#if you could afford to pay me to animate plaid in full

[eggsistential-breakdown]

HE FUMKIN SNAPPED

Seized by this scene from chapter four of @dril-cipher 's rb fic !!!! !! ! !!! ! ! !!

Video version and transparent gif??? flipaclip lets you do that??? version under the cut for all your transparent Ian gif needs if you have those. If you do please consult a doctor first

[soyforramen]

Fall AU - In a world where Jason never died and Riverdale never fell into chaos, Jughead and Betty come across a palm-reading who will change their perspectives on life and bring them closer than they ever were before, or ever wanted to be. 

Cross posted on AO3.

xxxxx

Jughead was irritated and out of place once more.  Only this time it wasn’t at school. No, today he was irritable at Riverdale’s traditional Fall Faire, a place full of screaming school children, carts filled with aromatic foods he couldn’t afford, and rides guaranteed to make a PI lawyer salivate.  With his dark clothes and scowl he was the rain on the otherwise brightly colored parade around him.

Archie elbowed him, dropping kettle corn on the ground.  “Cheer up, Jug. At least we’re not in math.”

Reggie ran through them, almost knocking Jughead down, as he and Moose threw around a stuffed Tweety bird the football players had collectively won for Midge.  (They’d been trying for a stuffed animal for their own girlfriends, but Moose being Moose had gotten his way in the end.)

“I’d rather be in math than here,” Jughead muttered.  He grabbed a handful of kettle corn from Archie, saving it from it’s miserable fate on the leaf littered ground.  “At least there I can get a nap in.”

“Hey boys,” Veronica called to them from the booth they were passing.  Archie’s head whipped around, a goofy grin on his face at the sound of her voice.

“Down boy, the succubus isn’t going anywhere,” Jughead said.  

Archie ignored him and went to Veronica, a moth to the proverbial flame.  Having nothing better to do, Jughead followed Archie over to the construction paper covered booth.  The sign on top proclaimed ‘Kissing Booth: Help send the Vixens to Finals!’. Crude cut outs were strewn across the booth.  Jughead figured they were supposed to be lips, but to him they looked like slugs locked in a battle to the death. Then again, that’s also what he imagined kissing to be like.

Veronica perched on a stool behind the booth, dressed in orange and brown plaids for the season.  She grinned at him, a new little grin she’d perfected in the Hampton’s over the summer. It screamed ‘I don’t care enough to tell anyone all your secrets, but we both know that I know them.’  “Care to buy a kiss, Juggie? Or would you rather wait until Betty comes along for the second shift?”

Archie’s brows furrowed as he glanced between Veronica and Jughead.  “You and Betty are -

“There is no Betty and I,” Jughead said flatly.  In lieu of blushing (a Jones was never soft enough to blush) he glared at the dark-haired vixen.  

Veronica’s grin slipped into a sly smile.  “C’mon Juggie, I’ve seen the way you look at her.  Isn’t there something nice you can say about her?”

He narrowed his eyes and glanced behind him to make sure the blonde in question wasn’t walking up behind him.  One didn’t hover around Veronica Lodge’s inner circle without becoming wise to her machinations. “There’s lots of nice things I could say about Betty.  And Archie and Ethel and Toni. And there’s lots of things I could say about you.”

Veronica’s smile settled back into her usual Cheshire smile.  “You flatter me,” she shot back with a flutter of her eyelashes.  “Now, Archie, about that kiss?” Archie smoothed his hair and tugged at his jacket.  “One ticket, one kiss,” she reminded him.

Archie held out a ticket and Veronica slipped it somewhere under the counter.  She presented her cheek, and Archie gave it a quick peck.

“Aren’t you supposed to kiss him?” Jughead asked.

“If that’s the way it worked we’d all get mono, Creature from the Bowels of Hot Topic,” Cheryl said as she came to take her turn at the kissing booth.  “Now shoo, you’re in the way of paying customers.”

Jughead looked around and found no one else near the booth.  He was tempted to stand around to irritate Cheryl further, but it was soon apparent that the Kissing Booth would quickly become the Cat Fight booth if Cheryl kept asking Archie if he’d like a kiss on the house.  He saw the dark look in Veronica’s eye and knew from experience it was best to let his old pal Archie figure out his own female troubles.

As Jughead walked away, his eyes landed on a bright orange ticket laying on the dirt in front of him.  He picked it up and looked around. The closest Faire attendee was over at the duck fishing pond, and no one appeared to be looking for a spare ticket.  His civic duty attempted, Jughead curled his fingers around the ticket. The last time he’d had a ticket at the Fall Faire was in elementary school, when life was happier and simpler.  

Jughead shook that thought off.  After all, it was a faire to celebrate the bounty of the harvest, a time to eat, drink, and be merry.  With this ticket he’d be able to accomplish one of those things. He spent the next ten minutes wandering through the booths as he tried to decide what he wanted to spend his one ticket on.  The smell of kettle corn was tempting, but he’d already eaten most of Archie’s and he had a taste for something different. Something sweeter.

He wandered through the fairgrounds, watching people mill about in groups and making mental notes about how they moved and spoke on the off chance he might remember the next time he was struck by the writing bug.  If he was ever struck by the writing bug again.

It wasn’t until he spotted the caramel apple stand tucked away on the edge of the festivities that he knew what the ticket was meant for.  The gloomy fall clouds above him opened to allow a bit of sunshine to fall on the apple stand. The bright reds and browns of the sign were a neon sign to his hungry stomach.  Drawn like a jock to a cheerleader, a nerd to Gryphons & Gargoyles, Jughead made a beeline towards the stand. As he drew closer he could make out a dancing apple, eerily happy despite the large bite that had been taken out of it.  The words ‘1 Apple = 1 Ticket were written on the side. A happy coincidence indeed.

The fate of his ticket, though, wasn’t so easily sorted.  As he passed by the line of booths, a voice called out to him, crooked with age and rough with experience.

“Palm reading.  Know your true self.”

Jughead barely spared a glance at the old woman and her threadbare tent.  But that small gesture proved to be his undoing. He’d broken the number one rule of all fairs and carnivals: never make eye contact with people trying to take your hard-earned money.  

“You there.  Boy with the hat.  You look like you need some guidance in this world.”  

He stopped and squinted to get a good a good look at the woman standing in the tent’s shadow.  She was an old crone, or dressed as one, complete with the crooked back and wonky eye. He’d always held a healthy suspicion of adults, particularly of those who sold the type of things no one really needed, and this woman was the most suspicious on the fairgrounds.  The woman squinted back, waiting for his response. There was an unspoken social contract to these types of things. Once you’d acknowledged someone’s existence there was an expectation that you’d respond. It was a social contract Jughead despised, and it was the one he most often broke.

So instead of responding, he continued his trek towards the apple booth, his mouth already salivating at the memory of the sharp crispness of the apple mixing with the sticky sweet caramel.  His back teeth were sticking together in anticipation as he stepped in line.

“They say to write what you know, but if you don’t know yourself, what can you write?” The old woman’s voice held a note of amusement.  

His stomach told him the old women was only trying to get one more ticket, one more payout.  His inner voice, the one Toni called his super-ego, was intrigued by her promises. He’d been stuck on his novel for weeks, chasing down red-herrings into dead-ends of his own creation.  The investigation by the noir detective Monica Posh had long since fizzled into nothing more than another tragic accident. At this rate, the murder of the town’s Golden Boy would never be solved.

For what might be the first time in his life, Jughead listened to something other than his stomach.  It was an event that Fangs might even label ‘Growth’. Only Fangs would make sure it was accompanied by at least three memes and four gifs.  

Against his own nature, Jughead walked to the front of the tent.  In the coming days, he’d wonder why he’d ever gone over to the old woman.  He didn’t recall leaving the line, didn’t recall walking towards the woman.  It was almost as if some supernatural draw had pulled him to this place and to this woman.  

“I don’t believe in this kind of thing,” Jughead said.

The woman laughed.  “You’d be surprised how many people tell me that.  Come, come.” She beckoned him inside with a finger crooked with arthritis.

Jughead followed her inside and found it just as bare as the outside.  The only light came from a weak Coleman lantern set on the corner of a table. A faint smell of lavender hung in the air.  Jughead took a seat at the card table, the woman already seated on the side. They sat there, looking at one another, until the woman barked, “Hand.”

Too startled to do anything else, Jughead put his hand on the table.  The woman took his hand and peered at it. Her face came close enough to his hand he could have reached out and touched her cheek.

“Mmm,” the woman intoned.  

Jughead quashed his desire to crane his neck to look at his own hand.  He’d had it since birth and it was a pretty good hand, even if the fingers were long enough to get caught in the occasional door.  The old woman seemed to disagree.

“You are independent.  You follow your brain and ignore all matters of the heart,” she said.  The woman clicked her tongue. “Too independent, it seems. You are suspicious of everyone around you, and that makes you miss everything important in life.”

The way she said it reminded Jughead of his father haggling over ‘used’ parts at Mustang’s auto shop.  ‘Never buy at a mark-up,’ his father would tell them on the way over. ‘If you hem and haw a little, if you make them feel like their parts are inferior, that’s how you get a deal.’  At this moment, Jughead felt as if he were a mostly-new carburetor with all of it’s dents and dings on display.

