#I would not want to be in a back alley with Monday Michelle

[agentblyeanddeeks]

Chapter 1

Finally happy enough with chapter 1 to share it with you all. Still deciding on a title, then I will post to ff.net. A HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to @mashmaiden​ for listening to my indecisiveness until I finally got to where I wanted. And for the constant motivation to keep going.

AU of the team first meeting Deeks. What happens when Kensi gets caught up in one of Deeks undercovers. Will contain flashbacks.

August 17, 2010

“Mr. Callen. Nice of you to decide to finally come into work this morning.” Hetty stood in the archway of the mission entrance as the senior agent arrived.

“We live in LA. You know the traffic is always unpredictable.” Callen responded.

Hetty folded her arms, “Mr. Hanna and Mr. Beale don’t seem to have any trouble being on time. Might I suggest an earlier departure from now on?”

“I will do my best, Hetty.”

“That you will, Mr. Callen. That you will. Now, up to Ops you go. There’s a case to be solved” Hetty shooed him towards the stairs.

————-

“Well, well, well. Third time this month, G. Let me guess, you were busy switching apartments because this one was too relaxing.”

“Too relaxing? What does that even mean?”

“It means you need to stop making excuses and just settle down in one place. It will be good for you.”

“Or I could just stay with you, Michelle, and the kids.”

“We tried that once before, remember? By the way, you still owe me a toaster.”

“Hey, that was not my fault.” 

Um, guy. We have a case.” Eric interrupted the partners bickering.

“Sorry, Eric.” Callen noticed the room was still one Agent short, “Where’s Kensi?”

The automated doors opened again revealing their operations manager, “It seems your tardiness is beginning to rub off on your teammates. Rest assured I will have a talk with her later. Now let’s not waste anymore time. Eric.”

Eric swiveled his chair around towards his computer. After a few clicks on the keyboard, an image appeared on the main screen. “Meet Petty Officer 3rd Class Evan Wade. He was stationed at Point Loma until a year ago when he received an other than honorary discharge.”

“What was his offense?” questioned Sam.

“Multiple failed drug tests. His CO said he had been to rehab twice but only stayed clean for about a month before relapsing.”

“Did he have drugs in his system when he died?” Callen asked.

“Yes. The coroner found traces of heroin. She also said the body had been there at least three days before hikers discovered it.”

“I’m guessing from the amount of blood on his body, the cause of death wasn’t an overdose.” Callen concluded.

“That would correct.” Eric grabbed his tablet and zoomed in on the picture, “Wade was killed by multiple gunshots to the torso.”

Sam took a minute to study the image, “Looks like they could be from a 9mm.”

Callen shook his head, “Pretty common caliber. Doesn’t really narrow it down.”

“This might.” the tech operator chimed in. “After the petty officer was discharged, he began working at Crescent Creek. They are a beer distributor that have been on the LAPD watch list for a while now. Most of their employees have pretty impressive rap sheets. B & E’s, assault, you name it.”

Sam scanned the employee photos on the screen, “Are any of the other employees former military?” 

Eric nodded, “Two. But no connection so far to Wade.”

“Ok, keep digging. See if anything sticks out.” instructed Sam.

“On it.” Eric returned to his computer desk and began a new search algorithm.

“What about a few days before he died? Anything out of the ordinary?” asked Callen.

Another file appeared on the screen, “Let’s see. The last credit card transaction was at Mariasol’s on the Santa Monica Pier the day he died. Pulling up the pier security cameras now.”

The video of the pier began to play. Eric increased the speed until it was close to the time of the transaction.

Callen pointed to the screen, “There’s Wade.”

“What’s he doing?” Eric asked, curiously.

“Probably nothing good. He keeps watching over his shoulder. He’s nervous about something.” Sam observed.

While Eric and Sam were focused on their victim, Callen was more interested in the other guy in the frame, “Eric, can you get a better angle of the guy he’s with?”

Eric pulled up a second camera from the pier as Callen stepped forward to get a better look at the blonde gentleman. “I know that guy.”

“From a previous case?” Sam asked.

Callen shook his head, “No. It’s the owner of the bar that Kensi took us to a couple months ago.” He snapped his fingers a few times til the name came to him, “Squid & Dagger.”

Eric types the name that Callen gave him, hoping it would provide them with a lead. “The owner of Squid & Dagger is listed as Max Gentry. He’s owned the bar for six months. Single. Address is listed in Culver City. No military background. No criminal records.”

“We need to find Kensi now and see what she knows about him.” Hetty suddenly spoke up.

“I’ll call her.” offered Eric.

“Ok, Sam and I will head to Max’s place and find out what his connection to Wade is.”

They two agents turned to leave but stopped when they heard a familiar warning beep coming from the main screen. 

“Kensi’s cell is offline.” Eric announced as he began to worry.

“Well, turn it back on!” Sam ordered.

“I can’t. Either the battery has been taken or the phone has been severely damaged.”

The scenario playing out in front of them reminded Sam of what the team had gone through earlier in the year with Dom. “What about her car?”

Eric brought up a map of Los Angeles on the screen. After a few seconds, a blinking icon appeared. “GPS location has it at Pico and Sixth since midnight.” He paused when the realization hit him, “Guy, that’s Max’s bar.”

Hetty moved to the front of the room to face her staff. “Eric, find out everything you can on Max. Gentleman, go to Santa Monica and figure out what the hell is going on.”

——————-

As the Challenger turned onto Sixth Street, Sam and Callen were met with red and blue flashing lights. An officer walked around the building, dragging yellow caution tape behind him

“This is not good.” Callen said as the car came to a stop. Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed by the man in a suit by the bar entrance. He made his way up to the yellow tape, meeting the agents halfway.

“Can I help you gentleman?”

“NCIS. I’m Special Agent Hanna. This is Special Agent Callen. What happened here?”

“Detective Danny Hall. Neighboring business called it in this morning. The door was kicked in and the inside shows definite signs of a struggle. One victim.”

Callen pulled out his phone and clicked on the DMV photo of Max Gentry, “This him?”

“No.” The detective shook his head then reached down for the caution tape, raising it up, “Follow me.”

The three men walk into the bar and take in the chaos in front of them. The front door laid to their right, no longer on the hinges. Multiple tables were upturned and the chairs were scattered and broken throughout the business.

“Woah, you weren’t kidding about the struggle. It’s a wreck in here,” Callen said. While he assessed the furniture damage, Sam made his way to the body laying near the bar, covered by a sheet.

“Looks like blunt force trauma to the head. Probably from being slammed into the bar.”

Detective Hall took a small notebook from his pocket, “According to the tattoo on his arm, he is a member of the Sanguine street gang.”

“Guns for hire.” Callen assumed.

“Can I ask why this interests NCIS?” the detective asked.

“The dead body of a marine was found this morning. Gunshot wounds to the chest. He might have had a connection with the owner. Plus we have an agent that we have lost contact with that frequented this bar.” he told the detective.

“My guys didn’t find any shell casings. They most likely kept it hand to hand. A gun fight in this area would have caused attention right away. They wouldn’t have been able to make a clean getaway.”

Sam rejoined the others, “I wouldn’t exactly call leaving a man behind a clean getaway.”

“We also found blood on a pool stick and some leading out the back door to the alley.” Hall informed them. Another officer appeared in the doorway and signaled him over. 

“Excuse me for a moment, Gentleman. Forensics is done here. Feel free to look around. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” Sam shook his hand.

“So is Max still a suspect or is he our next victim?” Callen began to theorize.

“He could be both. Max kills Wade, then bad guy send the gang after Max. Or Max could be innocent and our suspect is tying up loose ends.”

“For Kensi’s sake, I hope it’s the second one.”

“Me too.” Sam thought for a moment, “If they wanted to kill Max, they wouldn’t have ambushed him here. Like Hall said, attracts too much attention.”

“They obviously wanted him alive for a reason. But for what?”

Sam looked around the room, trying to envision what might have gone down. “Ok, so the gang members come through the entrance. Chaos ensues. Max shoves the dead guy into the bar.”

