, late night. I’ll call ya later.”

With that out of the way, she could concentrate on how the man she loved so much across the hall was now in her distant past. There was no fixing it. He was so angry at her after he kissed her. It had gone from the most amazing moment, a kiss even better than the one before, to his face filled with anger and hurt. Like her, he must’ve wondered all this time what the hell happened that day. She knew he’d had some kind of accident and his heart had stopped. The same thing had happened to her. Could it have been the same day? At the same time? That seemed too crazy to be true, but something had to have happened for them both to have had the same vision.

She thought about how pathetic she must look to him, wandering the streets of Boston in the rain like a fool, then knowing he knew she wanted to take that last step off the cliff. She never really wanted to die, she just wanted to stop hurting. Everywhere she looked reminded her of Matthew and the future she thought she’d have with him. The changes she’d made were great, and, with Colin in the mix, she’d finally been able to move forward and feel good about herself. If she was honest with Seth, she’d liked him a lot but she would’ve left him in the dust if Colin ever showed interest in her. But that wouldn’t have happened before, and it sure wouldn’t happen now.

The last text was from Sarah, asking if she wanted to meet tonight for a drink. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she didn’t want to sit alone with her thoughts all night. She texted back and they had a plan to meet.

She spent the afternoon doing laundry and cleaning. At 7, she slipped out, making sure Colin was nowhere around. There was no way she could face him. She walked to the bar and met Sarah, giving her a hug and finding a booth.

“No offense Cori, but you look rough,” Sarah said, concern in her voice.

“I know,” she said quietly. “I had a really bad night.”

“Really bad, as in, you and Seth had a fight?”

“Really bad, as in, Seth told me he was out of town but he lied and I saw him coming out of a hotel with another girl before our date.”

Sarah made a face. “Oh shit.”

“Exactly.”

“That asshole.”

Cori raised her glass. “Cheers to that.” They clinked glasses.

“Is that all?” Sarah asked.

“No,” she said. “I really need to tell someone this but you have to promise you won’t think I’m completely crazy.”

“Cori, I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything.”

Cori took a deep breath and told Sarah everything – walking towards the cliff, the golden sky, the serenity, the hand on her arm, the hot guy whose face she couldn’t quite place pulling her back, telling her it wasn’t time and then kissing her back to life.

Sarah looked at her and blinked. “Holy shit.”

“I know,” said Cori. “And the guy was real.”

“What?” said Sarah.

“I found him last night. He kissed me again and we both flashed back to that moment.”

“No way! Oh my gosh Cori, how did you find him?”

She shook her head and sighed. “He’s been here all along.”

“Who?” said Sarah, clapping her palms on the table.

Cori let out a breath. “Colin.”

“What?” Sarah squealed and Cori reached across and smacked her hand.

“Would you hold it down?”

“Oh my God, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. He saved you and then you found him, and you’ve been getting to know him. Did he realize it too?”

“Oh yeah,” Cori said with some sarcasm.

“He must’ve been thrilled! Did he kiss you again? Did you stay with him last night? Are you together?”

Cori’s heart felt like it was being squeezed again. “No, he hates me.”

Sarah gasped. “Why? Why would he hate you? He rescued you!”

Cori explained that something happened to Colin that day too, and while he was dealing with whatever it was, he caused the band to miss their meeting.

“He looked at me last night and said I ruined his life. He look absolutely disgusted. Then he turned and ran away from me.”

Sarah’s face fell and she covered Cori’s hand with hers. “Oh Cori, I’m so sorry. But honestly, it’s not your fault. If something happened to him, it’s not like you caused it. It’s not fair that he blames you.”

“Well he does,” she said, peeling at the corner of the label on her beer bottle. “And honestly, how can he not judge me. I was going to walk off a cliff willingly. If I had been stronger, if I hadn’t been so emotional, there would’ve been no need. Who knows, maybe he would’ve woken up sooner if I wasn’t in the picture.”

Sarah patted her hand. “Look, this is a crazy story, but you shouldn’t take all the blame. Why don’t you go talk to him? Have you told him about Matthew?”

“Yes.”

“Was he sympathetic?”

She thought about it. “Kind of. He said if it was him, he wouldn’t have taken a relationship into college, but he respected that I did. I need to just forget about him. He and I have gotten closer over the past few weeks but he’s never shown any interest in me. I think he saw me as a friend –“

“Saw?”

“Yes, past tense. I don’t think he’ll ever want to see me again, as a friend or anything else.”

They got another round of beers, talked more about what a shit Matthew and Seth were, lamented Sarah’s past relationships and got more beers and shots. By 10 o’clock, Cori was drunk. Sarah helped her out of the booth and walked her to her building, making sure she got up the stairs to her apartment. She left her with a promise of calling tomorrow.

Rap’s was as rowdy as ever and Rock the Cradle finished their set and ordered a round of beers. Colin couldn’t get her out of his head. He kept seeing her laying on the bed, so broken, her face fraught with worry even while she slept. Then he thought about how nonchalant Seth was about being with other girls. Cori wanted stability, someone she could count on. She wanted someone she could love that would love her back, someone that would care about her forever.

“Hello? Earth to Colin!”

He shook his head. “What?”

The guys all started talking at once, asking what they were going to play for Cori’s fundraiser.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“Well you’d better start,” said Evan. “It’s a week away.”

He blew out a sigh. “I know,” he moaned. “I’m sorry we ever took this thing.”

“Dude, it’s good money and it’s for Cori. She’s great. It was really nice of her to think of us.”

“When are you going to wise up and ask her out?” said Kevin, and all the guys “ooh’d” followed by laughs.

“Yeah,” said Spencer, “we all know you’re crazy about her.”

He looked down at his bottle. “She isn’t interested in me,” he said with some sadness.

“Bullshit!” said Kevin. “She’s crazy about you! The other night at the party at Rap’s, while you were getting dressed, she couldn’t shut up about you. She had that look, you know, when you talk about someone that you think about all the time. She’s got it bad. But I don’t think she’s the kind that you screw and then hide while you’re waiting for her to leave.” They all chuckled.

“No way,” said Evan. “She’s a keeper. A guy would be lucky to have her. And she wouldn’t put up with your shit.”

Colin had felt a constant tug in his chest since last night, and it got stronger as he listened to the guys talk. He’d seen something in her eyes last night that he’d never seen before – she was in love with him. When she realized who he was, that they’d shared such an intense, intimate moment, she’d opened up and told him how special he was to her. She was so soft and sweet, drowning in the rain with those beautiful eyes full of adoration. She’d melted into his kiss, pressing her entire body into his, and she’d held onto his arms as he angrily pulled away from her. He saw her smile fall when he’d snapped at her. She looked like a little girl.

He shook his head, trying to shake the memory. “Look guys, there’s nothing there, ok? I don’t want to talk about her,” he said sharply. “I’ll text you a set list on Monday, rehearsal on Tuesday.” He set his bottle down on the table and slid out of his chair. “I’m going home.”

He walked out of the bar and headed home, determined to forget about her.

When he opened the door, the lamp in the living room was on – it wasn’t when he left. He stopped and looked around, stepping cautiously down the step into the living room. There, on his couch, was Cori. She was wearing a cream v-neck sweater that had crept off her shoulders and showed lots of cleavage. Her hair was down – he’d never realized how long it was – wavy and gorgeous. She stood up as he entered and he could see she was barefoot, the little pink nails in full view. Her faded jeans hugged her curves perfectly. She looked incredibly sexy and he swallowed hard as he took her in.

“How’d you get in here?” he asked.

She took a wobbly step towards him. “You’d be surprised how friendly the Super can be if you have on the right sweater.” She walked right up to him, her face just inches from him.

“You’re drunk,” he said.

“Yeah, so,” she said. “Is that illegal?”

He chuckled. “No, I’ve just never seen you this way.”

She laid her hand on his chest, feeling the definition of his pecs underneath. She rubbed softly, laying her other hand on his waist, pulling as close to him as she could be without her body touching his. “You’ve never seen me at all,” she said soft as a feather.

He swallowed again, staring at her beautiful eyes and those sweet pink lips. He wanted to devour her, but she was drunk and it wouldn’t be right.

“Cori,” he breathed, putting his head down to distract him from her gorgeous face, “we can’t do this.”

“Why?” she said quietly. She let her hand run up his chest to the back of his neck, her fingers winding into his hair. “Why don’t you want me?”

He put his hands on her waist, mostly to steady her and control her movements, but his hands felt so good there. “Cori,” he breathed, drinking her in with his eyes. “Not tonight. You’ll regret me in the morning.”

Her other hand found the back of his neck. She tugged at the hair there, pulling him close to her, looking into those beautiful blue eyes. “I know I’m not like the other girls. I know I’m not pretty or sexy like them. I know I don’t have what they have –“

“Cori –“

“And I know you’re angry at me and I’d never ask you to forgive me. I just want a chance to show you how much you mean to me. When you kissed me that day, you said it wasn’t time.” Her eyes rimmed with tears. “Maybe it wasn’t time because we’re supposed to be together, just once. Just once I want you to hold me the way you hold those other girls. I want you to say all the things to me you say to them –“

He touched his forehead to hers. “Cori, don’t –“

“Please Colin. Please, just for tonight, I just want you to want me. Please.”

He wrapped his arms around her lower back, palms spread, pulling her to him. “Can I kiss you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered. His lips were so soft. His tongue ran along her bottom lip and she let him in, the kiss deepening. Her hips pushed forward so she could feel his arousal through his jeans. She pressed her entire body against him, melting into him, just like she did that day by the cliff.

He kissed her bare shoulder, kissing along her collarbone to her neck, brushing the shell of her ear. “I’ve always wanted you,” he breathed, kissing just under her earlobe and feeling her moan against him.

She let her head fall back as he kissed her throat all the way down to the hollow, then he took her face in his hands and found her lips again, an urgent kiss that was all teeth and tongue. She sucked gently on his bottom lip, and he let out a little moan.

“I’m going to take you to bed,” he said softly.

“Finally,” she smiled, kissing him again.

He reached down with one arm under her knees and the other behind her neck and hoisted her up, carrying her to the bed, never breaking the kiss. As he laid her down, her hair spilled out around her face, the sweater barely covering her breasts. He caged her in with his hands on either side of her head, his knee between her legs.

“Can I kiss you here?” he asked as he touched the swell of her breasts.

“Please,” she moaned. He kissed the soft mound, nudging the sweater down until her taught bud peeked out. He licked it gently and felt her respond underneath him, pushing her hips up against his jeans looking for some relief. He gently pulled the sweater away from her other breast, exposing the other peak that was so hard and aching for him. He caressed it gently with his tongue, then took it between his teeth – the moan that came from deep in her throat made his cock twitch in his pants. He pulled the sweater down to her waist, pulling it off her arms and slid it all the way down and off, then he reached for the button on her jeans, unzipping them and exposing pink lace panties.

“Can I kiss you here?”

She stared at him. He was so close to that precious bundle of nerves, the anticipation was painful. “Yes,” she said urgently.

He kissed just above the panties below her navel – she was as soft as silk and smelled like lavender. Slowly he pulled her jeans down below her knees and she kicked them off to the floor. She bent one leg at the knee, bracing it against him as he pulled her panties off. He raised up to look at her, completely nude and ready for him. The moonlight that shone through the window highlighted her beautiful curves. He kissed slowly up the inside of her thigh, one hand cupping her ass cheek. He heard her gasp as he slowly ran a finger through her folds. She was so wet for him, he leaned back and admired her for a bit, then leaned in and gently sucked on her sensitive bud. She cried out softly, burying her hand in his hair and tugging at it a little.

“That ok?” he whispered.

“Mm hmm…” she moaned.

He carefully placed two fingers inside her, finding the soft spongey spot inside her that made her back arch and her hand pulled his hair a little harder. He moaned, pulling himself up a little, licking softly at her clit.

“Colin…I…oh fuck, please,” she breathed out.

He pulled his fingers in and out more quickly, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over her bundle. He lifted himself up so he was over her, locking eyes with her.

“It’s ok baby, I’ve got you,” he said in his sexy low timbre. “Come for me…”

She cried out and let go. He continued to pump in and out of her, helping her through until she started to come down. He pulled his fingers out slowly, bringing them up to her hip.

“You have on way too many clothes,” she panted, still out of breath from her orgasm. She reached down and pulled his t-shirt over his head, the medallion from his necklace landing on her chest. Her hands made quick work of his belt buckle and the button on his jeans, then she unzipped his fly and pushed the denim down his hips, pressing her soft lips to his, her tongue gently licking his bottom lip. He helped her out, peeling out of his pants and boxers. His hard cock bounced against her leg and she wrapped her a hand around it, and he hissed against her neck. His lips made their way along her collarbone to her neck, nipping and gently sucking with soft kisses.

She pulled back from him. “Let me,” she said, pulling him down on his side so he rolled over on his back. She straddled him, bending over to kiss him, then kissing down the column of his throat to those amazing pecs. She ran her hands over them, gently tugging at his buds between her fingers and he moaned deep in his throat. She kissed down his chest, down the line of hair above his naval, her hands on his hips.

“Have you got one?”

“In my pocket.” She reached for his jeans and pulled a condom from the back, tearing the package and pulling it out.

“Cori.” He sounded desperate, her mound so close to him. She sat up and pulled his cock up, rolled the sheath over him and slowly pumped him with her hand.

“Fuck,” he said breathlessly.

She lined him up and slowly lowered herself onto him. She gasped as he filled her up, throwing her head back, her hands moving to his belly. His hands grasped her hips and he let out a little cry.

“God, you feel so fucking good baby.”

She started to ride him, slowly, gently, reaching behind her to gently cup his balls in her warm hand.

“Jesus, Cori….”

She picked up the pace, locking eyes with him, her breasts bouncing as she pumped up and down. She let out a moan. “Colin….”

“Fuck, baby,” he said, reaching up and gently tugging at her nipples. She arched her back and picked up the pace. Needing more of him, she bent down, crashing her lips to his, her nipples rubbing against his chest. She moved her hands to his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, effortlessly pulling her to him and rolling her over. He lifted up on one forearm and ran his hand down her belly to touch her there.

“Ah, please, please, Colin…” She fluttered around him and as he rubbed her sensitive nub, she cried out, her walls clenching around him as she came.

He kissed her, his hand caressing her cheek. “I’m so close,” he breathed into her ear, slamming himself against her, her hands cupping his ass cheeks as his movement stuttered and he shouted her name. She ran her hands up his back to his sexy broad shoulders, then to his face, kissing him as he started to come down. He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, loving her soft skin against his nose. He breathed her in, not wanting this closeness to end.

Slowly they both came down, wrapped around each other, their breathing returning to normal. Cori loved the feel of his weight on her – warm and strong – she felt so safe and secure.

Eventually he pulled out and rolled over, pulling her next to him. They laid there for a long time, silent, soaking up the feeling of being next to each other. They’d both never thought this would happen, and now that it had, it was even better than they’d imagined.

After a long while, Cori broke the silence. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything. For everything you’ve done for me.”

He pulled her closer. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“Me too.”

She closed her eyes and slept better than she had in months.

[tsarinastorm]

AA: Ashes to Ashes- Adam Sackler/Reader- Chapter 6

Rating: Explicit

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5

           “It’s Jessa,” you hear the distinct voice with the British accent say on the other side of the line. She has some kind of timing. She’s conveniently called you right after you slept with her now ex-boyfriend. Until now, you hadn’t felt guilty about it, it had felt right. The guilt sinks in as you respond to her, “Hi, what’s up?”

           Your voice sounds guilty even to you. She doesn’t comment on that, instead she states, “I need a favor.”

           “Okay.” You wait for the other shoe to drop. She says, “Can you send me some money? Not a lot, but around $200. I’m helping Hannah with rent since I’m staying here.”

           That was not what you were expecting but you decide to agree. But you also know how addicts are so you put a condition on it. You respond with, “Okay but that better for rent and not for something else.”

“It is and can you forward me some mail? It should came into Adam’s address,” Jessa asks and you would like to hang up the phone and crawl under the table. Of course she would ask about Adam, and she had lived with him for some time. You put on your best ‘normal’ voice and answer, “Yeah of course.”

The line goes quiet for a moment, neither of you knowing what to say. You debate being honest with her, then you talk yourself out of that. She breaks the silence with, “If you guys are fucking I understand.”

“We’re not,” you answer, obviously lying.

“Uh huh, I know you’re lying. It’s really okay, just tell me,” Jessa says and you decide to roll with it, be partially truthful. You chose to downplay it, lie about the nature of your relationship with Adam, “Yeah, It’s just fucking. We’re just fucking, that’s all. It’s not some emotional thing.”

Jessa sighs and you can practically hear her roll her eyes. She just states, “Alright. I’ll talk to you later. You should really come upstate sometime, I think you’d like it here.”

“Bye,” You answer and hang up the phone. You rub your temples with frustration before muttering under your breath, “Fuck.”

“So you’re just using me for my dick? ‘It’s just fucking, that’s all, not something emotional.’ You fucking used me!” Adam shouts as he comes roaring out of your bedroom into the kitchen. He’s clearly pissed and he had overheard the conversation with Jessa. Apparently you were making bad decision after bad decision because you have no idea why you answer the way you do.

“Adam what was I supposed to tell Jessa? And last night was very hormone driven.” Adam looks at you before you answering, calmly this time, “Thank you for finally telling me how you really feel.”

Then, he leaves and slams the door with him. You almost run after him, but then you don’t.

******

           Immediately after Adam leaves, you call your friends. You need advice even though you already know what they’re going to say. You all agree to meet up for coffee, and the group of you settle into a table in the back of shop to give you some privacy. You begin by saying, “I fucked up.”

           “You need to be more specifc,” Victoria chuckles. You go through the whole story, with every detail. Cori is definitely judging you, and gives you the simple advice, “Why don’t you just go find him, and tell him how you really feel?”

           “Because I’m friends with Jessa and I am not going to be with her ex-boyfriend. That’s not who I am.” You take a sip of your coffee, and you swear you can feel yourself shaking. Cori gives you a stern look before she says, “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

           “So what, you think I should break girl code and hook up with a friend’s ex?” you ask. It’s not Cori who answers, it’s Bria who had been quiet until now. She says, “Look, you’re not friends with her like you’re friends with us. You’re just sober buddies and quite frankly, I think she comes around when she needs something, that’s not friendship.”

           “If you guys are correct, how do I un-fuck this situation up?” You sigh and rest your face on your hands. Victoria says, “You could tell Adam that you’re in love with him and if Jessa needs to know, she’ll have to get over it.”

           “You make it sound so easy,” you say and you hear a familiar voice near the front of the shop. Your eyes instinctively look in that direction, and sure enough, it’s Adam. Adam’s standing at the front counter talking to the manager. You then have the strange sensation of feeling body both go cold and incredibly hot at the same time.

           “There’s no time like the present,” Cori states and gives you wink, motioning you to go forward. And you do.

                                                           ****

           The past twelve hours had gone from mind-blowing to heart-breaking for Adam. He and Y/N had hooked up, had great sex, and then the bubble was burst in the morning when he heard her talking on the phone. He had thought that last night was a breakthrough, that it had meant that she shared his feelings and was tired of denying them. Now, he was wandering his way back to his apartment, but he didn’t want to go back and be alone. With the current situation, he no longer had a friend to vent to. Then, he remembered that he might actually have a friend.

           Adam walks into the coffee shop, and is pleasantly surprised to find Ray at the front counter. That was easy, he thought to himself. Ray apparently as happy to see him because he immediately frowns. Adam gives him an awkward wave and before he can get a word out, Ray is speaking,

           “Well, well, well. Look who it is. Are you hear to degrade me again?” Yeah, he’s definitely still pissed. Adam answers and tries his best to apologize, to mend things. He’s embarrassed when he thinks of how he acted when he was with Jessa.

“No, I know this doesn’t mean shit, but I’m sorry for that. I was in a bad place,” Adam says and Ray rolls his eyes then he lets out a sigh. He thinks this might be a good sign. Ray quips back with, “Or were you just with a bad person.”

Adam agrees, “Fucking both.”

“What about you, you still with Jessa?” Ray asks, and Adam chuckles. He changes his position and shifts his weight from one foot to another.

“Fuck no. We broke up, she’s upstate now.” Adam then leans against the counter. Ray starts asking questions about why Jessa is upstate, and if he would ever consider getting back with her or Hannah. That segues into Y/N and their present situation. Adam ends up venting all of his feelings and frustrations out to Ray. Ray for his part, just listens and nods, occasionally commenting.

“Damn…maybe she just needs time to figure stuff out,” Ray finally says and leans over the counter too. Adam takes a drink of the coffee he’s ordered, then he admits, “I’m trying to let her do that but fuck, it’s hard.”

“You know she’ll eventually realize that Jessa’s a total shit person, like Hannah and the rest of that crew.” Ray says as he gets back to work. Adam agrees, it is the part he’s dreading for Y/N. Jessa will fuck her over in some way and Y/N will be hurt. As his eyes scan the room, his gaze settles on one table in the back, it looks like one of Y/N’s friends is there. He should leave and avoid any weird encounters. Then he sees that Y/N is with them, and his heart both simultaneously stops and starts pounding harder. He can’t look away, but he can feel his skin getting hot and his palms get sweaty.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Adam finally mutters. Ray starts paying attention to him again, and asks, “What?”

“She’s here now,” Adam says through his teeth, purposefully whispering. He takes a step to the side and grabs at his hair nervously. Meanwhile, Ray is amused at his torture and follows up with, “Really, where?”

“Back there, don’t fucking look,” Adam answers through his teeth again and nods his head in Y/N’s direction while trying to be obvious. He’s trying to give her space and not be shot down twice in the same twenty-four hours.

“Sorry didn’t fucking hear you,” Ray says grinning, he’s trying to make things worse for him. Ray starts looking around the place in an exaggerated manner. Adam finally gives in, “She’s back there…you asshole!”

Now, she’s getting out of the booth. Oh no, he’s needs to get the fuck out of here now. She’s walking towards him, looking right at him, heading right in his direction. Well, he can’t leave now. He anxiously says, “Hey.”            

“Hi.” Y/N answers back and stands there nervously. The two just stare at each other awkwardly for some time. She finally asks, “Can we talk?”

Adam nods his head and they settle into a table near the window near the busy street. He notices that she’s fiddling with her hands, one of her nervous habits he’s learned. He’s nervous too, he feels like his whole body is a live wire.

“I’m sorry about what I said, I didn’t mean that,” she says and tentatively reaches out to brush his hand. He gives in to her touch, turning his hand over so his palm is touching her fingertips. He lets out a frustrated sigh.

“Why are you still holding back?” He wants a real answer this time. Is it her sense of loyalty holding her back? Or is it that she doesn’t feel for him with the same intensity that he feels for her?

“I don’t know, I just need time.” She croaks out, her voice breaking like she is going to cry. He laces his fingers through hers and uses his other hand to cup her cheek to comfort her.

“Fine. I’ll give you time.” He says but he doesn’t want to, and doesn’t know how he will manage. She’s feeling more confident now because she has no problem moving on to the next topic.

           “So I know we talked about it already but I really don’t understand. What’s your deal with Jessa? And Hannah?” She asks and with the look in her eyes, he wants to confess everything and beg her to fix him. Instead, he settles for answering her question.

“I used Jessa to escape Hannah then I used Hannah to escape Jessa.” Adam says and looks down to their intertwined hands. She gives his hand a tight squeeze before moving on to the next question. He wants to scream or run away but more than anything he wants her.

“How do I fit into this? Or do I?”

“You do but you’re something else. It feels right when I’m with you, you make me happy.” Adam answers, not able to hide the smile that forms on his face at the end of his statement. Y/N’s face lights up and she’s moved by his answer. Then her face suddenly turns into a frown, “Why did you stay with Jessa for so long if you felt that way for me? Would you have really broken up with her for me?”

“Fuck yes. In case you forgot, I wanted to that night we kissed and I only didn’t because I didn’t want to hurt you. I would have sooner if I knew there was ever a real shot that you felt something for me. I never thought I stood a damn chance.” He feels aggravated just admitting that again.

She gives him a weak smile and tells him, “You stood a chance. You still do.”

                                                                       ***

           It had been a day since you’re failed night with Adam and since you saw him at the café. You didn’t mean what you said to Jessa but you didn’t know how to handle this situation. If given an option to make things worse, you always did without fail.

It was time to make amends, you were now going to bring Adam lunch. He had just started rehearsals and you knew he got nervous around those things. You hope you can spend some time with him and work on fixing things between you.

As you approach the theater where rehearsals are held, you see Adam walk out with some attractive brunette. He’s smiling, she’s smiling back and they go on their way. You’re so shocked all you can do is watch them. You know you have zero right to feel hurt and jealous but you still do.  You watch them walk away then you throw the food in the trash and leave. You’ve got to do something because you feel physically distressed about it.

                                               ****

You’re in your apartment now, waiting for Adam to come over. You need to talk to him about what you saw today and how you feel. It’s eating you alive. You would just go over to his place but you’ve got to take care of Bagel. While you’re thinking of what speech you’re going to give Adam and trying to think of some kind of starter to the conversation, there’s a knock at the door. That must be him. You walk towards the door.

Adam comes trouncing in like nothing’s going on. He makes himself comfortable on your couch, before settling his eyes on you. He finally asks, “Are you alright? You look jumpy.”

So you just ask him point blank, “Do you have a ‘thing’ with that girl?”

His face looks confused, as if he genuinely doesn’t know what you’re talking about. He asks for clarification, “What girl?”

“The girl you were with today at lunch,” you say and watch his face to see how he reacts now that he know that you know. You know you’re being ridiculous questioning him but what if he’s moved on? You still haven’t sat down next to him on the couch, you’re standing in front of him. If it wasn’t for the size difference, it would seem that you’re interrogating him.

“Mariah? No we’re just friends, where’d you see us?” Adam answers and he appears to be telling the truth, no signs of deception. A part of you is relieved, then you start wondering what kind of friends they were. And you remember that he asked you a question.

“I was going to stop by and see you at rehearsal, then I saw you. Just friends or friends that fuck?” You ask and you finally sit next to him, but you’re only half-sitting, ready to pounce. His eyes are more amber now than the soft brown or honey that you’ve grown used to. He angles his body towards you and makes direct eye contact as he says, “Just friends. She’s in the play too.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” you admit while your eyes are locked on his. Then his face drops into a disappointed expression, then turns to frustration.

“Well thanks for fucking rubbing that in my face.”

“How do I know I’m not your third choice?” You stand up again and step in front of him. Adam exhales a breath he’s been holding in. Then, he reaches for your hand before answering.

“Because I only want you. I needed closure with Hannah, and Jessa was a consolation prize, but the way I feel about you I’ve never felt before. Even if you don’t feel the same I’d wait because I can’t imagine being with someone other than you.”

“Shut up and kiss me,” You say, and you tug on his hand, pulling him to stand. Once standing, Adam wraps his arms around your waist and crashing his lips onto yours. You kiss him back, sweeping your tongue along his lip, wanting to deepen it. He grants your tongue entrance, and your tongue grazes his, you want to taste every part of him. His hand moves up your waist to grip your neck, and you moan into his mouth involuntary.

He pulls himself away, and after taking a breath, he says, “Just to be clear, what does this mean? Because if it’s just fucking to you, I can’t do that, not with you.”

You put both of your hands on the sides of his face and say exasperatedly, “I mean I’m in love with you and don’t want to hide it anymore!”

Then he is on you like a man starved and you’re a full course meal. His passion is astonishing you, but it doesn’t take long until you’re put his hands on your tits, and you’re grinding into him. He lifts you and you wind your legs around his torso as he walks to your bedroom. You attack him with kisses on his neck, collarbones, face, and his ears. His large hand kneads your ass, then he sets you down on the bed.

In no time, you’re stripping off your shirt, your bra, and work to get your jeans off. Adam does the same, it’s a frenzy of clothes being thrown throughout the room. Once you’re both sufficiently naked, he climbs on top of you, kissing down your neck. He trails tongue behind your ear, then he nibbles on pulse point, making you squirm under him.

He places kisses on your collarbones then the top of each of your breasts. Then, he’s twirling his tongue on one of your nipples while squeezing your other breast. He sucks on your nipple earning a moan from you, before releasing with a “pop.” The other side gets the same treatment as his hand sneaks down into your panties, rubbing your clit in circles before his middle finger dips into your folds.

“Fuck, baby, that feels so good,” you say breathily. Adam watches your every reaction as he picks up the pace on your clit. He informs, “I watched how you touched yourself, how you got off.”

You buck your hips against his hand. His eyes are growing black with lust, and he says, “Do you like my fingers better than yours?”

“Yes,” you manage to get out, you were close, at the edge. Then, he relents and pulls his hand from you. He puts his fingers in his mouth and licks them clean. You can’t look away from him, how did you end up with this man in your bed?

He starts pulling your panties down your legs and positions himself with his head in between your thighs. He’s watching your pussy, looking mesmerized. Normally, you’d feel self-conscious but this was Adam and his face was proof you had nothing to be conscious over. He kisses the insides of your thigh, making you wetter than you already were.

“Fuck, look at this beautiful cunt. It’s just like I thought it would be.” He drags a finger along your folds and you moan at the contact. He makes direct eye contact as he tells you, “I can’t wait to taste you.”

You nod your consent as he licks a stripe up a cunt before rolling your labia with his lips. His tongue massages your clit, then traces it along. Your hands fly to his hair and they find purchase, when you tug on his hair, he moans into you. He gets back to work flicking your clit at a rhythm that has climbing, then he thrusts a finger into you. You groan and he adds another, scissoring you to stretch you before doing a come-hither motion. And his fingers hit your g-spot, while his mouth sucks on your clit.

Your orgasm hits you quickly and hard. Your toes are curling, and you arch your back so high, you almost levitate. Adam’s hand grip your hips keeping you down against him. That orgasm was so powerful you were disoriented for a few moments. When you come to, Adam’s still between your legs, licking you clean, and he looks delightfully wrecked.

You pull him up and you push him back down on the bed. Now you’re straddling him, you put your hands around his neck and kiss him deeply, tasting yourself on his tongue. Your hand then dances down between the two of you to palm him through his briefs, he’s rock hard already. You say, “Your turn.”

Adam gives you a lop-sided smile and you swoop down to kiss his neck, licking his nipples. Then you swirl his nipple with your tongue, and his hips buck into you. You place kisses down his torso, paying attention to his happy trail as you hover above his clothed cock.

Tugging down his briefs, you admire his now freed cock. A dick was dick, but damn if his dick wasn’t pretty. Long and thick. You lick up from base to tip, then playfully lick at his tip. You place open-mouth kisses along his shaft and he moans. You bob on his tip, and lightly suck before taking more and more of him in your mouth. The head hits the back of your throat and you swallow around him, and he says, “Fuck, you look so pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

You continue deep throating him, with his hands gripping your hair until he pulls you off. A trail of saliva hangs out of your mouth and onto his cock. He uses the hand in your hair to lift you up to crush your lips together. His tongue is in your mouth, and you melt into him.

When you break apart to take a breath, he asks, “Do I need a condom.”

You say, “No, I’m on the pill. I want you to cum inside me.” He nods and kisses you even deeper. You line his cock up with your slit and you sink onto him. He fills you so good. After adjusting, you start rocking your hips on him as you steady yourself with your hands on his chest. Then you grind down on him, and his pubic bones is brushing your clit. His hands stay fixed on your hips before traveling up to squeeze your tit.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” He says and you keep rocking as he then tells you, “I like seeing your tits bounce.”

You rock at a faster pace and bounce on his cock. This continues for some time then he shifts so he’s sitting up and that angle is perfect. His hand goes to the place in between your shoulders and his mouth goes to your chest. You keep moving your hips and the pressure on your clit is perfect. You rock your hips in a slightly different manner and it makes his cock brush your g-spot, so you keep moving like that. Adam asks, “You like that? You like my cock?”

“I like it, I really like your cock,” you say as you get closer and closer to another orgasm. He sits up even further and maneuvers you so you’re flush against him. He thrust ups into you and you’re glad because your legs are turning to jelly with every movement. The pressure on clit builds and you’re a moaning mess, you’re lucky Adam’s doing all the work.

“Cum all over my cock,” Adam encourages and you feel your body tense as pleasure overwhelms you. Adam keeps the pace through your orgasm and once you’ve recovered, his thrusts get quicker. You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him as he drills into you. He buries his head in your chest, then in your neck as his pace gets sloppy.

“Want me to cum inside your cunt? To fill you up?” He asks and he looks wild. You encourage him, shaking your hips above him, and say, “Yes, fill up my cunt with your cum.”

