#in my mind is the 'don't forget you're here forever' board but instead it's 'don't forget nothing lasts forever' 🙃

[magefeathers]

despite the mixed feelings about RCA as a company, right now I'm really glad that sleep token just recently signed with a new label, because it means new music Is Definitely Happening, At Some Point. Because right now, looking at the first show, everything about the way this tour is laid out looks like a victory lap/farewell tour

[jude-thedude98]

Why Should I Settle?

By Cocoa the Poet and her daddy Mr. PoetAll

Why should I settle?

When I'm not an immigrant exploring new land.

When love may not be OnDemand,

Why should I turn the channel?

Settling for FX

When nothings good on FXX

Is like watching a show

That you know

You aren't going to like

But I'm just watching it

To pass the time?

Or because nothing good is on?

No!

If nothing good is on you

Then maybe you gotta change some things about you.

Start being who.

The universe already sees you.

And I love you

And all.

But I fucking love myself a whole lot more and a whole lot better than I used to.

And since maybe you're used to

Settling -

Maybe you should get the kettling

Cooked chips

For the crunch effect

But get the off brand

Because their cheaper. Instead

Of settling

For less

Maybe

We shouldn't second guess

Ourselves

When friends try

To pull us down from shelves. Saying. "Boo!

You

Got ta find a man before I die!"

And I try!

But don't nobody yet

Match up to my energy

And ain't got enough stamina for all this PRIDE.

Because I ride like a lion.

After all my dead name is Ryan.

And that mean I'm a Lil' King.

Don't believe me?

Search The G.

So I know what I want.

And I know who i want.

And I know how I'm gonna get em, too!

Truth?

I dream about you

All the time!

Baby. And I hear you in my mind

Baby.

You say you dream about me too.

Well here's hopes

That our dreams finally connect to receive dream to reality reception

Because baby

I promise you

When comes our reception

There will only be

Love and Acception.

And affection?

Well that comes with The Love we'll both give.

So let me sippppp

On this Secret Imagination Place

Because I've been told that

Anything I dream can happen.

So ill make sure it happens.andball that other yappin'?

Don't let it bother you baby

They, them, those people

Are just a distraction.

I know we all have a past in

Our lives.

But you baby

Will be my man wife.

My husband do us never part.

Even eternity baby

You'll always be my heart.

And never forget you're not the only one.

A polycule life is what i want

But it can't happen if you ain't on -

Board - the ship

Of relatability.

To friends forever and Infinity.

And it scares me too. Because i know what I've written

This is true.

But notice Casey never said the words. True?

You are my Ikaika

And I am your Jude.

Either and both ways we're getting high praise

And that's the truth.

Baby I love you.

You bd my CJ Dreamer and I'll be you RJ Reality.

Kisses to you~

[childhoodbeachvacation]

LISA'S STORY

Summer was never my favourite season as a child, but this one was different.

Every year, the same thing happens; school ends and the beach outside my place is destroyed by reckless nuggets of stupidity. How can anyone enjoy their time here? Their ears must be stuffed by the siren of kids getting stuck in places they don't belong. The noise is so loud, it often keeps me up at night.

There's only one area of the beach where other kids never go: the rocks far away from the resort. I've dubbed it my spot, and made it my mission to be there as much as possible.

I'll never forget a special day. Well, the day itself started as normal. I woke up, and watched as my hungover sister warbled her way into the kitchen. Suddenly, my dad bolted downstairs;

"AHHHH I'M LATE FOR WORK! JENNA, TAKE CARE OF LISA! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MU-"

Bam. There goes the door; I'm honestly surprised it's held on for this long. It's ironic how the Lifeguard of the Month is never on time. I turned to my sister. 

"Ugh, my head is pounding... I never drink, but when I do, this always happens... I need... water... Nevermind... there's no time... you ready to go?"

Once again, she was meeting friends at the resort by the beach. I grabbed my bag and escorted her to the door. Not even 5 minutes had passed, and she was nowhere to be seen. Classic. 