Callen removed the black gloves from his pocket and put them on his hand. He then grabbed the broken pool stick the detective had mentioned. “Someone defended themselves with the pool stick. Whoever it was, was bleeding,” noting the bloody fingerprints.

“G, over here.” Sam crouched down near the back exit. “There is blood smear leading to the door. It’s probably Max’s. They hit him from behind, knocking him out and they take him out the alley door.”

Following Sam’s hunch, the men go out the backdoor. “Easy get away. Especially in the middle of the night.”

“It still doesn’t explain where Kensi is. Or what she was even doing here. The bar is closed on Monday nights.” Callen said, bringing the focus back to their missing colleague.

“We need to look in her car.”

The car was parked in a community lot outside of the crime scene. Thankfully the other detectives hadn’t known it was related to the crime at the bar. Callen pulled out the spare key and unlocked her car. Sam opened the driver side door and began searching for clues. Callen did the same from the passenger side.

“Nothing seems out of the ordinary.” Callen said, looking in the glove compartment. He leaned forward to feel between the seat and console and  pulled out something mushy and brown, slightly disgusted, “Looks like I found Kensi’s stash of Reese Cups.” 

Sam shook his head, “When we find her, she is getting an intervention about her refined sugar addiction.”

Callen removed his chocolate filled glove and searched through the center console with his other hand. 

“Her badge and wallet are both still here.”

Sam straightened up after checking under the driver seat. “Her gun is not.”

“Agent Callen! Agent Hanna!” Detective Hall yelled as he approached. “Does this vehicle have to do with the investigation?”

“It’s our missing agent’s cars. She left her badge but took her gun.” Sam explained

“And you think she’s got something to do with this?”

“I hope not but I’ve got a bad feeling about it.” Callen noticed the surveillance photos in the detectives hand. “Can I see those?”

“Oh yeah. That’s why I came over here. One of the officers found these in the office. Anyone look familiar?”

Callen took the photos and started flipping through them.“That’s Petty Officer Wade and our bar owner Max Gentry. Someone was definitely watching them.”

Sam moved beside Callen to have a better look at the photos. “They're not the only ones they were watching.”

The next photo in the pile was that of Kensi and Max. It was taken at night and they appeared to be on a rooftop. As they flipped through more photos, they became more concerned. Whoever took these photos had continued to follow Kensi without Max. Some were even taken near her house.

“We’ve got to find her now. She might be compromised.” Callen said.

“Which means so are we.”

Sam took the photos and laid them out of the car hood. He took out his phone and took pictures of them to send to Ops.

“Call us if you find anything else.” Callen asked of Hall as he handed him his card.

“Same to you.”

Sam handed back the photos and they headed to the Challenger. “Eric, pull the security camera from the Squid & Dagger and surrounding areas. We need to see where Kensi went. We’re headed to her house to see if there are any clues.”

“I’ll pull the feeds but Hetty wants you guys at the boat shed.”

“We don’t have time, Eric. We need to find Kensi before it’s too late.” Callen spoke into the earwig.

Hetty’s voice interrupted, “Gentleman. Please redirect yourselves to the boat shed immediately. There is someone here that might be able to help.”

———-

Callen and Sam arrived at the boat shed to find an older, grey haired man standing next to Hetty.

“Agent Hanna, Agent Callen. Meet LAPD Lieutenant Roger Bates.”

“To what do we owe the pleasure, Lieutenant Bates?” Sam greeted him.

“I got a call from Detective Hall saying NCIS had taken an interest in his crime scene this morning. I put a call into my old friend Henrietta and thought I would brief you all myself.”

“Oh, Roger. I’d say old foes was more like it.”

“Eh, bygones.” Bates shook her off. “Six months ago we began an undercover operation to get close to the people inside Crescent Creek. The business had been around since the early 90s. Very reputable and what you would expect from a beer distributor. Until two years ago, when they started distributing things of illegal proportions.”

“Drugs.” Callen guessed

“Bingo. Specifically heroin, ecstasy, cocaine.”

“Petty officer Wade had heroin in his system when he died,” added Callen.

“When he was murdered.” Sam corrected.

“That’s unfortunate to hear. I had thought we really broke through to him this time. Our man inside quickly bonded with Evan. They both came from broken homes, abusive dads, and a no good childhood. It wasn’t too hard to convince him to become our informant.”

“Do you know who killed him?” Callen asked

Bates grabbed the remote from the table, hitting the center blue button. A picture of a Hispanic man appeared on the screen.

“Ramon Murillo. He took over the company in 2007 when his father Arturo passed away. The problem is Ramon has his finger in just about every gang in West LA. They do his dirty work so we can never get anything to pin on him.”

“So why did he kill Wade?” Sam questioned.

“Evan wanted out. He said he was finally ready to turn his life around. But he was worried that Ramon wouldn’t let him go that easy. And he was right. Three days ago he met with our undercover in Santa Monica and …..”

Callen interrupted the Lieutenant “Wait. Max Gentry is one of yours?”

Bates hit the remote again. A picture of Max filled the screen. Only this time it was a photo of him with his hair kept and wearing a suit and tie. Much different from the DMV photo they were given.

“One of the best. His real name is Martin Deeks. We backstopped him as the owner of the Squid & Dagger. He was oddly proud of the name he created for the bar. Anyways, Deeks met with him on the pier that morning to give him the address to one of our safe houses. The investigation was coming to a head so Evan was to stay there until we arrested Ramon and then he would be put in WITSEC. Deeks said when they met Evan seemed really jumpy and paranoid, like someone was watching him.”

“That’s because someone was.” Sam added.

“Right. Evan never made it to the safe house and until this morning, we had no idea where he was. Yesterday, Deeks found an envelope slid under the door at the bar. Written on the front was Detective Deeks. Inside were the surveillance  photos Detective Hall and his team came across this morning.”

“But Hall saw Deeks in those photos but didn’t say he knew him.” Callen questioned.

“That’s because he wouldn’t know him from Adam. Deeks was a loner. He never played well with the other cops. Always preferred to work alone. That’s why deep undercover was perfect for him. He didn’t have anyone else to worry about.”

“Until Kensi.” Hetty added.

Until Kensi.” Bates repeated “Deeks was freaked out enough that his cover was blown and his informant was missing but when he saw those photos of Kensi, he was furious. He called me to ask if I could help him track her down. She wasn’t answering her phone so he left her voicemails saying she was in danger and needed to leave town. He told me her name was McKensi Cole. But the name lead nowhere. I didn’t hear from him after that. I had hoped he had found her and went into hiding but unfortunately that wasn’t the case when Detective Hall called me this morning.”

After working with Kensi for over a year, Sam was getting familiar with how she operated “That explains how she ended up at the bar last night. If Kensi heard those voicemails from someone she cared about, she wouldn’t have run the other way.” 

Hetty nodded, “She would have stood and fought. That’s who she is.”

“And now Kensi and Deeks are both missing.” Callen concludes.

The images on the screen suddenly disappeared and were replaced by a video feed of Eric from Ops. 

“I might have a lead on that. Now the security cameras at the bars had been disabled but I was able to pull a traffic cam from the north east corner that shows the alley behind the building.”

The feed from Ops shrunk to the top corner of the screen as the traffic cam feed filled the rest.  Just as they feared the team saw an unconscious Deeks being dragged out the back exit and into a van. Movement at the bottom right of the screen caught their eye. Kensi was watching from around the side of the building, both hands on her gun at her side. They watched in horror as the shadow behind Kensi grew closer and then grabbed her, placing a white cloth over her mouth. After a moment of struggle, Kensi’s body went limp and she too was thrown into the back of the van. Landing right next to Deeks.

[multimetaverse]

Andi Mack 3x17 Review

Arts and Inhumanities was a mostly good ep that struggled at times and sheds some light on what was cut and what was re-shot. Let’s dig in!

Re-shoots:

Adding a new section for this review since this is the first ep where the re-shoots and cuts really had a noticeable impact. The last Muffy scene at the school was definitely a re-shoot and it looks like the pro player plot will be something brief and focused on Buffy herself rather than Muffy, maybe even just some sort of montage, though why they decided to add that in I do not know. 

