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artificialqueens · 8 years ago

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The Best Years Of Our Lives (Trixya/Pearlet) Ch. 6 - Athena

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry if you guys saw my melodramatic ask, I had a moment. I can be a little extra at times. But, I’m gonna keep writing this. Also, sorry for the lack of Pearlet, I promise you that it is coming in the next chapter

Trigger warning: Alcohol usage / Throwing up

Once the girls made it back to the residence hall, Trixie heard several voices coming from the inside of her room. Violet, Pearl, Fame, and Kim were all sitting on the floor with a bottle of rum, a bottle of whiskey, and other various colorful liquids in different shaped bottles in the middle of them.

“Close the fucking door!” Pearl hissed.

“Wait, didn’t you hate a date tonight with a Tinder bro?” Kim questioned.

“Um, well, he was awful. I left without saying a word and went straight to Katya’s room. Anyway, this guy talked about his mom, and his Pomeranians—”

Katya interrupted. “Also, she said he was sweaty and smelled like feet.”

“Yup, smelled like feet, and asked me about how many children I wanted to have, and complimented my child-bearing hips.”

“Also, apparently, he talked about his ex, who left him because of his addiction to World of Warcraft, and lack of passion in the bedroom.”

“It was actually League of Legends.”

“Who cares, they’re both terrible,” Kim said.

Fame raised an eyebrow. “Wow. That’s… That’s… an experience.”

Katya and Trixie joined the circle on the floor.

Katya grabbed the bottle of vodka. “May I?”

“Of course,” Violet said. She handed Katya a bottle of cranberry juice. “Want a chaser?”

Katya chugged. “Please. I don’t do chasers.” Katya passed the bottle to Trixie.

“Why the hell not?” Trixie took a swig of the vodka and immediately regretted it. The alcohol was overwhelming, causing her to temporarily forgot how to swallow. Her throat burned as the liquid eventually made its way down her throat.

Trixie took a giant gulp of the juice that was handed to her. “Do people actually like the taste of alcohol?”

Fame laughed. “Nope. Most people just pretend to like it. But we have this, too if you wanna try it? It won’t taste like alcohol, not much anyway. It’s a good first drink to have.” She poured a bottle filled with blue liquid into a cup mixed with lemonade.

Trixie took a cup from Fame. She was right, she could vaguely feel the burn of alcohol, but to her, it tasted like blue popsicles. “This is great!”

“Pace yourself,” Violet warned. “The most dangerous drinks are the ones that taste good.”

“I have an idea!” Kim chimed in. “Let’s play never have I ever. I have nothing to lose because I haven’t done anything.”

“How do you play?”

“You put up ten fingers, and then you say something you haven’t done, like ‘never have I ever murdered a man in cold blood,’ and if you’ve done it, you put a finger down,” Katya explained.

“I’ll go first!” Kim said. “Never have I ever had a boyfriend.”

Pearl and Fame put a finger down.

“Okay, Violet you go.”

“Never have I ever… Hmm. Never have I ever—wait, nope, I’ve done that. Never have I ever been black-out drunk.”

Both Pearl and Katya put a finger down.

“Fame?”

“Never have I ever… smoked weed.”

Pearl and Katya put a finger down.

“Katya?”

“Never have I ever been tied up or tied someone up for sex.”

Violet put a finger down. “What? It’s fun. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

As the game progressed, Trixie felt the alcohol going to her head, and fast. She didn’t care. The alcohol made her whole body feel warm.

“Trixie, your turn.”

“Never have I ever been in a relationship.”

Everyone but Kim put a finger down.

“My turn again,” Kim said. “Never have I ever kissed a girl.”

Trixie hesitated as she put a finger down. She noticed that everyone but Kim put a finger down.

“Fame?” Katya questioned.

“There was a night where Violet and I got a little drunk. Pearl, you’re lucky. She’s a good kisser.”

“I know.”

“Trixie? Who?” Kim’s tone was skeptical.

Trixie hesitated as she looked at Katya. “I don’t kiss and tell.” She looked over at Katya who made no reaction.

The game continued until Violet put her tenth finger down. Trixie was definitely past the buzzed stage, and was onto the full-on drunk stage. At this point, she wasn’t sure how many drinks she had. She knew it was more than two, but less than five. Everything was funny to her, and she laughed so hard that she had to lay down on the floor.

“Now what?” Violet asked.

Fame picked up an empty bottle of cranberry juice. “Spin the bottle?”

Katya snorted. “Please Fame, this isn’t high school.”

Trixie sat up. “I’m down.”

“I’m not. I’ll watch you guys,” Kim said moving to the bed.

“Vi, you go first!”

Violet spun. It landed on Fame.

“Hey, bae,” Fame said. They learned in for a peck on the lips. They both laughed and pulled back.

Fame went next. Katya.