As I walked along the shoreline, I caught a glimpse of some kids stomping on frightened crabs.

"Hey, stop that! Do you not have any respect for the wildlife here!?" 

I watched the joy drain from their chubby little faces, their legs spinning faster than tires. Immediately, I reached down to check on the crabs. They seemed shaken but fine, appreciating they got to live another day. 

"Hi! You must be a mermaid, because your hair is absolutely magical."

Startled, I turned around. It's a boy I've never seen before.

"You're weird. Leave me alone."

He wasn't offended. Instead, he sat beside me and helped me tend to the crabs. We talked until he had to leave, but he promised he'd be back. Over the summer, we met up at my spot everyday. We bonded over our absent parents, and shared our lifelong dreams. Sometimes we'd participate in the beach activities; I didn't mind, as long as he was there. Slowly but surely, I made my first friend.

The days went by, and anticipation turned into dread as summer slowly transitioned into autumn. I never thought I'd want summer to last forever, but he changed my mind. I watched him board the train and ride off into the distance, until it disappeared into the horizon.

Eventually, summer rolled back around. It's been 10 years, and I still walk to our spot on the first day of summer, hoping he'd visit. But he still hasn't. 

How are you, Jasper?

I miss you.

[floosies]

Salvatore

pairing: mob!jake lockley x oc!fem

warnings: slow burn, pining, cursing, mentions of violence, smut, mentions of dr*gs 18+ ONLY

taglist: @lex-the-flex @tsnelf7

(A/N: I just want to say writing this series has my little bit of joy and seeing that it has gotten so many likes is really heartwarming. I know I've taken forever writing these chapters but they really do come from a place of love for both fandom and writing so I really hope you enjoy this final chapter. Also I can't believe we might be getting a season two of Moonknight!)

"We both know that it's not fashionable to love me, but you don't go 'cause truly there's nobody for you but me. We could cruise to the blues, Wilshire Boulevard if we choose. Or whatever you want to do. We make the rules, Our honeymoon...."

8.

It took a lot of convincing from Rogers to get Lockley on board with the plan to keep Alicia in the Heights with him while things got smoothed out enough to send her with Barnes' family in Greece. The nail in the coffin for Jake's reluctant agreement was the fear of time, neither of the men knew how long it would take to get things straightened up, Rogers estimated a couple of months.

However, the more Jake thought about things, his mind began to wander into the darker depths. No one was certain if this thing would bring any casualties or unwanted public attention. He was willing to do whatever it took to protect her, but their bond was something he didn't want to break. They hadn't lied to each other about anything up til then and sure, he wasn't going to technically lie to her even now, but he didn't feel too good about what he was doing, ironically.

-

Oddly enough, Alicia had never felt more certain that things though tense were going well. Everyone around seemed busy facing this problem, including herself. When she'd heard from both Jake and her uncle that they'd like for her to help up in the Heights she was excited to get back into her work flow. She'd met Frenchie, she knew the people who worked in Jake's office, it all felt like a turn in the right direction.

It'd been two weeks since she arrived and just as Jake was beginning to forget the initial plan, he had gotten word from Barnes that it was all set. Though she had helped him and the community immensely, his goal was to keep her safe. She was under the impression that she had a business trip to attend to with her uncle.

-

The ride to the landing strip was quiet and unnerving, she felt something was off. Without thinking twice she asked, "is there something you're not telling me about this business trip?" Her uncle looked at her in a way he hadn't quite starred at her since she was younger, with a look of worry and guilt. He knew he couldn't hide the truth from her forever, but it wasn't so much the plan that made her upset, though she did feel angered, it was the fact that Jake had known and didn't even think to warn her.

She refused to leave the car, her mind and heart were racing with emotions. Her uncle knew she had done a great service to all of them but he continued to repeat to her that for said reason he needed to keep her safe. Still her mind kept thinking back to Jake and how he said nothing to her, she needed one final word with him.