Originally for 3x17, Garren was only on set the Saturday they shot the bowling alley scenes which were quite brief and didn’t really have a defined ending. He was on set for two days for the cut farm wedding ep so we’ve definitely lost a minute or two of Muffy scenes even with their replacement scene in 3x17. Which is sad for them but does actually bring down Marty to 3 eps in 3c just like TJ and puts Muffy and Tyrus at close to equal screen time. 

It’s clear that these eps are taking place fairly quickly after one another and that likely the farm wedding would have been the very next weekend in universe with Something to Talk A-Boot taking place the school week after the wedding. It also means that regardless of what Muffy scenes we got at the farm, it ended in the same place as 3x17 with Marty telling Buffy they’re better off as friends which would have come off as pretty contrived at the wedding where he was her plus one. And still does tbh, but it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to get himself turned down again and it sets up Buffy having to confess in the finale. 

I also wonder if the Cyrus and Jonah and Amber scenes at the school were also re-shoots. Afaik it wasn’t snowing when they were originally filming 3x17 in November and it was snowing when they filmed the school scenes for the re-shoots. Josh was on set that morning but left early that same afternoon which would fit with his brief role in the Jamber breakup. It may also explain why his ‘counselling’ of Amber didn’t really amount to much and if Jamber broke up at the farm wedding it would explain why she was even there and why Amber asks Jonah for space in 3x18. 

Ham filmed some scenes for what was either 3x16 or 3x17 and there’s no talk of the wedding in 3x17 or even any sign that Bex and Bowie had an emotional talk just a couple days ago in universe. Obviously the new wedding is at the gazebo in 3x19. No mention of Celia and it seems likely that she may not appear again until 3x19 which is a sad loss of screen time for Lauren Tom. 

Josh said some key plot drivers would be moved into 3x17 and the Muffy friendzoning definitely was and the Jamber breakup may have been. It also fits with Josh’s public comments, a week before he went back for re-shoots he posted an ask and talked about an upcoming ep they filmed at a farm where they were in suits so clearly he thought the farm wedding was still happening. Then as the re-shoots were wrapping up he warns us that things have been shuffled and cut but that the story will still make sense which fits with him learning the farm wedding had been cut and that quick re-shoots were done for the most important plot events. 

 It does raise the question of how much filler there was at the wedding if two major plot points could be boiled down to 2ish minutes of screen time combined. Certainly the main reason the farm wedding was cut was because of a lot of Ham screen time and the expense of re-shooting it but if a lot of the scenes aside from the wedding ceremony itself weren’t all that important than it would explain why they felt able to cut it. Now on to the ep itself.

Positives:

Really liked the Mack family scenes tonight, you could really see the familial chemistry that the actors have and it was great seeing Bex and Bowie being so supportive of Andi.

SAVA looks like a place Andi would love. Obviously she gets in (or gets in to another art school elsewhere) and I wonder how she overcomes the entrance requirements. 

Loved the dance moms line. And the girlfriend in Canada and blame Canada lines. Didn’t think I’d ever hear a Southpark reference in a Disney show. 

Really nice to see the kids just being normal kids and going to see movies

Emily had another great performance, 3x16 and 3x17 have been the most Amber development we’ve ever gotten. We see her hanging with some other girls and going to see a movie and learn that she’s really good at chess.

Jonah’s a mess but I always enjoy seeing him be dumb. 

Pleasantly surprised that they didn’t make Cyrus good at chess and very glad that he didn’t actually get to play therapist because therapist! Cyrus is boring and rarely gives good advice. 

Liked the callbacks to Cyrus wheezing and losing his shoes in the last Cyrus and Jonah scene. And Cyrus actually apologized! Glad he learned his lesson from when he betrayed Buffy back in S2. 

Muffy scenes were good if brief. We really saw why they work when Marty insisted that Buffy needs to see a doctor, neither Cyrus nor Andi have the confidence to call her out when she’s wrong.

Not surprised that they made Rachel unlikable, it’s really the only way to excuse Marty’s emotional cheating. She didn’t even get his jokes!

Buffy’s ‘’why not?’’ was very revealing and Marty really isn’t doing a good job pretending to not like Buffy anymore.

Negatives:

It’s nice to get Amber development but not this late and not like this. There’s just no stakes to this plot because no one cares about Jamber and the show hasn’t given us any reasons to. Sometimes it seems like they went with Jamber just because they needed to keep Jonah as someone’s love interest while avoiding getting him back with Andi. 

Wild that Amber was in 7 out of 25 aired eps in S2 and will be in 10 out of 20 aired eps in S3. There really was no need to have her be in so many eps. 

Jonah’s character has taken a real beating. He comes off as untrustworthy, immature, flighty, and unreliable. It’s one thing to tear a character down but when is he going to be built back up?

Real missed opportunity not to circle back to Jonah and Amber’s financial issues, or Jonah’s anxiety, or Amber’s home life in any capacity when all those issues play into how their relationship has gone.

I know it was a gag but I didn’t like Amber having a set up chess board already there under the table. 

We’ve seen eps before in S1 and S2 where Andi is off doing her own thing and the other kids are left to their own devices but I’ve never been a fan of those kinds of eps. It makes it feel like the other main kids exist on a separate show. 

Looking Ahead:

Jonah scaring Andi is a callback to 2x14 and looks like Andi closing the laptop leads to her accidentally submitting her application to SAVA. 

No clue if the bit in 3x17 about Amber wanting Jonah to write her a song is supposed to remind us of Jonah’s singing and set up You Girl but that’s coming up soon.

Buffy is on crutches and is going to coach from the bleachers which explains why they only filmed game scenes for part of one day.

Nice to see Kaitlin back and looks like we see her at the game and at school.

I know a lot of people think Kira shows up at the game to save the day but I don’t think we see her again until the finale. For one we have several days of TJ scenes and she’s not in them so clearly something has changed on his end. And Raquel was never shy about promoting her time on the show and she always made sure to post from set for eps 7, 13, 15, and 20. If she is in 3x18 then it would mean she deliberately didn’t post from set that week and updated her imdb but left that one ep out which is a level of deception and secrecy we’ve never seen from any of the recurring actors and really doesn’t seem to fit with her personality. 

Not shocking that Tyrus isn’t in the promo, they don’t usually show the B plots in the next on promo, that was typically saved for the extended promos Disney used to air. They also didn’t show any of the Amber and Jonah C plot either.

I think next week will be a great ep and I’m looking forward to seeing what that Tyrus moment in the gym is, be it hand holding or a hug or something else.

This was the last ep to not be directed by either Paul Hoen or Michelle Manning. Something to Talk A-Boot was the last ep to feature the school or the spoon (before the re-shoots at least). 

The timeline actually makes sense! 3x13 was around the end of October as costume day was a Halloween stand in and now it’s mid to late November with the SAVA application due at the end of November and the finale taking place not later than mid December in universe most likely. 

And one last thing, because of the Fourth of July holiday in the USA the ratings for 3x17 won’t be out until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest rather than the usual Monday release date

[unhingedthinking]

Unhinged Thinking’s Reading List for 2019

Because I’m currently re-shelving my book collections sans depression cleaning and also in preparation for the last few “Happy Christmas to me” presents coming Monday, I thought I’d post my 2019 reading list that I want (or need) to read this year.

This is sort of an accountability thing for me to check back to as I only read like four actual novels last year. In my defence I did read like 100 journal articles and several academic chapters in lieu of novels, but I want to tap back into that whole reading for pleasure thing.

Also because I feel like @lovelikesummer would love some unsolicited book recommendations to add to her ever growing list 😉.

I’m a little more diversified this year (there’s even multiple poetry collections on the list!), though it’s still predominantly queer, Australian and canon texts. Links to books are even included for ease if you want to join me in my reading choices :)

Queer Texts

The Monkey’s Mask - Dorothy Porter

A queer crime thriller written in the style of verse poetry. Porter wrote this when she was an in house author at CSU back in the early 1990s. It’s a really interesting bend on genre writing.

