#How to Draw a School Bus for Kids Step by Step

[elliesfavbae]

Summer camps and dead mouses, Part 1 SERIES

Summer camp with enemies to lovers Ellie Williams

part 2, part 3, part 4, final part (5)

synopsis: This summer, instead of rotting at home like you used to every summer , you decide to try something new. You go to a summer camp and you meet many new people, mostly friendly, except one being extremely mean.

pairing: mean!Ellie Williams x reader

warnings: use of y/n, reader is assigned to a room with girls, swearing, Ellie being a bitch:(

wc: 4000

School is over for the summer, finally. There will be so much free time you won’t even know what to do with it. 

That’s how it usually was like. You would spend two months staying at home, not going anywhere, while your friends are traveling all over the world.

You wanted this year to be different. You decided to do something with it and it landed on a summer camp. It’s something new, you’ve never been to one and hopefully, you’ll like it.

You’re nervous as your parents drop you off at the parking lot, where the bus is supposed to pick you and many other teens up.

As your parents drop you off at the parking lot where the bus will pick you up, you can't help but feel nervous. The warm early summer air hits your face as you open the car door, and you see other teens milling around. Some look friendly, while others seem a bit intimidating. Your heart races with a mix of excitement and stress as you say goodbye to your parents, who seem surprisingly calm about leaving you with strangers for the summer, opposite from you

.

You find an empty seat on the bus and settle in, only to have a blonde girl named Olivia sit next to you.

 She's your age and super kind, and you end up chatting with her for the entire five-hour ride. Knowing at least one person at camp already makes you feel a lot better.

As the bus pulls up to the camp surrounded by trees, you catch a glimpse of a hidden lake in the distance. Despite your nerves, the camp looks promising. 

You enter through a metal gate and park near other buses, realizing there are a lot of kids here.

Stepping off the bus with Olivia, you take a deep breath of the fresh pine-scented air. It feels like summer. The counselors are gathered nearby, ready to help with anything you need. The adventure is just beginning.

People start to take out their luggage and you follow them. The camp staff is quick to introduce themselves and lead you to the cabins. They divide you into kids and teens, luckily these age groups will be living separately.

You stroll alongside your new friend, pleased to discover you'll be sharing a room. The cabins are spacious wooden houses divided into four sections, each accommodating five people. Each segment in the cabin is assigned to a few counselors.

Entering your new temporary home, it’s not as daunting as you imagined. When you heard the camp was nestled deep in the woods, you immediately thought of bugs and other creepy creatures, but you haven’t encountered any yet, at least not until now.

However, that was about to change. Upon entering the bathroom in your room, you spot a lifeless mouse on the floor.

“What the heck?!” You exclaim, and the other girls rush over, joining in your shrieks. None of you dare to touch the rodent, leaving it there as your screams continue. Your outcry draws a girl from the neighboring segment, who checks out the commotion.

Through the wooden door comes the girl, her toned arms and short auburn hair catching your attention first. She appears irritated by the noise, with furrowed brows on her freckled face.

“What’s with all the yelling?” She sighs, entering the bathroom and noticing the dead mouse. “Are y’all afraid of a little mouse? Come on.” She scoffs, using a paper towel to remove the rodent and dispose of it safely. With that, she disappears behind the door.

You exchange confused looks with your new roommates. After a moment, laughter erupts. That was certainly a strange first impression. And the girl who came to your rescue didn’t seem particularly… friendly.

As the evening settles, you get to know your roommates better: Leah, Emma, Mia, Isabella, and of course, Olivia. After a quick dinner and shower, you settle into bed, reflecting on the whirlwind of a day.

But sleep eludes you. The events of the day replay in your mind: saying goodbye to your parents, the bus ride, meeting all these new girls, and the incident with the mouse... and that peculiar girl who barged into your room.

Glancing around the dimly lit room, illuminated only by moonlight, you notice the others are deep asleep already. Deciding not to disturb them further, though still wide awake, you close your eyes, lulled by the deep, slow breaths and the distant chirping of crickets.

The next morning, the alarm jolts you awake. Blinking, you take a moment to remember where you are.

You need to be up by 7 for roll call and breakfast before 8. Rushing with your roommates, you step outside, feeling the cold morning breeze against your face, prompting a quick return for a hoodie. You walk across the dewy grass in flip-flops, your feet are wet, but despite the early hour and chill, there’s something captivating about summer mornings like this.

Gathering in the central square surrounded by cabins, you observe the other campers with curiosity. They all seem a bit groggy; some faces are familiar from yesterday’s bus ride. You also spot the auburn-haired girl who dealt with the mouse, her expression still bitchy. She’s conversing with another girl who looks equally unapproachable. Great. Hopefully, first impressions can be misleading.

The head counselor, Mr. Anderson, introduces himself and outlines the camp’s schedule. You learn about the daily routine: choosing three activities—either water or land-based—breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch at 1 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m., and two hours of free time after each meal. Evenings are capped with group activities like campfires or movies. Each cabin forms a group, sharing meals and a counselor.

After Mr. Anderson’s briefing, murmurs arise.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Mr. Anderson interjects sternly. “You’re not children anymore, and we won’t tolerate any disobedience. Curfew will be moved up to 9:30 p.m. from its current 10:15 p.m. if you misbehave; being late, being loud after the curfew. So, 10:15 is the time you’re supposed to be in beds, maybe not sleeping already, but at least quiet and ready for sleep”

The murmur grows louder but subsides quickly as the campers begin choosing their activities for the day. Most activities have limited spots, making it challenging to decide, but you settle on arts and crafts, archery, and kayaking, often joined by Olivia and occasionally your other roommates.

Afterward, the crowd disperses for breakfast.

“Sure, like I’m in bed by 10:15 every night,” Olivia chuckles as you head toward the dining hall.

“I don’t know, Mr. Anderson sounded pretty serious,” you scratch your head.

“Oh, come on, this is my sixth summer here. Unless you get caught, you’re fine,” she playfully punches your arm.

“I suppose…” you reply.

“But yeah, if you do get caught, you’re in trouble,” she adds after a pause.

“Have you ever got busted?”

“Once, from all of the five summers I’ve been here. Yeah, Mr. Stick-up-his-ass-Anderson made me clean the toilets. And all I did was sneak out to meet a girl after curfew,” Olivia rolls her eyes at the memory. “At least I didn’t get kicked out.”

“Yeah…”

At the dining hall, a large room with windows overlooking the lake, you find yourselves at a wooden table with your roommates. The food—scrambled eggs and sandwiches—is decent, that’s what the other girls at the table say too.

After breakfast, you return to your cabin, a quarter-mile trek through the camp. This distance might be problematic if you ever run late for a meal.

It’s twenty minutes before your first activity, it’s a land-based one that requires no change of clothes, so you take a stroll around camp with Olivia. Familiar with the layout, she points out various spots, including a secluded spot hidden among bushes.

“...Over there, there’s a hidden spot for, um, trysts.” Blonde haired girl points at something that at first looks just like wild bushes, but as you take a closer look, you notice a small path and a clearing in the plants and you make a realizing “ohh” sound. You walk closer and after you make your way through the bushes, you arrive at the alcove, it’s nothing really special. It’s a clearly frequented place looking at the trampled grass surrounded by tall bushes. At least it’s secluded and well hidden. There’s even a small bench in the middle.

Despite everything, it looks quite romantic.

“I don’t think any counselors know about this place, not even most of the campers. That’s good because not many people will interrupt you in… whatever you’re doing here. But yeah, the unwritten rule of this place says it’s a date place rather than an individual’s hideout.”

Olivia sits down on the bench and sighs with relief “If you ever go there, don’t get caught, ‘cause you’ll blow up the spot for every camper” She looks at you with a serious expression on her face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful” You try to sound honest, because you actually mean it.

“That’s the place I was heading to that one time when the main counselor caught me after curfew, but fortunately he still isn’t aware of the spot” She says with a mysterious smirk on her face and gets out of the bushes, back to reality. 

“So, that’s what people mean anytime they tell you to meet “In the Bushes’” 

And after that, you head back to the cabin with your friend, just to arrive at the main square a few minutes later for the assembly. 

You leave with your group for the first activity, arts and crafts. The one and a half hours pass surprisingly fast and you are left with a half-finished friendship bracelet after.

********************************************

Archery leaves you with a similar experience, it passed by really fast in the company of a young counselor and other campers, whom you even managed to get to know better during the pastimes.

It’s after lunch already, you’re hanging out with the people you met at archery in one of the rooms. Olivia is there, too, but you notice she’s looking a little pale.

“Are you alright?” You lower your voice as you ask her.

“Yeah, I’m alright, it’s just… I got my period before lunch today and the painkillers won’t work…” But she doesn’t look alright and it seems like she comes to the same conclusion “Sorry guys, I feel really sick and I think it’s better if I lay down” And she quickly disappears from the room and you follow her.

You spend the rest of the lunch break in your cabin, keeping Olivia company. Despite an hour passing, the painkillers still offer no relief, forcing her to miss the last activity—kayaking. It was the only one you planned to do without your roommates except Olivia, leaving you alone on the water.  It’s not her fault, obviously you’re not mad at her, but you’re leaving the cabin accompanied by her apologies anyway.

Gathering again for the afternoon assembly, you join the kayaking group forming in the square. Scanning the group, you spot the auburn-haired girl from the previous day, without her stern-looking friend. You don’t approach her, though.

Arriving at the lakeside, you’re struck by the array of water sports equipment. You eagerly anticipate trying everything during your month-long stay, but for now, it’s kayaks. You hoped to get a single kayak, but you’re disappointed to find only tandem kayaks left, you hesitate until the counselor pairs you with Ellie—the auburn-haired girl.

“This is Ellie, I’m sure she will be happy to share a kayak with you” You take a quick look at Ellie. Her expression looks like everything except happiness. 

“I’m y/n” Beside her attitude, you decide not to give up from the start. “Have you kayaked before?” 

“Yeah” It’s all you get from her before she turns and walks away to get her life jacket. 

“Can you get one for me?” You yell to her but she either doesn’t hear you, or she pretends like she doesn’t. More likely the second option, you think.

You follow her to get a life jacket and a paddle yourself and when you come back to the kayak, you notice she’s holding two paddles, one seemingly for you.

“Bro, I thought it was obvious I’m bringing an extra paddle for you” She says grumpily and sighs with a “are-you-seriously-that-stupid” expression on her face. And no, it wasn’t obvious since she ignored your request earlier. Did she do all that on purpose? Whatever.

You bring your paddle back to the warehouse and finally you get in the boat with her. All of the other teams have already taken their boats onto the water. Ellie gets the seat on the back since she looks stronger with her toned arms than you. You have to admit, she’s attractive, but that’s where her good traits end. How can someone so attractive be that much of a bitch? Maybe she’s having a bad day, or two, you say to yourself.

“And where did you lose your friend?” You want to know more about the girl you’ve seen her with earlier.

“And where is yours?” She cuts the chat. 

On second thought, you don’t even care, you say to yourself. You paddle along with her, you are quick to catch up with the rest of the group. You look around to see all of the pairs happily chatting while Ellie and you haven’t exchanged a word since you got into the boat.

“So” You clear your throat “Thanks for clearing that mouse yesterday from our room” That's the first topic that comes to your mind after paddling for ten minutes.

“So that was your room? Oh God, I did that only so you would shut up, seriously, that was just a little mouse, not even a rat”

Oh. You don’t even answer her, again. 

The rest of the swim is spent rather in silence except the time when you accidentally splashed her with water and even though you quickly apologized, she still attacked your ears with a “Ow, what the fuck?!”. 

Unlike the previous activities, this one drags on, especially when you see all of the other people having fun with their kayak partners. You just enjoy nature, the greenish water around, you can feel the smell of the lake and you can hear the birds chirping. The sun is strong, its heat mercilessly hits the top of your head, you should’ve worn a cap.

The counselor announces that it’s time to head back to the port and you sigh in relief. Finally.

After twenty minutes of silent paddling, you arrive at the coast and get the boat out of the water and up on the platform. You put almost no effort in doing it, though, because Ellie handles it easily. After she’s done, she hands you her paddle not even looking at you and she quickly leaves to help with the other kayaks. Is she suddenly nice or what? But then you realize, the only person she’s helping is the counselor, trying so hard to flex her muscles. Whatever. The counselor’s name is Amy, she’s pretty young for a staff here, the most you’d give her is 19 years. All of the campers are ready and waiting for her, already put their life jackets and paddles away, but she’s busy watching Ellie.

"Can we go back to our rooms now, Amy?" you ask, breaking through the counselor's fixation on Ellie.

"Yeah," Amy responds absentmindedly, still watching Ellie's every move. With that, you and the other campers head back to the cabins.

You go back to your room, Olivia is the only one there. You throw yourself on your bed next to hers and sigh.

“I wanted to ask how it was, but it doesn’t look like it was well” Olivia looks at you.

“Yeah… And how are you?” You look at the girl, concerned.

“I’m better now, I think I’ll even join you for dinner” She sits on the bed and turns to face you, you do the same “So, how was kayaking?”

“Well, remember that girl who took the mouse out of our bathroom yesterday? So I had to share a kayak with her because I had no one else to be paired with and she was such a bitch” You sigh once again. You want to say more but you realize you should be at dinner already. You quickly leave and walk to the dining hall as fast as you can without triggering Olivia’s stomach ache. You pick up the tray and food and sit next to your new friends from your room. 

“I heard rumors that tonight's evening event is the Assassin game” Leah, a roommate of yours, speaks up between chewing her food.

“Ooh, I love it” Olivia responds enthusiastically.

You like it too especially tonight, frustration filling your soul after kayaking resulting in a need to spend the accumulated energy on something.

And you have a person you’ll especially hunt for this evening. The source of your anger.

You quickly finish eating with your friends and give the tray back to the kitchen. You walk to your cabin, the sun is slowly setting down, painting the sky so beautifully, the orange light covers the camp in a warm orange glow. There’s something nostalgic about warm sunsets like this, they always make you feel peaceful deep inside of you and help your brain drift with memories away to your childhood.

Right, that reminds you of home. You’d like to talk with your parents, but every camper’s phone was taken away right after they got off the bus, fortunately they are given back every Wednesday and Saturday for an hour to call everyone you need and go back to the normal life, at least for a quick while. But looking around, you rather doubt there is any signal here, not even mentioning Wi-Fi.  

You change into long sweats in case the evening gets chilly, you still have almost two hours before the eventide activity, probably the Assassin game. The time passes quickly though, playing cards with other campers and before you realize, it’s time for the assembly on the main square. You quickly drag your new friends there, careful not to be late. You don’t want to piss out the main counselor.

However, Ellie seems to want the exact opposite. As everyone is already waiting, gathered together, one camp counselor reports the absence of one of his campers.

Five minutes pass, main counselor’s face begins to turn tomato-color. Everyone else is pissed off too, the director doesn’t want to speak up unless everybody is there.

Finally, five more minutes pass and the auburn-haired girl appears in your sight, slowly walking over from her cabin, always wearing this sassy smirk on her face. God, can’t she ever act, maybe, not like a total bitch? 

As if nothing has happened, she joins her group.

“Come over here, right now!” The main counselor is furious, pointing at her with his finger.

“Who, me?” She asks stupidly

“Don’t be stupid” He raises his trembling voice. Ellie walks over to him, hands in her pockets, standing in the center of the assembly. “What is your name?”

“Williams” She responds calmly.

“Williams is going to clean up the horse stable tomorrow morning instead of the first activity” This creates commotion among the crowd, some people laughing, some people whispering to each other “Silence!” The man yells and the frightened crowd immediately goes silent.

“Since it’s your first… offense that’s all you get. But I won’t be so nice the next time”

“Okay.” That’s all she responds, walking back to her group.

The director clears his throat

“Okay, since, finally, everyone is present now, I’ll explain the rules. Everyone gets a lanyard with their name attached to it. Your task is to steal everyone else’s tag from them and to keep yours on your neck. If you steal someone’s tag, they die. The dead person also passes all of the tags they stole from the people before. The goal is to live and get all of the tags. 

Now, you will pick up the tag and when I say, you have five minutes to hide”

You take the paper with your name and you put the lanyard on your neck.

“Olivia, do you want to hide together?” 

“No way, there’s no teaming in this game!” And she runs away. Okay, so you have to act alone.

Your first thought is to hide in the Bushes, the spot Olivia showed you earlier, but you assumed someone else definitely thought of that before.

Then you look around for Ellie, because you want to get revenge on her for pissing you off all day today, but she’s nowhere to be seen. You look up, in the sky, and an idea pops up in your head.

You start walking to the lake, the view of the water and sunset will definitely be amazing and once the sun sets, you will start killing people.

You breathe in the warm summer air as you get closer to the lake, you see it from afar and it already looks amazing. 

You hear people screaming and running past you, looking for a place to hide, but you stick to your plan. You find a well hidden spot behind the boathouse, perfect to sit down and enjoy the view. The big lake surrounded by trees is perfectly mirroring the previously orange, now pink sky.

A while passes, the sun quickly falls to the horizon and the sky gets darker and darker every second. You hear the birds singing their last songs of the day before they fall asleep, crickets chirping, occasionally people screaming and laughing in the back. It’s so nice here, but you remember the game, you can’t ruin the fun and hide here forever. And you have a very specific prey to catch.

And as if on cue, when you slowly leave your spot, you notice the girl with auburn hair nearby, her back facing you. Perfect.

[atinyjules]

Squabble Ft. Boyfriend!Fuma

A/n: I ran out of title ideas for the fic 😭

Genre: established relationship, romance, angst, fluff

Pairings: Boyfriend!Fuma x Kindergarten teacher!Saya

Warnings: It's a little angsty, but nothing too serious.

The school bus rattled gently beneath her as it rolled through the morning streets, but Saya barely noticed.

Her forehead leaned against the window, earphones tucked in, music low but constant—more of a habit than anything else. She had been zoning out from the moment she stepped on, eyes distant, watching the city pass in streaks of gray and gold.

It was early, but her mind wasn’t on the time.

She didn’t move, didn’t fidget. Just sat quietly with her thoughts, lips pressed together, the tiniest crease between her brows.

Last night lingered.

She wasn’t replaying it, not exactly. It was more like…feeling the echo of it. A weight behind her ribcage. A coldness that hadn’t thawed.

She blinked slowly, her eyes heavy, her expression unreadable.

“Teacher!!”

A small voice sliced through the fog in her mind. “Good morning!!”

Saya’s head turned instantly, her eyes focusing at last.

Yuto stood beside her seat, beaming up at her with a gummy smile and a crumpled drawing clutched in his tiny hand.

Her lips curled into a smile. Soft. Familiar. “Good morning,” she said gently, pulling out one earbud.

“You’re really quiet today,” Yuto said, tilting his head.

Saya chuckled, reaching over to fix the strap of his backpack. “Just thinking,” she replied. “Did you bring that to show me?”

He nodded proudly, holding up the drawing of a very lopsided robot cat.

As she praised him and asked all the right questions, her mind slowly began to drift back to the present.

But even with the laughter of her students beginning to fill the bus, that strange quiet inside her hadn’t left.

Something had changed.

And only she knew what.

The bus ride ended in a blur of chatter and bright backpacks as the children filed out, laughter echoing down the hallway of the kindergarten like windchimes in a breeze. It should’ve lifted her spirits.

They weren’t cranky today—not one of them. No tears over forgotten toys, no fights over crayons. It was one of those rare golden mornings when everything just worked.

And yet, Saya couldn’t shake it.

She went through the motions: unpacking bags, greeting other teachers, leading the kids in their morning circle. But her responses were slightly delayed, her smiles slightly too practiced.

Why do they all seem happier than me today?

She felt bad about it.

She was the one who always told them, “Let’s start the day with sunshine!” And yet here she was, the only one dragging a cloud behind her.

The kids were playing nicely, giggling as they pretended to cook invisible soup and build crooked towers out of foam blocks. She gave them a thumbs-up and left the room quietly, her steps slow as she made her way to the staff room.

The second she stepped inside and saw it empty, she let the breath escape her chest like a deflated balloon.

The books in her arms dropped onto the table with a hard slam.

She winced at the sound. Not because it was loud—because it was loud enough to reflect how she felt inside.

Her hands rested on the table’s edge, her head hanging low between her shoulders.

Was I wrong? Was he?

The question had been circling like a vulture all morning, clawing at her focus, pecking at her confidence.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her jaw tensing.

“No,” she muttered to the empty room. “I was in the right. I was.”

There was no one there to challenge her.

No one to hear the way her voice cracked at the end.

No one to argue that maybe—just maybe—she didn’t believe it as much as she needed to.

She stayed there for a moment, palms flat on the table, willing herself to focus—to teach, to smile, to be present.

But her mind didn’t listen.

It drifted back, uninvited.

Everything had been fine.

They were curled up on the couch, some mindless show playing in the background, takeout containers half-empty on the coffee table. His arm had been around her, her fingers loosely linked with his. It had been warm. Comfortable.

Until it wasn’t.

The argument started over something stupid. She couldn’t even remember how it began—something about plans, or timing, or the way he brushed something off that mattered to her.

One sharp word led to another. Raised voices. Interrupted sentences. That awful feeling when you’re both talking but not really hearing.

And then—silence.

Fuma had stood up too fast, running a hand through his hair, frustration radiating from his shoulders. “I need to get away from this,” he had said without looking at her, grabbing his hoodie from the hook by the door.

She hadn’t stopped him.

Not with words, not with her eyes.

He came back late. Didn’t say a word. Just pulled a blanket from the closet and crashed on the couch.

She’d stayed in bed, pretending to sleep, even though her eyes were wide open in the dark.

And in the morning—he was gone.

No note. No text. No trace.

Just the silence he left behind.

Saya pulled herself out of the memory like it burned.

She straightened up, exhaled slowly through her nose, and ran a hand down her face. Her fingers were cold.

It was still bothering her.

Not just the fight—but the space that came after. The kind of quiet that fills a room and makes you question everything.

She glanced at the clock.

Her students would be waiting. Smiling. Expecting her to be okay.

So she smoothed her blouse, adjusted her expression, and told herself one last time—

He left. I didn’t. I was in the right.

But the echo of last night still clung to her like fog.

And deep down, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

๋ ࣭ ⭑

Break time came quietly. The other teachers chatted in small groups, sipping coffee and scrolling through their phones.

Saya sat alone by the window, her hands wrapped around a warm mug that she hadn’t sipped from in a while. She watched the kids run around the courtyard, their laughter rising like little fireworks.

It was a clear day, the kind where the sun looked kinder than it felt.

Her eyes wandered until they landed on two children near the swings—Yuto and Hina. She could tell from their posture that something was off.

They were arguing.

Yuto stood with his arms crossed, voice sharp and cracking.

“You're always like this!”

Hina’s face crumpled, and she shouted back, “Then don’t make promises if you’re gonna break them!”

The words struck something in Saya.

Her whole body tensed as she watched from behind the glass.

Another teacher quickly stepped in, crouching beside them to calm things down. But Saya barely registered it.

Her heartbeat echoed the argument.

That fight—it was a mirror of her own. The words felt like echoes from the night before, only smaller voices carrying them now.

All over something so small. But to the one who cared—it had meant everything.

She looked away, her throat tight.

Too familiar.

It shouldn’t have hit this hard. But it did.

She hadn’t realized until now how deeply it still sat inside her, cold and unsettled.

