#Driving Lessons Eton

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[irishseeeker]

                                              the story of us

summary:  Five times Kate Sheffield and Anthony Bridgeton were just friends and one time they were more.

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chapter 1: if one thing had been different, would everything be different?

Kate Sheffield and Anthony Bridgerton meet at Oxford University.

They’re both studying law and business, and they’re in the same college of the many in their university. They have nearly identical schedules, which usually resulted in heated debates in most of their lectures. They’re partnered up for seminars for their first semester, which means an hour a week the two of them and a tutor spend an hour discussing readings, essays and of course, arguing further.

Oddly enough, after a month of arguing and bickering, they sort of become best friends.  

They lived in the same accommodation, a co-ed accommodation which Kate had thought was scandalous at first, but it ends up being amazing. They form a friend group in their course, and they all live together. It's sort of perfect, really. Kate had had friends in school, but she had never had a friendship group like this or a best friend like Anthony. For the first time, she felt like she truly belonged.

They still argued constantly, much to the amusement of their friends, but they also knew each other’s coffee orders and why he’s scared of bees and she’s scared of thunderstorms.

He’s the first boy-friend Kate has ever had, and she’s definitely his first platonic girl-friend as he seems to sleep with the rest of them.

They’re completely different, yet they understand each other. He’s a Bridgerton, an Oxford legacy with an actual title, and she’s a Sheffield from a small town in Somerset on a scholarship to Oxford. He went to Eton, she went to her local secondary school.

They spend their first year at university either in the library, in their rooms or drunk in a club or pub. Always together.

“So, you and Anthony,” Her friend, Anna, commented as they walked to class one chilly December day. Anthony was up ahead with some of the lads, the group of them laughing loudly and occasionally shoving each other. Kate had decided a while ago she would never fully understand the male species.

“Yes?” Kate asked, turning to raise an eyebrow at Anna. She knew what Anna was implying, it wasn’t the first time she had been asked about it and it was only December.

“You’re quite close,” She commented further, grinning at Kate as she opened up the Law building’s door.

“We’re good friends,” Kate shrugged, feeling her cheeks heat up. “That’s all.”

“The way he looks as you doesn’t seem that friendly to me,” said Anna, nudging Kate with her hip. Anna had long blonde hair, pale skin and a wide smile. She was also very petite. Kate was the opposite.

Kate was tall, around 5’10, which people oddly liked to to remind her about a lot. As if she wasn't aware of it. She was lucky she had never suffered from acne, bar the occasional stress spots, so her skin was clear and smooth. She had long, dark thick hair. It never stayed straight and was always knotted, so she usually just let it lie down her back. She had met the girls Anthony typically went for and she didn’t fit the picture.

Kate had long accepted that and wouldn't entertain the idea any further.

“He doesn’t look at me like anything,” Kate rolled her eyes, feeling her throat closing up slightly as they walked into their lecture hall and took a seat in the middle. “He saw me puke my guts out last week, so it’s fair to say he’s not looking at me like anything.”

She had gotten far too drunk on a night out last Thursday and she could still feel her hangover. It had been a particularly stressful day with a bad grade on an essay and a harsh feedback session from a tutor. She had embarrassingly burst into tears when Anthony had stopped by her room to go to dinner, and he held her as she cried and called their tutor a twat.

He then suggested they all go out. She had apparently danced on top of tables, attempted to take most of her clothes off (and was stopped from doing so) and then passed out. Anthony had carried her home. Not that she remembered anything, most of the night was a blur.

She was never drinking tequila again.

“He was the one holding your hair back,” Anna gave her a pointed look, raising her eyebrows. “I’m just saying, I think you two would be good together. Kate and Anthony has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Before Kate could object, she felt someone appear sit down beside them. “Hey,” A voice appeared beside them and Kate nearly jumped, looking at Anthony. He was wearing a grey jumper and jeans, his nose red from the cold outside. “What are you talking about?”

“What we’re wearing to the Law ball,” Anna replied swiftly, and Kate let out a sigh of relief that her friend had stopped talking. The Law Ball was being held next weekend, just before the term ended for Christmas and all assignments were over.

“Oh,” Anthony said, taking out his laptop and logging into it. “Well, Kate, you should wear something that’s hard to get out of. I don’t think the law society will take kindly to one of its members stripping in the middle of the dancefloor.”

“Fuck off.” She elbowed him as Anna burst out laughing, and Anthony grins at her. She can’t help but laugh too even if she’s mortified.

After Christmas, when they’re back at university and exams are over, he teaches her how to drive. Mary, her step-mother and the only mother she’s ever had, never learned, and everything had been within walking distance back home. She had never had the chance to learn. She had got the train to university when she’d moved, and you walked everywhere. Anthony always had his car with him as he went home a lot to see his siblings and mother.

When he finds out she can’t drive, he insists on teaching her. “I’ve taught two of my siblings. Including Colin. If I can teach Colin, I can teach anyone.”

They’re about ten minutes into it before they start arguing.

Kate had never thought driving could be so stressful.

“Clutch!”

“I am clutching!” She shrieked, pushing the pedal forward as her ankles began to ache.

“Fuck me-brake, Kate!”

“Stop shouting at me!”

She pulls up the handbrake so hard she’s surprised she didn’t break it, and gets out of the car and refuses to get back in. They had gone to a retail park with a largely empty parking lot to practice in. He eventually convinces her to get back in the car, after apologizing numerous times, and he’s a lot nicer as she gets behind the wheel again.

Her birthday is in March, and he gets her driving lessons. They’re ridiculously expensive, and she initially refuses to accept them for a week. They argue about it, money has never been an object to him and it’s something she’s never had much of, so their perspectives are different.

She eventually accepts them and thanks him, after he insists for the twentieth time he didn’t mean it in any way other than to help her and so he would never have to teach her. She really wanted to be able to drive, to be able to afford a car eventually and drive home to Mary and Edwina more. She did warn him if he ever spent more than 20 pounds on her again, she’d murder him.

It’s the start of May when she passes her test, and he’s waiting for her outside the centre. He twirls her around as she runs towards him, shouting she’d passed, and they get McDonalds to celebrate. She thanks him for everything, and he shrugs it off because he’s Anthony. They do celebrate with their friends in the pub later that evening, and she gets very drunk, but their McDonalds that afternoon will hold a special place in her heart.

She’s beginning to think he always will, too.

Her dad’s memorial service is on a Sunday in June. It had been five years since he died, five years of missing him and him missing everything. Her graduating school, her getting into university, her first day at university. Kate planned to get the train back home for the day and get the last one back this evening. She had two exams on Friday and Saturday so she couldn’t have gone home earlier, and she couldn’t miss any of her tutorials or lectures tomorrow. A part of her was relieved, she didn’t want to stay at home. It was too sad and university was a good distraction.

It was far too early to be awake on a Sunday, it was 7am, but she had to be home before twelve for the service and the train was two hours.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the whatsapp messages that appeared on her screen.

Anthony: i’m outside

Kate raised an eyebrow at the text, grabbing her bag and heading downstairs, outside their accommodation. She walked out onto the road, eventually spotting him. “Anthony?”

“Hey,” He said, smiling at her. He was leaning against his car, his hands in his pockets. “We better hit the road. We’ll need to stop at a Starbucks drive through as well, I need caffeine.”

Kate stared at him, unsure of what to say or what was going on. He had been the person she had mentioned it to out of their friends, that she wouldn’t be around on Sunday. “What do you mean? I’m going to my dad’s service.”

“I know Kate,” He said softly, opening the passenger side door for her. “I figured I’d drive you. I don’t want you to be alone, so I thought I’d come. I know how hard today can be, so,” He shuffled his feet awkwardly, clearly very uncomfortable. “If it’s okay, that is. If you don’t want me to come, I can go.”

She stared at him. “Oh Anthony,” She half sobbed, completely breaking down and throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was probably the nicest thing someone had ever done for her. She hadn’t realized how much she had needed someone until she saw him in front of her. She squeezed him tightly, pushing the tears back that were brewing under her eyelids. “Thank you.”

She hadn’t had to ask, he was just there. That was Anthony Bridgerton.

“It’s okay,” He murmured, squeezing her back before she removed herself off him, half sniffling. Anthony had never handled emotional women well. “Let’s go? You have music privileges but if I hear one one direction song, they’re gone.”

“As if you don’t already know the lyrics and like them,” Kate teased, climbing into the car and putting on her seatbelt.