All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages - edited by Saundra Mitchell

Queer fairytales written by some of today’s most prolific young adult authors such as Mackenzi Lee and Shaun David Hutchinson

All of It Is You - Nico Tortorella

Queer poetry written by that guy from that show Younger. It’s been on my to read list since early last year, so excited to dig into this one.

This Monstrous Thing - Mackenzi Lee

A queer play on the codes and conventions of Frankenstein, set in the period as Mary Shelley’s classic is published. I got this one from @sanityiscracked for Christmas and I’m super excited to read it as it’s written by the same person who wrote The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy - Mackenzi Lee

This is the sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, which focuses on the sister of the original’s protagonist, who is a badass asexual scientist. Enough said.

Where the Trees Were - Inga Simpson

Australian indigenous novel that is more of an incidental queer text. I found this one from a list done by Readings and I was drawn to it because a) Aussie queer reads and b) it’s an indigenous text that isn’t set in post-colonial Australia. I’m looking forward to digging into this one to see if I can use it in a classroom context.

Heat and Light - Ellen van Neervan

A three part exploration in storytelling that is by one of the more prominent writers in Australian literature right now. It was shortlisted for the Stella Prize back in 2015, and won the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize.

General Fiction

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

The sister bought this for me for Christmas, and I’m intrigued as to its premise as it’s gotten some good recommendations in a lot of my circles.

The Wisdom Tree series - Nick Earls

This is a set of five novellas written by a Brisbane author that I got (and personally signed!) at state conference. He recently completed his PhD looking at the novella, and he’s really fun to listen to. The keynote that I got to listen to he outlined how he came to formulate and write each novella. Plus he introduced me to my new favourite ice cream, so that’s cool too.

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent

This one’s off of the current senior text list, and I really want to dig into it as it seems right up my alley. It’s set in 1829 Iceland and based on a true story about a woman’s last days as she awaits her execution for her involvement in a double murder.

The White Earth- Andrew McGahan

Another one from the senior text list. The premise of the novel really grabbed me. It looks at (relatively) contemporary rural Australian life and the power of land and families.

1984 - George Orwell

Yes, I am a horrible person for not having read this one I know. I did in all earnest start this last year, but I got pulled away by about seven other reading commitments and never got back to it. But there is potential that I’ll be teaching it this year and I want to gun for that opportunity because I’m a massive Foucault nerd and any opportunity for me to teach impressionable children about disciplinary power, panopticism and the surveillance state I will take.

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller - Italo Calvino

This one’s been on my to read list for the better part of a decade, and I recently got a copy of it late last year. It explores different writing genres as you the reader tries to track down If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller.

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Another one that yes, I should have read by now but haven’t. This one I might also end up teaching, so it’s more of a “well it’s been on the list but not that high up so I might as well” for the year.

Non-fiction

Note to Self - Connor Franta

This was an impulse buy at the end of last year as I remember wanting to read it when it first came out. I still haven’t gotten around to reading his first book, but this one stood out to me as it’s like a part diary, part memoir, part creative expression book where he explores the concept of self and authenticity.

Poetry

Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur

I’m trying to get into more poetry and Milk and Honey was a best-seller from last year that from the excerpts I read whilst in line buying some other books at the bookstore were really good, so I’ve got both of them to read this year.

Academic Literature

The History of Sexuality Vols. 2 & 3 - Michel Foucault

The Second Sex - Simone de Beauvoir

Towards Queer Thriving - Adam J. Greteman

Undoing Gender - Judith Butler

There will undoubtedly be far more academic literature that I will end up reading this year, but these are the main ones that I want to make sure that I read for my studies (and general personal interest).

Aaand that’s it for the baseline reads. There’s others on my list, but these are the ones that I want to get through this year

[3rddrawerdown]

One And The Same (Part 6)

Warnings: Mild fluff(?) and language, briefly.

Pairing: Peter Parker/Spider-Man x Reader

Note: Sorry it took me a little longer for this one. I wasn't happy with where it was going, so I scrapped most of it and started over. I still don't love it, but it's way better than it was. Let me know what you think!

It just so happened to be Friday date night for Peter and Liz. Peter had left you on the rooftop for a different, but related reason. The past couple of weeks had left Peter confused. Things with Liz were fine; she was kind and sweet. She really liked him. Peter didn't have any complaints. Maybe he could even have been happy with her. But you. Things with you were incredible. It put his relationship with Liz to shame. If there was a spark between him and Liz, there were fireworks between the two of you. Well, between you and Spider-Man, anyway.

But he was Spider-Man, and you had confessed to him that you had had feelings for Peter. Whether or not that was still true, he had to try. If there was even a fraction of a chance, he had to. What had you told him when you urged him to ask Liz to homecoming? "You'll never know if you don't try." If you still felt for him, he wouldn't have to worry about you being in danger, anymore. You could be with Peter, and he with you, his identity would remain a secret, and everything would be okay, again. More than okay.

Peter's heart sank as he reached his destination. For any of that to happen, he had to break up with Liz. He should have done it ages ago. He shouldn't have dated her at all. He should have ended things when Spider-Man had kissed you. When he had kissed you. But he didn't. And now, it was even harder. There was nothing wrong with their relationship, no clear explanation for his leaving, but one. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of it.

He pulled a hoodie and joggers over his suit, stuffed his mask in his pocket, and walked up to the house. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Adrian Toomes opened the door. "Hey, Pete. You're early."

Peter ran a hand through his hair. "Hello, sir. Uh, is Liz here? I mean, could I talk to her?" Of course she was there.

"You've got your whole date to talk. She's 'putting her face on,' or something."

Peter rocked back and forth on his feet, nervously. "It's...kind of important, sir." Peter looked down and noticed his mask beginning to fall out of his pocket. Hastily, he shoved it back in. Toomes noticed.

"What have you got there?"

"Dad, who's at the door?" Liz rounded the door. "Peter! You're early."

"Uh, hey, Liz." Toomes stared him down, suspicious. Peter looked away.

"...dad? Could you give us a minute?" She watched as her dad backed out of the doorway and closed it behind him. "Ugh, sorry about him. What's up? Couldn't wait for our date?" She smiled.

Peter squirmed. "I need to talk to you."

Her eyebrows knitted together, and concern could now be detected in her voice, "What's wrong, Peter?"

He found it difficult to make eye contact, but managed, all the same. "Liz, I'm sorry. I, we..." he sighed. "Liz, I think we should break up." The look on her face made him feel terrible, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

"I- Peter, I don't understand. I thought things were going fine."

"Oh, no! They are! It's just, well," he ran a hand through his hair, not sure how to proceed, "I have feelings... for someone... else." He suddenly became very interested in his shoelaces.

"It's Y/N, isn't it?"

Peter looked up, surprised. "How did you-"

"Oh, come on, Peter. Give me some credit." Her sadness had turned on a dime into anger. "I see you every time you look at her in the cafeteria. I see you check her name in your texts. I figured you were just worried about her, since you basically stopped talking, but now it all makes sense."

"Liz, I'm sor-"

"Whatever, Peter," she opened the door to Toomes, car keys in hand.

"Ready, kids?"

"No, dad. Actually, Peter was just leaving." Liz never took her eyes off of him.

"Goodbye, Peter." Liz turned and walked back into the house.

Her father watched her walk in, but by the time he looked back, Peter was gone.

Monday rolled around, again, and Peter resolved to... do something. He didn't really have a plan. He just had to make a move of some kind. He chickened out in Chemistry when you ignored him and sat with Michelle. This wasn't a new development, but it deterred him all the same. Michelle didn't exactly scare him, she was just... intimidating. He decided to wait until lunch.

He was grabbing his lunch from his locker when he heard a commotion around the corner.

"What the fuck?!"

"You bitch! You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

Peter recognized both voices as he rushed around the corner. A crowd was gathering as Liz stood, glowering at you. You held a hand to your face, looking equal parts confused and infuriated.

"What on this habitable space rock are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Liz, she doesn't." Peter pushed through and stepped in between you, spreading his hands in surrender. "She didn't do anything. She doesn't even know."

