#jenny simons fanfiction

[alovelyfox]

idk if its still kyle week but could u do something about kyle n jenny simons ☝️☝️

hi of course! my requests are always open for any character, i just thought kyle week would be a good time to focus on everyone’s fav redhead :P

anyways the premise of this story is that it takes place a week after the events of season 11, episode 14: The List! the characters have not been aged up (still in fourth grade), but sorry if anyone is acting ooc as i had to take some liberties to move the story along…

Why Me? Kyle Broflovski X Jenny Simons Oneshot

It was just a dumb list.

Nothing to get upset about, and definitely not enough for Jenny to be in this classroom right now.

“I don’t get why I’m here right now,” she exclaims to the black-haired girl in front of her, Wendy Testaberger. Wendy is shorter than Jenny, and if needed, Jenny knows she could easily push past her and go out through the door. But Wendy is one of her classmates, and a part of the girls friend group. All the drama that could come from a simple shove is just not worth it, especially when everyone’s already on edge after that damn list.

“You know why you’re here,” Wendy squeaks, staring pointedly. “You had a hand in creating the list of the most to least attractive guys in our class, so now you have to apologize to who you put at the bottom of the barrel. Sorry, Kyle.”

Ah, right. The redhead has been quiet ever since he was ushered in here by his best friend’s ex, and only assumed the worst when he saw who else had been forced in here with him. He had never really known Jenny, until that fateful day last week. Seeing her up there with Bebe and Lola, agreeing that he was the ugliest boy in their class changed his whole perception of her. No longer was she Jenny Simmons, one of the girls. Now, she was Jenny Simmons, shallow bitch.

“It’s fine, Wendy. I actually-”

“Who cares?” Jenny says. “I don’t see the point in apologizing for something that happened days ago.”

Kyle shoots her an aggressive glare for interrupting him, but he digresses, just wanting to be out of here as soon as possible. “I actually agree. I don’t think her saying sorry is necessary, Wendy. Can I go now? I think Stan and Kenny are still playing basketball…”

Wendy simply responds by rolling her eyes. “Look. I don’t care how long it takes. Kyle deserves an apology from every girl involved in that list, so I don’t want you guys to come out until then.”

And before either of them can blink, Wendy walks out of the classroom, shutting the door behind her with a loud slam.

Jenny lets out a sigh, and Kyle shifts around awkwardly where he’s standing.

“Look. You can leave, if you want. I’ll tell Wendy you said sorry and everything, it’s all good.”

She looks him up and down, trying to discern whether or not he’s telling the truth. She doesn’t want to risk opening the door and telling her friend she apologized just for Kyle to turn around and say she lied. The girl’s relationship with Wendy is already rocky because of what happened, and Jenny doesn’t need Kyle Broflovski of all people to completely ruin it. But, the other option is staying in here with him until the end of the world, so she nods and heads towards the door.

She tries to pry it open, but it doesn’t budge. It takes a couple more tries of pushing and pulling the handle until Jenny realizes what happened.

“The bitch locked it!”

Rolling her eyes at the immaturity of her friend, Jenny turns around, only to come face to face with Kyle. They’re so close that she can count the freckles on his nose, ones she didn’t know he had before then. She also never knew he had green eyes, as they always appear hazel under the harsh brightness of the classroom lightbulbs. But now, with the sun streaming in through the windows and onto his face, she can truly see the flecks of emerald. Huh.

“You’re not trying hard enough. Move.”

“Asshole,” she mutters, making way for him to try to open the door the exact same way she just tried 10 seconds ago, to no avail. Eventually he gives up, and leans his forehead against it in defeat. She buries her face in her hands, growing more irritated by everything as the seconds tick by, when suddenly she has an idea.

“Kyle!” She practically yells, so loud he gets startled and moves away from the door. Jenny presses her mouth against it, trying to amplify her voice as much as possible. “I’m really sorry that I had anything to do with that list, it was just supposed to be for fun, I never meant for you to get hurt.”

Kyle gives her a quizzical look, before realizing why she’s facing the door and not him as she apologizes.

“That’s okay Jenny! I forgive you, and I am totally over my feelings on that dumb list anyway. That’s why girls like Wendy Testaberger don’t need to stick me in classrooms anymore, and should just let me go out and play with my friends.”

Jenny shoots him a small smile at how quickly he caught on, and it sends something stirring in his chest. She peers outside the small peephole on the door, not finding any sight of Wendy in the hallway.

“Shit!” She yells out of frustration, turning around and kicking a nearby chair over. The action makes Kyle take several steps back from her.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Shut up,” she tells him, advancing to where he is and wagging her index finger at his face. “This is all your fault, you know. If you didn’t have to be such a whiny fag about a stupid list, she never would’ve locked us in here.”

“This is not my fault,” he announces. “If you and your dumb girl friends just didn’t make the list in the first place, none of this would’ve happened in the first place.”

“Oh my god,” she cries out. “The list doesn’t even matter. We just made it so that Clyde would finally be popular, and we could all get free shoes! I don’t even think you’re that ugly.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” he replies, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jenny simply scoffs and walks away, pacing up and down the front of the class to try and think of a way to escape, while Kyle leans his back to a nearby desk. There's a few moments of silence, before he decides to break it with a question that’s been plaguing his mind ever since he learnt of his placement.

“Why me, though?”

He practically whispers the question, but Jenny stops her strolling and brings her eyes up to face him. His own are studying the floor, and they drag up to her expectantly when he hears the footsteps stop.

“Huh?”

“It’s just,” Kyle sighs, turning his face to the side so she can’t see his expression. “I was at the bottom. The very bottom of the list. Why couldn’t I at least have been, like, above Cartman or something?”

“Because Cartman’s psycho,” Jenny states matter of factly, staring bewildered at Kyle. “I thought you of all people would know that. We couldn’t put him at the bottom because he’d kill us all. We figured second to last would be enough to keep him sane, while still making it all seem believable.”

“Yeah, but… Why me? Why couldn’t Tweek or someone else be at the bottom? Am I really that ugly that I absolutely had-”

“Kyle!” Jenny shouts, sick of his ranting. Seeing that she’s startled him once again, she sighs and collapses on a nearby chair. “Listen, you’re good looking. We just put you at the bottom because we figured you’d care the least. It never felt like you were into your looks that much, and you’re really nice, so we thought that you wouldn’t make such a big deal out of being last. It was a fake list anyways, don’t get your panties in such a twist, god.”

Another moment of silence occurs, as both of them let her words hang in the air. Jenny drops her head down, utterly done with it all, while Kyle completely turns around so that the black-haired girl can’t see his blushing face. He’s not used to girls casually admitting that he’s good looking, or that he’s nice and humble. The heat crawls up his neck, due to both embarrassment and sudden timidity, so he opens a nearby window to get some fresh air.