“Your love life,” the old woman croaked, “is very sad.  Tragic!”

This was what he’d spent a ticket for?  Commentary he received every day, entirely unsolicited, from Reggie Mantle? The only ticket he had, the ticket that could have gotten him a candied apple, sure to last at least until they had to board the buses home.  And he’s wasted it on this?

“I want a refund,” he said in a flat tone.

The old woman looked up at him, and in the same flat tone, said “No refunds.”  She pointed over his shoulder and he turned to find a sign above the tent flap that said in bright red letters, “No Refunds, No Exceptions.”  She yanked his hand closer and peered at it in the dim light.

“You live in your head.  That’s what this line here means.”  She jabbed at the line under his fingers and he winced.  “Live in the moment. Learn to listen with your heart, boy.”

“And if I don’t?” he challenged.

The woman threw up her hands.  “Fine. Be a miserable old man by the time you're twenty-three.  But don’t come complaining to me when things drastically change for you.”

Jughead stared at her.  “Aren’t you supposed to tell me how to avoid that?  That next week the stars will align and things will look up if I only I wear pink?”

“I’m not a fortune cookie.  I read palms. Palms only show me who you are.  What you were raised to be.”

He scoffed, disappointed with her response.  He knew he was acting the petulant child, refused a toy he didn’t want in the first place only to throw a fit when it was taken away.

“Fine.  Thanks, I guess,” he muttered.  He stood and walked out of the tent.  It wasn’t until he’d rounded the corner that he realized the woman had never asked for his ticket.  In a surge of happiness, he checked his jacket pocket where he’d put it for safe-keeping. He came up empty.  Checking all the other pockets, he came up empty again.

With a scowl, he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and stalked off to find Archie. 

On the other side of the fair, Betty just finished her turn at the kissing both.  Today had been a big blow to her ego, especially when she saw how many tickets Veronica and Cheryl had received.

“At least you didn’t have to kiss Creepy Chris,” Toni said in her own attempt at consolation.

Betty stared at the toes of her shoes. “I hid behind the booth every time he came by.

Toni stored and sat on the stool to take her turn.  “I wouldn’t worry about it. The only reason Cheryl and Veronica got any tickets is because they’re the biggest flirts in school and bullied every boy into stopping by.”

Betty knew this was true, but it didn’t help the sting of knowing that once again she was in second place.  She glanced to where Archie stood, Veronica on one arm, Cheryl on the other. Both vied for his attention between preening and sniping at each other. 

Toni put a hand on Betty’s arm.  “He doesn’t know what he’s missing.

Her smile was pained and pitiful.  Betty was used to that kind of pity.  After all, Betty had pined for Archie for years, always desperate to catch a minute of his time.  When they were younger, it was a game to see if she could finally pull Archie’s attention away from the other girls in town.  But as they grew up, and Betty grew into real feelings for him, she didn’t want to play the game any longer. She wanted to be the only one.

So she left Archie to the girls who weren’t so careless with their hearts, the girls who knew how to be a hear tbreaker.  And Betty tried to move on.

“I don’t know if it helps any, but I don’t think either of them want him.”  She leaned on her arms and openly watched the pair bicker.

“Oh?  Why’s that?”

Toni pointed to Cheryl, then to Veronica.  “See how all their attention is focused on each other?  The only time they focus on Archie is when the other one has lost interest.  They’ve been like this all the time I’ve known them.”

It was only a year ago that Southside High had closed and reintegrated with Riverdale, bringing with it Toni and Fangs and Jughead, but Toni was right. She had always been an avid people watcher, able to draw information about a person after two minutes that Betty hadn’t been able to figure out in a lifetime. 

Betty watched her best friend and cousin snap at each other through a different lens.  Their bodies were facing each other, not Archie, and they didn’t allow the poor boy to get more than a few words in.

“Maybe they should talk about it?”  she said thoughtfully.

Toni snorted.  “They’re both so in denial I doubt they’d let you get two words out.”  Realizing Betty was content to stand around, Toni gave her a gentle push.  “Go on, enjoy the rest of the fair. I think I can hold down the fort for the next hour.”

“Thanks, Toni.  Hope you have better luck than I did,” Betty said with a genuine smile.

Toni winked.  “I do have the advantage.  You only wanted to play with half the potential customers.”  She slipped a hand into the mason jar Ginger had brought for the tickets and pulled out three.  “Go have fun for me.”

“I can’t take those.”  Betty shook her head and back up.  “They’re for -”

Toni grabbed her wrist and put the tickets in her hand.  “For the new uniforms Cheryl’s been salivating over all year.  We both know the Vixens will never make it to finals. Think of it as hazard pay for having to kiss so many frogs.  And for staying up all night to make this booth happen.”

She hadn’t stayed up all night.  But Toni had a point. Betty had been the only one to show up yesterday, and she’d spent hours cutting out the letters and lips.  And it wasn’t her fault her mother refused to send her with any money for the fair. (It was a surprise Alice had even left her go after hearing that the Vixens were doing a kissing booth as a fundraiser.)

The kettle corn did look really good.  And if she still felt bad about it later she could always pay the cost of the tickets at the next fundraiser.

“Thanks, Toni.”  Betty placed the tickets in the front pocket of her purse.

“Bring me back some funnel cake, Cooper,” Toni said as Betty walked away.

Having the tickets was a minor thrill, a small rebellion against the iron-grip of societal expectations her mother had hammered into her head growing up.  This was the sort of thing that would keep her up at night, that would wind her stomach into a Gordian knot not even Alka Seltzer could cure. But she was hungry and the idea of funnel cake smelled too good to pass up. 

With her step lightened by her reasoning, Betty wandered through the Faire.  Most people, if asked, would say Betty Cooper was a spring girl, the kind who loved the budding flowers and baby animals, the promises of a new beginning wrapped in May showers.  But those who knew her, knew that she had always been a fall girl. There was something about the cooler air, the cozy sweaters, the hot chocolate. Her day was brightened by carved pumpkins and changing leaves.  It made her feel alive to be surrounded by so much color and activity. Fall meant the return of school and her friends, the return of football games and pep rallies, the return of another year in Riverdale.

“Such a beautiful smile,” a woman’s voice said to her right.  “I’m sure your palm is just as lovely.”

Confused, Betty turned to find a young woman with chestnut curls and deep grey eyes smiling at her.  “Palm reading. Only one ticket,” the woman told her.

Betty paused.  It had always been something she’d want to try, along with tarot readings and crystal balls. It was the type of thing her mother always warned her about.  Snake-oil salesmen and con-men who made their money by preying on people’s insecurities. Rationally Betty knew it only meant what you wanted it to mean, but the idea of doing something her mother would hate intrigued her, so Betty followed the palm reader into the tent.

Inside, the walls were draped with thick maroon cloth trimmed with gold.  The decor matched the palm reader’s outfit. Fairy lights illuminated the tent, and a diffuser in the corner threw the comforting scent of lavender into the air. 

The palm reader held out her hand to one of the cushions littering the ground, and Betty choose a deep purple pillow.  She held out her hand and the woman took it.

“Do you see this line here?” the palm reader asked after a few minutes.  “Do you see how long it is?”

Betty peered at her hand and nodded.  It ran the width of her hand. “Does that mean something?”

“You overthink.  And this line here, where that breaks?  It means you put others’ needs in front of your own.  You should learn how to say no every now and then.”

The woman hummed, and Betty sat up a bit straighter.  She craned her neck, trying to figure out what it was that had caught the woman’s eye.  “What? What is it?”

“Here.”  The palm reader pointed to a gap in one of the lines that crossed Betty’s palm.  “It is very odd. Do you see how it jumps? How the lines break between your second and first finger?  That means that an important love has passed through your life, from childhood until now. That break means that the love has left your life.  It is not longer the center of it. But,” the woman peered closer. There was a dramatic pause that that pulled a shiver of tension down Betty’s spine.  “Here. Something important will happen to you, much sooner than you think. Something life changing.”

Betty took in a deep breath.  The woman probably told every client the same thing, but to Betty it felt real.  She’d been waiting for important and life-changing for a while. “Do you have any advice for when it happens?”

The woman smiled.  “Think with your heart.  Don’t let your anxiety and fear get the better of you.  And put yourself first.”

Betty thanked her and handed over the ticket.  A grin stretched her face as she walked out into the cool fall air.  When she turned around to get her bearings, the tent was dark and the woman was nowhere to be found. \  As odd as that was, Riverdale had long since been a place of oddity, and the encounter didn’t sound out too her. 

With the other two tickets, Betty bought two funnel cakes and returned to the booth to keep Toni company.

To both Betty and Jughead, the palm reading was nothing more than a carnival game, another sentence in the novel of their lives.  Nothing was amiss that day, nothing had changed. They both went to sleep in their respective beds, the fair already forgotten.