He thrusts once more then you can feel his cock twitch. He spills into you, his arms holding you close, and you can’t resist kissing him. The kiss is searing and tender.

The two of you then fall back unto the bed, not moving out of each other’s arms. You wonder why you fought this for so long, it felt right. You felt happy. When you look up at him, you ask, “Is sex supposed to be like this? I don’t remember it being like this.”

“That was damn good sex. Damn you’ve ruined me, kid.” He says and tucks you under his chin, and you rest your head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. Suddenly, he laughs and says, “I won’t be able to ever fuck another pussy again.”

You laugh and reach up to place a soft kiss on his lips. He looks at you with such devotion in his eyes, you’re nearly moved to tears. Adam clears his throat, then tells you, “I’m in love with you too, you know.”

You smile and nod, kissing him again, running your finger along his dimple. His mood changes as he rolls over so he’s hovering over you again. He kisses your neck, then playfully bites you.

“Do you want me to stay the night, make you breakfast, take you out on dates?” Adam asks in a sing-songy way that makes you laugh. You nod and say, “Yes.”

He continues on, kissing your collarbone before pulling at the skin with his teeth. His hair falls over his eyes as he tilts head up to ask, “Do you want me to hold your hand? To be your boyfriend?”

“Fuck yes, I want you in every way.” You answer and within the fraction of a second he’s kissing you on your lips again. You could get used to this you think to yourself as you hold him even closer.

@ghoulian13 @misskitred @han-not-solo

[hellyeahomeland]

“The English Teacher”: an HYH recap

This mindfuck of an episode picks up about a day or so after last week’s episode. Carrie is being held in a “subbasement” (a basement in the basement?) at Langley and has started to disassociate a bit. I would too! This reality is fucked!

Anyway, a nice lawyer man comes to retrieve her and does a bit of plot exposition:

Saul hired him to represent Carrie at the preliminary hearing.

Saul arranged for Carrie’s release and also paid the bond.

Saul is letting Carrie stay at his house!

Basically Saul is being the coolest he’s been re: Carrie in like seven years.

There was a car bomb at the Afghan/Pakistani border that killed a whole special ops crew and injured one CIA officer named Jenna Bragg, who was sent back to the US out of an abundance of caution. Oh, and Jenna was called to testify against Carrie at the hearing.

Don’t fucking talk to anyone until the hearing, especially not a specific person who’s meant to testify against you, capiche?

In the West Wing, things are messy as hell. Evil Spawn John Zabel is arguing that Pakistan was behind the suicide bomb and that’s yet another reason to invade. Saul argues it was just Haqqani; after all Pakistan lost some guys too. Zabel is all, “IT’S THEIR FUCKING COUNTRY” and says Linus should resign. Mandy starts swearing at Hugh Saul starts swearing at Zabel, he’s really fucking mad. Linus envisions new ways to get swallowed whole. Maybe dinosaurs will come back from extinction? It’s just a massive screaming match—actually very entertaining—and Saul’s big solution is “backchannel talks,” and Zabel’s brain nearly short circuits at the suggestion of diplomacy instead of military invasion. Hayes just looks like he’d rather be literally any fucking place doing any fucking thing except this.

Carrie is settling into Saul’s very lovely DC home when Saul arrives, worn and weary from his no good very bad day. Although it can’t possibly have been worse than Carrie’s, which is saying something. Carrie makes her first move, pokes around a bit about the Russian asset. Saul flatly denies it, then pours himself a drink (same). He eyes a bookcase full of old, leather-bound red books and then—

It’s 1986 in East Berlin. A young Saul, played by BEN SAVAGE (that’s right, it’s CORY MATTHEWS), who does bear a striking resemblance to Mandy Patinkin, walks into a bookstore and picks up one of those same, old red books from the display. He heads into the back of the store and then a young woman enters and cocks a pistol in his direction. He brings his hands up in surrender.

The next day at Walter Reed Hospital, Carrie defies all good legal advice and pays a visit to Jenna, who’s being discharged.

Jenna: OH MY FUCKING GOD, LOSE MY NUMBER. Carrie: Ok I know you’re furious with me, just know you join a very large and enthusiastic club on that front. But please listen to me. Jenna: Furious? Dude, that special ops crew is all dead. That’s on you. Carrie: It’s horrible, I know. But a suicide bomber did that. Not me, and not you. Jenna: You’re delusional. Carrie: You join another very large and enthusiastic club in that position, but just hear me out! You have nothing to do for the next two minutes while you wait for your Uber. Jenna: Not if I speed walk! Carrie: I found the black box. Do you even care what was on it? Probs not, but I’ll just keep talking. The president’s helicopter was not shot down! It was mechanical failure. Jenna: Hm… that is interesting. So where is it now? Carrie: That hot Russian guy stole it from me. Jenna: OH MY FUCKING GOD YOU ARE A MESS. Carrie: I just need a few days to get it back. I know you’re supposed to testify and I truly don’t give two fucks what you say to them, but if you could just wait a week that would be awesome. Jenna: Well, what’s your plan? Carrie: They offered me a trade. But I can’t really say much more than that. Jenna: What is with you spies and your secrets? Carrie: Ok fine. Saul has an asset high up in the Kremlin. I need to find out who it is. Jenna:  Good fucking luck getting onto a Langley computer. Not that you’d know how to use it. Carrie: [loaded silence] Jenna: OH MY GOD. I’m tattling to Saul.

And Jenna does book it straight to Saul’s office but has to wait a bit because Saul’s on the phone with Tasneem, who is in New York City at the UN and remains maximum pissed. From the time her plane took off to when it landed the US moved more troops right along their border. Saul says some things about how everyone in the US is crazy and it’s  all very ~prescient~ but he thinks if they can just take out Jalal, Hayes and Zabel might back down. Tasneem once again claims they have no idea where he is. Saul asks for a target, any plausible coordinates. Tasneem agrees.

Enter Jenna. She is very prepared to expose just how big of a crazy person Carrie is when Saul is like, “hold up, little lady, it’s all true.” He’s taking this “back up Carrie at all costs” thing to a whole new level. He says that, no matter her mistakes, Carrie never loses sight of the bigger picture. Everything she does is in service of that. The tribunal will attempt to get Jenna to contribute to whatever bullshit charges they come up with, but Jenna needs to do like Carrie: decide what matters. Decide what kind of person she is.

Later, Carrie is at the arraignment, and the judge starts listing off charges. It’s pretty bad. Treason, accessory to murder, etc. She starts to have a tiny panic attack in the courtroom and thankfully holds her vomit for the restroom. There, she’s approached by a prim-looking woman named Charlotte Benson, “a friend of Yevgeny’s.” (Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize her from last season with Ivan.) Carrie’s like, “fuck that guy and fuck you too” but Charlotte is unfazed, hands her her card, and says they have resources. All you have to do is call.

In the simultaneously most and least surprising event of the season, at the tribunal, Jenna decides what type of person she is and it’s the type with a mind of her own. She gets about four seconds into the thing before she bolts. 

At the White House, Zabel reveals that—whadya know!—the Pakistanis did know where Jalal was. At least, they said they do. They just provided coordinates and everyone’s in the situation room waiting to pull the trigger. Saul hurries down and watches as they bomb the entire compound. “Fuck yeah!” Hayes exclaims as everyone applauds, definitely 100% sure they just killed Jalal. Saul makes a beeline for the exit and tells Linus he’s going to New York.

Later, Jenna is waiting for Carrie at Saul’s with a folder full of information. It’s about the exfiltration that Carrie mentioned that went south. The man attended a KGB language school but he spooked and Saul had to get him out quickly. Minefields and shit. He’s been in Pennsylvania in Witness Protection ever since. So he can’t be Saul’s asset but maybe he knows who is.

Jenna: You sure you want to betray Saul? Carrie: I’m 100% sure I want to do the opposite of that, but I have no choice.  Jenna: You’re right, I guess. But I’m done with all this shit. Carrie: “Done”? Never heard of it.   Jenna: I’m through with this, the CIA, all of it. Carrie: Wait, so you finally used your brain and that’s the decision you came to? You don’t have the thrill of having figured something out? You don’t feel a physical and emotional high? Jenna: Uh no?? I feel sick to my stomach about the special ops team. That comes down on me. And whoever this asset is will be tortured too. That’s my big picture. I’ve tried to see it your way, but I can’t. I just don’t believe it anymore. Carrie: Believe what? Jenna/Quinn’s ghost: That anything justifies the damage we do.

Carrie ruminates on that for about 2.4 seconds before she’s on to the next thing, which is a road trip to Pennsylvania. She arrives in her librarian cosplay, hair in a ponytail, eyeglasses, the whole shebang. She’s at the house of Saul’s old asset, the one who’s in Witness Protection. She introduces herself as Heather Frith (great fake name) and says she works as an archiver for the CIA’s Chief Historian, which is a job just fake-sounding enough to probably be real. She wants details about what happened with his exfiltration, details that aren’t in the file. He is suspicious at first, but she calls his bluff, and he takes her out to his garage to relive the story.

He describes Saul then as something of a hero. He had everything in the exfiltration down like clockwork. When one of the mines exploded, he literally carried him over the border. Carrie asks what happened to the rest of the cadets in his class, and he says they were all killed for failing to prevent his defection. She spots a woman in an old photograph then. He didn’t know her name, she just went by Comrade Instructor. She was their English teacher. Then Carrie eyes an old red book. He explains it was their method for arranging a meeting. You move the book from the right to the left side of the display window. “Very Saul. He liked the old ways. Things hidden in plain sight.”

…Which makes for a nice segue to New York City. Saul’s at UN headquarters, where Pakistan has requested a vote against the US for being general dicks and warmongers. Saul then pulls a Quinn in “Q&A” (or maybe a Carrie in “Tin Man Is Down”) and makes a huge scene at the meeting, screaming at the Russian delegation about the flight recorder. An older blonde woman translates for the delegation as he shouts. Resident hottie Scott Ryan escorts Saul out and the Russians have a powwow within earshot of said woman. What was all that about a flight recorder? One of them says Yevgeny Gromov is running an operation and leaves it at that. Cue that woman later in a rare bookstore. She eyes another of those old red leather-bound editions.

We flashback again to 1986. That woman in the bookstore is the woman holding Saul at gunpoint. She is the English teacher at the language school. She is disgusted at what happened to her students—put up against a wall and shot—and wants to take the place of Saul’s asset. Saul feigns ignorance and says she must be confusing him with someone else.

The next five minutes are a masterpiece. Back at Saul’s house in present day, Carrie finally takes an interest in his unique collection of old red books. She flips through them and notes that each has a date on the inside front cover. 11.14.2009. 3.14.95. 3.5.1987. She lines them up in the living room, by year, next to significant events in the ongoing Russian/American intelligence battle. Chernobyl cover-up in 1986. Gorbachev coup in 1989. Aldrich Ames in 1993. Robert Hanssen in 2000. Crimea in 2014. Active measures in the 2016 election. 

In his NY hotel room, Saul has a book delivery for one Professor Rabinow. Send it right up.

Carrie surveys her makeshift timeline. She picks up the next book, Vanity Fair. The subtitle on the inside reads “A NOVEL WITHOUT A HERO,” in case the audience had any doubts. She picks up another and notices the Russian spelling of “Moscow” on the inside back cover. She begins flipping through others in the timeline looking for the same tag. No, no, no, yes. She smiles that same knowing, exhilarated smile. It really is like a high. She whittles the Moscow books down to just eight now.

Saul gets his package, which is—whoulda thunk?!—an old red book, and takes it into the bathroom. Carrie examines one of the books, flipping through the pages. She checks the back cover—maybe something hidden in the lining?—but no luck.

Saul flips this new book upside down, brings the covers up in a ‘V’ to expose a space on the spine. In his living room, Carrie does the same thing. There it is: an opening, just small enough for a message. Carrie exhales, eyes wide, at the discovery. Delicately Saul retrieves a small piece of paper and holds it up to the light. He reads: “THE PRICE HAS ALREADY BEEN ASKED. IT’S YEVGENY GROMOV’S PLAY.”

A middle-aged Ben Savage playing a young Saul Berenson walks through the streets of Berlin late at night before he’s accosted by some Soviets requesting his papers. They think he’s CIA. He gets a few punches in (yes, Saul!) before running down a dead-end alley. All of a sudden he hears gunshots, braces for injury. But it’s the men who’ve been shot, and by the English teacher Anna. “Do you trust me now?” she says.

In present day, Saul stands silently in his hotel room, contemplating this new knowledge. Carrie’s lied to him about Yevgeny, that much he knows. But what else has she kept from him?

Carrie also has new knowledge, and she’s taking it straight to Yevgeny. Charlotte Benson drives her to a huge, empty mansion to speak with him.

Charlotte: Empty for two years. Owners are asking too much. Carrie: Hey, just like our show!

Charlotte leads her to a room and computer where Yevgeny is waiting on a video conference. Carrie is not at all pleased to see her Russian boyfriend.

She says that the asset exists. Yevgeny is the opposite of enthusiastic. Saul probably recruited her in East Berlin in 1986. She knows how they communicate. “How?” Yevgeny asks. “That’s not how this works,” Carrie replies, trying to maintain the upper hand for as long as possible. Yevgeny asks for a name. Carrie doesn’t have it but can get it if he provides some KGB records. She needs some stuff from the language school, but Yevgeny explains it’s all lost, burned by the “freedom lovers” after the Berlin Wall came down. They’ve gone down this road before, did Carrie really think she was the first to figure out that connection?

Carrie gets frustrated and nearly walks out of the meeting when Yevgeny reminds her of the stakes at play: America and Pakistan on the literal brink of full-scale war.

Yevgeny: Besides, you haven’t done everything you can. Carrie: Meaning what? Yevgeny: Take out Saul. That will neutralize the asset. Carrie: Saul has a legacy plan. If he goes, he has a plan to pass the asset onto someone else. Yevgeny: Yes, exactly. And that someone else is … Carrie: [mind blown] Yevgeny: …you. Carrie: You… you played me. You knew it would come to this. How long have you been planning this? Do you derive extra special pleasure from fucking with me?  Yevgeny: I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but like you said, you tried everything.

He tells her to do it—to kill Saul. Her eyes fill with tears as she shuts the computer and walks out. The lights go black behind her.

[ambitionsource]

AMBITION Season 2 ♫ “Contingency Plan” [ 2.07 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows) || S2 Tag || Official Page

JUST IN CASE – In preparation for the looming pressure of senior year, Eric meets with each junior for a mandatory check-in. Unwanted attention sheds light on areas of weakness. Contents under pressure can only bend so much before they break.

70 Minutes (20K words) || CONTENT WARNING: suicide attempt (not shown); suicidal ideation; depictions of anxiety. Take care of yourselves and read with discretion.

[ ← Trapped ] [ S2 Synopsis ] [ Got A Lotta Livin’ To Do → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. AUDITORIUM - DAY

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “A Million Dreams” as performed by The Greatest Showman Original Cast || Performed by Eric Matthews (feat. Angela Moore)

From the back, we open on a young student sitting backwards on a chair underneath a gleaming spotlight. As they launch into the opening notes of the number, something about the voice is vaguely familiar albeit a much higher tenor than we’re used to. As the camera eases in a circle around them…

We come to face YOUNG ERIC MATTHEWS (16). He’s fresh-faced, excited, sporting his ridiculously good ‘90s hair and with a layer of baby fat on his cheeks. He’s in the role all of our protagonists are in now, the world he once occupied -- a hopeful performing arts student, dizzyingly proclaiming all of the dreams he’s going to accomplish.

There’s something truly charming about his youthful performance. An unwavering belief in his passion, an electric energy as he dances across the stage that has matured into something deeper as he’s gotten older. Undoubtedly, he’s also good, really good -- just as good as any of the students at AAA despite not attending some fancy academy for the arts.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

When the vocal tenor shifts in the middle of the song, younger Eric spins and the camera goes with him, transforming into ERIC MATTHEWS in present day. He’s still singing the same song, reprising the number on the AAA stage. The junior A class sits scattered in the audience, visible mostly from the back of their heads like how young Eric was first viewed.

A surprise guest joins in, ANGELA MOORE floating onto the stage with gusto. The A class performers react accordingly to this, excitement in their features at their former coach making a grand return. On the line “share your dreams with me,” she smiles and holds her hands to her heart -- MAYA HART emulates the gesture in the audience, obviously so happy she’s back.

Angela and Eric finish out the duet impressively, reminding us that the faculty at AAA certainly hold an understanding of what their students are currently living through. They round out a spin together and fall into a hug as the piano takes the song out, before walking to the front of the stage and clasping their hands together in front of themselves.

HARPER BURGESS jogs onto the stage to join them as the A class applauds, completing the trio and matching their stance.

Harper: Welcome to check-in week.

As they go on to explain, this is the annual week in the midst of each class’ junior year during which they meet with Eric -- and this time, maybe Angela! -- to discuss what their current goals and plans for the future are. Colleges, auditions, the real world is just around the corner, and it’s time for them to start preparing for it.

The response to this impending reality is decidedly mixed. Some seem excited, invigorated, whereas others look reluctant or just plain scared. Off these varied emotions --

Cue title sequence.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

The diva crop of performers are together again, Maya leading the discussion as she, ZAY BABINEAUX, NIGEL CHEY, YINDRA AMINO, and ISADORA DE LA CRUZ eagerly discuss the content of the week. Maya has every detail of her life seemingly planned down to the wire, more than prepared to chase that elusive dream by every single choreographed move.

Yindra and Nigel add in their two cents, the former claiming she wants to jet-set straight to Los Angeles to start trying to break into the music industry. Maya scoffs at this, claiming that’s a pretty risky business venture. Nigel notes that he wants to attend one of the theater schools in New York before jumping the ocean to study / start up some roles in London at the West End. Every great actor gets their start in the West End.

Zay and Isadora are particularly quiet. As Zay listens to his friends verbally shoot for the stars, he contemplates that maybe he’s selling himself too short or approaching his future too modestly. Isadora feels totally lost, way behind on the performer uptake and not even sure what she wants to pursue once they graduate.

Nigel: Well, better to have many talents you can’t choose between than be tethered to one that may or may not pan out.

Maybe so, Nigel. Maybe so. Isadora smiles half-heartedly, averting her gaze as they jump back into daydreaming. She notices FARKLE MINKUS seated a couple tables away by himself, excusing herself softly.

Oddly enough, Farkle is suddenly… looking and acting a lot more like his former self. He’s back in his more polished fashion from season one, despite how it doesn’t fit right anymore with his height gain and weight loss. His hair has been swept back off his forehead into what could be considered a coiff… if you squint.

More than that, what’s so jarring about it is the fervor that seems to have taken him over. He’s spent much of the school year being uncharacteristically listless unless provoked, and now he’s suddenly back to work at a ferocious pace. He’s bent over his laptop and a notebook, meticulously crafting his “future” presentation for Eric.

Isadora raises her eyebrows as she approaches, keeping the table safely between them.

Isadora: Well, didn’t realize future week meant we were throwing back to the past.

Farkle: [ lifting his head, glaring ] What?

Isadora: I’m just… you’re looking…

[ She isn’t sure what to say. Communicating is hard. ]

Isadora: You’ve certainly made a return to form, that’s all.

Farkle: Well, if nothing else is going to change then I don’t see why I should. The assignment for the week reminded me that nothing is more important than our goals -- that’s the only reason we’re at this school in the first place. And I guess something just… came over me.

Isadora: Yes, the ghost of Farkles past.

Farkle, unamused: Are you done wasting my time? And yours. Surely you would be better off spending your energy trying to figure out your paradoxical existence and decide which part of yourself you’re going to cut out to fully devote yourself to a set future at the age of sixteen.

Isadora honestly has no idea what to say. Partially because Farkle is being so waspish, and also because he sort of hit the nail on the head. She backs off without further comment, only glancing back over her shoulder once before marching away.

INT. AAA - CORY’S CLASSROOM - DAY

RILEY MATTHEWS is having lunch with CORY MATTHEWS, wisely avoiding the overwhelming atmosphere of the junior lunch period this week. As the two of them discuss her future potential, Cory is predictably all about one thing -- the dream. To him, Riley unequivocally has what it takes to make it, and she shouldn’t be giving that up for anything.

This is an uplifting take, and it’s nice that Cory believes in her so faithfully. But it’s not necessarily helpful, and doesn’t give Riley much to work with when it comes to outlining her plans in a tangible way for Eric to judge them.

She gives him a smile, turning back to her food as it falters somewhat.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

As Riley heads back into the hall, she accidentally runs into CHARLIE GARDNER. They exchange apologies, Riley attempting to strike up conversation about check-in week. But Charlie isn’t all that talkative, politely claiming he’s running late for a meeting and really needs to go.

Riley watches as he jogs away, finding his behavior a little odd. He’s Charlie, and he’s always been odd, but now Riley is more attuned to it since they’re tentatively rebuilding a friendship.

She lets it drop for now, but the expression on her face makes it clear she isn’t finished with it.

INT. AAA - DANCE STUDIO - DAY

Zay is already warming up when Charlie arrives for their typical practice. Both of them are obviously a bit on edge due to the nature of the week, but at different levels of willing to talk about it. Zay laments how stupid the whole week is, whereas Charlie isn’t ready to give it any thought whatsoever.

Charlie can tell that Zay’s attitude goes deeper than annoyance, however, so he nudges him into talking about it. After a moment, Zay admits that he feels like maybe his approach in being realistic has instead turned pessimistic, and he’s being his own worst enemy.

Zay: My parents are both very logical people, okay? They totally support me and Jada in whatever we want to do -- and of course, we both chose artistic and ridiculous passions --

Charlie: True test of supportive parenting, they should be prepared for it.

Zay: But there was always this logical caveat nested in my brain. Like, I could do it, but it would take planning and perseverance and tons of hard work.

Charlie: And that’s wrong?

Zay: I don’t know. Just listening to everyone else talk about it, they’re all thinking big moves. They’re giving themselves the credit to be able to jump to another city or step up for a major audition on a whim. And I always thought I was as bold as the rest, but maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m selling myself short before I even go on sale. And I have no idea how to not be that way.

Charlie assures him that thinking logically and realistically isn’t a bad thing. They need a balance of both, he thinks, to actually survive a life in the arts. But if Zay wants to push his own boundaries and think bigger, then he needs to start by reaching as high as he can.

As if to demonstrate the notion of pushing boundaries, Charlie braves taking his hands when he comes to stand in front of him. Despite the fact that they’re at school, and anyone could walk into the dance studio at any moment. Zay glances down at their hands while Charlie asks him to think bigger, to think about what he thinks the highest bar he could reach might be.

They do the exercise back and forth for a bit, Zay saying something in his possible post-graduate trajectory and Charlie instructing him to go even grander. It escalates until it gets truly ridiculous, Charlie laughing as Zay says something like usurping Beyoncé fresh out of AAA and going on a world tour.

Sure, that’ll never happen, but the exercise does what it’s supposed to. It opens them both up, and Zay thanks Charlie sincerely.

He then tries to return the favor and allow Charlie the chance to talk about his future anxieties, but he’s not having it. He slips from his grasp, claiming they should really get to practicing.

Charlie: Can’t usurp Beyoncé if you’re not in top shape.

INT. BLUE’S APARTMENT - DAY

Isadora goes to visit BLUE NGUYEN after school, settling into his apartment. She’s eager to discuss the week’s assignment with someone who knows her well but is a removed neutral party, but it seems as though Blue is distracted. He’s got stuff going on with his new job -- since he can’t afford to go to college yet on his own -- and although he still attempts to be an avid listener Isadora can tell his mind is elsewhere.

She changes tracks instead, asking him what he’s working on. He seems grateful for the chance to talk about it, Isadora nodding along with a tight smile.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY

Riley isn’t getting much work done on her own future outline, distracted by Topanga’s incoming visit for family dinner. She’s fixated on picking the perfect outfit and trying to seem put together, obsessively fixing her new short hair in the mirror.

Maya is on a completely different page, erecting a whole moodboard for her meeting. It’s like a flashy, diva science fair board, and she’s lovingly adding pieces and tweaking them to perfection. She questions why Riley is so panicked over the meal while adding a photo of Britney Spears to the collage, right next to Valerie De La Cruz under “career inspirations.”

Riley: You’ve never had dinner with my family, okay? Especially not recently.

Maya: Really hyping this up for me, honey.

Riley: Besides I… I don’t know. I just have this… there’s this feeling…

She can’t articulate it, but she trusts her gut. She knows the other shoe has to drop eventually, although she’s not sure in what regard or what that might mean for them. How the hell is she supposed to focus on the future when her present is such a disaster?

INT. BABINEAUX HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Zay is leaning against the kitchen counter, lamenting his future troubles to DONNA BABINEAUX as she bustles around making dinner. She essentially echoes exactly what Charlie told him, albeit with her own touch.

Donna: Look, you work hard. You work twice as hard as the rest of the divas in that class to earn half the respect, and you’ve got the accolades to prove that you’re some of the best they’ve got. So to hell with reservations, you should not be concerned about reaching too high. Worry about the fall when you get there.

Convincing argument. Zay contemplates, nodding and gearing up to rearrange some things in his presentation for Eric.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - NIGHT

The full clan is assembled along with Maya, TOPANGA LAWRENCE avidly holding conversation with AUGGIE MATTHEWS. Cory mostly remains quiet as usual, smiling where appropriate and speaking when invited by others. Riley is quiet as well, unusually nervous.

Topanga lights up with a thought, remembering that there was something she wanted to let them all know. She happily declares that she’s decided where she wants to relocate permanently -- upstate! Out of the city, where her practice can really thrive and she can maybe expand.

But also hours away rather than minutes by train. This is a bombshell revelation, and Riley barely gets the chance to react to it before Topanga is already changing the subject again. She pulls Maya into conversation, wanting to know more about her and hear all about her time at AAA as compared to Riley’s.

Maya glances at Riley before taking up the conversational slack. Riley looks to Cory, wide-eyed, but he doesn’t have any optimism to offer. As this heavy reality settles over this dinner…

INT. GARDNER HOME - DINING ROOM - NIGHT

The more distant future is up for discussion at the Gardner table. ELEANOR GARDNER and AMBROSE GARDNER are curious to hear what this “check-in week” entails at AAA, and excitedly wonder what Charlie has thought about in regards to his future. ROSAMUND GARDNER and DAISY GARDNER listen plaintively, grateful it’s not them in the hot seat.

This is an uncomfortable topic, because Charlie doesn’t feel like he has any grasp on a future for himself. He barely knows who he is right now, he can’t fathom the future. He tries to give them something to chew on anyway, admitting that he loves dance a lot, but isn’t sure what he wants to do with that.

Rosie: Why are you at dance school then?

Charlie glares at her, kicking at her under the table. She sneers back, waiting until both parents aren’t looking to stick her tongue out at him. Eleanor jumps back into the brainstorming session Charlie never asked for, eagerly suggesting that he consider theology school if he isn’t sure what else he wants to do.

Eleanor: They have a great institution, Aggie loved it. They even have a performing arts major, which would be fun and still aligned with your interests.

Daisy, under her breath: Bridal college...

Ambrose laughs lightly, playing off of Daisy’s comment.

Ambrose: There you go, Charlie. Daisy’s onto something. You could get yourself a future and a wife, nice two-for-one.

Charlie: Oh, perfect. All figured out then. Ha ha.

Charlie’s words do not match his expression. He looks like he’s going to be sick, stabbing at his peas and forcing himself to swallow a forkful.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Before Charlie’s fork can hit the plate again, Maya’s moodboard hits the surface of Eric’s desk. She launches into professional and compelling presentation mode, giving a thorough, impassioned, and somewhat overwhelming explanation of how she’s outlined the next fifteen years of her career.

It all starts with arts college, of course, to which she’s selected a list of five in preference order that she will be applying to come next fall. From there, she has about four branching plans for each school that accounts for even the smallest details, creating an elaborate future tree that all eventually leads to the inevitable -- her name in lights, doing what she was born to do.

In the midst of Maya’s monologue, a classic AMBITION montage throws other juniors into the chair across from Eric to discuss their futures. Nigel makes commentary about how he just wants to act, but he figures going to AAA has given him plenty of practice for dealing with the drama of the industry. Yindra explains that she wants to head straight to Los Angeles, maybe major in music production but predominantly focus on building connections.

Yindra: Rumor has it you have a younger brother in the music industry. Want to share contact info, Mister E?

LUCAS FRIAR takes the chair across from Eric, and from the (: expression on his face we can tell that he’s not going to be making this easy for the well-meaning counselor. He essentially answers all of his questions with non-answers, spinning the question or throwing it back in his direction.

Eric: Come on, Lucas. It doesn’t have to be difficult. What exactly have you been thinking for your future?

Lucas: What have you been thinking for your future, Mister Matthews?

Eric: I’m sorry?

Lucas: You know, social security is running out. I’m doomed for retirement, but you still have a chance and should consider your options.

Eric: I don’t --

Lucas: In fact, you could be contemplating retirement right now.

Eric: How old do you think I am?

Lucas: You know what, you’ve got a lot to think about. Let me just get out of your hair. Best of luck with this next phase in your life, sir. Save a little social security for the rest of us provided climate change doesn’t kill us first!

Lucas slides out of the seat, propelling himself through the doors before Eric can even register what just happened. He rubs his face, totally confused.

A couple other A class students follow after.

Darby: I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this thing, you know? Sarah is always telling me I’m just a follower, but the world needs followers too, doesn’t it? Who would become social media influencers if there was no one to influence?

Eric: It’s okay if you don’t want to pursue the arts.

Darby: I mean, but what am I going to do instead? Follow in the footsteps of my mom? I won’t survive veterinary school, Mister E. And you can only cure lung cancer once!

[ Haley takes the seat next. ]

Haley: All I know is I want to stay in New York.

Eric: Why’s that?

Haley: Well, Clarissa is staying here because she wants to go to Juilliard to study music. I think she wants to be an orchestra or general music teacher, which would be so good for her. She’s like, sweet and patient but also sassy, and kids will like that. But I don’t wanna go too far, because we’re best friends and we’ve never been that far apart.

Eric: Uh huh…

Haley: Also, I guess if I want to try and be an actress and stuff, this is the place to be.

Eric: Do you want to try and be an actress?

Haley: Yes. I mean… not particularly. Maybe? It just feels like I’ve been following the path for so long it would be a major disappointment to have gotten this far and end up not following it through. It kind of... [ a beat ] It kind of feels like my whole crush on Charlie thing. It’s like, if it doesn’t end with us eventually riding off into the sunset together, then what was the whole point? [ a beat, then panicked ] Oh, God. Do you think I’ve been running on false hope this entire time?

Eric: Well, I wouldn’t say that --

Haley: You’re right! You’re right, haha, I’m just jumping to the worst case scenario. I’m going to stick with my flower shop with Clarissa plan and wait for Charlie to finally come around and come buy flowers for me and it will all work out. Thanks, Mister Eric.

Eric: … you’re welcome.

What a mess. But that’s every check-in week. It’s somewhat of a relief when Zay Babineaux walks through the door next, Eric greeting him cheerfully at the prospect of actually having a calm, rational conversation with someone.

Although a little nervous, Zay does a good job of laying out his new plans to Eric. The counselor listens eagerly, nodding along and seemingly impressed with some of the bolder ideas he has for paths to pursue post-graduation. When he finishes with an exhale, Eric applauds his creativity and ambition. Of course, he supports him considering he knows how hardworking and talented he is, and it’s obvious that his heart and soul went into thinking about this.

But on the other hand… Eric is obligated to point out the lack of back-up planning. Zay clearly has a lot of drive and ambition, which is excellent, but in throwing his reservations out the window to redo his plans he might’ve thrown them too far. What if he discovers he doesn’t want to pursue the arts after all? What if those high-reaching conservatories he applied to don’t accept him?

Fair points, but a difficult conversation to have with someone already feeling overlooked and stuck. The commentary hits a nerve and Zay grows defensive, arguing that Eric didn’t have all this criticism to give Maya. In Maya’s defense, she had fourteen thousand alternate routes mapped out, but that’s not what is really bothering Zay.

And so, for the first time, Zay has his diva meltdown. As he goes on to say, this is just more of the same that he’s endured since the moment he showed up at AAA. They’ve chosen their favorites and who they plan to back, and that’s clearly never going to change. He’s never going to be good enough for them.

Eric frantically tries to assure him that isn’t the case, but Zay is already marching out of the office. Yet another victim of the pressure of check-in week. As the grungy bass beat floats in...

