#this is what being a sunday school teacher has done to me.

[lovingldsconvert]

in mormon 2:26 he says “the strength of the Lord was not with us”

so you’re saying…the nephites didn’t have the power of god and anime on their side?

[naneun-no]

On “Insecure Jikookers”…

Alright. I might lose followers for this and that’s very okay; curate your timeline and protect your peace babes. But for YEARS, every time the phrase “insecure jikooker” has come up on my feed my eyelid has done a little twitchy twitch 🤨🤨

And I have always ignored it, because I’ve never wanted to be out here policing ppl’s language and we are literally supposed to be having fun and celebrating love, like for me that’s the whole point, but —

I’ve been seeing the phrase popping up again surrounding the release of AYS and I just gotta say it.

You guys the term seems so culty 😬🥲

Like I think I get the origin (maybe)? It probably started when some of the early jikook bloggers (if you are one I salute you, I am not worthy, trust me this is NOT a dig at anyone, jikook bloggers are by and large cool and kind af 🙇‍♀️) would get these sketchy asks that were antis or cultists in disguise just casting aspersions on jikook’s bond or being blatantly homophobic and/or in general being rude little anonymous internet gremlins. Or maybe it was people who did want to believe that jikook was real but kept nagging and begging for reassurance at every turn, which I can totally see becoming annoying as hell and prompting people to start using the term.

But it feels like it’s used now as like a catchall for anyone who expresses any doubt or asks any critical questions? Even like… reasonable ones? And I used to see a lot of “hey believe what you want to believe but this is what I believe” but now it seems like the sentiment around jikooker communities has by and large become “if you don’t believe you’re an idiotic dumb person who has never known love — you’re either a rival shipper in disguise or WORSE (dun dun dunnnnn) an Insecure Jikooker — and we don’t want people like you around.”

And idk it just feels weird for a community that has always seemed to kind of pride itself on being the “rational, fact-based” ship… like we LOVE to be smug about how jikook don’t need edits to be obvious, don’t need slo-mo zooms with red circles and arrows because their chemistry and fondness and affection is just plain to see in basic footage. We’re the levelheaded ones 😌.

But doesn’t that mean that we should always be encouraging critical thinking, and if someone comes to a different conclusion than us, so be it? Like it or not, none of us have foolproof confirmation that jikook are anything more than very close friends. That’s literally all we know. The rest is our best guess based on vibes, anecdotes, dot-connecting, subtext and body language observation, experience, perception (!!This is a big one because confirmation bias is real!!), and suspicion. That’s literally it.

Look maybe I’m just projecting 😅 but when you criticize people for expressing reasonable doubt over something that is literally not confirmed, it’s just a little too religious fundamentalist for me! (This is why I was a bad Christian, because I always raised my hand and asked questions the Sunday school teacher didn’t like.)

Feel free to ignore me. I never want to come across as pushy or trying to stir up anything, it’s just a phrase that grinds my gears and I’m sort of hoping I’m not alone in that… but if I am, so be it! 🤣 would love to hear people’s thoughts because maybe I’m missing something.

(P.S. If you’re a troll who spams jikook blog inboxes this is not me defending you. You’re still annoying and you need a better hobby. Have you tried yoga? Snowboarding? Fly fishing? Filming food vlogs and/or painting? You should try cooking. You should stop being an anonymous internet troll stomping on everyone’s proverbial sandcastles and instead write a poem. K bye ✌️ )

[octuscle]

Reorganization of a law student

I am a university student here in Cambridge. My class teacher urged me to study law. He said I had what it takes. I'm the first person in my family to ever graduate from school. No relative has ever even thought about going to university. And if I hadn't gotten the scholarship, I wouldn't have done it either. The stupid thing is that, as an obvious member of the working class, I never fitted in at university. And the scholarship isn't enough to live on either. I thought about taking a job at McDonald's. That's where I meet the people I understand. Even if they think I'm the snob from university now. It's still better than being the working-class proletarian for my fellow students.

Day 1: Monday

What a day it has been. I commenced my new employment at McDonald's. I felt somewhat out of place in my suit, amidst the others in their uniforms. Nevertheless, they appeared to be amicable. However, I found it difficult to comprehend much of their conversation.

The boss incessantly spoke about burgers and fries. I couldn't help but think, "My dear sir, I am well versed in arguing a case; I hardly require a lecture on flipping a burger."

Day 3: Wednesday

I'm gettin' the hang of it, I guess. It's just about flippin' burgers and slingin' fries, ain't it? Not that complicated, eh? So, I meet this dude named Dave, been workin' here forever. He's like a big deal around here, ya know? But man, he talks funny, all Cockney and stuff.

Anyway, Dave's big into bodybuilding and stuff. He's like, "Bro, you gotta hit the gym with me." I might give it a shot, ya know? Need to lose some of this uni weight, man.

Day 5: Friday

So, turns out Dave ain't just into bodybuildin'. Bloke's obsessed with it. He's always talkin' about his protein shakes and them supplements. Keeps tryin' to get me to take some, reckon it'll make me "ripped".

Said yes to goin' to the pub with him tonight. He reckons he knows some places where we can watch the rugby. Never really been into rugby, but why not, eh?

Day 7: Sunday

Last night was mad. Went to the pub with Dave, ended up watchin' rugby and havin' a few pints. Then some bloke started mouthing off, next thing I know, there's a full-on brawl.

Dave was right in the middle of it, throwin' punches like there's no tomorrow. Got a few bruises meself, but it was proper adrenaline rush, I tell ya.

Day 10: Wednesday

Me life's taken a turn, ain't it? Can't believe how much I've changed in just a week. Started takin' them supplements Dave gave me. Dunno what's in 'em, but I feel like I could take on the world.

Been skippin' lectures to hang out with Dave. He's teachin' me all sorts of things about bodybuildin' and rugby. Who knew I'd find it all so interestin'?

Day 14: Sunday

Two weeks in, and I'm a changed man. Used to be all about them fancy words and legal cases. Now, I'm more interested in bench pressin' and pint down the pub.

Me mates from uni are proper shocked when they see me now. But sod 'em, I'm lovin' life. Dave's me new mentor, and I couldn't be happier. Who needs law when you've got burgers, rugby, and a good old pub brawl?

Inspiration by @mchav1020

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for telling mom to stop giving me unhealthy food and then refusing to say "I love you" back?

I (16, FtM) am autistic, for the longest time I struggled with eating different types of foods, in fact, i only started eating vegetables when I was 16 because my nutritionist told me to. Since I have memory, i've been teased by my weight, all my life. It led me to make decisions i'm not very proud of (like getting groomed at 8-9 years old), because of my low self esteem.

I've gone to the nutritionist a total of 2 times in my life, but in my opinion i should've gone more but my parents didn't seem to think the same. Both of those times the doctors told me I was a little overweight. They didn't tell me i was obese or morbidly obese which thank god because I would've broken down and kms (not really but even thinking of getting told that makes me anxious).

They did tell me to start eating more food other than fried food and other type of stuff. After the meeting, my parents started scolding me for embarrassing them in front of the doctor, but all i did was being brutally honest with her! I told her how my parents keep buying flavored water which has at least 2 stamps in it (The government makes it so that companies have to put stamps on their products saying what's exactly in it), so the only source of natural water is the one we boil ourselves, which i drink every time i do exercise. And also how the dinner mom makes is sausages and french fries, it's quick and easy. This last week I've eating that dinner two times and on the weekend i ate fast food for lunch, on Saturday and Sunday which means TWICE. By the end I was so worried i might have to double my exercise next week (so now) to balance it off. I felt really fat on monday so uh not a good feeling.

For my part, I've had this discussion with my P.E teacher, and she agreed to make me play basketball more so i can both exercise at home and more at school other than P.E class. I've also done the effort of eating vegetables (which due to my autism it was very hard at first but I've gotten the hang of it!) And doing more exercise at school.

But even when mom agreed to start feeding me more healthy foods, it's like she gave up. She's gone back to giving me the same lazy foods that are filled with cholesterol and grease, and every time i eat those it makes me feel worried. Tonight was one of those dinners and all i want is to get it out of my system (literally).

I told mom she can't keep feeding me like this if she wants me to lose weight, and she responds by saying "but what can we feed you? You don't eat anything else" which? Fucking excuse me? WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST MONTHS??? She always says that, it's like whenever i eat entire salads she fucking ignores me or something! It makes me feel so angry, fuck my efforts i guess???

I got more angry, but she's my mom, so i decided to shut up. Since i was getting ready to bed once i got comfortable she told me "I love you", which is a normal habit we have every time i go to bed. She says "i love you" i say it back. But this time I didn't, and she just sighed and closed the door.

Right now i'm really mad at her, but i recognize that maybe not saying "I love you" back was a bit too much, but if i have to stop saying it at all for her to understand I want to lose weight, then so be it. If she doesn't want to recognize im the only one doing the effort, whatever. I'm thinking of starting to refuse her food to make myself clear.

What are these acronyms?

[dee-boop]

i'm forever trying to understand and process just how dehumanizing being a christian was. who can know your heart? the heart is evil, you don't want to know it. don't trust your own thoughts. you're prone to do bad things. do what you're told as soon as you're told don't question anything or you're bad and wrong and that's the devil trying to lead you away from god. the sermons shame you. the body is the worst thing to ever happen to you, but it's a gift from god. you are an uncut diamond and "god" (your pastor, your parents, your sunday school teacher, and then, eventually, you are the one giving yourself a thousand cuts) is trimming and trimming away until you're something "he" likes. don't trust your own thoughts (you don't). don't trust your feelings (you don't). punish the body if you have to (you have); it is separate from your soul and it's not yours anyway. it's god's and then you get married and it's your husband's. the only thing a girl is good for is being a cheerful little servant. your little anger is funny. your little anger is silly. your little anger is annoying, i don't want to hear it. being angry is a sin. if you complain i'll hit you. i have to hit you. you'll thank me when you're older (the pastor's daughter has publically done this at church). you cry too much. why are you so serious? and then when they've worn the expression of negative emotions and critical thinking out of you you're stupid (enough to make fun of) and secondary (as you should be) and an accessory (so pretty on his arm, pretty in his kitchen, pretty in his bed, pretty in unmedicated labor). you're anxious all the time. every night you ask god to forgive you for any sins you didn't know you committed, or forgotten (you never forget, but just in case. does that even count? you apologize for not being sincere enough). you are crippled by indecision. you blindly trust any authority figure in christian circles and plenty outside those circles, too. they mold you into something you don't recognize when you finally leave. you feel like someone not from earth but from the uncanny valley. you are so fucking ancient but also a child. you are nothing like your nonreligious peers and you have to grieve, there is so much grief. who am i outside of the pain?--you're dissociating again--I don't know.

[ladykailitha]

The Magic of Christmas Part 5/8

The paladin theory is something that a good friend of mine came up with, that if a person was playing them unironically they tended to be self-righteous assholes who actually believed they were holier than thou. Now if you were doing it for fun or to riff on how paladins were self-righteous jerks, then it didn't apply.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

***

September was the hardest on Steve. All the kids were away at school, busy being students and living their lives. If it hadn’t been for Eddie, he wasn’t sure what he would have done.

“Who are you going to work on next?” Steve asked around his slice of pizza.

Eddie wiped his hands on his jeans. “The ranger sounded more fun, so Lucas is next.”

“You got a thing against paladins?” Steve asked, throwing him a couple of napkins.

“Every person that I have ever known that played one unironically have been assholes so...”

Steve started laughing and Eddie cocked his head to the side.

“What’s so funny?”

He wiped away a stray tear. “Mike is exactly like that.”

Eddie blinked. “Wait, really?”

Steve nodded, his eyes continuing to water as he fought back bales of laughter.

Eddie started laughing, too. Soon they were falling over each other just laughing their asses off when the girls found them like that ten minutes later.

“We are gone for less than an hour,” Chrissy huffed, “and we come back to find you giggling like children. Did Eddie break out the weed or something?”

The two men shook their heads.

“I was telling about Mike,” Steve insisted, “and he was telling me his theory that people that play paladins are assholes.”

Robin blinked for a moment and then started laughing too. Which set Steve and Eddie off again.

Chrissy just shook her head and put away the dessert Robin and she got, bringing out the beer to the sofa.

By the time she had finished all three of them had calmed down enough to explain.

“I’m going to have to tell the guys about this on Sunday,” Eddie said, holding his ribs.

“What happens on Sunday?” Robin asked, flopping on the sofa next to him.

Chrissy sat down on Eddie’s other side. “D&D with the Hellfire Club. Eddie DMs, while Jeff, Gareth, Brian and I play. It’s fun. Gareth has been fiercely battling Eddie over that nugget for years.”

Eddie grinned, all teeth. “He’s only bitter because he plays a paladin.”

That got them all laughing hysterically.

“That’s hilarious,” Robin said after they managed to calm down.

“So what’s on the docket tonight for my reeducation or whatever it is we call these things,” Steve asked.

“A double feature,” Eddie said excitedly. “Muppet fantasy. It’s fantastic.”

Steve turned to Robin, “I didn’t know Tammy Thompson made movies.”

Robin gasped. “You take that back!”

Chrissy and Eddie just looked at each in confusion.

“She sang like a Muppet!” Steve insisted.

“She did not!” Robin hissed. “She absolutely did not!”

Steve leaned over to get in her face. “Like a Muppet giving birth!”

“You’re horrible!” Robin groused.

Steve turned to the other two with a smile. “Tammy was Robin’s first baby gay crush in high school. She thought she could sing but she was the only one who thought so. Well, not counting the music teacher and her mother.”

Then he proceeded to sing horribly and high pitched so that everyone was laughing. Yes, even Robin.

“All right she was that bad,” Robin finally conceded.

Steve waved his hand at her. “Thank you!”

“I didn’t know you two met in high school,” Chrissy said. “That’s cute.”

Steve and Robin looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

“Everyone knew who Steve was,” Robin said, “captain of two of the three sports he played in. Rich, good looking, popular with the ladies. It was annoying.”

“I was also a bit of a mean girl,” Steve said with a half shrug. “We didn’t meet until after I graduated when my dad forced me to take the most humiliating job at the mall.”

Robin shuddered. “It was horrible. It was a nautical themed ice cream shop in the food court and we had wear these tiny sailor outfits.”

“Like the shorts on the boys’ costume was shorter than the girls’,” Steve said. “We measured.”

“At least the girls’ costume had shorts instead of skirt,” Chrissy said.

“Thank you!” Steve said throwing his arms in the air. “Tell that to this one!” He pointed at Robin.

“I would have gotten more dates if it had been a skirt is all I’m saying,” she replied haughtily.

“You were getting dates while I was getting made fun of,” Steve groused. “It was the stupid hat. It wouldn’t sit right for a start. My hair is too thick. I even tried not styling it. Nope still refused to stay on straight. Plus, I was famous for my hair in high school, so I thought it was hiding my best feature.”

Robin giggled. “I had a whiteboard and everything. ‘YOU SUCK’ on one side and ‘YOU RULE’ on the other. He never did get a single mark in that one.”

Eddie licked his lips slowly. “There–there wouldn’t be pictures of this is... outfit, would there?”

