#kevin took his PERFECT CAR off road to get there faster

[msnihilist]

Get you a bestie who's willing to blow people up for you 🙏

[pvnthcrc]

“I’m Mariposa Vivienne, not just anyone, but A QUEEN. Ask whoever you want, and they will say the same.” Mari’s cheeks sunk in exposing her sculpted cheek bones as she sucked in the smoke from the thin cigarette. A dry, sarcastic chuckle lest her lips as she didn’t bother to look at her friend, Anne. “I gave him everything, I gave him best years of my life, I taught him how to be a man, a King.” She spoke way too calm, almost nonchalant, yet the venomous smirk remained on her full lips. “Now, I’m Mariposa Vivienne Panthere, Angelo Panthere’s wife and a mother of his child.” Her eyes, eyes of a lioness threw a piercing shot at the 5 year old boy who played a slow melody on his father’s white Bösendorfer grand piano. She took a pause as if she listened to the melody, her long, black coffin nails brushing through her long, raven hair. Mari was deep in her thoughts as the cold stare stayed on her son. Anne noticed the way Mariposa was looking at the little boy, and just to hide the pinch of uncomfortable feeling she dipped her eyes into the glass of wine as she took a sip. “I’ve carried that child for nine months. And this motherfucker still fucks every dirty hole he sees on his way.” Mariposa said through her teeth and warmed her mouth with the liquor that was in her glass. “I was too stupid to get pregnant by that unfaithful ass cheater.” She stated lowly and only then Anne decided to speak up. “Mari, darling, you know how all men be... And Angelo, he’s one of the most known musicians in the world, I know he loves you but-...” Anne didn’t had a chance to finish, she got interrupted by Mari’s sudden shout. “Jahseh, stop playing that damn piano and go to your damn room!” Anne bit on her lip as she watched the boy who’s dark, cat shaped eyes looked at his mother. He had her eyes, his baby face seemed to be emotionless but somehow Anne felt bad for the boy. “Go to your damn room, Jahseh, or I’ll beat your ass in front of this white bitch. I said go!” Mariposa said in French to her son; he understood every word while Anne had no idea what Mari just said. He got up from the piano stool and without saying any word he left the huge living room. “When I see him, I see Angelo. They both make me sick.” Mariposa kissed on her teeth as her lighter flicked to fire up another cigarette.

“How could you embarrass me like this, Jahseh?” Mariposa was furious; she dragged her 10 years old son to the empty room and pushed his body against the wall. “But what did I do, mom? I haven’t done-...” Jah tried to explain himself but instead his cheek ended up burning from a loud slap that her hand left across his face. “How could you tell The Willson’s about your father not being at home right now? How dare you open your mouth you little piece of shit!” Mari wasn’t loud, but her low, soft tone stabbed her son harder than a dagger could. “But dad’s on tour, I haven’t said nothing wrong!” Jah wanted to rub on his cheek and just leave, but he remained emotionless and held his mother’s stare without even blinking, which pissed Mari even more. “Your bitch ass father is not on tour, you idiot! He’s living with that bitch right now, but you be talking too much!” She rose her hand again, and another slap touched his soft skin. Nothing changed in his face. “You told me he went on tour.” Jahseh replied as his mother was on flames. She opened her mouth to drop another hurricane on her son, but she changed her mind and smiled at him. “Now, fix your damn face and go back to guests.”

“Mari, I haven’t been home for 3 fucking months. I been on a damn road, I’m fucking tired and now you pulling all the bullshit on me when I just want to get a damn rest, at my own house.” Angelo tried not to raise his voice as he eased his tie that now hung over his neck. He picked up a heavy, crystal decanter and filled up a glass with his favorite cognac. “No, Angelo, you will have to listen to me, I don’t care if you’re tired or not!” Mari hissed as he approached her husband and took the glass away from his hands. Angelo sighed heavy and shook his head while rubbing on his nose bridge. “Posa, tomorrow’s Jah’s birthday, let’s just act like a normal family, ight? I’m fed up with your drama, let me celebrate my son’s 16th birthday, that’s all I’m asking right now.” He made a step closer to Mariposa and opened his arms in attempt to get her closer and hush her down, but instead Mari threw his own drink right in his face. “Fuck you and your son, you motherfucker! I know you’ve been with that bitch!” She kept yelling, and this time, for the first time after all these years Angelo wasn’t able to deal with his wife’s hysterics; he grabbed her by her shoulders and gave her a hard shake. “Shut the fuck up! Say anything ‘bout me but don’t ya dare to say shit ‘bout your own son you psycho ass bitch!” Like a wild cat. Mariposa began scratching and pushing Angelo but he held her as tight as he could. “I hate you! I hate you both! Get your hands off me, fucker! Ya’ both ruined and keep ruining my life! Burn in hell!” She kept yelling and to shut her up Angelo’s palm landed on her cheek in a slap. A dead silence filled the living room. Angelo pushed her away from himself and left the room before leaving the house. Mari fell across the couch and exploded in a loud cry. A few minutes later two hands gently wrapped around her shoulders. “Ma... Don’t cry..” Jah said softly bringing his mother closer to himself. “GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” She pushed Jahseh away and got up from the couch pointing his finger at her son. “You and your father, I hate you both! You two are the same! You’re a fucking monster just like he is!” Jah clenched his jaw and got up as well. “Ma, ya need to calm down..” Although, she was thinking otherwise. “Don’t tell me what to do! Get out the house, I don’t wanna see your stupid ass anymore!” Grabbing Jah by his dreads he dragged him towards the main entrance while sending kicks to his body forcing him to go faster. “Get out!” As she kicked him out, she shut the door right in his face. It was a chill night, Jah had only his shorts and flip flops on. Shaking his head and rubbing on his shoulders, he began to walk away from the mansion. Where the fuck should he go now? He didn’t had his phone with him, his father probably at some fancy ass hotel right now. He just kept walking, aimlessly. He couldn’t go to his friends, what would he tell them? Plus, he had to keep that perfect picture of their family. What if everyone gonna laugh at him because of all this bullshit? All he could do is to walk. “Yo, Jah, is that you?” Jah didn’t even notice a black Benz that pulled up besides him. Jah had to squint his eyes due to the lights of the car just to figure out it was his plug, Kevin. “Why ya half ass naked walkin’ ‘round here?” The plug laughed some as Jah smirked and shook his head. “Bruh, I went outside for a smoke and dat damn security system locked the whole house, I can’t get in.” Jah was that great ass actor who deserves the damn Oscar’s because when he lies, he lies. Kevin chuckled and leaned over to open the passenger door. “Hop in, I got new stuff ya might like.” Jahseh got into the car and the plug drove off. They had a chat about this and that before Jahseh asked. “Yo, do you have something that would KO my ass? My mind goin’ crazy right na��, fuck lean and weed bruh, this shit ain’t able to shut down my mind.” At that moment, Kevin parked the car and both stepped out. Now, they were on the way to Kevin’s appartment. Jah’s question caused the male to chuckle. “What, no more xannies for you, Jah? I got something if you’re not pussy..” He opened the door letting Jah in. “Let me try bruh, I just need whatever. Just put it on my check.” Jah said plopping down on the couch. “Well, okay.” Kevin went to the other room and after some while he came back with a strap that he threw at Jah. “Wrap it just a little beneath your shoulder.” Jah let out a laughter. “Ya trynna gimme a shot bruh?” Although, he did what he was told. For right now, he could care less. “Ball your fist up.. relax it... ball it up again.” Kevin instructed as he watched the vein bulging up on Jah’s forearm. Jahseh’s curious gaze followed after Kevin’s actions. He saw a syringe, then felt a light pinch, and then... he flew away, far far away, to the lands of euphoria where everything seemed so peaceful and easy. And he didn’t want to get back to the real world, so he didn’t.