“I have three younger sisters,” He grumbled, flicking a glance at the rearview mirror as he pulled out onto the road. “Of course I know the lyrics.”

It’s a long and hard day, but she feels better when Mary, her stepmother, her mum, opens their front door and hugs her. Edwina squeals as she runs towards Kate, hugging her tightly.

“Hey guys,” Kate said, smiling as she stepped aside and gestured awkwardly to Anthony. “This is my friend from university, Anthony.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Anthony said, oddly formal as he extended his hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Mary said, smiling at Anthony as she gestured to them to come inside. “Come in! We can have some tea and biscuits before we head off.” She shot Kate an amused smile behind Anthony’s back, who was being lead into the kitchen by a chattering Edwina.

Kate ignored Mary, because she knew that look and there was no look needed. There was nothing going on between her and Anthony.

The memorial is long, and quite sad. Anthony puts his arm around Kate at one point, when she can’t hold her tears, silently streaming down her cheeks. There’s a small lunch at the local pub afterwards, which Kate spends mostly talking to old friends of her fathers and familiar faces she hadn’t seen since she had left for university.

Kate takes Anthony on a walk down the pier, where she spent most of her childhood hanging out with her friends. “I had my first kiss there,” She pointed at the edge of the pier where there were a few steps that led to the sea. “I had my first drink there as well. I remember how disgusted I was about how disgusting beer was. All that hype for it to taste like piss.”

Anthony snorted, licking his lips as he tried to keep up with his melting ice cream. His face was a mess, a few sprinkles at the edge of his ice cream stained mouth. “Very romantic. So this is where the Kate Sheffield came to be?”

“It is indeed. Here,” She chuckled, stopping in her tracks as she reached up to wipe his white stained mouth softly. “You’re very messy.”

He was staring at her as she wiped his mouth, and her brain had only caught up with her actions a few moments later. She was touching his face, her hand on his cheek as she wiped his mouth.

His mouth.

His perfectly, slightly rose tinted lips.

“Oh my god! Kate!” Her old school friend, Ophelia Nixon, who had gone to university in Nottingham screeched as she ran up to Kate and hugged her. Kate introduced Anthony and they made polite conversation before Kate said they better head back as they had a long drive ahead of them.

The moment between her and Anthony had come and gone as quickly as it had happened. Neither of them acknowledged it.

Kate shook her head, thinking she was being ridiculous. There wasn’t a moment, of course there wasn’t.

Right?

“I like him,” Mary said later that evening, hugging Kate at the doorstep as her and Anthony were about to leave. Anthony had already said goodbye, and he was waiting in the car to give the Sheffields a private moment.

“I like him too,” Kate said, giving her mother a pointed look. “As a friend.”

“Of course dear,” Mary brushed Kate’s thick hair out of her eyes, winning at her. “It was lovely to see you, darling. Safe drive home. I love you a lot.”

“I love you too,” She hugged Mary one last time, before moving to hug her sister.

“I hate when you go,” Edwina murmured, wrapping her arms around her sister tightly. “You should bring back boys more. Especially ones who look like that.”

“Edwina!”

“What?” Her sister replied innocently, but she was smirking. “He definitely likes you.”

“I love you,” Kate said pointedly, ending the conversation as she pulled away from her sister. “I’ll call you both later.”

“Love you,” Edwina was laughing, waving in her and Anthony’s direction. “Bye Anthony!”

Anthony looked up and waved as Kate groaned, turning to give her a sister a murderous glare as she climbed into the car.

“You okay?” Anthony asked as Kate waved at her mother and sister’s fading figures as they drove off.

“Yeah,” She said, that feeling of sadness still aching slightly in the pit of her stomach. The years passed, and it got slightly easier, but it would always hurt. She smiled at him. “Thank you for today.”

“Of course,” said Anthony, returning her smile before focusing back on the road as they sat in a comfortable silence. Kate felt herself dozing off, the events of the day catching up on her, but as she fell asleep thinking about how much her dad would have liked Anthony.

Siena Rosso comes into the picture at the start of their second year. Kate doesn’t understand their relationship, if it even is a relationship, and deep down she knows she doesn’t want to understand. She prefers to not think about it, prefers to not think about that gut wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach when she sees them together.

Besides, Siena is nice. She’s studying drama in the year below them. She’s witty, gorgeous, has no problem putting Anthony in his place and Kate understands why he likes her. She’s absolutely nothing like Kate.

Kate had never had much experience with boys, something she had long come to terms with in school and was once aware of again in university. It did happen, she had more opportunities in university-it just didn't happen a lot. Boys didn’t seem to gravitate towards her and she never got asked out on dates. It just wasn’t something that happened to her.

Edwina had even gotten a boyfriend long before Kate had.

She’s at a party one night in October, and Anthony isn’t there. Kate had been trying to make more of an effort with people outside of their friendship group and particularly people who weren’t Anthony. He had a life outside of her, and she would have one outside of him. She was invited by Poppy, a girl she had met in one of her history electives.

She gets paired up with Simon Basset for beer pong at the pre-drinks, and they were getting on very well. She didn’t know him at all, she only knew of him from Anthony. They had gone to Eton together, but Kate hadn’t met him until tonight. Anthony had been good friends with him for years, but hadn’t thought to introduce Kate or invite her whenever him and Simon met up.

“I’m Simon,” He introduced himself as grinned at her. “I really don’t like losing at beer pong.”

“Good thing I don’t lose,” Kate replied swiftly, smirking right back at him.

They walk to the club together and he gives her a piggyback when she complains her feet hurt. She puts up an instagram story of Simon and her winning beer pong and another of them smiling at the camera.

She ignores Anthony’s reply to her story, and she drinks more.

When she's on her third drink, Kate decides her and Simon were flirting. They were definitely flirting.

“What course did you say you were in again?” Simon shouts over the music, his hands lingering on her waist.

“Law,” Kate shouts back at him, leaning up slightly to speak in his ear.

“Ah! Do you know Anthony Bridgerton?”

"Yeah!" Kate tries to contain the grin that forms on her face the minute he's mentioned. "He's one of my best mates."

“Wait,” said Simon, the grin on his face completely disappearing. “You’re Kate?”

“Yeah,” She said, raising an eyebrow slightly at Simon's fallen face. “Has he mentioned me?”

“I can’t do it, I’m sorry,” Kate looks confused and Simon sighs, shaking his head. “I can’t do it to Anthony.”

“What? Can’t do what?” said Kate, raising an eyebrow. “Oh! No, no. We’re just friends!”

“I still can’t,” Simon insisted, actually taking a step back from her. Did Eton breed these boys to be so dramatic? “Believe me, I want to, but I can’t. Bro-code.”

“That’s ridiculous. Wait, did he say something to you?” Kate asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at him and feeling quite infuriated. Why couldn’t he do that to Anthony? Kate was his friend, not his sister. Not that it made a difference but to boys it clearly did. Kate didn’t know what category it fell into.

Simon just winked at her, “I better go before I do something I’ll regret but really won’t regret. I’ll see you around Kate,” Simon then literally ran away from Kate, and Kate was left standing there, gobsmacked.

“What just happened?” Poppy asked, walking up to Kate and following her gaze towards the back of Simon’s head, fading into the crowd.

Kate sighed, taking a long gulp of her vodka and cranberry. “I have absolutely no idea.”

The following day, Kate was feeling rather sorry for herself as she sat in the common room of their accommodation. She was incredibly hungover, exhausted and had sat through two lectures back to back that morning. She was meeting Anthony for lunch before she went to sleep for the rest of the day.

Anthony strode into the common room, a frown on his face as he sat down opposite her. "Were you with Simon Basset last night?”

“Wha?” Kate mumbled, her hangover pounding against her temple. “Hello to you too. Oh, yeah.” She would have rather forgotten about him, the guy who had rejected her in the middle of the club.

“And?” Anthony pressed, staring at Kate rather disgruntled.

Kate sat up, rather confused at his attitude. She was more than familiar with Anthony's moodiness, but this was slightly bizarre. He looked pissed. “And what?”

“Kate,” Anthony snapped, looking oddly serious as he pulled out his sandwich. “What do you think? Did you get with him?”

She didn’t care for his tone and she glared at him as she lifted her head. She ignored his question. “Did you say something to Simon Basset about me?”

Anthony gaped at her, his mouth hanging open with his half chewed lunch. “What?”

“Ew, shut your mouth you animal,” She scolded, making a face at him. “He mentioned you last night.”