As much as Barnes' thought it as a waste of time, he let her call him. When he picked up and she heard his voice every thought she was thinking came out all at once. "I'm not leaving." That was her finishing line, but instead of hearing him plead, instead she was met with a demand. His voice gruff and dark, like the kind he used on his enemies had taken over his demeanor, "I'm doing this for us carino. I'm going to handle this and go get you when its over. So if you don't get on that plane now, your uncle and I will make sure you do get on it."

Here she was, just herself against the people she loves. She knew she only wanted to stay because she was afraid, but they would force her to leave anyways. Their fears were stronger than hers and in silence she got on the plane. An assistant of her uncle's gave her the instructions for when she arrived in Greece as the plane began to decend.

-

The first week felt like an unprompted vacation. Her aunt and the children took around the town in which they lived. Doing everything and anything to keep her mind at bay from thinking about home. Though as the month progressed her mind went back to Jake and what was going on back home. She had been informed that she couldn't have any of her personal devices with her, so she tried her best to keep informed by watching the international news, but even at the greek home there were restrictions.

Unbeknownst to her, in the second month, her family came to visit her. Apparently it was a plan arranged by her uncle. She hadn't seen her siblings or parents in ages but the conversations she had with the adults in her life only made her think more of Jake and what he could possibly be living through.

-

By the third month she wasn't sure what to do with herself. All the things she knew had been spoken of with the people around her, well except for her niece and nephews those children deserved all the fun and calm they could live through before age ruined them. Her aunt hadn't told her yet that it was all over now, but she didn't need to when her uncle and Jake showed up.

Jake had gone through hell and back for her, he had healing scars and a his left arm in a cast. He wasn't sure what she would say when she saw him. He hadn't expected that she didn't say anything at all, she just hugged him and held onto him for a good while. There was a sense of calm for once, the kind that they all shared in.

With a handle on things Barnes decided to take his family out of Greece and back home to New York. Jake surprised everyone by proposing to Alicia, she said yes though, marriage meant she could never lose him and that was what she wanted. There was so much they would have to talk about and so much they needed to plan. Jake had never thought a life with domesticity would ever be in his cards, but he was going to enjoy every second of it with her.

[fandomscombine]

Heartbreak Woman [Cho/Cedric Ending]

Warning: Angst! Brokenhearted!Reader

WC:1454

I proposed 3 varying endings and the response was across the board so I decided why the heck not write ALL 3 choices!

a/n: I haven't been active on tumblr this past month. Motivation to read & write wasn't really there. Feelin pretty crap. I don't think it's my best work- I actually wrote this ending last month but delay posting it since I promised to post all 3 endings back to back- but with the recent burnout, my progress is slow. Proofread it and push the insecurities & anxieties away and here we are. Love was put into this, I hope you enjoy it! Don't worry, the other 2 endings are on the way.

I tried posting this 9 times now and it keeps saying error. this is me testing it with mobile so formatting is hard but I hope it posts

BG: You were hoping that your best friend, Cedric to ask you to the Yule Ball. Instead you were roped into helping him ask Cho out. It broke your heart, but at least this way while helping him out you could pretend that he was doing all the sweet things to you. On the other side of the picture, Harry was too heartbroken upon learning that Cho is going out with Cedric.

Read the main story before it diverges ending here!

>>>Heartbreak Woman [Main]

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

 

Did Harry Potter really just ask you out and you said yes?

Touching your forehead, it wasn’t bleeding anymore but there is still a slight sting to it from the collision with Harry’s broom. Yes. That definitely happened. You thought to yourself, this isn’t some delusion from the injury.

 This is good. This is good. Hyping yourself up. You enjoy his company and that should be enough to stop your thoughts from going about a certain Hufflepuff boy. The same boy you had abruptly left alone in the greens. It’s not his fault nor it is Cho’s for wanting to date each other. You have nothing against them, they are both such lovely and kind people and not to mention popular- it was only a matter of time that they got together, Hogwarts’ Power Couple.

No, it’s just you and your stupid feelings falling for your best friend and agreeing to help with the courtship.

‘Y/n? Hii.” The voice reels you back to reality.

