#umass dining

[eretzyisrael]

by Dion J. Pierre

A University of Massachusetts-Amherst student has been arrested for allegedly punching a Jewish student who was carrying an Israeli flag during a gathering held to call for the release of the over 240 people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Israel on Oct. 7 and taken to Gaza.

After the alleged punch, the assailant snatched the Israeli flag held by the Jewish student and spat on it, according to details of the incident reported by the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the campus newspaper for UMass-Amherst.

The incident occurred on Friday but first came to light over the weekend, when the school’s Hillel chapter released a “security message” detailing what happened.

“Toward the end of the event [which was sponsored by Hillel], a student approached the gathering and walked through the crowd, aggressively giving people the middle finger,” the statement read. “After the event had concluded and event security had left, the same student returned to the site of the event and punched a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag, then took the flag and spit on it.”

UMass staff witnessed the incident, according to the school’s Hillel, which noted that a police report was filed and that UMass police arrested the individual.

“We know this incident is disturbing to many of us, particularly during a time when tensions, emotion, and concern are heightened on our campus,” Hillel added. “But we must not let the most extreme voices and actions create undue fear or dominate the campus climate. It is vital that our campus community model civility, as the Jewish community did on Friday in publicly and peacefully showing solidarity with the 240 hostages.”

The perpetrator was later released on bail, “with conditions prohibiting them from returning to campus,” according to a statement put out on Monday by university officials, who said the student will be subject to the legal consequences of their actions.

“What this student is accused of is reprehensible, illegal, and unacceptable,” said UMass vice-chancellors Shelly Perdomo-Ahmed and Tyrone Parham. “Antisemitism, Islamophobia, or any form of bigotry have no place in our community, and we are committed to ensuring that our community’s engagement with opposing viewpoints is maintained in a respectful manner.”

US college campuses have seen a sharp surge in antisemitic incidents — including violence, harassment, and other forms of discrimination against Jewish students — since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, murdered 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took over 240 hostages back to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Last month, for example, an Israeli student at Columbia University was beaten with a stick by another student who had been ripping off flyers with names and photos of Israelis that Hamas had taken as hostages.

Two weeks later, a melee ensued at Tulane University in New Orleans in which an anti-Israel activist broke a Jewish student’s nose.

Intimidation and death threats have increased as well. At Harvard University, a mob — some clad in Palestinian keffiyeh scarves — jostled and harassed a Jewish student as he walked across the campus. Among the mob was Ibrahim Bharmal, the editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review — a publication whose past editors include former US President Barack Obama. At Cornell University, someone threatened on a social media forum to commit acts of murder, rape, and mass shooting against Jewish students and a kosher dining ball on campus. Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old engineering student at Cornell, was arrested on a federal complaint for allegedly making the threats. He faces up to five years in prison and  $250,000 fine.

Responding to the latest outrage at UMass-Amherst, the New England office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said on Sunday that what happened is “an example of the disturbing reality for Jewish students on campus right now.”

[johnthestitcher]

Aye - Aye - Aye! This Halloween I had a gig at UMASS Amherst and had a seat in the lobby where everyone had to walk past me to get to the dining hall! I had taken 100 free crystal 'friends' with me - and gave every single one of them away! I was only doing one-card readings, and calculated that I had done @ 130 readings. Was supposed to be 5 - 9 p.m. plus food, but I didn't stop doing readings until @ 9:30 and had to pack and go upstairs and find food! It was a very interesting evening! Some kind person got me a hot tea for my throat about half-way through.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

In the Italians'/Sicilians' case it was actually the opposite, they had access to more ingredients in America which resulted in the Italian-American food we know today.

The Italian Americans during this era of American history were no doubt delighted at the access to new and cherished ingredients, but equally as excited to see their access and portion size had increased tremendously. Reports of meatballs roughly the size of baseballs nods to this excitement at the access to fresh meat.

Meat and other ingredients were in abundance in comparison to Italy, inspiring and igniting the passion for cooking in many Italian Americans. Access to good food was no longer a status symbol, but rather it seemed to be a right in their new country. The result became an increase in portion sizes because they simply could make a dish that size.

The History of Italian American Food from Total Italian .com

Cheap, plentiful pork, beef, and chicken must have been thrilling to these new Americans, resulting in dishes in which, UMass-Boston historian Vincent J. Cannato says, “a piece of chicken covers the entire plate.” It’s also evident in the baseball-size meatballs that came out of the era, which could only have been invented by someone extremely excited by the prospect of an abundance of meat. Cinotto says that the American surplus of raw materials was particularly meaningful to these food-obsessed people, who came from a place of disenfranchisement and had seen more privileged people in their villages eating well. In America, they were able to dine more like the elite. The roots of Italian-American cuisine, thus, are not of gross American bastardization, but of optimism and hope.

The Illustrated History of Italian-American Food from First We Feast .com

I do think it’s unfortunate that people (europeans) automatically assume that “american” style versions of foods are immediately the most bastardized version done purposefully out of lack of culture, when the reality a lot of times it’s rooted in a response of millions of poor immigrants stepping foot in a foreign land attempting to recreate beloved recipes with what few ingredients were available and affordable

[poshfind]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity Greek Cookbook by Diane Kochilas.

[smithbysmithies]

If we take a class at another college in the consortium, can we utilize their libraries and (more importantly) their cafeterias? I'm thinking specifically of UMass :P

All 5 College students can utilize each other’s libraries. For example, I wanted to borrow a book that Smith didn’t offer, but that one in the 5 colleges did. What I then did was go online to the following link: https://www.smith.edu/libraries/. I typed in the book I wanted and requested it from one of the other colleges. It arrived at Smith a few days later. In another example, I was at Amherst College and wanted to check out one of their books. I was able to check it out in person with my OneCard.

Regarding eating at other schools (and thus utilizing their cafeterias), as a Smith student, you can eat in other 5 College cafeterias if you take a class there and have filled out a 5 College Meal Plan Request form: https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/dining-services/policies/five-college-plan

There’s much more information you can learn about when it comes to using the libraries and eating in the cafeterias in the 5 College Consortium. I’ve linked the info down below:

https://www.fivecolleges.edu/students/meal_exchange

https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/dining-services/policies/five-college-dining

https://www.fivecolleges.edu/libraries

~Thao ‘19

[bananarantanen]

what about number 5 from home by catie turner with the loml veggie bf cale makar please and thank you <3

word count: 800+

“you are so important to me.” ► home by catie turner

hope u enjoy this abby !!! <333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“one cup nutella?”

“check.”

“¾ flour?”

“prepped and done.”

“one egg?”

“right here,” cale says, throwing up it in the air with one hand and catching it with the other.