The breeze feels nice on his hot face, and he doesn’t realize that Jenny’s come up behind him until he turns around to see her head near his shoulder. Her face looks oddly similar to how it did right before she started yelling out her apology for Wendy to hear through the door, and Kyle’s eyes dart from her furrowed brows to the open window.

“You know it’s like a 10 foot drop, right?” He says, anticipating her next words about how they should try to jump to their freedom. “Plus, that massive bush underneath isn’t going to do anything to cushion the fall.”

Her eyebrows are still pinched for a second more, before her face breaks into a wide grin.

“Pussy,” she calls him, right before tumbling out. Kyle cranes his neck out to check if she’s alright, but when his vision is obstructed by the bush, he curses and decides to follow her lead.

Luckily, neither are injured, and they find each other amongst the greenery they are sitting in. Kyle’s ushanka has slipped off, revealing his leaf covered bright-red curls. Jenny had seen his hair a couple times before, but seeing it in such close proximity made her wonder why he would ever want to keep it covered up. The lack of distance between them was also affecting him, and he pulls a small twig from her bangs and holds it between them. Both of them gaze at it, before letting out roaring laughs at how stupid the entire situation is. Kyle feels his face turning red again, and Jenny starts clutching her sides.

“Hey! What’re you doing in that bush?”

The voice of Mr Mackey sobers them both up quickly, and they duck to avoid their counselors' rapidly approaching gaze.

“You better not be smoking pot, mmkay?”

“Fuck,” Kyle whispers, as he already knows what kind of assumptions Mr Mackey will make if he finds both him and Jenny together, alone in a bush. She seems to think the same, and grabs his hand.

“Run.”

The simple command prompts both of them to get up and start sprinting away from Mr Mackey, who yells out at them, but doesn’t follow. Jenny’s a faster runner than she seems, but Kyle has no problem matching her pace, and soon enough she leads him into a random alley in town. They both take a minute to catch their breaths, during which Kyle can’t help but sneak glances at the girl. She’s slumped down on the side of the building, and her skin is given a golden glow as the sweat from running causes her bangs to stick to her forehead and it drips down the side of her cheek. He wonders if maybe she isn’t as one-dimensional as he originally thought, and sticks out a hand to aid her in getting up. She glances up at the green-eyed, freckled boy, and as she grabs his hand, wonders how she could ever think of putting him on the bottom of the list. Fake or not.

[bamboo72498]

FLM Fast Facts

Five Little Monkeys (FLM) is a fanfiction/ original fiction world in the Castle fandom. 

The first book (published Jan. 2013) explores the idea of what if Castle and Beckett had quintuplets. How would their lives change?

Each subsequent story shows moments of this family including first birthdays, buying a new home, and going to Disney World. 

The one-shot Collection, Moments of Infinity (published in 2015), shows moments and bits and pieces of their lives as the quints grow into teenagers and adults. It is a five-generation world ranging from grandparents all the way down to great, great-grandchildren. 

We all know the family that started it all: Martha Rogers, Jim Beckett, Kate Beckett, Rick Castle, and Alexis Castle; as well as Johanna Beckett and ‘Jackson Hunt’

Now, let's get to know the rest of their family!

Alexis marries her college sweetheart, Max Foster, and they have three kids together:

McKenna Jo (marries Sterling Monroe and has the first great, great grandkids: Avery, Dashiell, and Luke)

Wyatt Alexander (marries Christopher Thompson and they have a son, Trenton)

Chyler Lynn

Together, Rick and Kate have Quintuplets:

Danielle James (marries Ashley Requejo and they have three kids: Macey Katherine, Henry Xavier, and Louis Santos)

Liam Roy (marries Ingrid Callaghan and they have three kids: Beatrice (Bea) Marin, and twins, Gavin Patrick and Lucy Ashlynn)

Miyana Cyan (marries Byron Mecham and they have three kids: Jaycee Rene, Emilia Faith, and Calvin Sky)

Austin Michael (marries Christine Renner and they have three kids: Simon Ray, Hayley Roberta, and Harrison Richard)

Finn Elizabeth (marries Deacon Laythum and they have two kids: Bodhi Josseph, and Selah Madeline)

Other Info:

Nicknames: 

Alexis: Lex, Lexi 

Danielle: Dani

Liam: Bubby

Miyana: Mia, Mimi

Austin: Tintin

Finn: Nemo

Finn has Cerebral Palsy and uses a walker and later crutches

Ingrid is deaf and uses American Sign Language

Alexis is a doctor specializing in emergency medicine. 

Max is also a doctor in orthopedics.

Danielle is a camera operator and aspiring director in LA. 

Ashley is a television writer

Liam is a photographer and part-time EMT in New York

Ingrid is a second-grade teacher

Mia is an actor who has appeared on Broadway

Byron is also an actor as well as working in marketing

Austin works in biomedical engineering in North Carolina

Christine works with the Carolina Hurricanes as their social media director

Finn is a chef who owns two cafes with her best friend and a catering company

Deacon is a country singer with his band, Kentucky Social

Other characters:

Kevin and Jenny Ryan, and their two kids: Grace and Kieran

Kieran is non-binary

Javier Esposito and Dr. Lanie Parish and their twin daughters, Leticia and Monica

Friends of the kids: Corinne Brookfield, Ethan Bennett, Cade Dawson, Henry Legaspi, Jackson Gomez

Danielle’s Best friend, Saccone DeCarlo; Family: Margret DeCarlo (mother), Andrea DeCarlo (father), Callum DeCarlo (Older Brother), Nona DeCarlo

Deacon’s Band members and crew: Shay Butler (their PR rep), Dave ‘Kentucky’ Coleman (their manager), Jared Adams (guitarist), Maxine Clark (lead guitar and Deacon’s ‘sister’), Gabi Vergara (drums), Zee Wen (vocals)

[acecademia]

What else are you into? (I can't tell if Tumblr sent this.)

Hi, nonny!

You can probably tell from my previous posts and literally my everything, but outside of academia, I really love young adult literature and also fanfiction 😂 I managed to somehow turn my interests directly into a career, so like, I'm winning at life lmao

I also really like video games, especially story-heavy games. My brother has an MFA in game design, and he's always sending me links to new video games and analog games to check out (analog games being like board games, card games, tabletop games, etc.). (I'm super lucky in that regard--I get the best birthday and Christmas gifts.) Other than that, I spend a lot of time binge-watching Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube amongst other streaming services/platforms. I'm also very into baking, creative writing (mainly YA fantasy and sci-fi), and crochet!