You blinked. “Cho! Hi!” Greeting her loudly had been taken by surprise. You dial down your volume. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s actually what you did, really… I just wanted to say thank you.”

You were confused, why was she thanking you?

“For helping Cedric I mean” She clarified. “He mentioned that you helped him with the picnic idea. It was very sweet. It was what made me finally say yes.”

“That’s awesome.” You force yourself to smile. “I’m glad you guys are together, I can finally get that git to stop bothering me with date ideas. That’s 3 weeks of my life I’m not getting back!” There was some truth to that statement, now that she and Cedric are together you don’t have to go through the pain of practice dates with Cedric.

“You y/n are the absolute wingwoman! Legend material!” Cho praised. “You're like my fairy godmother!” She continues, wrapping you into an embrace.

“yayyyy….That’s me…” You mumble into her luscious hair. Grateful that Cho couldn’t see your face.  Pulling apart, you don’t let her go quite yet. With hands on her shoulder, you stare unwavering. “Just don’t break his heart yea? He’s really smitten by you, promise you won’t hurt him.”

Cho is taken aback a bit, your words clearly coming from a strong emotional bond with the boy.  Thoughts of love, Eros, passed through her mind but brushed it away - It can’t be y/n help them get together. Y/n’s words must come from Philia love, y/n and Cedric had been best friends since before they could talk! Everyone knows that. They have a soul connection that can’t be replicated.  “I promise.”

~

14th February.

Valentine’s Day.

This holiday sucks.

No, not for the reason that you’re single. Nah.

Today is a downer as you won’t be able to do your annual tradition.

See every since 3rd year you and Cedric would be in a pink ensemble outfit complete with red heart sunglasses. Spreading chants of self love and showering fellow single students and professors with compliments. This all started out when your roommates teased you for not having a date for Valentine’s day.  When Cedric had heard about it, he went all out. The boy basically made sure that every single person knew how wonderful, beautiful and intelligent you are.

It was this day onwards that 2 things happened.

Complementing and advocating for self love, Philautia, in a pink get up became an annual Valentine’s tradition. (Even a couple of students joined the cause, expanding from you just both into an association/group of sorts.)

 You started to see Cedric in a new light. In other words, you were falling in love with your best friend.

Scanning the Great Hall for pink cladded pupils, you were glad that the group had saved you a seat however a certain Hufflepuff was out of sight. Taking a deep breath, you cleared your head. Get it together y/n. Today is about sharing love and do NOT think about Cedric and Cho going on a romantic date in Hogsmeade.

You were about to take a step forward when-

“Argh!” Shutting your eyes as the hall spun around.

“Relaxx!! Relax! It’s just me.”

Feet back on solid ground, you turned towards the perpetrator, the one boy you did not want to see right now. “What the fuck Ced! Don’t scare me like that!”

“I’m sorry…” Cedric raises his arms in surrender. “Is everything alright?”

“Yea everything’s fine.”

Cedric raises a brow. You forget that this boy can see through your bullshit.

“Only had a couple hours of sleep, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie, in fact you’d only gotten 3 hours of rest last night, it was just the case of omitting that his upcoming date with Cho was the reason for your restlessness. You don’t want to blame it on jealousy, but it is.

Grabbing hold of your hand, he pulls you towards the group. "Alright then, I've got some spare sleeping potion if you need."

You wave to your fellow singles as you sit down."uh..thanks Ced." You couldn't stop vocalizing your confusion as to why Cedric is still right next to you. Normally you wouldn't complain, but today was Valentine's Day.

"Ouch y/n!" Cedric sassed, eyes focused on piling food onto his plate." Just because I have a girlfriend now doesn't mean I would disappear on my best girl."

My best girl. It hurts to be called that in another context than you wanted.

"Don't you have a date with Cho today?"

"Yea but Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop  doesn't open until 11am. Which gives me time for our annual Valentine's tradition!"

"But you're taken."

"Yes….but I could still help spreading the love!" Cedric glanced around. "No one minds that I come to join you right?"

A murmur of Nos filled your eyes.