“geez,” you scold, grabbing it out of his hand and placing it back on the counter top gently. “i’m pretty sure that’s your last one. if it breaks before it makes it into the batter, we’re screwed.” the red in his cheeks begins to pepper his face and a cheeky smile is all he replies with. you slightly open your mouth to poke at him again but you can’t bring yourself to actually do it because all you can stare at is his “mr. good lookin’ is cookin'” apron. you’re not a fashion expert by a long mile but god, it was ugly.

earlier on in the day you had contemplated buying matching couples chef’s hats, knowing the date night he had scheduled for you two involved some time in the kitchen. the avs had extended their practice, leaving you to grab all the needed supplies. however once you had texted cale pictures of your hat options while you were at the mall, you were confused (to say the least) when your phone screen read:

veggie lover boy <3

dwbi. i got something already. see you later and get home safe! i love you :)

he notices your fixated gaze and tugs at his apron. “what? you not like it? it was a last minute secret santa gift from mikko.”

“no, babe, it’s perfect,” you try to reassure, placing your hands on his chest. “i love anything that speaks truth… even though we’re technically baking right now.”

“okay, okay, we both know i cook more than i bake around here. that’s why you’re here to give me baking lessons. i need to balance out my skills,” he responds as he gestures to the setup in front of you. there wasn’t much laid out on the counter, just a wooden spoon and medium sized bowl that you had to pull from the back of cale’s pantry being the main tools needed. still, he grinned proudly at the fact that he somewhat managed to have anything to bake with in general.

“k then mr. hockey, cooking and soon-to-be baking allstar,” you announce while clapping your hands together. “let’s get to it!”

you two first met at umass based on the fact that the dining hall was not particularly blessed with the best food options. you would always greet each other as you lined up for breakfast and dinner, both agreeing that it’d be better if you made your own meals during your multiple accounts of small talk. then, once the realization came about that he had a knack for cooking and you baked, your little tradeoff began — you’d drop off breakfast in the morning at his dorm, and he’d cook dinner for you two at least three times a week to lessen your visits to the dining hall. to your surprise, one thing led onto the next and now you’re catching multiple flights a year from amherst to colorado to do more than drop off some baked goods at his doorstep.

this time around, you had only picked a simple three ingredient nutella cookie recipe knowing it was something he could whip up easily for future reference when you weren't there. as well as the fact that nutella crepes were one the first things you made for him. it was subtle, nevertheless it reminded you of the start of the relationship and has quickly grown to become one of your favourite ingredients to incorporate.

“what are you looking at?” you question as you begin mixing together the egg and nutella.

“mhm?”

you drop your hands to the side of the bowl and look up towards the boy peering over your shoulder. “you’re being extra smiley right now.” it was kind of odd for someone who had recently come home from practice, his hair still damp from the shower he took.

he huffs and grabs the loops of your pants, twirling you around so he could fully engulf you in his arms. “you are so important to me,” he lovingly answers and you can feel his thumping heartbeat against your chest. you’re taken aback by his sudden gesture but you can’t help but melt like butter once you hear him utter those words.

long distance is difficult to navigate enough and though you’re not the jealous type, it's hard to keep your emotions in check knowing there are hundreds of other girls out there chanting his name every night. cale is not the guy you can ever worry about. yet, missing him is sometimes enough to pull you into a drain of circling thoughts.

“i don’t know, just being here with you, coming home to you and baking or cooking or whatever, it feels so right. you are my favourite person in the world and i can’t picture life looking any different.”

you grab his face in your hands and smile sweetly, taking in what he had said. “cale douglas makar, you’re my favourite person in the whole world too,” is all you can come up with, and all the doubts from the countless nights without him slowly trickle away as soon as those words leave your lips.

yeah, he’s completely your’s.

-

taglist (sign up here, if u want!): @sorryjustafangirl @corneliakatelyn

[hockeylvr59]

The Perfect Match Part 3 || Taylor and Cale Makar

Summary: When Taylor Makar meets Elizabeth “Liezel” Estroff he quickly discovers how compatible she is with his older brother Cale. Despite his parents early protestation to leave well enough alone, Taylor makes it his mission to set Cale up with his perfect match.

Authors Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We cover a good bit of ground with this one, basically getting us up to present time. Getting closer to Liezel meeting some other Makar’s in the semi-near future. *** denotes change of POV. FC Claim: Kirrilee Berger. Let me know what you think.