If we're specifically talking about fandoms or media that I'm into, there's an overview of some of my faves (that got super out of hand) below the cut (leaving out books because I covered that in a previous post, though I did forget to mention in that post that comics-wise, I also love DC Bombshells)

Movies:

Clue (1985) - my favorite movie of all time and is basically my sense of humor in one ~90-minute package. My friends hate watching it with me because I have seen it at least 50 times (not an exaggeration) and know every line by heart

Star Wars - lowkey fuck the sequel trilogy tho VII had some promise before they ruined it, also I wanted to marry Luke Skywalker as a kid so like take that as you will

The Old Guard - immortal gays who literally can't be killed? Sign me the fuck up

MCU - the early years mainly, but also like Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther were all *chef's kiss*. Also, #TeamIronMan

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - hell yeah finally getting some Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen content!

Birds of Prey - it's just such a fun time and so refreshing to see an action movie made by women. Also plz put Ivy in the next movie because I need my wlw crime content

Venom - it's a good time, y'all

Moana - one of my favorite undergrad memories is going with my friend to see this like two weeks early at a special advanced screening

Beauty and the Beast - look, I'm a librarian, of course I've wanted to be Belle and have that library since I was a small child

Love, Simon - I cry every time I watch the "you get to exhale now" scene and the scene with his dad apologizing and accepting him. It warms my little queer heart 😭😭😭

TV:

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Young Justice

9-1-1

Julie and the Phantoms

Leverage

Psych

Lucifer

Shadow and Bone

BBC Merlin

Supernatural - not like as a serious thing anymore, but I was in deep years ago

Teen Wolf - see: the comment about Supernatural, but also I stopped watching around season 4 and just read the fanfic because that whole show was a mess

Would I Lie to You?

Musicals:

Newsies

Bandstand

Fun Home

Bonnie & Clyde - fight me, it was good

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - I don't think I've ever laughed harder at a show than when I saw the tour

If/Then

Legally Blonde

A Chorus Line

Allegiance

Wicked - I'm a basic bitch, I know, but I've seen the tour twice for my birthday

Phantom of the Opera - specifically Phantom 25. I will accept no other cast unless they finally manage to make the French-language production happen and Sierra Boggess is able to reprise her role

Games:

Gone Home

Dragon Age

Tomb Raider

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - I love most of the series, but Majora's Mask is my all-time fave

Fallout

Assassin's Creed

Overwatch

The Sims 4

Music:

Fall Out Boy

Lindsey Stirling

Aly & AJ

Taylor Swift

Marie-Mai - love me some French pop

Olivia Rodrigo

Paramore

Meet Me @ the Altar

Panic! at the Disco

Web:

Carmilla

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Jenny Nicholson

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard

Bernadette Banner

Karolina Żebrowska

Philip DeFranco

Jill Bearup

Kitboga

STRANGE ÆONS

Sarah Z

Lindsay Ellis

Rachel Maksy

Buzzfeed Unsolved - RIP 😭😭😭

Standup:

Dara O'Briain - the funniest man alive. I have literally laughed so hard at some of his jokes that I've legitimately had trouble breathing

John Mulaney

James Acaster

Sarah Millican

Steve Hofstetter

Iliza Shlesinger

Hasan Minhaj

Okay, that's way more information than literally anyone ever wanted to know about me, and also I'll probably remember like 3 million things I forgot to mention as soon as I post this 😂

[booksociety]

hey! do you guys have any recs that are similar to red white and royal blue? in the way that it, like, reads like fanfic, if that makes sense. or anything lgbtq+!

Hi! For general LGBT recs, check out our June 2019 event post and our LGBT recs tag. Below we’ve listed some books that our members think are similar to RWRB, read (somewhat) like fanfiction, and/or contain many tropes.

LGBT Romance

Carry On (Simon Snow #1) by Rainbow Rowell (Hazel, Izzy, Caroline, & Sage)

Damaged Like Us (Like Us #1) by Krista and Becca Ritchie (Ania & Sage)

Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff (Caroline)

Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) by Rachel Hawkins (Caroline)

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan (Josie)

Into the Blue by Pene Henson (Nickie)

It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1) by Cat Sebastian (Marisa)

Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides #1) by D.N. Bryn (Marisa)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Mars S)

Non-LGBT Romance

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (Alex)

Get a Life Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert (Lexi)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han (Hazel & Alex)

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (Scarlett)

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu (Sage) - LGBT side characters

- Alex

[bookswritinghappiness]

Thank goodness this year is finally over!! I always look forward to the fresh-start feeling that comes with New Year’s celebrations, and after a year as difficult as this one, I’m definitely looking forward to it this year. I’m especially looking forward to kicking off a new 50 book reading challenge - I’ve been setting my goal to 50 every year since 2017, but I haven’t actually hit that goal yet, though I got close in 2018. Once the pandemic started, I thought that with all of my newfound free time, I would be able to read so much and maybe even surpass my goal, but it actually ended up being the opposite. The pandemic was so exhausting for me that between being anxious about it and struggling to get through my spring, summer, and fall semesters, I didn’t have the energy to read very much, and ended up turning to my favorite books and a heck of a lot of fanfiction for comfort instead of reading new books. If you did the same, that’s valid, and if you read way more new books than you have in years, that’s valid too - everyone deals with all of this differently. My instinct was to be disappointed in myself this year, but honestly, there’s so much to be proud of - I read a whole bunch of ARCs at the beginning of the pandemic, I started shopping at Bookshop and became a Bookshop affiliate, I celebrated my first year as a Barnes and Noble member, and I got to be part of my first ever blog tour!! So even though my list of 2020 reads is a little shorter this year, I’m happy.

Speaking of my 2020 reads, here’s the final list of all of the books I read this year:

1. Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad #1) by C. B. Lee 2. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse #1) by Becky Albertalli - reread 3. Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - read for the first time and then read 2x more!! 4. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed 5. P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han 6. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey 7. Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson 8. The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos 9. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender 10. Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones (Check, Please! #3-4) by Ngozi Ukazu 11. The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab 12. I’ll Be the One (I’ll Be the One #1) by Lyla Lee 13. Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant 14. Denton Little’s Deathdate (Denton Little #1) by Lance Rubin 15. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 16. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust 17. Love, Creekwood (Simonverse #3.5) by Becky Albertalli 18. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds 19. Recommended for You by Laura Silverman 20. The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed 21. Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things #1) Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton 22. A Neon Darkness (The Bright Sessions #2) by Lauren Shippen 23. The Infinite Noise (The Bright Sessions #1) by Lauren Shippen - reread

…and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, which I’m still reading!!

In 2021, I’m challenging myself to make a habit out of reading every night before bed, and I’m also challenging myself to finish at least one book every week so that this will be the year that I finally hit 50 books. I’m also planning on writing more original content for this blog in addition to the reviews I already post; I have a few ideas but if there’s anything you want me to write about, or anything else you’d like to see, feel free to send me an ask.

