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chicchanmooshy · 3 years

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Shades of grey; chapter 11 - Ninja tag with a Poltergeist

@shadow-ninjas @leosgirl82 If somebody else would liked to be tagged, or not, please let me know.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, angst: panick attack

“Are you sure you don't want to stay any longer, Ishtar? You're such a great asset to the festival”, Judith said.

“I really enjoyed my time here and I've learned so many things. But I have an answer to the questions I came here with. And I feel I'm needed back home”, Ishtar said. She got a warm feeling at the word 'home'. It's where she belonged. “I won't leave until tomorrow morning. I would love to see everyone tonight, dancing, singing and acting crazy around the campfire with all of you, my new sweet sisters.”

“We would love that! Do you have any idea how much you've grown this three weeks?”

“I've some idea, yes. Something like from a slightly insecure woman to a self-confidant goddess, right?” Laughing they hugged each other.

In early morning, Ishtar looked back one last time at the festival and waved at her sisters. “Sisters for live!”, they called and she smiled. “I’m gonna miss you!” she called back.

She opened the portal and stepped through it, back into the lair. Master Splinter was waiting for her. They greeted each other happily, Ishtar even gave Splinter a hug. “Oh my”, he responded and chuckled. “Let me look at you child. Oh yes, you've grown quite a lot, energetically speaking of course. How was your trip?”

“It was amazing, I've learned so many things, I've had such a great time and I did manage to find answers on your questions. I could have stayed longer, but I felt I was needed here, where my home is.”

“I'm glad to hear that. So you would like to stay with us?”

“Yes, very much.”

“Good. Now, I have some questions for you. Did you learn any ninja skills?”

“Yes, I made considerable progress with silent walking. And learned to survive in nature. Treated minor wounds. Why? What do you have in mind?” she asked after she saw the look on his face.

“Would you like to play a little game here in the lair? I won't tell the brothers that you're home already. You stay hidden for as long as possible but only three days. You can do whatever you like, just don't show yourself and don't let yourself be heard. You loose if one of my sons catches you.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It can be, it's a more advanced game and a start to ninja tag. My sons are now at April's home to get all the ordered groceries. I expect them back in one hour. So, if you want to play, I suggest you take a shower and clean your things up..”

“Ow, this sounds fun and exciting. I will play but how will I announce myself on the third day?”

“I will leave a note with suggestions in my room. But maybe you'll think of something yourself”, he winked. “Now go, prepare yourself!”

Ishtar ran to her room, careful not to change anything on her way or in her room. She dumped her bag under the bed, easy to reach if needed. She then ran to the kitchen and grabbed an empty bottle, five apples and a knife. Looking in the refrigerator she found left over pizza, but hesitated. 'Pizza smells strong. If I take this with me, they'll find me in no time. 'k, I'll eat one slice now and leave the rest for the guys.' She quickly ate the pizza on her way to the shower. 'Just a quick one, still got to find a hiding spot, where I can leave my apples.. Maybe I should find several spots, just in case..'

She found a dark corner next to the kitchen, where she left two apples. High above the lair she found another spot between some pipes, where she dumped her other stuff. She even found a hiding place in Splinter's room. Running to Donnie's lab, she took two science-fiction books off the shelve, to have something to read. As a last part of preparations she filled her bottle with water, grabbed a spare blanket and went to her high hide-out. There she calmed her breathing, shrunk her aura, made a comfortable bed and lied down with one book.

After a sort amount of time she heard the guys come back from their trip. Not daring to look over the edge of her hiding spot, she just listened to the sounds, who appeared to be very loud. Which made it easier for her to locate everybody.

“Okay guys, you store all the groceries. I'll be in the dojo, training is in ten.” Leonardo said.

Ishtar knew her hiding spot was in the direct line of sight from the kitchen, so she didn't move now. But she carefully listened to each sound the guys made. Leonardo was just impossible to trace, he always walked silent. Raphael walked loud, Michaelangelo had a light playful step, and Donatello walked with intervals. Probably trying to remember projects and inventing new stuff.

Careful touching with her mind she tried to locate Master Splinter. 'Ah yes, of course, he was watching his shows now.' She withdrew her mind to her own space and settled in. Time to make a plan: during training was the best time to go to the bathroom and get some water or food if needed. And another book to read, if she finished these two already. During the night she also had these opportunities, but Leo always slept light. So she had to be very quiet.

'Now to find out when is the best time to sleep? I have to figure that out later. My mind is too hyped right now. Just reading than, with an ear to always listen in on what the guys are doing. Oh wait, this is the perfect time to check out where all the security camera's are.' She knew she was high above that level, so popped her head up and looked around. She looked at Splinter too. He didn't look up but held a finger to his mouth, as if he gestured to be quiet. 'Damn, did that make noise?! Hmm, how to get past him? Climb down to the first level, walk against the wall of the bedrooms and then..? The stairs is a too open space. Need to find a different route.. The first floor gave a dark area behind the stairs. Yes, I could use that. Okay, and the line of sight from the dojo isn't focused on the stairs. Yup, let's do this!'

She climbed down to the first level, but stayed in the shadows first. Locating the camera's she knew right away she couldn't avoid them, so she didn't focus on that. They were placed by someone with years of experience in stealth, and she didn't had any practice yet in being stealthy. Slowly she made her way to the stairs, constantly looking around and scanning the lair for everybody's location, but without touching their awareness. She made it to the stairs. Silently she walked down the normal way and hid beneath it. There she waited a minute.

^What are you planning to do, Ishtar?^ she heard in her mind, in Splinter's voice.

^Geez, you scared the crap out of me!^ she thought loud. ^I'm off to the lab, checking the camera settings and then grab some food from the kitchen.^

^Try to walk a little slower and more silent. If you manage that, you'll make a fair chance at this.^

^I do my best, thanks for the advise. Over and out?^ she finished their thought-talk.

Splinter chuckled.

In the lab she quickly checked the computer for the setting. They were in her favor, they weren't set to record. So only when Donnie worked in his lab, she shouldn't walk around.

As quickly but still very slow and silent she walked to the kitchen to look for some food. That was rather difficult. Most food would make too much noise or could be smelled from a distance, or was packed in plastic, or needed cooling to stay fresh.. The only thing she could bring was chocolate. She took two bars, just in case to have more food. And chocolate provided a good amount of energy of course. She was startled again when Splinter touched her mind ^could you put the kettle on? No need to wait for it to boil, I will do that.^

^Of course, Master Splinter^, she thought.

After that she walked back to her top spot. She made herself comfortable again and decided to rest first.

Hours later she woke up. 'Oh shit, did I fall asleep?' she thought.

Still lying in her blanket she carefully scanned the lair again. Leo was meditating with Master Splinter, Donnie worked in his lab, Mickey played video games and Raph worked on his bike in the garage. Safe enough to start reading that book again. And she ate a small peace of chocolate. She waited till dinner to eat her apple. With all the noise the guys would make in the kitchen, she could safely crunch on her apple.

She woke in the middle of the night, needed to go to the bathroom. She had stayed up till eleven, so she knew Leonardo was in his room. Slowly she looked over the edge. The television was off and the bedroom doors of Michaelangelo and Donatello were closed. Only Raphael wasn't sleeping yet. She had heard him say something about watching the game with Casey. But it was unknown to her if he would come back home right away or in early morning. She took a gamble and made her way to the bathroom. All went well until she wanted to flush. 'Oh wait, if I do that, it will make noise. And I can't just leave it here, with their sensitive sense of smell, they will know it's me.. What if I turn off the tap? I can flush everything, but the cistern won't make noise refilling itself. Yes, let's do that.' After that she went back to bed.

Early morning Ishtar woke up, hearing Leonardo mumbling while he walked downstairs. “Mickey and his pranks.”

She smiled, at least that went well. The first twenty-four hours were almost up. 'Today will be boring with little to do', she thought.

An idea struck her. 'It's almost Halloween! How about I prank them a little today and still remain unnoticed? And make it worse by tomorrow', she snickered silently. 'Oh, I'm so bad.'

All she had to do now was inventing some ideas and waiting for the right time to execute them.. She waited until Leonardo was finished in the kitchen, bringing tea and breakfast to Master Splinter. She checked if he stayed there. When she didn't see any movement, she went downstairs. In the kitchen she grabbed a piece of soap and went to the bathroom. Careful she wrote with her finger a message on the mirror. Pizza will be banned from the world by 2022 She then returned the soap, took some tools from Donnie's lab and walked to the dojo. She unscrewed a bench Raphael always used, but not the one used for heavy lifting. Returning the tools she thought of one last thing. She put a google search on Donnie's computer for Poltergeist and deliberately left that window open.

When she walked by the kitchen, she heard noises. 'Oh crap, everybody is waking up now.' She quickly dove to her hiding spot next to the kitchen, down, slowed her breathing again and waited what would happen.

Mickey bounced happy downstairs, Raphael was a bit grumpy and Donnie was almost sleepwalking, his eyes barely open. She could hear them rummaging but they didn't talk much. The atmosphere felt quite dark. She didn't like that, almost felt sorry for her pranks. 'Oh no Ishtar, don't go there! No time for sad feelings, and you still have to complete his invisibility game..'

Before Leonardo walked by, she could sense him. Good, that left only Master Splinter in his room. She heard Leonardo talking. “I didn't like your prank Michaelangelo and frankly I'm used to better pranks from you. This one was just lame.”

“What are you talking about dude? I haven't pranked someone in weeks. So whatever happened to you, it wasn't me!”

“So you didn't closed the tap of the toilet?” Leo asked seriously.

“Nope! But it does sound funny”, Mickey snickered.

“Okay, then who?”

“Nope, wasn't us Leo.”

“Strange.. Okay, see you soon in the dojo.” Ishtar saw him walk towards the dojo, a bit lost in thought. 'Don't look at him Ishtar. People always feel it when you look directly at them. And ninja's are worse.' Fortunately Leonardo didn't turn around.

