presleysfm - Tumblr blog

[presleysfm]

there were many relationships presley intended to mend this summer, but. but lennon’s would surely be the trickiest. they found themselves next to each other, at the bonfire, and presley gave them a nudge. “so,” she started, trying to think of a smooth starter, “my sister is still, like, the biggest bachelor stan i’ve ever met. you might need to yell at her again.” she looked back down at the drink in her hands. “or something.” 

[presleysfm]

presley had remembered everything they needed; some booze, a cooler, a few light snacks (no brownies, this time), but, evidently, she had forgotten the ice. she was positive, however, that the bransons had ice in their home, because... well, who didn’t? so, she grabbed onto the cooler and a random person’s hand, declaring, “you, me, the branson residence, ice.” she turned to them, grinning, “don’t worry, ollie’s aunt doesn’t bite.” 

[presleysfm]

fckcolette​

The response caused Cole to pause, an eyebrow raising as she spoke, “Just okay – oh, god.” Giving a nod, she completely understood. Training new people, even just working with new people in general, was exhausting. “I’m glad it wasn’t too bad. Text me if I ever need to come in and give them a hard time. I’ll show them what it means to give my gal a hard time. We don’t fuck with that here.” When Presley’s hand hit her own, Leti gave a giggle and shook her head. “Not too many. I think it’s a little early to get too crazy. Even Lucas’ dad was chill today. It’s going really good.” Carefully she played with the femme’s fingers, “would you wanna do a shot? The perk of being a bartender is that I can kinda drink while I’m working.” 

she shot them a careful smile, but presley shook her head. “no, no, it’s just fine. i’m just fine, just... a long day, that’s all.” she had to give a laugh at that, “well, we know how scary you can be, leti,” presley gently teased. at the mention of lucas’s dad, presley stiffened a little, trying to keep her cheerful smile. “i’m glad to hear that,” she insisted, looking back down at her cider. presley grabbed onto leti’s hand in turn, twining their fingers together, sighing to herself. “y’know, if i take a shot every time i don’t have a great day, i’ll be an alcoholic real quick.” that was a little dark, so presley quickly changed the subject. “i’ll stick to junk food. maybe some mozzarella sticks?” 

[presleysfm]

if this was a movie and presley was the director, she’d frame this moment as the lone survivor staggering out into the bright light of the world. y’know, for comedy’s sake... kinda. but no, it was just her, flexing her wrists, stumbling out of soft serve by the lake at the end of her grueling saturday shift. she barely noticed where she was walking until she nearly walked face-first into a familiar face. “shit,” she said, snapping awake. “sorry. uh... i’m just a little exhausted, y’know?” her eyes drifted over to the fish and chips shop, with their festival display still out. “and starving. come have dinner with me, i’m buying.” 

[presleysfm]

lucasgarrido​ 

“You’re so embarrassing. I can’t believe I know you.” Lucas sighed, mostly joking. Sentimental, and emotional things always put him a little on edge, he didn’t know how to react to them. They WERE embarrassing. But he did mean it in a joking way. And in all honesty (though he’d never say it out loud) he didn’t actually mind his friends sentimentality. “It’ll be fine, Presley. The future is only scary because you don’t know what is going to happen. Most of the time it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be. But hopefully it won’t be the same. Otherwise I’ll have worked my ass off for nothing.“ In truth he didn’t really get Presley’s resistance to this sort of thing, but he knew it was a thing. So he tried to be understanding.

Tried.

Lucas actually smiled a little bit, over at Presley, shaking his head. "I’ll let my mom know you said that. I’ll look forward to her hours long lecture about why you should continue to support your local public library, even in the day and age of electronics. It’ll make the dinner that much more enjoyable, I’m sure.”

presley made a bit of a face at the accusation, trying to play it off, even if it did hurt a little bit. she knew lucas didn’t mean it like that, really, she just... was a little raw right now. she swallowed her emotions down. presley turned to her old friend, almost grabbing his hand before she thought better of it. “you deserve a change,” she said, even though she was just as terrified to lose him, “you deserve to win, like, the nobel prize in chemistry.” she frowned to herself for a moment, “that’s a thing, right?” 

she had to appreciate that little smile. “listen, libraries are important. i just suck at using them.” which was true, presley’s attention span had vanished in recent years. she added, voice a tad quieter, “i miss that. you smiling. you didn’t even smile a whole lot back in boston.” 