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Consideration” as performed by Rihanna & SZA || Performed by Zay Babineaux

It’s been a while since we got some classic R&B funk from Zay Babineaux, and the frustration that is finally bubbling over the surface is the perfect catalyst to bring it. Zay does Rihanna proud as he saunters through the halls, angrily spitting out the tune. He does some light freestyling as he goes, expertly dancing around other students as they pay him no attention walking to their next class.

Still overlooked. Will you ever respect me? No…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Charlie is on stage between run throughs, conversing with Haley and CLARISSA CRUZ. After some offhand conversation about how stressful the week is, during which Charlie is notably quiet, the girls claim they have to get changed before lunch. Each of them give him a quick hug.

While embracing Haley, Charlie seems to realize something. He’s hugging Haley -- and Clarissa -- because they’re friends. And no one is thinking anything of it. They bid him farewell, heading down the hall.

Charlie contemplates the matter as he finishes gathering his things. No one is watching his every move, calculating every single thing he does and trying to pick apart his motives. If that can be true for his friendship with them…

Well, perhaps that’s not entirely true. Riley enters the wings and stops as the girls are finishing up their hugs with him, observing curiously. It bothers her that he seems so completely comfortable with them and yet continues to act so weird with her. She chews her lip, frowning.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

By the time she’s made it to lunch with Maya and Isadora, Riley has made realizations of her own. In her mind, there is obviously something deeper to the whole weirdness between her and Charlie that she’s not in on. There’s a greater conspiracy at play, and she’s going to get to the bottom of it.

Isadora: Riley, you know I love a good mystery. But this… is crazy.

Maya: Yeah, what do you think you’re going to “uncover?” This is Charlie Gardner we’re talking about.

Isadora: I repeat. You’re being crazy.

Maya: The most shocking thing you’re going to end up finding out is that all his GAP fare is actually from Banana Republic.

Riley is adamant, though, and a little miffed that they’re not supporting her. Maya points out another truth to the situation.

Maya: Do you think maybe you’re… deflecting a bit? With everything that’s happening with your parents --

Isadora: What? What happened now?

Riley: No, no, that has nothing to do with this. This is a long game, okay? Charlie has been weird with me since the day I showed up at Triple A, you can’t deny that.

Maya shrugs, already losing interest. Riley goes on to highlight how uneven his relationship has been solely with her, and she feels she deserves answers. She’s fixed and figured out problems before, and she’s going to get to the bottom of this one.

Isadora and Maya exchange a look, opting to leave Riley be. She’s happier when she has a project anyway, and happiness is in short supply these days.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The techies are assembled in the back section, idly discussing the progression of check-in week. JADE BEAMON asks Nate how his meeting went, and he scoffs.

Nate: Easy. I could feed Mister E anything and he would’ve approved it. We all know they only really care about their superstar performers and their fast tracks to fame.

Doesn’t look like any of them are going to disagree. ASHER GARCIA mutters about not wanting to step into Eric’s office ever again, since every time they end up in there it leads to eventual disaster. DYLAN ORLANDO asks DAVE WILLIAMS if he’s thought about what he’s going to say in his meeting.

Dylan: Do you know what you want to do once you blow this popsicle stand?

Dave: There are popsicles here? Why am I only learning this now?!

Nate clarifies, meaning what does he want to do with his future. Dave pauses, thinking.

Dave: Might be nice to help combat the impending danger of climate change and issues with renewable resources by studying environmental sciences or maybe aeronautical space engineering in pursuit of space materials that could be used as new energy sources.

Jade: … oh?

Dave: Yeah. Ooh, or a rodeo clown!

The rest of them exchange content looks. There it is. Lucas arrives just as they’re moving past the nice moment, Nate turning the question on him and asking how his check-in went. Lucas scoffs, putting out an air of smugness as he claims he totally blew it off. Eric probably doesn’t even know what hit him after their meeting.

Whereas this sort of behavior from Lucas is usually brushed off, the pressure of the week (and well, the whole year) has worn patience thin. So rather than just rolling her eyes, Jade actually questions whether or not Lucas doing such a thing was a wise decision. Or a polite one, at that.

Lucas: Do you really care what the hell I do in my meeting with counselor Eric?

Jade: No, I’m only saying is being rude to someone who’s just trying to help guide you really something to be proud of?

Oh. There’s a tension to the techie brigade that hasn’t ever really been there before. Dylan clears his throat and tries to alleviate it, saying diplomatically that he doubts it’s a big deal. But Lucas isn’t used to his fellow techies stepping to him, least of all Jade, so he can’t let it go.

Lucas: Do you have a problem with me, Jade? Because if you are, you can just say it to my face.

Jade, defensively: I mean, I am, but to be fair you’re not really listening to anybody right now.

Nate whistles, grimacing. The conversation quickly escalates, Lucas trying to defend himself in a group that’s supposed to be non-confrontational while Jade -- and eventually, JEFF MONROE -- step up and argue against how bad his behavior has been this year. To be frank, it’s obnoxious, and more than that they’re concerned. They’re his friends, and he hasn’t been treating anybody much like friends as of late.

The frustration is valid and the intentions are good, but Lucas isn’t ready to be criticized. He deflects, feeling cornered and essentially hissing by telling them to back off before storming out.

Dylan and Asher immediately leap up to go after him, the former disappearing quickly but the latter not making it out before they come for him, too. Jeff points out that they’re not really helping with Lucas’s attitude when they back him up all the time.

Asher: Well, what am I supposed to do? Nothing?

Jade: No, but do you think you’re making anything better by just enabling his shitty behavior? I know you don’t -- you’ve told me you don’t. If you’re really his best friends, you could be doing more to combat it and make him… I don’t know, check himself.

Asher blinks, absorbing the blow from his other best friend. Knowing that she’s right, hating the fact that she is. Then he huffs, following the same pattern as Lucas.

Asher, sharply: Let me handle my own problems, alright?

Asher whips around, jogging after Lucas and Dylan. Jade shakes her head, exchanging an exasperated look with Jeff. Dave reaches forward and pats her on the shoulder.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley meets with Charlie at his locker, cheerfully greeting him and suggesting that the two of them partner together for their English assignment. Crazy, to still have other homework in the midst of all this chaos, but oh yeah, they’re also high school students. Charlie agrees, liking the prospect of working with Riley again even if he’s super stressed about everything else.

She accepts his agreement as commitment, happily telling him she’ll text him with ideas before flouncing off. She’s being a bit too peppy, even for Riley, but before Charlie can think on it too much he’s delivered an entirely new distraction.

Zay is marching down the hall, in a clearly worse mood than he normally lets show at school. Charlie frowns, jumping out to catch him from passing him by and pulling him back towards the lockers. He tries to get him to talk to him, asking what’s going on.

Zay recaps the gist of the meeting with Eric, getting worked up all over again. It’s obvious how deeply this hurt runs, regardless of how well he’s buried it down over the last three years. Charlie attempts to talk him down but he’s beyond that at the moment, totally emotionally overrun. So Charlie braves a different approach entirely, taking his shoulders and pulling him into a hug.

A hug. In the middle of the hallway. Where anybody can see. Zay tenses up at first, glancing around them with trained hesitation.

Zay: Charlie, man --

Charlie: It’s okay. [ a beat, softer ] It’s okay.

It’s okay, because he decided it’s okay. Charlie said it’s okay, and so it is. Zay hesitates for a moment longer before sinking into the embrace, actually gleaning comfort from it. Charlie closes his eyes, Zay tucking his head into his shoulder.

The rest of the school passes them by, not even giving them a second glance.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Angela is in the black box conversing with Harper, the two of them carrying on a rather pleasant conversation. When Angela asks about how she’s faring working with her admittedly stubborn boyfriend, Harper is spared from having to comment when Maya shows up early to class. She exchanges an enthusiastic hug with Angela, the latter commending her on her extensive and impressive future itinerary. Not that she had any doubts Maya would come correct.

When Angela shifts gears and quietly asks Maya about how she’s handling Katy’s relocation, she deflects and claims with diva levels of confidence that she’s fine. Unideal, but she’s trucking on regardless. Nothing to worry about here.

Other A class members begin to filter in, including Zay and Charlie. Zay catches the soft, fond exchange between Maya and Angela, another subtle reminder of the favoritism that has always existed in their class.

As Maya settles into her seat, she looks around before tapping Riley’s shoulder.

Maya: Where’s Izzy?

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Isadora is skipping performers lecture, wandering into the auditorium to try and catch the techies. If she’s having trouble finding an anchor elsewhere, then maybe a return to form is exactly what she needs.

She only finds four of them, Lucas, Dylan, and Asher still MIA. They’re hanging around on the stage, mood deflated and unusually quiet after their earlier conversation. Jade is focused on fixing a costume piece, but her hands are trembling as she works with the needle and thread.

Isadora’s arrival is a surprise to all of them, and she completely misreads the tone of the room. She makes a joke about how uncharacteristically grim they all are and it doesn’t go over well. Nate makes a backhanded comment about how she loves to just float back around to say hi whenever it’s convenient for her, and Jeff subtly seconds the notion by asking Isadora what she’s even doing there when she should be in class.

Isadora: Oh, so what, suddenly we’re all saints who never skip class? Didn’t realize how much could change in such a short amount of time.

Nate: Yeah. No kidding.

Isadora: … okay, what the hell is up with you guys?

Keeping it short and sweet, essentially, Lucas sucks. Isadora is like okay, tell me something I don’t know, but that doesn’t settle well with Jade.

Jade: Actually, Isa, you don’t know. Because you haven’t been here spending all year with him. You dropped him when you dropped the rest of us and haven’t had to deal with it since.

Whew, Jade is on fire today. Isadora blinks, wondering if all of them are seriously upset with her. She argues against dropping them, struggling to find a defense and stating once again that she didn’t completely drop tech.

Jeff: Okay. Sure.

Isadora: I didn’t. I told you guys, I’m doing both --

Jade: Are you? Really? Because I haven’t talked to you in like, months. You didn’t contribute any tech work to the last four weeks of performances, and we built all of the materials for Into the Woods on our own, including after someone destroyed it the first time around.

Isadora: Well, if you want to get pissed about that --

Jeff: You haven’t sat with us for lunch since the end of last year. You don’t participate in the group chat.

Nate: Which is dead anyway, considering everyone is in such a pissy mood with Lucas being a fucking demon since you totally dumped him for the spotlight.

Isadora snaps, growing defensive. She states she’s not going to take responsibility for Lucas’s horrible attitude, but she admittedly has trouble taking responsibility for her own faults too. Turns out pride runs just as deep in the techie brigade as it does in the performers, at least when they’re fracturing apart and no longer a united front.

Isadora: I tried to tell you all, I’m doing both --

Jade, harshly: No, you’re not, Isa! You’re not doing both! You dropped your tech responsibilities and you know it. [ choked up ] And you dropped our friendship too.

Isadora shakes her head, but no words come out to argue against her. Jade’s eyes are glossy, and she chews on her cheek to keep it together. Nate delivers the final blow, crossing his arms and scoffing.

Nate: Like mother, like daughter.

That’s one step too far. Isadora’s hurt flares to anger in an instant. She marches forward and steps up onto the acting block in front of Nate, putting her at the perfect height to land a resounding slap across his face.

There’s a second of silence, and then all hell breaks loose. Isadora seems to only recognize what she’s done as the heat of the moment passes, her emotion shifting to blank horror on her face. Jade jumps up to pull Nate away from her, attempting to make sure he’s okay until he shrugs out of her grasp in embarrassment.

In spite of everything that’s been said, it’s Dave -- normally cheery, oblivious Dave -- who ends the confrontation. He glares at Isadora over his shoulder as he jogs over to catch up with Nate.

Dave: What the hell are you still doing here?

The four of them storm out in a flurry, leaving Isadora standing alone on the acting block. The doors slam, and then she’s surrounded by the imposing silence of the auditorium. Alone on the stage, an island of isolation that she’s somehow created all by herself. No way to escape it.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Waving Through A Window” as performed by Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast || Performed by Isadora De La Cruz

Isadora starts the ode to feeling alone from her spot on the acting block, tiny against the vast setting of the empty auditorium. She spends the first verse trapped on it, seemingly struggling with how to dismount from the position she’s found herself in. Her Converse -- the same black ones that Lucas said were her favorite -- toe the line from stumbling off the edge, but she can’t bring herself to step off in any direction.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

As the number progresses, Isadora makes her way dazedly through the halls as classes are in session all around her. She’s on the outside looking in of every classroom, every social setting, separated by windows from her classmates.

She starts to pick up her pace as the bridge swells, ending up running down the hallway. Quiet settles for just a moment…

EXT. AAA - LUNCH COURTYARD - DAY

Until it explodes into the final third of the performance, Isadora giving the impassioned solo her all. A light snow is falling, sprinkling the scenery in frost. She’s spinning and dancing on the constraints of what used to be her and Lucas’s usual table, close ups of her Converse depicting that same risk of slipping right off the edge multiple times only to step back to safety at the last moment.

This time, the conceit of being on the outside looking in has been inverted. All around the windows looking into the courtyard, Isadora’s classmates and other AAA students glare at her through the glass as they fill in the background vocals. She can’t communicate with any of them, she can’t connect -- she’s simply on display, able to be ridiculed or criticized without any sense of how to get back to join them.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As the song comes to an end, Isadora is back on the acting block. Out of breath, obviously emotional, staring down at the ground from where she stands only a couple of feet above it.

Still, she can’t bring herself to move, frozen with uncertainty.

INT. MINKUS HOME - NIGHT

Farkle is still working on his presentation, spread out on the dining room table. He’s working obsessively, unable to keep still as he researches details for his career trajectory and adds them to his poster board. Even while he’s thinking he’s moving, fingers tapping against his arms or shifting from foot to foot.

Either way, it’s an abrupt shift from how lethargic he’s been, which seems like a relief to JENNIFER MINKUS. She asks him how it’s going as she comes out for a quick snack before heading to bed, suggesting he not stay up too late. He waves off the concern, but his investment in the project is loud and clear.

Farkle: Everything else going on right now doesn’t matter. I’ve been stuck on -- and it’s all -- it’s meaningless. What matters is this. The dream. [ ripping something off the board without hesitation ] If I get this right, then everything else won’t matter.

A bit single-minded, but passionate. Passion is a good thing, so this is an improvement if anything. Jennifer gives him a quick kiss on the cheek that he lightly shrugs away from before she heads off, leaving him alone again.

Despite how much progress he’s making, the longer we stay with him the more obvious it is that he’s struggling. He has energy, that’s for sure, but it’s all over the place. He can hardly focus, restless and growing frustrated over nothing in particular.

He takes a second and covers his face, sliding his hands up and tugging at his hair as he exhales. Glancing forward, the spark of an idea glimmers in his eyes.

INT. MINKUS HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Rattles and bumps accompany a handful of pill bottles hitting the countertop. Farkle is digging through the family pill cabinet, searching for something in particular.

Finally, he finds it. A bottle specifically for ADHD, prescribed to Uri Minkus. He opens it and pops a couple of them, tossing everything back into the cabinet haphazardly.

Just has to get through the week. Just the week…

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - LUCAS’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Lucas is using his brick of a laptop again, room otherwise dark as he works. He’s got a few pamphlets on the bed next to him, and his browser has a dozen or so tabs open with different college sites.

He’s trying to actually take the future seriously, but it’s too much. His focus goes to key words on each page like “prestigious,” “well-rounded,” and “tuition.” The expectations and prices always feel far too high, making him frustrated.

Other words jump out to him too, none more intimidating than “passion.” College is for people who have ambition -- who have potential -- and Lucas knows he has neither.

But he knows this isn’t just going to go away. He switches back to his school email tab, a message open from Eric on screen. It mentions how poorly their first meeting went and requests that Lucas come in for another meeting as soon as possible so they can have a more constructive discussion.

Lucas scowls, slamming the computer shut. He pushes it off the bed along with the pamphlets, falling back onto his mattress. He yanks his blanket towards him and curls up towards the wall, hiding from it all.

Riley, pre-lap: You really don’t think we can do any better than that?

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Riley is picking away at her assignment as well, but she’s on the phone with Charlie as she works. They’re discussing their English assignment, and from the sound of it they’re not giving it very much effort considering everything else going on. Charlie suggests they keep it simple, but Riley makes a point of still insisting that they meet up after school sometime to work on it.

Charlie: Is it really that important to you?

Riley: … I just like to work face-to-face, that’s all. You know, collaborative communication.

Maya rolls her eyes from her spot on her bed. The conversation is interrupted when Cory raises his voice from the living room, making both girls  jump. Topanga matches his volume a second later, Maya sitting up and locking eyes with Riley.

Riley: I… gotta go.

Riley hangs up without further explanation. Before she can say anything Auggie arrives at her door, looking wide-eyed and concerned as to what is going on out there. He asks Riley what’s happening, and she quickly pulls him into the room out of trouble before rushing out to investigate herself.

Awkwardly, this leaves Maya with Auggie. She glances at him and gives him a tight smile, nodding a ‘sup at a loss of what to offer otherwise.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - NIGHT

Riley leans around the doorway to the living room as Topanga and Cory escalate in their argument, obviously both impassioned over it. She can’t even find a time to jump in and try to break it up -- she doesn’t know where to begin.

It doesn’t take long to figure out the problem, however.

Cory: You can’t take them from me. You’ve already taken everything else. You can’t just decide you want to hit the reset button on your life and then take my son with you!

Topanga: Don’t be dramatic, Cory. I’ve told you exactly why but you’re refusing to listen -- the schools are far better upstate, and he’d have a far more stable lifestyle in a neighborhood that’s not the middle of Manhattan.

Cory: [ with a derisive laugh ] Stable? You’re talking about stable?

Topanga: Cory --

Cory: You’re the one who disrupted all of our lives in the first place! So don’t talk to me about stable, Topanga!

So that’s it, then. Topanga isn’t just removing herself from the equation of the Matthews family -- she intends to take Auggie with her. Riley is stunned, stepping into the room but not sure what to even say.

Topanga is done with the discussion anyway. She criticizes Cory’s theatrics again, pulling back on her coat and heading towards the door. She stops once she’s opened it, saying her last piece.

Topanga: I hope this won’t become a big thing. I am the litigator, remember. I think we know who would win a case.

This hits Cory hard. There’s silence in the room after she closes the door behind her, Riley watching her seemingly frozen father warily.

Riley: … dad?

And then it’s over. Cory collapses into a full break down, all of the emotion over the separation that he’s been trying to compartmentalize for the sake of everyone crashing down on him. Riley jogs over to help him and guides him towards the couch, doing her best to comfort him.

But it’s clear Riley doesn’t know how to deal with this development either. Her expression is blank as she hugs her father, totally forgetting about everything else piling up on her plate.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Isadora is in the seat across from Eric, finishing up her discussion about the future. Although she does an excellent job of maintaining a poker face, the conversation between the two of them seems to reflect everything else she’s feeling conflicted about -- where she ends up depends on what she wants to do, and what she wants to do depends on who she is, and how does she begin to figure out who she is when she feels like she’s being pulled in a hundred different directions?

There’s a lot she could choose to dissect about the situation, but Isadora chooses to seek help for none of it. She merely nods along to Eric’s tentative guidance about her choice in schools, but she makes an escape when he tries to get her to talk about what else might be going on. The aloof mask might be fooling others, but it doesn’t fool him.

Today seems to be a particularly difficult day for meetings. SARAH CARLSON acts nonchalant in her one-on-one before bursting into tears, surprising Eric and causing him to cautiously pass the tissue box across the desk. Jade is already on thin ice emotionally and basically refuses to talk at all, speaking only about her future college programs for costuming. Her voice warbles even in discussing that, and Eric is sure if he asks her anything else there will be waterworks.

Dylan is a mess all his own, but more for Eric than himself. All things considered, Dylan is actually quite well-adjusted and happy with his plan for the future -- which is to say, he hardly has a plan at all.

Dylan: I might go to college, but also I don’t know. Seems like a lot of money, especially when I don’t really wanna do anything, you know?

Eric: … what are you hoping to do in the future, then?

Dylan, excitedly: Well, the main thing is to be a good partner, father, and homemaker. My dad had to do that all on his own when my mom died, you know, so he instilled the importance in me from an early age. Then I guess if I have time, I’ll keep making my videos. You’ve seen my vlogs, right? [ with a shrug ] As long as that keeps being fun, I figure I can do that along with being Asher’s number one fan.

Eric: … and you don’t… Dylan, I’m just wondering if… [ quickly ] you’re banking your entire future on Asher, and you don’t think maybe that’s a bit short-sighted?

Dylan: Actually, I’m near-sighted. But I wear contacts.

Eric looks as though he’s going to start crying.

He’s still carrying that exhaustion when Farkle gets in the hot seat, expressing far more “vision” than Dylan. He bullets through his presentation, speaking with confidence but also as if he’s out of breath. He’ll start sentences and then stop them or backtrack to start a different thought, nervously pulling at his hair when he gets distracted.

Once he’s finished, Eric offers him a bright smile. It’s a great plan, lots of ambition and forward-thinking, and he loves to see that. Farkle also clearly put a lot of heart into it, and Eric commends that. The future certainly isn’t worth investing in if there’s no heart.

However… he has to point out the fact that he lacks alternative options. He’s set himself up to have one path, and it’s clear that Eric is concerned about what happens if that path doesn’t work out exactly as planned.

Farkle, blankly: … what?

Eric: Again, I’m not saying that this isn’t an excellent plan. It just lacks periphery, that’s all. You want a contingency plan -- your options that you’ll consider if this one-way ticket doesn’t go as planned.

Farkle: I don’t -- this is the plan. This. There’s nothing else if -- I put a lot of hard work into this.

Eric: I know that, and I’m not saying this won’t work. I’m only suggesting that --

Farkle: I put everything into this. Everything. It’s going to -- you can’t tell me that it -- this is my future!

Eric can tell he’s not taking the conversation well. He attempts to placate, speaking delicately and stating that he’s proud that Farkle has such a sense of belief in what he was meant to do. Many people don’t have that drive, and that’s amazing. But it’s only wise to consider a contingency plan in the off chance that the dream… remains a dream.

Farkle seems as though he might actually have another diva meltdown, it’s written all over his face -- when suddenly he goes completely calm. He thanks Eric for his guidance shortly, gathering his things in a flurry. Eric encourages him to sit back down so they can discuss those options, but he claims he’s heard everything he needs to hear.

Farkle: My future is clear to me now, Mister Matthews. Thank you for your time.

He delivers the sentiment with disarmingly cool confidence. Then he spins on his heel and exits without another word. Eric looks like he’s going to go after him, but a phone call pulls him back to his desk. He assures the teacher on the other line that he’ll be right there, obviously having to go put out another fire.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Farkle walks at a swift pace away from the counselor’s office, but he doesn’t seem to have a set direction. Whereas his facade held up in front of Eric it’s starting to splinter now, his body trembling and breathing shallow. He dumps his presentation materials in the trash without looking, clearly desperate to be rid of them.

Haley: Don’t throw another tantrum.

Haley is just the first voice to address him, Farkle glancing over his shoulder as she passes him. But the glimpse of her is blurry, like it’s just out of the corner of his eye.

Charlie: Guess this isn’t turning out like you thought, huh?

Yindra: Only got yourself to blame that you’re unstable.

Harper: You’re nothing new.

Farkle flinches with every word thrown in his direction. He spins to try and catch them digging at him but whenever he turns to look they’re long gone, evading his anxious glare.

He walks faster, more sentiments from his classmates that have echoed in his head for three years following him through the hall.

Maya: Coward.

Farkle whips around as he slams right into someone -- Maya herself. She tosses him a sneer and tells him to watch where he’s going, only her expression shifts when she gets a better look at him. She hesitates, venturing another word.

Maya: Farkle… are you okay?

Farkle: I -- I’m --

He stares at her, as if just realizing she’s actually there. Then he pushes past her without further comment, jogging towards the auditorium. Maya spins to watch him take off, debating whether or not she should go after him.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

The accusations and voices are growing louder, what feels like the entire A class waiting for him in the auditorium as he stumbles in through the wings.

Lucas: Go on, keep spiraling for attention.

Isadora: As if he has a shred of decorum not to.

Clarissa: Hasn’t he had enough drama for a lifetime?

The word “enough” seems to echo particularly strong, leaving a ringing in Farkle’s ears. The jeers continue from all around him, spinning him into a frenzy.

Lila: God, you are such a disease.

Eric: Did you really think that this was going to work out? After --

Riley: Everything you’ve done?

Farkle, breathless: No… no, you forgave me.

Riley: And you think that makes a difference? You think that’s enough?

Farkle screws his eyes shut, turning away from her. He covers his ears but it doesn’t do any good, only accenting the blood pounding in his ears.

Harper: That horrible attitude of yours isn’t --

Farkle: Enough --

Stuart: And when are you going to start thinking seriously about --

Eric: Your future?

Lila: If you’re going just going to waste your existence --

Riley: Running your mouth --

Maya: Consumed with inferiority --

Angela: Do you remember what I told you, Farkle?

Jennifer: I’m sure your friends are --

Maya: Done.

Farkle: Enough --

Asher / Dylan: You don’t even know who you are!

Lucas: Should’ve known this is exactly how things would go.

Stuart: A fad.

Angela: Otherwise it’s just --

Eric: Lacks periphery --

Isadora: Fucking isolated --

Maya: Monster --

Zay: Is it finally --

Farkle: ENOUGH!

His fraught exclamation clears the chaos until there’s nothing but silence, resounding and somehow more imposing than the constant sound. Because it leaves him alone -- and he’s so tired of being alone.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Santa Fe” as performed by Newsies Original Broadway Cast || Performed by Farkle Minkus (starting at 00:22)

Farkle stands center stage, trembling, staring out into the empty house. Standing in the place he’s always felt destined to occupy, only now it doesn’t feel like he belongs there anymore. It’s a dream, nothing more, and he’s a nothing never meant to get it right.

It’s this cold realization that provokes the rawest and most spectacular performance from Farkle Minkus. As he barrels through the desperate plea to escape, it's as though we’re watching him go through the five stages of grief towards the dream that he let totally consume him for as long as he can remember.

And what it leaves behind is a broken shell -- without the dream, he decides, he’s nothing. Empty. “Trapped where there ain’t no future, even at sixteen.”

By the time he makes it to the last few lines and the volume drops to a soft piano, Farkle is back at center stage, right under the spotlight. His eyes are shining in the lights, seeming more fragile and smaller than he’s ever seemed before. As he riles himself back into the final emotional crescendo, he drops to his knees and expels everything he has left in him into those final notes.

Then he collapses in on himself, a huddled form isolated under the spotlight and otherwise surrounded by darkness. The song ends, sending us back into the quiet of the auditorium.

The only sound is Farkle’s muffled sobs, shoulders shaking as the screen smashes to black.

INT. GARDNER HOME - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Charlie is still working on his assignment, drawing a blank as his notebook page is completely empty. How is he supposed to paint a picture of his future when he can barely paint an accurate picture of the present?

He straightens up when his father enters the room, exchanging a comfortable back and forth with him as he settles into the armchair a few feet away and opens the newspaper to read. Charlie hesitates, chewing on the end of his pen before he braves the question of asking Ambrose for advice on his assignment.  

Charlie: I know we already talked about it at dinner the other night, but I’m… I’m still having trouble. I was just wondering if you had any other thoughts or... words of fatherly wisdom?

Ambrose: Well, it’s funny that you think fatherhood comes with wisdom.

Charlie cracks a smile as Ambrose chuckles at his own joke. Then he gives it some thought, clearly taking the matter seriously. It’s easier to talk about it, just the two of them, rather than with the whole family.

Ambrose: Honestly, bud, I think that the most important thing is you choose what makes you happy. You don’t want to spend your whole life doing something that doesn’t feel true to you. Do you know what I mean?

Charlie, tightly: … yeah, I do.

Ambrose gives him a smile, going back to his paper. Charlie drops his head back down to his notebook, expression growing grim. His own father doesn’t even know what’s true to him. If that’s the key to a good future, then he knows he’s damned.

Charlie swallows hard, shutting the notebook.

INT. FOSTER HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Isadora is at the sink, doing dishes for the house even though she clearly would rather be out of sight and out of mind. She’s gritting her teeth as she cleans, on edge from all of the pressure of the week.

STEPHEN VAN HERSCHING brings in the last of the dishes, giving her a grateful smile as he passes them to her. In an attempt to be an attentive parent and work on repairing his relationship with Isadora that seems to have been deteriorating lately, he innocently ventures the question of how school is going. She answers shortly, explaining the gist of the week.

Stephen is interested, eagerly inquiring as to what she’s been thinking about. Only he doesn’t phrase it all that well, and it comes off more like an interrogation than soft interest. Isadora doesn’t keep her mask intact after holding it up all day, snapping.

Isadora: I don’t know, okay! I! DON’T! KNOW!

She starts to go into a meltdown, trying to escape the conversation as KAREN VAN HERSCHING enters the room to see what all the commotion is about. She incidentally also criticizes Isadora for her noise level, stating that she’ll wake her younger siblings. The whole argument turns into a huge miscommunication, the foster parents mistaking her emotion and meltdown for increasingly rude behavior whereas Isadora just really needs space.

It continues to escalate until JERICHO TORRES sees what is going on and runs to get BEATRIX TORRES. She steps in and pulls Isadora out of the situation, flatly telling the Van Herschings that she’ll handle it.

Isadora: I don’t need to be handled! Stop talking about me like I’m not here! I’m here! I’m here! I’m not invisible, I’M HERE!

Beatrix doesn’t take it personally, persisting in removing her from the room. Karen and Stephen share a loaded look.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Riley has forgone the future entirely and is throwing herself into her new investigation. She scours through Charlie’s social media, currently on Instagram and scrolling way back into last year to look for any sort of indication as to what’s really going on with him. She knows for a fact that he’s all about promoting false narratives, but she doesn’t see where that involves her or when the lines are drawn.

Unfortunately, she makes the cardinal error of lurking. She accidentally double-taps and likes a photo from last year, letting out a loud oh, shit as she frantically unlikes it.

INT. GARDNER HOME - CHARLIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

That doesn’t stop Charlie from getting the notification, though. He’s just getting ready for bed when his phone lights up, displaying that Riley liked his photo. He frowns, opening the app and checking which photo she liked.

It’s a photo from around the time of Les Miserables, so a long way back. Even more concerning, it’s a photo of him and Zay during the phase where they were spending a lot of time together. Riley lurking is confusing enough, but someone zeroing in on him and Zay in particular…

Eric, pre-lap: Why do you think that is?

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Charlie is staring at the desk, seated across from Eric. He’s startled out of his daze, blinking and coming back down to Earth.

Charlie: What?

Eric: You said you were having trouble figuring out your plans. I asked why you thought that might be.

Charlie: Oh. Um, probably just the uncertainty of it. Lots to um… consider.

Charlie is not doing a good job of appearing in top shape like usual. Eric pauses, cautiously shifting gears and attempting to question if there’s anything else going on that Charlie wants to discuss. He mentions a couple of other issues his fellow students have been having in vague terms, gently finding ways to allude to possible identity issues that he might be having. He can remember being in the closet himself, and he evidently wants to help Charlie even if he’s not sure how to go about it.

Evidently, it doesn’t come across as intended. Charlie gets the message, but it only instills more paranoia in him that people are onto him. Riley and Eric are connected after all, and if they know, who else is going to end up in the know?

Eric tries to smooth things over and focus on the positive, highlighting how when Charlie graduates he’ll find a sense of personal freedom and maybe the future won’t seem so complicated to figure out. But with his anxiety, all Charlie can focus on is the here and now, and right now he knows he needs to escape. He thanks Eric for his help, getting up to go.

Flipping back to Eric, he poses a new question.

Eric: You’re absolutely sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?

As we rotate back around, it’s no longer Charlie in the hot seat, but Asher. He’s maintaining his composure, voice even and expression neutral as he confirms that he has nothing to discuss.

But Eric has had Asher as a student for three years, just like the rest of them, and he knows tells when he sees them. Asher might be shy, and has anxiety, but he’s cheery and pleasant more often than not. Usually when he’s in the chair opposite him, the conversation is enjoyable -- far from the strained, succinct exchange they’re having now.

When he rephrases the question, Asher states that he did the assignment and presented it, so he doesn’t know what else he’s expected to be discussing. In fact, he gives him the short version again, speaking slowly and clearly without tripping up once. Rehearsed, practically perfect. Eric relents, but he gives him a piece of advice before he goes that lands.