Anthony put his sandwich down, looking at her seriously. “Did you get with him?”

Kate felt her cheeks heat up, forcing herself to look at him and scowl. “That’s none of your business!”

He was not pleased in the slightest. His tone was cold with a hint of irritation, lower than usual. “Kate.”

“Anthony.”

He leaned forward as he spoke, “Seriously, Kate.”

“Not that it has anything to do with you, but no, we didn’t!” She exclaimed, not understanding why he was acting quite hostile and why he was acting that question. They weren’t the type of friends to talk about who they got with, and Kate wasn’t really that type of person anyway. She was easily mortified. “He wouldn’t because of you. Something about some misogynistic bro-code.”

Anthony let out what looked like a sigh of relief, but she wasn’t sure. She knew that she would never truly understand men, and this was another example of why she shouldn’t ever bother trying.

“What did you say to him?” Kate asked, frowning at him, now happily munching away at his sandwich. She felt ridiculous asking, but she was confused and annoyed. “Did you tell him not get with me? You better not have Anthony Bridgerton. I will murder you.”’

“I didn’t tell him anything! Jesus, Kate. It’s Bro-Code. You don’t get with sisters, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends or girls who are best friends of your friends. There’s some lines you don’t cross,” He shrugged. “It would be like me getting with Edwina.”

“Okay, I’m eating my lunch and I'm extremely hangover,” She gagged, shuddering at the thought. “That is not the same. That code is ridiculous. Women aren't possessions you can ban your friends from getting with simply because they mean something to you.”

“It would be like you getting with Benedict!” The coloured veins in his neck were sticking out and she could see his frustration. “It’s wrong and immoral.”

“Again, eating my lunch. Benedict is a child so that’s another disgusting example I won't be entertaining. You're being absolutely ridiculous,” She shook her head, “I can still get with whoever I want. I don’t need your permission or some stupid code dictating that.”

“I never said you did,” He retorted, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Besides, Basset is my friend and all, but he’s bad news. He flies through girls. He’s not relationship material.”

“That’s sort of the pot calling the kettle black, though, isn’t it? Siena is still with you.” She felt like she had gone too far, but she was too angry to care. Siena was a sensitive topic, an unspoken topic, but she did it anyway. “I know what I can handle.”

“Do you, though?” His tone wasn’t angry, it was cold. She had struck a nerve. He looked at her with a blank expression and Kate felt like he was looking right through her. “It’s not like you know what you’re talking about. You’re not exactly experienced, are you?”

Kate stared at him, speechless, as if her ability to speak had been slapped out of her. She felt the heat rush behind her eyes and the tears that were quickly following, but in that moment she’d rather die than cry in front of him.

She just grabbed her bag and walked off, ignoring his calls behind her.

They don’t speak for three days, which frankly, sucks. It's their first big fight in the two years they've known each other. They bickered constantly but they never actually fought. It was awful. They still had to see each other, at lectures and around the university, but she sits at the back and as far away from him as possible. He had tried to speak to her and pretend like nothing had happened the following day, but she had just walked past him.

He had really hurt her feelings. Her lack of experience was a sensitive topic, and he knew that, everyone knew that and he had still thrown it back in her face.

“Kate?”

It’s a Wednesday night and she’s in her room, writing an essay about corporate law. She had said no to going to the pub with her friends, she wasn’t in the mood. She was trying to focus on her lectures but her mind kept revolving back to Anthony bloody Bridgerton.

“Kate, I know you’re in there. I can see the light,” Anthony’s voice was loud and clear through her door. “Please talk to me. I’m really sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean it. I was an asshole.”

She didn’t say anything, twirling her pen around with her fingers. Her breath had caught in her throat as she heard his voice, she hadn’t expected him to be there. She figured he had gone to the pub, or was out with Siena.

“I hate not talking to you. I miss you. Please? I brought you those cookies you like. And those fizzy bears,” His voice was pleading, and she knew he meant it. “I’m so sorry. Please.”

She opened the door after a few seconds, staring at him, and then at the goods in his hands. Her willpower had long expired and he sounded so sad, so desperate. He sounded like she felt. “White chocolate chip?”

“Of course,” He said, standing up straight and handing her the food. “I’m so sorry, Kate. Can I-?"

“Come in,” She murmured, walking in and collapsing on her bed. She pulled her legs up, making room for him on the bed. She opened the fizzy bears, offering them to him first.

He hesitated as he looked at her, biting his lip. “We’re okay?”

She nodded, “We’re okay. I am sorry about what I said too, you know. About the pot calling the kettle black comment. You were still a bigger asshole, but I’m sorry.”

“I deserved it. You’re not wrong and I wasn’t exactly nice, was I?” She snorted, and he laughed. “I really did mean it from a good place. I don’t want anyone to mess you around like that.”

“I know, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” She replied, licking the sugar off her lips. “You need to take that toxic masculinity down a notch, Bridgerton.”

“I know, I know what I said was wrong. It took me longer than I'd like to admit, but I understand that now,” He replied, his voice soft and she felt guilty for being mean to him. He didn’t look great, he looked tired and the skin under his eyes was darker than usual. “I am sorry. Please don’t ever ignore me again. I’d rather get my wisdom teeth out again than go through that.”

“Well, don’t be an asshole and we won’t have any problems, will we?” said Kate, smiling sweetly at him as she opened up the cookies, feeling the white chocolate melt in her mouth. It tasted glorious.

“Whatever or who you want to do, I will support it. I promise,” He looked slightly in pain as he spoke. “I really am sorry.”

“I know,” She nudged him with her foot. “We’re friends again, relax.”

He looked relieved but slightly uneasy. “Is this one of those friendship moments where we should hug?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. Affection was not something that came natural to Anthony Bridgerton but it was adorable when he tried. “Hard pass.”

They spent the rest of the evening in her dorm, chatting about everything and anything. It had only been three days of not speaking, and she had missed him more than she should have. She had missed him a dangerous amount, and it seemed like he had missed her too.

Kate shook her head, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind as she focused on Anthony’s story about some trouble his younger brother Colin had gotten into in Eton yesterday. Ever since his father died, Colin had been acting more and more reckless. Anthony didn’t know what to do with him and his mother just coddled Colin.

Their second year is a blur of exams, parties, clubbing, more exams, assignments as winter turns to spring and spring to summer. It’s over before it feels like it has started, and Kate can’t believe it.

Anthony’s on and off relationship ends as well, when Sienna decides to study abroad in Paris for her second year and leaves at the start of the summer. Kate doesn’t let herself think about why she feels lighter, but she still brings him McDonalds and beer when he texts them they broke up. His room is pretty much packed up, unlike Kate, Anthony is very organized. Their second year was officially over and they were leaving tomorrow. Kate hadn’t even packed, but she knew he’d help in the morning.

He doesn’t talk about his feelings, obviously, because he’s Anthony. They watch New Girl instead, on his laptop, eating crisps and drinking coke, until he shocks her and talks.

“She said I was lost,” He murmured, playing with his pocket watch. It was something he always did. “That I didn’t know what I wanted and she couldn’t keep waiting for me to figure it out. I wasn’t fair to her.”

“Oh,” said Kate, gulping slightly. Kate was just above Anthony on how to deal with feelings and general emotion, and that bar was set pretty low anyway. “I think, sometimes, some of us just take longer to figure out what we want. She must know she wants and she’s not wrong for going after it, even if it means leaving other people behind.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s right about you though,” She continued, trying to phrase her words delicately. “You’ve been through a lot, Anthony. It’s okay if you need more time to figure things out. We’re still young. No one meets the person they’re meant to be with when they’re 20 years old.”

“My parents met when they were 18,” He retorted, raising a pointed eyebrow. Anthony’s parents had been madly in love since they were teenagers and they had had Anthony quite young.

“Okay, well, they’re the exception then, not the rule,” She nudged him with her elbow lightly. “I know we’re not the feeling sort, but everything is going to be okay. It hurts because she mattered, and that’s a good thing. It’s better than not feeling anything at all. And eventually it will hurt less and less, and I’ll be here until it doesn’t.”

“Thanks, Kate,” murmured Anthony, looking uncomfortable but he still nudged her back which is probably the most affectionate exchange they’ve ever had between them. “Thank god you’re you. I couldn’t handle a friend who asks me how I’m feeling all the time.”