[blogsteveclark12]

12 Things to Buy Used If You Want to Save Money

1) Clothes

Buying used clothes in one of the easiest ways to save money. I’ve found thrift and second-hand stores to be great for finding casual weekend wear and business casual clothes.  

I can’t tell you how many Banana Republic and J. Crew items I see every time I browse the racks. Some people might think that only old, worn, unfashionable clothes are found second-hand but that’s not true.

Related items worth buying second-hand:

Designer clothes and purses – Designer clothes are expensive. Let someone else pay the bulk of the cost by buying them retail first. Then you can save by buying second-hand. Just be sure to read up on the difference between counterfeit and authentic products to ensure you get the real thing.

School uniforms – Some schools that require uniforms (e.g., Catholic schools with plaid skirts), have programs for parents to sell their children’s old uniforms. Many children will outgrow their clothes while they’re still in good condition.

2)  Wedding dresses

Most women wear their wedding dress for one day and maybe only a few hours at that, so it might not make sense to spend a few thousand on a dress.

You can get one for much less than retail if you’re open to wearing a used one. Most sellers are willing to negotiate too because they really want to sell, so negotiations favor the buyer.

Take a good look at the website’s and seller’s return policies before purchasing. Many times there are no refunds.

Ask lots of questions and ask for more pictures if needed. If you can, try on the style in a store first to be sure it’s the one and then buy it second-hand.  

3)  Jewelry

Fine jewelry is another area where resale prices are often much lower than retail. You can even buy an affordable engagement ring second-hand.

If you’re a fan of vintage or antique pieces, you can find beautiful pieces in styles that aren’t even made anymore. Shop at local jewelers, estate sales, and online for the best finds.

4)  Baby items

Babies grow quickly and often outgrow their clothes and toys before they’ve gotten much or any use. I’ve seen lots of children and baby clothes still with tags on them at the thrift stores.

And it’s not just clothes too. Toys like play mats are quickly outgrown too. Check out online parent groups for listings.

5)  Toys & Games

Having stepped into the houses of friends and family with young children recently, I’ve been blown away by the number of toys they have. Livings rooms and bedrooms full of toys, more than the children can reasonably play with. Those toys and games end up as donations to the thrift store or offered at garage sales.

My favorite thing to buy is puzzles, but I’ve seen plenty of games like Operation and Chutes and Ladders on shelves too.

I avoid plush animals because goodness knows what’s on them. Anything that looks in good condition and can be wiped down with sanitizer wipes is fair game

6)  Books & Textbooks

Anyone who has been in school and had to buy their own books knows that textbooks are expensive. I remember having to budget several hundred dollars each semester in college just to be sure I bought all the books I needed.

I bought second-hand where I could, rented, and even borrowed a few. I didn’t matter if a book was a slightly older version as long as I could get the same information and do the homework.

If you need the book in your profession, it might be worth buying a new copy to keep. Otherwise, go second-hand and sell it when you’re done using it.

For other books, try the public library. You can borrow books for free or buy used books there for cheap. I borrow everything and only buy a book when I know I’m going to read it over and over again.

7)  Furniture

If you’ve tried to furnish a home with furniture bought at retail, you know how expensive it can be. Thankfully, some people barely use the furniture they buy.

Maybe they decide to redecorate or they are moving and have to sell. I once came across computer chairs from an office that was closing.

Another easy way to get second-hand furniture is to ask friends and family for whatever extra they have. I’ve always tried to get furniture with fabric like sofas from people I know.

If you’re getting furniture from strangers, take a look at the item and make sure the person’s place is clean. You can’t be too careful about bedbugs and pet dander.

8)  Bicycles

Like with many of the other items on this list, bikes are expensive new and depreciate in value once out the door. Many people buy bikes with the intention to ride them for exercise or fun and don’t use them much at all.

My partner got his used bike on Craigslist and loves it. I got mine as a hand-me-down from family. Unless you’re a serious bike enthusiast, a used one may work just fine for you.

As sad as this sounds, bikes are a major target for thieves in San Francisco. Save yourself the headache of being a more obvious target and having a new bike stolen by getting one that’s second-hand. If you want to save even more money, try biking instead of driving to work or for running errands.

9)  Cars

We’ve all heard that cars depreciate significantly once off the lot and most of all in their first year. Buying a used car makes sense then, especially one that’s been well-maintained. Just make sure to do your research by checking a car’s value and having it inspected before purchasing.

10)  Kitchen items

There are a lot of kitchen gadgets out there that people don’t use. The mixer that was a wedding gift but now sits at the back of the cabinet. Or the blender or crock pot that goes unused. My nearby Goodwill is full of plates and cups. Sometimes are pretty and come in full sets too.

11) Seasonal decorations

Seasonal decorations are just that, seasonal. How much do you want to spend on things that are on display for about 4 months of the year (or packed away for the other 8)? And while decorations are pretty, they don’t do much but sit around the house and look pretty.

So when I want to decorate my place, I shop thrift stores or ask family for items they’ve collected but don’t use anymore. It’s easy to replace decorations yearly too when they cost only a few dollars.

12)  Athletic gear & workout equipment

Many of those items were still in good condition by the time we stopped playing a sport or outgrew the equipment. We’ve also known people with treadmills and stationary bikes that went unused.

Some final tips:

Do your research before purchasing. Sometimes second-hand isn’t cheaper than new.

Negotiate on price. Buying second-hand usually favors the buyer unless it’s a hot item. A potential buyer can always walk away if the price is not right, but a lot of sellers will agree to a lower price because they want to get rid of an item.

If you’re meeting someone in person off Craigslist or a similar site, meet in the daytime in a public place.

The more specific you are about something that you want, the longer you’ll have to wait for it. There may be a lot of black dresses out there, but you’ll have to wait or search more to find a fit-and-flare black dress with a waist tie and lace detail in your exact size.

If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

Nowadays, when I come across something I want, my first thought is whether or not it’s available and worth it to buy second-hand. I’m always happy when I do buy something used and it perfectly fits my needs.

I’ve saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the years by buying second-hand items. I can’t wait to save more in the future by doing the same and hope you do too! Check out the thrift store in panama City Beach, FL if you want to purchase gently used items.

[abarbaricyalp]

Teach Me Something New

(A normal AU in which Adam never got out of the public school system, never met Ronan and Gansey, and could never dare to dream of politics and becomes a teacher instead and Ronan didn’t dream up Opal just...got her. IDK)

Ronan is in a scowling mood. He scowls while Opal runs around his legs. He scowls as he buttons a shirt over his tank top and then unbuttons it again so it just hangs open. He scowls as he tries to find a pair of shoes that aren’t caked in mud. He scowls when he realizes his kid still hasn’t changed out of her stained shirt.

“Opal, I told you to go change,” he says, tugging on an old pair of converse that makes him miss lazy school days with Gansey so much a physical ache erupts in his chest.

It’s not that he doesn’t like  where he is in his life right now. He loves it. He loves the Barns. He loves Opal. He loves farmer’s markets most weekends. Hell, he doesn’t even mind fighting with the school system again with Opal. It’s the part of the school system he never had to deal with that’s really getting him going. He loves Opal but he really doesn’t like kids. Any of them. None of her friends. None of her classmates. Not the shrieking brats at the store. Opal is his and he loves her but that was as far as the love for kids went. And, God, the parents. Ronan’s parents had never been really involved in his schooling. He couldn’t even remember that much that warranted their involvement. Maybe private school would be better for Opal. Certainly better for his nerves. He hated the way the other parents looked at him. He hated their snide comments about how young he was and how old, in relation, Opal was. He hated every single one of them and he hated having to do anything that would put him in close proximity to him. So, yes, he was scowling.

“I wanna match you,” Opal says from where she’s sitting on a chair stacked high with clothes Ronan just hasn’t gotten around to putting up. And it’s true, she’s trying to match him. Ronan’s shirt is a light blue plaid flannel and her shirt is almost the same shade except for where Spaghetti-Os have discolored it to an unnatural orange.

“Well,  you can match me after I do the laundry. We’re going to be late.”

Opal makes a face, her lips going in the most unamused straight line that looks like she took it right off of Ronan’s own face, and then bounces back to her connected room. She comes out a moment later in a navy blue shirt that kind of matches some of the stripes on Ronan’s shirt.

Ronan had finally managed to get dressed and he tugged on Opal’s ponytails. “I thought I told you to behave at school.”

“I do behave!” she objects quickly, looking shocked and just a little bit hurt and a lot a bit indignant.

“I don’t think there has to be mandatory parent teacher meetings for kids who behave,”  he argues just as hotly. He lets go of her pigtails to squeeze her shoulders.

“No, Mr. Parrish set up appointments for everyone! He said so because he knew there were parents like you.” She jabs a finger into Ronan’s stomach and startles a sound out of him.

“Well, I think Mr. Parrish lied so none of you would keep your parents from hearing what little shits you are.”

Opal rolls her eyes and grabs Ronan’s wallet and his keys. “Can we go? You’re going to make us late like you do every morning.”

Ronan rolls his eyes in turn and sticks out his tongue at her. “Have you brushed your teeth?”

“Have you?”