Warnings: some swearing // Word Count: 3,733

~~~~~~~

Over the past month and a half, Taylor had been a frequent visitor to Liezel’s apartment. He came over before psych quizzes to run through information so that he felt comfortable and confident going into class. When Liezel had her late classes, he’d bring over dinner from the dining halls so that she didn’t have to cook and if Colorado was playing, they’d put the game on and Taylor would tell stories that his brother had shared with him about the team or just stories about his brother in general. After UMass away games, Taylor would come over and Liezel would make him a late homemade dinner since dining halls were closed and he was always hungry even if the team provided some sort of meal. 

Liezel had never imagined that Taylor would become such a fundamental part of her life. 

Nor had she imagined that she would wake to find him letting himself into her apartment with the spare key and flopping into her bed at 7:30 am on a Saturday morning. 

“Go back to sleep.” The soft voice mumbled, muffled against the pillows. 

“Taylor…what the hell?” Liezel exclaimed softly, attempting to twist under the blankets that Taylor was laying on top of, so that she could look at him. 

“Just sleep.” He repeated. “Band is loud.” 

By the time she finally twisted around, Taylor was asleep beside her, his face peaceful. He hadn’t come over last night because by the time the team had gotten in from playing Boston University it had been after midnight. And she knew from the bags under his eyes that he was stressed and not sleeping well to begin with having only played parts of four of the nine games so far this season. Though she was still confused as to why he was suddenly in her bed, she didn’t have the heart to wake him and instead closed her eyes attempting to get a few more hours of sleep herself. 

When she woke again, the sun was actually up and filtering through her blinds and long legs were invading her space as Taylor stretched along the double bed. Sliding out from under the covers, Liezel took in the sleeping young man in her bed and how he was dressed in only a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Quietly, she moved to grab the throw blanket off of her couch and carefully placed it over his body before moving into the bathroom and then out to start a pot of coffee. 

She was working on her second cup and pouring over a research abstract when rustling in her bed drew her attention and she watched as Taylor sat up and stretched before running fingers through his hair. 

“Morning sleepy head.” She stated, no longer attempting to be quiet. “Am I going to have to steal my spare key back?” 

Taylor’s lips formed a frown and he whispered a soft apology as he turned to look at her. 

“Are you mad?” He questioned, voice meek. “The band was practicing outside of my dorm and I just wanted some more sleep. It didn’t even dawn on me that you’d be upset or that it would make you uncomfortable. Fuck. I…I should go. I won’t overstep again.” 

His body continued to slump as he spoke and he quickly moved to slide on the sandals he’d worn over before heading for the door. 

“Taylor.” Liezel called out softly. When Taylor didn’t stop she called again. “Taylor Makar. Wait a minute.” This time he paused and Liezel moved to tug him back over to the couch. 

“Sit.” She directed, a look of concern present on her face. Murmuring for Taylor to look at her she sighed softly. “I’m not mad. Just a little surprised is all. You would be too if someone just barged into your room while you were sleeping.” Taylor’s head dropped in understanding and his cheeks warmed with a familiar blush. 

“I’m sorry.” Taylor whispered again, tone ashamed. Neither said anything and silence stretched on before Liezel opened her arms to Taylor. 

“Come here.” She murmured, pulling him off the couch and into a hug. Taylor’s face buried into her hair as he hugged back and she rubbed his back softly. “Now take me to breakfast and we’ll call it even.” She teased, causing Taylor to snort softly as he pulled back. 

“I can do that.” He agreed. “I am sorry though.” 

“I know.” Liezel assured him. “How about we both just blame the band.” Taylor’s silly grin returned to his face and Liezel smiled back at him. “Let me change and then we can go.” She stated, pinching his side as she moved to grab some yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a hoodie - which may or may not have been Taylor’s left from one of the many times he’d been over. In under ten minutes she was guiding him out her door and over to the dorms so he could change before hitting up a dining hall for some food. 

As they settled into a table with plates heaped with food, Liezel looked at Taylor with a glint in her eyes. 

“Answer one question for me…” She started before taking a bite of food. “How the hell do those legs of yours fit in a dorm bed? Do you have to like sleep sitting up or what?” 

Taylor’s responding laughter washed away any awkwardness of the morning and Liezel knew that she wouldn’t complain if Taylor ever needed to crash her bed again…though she would prefer he text first. 

__________________

Katie: I can’t wait to see you!!!

Liezel: Me either. And hey you don’t even need to bring your winter coat home. 😂

Katie: That’s amazing. 

Liezel: You’re coming in Wednesday night right? 

Katie: You know it. Right after classes end. Jerry is supposed to pick me up and spend the night to have thanksgiving with us. 

Katie: Speaking of…is anyone else joining us this year? 

Liezel: Who else would be joining us? 

Katie:  Don’t play dumb. 

Liezel: I’m not…

Katie: Aren’t you going to invite Taylor? Jerry says the two of you are practically attached at the hip…I swear if you’re dating and haven’t told me…

Liezel: I don’t know how many times I have to say it. We’re not dating. We’re just friends. You know…that thing men and women can be without having to be dating or romantically involved. 

Katie: You could still invite him to Thanksgiving…

Liezel: And subject him to all of you? 

Katie: RUDE

Liezel: Anyway…no I’m not asking him because he already has plans. 

Katie: What plans? He’s from Canada? It’s not like he has family here…

Liezel: Okay now that’s called being rude. Liezel: He’s having dinner with the Chisholm family, their son is at Dartmouth and Taylor played with him for two seasons. 

Katie: But I wanted to meet him…..

Liezel: Which is exactly why you’re not meeting him. You’d scare the poor boy. 

Katie: I would not! 

Liezel: Uh huh…

****

Cale: Are you sure you don’t want me to get mom and dad tickets to fly down there and see you over the break? 

Taylor: Seriously it’s fine. I told you I have plans. 

Cale: Sitting in a dorm alone is not plans.

Taylor: I won’t be here the whole time anyway. I told you this. Sean’s parents are in town for their games this weekend and they invited me up for dinner. 

Cale: Dartmouth isn’t exactly close… 

Taylor: Who are you..the geography police? Mr. ‘I don’t know where anything is in relation to each other and never looked at a map…’

Cale: I just want to make sure you’re good. 

Taylor: I’m fine. I’m having dinner with them Thursday and then Friday to Sunday I’ll probably be doing homework, prepping for finals, and hanging with Liezel. 

Cale: Fine, alright. I just don’t want you to be alone. 

Taylor: I won’t be unless I want to be. And Liezel has already promised me that she’ll bring back tons of leftovers and pie. I’m not missing anything I promise.

Cale: She sounds awesome. 

Taylor: She is. 

_____________

Taylor had spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Thanksgiving break holed up in Liezel’s studio apartment teaching her how to play NHL 22, Call of Duty, and eating the numerous left overs that she had brought back. 

After that they only really saw each other while studying during their two hour breaks as finals approached. So when Taylor texted on Sunday that he was coming over, Liezel was a little more surprised than normal. She had been curled up on her couch all day, bingeing Say Yes to the Dress as her one final day of relaxation until finals were over and done with and all of her papers had been submitted. If Taylor wanted to come over that was fine, but she wasn’t changing her plans. Taylor groaned as he let himself through the door. It was immediately apparent that he had gone for a run and was soaked with sweat. 

“Gross.” Liezel declared, peeking up from her blankets after hitting pause on the remote. “Why didn’t you shower and change?” 

“I would have if I could have.” Taylor grumbled softly. “You don’t want to know the noises I heard before I even got the key in the door.” The look of disgust and discomfort on his face gave him away and Liezel started giggling to herself. 

“Did you get sexiled?” She questioned, laughing all the while. His expression only became more pained in response and Liezel ducked her head into her knees as she continued to laugh. 

“Not fucking funny.” He mumbled in complaint. 

“Except it kind of is.” She replied, tossing the blankets aside as she got up and moved to storage drawers beside the bed. Pulling out two items of clothing she moved toward him. 

“I can’t help with boxers but you left these here at one point or another. There is a spare towel under the sink. Go shower because you reek.” 

Shaking his head at her but face grateful, Taylor took the clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. By the time he returned, Liezel was halfway into another episode and as he plopped onto the couch Taylor groaned. 

“What the hell are you watching?” He groaned. 

“Don’t groan like that. You don’t have to be here.” Liezel stated sassily. “Say Yes to the Dress is my guilty pleasure show okay. It has everything. Drama. Romance. Beautiful gowns I could never afford and some ugly ones that I would never want to afford.” 

“Can we not watch something else?” Taylor questioned. 

“Nope. My last day to relax before digging in for finals. My tv choice. Take it or leave it.” 

After watching a few episodes of the New York version, Liezel switched to the UK one. 

“There’s another one?” Taylor asked, eyes wide as he glanced over at her. 

“Uh…yeah…there are multiple. New York, the Southern one, Canada’s version, at least one UK version.” Liezel replied. 

“But…they’re all the same.” Taylor insisted. “Why so many, and what’s the difference?” 

“Would you quit whining…you’re killing the buzz.” Liezel responded. “The UK version, at least this one…is a little more down to earth. I can only watch so many brides with unlimited budgets looking at dresses that cost as much as a used car. This one is at least a little more modest with budgets. Now shh.” 

****

This show is not something that Taylor would watch of his own volition, that’s for sure. But he had to admit that watching Liezel was more fun than watching the show itself. It was clear when she absolutely did not like the style of a dress by the faces she made. And though Taylor knew she was down to earth - it was one of the things he liked most about her - seeing her comment about how she couldn’t fathom spending that much money on something you’d wear once made him smile to himself. She’d fit right into his family and along with his brother with frugal budgeting. Though he already knew that she was a good match for his brother, this only furthered that feeling. 

Eventually Taylor must have dozed off and when he stirred, he smiled, feeling Liezel’s head on his shoulder as she snored softly against him. Looking at the clock revealed it was almost midnight and he turned the tv off with the remote in Liezel’s lap before setting it aside. With that out of the way, he lifted her up and carried her over to her bed, tucking her under the covers before heading to clean up the little bit of mess they’d made near the couch. 

Only when that was done did he move to gather up his dirty but now dry clothes before letting himself out of her apartment and locking the door behind him. He may complain about her tv choices sometimes but Taylor certainly couldn’t complain about her friendship. Hopefully someday soon he could show his parents and then Cale everything he saw in her until they too couldn’t see their lives without her. 

_____________

When Liezel had said that she was enjoying her one day to relax until finals and papers were over and done with, she wasn’t kidding. Taylor didn’t hear from her that entire week leading into the first few days of finals. She wasn’t in Thompson during breaks, she didn’t wish him luck before their game at Merrimack, it was complete radio silence. 

For the first few days he didn’t worry. If finals were looking like hell for him, he couldn’t imagine what they were like with a graduate course load. But by Saturday he was concerned. 

Heading over to her apartment, Taylor knocked before letting himself in. The sink was full of dishes, there was trash on the table, papers on the floor, clothes tossed into corners missing the hamper entirely. And then his eyes fell on Liezel and Taylor visibly flinched as he cursed to himself mentally. She looked like hell. Her hair was tied in a knot on her head, her eyes had dark black circles under her glasses and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Her head was buried into her laptop, her hands typing furiously and then backspacing over and over again repeatedly. 

Observing for just a few minutes, Taylor knew immediately that he had to intervene because this was not healthy. 

Moving to Liezel’s side, Taylor carefully reached for the laptop, sliding it out of Liezel’s grip before she could even react, her eyes snapping up at him. 

“Don’t even ‘what the hell’ me.” He warned her. “Look at this place. Holy shit Liezel. What are you doing to yourself?” 

“Give me….I have…” Though she tried to speak, Taylor refused to let her. 

“Nope. You need to take a break. I don’t think you’ve taken one, even to sleep, in 5 days. And you can say until you’re blue in the face that you need to work on this but I just watched you type negative 50 words in the last five minutes so clearly you aren’t able to think well enough to actually be productive.” 

Liezel just opened and closed her mouth, gaping at him, no words spilling forth. 

“Go shower. Get dressed. We’re going out tonight.” Taylor stated, his look leaving no room for argument though Liezel for a moment looked like she was going to fight him. When she stalked off to the bathroom after digging for clean clothes in messy drawers, Taylor saved her work on the computer before shutting it and plugging it in. Then he moved to start washing dishes before picking up and throwing away trash and organizing scattered papers. Only when her apartment looked livable again did he settle onto the couch to wait for her to finish getting ready. 

She already looked so much better when she stepped out of the bathroom clean and dressed, her hair dry and in loose waves, light makeup on her face. Smiling softly at her, Taylor motioned for her to grab shoes and her purse. As she did, he grabbed her keys and then guided her down to her car, silently asking if she was okay with him driving. When she didn’t protest, Taylor adjusted the seat before sliding into the cars. 

“Just mess up all my mirrors, why don’t you.” She mumbled softly, the first words she had spoken since disappearing into the bathroom. 

Rolling his eyes fondly, Taylor just fixed the mirrors so he could see before plugging his phone in and putting an address into the gps. Within twenty minutes they were pulling into a parking lot and Taylor was guiding her down the street into a quaint little mexican restaurant. The massive menu was written on chalkboards above the register and Taylor knew that it might take just a little while to decide. 

“Pick anything it’s on me.” Taylor informed her as he looked over the board trying to decide what sounded best. There came a time when too many options was a bad thing and this was close to reaching that point. Liezel didn’t seem to have that problem though because she looked at the board for just a minute before turning to stare at him, an ‘are you ready?’ expression on her face. 

After finally deciding what he wanted, Taylor let her head to the register to place their order before he paid and they headed to their seats to wait to be served. She looked a little stressed and Taylor kicked at her legs under the table. 

“Will you try and have a little fun? You’re going to get everything done, your brain just needs a break before you drive yourself crazy.” He assured her. Before she could reply, her stomach did so for her and Taylor looked at her with a sigh. “I’m not even going to ask when the last time you ate anything was because I don’t think I’ll like the answer.” 

Thankfully it wasn’t long before the food came and Taylor attempted to engage her in conversation about Christmas. Her family traditions, the antics that he and Cale always got up to, how their parents attempted to hide their new sticks behind the tree every year even though they always knew where they were. Liezel was quiet at first but once she had gotten some food into her she opened up a little bit more, sharing stories about herself and how Katie had gone looking for the presents before Christmas every year, too impatient to wait to open them. 

When he had her laughing by the end of dinner, Taylor considered that a success and he smiled as he led her out to the car asking if she was up for one more stop. 

After some hesitation, she agreed and Taylor mentally pat himself on the back as he threw another address in the gps and headed south. Pulling into the lot of the Yankee Candle store in South Deerfield, Taylor watched as Liezel did a double take before looking over at him. 

“Why are we here?” She asked, surprised. 

“Some of the guys mentioned it, I wanted to check it out.” Taylor shrugged as if it was no big deal. Guiding her inside, Taylor was taken aback at just how big the store was. It was completely crazy and it literally took him a minute to even get his bearings. Taylor wasn’t sure if Liezel had ever been here before but he let her guide the way, watching as she stopped to smell candles here and there as labels and names jumped out at her. 

Eventually they made their way into the Bavarian village and really the only way to describe it was that Christmas had thrown up all over the place. It was pretty for sure but it was a lot all at once. Still, the smile on Liezel’s face only grew bigger and she wandered around in awe of it all. Sneakily, Taylor snapped a few pictures but apparently he wasn’t sneaky enough because another patron stopped and asked softly if he wanted a picture with her. Taylor knew that if he said no he might seem a little creepy so he agreed, handing his phone over before pulling Liezel to pose in front of the tree for a few pictures with him. 

After that, they continued to wander until the store closed, Liezel looking so much more like herself after just a few hours away from her studies. Dropping her and her car off, Taylor made her promise to sleep tonight before hugging her and insisting that they make plans to grab coffee or something before he headed home for Christmas in a few days. 

It wasn’t until Taylor had gotten back to his dorm that he realized his phone was blowing up with dms from his brother and cousins sending him a post he had been tagged in with various commentary. 

Opening the link first, Taylor saw that Liezel had made a rare post simply containing the picture of them in front of the tree that she had insisted he send her, a few more pictures from Yankee Candle all decorated for the holidays, and one of him laughing over dinner. Beneath was the caption:

“Recognize that there is a time to be left-brained and a time to be right-brained; a time to be efficient and a time to be creative; a time to work and a time to play. - Author: Douglas Merrill.”

Sometimes we all need a little reminder, today I needed mine, thankfully a certain someone keeps me grounded and I am the luckiest to have him in my life.

Switching back to his dms, Taylor prepared himself for the comments that had been attached. 

@itsmarklogan: 🔥🔥🔥 Hot date tonight! Good for you bro. 

@calemakar_: Is this the Liezel you keep talking about? Looks like a fun night. Now get back to studying. 

Skimming through all the others, Taylor just left them unreplied to and moved to change into sweats before settling in to review notes for a little bit before bed. He’d dispel Mark’s assumption in the morning but for now he was just glad that Liezel had had fun and gotten out of her head for a little bit. Mission accomplished.

[txemrn]

Book: The Nanny Affair

Pairing: Sam Dalton x MC (Brynn Schuyler-Dalton)

Word Count: 657 (+/-)

Warning: language; angst; Dirty Dalton

A/N: I was super excited this past weekend to issue an impromptu angst prompt challenge to several of my TNA-fan friends, and boy, did it get fun and deliciously intense (the submissions are on WattPad; if you would like to read through the ficlets, let me know!)! I thought I would share my prompt and submission with my tumblr family! Special thanks to the lovely @kat-tia801 for pre-reading! My prompt that was chosen at random: "You... you never had a problem with it before."

***

The sweet smell of lemon and basil greet him at the elevator doors. As he stumbles into the foyer of his pristine penthouse home, he catches a glimpse of his disheveled appearance in the reflection of a large framed family picture hanging on the entryway wall. Sam quickly finger-combs his waves into submission as he slips off his crooked tie.

He freezes when he hears the sudden roar of laughter coming from his dining room. He shakes his watch around his wrist. He texted Brynn that he wouldn't be home for dinner hours ago. It's now close to 9:30, and-- another exuberant resound of chuckles and squeals echo from the other room, including two little voices that should be in bed.

Sam abandons his briefcase with his trenchcoat on the marble breakfast nook before he bounds to the dinner table.

"There he is!" announces Robin, lifting a glass of pinot.

"Hey, baby!" Brynn delightfully greets, "did you--?" Her words muffle as Sam zeroes in on the arm resting casually on the back of his wife's chair, an arm connected to his newly hired laboratory supervisor, Dr. Casey Stevenson. Even though Sam had the ultimate say in his employment, Brynn would be Casey's boss. Also a UMass alum, she was impressed with his research and credentials; Sam jealously noticed his physique and charm.

Sam is brought back to reality with his eleven-year-old twins tackling him with hugs. "Go get ready for bed," he callously demands, pulling the boys off of him.

"But, Dad--"

"Go. Now." Sam's voice becomes louder, gruffer, causing the room to fall silent.

"Oh, c'mon, Sammy, it's Friday night--" chimes in Robin, chuckling into another sip of his wine.

"Baby, is everything okay--?" Brynn gently stands, reaching for his neck.

"Robin, I think it's time for you to leave," interrupts Sam, dodging his wife. He points an accusatory finger at Casey. "Take him with you."

"Samuel," Brynn warns, frowning in shock.

"Dude, Sam," Robin stands up, clapping Sam on his shoulder. "Loosen up. Let me get you some wine. Casey has this hilarious story about--"

"Get the fuck out of my house," Sam snarls, "now."

Casey gingerly wipes his mouth with a cloth napkin, nodding at Robin. "Thank you for the lovely hospitality, Brynn." He stands, exiting the stifling room with Robin by his side. "See you Monday, Mr. Dalton." Sam's jaw twitches as he fixes his eyes onto his wife, listening for the elevator to close.

Brynn begins to collect the dessert plates, carefully not looking at Sam. As she turns to exit to the kitchen, he puts his arm out, stopping her. "You're not to host men over here for dinner unless I'm here."

Brynn smirks, furrowing her brows as she pushes past Sam. "You," she scoffs, "you never had a problem with it before--"

"Well, now I do," Sam barks. Brynn glares at Sam before rolling her eyes. "I'm serious, Brynn. Don't pretend for one moment I don't know what's going on--"

Brynn drops the silverware into the sink, turning her attention to her husband. "What the fuck has gotten into you? You really think I'd throw this--" she steps closer, motioning her hand back and forth between their bodies, "--us, our love, our marriage away? For that?" She chuckles, the idea being completely preposterous to her.

Sam begins to anxiously chew on his bottom lip, beads of sweat gathering on his brow as he breaks his gaze away from his wife's stormy blue eyes. "Hey," her voice becomes smoother as she slips her arms around his neck. "Look at me." She lovingly pecks his lips, but she can sense the tension. "Sam, I love--"

And that's when it hits her. Brynn's eyes grow wide as the subtle feminine smell of Chanel No. 5 wafts from his clothes, from his hair and even his skin. Her body grows limp as she realizes her husband isn't accusing her of anything.

He's confessing.

***

TNA Tag List (please let me know if you need to be added/removed): @ao719 @charlotteg234 @chemist-ana @choiceskatie @forallthatitsworth @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @lovelyladyk88 @lucy-268 @neotericthemis @phoenixrising308 @sfb123 @shannonsaid @shannonwrote @shewillreadyou @somersetmummy @taniasethi @thefrenchiemama

[sunspira]

@sweet-loveless no I didn't paint it but I agree that it's really good! It was done by someone working at franklin dining hall at umass Amherst in October 2013. They always have the best Halloween decorations and I love mural work cause I'd love to be commissioned to do something similar someday

[beardedmrbean]

FRAMINGHAM — Police say they have arrested an Ashland man in connection to Thursday's shooting of two men in the drive-thru of a McDonald's restaurant on Cochituate Road.

Police arrested Moises Bautista, 19, of 54 Metropolitan Ave., at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Bautista is charged with assault and battery with a firearm; discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling; carrying a loaded firearm without a permit; and illegal possession of a firearm.

Authorities said two men were in the McDonald's drive-thru at 343 Cochituate Road (Route 30) about 12:45 a.m. Thursday when someone shot them and then fled.

While the dining room closes at 11 p.m., the drive-thru is open 24 hours.

An 18-year-old man was shot in the chest and taken to Tufts Medical Center in Boston. A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to UMass-Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

Police later found a firearm at Learned Pond.

"We believe it is connected to the incident," said police spokeswoman Lt. Rachel Mickens. "We still have to have ballistics testing done on it."

Bautista was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Framingham District Court.

[shrimp-gender]

Umass weekend update. Somebody threw all of their roommate's stuff out of their 20th floor dorm. One of the dining halls was briefly on fire. The football team apparently beat someone up very badly after the game. And apparently a gun was pulled at a frat party.

I hate it here

[oconnormusicstudio]

July 29, 2019 ~ Daily Listening Assignment

July 29, 2019 ~ Daily Listening Assignment

  Today we listen to Hot Cross Buns.  “Hot Cross Buns” is an English language nursery rhyme, Easter song, and street cry referring to the spiced English bun known as a hot cross bun, which is associated with the end of Lent and is eaten on Good Friday in various countries.

    This is from Keyboard Kickoff:

Theme and Variations

[y…

[addierose444]

Spring 2021: One Month Update

We are now just over a month into the spring semester. This is a bit strange as mid-march normally coincides with spring break. Well, normal just isn’t the norm right now and hasn’t been for a while. Like seriously, it has been a whole year since Smith sent us home last spring. Here is a blog post from a year ago about my final week on campus. That was a stressful time, but I was also so naïve about what was to come. In some ways, it’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed; at the same time, it has felt like an eternity. This post is primarily about my current courses and other life updates, but it also felt incomplete without acknowledging the passage of time. Last semester, I wrote a few update posts. I started them because I literally didn’t know what else to write about. However, I found them to be an effective post style that is worthwhile to continue using. 

There does finally seem to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Namely, I have received my first dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine! I was eligible thanks to my job in ResLife. I will be getting the second dose in two-weeks time. I feel very fortunate to be getting vaccinated so early. I’ll also be honest in saying that it was really stressful taking the bus to UMass and navigating through the vaccination center. Another exciting update is that I have secured a summer internship at Microsoft! You can read about my application process here. 

I am currently living on-campus in Parsons House. We are fortunately still operating in Green Mode which is our least restrictive operating mode. This still includes masks, social distancing, and testing three times a week. We are also still ordering most meals on the Grubhub app. However, there is now some limited seating in the dining halls and we have transitioned to using some reusable food containers. Furthermore, Chuckett (our name for Chase and Duckett) is open for true grab and go. The best part about going to Chuckett is that they have yogurt, ice cream, and snacks. Classes and house events continue to be primarily over Zoom so that we can practice social distancing and include those not living on campus. 

As for my classes, it’s been a very busy semester. I am in class less than in past semesters but have had more work outside of class. With that said, this is in part because one of my classes is asynchronous with synchronous labs. To check out all of my past courses, click here. 

PHY 210 has been more interesting than I expected. It’s not an easy class, but it hasn’t been the nightmare I was worried it would be. The class has so-called pre-class check-ins (PCCIs) which are short exercises due at the start of each class (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). We still have a full homework set due each Wednesday, but I enjoy having the PCCIs as it’s more similar to the high school homework model (short more frequent assignments that don’t have to be 100% perfect). I now have a much better understanding of complex numbers and why they are useful. Other topics we have studied thus far include differential equations and the Taylor series (both topics were briefly introduced in past calculus classes). We have also been learning the basics of Mathematica and are currently studying integrals in two or more dimensions. Last semester in MTH 212, all of the exams could be taken over multiple days (unlimited time) so it’s not the easiest transition back to timed math exams. 

PHI 220 is a great complement to my four STEM classes. Specifically, it’s reading and discussion-based and doesn’t have problem sets! While there is absolutely value in courses unrelated to my majors, I really love learning concepts that come up in computer science but from a different perspective. Over the course of the semester, we have been working our way through Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. We have been learning about formal systems and been gaining an understanding of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. Later in the course, we will be delving into the study of Turing machines. Each class starts with five minutes of breathing and stretching. The first day I thought it was really weird, but have now gained an appreciation for it.  

EGR 220 has been my most time-consuming class, but I have also really enjoyed the course content. I am glad that I took PHY 118 last spring as it gave me a good primer for some of the circuit theories. This is particularly useful as circuits is a fast-paced course. Labs have been frustrating at times due to technical difficulties, but having a hands-on component definitely helps my understanding and makes things more engaging. As long as we stay in Green Mode, we will have a few small-group in-person labs! We have also had and will continue to have occasional full class in-person outdoor demonstrations. (All of my other classes have been and will continue to be fully remote). In terms of course content, we have learned about passive components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors and circuit analysis techniques like nodal analysis and mesh analysis.

CSC 250 has generally been enjoyable as I have an awesome professor. I don’t dislike the course material, but I definitely prefer programming and systems to theory. Also, theoretical computer science requires writing lots of proofs which is not my favorite. I am glad that I took discrete math (MTH 153) last semester as it introduced me to proof writing. MTH 153 an unenforced prerequisite of CSC 250, which I was originally going to take concurrently due to schedule conflicts. In the course, we have been learning about regular expressions, finite automata, context-free grammars, push-down automata, and most recently Turing machines. (See what I mean about the overlap with PHI 220!)

COMPSCI 230 is my UMass computer systems class. You can read more about Five College registration here. The course is asynchronous which has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s nice being able to self-schedule my coursework, but it’s strange not really interacting with my classmates. As the UMass semester started two weeks before Smith’s, I am just about halfway through the course which is honestly sort of crazy. In the course, we have learned about data representation, von Neumann Architecture, caches, and virtual memory. 

I am not taking guitar this semester and unfortunately have hardly played my guitar. Last year I had set a daily practice goal that I did a really good job of sticking to. That said, I regret having set that goal as it made playing feel more like a chore. The issue is that when the year ended I was justified in taking a few days off from playing. However, as I was really busying during Interterm it was just too easy to dive into my coursework and other responsibilities. Playing guitar is something that I love, so I am trying to incorporate it back into my life in the right way. You can read about my musical history here. Another music update, that’s really just for me to look back on is that my current favorite song is The Story (written by Phil Hanseroth and performed by Brandi Carlile). I have been listening to a lot of Brandi Carlile’s music over the past few days and absolutely love it. As for 2020 goals, like many people, mine weren’t the biggest success. I originally set out to write four original songs but only wrote two (one of which I had started in August of 2019). I was successful in my reading goal so that was at least one win. You can read about my 2020 in books here. 

[hobeymakar]

Touch | C. Makar

Words: 2,218

A/N: Title for this one is from the song Touch by Little Mix. This one takes place during the current COVID-19 crisis and the current uncertainty of next season.

Warnings: Explicit language, sexual content, mentions of alcohol use

-

You're in the living room of the Denver apartment, trying to remain as quiet as possible as Cale is setting up his video for the NHL Awards. Being a finalist for the Calder is huge and you're beyond proud of him. Whether he wins or loses, you know this won't define his career and he's gonna achieve bigger and better things in his career.

He's set up right in front of the balcony door and sitting down and waiting to be invited to the video call by the league.

"Good luck baby and no matter what you're always a winner in my book," you inform him, blowing him a kiss.

"Thanks baby," he smiles, blowing a kiss back.

You turn your attention back to your phone and try to calm down your own nerves. It's possible you might be more nervous than he is about this award presentation.

The time eventually comes for the award presentation and Cale's name gets called and he gets brought into the video call. You internally scream in excitement and can't help but message your friends and family that your boyfriend is a Calder Trophy winner.

He gives his acceptance speech, managing to be cuter and more humble than he's ever been. He answers the questions Gretzky has for him and then gets off the video call as they have to move on to the next award.

As soon as he ends the call and moves the stuff out of the way, you jump on him.

"I'm so proud of you baby! You worked so hard for this and you deserve it!" you cry out, kissing his cheeks to watch them become even more red.

"Thank you, baby. I couldn't do it without you supporting me every step of the way," he smiles, kissing your forehead.

"Alright, go call your family while I make dinner," you say, letting him go.

You walk to the kitchen and start working on something special for him. It's the offseason so he's allowed a little more leeway on what he can eat, as long as he doesn't go overboard and eat too much food that interferes with his nutrition plan. You hear him on facetime with his family and you honestly couldn't be prouder of your fiance.

You start playing your music softly on your phone as you prepare the meal for the two of you. After a while, he comes out of the room and smells the food being made.

"Smells great in here babe," he smiles, sneaking up from behind you and snaking his arms around your waist. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise. So why don't you go play some warzone or something and I'll call you out when the food is ready," you suggest, wanting him to be surprised.

"But I wanna stay out here with you," he protests with a pouty face.

"Alright you big baby, you can stay here," you giggle.

He sits down on the stool on the kitchen island and decides to recount his entire conversation with his parents and his brother.

"Is Taylor back on the ice yet?" you ask, referring to his little brother who's entering his final year of junior with the Brooks Bandits.

"I mean he's been skating but they still haven't announced when the season is gonna start and you know that he won't be playing at UMass until next year," he explains.

"Tell him I said to keep his chin up and that he's gonna have his season eventually," you reply.

The conversation switches to your family and how they're doing. The song Best Part by H.E.R. & Daniel Caesar comes on.

"That's our song," he smiles, recognizing the intro.

"You remember that?" you ask, cringing internally.

"As if I could ever forget you drunkenly telling me this is gonna be our wedding song and how I'm gonna need to know all the words," he teases, getting up from the seat.

"Oh my god, I thought you forgot about that! I didn't actually mean that!" you groan in embarrassment, as he takes your hand in his.

"Drunken words are sober thoughts, baby," he teases, swaying you to the beat of the song.

He starts singing along to the song, shocking you.

"You actually learned the song?" you ask in shock.

"You told me I had to and it's an easy song to learn anyway," he adds sheepishly.

There's no way you can love him more than you do, and yet he finds ways to make you love him more every day. Honestly, how the hell did you end up so lucky to have him in your life?

The song eventually ends and he walks back to the stool while you turn your attention back to the food.

The song Touch by Little Mix comes on and you dance along to the song, while he laughs at your moves.

"Hey, why are you laughing?!? I'm a phenomenal dancer!" you defend yourself.

"Babe, it's just funny to see you dancing while cooking," he replies, letting out a couple chuckles.

"Like your moves are better!" you scoff, shooting him a look.

"I never said mine were better," he argues back, a small smirk on his lips.

"You're lucky I love you," you reply, shaking your head.

He can be a little shit sometimes, but he's your little shit and you wouldn't change it for the world.

After 20 minutes, dinner is ready and you set up the dining table nicely.

"Thanks babe for all of this," he smiles, taking in the dinner setup.

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do for you. I know we normally would've been in Vegas with your family celebrating, but I figured this is the least I could do. 2020 is all about rolling with the punches," you explain.

"I don't know how I would've made it through everything this year without you," he confesses.

"I know. I'm pretty amazing," you tease, a lil smirk on your face.

You settle into small talk as you eat and after a while, you both finish eating. You both clean up the table and put away the leftovers. You load the dishwasher as Cale sets up to play warzone with Taylor in the living room.

"Babe, I'm gonna take a shower," you inform him.

You go to the room and grab your things to shower. You get into the bathroom and put your music  on shuffle. You get undressed and into the shower, washing your body and hair thoroughly. You dry yourself off thoroughly and go through your self-care routine. You then go into the room and change into a new set of underwear, an Avs Cale jersey, and UMass Minutemen sweatpants. You go to the bathroom and blowdry your hair. You then come out to see Cale still playing warzone with a headset on.

You walk over to the couch and sit beside him and he barely even notices, hyper focused on the game. You take out your phone and take a video of the game and caption it with "ready to be ignored all night" and send it to your friends, who laugh at you and tell you to just leave him alone.

You try to entertain yourself by scrolling through your social media feeds, but even that gets boring after 20 minutes. You snuggle into his side and see he doesn't even move, still focused on playing.

You decide to just let him have his fun, since it's his night anyway and go to the kitchen to bake, since it always manages to put a smile on your face. You decide making a cake will be the best thing for you and it'll kill a couple hours. So you get all the ingredients out and get to work. You put your music back on and get focused on the baking. You put the cake in the oven and start working on putting the frosting in the pipers to be able to write on the cake. Once the cake comes out of the oven, Cale comes out to the kitchen.

"You finished playing?" you ask him, as he walks up to you.

"You're wearing my jersey," he points out, kissing you.

"Yeah you would've noticed it earlier if you weren't so busy playing with Taylor," you tease, getting the pipers ready.

"Well I already finished playing for the night," he assures you.

"Good. I like Taylor, but not when he's stealing my boyfriend away from me," you tease.

"Are you seriously making a cake for me?" he asks.

"Yes! Like I said, I feel bad that this wasn't the celebration we would've normally had. So I wanna make it up to you as much as possible," you inform him.

"I know but you don't have to do all this," he assures you.

"I know, but I want to," you smile back. "Now if you excuse me, I have a cake to decorate and I can't have any distractions."

You carefully frost the cake in Avs colors. You also carefully write "Congrats on the Calder Trophy Cale" on the cake, as well as "#8" and "Let's go Avs!" You draw little hockey sticks on the sides. All your frosting decorations are also in Avs colors, continuing the theme. You also get ice cream out and scoop them into bowls. You then set the dining table up and take pictures of Cale with the cake in front of it. You post it on your social media with the caption "Congrats on your Calder Trophy baby! Wish we could've been in Vegas to celebrate it with loved ones, but celebrating at home alone is pretty special too!" You also send it to his family with the caption "tried to make his night as special as possible for him, but we both wish you guys were here!"

You cut the cake and you two start eating it with the ice cream, trying to make the most out of the situation.

"Thank you baby for all of this! I'm so glad I get to have you by my side every step of the way. I love you," he smiles, kissing the ice cream off your lips.

"I love you more baby and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than by your side," you smile back.

You clean up the table and put the leftover cake away before adding the baking stuff to the dishwasher. Once the dishwasher is filled, you turn it on and let it wash everything. You head to the room and hear the shower running, letting you know that he's in the shower. You turn the TV on for background noise and change into one of Cale's old UMass Minutemen shirts with nothing but your underwear underneath. You get back into bed and go on your phone, checking your social media and responding to texts from your friends and family. You get comfortable as you get sucked into watching some trashy reality TV show that you've never seen or heard of before.

Before you know it, Cale walks back to the room still a little wet from the shower and with his towel hanging loosely off his hips. He quickly finishes drying himself off and changes into nothing but boxers. He turns off the ceiling light and turns on the lamp instead.

"What are you watching?" he asks, not recognizing the show.

"I don't know, some trashy ass reality tv show. I just turned on the TV and this was on," you explain.

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asks.

"Sure as long as it isn't something boring or terrible," you reply.

You switch over to Netflix and you let him choose the movie. He makes his selection and you're pleased to see it's not something you would hate. The two of you watch the movie until you fall asleep. 

The next morning, you wake up to Cale's morning wood poking your butt, which isn't necessarily unwelcomed. You turn over and wake him up by pinching his nipple.

"Ow what the fuck?" he groans, opening his eyes.

"Good morning," you kiss him sweetly, like you didn't just pinch his nipple super hard.

"You're a menace," he groans, as you straddle his waist.

"Yeah yeah yeah, you still love me though," you tease.

He kisses you to shut you up and you definitely do shut up. The kisses become more intense and desperate and he starts lifting up your shirt, noticing the Avs colored underwear you have on.

He groans like he just blocked a shot on the PK and he doesn't know if he wants to keep the shirt on or off of you.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he groans.

"Maybe," you giggle, loving the reaction you've gotten out of him.

He eventually makes up his mind and fucks you with the UMass shirt on because he's secretly into seeing his name on you. Afterwards, you two lay in bed and bask in the afterglow. You then get up and put on the UMass shirt again and head off to make him breakfast, as he quickly follows behind you.

Yeah, it wasn't the celebration you planned on having, but you managed to make the most of it, just you two in your own little world, in your Denver apartment.

[itsgabriel-james]

Fade Into You

A few weeks had passed since Coastal played UMass, bringing Gabe and Maddie closer than they had been since her birthday.

Her need to be, what Gabe understood was essentially, friends with benefits with him, was more challenging than he thought. There were many times where he almost texted her how much he missed her, or that he loved her, or that he wished she was there with him and vice versa.

But saying those things would make their relationship emotional, and she made it clear that she couldn’t give him that again yet. So he let her know he felt those things in other ways. He positively responded to the stories she shared, commented on all her posts, sent her shirtless pictures, and when he was drunk, let the “I’m horny and I need you” texts speak for themselves.

He felt a little silly for still feeling like it wasn’t enough, that he wanted more. Any guy in college would kill for a relationship where it was flirting and sex and no emotional ties.

But the problem is that there are emotional ties, and he couldn’t let that go.

Gabe let out a soft breath as he viewed Maddie’s recent story for the second time, just to see her face, when he was pulled from his thoughts.

“Hi, Gabe,” a petite, brunette girl with blue eyes and a pretty smile said as she passed by him in the library.

He smiled a little at the attention and tipped his head as he watched her sit down a few tables down from him. Her attention was soon on her friends and Gabe stared for a moment, recognizing her and the group of girls she was with.

It wasn’t weird for people to know who Gabe was, but for him to not know them since he’d been starting QB1 for more than a season now. His name and face had been all over ESPN since the Chanticleers had yet to lose a game this season.

The attention was weird for him. It was something he wasn’t prepared for when he accepted the scholarship to play for Coastal.

Press conferences were still odd to experience. He didn’t really care for the cameras or the spotlight. He just liked to play the game.

Gabe looked back at his book to attempt to study for the test he had tomorrow, but the only thing he could think about was Maddie.

He wondered what she was doing. Probably not wasting her time in a library like he was.

“You’re in my math class, right?” The brunette girl was in front of him again as he looked up from his book, smiling as he realized that’s how he recognized her.

“Yeah, I think so. Are you guys studying for the test, too?” He raised his eyebrows and motioned to his open book.

The girl smiled, “Yeah, you wanna join us?”

Gabe took a second to think about it and before he knew it he was picking up his backpack and moving to sit with the girls.

Anyone in the library that day could see that he was soaking up the attention the girls gave him, flirting with him and boosting his ego, asking him if he was ready for the game, etc.

One by one, the girl’s friends packed up and left until it was him and the blue eyed girl, whose name he learned was Jade, at the table. “Okay, I cannot look at another problem. You want to go grab dinner or something? I’m starving.”

Gabe chuckled as he closed his book, nodding in agreement to not being able to look at another problem. The way she asked if he wanted to grab dinner sounded so casual, he almost didn’t realize it would just be them two. He could say no, but then it would be weird if he saw her in the dining hall, because he was also pretty hungry.

But then he realized that there wasn’t any reason he had to say no. Technically, he was single.

“Actually, yeah. I could definitely eat,” Gabe grinned at Jade.

That one moment introduced Gabe to a world he never really experienced before. Casual dating.

He had dinner with Jade that night, and then again the next night, this time at a restaurant, though he wouldn’t admit it was a date. He had a nice time, but the kiss goodnight was dull. She wouldn’t be hearing from him again.

The next week, he found himself out with a different girl. That goodnight kiss was ordinary. He ghosted her too.

A new girl got his attention every Friday or Saturday night for the next few weeks. He was a gentlemen to them all, but they never made it past his threshold.

There was only one girl who got his attention every other day of the week, but she was 800 miles away.

He thought that dating would make him feel a little more whole, that it would fill the gap that Maddie left in him, but it didn’t.

In fact, he never felt more empty and alone than he did after a date with a girl who wasn’t Madison Ward.

[rhysatsmith]

hi! I am an ED 2025 student and I really want to double major in Computer Science and maybe Gov (or business its undecided ahaha but I know I wanna do comp sci!) Could you please give some insight on the Computer Science major at smith? Is it hard to manage with other majors and is there anything you should know before starting the major? Thank you!

Hi!

First off, congrats on getting into & choosing Smith! Second off, I’ll have to say that Smith doesn’t exactly have a business major? There are ways to get involved with business and entrepreneurship and UMass, one of the colleges in the 5 College Consortium, is pretty well-known for business! I think we might also offer a Certificate in the field, but don’t quote me on that.

In more general terms, there’s no need to put pressure on yourself in deciding on a major, especially before you’ve started college! But also, yes, I can give as much insight into the CS major as I can! Personally, I am a Computer Science major and an English major, and I’ve found that CS paired with a Humanities/non-STEM major works pretty well in terms of workload and diversity in assignments. However, if you choose to go the way of interweaving two STEM majors, there’s also some really cool aspects of that: some of the classes overlap, and there’s a lot of interesting higher-level classes you can take that combine, like, Biology and CS or something like that!

In terms of things to know before starting the major, I’d probably advise you to plan to take a lot of your junior & senior year classes at UMass especially if you want to take several courses on one topic (robotics, AI, etc) - no worries though, that means access to better dining!

For anything else, feel free to submit another question anytime! Or reply to this post. Always down to talk heh :D

Rhys xx