"What don't I know?" You asked, less confusion, more fury. This whole encounter was off the wall.

Peter looked over his shoulder at you, "Liz and I broke up."

You couldn't help but feel your heart stir, hopefully.

"Oh, don't stop there, Peter. Tell her why." Liz crossed her arms.

He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I...I have feelings for you, Y/N."

The feelings you'd tried so hard to forget, the ones you'd tried so hard to keep out, flooded back...just to crash against the walls you'd built. "No. Nuh-uh. You can't do this now." You started to walk away, but Peter grabbed your hand.

"Y/N, wai-"

"No, Peter! No. Maybe there was a time, but that's gone, now. I'm over you." The feelings lapping at your walls begged to differ, but he didnt need to know that.

"Y/N..." he looked so dejected.

You pulled your hand from his. "I'm seeing someone, Peter." Turning, you headed to the cafeteria.

The crowd dispersed, and it was just Liz and Peter. She was fuming, but she just scoffed at Peter and walked away.

"Mmh. Rough. Shoulda told her ages ago." Michelle walked by, out of nowhere, nose buried in a book.

Peter sighed. He was frustrated. He debated whether it had been worth it to try, but realized he hadnt really been given a choice. It sucked. Rejection hurt. He still had you as Spider-Man, but the rejection still hurt, all the same. Hearing you say you were seeing someone else also struck a chord, even if that someone was still him.

Maybe Spider-Man could convince you to give Peter a shot. He could break up with you. No, no. That would risk losing you entirely. It was selfish to keep you in perpetual danger, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He leaned his head against the lockers and sighed again.

The rest of the day dragged on. Peter felt dejected. By the time he had gotten to Mr. Delmar's, after school, he realized he wasn't even hungry. As he finished his herowork for the evening, he ducked around an alley corner to change. Just as he was about to pull his mask off, a van sped by the alley. The van from the ATM robbery. This was his chance to get them off the street. He threw his backpack towards a dumpster and webbed it to the side. Then he climbed up the side of the building and threw himself off the edge. Swinging from building to building, he chased after the van. Just as he was getting close, his webbing snapped and he found himself in a free fall. Quickly, he shot a replacement up the building side, but hit something else. Whatever it was dragged him through the air with it, as it followed the van. It didn't seem to realize Peter was there, which gave him a moment to try to make out what it was. It had mechanical wings, and some kind of... propellers? He wasn't sure. Peter nearly let go out of shock, when the creature trained two bright green orbs on him. One wing curled in and snipped his web line. Luckily, Peter was close enough to the ground to stick a roll landing. He stood, slowly, and watched the van and creature round a corner. They were too far away for him to catch at this point, especially on an empty stomach. He wished he had gotten a sandwich at Mr. Delmar's, but now he had something bigger to worry about. Not only did these guys have high tech weapons, they had... something else.

You weren't sure what to do. Things with Spider-Man were great, but you couldn't shake the curiosity of what could be with Peter. For so long you'd pined for him. Now, just as you thought you were over him, he brings all these feelings rushing back. It had been a month or so. You missed him. But what if you dated him and things went really wrong? What if you lost him? Then you'd be without him or Spider-Man. That was selfish. You decided things should stay the same, for now. Spidey treated you right, and things with him were incredible. You were obviously Peter's second choice, anyway.

You had been harsh with him, that day, though. Rejection was hard enough, let alone in front of all those people. You checked on the tray of cup-pies in the kitchen, deciding they were cool enough. You felt you owed Peter an apology, and maybe now you could get back to being friends. It would take a while, but it was a start. You wrapped them up and headed to Peter's.

Peter tapped on your window, but there was no response. He resolved to wait a bit before heading home. As he waited, he wanted to come up with a plan for this winged vulture creature, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to you. He tapped, again. Then he decided to try the window. It was unlocked. He climbed in and decided to hang out... literally. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of green orbs watched from an adjacent rooftop.

You arrived back home after delivering the pies. Peter hadn't been home, so you left them with May and asked her, with a laugh, to save some for Peter.

You said hello and goodnight to your parents before heading to your room. You closed the door behind you and were about to undress, when Spider-Man dropped from the ceiling, upside-down. Your eyes went wide but he kissed you before you could scream. He pulled away.

"Your window was unlocked. That's not safe for the girlfriend of Spider-Man."

Breathless and heart beating a mile a minute, you managed, "girlfriend?" All thoughts of Peter flew out the window.

Suddenly he seemed nervous. "I mean, we don't have to have labels, I just thought, with us, the way we are, what you said last time-"

You cut off his rambling. "You left so suddenly last time, and I didn't see you all weekend. I wasn't sure where we stood. But now I'd say we're on the same page."

"Really?" His tone hedged on excitement as he dropped down to his feet. "You had me worried for a second." He pulled you close. "Will you, though?"

You wrapped your arms around his neck. "Will I what?"

"Be my girlfriend?" His fingers drew figure eights on the small of you back.

"Spidey, I think that's what we just established." You let out a small laugh. "Of course."

"Oh, good," he sighed, spinning you around, face buried lovingly in your neck. "Because I like you, Y/N. I really, really like you."

You felt your heart melt, as you breathed in his familiar scent. Peter couldn't give you this. How could a man this perfect exist? More curious, how could a man this perfect be yours?

[dangeroustimemachinehologram]

Spooky holiday

It was end of July, over 5 years after Amy and her family moved out from Norwich to Lower Gornal, town near Dudley. After 2 years of paranormal time, 3 years was quiet and settled. They start enjoy place where they live. They made some friends. Josh and Zoe grown up to a teenage age now. Both of them, mostly Zoe wanted visit town from a childhood times.

They missed the Town and wanted visit old friends. Amy and Beth didn't have a problem with it. Even if they hadn't much friends to visit over there, going on holiday in Norwich part wasn't bad idea for them.  Because Zoe and Josh had already holiday from school, Amy and Beth booked a week from there jobs and booked The Maids  Head Hotel in Norwich, Norfolk for four of them... They also decided make a visit to places in Norwich which was known with paranormal happenings. Shortly, they wanted to do their own paranormal investigating in town they lived before. Josh and Zoe was exited.

After couple days of making ready for holiday, finally on a 1st of August they've got up early in a morning after shower and a breakfast, got to a taxi on a way to train station in Wolverhampton.  Seven hours of a trip they finally made to Norwich. For a county that's so steeped in history, it's not surprising that Norfolk has its fair share of ghost sightings and paranormal activity.  And They was ready for adventure, meet old friends and fun.

The Maids Head Hotel, place where all 4 of them was staying, claims to be the oldest hotel in Britain This hotel is over 800 years old. Even Queen Elizabeth I was reportedly a fan, spending the night in what has now been called the Queen Elizabeth Suite during a stay in the late 16th century. The Tudor style hotel is supposedly home to a maid who floats around the corridors with a strong smell of lavender following her. A second phantom is that of a former city mayor who has been sighted in the courtyard violently shaking his head.

Next day in a late morning all of them we see their friends and catch on what is happening. It was Wednesday already. Few hours wasn't enough on catching up, gossiping and having fun that's why their friends, Michael and Suzy with their 2 kids, Malcolm and Andrew, invited them for Sunday for a nice chicken roast dinner. And they thought it's great idea for holiday Sunday.

After seen friends and have quick fresh up in a hotel rooms, they gone for a trip around. Their first place they fisit was Norwich Castle – founded by William the Conqueror. Norwich Castle stands proudly overlooking Norwich is steeped in a bloody history so it’s hardly surprising that a few angry souls remain, haunting the 900-year-old keep. The castle was also used as a place of imprisonment and execution. Ghost sightings include the decomposing remains of Robert Kett, hanging from the castle in a cage. Reports of another ghost, that of a black clothed woman, have been made since at least 1820 and are still noted to this day in the art gallery.

