#teen angst

[shakaprio]

girls just wanna blog, play dress to impress, and giggle over edits

[foldingfittedsheets]

A basic human skill that people usually lock down around the age of three or four is impulse control. To conceptualize an action and it’s consequences before taking it. Maybe considering how that action affects other people. We then refine it through most of our childhood.

When I was a teenager my hold on this ability became… tenuous. I became a volatile and dangerous creature.

It’s probably not unique to me, but I had a perfect storm in terms of mental upsets. I had just mastered enough basic social skills, so I finally had a strong group of friends when my dad suddenly needed to move for work. Ripped away from my support network, blooming with hormones, I was dragged to Arizona. I was always a child of forests and mist and suddenly everything was hot, dry, and extremely pointy and aggressive.

Additionally to being abruptly transplanted I found myself an object of affection in a way I’d never been before. Lonely and desperate to make friends the only people who wanted to spend time with me had romantic designs. I just wanted to figure out my shit but I had a baby lesbian flirting with increasing aggression in art, a soft boy making heart eyes at me in biology, a senior nerd asking if I wanted to play Halo at his house and could he hold my hand?

Reader, I snapped. I didn’t want this romantic attention but I also didn’t want to be alone. My brain coped the only way it knew how, by simply cutting out decision making. Any action was the right action to take.

It started with the boy in biology. I’d stolen his pencil out of mischief and to my overwhelming fury instead of trying to steal it back he just softened his eyes and chucked me gently under my chin, a gesture so overtly sweet and romantic that I saw red.

I stabbed him with his own pencil.

I honestly and truly have no memory of it. It happened as fast as a snake striking and I was instantly filled with terrified remorse. Unfortunately that manifested as psychotic giggling.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t- I don’t know why- I’m so sorry!” I said, while hysterically laughing. I ended up having lodged some graphite in his palm and had to tweeze it out with my nails while apologizing furiously. (It’s very important to note here that he forgave me and we’re still friends)

That was weird, I thought. Why didn’t I think before I stabbed someone?

The next event was equally catastrophic, and I had even less reason to do it. In gym with two girls I was tentatively befriending, we were warming up running laps. I started racing one of them. At breakneck speed we were sprinting around the gym.

This time, there was a blip of thought before I fucked up. I should get the other girl! I have no idea why or what the plan was but I turned on a swivel and body checked the other girl. We both fell down in immense pain. I think that’s the moment I broke my tailbone. Her knees were horribly bruised and she looked at me in bewildered pain. “Why did you do that?!”

I had no idea. I apologized and helped her up, both of us hobbling like newborn horses, bruised and hurting.

By this time there’d been enough social upheavals that I was reduced to spending time with some girls I had nothing in common with and low key disliked. Sat at a table listening to this girl talk about how she wanted to be a stripper when she grew up I thought, You’d better put the cap on before you throw it.

I then chucked my empty water bottle directly at her face. It bounced off her forehead with a bop! that would have made a sound mixer weep at its perfection.

All eyes turned to me is startlement. I stared back at her, stunned by my own action, just as confused as everyone else at the table as to why I’d done that. One of the girls to my right said, “Were you trying to hit that fly?”

“Yes!” I lied, “I’m sorry, I thought I could hit the fly!”

Everyone laughed at my antics and I joined in rather than admit I had just chucked something at her for no reason.

Things did start to improve after that. I solidified a friendship with the girl I’d raced (who I developed a massive crush on and ten years later would go on to date). My outbursts turned more whimsical rather than aggressive. Like accosting a girl leaving the cafeteria to look deeply into her eyes and say with great compassion, “It’s going to be alright.”

My new friend and I snuck into the van that delivered our cafeterias baked goods and lay giggling in the back. When I’d impulsively hopped in she’d joined me and made it a game.

After a year in Arizona I broke down crying to my mother, an act of great desperation, and we ended up moving back home. My impulse control returned to normal teenage levels and life resumed in a happier state of mind.

[buglover77]

GHOSTBUSTERS FROZEN EMPIRE SPOILERS

if I see one person judge Phoebe for her poor decision making in her gay awakening first sapphic situationship I am going to go rabid… Phoebe ejecting her soul for a pretty girl she met like a week ago is the most realistic teenage gay experience I’ve ever seen in media

[lilousole]

Mother’s youth was loud and boyish. Mine is smothered by the very idea that I exist a little too much.

[angelofalls]

Some more teen lion angst..well only from Taka (Scar)

[comesatimecomesashadow]

her *ೃ༄

pairing *ೃ༄ carl grimes x gn reader

cw *ೃ༄ teen angst, friends to lovers, canon-typical violence, teen romance, semi-slow burn, fluff

fic type *ೃ༄ one shot (?) | part ii here

summary *ೃ༄ in which you fall in love with the freckle-filled, blue eyed boy who wears a sheriff's hat.

note *ೃ༄ this is what i do instead of my three week old homework, enjoy !

masterlist *ೃ༄

   Arriving in Alexandria was an odd thing. Here, people tried to build a ‘civilization’, as if the world outside the walls wasn’t gone to shit already. You often ventured outside the walls without anyone knowing — Anyone excluding Enid, of course — because you were afraid of becoming weak. Immersing yourself in Deanna’s delusion would do nothing for your survival, you were sure of it. 

   When Rick and his group were welcomed inside the walls, you noticed their rough demeanors and the rugged way in which they carried themselves. They were a contrast to the people of Alexandria and because of that, their presence alluded you, even when others were weary of them. But you stayed away. Not because you were scared of them too, but because you’d rather not get close to anyone again. Regardless of what your instincts wanted you to do. 

   Enid would sometimes hang out with you alone or go with Ron and the others to fill the time that you all now had. You usually just spent the days in the attic of the empty house down the street. You’d heard a lot about the blue eyed boy with the sheriff’s hat from Enid, he seemed kinda awkward to you but you didn’t fault him. It was probably strange going from having to fight walkers 24/7 to now having the time for video games; You remember feeling that way too. 

   You were no stranger to the crushing weight of loneliness that followed all those who survived. Sometimes, you wonder if you should’ve just let yourself be eaten. But you were afraid you’d be betraying the last thing your dad told you. ‘Live! Fight and Live!’, you remembered his words vividly. You also remembered the screams that came next. 

   The leaves crunched under your boots as you walked towards your secret hangout. 