Lightening fast, he reaches out to tickle her sides and sends her shrieking in laughter down the other end of the house and out the door. He ducks into her room to grab the jacket she always wants and her little hat before following her. She’s already tucked herself into his car, dutifully awaiting him to strap in the rest of her car seat. She was small and he was a relatively reckless driver still. Sue him for keeping his kid safe.

Opal prattles on and on about nothing in particular for the entire ride to the school. It’s not a long ride. Most of it is getting away from the Barns and into town. But she manages to cover topics from the goats’ reaction when she read them her weekend reading for class to how she watched the baby pig poop to Mr. Parrish’s dog that he sometimes brings to class after sending out a permission note. Opalis fond of the huge thing. Ronan’s never seen it himself but she says it’s as tall as she is when it’s standing on all its paws and that it has scraggly hair. (“Like the beard you try to grow, Kerah.”) Opal’s a friend to animals everywhere so Ronan’s not totally sold on a giant dog wandering around a school.

Ronan doesn’t know much about Mr. Parrish. Opal likes him well enough but doesn’t talk at length about him. He knows that Mr. Parrish is young-ish, though Opal is about as good with ages as Ronan is with math. If given the chance, she will tell people, confidently, that Gansey is still in high school.  He knows that Mr. Parrish is soft spoken and he has a dog and he lives alone. He knows that he’s kind and smart and that no one is really afraid of him. (This observation because Opal’s first grade teacher was potentially a demon in disguise who hated all of the students according to, well, all the students)

Opal is still talking as Ronan parks the car and got out. Even when he starts unbuckling her and pulling her out of the back seat. She only falls silent when a few of her classmates were walking out the door. Then she presses closer to Ronan and holding onto his leg tightly.

“Opal, I can’t walk like that. Just...hold on.” He unwinds her and then takes her hand, swinging their arms between their bodies until she smiles and then starts to laugh.

“Stop. Stop! You’re gonna rip my arm off.”

“Good. Then you can’t try to take my leg with you everywhere.”

It isn’t hard to find Mr. Parrish’s room. There’s a constant flow of students in and out of the second grade wing and Mr. Parrish’s seems to be the quietest but warmest at the far end of the hall. Ronan’s met Mr. Parrish before. Not been introduced but sat in the same room. During Open House, another required attendance thing, he’d sat in the back of the room, bouncing Opal on his knee and hugging her close because she didn’t feel good but wanted to go to avoid getting in trouble. Gansey had been having a heart attack over some girl he met on campus and so Ronan was a little too preoccupied to pay attention to the quiet man at the front of the room who was having to deal with more problematic parents than Ronan was going to be.

His room hadn’t been quite completed yet. There were signs on the doors that said corny shit like, “Excuse our mess! The children are learning!” to cover up the fact that the second grade wing had only been completed a few days before the year started. It still smelt like new wood and fresh paint and the floors hadn’t been waxed yet.Ronan hadn’t realized how much he’d come to associate waxed floors with a new year. Parrish’s classroom had been mostly boxes at that point. There was a measly reading corner with a bean bag and a few blankets. A few dozen picture books had lined a shelf and a half. Boxes piled up in empty spaces. There had been an activity corner that was just a table with three boxes sat under it. His own desk had had only a few knick-knacks.

Now, the room is cluttered and lived in and warm. There’s faux candles on Parrish’s desk and the window sills. Hundreds of books line his shelves, ranging from little cardboard picture books to the Harry Potter series. The activity center has a treasure chest full of costumes and props and there are little science experiment tables set up. Arts and crafts coat the walls or dry on racks. His desk is still bare of personal effects but there are dozens of little notes and drawings from his students.

And then there’s Mr. Parrish. Ronan didn’t remember Mr. Parrish being so handsome. He was just finishing up with the family in front of them--some snot nosed kid who was playing on a phone while his mother had more tan on her than Ronan could afford to get in a month. (Excluding inheritance and life insurance. He didn’t use it that often, let him live)

Parrish looks like something out of a book. He looks transported from Princess Bride or some steampunk YA novel. He’s beautifully bronzed and his forearms are defined from where they’re visible beneath the rolled sleeves of his baby blue button up. There are a few scars along his skin and his hands are just a little disfigured to suggest a life of work beyond the classroom. His hair is messy but he’s tried to part it somehow. He’s really nicely proportioned. ‘As you wish,’ Ronan wants to say as he sinks to his knees.

Fuck, that’s his kid’s teacher. His kid who isn’t holding onto his hand anymore but running to the teacher to envelope him in a bear hug when he looks up at them and smiles wide and squats down to open his arms to her.

Ronan does not look at the way his dress pants pull tight over his thighs. He busies himself with glaring at the mother who is sneering at him, looking over his casual dress and his youth. Once she’s gone, he turns his attention back to Parrish. He’s looking up at Ronan and, Christ, his eyes look like every type of cliche for gemstone eyes. Ronan’s mouth goes dry and he takes a moment to swallow and try to remember how vocal cords work.

“Mr. Parrish,” he says, stepping forward and holding out a hand. “I’m Ronan Lynch. Opal’s guardian.” it still felt wrong to say father. Not wrong in that he didn’t think he was. Just… It was a difficult situation to explain to people. She didn’t call him dad so he didn’t say he was her father. He’d let her decide how this relationship was going to go. As it was, he thought they were pretty fucking special without dumb ass names to go with it.

“Mr. Lynch, Opal’s very favorable of you.” Adam smiles and Ronan’s heart tries to vacate his chest. Mr. Parrish looks very good hugging Ronan’s kid. Parrish looks very good on his knees…

Goddammit.

“Please, have a seat, Mr. Lynch,” Parrish says, standing up and gesturing to the undersized chair in front of his desk. Opal laughs when Ronan tries to sit on it with little success. She has to climb onto hers a little bit and the difference is hilarious to her.

Parrish looks at home behind the desk and Ronan suddenly wishes he had  Opal in his lap so his hands had something to do rather than pick uselessly at callouses.

“Opal is extremely gifted. I don’t think I’ve ever had a student as eager to learn as her.” Opal preens next to Ronan and then sticks her tongue out at him.

“I told you I wasn’t in trouble.”

Adam smiles at them and Ronan feels like jumping out a window. “How long have you been teaching?”

“About three years now. I was lucky enough to get hired on here as soon as I graduated. It’s technically the school I went to.”

Ronan would rather die on the streets before he went back to Aglionby. This guy must not have much of a life. “Technically?”

“Well, they tore down the building I actually went to school in. It’s part of the bus barn now.”

Ronan only vaguely remembered that happening a few years ago. There were supposedly old tunnels under the school and Ronan had had to remind Gansey that they had a two year old in the next room and mindless fucking off to explore potential holes in the ground was not an option for them anymore.

As if reading his mind--and sometimes Ronan honest to God thought Opal could--she asks, “Were the tunnels real?”

Adam furrows his brow before that brilliant smile takes over. “You  know, I’d tell you…”

“But then I’d have to kill you. I know. I know! You always say that.” She pouts at him and Ronan reaches over to yank on her ponytail.

“Behave.”

“Opal, do you want to go wait in the hallway while I talk to...Ronan about some adult stuff.”

“I’m an adult,” she says petulantly. Ronan is still too fascinated by the way Parrish caught himself from saying, ‘your dad’ to much care what his kid’s saying. Whatever it was, it made Adam smile, something soft and sweet. Ronan was going to set himself on fire.

“Can you go show your classmates how to be an adult out in the hallway?”

Opal takes an irritated breath and slides off the chair and stalks off to the hallway, pulling the door behind her.

“Is something wrong?” Ronan asks after watching his kid disappear into the gaping maw of the world without him. He didn’t like it. It’s why he didn’t watch when he dropped her off in the morning.

“No, no. Opal is a pleasure to have in class.” Ronan snorted but Parrish continued. “It’s just that Opal is...not shy, per se. But she doesn’t interact with the other kids all that much. She’s very confident when she’s answering questions or doing work but as soon as I suggest she ask someone for a color or to give her her scissors back, she gets a scared look in her eyes. Have you noticed it?”

It’s like a sudden and swift shot to his gut. Something reminiscent of his school days, picking fights behind cafes and bars and on dirt roads in the glare of his headlights. He hadn’t thought about Opal potentially being alone when she went to school. Parrish was right. Opal was outgoing and talkative and confident but he’s never really seen her with anyone other than the few friends she occasionally asked to be taken out with. He did remember her saying she and Gracie, Maya, and Sheila weren’t in the same class this year. Shit.

Ronan hadn’t had the best time in school when he was younger. He met Gansey in the sixth grade and after that it smoothed out but he remembered the aching loneliness until his brother would come over and eat with him or some girl would take pity on him and be his partner in class. The idea that the same thing was happening to Opal made it hard to breathe for the sudden and intense pain blooming in his chest.

“Mr. Lynch?” Parrish reaches forward and Ronan instinctively jerks back. Parrish doesn’t look pityingly at him. Instead, Ronan recognizes the realization in his eyes. And...some kind of understanding. “You and she are very similar.”

“What?” Ronan croaks out. His heart is still hammering in his chest and he can’t really concentrate with the lightheadedness that’s suddenly taken over.