Warming up the substance on the spoon turned into a daily basis for Jah, he was able to do it with his eyes closed since it’s been a while of his relationship with heroin. Being more than sure he’s all alone at home, Jah sat in jacuzzi where he tightened the strap around his arm and held it’s end between his teeth as he aimed the needle to his vein. Another shot, another dose of a paradise. His head fell back as his eyes closer, his arm with the trail of red marks from the numerous shots fell over the jacuzzi border. “JAHSEH!!!” What the fuck her voice is doing here, in his fairytale? What the fuck is wrong with this high? Why he could hear his mother? Why it feels like her arms touching him, why it feels like her nails dug into his skin? Why his face burns as if it gets hit after hit? You know what, not today mother satan, you not gonna appear in his fantasy and ruin it for him. At the end of the day, everything is a fantasy, right? Jah threw a hard punch and his fist felt like it hit it’s target. He heard a scream, his mother’s scream, and it made him feel good. He threw another punch. And another. His vision cleared up a little and now he was able to see the silhouette of a woman. Well, today he’s on a weird trip if he can see his own mother in his own heroin dream, but if it’s only a dream he can do what he want, right? Climbing out of jacuzzi, Jah grabbed the woman by her hair and pulled her closer. “I’m fuckin’ tired of ya shit, bitch.” His hist curled up and smashed against the beautiful face. The woman fell down, Jah hovered over her and continued throwing hit after hit over her face and her body. And it felt so good.. All these years of being hated, humiliated, beaten up and terrorized by her, it felt so good to release his hurt and anger in this heroin dream of his. Suddenly, as by a snap of the fingers, Jahseh sobered up as if he never took his shot. His chest rising high, up and down from a hard breathing, his knuckles bleeding and when he looked down he saw Mariposa who tried to crawl away from him. “Ma...” He muttered not really believing in what his own eyes showed him. Grabbing his phone, he dialed 911. That’s how Jahseh Panthere ended up in a rehab, that’s how he got on probation, and that’s the secret The Panthere’s had to pay a good check for to keep it unknown and hidden from every single soul.

[alexskylar]

Welcome to my World

An erotic tale by Alex Skylar

Bella knew something was wrong before she even stepped foot in the bedroom. The first sign that something was off was the car parked on the street in front of the house. It was nondescript, a little old with a faded green paint job and one hubcap missing. The car itself wasn't unusual, but they lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood that was off the beaten path. Most of the residents parked their cars in their driveways, and visitors usually did the same. When people did park on the street, it was always in front of the house they were visiting. So why was this random car parked in front of her house?

Bella shrugged off the oddity and grabbed her purse, then headed toward the front door. Usually Fridays were one of the busiest days in the catering industry. There wasn’t a lot going on this weekend though, so her boss had let her go home early. It was only three in the afternoon, which left her a few extra hours before her husband John came home from work.

The next sign was waiting for her just inside the front door. She saw one of her husband’s t-shirts sitting in the middle of the entryway, with pink shirt lying next to it. The odd part was the white lace bra hanging from the doorknob of the coat closet nearby. It looked like John had tried to wash some clothes but hadn't actually gotten all of the clothes into the laundry room. The only problem with that idea was that the bra wasn't one of hers.

Before the truth of it could hit her, a soft moan floated through the house, coming from the hallway where her bedroom was.

It was a woman’s moan.

Her feet started to move toward the sound, while her heart sped up and her mind began to spin. The moans continued, and with every step, she moved faster. She was steps away from the door when her husband’s voice joined his partner’s overtures.

“Oh, baby, you feel so good,” he groaned.

Bella rounded the corner and found herself looking at her husband, buck naked on top of some blonde bimbo.

At first, they didn't notice her. Bella stood staring blankly as John plowed this woman she had never seen before. She couldn't understand it. They had been happily married. Everything was great. They had even had sex last night.

Now he was cheating on her.

Bella’s mind was consumed by rage. Her blood began boiling and every muscle tightened. She was going to attack, and nothing would stop her.

Her keys were in her hand, and just as she pulled back to throw them with every ounce of force she had, the girl looked up at her and screamed. Her hand whipped forward and they flew threw the air, striking John in the side of the head. He yelled and rolled off of his playtoy, then looked up at his wife with a shocked expression.

Bella didn't wait for him to speak. She grabbed a vase from the hallway table and chucked it at him. The girl was still screaming as he ducked to the side and avoided it by mere inches.

There was nothing else nearby, so Bella hurried into the room and toward the dresser. She grabbed the alarm clock and yanked the plug from the wall, then turned to hurl it at whoever she saw first. The girl had already jumped out of the bed though, and she scrambled naked out the door and down the hall.

Bella could deal with John later. She chased after the bimbo, following her to the front door and out onto their front doorstep. The girl booked it across the lawn, still completely naked and covering her privates with her hands, as the alarm clock sailed brought the air and crashed into her car. She hopped into the driver’s seat, but she had forgotten something. Her keys were still inside the house.

Suddenly, John bolted out the door past his wife. He had paused to throw on some pants, and he had his girlfriend’s keys in his hand. Bella had nothing to throw, so she began screaming at him with everything she had.

“Get the fuck out and don't come back, you useless piece of shit!” she cried. “I hope you fucking die!”

He slipped into the passenger seat and jammed the key in the ignition. The car started and the tires squealed as they sped off.

Bella stood on the doorstep, still in shock. A few neighbors had poked their heads out to see what was going on, but she didn't care. Her life as she knew it had just ended, and she fell to her knees crying.

 A year had passed since that day, and Bella looked back on it with fond amusement now. They had only made it a few miles before a cop pulled them over and arrested the girl for driving naked. There was something bittersweet about knowing that little detail.

John would later admit that he had been carrying on an affair for almost six months. There was no coming back from that, and Bella wanted nothing to do with him. They divorced, and she had done quite well in the settlement. Life moved on, and she had somehow kept going through the darkest part of her life.

Now things were looking up. She was eating healthier, working out regularly, and just feeling more healthy in general. John had been toxic to her and she had never even realized it. Now that he wasn't dragging her down, she had excelled in almost every aspect of her life.

Bella had not yet started dating, but instead put all of her energy into her work. That was how she had moved up to the position of event manager, overseeing a crew of chefs and waitstaff at different events. The event manager was the big boss whenever they were outside of the main office, and she took pride in being one of the best in the company.

It was a beautiful Spring day when she was called in to run one of their biggest events. A local businessman was holding a fundraiser at his luxurious mansion off in the hills of an obscure Massachusetts town called Belton. She had never even heard of it before she was assigned to the event there, so she arrived an hour early to scope out the location before the event started.

When Bella got there, she was greeted by a heavy wrought iron gate that had been left open for the guests. Following the directions her boss had given her, she made her way up the driveway and took a right where the road forked. The path to the left took the guests up to the main entrance, but this one wound around the back of the property to the kitchen entrance. That was where her staff would be unloading.

As she got out of her car, a small, flustered man in a black tuxedo came rushing out the door to greet her.

“Thank god you are here,” he said frantically. “My name is Bryan. I’m the event organizer for Mr. Singleton. He is extremely anxious about this event and I need everything perfect! Where’s the rest of your crew?”

“They are on their way,” Bella replied calmly. “We weren't scheduled to be here for another hour, but I wanted to get here ahead of time to see if I needed to do any prep work beforehand.”

“Early?” Bryan replied, exasperated. “They were supposed to be here an hour ago. My email said eleven in the morning!”

“No,” Bella said, still keeping her cool. “The message sent to us said one in the afternoon.”

“Oh, great,” he said, burying his face in his hands. “I must have typed it wrong. If you can get them here as soon as possible, that would be great. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about Mr. Singleton, so we don't want a misstep.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Mr. Singleton before,” she replied, pulling out her phone to ask her crew to leave earlier.

Bryan stared at her, dumbfounded.

“How have you never heard of Kevin Singleton? He’s all over the news and tabloids every other day. The Beast of Belton?”

It suddenly dawned on Bella who he was talking about. She hadn't made the connection to the name of the town, but now it all made sense. Singleton was known for his aggressive business tactics, which had made him into a billionaire by the time he hit thirty. He often made business deals that resulted in massive layoffs, and always showed little empathy for those who got caught in the wake of his actions. As long as he made a profit, that was all that mattered.

Singleton also had a reputation as an abusive womanizer. Several female employees had filed sexual harassment charges against him, but somehow they all seemed to fade away before they made it to court. The rumor mill claimed that he would simply pay the women to go away, while others said that he would make the victim’s lives a living hell until they gave up on their claims. Either way, the cases always disappeared before they made it to court.

Now Bella understood why Bryan was so flustered. Her heart began racing and her palms were sweaty, but with a few deep breaths, she pulled it together. She was a professional, and she always did her best. There was no room for errors, and even more so today. With a few texts, she made sure her crew would be there with time to spare.

By the time the guests started to arrive, all of the prep work was done and the wait staff was passing hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Within a few hours, they had finished their work and were cleaning the kitchen before they left. Once again, Bella had pulled off a miracle and made it work, even when the mistake wasn't hers to fix.

As the afternoon wound down, Bella was bent over the stove scrubbing away with her staff when the kitchen door swung open abruptly. A towering man in a finely-tailored suit came charging in, with two men in tow. One of them was Bryan, who looked incredibly nervous and agitated. The other was unfamiliar, but he seemed much more calm and relaxed as he busily scribbled notes in a small organizer. His hair was slicked back, and he would occasionally glance up to peer at her over the top of his thick-rimmed glasses.