[presleysfm]

tanqledweb​:

where :  jimmy’s pizza. when :  10:45pm.

    mandy  looks  exhausted  and  honestly ?  she  felt  just  about  as  bad  as  she  looked.  there’s  a  hint  of  a  smile  on  her  lips  as  she  sees  the  other  big  fish. “ hey, ”  the  femme  plops  down  into  the  chair  in  front  of  them. “ thanks for coming - i , uh. didn’t want to be alone. ”  she  taps  her  fingertips  on  the  top  of  the  table;  unable  to  find  words  to  say  for  the  first  time.  the  glisten  in  her  eyes  told  a  tale  of  hurt  –  of  not  being  100%  there  in  the  moment.  “ so , um .. how was your day ? ”

even though presley didn’t like to admit it, she was always ready and willing to drop everything for her friends. it would come off as desperate if it was common knowledge, and presley wasn’t... okay, she was desperate, but she didn’t want everyone to know that. “of course,” she insisted, gesturing openly with her hands. “i mean, like, who doesn’t like to end the night with some gutrot pizza? i know i do.” she shrugged, indicating the pastel uniform she had yet to change out of. “long. but i did manage to ‘drop’,” presley made air quotes with both hands, “my hat in the scoop sink, so there’s a win right there.” she shook her head, “i’m so happy jimmy’s doesn’t have a cringey uniform, that would be so painful if it did.” 

[presleysfm]

jaimevega​

Jaime gave a wide grimace at the idea of going grocery shopping. “I’ve always hated grocery shopping,” he said. It was true. Something about it … always made him really annoyed. Maybe it was because it was a necessary thing you had to go out and do. He blessed the idea of buying groceries online and having someone bring them to you, best use of the internet he had ever seen. The farmers market was a little bit better, than just regular grocery shopping though, he would give it that.

He brightened at Presley’s enthusiasm at his idea, nodding his head along. Then gives a small laugh, “I’m starting to think you’ve been bought by the farmer’s market just a little bit, but I think that could be fun. I’m sure nobody will burn anything, and we’ll all end up with all of our fingers in tact. Let’s do it.”

somehow, that surprised presley. like, okay, presley didn’t like it, didn’t like having to admit to herself just how unhealthy her lifestyle really was and how little effort she was willing to put into eating well, but jaime seemed.... she wasn’t sure, more grown up? “but everything’s more fun with friends,” she argued, “even stupid stuff. just driving around can be really fun.” since there wasn’t much else to do in elmridge. 

“i miss the farmer’s market,” presley argued, because she had. the farmer’s market in ithaca was swamped with fucking pretentious hipsters, not the nice old ladies and little kids that presley was used to seeing at home. the grin she pulled threatened to break her face in two, “hell yeah! hold on, i’ll text the group chat.” when she pulled up her phone, though, she frowned for a moment, “what were we here for again? oh, right, portfolio.” she flipped it open on the counter, before very carefully looking away. she knew, as an Artiste, she should learn to take criticism, but it always made her gut all twisty. 

[presleysfm]

ofriccis​

she was revising her flashcards for a tour she was scheduled to guide in an hour. highlighters and pens all scattered atop the defense table, her brows knitted in thought as she was just about to whiteout something of unimportance. but once presley’s voice bounded from behind her, lilah was quick to swivel around in her chair to watch as the other girl walked toward the witness stand, eyes bugging out when presley inevitably tripped her way into it. “ oh my god, “ lilah exclaimed, bouncing off her seat in a heartbeat and hurrying to presley’s aid. though after hearing a couple i’m good’s, her motherly instincts ended up chuckling fondly instead. “ here … “ she held out a hand for presley to take. “ let me help you up before the air decides to trip you again. “