That’s all for now!! Here’s to a better 2021 for all of us : )

[canonicallyanxious]

1, 16, 21!

thank you jenny

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

i mean it has to be tonight we run my star wars au for druck, i’ve honestly never enjoyed writing a fic so much and even though i don’t get to work on it as much as i’d like i’m still in a state of mind where i’m really excited about my ideas and these versions of the characters and i just wish i could play in that verse forever. favorite non-wip is going to go to every doubt we had is coming undone, my druck s3 ep 8 rewrite, which i think just has some of my best writing i’ve done this year and i’m really quite satisfied with the way i used this fic to hone david’s voice

16. fic(s) you completed this year

prompt fills from tumblr:

sick from all this motion [skam/evak/post canon ficlet]

“what do you think the future’s gonna look like?” [runaways/deanoru/pre-canon and s1 canon ficlet]

“Love you something terrible.” [Simon-verse/bursuso/post canon ficlet]

“Only if it’s with you.” [runaways/deanoru s2 canon ficlet]

“You just have to trust in yourself.” [nmtd/pedrazar/post canon ficlet] - L O L

one day. [skam austin/shay dixon/bw s1 and s2 canon]

everything works out so good [druck/davenzi/post canon adopting a cat]

“he’s good.” [druck/david&leonie, davenzi implied/post abi special ficlet]

full fics from ao3:

mortal bodies; timeless souls [druck/davenzi/best friends to lovers]

a heavy soul (a hopeful man) [druck/davenzi/post apoc au]

every doubt we had is coming undone [druck/davenzi/ep 8 rewrite]

come alive in slow motion (disembodied remix) [voltron/sheith/remix challenge]

but i live in a hologram with you [druck/davenzi/post canon slice of life]

where we are in the grand scheme of things [druck/davenzi/matteo paints his nails]

in any universe, you are my dark star [druck/davenzi/hogwarts au]

forever is in your eyes [druck/davenzi/prequel to mortal bodies timeless souls]

21. most memorable comment/review 

“I’m like on the verge of tears rn this was so amazing- this really catapulted me back to a moment in high school when a freshman I sort of knew came up to me at a students-only event as I was painting my nails and very nervously asked if I could paint his too because he’d always wanted to try it but never felt like he could.” [full comment here]

“this is the kind of fic i will pull up every time i hear someone say that fanfiction can’t be just as beautiful and poetic and understated and gorgeously crafted as any other type of writing.” [full comment here]

“this is so so gorgeous but it also reminds me so much of this stupid meme I have to laff” [full comment here]

fanfic end of the year asks!

[miracleonicefanfiction]

Love and Miracle - Jack O'Callahan Fanfiction

CHAPTER 2: KEEPING IT SECRET

A part of me wants everyone to know I will be trying my luck and try to make the Olympic Team in few months, but the other, smarter part of me, tells me to keep my mouth zipped. After all, last thing I need is a bunch of jealous teammates and possibly pissed off roommate. But keeping it secret is hard, especially when everyone can see that different, excited side of me I’ve been carefully hiding all those years.

A week later my head is still high above the clouds and I think it’s starting to drive Ali a little nuts.

“Can you please stop smiling like a tard?”

“I am sorry, Ali. But I can’t.”

“Jeesh, who are you crushing on now?”

I look at her with my brows raised: “Again? What do you mean by that?”

She starts counting my “crushes” on fingers of her right hand, nearly blinding me with a purity ring she’s been wearing since the day I know her.

“Let’s see. We’ve had Simon….” “A summer crush doesn’t count!” “It does if you got to 1st base with him!”

I smack her arm: “Not everyone has to know that, so keep it quiet, okay?”

She continues in a quiet tone: “Then we have Alec…” “Show me one girl who isn’t crushing on Alec here. I dare you. Even you nearly fainted when he smiled at you.”

‘That’s not the point! And then we have Nick and Jason…” “Nick. Jason is a hoser. ”

“Doesn’t matter. And let’s not forget that exchange student, what’s his name again?”

“Valeri,” I answer and blush slightly at the mention of a handsome and quiet Russian.

“Yeah, him. That’s four crushes in two years?”

“That’s not a lot, Ali…”

The bell rings and interrupts our conversation. When our professor, Mrs. Monaghan walks in, the entire class sinks into a deafening silence. Mrs. Monaghan has been teaching here for more than fifty years, she is about eighty years old, but scarier than majority of our professors. And she knows that. Plus, her classes are the only ones where no one dares to chat. She may be old, but she has a sight of an eagle and great hearing.

“Good morning, class. Put away your notebooks, I prepared an exam to see how much you’ve been studying during the break.”

I exchange a scared look with Alice and take a deep breath. This is not okay, I haven’t even open a notebook and I honestly have no idea what is this class about. Sure, I am taking notes, but that doesn’t mean I understand a damn.

“Know anything?” Alice whispers to me and I only shake my head in response. Leaning closer to her, I whisper: “What about you?”

“Do I look like? I have no…” “Roy and Mayfield!”

Here we are again, being called by surnames. The last thing you want hear from your professors (or coach) is your surname.

“Sorry, Mrs. Monaghan,” Ali and I say in unison. She looks at us once again with her eyes squinted, which makes Ali slightly move back on her chair, before turning back to papers on her table. The silence in the class is driving me insane, everyone is waiting for Mrs. Monaghan to give us tests. She suddenly calls out: “Mayfield!”

Every single glance in a class is now focused on me, including Ali’s blue eyes, which I have a feeling are glaring daggers in my soul.

“Y-Yes, Mrs. Monaghan?”

Surprisingly, her thin lips are curved into an almost invisible smile when she signalizes me to come closer. Exchanging one final look with Ali, I loudly push my chair away from the table and approach Mrs. Monaghan’s desk. I feel curious gazes burning into my back when she looks up at me: “Coach O’Connell asked me to give you this.”

She hands me a folded piece of paper and adds: “You better read it during the break.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Monaghan,” I take the paper and smile lightly to our professor before heading back to my desk. I slip on the chair and dig the paper deep into my pencil case, away from curious gazes of my schoolmates. Ali leans to me: “What do you think was so urgent?”

Now it is a perfect time to tell her about your conversation with coach O’Connell, but my mouth remain sealed for, to me, completely unknown reason. I know we are supposed to be best friends and room mates, but it seems like I can’t tell her that, that I could ruin our friendship.

“Don’t know. Maybe he’s decided he has to punish me for talking back to him…”

“But you said…” “I know what I said. I don’t know, Ali, I really don’t.”

Damn it, I feel bad for lying to her. But really, I don’t want to discuss that with her, especially not now. Not in the middle of the class.

“Okay, class, calm down,” Mrs. Monaghan calls out completely unnecessarily since the entire class is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

  Fifty minutes later the class is done and so am I, probably. At least I will be when I get the results of a test.

“How did it go?” I ask Ali, who just looks at me with tired eyes: “Can we not?

“That bad, huh? Don’t worry, we are on the same boat here.”

She chuckles quietly before asking: “So, are you going to read what coach O has to say?” “Yeah… but I will do it in the dorm, not here.” “Oh, come on! Why not? Could be about today’s practice…”

“I am sure it isn’t. Come on, I don’t wanna be tardy for English Literature Class.”