"Haha! See I told you!" Cedric brags, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. Looks at you straight in the eyes, those gorgeous grey irises melting away your defenses."You can't get rid of me that easily." He whispers, loud enough only for you to hear. You could feel the heat filling up your face due to his closeness. Too busy lost in the rapid beats of your heart, you failed to notice his face getting even closer.

A softness like cotton grazes your cheek.

Cedric kissed you!

Your mind is close to being short circuited. The area of where Cedric's lips were a nanosecond ago is cold as ice. The cold contrasted with your now burning hot, blushing face.

You could live in this forever. All external environments quiet, blocked out of focus. Cedric's arms around you while the butterflies in your stomach bursts out, occupying your whole body with sheer giddiness from having his lips on you.

But the daydream breaks.

"Hey Love! You ready?"

"Morning!" He greets, kissing her. "Uh…" It's only 9:34am. You nod, silently telling him that it was okay to miss your annual tradition. You weren't expecting any quality time today, yet he managed even if it was just for breakfast. "Yea.. give me 10 minutes to go change and I'll pick you up at the courtyard?"

"Sounds great. Be quick cause I miss you already!"

"Sure will sweetheart." He pecks her lips again then waves goodbye to the table and he's off, running.

The tension changes once Cedric is gone.

"Can I talk to you outside y/n?"

"uh yeah" Once outside. "What's up?" Trying to sound casual. Cho inviting you to speak privately isn't usual-seeing that you were the couple's go to accomplice for surprises.

"I see the way you look at him."

"I'm sorry?"

"I know.you like him. y/n. I know you like Cedric."

"Cho.. you can't be serious, he's my best friend!"

"I wasn't sure then.but just now..the way you act around him. the way you look at him. y/n is undeniable. It’s  so obvious-I had assumptions then but everyone just brushes it off as your childhood friend with each other. heck even both of you say that."

"Cho…."

"I didn't bring this up before because I felt insecure, jealous even that I can't live up to the standard of relationship you and Cedric have.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. There were too many revelations bombarding you all at once, that you are having trouble processing what is going on.

“But I am tired of what ifs and worrying.” Voice quivering, she continues. “You've got to tell him, y/n."

The words snap you back into place.

"Cho… I can't. I can't ruin your relationship."

If you love someone and they love someone else, you let them go.

~

Everything Taglist :@gruffle1

HP Taglist:@onlyfreds

Heartbreak woman Tagist:

@joalinbenefits @the-natureofme @romanoffs-heart @justmesadgirl @plumso @gleefulleve @wolf-phoenix-lover @ceofcedric @savvy7392 @cedricsfluffyhair @thewayilookatbacon @LIONLIKEWOLFLIKE @mellifluous-cosmos

[not-another-writing-blog]

Cloud Nine

Pairing: Alpha x reader

Warnings: fluff

Summary: Y/N is weirdly happy and everyone is wondering why

~~

“If there’s a prize, for rotten judgement, I guess I’ve already won that-”  You sing to yourself as you pull weeds in the garden, smiling as Michonne gives you a quizzical look. 

“Wow, (Y/N). Up at the crack of dawn, AND singing Disney. Something’s got you in a good mood. Since You’re so cheerful, would you mind helping Carol with canning this afternoon?” You smile back, as Michonne smirks at you, and shrug your shoulders.

“Sure! I’d love that!” Your voice is an odd sort of perky, and you hear her sigh softly. “Let me finish pulling these weeds, and then I’ll head over to the canning center. I can watch Judith and R.J. this afternoon if you like.”

“Sure.” Michonne rolls her eyes. “What did you eat for breakfast anyway? I need your energy today.”

You finish in the garden, singing to yourself the whole time, as you dust your hands off on your jeans. Your mind is reeling, part of you still in the forest under the stars, the leaves tangling in your hair as you fall asleep wrapped in Alpha’s arms. You are so in love with that woman, and after last night, well, you don’t think anything could put a damper on your increasingly good mood.