Eric: You’re well aware of your own limitations and needs, I know that. You demonstrate immense maturity, outshining many of your peers in that regard despite being younger. And you’ve never been trouble -- in fact you’ve helped prevent trouble on a number of occasions. That doesn’t go unnoticed. [ a beat ] I merely suggest that avoiding trouble doesn’t have to mean staying quiet. If you have something you think you need to say, then by all means, you should speak up. In fact, it may do more good than the harm you think it will.

For the first time all meeting, Asher’s neutral demeanor cracks. Uncertainty flashes across his features for half a second, then he pulls it back together and offers a nod.

Asher: Thanks, Mister Matthews. I’ll think about it.

Whether or not he actually will is impossible to tell.

A couple other students occupy the chair opposite him, Eric growing more flustered as they progress. It all culminates with Lucas’s second meeting, and he’s changed his approach from avoiding the topic entirely to going absolutely batshit with his proposals. He’s totally in his element too, acting like he owns the place. He’s got his feet up on the desk, arms behind his head and speaking with a breezy nonchalance.

Lucas: I looked into “space cowboy,” but as it turns out you need a degree in aerospace engineering as well as a license to boy cows, and that seems like a lot of work. So then I thought, well, if I don’t have the capacity to work, what else is there in this capitalistic hell we call society? Sure, I could probably enter myself in human cage fights and scrap to death for spare change, but I think that would hurt after a while and to be honest, I think I’d feel a bit like a piece of meat if I took up that mantle. Who would I be fighting to impress? The bourgeoisie? Hard pass.

Eric: I --

Lucas: But after some deep, probing soul-searching, I finally hit the one. [ a beat ] Trophy husband.

Eric: That --

Lucas: Now, I know what you’re thinking. To accomplish such a grand ambition, I’d have to get someone to like me. And that’s a pretty hefty task, believe me I know, but I’ve devised a work around. This is, as Dave would say, galaxy-brained thinking, Mister E. [ holding out his arms ] I’m going to put an ad on Craigslist.

He’s finally done it -- Eric Matthews is at a loss for words. He’s completely stumped as to where to take this conversation, as Lucas has driven it right off the cliffside and effectively derailed any meaningful discussion.

Lucas: My only trouble is that I cannot decide whether I should advertise myself as “seeking companionship,” or if I should just forgo that entirely and tell it like it is -- that I really don’t have anything to offer and I’ll pretty much do whatever as long as they pay me. But does that make me sound trampy? I’m white trash, yeah, but I do have standards, you know?

As much as he’s enjoying giving Eric an ulcer, Lucas’s fun comes to an end the moment the door opens behind him. His eyes widen as JACK HUNTER enters, immediately glaring at him with his feet up looking so high and mighty. He snaps at him for wasting all of their time, knocking his legs off the desk.

Jack: And get your feet off the table, who do you think you are?

Lucas: [ straightening up, sheepish ] I thought this meeting was a one-on-one.

Jack: It was. But you had your first chance, and as far as I can tell it looks like you’re fumbling this one too. So here we are, third time’s the charm. Don’t strike out.

Jack crosses his arms, standing next to Eric and watching as the counselor tentatively attempts to explain to Lucas that he brought him in because he was having difficulty getting an honest conversation out of him. He thought if he had another mentor present, he might be willing to take the discussion more seriously.

Lucas: [ under his breath ] Don’t flatter him.

Jack: Well, either way, I’m here. So let’s talk, shall we? Do you want to talk about why you’re insisting on being such a --

Eric: Thoughtful words, thoughtful words…

Jack: … why you’re making things so difficult for no reason, or do you just wanna jump right to the part where we try again?

Bravado dismantled, Lucas gets bristly as Jack forces him to actually consider his options for the future. With actual pressure to deliver, the issue becomes plain as day pretty quickly -- Lucas doesn’t want to think about the future because as far as he’s concerned…

Lucas, snapping: What do you want me to say? I don’t have any plans! [ cracking ] I have no talent and I have no drive, so what’s the fucking point? You want my future? Great, here it is -- I don’t have one!

Lucas jumps to his feet, knocking over a bunch of stuff before storming out. Eric flinches, obviously reaching an emotional breaking point himself this week. Jack frowns, clambering over the stuff on the floor to call after him.

Jack: Lucas! LUCAS JAMES!

He’s long gone. Jack turns to look at Eric over his shoulder, shaking his head in disbelief.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Loser” as performed by Glee Cast || Performed by Asher Garcia & Dylan Orlando (feat. AAA Juniors)

Lucas storms down the hall, passing right by Dylan leaning against the wall. He’s strumming the guitar opening to the number, only he doesn’t quite… look like himself. The discrepancy is in how he’s dressed, sporting a lot of dark hues for the kid who wears bright yellow at any given opportunity.

As the camera pans away from him, it slowly finds its way to Asher. He’s following the performance dress code, dressed completely unlike himself in dark jeans and a grungy long sleeve crew neck. However, it’s the snapback that gives it away -- they’re both channeling Lucas, some sort of weird representation of him rather than actually themselves.

Asher kicks off the song, Dylan sauntering up still playing his guitar as they stride through the halls. They both look directly at the camera, the breaking of the fourth wall creating a pointed discomforting feeling. They look away at the end of the first verse, turning to face one another with the same sullen expressions on their faces. Dave and Nate join them, dressed similarly, Dave delivering the “yo,” before they launch into the rest of the song.

From there, the general conceit of the number becomes crystal clear. Wherever Lucas is -- in class, in the booth, walking through the halls, the crew of them are right behind him echoing the same exhausted sentiment. He can’t escape it no matter where he goes, and as the song progresses, more and more of his classmates join the throng. I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you kill me? Why don’t you kill me?!

In the bridge, as the music seems to play backwards and in warped tones, the image of the A class becomes warped as well. They’re seated along the edge of the stage, looking towards the booth, but it’s all jarring close ups and looped moments. It’s familiar, but it’s not reality. A representation of how easily someone’s perspective can be bent...

Back in the hallway, there’s one potential light moment of reprieve, when Dave seems to forget the message and changes into more positive thinking (“I’m a driver, I’m a winner,”). But Lucas glares at him, then shoves him out of frame.

By the end of the song, what feels like the entire student body of AAA is marching behind Lucas as he moves through the halls, a resounding chorus asking why no one will kill them.

It only comes to an end when Lucas finally snaps, whipping around and shouting at them.

Lucas: Oh my God, could you SHUT. UP?

Only when he spins and marches away, Dylan, Asher, and the rest of them aren’t there. The hallway is completely empty.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Lucas isn’t the only one who feels like he’s losing his mind. Charlie is on edge as he makes his way through the halls, nearly bumping into people and apologizing offhandedly.

Zay is waiting for him by his locker, noticing his odd demeanor immediately. He straightens up and asks what’s going on and if he’s okay, but Charlie isn’t focused on that.

Charlie: What are you doing here? You can’t just stand at my locker.

The statement isn’t said harshly (distractedly would be a better descriptor), but it still stings. Zay tries not to take it personally, instead trying to figure out what the hell is up with him. Charlie is over it a second later anyway, starting half of a conversation while glancing over his shoulder. He spins his locker combination but doesn’t open it, hands shaking.

Zay takes his upper arm and gets him to look at him, asking again if everything is okay. Charlie hesitates, examining him and trying to decide whether to talk about any of it. But he knows Zay is already having a rough week, and he doesn’t want to burden him with his stupid bullshit that he still hasn’t been able to get over after eight months. He’s already being unfair to him and he knows it, not to mention he fears that if he starts opening up, he won’t be able to stop.

So he deflects instead, claiming everything is fine despite every obvious sign that it isn’t. Distracted and without thinking, he leans forward and gives Zay a kiss on the cheek before jogging off to get away.

Zay is stunned, freezing and absorbing the moment. He looks around them to make sure no one else noticed, then looks over his shoulder with a bewildered frown at the direction Charlie ran in. But he’s already long gone.

INT. AAA - DRESSING ROOM HALL - DAY

Charlie darts into the dressing room hall, running right into Clarissa and Haley. They greet him, asking him how his meeting with Eric went. Clarissa notices his weird behavior first, pointing out that he’s sweating. They ask him if he’s okay and he breathlessly states he’s fine, although his delivery is not convincing.

Haley: Are you sure? You look kind of pale.

Clarissa: We can walk you to the nurse?

Haley: Or we can talk about --

Charlie: I can’t. I can’t talk -- I can’t talk right now. I’m sorry, I have to --

Charlie darts away from them, pushing deeper into the auditorium. Clarissa and Haley exchange hesitant looks, obviously wondering if they should go after him or leave him be. This week has everyone in hysterics, after all.

INT. AAA - COSTUME LOFT - DAY

Charlie doesn’t find sanctuary until he gets to the costume loft, relieved to find that no one else is around. He lets out a painful exhale and stumbles onto the platform, legs shaking so much that he basically collapses into a pile of costumes. He starts to push himself back up but then pauses, giving up and laying back against them in defeat.

He presses his palms to his eyes, trying to talk himself down from the panic. The words start as variations on telling himself to breathe and transform into a prayer, Charlie murmuring a plea for God to be with him before repeating a Bible verse he’s got memorized like the back of his hand. He continues to mutter it to himself, until he can breathe and the room stops spinning.

When he finally pulls his hands back from his face, Charlie stares listlessly at the ceiling. Wondering how he ended up like this, fearing that it’s always going to be this way.

That he’s never going to be able to properly breathe again.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Exhale” as performed by Sabrina Carpenter || Performed by Charlie Gardner

Whereas the other performances of the episode have been surprisingly grand and a bit of a spectacle, the power of this request for a reprieve is in its simplicity. There’s no fanfare, no blurred lines between what’s real and what is not, just Charlie and his soft tenor and his sheer, utter exhaustion.

The entire first verse and chorus stay solely on Charlie, slowly easing out of a close up until we’re further and further away from him, making him feel smaller than he is. The second verse takes us back into the darkened auditorium, Charlie walking behind the back curtain along the wall where all of the Class 2 x 4s are.

Every year, the freshman class adds their plank of wood to the wall, signing with their initials. It’s an AAA tradition, and it’s what Charlie focuses on as he wanders aimlessly. On “try to keep a sense of knowing who I am,” he lightly brushes his fingers over his own initials from two and a half years ago. His expression twists as he sings “I try to be an angel but I don’t think I can,” holding back tears as he slouches back against the wall to finish the verse.

He rounds out the number back in the costume loft, managing to push himself into a sitting position and propping his elbows on his knees. He forces himself to breathe as he finishes out the song, then puts his head against his knees and shuts out everything else.

Breathing, for just one second, as if that’ll be enough.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Lucas is at his locker, a storm brewing behind his eyes. Riley spots him from down the hall and jogs over to join him, seemingly happy to see him. She starts talking to him eagerly, lamenting how crazy the week has been and how relieved she is that it’s almost over.

Searching for a safe place to vent, she almost starts talking about her parents given how that has been weighing on her all week as well, but unfortunately Lucas is far from stable ground right now. He interrupts her, voice dull.

Lucas: Why are you talking to me?

Riley: … because I -- I thought we talked about this. I thought when we talked during group week --

Lucas: Well you thought wrong. You’re wasting your time, and I’m wasting everybody else’s, so don’t bother.

Riley: … what are you talking about? Lucas --

Lucas: Riley, I...

He locks eyes with her, the sentiment hanging unfinished between them. She holds his gaze, wide-eyed, waiting for him to speak.

One step forward, two steps back. Whatever he might’ve said, he chooses not to, too embroiled in the chorus of negativity echoing in his own head. Riley could do much better than him, he knows, so it’s about time she realized it too.

Lucas, half-heartedly: Just leave me alone.

He shuts his locker, marching away from her. Riley stares after him, completely dumbstruck.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Zay is in the auditorium, looking for Charlie. He happens to run into someone else on the hunt, Angela entering through the wings and greeting him. She questions whether or not he’s seen Farkle, as she has been trying to catch him all week and seems to be constantly missing him. Zay claims he hasn’t.

Whereas it seems like he wants there to be more to say, Angela thanks him and starts heading out. There’s a moment where it seems like Zay might just swallow the dismissal, like he always does, but this time something in him snaps.

Zay: Don’t you have anything you’d like to say to me?

Angela whips around, a bit surprised. She pleasantly asks if there’s something he wants to talk about, which seems to frustrate him more. At first he brushes off the question, but then doubles back and states that there is. That there’s a toxic, broken culture here at AAA, and in some ways it's her fault.

This kind of declaration is unusual coming from Zay, and Angela is understandably taken aback. She tries to defend herself but he doesn’t let her interject, growing more worked up the more he gets to speak. He laments the fact that this school is so built on favorites, and Angela has been feeding that culture since day one. She’s still doing it, making a point of enthusiastically greeting Maya and making special time to catch up with Farkle while saying fuck all to the rest of them.

Zay: Don’t you think that I might want to catch up with the teacher who was supposed to have been fostering my talent for two years? Don’t you think Yindra, or Nigel, or Haley or literally anybody else other than the Diva Twins might want a scrap of your attention?

Angela: Zay, I fully believe that all of you --

Zay: It’s easy to say you believe in someone, Miss Moore. Showing up for them is a different story. [ a beat ] And you chose who you’re backing from the first time we set foot on this stage.

He says his piece, storming past her. Angela absorbs the blow, knowing that the emotion is somewhat misdirected but still feeling the sting. She stands alone on the stage, overcome with nostalgia and wondering if the impact she left behind was all that good after all.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Riley is at a limit of her own, breaking down in the chair across from Eric. This meeting has nothing to do with the future -- this is all about right now, and it’s clear that Riley is losing her ability to cope. Still, there’s nothing she hates more than crying in front of others, so she’s a sniffling, embarrassed mess as she laments the state of affairs. The tissue she’s gripping in her fist is less tissue and more so just shreds after so much crumpling and twisting.

She admits that she’s been using other people as her distraction, but the fact is she can’t keep running from it. Her life is in shambles, and now her family is legitimately falling apart. She’s been trying to keep things together, but whenever she gets one thing straightened out another just crashes out of nowhere and she can’t keep up with it. She can’t do it anymore.

Eric frowns, getting up from his desk. He pulls over the other chair against the wall, sitting next to her instead of separated behind administrator lines.

Eric: I’m swapping hats for a second here. Counselor out, uncle in. I’m very versatile, I don’t know if you knew.

Riley can’t help but laugh, although it’s weak. Eric goes on to say that he genuinely can imagine how she’s feeling. This week in particular has been a challenge unlike anything he’s felt in a long time, and there are days where he wishes he didn’t have to come in and face it.

Eric: But, and I know this isn’t what you want to hear, the only thing I can say is to keep doing your best. Keep being compassionate, even when it’s hard.

Riley: How? I mean, how do you do that?

Eric, with a shrug: It’s the only thing I know how to do. I can’t imagine moving forward without it.

An honest confession, and something that seems to resonate with Riley. And if Eric is still going after all these years, then she supposes she’ll be able to as well. Somehow.

She dabs at her eyes, offering him a smile when he reaches out and pats her shoulder. A sorely needed moment of unity amidst all of the destruction.

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - DAY

Asher and Dylan have followed Lucas into the tech booth, the latter still in a foul mood. Dylan is doing his usual approach of trying to lighten the mood and echoing Lucas’s derisive commentary about how stupid all of this is, but Asher is hanging back. He’s hesitant as Lucas collapses into the rolling chair, once again bluntly claiming that his future is shit anyway, so why should he even bother?

Asher, after a moment: Well, don’t you think that’s a bit self-defeatist?

[ The booth goes quiet. Lucas glances at him, obviously surprised he’s arguing the counterpoint. ]

Lucas: Huh?

[ More quiet. Asher glances at Dylan, who is staring at him, wondering what he’s going to do next. ]

Asher: I’m just saying. By deciding prematurely that you have no future, you’re sort of inherently guaranteeing that you won’t have one. Self-fulfilling prophecy, we learned about that in English.

Lucas: You think I pay attention to anything Matthews has to say?

Asher: [ with waning patience ] My point is that if you don’t take the time to really think about what you can do, then you’re right, you won’t do anything. And I think that would be a pretty big shame.

Lucas, with a snort: Please, tell me how you really feel.

There’s an odd tension in the air that’s never been there between the trio before. Or perhaps it has, growing more and more potent the longer they’ve elected to ignore it. The dismissive comment only exacerbates it, Asher frowning. He steps past Dylan and approaches the lighting board, standing face-to-face with Lucas.

Asher: You want me to tell you how I really feel?

Lucas: If you think you can.

Asher: Fine. [ dropping his bag on the table pointedly ] I think you’re being stupid.

Lucas scoffs, but Asher isn’t done. He elaborates, pointing out all of the ways that Lucas has been sabotaging himself this entire year when it feels as though things could improve even a fraction if he just cut it out. It’s an impressive catalogue of points, being delivered expertly from someone who has clearly been paying close attention and bottling it all up.

Asher: You’re being stupid about this assignment, when if you just took it seriously you might realize you could actually do lots of things with the right resources. That’s what Eric and Jack are there for.

Lucas: Yeah, well --

Asher: You’re being stupid about Riley, who has been nothing but nice to you despite you treating her like garbage.

Lucas, defensively: Don’t talk about her --

Dylan: [ with a nervous laugh ] Guys, come on --

Asher: And you’re being stupid about the way you treat everyone else, including people who just want what’s best for you. You keep pushing, and pushing, and it’s like you want the rubber band to finally snap. [ exasperated ] Look at that and tell me it’s not fucking stupid!

Lucas: Well, what do you expect? Who are you talking to?

Asher: That’s the worst part about it! That’s what’s so frustrating is that I know you’re not stupid, Lucas. I know that, but it’s like you don’t. Either that or you just don’t care, and I don’t know which one is worse!

The can of worms has been opened, and it’s not going to be put away so easily. Dylan attempts to deescalate the discussion but it just keeps spiraling, Lucas and Asher’s voices rising the more they go back and forth. Asher complains that all they’re trying to do is support him because that’s why they’re friends, and all he’s doing is rebuffing them. Lucas finally rises from his seat, glaring at him with at least his height dominance back intact.

Lucas: Oh, you wanna know why we’re friends? [ flatly ] It’s because you wanna fix me.

Asher: What the hell are you talking about?

Dylan: Guys --

Lucas: Come on, we both know it’s true. You’re the reasonable one, put together and perfect, and I’m the trainwreck. It’s great, too, because it’s like a double win. I get you to do all this crazy and ridiculous stuff, and for five seconds you feel cool. Then you get to go home to your perfect house and your perfect family and forget about it, until the next time you want to let loose. I make you feel good about yourself.

Dylan: Hey, seriously --

Asher: Is that seriously what you think?

Lucas: [ mockingly ] It’s what I know! I am just like the most fascinating little mess for you to tidy up, to placate to that incessant, neurotic need you have to put everything in perfect order. Only now I’m not doing it right, I’m not running right anymore, and isn’t it so annoying when your perfect little toy train won’t run off the tracks exactly the way you want it to.

Asher, voice cracking: I can’t believe --

Lucas: Well, I’m sorry, spaghetti! I’m sorry that you have to settle and deal with one thing in your life that isn’t absolutely fucking perfect!

Dylan, harshly: HEY!

Dylan has moved forward, nearly stepping between them and holding out a hand to keep Lucas back. It’s as if his presence snaps him out of it, Lucas staring at him and realizing just how intense the situation has become. Dylan is looking at him with wide eyes, his anger only lasting as long as it took to get them both to hold off and having faded to shock.

Asher’s expression is harder. He’s glaring at Lucas, eyes glassy, clenching his jaw. Lucas hesitates, clearly wanting to say something, but Asher moves before he can speak. He snatches his bag off the table, clutching it close as he marches to the steps and exits out of the booth without another word.

Dylan whips around and watches him leave, mouth hanging open slightly. Lucas stares after him, expression shifting to something like hurt, before he spins away from the door and crashes back into the chair. He stays facing away from Dylan, who is still standing frozen in the middle of the booth.

Lucas: Well? Aren’t you going to go after him?

There’s a pause. Dylan blinks, returning to a state of impressive calm in spite of the chaos. He shifts back towards Lucas, eyeing him sadly.

Dylan: Yes. But I want to make sure you’re okay, too.

Lucas: [ snorting ] Why?

Dylan: … because I know you don’t mean it. I don’t know what’s going on, but… I know you didn’t mean it.

Lucas can’t look at him. He chews the inside of his cheek, picking at a hangnail.

Dylan: We’re friends, Lucas. We care about you. Asher wasn’t lying about that. [ a beat ] And when you decide you want to do something about this, we’ll be there. When you need us... we’re going to be there for you. No matter what.

Lucas has picked at the hangnail badly enough to draw blood. Dylan doesn’t wait for a response, looking at him for a moment longer before descending down the steps and leaving him alone.

Lucas curses under his breath, hiding his head in his hands.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Maya’s phone lights up on the bed, Katy’s picture filling the screen. Maya enthusiastically moves away from her future moodboard and reaches to grab it, picking up and excitedly greeting her. They catch up on how Katy is settling in back home in Vermont, and Maya gives her the low down on how insane the week has been but how bright her future feels. She boldly assures her mom that she’s great when she asks, repeating how well the week went for her.

But that’s not what Katy is asking, really. She knows her daughter better than she knows herself, and she knows how good she is at deflecting. So when she questions once again is everything is really fine…

The walls come down. Maya chews her lip and tries not to let the tears fall but they do anyway, the facade crumbling as she lets out a shaky “no.” Then it’s spilling out of her, all of the things that are far from going right. How it feels like her entire class is imploding, how she’s willing to do whatever it takes for the dream but being cut throat has become exhausting, how no matter how obsessively she outlines her future she’s gripped by the fear that it isn’t going to pan out. That she’s going to be a failure, just like her father and like 90% of the people who walk the halls of Adams.

Most predominantly, more than any of that, she misses Farkle Minkus.

Maya, tearfully: I know I said I was done with him, I told him we were… but I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. He hurt me, and what I’ve always thought is that when someone hurts you, you get rid of them. That’s what we did with dad, basically. [ a beat ] But then… I don’t know.

Katy: Baby girl, few people in your life are going to hurt you like your dad did.

[ Maya scrunches her face, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. ]

Katy: I wish I had the right answer, but things like this are never going to be obvious. There will always be pros and cons to every decision. But from what you’re saying to me… it sounds like you don’t want to say goodbye quite yet.

Maya lets out another whimper, pressing her palm to her eyes. When she resurfaces, she lets out a sigh and shakes her head.

Maya, weakly: I wish you were here.

Honestly, don’t we all. Katy returns the sentiment, Maya settling back into the corner of her bed and staying on the phone with her mom for a while longer.

INT. AAA - CLASSROOM - DAY

Riley and Charlie are working in the English classroom, the only two still around after school on Friday. Riley has lost her investigative fire after her conversation with Eric, treating the project as exactly what it is and nothing more.

For what it’s worth, this seems to loosen up some of the awkwardness between them. For once, they’re not both trying to pick apart one another’s every move. They actually work quite well together, diligently getting the work done and even exchanging some tired but entertaining banter while they go.

Once they declare they’re pretty close to finishing, Charlie claims he needs to go run and grab his dance duffle from the practice room where he left it. When he gets back, they should be able to wrap this thing up. Riley nods agreeably, focusing back on the final touches while he jogs out of the room.

The quiet is disrupted by Charlie’s phone, vibrating on the table top. Riley glances at it, but then forces herself to ignore it. She’s done snooping after all… only the contact name that lights up the screen catches her interest.

After a moment of indecision, Riley glances at the door before gently sliding the phone closer to her so she can read the lock screen. Over the saved background of Charlie with his younger sisters, a couple of messages from Zay sit unread on the screen.

“Hey couldn’t find you after school, you still here? you seemed a little out of it yesterday. hope everything is okay”

“Craziest thing happened with miss moore, i’ll tell you all about it. in the usual studio”

The last text message comes through as Riley is taking the phone into her hands, shock taking over her features as she reads it.

“Love you”

Riley is staring at the phone, speechless.

Charlie: What the hell are you doing?

She shoots her head up to find Charlie standing in the doorway with his duffle. He’s staring at her, mortified, and she’s mirroring his panicked expression to a tee.

Busted.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Zay glances up from his phone just in time to avoid ramming right into Harper. Both of them apologize, laughing off one another’s pleasantries. She asks if he has a second to talk, gesturing him into the black box.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Harper is calm as she explains that Angela told her about their confrontation on the stage. Zay jumps into defensive mode, claiming that he doesn’t regret what he said.

Harper: I understand, Zay. I agree with you.

Zay: Well, I -- oh. Oh, good. [ a beat ] Really?

Harper cracks a smile, sauntering back over to join him at the desks. She settles into sitting on top of one, admitting that she knows exactly what Zay is talking about and she thinks Angela knows it too. When she told her about what happened, she did not seem like she was denying her fault in the situation.

Realizing that this environment might be safer than he thought, Zay hesitates before really getting into what’s been needling him all week --and really, all year.

Zay: I just don’t get what else I’m supposed to do. It’s like, I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. I’m trying and I’m trying and giving everything I’ve got. And all I know is that when I went out there in the real world, when we put our stuff to the test, I came out on top. Kossal looked at all of us and chose me, I was identified as the top player.

Harper: Rightfully so, I’m sure.

Zay: I was the one worth acknowledging, worth accolading, worth… stepping up to be proud of. So how can that be true, but in every other way it’s the opposite? I’m still just shoved into the background?

Harper empathizes. She states she knows exactly what he’s talking about -- favoritism, especially in their industry, is as old as time itself. Not to mention the layers being a person of color adds to that struggle.

Harper: I recognize it, believe me. You work three times harder than everyone else, and no one respects it. You have to be ambitious and driven like the others, yet also be kind and well-liked and not ruffle any feathers.

Zay: Courtesy is the deadest art form at AAA, yes.

Harper: The unfortunate truth is, teachers aren’t perfect. [ off his eye roll, smirking ] Shocking, I know. But we make mistakes just as easily as students do, and unintentional favoritism is likely the most common offense. That has nothing to do with you, though, as you’ve clearly figured out.

She goes on to explain that the other unfortunate truth to an industry like theirs is that sometimes, even your very best is never enough. There are always factors you can’t control, people more talented or better connected than you, and a million reasons to write you off versus the handful of people will choose to acknowledge to uplift you. It’s not an easy world, as she’s sure he’s well aware.

Harper: I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but the truth is it all comes down to endurance. How long you can take it, how long you can stick it out until it ends up being your shot. The true test of who lives the dream is who hangs on… and who gives up.

Not all that inspiring, but honest. Zay evidently appreciates it as he nods, thanking her for taking the time to listen. Despite how rough the transition has been, he does think she’s a good teacher. The comment seems to resonate with Harper, who gives him a grateful smile.

INT. AAA - CLASSROOM - DAY

Charlie breaks the ice first, dropping his duffle bag as he darts into the room. He snaps at Riley for looking through his things, snatching the phone out of her hands in a frenzy. She flinches, trying to regain her bearings on the situation. She stammers out an apology, Charlie turning away from her and reading the texts that she saw for herself.

Silence settles over the room again. Charlie stays turned away from her, no longer breathing. Riley slowly rises to her feet, not sure what to say next.

Riley: That… um. [ tentatively ] Are…  are you -- ?

Charlie: You can’t tell anyone.

Charlie whips around, locking eyes with her. His eyes are wide and he’s shaking again, already on the verge of another panic attack. Only this one is bound to be worse, because the looming fear that he’s going to be found out is now a very real threat.

Charlie: Riley, you can’t. You can’t tell anyone.

Riley: I wasn’t going to --

Charlie, hyperventilating: You can’t. Riley, you can’t. You can’t tell anyone, okay, you can’t -- !

Riley: Charlie. Charlie!

Riley reaches out and takes his arms, getting him to stop cold. She holds his terrified gaze, aware of how he’s literally shaking in her hands.

Riley, sincerely: I would never tell anyone.

There’s an excruciatingly tense moment between them, Charlie having to determine whether or not he believes her. Neither of them move, neither of them breathe. You could hear a pin drop.

Then he lets out an exhausted exhale, nodding and muttering an affirmation. He slips from her grasp, stepping around her and collapsing back into his seat at the desk. Riley stays where she is for a moment, attempting to process what the hell she just learned.

Once she catches up, she spins back to look at him with his face hidden in his hands. She lightly claims she knows what he’s going through -- well, not exactly, but being pansexual definitely gives her a sense of what he might be experiencing. She knows she was lucky to not have many factors keeping her from sharing that side of herself, and she’s sorry that he feels like he does.

Riley: I can’t imagine what that must be like, trying to hide such a big part of yourself. What you might feel like you have to do, like holding things back and… [ realizing ] controlling the narrative.

The Confessions posts. Suddenly, it feels glaringly obvious.

Charlie, under his breath: Fucked. It’s all fucked

Riley frowns sympathetically, cautiously sliding back into her seat next to him. She looks at him, searching for something to say that might be easier to discuss.

Riley: So… Zay?

Charlie takes a deep breath, still hiding in his hands. But after a moment, he nods. Riley smiles.

Riley: That’s great. Honestly, that’s amazing. It’s about time someone appreciated Zay for how wonderful he is. I guess I noticed he had been happier, actually, I just wasn’t sure… [ a beat ] How long?

Charlie lifts his head, inhaling slowly. When he speaks, although he’s backed off the ledge, his voice is shaky.

Charlie: Eight months. [ softer ] But feels like longer.

Riley’s eyes widen, stunned. That long and nobody knows… but on the other hand, it’s hard not to be endeared. It’s so obvious from how delicately he talks about it how much the relationship means to Charlie.

Charlie: I know it’s so stupid. All the stress I’m putting myself through.

Riley: It’s not stupid.

Charlie: It is. Like, maybe it’s not, but it is. I’m just still trying to… I’m not sure how this is supposed to work. It’s like I’ve got this one version of reality, where like… everything is in black and white. There’s good and there’s bad and there’s black and there’s white, and it’s my job to stay clearly on one side. And I do, I do a good job of it, and that’s why the show goes on. It’s not ideal, but it’s manageable. It’s what I know, and you can settle for what you know when you don’t know any different.

Riley listens attentively. Charlie is clearly working through these thoughts for the first time, hesitating and grimacing and stammering over the words. The next statement, however, he says with breathless certainty.

Charlie: Then, there’s Zay, and it’s like… we’re in technicolor. [ a beat ] How are you supposed to go back to settling for black and white when you’ve seen the rainbow?

Riley smiles again. Her voice is soft when she tells him that it’s going to work out, and he’s going to figure it out. When he questions how she can be so certain about that, she admits that she isn’t, but it’s kind of her thing, being hopeful. As someone important reminded her, it’s really all they have.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Rainbow” as performed by Kesha || Performed by Riley Matthews & Charlie Gardner

Riley starts off the duet tentatively, transitioning pretty smoothly from their conversation (“I used to live in the darkness / dressed in black act so heartless / but now I see that colors are everything”). She carries through the first verse, smiling lightly and encouraging Charlie to relax and allow himself a smile as well. In this moment, they’re safe. It’s okay.

Charlie picks up the second verse. He brings a little more emotion to the arrangement, clearly needing the catharsis of finally getting to be open for the first time in what feels like his entire life. The two of them pass the harmonies back and forth, performing well as a duo when the situation isn’t forced in some unidentifiable way. Finally both on the same page.

As the last verse wraps up, Riley reaches forward and takes his hand. They keep their fingers joined together straight through to the end, the camaraderie obviously a relief to Charlie.

Focus hangs on the hand hold, a symbol of coming together when it feels as though everything is falling apart.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Isadora swings by Eric’s office, poking her head in and a bit surprised to find him still around. When he greets her and asks what the expression on her face is for, she admits that she figured after the hell week they had, he’d be running off to escape for the weekend faster than anyone else. He certainly would’ve earned that right, at least.

Eric laughs, nodding in acquiescence. But he’s survived this week for years now at AAA, and he figures he’ll survive a handful more before retirement comes to free him. He turns the tables and gently asks Isadora how she’s feeling at the conclusion of this week -- he got the sense she wasn’t being entirely forthcoming during their structured meeting.

Isadora hesitates, then caves. She admits he’s correct, sauntering in and slowly settling into one of the chairs. He keeps the atmosphere casual, coming to lean against the front of his desk. She states that things aren’t going all that well at home, but she figures the social worker must’ve already passed that intel to him.

Eric: And the future?

Isadora: … honestly… I don’t know. I don’t even have right now worked out. I’ve been thinking about it all week, hoping that a clear path would just emerge. But instead I just fell down a lot of sinkholes instead.