Even as the courtyard returned to laughter and games, she couldn’t shake the sting.

And in her chest, the same thought kept circling back—

Why make promises if you can’t keep them?

And—Was I wrong to expect him to?

Her eyes stayed on the playground, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Was I asking too much?

That thought crept in quietly at first, like a whisper she didn’t want to hear.

Fuma had a demanding job—she knew that. Long hours, constant deadlines, people depending on him. He barely had time to breathe, let alone think. And yet… he always came home. Tired, yes. Worn thin sometimes. But still with a soft “I’m home,” and arms that reached for her like she was a place to rest.

Even on the worst days, he’d kiss her forehead or joke that her cooking was the only thing keeping him alive.

So why had she pushed?

All she wanted was for him to keep that one promise. Just one. But was it selfish to expect him to remember something so small when his entire day was packed with pressure and exhaustion?

She had felt dismissed, but maybe… maybe he had just forgotten. Not because he didn’t care. But because he was human.

She swallowed hard.

Was she being demanding?

Had she twisted something unintentional into something unforgivable?

The mug in her hand had gone cold.

She stared at her reflection in the window—faint and flickering—and felt the guilt crawl up her spine.

Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe she had been unfair.

And now here she was, clinging to her pride while Fuma slept alone on the couch and left the house without a word.

Was I in the wrong? Maybe I was.

But what scared her the most was not knowing how to make it right.

Not yet.

She hadn’t meant to think about it again. But her mind pulled her there anyway.

The look on his face when he came back from his walk—cold, distant, almost like he didn’t recognize her.

He didn’t even speak. Just walked past her like the silence between them was safer than anything he could say.

And she had stared at his back, frozen, heart screaming for him to say something. But he didn’t. He just went straight to the couch and lay down, his back still turned.

Now, the guilt began to pool in her stomach like heavy water.

I was unfair, she admitted silently. Insensitive.

Her fingers fumbled for her phone, heart thudding harder as she opened their chat.

The last message was from yesterday, before everything happened.

Fuma : Don’t forget to eat

Saya: You too. I love youuu 🤍

Fuma: I love you more ☺️🤍

Her chest tightened. It felt like reading the final line of a story that had taken a bad turn.

She hovered over the keyboard.

Should she text him? Just a “Hey” or “Are you okay?” Something to show she wasn’t holding onto her pride?

But her thumb stopped.

No. What if it makes things worse? What if he’s still angry?

She locked her phone and placed it face-down on the table with a quiet sigh.

I’ll apologize when I get home, she told herself. That’s better.

But just as quickly, the memory of his words came flooding back.

Not just the silence.

The mean things. The sharpness in his tone. How he accused her of never understanding. How he said she always wanted things her way.

Her jaw clenched.

He wasn’t exactly kind either.

She stood up abruptly and carried her mug to the sink.

He left, she thought, scrubbing the cup more aggressively than needed. I was upset too but I didn’t walk out.

Water splashed over the edge of the sink as her scowl deepened.

Why should I always be the first one to apologize?

She rinsed the mug roughly and set it down harder than she meant to.

He could’ve handled it better. He didn’t. He snapped just as much as I did. And he even left.

She stared at the wet porcelain in the drying rack, breathing a little heavier.

"I won’t apologize," she muttered to herself. "Not this time."

She returned to her seat by the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest like they could hold her together.

But the ache still made its way through.

With a quiet breath, she reached for her phone again—almost without thinking this time. The screen lit up, and there it was.

Her wallpaper.

A picture of her and Fuma.

They were smiling, pressed cheek to cheek, his arm draped over her shoulder, hers wrapped around his waist. They looked… happy. Light. Like nothing could ever touch them.

And looking at it now hurt more than she expected.

Her chest tightened, and she blinked slowly, trying to ignore the sting in her eyes.

Is he tired of this?

Of us?

The thought hit harder than any of the things they’d said the night before.

Maybe he’d reached his limit. Maybe the weight of their relationship had grown heavier than the warmth they once shared.

Maybe this wasn’t just a fight.

Maybe it was the beginning of the end.

Is he done?

Have I pushed too much, again?

Did I ruin everything?

Her thumb hovered over the lock button, but she didn’t press it. She just stared.

Suddenly, the picture didn’t feel like a memory.

It felt like a goodbye.

And that realization made her throat tighten with something thick and bitter.

She turned the phone over, screen down again.

The silence of the staff room felt suffocating now.

She wasn't sure what hurt more—her pride or the fear that she was watching the person she loved slowly slip away.

And this time, she didn’t know if he’d come back.

The school bell rang, and the soft chorus of “Goodbye, teacher!” filled the air.

She smiled—wide, warm, the kind that had taken all day to keep from cracking.

One by one, the kids filtered out with backpacks bouncing and tiny hands waving. She crouched down to help one zip up his coat, offered another a high-five.

All while her heart thudded with an anxious rhythm she couldn’t calm.

The sun was setting gently outside, casting long shadows in the hallway as she stood by the door, waving to the last few students.

“You were so good today,” she said softly, ruffling a little girl’s hair. “See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow! Bye, teacher!”

Just as she turned to say goodbye to another child, she heard it.

“Saya.”

She froze.

That voice.

Her breath caught. Her body went still.

Slowly, she turned around, heart pounding in her ears.

There he was.

Fuma.

Standing by the gate. His sleeves pushed up to his elbows, his coat hanging in one hand, his hair slightly messy like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. He looked… tired.

Not angry. Not cold.

Just tired.

Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Why is he here?

Did he come all the way here to end things?

Did he want to talk?

Did he… not want to go home without saying goodbye first?

The hallway felt too quiet, the space between them too loud.

She tightened her grip on her tote bag, trying to steady the chaos in her chest.

He wasn’t saying anything. Just standing there, watching her, the same way she was watching him.

And suddenly, her fear turned into something heavier.

Hope.

Or heartbreak.

She wasn’t sure yet.

She clutched the strap of her bag a little tighter, forcing her voice to stay steady.

“…What are you doing here?”

Fuma let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes briefly flicked away from hers.

“I got out of work early,” he said. “Thought maybe we could go home together.”

Home.

The word hit different today.

She looked at him, still hesitant, but nodded slowly. “Okay.”

They walked in silence at first, the kind that was too aware, too careful. The sky had dimmed into soft blues and pinks, the breeze gentle against her cheeks.

Halfway down the path, Fuma glanced at her bag.

“Let me carry that.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.”

But without waiting for permission, he reached over and carefully slid it off her shoulder anyway.

“You’ve had a long day.”

She didn’t argue this time, just kept walking, arms now crossed, fingers curling into her sleeves.

A few steps later, his voice broke the silence.

“…Saya.”

She looked up.

“I want to talk about last night.”

Her stomach dropped.

Of course. This was coming. The moment she’d dreaded and rehearsed in her head all day.

She didn’t reply, not yet. Just kept walking, slower now, waiting to hear what he’d say next.

And if she was ready to say anything at all.

“I’m sorry,” Fuma said quietly.

She stopped walking.

He looked at her, eyes soft and tired, the weight of his words clinging to the air between them.

“The things I said last night…” He exhaled through his nose, voice thick with regret. “And the way I acted—I was being immature. I shouldn’t have said any of that. I was frustrated, but that’s no excuse. I’m really sorry, Saya.”

She stared at him for a moment, lips pressed into a line.

Then—quietly, “I’m sorry too.”

Her voice cracked just a little.

“I was being too much. You’ve got so much on your plate already. You're always tired when you come home, but you still try to be there for me. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.”

Fuma shook his head gently. “You’re not selfish.”

“I am,” she said, eyes dropping. “I knew you were exhausted, and I still wanted more. More time, more attention… I just missed you. But I didn’t say it right. I just…”

Her voice trailed off, swallowed by the wind.

“I know,” he said softly. “And I should’ve listened better. I’ll do better. We both will, yeah?”

She met his eyes again. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t distant. Just Fuma. The man she loved. The man who showed up after work, just to walk her home.

She gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

The tension in her chest had loosened, just a little. Her steps felt lighter, less hesitant. The air between them wasn’t as thick anymore. Still, she glanced up at him and asked, half-joking, half-terrified—

“So… we’re not breaking up?”

Fuma stopped walking.

He turned to her slowly, blinking like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Are you crazy?” he said, brows lifting. “Breaking up wasn’t even remotely on my list of things to do.”

Before she could say anything else, he reached for her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. Then, gently, he tugged her closer until there was hardly any space between them.

“I love you,” he murmured, eyes locked with hers. “And I’d rather discard my pride and act like an idiot than break up with you.”

Something in her cracked open—soft and warm and aching all at once.

She stared up at him, heart thudding like it finally remembered how to beat right.

And for the first time that day, she let herself smile without having to force it.

She stopped walking again, her fingers tightening around his. Then, without a word, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.

“I was so scared we were gonna break up,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “The thought was eating me alive the whole day.”

Fuma let out a low chuckle, the kind that rumbled softly in his chest as his arms came around her, holding her tight like he never planned to let go.

“Get that idea and thought out of your head,” he said firmly, his chin resting on her head. “It’s not gonna ever happen.”

She closed her eyes, exhaling a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

There, in the middle of the sidewalk, wrapped in his arms with the fading sky above them, everything finally felt okay again.

That's it for this one!

This was really warm and fun to write 🤍

I hope y'all enjoyed it 🥹

Likes and rebloggs are appreciated ♥️ ✨️

[toothpastecanyon]

The Beautiful Lies We Tell of the Dead

Wirt drowned that night in the lake, but that's not the way Greg tells it. Weeks later, Sara has to find out for herself the truth in all the stories she's been told.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

It’s weird, when a kid dies. Sara doesn’t know if all highschools are this bad about it, or if hers is just uniquely awkward.

Whispers in the classrooms. Teachers she never knew that well pulling her aside, asking her how she’s feeling. One excruciating assembly in the gym, the principal stumbling over his words as he addresses ‘what you’ve probably already heard’.

Yeah. Yeah, no worries, she’s heard. A glare off to the side, where a desk sits empty in the middle of English class.

The ghost desk, people are already calling it. It’d only been a few weeks, and it’s like Wirt is already just… a story. A creepy rumor about the quiet boy their friend’s friend’s cousin had spoken to once, a chair they dare each other to sit in during lunch. He’s all of those things now… all of them, except a person.

She sighs. Well, that’s not completely fair.

As much as all the new graffiti on his desk annoys her, there are hearts among the ghost drawings, ‘WE MISS U’s alongside the ‘DEREK WAS HERE’s. There’s a clumsy sort of sensitivity to the way people hush up around her; she’ll enter a room and feel like she’s naked in a dream the way conversations would just stop - kids would shush their friends and gesture not-so-subtly at her, the Girl Who Was Actually There - but no one asks her about him, and that’s good, she thinks. She doesn’t want to talk about him, probably.

It’s weird when a kid dies… but, you know, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

From the teachers to the students, everyone is new to this.

_____________________________________________________________

“Brrr, it’s cold outside - aww, thanks Jason! You’re so sweet.”

“N-n-no problem, Lucy.”

Sara breathes a cloud of fog as she walks down the school steps - it sure is getting cold. She casts a glance over at her friends holding hands, and gives a little eyeroll. It’s with a smile, though; took him long enough to notice how much Lucy was into him.

“H-hey, Sara,” he waves at her. “Y-y-you wanna come to m-my house?”

Lucy grins. “Yeah, we’re gonna watch some scary movies! Jason says he hasn’t seen The Ring.”

“Yeah, i-i-is it really scary? I get kind of sweaty-y when I-I get scared…”

“That’s okay, I get sweaty too! So, uh, I guess we’ll just be sweaty together, haha!”

Then they both giggle at each other, and Sara makes a face. “Uh, no, I’m good - you guys have fun, though!”

“Oh, okay! See you tomorrow!”

“Y-yeah, see you tomorrow Sara!”

Sara waves as she splits off from them, and starts the walk home. It’s just a bit longer than she likes; in summer she’ll wait for the bus, but it’s not bad this time of year. The dead leaves are crunching under her feet; all but a few stragglers are gone from the trees. Most of the Halloween decorations are down, but she passes scattered houses with sagging pumpkins out front. One earlybird’s already put out their Christmas lights, and she grins at that.

It’s a strange time of year, isn’t it? Not really fall anymore, but it’s like no one wants to admit it’s winter until Thanksgiving. No one wants to let go - not yet.

Sara stops at the corner of a street, and her smile fades from her face.

She used to take this route home. It added a few minutes to her journey, but she’d see Greg playing in the yard, or one of their parents out on the porch… or, once in a while, she’d see him.

She’d see Wirt.

Maybe the wind picked up for a moment - maybe that’s why the world felt just a little colder, now. Maybe that’s why she doesn't take this way anymore; she never knew for sure if she'd see him slumped against a tree in his yard, 'watching' his brother as he worked on his poetry, but there’d always been a chance she would.

There always used to be a chance, but… well.

Well, it didn’t matter anymore, did it.

The cold is really getting to her, now; she shouldn’t stand around. With a shiver, Sarah turns, and makes to leave-

“Sara!”

A voice. Sara blinks, and looks back. Is that…?

“Hi, Sara!” The little figure of Greg skips up to her, and sticks his arms out. “Pshoom!”

“Haha, hi, Greg!” Sara manages a little smile. “Whatcha up to?”

“I’m a lantern!” He keeps his arms out. “You’re blinded-ed!”

“Wha- oh, haha, oh no!” She covers her eyes. “You’ve got me! You’re one bright lantern, aren’t you?”

He beams up at her. “Uh huh! Hi Sara! I haven’t seen you in aaaages!”

“Uh-“

“Will you go frog hunting with me?”

The twisting feeling in her gut pauses for a moment. “Frog hunting?”

“Yeah!” Greg puts his hands on his hips. “My Mom says I can’t go on my own, and she won’t let Wirt take me anymore. But I’m sure if I ask she’ll let you take me!”

Wirt - and that twisting feeling rushes right back. Sara looks away. “I don’t know, uh, sorry Greg-“

“Pleaaaaase?”

“I should really get home-“

“But Jason Funderburker needs a friend!”

“What?”

“Jason Funderburker!” Greg turns around to show a big frog sticking out of the hood of his coat. “I think he misses his friends from the boat. And that record deal - man, he walked out on the contract of a lifetime to come back with us! We gotta make sure he's happy here!”

At that, Sara can't help but laugh. “Jason Funderburker, huh?” She glances back… but after a moment, gives a nod. “Okay, okay. If your Mom says yes, I’ll take you out for a bit, okay?”

“Aww, yes! Come on, follow me!”

Then he takes off down the street as fast as his little legs can take him - and boy, Sara thinks, that’s faster than you think.

She’s really doing this, huh? A little hesitation… but yeah. Yeah, she is. Greg deserves to have a some fun - however hard it’s been to lose a friend, it’s got to be nothing compared to losing your big brother. All Greg ever talked about was Wirt, and now, now he’s-

“Come on, Sara!”

Sara blinks, then shakes herself out of it. “Uh, I’m right behind you!”

“Haha, you’re not right behind me, you’re waaaay behind me! Follow the lantern, pshoom!”

With a snort, she jogs to catch up. Well, she’s glad he’s his still chipper little self.

Wirt’s - Greg’s house is a ways down the street, and Greg is already on the porch. Sitting outside is a still figure wrapped in a black scarf; Sara feels a pit in her stomach at the sight. Greg’s holding his mother’s hand, gesturing wildly and saying something about frogs… but his mother doesn’t really move, doesn’t do anything but stare vacantly through him, like a ghost.

“So can I go? Pleaaase? Look, she’s there!”

Standing at the foot of the driveway, Sara sees the mother finally move; she turns to look at Sara, and gives a hollow smile, a slow wave. Sara waves back - she wants to say something, she should say something… but what’s there to say?

Before she can think of anything, though, Greg’s mother turns to him, wraps him up in a big hug… and then lets him go. Greg trots back to Sara, a big beaming smile on his face as he takes her hand.

“Ehehehe, she said yes!” He starts dragging her forwards like a dog on a leash. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Wha- oh! Hang on, Greg!” She glances back over her shoulder, and sees Greg’s mother watching them go with a smile. “Uh, we’ll be back soon!”

And then they were off, Greg humming a tune as he skips along the sidewalk. Just as Sara starts to catch up to him, he stops and leans down.

“Look! It’s a snail!”

“Oh, yeah!” She watches it inch across the pavement. “Hey, little guy.”

“Snails and frogs are friends,” Greg states, in that very definitive tone kids like to use. “So we must be getting close! This way!”

“Haha, slow down, won’t you? There’s no rush.”

“There is too a rush! Mom said we need to be back by dark, so that’s like… barely any time! But don’t worry,” He tries to do a wink, but it’s more of an extended blink. “I know the perfect place.”

“Hah, well, I can’t wait to see it.” Sara says, and then pauses; what do you talk to a five year old about? “So, uh, how’s school?”

“School? Booring - oh!” He looks up at her. “Did you ever listen to the tape?”

“The… tape?”

“Yeah! The one Wirt wanted you to listen to so he gave it to me to give it to you, but then he didn’t want you to listen to it so he tried to get it back. Did you listen to it? Did you?”

Sara stops dead, her smile freezing on her face. That tape, the one she found in her jacket the night they… Greg’s tugging on her sleeve.

“Hellooo?” He sees her blink, and leans in closer. “Well, did you?”

“Um… oh, no. No, I didn’t.” She swallows the lump in her throat. “I, ah, don’t have a tape player! Haha, so, yeah.”

“Oh. We have a tape player!”

“No, no, that’s… that’s okay.”

“Okay! Wirt didn’t want you to listen to it anyway, I guess. He said it’s got clarinets and poetry in it!”

Sarah manages a smile. “Of course it does.”

“I’ll tell Wirt you didn’t listen to it then!” He says, and before Sara can open her mouth he’s skipping along again, humming as he kicks the leaves. “Potatoes, and molasses…”

“You’ll tell…?” She starts, but he’s off in his own world. With a sigh, she lets it go, sticks her hand in her pocket and stares down.

That tape - she always knew it was Wirt’s; it was his handwriting. After the craziness of that night, Jason had brought it up again, asked her if she wanted to listen to it.

“I-it’s like, his last words!” He’d said. “K-kinda creepy, huh?”

And Jason… Jason’s a nice guy, but something about that really rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn’t going to be creepy.

It was going to be Wirt.

A sigh. Clarinets and poetry… she had a horrible feeling it didn’t really matter what it was going to be, anymore. It’d just make her sad.

“We’re here!”

Sara doesn’t hear him at first; but she looks up when he lets go of her hand. “Huh? Where are you-“

And she gasps. Greg grins at her.

“It’s the graveyard!” He says, standing under that sign. “This is where we found Jason Funderburker! Come on!”

Then he takes off; Sara blinks, and then sprints after him.

“Hey, hey, wait! Greg! Greg!” She sees him skipping down the path, and races to catch up. “Hang on, Greg, let's, uh... let’s go somewhere else!”

“Why?”

“You don’t-” she sees the spot they’d been sitting around, so unremarkable yet burned into her memory. A hard swallow. “Your parents wouldn’t want you here. Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”

She makes a grab for his hand, but he dances away. “Hey, no way, this is the best place to find frogs!”

“Greg, come on…”

“Aww, just for a little bit! I go here all the time, it’ll be quick!”

“Well it’s, it’s different if your parents bring you here…”

“Haha, they don’t bring me here!”

A pause. A blink. Sara watches him sprinkle grass on a grave, and frowns. “Your parents don’t- wait, what?”

“Uh oh. I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

For the first time, Greg looks a little shifty. “What do you mean?” Sara says, and then crosses her arms. “Greg, what do you mean by that? Who do you go with?”

“Uhh… my parents?”

“Greg.”

“You’re gonna tell them, aren’t you?” His smile seems to dip for a moment… and then he suddenly brightens. “But wait! If I tell you why, do you promise not to tell them I sneak out here at night?”

“You-” She blinks several times. “You what? Uh, no, I am definitely telling your Mom - you can’t be out here by yourself!”

“I’m not by myself, obviously. I’m going to see Wirt!”

“Wirt…” She grimaces - this is so far into get-a-parent territory. “Uh, look, bud, let’s take you home, okay?”

“You don’t believe me,” he says - but it’s with a sunny smile on his face. He leans in closer. “That’s okay, Mom and Dad don’t either. I can show you, but only if you promise to let me keep coming here!”

“What? No, I am not making that promise.”

“Oh, well… I’ll show you anyway! Come on!”

“Wait - wait, Greg, don’t-!” She watches him take off down the path, and groans. “Ohh, jeez, your Mom’s gonna kill me… Greg!”

The shadows are lengthening as she runs through the graveyard. The sun is starting to touch the hills in the distance. Greg almost disappears between the gravestones, but she can hear him every time she gets lost, saying, “Come on!” or “This way!”

“Greg! Seriously, we gotta get you home!”

“Pshoom!” She hears in response, and it sounds strangely… higher? “Up here, Sara!”

So she looks up. Up, up, up, to a little silhouette waving from the garden wall.

“How did you…?” She starts; and her heart goes to her throat as he starts to turn. “No, no, no, don’t-! Just stay there, I’ll-”

“I’ll meet you down here!”

“No! No, don’t-”

But it’s too late; he disappears down the other side. For a moment she can only hold her breath, and then she hears his voice.

“I’m okay!”

“Oh, my god, just- just stay put, dude!” She grabs the branch of a nearby tree. “Don’t move!”

“Well I’m gonna move a little.”

“What? Greg, please, just don’t move-”

“Oh… okay. But there’s train tracks here.”

“What?” She nearly slips. “Okay - nevermind, move!”

“Okay! I’ll meet you at the lake, then!”

“Not that much! Greg, not that…!” But she could already hear him shuffling off. Panting hard, Sara grabs the edge of the wall. “Whoo… how the heck did he, did he climb this so fast - Greg!”

Scrabbling to the top, she sees him - thank god - as a little speck next to the shore of that lake. And wow, there’s a part of her that physically resists the idea of jumping over, of getting any closer to the black void she saw that night, like it’s a monster that can drag her in like it dragged in Wirt… but it’s a monster that Greg is dipping his little fingers into, so she takes a breath and sucks it up and jumps.

She lands on the rickety tracks of a rail line, quickly gets out of the way, and hurries down the steep slope as fast as she dares.

“Greg!” She snaps, and the boy looks up with a grin.

“You’re here!” He lets her take his hand, but digs his heels in when she pulls him back. “Hey, wait, I haven’t shown you yet!”

“Dude, I am in so much trouble when we get back to your Mom. You can’t go running off on me like that!”

“But wait! If you look at the water-”

“Seriously, Greg, you’re going home. Don’t make me carry you, okay?”

“But-”

And then there’s a loud noise - a horn? Sara blinks and looks up at the hill; she can see a light coming through on the far edge of the wall. Is that a train? She’d never heard a train pass through her town before.

But a moment later, there it is. An old black steam train puffs its way around the corner, followed by car after car of heavy freight. She can’t see the end of the line anytime soon; she can only hear Greg’s excited giggle.

“We’re stuck!” He says, like that’s a good thing. “Now you can look at the water!”

“Wh-” Sara starts; she glances around them, but it’s thick forests to either side, and with a groan, she realises he’s right. “Ugh, okay, fine. I’ll take a look, alright?”

She needs to take a deep breath first; she feels Greg squeeze her hand a little tighter. And then, letting it out with a puff of clouded air, Sara looks at the lake.

