#they have your guidance counselor talk to all the freshmen about it

[bloodyshadow1]

Adaine's Furious Fist pt 2

The second day of school starts with half an assembly, half a wake. You aren't surprised, but you also don't really care. Arthur was a crackpot, but you respected him for his bloodlust and power, not to mention when he was more in his faculties his refusal to play by anyone's rules but his own, and probably not even then. Doreen was a fine woman, but you normally ate in the teacher's lounge so your paths didn't really cross.

Gibbons on the other hand was an asshole, through and through, you're glad he's gone. He might have preached about feelings and all that garbage as the guidance counselor, but you've always known what he was. He could fool everyone else with the calm caring persona he put on, but you always knew there was a monster bubbling under the surface. He had was fueled by spite, not even rage, and was just too much of a coward to do anything about it. The look in his eye that he always had when talking to someone who turned away and he thought no one was watching. It actually creeped you out enough to avoid the little bastard.

Well he's dead now, probably in some hell somewhere if there's any justice in this world, and Justice has been dead for a long time. You'll find his grave after school and piss on it when no one is around for your own form of justice.

But well death happens and time moves on. You still have classes to teach and the second day which means you actually get a good look at the freshman this year. There are always two types of barbarian freshmen. There are those who are afraid of their rage, soft weaklings that you need to mold, or there are arrogant little bitches. The latter were often kids who hit puberty before the rest of their age group. They grew taller and stronger earlier which tended to give them an ego. It was important to break them down early, to knock them off their high horses and make them realize there was more to being a barbarian, more to rage than just being bigger and stronger than your opponent. Sure it helped, but monsters tended to be bigger than adventurers, even if they're not bigger than you anymore, so being bigger and stronger than the rest of your party didn't cut it in the real world.

That's why you have the gauntlet the first Friday of the year for your freshman class. You open it up to all comers in class, anyone who can take you in a one on one fight gets an A for the semester, don't even have to come to class. You won't even use your warhammer, just your barehands. You've been teaching at Aguefort for a long time, no ones even managed to knock you down much less beat you. There are always some cocky little shit who thinks they're big and bad because they're taller or stronger than their classmates, but none of them are as big or as strong as you. Usually three is enough for the class to get the message, and this year will be likely be no different.

As always, it's always the bigger stronger races in your class. Goliaths, half-orcs, orcs, firbolgs who aren't interested in druid classes. But there are also two shorties in your class this year. Donavan a Satyr and Skuttle a Kobold. Both short, both girls, but you don't care. You're a lot of things, but you're not racist or sexist. sure you are planning on other throwing your goddess to take her place, but that's because she's not willing to finish off her ex wife or sister. And for power, power a big part of it. But no, it's not about putting a woman in her place no matter what anyone might think.

Donavan is a trembly as the Abernant girl was yesterday. But there's something about her that makes you take an interest. She's strong, not the strongest, but it's still something. She hasn't even raged yet, but there's something about her that stops you from suggesting she take a different track.

Skuttle on the other hand is the strangest barbarian student you've ever seen. You've mostly seen the scared or the cocky, you've never met an apathetic barbarian until yesterday. You thought it might have been first day nerves, but she might actually just be like that. She does what you tell her to do, nothing more nothing less. Like Donavan she's strong for her size, but you're still unsure how to teach her. You just decide to ignore her for now, let her do the classwork and then go on her forums for whatever. Not worth teaching someone who is apathetic in the face of rage.

The only other outlier is Thistlespring. He says his name is Gorgug, you don't really care, he looks like a Gorbag to you anyway. He's the softest fucking barbarian that you've ever seen. He actually thinks singing is a good way to deal with foes. He is strong as fuck, but you still almost kicked him out of your class then and there you were so angry.

But then the Fig girl, the tiefling from the other day piped up. she might be enrolled in the bard class, she might even be a bard, but you can tell she's a barbarian at heart. There's a fire in her, not just in her blood, and it was pure poetry that came out of her mouth when she talked about rage. You almost shed a tear. You were a bit let down when you learned it wasn't her that finished off Doreen, but it will be worth it to have her in your class regardless now.

The worst part of Arthur dying is Kalvaxus is the new acting principal, kind of. He doesn't actually have that much power since he's still the vice principal, but he acts like he's in charge. The new video crystals that the faculty has to review every day or so so and it's your turn now.

You hate reviewing the crystal footage, sure Watches and Wards might not be in the library, but who would be foolish enough to attack a school of adventurers right after their principal and other faculty was killed. It might seem like a good time for idiots, but it actually meant the school was on high alert.

You also hated the AV club, especially that Biz. He thinks he's some sort of stud and the gods gift to women. You want to turn the little bastard into mulch the second he said two words to you, but you have to maintain the teacher persona for awhile. Arthur might be dead, but you are no closer to the name so the plan is stalled for a bit unfortunately enough.

It was boring reviewing the footage, kids doing dumb kid things, yougot enough of that in class. that is until you reviewed the AV club footage that you find something interesting. Fig and Gorbag's adventuring party they formed with the other detention kids shows up there. They're still only first years but they seem more competent than any first years you meet. Arianwen's daughter..., Balewyn is there clearly being a key part in the investigation. But Biz doesn't care enough about that, just about the pretty girl who waltzed into his lair.

Your blood boils. You don't care about the girl at all, you don't even know her name other than Abernant, but you might not be a bad guy, there are some rules you should follow if you're going to call yourself an adventurer. There's something called professional courtesy. Sure adventurers fell in love all the time, but that doesn't mean you hit on everyone you find attractive. That's just creepy and annoying. regardless if they are students, they are at the adventuring academy and trying to solve a mystery, that means the Abernant girl, no matter how pretty she is, Biz should have respected her as a fellow student at the very least or a fellow adventurer.

But you actually laugh at the way the wizard girl dresses down Biz. She calls him on his shit and dresses him down on the way he talked to her and her friend Gorbag without any mercy. It was a thing of Beauty. It's strange for you to applaud a sharp Abernant tongue, but you do all the same. She didn't look scared now, she looked righteous. Not quite the same as rage, but when she talked was so sure and right, you're not even sure you're looking at the same girl as the other day.

Unfortunately that was it, but it actually seemed to make Biz think, even if you could tell it wouldn't last. They all rush off after seeing something in the monitors, but you're done for the day so you don't care. Still, between that Fig girl and this Abernant daughter, there's prospects to the plan that you never thought of

Part 1

[ledenews]

Bridgeport’s Incoming Freshmen Ready for the Challenge

Bridgeport Middle School’s pups are graduating to young bulldogs. On May 21 family, teachers and administrators gathered to celebrate the eighth-grade students who will start the 2024-2025 school year as freshmen at Bridgeport High School. The middle schoolers entered the cafetorium to the tune of “Stand by Me,” and close relationships formed in the district figured prominently among the speakers’ topics. Guest speakers were Law Chambers and Campbell Kropka, seniors at Bridgeport High who will be graduating May 24. Looking back on their time at high school, they offered their advice to the middle schoolers about to start that journey. Both were members of the drug free club and the Interact Club which focuses on community outreach, as well as many other clubs. Chambers is a four-year letterman in football and Kropka earned recognition in cheering and volleyball. They called on the new freshmen to get involved and see what opportunities high school could offer. Chambers said one of his early assignments in eighth grade was related to the word: “Perseverance.” He said this word would soon define his high school experience. He had some difficulty during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the attendant virtual and hybrid learning, but he improved with the help of the guidance counselor and had the chance to stretch himself by taking college credit and honors classes. He encouraged the eighth graders to tackle challenges. “We all learn how to push through and become a better version of ourselves,” he said. Kropka, who will be summa cum laude, said she was grateful for the chance to speak, having been unable to speak at her eighth-grade graduation due to the pandemic. She recalled the fear and excitement she felt on her first steps in high school. “The best is yet to come. You are standing at the start of your high school career,” she said, adding this was the time to look for opportunities to get involved. “Dive into high school. Try new things. Talk to new people.” Kropka said an advantage of a small high school was the chance to get to know every classmate and teacher. “At Bridgeport we are more than peers, we are family,” she said, and asked them to embrace the high school’s traditions. “Keep the spirit of family and pride alive and represent yourself and all of us the best you can.” Principal Anne Haverty Lawson, who has had the care of many of these students since fifth grade, had words for them throughout the ceremony. “This was a monumental time of your lives,” she said. She recalled their first years at the middle school during the pandemic, with social distancing and masking. “I didn’t see your smiles for a long time,” she said. “Perseverance must prevail, as it did for Bridgeport Middle School when dealing with the obstacles of that pandemic.” She said their choices would shape their future and reminded them to stay positive and work hard, referring to the book “The Positive Dog” by Jon Gordon. “Always remember you’re a bulldog,” she said. Several eighth graders spoke about how they have changed in the past years. Desmond reflected on the challenges and good memories he would take from middle school. Emily spoke about the friends she made and the learning process of finding and solving problems that she will take to high school. Jaiden said hard work pays off. He thanked the teachers who encouraged him to take on more responsibilities and held him to a high standard. He said a positive attitude and good friends have helped people who are going down a bad path to create a new one. “We’ll be starting a new chapter in our lives. High school’s going to be rough, but we’ll get through it,” he said. “Never forget the lessons we have learned and the friendships we have made along the way.” Addison put a focus on the future and spoke about the importance of finding mentors and seeking out activities they are passionate about. “I encourage you in the future to join groups and help better our school for years to come,” she said. Camden said the best chance to succeed was for students to learn from successful people and to surround themselves with positive people who want what is best for them. He also emphasized the importance of faith. Myzhara said they have shaped themselves every day with the help of teachers and peers, and there is a long way yet to go. She recalled adapting to changes such as the pandemic. While she started middle school virtually, she said this could not compare to the face-to-face school experience and the close friendships she made. “We’re closing a chapter of our lives right now, and opening up the next in our book,” she said. “I encourage everyone to put their best foot forward in life and relationships and enjoy yourselves before your teenage years fade away.” Superintendent Brent Ripley told the eighth graders they may have their script for the next four years, but they will likely revise it daily. “Whatever you do, do so with kindness and with the sincere hope to lift one another up along the way, as our greatest purpose is the power of relationship with one another.” Administrators concluded with the district motto: “And as always, go dogs!” Read the full article

[h-grangerstudies]

val in america is 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️ is there like a psychology class and an ap psychology class or something 🧍‍♀️ i still do not fully understand what ap is.

hi sara, btw you can always ask me about american school. anytime! i will answer to the best of my ability everytime love. this got long btw!!!

right! so ap, or AP, is short for Advanced Placement. it’s this whole track of classes offered in high school that are basically college level classes. they’re harder, more demanding, and culminate into an AP exam, which is sometimes required. at my schools they’re optional (and expensive!)

the exams are graded on a 0-5 scale, with 5 being the best score. you can get college credit (usually in the form of hours, because i’ve heard colleges may require you to take their prerequisites anyway) for a score of 3 in some colleges, while others will require 4 or 5. these exams vary in difficulty and in questions. last year, i has a multiple choice section with 55 questions in 55 minutes? and short answer question section and document based questions section. it’s a whole ordeal. all timed.

the rubrics for grading are weird and changeable too, or so my ap world history teacher says. they want only a certain percentage of test takers to get 5’s, so they’ll make certain questions harder or easier to get the point. it’s also impossible to cheat. i never tried, but i heard of students who did. i have heard that they actually cheat-proof they’re questions by seeing if it’s possible to google search a way into an answer. cheating also comes with the risk of college board (the folks who run it all) telling prospective colleges about you lack of integrity.

my school doesn’t offer any regular psychology classes. our tracks range from 4 weights to 7 weights. regular, advanced, honors, and AP. AP Psych is considered the easiest AP class though, mostly requiring you to learn vocabulary and names (from a senior in one of my classes)

i’m sure in other schools there are psychology classes! but i can’t say mine does. sometimes they do have both an honors option and an ap option. such as honors biology and ap biology. or honors physics and ap physics. i should’ve taken honors physics sometimes the honors version is a prerequisite, since the ap class goes into greater detail a lot faster.

yeah.. is that helpful? if not, lmk because i love to talk apparently

[rosemaidenvixen]

A Secret’s Worth

Chapter 17: Jim

Ao3

Content warning: Things get pretty intense in this chapter in a lot of ways. I can't be detailed without spoiling the events of the chapter, so I'll put more the general warnings in the tags. If you want more specific warnings you can click the link above and go to the Ao3 page where I’ve posted the spoiler filled warnings in the bottom notes. And if anyone feels like I didn’t tag/warn about something that I should have please let me know. This is your warning, here be dragons, proceed with caution.

There was a stain in the carpet, from coffee if he had to guess. A dark brown spot glaringly obvious against the beige. It looked just big enough for his hand to cover.

“Jim, are you listening?”

He jerked his eyes up from the floor towards the desk in front of him.

“Sorry what was that?”

Her lips turned downwards into a tiny frown “We were discussing your goals Jim,”

“Oh, right….” he drummed his fingers against his knees. 

A goal. Jim had still been trying to think of one when he zoned out looking at the carpet.

Couldn’t do any kind of job or college, those weren’t happening for him. She’d said their goals could be as long term or short term as they wanted, so maybe--

“My goal is to buy my own Vespa,” Jim said, giving himself a mental pat on the back as he did.

Owning his own Vespa. Nice, realistic, normal. A good, solid goal that no one should look twice at.

The frown melted away into a wide smile “That’s great, do you have anywhere you want to go in your Vespa?”

His face blanked, stomach dropping no less than two inches.

Stupid. 

People wanted cars and Vespas and stuff because they wanted to go places in them. Unlike Jim who was never going to leave his hometown.

“Ummm…..not sure, all the places I normally go I guess,” he forced his voice to stay even despite the squirming in his belly.

Her porcelain smile remained fixed in place “I think that sounds like an excellent goal, but how about you try to think of a more long term goal before the end of the school year?”

Jim nodded along, digging his fingers into his jeans to distract himself from the hot, fluttery feeling sweeping over his entire body.

Was she suspicious? Did she pick up on how he wasn’t actually planning on going anywhere? Was she going to call Dorrie the second he left her office?

“Ok, long term goal next time, I can do that,”

Beaming at him, she pulled a packet of papers off the top of the pile sitting on her desk “You don’t have to use the guide to pick a goal, but if you have trouble thinking of one these should give you some ideas, now do you mind sending in the next student on your way out?”

Jim forced himself to stand up slowly and not just bolt out the door “Ok, no problem,”

“Thanks, have a good spring break,”

He managed to smile and give a half hearted ‘You to’ as he accepted the papers and stepped out of the office. Heading down the hallway back to the main waiting room, the jittery feeling crawling through his muscles diminishing but not completely going away. 

It never did.

Glancing around the waiting room, he spotted the next person in line.

“Eli, you’re up,”

Eli fumbled with the magazine in his hands before popping up out of his seat “Oh, thanks Jim,” he grabbed the magazine along with a stack of others from the floor before rushing down the hall. Jim craned his head to try and read the cover before Eli vanished around the corner.

Keep So-Cal Weird.

Jim rolled his eyes as he exited the main office. At least his goals wouldn’t be as weird as Eli’s. Although quite frankly he’d rather live in a world where they didn’t make freshmen discuss their goals with the guidance counselors.

It wasn’t like Jim didn’t have enough on his plate already.

He had no idea if guidance counselors and social workers talked to each other on a regular basis, but he had to play it safe and act like they did.

Especially since he was like 99% sure that all the teachers knew. He knew that Strickler knew, and he was pretty sure that Strickler had told all the other teachers. So it was more like he was 99.999% sure they all knew, and the 0.001% was just him kidding himself.

So now he couldn’t even come up with some kind of goals to give the guidance counselor without his anxiety going through the roof.

Jim all but threw his bag into the locker and slammed it closed with much more force than was needed, unable to stop himself from getting worked up. 

This past month had been the absolute worst of his entire life. 

It had started when he’d walked in on Dorrie and Charles going through their house and it hadn’t really improved since. 

When he and his mom had gone over their game plan that night after the initial panic it hadn’t seemed all that bad. Be extra vigilant about making sure that no one saw anything weird and otherwise pretend that everything was normal. If they kept on top of it the investigation should fizzle out to nothing. 

Simple enough.

And the first week hadn’t been all that bad, tense but not bad. Week two had been nerve wracking but doable. Week three was when he really started having trouble sleeping, and it wasn’t like he got tons of sleep to begin with. That snowballed to him starting to forget late night meals and nod off during the day, having to work even harder at keeping up the act during school. 

Although if Jim was honest with himself he forgot most of those night time meals on purpose.

On top of that, week four was when he developed a stomach ache that wouldn’t go away, not to mention learned that his hair was falling out. Now it was the end of week five and Jim couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t stressed out, dead tired, and constantly felt like rats were chewing on his insides.

Grimacing, Jim pressed a hand to his stomach as he turned and headed to the cafeteria. Feeling sick and exhausted all the time sucked, but that was nothing compared to the everpresent, unrelenting, blood curdling dread.

The fear that he’d somehow let something slip. That right at this moment someone was coming to arrest his mom and take him away. All because of something Jim said or did.

Forget walking on eggshells, this was more like crawling through a minefield.

Every second that Jim was outside his house he had to be on guard; keeping himself under complete control at all times. Making sure that anyone watching, teachers, nurses, other classmates, wouldn’t see anything worth reporting. No outbursts no meltdowns no nothing.

As far as anyone else knew the Lakes were a normal, happy family. And Jim had to act like it.

But after five weeks he knew that was a hell of a lot easier said than done.

Jim couldn’t be sad or scared or angry any more, even about regular things. With so many people watching he couldn’t afford to let them get the wrong idea. So regardless of what he was actually feeling at any given time, he forced himself to stay calm, plastered on a happy face, and continued along like everything was fine.

But he wasn’t fine. Underneath his plastic smile Jim was coming apart at the seams.

He felt like a nerve with all the skin and muscle ripped away. Exposed to the cold air and completely vulnerable, ready to go off at the slightest touch.

Constantly keeping himself under control in front of all the teachers and every other adult in school was was bad enough, even without--

Jim stopped short as he stepped into the cafeteria, instantly spotting them sitting at a corner table. Five weeks ago the sight would have been somewhat soothing, now it was enough to make his heartbeat triple and intestines knot up.

Pulling in a shaky breath, Jim forced down the sudden bout of nerves. 

He was in the middle of school in the middle of the cafeteria surrounded by other people. Now was not the time to lose it. 

Five in. Hold for five. Five out.

Repeat

After a minute of deep breathing the full body shivers finally diminished to a much more manageable fluttering in his chest. Confident that he’d successfully gotten his emotions under control, Jim raised a foot and slowly resumed his approach.

Jim had been going back and forth about doing this for weeks, but this morning cinched it. 

He was doing this. Today. Right here right now. Even if the idea of doing it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. 

Because the worst part of the past month hadn’t been constantly being on guard or always being tired and nauseous. It was not knowing who’d he had to be on guard from.

A month ago, when he’d walked in on CPS in his house, Jim instantly knew one of his friends had blabbed.

While his immediate response had been to call Toby and demand answers, it didn’t take very long for Jim to shift gears to shoving the thought into the back of his mind and keeping it there. Couldn’t do anything to change it so there was no point to shoving his foot into that hornets nest. A with the way things had blown up when their problems with his mom first came out, forcing the issue might put him on the odds with all of them, and cost Jim the one part of his life that didn’t actively suck right now. The only thing to do was let it go.

So Jim let it go.

But as the weeks went by, despite how much he actively tried not to think about it, small doubts kept sprouting up in the back of his mind like weeds.

Did Mary really mean it when she asked how he was doing or was she fishing?

Was Toby trying to be helpful by offering to help carry groceries in or was he looking for a chance to spy inside the house?

His heart shot up into his throat, pounding as he closed in on the table.

And while Jim knew it had to be one of the four of them that called, he still had no idea who it was. That meant he didn’t know who it wasn’t either.

So as much as he tried, as much as he wanted to, Jim could never completely relax around any of his friends.

It was bad enough being on edge with every single adult in his life, but not knowing which one of his friends had stabbed him in the back, and worse not knowing if they were waiting to do it again…..

Jim stopped in his tracks, table just inches away. The four of them chatting away, his presence still unnoticed. Heartbeat hammering in his ears.

This was going to be ugly but Jim just couldn’t take not knowing any more. One way or another the truth was coming out today.

“I know one of you called the cops on my mom, so who was it?”

The four of them practically jumped in their seats before whirling around to face him. Claire was the first to find her tongue.

“What?” 

Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. An expression shared by all the others sitting around her.

Somehow that made the lump of coal sitting in his ribcage smolder hotter even as his heart was threatening to beat out of it.

One of them knew exactly what he was talking about. One of them was only pretending to be confused.  

“A month ago someone called CPS on my mom and I know it was one of you,” he made a show of narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms “So don’t try to deny it,”

They all turned and looked at each other, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. 

Jim stood his ground, mouth set into a firm line and prickling doubts shoved down into the bottoms of his feet. There it was, the accusation out in the open. Whoever it was might try to deny it, but Jim knew it had to be one of the four of them, and he wasn’t going to let them weasel their way out of--

“Jim….” Toby spoke slowly, briefly meeting his eyes before looking away “We….all did,”

His heart stopped.

For a moment Jim wasn’t sure how to respond, wondering if he’d actually heard Toby correctly, then the world slowly started to turn again and the words sank in.

“.....you what?”

“It’s true,” he snapped his gaze over to Darci, she flinched but didn’t look away “After we tried...talking to you, the three of us went to my dad and showed him the photos,” she glanced over to Toby at her side “It was only after that we learned Toby also talked to someone about--”

Jim whirled on Mary “I thought you said you deleted those?!”

“I-- uh-- umm…” she squirmed in her seat “I....made…...copies,”

Jim’s jaw fell open, unable to form words.

Out of all the possibilities, all the theories and ideas he’d had on who might have called, he’d never even dreamed that they’d all been in on it together.

His head was spinning, insides frozen and a roaring sound in his ears. Both hands rising up and fisiting through his hair, in a distant part of his mind he knew he shouldn’t be doing that since it was still falling out.

Just when he’d thought there couldn’t be anything else. That life couldn’t possibly throw anything worse at him--

Things became worse than he ever could have imagined.

He was faintly aware that the four of them were glancing around at each other from across the cafeteria table “Ok,” Claire laid both hands flat in front of her palms down “You have every right to be mad at us, but…”

Jim tuned her out, he couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to whatever Claire was saying when his world was going to pieces right now. 

He thought that when he figured out who had been the one to call CPS he could call them out for lying and get the rest of the group to back him up. That he’d figure out who he could actually feel safe with and finally be able to fix at least one part of his completely messed up life.

But it hadn’t been one of them, it had been all of them. They’d torn his life apart and kept it a secret. They lied to him. Every day. For over a month.

Heat shot through him, flooding through his whole body until it felt like every ounce of blood in his veins was boiling. 

It was his friends all along. All of them. They threw him and his mom under the bus and then they lied about it.

All the fear, all the worry. His inability to sleep or keep food down, the fact that his hair was falling out.

It was all because of them.

For the first time in weeks Jim wasn’t scared, he was pissed as hell.

“I can’t believe you guys!”

They all jerked back, eyes wide, shocked at the volume of his outburst.

“All of you knew about this,” Jim felt nails stabbing into his palms from the force he was clenching his hands “And you lied to me about it for over a month!? How could you!?”

He was spitefully glad to see them all flinch and look deeply ashamed at that.

“Look Jim,” Toby started to speak “I know you must be angry, but--”

He shriveled into silence under the glare Jim gave him.

How dare he. How dare he try and pretend like any of this was ok. The girls he could sort of see, but Toby was practically family. His mom had done more for Toby than anyone else would have in the same situation.

And Toby had still sold them out, with Claire, Darci, and Mary giving a helping hand.

Jim slowly turned to glare at each of them, the heat rushing over him blazing even hotter as he saw their pained faces and slumped shoulders.

Had they had secret meetings talking about this without him, had they laughed, snickering about being able to keep him fooled for so long.

Somehow a cold dribble of guilt managed to seep in past the white hot fire in his belly. 

Even as blindingly furious as he was, for both himself and his mom, deep down Jim knew that wasn’t true. The reason they made the call was because they felt they had no choice. 

They hadn’t done this as a joke, they were worried, they’d done this because they were scared for him. They’d done this because they wanted to help.

But despite knowing that, despite knowing that he was taking this too far and was going to regret everything he was saying as soon as he cooled off, Jim was too angry to care.

“I told you guys. My mom. Doesn’t. Hurt me.” he got louder and louder with every word, until he was practically shouting, the raging inferno inside him demanding to be set free “Don’t you get it? She could get arrested because of this, I could get taken away. Did you even think about that at all!?”

Toby shot up out of his seat with a bang, cutting off Jim’s tirade. Glancing up at him out of sheer reflex, he saw that Toby had the edge of the table in a whiteknuclekd grip, every muscle in his body taut and trembling, eyes sharp as knives.

“No Jim. You don’t get to do that.” his voice was cold and harder than steel, harder than anything he’d ever heard coming out of Toby’s mouth “You don’t get to drop bombs like your mom locking you in the basement and expect us to pretend like everything’s ok. And you don’t get to act like we’re the bad guys for trying to help you,”

Jim found himself taking an involuntary step back. He’d never heard Toby this angry. Ever.

Prying his hands free, Toby stomped around the table towards him, Jim pinned in place under his molten gaze “You don’t get to talk about lying when you were the one who’s been lying all along. When you’ve been lying to me for years!”

“Tobes I--”

One look from Toby shut him up.

“But now you want to play honesty hour? Fine, we’ll play honesty hour. How did you really get those scars on your ankle?”

The bottom fell out of Jim’s stomach, taking every remaining drop of anger with it.

“.........what?”

“Well?” Toby stopped two feet away, green eyes boring holes into him “Go on, tell me, where did those scars come from?”

Jim couldn’t do anything but gape at him. The rehearsed answer, they came from a fox bite, sat in the back of his throat withering.

He couldn’t know. It was impossible. Only two people in the world knew the truth. The act done in the dim of the early dawn in the middle of a remote forest.

Don’t worry sweetie, it's a sterile blade. A few quick cuts and a bandage on top should get you all the shots you need, no questions asked.

There was no way for Toby to know, but the look in his eyes told Jim that he did. 

“How-- how--” he struggled to get the words out “How do you--” 

Darci gingerly slid out of her seat to come stand next to Toby “Ok let’s all just take a deep breath and relax for a second,” she glanced over, her expression cool and professional, no longer holding any trace of guilt “Jim, I’m sorry we lied about what we did but I’m not sorry for doing it,”

“Darci’s right,” Mary stood and approached, Claire at her side “And we all agreed, what’s going on with your mom….that’s not ok, and we couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I know your mom was probably really messed up when your dad walked out, but that doesn’t mean--”

The words hit him like a fist to the gut “How do you know about that!?”

Mary shut her mouth, cheeks pink.  

By now everyone in the cafeteria was turning and looking at them. And who could blame them with all the yelling. Jim knew that this was exactly the type of scene he needed to avoid, but all the emotions boiling up in his chest were too enormous and tangled and turbulent for him to make space to care about their audience.

Claire took half a step forward “Look Jim, I’m sorry we lied to you about reporting your mom, that was messed up and we shouldn’t have done it, but...” she inhaled, drawing herself up to full, regal height “But we wouldn’t have had to report her behind your back if you had just let us help you in the first place,”

“Yeah, you don’t get to talk to us about lying,” he spun back towards Mary. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed into diamond hard points “If you had been honest with us from the beginning we wouldn’t have had to lie about anything,”

Toby stepped to the front of the group, arms folded in front of him “To more tricks or lies. We need the truth Jim. The whole truth, about everything. The scars, the basement, your curfew,” his expression was granite, voice flint “Right here, right now.”

Jim staggered back, furiously glancing at each of their faces. Claire and Darci were stern and unmoving as statues, while Toby and Mary were full on glaring daggers into him.

How was this possible? How did they know all this?

He couldn’t get enough air, chest tight as he shrunk under the weight of the four sets of eyes on him.

What else did they know? If they knew about the scars and his dad and the basement, what else did they know? And how close were they to learning….the rest?

The one tiny, microscopic flicker of hope Jim had was that he knew that they still didn’t know about….his real secret. 

If they did they sure as hell wouldn’t be quiet about it.

But how close were they to figuring it out? They’d figured so much out already, it was probably only a matter of time.

And if this was how they responded to everything else, how would they react to learning that Jim was really a--

Icy daggers twisted in his gut.

He couldn’t do this anymore.

He needed out now.

Jim turned and bolted, running out of the cafeteria as fast as his legs could carry him. Barely aware of his friends’ shouts from behind him. But he couldn’t outrun the panicked screaming in his skull.

They knew about his mom locking him up, they knew about how his dad left, they knew how he really got the scars on his ankle. Sooner or later they would figure out that Jim was the monster all along and when they did--

Throughout the years ideas of what would happen if people learned about his transformation had always flickered at the edge of his thoughts. Jim had done his best to force them out of his head and keep them from taking full shape, but now every horrible, twisted thought he’d had over the years surged to the front of his mind and refused to be buried.

If anyone learned his secret it was only a matter of time until the government found out, and when they did they wouldn’t just let him run free. Jim’s blue form was an unknown; wild, dangerous. At the very least they’d lock him in a cell and throw away the key. Or maybe they would send him off to some secret lab to get dissected and analyzed piece by piece.

His breath became choppy and ragged as he raced down the hall.

Or maybe Jim was too dangerous to leave alive at all, maybe they’d drag him away for a long drive into the desert that ended with a bullet to the back of his skull.

And his mom-- 

A jagged lump spouted in his throat.

Would they lock her up to? For keeping his secret as long as she did. But she hadn’t broken any laws, maybe they’d just leave her alone? But then would they even tell her what they did with him? Or would she be left sitting alone in their house not knowing what happened to him while Jim sat in a prison cell, or got chopped to pieces in a lab, or rotted in an unmarked grave.

He could barely see the lockers rushing by him as heat built up behind his eyes. He was trembling all over now, blood rushing in his ears and scream building in the back of his throat.

Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it together.

Jim was going to break down, he knew that. But he couldn’t let it happen in the middle of school. Not now, not again. Had to get out, go home, get somewhere safe.

Right now his secret was still under wraps, and the only way for Jim to keep those horrific ideas from becoming reality was to keep it that way.

And that meant not having another public meltdown.

Ignoring the sound of the bell, signalling other kids to start streaming into the hall, Jim scrambled up to his locker and started fumbling with the lock.

Despite his badly trembling hands he managed to get the locker open and pull his bag free, but in his haste to grab it the bag started slipping from his grip. Jim just barely caught the side in time to keep it from falling, but in doing so accidentally pulled the bag open, causing everything inside to spill out.

Jim could only watch in horror as textbooks clunked to the ground, papers scattering all over the floor, pens and pencils rolling in every direction. Insides curdling as he stared at the mess.

Why now? Why today of all days? On top of everything else--

His eyes stung.

Why couldn’t he just get a break?

Trying and failing to force himself through his breathing exercises, Jim got down on his knees and struggled to gather the contents of his bag.

Somehow his efforts to gather the papers just spread them even more, the task made impossible by how badly he was shaking all over, breath coming in quick, quivering pants, teeth digging into his lip until he tasted copper, a storm roiling just beneath his skin.

He squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing a textbook and clenching his fingers around it so tight they hurt.

Get it together. Get it together. Get it together.

“Oh my god are you crying again?”

Jim froze, inside and out, eyes shooting open to stare down at two of his pencils and the textbook he’d just grabbed off the floor. Familiar snide, smarmy voice coming from behind him.

“Dude he totally is!” Seamus said with a laugh “This is too good,”

Jim couldn’t move, nerves paralyzed. Every drop of emotion he’d had to deal with today, shock, anger, fear, and guilt, surging through him.

“Awww what’s the matter baby?” Steve jeered “Do you want a bottle?”

Seamus and Logan’s laughter echoed in his ears. From the corner of his eye he saw the traffic around them slowing as other people stopped and stared. He couldn’t feel his fingers any more, curled into rigid claws around the edges of the book.

And just like that Jim was done.

He threw his textbook against the lockers as hard as he could, unleashing a thunderous boom into the hall.

“Fuck off Steve!”

Steve, along with Logan, Seamus, and everyone else milling around in the hallway behind him, froze “What did you just say Lake?”

“You heard me Steve,” Jim growled, stomping to his feet “Fuck. Off.”

Normally he would never lose his cool with Steve, the guy just wasn’t worth it, but after everything that had happened today, everything that had happened over the last month, he just couldn’t take it any more.

And Steve thought he was such a hot shot; popular, spot on the basketball team, grades good enough to keep it but not so good to be considered a nerd. But Jim knew a lot more than Steve thought he did.

Recovering from his surprise at Jim’s outburst, Steve gave him his best sneer “Alright Crybaby you got about ten seconds to get down on your knees and apologize before I break your--”

“Oh can it Steve, like you have any business calling me crybaby when you were the one bawling in the locker room about how your daddy couldn’t come watch your big game!” Jim practically spat the words.

The smug look on Steve’s face vanished, eyes going wide and the color leeching from his skin “Wha-- how-- how did--”

“Since you can’t seem to figure it out I’ll spell it out for you, your dad doesn’t give a shit about you or your basketball games! And if you really want to make him happy go play in traffic so he doesn’t have to pay child support!”

A hush went through the crowded hall. Semus’s eyes were bugging out and Logan looked absolutely petrified; Steve himself was wearing the most hang-jawed expression Jim had ever seen.

More and more people were gathering around now, drawn by all the commotion. Jim knew it was bad to be drawing this kind of attention, especially after the stunt he just pulled on the cafeteria, but the dam inside him had burst and it felt so so good to finally let it all out.

Let someone else have the rug pulled out from under them. Let someone else feel exposed and vulnerable. Let someone else have their deepest darkest secrets thrown back in their face.

Let someone else be afraid for once. Someone who actually deserved it.

“Face it Steve you’re not special,” Jim’s voice practically dripped venom “You’re just some moron who thinks that if they dribble a basketball good enough they can get an even bigger moron to give two shits about them. It’d actually be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic,”

Even as he said the words, felt the thrill of finally being able to take Steve down a peg, a tiny trickle of guilt managed to creep in. For saying something so horrible, so wrong. That no one deserved to hear, not even Steve. But what little guilt he had was easily drowned out by the massive ocean of vindictive glee he felt now that Psycho Steve was getting to experience a tiny piece of what it was like to be Jim Lake.

The crowd around them was deathly quiet now, everyone stunned into silence by Jim’s words. Shocked that he actually went there. With one exception. 

Steve’s face had gone from ghost white to purple, the veins in his neck bulging, hands balled into fists as his sides “You’d better shut your mouth Lake,” his voice was soft but dangerous. Everyone, even Logan and Seamus, nervously edging away from him.

Unfortunately for him Jim just didn’t care anymore.

“Or what?”

He stepped forward, unable to resist poking the bear “You gonna punch me in the face or something? Well go on, do it! You’re only mad because I’m right!”

Another rush of spiteful satisfaction coursed through him when Jim saw the purple flush on Steve’s face darken even further at his words, so much that he didn’t even care that some of the onlookers had started to pull out their phones.

“Well what are you waiting for? Hit me, punch me, it’s not gonna make a difference. It’s not going to change the fact that you’re a loser who’s life has fucking peaked!” he jabbed a finger into Steve’s chest, getting right up into his face “That the only thing you have going for you is a spot on the basketball team. And after that all you have to look forward to is a dead end job at the gas station and at least two divorces!”

Steve was practically quivering with anger now, nostrils flaring, teeth clenched so hard he was surprised they hadn’t cracked, but Jim could still see the flash of genuine hurt in his eyes “I’m warning you Lake--”

“Because that’s all you’ll ever be, a loser! Maybe the real reason your dad left was because he finally figured out how much of a loser you really--”

The blow took him by surprise, more than it probably should have. A dazzling flash of pain in his temple that snapped his head back into the lockers with a deafening bang as more pain flared in the back of his skull. Hot stars danced in his vision, the world around him spinning,. 

Jim vaguely registered that he wasn’t on his feet anymore, felt the linoleum under his back, the cool metal behind his shoulders and neck. Dimly heard the panicked shouts coming up from around him, even though he couldn’t make out the words. 

Blinking past the throbbing pain in his skull, and the warm trickle of something in his eye, Jim’s sight cleared just long enough for him to see Steve’s face, twisted into a mask of primal rage, and another fist rapidly approaching.

[storytime-with-moth]

Sokka and Zuko are rival RA’s

Writing Prompt - take what you like - I don’t need credit but I would love to read what you write! 

Now I have never stayed on campus before but TikTok has informed me that being an RA is like babysitting a bunch newly minted “adults”

I think it would be in cannon for both of the boys to have gravitated towards the responsibility, but come at it from two different angles.

Sokka gives me camp counselor, themed rooms, will show up to parties organize lots of mingle events, and is very approachable. Sokka probably took the job for the money and free room and board at first but ends up enjoying being a leader and bringing some safe fun to the freshmen. He especially likes that he can keep an eye on his little sisters boyfriend who is like a brother to him. Man that kid gets into trouble with that yes lets attitude of his. (No Aang you can’t fly)

Zuko gives me more of an orderly, and reserved vibe. Room rules are typed and handed out. His kids say he is really nice once he gets talking but he definitely gives off a scary frost impression. Zuko holds tea time hours in his room for kids to come and hang out and ask for guidance and advice.

Zuko and Sokka are in wings or floors next to each other, so their kids start a my RA is cooler than yours war which turns into a prank and party war. (Anything you can do I can do better)

Zuko and Sokka get pulled into the nonsense and actually start to get to know each other.

The freshmen then decide that war is not the answer but getting their RA’s to fall in love is.

Things I would love to see

Zuko subtly has pride things on his door (maybe a safe space sticker)

it is unspoken knowledge that Zuko's tea time is also a great opportunity to ask for LGBTQ sex Ed and health advice no judgement (god knows that the children didn’t get taught say queer sex in high school. He will provide condoms and dental dams)

Sokka has a bi pirate flag in his room because he is obviously a himbo birate

Sokka themes his floors rooms with magical elements (even funnier if bending is still in the AU - “uh sokka? It says I’m in the lava bending room. “Yes you are Lee!” “But I’m an air bender? “Yes you are Lee!” )

Once the pranks get out of hand Sokka shows up to tea time with Zuko and they have a really awkward tea (“So…. Are kids are at war?” “Yes… would you like some tea?” “Ya why not”)

Sokka and Zuko are some of the kids emergency contacts who have no families and one night they both show up to the ER to pick up two freshmen who got into a fight and they get all mother hen about the injuries and also disappointed mum about getting into fights

Sokka is in water polo or hockey (or maybe he just likes to go swimming late at night to clear his anxiety ADHD brain) so he always has wet hair from the showers and keeps weird hours (maybe runs into insomniac Zuko now and again)

Sokka starts showing up to more tea times and him and Zuko play pai sho

Aang definitely drinks to much at his first party and tries to fly

One of Sokka's dads has to be a professor or scientist so Zuko can marvel at the two men switching to a different language and talking with such passion about whatever to each other, a father and son on equal footing

Zukos is amazed by Sokka's two dads in general

Sokka becomes best friends with Iroh

Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, Toph, and Azula (maybe Haru and Teo) are all new students either first or second year

Sokka, Zuko, Mai and Suki are all older

Sokkas freshmen girlfriend (Yue) was killed in a drunk driver/driving accident or something tragic and so while he’s having fun being an RA he is also taking it very seriously (making sure no one drives and every drinks water) and hasn’t drank since her death

Feel free to add on

freshmen hijinks

Zukka moments

What’s the boys would be like as RA's

[meg91596]

Grew Up Too Fast   Chapter 1: Scout's first day of High School

It was typical Monday morning for Ameila and Link but they were heartbroken realizing that Scout Eric Shepherd Lincoln was now in high school. They love Scout very much but can't wrap it around their heads how their son grew up so fast. Scout is now 15 and is a freshmen. They didn't know where all those years went.

"Good Morning Momma." Charlotte said. "Good Morning Charlie, where is your brother?" Amelia asked. "Um I don't know maybe with Gary or Terry what ever his friends names are." Charlie said. "Oh Charlie how did your big brother grow up too fast on us." Amelia said. "I don't know you still have me, Luke, and Elena to play with." Charlie said. "For a 10 year old you sure are funny." Amelia said. "Good Morning mom so what's for breakfast?" Scout asked. "Scout the bus will be here in 5 minutes why aren't you dressed?" Link asked. "Dad aren't you taking me to school it used to be a tradition you and mom used to do." Scout said. "Well Scout you are in High School now and you don't need us to hold your hand anymore." Amelia said.

It broke her heart to tell her son that she couldn't take Scout to school because he was now in High School. She wanted to but High School is no place for a 10 year old, 6 year old, and 3 year old to be. She knew that it was for the best to give Scout the room to grow without Link and herself holding his hand for major milestones. As much as she hated the idea she knew that it was the best for Scout otherwise she knows what he would be like when he is older always wanting approval of his parents.

"Good Morning Amelia so today's Scout's first day of High School how did he take it?" Teddy asked. "Umm I don't know I put him on the bus to give him some indepedence." Amelia said. "Don't worry he's going to do great things in High School." Teddy said. "Yes I just hope he doesn't get into trouble with the ladies especially Allison." Amelia said. "Well Amelia he is a boy and he loves Ally but I agree he's what 15 he doesn't need that right now." Teddy said. "Well something I don't have to worry about because Ellis is a sophmore in college." Meredith said. "How does it seem possible?" Amelia asked. "I know, Zola graduates from Med School this year." Meredith said. "Really? what is she going to be studying?" Amelia and Teddy asked. "She's in the Neuro program and is in the excelled Medical program she may start her intership next year in California or even here in Seattle." Meredith said. "Wow and isn't little Bailey a Senior in College?" Link asked. "Yes he's studying to be a teacher." Meredith said.

Amelia couldn't believe that Zola, Ellis and Bailey were already in college and that they had grown up right under her nose. She loved those two to no end but couldn't imagine that. At lunch she got a call from Scout asking if he could stay after school to talk to the guidance counselor, and to sign up for a program that he can embrace his talents on. Link and Amelia told him that they would pick him up. He told them that he would just catch a ride with Leo, and Allison to the hospital. They agreed to let him come with Leo and Allison.

"What's wrong Amelia." Link asked. "Just that our son is dating my exhusband's daughter." Amelia said. "I know but Allison is good to him unlike some of the other kids he hangsout with." Link said. "Yes oh is it 3 I got to get Charlie, Luke, and Elena off of the bus because it is going to be here soon." Amelia said. "Honey Charlie is 10 so I think she can handle bringing Luke, and Elena into either my office or your office." Link said. "Amelia you are being paged into the pit." Bailey said. "Oh Atticus you might want to come as well." Bailey said. "Scout what happend?" Link asked. "Car accident dad is Ally okay?" Scout kept asking. "She's okay Scout just a broken leg, and possible fractures in her wrist, she needs and x-ray." Link told his son. "NO she can't have an X-Ray will it hurt the baby?" Scout said. "BABY?" Scout said. "Yes will it hurt her baby. She hasn't told Owen or Teddy yet it was an accident that happend when she was away during the summer." Scout said. "Scout whose the father?" Amelia asked. "I don't know." Scout said.

Amelia didn't know what to say to her son who she beleived was lying to her. Scout had never in his days lied to either Link or Amelia. He was always a good boy. Amelia could tell that he was lying and that he know who the father was. Allison and Scout are 7 months apart in age and in the same grade so she knew that something must of happend. When Scout was released from the hospital Amelia and Link took their 4 children to their home.

"Mommy can I please be excused?" Charlie asked. "No you may not you know something too young lady." Amelia said in anger. "Daddy what's this about." Charlie asked. "Momma is Charlie and Scout in trouble?" Asked Luke. "Yes why don't you go play in your room Luke." Amelia said. "Elena honey you can go play with your dollys." Link said. "Okay Charlotte Elizabeth Lincoln what is the truth do you know who Allison is having a child with?" Amelia asked. "What Ally is pregnant?" Charlie responded. "You didn't know?" Amelia and Link asked. "No! Mom and Dad it's not Scout's that's impossible he has been home all summer with Terry Gary, and Jerry playing basketball and doing boy stuff while she was away at summer camp." Charlie said. "See mom I was telling you the truth I don't know who the father is nor do I want to face that person who knocked up my girlfriend." Scout said. "Scout language around your sister." Link said. "Oh Dad I have heard worse." Charlie said.

Amelia and Link puzzled themselves as to who it could be and why Allison would do that to Scout who she claims to love. Amelia went into Scout and Luke's bedroom to appologize for saying those things to Scout. He said that she was just doing her job protecting her children. Amelia loves her son so much that she would throw herself infront of a moving bus if it meant losing one of them. She already lost Chris who would be a 23 year old and quite possibly make Amelia a grandma by now.

A/N: So here is a new story I wanted to write about how Amelia and Link would react to their son being a teenager and the drama that can come with it. Also the story behind Allison will get interesting, and how Teddy, and Owen will react to the news. Also there will be more story with Elena, Luke, and Charlie in this chapter we only see them for a breif segmient but they will have more story line in the upcoming chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the start of this story. Please feel free to request anything you would like to see in this story.

[metaphysical-human-being]

Switcheroo 4

2

3

5

A/N: This is late. I apologize. Yeah that's all.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of violence, food mention,  tell me if I missed anymore. 

Summary: Roman tells his parents of his encounter with Remus. The problem is solved...for now. 

Logan drove Roman home. Both males were as silent as the passage of time and maybe quieter. The only sounds in the car were the whir of the air conditioner and movement of the wheels on the road. 

Roman had forced himself to focus on that movement which led him to thinking about the fact that he was basically floating in the air going 89 miles per hour and the only thing keeping him up was a thin but durable piece of a random metal and rubber circle things invented years ago and he could feel the movement and-

They stopped. Romans brain did too, apparently. 

"We are here." Logan said, voice strained and soft. The type of voice he had used on Roman...earlier.

Roman simply nodded and grabbed his bag before getting out of the car. He wanted to slam the door. He wanted to slam any door, really, but he didn't. He just sighed and walked into his house. Logan huffed and closed his door for him before also walking into the small 2 story bungalow.

Roman was already in the kitchen when Logan walked in and closed the door behind him. 

"When will your parents be home?" Logan had called, setting his shoes aside by the door and making his way to the kitchen. Roman was sitting on an island stool, angrily munching on some crackers. 

"I don't know. What time is it?"

"Two-thirty."

"The non-birth giver should be back in three or so hours." Roman answered. Logan raised a brow but didn't comment. Roman always called his mother, Mother dearest. He only called her by another title when he was upset. 

"Okay." Logan replied and got to work preparing something for dinner. Roman alternated between eating crackers and going on his phone or just silently watching Logan. After three hours and a bowl of fancy ramen( "I told you, Roman, it is not fancy ramen. I made it as instructed just improvised a bit.")they found themselves in the living room. Logan was grading some last minute make up work and Roman was sitting in front of the TV playing Mario kart. 

The door opened suddenly but neither paid it much attention. The sound of keys being thrown into a bowl and shoes tossed somewhere on the ground echoed through the house before the, inevitable, sound of footsteps. 

"Ah, Lo, I thought that was your car in the driveway," Eliana, Romans mother, said. She tossed her bag onto a random chair and sat down next to Logan, placing her head on his shoulder. 

He glanced down at her. "Hello, El. How was work?" He asked, scowling at something stupid on a kids paper. Eliana glanced at the paper Logan had and scoffed. 

"Same old shit. Isn't that the kid that you hate?" She asked, glancing at the name and recognizing it as a name he's screeched about multiple times. Logan saw Roman perk up but it was faint so he obviously didn't want them to think he was listening. 

"No, El," he muttered, shoving the papers aside. "I don't hate any of the kids-"

"That's a fucking lie-"

"There are merely ones that are...more difficult than others." He stated, placing his head on top of Elianas and focusing on the game on the screen. 

After a half hour George, Roman father, came home. Eliana had dozed off but wasn't fully asleep and Logan was close to following. Barely keeping his eyes open.

"Okay... I'm home and everyone is quiet. What happened?" He asked to no one in particular. Eliana startled awake and accidentally hit her head against Logans making Logan sit up with a hiss of pain. 

George walked over to the two on the couch and gave Eliana a quick peck on the lips. 

"What? No kiss for me?" Logan asked, jokingly. He wasn't much of a joker but he was half awake and didn't really have much control over his mouth. 

"Sorry, no. Only kisses for lovely wives, such as mine,"

"Oh hush, you flirt." she yawned and got up from the couch. She moved to place a kiss on his cheek but he turned his head at the last second and stole a kiss on the lips. 

"Score," he mumbled, smiling softly into the kiss. Roman stole a glance at Logan and Logan looked back. 

"Get a room!" Roman called as he went back to his game. Both adults broke apart with a chuckle and a tiny glad at Roman. Eliana moved to sit back next to Logan and George went to go change into some more comfortable clothes. Three piece suits got uncomfy after a while. 

"Okay, serious talk time!" George called, walking back into the living room. Eliana spared him a glance but besides that no one paid him any mind. George did not like this. He walked over to the TV and turned it off, ignoring the offended squawks he got from Roman and went to sit on Elianas other side. 

"Roman, can you please take a seat on the chair of talking?" George asked. Roman tensed but made his way over onto the lavender moon chair. He tucked his feet under him and crossed his arms, refusing to look at any adults. 

Eliana and Logan sat up, realizing it was now "serious talk time", as Roman so elegantly named it. 

"So," his father started, wrapping an arm around his wife. "why exactly did Logan bring you home and stay. It's not movie Wednesday, that's next week." His father said. His wife leaned into him and stared at her son. Logan already had his gaze on Roman and continued to stare. With all those gazes on him Roman felt very...exposed. He decided he didn't like it all that much. 

"Right, well…" he started, looking at his shoes and rubbing at the back of his neck. "I-i may have...may have h-had a l-little….problem, at school…" he trailed off, cringing at the amount of stutters in that one sentence. 

His parents frowned, a lot more concerned then they originally were. Logan looked the same but if you looked closely enough you would see that small little bit of concern in his eyes. 

"What happened? Logan what happened?" Eliana turned to Logan, gripping his right arm and shaking it lightly. Logan waited until she had stopped the shaking to answer. 

"I...I don't really know." He looked towards Roman, Elianas grip on his arm still present. "All Roman told me was…" he gulped. "Was that he saw his twin."

Roman winced and Eliana and George went rigid. 

"Y-you...you saw Remus?" Eliana asked, her voice nothing more than a frightened whisper. Roman nodded, gloomily. A word almost never used to describe him. 

"Okay.." George said, nodding his head a little bit. "I know how to fix this."

-

"I just- I just don't understand why we have to-"

"Yes, you've said it multiple times, Mr. Ellards but I'm telling you that this is necessary!"

"Mr. Perez!" Mr. Ellards yelled seethed, his dark brown eyes turning to slits as he glared at Romans father. Romans father glared back, determined. The large, round man sighed a bit before settling into his seat a bit. He folded his hands and looked up at George. 

"Mr. Perez, I understand your concern, really I do but we can't just change students schedules all willy-nilly! Our policy says that we may only do so if we fear that some sort of physical violence may happen between two, or more, students. We can't bend the rules just because of a little sibling fue-"

"I hit him." Roman cut in, deathly calm and voice even. Unnaturally so for the, usually, dramatic student. Mr. Ellards raised a brow and pushed up his glasses.

"You, what." He questioned, flatly. It didn't sound like a question, not really, but it was one of those things that teachers did. They seemed to favour it. 

"I hit him. Slapped him, is the more correct term. A-across the face," Roman stuttered, diverting his gaze to his shoes. Mr. Ellards nodded his round( and quite frankly, kinda fat) head up and down. Slowly, as if he didn't know he was doing it. 

He leaned forward. "Roman you are aware of the consequences of admitting to such a thing, correct?" He asked him. Roman nodded. 

"Yes, sir."

"And you still admit to it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I see," he concluded, sitting back in his chair. Romans dad had already sat down by now and was waiting to see what happened next. He had already known about the slap and was just waiting for another reason to yell at Mr. Ellards.

Mr. Ellards tapped on the desk with his sausage fingers before pointing one at Roman. 

"Either detention for a week or suspension for a day." He had said. Romans eyebrows shot up. 

He was about to ask for any proof of him doing so but then he remembered that he had just confessed. He looked towards his dad. George looked back. 

"Suspension." They both said in unison. The principal nodded. 

"Okay. I'll talk to the guidance counselor and make sure they're classes are changed so that, as long as they don't try, they'll never see each other. 

George nodded. Roman nodded. Mr. Ellards nodded. 

All was good and it stayed that way. For the rest of freshmen year they never saw each other once. Roman never told his friends about his twin, because he saw no reason and Remus never told De about his sudden class change. He had an idea of what happened but never commented. 

It seemed perfect…..until two men met in a coffee shop. 

-

those who want to be tagged: 

@datfearlessfangirl @queer-human-being @annoyingindeed 

[seoyulhrs]

thank everyone so much for the super sweet welcomes! i’m april n i’m so excited to be a part of this roleplay, i really love this kind of stuff and i’m eager to get seoyul into all kinds of troubles. the short of it is that she’s a real luna lovegood type, but with more of a personality disorder and pathological desperation for attention and validation then “cute quirky background and opinions.”  less pure ravenclaw and more like slytherpuffclaw? chaotic, right? in terms of personality she is canonically whimsical, lackadasical,  enthusiastic, mythomaniacal, and positive. she can also be bright, elusive, bizarre, alluring, erratic and (self,  usually) destructive.  i guess that makes her paradoxically unstable and lovable so i’m sure we can kick up some fun alright.  check below the cut for the highlights! ETA: my discord is apricots#6128 if that’s easier for plotting!

kim seoyul is ilmyo born and raised, grew up in a big family with not much left over for her in terms of attention,  affection, or cash. 

retreated into fantasy worlds for her own amusement. loved to read, play make believe games, had a hundred imaginary friends, ran around the woods looking for ghosts and witches, you name it. she was one of those kids that REALLY wanted a hogwarts letter or to open the door to narnia. anything to get OUT of ilmyo and her shitty house. 

obviously it didn’t work out that way. 

she was a precocious, talkative, enthusiastic kid. really whimsical and dreamy, usually had trouble paying attention to lessons, but was really smart and highly verbal for her age - always read and spoke above level significantly, likely because of all the reading and storytelling she did - much to the chagrin of her teachers. 

it was easy to be popular as a little kid because her weirdnesses could be overlooked and nobody cared she was poor as long as she could make up the best make believe games to play on the playground. 

getting a little older though it got worse. her teachers and friends started to wonder about her being so relentlessly head-in-the-clouds and distracted maybe by her own imagination, like she lived in her own world. 

her lies also gradually got bigger as people came to ignore make believe games and “my uncle works at nintendo” level bragging. as a result that meant she needed to get more creative to get the attention she wanted. to that note, it got to the point where she was acting out in general (as much as a preteen can) until her parents were called in by the guidance counselor. 

it’s at this point that they raise a real concern that she’s got some kind of personality disorder or at the very least needs a significant amount of counseling to work through unhealthy coping mechanisms, but obviously her parents toss that idea to the side and brush it off as her just being her “usual odd self.” 

high school is her chance to reinvent. this is paired with the fact that her grandfather dies and leaves them a lot of money - or at least, what amounts to a lot of money for them. they move into a decent house, she has  some new clothes and shoes and a new backpack for the first time (the rest is all still hand me downs mostly but that’s not so bad),  and she kind of sort of “lets” swan & co (also freshmen, also way cooler than she is right off the bat) believe she’s become rich, that the inheritance was much more than it was. 

they’re willing enough to believe it, given her demeanor has changed so much - she’s more confident, watched some makeup tutorials, talks big about the parties she went too in seoul when they were there for the summer and the funeral arrangements (she didn’t, but that’s fine), boys are paying more attention to her. between freshman and sophomore year she has a real glow up (thanks puberty!) and things all seem to be going really well. 

at least until SWAN outs her as a fraud and the cool kids mostly stop talking to her. she thinks its bullshit since it was barely even a lie (it was a lot of lies) and she didn’t hurt anyone (technically kind of true) but she doesn’t fight it because she knows she was never the queen bee type anyway - even when she was with them she wasn’t all the way in the crew, like she was always a step behind the three of them. 

so the rest of high school she finds her own friends, does her own thing. 

fucks swans boyfriend to prove she can (and because he’s hot) and generally is your run of the mill small town teenager, drinking in the forest and braiding flower crowns and maybe spending way too much time on the internet. 

she goes to school and keeps spinning lies, big and small, mostly harmless. she’s not even sure why she does it, they just come out before she thinks about it, before she can stop it. for any number of reasons, too - so people will like her more, to seem more interesting, shock value, manipulation. she doesn’t usually intend to be malicious with them and they’re usually directed to facets of herself (maybe rooted in self loathing?) but it drives her crazy. she feels a constant lowgrade guilt that is always compounding, but the idea of being fully honest and therefore vulnerable is so frightening the idea of it makes her feel physically ill. coming clean about even minor lies at this point triggers her to minor self harm or bouts of panic.  she really should have gotten counseling at some point. 

instead she got a masters degree in library sciences and a job back in ilmyo....

some lies she probably tells, fully expecting people not to believe her, include cryptically suggesting she got lost in the forest over the weekend as a kid (she did, but it was only one night) and saw ghosts (probably untrue), that she saw the lovebirds fighting before they died (definitely true), that she is or knows the ilmyo talk blog creator (not true), that she’s psychic and reads tarot cards (half true, she knows the meaning of cards and supplements with her own intuition, like a party trick), that she dated a celebrity during college (exaggerated truth, dated a former c-list boy group member who’s group had disbanded), that she’s really, really going to get out of this dead end town someday (please god, let this one come true).

[moiramcguire]

Blog Entry #15

5/6/20

2020 to 2024

On Sunday Marist posted events planned for the senior class . I appreciate all the time, planning and thought that went into this but I’m left with an eerie feeling. The harsh reality is sadly setting in that I won’t have what I waited years to have. Dancing the night away with my friends all dressed in our best in our very best. Walking across the Marist stage in my cap, chords and gown to receive my diploma. The thought keeps playing over and over in my head like a bad record. I keep telling myself, “The things I would do differently.” Then it struck me this would be the topic of my blog today. The advice I have to the freshmen class of 2024.

Stretch your brain. Take a class that scares you at least once during high school. Don’t let preconceptions about the class or the teacher sway you from taking a class that you know you can do well in. Maybe you’ll decide to take an honors class instead of going the regular route. The experience will definitely make you a stronger student and prepare you for future academic challenges. If you can face those challenges, if you can bring them on yourself and enjoy them, you will succeed.

Don’t sweat your grades too much. Getting a B here and there is not the end of the world. In fact, it’s kind of a good thing. I learned by working hard in a class and staying focused is all I need to do in order to earn success. Don’t let the gossip of hearing how hard a teachers class may be scare you away.Now, I can fully accept that if I try my hardest in a class and get a B+, that is still something to be proud of.

Ask for help. Learn how to make relationships with teachers and guidance counselors. Marist is truly blessed with the absolute best there is. Talk to your teacher before or after class, they are here for you and want to help you. Getting comfortable with talking to teachers will help you so much in the next four years.

Don’t focus too much on popularity. Treat the star football player the way you would the shy nerd in class. Be kind to people for no reason at all. Everyone is always fighting a personal battle of their own so don’t misjudge someone before you know them. It’s better to be known as the nice kid rather than the notorious drama starter. Don’t stay in your cliques, branch out and meet new people you may even surprise yourself with a new friend.

Join a club/team/activity… Extracurriculars are what make your time in high school worthwhile. The experience of being on a team or president of a club or writing for the newspaper is what you will remember. You'll learn a whole lot about dealing with others, and about yourself and your own limits. If there's something you're interested in but Marist doesn’t have a team or club, start one. So what if you and your best friend are the only members for the first year. If you're passionate about it, do it; others will follow. And if you find something you really love, do not give it up. Basically, find something you like doing and pursue it - it doesn't have to be what you want to do with your life, just something you want to do right now. Be passionate about something.

Don’t do things just to put them on your applications and please, please don’t make it too serious! High school sports and clubs should be fun, not a competition to get the most awards to put on your applications. Don’t join the yearbook staff because you want to be the editor next year to make your resume look better; don’t join the four sports teams just to win Athlete of the Year. Take part in activities and sports and clubs because you like them, and because the experience will make you a better, stronger, more well-rounded person. You will get into college, so don’t spend your time trying too hard.

Finally, remember to have fun. Your life does not depend on high school – not on the academics and not on the popularity aspect. Do your best, but leave time for fun with friends. You will have plenty of time to work hard in school and beyond. Be prepared, but don’t stress out too much about it. If you can make your grammar school experience fun, you will have no problem doing the same for your life in highschool and beyond. Remember Brother and Sisters for life… Go RedHawks! (M.McGuire) #life2020

[asking-jude]

Since I started high school y became more and more self conciuos. I have never been fully accepted by people. I’m very aware of every step i make, i cant stop thinking about what people are going to say. It’s the first thing i think in the morning. I know thinking like this is wrong but i cant help it. Im too afraid of talking about this with friends, i found it embarassing. I wish i could be myself but i dont know how. All that i see are imperfections and uglyness. Please answer.

Hi love, 

When I was in high school, I struggled with self-esteem issues and was always self-conscious, so I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, so many of your peers feel the same way that you do. Gaining self-confidence and self-esteem can be a hard task. It doesn’t just happen overnight. But don’t let that scare you. I have the fullest confidence that you’ll be able to overcome your self-esteem issues. 

Here are some articles that give great advice on how you can improve your self-esteem and self-confidence:

- https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-be-less-self-conscious/.- https://www.verywellmind.com/how-can-i-be-less-self-conscious-in-social-situations-3024823. - https://www.mcgill.ca/counselling/files/counselling/self-esteem_helpful_hints_0.pdf. - https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/self-esteem.html.

You’re growing up in an age of social media where photoshop and an illusion to perfection. It’s easy to compare yourself to your peers or the Instagram models that you see. If you follow any of these sorts of people on social media, I advise you to unfollow them or limit how long you’re on these particular sites. Here is more information on how to protect your self-esteem on social media: https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2017/12/be-mindful-of-your-social-media-usage-to-protect-your-self-esteem. 

As for your self-consciousness, you need to train yourself to rethink those negative thoughts. When you start to think people are watching you, you must tell yourself, “No one is looking at me. No one is judging me.” This is called “other thoughts.” This personally has helped me with my social anxiety, and over time I stopped caring about people think about me. 

Here are some exercises to help you build your self-esteem: 

- Self-Love Mirror Exercise: For this exercise, you need a mirror and a dry erase marker. I learned this technique in my freshmen of college. On the mirror, you write everything you like about yourself, both physically and characteristically. Whenever you feel down, you look at the mirror and read all the positive things about yourself. - Here are some other variations of this exercise that you can try as well: https://www.louisehay.com/what-is-mirror-work/ and https://letsreachsuccess.com/2016/07/10/the-mirror-technique/. - https://positivepsychology.com/self-esteem-worksheets/.- https://anivda.com/self-esteem-activities-for-teens/.- Use positive affirmations to boost your self-esteem and self-confidence: https://www.more-selfesteem.com/affirmations.htm. 

Since you’ve stated that you don’t have someone to talk to about this, I recommend that you use helplines. They are free, confidential, and free from any judgment. They are available 24/7 as well. Here are my recommendations: 

- YouthLine: This helpline offers support from peers your age from 4-10 pm Pacific Time. Before and after that time, adults manage the support line. YouthLine offers four different ways to get access to their support counselors/volunteers. Visit https://oregonyouthline.org/ to view all of the various options. - Teen Line is like Youthline, but there is no adult support staff who answers the helplines. The teens that run this helpline are trained to listen to you and help you work through your problems. This helpline is only available from 6 pm- 10 pm Pacific Standard Time. Visit https://teenlineonline.org/talk-now/  to view their helpline options. - Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor 24/7. - 7 Cups of Tea: Visit www.7cups.com or download their app from the IOS or Google Play store to create an account. Once you’ve made an account, you can begin chatting with a trained volunteer and/or attend group sessions. - You can also visit your guidance counselor or school psychologist for help, as well. 

I wish you all the best in your journey with improving your self-esteem and self-confidence. I know that you may feel hopeless right now, but I promise you that things will get better for you. If you need any more help, please don’t hesitate to come back to Asking Jude. 

P.S If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, or insomnia, check out our new ASMR channel to relax and rest: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW-frOIU0fLnTSxOxKnBT8Q

Love, 

Meggan 

Asking Jude needs YOUR help! Donate pocket change here and save our safe space.

[askjennie]

Hi, I’m messaging you on the topic of college. I’m in my second year as a commuter and I feel like I’m missing out on so much, I barely have made any new friends, and on top of that, I feel like my grades are toppling with the midterms I’m getting. I feel so left out, so immature compared to everyone else who is getting to live their lives without their parents and stay on top of things while I procrastinate my life away. Is there anything I can do, or am I doomed to stay in this rut forever?

You’re only doomed to stay in a rut forever if you choose to stay in a rut forever. You probably have some work to do to help yourself feel better about your situation, but if you’re willing to do that work, things can get better.

If you feel like you want to try and make new friends at college, you can start reaching out to people and going along to events you’re interested in (that don’t necessarily have to be late-at-night, difficult-to-get-home-from events). I recommend you read my FAQ on making new friends for more advice on this topic. And remember, on campus is not the only place you can look for friends. If you’ve tried your hardest and you’re not connecting with anyone you know at your college, maybe it’s time to put your energy into finding new friends in the community you live in instead. You have options other than “stay in a rut”.

If you’re worried about your grades, you can reach out to your teachers for help. If you’re failing a specific class, talk to the professor and ask them for feedback and advice on how to improve your grades. It might seem awkward, but unless they’re super new to teaching you will not be the first student to have struggled with their class. Professors generally appreciate students who make the effort to show that they want to improve - too many students avoid the classes that they’re struggling in instead of tackling them head-on! You can also find out what study support is available on your campus. You may be able to talk to a guidance counselor, there may be study skills classes you can take like “how to write a research paper” or “how to give a presentation”, there may be library resources you can use, there may be study groups you can join. You have options other than “stay in a rut”. 

There may not be anything you can do to change your living situation right now (I’m assuming you can’t afford to move out right now), but you can work on changing how you feel about it. You’re making some pretty judgemental statements about people who live at home, as though you’re making the assumption that adults who live with their parents are “immature” or that they’re “procrastinating their lives away”. In reality, this is the only realistic living situation for a large number of young people, and according to research, the number of young adults living with their parents is the highest it’s been in 75 years. That doesn’t mean that all those people are immature, it just means that living with parents makes sense for them right now. Maybe they’re not financially secure enough to move out, maybe they have caring responsibilities at home, maybe they just actually like their family and are comfortable sharing a house with them! It requires a certain level of maturity to be able to navigate living with your family as an adult. It might take time to change the way you feel, but you can start by replacing those judgemental thoughts with more realistic ones (e.g. changing “I’m immature for living at home” to “I’m mature enough to know that this is the living situation that makes sense for me right now”). You have options other than “stay in a rut”. 

(Plus, let’s be honest, have you seen freshmen? Kids moving out of their family home and into dorms are not automatically mature for doing so.)

There’s a lot on your mind right now, and it’s understandable that you’re feeling doomed. But if you break things down and take each problem one stage at a time, you can get to a place where you feel like your life is more manageable. You might not have the perfect college experience, but honestly, no one does, and you’re definitely not the only person at your college feeling like it hasn’t gone how they wanted it to go. Choose to do what you can with what you’ve got, and avoid keeping yourself in a rut. 

[loveraids]

advice for incoming freshmen

hey guys! here’s a list of some tips i made for incoming freshmen. i thought i’d share some advice/knowledge i’ve accumulated over the years too. everything’s under the cut. if you have any questions/concerns, feel free to message me! ☀️ (tw: long post)

1. one of the biggest fears many people have entering high school is not making friends. however, there are MANY opportunities where you can make friends! besides being friendly with who you sit with in class, try joining a sport, club, extra curricular, etc. i’m not saying making friends is the easiest thing in the world- i still struggle with it today. but don’t put yourself down if you’re not immediately friends with everyone in the school in the first week- it’ll take some time to develop. remember that everyone else is just as scared as you are, and they aren’t gonna come out of their shells until you do as well.

2. depending on your school, they may start throwing college shit at u on day one (although unlikely). no matter what, don’t stress right now!! the college process really doesn’t begin until the weeks leading up to the summer of junior year. you have time!! it’s ok to not know what you want to do. college has an “undecided” major for a reason.

3. V O L U N T E E R. i cannot stress this enough. it has soso many benefits and freshman year will most likely be the most time-free year you have. find a position at your local zoo, library, camp, hospital, etc. it’s a great resume booster and can aid you in the college application process (additionally, if you have an honors society that requires volunteer hours, you’ll need them anyways). also, you get to help people !

4. freshman year is going to teach you what real high school work is. you may struggle, and it’s ok! i was one of the “bright” kids that had their grades drop once i entered high school, and yeah, it did a lot to my self esteem. but throughout the years i picked myself up- i embraced help from my peers/teachers, i figured out what method of studying works best (pro tip: studying for math? look over the basic rules and do thousands of practice problems. science that isn’t math based? quizlet and khan academy. history? quizlet.), i learned that it’s OK to get a grade under a 90/A-. it’s going to seem tough at first, but just remember that you’re adjusting to a completely new environment and work ethic. you will get through it!! please shoot me an ask if you ever need help i’ll always answer. (edit: also do ur homework!!! it could be the difference between a B+ and an A-.)

5. imagine the crustiest person in your grade right now. now imagine them trying to hit on a kid that’s four years younger than you. gross, right? that’s exactly what a senior hitting on a freshman is like!! do not do that shit!!! there is NO reason why a senior should be trying to hook up with you when they’re 17-18 and you’re 14-15. that shit is NASTY. do NOT date seniors (even juniors are sketchy).

6. high school is where you will probably encounter alcohol/drugs/sex/etc at some point. do not be pressured!! if you don’t wanna smoke or drink then don’t do it (if you’re with the type of people who pressure, you better run). ive personally never had an experience where i was pressured, and people were usually respectful, but i can’t speak the same for everyone else. wanna get fucked up and party with your friends? be careful! i’m not promoting underage drinking but lets be honest a lot of kids do it. no sense in trying to pretend like that isn’t the real world. if you’re invited to some party by someone you KNOW has a bad rep, then don’t go!! you’ll have more opportunities.

7. if you’re worried about SATs/college admissions exams, you have a year. kids in my school are kinda crazy and were studying freshman year which made NO sense to me. end of sophomore year/beginning of junior year is usually adequate (plus- the main rule with SATs/ACTs is that you should take the test NO MORE than three times- that’s three chances!! i personally did well on my SAT, so if u have any questions feel free to ask me.

8. back to the point of pressure - if you’re going to a gifted and talented program/school, you will most likely feel academic pressure. with so many bright and smart peers, your standards will end up being much higher than the general population. i’m speaking from experience.

9. student government is usually a popularity contest. if you don’t win, don’t beat yourself up. if you do, congrats!

10. take pictures! save holiday cards! make memories!! i sincerely regret not taking photos (with me in them!!) during my freshman and sophomore years. there are a lot of great memories that i didn’t record because i was too embarrassed to get in front of a camera. i’ve learned that i’d rather cringe at a photo i look bad in in the privacy of my own phone, rather than not have a picture at all.

11. start developing good studying habits right away. what motivated me was getting cute/colorful pens, highlighters, erasers, post-its, etc., and making my notes look really pretty. i have my own personal post-it collection now. if you find ways to make studying even remotely fun/interesting, it will be extremely beneficial in the long run. i remember the summer before my junior year, i was excited to go back literally because i wanted to use my new pens.

12. this is a future piece of advice, but i would say there’s a 99% chance that you will be friends with mostly different people by senior year. you might have a core few, or a bestie, but myself and many others know that there are people who we were best friends with freshman year that don’t say hi to us in the halls senior year.

13. listen, there are gonna be some snake ass bitches. there’s no avoiding it. just don’t pay attention to them!! they get off on thinking they’re better than you. the best way to no longer deal with someone you don’t like is to just not associate with them. i’m obviously over simplifying these situations, but its usually not that deep. if it’s to the point where it’s causing you a great amount of stress, then it may be something you need to talk to a guidance counselor about.

14. please. do. not. run. and scream. in. the. halls. who do u think u are?? it’s 8 AM i don’t want to hear your screeching voice as you run into 7 people!!!!!

15. the freshmen are usually the joke of the school. you’ll hear you guys referred to as gremlins in some way, shape, or form. just deal with it, you’ll understand when you’re no longer freshmen (unless someone’s being unnecessarily mean!!).

16. make friends with your teachers!!!!!!!!! stay after class to have a little conversation with them. email them after school. bring them gifts on major holidays. IT WILL PAY OFF. letters of recommendation? done! need a teacher to sign off on something? done! minorly messed up in class? they’ll let it go bc they like you! this will also probably result in an increase in your character/participation grades.

17. make a travel pack that you keep in your bag - a few small bills,  pads/tampons (for those who need), pen, pencil, bobby pins, nail file, hair elastic, gum/mints, small perfume, band-aids, charger, etc.

18. thrift books sells books for really cheap!! also, ALWAYS check other places before ordering from normal bookstores (i’m looking at u barnes & noble)- they’re most likely cheaper.

19. i’m not gonna be one of those people who is like “school is the best!! it can be great for anyone if you just try!!” bc that shit aint true. it might suck ass for some of you. just know that high school isn’t your life. some people act like your life ends after high school. we’re 14-18 years old and still have so much to learn and see. if you set up a countdown to the end of high school your first day of freshman year, so be it.

20. your teachers are people too. they’re not there for you to use and abuse. they have families, problems, LIVES. they also have 3289472 students besides yourself, and assuming they should put you above the rest will only end up in disappointment.

21. social media is not all that matters. esp in this day and age, people will definitely be using snapchat and instagram (and hey! tumblr too). but don’t think you need social media to fit in. one of the most popular girls in my school literally made her instagram just the other day. to reiterate: it’s not that deep!!

22. you’re gonna change a lot (which is ok!!). freshman year i only wore hot topic and watched supernatural & doctor who. now, i just watch cooking vids and fawn over shawn mendes. it’s ok to change!! even just though freshman year you’ll change. i know i got like. super gay

23. if you find yourself having free time (or having study hall), do your homework!!! once you get home you’ll probably get distracted/lazy. what i used to do was go to my local library after school and get all my homework done so that i wouldn’t leave my school mindset and not wanna do anything. even if you don’t get everything done, you’ll thank yourself later.

24. there’s a difference between “forming your own opinion” on someone and completely ignoring their reputation/what your friends say. i can’t tell you how many people have gotten burned by the SAME guy in my school because none of them even kept in mind the warnings they had heard about him. it’s ok to give people a chance, but remember that most people’s reputations hold some truth (but not everyone!).

25. this seems pretty obvious but like. be nice. don’t talk mad shit about people you don’t know. rumors fly FAST in high school. what’s even worse is when they’re not true. fact check your shit if you ARE gonna gossip.

26. ok last point (for now). everything is gonna be new. there’s no getting around it. you WILL feel out of place. you’ll most likely be anxious. but everything will end up ok (cheesy, i know). the first week of high school is one the scariest weeks you’ll have in high school. things need time to settle. you’ll make friends, you’ll find things you like, you’ll be happy!! enter high school with a growth mindset. it may not seem like it, but your attitude WILL impact how things turn out.

overall, you guys will be fine. good luck to all of you !! if you have any questions or need advice on a specific thing, please feel free to send me an ask!! i’m always here. love u bbies

[stunudo]

BAU Prep School AU: 2018

Welcome to the Frederick Buchanan Institute located in scenic Quantico, Virginia, a senior high academy that shapes the best and brightest minds. Its motto is “Behavior, Analysis, Unity,” the mascot the Submariners, colloquially “the Unsubs”. The small school supports the most accomplished faculty from across the country. (image link)  2016-2017 school year  Class of 18

Let’s Try This Again

August 21, 2017 12:47pm

The dampness of the air lingered on every blade of perfectly shorn grass. The mud and chalk melded into a homelike aroma, welcoming JJ back, as she strolled from her car in flipflops and oversized sunglasses. She wrinkled her nose; those boys were going to be a smelly mess in this heat. As she crossed the football field, she spotted him taking shots at the goal, bouncing the balls at all angles and doing bicycle kicks and generally goofing around. He was in his element, his grin wide across his features, which was understandable; he still believed himself alone.

JJ burst into a comical round of applause as he hit the turf hard, after an overly ambitious kick forced him into something resembling a snowboarding move.

“Need a hand?” JJ peered down as he lay with his chest heaving.

“Nah, I’m good. The grass will bury me by next week.” Luke Alvez waved off her outstretched hand. “What are you doing here Jareau?”

“Had to make sure my boys were on their best behavior,” She kneeled beside him, now lounging on his side.

“So, you’re not checking up on me?” Luke teased, balancing his forearms on his knees, unable to settle the excitement within himself. “Cuz I’d say you have enough to worry about right now.” She leaned back, rubbing her perfect baby belly affectionately. “What’s the countdown to now?”

“29 days, but who’s counting?” JJ glanced down her nose. “Come on, humor me with some drills. I need to move.”

“Whatever you say, boss.” Luke rolled a nearby ball her way before dramatically flipping back upright.

That’s how the students found them, their new coach playing goalie as their overly pregnant coach kept him dodging for every corner of the box with her pristine aim. The upperclassmen suffered through tryouts before school began each year as their games started the second week of September, freshmen rarely made starter squad anyhow. If the boys wanted to learn something about grit, these were the best teachers they could have asked for. Not that teenagers ask for things so freely given.

Friday September 1 10:32am

It was as if no time had passed, they filed into the Delaney Owens Memorial Library with casual conversation spilling over the meeting’s set start time. The faculty of the Frederick Buchanan Institute gathered for their annual staff pop-wow. Penelope Garcia sat straight backed at Headmaster Hotchner’s left as her boyfriend and football coach, Derek Morgan leaned casually beside her, making small talk with veteran math teacher, Jordan Todd.

“Alright, everyone, let’s make it official. Welcome to the new school year, for those of you unable to attend our little development weekend in July, we have two new staff members this Fall.” Hotch gestured to the middle of the table to his right. “Luke? Would you like to introduce yourself?”

Luke nodded and held up his hand in a short wave, “Luke Alvez, your new Foreign Language teacher and interim soccer coach. Originally from the Bronx, played professionally after college and have been teaching in California and most recently the Carolinas for eight years.”

“Thanks, alright, now the other new face. Matt?” Hotch looked to the far end of the table, the statuesque Asian man smiled slyly with only one cheek.

“I’m Matt Simmons. I’m filling in for Coach Jareau’s classes while she is on leave. I am currently taking a leave of absence, myself, as foreign correspondent for Al Jazeera, but before that I was on the D.C. political scene.”

“Oh, the girls are going to eat you boys up!” Mrs. Todd teased the pair of attractive new teachers.

“Jordan.” Hotch chuckled.

“Oh, who am I kidding, this day and age, everyone is going to love you.” She sighed, spinning back to the headmaster in her seat.

“Right, anyway, welcome, to you both. Penelope?” Hotch kept the meeting succinct.

Ms. Garcia squealed quietly as she spun to address the whole faculty. “Friends, teachers, countrymeh- peoples. Hi!” The meeting continued, Penelope and Hotch covering the new schedules and upcoming events. Something in the air felt more relaxed than years past, as if the summer had yet to release the staff of her transfixing spell. They made their way to the cafeteria, Chef David Rossi’s delights tantalizing their noses from halls away.

“I’ve got to be honest, I am surprised Jareau didn’t make it today,” Luke confided to Emily and Hotch.

“I was surprised I got her to stay home,” Emily deadpanned. “I’m sorry about tryouts, she really doesn’t listen to reason.”

“No, it was fine. Besides, kept the guys on their toes, her shooting past me even with that big belly.” Luke smirked, Hotch sighed as Emily’s face fell.

“She was playing?!”

“What?” Luke froze. “Uh, no, not really.” His face a mask of fear and inability to lie. They had arrived to find their meals waiting. Two tables set equally for seven, saving Luke from the awkward explanation, he quickly followed Spencer, who was chatting with Alex and Stephen animatedly.

“Smooth, Alvez.” Derek patted him on the shoulder as Emily stepped passed them, anxiously checking her phone. Matt Simmons was the last one to join his coworkers, Rossi had already served everyone and had sat himself between Kate and Tara. This left the last free seat next to Alex Blake. He slipped between the Drama and Debate teacher and the ever-bubbly Guidance Counselor. “Ladies, how are we doing this afternoon?”

Alex didn’t respond but held his curious gaze as Penelope began excitedly chippering away to his right.

Tuesday Sept. 5 10am

The summer heat hadn’t relented for two weeks, leaving the players exhausted and desperate after only an hour of running drills. The linemen had the field while the quarterbacks and wide receivers were working through their flexibility drills inside. May Howard never wanted to tackle her own teammates as badly as when they were able to walk back into the airconditioned school.

“Submariners! Positions!” Coach Morgan barked from his perch on the sled. “That means you too, Turner!”

Lucas filled in beside May as their hands and heads fell into line across the turf. Their lungs strained as they waited for the starting whistle. Their coach eyed them, leaving the moment lingering; training their reflexes as much as trying their patience. Then the blast, a jolt of force pushed the large metal framework.

“Don’t stop, get it,” Derek pushed his team. “You go until the play ends. You go until their line breaks and then you take them down!”

May hated being shorter than the guys in moments like this, her legs crossing twice as many steps to keep up with theirs. Lucas laughed as the Coach drew out his ending whistle. Their bodies burning hotter than the midday sun.

“Shower up. We hit the playbook tomorrow. Hard.”

12:57pm

Azalene Curtis could not believe this is where they had been enrolled for the new school year. The place was a freaking castle, she gawked out of the driver’s side as pulled up to the parking lot nearest the Rothschild Auditorium. Her little brother, Jackson, was running late for Freshman Orientation and of course she had to be the one to drop him off. Her hair was braided and wrapped around her head to keep its weight back and off her neck. She helped her brother out of his side of the car and walked him to the doors that had been propped open.

“Lena, you can go now.” Jackson grunted, his elbow crutches easily maneuvered over the lip of the door frame.

“Are you sure? This is an old building, make sure you ask for help if there are too many stairs.” She always worried he would be too pig-headed and miss a class, something their parents tended to ignore when it did happen.

“Are you going to be like this all year?”

“What? Looking out for you? Hell yeah, high school is vicious.”

“You said the same thing about middle school.”

“And I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Whatever, loser, see you later.”

“Have fun, Jax!” Lena turned to descend the slightly inclined walking path. A sleek red convertible came to a screeching halt at the sidewalk. A tiny Hispanic girl nearly jumped from the passenger’s seat as her older brother called from the driver’s side.

“Don’t be rude, Rita. It looks bad on all of us!” Ignacio Cruz reprimanded his freshman sister.

“Go to Hell, Iggy. I’m only rude when you make me late!” And she ran past the Curtis siblings as if they weren’t even there.

Wed. Sept. 6  7:31am

“Good morning everybody. My name is Matt Simmons and I will be filling in for Coach Jareau this fall. I know formality is expected here, but I believe in mutual respect. If you can act in an appropriate manner, you get to call me by my first name.” He stood at the front of his first hour Journalism class in a fresh gray button down matched with a black and white paisley tie. He read the crowd easily, from the overly attentive girl in the front row to the completely disinterested guys in the back.

“You’re actually the Matt Simmons.” Sacha Kane took a quick picture of him. “Best first day of school. Ever.” She read her caption to her Instagram post barely beneath her breath.

“Guys? No pictures, this is a classroom.” Matt sighed. “For those of you who don’t know me, I am a reporter with Al Jazeera. I have a bachelor’s degree from NYU and a master’s from GW.”

“You’re also Hannah’s uncle.” Iggy Cruz added from his perch in the last row, attempting to bring the new teacher down a peg.

“That is correct, Hannah Chang is my sister’s daughter.” Matt smiled easily, arrogant senior guys weren’t really that intimidating after reporting in conflict zones for the past ten years. “And your father is on the Board of Regents and Maya here is Mr. Walker’s daughter. It’s really cozy here at F.B.I., isn’t it?”

“We’re all about getting cozy, handsome.” Sacha leaned back, biting her lip.

“Ms. Kane?” Mr. Simmons raised his eyebrows. “Are we going to have a problem?”

She rolled her eyes and sat up straight, his voice switched from sultry to commanding in an instant. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting from his first day teaching, but this certainly hadn’t been it. Mr. Simmons turned down the lights and began his opening presentation. He left the class with reading assignments and to bring in a print media example of a current events opinion piece for the next day.

“Way to piss off the new teacher, Sacha. Since when do we have homework on the first day?” Jake sassed down at his flirtatious classmate on the way to his second period.

“Jakey, come on. He had that ready before I even snapped a pic.” She grinned confidently. “This semester is going to get me past ten thousand followers.”

10:36am

Luke Alvez’s throat hurt from talking during his morning classes. He started the semester with simple conversations, introductions and asking about the students. Second period was the beginners, but most of the teens had some knowledge of the language as their household staff or nannies may have spoken it around them. There was only one crack about tequila or cerveza, which he chalked up as a win. Now that he was done with his long stretch of classes, he realized how early in the day it was to have lunch.

“I feel like I just had breakfast.” Luke admitted as he grabbed his plate from the cart that Rossi had wheeled in to the staff dining hall, before ducking back to the cafeteria.

“You’re telling me, man. But if you don’t eat now, you’re going to regret it.” Derek shared from experience.

“How’s your first day going, teach?” Kate teased as she dug into her perfectly prepared meal.

“Pretty good, all things considered. I guess Penelope was teaching them at the end of last semester, so I can’t really win any popularity contests.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it, man. My girl has these kids by the heartstrings and their parents by their wallets, but she was not meant to be teaching. Trust me.” Derek Morgan chuckled.

“We’re just glad you’re here now. Let the craziness of last year be left in the past.” Tara added in her comforting voice.

“Funny the history teacher is talking about leaving things in the past,” Alvez chided.

“Oh, watch out, he’s got the comeback.” Derek egged his coworkers on.

They continued like that up until the bell rattled them back to reality. The easy banter hinting that perhaps this team was going to work out while past line ups had left people slipping between the cracks.

3:42pm

Spencer had been to the principal’s office numerous times over his academic career. Usually as the victim of some sort of bullying, the bruises hidden beneath his oversized clothing. Once it was because he had explained something during a biology lesson and his lab partner thought he was sexually harassing her. And another had been because his history teacher deemed him a distraction to other students and he had to remain in the principal’s office for the remainder of the quarter during that class period. The principal promptly retired the following summer.

These experiences were racing through his thoughts as he knocked on Hotch’s office door after the first day of the new school year. Clammy hands betraying his nerves.

“Come in,” the headmaster’s voice genial. “Reid? Everything okay?”

“You tell me,” Spencer didn’t sit but stood with one hand in his pocket to hide the tension it held. “I have fewer classes on my schedule this year and you gave Sociology to a glorified cameraman.”

“Matt Simmons has an undergraduate degree in Sociology, Reid. He is more than qualified to teach an introductory class on it.”

“As do I. In addition to my three doctorates in other fields.”

Hotch eyed the younger man. “Reid! What is this really about?”

“Do you think I can’t handle the course load? Did I somehow lower the standards with a full schedule?”

“Last year I lost two qualified educators, one to a personal vendetta of a student and one to trauma from the hands of another student. I cannot put my faculty at risk of burn out or exhaustion when the very people we are charged with nurturing could, rather poetically, bite the hand that feeds them.”

“This isn’t about my curriculum?”

“No.”

“Or my attempt at a stargazing club?”

“Not at all, though that really was just asking for kids to sneak off and neck.”

“Neck?” Spencer rubbed his absentmindedly, not getting the reference.

“Spencer,” Hotch leaned on his desk top, signaling the science teacher to sit as well. “I purposely gave you a prep period this year. I don’t want you to work yourself sick. We need to all be on our A game. That means accepting a break, even if we think we’re invincible.”

Spencer’s lips curled into a blushing smirk. “Clever word choice, Hotch. Invincible is late Middle English but has Latinate roots; ‘in’ and ‘vincibilis’ respectably.”

“Reid.”

“Sir?”

“I asked a lot of you, and even more so of Penelope, last term. This is my way of trying to remedy that.”

“Oh.” Spencer caught on. “Well, it was my pleasure. Besides, I kind of owed it to her, too.”

“No, you didn’t, but that’s what makes you a great teacher, Reid. You care so deeply, you take on the burdens of other’s growth. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself too, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Friday Sept 8 6:12pm

Maya Walker scrambled through loading the dishwasher, causing both her parents to glance between themselves. She had three different chapters to read, a dozen geometry problems to proof out and a trumpet solo to prepare for seating auditions next week. The pressure was starting to sink in. She gave up snapping Meg Callahan and just called her on speaker.

“This is only the first week of the next four years of my life and I am DROWNING, girl.”

“Hey, Maya.” Meg’s voice sounded overly cheerful.

“Did you just answer the phone at the dinner table? Nu-uh, Kate is going to kill you!”

“Rough week? That sucks,” The line became muffled as Meg clearly played on her aunt’s sympathies to get excused early from the family meal. “Okay, I have ten, twelve minutes tops before she is going to call your mom and check on you.”

“You didn’t have to answer, dork!”

“I couldn’t stand it! Chris was doing light saber noises while trying to convince Kit to eat his Brussel sprouts. They’re Brussel sprouts! It is physically impossible to like them until you’re at least twenty-five!”

“Preach!” Maya filled in. “But seriously, I am dying. Do you have homework? Maybe we can hit the bookstore tomorrow or Sunday. I am going to lose it if I am stuck in my room all weekend.”

“It’s the first week of school, I have like one page of Algebra homework.”

“Which could take hours.”

“Mrrrrrrp. Nope, sorry. I can’t draw it out that long.”

“Please? Because you value me as a friend and person?”

“Maya Walker, don’t go begging now!” Meg cackled. “But seriously, I am sorry you have so much work. And I am slightly terrified for next year. Hey, you said you signed up for Journalism, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Is Mr. Simmons as hot as Kate is saying he is?”

“Whoa, go Kate!” Maya cheered on the nurse’s taste. “Yes, he is built like a Greek god, with all the ageless beauty of his Asian roots.”

“Ugh, I wish my teachers were hot.”

“Dude!”

“Okay, well, like, not our parents, obviously.”

“I should hope so!” Mara shuddered. “But seriously, Journalism is first hour, he already knows my name and who I am. It’s going to be a long year.”

“Still a great view to wake up for every morning.”

“Whatever, traitor. So no study sesh this weekend?”

“Nah, sorry. I am babysitting and then we have something on Sunday.”

“You owe me!”

“Yeah, yeah, well I better scram. Hugs!”

“Thanks, Meg. Talk later.”

“Yep.”

Maya hung up the phone and fell dramatically into the mound of quilts atop her bed. She was procrastinating, but something about two days and four assignments felt daunting. After twenty minutes on her favorite puzzle game, she gave in. She got out her trumpet and got to work.

Next Chapter: Uphill

@mentallydatingspencerreid @dontshootmespence @ultrarebelheart @lyrasilverroseelizabethamanti @cynbx @rikersgirl22 @pllfrommars @wheresthewater  @darknesstoglowing @adropintheocean1234567 @tleighstone12 @unitchiefwives @sam-carter-in-training @prettyboysjello @ddreammcatcher @thegirlinflames  @night--hawk @t25luver @onlyalittleteenwolfobsessed @thismiss02 @unitchiefwives

[transmasc-malleus]

Since you're probably already out of high school, do you have any tips or advice for newcomers?

You’re correct I am out of high school! So this is advice for freshmen right? (Note that I’m not really qualified to give any advice but I’ll do my best!)

I’m gonna try to put this in a somewhat comprehensible list bc my thoughts are usually a mess so here we go, in no particular order (also don’t take my word as law!!! This is just based on my high school experience, which was not the norm for most high schoolers)

1) Don’t stress about making friends. In class, you’ll make friends, there will be people more talkative than you and there will be people more outgoing than you, so don’t stress about not putting yourself out there. Go to clubs, try-outs, auditions- all of these are great places to make friends. You will naturally gravitate towards people, as they will gravitate towards you. Let friendships develop naturally and don’t be afraid of making connections.

2) Be good to teachers that are good to you. Making friends with a teacher is the best thing you can do, they’ll be more inclined to help you and they’ll trust you and back you up. Granted, you’ll never be a real friend to your teacher, and they will still tear into you if you do dumb shit or don’t do work, but it definitely helps to be buddy buddy with them.

3) Do. Your. Work. This screwed me up a lot in high school, and I probably wouldn’t have been as stressed if I had just done my homework. It seems meaningless and dumb and sometimes it is, but it really is meant to help you in more ways than just learning the material. And it’s the easiest way to keep your grade up. If you do at LEAST 30% of your homework, that’s better than nothing. Turn in work half finished, turn in work with only one question done, it’s way better than getting a zero.

4) No one cares about you. This isn’t in a mean way, I just mean that no one cares that your hair is a little messy, or that you’ve got a new pimple, or that your clothes are wrinkled. People are too busy paying attention to their work, their next class, tests, soccer practice, theater practice, etc. So don’t sweat the small things, and if you’re super self conscious bring a few cosmetic things with you. I can’t tell you how many people bring hair brushes and tooth brushes to school, even extra clothes! And if you get periods, remember to bring pads and such! Most any girl you ask will have pads handy, but it helps to have some you’re comfy with!

5) Bullying isn’t nearly as common as it is on TV. People aren’t dedicating their lives to screwing with you. There will be plenty of assholes you’ll have to deal with, but most of the time you can avoid them and they’ll do the same for you.

6) Take advantage of the resources your school gives you. Guidance counselors are there for a reason! If something is really bugging you, bring it up to them! If they do nothing, then ask for a different counselor, someone will eventually do something. If you’re stressed about school or if you think you might have a mental illness then it’s not a bad idea to seek out the school therapist (there usually is one, but I can’t remember the exact name they have).

7) Relationships are both the most annoying and least of your worries. The one thing TV got right is that everyone cares about who is dating who. Not always in a malicious way, but most people like keeping tabs on drama. It’s not bad to sometimes listen to the drama, but don’t let it consume you. Theres gonna be some kind of drama almost every week, and 9/10 times it won’t directly affect you. And don’t be in a rush to get into a relationship. It’s not a race or competition to see who will and won’t be dating. It’s ok to never have a BF/GF in high school and it’s ok to have multiple throughout those four years. ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: It’s ok to have sex in high school, it’s frowned upon and I personally don’t endorse it, but it’s not shameful or disgusting. Remember that you are never obligated to do anything sexual with anyone. And it’s totally ok to want to have sex, and to go and have sex, but PLEASE be smart and use protection. Don’t rush into anything you know you aren’t ready for. Sex can and does in some ways change you, and it’s important to keep yourself safe. (Note, I personally had sex during high school and if you’re smart, and willing to take the risk, it’ll turn out fine. Again, not giving you permission to do it, it’s just something to keep in mind.)

8) Take Care of yourself. High school can be crazy stressful and honestly, it was the worst thing that happened to my mental health. But it doesn’t have to be! Always try to go to bed by at least 11pm. Staying up too late is gonna fuck yo your sleep schedule and mess with your focus and your emotional energy. Eat!!!!! Always try to eat SOMETHING for breakfast, even if it’s a banana or a granola bar. And eat your lunch!! They’re not the best but they get food and energy in you that you’ll need to get through the day. Try to shower every night/morning, depending on your routine. If you feel gross then you’ll just be uncomfy and get increasingly upset as the day goes on. Also, wear deodorant, lots of ppl don’t for whatever reason and it’s gross.

9) Don’t fall into the toxicity trap. It’s super easy to become callous and cold in high school, to become bitter and hot headed. Remember that no one truly likes being there either, including teachers, and stay kind. Don’t let people get the better of you by letting them push your buttons. Find people who are chill and kind and I swear things will be easier.

10) Nothing is high school is the end of the world. Failing tests, not studying, breaking up, losing friends- it’s all a part of getting older, and bad feelings will pass. Try not to dwell on what you should or could have done, focus on improving yourself and showing everyone that you’re better than you were. I promise that nothing you do in high school will severely affect your life, things happen and life moves on. You got this.

[prorevenge]

Karma is Oh So Sweet

Note: Not really a revenge story on my part, but I believe this is a fine example of cosmic revenge for a larger hole. Long story, TL:DR at the end.

About seven years ago, I was in my sophomore year of high school. Let me just mention this, I was not your typical student:

I came from one of the poorest family in this town of three thousand. My dad was physically disabled for years before this and had been unemployed since I was in third grade. This left my mom the only working member of my family until my dad was put on disability. My dad, however, did not get put on disability UNTIL my sophomore year of high school, so around eight years, my mom was the only one working. In fact, there were times when I didn’t even get new clothes to wear for a new year as we couldn’t afford it.

I am legally mentally disabled. I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in eighth grade and, legally, should have been in some special classes. This led the school to alter my schedule without my permission and resulted in my mom’s wrath to the school.

I am clinically depressed and went through a time when I did not take my medication as it made me aggressive. I have since switch medications and have become a lot calmer as a result.

Now, bullying wasn’t something I wasn’t used to. Ever since fifth grade, when I reached puberty, I had gained weight quickly. People immediately would bully me and tease me. They would even laugh at me for buying books for my younger brother to read. My brother is six to seven years younger than me, depending on the month. My brother was not in school yet and wouldn’t be in school until I was in the seventh grade. This was also a time where we did not have cable or satellite television regularly, so I would often bring books home so my brother could read them as well.

The bullying continued well into high school and this is where Principal Cinch came in. Note, that is not her real name, but the name of the antagonistic principal of Equestria Girls: Friendship Games. However, with how she acted, I would not be surprised if Cinch was based around her. 

Cinch had been my paternal oldest cousins’ cheerleading coach and, boy, both of them hated her. My maternal cousin also hated her, especially as she gave my cousin no sympathy when my aunt died when I was in seventh grade. My cousin and I had been extremely close and when her mom died, both of us were greatly affected. She also wanted to drop out after a time as she was sick of being bullied. 

When I entered my freshmen year of high school, Cinch decided to stop targeting her and start targeting me. First off, she would ignore me being bullied and would call me a bully. There had been no proof of that and I have a strong guilt complex. If I had hurt someone, I wouldn’t stop until I made it up to them, as I legitimately felt awful. This made me feel like a piece of shit for a long time and still affects me today.

She also did not care if I attempted suicide in class. This was a legitimate situation, where I was trying to strangle myself in my jacket in Geography. The students were cheering and the teacher didn’t care. In fact, when another teacher walked in, she decided to pull me out of the classroom and take me to the principal, as she was disgusted at the acts she saw from my classmates.

Guess what she did?

She didn’t do anything.

As I entered my sophomore year, things got worse. My dad ended up needing to go into surgery in late January/early February and my birthday money went to his surgery. Note: I was actually born in March, but my family had been saving up to throw me a sweet sixteen birthday party. They were proud that i had survived this long, especially with all of the bullying. Because of this, plus my own depression, I spent several days at home to help my dad around and even just take a breather.

Cinch did not like this and resorted to THREATENING me daily. At my school, we had something called AEP. Think of it as ISS, except for up to three months at a time. I had been sent once for kicking a teacher in the shin in seventh grade, but that was when I was on my more aggressive anti-depressants. I’m not going to lie that I deserved it back then, but Cinch threatened me with this JUST FOR CRYING. 

Not to mention that the man who ran AEP gave me nightmares to the point I was afraid he would legitimately kill or, sorry for the trigger, rape me. He even used to coach my little brother’s teeball team and made my brother play without his inhaler. My brother has acute asthma and needs his inhaler with him if he does any academic sport. Pretty funny, I have to admit, when the giant six foot football player actually has to go to the bench and pull out a blue inhaler so he can continue playing. My dad even thinks I developed post-traumatic stress disorder for a time because of him.

When my dad was in the hospital recovering from his surgery, I finally confessed to my mother and grandmother about everything that was going on at the school. There is no fury like an angry grandmother and, despite my grandmother being extremely tiny and in bad health due to being a smoker, she was prepared to go to war. My mom, however, let me stay home for more days, chalking it up to rough times during my dad’s recovery. 

The last straw, however, came from the vice principal as well. On the day that my dad was taking me out to transfer me to a new school (he had heard from my mom about everything I had endured and he decided enough was enough), he mentioned that his own children were disabled, but they went to school daily. From the tone I heard from my old locker as I cleaned it out, my dad was not happy and said the following: ‘Well, mental disabilities are different from physical disabilities. You have no idea what it’s like to raise a child with autism.’

Cinch decided to chime in that she knew, as she had a step-son with ADHD. Excuse me?

Note: I am not discrediting ADHD as a mental disability, nor am I insulting anyone who has ADHD. My first crush had ADHD and we’re still really good friends. However, if she knew how it felt for her step-son, why didn’t she consider what was going through MY mind? I think this was just an excuse to gain some sympathy.

Needless to say, I flipped the school off as we drove to my new school twenty miles away.

Now, time for the cosmic karmatic revenge.

I had decided to ignore what happened in the school and move on with my life. I made a great number of friends at my new school and we still talk to each other on facebook for the most part.

I graduated high school, got two of the highest grades on my TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) my school had seen and got a free pass to my first college. A government agency was paying for my education and books, so I got to explore what I wanted to do in life.

However, two years ago, my dad tagged me on a news article on facebook.

And I had the widest grin on my face.

'PRINCIPAL OF ********* HIGH SCHOOL FOUND SENDING THREATS TO HERSELF ON LINKEDIN’

As I read the article, my smile grew wider and wider. She had just ruined her reputation as a teacher and was getting her license revoked. She decided to quit, before they could fire her, to save grace.

The best part, people who had dealt with abuse from her were leaving comments and telling their stories. I decided not to, as I was just on cloud nine right now and even I have standards.

I actually saw her a couple of weeks ago while grocery shopping. She decided to act all friendly to me, but i just gave her a cold hard glare. 

As I walked off, I said the meanest thing I’ve ever said to an adult and this is the one thing I never regretted saying.

“I guess you got so bored when you couldn’t threaten me anymore that you threatened yourself? Wow, how pathetic.”

My mom gave me a fist-bump as we walked away.

Note: She’s since found work as a guidance counselor. However, she has negative reviews from several people from my old school. She also claims she can help with the power of god and she understands how hard it is for parents to raise children with disabilities. 

Before the site deleted it, my maternal cousin had posted this: 'You don’t know how hard it is on the parents when you threaten children with disabilities. No one hire this woman. She threatened my autistic cousin in a near daily basis.’

TL;DR: Principal who threatened me on a near daily basis is found giving threats to herself. ‘Quit’ and lost about twenty years of references because of this.

[studying-irene]

hi everyone! some people are starting school soon, meanwhile, others have already started. i’ve noticed a lot of people who are freshmen, or upcoming freshmen, and i’d like to give my own advice from personal experience! i seriously wished i followed some of these tips.

1. whether or not your current friends will be at your high school, this is a great time to make new friends. you may not think so right now, but you might become really close to them in the future.

2. just a psa, you might lose some friends in high school. that is fine! the reasons can range from unnecessary drama to just having no classes together. you will find better friends, i promise.

3. people say that high school isn’t what you see in movies, but cliques are still very real. you will probably have your own clique-like group at some point, but do be open to people. don’t just focus on your friends when that new kid could use new friends too.

4. you might have a teacher that will ruin your grades/gpa. i genuinely mean that you might end up with a teacher that ruins your 4.0 gpa or your goal for straight a’s, no matter how much effort you put into the class. do not underestimate yourself, learn what you can yourself and move on. you will do better, trust me, those teachers exist for a reason other than to make you suffer, i swear.

5. sign up for electives, clubs, sports, etc. that you want to try out. you will find people with similarities to you, and you will need that time to have fun and not study relentlessly.

6. while it doesn’t hurt to learn a language, instead of taking a foreign language class for colleges, take it and apply what you learn. foreign languages are really helpful and fun too, especially if you get to study abroad or go travel to foreign countries!

7. remember that you can talk to your guidance counselor at school if you have any problems. they want you to have a good school year too. teachers, parents, and even close friends can be good people to go to.

8. please, don’t take an ap class (or any class with college credit) if you aren’t willing to work hard in those classes and actually study. i see freshmen do this all the time, and it only wastes your time. it might be better to delay those classes for sophomore year or later.

9. the only reason why upperclassmen seem like they dislike freshmen is that some freshmen are too immature (and frankly, some of them can truly be a nuisance). otherwise, most of them will not bite, so don’t worry!

10. it is important that you do well in your freshman year, so try not to slack off. those grades are your foundation to your gpa!

11. if you do slack off freshman year, it’s okay, colleges like to see students who improve their grades. start sophomore year off with awesome grades. ☆

12. don’t stress so much over college, because you have time to slowly prepare for it! unlike the seniors who are in their second semester, you can plan on what to do to help you prepare for college.

13. don’t have time for something? make time, or find time. you have “time”, you just prioritize certain things over others, that’s all. time management is very important in high school.

14. you might want to improve those bad habits (ahem, procrastination) now. it will help you when you have three tests on the same day, and nobody wants to finish an essay at one in the morning the night before it’s due.

15. don’t take a class just because your friend will take it, you will probably regret it. i did this and i got my schedule changed by the school, so i had a class with none of my friends. it was tedious.

16. this is practically the opposite of #8, but don’t refuse to take a college level class because you think you will fail. (unless you’re contemplating ap calculus when you struggle to graph algebraic functions, then, you know, maybe not). it’s good to challenge yourself sometimes.

17. don’t feel pressured to do something just because it’s mainstream, or that certain people do it. try to learn to stop caring about what people think of you, or at least ignore any negative prejudice around you. their opinions are irrelevant.

18. learn to find your identity, it will take a while. that’s fine, but have fun, make new friends, do fun activities, work hard, and most importantly, be healthy and happy!!

19. do not put school over health. i beg of you, do not pull all nighters either. your physical and mental health is the most important.

20. if you get sick, contact your friends to know what you missed. or have them get your work and give it to you. or even better, email your teachers. i hate doing work when i’m sick, however, it might be better than making up your work while working on your current work after you go back to school.

21. i know people say “don’t stress” which is much harder said than done. you will probably have days when you procrastinate on so many assignments, or when you didn’t do an assignment and you need to finish it as soon as possible. break it down to little pieces and work on it. take breaks. if you are truly stressed, leave your work alone and relax because that is the most important.

22. when you are having a conversation with someone, listen to them rather than wait to reply to them. it’s amazing how many people don’t do this with their own friends. this isn’t exactly related to school, but people do this with their own teachers too, so grasp the directions teachers give you.

23. do the extra credit, especially if it’s small. it might help you from getting an 89.4% in the class.

24. i won’t elaborate on this, but it does help to take certain necessities to school. gum, extra pencils/pens, makeup, brush, etc.

25. unless it is required, don’t take a class just because you want to look good for college. getting into one can be very competitive, and sometimes taking a class you despise might put very little effort into getting into college.

26. learn what you study and apply it, and review it in the future. don’t learn to study, study to learn. if you have never needed to study, start now. even if you still don’t need it. because at some point you will, and if you develop good habits now, you will thank yourself.

27. figure out what kind of learner you are. it helps if you get a teacher that confuses you. do you learn better from pictures? audio? textbooks? figure that out now, if you haven’t. study smarter, not harder!

28. small advice: don’t talk in class and don’t block the hallways. sincerely, someone who walks all over the school five days a week while focusing in seven classes.

29. take advantage of what can help you study better! apps/programs, ambient music, reward systems, pomodoro, etc. figure out what works for you so you can study efficiently.

30. most importantly, work hard and study, but not too hard to the point where your health and mind suffers. good luck to you all.  ♡