Bella recognized the taller man from his many appearances in the news. His jet-black hair was carefully combed and contoured. He had a handsome face, but it was hidden behind an angry scowl. The Beast of Belton looked like he was on the warpath.

“Where is Mr. Barbeaux?” he asked haughtily.

“It’s Miss Barbeaux,” Bella proclaimed proudly, setting her rag down and approaching the billionaire.

Mr. Singleton had a look of disdain on his face, but when he turned toward her, she saw his expression falter for a minute. He looked her up and down carefully, then crossed his arms across his chest like a spoiled child.

“It's my understanding that your staff was an hour and a half late today. Would you care to explain yourself?”

“Actually, sir,” she said smugly, “we were given the wrong start time. Once I was made aware of the mistake, I had my crew here a half hour early and still managed to keep our operation running on time with the schedule I was given.”

“Milton, who was responsible for giving them their start time?” Mr. Singleton asked, his eyes never leaving Bella.

“That would have been Bryan’s responsibility, sir,” the third man replied, and they both turned toward the nervous event organizer.

“A mistake like that is unacceptable,” Mr. Singleton told him bluntly. “You're fired. Perhaps you should look for a new line of work. Event organizing doesn't seem to be a good fit for you.”

Bryan began to stammer in his own defense for a moment, but he knew there was no point in squabbling. With the Beast of Belton, once something was done, it was done. There was no coming back. He lowered his head and left the room without another word.

“You handled yourself very well today, Miss Barbeaux,” Mr. Singleton said, turning back toward her. “Thank you for your hard work. I’m very impressed.”

Without waiting for her reply, he turned on his heels and breezed out of the kitchen.

Bella inhaled deeply, realizing she had been holding her breath during their encounter. She returned to her work, but a few moments later she was interrupted again when Milton returned on his own. He handed her an envelope with the remaining payment for the evening.

“Mr. Singleton has a dinner this Thursday evening, and he asked me if you could attend to the catering for the evening. He will offer double your usual fee, but he would like you to run the evening. Would that be a possibility?”

“I believe we are available that evening, but I would have to check the schedule when I get back,” she said.

“I would suggest saying yes,” Milton advised her. “Mr. Singleton can do a lot for your company, and he doesn't like to hear the the word no.”

He turned to leave, but Bella was quick with her reply.

“From what I saw tonight, I don't feel very confident about saying yes, either.”

Milton stopped and turned slowly toward her. He stepped a little closer, watching her sternly.

“Mr. Singleton is not as bad of a boss as some people might have you believe,” he said, speaking in slow, measured tones. “He does ask for careful attention to detail, and I will tell you that this was not Bryan’s first mistake. Don't be so quick to judge. Bring your staff here on Thursday and see if you still think that. If you don't feel comfortable after that, I will remove you from our lists and make sure you are never bothered again. Does that sound fair?”

Bella paused for a moment to contemplate it, then nodded. If the schedule wasn't open, she would make sure it was. This was a great opportunity to expand her personal client base, and she couldn't complain about getting paid twice her usual fee. It was worth the chance, and it was only one evening.

 By the time Bella had gotten back to the main kitchen, Milton had already emailed her all of the details for Thursday. It was a simple menu for a dozen guests, so she would only need a barebones crew. She was still a bit nervous, but she knew she could handle it.

Once again, she arrived early to make sure everything was in place and ready to go when her crew arrived. Now that she knew what was at stake, she had dressed in server’s attire so she could bounce back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room. That way she would be able to keep an eye on every little detail.

When the first dish was ready, Bella grabbed one of the plates and pushed through the service door. She found herself standing in a long, dimly lit hallway lined with display cases. The other servers had already been to the dining room to set the table, so she followed them down the hall until they pushed through the door at the end. The room beyond was a spacious one with lofted ceilings over a huge wood table. A sparkling chandelier cast long shadows across the wall, giving it a spooky feel. Despite the dire atmosphere, there were a dozen men in suits seated at the table

Mr. Singleton sat at the head, and Bella headed toward him while the other servers delivered their plates to the remaining guests. As she set his food down in front of him, he looked up and gave her the faintest smile before returning to the conversation. She perused the table to make sure everything was in place, then ducked out the door after the rest of her staff.

As the evening progressed, Bella continued to serve Mr. Singleton herself. He gave her that faint smile each time, but his gaze seemed to linger a little longer as the night went on. There was something behind his smoldering blue eyes that captivated her.

With every trip down the hall, Bella would look into a different display case. There was one in particular that stood out to her. Every shelf held several books placed on stands with the front of the book facing outward. It was the only case with a lock on the door, and Bella found herself wondering how valuable these old books must be. After delivering the last course to the table, she lingered a little longer to try and get a closer look. One particular book was all by itself on the topmost shelf, and she stood on her tiptoes to try to get a better view.

“That's one of the earliest printed versions of Grimm’s fairy tales,” a voice spoke, startling her.

Bella spun around and found Mr. Singleton watching her intently with his hands in his pockets. Somehow, he had managed to make it most of the way down the hallway without making a sound, and she suddenly panicked when she realized she had made a huge mistake.

“I’m so sorry, sir,” she said apologetically. “I was just admiring your collection. I love old books, and it caught my eye.”

“Please don't worry like that, Miss Barbeaux,” he said, chuckling as he approached the display case. “I can't be mad at a fellow book lover. They open us to a whole new world, and show us dark details of the human condition that we might not have considered otherwise. This book is the perfect example. Did you know that the Grimm brothers didn't consider themselves writers? They didn't make up these stories themselves. They were tales that had been passed around orally for generations, and they simply wanted to collect them in one place to preserve their memory. These stories have inspired countless others, and you can't really put a price on influence like that.”

“Certainly not,” Bella answered. “I never knew that.”

Her nerves had started to calm, but she didn't want to be rude and just walk away, so she lingered for a moment.

“Do you read often?” he asked her.

“Almost every night,” Bella admitted. “I love being able to escape to another world and just forget my problems for a little bit. It's quite freeing.”

“I feel the same way,” he said solemnly. After a brief pause, he changed the subject. “You did an excellent job this evening. My colleagues were very impressed with the food and service, as was I. I hope you will continue to provide us with your services in the future.”

Mr. Singleton turned and walked slowly back toward the dining room. When he got to the door, he stopped and turned back toward her slightly.

“There was a few issues with the placement of the dinnerware at the beginning of the meal. The guests didn't notice, but I did. Please make sure to check before the guests are seated next time.”

Then he was gone.

Bella felt her cheeks burning red. He was right. She should have checked the settings before they had sat down at the table. If there was a next time, she wouldn't let that happen again.

 Over the next few months, Bella was called back to the estate in Belton to oversee dinners as often as every other week. Each time, she checked every detail meticulously and made sure her servers did the same.

Whatever the group was that she had been called on to serve, they seemed very secretive. She began to notice that whenever the servers entered the room, the conversation would fade away quickly. Their business was none of hers, but she did find it intriguing that they would be so covert that even a fragment of conversation wasn't allowed when others were present.

Bella’s interactions with Mr. Singleton were infrequent, but he would sometimes stop to thank her for her hard work. Every now and then he would correct some minor mistake, but he wasn't overly rude or overbearing when he did. The Beast of Belton seemed pretty tame to her, but that didn't mean she didn't occasionally see his darker side with his other staff. The only one besides her that seemed to be immune from his controlling behavior was Milton, who never seemed to make even the slightest mistake. He had adapted to the whims of his boss and was very adept at making sure the anger never fell on him.

After one particularly successful dinner, Bella was cleaning up with the rest of the staff when Milton made one of his rare appearances in the kitchen.

“Excuse me, Miss Barbeaux. Could I speak to you in private for a moment?”

Bella set her rag down and stepped out the door into the hallway. For a moment she feared she had made a significant mistake, but she would have expected Mr. Singleton to handle something like that in person. Milton’s calm demeanor helped soothe her fears.

“Mr. Singleton will be attending a fundraiser at the Boston Public Library this Saturday night. Because of your fondness for books, he asked me to see if you would be willing to attend the event as his date for the evening.”

Bella was caught off guard by the request. She smiled on the outside, but something inside her told her this wouldn't be a good idea. If she said yes, she would be opening the door for a non-professional relationship with him, and she had already worked so hard to maintain her lucrative deal with the estate. Plus, she remembered the rumors about his penchant for harassing women, and she wondered if this was how those incidents began. The entire idea made her hesitant.

“I don't think that would be a good idea,” she said finally. “I usually work on Saturdays, so I might be busy already.”

Milton gave her a stone-cold stare. Bella could see the wheels turning as he tried to figure out the best way to approach this.

“If that is your answer, I will pass it along to Mr. Singleton. However, I would remind you that he’s not the kind of man who likes to hear the word no. He was quite insistent that you attend the event with him, and I worry that denying him might affect your professional relationship with him.”