“C’mere, baby,” Katya said jokingly.

As Trixie watched the two of them kiss, she felt a hint of jealousy. She pushed the feeling aside, knowing full well she had no right to be jealous.

Katya went next. It landed on Trixie, whose inhibitions were almost nonexistent. She looked at Katya with lust in her eyes as she pulled her in for a kiss. Trixie had never been so aggressive while making out with Katya, who kissed back with the same amount of passion. Eventually they broke away.

Everyone was staring at them.

“Whoa,” Pearl said.

“Someone’s had too much alcohol,” Katya said making an “Are you serious?” face at Trixie.

“Ew, did you get red lipstick on me?” Trixie questioned. “You know I hate that.”

“Wait. You guys have done this before?” Kim said getting up from the bed.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck, Trixie thought.

“She means when I kiss her on the cheek! Right Trixie?”

“Yes! She always gets her lipstick on my cheek and it ruins my makeup. It’s the worst. Anyway, whose turn is it next?”

Violet looked at her and raised an eyebrow, which caused Trixie glare in return. She grabbed her phone, and had a very difficult time texting.

To: Vi Ill takl to u bout it in later

At this point, Trixie was so drunk that she couldn’t text. Violet waited a turn before texting her back.

From: Vi Jfc, that was kinda hot. Dont worry, you just looked like a sloppy drunk. Katya came thru with that save tho. Your Tinder date story was so extra

To: Vi It was fun thooooooo. Bsides im an extra person, yuo kno this. Lolololol. Atl east im not boring

From: Vi Whatever you say…

There was a knock at the door.

“Fuck,” Violet said, shoving as many bottles under the bed as possible.

“R.A.,” she heard Alyssa call.

“I forgot about their rounds,” Kim whispered, who was clearly panicking.

Pearl smacked her arm. “Don’t look guilty.”

Trixie put a bottle behind her back. “Just a sec!”

“I’m coming in!” Alyssa said opening the door.

She looked around the room. “Jesus, ladies could you be any louder? Manila said she could hear you from her end of the hall.” Alyssa looked around the room and locked eyes with a bottle that hadn’t made it under the bed and raised an eyebrow.

Panicked eyes shot amongst the girls.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You’re lucky it’s so late and I really don’t feel like filing six underage drinking reports for all of you. Don’t you dare get cute and try this again.” Alyssa shut the door.

The girls unanimously decided it’d be best to stop drinking, and eventually decided to watch a movie on Trixie’s laptop. During the movie, Violet and Pearl weren’t paying much attention. They were on the corner of Kim’s bed making out, whispering things in each other’s ear. Trixie could have sworn they took it further, since they both had a blanket over themselves.

“Get a fucking room,” Katya said, shielding her eyes.

At this point, Trixie could barely unlock her phone. But, she attempted to text Violet, not noticing that she had sent the text the wrong person.

To: Fame viiiiiiii jfc ur goin harder than me ad katya we’re the other nite. its kidna hot tbh

Fame looked at her phone with wide eyes.

From: Fame this def isn’t vi. What? you and Katya? wtf??????

As she read the text, Trixie was mortified she put her hands over her mouth.

Shit. This is bad. Fuck. Goddammit. Why did I think drinking was such a good idea? At least Fame’s drunk too, maybe she’ll forget.

To: Fame gurl pls, I ment like when we kissed

From: Fame I dont rly believe you but I guess ill just ignore this and forget I ever saw it. Deleting the texts now

Before Trixie could text back, she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She ran into the bathroom that she shared with two girls she had never spoken to. The only communication with them was through messages written on dry erase markers on the bathroom mirror. As she ran into the bathroom, she hoped to God one of her suitemates wasn’t in the bathroom already.

Thankfully, there was no one, and Trixie made it to the toilet. Her throat burned as all the contents in her stomach came up. The alcohol burnt her throat and nose. As she was bent over the toilet, she felt someone pull her hair back. After she was finally done, Trixie noticed that the toilet was now a bright blue color. She wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet.

She looked up and saw Katya. Trixie laid down on the nice, cool floor.

“Trixie?”

Trixie groaned in response. Katya helped her get out of the bathroom. Once she was out of the bathroom, Trixie flopped onto her bed.

“Katyaaaaa,” she whined. “Come cuddle with me.”

Katya hesitantly laid on the bed with Trixie and stroked her hair.

“I love you,” Trixie sat up from the bed. “Like I really love you. Katya, can we tell them? Can we, can we, can we?”

“I think we better wait until you’re not drunk off your ass. You’re gonna probably–”

“Tell us what?” Fame questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Me and Katya had sex, and it was really good.”

This finally made Pearl and Violet stop. Pearl stared at Trixie for a few seconds before saying, “Well, shit.”