Eric: Any injuries to report?

Isadora: Maybe internally. [ a beat ] But they’ll heal.

Eric: And so…

Isadora: And so… right now, I don’t know. Nigel said it was better to have lots of options rather than one or none at all, so I guess he’s right. As for which one is the right one… no idea.

Eric: And you know? That’s totally okay.

Eric goes on to state that the point of the week, despite its reputation, isn’t to get them to make definitive irreversible decisions about their prospects. It’s just to get them thinking about it, to get those wheels turning so that when that time does come around, hopefully they’ll already have a little bit of clarity.

Eric: And considering you’re Isadora De La Cruz, I am positive you’ll work it out.

Isadora accepts the compliment shyly, offering a small smile. Then she asks him how he’s faring. He had to carry everyone’s baggage even more than usual, and that can’t be fun. He seems touched by the fact that she’s asking at all, and he admits that he’s got some things going on in his own life that aren’t helping matters.

Isadora: Well, can I offer you some advice?

Eric, with a laugh: Sure.

Isadora: Whatever you’re struggling with, maybe it would help to get to talk about it with someone who can help, too. I feel better after coming in here and talking to you, so maybe you’ll feel better if you go and give yourself the same opportunity. If it’s with someone who can actually address the things you’re grappling with, even better.

Not bad advice. Eric jokes that maybe Isadora has a career in counseling in her future, which earns a snort out of her. She gets up and thanks him one last time, heading towards the door.

Eric: No… thank you.

Isadora nods, disappearing from the doorway. Eric takes a moment to breathe, glancing at the office around him. Having survived another week, for better or for worse.

INT. AAA - SHAWN’S OFFICE - DAY

Angela finds SHAWN HUNTER hidden away in his cramped office, the two of them exchanging jokes about how it’s typical for him to stay out of sight during check-in week. In his defense, he claims, his presence sometimes only adds stress. Angela can’t argue with that.

She comes to sit with him, settling casually onto his lap. She gently approaches the topic of what happened with Zay, and the conversation she had with Harper afterwards. She feels bad for having made their students feel that way, and she’s realizing that maybe the way the two of them approached working at AAA isn’t the only, or even the best, way to go about things.

Maybe, Angela concludes pointedly, it might be better to stop combatting the change and embrace it for what it’s worth. Harper might just surprise him. Shawn is reluctant simply due to embarrassment for his behavior, but Angela softens the blow by giving him a quick kiss.

Much to consider moving forward, that’s for sure.

INT. AAA - DANCE STUDIO - DAY

Zay is in the studio as he said he would be, working hard as usual. Not yet spooked away from his passion, Harper’s talk with him giving him more perspective than acting as a deterrent.

Charlie finally makes it there, and this time it's his turn to hang in the doorway and watch Zay dance. He crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe, expression softening and a light smile blooming onto his face. It’s the most content he’s looked all week.

When Zay spins out of a dance step he spots him, expressing relief. He asks where he’s been -- he feels like he hasn’t seen him all day. Charlie apologizes, sauntering into the room and asking what happened with Angela that he wanted to tell him about. Zay pauses, then shrugs.

Zay: Nothing. It’s not important. Miss Burgess is pretty cool, though.

Charlie: Yeah?

Zay: Yeah. Nothing like Miss Moore, but maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Charlie shrugs. Seeing as they’ve come up on Friday, Zay playfully questions if Charlie has figured out his grand plans for the future. He shakes his head, clasping his hands together in front of him as he comes to stand in front of his boyfriend.

Charlie: I don’t think I can know what I’m going to be then until I like… know myself now. Or feel like I know myself more consistently than I do at the moment.

Gently, Charlie reaches for Zay’s hands. The latter hesitates, examining him curiously and well aware that they’re still in public school property despite how much this studio feels like their own safe haven. But Charlie seems comfortable with the gesture, dipping his head down to look at their joined hands.

Charlie also quietly informs him that Riley now knows, which is major news. Zay immediately asks how it went, how she reacted, but from Charlie’s calm demeanor he can only assume it didn’t go horribly. He confirms it, admitting that it wasn’t the end of the world. As for what that means for the future...

Charlie: I just hope that… I don’t know. I hope that when I get there, I’ll be… happy. Content, at least.

Zay, lightly teasing: Big ask.

Charlie: I know. Feels like it, but… [ locking eyes with him ] I know it’s possible. I know it when I feel it.

The subtext of the message goes without saying. Zay smiles, rubbing his thumbs over the back of his hands. Charlie takes it a step further, leaning forward and starting a soft kiss. It’s tentative, new for different reasons, like being in a place where potentially anybody could see. But it’s sweet and it lingers, Zay smiling when they pull apart.

Charlie presses his forehead against his, staying in the moment while he can. Holding onto the safety of this thing, this place right now, when the future remains wholly uncertain.

Eric, pre-lap: Thanks for being here with me.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Eric finishes filling a mug from his coffee maker. The cup is steaming as he hands it to Jack, who takes it with a tentative but grateful smile. He admits he’s surprised Eric invited him to come do their usual tradition of ending this hell week with one another, considering how… off things have been between them.

Eric acknowledges that, admitting that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about that. He starts to apologize but Jack beats him to it, murmuring about how he knows he shouldn’t have kept things from him. He does trust him, and he values him more than anything. There’s no one better at what he does -- this week alone is evident enough of that -- and he’s grateful that he’s there keeping the ship running with him. He regrets what he said to him, and hopes he’ll believe him when he says he’s sorry. He let his emotions get the best of him is all.

Eric, after a moment: Well, I’m not one to say that a little emotion is ever a bad thing.

And like that, the tension is gone. Jack smiles, taking a long sip of his coffee.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Lullaby” as performed by Sleeping At Last || Performed by AAA Juniors

The a capella humming of the junior class floats over the scene, underscoring the rest of the episode. It’s delicate, pretty, but the slightest bit haunting. Heavy with the context of the week.

Jack asks Eric how he thought the week went overall, in spite of the trainwreck he was there to witness himself. Eric shrugs, admitting that it’s always hard to tell. Talking about the future is never easy, and the additional uncertainty of this career path that they all think they might want doesn’t soften it.

Eric: I just hope that… I hope they realize this isn’t the end of the world. The future is so malleable, and it will take them in directions they don’t even know are options right now. I mean, look at me. I was just like them at this age. I thought I was going to be a star.

Jack, jokingly: [ behind his mug ] Still have the theatrics to prove it.

Eric gives him a look, but it melts into a smile after Jack shrugs pithily.

Eric: Did I ever think this was where I would end up? No. But life has a way of getting you where you’re supposed to be. [ looking at Jack ] And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Jack claims he’ll toast to that. The two of them clink their mugs together, taking a sip and settling into the quiet.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - AUGGIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Cory is tucking Auggie into bed, taking his time with it considering how the times he’ll get to do so are numbered. He gives him a kiss on the forehead, smiling when Auggie says something silly to him in response.

Riley leans against the doorframe, watching with a bittersweet smile on her face. Not wanting this to change…

INT. FOSTER HOME - NIGHT

Isadora grows tired with helping Jericho with his homework, excusing herself and skirting around her other siblings to escape to her room. Stephen and Karen watch her from the kitchen, exchanging knowing looks.

INT. GARCIA HOME - ASHER’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Asher is seated on his bed, doing his practice of journaling down all the good things that happened, then writing down the bad and crumpling it up so he can metaphorically throw it away. But he’s already got a couple of paper balls littering the floor at his feet, and he’s tear-stained as he rips another page out and crumples it.

He gives up on all of it, letting the journal and the crumpled page fall off his lap and onto the floor. Dylan emerges from the window, slipping inside the room and coming to join him.

They don’t say anything. Dylan simply climbs onto the bed and wraps his arms around him from behind, Asher closing his eyes. Dylan kisses his cheek, then his shoulder, tucking his head against it.

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - LUCAS’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Alternatively, Lucas’s bedroom is cold and empty. His window is still open to the fire escape, letting in frigid February air.

EXT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

He’s not on the fire escape either. Drifting upwards, we pass a few more floors until we find him, huddled up on the roof of the building by himself. He’s shivering, but he doesn’t move. He’s looking at the city, sprawled and twinkling in front of him, but his expression is blank.

I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you…

INT. SUBWAY STOP - NIGHT

The train doors open, Zay and Charlie emerging onto the platform. It’s still bustling for a Friday night, the two of them just another part of the crowd. Charlie takes his hand, the two of them exchanging a meaningful look before Zay begins to lead the way through the masses.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Maya is tweaking her future moodboard, rearranging some items and changing it up. She’s making it a little more personal rather than so cold and calculated, aiming for the future she wants to lead rather than the one she feels like she has to in order to survive the industry.

She picks up one of the photos on her bed, hesitating on it. It’s a polaroid of her and Farkle, goofing around in the auditorium during spring semester. She brushes her thumb over Farkle, obviously contemplative.

Then she looks back at the moodboard. Perhaps it will find a place in her future after all…

INT. MINKUS HOME - HALLWAY - NIGHT

STUART MINKUS approaches Farkle’s door, lightly knocking and asking if he can come inside and chat. Jennifer informed him that he passed on dinner, and hasn’t emerged from his room since, so he wanted to come see what’s going on. His mom said he seemed like he was feeling better this week? Is that the case?

Farkle doesn’t answer, so Stuart sighs and settles for hanging outside. He speaks through the door instead, struggling to find exactly what he wants to say but doing his best to get it out.

Stuart: Listen, I… I’ve been thinking a lot about that discussion we had during the holidays. The things we said to each other… I think you had some points. Smart as you are, of course you did, but… when I said what I did, I was only trying to look out for you. I know it doesn’t seem like it, considering I’m not always… you’re right. I could afford to be around more, and I guess I just needed you to confront me with the truth of that to recognize it as such. [ a beat ] I’m sorry I made you feel like I don’t notice or care, Farkle. I do. I do, and you make me proud every day. Even if I don’t quite understand it, I know you’re making strides in what’s important to you. And I want to be there for more of that. Genuinely.

A really nice sentiment, one long overdue. Still, Farkle doesn’t give him anything in return. Stuart sighs in frustration, knowing they can’t make any progress if he won’t even hear him out.

Stuart: Farkle, come on. Can we just chat about this --

INT. MINKUS HOME - FARKLE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Stuart gently pushes open the door, searching the dimly lit room for Farkle so they can talk face to face. But he’s not at his desk or on his bed, and it takes a full scan of the room for his gaze to drift to the floor.

First confusion passes over his features, then a moment later, panic. Sheer, absolute panic.

Stuart, choked: Farkle? [ bursting into the room ] FARKLE!

Stuart drops down to the ground, kneeling just in front of the camera. He immediately descends into hysterics.

Stuart: Farkle, come on. No -- Jennifer! JENNIFER, CALL AN AMBULANCE!

The last notes of “Lullaby” take us out as the screen goes to black.

Stuart, broken: Farkle!

END OF EPISODE.

IF ANY of the content in this episode has been triggering, please reach out and talk to somebody you trust and who can help you. The following links are resources including hotlines, prevention organizations, and international numbers.

Suicide Prevention: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

List of Suicide Hotlines: https://ibpf.org/resource/list-international-suicide-hotlines https://suicidestop.com/call_a_hotline.html

[harrrrrryyyy]

A Twist In My Story || Harry Styles | Chapter One.

Word Count: 1,709

Warnings: swearing

Chapter Two

   Today marked the first day of the rest of my life; I was finally headed off to college.  It was a scary thought; me being on my own for the first time in my life.  My mom wasn’t going to be there to watch my every move, and my dad, well, my dad was never really there, to begin with.  I got accepted into my dream college, UCLA.  I’ve wanted nothing more than to get away from my overbearing mother, so I chose a school that was the whole way across the country.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my mom, she’s just a bit much.  She’s a bit much all the time.  She didn’t necessarily approve of me moving all the way out to California, but it’s my life and I’m going to live it how I want.   “Do you have everything you need?” Mom asks. I nod my head and sling my bag full of clothes over my shoulder.   “I never thought this day would come, you’re going to actually make something of yourself,” Mom cries, “I wish your brother would have.” “Hey!” My brother yells. “Well, you damn well know it’s the truth, Cory,” Mom yells back. I intervene, “can we not fight right now? I’m getting ready to leave.” “You’re right, I’m sorry,” she apologizes, “we’re going to miss you so much, baby.” “Speak for yourself,” Cory mumbles. “As if you’re not going to miss me,” I chuckle, pulling him into a big hug. “Of course I’m gonna miss ya, Sprout.” I smile at the nickname he gave me when I was five. “I’m gonna miss you, too.” I pull away from him and try to blink away the tears that are threatening to spill, “alright, I have a long ride ahead of me, I better go.” I tell everyone goodbye and hop in my car.  Planes were a huge no for me, so I started up my car and make my way to Los Angeles.   *** I pull into the parking lot of the dorm rooms and look for the right building.  Once I find it, I start walking toward it, looking around to see all of the people around me.  They were the typical college stereotypes you see in movies.  Jocks, band geeks, the one who thinks they’re “baddies”, cheerleaders, goths, nerds, the lot.  My eyes land on a particular group dressed in mostly black, tattoos and piercings everywhere.  Not my type of group, but something about one of the guys standing in the group grabbed my attention.  He was tall, tattoos all over his arms, and disheveled curly hair.  He was jaw-droppingly gorgeous from what I could see from the distance.  I quickly look away as his eyes meet mine and continue into the dorm building.  I find my room and open the door. I look around the room as I drop my bags down on the floor. There were 80’s rock band posters all over the walls.  Motley Crue, ACDC, Guns N’ Roses, Queen.  I already approved of this girl.  The door opens, snapping me out of my thoughts, in comes a girl with jet black hair, followed by that same guy I was checking out in the Quad. “Oh!” the girl exclaims, “you must be Olivia, I’m Jade!” I smile, “it’s nice to meet you.” “And this is my friend Harry,” she introduces curly. “I wouldn’t call us friends,” he says in the deepest English accent.  I swear my knees almost give out by just the sound of his voice.   “Oh shut up!” she argues. I listen to their bickering while I try to finish all of my unpacking. “So, Olivia, where are you from?” Harry asks. “Ohio,” I answer, “judging by your accent, you’re from England?” “Obviously,” he says with a little attitude. “Obviously,” I mock his accent.   “What was that?” he asks. I give him a quick, “nothing” and finish what I was doing. “Anyway, there’s a beginning of year party tonight, you in?” Jade asks. “As if, she seems like the biggest prude ever,” Harry says rudely. I laugh at his assumption, “I’m definitely down.” I may have a good girl facade but I’m anything but.  You don’t have a brother like mine without going to some insane parties with him.   “It starts at 9!” she says enthusiastically, “I can help you pick out an outfit.” “Alright, cool,” I tell her. Jade eventually kicks Harry out of our room so we can get ready. “What’s his problem?” I ask Jade as I finish my winged liner. “No one knows, he’s just an ass,” she explains, “I think he likes ya.” I laugh out loud, “I definitely didn’t get that vibe off of him when we met.” “He’s like that with everyone, that’s not even as bad as he can get,” she explains.   “Pretty hot though,” I say bluntly. She laughs, “that he is. Don’t get any ideas though, as far as I know, Harry doesn’t date. He doesn’t even give girls the time of day.  I’m starting to think he’s gay, to be honest.” “Bummer.” *** “Okay, yes! That is the dress,” she says looking at the lacy black dress that’s currently hugging my body.  I looked good, I felt good, now it’s time to blow this party’s socks off. The frat house wasn’t too far from the dorm room, so we walked over.  The party just started and it already seemed to be in full swing. Jade led me to her group.  I was hoping that Harry would be among them, but he isn’t.   “Hey guys, this is Olivia,” she introduces me.   “I’m Niall,” the blonde one says, Irish. “I’m Louis,” the one with brown hair and blue eyes says, English. “I’m Liam,” the one with brown hair and brown eyes says, also English. “It’s nice to meet you guys,” I say. “What’re you drinking Liv?” Niall asks. “I’ll just take some beer,” I answer. Harry finally shows up when Niall leaves to get me a beer. “Well shit,” he says looking directly at me, “didn’t think you’d actually show.” I shrug, “I’m not a prude.” “We’ll see about that,” he smirks. Niall comes back and hands me a red solo cup full of beer. I take a swig and make my way out to the dancefloor with Jade and her other girlfriends, Trinity and Becca. I feel eyes on me the entire time I’m moving my hips to the beat of the song.  Becca comes up to me, “Harry is totally checking you out right now.” I look up to where Harry is, and sure enough, he is. I roll my eyes and turn away from him, continuing to dance with Jade and Trinity.  A pair of hands wrap around my waist and I feel a prominent bulge press against my ass.  I figure it’s Harry and continue to grind against the man.  All too quickly, he’s pulled off of me, I turn around and look at Harry throwing a punch at someone. “Stay the fuck away from her!” Harry yells. My eyes go wide as Harry looks at me with rage in his eyes, “that’s how you end up dead in a ditch.” “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say exasperated. I walk upstairs to the bathroom and quickly close the door behind me.  I look at myself in the mirror and sigh. The door opening startles me, and before I say anything, Harry’s closing the door again, locking it.   “That’s was a bold move you pulled back there,” he says, anger in his voice. “I don’t know what you mean,” I say, “I’m just trying to have a good time.” “A good time doesn’t require grinding on a complete stranger!” he argues. “You’re not my dad, Harry, I barely even know you!” I yell. “I’m just trying to warn you, most guys at this school are scummy,” he explains. “Thank you, but I don’t want nor need your help. I’m a big girl,” I tell him. He looks down at me, his eyes are almost unreadable, “alright. Next time I guess I’ll just let ya get kidnapped and murdered.” “Wow, dramatic much?” I cross my arms. “You shouldn’t trust college boys,” he says. “And why should I trust you?” I ask. “You shouldn’t,” he replies and walks out the door, slamming it on his way out. I gather my thoughts and make my way out of the bathroom as well. Harry was strange, but there was something about him that I was extremely attracted to.  I barely knew the guy, but there was something inside of me that really wanted to get to know him. I find Jade and tell her that I’m heading home.  As I’m walking, I hear footsteps on the pavement behind me. I quicken my pace, but it’s no use, whoever was walking behind me, grabs my arm and turns me around.  I’m relieved when I see that it’s just Harry. “Didn’t want you walking alone, there are creeps out here,” he says. “Only creep I see here is you,” I say. “Haha, very funny,” he says sarcastically. “Why do you even care if I make it home safe?” I ask. “Jade seems to like you, don’t wanna hear her crying around about it.” His tone isn’t as harsh as his words are. We walk in silence for the most part. I’m relieved when I see the dorm building come into view. We walk into the building and up to my room, but he stops me before I can open the door. “You’re not as bad as I thought,” he says through furrowed brows. “Well, thanks?” I say as more of a question. “Okay, well have a good first day,” he says before walking off.  I turn around and unlock my door, but before I can, Harry comes back. “I forgot something.” Before I can say anything, he leans down and places a loving kiss on my cheek. “See you around,” he says and then leaves. I quickly open the door and fall back on to my bed. What the fuck is this dude’s problem?  An ass one minute, then the next he’s kissing my cheek? Thoughts of tonight consume me until I drift off to sleep.

[ithurtsbutidoitforshrek]

Cupid 💘

I found this in my draft, it's from a while ago and I'll probably never finish it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ it was inspired by a clip from the original charmed I found on Instagram from the episode: Heartbreak City (2x10)

Fandom : Charmed

Pairing : Harry x Maggie

“Another loss huh” the man cackled walking up to the defeated witch who just kicked another one of her dates to the curb; she had her signature pout on, lips coated in cherry red, a piece of hair stuck to her gloss by the wind blowing around her. “Didn’t like your cherry chapstick? Maybe you should bat for the other team.” He wiggles his eyebrows devilishly at her already knowing there was a part of the male anatomy she wasn't willing to give up anytime soon.

Maggie scowled at the man, her eyebrows furrowing together in disgust and confusion, just who the hell was this guy? He was kind of cute if he wasn’t pissing her off. Tall, muscular build brown curly hair and bright blue eyes. He had sort of a babyface that she just wanted to pinch. “Who the hell are you?”

He grinned walking over to her in long strides and offering out his hand to her to which she just stared at, rolling his eyes he let it drop to his side. “I need your help. Well you and your sisters, really. So would you be so kind and invite me inside? It’s a bit chilly.”

“Invite you inside?” she mocked ”What are you? A vampire?”

He snickered. “No, and that’s a myth by the way. Humans told themselves that thinking it would give them a sense of security to keep them safe, that they were in control.” He informed her in a matter of fact tone that made her want to slug him. “Now invite me in.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, not really judging if she could trust him or not. “I don’t even know your name.”

He rolled his eyes. “uh…Gabe.”

“You had to think about it?”

He shrugs. “Hit my head the other day”

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine, really. Now let me in.” He said sternly, not at all touched by her concern.

Maggie rolled her eyes and opened up the front door stepping inside and leaving it open. It wasn’t exactly the friendliest invite but an invite nonetheless.

“Nice place you got here.” He whistled looking around the room and up the stairs. “Ever play hide and seek in here?”

Maggie shrugged leading him more into the house trying to find the whereabouts of her sisters. “Yeah, when I was like…five.”

“Maggie?” Mel called wandering into the room with Macy on her heels. “I thought you weren’t feeling Jacoby anymore.”

“Oh, I wasn’t.” She assured her, Jacoby was as dull as they come, she’d rather be sent to Tartarus again than entertain the thought of another date with him. “This is Gabe.” She gestured vaguely in his direction, walking towards the couch and plopping down on it.

Macy’s eyes grew wide. “Wow. You leave with a different date and come home with a new one.” She whistles, however noticing Maggie’s hurt look she quickly backtracked. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m not judging or anything. Kind of jealous actually.” She frowned sitting down beside her sister.

Maggie smiled letting her off the hook. “He’s not a date, I found him outside – apparently he needs our help.”

That perked their interest, Mel gestured towards the couch as she walked motioning for Gabe to join them. “What can we do for you?” She asked once they got settled.

“I’ve seemed to have lost my ring.”

“What do we look like? The police?” Mel scoffed.

“My ring. Cupid’s ring... Cause I’m Cupid.” He deadpanned.

“You don’t look like cupid.”

“Yeah, where’s your diaper? The wings and the bow?” Maggie asked eyeing his person for any hidden wings or arrows.

“Your name is Gabe? Like Gabriel? Cause that’s original.” Macy mocked, causing the other two to giggle.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up.” He grumbled offended. “I lost the diaper after 2 years of age thank you very much. I only get the ability to fly with my ring, and I don’t need a bow. Another stereotype.”

“I don’t believe you.” Maggie who hasn’t had the best luck with love as of late shot at him. Surely if he was indeed who he said he was she would have been happy and in love already.

Gabe rolls his eyes. “So you believe in all these other magical beings and demons and what not but not me?”

Maggie shrugged.

“I mean I wouldn’t believe you’re witches without the pointy hats, brooms, warts and green faces, and yet here I am.”

“Fine, show us something supernatural.” Mel challenged.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I cant. I lost my ring, a demon stole it. It’s the way I get into people’s hearts, their innermost desires.”

“Still don’t really believe you.” Mel taunted, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms against her chest. If he didn’t do anything to prove he wasn’t a fraud soon, she was going to call Harry to toss him out.

“I didn’t want it to come to this but…” Gabe rolled his eyes rising to his feet, pointing his finger at Mel. “Bryce in kindergarten, Amanda in 5th grade, Molly your first serious girlfriend – she was a bitch by the way, Niko and Jada the one that ran away.”

Mel pouted looking away from him, but he continued on pointing to Macy next. “William, Cory, and Galvin.”

“Okay I think that’s enough.” Maggie shifted uneasily in her chair watching the wannabe angel stare her down, with a smirk on his handsome face.

“Too bad.” He mocked, starting to list the names off of his finger tips. “Elliot, Danny in 6th Grade, Brian, Kendall, Brian again, Parker, and…” he sent her a cruel smile, obvious payback for mocking him. “Harr-”

“Okay we get it” she shouted cutting him off, but the damage was done by the look her sisters were shooting her. “For the record I didn’t love all of those guys.”

“They all had the potential for you to love them, but the last three? You definitely did.. well do. Especially-“

“What do you need?!”

“So you’re responsible for all our past relationships?” Mel asked after recovering from the information that was revealed about her sister.

Gabe grinned at her. “Last two years give or take. I was the reason you met Nico, I was also the reason she came back into your life.”

“Yeah, Taken.”

He shrugged. “If you love something set it free. Jada was sent to you by another agent because I gave up on you completely, all of you except for Maggie.”

“Lucky me.”

“So you connected Maggie and Har-“

“Can we drop that?” Maggie snapped irritated.

“Good question, Macy, and to answer; no. That was all on her own, we obviously can’t connect them because of the rules – forbidden. Sometimes they just do the job for you.” He explained. “Now will one of you call your Whitelighter so we can get started?”

“We don’t need him. We need to learn how to be independent without Meghan Markle.” Came Maggie’s hasty reply a light blush still coating her cheeks from his accusations.

“Ouch.” Harry called walking down the stairs, a crestfallen look on his face from her comment. “And here I thought we were family.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” Gabe muttered under his breath.

“You are Har. You’re more than that.” She gave him a reassuring smile, to which he returned.

“In more ways than one.” Gabe snarked receiving a sharp elbow to the ribs for that comment, and for Harry to a acknowledge his presence.

“Are you Maggie’s date?” Harry asked with a raise of his eyebrow as he studied the man. He barely caught a glance of the fellow she left with but he was certain this wasn’t him.

“He wishes.” Maggie snickered.

“You’re not my type, love. Harry on the other hand.” He licked his lips hungrily eyeing the Whitelighter up and down . “Yum.. you know if you don’t- I’ll take him.”

That delivered him a sharper blow, causing him to gasp for air. “Testy. Territorial. I love it.”

“You said you needed the Charmed ones help, Charmed ones require the power of three, keep it up and all you’ll have is the power of two.” She threatened.

“Do That And all the people I helped fall in love are at risk, hate will take over, do you really want that?”

“Well if they really love that person, they can over come your hocus pocus magic. What kind of love is it anyways if they’re under a spell?”

“Parker really did a number on you huh. You used to believe in fairytales.”

“Yeah well…”

“Anyways, the name is Gabe, but you would know me as Cupid.” He grinned smugly holding out a hand for the Whitelighter to shake, Harry gripped it in his own giving it a firm shake, while eyeing him up and down suspiciously.

“Where’s the bow?”

Gabe groaned, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation, ignoring their teasing and laughter.

[licenselesswriter]

From November to June CH1

November 20, 2017

Maya was nervous, she never thought that she finds herself in this situation, she always thought that she was way more street smart than this, but now, she was in the predicament of her life.

- So, short story, we're getting married - Josh says while he lifts the arm of his new fiancée.

- Oh! - Cory says excited, opening his arms to hug the young couple.

Riley joins the hug and welcomes the fiancée of her uncle to the family, on the other hand, Lucas looks at Maya waiting for a reaction.

And he finds one.

He slowly walks to her and sits next to her - It was him - he just says, not asking or judging, just telling her.

- Pretty smart for a cowboy - Maya jokes trying to hide what she was feeling in her gut.

- What are you gonna do with that? - he asks Maya.

- Probably regret having him or her for the next 8 months, and then love it for the rest of my life - she says putting a hand over her belly.

- Does anyone else know about it? - Lucas asks this time.

- Aren't you doing way too many questions today Huckleberry? - she asks back and then takes a deep breath, putting them in awkward silence for a few seconds - No - she finally answers while she looks at everyone celebrating the new addition to the family, really hoping to be her the one in that place.

- What you gonna do when it becomes more obvious to the eye? - Lucas keeps pushing his questions on Maya.

- How are you gonna explain that a pregnant woman beat the shit out of you for asking that many questions? - Maya asks back.

- If that's the price for having my questions answered about people I care about and future people I'm gonna care about, I will even get you a brass knuckle - Lucas answers completely serious, making Maya blurt in laughter dragging everyone's attention.

- Sorry, please continue with your celebration - Maya says, making most of the people in the Matthews home go back to Josh and his fiancée - I'm in the mood for chimichangas - she adds in a lower tone, only for Lucas to hear.

- Nice try - Lucas says, letting a short and dry laugh escape his mouth - Chimichangas is your constant mood - he adds getting up - Lucky for you, I'm in the mood to spend my money feeding you, let's go - he adds walking to the coat hanger to pick his jacket.

- Howdy, you're leaving? - Josh asks Lucas when he saw him pick his jacket and Maya's coat.

- Yeah - he simply answers, trying not to punch him in the face for getting Maya pregnant - Maya wants chimichangas and I want to spend my money, so win-win situation - he adds with a dry tone that let his disgust with Riley's uncle - BTW, congrats on your engagement - he says and offer his hand, the one Josh shake with a smile on his face, not knowing exactly what was on Lucas mind.

- Thanks - Josh says and then he felt a tiny hand on his lower back.

- Well, it was nice to see you, Josh, congrats to your fiancée, she's taking a good guy - Maya says and Josh hugs her tightly, making Lucas sigh deep - Ok, let's go, Huckleberry, bye Josh - Maya says and takes her coat from Lucas' hand. Once they were on the stairs of the Matthews residence Maya grabs Lucas' shirt collar - What the hell was that? - she asks him.

Lucas just gave her a smirk - Nothing - he adds with his smirk still on his face and starts to walk to his car.

Maya follows him, she wouldn't let his attitude gets her away from free chimichangas.

Lucas opens the door for Maya and she sits in silence. Lucas, of course, did the same and starts his car.

but 15 minutes later Lucas finally explode - You know what, there is something - he says without taking the eyes from the road - I think it's a bit illegal to get a 17-year-old girl pregnant when you're 20 and then in less than a month you came back to introduce your fiancée - he says and Maya just looks at him in shock.

- Excuse me? A bit too judgy? - Maya says, not in disagreeing with what he explained, but still a bit mad for the way he put it.

- I'm sorry, but I'm not only one saying that's morally wrong, but the actual law also says it - Lucas defends himself.

- I'm not gonna discuss my sex life with you Huckleberry, at least not unless I'm drunk - she says and then presses her forehead against the cold window.

- Not gonna discuss your sex life - Lucas says while he keeps driving and the red light make him stop - I'm questioning his morality backed up by the law of the United States of America - he adds and looks at her directly into her eyes - And you're dreaming if you think I'm gonna let you close to a bottle of alcohol - he continues when the light became green.

- Wow, never imagined you had that Papa Friar under that Sundance exterior - Maya jokes, but Lucas kept firm driving - You don't need to worry about me Huckleberry, I been able to handle worse than a young pregnancy - she adds, joking about her life.

Lucas just stays silent, knowing exactly how to feel but not knowing exactly how to word it.

15 minutes later, Lucas parks his car in the parking spots in Queens Boulevard and 40st and Maya's smile grow by the second, making him smile for the first time since he started his conversation with her in the Matthews residence.

- I like Papa Friar - Maya says and Lucas fails on containing his laugh - He's way more considerate that Judgy Asshole Ranger Rick - Maya adds and fastly opens the door and walk out the car, only to run to the pedestrian cross.

They both cross to the restaurant, Maya faster than Lucas.

Lucas wasn't able to see the feelings he was experimenting as other than friendship.

- Come on Huckleberry, Mama is hungry - she says hoping for him to get to the door faster.

They were sitting in no more than 7 minutes, and being conscious about the joy she was having, Lucas just let Maya go crazy in food.

In the middle of their dinner, Lucas decides to break the silence by asking the most important question - Are you gonna tell him? - he asks.

Maya just looks at him like he was stupid - You mean now or someday? - she asks back before putting half of a chimichanga in her mouth.

Lucas looks at her a bit disgusted by her ability to push food down her throat, and put his chimichanga back into his plate - Well, it's more than obvious that you already miss the chance of telling him today - he answers. He grabs his drink and takes a sip - So? - he insists with his question.

- Probably one day - Maya vaguely answers - It's more than obvious that he - she continues and put a hand over her belly - Or she, is gonna ask where is the person who donates half of his or her DNA - she says making Lucas laugh - The thing is, I can probably lie my way out of those questions and bought the curiosity with cookies - Maya adds and point at the chimichanga Lucas left on his plate - Are you gonna eat that? - she asks.