Bella furrowed her brow, feeling frustrated. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place, and either answer seemed to have negative consequences.

“I don't even have anything to wear, though,” she said in a last-ditch effort to get out of it.

“That won't be an issue. You can come here around noon I will set you up in one of the spare rooms. There will be a gown for you, as well as someone to do your makeup and style your hair. Everything will be handled. All you have to do is show up.”

“Then I guess I don't have much choice,” she replied sullenly.

Milton smiled victoriously, then turned and walked away, leaving her standing in front of the case that held Mr. Singleton’s prized book collection. Bella took a deep breath, then returned to her work.

 On Saturday, Bella was up early in anticipation of what was to come. There was no way to tell how this evening was going to unfold, and that made her incredibly nervous. She had handled so much up to this point, though, and this was just another drop in the bucket. If he made her feel bad in any way, she wouldn't hesitate to find a cab to take her home.

She pulled into the driveway just before noon. Unlike her previous visits, the gate out front was closed, but when she buzzed the intercom, it opened before her.

Instead of taking the right fork toward the kitchen, Bella decided that she should come in through the front door this time. As she pulled up and parked in the empty loop in front of the main entryway, Milton was waiting dutifully for her.

“I’m glad you decided to come today,” he said with a smug grin. “Follow me and I will show you to your room.”

Bella fell in behind him and followed him obediently as he led her through the house. She had only seen the kitchen, the hallway, and dining room, but she knew there was a lot more to it, just based on the palatial size of the building. The grand entryway was open and spacious, with two separate staircases curving up to the second floor on the left and right. She had seen places like this on television, but this was the first one she had seen it in person. She hesitated for a moment to take it all in, then hurried after Milton as he climbed the right staircase.

The hallways turned left and right, winding past dozens of closed doors. Every now and then it would branch in two different directions, like a giant maze. Even if she wanted to leave, Bella wasn't sure that she would be able to find her way.

When they finally got to her room, she was in awe. The room was enormous, with couches and a television off to one side. The centerpiece of the room was a huge four-poster bed made from intricately carved mahogany wood. To the right was a set of double doors that led to the bathroom and a dressing area.

Milton pushed the doors open and Bella was greeted by three women bustling about. As soon as they saw her, all of their attention was on her. They hurried over excitedly like fairy godmothers preparing a young woman for a night at the ball. The only thing missing was a pumpkin that they could turn into a carriage.

Their names were Sherri, Terry, and Clarice. All three were dressed in eccentric outfits. Sherri was blonde, while Terry was a brunette. Clarice was the standout of the bunch, with a frizzed-out mop of hair on her head that had been dyed to a faint shade of pink. Together, they made an amusing trio that constantly vacillated between friendly joking and frenzied snipping.

Bella wanted to see the dress, but her stylists refused until they had finished everything else. She was ushered into a chair in front of a mirror, where they set about preparing her hair and makeup. It took over an hour as they carefully twisted her long brunette hair into braids, then spun them into a tight little bun on the back of her head. They then added a few decorative pins that made her hair look like it was dotted with starlight. Despite her nerves, Bella smiled widely when she saw the finished product.

Once they were done, they pulled her by the hand and led her out of the dressing room and into the main room. While they had been hard at work on her, someone had brought in four beautiful gowns and laid them out on the bed. There was a pink one, a blue one, a yellow one, and red one. Bella found herself drawn to the yellow one. It was a long flowing dress with modest accents that were tactful and beautiful. As soon as she pointed to that one, the women began clapping their hands excitedly. The decision was unanimous.

The women swarmed around her and began stripping her clothes off without any concern for her modesty. The dress had built in support, so when they unhooked her bra and removed that as well, her hands quickly clutched her breasts to hide them. Thankfully she had chosen a pair of cute red panties, because that was all she was left with when they were done.

They carefully guided her into the dress and zipped it up around her, wrapping her in radiant sunshine. The girls were ready to do any alterations, but somehow the dress just fit her perfectly, as if it was meant for her. Once everything was in place, she was led back to the bathroom and placed in front of a huge mirror where she could see the entire finished product.

As Bella looked at her reflection, she was filled with excitement. This was her fairytale moment, where she could be the beautiful princess with no worries or concerns. It felt magical, but there was a tense undertone of frustration behind those positive emotions. Ever since she had left John, she had promised herself that she would never let a man walk on her like that again. She had pushed herself to be strong and independent every single day, but now she was going to this benefit to satisfy a man and preserve herself professionally. That wasn't the way she wanted to live her life, but she told herself it wouldn't hurt to let herself feel beautiful and magnificent for one night.

With their work done, Sherri, Terry, and Clarice vanished and left Bella alone in the room to soak it in. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. She crossed the room with her dress swishing behind her, and opened it. Mr. Singleton stood before her, and when he looked up from the cufflink he was fiddling with, she could see the awe in his eyes. A smile spread across his lips and his entire face brightened. For a moment, she would never suspect that he could ever be called the Beast of Belton.

“You look amazing,” he said, unable to put any other words together.

“Thank you, Mr. Singleton,” Bella replied, feeling her entire body flutter with excitement.

“Please, call me Kevin tonight,” he said.

“Very well, Kevin. Is it time to go?”

“It is. May I escort you to the car?” he asked humbly.

“Certainly,” she answered, then held out her hand to him.

Kevin took it and led her down the long, winding hallways. Eventually they emerged in the front hallway and made their way out to the limo waiting out front.

As the car wound its way toward the city, the two of them chatted amicably. Bella was once again surprised by how inaccurate the popular opinion of her host could be. He was a sweet man with a gentle nature, but he seemed to hide that at every turn. It made her wonder what had happened to make him such a heartless cutthroat in his professional life. She knew from personal experience that it took a certain degree of control to succeed, but he seemed to take that idea to new heights.

Bella found herself captivated by his boyish charm. Whenever she would crack a small joke, he would let out a hearty laugh that was contagious. There was nothing beastly about him in that moment.

The car pulled up in front of the library, and Kevin jumped out first. When he opened her door, she saw a bright red carpet stretching from the curb up the steps to the door. On each side of the carpet was a line of photographers scrambling to get a picture of the billionaire’s mystery date. Kevin held out his hand and guided her to her feet, then slowly meandered past the press. He would stop every few steps to pose for a photo, and Bella followed his lead nervously. She had never had this much attention focused on her at one time, and it was overwhelming.

The inside of the library had been cleared for a huge dance floor. A small orchestra played softly in the background while women in boisterous gowns were spun across the floor by their dapper dates. It looked like something out of a movie.

Kevin passed her some champagne, and she downed it in a minute. Her quick move made him smile, but he also stopped to pass her another. Bella made a mental note to take this one a little slower while Kevin guided her around the room. He seemed to know everyone there, and many of them were happy to see him. At the same time, there was a fair share that seemed equally fearful and nervous in his presence, and she was once again struck by the two sides of his persona, one personal and one private.

Despite spending a lot of time networking, Kevin seemed to make sure that Bella was more than just arm candy. Every now and then he would pull her aside to a quieter area and chat with her for a bit. After they had finished off a few more glasses of bubbly, he took her by the hand and led her out onto the dance floor.

Kevin was an amazing dancer. Bella had never done any type of ballroom dancing, but her host led her around the floor with a series of twirls and spins that made her feel even more like a princess. She was still in control of herself, but there was something freeing about giving in to his guidance and letting him lead her with the flow of the music. A permanent smile had taken over her face, and she giggled a little more often.

As the night wound down, Kevin notified his assistant that they were ready to make their departure. He said a few goodbyes to his closest colleagues before they made their way outside. Bella felt a comfortable buzz, but she was far from drunk. Being with Kevin seemed to have a calming effect, and she had imbibed a lot less alcohol toward the end of the evening. When they slipped into the back seat of the limo, she was smiling from ear to ear with giddy excitement.

The ride home was even more enjoyable now that she had fallen into stride. Kevin turned the attention away from himself and took a little time to get to know her better.

“How long have you been in the catering business?” he asked, giving her his full attention.

“About ten years now. I started right out of school, but I didn't really get into it until after my divorce last year. After that, I dove in head first to keep myself distracted. Since then, I’ve really found my place in it.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear about the divorce, but it looks like something good came from it at least.”

“It is a good career,” Bella agreed with a shrug.

“That, too,” he chuckled. “I actually meant it was good because it gave me the chance to meet you.”

Bella blushed and looked away. He was doing something to her, making her feel like a teenage girl. Was she ready for this again? Her scars from John were still fresh, and that made it hard to trust anyone. Kevin seemed different, but after everything she had heard, she wasn't so sure.

He sensed her unease and hurriedly changed the subject.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight. That charity is one of the most important to me. As a child, I was an avid reader, and I feel it's important that books be available to anybody with the desire to find them,” he said, somewhat somber in comparison to their earlier conversations.

“I think that's a great cause,” she said, once again surprised by his humanitarian efforts. She had never read about his charitable side, but something like that wouldn't really sell as many magazines as the sexual harassment charges. “How long have you been involved with the Public Library?”

“I can't even remember, honestly. As soon as I had enough money to share it with others, I was contributing to them. They say that people who like to read have a much broader imagination and much higher level of intellect. What do you think?”

“I agree,” she said, watching his eyes as they returned to her. “It takes a lot of imagination to paint a picture with words, but it can also take you to a whole other world.”

The car had just pulled into the driveway, but Bella was thoroughly lost in those deep blue eyes. A spark of excitement crossed his face, and he smiled gleefully.

“Can I show you something?” he asked her suddenly.

“Okay,” she replied, quite curious about what could light up his face like that.

Kevin exited the car and once again offered his hand. Bella took it and followed his lead. Her dress swished around her feet as they hurried past the stairs and through the belly of the house. They made their way through the maze of hallways until he stopped in front of a huge set of double doors set into a towering archway. She looked at him nervously, wondering where he was taking her.

“Is this some sort of kinky sex room?” she asked, only half jokingly.

“Don't be silly,” he answered, narrowing her eyes at her. “I may be an eccentric billionaire, but I’m not going to make an entire room just for sex. That's just ridiculous.”

The two of them giggled for a moment, before he grabbed one of the door handles and twisted it. The doors opened, and the room beyond was enough to take Bella’s breath away.

The space inside stretched up to the top of the house, taking up two stories of an entire corner of the building. Lining the walls were bookcases stretching all the way to the ceiling. A small balcony surrounded the second level, where more books covered every inch of available space. There were a few small tables and comfy chairs in the center, making the perfect area to sit and disappear into any one of the millions of books surrounding you.

Bella rushed through the door and began perusing the spines closest to her. The subjects were just as varied as the colors of the bindings that held them, from Shakespearean plays to classic Greek and Roman literature, with a selection of modern authors intermixed. It would take a lifetime to read this many books, but she would never be lacking.

Kevin stood just inside the doorway, watching her run about like a kid in a candy factory. Every wall held new surprises that captured her attention for only a moment before she discovered the next one.

There were small ladders on sliding tracks that gave access to the upper shelves. Bella spotted an old leather-bound copy of Huckleberry Finn on one of the higher shelves, and she quickly grabbed one of them and rolled it nearby. Within seconds, she had scaled the ladder and grabbed the book, but as she tried to come down, her bellowing dress caught her foot and she felt herself teeter backwards. Suddenly the air was rushing past her as she toppled backward. She winced in anticipation of the coming impact, but instead she felt the soft embrace of her date, catching her a few feet from the ground.

Kevin had foreseen the accident as soon as she grabbed the ladder, and was already below her when she stumbled. Now Bella looked up into his anxious eyes with his powerful arms holding her, and she felt safe, safer than she had felt since the day she had left John.

Just like that, he was there, inches away from her face. He smiled down at her, his eyes seeming to probe her soul, and she suddenly realized she wanted him. Her eyes drifted closed and his lips were on hers, kissing her as he cradled her in his arms. Bella wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled him closer, wanting to feel his presence. She craved him in a way that she had never wanted any man before. Her entire body ached to feel him.

When he stopped kissing her, Bella knew exactly what she wanted.

“Take me to my room,” she whispered longingly to him.

Kevin turned on his heels and rushed out of the library. His feet seemed to float across the floor as he guided her down the hallways and up a back staircase to the second floor. Bella buried her face against his shoulder and held him close, feeling the power in his body as he carried her. When he pushed through an anonymous set of doors and into the room where she had gotten dressed earlier, he deftly set her down on her feet and pulled her back into a kiss.

Kevin’s lips were rough and firm, brushing against the softness of her skin as he moved down and began kissing her neck. Every touch seemed to fuel her desire even more, driving her crazy with lust. Part of her couldn't understand how she had even gotten here. She didn't even want to come tonight, and now she wanted the Beast of Belton to take her, to control her. She wanted to feel his lips on every inch of her body, but the dress seemed to act like a wall between them.

Bella pushed him away and took a few steps back. It had taken three women to get her into this dress, but taking it off would be much easier. She reached behind her back and slowly pulled the zipper down. The fabric loosened around her, and she pulled it down. As the dress passed below her chest, she remembered that she wasn't wearing a bra, and Kevin would have a clear view of her naked breasts. That didn't bother her though. She wanted to show him. She wanted him to see her.

As the dress collected in a pile around her feet, she stepped out of it toward Kevin in only her panties. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again, this time with a fresh passion. His strong hands were on the bare skin of her back, holding her close as their lips came together fervently.

Bella broke away from the kiss and began pawing at any button she could find. First his jacket came off, then the vest below.  As she unbuttoned his shirt, Kevin pulled at the bow tie around his neck and tossed it aside. Soon he was down to his undershirt, and she peeled that up and off to reveal his toned body below. Her hands slide over his muscles for a moment before returning to the warmth of his kiss again.

Kevin scooped Bella up in his arms and carried her across the room. He set her down on the edge of the bed and slipped her panties off, then dropped to his knees. She laid back, letting his hands spread her thighs. When his tongue slid along the soft folds of her pussy, she let out a sigh of relief. He began tracing gentle circles around her clitoris, teasing it without touching it. A long, undulating moan escaped her lips, and she grabbed his head as he explored her sex with his mouth.

Kevin’s tongue moved deftly, touching her in places that had been long neglected. Her entire body was vibrating, her muscles trembling. The first pangs of an orgasm started inside her, and when he slid one of his fingers into her wetness, she felt it spread through her body like a tsunami.

As her climax passed, Kevin moved up onto the bed. His body hovered over her, teasing her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the bed above her head, once again showing his fierce dominance.

“Do you want me?” he whispered in her ear as he kissed the soft curve of her neck.

“Yes, please,” Bella pleaded.

“Tell me,” he pressed, his lips brushing her skin.

“I want you inside me,” she begged. “Fuck me.”

For more of this story, check out Welcome to my World by Alex Skylar, only on Amazon!

[sylvanfreckles]

Broken Hearts (Whumptober 2020)

Warnings for grief and mentions of canon death

Spoilers from episode 15.15 “Gimme Shelter”

Summary: A toast to the departed

So fill to me the parting glass And drink a' health whate'er befall

Sam had let the car fall silent as they pulled back on the highway out of Pennsylvania toward home. He didn't know what Dean had gone back in to ask Amara, but the older Winchester had returned convinced that the celestial being might be on their side.

The silence wasn't unwelcome, after everything that had been happening over the last few weeks and months. It seemed like their lives had been one disaster after another since the Halloween fifteen years ago when Dean had showed up to drag him back into this life.

“You okay?” he finally asked. The sun was setting, casting long shadows into the trees on either side of the road.

Dean didn't answer for a few long minutes before he finally swerved onto a little service road right before the next bridge and parked in an empty circle of gravel. “Come on.”

That was all Sam got before Dean climbed out of the car, stopping to grab a bottle of whiskey and a couple of empty solo cups from the backseat. “What are you doing?” he asked, standing up out of the car and leaning on the door to watch Dean scoot himself up on the hood, facing the river.

“Something we should've done a long time ago,” Dean called back, pouring whiskey into both cups. He held one out to Sam, eyebrows raised in impatience. “Come on, man.”

Sam let out a sigh and walked around to take the cup. He'd never really talked to Dean about the alcohol thing but it was only getting worse. Not even their dad had needed so much of this. “Dean...”

“We never gave her a proper send-off.”

The pain in his brother's words pulled Sam up short. Dean was staring out at the river, tears in his eyes, clenching the solo cup in his hand so tightly the plastic crinkled. Sam climbed up on the hood next to him and carefully maneuvered around so he was looking at the river instead of his brother. “Who, Dean?”

“Mom.”

Sam bit back a surge of grief. It was still so raw, so new, even months later. “We gave her a hunter's funeral,” he gently reminded Dean.

“That's not what I meant,” Dean shook his head. “I was so angry. At the kid, at...at Cas. I just wanted revenge, and she wouldn't have wanted that.”

He nodded, though he figured Dean wouldn't see. “She was something else.”

“She was amazing,” Dean corrected. “And I know...man, I know she wasn't perfect. But she was...she was Mom.”

“She'd have both our asses if she knew what we were doing,” Sam commented, leaning back to stare up at the darkening sky.

Dean let out a rough laugh that sounded almost like a sob. “Yeah, she would.”

They were quiet for a few more moments before Sam felt the urge to speak. “And Rowena,” he said, into the darkness, closing his eyes briefly. “She gave up everything to save the world.”

“Who would've thought,” Dean replied. “She jumped in when it counted and saved our butts.” He lifted his cup a little in a toast and took a sip from it. “Can't believe she took the reins downstairs so quickly.”

It was Sam's turn to laugh at that. “You surprised?”

“Not at all.”

“There are so many,” Dean said, after the silence had stretched out for a few more minutes. “Like Charlie. We really...I really let her down.”

“That's all on me,” Sam replied. If he hadn't pulled her in to his crazy scheme to removed the Mark from Dean she might still be alive...or if he'd just done more to keep her safe, or gotten to her faster.

“It's on both of us, man. Kevin, too.”

There were so many. “Can you imagine Bobby in the bunker? Our Bobby?”

“Oh, man,” Dean let out a genuine laugh at that. “He'd've been unstoppable!”

“It'd probably be packed full of hunters by now,” Sam continued. “His own personal army.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed. “We sure could use his help with this one.”

“After he called us idjits.”

“Never thought I'd miss that,” Dean added. He held his cup out toward Sam and Sam let the rims clack together.

They didn't mention their father. Some days Sam had wanted him back so badly it was like a physical pain...other days he just wanted to live long enough to forget what they'd been through.

There were others, of course. Friends and family they'd lost along the way. In the silence of the night it was almost like they were surrounded by invisible spectators, like they'd been physically calling up the memories.

“Hey, I don't think I ever told you this,” Dean suddenly interrupted Sam's train of thought. He was even quieter, one knee pulled up to rest his arm on. “I know I only met her once, but Jess seemed pretty awesome.”

That did it. Tears flowed out of Sam's eyes in earnest, as thought a dam of heartbreak had been shattered. Dean rested on hand on his shoulder and squeezed as Sam tried futilely to wipe his face dry with his sleeve.

“Here's to them,” Dean said, lifting his cup up. Sam followed, a little more shakily, then downed the whiskey in one long swig.

“We'll do you proud, guys,” he whispered.

Then gently rise and softly call Good night and joy be to you all

(Lyrics at beginning and end are from “The Parting Glass,” an Irish folk song)

[silverschaos]

Forget Me Not | Jughead Jones

Pairing: Jughead x Reader

Description: After an accident you wake up with temporary memory loss and can’t remember being in love with your boyfriend.

Warnings: mentions of a crash, basically the whole thing is based on someone losing their memory temporarily. 

Word Count: 2026

A/N: first of all i am v v v sorry if this isn’t 100% accurate but it was an idea playing around in my head so i just took things from what i know and shows ive watched. i also wrote half of this while i was in a crap mood and the other half when i was v sick so it might not be the greatest but it’s something. also forgot my tags list on this one i’m the worst. and i almost didn’t wannt post this bc i’m a lil iffy on it and don’t want to trigger anyone or upset folk but yolo i guess. it’s not too bad ???

Forgetting thing is always annoying. Whether it’s where you put your keys, plans with friends, if you'd taken your dog out - simple things like that. Trying to search your brain to see if you can figure out if you can remember is never anyone's favourite thing to do but imagine if you couldn't remember anything at all.

Nothing. Never mind where the keys were. Imagine what it must be like to not remember anybody, memories and everything you used to know. Imagine having everything you ever knew ripped away from you.

Ever since the accident three months ago, that was your fate. You were on a road trip with your family, it had been a pretty bad winters night and the roads were icy. It only took a split second going from singing loud car tunes to the car losing control on the icy road and crashing into the big lorry that had been in front. Unfortunately, you'd hit your head hard and had spent a good month in hospital afterwards. When you'd woken up, you couldn't remember a thing. You didn't recognise your mum, why you were there or where you even were. Nothing. The doctors had explained to you that you had a case of temporary memory less. It was only temporary and your memories would come back in time but for now you remembered nothing. Not your mum, where you lived, who your friends were, your childhood - nothing. Not even your boyfriend. Jughead Jones the third had been your best friend for over ten years up until a year ago when he finally gained the courage to ask you to be his girlfriend. You’d said yes of course and never looked back. Before the accident you were so madly in love with the boy in the beanie and he loved you just as much. A match made in heaven everyone would say. After the accident, he’d stayed by your side every single day. He wouldn’t leave your bedside. The only time he ever did was when your parents made him go home for a shower and a change of clothes - school too, of course. But, everyday after he'd be back by your side. He slept there most nights and the moment you'd woken up, he'd been there holding your hand with tears in his eyes. You were finally back with him! However, the look in his eyes when you asked him who he was was something that you'd never forget. He looked so sad. His heart had broken because the girl he loved didn't even know who he was but that didn't deter him. No matter how hard it was that you couldn't remember what he was to you, he was still there trying to help you remember.

The day you were allowed to go home he was the one to walk you into your bedroom for the first time since everything had happened. He’d made you a board on one of your walls full of pictures of you, him and all your other friends that you recognised but couldn’t quite remember. He sat on your bed with you and went through who each person was. It was a lot to take in so he came up with a way for you to try and remember things by writing them down on different coloured sticky notes for different topics. He’d hoped doing this and going through old photos would help bring back some memories but nothing. The look in his eyes that day was one of the things you’d always remember. Why was he so sad? What was wrong with your friend Jughead?

You wrote those little questions on red notes because he was your special friend and red was your favourite colour.

Jughead hadn’t told you that he was your boyfriend… or well, had been. He couldn’t say you were still together if you didn’t know. What kind of person would he be to keep you in a relationship if you barely knew anything. It killed him but he wanted you to figure it out on your own. He wanted you to remember how you felt about him before your brain was a big old pit of nothingness. He wanted you to figure this out on your own no matter how long it took.

“So, first day back at school, huh?” Jughead asked, stepping into your room and helping you pack your bag, picking one of the books up off your desk and shoving it inside. Since he’d been around since you’d woke up, he was one of the familiar faces you wanted around you. Being around him made you feel something - something that you didn’t really know how to explain other than you just wanted him around. He was your friend. He was your best friend or that’s how you thought of him anyway and judging by how happy the two of you looked in the photos, that must be it.

“Do you think people are going to be mad at me for not knowing who they are?” You asked timidly, smiling when Jughead handed you your fully packed backpack.

“If they are, they’ll have me to deal with. I’ve got you, (Y/N). I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. I lo-” He had to stop himself from saying those three words he used to love saying to you. Instead, he gave your shoulder a comforting squeeze and escorted you out of the house.

The walk to school was nice and calm. The light breeze blowing through your hair, the sun shining through the clouds; it was a perfect morning to go back to school. It was peaceful and with Jughead by your side you felt safe. There were no words to describe how thankful you were to have him by your side even though you knew he was sad. You hadn’t brought that up to him yet. How could you even bring it up? Beside the smiles and the jokes constantly trying to make you feel better, you saw the sadness behind his eyes. If anyone in the world deserved to be sad it wasn’t Jughead Jones. He deserved the world and all the happiness within it.

As calm as the walk to school was, the moment you were stood outside the unfamiliar building, you began to panic. This was a big deal. It would be the first time you’d been out for the whole day nevermind at school. With wide, panicky eyes, you looked at Jughead who placed an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. With him by your side, you knew it was going to be okay. He walked you through the front doors and you were hit with a sense of familiarity. It made you smile but at the same time scared the crap out of you because you couldn’t remember so many of the faces you were seeing. The two of you happily walked over to your little squad who were crowding around one of their lockers.

“Hi, guys!” You smiled, focusing on each of their faces as you so desperately tried to remember their names.

“Oh my god, (Y/N), it’s so good to see you back,” the raven haired girl squealed as she threw her arms around you in a bone crunching hug.

“Thank you….” you looked over to Jug who was stood behind her now, mouthing her name to you. “Veronica!”

She pulled away smiling at you letting the others greet you. The only time you messed up the names was confusing Kevin for Archie which they all thought was hilarious causing Jughead to sarcastically come up with the comment “maybe we should just all wear name tags” to which you playfully shoved his shoulder away. The playful touch and laugh coming from you made him smile so big - probably the biggest you’d seen. It looked good on him, you liked it and made a note to try and get him to smile like that more often.

The rest of the weeks passed by pretty similar. You were starting to remember people more and more as the days went on which was making your life easier. The main thing was that the more time you were spending with Jughead you were starting to get you these feelings that you weren’t really sure about. It felt like you’d felt them before but you couldn’t and didn’t understand why. Not only did he make you feel safe and like everything would be okay, he also made your heart beat faster when his arm was around you or when he smiled. Especially when he smiled. When he smiled it was like the sadness you saw in his eyes was gone and he was just a carefree teenage boy like he should be. If you could only see one thing for the rest of your life it would be Jughead Jones’ smile.