#athena #trixya #pearlet #trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #pearl liaison #violet chachki #miss fame #kim chi #au #rpdr fanfiction #submission #the best years of our lives #college au #lesbian au

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snickiebear · 3 years ago

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OHMYGOD SNICKIE I—

so i just finished going through your index and OH MY GOD??? i wish i’d done that earlier *facepalms*

thanks for the tip, i kinda see now who the shadows were referring to… 😉😉😉 (but not all because im slightly stupid)

BUT ALSO akdjbshdj im so glad ur open to the prequel idea and if it does happen i’ll be in the front row seat with hearts in my eyes 😍 what’s even crazier was that i was reading the war chapter in the index and i had to take maybe seven pauses because my imagination was considering the many possibilities!!! and i know i said prequel but oh my god this whole world you’ve built can be like whole series on its own — and im not yet even thinking about what’s going to happen post-OL&W!!! it’s just me thinking about the characters’ stories during the violent era, the first guild war, and the second guild war!!! i-

i seriously can’t even—

i’m gonna try to articulate my thoughts but if you can imagine smoke bombs exploding into vague plot lines, that’s what’s happening in my head right now so apologies in advance for the mess (also im going backwards lol):

Second guild war — hypothetically,,,, if there were an itasakushi era sometime in the history of men falling on their feet for sakura, i believe the itasakushi would have developed in the course of this war, although they may have been acquainted with each other earlier. common enemy: danzo, and what better way to wreak havoc and violence than to have him die by the hands of this (im calling it) legendary trio (but that’s also because im quite invested in them). the five-year captivity is also a huge plus because i imagine shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes

quick question (if it’s not a spoiler) - which naruto characters would fall under thundersins? ibiki is the guildmaster, so does that mean his guild is composed of t&i people? im not quite sure who (in the naruto-verse) can get fooled by danzo into waging this war…

First guild war — can u tell us who was the mage who killed a witch? who was the witch? what were they fighting about??? was it a serious badass battle? were they secretly friends?? lovers??? did danzo have anything to do with this??? or maybe hanzo??? HOLY SHIT WOULD THE AME CHARACTERS BE INVOLVED HERE??? AKATSUKI??? but it’s ok if it’s still a secret… we can go detective on this one

speaking of ame and the other nations in the canonverse — will they also be part of this au? i mean we’ve already seen suna folks in OL&W but maybe like chojuro from kiri and other notable characters from the other hidden villages?

And to the violent era — using canonverse as basis, this would most likely be the counterpart of the hashirama-madara founding a village arc and/or the period before that, since they were also just fighting to death and using child soldiers. but actually im more curious about the guild wars than this era unless something dramatic happened lol other than the self-indulging satisfaction of blood thirst 🤣🤣🤣 im just really more invested when sakura is around. i would say tho, the lore is still interesting because im quite curious as to why the beginning is violent? was it because the gods had a fallout and all they really knew was to be violent about it? if it’s something similar, i’m getting a little bit of mythology-percy jackson vibes (which i LOVE) so Y A Y

ok so that’s basically me vomitting my smoke bomb thoughts *deep breaths* P H E W thank you AGAIN for the brain workout 🥰 it feels nice to lose myself in this world hahaha! you don’t really have to answer my questions; i literally just typed what’s on my mind 😂 INDEX WAS AWESOME! it’s like super clues to the mystery that lead to MORE mystery so yeahp you have just seen the effects on my mind

so sorry to hear about how your day was faring! i’m grateful my ask came to you at the right time. 🥰 i was actually worried about not sliding in your inbox earlier because i already saw that there was a new chapter but it was only then that i had time to check it out. i’m glad i was able to uplift your spirits even just for a little while 💕💕💕

i hope you have a better rest of the week ahead! ❤️❤️❤️

P.S. i cant believe u think my joke was top tier, im seriously bad at cracking jokes irl so thank you for believing in my limited-to-no-successful-experience in joke making

🐱

🐱🐱🐱🐱!!!!!!

LMFAOOOO don’t worry if you don’t figure it out now :) it’ll all be revealed in due time!! Honestly?? Since you brought up the prequel thing i have been thinking not-fucking-stop about how else the world coud be explored. Like?? There is SO MUCH GOING ON!!!

we have the whole Inuzuka tribe, the different temples, so many different characters... there is so many rocks to turn over!!!

OKAY SECOND GUILD WAR ITASAKUSHI YES. we are on the same wavelength 🐱, bc i was thinking the same thing. They would probably meet during GW2 and hit it off pretty well. 1) because Shisui is one charming motherfucker, and 2) Itachi would def draw Sakura in with his smooth humor. Plus, as reclusive as Sakura is in this, she does enjoy being friends with them.

“shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes” this imagery fucking killed me. Oh my god. THATS SO FUNNY WTF

(okay so in the OG draft of OM&G it starts with saku not knowing any of the boys and meeting them for the first time. she knew sakumo [who was dead in this one] and itachi + shisui [they were close friends].

and sasuke was being a total asshole [as usual] and sakura shuts him up with telling him that she's slept with both itachi and shisui. and then all three of them together. to which sasuke has an ANEURYSM LMFAO

but in this one, ItaSakuShi DEF goes on missions together after GW2 and totally fuck and get drunk and hang out. its verified, it has happened, i am comfirming this.)

Ok so!!!! Thundersins would consist mainly of non clan people in Nart. So, Lee, Tenten, Gai, Anko, Genma, ect. Though, we won’t be seeing Gai, Genma, or Anko until much, much later :) Though, Shisui is a part of the Thundersins guild, because he’s just more suited for assassinations rather than wizarding.

so basically, i'm just kind of putting people wherever i think they'd be suited best!

Danzo himself is a tricky bastard and at the time of GW2, Thundersins is still a relatively “new” guild, and they’re mainly human at this point, meaning that they were the weakest guild. It mostly comes down to the fact that Danzo, the manipulative asshole, was able to get their aid. He kept the entire kidnapping a secret for years (i’m estimating at least fifty or so) because the war and then it came to light by some spies or sum

As for the first guild war LMFAO i have absolutely no idea at all which mage killed what witch, i didn’t really think about it tbh! Maybe it was one of sakura’s bullies,,, LMAO honestly? I’ll leave all of that lore to you!!! I like keeping some details vague just so readers can take it and RUN AHAHAHHA. So yeah! Maybe they were lovers! And the entire killing was an accident! Who knows!

OKAY SO! This is going to make sound TERRIBLE. But i hadn’t even thought of Mist or Ame or any of the other villages until you said something LMAOOO

Well… the akatsuki plays a HUGE role in the next two fics,, so i can’t really say much about them hehe…

I do love chojuro and mei and haku and just LKSMDANFKSLD yeah. Going to be honest: they totally slipped my mind which is awful. Head in hands frfr. But i can tell you this:

Mei would be a mage, Chojuro would be either an assassin or a mage… one of the two… haku and zabuza are assassins. Ao would probably be a wizard too.

As for the other Jinchūrikis,,,, you’ll have to wait for the next two (if i have...write them… haha..)!

THE VIOLENT ERA! And yes! So, this is basically the time where the Living are the most… animalistic? Especially since the gods’ “fallout” as you call it! Thepheria served as a balance to both Peace and War, she is Balance in the very sense of the word so… if something happens to her, the entire world goes into cause and it can take a long time for it to find equilibrium!

Nothing huge happened here, this was like the “stone age” of this world and very self indulgent with the whole savagery of it, but also highlighting that deep, deep down these Living (and humans) are angry and violent at their cores. Its their roots and no matter how they progress, it will always come back to war and bloodshed.

AND OMG!! A FELLOW CAMP HALF BLOOD CAMPER HELLO!!!! I love pjo so much!!!! My first series that got me loving fiction and the worlds we can build!!!

I’m so glad you liked the index!!! Its both for you and me because half the time i can’t keep track of what information i want to use/verified so… it keeps me consistent (because i am horrible at it LMAO)

Please don’t ever worry about sliding in here “late”!!! Life is busy and the chapters are a little long, plus time will always keep marching on (omg that rhymed)! And! Please don’t feel obligated to come scream with me! Just knowing that you’re enjoying my work is enough to fuel me!!! :))))))

I feel you on the jokes 🐱, i am not funny irl at all HAHAAHA but your joke was hilarious, im crackin up just thinking about it LMFAOOO