honestly, was there any more embarrassing way to enter a room than by tripping over a three-foot-tall wall that you somehow didn’t see? i mean, probably, but still, presley wasn’t feeling too great. she was glad, though, that lilah didn’t seem too worried; she’d hate for anyone to fuss over her, especially lilah. presley took her hand, using it as leverage to pull herself up. “listen, the air has it out for me, i swear,” she insisted, letting go of lilah’s hand to climb out of the box, “it’s because i got firebender on that avatar quiz.” she looked up at lilah, trying for a smile, “how’re the tours going? get more than two people yet?” 

[presleysfm]

jaimevega​

“Sure, they do,” Jaime says, “they’ve stolen all sorts of tea from different places. As for me…” He paused and looked around as if there would be some sort of sign in the hallway that he did have green tea. “I am not the one getting the groceries so, maybe.” He lead the both of them into the kitchen, looking over at presley with a smile. “I’d love to come over and have dinner with you and your family! That’d be really nice,” he said rifling around through the cabinets before finally finding some Green Tea and showing it to Presley before getting started on making it.

“You know, I was actually considering inviting everyone over for dinner one day. Maybe we can all make something and bring it, or we can all try cooking together.” He shrugged his shoulders, leaning against the large island in the middle of the kitchen. “I don’t know, I just thought that could be kind of fun…”

presley rolled her eyes, but still smirked to herself. “right, i forgot. the sun never sets on the british empire and all that.” which was... one way to talk about the hell of imperialism, but she didn’t quite feel like touching on that right now. “you should go grocery shopping, it’s kinda fun.” presley’s eyes widened, nudging his shoulder, “especially at the farmer’s market? that’s always so fucking fun.” 

she followed him into the kitchen, sitting on his counter. even though his home felt like a mausoleum, presley wanted to treat it like any other home. “thank you,” she said upon seeing the green tea. her jaw dropped, kicking at jaime lightly. “oh my god, that would be so fun! we could make a menu, maybe all bring a recipe and ingredients to cook the dish! we could go to the farmer’s market together.” 

[presleysfm]

fckcolette​

Hearing Presley’s ever-so-familiar voice caused Leti to cheer up, “babe!” Their tone was now verging on chipper, they glanced over, and nodded. “I know you wouldn’t, Pres. You never would, and I value that so fucking deeply – I hope you know.” Her order caused a smirk to hit their face. Presley was… anything but boring, and they loved that about her. Grabbing the cider, they carefully dropped a fresh batch of potato skins into the oil, “only the best for my girl.” Their legs stepped back toward the brunette and handed her the cider, “love you, sweetpea. How’s the day treating you?” 

presley loved leti’s, like, immediate change in demeanor. that always made her feel better, when her friends were so obviously happy to see her. she put a hand to her chest, “i’m glad you know.” presley took the cider from them with a smile, cracking it open, “love you, too, sugar plum. i’m doing... okay,” she shrugged, “there’s a new high schooler working at soft serve and they’re kinda the worst, but it wasn’t too bad today so i’m not too mad. how about you?” she reached forward to grab their hand. “how are you doing? not too many drunk idiots i hope.”  

[presleysfm]

lucasgarrido​

Lucas took a seat on the steps next to her, and though he completely understood she was … being emotionally vulnerable, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “We’re graduating college, we’re not dying.” People had gone through something like this when they were graduating High School too. And yet here they all were. Sure, it wasn’t easy to get them all together but it wasn’t nearly as impossible as some people had made it out to be either. Listen, he was not the person to come to for emotional support, but that was something Presley and every body else already knew well. “You’re being a little ridiculous, Presley.”