   No one, not even Enid, knew where it was. It was the place in the forest you went to whenever you felt lonely, it was a comfort to you most of the time. There in the secluded spot, you had a box with a broken lock hidden with leaves and sticks, it was full of your scavenged art supplies. Drawing was something you liked to do ever since you were a kid, it was one of the only things the apocalypse hadn’t taken from you. 

   As you approached your secret hideout, you noticed a familiar boy with the famous sheriff's hat sitting against the log you always sat at. You bit your lip and walked a little faster. ‘What was he doing here?’ You were a little upset at this. 

   “..How did you find this place?” your words were clear and loud enough so he could hear. You didn’t intend for it to come off as mean as it sounded, but then again maybe that was the best choice. You’d met different groups before coming to Alexandria and people always tended to be selfish people. Even in Alexandria, you noticed how most of the kids your age were selfish, hence why you hid your secret space even from Ron and his group. Why would this guy be any different? 

   He got up and met your eyes, seeming like a deer caught in headlights. He left your sketchbook on the ground. “I was just- Uh, I was walking around and found this place. Do you.. Hang around here, or..?” You could tell he was nervous and frankly, it felt awkward. 

   You sat on the ground next to the not-so-hidden box and grabbed the notebook he left on the ground. He opted to sit next to you. “To answer your question, yeah. I hang here by myself- most of the time at least.” You flipped to an empty page and grabbed some of your pens and markers from the chest. 

   The boy glanced down at your drawing, observing you. Then he began to speak again, less nervous this time. “I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Carl.” 

   “...” You kept your eyes on the notebook. Should you be friendly with him? After a few moments of silence you told him your name and could see him slightly smile in the corner of your eye. “..Are you gonna stay here?” 

   “Do you mind it?” he asked. You shook your head. He seemed harmless for the most part, maybe he wasn’t like Ron and his friends. “Then.. Could I come here sometimes?” 

   “Why do you wanna?” you asked him, finally meeting his blue eyes. You noticed the freckles on his fair skin and the way his hair fell over his face was kinda funny to you. He was.. Something. Carl looked away from you, contemplating his words. 

   “Just cause.” He said with a small smile. You laughed a little at his words, sometimes it was hard to forget you were just kids. 

   “Alright then.” 

   The next few weeks, your routine began to change. 

   Normally, you’d wake up some time before the afternoon and get ready for the day. Afterwards, you’d help Olivia with the inventory and keeping track of rations. You’d go out on a run if you were asked to and if you weren't, your time was spent at your secret spot or with Enid. 

   However, ever since formally meeting Carl. Your secret hangout spot has become a shared secret hangout spot. He drew comic book characters on one of the notebooks in the chest at the spot, brought you art supplies when he came back from runs and even brought some of his own comic books. You noticed the way his facial expressions changed when he was immersed in his comics, the way he did that awkward side smile of his sometimes, you even caught him stealing glances at you sometimes. 

   But you never addressed it. 

   Not even when you began to find yourself disappointed when he missed a day at the spot. You had to remind yourself that he was just someone you met, it wasn’t like he belonged to you or anything. It wasn’t like you expected him to be there when you knew he had his own life too. 

   You told yourself then that you’d try to distance yourself. 

   Falling for someone, especially in the middle of a damn apocalypse, couldn’t go well. It just couldn’t. But it was hard to distance yourself when he seemed to be everywhere. Whenever you helped Olivia with keeping track of the inventory, he was there with his stupid, dorky smile and innumerous freckles. When you took a usual afternoon walk to clear your head, he waved at you and even joined you with his little sister in tow. 

   He was everywhere and that made it increasingly harder for you to bury your feelings away. 

   “What’re you drawing this time?” Carl asked. Your pencil stopped at the sound of his voice. You looked up and smiled involuntarily. For some reason, ever since you met him, you started to smile more often. Maybe he was just that easy to talk to, but you hated it sometimes. 

   “Walkers.” You gazed back down at your notebook that contained the scribbles and doodles of dismembered walkers and you even drew some of them with funny expressions and speech bubbles. “I know it’s twisted, considering they're the reason the world is ..shit. But I dunno,” you shrugged, wondering what he would think. Carl looked over your notebook, his hair tickling your shoulder. 

   Then he laughed. 

    “Is this one giggling? It looks funny,” A smile graced his features and a warm feeling crept into your heart at the sight of it. 

   “Yeah..!” You giggled and shaded in the drawing with some highlighters. 

   “When did you get into drawing?” 

   You shrugged, “I’ve always been into drawing, ever since I was a kid. I really liked comics n’ stuff, so I guess that’s what motivated me.” You found it endearing that he even asked because it meant that he was interested. You have never known what it felt like to have feelings like these, to feel so close to someone, but it was exciting. ..And scary at the same time of course. 

   It was then that you remembered that you’d forgotten your intentions of distancing yourself. 

   “Yeah? How come?” He picked up the comic book he had meant to continue reading and flipped to the page that had one of its corners dog-eared. 

   You put your pencil down and looked up at the sky peeking through the various green leaves blocking it. “It’s an outlet, I guess. Whenever I got lonely I’d just draw and draw till I forgot the loneliness.” 

   Carl lifted his gaze up to you again. “Do you still feel like that?” 

   You set your notebook down and hugged your knees closer to your chest before letting out a sigh. “Sometimes. Not as much nowadays though.” 

   “I’ve felt that way before too, actually. I thought I was the only one.” Carl admitted. He looked away when your eyes met his.  

   “Yeah?” You asked quietly. 

   He nodded his hands now flat on the ground at his sides and the comic forgotten on his lap. “I feel like it’s too normal sometimes.” Carl said. You agreed with his statement. “A lot of the people here aren’t prepared t’fight. I think that’s the scariest thing outta everything.” 

   “Why so?” you drew circles on the dirt. 

   “If someone, or something, from outside the walls wanted to take this place, they could.” Carl spoke as if it was fact. Maybe he was right. The wind whistled throughout the forest, a signal to return inside the walls now that the sun was also beginning to disappear. You put your notebook and his comic back inside the hidden box and closed it. 

   “We should get back, your dad’s probably wondering where you are.” You lent him a hand to help him up and he took it. His hand was a little calloused — but warm. 

   “Yeah, I guess so.” 

   He got up, but he didn’t let go of your hand. 

.

.

.