“They say time take its toll on a body Makes a young girl's brown hair turn gray Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway They say time can play tricks on a mem'ry Make people forget things they knew Well, it's easy to see it's happenin' to me I've already forgotten every woman but you Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever Forever and ever, amen” 

“(Y/N)!” You stop mid song, realizing that you nearly slammed straight into Daryl, who glares at you fighting a smile. “What’s got into you today? You aint never like this.” You just shrug, turning back towards the house, opening the door and greeting Carol with a big grin.

“Hey! I’m here to help with canning! By the way, isn't it crazy? It’s nearly lunchtime. Wow! The day has just FLOWN BY!” You giggle girlishly, and twirl around like a Disney princess, earning a laugh from Carol.

“Oookay. Sure. Take it down a couple notches though (Y/N). You’ve got just a bit too much perky today.” Carol says as she takes out the jars and hands you a knife and cutting board, motioning to the peaches over in the barrel. 

The hours fly by, and Carol is surprised by how fast you work, and less pleasantly surprised by exactly how many Disney and Country songs you know the words to. By the time you’re done, you’ve treated her to nearly every Disney love song in your repertoire, and  a great many country songs as well. She’s spent the entire time trying to figure out why you’re so happy, and how you can possibly be glowing as brightly as you are. 

She lets you go earlier than expected, not at all surprised when you spend your bit of free time laying on the grass under the shadiest of the shady trees, dreamily staring up into the branches with a love sick grin on your face. 

“I can talk to you all night Somethin' about you feels like home Even if you said goodbye, you'd make it sound good But I hope you don't 'Cause I wanna get to know you, Take me down every road that brought you to me, yeah Come on get a little closer I wanna know everything, everything Are you from Louisiana, Mississippi, The coast of Georgia, the Heart of Dixie Wherever it is, girl it gets me Drunk on you like a fifth of whiskey My heart beats fast when you talk slow, Slower than a sunset in Tupelo And if you're sayin' anything at all I'll stand right here and fall For your southern drawl” 

“Hey!” You jump a mile when Lydia sits down beside you, rolling her eyes at you as you realize you’d been twirling your hair around your finger as your other hand absentmindedly pulled grass stems up by their roots. “Singing about someone...special?” She gives you a teasing grin, and you shake your head, still intently watching the sun, wishing you could command the night to come, so you could sneak off to be with the one you love.

“Yeah.” You answer honestly, not wanting to give anything away to Alpha’s smart daughter. 

“Who is she?” Lydia asks, and you shake your head. “Come ON (Y/N), you’ve got to tell me.” She’s blossomed since she’s been here, and it has been good for her. She’s fitting in and becoming more confident, which also means she’s no longer afraid to pester you with questions.

“I’m not telling.” You answer, humming softly under your breath. To your delight, the sun is closer to setting, and you are completely hooked on staring at its slow descent behind the tree line.

“Sun aint gonna set any faster with you staring at it.” Lydia teases, tossing a handful of grass at you, when you roll your eyes. “Word of advice, instead of squeezing through the gap in the rails, try the trick woodpile. You’ll get there faster, and nobody patrols there during guard change” Her voice is low, and you stare at her in surprise. “Oh, and by the way, your answer is Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama.” She smirks, as she stands up. 

“How’d you know?” You ask, dumbfounded, staring at her with an expression of shock.

“You come back smelling like that perfume she still sprays on her bedroll. Grinning and singing really cheesy love songs. I think it’ll be good for Mom, to have someone like you. Maybe you can help her. Make her human again.”

“I hope so.” You smile, thankful for Lydia’s approval. “I really do love her.”

“You better be careful, or everyone’s going to know that.” She smirks as you stand, heading over to the false woodpile, glad to see that the sun is setting. Your heart practically soars at the thought of being back with your beloved.

~~

Written by @thankyoualexkingston-blog 💕

[vhanities]

Richard Vamir died almost a month ago and Clair still hadn't moved on.