Robin threw her head back and laughed. “There’s a commercial.”

“No!” Chrissy gasped. “This I have to see!”

Robin grabbed the remote and found the YouTube channel for their smart TV. She logged into Eddie’s account with a grin.

When Steve realized what she was going to do, he made a dive for the remote. But Eddie tackled him to the floor.

“Quick!” Chrissy said. “What’s the name of the shop?”

Robin cackled. “Scoops Ahoy!”

Chrissy typed it in on her phone and grabbed the video that clearly had teenaged versions of their friends.

Steve immediately stopped struggling when the opening jingle started, allowing Eddie to get up and watch this absolute disaster of less than a minute’s worth of hell.

“Those are some criminally short shorts, Stevie,” Eddie murmured. He leaned forward and started cackling. “Does the register really say boobies?”

Chrissy leaned forward. “Oh my god! How did you get away with that?”

“Apparently film executives pop out of Hell as fully formed adults who wouldn’t know a joke if it bit them on the ass,” Steve said on the floor. He leaned his head back far enough to see the screen. He sighed. His hair looked like shit.

Eddie poked Steve in the ribs. “You looked cute.”

He held out his hand to Steve, who took it to get up. He plopped on the floor and leaned back against the sofa. “Yeah, you think so now, but I have no doubt you would have teased me for it back then.”

Robin looked at the remote in her hand and then back at Steve. “Sorry. I thought it would be funny. But you didn’t have a good time and that wasn’t fair to you.”

Steve shrugged.

Eddie put his arm around his shoulders. “I might have teased you, but only in the most unhinged flirting kind of way imaginable.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. “He would have been insufferable about it, too. He would have made me come with every time even though I’m lactose intolerant so that he could make goo-goo eyes at the pretty boy.”

Steve looked up at him. “You think I was pretty?”

“Sweetheart, not was, is.”

Robin smiled at them and then shared a glance with Chrissy. Absolute idiots, the pair of them.

She pressed the remote and got them back their double feature. They started with Dark Crystal and throughout the whole movie, Steve didn’t budge from Eddie’s side as they sat together on the floor, Eddie’s arm still slung over Steve’s shoulders.

It was only when it was over and they took a brief break before starting Labyrinth that Eddie let go at all.

Steve moved to the large sofa, but when Eddie came back, instead of sitting on the floor like he had been before, he squished himself between Chrissy and Steve, forcing Steve to plaster himself against Eddie’s side.

Robin shook her head. It was going to be an eternity before they got to Christmas.

*

“You going to admit you like him now?” Robin asked a couple of days later as they sat on their sofa eating mac and cheese.

Steve sighed. “I can really see myself with him for the long term.”

“So why don’t you make a move then?” she asked, poking him with her toes.

Steve picked at his food with his fork, stabbing the noodles without any real effort to get them to stay. “I don’t know. We’ve talked about it before. You think he’s head over heels and I think he’s just being polite because I’m paying his bills right now.”

“Oh.”

Steve looked up at her and echoed. “Yeah, oh.”

“Shit, Steve,” Robin muttered. “I could ask Chrissy. I bet he tells her everything.”

“Would you tell her if she asked for Eddie if I liked him like that?” he asked, going back and picking at his food.

She deflated. “No. I would tell her he has to talk to you.”

“And I’m not ready for that,” he murmured finally setting his food aside. “There’s too much time between now and Christmas, I don’t want to make things awkward if he doesn’t like me like that.”

Robin winced. Especially for New Year’s eve.

“Yeah, okay,” she conceded. “Just make sure you tell him as soon as you can. You don’t want to wait too long and find out he’s moved on with someone else because he thought you weren’t interested.”

Steve nodded. “I know. I’ve just got to keep up the flirting and teasing so he knows I’m interested and hopefully he’ll make the first move.”

“I really hope this doesn’t blow up in your face.”

“You and me both, Robs. You and me both.”

***

Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @itsall-taken @vecnuthy @bookbinderbitch @redfreckledwolf @littlewildflowerkitten @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @genderless-spoon @anne-bennett-cosplayer @irregular-child @carlprocastinator1000 @mogami13 @samsoble

[morgana-larkin]

Me again lol I was wondering if u could do Melissa x reader where reader is autistic and has an autistic meltdown or struggles with change in routine and Melissa helps her (lol sorry I keep requesting fics but your writing is sooooo good I can’t get enough and as always no pressure and look after yourself 🫶)

Hey, thank you for the prompt! I literally just moved 2 weeks ago from one end of the city I live in to the other so I wrote that reader moves since its really relatable to me right now. And feel free to send as many prompts as you want, it’s not a problem😉. Hope you like it!

On another note, I was going to post this tomorrow but kept seeing people like my other fics so I figured I could just post it now lol. Also I can’t believe how many people are liking my fics! Especially ‘her poco sole’ , that was the one I really didn’t know if people were gonna like and it’s the most liked one which surprised me. I’m gonna try to get another one shot to a prompt I got a few hours ago and the next chapter of Worth It. I do have my acting workshop tomorrow and a role on Sunday but I’m gonna try!

Overwhelmed

Warnings: reader has a meltdown

Words: 3.1k

You’ve always done things a certain way, you planned your day ahead of time and you don’t like changes.

You got diagnosed with Autism when you were 13. Your parents knew nothing about it but were super supportive and researched it to better help you. They also liked to ask you questions about what you prefer to help you even further.

You all realised that routine is very important for you, and if something changed then you would need a bit of time to calm down from your mini freak out. If it was small changes like having to wear a different shirt or a friend wants to meet up at a different store, those you can deal with. But big ones like if a friend you were going to hang out with cancelled last minute or a family member dropped by unexpectedly or you moved.

That last one you didn’t experience a lot thankfully. You only remember moving once, and it was moving out of your parents place and in with a friend you’ve known since first grade. The next time would be when you moved in with Melissa.

You got accepted for a job to be a teacher's aide at Abbott Elementary. You walked in at 7:30 and went to the principal's office to get your badge and to know who the teacher you’ll be helping is. You liked being a teacher's aide instead of the teacher. If there was any big changes to the day then the teacher mostly has to deal with it and you just do what you’re told.

You got introduced to the principal, you didn’t understand how she got the job with how she acts but you don’t ask, it’s your first day after all.

« so the teacher that you’ll be an aide for, her name is Melissa Schemmenti. I’ll bring you to meet her now, she’s in the break room. » Ava said and you nodded your head. You followed her there and walked in the room and all the teachers there looked up and looked at you and you blushed a bit. You got nervous when you felt put in the spotlight with a bunch of people you don’t know. « Hey Melissa, your new aide is here. ». She told someone and when Ava moved out of the way your breath caught in your throat. A pair or beautiful green eyes were on you and they belonged to the most beautiful woman you’ve ever met. And then it hit you, she’s the teacher you’ll be helping. You’re either really lucky or really fucked. You then remember that you should introduce yourself.

« Hi, my name is y/n y/l/n. You must be Melissa Schemmenti. » you tell her and she nods then looks at Ava.

« She better be better than the last one Coleman. » she says and you look confused. She already had an aide that she didn’t like?

« I don’t know, I didn’t pick her, the school board did. » Ava says then leaves. And you just stand there not knowing what to do until one of the teachers stands up to greet you.

« Hi y/n it’s nice to meet you, my name is Janine Teagues. I’m a second grade teacher. » she says and is practically bouncing in your face and you lean back a bit, a bit surprised by her energy and enthusiasm.

« Hi. » is all you say, you never really know what to say to someone new.

« Alright kid, follow me, I’ll bring you to the classroom. » Melissa says as she gets up and you nod as you follow her out of the break room.

You stare at her little bit, you don’t know what to think of her yet other than she’s stunning and you oddly feel safe around her. Which is different, it takes you a few times of getting to know someone before you even feel comfortable. But it seems this woman has the power to make herself go from being a complete stranger to all the way to feeling safe around her.

« You’re really quiet. » she says to you as she bends down a bit to unlock her door with her key around her neck.

« Sorry, just nervous. » You tell her and she motions for you to go into the room.

« I didn’t say it was a bad thing, definitely a nice change from the last one. » she says and you want to be better than the last one so you can’t help but ask her.

« What did the last one do that you didn’t like? Just so I don’t repeat it. » You tell her and she looks at you curiously.

« She disrupted the class more that the students did. She made it worse more than she helped. » she simply said and leaned against her desk and folded her arms. And that’s when you get a look at what she’s wearing. Black leggings with a pink top and black leather jacket. Oh. You always found a girl who wears a leather jacket hot. « Do I scare you? » she says as you haven’t said anything.

« I don’t know you yet. I’m just nervous meeting new people and never know what to say. I’m autistic so I’m not as good with social interactions as other people. » You tell her and she nods.

« Well this is the classroom. I have a split class. » she says as she takes a seat on her desk and puts her hands together on her lap. « I have 20 second graders and 10 third graders. »

« Oh fuck. » you say and she laughs.

« That was my reaction too. Do you have any questions? »

« Um » you say and think about it. « What will you be needing me to do? »

« Just stuff to help really. Like photocopy papers, hand out tests, help them with some class work. Might need you to sometimes teach the third graders a quick lesson in the back of the classroom. » she says and you nod. This sounds like it’ll be good, you think. « any other questions? » she asks.

« Just mostly wondering how you’ve been doing this mostly by yourself. You must be a hell of a teacher to have 30 students in your class. » You tell her and she smiles.

« It was hard at first I’ll admit. I even punched the head of a cardboard samurai right off before I asked for an aide. » she says and you laugh.

The two of you talk for a bit before students start arriving. Melissa has you helping the third graders with some work while she teaches currency to the second graders. She gets you to grade some tests for most of the morning then has you help bring them to the cafeteria at lunch.

« You were a great help today so far, keep up the great work. » she says with a smile and you beam.

A month goes by with you helping Melissa and she’s less stressed now that she has an aide that’s helpful and you’ve settled in nicely with the class and some of the teachers. Until you get home from work one day and your friend tells you that her work transferred her to another city and she’s moving in a month and your smile falls. You can’t afford the rent by yourself, that means moving.

The next day at school, Melissa can tell something is bothering you since you seem distracted and in your head a lot. During her prep period, she asks you about it.

« Hey, what’s going on with you? You seem distracted this morning. » she asks you and you look up at her.

« I’m sorry, just a lot on my mind. » you tell her.

« You wanna talk about it? » she asks and you shake your head, you don’t really want to put it on her.

« You sure? »

You sigh and put your chin on your hands. « Just found out last night that I have a month to find a new place and move. And I looked a bit last night and there’s nothing I can afford by myself and very few people are looking for roommates. » you tell her and she doesn’t say anything. « Sorry, I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. » you tell her and she shakes her head.

« I offered remember. And plus I was actually going to start looking for a roommate. » she says and you look at her. « I have a spare room I’m not using and wouldn’t mind some extra cash. » you look at her confused, wondering if she’s saying what you think she is. « I guess what I’m saying is , if you need a place, you can move in with me. »

And that’s how you got here. The day you’re moving in with Melissa. And you’ve been freaking out about it for a week, your friend has been trying to help you pack and comfort you the best she can. You move your things into her place all day, you don’t have a lot of time to think about it until you’re standing in your new room, and it hits you all at once. Everything changed, different room, different house, different roommate, different end of the city. It all changed and you crumble to the ground and bring your legs to your chest and hug your legs and start rocking to comfort yourself.

« Hey y/n I made dinner and was wondering if… » Melissa comes by your room and sees you. « Y/n? You ok? »

You don’t say anything, you feel like you can’t talk right now, it’s all too much. You end up shaking your head and she comes over and sits on the ground next to you. She doesn’t say anything, she just wraps her arms around you and brings you in for a hug. And that’s when you break and start crying and Melissa rubs your back in a circular motion. The repetitive movement and the physical contact of someone you know soothes you. After a minute you pull back and wipe your tears off. And she just sits next to you for a few minutes, letting you calm down « Thank you. » you tell her when you feel like you can talk again.

« Not a problem. I know it can get overwhelming. But I can help you settle in so it’s not so scary. You like knowing about things right? » she asks and you nod. « Ok, well today I can show you around the house so you know where things are. And then tomorrow I can show you where I shop and you can decide if you like it or not. Then I can show you all the best places to get a bite to eat around here and anything else you want to know. » she offers.

« You’d do that for me? » you ask and she nods. « Why? »

She shrugs. « Because you’re a good person who just needs a bit of help. » she says and you smile at her.

« You know at first, I was a bit scared of you. » You tell her and she laughs.

« I knew it! » she says with a smile.

« But after getting to know you, and seeing how you are with the students, I realised how much of a softie you are. » You tell her and she glares at you.

« Don’t go telling anyone that! » she tells you sternly. And you put your hands up in surrender.

« Don’t worry I won’t, I know you got a reputation to keep. » You joke with her. « was there something you needed btw? » You ask her, remembering she was asking you something before she saw you on the floor.

« Just that I made dinner and wanted to know if you wanted something. I always make a lot. » she says and you beam. You’ve heard great things about her cooking but haven’t had any yet.

Turns out what they say about her cooking didn’t live up to how great she actually was. It was better than you thought. She did give you a tour of the house after supper and you felt a little better. You ended up watching tv with her and she stayed right beside you so that your arms are touching. She knows that close proximity with someone you know helps you calm down and process things.

For the next week you barely say anything. You’re more quiet than normal and you hide in your own head, in your own little fantasy world that you have complete control of.

Melissa has no idea what’s going on with you, and that’s when she starts actually looking up autism and how it affects the person and how they act and how to help them. She sees that if they’re dealing with a lot of big changes, they get overwhelmed and they either repress it and pull away from people or have a meltdown, it also says that they can repress it then have a meltdown. And that’s exactly what happens with you. Melissa was prepared in case it happened, it’s just how it happened and what you end up doing after, that shocked her.

You came home after going grocery shopping and slammed the front door. Melissa was dusting her table with all her pictures when you came in.

« You alright there sunshine? » Melissa joked and you glared at her. Melissa came from an Italian family, so glares didn’t even faze her. She went and leaned on the side of the couch and crossed her arms.

« I’m fine, just they didn’t have some things I wanted so I just walked out. » You said, trying to take your jacket off but it got stuck when trying to take your arms out and you let out a huff.

« Need help? » she asks with a raised eyebrow.

« No. » you snap and continue to struggle. « Ugh why is nothing going right! » Melissa walks over to you and pulls at the arm of the jacket and you’re able to take it off. You slam your jacket on the ground « stupid jacket! Stupid grocery store! » You half scream out.

« Hey it’s alright » she tells you and puts a hand on your shoulder trying to comfort you.

You gasp and turn to her with a glare before shrugging her hand off. « Don’t touch me. » you snap at her then try to calm yourself down. Melissa tries again, knowing that physical contact helps you and read that doing things that helps that autistic person calm down helps during a meltdown. « I said don’t touch me! » you tell her and back up to get away. You end up backing into a wall and you feel like everything is too much and you grab your hair and start freaking out.

« Y/n it’s alright » she says and you barely hear her. She wraps her arms around you from behind you and you scream at her to let you go and try to push her off but she hangs on. And then you start crying and fall to the ground and she follows you, still hugging you. You put one of your hands on her hand and lean into her. « it’s ok y/n, you’re ok. » she says, still hugging you from behind. She rests her chin on your shoulder and you relax more into her. After about a minute you sit up a bit and she removes her head from you. You turn around and in a wave of confidence, you lean in and kiss her.

She kisses you back and she feels you smile. You pull back and look into her eyes. « R u ok y/n? » she asks you after it seems you’ve calmed down.

« I think mostly, it’s still a bit hard for me, I’m still processing everything. » You tell her and she gets an idea. She helps you back and tells you to stay there for a second. She goes over and turns on her Bluetooth speaker and it connects to her phone. She opens her Spotify and clicks on a song. The song starts playing through the speaker and you instantly recognize the song, it’s the Macarena.

« Come on I’m sure you know the moves. » she tells you when you raise your eyebrows at her. She pulls you away from the wall and goes behind you and moves your arms to the music with the moves. You start laughing at her goofiness but eventually you start getting into it and she lets your arms go and does the moves with you. At the end of the song, your both laughing and having a great time, then the next starts playing and it’s ‘can you feel the love tonight’ from the lion king. Melissa just goes with it and holds out a hand for you to take. « May I have this dance? » she asks you and you giggle and you take her hand.

She brings you close to her and puts one hand on your shoulder and moves her hand in yours to the proper position and you put your hand on her waist. She starts doing the waltz with you and you’re surprised. She ends up being a really good dancer.

« You seem surprised. » she tells you.

« I am, I’m wondering if there’s something you can’t do. » you tell her and she laughs. « I’m being serious, you’re an amazing teacher, your meals taste like heaven, you can waltz really well. I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew a second language. » you tell her as a joke but looks at you with a smile.

« Conosco Italian. » she says and you look at her. « That means I know Italian. »

« I was actually joking but at this point I’m not surprised. » You tell her and she giggles. The song ends but both of you don’t pull away. « thank you btw. You’ve helped me so much. » You tell her with a smile and she smiles back at you.

« of course mia carina. » she tells you.

« Ok now you’re just showing off. » You joke and she laughs. Then she puts a hand around your neck and kisses you and you kiss her back. It’ll take time but Melissa is willing to help you with all the changes and to make her house feel like home to you.

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[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 430 Spoiler Talk: The True End of An Era (Part 1)

This is it, the final chapter of My Hero Academia. A series 10 years in the making has finally ended. It's really insane to think about. This series has done so much good for a lot of people despite the fandom's flaws. MHA was both people's introduction and even reintroduction to manga and anime. It's bittersweet to write about the final chapter, but I will do the best I can to honor the series I love. This is going to be a very long one. Also a lot of screaming.

Now, please, if you want to wait until the official translation releases on Sunday, PLEASE TURN AWAY NOW! Save this post and come back to it on Sunday when everyone has read the chapter. I will be using spoiler hashtags for this, so if you end up spoiling yourself because of my post, that's on you. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING:

Here we go. We first start off with our Final Color page for the series! It's a gorgeous double-page spread featuring all Class 1-A (Now 2-A) kids that we've grown to know and love throughout the past 10 years including Shinso, Aizawa, and All Might of course. Izuku Midoriya AKA Deku, our beautiful MC who I will miss with all my heart and soul 💚, is leading the page and his friends towards the bright future they all fought so hard for. It's a wonderful way to conclude the series and I will make sure to get a high-quality version of it to use as my computer wallpaper.

The final chapter is titled "My Hero Academia" because of course it is 🥹. This was truly My Hero Academia.

OH FUCK WE GET A TIME SKIP TO THE FUTURE SOMEONE HOLD ME 😭

KOTA IS THE THE UA HERO COURSE AND IZUKU IS HIS TEACHER IT'S SO PERFECT FOR HIM!!!💚😭 I BET MR. AIZAWA AND ALL MIGHT WERE BIG INSPIRATIONS FOR HIM TO TAKE THIS PATH 🥹

IT'S ONLY BEEN 1 PAGE AND THIS CHAPTER HAS ALREADY ENDED ME IT'S SO JOEVER FUCK

BTW, Deku is saying a more optimistic version of the "Not all men are born equal" narration he told us at the beginning of the very first chapter of the series. Very nice way of bringing the story full circle.

Ok, the next 2 pages have a lot of things in them, so I'm going to try to sum it up as best as I can:

Izuku finally came home to see his mother, Inko, at their apartment and she looks happy 💚

All Might is out of his wheelchair and helping old Gran Tarino walk with a cane (how he still survived I have no idea).

All the kids running in their gym clothes in what looks like their second Sports Festival (god, what I'd give to see that in its entirety).

Miriko is very happy with her new prosthetics including one that looks like the Bullet Bill from the Super Mario series.

The kids struggling taking either mid-terms or finals written tests. Bakugo is still using his left arm to write, so I assume his right arm is still barely usable.

Shoji and Kota shaking some prominent mutant's hand I assume from their contributions towards the war.

Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods working together as usual!

Tokoyama meeting up with Hawks.

KOTA AND ERI HOLDING HANDS AND GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL WITH MADALAY'S APPROVAL THAT'S SO FUCKING CUTE 😭❤️🤍

Endeavor being followed around by his sidekicks and Hawks.

Aizawa and Present Mic visiting what I bet is Shirakumo's grave 😢

The fan translator says that the kids finally meet Melissa from the first MHA movie! We don't see her face, but I'll take what they say is truth.

Spinner's book selling and Compress reading it in jail.

Bakugo going through rehab to get his right arm back!

Deku and Ochako spending time in the snow.

OUR KID'S GRADUATION OH MY GOD MOST OF THEM ARE 18 THERE AND THEY'RE OFFICIALLY PRO HEROES I'M SO FUCKING PROUD OF THEM 😭❤️ Interesting though since none of them really look much older except for maybe Iida and Shoto, but it's hard to tell from the scans. And Bakugo and Monoma keep the crazy graduation tradition of blowing things up as their goodbye present to UA!

And finally, we see the embers of One For All slowly fade away in Izuku's hand until there's nothing left...

Oh, god. The time skip takes place 8 YEARS in the future geez. So, if this is 8 years since we left the kids in Class 2-A, they would be about 24-25 years old now damn. We're actually going to see them all grown up that's crazy.

The next page shows us a middle school class very similar to how we saw Deku and Bakugo at the very beginning of the series. The teacher asks them what they want to do in the future and we get to see small glimpses of other characters now such as Hatsume who has her own lab (go, girl!), and LaBrava who seems to own a company with Gentle!

The main kid we focus on in this class is Dai, the young boy with dark blue-ish dotted hair who was looking at the All Might statue in Kamino before the first war started (I don't blame you for forgetting; I had to look him up too). He says he wants to be a hero, but everyone else says that his Quirk is too weak for him to become one. Despite that, he still goes to the All Might statue (which sounds like has been rebuilt) for inspiration. Sound familiar? 🤔

Next we see Shoji accepting a prestigious award for his efforts in resolving mutant prejudice-based incidents! He looks SO BULKY HOLY SHIT DUDE 😳 And his hair got longer to the point of putting it in a ponytail! Also, Koda and the glue Class 1-B kid (I think his name is Bondo or something) are there to congratulate him too! I bet you that Shoji making it to the top 10 in the final popularity poll helped Horikoshi give him a little spotlight and it's a good way of following up on what happened after his bout in the Final War.

Next up, we see Ochako, Tsuyu, Momo, and Iida visiting schools across the country! Ochako has also set up a Quirk Counseling expansion project that's become one of the most essential things in the future society!

Ok:

1: It's hard to tell with Iida, but the girls all look slightly older especially with their hair being a little longer.

2: Their future costumes look great! It's not a 100% match to what we saw in Endeavor's vision, but it's still great! Iida's armor got more detail to them; Tsuyu's frog goggles got gogglier?; Momo is finally coving up her cleavage and showing less exposed skin took you 10 years, but you finally got there, Horikoshi; and Ochako's got updated headwear, the two dots on her outfit are side-by-side instead of on top of each other, and her collar thing looks similar to Deku's hero mask which I know was intentional.

3: Good for Ochako for doing something about Quirk Counseling. Definitely inspired by what happened with Himiko Toga. I hope this means that we won't have another incident like Toga had and that kids are now able to get help with their Quirks as opposed to being villainized. I hope Ochako's making good money out of this too for her family like she originally intended.

We also see a teenage Eri going to her music club with a guitar on her back! She has a normal girl's sailor uniform, so my best guess is that she's either still in middle school (I think she would be 14-15 at this point) or she's not in UA like a lot of us thought. Either way, she wants to pursue music instead of Hero work so I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't go to UA at all. It also looks like her horn did fully grow back, but whether her Rewind Quirk still works the same is up in the air.

And we see that Mr. Aizawa is still working at UA, BUT HE CUT HIS HAIR SHORT 😭 WHY DID YOU CUT HIS BEAUTIFUL, LONG LOCKS, HORIKOSHI??? OF ALL THE PHYSICAL CHANGES YOU GIVE OUR CHARACTERS THIS IS THE MOST DEVASTATING 😭

*BREATHS* But, he shows Deku and us a video of Bakugo SCREAMING AT A CIVILIAN FOR FILMING HIM TOO CLOSELY 😂😭 PLEASE NEVER CHANGE, KATSUKI BAKUGO 🧡 I'm also really glad he still got to be a Pro Hero despite his injuries.

AND NOW WE SEE MY SWEET FAVORITE BOY, SHOTO TODOROKI WHO CUT HIS HAIR A LITTLE SHORTER!!! I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS, I LIKE HIM BETTER WITH SHORT HAIR AND STILL LOOKS LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL PRETTY BOY HE ALWAYS WAS! STAY PRETTY, SHOTO!!! 🩵

Anyway, Shoto patrols day and night and is very nice to his fans! Kind king 👑! He's also become his own man to the public now as he's barley called "Endeavor's Son" anymore. That's a real relief because I know for a fact that that was haunting him for years. Also, there's a chance he'll pass Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and even Mirio in the rankings! I'm so proud of my fave! 🩵❄️🔥

GAH! I'm actually hitting a world limit here! I have to make a Part 2!

[kingofmyheart-19]

CHAPTER 4

Alex POV

"Okay, so where are you taking me?" Mack asks.

"For me to know and you to find out." I respond.

She chuckles.

I reach over and grab her hand, intertwining them.

We continue driving and pull into the restaurant.

"Whoa." Mack says.

I smile and squeeze her hand, "I really love this restaurant and wanted to share it with you."

She stares at me, "Let's go."

We get out of the car and start walking in when I feel Mack grab my hand.

I smile and feel butterflies in my stomach.

"Hi, Miss Morgan, we have your table ready."

"Thanks!"

Mack pulls me to a stop, "Miss Morgan? So fancy."

I feel my face heat up, "Well. You know that I'm famous. I don't want that to scare you off, but it has its perks."

She smiles and shakes her head, "Doesn't scare me."

I nod and pull her along to our table that has an ocean view.

"Wow. This is amazing." She says.

"Well. I think you're pretty amazing, so only the best for you." I say.

She chuckles and shakes her head.

"So, how was your day?" She asks.

I smile, "It was good. We had training and then meetings. We have a big game on Sunday again against Portland. You'll be there?"

She smiles, "I think I'm your goodluck charm."

I chuckle, "You are. I scored and we won last week. Now you have to be at every game."

"I plan on it." She says.

I stare at her, "How was your day?"

She bobs her head, "It was good. It's like getting to the end of the year, so things are settling down. Mostly exams and papers. My students are like so ready to be done, driving me nuts a little."

I chuckle, "Do you remember being in high school? I couldn't wait for summer."

She smiles, "Oh yeah, I remember. It's just hard to keep my patience. Plus I have my GSA kids trying to plan an end of year thing."

"GSA?" I ask.

"Gay-straight alliance. Like a club for the kids. I'm the teacher sponsor for them."

I lean back, "Wow. That's so cool."

She smiles, "Well. I'd always wished that I had that growing up, so it only made sense to kind of give back. Make sure they feel supported, make connections."

I nod, "That makes sense. That's truly amazing, those kids are lucky to have you."

She looks down, "It's nothing, really."

I reach and grab her hand, "It is. It's impressive."

I watch as her ears turn bright red.

"Alright, food. Wait, actually, wine." I say.

"You trying to get me drunk?" She quips.

My eyes widen, "Uh, no? We don't have to have wine!"

She chuckles and squeezes my hand, "I'm just teasing. We can have wine. White wine."

"White wine. Okay." I say.

"Do you eat fish?" She asks.

"Yes." I deadpan.

She stares at me and turns bright red.

I chuckle, "You're adorable. Yes, I eat fish. All kinds."

"Okay. Great." She says.

'This girl is too cute.'

Mack POV

"That was delicious." I say and sit back.

"Glad you liked it." She says.

I grin, "The company was alright too."

She laughs, "Just alright?"

I look down and back up, "Company was wonderful."

"So wonderful that you'll get another glass of wine with me and watch the ocean out on the patio?"

I chuckle, "I think I can manage that."

"Okay, great. You go out there, I'll pay and get the wine."

I smile and head outside.

I lean on the railing and look out, then look down at the rings around my neck.

Babe, if you're there, just let me know.

I close my eyes and feel a wind blow harshly.

I smile, "Hi, babe."

I sigh, "You like Alex?"

I wait and feel the wind blow lightly.

I smile, "Me too."

I feel a hand on my back and startle.

"Hey. You okay?" I turn and see Alex.

I smile, "Yeah. A whole bottle? You really are trying to get me drunk."

She chuckles, "Maybe I am."

I shake my head, "You're something else."

"In a good way?" She asks.

I nod and lean in, kissing her cheek, "A really good way."

She grins and pours us both a glass, handing me one.

She sits next to me and rests her hand on my leg.

I lean my head on her shoulder, "I like this."

"I like this too." She says.

"So how does the World Cup work?" I ask.

I lift my head up and look at her.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"Like explain it to me. I saw that there's eight groups of four teams."

She smiles, "Okay. So we do group play first, which means we play every team in the group. Top two teams advance out do the group to the round of 16, knockouts then you have to win to move on."

I nod along, "Oh wow. That's like a lot of games in a month."

She nods, "It takes a toll, emotionally and physically."

"I believe it. Does Charlie get to go? And your family?"

She smiles and nods, "My family always comes. My dad is literally like the team mascot."

I chuckle, "That's so cool. That they're supportive. It's in Australia and New Zealand?"

She nods, "Yeah, but it's going to be winter, like cold."

I chuckle, "You don't like the cold?"

She shakes her head, "California girl through and through."

I squeeze her side, "Well, we will have to toughen you up. East coast winters are brutal."

She looks at me, "You'll keep me warm."

I stare at her puppy dog eyes and smile, "Yeah, I will. I'm pretty good at building a fire too."

"Do you go back for the holidays?"

I nod, "Yeah. We usually go see Ally's family, they're in New York. We will probably do that again this year."

She nods, "Do you talk to her family a lot?"

I sigh, "Yeah. I mean Riley is their granddaughter. They've always been supportive and they're really great people."

"That's good, I'm glad they're supportive."

"Me too. It would've made the nightmare even worst if they weren't." I say.

I finish my glass of wine, "Shall we finish this off?"

She smiles and nods.

"Pour me a glass? I'll be right back." She says and I watch as she walks inside.

I pour her a glass and myself.

'Best night.'

Alex POV

I walk back out and stare at Mack.

'I'm so lucky.'

I hear the music come on and she looks up.

I walk over to her and hold my hand out, "I told you that I'd make you dance with me."

She shakes her head and I throw my head back.

"Please? Don't leave me hanging." I plead.

She sighs and takes my hand and I pull her up.

She laughs, "You like Taylor Swift?"

I pause, "It's not a like, it's a love."

She stares at me and shakes her head, "I like her music too."

I grab her hands and place them around my back.

We start swaying and I lay my head on her shoulder.

We sway until the music is over and I look up at her.

She's staring at me and I take a deep breath.

"Hi." She says.

I chuckle, "Hi."

"I really want to kiss you." She whispers.

I lean in so that my lips ghost over hers, "I really want you to."

She smiles and leans in, pressing her lips against mine and I swear the world was burning around us.

I pull away and open my eyes, seeing her eyes closed with tears falling down her cheeks.

I place my hands on her cheeks, "Hey. It's okay."

She opens her eyes and stares at me, "Tears of happiness, promise."

I rub my thumbs under her eyes and lean in, pressing my lips against hers, then pull back.

She chuckles, "You're something."

I nod, "I know. But I really like you."

She bobs her head, "I really like you too. Just be patient with me, okay?"

I pull her close and hug her, "I'll be as patient as you need me to be."

She kisses my head, "Thanks."

I pull away and she sits back down and holds her hand out.

She pulls me so that I'm sitting on her lap and hands me my glass.

"This is cozy." I say.

She grins, "It is, huh. Okay, so, is Portland good?"

I stare at her and chuckle, "Yeah, they're very good. They're pretty physical too. I usually need like a whole body massage afterwards."

Her eyes widen and I can see her whole face flushing.

I chuckle and put my hand on her cheek, "I'm not expecting you to give me one. But for future reference, how would Ally have rated your massage skills?"

She smiles and shakes her head, "I think she'd rate them pretty good."

I bob my head, "Good to know."

"So am I going to be worried about you at the game?"

I shrug and take a drink of wine, "Maybe, but I'll be okay. I always get back up. Or almost always at least."

Her eyes widen, "Almost always?"

"There's been a few times. But if you're going to be my biggest supporter, you're allowed to worry. But you'll know when I'm really hurt or when I just need a minute to breathe through it."

She nods, "Okay. You'll give me like a thumbs up or something?"

I chuckle and nod.

I finish my wine and watch as she does too.

"I don't want this night to end." She says.

I lean down and press my lips against hers.

"Me either." I say as I pull away.

I stare at her and try to read what she's feeling.

I rub her cheek, "I'm not going anywhere and we have time."

She closes her eyes and nods, "You're amazing."

I smile and press my lips against hers again.

"Well I think you're pretty amazing too. Ready to head home?"

She nods and I stand up, reaching my hand out.

She grabs it and I turn my hand to intertwine them.

I pull her through the restaurant.

"Goodnight, Miss Morgan."

I look at the hostess, "Goodnight, thank you!"

We get to my car and I open her door, closing it after her.

I get into the driver's seat and turn to look at Mack, who's staring at me.

"What?"

"I used to always open the door for Ally. It was like our thing." She says.

I grab her hand and pull it to my lips, "Well now I'll open it for you. It'll be our thing."

She smiles and nods, leaning her head back, "I like that."

I smile and nod, starting the drive back to her house.

I turn on Taylor swift and start singing.

I look over and she's smiling.

"What? Am I bad at singing?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "I'm not telling you to shut up. I'm just smiling at you."

I reach and turn up the music.

"But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, she's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers. Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time!" I sing loudly.

I look over at her and she's smiling widely.

"If you could see that I'm the one who understands you. Been here all along, so why can't you see? You belong with me!"

I turn down the music.

"You'll sing with me?" I ask her.

She chuckles, "I don't sing."

"You also said that you don't dance, but I already got my way with that." I say pointedly.

She shakes her head, "You did, didn't you?"

I nod, "Yup!"

She smiles widely, "I'll sing with you one day."

"I'm holding you to that, Mack!"

She squeezes my hand, "I know you are."

We pull up to her house and I sigh.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

I look at her, "I had so much fun. I'll just miss you until Sunday."

She squeezes my hand, "Well what if Riley and I saw you and Charlie tomorrow?"

I stare at her.

"Beach day?" She asks.

I smile and nod, "Absolutely. I have a light training and a meeting, but after?"

"That's okay. Riley and I are going to visit Ally in the morning, so that works out." She says.

I smile softly, "Okay. Beach date?"

She chuckles, "Beach date with our girls."

I lean in and wait until she meets me halfway and presses her lips against mine.

I move my lips with hers and can't help the moan that escapes me.

I pull away and lick my lips.

I open my eyes and see her smiling, "See you tomorrow, superstar."

"Night, Mack."

I watch as she gets out and walks to her door, opening and turning back towards me.

I blow her a kiss and she catches it.

I shake my head and laugh.

'Best date ever.'

[venusdian]

The Black Aesthetic - 005.

Previous | Chapter 4

"Being Black isn't an Aesthetic, It's culture."

(This is a mixture of 1st & 3rd POV) - 2.7K Words

Marí

────

Friday Morning

I was awakened by the sound of somebody not understanding a bitch is fucking asleep. I snatched my phone off the nightstand and saw it was Tailah calling me. I begrudgingly answered the call.

“What.”

“Well, good morning to you, Marí.”

“Oh, fuck off. What do you want?”

“OOO Language.”

“Tailah, don’t piss me off.”

“I need you to go to Genesis’ school and place a bereavement leave for her.” I slowly sat up on the bed and gasped.

“Ms. Donna ain’t make it?” She lets out a sad sigh.

“She died last night. We’ll probably be in Knoxville for the next couple of days to handle the funeral arrangements and things like that.” Damn, I felt horrible for Devin. He just lost his dad and now his mom. I can’t bear to imagine the pain that he’s going through. It didn’t hurt as much as when my mom died, but if our dad died?

I think I would be in shambles. I love our dad a lot. Even though I found out he was my dad later in life, even when he didn’t know I was his daughter, he always treated me as his own. I feel awful for Devin.

“Yeah, but uhh, I was able to get some documents confirming her death. I already called the school. You just gotta go up there and drop off the paperwork that I’m faxing you right now. Her teacher should have packets for her to complete her assignment while we’re in Knoxville.” I nodded.

“Ok, that’s fine. Hold up! Why ain’t you ask your parents to do that shit?”

“Well, My mom has some things to do at the youth center and dad is busy with the church. Which reminds me, Dad said to call him tonight, he misses you.” I groaned.

“I’ll think about it. I love him, but he talks too damn much and then gets mad when I have nothing to say.” Tailah is just going to laugh. I’m glad she finds it funny because I don’t. That shit is annoying. I be ready to go to bed then, BOOM! Here he comes calling my phone telling me about some damn fishing trip.

“Look, just call him.” I groaned.

“Aight, Tee. I’ma call you when I have everything done.”

“Ok, cool. We’re staying at his parent’s place.” I gasped.

“You want me to drop the shit off too?!” I exclaimed. Tailah kisses her teeth.

“See you soon, Marí.” Before I could argue, she hung up the phone. Again, That dusty bitch owes me.

omniscient

────

Alexandra Crane busts open Noah’s office door. Noah looks up and is stunned to see Alex at his office.

“When in the fuck were you going to tell me you cut my studio session for some Instagram thot?” Alex angrily asks Noah. Noah sighs, realizing he had forgotten to tell her that news so her anger is reasonable.

“I’m sorry, Alex—” Alex interrupts him, putting her hand up.

“You know how much this comeback album means to me. For nine months I’ve been writing and perfecting my craft for a perfect comeback. I can’t afford to lose any studio time. It’s already bad enough I have to come to Memphis to record music, taking time away from my daughter—” Noah sighs.

“I understand—”

“DO YOU?! It seems like this is too much for you, and if That’s the case, I can find somebody else.” Noah gets up and shakes his head.

“No, look. I can book another session with Max on Saturday, too. You’re here till Sunday, and we’ll use this time wisely.”

“But, you didn’t answer my question. Why is she also booked for today.” He sighs.

“Because I’ve been neglecting all my clients to focus on you.”

“Well, that sounds like a personal problem. You know, I didn’t have these issues with Marí.” Noah takes a deep breath. He was growing tired of the comparison. Noah was trying his best. He already had his clients, but now he had double the workload, trying to make Marí’s clients happy, too. He just wished they understood.

“Look, Alex, these past few weeks, I’ve been dealing with getting sample clearance because you want to sample the whole damn music catalog. I’ve been calling venues and working with your label trying to perfect your rollout. So, spare me the bullshit right now. I have other clients, not just you. I’ll make sure we have studio sessions until the time you leave. But what I have is set in stone, ok?” Alex stares at him, stunned by his tone and language.

She understood where he was coming from, but it was still the principal. He didn’t even ask if she wanted to cut her studio time. She huffs and storms out of his office. Noah sighs, looking down with his arms crossed. He doesn’t want to admit this was overwhelming for him. But, he was losing sleep trying to please everyone. Maybe, it was time to throw in the towel.

Marí

────

I walk into the main office with the paperwork in my hand. I’m tired. That’s all I got. I’m tired and Tailah better be lucky that I love her.

“Aye, they know I’m supposed to be here.” The secretary looks up at me, confused.

“But, I don’t. Name?” She asked with a slight attitude. I glared at her but decided to take the easy route, taking a deep breath.

“Marí Dunlock. I’m Genesis Glenn’s Godmother. She’s supposed to be on Bereavement, and y’all need documents or whatever.” I explained. She begins typing on her computer, not looking up at me. I huffed as I folded my arms.

“Is there a problem?” The secretary asked me. I lick my lips. She really testing my gangsta right now.

“No. But it will be if you don’t fix your attitude.” I threatened.

“If that’s a threat I will have to call security.” She smugly says. Right on cue, Ava comes out of her office. I looked up at her.

“Ava getcho girl before you have to call an ambulance.”

“On who?”

“You.” Ava got in between us.

“Aye, calm down. As much as I would love to watch a fight unfold. I can’t afford to get in trouble and be broke. Shante, I’ll take over.” I mugged her as she mugged me back, I wanted to hop over and beat that hoe ass, but Ava was pulling me into her office. I go into her office, and she closes the door behind us.

“How she died?” Ava’s nosey ass asks me. I looked at her in disbelief.

“You just have no decorum at all, huh?” Ava looks at me, waiting for an answer. I let out a sigh.

“She died due to a heart attack.” Ava clutches her chest.

“My god! That’s horrible.” I shake my head, handing her the paperwork. She takes the paperwork and begins to read it.

“So, you want my man back.” Ava rambles off.

“Nigga, what?”

“You want Gregory back.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“What is with this fucking town about me and Greg!” I angrily exclaimed. It’s like this stupid ass town wants us to get back together. Which is fucking weird like don’t they have their own lives or something?! Ava laughs, amused by my irritation.

“Look, Your niece tried to pay Janine to break up with Greg so y’all can get back together.” My eyes widen, and my jaw drops.

“You’re fucking lying.” Ava shakes her head.

“Yeah, she offered her twenty bucks.”

“Oh… I gotta talk to Janine. I don’t want her to think—” Ava smiles, getting up with her messy ass.

“I’ll gladly take you to her room.” I sighed.

“Fine,” I grumbled. We left Ava’s office and headed to Janine’s classroom. I know Gigi had good intentions, but Greg and I are over and will never be together. He’s happy with Janine, and I’m at peace about being alone. Once we arrived at Janine’s classroom, Ava entered the classroom, calling Janine to come outside. Janine looked at her worriedly but came outside, stunned to see me.

“Janine, hey! Look, I want to apologize for Gigi. She’s just—” Janine smiles, shaking her head.

“No, it’s fine, really.” I sympathetically looked at her.

“No, it’s not. I know you and Greg are together and happy. I don’t want to interfere with that.” I reassured her. She nods.

“Look, Marí it’s fine. Honestly, Genesis is a great girl and I know she has a big heart. I wasn’t offended by it.”

“Ok.” Janine and I awkwardly looked at each other. Then she excused herself back to her classroom.

“BOOOO! TOMATOES! TOMATOES!” Ava announced. I rolled my eyes and walked away.

“Where are you going?” She called out.

“I’m going to get Genesis’ schoolwork.” I walked to Gregory’s classroom, knocking on the door.

“It’s open.” He called out. I entered the classroom, and it was empty.

“Hey, Greg.” I nervously called out. He looks back at me and smiles.

“Oh, hey, Marí. I assume you’re here for Genesis’ school work.” I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Well, come in. It’s on my desk.” I hummed, nodding. I walked over and sat down, collecting everything.

“Greg, I’m so sorry that Gigi asked Janine to break up with you.” Gregory nonchalantly hums.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. You’re happy and moved on… I don’t want my return to interfere with that.” He looks up at me.

“Your return has actually made me happy.” He admits. I look away. He gets up and walks over to me. He grabs my face, making me look at him.

“Greg, look. What we had is in the past.”

“It is. But?” I shake my head.

“No, we can’t do this.”

“We can’t do what? Talk about our feelings?”

“What about Janine?”

“Marí, tell me, do you still love me?” I looked up at him, stammering.

“w-why are you acting like this?” I finally got out. Greg shrugged.

“I don’t know. I want to suppress it, I really do, but it’s like when I’m around you. I forget all common sense and just want the old thing back.” I pulled away, taking the packet out of his hand.

“Greg, you could’ve stopped me seven years ago but chose not to.”

“If you wanted me to stop you, why did you leave then?” I let out a flustered groan, turning around and looking at him.

“I was scared, Greg!” I exclaimed, then quickly covered my mouth.

“Scared of what?” He further prods. I looked up at him and sighed.

“I was scared of the future. You knew all the answers and I didn’t. I was scared coming back to Anslem because there were things that I didn’t want to confront. When we decided to leave, I didn’t want to come back, and, honestly, I still don’t want to be here. But I am, and I don’t know what’s next.” I confessed, my eyes watering because this stupid ass nigga got me vulnerable again.

Greg places his thumb on my cheek, wiping the tears off.

“Then you should’ve said something, Marí. I would’ve been by your side. I love you.” Greg pauses and takes a step back as I look at him.

“Shit.” He says, realizing what’s going on.

“I should leave,” I muttered. I walk towards the door when he calls my name. I turn around.

“yes?”

“Do you love me too?” I take a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh.

“I never stopped.” I turned around, leaving the classroom. I could see Greg’s students were on their way back from wherever they were and kept my head down. I did not want anyone else to see me cry. I hurried out of the school and into my car. Once I got in the car I placed my head on the steering wheel, letting out a scream because, WHY?! Why me?! Why Greg?!

Out of all the exes I could be hung up on, it has to be a man who’s in a happily committed relationship. I don’t want to be the downfall of their relationship. Karma is a bitch and I already have enough trauma in my life. I don’t need this shit. My phone rings, stopping me from crying. I look over and see it’s Alex calling me. I sniffled, wiping my tears, and picked up the call.

“Hello?”

“I want a new manager or have you back as my manager.” I groaned, starting my car.

“What’s wrong?”

“He cut my studio time in half for some Instagram hoe.” I rolled my eyes.

“Her name is Courtney, and why do you care so much?”

“Because this is my debut album.” I groaned, pulling out of my parking spot and speeding down the street.

“Alex, You sharing a studio session is not the end of the world. I promise we’ll still have your rollout ready. You just need to make sure Gravity is ready, too.” Alex kisses her teeth.

“They will be. Why you hatin’ on yo aunt.” I rolled my eyes.

“I ain’t. Look, I’m just being realistic. Star’s Sophomore album is in the works, and Noah’s comeback album is highly anticipated. Let’s not forget the Empire merger.” I remind her, pulling up to a red light. I could tell, she did not want to hear that, but it was the truth. That’s why I don’t want Courtney to sigh to Gravity. She would just fall to the waste side while they’re trying to keep their current artists happy.

It just isn’t a good idea, and besides, she needs to build a following for her music before she can even think about getting a label co-sign. Alex lets out a tired sigh.

“I—I know. It’s just when Carlotta suggested that I get managed by you, I was scared, but you quickly eased my nerves and kept the money flowing not just for me, but for Derek too. Have him speak at important Seminars. You made me feel secure about my future. Noah—”

“Noah is trying his best. It’s only been six months since I got the promotion. He’s doing his best. I wouldn’t give him my clients if I didn’t have faith in him. Now, give him a chance. You’re sounding like Star.” I could tell Alex scrunched her face because she and I both knew that wasn’t a compliment. Alex lets out a small chuckle as the light turns green.

“Alright, I’ll let him slide this time. But, Marí?” I hummed.

“Have you talked to Carlotta? I know the last time you saw her was at your mother’s funeral.” I sighed. Carlotta has reached out to me after my mother’s passing but I’ve been ducking those calls. Our last conversation was just— Very emotional and I need my space. As you can see, I don’t do well with emotional conversations. It’s not my strong suit, it never has. So, I have Three Aunts and two uncles on my mother’s side. Out of All of them, Carlotta is the only one who could make me emotionally express how I feel about my mother’s death and that was an intense conversation that I would like to keep between me, her, and God.

I just— it’s a lot.

“By your silence, I’m going to say no. Well, you should call her.” I sighed.

“I’ll get around to it. Look, I have a three-hour drive to Knoxville so I’ll call you when I’m free.” Alex hums.

“Aight, Love you Marí.”

“Love you too.” I hang up the call. I toss my phone into my passenger seat. It lights up. I look over and see it’s an Instagram message. I grabbed my phone and placed it on my lap. I was coming up to the next red light. Once, I pulled up and looked down at my phone, tapping my phone screen. It was a new message. I opened the notification, and I saw the message my heart sank.

“When you’re ready, I’ll be right here.” Attached is a YouTube Video of 112’s Right Here for U.

When this song came out, He sang it to me all the time, in 6th grade. Whenever I was sad or scared. He could not sing, but the gesture was always nice. The last time he performed this song, We were in college and had that dusty apartment. I was sad because life was lifing, and he did a full-out performance for me.

He always knew how to make me happy. I tossed the phone back in the passenger seat. I looked up to see a green light. I sigh to myself. Although the message warmed my heart, I’ll never know when I’ll be ready for him, and I don’t want him to wait.

[roping-riding-wrangling]

Eyes Without A Face

Previous

Alone in his car, you listen to the sounds of the Clash. “This,” Jonathan nods towards the radio, “was Will’s favorite song?”

“Is” you correct him. “Will’s still alive.”

Jonathan huffs out a gentle, “yeah.”

“Anyway, really? He's like 11, I’m surprised his favorite song isn’t Rainbow Connection or something.”

Jonathan has a faraway look in his eyes, one that tells you he’s not really paying attention to your attempts to cheer him up. “Jonathan,” you begin, “I’m serious. He’s gonna be okay.”

Summary: Y/n and Bob finally talk, Jon and Y/n go casket shopping and run into a familiar face

Words: 4.2K

Warnings: Newby!reader, swearing, signs of depression/dissociation, anxiety, mentions of death (including child death)

Its the first morning this week that you haven’t felt deeply exhausted when you wake up. Despite the fact that you wake up in yesterday’s clothes, you can’t deny how rested you feel. Of course, coffee is still a necessity. 

You walk out to the kitchen and are surprised to find your dad already sitting at the table. A full mug waits for you. You give him a soft smile and a “thanks” before taking a seat and sipping on your mug. Your dad must have been up for a while, the coffee is already cooled to a drinkable temperature. 

“Buddy, I think we need to talk.” Your dad says after a few beats of silence. 

Your shoulders slump with the weight of the conversation yet to happen. 

“I’m worried about you. You nearly passed out yesterday. I couldn’t really understand most of what you said last night, but I want to know what's going on to make you this upset. It’s clearly more than Benny’s passing. Please, just tell me whats wrong.”

You take a breath, deciding how to explain everything to your dad. “You uh, know how I don’t really bring any friends over. Its cause I can count them on one hand. You,” you put up a finger, “Benny,” a second finger rises, “and Jonathan” three fingers for three friends. 

“What about the girls on the team?”

“We’re teammates, not friends. Anyways, as of yesterday a third of my friends is dead. And for some inexplicable reason, he killed himself. Benny, happy Benny, shot himself. And I was one of the last people to see him. That night…a kid showed up in the kitchen. A runaway, I think. Anyways, I offered to stay in the diner to keep an eye on her and Benny let me go home. I keep going back to that night. I keep replaying it in my head on loop. And I keep wondering…If I had stayed maybe–maybe he’d still be here. And then there's the whole Jonathan thing…His kid brother has been missing since Sunday night. I was with Jonathan that night. He came into the diner right before close and I let him stay late. Thats probably when Will went missing. If I’d just–”

Your dad set his hand on your clenched fist.

“If I had just made him go home, Will might not be lost, or it would've been noticed sooner or something. I just…I keep letting things happen.”

“Letting things happen?”

“You know, not doing anything. I just…I feel so passive and I feel like lately its been having consequences.”

“Then don’t be passive.”

“What?”

“Well, if you think that being passive is causing trouble, then start taking action.”

You think back to yesterday’s events. You, paralyzed to act, as Jonathan’s camera is destroyed. You think back farther, to not saying anything when Ms Henderson didn’t notice the song until you were seconds away from snapping. Not stopping your dad as he left you alone. Agreeing to leave Eleven and Benny. Letting Jonathan stay late at the diner. 

The guilt eats you alive. Your entire life, you’ve done things because it was easier than fighting. You joined volleyball because your middle school teacher had asked you to. You worked at Benny’s because he needed a hand taking orders. You didn’t even put up a fight when your mom left. 

“I don’t think I know how.”

“So we’ll start small. You’ll take a day for yourself. I’ll stay home with you and you’ll tell me how today is going to go. Every step of the day is your choice, not mine, not anyone else’s. your’s”

Even now you can’t seem to say no to your dad. 

“...okay”

“So what’s first?”

“Can you call my coach? I don’t want her to think I’m skipping for anything dumb. And,” you pause, gauging his reaction, “can I go back to sleep for a bit?”

“Of course, buddy. I love you.”

“I love you too dad.”

You slowly head back to your room

You don’t sleep. Instead, you sit on the floor, back against the door. You sift through your music collection. None of it sounds appealing. One album stands out amongst the others: Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell. You’d been listening to it on Sunday. Sunday feels like it was years ago

You turn the cassette over in your hands. It was borrowed from Jonathan last week, but you’d yet to return it. You gently remove it from the case and put it in your walkman. sticking the headphones on yourself, you fall into the memory of him lending it to you,

It was another slow, late night at the diner. Benny was doing inventory in the back while you were up front, chatting with Jonathan, the lone patron of the diner. 

“What is this?” you asked, the station he’d changed the radio to was playing an unfamiliar tune. 

“The Talking Heads,” he answered, “you like ‘em?”

“I don’t know. It sounds kinda weird.”

“Yeah,” he laughed lightly, “that's kinda the point. They’re not conforming to the general population’s perception of good music.”

You frowned, “So I’m the general population?”

Jonathan looked at you plainly, “I mean…yeah. I’m sorry, but every time I come in here it's either Kenny Rogers, or Dolly Parton, or Glen Campbell.”

“That's not all I listen to. It’s just that Benny likes it and it's literally his diner,” you respond, “there’s plenty of other stuff I like–like Elton John! And Simon and Garfunkel and Linda Rondstadt and David Bowie and–”

“Okay okay! I get it” he said throwing his hands up in surrender, but you weren’t done

“The Police and Billy Idol–”

“Wait,” he interrupted again, “You like Billy Idol?”

That gave you pause. “Uh…I mean, yeah, he’s cool.”

“Have you listened to Rebel Yell?” he asked excitedly.

“Oh no,” you replied awkwardly, “I uh, haven’t managed to get my hands on it.”

“Here!” He materialized the cassette from somewhere within his bag, “you can borrow this.”

“Oh,” you were shocked. You wouldn’t have expected him to give over the tape that readily. You’d pegged him as the type to keep his music to himself. He prided himself on his superior taste, whereas your taste was too eclectic for you to be pretentious about it 

“Thanks!” 

You really had meant to just listen to it once and return it, but it kept poking out from your bag while you did your homework. You listened to it again the next day on your drive, and again while jogging. Jonathan never asked for it back, and you never brought it up either. 

The tape stopping pulls you from your reverie. You yank the headphones off and stick the walkman back in your bag. 

You put the box of cassettes up and crawled into bed. The fan blows air at the windows, moving your curtains. Every so often, you caught a glimpse of the outside. The sky is gray, casting a sad shadow over the trees in your yard. You pull the curtains back even more, resting your cheek against the cool glass. Every so often, a car passes by. The wind knocks down leaves from the trees. When you breathe, the glass fogs up. 

You flop back on the bed, no longer feeling tired. No longer feeling anything. There's nothing left to feel. You recognize the emptiness. It's a comfort that you’ve often turned to. Shutting yourself out and going on autopilot. You know exactly how to act so that everyone thinks you’re fine, but the reality is that your smiles don’t go all the way and your laughs are a hollow ringing in your own ears. 

You haven’t had to shut down in a while. You forgot how nice the nothingness is. 

You don’t sleep, but laying in your bed with nothing but the fan and the gentle noises from outside feels good. You finally rise from your bed, your stomach grumbling from negligence. You quietly open your door. The floor is cold against your unsocked feet. 

“Hey buddy, feeling better?” Your dad asks from his spot on the couch, where he is watching reruns of MASH. You nod at him and give him a smile. “What’s next on the agenda?” his answer comes in the form of your stomach growling. You both laugh, but his is louder. "Could we go get some food in town?” you ask him.

“You got it, what’ll it be?” 

“I could go for some pizza,” you shrug.

You grab your bag and hop in his car. You watch from the passenger seat as the trees fly by and begin to fade into the familiar buildings of downtown Hawkins. He pulls into his parking spot behind the Radio Shack and ducks around the car to open the door for you. “After you,” he says, a goofy grin on his face. 

The walk to the pizza place is short and your dad rambles about a radio he donated to the middle school AV club the whole time. You recall him mentioning how he started the club in his youth. He speaks vigorously and you have trouble understanding everything he means, but its sweet how passionate he is about it. Its one of the things you admire most about the man. When he loves something, he loves it truly and deeply. 

He once again opens the door for you when you arrive. You claim a table while he puts your order in at the counter. He returns with a flag with the number eleven on it. The reminder of the sweet little girl gives your heart a twinge, and you quickly let the numbness consume it. 

“Scott was telling me how excited all the boys were on Monday when they saw it. Did you know the Henderson kid is in the club?” he asks you.

“No, I didn’t. Good for him,” you answer. 

“Yeah...speaking of clubs, how's volleyball going?” it's clear he’s trying to make conversation.

You know that your dad needs this. He needs to know that you’re okay, that you’re not slipping away from him, that he’s doing his job as a dad correctly. You could never deny him this kindness, so you fill the void of silence, “It’s going pretty well. Coach wants me to try libero, since Casey’s graduating next year, but I think I’m better as a setter. We’ll see.”

A server comes with a tray of pizza for your table. Your dad continues to ask you about volleyball, school, anything to keep you talking. You play along and answer his questions while eating. 

After three slices, you have to make the choice of eating another. You decide not to make yourself sick and have your dad flag down the server to ask for a to go box. 

Again he opens the door for you on the way out. The pizza settles in your stomach and you feel some of the sluggishness from the morning begin to wear. Your dad tucks his arm around you in the walk back and you huddle closer, grateful for the warmth he radiates. 

Across the street, you see a familiar figure and are reminded of the cassette you’d stashed in your bag earlier. “Hey dad,” you pull yourself from his arm, “I’m gonna go say hi to Jonathan.”

“Okay, I’ll be in the shack.”

He departs for his store as you head across the street. As you approach the boy, you can tell something is wrong.

“Jonathan,” you call out to him as you jog to catch up. He is hunched over and when he finally looks up at you his brows are furrowed and his eyes are bloodshot. “Jonathan?” you say again, softer this time.

“Will died” he spits the words from his mouth like they're venom. You blink slowly, letting the emptiness that resides within you absorb this information. The cassette is all but forgotten as you gently pull him into a hug. He barely hangs onto you, but you can feel how he shakes. 

Still holding onto him you glance around then ask, “Where’s your mom?”

He grips you tighter at that, “She’s convinced he’s alive, that he’s living in our walls. She thinks he’s being hunted by a monster. But I just–I just came from the morgue. Y/n, his body was so small.”

He hiccups and you squeeze him, “Jonathan, I’m so sorry.”

You pull away, letting him wipe the tears from his face with his sleeves. He hiccups again again and you rub his back in slow, small circles as he catches his breath. He needs this, his mother is gone so there is no one to comfort the boy. You'll be that pillar for him, a shoulder for him to cry on. "What are you gonna do?" you ask.

“I have to plan his funeral…pick out a coffin.” he says slowly, as if he's just now realizing what he needs to do.

He collapses back onto your shoulder, just like on Tuesday night. Except on Tuesday, he still had hope. Now, the despair rolls off him in waves. He is in no position to make decisions by himself. 

Your dad’s words from this morning echo in your mind and you decide this will not be something you just let happen again. You can use your emotionless state to help him–so you do. 

“Do you want some company?”

He nods sadly against your shoulder and very subtly tries to wipe his tears before he picks his head back up. You hold out your elbow for him and he holds onto it. You lead him to the funeral home. 

“I’m gonna call my dad real quick, will you be okay for a minute?” you ask outside, eyeing the payphone. He nods quietly and you fish out the correct change from your bag. You dial the number to the Radio Shack and wait as rings thrice before your dad’s familiar voice greets you.

“Hello, you’ve reached the Hawkins Radio Shack, this is Bob, how can I help you?”

“Hey dad, its Y/n.”

“Buddy, where are you?”

“I’m at the funeral home…Jonathan’s brother died. I’m gonna make sure he’s not alone right now. I wanted to let you know.”

“Oh no, poor kid. You’re doing the right thing, Y/n. You’re a good friend. I love you and I’m proud of you. Let the Byers know that I’m thinking of them.”

“Will do. I love you too, dad.”

You hang up and head inside to Jonathan, who is already talking to a salesman. You hear him discuss a walnut casket as you sidle up Jonathan and place a gentle hand on his arm to alert him to your presence. 

“Now, I don’t know what your budget is,” the man says softly, “but over here we have  copper and bronze.” the pair of you silently follow him to the other caskets. Jonathan stops and you look past him to see Nancy in the door. She looks like she wants to talk. “Could we just have a minute?” you ask the salesman and he gives you an understanding nod. 

You approach the timid girl. She looks up at Jonathan and says, “Your mom, she said you’d be here. I just,” you prepare to hear her offer condolences but she surprises you. “Can we talk for a second?”

You follow the girl out into the hall and stand over Jonathan’s shoulder as the pair sit on a bench. Nancy pulls out the taped-back-together photos from yesterday. “I noticed something behind Barb,” she begins and hands them to Jonathan, “I can’t tell what it is, but it’s weird right?”

As she mentions it, you do see a figure shrouded in shadow behind the immortalized girl on the diving board. 

“I see it.” you tell her. She looks up at you, hope shining in her eyes. “It looks like it could be some kind of perspective distortion,” Jonathan tells you both, and the hope begins to fade from her face. “I wasn’t using a wide angle. I don’t know, it’s weird.”

“And you’re sure you didn’t see anyone else out there?” she probes.

“No,” he answers, “just Y/n later on, but Barb…she was there one second and gone. I figure she bolted”

“What were you doing there?” Nancy asks you.

“Its kind of a long story…I saw Jonathan’s car and got worried. I didn’t see anyone else though.” 

“Did you see Barb?” she interrogates further. 

“No, I’m sorry.”

“The cops think that she ran away, but they don’t know Barb.” You’re ashamed to admit to yourself that you hadn’t even noticed the girl was missing. You don’t know the younger girl, but when you try to recall her, you remember her in the hallways, a soft smile on her face and Nancy attached to her hip. 

 The numbness begins to wane as you consider everything that’s happened in the past week. Eleven, Benny, Will, and now Barbara. At this point, it can no longer be a coincidence. Nancy’s voice breaks through your train of thought, “And I went back to Steve's and I thought I saw something. Some weird man or…I don’t know what it was.” 

With the reveal of the mysterious figure, it's like trying to put together a puzzle, but all the pieces are from different boxes. The pieces fit, but the picture looks weird. “I’m sorry. I–I shouldn’t have come here today,” she gets up to go. “I’m so sorry.”

Before she can fully leave, Jonathan speaks up, “What’d he look like?” he asks and you remember what he told you earlier, about his mom thinking Will was still alive and being hunted. Could she be right? Its an insane thought, you tell yourself. Jonathan saw the body in the morgue. 

“What?” Nancy turns around to look at him. 

“Jonathan, you don’t think…” you begin, but he ignores you, looking imploringly at Nancy. “This man you saw in the woods, what’d he look like?”

You hold your breath as you stand between the two, and Nancy tries to explain, “I don’t know, it almost like he didn’t ha–”

Jonathan finishes the thought for her, “Didn’t have a face?”

“How did you know that?”

“Jonathan, is there a way to see the picture better?” You ask, grabbing the photo from Nancy’s hand and pointing at the figure. “If this…thing is what got Barb, and it's hunting Will…we need to know what we’re dealing with.”

“I guess…I’d need the dark room at the school though.”

“Great, where are you parked?”

“Y/n…”

“Lets go.” you turn and make your way back to downtown. The others follow behind hot on your tail. Jonathan jogs ahead of you to lead you to his car. You arrive and he fumbles for his keys, dropping them in the process. 

He finally unlocks the car and you pile in. On the drive there, you explain to them your thoughts. 

“I think there's something abducting people. On Monday, there was a little girl at the diner. I thought she was a runaway, but what if she wasn’t running from home. What if she was running from whatever thing is. It would explain the weird timing. And then she suddenly vanished again?”

“And Barb went missing the next day…” Nancy picks up your line of thinking. 

“Exactly!” you respond, “I still don’t understand how Benny fits into this, but–”

“Wait,” she interrupts, “Benny? Like ‘Benny's Burgers’ Benny? What does he have to do with this?”

Oh. She doesn’t know.

“Benny…he was found dead the morning after we found the kid. She was nowhere to be seen”

“How do you know that?”

“I, uh, I work there. I was the last one, beside the girl, to see him. The police took me in for questioning. I’ve been trying to figure everything out since then, but…I just don’t understand why he shot himself.”

“Maybe he survived this thing but couldn’t handle it?” Jonathan offers.

“Yeah, like the vets from ‘nam…I had an uncle that fought and came back from that and…” Nancy trails off. You realize how truly little you two know about each other, despite living in a small town where everyone gossips. You don’t dwell on it, though, as Jonathan parks outside the school. 

“How are we gonna get in? School’s been out for a while, it's probably locked.” the boy asks, getting out of the car. You’re already making your way to the gym. “Follow me!” you yell at them. “The coaches never lock this door,” you explain as you lead them to a side entrance. You hold the door for them as they enter. 

The three of you make your way to the dark room. Jonathan prepares the negatives. Neither you nor Nancy understand exactly what he’s doing to the film. 

Nancy asks him, “and you’re?”

He answers, “Brightening. Enlarging.”

“Did your mom say anything else? Like, where it might have gone to, or…” Nancy asks him further

“Nope, just that it came out of the wall.”

The machine dings and Jonathan removes the page, dipping it in some liquid. The picture slowly starts to develop and the three of you crowd around it. It's silent for a moment before Nancy begins speaking again, “How long does this take?” 

“Not long.” Jonathan responds

The waiting is killing you. You tap your fingers against the table as you stare at the paper. 

“Have you been doing this long?” Nancy seems to be like your dad. Unable to endure silence. 

“What?” Jonathan asks, indulging her questioning. 

“Photography.”

“yeah…I guess I’d rather observe people, than…”

“Talk to them?”

As the pair talk, you feel an all too familiar feeling creep up on you. Your rush of figuring out the mystery from earlier is starting to wear off the realization sinks in that whatever is about to reveal itself has already taken a life, if not three more. You hold yourself completely still so as not to alert the others of your impending panic. Your knuckles are nearly white from how tightly you grip the edges of the table. 

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

You hold onto the comfort of your numbers, willing them to be the only thing on your mind. You slowly tune back into the conversation, the emptiness settling back in. 

“Its just sometimes, people don’t always say what they’re really thinking. But you capture the right moment,” Jonathan says, leaning closer to Nancy. “It says more.”

“What was I saying?” Nancy gives him a gentle, almost kind, smirk “When you took my picture?”

Even in the red light, you can tell he’s blushing. “I shouldn’t have taken that. I’m sorry.”

You glance away, not wanting to intrude on whatever intimate moment they’re having. The picture has developed before your eyes, and a grotesque figure looms above Barb. Its a horrifying sight. There is no way this thing is human. Its huge and though it stands upright, its limbs are more animal than man. 

“Nancy…” you interrupt their intense eye contact. “Is this what you saw?”

Her eyes dart away from the boy and down onto the picture. 

“Oh my god…thats it,” she gasps.

“My mom,” Jonathan breathes out, “I thought she was crazy ‘cause she said thats not Will’s body. That he’s alive.”

“And he’s alive–” nancy begins

“Barb and Eleven are too” you finish. 

Jonathan drives the both of you home, “We’ll need a plan, like a real actual plan,” you explain logically, “When are you guys free tomorrow?”

“Well, uh, the funeral is tomorrow, so after that.”

You rub a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, though your theory about Will could be true, it doesn’t change the fact that tomorrow will be a sad day. 

“We’ll need information too. Like everywhere this thing has been”

The car pulls into the Wheeler’s driveway and Jonathan looks at Nancy before she leaves, “Meet us at my car tomorrow.”

She nods resolutely at him, then at you. Alone in his car, you listen to the sounds of the Clash. “This,” Jonathan nods towards the radio, “was Will’s favorite song?”

“Is,” you correct him. “Will’s still alive.”

Jonathan huffs out a gentle, “yeah.”

“Anyway, really? He's like 11, I’m surprised his favorite song isn’t Rainbow Connection or something.”

Jonathan has a faraway look in his eyes, one that tells you he’s not really paying attention to your attempts to cheer him up. “Jonathan,” you begin, “I’m serious. He’s gonna be okay.”

“But what if he isn’t,” he rebuts, “what if we fight this thing and it's too late and he’s still gone?”

Jonathan pulls up to your house and parks, but doesn’t look at you. His grip on the steering wheel is tight. “What if we lose and I’ve failed him again…I can’t do that.”

You scoot closer to him and wrap your arms around him and lean your head on his shoulder. He grabs your arms, grateful for the comforting touch. 

“He’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna save him– and Barb and Eleven. I promise. We’re gonna bring them home.”

He says nothing, just nods against you. You lose track of how long the two of you sit in his car. You don’t dare break away. He needs this. You’ve known the boy for years, but feel like you didn’t actually know anything about him until this week. He’s like you. He doesn’t quite understand how to connect to people, so the people he has in his life are terribly important and all consuming. For a long time, Jonathan just had his mom and Will–you just had your dad and Benny. Then you had each other. Now you both have Nancy.

You couldn’t save Benny, but you could do this for them. You could save their people. You think of the little girl that came in all dirt and grime and skin and bones. You picture her contagious smile as she tried milkshakes–her big doe eyes looking up at you–and you hope that she will be a permanent addition to your small collection of people. You decide she will be, once you defeat this thing. 

Next Chapter

Tags: @ucannotcompare

[andressa-vera]

rainer (spirals)

From 45 to 90, to 180, to 360, 720, 1080, 1440, 1800, 2160, winding, tightening, tightening... I was stunned by pure horror and disgust.

It was a breezy day.

I was visiting the family like I always did on weekends- though it seems I am not a part of it anymore. The death of my brother weighs in on my family more than ever. I feel dizzy as I approach my cousin's house- the green car is parked on the front porch, blindingly fluorescent and vivid.

It was windy.

"Where is ______?" I asked. She averted her eyes and smiled. "Oh, he's at the school, y'know."

"On a Sunday?"

"Yes, dear. He has a lot of work to be done. Being a teacher sure is more hectic than what we think."

It was my cue to stop talking. I was prying into business that wasn't mine- again, we no longer seemed like family. I looked at my aunt- her face pallid and paler than ever; it's been years since I've seen her look like this.

"Where's C̶̠̺̊̎̽̈́̐ȧ̸͖̱̯̦͚͈͍̣̒r̶̛̛̫̼̳͍̲͔͗̍̈r̵͍̒͋̓̊̑̀͆͘͜͠i̵̛̝͖̞̮͂̽͊͐̀͑ě̵̡̠̜̟͎̆͜ͅ?"

"Where's Care?" I asked.

"She's playing outside." Aunt Anna smiled. You can go play with her. She misses you a lot, you know?"

I walked out the front door. The green car was still parked on the porch. ______'s car. It was unnerving for some reason. I closed my eyes and still felt the green car speeding towards me, and in a blinding flash of white, I felt weak. I felt my legs sink into the soil and my body being torn apart. I did not even get a moment to let out a cry or scream as I lay there on the ground, the flash of light dimming into the dark once and for all.

I quickly walked past the car and to the corner of the house. C̶̠̺̊̎̽̈́̐ȧ̸͖̱̯̦͚͈͍̣̒r̶̛̛̫̼̳͍̲͔͗̍̈r̵͍̒͋̓̊̑̀͆͘͜͠i̵̛̝͖̞̮͂̽͊͐̀͑ě̵̡̠̜̟͎̆͜ͅ

Care was all by herself- I felt calm. She was putting her arms up high and jumping around in the direction where the wind blew. The breeze blew inconsistently back and forth to which she spun, from 45 to 90, to 180, to 360, 720, 1080, 1440, 1800, 2160, winding, tightening, tightening...

I was stunned by pure horror and disgust.

___________________________________

Her body spun rapidly- twisting, convulsing, swirling into a tornado of some sort- she spun clockwise, anticlockwise, rotating, revolving all whilst flailing her arms around and screaming at the top of her lungs. I froze.

Her body twisted upwards from her ankles to her neck and for a split second, it almost seemed like her head broke, hanging limply on her side. Her hair seemed suspended in the air- thin strands like the petals of a flower hung afloat.

Her whole body spiralled and spun.

Like a windmill.

[chaisshitposts]

hi love if you don’t mind can you go in more detail about the time you entered the void and manifested your job? what was your mindset like before you entered? what do you think helped you enter? i’m in my 20s as well and really want to at least get my dream job first of all things and then i feel like i could finally relax you know? :( so your help would be greatly appreciated🥹

also i think your followers are really nice and mature so when i do tap in, i wouldn’t mind affirming (everyone who likes my success story and has good intentions will enter roe)

sure! let's see if I can remember as many details as possible— it was a couple days after I had my job interview, I had already been affirmin' my ass off that that job was mine and no one could take it from me— on this particular day, I think it was a Sunday. the lady who interviewed me said I would get my answer on the followin' Wednesday, and god that stressed me out, but I still kept affirmin'. on that day, I felt an extreme sense of drowsiness and so I had went to try and sleep in my bed. I already knew about SATs and whatever so I thought I could just affirm as I go to sleep, which I did. I was 'asleep' but I was still repeating my affirmations over and over, only focusin' on them while I was physically tossing and turning. Since I was tryna sleep, my eyes were already closed and it was silent in my room so ig I just didn't care about my surroundings. I do, however, remember that at some point I was affirmin' and was fully aware of my affirmations but then somethin' changed inside me and I was like 'Its done, nothing more for me to do, I don't wanna stress over this anymore. I can't sleep so, might as well just go back downstairs.' Then I opened my eyes and got up, feeling my stress about everything completely gone.

I went downstairs, right as my ma sat down after gettin' a package off the porch and that's when she gave me my new phone. (I still live with my family, yes, but only bc california is a dirt bag ofc) And I kid ya not, a couple minutes after I opened up the box with my new phone in it, I got a congratulations email from the lady who interviewed me, as well as the offer letter on my old phone. I freaked out afterwards bc I was like, ain't no way??? She said she'd send me somethin' on WEDNESDAY?? It's SUNDAY. I even told my ma and she was excited, then I was like-- I really manifested this??? After an entire year of being unemployed despite havin' my degree, and forcin' myself to work at Amazon and FedEx just to have a lil' change to call my own... I finally scored the job I WANT.

The best advice I could give you tbh is that ya should make robotic affirmin', the list method, and the ten minute method yer best friend. I did not have a good outlook on employment until I settled down and decided to change my thinkin' and god I was still stressed as fuck even when I affirmin'. I've never been good at talkin' to strangers, especially on the phone or on video call, but I affirmed right up until the interview started that the job would be mine no matter what and I was completely calm. Now, I am a step closer to my dream job. (I'm a substitute teacher currently workin' towards my credentials to be a full-time teacher in case ya were wonderin', the company I work for also provides grants to pay for the schooling needed to get credentialed which is such a big fuckin' bonus)

and yes, they definitely all are amazin' people, I never expected to have such a positive lil' community of followers but I am grateful to them, for sure.

bUt, okay, lemme stop ramblin' here's what I wantcha to do anonnie— I want ya to make yerself a list, title it whatever ya want to call the list, and fill that list with affirmations, askformations, statements, new beliefs, whatever ya want. could include anything ya want, details about the job ya want, how much money ya wanna make, how ya want the bosses to treat ya, what kinda work environment ya want, whatever, and then I want ya to include some self-concept affirmations, as well as some affirmations about the void (whatever feels natural for you), ah and some manifestation affirmations too. make it however long or short ya want, doesn't matter. once ya have that, read it over as many times as ya want and then throughout the day, whenever ya can, I want ya to robotically affirm that you've got everything on [name of yer list], say this whenever ya can, and especially when ya start thinkin' negative about whatever you desire or whenever ya feel like you're about spiral. affirm this through everything and anything, affirm if ya can't help but cry, affirm when yer angry, affirm when yer happy, just keep affirmin.'

as long as ya keep this up and correct yer thoughts, you'll have guaranteed movement in yer life, that's the law. even in false hope, whatever is repeated shall harden into fact.

[devilwearingdior]

Chapter 2 ~Classy Date~

18+!

This fic contains: Violence, Alcohol, Nicotine, Cursing, SA.

(And possibly smut in the future chapters.)

Disclaimer: This fanfic contains struggles and problems that might hit close to home… Don’t worry it won’t be all gloom and darkness though 😉

Ps. Not proof read yet.

August 22nd Wednesday, 1973

The next couple of days went quickly by without anything too eventful happening at the university, Amber introduced me to a couple of her friends which included a red head girl named Connie; Connie was friendly from the start and it was easy to get along with her, she liked to talk a lot about her family’s farm. It was clear she missed being there and she often was called out by the teachers during classes to pay attention as she clearly was in her own world watching outside through the class windows.

Me, Amber and Connie became a inseparable trio. We were enjoying the sun at the campus park after Wednesday’s classes , Connie had her eyes closed seemingly deep in her thoughts; Amber was going on about the biology homework and how she thought it was unfair for the teacher to give us so much to do right in the beginning of the school year. I was listening absentmindedly to her until I spot a group of jocks sporting their varsity jackets walking through the park heading towards us, I recognise some of the faces from the bar and notice that Kyle is there too of course he is, just my luck. Connie’s eyes flutter open as she hears the guys rowdy noice getting closer and Amber stops talking, clearly curious of what the group of jocks would want from us. The guys stop in front of us blocking the sun, Kyle has that same smirk on his face as he had back at the bar.

“I was wondering when I was going to see you again, mind if we just have a little chat?” Kyle spoke up looking at me, Amber and Connie look between me and Kyle; clearly confused at how we know each other. I don’t even have time to respond before Kyle continues.

“You know, that thing you did last Sunday was rude. I just wanted to get to know you better, and I thought you were having a fun time. But you just disappeared and left me alone? I mean, who does that?” He brushes his hand through his blonde perfectly styled hair and stares down at me waiting for an explanation.

“I didn’t want to get involved in between whatever was happening with you guys and the.. Sawyer kid, it seemed to get heated.” i reply calmly, it was the truth. The timing happened to just be perfect for me to get away from Kyle’s creepy advances. Kyle gives me a smug look and of the jocks speak up.

“That Sawyer kid? A freak” Kyle and the other guys, one who I now recognise to be Nate laugh at his comment. What is it with them and the Sawyer family? What had they ever done to these guys for them to hate them so much?

“Oh you don’t even know the half of it, let’s just say that we have some family business to take care of” Kyle continues with a smug tone in his voice, I notice Amber shuffle next to me uncomfortable it’s like she had the same feeling as me; whatever that sentence meant it was sure to bring trouble.

“We should burn their stinking ranch down” Nate comments getting a few agreeable pats on the back from the other jocks.

“Yeah! It would make a nice pile of ashes for us to piss on” Kyle replies while mimicking the act of taking a piss.

“And then you’d get sued for destroying private property and trespassing among other things.” Connie speaks up, her voice sounding strained like she didn’t find one bit funny what the jocks were saying. They now stopped laughing and goofing of, some of them throwing dirty looks at Connie, like she’d ruined a really funny joke.

“Whatever, I didn’t come here to talk about that shit hole, what I wanted was to ask if we could talk privately?” Kyle talks, his voice sounding slightly irritated while looking at me. Ah I really don’t want to talk to you privately.

“Fine” I reply and get up from the bench, I follow Kyle as he walks a bit further away; enough so that the others can’t hear us.

“I didn’t like the way you left last night, we had something going on. If it wouldn’t have been for that idiot I would’ve taken you to my dorm room.”

I let out an awkward chuckle, this guy was bold.

“You’ve got me mistaken, I’m not that type of girl”

“Sure you’re not Olivia, I still think you owe me something” Kyle responds with a smirk.

“Like what?”

“Like a date. You know you wouldn’t look too bad next to me” Kyle says with a cocky tone.

I roll my eyes at him, the blonde jock looks at me with raised eyebrows clearly expecting me to agree.

“Oh uh I—“ I’m starting to speak but Kyle interrupts me right right away.

“No reason to get all shy with me now, I like your looks. I think it would be fun to spend some time together” Kyle’s smirk continues to grow.

“Listen I’m flattered—“ I begin again but Kyle cuts me off again.

“It’s settled, I’ll pick you up at 8pm tomorrow then, okay?”

Flabbergasted I just nod without realising to what I’m agreeing to, his cockiness and confidence was astounding. Kyle looks satisfied as I don’t protest to his date suggestion and starts turning around, clearly done with our conversation. He begins to walk away back to his friends but turns around one more time.

“8pm tomorrow, don’t forget. And don’t be late, I don’t like being kept waiting” Kyle comments and with that he joins his friend group and they all stroll away towards the male dormitories. I walk back to a clearly confused looking Connie and Amber, before they can even open their mouths I sit back on the bench and sigh.

“Don’t even ask” I lean my head against my hands. Maybe I shouldn’t be so negative, it could turn out to be fun. Maybe.

Amber and Connie both look at me with raised eyebrows.

“No really tell us! What did he want?” Connie asks playfully, i smile at her and sigh.

“He asked me, or more like informed me that I’m going on a date with him tomorrow.” I reply, both of the girls look at each other amused.

“Oh really? Why do you seem so defeated about it though? Many girls would be over the moon of the face that they get to go on a date with Kyle Clark himself.” Amber replies while lightly rolling her eyes smiling.

“I don’t know he’s not really my type, he just seems so—“ I begin.

“Full of himself?” Amber replies.

“Arrogant?” Connie continues with a light laugh.

“Yeah, exactly!” I exclaim, Amber shakes her head and smiles at my reaction.

“Because he is. He’s sort of always been the ‘it’ boy; you know? He isn’t used to not getting what he wants.” Connie tells me with a matter of fact tone of voice, leaning back against the bench and closing her eyes again.

The rest of the day goes by fast, with all of the students seemingly wanting to take the first school day easy and just relax.

August 23rd Thursday, 1973.

The classes on Thursday went by too quickly to my liking, I still had mixed feelings about the whole dare night with Kyle. Connie and Amber had told me to cheer up and just go.

“If it’s shit then it’s just one night you know? And what if it’s fun? You’ll never know if you don’t go! And you need to tell us everything that happened when you come back” Amber had whispered to me during our draining maths class.

After my last class which was history that I hadn’t paid any attention to as my mind kept wandering back to Kyle and the night we first met, and the mysterious guy who had helped me out; I noticed myself getting more and more curious about the man. Why had Kyle and his friends been so hostile towards him? What made him such a freak in their eyes? It maybe wasn’t the perfect topic for a first date but my curiosity won the best of me and I decided that I was going to ask more from Kyle.

I was getting ready in mine and Amber’s room when both her and Connie burst in.

“Ooooh you’re getting ready!!” Amber squealed excitedly and clapped her hands together.

“Let us help you choose your date night outfit” She continued smiling broadly. I just rolled my eyes smiling at the two girls who sat themselves on Ambers bed.

The next 30 minutes went by with Connie and Amber, mostly Amber acting as judges as I change outfits trying on what would look best.

We end up with me choosing a floral pattern dress and a jean jacket with some boots, simple but girly.

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” Connie asked while laying down on the bed, and staring absentmindedly at the roof.

“No idea, he just told me to be ready by 8pm” I reply while fixing my hair.

I look at the clock on the wall. It’s 7.55 pm, I say bye to the girls and head out of the room: Making my way down the stairs of the dormitory hall I open the outside door and walk to the parking lot. I look around and spot Kyle walking towards me with a smug grin as he waves at me.

“Well, well how you doin’? You’re looking good” Kyle says as he reaches me and I notice his eyes scanning me up and down, I just give him a polite smile.

“I knew I did the right thing when I asked you out yesterday, c’mon I’ve chosen the perfect place for our date tonight” He continues giving me a flirtatious wink and starts walking, I catch up to his pace and we make our way to his car; I didn’t know what kind of car it was but it looked expensive. Kyle opened the passenger side door and motioned for me to get in.

“Ladies first.” I thank him and get in the car, it even smelled brand new. Kyle walks around his car and fixes his hair nonchalant as he gets in and turns the car on, the engine rumbling as we start to move.

“Do you like it? My dad bought it to me as a birthday gift Maserati Bora” Kyle informs me proudly, though his tone indicated that it wasn’t no big deal for him, like he had gotten used to these types of gifts.

“It is nice” i reply honestly, though I didn’t really care for cars that much. After a while of driving in silence listening to the radio playing some cheesy love song I speak up.

“Soo, where are we going?” I ask, Kyle glances at me as he drives and gives his signature smirk.

“Oh you’ll find out soon, you know.. You’re eyes are sure pretty” He replies while complimenting me, taking his eyes of the road a bit too much for my liking.

“Oh uh thank you” i reply awkwardly, we drive over a bridge further into town and soon park in front of a fancy looking restaurant.

“We’re here!” Kyle exclaims

“This is where we’ll be eating tonight, you know this is quite an expensive place. I don’t do this for just anyone” He smiles at me and gets out of the car, I had a funny feeling this wasn’t the first time he said this to his dates as he moved around the car once again to open the door for me; As he does so he extends his hand clearly expecting me to take it.

I let him guide me out of the car and straighten my dress, I look around and notice that everyone entering the restaurant were wearing their best outfits and felt slightly underdressed.

“It looks fancy” i reply and swallow hard, Kyle just shrugs his shoulders as he still holds my hand. Keeping a hold of me he starts walking to the restaurant and we head in, it indeed was a fancy restaurant. The workers there greeted us warmly and they seemed quiet familiar with Kyle, he seemed to be a regular to this place. One of the waitresses lead us to an empty table for two. Kyle pulls my chair back like a gentleman and waits for me to sit before he moves over to his seat, the waitress smiles clearly impressed by his actions towards me and gives our menus to us, she informs that she’ll be back soon to take our orders and walks away.

As I scan through the menu I see that the prices are high too and gulp.

“Uh we can split the bill if you want to” I say sheepishly, as I end my sentence I feel Kyle taking my hand in his and I look up at him.

“It’s not problem for me, I insist on paying” He says chuckling. I nod smiling but still feel a bit guilty about it. As if sensing my hesitation Kyle continues

“Seriously this is no big deal for me, don’t worry about it; order whatever you want. I mean it.” He says with an air of arrogance as he keeps an intense eye contact with me.

“Oh ok, thank you.” I say smiling at him, maybe I should give him another chance. He was acting like a perfect gentleman, the alcohol must’ve played it’s part in his behaviour in the bar when we first met.

Soon the waitress arrives and we give our orders to her, me and Kyle make some light talk about our interests and childhood. The typical first date talks, I learn quickly that football is a big part of Kyle’s life and that his parents strongly support him in his pursuit of dreams.

“I was thinking that after this we could go back to the campus and chill in my room; watch a movie or something?” Kyle suggests and takes a sip of his drink as he waits for my answer with raised eyebrows.

“Maybe, I’ll think about it” I reply vaguely, in to which he gives a nod.

“Ofcourse! We’ll see where this night takes us. Let’s just enjoy it for now.” He replies lightly, though I can hear a slight undertone of annoyance in his voice.

The waitress arrives in a perfect timing bringing us our food, a moment of silence falls between us as we start to eat. It was really delicious, I noticed that Kyle kept taking glances at me like he was thinking about saying something but kept it to himself. After a while I put my fork down and hesitatingly speak up.

“Kyle I meant to ask you something” I say, he looks up at me and stops eating too; nodding for me to continue whatever I wanted to say.

“Who are the Sawyer family? I remember you and your friends talking about them.” I ask waiting for his answer. Kyle’s expression changes from the smug smile to a form of annoyance, it seems like I caught him off guard with my question.

“… That family, people around here don’t really like to talk about them.” Kyle begins talking, the lightness and playfulness in his voice gone.

“They’re not well liked by most of the locals, and there’s plenty of rumours about those Sawyers out there” He finishes with a scoff.

“Oh why?” I ask getting more curious about this family. Kyle stays silent for a while before he speaks up again, anger in his voice.

“Those Sawyers are just some hillbilly bastards, we don’t like them in the community; they’re crazy. That whole damn family just needs to be gone from here. They’re not welcome at all.” Kyle says with a huff and takes a big gulp from his drink as if to calm down. I just nod and take in everything he’s saying, how could one family cause this much anger in a person was beyond me; even if they were strange as he said they still had every right to live in this town as anybody else. Before I can say anything Kyle continues.

“And that guy who ruined our night at the bar remember? Johnny Sawyer, some of the chicks here seem to love him: he just plays into that mysterious brooding image he has. Bunch of bullshit if you ask me” Kyle rolls his eyes as he talks about Johnny Sawyer. He seems like he has a personal problem with all the Sawyers, especially him; and he’s talking about them like they’re the scum of the earth. I sit there for for a while silent not sure what to say, I didn’t agree with how he spoke of the Sawyer family though I didn’t know them but so much hostility towards them just because he didn’t like them was unnecessary. Kyle takes a deep breath in and forces the familiar smirk on his face and changes the subject.

“Well this food is good isn’t it?” He asks while continuing to eat, his tone of voice lighter again.

“Yes it’s amazing! You did pick a great place to come to” i reply deciding to drop the subject as well. Kyle smiles back at me seemingly happy with my response.

“You know I’m really enjoying my night with you” Kyle says finishing his drink and looking at me with a smirk.

“Yeah it’s been nice, thank you for asking me. This place must be a hit with the ladies” i reply jokingly.

“Ah usually I don’t need to do all this, the girls love a football player, trust me.” Kyle chuckles while looking at me his head tilted slightly sideways as if he’s scanning me.

“But you seem a little… Different than the other girls that I’m used to. Not in a bad way of course” Kyle says adding the last part quickly. I look at him with an amused expression.

“In what way then?” I ask, not sure I wanted to really hear the answer.

Kyle let’s out a laugh and smiles at me.

“Girls usually just cling onto me and want me to attend parties with them, showing me off to their friends because I’m attractive.” He says confidently.

And cocky. I think to myself but keep a polite smile on my face.

“But I’m guessing you’re probably into more than just my looks” Kyle continues waiting for my answer. I finish the last bit of my food and nod.

“Yeah, I don’t have a habit of parading people around like show dogs, it’s fun to getting to know you though” I finally reply after swallowing my food. Kyle smiles at my reply and nods. We continue talking for a while until the waitress comes and asks if we want something else.

“I think we’re good. Just bring the check please” Kyle replies while smirking at the waitress, after a while she returns and Kyle pays for our food. I tried to offer to pay him back but he just waved me off, repeating that it was no problem to him. As we walk out of the restaurant Kyle seems to on purpose walk close enough to me so we end up brushing each other constantly as we move. It’s already getting dark out and it seems a whole lot quieter. We enter Kyle’s car as he repeats the same gentleman etiquette he did before, while driving back to the campus Kyle glances at me and sighs.

“Sooo… Have you thought about my proposition? Wanna come to my room and watch a movie or just hangout?” He asks while fixing his hair again.

“Honestly I don’t know, I’m feeling pretty tired. Maybe next time?” I reply while yawning, I truly was tired and on top of that I had a feeling that Kyle didn’t have in mind to just watch a movie with me.

“Don’t be like that, you can rest in my room.” Kyle says while nudging me playfully with his elbow while driving.

“Sorry, I really don’t think I’ll be much of an company anymore tonight” I say, noticing that Kyle’s jaw clenched with annoyance.

“Fine.” He replies shortly, the atmosphere gets awkward as neither of us speak anything else during the rest of the drive, and when I try to start a conversation he just shuts it down with short replies- or no reply. When we arrive at the campus parking lot Kyle just gets out of the car ignoring me; a part of me felt bad. I mean he had been really nice to me the entire night. I get out of the car and move over to where he’s standing leaning against the car.

“Uhm, well thank you for the night. It was nice” I say trying to talk to him once again. Kyle sighs and rolls his eyes turning to look at me but doesn’t say anything.

“Well, see you around I guess?” I continue with no response from Kyle and start to turn around until he grabs me by my arm stopping me.

“So I don’t even get a good nights kiss for everything I’ve done tonight?” Kyle says faking a pout. I look at him for a while in disbelief, this guy really was something. But I decide to lean in and give him a small kiss on the cheek and pull away; I start to walk towards the dormitory building.

“That’s it? Really?” I hear Kyle call after me.

“Goodnight Kyle!” I reply, turning to look at him while walking, he was still leaning against the car his arms now open wide like he was expecting more.

I enter the dormitory building and head straight to mine and Amber’s room, yawning again I look for my keys and open the door. Surprised I see Amber with Connie and a third girl who i didn’t recognise. She had dark brown long hair and pretty hazel coloured eyes.

“Olivia you’re back from your date! We were waiting for you! Oh and this is Maria!” Amber greets me happily, Connie and the new girl both smiling at me brightly.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Maria says smiling at me, standing up to shake my hand. It’s like she radiated warmth with her presence right away, i smile back at the girls.

“Nice to meet you too.”

Authors note: Chapter 2 out now yay! I’ll proof read it in a day or two so I apologise if there are some awkwardness in the text 😩 I hope you like it❤️ I promise there will be coming more of the characters you know (especially Johnny) in the upcoming chapters 😉!

Character list Here

[prestonmonterey]

TLT UPDATE!! BEFORE I GO TO BED

(gods im so tired...)

@vincentaureliuslin @tatsumisheep3

no photos today so heres my cat :P

OPENING NIGHT!!! it went super well!!!!! (i think)

it was PA night so the understudys were percy and annabeth and they killed it!!!!!! :DDDD

also my director gave me a compliment today so im in a good mood (it was somethin along the lines of "you finally did a good job as cerberus" but ill take what i can get...) (i still have beef with him but.. whatever....)

its crazy how fast this show is going and that itll all be over after sunday,, but also i am SO tired bc we literally spend more time at school than at home this week :(

also getting a lotta acne bc im not used to wearing this much make up every day :P

but hey at least ill get to rest a teeny bit on the weekend (just in the morning TwT bc we have matinees)

also my parents and some of my friends are comin tomorrow so they BETTER FUCKIN BUY ME CANDY (i really really really want candygrams... one of the stage managers got like 4 boxes of candy i am so jealous...)

also also also we did the legacy robe last night before preview night and my friend (and mother /ij) got it :DDDD very happy for her

um um um i felt like i had more to say but idk this is already a lot and i cant remember things im kinda tired :P

oh i finally got my camper necklace!!! the beads were missing for like a week but they were just on the table in the costuming room... anyway my friend made it for me during tech class bc shes so so sooo sweet <3 (while i was in math trying to force my friend to study... *stares at neeks* /aff) i got four beads that kinda almost make the ace flag!! (black for tech, silver for the fall play, light blue for this show, and purple for my grade)

idk if i explained it before but all of our necklaces represent how much theater we've done,,, bc its kinda like how long we've been at camp. theres a bead for each grade based on our class colors, and the tlt bead, so everyone gets at least 2. theres also beads for each of the past musicals and plays at school, and a black bead if youve done tech, and a white bead if youve done leadership :D some of the seniors have like most of their necklace filled because of how many shows theyve done

heres another cat pic to keep you engaged and reading this /hj

also also also many many thanks to my wonderful actor and tech friends i would not survive without them (especially thanks to tech bc they have to put up with us actors... /hj) its poseidon's actors first show i think and they have a LOT of quick changes so their section of the rack is,,, kind of a mess. also the lamp for the oracle scene has broken multiple times i think already... and i already left my make up bag out yesterday and my watch in the cubbies today TwT we are a hot mess

my graphic design teacher was acting today :D (the farmer in drive is a teacher role, and they switch out every night) and i love him being so absolutely perplexed by the energy circle before show :333

also i remembered to put setting powder on for the first time,,, and... i forgot that my mom is SO much paler than me TwT (i was very washed out...) so ill probably stick to spray for the rest of the week :P

sorry i really am rambling tonight...

ok i will probably hopefully do at least one more update after strike on sunday!! (depending on how tired i am,, i might just curl up on the floor and sleep after the sunday show actually...) unless something goes horribly wrong,,, then ill probably post about it too

good night!! i need to collapse in bed and try to save up enough energy for tomorrows show :3

have a wonderful day/night and remember to hydrate! (or you'll die straight...)

[xdarkestdesirex]

When Faith Meets Juvenile - Chap 3

This is a Dale Holt x reader story. There's no (y/n) insert. I'm just avoiding the use of the reader's name, and it is female-based. There are hints of physical appearance but nothing in-depth.

This writing contains highly sensitive content like violence, drugs, the use of weapons, abuse, mental illness, hostage situations, talk of suicide, religious abuse, smut, and other mature themes. Reader discretion is advised. MUST BE 18+ TO INTERACT.

I do not allow anyone to copy, alter, or repost my work as their own.

1681-word count

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Two months later

The first week of my senior year of high school has finally ended. I sat in the school library, polishing my outline for the school year. Every year, I create a timeline from the syllabus’ I get from my teachers to make sure I’m getting things done on time and staying on track with my schoolwork. My list this year wasn’t very long since I got ahead of my classes in the previous years. I technically only have three classes every day, but I still show up when school starts and leave later than most kids; ever since that one Sunday two months ago, my parents have had me on extreme lockdown. I haven’t been allowed out of the house to see friends and could only go places if one of my parents took me. The way they’ve been treating me is suffocating, and James, my brother, is loving every minute of it. They usually treat him like this for about a week or two when he gets in trouble, but I feel like they won’t stop with me. 

So I did what every average teen would do; I lied and told my parents I took some extra classes, so I would need to be at school all day. They loved that. Being here gave me the space to be away from them. The clock struck five o’clock, and I began packing my things to head outside. As I was about to exit the library, the librarian told me my father had called, saying I would need to walk home as he needed to be at the church, and my mother could not pick me up. For the past week, my father would be outside the library for at least thirty minutes before I would come out. I think he was trying to see if I would try to sneak back to the library from elsewhere. I never told them what happened and who I was with that fateful Sunday evening. I’m sure my father imagines the worst-case scenario, and I will let him believe whatever he wants. 

Thankfully, I had my MP3 in my bag, so I pulled it out, put my headphones over my head, and blasted my music while I walked on the sidewalk. The sun was setting on the horizon, creating a beautiful painting of pinks, oranges, and yellows in the sky. The air was starting to get cool at night, and the faintest shiver ran down my spine. I was coming up to a mini market that sold various snacks, drinks, alcohol, and cigarettes when I saw a familiar-looking truck. Without realizing it, my feet started to move in the direction of the car. I couldn’t fully see who was in it, but I could see a man’s head. Their hair was brown, and I could see a white t-shirt clinging onto their shoulders. A muscular arm fell out from the driver’s window, holding a cigarette with smoke billowing out into the air. When I got close enough to see the guy’s face and confirmed it was Dale, I stood there staring at him, not knowing what to do next.

“You just gonna stand there and stare at me, Doll?” He said while blowing out another cloud of smoke. 

“I-uh, sorry,” I said. He probably thinks I’m a creep now. 

“Did you want something?” His face turned directly at me, showcasing a dark bruise surrounding his eye.

“Are you okay?” Concern arose in my chest, and I instinctively moved closer to him. My arm reached out to crease his face, but he swatted my hand away with a stern look.

“It’s none of your fucking business.” He spat. 

I was slightly hurt by what he said, but at the same time, it wasn’t my business. I shouldn’t have expected him to tell me anything when we barely knew each other. Without responding to him, I reached into my bag and grabbed my notebook and a pencil. I wrote the number to my family’s phone, ripped the paper from my notebook, and handed it to him. “If you ever want to talk, here’s my number. My parents are strict, so just say you’re in my class and we’re working on a project together. They won’t question you.” It took him a moment before grabbing the paper. “I have to go. Hopefully, I’ll hear from you soon.” He didn’t say anything else as I walked away.  

It didn’t take me much longer to arrive at my house. When I walked in, my mother was finishing dinner, and my brother sat at the dining table with his collage work spread about. He attended a Christian college just a few hours away from Two Rock, studying to become a pastor like our dad. When he announced what he would do, my parents were ecstatic, and my father had already bragged about it to everyone he knew. Ever since James threatened me, our relationship had strained. I always thought he was a good big brother, and I appreciated how he used to look after me. At school, people weren’t the nicest to me, and he would always protect me. He was never rude to me before but would throw side-handed compliments every once in a while. I just thought that’s what siblings did, so I never thought about it, but it was like he saw an opportunity to be better than me. So he took it. It was nice not having him home during the weekdays, but every Friday after his classes, he would drive back home for the weekend. How everything has shifted at home has made my heart hurt in a way I didn’t know was possible.

I walked to my bedroom and set my backpack on my desk chair. Then, I headed into the bathroom and freshened up for dinner. I washed my face to clear it from the bit of makeup I wore during the day and to eliminate any grime that may have formed. I pulled my hair into a braid and returned to the dining room. My brother cleaned his mess up and helped our mother set the table. Across the table sat pasta, spaghetti sauce, salad, and bread. It was my favorite meal my mother would make. Once everyone sat at the table, my brother prayed over our meal, and we started eating. Usually, we would wait for my father to get home before eating, but he informed my mom that he wouldn’t be home until late. “How was your week, darlings?” A question my mom always asked. She acted as the sweet, doting mother in public and at home. I felt like her mask never left. Which was kind of sad to think about because I didn’t know who my mom was. I just knew this persona of her. 

“I got assigned a pretty big project in school today. It will take up the whole year, and then we have to turn it in as a part of our final.” I spoke after swallowing my food. 

“Well, I don’t doubt you’ll do a good job on it!” My mother smiled at me.

“It’s also a partner project. I gave the guy assigned as my partner our number so we could work on it over the phone together.” 

“Thank you for the heads up, sweetie.” 

I knew that telling her this in advance would show her I wasn’t hiding anything from them and that working over the phone would be better than going out with some guy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give him a personal number because I don’t own a phone. My parents don’t think having one while I still live with them is necessary, but they said they would buy me one as a present if I were to move away for college.

“Could your partner’s name possibly be Dale?” My brother said with a devilish smirk.

I stopped mid-chew to glare at my sibling across the table. “His name is Luca Smith,” I flashed an innocent smile at my brother. I used the name of a guy in my class that my brother knew so he couldn’t question whether this person existed. 

“Who’s Dale, sweetie?” My mother inquired. My brother opened his mouth, but I spoke before he could say anything.

“Just a guy in my class who doesn’t put effort into anything and relies on others to get him a passing grade.”

“He must have made quite the name for himself if your brother knows of him,” My mother shook her head. She’s acting disapproving, but little does she know James would do the same thing.

“Oh, you have no idea,” James leaned back into his chair. He’s playing a game with me, making one move at a time until he gets a checkmate. And I don’t doubt he’ll get there eventually. Maybe I should just be honest with them? It would be better coming from me than having my brother tell them. He would probably make it out to be something it’s not, which would be even worse. And if I tell them first, it wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of ‘busting’ me. The distant ringing interrupted my thoughts, and my mother excused herself to pick up the phone stationed in the living room. I could only hear faint mumbling and then her walking back to the dining room. 

“Honey, it’s Luca,” She extended her slender arm out to me with our Nokia in the palm of her hand. 

“Oh, uh, can I be excused from dinner?” I hesitantly grabbed the phone from her.

“Of course! And don’t worry about cleaning up. Your brother can do it for you.” I said a quick thank you and walked down the hall to my bedroom. I bet my brother is happy about doing my chores. Once the door was closed behind me, I sat on my bed and took a deep, shaky breath. Why am I so nervous to talk to him on the phone? Another second passes before I hold the phone to my ear and say,

 “Hello?”

next

AN:

AHHHH, YOU GUYSSS. If you haven't seen my recent news, I'M ENGAGED!!!!! I'm excited about this new chapter of my life, and so many things will change. I will be planning a wedding while also preparing to move halfway across the States to be with my fiance. In a previous post, I mentioned that he's in the military. We'd been dating for a few years before he enlisted, and it was EXTREMELY hard having him gone for about 9 months. So thank you, everyone, for being patient while he was home again so I could give him my undivided attention before he moved. Even though things will be a bit crazy, I don't plan on slacking with this story; in fact, I've been itching to write with all these ideas and storylines just floating around in my head. I'm excited for y'all to be a part of this journey with me and to have this story as my baby through it all, too, lol.

Stay tuned for another post soon 👀