“Your facial expressions. She looks just like that when I suggest she talks to other students.”

Ronan clears his throat once, twice, a third time before he reaches up to hide wiping at his eyes with pinching his nose and rubbing his temples. “Uh, no. I’ve never...I’ve never…” It’s a fucking lie though. Opal clings onto him whenever she sees someone at the grocery store. She’d just done it five minutes ago outside the school. Jesus, fuck he hadn’t even noticed. “I’ll talk to her. Um. Yeah. She’s...at home she talks all the time. You can’t make her shut up. But..yeah. She...doesn’t talk to kids when we’re out.” He swallows hard and stands up so quickly the chair topples over behind him.

Parrish stands as well, reaching out as if to steady Ronan. “Mr. Lynch, your daughter is beyond fine. There’s nothing wrong with her at all. I’d say there’s something very special about her.”

Ronan glares at him but then the man’s image blurs and distorts. When it clears again, Ronan can feel tears on his cheeks. “I know she’s special,” he huffs, wiping his cheeks and then squeezing his eyes shut which only lets a few more tears fall. “I don’t need anyone to tell me that.”

He can hear Parrish move from the other side of the desk and he feels an arm around his shoulders. It’s a little awkward and he can tell Adam is kind of tip toeing to do so. “You’re raising her alone, right?” he asks.

Ronan thinks of Matthew baby sitting and Gansey showing up to suddenly steal her away for a weekend of adventure. He thinks of Declan and the nice ass shit that Opal owns because of him. He thinks of all the old ladies at the farmers market who are so enamored with her, Ronan and Opal always leave with a crate full of things they didn’t buy. He thinks of her friends’ moms who are always happy to keep her overnight for a sleepover or grab her from school if Ronan is still stuck at the vet’s office or in the middle of a field somewhere.

But then he thinks about trying to figure out what foods she likes and avoid allergies. He thinks about the way he panics about how much money they might have with the inheritance split between them. He thinks about laying awake at night and staring at the ceiling while he listens to her in the next room. He thinks about how many times he’s made her cry and slam doors when he punishes her. He thinks about the looks they get in public and wonders if Opal sees them too. He thinks about breaking down in hot teachers’ classrooms because his kid talks to the goats more freely than her peers and God, where did he go wrong? He was fucking this kid up. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

“I have help but...yeah, it’s me and her,” he eventually gets out. “And the cows.” He doesn’t know why he says it. It just comes out.

“I think she’s partial to the goats,” Adam answers without missing a beat and Ronan hiccups a small laugh.

“The cows are more helpful.”

Parrish laughs then and Ronan’s ecstatic heart is at war with his dying heart. “Ronan Lynch, you are a good man. And you have a very good child. And I know it can be hard feeling like you’re on your own. Trust me, I know. But your little girl is all the proof that everything you’re doing is right. For her, for you, for the world. I think she’s going to go on to do great things.”

Ronan nodded, not willing to draw out any stupid pessimistic fight. They stay standing like that until Ronan can breathe normally and he pulls away. Parrish squeezes Ronan’s arm and then leans over his desk. Ronan allows himself to look at how his dress pants pull tight over his ass.

“Listen, I know it’s a little unconventional but if you ever need help with anything, anyone Ronan, let me know. This is my number. I answer most of the time unless I’m with the kids.” He smiles that smile and hands over a post it note shaped like a lightening bug. Ronan lets himself draw his fingers over Parrish’s and tries to memorize the beautiful knobs and wrinkles on them by touch alone.

“Even if it’s something as simple as coffee. I know it can be nice to have conversations with adults when you primarily deal with children.” His grin is crooked, pulled to the left side of his face like it’s trying to connect with a pale scar that snakes down from his temple to his cheekbone, detouring to the corner of his eye halfway there. Ronan wants to take him apart at every seam and hear every story as they restitch themselves back together.

“Coffee,” Ronan answers softly, looking at the blocky number. He recognizes it from the grades on Opal’s homework. He nods and bites his lips. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Parrish.”

“Please, call me Adam. Especially when you ask me out.” And, oh, his grin can turn into a smirk that has no business being in a second grade classroom. Ronan Lynch was doomed.

((Damn this one was long. Sorry not sorry. It makes up for yesterday. First time...meeting! Don’t ask me how an eighteen year old acquires a baby and raises it. That’s why I didn’t choose that prompt. If you don’t think Adam Parrish would become a teacher and help kids like him, you’re wrong. And where’s my child Noah you ask? Please be considerate and don’t. My brain was saying future AU for some reason so he was dead in my mind :( ))

[writerspink]

K-12 Words

K

dry wet shoe ten long stay yellow watch inch cup time words same six bones black child ear most page work white five arms snow main nine water head eggs rain test seven root law fall cow red doctor baby feet room rule one blue dark legs wind skin ball green two ever car body box orange gave door four europe picture wish purple ready try neck brown through sky grass air sign whether dance pink eight drive too sat gray three hit man love hand the of and a to in is you that it he was for on are as with his they I at be this have from or had by but not what all were we when your can said there use an each which she do how their if will up other about out many then them these so some her would make like him into has look more write go see number no way could people my than first been called who oil sit now find down day did get come made may part

1.1

anything syllables past describe winter even also eleven moon fruit sand apple women nose solve Math problem plus minus equals stone pants shirt starry thousand divided just train shall held short lay dictionary twelve suddenly mind race clothes learn picked probably raised finished end plaid years bill place hundred different drop came river milk beautiful square lake hole fingers flat sea type over new sound take only little work know live me back give most very after things our name good sentence man think say great where help through much before line right too means old any same tell boy follow want show around form three small

1.2

interest job because such think thirteen subject answer letter meet north length need times divide (by) times table edge soft months present energy point sound log south wide members exercise flowers set found things heart cause site brother teacher live read billion another distance written kept direction developed wall east happy million world must house turn west change well twenty felt put end does large big even here why ask went men land different home us move try kind hand picture again off dress play spell air away animal page mother study still learn should America

2.1

paragraph weather window third believe discovered simple gone paint new store form cells matter follow perhaps cannot good means around line center kind reason move forest sentence return instruments beside represent wild study back farmers sum difference product quotient remainder mother animal land region record summer general caterpillar scratch modern adjust passenger promise equal creak almost croak book dainty song high every near add food between own below country plant last school father keep tree never start city earth eyes light thought head under story saw left don’t few while along might close something seem next hard open example begin life always those both paper together got group often run

2.2

misty poor caution pest phrase life startle squirm alone centaur rise mountain above illustrator footprint temperature decorate country sweat sometimes hair smiled everything began thick compass themselves enough took although splendid crowded second act attach sly talk wonder let’s whirl someone Africa borrow beat belong blink per fasten pain begin drenched bed shell free earth tiny slippery count factors important until children side feet car mile night walk white sea grow river four carry state once book hear stop without late miss idea eat face watch far Indian real almost let girl mountains cut young soon list song being leave family it’s

3.1

drowsy bashful hatch glad copy possible wicked grin sibling shovel run verb sail polish ride young steep case Indian laughed soil appear bolts costume melody narrow behave howl example flee together lot filthy alarm spiral selfish idea conductor fight rolled middle glacier tree dizzy gather sneaky already construct every miss lively metal couldn’t gold plant mask chat nation hear either bundle section near rescue face divide sob celebrate family loosen jealous crash chimney daily own cozy ripe cut son natural serious carry care paper broken cue within body music color stand questions fish area mark horse birds problem complete room knew since ever piece told usually didn’t friends easy heard order red door sure become top ship across today during short better best however low hours black products happened whole measure remember early waves reached

3.2

being instead ache exactly hard speed buy age late artistic close affordable fraction eyes appetite complain sleep seem eat below remove rusty grow glum stormy trust enormous scale open add grab upset weed denied expensive story terrified lead jumped died basket side bear bend list tomb while batch grateful father gleaming dress light sprinkle amount exclaim result yank leave cheat whimper angle outside remain heap champion surprise dodge moment fancy squeeze pretend village shriek city thunder rapid iron striped don’t attitude bell hat tug isn’t applause children honest cross spring freezing listen wind rock space covered fast several hold himself toward five step morning passed vowel true hundred against pattern numeral table north expert slowly money map farm pulled draw voice seen cold cried plan notice south sing war ground fall king town I’ll unit figure certain field travel wood fire upon

4.1

pattern cave hope mile group travel blush killed seed bottom hide important let ticket timid pounds restart silent cranky keep real bright quite curved repeat trip without dart consonant mountains quiet apologize roar grip groan bolt food injury century exhausted cabin atmosphere floor it’s scold transportation delighted giant hill something build fog method rough left everyone obey deserve speak therefore soon french switch until pushed state knob hobby between surround collect fire I’ll arrive road happened certain top order astronomy inches club catch farm nibble color yourself received connect told gaze check wear English half ten fly gave box finally wait correct oh quickly person became shown minutes strong verb stars front feel fact street decided contain course surface produce building ocean class note nothing rest carefully scientists inside wheels stay green known island week less machine base ago stood