It’s… not the void she remembers. Not right now, anyway. Right now, the red-gold rays of the sun are shining down on it; ducks are drifting across, sending tiny ripples over the mirrored surface. She can see the not-so-far shore reflected in it, and all around them there’s the gentle rustlings and buzzings of nature.

It’s not a void, and that might be worse, she thinks. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s beautifully… ordinary. There’s nothing special about the place her friend drowned in.

It’s like it could have happened anywhere.

“I…” Sara looks away. “I’m sorry, Greg. I don’t see what you mean.”

“Hmm, yeah, I usually come later.” Greg scratches his head. “He probably wasn’t expecting me - but he’ll come, he will! He always does!”

“Who’s gonna come?”

“Wirt!”

And he looks up at her with that smile that stabs her right in the heart. She looks away, checks to see if the train’s gone yet. It’s not, and she sighs. “Greg, I… I’m really sorry about your brother.”

And she feels his hand, gripping hers so tightly, slacken just a bit. She doesn’t look at his face; her eyes are going blurry.

“I miss him too, you know? I wish he was still here, but he’s… he’s not.” She sniffs, wipes her eyes. “I shouldn’t have invited him to that graveyard party. I should’ve, I could've… I could’ve done something, it’s like… like everything lined up in the worst way, and I keep thinking a-about how if one of those things happened just a little different…” She glances over at him, sees him staring up at her with those wide eyes, and tries to put on a smile. “B-but I’m just rambling, um, hey, you wanna, you wanna sit in the grass?”

Greg shakes his head. “I miss him too,” he says, after a moment, and he looks back to the water. “It’s weird that he doesn’t live with us anymore. He says he’s got Beatrice, but I think he misses Mom and Dad. And they miss him - I’ve tried eeeeverything to get them down here, but they won’t believe me!” He kicks at the grass. “It’s not fair. We had a whole adventure together, me and Wirt, and I went home and Wirt stayed there, but no one believes me. What am I s’posed to do? Oh, Jason Funderburker, can’t you just sing again? Just a little bit? I’d give you all my candy.”

The frog lets out a low ribbet, and Sara doesn't know what to say. She stares into the lake as the sky starts to dim, as the lake waters begin to darken, begin to resemble that void once more. The crickets come out, the moon starts to pick up its shine, and as she stares… Sara notices a strange light emerging from the other shore.

She looks up from the reflection, but it’s the oddest thing: it doesn’t show up when she takes her eyes off the lake. In her world, the trees at the other shore are still and black, but in the reflection, they seem to glow. Seem to rustle.

She feels Greg grip her leg; from fear, she thinks at first, but then she hears his voice, full of wonder, as he whispers:

“He’s here!”

And Sara, mouth open wide, heart hammering in her chest, watches a figure with a lantern emerge from the rippling trees and step onto the far shore.

Wirt. She doesn’t recognise him by his glowing white eyes, nor by the twisted antlers poking out from underneath that Halloween costume he still wore - no.

She recognises him by the way he acts when they lock eyes, the way he always acted on those rare days when she’d walk by his house and catch him outside: he gives a little silent yelp and backs away to hide behind a tree.

Sara can’t believe her eyes; she opens her mouth but she’s speechless. As ever, though, Greg is full of them.

“Wirt! Wirt! There you are! Hi!” He runs a little into the water, and the surface ripples. “I knew you’d show up - look! I brought Sara, isn’t that cool! And guess what? She said she didn’t listen to that super embarrassing tape you left in her jacket!”

Wirt looks like he’s trying to melt into the tree; despite everything, Sara finds a little chuckle bubbling up in her throat. Only a little one, though, and then she steps closer.

“Wirt? Is that - I can’t believe it, i-is that really you?” She glances down at Greg. “Can he… talk to us?”

“Ehh,” Greg makes a so-so motion with his hand. “It’s harder, but that’s okay, because I do most of the talking anyways! Hey, Wirt! Hey, where are you going!”

The light’s already disappearing, and her eyes go wide.

“Wh- no, wait! Wirt!” She shakes her head, then steps with a splash into the lake and the whole image ripples. The water is freezing. “Greg, what’s happening to him!”

“Aww, don’t worry, he’s just leaving.” Greg checks his wrist like he has a watch. “But that was an awfully short visit. S’probably the sticky-outy things on his head, he thinks they make his face look small.”

“But…”

“He’ll come back!” Greg grins at her. “And see? I was right! You believe me now, don’t you?”

The light is gone. Sara watches the ripples still. “You were…” she looks back at him. “You were right, but… how? How is this possible? Wha-what happened to him?”

“Well, it’s a long story-”

She swallows, hard. “Why can’t he come home?”

“Oh. He says that's ‘cause of me.”

“Because of you?”

“Yeah! That lantern he’s carrying?” Greg leans in closer. “He says that’s got me in it! And he’s gotta, he’s gotta keep me lit, or I’ll go out!”

“Go… out?”  Sara says, slowly.

She looks at Greg, looks at him, and it’s strange, but in the first pale glow of moonlight, he seems… fuzzier, somehow. It’s like she’s looking at him through a lake of mirror stillness, and though he seems so present in this world, the slightest ripple could rip the curtain away and reveal him to be but a reflection of another place entirely.

“Yeah! Pshoom!”

But then he takes her hand, and it’s warm, it’s real. He smiles at her, and the odd ghostly pallor to his face seems to melt away entirely.

“I’m so glad you got to see him!” He says. “You should come back! We can try again tonight! I’ll sneak out!”

Try again… Sara looks down at the big beaming grin on his face, and sighs. She gets down on her knees. “Greg…” she starts. “You… shouldn’t come down here anymore. Not on your own.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t be sneaking out and coming here at night, it’s… dangerous! I mean there’s a big wall, there’s a train line-” she turns to look at the train and realises it’s gone - huh, she thought she'd hear it leave. “Uh, and, the lake, and all in the dark? Your parents would be so worried if they knew you were doing this!”

“But they won’t let me come visit!”

She grimaces. “I know.”

“What if - what if I sneak out with you! Then I’m not on my own anymore, right?”

“I… I can’t do that, Greg.” She watches him look down, and squeezes his hand. “I’m sorry. I believe you, I’m just… worried about you. Your parents would be worried about you too.”

“So’s Wirt,” Greg mumbles; he looks up again with a little smile. “But he can’t stop me from visiting, so I do it anyway, hehehe!” Then that smile falls. “But… you’re gonna tell my Mom and Dad, huh?”

A silence. Greg looks at the lake, and then closes his eyes.

“Okay,” he says, quieter than she’s ever heard him. “But you have to promise something, okay? You have to promise you’ll visit him.”

“Huh?”

“He’s all lonely here - if Mom and Dad won’t visit him, and I can’t visit him… then you have to visit him! You promise?”

Sara gives a watery smile. “Of course I do. You’re a sweet brother, Greg - Wirt’s lucky to have you.” Rising to her feet, she feels him latch onto her legs, and hugs him back. “I know. I’m sorry. You… you ready to go?”

He just squeezes her for a moment… but, eventually, he lets go, looks at the lake one more time, and takes her hand. “Okay,” he says, and wipes his eyes. “Bye, Wirt. I’ll come back with Mom and Dad soon, okay? But they’re probably worried about me now, so… I’ll go now. I don’t want them to get worried.”

With a sad smile, Sara takes his hand, and leads him gently up the hill.

“Thanks for coming frog hunting with me, Sara,” he’s saying. “We should do this again!”

“Haha! No.”

“But we didn’t even find any frog friends!”

“I think Jason Funderburker’s already got a friend.”

“Who’s that?”

“You, silly!”

“Oh, hehe, that’s right!”

And so they leave together, and the ripples they’d made in the lake behind them slowly smooth out with the last lights of the sun.

[altschmerzes]

as a treat for @jamiesfootball, an extended sequence of softness and light, taken from far ahead in wriggle up on dry land (the baby jamie au). enjoy, my friend <3

Jamie has been repeatedly assured by both Roy and Sarah that what he is doing is fine and allowed, but even so, the walk up the path to the school building makes him more nervous with every step he takes. He feels like any moment now he’s going to get accosted by a teacher or school official and interrogated about what he’s doing here. Possibly arrested. If it weren’t for the fact that he would rather die than let either of the Kents down, let alone both of them, he would probably chicken out and run or something. But he would rather die and the task does need to be done, and so here’s Jamie, finding a teacher in the courtyard and walking up to her like he has every right to be here.

“Hello,” he says to the woman, doing his best to sound trustworthy and respectable and not like an awkward sixteen-year-old. “I’m Jamie, I’m here to pick up Phoebe Kent?”

There’s only a moment between when Jamie speaks and when the teacher does, but that moment is plenty long enough for a thousand potential responses to cycle through his mind, none of them positive. And then-

“Oh! Right, yes, Jamie,” the teacher on after-school duty says brightly, flipping up a piece of paper on her clipboard. “Yes, Sarah did call about you picking Phoebe up this afternoon, she sent your picture along as well. Come along, I’ll fetch her for you.”

Still not entirely believing that this was all going to work out, Jamie follows her across the pavement.

“Nice of you to look after your cousin like this,” the woman says without turning around, and what sounds like it was intended to be an offhanded, casual comment stops Jamie in his tracks. It takes her a few seconds to notice, and it takes just about as long for Jamie’s brain to catch up with his mouth and produce any sort of coherent response.

“Huh?” Okay so maybe ‘coherent’ was pushing it.

The teacher has stopped as well, turned to look at him with slight confusion on her face. That’s rich, given that she’s the one who’s just said something that didn’t make any sense at all.

“Oh,” she says, “just that when your aunt called and said her brother’s lad was going to be taking Phoebe home on the bus today I wasn’t expecting how young you are. My boy is just a little older than you and I couldn’t get him to babysit my sister’s lass if I tried.”

The gears in Jamie’s head slowly start creaking back to life. The math does itself rather quickly, and before he can say anything else, he hears his name shrieked out and then there’s the sound of thudding light-up trainers on the pavement. Jamie barely has the time to crouch down and open his arms before Phoebe has hurtled straight into him, nearly knocking him off balance.

“You’re getting big then, eh, what do they feed you at school, Phoebs, rocks?” he asks, a little winded from the impact and from what the teacher had said. Your cousin. Your aunt. Her brother’s lad.

“No-o-o,” Phoebe giggles, drawing the word out. She bounces out of Jamie’s arms a moment later, never staying still for more than a few moments at a time. They aren’t separated for long, though. A little hand latches onto Jamie’s almost immediately after Phoebe exits the hug and she starts to swing their interlocked fingers enthusiastically. “Can we go home now please? I’m sure Dauphine has missed me terribly while I’ve been away.”

Looking to the teacher, Jamie waits for further instructions from the adult in charge. It surely can’t be that easy to just show up and take a child from school, name and photo on hand or not. He must have to… well, he doesn’t know, but there’s got to be some kind of test. Some kind of ‘will you get this seven year old home in one piece’ test that he’ll have to undergo.

“Off you pop!” says the after-school duty teacher. She smiles at both of them and gives an exaggerated wave that seems like a bit much even for a kid Phoebe’s age. She’s a bright little gremlin, she doesn’t need to be condescended to.

“Right, okay,” Jamie says, blinking at the teacher even as Phoebe starts tugging him by the hand towards the gate. “Uh, thanks,” he calls over his shoulder, then focuses on not falling over his feet or the kid leading the way. “So, you ever taken the bus before?”

“The bus!” From the tone with which she’s exclaimed it, you would think Jamie had just told Phoebe they would be riding home on a pony made of gold. “Oh I love the bus.”

“That’s the attitude, mini-Kent.” It’s an acutely funny thing for a kiddie her age to say, but Jamie focuses on not laughing. He doesn’t want to discourage her interests or whatever. Nothing feels worse when you’re young than someone older than you laughing at you.

Their hands keep swinging between them, and every so often Phoebe adds a little skip into her gait. It makes the lights in her trainers go wild, little yellow and pink stars flashing against the grey of the pavement. She chatters as they go about her day at school, about how she thinks maths is dull and how she and her new best friend Cierra were going to write a comic book together about their cats being best friends and solving crime. Jamie responds where appropriate, humming and nodding and asking questions. He wants for her to know that she’s being listened to, but he would have to admit that his mind isn’t all focused on the proposed adventures of Dauphine and Prime Minister Socks. Instead, he’s still thinking about that teacher’s voice and the way she’d smiled at him when she’d told him it was nice of him to look after his cousin.

Your aunt. Her brother’s lad. Had Sarah said those words exactly? The teacher surely hadn’t invented them out of thin air. They had to come from someplace, and the thought makes Jamie feel warm inside and a little bit shy. He tries to imagine it, to picture what it would have sounded like. Sarah’s voice saying, My nephew, Jamie, he’ll be picking up Phoebe today. Yeah, he’s my brother’s lad. All the way to the bus stop and up the steps onto the bus he thinks of different ways that it could have gone, in-between responding to Phoebe. All of them feel… They feel good. They feel right.

Sure it’s lying and lying isn’t exactly right, but what’s the harm? It’s one teacher at a school Jamie has never been to before and probably will never go to again, this being a one-off fluke of scheduling and convenience. What does it matter if she thinks he’s Sarah’s nephew? Roy’s… Roy’s lad? So what if Jamie likes the idea of someone out there thinking that, even if it isn’t true?

“You’re smiling.”

The observation comes after what Jamie belatedly realizes has been an extended silence from Phoebe. She’s sitting on the bus seat beside Jamie, legs swinging back and forth and his hand clutched in hers. They’d let go for just a moment while Jamie took care of their fares, and then Phoebe had promptly reclaimed her place hanging onto him, which is encouraging as far as her awareness of travel safety goes.

“Am I?” Jamie asks. He’s sure that his face has turned a lovely shade of red, and he only hopes that at least will pass unnoticed.

“Yes, you are,” she confirms, nodding for emphasis. Then, as if to prove her point, Phoebe lets go of his hand just long enough to poke him in the cheek. “You’ve been smiling all the way to the bus. It’s nice. I think you should smile more. I think everybody should smile more, because smiling means you’re happy, and I think everyone should be happy. Except for Walter Lewis who is a mean, mean boy who chased my friend Stephen with a worm on a stick yesterday, so I think he should be sad, and go and live in tarnation.”

“He should go and live in what?” Anything else he could have asked flies promptly out of Jamie’s brain at that completely incomprehensible conclusion. This could be a matter of her knowing things that he didn’t, which is entirely possible, because geography has never been Jamie’s strongest point, or this is about to be a much funnier interaction. If they get to move off of Jamie’s expression before she could get to asking him why he was smiling, all the better.

“Tarnation,” Phoebe says, pronouncing it very deliberately and primly. “That’s what Mister Ted says all the time. What in tarnation, he says, and so it must be a very bad place, because he does not frown very much and he’s always frowning when he says that. So I think Walter Lewis should go and live in tarnation and not be mean to anyone anymore. And he can be sad forever there.” A frown creases her little face as she thinks very hard on it for a moment. “Actually, no, he doesn’t have to be sad forever. That would be terrible, even for Walter Lewis. He should be sad for a while, though. A very, very long time. Like, maybe even until he’s ten. Or until he learns to stop chasing people with worms.”

The effort with which Jamie is not laughing is nothing short of heroic. He takes a few deep breaths, ensures that nothing is going to slip out, and then he tells her, “That seems like a very fair decision. He can live in tarnation and be sad until he’s ten, or until he learns to stop chasing people with worms.”

“Exactly,” Phoebe responds. She nods, a sharp jerk of her chin and a self-satisfied conviction in her face that makes her look very much like Roy. “I’m glad you understand.” Then, in the flip of a moment, as fast as everything seems to change with children her age, Phoebe has let go of Jamie’s hand so that she can slip both arms around his elbow, hugging close to him and pressing the side of her face into his bicep. “I’m so happy you got to come ride the bus with me today, Jamie. Let’s do this again lots of times, okay?”

Jamie finds it suddenly very hard to speak. His throat feels tight and his eyes prickle with heat and he is not going to cry on this fucking bus and definitely not in front of Phoebe Kent and most certainly not because a seven-year-old asked him to hang out with her again.

Nice of you to look after your cousin like this. Your aunt called and said her brother’s lad was going to be taking Phoebe home on the bus today.

“Yeah,” he says eventually, when he’s glad that an entirely new kind of unwanted sound won’t slip out alongside the words. Lifting his arm, Jamie carefully dislodges her grip and wraps it around her shoulders instead, letting Phoebe cuddle in close to his side, even though her swinging feet kick him in the shin every so often. His other hand keeps a firm grasp on her book bag, and he feels both very young and very grown up all at once. “Yeah, I’d like that, too.”

[nerdzillaao3]

CHAPTER 2/MONDAY PART 1: YOU’RE A REAL PIZZA WORK

Pairing: M/M

Content Rating: Explicit (18+)

Content Warning: (Tags)

Work: In Progress

Sunny hasn't been doing so well in art school. He's been lacking inspiration as of late, so, for Spring Break, he decides to go back to Faraway Town in the hopes of reigniting his creativity. He spends the week with Kel and makes him his muse, but he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

Not to mention the lucid dreams he keeps having about him...

OR

Sunny accompanies Kel on his day-to-day activities during Spring Break in order to get some ideas for his paintings.

Sunny jolts awake in his seat as the bus stops with a loud screech. Stifling a yawn, he sluggishly wipes off the sleep from his eye and looks out of the window, instantly mesmerized by the orange evening sky, lit by the dazzling golden rays of the setting sun.

The art student briefly scans the decently crowded bus station, surprised that he hadn’t been dropped off on the side of the road or something.

Since when did Faraway Town have a bus station?

Looks nothing like the last time I visited…

The sound of shuffling feet and other people grabbing their bags sucked Sunny back into reality. He grabbed his backpack and suitcase, and eventually exited the bus.

Once outside, he only took about five steps away from the bus before a familiar shout stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey, Sunny! I’m over here!”

Sunny turns to his right and catches a glimpse of Kel through the crowd. He slowly makes his way towards his friend, each step sending a spark of excitement throughout his body. His anticipation surged like a tidal wave, and he was swept away by glee as he finally reached the other man.

Kel hadn’t changed that much since the last time he visited him, still rocking his orange basketball uniform, although in a larger size since he had outgrown the previous one, and the mullet he had grown out with a man bun at the back.

Regardless, something immediately caught Sunny’s eye. Kel’s right arm.

He still has it…

While he was visiting Faraway Town two years ago, Kel had asked Sunny to draw a sketch of a sick tattoo for him to wear. He drew the stars and constellations of Neighbor’s Room from his headspace, making the Big Yellow Cat the focal point since he knew that Kel loved animals.

Sunny was apprehensive about showing his sketch to Kel at first, thinking that it wasn’t up to par and whatnot, but as soon as he saw the wonder in his eyes, it filled his world with a burst of color, turning everything from gray to vivid. Kel’s had the design for over two years now. It covered up most of his right arm.

“I can’t believe you’re here! It’s—It’s just—” Kel takes a step forward but quickly stops himself. “Can I hug you?”

“Ye—”

In a flash, Kel pulled him into a bear hug, knocking the wind out of him. Sunny briefly takes notice of his strong build but is more preoccupied by how tight he was holding him, as if he never wanted to let him go. Kel didn’t even need to say anything, because the hug already told Sunny everything.

I leave for two years and he misses me that much? Glad I’m not the only one who feels that way…

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as Sunny quietly hugged him back, gently nuzzling into his shoulder. Ever since he had his growth spurt a few years ago, nuzzling had become his new favourite way of expressing his affection towards Kel, especially when they were cuddling. Sunny had always been a cuddle bug. Ever since he was a kid. Not that he would ever admit it, of course.

The hug lingers on for a while before Kel slowly pulls away.

He grins. “C’mon! Let’s catch up at Gino’s! There’s so much stuff that’s happened since you visited a while back. I’ll explain it to you on the way there, Captain!”

Sunny’s heart skips a beat. Ever since a few years ago, for whatever reason, Kel had given him that nickname. He didn’t mind, though. He found it to be endearing.

Even though Sunny didn’t know why Kel called him Captain, he guessed that it had something to do with the fact that Kel often confided in him about his problems over the phone and seeked out his advice and input, which apparently mattered to him a lot as Sunny would soon come to realize.

One day, too curious to resist any longer, Sunny asked Kel why he called him that. His friend simply told him that whenever he had a problem, Sunny was the first person he would turn to.

Because he was one of the only people who would bother listening to him.

Now that he thought about it, they did talk to each other on the phone a lot. It happened so often that, despite trying to isolate himself from his friends, Sunny looked forward to Kel’s calls every day.

Often, their conversations would result in a greater understanding of themselves, each other or the world around them.

Consequently, their bond deepened, even though Sunny strongly denied it.

But the main reason why Kel called him Captain was because whenever things got tough, he knew that he could count on Sunny to help him. Sunny was his anchor, keeping him grounded in reality and preventing him from going off course towards his anxieties.

“You always know how to steer me in the right direction, Captain!” Kel’s old words echo in his mind, making his heart soar.

As they walked towards Gino’s through a new street on a sidewalk, Kel delivered on his words and talked Sunny’s ear off about how practically everyone they once knew had moved on to other places.

Additionally, the town had been expanding over the four years that Sunny had moved away, with the placement of new schools, streets and neighborhoods as the population steadily increased over time, alongside the development of new businesses and infrastructures in order to attract tourists in the hopes of growing the town’s economy. Even the plaza had seen a major expansion and was more like a giant mall now.

Sunny couldn’t believe his ears. It was basically a whole new world. How could so much change in so few years?

Before long, they arrive at one of Gino’s diners, the one closest to the bus station. Kel had also informed him that ever since the business had transitioned from a restaurant to a diner, the brand had grown popular among tourists and locals alike and became Faraway Town’s flagship fast food joint. So, naturally, a couple of them were scattered around the increasingly bustling little town.

Immediately, the diner logo's striking red and blue neon sign captivates the artist. Sunny stops abruptly, causing Kel to stop shortly after. His friend takes a couple of steps back to stand back next to him as Sunny puts down his backpack, takes out a pencil and sketchbook, and starts sketching the logo.

Kel doesn’t say anything as Sunny sketches out the logo, which Sunny’s thankful for. As much as likes to talk, Kel knows when to stay quiet. However, Sunny still feels his gaze on him, which makes him more jittery than he’d like to admit. He sketches faster as a result.

“Take your time. We’re not in a hurry or anything,” Kel reassures him.

Sunny lets his words soothe him. He slows down and eventually finishes his sketch. Kel catches a glimpse of it.

His jaw dropped. “It’s…”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“Okay!? Dude, it’s fucking amazing! You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due!”

“You’re only saying that because we’re friends.”

“No, I really meant it! I mean, to draw that in like one minute is super hard. And I would know, because I tried doing it a bunch of times.”

Sunny doesn’t know if he should believe him. After all, Kel was really easy to impress. And it wasn’t that incredible or anything. The longer he looked at it, the more he could spot the imperfections.

“I can hear you thinking, dude,” Kel teases, chuckling. “It’s kinda funny.”

Sunny snaps his head up and opens his mouth, about to retort.

But Kel speaks first before he gets a chance, eyes gleaming. “Captain?”

“What?” he huffs, irked.

“Remember me when you’re famous, okay?” Kel says sweetly, his gaze full of warmth, catching his friend by surprise.