     It was not entirely visible. You could only see it if you looked closely at the cracks, at the locker left untouched in the dormitory or the seat assigned to him in Moore's Design Strategy classes. And, if you dug deeper, you could see it in the idle chair sitting by the window in Samaira Sheikh's dormitory―the chair that had, in a sense,belonged to Richard. It was empty in a way that made it look like Samaira was almost expecting him to come back, talk about his day and sit down on the plush purple velvet covers to look out of the window while she sat on her desk completing the rest of her pre-mid projects in silence. It was like they were all expecting him to come back and quote pretentious poems, like they were all living their lives wasting every moment in memories.

     All except one.

     Han Kai Tuo had been the first one to arrive at the roof after getting the ominous message from Richard and he knew more than what was just there. He refused to believe Richard committed suicide, contrary to the popular belief among the townsfolk, and today was no exception. He sat on the edge of Samaira's bed, glaring at the white bedspread with lilac undertones. "This isn't right," he said, after a while.

     Dante, who was sprawled on the faux purple fur carpet playing catch all by himself, glanced up. "Kai―" he said with a tired sigh, "―let's just forget that happened okay. Please."

     Kai could not. He could not forget what had happened, he could not unsee it. It was engraved in his brain; branded on his skin. He knew Richard hadn't committed suicide, they all did―but saying even one word of it, just a word, would make them all the prime suspects, no matter what their alibis said.

     "We saw him, he was right there―"

     "Kai!" Samaira, who had been sitting on the desk quietly for a while, slapped the top hard enough for it to resound across the room. "Shut up. Shut up. We saw nothing. We came after he left."

     Kai opened his mouth to retort and shut it back, deciding to lie down on his back instead. He was still wearing his shoes, so he just lay there awkwardly with his feet on the ground and eyes on the whites of the ceiling while his mind floated somewhere else. That day when they'd reached the roof, they weren't alone. There was a man. Black hoodie. Black mask. He'd pushed Richard off. He'd sent them the text. He was the one who'd killed Richard. Kai's jaw flexed and tightened and he sat up again.

     "This isn't right," he repeated.

     "Well damn Sherlock," Dante said. "What do you want to do, then? Tell the police? We've kept quiet about it for a month and we are of legal age. We'll be doomed."

     "We need to do something, we can't just stay here wallowing knowing that our friend was murdered!"

     The silence that followed was terrible. Kai's head ached, and he felt clammy underneath his yellow hoodie. The floor-length mirror in the room's corner made the bags under his eyes look weary and tired and the small silver ear piercings look unnecessary. He ran a hand through the messy black strands of his hair and turned to look at Samaira.

     "You are the sensible one. Do you think this is right?"

     Samaira turned to face them after five hours of ignoring their existence. The look she gave him was tired, it made something inside him drop. They had all been so close and now there was nothing they could manage to tell each other, nothing they could manage to say. They were all dealing with Richard's death in different ways; Filippa had started smoking again and Dante quit the Basketball team, Samaira worked herself to the bone and Kai? He was just hanging in there, not fully there to the conclusion but enough to feel the empty worry in his heart.

     He hated feeling helpless. And he hated the words that came out of Samaira's mouth next. "Kai, go back. Take a break. Just, go cool off somewhere."

     For a minute, he said nothing. Then the anger came bubbling out. He stood up and walked to the door silently, ignoring Dante's quiet refusal. When he got out, he made sure to bang the door as loudly as he could despite horrible pain of protest shooting up his palms in the process. (He'd hurt himself last week and still didn't know how.)

     "Goddamn my life―" he yelled, "Goddamn everything―"

     Someone coughed. Tension shot up his spine. This was the Girl's Dorm and he, a boy, had just caused a scene. He looked up to find half-dressed girls in pajamas and turned away instantly. His insides turned to melted nothings and his eyes scrammed for another pace to latch on to. The board, he thought. Look at the notice board.

     "I'm sorry," someone giggled. "But you should probably leave."

     He probably should.