4.2

round award crowd slowly yet products, goods, services vowel himself strange whose draw team hold feel flood sent save stood yard notice warn enemy deep please flap coast music wrote safe blast behind island lizard figure famous garden correct whisper listen joined clear share net thus calf maybe cried piece fold seen england decided bank fell pair control clean telescope trouble glass float morning horse produce course hunting rest step statement contain shouted filled zigzag accident cents instrument fly single express visit desert seeds chew dome experiment break gravity against branch size low plane system ran boat game force brought understand warm common bring explain dry though language shape thousands yes equation government heat full hot check object am rule among noun power cannot able six dark ball material special heavy fine circle include built

5.1

mark wealthy row feeling across attention ran map students inside design art mouth ring skill hot during shelter full till log (book) blossom discard bring quickly scientists party town covered wise early cram grain harm goal pause inform heal clue fame freeze badge pimple dim missionary diet dumb rod march agree stick government bulb mall ban greed skiing poison stove image grew fact material dangerous flow gap ago stack explain didn’t strong voice true drawing surface gift corner cloud since king dawn pulled dozen friends greedy burning upon knew insect decimal nervous pay foot weak smooth aware steady serve lost nonetheless beach front atlas questions less cost slight motor banner wire area carefully separate equation local minutes fast table plan fine waves fair sing dive suppose boat thousands shape among toward gas factory birds wait understand sure ship report captain human game history reflect special brave bounce though else can’t matter square syllables perhaps bill felt suddenly test direction center farmers ready anything divided general energy subject Europe moon region return believe dance members picked simple cells paint mind love cause rain exercise eggs train blue wish drop developed window difference distance heart site sum summer wall forest probably

5.2

include cage language base red brain building feast better built demolish excess leap tower ocean plains cold claw information scholar climbed woman worry strand heavy herd common ground damp pack choose president least increase half english invent class measure dash tremble object become doubt became bare wheels continued shiver engine core couple business stars week peak numeral brought nothing touch reached uncle symbols however rumor evening inasmuch (as) force curious heat career system valley dust flock spray robber practice lonely remember luxury warm heard calm rock frighten leader difficulty best gum cheer key support universe stream bit usually fish parade balance money note cliff stand proof you’re pale machine complete cool shown street today shy easy several search unit war power caught settle itself fuel mention fresh planet plane straight period person able direct space wood seal field circle lady board besides hours passed known whole similar underline main winter wide written length reason kept interest arms brother race present beautiful store job edge past sign record finished discovered wild happy beside gone sky grass million west lay weather root instruments meet third months paragraph raised represent soft whether clothes flowers shall teacher held describe drive appreciate structure visible artificial

6.1

afraid absorb british seat fear stretched furniture sight oxygen coward rope clever yellow albeit confess passage france fan cattle spot explore rather active death effect mine create wash printed process origin rose swift woe planets doze gasp chief perform triumph value substances tone score predict property movement harsh tube settled defend reverse ancient blood sharp border fierce plunge consider terms vision intend total schedule attract average intelligent corn dead southern glide supply convince send continent brief mural symbol crew chance suffix habit insects entered nursery especially spread drift major fig diagram guess wit sugar predator science necessary moisture park ordeal nectar fortunate flutter gun forward globe misery molecules arctic won’t actually addition washington cling rare lie steel pastime soldiers chill accordingly capital prevent solution greek sensitive electric agreed thin provide indicate northern volunteer sell tied triangle action opposite shoulder imitate steer wander except match cross speak solve appear metal son either ice sleep village factors result jumped snow ride care floor hill pushed baby buy century outside everything tall already instead phrase soil bed copy free hope spring case laughed nation quite type themselves temperature bright lead everyone method section lake iron within dictionary bargain loyal resource struggle vary capture exclaim gloomy insist restless shallow shatter talent atmosphere brilliant endure glance precious unite certain clasp depart journey observe superb treasure wisdom

6.2

prepared journey trade delicate arrived track cotton hoe furnish exciting view grasp level branches privilege limit wrong enable ability various moreover spoil starve dollars digest advice sense accuse pretty wasn’t industry adopt loyal suggested blow treasure cook adjective doesn’t wings tools crops loud smell frail wisdom fit expect ahead lifted deed device weight gradual respect interesting arrange particular compound examine cable climate division individual talent fatal entire advantage opponent wouldn’t elements column custom enjoy grace theory suitable wife shoes determine allow marsh workers difficult repeated thrill position born distant revive magnificent shop sir army struggled deal plural rich rhythm rely poem company string locate church mystify elegant led actual responsible japanese huge fun meat observe swim office chart avoid factories block called experience win crumple brilliant located pole bought conditions sister details primary survey truck recall disease radio rate scatter decay signal approach launch hair age amount scale pounds although per broken moment tiny possible gold milk quiet natural lot stone act build middle speed count consonant someone sail rolled bear wonder smiled angle fraction Africa killed melody bottom trip hole poor let’s fight surprise French died beat exactly remain fingers clever coast explore imitate pierce rare symbol triumph ancient cling disturb expose perform remote timid bashful brief compete consider delightful honor reflex remark brink chill conquer fortunate fury intend pattern vibrant wit

7.1

capture remark western outcome risk current bold compare resident ambition arrest furthermore desire confuse accurate disclose considerable contribute calculate baggage literacy noble era benefit orchard shabby content precious manufacture dusk afford assist demonstrate instant concentrate sturdy severe blend vacant weary carefree host limb pointless prepare inspire shallow chamber vast ease attentive source frantic lack recent distress basic permit threat analyze distract meadow mistrust jagged prefer sole envy hail reduce arena tour annual apparent recognize captivity burrow proceed develop humble resist peculiar response communicate circular variety frequent reveal essential disaster plead mature appropriate attractive request congratulate address destructive fragile modest attempt tradition ancestor focus flexible conclude venture impact generosity routine tragic crafty furious blossom concern ascend awkward master queasy release portion plentiful alert heroic extraordinary frontier descend invisible coax entrance capable peer terror mock outstanding valiant typical competition hardship entertain eager limp survive tidy antonym duplicate abolish approach approve glory magnificent meek prompt revive watchful wreckage audible consume glide origin prevent punctuate representative scorn stout woe arch authentic clarify declare grant grave opponent valid yearn admirable automatic devotion distant dreary exhaust kindle predict separation stunt

7.2

evade debate dedicate budge available miniature petrify pasture banquet pedestrian solitary decline reassure nonchalant exhibit realistic exert abuse dictate minor monarch concept character strategy soar beverage tropical withdraw challenge kin navigate purchase reliable mischief solo combine vivid aroma spurt illuminate narrator retain excavate avalanche preserve suspend accomplish exasperate obsolete occasion myth reign sparse gorge intense revert antagonist talon aggressive alternate retire cautiously blizzard require endanger luxurious senseless portable sever compensate companion visual immense slither guardian compassion escalate detect protagonist oasis altitude assume seldom courteous absurd edible identical pardon approximate taunt achievement homonym hearty convert wilderness industrious sluggish thrifty deprive independent bland confident anxious astound numerous resemble route access jubilation saunter hazy impressive document moral crave gigantic bungle prefix summit overthrow perish visible translate comply intercept feeble exult compose negative suffocate frigid synonym appeal dominate deplete abundant economy desperate diligent commend boycott jovial onset burden fixture objective siege barrier conceive formal inquire penalize picturesque predator privilege slumber advantage ambition defiant fearsome imply merit negotiate purify revoke wretched absorb amateur channel elegant grace inspect lame tiresome tranquil boast eloquent glisten ideal infectious invest locate ripple sufficient uproar

8.1

apprehensive dialogue prejudice marvel eligible accommodate arrogant distinct knack deposit liberate cumulative consequence strive salvage chronological unique vow concise influence lure poverty priority legislation significant conserve verdict leisure erupt beacon stationary generate provoke efficient campaign paraphrase swarm adhere eerie mere mimic deteriorate literal preliminary solar soothe expanse ignite verge recount apparel terrain ample quest composure majority collide prominent duration pursue innovation omniscient resolute unruly optimist restrain agony convenient constant prosper elaborate genre retrieve exploit continuous dissolve dwell persecute abandon meager elude rural retaliate primitive remote blunder propel vital designate cultivate loathe consent drastic fuse maximum negotiate barren transform conspicuous possess allegiance beneficial former factor deluge vibrant intimidate idiom dense awe rigorous manipulate transport discretion hostile clarity arid parody boisterous capacity massive prosecute declare stifle remorse refuge predicament treacherous inevitable ingenious plummet adapt monotonous accumulate reinforce extract reluctant vacate hazardous inept diminish domestic linger context excel cancel distribute document fragile myth reject scuffle solitary temporary veteran assault convert dispute impressive justify misleading numerous productive shrewd strategy villain bluff cautious consist despise haven miniature monarch obstacle postpone straggle vivid aggressive associate deceive emigrate flexible glamour hazy luxurious mishap overwhelm span blemish blunt capable conclude detect fatigue festive hospitality nomad supreme