“And I have some tutoring to do. See you later?” “Sure thing,” I smile and hug her before heading the other way towards my English Literature Class. I slip behind my desk and pull out my notebook, when someone clears its throat above me. I look up and see Alec grinning above me: “So when will you tell Alice your little secret?” “What secret? What are you talking about?”

He sits down next to me and flashes me that innocent smile which has been driving girls at the university insane. His fingertips tap together repeatedly before he answers: “I’ve over heard coach O’Connell talk to our coach about you. And trying to get you to the Olympic Team. Hmmm?”

I quickly look around the classroom, which is filling up slowly and notice Lauren, Michelle and Andrea, three of my teammates walk in. They notice me and give me a small wave, but Lauren is the only one, who lifts her thumbs when she notices Alec sitting next to me.

“Good job,” she mouths and winks before she joins Mich and Andy.

“You must tell no one. Please, Alec. It must remain a secret.”

He leans closer to me: “I will try to keep it a secret, but it’s so exciting. Just…correct me if I am wrong… isn’t that so that women’s hockey is not a part of the Olympics?” “Yeah, it’s not.”

“So which sport will you participate in? Are you secretly a figure skater?” he wiggles his eyebrows in an attempt to make a joke. It does make me crack a chuckle, but nothing more: “Nope. Hockey. Really, Alec, I don’t want to talk about it. Not now.”

“How will you play hoc- Wait, you mean you’ll try and make it to the men’s team?”

“Keep your voice down!”

An uneasy sensation flashes through my bones as I get the feeling few of my schoolmates try to eavesdrop.

“You are seriously going to try playing for men’s team?” “Alec, you must tell no one. Please, at least for now.”

He ruffles his curly black hair with a deep sigh of frustration: “I don’t get it. It’s a huge honor to be even considered as one of the players. Why you don’t want to tell anyone?”

“I want, just…I don’t want other girls to hate me or anything…”

His rough hands grab mine and I look at him. His brown eyes are glimmering slightly: “Listen to me carefully. They are your teammates. If they will hate you for being a great player, they don’t deserve sharing the ice with you. Not just the ice, they don’t deserve sharing the locker room and all of the successes.”

Stunned by his words of support, which I really didn’t expect from him, I don’t answer. When I open my mouth, my tongue becomes numb and I just stare at him wordlessly.

“And listen, would you like to join our practice once or twice? Just to experience how real college hockey is supposed to be played?” “A-Are you serious? I’d love to…” “Great! Talk to you after class,” he gets up and gives me a huge smile before turning around and going to his desk. I watch him as he does that and I notice him giving a high five to one of his teammates.

  As soon as I enter the cafeteria, half of my team surrounds me. “Lauren said Alec spoke to you? What it was about?” Jenny Lewis, a freshman defense player, asks me as soon as she gets a chance.

Now it’s the right time to tell them I think to myself and open my mouth, but instead of telling them I might be playing for the Olympic team I simply say: “He invited me to join them on their practice once…” “I hope you accepted!” Susan Parker, another player from freshman year, squeals and looks at the others with excited spark in her eyes.

“Maybe I will…”

“Kim, you should. You are a hell of a great player and practicing with them would not hurt you,” Lauren touches my shoulder and flashes me a wide grin. I smile back and nervously tuck of hair behind my ear.

“Lauren… I have to tell you something. Can you please follow me?” “Is everything okay?” “Yeah… I think. I just want to talk with you about something.”

“Uh, okay. But can it wait until after the lunch?”

“It can… Lauren, I’d rather tell you after the practice. If that’s okay with you?” “You are freaking me out and it doesn’t sound like nothing is wrong.”

I pinch bridge of my nose and assure her: “I swear everything is fine. See you later at the practice, okay? See you later, girls.”

  The rest of the day flies by quickly and annoyingly slow at the same time. Hiding secret before your teammates and your friend is not the everyday thing to do. When the hour of a practice rolls around, I am a nervous wreck, mostly because I’ll have to bite into a sour apple and talk to Lauren.

Even girls who have just joined us and we don’t know each other well yet notice I am not myself. Usually loud on and off the ice, but today I barely speak to anyone.

“What is wrong with you, Kim?” Alice asks worriedly after I hit the boards for the zillionth time during doing a simple exercise.

“Nothing… Really, Ali, I am fine…” I shut up mid-sentence when coach’s and mine gaze meet.

“Mayfield, what are you doing? Put your head in a game!” he smacks his stick against the ice and small pieces of ice fly up in the air.

“Yes, coach. Ali, I am fine, I swear.”

But my nerves are a mess and after I nearly fall over the boards, Lauren, as a future captain of our team, asks coach to let her and me have a word in the locker room. As soon as the door close, she looks directly at me: “Okay, Kimberly, what is wrong with you today? You’ve been weird for the entire day.”

“Lauren, I hope you won’t hate me…” “Does it have to do anything with Mike?”

Mike is her boyfriend and they have been together for ages. The only thing she is really possessive of is he. And there’s no doubt she would kill me if I tried something with him.

“Nothing. Why? Is there something wrong?”

She sits down next to me and buries her face in her palms, soft whimpers escaping her lips. A second passes before I awkwardly pat her back: “What is wrong, Lauren?”

“I t-think he might be cheating on me…with one of the girls from the t-team. A-And I thought it m-might be y-you.” “I’d never do that to you. Or to anyone else. I hope you know that.”

“I know…I am sorry.” “I’d be the same, no worries. Lauren…I can trust you, right?”

“Sure. What’s wrong?” she wipes tears off her cheeks and looks at me. Her selflessness is exactly why she will make a great captain, she was willing to forget her personal troubles to face mine.

“So, uh, coach O suggested me to maybe challenge myself and…and try my luck at the Olympic tryouts…for men’s hockey team”

  “You mean…Olympics in Lake Placid in twelve months?”

“Yes… But you must tell no one. Please, at least for a while.” “Kim, that’s great! I am so happy for you! And of course I won’t tell anyone.” “Thanks, but… are you not mad?” “Why should I be? This is a great opportunity and you are an extremely talented player.”

Words, she is saying, are exactly the right words of support, but I think I can see in her eyes she is wondering one thing.

  How the hell did Kimberly Mayfield get a chance like that? Why her and no one else?

[carniegan]

21 Questions Tag

 I’ve actually never done one of these before! Thank you @whataremetaphor for tagging me, this was so fun!!

1. What is your eye color? Brown.

2. Who’s your favorite person in the world? My little sister. No brainer. 

3. What is your favorite snack? Carbs. Every carb. Any carb. 

4. Following: I’m following 174 blogs with many more incoming. 

5. Writing Motto: Procrastinate. that's not enough procrastinating. do more. 

6. Favorite TV Shows: I don't think I really have one? But I’ve been really into Kdramas recently if that answers the question. 