Sunny isn’t sure whether Kel was oblivious to his annoyance, or had intended to say that all along.

The worst part is that it’s working.

You can read the rest of chapter 2 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58422025/chapters/148831897

[r0tt3n-corpse]

Your writing is absolutely stellar! Can you maybe try a Dib x Reader / Y/N (female or gender neutral, whichever you want to choose) where the Reader has been living in the house across from Dibs house for a few months, but he never noticed them/her because Reader is homeschooled. and one day, Dib meets them/her while the Reader is outside drawing (maybe drawing Mothman or something), and It turns out that the Reader is obsessed with the unexplained, just like Dib.

(Sorry if it's not that good of an idea it's just something I thought of at like 2 am. a couple of days ago) 💙🛸👽

Sorry I disappeared for like a day. Writing is easy for me, it’s just convincing myself to actually sit down and start writing that’s the hard part lol (Also thank you for the request, it’s nice to see people enjoying my writing!)

Fandom: Invader Zim

Warnings: None!

Gender neutral reader x Dib Membrane

You had never liked actual school. The buildings were confusing, the teachers were strict, and the kids were… well, weird. When your parents informed you two months ago that you were not only moving but that you’d be homeschooled as well, you were overjoyed to put it lightly. It was great! Well, maybe not the move, but the homeschooling was.

It was hard to think that you hadn’t seen your friends in more than two months. Sure, you got to talk to them online, but it just wasn’t the same. Homeschooling was great, but being a loner wasn’t.

You didn’t explore much in town, something about your parents not wanting you to get lost. You never particularly listened to their reasons.

Currently, you are outside drawing, like you were almost every day after your homework. You loved drawing, and your parents encouraged the creative outlet.

The sky was a wonderful color, still bright and high in the sky. The wind whistled through the grass as you sat on the steps of your front door, hunched over as you drew. It was truly a beautiful day. Everyday was. Just being alive and in the light of day was amazing to you.

You weren’t focused on the picture as you drew it, more on the colors and the shapes. Everything was beautiful already. It was made by you, after all. “Things made with love will never be dull”, or whatever that poem you read once said.

You lifted your head as a school bus momentarily stopped at the house across from you, dropping kids off. You must’ve lost track of time if the school kids were already getting out. You listened as the bus door closed and watched as the bus continued down your street. A tall-ish black-haired boy was standing on the sidewalk next to a shorter purple-haired girl. His sister, most likely.

The children of that scientist who lived across from you, you assumed. What was his name again? You couldn’t recall, but remembered your parents talking about him a few times. You never knew he had kids.

You put your drawing to the side, making sure it wouldn’t get blown away by the wind, and stood up. You hesitated, not quite sure what you were doing. Making friends would be nice, but how? You watched the boy turn his head and say something to his sister, both backs still to you. You walked down your driveway and to the sidewalk. No cars were coming, but you didn’t cross. The boy seemed to see you and turned, while his sister walked inside their house. You waved, not wanting to look like a weirdo. He waved back slowly from across the street.

“Do I know you..?” He asked, hand back at his side. He adjusted his glasses with his other hand. You shook your head no. He nodded, seeming to have thought so. You caught sight of a keychain on his backpack. It looked familiar. Was that Mothman? He seemed to catch you looking.

“Do you like paranormal stuff?” He asked before pausing for a car to pass between the both of you. You nodded. The paranormal was cool, you’d admit. You liked listening to those weird conspiracy theory videos sometimes as background noise.

“Yeah, I think that stuff is pretty cool.” You said, realizing you hadn’t talked yet. He smiled wide at your response and promptly jogged across the street to your side. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders, both of you now in your yard.

“I’m Dib Membrane. What’s your name? I didn’t realize any kids lived here.” He looked over your house briefly before turning back to you. The last name Membrane sounded familiar, so you guessed he was telling the truth.

“I’m Y/n. I’m homeschooled, that’s probably why you haven’t seen me. Plus, I usually hang out in my backyard, and not the front.” You explained with a shrug, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. You hadn’t talked to someone in person that was your age in a while and hoped you didn’t seem too awkward. If you were being awkward, Dib seemed too focused on meeting someone with the same interests to care. The boy was practically beaming.

“Oh, that’s cool. I wish I was homeschooled. My dad is real smart, so I’d probably be learning more than I do now anyways.” Dib said, his words quick because of his excitement. You nodded along to his words, a small gesture of the fact you were actually listening. Dib adjusted his glasses and peered down at his watch.

“Well, actually, speaking of my dad, I have to go.” He lifted his head back to you, looking slightly less happy. “Here, you can have this. I saw you looking at it.” He added before slipping the Mothman keychain into your hand. You pocketed it.

“I can met you here again tomorrow, when you get off the bus.” You called out to Dib as he once again crossed the street to his house. He smiled back at you.

“I’d like that.”

(I’m pretty sure this is shorter than my normal writing but it’s okay lol)

[rexisaurous]

Heyhi!

Just a warning, im writting a book and im about to post a snippet of it! It has darker themes such as:

- parental abuse/neglect

- bullying

- alcoholism

-schooling

-mental health struggles

-polyamory (eventually)

- self harm and suicide (eventually)

-unconventional relationship(eventually)

-romantic and sexual themes(eventually)

If any of that is not your jam or you aren’t in the mind to hear about it please dont read further! Get a drink and snack and take care of yourself!!

That being said. Heres a snippet of my work in progress book “our toy.” Enjoy.

•

•

Bex’s pov:

I wake up, drained. I hear my mother screaming and glass breaking, she must be drunk already. “What time is it?” I groan and check my phone. 5:30am, I read the clock again making sure I was right before getting up and getting ready. I transfer schools today. Leaving glencreek and going to norburrow is going to be rough. Not that I have friends at my old school, its just.. familiar you know? I know what to expect everyday when I walk in those doors. Norburrow I have no idea what to expect. Pushing past my nerves I slip on black jeans and a black and white striped hoodie. I slip on my converse and grab my backpack. Taking a deep breath I open my bedroom door and walk into the living room. Empty beer bottles scatter the floor, mostly broken. My mother is nowhere to be found which means she’s probably passed out in her room. I quickly and quietly step out of the house and head to the bus station, hoping not to wake her. Once there I sigh a breath of relief and try to shake off my anxiety. The bus comes not long after my arrival and I step on, seeing its mostly empty I sit down at a random vacant seat. Scrolling through my phone I check my schedule over and over, nodding I slip my phone back into my pocket and stare out of the window, eventually zoning out.

I feel the bus come to a halt and I look up, snapped out of my thoughts. Were here. I take a deep breath and grab my bag before exiting the bus. The concrete stairs leading up to the door were scattered with students talking amongst each other. I ascend the staircase and push past the doors, the clock in the hall tells me I still have 30 minutes to talk to the office and get to class. “I can do this” I tell myself internally. Not daring to mutter a word externally. I find the office and knock on the door before gliding up to the front desk. “How may I help you?” A bigger blonde woman with way too thin drawn on eyebrows asks me “i'm the new student, bexley warner?” I say, voice shaky. “Ah, yes! Bexley, here it is!” She nods while clicking around on her desktop. “Do you have your schedule? Or do you need it printed out?” She asks quickly after. “Can you print it?” I mutter, not wanting to cause any inconvenience. “Of course! One moment.” She says before getting up and walking to the printer not far behind her desk. She grabs a paper as the printer spits it out. Checking over it before handing it to me I nod and mutter “thanks.” Before waving and quickly walking out.

First period is history, second floor, room 2304. Sounds easy enough.. I hope. I find the staircase and follow it up to the second floor. Seeing the room number that matches the one on my schedule I walk in, still a few minutes early. I see the teacher at his desk and he greets me “good morning! You must be the new student, bailey?” He asks with a hand stuck out for a handshake, I weakly shake his hand back “bexley.. but yes” I say, voice shaky and barely above a whisper. He nods and notes it mentally before releasing my hand and letting me sit down. I sit down near the back of the class, just after the middle rows but not far enough back that im in some bully kids seat. I just hope no one already sits here..

Moments later students start to flow in the classroom each taking their seats and chatting to their friends. No one tells me to move, or that i'm in their seat so far, so I sigh softly and zone out, drawing in a small sketchbook. “Um. Who are you? And why are you in my seat?” A feminine voice startles me out of my trance and I freeze. I spoke too soon. I look up and meet eyes with pure ice. Her light blue eyes are cold and fierce. Her blonde hair in a tight bouncy ponytail, the white and tan cardigan covering most of her baby pink skirt. “Hello?? Earth to fuckface??” She blurts out. I stand up, shaking harshly “i-i'm sorry I didn't know anyone sat here.. im sorry.” I mumble out, voice shaking just as much as my hands. “ yeah well I do. Get out, now my seat probably has fucking aids thanks to you.” Her words cut like blades on my skin. This school wasnt going to be any better them the last. Great. I walk over to an empty desk at the back, on the opposite side as the ice queen’s desk. I quickly sit down and take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I see the girl talking with some guys, they look athletic. Maybe football? I dont know but they look mean. They are flirting back to her and she giggles. I look at the teacher and listen to his lecture as I jot down a few notes. Eventually the bell rings and I see everyone get up and file out of the classroom.

I check my schedule again for the next class. Great. Math. Luckily its on the second floor so I dont have to go far. I read the room number as I grab my bag, 2028. Ok, I can do this. I head out and quickly find my class. The teacher greets me and her sickly sweet perfume burns my nose. I sit down in an empty seat and pray no one sits here. The last of the students file in and take the surrounding seats. I hear a deep raspy yet feminine voice beside me “yo loser, you new??” I turn and meet eyes with her, shes tan, her dark brown eyes and chestnut hair pair well with her skin tone. She looks athletic too, shes really buff. My hands shake as I nod in response. She scans me, looking me up and down before smirking. “I can tell, the girls are going to love you.” What does she mean by that? What girls? Love me? No, no. I stare blankly at her and she doesnt explain. “Nice talking with you toy, but I gotta run.” She takes the seat a couple rows behind me and I exhale a breath I didnt know I was holding.

“Ignore her, thats alessia. Shes a bitch but shes strong and can fight so no one dares say anything to her.” A voice speaks lowly beside me. I turn and see ashy blue hair and dark blue eyes peering back at me. The boy smiles “im elias by the way, but you can call me eli.” He states. “Bexley, but call me bex” I reply softly. “He nods and sits up in his chair, “nice to meet you bex, I dont really talk or hang out with anyone so you want to eat lunch with me after class?” I smile faintly at his question and nod “id love that eli.” In mutual agreement we break the eye contact and look up at the teacher whos now pointing at numbers on the board. Following along with her I take notes. The bell rings as shes passing out homework. “Homework due next week!” She calls out as students leave the room.

I look up and eli is gathering his things, waiting for me. I grab my bag and stand up to follow him to lunch. “Ready to go?” He asks. “Yeah, ready as ill ever be.” I state. We start walking and he looks down before asking “do you not like lunch?” I let out a soft laugh and shake my head “no but I don’t exactly pair well with crowds of people.” He nods and his eyes flash with a new idea “how about we sit in the library? Way less people and alot quieter.” I smile and nod. “lead the way.” I say. Following eli we make our way to the library, its quiet and peaceful. Barely anyone else here. He points at a table with no one at it “want to sit there?” He asks. I nod and follow him to the table, taking a seat next to him he pulls out a laptop from his bag. “What for?” I question. “Im recoding a website, wanna see?” I nod and he turns the screen towards me. Rows and rows if numbers letters and strange characters line the screen. “Wow that looks hard..” I Say, completely Confused at what im looking at. “It isnt once you get the hang of it!” He smiles and I return it, smiling back at him before pulling out my sketchbook and a pen and doodling away. “Whats that?” He asks and I look up at him before looking back at my page. “Nothing really, just doodling.” I shrug. He looks closer at the paper “no bex this is REALLY good” he enunciated the word ‘really’ as he talks “youre really talented bex are you joking? Can I see more of your work?” His question catching me by surprise, I nod and he flips through my sketchbook. Gawking at each page he stops at one of them and his eyes grow wide. “Can I.. take a picture of this one..?” He asks and I look at the page. Its a drawing of two random characters I drew a fee month ago, I notice they roughly resemble eli and I. “Yeah sure why not?” I say taking a sip of my water. “Thank you, I really like this one!” He beams. I smile at him, happy that he likes my work so much. A voice breaks our bubble “what are you two doing in here. You are supposed to be in the cafe, are you not?” A prestigious female voice asks harshly and I wince. Eli looks up and his eyes go wide “s-sorry president! We will be going now.” He starts packing his bags and looks at me with a “hurry! Pack!” Look, I quickly pack up and follow him as he scurries out of the library. “President? Whos that? What just happened?” I ask looking back at the long black hair of the girl we’d just been busted by moments ago. “Thats the student council president, vanessa. If you get on her bad side she can expel you herself!” He says still clearly shaken up. I nod as we walk to the cafeteria, eventually deciding to sit outside. Warm breeze of spring keeping us st the perfect comfortable temperature. The silence between us was content but anxiety racked through us both and I could tell.

After awhile the bell rang and the next period was starting doon, I look at my schedule, art, thank fuck. Third floor, room 4702. I jump up and look at eli. “I have art, what class do you have?” He looks up at me from his spot on the bench and smiles “tech class, its down on the first floor. See you after school though?” I nod and wave him off. “See you!” I rush quickly to the stairs and scale the two flights the room at the end of the hallway. i walk into class and check in with teacher, she was super sweet and smelled faintly of jasmine and lemongrass. I sit down at one of the large table, each table having four chairs I get my sketchbook out and keep working on the drawing I started at lunch. As the kids piled in class each taking seats with each other at neighboring tables three familiar voices came through the door, all in a conversation together. Every single one of the girls that were mean today were here. All at once. I hold my breath when I feel their eyes burning holes in my side. “What are the odds.” Alessia chuckles “this was the toy I mentioned earlier girls.” She flips a chair so the back rest is infront of her, sitting down in it across from me. The other two sit next to her amd next to me. “Are you that freak who sat in my seat this morning?” The blonde retorts. “Youre the student from the library.” Vanessa laughs coldly. “So you all met our plaything?” Alessia asks the girls. “Not really, I never asked his name. He sat in my chair! He was trying to give me aids or something!!” The blonde huffs out “relax chloe. He definitely doesnt get any kind of action.” Vanessa throws out. So the blonde girl is chloe.. the president is vanessa.. and the athlete is alessia? Noted.. vanessa continues “tell us your name student.” I tremble and look down at the table “bexley.. or just bex..” I hold my breath as my eyes start to water. Dont cry. Not here. “Bexley? Isnt that a girls name??” Chloe asks while giggling. “Y-yeah I guess so..” I agree, not wanting to start anything.

The class starts and the girls fall silent as does the rest of the class. However, chloes eyes have yet to leave her phone screen. The teacher talks about an assignment and I listen eagerly. I dont show that i'm eager, but it laces my body sending waves of excitement through each limb. The teacher passes out white papers and everyone starts getting to work. I get my paper and before I can put my pencil down my paper is snatched “h-hey!” I say and gasp suddenly, realizing I shouldn’t have said anything. “What, have a problem?” Alessia asks with an arched brow. I shake my head and look down at the desk. How am I going to work in this class?? Im screwed. I want to go home. And that says alot because I hate home. The rest of the class the girls make comments here and there about my looks or lack of worth. I sit there silently, taking each insult. “Say something fuckface!” A paper ball hits my face as chloe snorts and giggles in her seat. “Nice aim clo.” Alessia snickers. “While I applaud you on your skills clo, it was still cliché.” Vanessa says as she rolls her eyes. “Nessa youre way to serious, cliché or not it was totally funny!” Chloe pouts. Just one more class and ill go home. I just have to get through one more class. The chatter amongst the girls is deafening, eventually I was able to tune it out and zone out. Im slapped back into reality, literally. A sharp pain floods my cheek and I jump and look up “are you fucking ignoring me right now bitch??” Alessia questions. “N-no! S-sorry!” Fuck that hurt. First day and im already getting hit. Great. “Tell me where youre going after this class, freak” she demands as she slams her hand on the table I jump and hand her my schedule shakily.

She scans over it and shows it to the other girls “you have science next. When the last bell rings ill be outside the class. Dont think about running early.” Alessia states with no room to argue, not that I would argue with her. The other girls nod and chime in “we will join you ale!” I feel dizzy and nauseated, I hate this fucking school already. The bell rings and everyone leaves for the last class, I stay behind a second to get a new paper to finish the assignment before scurrying to my last class. “Lets get this over with.” I say in my head.

Walking into class and repeating the process all over again, see the teacher, sit down, hope no one sits here, zone out. The class goes by rather fast, the clock ticking down to my inescapable demise. I force myself to take a deep breath. I can do this. Ill do whatever they want and go home. Itll be quick. The bell rings and with trembling hands I pack up and step out of the door to see the three girls I dreaded seeing. “Good listening. You know whats best for you bitch boy.” Alessia spits out and I stay silent “youre coming with us.” She states as she grabs my arm dragging me beside her “o-ok” I croak accepting my fate. Vanessa grabs my other arm and im dragged to a private classroom by the girls while chloe follows behind us closely, each step making her blonde hair bounce. The shuts and locks the door once everyones inside and I dont make a sound or try to run. I try to keep my composure, not wanting to cry infront of my new tormentors. “W-“ I take a deep breath “why am I here?” I ask my voice shaking and weak. “As you may know, im the student council president. I have the authority to kick you out of the school entirely if you disobey any order given to you.” I gulp as vanessa speaks “before you got to this school I saw your student profile. I was aware of your arrival and knew youd be different then other transfers. That being said when alessia told us about you being in one of her classes I knew it was fate. You will listen to any and every command any of us make, that is, if you want to stay at the school.” She finishes her speech and im left terrified, I cant go back to that school. Everyone hated me there, I was pushed and shoved, put into trashcans, you name it. I take a deep breath and nod “o-ok. Ill do it.” I say, voice broken and barely above a whisper. “Good. Itll be easier for you that way. Hand over your phone.” Alessia states. I scramble to pull my phone out of my pocket before handing it to her. “Password?” She asks, voice filled with annoyance. “080117” I squeak out. She unlocks my phone and I tremble. What is she looking for? What is she going to do? I see her typing and passing my phone around to the other girls, watching them type as well. They hand back my phone and I slip it into my pocket weakly “we put our numbers in there so we can text you at anytime if we need something done.” Chloe chimes out “oh! And we all have your location so you cant hide from us!” She continued. I nod, not fighting against it. “I send a message to your mother letting her know youll be moving to the dorms.” Vanessa says. I freeze, “w-what?” I ask with a broken tone. “You heard me. Tonight you will pack your bags and move into the dorm house. Alessia, chloe, and I will be there to pick you up at 10pm tonight. Be ready.” She finished and turns to walk out, the others following. I have no choice, im fucked. Im so fucked. left in the empty classroom with nothing but my thoughts I grab my bag and rush to the bus station. Checking my phone its already 5:30, the next bus is at 6. I take deep breaths, calming my nerves. Mother wont care, she will be too inebriated to even take notice. That means I have no one to stop this and only 4 hours to pack.

The bus ride was quiet and empty, I get off at my stop and walk home quickly. My phone chimes and I pull it out of my pocket.

V: 4 hours. Pack quickly.

B: I just got home, starting to pack now

V: dont be late.

I sigh and walk into the house, b-lining it to my room and tossing my bag and phone on the bed. I pull out my old suitcase and get to work. Pulling out all my clothes and putting them neatly in my suitcase. I grab my blanket and stuffed dog and place them in there too. My stuffed dog is my comfort item, I named him milo and I sleep with him nightly. Moving on I pack what I can and check the time 8:30. Fuck I need to hurry. Grabbing my art supplies I slip them in my backpack along with my medications and headphones. I sigh and finish putting my stuff where I can before hearing another chime of my phone. I grab it and see messages from alessia this time.

A: dont eat. I made dinner and you will be eating it.

B: ok, I wont eat.

A: we will be there in 30 minutes.

B: im ready.

I gulp and grab my phone charger, putting it in my bag as my stomach growls. Was this going to be my last meal? Were they going to poison me? I shake off my fears and hope they are wrong. I grab my bags and put them by the front door. I pick up the shattered glass and deer bottles from my mother and go to find her, knocking on her door softly I hear her grunt. I open the door and speak softly “im about to leave for the dorms now, just wanted to let you know.” She groans “ok whatever just go.” I nod and close the door before a loud bang and the sound of shattering glass makes me jump and wince. I quickly check the time before heading outside. 9:45. im on time. I grab my bags and walk to the bus stop, once there I pull out my phone. Chloe messaged me.

C: we r on the way! Better not b late! X

B: im at the bus stop, im packed.

C: *chloe liked the message*

I exhale a breath I didnt know I was holding. Im walking into my death. Her texting mannerisms are sweet but they are laced with venom. I pass the time thinking of a better life, zoning out like I always do. What would life be like with a loving family? Would I be happier? Having a group of friends, laughing and making memories. What does it feel like to enjoy going to school, to enter the doors and not get bullied? How much better would life be if I wasnt so.. me?

I hear a car pull up and I snap out of my thoughts. The backseat passenger window rolls down. “Put your shit in the trunk!” Chloe yells. I walk to the back of the expensive looking car and load my bags in the back before shutting it and getting in the backseat drivers side. All three girl were in the car, vanessa driving, alessia in the front passenger seat and chloe in the back with me. My nerves surge through my body, my body shaking intensely. The car drives off with me inside, sealing my now not so distant future. My stomach growls again and I pray no one hears it. The car ride was around 20 minutes and when it was finally over the car pulls to a stop in a small gravel parking infront of a Victorian looking building, it looks like one house, not a school dormitory. I suppose thats why vanessa said dorm house and not dormitory? I dont have time to get lost in thought though. The girls exit the car and I follow, grabbing my bags before I joining them. They open the door and the house is gorgeous yet terrifying. Everything about it looks like a home. Somewhere a family should live. “The bedrooms are upstairs, your room is the last on down the hall.” Vanessa says and I nod. Walking up the wooden staircase I follow the long hallway, doors line the way to the door at the very end. I open the door and it creaks as it moves. Stepping into my new room theres a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a closet. I sigh, maybe this wont be so bad afterall. Aside from the tormentors now living under the same roof as I. Setting my backpack on my bed I pull out my phone charger plugging it into the wall and connecting my phone. I unpack most of my suitcase and all of my backpack. “Dinners made. Get down here.” I hear alessia shout. “C-Coming!” I rush down to meet the girls. They sit around a large wooden dining table, I sit down in an empty seat and they pass around a bowl of noodles, carbonara? I take a helping of it, putting it on my plate when the bowl gets passed to me. Next the garlic bread gets passed around and I set one on my plate. Eventually a bowl of assorted vegetables is passed too. Spooning some onto my plate I exhale. “I do not want vegetables!” Chloe shoots out. “Eat some chloe. Youre short enough as is.” Alessia retorts as vanessa snorts, trying to hide her laugh. I stay silent, not wanting my presence to become the attention. I eat my food once I see one of the other girls start eating. So far so..good? Nothing seems to be poisoned, or at least not yet. And im not being attacked yet. I continue eating, still confused about what my life is turning out to be. I finish my food along with alessia and vanessa, chloe still poking around at her vegetables. “Take the dishes to the kitchen and wash them. Spotless.” Vanessa says, looking at me. I nod and collect all the dishes taking them to the sink and start to wash them. In the other room I hear alessia speaking “chloe eat the damn vegetables!” Chloe lets out a long whine and pouts “I dont want to!” I hold in a laugh and finish cleaning. 30 minutes later chloe comes in with an empty plate huffing like a child she slides it in the sink. I stay quiet as she stomps off like a toddler, quickly cleaning her dishes and putting all of them away. I wipe down the counters and turn to meet eyes with alessia. I never noticed just how tall she was. She looks about 6ft, towering over me. Im pretty tall, I think. Im 5’9 and pretty lanky. “If youre done you can head to your room for the night.” She states and I nod before walking iut of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

Exhausted from the day I plop down on my bed and let myself sink into it.