Lucas looks at her disgusted again - My God, you're disgusting - he answers, but finally agreed to her eating what he left - What about money? Kids are not cheap - he says lifting his hand and calling for the waitress, who after a few minutes walks to their table - Yes, please, one order of Mexican Churros - Lucas says pointing them in the menu, then he looks at Maya - Order something, I don't share desserts - then his attention goes back to the waitress - Also, please, a cup of coffee, black - he adds while Maya takes the menu from his hand.

- One order of Mexican Churros and a Crème Brulee - she says and left the menu on her left. The waitress smiled and look at Lucas, he only nods. When Maya was sure that the waitress wasn't close enough to hear she looks at Lucas - Well, I hope to get a job, that pays a bit more than the minimum wage, help from friends and family and my savings - she explains.

When he heard her answer, Lucas forgot for a second that he was her friend and not her father - And college? - he asks, trying to control his judgmental tone.

- Well, if what's growing inside is half smart as his Father, then a scholarship is more than obvious for the future - she answers.

Lucas just sighs again, defeated - I can't deal with you - he says and Maya softly giggles.

- Not a surprise Huckleberry - she replies and they both keep the silence till they desserts came.

Lucas looks at Maya devour the Crème Brulee - Yeah, I definitely can't deal with you - he admits with a smile on his face, making Maya smile.

They finish their food and Lucas paid for everything, just as he promised. He helps her with her coat and then put his jacket on, a bit surprised by the strange mid-November snow.

Lucas repeats the process and opens the door for Maya, who happily jumps on his car, he walks to the driver seat and gets inside the car. He starts the car and tried to connect his phone to the radio, but Maya was faster and mute any music.

- What? - he asks her, noticing how she was way too serious.

- You can't tell anybody about this, this is something I should tell, not you - she warns him.

Lucas smile and put his hand on her cheek, softly caressing it - I'm Lucas, not Farkle, not Riley, Lucas - he replies and Maya smile.

A lot more relaxed, she unmutes the radio.

The slow drum of "Slow Hands" starts to blast on the radio while Lucas starts to drive her back to her place.

- Holy shit - Maya says and laughs, taking a photo of the song on the smart sound system on Lucas car - One "Huckleberry" Direction - she adds, mocking of his music playlist - I'm never gonna let you forget this - she says while Lucas can't avoid the blushing.

When they arrive at her place, like a true gentleman, Lucas gets down and open the door for her.

- Thanks for bringing me home "Night Changes" - she jokes and Lucas just looks at the snowing sky of New York.

- I hate my life - he softly says.

Sadly, not soft enough for Maya to not hear it - Awww that desperation is "What makes you beautiful" Huckleberry - she continues, and this time, Lucas can only laugh. In the middle of his laugh, Maya gets close to him and hug him - Thanks Lucas - she says, no mask, only gratitude.

- Don't be - Lucas replies and hugs her back - I'm your friend, that's my job - he adds and Maya unconsciously smile against his chest.

Maya slowly gets away from him and walk up the stairs of her apartment, only to be stopped by Lucas - Maya - he calls her, and she stops, slowly turning back to face him.

- What - she says, waiting, expecting.

- Let me help - he adds with a sincere smile on his face.

Maya just let a soft laugh escape her mouth - Goodnight Huckleberry - she says and disappears inside the building.

[madelinecoffee]

Is This Seat Taken? Ch. 5

Summary: Rucas Senior Year AU. Riley’s a loner who doesn’t really have any friends, besides her twin brother Josh but she keeps to herself in school. Something happened the year before where she missed the 2nd half of the year but she’s back for senior year and Lucas’ heart is ready. He’s had a crush on her since he moved to Philly in 3rd grade and he’s convinced this is the year they’ll move up from the class-friends label and into something more. This is not a completely fluffy fic, I’m going to be diving into some deep shit so if that’s not your cup of tea please leave *this does  include some serious depression if it goes beyond that I will trigger warn it* A/N: Hi friends! New chapter! Let me know your thoughts on it all! This is a big chapter, shit goes down big time.

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE ATTEMPT AND INVASIVE THOUGHTS

Tagging:  @iwantyoutochooseme @celluloiddreams @imaginarybird

Words: 1,872 Previous: Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch.4

When Lucas woke up it took him a minuet to remember where he was, and when he realized that Riley wasn’t in his arms he frantically stood up about to go searching for her when she came down the stairs in leggings and a sweatshirt. He hair was all over the place and her face still looked like she had been crying, but she was there in front of him and although she was fidgeting under his gaze she looked calm.

Before either said anything he walked over and took her into his arms her head going into his neck as he kissed the top of her head.

“I was worried when you weren’t with me when I woke up” Lucas told her his voice raspy he felt her nod against him but she didn’t say anything. They stood wrapped in each others arm for a moment before Riley spoke up her voice still small,

“I know I have a lot of explaining to do but I’m supposed to eat breakfast with everyone the morning after my uh, fit”

Lucas squeezed her again, “Whatever you need to do we’ll do.”

When they got to the kitchen Topanga and Cory were already making breakfast and Josh was entering the room. All the teens offered to help they had Riley make the coffee and Josh with Lucas set the table. Though the boys were instructed to not give Riley a knife at her place.

Topanga made French toast, one of Riley’s favorites but she seemed reluctant to eat anything picking at her food until Lucas took over and started feeding her.

He cut the bread up small for her and after he fed her the first few bites she started eating on her own.

Her family looked grateful, “You’re a real godsend Lucas. Usually the couple of days after we can’t Riley to eat anything. But it seems like she’ll do just about anything for you” Cory teased

“Dad stop” Riley said her voice still soft but with a twinge of embarrassment

Soon the meal was finished Riley offered to clear but Topanga interjected,

“Riley you know you can’t handle the knives right now.” Topanga interjected with a loving tone, “Why don’t you go in the basement and talk with Lucas? I’m sure he has many questions. And if you need us we’ll be right here”

“Okay mom” Riley responded hugging her mom before grabbing Lucas’ hand and brining him downstairs

Together on the soft couch Riley took a deep breathe her voice seemed steadier and she had a determination in the way she spoke, “In order to um understand yesterday you kind have um have to know the whole story. And um I haven’t really told anyone other than Joanne, my therapist, this before”

Lucas nodded, “Go at your own pace, and if you need to stop or need something from me tell me.”

Riley nodded as she pulled Lucas into her story,

“The first time I tried to kill myself was in middle school, we were in 7th grade. We had a project due in a few days and it wasn’t working out how I wanted, and I just felt like everybody’s lives would be better if I weren’t in them. I was sitting on the monkey bars and I just thought if I fall off and my neck brakes, I won’t have to be perfect anymore and no one will have to deal with me. So I leaned off and fell down, I broke my left arm badly and got a concussion. God there was so much blood I almost threw up, it was awful.” Riley closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the couch

 “I remember that” Lucas jumped in, “But you were back the next day?”

Riley nodded, “I was. I didn’t tell anyone that’s why I fell off, I was embarrassed I had failed and worried that it would be taken the wrong way. Everyone was already being so careful with me and my broken arm I couldn’t imagine what would happen if they knew the truth. So I went about my life trying and failing to be perfect.”  A tear slipped out and Riley quickly wiped it away, “All I ever wanted was for everything to be perfect. I built up this idea of what things should be in my head and how they should be. And when they don’t add up, when I don’t add up I loose it.”

Lucas nodded and kissed her hand; she seemed lost to her own thoughts so he let her continue.

 “It got worse in my head after that, there were voices like mine but not that told me I wasn’t reaching the perfect standard I had built for myself, that everyone was watching and judging. That people knew I had tried and failed to kill myself and they were embarrassed for me.  I’ve always hated crowds and loud noises, but it just got worse as this went on. I was exhausted and sad all the time, but I kept smiling hoping no one would question me. I kept insane hours as middle school ended and high school began, I worked crazy hard on all my projects. If they didn’t turn out how they wanted I’d burn them and start again, letting the lick of the flame almost touch my fingers. Because they were terrible, they weren’t perfect and I wanted to never see them again.”

 Lucas interjected, “That’s why you wanted the lighter, to burn your English”

Riley nodded coming back a bit, “After the Thing Josh took my lighter. My family didn’t know any of this was going because I worked hard to hide it. I was a good kid they didn’t suspect anything was wrong until last year when shit hit the fan”

Lucas heart hurt from hearing her go through all that pain alone but he knew she wasn’t done and he knew he had to remain strong for her, she was still lost in the world of her memories. Her voice sounded odd and far away but determined to make it through.

 “Things kept getting worse and on top of all the ideals I was failing to meet in school I started to hate how I looked.  I was so miserable every day, I had an idea that I needed to be perfect and I wasn’t doing it or getting there. Then I had a really bad day at school; I didn’t sleep the night before because I was working on a project late. And when I got to school someone was bragging about how easy it had been. And I ate lunch alone, and I just felt so worthless and sad. It was like I couldn’t be perfect and it didn’t seem like anyone cared anyway so why not just disappear? I was driving home when I thought about ramming my car into a tree, but then I thought of the monkey bars and wondered what if I failed again? Then everyone would know.”

 Lucas’ heart was breaking, this wonderful girl thought so little of herself. He was more determined than ever to support her and love her anyway he could. His world would be shattered without her.

“So when I got home I found all the pills I could and the biggest knife I could. I took them all to my room. I wrote a short note and swallowed all the pills. My mom walked in to let me know diner was ready when she was all the bottles. I grabbed the knife before she could grab me and sliced my stomach across and then I tried to run and lock myself in the bathroom. But then it all happened so fast, my dad was there and Josh was there. And I was on the ground and there was so much blood just like the monkey bars and everyone was crying and screaming. I can’t remember all of it after she walked in just flashes of different moments.”

Riley and Lucas both had tears running down their faces but Riley was still in a trance as Lucas held her tight to him.

“I started to fade out and I thought, Finally no more pain. But then I woke up to the florescent lights of the hospital. Once I got out of there they put me into in-patient treatment for depression and anxiety. That’s why I missed so much school I could barley function without hating myself. God at first I hated it; I didn’t want to be there. For a while I wouldn’t see any of my family because I hated that they put me there. But slowly I started coming around to see that I didn’t want to die that I wanted to get better. I still see my therapist we’re down to once a week or we were I’ll probably go back up. But I’m getting better”

Lucas kissed her head and wiped at her tears, “Thank god”

“I still want to be perfect Lucas, and I’m sorry I’m not. And I’m sorry that it got to me yesterday. When I was Joanne told me it might be a good idea after school Thursday she said it might be a good idea to take the day off, but I shouldn’t have taken it alone because then it’s me and my thoughts and some days I’m not strong enough to combat them” At that Riley started to sob again and Lucas held her tight to him as he comforted her, it took a bit but he got her calmed down enough to talk again.

 “If-if you don’t want to be my boyfriend anymore, I understand” Riley told him softly

Lucas gave her a dumbfounded look, ”How could you think that?”

She shrugged and avoided eye contact, “I’m still working on it Lucas. I still don’t want to be here some days, and I freak out when things don’t align because it makes me feel worthless. And there are also just things I can’t do for now. I can’t drive, I can’t use knives for a while, after I break up my room I can’t even go and fix it because it makes me break all over again. I’m broken Lucas andddd now that you know I don’t want to make you stay.”

 Lucas shook his head, “Riley. I know you think need to perfect, but you don’t have to be. I know you’re working on it. But that’s just it Riley you’re working on it. You’re making that choice and if I have to spend the rest of forever helping you work on it I will. And I know our friends will to, in their own way” He leaned over and kissed her softly and soundly until she had to pull away to breathe

 “You are wonderful and you’re going to get through this and be even stronger than before”. Lucas promised her sincerely shinning through his eyes “Okay?”

“Okay” she nodded softly and snuggled back into him. Lucas was still reeling from everything she told him but a lot was starting to make sense. He kissed her head and sat with her letting the silence surround them.

(If you feel like you need help please contact the national suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or literally any of just please get the help you need. I’ve been there and it’s hard, but remember you’re not alone)

[the-wheelchair-critic]

Toronto Fringe Festival Accessibility and Disability Art Round-up

Now that another year of Fringe has come and gone, I decided to write a post on my experiences at Fringe, both as a reviewer for NOW Magazine, and when we set ourselves loose on Fringe to explore for ourselves. It’s been a wild ride, impossible to sum up in one article, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

The Extraordinary

The Front of House manager at Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) gets major props for providing us (my partner who also is a manual chair user and I) the best access experience that we had in our entire Fringe experience. We were at the theatre twice in one day, and for those of you who don’t use manual wheelchairs, the entrance way to TPM is not accessible at all. The incline is too steep to be able to self-propel up it, and the doors too heavy to manage opening by yourself even if you are somehow able to have super human strength and get up there. It’s a doable venue, but I won’t do it unless we’ve made arrangements to have someone outside assist us with getting in. The front of house manager was incredible about assisting us into the venue, by which I mean she didn’t just agree to help, but also checked in with where on the chair she should touch and push, and asked for consent before she touched us. On our second entry into the building later, a volunteer came up behind me and just started pushing, and she found us a few minutes later in the lobby, and apologized that the volunteer hadn’t asked before he did it.  She said that she had spoken to him and that he now knew that that was something that he shouldn’t do. Given the number of screaming fights I’ve had with the general public about not touching me without my consent, this was a refreshing and amazing change of pace!

Also making the extraordinary list was Generally Hospital. It was amazing. The team of Ophira Calof, Grace Smith, Alla Rasul, Devan Islas and Sabrina Friedman under the direction of Leigh Cameron make a tight finely tuned comedy machine. Exploring themes that are incredibly relevant to disabled and chronically ill people’s lives such as how to have sex in a wheelchair, and love not being the only thing in the air in the colonoscopy recovery room, they had me in stitches the entire time. My favourite scene was when Rasul, having made a typical able-bodied comment about being a wheelchair user, gets stared down by Calof as she raises her chair to its full height, sticks her fingers out in an “I’m watching you” gesture and silently turns and wheels away, fingers following Rasul. Having spent significant amounts of time in the hospital myself over the years, it makes me wish that next time I need to be in the hospital, I could check myself into Arbitrary General, provided it isn’t during the purge.

The Great

Leading off the great list, is Awkward Hug. I knew it was a story that touched on disability, but I was on guard a bit going in because Cory Thibert is not disabled himself, and was instead speaking about his parents experience of disability and how it impacted him. Caregiver stories about disabled people can often be problematic, and speak about disabled people in ways they haven’t consented to, or share a side of the disabled person that they don’t want to be shared. I was really happy about the way that Cory told his story. It was genuine and real, and gave me so much to relate to as a disabled person in the audience. One of the main themes in the play is how Cory’s father, full of anxiety about missing paratransit, and all the ways that can and has left him stranded, leaves all of Cory’s performances just before the final scene. Being a paratransit user, this resonated, and having personally experienced the terrors of an Ottawa winter as a wheelchair user (2 pairs of socks and a protective blanket under good quality boots isn’t enough to keep you from losing feeling in your toes) I can appreciate the particular chord of fear this experience strikes. The emotions are genuine, complex, and nuanced, even as Thibert self-professes his difficulty with expressing his feelings and communication. The only weakness of the work is that sometimes the story loses focus and takes us on unnecessary side trips. I’m not quite sure how the multiple pet stories connected to the core of the story, which is Thibert’s awakening to his parent’s disabilities, and how that influences the relationship that he is able to have with them. Otherwise, this is a fantastic piece from a creator who I look forward to seeing more from.

Also on the great list was the #UrgentExchange with Generator. I got to facilitate a conversation on criticism in disability art, and I had a blast. We didn’t get to any concrete answers, but managed to cover some of the core tensions between the disability community and the theatre criticism community. Some of the key points that came out of our conversation included tensions between wanting to have disability art recognized as part of the mainstream arts scene, which includes opening the door to criticism, but recognizing that mainstream media and disabled people have had a difficult relationship which continues to this day. This leaves many disabled artists distrustful of the media. Another tension is that if critics don’t have adequate language or knowledge of the disability community, are they qualified to comment upon or judge that work? If they aren’t, or they don’t, who is responsible for providing that education? Is it up to the critic, should it be up to the production itself, or the PR company (if one is engaged)? Does the arts sector have the capacity to support this kind of education? Where are the institutions that might provide it? Who do we want even reviewing disability art? Should we even invite able-bodied critics to review disability art pieces? I don’t know if I have any of the answers, but I’m really happy to be asking the questions and having the conversations.

The last item making my great list was Birds Make Me Think About Freedom. I reviewed it for NOW Magazine, so you can check out my writing on it there.

The Bad

There were numerous instances of sketchy accessibility throughout Fringe. George Ignatieff Theatre, I’m looking at you. It wasn’t that it was impossible, it is that it was poorly marked, and if you didn’t know the accessible way into that theatre already, there was a lot of extra uphill walking/rolling required. On my second day there, I had to cover about 50 m on grass because they were doing construction on the building and the truck had blocked the accessible entrance. Not cool U of T. Not cool. Also not so great was signage posted around some of the site specific venues that wasn’t placed in ways that a wheelchair user could access it.

Also, coming in on the bad list was Aspergers: More Tales of a Social Misfit. I also wrote about it for NOW but I want to say a bit more about it as I’ve had some more time to reflect on it. I really wanted to like the show. I came into Fringe being incredibly excited about it and eager to see it. When I left, I felt disappointed, mostly because it felt like to me rather than turning the joke around on neurotypical people, it gave people an excuse to laugh at autistic people. I think Aaron is a smart and capable comedian, and I was hard on him because I think his work has the potential to become this. I think that the disabled community, and able-bodied people too, are ready for work that diverges from old tropes and comedic standbys and gets real with people about the realities of ableism. So, despite the bad review, I hope Aaron continues to work towards this, and I would go see his work again.

The Ugly

Thankfully, there are only two entries to the ugly category. First up, is The Randolph and Annex theatres. Both venues were marked as accessible by Fringe Toronto, and neither of them were. The Randolph scores slightly worse than the Annex as it is completely unsafe for a variety of mobility devices including manual chairs, power chairs or scooters. The ramp to the door was designed for trolleys and not people, and it was not wide enough to accommodate disabled people safely. The ramp to the bathroom also is not doable or safe either. The Annex would be much better if they could address the gravel parking lot a disabled person (but notably not an able-bodied person) must cross to access the ramp. The good thing that came out of this situation however was a really good conversation with the Fringe team, and a plan going forward to make sure that venues used are accessible, and deemed as such by actual disabled people, with detailed information available to the public in advance, moving forward into future years.

The last ugly thing was receiving hate mail for a review. It comes with the territory, so I’m not too shaken about it other than feeling like “woo, now I’m a new critic”, but it sucks when you’re being accused of doing the thing that you’ve stood against publicly again and again. Ultimately, give people a computer and anonymity to hide behind and people will say whatever they feel entitled to though.

So there you have it. With a final evening of Fringe ahead for those of us who don’t have rehearsal tonight, get on out there and Fringe it up!

[seriestrash]

Secrets in Rileytown

Summary: Lucas catches Riley in a lie and he’s determined to find out the truth but the truth is definitely not what he was expecting.

Word Count: 4236

♥ ♥ ♥

Freshman year is nearing it’s end and Riley and Lucas’ relationship is beginning to warm up, although recently Lucas has felt like he’s hardly spent anytime with his girlfriend. 

It’s a Thursday afternoon and the final bell sounds at school. As Riley approaches her locker she notices her boyfriend Lucas waiting with his backpack already slung over his shoulder. 

“Hey,” Riley wears a smile as she meets him in the hall. 

“Hey back.” Lucas grins too as he waits for Riley to collect her things. 

“Shouldn’t you be with Zay right now?” Riley asks after planting a sheepish kiss on Lucas’ cheek. 

“I thought we could walk to the bakery together?” Lucas suggests with a cute smile.

“I can’t.” Riley frowns. “I have to take Auggie to soccer practice today.”

“Oh, yeah.” Lucas says with his bottom lip slightly pouted, “It’s Thursday, I forgot.”

“Sorry.” Riley is apologetic. 

“Are you sure your parents can’t take him?” Lucas asks. 

“Yes.” Riley lets out a quiet but nervous laugh. “Do you think I’d take my kid brother to soccer practice every Tuesday and Thursday if I didn’t have to?” 

“I suppose not.” Lucas nods. “Why don’t I skip the study session today and come with you now?” 

“No.” Riley says quickly. “I mean... Aren't you trying to bring your grade up in English? You should study.” 

“It would be a lot easier if you were there to help me.” Lucas gives Riley a puppy dog face. “You are top of the glass.” 

“Well if you go to the bakery now you can stop by my window after dinner and I’ll help you then.” Riley smiles. “That way you get twice as much studying in.” 

“Sounds fun.” Lucas says less than enthusiastically. 

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Riley says before giving Lucas another quick kiss on the cheek. “I have to go, Auggie gets annoyed when I’m late.” 

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later?” Lucas waves as Riley quickly disappears down the hall. 

Shortly after, the group of friends - minus Riley - sit around their usual spot at the bakery. The skies outside are a dull grey colour as light rain falls from the sky. 

Maya throws her history book on the table with a sigh. “Doesn’t this kind of weather make you feel like doing nothing?” 

“Is there any kind weather that makes you feel like doing homework?” Zay jokes. 

Maya fake laughs in response. 

“I’m having trouble connecting with this book.” Lucas looks up from the pages of his English novel with a frown.

“You mean you don’t relate to the shunned adulteress?” Zay asks dramatically.

“You’ve finished it?” Lucas asks his best friend with surprise. 

“You haven't?” Farkle asks with equal disbelief. Lucas shoots a mild glare at the genius. 

“I read the spark notes version.” Zay shrugs a shoulder. “I’m going to watch the movie tonight, you want to come over?” 

“No thanks.” Lucas shakes his head. “I’m hoping Riley will be able to help me make sense of it later.” Lucas says. 

“No fair.” Maya whines. “I thought Riley was busy with Auggie.” 

“She is but I’m going over...” Lucas trails off once he notices the shaggy haired boy come barreling into the bakery with his blonde haired best friend by his side. Cory comes in a few steps behind. “Try not to track water through the store guys.” Cory instructs as he heads for the counter. “I’m just going to pick up a pie and then we’ll get going.” 

“Hey Augs,” Maya gives the younger boy a head nod. “You’re done with practice pretty early.”

“It was cancelled because of the rain.” Auggie shakes the water droplets off his uniform like a wet dog. Ava sends him a glare for the water hitting her. 

“Where’s Riley?” Lucas asks politely. 

“Home.” Auggie shrugs unsure. 

Lucas is confused for a moment but excuses himself from the group and makes his way to the Matthews’ apartment. Lucas beats Cory and Auggie there and  Instead of using the fire escape he buzzes from the front entrance. It’s Topanga that answers him. 

“You can come up, Hon but Riley’s not home.” Topanga says through the intercom. 

“She’s not?” Lucas is surprised and the light rain was starting to soak through his hoodie so he shivers in place.

“No, I thought she was at the bakery with you.” Topanga says. “Did you want to come upstairs and wait?” 

“No that’s okay Mrs. Matthews, would you tell her I stopped by?” Lucas asks. 

“Sure thing, Lucas.” Topanga’s voice calls through one last time. 

As Lucas steps back from the intercom he notices Riley approaching. She's huddled under her purple umbrella.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Riley asks as she lifts the umbrella to shield Lucas too.

"Auggie stopped by the bakery with your dad. He said soccer practice was canceled from the rain."

"Yeah it was." Riley says quickly.

"I thought your dad was busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays?" Lucas asks.

"His meeting got cancelled. He showed up just as they canceled practice so he took Auggie and I was coming back here to get my books and come study at the bakery." Riley explains.

"Oh..." Lucas knits his brows. "Well how come I beat you home?"

"I stopped to talk to two shoes Louis." Riley says. "Lucas, why are you asking so many questions?"

"Sorry," Lucas shakes his head and settles with a smile. "Can we just study here? This book report is killing me."

"Uh, sure." Riley nods before letting them into the building.

After Riley helps Lucas with his boook report the two are just hanging out in her room.

"Do you want to see a movie tomorrow night?" Lucas asks.

"Sounds like fun but I can't." Riley half smiles. "I'm babysitting Auggie for my parents date night."

"We could bring him with us?" Lucas suggests positively. "I know you don't mind seeing kids movies."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Riley smiles. "But believe it or not Auggie is grounded."

"What for?" Lucas laughs with surprise.

"He's been running a double allowance scam." Riley says. "He'd been asking both mom and dad for three weeks before he got caught."

"What a smart kid." Lucas chuckles.

"So we can't go, sorry." Riley gives an apologetic smile. "But I'm free Saturday, we could spend the day together?"

"Sounds perfect." Lucas grins.

The following afternoon Riley's at her locker collecting the books she'll need over the weekend when her phone rings.

Riley answers without a hello, "I know I bailed on you yesterday I'm sorry, I got halfway there when I realised I forgot my bag and when I went home to get it Lucas was waiting so I couldn't leave..."

"Why don't you just tell him, or Maya or any of your friends? It would be a lot easier if we didn't have to be so secretive." The voice on the other end says.

"I can't, they wouldn't understand." Riley shakes her head. "For now this has to be our secret, please?"

"Yeah fine." He says. "We’re free tonight, did you want to just meet up later?"

"Yeah that could work but would you be able to come to my apartment?" Riley asks.

"Yeah that works. We’ll swing by after dinner." He says.

"I'm actually ordering pizza if you-"

"Say no more," he cuts in with a laugh, "We’ll be there."

"See you later." Riley chuckles as she hangs up the phone.

When Riley turns around to walk the hall she spots Lucas and jumps in fright. “Lucas!” She says with her heart beating fast, “How long have you been standing there?” 

“Not long.” Lucas lies. He’d heard most of Riley’s side of the phone call. “What was that about?” 

“Nothing.” Riley smiles nervously, “It was just my mom checking that I’m coming home straight after school.” 

“Sure.” Lucas says not buying it. “So I was thinking I could come over tonight and keep you company while you babysit?” 

“Oh that’s very sweet but my dad doesn’t like us to be alone together in the house.” Riley fidgets nervously. 

“Auggie would be there.” Lucas states. 

“I know.” Riley nods quickly, “But Auggie gets upset when I ditch him for you guys, not even Maya’s coming tonight...” 

“Okay.” Lucas says and Riley could tell his mood was off. 

“We’re still hanging out tomorrow though.” Riley says with a small smile. “But you can walk me home if you want?” 

“Nah it’s okay.” Lucas shakes his head. “I’m meeting our friends at the bakery.” 

Lucas doesn’t go to the bakery instead he goes home feeling very uneasy about the phone call he overheard Riley having and their interaction afterwards. It sounded a lot like something he didn't like. Sure he could only hear what Riley was saying and not the unknown person on the other end of the line but Riley's responses were enough to raise Lucas' suspicions. But this was Riley, his Riley, there was no way it could possibly be what it sounded like... Could it?

It's just after six when Lucas finally couldn't handle the thought spiral he was stuck in any longer. The Texan pulls out his phone and calls Maya.

"Hello?" The blonde girl answers.

"Maya," Lucas lets out a breath of relief that she answered.

"Who's calling?" She asks.

"Very funny." Lucas rolls his eyes.

"Not trying to be." Maya says seriously.

"It's me Lucas!" He says offended, "You really don't have me saved in your phone?"

"Saving contacts is too hard." Maya says in a whiney voice. "I have Riley, my mom and Shawn and when I saved his number I accidentally saved it as Shaw but I was too lazy to go back and add the N so now I'm trying to convince him to just legally change his name it to Shaw Hunter so I don’t have to make the effort."

"Cause that's less effort than adding the N?" Lucas questions.

"Don't judge me." Maya says. "Anyway Huckleberry, why are you calling me, it's Friday?"

"It's about Riley." Lucas takes a deep breath. 

"If you're calling to ask me for her hand I'm going to have to strongly suggest you wait until we're graduated, or at least seniors." Maya jokes.

"I'm being serious." Lucas frowns to himself.

"So am I." Maya says dramatically. "I have to think of my little birds future."

"You don't think I could be in her future?" Lucas snaps defensively.

"Whoa Lucas, I was kidding." Maya says. "What's got you wound so tightly?"

"I think Riley's keeping a secret from us." Lucas says.

"She hasn't told me she's keeping a secret." Maya knits her brows.

“That’s not how secrets work, Maya.” Lucas says.

"For us it does.” Maya says as a matter of fact. 

“I heard her on the phone today, she’s definitely keeping something hidden.”

“You don’t think it’s another Rileytown thing do you?” Maya questions, “You don’t think someone’s bullying her again?”

“No I don’t.” Lucas states surely. “It sounded like… It sounded…”

“Spit it out already!” Maya huffs.

“It sounded like she was.. Cheating on me.” Lucas says and it feels wrong coming out of his mouth. 

Maya lets out a loud laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.

“Maya, I’m being serious.” Lucas chews on his bottom lip. 

“You’re being paranoid.” Maya says. “You’re wrong, Riley would never.”

“It sounded like she was inviting someone over to her apartment and then she lied and told me she was just spending the night with Auggie babysitting.”

“Whatever you think you heard, you’re wrong.” Maya states confidently. “I’m telling right now Riley would never do that and honestly I’m offended for her that you’d ever think she would.”

“You didn’t hear the phone call. Riley’s been acting strange lately, she’s sneaking around- Yesterday she wasn’t with Auggie at his practice when she said she was and I bet her parents aren’t even going out tonight-”

“Lucas stop.” Maya says firmly. “Mr. and Mrs. M are going on date night, double date night with my parents and Riley is babysitting tonight.”

“That doesn’t explain why she wasn’t with Auggie yesterday.” Lucas says. 

“Practice got cancelled.” Maya shrugs to herself. “I know for a fact Riley takes Auggie to practice because on Tuesdays we all walk together because my art class is on the way. Do you really think she’s using Auggie as a cover to have secret rendezvous?”

“On the phone she said she was on her way to meet someone when I showed up-”

“How about you just ask Riley what’s going on instead of bugging about what I’m sure is nothing?” Maya asks. “I’m positive you’re just misunderstanding something.”

“I’m not so sure..” Lucas mumbles.

“I’m bored of all this talking,” Maya groans, “If you’re not going to listen to my rational advice can we call it a day please?”

They hang up shortly after and Lucas thinks about what Maya said. Maybe she was right, maybe whatever he heard was just a big misunderstanding and it was all innocent. Maybe he should just go over to Riley and sort this whole mess out calmly. Lucas exits his appartments with the intentions of doing just that. He uses the fire escape today expecting to find Riley reading in her room or something but when he climbs through the unlocked window she’s not there. 

Lucas notices a mess on Riley’s bed, he inspects it further and realises there are developed photos scattered over her quilt cover. Lucas picks up one, a photograph of some flowers and a statue, it takes Lucas a moment to realise it’s a park not too far from Riley’s apartment, they’d go there together sometimes. There was another picture of Auggie and Ava dressed in their soccer get up with orange wedges in front of their teeth. Lucas looks at a few of the other photographs before hearing some noise drift up from downstairs.

Lucas makes his way past Auggie’s room where he hears the boy chatting to Mr. Googly about how much being grounded sucks and Lucas is hit with a wave of guilt for thinking Riley had lied to him. He continues downstairs and the noise becomes louder. At first Lucas thinks it’s the television but then he hears a guitar clearly and once it fades out her hears Riley say how beautiful that sounded followed by a guys voice thanking her. Immediately thinking the worst Lucas storms into the living space. Surprised to see her boyfriend Riley jumps up like she’s been caught in the act.

“Lucas, what are you doing here?” Riley asks.

“I was just about to ask the same thing.” Lucas says quickly getting worked up. 

“I live here.” Riley laughs nervously.

“I was talking about the college boy behind the guitar.” Lucas motions to the guy sat in his purple NYU jumper. The boy waves nervously.

“The boyfriend I assume?” He asks.

“Lucas I can explain.” Riley holds her palms out defensively.

“No need.” Lucas shakes his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Maya.” 

“Maya?” Riley knits her brows. “What are you like having secret discussions about me or something?” 

“I didn’t know who else to talk to.” Lucas says. 

“How about me?” Riley questions. 

“How can I trust that you’d tell me the truth?” Lucas folds his arms. “I know for a fact you’ve lied to me at least twice in the past two days.” 

Riley shifts nervously in place. “I just didn’t want to tell you yet.” 

“So you thought dating some college guy whilst your still dating me was okay?” 

“What?!” Both Riley and the guitar holding boy both say in unison. 

“You think I’m cheating on you?” Riley’s eyes grow wider and an expression of hurt shows on her face. 

“What the heck is going on down here?” Josh emerges from the stairwell. “I go to the bathroom for two seconds and all the sudden there’s shouting.” 