Kate snorted, rolling her eyes. The word rang in her head, a friend, but that’s what she was. That’s what he was to her. Her best friend, really. Then why did it sting when he said it? “I mean this is the nicest way possible, you need to see a therapist.”

He smacked her with a pillow, and she kicked him in the ribs, and that was the last they spoke of Siena and anything remotely to do with feelings.

Kate ignored the mixture of guilt and relief in her chest to see the back of Siena. She didn't question why it was there.

Kate had been away for most of the summer after their second year of university, traveling abroad with Edwina and Mary. It had been a trip Mary had saved up for for years and it was finally happening. They went interrailing around Europe, from Prague to Paris, staying in hostels and traveling by train.

It was the longest Kate and Anthony had ever been apart since they had met, and it was strange. They spoke on facetime most days, well, Kate spoke and Anthony listened as she spoke about her travels around Europe with her mum and sister. She sent him the picture of her holding the eiffel tower, a picture of her at the colosseum and sunset at a beach in Mykonos.

Not that Kate would ever admit it to another living soul, as much as Edwina had teased her relentlessly about it, she had missed him a lot. She had come to the realization that Anthony was her best friend. Her first, true best friend. He was someone she had always wanted to have in a friend, one that was depicted in movies and television shows-she had had good friends before university, but no one was like Anthony. She didn’t have to be anyone but herself around him.

She was thrilled when he had asked her to spend the last month of the summer with Anthony at his house in Kent. She loved Mary and Edwina but Somerset was boring and she needed to get away.

Kate felt strange.

She had this uncomfortable, nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach for most of the train ride on her way to Kent. Their flight had arrived in England yesterday morning and once they had driven home, Kate was gone the next morning. She had barely slept last night but she wasn’t sure if it was out of excitement or anxiety at the thought of seeing Anthony again.

She had changed her outfit three times before setting on a violet sundress with a daisy print.

It was just Anthony, Kate.

That was the problem.

It was Anthony.

The train finally pulled in at her station, snapping Kate out of her complicated thoughts and she dragged her suitcase off the baggage railing, glancing around. It was an old station, all she could see in the distance was fields and trees. It was just before noon and all the station had was a man behind the information desk and a small corner shop.

She walked out to the front of the station, half wheeling and half dragging her semi-functioning suitcase behind her as she glanced around the car park. Kate pulled out her phone, pressing the call button on Anthony’s contact.

“About time.”

Kate turned around to see Anthony Bridgerton grinning at her, a pair of black sunglasses covering his eyes. He looked so relaxed, in a simple white t-shirt and blue shorts, suitable for a warm English August in Kent.

It made her feel warm inside.

“Hey there, stranger,” Kate said, her cheeks beginning to ache as her grin matched his own.

She didn’t know who moved first, but when Anthony’s tanned arms wrapped around her, essentially lifting her off the ground and her arms wrapped around his neck, there was one thing Kate knew for certain.

It was the best hug of her entire life.

[yubathegnome]

british school au

can someone do an sge highschool au but set in england. instead of the school for good and evil, it’s just posh boarding school and the local state school.

tedros - posh eton tory white boy / daddy will get me to oxford / fences in his spare time and wears signet rings and rolexes when going to waitrose / yah its croquet on saturdays with the boys / his dad is a lord or an earl so nepotism / jack wills 

beatrix - a horse girl / joni jeans and pretty little thing dresses / mini cooper for her 18th / goes to climate change protests just to miss school / tries to make having a fake id a personality trait / “i don’t get what’s wrong with being a tory, i love the nhs” / holiday home in cornwall

sophie - i’m a manchester gal don’t hate me / wears victoria secret spray but owns this one louis vuitton bag which she uses as a school bag so she thinks she is superior to everyone else / has a baby pink fiat 500 / queued up to go to primark after lockdown restrictions were eased / thirst trap snapchat stories / wants to marry a semi professional football player or a rich boy she finds at uni so she can drive the kids to hockey practice in a land rover / only drinks dark fruits or malibu / knows the perfect way to self tan and full face of makeup every morning / rolls up her school skirt 6 times 

agatha - labour supporter and feminist who stands up to her tory parents at the dinner table / dragged to seshes in the local park by sophie but would rather be at home reading pride and prejudice / freely uses the middle finger / denies being a tory when someone sees her eating microwave pasta meal from m&s / 'eat the rich’ and writes a blog abt how much she hates the bourgeoisie when she is literally middle class / loves tea / lowkey likes her school uniform

hort - a pseudo roadman / puffer jacket, adidas tracksuit and 3 inch butter knife hidden under his shirt / buys ‘weed’ off older years to look hard but really it’s just crushed up grass and posts him smoking it on his story / catcalls girls in the streets and then calls them ugly when they reject him / listens to stormzy and liberally uses the phrase “i will shank you” / slides into dms with ‘wagwan’ 

nicola - listens to 80s bands, shops at urban outfitters and has a kanken or doc martens / waitress at her dad’s pub or fish and chips shop / born in the wrong decade / that one vocal girl in humanities lessons that has to deal with boys (like hort) make jokes abt sending girls to the kitchen to make a sandwich whenever a feminist debate comes up

hester - does ketamine in the bathroom stalls (which has no effect on her at all) and fills her water bottle with vodka / the drug dealer which sells crushed up paracetamol and grass to year 7s / u wouldn’t expect her to be smart but she got all a*s at gcse / secretly dates anadil bc if she came out publicly, the fiat 500 girls would definitely make comments at her in the changing rooms or say being a lesbian is a phase (ah we love england) / famous on tiktok as an alt girl

dot - still stuck in her zoella year 7 phase / thinks being catcalled is a compliment and becomes a pick me girl / pregnant at 16 bc she trusts the first roadman who pays her attention / extreme lightweight and blacks out after a bottle of smirnoff ice

just realised that noone will understand this if u aren’t british. soz luvs :)

also idk if someone has already done this.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Go Charles! Harry is always throwing William under the bus, "William didn't pay me attention at Eton!". And the pr drive of H&M are a superstar couple, much better than the boring Cambridges. Yet, William never retaliates instead he hosts that bugger at Anmer for Christmas and gives him the picture stroll, and tells the press that he and H share a special bond through grief. I love that Charles fights back in the press at Harry's stunts. It seems Charles learned his lesson w/ Diana's pr drives.

Will can afford to take the high road. Charles doesn’t have that luxury.

[coffeeandacwtch]

If Ianto had have been in primary school when the 456 demanded their 10%, he would have been lost, end of. And he knows it.

This is why the phone call to Rhiannon, warning her to protect the kids is so heartbreaking. He knows how the government are selecting their offering, and he knows full rightly that their school is top of the list.

Education in the UK is extremely classist. The elite send their kids to the uber-expensive public schools (Harrow, Eton, Cheltenham Girls) - often their own old schools. This is the ‘Old School Tie’ network, the ultimate in ‘not what you know, but who you know’ networking and the reason most of the politicians, newspaper editors, judges in this country are in the jobs they’re in.

Those who can afford to, they send their kids to other fee-paying schools. They benefit from the small class sizes, extra support and extra curricular activities that make it easier to get into the top universities and those top jobs. John Frobisher’s daughters would be an example of this.

Now all state-funded education is equal? Wrong.

The cost of housing in the catchment area of a ‘good’ school is much more expensive than that around a ‘poor’ school.  A place in a ‘good’ primary school that feeds into a ‘good’ secondary school increases the chances of getting a place there. If your parents can afford it, extra tutoring increases your chances of passing the 11-plus and getting into a Grammar school if there is one in your area. If your parents don’t work on a Sunday, then they can take you and the family to church because regular church going increase your chances of getting into that Church of England or Roman Catholic faith school (especially if they give a nice donation).

If your parents can afford it then they can pay for music lessons, school trips or drive you around to sports practices and tournaments, or a tutor if you’re going to fail GCSE Maths, or that extra support if you’re diagnosed with dyslexia. They can also invest in the school, so those cake sales and fun runs can pay for new books for the library or a new computer lab or a yearly school play.

Jack’s grandson, Steven, is in this group.

Schools in deprived areas tend to be at the bottom of the school league tables. The community can’t afford to invest, and wealthier parents send their kids elsewhere. Kids with behaviour problems or special educational needs don’t get the support they need or even the diagnosis they need. 

Kids might have the attitude that there’s no point in working hard to get your qualifications because there’s no decent jobs in the area. University? Dream on - who can afford that? Even if you get a student loan, you can’t afford travel or live away from home, and you might need to work in Tescos full time to help your parents pay the bills.