After a busy day Amy, Beth, Josh and Zoe end up in  Adam & Eve Pub. Just have rest, something to eat and drink. Of course there was some spooky reason why they chose this pub us well. In 1249, this inn on Bishopgate is said to be one of the oldest pubs in Norwich. If you fancy a drink, you might have the company of the ghost of Lord Sheffield, a nobleman who was caught up in Kett’s Rebellion in 1549 before being stabbed and dragged to the former inn on the site of the Adam & Eve, where he died. Reports say that he rings a bell when the pub is empty but don’t be deterred from visiting as he is known to be a friendly apparition, perhaps rewarding the hospitality of the pub that sheltered him in his final hours…

Next day they visited two very interested places.  Elm Hill in Norwich is known by being haunted by a zealous priest called Father Ignatius. He is thought to have cursed those that didn’t engage in prayer way back in 1864, eventually inciting an angry mob of superstitious townspeople to drive him out of the city. His vengeful spirit is said to have returned and curses passersby to this day. There is a separate ghoul that supposedly died in a fire whose footsteps can be heard walking around one of the houses on the street. People have also had strange encounters with disembodied footsteps clomping around the antique shop on Elm Hill.

The second place family visited at night was Maddermarket Theatre. To start with they watched show called The Secret Garden! It's based on a book by a same name, which also became a movie. This theatre is actually located on the site of an old Roman Catholic Church and is supposedly haunted by a monk seen walking from one of the reclaimed confessional boxes and across the stage. He has also been sighted in the cobbled alleyway that runs up to the theatre. Far from evil, this spirit has supposedly saved someone’s life who was about to be struck by a falling light and even comforted actors who forgot lines or mess up their parts.

On Friday they decide visit  Devil’s Alley, in near by town called King’s Lynn. The market town of King’s Lynn has many pretty streets and historical buildings but one street, now come to be known as Devil’s Alley, has a more sinister side. There used to be a mark in the cobbled alleyway that, according to legend, is the spot where the Devil himself stamped his hoof after a priest came upon him and banished him in a dramatic fury. The print has since disappeared but an eerie presence still remains.

On Saturday Amy get an idea to go for a trip to the Priory of Our Lady of Thetford, where it's been known for face a ghostly onslaught of hooded monks who allegedly roam the ruins’ grounds. Built in the 12th century, Thetford Priory was the burial site of many Earls and Dukes of the county before some tombs were removed in 1520 during the dissolution of the monasteries which may have disturbed more than just the mortal remains of those buried there… She decided to go their because people was reporting of hearing the monks chanting and singing in Latin have been documented as early as the 1930s. With other nearby spots that purportedly play host to ghouls and ghosts such as the Warren Lodge and Grimes Graves, this is a hub of paranormal activity. Which also Amy and Zoe could be a witnesses. Josh and Beth wasn't convinced about it.

The Sunday came. It was day when all of them could spend a day at their friends, as well enjoy a dinner. Michael and Suzy was very interested to listen to story of Beth and Amy adventures in a new place they moved in. Also Malcolm and Andrew was passionately listen to Josh and Zoe telling their stories from new place like last few days of holiday. All of them enjoyed a day together. They even invited Michel, Suzy and kids to visit them in Dudley and show them most interested places and place where they live.

Monday, last day of their holiday, Beth and Amy decided take kids to Cromer Pier. Cromer Pier is a Grade II listed seaside pier in the civil parish of Cromer on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk, 25 miles due north of the city of Norwich in the United Kingdom. The pier is the home of the Cromer Lifeboat Station and the Pavilion Theatre. It was an idea that would be nice to see some sea, while they on holiday. The beautiful listed pier in Cromer is a hub of activity during the summer months – think ice creams, fish and chips and seagulls. But when the colder months come creeping in, the old place reveals a more sinister side. It is good to have some more normal fun apart just be a people who don't have other hobbies then catching ghost. But it doesn't mean that the place doesn't have any spook to it.  The Pavilion Theatre, which is located on the pier and is supposedly haunted by ghosts seen by performers that appear on stage next to them. Theatre goers have also reported sightings of a man with a tall black hat and poltergeist activity too. There have also been sightings of a phantom island across the sea, supposedly the lost town of Shipden.

Next day, on Tuesday, it was time when the family came back home. After nice and adventure holiday they spend week in and area visiting area better. One of the days, while kids still had holiday from school, family went on a trip to Dudley Castle and Zoo. Great place for spend day off for few reasons. its a Zoo and Castle and it's an active spend time. Castle its a sources of a history. It's a day out. But as well if you like scary/haunted ideas to spend your time.

Dudley castle is a popular place know as one of the most haunted locations in the Midlands and perhaps the world. With history dating back to the Domesday book of 1086, this eerie location is full of ghosts, some of which have made the news. And this ghost is  the Grey Lady Ghost. The most haunted location in the castle is thought to be the chapel undercroft. In an Ancient Room there is a stone coffin, that is believed to have once held the body of one of the most castle’s most feared Lords, John Somery. Also you could find reports when people have reported seeing legs beside the coffin and they believed to be that of John himself. Other people reports include people having the feeling of their clothes being tugged at, and their bodies prodded. One of the best examples is story of the little girl flipped over a chair during a paranormal investigation. On another investigation, a dark shadowy figure was captured on camera. People have also reported strange grinding sounds coming from the chapel above, and obviously on investigation the sounds cease.

It was 27th August. Last few days of Zoe and Josh holiday. Also it was Zoe 16 birthday. They all went out for a meal. Some friends came for a little party in an evening. In September Zoe starting college. She decided IT course. She always wanted work with computers and do and computer art. Also to earn some little pocket money and earn some practice she started an YouTube channel. Because she found herself a new hobby: paranormal activities, scary stories and stuff are involed with this subject. She called her channel Creepy Intrest.

[imaginemarvelbae]

Detention- Peter Parker imagine Warnings: language A/N: I really suck at the warning-things. Gif not mine but if you owe it I love it. Word count: 1633

I was sleeping on my desk when a book fell down right next to my face. My Spanish teacher was looking me from above and had a disappointed look on her face. She was furious and send me to the detention class. I’d been busy working as a blogger. I had my own blog and tried to write everything as true as possible. I’d been following the Spiderman events. He had saved my favorite place to eat sandwiches. I had been a big fan of his since the moment he saved my life. I was being chased by two bad guys who wanted my money and he flew from the sky and took me in his arms. He had taken me to the rooftop of my building and I’d thanked him but I’d wanted to kiss him. It had been so much tension on that rooftop. I realized then I was on the detention classroom making a drawing of him. Next to me it was a boy, curly brunette hair, puppy eyes and a cute smile. He was staring at my draw.

“Have you ever seen him?” He asked me. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, I have. He saved my life and I’m eternally grateful” He could see the admiration in my eyes.

“Really? I thought he was made by computer like photoshop or something. I didn’t know he was real” he looked at me with his beautiful brown eyes.

“Oh… believe me. He’s definitely real. I owe him a lot, like my life and the best sandwiches in New York are safe because of him” he had a confused look on his face. “Oh it’s just that I really like sandwiches”

“Sandwich lover. Interesting” we laughed “why are you here? Miss sandwiches lover”

“I fell asleep on Spanish and Mrs Gutierrez got pissed off. I couldn’t sleep because I’ve been writing-” I was about to tell a complete stranger that I had a major crush on Spiderman and I had my own blog about him.

“Writing what?” He was curious, maybe he just wanted someone to talk to.

“Don’t laugh ok? I have my own blog about our Spidey friend. I even have a video of him holding a car with his bare hands ” he didn’t laugh. He just smiled at me like I wasn’t a weirdo.

“I think that’s awesome. Let me tell you a secret” we got closer “I’m a big fan too”

I looked at him and opened my mouth to tell him something but the bell rang and we had to go home. I was happy I wasn’t the only person who thought Spiderman. Next day in the cafeteria I looked for my detention pal but couldn’t find him. I was looking around when I bumped into Flash Thompson and threw my lunch all over his blue jacket. Detention again. I walked in and the teacher was sleeping on his desk and dribbling on his book. I decided I could take a short nap. I woke up by the snoring of Mr Dribble and saw the detention guy on the door waving at me. I quietly got out of the classroom and walked with him to the sports field. He was really kind and nice.

“Hi miss sandwich lover” he said to me with his big white smile.