   The day the walkers came in through the walls was the day you returned to reality. You had to admit, being in Alexandria had indeed dulled your fighting skills — but it did not deter you. Plunging your knife into the skull of the walker in front of you, you headed toward the infirmary. Gunshots could be heard which only called in more from the swarm, you had to hurry.

   After a sprinting to the infirmary, you met Denise and began to help treat some of the patients that had gotten hurt. Your hands were quick at cleaning wounds and wrapping bandages, you’d picked up a lot of things before coming to Alexandria and you’d made it a habit to learn from Denise as a precaution. Luckily, it was paying off.

   ..Until Rick brought Carl to the infirmary with a grave injury to his right eye. 

   Your hands came to a sudden stop and trembled and you couldn't stop staring at him in utter shock of what had been done to him.  “What-..” 

   Denise helped Rick lay Carl down on the patient bed. “Get me the bandages, we need to stop the bleeding,” Denise ordered. Your mind went blank but you moved in a flash, handing her all the materials she needed to help him as if you were on autopilot. You didn’t ask Michonne nor Rick how it happened and you couldn’t either way since Rick decided to take his anger out on the walkers swarming outside. 

   Your eyes were laser-focused on the numbers reading Carl’s heart rate. 

   It was then that you realized just how much you cared about the freckled boy with the blue eyes, the sheriff’s hat he never took off and his stupid smile. 

   ..It was then that you realized how far you'd fallen for Carl. 

   “Is he..” your voice was shaky but Denise cut you off. 

   “He’s going to live. He will.” Her words were spoken in a strong tone but you didn’t know if she was trying to convince herself o..r you. In the meantime, you busied yourself with the other patients, most of the people huddling up inside the infirmary had left now and were beginning to go join Rick in his fight against the walkers currently swarming the inside of the walls. You couldn’t afford to think about him living or dying when other people were on patient beds fighting for their lives too. 

   But it was hard to not think about him. 

   You could only hope he would be alright. 

   The day seeped into the night sky and soon enough, Rick and the other Alexandrians had succeeded in massacring all the walkers inside the walls. Now, they were focused on making sure the walls would hold up while you still were tending to the patients in the infirmary with Denise. Luckily, some of the patients were recovering from their injuries now and waking up. From what Denise told you, Carl was unconscious but he was stable- He was alive.  That’s all that mattered to you. 

   You wanted to talk to someone, tell someone about all the feelings you were bottling up- but Enid was nowhere to be found. Neither was Ron or the other kids, and you couldn’t tell Denise because you knew how stressed she must have been. You left the infirmary and went outside to take in some air. The woman with the sword.. Michonne, you think her name was; She was outside of the infirmary as well. Carl’s dad, Rick, was there too. 

   “How is he?” Rick asked, you could hear the anxiousness in his voice. 

   You tried to give him a smile, “He’s doing better than when you brought him in, thankfully.” A few tears escaped Rick’s eyes but a small smile crept onto his lips. “..There was nothing we could do about his eye. But, ..He’ll live. You can go see him right now, he’s uhm.. He’s unconscious though.” Rick nodded and Michonne seemed relieved, but Rick was the only one who went in. Michonne stayed out on the steps with you. 

   You sighed and leaned against the wooden railing, your arms crossed and your heart full. 

   “Are you okay?” Michonne asked you genuinely.

   If it were in another time, any other time, you probably would have lied. But as soon as one tear strayed from your eye, a multitude of others seemed to follow. Michonne’s expression softened and she offered a hug, embracing your shaking body racked with emotions you couldn’t name. You didn’t know if you should be relieved, or worried- or both! 

   “It’ll be okay, [Name].” 

   You took a shaky breath in, “How..- How do you know that?” You looked up at her, your vision blurry. 

   She wiped your tears carefully, “Because we’re the ones who live.” 

   The words she spoke to you that day gave you hope. Luckily for you and his family he woke up a few weeks after the whole ordeal. However, you tried to avoid him as much as you could, like you had done before you met him. 

   You couldn’t look at him, not because of how he looked.. 

   ..but because you knew that the next time you saw him face to face, the dam of feelings you held inside would burst open instantly.

[xsirenvx]

Lockwood & co is like Supernatural and BBC Sherlock had a baby, with a good hint of Teen Angst.

Needless to say, i love it

[just-a-girl-07]

[wildlife4life]

Seven (+) Sentence Sunday

Tagged by the super amazing @disasterbuckdiaz @fortheloveofbuddie @daffi-990 @tizniz (whole new fic!) and @wikiangela (who also dropped a new fic!) Thank you all so much!

Have to make up for the lack of football games today with another snippet from NFL Buck. And to go along with the today's drop of BTS photos with Buck and Christ, here is a scene with them. (All things NFL Buck)

"Do you want to go back to Houston? Live there?" Buck asks, his voice slightly downcast. It takes Christopher a back. Did he really upset his dad and Buck that much with his outburst? Are they going to break up? Are Christopher and his dad going to be sent away? Panic makes his chest go tight and his breaths come a little faster. Buck instantly catches on and drops to the floor kneeling in front of Chris. Strong, warm hands press into Christopher's shoulders and Buck makes him meet wide blue eyes, filled with concern and a hint of fear. "Hey, hey, hey. Take a deep breath bud." Buck tells him, but he can't. He can't. All the air is being clutched in the tight fist of his earlier words. You chose Buck over me. I'm failing because of you. Buck chose football over us. Every horrible inaccurate accusation Chris threw at his father is lashing back at him, taking away his life. Buck doesn't waver. The grip on Chris's shoulders tightens, "Christopher you need to take deep breath. Just like this." He tells the kid firmly and his broad chest expands with a deep inhale through his nose. Buck holds it for a short three seconds, then slowly releases the breath, making Chris's hair flutter. "Just like that buddy okay?" Christopher gives a weak nod in return. "Alright. Suck all the air you can in through your nose." Buck instructs and Chris tries his best. He contracts the muscles in his aching chest, pulling in as much air as he can into his lungs through nasal cavity. "Thats good kid. Now, hold it for three seconds. Then push it all out of your mouth." Holding the air hurts a little and it seems to just add to pressure that had mounted there in his panic, but its just three seconds. He's hurt a lot worse for much more time. Buck helps with counting to three and when Christopher hears the final second, he blows out all the air in his lungs along with a little of the panic. The gripping ache lessens slightly. The sting of tears begin.

I promise Buck and Eddie are not breaking up, and the Diaz boys are not going back to Texas. Teen anxiety gets the best of us, and Buck is just trying to figure out what Christopher needs/wants. Hope you enjoyed!