8.2

exclude civic compact painstaking supplement habitat leeway minute hoax contaminate likeness migration commentary extinct tangible originate urban unanimous subordinate collaborate obstacle esteem encounter futile cordial trait improvises superior exaggerate anticipate cope evolve eclipse dissent anguish subsequent sanctuary formulates makeshift controversy diversity terminate precise equivalent pamper prior potential obnoxious radiant predatory presume permanent pending simultaneously tamper supervise perceived vicious patronize trickle stodgy rant oration preview species poised perturb vista wince yearn persist shirk status tragedy trivial snare vindictive wrath recede peevish rupture unscathed random toxic void orthodox subtle resume sequel upright wary overwhelm perjury uncertainty prowess utmost throb pluck pique vengeance pelt urgent substantial robust sullen retort ponder whim saga sham reprimand vocation assimilate dub defect accord embark desist dialect chastise banter inaugurate ovation barter muse blasé stamina atrocity deter principal liberal epoch preposterous advocate audacious dispatch incense deplore institute deceptive component subside spontaneous bonanza ultimate wrangle clarify hindrance irascible plausible profound infinite accomplish apparent capacity civilian conceal duplicate keen provoke spurt undoing vast withdraw barrier calculate compose considerable deputy industrious jolt loot rejoice reliable senseless shrivel alternate demolish energetic enforce feat hearty mature observant primary resign strive verdict brisk cherish considerate displace downfall estimate humiliate identical improper poll soothe vicinity abolish appeal brittle condemn descend dictator expand famine portable prey thrifty visual

9.1

stance vie instill exceptional avail strident formidable rebuke enhance benign perspective tedious aloof encroach memoir mien desolate inventive prodigy staple stint fallacy grope vilify recur assail tirade antics recourse clad jurisdiction caption pseudonym reception humane ornate sage ungainly overt sedative amiss convey connoisseur rational enigma fortify servile fastidious contagious elite disgruntled eccentric pioneer abet luminous era sleek serene proficient rue articulate awry pungent wage deploy anarchy culminate inventory commemorate muster adept durable foreboding lucrative modify authority transition confiscate pivotal analogy avid flair ferret decree voracious imperative grapple deface augment shackle legendary trepidation discern glut cache endeavor attribute phenomenon balmy bizarre gullible loll rankle decipher sublime rubble renounce porous turbulent heritage hover pithy allot minimize agile renown fend revenue versa gaunt haven dire doctrine intricate conservative exotic facilitate bountiful cite panorama swelter foster indifferent millennium gingerly conscientious intervene mercenary citadel obviously rely supportive sympathy weakling atmosphere decay gradual impact noticeable recede stability variation approximately astronomical calculation criterion diameter evaluate orbit sphere agricultural decline disorder identify probable thrive expected widespread bulletin contribution diversity enlist intercept operation recruit survival abruptly ally collide confident conflict protective taunt adaptation dormant forage frigid hibernate insulate export glisten influence landscape native plantation restore urge blare connection errand exchange

9.2

feasible teem pang vice tycoon succumb capacious onslaught excerpt eventful forfeit crusade tract haggard susceptible exemplify ardent crucial excruciating embargo disdain apprehend surpass sporadic flustered languish conventional disposition theme plunder ignore project complaint title dramatic delivery litter experimental clinic arrogance preparation remind atomic occasional conscious deny maturity closure stressed translator animate observation physical further gently registration suppress combination amazing constructive allied poetry passion ecstasy mystery cheerful contribution spirit failed gummy commerce prove disagreement raid consume embarrass preference migrant devour encouragement quote mythology destined destination illuminating struggle accent ungrateful giggle approval confidence expose scientist operation superstitious emergency manners absolutely swallow readily mutual bound crisp orient stress sort stare comfort verbal heel challenging advertisement envious sex scar astonish basis accuracy enviable alliance specific chef embarrassed counter tolerable sympathetic gradually vanish informative amaze royal furry insist jealousy simplify quiver collaborate dedicated flexible function mimic obstacle technique archaeologist fragment historian intact preserve reconstruct remnant commence deed exaggeration heroic impress pose saunter wring astound concealed inquisitive interpret perplexed precise reconsider suspicious anticipation defy entitled neutral outspoken reserved sought equal absorb affect circulate conserve cycle necessity seep barren expression meaningful plume focused genius perspective prospect stunned superb transition assume guarantee nominate

10.1

install reticent corroborate regretfully strength murder concise cunning intention holy satire query confused progression disillusion background mundane abrupt multiple enormously introduce emulate harmful pragmatic pity rebut liberate enthusiastic elucidate camaraderie disparage nature creep profitability impression racist sobriety occupy autonomy currently amiable reiterate reproduce cripple modest offer atom provincial augment ungratefully expansion yield rashly allude immigration silence epitome exacerbate somber avid dispute vindicate collaborate manufacturer embellish superficial propaganda incompetent objective diminish statistics endure ambivalent perpetuate illuminate phenomenon exasperate originality restrict anxiety anthropology circumstances aesthetic manufacturing conventional dubious vulnerable reality precedent entity success term critical repair underscore stepmother republican hesitantly classic wary contents prediction immediate invoke notorious implicit excluding input skeptical foster element punish frank humanity profound dessert orthodox substance disappear encourage neighborhood elder superfluous naive ascertain complacent resilient deafening military tend prudent glare acceptance skillfully induce monster beam gullible conciliate vessel petty cantankerous disclose archaeology anecdote disdain electronics substantiate subjective tourism advisable joyful incredible provocative psychological ruins discipline condone indifferent misfortune judgmental industrialize tasty assume astute mission mar protective definitely escape oppress shocked virtual zealous endorse qualification hostile eccentric abstract disparate geographical scrutinize generalization tolerate activity claim dogmatic influential obsolete extol implausible subsequent resource chronic benevolent improve confidential ambiguous seriously dearth perplex hatred throughout dine contemporary evoke essentially economic flagrant obscure alleviate eloquent dreaadful clumsy sympathy victim condemn vigor condescend spontaneous quell reprehensible substantially sleeve equivocal ironic decry errand articulate progressive eradicate refreshments elicit aspiration recently exemplary bribery theoretical disingenuous partisan revere particle nostalgia self-aggrandizement debunk tyranny rhetoric hierarchy warning whimsical venerate commend assert miserable awful vibe constrain undermine explicit differentiate compliment scrupulous contempt erroneous ideal refute imply cynical rash presume insight revival vary delay renounce indignant offensive temperate circumstantial export peep logo advertise suppress distort chunk convoluted denounce overwhelming fertility rigorous acquire arrogant university antagonize profitable indulgent strategic breathing idiosyncrasy profession frugal discern accommodation adversary incredulous disturbance digress social belie roam smug continual pertinent voluntarily elite subtle blame sincerity lick horror censure involvement candid infer futile impetuous exploit bewilder sustain diligent sincere protect sealed musical empathy callous parenthetical insure acorn sarcasm seize sacrificially allege emphatic irrelevant progress diplomatic stunned improvise deride reconcile meticulous deject scientifically incontrovertible pressure justify gloomy depict supplant endurance analogous diary bolster slip contemplate pesticide glow religious advocate negligent creator lament fundamental embrace throne inherent inferior valuable thrive trivial pretense reserved capricious refresh refusal flight boost explanation coherent prevalent tenacious official royalty assassin rub poach delete

10.2

warrant circumscribed somewhat explosive optimistic mandate previously detract opinion intuitive feasible intimate persistent humble simplicity tempt deliberate painful unethical fundamentals discrepancy remorse pessimistic possibility conclusion acknowledge impregnate soberly creation paralyze suitability oblige tranquil medal arbitrate pacify illusory susceptible vibrate vengeance infection democratic stressful grave speculative sample identification stifle obligation revenge organization namely mediocre practical scream weaken consensus affectionate deficient treacherous console isolation ingenious memory melodrama despair awestruck composition regret recommendation celebrity decision devoid opaque ornamentation longevity participate dread restore interrogate aid accordingly mislead embarrassment optimism domestic apt funds virtue geography fundamentally thoroughly press despite horrible chilling rental esteemed disappointment innovative contemplation assign popularize haunt deafen serene percent estrangement suffer extravagant throng estimate comment priesthood mass dreadfully promote periphery animated saying relate clarity triple derivative succeed distortion register suicide improvement discreet inquisition probable curative incident praise convenience baffle covet dreadful genuinely weary undisturbed disgruntled humility renown nonchalant monopoly comedy vague decisive inconsequential announcement fabricated nevertheless vigilant scarce neglectful hushed attainment tedious explode snatch pslm agency sentimental tension adhere meanwhile sacred avert conformity likewise challenger accessible responsibility peril contact event roast fallible catastrophic competitor violate resolute deceive exaggeration discredit intolerable approve paste dimly novelist demeanor norm politician satisfaction obvious vehicle reservation defer involve restoration crush audible assistant backpack attain inanimate commemorate confrontation emigration parasite disperse quantitative laughter policy vulgar occasionally repay effective eulogy starvation empty therapeutic overall immortal encompass inappropriate opportune engagement illustrate turmoil observatory classification expression reminiscence comedian invention depress remedy protagonist gesture texture diplomatic election prolong conducive emotional invigorate curiosity expressive %

K-12 Words was originally published on PinkWrite

[rebeccashideout]

The Geeky Corner of Society

Summary: Y/N get’s a job in a geeky merchandise store were she meets a handsome Jensen Ackles look-a-like called Dean.