While waiting on the guys to leave the kitchen, Ishtar thought on more Halloween pranks. Maybe some glowing eyes in the dark. And creepy music.. When she got her chance she gathered all the stuff she needed and placed them in the lair on strategic places. Then a quick visit to the bathroom where she washed herself and went back to her hide-out.

A while after training Ishtar heard a loud scream from the bathroom and a second later from the dojo. Michaelangelo came running out the bathroom, still screaming.

“What's going on?” Leo asked concerned.

“Aahhh! The horror! There is something horrible written on the mirror.. I can't bear to look again!”

Leonardo went in and came out again. “That's not so scary, it's just a message on a mirror..” he said and looked suspicious at his brothers who came stand by.

“Oh no, you can't put this on us!” Raphael said. “We weren't even here! I was in the dojo remember? Someone unscrewed my bench.”

“And there was a window open on my computer, with a search for Poltergeist..” said Donatello.

“Hmm, that all sounds very suspicious.” Mickey said. “Either we have a ghost, Poltergeist or an intruder in the lair.”

“Or Master Splinter finally found a sense of humor”, Raphael added.

“Unlikely, but I'll go ask him”, Leo said. He came back quickly. “No, it isn't Master Splinter. Although he does think the pranks are funny.”

“What do we do now?” Donatello asked.

“Go on with our daily business, but keep an eye on everything and report anything strange right away.”

Ishtar had trouble staying silent, hands placed over her mouth, she laughed. She busied herself with the other preparations, cutting scary eyes out of cardboard. And with a headphone she made a music selection with scary tunes. Pranking the prankster, this was fun. Only the long wait was dreadful and boring.

Leonardo announced a night patrol. 'Good, perfect for me to place some more pranks', Ishtar thought.

When they were gone for thirty minutes she came out of hiding. Though it was tempting to walk fast, she still walked slowly. 'Don't stay too long in one spot.'

She placed pans and their lids on the top shelf of the cookie cabinet and closed the door gently. 'This is going to sound so loud!' When she walked back to the stairs she noticed a little basket with wool and crochet needles next to Splinter's room. There was a small note attached to the basket.

If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.

Smiling she brought the basket with her, finally something to do. From her hiding spot she searched Splinter's mind and thanked him. For several hours she entertained herself with crochet, making herself a hat for her swimming trips. She also had been swimming during her mission and she would like to continue it here.

Just when she made herself ready to go to sleep, the guys came back home. The lighting in the lair were set on a timer, so it was dark now. Leo and Raph walked to the showers, while Mickey helped Donnie with a bandage. When they came out of the infirmary Ishtar threw a small stone down. It startled Donatello and Mickey even screamed. Donatello took his flashlight out and looked around. “Calm down Mickey, it's just a stone.”

“Yes, but where did that come from?” asked Leonardo who had already showered. “Is our Poltergeist still present?”

“You know I don't believe in ghosts, Leo. So no! But there's definitely something going on in here”, Donnie said suspiciously.

“Yes, I agree. Should I stay up tonight to keep watch over you?” Leo asked.

“Only if you really don't treasure sleep. No, I think it'll be alright. Besides, all these pranks were harmless.. good night.”

'Good night', Ishtar thought.

Her bed wasn't that nice to sleep in, but she had slept well. Up until she woke up from the loudest possible noise in the kitchen. She immediately sat upright in bed. Breathing fast she was glad she wasn't a screamer when it came to unexpected noises. Otherwise she would have been discovered by now. Lying back down she listened to what the guys were saying.

“I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!!” bellowed Raphael.

“What happened this time?” Leonardo and Donatello asked as one.

“I got all the pans and lids over me when I wanted to grab a cookie!” Raphael growled angry.

“Are you wounded?” asked Donatello.

“No, just deaf!”

“If you all are alright, could we go back to sleep now, please?” asked Master Splinter.

They all nodding, and went to bed.

Or, at least that is what Ishtar thought. She had just trusted on the noises that were made by everyone. But she hadn't checked the whereabouts of them. Leonardo did stay awake and alert and silently patrolled the lair throughout the night. When she woke up again for her bathroom visit, she wasn't aware of Leo. She did take her precautions, listening and scanning the lair. At that moment Leonardo was in his room meditating, but his door was ajar. Ishtar failed to notice that and walked right past it. Quickly doing her business in the bathroom, she relaxed for a moment. Before she went back she scanned the lair once more. She was shocked to find out Leonardo was walking around. 'Oh shit, now what? Even if I turn off the tap again, he will still hear me flush. And knowing everyone else is sleeping, he will come running here!'

She grabbed a cup, filled it with water and silently flushed it away in the toilet. With another shock she heard someone approaching. Quickly hiding under a pile of towels, she had trouble now to catch her breath.

“Found anything yet?” Raphael asked Leonardo softly.

“No, not yet. But I did hear someone walking, very silently. Maybe a weird question, Raph. But could you make some noise in the bathroom? Maybe our intruder will think it's safe to walk faster and being less careful.”

“Sure, can do”, Raphael said.

When Raphael came into the bathroom he turned on the lights. 'Oh shell, there goes my night vision', Ishtar thought.

Raphael took his job very seriously. She could hear him piss, the way the stream splashed in the middle of the water, and then he moaned too. It was almost too much to handle. Because, in horror, she found out that this sound turned her on, a lot. She could control herself not to moan, but she still hadn't control over her churrs. She desperately tried to think of something nonsexual, but couldn't come up with anything. She started to panic. 'I don't want to play this game anymore. I want out! But then I have to deal with the consequences too. No, that's also too much right now! What can I do? Should I reach out to Leo, confess everything, tell him I'm sorry?'

She heard Raphael leave the bathroom. Still breathing fast, she tried to control her panic. That took some time. When she was calm again, she only then noticed the smell that came off the towels. She almost threw up by the smell of old cum..

She picked herself up again, removed herself from the towel pile and quietly walked to the door. Raphael had turned off the lights, to which she was grateful.

She located Leonardo, he was walking downstairs. Very quietly and even slower than she thought possible, she walked in the direction of her top spot. When she was almost about to climb up, some alarm went off in her body. She froze mid-stride and was grateful she was already standing in a shadow. She used all her senses to find out who was walking behind her. And then she could smell his scent, it was Leonardo. He hadn't seen her, he just walked to his bedroom, went inside and closed the door. Ishtar couldn't hear a thing he was doing inside because her heart was beating so loud. She waited ten minutes and then climbed up. When she was barely on top of the pipes again, Leonardo threw his door open and jumped out. Of course, he couldn't find her. She could hear him now, because his breathing sounded frustrated. After a few seconds he went back in and closed the door. Only then Ishtar felt safe enough to breath normally again.

She woke up during lunch, but wasn't rested yet. And she had enough of this game. Carefully scanning where Master Splinter was, she sent her thoughts to him. ^Sensei?^

^Yes child?^

^I want to stop this game. And I'm already sorry for all the pranks I made.^

^I see. What is the reason you want to stop?^

^It's too stressful. And I was almost discovered by Leonardo last night.^

^Yes, he told me so. This decision is up to you Ishtar. You can quite at any moment. You already made it two days, which I find remarkable for someone without ninja training. But if you manage to keep it up one more day, I will support you when you come out of hiding. And maybe you would like to crochet me a scarf?^

^Thank you, I appreciate that. I will stay in hiding a bit longer. And thank you for the crochet idea.^

Taking a deep breath, she decided to take it slow today. No more pranks for now..

Ishtar had stayed in her high hiding spot for the last twenty-four hours, with the exception for a bathroom break.

During lunch Master Splinter checked in with Ishtar, asking how she was doing.

^Are you ready to show yourself?^ he asked.

^Oh, please yes! I'm longing for a warm shower, normal food and most of all the comfort of you all.^

^Okay, let me do the talking after lunch, we will carefully reveal you.^

“My sons, I have an announcement to make. Can you come with me to the living room?”

Curious they all followed.

“All the pranks that happened the last days were not made by a Poltergeist. But by a person.”

“Oh, I knew it!” Raphael growled. “It was you, wasn't it?!”

“No, Raphael, I didn't do anything of the sorts. Do you want to know who it was?”

“Yes, please, Master Splinter”, Leonardo said.

“It was Ishtar.”

“What?! No, that cannot be! She can't be back yet! She wouldn't do all those pranks to us, she's way too sweet for that!” they all talked over each other.

“She came back three days ago. I asked her then if she wanted to play the beginnings of ninja tag, since she had learned silent walking on her mission. She agreed to that.”

“Did ya order the pranks as well?” Raphael asked gruffly.

“No, that was of her own doing. Probably because she was bored.”

“Okay”, Leonardo said, “and where is she now?”

“Still in hiding. She hadn't told me where those places are, where she hid.”

“Hey Ishtar”, Mickey spoke aloud into the overall space, “I'll bet you can hear me. Were that all your pranks or did you have more for us?”

It was silent for a moment. Then they all heard from three directions at once “moooore...” in a scary voice. Mickey squealed.

“How did she do that?” Leonardo asked Donatello.

From somewhere high up came Ishtar's voice. “Simple, connect three speakers with each other, find a hiding spot for them and play something on a phone that's connected with the speakers.”

“Anything else?” asked Raphael.

“Yes, but I will save those for another time.”

Ishtar got up and carefully came out of her spot. When she was on the first floor, she spoke again. “This game wasn't easy to do. By experiencing this myself, it gave me more insight in how difficult it can be. So, I have a lot more respect for you guys, who do this on every night patrol.” And she bowed to the brothers, placing her left hand over her right fist. Standing upright again, she stumbled. Alarmed, Donatello ran to her and asked, “are you alright? You don't look so well!”