7. What is your favorite fairytale? Does Mulan count? Mulan has and always will be my fav. 

8. Favorite Song? I can’t pick just one! But ones I’ve been jamming out to lately have been Might Not Like Me by Brynn Elliot, Crown by txt,  Strangers by Sigrid, Solo by Jennie, Peek-a-Boo by Red Velvet, Tiempo by Profetas, Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, Superhero by Simon Curtis, No Roots by Alice Merton and oh my god I’m gonna stop it here before it gets too long.

9. Languages I’m Fluent In? English, and I’m not even fluent in that.

10. Languages I can Count to 10 In? English, Spanish and maybe Japanese. 

11. Top 5 Mythical Creatures (in order)? In order of what though? First ones to pop into my head? Uhhh Dragon, Leprechaun, Faerie, Griffin??? oh and Giant. 

12. What is your favorite sport? Baseball. (I don't even know what's going on half the time, I’m just there for the good times and baseball pants.) 

13. Favorite (Musical) Character? Idk! Never seen a musical. 

14. Favorite (TV) Character? Don’t have one. 

15. Favorite (Book) Character? I ain’t picking a favorite child and you can’t make me. 

16. Are you a dog person or cat person? Both? Both. Both. Both are good.  

17. Favorite Genre? Fantasy, urban fantasy, adventure, as long as it’s all got humor. 

18. Who is/are the best teacher(s) you’ve ever had? I vividly hated all of my teachers except for my third (I think third?) grade teacher. She was this super sweet Asian woman who probably doesn’t remember me at all but she's the only one who ever made me actually feel like I was a joy to be around. 

19. Favorite Fanfiction (Authored by Someone Else)? I’m gonna try to keep this down to three. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025527 <-- bnha fic, Bakugou/Kirishima Actor AU 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8211029 <--- GoT fic, Sansa wakes up in Cersei’s body on her wedding day to Robert. Time Travel. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8645329 <--- DnA fic, Kuramochi/Ryousuke. Stays pretty canon but Ryousuke’s blind in one eye it gives me all the feels. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4036288 <--- some pjo fanfic, Nico/Will superhero AU. Will’s a med student, Nico’s a superhero.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10694774/1/ode-to-sleep <--- TG fic, OC finds herself in a random girls body after an accident. Somehow in an anime that she knows very well. 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12322355/1/Flash-Point <--- naruto fic. If you decide to read any of these please read this one, you won’t be disappointed. Ino/Diedara. Lawyer and con-artists Do Not Mix AU. 

OH! And there’s one really good bnha fic I love but I can’t remember the title?? Kinda a bnha/Tokyo Ghoul crossover? Except the only crossover is that Deku develops a late quirk that basically just makes him a ghoul. Que breaking into hospitals to eat dead bodies, lotta confusion, and self hate but he still wants to be a hero!

.........I didn’t stick to three oops. Oh well...

20. Favorite Original Story Idea (Authored by Me): I’ve got 2/3 on my mind right now. (Because I can't pick favorites to save my life.) 

 #1 is Introvert city girl with a fear of dogs and her mom move to a small town where the random dogs out in the woods are bigger than average and a really cute boy takes a sudden interest in her. (spoiler alert--its werewolves. He’s a werewolf. Do you know how hard it is to tell your crush about your furry problem when they're afraid of dogs? Also, add in a mysterious organization that has a problem kidnapping adolescent werewolves and we’ve got ourselves half a plot ladies and gentlemen.)

#2 is about another introvert girl (surprise, surprise) in a zombie apocalypse. It’s been months since she’s seen another human being who doesn’t want to eat her. Her story starts when she happens upon an old radio and while fiddling with it one night, she accidentally tunes into a boys channel where four boys talk to each other. there’s a lot of introverting, reading, dogs, cold weather, dead people trying to eat her, looting, and listening to boys conversations over a walkie talkie that may or may not classify as creepy.

and #3 is just classic noble girl is sent as a spy into the enemy kingdom but everything goes to shit before she even walks in the door. Mission was simple. Be a kitchen girl, poison the King's food and kill him and then escape back home during the confusion. Instead, she gets the honor of becoming the Prince’s comfort woman/concubine after the last girl did an honor killing on herself. So, new mission. Get close enough to the Prince that he tells her information and then send that information back to her country so that they can win the war. (Passing secret information along is a little easier when it's not written down on paper but instead in flower crowns and bouquets as the secret language of flowers.)

Tagging some of the people in my notifications if you feel like doing this! @imaghostwriter @alexwillow @theotherchloegrace @ps-nippets @maikosworld01 @sapphonics

#writeblr

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, June 3

CHUCK: Well, those on the latter side of the theoretical divide stress... BUFFY: (leans toward Willow and whispers) Will, I'm not following this too well. WILLOW: Oh. The trick is to get in the rhythm, kinda go with the flow. (raises her hand) BUFFY: Flow-going would be a lot easier if your classmates weren't such big brains. WILLOW: (hand still raised) Buffy, that's ridiculous! They are no smarter than you or me. MIKE: (O.S.) Willow. WILLOW: (lowers hand, speaks to Mike) Because social phenomena don't have unproblematic objective existences. They have to be interpreted and given meanings by those who encounter them. (Buffy stares at Willow)

~~Life Serial~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

useless library lesbians (crossover with A Series of Unfortunate Events, Jenny Calendar/Olivia Caliban, G) by PuellaMidori

Simon Tam: Dragged into Drag (Firefly fusion, Xander, T) by Anlace

Sneak Peek and a Death Wish (crossover with Labyrinth (1986), Buffy/Jareth, M) by FaerieKitteh

It's a Nice Day (Spike/Buffy, M) by sunalso

Fall to Pieces (Angel/Cordelia, M) by avablue345

Warming Up To New Things (Spike/Buffy, PG) by sweetprincipale

[Chaptered Fiction]

Another Kind of Sunnydale Chapter 5 (The Sims AU, Spike, Fanged Four, 18+) by braxen

Set Off Like Geese Chapter 1 (Spike/Drusilla, Joyce, Buffy, Dawn, G) by Hannah

So It Is (re)Written Chapter 24 (ensemble, T) by 23Murasaki and Stormysongbird

Save the Last Dance For Me Chapter 25 (Spike/Buffy, E) by Passion4Spike

regarding honor and honesty in the workplace Chapter 2 (Jenny/Giles, Jenny/Lilah, T) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm

In Shadow Chapter 24 (Willow/Angel, T) by dela_chaisse

Disciplining Dawn Chapter 6 (Buffy/Dawn, E) by MTL17

Bad Blood |BTVS| Book Two Chapter 3 (Buffy, Scoobies, OC, not rated) by BrunetteMarionette

So It Is (re)Written Chapter 24 (Buffy, Giles, Willow, T) by 23Murasaki

Scattered Echoes Chapter 19 (Spike/Buffy, R) by myrabeth

Chains and Champions Chapter 3 (Spike/Buffy, R) by booklover721

What she deserves. Chapter 15 (Spike/Buffy, R) by Jane Smith

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manips: Archaeologist Rupert “Indiana” Giles (1) (worksafe) by 51kas81

Manips: Archaeologist Rupert “Indiana” Giles (2) (worksafe) by 51kas81

Artwork: Willow and Tara (worksafe) by iriaabella

Phone wallpaper: forever (Bangel) by HisMrs

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy rewatch: Surprise (2.13) by elsalapizza

Buffy rewatch: Innocence (2.14) by elsalapizza

[Recs]

Bangel fic recs (hurt/comfort etc.) by gracenm and ariaadagio

[Community Announcements]

2018 Het Big Bang Challenge Author Sign Ups are open till June 24th at het-bigbang

I feel the need for Spike Buffy fic recs (specific plots) by thisusernameisunique

Voting at the first drabble draft competition hosted by nightshade

Drabble Draft 2 (competition prompt) by nightshade. Deadline: by Sunday [the 10th]

[Fandom Discussions]

Drusilla by willowrosenboob

Dawn for the ask meme by willowrosenboob

Buffy Summers by sunalsolove

Spike and Cordelia for the ask meme by sunalsolove

Faith, Willow by willowrosenboob

New Information about SLAYER - The new Buffy book by Kiersten White by lilyginnyblackv2 and rahirah

[Number of main characters in Angel season 1] by DagonSphere and thetopher

Buffy's lead male? hosted by nightshade

What do you guys think of my [Season 9] reading order? by The Ferg

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Video: James Marsters | Wizard World Des Moines 2018 via Teresa Smith

PDF: Ten on Twenty: Personal Reflections Upon Twenty Years into Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Jay Bamber and others in Slayage 16.1 [47], Winter / Spring 2018

PDF: Double Trouble: Gothic Shadows and Self- Discovery in ​Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Elizabeth Gilliland in Slayage

PDF: "One of your little pop culture references": Argument, Intertextuality, and Literary Affordance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fanfiction by Jessica Hautsch in Slayage

PDF: Heroic Mediocrity: Xander Harris and the Civil Heroism of the Ordinary by Katarina O'Dette in Slayage

PDF: Third-Culture Kid Identity Paradigms in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Lies My Parents Told Me" by Elizabeth L. Rambo in Slayage

PDF: What to do About All The Number Thingies: Data on Violence and Verbal Complexity in Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Darcy Mullen and Tirza L. Leader in Slayage

[winchester-or-whateve-blog]

Ask meme? Hell yes!

I was tagged by @zmediaoutlet to do this meme, which, honestly, surprised me because, unlike on my main blog (I say that like this is a sideblog, and it isn’t, anyway...), I’ve interacted with like a whole four people? Anyway, here goes:

Relationship Status: Single As Fuck

Favorite Colors: Cobalt blue and Black and this other color that I don’t know the name of, but it’s the same color as the Ballet Slippers shade of Essie Nail Polish, alright. 

Top Three Ships: Yikes. The top two are really easy to pick: Sam/Dean and Remus Lupin/Sirius Black from Harry Potter (Which, by the way, if that’s your jam I write a lot about them on my main, and, what’s this? Shameless self-promotion? Yes, yes it is). The third was a bit of a toss up because so many to choose from and so many fandoms, but I guess it’ll be Rory/Jess from Gilmore Girls, you know, for variety and what have you. 

Lipstick/Chapstick: I guess Lipstick, not that I use either very often, but I’ve got some cute dark reds and a black tube of lipstick and it’s pretty great and I don’t even own any chapstick so....

About reading fanfiction: When? Where? How often? And what’s the current story you’re reading?: Oh boy, I read fics everywhere and all the time (well not in like the car because it gives me a headache but nowhere else is safe). How often, you say? Probably assume that if I’m awake I have a fanfiction (or several) open on my phone just waiting for a moment for me to be able to read it, even if it’s only a few sentences.  Currently, for Sam/Dean, I’m re-reading Sure Got A Dirty Mouth by JustineDelarge, even though I’ve read it like, what is it now, four or five times? It’s very good. Also I need more recommendations for Sam/Dean stuff, especially longer works like this one (it’s nearly 400k words). For my other main ship, Wolfstar (Remus Lupin/Sirius Black), I read The Witching Hour recently.

Last Song: Yikes, I’m listening to the New Alternative Radio on Pandora right now, so let’s see what it is that I’m listening to shall we? It’s Growing Pains by Coin (who I’ve recently started to get into, wow, 10/10). 

Last Movie: Well, I started watching Heathers the other day, but I only watched the first 45 minutes or something, so does that count? I say no, since I didn’t actually watch the whole thing. Before that it was Jenny’s Wedding (for god knows what time, I’ve seen that movie so so many times). 

Top 3 Shows: Supernatural (Except I haven’t finished Season 12 and I’ve seen Seasons 1 and 2 approximately 6 times, each, because they’re my favorite seasons), Gilmore Girls (Alexis Bledel is a hell of an actress and the first, like, four and a half seasons also have a baby faced Jared Padalecki, so how could you not? I’ve seen the entire series 6.5 times and I’ve watched the revival twice), and Handmaid’s Tale (It’s based on one of my favorite books by my favorite author and it also has Alexis Beldel, and, now that I think about it, Jenny’s Wedding also has her in it and I’m sensing a theme...).

Top 3 Bands/Artists: This changes a lot, but, currently, we have Coin, Dodie, and Khalid. 

Currently reading: As far as fanfiction, it’s like I said earlier, Sure Got A Dirty Mouth by JustineDelarge for Sam/Dean. As for not fanfiction, I’m currently reading Simon vs. The Homo Sapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli, which I just bought this morning and I’m already a few chapters in and it’s so so so good (also it’s the book that the movie Love, Simon is based on, if anyone is, you know, curious or whatever). 

So, the rules say, tag nine people, and me, on my tiny brand new baby blog, do not have nine followers, let alone nine mutuals, so I’m gonna tag some people that I’ve seen around (and my mutuals, all two of them).

@67obsessions @rei-74 @jenneel-jarevieve @fuck-supernatural-its-2k18 @wxncesters @boykingsqueen @doctor--idiot 

I didn’t even get to nine, oh my god. 

Oh well. This is it, then. 

[davidcarner]

Aces, Charles Ch 1, Know When to Fold Em

A/N: This will be different. Really different, but if it goes awhile, I'm sure it will get fluffy because we all know I can't help myself. I'm setting it up as a one-shot, if there's interest I'll do more. Apparently the fanfiction website is having an issue getting out alerts about stories right now. If you are interested, I am posting all of my work on my tumblr, .com You're welcome to follow if it helps. Welcome to Aces, Charles.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, Bobby's Room, Stu Unger, Scotty Nguyen, but I do own a copy of Supersystem.

Las Vegas, Fall 2003

Chris frickin' Moneymaker. Jenny sighed. You would have thought poker didn't exist before he came along. Now some amateur had finally won the World Series of Poker Main Event, people were everywhere. Most would think that would make her life easier, but the thing about amateurs you never really knew what they were going to do, and some of them needed to be a hero to beat the pro, and that's what she was now, a pro.

She huffed to herself. A pro, when she came to Vegas at seventeen after her father was arrested, she was afraid she'd have to be another type of pro. Luckily she managed to finagle her way to become a dealer. She ran a few cons on the side, but she began to watch the game as she dealt, and she learned, just like her father taught her. She began to try low buy-in cash games and found herself making money. It didn't take long until she made a name for herself in Vegas, and she was known as one of the best cash game players around, with a standing invite to Bobby's Room, THE ultimate cash game in Vegas.

Making that WSOP Main Event final table was a blessing, and a curse. Now everyone wanted to play her, but the big fish, they were a little wearier. It was one thing to use a false Texas accent (her dad was so wrong when he told her that would never work) and bat her eyes in shock as she kept winning hand after hand, it was another to be famous. No, coming in third at that final table had changed her life.

She looked down at her cards again and the board. She didn't like what she saw. She was sitting on pocket aces, hearts and spades, and thought she would slow-play her opponent. The flop had been horrendous. Seven, eight of diamonds, and the three of spades. If her opponent had the nine, six of diamonds, she knew she was a slight dog in the hand. He had bet, and she raised. He had studied her a long time, but she was quite sure it wasn't her he was studying, he was doing math in his head.

Jenny hated these players. Math could win you money and even tournaments, but long term, you just couldn't WIN. Not the big haul, not the big game on a consistent basis. She looked up at him, and he had a grin on his face that she couldn't quite figure out. She looked at the thing he fiddled with. She knew she shouldn't give away information, but she wanted to seem relaxed, and keep this hand going, so she did something she never did, she talked during a hand.

"Is that an iPod?" she asked. He looked at her, shocked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Is it worth the money?" she asked. He gave her a smile, scrunching his nose.

"Oh, for your job, I think it would be a great investment," he said. "Want to listen to it?" She thought for a second, and shrugged. He took the ear bud out of his ear and handed to her, but paused. "I cleaned my ears," he said, sincerely. A laugh bubbled up inside of her. She took it and fiddled with it a second and music began to play. "I call," he said. Jenny sat there, and listened to Nina Simone's Feeling Good.

The King of Spades hit on the turn, and Jenny wanted to sigh. No straight or flushes had connected, but there were two flush draws out there. If her opponent had an Ace, King, or King Queen, he had hit his top pair, and was a serious dog in the hand. She studied how much was in front of him. It was a cash game and he could buy back in. She could move it all in and find herself up over $250,000.00 for the night. Of course if he called and she lost, she would be done for the night. She'd even have to drop down in the cash games and play the lower games to build back her bankroll. It was something she had to before and she was sure she'd have to do again, but right now she was sure she was winning. He flashed that smile at her again, and the thoughts of moving all in, vanished. She didn't want to run him off. What was she thinking, this was $250,000.00. She knew what it was, the money, the game, all of it, she could do it all on autopilot. She could lose everything here tonight, and within two weeks of grinding have her bankroll exactly where it needed to be to play in this high stakes game.

She was having fun, and she hadn't know when she had enjoyed herself more.

"You make those, Charles, Baby?" Scotty Nguyen asked, pointing toward the iPod. Scotty called everyone baby.

"No, and it's Chuck," he answered.

"Chuck?" Jenny asked, unable to help herself.

"My parents were sadists," Chuck replied, making the whole table laugh. Jenny moved half of her remaining chips and cash in, and Chuck blinked a few times and concentrated. "Call," he said. Jenny internally berated herself. He was supposed to move all-in. He looked down at his cards and looked at her, seemingly upset. Jenny couldn't figure out what was going on. The deuce of diamonds hit, and Chuck looked visibly upset. Jenny had been ready to check, thinking she was beat with the flush, and she would fold to any bet, but that look…he didn't like what he saw. He didn't like it at all, and Jenny knew she had won. She moved all-in, and the look on Chuck's face told her, that moved killed him.

"Call," he said softly, and turned his cards over. Jenny stared down at what the two cards she originally thought he had, the nine, six of diamonds. He had the flush. She had misread him. She looked back up at him. "Sorry," he said, and then it hit her, he meant it. He didn't want her to lose the money, what was wrong with him? Then it dawned on her. He had fallen for her. He was one of those. Love was for suckers, and he had fallen for her…and she could take advantage of that….why didn't she like that idea?

"Nicely played," she said, her facial expressions revealing nothing. Chuck nodded, and stood.

"I hate to be that guy," Chuck began.

"Nah, Baby, you won, you have to stay awhile," Scotty said.

"I told you that was my last hand," Chuck said. "I have to get back, any of you guys coming up to the Bike next month?" The Bicycle Hotel was one of the spots Chuck frequented in Los Angeles.

"If I am, I'll call you, Baby," Scotty said. Chuck turned to Jenny.

"You just want me to call you," Jenny said. Chuck's ears turned red, but he didn't deny it. She watched him go. She would call him, to get her money back, and figure out, how she had misread him. That's all it was, she had read the right emotion, and she just applied it wrong. She had already figured it out, so why was she nervous? Jenny Burton didn't get nervous. She'd rebuild her bankroll, take a trip to LA, and gut a whale. That thought used to make her excited, but today, today she was scared. She got up, left Bobby's Room, and headed outside. She looked at the night sky, and sighed.

"It really is beautiful out here at night," she heard a voice beside her say. Jenny turned and looked at him. "I get it, you're pissed at me for taking your money." She grinned and shook her head.

"I was planning on taking yours so what's the big deal?" she asked. "If you're worried about money, you shouldn't be in the game. Here's your iPod."

"Keep it," Chuck said, grinning. "I can afford another." She couldn't help herself, and gave him a punch in the arm. He gave her a look.

"Thanks," she said, and put the iPod in her pocket.

"Some say you're the best at reading people since Stu," Chuck said. Jenny gave him a look.

"Many people can read like Stu, the question is, do you have the stones to make the move?" Jenny asked.

"I guess we'll find out if you come to LA," Chuck said, and walked over to the car that pulled up. She watched Charles Bartowski, owner of Orion Industries, and multimillion dollar bachelor, open the door. He turned to her. "See you soon, Jenny Burton," and with that, he got in the car and rode away. She just watched him go, wondering exactly what he meant about that last comment, and wondering what she wanted it to mean.

A/N: There you go, an earworm that wouldn't go away. If there's interest, I'll keep going, if not, I got it out of my system. Take Care

DC