Tagging (no pressure!): @watchyourbuck @theotherbuckley @lover-of-mine @spotsandsocks @hippolotamus @devirnis @buddierights @cal-daisies-and-briars @try-set-me-on-fire @jesuisici33 @jeeyuns @exhuastedpigeon @diazsdimples @aroeddiediaz @giddyupbuck @rainbow-nerdss @loserdiaz @thewolvesof1998 @bekkachaos @eddiescowboy @eddiebabygirldiaz @spaceprincessem @athenagranted @evanbegins @elvensorceress @malewifediaz @911onabc @911-on-abc @hoodie-buck @ladydorian05 @bigfootsmom @thekristen999 @spagheddiediaz @rogerzsteven @honestlydarkprincess @bitchfacediaz @buck-coded @prosperdemeter2 @lemonzestywrites @gayedmundodiaz @transboybuckley

[shamrockqueen]

Father figure : Chapter 2

Pairing : Best Friend’s Dad Bucky x Reader

Warnings : Angst, Bad friends, Older man younger woman Dynamic, (age references removed and reader is recounting it as an adult)

Word count : 2167

AO3 Link

Chapter 1 link

Bucky Barnes Masterlist

Things stayed quiet, but at least they kind of got better. It had been a week or two since you’d welcomed Becky and her family back into your life.

A pounding at your window around 12pm woke you from an already uncomfortable sleep. You looked over at the drawn curtains, waiting for the sound again.

A *Knock knock knock* at the window of your ground-floor bedroom.

You pushed out of bed, readjusting your messy t-shirt and shorts as you groggily walked to the curtains. You weren’t surprised to see Becky on the other side of the glass, her dark hair nearly blending in with the night.

She didn’t look very happy, and her frustration was even more evident when she tried to jerk open the locked window. It wasn’t a new sight to see an angry Becky trying to force her way into your room, a popular choice of hers for when she had been out doing something she shouldn’t have and needed a place to hide before absconding by midnight.

"Open up!" You could hear her through the glass before you finally unlocked the window and pulled it up, and she immediately crawled past you.

"You can’t be yelling this late at night; you're gonna to wake my mom up."

"Whatever!" She stomped towards your bed before throwing herself onto it and grappling at one of your teddy bears.

You have a huff before shutting the window and locking it again.

"What’s wrong?" You slumped back onto the other side of the bed as you tried to find what made her mad this time.

"It doesn’t fuckin matter." A classic Becky move, but you’d played this game before, and with enough prying, you’d get her to talk instead of sulking into one of your old teddy bears.

"Clearly it mattered to you because you were here at almost 1 in the morning instead of asleep."

"Shut up!" She turned and tossed the bear at you, clearly choosing to act more like a child than her actual age.

"Keep your voice down. You wake my mom up, and she’s gonna kick you out again." You seethed before throwing the stuffed animal back at her, only to miss and hit the wall beside the bed.

Becky dropped her arms from above her head to her sides, hitting the bed with a thump. "Everything’s just so stupid; it fucking sucks." She grumbled, but at least she made an effort to keep her voice down.

"What happened?" You ask tiredly, rubbing your eyes as you wait for an answer.

"I called my mom today." She answered meekly. Conversations with her mom often brought out the worst in her, making it unsurprising that she’d snuck out to blow off steam.

"What’d she say?" You asked worriedly, not waking to try to break the already weak foundation that Becky stood on.

"She said I couldn’t visit her this summer. She said that she and STUPID Mason and their STUPID kids already planned their vacation, and that she can’t just change her plans at the drop of a hat because I want her to."

You just laid beside her, silent in the dark, as a sob cut through the air, and you turned to see streaks of tears training down her face. Becky had such a complicated relationship with her mom, especially when she often thought she had to compete with a new family.

"Why do you want to visit her anyway? You hate the twins, and you hate your stepdad." You say this quietly as you sit up to look at your friend. "Every time you visit, you call me to tell me how snotty they are and how crappy they treat you."

He huffed a small laugh before answering, "I know, but…it’s just that she doesn’t call anymore. She doesn’t visit. She doesn't care." She hugged the pillow as her voice grew weaker.

"That can’t be true; all moms have to care at least a little. I mean, you're her kid; she can’t just forget about you." You always tried to reassure her, but her face just continued to fall.

"It feels like she’s trying to."

"You still have your dad." Your words rang in your ears just as you said them. The memory of that night is still heavy in your mind. Just the way his psyche must have shattered to propel him to do what he did made you shudder a little.

"There’s something wrong with him." Every word added a little more weight to your heavy heart as she spoke. You feared how much she really knew and who she would be mad at the most.

"What do you mean?" You didn’t turn to look at her as you spoke, not wanting her to catch a glimpse of guilt in your eyes, even in the dark.

"He’s just been acting really off lately, like…he won’t talk to me, and it just feels like he’s trying to avoid me now. Ever since that party, he’s just shut off."

You could feel your stomach knowing together as she spoke. You have a very good idea why he’s acting so uncomfortably, but it’s not something you could tell her.

"He just doesn’t want to see you get like that. I mean, he is your dad; stuff like that is going to upset him."

"It’s not the same. He’s never been this upset before. It’s like he’s shut down or something." Her eyes start to tear up as she continues, "Maybe this time I finally made him snap."

"No way. It just has to be a lot of stress on him."

"I don’t know. Something’s just wrong."

The crack in your nerves deepened painfully as she spoke. You knew very well what was wrong and why. Something was wrong, very wrong, and there was nothing you could do to fix it now. You just stared out at the ceiling, waiting for her to talk again.

Instead, she seemed to nod off before you found the ability to even find sleep. No, you were still so shaken by the new knowledge you had found that you lay there motionless instead.

A small light lit up beside you. A notification beaming out into your room from where Becky’s phone sat on your charger.

You leaned out of bed as your eyes adjusted to the new source of light to see Mr. Barnes’ picture blink across the screen as the silent call fell to Becky’s voicemail.

You look back at her and then back at the phone, just tapping the screen to see the number of messages her father left her.

She sneaks out a lot, but she more than often ends up sleeping off her night on your bedroom floor. This gave Mr. Barnes at least some peace of mind not to go running out into the night for his daughter, but he was still her father and had desperately tried reaching out to Becky.

The first few times Becky had snuck out, it had caused a lot of trouble, and he’d come speeding through the neighborhood trying to find her.

Now, he could easily drive by and spot her bike propped up against your mailbox, giving him some peace of mind to at least know she was somewhere safe.

You let her phone screen fade before letting your eyes readjust to the dark to find your phone next to hers. You unlock it and tap on your contacts icon to dig up her father’s number.

His contact photo lights up the screen. A happy photo from when he’d taken you and Becky out to see Jurassic Park. An undone blue button-up, a white tank top, and a pair of shades making him seem so much more striking than he was before. Even the loose bun that held together his once shoulder-length hair brought new definition to his smiling face; it made it seem like more and more of a shame that he’d since cut it short.

Shaking the thought away, you tuck your phone to your side before looking back at the still-sleeping Becky and slipping out of bed and snuck towards the door. Becky still snored on the other side of the room as you ducked into the hall and towards the bathroom.

The hallway is just as dark and more eerily quiet as you looked over at your mother’s room, which sat only a few feet in the other direction. You let your eyes fall on to the lightly colored wood, turned to a gray hue under the heavy blanket at night.

You quietly and carefully cross through to the bathroom before letting yourself lean onto the sink to take a quick and nervous breath. You pulled your phone from where you kept it clasped to your chest and tapped in your password to open it again. His picture lights up the screen once again before your thumb slides over the call button.

You held it to your ear as it rang for a spell. Each extra ring made your heart beat just a little slower as you waited for him to pick up the phone.

When the voicemail popped up, a heavy breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding onto escaped past your lips, and your heart sank into your stomach.

You ended the call without leaving a message, and you just leaned there before sitting back heavily onto the shaggy cloth toilet seat cover.

You took a few seconds before opening the phone back up and clicking the call button again.

The phone rang once, then twice…then it stopped abruptly, replaced by the sound of the other line being handled before a familiar voice filled the phone.

"Hey. Sorry, I uh…missed your call." You heard him take a deep breath before continuing with, "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to let you know Becky’s here. She’s still asleep right now." You spoke in a whisper, making sure not to wake up anyone in the house.

"Oh, thank God. How long has she been there?"

"I think she came straight over. I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner."

"No, it's fine. Thank you for letting me know." His voice didn’t seem fully relieved before he continued with, "D-did she tell you why she left?"

It was a question he hadn’t asked you before. He’d long since lost hope in understanding his daughter's misbehavior, but something in his voice seemed more fearful than before.

"I…um…just some drama with her mom, and…she." You almost couldn’t get the last few words out, as they choked up in your throat.

You stared at the tiled floor beneath your feet before finally finishing your sentence. "And she said that something seemed off. That you didn’t seem like yourself, I guess."

You could hear him swallow over the phone, taking a deep breath afterward before leaving an air of silence over the call.

"I am so sorry." He spoke so quietly that it almost couldn’t be heard over the phone. His voice was broken; it was so painful to hear it.

You opened your mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Your throat seemed to just close up as your fingers tightened around the phone until it shook a little in your hand.

"I…I can try to get her home after school tomorrow, Mr. Barnes." It’s all you could think to say. Anything to avoid discussing what had happened, how it had made you feel, and what the consequences would be.

"That would be a great help, but I can take care of it. Thank you." There was still something off with his voice, like a deep crack forming on what was once unbreakable glass. "Just make sure she gets to school, alright?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you; now just get some sleep, ok sweetheart?"

The term of endearment made your heavy heart flutter for a single second before you answered, "Okay, goodnight, sir." And the call ended with a quick click.

You hold your phone back to your chest as you take a shallow breath, remembering all that had transpired between you and Mr. Barnes. The memory still made you feel an odd but warm sensation along your body, as well as a deep ache at the thought of the same memory causing him misfortune.

A knock at the bathroom door startled you. Making you jump back and hit the tiled wall with the back of your head.

You panic and flush the empty toilet beside you, trying to create an alibi and not wanting either person in the house to know about your phone call.

You quickly tuck your phone into your shorts pocket, switch on the sink, and start washing your hands.

"Hurry up." Becky’s voice through the door made the terrible feeling in your stomach curdle even further.

Finally, you open the door to Becky’s tired face before she pushes past you with a grunted "gotta pee."

You speedily walk back to the bedroom as the bathroom door clicks shut behind her.

Chapter 3

[b1gb0y3000]

this action will have consequences

[stevxiee]

𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 - 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗽

✿༺ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 ༻✿

➵ 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀: 𝗌. 𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗌 𝗑 𝗌. 𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾

➵ 𝗌𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗒: 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽𝗁𝗈𝗈𝖽, 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗓𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌. 𝗁𝗂𝖽𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒.

➵ 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀: 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗂𝖿 𝗀𝖺𝗒 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎

➵ 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍: 𝟩𝟪𝟦

✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿

𝖲𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗈𝗉'𝗌 𝗉𝗈𝗏

“𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾, 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝗒, 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗅𝗅 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌.”

𝖬𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝖻𝖾��𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖾𝖼𝗁𝗈 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖽. 𝖱𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖨’𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍. 𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆 - 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾’𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾. 𝖧𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗅𝗎𝖾 𝖾𝗒𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗍𝖾-𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗌𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗆𝖾 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾. 𝖨’𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗉𝗈𝗈𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗍, 𝗒𝖾𝗍 𝖨 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖨 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽. 𝖬𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖨’𝗆 𝗌𝗅𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗋; 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝗉𝗎𝗍 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗍. 𝖲𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖺, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗂𝗍.

𝖠𝗌 𝖨 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖻𝖾𝖽, 𝗌𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝗀𝗌 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽, 𝗆𝗒 𝗉𝗎𝗉𝗂𝗅𝗌 𝖽𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗇 𝗉𝖾𝖾𝗄𝗌 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗆𝗒 𝖻𝖾𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆 𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌, 𝖨’𝗆 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁. 𝖧𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒𝖻𝗈𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗁𝖾’𝗅𝗅 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖾 ��𝗈𝗋 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝗂𝖻𝖻𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾, 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝗀𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗍𝗈𝗆. 𝖲𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗒, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍, 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾𝖽, 𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗌 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗒 𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅. 𝖧𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝖿𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖺𝗇 𝗈𝖿𝖿 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝗂𝗆. 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗅𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾𝗋. 𝖶𝗁𝗈 𝖺𝗆 𝖨 𝗄𝗂𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁? 𝖦𝗈𝖽𝖽𝖺𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗍, 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗋. 𝖲𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄. 𝖨𝖿 𝖨 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗍, 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗀𝗈 𝗎𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌.

𝖯𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒, 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆, 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖨’𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗎𝖽𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗈𝗄 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇. 𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄, 𝖨 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖾, 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒𝖻𝗈𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗌. 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗌𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝗂�� 𝖺𝗋𝗆𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗂𝗋 - 𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗅𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾. 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒𝖻𝗈𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗆𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗅𝗎𝗇𝖼𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅. 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗀𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝖾 𝖺 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 “𝗁𝗆𝗆” 𝖺𝗌 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝖾𝖽 ��𝖺𝗌𝗍, 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 ‘𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀’. 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝗌𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗇. 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗄𝗂𝖽, 𝗁𝖾’𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗒 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗍, 𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗎𝗉 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗄𝗂𝖽𝗌 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖽𝗈 - 𝖻𝖾 “𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝖺𝗌 𝗇𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗌” 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗒. 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝗂𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝖿 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗁 𝖺𝗂𝗋. 𝖧𝖾 𝗂𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝗇𝗎𝗆𝖻 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝗀 𝖨 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍.

“𝖨 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀.” 𝖧𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝖿 𝗎𝗇𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗈𝖽.

“𝖨 𝖺𝗂𝗇’𝗍 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗋𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌,” 𝖨 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝖺𝗌 𝖨 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗆 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗄, 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝖻𝖻𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗀𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗏𝖾, “𝖠𝗇𝗒 𝗈𝗃 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖽𝗀𝖾?”

𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾, 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗅𝖿 𝖺 𝗀𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾. 𝖭𝗈 𝖽𝗈𝗎𝖻𝗍 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗂𝗍. 𝖫𝗈𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍, 𝗌𝗈 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗄 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗋𝗎𝗇𝗄 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗋 𝖽𝗋𝗎𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖳𝗐𝗈-𝖻𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍, 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗁𝗈𝗍 𝖽𝖺𝗒. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗇 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖺𝖽. 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾'𝗌 𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗈𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝖽.

“𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅?” 𝖥𝗂𝗀𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖨’𝖽 𝖺𝗌𝗄 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖨 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗈𝖿𝖿.

“𝖦𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖩𝗈𝗁𝗇𝗇𝗒.” 𝖧𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗋𝗎𝗀𝗀𝖾𝖽.

𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾, 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗂𝗅. 𝖭𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝖾𝗒𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗒𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝗁𝗂𝗆 𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗀-𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋. ‘𝖩𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝖺𝗀 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀’ 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗒, 𝗌𝗈 𝖨 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖯𝗈𝗇𝗒𝖻𝗈𝗒.

𝖯𝖺𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗌 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒, 𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆. 𝖨 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗒𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗒. 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖾 𝗎𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋, 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖺 𝗐𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍. 𝖠𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖲𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁, 𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 𝖺 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗆 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍, 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖠 𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖲𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾, 𝖨 𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍’𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍’𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗎𝗌 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾’𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗒, 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈. 𝖭𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖾𝗒𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋. 𝖡𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅, 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉.

𝖭𝗈𝗍 𝖺 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀.

✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༺ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿ ༻ ✿

𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 | 𝗆𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍

[cinnamonwhore]

I never have any fun, i don’t get along with anyone. I don;t know if i’ll make it out alive, i might be another virgin suicide

(not actually, there just song lyrics i wrote)

[eveninglight416]

Homecoming

A little thing I wrote during a rough time about my favorite noodle twins 💚💚 I figured I’d post bc whatevs. This is just me projecting onto Velvet but I like how it turned out :) (yes I did cry while writing this I’m just a girl)

I think the twins (especially Velvet) struggled a lot in school with not being popular or having partners (just like me fr). This is a little window into that and I think not having a great childhood explains why Velvet is so desperate for fame/fans, girl just wants to be loved <3

//

Flashing lights. Loud music. Pretty dresses. All things Velvet loved, but she wasn’t enjoying herself one bit in the back of the gym, with no one to keep her company but her brother.

No one had complimented her short gold dress, or extravagant hair, or makeup, or anything she had done to try and make herself stand out. She thought her junior homecoming might be different, but that was a stupid thought. Just the same old nothing.

At this point, she wasn’t even surprised no one had asked her to the dance. Well, someone did—her brother—in a kind attempt to make her feel better. She had smiled and accepted, but it only made her feel worse. It only reminded her that no one else would ever want to be with them. He was a nobody, too, taking his nobody sister to this boring dance.

As if to mock her, the DJ chose a love song next: Enchanted by Taylor Swift. Velvet could barely watch, but she couldn’t take her eyes away as all the couples paired up. Listening to the lyrics only made her more upset, knowing no one would ever feel that way about her.

“Hey, pretty girl.”

Velvet looks away from the scene to see her brother, holding out his hand to her. She rolls her eyes.

“Very funny, Veneer,” she sighs, taking her gaze back to the couples on the dance floor.

“How do you know my name?” Veneer responds with shock. “I’ve never seen you around before.”

She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but it sure was a stupid attempt to make her feel not miserable. Just a reminder that he was the only one who thought she was pretty.

Veneer didn’t seem to care, smiling up at her with his statement green lipstick. He takes her hand from her crossed arms, and tenderly kisses the back of it.

“You’re so beautiful, I’m almost nervous to ask,” he starts, still playing pretend, “but would you do me the honor of a dance?”

“Fine,” she huffs.

She lets him lead her to the dance floor, then lead in the dance, their fingers intertwined. She could already hear the rumors: those loser twins, dancing with each other because no one else would ask them.

Veneer keeps smiling, and she smiles back, but it was fake. She kept it to herself that they had ended up next to her crush, dancing with her new girlfriend.

Her name was Juliet, just like Romeo and Juliet. Velvet wished she could talk to her through her window, and stare at her through the fish tank, and kiss her passionately in her pool. But that was all a lost fantasy.

She hadn’t bothered learning the girlfriend’s name. Velvet didn’t know anything about her, other than she hated her almost as much as she hated herself.

She tries to focus on her brother, but it was impossible with all the happy couples surrounding them. Deep down, she knew Veneer was feeling the same way, and he was trying to distract himself as well as her.

Just as Velvet thought it couldn’t get worse, the song ends. She freezes in her spot, and watches through watery eyes as that atrocious beautiful disgusting gorgeous bitch takes Juliet into her arms, and kisses her lips.

One wasn’t enough. Juliet kisses her back, then again, and again, like they were the only two people in the world. But they weren’t, Velvet was right there.

She felt everything and nothing. She must have been crying, though, when she hears her brother’s voice, back to normal.

“Velvet, what’s wrong- oh…”

He trails off when he figures out the answer, turning his head to where she was looking.

She could finally feel the hot tears running down her face, witnessing a kiss between lovers. Velvet was nearly seventeen, and she had never experienced something like that, and at this point she didn’t think she ever would.

Everyone else was in love, and here Velvet was, watching the girl she loved kiss someone else. It broke her heart, but she couldn’t look away. Always a witness, never experiencing it. She would never experience it. Maybe she should just end her own misery-

“Let’s get out of here.”

Veneer takes her out of her spiral and the dance floor, practically dragging her out of the gym while she tried to control her tears. Being away from the couples didn’t help one bit; she still knew what was going on in there.

Hand in his, he takes her past the cafeteria, past the bathrooms where the cool kids were getting drunk, past the courtyard with even more couples talking. He doesn’t say anything, just guides her to the back door to the parking lot.

“What are you doing?” Velvet finally asks him.

“We’re gonna dance. Just us,” he answers, looking around before he opened the door. It was safe, of course, not even the teachers bothered to look at them.

The parking lot was dark and quiet, the opposite of the gym. Veneer seemed determined to make this their own dance floor, though, taking out his phone and looking for a song.

“I don’t want to dance anymore,” Velvet complains. “I don’t want to dance ever again.”

“That’s too bad,” Veneer refutes. “Just one dance, then I’ll drive us home. Please?”

“Okay.”

Fine, she’d dance if it meant she could go home. Being outside was a little better than being surrounded by couples, but she still felt miserable. She couldn’t even see the stars, they were covered by clouds.

Seeing Veneer’s car gave her an ounce of relief. Even when they got home, though, she’d still have to be embarrassed.

For the past few weeks, she had moved into her brother’s room. She had made plenty of excuses, like her room was too cold, he was scared of the dark, his room was closer to the bathroom. But they both know it was so he could keep an eye on her. She might’ve done something stupid by now if he hadn’t been there at night to calm her down.

Just one dance. Hopefully less than three minutes, depending on what song he picked. Just one dance, then she could go home.

The music was much quieter than the music in the gym, but Velvet recognized it immediately. One of their favorite songs: Love Like You by Rebecca Sugar.

She rests her hands on his shoulders, swaying with him in their own slow dance. When she looks up at the sky, it kisses her with a single drop of rain.

Of course it had to rain. Just another thing to make her miserable.

“It’s raining,” Velvet points out, even more drops falling onto her.

“That’s okay.”

Despite the rain, Veneer keeps leading her in the dance, and she had no choice but to go along. It his suit and tie, he looked happy, but the sadness was there in his eyes. It hadn’t left since… She couldn’t remember.

At the bridge, something changed.

The music soared over the falling rain, while her brother spun her all around the parking lot. By the bridge, it was pouring rain, and Velvet and Veneer were the only people in the world. He catches her in a dip, and she realized the stars weren’t in the sky, because they were in his eyes.

For a moment, maybe only having her brother wasn’t so bad. Maybe she’d survive until they graduated, and then they could move to the big city and leave all this behind.

He smiles, and she smiles back, and it was real. The rain was messing up her hair, but for the first time in her life she didn’t care. It wasn’t like anyone was watching her.

At the next crescendo, Veneer lifts her off the ground and spins her around. It felt like flying.

Up in the air, Velvet wasn’t sure if the water on her face was rain or tears. That wasn’t her problem. She just spreads her arms like wings, letting the rain ruin the outfit she had worked so hard on.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had really laughed. But she laughs now, laughs and laughs in the face of the crying sky. She was crying, too, but it was a good cry for once.

When Veneer puts her down, she saw he was laughing and crying just the same as her. As much as she wanted to finish the dance, she couldn’t stop herself from throwing her arms around him, hugging him tight in their rain soaked outfits.

They stay hugging until the song ends, then some after that, until their laughs and sobs overpowered the rain. Maybe… No. They would get out of here. They would make it.

“I love you so much,” she sobs, or laughs, they sounded the same at this point.

“I love you too!” He squeezes her tighter, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “I love you more than anything!”

“I’m cold as fuck,” she changes the subject, finally noticing how freezing the rain was in her short thin-strap dress.

“Oh! Here you go,” Veneer offers.

He takes off his coat, then puts it over her like the gentleman he was. If more people were like her brother, maybe Velvet wouldn’t feel so depressed. At least she had her brother, and that was the best thing she could ask for.

“You still wanna go home?” He asks.

Right, their dance was over. She was actually sad it was, but she definitely didn’t want to go back in that building.

“Yeah, I think so.” She takes his hand, leading him to the car.

She takes out the keys from his coat. Before handing them to him, she takes a moment to admire a little picture of her and Veneer on some vacation, attached to a keychain. They couldn’t have been older than five, and the light was still in their eyes. Once the picture was obscured by raindrops and tears, she hands him the keys, then gets in the passenger seat.

Just as Veneer reaches to start the car, she stops him. She puts a hand over his, and connects their fingers, taking their hands to the armrest. He doesn’t comment, just sits there in silence with her.

She mostly looked down at the ground these days. But something compelled her to look up, through the moonroof, towards the sky. It was completely dark except for the lights illuminating the parking lot. The rain poured onto the moonroof, and if she tried, she could make out shapes in the drops. One figuration of raindrops made two stars, side by side.

Her ears rang, lingering from the loud music in the gym. She didn’t want to think about that place, so she takes her focus back to the rain. It was its own kind of music, pattering against the metal of the car. If love had a sound, this was it.

Her gold lipstick tasted bad, metallic. Velvet didn’t know why she even put it on, no one had any interest in her lips. But if she focused enough, she could still taste the chocolate chip cookie her brother forced her to take in the cafeteria. She barely felt hungry anymore, but right now, all she wanted was another one. And, for the first time in all her teenage years, she remembered how much she loved chocolate.

She had tried a new perfume, and in this moment, it was her new favorite. It was lemony with a hint of sweetness, and now she wanted to wear it every day until it ran out, and then she’d buy a new one. It mixed with her brother’s cologne on his coat, vanilla and some kind of citrus. She wished she could mix them together, but figured that would waste the nice bottles they came in.

Being touch starved was rough for a girl like Velvet, who craved physical affection more than anything. Veneer always made sure to hug her and hold her hand when she needed it, but usually something was missing.

Not tonight.

His hand, slippery from the rain, was still warm in hers. Her rings pressed against his fingers, and she looked forward to taking them off so they could hold hands again. If she really felt for it, she could feel his pulse.

While it was her main focus, his hand wasn’t the only thing she could feel. Her strapless bra dug into her sides. Veneer’s jacket fit her perfectly, keeping her warm after the cold rain. Her gold heels were uncomfortable as hell. She could feel her own pulse, still beating, even after everything.

She looks over to the reason it still was.

“Vels?”

“Hm?” She meets his eyes with a soft smile.

“You okay to go? I want to beat the traffic.”

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

Veneer starts the car and drives them out of the parking lot. Once they were on the road, he switches to driving with one hand, and uses his other to hold Velvet’s. She squeezes, and he squeezes back.

He had turned on the radio, the volume just loud enough for Velvet to hear it mixed with the rain. She didn’t know the song, but she liked the singer’s voice. At a stoplight, she kicks off her uncomfortable shoes.

She stares out the window as they drive past the suburbs she hated so much. Through the rain, she could almost see it: them driving through the city, past all the bright lights, away from all of this nothingness.

Less than two years, then they’d be out of here. After tonight, they were one day closer.

//

Veneer pulls up to the driveway, greeted by the average sized middle class house he couldn’t wait to move out of. His hand was still in his sister’s.

He was about to talk, but stops himself when he notices Velvet fast asleep in the passenger seat. With a sigh of relief, he turns off the car.

As quietly as possible, Veneer walks around to the other side. He picks her up out of the seat, making sure her head rested on his shoulder. Her bag and shoes were still in the car, but they could deal with that tomorrow.

Trying his best to shield her from the rain, he carries his sleeping sister through the front door. Only one light was on, meaning their parents were asleep. Thank goodness, he didn’t feel like explaining why they were home early and soaking wet.

He carries her up the stairs to his room, then gently lays her on her side of his bed. Too tired for anything else, he changes into the nearest sweatpants and t-shirt, then lazily wipes off his makeup. He wasn’t sure why he put so much effort into his appearance for the dance, maybe some fantasy that a cute guy would approach him.

But that’s all it was. A fantasy.

Once he was done getting ready, he figured he should at least take Velvet’s makeup off and get her a dry jacket. Careful not to wake her, he trades out his coat for a zip up hoodie that had been lying on the floor. He takes off her jewelry as well, making sure they were laid out nicely on his bedside table.

He then gets out a makeup wipe, and tries to remove as much as he could while sitting beside her. She had put on quite a bit, and she looked beautiful as ever. With or without makeup, he loved looking at her, especially her smile. He saw less and less of it lately.

Despite what he thought was a delicate touch, her eyes start to flutter open.

“Hi, sleepyhead,” he whispers, taking off the last of her blush.

“Hey…” She groans, sounding just as sleepy as she looked.

She swats his hand away, then changes her mind, and holds it instead. It seemed like she was about to fall asleep again, when she suddenly sits up, her eyes wide.

“I am not sleeping in this bra,” she declares.

“Good idea,” he agrees, though he was glad he couldn’t relate.

“I know you’re gay and my brother, but,” she finishes her sentence by standing up and throwing a blanket over him, sending him into darkness. “And I’m stealing your pajamas!”

That was fine by him. He stole her clothes plenty, though it wasn’t as fun now that she didn’t get mad. Still, it was one of his ways to be closer to her.

After a minute, she pulls the blanket off of him. She had changed into a set of hot pink satin pajamas—they fit her perfectly. They were one of his favorites, but he would gladly lend them to her whenever if it would make her happy.

She sits down next to him on the edge of the bed. Without a word, she wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. Her head fit perfectly in his shoulder, like he was made to hold her.

“I’m proud of us,” Veneer whispers into the hug.

“Why? We’re total losers,” Velvet disagrees, squeezing him tighter.

“But we’re gonna make it. In two years, we’ll be done, and we won’t be losers anymore,” he reminds her.

He had managed to do the complete opposite of his goal, when he hears Velvet sniffle. He understood, though—it had been a rough night for her. For them both. She needed this.

“I’m right here, I gotcha,” he comforts, gently rubbing her back.

“I know,” she lets out a quiet sob. “I know.”

He holds her through the tears, just as he had countless times.

//

A million thoughts raced through Velvet’s head, sadness flooding back the more she thought about everyone and everything. At least she had a shoulder to cry on, the one person who was there for her.

She had cried plenty that night, but of course her stupid brain had to make her cry again. If only she could be anyone else. But then she wouldn’t have her brother, and she decided that was even worse.

She knew what to do: in hope of blocking out the thoughts, she takes her focus to the rain. It tapped against the window, reminding her that it was okay, even if it was raining.

Velvet focuses on Veneer’s hand on her back: up, down, up, down. She breathes with it, in on the up, out on the down. Veneer breathes with her, until the tears were done.

“I love you,” he tells her, brushing off the last of her tears. “I love you, just the way you are.”

“That’s,” she takes a deep breath, then snickers, “That’s so cheesy.”

“I mean it!” He laughs with her, and flicks her on the arm.

“Yeah, yeah,” she accepts with a playful eye roll. “I love you too.”

“Can I tuck you in?”

She nods, and makes herself comfortable in his sheets. Veneer stands on her side, bringing the blankets up to her shoulders. Once she was tucked in, he leans down and presses a soft kiss to her forehead.

He smiles at her, and she smiles back. Before he moved, she takes his face in her hands, and kisses his forehead next. She already knew it was his favorite.

Veneer lays down beside her, and she quickly wraps her arms around his shoulders. He hugs her close, just as he had the past few nights. Something felt different about this time, though. It was less like she needed him, and more like she wanted him to hold her.

She tried not to think about the after parties she wasn’t invited to, or Juliet spending the night with her girlfriend that should’ve been Velvet. Instead, she was right where she needed to be: in the warm embrace of the person who loved her more than anything.

Her head rested next to his heart, the gentle pulse starting to put her to sleep. She feels a kiss on the top of her head, so she gives him one last squeeze in the hug. She didn’t need to say anything else; her touch was her language.

It couldn’t possibly get worse, so it had to get better, right? Something had to change, they just had to get out of this awful place.

For now, it was raining, and that was okay. The rain would stop eventually.

.

[angelofalls]

When in doubt (tryna get my groove going), I draw some random lions.

[nails4breakfast-tacks4snacks]

A fever you can't sweat out