“I haven't eaten much in the last few days, so my blood sugar level is probably a bit low. And I've been through a little too much stress to my liking. Other than that, I'm fine.”

“The hell you are!” Donnie growled, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and walked downstairs. Ishtar yelped. “What are you doing, Donatello?”

“We are going to feed you properly. Mickey, make something nutritious, will you?”

Ishtar didn't argue anymore. It cost her a lot of strength. She surrendered to the good care of the guys.

“What did you eat during the last three days?” Leonardo asked.

“Four apples, half a bar of chocolate and some water. Oh, and one pizza slice on the first day”, she answered.

“How could you survive on so little food?” Mickey asked and placed a plate with bacon and eggs in front of her.

“Sit!” Leonardo commanded.

She did and started to wolf down the food. “Can I have some tea?”

“Sure you can”, said Leonardo, sweetly now.

“Can you guys please sit down, you're making me nervous”, Ishtar asked.

“Sure babe”, Raphael said. “Here, come sit with me” and pulled her on his lap. “You're safe now. We're not mad at you, just a little disturbed by the circumstances.”

Ishtar looked questioningly at Leonardo to check if he thought so too. He nodded. She sighed and relaxed in Raphael's arms. 'Good, she's starting to acknowledge my authority', Leo thought.

With her thoughts Ishtar tried to connect with Leonardo ^I'd rather sit on your lap right now.^

Leonardo didn't respond to her. It even seemed he hadn't heard her. Confused she looked at Master Splinter and asked in thought, ^Leonardo cannot mind-talk?^

^Not as good as you and me can. But it is also part of his training to have his mind closed off for everyone, so nobody can come in unannounced and attack.^

Ishtar nodded in understanding and sipped on her tea.

“Ya want anything else to eat, Ishtar?” Raphael asked.

“Uh, some toast with grilled cheese?”

“Coming right up, love!” Mickey said.

After she finished her meal, Leonardo suggested she should rest a while. She didn't argue with him, thinking it was a good idea actually.

Leonardo couldn't help himself, he really needed to be close to her. The first hour Ishtar slept a deep sleep. After that she just rested comfortably in her bed. Still used to locate everyone in the lair, she found out Leonardo was just outside her room. She tried to poke his thoughts with her mind. It took a while but eventually he let her in.

^Hey, sleep well?^

^Yes I did. You wanna come in?^

^I don't think that's such a good idea..^

^Why not?^

^Because.. I don't know if I can restrain myself..^

Ishtar laughed. “That's not a bad thing Leo. Do come in, leave the door open, so I can yell for help”, she giggled.

Leonardo walked in but stayed on the other end of the room. “That's not something to joke about Ishtar”, he said seriously.

“And I wasn't joking. I'm not fearful of you, you know. Well, apart from two nights ago, when you almost caught me. That scared the shit out of me.” And she shuddered by the thought.

“Yeah, well, that's what I'm trained to do. I'm sorry it scared you, but I didn't know it was you. How did you mask your scent?”

“I didn't on purpose. I was in the bathroom when Raphael came in to pee. Before he opened the door I hid under the pile of dirty towels, the ones with old cum on it..”

“You what?!” Leo snickered.

“Aah, don't laugh, it was the only hiding spot I could find and I almost threw up by that smell.”

“Now that you mention it, I did smell that near my bedroom. But it didn't alarm me, kind of used to it by now, I guess”, and shrugged. “Do you feel strong enough to tell about your mission during dinner? I would love to hear what you encountered.”

“Yes, I'm fine. I would like to tell about it too”, she said smiling.

During dinner almost everyone fought for some attention of her, all so happy she was back again. She was flattered by that, but kept some distance. She needed to strengthen first, although she did stay very close to Leonardo.

“Ishtar, could you tell about your mission?” Master Splinter asked.

“Yeah sure. I didn't know what to expect so I went open-minded through the portal. It brought me to a festival..”

“WHAT?! You've been partying these three weeks?!” exclaimed Michaelangelo.

Ishtar chuckled. “Some. But I worked there too, as a volunteer in the first responder team.”

Interested Donatello sat upright. “Did you learn anything new? Major wounds or have you experienced life-threatening situations?”

“No, just minor wounds. But I did learn a lot over there. We had a lot of bee and wasp stings, allergic reactions from plants, burns from hot tea, one case of hypothermia and some minor burns from the Fire Walk.”

“A FireWalk?!” Raphael exclaimed, “who would want to walk over fire? Did ya do that too?”

“No, my challenge is cold water, for now. But this is what they said about it:

The Fire Walk is a powerful demonstration of our potential. It teaches us how to transform fear and negative thinking into constructive energy and practical results. Fire Walking is said to be the most powerful ritual for effecting change in harmony with a greater whole.

“Pff, if it's that effective, why didn't ya do it?” Raphael asked again.

“Because the fire didn't call me.”

“Fire doesn't speak.”

“It doesn't if you don't listen to it. Then you only get burned.”

“Humph, whatever!”

“What kind of people were there? Were they alarmed by your turtle appearance?” Mickey asked.

“Oh no, they were not. It was an all-women mutants festival.”

“Wooow! Do those kind of festivals exist?! And can you get me to one?”

“Why Mickey, did you already had enough of me?” Ishtar asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Er.. no, that's not what I meant!” Mickey stuttered.

“Okay”, Ishtar giggled, “just checking.” Gathering her thoughts again she continued her story. “I had morning shifts and a few evening shifts when there was a Fire Walk. Did some interesting workshops and learned to walk silent, in a forest in autumn. And surviving in nature. Most evenings we danced or were singing by a campfire. I had an amazing time with a lot of women, who will know me now as a sister”, she said warmly.

“Did you return because the festival ended?” asked Donatello.

“No, I returned because I felt I was needed here, back home. They didn't like it but respected my choice. I left the next morning and came back through the portal. And that's when Master Splinter asked me to play that game ninja tag.

I thought it would be fun to do. But I got bored and after a few pranks and that second night when I almost got caught by Leonardo... No, I didn't like it that much anymore..”

“But you kept going Ishtar and made it through three whole days. And that is remarkable for someone who isn't a ninja.” said Master Splinter.

“Yeah, it sure is!” said Mickey.

“Could you tell about your preparations, Ishtar?” Leonardo asked.

“I took some apples, a knife and a water bottle with me from the kitchen, dumped my bag under my bed, took a shower, found a blanket and searched for some hide-outs. I found one in Master Splinter's room, although I haven't used that one. Another in the dark corner here next to the kitchen, hid there once during breakfast. And I had a safe place somewhere else, a place I don't want to share yet..”

“What did you do during the second night?” Leo asked interested, curious to know how she pulled it off.

“I threw a small stone down close by Mickey and while you guys were on patrol I had already booby-trapped the pans in the cabinet. That crash did wake me up, by the way. Thank the Goddess I'm not a screamer when in fright, haha.. I woke somewhere in the night, bathroom visit you know. That's when I found out Leonardo was patrolling the lair. And to make it more challenging, Raphael came into the bathroom..”

“What?! You were in there? I've looked around, I didn't see ya anywhere! Of course I didn't expected you home already. Thought I was alone in there...” said Raphael.

“I was hiding under the pile of towels.”

“You were hiding under... iew. Please tell me you did not!”

“Nope, I did. It was my only option. Had a panic attack too. Took me quite some time to calm down again.”

“What caused your panic attack?” asked Leonardo concerned.

“Er...” Ishtar felt hot and blushed. “Er, can I tell you later?”

“Of course. And then what did you do?” Although he wondered why she didn't wanna tell them the reason yet.

“I waited some time, scanned the lair for your whereabouts and walked very slowly back to my hide-out. That's when I sensed you were walking behind me, it scared the hell out of me. I froze mid-stride. I think we were eight feet separated and you went into your bedroom.”

“Seriously, that close?!” Leo asked surprised. “Then your hide-out must be very close to that spot!” And he walked out the kitchen to look in that direction. “But where did you go, Ishtar? It's a dead end there, your bedroom is the last location there.”

“Look up”, said Ishtar who came stand next to him. “One level up, there between the pipes is a small place, that's where I was most of the time.”

“Remarkable”, Master Splinter commented.

“So, instead of walking away I heard you climb up?” Leo asked.

“Yup. So now you know my secret hide-out..” she said a little disappointed.

“It's best we don't have any secrets for each other. But you can keep that spot, if you like.”

Ishtar nodded and thanked him. “So, in short, that was my trip. Hello guys, I'm back home again!”

Smiling, they all got up and hugged her. “Welcome back, Ishtar.”

#tmnt bayverse #oc #bayverse splinter #bayverse leonardo #bayverse raphael #bayverse michelangelo #bayverse donatello #halloween pranks

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drariellevalentine · 4 years

Text

Medically Inevitable

Chapter 4- Radical Revelations

Characters:- Arielle Valentine, Sienna Trinh, Bryce Lahela, Landry Olsen, Elijah Greene, Jackie Varma, Rafael Aveiro, Ethan Ramsey, Harper Emery

Pairing:- Arielle Valentine x Ethan Ramsey

Warnings:- None

Arielle’s PoV:-

Completely exhausted from the day’s events, you head into the locker room and take a nice but quick hot shower. Drying off, you quickly change into a cute pearl silk tied top with a comfy pair of ripped jeans. Taking out the bun in your hair, you decide to let your hair down, parting deep to the left, caressing your revealed shoulders.

You enter Donahue’s to find it completely packed. You try to squeeze inside apologising every now and then and look around to spot your friends.

You finally find them sitting in a table at the furthest corner of the bar.

"Long day?" Si asks as soon as I slump into the seat next to her.

“You have no idea, according an 18 year old, I look younger than him, so apparently I not eligible to be a doctor cause I look too cute!," I sigh dramatically and she giggles.

"Careful please," Bryce says before placing a tray of shots in our table.