Being ‘smart’ is no guarantee of getting good grades if everything else is working against you.

Parts of South Wales are extremely deprived, especially after the coal mines were closed in the 80s & 90s. When the mines went, all the supporting industries went with them, and so did the jobs. You had whole areas where a large portion of the population became unemployed overnight. You had families with three or four people working with the mines and they lose all that income. And nothing ever replaced those industries.

My head canon is that Ianto’s father was a miner as a young man but lost this job when Ianto was a baby. (For reference, Ianto was born in 1983, the Miner’s Strike was 1984-1985) Mining was a well paying, respected job. To go from that to minimum wage security work, if there is any work, that puts a lot of pressure on a family. If your whole community is in that situation, then there is more chance of ending up in prison than university.

The cruel irony of Children of Earth is that the kids we meet with the best life chances (The Frobisher girls and Steven) do not survive, whilst David and Mica Davies, deemed to be destined for jail or the dole queue and therefore deposable, do. 

Partly because of their uncle, the ok student/ teenage shoplifter, who died ‘standing up to them’. It wasn't just the 456 he was standing up to.

Brooo

I remembered that Ianto was very clever in theory. Good with general, local knowledge, and street smart.

But I forgot that he can be real smart in the show? If that makes sense? I love Ianto, but often he’s in the background, so he doesn’t get to shine often.

Like.. in Adam.. he was the first person to figure out that Adam isn’t who he says he is! His memories didn’t line up with others (‘I think jack brought it in’ ‘no I think it was adam’) so he looked through his diary, which he knew was the most reliable source, and realised ‘hold on. If Adam is part of the group, why isn’t he in my diary? I have everyone in here. But not him?’

My guy is s m a r t

(Also Jack 110% believing that Ianto is too good of a person to have murdered women 👌)

[miller-mayfair]

Miller’s Backstory (continued)

His arrival in London goes as terribly as he expected.  From the first day he decides that he doesn’t belong here and those he meets in the Motherhouse seem to agree.  Miller’s rougher edges don’t mesh well with the polished furrows of the London agents; he immediately discovers that there is so much he doesn’t know. 

At the dinner tables they share their college stories, tossing around names like Eton and Harvard and famous universities from all over the globe.  Miller, having dropped out of high school due to the handicap of his abilities, can share no such tales with them.  He sits in uncomfortable silences with these people who are meant to become his peers and finds it unbearable.  What the hell does he have to offer in comparison to these people with knowledge of the world?  Who have traveled to remote locations -- while he has only occasionally made trips up to New York on the train?

One man in particular singles him out as a target.  Dietrich The Smirk.  Or at least that’s what Miller decides to identify him as.  Dietrich with a degree, who can read and write Latin, apparently.  Who studied in Greece to learn the ancient languages.  Dietrich who looked upon Miller’s second hand clothes with evident disdain.  He lords over the dinner tables like some natural born leader.  One who makes others follow him.

One who makes the others laugh when he puts Miller on the spot with questions he couldn’t possibly know the answers to.  Dietrich drives the point even further home that the witch’s presence here is clearly a mistake.  At least until it finally is enough to snap Miller’s limited patience and he shouts at the man to fuck off before returning to his room.

A man comes later to lecture him about creating a scene and minding his language in front of the others.  Miller tells him to fuck off too. 

He meets a woman named Ada who has been with the Order for a couple of years already.  She informs him that she’s going to be his mentor.  And that she is going to help him learn how to control his powers, as promised by Teskhamen.  Ada is different from the others here because she doesn’t bullshit.

She tells him that he’s nowhere near the level he’ll need to be to function as an agent for the Talamasca.  But temporarily, he can at least help with the computer systems since that is a skill he’s got.  So Miller spends his days listening to French language tutorials on a pair of headphones while he tries to fix the outdated wiring systems of the Motherhouse’s derelict computers.  At night he dutifully copies documents in Latin with translations nearby, so his hand can learn the muscle memory of the words.

Ada gives him a leather satchel to carry all his assignments in.  She gives him an umbrella and a raincoat.  Miller starts having his dinners in her office instead where he shows her several tricks on how to navigate the computer system.  They build an easy rapport together, enough that he comes to trust her, so it isn’t quite so bizarre or nerve-wracking when he finally allows the woman to start poking at the issue of his psychometry to figure out where it’s all going wrong.

It isn’t all business though.  Ada introduces him to meditation and yoga.  He introduces her to Pink Floyd and The Ramones.  An unexpected friendship has formed for him despite his belief that no one here would ever navigate the walls Miller had constructed around himself to bar out everyone else.  There is no physical attraction between them.  Yet something about her puts him at ease and a strong bond builds in the gaps of comfortable silence.

Enough that when he first meets Ada’s lover from the ‘mundane world’, all of the alarm bells going off in Miller’s brain cause him to hate the dude straight away.  Like all the trashy men his mother brought home back in Jersey.  His ghostly ancestors are not here with him to supply him details of what the guy gets up to when he’s gone. 

All it takes is one black eye on Ada for him to snap.  His anger issues are certainly not something he has worked on since his arrival so beating the shit out of the guy on the front lawn is probably an overreaction.  It’s satisfying, though.  The guy doesn’t come back.  Ada doesn’t flip out on him or even seek to tell anyone.  Dietrich snitches on him instead.

Teskhamen and Raymond Gallant turn up to inform him that they’re transferring him to Rome.  That he’ll need discipline if he hopes to continue with the Order.  Miller questions why Teskhamen doesn’t simply boot him out.  The vampire gives him no answer to this.  Instead, he has an Irishman named Seamus arrive that takes Miller to Rome.

Seamus becomes the key to Miller’s extended education in how to adapt to life as a Talamascan.  He teaches the witch that writing Latin and speaking foreign tongues isn’t the best path for success for men like them.  Those who didn’t come with the Education Package.  He shows Miller how to become adaptable.

It reminds Miller of when he was a kid.  When using words to get his way was far easier than his fists.  When he began learning how to manipulate the adults around him to turn things in his favor to an extent.  Miller understands this lesson from Seamus way better than Latin, and though the Irishman is an asshole they do manage to form a grudging association that neither would dare consider a friendship.

He lets Seamus change him -- on the outside, anyway.  He accepts the comic books and movies that the Irishman advises him to study up on.  He hangs out with the nerdy dudes who argue about Star Trek versus Star Wars.  Miller finds an old pair of glasses with fake lenses.  He starts wearing them.  His band t-shirts start taking on symbols of this new culture.  He walks around with a slouch, he smiles like an idiot at people, and somehow along the way there is some catalyst of magic which happens.

When Miller finds himself able to strike up conversations easily with perfect strangers he grasps what Seamus’ lessons were all about.  He has become approachable.  Someone normal people can relate to.  And there’s something artfully wonderful about this.  Even if beneath that he is still angry, resentful, and distrustful of everyone else, he is able to make connections again in his life.

The true miracle is when, after a little while, he realizes that it’s actually not all that false anymore.  That he has practiced adapting so hard that the evolution happened somewhere along the way.

Six months later, while still in Rome, Miller makes the worst decision of his life.

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

When Orson Welles Met H.G. Wells: Two Years After The War of the Worlds Panic, the Two Icons Finally Met

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When Orson Welles Met H.G. Wells: Two Years After The War of the Worlds Panic, the Two Icons Finally Met

In February 2017, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Sapphire Jubilee, marking her 65-year reign as Queen of England. Her Majesty surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, as Britain’s longest-ruling monarch, and now also holds the title of the world’s longest-reigning monarch. Here are 25 more royal facts about Queen Elizabeth.

1. SHE WASN’T BORN AN HEIR APPARENT TO THE THRONE.

For the first 10 years of her life, Princess Elizabeth was a relatively minor royal—her status was akin to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York today—but that all changed with the death of her grandfather, King George V, in 1936.

The next in the line of royal succession was Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne less than a year after taking it so that he could marry an American socialite named Wallis Simpson. Edward didn’t have any children at the time, so his brother Albert (Elizabeth’s father) ascended to the throne, taking the name George VI and making the then-10-year-old Elizabeth the first in line to become Queen.

2. HER YOUNGER SISTER GAVE HER A FAMILY NICKNAME.

Elizabeth and Margaret were the only children of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and King George VI, who said of his daughters: “Lilibet is my pride, Margaret my joy.” “Lilibet,” of course, is Elizabeth, who earned her nickname because Margaret—whom the family affectionately called Margot—constantly mispronounced her big sister’s name.