And then he gave a pause as he thought her offer over, tapping his fingers against his knee with a resolved sigh. “My mom has work off on Thursdays. Maybe we could all have dinner then.”

presley pouted a little bit. she knew they weren’t dying, but... but still. sure, they’d see each other. they’d wish each other happy birthday on facebook. but just the thought of that left presley’s heart falling to the pit of her stomach. “i’m just... i’ll still miss you, though,” she muttered, still avoiding his eyes, “it won’t be the same.” 

she glanced up at lucas at the offer, managing a small smile. despite his best efforts, presley knew he had a secret soft spot buried deep within himself. “that’d be perfect,” she insisted, “my parents would love to have your mom, too. i haven’t seen her in so long.” presley grimaced for a moment, “i guess i should go to the library more, huh?” 

[presleysfm]

COLE.

Time: Late Afternoon Setting: Georgie Porgie. Status: Open.

Carefully wiping down the bar, Cole swayed their hips to the music playing from the speakers. Sometimes they questioned why a bar was open so early in the day. Most of the time they questioned why they picked up these double shifts at Georgie Porgie in the first damn place. When the door opened, Cole didn’t even look up, but spoke out: “You better order something or give me a good fucking tip – disturbing my damn vibe, yo.” 

presley shot cole a smile as soon as she saw them; they were, basically, the only reason she’d ever come to georgie porgie alone. “of course i will,” she insisted, sliding up to the bar. “i’d never do you dirty like that, cole, you know that.” she tapped her hands against the bar, taking in the options on the board, “uh, could i have a rootstock original cider, please? and the potato skins.” presley shot them a heart with her two fingers, “love you.” 

[presleysfm]

GRIFF.​

“hi,” griffin blinks, a little taken aback by the near-collision. the answer to a question i never asked, he would have teased, if it weren’t immediately apparent to him that something wasn’t right. he isn’t sure how to approach it, and knows that in any case, the proper place to try isn’t just outside of the restrooms. he buys himself time. “uh, i’m off now and just ordered food to go,” he tells her, in a tone that suggests a slight discomfort. “if you wanna grab a booth we can split it, but first i gotta piss. like, bad.” his trip to the bathroom takes at least a minute or two, and then an additional few allow for him to grab his order, complete with second soda, and even some cinnamon sticks from the back. a surprise for presley. as he rejoins her, he’s struck by the realization that maybe the buzz of the pizza parlor is no comfort in her agitated state. “do you want to get out of here?” he asks, pausing at the head of the table instead of sliding into the booth. “we can eat in my car, if you want. i’ve been here all day and i’m ready to bounce. plus, mandy’s scheduled tonight and if she catches us here she’ll never leave us alone. y'know, since she’s got it bad for me and everything.” with a shrug, he tacks on: “i usually smell pretty rank coming out of here, i won’t lie, but i picked up a gas station air freshener i think you’ll find most pleasant for that exact reason the other day.”

presley hated moments like this, hated making her friends uncomfortable. that wasn’t her job; she was supposed to lighten the mood, make things easier. still, the offer surprised her, and she looked up at griffin in slight shock. “uh... yeah,” she said, stepping aside to let him use the bathroom. “yeah, go... do that.” with that, she picked the booth at the back of the restaurant, sliding into it and keeping her head bowed as she tried to compose herself. taking deep breaths, fixing her hair, all that stuff, though she kind of wished she wore makeup about now, so she could cover up any redness. when she did all she could, she stared down at her phone, mindlessly scrolling through twitter until griffin came back. all she could manage at his offer was a dry chuckle and a small nod, sliding out of the booth to follow him into his car. “griffin, i have goats and chickens,” presley reminded him, trying to keep the tone light. “i can handle rank.” once they got to his car, though, and presley’s own bizarre silence was extremely noticeable, she forced herself to say, “i’m sorry this is so awkward, i’m just... it’s been a long day.” she managed a smile, “i had to wear a shitty hat all day.” 

[presleysfm]

verasitas​:

“My mother’s got a newspaper clipping framed in her office from when the Big Fish was first formed and we were like… a big deal.” The thought prompts immediate laughter from Vera. “Actually thinking about hunting down 9-year-old Vera’s stylist, to be honest. Pigtails with pink overalls? Revolutionary.”

presley raised her eyebrows, having to hide her smile. “god, us being a big deal,” she muttered, as if she could barely believe it herself. so many hopes and dreams for them, and yet... well, okay, to be fair, pres was still going to fucking cornell, but in her family, that wasn’t even that spectacular. especially when compared to mit. “i hope you didn’t have a stylist in the fourth grade,” she insisted, “that seems like a waste of money. i mean, look at me,” presley tapped the photo, “no stylist, and i’m still rocking that striped sweater with my signature rubber boots.” 