Jackie scoffs, " Why are you even buying us drinks, meathead?"

"He's being nice, Jackie.”, Sienna smiles.

"Yeah, and also you think you could afford to buy that tonight?" I add.

"Sure," she rolls her eyes, "Thank youu," she says sarcastically.

Bryce laughs. "Think of it as a good luck drink guys. You are going to need a lot of luck to get into the diagnostics team."

"Wrong meathead. What we need is brains and hard work. Duh!"

"And luck," Bryce adds smirking, ‘lots of luck’. He emphasizes on the word "luck".

After minutes of bickering in between Bryce and Jackie, Bryce leaves to join his fellow surgeons. But my friends are still talking over the fellowship.

"I can't still believe they'll be taking an intern in the team!" I hear Landry say, his voice filled with excitement. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they'll even consider giving an intern a spot in the team let alone train them."

"Cheers on that," Jackie says forwarding a glass.

"Let's have a toast guys," Elijah forwards his glass. "To having a marvelous fellowship."

As we all toast to it I say, "Honestly guys, good luck. I won't be joining the fellowship but I wish the best of luck to you all." I smile. Everyone stares at me like I just refused a million dollars.

"You won't be joining the competition?!" Jackie asks shocked. "But why?"

"Not everyone wants to join the diagnostics team, Jackie," Landry states.

"Maybe not everyone, but Arielle does. The diagnostics team is the very thing that made Arielle apply here, in Edenbrook. That's one of the many things she said to me the day we met." Jackie turns to me then giving me a look that says "I want an answer".

"I know. The diagnostics team is what made me apply here on the first place, but I changed my mind. I got through my first week because of you guys. I don't think I could have done it if you guys were not there to support me," Sienna places a hand on my shoulder, giving me an understanding look.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship by competing with you guys. I need you guys by my side not against me."

"Idiotic choice but your call," Jackie rolls her eyes. And I smile as Sienna hugs me. A while later, you all head home for the day.

General PoV:-

Harsh sunlight streams through the open curtains of Arielle’s magazine cover worthy bedroom. Arielle turns around in her bed to grab her phone from her nightstand. The alarm clock catches her eye ‘9:15 a.m.’ She bolts right up in bed, rushing to her closet while ranting a ton of expletives. Hearing the commotion, Elijah and Sienna rush inside to see Arielle on the floor half-naked tangled in a bunch of clothes. Sienna stares at her in confusion while Elijah understands what’s going on and bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”, Arielle asks.

“You forgot today’s our day off, didn’t you?”, Elijah asks knowingly.

“It is? Oh shit! I completely forgot!”

They help Arielle out of the tangle of clothes. “Anyways, we were thinking of going to a baseball game so...I bought everyone matching t-shirts but they only come in two sizes you’ll have to adjust yours. Only then Arielle notices their shirts. Sienna hands her an red oversized t-shirt. “We’re leaving in an hour, get ready!”

Arielle’s PoV:-

You shower and slip on a robe after drying yourself off. “There’s no way in hell I’m wearing this!”, you exclaim holding up the red,baggy, oversized shirt. If there’s one thing you care about, it’s your style. You grab a pair of fabric shears and crop the oversized shirt folding the hem to create a neat finish using fabric glue, then cinch the extra fabric on the slides and secure it in place with a few stitches. You hold up the newly altered shirt and look to your mirror. “Much better!” Pairing it with a pair of studded white jeggings, white heel sandals and a couple of accessories, you sit down on your vanity’s stool. You take out your braid from last night, leaving thick curls in its place. You carefully clip your hair out of place and decide to brush on a little extra makeup. After finishing with your usual moisturiser, concealer and primer, you accentuate your almond eyes with a jet black eyeliner and brush out your brows. Knowing that you won’t need any help in the blush department, you move on to your lips. You decide on your favourite red transfer-proof lipstick ‘Bold Beauty’. You grab a crossbody purse and place your wallet, keys, phone and other essentials and head to the living room.

“What do you think? Is it too much?”, you ask uncertainly.

“Hot damn!”, says Jackie.

“You look gorgeous.”, Sienna says.

“Woah! You look good!”, says Landry.

“Someone call the fire department cause it’s getting hot in here!”, exclaims Elijah.

You blush furiously. “Thanks guys, I’ll drive us there.

You pile in the car as Elijah rides shotgun and gives you directions. You reach there at 10:30. “Ok, 10 minutes till game starts. Everyone split up and stand in a different line and get one of everything. I’ll get the drinks.” Sienna tells everyone where the seats are and everyone splits up. You get a drink tray full of sodas, beers and a lemonade for you, everything packed with ice, and head down to the first row where you find everyone holding snacks.

“Great seats Elijah!”, says Sienna.

“Have to be close to fully appreciate the bloodbath, these teams loathe each other.”

Landry and Elijah start geeking out as you, Jackie and Sienna are talking.

“So...I may or may have not seen you get into Dr. Ramsey’s car yesterday.”, Sienna slyly says.

“Crap!”, you think.

“Tell us everything!”, says Sienna.

“Seriously?”, Jackie asks.

You slowly confide in them about yesterday’s events and what you confessed about your personal life.

“Oh my god, Ari! I’m so sorry!” Sienna pulls you into a hug.

“It’s okay, I’m fine now.”

“Now I feel really bad for judging you, also very surprised and impressed that you managed to get away with sleeping on Dr. Terminator’s shoulder.”, says Jackie.

“It isn’t that big of a deal!”, you counter. Both of them give you a look. “Ok, fine, it is. He was actually really sweet, he even tried to console me.”, you confess. Sienna smiles wide at the mention of this.

“Anyways, you both have to promise not to say a word about this.”, you give them a pleading pout. Jackie’s about to ask about something else when you realise some kind of commotion is going on.

"Oh no, did he faint?" Si says and I look forward to see Jake Sandburg, one of the players lying on the floor.

The other players rush to his side trying to wake him up.

"Uh, coach, he's in real bad shape," another player says leaning down beside him.

Their team manager hurries out," Damn our team physician quit on us just before the game."

"Is there any doctor here?" The manager asks and on instinct all of our hands goes up.

The manager looks clearly shocked to see five doctors in a front row but doesn't express it as we move towards the field asking the other players to help us move Jake inside.

We follow the other Nighthawker players into their locker as they carry Jake on a stretcher.

"Have you called 911?" I ask their manager.

"Yeah, the paramedics are on their way," the manager sighs, " Poor kid."

"Lay him here," I hear Jackie instruct them as they follow.

"He's got a pulse, but his breathing is shallow," Sienna says in a low and shaky voice. This sudden situation is clearly affecting her.

Landry pulls a stethoscope from his bag and places it against his chest.

"Sounds like fluid build up. We have to solve it fast or else he could be in trouble," Landry announces.

As the others take his vitals, Elijah and I go to ask his teammates some questions, which we think might help us to crack the case.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" One of the player asks as we approach them.

"You can help us by answering some questions. Has this ever happened before?"

"Not as far as we know," he looks at his other teammates. " Also he had to pass a physical test just recently."

"He was called up from the minor league just a few weeks ago," the manager adds.

"Did he complain about any pain recently?" Elijah asks.

"No, he was pretty quite, kept to himself. I think he was worried," the player says. "About what?"

The player shares a look with his manager as soon as I ask that.

"Look, he's been struggling in the majors. I was in discussions with ownership to send him back down to the minors," the manager answers, a pained expression plastered across his face.

"Did he know about it?" Elijah asks in between.

" You know, the guys talk. Rumors."

"He was kinda freaking out about it, he kept sweating, hyperventilating," the manager adds and I make a mental note of it.

"Hyperventilating... How often?"

"I only saw it a couple of times," the managers states.

"Well, it could've been panic attacks," I conclude thoughtfully.

"He always seemed tired too. Yawing in the meetings, like he didn't get any sleep at all," the player from before says.

"Have you seen any changes in his behavior recently?" Elijah asks.

"Uh, I guess he's been hitting the ice bath a lot recently. Probably because of feeling sore," the guys answers. "But he'd do it even in the days when he wasn't playing," the guys adds after a moment.

"Thanks you for the help. Was he on any medications?" I ask before moving towards the table

"No. The team doctor left all the prescriptions and Sandburg wasn't prescribed anything," the manager says going through the charts.

"Thank you that'll be it," I say and look forward to find a player from the opposite team sneaking in.

"Hey! You aren’t allowed here," I motion the others towards him as the player who was helping us moves towards him. But then to my surprise he hugs him and the other one whispers words of encouragement in his ears.

"Wait, weren't you two fighting in the field?" I ask shocked.

" Yeah, but that's only on the field. Ray and I grew up playing together in the streets of Miami. We are basically family," The Nighthawker player concludes.

“It’s that easy?”, you ask.

“When we’re in a game, our minds are focused on the game. But the minute it’s over, we’re brothers again. Iron sharpening iron, you know.”, he says but your mind is somewhere else.

“Iron sharpening iron. Competing makes them stronger...” You run back towards the patient.

I think it's a drug interaction. His medicines are amplifying each other out," I announce reaching them. "Two medications perfectly fine on their own, cauting each other to have an outsized affect."

"Oh, that could be it!" Sienna says, a sudden excitement hinting in her voice.

" But the team manager said that their previous doctor didn't prescribe him anything," Elijah says confused.

"Sandburg was already worried about being cut. If the team knew he had a medical condition, they'd be oven less likely to keep him around," I reply.

"So you think he kept him situation quiet to keep his job? Wouldn't be the first time someone's done that," Jackie shrugs .

"What do you think he was taking?" Landry asks.

"Well, maybe something for his panic attacks. Let's say fluoxetine," I reply to him

" That could be it. Getting a prescription for that isn't really hard..."

"Okay, maybe you are right. But what was reacting with it. What else was he taking?" Jackie cuts in between.