[snowshinobi]

Jess Aarons' snippy inner monologue is so funny, it reveals this petty and passive aggressive side to an otherwise earnest, clumsy, sweet kid.

Maybelle tells him "Ellie got herself a see-through blouse and mama's throwing a fit" and Jess, privately very tired of his siblings' frivolous attitude towards money, thinks good. But he tells Maybelle "That ain't nothin' to cheer about."

Leslie finally notices he's insecure around her worldly, academic, well-to-do family and confronts him about it -- "Jess. How stupid do you think I am?" Jess, privately resentful that it took his very smart friend *weeks* to pick up on this, thinks pretty stupid, sometimes. But he says "I don't think you're stupid.

Those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head!

Surely there's more woven between all the tongue-biting and quiet "yes'm"s he's grown used to coughing up.

He is such an older sibling who's clinging to childhood as it slips through his farm-calloused hands. He is both the bursting ache for adventure and the firm press of responsibility holding it in. These sassy little moments let him vent that frustration he's too polite to let loose. And those goofy doodles he loves to draw help to sublimate his existential , financial dread into humor. Something he dares not share with anyone because he's lectured about "waste -- wasted time, wasted paper, wasted ability," wasted YOUTH!

Jess feels so stuck until Leslie comes along. She flings open the door to adventure. Writing that prank note to teach bully Janice Avery a lesson. Recounting their heartbreaking bathroom sob-chat to Jess afterwards, marking that as an understandable yet unkind decision. The bridge-swing that transports them into a whole new world in the woods, dreamed up by their collective imagination. And the golden room -- the living room wall color Jess was unsure about (iirc?) until he stepped back to admire their handiwork. Such an ethereal touch to such a normal space. Transformative.

It's Jess's idea to gift the Burks a puppy -- free from a box by the road along the school bus route, and worth infinitely more than some fancy object. An eager, energetic, unpredictable friend.

I just. Look back at these moments of sass and see how much more Jess lets himself say as the story progresses. How much life Leslie, his music teacher Miss Julia Edmunds, and even Maybelle (much, much later on) give him. How much personality he was holding onto, and how high it soars once he has the right people to let it out to.

And how much it hurts to love that deep. To lose that freedom, that energy. I think of the wreath him and Leslie construct to celebrate one of their real-and/or-fictional victories. "Thy right arm hath given us the victory", Jess says, not really knowing what the words meant or where he'd heard them, but it felt right. And Leslie builds on his improv.

Drowning in grief, Jess thinks Leslie. I'm just a dumb dodo and you know it. What am I supposed to do?

Well, you mourn. You pick up the pieces. You keep going. Like Leslie did every time her windblown parents uprooted their lives to go somewhere new.

Jess learns how to love louder. He already had the love, and several great people to pour it into. But he didn't know how to get out of his head and into an admittedly standoffish world.

Leslie broke through. She shows him magic in the trees and unlikely sides to old school drama. And yet she didn't always feel so sure, either -- "She loved you, y'know," her dad whispers as he hugs Jess. "She told me once, if it weren't for you ..."

Leslie goes out on a limb and Jess cautiously steps after her. Takes her hand. Steadies her. Which lets them steady each other.

He is such a different person by the end. He holds his feelings and lets them out. He's sadder and warmer and a whole lot less scared.

Well, you just have to stand up to your fear and not let it squeeze you white. Right, Leslie?

And the Leslie in Jess's memory replies, Right.

[deep-fried-egg]

Talk to me after school (k-12 dupe)

Cry baby k-12 x fem! Reader

Warnings: transphobia, sexism, they’re legal adults at the end guys I didn’t make toddlers kiss, murder, trying to poison someone, abuse, body image issues, anorexia

10k+ words

I woke up in my all pink room to the sound of my alarm blaring in my ears, as I sat up I thought 'Wait, what was my dream again?' I get out of bed as my thoughts continue. 'I remember feeling trapped in rising heat and there were plastic or… cardboard cut-outs all around me? And my gums roots were pushing out my teeth and the voice of a thousand angels said to me, "It's temporary."

'Maybe that should be my new mantra as I step into what will inevitably be the worst years of my life.' I walk over to my calendar and I draw a red heart around the wretched day that it is. The first day of hell.

'Ah yes, off to a world in which girls are only to wear pink dresses and boys blue pants. Well, I dyed my uniform and embroidered flowers on the sleeves.' I open my walk-in closet door. 'Speaking of, I should probably change into my uniform right now… Nah, that shits itchy. It can wait.

I step into my bathroom and I look into my mirror as I brush my half black half pastel rainbow streaked hair with my jade green hair brush with a golden heart on the back. 'Oh yeah, and in my dream, you know when the air below me was sucking my teeth out of their sockets, I noticed that my front two teeth stayed and the gap between them just kept getting larger and larger… How's that even possible? I know, right?' I squirt toothpaste on my baby blue toothbrush and I brush my teeth, after a few seconds I spit it out and I place the brush back on the counter as I step out of my bathroom and I head through my room into the kitchen.

'I wish my mom wasn't passed out right now and could at least drive me to the bus stop…' I grab my "alpha bites crunch" cereal and a bowl. I shook the box to get cereal out but instead I was surprised by my spider, Phillipe. "Phillipe? What are you doing in there? Don't scare me like that" I exclaimed as I watched Phillipe crawl on the dining room table.

'What was that angel's name again? Was it Lily or Layla? No, I think it was Lilith.'

Kindergarten. Wheels on the bus

The pink school bus with a blue interior picked me up at the stop and I chose to sit next to my best friend Angelita but it quickly got way too loud in the bus. I watched the bus driver drink from a flask as he continued driving to the sleepaway school.

"I feel so sick…" I spoke to Angelita. "I can't believe we have to do this." she responded. "Do you think we'll make any friends?" I asked as I looked at her in her brown eyes, "I hope so, but at least we have each other."

"That's true." I said with a sigh.

I heard the girls behind me laugh at each other before a pink paper airplane got thrown directly at my head. I turned toward the dyed blue boy who threw it before Angelita picked up the paper airplane and she read the text within before she turned around and yelled at them, "Real mature!"

"What does it say?" I asked, before she could tell me I leaned over and I read the neat handwriting on the paper. It read: "Gap toothed bitch."

I frowned after I read it, but my sadness only got worse when the kids behind me started mocking me…

"Awww does the bunny rabbit need some tissues?" Kelly, my blond bully with shoulder length hair and blue eyes teased.

"Its okay, don't listen to them. They're just plastic bullies." Angelita tried to comfort me but the kids behind me were too loud. Their bullying was getting to me. They were all standing up and saying "Wah wah, Cry baby." which was definitely making fun of my name, Cry Baby.

I silenced all of the hate in my mind so it wouldn't get to me anymore than it already did.

'This… Is K-12.'

-

All the chatter simmers down as the bus gets to our stop. Me and Angelita watch everybody file out of the bus and into the clean white school. We wait until everyone is out before we get up and leave the bus.

As we walk into the dark blue doors of the school a big bell on the very top of the school rings, showing that it's almost class time so me and Angelita push open the doors that were 2 times the size of our 5 year old bodies.

First grade Class fight

As we walk through the halls, littered with statues and paintings of ghosts and mystical creatures of the unknown I strike up a conversation with my friend.

"I don't know why people are so scared of death." I said nonchalantly. "I agree!" She replied, "It's just another part of life."

"You start in the womb, and you end in the tomb."

Angelita laughed as I said that, but then she asked me a question that made me think. "Wait a second… Where is everybody?" I hum in response, I didn't know either.

I changed the topic of the conversation, "I don't know if it's just because it's cold in here… but I'm getting kind of a… creepy chill down my back." I said. "I love it!" me and Angelita said in unison.

The second we turned around some ghost in a white victorian style dress and her hair tied up walked straight through the right wall to the left wall behind us. We turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the ghost, we sped up the stairs after that.

"What even was that!?" Angelita yelled, "Scary." I replied before sighing. "What's the room number again?" Angelita spoke quietly this time, "222…" I nodded.

We looked in front of us before reading the room numbers in unison.

"221…223…" Then we looked at the door in front of us, "222…" We stare at each other then we enter the room. Officially becoming students at the worst rated school in the country.

-

The teacher immediately scolded us when we entered the room. "Class! Would you like to inform Cry Baby and Angelita of what rule they did not follow today?

"When the bell rings you must be in your assigned seat." the entire class said in a bored tone.

"Are you deaf?" The teacher asked, "Sit down!"

"Sorry Ms. Daphne." Both me and Angelita said at the same time before we rushed to our seats and we sat down.

As soon as we sat down the announcements started going off so the entire class stood up, except for one boy. Henry.

"All rise" Ms. Daphne said as she walked around the room with her ruler pointed towards the class.

The teacher glared at him before speaking, "On your feet." Ms. Daphne insisted.

The pledge started, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America…"

"I'm being generous with you boy." Ms. Daphne warned, "Last chance to stand and show some respect." She finished while glaring at Henry.

"with liberty and justice for all." The pledge ended.

Henry shook his head before stating, "You hear that? Liberty and justice for all? Thats bullshit." Henry said before scoffing.

Ms. Daphne stomped over to her desk and she pressed a button which called the detention crew over to escort Henry out of the room.

The door slammed open and identical men with shaved brown hair and full beards wearing gray full body uniforms stormed into the room. "Grab the boy!" One of them yelled before they picked up Henry from under his arms, near his armpits and they started dragging the young boy out of the room.

"Get off of me!" Henry yelled while kicking, trying to escape the strong mens grip, "I didn't do anything!" His voice slowly faded away as they dragged him out of the room and slammed the door shut.

I was scared by this so I stayed quiet the rest of class until Brandon, my crush, turned around and tapped my shoulder asking for my eraser. Of course I handed it to him as soon as he asked.

Kelly saw all of it. She saw her boyfriend since kindergarten tapping my shoulder and asking me a question. Of course she got jealous so she wrote me a little note on a piece of pink paper.

She threw me the note in a crumpled up ball, it landed in front of me on my desk. She giggled to her friend as I opened it. The note read: "You at recess” And a drawing stick man dead in front of a grave right under that.

I crumpled up the paper again and I threw it back down on my desk before I continued drawing on my piece of paper.

-

Soon enough it was nap time and the desks were moved to make room for little, uncomfortable mattresses and sleeping bags on the floor.

I tucked myself in but not before nodding at angelita, mutually agreeing to use our powers to make a little fort. I crawl around until I find my friend.

The fort looks a little more like a cave as the tunnels are thin, but it's cozy.

Finally, we found each other. "There you are!" Angelita whispered with an excited tone in her voice.

"How do they expect us to sleep in there?" I complained, sitting down on the mattress in our little fort.

"I don't know…" She said before yawning, "I am kinda sleepy though."

"Well, wake up." I began, "I got that thrown at my head." I said as I tossed Angelita the crumpled up note.

As she uncrumpled the paper her expression slowly turned to one of shock. "Who drew this?" She asked, "That girl kelly…" I sighed, "I think she's trying to rip my head off or something."

"Well what are you going to do?" My friend inquired, "You've gotta defend yourself."

"I can't defend myself! I don't know how to fight, I just, I don't even know how to do th-" Angelita cut me off by slapping me across the face. Hard.

I put my hand over the place she slapped, "Ow!"

"Hold it together girl." She replied, I scoffed at her before she continued, "We are capable of doing whatever we want." She stated before using her powers to start a flame in the palm of her hand, she held it in front of me.

I shook my head in disagreement, I produced water in my hand to put out the mini fire she started.

"I can't, that's cheating!" I commented which made her sigh and bring her hand back to where it originally was.

"Do you really think we would have these abilities if we weren't supposed to use them?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I'd have an unfair advantage."

"Well, I don't know. Why don't you call your mom and ask her what she thinks you should do?”

"My mom?" I asked, to which she hummed in agreement. "No, it's okay… She's… Probably sleeping right now and honestly I don't think she'd even pick up the phone."

Angelita used her powers to produce a white dial-up phone out of nothing, she placed it on the mattress in front of me, she picked up the phone and she handed it to me.

I sighed then took it then dialed the phone and I called my mom.

"She's not going to pick up."

"Let's see"

-

It's now recess time, I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified for my safety so I decided to sit on the grass with my friend and wait it out.

"Did you see what she was wearing?" I heard Kelly say, obviously I was going to snoop on this conversation… I mean it's juicy and I'm only human.

"Like, it was embarrassing for everyone, and like, I told her! I was trying to be helpful, I gave her advice, I was like 'That's ugly!'" I got distracted from the conversation Kelly was having when Brandon, Kelly's boyfriend, sat next to me.

I turned my head and I looked him in the eyes with a big smile before tuning back into Kelly's conversation.

"And she just… She took it like personally, she was getting all mad about it. I was like I'm helping you.-" I watched as one of Kelly's "Friends” tapped on her shoulder. "Hey, Kelly?” The girl asked, "Stop!” Kelly slapped the girl's hand away. "Don't interrupt me.”

I see one of the girls that was with Kelly pointing at my little group so I act like I was just talking to Angelita and Brandon and not listening to their conversation, but it looks like they were just pointing out the fact that Brandon is with me.

"Are you even listening to me?" Kelly asked her friends before looking where they were pointing, making her look directly into my eyes as I talked to her boyfriend.

Kelly stormed towards us, pushing people out of the way so she could get to us faster. People gathered around us as she punched me directly in the face so i'd be on the ground. When my back hit the ground she sat on top of my legs, keeping me down, and she punched me in the face multiple times.

The kids all around us were chanting 'FIGHT!’ as she was doing this, obviously it got to her because she pulled a dagger out of her dress pocket and she held down my arm and cut it open on the inside of my arm right above my elbow.

I couldn't take the pain anymore so I activated my powers as Angelita told me to do, the leaves started floating because I made both me and Kelly float.

Kelly screamed “What are you doing?” as I did this. She was terrified, it was working. She looked around and she yelled again, “Put me down you freak!”

I used my powers to extend my braids and choke her with them, she grabbed my braids as they were all she could hold onto.

I saw Angelita looking up at the scene while smiling because I'm finally defending myself, but everyone else was gasping and covering their mouths in shock.

When Kelly gasped for air I finally let her go. It was perfect timing too because the vice principal came out and almost saw what happened.

-

It turns out I wasn't sneaky. The vice principal was dragging us by our ears to her office.

"Who would've thought that young ladies like would-” She started to scold us but Kelly interrupted her, "My mom spent good money getting these ears done!” When she said that the vice principal let go of our ears. "You have really blown it this time! Sit down!” After we heard that, me and Kelly sat down. “I mean it.” The woman whispered.

‘I shouldn't have lost control like that.’ I thought, ‘She's not a bad person, she's just… Projecting her insecurities on me.’ I thought, I rested my chin on my hand as I sat.

Soon I got bored and I used my powers to see what's happening in the principal's office…

I saw a woman with short blue hair sitting, waiting for the principal to talk to her. Actually, I believe it was Ms. Harper.

The principal sat in front of her, taking a puff from a cigar before speaking.

"You said you're… Dressing as a woman now?” The principal asked.

"Yes, I'm transitioning.” Ms. Harper replied, "Transitioning…” The principal laughed before continuing, "You know I can't let you influence the children with this ridiculous behavior.” Ms. Harper gasped as the principal spoke.

“And from now on you want us to address you as…?”

"Ms. Harper, correct.” The vice principal laughed at her, “The kids really connect with me, I love my job and I'd really love to stay! But I need to be my most authentic self! I AM a woman!” Ms. Harper said, the principal frowned at this and he exclaimed, "Mr. Harper you're fired!”

-

I came back into reality and I saw Kelly staring at some kid that was eating glue by the handful, his hair was spiked up into two horn-like spikes and he was hunched over next to Kelly.

I look away from the disgusting display and instead I watch the kid next to me open a clear bottle of pink pills.

"What are those?” I asked him, and he immediately replied. "He forces us to take these pills. Each color is a different dosage. I'm on pink, which is the lightest dose.” He swallows the pill without water.

"Why is he forcing medication on everyone?” I asked, "...To control us." The boy said with a small smile. "So we can’t leave.” He finished.

The kid next to Kelly continued to absolutely destroy the glue, he was sucking on his fingers, making loud mouth noises. "That's disgusting!” Kelly exclaimed, the kid frowned and put the glue container down.

Fourth grade Nurses office

After the show and tell in my last class I had to go to the nurses office, but the nurses were not exactly healing my wounds. Instead they were cutting my hair and drugging me up… I knew this school would be bad but I never thought it would be this bad.

But luckily my guardian angel Lilith saved me and angelita from the torture that we faced in the nurses office.

"Wait! Why are you leaving us here?” Angelita asked the angel, I added onto her statement, "We need to come with you…”

Lilith smiled at us and she spoke, "Continue on, And live your truth.” She paused, "Do not hold fear in your heart.” Lilith finished.

"Please, we don't want to die here…” I mumbled.

"You've had many bodies before this, and you will continue to have more.” Lilith stated, "You're immortal.”

"But we're exhausted…” Angelita whispered.

"We don't want to feel this anymore” I agreed

"We must feel the physical pain of this world, because the only way we can truly learn is through experience.” Lilith said, I pouted, "Please…” I said in a shaky voice.

Lilith turned away from us and she walked back into the door she came out of, that door sunk into the ground.

-

I sighed as I walked through the hallways with my best friend, I looked at all of the statues and paintings on the walls.

“Oh no…" Angelita said, “I'm going to be late for class." She sighed. "Who cares at this point.” I laughed.

"True” She agreed

“I'm so exhausted…” I complained to her, she nodded and said, "Same.”

Suddenly beautiful music played by an orchestra came into hearing rage. "Do you hear that?” Angelita asked, “I do!” I excitedly said as I walked with Angelita towards the sound.

Angelita pointed towards a huge, fancy looking door. “It's coming from over there!” Angelita said excitedly. We walked towards the oud music and we pressed our ears against the large white door with a golden door handle.

"Should we check it out?” I asked, “Yeah!” Angelita responded, “Okay…” I said as I put my hand on the door handle, preparing to open it. Angelita put her hand on the door handle too and she spoke, “Okay count on three… One, Two…Three!” We opened the door to see a big luxurious ballroom with what looked like almost a hundred ghosts of all shapes and sizes slow dancing with each other.

We looked around the ballroom for a few seconds until… I sneezed. I ruined the entire moment with just one sneeze. The music stopped and the ghosts let go of each other and turned to look at us.

Angelita waved at the ghosts, "Hello! You all look… Ravishing!” She said, “Bewitching even." I added, it only made the ghosts madder as they yelled and ran at us with their arms reaching towards us.

Both me and Angelita ran behind the doors and we hurriedly pushed them shut with all that was in us. As soon as we closed it we heard clawing and knocking against the door so we decided to leave.

“We should get to class!" I said

“Y-yeah…” She stuttered, still in shock because of the events that just occurred

“See you!

"Yeah, see you later!”

fifth grade. Drama club

"Tragedy, and comedy. Two sides of the same dramatic coin!” My drama teacher said as I walked into the theater. "And we are going to be exploring both in this play." He put his hand on his hip and he watched me try to go to my seat.

“Even the late comers." He said sternly as I sat down. Everyone turned towards me for absolutely no reason. I guess they're just nosy. They turned back around when the teacher started speaking again.

“Alright everyone, please turn to your scripts, turn to page 2 and find the role to which you've been assigned.” His accent really shone through as he spoke this sentence, this guy is extremely animated.

When I saw my role I raised my hand, "Right, so about that… Um… Is it possible to get assigned a different role? Maybe one that's not so domestic? Like a film director, or the president of the United states?” I asked, he shot down my question with this answer, “A harlot perhaps?” Everyone laughed at his joke but I didn't. I just sat in my chair with a frown.

The boy in front of me turned around and just added salt to the wound. "President? What a joke. Your kind are too soft and too sensitive to handle a man's job.”

"Having a larger capacity to feel and express emotion are one of the many qualities that make us SUPERIOR to your kind.” I replied with a smile.

-

When the time came to perform the show I ended up putting a clothes iron to the boy that said that thing to me a couple weeks ago's face. I then yelled at the audience that was obviously being brainwashed with those pills that the boy was telling me about so I made an attempt to snap them out of it.

"You're being brainwashed! Can't you see what's happening? Open your eyes!” The guards that my teacher had watching the show grabbed my arms and tried to pull me off the stage.

"Get off of me! Get off!" I yelled as they pulled my arms.

"WAKE UP!” I yelled at the audience before using my power to push the security guards off of me which also caused the kids to snap out of it.

They all ran out of the theater, including Angelita, so I came with them. I opened the door to the principal's office and everyone ran into the room and to his desk. They fought off the nurses and the rabbit-men (Men with rabbit heads, obviously.) and they all went around the principals desk, grabbing him and ripping his limbs off.

I smirked as I watched them tear his body apart with just their hands. Afterwards the janitor swept his torn off body parts away and into the garbage disposal.

Sixth grade Strawberry shortcake

I met a girl earlier named Y/n and I was about to play tennis with her but we had to bury the principal first. Luckily me and my best friend in the whole world were almost done so I can hang out with admittedly the cutest girl I've seen in a while.

We saw her writing in her green journal while walking along the path that extends from the school to the playground.

y/n pov:

"Y/n! Wait up!” Cry baby yelled as she ran up to me, Cry baby's hair was tied up into buns, I think it makes her look cute. I honestly don't know how she didn't realize that I like her yet since I've always been incredibly clingy towards her ever since we met.

"Did you find a place to dump the principal?” I asked, Angelita nodded and Cry baby responded to my question, "Yeah, just did it. Done deal.”

-

We sat on the pink and blue tennis court in the middle of the courtyard with our rackets up, me and Cry Baby hit the ball back and forth while Angelita read a magazine called "TEEN QUEEN" on the sidelines.

Suddenly Angelita said something slightly odd, "Did you guys know that there are actually 2 holes down there?" I was confused so I asked, "You didn't know you had a butthole?” which made Cry Baby giggle.

"No! There's two separate holes.” Angelita said, "Are you sure?” Cry Baby asked and Angelita just said "Mhm!”

"Then I think I need to go to a doctor!” Cry Baby said, but I wasn't paying attention. I was focused on the fact that when Angelita blew a bubble it encased the ball in a bubble and it's now floating away.

"Hey! Hey guys!” I exclaimed but neither of them were paying attention to my words. They were still talking about the earlier topic. "Hey guys!” I repeated but nope. Still nothing.

“Oh! I get it now! So one hole you can pee out of and another-” Cry Baby began but i just tuned their conversation out. "Why does nobody listen to me?” I whispered to myself, "Guys the ball is floating away!” They finally heard me and they turned around to see that the ball literally was floating away.

“Oh!” Angelita exclaimed before quickly getting up and chasing the ball with Cry Baby. I ran after it with them too, "The ball!” I laughed.