[presleysfm]

JAIME.·

Jaime was always more than happy to invite people into his house, honestly. Especially now that unless he counted the cleaners coming in once a week (he did) he was currently the only person there. So, despite the awkwardness that might be between him and Presley at the present moment he greeted her with a bright smile, no hint of awkwardness or anxiety to be found. “It’s no problem, Pres. I’ve always been a fan of your work. Come in,” he said, motioning for her to follow him inside, hesitating a moment in the hall entrance. “Do you want something to eat or drink? I’ve gotten really good at making tea over the past three years…”

jaime always had a way of making presley feel at ease, and she managed to exhale when she saw him smile. she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the compliment, just to avoid the fact that she was a little embarrassed. “yeah, actually, but uh,” she bit her lip for a moment, “do they do green tea in britain? or i guess, more importantly, do you have green tea here?” she put her portfolio on the nearest table, taking in jaime’s house. she always felt so bad for him, all alone in here. “hey, uh, my parents are wishing you all the best, by the way. i’m sure they wouldn’t mind having you over for dinner.” 

[presleysfm]

LUCAS.​

“Presley…” He shouldn’t be surprised by Presley’s exuberance, really. But the moment he steps outside and she nearly attacks him with her words, Lucas has to remember where he is and who with. Right, he’s back home with his friends. The … strange lot they are. He takes a bracing breath, and sends Presley a look that is a warning of sorts. “Tell your mom there is nothing to miss. And I appreciate it, but I’m fine.”

He didn’t invite her in. Not because he didn’t want her to stay, more because well, he needed to keep the apartment sterile – as much as he possibly could – at the moment. For reasons. So, instead he shut the entrance door and motioned for her to sit down on the front steps. “But I’m sure that answer doesn’t surprise you. I have too many tutoring sessions in the evening this week. I don’t think I would have the time, anyway.”

presley almost shrunk back at lucas’s look, but refused in the end, frowning up at him and keeping herself calm. she hadn’t meant to spook him, she was just... sometimes it was hard to know what to do with all her energy. presley narrowed her eyes at his dismissal, “um, first of all, there’s plenty to miss.” she couldn’t stand it when any of her friends belittled themselves. 

she sat on the front steps when lucas motioned for it; presley wondered what was happening in the house that he didn’t want to let her in, but she kept her mouth shut. “right,” she sighed, clasping her hands over her knee. “i just... i miss you too, y’know? and i know you’re, like, mega busy,” presley chanced a glance back up at him. “so i just... i dunno, i wanna spend time with everyone this summer. before...” before you’re all gone, and i’m here, alone.

[presleysfm]

𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂'𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓸𝓶

her blankie. a gift from her nana, presley’s blankie is made of knitted giraffes and she’s slept with it nearly every night since she was three months old. she keeps it bunched up under her pillow. it’s her most important comfort object.

third grade class photo. it sits in the paper folder it comes in on her dresser, and it includes all of the big fish. that was the year presley had managed to become friends with almost all of them, and the first year in school she really felt like she fit in. sure, that feeling began to fade, but… but she still keeps the photograph. it reminds her of being home.

her first code book. it’s from the fifth grade so it’s basically falling apart, but it’s full of her very first notes on javascript, including her first successful program. every time she looks at it, she remembers what it was like when she first learned to program, how her mind was alight with possibility. it always inspires her to get back to work, to do what she always wanted to do.

framed mit acceptance letter. it was an email, her parents printed it out and framed it for her graduation party because they were so proud of her. as soon as she came back from boston for her first thanksgiving break, she shoved it into the bottom of her desk’s junk drawer. she hasn’t touched it since, refuses to even look at it. the very sight of it fills her with shame.