"Something for his soreness. His team members said he'd be sore even the days he was not pitching," I answer remembering what the player said.

"It could have been arthritic inflammation," Sienna states.

"Right? He's male in his twenties..." I try to think what it could be.

"Ankylosing Spondylitis!" Landry says.

"He could've been taking N.S.A.I.D for it, like - celecoxib," I say while checking his locker, " Here they are." I say taking out the medicines proving what we said is right.

" It could be doing irreparable damage to his kidneys! We gotta take him to the hospital as soon as possible," Elijah says.

The sound of helicopter blades cut through the commotion in the locker.

" The paramedics are here!" Sienna exclaims happily.

Soon the paramedics enter and you see Rafael running towards you. We explain him about the situation.

"Would you like to have a ride on the choper? My shift will end in five minutes. So after dropping Jake to the hospital we could maybe roam around the city," Raf says nervously once we are out of the locker. The other paramedics get Jake in the chopper.

"I would love that," I give him an assuring smile which he returns.

"Great!" He says making his way towards the chopper after asking me to follow him.

"Any certain place you have in mind where you'd like to go?" He asks smiling broadly getting back to the choper after we've successfully admitted Jake.

"Not really," I give him a silly smile.

"We'll have a tour over the whole city then, more fun," he winks and I giggle.

I am really enjoying the birds eye view. The city looks more beautiful from up here. Capturing the breathtaking city from above, I put it on my Instagram story.

The next picture I take is ours, I smile towards the front and Raf's is a candid, he's looking forward flying the chopper but smiling.

I post it on my Instagram feed, tagging Raf and captioning it "Soaring high with @raveirotheemt.”

You notice you have over 250 likes already. Perks of being famous.

"What do you see?" Raf asks and I look down.

"Edenbrook!" I squeak happily. " The first day in there, the hospital looked so enormous but now it looks so tiny!"

"Everything comes into perspective up here. It's one of the reasons I like it so much."

" How'd you learn to fly?"

"My uncle was a pilot in the Marines. He started teaching me to fly when I was still in high school."

"That was so young!"

"I just saw it as a fun thing to do on the weekends, you know. It was a great way to spend time with a great man," he smiles recalling the memories.

"Are you guys still close?" I ask

"He... He died two years ago."

"I'm so sorry Raf."

"He was really active in our community. When he wasn't flying, he'd organize food drives and buses for anyone struggling," he smiles sadly remembering those days," He's the one who inspired me to be an paramedic. I wanted to help people the way he did."

I nod at him understanding.

"Buckle up. We're ready to land," he tries to say it as normally as possible, smiling. But I know it is just an effort to not let people show his broken side.

“Hey, Jake and many other lives have had a chance to live because of you.”, I assure him.

He relaxes. “You too, Arielle.”

“You both land on Edenbrook’s helicopter pad as staff takes Jake away. You inform them of his condition.

“So... are you ready for the tour?

At first I thought that Beacon Hills were the most beautiful thing I saw today. But when we were taking a turn over Cape Cod Bay, my opinion changed. Nothing can be more beautiful than this. The breathtaking view of the glimmering ways merging with the bright golden sun creating a golden hue in the clear ocean water. The scenery is just breathtaking.

"It is beautiful," I say softly, still looking at the ocean.

"It's the best thing you can see in the city," Raf smiles.

"Can't disagree with that."

"And as much as I would hate for this to end," he smiles sadly, "But I need to return the chopper to the hospital now."

"It's cool Raf, we've been out here on it for a while," I smile.

Within minutes, he manages to fly back to the stadium and drops me off.

You return to your friends and show them the wonderful pics and views that you took.

“Of course!” After some time, you and Si head to the food court for a refill on food and drinks.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re stuck closing off an important deal with Banner Health alone, as Harper was called in for an emergency. You’re walking towards the bar in need of a stiff drink when a familiar waft of vanilla and cinnamon hits you. There she is, her beautiful jet black curled tresses falling below her waist, standing near you ordering something. She doesn’t seem to notice you. You turn your head the other way and ask for a club sandwich. A few minutes later, you receive a tray full of cheeseburgers. Somebody calls you.

“Excuse me sir, but it seems our orders got mixed up.” You turn around to find none other than Arielle. Her violet eyes widen in realisation.

“Dr. Ramsey! Hi, guess the world really is small!”, she responds enthusiastically.

“Some would say too small.” A petite intern who often you see beside her comes and doesn’t notice me.

“Hey Ari! I’ll take these down. You coming? In a minute, Sienna.” The intern leaves.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a baseball type of guy.”

“And you pegged me just right. I’m here to close a deal with Banner reps. They have me in the box suite, trying to butter me up with lobster and wine.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad...”

“I know it might surprise you, but I’m not one for schmoozing.”

“Nooooo... I don’t believe it. The great Ethan Ramsey doesn’t like it when someone butters him up!”, she feigns shock.

“Would you like to join me?, the words slip out before you can react.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You’re surprised. You’d never thought that your medical hero would need your help. He notices your expression and starts explaining, more like rambling.

“You know I’m not much good at speaking to other people, much less idiots but this is a very important deal for Edenbrook. Harper was taking the reins but she was called in for an emergency. One of your traits is that you’re quite persuasive, I was hoping that would help.”, he says.

“Of course.” You follow him to the private entrance which is blocked by a guard.

“Ah, Dr. Ramsey. The Banner Health execs are waiting.” He gestures for you to follow. The guard stops you.

“I’m afraid I’ll need to see some ID, Miss. Alcoholic beverages are being served.” Dr. Ramsey gets irritated.

“I can assure you she’s older than 21.”, he says. The guard insists. Sighing, you pull out your ID. His eyes flash with recognisation.

“I’m extremely sorry miss, but I have to follow protocol.”

“It’s quite alright.” Dr. Ramsey leads you into the private box, where you see a crowd of ‘business’ dressed people lounging on the posh sofas. He picks up two glasses of Malbec and hands one to you.

“Thank you. To deals, negotiations and whatnot!” He rolls his eyes. “To negotiations.”, he toasts.

“This is quite nice.”

“It is, don’t get used to it. I knew many great doctors, all who swore never to make it about the money but did. Don’t let it become about the money.”

“Ha! If only he knew I had millions of dollars in my name and still live like this.”, you think.

“You’re right. It never should become about the money.”, you say truthfully. Two reps saunter up and start sucking up to him. You roll your eyes internally.

“I’m sure there are many opportunities. By the way, let me introduce you to Dr. Arielle Valentine, one of Edenbrook’s newest interns, and one who shows much promise.”, he says.

Your lawyer/advocate instincts kick into action, which includes an amazing first impression.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Valentine but no formalities between us. I have already been impressed upon the very invaluable and precious bond of Banner Health and Edenbrook and hope today will also add on to that. I’m looking forward to the other ways that you have suggested for this partnership, all to help our patients.”, you say.

“Oh my, if this is who Edenbrook is recruiting these days, our partnership is very sure to exceed high expectations.”, they say. Dr. Ramsey nods in approval. They all start negotiating deals, which end in their favour and not-so-good for Edenbrook. Dr. Ramsey looks to you for help.

“Okay, time to pull out all the stops!”, you mentally prepare yourself. You launch into a very persuasive but subtle argument slowly shifting the deal in Edenbrook’s favour. By the time you’re done, the execs have given their consent and you just got them to add a lot of benefits starting from loans to better rates on different services including neurological and cardiac.

“Thank you, Ethan and Arielle for the pleasure. Perhaps we could meet for a round of golf next week to hammer out the fine points.

“Oh hell no!”, you think.

“Oh! Dr. Ramsey is busy next week but how about later tonight?”, you say. They’re about to agree when you drop the bombshell. “Dr. Ramsey and I have an appointment later this week at the shooting range and self-defence center downtown. Don’t worry, I have quite a few guns to be spared, but be warned, I’m quite experienced.”, you say trying not to burst out laughing seeing their shocked faces. You catch Dr. Ramsey which a not-so-well hidden smirk on his face.

“That’s quite alright, we both have made many commitments later this week.”, say frantically say.

“That’s alright, another time then.” A few minutes later, they both leave claiming they had to go. As soon as they leave, you burst out laughing.

“That was quite an act you put on there.”

“Who said it was an act?” He gives you an incredulous look.

“Anyways, it was quite impressive how you shifted the deal in favour to Edenbrook.”, he says questioningly.

You sigh. “Pretty much everyone in my family are lawyers, different areas though. I picked up a lot of skills when watching their hearings.”

“You’re quite good at it. May I ask why you didn’t follow their path.”

“...My godfather was also a doctor. He would tell me stories of how he was able to save lives, make a difference, experience all the love, pain, loss, heartbreak. And I fell in love with it over time. My father wasn’t supportive of it though. I don’t know what went wrong. When I was a child, we had an unbreakable bond. Over time, he buried himself in his cases, that bond slowly evaporating. My brother always knew that I would work in the medical field and was very supportive. When I announced that I had gotten into Johns Hopkins for med school, my father was angry and didn’t support me. He claimed that I had led his hopes up and shattered them, when all along I always was hinting about my dream to become a doctor. We both said hurtful things that a father nor daughter should ever say, that night. After that, I cut off all contact with him.”, you carefully say making sure not to give any clues that Dr. Banerji is your godfather.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re shocked. Utterly shocked. You’d never guess that this bright, cheerful, kind intern had such a rough childhood. Especially when your’s made you turn out like this.

“I believe you made the right choice.”, you assure her.

“That means a lot to me.(more than you could ever know)”, she says and whispers.

You both relax and lounge on the comfy sofa, watching the game.

You notice the sun setting as the game ends. “It’s quite late, how will you get home?”

“My friends and I came here by my car, but I told them to take my car when they said they were leaving early. I spent all my money on food so I’ll take a train or something.”