“I feel like we're going the wrong way.” Cry Baby said as she tried to find the pink tennis ball with us. Luckily it popped, but it didn't fall towards us. Instead, it fell in front of a boy that was reading a book.

He picked up the ball and he handed it to us when we ran over. He seemed nice.

Cry Baby pov: (Again) Also, seventh grade, Lunchbox friends

I opened my eyes to see a sky full of beautiful shining stars and the voice of Lilith all around me. I spoke to her, Lilith said, "What's wrong my dear?” As I laid on the dirt ground, holding back tears.

I sighed, “I just don't want to do this anymore…” I whined, “I don't wanna feel this pain and I dont wanna be here on Earth…” I frowned as I watched the stars flicker in the sky. "Please just take me with you…” I paused, “I just wanna be up there!” I listened to my voice echo as I spoke.

"The greatest power we will hold is that of acceptance. Any storm you face will transform itself into a crystalline rainbow in divine timing.” Lilith spoke, afterwards i closed my eyes and I stopped my daydream.

-

"Hey, you there?” Y/n asked as she grabbed my arm, I just said "Yeah.” As I continued walking up the spiral stairs with her and Angelita.

Angelita clutched her stomach as she walked up the stairs with us which only made us confused. “Are you okay?” I asked my best friend as she headed up the stairs.

“Ugh… I feel so sick… Like this is the worst stomach pain I've ever experienced.” Angelita said then she knelt down on the last step.

Both me and y/n saw the blood on the bottom of her skirt and it became clear what was happening. She finally got her period. Me and () looked each other in the eyes and we said, “Ohhh…” In unison.

-

We opened the door to the bathroom and Angelita started to complain. “Ugh! Why right now!?”

“I mean it had to happen at some point."" Y/n pointed out. We walked up to the tampon machine and I spoke.

“It says there's one tampon left… Do either of you have any change?” I asked, turning towards them.

"No…” They both said in unison, so I channeled my powers and I opened the machine with my telekinesis.

"Yes!” Angelita whispered as it flung open. “It's empty.” I said in a disappointed tone of voice as I looked at Angelita. I slammed the door closed then spoke again, “Whatever… Who knows what kind of crazy shit is in them anyways!”

“I mean yeah… Toxic shock is real but… Tampons should be free.” Y/n frowned.

"What do I do now?” Angelita said with a sigh, I looked around for something but then I just said, "Toilet paper.”

Angelita made a disgusted face before just heading into the stall and going with it.

After about 3 minutes y/n got bored and decided to speak, "You good in there?” She asked Angelita to which she responded, "Yeah.”

"You sure?" She asked Angelita.

"Yeah, I'm almost done." Angelita responded

"Do you need me to get you another roll of toilet paper?

"That'd be great!”

I leaned against the wall next to the stalls as we waited for Angelita to finish up, then I said "We're gonna be late to class Y/n.”

“Ugh… Empathize with me a little!" Angelita yelled at us from inside the stall, “I'm sorry” I said as I tilted my head back, making my head hit the wall.

Angeita came out of the stall with a sweater around her waist, "Cute sweater!” Y/n said to Angelita when she saw her, "Where'd you get that from?” She asked.

“I just whipped a little something up.” I couldn't help but laugh at that. "What! I wasn't gonna walk around looking like I sat in raspberries all day.” Angelita said before the bathroom door opened and one of the nurses came in. Angelita started washing her hands as the nurse spoke to us.

The nurse bumped me with her shoulder and she scolded us, "Get back to class!” She paused before saying something under her breath “You little bitch.” She slammed the stalls door closed and we left.

Y/n pov.

"Hey guys… I don't know how long I can go with this toilet paper. It's so annoying… It keeps moving around down there.” Angelita sighed after she said this.

"Well good thing you don't have to deal with it much longer!” Cry Baby said with a big smile. "Thank the goddess…” Angelita replied as she smiled back at Cry Baby.

( Back in the bathroom with that one nurse)

She looked down, noticing that she just got her period, "Shit…” The nurse said before checking the pocket on her shirt only for no tampon to be there. “Are you serious?” She then reached for the toilet paper roll only for it to be empty from Angelita.

I arrived in the lunch room with Cry Baby and Angelita and after we got lunch Angelita and I sat at a lunch table, since Cry Baby was way behind us in line she just got to the front. I was watching her get lunch when Kelly came up to her and pulled her away. 'That's weird…’I thought, but I just turned around and talked to Angelita about random things.

Cry Baby pov:

While the blond girls were talking to me, I just got up and walked away from them since I seriously feel no need to be popular.

I came back to the group with a new girl, Magnolia. She had powers like the rest of us so I knew she would end up fitting in. I walked with her, arm in arm, to meet back up with my REAL friends. I would never choose those plastics over what I know is real.

"Hey!” I said as I approached my friends, I smiled as Y/n spoke, "Thank god you're back!” he walked the rest of the way up to me “I thought you were busy becoming a plastic carbon copy” She pouted at me and I smiled harder at her cuteness.

"This is Magnolia, say hi.” I introduced my friends to the new girl, “nice to meet you ladies” Magnolia spoke as she activated her powers, turning her eyes pitch black. Then she deactivated them in just a couple seconds though because our group was pretty… Secretive with our powers.

"Welcome!” Y/n said excitedly as she hugged Magnolia tightly. I looked over to the popular girls to see that one of them had powers like us. She was unpeeling an orange with her mind so it was pretty damn obvious that she was one of us.

"Holy shit!” I said, the girls looked over at Fleur, “Is she… One of us?” Y/n asked, I sighed and I replied to her "Yes but… How do we go up to her?” I asked, "She's sitting with Kelly.” I pointed out.

Magnolia smirked as she came up with the perfect idea, She looked around the group before suggesting something. "Food fight anyone?"

We all hummed in agreement and y/n rapidly nodded, “I like this girl."" She commented which made all of us giggle.

We turn around and I take a step forward as Angelita grabs her pink lunch tray and she hands it to me. "What, do I just throw it?” I asked before I grabbed Angelitas pb&j. "Pretty sure that's how food fights go down.” She smiled as she watched me nervously throw it at a girl across the lunch room.

“Ow!” She exclaimed as the blue boy sitting across from her got up.

"FOOD FIGHT!” He yelled and everyone in the lunchroom threw food at each other, "You're fucking kidding me!” Kelly complained as she got under the lunch table with her little plastic minions.

I laughed and I got under the table with my friends too. “I gotta get in on this!” Angelita yelled as she grabbed some floor spaghetti. "Not with this hair. I just had wash day." Magnolia responded.

We watched Kelly run away from the scene with her group. "She's leaving with Kelly!” Y/n pointed out, I sighed in defeat. "Let's go after them!” Angelita suggested but Y/n quickly tried to convince us otherwise, "Yeah. Let's just start a parade.”

"Cry Baby I think you need to do this alone.” Y/n said, I thought about her words for a second… She was right. I do have to do it alone. “Okay… Wish me luck!” I said as I got out from under the table.

“Aright, good luck bitch!” Y/n yelled to her. "So barbaric…” I heard her whisper as I left.

“If you don't put that floor spaghetti down!” She scolded Magnolia right as I entered the bathroom where Fleur and Kelly were.

I snuck into the stall next to them so I could listen to their words… What Kelly was saying to Fleur honestly broke my heart. She was telling her that her body wasn't perfect enough, that she needed to only eat oranges from now on so she wouldn't gain weight… It was devastating. I knew I had to do something about this.

I waited until Kelly was done yelling at Fleur, right as I was about to come out I heard more yelling. But Fleur was talking to herself. She was yelling horrible things about her body into the mirror

Eighth grade Orange juice.

This has been happening for a year straight. I want to help Fleur so bad but every time I try Kelly gets in the way. Everyday I went into the bathroom with them and I heard Fleur trying to make herself throw up in the stall next to me, luckily today I got my chance to help.

I came up to her after Kelly left, I finally took the chance to speak to her without anybody else in the room with us. I tried my best to give her some advice, "Wanna know something I learned about bodies?” I asked her, “They don't define us.” I looked in the mirror with her then I continued, "We aren't our bodies. They're just temporary.” I looked in her eyes as I spoke this to her.

“I know it seems impossible but try not to expect shallow people to love you. They don't even have the capacity to understand how amazing you are.” I turned towards her before finishing what I was saying, “And we all have to learn how to love ourselves without the approval of others.” I finally heard Fleur talk to me after this.

“I know... It's just extremely overwhelming when everyone around you is making you feel like you're not good enough!” She frowned at me, “As if you're not deserving of the same kind of love if you're different.” She looked down at me since I'm much shorter than her, Fleur stands at 6 feet tall and I'm only 5'2.

“Everyones deserving of love.” I told her, “Everyone.” I repeated. I hugged Fleur from the side and I looked in the mirror with her.

-

There was still chaos outside the lunch room. Everyone was fighting… People were running out into the hallways, people were hiding under tables… It was bad.

I stepped out of the bathroom with Fleur and Angelita yellout out to us, "Cry Baby! Over here!” Fleur followed me as I hid behind the lunch counter with the rest of my friends.

"This is Fleur.” I introduced everyone to her and Fleur waved at them.

The girl next to Kelly tapped her shoulder and Kelly scolded her. "What did we talk about!? Don't touch me!” The girl sighed "Sorry… Yeah I know… Sorry… But isn't that Fleur over there next to Cry Baby?” She pointed to us behind the counter, Kelly turned around and she groaned.

“It's crazy out there!” Angelita yelled to us since it was so loud that we could barely hear her.

“I know, it's literally chaotic!” I yelled back.

I stopped smiling when I saw the rabbit men. They were the security guards of this school, basically they were bun with rabbit heads.

I saw the principal's son follow suit. "It's Leo!” I heard someone whisper, “It’s the principal's son…” I said to myself in disbelief.

“Who started this?” He asked the kids in the lunchroom, “It was that bitch Cry Baby!” Kelly yelled to him, the rabbit men dragged me to detention with them.

-

I sat in detention with my wrists tied to the desks, the nurses occasionally coming in and giving me a shot in a big needle to chill me out and to control my powers so I couldn't escape.

I ended up being able to use my powers through trial and error, I controlled the principal's son's mind and I made him release me from detention by loosening the restraints. I couldn't use my powers for too long though because the old dose of my meds were still going strong. I was able to get out though and I met up with my friends outside of the detention room.

9th grade Y/n pov:

I snuck around the unusually empty hallways, looking for Cry Baby's locker, number 22. I was carrying a note I wrote just for her that was expressing my feelings of love for her… Of course I forgot to sign it though.

When I found Cry Babys locker I quickly stuffed it in there, I looked around the halls and I tried to act natural when I saw that Cry Baby, Angelita and Magnolia were coming my way.

“Okay guys…” I started to speak to my friends but I saw Cry Baby start to go through her locker so I started paying even less attention to what was happening than I was before. I anxiously watched Cry Baby find the letter as I let Angelita take over for me.

The letter read:

I caught a sparkle of light in your eyes that day. I bathed in it, was transported to heaven's gates by it… But I fall at my feet. My words shall only be composed. I can't speak, my inner voice calling my outer self weak.

Admiring from afar, secretly, Y/…

Suspiciously, the last part was crossed out… it looked a lot like the beginning of y/n’s name though, weird.

"Yeah… Sorry.” She started to fold the letter back up so I continued to talk. “Your job is to manipulate the spawn of Satan himself into letting you into his office so we can hijack that loud speaker and get everyone out of here.

Magnolia looked at the note in Cry Baby's hand and she motioned to it. "What's that?” She asked, “I think it's a love letter!” Cry Baby said in an excited tone of voice, “A love letter? From who?” Magnolia asked as if she didn't already know, she was the only person I trusted enough to ask since I knew Angelita would just tell Cry Baby about my secret.

“I don't know, it doesn't say." Cry Baby giggled with Magnolia about the love letter from me. I think she liked it…?

“Alright guys, back to the plan. We already got rid of the principal so that just leaves Leo. We lock him in his office, make a run for it…” I fidgeted with my notebook as I spoke, trying not to look suspicious in front of Cry Baby. “And then we set the place on fire…?” Angelita asked with an unsure voice, "Yes! Exactly.” I responded.

“I don't know about that guys…” Fleur mumbled, she never did take risks like this, it makes sense for her to be hesitant. “I agree. Fire is too cliché.” Cry baby agreed, that settles it. If she thinks it's cliché we aren't doing it… but what other choice do we have?

“I mean you’re right… But at this point what other options do we have?” I asked, which ended up settling it. We're setting the place on fire during senior prom.

10th grade Cry Baby pov: High school sweethearts

I was with my best friend Angelita, walking through the garden before I pulled out one of my blunts and offered it to her, she took it and I lit it for her before she took a big inhale. We both needed this so we'd calm down after a long, stressful school day.

“I hope we don't get caught!” She said as I took the blunt straight out of her mouth and took a drag.

"We should be fine.” I dismissed her worries. We listened to birds chirping as we walked through the beautiful garden, down the gravel path in between bushes carved to look like rabbits.

I handed the blunt to Angelita as I spoke, "Do you ever wonder who we were to each other in a past life?” I asked, “Oh for sure! We probably had hundreds of lives together.” She agreed.

“You could've been my mom.”

"Yeah, or we could've been…”

"Conjoined twins?” We said in unison as we pointed at each other.

“And our parents sold us to a fucking freak show!” I joked with her, "That would explain a lot…” She took another drag from the blunt, "That would.” I responded.

“It's crazy how many medical benefits Mary Jane has.” I sighed before taking the blunt from Angelita, already feeling the weed kicking in, I'm definitely getting calmer.

“I know, and no one gives her any credit!"

"We don't deserve her.” I jokingly pouted as I spoke this sentence which made Angelita giggle. "Wow…” Angelita whispered as we passed a very impressive carving of a rabbit in a bush.

"Speaking of magical plants…” I pointed at the bush and Angelita skipped toward it but I stayed on the gravel path. I watched her admire all of the details intricately carved into the leaves, she touched the tail before jogging back towards me.

-

I opened my leather-bound notebook at the end of the hallway, I could hear someone mumbling at the end of the hallway but I didn't care about that. It's definitely someone just being weird because they think they're alone.

As soon as I looked up I saw the old principal's son Leo speed-walking towards me… Shit… What does he have to say?

"Hey.” He said as he sat down next to me, "Hi…?” I responded with a confused tone in my voice.

“Are you okay?” The boy asked, obviously since I sounded so confused (And admittedly slightly annoyed.) I nodded as an answer to his question since I didn't want to talk to this bitch.

“You sure?”

"Yeah what's up?"

“Um… I… I was looking for you because I wanted to ask you… I would like you to go to the dance with me." I managed to give him a fake smile which felt disgusting to do.

"Really?” I tried to sound excited about him asking me to the dance, I already had my eyes on someone…

"Why?” I asked him, I really did want to know. "Well, I don't know if you got my note but…"

Wait… He wrote the letter? With that poetic touch I just assumed it must've been written by a girl… Damn.

Well, you know what they say! Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

"You mean a lot to me…” He said before I cut him off, “I’d love to go with you.” I lied, luckily I'm a good actress.

“Okay! That'd be great!” He said as he got up and left me alone again in the hallway.

12th grade Recess Y/n pov:

Finally, senior dance. I get to put the plan in motion… Me and my group of friends looked around the ballroom as we took in the intricate details of the gorgeous room.

"Ladies, this place looks beautiful doesn't it?” Everyone hummed in agreement, “It'll make some beautiful ashes.” I finished.

“I'm really nervous… Should we really be doing this?” Fleur asked, she was always so nervous about our little plans. “It'll be fine. Tonights the night.” Angelita comforted her friend

"Just stick to the plan." I told Fleur since I knew she'd probably go off of the plan in some place. "I made it. It's meticulous, you'll be okay.”

I watched as Cry Baby entered in her beautiful ball gown, she looked around at her surroundings, as i watched her I accidentally spilled my punch all over the floor so I just ignored it.

"Wait… Why is she here?” Fleur gestured towards Cry Baby, which made everyone in our group look over at her in curiosity, Cry Baby was just wandering around the ballroom but she looked gorgeous as always

We walk towards her as a group but Angelitas date stops her for a second, “Angelita, Don't you want to dance now?” He asked, Angelita made a disgusted face at the blue boy and she scoffed.

"Don't you want to fuck off now?” The boy walked off sadly after she said that to him, but luckily another girl started talking to him afterwards.

"There is no way in hell you had enough time to get rid of leo.” I confronted Cry Baby, she looked at me confused, "Yeah, shouldn't you be up there?” Fleur asked, "Where…?” Magnolia asked, "The loud speaker!” I yelled at Magnolia in an annoyed tone of voice, she was already sick of being the leader.

"Yeah, why aren't you up there?” Magnolia asked Cry Baby which just made her sigh.

“Okay… So… I got asked to the dance by Leo.” Cry Baby explained to us which just made us more annoyed.

"What?!” Angelita exclaimed at Cry Baby's statement, I just got jealous on top of the anger.

"Seriously? You let that MONSTER manipulate you?” I shouted which seemed to make her have to hold back tears.

"Well…” She trailed off but Fleur interrupted her. "Even I didn't abandon ship this time! And trust me… I wanted to.”

“I thought we were actually going to get out of this place for good.” Magnolia crossed her arms as she spoke and she frowned at Cry Baby.

“Look,” Cry Baby sighed, “I'm sorry.” I tilted my head at her as if I'm questioning her words. “I am!” she looked at Angelita as she spoke, we could tell that she actually felt bad for doing this to us.

We look away from her since we genuinely don't believe a word she's saying.

"Seriously!?” Cry Baby exclaimed, she looked up at the LED covered ceiling before continuing, "Look, I guess I was just-” Cry Baby began only to be interrupted again but this time by Angelita, "Being selfish.” Angelita shook her head at the shorter girl in front of her after she spoke but that just made Cry Baby walk off and slam the drink she had on the table next to us. "Forget it."

"Wait!” Angelita yelled trying to get her attention but I grabbed Angelitas arm and I told her, “No, it’s fine. Just let her go.

We turned to each other to continue talking about our plan until we heard the loudspeaker come on with a loud high pitched ring, causing us to plug our ears.

“Good evening, and welcome to K-12’s 150th school dance.” Leo spoke, breathing down the damn microphone.

“This isn't part of the plan…” I whispered to Angelita as the crowd cheered and applauded.

“Now, before I let you all get back to dancing all night… quite literally… I would just like to say just one thing. Cry Baby, I know what you’ve been up to.” The group looked at each other in shock.

“I’ve been watching you… For a long time now… And did you all think that you could just kill my father, get away with it and have your nice little dance?” We heard him panting into the microphone at his desk in anger.

“Yes…?” I commented, making Fleur quietly laugh at my comment before getting serious again herself.

Leo laughed then finished his statement over the loudspeaker, “I don’t think so seniors… Not tonight.”

Angelita’s date ran over to the large white doors, trying to shake the door handles but they didn’t budge.

“The doors are locked!” The blue boy yelled right before Leo got back onto the loudspeaker.

“So dance… DANCE!” An oddly comforting song played through the speakers, replacing “Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me” by Tiny Tim. Leo laughed as we were all forced to dance to the song, then he yelled “DANCE!” Yet again.

I was too young to see the truth

In my grandma's lap, I'm drowning in her perfume

Too naive to even care

'Bout the words she whispered while she brushed out my hair

“Whats happening?” Angelita asked me, “I don’t know… What's going on!?” I yelled.

“I mean… I can't stop!” I heard Magnolia say to Fleur, We all looked at the other dancers swaying, spinning and twirling around the ballroom.

"We've gotta do something guys!”I spoke to my friend while I involuntarily danced with Angelita.

“I mean… I love dancing but this is ridiculous!” I grabbed angelitas hand and I continued to dance with her to the beat.

People gonna say

"If you need a break, someone'll take your place"

People gonna try

To tell you that you're fine with dollars in their eyes (just remember)

"We need to find Cry Baby and stop this now!” Magnolia shouted to us over the music, Fleur just seemed like she was silently panicking so she'd obviously be no help.

Don't let them fuck you, honey, no, oh

Don't let them try (ooh)

Don't let them hurt you

Baby, just say, "Recess, I'm tired"

Sittin’ in my room looking at all I’ve done

Everything I wanted has come to fruition

I should be happy, but I can't get out my bed

Stressin’ ‘bout the voices screamin’ inside my head

“My powers won't start! I've lost control!” I panicked as I desperately tried to start my powers

“Yeah, I can't use mine either!” Magnolia commented.

"Where is she…” Angelita cried as her legs and feet started to hurt from all of the dancing. "God, my legs are KILLING me!” Angelita added.

Fleur looked back at us with an understanding expression.

Don't let them fuck you, honey, no, oh

Don't let them try (ooh)

Don't let them hurt you

Baby, just say, "Recess, I'm tired"

Leo watched as we danced with each other, he kicked his feet up on the desk and smiled in twisted satisfaction but his attention was torn away from his many monitors when a woman he's never seen before entered the room.

"Hello Ms?” Leo said with a confused tone of voice as he looked at the beautiful young woman. Instead of responding she strutted over to him at the side of his desk.

"Hey, I'm Laura Leigh. I'm here to apply for the… Assistant position.” She smirked at him as he weighed his options.

He stumbled over his words before he got it together "Yeah… The assistant position.”

Leo turned down the volume of his speaker so he can focus on the woman in front of him.

After a while of making out and hands in places they definitely SHOULDNT be in a principal's office, 'Laura’ spoke to Leo again.

"Y'know, I've always had this fantasy…” Leo glanced up at the woman above him, "And what's that?” The woman continued speaking after the interruption, “Of being intimate in a really confined space.” He smiled at Laura, "Really?” He picked her up bridal style, "Well you are in luck…” He set her down before he opened the door to the walk in closet which was conveniently placed right beside them.

Ï had a dream like this once…” He fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, "Me too.” The woman said before she… Shapeshifted into who she actually was, Cry Baby. She locked him in the closet before turning off the music in the room where her friends were locked up but luckily no longer dancing.

"Hey!” He banged on the door, "Hey! You bitch! Let me out!” Leo eventually gave up and sat on the ground, realizing what just happened.

“Everybody, evacuate the school immediately! Go! Now!” Cry Baby spoke into the loudspeaker which was still on before running into the ballroom and opening the doors so everybody could leave and finally escape from the sleepaway school.

"She's safe!” Angelita sighed in relief before grabbing my hand and running out of the room.

"C'mon Everybody! Let's go!” I yelled as everyone cheered and ran out of the huge honestly beautiful room… But not kelly. Kelly hesitated for a minute, just standing there in the middle of the ballroom decorated in the most beautiful fairy lights.

"Hey, Let's go! C'mon!” Fleur waved Kelly over to the group of young adults who were finally escaping literal hell.

Kelly raised her skirt just above her heels so she could run off with the group of students escaping.

The blue boy was in the front of the pack of students escaping down each staircase of the school, once they finally got out they ran across the distractingly green and lush lawn in front of the school, if they didn't know about the abuse that used to take place in there they would have been tricked into thinking that it was a great place to be!

When we were finally outside of the horrible institution I stopped Angelita, Fleur and Magnolia since I realized that Cry Baby wasn't following us. I looked around the yard shouting the name of the young lady whom I love so much, I couldn't lose her when the school was lit ablaze… If that happened of course.

I ran back into the school so I could find her. The girls tried to stop me but I ignored them and I just ran right back into the place.

I saw that Cry Baby opened the windows to the balcony when I passed the room that she was in so I ran into the room but I didn't go onto the balcony with her. I saw her looking around to see what she could do to escape and destroy this place all at the same time.

"What do I do… Oh my god… What do I do…” I heard her whisper, I stared at her, which kind of seems creepy… you have to know that I obviously didn't mean it in a creepy way! I was just thinking about what to do since I was unsure!

“Okay… Think… Think…" She slapped the stone railing in frustration when she didn’t come up with anything, but of course that hurt so she pulled back with a pout.

I ran onto the balcony with her so I could help her make her decision.

"Hey!” I yelled while I was still panting from the run it took to get to the top story of the massive school.

“Oh shit!” Cry Baby whispered when she flinched from the surprise of me being here.

"You NEED to go downstairs!” Cry Baby pointed towards the door.

“I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you.” finally caught my breath and I stopped panting.

“I'm here to help.”

"Look, I appreciate that but I-” I sighed and I cut her off, "Well… I'm the one who wrote the love letter.”

Cry Baby looked up at me in shock before she looked down at everyone running out of the school's doors.

“I knew a girl wrote that…” She whispered to herself with a smile.

“Okay, well… How do we destroy this place?” Cry Baby asked me as she turned around to face me. "Please… I don't know what to do. Do you have any ideas?”

“Uh… I can't think of anything right now… um…” I thought back to the time Angelita accidentally made a bubble and encased the entire tennis ball which made it float away.

"Oh! I've got it! Do you know how to blow spit bubbles?” I asked her, she looked at me with her brows furrowed, "What? Now isn't the time for that!”

"No! I mean… We could put the school in a spit bubble so it'll float away! Y'know… with our powers?” I glanced back at her hoping for a response.

“Okay… Well… Let's try it.” I heard Leo messing with things in the closet, looking for a key so I hurried with the bubble.

“Are you ready?” Cry Baby asked me, “I mean no I haven't really done this before so…” I replied, Cry Baby grabbed the railing since she was panicking a little bit, "Y/n! This is serious! We have to try this okay?” She started getting annoyed with me, “Okay, okay…”

We started blowing the spit bubble, making it not pop with my powers, I looked over at Cry Baby to make sure she was blowing a bubble with the same haste as I was.

This feels oddly intimate, I mean we're blowing a spit bubble to save the students of our school… alone…? I mean… If you get it you get it.

I saw our friends staring at the bubble we were blowing that was the size of half of the school at this point. I know we can do it… I am quickly getting extremely dizzy though. I hope i dont pass out before we are able to finish this mission.

Eventually the bubble picked up the entire school so we stopped blowing it and we made a plan to get out of the floating school now.

"Oh shit… We don't have too much time until we're too high up. We need to jump! Right now!” Cry Baby grabbed my hand but that didn't help my anxiety at all.

"But if we jump we'll die!”

"The fear of death is irrational right now Y/n! Either we die in a couple minutes, or we attempt to live right now, okay?” Cry Baby said before she took off the back part of her dress that drags on the ground and she grabbed my hand again.

"Now!” We both jumped up onto the railing, we hesitated for a minute before jumping off.

A lot of thoughts went through my head as I fell… Was I going to live? Would this be the end of my life? Right when I turned 18? I hope I don't die from this. If I do, at least the other students lived.

When my body hit the ground I closed my eyes tight… But I didn't feel any pain? I don't think anything broke either.

“Oh… Oh god… What the fuck just happened!” I turned towards Cry Baby as I laid back on the grass, facing the sky.

I saw the school bow up with a puff of pink smoke when the bubble popped, Cry Baby smiled widely at me after the large explosion happened, then she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before running over to our friends, after a couple seconds I followed her.

“Il y a du sang partout…” Angelita spoke with a smile. "What does that mean?” Magnolia asked, “It means ‘There's blood everywhere.’ I don't really know french… It's just something I picked up as a kid. I had a French nanny." She smiled at Magnolia before greeting Cry Baby with a little wave.

We watched as Lilith's door came out of the ground with a loud rumble, the door opened to reveal the angel herself. Lilith stepped out and I looked over at Cry Baby as she yelled, “Oh my god it's Lilith!”

I listened to her cutely giggling before I followed her to the door, I watched Celeste, Fleur and Angelita run into the door but both me and Cry Baby stayed.

“Are you coming?” I asked with a gesture to the door, Cry Baby just looked around before grabbing my hand and leading me into the door… But when we stepped foot into what turned out to be a Portal everything went to black.

A/n do you guys want me to continue this but with them in the portals universe? Let me know!

Tag list: @melissaeilishortega @ashs-trashblog @adam-malkov @osnapitzmel1 @powwowsworld @amburntfreeman @fortythree-or-43 @jensortega813 @czalzver @paladinncleric @cursedashes also @mindyswhore because she wanted to see

[wilfre-the-medical-bot]

(OOC: [Note for today, vent-ish, stress relief, tw - mentions of panic attacks, loss, drug tests, anxiety, insomnia]

Please forgive me if it takes a while for me to get to replies, asks, roleplays, or anything like that.

Things have been hard for me lately, and it's taking a toll on me.

I had a really bad, random panic attack for reasons I do not know during the night, causing me to get barely any sleep, so I am absolutely drained already, even though I have to go to school. In fact, I almost passed out on my walk to the nearby bus stop, near a busy road. It was honestly terrifying for me to close my eyes for a moment due to the bright sunlight, stumble on the curb, then open them to find myself almost in the road with a car rushing past me, not even two feet away from where I was. What a way to start the morning.

I've been dealing with a lot this month already, and I feel like it's getting worse. Starting the month with losing someone dear to me wasn't great for my mental and emotional state. I guess I could also say it's been affecting my physical state as well. It has been difficult for me to want to eat anything, even things I enjoy. The thought of food is unpleasant to me. I know I need to, but I just can't make myself eat, even if it's something small. I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out.

Little things have been triggering me as well. It can just be what someone says or does, how something is worded, or if one little thing goes wrong. Simple words make me upset, and it's honestly ridiculous at this point.

It's hard to even keep myself awake, but I can't fall asleep at school. I don't want to get drug tested. My school would certainly do that. It sounds awful and panic-inducing.

I've already had to speak to multiple guidance counselors just this week due to being unable to do any work, including things that I love most of the time, like drawing. I couldn't even lift a pencil. I couldn't find the joy of it. My teacher obviously noticed and sent me to talk to someone. The thing is, though, I don't think any of them really care about my well-being, just my classes and grades. I have to talk to this new counselor, and because I had never met her before, I was scared and could barely get a word out. It shouldn't be like that.

Weekends haven't been great either. I don't get a break. I work. Work with kids. Not for the whole day, just to get them ready to go outside, lunchtime, and at the end of the day. I have to wake up early to get ready, and with my anxiety making my insomnia kick in, I don't get enough rest. Any time I sit down and rest my head on a table, I get yelled at to "Not sleep on the job" by someone, even though I've made it clear before that I am not asleep, and that I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to. I do appreciate those I work with, but it's just so stressful. Working with my coworkers does make finishing tasks somewhat quicker, but I still end up doing most of the work. When I'm the only one who shows up to help out inside, it takes longer to do anything, but nobody gets in my way. I've had to step out of the room so many times due to anxiety.

I'm completely drained. I'm feeling so sluggish. It's gonna be one of those days. Well, as I always say, "It is what it is." I can't do anything about it. I can't get the help I need.

So please forgive me if I don't respond right away or quickly. I truly want to make you all happy, I really do. It's just going to take more time than it usually does.

[insomniamamma]

What if you went to a winter skating party with Marcus at a icy pond in a snowy field? Maybe you had to snow shoe to the pond. What if there was a fire with logs surrounding for warming up with hot chocolate? And Marcus, of course, has a warm blanket for your laps.

Do you teach him to skate, or does he teach you?

💚

Oh, sweet Marcus! Thank you for this lovely ask, Hazel!

The Right Way To Fall: Marcus Pike x f!reader

a/n: Marcus teaches reader to skate (because I am reader and I can't ice skate or roller skate to save my life). This is one of the softest things i've ever written. Sorry it took so long, Hazel-rah!

Warnings: tooth rotting fluff. Reader falls on her ass a couple of times. One very soft kiss. Seriously, this is the softest of the soft.

“Marcus, I can’t skate.” “When’s the last time you skated?” You frown, a childhood friend with a winter birthday everyone else whipping around the rink while you clung to the wall, whole body stiff, couple of times you pushed off you wobbled helplessly and went down. “Not since I was a kid,” you say, wishing he had giving you some sort of heads up, but that’s Marcus, and the Miller Brothers Resort is beautiful, nested ring of cabins around a small frozen over lake, rimmed with fire-rings and burn barrels, stars bright and blazing overhead, “My friends said I looked like Frankenstein. And everyone else went so fast-“ “Then we’ll go slow.”

Marcus shows you how to lace up your skates, tells you to wiggle your toes so he’s sure the man at the rental counter has given you the right size.

“I’m going to fall.”

“Everybody falls,” he says, “I’ll show you how to do it right.”

“There’s a right way to fall?” Marcus smiles, a slow one that sinks that lovely dimple in his scruffy cheek, as he draws you to your feet, gloved hands folded around yours, skates backwards easily, leads you onto the ice. “Remember what I said.”

“Toes out, like a little v. Small steps.”

“Knees bent, Baby,” he says, gliding backwards as you wobble, easy grace that just seems to cling to him, , “Stay loose through your core. Imagine your head and hips and shoulders are boxes stacked over your feet.”

“Boxes stacked over my feet. Yeah. Okay.” And you try, you really do, doesn’t seem quite so scary with Marcus leading you. You start settling into a rhythm, ski club roughly a million years ago in middle school, bright memory of your numb toes springing back to howling life, smell of the vinyl school bus seats and idling exhaust.

“That’s good,” says Marcus, skates drawing lazy curves as he leads you, “I’m going to let you go, okay? In three, two, one-“ And then he’s gone, scrape of metal on ice as he pivots away, and for a few glorious seconds the rhythm holds pushing off with your back and gliding on your front, and then you feel your foot catch, some unevenness in the ice and the spell is broken, you’re hips and knees lock up and your feet spurt out from under you, plant your ass on the ice.

“Shit on toast!” Marcus comes to a hard stop in front of you, rough scrape of his skates, that little furrow dug between his eyebrows.

“You okay, baby?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Here. Give me your hand.” He pulls you up and steadies you. “What happened?”

“I got scared, I guess.”

“You stiffened up.”

“Yeah.” Marcus smiles, soft, lopsided smirk and sparkling eyes.

“Let’s try it a different way,” he says, “Stay put.” He pushes off and goes somewhere? You’re too busy wobbling on the ice, not like the rink back home, nothing to hold onto and then he clasps you from behind, his hands on your hips. “

Push off,” he says, low and close to your ear, “I’ve got you.” And soon the two of you are flying, firelight casting your shadows on the ice. Your left skate catches on some flaw in the ice and Marcus must feel you tense, because he squeezes your hips, hard, but not unpleasant, Stay loose. Keep centered, and it’s easy with him there, steadying you, grounding you, warm hands, warm presence at your back, I’ve got you baby, I’ve got you, 80s power ballads blast through speakers set on polls, get your feet tangled up to “Silent Lucidty” and you and Marcus go down in a pile, laughing too hard to haul each other up, so you just cling to each other for a moment in the starshot dark, kneeling on the ice and he kisses you, gloved hands cradling your face, dips his tongue between your parted lips and then withdraws.

“I think it’s time to retreat to our cabin, Mrs. Pike,” says Marcus, hauling himself up and then offering his hand. You take his hand and let him pull you upright,

“Only if we get some hot cocoa first, Mr. Pike.”

[sparklearchive]

Kitty's Toyhouse Fics - Confidence

"Something's wrong with Sly..."

You could always tell where Sly had been, when she was a kid, because she often left sheets of paper behind. She was 7, but had already been labeled the “artist” of the family with how much time she spent drawing. It seemed like that was most of what fen did – aside from when she was playing with her younger siblings or watching cartoons.

After school everyday she would watch cartoons with her 4 year old sister, Eve! Eve would wait in the living room the entire day until Sly came home so they could be together. Sometimes, she would draw the characters from the shows. Their favorite cartoon together was a dinerry show called Prehistoric Pets, which was about an anthry who sold dinerries and other prehistoric ferries in a pet shop. It didn't make much sense, but it was a kids show.

She had just started 1st grade, and her younger sister Ally had just started Kindergarten. At the end of the second day of school, she met up with Marco, her older brother who was in the 4th grade, and Ally also met them at their assigned grouping spot beside the front gate.

Ally would be riding the bus for the first time today – but had a surprise in store. Kit marched up to Sly and Marco with a very proud expression. “My friend is coming home with us today!” she announced.

“You made a friend?” Sly tilted her head. “Who is it?” Moments after speaking, somebody appeared from behind Ally, and she gestures to this kid. It was Howie!

“This is Howie! He's my new best friend!” she introduced them. “Howie, these are my older siblings, Marco and Sly.” Marco gave a small wave in greeting, whilst Sly stood there feeling petrified.

As she looked at Howie, she had this… weird feeling. Fen didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a little… sick? Just from looking at Howie. “Hellooo? Sly? Say hi to Howie!” Ally snapped fen out of her trance.

Sly began to sweat and blush, taking a step back. “U-um… hi,” she uttered, pulling her eyes away. Howie seemed oblivious to Sly’s reaction, but Marco noticed it.

“He's gonna ride the bus to our house!” Ally said, and with that, the four of them walked out the front gate. Sly couldn't shake the incredibly strange feeling she was experiencing… it wasn't like anything fen had ever felt before. When they got on the bus, Marco and Howie chatted and got to know each other, but Sly was notably silent, just looking out the window watching the neighborhoods pass by. Her stomach was in knots… what was wrong with fen?

They eventually arrived at the Comet house, and got off the bus and went inside. Ally introduced all the other family to her new best friend (which was funny, cuz it's not like she had an old one). As soon as they were in the house though, Sly scurried upstairs to her, Ally, Eve, and Norma’s room.

The four of them all shared one room with two bunk beds. She was on one of the bottom bunks with fen’s little sister Eve above her. As soon as she got in there, she climbed in bed and hid under her blanket, feeling scared.

Her heart was racing, she felt all warm and hot everywhere, and her tummy was so upset. Fen had no idea what was happening to her!!! And it scared her!!! She was trying to calm down, when the door suddenly opened. Eve had come upstairs holding her pink cog plushie in one hand, dragging it on the floor. “Lili, do you wanna watch Prehistoric Pets?” Eve asked in an innocent, sweet voice. Amazing that squeak was once like that…

Unfortunately, the response she got wasn't great. Sly pulled off the blanket, and in her state of distress shouted, “NO!!! G-GO AWAY!!! I WANNA BE ALONE!!!...” At this, Eve was startled, and tears welled up in squeaks eyes from being yelled at.

She dropped her plushie in the doorway and ran downstairs crying, and Sly immediately felt really guilty. She didn't mean to make Eve cry… she just was feeling so weird and confused. She rolled over to face the wall, and after a bit the door opened wider as someone else came in. It was fen's father, Barry.

He had a bit of a stern expression. Not angry necessarily, but definitely disappointed. “Sly? Why did you yell at Eve? You made her cry…”

Sly rolled over again to look at her dad, looking almost helpless and pathetic. “... I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to yell at her. I just– I'm… I'm not feeling good and she asked to watch a cartoon with me and I don't feel like it…”

Barry picked up the cog plushie from the doorway and reached to put it on top of Eve’s bed, before sitting down next to Sly. “I'm sorry you aren't feeling good, but please don't take it out on your sister. She's very sensitive.” Barry steered the conversation a bit. “What's wrong? Are you sick?”

Sly shook her head. “N-no… I… or… maybe. I dunno… something weird just happened to me and I don't know how to deal with it… I-I don't wanna tell you what it is.”

Barry frowned at his daughter, worried, but he wasn't going to press if she didn't wanna talk about it. “Well, alright… but please, apologize to Eve when you see her next. She's really sad and an apology would help.” Barry stood up and ruffled Sly's hair a bit. “Feel better, okay bud?” With that, Barry left the room, and the fennecat collapsed onto her back and looked up at the ceiling blankly, confused about so many things. She didn't know what was wrong with her…

Over the next few days, Sly tried to cope with the strange feelings fen would get whenever Ally’s weird friend was around. Drawing was becoming hard – anything she drew was just going to result in nonsensical scribbles because she couldn’t think straight enough to draw anything coherent.

Every time she saw Howie she just wanted to run away and hide, run away and STAY away, and she had no clue why. It was something she struggled to understand. She tried to look it up on the computer one day after school – “help I feel sick around my friend” – something along those lines. The results were damning. They suggested that she had a crush.

A… crush? Like, a romantic crush? The kind where you wanted to marry somebody? I don’t wanna marry anybody!!! What’s wrong with me?!? Sly felt so distressed and confused, and there was no sign of things improving, because the more time pup spent around their house or her and Ally at school, the more she’d get these weird feelings.

She was just trying to bury them, to ignore them, to get over them. They were just going to cause trouble. That was ALLY’S friend!!! Why would she feel that way?!?

Things changed one day, but not for the better. When Ally stayed home from school sick one day, Howie didn’t have anybody else to hang out with, so pup sought out Sly. Sly felt nervous being alone with pup… they sat at their hangout tree in the school field eating their lunch when Howie suddenly told Sly something.

“Can yew keep a secwet?(*/_＼)” Howie asked, pup’s voice nervous and shaking a little.

“Um… sure, what’s the secret?” Sly answered, hesitantly. She felt nervous about this for some reason she couldn’t explain… and when Howie answered, her heart just dropped into her stomach.

“I– I habe a cwush on Awwy!!! ｡ﾟ･ (>﹏<) ･ﾟ｡” Howie admitted, obviously very embarrassed to verbalize this – but obviously, Howie must have really trusted her a lot to admit something like this to Sly. It was a complicated situation. Sly didn’t want her negative reaction to be seen, she just wanted to support pup.

“...h-hey, that’s okay, I won’t tell her. T-there’s nothing wrong with that,” Sly stammered, feeling her chest burning and aching. Howie sniffled and wiped his eyes, seemingly brought to tears by his own confession to somebody who wasn’t even Ally.

Besides, Sly would never hurt him like that. She’d never break his confidence.

[changingplumbob]

Pancakes Household: Chapter 9, Part 6

Onyx finishes their last day attending active high school solo

Onyx: Anyone seen Mrs T

Mrs Hensley: For your information Mrs Tinker is taking the younger class today, you’ll just be stuck with me

Onyx and Carson pull faces at each other over Amie’s desk. Mrs H is not a favourite of theirs. She is much more strict than Mrs T and Carson won’t soon forget when she yelled at him for not being in class before class even started. The idea of an hour of math led by her does not fill the soul with joy.

Mrs H: For today’s lesson we shall be focusing on the pie chart. Now there are several types of pie chart…

Darwin: *whispers* Apple or raspberry

William: *whispers* Definitely apple

Darwin: *whispers* Hot with ice cream, the only right answer

Mrs H: We will be focusing on teaching you two types which come in different forms, and yes- this will be on your exam

There is a general murmur of discontent through the class at the idea of exams.

After the class draws to a close Onyx realises the girl they gave Halloween candy to is sitting behind them, and decides to go say hi. She’s a little confused at first, after all she never saw their face under the helmet, but she gladly goes to lunch with Onyx and their friends, explaining that the bus from her town to the school only started recently.

Mr A: Pancakes. Were you paying attention in class

Onyx: Yes I was. You know my brother is starting this week so you’ll have to refer to me by my name soon

Mr A: But Pancakes is your name

Zhafira: *whistles* Wow, what a jerk

Onyx: I think he just finds calling us by our last names easier, he seems pretty daft for a principal if I'm honest

Carson: What did you do in art then

Scarlett: Oh we got to do these magazine collages, trying to represent one colour through various images

William: *sighs* I miss Mrs T

Onyx: You want to check out the roller rink?

Carson: I’ve still got some science homework to do, sorry Nyx

So Onyx goes and mucks about on the computer until it’s time for science class. Something glitched though and everyone got called to class at 3pm and the class day ended at 3:15... I have no explanation.

Back home Bob has the house to himself and Ginger while the younger Pancakes are off to their after school activities, Onyx has cheer-leading and Fergus has drama club. Bob is pretty happy with how the visit he and Eliza paid to the social worker went. They seemed to make a good impression and the woman assured them they were being put on the wait-list. Bob doesn’t normally like the idea of cheating his way through something but has called Aaron asking if he can keep an ear out for any situations that could get him and Eliza an infant sooner.

At the moment he’s running names through his head. If they’re lucky and get a young enough one they should be able to pick a name. The drone beeps reminding him that he’s meant to be talking to his fans, whoops, lost the train of thought there. Bob is able to cook a little on auto pilot these days but he should be following along with the baking closely to avoid disaster. Luckily the cake comes out perfectly! All ready for Fergus' birthday.

As Bob leaves for shift the kids arrive back and Onyx goes straight to setting the table.

Eliza: Are we ready for dinner

Onyx: Yes, I’ll grab Fergus

Eliza: I think you two should know I got promoted today

Fergus: YES! Treat time

Eliza: Why do you say that

Onyx: Mum last promotion we got the treehouse

Eliza: That was for rebate day

Fergus: *scoffs* Like that’s a real day

Ginger: *whines* I want to go walkies

Onyx: I know Ginger, I know, just let me finish this homework

Ginger: *whines* Hurry up, it's been 15 years

Onyx: Alright, pie chart done. Where’s your harness

Ginger: *barks* in my pockets

Onyx sets her up and then the pair head out for a night walk. Luckily they live in a good area so Onyx isn’t worried about their safety.

President, just two steps away from the top of the corporate ladder! Eliza feels proud she’s managed to get this far. The promotion also came with some bonus vacation days she’ll be able to use as substitute maternity days when they can get an infant. She continues the needlework she was doing and despite pricking herself once or twice finishes it off nicely.

Ginger: *barks* Is it bedtime mother

Eliza: Don’t worry Ginger, as soon as Bob gets back and eats, we’ll go to sleep

Ginger: *barks* I call dibs on the middle of the bed

Bob had another uneventful shift, before he can get a promotion he needs to increase his fame and baking. Nevertheless despite being gloomy he feels like it’s slowly getting closer. After finishing his meal he heads to bed to find Eliza sitting up awake.

Eliza: What did Aaron say? Can he pull any adoption strings?

Bob: He’ll put the word around to keep an ear out but it could take some time. Don't worry, it'll happen

Previous ... Next

[abearinthewoods]

Anywho, I'm gonna trauma dump now. CW: DV and SA

In college I was the lead for a computer repair desk in the school's tutor center. After a trans women came to pick up her laptop the co-worker that helped her, a guy who was very well known as a helpful and friendly person, student leadership type, helped people apply for scholarships, etc went on a rant about her.

There I was, awkwardly trying to redirect his religious rhetoric in the direction of "who cares its her life" and "only god can judge her".

(Sitting next to us was another co-worker, who only I knew was a trans man, trying not to draw attention to himself.)