Have a great week 🐱!!!!!! <33333333

#silly things from silly friends #🐱 has my creative cogs turning aaaaaa

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glass-ladybug · 8 years ago

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Mae woke up at the perfect time of 1:35 pm, only to be decked in the face by exhaustion and boredom. As a kid, getting a day off of school was like heaven. Unfortunately, after you become a disappointment to the family and a college drop out with literally nothing to do, and no responsibilities past showering occasionally, it starts being less fun and more... depressing. Mae didn't like thinking about that too much. As light filtered into her messy little room, Mae opened her eyes and immediately regretted it, sinking deeper into the bed covers. Waves of pain and nausea coursed through her head, and she clenched her teeth, clutching onto the bedspread. The dreams hadn't gotten... worse, necessarily, but it seemed that they were getting more vivid. Which sucked. Face still firmly planted in the covers, Mae blindly groped around for her laptop, shuffling things around on the nightstand as she dragged it onto her lap. Unfortunately, this was the step where she would need to be able to see. Slowly, she rubbed her eyes and reluctantly opened them, giving a sigh of relief when no second burst of pain affected her. She absently logged on, yawning as she waited for the morning's messages to load in. greggrulz: Heeeeey!!!! greggrulz: at work 2day.... u should stop by!!! greggrulz: my boss dropped off some new stuff greggrulz: lightbulbs for like..... 68 cents greggrulz: im sure she wouldnt notice if a few... went missing greggrulz: anyway!!! see u later greggrulz: Sincerely, Greggory. Well, it was too late now. Gregg had the morning and evening shifts which meant he'd probably be at home with Angus right now. And Mae really didn't want to stick her finger in their broken call button again. So, that was out. Wouldn't hurt to text him back, though! witchdagger1031: Hey gregg witchdagger1031: ur not online now, but we can def hang tomorrow witchdagger1031: im down with whatever witchdagger1031: tell the big guy i say hi witchdagger1031: over and out Yeah, that was good. Angus, per usual, had only left an away message, but that was okay. He was probably having fun fixing a giant robot, or programming a top-secret device for the FBI. Or... Whatever Angus did in his spare time. BeatriceSantello: Morning. BeatriceSantello: I'm at work, If you want to come by or whatever. BeatriceSantello: See you soon. Mae shuddered. So.... Formal. Aack. For as much of a badass Bea was, she kinda needed to loosen up a little. Mae let her mind wander. Maybe there'd be another furnace to beat the shit out of today. Hmm. No, she was actually more in the mood to destroy a refrigerator. Yeah, that sounded good. Dragging herself out of bed, Mae pulled on a worn orange sweatshirt and yanked a pair of shoes onto her feet. She trudged down the steps, feeling a little lonely when her mom wasn't in the kitchen. She knew it was unreasonable for her mom to still be there, considering, y'know, she had a ...job. She still couldn't help feeling a little sad, though. Mae thew together some cereal and an Eggo waffle - a delicious combination, despite what everyone else seemed to think. Losers. They didn't know how to appreciate good food. After dumping her bowl into the sink, Mae disappeared out the door and into the quiet atmosphere of Possum Springs. The door to The Ol' Pickaxe jingled softly, and Mae sauntered up to the counter, and plopped herself down on it. "Hey, Bea!" Amused, Bea continued to stock the register. "Hey, Mae." "So," Mae shifted around, "how's the Pickaxe?" "Trying to kill me." Bea muttered. "Unsuccessfully, thus far at least." "What's so stressful?" "Well, on top of everything else, we're hosting that Harfest play tomorrow." Bea grumbled, tapped out numbers on her keyboard and absently handing a customer their receipt. "Oh, wooooooooww. Lucky you." Mae snickered. "Yeah. I'm never offering to help with this again." Mae swung her legs, bouncing on the counter. "So, what are you up to tonight?" Bea raised an eyebrow. "Uh. Nothing?" She shook her head. "I'm, like, super tired." Frowning now, Bea began organizing a list of fluorescent labels in a pattern Mae didn't really want to decipher. "Because everything in my life is exhausting. And I'm doing the work of like /three/ employees, plus a store owner. Even though I'm one employee, and I /do not own this store/!" Bea's husky, low voice quickly rose in volume, and she ended the sentence with something near a shout as she slammed down her pen with a bang. "Oh," Mae said helpfully, "weird." Bea gave another worn out sigh, and for the first time Mae noticed how /tired/ she looked. She did a good job of hiding with her black, expertly applied eyeshadow, but creases and dark circles were still visible if you looked closer. "I thought for some reason you owned this place now." Mae said. Bea let out a derisive laugh. "You'd think. Actually, though, I'd rather die. Like, make me a coffin using tools from this store, and bury me literally anywhere else." "Wow. That got intense." A drawer clicked as Bea slid her finished work into a file. "Aaaaagh. Sorry I'm so high strung." Mae scuffed her shoes against the counter, attracting a dirty look from an employee across the store. "It's chill." "Anyway. I'm doing nothing tonight." Mae perked up, sitting