“I’ll drive you home, it’s the least I can do.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“It’s alright. Let’s go.” You lead Arielle to your car, at the same time kicking yourself. “Dear god Ramsey, what the hell is wrong with you? Offering a ride!” You convince yourself that it’s just a thank you but you know it’s because you want to make sure that she gets home safe.

Both of you are exiting the stadium and stop when you see Harper.

“Ethan! Thank god you’re still here. I just received the terms of agreement of our deal with Banner. What did you do?” She notices Arielle.

“Dr. Valentine, what are you doing here?”

“She was here with her friends when I saw and asked for help with negotiating. She was the one who turned the deal into our favour.”, I quickly reply.

“Very impressive Dr. Valentine, but do know that this doesn’t make a difference in the fellowship rankings.”, Harper says.

“I know Chief Emery, anyways I haven’t entered the competition. But thank you though.”, she replies. You’re surprised. You thought she had entered, but you never checked the list of participants. You tell her to wait at the car.

“You’re dropping her off?”, she asks.

“She literally just scored us a very big deal. I’m just thanking her.

“Hmm... Well I’ll see you later. Goodbye, Ethan.” You nod and get in your car. Turning on the engine, you drive.

“Where do you live?”, you ask.

She pulls up a location 20 minutes from here on her phone.

“Why didn’t you enter the fellowship?”

“Did you want me to?”, she asks. You don’t answer.

“My first week was hard enough, with a competition that would jeopardise our friendship, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Especially when they were the ones who got me through the first week.”

“I understand. A lot of friendships of mine were severed during my residency due to the competitiveness.” You both talk about leisure topics until you reach a tall apartment complex.

“This is me. Thanks for the ride, Dr. Ramsey.”, with that, she swiftly exits out of the car. You reverse the car and drive to your apartment.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You walk up to the entrance of your building, taking the elevator to your floor. You pull out your keys when Jackie opens the door and lets you in.

“I was wondering when you’d be back.” You smile, taking off your shoes and head into the living room.”

“Hey Ari! Join us for a drink!”, says Elijah.

“Nah, I don’t want a drink. But yes for the company.”

“You all better kiss that fellowship goodbye, cause I just solved that case in record time.”, Landry says.

“You do realise that Arielle was the one who did most of it and we all helped.”, Jackie says.

“Exactly, I looked at the clues and diagnosed the problem!”

You laugh with your friends as they playfully egg each other on. You’re going over today’s events, thinking about all the crazy events, when you realise that you haven’t been true to yourself. “Competing makes them stronger.”, you remember saying. You’ve given advice to other people but you aren’t following your own. You bolt up from the sofa, grabbing your purse and keys and head towards the door.

“What are you doing, Ari?”, Sienna asks.

“You smile replying, “Something I should have done way before.” Your roommates give you a knowing smile as you head towards Edenbrook.

You park your car, rushing through the atrium and up the stairs towards Dr. Ramsey’s office. You a minute to compose yourself and knock.

“Come in.”, his professional but baritone voice replies.

You enter his office to see a minimally decorated desk, covered with papers and patient files. He files them away neatly as you enter. “Rookie. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I want in.”

“I made it clear that the cutoff was midnight.” Your eyes follow his gaze to the wall clock. ‘12:02’

“What makes you think that you’re an exception?”

You steady yourself. “I know I can be a good doctor. I know that I can make a difference in people’s lives, like you do. It just took me a little longer to realise it.” You gulp, wondering if you’ve blown your chance.

He smirks and pull out a long list of names, adding yours at the bottom. “You had me worried there. What changed your mind?”

“I always advised other people to follow their dreams, never give up, to take a leap of faith. I realised I needed to take my own advice.” He nods with approval.

“Good Night, Dr. Valentine.”

“Good Morning, Dr. Ramsey.”, you say, pointing at the same clock ‘12:08’. He shakes his head with amusement.

You head out to your car, the cool autumn breeze in your hair, and drive into the night.

“Bring it on.”

33 notes · View notes

addictofsupernatural · 5 years

Text

Emotions (pt. 5)

Billy Hargrove x reader

Summary: Billy and y/n go to prom together, but some people and things get in the way of the two.

Word Count: 2047

Chapter 1 • Series Masterlist • Chapter 6

"Guess where we're going."

You stared at the paper, frowning. "I've never been to one of these before. It's not on the list."

He flashed you a grin, pulling out your folded up bucket list from his pocket. At the bottom he scribbled the words prom together in marker. "Sure it is. What do you say?"

You stood, holding Billy's hand. He stood as well, and the two of you went to your room. You sat down on your bed and sighed. "That's a lot of people Billy. I don't know how I'll do with a big crowd."

He sat next to you. "What do you mean sweetheart?"

"Everybody's going to stare at me. It bothers me when it's a lot of people."

"Why do you think they'll stare at you? Is it because wearing a dress makes you a lot more cuter?" He teased.

You began to play with his hair while resting your head on his shoulder. "You attract a lot of attention, which isn't a bad thing. It's because you're so pretty, but people look at me funny when we're together. It makes me feel weird about myself."

Billy felt a pang of guilt and sorrow. Though you didn't realize it, you basically told him you feel insecure standing next to him. "Sweetheart, never be embarrassed about yourself. You're pretty damn gorgeous if you ask me, and it takes a pretty person to know a pretty person. So go find yourself a cute dress, and get ready for prom in two days. I'll be your date."

"I've never had a date before." You quietly said.

"Well, you got a pretty handsome first date. You must be special or something." He playfully nudged you.

You giggled. "Something like that."

Once he left, Mike walked into your room. "Hey, so, I know that I always talk crap about Billy Hargrove for being a man whore, but really. Be careful. Even though you're an ass most of the time, I still care about you."

You smiled. "Thanks Mike."

Joyce was more than happy to take you dress shopping, after she heard about the prom from Hopper complaining about it. You got a shoulderless, flowy dark blue dress and styled your hair the way Billy likes it.

There was a knock at the door, and Eleven answered to reveal Billy, in a black suit with a dark blue tie. Max was behind him, and shoved past him to get to El. Billy shook his head and huffed while walking inside, where Hopper looked him up and down. "Just, home by 10. Please. And no bad stuff." Billy smiled and nodded.

You walked out of your room, and Billy was blown away. Damn, you were just too sexy for your own good. You walked up to Billy, smiling as he gently grabbed your arm and put a blue corsage on your wrist. He took your hand and the two of you walked out of the house in silence. "So damn beautiful." Billy whispered into your ear before he opened the car door for you.

When he got inside, you immediately reached over to him and gave him a hug. "You're so perfect Billy."

He hugged you back. "Just trying to live up to you sweetheart." He paused. "Could you actually do me a favor?"

You pulled back and gave him a smile that cause him to unconsciously lick his lips. "Anything."

"Could you give me one of those little braids that you did when you were at my house?"

You giggled. "Sure Billy." He scooped you up into his lap, telling you to continue. You shook your head, smiling wider. "Such a charmer."

When you got there, the two girls in front handed you a ballet. "Vote for prom king and queen!"

You both looked at it. "Huh." Was all Billy said.

"Why are our names on it?" You asked.

"Guess people think we look cute together." Billy said, with his head on your shoulder. You looked back at him, and he looked up at you, grinning.

The two of you had fun together. You laughed, you danced, you took pictures. Though Billy didn't show it, this wasn't something he really wanted to do. He wanted to get you dressed up and make you feel special, but he didn't like how many eyes where on you two, or that the music was too loud to talk to each other. But he made you feel special, and you were a potential prom queen. He knew he would make you feel amazing, so it's worth it.

When they called for the king and queen candidates, it was no surprise to you that Billy would win. He looked back to you, giving you a smile and a shrug. You gave him a thumbs up in return, flashing him a grin. "And the winner for this year's Hawkins prom is... Heather Halloway!"

You smiled and clapped. Though you had to admit that it would feel like a fairy tale if you and Billy were king and queen together, you didn't really think you'd win. It's not like people like you, so why would they vote for you. But still, you were very happy for Billy to get his crown.

Billy's smile was wiped clean off when they announced Heather as the winner. She excitedly got her tiara and was immediately on Billy when they had to take a picture together. Right before the flash, she turned his head and gave him a kiss on the lips. He looked over to you, who was watching this happen and walked into the crowd, where he couldn't see you.

Shit. Shit shit shit! Why did you see that?! He didn't want the kiss. He didn't want her. He wanted you! Where were you now? You didn't leave, did you?Shit!

You walked over to the beverage table, where you saw Jonathan in an old light brown suit chaperoning. "Well, I didn't think I'd see you here." You said with a smile.

He looked up and smiled. "Yeah, right back at you. You look nice."

"Thanks. And you look very handsome in that suit." He let out a breath and looked down. "Need community service hours?"

He playfully scoffed. "Why else would I be here?" You giggled. "So, why are you here?"

"Oh, I'm here with Billy."

"Um, Billy Hargrove?" You smiled and nodded. "Isn't he, like, a lady's man or something?"

You smiled and shrugged. "We're actually just friends. Believe it or not he doesn't make moves like that on me. He's just playful with me, is all."

He nodded in response. "So, where is he now?"

"He was voted prom king, so right now he's dancing with his queen." Your smile became a little more forced.

"You like him, don't you?" There was no disgust or judgement in his voice like anyone else; only pure curiosity.

You put your finger to your lips with a smile. "Shh. I know someone shouldn't have a crush on their best friend, but sometimes you just can't help it."

"Yeah, I get that." He nodded, to which you made a face. He noticed. "Try to be nicer to Nancy. She's different from everyone else."

"If you say so." You shrugged. "I just don't like some of things she says and does." Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck. "Your mom was amazing, by the way. For taking me to pick out the dress."

"Yeah. Even though she's a little tomboyish, she really liked it. It's something that she can't really do with her sons, y'know?"

You let out a fake gasp and held his hand. "Don't talk about yourself like that! I'm sure she would love to go dress shopping with you, if that's what you want." The two of you laughed together.

As Billy went searching for you after the dance, he found you grabbing another guy's hand and laughing with him. Billy figured that he deserved that, considering he had another girl pressed up on him for almost 5 minutes. He crept up behind you and grabbed your arms. "Boo." He whispered in your ear.

You jumped, turning around and smiling so brightly. "Hey Billy. Congrats. Feeling like a king?"

"Feeling like I got the wrong queen." He said, taking your hand. "C'mon."

You looked at Jonathan. "Don't tell Nancy, please. I don't want to hear it." Jonathan only nodded.

Billy pulled you away, and another slow song started playing. You loosely put your arms on his shoulders when he grabbed your wrists and wrapped them tighter around his neck. Smiling, you watched him wink at you before putting his hands on your hips. "I didn't want her to kiss me, by the way. She just did."

You nodded lightly. "You don't have to explain yourself Billy."

"I know, but friends don't lie, right?" You chuckled and nodded. "Speaking of which, who was that?"

"Oh, Jonathan? He's the brother of one of El's friends. He's pretty nice, but he hangs around a girl that I don't like."

He hummed. "And here I thought you were kind and adorable to everybody."

"Mm. I'm only adorable to you. Anyways, she's got a boyfriend, Steve Harrington, and–"

"Ugh, King Steve," Billy interjected. "Don't see how he'd ever land any girl."

You laughed. "He's not that bad anymore. He's nice now. He treats me normally, so that's something." Billy made a tsk at that. "Anyways. She strings him along like a little puppy, even though it's obvious that she doesn't like him like that anymore. But she also leads Jonathan on and keeps him with her at all times. I just feel like she wants the best of both worlds, and that'll end up hurting both."

"What's so special about that girl? She got beer-flated nipples or something?" You both laughed.

"Excuse me." Heather said, grabbing your shoulder. "Can I cut in?"

"No." Billy said.

"Billy, you always play hard to get." She smiled. "Let's dance. Don't you want to dance with a real queen?"

Before Billy could say anything, you said, "How about after the song is over, hm?" She gave you a dirty look, but nodded and left. Billy looked at you miserably. So you did get the wrong impression. You pressed yourself against Billy and whispered in his ear. "Let's get out of here." He grinned. Or maybe you know him better than he thought?

The two of you then got fast food and brought it back to his house, considering Neil was on a business trip for a few days. You both sat on the floor and ate while watching TV and talking. You were sitting in between his legs and leaned on him. "I love this movie!" Was what you said before falling silent to watch Back to the Future.

Billy's mind began to wander to places they shouldn't. He thought about how your chest was snug in your dress, and how looking down at you gave him the perfect view. He thought of your soft hair that lay on your bare shoulders. He thought about your skin, looking so soft and calling for his touch. His mind wondered to how your head was tilted, almost like you wanted him to kiss your neck.

Billy cursed himself for thinking like that. You were friends, he shouldn't be thinking that way about you. What would you do if you found out about the ways he thought about you sometimes. What would you say? Would you still want to be friends? He unintentionally jumped a bit when you turned around. You gave him a bright smile. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You're just so damn perfect, my mind can't help but wander." He breathed out. He didn't think before he said that, but it was out now.

Your smile faded as your eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips. You then said in a quiet voice, "If you get romantic feelings towards your best friend, what do you do?"

Billy felt a surge of confidence as he took your face in his hands and went for a kiss. Billy has kissed lots of girls before, but it was never like this. It was never slow and sweet. It was never this kind of passionate. It was never as special as this.

He felt the warmness of your hands as they slid up his chest. As Billy pulled back, he saw you open your eyes and give him a beautiful smile. "I got a crush on my best friend too sweetheart." He said.

You wrapped your arms around his neck loosely. "So, what happens now?"

One arm snaked around your neck to hold you close to him. "Now I get to take you on romantic dates, and be around each other more, and make out and shit."

You giggled. "So it's how we are usually, but closer?"

He chuckled as he admired your happy glow. "Oh, pretty girl."

"Handsome boy."

"Your handsome boy."

"Your pretty girl."

---

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alex-baebae · 5 years

Text

Pieces of honor

Chapter 3

Many guys have been knocked out. I don’t know what time it is. “Choi vs Li” the announcement for him “good luck” I tell him smiling, he smiles me back. The fight between them was rough but Seunghyun seemed to be the one who was controlling the situation, suddenly his opponent fell.

That was the first day of the exam, now we are in a special formation. They will give us new instructions in no time, I was next to Seunghyun. “So tomorrow, you will fight with the guys next to you, only the half will be here, you can leave now”. Seunghyun looks at me immediately trying to say something, I just put my hand on his arm “let’s go” I say walking towards our car.

...

“Ahj” Seunghyun complains “it hurts” I chuckle “of course it hurts! My lovely child look what they have done to you!” Miss Liu exclaims angry. We are sitting on the big couch of the Mansion's living room, I keep cleaning my face by myself “my little princess, I can do that” she says worried about my reddish face (you know there is blood mixed with ethyl alcohol) “no, I can do it Miss Liu… better help Seunghyun, he cannot reach his back” I try to smile with my broken lips.

12pm… I’m about to go to the bed “fuck that guy really punched me hard” I say looking at my face through the big mirror on my wall, someone knocks the door. I open it “Seunghyun” I whisper, he enters quickly.

“What are you doing here? You have to rest” I give him a non-sense look “not gonna fight you tommorow” he looks into my eyes locking the door behind him “you have to! I mean we have to!” he says nothing “I don’t want to, but we have to” I add. Then I sit on my bed “but, I can’t… I… I just cannot do anything in order to hurt you” he explains “Seunghyun you know how this works, you cannot change the rules” I say before looking down thinking about my next steps “I’ll renounce then, I cannot let you do such a thing” I say firmly “but your father, your mother what about them?” he says kneeling next to me “I’ll have more opportunities but you…” he interrupts me “you’ll dishonor them”.

I want so badly to have Seunghyun by side, this is the only way… it doesn’t matter what my parents say, after all, he is the only one who I feel less miserable with.

As I told you first, I have confidence problems since I was a child, plus now that I’m an adult for my parents.... I know all the things they do for money… I just can’t carry on by myself. I need someone, maybe I’m depressed.

“Seunghyun, better leave, someone can hear us” I say trying to escape from making decisions “how many times have we been doing this? We haven’t gotten caught” he insists to be here, I can’t think well. “Sorry” is all I can say, he smiles and caress my cheeks “I have to tell you something important” he says now holding my hands “I’m...” he’s hesitating “I can’t fight you tomorrow because... I’m so fucking in love with you”.

I'm surprised as hell. I mean, it's not like I had not feelings for him, but I have been forcing myself to see him as a friend. I was worried to show him my feelings, he could reject me and I would be alone again, I don’t want to be alone as I have told you.

"I shouldn't have told you that" he says, I'm still quiet "I'm leaving" he walks towards my dorm's door "where do you go?" I shut the door which was been barely open by him, I kiss him, he holds me and returns the kiss.

"Ouch!" My lips hurt, again some blood is on them "sorry, I was so excited" he is nervous as hell "sleep with me" I asked him kissing his jaw "N-no, someone can hear us" he has his hands over my waist "so, are you afraid of it?" I tease him a little "yes, your father will tear me up in seconds" I laugh "come on! He will not do it" I kiss again the both sides of his jaws "I'm not afraid of what he could do to me, but surely I will not be able to see you again" I kiss this time his lips.

"Do to really are scared of that?" he lifts me "of course" he peppers kisses all over my neck "I have been in love so much time that, I cannot be away from you anymore" he adds "neither" I whisper.

"Then let's sleep at your place" I suggest "at my...?" He seems confused "if someone see us they'll think that I was the one looking for your love, not vice versa" he chuckles "please" I hug him tighter "my bed is not comfortable" he says "I don't mind" I say "I must leave now, see you tomorrow... My beloved one" he kisses my forehead.

I let him leave, as soon as I hear his door being closed, I walk towards my window, his dorm is not so far. I climb quickly and I get into his room, he was laying down, his eyes closed "someone could have killed you" I comment.

I don't let him respond, I attack his lips before he can even open his eyes "you are stubborn as a mule" he says between the wet kisses, he places his hands over my waist, his thumbs caressing my skin.

"I bet you like it" kisses again, now his hands touching all over my back, he reaches my neck and holds it to make me be closer to him "yeah, I didn't locked the door, but you surprised me as always" we smash or lips again, a small taste of iron is in our mouths I guess my lips are bleeding

"Let's stop, your lips are going to be all red in the morning" I smile "don't want to" I remove his shirt, he only smiles like me "have you.... Did this with another person?" He's nervous I can notice it "have I had time?" I remove my shirt, I have no bra on, he immediately blushes "no".

That was true, I mean we have been together almost 24/7 all the highschool. We assisted to the same school, sometimes the same classes, we did our homework together, the same basketball club, and my mom's trainings after school... Well we hadn't any time for 'love'.

"Well... Let's just follow the 'instructions' of our bodies" I kissed him again "I have read about this and you know...maybe you have too" while he's speaking, I took his pants off. "Let me take care of you this time" he added "you are the most injured of the both of us" I chuckle "then, do what you want".

I sit in front of him, my legs are spread, he’s closer and closer. He kisses all my body while I touch my clit as when I’m alone pleasing me, he sucks my breasts as I moan with every single touch if his hands. I lay on his bed, he climbs onto me kissing my shoulders "you're so beautiful" he whispers in my ear before he licks my earlobe "Seunghyun" I caress his back with my both hands and his legs with my feet.

He takes off my underwear, he kisses around my wetness, suddenly he licks from down to up my pussy "Seunghyun" I moan his name again, he keeps licking me with his warm tongue, I'm getting wetter. Suddenly he sucks hard my clit causing me to lift my hips to increase the contact of his mouth to my skin.

"Maybe you will like this" he turns me around, now I'm on my knees. My legs wide spread for him, he starts to eat me out again, more moans come from my throat, my legs quiver.

Seunghyun puts a finger inside me "does it hurt?" His fingers are bigger than mine I can feel it well, my pussy tights around his index finger asking for more stimuli "it feels good" he puts another one, of course it stretches me more than my two fingers I used to put in when I was needy "give me a second" I say. It hurts only a little but I want to give time to my muscles to enjoy it more. Meanwhile he’s licking my butthole and touching my clit waiting for my instructions.

I move my hips thrusting me with his fingers, he instantaneously moves them rapidly "oh, that's great" I encourage him to don't stop. "Fuck you taste so well" he turns me around again I keep my legs spread, he's intense glance is on me, he makes eye contact and sucks his fingers looking at me all the time.

Maybe he is lying, maybe he had done this with other girls and I don't blame him because some days I wanted to do it as well. He is now between my legs "can I?" I smile, I have done it with dildos, and vibrators but not with a man. So the confidence I had before starts to disappear "sure" he moved a little "is it inside?" he asked me "no it is not" I smile "shit I believed I did it correctly" I laugh now.

"You seemed to be experienced" he laughs as well "I told you that I haven't done this before" he kisses my cheek "so where have you learn what you did before" I asked curious "one day you left open an article about how to masturbate on your laptop and... you know I remember well many things" my face is all red, fortunately the light of the garden only barely illuminated us.

"Then in that web site was another article about how to masturbate a woman, and I read it of course" I laugh hard "really?" I ask "yes, I thought you liked that page a lot because there were many tabs of them opened" l kiss him "so, you have been planning to fuck with me all this time, haven't you mister Seunghyun?" he gets embarrassed "maybe..." he laughs "to tell the truth, I thought that if someday I could have this opportunity... I wanted to make you feel good".

I took his sex in my hands "wanna know what I've learned in that articles?" I joke, he chuckles "next time, baby" he puts my hands asides my head. He takes his member to be sure this time he's going to not fail, he enters slowly I moan "are you alright?" He asks me worried "yes" he goes deeper "ugh!" I moan grabbing his shoulders "I'll stop" he says. I put my legs around his waist. "No, I guess my dildos are not this big". When I was buying my toys on line, I was worried of insert big shit in me, I guess that fear is normal, so I bought the slender and smaller ones.

Seunghyun gets more embarrassed and laughs "well, that's new" he comments "hey, try to move now" I ask, he did as I said, one of his hands reaches my clit, I soon start to feel nice. Our bodies are sweating, our breaths are crashing into each other's skin, soon I felt my orgasm being built, his name is all I'm able to say...

More updates, I will always love y'all!! ❤️

I'm busy, university is getting more difficult. However I'll do my best to update in less time 💞

Love,

Alex

#daesung x reader #bigbang stories #g dragon x reader #kpop stories #kpop x reader #kpop #mafia au #t.o.p x reader #t.o.p #kpop mafia au

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thisnerdsadventures · 3 years

Text

a 2021 update

Ah, so I have forgotten to update in a million years, per usual

~ Random thought section ~

I woke up this morning and read this tweet thread about Alice Wu's director's note for her movie The Half of It. It's streaming on Netflix, and I highly encourage to go watch it, it's probably one of my favorite movies from the past few years. Anyways, she talks about how she produced the film while digesting the heartbreak of a friendship breakup - the whole thread hit me on a different level, but here's a quote that really hit home for me, especially a month from graduation: "The end of the film is each of their beginnings. And for my characters, I can think of no happier ending." We spend a lot of time worrying about the end of things and the uncertainty of things to come. Yet, there was a time where we worried about the exact same things for the very chapter we are now so nervous about leaving.

1. I'm nervous about leaving school and starting the..... rest of my life???

2. I'm nervous that my friends will slowly fade away. I'm nervous that they'll get on with their lives and I'll be slowly still trying to get my bearings, stuck in limbo.

3. I'm nervous that starting adulthood will be difficult because there are no more college orientations, no more awkward freshman dinners, perfect opportunities to meet new friends who are just as nervous as you are.

In writing this out, I felt a sense of deja-vu, like I had written these words before. So I just looked back at some of my posts right before entering college, and lo and behold:

08-18-2016: Today I said goodbye to one of my closer friends, and i realized that without even knowing it, Sunday’s party was the last time I would see some of my closest friends. It’s awful that way, that you don’t even know it’s the last time until it’s passed, and you’re left to pick up the the end of a chapter of a relationship from the scraps of an unexpected and improper farewell.

I feel like I’m in a weird twilight zone between college and high school where my present friends are all beginning to fade away to move on in their lives, and I’m yet to really meet anyone in my class yet, so at the moment,,,,,,there really isn’t anyone.

I wrote this less than a week from moving to Boston, and it's so shocking to me that I also experienced the "unexpected and improper farewell" part in senior year. It's almost the exact same thing that happened in COVID and is continuing to happen. You never know when the last time you might see someone might be, except instead of consolidated over the course of one pre-college summer, it's over the course of more than a year, the time that this pandemic has been going for.

And I hate that I said the "fade away and move on" thing verbatim, literally nearly five years ago. To be honest though, it's true, a lot of them did fade away and move on. But so did I, I wasn't left behind. To some extent, I was the one who did a lot of the moving away. And like many things in life, a couple of us continue to hang around, and maybe our friendships cycled in and out over college, but have come around again after a few years. I guess those are the ones that you know will stick around. The limbo period between chapters is a hard one, and it's nice to know that present-day me isn't the only one who has felt this. It's nice to know that past me met so many incredible people so fast, that I forgot this limbo period happened.

I know this part is getting a little long, but there's just a couple more snippets I want to share:

08-13-2016: I recently read Marina Keegan’s essay The Opposite of Loneliness, and one line resonated with me a lot: We’re so young. It seems silly and almost pretentious for me to think that this party would be so final, and yet it does, even though we have decades upon decades to build and connect or reconnect.

We’re so young, but that doesn’t stop the understanding that we are going to a new chapter in our lives and that it’s going to redefine our relationships. I hope it doesn’t change them too much.

I suppose much of the anxiety of going to college results from having to build my own community from the ground up again.... I tell myself the pieces will fall together and everything will be ok, but it doesn’t stop the increasing anxiety from, well, increasing.

I loved this collection of essays, if you haven't read it, I recommend you do. In moving around for so many years, I haven't been able to keep a lot of books in my possession, but I kept this one because that essay really hit home for me, and continues to, no matter what part of life I'm currently experiencing.

I think moving to college did change my relationships. But change is not a bad thing - your childhood friendships, the few of them that survive, end up strengthening and growing into adult friendships. And in the end, isn't that better than not changing at all? I'm hoping that a few of my college friendships will do that too - we'll go from college friends to family friends, and my kids will call them "Aunt" and "Uncle" and they'll grow up watching their parents talk for hours in the front yard before finally getting in the car and leaving for home.

08-13-2016: But hey, this is part of what I signed up for, I knew I wasn’t going to have much of an initial safety net, but I’m sure I’ll survive. We, as humans, always find a way to adapt right?

I think I survived and adapted. Not in the way I saw things going, but we can never really fully predict things, can we? One day, I'll learn to give myself a safety net for the next chapter, I'm sure. Today's not that day though.

Going back to her director's note, there was one more thing that just struck an emotional chord for me:

Fun fact, Alice Wu actually went to MIT for a bit before transferring to Stanford, and then she became a software engineer at Microsoft! I relate a little too much to her. Maybe one day I too will dump coding for my art form. But for now, in this above example, I relate far too much. I worked on my album, Imperfect, a little too obsessively this past winter while trying to digest the throes of heartbreak from one of my own friendships that ended. I still don't know if there was an ending for that friendship. I think I've spent a lot of time trying to put off the end, like a TV series that just keeps adding more and more seasons. Regardless of whether it needs to end or not (which I have not decided and will continue not to do so), I spent a lot of time thinking about who I was before and after that friendship, and I've concluded that a lot of who I am now, what my life looks like now is a result of that friendship. I'll give you a hint: I really like who I am now, compared to who I was before, and it showed me a lot of parts of life and friendship that I never expected would happen. That friendship was (is?) one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in my life.

Let's finish off this reflective post with a quote from Khalil Gibran, that's kinda related to that point about how transformative the past can be, and how we're far better off in future chapters of our lives because of it.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

Again, if you haven't read his collection of poems, you should absolutely 100% drop whatever you're doing right now and do so! Wow, I really just assigned an entire reading list in this post.

I hope in making this movie, Alice found peace. I would hesitate to say that I found peace when making my album. I wrote a lot of songs about the heartbreak I felt from that whole experience. But the last song I wrote, "Best Friends," ends the whole thing on a positive note, that at the end of the day, I remember how my friends (past and present) literally saved my life and how things are looking a little better, and whatever happens, I hope my best friends will be there waiting for me, whoever they end up being.

- OK I PROMISE I DIDN'T SET OUT TO BE 100% SO EMO -

But yeah, I haven't really been doing much otherwise? I guess just tryna stay alive, I've been cooking a lot and cooking a lot of good good food, I did apply to an MBA program, I got my COVID vaccine (second shot this week!), I am excited to announce I am publishing a paper in my MEng lab, which is a really big accomplishment imo, I am thriving in my (1) econ class that I kept, even though I didn't realize we had readings assigned like for the past month, I went to try pastries from this Turkish bakery, I biked, probably, 15 miles over the past month, I've read at least 4 or 5 books this year so far, and am hoping to knock another one out today. Currently dying because trying to finish my thesis in like . a week, which is looking a little challenging, but I'm sure it'll happen!!!??

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