     Kai apologized under his breath and tried to navigate past the corridor to the staircases without raising his eyes. Almost tripping on a few bottles of only God knew what, he made it to the stairwell and plopped against the opening. The girl's dorm and the boy's dorm of students majoring in Fashion were located in the same stretch of suburban apartment buildings. At least he thought they were suburban apartment buildings. Eight stories high and painted in funky blues and greens with random graffiti on every nook and corner outside while decorating the interior with rouge bricks and black plastic for an industrial look, the house dormitories were made to hold about five hundred students. Each flat was just a large bedroom with two beds, two desks and a kitchenette―not like home but just enough to be one.

     The boy's side was separated from the girl's one by nothing but a small lobby on the first floor and a wall made above it to divide it from the other.

          "Throw a tantrum somewhere else, you little bitch."

     Kai turned to find Dante strolling down the set of stairs taking two at a time. His hands were shoved inside the pocket of his grey pyjamas and the oversized grey hoodie hid the fair tuft of his hair. He looked like shit but still managed to look good at it. Kai bit a smile threatening to let loose and forced himself to look away.

     "Look, if you're here to tell me to get over―"

     "I'm not, idiot," Dante smiled. "Let's get some bread."

     "It's five in the evening."

     "So what?"

     Dante moved forward and Kai followed him, a heavy hole in his chest sewing itself shut in a place where it could hurt only him. They were outside in five seconds, nodding at Manuel who was dozing off by the receiver's desk. The campus was crowded with students; the sky was light―he wasn't sure what they called it but it was in the lightest shade of orange. Sunlight leaked in through little crevices between the artsy buildings around the boulevard and cut through the leaves between each green trees and plants in nets. Dante was waiting for him in silence, sitting on the ledge before the neatly cut bushes that framed the park.

     Kai sat by him, waiting for him to speak.

     "It isn't easy for any of us, you know. Richard is gone, and it isn't just another day―I don't remember one damned day when it wasn't the five of us. He was always there, even when we didn't talk, even when we weren't around each other, even when I was an asshole and he was an asshole―he was always there. I don't expect you to understand what Richard meant to me―"

     "I do," Kai said because he did.

     Richard wasn't the talkative kind. He wasn't the happy kind or the sad kind. He was the kind of person who'd sit by you in silence to let you know he was there for you with his actions instead of words, the kind who'd leave the last piece of his favourite sandwich for you even if he hadn't had the other slices himself. Richard had saved them so many times―had saved Kai so many times―that it hurt to think that just when their turn came, they'd been a second too late.

     "Yes," Dante said. "Maybe you do."

     "I do and I―we should have helped him, he's been there for us so many times," Kai's words got caught in his throat and he reared back, eyes burning and fingers palmed in a fist. He'd wanted to do something. Something. Something that would've led to a different ending other than the one they were faced with now, something that would've led to Richard being alive and safe and there.

     "We've all got things we can never recover from and we've all got things that we carry with us forever." Dante stretched back, hands on either side of him and feet scrapping the cobble. "Life is never your story to tell."

     Kai just stared straight ahead at the entrance to their dormitory, at a group of friends chilling on the steps leading out of it. There were five of them, just like they had once been five too. The blond boy in the middle said something and the brunette sitting by him laughed―Filippa and Richard. Kai closed his eyes. "I don't know," he said, burying his face in his hands. "I don't know."

     That's when Dante's phone rang. Filippa. Unfortunately for them, when taking the call, Dante put it on the speaker for both of them to hear. Filippa was screaming, and it was never pretty when she screamed. She had one of the foulest mouths in the year and her temper tantrums usually included loud one-sided declarations to 'fight her.' The students walking past them stared at the phone in their hand and then at them and Kai realised they were probably dressed like homeless jocks, instantly feeling the embarrassment rise up his spine as blood rushed to his cheeks.

     "GUYS―I AM GOING TO END THAT TRICK ASS FUCKING BITCH―HOW DARE SHE TRY ME? HOW DARE SHE―"

     "Yo calm down woman―" Dante half-grinned. "Who are you talking about?"

     "DARCY FUCKING VAMIR," Filippa's voice grew more shrill, like that was even possible. "THAT BITCH MADE MY GIRLFRIEND BREAK UP WITH ME."

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