3. SHE DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL.

Fox Photos, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Heirs apparent don’t just show up to primary school like normal kids. Instead, Elizabeth was tutored at home during sessions by different teachers like Henry Marten, vice-provost of Eton College (which is still for boys only), and was also given private religion lessons by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

4. BUT SHE AND MARGARET TECHNICALLY DID HAVE A TEACHER.

London Express, Getty Images

Just because she didn’t attend school doesn’t mean that Elizabeth didn’t receive an education. She received the bulk of it through her nanny, Marion Crawford, who the royal family referred to as “Crawfie.” Crawford would eventually be ostracized by the royal family for writing a tell-all book in 1953 called The Little Princesses without their permission; the book recounted Crawford’s experiences with Elizabeth during her younger days.

5. SHE WANTED TO GO TO WAR, BUT WAS TOO YOUNG.

Central Press, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When World War II broke out in 1939, Elizabeth—then just a teenager—begged her father to join the effort somehow. She started out by making radio broadcasts geared toward raising the morale of British children. During one of the broadcasts, the 14-year-old princess reassured listeners, “I can truthfully say to you all that we children at home are full of cheerfulness and courage. We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen and we are trying too to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war.”

6. SHE EVENTUALLY SERVED IN WORLD WAR II.

Central Press, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Despite the risks, Elizabeth eventually joined the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service and trained as a truck driver and mechanic in 1945, when she was 18 years old.

Queen Elizabeth remains the only female royal family member to have entered the armed forces, and is currently the only living head of state who officially served in World War II.

7. SHE CELEBRATED THE END OF THE WAR BY PARTYING LIKE HER SUBJECTS.

William Vanderson, Fox Photos/Getty Images

When then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that the war in Europe was over on May 8, 1945, people poured out into the streets of London to celebrate—including Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The sheltered duo were allowed to sneak out of Buckingham Palace to join the revelers at their father’s behest.

“It was a unique burst of personal freedom,” recalled Margaret Rhodes, their cousin who went with them, “a Cinderella moment in reverse.”

8. SHE MARRIED HER COUSIN.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth are third cousins; both share the same great-great-grandparents: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

9. ELIZABETH AND HER HUSBAND HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE CHILDHOOD.

Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, first met Elizabeth when she was only eight years old and he was 14. Both attended the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece (Prince Philip’s cousin) and Prince George, the Duke of Kent (Elizabeth’s uncle).

Five years later the pair met again when George VI brought Elizabeth to tour the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, where Philip was a cadet. In a personal note, Elizabeth recalled falling for the young soldier-in-the-making: “I was 13 years of age and he was 18 and a cadet just due to leave. He joined the Navy at the outbreak of war, and I only saw him very occasionally when he was on leave—I suppose about twice in three years,” she wrote. “Then when his uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, were away he spent various weekends away with us at Windsor.”

10. SHE DIDN’T TELL HER PARENTS SHE WAS GETTING HITCHED.

In 1946, Philip proposed to Elizabeth when the former planned a month-long visit to Balmoral, her royal estate in Scotland. She accepted the proposal without even contacting her parents. But when George VI finally caught wind of the pending nuptials he would only officially approve if they waited to announce the engagement until after her 21st birthday.

The official public announcement of the engagement finally came nearly a year later on July 9, 1947.

11. SHE HAS A VERY ROYAL NAME.

Reg Speller, Fox Photos/Getty Images

She’s the second British monarch named Elizabeth, but Elizabeth II wasn’t named after Henry VIII’s famous progeny. Queen Elizabeth II’s birth name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after the names of her mother, Elizabeth, her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, and her paternal grandmother, Queen Mary.

12. SHE GOT TO CHOOSE HER OWN SURNAME.

Technically, the Queen’s last name is “Windsor,” which was first chosen by George V in 1917 after the royal family wanted to distance themselves from “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha”—the dynasty to which they belonged—for sounding too Germanic during World War I.

But as a way to distinguish themselves from the rest of the royal family, in 1960 Elizabeth and Philip adopted the official surname Windsor-Mountbatten. (Fans will surely remember that the surname drama was briefly discussed in Netflix’s series The Crown.)

13. SHE HAS TWO BIRTHDAYS.

Like most British monarchs, Elizabeth gets to celebrate her birthday twice, and the reason why boils down to seasonably appropriate pomp and circumstance.

She was born on April 21, 1926, but April was deemed too cold and liable to fall during inclement weather. So instead, her official state-recognized birthday occurs on a Saturday in late May or June, so that the celebration can be held during warmer months. The specific date varies year to year in the UK, and usually coincides with Trooping the Colour, Britain’s annual military pageant.

14. HER CORONATION WAS TELEVISED AGAINST HER WISHES.

Elizabeth officially ascended to the throne at just 25 years of age when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth was in Kenya at the time of his death and returned home as her country’s Queen. As fans of The Crown will remember, the hubbub surrounding her coronation was filled with ample amounts of drama.

The notoriously camera-shy Elizabeth—who didn’t even allow photos to be taken of her wedding—didn’t want the event televised, and others believed that broadcasting the coronation to commoners would break down upper-class traditions of only allowing members of British high society to witness the event. A Coronation Commission, chaired by Philip, was set up to weigh the options, and they initially decided to only allow cameras in a single area of Westminster Abbey “west of the organ screen,” before allowing the entire thing to be televised with one minor caveat: no close-ups on Elizabeth’s face.

15. SHE PAID FOR HER WEDDING DRESS USING WAR RATION COUPONS.

Central Press, Getty Images

Still reeling from an atmosphere of post-war austerity, Elizabeth used ration coupons and a 200-coupon supplement from the government to pay for her wedding dress. But don’t be fooled, the dress was extremely elegant; it was made of ivory duchesse silk, encrusted with 10,000 imported seed pearls, took six months to make, and sported a 13-foot train. (It cost just under $40,000 to recreate the dress for The Crown.)

16. SHE DOESN’T NEED A PASSPORT TO TRAVEL.

STRINGER, AFP/Getty Images

Elizabeth II is the world’s most well-traveled head of state, visiting 116 countries between 265 official state visits, but she doesn’t even own a passport. Since all British passports are officially issued in the Queen’s name, she technically doesn’t need one.

17. SHE DOESN’T NEED A DRIVER’S LICENSE EITHER.

Bob Haswell, Express/Getty Images

It’s not just because she has a fleet of chauffeurs. Britain also officially issues driver’s licenses in Elizabeth’s name, so don’t expect her to show off her ID when she gets pulled over taking other heads of state for a spin in her Range Rover.

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, recounted to The Sunday Times the time when Elizabeth drove former Saudi crown prince Abdullah around the grounds of Balmoral: “To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off,” he said. “Women are not—yet—allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen.”

18. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES (BUT CHOOSES TO ANYWAY).

ODD ANDERSEN, AFP/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth has voluntarily paid income and capital gains taxes since 1992, but has always been subject to Value Added Tax.

19. SHE SURVIVED AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT.

STRINGER, AFP/Getty Images

During the 1981 Trooping the Colour, the Queen led a royal procession on horseback down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace when shots rang out. A 17-year-old named Marcus Sarjeant, who was obsessed with the assassinations of figures like John Lennon and John F. Kennedy, fired a series of blanks toward Elizabeth. Sarjeant—who wrote in his diary, “I am going to stun and mystify the whole world with nothing more than a gun”—was thankfully unable to purchase live ammunition in the UK. He received a prison sentence of five years under the 1848 Treason Act, but was released in October 1984.

20. SHE ALSO SURVIVED AN INTRUDER COMING INTO HER BEDROOM.

Fox Photos, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A year after the Trooping the Colour incident, Elizabeth had another run-in. But instead of near Buckingham Palace, this time it was inside Buckingham Palace. On July 9, 1982, a man named Michael Fagen managed to climb over the Palace’s barbed wire fence, shimmy up a drain pipe, and eventually sneak into the Queen’s bedroom.

While reports at the time said Fagen and the Queen had a long conversation before he was apprehended by palace security, Fagen told The Independent the Queen didn’t stick around to chat: “She went past me and ran out of the room; her little bare feet running across the floor.”

21. SHE TECHNICALLY OWNS ALL THE DOLPHINS IN THE UK.

Keystone, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In addition to owning all of the country’s dolphins, she owns all the sturgeon and whales, too. A still-valid statute from the reign of King Edward II in 1324 states, “Also the King shall have … whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm,” meaning most aquatic creatures are technically labeled “fishes royal,” and are claimed on behalf of the Crown.