“Hi stranger. You know what? I never got your name” I looked at him innocent.

“Peter… Peter Parker” he said shaking my hand. “Nice to meet you Peter. I’m Y/N Y/L/N by the way” we sat down in the grandstand.

“Beautiful name. I’ll never forget it” heat flew right to my cheeks and couldn’t help but blush “Why did you do today? You were in detention again”

“It wasn’t a big deal but it was your fault” he opened his eyes confused.

“What? What did I do?” He giggled a little bit. “I was looking for you in the cafeteria and accidentally threw my food over Flash’s jacket. And that’s how I got to detention” he was in complete silence when he broke in laughing.

“Don’t laugh Peter! Where were you today?”

“I was…. I’d been doing… I got late to class because… the Stark Internship and the principal talked to me because I’ve been missing classes and stuff like that” he seemed nervous.

“Are you okay Peter? You seem a little off” he nodded.

“I’m fine. Hey are you going to the homecoming dance?” I could see hope in his eyes.

“Oh no. I’m not going. I don’t have a date so maybe I’ll spend my evening watching movies and eating popcorn” a small laugh scaped from his lips.

“As tempting that sounds… Would you like to be my date?” It was a short awkward silence. I had no idea what to say.

“Sure. I’d love to. See you on Friday, Peter” I kissed him on the cheek and walked away. I turned my head around and saw him touching his cheek. I thought it was cute.

Friday afternoon and I was super nervous, had never been that nervous. I did my makeup following a YouTube tutorial. My dress was a beautiful long blue dress. My back was showing and made me look gorgeous. I straightened my hair and in the moment when I was putting my perfume the bell rang. I overheard Peter talking to my mum. I walked downstairs and my eyes met his. His mouth was opened and his jaw was on the ground. I smiled at him. He gave me a bunch of roses that smelled like heaven. His cologne smelled like heaven. We walked our way to school because my house was nearby. Peter stopped before we got into the school.

“Hey I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful and I’m happy to be here with you” he got closer to me and placed his lips over mine and kissed me. I didn’t expect him to do that. I kissed him back of course. He tasted like mint but sweet. “I’m sorry but I wanted to do it a long time ago”

“Peter don’t you ever apologize for doing that” I smiled and kissed him again. I turned my head around and saw Peter’s friend, Ned I think. “Go. I’ll see you inside”

I kissed him on the cheek. Inside I met Michelle and Liz. Cool girls, friends of Peter. I turned my head around and saw Peter looking down and walking away. He stood me up. I was heartbroken and sad, ran to the girl’s bathroom and cried. Liz and Michelle talked to me and convinced me to stay in the dance and spend the best night of my life. I fixed my makeup, hid every single feeling and spent the best night along with my friends. He didn’t give a shit about me. Monday and I fell asleep on Spanish but no one cared because the teacher was also asleep. Busy weekend I guess. I was sitting in the cafeteria with Liz and MJ (Michelle insisted in calling her like that). Peter showed up and my girls looked at him with their resting bitch faces. I ignored him.

“Hi Y/N. Can we talk?” I acted like I didn’t hear him. He sat next to me. “Don’t act like you don’t hear me”

“Then don’t act like nothing happened!” I screamed at him and everyone in the cafeteria turned to look at us.

“Y/N. You’re going to star a scene. Please let’s talk outside” he stood up and so did I.

“A scene huh?” He looked at me confused and I threw my soda on his face “That’s a scene Parker”

I left feeling all those eyes over me. He stood me up. I was upset. I had to go to detention but I didn’t. I skipped it and walked home. Suddenly I felt someone next to me. It was a man running. He stood in front of me with a gun. I wasn’t in the mood to get robbed.

“Give me your bag!” He yelled at me. His eyes were filled with rage.

“No way. I’m not in the mood. Move along man” I said and turned around. He kicked me from behind and I fell. He grabbed my bag. “Shit” I started running behind him and followed him to an alley. “Give me my bag back bitch”

“Or what? A little girl like you would never hurt me” he made me feel powerless.

“You heard the lady. Give her the bag” I turned around and saw the Spiderman. I felt so much better when he appeared. With one habd he shot a web and grabbed my bag. With the other one glued the bad guy against the wall. He grabbed me by my waist and climbed to a rooftop. “Are you okay?” His voice sounded familiar.

“Define okay. I’m safe but this hasn’t been my day” he handed me over my bag. “Thanks by the way”

“I’m sorry if you had a bad day"he was honest. He was a superhero.

“It’s my fault. I thought I found a good boy but he ended up being a fuckboy. If you know what I mean. He stood me up. He was supposed to be my date for the homecoming dance” he looked down.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel like that” I looked at him super extra confused.

“What? You didn’t do anything” he took his mask off. It was Peter Parker. My jaw almost touched the ground. “Peter?! What the hell?!”

“Y/N I’m so damn sorry. I had to leave the dance because Spiderman needed to stop a bad guy-” I interrupted him.

“Say no more” I kissed him and felt like home in his arms “You are forgiven spider boy”

[theliterateape]

Hope Idiotic | Part VII

By David Himmel

Hope Idiotic is a serialized novel. Catch each new part every week on Monday and Thursday.

BY MID-NOVEMBER, LOU HAD BEEN LIVING WITH MICHELLE FOR TWO MONTHS. She provided half of the dresser for him and cleared out space in the bathroom cabinets and her closets for him in an effort to make her place his place, too. But she refused to let him hang any photos of his friends or family. And there was no way he was putting his film trophy on display anywhere.

“It’s tacky,” she told him.

“I’m proud of it.”

“You won that years ago. In college. Why does it matter now?”

“Because, it is a big part of my creative career. The first real acknowledgement I received. It reminds me that I’m capable of succeeding.”

“It’s not like it’s an Oscar, Lou.”

“Would you let me display an Oscar?”

“Win an Oscar. You can carry it around your neck for all I care.”

Her case: She spent a lot of time and money making her home nice and mature and professional-looking. A trophy from a university film department contest would only cramp her style. It should have been enough that she made room for his stuff in her closet. “I had to give away a lot of shoes,” she reminded him.

“You didn’t even wear half of those shoes,” he said.

“If you absolutely have to have photos of your friends and family in the apartment, you can put them on your nightstand on your side of the bed.”

“But this is our place, right? You have photos of friends and family everywhere.”

“My family doesn’t live in the city. I never see them.”

This was bullshit. She saw her parents about every two months whether she was visiting them in Las Vegas or if they were visiting her in Chicago or if there was a vacation somewhere else they’d take together. And those friends in the photographs? They all lived blocks away from the apartment. Fact was, she saw her parents and friends far more than he saw his. Michelle said she wanted Lou to call the apartment home, but it seemed she didn’t really want him to move into it.

His father once told him about a girl he dated in high school who lived in a high-rise. “I broke up with her after the first date,” he said. “I didn’t like her enough to wait around for the elevators only to have to make nice with the other tenants.” Lou loved that story, and after living in a high-rise for two months, he had even more of an appreciation for it.

What he couldn’t move into, he began to feel trapped in. They lived on the twenty-ninth floor, so he had to wait for an elevator every time he wanted to go anywhere. If he was in a hurry to get back to the apartment to, say, go to the bathroom, he had to wait for an elevator to take him up. To run a load of laundry, he had to wait for an elevator to take him down to the basement’s laundry room. When he needed to drop a portfolio in the mailbox in the lobby of the building, or pick up a frozen pizza and a pack of gum from the store, he had to budget fifteen minutes to do so, just in case the elevators were moving slowly that day. What were once quick, thoughtless, chores back in Vegas had become time-consuming errands in Chicago.

It was not only a hassle getting out of and into the apartment, but not having a job to go to each day presented a certain kind of claustrophobia for him. The apartment was a perfectly good size for a one-bedroom in the city, and it never felt that he and Michelle were living on top of each other. But where there was a specific bedroom and kitchen, the living room, dining room and office were all one large space. It’s called an open-floor plan, and it was suffocating.

