#l+fted

[orangemoonxworks]

LIFTED EPISODE 001: NOTEBOOK NOSTALGIA — 1 WRITTEN BY: K. Reynolds -------------------------------------------------

Sitting high up on the fire escape outside her window, Christine watched as its light shone down 103rd Street. The days of Manhattanhenge had long passed by, but the view was somewhat similar. As the subtle breeze brushed by and her hair swayed along with the branches of the trees lined on both sides of the street. The sound of rumbling and metal screeching escaped from the subway entrance at the north end. As people left the station, she shifted her eyes to the worn-out notebook with masking tape along the edges in her lap.

It was an old journal she’d found.

She opened it up and began flipping through it, skipping pages of entries she’d written over the years. The pages were almost as brittle as the autumn leaves on the sidewalk. Eventually she landed on a blank page, one of the very few left. Staring at it, she palmed her cheek then smiled.

(Huh, it’s been a while since I wrote in this.)

She slightly twisted her body, reaching through her window to grab one of the pens from the holder on her desk, then began twirling it around her fingers while staring at the page.

(It’s kind of hard to believe that almost a year’s gone by. It almost feels like I’ve drifted into an alternate reality – like I’m living someone else’s life. Yeah, something like that.)

She tapped the pen against the page a few times then began to write.

Before last year, my life was uneventful. Yep, I was the girl who never had any friends. Sure, I wanted friends and I tried to make some, but it never worked out. No one wants to be friends with the tiny girl who always gets bullied, right?

After a while, I gave up and stayed to myself. It was lonely but it was better than failing spectacularly over and over again. I was – well, I still am a bit on the awkward side and by all accounts I’m a huge nerd. So, I practically had ‘target’ branded on my forehead. Not much luck there.

She paused, tapping the pen on her forehead, then continued.

After a certain…incident, my mom enrolled me in a school somewhere in Brooklyn Heights. I was just a wallflower there, so no one bothered me. I was fully prepared to be forever alone and accepted my fate as an unlovable dwarf. And then, well…

+

One year ago, September 2008.

Christine dove onto her new bed and frolicked excitedly. After a few years of living with her grandparents in East New York, she was finally living with her mother in their new home. It was a somewhat spacious condo in the Upper West Side that was located on a street facing west end of Central Park. Celeste, her mother, stood in the doorway with her arms crossed watching her daughter giddily roll around. The joy on her daughter’s face was enough for her to crack a little smile.

“Ah! I can’t believe it. I’m finally in my new room!” Chistine grabbed one of the pillows beside her then gently rubbed it against her face. “Bed so soft, bed so soft…”

“I’m glad you like it. Me and your father busted our asses trying to get everything up here.”

Christine spread her arms then let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve finally been freed from the hellish depths of East New York. No more drunk hobos, no more gun shots, and no more genuinely fearing for my life.”

Celeste pursed her lips then rolled her eyes. “Stop over-exaggerating.”

“I am going to miss Grandpa though.” Christine replied then flipped over onto her side. “He’s going to be all alone in that house now.”

“Speaking of that, call him later.”

“Will do!” Christine threw up her left arm, stretching her fingers. “But maybe after I break in my magnificent new room first.”

“Okay, well, do you then. I’mma hit the kitchen, get everything situated and all that, then start cooking. I gotta work tonight.”

Celeste left her daughter to her vices and walked away. Christine rolled over on her back excitedly quivered while holding her clutched fist to her chest and letting out a quiet scream of joy with her mouth closed.

For the past few years, I’d been living with my grandparents. Mom was always talking about making a better life for us – “us” meaning me, her, and my sadistic demon-spawn older sister. As if being tortured at school and around our way wasn’t enough.

Anyway, it’d been five years since she’d left to make that promise. My sister had moved with my father by then, so it was just me. As a kid, I always wanted to live in Manhattan. So, I was super thrilled about our new place which is literally down the street from Central Park. Like, I can look out of my window and boom! There it is.

It’s a dream come true.

Life in the ghetto paradise that is East New York isn’t exactly glamourous. Still, being whisked away to the greener grass felt just as surreal as holding a philosophical conversation with the building’s resident pouched rat. If that thing was any bigger, then it seriously would’ve had to pay rent.

After having spent nearly a half hour soaking in her new room, Celeste knocked on her door. She opened it just enough to lean halfway through the crack. “I need you to go to the store”

“Huh? The store? But I don’t know where it is.”

“It’s one block away – it’s not far. I’m making us some macaroni, so I need milk.”

Christine’s shoulders dropped in dread. “But…but what if I get lost?”

“If you get lost walking down the block then something is wrong with you.” Celeste teased, laughing, then headed back to the kitchen. “I left the money on the table out here. Keep the rest of it.”

Christine pouted then buried her face into her pillows. “So much for breaking in my new room.”

+

Naseem’s Diner and Deli. Aside from looking more luxurious than the usual, it was a typical corner store with all the hallmarks including a cat stretched out on the shelf filled with bags of chips. There was a small dining area beside the exposed windows but given the chairs were up on the tables and everything was still in pristine condition, it was clear they were hardly ever used. The floors and walls spotless, shelves and freezers neatly packed, and a sweet flowery scent flowed through the air.

The bells on the entrance door jingled as Christine walked inside. She was instantly struck by the stark contrast between what she was used to and what she was seeing in the moment. For once, the stench of cat piss and rank body odor wasn’t assaulting her nostrils. The store’s owner Naseem sat behind the register counter with his eyes glued to the flat screen hooked to the wall. There was a soccer game on. Adjacent to him was Ahmed, the cook who ran the diner side, and who was preoccupied with the chicken gyro he was putting together.

Christine headed to the freezers in the back and grabbed a jug of milk. On her way back to the front of the store, the entrance bells jingled. A boy with a twisty afro walked in. Compared to her tiny 4 ft. 11 frame, he was practically a giant. But more than that, he was dressed so stylishly that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d just walked off the set of a photo shoot. As he walked, the boy’s sunglasses slid down the bridge of his nose revealing his hazelnut eyes, and a smooth but soft light brown complexion that seemed to glow in the sunlight. From the moment she saw him, Christine couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

And there he was – Lox a.k.a. Loen Wells. You know those moments in movies where the girl sees the guy, and rose peddles fly around and everything is weirdly pink and red? Well, that’s what it was like when I first saw him. I was mesmerized.

(Holy crap, he’s cute!)

“Yo, what up Ahmed.” Lox called out.

Ahmed raised his head and, upon seeing the boy, dreadfully sighed. As Christine reached the register counter, Naseem nearly leapt from his stool and cheered with his fist pumped up, celebrating his team scoring a goal. She sat the milk on the counter and briefly glanced at the tv, then returned to not-so-subtly staring at the boy eight feet away from her.

“You finished my sandwich yet?”

“No.” Ahmed replied, annoyed. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“A few more minutes?! Nigga, I called you a whole half hour ago.”

Ahmed sighed again. “You do know that you’re not the center of my universe, right? In case you haven’t noticed, I do have other customers.”

Lox sucked his teeth then jokingly replied, “Bruh, forget them. I’m your homie. I should get first priority over everybody.”

“Yeah.” Ahmed said then massaged the right side of his temple, quietly mumbling “I don’t wanna deal with you right now.”

Christine continued to eavesdrop as they went back and forth, forgetting about the jug of milk waiting to be paid for. Fortunately, Naseem was so invested in the soccer game he hadn’t noticed her at all.

“It’s not my fault you dumb slow. I could ride the A to Far Rockaway and back, and you’d still be making my sandwich.” Lox joked then sucked his teeth. “Got me feeling like I’m waiting on food stamps.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ahmed mumbled.

“And that’s not all either! You see how long you’ve been making that gyro? It’s like you be playing hairdresser and shit. You be mad serious trying to make it all pretty like you a real chef.” He raised his chin then smugly grinned. “I bet you put mad shit on that nobody asked for.”

“For your information, I am a real chef. And unlike you, I actually contribute to society while you stand in front of cameras and,” Ahmed paused then pressed his finger into his cheek. “What was it that you said I do? Make things look pretty? Oh, that’s right! That’s what you do.”

Lox smirked. “Don’t front cuz I make more bread than you.”

Ahmed sighed then dejectedly dropped his head. “And that’s the sad part. If all I have to do is stand still and let people take pictures of me, then why work hard at all, right? This world, man.”

“You chose to make sandwiches for a living. That don’t got nothin’ to do with me.”

After another missed goal, Naseem angrily slammed his fist down on the counter, startling Christine and snapping her back to reality. He grabbed his face, groaning and swearing into his hand, then noticed her looking at him from the corner of his eye.

“Oh, sorry Miss.” he said, softening his tone. “You pay, right?”

“Well, yeah. Oh! But I’m not in a huge hurry or anything!” She said then nervously waved her hands.

Naseem slightly tilted his head, confused by her hand waving. “I don’t get what you’re doing there with your hands. You pay for the milk?”

Averting his confused stare, she sheepishly handed the money over. Just as she went to grab the bagged milk and her change, a loud piercing sneeze shot out. Ahmed wiped his nose then tossed the balled tissue to the small trash can beside him.

“Shit, my allergies are acting up.”

“Bruh, if that’s my sandwich on the side, then you’d better move.” Lox said, looking at the foil-wrapped sandwich roll beside the gyro.

“You want this one?” Ahemed pointed down at the sandwich. “You can take it if you want. And I didn’t make it pretty like the gyro here.”

Lox’s mouth twisted in disgust. “Nah, nigga you just sneezed over there. I don’t want that shit.”

Ahmed groaned. “I didn’t sneeze on it. It’s already been wrapped. And it’s exactly what you ordered too, so you might as well take it. Either that or you wait another ten minutes.”

Lox sucked his teeth. “I’m not trying to wait for another ten minutes.”

“Then take the damn sandwich!” Ahmed shouted in agitation.

“All right, damn! I’mma take it.” Lox replied, slightly leaning back. “Stop spazzing, bruh. It’s not that serious.”

As he went to grab the sandwich, his eyes ventured up the menu on the wall behind Ahmed. He stared for a moment, rubbing his chin in deep thought, and tapping his fingers on the counter. Aside from the soccer game playing, there was dead silence. Ahmed’s eyes narrowed tightly, and his teeth clenched so hard one could hear it. His frustration grew more intense with each passing second. An uncontrollable giggle began to rise from Christine’s stomach. Lox’s eyes raced from one edge of the menu to the other, then stopped.

“So, umm, dead that. Let me get chicken over rice.”

Before Ahmed could react to his nonsense, a burst of hysterical laughter filled the store. All three men turned to the source in utter confusion and surprise. Upon seeing their bewildered eyes piercing at her, Christine’s laughter quickly dissipated. Her face bloomed into a bright crimson red. She snatched the milk and her change, then made a break for the door and darted outside and around the corner. -------------------------------------------------

[dave-the-tech-guy]

^ _^ S,,.,,.SKY TIM.,.,E .,.,, :D

Dave youre strange and know things if i accidently chugged an entire bottle of harmful chemicals that are hypothetically burning all my insides what do i do

write your will. what'd you do. don't call me strange

[prettycrazycuty]

thinking of going to a far away mall, having a big one-time haul and never visiting again.. should I? it’s been so long since I’ve l!fted, I’m a little nervous

[reilikeslifting]

do you have any lifting horror stories? like, almost getting arrested or just seeing some random shit

-🪐

i actually dont!!! ive never been caught or really sussed although i do have a story of getting “caught” for smth i didnt do!!

i was at the mall (the one i frequent) with my bsf and we went into zumiez to look around. i rarely go into clothes stores personally i get all my clothes from the thrift store so i usually stay out of them but my friend wanted to go to zumiez so we went. i showed her this cute little bear beanie and i was like omg so cute and then set it back down. we went through the store and she found this weed shirt that she wanted so i ofc l!fted it for her there was too hard tags so we were in and out.

this fucking minimum wage paid dude comes walking after us like several stores down while we’re AT our table eating our food (we got wetzels) and he’s like “hey so i work at zumiez and i just wanted to let you know that you stole a beanie from our store.” i was like “let you know”? 💀 i think i’d know if i stole smth dude so i was like “umm no i didnt” bc ofc i didnt and he was like “yeah you did i saw you” and i was like “no you didn’t, i didn’t steal shit” and i was pissed and wanted to be like go check the cams but obvi i did get that shirt so </3 but then he was like “okay! so yeah just letting you know i saw you steal that” and then he leaves. also my friend said “you can check our bags” but he didn’t hear her and just walked away. and i’m like okay wtf and my friend is hella confused so we just keep eating. a little later i saw this lady like leaning so conspicuously against a shop like across the mall from our table and i was like bruh and then she walks over WITH A MALL SECURITY GAURD and i’m like ur fcking joking so she’s like “hey i work at zumiez and one of our employees said you stole something so can we just check your bags” and we were like yeah whatever check our bags and they did and they DIDNT FIND ANYTHING. (the shirt was ON the table but my purse was covering it) so we were like we didn’t steal that and then my friend is like “i think he probably thought my jacket was the beanie because they’re both brown” and the lady is like “yeah… sure..” and then i was like she said he could check our bags and she was like “well that’s not what our employee said” and we were like well we said it so wtv and then they left I WAS PISSED LIKE we didn’t want ur cheap ass hat bruh fuckkk offf

[matt-is-dead]

l!fted some stuff today :3 will show later tho cuz im eepy

also gonna throw in something that wasnt at the same time just bcuz

[meowlyft]

story time for getting caught 😭😭

so this was about 2-3 months ago, i was at a mall with one of my usual l!fting partners, and that was our like second time ever at that mall. we hit all of our usual stores and had a few things in our shopping bags. so we stop into päcsún. i’m looking at the clothes, not considering l!fting anything just yet, while my friend, grabs a shirt she wants and another item and makes her way to the dressing room. from what my friend told me, the employee there made her keep her shopping bag and purse outside the fitting room, which is understandable. but i guess the employee was eyeing her bag, and when my friend came out of the fitting room (hadn’t concealed her shirt yet) the worker wanted to check her bag 😭 so i see my friend walking out with the worker behind her and she just mouths to me “she wants to check my bag” and i’m like oh shit??? so i drop the shirt that i picked up, and i walk over to the table where the worker makes my friend dump her shopping bag (full of unpa!d for things…) then the worker made me dump my bag too. this was our first time ever being caught, so obviously we just wanted the quickest way out of the situation. the worker told us if we didn’t have receipts for the items we couldn’t keep them. and she gave us 3 options. one, we could go back to all the stores we l!fted from to confirm our purchases (no.) two, she could call security on us (hell no.) or three, we can leave all the stuff with her and just leave. so we just left all our unpa!d for stuff with the pácsûn worker and we got out of there as fast as we could 😭😭 she only checked our shopping bags which was good, because we both had stuff in our purses, and i had 2 h0ll!ster shirts under my hoodie lmaoo. but after we left pâcsün nd got told to never come back) we immediately left the mall, in fear that she would call security anyways. but for those who were wondering, there were no charges or anything, and we haven’t been to that mall since and don’t plan on going back for a long while.

[cleptophile]

Today I l🏋️fted this lights for x mas

[luvcif]

me coming  back acting like i didn't forget to post all the hauls I've gotten in this past month

im to lazy to post the pictures ( i didn't even take them yet) but lets just say pookiebear right here got some SHITTTT

expect more hauls soon

also 

i l!fted my first two pieces of clothing last Friday 

sounds silly but i was sooo happy  😭

[shitlift]

Today's l!ft!ng haul with my besties!!!

It was a quick one but woohoo many things I wanted!! I'm especially happy about bee mug and black shouder bag!!!

(cat isn't l!fted she is mine lmao)

[reilikeslifting]

This is contacts/glasses person again! Also, don't listen to everything you hear on Tumblr, and remember that it may not apply to you. I've heard a lot of people say that Barnes & Nobles has RFID tags on manga. My store? Nope. Looked through all of the manga I l¡fted--- nothing. Which, yay because that makes it so much easier for me.

I've also heard Ross is usually easy. Well, I don't know who hurt my local Ross, but they went Target-style with their cameras. Every single square inch of that place is covered--- It is impossible to l¡ft from there.

All that is to say, check your local stores before l¡fting--- They may be different than what other l¡fters have said!

I feel like I'm going to talk a lot on this blog, because it's helpful and you're cool, so I'm gonna name myself 🌷 anon

sosososoooo TRUEEE this is the realest thing. your location is EVERYTHING. i always have ppl warning me abt my t@rget but my location has much bigger issues😭😭😭

so glad u enjoy my blog❤️❤️❤️can’t wait to see more of u!

[germaphrodite]

For dinner yesterday after a meeting, conference call, social media org. and spending time with a honey: cashew miso tumeric garlic ginger soup with mushrooms, brussel sproats, baby bok choy and recycled s.potato fries. For dinner today after completely a zine and scheduling food distrib.: smoked tempeh mushrooms roasted tomato sweet potato picked onion garlic, next to barley tossed and toasted in miso, next to roasted potatoes, next to picked cabbage kraut. crumbled walnuts on top 

[speyeralling-down-thy-majesty]

*Amelie rolls eyes, sighs playfully* indescrib@ble @nd spir@lling bey𖣠nd any c𖣠mprehensi𖣠n. N𖣠ne and n𖣠ne,though I guess th@t 𖣠ne c@n be called @romantic asexu@l.

Fav𖣠rite fruit? Gl𖣠wstick. T@c𖣠s?.. they sure exist,I think. 𖣠R I d𖣠n't. I'm n𖣠 t sure I think.

Seri𖣠sly th𖣠ugh,wh@t d𖣠 expect fr𖣠m @sking s𖣠mething like me such hum@n questi𖣠ns? I m@y l𖣠𖦹k hum@n,but th@t is @ c@refully cr@fted lie.

This spir@l is s@d :((

Apparently it can still feel pesky hum@n feelings.

[meowlyft]

me realizing that a sports bra and a pair of shorts that i l!fted match with each other :)

[997]

sh•l*fted today <3

[cookieborr0wz]

I worked at cl@!r3z for almost two years lemme tell you:

-Cameras are fake

-No LP

-Me and my coworkers l!fted constantly as employees and never got caught

-They only do inventory once a year at most stores so theres a chance they won’t even know whats missing until later

-If they’re doing a piercing you can get away with murder

-Not allowed to accuse, they usually have to call mall security

-they are severely underpaid lol

[noturningbacknobackingout]

Drawings are better with l!fted pens