As your memory was starting to get better, you were starting to remember more things - your old order at Pop’s, your favourite place to study, why you hated Cheryl Blossom; just little things like that. While Jughead was so, so happy that you were starting to remember things he so badly wanted you to turn around and just tell him you loved him again. He wanted you to remember how you felt, how happy he made you but little did he know that you knew how happy he made you. It wasn’t that you could remember from the old days but being around him made you so happy it was unexplainable.

It wasn’t until one night you were hanging out with him when you finally realised everything.

“I love this movie,” you grinned, leaning on Jughead’s shoulder as the two of you sat on your bed watching (Y/F/M).

“I know you do. Do you know how many times I’ve had to sit through this just for you?” He playfully rolled his eyes.

“Like our third date when you shut down the whole drive in, decked it out in fairy lights and played it on the big screen for me. I think that’s my favourite time.”

Jughead bolted up, staring at you with wide eyes. “You...you remember?”

With a sheepish smile on your face, you nodded your head. “Ummm. I remember that night and...um, the other night I remembered something else but I can’t really remember it completely but I remembered it so I wrote it down.”

As you were talking you leaned over beside your bed, reaching down in the gap and pulling out a notebook. You handed it to Jughead. He looked at you curiously almost like he was scared until you flashed him a warm smile and with baited breath, he opened it. You watched his eyes light up, the sadness you’d seen almost vanishing in an instant at what he saw.

I love Jughead and he loves me.

It was scribbled in your messy handwriting along with other things about Jughead that you remembered on red sticky notes. It wasn’t much just the odd date here and there, things he liked but it was a way for you to keep remembering.

“I love you, Jughead. I’m sorry that I didn’t realise it sooner or that I still don’t fully remember everything yet but I love you,” you spoke quietly, playing around with your hands nervously as you waited for him to speak. The silence seemed almost deafening but then that smile you loved so dearly showed up on his face.

“I would’ve waited forever for you, I hope you know that. You’re stuck with me, (Y/N). With or without a memory, I’m always going to be by your side. I love you. I always have and I always will and there is not a thing in this world that can stop me from loving you,” he placed the book down, cupping your face and running his thumb along your cheek. His words were so soft, so pure and you knew that no matter what you were never going to forget that Jughead Jones was the most incredible person you’d ever met in your life.

[vintageautoracing]

The Historic Sports Car Club will organise one of the UK’s most prominent historic racing festivals of the season at this weekend’s Oulton Park Gold Cup (29-31 August).

From a very full 21-race weekend, stand-outs will include two races for Formula Junior to mark 60 years of the category at Oulton Park. To celebrate this landmark, the famous Gold Cup trophy will be presented to the aggregate winner of the Formula Junior races.

The man to beat in the double-header for the FJHRA/HSCC Silverline Historic Formula Junior Championship is undoubtedly Cam Jackson in his superb Brabham BT2 after a double win at Brands Hatch. In fact, prolific winner Jackson will be bidding for a clean sweep of six wins in three cars this weekend. His chief rival, as at Brands, will be former Formula 3000 racer Mark Shaw in his Brabham BT6.

From the capacity grid, a strong front-engined field will deliver a race within a race and leading contenders will include Justin Fleming and Iain Rowley in Lola Mk2s and Mallory Park winner Jonathon Hughes (Terrier Mk4).

In the HSCC Historic Formula Ford Championship Jackson will continue his bid to win a third straight title in three different cars: this year is the unfashionable March 709. At Brands, Linton Stutley took the fight to Jackson in his Royale RP3 and two more mighty contests are likely. Joining the fray is rapid youngster Horatio Fitz-Simon who joins fellow front-runner Pierre Livingstone in the Speedsport squad, while Matt Wrigley, Rob Wainwright and Danny Stanzl all have podium ambitions.

The HSCC’s Dunlop Saloon Car Cup builds on the former Super Touring Trophy to broaden the range of eligible cars. New on the grid will be experienced historic touring car racer Simon Garrad in his newly-prepared Nissan Skyline R32. After selling his Super Touring Renault Laguna to Germany, Garrad commissioned local engineering ace Ric Wood to build him a Skyline for use in the DSCC and this will be the car’s first race weekend.

Mark Wright is an established front-runner in his Ford Sierra RS500, BMW M3s are entered for Mark Smith and Nicholas Bartlett, while former BTCC racer Jason Hughes will be a pacesetter in his Super Touring Vauxhall Vectra.

Some of the most spectacular single-seaters of a generation will deliver the glory in two races for the HSCC’s Aurora Series, with a good contingent of Formula 2 cars. Matt Wrigley will be the benchmark in his March 782 and up against him will be another March 782 in the hands of F2 newcomer Brian Morris. This is the ex-Ghinzani car coming back to racing after a long lay-off.

Running within the Formula Atlantic class will be Bolton’s Callum Grant on his debut race weekend with his March 79B and his pace should be good despite the power disadvantage to the 2-litre F2 cars.

The Historic Road Sports Championship is typified by sporting competition from large and varied grids. Setting the recent pace has been current champion Kevin Kivlochan in his stunning AC Cobra. Kivlochan hoped to carry on where he left off at Brands last month but knew that the return to the grid of the Lotus Elan of John Davison was going to present a real challenge. Sure enough, Davison won narrowly at Brands and now that battle will be rejoined at Oulton Park.

No less than six Morgan Plus 8s will be aiming to get into the action and it is Richard Plant who could head this squadron of Malvern’s finest. From the smaller-engined cars, look out for the Ginetta of Mark Godfrey and the Elan of Jonathan Rose, while Nigel Griffiths brings another AC Cobra to the mix.

The HSCC 70s Road Sports Championship is one of the club’s core championships and has been delivering great value racing for competitors for more than 25 years. The man they have to beat is double champion Jeremy Clark who made his intentions of completing a hat-trick clear by winning the belated season-opener at Brands Hatch in mid-July.

Heading the challengers to Clark is Kevin Kivlochan, who switches to his Morgan Plus 8 for the 70s race, and he will be tough to contain at Oulton Park. Meanwhile, Dave Karaskas, another driver with wide-ranging experience, was a major threat to Clark at Brands Hatch in his TVR 3000M.

The HSCC Guards Trophy is one of the weekend’s longer racer with a 40-munute enduro featuring mandatory pit-stops and optional driver changes. At least seven cars from the Chevron B6 and B8 range are due on the grid and several of them are potential race winners.

Last time out, a mid-race safety car set up a storming finish as father and son Westie and Sam Mitchell scored a memorable debut win in their B8. Elder son Ben is due to share with dad at Oulton but they have plenty of rivals including two of the cars that were hunting them down in the closing stages at Brands Hatch.

The hard-charging Andy Newall now has the B6 that scored many wins over three decades with Michael Schryver, while single-seater and GT ace Michael Lyons again teams up with former BTCC star Anthony Reid in a rare Lenham. John Spiers (TVR Griffiths) and John Davison (Lotus Elan 26R) head the GT pack, while the field is graced by a rare outing for the stunning Lotus 47 of James Claridge.

More single-seaters from the 1970s and early 1980s will contest two races for the HSCC Classic Formula 3 Championship and URS Classic Formula Ford 2000 Series.

Topping the F3 entry will be Brands winners Andrew Smith (March 783) and young Benn Tilley (March 743). Each took a win at Brands Hatch and Smith had the edge on pace in Kent. Ranged against the Marches will be a gaggle of Ralts, notably the RT3 of former champion Gaius Ghinn and the RT1 of Keith White.

Topping the URS FF2000 pack is another young ace, Ben Stiles in his Van Diemen RF82. Leading the chase of Stiles will be Benn Simms, Anthony Hancock and Andrew Smith, not to be confused with the other Andrew Smith on the grid!

Monday is a busy day for contenders in the HSCC Historic Touring Car Championship with a qualifying session and two races. Peter Hallford flies the stars and stripes in his Mustang but will face a ferocious challenge from a gaggle of potent Lotus Cortinas. Notably, local ace and leading modern GT racer Jon Minshaw joins the fray in a Lotus Cortina and will surely be a major contender.

Joining Minshaw in the Cortina pack are Mike Gardiner, Richard Belcher and Roger Stanford and this quartet of cars is sure to give the rumbling Mustang a hard time. Mixing it with the Cortinas should be reigning champion Bob Bullen in one of five Ford Anglias in the field. From the ranks of the smaller-engined cars will come Mini racers Roger Godfrey and Barry Sime, while heading the Imp pack will be the Singer Chamois of Steve Platts.