a little taller. "I can do nothing too!" There was a beat of dead quiet. "Fine." Mae did a little victory dance to herself, pumping a fist into the air. "Nice!" "So, are we doing this now? My shift is over soon." "Yeah! Let's hang out!" Bea began packing up, wrangling a set of several scratched keys. "I don't having anything very interesting to do. I'm just knocking off work early to pick up some groceries." Mae shrugged, and hopped off the counter. "That's fine!" Bea shouted to the other on-duty employee that she was leaving early, giving them a glare that just dared them the contradict her. As Bea turned around, Mae stuck her tongue out and waved at the employee, reveling in her retribution. Take that, capitalism! ------------------------------------------ "-And that's why U.S. pennies aren't 100% copper." Mae rambled. "You sure know a lot of useless shit." "Yep! That's my specialty. Knowing useless shit and beating things up." "It's a good combination." Bea snorted. The two walked side by side in the Ham Panther, Bea adding various items to her red plastic basket, and Mae salivating over the snack section. Bea held up a can of corn, examining it before dropping it in with the myriad of other food items. "OK. I need to grab a few things quick." "Aww, I thought we were gonna hang out!" "Uh. We are hanging out. I'm just here to grab something for dinner for Dad and me. I don't feel like ordering again." Mae beamed widely. "Let me pick out what we have!" Bea choked, grinning slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're coming to dinner?" "Can I?" The older girl let out a disbelieving laugh. "Um. I guess?" Mae fluttered her eyelashes, smiling saccharinely. "Are you asking?" "I wasn't." Mae snapped her fingers. "Damn." "I wasn't, but now it feels weird not to..." "Great! Then I'll pick out what we have to eat!" Mae yanked the basket from Bea's arm, and began speeding down an aisle, when she felt someone grab onto her arm. Bea looked at her carefully. "Wait, you're actually serious?" Mae nodded excitedly. "You know what? Go for it. I hate shopping. We need a main course and like, two sides?" Smiling brighter than ever, Mae pointed at her beloved snack aisle. "Dessert?" "We're not children." "Appetizer?" "We're on a /budget/, Mae." Still not letting go, Bea held Mae out at arms length. "And no shoplifting. I can afford a few groceries, and this place has cameras." "Good point." Mae complied. Bea let her arm fall away, and the self-proclaimed 'fierce warrior' sped down a random aisle with a clumsy salute. She quickly grabbed the brightest and most colorful looking can, which turned out to be chicken noodle soup (with stars!). Then, satisfied with that decision, Mae sprinted toward the boxed, 'make it yourself' aisle, yanking some 'Nice Rice' off the shelf. Niiiiice riiice. Mmm, great. Shoes screeching on the shiny tiled floor, Mae sharply turned into the refrigerator aisle, eyes flicking over the array of goods stacked neatly. She tossed a roll of off-brand biscuits into her basket, not really even looking at what she grabbed. Facing her own invisible time limit, Mae booked it back to where Bea was meandering under the Ham Panther's fluorescent lights. "That was quick." Panting, Mae rested her hands on her knees. "Haah.... Good..." Mae looked up, still out of breath. "My dad, uh, works at the deli! We could get meat from there." "Lead the way." As they walked, Mae noticed Shakey Bakey was on sale. Nice. That stuff was awesome. She added it to the basket. Over at the Deli Counter, Mae's father, a kind of robust (but lovable!) man, was working the cash register, fully decked out with apron, hair net, and thin rubber gloves. "Ladies!" He greeted. "Hey, Dad." "Bea, long time no see!" Bea smiled politely. "How are you, Mr. Borowski?" "Can't complain." Mr. Borowski's chest shook as laughed. "Just me and the meats." He smiled, patting a fish fillet. "Still weird seeing you here, Dad." Mae chimed in. "Beats the alternative!" Bea furrowed her eyebrows. "What's the alternative?" "Unemployment." "Oh." He smiled cheerfully, his eyes crinkling up around the edges. "So what are you lovely ladies doing here?" "Just grabbing something for dinner." "How's your dad?" Bea's expression darkened briefly. "Alright." Mae's father nodded absently. "What can I get for you?" Gesturing to Mae, Bea took a step back, allowing the smaller of the two to press her hands on the glass display counter, scrutinizing their options. "She's picking." "One of your best fishes, please!" Bea hummed vaguely. "Whatever's good. Dinner for three people, nothing pricey." Mr. Borowski slid out a tray of fish, wrapping one in paper. "Bea, you should come by for dinner sometime!" Mae's heart immediately froze, and she repressed the urge to bolt out the door, steal Bea's truck, and never return. While her body was unfortunately stuck here, her brain was already far gone. "A-at the Ham Panther?" She stumbled. "At home, Mae. I'll grill us up something nice!" Bea was calm as ever, and Mae almost hated her for it. "That'd be nice. Thank you." "Ok-ok, let's check out!" Mae said, hastily shoving her basket at her dad, who was trying not to smile. Pulling out a cigarette, Bea flicked her lighter, much to Mae's distaste. "I'm not even looking at what you got. That is how straight up tired I am." "It's gonna be great!" "If you say so. Let's keep moving." Mae's father began bagging their groceries. "Hmm. Hmm, yes, okay. Oh? Well that's... interesting." "Interesting?" Mae said hopefully. "Maybe I'm just behind the times. Have a nice day, girls." Bea grabbed her keys and their bags. "Alright. Thanks, Mr. Borowski." "See you later, Dad!" Her father gave a little wave, as the two departed from the Ham Panther, and into Bea's car. That was his girl. Awkward and odd, but with a good heart. ------------------------------------------ Bea's apartment was messy. It looked like someone had /attempted/ to keep it clean, but over time it had just fallen into despair. Mae didn't miss the nervous little glances Bea shot her when she thought she couldn't see, nor the way her body tensed up as they walked through the doorway. Seeing the disarray the house was in, Mae felt a little less... underdressed than before. She looked over at Bea, waiting for her to extinguish her cigarette. She didn't. "I'm home." She yelled out. The couch- wait, no, a /person/ on the couch- answered back. "You're early." Bea set the groceries on the table, leading Mae to a slightly scratched chair. "We're having someone over. Do you remember Mae?" Mae gave a little wave, and the figure on the couch grunted. Grabbing a pan from under a cupboard, Bea started preheating the stove. Motioning for Mae to help, she began spouting off instructions. "Butter. Top shelf in the refrigerator. Add it to the pan, and then stir in the rice. When you're done with that, grab the biscuits and open them." "Aye-aye!" In about a half hour of splattering, sarcasm, and Mae stealing a taste of food whenever Bea turned around, dinner was cooked. "No, don't touch the oven. I don't need a house fire." "I was ten!" Mae cried indignantly. "Pyromania is for life." As Bea pulled the fish from the oven, her father stood up, and seated himself at the table. "Nice to see you, Mae. Been awhile." Mae raised her eyebrows at the quick attitude change, but gave a nervous smile in return. "Uh... Hi?" "Um." Bea said. "Huh?" "You.... Put Shakey Bakey. On fish." "So?" "Just take a bite." Mae bit into the crispy fish, and almost gagged. It tasted spicy, sour, and a whole bunch of other things that fish should definitely not taste like. "Oh." Bea sighed. "Yeah. 'Oh' about sums it up. Dad, do you want me to order a pizza?" "Go ahead." Suddenly filled with guilt, embarrassment prickled over Mae's skin. "Did I ruin dinner?" Mr. Santello laughed- a far cry from his attitude when Mae arrived. It was a little unnerving. "Yep. But we'll live, I think. The fish just didn't work out." Mae fidgeted and looked away. "I thought: Hey, fish is good. Shakey Bakey is good..." Bea snorted. "Did you like it?" "No, I agree. It's pretty terrible." With that, Mr. Santello made his way back to the couch, and flicked on the T.V. Bea sat next to him, and started talking business, leaving Mae to only be vaguely tuned in, and staring at the putrid orange walls. "So, we're all paid up 'til the 15th next month." Bea's father grunted. "Alright. That rock salt sorted?" "Yeah, should be fine." She was looking away now, a crease forming on her high forehead, and her posture tense. "Okay, uh, I need you to sign some things. Left them on the table." "Think I might just get to 'em." "Please do. We have to pay the guys in a few days." "I don't need you to remind me." There was a prolonged beat of silence, and Mae could swear the temperature dropped a few degrees. Bea pursed her lips. "I know, but-" "I /don't/, Beatrice. Whose name is on the deed?" "...Yours, Dad." "Whose names on the checks?" Bea was almost perfectly still now, her fingers clutching the armrest so hard they were turning pale. "Yours." She ground out. Mae wanted so badly to pipe up, but before she could say a word, Bea shot her a Look. It wasn't harsh, nor a glare like she gave her co-worker. It was almost a ...plea. Like she was silently begging her to shut up. So, Mae did. But she wasn't happy about it. Bea stood up stiffly. "Mae and I are gonna hang out in my room." Mr. Santello smiled kindly. "You girls have a nice time! Thanks for dinner, Mae." "O...kay." "C'mon, Mae." Bea muttered. Mae lingered around for a few seconds, running a hand over the apartment's chipped and cracked walls. Bea. Badass, smart, always calm and cool Bea lived /here/. For as cynical and sarcastic as she was, there was no way Bea was okay with that. ((NO TRANSITION SENTENCE BC I CAN'T THINK OF ONE)) Bea's room was filled with an array of boxes, some semi-unpacked, and some completely untouched. There was a laundry hamper pushed to a corner, and a laptop laying on the carpet, plugged into an outlet. Bea herself was curled up on a tiny, rickety blue wooden bed, her heavy-lidded eyes only half open. "So... Did you guys move in recently?" Mae questioned. "10 months ago." "Why aren't you unpacked?" Bea just shifted over, fiddling with a loose string on the bed, wrapping it over her finger again and again. "So I've got a question." Mae said. "Mmhmm?" "Your dad is kinda up and down, huh?" "He has good days, and bad days. Often in the same day." "Haha, Gregg's always been like that too. Just more...uh... zany about it." "Well Gregg is most likely bi-polar, or on the autism spectrum. He's never actually told me the specifics." "Yeah, he doesn't talk about it much. But thanks, Doctor Bea." "My pleasure. Whereas, my dad is having a years long breakdown." "You run the whole store now, right?" "More or less." "Yeah," Mae huffed, "but it's still his name on everything." "Yep." "And meanwhile, you're running basically /everything/." "Yep. And! And! Working there /every day/ too. Yep." "I just think you shouldn't! I mean, I would probably just quit. Or, like, take over the store. Like, you not doing anything just reinforces-" The string Bea was pulling on snapped. "Is this really the road you want to go down with this?" Mae clenched her jaw. "I'm /saying/ it's not right that you roll over and take it." Bea's voice was dangerously calm, and Mae was sightly taken aback. "Take it?" "Take it?!" Her words were filled with a seething, dark anger, and it took all of Mae's willpower not to back up. "You're doing all the work, and he's getting all the credit!" Mae snapped. "Oh, go to Hell." Mae's jaw dropped, and she stared at her friend. "Why? What is your /problem/?" Bea's eyes were squeezed shut now, and her mouth was twisted into a grimace. "Here's some reality for you: You know Creek? Repair guy Creek, at the shop?" "...Yeah?" "When I was fifteen he asked my dad if he could teach my how to drive. And my dad said no, and then told me not to be alone with him." "Oh my God." Mae whispered. "Yeah. Exactly. And you know what? He still works for us." "Why haven't you fired him?!" "I can't fire people! And, even if I could, he's on the crew. Frankly, he's our best guy. Practically heads up the repair team, since my dad's not doing anything!" Bea's voice was losing it's anger, and melting into disdain and exhaustion. "Creek's got a family, and he needs to work." "I'm gonna be sick." "Yeah! Me too! I have /no power/, Mae, and I can't change that." Mae paused, not caring that she was being blunt. "I'm just saying, if you keep letting these dudes off the hook-" "Off the hook?!" "Like, you're stronger than this, Bea." Mae gestured wildly. "You're like... Badass, and shit!" Bea froze. "Y-you..." Bea slowly sat up, and rose to her full height. Fueled by anger, Mae stared Bea dead in the eye, stepping forward. Every inch of Bea seemed to be dripping with fury, outrage, and most surprisingly... hurt? Bea's temper was barely in check, and Mae could see her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. All of her features that had before seemed pretty, were now imposing. Her dark eyeshadow made her eyes look fierce, and cold. Her long painted nails brought on thoughts of metal screeching on a chalkboard. Her half shaven head, and the little knobs of black hair bunched up at the back stopped being cool, and started being foreign, and odd. It's amazing how different things seem when you look through a different perspective. "Badass?" Her voice was trembling now. "My mom dying was not very 'badass'." "Me sitting in this tiny, mess of a room complaining is not very 'badass'." Her voice cracked, and she gritted her teeth. Tears were glinting in Bea's eyes, and Mae's fury and delusion began dissipating on the spot. "I... Okay, sorry, I-" "Your are such a shithead, you know that?" "What the hell?" Nope, never mind. It was back. "You don't get it, Mae. Most people can't just get up and 'choose' to do whatever it is you decree to be the right thing! Because they /can't/ do anything else!" "You can /always/ choose." "Choose what?" Bea's voice was scathing. "No, tell me. What is my choice here?" "Tell your dad you're not gonna take this!" Mae shouted. Really, it was surprising he hadn't heard them screaming already. "Tell him what? What is your magic solution, that /I/ need to do?" Mae opened her mouth to respond, but Bea held up a hand, silencing her. "I am seriously gonna punch your goddamn lights out." Bea didn't break eye contact, but her voice lost some of its wrath, exhaustion overlaying her tone. "You come in here and start telling me how /I'm/ screwing things up? You want to come in here and say, 'Oh yeah, just ditch your dad, who is both getting old, and can barely get off the couch half the time'? You want to come in here and say, 'Oh yeah, just start this big drama, and make your life way more stressful?'" "It's just not right is what I'm saying!" Mae said, ignoring the guilt prickling over her. "Yeah. It isn't. Nothing's right. The whole effing world isn't right. Like Gregg is probably off doing /God knows/ what wacky shit right now, and I'm here making an awful dinner and doing payroll. You know, like, /nothing/ about my life. You just know what I should do." Mae bit the inside of her cheek. "And you- you're the last person I'd ask for advice." Bea said. Mae finally looked away, staring down at the musty, worn carpet. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Bea's voice was raspy, and tired. "Yeah, you're sorry. Everyone's sorry. But you don't get it. You did what you wanted. You threw away the thing that I've always wanted- that I've dreamt about for years. And now you're here, waltzing in and telling me I should do the same with my life. But I can't, Mae. I have responsibilities. This is it for me. This is all I have, and I can't just walk away from it." Mae looked up, and Bea looked like a hollow shell of herself. Eyes tired, posture weary, face drawn, and sad. "I should go." Mae whispered. "You should go." And with that, Mae departed from the tiny, rundown house, and walked home. ------------------------------------------ ((I wanted to add another scene in here, one that wasn't included in the real bit, but idk what to do???? bc rn its basically a rewrite, with added dialogue and emotion and monologue??? if u have any thoughts let me kno!))

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