Lucas turns to Riley’s college age uncle with confusion and back to Riley who's still looking hurt. 

“You think I’m cheating on you?” Riley asks again, this time the hurt transfers into her voice. 

“Oh boy.” Josh grimaces. “Schnoopy, what do you say we see what the little squirt is doing upstairs?” 

The other boy didn’t need another out he quickly passes the two teens and joins his roommate upstairs. 

“Schnoopy as in Schnoop-a-loop?” Lucas asks and suddenly he’s got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach knowing he’s probably made a huge misjudgement. 

“Yes.” Riley says quietly. “His name is Jeremy but, yes.” 

“Riley, I-” Lucas starts but the intercom interrupts him. 

“It’s Camille!” A female voice enthusiastically says. 

Riley strolls over and buzzes her in. “Come on up, Cami.” 

“Camille?” Lucas questions. 

“A girl Josh and Jeremy have class with.” Riley says. 

“So what is this?” Lucas asks. “Like some college party you didn’t want to invite me to?” 

“No.” Riley says offended by these accusations. 

“Then what is it that you’re hiding?” Lucas asks. “Why didn’t you want me over tonight.. Why are you being so secretive?” 

A knock at the door. “Come in, Cam.” Riley calls over and seconds later a pretty college student is in the living room. “The guys are upstairs..” Riley says and after instantly feeling the tension in the room Cami heads up there to find them. 

“You really thought I was cheating on you?” Riley asks for a third time. 

“Can you blame me?” Lucas sighs. “You’ve been finding excuses to not hang out with me and you’ve been lying about where you are.. Yesterday with soccer practice and today with spending quality time with Auggie and in my defence your phone call this afternoon didn’t exactly sound innocent and then I came over here to talk to you about it because I felt like a jealous jerk but I find some college guy serenading you with his guitar-” 

“I was on the phone to Josh. I know I lied,” Riley cuts in but she’s still quiet, “but honestly I’m hurt that you'd think I could ever do that to someone, to you.” 

“I know. I’m a jealous idiot but you are lying to me. Why are you lying?” Lucas huffs. 

Riley looks very anxious and suddenly Lucas realises his approach is terrible. He wasn��t be aggressive with her but huffing and puffing about Riley being a liar wasn’t productive at all. Also, even if Lucas didn’t already know in his heart that Riley would never be up to something bad he could tell by her presence now that something was really bothering her. 

“I’m sorry.” Lucas softens completely as he apologises. “I worked myself up before coming over here and I don’t mean to call you a liar.” 

“But I am lying.” Riley lowers her gaze. 

“Yeah but I know you wouldn’t lie unless you had a good reason to.” Lucas takes a step closer to Riley. 

“I couldn’t tell you.” Riley sits herself on the sofa and buries her face in her palms. Lucas takes the space beside her and gently reaches out for Riley’s arm. 

“Why not?” Lucas asks, his voice still gentle with his new approach, the approach he knew he should have had all along. “I thought we agreed on the nature trip that we’d talk to each other.”

“I didn’t think this was one of those important talks.” Riley lifts her head. 

Lucas just holds Riley’s gaze for a moment before saying, “I consider everything about you to be important.” 

Riley’s smile curls slightly. She takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was taking Auggie to soccer practice- Well, not at first. For the first few weeks I was taking him Tuesdays and Thursdays but then my dads regular meetings got cancelled so he could take Auggie on Thursday’s.” 

“So you started hanging out with your Uncle Josh instead?” Lucas asks. 

“It sorta just happened.” Riley shrugged. 

“You could have told me that, I would have understood that you wanted to spend time with your Uncle?” Lucas knits his brows. 

“It’s not exactly hanging out...” Riley shifts in place. “For a while I had been thinking about what I’m good at. Maya has her art, Farkle and Isadora have their brains and science, Zay dances, you have your baseball... I have a goofy personality.” 

“Riley-” Lucas starts with a frown but Riley cuts in. 

“Saying I’m a good person or a good friend is just a nice way of saying that I’m not good at something. Being nice shouldn’t be a talent it should be the way the world works.” Riley clearly feels very strongly on the matter. 

“Okay.” Lucas nods understanding her point. “How does Josh fit into this?”

“It was the first Thursday that my dad took Auggie to practice and I was thinking about how I don’t have a talent and I was on my way to the bakery when I bumped into my Uncle Josh and Jeremy. Josh saw I was upset about something and he pressed until I came clean.” Riley explains. “Then Josh said he’d help me find a talent. I wasn’t sure how you could ‘find’ a talent but Jeremy chimed in and explained that talent isn’t always something you’re born with. Talent can be learnt or discovered later in life. For example Jeremy was fourteen when he started to play guitar, he said he was terrible in the beginning but he stuck with it and now he writes music.”

“So you’ve been hanging out with them trying to find a talent?” Lucas tries to make sense of it. 

Riley nods. “They both know a lot of people in college who do a lot of different things. I just hang out in their dorm on Thursday’s and practice.” 

“Practice?” 

“All sorts of things.” Riley shrugs. “Jeremy has taught me a little on the guitar, Uncle Josh has taught me some coding on the computer, Camille has helped me with a few cheers... I have been shown how to do magic tricks and random party tricks and truthfully I’m awful at all of it.” Riley laughs. “I know if I focused really hard on one thing I could learn to be - at the very least - good at it but it all just feels wrong.” 

“Because they’re not you?” Lucas asks. 

“Exactly.” Riley nods. “I like being able to share these random things with new people I’ve met but I’m appreciating them the same way I do with art, science, dance and baseball.” 

“How long has this been going on for?” Lucas questions. 

“About two months.” Riley says. “I have been using my free Thursday as a cover...” 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Lucas asks. “I could have helped.” 

“I was embarrassed.” Riley admits. “I didn’t think you’d understand.. You’re one of those people that are just good at everything. I’m one of those people that try really hard at things and is mediocre at best!” 

“That’s not true!” Lucas nudges Riley with his arm. “You’re smart. Top of the class in English, above Farkle and Smackle and I don’t care what you say, if being a good person is the standard you're the example.”

Riley smiles at his comment.

“You’re wrong about one thing,” Lucas says, “You’re not horrible at everything you’ve tried.” 

“Oh you haven't been there to witness my fails.” Riley laughs as she picks up the guitar Jeremy left in the room and she tries to strum a few cords. It sounds less than pleasant. “And this is after six lessons. SIX.” 

“Okay so maybe guitar solos aren't in your future.” Lucas chuckles as he plucks the instrument off her lap. “But there is your photography. Whose been helping you with that?” 

Riley wears a puzzled looked. “Nobody.” 

“I saw the photos on your bed, you were the one who took those, right?” Lucas asks. 

“Yeah... I’ve just been playing around with the camera my Uncle Shawn gave me a couple years back.” Riley shrugs. 

“Riley,” Lucas smiles, “You found your talent.”

“No.” Riley shakes her head. “You think so?” 

“Yes. The photos are amazing and if that’s you just ‘playing around’ I’d love to see you try.” Lucas says with such honest positivity. 

“You really think photography could be my thing?” Riley asks sheepishly. 

“I think it already is.” Lucas smiles. “Do you enjoy it?” 

Riley nods. 

“Then why not?” Lucas grins. “I already think it’s such a great quality to see the  beauty in the world the way you do, now you have a way of showing other people your perspective.” 

“I never thought about it like that.” Riley’s smile grows wider. She holds Lucas’ gaze for a moment. “I’ve been feeling awful about this for months and you somehow make me feel better in the space of fifteen minutes.” 

“Talking is what we do.” Lucas shrugs with a cute smile. 

“I’m sorry I lied.” Riley says genuinely. 

“I’m sorry too, for the way I handled things.” Lucas matches her tone. 

“That’s okay.” Riley holds his stare. “From now on I think we can just talk things out.”

“No more secrets in Rileytown?” Lucas asks with a soft smile. 

“No more.” Riley nods with a gentle grin of her own. 

“Should we tell your Uncle Josh he can come down now?” Lucas laughs. 

“Oh right.” Riley laughs. “I kinda forgot anyone else was here.”

♥ ♥ ♥

End Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this one shot! Hopefully I’ll be back at you with another one soon!!!

The prompts that inspired this: 

(I asked @ragemecutie what she meant and she clarified that she meant secret talents/hobbies! Hope you enjoyed girlie ♥)

[multiversemuses]

Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon || A Slytherin House Altercation

@darthvoldemaul

Cori could ignore a lot of nonsense. When it came to student rivalry, Slytherin was known to do its fair share of bragging and swaggering. However, some members of her house seemed to be all hiss and no bite. One boy struck her as especially guilty of this. Due to being louder than any other arrogant parties, he was also significantly more difficult to tune out. Draco Malfoy. The privileged only son of Lucius Malfoy preened more than the albino peacock his family kept on their property, and he made just as much ruckus. The Malfoys had money, influence, and power -- all facts which Draco had doubtless been fed since birth, and all of which gave him the impact of being a richly powerful pain in the ass.

Today, Draco was boisterous as he swept into the common room with a large posse in tow. Crabbe and Goyle (whose nose looked oddly speckled and sore) flanked him. Pansy Parkinson was not far behind and trying her best to weave past them. Several strides back from the usual trio, Cori estimated that there were at least an additional dozen following Draco’s every step. She curled her lip and went back to her Potions textbook. Her brow furrowed as she tried to block out Draco’s voice and focus on homework. The expression of concentration on Cori's face morphed into an irritated scowl as Draco's calls grew noisier with each proclamation. 

“Badges! Get your badges, if you haven’t already!” he shouted gaily. His hand plunged repeatedly into the bag at his hip. Draco passed the contents to his cronies, delegating the task of distribution to everyone but himself. “Supplies are limited, so don’t miss out!”

Judging from the metallic clinking that reached Cori’s ears every time Draco rifled past his books, this was a bold-faced lie. He had enough to adorn all of Slytherin house and then some, from the sound of it. The braggart merely wanted to create a false impression of high demand. 

Crabbe shuffled across the floor with several badges clenched in his sweaty hands. He came to a halt in front of Cori and fanned out his fingers, waiting for her to take one. 

“No, thanks,” she said tersely without making eye contact. 

Crabbe blinked at her in befuddlement. He nudged a single badge over his skin with a short and jagged fingernail. His arm extended farther, entering Cori’s field of vision. It was as if Crabbe thought forcing her to get a closer look at his offering would change her mind. Cori tucked two fingers into the Potions book to mark her page and finally looked up at him. Her lips formed a flat line.

“Yes, I saw it perfectly well from across the room, which I’m sure was the point of its design,” she acknowledged. “Still don’t want one, you semi-sentient boulder. Move along.”

“What’s this, then?” a second voice interrupted. Draco.

Cori let out a beleaguered sigh. She turned her still very visibly perturbed face to him. 

“Go on, Selwyn,” Draco goaded with what he must have assumed to be a charming smile. “They’re two for one, really. The message changes, see?” 

The pad of his forefinger covered the upper half of the badge, which read SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY. All the letters of the first slogan swirled and changed before turning green to spell: POTTER STINKS.

Cori’s eyebrows lifted. “You wasted that much time on little button things for other houses?”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Draco’s face. He plucked the badge off Crabbe’s hand and pinched the pin between two fingers. 

“It’s not a waste,” he argued. “It’s taking Potter down a peg, which still leaves his opinion of himself about fifty notches above where it ought to be.”

“Sounds like you know a lot about having an excess of self-confidence,” Cori remarked dryly. “Half your badge might do that, but the other half cheers on Cedric. He’s a Hufflepuff. Harry’s a Gryffindor. Why mention either by name if they aren’t Slytherins like us? It could just say something about Hogwarts in general.”

“Because it’s important everyone sees that nobody wanted Potter representing us. His trick to get attention backfired. Everyone hates him now.” Draco cast a look behind him at his friends. Several murmured in agreement or nodded their assent. 

“And yet I don’t see anyone else making merchandise to say so.” Cori set aside her book and sat up straighter, resigned to the oncoming argument. She squared her shoulders and draped her open hands across the arms of the chair.  

“I expect they would’ve, but I beat them to it. Anything after this would look like a pathetic knockoff.” Draco bounced the heel of his hand, causing the badge to flip midair and catch the light. He caught it and held the emblem out to Cori as Crabbe had done. “Take the damn badge. You’ll be the only one here without one, elsewise, and you wouldn’t want people thinking you’re a Potter fan. You don’t support Potter do you, Selwyn?” His smile shifted into something more smug and jeering.

“I don’t give a good goddamn who got chosen, so long as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons get obliterated in the tasks. They’re the ones who really need to be taken down a peg or two, if you ask me. Put them on one of your buttons.” Cori reached as if she were going to pick up her textbook again but, predictably, Draco wasn’t finished yet. 

“Little Coriander Selwyn, waving a banner for half-blood Harry Potter.” Draco tsked. “What would Mummy and Daddy have to say about that?”

“I don’t know or particularly care. I’m not the one who keeps my parents as pen pals,” Cori retorted. She held an imaginary quill in the air and made strokes across an invisible piece of parchment. “Dear Mum, Second best at everything, as ever, but I made wearable circles with words on them and everyone thinks they’re brill! Love and Kisses, Draco. P.S., Please ask Father to stop sending back his envelopes unopened.”

Pansy swooped down and emitted a steady stream of scathing insults, but they were drowned out by Draco’s sharp reply.

“Careful, Selwyn, the last person who crossed me went to the hospital wing.”

Cori scoffed. “Granger? You can’t take credit for that one, Malfoy; the hex was meant for Potter!”

“Potter’s hex missed, too!” Pansy was quick to retort.

Draco jumped in immediately afterward. “Granger went from rabbit to walrus in ten seconds flat!” He and Pansy laughed. 

“And what difference does that make?” Cori overrode them both. “Why do you even know how long they were to begin with? Do you spend a lot of time staring at Hermione Granger’s mouth?”

Pansy looked as if she could breathe fire, but Cori noted with satisfaction that her eyes darted frantically to the boy at her side. Draco, for his part, had an unusual amount of color in his generally pale face. 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Draco snarled. “Anyone who’s ever had a class with her knows what her teeth are like. They’re right in your face every time she speaks.”

“And she never shuts up!” Pansy added. 

“Right, sure.” Cori nodded slowly. She touched her fingers together in a steeple. “You know, Malfoy, if Granger bothers you in class so much, why don’t you just spend more time studying so you can answer faster? I’m sure everyone will be thankful for the peace and quiet while you have that pointy nose in a book.”

Pansy harrumphed. “What, like you?”

“And how do you stand up for Slytherin?” Draco crossed his arms over his chest, one hand closing around the badge. “What would you suggest, exactly?”

“We’re the house known for our ambition! Let your actions speak for themselves. Tearing down the competition doesn’t raise you any higher, you fumbling git. Beating them at their own game is what makes sure you stay at the top. If you’ve got a problem with someone, you defeat them at what they do best and make sure there are witnesses.” Here, Cori mirrored Draco’s earlier smirk back at him and looked pointedly at the crowd of fellow Slytherins behind them. A look of dawning comprehension appeared behind his gray eyes. 

Draco’s jaw clenched. He cast the badge aside. It hit a nearby pillar with a quiet crack and clattered to the floor. 

“All right, Selwyn, since you’re so keen for a fight,” Draco growled through clenched teeth, “how about you and I settle this in a duel?”

Cori was on her feet, wand in hand and pointed just below his chin, before Draco had even twitched his fingers toward the pocket of his robes.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you not mean now?” Cori asked innocently, although her wand remained exactly where it was. “I can give you a while to prepare, if you’d like. You can send your dear old mum a list of last wishes. Tell your dad how you’re about to get your ego blasted off and handed to you by a girl who’s eight inches shorter and a year your junior.”

For a moment, Draco tried to draw himself to his full height and sneer down his nose at her. Cori could see the calculations that must be taking place in his mind, realizing just how much judgment and criticism he would face if Cori were the victor. She could also tell how badly he wanted to inform her that his father would hear about this, but she had effectively denied him his most reliable threat. 

“This isn’t over, Selwyn,” he spat. “Watch your back.”

Cori snorted derisively. “I won’t need to. If Moody finds out you tried the coward’s way again, he’ll present you to me as a winter stole. Well, you and about two dozen of your white-haired polecat friends.”

She twitched her nose, imitating his unanticipated transformation into a ferret earlier that year. Draco was positively pink with fury.

“I’ll make sure you regret this,” he promised with a jab of his finger. 

Draco swept away in a rather clumsy swish of his cloak. He stalked off toward his dorm room with Pansy following as far as the magical separation security would allow. 

Cori picked up her book once more and settled comfortably back into her chair as she called after Draco:

“Be sure to send me an owl with the place and time!”

[yutasbirthchin]

Princess.

Group: 24K Member: Cory Word Count: 1816 Genre: Fluff ft. some veeeerrrry mild angst & suggestive smut.

You swallowed, simultaneously nervous and angry. You weren’t a confrontational person, and it wasn’t often you found yourself in an argument. But here you were, red faced with fists clenched as you looked at the guy across from you. You thought back to the first day you met him, almost a year ago, at your cousin’s birthday party. 

You didn’t like parties, you weren’t a social person. In fact sometimes you wondered how you’d even managed to befriend your best friend, let alone be pretty much adopted by his family, accepted as one of their own. It was your cousin’s birthday, and she was throwing a massive party. You were invited, naturally, and dragged along by your best friend.

It wasn’t long before you went missing, some of your family members trying to locate where you’d disappeared to. You’d been hiding in one of the bedrooms, and had locked the door behind you to avoid everyone. It’s not that you hated anyone, it was that you were simply terrified of people. An extreme introvert.

After convincing everyone that you were okay, and that they should go back to the party, you’d quickly gone to the toilet. Luckily it was an en suite, so you didn’t have to leave the comfort of the room. When you came back, however, you froze. A guy was sitting on the bed, on his phone. You wondered if you’d forgotten to lock the door behind your best friend as he left, and stood for a while wondering what to do.

As if he sensed your presence, he looked up. “Oh.” He said, standing up immediately “I’m sorry, is this your room?”

“No…I’m just in here to.. umm.” You mumbled.

“You not really a party person either?” He asked with a smile. You shook your head in response. “Do you mind if I stay in here too?”

You looked like a deer caught in headlights, you were unsure what to do. He caught on and politely bowed and got up to leave. You felt a little bad. “No.” You said, causing him to halt and look at you. “I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.” He said, taking a seat back down on the bed.

You weren’t quite sure what had come over you, and why you had let him stay, but that wasn’t your main concern now. Your main concern was what to do with yourself. You had let him stay on the room, and so now you couldn’t do anything freely, he could be watching you, judging you. You stood awkwardly, still in the bathroom doorway.

“I won’t bite.” He said after a while, with a little chuckle. You forced an uncomfortable laugh, and he must have sensed your uneasiness because he frowned. “My names Cory, what’s yours?” He asked.

“Y/N..”

You could tell he was a nice guy, because he was clearly trying to make you feel better, by cracking jokes and acting silly. He also seemed so genuine, asking you questions and trying to keep up a conversation and helping you to feel more comfortable. You’d exchanged your ages, mentioned how you’d both been invited to the party, and why you’d both seeked refuge in one of the bedrooms, away from the party.

He was friendly. Maybe that’s why you had eventually sat on the bed next to him.

He was good looking. Maybe that’s why you had been able to look him in the eyes as you conversed.

He was funny. Maybe that’s why you laughed along to his antics. 

You eventually felt more and more comfortable around him, glad that you had let him stay in the room with you. You began to open up a little more, becoming less shy. 

He was charming. Maybe that’s why you didn’t stop him as he pressed his lips against yours. 

It had been a long while since you had broken up with your ex. Maybe that’s why you’d let things go so far.

He’d called you ‘Princess’. Maybe that’s why you’d given him your number the next morning.

If someone had asked you, you would have told them you could never be in a friends with benefits relationship. Now you wondered if that was what you had. You knew that anyone who knew what was going on would judge you, so you kept it to yourself. You deleted the almost weekly ‘Hey, Princess, you free tonight?’ texts. You would pretend he had the wrong flat on those few days he turned up unannounced whilst you had company.

Friends with benefits are friends who occasionally hook up, but you and Cory weren’t even friends, so what did that make you? Sure, you knew his name, his age, that he was friends with a friend of your cousin, and that he didn’t really like parties. But that doesn’t make you friends, that makes you acquaintances. So were you acquaintances with benefits?

He was addicting. Maybe that’s why this whole situation was so confusing.

“Why the hell didn’t you even tell me you were a trainee? Were you just using me to try and get famous this whole time?” He spat.

Your best friend had got you an audition with an entertainment company a few years ago, and you’d been a trainee ever since. Your company was pushing you to join a survival show, and the contestants had just been announced to the public. Obviously, Cory wasn’t too happy about seeing your face among the 19 other trainees. You’d been arguing for about 45 minutes at this point.

 “What did you think? That we would become friends or date so that I’d introduce you to all my other idol friends? You think you can just sleep your way to the top like that?”

The insults and accusations just kept coming and coming, and you didn’t know what to do. It was surreal. Was this even happening? You didn’t know.

It wasn’t much longer until you finally snapped. 

“Why didn’t I tell you? We aren’t friends, Cory. We don’t talk or have normal conversations. You didn’t tell me you were an idol! How was I supposed to know? In case you forgot, I’m foreign, I’m not Korean, I don’t even know of that many idols.” You threw back. “And sleeping my way to the top? This isn’t America, Cory, you’re an idol, you should know it doesn’t work like that. And even then, why would I still be sleeping with you if all I wanted was fame? It’s been, like what? A year? Don’t you think I would’ve given up already?” Your voice was becoming quieter and forced the more you spoke, and so the last sentence was almost inaudible. “Did you forget that it was you who came onto me in the first place?”

His expression changed almost immediately, his red faced angry look exchanged for a look of utter heartbreak. After a while he finally spoke, his voice cracking as he did.

“Princess, I am so sorry. I am so so sooo sorry. You’re completely right. I don’t know why I reacted like that, I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” He started peppering little kisses all over your face between his apologies. 

He was cute. Maybe that’s why you couldn’t stay mad at him, and giggled as you playfully pushed him away.

He was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. Maybe that’s why your heart started pounding in your chest. 

Everything changed after that day. You saw each other less because you were so busy, but when you did meet up, everything was a lot more meaningful. Nothing was rushed, it was more passionate and slow. Pillow talk and cuddle sessions would occur, he would sometimes even run a bath for you to take together. Occasionally if he was free, he’d sleep over.

This only made the situation more complicated though, you still had no idea what you were to each other. You wondered what his members, friends and family would think of you if they found out. You wondered how it would affect his career and your possible career if this got out.

But there was something about him. Maybe that was why you’d let this whole fiasco carry on.

Despite the fact that you’d only known him a year and a half, whatever you had had more meaning to you than what you had with your ex, and he was your first love, who you’d been with for eight years.

“What? Like a date?” You’d asked Cory after he’d asked you to the movies, you’d unfortunately been eliminated from the survival show, but it meant that you had more time now. Cory had just finished group promotions and so was free this evening.

“Yeah, sure, a date.” He replied with a smile.

There were very few people in the theatre, due to it being so late of an evening. The movie you were watching, just like every other movie had a ridiculous love story twisted into the already crazy action storyline. It made you a little uncomfortable watching a sex scene on such a big screen. 

“You ever wanted to have sex at a movie theatre?” Cory joked, slinging his arm around your shoulders and pulling you close.

You pushed him away with a chuckle. “No.”

“No? You haven’t? I thought that was something everyone’s dreamed about?”

“You dreamed about having sex in a theatre?” You asked with a laugh.

“Hey, don’t ruin my fantasies.”

“Well, if you wanna jerk off in a movie theatre, go ahead. But don’t do it around me, don’t tell me about it, and don’t get caught doing it.”

He laughed as he pulled you into him, planting a big kiss on your cheek.

At some point your hands became intertwined, and they stayed like that until after the movie ended when you were on the way to the market to see if there were any stalls or shops open in the early hours of the morning. They stayed like that until you reached your house, your arms swinging merrily as you talked on the way home. He watched you yawn as you reached your apartment.

“Tired?”

“Very.”

“Just go straight to bed then, make sure you get some sleep.” 

You woke up in the middle of the night. The site of Cory sleeping peacefully opposite you made the smile spread across your face. The weight of his arm around your waist made you feel safe and warm.

This was the first time you’d spent properly with Cory, without sleeping with him. Maybe that’s why you felt so at ease.

He’d promised to introduce you to his friends soon. Maybe that’s why you were feeling so happy.

He looked at you with love and adoration. Maybe that’s why you were questioning how you felt about him.

 You think you’re falling for him. Or maybe you’d been in love with him this whole time.

[ambitionsource]

AMBITION Season 1 ♫ “Special Snowflakes” [ 1.04 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows)

BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – The performers hustle to make a statement at the annual winter showcase. Hoping to bridge the divide, Riley endeavors to make friends with the techies. But getting in good with Isadora and Lucas may ask more than she can handle.

47 Minutes (8.5K words) || No warnings apply.

[ ← Under Pressure ] [ S1 Synopsis ] [ Extra, Extra → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The holiday season is upon us at AAA! Spirits are high and the students are chipper as they wander the halls in their best sweaters. Small gifts are exchanged, books are haphazardly thrown into lockers. Temporary academic freedom is soon upon them!

On the wall outside the black box theater, focus is drawn to one poster in particular. It’s an advertisement for the annual winter showcase, a four-night event in which each class gets to show off their stuff after a busy semester of honing their craft.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Inside the classroom, all our usual favorite performers are assembled to discuss the event. CHARLIE GARDNER is back with his usual harem of girls, a safe distance from his former tutee. In the corner, FARKLE MINKUS searches Hanukkah gifts for his family, working through a lengthy list. This is the week where performance slots are divvied up, and all of them are eagerly chattering about who is going to get the closing number. RILEY MATTHEWS, naturally, doesn’t see what all the fuss is about, questioning it as YINDRA AMINO stands behind her and braids her hair.

Riley: Don’t we do a group closing number? What’s the big deal?

Farkle: Haven’t you been here for like months already? How are you still not caught up on how things work around here?

ZAY BABINEAUX, seated up on one of the desks nonchalantly, pays Riley the courtesy of explaining why it’s such a big deal who gets placed where.

Zay: It’s the standard rules of performance memorability. You either want to open or close: if you go first, everyone else will be subconsciously compared to you throughout the duration of the show. If you go last, though, you’re freshest in the audience’s mind and are able to essentially blow everyone else out of the water.

Maya: Which, as we all know, is my calling card. So it would be an honor to do so this year, thank you very much.

Farkle disputes this, claiming the closing spot is his to behold. Yindra leans over and points out to Riley that this bantering is the exact reason they all have to audition and get placed in a specific order, rather than just volunteering for placements. Riley raises her eyebrows, still not totally on the same page as her more ambitious classmates.

Zay declares that they’re both wrong, he’s got it in the bag. When Maya and Farkle express skepticism, Zay hops off the desk and steps up to the plate to prove his point.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Santa Tell Me” as performed by Ariana Grande || Performed by Zay Babineaux (feat. AAA Sophomores)

Zay kicks off this upbeat and dance-worthy Christmas contemporary, loose and playful with it. He sings around each of his classmates in the classroom, concluding with Riley and giving her an affectionate tap on the nose, before leading the brigade out into the halls.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The sophomore class takes to the halls, following Zay and his pop hit and collecting fellow students along the way. It’s refreshing to watch a number in which everyone involved is just having fun, and everyone is actually participating.

JACK HUNTER  spots them from down the hall, conversing with CORY MATTHEWS. But it’s the holidays, and he just wants the week to be over, so he doesn’t bother to reprimand them for dancing in the hallways. They make their way to the auditorium.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The performers enter the theater and disrupt the quiet that the techies were enjoying, LUCAS FRIAR, ISADORA DE LA CRUZ, and the others conversing at the center of the stage. As they get closer Lucas makes a quick exit, hopping off the stage and disappearing before he gets inevitably pulled into the chaos.

DAVE WILLIAMS, DYLAN ORLANDO, ASHER GARCIA, and NATE MARTINEZ aren’t so lucky, but it’s honestly not a problem. The holidays allow for momentary truces, and they join into the fun and energy of the number as the full assembly claps and dances together to the conclusion of the song. Shawn and Angela enter together as Zay is showing off some impressive vocal runs, more so surprised by how everyone actually seems to be getting along for a second.

As the number comes to its end, Angela commends Zay for such an impassioned performance. On the flip side, Shawn shuts it down with a swift “NO ARIANA” for the showcase. They’re going for classic, he states. Zay is offended. Maya and Farkle are like ha ha.

Cue title sequence.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Riley has a new initiative in mind as far as leaving her mark on the school. Clearly, this performing thing is rigged and stacked against her, so performing is not going to be how she wins people over. But she’s been more attune to the cultural divide than anyone else considering she’s not so deeply entrenched it, and she can’t get her mind off it – especially considering the kindness Isadora extended to her and the weird conversation she had with Lucas.

So her mind is made up. She is going to befriend the techies and bridge the divide.

To do this, however, she knows she will need help. So she goes to her uncle Eric and essentially lays out her grand plan. She’ll befriend the techies, and hopefully doing so will allow her to find the key to bringing the school back together.

Eric: I do support this notion, but I have to warn you it’s not going to be easy. Grander men than you have tried.

Riley: Well, maybe it doesn’t take a man. Maybe it takes a scrappy, plucky gal with cute brown eyes and… questionable hand-eye coordination.

Eric can’t help but smile at that one. Riley continues, explaining that she’s already had good moments with a good number of the techies one-on-one, and she really believes she could make something happen. But she needs to know any relevant information about them going in, so she wonders if Eric has another history lesson up his sleeve about the tight-knit cohort. She requests any pertinent information she should know about them going into this, deeper than the brief overview we got in the pilot.

Eric agrees, giving her a little more on each of them by flipping through the yearbook again and finding their photos. As he points to each of them, he gives us a little more about each of them. It’s the first verbal establishment that Dylan & Asher are a couple (and basically inseparable), first hints that Isadora isn’t neurotypical, and some silly commentary on how Dave is just… a special human being.

When Eric begins detailing Lucas’s misbehavior and track record with the school, Riley ventures the question of what Eric really thinks about him.

Eric: And all that was just last month.

Riley: So, what? Do you think that’s all he is? Is he a lost cause?

Eric: No. No, I don’t think anybody is. But it’s difficult to figure out just how much good there is inside a person when they won’t meet you at the same level.

Riley absorbs this, her wheels turning once again. Finally, it’s time for her to do what she’s always done best – meddle.

Angela appears in the doorway, asking if Eric is ready to go. When Riley questions what is going on, Eric explains that he is stepping is as an impartial guest judge to help figure out what the order of the winter showcase performances should be. Riley once again is impressed by how intense all of this stuff is around here.

When Angela asks if she has any special requests for them to take into consideration as far as her placement, Riley waves her off. She’s not going to add any more trouble to the situation, and she’s got bigger fish to fry. Riley glances at the open yearbook one last time, looking at the photo taken of the sophomore techies.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley catches up to Isadora on their way to the auditorium, approaching cautiously and waiting for verbal acknowledgement before she approaches. She wonders if it would be alright for her to join her at lunch that afternoon, a request that surprises Isadora. She’s inherently distrustful, trying to find the ulterior motive at play.

Isadora: What, bored with your starlit classmates already? Really have to slum it already?

Riley: No, no. No, not slumming. No, I just – you were really nice to me the other day.

Isadora: I gave you a paper towel.

Riley: And a paper towel was exactly what I needed! It would be an honor to repay the kindness and join you for lunch. Not that I’m – not that me hanging out with you is a kindness. I’m not saying… I only mean –

Isadora: We eat at the corner table. If you’re truly that desperate.

Isadora opens the door to the auditorium, disappearing inside. Riley does a little dance to herself, before catching the door and jogging in after her.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Angela, Shawn, and Eric have taken seats in the center section of the auditorium, the remainder of the class scattered in front and behind them. Up on stage, Maya, Zay, and Farkle stand waiting for permission to begin – the only three that desperate to scrap for the closing slot. When Maya makes such a commentary about how they must be the only three that care enough, Yindra fires back with the sentiment that it’s more like there’s no point in trying because they have a mysterious way of always getting what they want.

Angela asks if they all understand how this audition will work and have had enough time to study the song. All of them scoff, expressing varying levels of confidence and cockiness.

Zay: Please. I could do this number in my sleep.

Farkle: I only got the sheet music this morning and I’m still certain I can sing circles around the rest of these dumb-dumbs.