As the song goes, “Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!”

22. SHE HAS HER OWN SPECIAL MONEY TO GIVE TO THE POOR.

PHIL NOBLE, AFP/Getty Images

Known as “maundy money,” the Queen has silver coins—currently with Elizabeth’s likeness on the front—that are given to pensioners in a ceremony called Maundy Thursday. The royal custom dates back to the 13th century, in which the royal family was expected to wash the feet of and distribute gifts to penniless subjects as a symbolic gesture to honor Jesus’s act of washing the feet of the poor in the Bible. Once the 18th century rolled around and washing people’s dirty feet wasn’t seen as befitting of a royal, the act was replaced with money allowances bequeathed by the monarch.

23. GIN IS HER DRINK OF CHOICE.

RUSSEL MILLARD, AFP/Getty Images

The Queen drinks gin mixed with Dubonnet (a fortified wine) and a slice of lemon on the rocks every day before lunch. She also reportedly drinks wine at lunch and has a glass of champagne every evening.

24. SHE CREATED HER OWN BREED OF DOGS.

Elizabeth has a famous, avowed love of Corgis (she has owned more than 30 of them during her reign, but currently only owns one, named Willow), but what about Dorgis? She currently owns two Dorgis (Candy and Vulcan), a crossbreed she engineered when one of her Corgis mated with a Dachshund named Pipkin that belonged to Princess Margaret.

25. SHE’S ON SOCIAL MEDIA … KIND OF.

John Stillwell, Pool/Getty Images

It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R.

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 24, 2014

The Queen joined Twitter in July 2009 under the handle @RoyalFamily, and sent the first tweet herself, but hasn’t personally maintained the page since then. In fact, a job listing went up in 2017 looking for an official royal Digital Communications Officer to help out. She’s also on Facebook (and no, you cannot poke The Royal Family).

This story originally ran in 2017.

[primeskillsdriving]

"At Prime Skills Driving, we pride ourselves on being one of the best driving instructor UK. Our experienced, patient instructors provide tailored lessons to suit your learning style, helping you gain the confidence and skills needed to pass your driving test and drive safely on the roads."

[marykenyon-blog]

Day 1

After months of planning and preparation, yesterday was the day that I finally embarked on my journey to Europe. I spent the majority of Monday packing, unpacking, and repacking, in hopes that somehow my bag would weigh less every time I lugged it onto the scale. After some rearranging and pairing down, I got my bag to 50 pounds on the dot. I said goodbye to my mom, which may have brought some tears to my eyes, and headed to Logan Airport with my dad. Being the protective father that he is, he parked the car in the garage and walked with me to security, despite me telling him several times that he didn’t need to do that and that I would be fine on my own. But when I got to the International Terminal, I was happy I wasn’t alone. This trip is my first time traveling to Europe and also my first international trip without a parent to guide me through.

           The dreaded moment came when I put my bag on the scale to be checked. 51 pounds. I was looking at the man printing my ticket, racking my brain as to what was one pound that I could easily carry on with me, when he said “It’s all set”. I smiled and sighed with relief, seeing that he understood. He handed me my ticket and instructed me not to lose it, as I would need the same pass for my connecting flight. I was appreciative that he made that clear to me because I usually end up leaving my ticket on the plane. I hugged my dad goodbye and got into line to go through security. The nerves were kicking in big time. There was a family in front of me with a little girl, the mom was missing one arm at the elbow. As I waited for my turn I watched the mother pick up and put down her child multiple times. She carried her own bags, not asking her husband for assistance. As cliché as it sounds, watching the family made me realize that I could do this and I would be just fine. I waved goodbye to my dad one last time before I was next, giving him the signal that it was okay for him to leave, and I officially began my trip.

           I met up with my two groupmates, Erica and Megan, at the gate along with 4 other kids going on this trip with me. I was pleasantly surprised walking onto the Icelandic Airplane. They had waters you could take on your way to your seat and the staff was very friendly. My seat was in an exit row, meaning I got extra legroom (big plus) and waiting for me was a blanket and a pillow. The TV was crystal clear and had an impressive selection of movies. I put my headphones in and pressed play on “500 Days of Summer” and quickly fell asleep. We had a brief layover in Iceland, and continued on to London. After going through customs and getting our checked bags, we decided to call an Uber over taking public transportation. We each had 3 bags and were exhausted. The total cost for door to door pick up and drop off from the airport to the hotel was 26 euros, which we would split 3 ways. The ride to the hotel was a breeze, besides some scares from the driving style of our Uber driver. It was a weird sight having him at the wheel on the right side.

           Checking into our hotel was a breeze and the staff was extremely impressive. The car doors were opened for us, they carried our bags, and escorted us to the elevator. Opening the door to our hotel room (for Megan and me) was a bit surprising. The room is about the size of dorm room at school if not smaller and the “two beds” are just two twin beds pushed together. Everything in the room is nice and updated, just slightly cramped. We hadn’t eaten since 9 pm at Logan Airport and by the time we got to the hotel in Kensington, London it was 2:30 pm. We put our bags in the room, freshened up, and met back up with Erica to get lunch. The three of us decided to walk around the neighborhood and see what we found. We were surprised at how little difference there is between London and the US. It almost felt as though we were in New York City or Boston. There were several options for food that would be considered “grab and go” but we wanted to have a sit down meal. We found a nice looking restaurant, The Ivy Kensington Brasserie, and got sat immediately. There menu wasn’t extensive and had a lot of high priced items but we each ordered a sandwich and fries. We learned (unfortunately) after the fact that if you don’t specify, the waiter will bring you bottled water and charge you for it. Lesson learned, ask for tap water because it’s free. Our food came out fast and was prepared very well. We finished up, paid our bill which included a tip already, and headed back to the hotel.

           At 4:45 the full group of about 30 kids met with our professors in the lobby and began a two-hour walking tour around Kensington. The weather was warmer than I expected but humid. Our tour guide was very friendly and didn’t drag on about the things he was showing us. We got to see the Kensington Garden and Hyde Park, the Kensington Palace where Will and Kate live, and we also go to see things like unique houses and the Embassy. Towards the end of the tour we were all exhausted and hungry and ready for our dinner at The Greyhound Pub. It was nice to have everyone eating together, helping us get to know each other. The meal consisted of a salad with baby shrimp, steak and ale pie, and a dessert known as “Eton mess”.

After nine hours of travel and a five-hour time difference, I am finally sitting in my comfortable hotel room writing this. I took a much needed hot shower and got into my pajamas, ready to sleep. It’s amazing how fast this is already going by, we only have two more days left in London before we head to Amsterdam. Tomorrow calls for an early morning so that we can try to see as much as we can in this wonderful city!

[karlocampo-blog1]

Jess Connelly does not believe in barriers

Photos by Anna Cerezo

When I met Jessica Connelly in an isolated office somewhere in Magallanes, she was the same person I exactly imagined from her Instagram feed. Her hair brushed up, her face contoured but not heavily made up, with just the right shade of rose gold painted on her lips. She was wearing a shirt thrice the normal size for her built, the word ‘dime’ written on it. It was partnered with baggy pants, high-cut pink Converse sneakers, and a Gucci clutch bag with a strap.

It may look distasteful for some, but with Connelly’s face and confidence, the whole ensemble weirdly, just, fits.

The confidence that exudes from Connelly though isn’t like what Nicki Minaj or Demi Lovato surmise. Despite the street wear and the swag, Connelly’s presence is not intimidating. Beyond her social media façade, she’s all-smiles, and quite bubbly, in real life.

“I really don’t feel comfortable wearing what is the norm, you know what I mean? I know people are probably thinking that I’m weird ’cause I like wearing big, baggy pants and big t-shirts and sneakers all the time. That’s what I’m comfortable in and that’s okay. I’m fine with that,” she says.

Growing up, Connelly was not this self-assured and strong-willed. When she was still in high school in Australia, the Fil-Aussie remembers being a loser, that when she left school to be a singer, people in her school were surprised that she actually sings.

More than anything, it has always been Connelly’s goal. There was no Plan B. It was neither just a dream nor a hobby. Looking back, she owes this mentality from her parents, who never, not even once, told her that she couldn’t.

“I think that’s really honestly what it is. I remember my half-brother asked me, probably when I was six, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?,’ I said I want to be a singer. And he said, ‘what if you don’t become a singer, what are you going to be?.’ And I was confused. ‘What do you mean I’m not going to be a singer?’”

Her parents exposed her to music at a young age. Coming from Wollongong, she and her mother would go to Sydney every weekend, an hour drive from where she lives, so she can take singing lessons and know what it’s like to record songs in a music studio. Her mother thinks that the local singing school isn’t good enough for her, even though she thinks that as a child, her voice was horrible.

Growing up, she listened to Britney Spears (until before the pop star shaved her head), Aaliyah, Boyz II Men, 2pac, The Notorious B.I.G, and Nas. She considers Sade as an inspiration. While everyone was listening to Fall Out Boy and using eyeliner, Connelly was vibing with soul, hip-hop and RnB classics.

From Wollongong to Manila

Coming to the Philippines was not really something that Connelly had planned. What seemed to be another annual vacation in Cebu with her family turned out to be a one-way trip.

“I ended up loving it,” she says. “At first I would cry but then I made friends and then I moved to Manila.”

“In Australia, I was not anything like I am now. I think why I love Manila so much, and I know so many people give up on it especially at a time right now, it’s because I definitely grew into the person that I am now from the local music scene that I am in.”

Connelly’s popularity didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it was years in the making. If you search her name on YouTube, random clips from the reality TV show “Pinoy Big Brother” would show a younger her, sporting long, black hair, singing parts of songs like Tamia’s “Officialy Missing You” and Brandon Hines’ “Look Me In My Face.” She was told that it was the only way to make it: become an artista (actress) first before you’ll get the chance to record an album.

But throughout the whole show, snippets of Connelly singing were never aired on television. Instead, after getting evicted in the house, she went on to act small parts in shows like “Angelito: Batang Ama” (2011) and “Paraiso” (2012). It didn’t last before Connelly decided to make her mark in the music scene on her own.

Making people know that she’s a singer and not just another half-breed mestiza trying to make it in showbiz was probably the most frustrating for the 24-year- old.

“I never wanted to be a leading lady. I was very young also when I did that. It’s just not appealing to me. ’Cause I wouldn’t be happy. For what? For people to tell me that I’m pretty? I’m okay. I’d rather people tell me that they love my music,” she quips.

Connelly started as the front woman for the band “Synima.” Three days into joining the band, she did her first gig ever in Route 196 in Katipunan, Quezon City. It was a bad performance. She forgot the lyrics of the song and was too shy to entertain the expectant crowd. She recalled staring at herself in the adjacent mirror from where she stood, doing nothing.

But from there, she has come a long way. After deciding to go solo, Connelly has collaborated with different local producers whom she also considers as friends. Lustbass, crwn, and eyedress among them.

Last year, Connelly released “How I Love,” a four-track EP in collaboration with crwn. When I told her that the project was bitin, she said that was what they’re aiming for: to give the fans enough material not to forget she’s in the game, and to leave them wanting more.

The Connelly-crwn duo started in a Bacolod festival where both of the artists were set to perform, and through mutual friends, the two came up with “Under Blankets.” The song gained Connelly a relatively strong following. It catered to Filipinos who are into low-key, edm-ish soul music, who often search their music in Sound Cloud and YouTube channels like Majestic Casual, Eton Messy, and Regal Bass. Connelly’s music has deftly obscured the line that distinguishes local to international music, which, in her opinion, does not need to exist.

She says, “The masses would benefit so much from being exposed to real music and real artistry and I’m not throwing shade here. [There are many local artists] creating their own content, making their own music, all of that stuff. I see that everyday with my friends and that’s what I’m fighting for.”

Being her own songwriter, manager, promoter, and publicist, her strong opinions that she often air through Twitter, become avenues for non-supporters to hate her. But Connelly knows herself more than anyone — a self-discovery that she owes mainly to the Philippines. “Screenshot this shit,” she tweets at one point. “If you refuse to want to understand and dislike me for petty reasons without knowing me, then stay off my page.”

Smooth, vibey, and chill

Connelly likes creating moods through her music. Imagine a late-night drive at 2 a.m. with your friends, windows rolled down and you are all just smoking. Imagine hanging out by the beach in La Union, the waves kissing the sand over and over and over again. Or imagine drinking at someone’s beach house, with more chilling and less rowdy dancing. It’s with these kinds of vibes that the singer connects her songs.

Her lyrics are nothing deep, but are usually conversational. But it’s Connelly’s sexy and melodic lower register, her Fil-Aussie accent, together with on point productions that put her listeners into a daze. Connelly usually writes her songs at home or on the spot while working with producers. She considers herself her worst enemy, and going through her lyrics over and over again will only make her hate the whole thing. Like any perfectionist, she tends to overanalyze her music.

Luckily for fans, Connelly likes to randomly go back to her tracks that she ended up not liking during the first cut, and maybe, she’ll be releasing some of them. The singer is in the process of creating her next EP to be released some time early next year. This time, with more tracks.

She will also be performing at this year’s Wonderfruit Festival in Pattaya, Thailand, happening this February. Together with producer Lustbass, Connelly will be representing the Philippines and will be performing with an array of musicians from all over the world. The most exciting part? They’ll be performing a “sunset set.” This is going to be her first international gig, and from the looks of it, the first of many.

Before we end the interview, Connelly poses for a few shots with our photographer. She has perfected the smize, and knows when to work her jaw angle. But it’s her smile, the candid ones, that really light up the room. Connelly’s brand of aesthetic — the looks, the slurs, the music, and the vibe — has finally come full circle. After the one-way ticket from Australia, the PBB stint, the bad gigs, and everything in between, Connelly has found her way home.

[primeskillsdriving]

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Introduction

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Introduction

Learning to drive is an exciting milestone, but it can also feel challenging. At Prime Skills Driving, we make the process of learning to drive in Berkshire as smooth and stress-free as possible. Our qualified driving instructors are dedicated to helping you become a confident, safe driver. With personalised driving lessons, a flexible schedule, and a focus on building your confidence, we ensure you get the best possible start on the road.

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[primeskillsdriving]

Best Driving Instructor in Slough – Learn with Prime Skills Driving

Introduction

Are you searching for the best driving instructor in Slough? Look no further than Prime Skills Driving. Whether you are just starting your driving journey or need additional lessons before your driving test, our experienced and friendly instructors are here to help. At Prime Skills Driving, we are dedicated to providing high-quality lessons that will make you a confident and skilled driver.

Why Choose Prime Skills Driving as Your Driving Instructor in Slough?

At Prime Skills Driving, we understand that every learner is unique. That’s why we take a personalised approach to driving instruction. We aim to make the learning process enjoyable, stress-free, and most importantly, successful. Our qualified instructors have years of experience helping learners in Slough pass their driving tests with flying colours.

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When you choose Prime Skills Driving as your driving instructor in Slough, you get more than just lessons. Here’s how we ensure you succeed:

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[primeskillsdriving]

Driving Lessons In Berkshire | Prime Skills Driving

If you're looking for driving lessons in Berkshire, look no further than Prime Skills Driving. Our team of experienced instructors is dedicated to providing high-quality driving lessons that help you pass your test and become a confident, safe driver on the roads of Berkshire and beyond. Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refresh your driving skills, we offer a wide range of lessons tailored to meet your needs.

Why Choose Prime Skills Driving in Berkshire?

At Prime Skills Driving, we pride ourselves on delivering a personalised learning experience for every student. With our experienced instructors, we ensure that your driving lessons are not only effective but also enjoyable. Here’s why we are one of the best choices for driving lessons in Berkshire:

Our Key Offerings

Experienced and Qualified Instructors: All our instructors are fully qualified, friendly, and patient. Whether you're a nervous beginner or an experienced driver looking to improve, our instructors have the skills to help you succeed.

Manual and Automatic Lessons: At Prime Skills Driving, we offer both manual and automatic driving lessons to suit your preference. Our instructors will guide you through every stage of the learning process, whether you're getting to grips with a manual transmission or prefer the ease of an automatic car.

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Mock Driving Tests: To make sure you are fully prepared for your practical driving test, we offer mock tests. This simulation gives you the confidence to handle the real test with ease, reducing any nerves and ensuring you know what to expect.

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Why Our Students Choose Us

At Prime Skills Driving, we are known for our professional, patient, and supportive approach to teaching. Our goal is to help you gain not only the skills needed to pass your driving test but also to become a responsible, confident driver for life.

Conclusion

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