When I was 11 or so my fire fighter step dad beat my mother, dragged her across a gravel parking lot such that there was blood streaming down her leg, and tried to beat her some more once in the house. Everything happen quickly, and the next thing I knew, Me, my older brother (15 or so), and my younger brother (9 or so) were in my older brother's room, frantically holding the door shut, panicked out of our mind, as she frantically calls 911 while holding our baby brother.

She couldn't go to the DV shelters because we were boys. Boys above a certain age aren't allowed, sometimes as low as 10.

My dad found out and filed for custody of me, citing him as creating a unsafe environment for the kids. A sick form of kicking my mother while she was down. (and fucking pointless, after he got custody my stepmom ended up beating me.)

This wouldn't even be the last time i'd hold the door against an abuser while their victim called 911. During the start of covid I got a new roommate to replace an outgoing one, she was a friend of my best friend and also brought along her boyfriend at the time.

Not even 1 week in and I wake up to her pounding on my bed room door at 1am begging for help with a bruised lip, I let her in, gave her my cell phone, and braced against the door as i could hear him following behind her. I'm 5'6". He was near enough 6'5" with a broad build. He easily busted open my door, but I had zero hesitation in standing in between him and her. I do not understand how the fuck I intimated him into backing down, but he did. I remember telling her that she didn't have to worry, we were all gonna take her side on kicking him out. This shocked her. it was only a week and he had convinced her we all hated her and loved him, when we were kinda starting to hate him. edit: tale tale sign of abusive: one time she was trying to tell us about something funny from tiktok, and he talked over her and was mocking it (to us) as like "lol her and them apps amiright?". This was a part of that isolation game.

One of my first girl friends cancelled what was to be our first date because "the guy she was hanging with wasn't letting her leave". I got an obvious sense of unease from that and told her that was fine but if she was in a bad spot and needed an out to let me know. She did, I got a ride out there, what we all feared was happening was happening. We were 17 and she didn't want her dad to know because he would just limit her freedom in response (and this was sadly not a guess). I talked my parents in to letting her stay on our couch for the night and she told her dad a plausible story about missing the last metro bus back up the hill to her place and staying at a friend's.

I ended up accompanying her to get an abortion from that assault.

[speedyartist30]

Runaway Bus

The school bus buzzed with energy as kids chattered and laughed, filling the air with their excitement for the day ahead. Amid the commotion, a boy named Logan sat alone in the middle of the bus, completely absorbed in his sketchbook. His pencil moved across the page, bringing to life the image of a masked man surrounded by jagged, zigzag patterns.

From the seat behind him, his friend Kai leaned over, curiosity piqued.

"Hey, Logan, who are you drawing?" Kai asked, craning his neck to get a better look.

Logan glanced up, startled by his friend looming over him. He shifted to the side just as Kai’s balance gave out, and with a yelp, Kai tumbled into the seat beside him.

"HEY! STOP STANDING ON THE SEATS!" the bus driver barked, his glare visible in the rearview mirror.

Kai stuck his tongue out at the driver before turning his attention back to Logan's sketchbook. His eyes lit up as he recognized the subject of the drawing.

"Isn't that the guy who's always on the news? You draw him a lot," Kai remarked, pointing at the masked figure.

Logan's face lit up with excitement, and a grin spread across his face. His friend's recognition had sparked the fanboy within him.

"Yeah! Because he's so cool!" Logan exclaimed. "I saw him again a few weeks ago!"

Kai snorted, leaning back against the seat. "Ha, yeah right."

Logan frowned, clutching his sketchbook tightly. "I’m serious!" he insisted, his voice rising. "I saw him out my window. He was walking with my grandma, and then she gave him something."

Kai raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why was he with her?"

Logan’s expression softened as he recalled the memory. "My grandma said he saved her."

(Flashback)

It had been a quiet night, and Logan was supposed to be asleep. But when he heard hushed voices outside, his curiosity got the better of him. Creeping to his window, he peeked through the curtains and froze.

There, under the faint glow of a streetlight, stood the masked man from the news. He was talking to Logan’s grandmother. When the man tilted his head slightly, as if sensing he was being watched, Logan ducked behind the curtain, his heart racing.

From downstairs, Logan heard the clatter of cabinets as his grandma searched for something in the kitchen. Moments later, the front door creaked open, and she stepped outside again.

Summoning his courage, Logan peeked through the window once more, but the masked man was gone. All he saw was his grandmother walking back toward the house, something clutched tightly in her hands.

(Flashback End)

Kai’s eyes widened as Logan finished his story. "Well, you’re lucky," he muttered, crossing his arms with a pout. "I’ve never seen him in person before—just those blurry videos on the news."

Logan couldn’t help but grin at his friend’s disappointment. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "How about me and you look for him?"

Kai blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah!" Logan said, his excitement bubbling over. "You can come over to my house, and we’ll see if we can catch him. Then we can ask him questions!"

Kai hesitated for a moment, but Logan’s determination was infectious. Feeling a rush of excitement himself, Kai broke into a grin. "Alright, let’s do it!"

The boys conversation didn’t go unnoticed. Logan and Kai’s voices had grown louder, catching the attention of the other kids on the bus.

"How are you two going to catch him if the police can’t?" one kid questioned, crossing his arms.

"My dad says he can’t be trusted," chimed another. "He always disappears and covers his face. That makes him suspicious."

"I’ve seen videos," a third said thoughtfully. "But he moves too fast for cameras to catch his face."

Logan sat up straighter, clutching his sketchbook protectively. "He can be trusted! He probably just doesn’t want people to see his face."

"In that store video, you can kind of see his face," another kid chimed in, her tone dreamy. "His eyes are so pretty!"

"I saw that one!" another added eagerly. "I really like his hair. It looks super fluffy!"

Kai rolled his eyes, brushing a hand through his own hair. "What about me? I have cool hair!"

A boy near the front of the bus snorted. "No, you don’t!"

As the kids erupted into chatter, some agreeing while others argued, they were too distracted to notice the ominous buzzing sound growing louder outside.

Suddenly, a deafening bang rattled the bus, throwing it to the side with a violent jolt. Several kids screamed as the force sent some of them tumbling out of their seats.

The bus driver cursed loudly, struggling to regain control of the vehicle. Panic spread through the bus as Logan scrambled to look out the window, his heart pounding in his chest.

What he saw made his blood run cold—a massive wasp, its grotesque legs gripping the side of the bus as its pincers scratched against the glass, trying to pry it open.

Then all hell broke loose.

More wasps appeared, swarming the bus, their grotesque bodies slamming into its sides with enough force to make it lurch dangerously. The driver gritted his teeth, struggling to keep the bus upright as it rocked violently from side to side.

The kids’ screams filled the air. Some cried uncontrollably while others huddled together, trembling in terror. The wasps pressed against the windows, their hissing and scratching noises amplifying the chaos inside.

Admist the panic, Logan found himself squished between his classmates, all of them desperate to get as far away from the windows as possible. But through the blur of fear and confusion, something caught Logan’s eye, a spark of gold flashing outside.

Another thud landed on the roof, but it sounded different, lighter, more controlled. 

Logan’s heart began to race. His eyes widened as he spotted a dark blur streak across the windows, methodically taking down the attacking wasps one by one.

The realization hit him almost instantly.

*He’s here!*

Logan shoved his way through the panicked crowd, ignoring their protests as he climbed onto a seat for a better view.

The bus shook as a wasp’s head was severed and tumbled onto the street, rolling like a grotesque ball. Logan cringed but refused to look away. Above him, golden sparks lit up the roof of the bus like falling stars.

"LOGAN, GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!" Kai’s voice rang out, sharp and terrified.

But Logan barely heard him. His eyes were glued to the roof, where more wasps fell one by one, their bodies hitting the pavement with sickening thuds.

Then, silence. For a moment, the only sounds were the bus’s rumbling engine and the soft sniffles of the frightened kids.Logan held his breath as he heard slow, deliberate footsteps overhead. Suddenly, the emergency exit door above them creaked and groaned before being forced open.A figure dropped into the aisle. Golden light licking at his finger tips 

Neons city vigilante stood before them

For a moment, Logan forgot how to breathe. As the man’s glowing gold eyes seem to scan through them. Golden sparks still danced faintly around him, crackling softly before fading.Without a word, he turned and made his way toward the front of the bus, where the driver was still struggling to maintain control.

Jays POV

Disposing of the last wasp with some effort, Jay leapt toward the emergency door of the bus.

It had been weeks since the last wasp encounter, and their sudden reappearance in such numbers had caught him off guard. He had helped the police take down a few earlier that day, but when he spotted a bus speeding down the street covered in them, he knew he had to help.

Landing inside the bus, Jay was immediately struck by the sight of a group of kids huddled together in the back. Their faces were pale with terror, their eyes wide with disbelief…except for one. A boy near the middle of the group was staring at him, not in fear, but in pure excitement.

Jay’s quickly checked the children, checking for injuries. Relieved to find none, he turned and headed toward the bus driver.

"W-who are you?" the bus driver stammered, his voice shaky.

Jay didn’t slow his pace. "That’s not important,"Through the windshield, he saw more wasps closing in, their buzzing growing louder as they swarmed the bus.

Jay leaned over the bus drivers shoulder to get a glimpse out the window. Another wave of wasps were come. "Keep the bus steady. I’m going to clear you a path."

The driver swallowed hard, panic etched on his face as his hands clutched the wheel like a lifeline. Noticing the fear in the man’s face, jay out a hand on his shoulder and said,”Just focus in driving. I won’t let them get close. These kids need you,ok?”

The man gave a stiff nod and jay turned to leave.He paused briefly, glancing over his shoulder at the children. His voice was steady but firm, his glowing gaze locking onto the boy who had been watching him so intently.

"Stay away from the windows," he instructed.

Then, without another word, Jay launched himself back onto the roof.

The wind whipped past him as he perched atop the bus, golden sparks flickering around his body. With precision and determination, he tore through the wasps swarming ahead, carving a path for the bus as it barreled down the street. When they reached the school the bus driver slammed on the breaks with a loud screech as the bus driver flung open the doors.

"Run!" he yelled, panic in his voice.

The kids scrambled to get off the bus, rushing toward the safety of the school as wasps swarmed around them. Jay fought off the insects with fierce precision, buying the children enough time to escape.

Logan and Kai were the last to jump off the bus. They sprinted as fast as they could, but just as they were about to make it to the school doors, a wasp latched onto Kai.

Logan’s heart skipped a beat. He turned and grabbed Kai’s arms, pulling with all his strength, but the wasp’s grip was too strong. Kai was lifted off the ground, and they both screamed as the wasp began to carry them into the air.

Jay’s heard them scream and without hesitation, he sprinted up the side of the bus, launching himself into the air just before the boys got to high. Spinning Jay rammed his foot  into the wasp, yanking the boys from its grasp and landing back on the ground in a slide. He barely had time to think when another wasp dove down. He pushed both boys back and caught the wasp by its blade like limbs. In a quick motion he snapped its neck and it dropped limply.

Turning around he see’s the kid from before on the ground, his eyes blow wide while his classmate yells at him to run a few feet away from him. Tapping into his power,Jay scooped up the kid and grabbed the other and took off into the school as another wasp locked eyes on them. The bus driver held the door open for them and jay dropped the kids off with the huddled children. But before the bus driver could close the door a wasp forced its way in.

Screams echoed behind him, but jay tuned them out as he focused on the mutant insect.

Manipulating his power to replicate the real heat of lightning, Jay reels his hand back as a blot formed in his palm. Taking a sharp breath he launched it directly the wasp as it pierced clean through its head and right between its eyes. Giving the wasp no time to react Jay follows up with a kick and sends the wasp flying back out the door. Grabbing the door close Jay and twisted the lock with a audible click.

Stepping back, jay sighed quietly as he turned to face the small class behind him, which now where accompanied by a teacher. The bus driver on the other hand took off down the hall.

Seeing all of them staring jay awkwardly ran a hand through his messy curls. Then, a high-pitched voice cut through the silence.

“I TOLD YOU HE’S A HERO!!!” Logan shouted, his frame still shaky from the adrenaline but a smile still plastered on his face.

Jay tilted his head

*hero?*

[corner-stories]

polaroids and mist

Pieck Finger. Porco Galliard. First Meetings. Photographs. Rain. 2511 words. (ao3.)

Late November brings shorter days and longer nights. 

On his day off, he’s not sure what to do with himself. Yet when his alarm rings he opens his eyes and spends a few minutes looking at the ceiling while thinking about how tired he is. For a moment, he seriously contemplates staying in bed all day. 

When he finally rolls off the mattress, he takes a look outside his window to see Seattle being misted by a sky full of clouds. Days like this are usually as good as it gets, especially at this time of year. It could be another week of torrential downpours until the weather decides to clear up.

So after a breakfast of fruit and yogurt, he grabs his art satchel and wellingtons before heading out the door. 

With every step he takes he can feel droplets collecting on his hair. He’s used to it, even if he has to wipe water off his nose as he crosses the street. A bus takes him from North Beacon Hill to Pike Place Market. Despite the touristy nature of the place, he finds himself drawn to it whenever he has the time. 

Perhaps it’s the variety of people frequenting the place. The fisherman, the merchants, the tourists, or people like him — locals who just want something to do. 

He finds himself inside the market, keeping his hands deep in his pockets as he browses items that he admires but cannot purchase. His job fixing motorcycles is enough to keep his basement warm, but it puts limits on his income, barring him from things like flower bouquets or artisanal jellies. 

He finds a table and chair at a communal area, which he sits at while unpacking the clutter in his satchel. With his headphones playing a song he’s loved since high school, he opens his sketchbook and begins diligently drawing a neon sign advertising a butchery, of which hangs above a pathway full of guests. 

Drawing is only a hobby for him, so his linework is imperfect and his ability to shade leaves much to be desired. He had never felt the nagging desire to become an illustrator like the kids in his high school’s art department. He never thought he could make a portfolio good enough to get into a fancy art college, let alone scrape together the tuition to attend. 

At least he’s in a city like Seattle, one with a vibrant indie art scene and a determination to create something of the cold, dingy weather. 

When the sketch of the neon sign is complete, it’s nothing to write home about. So much of the markings scream amateur, but he’s okay with that. He’s not not too fussy with his art and likes it that way. After gathering his drawing materials back into his satchel, he goes to a nearby cafe to purchase an espresso before leaving the market. 

The rain remains light as he traverses the walkways of Waterfront Park. When he looks out towards Elliott Bay, the only thing he can think about is hopping on a ferry to Victoria and spending the weekend checking out Canada. He’s never been. 

Soon he finds himself at a pier just north of the market. It’s soaking wet and empty, so alone he walks between the empty damp tables and goes to the railing. He keeps his hands deep in his pockets as he takes in the sight of the Great Wheel. He wonders when he’ll finally take the plunge and actually ride the thing.

When he looks across the water he can see Bainbridge Island between the sea and the cloudy sky. He’s never been there either, he never had a reason to. The wind blows at his hair and makes him wonder when that reason will finally come. 

Taking in a breath, he closes his eyes and focuses on the mist creating water droplets on his face. 

Then Porco hears the sound of a camera shutter. 

He turns around and finds that he isn’t alone like he previously thought. 

Standing several feet away from him is a young petite woman. She’s clad in a wet rain slicker and sports a wooly cap above her long, dark hair. The contraption she’s holding is an instant camera. As she lowers it from her pretty eyes it begins to whir before dispensing a photograph out of the front slot. She looks happy with herself, but Porco is anything but. 

His face remains grim as he walks up to her. “Hey…”

“Sorry, it was too good of a picture.” She’s immediately apologetic. “I couldn’t let it go.” 

Porco sighs. There’s no point in asking her to delete it, but he wonders how she’ll feel if he asks her to throw it into the Elliott Bay. 

Somehow, she smiles lazily as she holds the photograph between her nimble fingers. She holds it up to him and he sees that the image has yet to develop. 

“You’re facing away, so no one can tell that it’s you.” 

Porco lets out a grumble. “Good.” 

He’s clenching his fist in his pocket as he walks back to the rail. He looks back towards the waters and wonders what else could happen to him today. First the rain making his hair look like a drowned rat and now his own person paparazzi — what next? He spends a few moments in silence leaning his elbows against the bars, his face remaining in a grimace. 

Then he hears footsteps beside him. The young woman places her arms on the railing as well, just like him. She gives him a smile so content that one could never guess that she had been standing in the rain. 

“I’m Pieck, by the way.” 

Porco tries not to scowl too hard. “What kind of name is Pieck?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Her voice is playful and he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. 

In her hands she’s still holding the undeveloped photograph. “You’ll need to give it a minute.” 

“I know.” 

“I didn’t get your name.”

With another grumble, he relents. “It’s Porco.”

The grin on her face gets just a bit brighter. She spends a moment mockingly pretending to think. “Hm… now what kind of name is Porco?”

Porco gives her a stern, humorless look which she seems to find amusing. Whoever this Pieck person is, she has a clear fondness for teasing. 

Taking in a breath, he tries to refocus his gaze on the water. The Pacific Northwest continues to do what it does best and keeps the constant drizzle above the city.

“Listen, I don’t wanna get off on the wrong foot,” Pieck says to him, her voice sounding just a bit more gentle. 

When he looks at her, the playful look in her eyes has softened. 

“Could I buy you some coffee?” she offers, then holds up the undeveloped photograph. “Maybe make up for… this?”

At first, Porco is unsure what to say. They’ve just met and she’s being so forward. She’s looking at him like they’ve met before but he swears that he’s never seen her in his life. Not even in a dream.

Driven by curiosity, confusion, and the late November chill biting at his fingertips, Porco nods his head. 

“Alright.” 

…

…

…

They find a cozy cafe in the midst of Downtown Seattle, a place with warm, incandescent lighting and glossy, wooden tables. 

As they wait in line, Porco shakes the rain from his hair and he listens to her talk. Pieck Finger is apparently a student at the University of Washington — she’s only a few terms away from a biochemistry degree and is already making plans to enter grad school. It’s a lot more education than he’s used to, as his few years at community college can attest. 

Photography is a hobby she does on her days off, stemming from a desire to capture little moments in time. Instant photography is her forte, there’s just something romantic about holding a printed picture that she can’t deny — the moment is not merely just frozen, but actualized, something she can hold between her fingers. 

Porco is tempted to relate with his own habit of sketching, but a part of him tells him not to say it yet. They’ve only just met, afterall. He’s not sure how she’ll react to him waxing lyrical about how a part of him just melts away when he draws, then comes back to life in the aftermath of completing a successful piece. 

By the time Pieck’s oat milk latte and Porco’s hot chocolate is served to them, the polaroid photograph has already been developed. The two sit near the cafe’s window as they look over Pieck’s masterpiece. 

When he sees the image it’s exactly how she described it — he’s facing away from the camera all broodily and sad, staring at the unmoving Seattle Great Wheel under a cloudy sky. 

Perhaps it’s the lighting or the shade of Porco’s jacket, but the colors of the image are slightly desaturated. It gives the whole image a sense of unearthliness, disconnection, a separation from the norm. 

In contrast, Pieck is smiling from ear to ear as she holds up her picture. 

“This one’s a keeper.” 

Porco’s expression remains unchanged as he blows on his drink. “Guess so.” 

At this proximity he can get a better look at her messy, unkempt hair and the lazy look in her gaze. It’s only more confirmation that Porco has never met her before — he would’ve remembered those eyes. 

“I meant for you, by the way,” Pieck clarifies. “It’s your likeness and all…” 

Porco tilts his head to the side like a puzzled puppy. “Oh, uh… thanks. I thought you said you couldn’t let this one go.” 

Pieck shrugs. She puts the photograph on the table and slides it towards him. She doesn’t seem torn up at all. 

“Yeah, I did… but there’ll be others.” 

Morning drags into the afternoon as Pieck Finger and Porco Galliard continue to share what made them. 

Porco brings up how his parents still live in Tumwater, the town where he was raised alongside his older brother. Marcel was the star soccer player while Porco was the lacrosse team’s third best midfielder. Nowadays, Marcel is working at some start-up in Portland while Porco’s fixing motorcycles at a shop in the Industrial District. There had never been any favoritism shown to the Galliard Brothers, yet Porco had always gotten the implication that Marcel was the golden child of the duo, the one with better grades, more cheers when he scored a goal, slightly more post-secondary opportunities. 

Sometimes he imagines Marcel living it up in Oregon, doing whatever Pacific Northwest tech bros do to celebrate their apps making them a million dollars. 

All while Porco is here, living in a Seattle basement suite and drawing in his spare time. 

Deep in his heart, he reminds himself to give his brother a call. 

Pieck’s life fares differently than his. She grew up in Port Angeles with a single father, her mother passed away when she was young, and as a child she did ballet until an ankle injury took her out. Her father had been the one to encourage her to study what she wanted, and it was his kind words that helped her through every science fair and every test. 

It seemed only natural that she pursue a STEM degree, as well as branch out and look up where she could go for grad school. She’s trying to keep things realistic in terms of how far she can go, but out there she just knows that there’s a timeline where the odds are in her favor and she’s able to study chemical engineering at Stanford. 

When Porco asks why she chose biochemistry in particular, Pieck can only shrug — the gesture is not of disinterest or even lethargy, but of simplicity.

“I just think it’s neat,” she surmises. From the way she beams at him, it’s all she really needs to say. 

Once their drinks are finished, the pair leave the cafe with the photograph tucked into Porco’s pocket. Pieck has to head back to the University District, but she’s forward enough to ask for his number, which he gives out. 

He ends up accompanying her to a bus stop. At this point of the day, the morning drizzle has finally stopped, giving the citizens of Seattle a few dry hours before the sun sets. 

Pieck is surprisingly chipper as she skips to the stop. 

Porco is still unsure what about him drew her in, aside from a photographic opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. As Pieck fishes around her bag for her metro pass, Porco pulls the polaroid out of his pocket and gives it another look.

It’s the same as it was when Pieck showed it to him in the cafe — gloomy, gray, but framed so well that he understands why she had taken it. 

“You sure I should keep this?” he asks. 

Pieck looks just as confident with her offer as she was a few hours ago. “Of course. No strings attached, I promise.”

Porco rolls his eyes. As she filters through the cards in her wallet, he catches a very brief glimpse of several photographs she has tucked inside. He sees one of her next to an older man who has her nose and eyes, which Porco presumes is her father. There’s also one of what’s obviously a young Pieck holding a puppy — perhaps a childhood pet?

Then his eyes glance upon her student ID. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with the surname ‘Finger’ before,” he remarks as runs a hand through his hair. 

“Then you better get used to it,” Pieck assures him in a confident, husky tone.

Porco tries to ignore the burning sensation in his face. 

Moments pass and a bus pulls up at the stop. The door opens and Pieck turns to give him one last look. 

“See you around, Porco” she says before stepping onto the vehicle.

For a reason he doesn’t even know, he cannot take her eyes off her as the door closes. As the bus begins to drive off, he watches her find a seat behind the rain-covered windows and puts on a pair of headphones. 

He can only give a wistful wave as the vehicle drives away. 

…

…

…

Porco spends the rest of his day off in his basement suite. He removes his rain-soaked clothes and puts a pair of dry socks on his feet. To pass the time before a good night’s sleep, he takes out his sketchbook again and begins to draw in the light of his desk lamp. 

He could draw anything, yet the only thing on his mind is the girl with so many plans in her life while he feels stagnant, the girl with a head of long, messy hair and a pair of beautiful brown eyes, the girl who will be the last thing he sees before he finally goes to sleep that night. 

Maybe he has seen her somewhere before.