Maya: Can we just put our money where our mouths are already? Standing so close to mediocrity is making my mascara run.

Eric gives Angela a nod, gesturing for the three of them to begin. They take their places, the three of them lined up and facing away from the audience.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as performed by Brenda Lee || Performed by Zay Babineaux, Maya Hart, and Farkle Minkus

The three divas split up the lines, taking turns spinning around and launching into the song. Although the track is relatively innocuous and certainly not a diva number, they somehow manage to turn it into one. While performing choreography together, they’ve got their full wattage smiles on but are also lowkey elbowing one another and working to stand in the front the most. It’s well-performed and honestly so humorous to watch.

As they finish the number they strike a pose, the three of them close together and out of breath and grinning through their teeth. But they also sneak a few choice words in to each other, smiles unmoving.

Farkle: I’ll eat both of you alive.

Maya: You say that as if you could beat me in a fight and I wouldn’t easily break your twigs-for-arms.

Zay: I’m seriously going to vomit all over you and your designer shoes.

Charming! We love a trio of polished performing divas ready to tear each other to shreds.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

The techies are seated at their usual table, the rest down the row while Lucas and Isadora take their usual spots across from one another at the end of the table. Life is proceeding as normal… until Riley floats towards them and plops down next to Isadora, commenting on how wild that diva performance was and launching into chatter.

Isadora isn’t fazed by her presence considering she knew it was coming, but Lucas is floored. He freezes with his fork halfway to his mouth, staring at Riley as she engages Isadora in conversation. It’s impossible to tell whether his reaction is negative or not, but he’s definitely not breathing anymore. Isadora snaps him out of his shock.

Isadora: Lucas, did you forget how to use your limbs? Either eat it or don’t.

Lucas clears his throat, dropping his fork. Riley can’t help but smirk a little bit, sort of reveling in the feeling of having the upper hand. Isadora raises her eyebrows at his weird behavior.

Isadora: What? You act like you’ve never seen another human being before. You know Riley. What, do you need me to introduce you two?

Lucas: No, yeah, I know her. I just didn’t… realize she would be joining us.

Riley meets his gaze, not allowing herself to be intimidated. She offers him a smile, waiting until Isadora is done talking to take the reins of the conversation again.

When she asks about their holiday plans, Isadora mentions the small party that the techies are throwing. It’s a tradition they’re attempting to start off after a successful run last year, and they’re already eager to start prepping for it. At this suggestion, Riley lights up. She fancies herself a bit of a party planner, and offers her services in helping them plan the festivities.

Essentially, she inserts herself into the techie party plans, and Isadora and Lucas don’t care enough or still don’t know how to react properly enough to refuse, respectively. So they’re like sure… fine. You can help. Riley has found her in.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

After deliberating and based on an inscrutable variety of criteria, Eric has the honor of announcing that the closing slot will be going to Maya this year. Everyone is like woo, big surprise. Angela also informs them that the remainder of their slots will be posted on the wall outside the black box, before Maya jumps up and interrupts the news bulletin.

Maya: Thank you, Miss Moore and Mister Matthews. It truly is an honor to have been chosen.

Zay: No one asked for a speech!

Maya: Now, I know that my selection may be a bit of a bummer to some of my less talented but equally driven classmates. Fear not, hopefuls, because as it turns out my closing number may just need a dance partner. Thus, I’ll be holding auditions to see who can actually keep up with me.

This actually intrigues them. Then, she turns to NIGEL CHEY, pointing at him and gesturing him towards her.

Maya: Chey, front and center. I’ve got a proposition for you.

The class departs, buzzing with this new opportunity. Eventually they all shuffle out, and soon enough it’s just Angela and Shawn remaining. They take to cleaning up the auditorium in silence like they usually do, but in the spirit of the season Angela decides that maybe she’ll broach a conversation. She asks him what his holiday plans are.

Shawn is gruff in his response, stating he has none and that he’s always hated this time of year. Angela is like “well, with that attitude,” but Shawn goes on to point out that he hasn’t had anything to celebrate since like the early 2000s, so what does she expect from him? Considering part of that lack of cheer is her fault, Angela is a little stung by the guilt she suddenly feels.

Still, she’s not just going to let this drop. She states that he shouldn’t spend the holidays alone. It’s not right. He shrugs her off, but there’s a seed planted there. Wonder what it will harvest…

INT. AAA - CLASSROOM - DAY

Riley joins Isadora after school to help Dave and JADE BEAMON make decorations for their party. They’re all homemade, and as they work together Riley gets to learn more about the two of them. Most importantly, she learns that Jade is a wicked talented costumer and basically single-handedly makes most of what they perform in during class. Riley is stunned to learn this, and it’s clear that she is fiercely underappreciated by the performers.

Dave asks if Riley is going to come to their party this year. Riley isn’t sure how to answer, but Isadora steps in and basically claims it’s up in the air, “as people say”. This isn’t a flat no, so Riley will take it.

INT. AAA - DANCE STUDIO - DAY

The class is assembled in one of the available studio classrooms, crammed up against the mirrors while Maya and Nigel stand front and center. Maya thanks them all for coming, before throwing focus to her potential three dance partners – Farkle, Zay, and Charlie. She also gives a special thanks to Nigel for agreeing to perform with her this afternoon, carrying his violin with him. Now, it’s time for the games to begin.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” as performed by Lindsey Sterling & Sabrina Carpenter || Performed by Maya Hart (feat. Zay Babineaux, Farkle Minkus, and Charlie Gardner)

Nigel launches us into the auditions, playing his violin to the classic holiday tune with a vigor. While Maya is orchestrating all of the nonsense, Nigel is clearly the musical star of the number. Maya theatrically surveys the three boys, before pointing to Charlie and wiggling her finger at him. Come hither, auditionee #1!

Charlie and Maya dance together ballroom style while she launches into the song. Charlie is a great dancer, and they’re not a bad match. But she has other dance partners to test out, Farkle practically chomping at the bit to show his stuff. So when she wraps the first verse she spins Charlie away, moving onto the next one.

Farkle steps up next, the two of them continuing to waltz. On the lyrics “you’re a monster, Mr. Grinch,” Maya looks very pointedly at her partner and Farkle makes a snarky face in response. They continue their pas de deux as Nigel launches into his violin solo, Maya transferring to Zay halfway through and allowing herself to be swept away. She gives Farkle a sassy little wave. He rolls his eyes, waving the two of them off and marching back over to stand with Charlie.

Zay and Maya work effortlessly well as dance partners, evenly matched. They’re energetic, polished, and almost a given pair considering Zay is the best dancer in their class. Maya spins him away and back towards the other two, coming to stand in front of the three of them and surveying her options (“Now given the choice between the two of you, I’d take the…”).

This is where the number turns on its head. Rather than making a choice, Maya opts for the “seasick crocodile” and dances away from all three of them. They stand there for a moment, bewildered and trying to figure out who she chose – Charlie nudges Zay and points indicatively to Farkle, seeing as he must be the seasick crocodile. Farkle holds his arms out, offended.

But no, none of them are the seasick crocodile, and none of them are going to be her dance partner. The whole thing was an elaborate ruse, and Maya will be taking to the stage for the closing number on her own. She dances around the rest of the number gleefully, dancing out of reach of the boys who try to stop her after they realize they’ve been duped.

As each of them approach her, she dodges and essentially knocks them to the floor.

Maya: The words that best describe you are STINK! [ Charlie hits the floor ] STANK! [ Zay hits the floor ] STUNK! [ Farkle falls and she steps over him delightedly. ]

The class is in hysterics, no group enjoying this spectacle more than the techies. Lucas and Isadora are in stitches, leaning into each other and trying to stifle their laughter. Riley is just in shock, somewhat amused but also mortified on their behalf.

Maya finishes out the number with a flourish, dancing with Nigel as he continues to play. Zay doesn’t even bother to get back up, crashing onto the floor and flipping Maya the bird.

Maya ends with a cheeky little laugh, coming to Nigel’s side as he plays the last note on his violin. She leans up and kisses his cheek, hitting their final pose. She snapped!

As the kids are clearing out, Farkle grumbling to whoever will listen about how ridiculous this whole scenario was, Riley hangs back and waits for a moment with Charlie. She makes sure no one else is around before approaching him, telling him that she thought he made a great dance partner and didn’t deserve the ridicule. He waves her off, claiming it’s not that big a deal and worse could’ve happened.

Riley asks him if he would consider doing a duet together. She’s still got Lucas’s words rattling around in her brain about the real her, and she’s taking plenty of steps lately to be a little bolder. As she points out, just because they don’t have the closing number doesn’t mean they can’t vocally blow the roof off this place, so to speak. They don’t have to be divas to put on a dazzling performance, especially if they combine their efforts.

Charlie doesn’t need to be asked twice. Charmed and more than happy to comply, he agrees to a duet with Riley. Maybe a little too eagerly, all things considered.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - DAY

That afternoon after school, Christmas decorating is on! This is a normally coveted tradition in the Matthews household, but due to how on the rocks Cory and Topanga have been as of late, even the holiday spirit is dwindling a bit. Auggie doesn’t notice so much, but Riley is well aware of the chill that has settled in between her parents.

Thusly, it’s a relief when she gets a text notification from Isadora that they’re here for their next techie party errand. Riley informs her parents that she has to run, Cory only getting to question where she’s going for a moment before she’s out the door. He probably wouldn’t much prefer the answer anyway, so he should be grateful.

INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY

The next task for the techie party is in full swing – grocery shopping! Riley joins Isadora, Asher, and Dylan as they cruise through the store, stocking up on all needed supplies. That is to say, Riley and Isadora have the list and are doing all the work while Dylan pushes Asher around in the grocery cart and they keep adding extraneous, unnecessary items to the list.

Asher: [ reaching for an obnoxiously sized jug of apple cider ] Oh, dude, we definitely need this. Isa, can we get this?

Dylan: Yeah, Isa, we need to get the cider!

Isadora: We already have our listed drinks, put that back. Would you stop picking up whatever is in arm’s reach? We’re not shopping with Rockefeller.

Riley utilizes the opportunity to be as helpful as possible, reaching for whatever Isadora states next from the list and keeping up conversation. She tries to get a little bit of dirt on the techies, mostly as to why they’re so grumpy and constantly at war with the performers.

Asher: It’s really not that much of a mystery.

Dylan: Yeah, you’d be this way too if you were constantly ignored.

Isadora: Or put in a ton of effort just to see it get disrespected and disregarded.

Dylan: The performers have no idea how much we do for them, and the teachers perpetuate it.

Asher: And they never say thank you.

Isadora: Do you have any idea what it’s like to have no one acknowledge all the hard work you do?

Riley: Oh, I’ve got a hunch or two.

Dylan and Asher change the subject as they get to the candy aisle, reaching for a specific type of chocolate and claiming to Isadora that they have to get this. They have to, because it’s Lucas’s favorite and it is technically on the list. Technically. Please, Isa, pleeeeease?

Isadora: Alright, alright. Whatever. Gremlins.

Isadora off-handedly explains to Riley that Lucas never adds anything to the list and lets everyone else decide what food they’ll have but he only has one necessity – chocolate. There’s something slightly endearing and unexpected about that.

Riley: Yeah, I noticed he hasn’t exactly been around much on these party planning trips.

Isadora: [ defensively ] Well, he’s got a lot going on. But also, he’s got the most difficult job at the end of all this, so we don’t really push him to do much more.

Riley isn’t sure she wants to know what that means or entails. But Isadora has already moved past it, chastising Dylan and Asher for adding like five things to the cart that they didn’t account for and directing them towards checkout.

INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Shawn is over at Jack’s house for dinner, a tradition that seems to be semi-regular between the two of them. Over the meal, the two of them are reminiscing about what Christmas used to be like back in the good old trailer park. This is where Jack’s reputation as a man who built himself from the ground up is truly reiterated, but he does not hold as much bitterness in his heart over it as his half-brother.

Shawn: Christmas was shit, don’t you remember? I mean, there was the year that dad gave us each a basket of used clothes from the thrift store, and he didn’t even wash them.

Jack: Well, that’s what the laundry basket was for.

Shawn: Or when he used to volunteer as Santa at the mall and we’d wake up on Christmas morning to him passed out, still in costume, on the floor in front of that scraggly piece of crap we called a tree.

Jack: Oh, come on. I always liked hangover Santa.

Shawn: Why is it such a big deal that I let the holidays back into my heart or whatever? This isn’t a Dr. Seuss book, my heart isn’t going to grow three sizes just because I elect to plan some stupid festivities for the break.

Jack isn’t sure what advice to give him, but he points out that it’s less about the holiday and more his heart. Like, he thinks Angela is just looking out for him in regards to getting out of the rut he’s been in for the last few years. Yeah, the holidays don’t mean much, but maybe they can be the first step. Shawn doesn’t look convinced, but it’s a thought…

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

The sophomores are assembled before class, working on homework and other projects before the bell rings for lunch. Farkle declares to whoever will listen that he’s figured out the trick here, the reason Maya was selected over him. It’s because he’s Jewish.

Farkle: I mean, why would they give the closing slot in a largely commercially Christian dominated showcase to the Jew? It’s problematic, but not inherently surprising.

Zay rolls his eyes. He’s so tired. In any case, Farkle has decided that rather than complaining about the problem but not doing anything to remedy it, he is planning to write a Jewish holiday song of his own. Enough of this dreidel, dreidel crap. He’s going to dedicate his showcase slot to singing something truly Jewish… as soon as he writes it. That can’t possibly go wrong.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

Riley is with Lucas and Isadora at lunch again. She is keeping track of all their party preparation tasks in an agenda, and it’s clear that Lucas finds this amusing. Isadora admits that she’s been a lot of help so far, prompting the question yet again whether or not Riley will be invited to attend this shindig. They’re warming up to the idea, but there’s still hesitation. They just don’t know if Riley will be able to handle what it requires to be in attendance, that’s all.

Riley: Oh, I can handle it. Whatever it is, it’s handled. It’s not even a thing.

Isadora: It’s more a matter of whether or not we think we can trust you.

Riley: Well, okay then. Let’s prove it. Take me for a test drive.

[ Lucas chokes on his water. Isadora gives him a look, and Riley of course never realizes when she says something potentially questionable. She’s got a knack for it. ]

Isadora claims that before deciding any of that, they still have a couple of tasks to complete. Mainly, getting a Christmas tree. This surprises Riley, who is still in the dark about where this party is even taking place. Isadora clarifies they’re only looking for a small one, but won’t divulge more information than that.

Throughout the exchange, there’s a quip between Lucas and Isadora that hints at the fact that she’s autistic. Riley takes this information in stride.

Riley: Oh, you’re autistic?

Lucas: Is that a problem?

Riley: No, no, not at all. I just didn’t know. I’m a very huggy person, so let me know if that bothers you.

Isadora: It does. Don’t hug me.

Riley: Got it. No hugs for Isa. Make sure to tell me if I do anything like that subconsciously, okay? I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.

Isadora obviously appreciates this sentiment, and Lucas seems mildly impressed. He’s like wow, someone respecting my best friend and being generally considerate? In this school? That’s hot.

This all bodes well for Riley. She might just get her in with the techies yet.

INT. MAYA’S APARTMENT - DAY

Maya is hard at work going through lists of Christmas songs, narrowing down which song she’s going to do at the winter showcase. Her mother enters from her room, dressed in her uniform for work and in the midst of tying up her hair. Maya asks if she has a moment to help her narrow it down, Katy sliding into the seat across from her at their table.

Maya: I’m thinking “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” because you know, classic. But there’s a lot of potential in taking “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and really amping it up from the lame low levels that Andy Williams kept it at.

Katy: Both good options. But you know, [ reaching out and taking Maya’s hands across the table ] my favorite Christmas song was always “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Don’t know why, it just always made me truly feel the holiday season.

Maya: Yeah, it’s a great song. But it’s not going to blow everyone else out of the water.

Katy: … does it have to?

Katy doesn’t get time to elaborate on the question, already going to be late for work. She leaps up and gives Maya a kiss on the top of the head before fluttering off. Maya absorbs this sentiment, clearly not prepared to get philosophical and change her whole way of thinking on such short notice. She looks back to her shortlist, dissatisfied.

EXT. CHRISTMAS TREE FARM - DAY

A light snow is falling as Isadora, Riley, and Lucas make their way through the rows and rows of fir trees. Isadora leads the charge while Lucas sort of lags behind, rattling off a very specific list of criteria to Riley and explaining her full-proof process of finding the perfect tree. She’s a tree expert, essentially, so really they should be in and out in no time. No waiting up! Isadora marches onward, clearly a woman on a mission.

Riley watches her go, glancing over her shoulder towards Lucas. She debates whether to say something, hesitating before striking up a conversation. It’s clear that Lucas isn’t nearly as scary as he comes off at school, but he also… really doesn’t know how to interact with people. Let alone Riley Matthews.

Riley: How about you?

Lucas: Huh?

Riley: Would you consider yourself a tree expert?

Lucas: Oh, uh… no.

They’re side by side now, walking at the same pace. Riley explains that tree shopping is all part of the celebrations with her family, to which Lucas doesn’t have much to say (Lucas: Oh, we don’t celebrate. Much). But Riley’s a rambler, so she just starts nervously going on about what Christmas preparation at the Matthews entails.

Lucas is a little like oh so she’s still talking, okay. But he listens anyway, stuffing his hands in his pockets and torn between glancing at her and staring at the ground. She’s really hard to look at, for some reason. And snowflakes keep getting caught in her hair and her eyelashes…

Lucas: [ interrupting her ] You’ve got snow.

Riley: I’m – I’m sorry?

Lucas: Snow. It’s… you’ve got some on your –

[ He gestures noncommittally to her face. Riley sort of reaches up, towards her eyes, and he gives her half a nod. ]

Riley: Oh. Oh.

[ Riley works to wipe her eyes. Lucas glances away, sort of embarrassed for no reason. Feeling bashful is unfamiliar to him. ]

Lucas: Yeah, you got it.

Riley: [ After a moment. ] You’ve got some, too.

Lucas: Huh?

Riley: Snow. Just there –

[ Riley, not thinking, reaches up and almost goes to… what? Wipe at his eyes? But he backs away from her. ]

Lucas: I’ve got two hands.

Riley: Oh, yeah. Right. For sure. Yeah.

Well. That could’ve been worse. Lucas wipes at his eyes while Riley looks away, pressing her lips together and trying not to overthink that whole awkward conversation.

Isadora saves them both, running back up to them and claiming that she’s found the perfect tree. Her excitement is palpable and totally divergent from the persona she puts off at school. As she darts away, Lucas jogging off, Riley looks after them. After a moment, she smiles, before following in their direction.

INT. MINKUS HOME - NIGHT

Farkle is up after dinner, surrounded by crumbled pieces of paper and struggling to finish his song. EZRA MINKUS comes over to bother him, questioning what the heck he’s doing. After Farkle explains his grand pursuit to right the wrongs done to their Jewish culture by the American Christmas commercial industry (which Ezra definitely doesn’t get), his brother begs him to sing the song for him. And so he does.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Jewish Holiday Song (Original Composition)” || Performed by Farkle Minkus

The number is well put-together but unpolished, and continues to reflect Farkle’s perfectionist nature and he continually interrupts himself and changes lyrics, rewriting as he goes. Ezra doesn’t care at all, totally enthralled and encouraging his performance.

The longer he has to just perform it, the more Farkle starts to loosen up and get into it. Halfway through he’s on his feet, at full energy levels, and Ezra jumps up to spin and dance around with him. Certainly more humanity and genuine love of the craft from Farkle than any of his classmates might ever see.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The sophomore class is assembled, spending their class time preparing the stage for the holiday break. Half the class is out in the front of the school, where the showcase will be held.

Most of the techies are gone setting up outside, but Lucas and Isadora are inside with Riley. They’re sitting at the bottom of their usual crop of seats up in front of the technician’s booth, Riley standing in front them but not quite yet allowed to cross the threshold. Behind them, Dylan and Asher are goofing off.

Riley sighs, watching them deconstruct the sets from the first semester. Although it’s been a special kind of hell, she claims she’s going to miss the auditorium over break. Isadora tells her she doesn’t have to say goodbye yet, which confuses her.

Lucas and Isadora exchange knowing looks, before she goes on to explain the final task of the party. Tonight, after the showcase when everyone has left, the techies are going to sneak back into the auditorium and have the party there. Riley is floored by this.

Riley: You mean you’re going to sneak back in after hours. Like, break in. You’re going to break into the school.

Isadora: We warned you. Figured you may not be able to handle –

Riley: No, no, um. I’m not – and how exactly do you plan to do this?

A moment of silence. Riley looks between them before letting her gaze drift to Lucas, who is avoiding her gaze and smirking, twirling a pen in his fingers. Oh, right. Of course he’s going to break them in. Silly her.

Isadora states that Riley has been a big help and is more than welcome to come to the party – if she doesn’t rat them out. It freaks out every goody-two-shoes notion in her body, but she knows what she set out to accomplish this week. She squares her shoulders, ready to be bold. She claims she’ll be there and that she’s looking forward to it.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

The night of showcase is here, audience members filing into the seats set up outside the school. The front of the building has been decorated for the holidays and lighting systems have been set up to allow for the top of the steps to act as a stage. It’s a pretty cool set up.

Most of the Minkus clan is searching for their seats, Ezra holding onto JENNIFER MINKUS’ hand as they make their way. He looks up towards the building and his face lights up, waving eagerly.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Farkle is looking out the doors, catching the eye of his brother. He sees him waving and lightly waves back, before the students are called together for pre-show circle.

Angela gives them all a rousing, energetic speech, telling them to close their first semester out with as much vim and vigor as possible. Everyone nods along, that holiday season acting as a powerful source of energy. With that, they put their hands in and countdown together, launching us into the showcase.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” as performed by Pentatonix || Performed by AAA Sophomores

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

A montage ensues of the first half of the showcase, all of our recurring characters performing their songs and numbers. Zay opens the showcase, although with what song we don’t know. He definitely performs it with less enthusiasm than Ariana, though.

Haley and Clarissa play their cellos. Chai, Sarah, and Darby do a trio song and dance, dressed in cute holiday outfits. Nigel plays his violin. When Farkle takes the stage to perform his Jewish song, the audience clearly loves it.

No more so than his family. Jennifer is all smiles, and Ezra is dancing along from his seat. Only one thing could dampen this moment – the absence of Farkle’s father, who hasn’t shown up. This stings a little bit, but Farkle knows he’s a busy, important man. He tries not to let it get to him, finishing the performance with a flourish and not letting it show on his face until he’s back safely behind the doors of AAA.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Riley is staring out at the assembled crowd, trying not to go back on her decision to be more bold. Shawn approaches her and asks if she’s nervous, which yeah she is, but in front of him it’s more because she’s planning to break into the school later tonight behind his back. She keeps it together, but barely. Shawn wishes her luck, patting her shoulder.

Charlie approaches her, raising his eyebrows and asking if she’s ready. Riley takes a deep breath, then nods. Together, she and Charlie step through the doors.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Charlie makes his way to the microphone first, Riley hanging off to the side to wait for her entrance. He gives her a smile. Maya comes up behind Riley, asking when the two of them decided they were going to do a duet together. Riley shrugs, claiming they’re just trying to put on the best show possible.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “The First Noel” as performed by Josh Groban & Faith Hill || Performed by Charlie Gardner & Riley Matthews

And boy, do they keep to their word. Charlie and Riley sing well together, and their chosen duet is a powerhouse all its own. It gives Riley the chance to truly show off her vocal ability, keeping true to her conversation with Lucas and trying to share that level of passion with the rest of the world. She isn’t going to spend the rest of her time at AAA hiding in the background.

The divas are shocked, totally not expecting the new kid to end the semester by actually posing a challenge. The techies look impressed, Dylan and Asher huddling together to exchange a whisper about it. But given the smiles on their faces, it’s nothing negative. Isadora seems impressed too, but when she looks to Lucas next to her, he doesn’t seem surprised at all.

Their performance is met with resounding applause. Riley sort of goes to nudge Charlie in congratulations, but he takes a step further and hugs her instead. Hey, it’s the holiday season. Riley hugs him back, grateful that he agreed to be her duet partner.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Maya is preparing for her closing number, doing vocal warm-ups and pacing to herself. Her phone ringing distracts her, and when she picks up it’s Katy on the other line. She explains that something has come up at work, and she’s going to have to close because the other waitress didn’t show, so she doesn’t know when she’s going to get there.

Maya is shattered by this, looking for alternatives, asking if someone else can, wondering if she’s going to make it at all. Katy apologizes profusely before explaining she has to go, quickly. She hangs up, Maya left side-swiped by this news. But the show must go on. Zay comes up to tell her it’s her turn to close the show, but he can immediately tell something is up with her. When he ventures the question, she puts her cool facade back together and claims everything is fine.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Maya runs up to the pianist first, whispering to him before taking her place at the microphone. She gives a little introduction to who she is and asks for one more round of applause to everyone else who has come before her – a classic diva courtesy. Then she explains what she’s about to perform.

Maya: I originally had a different planned for this evening. And I’m sure my classmates could’ve told you how in character it was for me. But um… someone really important recently asked me if everything had to be about the performance. And I thought the answer was yes, but I think tonight, I want it to be about something different. Tonight, it’s about her. But I hope you all enjoy.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as performed by Sabrina Carpenter || Performed by Maya Hart

Maya launches into her mother’s favorite Christmas tune, starting off soft and sentimental. But of course, she is still Maya Hart, and as the song progresses she ramps up the vocals and totally kills it. Everyone is honestly surprised she didn’t go for the big blowout finale, but somehow this was just what they all needed. Somehow, this was exactly right.

As the showcase comes to an end, the full performing class assembles outside the school while Angela and Shawn take center stage at the microphones. The techies are standing off to the side, still sort of in the shadows but present. Angela thanks everyone for coming and for their continued support of their students at AAA, and then rouses the audience for one more round of applause.

Shawn is about to jump in but Angela beats him to it, encouraging a round of applause for the techies as well. The techies seem surprised by this, but everyone happily gives it. Riley is clapping very enthusiastically in the front row of the performers. Farkle and Maya look confused at the shout-out, sharing a look but clapping along anyway.

Then Angela invites them all to join in for one last number, passing the stage off to the students.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Sleigh Ride” as performed by Pentatonix || Performed by AAA Sophomore Performers

The true closing number to the showcase is upbeat, fun, and a true demonstration of their combined talent rather than how they always seem to be pitted against one another. Our often forgotten students – Yindra, Nigel, NICK YOGI, CLARISSA CRUZ, and CHAI FRESCO – take the solos.

At the last second, Katy manages to make it and catch the final number. She slides into a seat in the back, meeting Maya’s eyes and giving her a big smile. Maya is… soft, grinning even wider as she performs.

Out of focus, the techies are dancing around and sort of mockingly singing along, so happy that another hell semester is done. Asher and Dylan each have an arm around Lucas, essentially forcing him to sway with them. Isadora isn’t being goofy, and she’s like… you’re all so stupid but you’re my crew so I guess it’s fine. So it’s endearing.

EXT. AAA - NIGHT

The clean-up has wrapped, another winter showcase come and gone. Maya and Zay are hanging around outside in their cutest winter attire, waving goodbye to Angela as she heads out and congratulates them on a great performance. Riley and Charlie exit the school together, Maya and Zay giving them an intrigued look as they approach.

Riley congratulates them all, Charlie approaching and giving Zay a nudge on the shoulder. Maya asks Riley if she’s coming to the after party at Chubbie’s – more out of curiosity than an invitation – and Riley stammers, explaining that she has other plans. But she won’t say what those other plans are, and kind of runs away before they can ask any more questions. Oh, Riles.

Farkle exits the building and comes down the steps, approaching the remaining three. He congratulates them all, as is courtesy, and Charlie commends him for his original song. It was a real crowd pleaser. Farkle tells Maya he thought she did a fantastic job with the closing number, and it’s genuine… even if she was a bit sharp. Maya lets this slide, thanking him for the compliment.

Farkle makes some subtle commentary about how he’s sure they’ll all have a great time at the diner… without him… totally nonchalant. Maya exchanges a look with Zay, before turning back to Farkle and being like “Farkle, would you like to come?” Farkle acts casual, brushing it off, but then he’s like “well if you INSIST.”

Maya shakes her head, leading the way down the street. Farkle is clearly excited, jogging to catch up. The four of them head out in their cute little winter coats and hats, we love them.

EXT. AAA - BACK ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Shawn makes his way to his car, the last one to leave. As soon as his car leaves the parking lot, Lucas pops his head out from behind the side of the building, followed by Isadora, then Riley. Riley asks if the coast is clear, to which Lucas lightly shushes her. The rest of the techies poke their heads around, showing that the full brigade is present. It’s break-in time.

As the opening score of Home Alone underscores, Lucas leads the skilled and effortless break-in for their after party. Riley is nervous, but she didn’t rat them out. She passed their tests. So when Lucas is holding open the auditorium doors for them to dart in and it gets to Riley… he doesn’t turn her away. She heads inside, Lucas glancing over his shoulder before shutting the door behind them.

INT. SHAWN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Shawn settles into the lonely and plaintive silence of winter break, dropping his bag and keys on the chair by the door with a pronounced thud. He sighs, making his way into the kitchen and hardly bothering to turn on the lights. That is, until a knock at the door disrupts his silence. He pokes his head around the corner, evidently not expecting anybody.

When he opens the door, Jack greets him cheerfully, holding food for a potluck and swooping his way inside. Before Shawn can object, Eric, Cory, and another half a dozen teachers flutter their way inside, giving him warm greetings and setting up stuff in the kitchen and living area.

Angela enters last, clearly having arranged the whole thing. Shawn is like what the hell is this – although with far less bite than his bark would have you believe – when Angela gives him an affectionate head tilt.

Angela: I told you. No one should be alone during the holidays.

There’s a moment where it’s unclear whether Shawn is going to accept this aggressive form of care or kick them all out… until he steps back to let Angela in fully. She smiles, entering as he closes the door behind them.

She actually isn’t done though, as she claims she has something for him. She pulls out a simple gift for him – a book of poems that alludes to one of the reasons they initially fell in love. Reparations, maybe?

Angela: I figured, if we’re working on your frozen heart, maybe a little more culture could help. You used to love these, after all.

Shawn is touched by the gift. He takes it tentatively, before lighting up with an idea of his own. He asks her to hold on, disappearing back into the small hallway that leads to his bedroom. When he returns, he’s clutching something in his hands rather than the poetry. It’s a beautiful artfully crafted seashell. It’s not wrapped, but it was definitely meant for her at some point.

Shawn: I saw it at a flea market a couple years back when I was traveling, and couldn’t help but think… I don’t know why I actually got it. But it was always meant for you.

He holds it out for her, waiting for her to take it. Now that’s tea. Angela takes it tenderly, the two of them exchanging uncertain but soft smiles. Then, Angela nudges them to go mix and mingle with their co-workers. As “Jingle Bell Rock” floats in…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

The techie party is in full swing, the music playing over the sound system considering they’re the ones who know how to run it. Their tiny tree has been set up center stage with a few chairs sprawled around it. The majority are seated around it, laughing and eating and exchanging small gifts with one another. Dylan is seated on the floor in front of Asher’s chair, a string of garland worn around his neck like a scarf. Jade is showing Jeff the quality of the colored pencils she got as a gift in her sketchbook. Isadora is finishing the final touches on the tree decorating, attempting to direct Dave.

Riley is standing a bit away, just absorbing the warmth and marveling at the family dynamic of these oddballs that seem so standoffish at first glance. It’s a wrong perception, that much she’s sure about. The practical king of this very sentiment, Lucas comes over to join her.

He asks her if she feels like a badass or not after her first little taste of danger. She admits that she does, but she’s far more entranced by the little tradition they’re attempting to establish here. Riley makes some soft commentary about their crew and how he’s clearly a major part of that… Lucas waves her off, but she insists that it’s true.

She says something else slightly flirtatious, giving him a smile before floating off to join the main group. It takes Lucas about three seconds to comprehend the fact that that conversation actually happened, during which Dave hisses to catch his attention. He and Jade point above Lucas, where mistletoe has been set up. He and Riley were standing underneath it the whole time and didn’t even realize it.

Lucas, weirdly bashful again and embarrassed, huffs and walks away. Dave and Jade are trying not to laugh, gesturing him towards them to rejoin the group. Thus, the techie celebration ends nice and cozy, warming all of our hearts. God bless us, everyone!

We’re going to need it.

END OF EPISODE.