For sheer spectacle in historic racing, the HSCC Thundersports series takes some beating and the weekend will deliver a wonderfully varied field of sports-racing and GT cars for a pair of races.

Two cars stand out at the head of the entry and both are sensational crowd pleasers from the days of the mighty Can-Am sports-racing cars. Winner of the first race at Brands Hatch was the awesome McLaren M8F of Dean Forward and the 850bhp monster will be tough to beat at Oulton Park. Meanwhile, the driver of Richard Dodkins’ equally huge March 717 is yet to be finally confirmed but a year ago Calum Lockie made it fly.

From the ranks of the 2-litre cars come a gaggle of rapid contenders, topped by the racing return of the famous Chevron B26 ‘chocolate drop’ now in the hands of John Emberson. The B23 of James Claridge and the Osella PA3 of John Spiers are other podium contenders while Mike Fry (Lola T86/90) tops the Sports 2000 division.

Monday’s action includes four Formula Ford races and two of them are for the Classic Formula 1600 Championship. The shortened season kicked off at the Brands Hatch last month and now an excellent grid will gather for rounds three and four at Oulton Park.

Just as he did in Formula Junior, Cam Jackson started his season with a perfect double in his Van Diemen RF80 and he heads to Oulton Park in pursuit of a total of six wins in three different cars.

Out to stop the Jackson steamroller is Formula Ford veteran Rick Morris (Royale RP29), along with rising stars Jordan Harrison (Royale RP21), Samuel Harrison (Royale RP29) and Henry Chart (Van Diemen RF81). Meanwhile, pacesetter Mike Gardiner (Crossle 32F) should be a major threat to Jackson.

The Dunlop Historic Trophy for Pre ’66 Jaguars will be a special one-hour race during the Gold Cup weekend, with mandatory pit stops and the option of two drivers.

Inevitably, the faster E-types will set the overall pace at the head of the field and an intriguing contest is in prospect as Jon Minshaw and his son Jack race against each other. They have previously shared E-types in longer racer and Jack has shown tremendous form given his modest experience. Now he will go head-to-head with dad (in two of dad’s cars) as the third generation of racing Minshaw starts to make its mark.

Other leading E-types include those of John Spiers, Martin Melling and Jason (brother of Jon) Minshaw, Jamie Boot and Jonathan Hughes. Away from the E-type ranks, Richard and Tom Butterfield and Glenn Pearson/Peter Dorlin will battle in Mk1 Saloons and Rick Willmott represents the XK

[yahoo-from-the-marbles-blog]

NASCAR Power Rankings: It's Kevin Harvick, then Kyle Busch, then the rest

Welcome to the 2018 edition of our weekly NASCAR Power Rankings. Our continuing feature will attempt to rank and assess the moment’s top 12 drivers in the Cup Series. You’ll probably disagree with our rankings. And that’s fine. Give us your feedback either in the comments below or on Twitter. 

1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): We might as well just skip to No. 2 and get on with the real rankings. There’s no surprise that Harvick is in this spot nor is there any explanation needed. Harvick can finish 35th on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway and probably end up being No. 1 in this rankings set next week.

But at the rate he’s going, the odds of finishing first at ACS are better than the odds of him finishing below 30th. Harvick is racking up the playoff points at an alarming rate and it’s probably going to take until race No. 10 (at least) for someone to match Harvick’s playoff point total even without the points he earned at Las Vegas.

“Racing in your home state, a racetrack that I really enjoy racing at, I got so amped up that I wrecked it on lap zero last year, knocked the grille out of it, knocked the hood off of it, never got a chance to race,” Harvick said of his 2017 race at ACS.

“Yeah, I’m excited about it.”

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2. Kyle Busch (LW: 2): Busch has finished second to Harvick in each of the past two races. So putting him at No. 2 is a very obvious choice.

Busch won two-straight races at Auto Club Speedway in 2013 and 2014, so he’s one of the top drivers not named Harvick who have a chance to win on Sunday. Busch’s 2013 win is also the last time a race at ACS has finished at the prescribed 400-mile distance. The last four races have all gone to overtime.

It is fair to wonder if Busch’s strategy play was the best way to attack Harvick and the rest of the field at Phoenix. While Busch had the fastest car for long stretches, should he have pitted as early as possible to extend his last fuel run as long as possible? That would have meant more laps at the end of the race on old tires to catch Harvick.

Would it have worked? Who knows. Probably not. But it’s easy for us to wonder about from the comfort of hindsight. And it’s also worth noting that Busch had a slow pit stop on his final stop. If the stop is faster, is Busch the winner?

“I think if roles were reversed there on that final pit stop, I don’t think he would have got to us,” Busch said. “I think our cars were evenly matched and I thought we were right there with him. His car definitely turned the center a little bit better all throughout the day and I know when he was racing with the 11 there, he was getting his stuff burned up pretty bad and he was getting held up.

3. Denny Hamlin (LW: 4): Hamlin was up at the front of the field with Busch and Harvick but didn’t have the speed that either of them did. Harvick had the best overall speed of anyone in the field and Busch had the best long run speed. Hamlin was there with Chase Elliott fighting for third place and he ended up finishing … fourth, right behind Elliott.

“Our balance is perfect and we could run with the 4, but his balance stayed better longer than I was able to,” Hamlin said. “Proud of the comeback we had, obviously I made a mistake there coming to pit road and got too close to the wall and we dropped the car off the jack, but still was able to come back through. We had a fast car, we finished about where we should have.”

4. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 9): Truex is putting up a very solid start to the 2018 season that’s getting overlooked with Harvick’s dominance. Truex has finished in the top-five in three-straight races as Harvick has won all three of those races.

Truex’s fifth-place finish at Phoenix moves him to an effective third in the points standings. He’s tied with Busch, but Busch has the better finishes so he wins the tiebreaker.

5. Chase Elliott (LW: NR): Elliott emerged from the final round of pit stops in first place but anyone watching the race with a pulse knew that he didn’t have a chance of holding off Harvick for the win. Sure enough, Elliott was passed by Harvick with fewer than 40 laps to go and ended up finishing third behind Harvick and Busch.

6. Ryan Blaney (LW: 2): It wasn’t a great run for the Penske guys on Sunday. Blaney was 16th, the first car a lap down.

7. Brad Keselowski (LW: 5): Keselowski qualified poorly and ended up finishing 15th, the best driver among the three Team Penske cars.

8. Joey Logano (LW: 6): Logano qualified the best of any of the Penske cars in fifth, but finished the worst in 19th. Yeah, we said it wasn’t a great run for the Penske guys on Sunday.

9. Kyle Larson (LW: 8): Larson didn’t have speed or grip in his car on Sunday. He was 18th and even brought out a caution on lap 123 when his car spun out off the exit of turn 2.

“We’ve had, all weekend, like a wheel hop, tire chatter, some issue like that,” Larson said. “It’s hard to kind of tell what it is. I feel like it just starts as soon as I get to the brakes and turn the wheel and then I just start wheel hopping.  I fought it all day yesterday and was hoping that we could fix it.  We still had the issue in the race.”

10. Clint Bowyer (LW: NR): Bowyer finished sixth at Phoenix, the second of four Stewart-Haas Racing cars in the top 10. It’s the first time the organization has had all four of their cars in the top 10 in a single race. It’s a staggering statistic at first when you consider the caliber of drivers that the team has employed. And then you realize that while Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch have been solidly above average (at worst) with the team, Tony Stewart was on the downside of his career when the team expanded to four cars and Danica Patrick’s only top-10 finish of the 2017 season came at Dover in June.

“I admit, I thought we were going to get rained out at Atlanta, so I went home, was sitting there,” Stewart said. “I took a picture of the screen when we had all four cars in the top seven. I took a screen shot of it as a fan. Just kept looking at it, going, This is really cool, never happened for our organization.”

11. Aric Almirola (LW: 11): The driver who replaced Patrick in the No. 10 car would be the early story of SHR’s 2018 if it wasn’t for Harvick destroying the competition. Almirola and the team are suddenly far better than they were a year ago. Almirola is boosted by a change of team. The team is probably boosted by a change of driver.

12. Erik Jones (LW: 12): Jones finished ninth, the lowest of the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. Man, how must it feel to get a solid top-10 finish and still be the worst driver on your team for that race? And yes, use this stat as a reminder that Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing teams occupied eight of the 10 top positions at Phoenix and it’s nine of 10 if you include Truex as a JGRish car.

Lucky Dog: Daniel Suarez finished eighth, a spot ahead of Jones.

The DNF: Paul Menard crashed after completing 189 laps thanks to an apparent mechanical failure.

Dropped Out: Menard, Austin Dillon

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter