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bright-eyes-strawberry-lies · 3 years

Text

My (incomplete) Notes on The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson, at 12 years old, is miserable

Percy is trying very hard to be good

Percy reacts violently when his friends are threatened

“I’m going to kill her”

I wish I’d decked her right there

Percy turns red when he gets called on

Percy knows a lot about both Greek and Roman gods

Percy has an “I’ll-kill-you-later” stare

Percy gives “safe” answers to authority figures

Percy sells an illegal candy stash out of his dorm room

Percy knows about shrooms and thinks that he was drugged on the field trip

Percy has nightmares about the teacher (Kindly One) that he killed

Percy has to get summer jobs

Grover is a very bad liar

Percy almost cries in class when his favorite teacher tells him that he’s different

Percy gets into fights to protect Grover from bullies

Percy sees the Fates snipping the thread and knows he’s going to die

Grover mentions that it’s always 6th graders who are killed

Percy ditches Grover at the bus stop

Grover’s bladder acts up when he gets nervous

Sally Jackson took night classes to get her GED

She wanted to be a novelist

Gabe Ugliano is Percy’s stepdad

His cigars make Percy nauseous

He drinks beer and leaves a mess everywhere

He takes money from Percy and uses it to fund his gambling and calls it their “guy secret.”

If Percy tells Sally, he’ll “punch Percy’s lights out”

Gabe takes over Percy’s room while Percy is at school

Gabe makes fun of Percy’s grades

Sally works at a candy shop and brings Percy blue candy

She runs her hands through his hair and asks him how he’s doing

She never raises her voice or says anything unkind to anyone

Percy wants to punch Gabe

Percy wants to kick Gabe in the balls and “make him sing soprano for week”

Gabe blamed Percy for things that aren’t his fault

Percy makes a hand gesture that Grover did, but at Gabe, and the screen door slammed shut

They have a rental cabin on the beach that is “half hidden in the dunes, full of sand and spiders”

Percy and his mom eat blue foods because Gabe said there’s no such thing as blue food. It’s an act of rebellion.

Percy thinks that his mom doesn’t want him around

Percy is mad at Poseidon for leaving him and his mom

In preschool, Percy is put to sleep in a crib at school. The crib had a snake in it and Percy strangled the snake to death.

Percy has a dream that a horse (Poseidon) and an eagle (Zeus) are fighting to the death

“O Zeu kai alloi theoi” means “Oh Zeus and other gods!”

Percy experiences panic when he realizes that his teacher was a monster trying to kill him

Lightning hits the camaro and blasts off the roof

Percy’s got good instincts; the hair frequently raises on the back of his neck when he’s in danger

Sally gets killed by the minotaur

She’s actually stolen by Hades

Percy rips off the minotaur’s horn and impales it into his side

Percy is crying, weak, trembling with grief and he literally carries Grover and drops onto a porch

Annabeth tries to get Percy to talk while she’s spoon-feeding Percy ambrosia

Percy has been unconscious for two days after his fight with the minotaur

Percy would rather live on the streets than live with Gabe

He considers lying about his age and joining the army

Percy is very good at telling when adults have been drinking

Grover is nervous about Mr. D

But he still manages to ask for the diet coke can to eat

The farm house is four stories tall, sky blue and white trim

The camp grows strawberries and the campers pick them

Grover is 28 years old but satyrs mature at half the rate that humans do

The Poseidon cabin walls glow like abalone. There are six empty beds with silk sheets. It smells salty.

Chiron gets horribly depressed about training heroes

Luke is very handsome except for a thick white scar that runs from his right eye to his jaw.

He’s the son of Hermes and the counselor

Luke is 19

He’s in cabin 11

Monsters will always reform because they don’t have souls

The bathrooms are cinder block buildings with a line of toilets and a line of showers; there’s a girls and a boys

Percy feels a tug in the pit of his stomach when he uses his powers

Annabeth just watched Clarisse drag Percy into the bathroom to give him a swirly

Luke steals Percy some toiletries from the camp store.

Percy is not good at archery, foot racing, or wrestling

The only thing that Percy is good at is canoeing

Percy can’t find a blade that fits right in his hand.

Luke has been the best swordsman in 300 years

Percy bests him after pouring ice water on his head (son of Poseidon)

Hades doesn’t have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood or a throne on Olympus. They say that it would be bad if there was a cabin for Hades.

Sixty years ago, after World War 2, the big three gods made an oath not to have more kids.

Two of them broke it; Zeus with Jason and Thalia, Poseidon with Percy.

When Hades found out, he let out all three Kindly Ones and a pack of Hellhounds

Thalia wound up becoming a tree.

Grover was the satyr assigned to bring only Thalia in. Thalia had befriended Annabeth and Luke, and she wouldn’t leave them behind.

Percy thinks that Luke’s scar makes him look almost evil

Clarisse has an electric spear

It makes Percy go numb wherever she touches him with it

One of the boys in Cabin 5 (Ares) cuts Percy across the arm

Once Percy gets into the water, he’s very good at fighting

Luke wins capture the flag

Annabeth has a Yankee's cap that makes her invisible. It was a gift from her mother.

Annabeth is the first person to figure out that Poseidon is Percy’s father.

No wait, Grover was first and then Chiron. Well, they knew he was one of the Big Three’s son.

As soon as Percy steps out of the water, he is exhausted and in pain.

When Hellhounds die, they melt into shadow and soak into the ground.

Hellhounds are from the fields of punishment.

When Poseidon claims Percy, everyone kneels.

“Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”

Percy is miserable being alone in Cabin Three and being so isolated. He would rather get into fights every day than be ignored. People are steering clear of Percy.

Except for Luke, who gives Percy one-on-one sword training.

Annabeth teaches Percy Greek but she’s distracted.

Gabe tells the press that Percy is violent and a troubled kid. The newspapers say that Percy may be involved in his mother’s disappearance.

Gabe also tells the press that Percy has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Percy has more dreams of Zeus and Poseidon fighting. He hears Kronos’ voice calling to him.

It doesn’t rain in Camp Half-Blood (or even get overcast) unless they want it to.

Dionysus wants to kill Percy.

Percy gets embarrassed when he knows something someone doesn’t want or expect him to.

Percy has a nervous laugh.

Illegal copies can be made of the Gods Symbols of Power.

Percy has tried to steal pizza from Gabe’s poker parties and got busted for it.

Percy is furious that the camp is being punished for his existence. He thinks he’s responsible for the gods' fight.

The Big House attic is four flights up. It’s full of mementos from old demigod fights.

Percy is scared of the oracle.

Percy’s fists clench at the very sight of Gabe.

Percy doesn’t have many friends.

Percy isn’t afraid of Hades; he wants to get revenge and take Hades on.

Gods can’t encroach on each other’s territories but demigods can. Gods can’t be held responsible for heroes actions.

Percy describes his emotions as rolling glass in a kaleidoscope.

Percy is so relieved that Grover is coming with him that he wants to cry.

Annabeth volunteered to go on the Quest. Percy is not surprised.

Previously, Luke told Percy that Annabeth has been harassing Chiron for a prophecy and that she’s been hanging onto all of the new campers until she’s sure they aren’t the chosen one.

Annabeth says that Percy will mess up this quest without her even though he’s been more than adequate at handling everything that’s been thrown his way.

The camp store loans Percy $100.00 and 20 golden drachmas.

He’s also given a canteen of nectar and a ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares.

The ambrosia and nectar is only to be used in emergencies; it will kill a mortal and demigods will literally burn up if they overdose.

Annabeth’s cap was given to her on her twelfth birthday by her mom, Athena.

Luke actually runs up the hill to give them the basketball shoes. They’re the flying shoes he got from his dad for his quest when he was seventeen.

Luke gives the shoes directly to Percy.

Percy is worried that Luke would have been jealous of the attention he’s been getting.

Percy blushes because Luke gave him the magic gift.

Luke seems uncomfortable talking to Percy. He trails off three times and uses “um.” And then there’s an [awkward] handshake.

Luke pats Grover between the horns and gives Annabeth a hug.

Annabeth’s crush on Luke has been brought up three times so far.

Percy figures out by this one interaction that Annabeth let Luke capture the flag instead of her.

Percy thinks that he’s a brat for wanting a magical gift from his father.

Riptide (Anaklusmos) is a gift from Poseidon that Chiron has been holding onto for the next child of Poseidon.

Riptide is forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, and cooled in the River Lethe.

Mortals aren’t important enough for the blade to kill but it will kill demigods and anything from the Underworld.

Percy thinks that the real world feels like a fantasy after spending two weeks at Half-Blood Hill.

Percy thinks that Annabeth hates him.

Annabeth thinks they have to be rivals because their parents are.

Annabeth was also mean to him before she knew who his dad was.

Even after two weeks away from Gabe, Grover can still smell him on Percy.

This makes Percy immediately want a shower.

Grover says that Percy should be thankful Sally was with someone who smelled so repulsively human because it kept the monsters away and that Sally must have loved Percy a lot to put up with that guy.

This does not make Percy feel better but he hides his feelings; or hopes he does since satyrs can sense emotions with or without an empathy link.

Percy is on the quest because he wants to save his mom.

He is not on the quest to retrieve Zeus’s lightning bolt

Or to save the world

Or to help his dad out of trouble. Percy is actually really, really angry with Poseidon for never visiting or helping Sally.

Annabeth and Percy are good at playing hacky sack.

The three Furies are considered the worst monsters in the Underworld.

Percy had a chance to escape on the bus and didn’t take it.

Alecto threatens to kill Percy (again)

Percy can speak Latin

Percy knows that the Greek Gods (Zeus and Hades in particular) are being assholes to him.

The food at Camp Half-Blood is grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue.

“Your head is full of kelp.”

In Aunty Em’s emporium, Percy says that the smell of her cooking makes everything else go away, however he still has the sense of mind to notice Grover whimpering, the statues’ eyes following them, and Auntie Em locking the door.

Percy’s neck tingles when he’s in danger.

Percy is annoyed that Annabeth is being rude to a woman who just fed them for free.

#the lightning thief #pjo #riordanverse #percy jackson series #percy jackson and the olympians #long post #text post #it's funny the things you forget #the details you gloss over #i will not be finishing this

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youralternantpersonality · 3 years

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Welcome My Dear Friend

Warning: N/a

A/n: You know me, I got to write a novel before you can get to the great stuff. I think I keep getting the movie and books mixed up. If I did, sorry. But just enjoy it lol, that's all that matters, right?

Tags: @pillowjj @summeerrr

***

Y/n POV:

I'm walking through the streets of Ontario, Vanity on one side and her "boyfriend" of the month on the other. Ever since the loss of Leo, she's been happily carrying out her dream of living her college experience that she never got to act out. Comes to find out, Leo wasn't her mate; he was her stalker from when they were human. Long story short, they went to college together in the '70s, and he was obsessed with her. One night, lurking outside of her dorm, he was attacked by, you guessed it, a vampire. So, like the trifling ass he was, he attacked her and basically held her hostage all this time. Abusive and manipulative—she wanted a way out. She wasn't expecting wolves to be real, but if she could thank them without getting killed, she would.

Anyway, it has been a little over six months or so since that faithful night in La Push, where I was never seen again. I never got to say goodbye to my family and friends, and when I found out that there was a search for me going on, it was hard to watch. My family and friends posting photos on social media, talking to the police, and holding a conference, all of it broke my heart. We head back to our hotel room thanks to David—wait, was it David? Yeah, I'm going to say David—who graciously paid for two. Unfortunately, no matter how far apart our rooms are, I can still hear them. Fucking vampire hearing. Oh, if you hadn't figured it out, Vanity changed me. I honestly don't really know if I am mad or not. On the one hand, I am pissed; I'd rather be dead than be the walking dead, feeding off people—I prefer the criminals if I'm honest. But I'd rather not have my body lost in a ditch somewhere or parts of it in a shark's mouth.

Regardless, I really want to go back home, but I don't want to leave Vanity. If I had to describe her, I'd say she is like Harley Quinn. Rambunctious, emotional, kind of stupid but smart, party animal, and promiscuous. All of which attracts her victims. Whereas, there's me, the complete opposite of her—I ground her and keep her from being irrational, and she makes sure I "live a little" since I try not to go on a killing spree and I'd prefer to not have my first time with some random guy who I might accidentally kill. Again, I'd prefer to go after the major criminals, male or female, and not the innocent bystanders. I may or may not do active searching in the area for criminal records. I leave the petty crime alone; it's the others with no sense of morality that I play with. A few hours later, Vanity knocks on my door and tells me that we're heading out.

"Where’s David?” I said, swinging my bag over my shoulder and looking around. She gave me a look and rolled her eyes but smiles.

“His name is Kyle. I assume my next victim will be named David?” She looks up at me and smiles. I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. I have this weird ability to know things. I don’t know how I know it, but I just know it, you know? Almost like an enhanced intuition. Not like a psychic, but I just…know what’s next. Harley Quinn Jr. over here is basically a succubus—natural raw talent to draw men in. I mean, yes, vampires can do that naturally, but she could wear a mask, and her voice calls them in.

“I guess we’ll see in the next coming days. Or weeks,” I say, looking ahead leaving the hotel. “So, I can assume that we’re leaving Kyle back at the hotel and heading somewhere? Outside of Canada?”

“Yes, my dear, you are absolutely correct. How about South America? I’ve never been outside of the U.S. That bastard never wanted to. It was ‘unnecessary’ and ‘we have everything we need here,’ pathetic ass.” she says, rolling her eyes at the thought of him. I laugh and change our course location.

“How about Italy instead?” I say, getting a better feeling. She stops and looks at me and smiles.

“Oh! Even better! But we need to be careful.” She said in seriousness.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with Italy?”

“Well, the Volturi is there. Remember how I was telling you about these vampire police/mafia? Well, that’s them. They live in Volterra. I think we can visit, but staying there longer than a week, well really 3 days, may raise a red flag.” Vanity said.

“So, visiting the castle/church is basically out of the question?”

“Yes. They stay there, and the better we lay low, the more fun we can have. Why did you say Italy anyway?” she looked up at me with curiosity. We step up to an ATM machine and take out enough money from Dav-Kyles card and then discard it somewhere where it won’t be found.

“Do we really need to know that answer?” I said, looking at her with a smile. She shakes her head and laughs as we continue onward towards the bus station.

“You need to eat before we stay near anyone.” She tells me. I nod my head and search out for my next meal. I listen to my intuition and walk ahead of us. Weaving around people, turning down different streets until I come upon a high-class looking neighborhood. I calmly walk down the street listening for my next direction.

“Take a left on 5th, then right on the first alleyway. They’ll come,” my inner self said. I follow as instructed and wait. Vanity stopped questioning the things I know and follows along with it. It never led us in a bad situation, and she learned I wouldn’t put us in one. Believe it or not, she’s not evil, misguided maybe, but not bad. Speaking of being evil or not. Here comes our meal.

It was a man, a woman, and a child around six. I looked at Vanity, and she looked back at me. We nodded our heads and waited for the perfect moment. The man, “5’8” dirty blond hair, lanky, with tattoos across his body, was walking in front of the woman and child. The woman—who was “5’3”, long brunette hair with pale skin—was walking together with a little boy with black curly hair, big wide eyes, and dimples. They didn’t see us in the corner of the alley watching them. The man turned around, and before he could do anything, Vanity was behind him. The look on the woman’s face was in a state of shock. Vanity grabbed him by his collar and tossed him near the garbage bin. I looked at the woman, then at the boy, and walked towards her while Vanity was having her meal. I could hear a struggle, and I blocked the little boy's sight.

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?” I smiled. We walked back in the direction they came from, finding a frantic mother looking for him. We retrieved the little boy to her and walked back to where her lover (I assume) would be dead at. As we rounded the corner to the alley, I shoved her and made sure she saw my face before I ended her life. Like the life she and her trash partner in crime almost took. Discarding the body and gaining enough fill to complete the bus ride, we head back and proceed to Italy.

~~~

“Remind me to never get on a plane again,” I told Vanity as she skips through the terminal.

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad.” She said sarcastically.

“I’m going to ignore that comment. Now that we’re here, you can lead the way.” She smiles and proceeds to give me the rundown of what we need to do and where we need to go. It didn’t take long to find willing victims to help us. After going to the bathroom to switch out our contacts, we sat at the airport's bar and waited. It wasn’t long afterward that two men walk up to us and proceed to have a conversation.

“My friend and I are stuck here until we can get a hotel room. Somehow, our reservation didn’t go through, and so now we’re stuck. You wouldn’t by happen to know any hotels nearby that aren’t too expensive, would you?” Vanity said, laying it hard on Thing 1 while I played the shy and sad yet worried friend to Thing 2.

“Of course, we do. How about you guys come back to ours, and we can help you get settled in. We’re here on business, and we could use some company while here.” Thing 1 said. We smiled as if we were so grateful and played the willing idiots they thought we were. We left the bar and headed towards their car and to the hotel. We checked in and proceeded to the room. Vanity and I shared a look at one another and smiled. We weren’t going to kill them; we just needed to use them. Then what Vanity does next is entirely up to her. Over the next couple of days, we convinced Thing 1 and Thing 2 to buy us separate rooms but proceeded to see them. It was currently eleven at night, and Vanity and I decided to head towards Volterra. We checked out and went on foot, going unnoticed to others around. Once we hit some wooded areas, we set sail. About an hour later, I was given instructions.

“Turn left, go up a hill, sharp right, then wait.” I do as instructed, and Vanity follows. She asked what I was doing, and I just pointed to my head. After coming to the location, we wait.

“I know there’s a reason, but is there a reason as to why we’re here?” I look at her and shrug my shoulders. Not long afterward, we hear footsteps running towards us.

“Don’t be afraid.” I hear, and Vanity’s face pops in my head. I grab her hand and give her a smile to ease her worry. I let go of her hand as we come upon four figures. Not even 30 seconds later, I hear

“Hot damn.” I look at Vanity and watch her look at the bigger guy of the group. He smiles, and she smiles back at him. I hid my smile behind my hand and try not to laugh out loud. The big boy goes around the blonde little girl in front of him and steps up to her.

“Hello there, I’m Felix. What might your name be mia bella” he says, looking down at her. ‘Ol boy is huge, and I mean Vanity has to lift her head all the way up to look at him. She smiles at him and raises her hand towards him to shake.

“The names Vanity handsome.” She says, giving her signature smile that brings men weak to the knees. They smile at one another, and the little blonde girl announces herself.

“Felix, let's go. Aro will be expecting us.” And they runoff. Felix rolls his eyes and puts out an arm for Vanity to grab and acknowledges me to follow. We make it to the castle, and we are directed to the three kings Vanity has told me about. And dear God, are they some ugly ass people. Aren't Vampires supposed to be pretty?

Long story short, Vanity found her mate and is basically forced to stay here. I, on the other hand, have no need or want to stay here. Aro can read people's minds by touching them (ew) and picking up on my wanting to leave. No amount of coercing will get me to stay. Vanity understood, but I did promise to stay for a while. Just long enough to know that If I leave, I know Vanity would be safe. But by the time I chose to leave, I was instructed not to.

“You’re staying!” she said/asked me, jumping on my couch while Felix stood in the doorway. I smiled and shook my head.

“No, but I will stay for a little while longer,” I said, tapping on my timple. She nodded her head and hugged me. “Plus, I’m still iffy about Felix here. How do I know you won't hurt her?” I said, half-joking half-serious. But with a smile. He smiled back, understanding the underline warning in my tone.

“I promise you, I would kill myself before I hurt a hair on her head.” I nodded my head.

“Remember, I’ll know if something is wrong...” I said, looking at him.

“And that’s why I love you!” Vanity said, hugging my neck. “Did I ever thank you for choosing Italy as our destination?” I laughed and nodded my head.

“Only about a thousand times.” We continued to talk until Demitri came to let us know it was almost mealtime. We left and went to the main room. Felix and Vanity joined them as I spoke to the receptionist. All of a sudden, I notice three people leaving. A human girl and two vampires I recognized from Forks.

“Bella?” they stopped and looked at me. Her eyes widen as she recognized who I was.

“Y/n?! Wha-what, what happened to you?!” before I could respond, Vanity and Felix come back out, hearing the conversation.

“Well, I changed.” I shrug my shoulders. Alice and Edward are just as surprised, and Vanity breaks the awkwardness.

“Hi! I’m Vanity. Who are you guys?” she asked sweetly. I respond to her.

“This is Alice and Edward Cullen, and the human girl is Bella. We all lived in the same area as each other.” She nodded her head. She looked back at me and gave me a sad smile. We realized this is why I didn't leave when I necessarily wanted to.

“Come on. You can tell us everything on the way.” Alice said sweetly. I hugged the shit out of Vanity, and she gave them a warning as I gave Felix earlier. We grabbed some robes and headed back towards Forks. I have a lot of explaining to do.

~~~

Once we landed, I texted Vanity and talked to Alice, Bella, and Edward. I told them I will explain everything when we get to their house. Within an hour of talking to them, I figured Edward and Alice out quickly.

“Be careful of your thoughts and actions...” was the first thought. “He’s a Mindreader” was the second. And “She’s a Psychic” was the third. Edward was slightly standoffish from me knowing, but Alice was ecstatic. It was amusing. She and Vanity would be great friends, trouble makers, but best friends. When we pull up to their house, I notice the rest of the family waiting outside. To say that they were shocked, seeing me is a stretch. The same questions Bella had in Volterra was written on all of their faces. So we proceeded inside to where I explained what happened after my disappearance a few months ago.

“So, I guess I should start from the beginning...” and I proceeded to tell them what happened that night with Vanity, Leo, and the three wolves that came after us. How Vanity decided to throw me into the water and swim off with me. How I basically drowned, and she changed me while underwater. Biting every central artery area and swimming off with me. Now, how did I survive? No idea. It was painful. The transformation and the added pain of not breathing were so frightening that I passed out. We made it to land not too far from the cliff, and she ran towards Canada, unknowing to the wolves. There is where we stayed for the next few months, back and forth from Canada to Alaska and back. I explained what happened and why we were in Italy and how I made a full circle in under a year. Before anyone could ask a question, Edward called out,

“Jakes here.” I looked at him in shock. “You have to hide,” Edward said to me. I looked at him as if he lost his mind.

“What? Why? I won't hurt him. Jakes, my friend.” I said defensively. Believe it or not, I gained significant control over my thirst thanks to my ability. Learning to listen to it helped me better than expected. It took a while to trust it completely, but I’ve learned to do so.

“Y/n. Jake isn't the same Jake as before. He’s...changed.” Bella said. Oh no... the last time I heard that I lost my best friend. I shook my head.

“No...don't say that. Jake wouldn't know as long as I have my contacts in.” Before anyone could say anything, there was Jake, outside looking nothing how the Jake I knew before looked. He was outside asking for Bella to make sure she isn't a “leech.” What the fuck? I went outside to see what the hell was going on, and that’s when Jake saw me. I looked at him and saw why they said he was different. He changed, just like Jared did.

“Y/n! Is that...is that you!?” Jake yelled/whispered, looking at me. I smiled a wave awkwardly.

“Hey, Jake.” He looked in disbelief.

“Hey, Jake? Hey Jake?! You disappear for six months and come back as, as, THIS! And all you can say is HEY!!!” I flinch, taking a step back. “Did that girl do this to you?” I looked at him, confused.

“How did you know about that?” I asked. He shook his head and backed away. A few seconds later, he shifted...into a fucking wolf. Now it clicked together with why Jared went from friendly to hostile. Jake ran off into the woods and howled.

“Jake is going to tell Sam. Prepare to meet up with them,” Edward said. Which Rosalie responded with an eye roll and a sarcastic “Great.” Something tells me that things are about to get real interesting.

Part 1: Hello My Dear Friend

Part 2: Goodbye My Dear Friend

Part 3: Welcome My Dear Friend

Part 4: Why My Dear Friend

Part 5: End My Dear Friend

Request Open! (Go to the description bar on my page to put one in)

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roseyserpents · 4 years

Text

I'm In Love With You

Summary: neither you or Sweet Pea thought the other would return your not so secret feelings so your friends take action for you

Warnings: none!

Word count: 2,221

Posted: January 3rd, 2020 2:46 A.M. CT

A/N: I've been in a serious mood for fluff all day so I wrote y'all some! This is based on Please Notice by Christian Leave , Hope you enjoy!

And baby when you sleep do you dream of me?

And when you're awake do you think of me?

I need to know, how do you feel?

'Cause baby when I sleep I dream of you

And when I'm awake that's all I do

Think about every detail you have

Sweet Pea tossed over and over in his bed, groaning as he checks his clock, the numbers 3:47 illuminated red as if daring him to stay up longer and mess up his sleep schedule even more than it already was. He'd given up trying to fall asleep at three, the images of Y/n flashing in front of his eyes the moment he closed them in attempts. You'd smiled at him earlier in school, the small gesture everything but to him. The way your eyes sparkled and your cheeks dimpled at the expression made his heart bump bump bump in his chest, in every class after that leaving him staring into space with dreamy eyes. He wondered if you were up thinking about him like he was you. Probably not. He wondered if sometimes he was in your dreams sitting with you under a twinkling night sky like you were sometimes in his. Probably not. You were so pure, so innocent, you probably didn't even pay more attention to him than a glance; why would someone like you, a picture perfect Northsider want to be involved in anyway with a Serpent?

He closed his eyes and traced over everyone of your delicate and soft features, the small crinkle in the corner of your eyes when someone tells a joke, the way your hair falls on your back when you throw it over your shoulder, how your tongue ever so slightly peaks out of your mouth when you're concentrating, or how your hand looked like it would perfectly fit into his own. Everything about you to him was beautiful, but he could never find the confidence to tell you that.

You were the first girl to ever get Sweet Pea nervous and stumbling over his words. No one had ever seen him anything but collected and laid backed, perhaps a bit cocky around girls and never expected him to be a stuttering blushing mess; especially not with a Northsider. But here he was, now at 4:58 still having dreamy thoughts about the girl who sat across from him in the art class Fangs made him take and who sat next to him in History.

"Jeez Pea, you look like you got hit by a bus." Fangs says upon finding his best friend leaning against his locker, heavy bags under his eyes.

"Thanks," He says sarcastically, "I didn't sleep."

"Y/n?"

Sweet Pea simply nods.

"If you're that head over heals for her, ask her out!" Fangs exclaims, clearly exhausted at the situation you two were in. Kevin had been telling him how you'd swoon over the seemingly intimidating Serpent whenever he passed or when he glanced your way, everyone knew you were in love with each other except for you two.

"She wouldn't want to go out with me, Fangs." Pea replies, "She's too... Innocent. We're gang members."

"So what? You've never been scared to ask a girl out. Is the real Sweet Pea in there?" Fangs asks, waving a hand in front of his face for extra affect.

"What if this is the one girl I'm scared of being rejected by?" With that Sweet Pea closes his locker, carrying his books under his arm to his hoomroom passing you and Betty while you had a similar conversation.

Do you notice when I get mad I clench my jaw?

Do you notice when I get sad I tend to fall?

Over my words I say to you

"Hi Sweet Pea." You waved sweetly as he passed causing him to stop and return it with a smile only to run into a Bulldog, clenching his jaw and sending the boy a glare before returning on his path out of sight.

"He always does that when he gets mad." You say to no one in particular.

"Does what?" Betty asks, watching as you stare dreamily in the direction he'd gone.

"His face gets all tense and he clenches his jaw." You answer, "that's the only time he really looks scary."

"Right." She says, pressing her lips into a line and raising her brow, "Well lucky you, you have your next class with him."

Her words seem to snap you out of your daze and you quite literally jump, shaking your head and regathering your books in your arms. "Right! Bye B!" With that you scamper in the same way Sweet Pea walked, a small strawberry blush coating your cheeks.

You slide into your seat next to Sweet Pea just as the bell rings signalling the start of homeroom. You glanced at the boy next to you a few times out of the corner of your eye before finally turning in your desk to face him with a nervous smile.

"Hi." You say quietly causing him to look up from carving something into the side of his desk.

"Oh, uh hi, Y/n." He stumbles over his words. You see a sad look in his eye, concern growing for the Serpent in front of you.

"Are you okay?" You ask softly, gently placing a hand on his arm much to your own surprise. He looks down in slight wonder seeming to get pulled into his own mind for a second before meeting your worried gaze again.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just uh didn't get a-a lot of sleep." He excuses though you were the source of the lingering feeling of sadness that sat in the back of his head. He was sad that the two of you would probably never be more than warm smiles and small talk, that the two of you would never be just that, the two of you.

Your hand lingers a few moments on his bicep before you pull it away, nervously clearing your throat as you face the front of the classroom where the teacher had just walked in.

"Okay class, open your textbooks to page seventy nine."

'Cause I notice when you get mad you close your eyes

And I notice when you are sad you let out sighs

I need to know are those sighs ever over me?

The week after when Sweet Pea was walking down the hall he noticed a Bulldog jacket facing him where you'd usually wave to him. Confused, he stopped and examined your locker, his jaw clenching at the sight. You were pinned against the blue metal by a Bulldog with his arms on either side of your head. You were obviously not into him and were desperately looking for an escape but found none as the boy persisted you let him take you out on a date. He saw how angry you looked, noticing you close your eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

"I'm pretty sure she said no." Sweet Pea intervenes, pulling the Bulldog around by his shoulder to face him instead of you. They looked each other up and down, Sweet Pea standing an inch or two taller.

"What's it to you?" He scoffs before examining the look on Sweet Peas face and smirking. "Oh, I see, you like her. Might as well forget it buddy, someone like Y/n would never go for some Southsider, especially not a Serpent."

Rage flickers in Sweet Peas eyes as he slams the Bulldog against the lockers, the other boy wincing in pain. "Leave. Her. Alone." He growls through gritted teeth before giving him one last push and letting him go. He straightens his jacket before walking off leaving you, Sweet Pea, and a dispersing crowd behind.

"Are you okay?" He asks turning to face you after making sure the Bulldog rounded the corner instead of trying to come back for round two.

"Now I am. Thank you." You smile, your gaze lingering on his face a little too long before you turn and walk away trying to hide the growing blush on your face. Sweet Pea watches in disappointment as you hurry away from him. Did he scare you? Was he too rough? Did he further prove that someone like him couldn't be with someone like you?

Do you know how in love with you I am?

Do you see how in love with you I am?

Every thing that you do, it makes my heart stop

Oh, it stops

"Y/n you're coming to the party." Veronica says. "No ifs ands or buts about it."

"But I have to-"

"No buts!"

You give an exasperated sigh, plopping down onto her bed. "There's no reason for me to go, V. I won't know anyone there and I'll just feel stupid."

"Nonsense!" Veronica exclaims, standing up and pulling you with her. "I'm going to dress you up and you're going. Okay?"

"No, not okay!" You reject as she pulls you to her closet much against your will.

"Great let's get started!"

By the time Veronica was done working her magic, you were almost unrecognizable. Your hair was curled and a beautiful sparkly dress hugged your body that stopped slightly above your knees. You had makeup that matched the colour scheme of the rest of your outfit, the person you look at in the mirror ending up looking like an entirely different person.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Y/n/n." Ronnie smiles looking over your shoulder as you return the grin. "Now let's go!"

You pull up to the spot next to a calm section of Sweetwater River, fairy lights strung from the trees while blankets littered the ground with a bottle of what you hoped was sparkling juice in a basket on the ground. There was a bowl of popcorn on a table behind the scene along with a projector. A sheet hung on the opposite end, it's use obviously a screen.

"V, this doesn't seem like a party." You say as confusion laces your words and draws lines on your face.

"Go ahead I'll be there in a minute I need to grab my purse from the back." She says, ignoring your comment. You give her an even more confused look but she just raises her brow at you with a smile and nudges you towards the door. With a sigh you unwillingly get out walking to the admittedly beautiful scene. As soon as you make it to the blankets and twinkling lights Veronica drives away leaving you gaping at her. Did she just ditch you alone on the side of a river?

"Y/n?"

You freeze before turning around, finding Sweet Pea standing on the opposite side of the set up also dressed up for a party in a tux. His hair was slicked back but a stubborn lock fell on his forehead, his overall look stunning you silent. Sweet Pea took your dress and hair and just overall how beautiful you looked in that moment and he swore he felt his heart stop.

"Did they um, ditch you here too?" You ask after a painstakingly long silence.

"Uh yeah they left the second I got out of the car." He answers, scratching the back of his neck - he's nervous.

"Is this supposed to be a... Date?" You ask as if he'd set it up, walking around and examining the appealing setup until you stand in front of him.

"It might be." He answers with a quiet gulp. You both look everywhere but at each other, blushes creeping on to your cheeks in a mix between strawberry pink and cherry red. "Now or never." You hear Sweet Pea whisper to himself before he finally looks at you.

"Y/n, I... For a long time I've noticed you." He starts nervously playing with his hands. You reach out and take one to prevent it, both of your breaths hitching in your throats at the sudden touch. "I've noticed how kind you are to people even when they don't deserve it, how you try to help everyone, how you always give me little smiles that make me feel better even when I'm having a horrible day. You're beautiful and smart and kind and I just - I fell in love with you."

"Sweet Pea I-" you begin with a ghost of a smile dancing across your face before he cuts you off.

"And I understand if you don't like me, I mean who would, it's just I've been waiting so long to tell you-"

"Sweets!" You talk over him, efficienctly shutting him up by holding his face gently with your hands. His own instinctively move to your waist to keep you in place in front of him. The orangey yellow glow of the fairy lights not far overhead reflect in his beautiful brown eyes adding even more to the already present twinkle. Slowly, you pull him down closer to you standing on your toes until your lips hover over his. He takes the final move to press his lips to yours in a gentle experimental kiss that lights off silent fireworks around you and sparks inside of you. After you pull apart, your foreheads rest against each other's with silent smiles of amazement decorating your faces.

"I'm in love with you too, Sweet Pea."

#sweet pea au #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea smut #sweet pea #sweet pea x reader #fangs fogarty #fangs forgarty imagine #sweet pea x fangs #fangs x kevin #betty cooper #riverdale season four #riverdale au #riverdale imagine #riverdale fanfiction #riverdale #Please Notice by Christian Leave

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kar3npage · 5 years

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Sewing Scissors and Throwing Knives

Chapter 2 is up! Read from the beginning on ao3 here

What would have happened if Neil stopped playing Exy? If he kept running after his mother died? Neil Josten is working as a janitor at Palmetto State University when he gets the opportunity to work as a fashion designer for an up and coming brand. It's a dream come true, if it wasn't such a public position and if he wasn't still running from his father and the Moriyama's. Aka, the Fashion Designer AU that no one asked for but I couldn't help but write.

After a restless night Neil is sick of thinking about Wymack and his stupid, too good to be true proposal. And he is especially sick of the fact that he knows exactly what he’s going to do. He knew before he even left the university yesterday, but that doesn’t make his choice any better or easier to deal with. The truth it, Neil is exhausted. There is only so long that a human being can go without friendly interaction, and he’s been alone for so long. Every time someone gets too close, he leaves. It was bad enough when he was with his mother, but the past 7 years have been harder than Neil ever thought that they could be. There is a pretty solid chance that Kevin won’t recognize him: Neil’s hair is black and his eyes are a dull brown now, and it’s been so many years that even if his hair and eye colour were the same he doubts that Kevin would have remembered. Although, it was a pretty traumatic event so that might have hammered home some details that would usually be lost to time. And if Kevin does recognize him? Neil figures that he’s been running on borrowed time for a while now. He might as well go out with a bang, and it would be nice to be known as someone with potential. It would be nice to be known at all. So far he’s imagined that his death will be covered up and no one will remember. An unknown body found in the ditch outside of a small American town maybe, or perhaps he will never be found and his name will be forgotten along with his mothers.

The sticky note with Kevin’s number on it that Wymack left on the sketchbook is jarringly orange. It almost makes Neil smile, how it matches the unreasonably bright shade that is on the team jerseys. Neil is standing in the parking lot of a bus station that looks like it’s been around longer than buses have. He’s facing a telephone booth--something that is not easy to find nowadays, but Neil doesn’t want to buy himself a phone just for one call. Plus, this way he is harder to trace. Just in case. Taking a deep breathe, Neil steps into the enclosed space and starts dialing. He holds the phone up to his ear and clutches at his sketchbook like it’s his lifeline. At the moment, it kind of is. The phone of the other end rings, and rings, and rings. Neil is just about to give up and pretend none of this happened when a gruff voice answers the phone. “What?” the voice says, talking over the sound of arguing and faint music in the background. “Is this Kevin Day?” Neil asks after a panicked pause. “Yes. Who is this?” There is murmuring in the background and Neil can barely hear Kevin say ‘no, it’s from a payphone I think’. Neil speaks before he can continue the side conversation. “This is… Neil. Neil Josten. You’re father gave me your number.” “Oh! Oh, you’re the one with the sketchbook.” “Yes.” “Why didn’t you call yesterday?” Neil blinks in surprise. “Wymack said I had until Friday to answer. It’s only Wednesday.”

“Yes, but no one waits for opportunities like this. Everyone wants what I am offering you.” Kevin sounds irritated, or maybe stressed. Neil tries to put this voice together with the smiling picture from the Exy magazines he used to be in. The two do not mesh.

“Well I had to think about it. Is your offer still up or not?” “That’s ridiculous. Why did you have to think about it?” Neil gives him a similar bullshit answer that he gave Wymack yesterday. “I didn’t think I was good enough to work with Kevin Day.” Kevin snorts. “You aren’t. But I still want you to. If you listen to me, do everything I tell you to do, I think that you could be good.” “So the offer still stands?” “You’re in Palmetto? I’ll book your plane ticket. Since I obviously can’t send you the information on this number, I’ll send it to Wymack. It’s up to you to get it.” “So the offer still stands?” Neil says, feeling rather irritable. All this time he was worried about Kevin recognizing him and it turns out that he should be more worried about dealing with Kevins attitude. “Yes. We’re flying you out next week.” The line goes dead and it occurs to Neil that he isn’t actually sure where he’s going yet.

Wymack hadn’t been smug about Neil crawling back for a plane ticket. Instead, he seemed quite pleased about the whole thing. Now that Neil is in the John F. Kennedy airport in New York waiting for one of Kevin’s people to pick him up he is starting to regret every single decision that he’s made since his mothers death. Actually, he’s regretting every decision he’s ever made. Ever. It’s the blank look that draws Neils eye rather than a sign indicating who should pick him up. Neil had done some research this week in between panic attacks, so it’s easy to recognize the man standing in front of him. According to the fashion magazines, Andrew Minyard has been pretty much glued to Kevin’s side since they went to Design school together after Kevin broke his hand and flew the Nest. Andrew is now an infamous addition to the fashion world--his skill with embroidery is often ignored in favour of talking about his tragic past and terrifying demeanour. Now that Neil is seeing him in real life, he can see that Andrew doesn’t look like much at first glance. 5 foot even with pale hair and a blank gaze, Andrew is much more dangerous than he comes across. His time in juvie, a legally required drug induced mania that occurred after nearly beating four men to death with his bare hands, and the assault that ended the drugs during his time in university are all well documented. The only thing that keeps reporters from asking Andrew about these events is the terror that they won’t survive the encounter. “Bags?” Andrew asks once they’ve both looked each other over. “This is it.” Neil says, pointing to his well worn duffle. Andrew shrugs and walks away, assuming that Neil will follow him. Neil follows him.

It’s not until they’re sitting in an obviously expensive car that Andrew speaks again. He’s smoking a cigarette with the window open, the vehicle still parked in the underground parking at the airport. Neil holds himself absolutely still to make sure that Andrew doesn’t notice how badly he wants to get away from the airport. “Kevin says Wymack recruited you,” Andrew says in a bland tone. “I don’t think ‘recruit’ is the right word. I forgot my sketchbook at the court and Wymack kidnapped it. Then sent photos of it to Kevin.” Neil hopes that he could mask some of the disdain at being slightly forced into this opportunity. Andrews glance at him says otherwise. Andrew doesn’t respond to that, just stubs out his cigarette and starts driving. Neil is on high alert throughout the drive, his eyes tracking every sign that they pass. Andrew doesn’t even look at him again until they get to what Neil assumes is the studio. Despite the brand getting more and more popular, the building is bland and unassuming. Neil guesses that this is just an office, that clients wouldn’t normally come here. The area that it’s located in is obviously high end, with the buildings all new and built in modern and stylish ways. The one that Andrew leads them to doesn’t stand out, but the closer they get the more Neil can see how tastefully expensive it is. There are two men standing outside waiting for them when the car pulls over and Neil gets out. Both are significantly taller than Neil. He maps out an escape in his head, hoping that their height would slow them in a fight. Neither seem to notice his hesitation. The shorter one of the two beams and pulls Neil in for a hug, one that he extricates himself from as soon as he can. “Kevin didn’t say you were so attractive! This is seriously going to be so much fun, Kev never lets anyone have any kind of control. Except for Andrew, sometimes, but never over the designs! I’m still in shock that he wanted another designer here, this is crazy,” the man babbles. The taller one beside him looks just as thrilled, but he’s calmer and just offers a hand to shake to Neil. “I’m Matt Boyd, and this is Nicky. Dan wanted to be the one to meet you first,” Matt sends a significant look to Andrew, “but it’s a little hectic right now with a client fitting. You know how it is.” Neil does not, in fact, ‘know how it is’. But he gives a little nod to let Matt know that he’s following. Andrew starts into the building and the others follow him. Neil wonders about the control comment that Nicky made about Kevin allowing Andrew to have some. “Dan, Danielle Wilds, is head seamstress,” Matt explains as they walk. Nicky buts in. “And she keeps us all together when it gets stressful. And she’s Matts girlfriend.” Matt takes over again, a small smile on his face. “I’m lead pattern drafter, Nicky here is in the Marketing department--” “And Andrews cousin,” Nicky sings. Andrew gives him a rude gesture without turning around to look at them. Neil sends a quick glance between the two of them. Where Andrew is pale in every way, with his blond hair and nearly translucent, Nicky is the complete opposite. His tan skin and dark eyes make a stark contrast between the two, and his hair is curly while Andrew’s is straight. Nicky must notice Neil’s confusion because he explains quickly. “I know! Doesn’t look like it, does it? My mom was ‘rescued’ during one of dads missionary trips in Mexico. I got moms colouring.” “Why are you greeting me if you’re in marketing?” Neil asks. Matt laughs at his blunt approach. “Nicky always does, it makes new employees feel a little more at ease. Especially when Andrew picks them up.” Andrew is waiting for them to get to the elevator. If the comment bothers him, he shows no sign of it. Neil clutches his duffle a little closer as they all pile into the elevator. No one mentions it, but Nicky does raise an eyebrow at the ratty bag. “Anyway, I’ll introduce you to everyone else once we get to the floor. Like I said, it’s been a little crazy right now so we won’t be able to ease you into anything.” Matt gives him a sympathetic look, even though this news is a relief for Neil. The less time people have to ask him questions the easier. “What do you do, Andrew?” Neil asks, even though he knows exactly what Andrew does. Andrew gives him a carefully blank look and crosses his arms, one hand on an armband. Neil’s eyes track the movement. It makes sense to have weapons there, since it would make them easy to access. He vows to keep a closer eye on them from now on. After the silence lasts too long Nicky takes over, laughing uncomfortably. “Andrew is an embroiderer and Kevin’s guard dog.” There’s a barely concealed threat in Andrews eyes and Nicky is quiet for the rest of the excruciating elevator ride. It stops on the 14th floor. It takes everything in Neil to get himself to step off of the elevator and away from any possibility of escape. He scans the room to find the emergency exit (in the far right corner) and check the windows. No matter what, he knows that there isn’t an easy way out of this building. Quietly spoken German startles Neil out of his thoughts. He turns around to see Nicky whispering to Andrew. “What was that? Is he going to have a panic attack or something?” Andrew doesn’t answer, but when he sends an assessing gaze towards Neil, he knows that they’re speaking about him. Neil forces his muscles to relax and follows Boyd into the room. After the original alarm, Neil actually looks at the room and how it’s set up. There’s a gently hum of voices and machines that permeate the floor and make it feel almost cozy. The room that they’ve stepped into has a line of industrial sewing machines on one side, each with a dress form sitting beside them. Most of the dress forms are partially dressed with the beginnings of elegant evening gowns. On the wall to the left under the large windows is a row of ironing boards. A man is standing at one of them with a look of bright concentration on his face while he irons what looks to be a cotton gown. Neil has never had the time to properly construct anything-all of his training when it comes to sewing was done in the heat of the moment. He’s much better with hand sewing, a by product of the little chores he had to do when they were on the run. “Knox! Neil is here,” Boyd says to the man. He puts the iron down on the holder and turns around with a thrilled smile. “Hi, I’m Jeremy Knox. I’m the lead tailor. I work mostly menswear, so you won’t see as much of me, but I love to do a good women’s suit as well.” “Who designs menswear?” Neil asks, shaking the enthusiastic blond mans hand. Nicky gives him a strange look. “Um, Allison does. You know, Allison Reynolds? The creator of Alli Rey?” Neil sends him a blank look. His research had focused on Kevin, he hadn’t had the time to pay any attention to the other roles in the company. He’s regretting that already. Matt takes over, sounding more friendly about Neil’s lack of knowledge. “Allison is known for exquisite suits. As her company expanded, she wanted to add in womens wear, and that’s when Kevin joined the crew.” Neil tries to commit every detail of the jobs of each person that he comes across. Matt is patient and good with the other staff. He introduces Neil to everyone without interrupting their work too much, and is quick to move them on to each room. There are two rooms with sewing machines, one of them for mens and one for womens. Another massive room is filled with huge, waist height tables for the pattern drafters. Matt is obviously in his zone there, and he shows Neil the area with pride. There are rooms for fittings and meetings, as well as a cutting room, which they don’t enter but just peak into. The area is filled with offices--one for Nicky and his small crew that work marketing, and one each for Allison and Kevin. There are a few more offices off of this, but since Matt stops at Kevins door, Neil decides to ignore them for the moment. Neil notices Andrew slip into one of the rooms without any of the others noticing. Even though Neil has already spoken to the ex-striker and was perfectly aware that he would be seeing him today, it’s a shock to see him sitting at a desk and yelling into the phone, one cheek tattooed with a queen chess piece. It had been a huge deal when it came out that Kevin had covered up his tattoo. Accusations and rumours were thrown around for months, but when Kevin never released a statement it was eventually forgotten about. Or, at least the topic had gone dormant. They wait in the doorway awkwardly while Kevin finished his heated call. The wall behind his desk is covered in images that look like reference and inspiration photos. One wall is full window and the room is stylishly furnished. When Kevin finally puts down the phone and puts his full attention on the two men hovering in the doorway Neil freezes. This entire journey was stupid, and if Kevin recognizes Neil right now he won’t have a way out. No flash of recognition mars Day’s face, though. Instead, Neil is fixed with a haughty expression. He barely spares a glance for Matt, and Matt eventually leaves after telling Neil that he’ll introduce him to Dan as soon as she’s back from the fitting at the Madison Avenue store. “You don’t look like much,” Kevin says eventually, pinning Neil with an unimpressed look. Neil is fully aware that he’s wearing an old t-shirt and jeans, both a size too big. He feels like trash in this fancy office with shiny furniture. Usually these clothes help him blend in, but here they are making him stick out like a sore thumb. “I don’t think I’m here to look good,” Neil finally replies. Kevin doesn’t look impressed with that answer, and chooses to ignore it. “I’ll send someone to pick up clothes for you. Probably Nicky, he knows the image that we’re trying to portray.” Kevin gets up from his chair and leans against the desk. He is significantly taller than Neil (like most people are), but he stands hunched over like he’s trying to hide himself. He straightens every few minutes, but continues to forget and hunch over again. Neil watches the inner battle with fascination. “As I’m sure you know, the Resort show is coming up fast, which is why things are so hectic around here right now,” Kevin looks put out by the chaos. Neil doesn’t appreciate the assumption that he knows when fashion shows are, since he very much so does not. “Anyway, we’re working on Spring/Summer right now and it needs to be good. We’re getting outside pressure and with the brand getting so much attention right now, we need to keep it up.” “So why did you bring in a rookie?” “You’ve seen the floor,” Kevin says with outright disgust. “We’ll never come up with something groundbreaking the way it is now.” Neil raises an eyebrow and makes a note of how little faith Day has in his own team. That could be a bit of a recipe for disaster. “That doesn’t explain why you’ve brought someone in whose never studied or worked in the industry.” “If you do exactly what I tell you to do, it’s all going to work out.”

Neil spends the rest of the day shadowing Kevin, being grateful he never played Exy with the man, and trying to memorize every single piece of information he’s being given. He’s exhausted by the time Kevin decides that they’re allowed to leave at 8pm, but he knows he can’t let his guard down yet. Just because Kevin hasn’t recognized him yet doesn’t mean that he won’t, and there’s something about Andrew’s vacant stare that’s causing Neil some anxiety. He’s pretty sure that the small blond will be more trouble that Kevin and Nicky combined. Although Nicky is starting to be a big problem. He’s gotten it into his head that if Neil doesn’t look perfect, he’ll lose all acclaim that he’s procured from his years in Marketing. To be fair, the way that Kevin worded his job to buy Neil clothes did make it sound like life or death. Nicky refused to let Neil get a cab to the hotel room he’ll be staying at while they try to find him accommodations, so he’s trapped in the back of the expensive car with a chatting Nicky while a grouchy Kevin sits in the passenger seat and an apathetic Andrew drives. “Don’t worry about anything, we’ll get you measured tomorrow during your lunch break. If Kevin gives you one,” Nicky says, glaring at Kevin before continuing on his tirade. “It’s seriously going to be so easy. You’re gorgeous enough in that trash, but in a suit? No one will survive those sharp cheekbones!” Nicky fans himself. To Neils surprise, Andrew gives Nicky a sharp look through the mirror. “Stop,” he says in German. Nicky takes the dangerous tone in a stride and rapidly changes the topic to talk about an upcoming photoshoot. That sets Kevin off about not having promotional material ready in time, which gives Neil a glorious breather in the conversation. Getting measurements done shouldn’t be a big deal. It wouldn’t be, for most people, but Neil isn’t most people. And he’s pretty sure that he’ll have to disrobe at least a little to get proper measurements. He’s still trying to figure out a way around this when Andrew dumps him at the hotel. Only Nicky says goodnight.

#andreil #all for the game #aftg #the foxhole court #tfc #aftg fanfic #fanfic #writing #neil josten #kevin day #coach wymack #nicky hemmick #andrew minyard #matt boyd #fashion designer au

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3packsfrom21 · 4 years

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With that, Let it Snow

Our final post, finished in the Seattle airport, waiting for our final flight to Calgary. Last you heard, we were getting on a bus bound for Bangkok. The bus was to arrive in Bangkok at 11:00am. Well, very long story short, that was not at all the case. The bus ride ended up involving a 3 hour wait where our driver disappeared, a two hour wait in a customs line, having to walk our bags across the border and wait for a new (much smaller) shuttle van. In the end, we didn’t arrive in Bangkok until 4:00pm. Fortunately, we were still able to get three 3rd class train tickets (3rd class is a whole other story) to Chiang Mai for that night. We made it to Chiang Mai (our LAST destination) by 12:00pm on December 8th. We then spent the next week (until the 14th) there. Highlights of Chiang Mai largely involve food, markets, and journaling time. We love all things Thai food: Kao Soi Kai, Pad Thai, mango sticky rice, deep fried taro, spring rolls, and on and on. We drank our share of smoothies and bubble tea and indulged in a nice breakfast at our hostel every morning. We also did a lot of chatting, laughing, and sleeping in our snuggly beds (the evenings and mornings got chilly – down to 15 degrees!). Chiang Mai was the “fall” to our trip and we felt it’s bitter-sweetness in the air. We’ve enjoyed the spontaneity and lack of responsibility of these last few months, and aren’t really too thrilled it’s ending. Yet, at the sound of a Christmas tune played in 7/11, the bitterness is replaced with chills of excitement.

For our final thoughts, we’ll each reflect on what we’ve learned over the past 4 months. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

***

I’m writing this from a cafeteria in Taipei airport, waiting for a connecting flight to Seattle; from there, we catch our final flight home. As I think about the conclusion of a trip that I’ve dreamt of (as cliché as that sounds) since graduating high school, I have conflicting thoughts. I wanted this trip to have more purpose, and wanted to make learning a focus; neither of these are things that can be easily measured. So, as I come home, how do I know that they were accomplished?

In the past 4 months I have traveled through nine countries (3 were repeats), over 2 continents. I have walked the cliffs of Moher, explored ancient Rome, stood on Mars Hill where Apostle Paul preached almost 2000yrs ago, and biked through the Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. I’ve experienced my share of stressful travel days and endured a few bumps in the road, all of which God worked out in the end. Before leaving home, I had many doubts and worries about how things would go. Would we find places to stay, argue too much, get sick, run out of money? And how would we get from A to B? It’s impossible to prepare for every outcome, and very rarely do my preparations include relying on God. However, when in the moment, He’s usually the first one I turn to (thanks to his prompting), and the only reason I’m able to find a way out. Sadly, He’s also usually the last to be given any recognition; therefore, I continue trying to prepare and the cycle continues. I’ve learned (though I’m quick at forgetting) that everything makes more sense in the moment, because He lives in the moment. God can only be experienced in the present; he can give you peace about the past or future, but that peace is something experienced in the moment. So, rather than imagining and trying to prepare for all life’s “What Ifs,” I’m instead trying to trust His promise that He is “[a] very present help in trouble” Ps. 46:1. This is quite a relief, especially for someone who is coming home near the end of 2019, having no idea how next year will go. So, I think with time and reflection, I will realize what the trip accomplished. The true purpose will change with perspective and I will continue to learn from it.

Kiana

***

So, what can I say to summarize a trip that has fashioned itself as “normal?” It amazes me how, as I try and jot down some last poetic words, I am completely lacking. Where have I grown? I don’t believe I’ve grown all that much, to be honest. When we started to plan this adventure, the topic of “purpose” arose. I must say, I struggled with an answer. Was there a purpose for us to go traveling for four months? Because, if there wasn’t one, then the other, more harsh question would need to be answered. That is, should we be even be going at all? For me, at least, I didn’t really get that epiphany moment I was hoping for. Instead, I flew off, hoping I wasn’t missing a cue that said He wasn’t really on board with my plans.

Now, though, it’s clear that this trip came in His timing. It’s funny how I sometimes I find myself reciting “its all in His timing… all in His perfect timing.” as if that means it can’t possibly also fit alongside my own. In my mind, me and God always worked in different time zones. His was the right one, while I was either a couple hours ahead or a whole day behind. But as I have thought about His perfect timing, and how it miraculously aligned with my desires, I wonder if I’ve missed the hint that is so blatantly given through the name “Father”. He is the Almighty I AM, the Alfa and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and yet I call him Dad. It sort of messes with my mind a little. Because, when I think of His perfect Will, I feel the need to remind myself that His will is not always my will. And when I think of Him as the Alfa and Omega, I get this image of surrender and dying to my old self. But when I think of Him as Father… I think of playing soccer with my dad, and laughing with him about stupid jokes, that aren’t really that funny, but are hilarious because of how he said it. He’s that dude too. He delights in having fun, and through that, I can do wild things just to have fun with him. Now, He is still the Almighty that calls us to worship and feed His sheep. I am aware that to become more like Jesus I am called down a path of submission and focus. But if this trip has taught me anything, it’s that He’s also there for when I want to do something crazy, something for my own enjoyment. He’s there for the joke. His timing isn’t always hard to get on board with because He isn’t meant to be this hard, crusted old man that I’ve somehow pictured him as. I have seen a bit more of God’s humor these past few months and it’s been pretty cool.

Lynece

***

What have I learned? At first, I actually thought I wasn’t learning anything. The purpose of this trip, in my hopes and dreams, was to read a ton of books and become an expert on religion so that I don’t have to question or doubt anymore, and so I can answer anyone’s questions and convince them that I’m right without looking like a fool. Well, there wasn’t much time for reading in Europe, truth be told, and I remember myself somewhere in Spain, thinking I’d failed at my purpose for the trip. I really wasn’t learning anything at all and I certainly wasn’t going to be Ravi Zacharias by the time I went home. Looking back, I was right on the second of those (of course), but I can now definitely recognize some things that I’ve learned – both through the reading I was able to catch up on in Asia, and through the simple experiences of my journey.

So, what have I learned? The biggest thing that comes to mind has to do with my pride and image-management. But I’d rather not talk about my pride. You know, because of my pride. See, I always knew I struggled with pride. What I didn’t realize was how deeply it was affecting my relationship with the Lord. By trying to so precisely maintain my self-image, I distanced myself from things that might hurt that image. In the process, I distanced myself from Jesus, because, regardless of what our pop-worship culture might say, Jesus will never be popular. In truth, much to my anguish, following Jesus means sometimes looking like a fool to those around me. That is perhaps the most difficult thing I’ve ever been confronted with. I actually cannot maintain image and live according to Jesus’ truth and life. There is no having it both ways. No “a little of this and a little of that.” You can have the image, or, you can live with Jesus. That’s it.

Reading through Ezekiel, this hit me hard. Ezekiel did some strange things, listening to the Lord’s commands. I don’t understand most of the book, but from what I gather, Ezekiel was a prophet, chosen by God to be an image to Israel of what was to come. God often told him to demonstrate these things-to-come through enactments, body posture, clothing, etc. Let me just say that Ezekiel’s self-image wasn’t exactly boosted by the ordeal. In fact, from my perspective, he wouldn’t merely have looked foolish to everyone around him, he would’ve looked positively insane. I bristle at the thought of such humiliation, but then am reminded that that is the calling. I can then only praise Him for His great patience and mercy, because I am only beginning to learn, understand, and surrender, but he has already been a kind, guiding hand, giving me tangible examples of what it means to ditch the pride in favor of connection to Him and His people.

You may wonder how a trip to Europe/Asia taught me about pride. So do I. I read some books that certainly pointed me in the right direction, but, other than that, I suppose the answer lies somewhere in the Lord’s mysterious ways.

Janae

***

Dear trip 2019, you’ve been a blast.

|3packsfrom21|

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hypnocutiegypsy · 5 years

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CH 4. Love Eater A Paranormal Romance

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3| Chapter 4

(3732 words)

I stared back at him, gazed into those topaz eyes lit from within and he stared back. This Barnabus and his sultry tones, his sweet smile were still a big question mark in my mind. Despite having spilled all but his guts, I couldn’t force myself to let my guard down. I sensed a little sincerity in the way he spouted answers to every question I threw at him. But there was also something else. A feeling of déjà vu claimed me as I remembered my dream this morning and the cold foreboding I felt in my gut the night before.

Bibi Anui had been a bit clairvoyant. I’d never had those abilities until now. But, nothing good ever came from ignoring a feeling.

“What do you say?” he prompted, rousing me from my reverie.

My mind wants to tell him thanks for the coffee, but no. Logic would have me walking up out of here, clutching the pepper spray in case he sprang after me again. But the small suppressed voice of my iron wrapped heart whispered that I could finally have a good friend, someone I could relate to. Someone not to fear rejection from; for once I wasn’t the weirdest person in the room.

Loneliness had been my only friend for so long. No, seriously, this isn’t an emo digression, I’ve been alone for a long time. Even when I had Bibi, the grass always seemed greener for children that had siblings or parents. Or just friends. Would it be so bad to just be friends?

It would be reckless to accept friendship from a being that I don’t understand yet.

“Yes.”

“Really?” His eyebrows shot up and he grinned widely. I wonder if he knows how mischievous he looks…

I smiled and nodded.

“But if it turns out you mean me harm, I’ll incapacitate you and figure out what will kill you for real…”

He paled momentarily, the smile going cold, then chuckled nervously.

“Oh, come on. Is that how you speak to a friend?” he chided in a mutter.

“Normally it takes a while to become friends. Not that I know from experience. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re still a stranger. Even if you’re polite.”

“That’s fair…” He clasped his hands in front of him as though he still weathered the jarring effects of my threat. “So, wait. You haven’t had many friends?”

“Any friends, actually…” My callous exterior began to crack once more under those eyes. “What is up with your eyes? Is it just me or are they glowing?”

The playfulness returned to his features. “Oh, how sweet of you to say-”

“Stop it.” I commanded. “I think you ought to know there will be no romantic tension between us. At most maybe I’ll get rid of this urge to curb stomp you from creepiness…”

“That sounds violent.”

“It is. The only reason I’m really agreeing to this is because I’ve never really known anyone who wasn’t completely intimidated, offended, or disgusted by the fact I’m a witch. It’s nice to know I’m not the strangest thing out there.”

“You most certainly are not. I can promise you that. And my eyes are a result of the magic used to keep the body looking alive.”

He certainly looked normal otherwise.

“That is so strange…” I wanted to learn more about that magic, but the time dawned on me again. I gasped and reached for my bag. “I honestly do have to go, though.”

He stood with me and took out his own phone.

“Let’s exchange numbers. We didn’t even get to talk about you yet. Have to be fair, as friends, right?”

He handed the phone to me, fingers soft as they grazed mine. I fought the heat that tried to rise up my neck with the physical contact. He stared at me as I entered my number, a distant curiosity glinting in his eyes.

“That is so strange. I can’t taste a thing…you must have a charm,” he marveled quietly, half to himself.

“Wait, what? Are you… trying to feed off of me right now?” I asked in startled disbelief.

“No, it wasn’t intentional! Your fingers just sort of grazed mine. I can’t turn it on or off it-”

“Then keep your hands to yourself!”

“Ok… I’m sorry. I meant no harm. It just happens like breathing. That’s why I don’t touch everyone. I’m not a monster, you know…” he said in a low voice. His forehead wrinkled in dismay, lips pursed. He was… offended?

“Friends don’t eat friends…”

He smirked. “Friends don’t judge friends. Also, you stand a higher chance of hurting me than I you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I teased. A genuine smile spread across my face as his crumpled further with concern.

“Please, don’t.”

After Barnabus paid the bill, he walked me out. On the sidewalk we said an awkward goodbye and went our separate ways.

As strange as this whole thing was, I felt giddy. I think it was because someone finally knew who I was and didn’t run away. Even after I threatened him several times, he still pursued me. Common sense told me to be on guard for foul play, but my heart held on to the knowledge that someone wanted to know me. He wanted to know me and if his expressions and mannerisms could be trusted; he was somewhat in awe of me…

I smiled to myself as I made my way to the University Pantry Closet to choose some nonperishables that looked somewhat edible and a few cans of salmon for Paka. Time to get my head out of the clouds and be an adult. I know she had asked for fresh, but this was the best I could do. God knows I couldn’t afford to buy fresh salmon. She had better be grateful. Then, I made my way to the grocery store near my apartment and began the task of stretching fifty dollars as far as it could possibly go.

About a month ago, I overheard a passenger on the bus talking with a friend about meal prep. It sounded fool proof so I looked it up on Pinterest and it’s been working so far. Just need to stay on budget…

I filled my basket with the cheapest ingredients for four main meals that would feed me for the next two weeks. Or until the meals ran out. I rode the bus home. Groceries in hand, I arrived in the late afternoon and was greeted by Paka again. I shimmied over to the kitchen counter and hefted the plastic bags down, removing the death trap of crisscrossed plastic bag handles from my partially numb fingers.

“Have you got the fish?!”

Hopping up onto the ledge above the counter, she batted at a box of oatmeal trying to knock it onto the floor. I swatted her paw away.

“Will you relax, you wazimu cat? Let me put my things down, chill!” I complained, wrenching the sweaty backpack off and placing it next to the bags. I leaned against the counter and began unpacking the food.

“I got you canned salmon. I think there may still be bones, but I’ll pick them out for you.”

“How kind of you, but I’d prefer you leave them in. Then at least I can pretend it’s a real fish…”

“You’re welcome, ungrateful feline…” I murmured.

She groaned and leapt down, padding her way back to her place on the window sill above my bed. She watched the window as I unpacked and prepped for cooking. I contemplated when to tell her about my adventures today with a non-physical being that inhabited a bewitched body…

“So how was your day?”

No time like the present.

“Pretty good. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I mean, well, I met a Love Eater…” I glanced up at her from the corner of my eyes as I preheated the oven.

“A WHAT?!”

She bounded from the window and back to me, pacing back and forth before the door where I could see her. Her little cat features were awestruck. I started washing a bunch of potatoes to cut.

“I nearly tripped over him going to class this morning-”

“HIM?!”

“Let me finish, please. He spotted me because his abilities didn’t work when we made eye contact. From your behavior, I’m guessing you know what a love eater is…?”

“Yes, I most certainly do. And you need to ditch him quick. Those pawns can’t be trusted. They’re only loyal to the one who holds the leash. Which is a terrible metaphor for my current situation, but you get the seriousness I’m trying to relay.”

“Somehow I knew you would know. And how do you know? Are you ever going to give me your backstory? I know you aren’t really a cat…”

It’s been almost a year since Paka and I have been together and just as long since she’s been talking to me. She refuses to tell me why she can speak to my mind and who she really is. It always just turns into a big argument. It’s like she loves bickering with me.

“No. And it doesn’t really matter. What matters is a Love Eater is often a pawn in a witch’s game. They’re used to gain affluence, help them gather intel, they’re flunkies. Sometimes they don’t even know it!”

“He seemed pretty independent to me. And he says he can’t even use magic…”

“Where do you think he got that body from, huh? Think he just happened to be hanging around when the guy died? Just got lucky, huh? No. He works for a witch. Maybe he knows. Maybe he doesn’t. But that fact remains, it isn’t safe for you...”

“Ok, thank you mother hen. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m serious, Vera. Stay away from him. Magic folk who use beings the way a Love Eater is used aren’t the type you should get caught up with.”

“Alright! I hear you, now let’s change the subject. How about I open that can of salmon you’ve been howling about?”

Despite herself, she abandoned her preaching and meandered over to me. I hid a smile as I cracked the can and poured that pungent contents into a china bowl. Setting the bowl on a small carpet at the foot of my bed, she loped up behind me and dug in quickly.

“This conversation…nyam-nyam mm… isn’t over, Vera… nyam mmm nyam goddess this is good, just like the real thing!”

“It is the real thing, Paka!” I guffawed.

“Whatever, nyam!”

As she devoured the salmon, bones in all, I began boiling water for a pasta dish. A few minutes later my phone chirped. Which wouldn’t be so abnormal if I had any friends to make it chirp. I added the pasta to the water and put away almond milk before checking it.

did you make it home safely litl witch?

I’m not sure why I suddenly got a chill at the words. I knew it was him. But that wasn’t why. Somehow it was such a thrill for someone to know who I truly was. And still want to talk to me. I should respond immediately. That’s what you do right? To be polite.

Yes, love eater.

I giggled to myself and Paka’s ears swiveled toward me, after which she popped her head out of the bowl to give me a baleful look. My smile fell off and I rolled my eyes.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to ruin your meal with my happiness…”

“Serves you right,” she harrumphed.

There was another chirp. I smiled again.

good. you can call me barnabus.

And not barnie?

ive been informed that is not attractive…

ahaha, just my luck. someone told you first…

The pasta water began to boil over and a loud hiss made me jump. I removed the jumping lid and singed my finger on its metal edge. Cursing beneath my breath, I stirred the pasta and then started dicing potatoes. Another chirp from the phone and the knife slipped, nicking my thumb just enough to draw a drop of blood. I shrieked and held the cut to my lips.

“Fother Mucker…”

Maybe Paka was right and this guy is bad news. Am I buggin’ or are these some serious signs right now? I grabbed the phone up.

what are you doing

i’m being very distracted by you actually >.<

what is that???

It’s a face of distress. I am burning and slicing myself over here. Let me call you later tonight

wow ok, yes of course

After that he didn’t message anymore; a real gentleman. I argued in my head as I continued to cook. Is having a friend worth risking my safety. Paka seemed very adamant, then of course she could be jealous. She’d laugh at the thought, but I know she likes me to herself. And when we were texting what was up with that.

Despite playing the devil’s advocate, I felt content when all of my food was prepped and refrigerated or freezing. It wasn’t pretty, but I wouldn’t starve. Oatmeal, Pasta, Potatoes, chicken, canned fruit and some random veggies thrown in will sustain me for the next fourteen days. I finished up the dishes and showered before cuddling up with my literature book and phone. I pretended to read for about fifteen minutes as I waited for Paka to doze off for another cat nap.

Quickly, I slipped into a fuzzy robe I scored from salvation army and my boots. I really ought to invest in a pair of slippers. I tiptoed as best I could out the door and down the hall to the window where a bench sat. I perched there and pulled out my phone. A wave of giddiness washed over me as my finger hovered over the name, his name. I allowed myself a small giggle as I pressed dial. Is this what it felt like to have someone to call? Someone waiting to hear from you?

It rang for three beats.

“Hello?” his voice was thick with the rasp of sleep. I panicked. Did I wake him?

“Oh-uh-I’m sorry,” I said quietly. I struggled to keep my voice from carrying down the hall.

“No, it’s fine! You’re fine, I must have dozed off waiting for your call. This science nonsense is dry stuff. And none of it at all true.”

He cleared his throat loudly and I heard the rustle of bedding. My heart fluttered at the thought of him waiting the past three hours for my call.

“Are you sure? I can just call tomorrow…”

“I’m sure. So, what spell were you working on?”

“Uh… what?”

“You said you were cutting and burning yourself and such. Was it a difficult spell? A curse?”

“What kind of witch do you think I am?!” I exclaimed. He laughed loudly in my ear.

“Well I’m sure I don’t know. We didn’t get to that part yet. What kind of witch are you?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know either. I know what I’m drawn to like uh crystals, demon hunting, herbs for medicinal teas… that sort of thing…”

He chuckled. “So what did your parents do?”

“I never knew my parents. I was raised by my Bibi Anui; my grandma. She was a witch, but she’s been gone for a while now. I sort of just follow my fancy when it comes to magic.”

His tone turned somber. “I’m sorry. No other family, then?”

“No. Well, my foster family. But… they don’t really like having me around.”

“Their loss.”

I smiled into the phone and leaned against the giant window pane, letting my forehead touch the glass.

“Nice of you to say so.”

“Of course.” There was a pause. I could hear him shifting in covers, the phone nestled against his pillow probably. “So, as far as witches go, you seem relatively inexperienced…”

“Ah, well.” I sighed. “I have a knack for banishing unwanted spirits. I’ve had my share of run-ins with demons as well. But for the most part, it comes easily to me. And I enjoy it.”

“See, I told you that you could do more harm to me than I to you…” I heard the smile in his voice.

“And don’t you forget it.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

I couldn’t stop the unnecessarily loud laugh from bubbling up out of me.

“What?!”

“Girlfriend?” he ventured, unfazed.

“No! No, I’m single.”

“Any exes?”

I pressed my forefinger and thumb to the bridge of my nose, letting go a sigh.

“Barnabus, what are you doing?”

“Aw, you said my name!” he said with a squee of delight.

“What are you doing?” I repeated, unable to keep the smile from my voice. Again, I heard the crinkle of bedding. Or maybe it wasn’t sheets, it sounded closer this time. Maybe paper?

“I don’t know. Aren’t these the type of questions you ask friends?” he sounded a bit nervous. It was still hard to read his voice sometimes.

“I guess… wait. Are you reading from a paper?” I asked incredulously.

“Um. Yes. It’s actu-” I couldn’t help laughing then, and I cut him off.

“You are hilarious. This is a joke, right? You did this for show?”

“It’s a magazine article…” he admitted.

“Why??” I was braying like a hyena.

“Well, you said we could be friends. I’m not sure how to speak to someone I want to keep around. Or who I want to keep me around…”

His straightforward response caught me off guard.

“Oh…”

“So happy I amuse you,” he teased.

“I’m sorry. I suppose it makes sense. Which magazine?”

“If I tell you, you’ll just laugh again…” he chuckled himself.

“Ok, fine. Well what’s next on the list?” I whimpered through my giggles.

“What’s your favorite hobby?” he asked woodenly.

“Oh, well I enjoy making different types of tea. I know that’s strange, but it’s kind of like my own personal prerequisite for potion making. It helps me pick out every note of each ingredient. My Bibi always told me never to meddle with potions if I wasn’t absolutely sure of myself.”

“That makes good sense.”

“Yes. And also, I really love tea. Very therapeutic and nostalgic to me. I also like reading. Mostly my Bibi’s grimoire or other herbal books. I haven’t found any spell books yet. Regrettably, the suburb library didn’t carry any.”

“I could probably find you some…”

“Really? Where?”

“I have sources.” “That’s… mysterious…”

“I like your voice.”

I went quiet. Stunned to silence by his comment. Did he mean for it to make my cheeks burn? This is why I need more friends. I don’t know what’s normal and what isn’t. Everything is so embarrassing. He probably is just paying me a compliment…

“I’m sorry… too blunt?” he said after my pause.

“No – no, it’s fine. Thank you. I’m a little out of practice…with compliments and such…”

“And no wonder. People this century are downright rude. This decade is by far the worst I’ve ever been in.”

“It is so strange to hear you talk that way. I’m still having trouble believing you…”

“But are you, really?”

“I guess not, huh…”

“I think you’d be less likely to entertain a friendship with someone you didn’t believe.”

“You know, I can appreciate your bluntness.”

“Few do.”

“Have Theodore’s friends picked up on his differences?”

“Um… yes and no. His phone was buzzing nonstop the first 48 hours after I inherited this body.”

“And now?” I asked.

“Now, they seem loathe to return any of my messages.”

“Well, not that I know from experience, but a real friend would probably notice if you started to suddenly text differently.”

“I suppose so. Oh, and I’m pretty sure Theodore was on his way to a date the night he died. I keep getting messages from a girl named Natalia who insists that I’ve stood her up…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle even though it was quite sad.

“How many lives would you say you’ve lived? Or bodies you’ve inhabited should I say?”

“Honestly? I’ve lost track. After maybe seventy, I stopped counting.”

I gasped into the phone. “Seriously? Who keeps calling you back from the dead?”

“That’s just it though. I’m not dead. I don’t know if I can – well, I can leave a body. But in the traditional sense of the word, I continue on living in the ether, the abyss… sometimes I wish I could die…”

“That’s morbid…”

“It’s far worse than morbid…” his voice lowered. Bad choice of topic.

“So, what do you enjoy, Barnabus? What are your hobbies?”

He cleared his throat, perhaps glad for the turn in conversation.

“Well, I like nature. I love being outside and feeling a good breeze. I’m not sure I have many hobbies, although I’ve tried many over the millennia. My last host, I believe they enjoyed the shooting range. So, to keep up appearances I’d do quite a bit of that. I can cook. I don’t particularly care for it, but it’s something to do…”

“So… no hobbies then.”

“Uh, no,” he chuckled.

“Maybe we could find you a nice hobby. You know something you enjoy that makes you feel a sense of purpose. It could probably even give you a tangible piece of your identity to take into future lifetimes.”

He fell silent.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Silence.

“Barnabus?” I whispered. I checked the phone; he was still on the call. “Are you there?”

Suddenly he cleared his throat. “I’m here, sorry.”

“Did you fall asleep on me?” I teased.

“You know I think I did, my apologies.”

I rolled my eyes. “We’ve got to work on your speech. No one says ‘my apologies’ anymore, Barn.”

“Was that my first nickname?!” his voice rose several octaves.

I just laughed.

Soon after that we said goodnight. I’m glad it didn’t last long enough to be awkward. But it was so nice to have someone to talk to and laugh with. I tried to put out of my mind that I still didn’t know everything about him. I was an open book, but Barnabus still had secrets. But it didn’t me back from him. The next night it was him who called. And the day after that it was me. It went on like this for two weeks and I couldn’t be happier. I had a friend.

***

Thanks for reading! I’m trying my best not to give up on writing. Here and there I try to steal some time for myself, but life is busy. Tell me what you think with a comment, I’d love to hear from you. I know it’s been a while, hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. <3 Love to all. Missed you terribly. So happy to be here writing mush and gush. ;D

@sincerestaffect, @zekethegm, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @idleunsung, @typeaadventures, @creativityflows, @siarven, @izraiel, @jennalasby, @beautifulimposter25, @writtenhastily, @cirianne, @forlornraven, @ellenya, @lzlabseesu, @thewitchthetimeladythehuntress, @dapucha

#ch4 #love-eater2018 #vera&barnabus #paranormal romance #wip #ocs #happy to finally finish this chapter after like three months #no shame #never give #i'm trying my best #i'm doing great

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itsblissfuloblivion · 6 years

Text

Kindle - Chapter 2

A/N: WOO we’ve reached chapter 2 and we hope you’re just as excited as we are!

Find the update on FF and AO3 and please enjoy :)

One particularly hot summer’s day later (which included three distinct instances where he thought he’d be dying of dehydration), Harry leaves his campus office and lazily shuffles his feet towards his single apartment. Luckily for him, it was in the near vicinity of the campus, if the lady from the real estate company’s words are to be taken for granted. Two bus stops and fifteen minutes of trying to walk - or if he’s honest more like sleepily crawling - in the morning in order to arrive on time is not what Harry would call “in the near vicinity”, but he takes what he can get for a reasonable price. Turning the key twice in the lock, he makes his way out of the building and outside on the sun burnt grass of the campus yard. Privately, he starts questioning his decision to move his paperwork home and everything it entails. Apparently, carrying ten kilos of paper through humid weather thick enough to be soup is not the best idea he could come up with, but he weighs the discomfort of powering through against having to go back to his cupboard of an office any time he wants to work, and the former wins by a landslide.

Keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid tripping on his own shoelaces, Harry almost jumps out of his skin in fright when he bumps into something soft and very much alive.

“Ouch! Watch where you’re going, you loon!”

Harry thinks he recognises the voice, but being sans glasses courtesy of the impact leaves him rather blind, thus making the recognition process a wee bit difficult. Feeling the grass with his palms frantically, he manages to find said glasses and shoves them onto his nose - all without more damage than a few fingerprints. Slowly but surely the image of a redheaded young woman forms in front of his eyes. Harry gulps. He definitely knows the woman.

“Funny bumping into you here. Quite literally,” Ginny remarks, hands on her hips as she scrutinises him from head to feet.

“Erm - H-hi,” he replies, rubbing the back of his head. Quite the wordsmith today, Harry, quite the wordsmith, he thinks to himself.

“Here,” she says, offering a hand to help him up. “Where’s your son?”

“My who?” Harry is confused for a second or two, questioning his past and opportunities to father children. “Oh, you mean Teddy? He’s my godson,” he laughs.

“Oh! Oh, right. Sorry,” Ginny smiles and her cheeks color pale pink.

“No worries, happens more than one would think,” he responds and stretches his hand to lightly pat her on the shoulder. Catching himself mid-stretch, Harry cringes and rapidly closes his fist as though he just caught an annoying fly or bug. He cringes again. Very smooth, Harry, he mentally grumbles.

“Anyway, I was heading to the library so feel free to join,” she quirks her upper lip into half a smile. Harry notices the bags under her eyes and the book bag filled to the brim with giant tomes she probably has to go through until morning. At a quick glance, Harry’d guess she has to be about at the final weeks of her Master’s writing process.

“I’m finished for the day, thanks,” he grins, already regretting that he has to decline her generous invitation, but dinner with family is not something he can make a habit of missing - no matter the beautiful temptation - as he is a man who values his own life. Lily Potter is not someone who can take no for an answer, if the answer does not come accompanied by extensive and sorrowful explanations. At the moment, he doesn’t quite feel a wild desire to confess to his parents plus Sirius that he is ditching them to study with a pretty girl he just met.

“Well, somebody’s been productive today,” Ginny raises one ginger eyebrow.

“Yes, such are the days when I’m not on Teddy duty,” he grins, ruffling his jet black hair.

“Teddy duty. Sounds fun,” she laughs, flashing him a smile of her own for good measure.

“Of course it is, whenever he’s not screaming bloody murder that he wants doughnuts and that is like 90% of the time.”

“The kid knows his doughnut flavours, I must give him that,” Ginny laughs.

“Yeah, he’s a natural. But so are you, I reckon,” Harry says and prays he hadn’t been too straightforward the second the words roll out his mouth.

“You should remind my brother of this very important little fact, actually. He tends to experience momentary lapses of memory whenever he has to pay me or give me the occasional doughnut eating break,” she pouts and Harry notices again the way a wave of freckles clash on the soft skin of her face. He fights the urge to lean down and have a closer look.

“How long have you been working with Ron, though? I haven’t seen you around until yesterday.”

“Oh, I do it every now and then. Whenever he might need a hand or whenever my wallet feels lonely,” she answers easily. Harry can’t help but admire her easy confidence - he’d never quite managed the ability to project that level of casualness when chatting up a beautiful woman. Not that he’s a beautiful - anyway. He’d been lucky enough to never need to work in his university years and god knew that academic books cost a liver and a toe. James and Lily had always supported him and now he started wondering if it really was the right thing - Ginny seemed much more down to earth than he’d been in his MA era.

Ginny sighs with something he’d maybe call regret. Though he’s not taking full credit since she’s leaving him to lock herself in the stuffy library for the foreseeable future. “Well, then I’m off to the library. Don’t try to stop me, I’m dying to have one more sleepless night for the sake of academia,” she jokes, pulling on the most convincingly excited face anyone could manage under the circumstances.

Harry watches her as she leaves and sighs. A thought is forming at the back of his head, nebulous but relentlessly niggling like an itch he can’t quite scratch. Still, his eyes refuse to leave the small form capped by a waterfall of ginger hair disappearing in the distance, the rush of students moving to and fro between the dining hall and the library. It takes him a moment before he realises he’s been holding his breath.

“Harry, love, you’ve barely touched your food,” Lily points out later that evening, wiping her hands on a kitchen cloth. Harry looks down to see his plate still full, which is weird in itself since he distinctly remembers bringing the fork to his mouth several times throughout dinner.

He finds that he must pause the introspection process when a green pea arrives uninvited and lands between his eyes, followed by a second that chooses to rest inside his left nostril. Harry exhales loudly, making the pea pop on the table and roll over, hitting the culprit’s elbow. Or, rather, culprits - plural.

“Cut it out, you too,” Lily huffs, half-amused by her husband and best friend’s antics.

“Aw, Lily, but it’s fun,” Sirius flashes a devilish grin and Harry acknowledges he’s onto something. “My young godson here is clearly disturbed by something and it is my duty, as godfather, to intervene and ensure that everything is quite alright.” To the young man’s chagrin, Sirius lays on his most sincere and angel like face, batting his eyelashes in Harry’s direction.

“That’s correct, son,” James joins in. Oh-oh, double trouble. There’s nothing more dangerous and potentially harmful for his sanity than the powers of James Potter and Sirius Black working in horrible, life ruining unison. “Allow your old man and godfather to kiss it all better, what d’ya say?” James asks, mirroring Sirius’ innocent appeal.

Rolling his eyes, the youngest Potter excuses himself from the table and walks over to the kitchen to do the dishes in a desperate attempt to escape the upcoming interrogation.

“At least tell me that you’ve got her number,” Sirius approaches, casually leaning against the sink, rendering it difficult for Harry to further ignore him.

“No,” he mumbles, squishing a wild desire to stomp one foot on the ground in a Teddy-like manner. “And, might I add, it’s none of your business,” the dark haired man continues, feeling very much like an adult.

“Fine,” Sirius crosses his arms, “have it your way. But don’t come crying to me when she says no.” As he pushes away from the sideboard to leave, his right hand briefly covers three quarters of the tap’s mouth and Harry is greeted by a rainfall he is definitely not prepared for. He simultaneously coughs and growls abuses under his breath, grasping his glasses to wipe them on his black jeans.

“Will you two ever grow up?” Lily firmly plants her hands on her hips, her hair afire in the pink dusk glow reflected from the spotless windows that fill an entire wall in the living room large.

“No,” James gives her a lopsided smile and kisses her cheek. “And you don’t want us to,” he whispers close to her lips, earning some disgusted mutterings from Sirius between two obviously fake coughs.

“Maybe not,” she winks and walks over to place an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Although this has unlimited potential to turn into a captivating debate, it’s not the main focus of our family get together this evening.”

Harry looks at his mother, green eyes reflected mirrors of his own. His breath catches for the second time this day.

“Am I going to have a brother?” His question is greeted by silence. “Or a sister?” He lamely tries again, seeing as no one is willing to break the uncomfortableness of the moment.

James is the one to recover first. “Not that one of us is not trying,” he quickly glances towards Lily, who blushes furiously and shrugs. “That’s not the news,” he pauses.

“The three of us have been offered contracts in the US, love. Really well paid,” Lily says, stroking her son’s cheek. He grasps her hand and squeezes, as he did since he was a little boy.

“And? Have you given an answer already?” Harry inquires, struggling to keep his tone even.

“We did,” Sirius is the one to mouth the dreaded news. “We’re going to work at the New York Presbyterian. For the year to come, at least.”

“We’ll be starting at the end of this month,” James adds on and Harry gets the feeling that his parents might have rehearsed this moment a couple of times before acting live before him.

“That’s...brilliant,” he replies, feeling like he’d rather melt on the floor into a depressed puddle than hug Sirius, James and Lily and pat them on the back in good health. He’d never been one hundred percent alone, even though he moved out as soon as he started university. He always had Sirius to visit him, James and Lily to break in uninvited. He always had family dinners, weekends with his parents, unplanned holidays with the whole crazy crew, and someone to come by when he felt like he couldn’t really handle life. And what about Teddy? Of course, he was his official and legal guardian since Tonks and Remus - well, since they weren’t around any longer, but somehow it seemed easier to take care of him knowing that James and Lily were one phone call away.

“Harry,” his mother lifts his chin and he can’t avoid her gaze. His heart aches and he isn’t even ashamed to admit that, yes, he is a momma’s boy and he can’t face life without his mother. “Harry, my love, you really are ready to start something on your own. Even if it might not feel that way right now, you are. Trust your mother, I know you better than anyone,” she smiles and brings her plump lips to his stubbled cheek. Harry takes his mother into his arms and holds her tight, filling his lungs with the scent of her hair enough to last him until the three of them come back home.

“What about Teddy? Am I prepared to take care of him too?” he mutters into Lily’s dark red hair.

“Oh, darling, you’ve not needed our help with Teddy for a long time now. It’s simply that you never realised it,” Lily draws her hands through her son’s dark locks, admiring how it sicks up all over, just like James’. As much as she’d love to stroke his hair every day and watch him grow old, she understands it is the moment to take a step back and allow him to tackle obstacles and hardships at his own pace. “It’s not forever, love.”

“Teddy wants cartoons!” a small boy’s voice booms throughout the room. His shoes muddy from playing in the backyard pond, he leaves little marks on the polished floor as he runs as fast as his feet can carry him to hug Harry’s legs. A smile creeping on his face, the young godfather decodes the message as “let’s go home now” and notes the urgency in the little boy’s actions.

“Sorry everyone, it’s Friday night and Teddy’s special will be on in about fifteen,” Harry chuckles as he checks the time on the old watch perpetually strapped around his wrist, passed down directly from Fleamont Potter ages before Harry was old enough to know how to tell time, let alone comprehend the significance of the gift.

“Completely understandable,” James replies, raising his palms in front of him and nodding his head.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to miss the new adventures of Babbity Rabbity either,” Sirius comments, picking Teddy up and spinning him in the air, airplane style, an action met by laughter and squeals of joy.

Lily squeezes her boy’s calloused palm and he sighs, yet reciprocates. Closing his eyes, a flash of ginger hair and two freckled cheeks pass before his mind’s eye and something inside him tells him that, somehow, everything will be alright.

#itsblissfuloblivion writes #gryffindormischief #fightfortherightsofhouseelves #hinny #hinny au #harry x ginny #harry potter x ginny weasley #jily #teddy lupin #james x lily #sirius black #ron weasley #harryginny #hinny fic #read-a-hinny-fic #kindle #kindle chapter 2 #james potter #lily potter

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summerrrluvvv · 4 years

Text

Chapter 3

Music featured in this chapters:

Cranes in the sky by Solange

Crew by Gold Like ft Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy

Yesirrrskii by Lil Uzi Vert ft 21 Savage

Act Up by City Girlz

Cash Shit by Meg Thee Stallion

Miami: Day 2

Ariana:

“Uhhhhhhh what the fuck” I groaned waking up. I had a huge headache and my stomach was on fleek. I still had on my fit from the night before, my damn wig was barely hanging on. “Bro what the fuck man” I said taking off my wig. I got up and got undressed and into the shower, which did not last long because I needed some medicine ASAP. “Rise and Grind girls” Melody came in happily. “Mel why did you not help me out my clothes?” I asked her. “Uh we all passed out in here. I got up in got in my bed and i guess we all just took showers” She said drinking out of a coffee mug. “What is that?” I asked. “Hangover Tea, Tye made” She said. I laid back down. “Tell Tye Tye to bring me up some” I told her. “Ari you can’t sleep in all day today is the yacht party” Mel said. I almost threw up thinking about being seasick and hungover. “When can we rest?” I asked. Melody looked at me crazy. “Miami never sleeps, shake that hangover off so we can drink again” She said. “Ima go get your tea” She told me closing my door. I sighed at the idea of getting fucked up again. I rolled over and grabbed my phone. “I want you so bad” I see. I had remembered that Marlon crazy ass messaged me last night. Tye came walking in with my mug. Melody was right behind her. “Okay now that we all in here except Zion ass, we need rules” She said. Melody groaned. “Boring” She said smiling as Tye playfully pushed her. “Aight so, basically rule #1 is always always get lit, #2 is never worry about yo girls get the Dick sis but send us your location so if shit go down you know #3 No sad girl shit, no mopping #4 if bitches try us they try us all and that’s the rules I love you hoes” She said laughing. “Not the ditch your friends for the D” I said laughing. “Well Zion completed #2, and I’m get on her ass too. Saying this trip all about my girl’s face ass” Tye said. “Yall um I think I seen Isaac last night” Melody said. “And I oop” Tye responded. “Are you sure we were drunk as fuck” I said to her. She nodded. “I know what Isaac looks like and his friends you know Freddie and Trey” She said. I nodded, “Well don’t let that ruin your trip fuck Isaac” I said. “She going to fuck Isaac alright” Tye said smirking. “Nooo Im not” Mel said. “Ima get me a new boo”. I clapped for her. “You see that, growth” I said imitating Kelly from insecure. Tye looked at me as Melody walked out. “She happy as fuck on the inside” I started laughing. “Shut up!”.

After our little house meeting. I decided to take a run in our Airbnb subdivision. I always ran to clear my head especially after a hangover, Thank God Tye got me that tea. I took a break, caught my breath, and took a sip of my water. I see a Convertible pull up near me, and the top lifted off, revealing some sexy light skin guy. He started talking to me, but I had my headphones in listening to “Cranes In The Sky” by Solange. I took my earphones out. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you” I said smiling. He laughed a little. “I was saying damn it rare we see such beauty in this area, normally got to wait till you hit the beach” He said. I rolled my eyes playfully. “Uh boy” I said. He smiled at me. “I’m Anthony” He said. His voice was so whew lord. “Ariana” I said. “Call I call you Ari or RiRi for short?” He asked. I shook my head. “Nigga I don’t know you like that” I told him placing my hand on my hip. He laughed. “Feisty little thing, aight I dig it. Hopefully, I see you around, Ri” He winked at me before pulling off. I cheesed all the way to house cause that man was an Angel. “Girls, Ladies, Bitches I seen a fine ass man on my run. I’m talking GQ fine” I said blushing. Melody and Tye came out they room and looked over the staircase balcony we had in the house. “And?” Tye said. “His name is Anthony and he stays over here I guess; He has a nice ass car and he called me Ri” I said cheesing. They just looked at me. “Number?” Melody asked. I bit my lip and shook my head. “He just said, see you around Ri” I said smiling. Melody and Tye laughed. “Well at least it aint that nigga Marlon” Tye said. “We gone go to every door and find him” Mel said. I started laughing. “Ima get me some Anthony” I said. “You better” Tye said. I could not stop squealing about that man.

Zion:

I woke up to sun beaming bright as fuck in my eyes. I put my hand up to block the sun. I turned over to see I was in bed with Kyrel from last night. I palmed my face. I got up and grabbed my shit. He rolled over and looked at me. “Good morning Beautiful” He said. Normally I would cringe at any nigga telling me that, but it made me slightly smile. “Hey, I’m sorry. Last night shouldn’t have happened” He said. I looked at him. “Yeah, I didn’t want you to feel like it was a one-night stand. I really dig you and I want to see you again if that’s okay” He said to me. I nodded. “I would like that” I simply said smiling. Normally my ass would say something smart, but his energy was different. “Let me get my ass up, so I can make sure you get home okay” He said. A man! I thought. These niggas in Atlanta do not even care if I made it home unless they thirsty as fuck. He got dressed and we got in his car. “I see money all around me, I feel like I’m the man. But I was done and out like last week tell me where have you been? You came out of hiding girl. Don’t act like I’m your man, you just a fan, don’t hold no rank” He sang along. He looked over at me smiling. “What?” He asked. I giggled. “Nothing, you just cute. I guess” I said. He put his hand up to me like a mic. “Come on sing it with me” He said. I laughed. “I see money all around me, I feel like I’m the man. But I was done and out like last week tell me where have you been? You came out of hiding girl. Don’t act like I’m your man, you just a fan, don’t hold no rank” We sang turnt in the car. “Aye see” He said. I playfully pushed him. “Got me slipping out here” I told him. He started laughing. We pulled up to my Vacay house and just sat in the car. “So, Ima take you out Wednesday if that’s okay?” He asked. I looked at him crazy “And where we are going sir?”. He smiled. “It’s a suprith” He said in a funny voice. “Aight We gone see about that” I said laughing. He leaned over and pulled my face towards his and we started kissing. His lips tasted so nice; it was about to be a Tsunami in this car. I had to go. I pulled back. “Thank you for the ride, home and to sleep” I said laughing. He smirked. “Keep your phone on you” He said. I got out the car and waived bye. I walked into the house and Ariana met me at the door. “Its 2pm Mam, where have you been young lady?” She said with her hands on her hip. “I went to see a man about a horse” I casually said. “Irrrrr ok” Ari said making a funny noise. Tye came downstairs in her swimsuit looking like a goddess. “Okay I see you” I said. She twirled around. “Inches on Inches baby”. Melody came down after her in her swimsuit. “Yeahhhh get intoooo itttttt” She said holding Patron in her hand. “Okay Ari I see you too girl” I said gassing up my girls. “Bitch go get motherfucking dressed; our ride will be here soon” Tye said. I ran upstairs got in the shower and got myself all the way together. That took almost 2hrs. “Zion! Hurry up!” Tye yelled. “Im coming!” I yelled. “Ooh Z you look good girl” I told myself. I did a little twerk, and scurried downstairs before them hoes leave me. “Dick got you taking yo time huh?” Melody said. I playfully pushed her. “Shut up, I have yall know that Kyrel is a gentleman okay, and he is fine as fuck. He laid it down good as hell, Yall I’m let him go because he gone fuck me up” I said. Ari sucked her teeth in. “You better get you that gentlemen peen” She said. I almost spit out my water. “Bitch, I almost died” I said laughing. “Shots!” Tye said. “I’m not uh uh, only a little Tye” Ari said. We all took shots before we headed into the party bus.

Melody:

“Hit your main bitch, yessirskii, Doin' donuts in the six, yessirskii. You got engaged but she still wanna slurpskii” Lil Uzi “Yessirskii” played as we walked onto the Yacht. I never been on no Yacht before and bitch this shit was a dream come true, another lit drunk night for me Yesssiiirrr. My girls and I were twerking our ass off. “Fuck it up Tye!” We yelled as Tye twerked on the opening of the boat. “I always wanted to do that” She said taking more shots. We were eating and Ari and Tye were smoking, just enjoying the vibes. 2 hours had passed, and we had drunk 2 bottles of Patron. I felt more fucked up then I did last night. The movement of the boat was causing my world to spin, and I needed to sit the fuck down, ASAP! “You good Mel?” Tye asked high as fuck. “No girl I feel sick as fuck” I said. She took me downstairs to lay on a random ass bed. No matter how much I stayed still the rocking of the boat was making me feel nauseous. I got up to look for a bathroom. “Fuck” I said realizing this room had no bathroom. I stumbled to quickly find one before I threw up in these people’s boat. As I was moving fast but woozy, I bumped into somebody. “Sorry” I said. I felt hands around me. “Yo you good?” I heard. I looked up seeing the beautiful man, but I was so messed up I did not care. I shook my head “No” I could feel the vomit rising. I tried to get out of his way, but he was trying to check on me, and what I feared most happened. I could not hold it in, and I threw up all over him. I could not stop it just kept coming. “Bro what the fuck!” He yelled. “I’m sorry” I said faintly before I knew it my eyes got heavy and I passed out.

Tye:

“Real ass bitch gives a fuck about a nigga big Birkin bag hold 5,6 figures stripes on my ass so he calls this pussy tiger, fucking on a scamming ass rich ass nigga. Same group of bitches aint no adding to the picture” All of us girls were screaming the lyrics at the top of or lungs. “You check on Mel?” Ari asked. I looked at her crazy and hurried downstairs, because niggas is weird. When I got down there, I seen she was wrapped in the blankets on the bed. “This your friend?” I heard behind me. I turned around to see a fine ass black man wrapped in a towel. I nodded. “Yeah she didn’t feel good, I’m sorry I will get her up” I said. He shook his head. “Nah, she good this my boat so she straight. She must be sick or something she threw up all over me bruh” He said. I guess that explains the towel. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry” I said. He laughed, “It’s cool if it was anybody else they have to get the fuck off, I had my home girl clean her up and I put her in here, so yall enjoy the party. Here is the key to this room just check on her when you need too” He told me. I smiled “Thanks”. I locked Melody in and went back upstairs to go see Samar.

“Hey stranger” Samar said as I walked over to him DJing. “When we gone be able to kick it?” I asked. He looked at me confused. “What you mean nigga? we are kicking it now” He said I rolled my eyes. “Samar I’m talking like how we do back home we in Miami nigga lets kick shit have fun” I said. He nodded. “Aight movie night at my house, bring the liq I got the wings and the weed” He said. I smiled at that idea. “Aight cool motherfucker” I said just dancing to the music slick coming down from being lit. “Here drink this and come over here” Samar told me. I took the shot and came near his mixing station. “Okay now what?” I asked. He smiled. “You gone learn how to mix for a little minute”. I was excited, “Bitch I’m a star, I got these niggas wishing. He says he hungry this pussy the kitchen, yeah he my dog he going to sit down and listen call him a drink and he don’t get offended” He clicked on some buttons then went to his computer. He brought the mic over to me. “Say something” He smiled. “I don’t feel like yall lit enough for me, let me run that shit back!” I yelled on the mic. Samar ran it back. “Bitch I’m a star, I got these niggas wishing. He say he hungry this pussy the kitchen, yeah he my dog he going to sit down and listen call him a drink and he don’t get offended” Every female sang. I got happy as hell. For the whole party that is all we were doing, I am surprised they aint pay me the fuck. After, the boat owner helped us get Melody on the bus, and Samar pulled me to this side. “Do me a favor bro, don’t be out here wilding with these Miami cats okay?” He said to me. “Can it just be yall girls chilling and shit?” He asked. I busted out laughing. “Samar, I’m grown sir you don’t have to worry about me honey, I’m good” I said. He looked at me annoyed. “Tye, I’m trying to be like a big bro and be protective but okay city girl Tye” He said. I shrugged. “Thanks bro” I said rolling my eyes. Nigga fuck yo big brother face ass, the fuck. He hugged me and said bye to everyone on the bus. I see him go talk to some Randoms. Typical Nigga shit. I pull out my phone a text Julian.

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icedteaenthusiastt · 5 years

Text

Road trip to heal

Chapter 1

"Are you guys sure you don't wanna come?" Richie asked as he leaned on the car.

"Nope I had enough ghost and freaky experience for my life time." Ben says as he crossed his arms.

Eddie was supposed to be helping put bags into the car but he was staring at Richie instead. Puberty hit him like a bus. He was tall, 6'0 at least. He was pretty lanky but didn't lack muscle. He just wasn't overly built. His hair was curly and as crazy as ever. But he ditched his glasses a year ago. Wearing contacts on most days. Just making his blue eyes more sharp, it didn't help he dyed his already dark hair jet black. Eddie would just about die everyday. Richie wearing skinny jeans all the time, he still wore his stupid button downs with a plain t shirt under. But he had upgraded to other styles of shirts. Mostly alternative. Dark colours. Eddie had the biggest crush. He personally hates ghosts but he was only going because Richie was.

"H-hey, eddie. Earth to Eddie." Bill waved his hands in front of eddies face.

"Oh sorry." Eddie says and took a bag from him. Bill teased.

"It's ok, it's hard not to stare." He was referring to Stanley. Who aged similar to Richie but didn't wear as dark colours. His style was more soft but his attitude match richies style. "4 weeks alone with them. It's like heaven." Bill smiled when Stanley waved to them.

"4 weeks. That's so long." Eddie hummed and smiled to himself before putting the rest of the bags in the trunk of the van.

"Aw are you guys sure?" Richie asked asked again.

"Yeah I have to help my grandpa with the business so I can't go anyway." Mike shrugged but gave rich a hug as the boys were leaving soon.

"See ya when you get back. You better take a bunch of pictures." Bev smiled side hugging Richie and kissing his cheek.

"Yes mom." He nodded smiling.

After exchanging a few more good buys the 4 boys where on their way.

While waving at the distant car Beverly look at mike. "Stan and rich have no idea what's coming."

"Oh what poor boys." He laughed.

~~~

Eddie looked out the window as Richie drove. The sun had set a little while ago. But it was a 6 hour drive to their first hotel in the trip. It was a soft mood in the car.

Dark, only faint light from the head lights and the light of Stanley's phone as he watched a movie. Eddie glances at Richie every now and the . Richie was tapping his fingers softly to some indie band that was playing. He insisted the driver licks the music.

"How much further?" Eddie asked looking at the gps. Which was just richies phone. "3 more hours." Pouting slightly he sank a bit more into his seat.

"Oh calm down, it's not that bad." Richie replied softly, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping bill. "Besides. I thought you wanted a road trip?"

"Well yeah but I forgot how much of it actually requires being in a car." Sighing a bit he looked st rich again. "Thanks for planning this by the way."

"Oh anything for you eddie spaghetti." He teased softly. "It was my pleasure. I know how much your mom made your life hell, but I don't know how hard it must have been to find her like that."

"I mean, it's not like anything could have been done. She didn't take care of herself." Scratching at his arm slightly. Stopping when Richie put his hand over eddies.

"D-don't do that." He looked at him before looking at the road again. "I'm sorry I brought her up."

"Oh don't start getting all soft on me now."

"I'm serious Ed's, I'm sorry. I know you don't like talking about her. Just sometimes when it's late or I haven't heard from you in a while, I think about the call. You called me before anyone else. Before the cops."

"Your the first person I thought of."

"I know. And I just want you to know I'm here for you ok? I know I joke and give you a hard time but seriously. I'm here if you need to talk."

The call. It was edged into Richies head.

"Richie! Richie help! She's not breathing. What do I do? She's not breathing Richie, I think she's dead! Help me please."

The panic in his voice. How lost and confused Eddie was after. Trying to find himself after his mother was no longer holding him down. It was hard to watch.

"Thank you Richie." Eddie hummed. The 2 settled for holding hands under a comfortable silence while the drive continued.

#reddie #itchapter2 #itchapter1 #eddiekaspbrak #richietozeir

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ecotone99 · 5 years

Text

[HR] Tomatoes

June 2, 1975

I never had as many friends as Sarah.

There were people, of course,, that would maybe lend me a pencil during a class. But I never had any real friends, ones that would give me makeovers or set me up with a boyfriend, or whatever real friends do. Not like Sarah.

I stood at the edge of the sidewalk, dipping the top part of my shoe into the marshy grass. A lump of mud found itself on my shoe, but I didn’t care.

“I’ll miss you!” The girls cried to each other, sharing one last hug before they had to leave, and then one last hug again, and then a giggle because for some reason they found their codependence funny. I endeavored to not roll my eyes at their denseness.

Sarah shared one last hug with her friends, holding her schoolbooks in her slender arms for the last time.

“It’s hard to believe I’m finally graduating,” she said to me, flipping her bangs out of her eyes.

“I know, I can’t believe it myself,” I said. She didn’t seem to understand that wasn’t a compliment.

We walked on for a little longer, and I looked back at the empty bus stop. It felt weird to think that this was the last time for two months that I would have to look at anything that reminded me of school.

“This morning mom told me that she bought fresh tomatoes from the market,” Sarah said to me, her lips curling into a smile. “I thought maybe we could sit on the back porch and eat them, just like old times.”

Old times. Like when my grandfather wasn’t sick and my mother didn’t have to use up all her money to pay his medical bills. As younger girls, Sarah and I used to sit on the back porch and eat tomatoes like they were apples. We haven’t done that in awhile.

We approached our house, and I immediately could hear the chickens shouting for food. I jogged around the side of the house, picking up a handful of corn kernels from the bag on the way, and threw them over the side of the fence into the chicken coop. They stopped yelling, and I headed back around to the front door, where Sarah was waiting for me.

“I can’t believe you walked in the mud with your good school shoes,” she said, and her voice sounded disgusted. She closed the front door behind me, and we headed to the kitchen. Sure enough, there were two perfectly ripe tomatoes on the tiny counter. I grabbed one and headed to the back porch, Sarah directly behind me.

“You could afford a little more makeup,” she said to me, and we sat down on the porch steps.

“You could afford a little less,” I replied, and I studied the blue eyeshadow caked on to her eyelid.

“You’re more wan than anybody I’ve ever met,” she lifted her chin up after she took a bite of the tomato. Does it bring her comfort to put me down? I looked at the half-eaten tomato in my hand, the red color standing out against my pale skin. She’s right, I am wan.

I always knew she was right when she told me my flaws, even though I hated that. My whole life she would say things like this to me.

“Anna, your shoulders are too broad,” or “Anna, you act like a boy. That’s why no boys like you.”

Every single day of my life. As long as Sarah was alive, I would have to deal with it.

As much as I hate being oppressed by my sister, I still wish that I could go back to that moment. while we were eating tomatoes on the back porch, my grandfather had just died upstairs in his bed. I believe there is a time of innocence before you experience death for the first time. Even though Sarah and I were fighting, that was the last moment of innocence I would ever experience.

I never really knew my grandfather. I remember when he came to live with us because he got sick, and I remember that made my mother angry because she couldn’t afford it. I remember when he took my father’s old bedroom after he left. But I don’t remember anything about how he was as a person.

June 5, 1975

The funeral was long and boring. Sarah ditched it to be with her boyfriend before he goes off to fight in the war, and the only other person there was my mother. She was nowhere to be seen until the service, and even then she sat in the back, turned away from the pastor. I read The Great Gatsby two times in a row. Did the pastor know he was only talking to himself?

When we got home, everybody went about their business as usual. My mother worked at the diner until three in the morning, and I worked on the farm. Sarah stood in front of the mirror, as usual.

Life goes on when death happens. That’s the one thing life teaches you. My english teacher once told me that. She said that we’ve experienced death so much it’s become a normal part of life for us. It’s hard to accept that death is life.

June 23, 1975

I was standing next to our horse, holding a rotten apple to its face when I heard laughter, distinctively from Sarah. I turned around to see Sarah and her boyfriend walking towards me.

“Anna, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Anthony,” she said, resting her hand on his chest.

“We’ve met before,” I mumbled, trying not to look at Anthony directly in the eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up, silently cursing my body for giving me away. But they didn’t really seem to notice anything besides each other. I looked at Sarah, the shadows of the evening resting on her perfect face. Her eyebrows were shaped perfectly above her big eyes, and I thought of my own face compared to hers. I suddenly knew why Sarah had friends and I didn’t. It’s funny how the social system works.

Her face flashed in my mind over and over again, reminding me that there can only be one beautiful sister.

“That’s wonderful,” Sarah said, batting her long eyelashes up at Anthony. “It’s much less uncomfortable now, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” I whispered, and I headed inside. My sister looked at me for a second, and the expression on her face looked truly concerned about me, but then Anthony distracted her and I was once again just a person walking across grass to get to a house. I was never more than just a person when I was with Sarah.

I walked through the back door, locking it behind me. I went to the window that overlooks the farm, and I watched Anthony put his arm around Sarah, pushing her bangs out of the way of her big eyes. I concentrated on how Sarah twirled her hair around her finger, and how Anthony looked at her the way I wanted him to look at me.

After about ten minutes, Anthony left. I grabbed two tomatoes off the counter and sat on the back porch steps, handing one to my sister. She sat down next to me.

“They match the sunset, don’t they?” She said, pointing to the tomato and then to the horizon.

“Yes, I suppose they do.”

We each bit into our snack, and every chew matched up to the beat of my heart.

“I think we’re going to get married,” Sarah said excitedly, taking another bite. I stared at my tomato, watching a fly rest on the red skin.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I hope so. I’m already eighteen. I can’t afford college, but I think when Anthony comes back from the war he’ll get a job and we can buy a small house and start a family.”

She put her tomato down, staring at the sunset.

“Eighteen isn’t that old.”

“Maybe so, But Anthony’s already twenty-one.”

“twenty-one? You told mom he’s nineteen.” I bit into my tomato, smashing the fly between my teeth. “Also, I remember him going to our school only last year.” I remembered the time he spent next to me in my math class, and goosebumps jumped onto my skin.

“I didn’t want mom to worry.”

“You’re nearly an adult and you’re already contemplating a family.”

“You’re just jealous.”

I paused mid-bite, anger building up inside my stomach.

“I’m not jealous. I have many things that you lack.”

“And what would be an example of that?”

“Common sense.”

“Anna, we’re in love. You’ll fall in love one day, and you’ll understand.”

I never hated my sister more than I hated her in that moment. It was when I realized I hated Sarah that things started to unwind. Every week turned into a day, and every hour turned into a minute. I thought things in my mind that I had never thought before.

July 8, 1975

I remember what happened the next month pretty well. Sarah had her long hair in a ponytail, and there were six tomatoes left on the counter. They were perfectly ripe at the time.

I had blue scissors in my hand, and I was squeezing them so hard I could feel my hand go numb. I casually walked up to Sarah, and I cut her ponytail of.

It’s been two weeks since then, and she hasn’t talked to me since. Anthony has left for the war, and there’s been nobody to eat the tomatoes with. They’ve been sitting on the counter, rotting. I like how the mold grows on the fruit.

I’ve also been going into Sarah’s room every night to watch her sleep. At first, I wanted to see her sleeping because I thought that it wasn’t possible for her to be pretty without all her hair or makeup. But of course I was wrong. She looked beautiful and peaceful, and I watched her chest rise and fall while she breathed, and in my mind I pictured what her body would look like without her chest moving.

I did this every night for two weeks, and the next day she never said anything to me, so I don’t think she ever realized I was watching her.

Last night I stood in my room for three hours with all my dresses because I wanted to color code them in my closet. It’s not easy to do with a wardrobe like I have. Most of my dresses are red, not colorful like Sarah’s are.

Another thing I’ve been doing recently is feeding the animals mud instead of real food. They’ve gotten really skinny, just like Sarah. I wonder if they know that they’re beautiful now? They would thank me if they could speak.

I walked into the kitchen with a pill of cyanide in my hand. It’s amazing what it’s possible to buy from a drugstore nowadays.

I took out two fresh tomatoes that my mother must have purchased yesterday. I took a knife, stabbing a tiny hole into the center of the tomato. I closed the hole up the best I could.

I took the two tomatoes to the back porch where Sarah was sitting on the steps, watching the sunset like she always does.

“Sarah?” I said, closing the door behind me. I handed her the tomato with the pill in it, and to my luck she took it.

“I’m sorry, Anna. I’m sorry I’ve never been nice to you,” she said, and she rolled the tomato around in her hands as she stared at the beautiful sunset. Almost as beautiful as her.

“I’m sorry I cut off your hair,” I said, but I didn’t mean it. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.

“I forgive you, and I love you.” She grabbed my cold hand and squeezed, smiling at me. I bit my tongue even harder, tasting blood.

“I love you too,” I lied, biting my tongue harder.

We both stared at the sunset while we ate our tomatoes.

“Sarah?”

“Yeah?” She took her last bite, and I allowed myself to smile. The blood from my tongue must have stained my teeth, because she seemed startled.

“I hope Anthony doesn’t miss you too much,” I said, and Sarah began to throw up over the side of the porch. “I’m sorry, Sarah, it had to be done.”

And then that was it. My mother ran out, and everything else was a blur.

I am the beautiful sister.

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deladane · 6 years

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Day 12: Monday, March 12 ~ Bonaire

(Eddy’s pronunciation: bon – EYE – ree)

One of the main reasons we picked this itinerary was the chance to visit the ABC islands. Located outside of the hurricane belt in the southwest corner of the Caribbean Sea, the ABC islands offer a very different vibe than the other Southern and Eastern Caribbean islands which I have visited. Bonaire is known for having some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world, and ranks #2 for snorkeling in the Caribbean (Belize is said to be #1, and yes, I am secretly hoping to take a Western Caribbean cruise at some point to experience Belize first hand!). In fact, 85% of the people who visit Bonaire are there to see the marine life. They have a marine park that is protected, and I knew I wanted to see it for myself. Woodwind Bonaire is one of the top rated snorkeling tour companies on the island. They were very easy to communicate with online, and I booked us on the 4 hour morning sail which would visit 2 sites in the marine park for snorkeling, and included lunch and an open bar for $65 USD per person.

Here is today’s daily schedule:

While we ate our room service breakfast on the balcony, we could see that we were in for another windy day in paradise. I was really hoping that when we cruised all this distance west yesterday, that we would get into a new weather pattern, but we could already tell that it was super windy in Bonaire today.

Woodwind sent us detailed instructions on where to meet them the morning of our tour. It was a short 5 minute walk to the right as we exited the cruise port, and we had pretty views of the ship along the way.

We were instructed to meet outside the Divi Flamingo Casino at 8:20am. It was very obvious where we had to go, especially when we saw this big sign:

We arrived about 10 minutes early, and the guide was there waiting to greet us. Unfortunately, he came bearing bad news… Due to the extreme winds, he had to cancel our tour for today. He said he had cancelled all of his tours for the last 5 days, and he would probably need to cancel tomorrow’s tour too. I can’t even describe how disappointed I was at that moment. When he cancels a tour, he loses a lot of money, so I knew he didn’t make this decision on a whim and conditions must be really bad if he needed to cancel the tour, but I was so disappointed to miss out on snorkeling here. Not many cruises visit Bonaire and who knows if or when I will be here again. While we did go snorkeling on a few other islands throughout this cruise, I always knew that snorkeling in Bonaire would be the highlight, and now I wasn’t going to experience it. Even now, several weeks later, I am still sad to miss out on that opportunity.

Meanwhile, it was now 8:15am and I had no idea what we should to today! I did not research any back up plans because it never occurred to me that the tour would be cancelled. Someone asked the guide if we should take the water taxi to Klein Bonaire to snorkel there off the beach, but the guide did not recommend that because it is a barrier island with no protection from the wind, so the conditions would not be safe, plus the water would be too churned up to see anything anyway. As we walked back towards the ship, we saw a few tents set up with vendors selling island tours, golf cart rentals, and water taxi tickets. In lieu of twiddling our thumbs on the ship all day, we spoke with a few of the vendors offering tours of the island to see what our options were. I really did not like booking a tour like this. As you all know, I am used to doing extensive research, reading reviews on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic, and making an educated decision on how to spend the day with no pressure. I did not know how to tell if these vendors were a scam, or offering a good deal, or if the tour would be any good. Had this happened in Antigua, we probably would have opted to abort the mission completely and retreat back to the ship haha We were surprised to find the vendors in Bonaire were very easy to work with. They explained what they had to offer with no pressure to book right away, and they didn’t mind when we walked away to think about it and speak with other vendors before committing. We spoke with 3 vendors offering island tours for about 3 hours, costing $25 to $30 USD per person. One had a 12 person van, one had a large open air bus for 15 people (I think?), but we opted for the vendor with a small minivan holding just 6 guests with air conditioning and free wifi for $30 per person. The guide, Justino, said we would visit the whole island to the south first, then to the north, and we would spend some time at the beach. He showed us these maps to highlight the stops along the tour:

It was only 8:30am and the tour was due to start at 9:30, so we paid for the tour and Justino gave us a receipt and said to meet him back at the tent in an hour. I was wearing a long sleeve rash guard in anticipation of a day on a sail boat with no shade, so we went back to the ship to get changed. The security guards who scanned our seapass cards were quite surprised to see anyone reboarding the ship so early!

Back at the cabin, we got changed into tshirts and shorts, repacked our day bag to ditch the towel and snorkel gear in exchange for our cell phones from the safe to make use of the free wifi in the van. We still had about 20 minutes to spare, so we walked around the area near the cruise port until it was time to meet Justino.

The Eclipse looks so pretty in the early morning sun

This looked like a great photo opportunity, but there was no one in sight to take the photo for us! Just imagine that we are standing next to those flamingos haha

We returned to Justino’s tent just as he found 2 other couples to join us on the tour, so the 6 of us walked over a block or two to where his van was parked. The van had enough space for the 6 of us to sit comfortably, and we were all happy that the AC was very strong and had individual controls to adjust it. Justino also had bottles of water in a cooler in the trunk that we could have as needed, plus he had space back there to stash our bags for the day. We were on the road by 9:30am, and Justino immediately started giving us lots of facts and information about Bonaire’s history. Bonaire is a tiny island of only 112 square miles, located about 60 miles off the coast of Venezuela. Formerly part of the Netherland Antilles, it became a legal “municipality” of the Netherlands in 2010, when the Netherland Antilles was dissolved and Curaçao and Aruba became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

On our way to our first stop, we drove past this brand new resort with brightly colored buildings. I think he said it is a Courtyard by Marriott?

The colors of the water were so beautiful… too bad we won’t get to swim in it!

Our first stop was at the salt fields. Justino explained that they harvest the salt here by collecting water from the Caribbean into a series of huge ponds, where the sun and wind work to evaporate the water, leaving behind crystals of salt. One of the characteristic features of salt produced by solar dehydration is the size of the resulting salt crystals. Unlike “rock salt” from underground mines, salt obtained from “natural” processes like solar dehydration produces much larger crystals of salt, which can be used in water softeners, swimming pools, dinner table salt, de-icing roads in the winter, and more. There is a special algae which thrives in this salty water, which reacts to turn the water pink in color, making it a really interesting site to see.

Mountains of salt piled up, waiting to be processed

Justino found some crystals of salt for us to look at.

Proof that we were here!

It is hard to tell because my hair is tied back in braids, but it was extremely windy out here. Justino has an app where he could look up the wind speeds and he said it was 30mph, but I thought it felt like more than that. We had to really brace ourselves and keep a wide base of support to avoid being knocked over!

After a few minutes of taking photos and looking around at the salt flats, we piled back in the van to drive to our next stop, just a few minutes up the road- the slave huts. These huts each housed 7 or 8 people (notice the size compared to our van… they were tiny!)

Justino explained that the slaves used to work at the salt fields all day, and they returned here to sleep at night. They were fed just one handful of food for the entire day of work, so I can imagine how grueling that life must have been, especially in the hot Caribbean sun. We spent a few minutes walking around, looking at the huts, and admiring the beautiful view.

Inside one of the huts

They used a color coding system to identify the groups of slaves. We were at the homes of the White Slaves, but there were also other groups with other color names.

This marker on the main road indicated that we were at the section for the white slaves

Justino lined us up to pose for a fun photo looking through the window and door of the hut

There was no sand on this beach, just beautiful stones and shells that were worn away from the sea.

A few other tour groups arrived as we were getting ready to leave

Once we were all settled back in the van, we drove back the way we came, going north passed the cruise ship, to drive through the downtown area of Kralendijk. We didn’t get out of the van here, but DH and I decided we would come back to walk around here later this afternoon.

I thought it was funny that they call their post office the Flamingo Express haha

We drove along the coast, admiring the views and the new upscale houses and hotels. Everything was very green, and there were tons of cactus in between the trees and bushes.

Justino explained that there are hundreds of sites where you can go scuba diving in Bonaire. Because the road which circles the island is so narrow, there isn’t a lot of space to park your car, so they have these cross walk signs to keep the divers safe. I thought this was really funny…

Our next stop was the 1000 Steps. No, there are not 1000 steps here. I think it was more like 70 steps haha Under water, the steps continue and create one of the best scuba diving spots on the island as the plateaus and drop offs repeat and create a beautiful underwater world. We spent about 20 minutes here, with time to walk down to the beach and take some photos.

These yellow painted stones mark all the dive spots around the island. Most are named for the person who discovered the site, but this one has a more specific name.

Another rocky beach

The ocean eroded the side wall of the hill, mimicking the steps under the water

I can’t imagine walking back up all of these steps, lugging scuba gear!!

One last view of the beach. This was really a beautiful spot!

Next, we continued driving north towards the town of Karpata. There is a large protected nature reserve at the northern end of the island which is home to hundreds of flamingos. Justino passed around this poster to show us that flamingos are actually white in color when they are born, but they feed on shrimp which turns them pink. The older they get, the more shrimp they eat, and the pinker they become!

After a few more minutes of driving, I looked out the front window to see this:

It was a beautiful lake and home to many of the flamingos. Justino pulled off into a parking area so we could get out and observe the view from an overlook point. It was nearly impossible to capture the flamingos on my camera because we were quite far away, but I could see them with my naked eye. If you look very closely in the lake, the tiny pink spots are all flamingos!

We continued driving around the lake to get a closer look at the flamingos. Justino said we had to keep a safe distance so we couldn’t get too close, but at least we could see them clearly now. I think it was lunch time as they kept ducking their heads under water to eat. While I have seen many flamingos at the zoo or in enclosed animal habitats, this is the first time I have seen a flamingo in the wild, and I was thrilled!

As we approached the lake, Justino said that there is this little yellow bird who always lands on his side view mirror whenever he drives through here. Sure enough, as we were slowing down to watch the flamingos, the yellow bird found us!

It was really cute- he kept peering down to look at his reflection in the mirror, then getting confused and thinking it was another bird so he flew into the mirror, then he went back on top for a second and started the process all over again. This went on for several minutes, until he realized we were driving further and further away from his nest, so he gave up and flew away. Justino said the same thing happens every time he comes to this lake, always with the same yellow bird. How funny!

Last few glimpses of the flamingos as we drove off towards our next destination…

Next, we drove further inland towards the town of Rincon.

We pulled up to the Cadushy Distillery, where they make cactus liquor. They usually charge $5 per person to take their tour and sample the liquors, but it was included in the $30 price we paid for our tour.

They took us to a shaded area at the back of the property and offered everyone a sample of the cactus liquor. This is Justino serving the samples… he made a silly face when he saw I was taking his photo haha

I thought it tasted kind of sweet, but I liked it.

We watched a short film about the process of making the cactus liquor.

After that, we had a few minutes to walk around the grounds, use the rest rooms, and sample the other flavors of liquor.

This cute bird was hanging out in one of the trees… Maybe he turned green from drinking too much cactus liquor??

Some photos of their grounds…

Sign for the restrooms

There is a bar area set up where they offered tastings of their rum, whisky, vodka, and a few other flavors of liquor. I tried a few but didn’t really like any of them. After everyone had their fill, we piled back in the van to finish off the rest of the tour.

We passed this big yellow church, but I don’t remember what Justino told us about it.

Lots and lots of cactus everywhere we looked

We continued driving a little further to see views of the waves crashing along the shore on the north side of the island. By now, it was 12:15pm and the tour was due to end back at the ship at 12:30pm but we still had not gone to the beach. Justino asked us if we wanted to be dropped at the beach or the ship. I had assumed the beach stop was included in the 3 hours of the tour, but it appeared to be in addition to it. It was still very windy so we didn’t want to be blasted by the sand, and we were hungry for lunch now anyway, so we decided to skip the beach stop and just asked to go back to the ship. The other 2 couples in the van had the same plan in mind, so that’s what we did. We arrived back at the cruise port area promptly at 12:30pm. Overall, I think it was $30 well spent and it was nice to see the island of Bonaire, but I know the snorkeling tour would have been way more enjoyable and memorable had the weather cooperated.

Back on the ship, we went up to the buffet for lunch. I tried the made-to-order stir fry station because it is only available for lunch on port days. It was very tasty and made for a nice alternative to the pasta station which I had already eaten several times.

At 1:30pm, we ventured back off the ship to walk around the town. It was pretty small, spanning just two or three blocks, but there were a few shops, galleries, a brewery, and a few restaurants along the water.

The sun was beating down on us, and even though we were wearing hats, it was still very hot, so we only lasted about half an hour before we returned to the ship. On the walk back along the water, we spotted this little guy crossing in front of us.

Back on the ship, we went up to the Sunset Bar to admire the wonderful views and cool off with a cold drink. Bonaire is a very flat island, so the view from deck 15 of our ship was incredible!

I ordered a Blue Hawaiian and this is what the waiter brought me… it looked like the cactus liquor from Cadushy! Haha Usually these are frozen blended drinks, so I guess this was the on the rocks version? No worries, it was still cold and refreshing, which was what I wanted anyway!

I think this island out in the distance is Klein Bonaire. There is supposed to be great snorkeling out there, but I didn’t see anyone snorkeling today (not surprising given all the wind!)

At 3pm, we went over to the Sky Lounge for today’s round of music trivia. They just did general music trivia today so there was no specific theme. DH and I just played on our own team, so we did okay, but didn’t come close to winning. The views out the windows of the Sky Lounge are always so pretty! Unfortunately, the glare off the windows makes it hard to take a good picture, but I wanted to post this for anyone who is booked with Woodwind because it shows where we met our guide this morning. Do you see the first pier coming out into the water that is closest to the ship? The one with the building on the end with the reddish brown roof? We met our guide on the sidewalk right next to that pier, so you can see it is not a far walk at all.

After trivia, we went back to the cabin to get ready for the evening, then went down to the Martini Bar for a drink. Now that it was week two of the cruise, I had a feeling for which martinis were my favorite, so I ordered the Blue Wave again, knowing it was tropical and refreshing.

While I was sipping on my cocktail, I re-read today’s daily schedule and noticed that they were having a tapas and sangria event on the lawn at the Sunset Bar, and the Passion Duo was going to perform during sail away. We wanted to go upstairs to watch the show, so I started to walk towards the elevators with my martini glass, but the bartender stopped me. He said he had to transfer my drink into a highball glass and then I could take that with me wherever I wanted on the ship. I guess they don’t want their special large martini glasses disappearing all over the ship, but I didn’t mind at all because this made it easier to walk with the drink and not spill it! Haha

When we got up to the Sunset Bar, we saw that they had set up blankets and little tables on the lawn for the event.

There was a nice spread of food set up in a buffet with breadsticks, cheeses, meats, and veggies.

At the end of the table, you can see 2 big silver bowls- that’s where they had the sangria. They served it like punch from the bowl, but they were charging $10 per glass and it was not included in the beverage packages, so I just stuck with my martini.

The Passion Duo was set up in the corner of the bar, performing a set of acoustic songs.

It was such a nice event, and made for a beautiful ambiance as we sailed away from Bonaire. I really loved hanging out at the Sunset Bar as the ship sailed away, and having this event at the same time made it even better!

Once we were far enough out to sea, we went back to the cabin for a few minutes, and were just in time to catch the sunset!

Looks like a few others were out on their balcony to observe the sunset as well.

After the sun dipped below the horizon, we went downstairs to take our nightly photo.

Then, it was time for dinner. This menu was another one of the new ones for us, and it featured a few things that looked really good to me.

Maine Lobster Ravioli- This was soooooo good! Had I known, I would have ordered 3 or 4 plates to be delivered as my entrée!

Cured Atlantic Salmon

BBQ Pork Spring Roll

Sauteed Duck Breast

Dessert Menu

Chocolate Lava Cake (this is DH’s plate, as it is meant to be served)

I asked for mine without the ice cream and bananas, so Pinto brought me 2 cakes! Winning!

We were done with dessert by 8:10pm (Pinto and Jose must be the speediest MDR waiters on the ship, just how we like it!!), so we had time to go watch the evening hot glass show. The Passion Duo had a busy night as they were performing here as well. The gaffers stayed pretty quiet, so instead of listening to them explain what they were doing as they worked, we listened to The Passion Duo playing some music.

We stayed for about half an hour, then went downstairs to catch tonight’s performance by Jeri Sager. She is a Broadway actress who started in Evita, Les Mis, Cats, and Fiddler on the Roof. She has a big belting voice and performed a great show, singing an assortment of Broadway classics. I apologize that these photos came out embarrassingly bad, but it’s the best I could get from the back of the theater…

At 10pm, the Eclipse singers and dancers performed a little show in the grand foyer called Groove. It was supposed to features songs of the 60’s, but the songs weren’t actually from that decade. Instead, they were 60’s themed songs like “Welcome to the 60’s” from Hairspray and the theme song to Austin Powers. You need to arrive early if you want to get a good spot to see the show, especially since you are not allowed to sit on the stairs since they use them as part of the performance. I thought it was a lot of fun, especially being so up close to the action! I guess this is how people feel when they gets seats at the front of the theater for the main shows haha

Singing “Welcome to the 60’s”

There are no lyrics to the theme song from Austin Powers, so they only had the dancers performing. In case you don’t know what I am talking about, this is the theme song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90h2gLgTz5g

As you can see from all the people lining the railing upstairs, the show was very well attended. It lasted about 20 minutes, then they invited everyone to join them on the dance floor. We took that as our cue to leave, and went back to the cabin to rest up for tomorrow in Curacao!

Step Tracker Daily Total: 12,467 steps; 4.703 miles

#Celebrity Eclipse Cruise 2018 #celebritycruises #celebrityeclipse #vacation #travel #cruise #bonaire

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my-one-love-is-music · 7 years

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Promises of Tomorrow’s Yesterday ch. 14

Hey everybody!!! Hope you're excited for a new chapter!!! I think that we might be getting close to the end of this fic and there might only be a couple of chapters left. (I'll know more after the next one.)

But for now...enjoy an update! I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope that you're excited for it. :D

Also on AO3!

Jason sighed as his alarm went off. He stared up at the ceiling and listened as the cheery melody began to repeat itself. He reached over and pulled his phone over to himself, silencing the irritating sound. It was far too happy for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Tim that afternoon. The next week was going to be hell. They’d just started getting along again and now he was going to be all alone. For a week. God this sucked.

Reluctantly, he pushed himself from the bed and slowly made his way around his bedroom, pulling off his pajamas and pulling on his clothes for the day. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his phone, trudging down the hallway and to the kitchen where his mom was already hard at work making breakfast.

“Morning, honey!” she greeted cheerfully.

Jason took one look at her and saw the bags under her eyes, hair and uniform in slight disarray.

“Mom, have you even gone to bed yet?” he asked, letting his bag fall to his feet.

She sighed and carried to plates over to the table, sitting down heavily in her own chair as Jason moved over to the cabinet to grab a glass and fill it with juice.

“Sadly, no. I was about to fall into bed when I noticed that you’d be getting up in a few minutes anyway so I thought there was no harm in making breakfast before I crash.”

“I thought you didn’t have an overnight shift yesterday?”

“I didn’t, but one of the other nurses had an emergency and they needed someone to stay and I was there and available. They gave me time and a half so it’ll help with the paycheck and I don’t have to work again until tomorrow morning, giving me plenty of time to catch up on sleep.”

“Okay,” Jason said, feeling doubtful. “If you get hungry, there are some leftovers in the fridge from one of my friends. It’s some pretty good food and it means not having to cook so that’s a plus.”

His mom gave him a tired and obviously grateful smile. “That sounds wonderful, but you didn’t have to bring that back for me.”

He shrugged. “They insisted.”

Silence fell between the two of them as they continued to eat breakfast. The warm food helped to wake Jason up and made him feel better about not being able to see Tim that afternoon. Or for the next week at that, unless Tim decided to reach out for him. He was conflicted between wanting to text them and reach out himself, but they’d seemed troubled the night before and he wasn’t sure if it was something that he’d done or not. He wanted to give Tim space, but he also wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling. He wanted to become an important aspect of their life again and be able to have those conversations that had meant so much to him before.

Jason blinked down at his now-empty place, unsure of when he’d finished all of his food. Doing his best to shake himself from the daze that he’d so easily fallen into, he picked his plate up and carried it to the sink, reaching for the dish soap to clean it up.

“Jason you don’t need to do the dishes. Head off to school, I can take care of those,” his mom spoke up from behind him.

He glanced over at the clock. “I have time. And it’s only two plates so it shouldn’t take too long,” he said, pulling the other one from his mom’s hands and setting it in the sink as he turned on the tap. “You should go to sleep. You look exhausted and I’d rather know that you’re safe in bed before I leave than struggling to keep your eyes open.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair. “What did I ever to do deserve a son as wonderful as you?” she murmured as she walked out of the kitchen and towards her bedroom.

Jason felt his chest tighten at the words. “It’s far too early to be experiencing these kinds of emotions,” he huffed, renewing his scrubbing with added fervor and refusing to think about how his mom didn’t know how much those words really impacted him.

He finished the dishes and left them to dry in the rack as he headed out the door to his usual bus. As he put his headphones in and selected his playlist for the day, phone buzzing in his hand just as the first song started to play. He opened the new message and couldn’t contain the grin that pulled at his lips.

Tim: On a scale of 1 to Hulk, how mad do you think Bane would get at me for taking the next week off?

Jason: I think you might be getting pretty close to Hulk on that one. He might not Hulk out at you, but he would definitely be disappointed.

Jason: He was already pretty mad about losing me, but I think he’d like to have at least one instructor now that he’s getting his new set of classes off the ground.

Tim: Ugh, you’re probably right. Guess I can’t get out of this one.

Jason: Any particular reason why you don’t want to handle the classes yourself?

Tim: Because it’s going to suck. You’re better with people thank I am…

Jason: That all? Doesn’t make me feel very important :(

Tim: Well…

Jason: You’re worried about a repeat of what just happened yesterday aren’t you?

Tim: Yeah…

Tim: Is that bad? I know a lot of people at the gym are pretty accepting, mainly because that’s how Bane designed it, but I can’t help but wonder…

Tim: It’s just all of these what ifs going through my head. I just want them to stop.

Jason: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. Now we both have to suffer through the next week.

Jason stumbled a bit as the bus came to a stop and he looked up, shocked that they were already where he needed to get off. He shouldered his bag and quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, hurrying out the doors and down the street to his school. He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out, checking the time and ignoring Tim’s message for the moment. He was going to cut it close, but Jason knew that he could make it.

He burst through the double doors and hurried down the nearly deserted hall that only held the last stragglers. He ignored his locker, knowing he didn’t have time to stop and already had his things for his first class anyway. He picked up his pace, cutting close corners and nearly skidded through the door to his first class just as the bell rang.

“Cutting it rather close there, Mr. Todd. Please take your seat.”

Jason grinned and trudged down the aisle to his seat, still struggling to catch his breath. He nearly collapsed into it and placed a hand over his stomach. He hadn’t felt this out of shape in years and it strangely wasn’t entirely unwelcome. He pulled out his things for the class and sat back as his teacher’s voice began to fill the room.

He sat down heavily at lunch and quickly unwrapped the burger that he’d gotten. He’d just taken his first bite when Roy and Kori joined him with their own food trays. Kori looked incredibly pleased with herself and Roy just looked like he wanted to get the hell out of school.

“What’s up with you two?” Jason asked around his mouthful of food.

Roy groaned and let his forehead hit the table in front of him.

“Roy has agreed to come with me to the football game tomorrow night. I am sure that it is going to be really fun! You are coming, too? Aren’t you Jason?” she asked hopefully.

Jason shrugged. “Yeah. I was already thinking about going anyway so why not.”

“You were actually wanting to go to the game?!” Roy exclaimed, still not lifting his head from the table. “Who are you and what have you done to my best friend?”

“Quit being such a drama queen. It’s just a football game, jeez.”

Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair, finally picking up the slice of pizza that he’d gotten. “I don’t understand the barbaric practice of football at all. What’s so entertaining about it anyway?”

“Just track down a cute girl and you’ll be fine,” Jason said, waving him off.

He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath and turned his eyes down to his tray as he shoved more pizza into his mouth.

Jason just rolled his eyes at his friend and gave Kori a knowing look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, happy to just be doing something. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, keeping it discretely out of sight underneath the table. Faculty usually didn’t venture this far into the cafeteria and they were much more relaxed about using phones during lunch, but his luck had already been pretty shitty the day before and he wasn’t about to take any chances.

Tim: You were just helping me out. There’s nothing to apologize for.

Tim: Why is it that Fridays always seem to drag on forever?

Jason: Because we’re so close to freedom that we have to be tortured even more before we get it.

Tim: Not only that, but my school decided to throw a stupid pep rally in support of the game tomorrow. Kill me now. The thought of sitting in the gym while the faculty prattle on about the jocks makes me want to vomit.

Jason: So skip

Tim: …

Tim: What time do you get out of class?

Jason: 2:25. Why?????

Tim: You should skip with me.

“What the fuck?” Jason muttered under his breath, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Everything okay over there?” Roy asked.

“Yeah, fine,” he answered, distracted as he slowly typed out a reply.

Jason: I can’t just ditch class.

Tim: But, Jasoooooonnnnnn

Tim: It’s Friday. Live your life on the edge a bit. Nothing interesting is probably going to happen in your last class.

Jason: I can’t just leave school.

Tim: Fine…

Tim: I guess I can just go to Bane’s alone and chill there until the class this afternoon.

Jason: Maybe next time….

Tim: Really?!

Jason: Maybe.

Jason hastily put his phone away and looked around to make sure that no one had seen him with it. He hunched his shoulders over the table and returned to his food, hoping that no one would say anything.

“What was that?” Roy asked.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Jason said, knowing he sounded far more defensive than he needed to be.

“You’re texting your crush, aren’t you?” he asked, eyes lighting up with glee and delight.

“None of your business, Roy,” he hissed.

“Oh my God, you are! Who is it?” he asked, looking around the cafeteria. “Do they go here? Do I know them?”

“They don’t go here so stop it.”

“Well what did they want then?” he asked, turning back to face Jason who buried his face in his hands.

“They wanted me to skip my last class to meet up.”

“What?!” Roy screeched.

Jason glared up at him.

“And you aren’t going? Why the fuck not, man? You know things are serious when they ask you to skip class. That means they want to do stuff. Dude, you’re totally missing out.”

He rolled his eyes. “Trust me. Nothing would’ve happened. They just didn’t want to be alone.”

“And you’re still staying here because?”

Thankfully, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang much to Jason’s relief.

“We’ll finish this later,” Roy vowed.

Jason just shook his head and picked up his tray to take over to the return. He gripped the straps of his backpack as he headed out of the cafeteria, intent on avoiding Roy for the rest of the day.

The end of the day came slowly and his last class had crawled by. Tim had texted him again telling him that he could still skip and come with him to spend the afternoon around Gotham. He’d refused again. He’d wanted to go, but knew that he would probably end up feeling that much worse when Tim had to go off to work and he was left to a lonely bus ride back home.

Jason moved quietly through the apartment and fell heavily onto his mattress, letting his backpack fall to the floor next to his bed. He reached over and grabbed his pillow, pulling it underneath his head and banging his forehead against it a couple of times to make a suitable indent for himself.

“Tough day?”

He rolled over and looked at his mom who was standing in the doorway, looking far more refreshed than she had that morning. “Just long and tiring, that’s all.”

“At least it’s Friday,” she said, walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge next to his torso. “You can relax and sleep in tomorrow.” She reached over and started running her fingers through Jason’s hair. “That food your friend let you bring back was delicious. I really appreciated it.”

“Yeah. It was pretty good.”

“There’s enough left over for dinner tonight so I hope that you’re ready for round two.”

“Sounds great, Mom,” he said shutting his eyes

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she said, patting his shoulder. “Go read a book or something.”

Jason laughed. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’ll pop in and get you when it’s time for dinner,” she said, walking out and shutting the door behind her.

Jason watched the door for a minute after it was closed and toed off his shoes that were still on his feet, letting them fall to the floor with a muffled thud. He pushed himself into a sitting position and pulled off his jacket, throwing that over to his desk chair and ultimately missing its target and falling to the floor instead. He leaned over the edge of the bed and rifled through his backpack, pulling out the half-finished novel that he’d been working his way through. He readjusted his pillow and opened to his marked page, leaving himself to read.

He furrowed his brow at the sound of soft knocking.

“Jason? Dinner’s ready.”

He blinked his eyes opened and looked to find his mom pushing the door open. He rubbed a hand over his face and looked over to where his book had been pushed aside when he’d fallen asleep. He didn’t even remember falling asleep honestly.

“Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s eat and then you can go back to bed,” she said, pulling him up.

Jason covered his mouth as he made to yawn and followed his mom back to the kitchen. “I didn’t even realize I was that tired.”

She patted his shoulder and sat him down in front of a full plate of food before taking her own seat. Jason thought that he was probably eating while half-asleep but he couldn’t be bothered to care. The food was warm and tasted delicious. He’d have to try and take more leftovers from Tim more often. That would also mean that he would have to see Tim more often and he was most certainly not against that idea.

Before he even had time to try and take the dishes over to the sink, his mom was picking up everything on the table and giving him a look that quelled an arguments or protests that he might have.

“I can do the dishes. I’ve had all day to sleep. Now it’s your turn.”

Jason wanted to protest. He really did, but the thought of crawling back into his warm bed won out and forced the words to die on his tongue. He simply nodded and sluggishly pushed his chair back before heading back to his bed. He slipped underneath his comforter this time, sighing in contentment and reached down to his backpack for his phone. He was surprised that Tim had texted him yet again.

Tim: You better not do anything to piss Bane off again. Leading classes alone absolutely sucks.

He smiled. He knew that he should feel bad on some level and he actually did, but he couldn’t help but be pleased that Tim wanted him there and missed him. It was definitely an improvement over where they’d been before and he was happy that they’d come this far.

Jason: I wouldn’t say that I necessarily pissed him off, he just had to do something to show that he wouldn’t tolerate that type of behavior. You know that that kid’s parents are going to complain and he had to prove that he did something about it.

Jason: I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.

Tim: Fine.

Jason could almost hear how Tim would’ve sounded saying that to him out loud. Could almost imagine the cute pout that their lips would’ve formed and how they would’ve crossed their arms.

Jason: It’s okay to tell me that you miss me.

Tim: I don’t miss you. I simply don’t want to have to do both your job and my job together. We were supposed to be leading these classes together.

Jason: Admit it, you miss me.

Tim: Did you not read what I just wrote?

Jason chuckled as his eyes grew heavy. He felt warm, almost too warm from his heavy blanket and from the emotions and happiness swelling in his chest and how evasive Tim was being about something that Jason was obviously right about.

Tim: Fine. I miss you. But only a little bit.

Jason: Was that so hard?

Tim: Now get your ass back to work fast so I don’t have to deal with so many people by myself.

Jason: Okay

Jason set his phone aside and pulled his comforter around him more tightly. He felt giddy. Almost too happy. He almost thought that his happiness was going to completely overwhelm him and that he’d drown in it. It would be the perfect way to die in his opinion.

#jaytim #fic: POTY #molim writes #fic update #fanfic #dc #jason todd #tim drake #woooo

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