A/N: Lau from @dancingalone21 has reached 2,000 followers! Congrats babe! So to cellebrate that she made the “Lau’s AU Funny Quote Challenge”. My quote is “Honestly if I had a nickel for every time I hear a girl say that…” from Dean. And as AU I choose a geeky merchandise store (SPN excists in this AU)… 

Yeah wish me luck you guys…

Warnings: Swearing (you know my writing by now, I hope), a bit of fluff I guess…

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1.8 k

Bae Tag: @cupcakequeen1999 

Your friend Jo wanted to go shopping with you on her day off from work. She said it was great shopping weather and that you really needed to get out of your apartment. You accepted her offer even though you really didn’t like shopping because everybody is running around, trying to find that one perfect thing they are looking for. You didn’t like the stress and rush of shopping. You wanted to take your time to decide things while all the other shoppers are in a hurry.

You planned a rendez-vous with Jo at the Starbucks at the beginning of the main shopping street. Whilst waiting you decided to drink a coffee and spend your time on Tumblr. You ordered a Java Chip Frappe and a little snack. A barista yelled your name and you went to get your order and thanked the barista.  When you got back to your table at the window you felt your phone buzz in the pocket of your jeans. God I need a pair of new ones you thought to yourself when you pulled out your phone. You had a text from Jo.

Sorry can’t make it. Fam buzz. I’ll call later!

Fucking great! Now you came all the way out here to shop with Jo and she just bailed on your shop date. Well since you are already here it wouldn’t hurt to do a bit of shopping.

You found a nice outfit. You fell in love with the plaid dress and the matching green jacket. You planned to return home an start binge watching yet another show online that was on your list when a store caught your eye. It was a little shop on the corner of the main shopping street. It was called “the Geeky Corner of Society”. You chuckled and started to make your way over to the store to check it out. When you entered the store your moth fell open from surprise. It’s just perfect… Almost every fandom you could think about had its own little section. There was a section from Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney, The Walking Dead, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, all kinds of Anime and Manga stuff, Gaming merchandise and last but definitely not least Supernatural. Every section was neat and decorated in its theme, there were even little sceneries made with Funko dolls of every fandom. 

You were just admiring the view that you didn’t even notice when a employer walked towards you to see if they could help. They just stood next to you as they watched your reaction. 

“I know right. My boss … She put all of her efforts and money into this. She really turned this into a geek  heaven.”, someone pulled you out of your trance. You closed your mouth and turned around to see who was talking to you. You got greeted by a pair of lovely apple green eyes. The mystery man was rather tall and wore a Supernatural t-shirt and a pin with his name on it. Dean. 

“Wow, she must be awesome”, you muttered under your breath. “It must be nice to work here I guess.” 

“Yeah, she is. She does so much for the people around her, she just keeps on giving but doesn’t get anything. That’s why I am helping her out here, she was planning to do this all on her own… Well yeah, working here is fun ya know. Most people that enter the store are constantly walking around with this huge smile plastered on their faces. That makes me happy too I guess.”, he replied. 

You saw a lady walking towards another costumer to ask if they needed any help. She also wore a Supernatural t-shirt. Instantly Dean slid in front of you and put on a bright smile. His sales smile you guess.  “Hi and welcome to ‘The Geeky Corner of Society’! My name is Dean, can I help you with something?”

“Is she your boss?”, you ask. 

“Yeah, ‘ve gotta work too instead of talking to a lovely lady like you…”, he whispered back. 

“Uh… Um, thanks… I guess”, you reply shyly. Dean coughs awkwardly while clearing his throat. 

You took a better look at him while you walked over to the Harry Potter section with him right behind you. You were looking at all of the wands that were displayed while something popped up into your head. 

“Hey, you kinda look like Dean from Supernatural! Oh goodness I thought I recognised you from somewhere!”, you said as you turned towards him. You almost bumped into him because he stood much closer then you expected. 

“Honestly if I had a nickel for every time I hear a girl say that…”, Dean replied. 

“Oh, so I am not the first one to say it either! You just look like twins! And you even have the same name! It must be so easy to cosplay as him!”, you practically squealed.

“Well uh… Yeah I cosplay as him but nobody has ever seen that”

“You don’t have to be ashamed! You uh, look good”, you felt the heath rising to your cheeks as you started to blush. You turned around to the t-shirts so Dean wouldn’t see that you were blushing. You dropped the conversation about his resemblance to your favourite one of the brothers, since you sensed that he didn’t feel comfortable.

“So how did you get into Supernatural?”, Dean asked.

“It’s kinda a funny story. I just did. I was binge watching another show and I just stumbled upon it, well I heard about it before on Tumblr so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to start watching it. I must say, I was hooked from the first 15 minutes.”

“So you really are a big fan, huh?”

“It’s in my blood! But how did you get in to it?”

“Uh, I never got your name…” Dean subtly changed the topic from him to you.

“Y/N.”, you replied shyly.

“Well, it’s nice to meet ya!”, he says while his cheeks seemed to get a little bit redder.

“Likewise!” Seriously? Likewise? This isn’t the ’40, Y/N!

“Um, you… You have something on your cheek, wait a sec…”, Dean said while he came closer to you. He cupped your face with one of his hands while he gently rubbed your left cheek with his other hand. All of the sudden it felt like the two of you were the only one on the whole planet. You just stayed there staring into his eyes. It just feels like you’ve landed it one of those fluffy fanfictions you read on Tumblr.

“DEAN! You are giving that poor girl a heart attack! We can’t afford that!”, Dean’s boss yelled suddenly.

“Son of a bitch”, Dean muttered under his breath while you stood there giggling. It had been a long time since you felt that way around a guy. Dean made you feel like a teenager with raging hormones, and you didn’t even mind it. Because of him your hearth farted rainbows and you started to giggle. Like full on giggling. You tried to stop it but the looks Dean’s boss was giving him didn’t really help. You thought your laugh sounded awful but Dean liked the sound, wait… scrap that, he loved it.

“I heard that!”, the lady replied while sticking her thumbs in the air and winking at you.

While you were shopping Dean staid at your side and helped you. You made some small talk for 10 minutes and started to get to know each other. Sometimes you would get bold and you would flirt a little bit. You picked what you could afford. Your shopping basket was filled with 2 Harry Potter t-shirt of your house, Gandalf’s Funko, a Sherlock mug, a Doctor Who piggy bank, a bloody metalic Dean Funko and a bloody metalic Sam Funko. You needed to get rid of one of the things because you couldn’t afford all of it. You walked to the cash registers, you still couldn’t decide which thing you would drop. Dean saw the frown on your face when he took his place behind the cash register and got an idea.

“Hey Y/N. I’ll pay for the thingy you want. Think of it as a gift.”, Dean said.

“Wha-, no! That’s… No? I can’t accept that!”, you replied.

Dean’s boss popped up behind him and looked at you. “It’s on the house.”

You were dumbfounded: “No! That’s too sweet, I can come back later and buy it you guys…”

As if planned Dean and his boss spoke in sync: “I insist!”

“If you won’t just accept it as a gift…”, Dean started.

“… We can make a deal if you want to.”, his boss finished.

“Am I at a crossroad or something, do I need to kiss a demon?”, you asked.

They both just looked at you with wide eyes and you wished you could have Susan Storm’s powers right now. After a while the friendly lady threw her head back as she started laughing: “Oh God, that’s a good one! No you don’t have to kiss a Dean-mon, well if you want too you can go ahead…” You started to blush as the lady winked at you and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Dean didn’t hear the pun and you were kinda glad he didn’t.

The lady continued: “We can make a deal. You get one of the Funko’s as a gift…”

“And?”

“We could use some help in the store, well if you don’t have a job at the moment…”, she said with a serious face. Dean stared at his boss with wide eyes and she just looked back at him and flashed a big ol’ smile.

“Oh I would love to work here! You guys are so lucky I am unemployed right now!”, you squealed. “Yes! Absolutely, sign me up! Ahem, so my name is Y/N.” you said while you stretched your arm. She didn’t shake your hand but just gave you a fist bump.

“My name is Becca but you can call me ‘tha Boss’”, she introduced herself while she threw some glitter and confetti around her. “’ve been waiting to do that forever!”

Dean started chuckling and turned to Becca: “ You really haven’t changed at all, did you now?”, he then turned to you as he whispered: “That’s the same line she used when I got ‘oficially’ recruted”

“Why would I? So Y/N, your shift starts tomorrow at 10 a.m., if that’s okay for you. Can I have some personal information so I can send you the details?”

She handed you a paper and a pen. I have a paper, I have a pen… Nghh. Paper-pen. You mentally face palmed yourself for doing that and going there. You wrote down your personal information. You were really glad Jo ditched you, otherwise nothing of this wouldn’t have happened.