He was home all day scouring the web for jobs, calling businesses, opening a LinkedIn account and joining groups, learning about networking opportunities, perfecting and re-perfecting his résumé and cover letters, all from Michelle’s tiny IKEA desk shoved in the corner of the main room. When he wasn’t staring at the computer screen, he was looking through the large windows at the panoramic view of the city and he swore it was mocking him. Like it was saying, “Here I am, Lou! I’m right here! Come and get me; make me yours! Hurry, you don’t want to miss the elevator!”

The city, and all it offered was out of his reach. By two o’clock every afternoon, he was so emotionally drained and physically exhausted from sitting on his ass, that his six o’clock scotch routine was bumped up four hours.

✶

CHUCK’S MOTHER HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL FIVE TIMES FOR THREE HEART ATTACKS since the first one back in June. He was sending nearly every cent he had back home to cover the cost of the rapidly growing medical bills and hardly making a dent. As a result, he was falling far behind on his own bills. Lexi was barely keeping both of them afloat.

When Chuck’s mom went in to the hospital the fifth time, he thought it best to fly out there. On his way back to Vegas, he stopped in Chicago to see Lou. He was going to stay at Lou and Michelle’s place, but realizing Chuck’s one night in town would likely result in drunken and horrific behavior, Michelle politely suggested they both get a hotel.

“That’s fine,” Chuck said. “Since neither of us has any money.”

“And she wants me to start paying half of the rent,” said Lou. “That’s about nine hundred bucks a month. I’ve been in Chicago for almost six months and haven’t even made a total of nine hundred bucks. And she wants me to pay that every thirty days?”

“It’s not right. Because it’s not that she needs help making rent. She’s pulling in four hundred grand a year, right?”

“One seventy-five. Which is plenty. And I’ve saved her money on housecleaning. She used to pay a service. Seventy-five dollars every two weeks. I clean the house better than they did, and I do it every week, plus I do the laundry. And I cook. Dinner is always ready for her when she gets home from work. I’m pulling my weight the best I can.”

“You’re the perfect 1950s housewife she always wanted,” Chuck said. “You’d think that would be enough.”

Michelle told Lou she wanted to at least have dinner with the boys since it would be her one chance to see Chuck while he was in town for the night. She was sweet and asked about his mother and the rest of his family. She pressed him about his plans to marry Lexi, which made the boys uncomfortable because they knew that he not only wasn’t making plans to marry her, but he was mostly fucking someone else — and possibly falling in love with that someone. Michelle, however, had no idea about Gina and there was no way Lou was ever going to say anything about her as long as Chuck was still living with Lexi.

He was a cheating, conniving bastard, yes. Lou knew that. And he told Chuck so several times. But Lou also understood the reasons for the attraction and the reason he had to sneak around. Without Lexi, Chuck had no money, and with all he had on his plate, not having his sugar mama would be a disaster.

There was also the fact that despite the cheating and lying, he loved Lexi. She wasn’t perfect, but who was? So she bored him sometimes; who doesn’t get bored with the woman they love? They hadn’t had sex in ages, so what? People go through slumps. It was complicated because matters of the head and heart so often are. But it was wrong to lie to the person he was in a recognized relationship with. And that’s all Michelle would see, the black-and-white physical truth, not the grey emotional truth. So, it was best to just not bring it up.

He ran toward and lunged at Chuck, and they began fighting each other.

Michelle even paid for their dinner. “You’re both having a hard time right now; let me get this,” she said yanking the black checkbook away from Chuck.

“You want to pay for our hotel, too?” Chuck said.

“Sorry, boys. You’re on your own with that one.”

Following dinner, the drinks came fast and hard. It had been more than five months since they saw each other, but they spoke on the phone and emailed each other nearly every day so there was no reason to sit someplace quiet and catch up. What they missed was the rowdiness. Since they ate dinner downtown, Lou suggested they go to “that wretched Viagra Triangle. It’s full of tourists, rich women, creepy old perverts and over-privileged go-hards.”

When Chuck and Lou committed to a binge, they did so with every good therapeutic intention in mind. Some people relieve stress and manage problems by jogging or going to the gym or seeing a shrink. Chuck and Lou were each other’s shrinks, and their exercise routine consisted of filling their guts full of booze so that their blood thinned out and they could flush out their brains with a simple blackout. There was often a consequence or two to deal with when they came to, but it was always worth it.

At a karaoke bar where the drinks were overpriced and the floor was dramatically sticky, Chuck nearly had his head beaten in by three big frat-types, probably day traders, after invading their performance of “Don’t Stop Believing.” After being thrown out of the karaoke bar, Lou stumbled into an alley around the corner to puke up his dinner and about fifty bucks worth of beer. Chuck took pictures of it.

“You like that?” Lou yelled at him. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Then he ran toward and lunged at Chuck, and they began fighting each other. Lou was half the size of Chuck. Where Lou was a star cross-country runner in high school, Chuck was all-state in football. Whenever these playful fights broke out, Chuck was always the victor. But Lou was scrappy, and their antics made messes.

Out of the alley, Chuck stumbled backward, falling over a young couple sitting on the curb, sick from too much of something. The boys apologized as Chuck threw a few dollar bills at them. “Get a cab home,” he said.

Lou lunged again. Chuck caught him and rotated his body, using Lou’s momentum to throw him into the middle of the street. A black Lincoln town car almost ran him over. It blared its horn. Lou imitated the sound back to the car at the top of his lungs.

Chuck came at him. Lou tried to escape to the other side of the sidewalk, but Chuck grabbed hold of his jacket. Lou spun around and slapped Chuck across the face. Holding onto Lou’s jacket collar, Chuck shoved Lou backward to the corner of the next block. Just as he was about to throw his skinny friend into a collection of street corner newspaper dispensers, Lou tripped him and twisted his body, causing the bigger, heavier Chuck to fall into the dispensers, with Lou landing on top of him.

Metal newspaper stands clanged loudly against the street pavement. One of them broke open, and copies of the Inquisitor spilled into the intersection. Chuck pushed Lou off of him, and when they were both balanced on their feet again, Chuck charged, which pushed Lou back into a trash can, knocking it over, as well.

By this time, a crowd had gathered to witness the street fight between the two maniacs who were laughing their drunken heads off. Chuck’s leather jacket was ripped. Lou’s hand and forehead were bleeding. Someone called the cops.

If the police really wanted to capture half-aware drunks like those two, it would have served them best to not hit their sirens as they approached. Chuck and Lou trained themselves over the years to spring into action at the first sound and sight of an officer of the law. Chuck quickly grabbed Lou’s hand and yanked him up off of the ground, and they took off down Dearborn Street, where they successful evaded the cops in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

✶

THEY WOKE UP ON THE FLOOR OF THEIR ROOM IN THE CONGRESS HOTEL. The room was trashed, Chuck’s jacket was ruined and Lou had to think of a way to explain the cuts on his hand and forehead to Michelle. Getting into a street brawl with his best friend wouldn’t resonate well with her. They had to pull themselves together quickly. Chuck had a flight to make.

“We are fucking idiots,” Lou said.

As they hustled out of the hotel and to the Orange Line El train that would take him directly to Midway Airport, Chuck reminisced, “Remember when we used to have no responsibility for anything?”

“We always had responsibility. We’ve always just been good at keeping our circus act from burning the whole town down.”

“But all of this accountability to people now. My family. Lexi. Michelle.”

“We’d be more fucked without it.”

“I suppose.”

“Anchors to our drifting ships.”

Lou saw Chuck onto the train. They hugged and laughed at each other in a way that they both understood what the other was thinking; that they were going to be okay. That somehow they would figure it out, but that yes, they were complete and total fucking idiots.

✶

LEXI WASN’T AT THE AIRPORT TO PICK UP CHUCK AS PLANNED. He called her, but she didn’t answer. He waited there an hour and called her a dozen times leaving just as many messages. Nothing. He caught a cab. The fare emptied out his wallet. When he walked through the door, Lexi was lounging on the couch watching TV. Her phone was next to her, the voicemail indicator light blinking. He set his bag down.

She turned off the television, sat up and said, “We need to talk.”

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI