#and yeah 3 years is not an exaggeration i checked the file date of his very first design and its 3 years old 🚶

[princekirijo]

Every time I think I've finally settled on a Pimpernel design there's always this little voice in the back of my head going "wow it took you three years to come up with that? Lame lol"

[ms-rampage]

WIP-in a day

Tagged by @redangrypears

Tagging: @mc-flurrie @athenalillystar @queenofhollandvalley @mrsladydiana @hoesephseed @gamer-purgatory @oorah22 @thewanderer-000 @strafethesesinners

I enjoy writing alternate universes/timelines with my OCs and other canon characters.

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

Working at a prison wasn’t always an easy job, maybe not for Katella Winchester because she’s very well liked throughout the prison and with its inmates. 

Because she was always very sweet, and humble with them, and they loved her for it.

She was working at the Montana State Penitentiary in the Psych Ward where she was loved throughout the prison before she was transferred to the Arizona State Prison in Buckeye. Her home state, and she was relieved to be back home, and only an hour drive away from Phoenix, her hometown. 

After a few weeks of working at the prison, she was given a list of patients since most of the Doctors were given a roster to do their rounds, and check on the inmates.

They got transfers of new inmates that day, and Kate along with her fellow colleagues got their updated roster list.

She walks in through the employee entrance being greeted by the two guards. They scan her ID card, and buzz her in. Going over their usual protocol.

She walks down the hallway to the administration office to sign in on the sign in sheet, and her boss, Warden Cromwell approaches her.

“Doctor Winchester?” he calls her.

“Yes Warden?” she responds, turning to face him.

He hands her a beige paper folder, “Your updated roster. Since we're getting more inmates in this morning”. 

She takes the folder from his hand, “Thank you” she responds. 

“I noticed your roster is a lot bigger than the other Psychologists” he says, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Kate lets out a short laugh, “Yeah I noticed that too. Probably because the inmates really like me, and how I do my sessions”.

“Well whatever it is, keep up the good work, and maybe these people won’t go back to their old lives if they get released”.

He’s about to turn around, and leave when Kate stops him.

“Warden?!” she softly exclaims.

He turns to face her, “Yes?”.

“Would it be okay if I have next Friday off? It’s my daughter’s birthday” she says.

“If you can find someone to cover your shift then it's fine with me” he responds. 

He turns around and walks down the hallway towards his office. 

A few hours go by, and Kate is working with her next patient. A new inmate who was just transferred from Montana State Penitentiary.

She walks into the room where she condones her sessions.

A metal table that is almost 4 feet in width, to give a safe distance between her and the inmate. 

Her sessions are always monitored for her safety, but no audio is heard from the guards point of view. 

She enters the room, and takes a seat at the table, waiting for her next patient.

She checks her roster, her 10:30am-11:30am session with a new inmate. 

Flipping through the pages of her folder to check her new patient, and she feels her heart drop when she sees the name.

“What?!” she whispers, feeling like she’s gonna vomit, “No, no this can’t be happening”.

John Seed is the name. An old lover to Kate. They had broken things off a few years back when she was living in Hope County, Montana. 

Him, his brothers Joseph, Jacob and sister Faith ran a cult called The Project at Eden’s Gate. 

To make all this short and less painful, they killed and kidnapped people into joining their cult.

Kate dated John for 7-9 months when she lived in Hope County, then she moved back to Jackson, Wyoming, and when her older sister moved to Hope County, Kate moved back to Montana, where she had another encounter with John, and it wasn’t as good as it was the first time.

A few weeks before him, and his family were arrested. 

They had sex for the last time, and unknown to her at the time. John had put a hole in the condom he used, and impregnated her.

So her daughter Daenerys is the spawn of John Seed, and her 1st birthday is next week.

The last thing she wanted to see was that psychopath, but she’s a psychologist and it’s her job to see those types of people.

She reads through his file. 

Name: John Seed

Age: 34

DOB: 07/27/1986

Place of Birth: Rome, Georgia

Height: 5’10

Weight: 165

Transfer from Montana State Penitentiary.

She gets thrown off when the loud buzzer goes off, the red light, and the metal door on the opposite side of the room opens loudly.

John steps in, wearing an orange prisoner jumpsuit, his hands cuffed together with a guard behind him.

He looks over, and his eyes light up when he sees Kate. He never not once looked away from Kate’s eyes. Like they were locked together.

She can feel her heart pounding against her chest, her palms turning sweaty. Shaking her leg in nervousness. Her anxiety through the roof. The guard releases one of John’s hands from the cuffs, and locks him to the table. 

“I’ll let you take it from here Doctor” he says to Kate.

She nods her head in response, a slight smile and the guard leaves. Leaving the two former lovers together. She looks down at the file, trying to figure out what to say to him that is relatable to her job.

“I never thought I’d see you again Katella” he purrs, leaning over the table towards her.

She clears her throat, “I could say the same about you”.

He leans back in his seat, and chuckles, “Doctor huh?”.

She nods her head, “Yep, okay so, Mr. Seed I’m gonna ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them as honestly as possible. Okay?”.

“John” he says, “You can call me John. We both know who we are. I mean I took your virginity and made it mine”.

Ignoring his last comment, “Okay John, tell me how are you feeling today?. Any negative thoughts?” she asks, going through her usual route with the other inmates. 

“I’m doing great now that I’m here with you” he flirts, "Negative thoughts? Maybe about the lustful things we did in the past". 

Trying her best to stay professional, and not be rude. 

“That’s great to hear. How are you adjusting to your surroundings?” she asks.  Nervousness, and shakiness in her voice.

He cocks his eyebrows at her, and leans forward.

“Let me ask you a question. Is this what they’re paying you for? Sit around and ask questions?”. 

She takes a deep breath, and says slightly aggressively “Just answer the question”.

He raises his eyebrows, and smirks at her, “Feisty huh?. I like that”.

He places his hands on the table, “I’m adjusting greatly. I have my own cell. A comfortable bed, I get 3 meals a day, and I get to see you for an hour everyday”.

Kate gets goosebumps throughout her body, her stomach in knots and she feels like she’s gonna vomit.

She looks down at her questions in her folder, “How do you feel about being here? What could you have done to prevent yourself from ending up here?”.

John laughs softly at her questions, “Katie, darlin, my love. You should know why I’m here. You were there when they took me away from my brothers and sister. There is nothing I wouldn’t have done to keep me out of here”.

Kate sighs, scratches her eyebrow. Looking down at her folder.

“How do I feel about being here?. Hmm? Let me think” he says with his finger to his chin, scratching his beard, “I hate it here. That’s how I feel about it, but the thought of me seeing you everyday makes me love it here”.

Kate is about to ask her next question when John gives her a question of his own.

“How’s the little one?”. His eyes staring intensely at her, almost piercing through her. If looks could kill she'd be dead.

She stops what she’s doing, and looks at him in confusion.

“What?!” she asks, acting like she has no idea what he’s talking about. 

John lets out an exaggerated sigh, “If I can remember. I knocked you up before I was taken away. So how's our little boy/girl?”. 

Stammering over her words, “Oh I-I uh I lost it, at 3 in half months” she lies, her eyes wandering away from his gaze.

Kate was always a really good liar, but she was never able to lie to John for some reason. 

“Bullshit” he snarled at her, “You claimed to be a good liar, but you were never able to pull it off with me sweetheart. So let me ask again, how is our child?”.

She feels herself go pale, her hands go numb and sweaty at the same time. Scratching the back on her neck.

“That must be a lawyer thing” she chuckles, "Detecting lies".

John stares at her with those intense piercing blue eyes. Those same eyes that their daughter had inherit from him.

“Daughter” she mumbles, looking down at her hands.

‘What was that darlin?” he teases, leaning closer towards her.

“We have a daughter, her name is Daenerys, and she turns a year old next Friday” she says. 

He leans back in chair, staring at Kate, and asks “Who does she look like?”. 

A little off that, that's his first question regarding their daughter, “Like me, but she has your eyes” she responds. A slight smile appears on his face. 

“I notice you don’t have a ring on” he says, “Single mother?”.

Kate nods her head in shame, she wasn’t able to keep a relationship because of her job, and with her daughter, they were both her number 1 priorities. She was okay with being a single mom. Her best friend Morgan helped her out, watching over her when she was at work. Sometimes her mom, or her sister Paige, Sarah, Alissa or any of her friends watched over Daenerys.

On her days off she spends time with her daughter, sleeping in and catching up on her tv shows.

He sighs loudly, catching her off guard. “We would’ve been perfect parents. The best parents, our little girl would be spoiled rotten. Maybe along the way I could fuck our next child into you. I do miss feeling that tight little pussy of yours, and you begging me to fuck you into the mattress. Making you sore, and unable to walk properly”. 

Kate clears her throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable, and a bit turned on at the same time. She hates herself for it, she hates herself in general.

She hesitantly asks her next question, “How would you better yourself for those you care about?”.

John raises his eyebrows at her question, and scoffs “Really?. That’s your question?. Okay” he shrugs. Going along with her "little game".

“I would better myself by being myself. But since you asked for those I care about. I would better myself by being a less shittier person, and maybe if I were to meet our little girl. Then maybe I will better myself for her, and maybe for you." He pauses for a moment, and Kate is about to continue with her session asking more questions, and John interrupts her.

"Just to keep in mind, I think I’ll touch myself tonight, thinking about you. I wasn’t planning on it. Imagining me destroying that pretty little tight pussy of yours, making you scream and beg for me”. 

Kate sighs in annoyance, she knows this session is gonna be a long hour of John flirting with her, telling her all the things he would do to her. 

Finally an hour later, 11:30. John's session is complete for the day. 

A buzzer goes off, followed by the red light on the wall going off, and the locks on the metal door make their loud clanking sounds informing them that they’re being unlocked. 

John looks Kate in the eyes and says, “If there were a prison riot, and all inmates ransack the joint. Keep in mind I’ll be coming after you, and I won't stop until I find you, and do God knows what to you. I know how you like it rough, and hard".

He winks at her, before getting taken back to his cell by the guard. Leaving Kate in the room by herself. 

[uncloseted]

1/2

1/2

1/2 Hi. I think I could use some help, I'll try to make this short. When I was 14yo (I'm 20 now) I dated a 18yo guy, thank God we were taking it slow and never made things official. Now that I'm older I can see that relash was rlly wrong. He was manipulating, used me to boost his ego, forced me to do things I wasn't comfortable doing and I think although we weren't official, he cheated on me? (more on that later). After a few months of fooling around, I found out something about him that I didn't like and confronted him about it, with the intention of ending that relash. He started begging me not to leave him, asking me tricky questions about the things I had heard of him with the intention of "making me realize" he did nothing wrong, and he even became violent with the person who told me those things, to the point I couldn't break up with him because I was scared. I just stopped answering his texts and calls because I was afraid of even talking to him and eventually he took the hint and suggested we broke up. We decided to stay friends, but that only lasted a few days, because one day, via Facebook Messenger, he suggested we got back together and I rejected him, so he blocked me. Months later, I had to close my Facebook due to harassment (not related to him) and opened a new one. Facebook showed me his profile in 'people you may know' and I decided to peek out of curiosity. Turns out, the moment we broke up, he started uploading photos with his new girlfriend. The descriptions of those pics said the exact same things he used to tell me, and I ain't good a math but I did some calcs and he had to be with her while still being with me lmao. I really didn't care, I was just happy I got rid of him, and I moved on with my life. Some time later I fell head over heels for a guy from my workplace, who I still hold close to my heart. I have trust issues and I am a very private person, especially with my relashs, so I didn't tell anyone about this guy except from like 3 friends. One of them was a girl (that we'll call Anne) who was like a sister to me, and was also friends with my ex. Over the next 2 years I had a relash with this guy, everytime I talked to Anne I used to tell her more details about my relash. Then, one day, I got a text from my ex. He texted me like we were besties and nothing had ever happened between us, like he didn't block me TWICE (yeah, he blocked me from my new Facebook too even though I never tried to reach out to him). I was angry at his nerve and told him so, he realized I was upset and changed his persona from confident and tough as nails to regretful and soft, telling me he was sorry for being so immature all those years before, but excusing his shitty behavior by saying he always "kept an eye on me". Um, wtf? He told me he was always asking stuff about me to Anne, looking out for me. I wanted to know what exactly he knew, but, trying to manipulate me again, he said he would only tell me if I accepted to play a game with him: I could ask him one question if he would ask me one in exchange and so on, and we had to be ttly honest with each other. I really didn't wanna get into his shenanigans but I only had one question (wtf do u exactly know about me, creep?) so I accepted. He asked his question first (dID u fEeL sAd wHeN i bLoCkEd U?) and I asked mine. I thought he maybe knew something about my school stuff and MAYBE that I had been dating someone else. Turns out he knew every. single. detail about my personal life. Not only he KNEW I was with other guy...

2/2 Not only he KNEW I was with other guy. He knew his entire name, the school he attended and every little detail from our relationship and other stuff about my personal life. Every single thing I told Anne, opening my heart to her, she told him. I felt terribly violated. I felt like a dissected frog, open for anyone to see my most inner parts. I felt ashamed, unprotected, sad and angry, all at the same time. I told him what he did was disgusting, to never reach me again or try to "keep an eye on me", and that I would make that job easier for him by getting Anne out of my life. He apologized, said he understood the situation, would respect my wishes, and wished me a happy life. I thought that was it. It took me a while but I got to heal, to feel safe again, although I still have a hard time trusting my friends. But I was wrong. Months later he sent me a Friend Resquest. I was a lil afraid, but tried to calm myself saying he probably just was checking if I was still upset, so I rejected the request and again convinced myself that was really it. But then he sent some girls to take pictures of me during my high school graduation ceremony and recently, his cousin (who was my friend when we were 14 but haven't talked since) texted me. I know that sometimes nostalgia makes you reach out to old friends, but we weren't close at all. Besides, he acted super weird, didn't even try to make small talk or let the convo flow naturally, but went straight for super specific and weird questions: are you studying college? what are you doing with your life? are you in a relationship? I was really weirded out and considered the possibility he may have been asking all those things because my ex asked him to do so, so I kept my answers short and vague, not giving him the info he wanted, and although I def came out as cutting, he kept asking. I tried to still be friendly because I didn't wanna seem paranoid, but I think he realized I wasn't telling him anything over texts, so he asked me to meet again over some beers with his friends on October 27th and that's when I stopped answering. I thought about that strange invitation for a few days until it hit me: October 27th is my ex's birthday. So much about respecting my wishes. I spent the rest of that month really nervous that cousing would try to reach out again, but nothing happened and I started to feel calmed again. Until, in November, he wrote me again, this time asking me if I wanted to go to the beach with his friends. I haven't even bother to open that text. Since them, I've been super paranoid. I know my ex's attacks aren't that consecutive (more like every two years: he contacted me and sent me that friend request when I was 16, hijacked my graduation at 18 and now sends his cousin at 20) but I can't help but think he's always there "keeping an eye on me" and planning his next move. I stopped accepting any friend requests because I'm afraid he will send someone for me, and if someone I already have on my friend list but idk texts me and after some small talks asks me about my life, I get paranoid and ask them why they wanna know and if they have some hidden intentions. Also, there's a mall near his house, and everytime I have to go there to buy something, I feel like crying because I'm afraid I'll stumble with him. I probably sound crazy. Some people may think I'm exaggerating and I should just let my ex stalk me and act all obsessed, but I feel dirty everytime I think about him knowing my personal stuff. It was just so traumatizing the first time. Do you get me? I feel like nobody gets me. Please help me, what can I do? I don't know how to make him stop, I'm tired of living in fear.

Not to start this off with an unrelated thought, but when did Tumblr get rid of its character limit on asks? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it let someone send in a message this long in one ask.

To get to your situation, I can definitely see why this would be a stressful and uncomfortable situation for you.  The first thing I would do is to stop interacting with your ex and people related to your ex.  You don’t owe his cousin anything.  Block both of their numbers, block their social media accounts, etc., and do that for everyone else who’s friends with your ex (or put them on limited profile/create a “close friends” list on social media).  Tell all of your friends in no uncertain terms that you don’t want them talking about you to your ex, even if it’s stuff that seems harmless, and cut those people off if they do talk to your ex about you.  

The other action you could take is to file a restraining order.  If you go down that route, you’ll have to fill out some forms and file them with the court, and then have a hearing with a judge where you explain your situation.  Then, you’ll have a second appearance in court where the stalker is present, and you both get the opportunity to explain the situation.  The judge will then determine the final order and the conditions of that order.  It can be a bit of an involved process, but it may give you some peace of mind.

The last thing I would suggest is going to therapy.  It seems like you’ve been through something traumatic, and a mental health professional can help you to work through that and move on from it.  There are many options for therapy, both online and in-person.  If you have health insurance, your insurance should cover at least some therapy sessions.  If not, some therapists provide services on a sliding-scale, and online services like BetterHelp can be less expensive than traditional therapy. 

[vestsfriends]

2 Years Later (An Andi Mack Fanfic) Part 1/4

Pairings: TJ Kippen/Cyrus Goodman, Jonah Beck/Cyrus Goodman, Jonah Beck/Andi Mack, Andi Mack/Amber, Buffy Driscoll/Marty From The Party, Bex Mack/Bowie Quinn

Word Count: 4,790 (for parts 1 and 2)

[please read this I worked on it for ten hours straight]

With the school year finally coming to a close along with the never ending drama of middle school, the GHC found themselves at the last minute of their graduation ceremony. When Principal Metcalf gave his final goodbye to the students, he signaled the graduating eighth graders to stand up and walk back down aisle of the auditorium. The students were each wearing proper clothing to comply to the dress requirements. The boys were wearing blue, white, and grey polo shirts with a tie around the collar, and all the girls wearing different colored dresses and skirts. Unfortunately, there was assigned positions, so Andi, Cyrus, and Buffy were not anywhere near each other.

When they reached the end of their dismissal, Andi, with her light purple skirt being blown away by the wind, searched through the crowd of graduates and their families to try and find hers. She stood on her tip-toes to see if she could spot Bowie’s curly brown hair peeking up amongst the mob. Alas, she was unsuccessful in finding her parents. Andi’s dark copper eyes fell gloomily on the ground below her. But suddenly, a hand grasped her shoulder from behind, startling the young girl.

“Hey, kid!” Bowie exclaimed, he and Bex enthusiastically surrounding their daughter with a bouquet of flowers. “Congratulations! You’re officially a high schooler now!”

“Dadddd,” Andi whined and stuffed her face into her father’s chest while laughing. “I don’t want to be called a high schooler just yet.” She rolled her eyes up at Bowie who chuckled and glanced over at Bex.

“Wait, where are Cyrus and Buffy?” The professional make-up artist asked. “I thought they would have met up with you by now.”

Andi unwrapped her arms from her father. “Oh right! I gotta go find them! See you guys later!”

Bex and Bowie wrapped an arm around each other’s waist tightly, their bodies immediately warming from the touch.

“Don’t forget to meet us at the Spoon when you find them!” Bex called out to Andi who was running in and out of the swarm of other students. She turned back for a brief moment to meet Bex’s eyes before shifting her head forwards again.

Bex leaned into Bowie’s ear and whispered, “she’s growing up way too fast.” Bowie nodded solemnly and gave Bex’s hand a squeeze in comfort.

Meanwhile, Andi was almost sure that her childhood friends had left until she spotted them on a bench in front of their middle school. The short-haired girl sped over to them, flailing her arms to get their attention.

“Hey!” She yelled. “We did it guys!”

Cyrus and Buffy jumped off the bench and ran to hug their friend. The three teens wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. They were very emotional, and their eyes had already started to form tears.

After a few moments of silence, the three now-high schoolers separated.

“The Good Hair Crew has finally ended one of their longest chapters, and will now be starting a much bigger, and longer, journey!” Cyrus spoke proudly as if he a news broadcaster. Since it was a special day, Andi and Buffy decided to let him call them the “good hair crew”.

The three of them laughed until another unknown voice spoke from behind them.

“Congrats, guys! You’re all going to join me in the high school next year.” The unknown voice belonged to none-other than Jonah Beck, the newest and honorary member of the GHC. They each greeted Jonah with a friendly wave.

“Oh, that’s right, we’re finally going to be in the same school again Jonah,” Cyrus happily gave his green-eyed friend a bro hug. “It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve seen you in the hallways.”

Andi nodded in agreement, smiling for a little bit too long at Jonah. Next to her, Buffy was looking down at her wrist to check what time it was.

“Guys, we’ve got to get going. We had the biggest table at The Spoon reserved for us and we can’t be late.” Buffy informed the group. They stopped their chatter and obeyed her, the four teens walking down the sidewalk into town to eat at their favorite restaurant of all time.

•

•

•

After a short period of time, they arrived at the front of The Spoon. Andi pushed open the door, and the small bell hanging above the door rang softly. The four teens filed into the diner, their eyes scanning the diner to find their table.

To their surprise, Amber was currently working her afternoon shift and excitedly made her way over to them, smiling in relief as if she had been saved from a horrible punishment.

“Oh thank god you guys are here,” The blonde-haired waitress exaggerated her voice for dramatic effect. “It’s really been one of those days.”

“Yeah I know what that feels like,” Andi sighed, recalling all of the times when she had to deal with nonstop family drama between Bex and CeCe. “Anyway, we reserved a table for around eight people.”

Amber raised her eyebrows curiously. “What’s the occasion?”

Andi shared a knowing glance with Buffy and Cyrus. “We just graduated from Middle School,” the girl with the short brown pixie-cut haircut announced. Andi gestured to her best friends.

“Wow congrats,” Amber complimented. “And your table’s right over here.”

During the entire conversation between Andi and Amber, Cyrus’ focus was elsewhere. He had been staring down at his phone for a while, anxiously waiting for a response from TJ. He had asked for the billionth time if TJ was coming to their graduation celebration. A month back, TJ had initially agreed to attending the get-together when Cyrus asked him. Yet, he was nowhere to be seen.

Not only were the past few weeks leading up to the eighth grade graduation stressful all on its own, he had another contributor to his anxiety. Cyrus’ friendship with TJ had been on thin ice quite recently, with the costume day incident a few weeks back, along with the swingset incident when Cyrus saw TJ and Kira on the swings together, but what truly threw Cyrus over the edge was that just last week, he had seen Kira and TJ holding hands. The dark-haired boy felt his entire heart crumble within just those few seconds. It was as if everything he cared about had been thrown onto the ground and immediately shattered into a million pieces.

What Cyrus didn’t understand was why, why did he feel like it was a crime for TJ to be with Kira? It’s not like TJ was doing anything wrong or illegal.

Yet, Cyrus remained feeling as though he was being ignored by TJ nowadays. Sometimes Cyrus wished he had seen the full truth, that maybe there was a logical explanation, but Cyrus’ mind never allowed him to think rationally, and the moment he had seen Kira’s and TJ’s fingers intertwined, Cyrus ran as far away from them as humanly possible and found a place to hide behind a building.

That day was one of the worst days of Cyrus’ life, after he saw them together, he cried for what had seemed like forever. Any feeling of worth or happiness was gone, his body seemed hollow, completely empty. Cyrus remembered returning home late at night to his parent’s dismay, since he hadn’t called or texted them the entire day, but when they saw his tear-stained face, they immediately stopped their scolding and comforted him.

“Hey, Cy-Guy,” Jonah turned Cyrus’ attention away from his deep thought process. “You’ve been intensely staring at your phone for 10 minutes dude, Ambers showing us to our table now. Are you okay?” The green-eyed boy gently placed a hand on the other boy’s shoulder.

Cyrus swatted Jonah’s hand off of him. “I’m fine,” he said in a low, cold voice, avoiding the hurt in Jonahs eyes. Cyrus wiped the wetness from his face as he walked over the large table in the back room. Jonah and Buffy shared a worried look with each other as they followed.

The dark-haired boy sat down in a chair at the far end, with Buffy sitting down next to him on his left. Cyrus took out his phone again to check his messages. Or rather, at the very least, see if TJ had read them. The dirty blonde-haired boy hadn’t responded to any of Cyrus’ texts since around the middle of May.

5/29/19 at 10:30am

ChocolateChipMuffin: TJ?? U there?

ChocolateChipMuffin: Will you please tell me what happened with the whole costume day thing?

ChocolateChipMuffin: I know you were going to say something before Kira showed up

6/7/19 at 2:00pm

ChocolateChipMuffin: Teej? U there?

ChocolateChipMuffin: please TJ

ChocolateChipMuffin: we haven’t properly talked in a while

ChocolateChipMuffin: I miss you....

Read 3:50am

6/15/19 at 5:30pm

ChocolateChipMuffin: TJ?? Um im sorry but since when have u brought Kira to our hangout place??

ChocolateChipMuffin: I thought it was our place

ChocolateChipMuffin: yknow where we share our stuff together?

ChocolateChipMuffin: .....

6/21/19 at 4:00

ChocolateChipMuffin: are you ever going to answer me? Or is this how our friendship ends?

ChocolateChipMuffin: I saw you and Kira holding hands...does that mean u guys are dating?

ChocolateChipMuffin: I mean I’m not jealous or anything I just really miss hanging out with you... it’s been so long

ChocolateChipMuffin: will u at least still come to the graduation get-together on Tuesday? Pretty please?

Today at 12:35pm

ChocolateChipMuffin: TJ, you told me you were going to come

ChocolateChipMuffin: I really thought you were my friend

ChocolateChipMuffin: please respond tj

ChocolateChipMuffin: it’s been almost a month and you’ve been avoiding me at school, and on the phone

ChocolateChipMuffin: how long are you going to keep this up for?!

ChocolateChipMuffin: I’m done.

Cyrus aggressively pushed his phone back into his pocket and set his head down on the table so nobody else could see his despair. Bowie and Bex, who were sitting on the opposite side of the wooden table, raised their eyebrows.

“Hey, what’s wrong with-“ Andi shushed her father. Bowie turned to face her, and Andi shook her head as to say “now is not the time”. Fortunately, Andi’s young parents went back to chatting about famous old films from the 90’s.

Jonah, who was sitting in between Buffy and Andi, turned to the short-haired girl and whispered, “do you know what’s going on with Cyrus?”

Andi shrugged. “I think Buffy knows more but- TJ has been ignoring Cyrus since May I think.”

Jonah’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding!”

Andi quickly held a finger up to Jonah’s mouth. “Shush!” Andi whisper-shouted. “Not so loud!”

Jonah felt a weird feeling rising from his chest due to Andi’s finger lingering on his lips. Oddly enough, he felt a twinge of sadness as she took her finger off of him.

Weird, Jonah thought. He brushed off the strange feeling and turned his attention back to the issue at hand.

“What happened exactly?” Jonah asked. “I doubt TJ would just stop talking to Cyrus for no reason.”

Andi sighed. “Yeah, well, something did happen. He and Kira started hanging out more.”

Jonah rotated his head to the side. “So..?”

Andi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘so..?’ Cyrus 100% likes TJ, and he saw them holding hands. You are so oblivious, Jonah.” She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You have definitely never changed.”

Jonah took slight offense to Andi’s comment and dramatically gasped. “What do you mean?”

Andi lifted her eyebrows sarcastically. “Seriously? Jonah when we were dating all those months ago, you were quite oblivious to other people’s feelings.”

“I am? I legit had no idea.” Jonah felt awkward for not realizing how other people’s feelings were impacted by him. “I’m sorry if I ever hurt you.”

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine now.” Andi glanced over at Jonah. “Honestly, I miss all those crazy times when we didn’t know how to act towards each other.” She gave him a crooked grin.

Jonah giggled quietly. “You mean that time when I gave you a freaking gnome?”

Andi held the side of her face and laughed. “Oh god I remember that. And the rice with my name misspelled? Who could ever forget that?”

The two exes laughed at their strange behavior of the past. When their giggles settled down, their eyes made contact once again.

“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we had still been together?” Andi asked.

Jonah shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows honestly. All I’m glad for is that we have grown from all of that.” The green-eyed boy’s deep dimples were displayed through his wide grin.

“Me too.” Andi couldn’t help but wish she and Jonah’s relationship had worked out. She hated that she missed one of her more dysfunctional relationships. Yet, Andi wanted nothing more but to hold the dimpled boy’s hand again. She missed having a crazy crush on the smiley frisbee team captain.

“Uh, Andi?” Jonah broke Andi out of her thoughts. “The baby taters are here.”

“Oh! Right. Cool.” Andi quickly reached out to the large basket of baby taters placed in the middle of the long table and grabbed a few.

Meanwhile to the right of Jonah and Andi, Buffy had been keeping watch over Cyrus, whose head had still not left the table. The dark-haired boy was silently crying for a very long time, and Buffy could not stand it. But the curly-haired girl was absolutely certain that the literal moment she saw TJ’s face, she would tear him apart. Buffy was and has always remained the bodyguard of the group, if anyone hurts her friends, they would have to answer to Buffy’s wrath. And she knew she would have to go through detention afterwards, but to her, it would be worth it.

Once the baby taters had been set on the table, Cyrus finally lifted up his head, but his eyes still remained fully on his phone which was peeking out of his pant pocket. Buffy took notice of the dark bags under his eyes, along with the tear streaks that went down his entire face. She immediately felt the need to hug him.

“Still no word from TJ, huh?” Buffy ensured that her voice was gentle. “I am really sorry, Cyrus.” She rubbed circles on the boy’s back.

Cyrus shook his head and turned to Buffy. “What about you? Have you heard from Marty since the marathon incident?”

Buffy sighed and shook her head. “Sadly, no. But I’m pretty sure it’s because he feels horrible for letting me faint during the end of the marathon.” She tightened her lips. “I think that Marty was blaming himself for what happened but I couldn’t get the chance to tell him that he did nothing wrong. So now I think he’s giving me space because ‘he doesn’t want to hurt me again’.” She exhaled a long breath.

Cyrus laughed. “At least you know he still cares about you.” He gazed back at the floor, firmly gripping his hands together. “I haven’t been in touch with TJ for so long.” He inhaled a shaky breath.

“Buffy, why does this always happen to me? Nobody I love ever loves me back.” Tears were now gliding down the young boy’s face, his nose sniffling to keep from running. He shifted his head to look at Buffy in the eyes, and she had never seen her friend’s face so red in her entire life. Buffy quickly wrapped her arms tightly around her friends trembling body. The rest of the table had already gotten up from their seats and started to crowd around Cyrus and Buffy. Jonah and Andi were beyond upset on their friend’s behalf. Jonah couldn’t stand seeing Cyrus like this, and for whatever reason, he envied Buffy, he wanted to be the one to hug Cyrus and tell him that he was going to be okay.

Cyrus had begun to sob, letting out loud agonizing cries that echoed throughout the entire room. Buffy whispered kind and comforting things into his ear as she continued to rub small circles on the dark haired boy’s spine.

After a few minutes, the cries that escaped from Cyrus’ mouth had eventually started to simmer. So, Buffy carefully pealed her arms off of her friend and met his eyes.

“Cyrus, I want you to know that whatever you are feeling right now, it’s going to end. Don’t worry. You are going to meet a fantastic guy who’s going to never EVER leave you. I promise, Cyrus.” Buffy reassured her friend, not even paying any attention to the many other people who were watching them, she only focused on her friend in need. “And whether or not you meet that guy today or in two years, you’re going to find him, Cyrus. You will.”

The dark brown-haired boy smiled warmly, mouthing a “thank you” to Buffy. He wiped the tears from his eyes and took a few baby taters from the basket.

“Wow Buffy,” Jonah said as he sat back down, “you’re really good at comforting people.”

Buffy shrugged with a smirk. “I have my ways.”

•

•

•

After an hour or so of the group chatting amongst each other and exchanging jokes plus finishing their meal, Bowie handed the check to Amber.

“Hey!” Bex grabbed Bowie by the shoulder. “I am not letting you pay for all of this.” She crossed her arms across her chest.

Bowie chuckled and turned to face his fiancée. “It’s my treat, babe.”

Bex rolled her eyes and smiled. “What am I going to do with you.” She grasped Bowie’s hand.

Andi alerted her parents from behind them. “Hey! Stop flirting, we all want to go hang out in Andi Shack together.”

Bex and Bowie laughed. “Sure, hon. We’ll go get the car,” Bowie pulled Bex away as he waved to his daughter and her friends.

Andi turned to Jonah, Cyrus, and Buffy. “Let’s go sit on the bench while we wait for them.” She suggested.

They walked over to the bench and squeezed their bodies together so they could all fit, but it was cramped and much too uncomfortable so Cyrus stood up. He laid his back against the bricks of The Spoon and watched the sunset in the horizon, a beautiful red, orange, and pink combination of colors illuminating the sky.

The Good Hair Crew sat in comfortable silence as they watched the birds settle into their nests, stores start to close up shop for the night, and the sky slowly become darker by the minute. It was then that they truly realized an important chapter in their lives had closed, and a new one had just opened. Everything around them including themselves was at peace with the world.

That is, until they heard a loud buzz sound coming from inside Cyrus’ pant pocket. The dark-haired boy rushed to grab it, saw the name of the contact, and nearly dropped it from the amount of shock, and reread the name of who sent the text.

TJ Kippen.

Cyrus stared at his phone and his mind drew a blank due to his shock.

Buffy rolled her eyes and got up to grab the phone. “Oh for Pete’s Sake, what does it say?!” She grabbed the phone and read the text message aloud. “‘I’m sorry’.”

Buffy scrolled through the rest of the conversation. “That’s it?!” She yelled, returning the phone to a frightened Cyrus. “That’s all he freaking says after ruining your entire MONTH?” Buffy was ready to snap the tall dirty-blonde haired boy’s neck in half. “I swear if I see his damn pale-ass face I’m gonna-“

“Uh, Buffy,” Jonah interrupted, his eyes so wide it was as if he had seen God himself, “You might want to look behind you.” He pointed a finger to something behind Buffy.

Buffy turned to see Cyrus staring at something while jaw-dropped, and then saw none other than the tall basketball player himself, TJ Kippen. He was wearing an unzipped brown jacket with a grey sports shirt, and had some worn out trousers on. In the dirty-blonde boy’s hand, everyone saw he was carrying a basket of two muffins, one blueberry macadamia, and one chocolate chocolate chip muffin. In his other hand, TJ was holding his phone close to his heart.

TJ’s face was glowing from the multicolored light shining in the sky. His eyes were sparkling from tears, his nose and cheeks stained red. He slowly walked over to Cyrus, the other boy feeling the weight in every step he took.

[aalt-ctrl-del]

so you want to vote third-party?

Im gonna go ahead and put it out there, and put it into file, for future reference. My predictions based on behavioral studies, herd theory, psychographics, mass Values, and environmental, geographic conditions, have been thus far exceptionally accurate. The science and mathematical estimations behind the pandemic is super basic, not hard at all, which is most frustrating of all.

If you get to vote come Election day - given that you are all still alive by that point with no medical complications - and you choose to vote Republican. Or worse, third party, if you do not vote Democratic.

There is a high probability that you or those of your close relations will contract Corona Virus.

This is not scare tactic or alarmist, this is a loose estimation based on our current political climate and rising trends. I made a post predicting June to be a hard hitting month, that comes from our behavior in May - specifically, the dates 13-17 range. I checked the calendar, those dates are high weekends for a lot of people. It is also Graduations for seniors of high school and college. Classes end for more, finals come to a close.

So, those days were not random. This is a very important time for people. It is also the most lethal. Thus, given the incubation time of the virus, or its capacity for dormancy, we will see results of this May 13-17 spike within 2 weeks, and in June. If, y’know, you disregard stuff that the CDC is cautioning us to do.

Back to voting. By the time elections roll around, and you decide who to vote for, let me reiterate, if you vote anything other than Democratic, you have taken a mediocre percentage I have calculate - lets say 30% possible encounter with the virus. And you do the thing like, vote third party - there is a Risk Factor which bumps your probable encounter with the virus up to 43%. By then, we should have shot past 100,000 deaths. It is estimated that yearly, at least a minimum of 12,000 people will die of the flu, and in the year 2017-2018, source at least 61,000 people died in that year. We have only been exposed to Corona Virus for 3 months, and already have watched a documented 70,000+ die. With quarantine measures in place and state-wide shut downs.

So what is the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties, which factor into my Risk Equation? Simply put, the Republican as of current is inadequate and a joke. They are actively expediting the spread of the Corona Virus. I mean, we have protesters outraged by Quarantine. Science deniers, anti-vaxxers. Sure, there is a high ratio of recovery compared to those who have died, but even the people who have suffered mild symptoms are developing post complications such as organ failure, scarring of the lung tissue, and my favorite, liver failure.

You can’t live without your liver. Its an essential organ. You have only one liver. Its not on the the same turf as the appendix. Your liver blows up, you die a pleasantly painful death source. I really didn’t read this article, I only know that we’re finding these things, like strokes, haunting people in the age bracket 30-40. I mean, you survive Corona Virus like a champ? Awesome. I hope that doesn’t dump a whole aneurysm on you.

Okay, back to voting once more. The Democrat party, is not much more better prepared than the Republican at this point. But, the Democrats and Joe Biden will listen to the scientists and doctors, like Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Birx. They will look into the process of stimulating the economy, while minimizing the trauma and destruction the inadequate and soft trump group is going through. Our chances of getting through this lay with the Democratic group, especially in the fall out from this pandemic. The economic strain businesses are so frightened by, will shatter with trump doing his usual thing of ignoring problems until the problem is way out of control. Which Corona Virus is right now. No exaggeration, its hit full momentum; you’re only options right now are rigorous sanitation practices.

Everybody protesting quarantine would’ve been the type to launch them self out a window when the Stock Market crashed. That’s the sort of people they are. If you want to get through this, you’re going to have to survive first. We can always pick up the pieces and rebuild from the wreckage, but if there’s no one to rebuild, then the tragedy remains a mystery.

And if you’re one of those Russian a-holes “But the sexual harassment allegations”. Omg, you absolute blunt tool. trump is a walking PSA of pedo-incest-creepy-uncle. “Grab her by the pussy,” - trump. “I can go in there and start kissing them, and no one can do anything” bragging trump, about walking into a dressing room for one of those American models programs - idek. trump is a misogynistic creepy bastard, that objectifies his daughter. You reason that thing is gonna be your salvation in these trying times?

And I do vibe with the #metoo movement. I don’t dismiss or discredit Tara Reade, about these sexual allegations, but I question a lot of what she’s doing and saying. For context, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and Joe Biden has the clout and experience to wipe the floor with trump. And the Democratic party will be the only faction to get us through this crisis with minimal casualties. The infection is beyond controlling at this point, but we will be ruined financially and physically, our economic infrastructure is edging toward a collapse the likes we haven’t seen in 50 years. But this Tara lady, makes allegations at this point in time of this specific year, when it would’ve have been more pertinent to do so at the time Biden was elected Vice-President. EVEN BETTER, DURING THE #METOO movement. 

If those allegations are true and do exist, then she has been paid by someone named trump - or an affiliate to trumps clan - to speak up. Right now. “BECAUSE OF THE EMAILS” I mean, allegations. I’m not saying Democrats are saints, but the parties interests and motives align far better with your chances of survival, and this Tara lady is trying to convince you to tie a noose for you to hang from. I mean, she could have as easily come forward after Biden was elected, or when his election campaign had more steam - that would have been appropriate. But she chose now, because of the pandemic, because people are dying so fast. At an alarming exponential rate. Tara isn’t doing this to be nobEL or help people, she’s been paid, she’s on someone’s salary. You’re gonna die, because you didn’t think this through. Because you think trump, in all his infinite wisdom, and poor business choices, cares about you? He doesn’t. He’s petty, spiteful, he took the landing gear from the plane and he’s trying to sell it back to the highest bidder, which isn’t you.

Right at this time trump is digging graves, and he’s nailing the coffin lid down. Each and every one of us is a statistic in this mess - you are either uncontaminated, infected-asymptomatic, recovered, or dead. And when you recover, there is strong evidence to show that the virus can still infect you once more. trump doesn’t care. He’s tossing out the pandemic team, we’re gonna get a whole new set of people in to lead us through this; unqualified people. Beautiful people, the sort of people trump likes to surround himself with. Yes people. Group think. People dumber than a blender with a massage feature.

so in conclusion, if you think voting third party is a good idea. 43% higher chance of encountering that virus. The infected and carriers is spreading, corporate businesses and franchises are forcing their GMs not to report those that have been infected, and they sure as hell are not closing their doors to decontaminate. No contact tracing, we have no test kits. No idea the actual statistics. And best of all, no idea if you have truly recovered, if you survive an infection with Corona Virus.

Did I mention the 43% will exponentially increase as we come near the election date? Yeah, it has a variable ( .43y ), it will fluctuate. Unfortunately, it does not and cannot go down. It only goes up. And 100% chance of an encounter with Corona Virsu, is not the highest number. Because you can get the virus twice, and it can stack with the flu or pneumonia.

August will be interesting :)

[advb16]

Would someone please pack some snacks, take me out to the woods, and shoot me? That way I can at least be useful as food.

Hit some serious milestones(?) recently. And I do mean I just drove head-on into some rocks.

Professional

Just hit my 5 year anniversary of passing the bar. That was a real kick in the face because I just started at a new firm, in a new city, in a new practice area, and I feel just as lost and stupid as I did my first day of practice. Except now, I’m too exhausted to give a fuck and learn all this new law. 

This is all compounded by learning a new file management system that is THE STUPIDEST THING. I’m not allowed to make any new sub-folders, and there is no consistent naming convention. So got a big case? Need to find that one, crucial piece of discovery? Let’s hope you are a Bolean search MASTER. Oh wait, that still won’t work because the search function is garbage.

Anyway. Interestingly, this is a vast improvement from my old job (small-medium firm, small town, family law). What this has made me realize, more so than ever, that I should not have gone to law school, and I would never do it again. With that said, there’s nothing else I’m good enough at doing to make this kind of money. It’s bloody depressing.

Personal

Tl;dr - boyfriend moved at the speed of light for the first three months. I finally bought in, and decided to really go for it with him, and now he’s backing off.

So. 16 weeks ago we went on our first date. We had a pretty intense, instant connection. Talked about the serious stuff, kids, money, careers, life goals, relationship talk, etc. It was a lot. By the second date he said he had stopped talking to other people on dating apps, and wasn’t seeing anyone else. I was in no way ready to be exclusive, but he kept coming for me. Took me a little over a month to agree to be exclusive. Four weeks later he drops the “I love you.” 

Once again, I am stuck being the asshole that has to be all that’s awesome, but I’m not there yet, and I’m not going to lie to you. Which... that fucking sucks. We ended up having a couple freakin’ awesome weekends together, including his birthday weekend (day with his friends, they’re great, then a super chill day with just us, some road tripping, gd magical) and I decided, fuck it. And I say it back. I know I know, “fuck it” doesn’t sound like the right way to go about it, but hear me out.

I was thinking, I have all these feels; maybe it’s love? I haven’t been in a reciprocal, loving relationship in a very long time. He’s doing all the things I want from a partner: communicating, texting me all the time, saying good morning, saying goodnight, very affectionate, great sex (not enough of it, but I guess that’s just being a woman in her 30s dating a man also in his 30s), open about his goals for the relationship and for his life, and open about his struggles. He is seeking a long-term, serious relationship, he has done the emotional growth, or at least started the process, he’s identified those areas where he needs work and is actively tackling those things, he likes his job and has career goals, and he has his finances sorted (he’s not looking for someone to support him). All the things I want, but these alarm bells just keep going off in my head. And keep going off. And keep going off. 

Now, I have to give him so much credit because he engages in the hard conversations. Not only engages when I bring stuff up, but also starts them. And I know I’m exhausted with the new job, and when I’m tired, I am... not great. Now, I won’t bore you with the details, but we end up having some very, very, very heavy conversations, and we discovery that we both feel like we’re failing the other person and ourselves. We both feel like we’re walking on eggshells, like we can’t get anything right, and that we can’t really be ourselves with the other person (fucking sucks, right?!). This is followed by the revelation that by maintaining my deep desire to not be a “burden” I had made him feel unwanted. And when he feels unwanted, he doesn’t see a point in being around (fair). 

So now we’ve had this groundbreaking discovery: he thinks it’s great that I have needs because then he has a job. Look at that! We’re both getting our needs met! It should also be noted, that I perceive the giving of affection as being needy (I’m a very fucked up person; we’ll leave it at that) which meant his need(s) for affection and attention weren’t being met. So in my efforts to make sure I wasn’t burdening him with all my neediness, I was also denying him the expression of the love I allegedly felt for him. Seems silly now, but it was a seriously eye opening moment for me.

Super exciting, right?! We’re on the same page, everything is awesome, we’re now moving forward together, and we’re totally committed to each other and our relationship.

Sidenote: I feel like now is a good time to mention that he has already brought up marriage, on multiple occasions. First time, was one week after our first date when he sent me a meme about being wife material, then in the text said “replace wife with with GF.” Also, he was married previously; divorced about four years ago. In that same conversation with the wife meme, he invited me to join him four months later at a four-day music festival two states away, during which time I would meet his brother, his sister-in-law and his nieces........

Anyway, we’re stupid happy, and I, like the fool of a Took I am, took him at his word that he was all in, this serious, committed relationship is what he wanted etc and I invited him to an old friend’s wedding that’s in about six weeks. His response? “Oh wow. That’s a lot. That’s huge.” To which I responded, I’m sorry. It’s what now? What did I fucking miss?! Then him, “I’m just kind of freaking out.”

what.the.actual.fuck.

So now all my alarm bells are going off again because why the fuck wouldn’t they?! This motherfucker ran immaculate game to get to a place where he is comfortable, and secure, and doesn’t need to move things forward. In fact, he’s doing exactly what I predicted, and told him I was terrified would happen: I hold out, then as soon as I finally open up and commit, you run away. And look! I was right! Exactly as predicted, right on time.

I made the mistake of rereading the first few weeks of our texts. I know people say things, exaggerate, whatever, at the beginning to look good. They do things that aren’t necessarily sustainable, that will fade over time, and reasonably so! But I feel like I’ve had partners at 3 years deep making more of an effort to engage with me and really check-in with me than he is at 3 months deep. For example, we chatted on the phone earlier for a bit, and the entire conversation was him talking about himself. His only reference to me or my well being was a statement along the lines of, “you must just be working.” I don’t need him to drag things out of me, but I use questions to gauge interest. If someone isn’t asking any questions, it’s a pretty good indicator that they aren’t interested in me much less my well-being or the banalities of my day. So if he’s not making an effort to see me (he’s not a planner, but still), he’s not curious about me, and the prospect of a low-key wedding terrifies him, how much do I really mean to him? Is this relationship what he actually wants, or is it what he’s telling himself he’s supposed to want at this stage of life?

Part of me thinks this could be the love of a lifetime, and I definitely want it to be that. Then that part is challenged by the fact that maybe I’m blinded by the blissful moments because if this chucklefuck is getting cold feet at the idea of going to a friend’s wedding around the 6-month mark of dating (he won’t even be meeting my family) after he’s spent the last three months blowing past relationship milestones at 160 mph, then what the actual fuck?

Mental

This circles back to the end of my professional update. 

I have been so fucking depressed. For almost a year now. Got out of a less than healthy relationship, which made things worse for a while because it highlighted some stuff. Got a new job, which is a lot better, but being a lawyer certainly doesn’t help anything. Got a new relationship after dating a lot. And I do mean, a lot.... fuck.... so many first dates. And it’s a good relationship! I mean, when it’s good it is practically perfect, but it has been so much work. I get that anything good requires effort and work, but shit. This has been so heavy from the start.

And it just.... like... why? What am I even doing here? Using clean water and making a giant ass carbon footprint? Just consuming things? I’m not helping. I’m not making the world better. I’m just... here.... and I don’t want to be here. I haven’t wanted to be here for a very long time. My suicidal ideation keeps getting worse. I’ve brought it up to my therapist, but he isn’t super concerned. To be fair to him, I haven’t been completely honest about the severity.... I know! I know... But I can’t stand the thought of disappointing him. We’ve made such incredible progress, and how annoying must I be to come back like, yeah, I beat my night terrors, I beat the cancer, I got the job, got the boy, and I have more than enough of everything, but let me just be a whiny bitch about the meaning of life real quick.

The last couple days have been extra difficult because my platonic life partner, and for the last three years roommate, just moved out. A few months ago I had a full plan. Everything laid out, ready to go, even got halfway through, then stopped because I knew she’d be the one to find me, and I couldn’t do that to her.

Nothing looks the way I thought it would at 32. I’m glad it doesn’t look like what I thought it would at 20, but shit. Even at 30 looking towards 32, it didn’t look like this. It wasn’t this bleak. It didn’t feel this pointless.

I have no idea why I’m putting this on the internet. I think tumblr is the most appropriate place for this kind of into the void scream/crying, so here you go. It also helps to know that no one will read this.

[animequeens]

Blessing in Disguise Part 3

"Erina sama?" Hisako knocked twice on the wooden door leading into the now-traditionally furnished conference room belonging to Totsuki's headmaster.

"I'm here," Erina replied in a sing-song fashion, her pen tapping mindlessly as the pink haired girl walked in with a stash of documents in tow.

Hisako sat the large pile of files on the table making a muffled bang before arching her back and stretching like a kitten.

"I have some urgent matters to discuss with you Erina Sama." Hisako walked towards Erina with a tea bag in her hands. She set the teabag inside Erina's mug before pouring some hot water in the cup. "Just the usual herbal tea to stabilise the early stages."

"Hmmm," hummed Erina as she took a sip of the tea, "You've really improved the taste to suit my palate, now I don't feel nauseous when I smell it."

Hisako smiled widely at the compliment. She scratched her cheek, proud as she replied, "I just altered a few herbs which had the same effect so I retained the purpose but changed the taste."

Erina smiled into her mug as she took another sip. "So, what do we need to discuss today?"

"2 major issues," Hisako replied seriously, taking her seat opposite Erina. She whipped out her ipad and continued, "I want to first discuss the arrangement of your public appearance as you continue your pregnancy and how we will be deal with your PR image and what you wish to be depicted as. The second is the autumn's election, the current elite tens brought up some proposal for this year's festival."

"What are your views on the public appearance?"

"I propose we restrict public appearance at around 20 weeks into the pregnancy or depending on how much you are showing."

"Hmmm," nodded Erina who had just finished her tea and reverted to tapping her pen lightly against her wooden table, "and you suggest this because?"

"Although Erina sama already have a very established reputation in the culinary world, where the success of your restaurant Fleur en Fleur doesn't rely on a pristine personal image, your role as Totsuki's head master does. Since some traditional Japanese family which some of our student body come from can still be conservative in relation to these matters, I would propose Erina sama hiding the fact that you are pregnant…out of wedlock."

"That is true," Erina sighed before she flicked through the index of elite ten profiles, "3 of the elite tens this year also come from these families."

Hisako looked at the blonde headmaster and she could sense the sadness Erina was trying so desperately to hide.

"I know the situation isn't ideal," Hisako sighed, "keeping him a secret for now is the best course for you though."

"We can hide him now, but how do we hide him after he is born? He won't be using a fake name and even out of wedlock he is of Nakiri blood." Erina twisted her side bangs slightly before letting them fall.

"We can figure it out as time goes?" Hisako suggested weakly, yet even she was unsure how they can maintain her public image if they revealed her pregnancy now.

"Yeah, I'm being silly and emotional again," groaned Erina frustrated with herself, "Must be the hormones again. Damn the devil's spawn."

"You need to stop refering to my god son as a devil's spawn," Hisako chuckled before she flicked her ipad to the next page, "About the autumn's election, the elite ten's this year wanted a supposed 'democratic' approach to the judge selection for this year's festival. The polls came back in today, we just need your signature and confirmation of a date to start organisation."

"The judges were?"

"As per tradition, you of course Erina-sama as the headmaster and the one with the most refined palate. The second judge people voted for was Eishi senpai."

Hisako paused at the mention of their white-haired senpai, unsure whether she should utter the third name.

"The last?" asked Erina half minded. She was too caught up in her own worries to catch the last name uttered by Hisako.

She signed the piece of paper swiftly, before meeting the eyes of a seemingly nervous Hisako.

"What's wrong?" asked Erina confused at her fidgeting best friend.

"Oh nothing," replied an equally puzzled Hisako, shocked by Erina's genuinely calm expression, "That's all for today, so I will head out now, oh but before I leave Erina-sama, I RSVPed your attendance for a social party next month celebrating Eishi senpai's new restaurant."

"That's fine, I didn't have a choice but attend anyways, especially if we need him back to judge the Autumn's election" chuckled Erina before she turned back to the mountainous pile of paper she had to go through.

(one month later)

When the night rolled in, Erina had just finished her day's work. The month following her discovery of her pregnancy had been extremely normal, like always, she would go to work 8:00-18:00, every two weeks she would fly to Paris to check on her restaurant. Her life was seemingly normal, calm and organised – but of course it was all a façade – she knew better than anyone just how terrified she was of her unplanned future ahead.

18:03

Erina sighed as supported herself up from her cushioned chair. She arched her back, relieving the pain on her lower back, the bump on her belly still barely protruding.

She has only an hour to both get dressed, be presentable and get herself to the event location.

If she was completely honest, she was feeling under the weather today and her hormonal body could not be bothered to attend yet another event where she must socialise with a bunch of irrelevant people. Ok, irrelevant maybe an exaggeration, since these people were all important people from Tokyo's various food industries, she on the other hand, just couldn't be bothered to maintain her haughty perfect self to the public.

Although she was feeling under the weather, her cousin on the other hand jumped at the opportunity to dress up. Erina had refused her attempts to braiding her hair with no avail. So, when the pair finally got out of the mansion, Erina had her long blonde hair in a half-up-half-down braid and a half million-dollar necklace dangling between her – now even swollen chest.

When Erina stepped out of her limousine in kitten heels (kitten heels refers to heels which are around 3cm in height)– yes, a very uncommon sight, given Erina was the type who would go hard or go home – a bunch of paparazzi's immediately directed their flash light towards her and her white haired cousin. To be fair, the pair of Nakiris were a sight to behold and the public's favourite, so these photos would no doubt end up on the cover of the food magazine tomorrow morning.

"Ms Nakiri what do you think of the new restaurant?" shouted one from the crowd.

"A wonderful edition for those wanting to taste true gourmet food of course," replied Erina smiling, her posture tall and composed as she continued towards the entrance.

When they were finally safe from the paparazzi Erina yawned softly before she whispered to Alice, "I'm losing 3 hours of sleep I could've had."

"Never would I have imagined you of all people complaining about an event celebrating true gourmet food," chuckled Alice in response, her red eyes gleaming with mischief when a red-head amongst the sea of invited guests caught her eye. "I'm going to talk to the director of this company I've been working with, I'll catch you before we leave."

"But you never talked about working with -" Erina wasn't surprised when her response came few seconds too late, the younger Nakiri had already disappeared from her side and made her way across the hall.

Erina sighed at her disappearance – now her fate was sealed – without Alice's occasional sarcasm and personality, tonight was bound to be a boring night mingling with directors from across Japan, forcing smiles on her face. On an even more solemn note, she couldn't even drink some wine to numb her sense to the loud chit-chat bouncing off the walls of the hall, or at least help her survive through all the boring conversations she was bound to have tonight.

"Yo Nakiri." His words cut through the air and falsified her pervious prediction almost instantly. Every part of her body was in denial as she stood still, unwilling to turn around.

"Hey what's up," he tried again, manoeuvring in front of her so they were facing directly, "are we playing that little game where you pretend to ignore me again?"

Erina scoffed at his comment, his smirk rubbing her the wrong way.

"Come on Erina," chuckled Soma, his golden eyes carefully examining the woman in front of him, the slight pout on her lips, and slightly relaxed composure indicated she wasn't reallymad, only mildly, "It's been 2 months since you last saw me and you don't even miss me, I got to say I'm hurt."

"Oh please," the blonde finally uttered, she tried to keep her tone level as she continued, "I'm surprised by the fact you are back so soon, I wouldn't put it upon you to disappear for another five, ten years."

"Surprised? But Hisako was the one who informed me to make sure I'm here before the Autumn's election."

Erina looked dumfounded at the red-head as if he were some foreign creature until she suddenly realised - that day in her office, Hisako did mention a third name.

I'm an idiot

She tortured herself mentally for being too caught up in her worries then, now, she has a bigger problem to deal with.

"Oh right, I remember now," mumbled Erina after a delayed pause, "so how long have you been back?"

"A month give or take." Some replied mindlessly, unaware of the anger set ablaze in those amethyst eyes which were quickly extinguished.

Erina knew she shouldn't be mad, it was a one-night stand, two if you may, she shouldn't have expected him to see her the moment he came back. It would've been nice; but they were just two parallel lines, she really shouldn't have expected more. After all, she was the one who made the decision to keep it a secret from him in the first place.

She didn't have the right to be mad.

"Here Nakiri." Outstretched from Soma's hands was a small rectangular box, neatly wrapped with a ribbon on top. He hoped his gift could ease the awkward tension that had built up since her silent response to his answer. "The dark chocolate you said you wanted, all the way from Ghana."

There he goes again. The way he grins at her as he placed the chocolate box in her hands was the exact reason why she could never learn to hate him.

Why was it whenever she found one reason to hate him, she always seemed to find 20 more to love him?

"Thanks Soma," she replied with a warm smile, "you didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he chuckled, "I would be your delivery guy any day."

"Hmmm," Erina pondered, "so you are off soon again? What type of parcel should I expect next time?"

"That's a secret," laughed Soma, his smug grin appearing on his face again, "it wouldn't be fun if I told you."

"Then tell me," Erina's tone suddenly serious, her eyes looked like a frightened animal as she darted them away, putting on a pretence that his answer wouldn't affect her, "when are you leaving again? I can get an estimated delivery date right?"

"Nothing is sure at this point. But I will be here at least after Autumn's Election." Soma glanced towards her, resisting the urge to grab her right then and there and soothe her suddenly changed demeanour. Yet he had no right to do so, and Erina would skin him alive if he dare tried in public with tens of hungry paparazzis waiting for a piece of juicy gossip. He wasn't sure what was wrong, all he knew was that he hated the darkened look of her usually bright eyes, the ones he knew all too well, the ones that were always ablaze.

"Oh..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the boy, no man, in front of her. Her nervous hands slowly released their tight grip on her made-to-measure satin dress. Nothing set in stone. It's only a matter of time until he left again and she should just get damn well used to it. For god's sake, it's been three years and she is still that soppy high school girl, horrible at goodbyes.

"Ms Nakiri," said a voice from afar, his footsteps fast approaching, "I've been meaning to talk to you, may I?" The man before her was the director of one of the largest diary supplier, his polite grin gave her no choice but to say yes.

"I guess that's my call to leave," laughed Erina as she leant her body in for a hug but pulledback in the last minute. Her hands stuck awkwardly towards Soma, the pair engaging in a handshake that seemed more appropriate given their relationship, "it was good seeing you, and uh, thanks for the chocolate."

A girl with blue hair stood in the corner, the polite smile hung on her face.

She knew to get the much-needed attention she needed from these potential sponsors she had to play her cards well. That included using the effect, her 'helpless' image, seemed to have in middle aged man.

Yet when she caught the red-head who had returned from Ghana earlier this month, staring at the blonde-girl who always seemed to have his heart-strings wrapped around her finger, the smile she learnt to fix on face faded away.

The way his golden eyes fixated on her, infuriated her. She never understood why, he only had eyes for her, when she was the one who had been there by his side all along.

Why is it even after Totsuki, the blond-headed woman still trumps her in his eyes?

She never understoodwhy in high school, when she hinted interests in him - on multiple occasions - he would say something completely irrelevant, avoiding her hints, seemingly oblivious to any of her advances.

When she watched them get together at the Valentine's day event, the smile ontheir faces, crashed her. She believed if she had found his dish earlier than Erina, he would've been hers...

She used to enjoy their fights. She would never admit to this guilty pleasure of course. And when Erina came to her on occasions asking for advice - viewing her merely as his best friend – she would fake up a fake innocence so she could withdraw information from the blonde but stay on her good books. She hated their relationship but she was too scared of the Nakiri name.

So, when they finally did breakup, Megumi saw it as her chance. To her, their graduation, wasn't just an ending of an era, but the start of their story. At least that's what she thought. So, when she heard from Takumi, few days after the graduations, she was shocked and angry to find that he had already left. Not a word for her, not a single fucking word.

She forgave him though. She thought, perhaps he was just leaving in a hurry, she wouldn't put itabove Sōma to mess up his travel plans. So, she waited even as she took over her mother's restaurant. To her disappointment over the course of three years, she had only received a handful of meaningless postcards.

But it was different this time when he returned from Ghana. She was sitting at home when she received a phone call from a number that hasn't emerged for a good three years.

He had asked straightforwardly for a favour. She agreed before her brain even registered what he had said.

A month of land hunting, all done in secret. He said something about surprising the culinary world with a new restaurant, right here in Tokyo. She believed him, she didn't care as long as he would stay; right by her side.

During that time, she was thrilled to be with him every day, his presence alone made her content, even if she had to have tedious long talk with a dozen of landlords.

Her happiness was short-lived.

Perhaps, it was time for her to realise he didn't have room for her in that special place. His eyes only ever laid on Erina that way - maybe occasionally on food too. But never on her.

"Hey Megumi," said the red-head, his eyes darting towards the blonde currently chit-chatting with a director Megumi didn't recognise, "time to head back?" Soma glanced one last time at the blonde who didn't seem like she would be done anytime soon.

It was like he knew she would agree. But who could she blame but herself? Hasn't she always been treading behind him, trying to catch up as those two walked along side of each other?

"That was such a long night," groaned Alice as she helped Erina off the limo. She took off her heels and began walking barefoot as they stepped inside the mansion. "I hate heels, did I mention that?"

"Only about 100 times on the limo." Erina chuckled at cousin's childish pout before she made her way down the hall.

"Wait Erina," called the white-headed girl, "I scheduled an appointment with our family doctor to have a check up on you tonight."

"I told you I didn't need one." This time it was Erina who groaned, she hated the routine check-ups her cousin and Hisako always seemed to insist and her complaints were to no avail. "It takes up 30 minutes of my life every time."

"And that is 30-minutes well spent," replied the younger Nakiri as she placed her hands behind Erina and began pushing her towards the lounge, "hurry, hurry, we're already late."

"LET ME GET CHANGED FIRST."

When they entered their large lounge room, the one in the west wing, a young woman in her early thirties was already there, sitting on the couch waiting.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," smiled Alice as she led her cousin inside, "we have a childish mother on the loose."

"I am not childish," retorted Erina poking Alice's face, "but thank you for coming so late Doctor Tsumi." Although Erina hated her appointments she still appreciated their family doctor, particularly because she was extremely loyal and has kept her pregnancy a secret since the beginning.

"Of course, Ms Nakiri," grinned the woman before she took out her stethoscope. "Please take a seat."

She walked towards Erina and lifted her loose t-shirt upwards. Erina's abdomen wasn't very noticeable, but since the discovery of her pregnancy, she had developed a very small pump. It wasn't noticeable when covered in clothes, but now that the veil of clothing had been lifted it, the swell was more than obvious – at least to Erina and her closer friends.

"Everything seems well." Doctor Tsumi placed her t-shirt back down before she continued, "Though I have to remind you again, you really need to keep your stress levels in check, high amounts of cortisol can have negative impact on the foetus."

"I know Doctor." Erina nodded in compliance.

"You know but you don't act on it," interjected Alice looking disapprovingly at her blonde cousin, "You have more work than ever and you never get much rest."

Doctor Tsumi nodded to Alice's comment, "The development seems well now, but we must take precautionary means."

"How about you move Autumn's election forward?" asked Alice with a pushing tone.

"The elite ten won't agree," Erina lied. She didn't want to move the date forward as she was scared if she did…it would only push Soma's departure even earlier.

"I can sort it out with me," replied Alice firmly, she gaze stopping at Erina's dark eye circles before continuing, "It's decided then, no more buts."

"You are so pushy," groaned Erina, unable to find another reason to revoke Alice's plan, "I guess it might be better to do it early so I won't be too bloated when I'm on the big screen."

Feel free to review at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12032457/15/Looking-Through-Our-Hourglass and I promise I’m not teasing next part of Blessing in Disguise will have something spicy :P Hopefully it was an enjoyable read <3

[redditnosleep]

Has Anyone Heard of The Left/Right Game?

by NeonTempo

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 (Final)

A few points before we start.

Firstly, I am not the protagonist of this story. I just went to university with her, and though she went on to become a professional writer, I most certainly did not. She'll be taking over from me further down but, until then, please forgive my slightly awkward delivery while I give you guys the necessary context.

Secondly, I don't know what you will make of the following events, and I'm sure many of you might consider it all some sort of hoax. I wasn't present for any of what transpired in Phoenix, Arizona but I can vouch for the person who wrote the following logs. She is not, and has never been, a fantasist.

Ok so I once knew a girl called Alice Sharma. She was an undergrad at Edinburgh Uni the same time I was. My educational poison was History, a degree which has greatly benefited my career as a bicycle repairman. Alice Sharma studied journalism, though perhaps "studied" isn't the word. It's not an exaggeration to say that she lived and breathed the subject. Editor-in-chief of the campus paper, recognisable voice of student radio. She was frustratingly tunnel visioned, and she was a journalist in her own right before anyone gave her a professional shot.

We met in student halls and became friends almost immediately. A meandering waster trying to stay off his parent's farm and an intrepid, ambitious reporter may not seem the most obvious pairing, but I learned not to question it. She was inspiring, and smart and she proofread all my essays. I’m not too sure what she saw in me.

We were eventually flatmates down in London where she chased her dream and I chased my tail. She got a few jobs here and there, but nothing befitting of her skills. After months of fruitless internships and rejections, Alice called a flat meeting, telling us that she was moving to America, accepting a position chasing stories for National Public Radio. The job had come out of the blue, the result of a hail mary application she thought had been dismissed out of hand. We threw her a bittersweet going away party and put the room up for rent.

That party was the last time I saw Alice Sharma. She dropped out of contact a few months after her departure. Complete radio silence. I assumed she was just busy so I carried on with my small but happy life, and waited for her to pop up on television with some important words below her name; Chief Correspondent, Senior Analyst… something like that.

The radio silence was broken last week, and, for reasons you’ll glean further down, I’m less happy about it than I would’ve thought.

Arriving home from work I found a lone email in my otherwise bare inbox. An email that would later be described as "suspicious" by my tech literate friends. Despite being born in the early 1990's I didn't own a computer until uni, and I've missed several important lessons in the world of cyberspace. Lessons like "Don't call it Cyberspace" of course and more importantly, "Don't open emails with no text, no subject and no sender's address."

I realise most of you would have deleted this anonymous, blank email immediately, my friends certainly would have, but beyond my basic ignorance about online safety, something further compelled me to open it. The only thing of substance in the entire message was a zipped folder, labeled:

Left.Right.AS

I don't have to explain what I was hoping those final initials stood for.

Opening the zipped folder I found myself staring at a stack of text files. Each one titled with a date, continuing sequentially from the very earliest file "07-02-2017". (To any Americans in the room this is the 7th of February).

I’ve since read the files a few times, and shown them to some friends. They don't know what to make of it either, but they certainly aren't as concerned as me. They think Alice is just in a creative writing phase and, if I didn't know her, I’d have to agree. But the thing is, I do know her. Alice Sharma only cares about the truth and if that's the case with these files, insane as it may sound, then it’s very possible my friend has documented her own disappearance.

The people who suggested this forum said you discuss strange occurrences etc. If you guys have come across anything to do with the below, or know any of the people involved, then please send any information my way.

Has anyone here heard of the Left/Right Game?

The Left/Right Game [DRAFT 1] 07/02/2017

They say great stories happen to those who can tell them. Robert J. Guthard is an exception to that rule. As I sit at his table, sip his coffee and listen to him recount the past 65 years it sounds like he's reading off a shopping list. Every event, his first job, his second wedding, his third divorce, none of them receive more than one or two sentences. Rob plows through the years, the curt, dispassionate curator of his own personal history. Yet the story itself is so fascinating, so rich with moments and so wildly meandering that it somehow stands on its own merits.

It's a great story, no matter how you tell it.

By the time Rob was 21, he'd gotten married, had a son, worked as a farmer, a mover, a boat engineer, and grown estranged from his spouse... Here's him talking about that.

ROB: Course my wife started to get dissatisfied, I was away a while.

AS: For work?

ROB:Vietnam.

AS: You were in Vietnam? How was that for you?

ROB: I ain't never been back since.

That was everything he had to say concerning his first divorce, and the entire Vietnam war.

Rob had four marriages after that, and even more professions. After the war he worked with a firm of private detectives, got shot at once by the mob, then he became a courier, which is how a poor boy from Alabama got to see the world.

ROB: I been to most of the continents with that job. I been to India. You from India?

AS: My mum and dad are from India yeah.

ROB: See I could tell.

He'd been arrested once in Singapore, after one of his packages had been found to be full of white powder. He spent three days locked up before someone got around to checking the substance. It was chalk.

A friend he made during his brief custody, Hiroji Sato, invited Rob to stay with him in Japan. Just getting over the breakup of his third marriage, Rob took the offer. He stayed in Japan for another 5 years.

ROB: The Japanese are good people. Good manners. But they got all these urban legends and ghost stories that Hiroji was crazy for, spent all his free time chasing them down. Like, you heard of Jorogumo?

AS: I don't think so"

ROB: Well she's this spider lady lives in the Joro Falls round Izu. Meant to be real pretty but real dangerous. Hiroji took us out there to get a picture of her.

AS: Did you ever meet Jorogumo?

ROB Nah she didn't show. None of them did. I didn't believe at all until we went to Aokigahara

Aokigahara, affectionately titled the Suicide Forest. The next stop on Rob's adventure. It's an area of woodland at the base of Mount Fuji, a notorious hotspot for young people looking to take their own lives. Hiroji, Rob's ghost obsessed jailmate turned best friend, took him to Aokigahara to chase "yurei" the ghosts of the forest.

AS: Did you find anything? In Aokigahara?

ROB: Well I ain't gonna ask you to believe me. But I was a PI. Professional cynic. Even I can't deny there was a spirit in those woods.

From that moment on, Rob's sentences start getting longer. A childlike excitement creeps into his voice. I get the distinct feeling we're moving beyond background, beyond Rob Guthard's old life, and towards his new one. The one he wants to talk about. The one that led him to contact the show.

ROB: It walked up to me through the trees. Looked like static you see on a TV screen but it had a human shape almost.

AS: Almost?

ROB: It was missing an arm. It reached out to me but I bolted outta that forest so fast. Hiroji never saw it, holds it against me to this day.

Hiroji had good reason to be annoyed. Rob says that Mr Sato had been going to the forest 2-3 times per year for three decades. To have a rookie come along and claim to have seen a yurei on his first trip? I'd be more than a little cranky.

But Rob didn't stay a rookie for long. In fact, it was in those woods that he discovered his current passion. The supernatural, or more accurately, the documentation and investigation of urban legends. Legends like Bloody Mary, the Jersey Devil, Sasquatch. Rob has looked into them all.

ROB: I figured if one was true then who knows how many others could be.

AS: How many have you proven so far?

ROB: Since Aokigahara? Ain't none of em had any proof to em. Except for one. That's why I called you guys up.

At this point, Rob can’t hope to repress his smile.

The Left/Right game appeared on a paranormal message board in June 2016. Only a few people frequently visited the forum and, of these regulars, only Rob took an interest in the post.

ROB: The whole thing had a level of detail you don't see in other stories.

AS: What details grabbed your interest?

ROB: Logs. High quality pictures. The guy documented everything, said he wasn't gonna play the game anymore. I think he wanted somebody to keep investigating.

AS: And you were that somebody.

ROB: That's right. I set about trying to verify his information right away.

AS: And how did it go?

ROB: Well... It didn't take long to realise the Left/Right Game is the real thing.

The rules of the Left/Right game are simple. Get in your car and take a drive. Take a left, then the next possible road on the right, then the next possible left. Repeat the process ad infinitum, until you wind up somewhere... new. The rules are easy to understand, but Rob says their not so easy to follow.

ROB: There ain't all that many roads where you can turn left and right and left and right and keep going. Most of the time you find yourself at a dead end or needing to turn in the wrong direction. Phoenix is built on a grid system so you can keep going left and right as long as you need to.

AS: Did you move to Phoenix for the Left/Right game?

ROB: That's right.

I try not to seem incredulous. Selling your house in another state, packing up and moving your whole life to Phoenix, Arizona just to play a game you saw on the internet? It seems like insanity. Rob smiles as he reads my expression. I can clearly read his expression too. "You'll see." It says. "Just wait."

I wouldn't have to wait long. Included within the 9 page submission Rob sent our show, was a long list of suggested items the chosen reporter should bring with them. Clothes for three days, a pocket knife, matches, bandages. There were also a set of qualifications the reporter should have. The ability to drive, basic vehicle maintenance and its human equivalent... first aid training. He didn't just want to talk about the Left/Right Game. He wanted to take one of us along.

Rob leaves a short while later to embark on a few errands, "Prepping the Run", as he calls it. He shows me to the guest room and we part ways, on good terms but very much aware of the other's poorly veiled opinions. He knew I saw him as a charming obsessive, chasing after a fairy tale. He saw me as a naive cynic, on the cusp of a new world. All I could think as I heard the front door close is that by tomorrow afternoon, one of us would be right.

More after this.

When I wake up the next morning, Rob is in my room, holding a tray which he'd knocked on the bottom of to rouse me. I don't manage to record the start of our conversation.

ROB: - I got bananas, strawberries, chocolate syrup. We got some more downstairs but I wanted you to wake up to something good. We won't be eatin' this stuff on the road."

Rob has made me waffles. He sets them down on the night stand and talks through the coming day as I eat. I'll admit it feels a little uncomfortable, waking up in a stranger's home to find said stranger already standing over me, but I quickly move past it. I tell myself that he’s an older man, accustomed to living alone in his own house, not usually having to think about boundaries. Anyway, he certainly knows his way around a waffle iron.

ROB: We hit the road at 9. I wanted to give you time to get ready before everyone shows up.

AS: There are other people coming?

ROB: We got a 5 car convoy on the road today. They'll be here in an hour.

This is the first I’ve heard of a convoy, and to be honest I’m surprised. The game is Rob's obsession, and I’m here at his request. The idea that anyone else would have an interest in today's drive is a little perplexing.

Half an hour later, sated, showered and dressed in the "functional clothing" Rob had so painstakingly outlined, I take my pack out to the porch. Rob’s already there, waiting for his associates to show up.

AS: I thought you'd be conducting a few more errands.

ROB: If you ain't prepared by the morning of, you ain't prepared.

AS: Hah ok I guess that's fair. Oh, Rob is the garage locked? The inside door won't budge and I wanted to mic up the car.

ROB: Yeah it's locked up I'll open it for ya.

AS: Thank you.

ROB: In fact it's about time I wheeled her out. Fair warning Ms Sharma, she's a thing of beauty.

To Rob Guthard, beauty took the form of a dark green Jeep Wrangler. Rob climbs in and lets it roll out of the garage, where it dominates every inch of driveway. The car is large; four doors with a roof enclosing the entire compartment. It’s also been modified extensively, yet another example of Rob's dedication to the game.

ROB: What're you thinking?

AS: I think you're two caterpillar treads short of driving a tank.

ROB: Hah yeah I fixed her up good. I put the winch in, heavy duty tires, the light rig on top is LED's. They'll make midnight look like noon but they don't use hardly any power.

AS: Aren't Jeeps open top usually?

ROB: Not all. This is the Unlimited. I like to have a covered car when I head on the road.

I climb in and stow my pack. Rob had removed the back seats to afford more storage space. The place is packed to the brim. Jerry cans of gasoline, barrels of water, rope, snacks and his own neatly packed set of clothes.

I wonder if the rest of our convoy would take the game so seriously.

ROB: We got Apollo coming up in 10 minutes. No one else has given me a time. I sent the schedule weeks ago, this always happens.

AS: His name's Apollo?

ROB: That's his call sign. Apollo Creed I think he said.

AS: Why are you using call signs?

ROB: Did I not tell you? Oh yeah we're gonna use call signs on the road, keep communication clear.

AS: What's your callsign?

ROB: Ferryman.

AS: ... What's my call sign?

ROB: I thought about it. I was thinking London, you're from London right?

AS: I'm from Bristol.

ROB: Bristol? That’s fine I guess.

It’s less than ten minutes before Apollo turns the corner. Rob jumps out of his chair and paces briskly over to the edge of his property, as his first guest pulls up and steps onto the sidewalk.

Apollo vaguely resembles his namesake, dark skinned, tall and noticeably well built, though it’s clear he couldn’t be less of a fighter. This Apollo Creed is all smiles and seems to have a penchant for laughing at his own jokes.

AS: How far have you come?

APOLLO: I've come out of Chicago. Took three days hard driving.

AS: And you know Rob from the forums?

APOLLO: Everybody knows Rob, Rob's the god! Ahaha

Rob walks over to Apollo's car, gesturing him over to talk shop. Rob’s clearly impressed with Apollo's choice of vehicle, a blue Range Rover packed to the ceiling with kit. I was more impressed with Rob himself. Somehow this 65 year old farmer's son had become respected in a vast online community. My dad is Rob’s age and he's just discovered copy and paste.

The rest don't take long to arrive. Two Minnesotan librarians, also around Rob's age, pull up in a grey Ford Focus. They’re brother and sister, and they've shared ghost hunting as a hobby their entire lives. I find it hard to suppress a smile when they meekly introduce themselves as Bonnie and Clyde.

CLYDE: We would have gotten here sooner we had to drop by to get some blankets. Pleasure to meet you ma'am.

AS: Pleasure to meet you too.

CLYDE: Would you be the journalist?

AS: That's right.

CLYDE: You used to write for the town paper didn't you?

He's talking to his sister there, she nods. Clyde is clearly the spokesperson for the pair, yet they both seem incredibly shy. Whether they admire the famous outlaws, or just the name, it's pretty clear they couldn't be more different from the real thing.

Next to show up are Lilith and Eve, English Lit students at New York University and proprietors of the YouTube channel Paranormicon. Unlike Bonnie and Clyde, Lilith and Eve have no issue holding a conversation. As soon as they learn who I am, and what I do for a living, they attempt to conscript me for an expedition to Roswell.

LILITH: We have a friend there, he's been seeing some-

EVE: -He's a seismologist

LILITH: Yeah and he's been recording readings over the years that show subterranean movement. Predictable movement.

EVE: We're going to see him in July, but we could work it around you if you're free.

AS: I'll have to check my schedule

EVE: OK cool let me give you my email...

They quickly hurry off to film an intro for their latest video, featuring a quick interview with Rob, who seems pretty welcoming of the attention.

The last two cars arrive within a few seconds of each other. A lithe, strong willed older lady who goes by Bluejay and a younger man going by the callsign “Ace”. Bluejay has arrived in a grey Ford Explorer. Ace, much to Rob's annoyance, has arrived in a Porsche.

ROB: Did you think that's gonna help on the road? I didn't write that-

ACE: It's my car. What am I meant to do,? It's my car.

ROB: You didn't read my itinerary, you got nothing packed in there.

ACE: I did read it sir OK? Calm down. I have a bag, I won't ask you for anything.

ROB: Well I know that's true.

Ace and Rob were off to a bad start. Ace takes a phone call, and despite my best efforts to get an interview with Bluejay, she doesn't seem interested in talking to a journalist.

With five cars, and seven travellers waiting for a green light, Rob hands out radios and charging packs, then launches into a quick safety briefing. Wear seatbelts. Stay in position. Communicate clearly and often. It’s at this moment I start to feel a little dismay. I like Rob, and clearly so does everyone else. He'd convinced all of them to drive across the country to join in with his game. I start to worry what will happen in the likely event that the whole thing isn’t real. Would Rob lose the respect of his peers? Would he accept failure when it comes? After seeing the effort he’s put into these runs, the next few hours have the potential to be wildly uncomfortable.

With a smile and a few encouraging words, Rob ends his briefing and beckons me over to the Wrangler. I clamber inside and make myself as comfortable as possible.

ROB: You ready for this Bristol?

AS: I'm ready.

ROB: Ok then let's hit the road.

The Wrangler pulls out of the driveway, and the convoy follows in order of arrival. Apollo, Bonnie & Clyde, Lilith & Eve, Bluejay and Ace keep a steady pace behind us as we come up to the first corner.

Rob slowly and deliberately turns left, checking on the others in his rear view mirror. He looks back to the road as Ace’s Porsche completes the first turn of the game. Shortly afterwards, Apollo checks in on the CB radio.

APOLLO: This is Apollo for Ferryman. How many to more go Rob? ahahaha

ROB: Hah as many as it takes.

I can tell Rob wanted the to reserve the radio for something other than Apollo's quips. But he seems to like Apollo enough to let it slide. I'm not sure Ace would have received the same treatment. We take the next right, then another left. Now safely assured that everyone's following correctly, Rob speaks my thoughts aloud.

ROB: You're wondering the same thing Apollo is.

AS: What do you mean?

ROB: You're wondering how many turns we're gonna take before we hit some wall or something. Before you find out this is all just a story.

AS: Does that disappoint you?

ROB: I'd be disappointed if you weren't thinking something like it. But now we're on the road I gotta say something and you gotta listen to it.

AS: OK...

ROB: We're coming up to a tunnel soon. Any time before we reach it you can get out, walk in any direction you like, and you won’t be in the game no more. Once we go through, you gotta retrace the route we took to get yourself back out that tunnel. That's when you’re home. And you gotta convince someone to take you back in a car coz I ain't ferrying you back 20 minutes in. You got till the tunnel to skip out on this, understand?

AS: I understand. Though I have to say I'm getting little nervous.

ROB: Ain't nothing wrong with a little nervous.

We've taken 23 turns by this point. Already I feel like we're traversing the city pretty effectively. Rob's heavily modified Wrangler solicits a few impressed glances from passersby, as well as several honks of respect from other Jeep drivers. Other than those few moments, everything seems completely indistinguishable from a regular morning drive. I even start to worry if there’ll be anything at all for this story. “Reporter Takes Drive With Interesting Man” isn’t exactly Pulitzer worthy.

Turn 33 leads us onto a short, unassuming street. A row of small businesses in a quiet Phoenician neighbourhood; liquor, second hand clothing, tools and, at the end of the street, a little shop selling antique mirrors. Ten or so people shuffle along the sidewalk, smiling, talking, planning their weekends. The only lone person is a young woman in a grey coat..

I briefly glimpse her at the end of the street, standing on our next corner, the back of her coat reflected in fifty old mirrors. Even from a distance I can see that she’s sullen, wide eyed and nervous. She shifts constantly on her feet, tugging at the button of her coat.

I look away to write some notes as we roll down the street. When I look up again, the woman is standing by my window, staring right at me. She’s smiling, a wide, unfaltering grin that seems almost offensive in its complete insincerity.

GREYWOMAN: Lambs at the gate. Hoping for something better than clover when all they find are things worse than slaughter.

AS: Rob what's happening?

ROB: Ignore her.

GREYWOMAN: He wanted to leave me so I cut him out. The lake was hungry it drank the wound clean.

AS: Miss, are you alright?

The smile vanishes, it snaps from her face and suddenly, the woman is furious.

GREYWOMAN: What do you think you're doing?! Have you gone mad?!

I reflexively press myself back in my chair as the woman, wild eyed and gaunt, slams her fists against my window, with every intent of breaking through.

GREYWOMAN: Would you dance down the lion’s tongue? It will shred you, you whore! It will shred you down to your sins! You fucking bastard!

Rob puts his foot down, and the Wrangler rolls defiantly away from the woman. As we turn the corner I watch her as she wretches, her every movement cradled in abject hysteria. She yells despairingly at the rest of the convoy, bursting into tears when the last car passes her by.

As she shrinks into the rear view mirror, I see her turn to a large mirror on the side of the shop, which the owner is in the process of polishing. I watch as she walks up to it, and with a convulsant scream, slams her head into the glass.

The mirror cracks around her forehead, the owner jumps back in shock, and as the woman pulls her head from the mirror's surface, the fractured spider’s web is dripping red. It all happens in a split second, and she quickly swerves from my view as we take the next left.

AS: Rob, what was that?

ROB: She's there sometimes.

AS: On that street?

ROB: On the 34th turn.

AS: Who is she?

ROB: I don't know. She's never acted out that much before though. Must be a special trip.

I find Rob's lack of concern a little unpleasant, and his implication that this woman's ravings were the symptom of an internet game leaves me more than a little perturbed. As I see it, there are a few explanations for what just happened, and none of them lead to a comforting conclusion.

If we had just encountered a bonafide crazy person, then one could argue that Rob is just seeing what he wants to see. Maybe he'd bought into the game’s story so much that every strange but explainable occurrence would be rationalised as the next step in his favourite paranormal narrative.

Alternatively, the woman could have been an actor, a more elaborate theory sure, but not unheard of. People have lied to the show before and Rob was receiving a tonne of publicity for this attempt from Lilith, Eve and I. I admit, Rob didn't seem like a liar, but good liars never do.

There is a third alternative however. An alternative which, if you put logic aside, explains the all troubling little details that I couldn't help but notice. Because as strange as the grey woman was, isn't it stranger that no one on the street would react? I couldn't recall a single glance in her direction by anybody on the sidewalk. Perhaps that theory falls apart when you consider the shock on the mirror seller's face but, when I think about it, he only reacted once the mirror shattered, and even then, I feel like his attention was on the mirror itself.

The radio crackles.

LILITH: Lillith to Bristol. Sara... Eve got that on camera! Do you have audio?

AS: I think it picked her up.

LILITH: My god that was so weird. Can you send us the file when we stop? Can you ask Ferryman when we're stopping?

AS: When's our stopping point?

ROB: For them, in about 30 minutes. For you? Well, you tell me.

Rob turns off a busy street just before a large intersection, onto a much quieter stretch of two lane road. Ahead of us the road slopes downward, leading into an underpass, which disappears into darkness.

We'd arrived at the tunnel.

AS: What is this supposed to pass under?

ROB: Ain't supposed to pass under anything, it's just there.

AS: And if we weren't playing the game?

ROB: Then it won't show. The question is, are you playing the game or not?

Rob turns to me. It’s the first time he’s taken his eyes off the road since we started. He pulls the car to a slow stop at the mouth of the tunnel.

ROB: You get out now you can go wherever you wanna go, but through there you'll need a car to get yourself home and, like I said, mine ain't turnin round for a long while. You understand?

It’s a dramatic statement, but unsettlingly, it doesn’t feel like he’s attempting to dramatise. It feels like I’m having something genuinely asked of me. Am I ready for what’s to come? Do I accept the risks involved? Do I consent to be taken down this road, and the next road, and the next? Am I prepared to see this game through, real or otherwise, to its end?

AS: What are you waiting for?

Rob smiles, and turns back to the road. He picks up the CB radio holds down the button on the side. The microphone crackles.

ROB: This is Ferryman to all cars. Anyone want to step out then pull to the side now. Otherwise, stay in formation and have some supplies at hand. We got a long ways to go.

Much like the game I’m so tentatively playing, my view of Robert J. Guthard seems to change direction frequently. I’d heard all about his life, but I’m sure that I know him. I like the guy, but I’m not certain that I trust him. And though I admire his dedication to the Left/Right Game, I’m not sure I’ll like where it might lead us. Yet as he takes us into the tunnel, his face vanishing and reappearing under the dim sodium lights, I can that tell he expects this trip to be a major step in his already impressive story, and this time, for better or for worse, I’m along for the ride.

[embracetheshipping]

Hired Part Three - Conflict of Interest

@erikalyafter requested the following prompt: Trained as a sexual weapon Steve hunts the world’s best detective

Chapters (1) (2) (3)

In Steve’s line of work, referrals were the key to finding clients.  One couldn’t very well put out a flyer advertising mercenary-type services wherein sex (or at least the promise of sex) might be used to extort information or carry out an assassination.  More importantly, however, referrals gave him a minor measure of security, in that there was a six-degrees-of-separation element to the identity of his customers.  He had begun his career by working for people he knew and trusted, and they in turn recommended him to others.  And because the initial sources of the recommendations were reliable, he could feel more or less at ease in taking on new jobs.

It was for that reason, along with a general bad feeling in his gut, that he was currently preoccupied with mapping out an exit strategy rather than engaging in formal pleasantries with the group of well-dressed men seated around the table.

“I’m sorry – but how did you hear of me again?” Steve asked.

The group’s apparent leader, a tall, fit man in his fifties who identified himself as Ian Markova, waved away the question.  “I should think that would hardly matter, considering what we’re offering you.”

Steve begrudgingly agreed.  Under most circumstances, he wouldn’t have consented to a meeting with guys like these – mafia types, by the look of it – but he could easily retire on the compensation they were proposing.

“Fair enough.  What’s the job?”

Markova nodded to the younger man sitting on his right.  Steve was handed a manila folder, which he opened to discover the photo and dossier of an Interpol agent.

“Daniel Williams,” Markova introduced.  “Graduated with a major in Criminal Justice at Seton Hall, top of his class at the police academy, and generally acknowledged as a rising star in the law enforcement community.  Over the years, he’s worked for a variety of government agencies as a top notch investigator.  Two years ago, he was recruited by Interpol, where – presumably – he is still currently employed.”

“Presumably?”

“The nature of his job requires him to be constantly on the move and on guard.  Much of his personal history has been expunged in order to protect anyone who might be affected by his work, and very few can confirm his current status.”  Markova fixed Steve with a haughty grin, and his dark eyes shone with malicious humor.  “I, of course, am one of those few.

Steve frowned and closed the file.  “And what exactly would you like me to do?”

Markova folded his hands on the table.  “From what little information we’ve been able to gather, Agent Williams’s propensity for switching jobs so often may have also been due to prejudice, aside from his obvious talent for solving difficult crimes.  He has been openly bisexual since his college days.  And you,” he gave Steve an admiring once-over, “have both the looks and the skills necessary to get close to him.”

“And you know all this – how?”

“Never you mind.  The situation is this: Agent Williams has been, shall we say, interfering in my business affairs.  I could have him eliminated, naturally, but I think he could prove very useful, given the right incentive.  What I would like from you, is to find me some leverage.  Seduce him into giving up something I can use to secure his cooperation.  Complete this small task for me, and I will pay you the sum we spoke of - half up front, and the rest after you deliver.

Markova extended his hand.  “Do we have a deal, Mister McGarrett?”

“McGarrett.  McGarrett!”

“Hmm, what?”  

Daniel Williams – Danny, as he preferred to be called – shook his head in exasperation.  “I said – what do you want in your coffee?”

“Oh.”  Steve glanced at the self-serving refreshment station in the hotel lobby, wondering if they had any organic butter on hand.  He doubted it.  “Surprise me.”

“Black it is, then.”  Danny handed Steve a plain coffee in a disposable cup and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, facing him.  He turned his attention to the papers he’d left laying between them, all of them written in various eastern European languages.

“So, what are we up to today?” Steve asked.

Danny shot him a half-hearted glare, and Steve fought a grin.

Over the past several weeks, Steve had arranged enough chance encounters with Williams, subtly experimenting with different personas and hitting on him, that Danny eventually gave up trying to ignore  him and instead began to invite him along whenever he went out to run errands or complete other daily activities associated with life.  But every so often, Danny would disappear for several days, or he’d receive a call during one of their “dates” and would instruct Steve to drive his rented Camaro to some out-of-the-way location for a covert meeting.  Steve would then be forced to wait in the car while Danny spoke with someone on a disposable cell phone (a new one every time) or talk to a thin figure who consistently kept his or her back to Steve at all times.

While Danny’s clandestine operations, not to mention Markova’s frequent and increasingly impatient demands for a status update, kept him on edge, Steve had to admit that he was actually enjoying himself for the first time since – he couldn’t even remember.

Danny had this strange way about him that made him equally infuriating and endearing.  He had strong opinions about everything under the sun, from what was an acceptable topping on pizza to music to the ocean, and he had no qualms about sharing them in a remarkable and highly entertaining fashion.  He had a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind, quick with a joke, but just as quick with his fists (a fact Steve discovered when he’d pushed Danny too far and was rewarded with a right cross to the jaw).  

But more than that, Danny was kind and compassionate.  Steve witnessed it first hand when he “accidently” stumbled upon the agent in the aftermath of a raid.  He had been in the crowd gathered around a police barricade, watching in horror as Williams and the local police breached an abandoned building, only to exit moments later with malnourished, dirty and obviously abused children (victims of human trafficking) in tow.  He’d watched as Danny brushed the frightened tears off a little boy’s cheek, and draped his jacket around the shoulders of a nearly-naked girl.  

And once the smoke had cleared and all of the kids had been taken to several area hospitals, he had tailed Williams to a gym and watched him wail on a punching bag until his knuckles bled.

“Well, for starters,” Danny answered, setting aside his files, “Maybe you’d finally like to tell me something about yourself, something other than just your name and a bullshit backstory.”

Steve put a hand to his chest.  “You wound me, Danny.  I’ve told you TONS of stuff about me.  Why do you keep calling it bullshit?”

Though they’d achieved something resembling a real friendship, neither of them had been forthcoming with anything significant.  Steve continued to repeat the cover story he’d designed to attract Danny, who in turn talked and ranted in circles while never actually revealing anything beyond superficial details.

“Because it is,” Danny said.  He made himself comfortable against the cushions and laid his arm across the back of the couch.  “I’ve learned a lot about you over the last few weeks, and none of it meshes with the crap you’ve been spouting.”  Strangely, he almost sounded hurt.

“Yeah?  Let me guess – you’re one of those cops who run background checks on all of his dates, am I right?  Pray, enlighten me, officer.  Did you find something to contradict everything I’ve told you so far?”  Naturally, Steve assumed that Agent Williams would do his homework, but he had plenty of useful connections, including a hacker capable of revising Steve’s history to match whatever narrative he required.

Danny shook his head.  “Okay; first of all – no.  I did not run a background check on you, though in my line of work, that’s well within my right.  And second, I am a detective – agent – whatever, and a damn good one.  It’s my job to read between the lines and sort out the truth.”

“Okay, detective.  You think you’re so smart?”  Steve scooted closer and stared him down, his lips curved in a challenging smirk.  “What have you learned about me?”

“Well, let’s see.”  Danny placed the tips of his fingers to his temples, mimicking a psychic about to perform a reading.  He took an over-exaggerated breath.  “You either grew up in, or spent a significant amount of time in Hawaii.”

Steve’s smirk faltered.

“Swimming is your preferred method for staying in shape.”

Steve willed himself not to fidget.

“You have a dog, even though you’re more of a cat person.”

The smirk vanished altogether.  “How…?”

“You’re ex-military, probably U.S. Navy; your father is no longer alive, and you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which I’m guessing you haven’t sought any sort of help in addressing.”  Danny lowered his hands.  “How am I doing so far?”

To say that Steve was dumbfounded would be an understatement, so much so that he didn’t bother to contradict anything.  “I – how could you possibly know all that?”

Danny sighed and met his glare.  “I also know that you’re incredibly thoughtful and gentle.  Those who are lucky enough to call you ‘friend’ would describe you as deeply caring and loyal to a fault.  And, in spite of this playboy act, you’re a hopeless romantic who desperately wants a family of his own – one that will never forsake him.”

Steve crossed his arms and scowled.  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Danny inclined his head slightly and lifted a shoulder.  “You can deny it all you want, but we both know I’m right.”

“You keep accusing me of being dishonest and cagey, but you haven’t exactly been forthcoming yourself.”

“Fair enough.”  Danny studied him in silence for a moment.  Then he nodded to himself, as though he’d made some sort of decision.  

He leaned to one side and reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a glossy piece of paper folded into a square.  He offered it to Steve.

“What’s this?”  Steve straightened the paper.  

It was a photograph of two children, a teenage girl with long, brown hair, and a young, blond-haired boy with a wide-toothy grin.

“My kids,” Danny said.  “Grace and Charlie.  They’re the only good thing to have come out of my failed marriage.”

“They’re beautiful,” Steve answered sincerely.  He returned the picture.

Danny gazed at it, a sad smile on his place.  “My ex got custody of them in the divorce.  Then she got remarried to this real estate developer who’s been constantly moving them around the United States.  The only way I could keep up was to study and work my ass off to become a good investigator so that I could qualify for a job with the FBI, and later Interpol, which gave me the freedom to relocate with them.”

He carefully placed the photo back in his pocket.  “What sucks is that my current case poses a significant risk.  I can only video chat with them over secured lines at random intervals.  I haven’t gotten to hold them in over six months.  And even before this whole debacle, my ex-wife has been fighting tooth and nail to bar me from visitation.  She thinks that if she distances them from me, it’ll hurt them less in the long run if I get killed in the line of duty.”

“That’s – I don’t even know what to say.  Sorry, I guess.”

Danny smiled a little in thanks.  “That’s why this will be my last case.  Once I wrap this up, I’m going to quit and find some place stable where I can put down roots.  I’ll retire from law enforcement; maybe open a restaurant or something.  And once I’m settled, I’m going to sue for shared custody.”

Steve could hardly believe what he was hearing.  On the one hand, he’d just been handed the exact type of leverage he’d been paid to uncover.  Clearly, Danny would do absolutely anything for his children; probably even cooperate with some less-than-savory characters to keep them safe.  All Steve had to do was excuse himself, call Markova, tell him about Grace and Charlie, and he could sail off into the sunset with a full bank account.  

On the other hand, Steve wasn’t the type of guy to put kids in danger under any circumstance.  More importantly, how could Steve betray Danny after such a massive display of trust?  If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he had grown to like Danny very much.  In spite of the lies, they had real chemistry, if not enough for a relationship, then at least they might form a good friendship.

Then again, that point was moot.  One way or another, Danny would learn the truth about Steve.  And when he did…

One of Danny’s phones rang, disturbing Steve’s introspection and Danny’s quiet observation.

“Yes?  Okay.  I’m on my way.”  Danny hung up and gathered his files.  “I need to go.  Duty calls.”

Steve stood up.  “And I suppose I’m not allowed to come along?”

“Sorry babe.”  Danny got to his feet and took a few steps closer to Steve.  “You busy on Friday?”

He mulled it over.  “I’m not sure yet.  I have some – uh – stuff to take care of.”

“Okay.  Well, I’ll check in with you later.”  Danny hesitated.  Then he leaned up and gave Steve a peck on the lips.

Steve blinked.  “What was that for?”

Danny grinned.  “Meh.  Just felt like it.”  He left without another world.

Steve raised a hand to touch his lips.  It was a hardly a real kiss, certainly nothing to blush about, and yet Steve could feel his neck growing warm.

Oh god; he was so screwed.

[shuakkinda-blog]

Jihoon crushing on you !! // scenario

A bullet-point scenario featuring Jihoon/Woozi !!

Request for scenarios and reactions on my page if you want :)

- ok but have you seen the lyrics this boy writes for his songs???

- he’s got love sickness written all over svt’s name with his compositions

- and although some of the songs he has written depict active pursuits for a girl that the guy wants,

- Jihoon isn’t the type to go after someone like that

- you know why?

- BC HE JUST WANTS IT SIMPLE

- ok that was bad I’m sorry

- what I mean is that Jihoon doesn’t want to go out looking for his soulmate in every corner and alley

- neither would he want to get a girl to like him by changing himself a whole lot

- he’s one to support the natural bloom of love

- simply put

- Jihoon just wants a girl who really understands him and can accept him for who he is <3  

- alrighty, scenario time !!

- as an intern at pledis, you’ve been given the opportunity to work with many of the company’s artists

- including seventeen ofc

- and you found getting to know the members pretty easy, as most of them are approachable

- when I say most, I mean everyone but Jihoon lol

- you’d see him around, but you guys would never engage in a conversation longer than an exchange of hellos

- some of the other svt members would tease Jihoon by telling you that he isn’t too good with people since he’s always locked away in his studio producing music

- but you’re not convinced

- well, you know he does spend most of his hours in the studio, but you don’t think he’s bad at socializing

- fr though, how else would he have tolerated living with 12 other boys for the past few years???

- this would make you curious about Jihoon

- “I’m sure you’re more than what people say about you...” you’d constantly think to yourself whenever he walks by

- little did you know that Jihoon is wondering about you too

- something about you was familiar to him

- he’s not sure if it’s your relatively calm nature or the way you look

- but he wants to figure what it is about you that’s so different yet so... natural???

- he’d often hear other members talking about you when you aren’t around

- they like to mention how amazing your taste in music is and how comforting/supportive you are when they feel down or stressed

- the beagle line, booseoksoon, would obviously be the biggest chatterboxes

- their conversations about you might as well be fights over you

- “hey guys, y/n likes this song I was practicing my vocals with today,” Soonyoung smiles widely and tries hard not to squeal

- “hmm, is that so,” Seokmin say, pretending to be unbothered

- “yeah, and she says she wants to hear me sing more often.”

- “I don’t know about you guys but I was dancing in the practice room the other day when y/n walked in and said I’m pretty good. She wants me to teach her a few dances sometime,” Seokmin grins in pride

- “WHAT THE HELL? THAT’S MY JOB,” Soonyoung would yell

- “oH weLL,” Seungkwan clears his throat. “yesterday I was cracking jokes all over the place for her and she was practically dying of laughter.”

- “I’m the jokester around here,” Seokmin points to himself. “What are you talking about?”

- “HEY MAN, do you remember who she laughed at the most when we showed her that clip of us on that variety show?” Soonyoung would ask

- “Me,” all three of them answer in unison

- “BACK OFF ALL OF YOU,” Seungkwan says in response. “We all know that comic relief in this group is my responsibility.” the three then engage in an argument

- “Oh my God, we get it. You all like her,” Jihoon says before retreating back to his studio. He’s had enough of this conversation

- before hearing all these “fights” over you

- he would’ve considered initiating dialogue between you and him

- but because Jihoon’s already pretty convinced the three of them are crushing on you already

- he decides to not get involved and leaves you to them

- besides, he doesn’t think a girl that those three would crush on would be his type

- W R O N G

- one day, you’d be hanging out with beagle line, who has been dying to hear more of your music playlists

- you’ve given them a few song recommendations before, but ofc they wanted moRE

- so your playlist session pretty much turns into a karaoke/dance party in the practice room with three of the loudest boys in pledis

- after all of the fun, the boys make a playlist on their laptop with all the songs you just played for them

- so when you can’t hang out with them, they could just play those songs and think of you awww

- however, the laptop they saved the playlist on just so happens to be one of the laptops the entire group shares

- one of these users is none other than the great Lee Jihoon

- he takes the laptop to his studio one day and magically finds the playlist left on pause from the last time booseoksoon listened to it altogether and cried over you lmao

- and recognizing a few songs on the list, he decides to give it a listen

- he has no idea whose playlist it is

- but he falls in love with it

- it just happens to be the perfect mix of old songs from his predebut days and more modern songs from today

- you defined his music taste perfectly with this very playlist

- so he begins to use it more frequently

- one day, he was blasting the playlist in the practice room when all of a sudden:

- “ah, I’m not surprised... booseoksoon is blasting my playlist once agai-”

- you stop your tracks upon spotting no one else but Jihoon with the laptop, playing your playlist

- Jihoon freezes and lets what you just said sink in

- “Oh, uh... this is your playlist?” he asks anxiously

- “Yeah, it- it is,” you stutter. “Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung asked me for it, so they saved it onto that... laptop.”

- “well, it’s... pretty good,” Jihoon compliments awkwardly

- “oh really? I- um, thank you??” a nervous laughter comes out of you

- “yeah, uh, I’m sorry if I’m not supposed to be listening to it. I want to respect your priv-”

- “no no, please. If you like it, feel free to use it whenever,” you wave your hands in defense

- Jihoon stifles a tiny laugh. “okay thank you, y/n.”

- “anytime, Jihoon,” you smile kindly. “This is actually the playlist I use when I work on my assignments. Do you mind if I uh... work here while you play it?” You clarify your point by holding up the unfinished files you have to work on for your internship

- “yeah, of course,” Jihoon keeps his cool. “I was just gonna.. uh...”

- “If you’re working on something privately here, I can leave you alone. It’s no big deal,” you say. The last thing you want to do is bother him

- “Ah no, I was just gonna work on my dancing, that’s all,” he manages to answer without stuttering. Jihoon was honestly ready to break out in nervous laughter, but he held it back. “You can stay, don’t worry.”

- you thank Jihoon and settle into a chair and table to get started on work

- it takes you a little while to realize that Jihoon is actually dancing to songs on your playlist

- you decide to give him a compliment, because goddamn this boy is really good

- “I didn’t think that song was all that danceable, but you managed to make it work.”

- Jihoon smiles. “Oh thanks. A lot of the songs on your playlist are dance songs though. That’s what I like about it.”

- “to be honest, I expected you to be more of a composer than a dancer, but it looks like you can do both pretty well,” you smile

- “oh really,” he accepts the compliment shyly. “I spend more time composing, but dancing definitely relieves a lot of stress for me.”

- “... how about you? What do you like to do?” he asks

- he isn’t sure if he asked that out of a need to beat out the awkward aura or if he was genuinely curious about you

- but he’s glad he did because it definitely brought up a pretty interesting conversation between you and him

- and BAM you’re finally friends with Jihoon !!

- I’m not tryna to exaggerate buuuut

- becoming friends with this genius is absolutely life-changing

- your old, awkward hellos in the hallways turn into full-on conversations and it’s amazinG

- and he has so much knowledge about music and dancing and entertainment and he just loves sharing all of that with you

- hearing and seeing how passionate he is about what he does as an artist is the best part about being a good friend of his

- (he wouldn’t share any of this kind of stuff with people he isn’t close to)

- his hardworking nature is also super inspiring

- but oftentimes, you’ll find him stressing a little too much about his work

- although he does take breaks from time to time, there are days when all he wants to do is work nonstop

- and as a caring friend, you do your best to help Jihoon out in these stressful times

- “c’mon dude, just take a short break to have dinner with the members. You can always come back to composing a little later,” you’d nag him

- “no, I’m fine, really,” he replies, eyes still glued to his composition displayed on the computer screen. “I’m not feeling dinner right now.”

- “that’s what you said at lunchtime when I checked on you,” you complain. “I know you keep snacks in here, but the members probably haven’t seen you since this morning. And real meals will help you recharge better than any of these tiny snacks.”

- “y/n this is due in two days, I can’t just-”

- “Jihoon,” you get his full attention at the mention of his name. “I get it. Due dates are due dates. But you need to think: is working straight and only having half of your energy in writing this song really worth it? Or do you think it’s better to take breaks and make a with a song with all of your energy put into it?”

- you sigh. “It’s all up to you. I’m just giving you suggestions here.”

- although you’re still concerned about your friend, you decide it’s best to leave the composer alone for now. You head over to the practice room to join the other members eat dinner. The guys greet you with a warm welcome

- you also inform the boys that you invited Jihoon over for dinner with them if he wanted to come

- but a few moments after your arrival

- Jihoon steps into the practice room as well

- “HOLY SHIT, JIHOON’S ALIVE?” Soonyoung screams

- the rest of the members rush on over to Jihoon to engulf him in a gigantic group hug

- “was I really out for that long?” the composer laughs

- “UHHM YEAH, JIHOON,” Seungkwan exclaims. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen your face in two days.”

- “Seriously,” Seungcheol smiles and ruffles Jihoon’s hair. “It’s about time you took a legitimate break.”

- Seungcheol would then walk over to you. You were admiring the adorable group bonding from afar:

- “Damn, y/n, how did you do it?” he pats your shoulder

- you shrug your shoulder and laugh it off

- because you honestly don’t know how you got Jihoon to get out of his studio

- and now he’s eating a complete dinner???

- the members were very impressed by you

- what kind of potion or sorcery did you use to resurrect Jihoon??1?///?

- a potion for love if you know what I mean ;);)

- nah but really

- if Jihoon is able to do the unlikely because of you

- there must be something special about you that Jihoon likes

- when he gets back to his studio after a refreshing dinner time with you and his members

- Jihoon will just sit there and think

- “hOW THE FUCK DID I EVEN LEAVE MY COMPOSITION FOR TWO HOURS???”

- and everything will lead back to you

- your convincing arguments

- your understanding

- your careful nature with him

- your kindness

- your awfully bright smile

- and all of your conversations that got him so excited

- aw shit don’t tell me I like y/n

- he liKES YOU OMF

- the mere thought of himself liking a girl after a long time just sahdlfjdgshskhagaAHHH

- he definitely wasn’t ready for this

- OKAY IT’S TIME TO DISCUSS JIHOON’S CRUSHING HABITS

- after he realizes he’s got a pretty huge crush on you, Jihoon will most likely change the way he acts around you in a few ways:

- 1. he’ll be 10x more nervous whenever you come over to hang out

- you’ll ask him a simple question like “hey, Jihoon, how are you today?”

- and he’ll have to stutter around when replying:

- “uhhh... go-good I guess?”

- 2. before his crush, he could easily slip you a little compliment here and there. But when he’s crushing, Jihoon would keep all these compliments to himself 

- this is because he’d constantly overthink his compliments

- he doesn’t wanna sound too desperate or flirty. He’ll do anything to make his crush on you not obvious

- so whenever Jihoon would want to compliment you, he’d probably just smile really cutely and say the compliment in his head

- 3. Jihoon would want to be the one to invite you over to hang out, because he needs time to think out your conversations

- the last thing he wants is an awkward time with you

- he’d like everything to flow perfectly so he can feel a little less tense around you

- and whenever you accidentally bump into Jihoon around the company building, oh boy

- he wouldn’t know what to say in these encounters, so you’d have to be the one to start off the conversation

- overall, this guy is just a nervous wreck around you

- and he can’t exactly tell people he’s feeling this attacked every time he sees you because

- Jihoon wouldn’t tell anyone about his crush

- LIKE NO ONE

- okay maybe Seungcheol, but only if he asks Jihoon about you and doesn’t stop until his dongsaeng admits that he likes you:

- “Jihoon, come on. I know you. Just admit it already.”

- “For the last time, Seungcheol, I don’t like y/n like that,” Jihoon would huff. The two are prepping for bed in their shared dorm room

- “Mmm,” the leader thinks for a moment and then grins. “I’m not buying it.”

- Jihoon is irritated. “You’ve asked me so many times already and I’ve always said no. Why can’t you believe me?”

- Seungcheol inhales deeply before looking at Jihoon squarely in the face. “Look, she’s the only person who can successfully pull you out of the studio to rest or do anything other than work.”

- “Even I can’t do that, and I’ve known you for years now.”

- Jihoon stares at his hyung before covering his face with a hand

- “Jeez, is it that obvious?”

- At the sound of Jihoon’s response, Seungcheol grins, rises to his feet, and starts an awkward but cute happy dance

- “Okay okay, I get it, Cheol. You win,” Jihoon smiles in embarrassment

- with this new information, Seungcheol would be one to make fun of Jihoon a lot when you’re around

- like you could simply pass by and say hi to Jihoon, and Seungcheol would punch him on the shoulder cutely while squealing

- and it’ll become so frequent to the point that the other members would pick up on it too

- and when booseoksoon finds out, Jihoon is in for another headache

- “whOA, I didn’t know Jihoon likes y/n,” Soonyoung would tease

- “I don’t???” Jihoon lies

- “but every single time y/n comes by, Seungcheol automatically smiles and giggles at you specifically,” Seungkwan would justify

- “then maybe Seungcheol likes her,” Jihoon retaliates

- “naw dude, he isn’t like that,” Seokmin replies. “The leader is just making your crush too obvious.”

- Jihoon won’t know how to come back at that comment

- “... whatever,” he sighs in defeat

- “AEYYYYY-” the trio squeals but Jihoon cuts them:

- “I’m out. Go be loud and dumb somewhere else.”

- “WELCOME TO THE CLUB, JIHOON,” the trio shouts

- and since the three beagles hang out with you a lot too

- they’re bound to spill the beans within the first few days of knowing:

- you’d be hanging out with the three of them like usual when the boys suddenly decide to pull out your playlist for another mini practice room party

- the first song that Jihoon danced to on your playlist comes up and you can’t help but mention him out of nowhere

- “guys, did I ever tell you that Jihoon listens to my playlist?”

- “oOhHoH, Jihoon,” Soonyoung wiggles his eyebrows at the other boys

- “uh yeah?? He found it on the laptop we saved it on, and I caught him listening to it. Strange huh,” you smile off to the side at the thought of that day

- “mMhHm, very strange indeed,” Seokmin looks at Seungkwan and Soonyoung and gives them a suspicious look similar to Soonyoung’s

- “yo wtf? What’s going on with all of you?” you’d ask

- “OH NOTHING NOTHING,” Seungkwan would giggle

- you’re not convinced

- “you guys are hiding something. Spill it.”

- the boys would hold their breaths and keep quiet, until...

- “JIHOON LIKES YOU,” Seungkwan would burst and then immediately cover his mouth in regret

- “WhAaAaT??1? ‘JIHOON LIKES FOOD?’ PFF ISN’T THAT ALREADY OBVIOUS?? HAHAHAHHEHAHHA NiCe oNe, Bo0 ” seoksoon scream in an attempt to cover up the accident

- meanwhile, the fact sinks in and you break out into a huge smile. A pink blush spreads across your face, and the boys notice

- “WHOA WAIT,” Seungkwan finally breaks. “YOU LIKE HIM TOO?”

- “... maybe.”

- “are you gonna confess to him?” they all ask

- “hmmm... I don’t know, should I?” *GEULSE JAL MOLLA*

- m e a n w h i l e 

- the mere thought of confessing to you is terrifying to Jihoon

- it would take him a lot of line-rehearsing and sleepless nights before he could tell you how he feels

- but that would take a century

- a lot of times, he’ll come close to having enough guts for it

- but then he’d back out, thinking that the conversation could wait a little longer

- so if anything, you’d have to be the one to ask him if he likes you

- “hey Jihoon, can I ask you something?” you twiddle your fingers atop Jihoon’s desk. The two of you are hanging out in his studio like you usually do

- “yeah, what’s up?”

- he’s busy. Only half of his attention is on the conversation

- “do you... like me?”

- Jihoon freezes. Instead of looking directly at you, he stares at your fidgeting hands

- “who told you that?”

- “I can’t say because you’ll-”

- “who told you that?” he repeats himself

- “I can only tell you who if you promise not to kill that person.”

- Jihoon thinks for a moment. “Fine, just tell me who.”

- you can’t help but laugh as you respond

- “Seungkwan.”

- Jihoon immediately gets up from his seat and starts heading for the studio door

- “OH MY GOD WAIT, JIHOON,” you can’t stop laughing, but you follow him to the door and grab his wrist

- he stops again, and an electric feeling rushes through his body upon sensing your touch

- “Jihoon, you promised me you wouldn’t kill him. Now keep your promise.”

-  He puffs out a breath before turning to you. “I’m sorry y/n, but Seungkwan needs to learn his less-”

- “I like you too,” you interrupt his sentence

- his entire body stills, and it’s as if time decided to take a moment to pause at this very moment

- “if anything, we should be thanking Seungkwan for spitting it all out because, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have known we both like each other.”

- Jihoon thinks, and a smile slowly forms on his lips

- “can I punch him in the face at least?”

- “JIHOON.”

- “alright, but I’ll need something else in return then,” he takes a hold of you with one hand on your arm

- “like what?”

- he finally looks you in the eye 

- you notice his face blushing pink

- “nevermind, I really want to beat him up.”

- “JIHOO-”

- he quickly pecks you on the cheek before leaving the studio to start his manhunt for Seungkwan

- as he runs away from your chasing, he smiles to himself

- Jihoon, you got the girl of your dreams. And it was simple...

[catty-words]

🐜 Rebecca/Nathaniel, if you're feelin' it.

send me an emoji & a pairing and i’ll write you a short fic? [except please don’t, i’m not writing any more of these] - 🐜 (freaking cause there’s a bug pls deal with it im not touching it)

title: that silly girl, she’s all wound up [1/3]summary: “I posit that in a week’s time, I’ll have you, A, admitting that you still believe in love; and B, begging me to kiss you.”

Nathaniel learns that Rebecca’s a little more deeply wounded by what happened with Josh than she lets on and decides to do something about it.Word Count: 2,300Author’s Note: @bethanyactually has my gratitude forever for both betaing this story and being my friend.This first section is kind of a cross between a chapter and a prologue – next week’s installment is over three times the length, no exaggeration. It also might be the funniest non-crack!fic I’ve written to date, so good things are on the horizon!Who else is looking forward to season 3 with all their might?

(ao3)

~~~

“Bunch, I need you to stay over today.” Nathaniel slaps a couple files down on the counter above Rebecca’s cubicle, knowing it’ll earn him an annoyed huff.

“Why?”

“How about because I’m your boss and I said so?”

She quirks a challenging brow at him. “Just for that, I’m leaving an hour early.”

Though his glare would send a lesser employee into groveling mode, Rebecca meets his eye with fierce determination. They stay locked in a staring competition until Paula clears her throat.

“Actually, I need that Harvard-and-Yale brain of yours on the junkyard dispute,” he explains, shooting a sheepish look in Paula’s direction. “That is, unless you’re not feeling up for it.”

She scoffs. “Oh, please. I’m the most up for it. One might say I’m uppity.”

Paula lets out an amused cough, but Nathaniel decides not to touch that one.

“Great. I’ll see you in the conference room at 6:30 sharp.”

“I’ll be there. With my A game. In fact, I already have a proposal typed up and ready to go.” Rebecca pats a thick, lime green binder that’s sitting on her desk.

He smirks. “So do I.”

“I bet mine’s better.”

“I bet it’s not.”

“Oh, it is so on.”

Again, Paula clears her throat, only this time it’s just to cover her spitting out the word disgusting.

Nathaniel throws her a warning scowl before he walks away. He can’t help glancing back at Rebecca from across the office, though. The binder is open on her desk, and she’s quietly reading her work to herself.

He almost smiles softly, but her head snaps up—probably sensing his eyes on her—and he quickly fixes his features into more of a leer.

She sneers back, flashing him the thumbs up.

When her attention is focused back on her proposal, Nathaniel darts toward his office.

He should probably proofread his work again before their meeting.

~~~

There are a lot of words Nathaniel would use to describe Rebecca Bunch. Buxom. Intense. Pathetic.

But one of his newfound favorites is competitive.

No matter what Miss ‘I Hated the Ivy League Circuit I’m So Glad To Be Keeping It Breezy In So-Cal’ says, it’s in her blood to rise to the challenge. He had discovered this intriguing personality trait during an otherwise uninteresting afternoon at a pre–client-meeting prep session.

“You’re planning to suggest they settle?” Rebecca had asked him incredulously. “That’s terrible practice.”

“Part of being a good lawyer is knowing when to tell your clients their case is a lost cause. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is back down.”

“What, are we in a John Grisham novel? You do remember we primarily practice real estate law, right? The stakes aren’t high enough to merit backing down.”

Nathaniel had rolled his eyes and pushed out of his seat to find a file in the cart by the window.

“Ah!”

Rebecca had appeared at his side in an instant. “What? What’s wrong?” He had pointed wordlessly at the stink bug crawling across the glass and she cocked her head at him. “Are you serious right now?”

“Mock later, kill now.”

“You’re afraid of bugs?”

“A bug,” Nathaniel had clarified. “The brown marmorated stink bug.”

“But they’re essentially harmless,” Rebecca had said. “The only thing they do is smell bad, and that’s only if you kill them.” When he’d squinted quizzically at her, she’d shrugged. “I went through an entomology phase as a kid. It ended when my mother confiscated all the books I got from the library, saying something about how she didn’t go through the agony of childbirth to have me grow up to be a glorified exterminator. But I still learned a lot. Seriously, it’s best to just leave these guys alone.”

He’d shaken his head. “Nope, no, I’m sorry but I can’t trust any insect that’s dressed for battle. It’s shaped like a shield because it’s ready to fight. They’re evil, okay? Evil.”

Rebecca had smiled a dangerous smile then. “You’re really not gonna give this up, are you?”

“What part of evil do you not understand? These things are the Voldemort of the insect world.”

She’d made a funny face at him. “They’re probably more on the Draco Malfoy side of evil. You know, misunderstood…spurred on by societal expectations.”

“So you admit they’re at least a little bit evil,” Nathaniel had said, inching away from the window as the bug crawled higher.

“No, I was just fixing your metaphor.”

“Would you please kill it already?” He had snapped.

“I could…” she’d said, drawing out the o, “or we could have a little fun.” He’d kept his eyes on the stink bug, waiting for her to spit it out. “How about we look it up, and if I’m right, I get to take the lead with the clients. We’re not throwing out that case.”

He’d spared her an annoyed glance. She’d had her arms crossed over her chest and was already wearing a triumphant expression. Not for the first time, he’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way all her smiles were slightly off. He’d felt a pang of worry in his chest.

With an exasperated sigh, he’d said, “If we find out that I’m right, you’re killing this bug.”

She’d held out her hand, ready to close the deal.

Needless to say, Nathaniel had spent the entirety of the meeting silent, watching the stink bug when it was in sight and only half paying attention to Rebecca working over their client.

But—despite the hit he took to his masculinity that day—he considered the incident a success. After all, one of the tricks to being a good manager is knowing what motivates your employees.

It’s not that he has a personal interest in what makes her tick. Not at all.

~~~

“Does salad dressing expire?” Rebecca asks, studying a grimy bottle of French she got out of the company refrigerator.

He snatches it from her. “Don’t you even think about drowning that spring mix in dressing. That wasn’t part of the terms of our Coffee Challenge.”

“Yeah, well, you won on a technicality. So I should be able to bend the rules a little,” she says, reaching across the table to grab the bottle back. He holds it above his head and far out of her reach, and she falls back into her chair, pouting like a child.

“It’s not my fault you got up early to cheat and just happened to go to the same coffee cart I frequent.”

“Okay, but you were there to cheat, too,” she reminded him.

“True, but you still cheated first. So I won, doesn’t matter how,” he says, standing to put the dressing back in the fridge.

She mumbles something under her breath about compromising the integrity of victory, and he smirks at her. The grin only grows more pronounced when she chomps down on a mouthful of lettuce and nearly gags.

“Here comes Whi-Jo,” Nathaniel says, nodding politely as he breezes into the kitchen. “Like clockwork.”

Rebecca actually gags then, theatric and obnoxious, when Darryl leans in for a kiss. “Showoffs.”

“I don’t know,” Nathaniel says. “I think they’re kinda cute.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” She drops her fork with a clatter. “Mr. ‘Commitment Is Boring’ thinks that’s cute?”

He steals another glance at the couple, who’re standing so close their foreheads are touching. They’re both wearing bright smiles, and Nathaniel feels a wistful tug in his chest. “It’s not something I want for myself,” he explains, though the words sound a little hollow. “I guess, I don’t know, I like Darryl in the same way you feel compelled to feed stray cats. So it’s nice to see him happy.”

“Whatever,” Rebecca says, stabbing at her salad. “I thought I could at least count on you for relationship bitterness, but you’re totally going soft.”

“I am not,” he says, horrified.

“You are. God, now who am I gonna go to when I want to rant about how disgusting love is?”

“I am not soft,” Nathaniel insists. “And you don’t really believe love is disgusting.”

“I sure do. Being left at the altar during my wedding made me realize some things. For example, love is garbage and so is Josh Chan.”

“Well I won’t argue with the second part.”

She flips him off. “You know what else is garbage? This salad. I’m getting dressing and you can’t stop me.”

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t protest.

~~~

“You wanted to see me?” Paula asks, stepping into his office.

“Yeah, close the door behind you.”

She does as she’s told before sitting. “What’s up, boss?”

“I’m worried about Rebecca,” he says, whispering conspiratorially.

“Join the club,” Paula says. “Who isn’t these days?”

Nathaniel frowns. “Obviously her behavior since the wedding’s been erratic, but she said something to me today that really has me troubled.”

Her eyebrows knit together. “What is it?”

He checks to make sure no one’s right outside his office before leaning over his desk. “She said she doesn’t believe in love anymore.”

Paula blinks. “Okay?”

“That doesn’t,” Nathaniel struggles for a moment, trying to put words to the twisted ball of emotion creating the ache in his chest, “…bother you?”

“I think it’s a normal reaction to what she’s been through,” she says, waving away his concern. “Personally, I’ve given up on love for way less. After I had my first kid, Scott and I didn’t touch each other for months, and I convinced myself that love was a farce. Now though, if we happen to get a moment alone once a year, I’m like ‘The hills are alive, magic is real.’ All that junk.”

He sits back in his chair. “First of all, thank you for that bit of oversharing. I’m going to do my best to forget that I know anything about your sex life.”

“You know what, I think that’s better for both of us.”

“Agreed. As for Rebecca, you’re saying she just needs to have a The Hills are Alive moment, and she’ll go back to normal?”

Paula’s expression suddenly turns scrutinizing, and Nathaniel resists the urge to shift in his seat. “Why do you care so much about Rebecca’s personal philosophy on love, anyway?”

“We’re friends,” he says dismissively, turning his attention to his computer and opening his email.

“And?”

He scoffs. “And nothing.”

“Wanna know what I think?”

He opens up a new message and starts typing random words, hoping she’ll get the hint that he’s busy and leave.

It doesn’t work.

“I think you’re in love with her.”

“That is—that’s just.” He falters, clears his throat, and then calmly says, “Ridiculous.”

Paula clucks her tongue. “Not only are you in love with her, but you’ve got it bad. Weren’t you the one who sent for her father, forced him to show up to her wedding? If that doesn’t scream ‘big romantic gesture,’ I don’t know what does.”

Nathaniel turns to her, stern frown on his face. “I don’t think about Rebecca like that; it’d be highly inappropriate.” She hums in acknowledgement, but doesn’t say anything. Her silence compels him to add, “I simply don’t want her to give up on what’s important to her because of that dipshit Chan. I mean, a Rebecca who isn’t a hopeless romantic is as weird as one who isn’t constantly humming show tunes or making bad Harry Potter puns. It’s a part of who she is.”

“Uh-uh.” Paula studies him with a huge grin on her face.

“Shut up,” he grumbles, turning back to his fake email.

When he looks up again, she’s gone, thankfully, but the unsettled feeling in his stomach lingers.

~~~

“Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?” Rebecca asks, poking her head into his office the next morning.

He’s rendered silent for a moment too long, letting his gaze linger on her face despite the mountain of paperwork he needs to read through before noon.

“Dude, did you just fall asleep with your eyes open?” she asks. “You’re freaking me out.”

“What? No, I—sorry. Yeah. We’re trying the new Thai place on East Cameron, right?”

“Yeah, and you promised to pay. You better not forget that part.”

Nathaniel laughs a bit too heartily and then coughs to cover up his embarrassment. “I, uh, I haven’t.”

Rebecca steps into the office then, tilting her head and watching him carefully. “Is everything alright with you?”

He gestures to all the files littering his desk. “Just a little overworked. It makes me giddy.”

“You’re probably the only person on the entire planet with that problem,” she says, but visibly relaxes, accepting that explanation for his weird behavior. “Is there anything I can help you out with? Feel free to say no.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Nothing work related. I did want to talk to you about something, though.”

She waggles her eyebrows, and the silly gesture makes Nathaniel feel lightheaded. “Sounds ominous.”

“Not really. I’ve been thinking about our next challenge.”

“Oh, good, cause I’ve got nothing,” Rebecca says, plopping down into one of his chairs. “But I think it’s time to step up our game. Take things to the next level before this gets boring.”

“I’m so glad you think so,” Nathaniel says. His heart thunders in his chest, but his smile remains calm and coy.

Rebecca smirks back. “So what’ve you got?”

He stands, walks around to the front of his desk, and perches on the edge, angling himself toward her. Not once does he break eye contact.

“I posit that in a week’s time, I’ll have you, A, admitting that you still believe in love; and B, begging me to kiss you.”

She stares, a deer caught in the headlights. “Wh-what?”

He nods. “You have to resist me for a week—that’s the challenge. If you can do it, I’ll never make a pass at you again. If you can’t, well, I get the satisfaction of being right.”

“Shouldn’t I get to pick what happens if I win?” Rebecca says, jerking up her chin defiantly. Her quickened breath gives away her nerves, though.

“Sure,” Nathaniel agrees easily. “So we have a deal?”

After a second of deliberation, she takes his outstretched hand and gives it a firm shake.

[bangtan-insfired]

Snake Eyes | BTS Mafia AU (7)

Pairing: reader x jimin | Mafia/Gang AU

Genre: angst x some occasional fluff

Summary: You were assigned to protect, watch over, and defend him. Falling in love with him was just an inevitable side effect.

Word Count: 4,431

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 

The next couple of days were hard and stressful. Jimin had a lot of paperwork to sign off and meetings to attend. It was hard enough catching up on the work he missed—he had only missed two days yet it felt like he had missed an entire month—but to have to deal with his uncle and you, added more to his stress.

You were appointed as Jimin’s temporary assistant after he had bribed the former one to pretend she fell ill with a paid leave. Of course, it wasn’t an offer his former assistant couldn’t refuse. Who wouldn’t want to get paid to go on vacation?

Jimin wasn’t surprised at the displeased look on some of his employees’ faces when he had introduced you as the temporary assistant. It was highly unprofessional of him to date one of his co-workers and even more so to hire his girlfriend as it promoted favoritism. You, however, were unfazed by the looks you’d get, especially from the female employees who were envious of you.

With you having a legitimate reason to be at the company now, you rarely let Jimin out of your sight.  He could tell you were wary around him and you had all reason to be. Still, he managed to escape to the restroom where he’d meet up with his uncle in secret.

“Three creams and three sugars. Just the way you like it.” You said as you placed the cup of coffee onto his desk, greeting him with a smile.

Jimin looked up from a contract he had been reading over, raising a curious eyebrow at you. He brought the coffee to his lips and took a cautious sip. He then smiled, taking another sip. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” You replied, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk as you nursed your own coffee. “You looked like you were going to knock out last meeting and as hilarious as it would’ve been to see you face-plant again, I figured you needed some fuel to get you through the rest of the day.”

If there was one thing he liked about you, it was how attentive you were. He came to realize that it was your way of showing you cared but reminded himself not to think anything of it. Even when you’d smile lovingly at him, held his hand or would look absolutely smitten with him, he’d remind himself that you did it all for show. You cared for him because it was your job.

But there was something off about you…

“Okay,” Jimin nodded as he set the contract aside. He’d been working nonstop since the meeting he had in the morning and decided it was time for a small break. “You’re being nice. Too nice. Why?”

“Would you prefer me to be blunt then?” You mused as you leaned back into your seat comfortably. “Your tie today is hideous. It makes you look as old and boring as Secretary Choi. You were drooling a bit during your meeting and everyone saw it but were too nice to bring it up to you. Not to mention you’re a pretty bor-“

“That’s enough.” Jimin interrupted you, the blood rushing to his face as he fidgeted with his black and red tie. Now that he looked at it, he no longer thought well of the funky pattern on it. “You said you liked my tie this morning…”

“You really must be out of it,” You snorted. “It was Secretary Choi who complimented your tie this morning.”

“You’re my assistant. You’re supposed to help me look good in front of my employees.” Jimin groaned at you with a slight pout. “How could you do this to me?”

“I doubt choosing your outfit is part of the job description but I’ll keep it in mind tomorrow morning.” You laughed, finding his embarrassment amusing.

You stood up from your seat, pointing to the coffee on his desk.  “Drink up. That should get you through the rest of your day.”

**

Realization didn’t dawn on Jimin until the two of you were seated on his loveseat across from his mother. His mother rarely came to visit unless she got something out of it and since Jimin’s father’s funeral is tomorrow, he couldn’t say he was surprised. That explained why you were being ridiculously nice to him earlier.

His mother had always been a money-hungry woman. In other words, she was a gold digger and years ago when Jimin’s father was struggling with the company, she demanded a divorce. It was her biggest mistake, considering shortly after, Jimin’s father was successful in bringing his company back up bigger and better than ever. But it had been his father’s one and only marriage so he didn’t doubt that his mother was hoping she’d be on his will.

He internally groaned as he shifted next to you. His mother has been staring at you for the past minute, not caring that she was being obvious. She was making it clear that she didn’t like you. Jimin didn’t really care much about that. It’s not like you were actually his girlfriend and even if you were, he’s learned to ignore his mother’s opinions.

You had thought Jimin was exaggerating when he had first mentioned his mother but as you had no other choice but to endure her stuck-up attitude during the drive back from the airport, you came to the conclusion that she was far worse than Wonho. Was Jimin’s entire family like this? Poor guy.

As his mother set down her cup of tea, she forced a smile to her face.

“What family did you say you were from?”

“Mother—“

“What?” The older woman shrugged nonchalantly, purposely fidgeting with a posh diamond ring. You assumed it was her wedding ring from her marriage with Jimin’s father and found it odd that she was wearing it proudly even though their marriage ended on bad terms.

“My son needs to marry into a well-standing family. You see, darling, some people are after folks like us just for the money.”

You fought back the urge to laugh at her comment. Instead, you smiled at her. “You can rest assured, Sonya. It’s not money I’m after.”

“It’s Soyeon.”

Jimin snorted and you elbowed him to keep him quiet. Although, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy his reaction. He leaned forward as he checked his watch. “It’s getting late, mother. Should I drive you to your hotel?”

“Nonsense!” Soyeon waved her hand at him in a coy manner. “Why should I stay in a hotel when I have you?”

“You do know there’s only one room...?”

The only reason why Jimin had settled for a one-room apartment was to avoid situations like these. He loved his mother because despite her offensive personality, she was the woman who brought him to this earth. But he’d rather love her from afar.

“I’m not blind, Jiminie.” Soyeon giggled as she stood up from her seat, her hawk-eyes skimming around the apartment. “There’s plenty of room for the three of us.”

“She’s right, Jiminie.” You said, turning to him in a teasing manner.

“But you wouldn’t have your mother sleeping on the couch now?”

 **

 “Ugh, you were right about your mother.” You groaned as you stepped into the living room.

Soyeon had made you carry her suitcase into Jimin’s room and bossed you around for the past ten minutes while she settled herself into his room. You knew what she was doing. She was trying to scare you away from her son. Little did she know that you’ve seen things way scarier than a spiteful mother-in-law. As soon as she stepped into the shower, you made an escape.

Jimin managed a chuckle, pulling out the bed from the sofa-bed. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and plaid pajama pants. He grabbed clean sheets from his hallway closet and threw them onto the bed, carefully fixing it. The scene looked so domestic that it tugged at your heartstrings.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” You shrugged the feeling off, smiling at Jimin in reassurance. “I’m going to get a snack.”

Once you were in the comforts of the kitchen, you sighed. Nothing good would come out of yearning the simple things from a normal life so you decided to do what you do best and ignored your feelings.

You walked up to the pantry and stood on your tip-toes to reach for the cereal. You weren’t exactly hungry but you didn’t remember the last time you ate and that wasn’t good. Jimin had a wide selection of cereals so you figured he loved it. Either that or he was an indecisive person. Picking a random one, you opened it.

“What the hell?” Your eyebrows knitted together. “Jimin!”

“What?” He replied as he came into view, gaze following yours.

“Care to explain why you have your birth certificate and social security card in a frosted flakes cereal box?”

Jimin rubbed his neck in a sheepish manner. “That’s where I keep all my important files.”

“You are so weird.” You snorted, shoving his papers back into the box and setting it back onto its shelf on the pantry. 

Jimin mumbled something under his breath but you didn’t catch any of it. Your back was turned to him so you didn't catch the nervous shift in his facial expression. If you did, you would’ve known better than to brush it off.

“Are all your cereals like this?”

“Not the cheerios.”

You picked the cheerio cereal box and was glad to be met with actual cereal rather than important documents. Why Jimin chose cereal boxes for things such as those was beyond you. Jimin visibly relaxed as you turned back around, sending him a weird look as you poured milk into your bowl.

You forced yourself to eat the cereal to get something into your system and watched Jimin from the corner of your eyes as he shuffled back and forth with blankets and pillows in tow.

When you stepped back into the living room, you laughed at the way Jimin had set up the bed. There was a line of pillows directly in the middle of it along with a blanket and pillow on each side. Jimin sat on ‘his’ side of the bed.

On any other day, you’d sleep on the floor but the whole reason why Jimin was out here was because his mother had taken his bedroom. The two of you now had an audience, leaving you both with no other choice but to continue with your act.

You sat on your side of the bed, hugging your knees to your chest as you scrolled through your phone. You sent Namjoon a text to let him know everything was okay and that you’d see him tomorrow at the funeral. You mindlessly scrolled through your social media, which you only had to keep tabs on people you’d spy on.

You didn’t even realize Jimin had turned to his side to look at you until he spoke.

“Do you ever sleep?”

“Considering I’m a human and a human needs sleep, yes.”

“Those bags under your eyes say otherwise.” He murmured with a yawn, closing his eyes. “You should get some sleep, too. I doubt you’ll need to use your mafia skills in the next seven hours.”

“Mafia skills?” You repeated in an amused manner.

“Hmm.” He hummed as pulled his blanket over himself and shifted on his side of the bed too tired to bother with a proper reply. He closed his eyes.

You stared at him, watching as his breathing turned softer and the lines of care and wonder smoothed and disappeared from his face. His innocence showed on his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. His dreams must be calming and nice, no doubt doing a perfect job at blocking the dangers of the outside word.

You wished it could be the same for you.

**

When Jimin woke up, it was four in the morning. He was still facing your direction so when his eyes opened, he was surprised to see you fast asleep since he honestly thought you never slept. The line of pillows he had carefully placed between the two of you were all in your possession as you hugged them close to you.

Your hair was strewn across your face and before he could stop himself, he reached out and brushed it away from your face softly. You flinched against his touch and your eyebrows knitted together. Jimin held his breath and hand in place in fear that he managed to wake you up but when your eyes didn’t open and breathing remained the same, he saw that you were still asleep.

Even in your sleep, you didn’t look relaxed. You hugged the pillows tighter. Jimin noticed a thin line of sweat on your forehead and the way your lips curved down to a pout as you continuously murmured something.

It was hard to understand and it wasn’t until the fifth time you murmured it that he came to interpret it. A name.

“Kim Wook?” Jimin mumbled to himself, wondering who he was to make you have a nightmare.

He regretted having have spoken because as soon as he did, your eyes shot open in alarm. In an instant, you pounced on Jimin, straddling his lap and pinning his hands on either side of his head. Your eyes were wild and still tinged by sleep.

“It’s me. Jimin!” He cried in a quiet manner as he didn’t want to alert his mother. “It’s me.”

Any sign of drowsiness wore off on your face and you found yourself wide awake, staring down at the frightened man below you as you steadied your breathing. “For heaven’s sake Jimin,” you cursed, releasing your grip on his hands.

“You’re the one who attacked me!” He exclaimed with a pout, rubbing his wrists. For someone who was half asleep, you sure were strong.

“I’m sorry.” You sighed and removed yourself from him, settling yourself back onto your side of the bed. You awkwardly shuffled the pillows you had taken and lined them up once again between the two of you.

“Who’s Kim Wook?”

“What?”

Jimin cowered under your stare once again at your tone of voice. “You kept saying his name in your sleep.”

“Forget about it.” You snapped, wincing at how harsh you sounded.

The name had that effect on you but you realized too late that you couldn’t blame Jimin for it, if you were saying his name in your sleep. Something like that would strike curiosity into anyone.

“Just go back to sleep.” You said in a softer tone.

“Okay.” Jimin agreed, not wanting to provoke you any further.

But the way you reacted to the name had him even more curious as to who the beholder of it could be.

**

Morning couldn’t have come any slower. Your eyes begged for sleep but you made yourself a second cup of coffee to keep the tiredness at bay. You refused to go back to sleep after what had happened and thought it best to just stay awake.

The funeral was early in the morning so you decided to dress yourself for it, pulling out a black dress that Taehyung had packed for you. He was so into fashion that he bought most of your clothes since you couldn’t be bothered yourself. You rolled your eyes as you saw the Gucci tag on it. It wasn’t long before Jimin and his mother were awake and getting ready themselves.

Much to your relief, the drive there was silent. Well, with the exception of Soyeon’s melodramatic sigh. You and Jimin would exchange looks every time she did.

The cemetery Jimin’s father was being buried at was the same one Hitman Bang had been buried in. You grew up knowing it as ‘Rich Man’s land’ since all rich men and their families within the city were buried here. “You’ll be buried her, too.” Hitman Bang had told you one day as you two drove past it.

But as you stood at the entrance gates of the cemetery, you weren’t sure you’d like to be buried in a place full of corrupt people.

You smiled as you spotted Namjoon a few feet away. He was on the phone and as soon as he turned around, he hung up and smiled back at you. You hadn’t seen him or any of your family members in days and although being apart from them wasn’t a new concept, it was a while since you all were faced with a situation like this. You quickened your pace, not caring that Jimin was stumbling after you as his hand was wrapped around yours.

When you finally reached him, you pulled Namjoon into a hug which he gladly returned. “I’ve missed you.”

“It hasn’t even been a week.” He chuckled but gave you a squeeze as if to say that he missed you, too.

Jimin’s attention was soon diverted from the two of you as he heard familiar groans behind him. He turned his head to see his mother walking in their direction, groaning as her ridiculous high heels sunk into the muddy grass below her. He felt bad for running off with you and leaving her behind. The least he could’ve done was help her walk.

“Mr. Kim!” Soyeon called as she clung onto Jimin for balance. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she wore a black veil headband and an ever so elegant smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure to see you again! Are you acquainted with [Y/N]?”

Namjoon pulled away from you to politely shake the woman’s hand. “Well acquainted. She’s my younger sister.”

“Oh!” Soyeon’s lips formed an ‘O’ in realization. She then turned to smile at you and you kept yourself from rolling your eyes at her sudden change of attitude toward you. “Why didn’t you tell me you were Bang Sihyuk’s daughter?”

You simply shrugged. You didn’t know she was familiar with your family.

“Accompany me, will you?” Soyeon’s tone was more demanding and she left Namjoon with no choice as he hooked her arms with him. She had no shame as she clung onto him. “How’s your wife?”

“I don’t have a wife.” Namjoon chuckled as they walked closer to the burial site.

Jimin rolled his eyes at the sight and sound of his mother’s infamous giggle. He was hoping she wouldn’t be on the prowl for a new husband, especially not at his father’s funeral. She should have some respect for the man she was once married to.

You noticed that Jimin’s gaze had shifted elsewhere and he grew extremely quiet. You followed his gaze and a framed picture of Jimin’s father placed right next to his dark closed coffin came into view. Jimin had requested it to be closed. He couldn’t bare the thought of seeing his father dead. He had finally come to terms that his father was long gone. Yet there was still no preparing for this moment. He felt as if he had lost his father all over again.

Soyeon may not have a care in the world for the man lying inside that coffin but Jimin did.

You frowned and squeezed Jimin’s hand tightly as you slowly lead him to the area where many were already gathered for the burial ceremony.

A priest stood beside the coffin, speaking to Secretary Choi. You saw Jimin’s uncle and Wonho nearby as well along with a few company employees who had been close to Mr. Park. There were a few other people you didn’t recognize.

An annoyed Namjoon came to stand next to you with Soyeon still in tow and you wiggled your eyebrows suggestively at him, glancing back and forth between him and Soyeon. He rolled his eyes in return. The priest began to talk and you willed yourself to listen out of courtesy.

You could tell Jimin was holding back his tears so you hugged his arm and pulled him close to let him know that it was okay to let go. A part of you was taken aback when he rested his head on your shoulder, using you for support as he silently cried. Although it made you uncomfortable, you let it slide and let him grieve.

At one point, you and Namjoon stepped back in respect as Jimin stood in front of his father’s coffin. One by one, close family members approached the coffin and would place a white rose onto it and comfort Jimin.

It brought back memories from Hitman Bang’s funeral. He had been the closest thing to a father figure you ever had and although at times you despised him, you loved him for taking you and Seokjin in. You knew what Jimin was going through and took pity on him.

Namjoon noticed the tears brimming your eyes and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. He, too, was moved by the sight as similar thoughts invaded his head. In that moment, he prayed that he wouldn’t have to attend another funeral of a loved one any time soon or for the next couple of years.

“Brings back old memories, huh?”

The hand on your shoulder tightened and your body became rigid at the new presence beside you.

“Jaebum.” Namjoon greeted through clenched teeth, his gaze fixed forward.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jimin’s uncle tense up and felt Wonho’s eyes on the three of you. What did they have to do with Jaebum’s gang? You didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought.

Jaebum rested his hand on your other shoulder and you turned to glare at him. “What are you doing here?” You whispered.

You didn’t want to cause a scene and was glad Soyeon was beside Jimin and not Namjoon, leaving the three of you a good distance away from the other people and any potential eavesdroppers.

“I came to pay my respects.”

“To the man you killed.” You huffed.

“To the man your brother killed.”

You felt your heart drop to your stomach at the reminder. You knew Jaebum had ordered your brother to kill him…but that didn’t make it any worse. You spared a glance toward Jimin, wondering how he could face you with such kindness knowing that you were related to the reason why he’s suffering.

“Go away.”

Jaebum chuckled. “I’m just telling it how it is, Sweetheart.”

“Let’s go talk elsewhere.” Namjoon suggested as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder in a protective manner, prying Jaebum’s hand off of you. “This is not the place.”

“I didn’t come to talk to you.” Jaebum retorted in an annoyed manner, his eyes falling upon on you once again. “I came to talk to [Y/N].”

“Over my dead body.” Namjoon hissed and you took a step back along with him.

“Sweetheart,” Jaebum called to you and you hesitantly met his gaze. “Are you really going to let him boss you around the way Hitman Bang did?”

“Your brother wouldn’t want that.” He added with a tsk-tsk sound.

At the mention of Seokjin, your heart began to race. You reminded yourself that this was the enemy and he was no doubt trying to get you worked up. You shouldn’t easily believe him just because he brought up your brother. So you forced yourself to remain calm as you replied.

“What would you know about what my brother wants?”

An amused expression came over Jaebum’s face and in a dramatic manner, he brought his hand to his mouth. Jaebum shook his head in disbelief and Namjoon pulled you closer to him.

“Namjoon didn’t tell you?”

Your head was spinning at the thoughts that swarmed in your mind. You glanced at Namjoon and beyond his glare, you could see the troubled look in his eyes. You wished you could call Jaebum’s bluff but the way Namjoon was glaring at Jaebum had you convinced otherwise.

“What is he talking about?” You asked Namjoon, pushing yourself away from him.

“[Y/N],” Namjoon sighed and you instantly recognized his tone of voice.

He reached forward for you but you found yourself stepping closer to Jaebum. He winced at the way your expression hardened toward him. This is the last thing he wanted to happen and as you turned to face Jaebum, he felt as if the floor beneath him was crumbling apart.

“What isn’t he telling me?”

“Come with me and I’ll tell you.” Jaebum said offering his hand to you. “I’m sure Namjoon could babysit Rich Boy over there while we talk.”

“[Y/N], please—“

You didn’t bother to look back as you took Jaebum’s hand.

**

“Jimin?”

Jimin raised himself from his hunched over position. He wiped at his eyes to clear his vision and his worried uncle came into focus. He was relieved to see that Wonho wasn’t beside him.

“He’s here.”

Jimin’s eyes widened and he followed the direction his uncle was nodding his head at. A few feet away in the row behind, stood a man with chiseled features and black hair. He was dressed in a sharp suit and as he stood with his hands on his hips, Jimin was able to see the gun holstered to his waist.

“That’s him?”

“Im Jaebum.” Seunghyun confirmed. “His presence here is anything but good.”

Jimin was about to turn back around when he saw Jaebum shift his weight from one foot to another, revealing you to be standing next to him. He froze. What were you doing so close to him? Were you in danger?

“We need to give him the files. You don’t want to experience what men like him do when they lose their patience.”

“But—“

“Don’t worry about her.” Seunghyun brushed off Jimin’s concern. “She deserves what’s coming to her.”

Jimin frowned.

He could easily get this over with. He can go to his apartment and retrieve the files Jaebum was demanding and turn them into him the very next day if he wanted to. Namjoon and his so-called family would no longer have power over him and he’d be free to live his the life the way he used to before… but there was one thing stopping him.

You.

Your name was included in those files. Every crime you’ve committed was written in them along with photographic evidence. His father had been keeping tabs on you and your family for quite a long time. It was more than enough to condemn you.

His uncle walked up to him, sensing Jimin’s inner turmoil. He placed a hand onto his shoulder. “She doesn’t truly care about you…so why should you care about her?” 

A/N: Quite a lot happened in this chapter. I’m so excited to get deeper into this story! What do you guys think Jaebum told the reader?

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

[canaryatlaw]

okay well it’s late because I once again forgot to take my meds and didn’t get tired when I should but I took them now so that’s all we can do for now. today was alright, it was a lot with going to the courthouse and all. it’s just very odd from going from seeing like 1ish people a day (besides like walking by people if I do happen to go out) to being in a big building that’s supposed to be social distancing but is still absolutely flooded with people because people have rights and if they want to file for an emergency order of protection you can’t tell them no too full and lock them out. they still had that going during lockdown, where they’d have people come there, fill out the paperwork, then webcam in from the first floor of the courthouse to the judge on the second or third level. my agency was one of the ones who was like well that’s stupid and literally pushed them into allowing remote hearings, which has mostly been my work life since April. it’s good to be getting back to “normal” court somewhat at least. but I’m off track, anyway. I woke up at 10 and despite not being terribly early or me having stayed up terribly late I really did not want to get out of bed and was tempted to come up with some sort of story so I can go back to sleep, but alas, I persevered and got up. ubered over, things in the office were very hurry up and wait, either a time crunch for a small period of time and then a longer time with nothing to do. The door to our office suite was locked which it sometimes is and the front desk lady called someone to come unlock it and then they just like, didn’t, so I was just sitting there and then I got commissioned to go track down a motion someone in our org had filed that was hitting the wall for a reason that wasn’t an actual reason. so I had to go explain oh, we’re not representing them in this case, just filing (which is the speech I repeat to them every time we’re handling a case) and then it was oh well there’s no motion here and my boss had to be like bitch “petition” is literally the proper word for motion in this case and then it was about vacating orders and I repeated like 3 times this was a petition for a re-hearing, not vacating an order, and then there was something about fees and they eventually took it being like “well that’s what I’m gonna tell the judge, and we’ll see what he thinks” like surprise bitch the judge knew what was actually going on and agreed with us, not you. sigh. it’s always a delicate dance with the clerk’s office between being polite and occasionally having to make them do their jobs when they decide they don’t want to (I handed in an EOP filing today that has the 3 pm deadline and it was like 2:55 and I was READY for a fight, it’s not 3 yet do your fucking jobs, but thankfully it was just accepted without a fight, which was a relief because I’ve been there back when we were all in the office and the deadline was 4:30, banging on their door at 4:29 (not exaggerating) and demanding they do their damn jobs. it’s exhausting). Then when I went to pick up orders everyone was saying different things and one clerk was like “well you need to leave me a note by 11 that you want an order then come back at 2 to pick it up” like bitch do I look like a fucking gopher to you? you literally just have to pick up a paper on your desk and walk 10 feet to where you have a copy machine, make a copy and give it to us. THAT’S IT. sigh. it’s the DMV government worker lack of motivation to actually do their jobs right problem. whenever I had to dig in my heels with them but still don’t want them pissed at me in the future I always try to end with like “thank so much for your patience and help, I know everything is crazy right now but I really appreciate you taking the time to help me” and that tends to make people smile enough that they won’t just roll their eyes at me when I show up at their door in the future. there is the one guy who’s my in at the clerk’s office, he’s like in his 20s and really easy going and is like “hey baby” for every girl he knows but like it’s in a sweet adorable and not at all creepy way? And I’ve gone to him multiple times like help me pls and he’s always come through for me, the only issue is he tends to be a floater so he’s not always there when I need something. ah well. the other thing I did was a call for a court date next week when we’re bringing in a witness at the judge’s request. this is the client who is like 5 years older than me and she’s just SO COOL and I just want to be her friend so badly haha so I always like speaking with her. it’s been a really tough case because the dude is at least under the impression he’s a charming psychopath and he definitely does succeed in charming some people, I’ve had a few short conversations with him and he’s been amenable in a way that could be seen as charming but with everything I know about what he’s done I’m not gonna get caught up in there. I think the last time I saw him was at a court date in March when we were figuring things out and at one point the sheriff was bitching at him to do some stupid arbitrary thing like move back one bench or something they clearly just made up, and he looked at me and I just looked at the sheriff and then back to him and rolled my eyes, because it was very much a very common feeling because that stuff happens all the time. so we shared a small laugh but that was about it. I’m put in a weird position between needing to be professional and having to deal with a lot of slimy people. when there’s a lawyer on the other side of course a level of decorum is expected, and I’ve never really had an actual issue with a lawyer outside of them like, disagreeing with a motion but like, that’s their jobs I’m not going to hold that against him. but when the other part is self-represented, dealing with these dudes (and I’m saying dudes because I’ve personally only seen it from men in my limited experience) when I know every single awful thing they’ve done to my client and trying to be open with them is....frustrating, to say the least. The dude I was talking about yesterday who the judge kicked off the zoom call for being a fucking idiot, I had to spend like a whole morning going in circles with him about trying to reach and agreement and like, I also ofc know all of the super shitty things he’s done since then, but like, the amount of loathing I have towards this man is really here, and so I want to squash him like a bug whenever I get the opportunity to do so, but lately he’s been going out and getting himself squished (usually at his own fault) before I even get to him, and I mean, that makes my life easier haha. but that case is going off the rails and it’s really just a matter of time before he’s going to do something really desperate and extreme and all we can do is track his gps monitor that goes off and alerts my client that he’s close, and hope/pray the precautions we’ve put in place are enough to stop whatever he’s going to snap and finally do. I am really so fond of this client, she has daughters around my age and has sort of adopted me as one and always checks in with me to make sure I’m taking care of myself and everything is okay, and I know if anything happened to her I would be totally devastated and be very tempted to go find him and get the shit beaten out of him (or worse, depending on what happened). But I try not to think about that. I’ve gone so off track here haha lots of creeps who think they’re charming. but we had this phone call, it’s going to be an interesting court date because when we filed the motion we knew it was a long shot and probably wouldn’t get granted as we wanted it to be, but something needed to be done in the situation and this seemed like the best way to deal with it. but basically the judge had asked us to find a witness that it’s a really specific position to talk about the potential consequences for the dude (mainly if he can get reassigned or would just get fired) and we couldn’t quite get that, but we’re being resourceful and coming up with what we can and go from there. Okay, I’ve ranted way too much about work here, I left around 3:30 or so and ubered home, rest of the night was boring but relaxing which I will accept, I was kind of doing some work on different projects that had all required attention at the same time, but I was happy with the results. and yeah, I turned on the Jimmy Kimmel show for a few but he’s still out so it was a different host who was pretty funny, but not long afterwards I decided to shower and start getting ready for bed, and you basically know the story from there up until now. and now it’s past 2 and I do have a 8:45 wake up for court (maybe get to sleep after? we’ll see) so I am going to bed now. Goodnight babes. Stay strong.

[alegendarystudentwonderland-blog]

Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

"Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

Here's the deal. I got a letter from the Ohio BMV saying that I have been randomly chosen to prove I have insurance on one of my vehicles. I do have insurance, have always had insurance, (at least for the last 25 years or so) As I got to thinking about it, it started bugging me because it seems that this violates my 4th, and possibly my 5th, and potentially my 6th amendment rights. The letter kindly apologizes for any inconvenience, then states that if I do not comply, my license will be suspended. I begrudgingly intend to comply, just to avoid any hassle, but before I do (I have 3 weeks) I was hoping someone could explain to me how this can be legal. I can kind of understand having to prove compliance during a traffic stop, but randomly??? Through the mail??? The audacity of these people is troubling. Game on.

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://salecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

RELATED QUESTIONS: 

""Are you prepared to pay 10-11-13% of your income for $1100-1300 deductible health insurance, not copay?""

Will you go to the doctor more if another large percentage of your income is taken from your check and you still have to pay for office visits until you have paid $1100 to $1300 deductible before your insurance kicks in each year? http://www.bcbst.com/learn/affordability/04-639GovernmentMandatedBenefits.pdf Skip to page 16 to see the summary. This is a report by Blue Cross Blue Shield, a nonprofit health insurance provider. Government interventions causes health care costs to rise, not go down. http://www.quick-online-insurance-quote.com/blog/2009/05/13/what-is-the-average-price-of-health-insurance/ Why doesn't the government talk about the price each American will pay for government run health care plans?""

Not allowed to be insured on my mum's car because i work in a pub?

Hi, im starting work in a pub this weekend and in order to get to work etc my mum phoned her insurance company (more than) and asked how much it would be etc.. and they said im not allowed to be insured because ill be working in a pub and there might be a scuffle or something and the car might be damaged.... WHAT? are they serious?! well they are because they wont insure me!! can they do that? what ways round this are there? they have my details already, so i dont think phoning back and telling them a different occupation will work because they already know ill be in a bar. Can you please help me out here? i really need to be insured on my mums car, i cant afford my own car and i need this job to work out, but it wont unless i get this insurance!!! Thanks (im 22 years old by the way, male)""

I need insurance. Im 18 What do I do?

I turned 18 about 4 months ago and ive been trying to get my licence but my mom won't let me because she thinks I need to be insured as soon as i get my licence. I live in OR. they can't afford my insurrance and i dont have time for a job im an honors student in High school. next year im going away and would like to be driving by then. so my questions are. 1. do i need insurance as soon as i get my license? 2. can i drive my moms car (for example to the store and back) without insurance? How about someone elses car? 3. What is the best insurance for me to get? The quotes ive gotten are about 250 PER MONTH. I want to have a car next year but i wont have time to work with the courses im taking in college. how do i pay for my insurance next year.

How to get my baby insurance?

I will be under my moms insurance and I will be giving birth in a few months. How do I get my baby insurance? He can't be on my moms also can he?

Auto insurance companies?

what auto insurance companies are best rated for customer satisfaction? anyone like geico? why?

What cars are cheap and affordable for first time drivers ?

I am booking my driving test soon and looking to save some money for a car, already have some saved up, i wondered on any opinions on cheap cars, low-ish insurance and a reliable one. In the UK which i could buy.""

What is the likely penalty for a new driver caught without insurance?

i know you get 6-8 points but what im really interested in knowing is what happens with the license ie if it is revoked, how long on average is the ban before you can sit the test again?""

I need a cheap car insurance?

car insurance

Is a mechanical failure covered by an auto insurance policy?

is the cost of repairs for a mechanical failure covered by an auto insurance policy? Example: engine or transmission? I have full coverage on my vehicle

How can I prevent this girl from completely taking advantage of my insurance company?

A few nights ago I accidentally brushed the side of my neighbor's car with my front bumper (cause she was parked like an idiot as usual). I'm taking full responsibility of it cause it's my fault and I have no problem with that. Initially I was going to pay for the scrape to be compounded out and whatever else was wrong as a result of me hitting it. However, when I spoke to her, she started pointing out a ridiculous amount of things: there's a scratch in addition to the scrape (ok, sure), she says I cracked her light (maybe I did, it's possible) but she's also saying that I caused her tire to pop out and that there's tread missing from it (which makes absolutely no sense because I didn't hit the tire or rim or wheel well at all). Basically, she expects a whole new paint job and a set of tires which is ridiculous for the small amount of damage that was done. I want to make sure she isn't trying to take advantage of my insurance company and cause my rates to skyrocket as a result. The car is a complete piece of sh*t and she doesn't take care of it at all - the paint's dull, the rims are rusted - and I think she's trying to fix these things by making it like they were a result of me hitting her. I have no problem at all taking responsibility for the damage I did, but I do have a problem with her making things up and trying to fix other issues through my insurance company. The last claims representative I spoke with told me that I would not be contacted by the adjuster at all since there is no damage to my car. Since she's going to be talking with the adjuster and I won't, I'm afraid she's going to exaggerate the amount of damage. Should I call my insurance company and tell them this? Will they care? What can I do?""

How can I fight to get more money out of my car insurance company?

We bought a 2011 Lancer on Dec 8th 2010. On Dec 27th 2010, we slid off the road in a blizzard, but the car was not damaged AT ALL. The car was parked and only had our pets and christmas gifts from the holidays. An idiot speeding in a snow storm made a b-line into our car. Both ours and their insurance determined the car totaled and the other driver was found at fault by his insurance company. We did have GAP coverage (which will NEVER happen again). The car was 19 days owned and we believe we should get MSRP for our car. Does anyone know if this is reasonable? I think we pay so much every month and therefore are entitled to be in the same position financially as we were before the accident. (Also, we had stuff : a rifle, our pets, their crate that got damaged. We were wondering if that and the out-of-pocket rental car expenses should be covered... seeing that it was in direct relation to the car accident, that was his fault.)""

How much would insurance cost for a USED EVO 8?

The other day my auntie said she will buy me a car. Her husband is a doctor and makes alot of money. She has helped our family out a lot with financial problems before in the past. So I was just wondering if she were to get me an 2003-2005 EVO 8 which I probably wont get, how much would the insurance cost, the car being under her name. She says all I have to do is pay for the insurance for a car so I just wanted to ask the Yahoo nation for some information on this situation. Oh yeah one more thing im only making a lousy income of about 1084 a month so yeah feel free to bash on me............""

What is the best health insurance to cover pregnancy and birth?

I am moving to Florida, miami actually and Im looking for an affordable insurance that is different from medicaid........thanks""

Motorcycle insurance and licensing.?

I'm going to get a motorcycle, I'm wondering how much it will cost me to get a Class 6 license in BC, Canada, while I don't have one for cars. And also, how much do you think I will pay for insurance? Just the bare minimum, to keep me legal? Thanks...""

Homeowners and health insurance?

We have Nationwide homeowners insurance, which is just added to our mortgage. If we get health insurance through them too, do you think they can just add it to our mortgage also?""

How much would my insurance be?

I am a 17 year old male and I'm looking a getting a ford mustang. I am trying to get a 2008 v6 4.0 L convertible is my car insurance going to be rediculously high?

I need health insurance for my baby... please help.?

Sadly we missed the open enrollment date at my husbands job to add our infant son. He could have been added up to 30 days after he was born and we missed the date. We filed an appeal and they denied us. So now I have a 3 month old who has no insurance and cannot see a doctor for his shots or if he gets sick. We make too much money for like medical or healthy families but not enough to afford expensive private insurance for him. ANy advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you

Car insurance keeps going up despite excellent driving record?

I have had car insurance through shelter for going on 4 years.ive had no traffic tickets at all no accidents nothing ! But yet my monthly amount keeps changing.It has went from around $92 then I added a my car alarm system got a discount it went to $72 for a few months.then to $82. For the past 4 months now I got a letter saying my next payment due is $107 . That $20 dollar increase.??? I'm getting very fed up with shelter I'm a new mom and it's hard enough to pay my bills as it is I recently got married does that change ur car insurance ? He has no license because of something that happened around 10 years ago . When i report I'm married is it going to help or hurt me? I do not have any intentions of adding him to my policy but just was wondering if I will get a discount from being (married) now? I know most company's give discounts because they seem to think married ppl drive more safely.

How much will my auto insurance cost?

Ok...so I'm looking at an old 73' Bug to possibly buy for college and all. Cost- of the car at least- is not a problem, as its $100, and I have $100. (Yes, it does have issues and looks horrible, but hey it runs and drives). So...that brings up insurance. There is NO way I can get in on my mom's insurance- she won't let me get a car so the only way is if I do all myself, and I'm 18 now and going to college in a few weeks, so a=Im looking at my options. I know as a male teenage driver its going to be high, but what is high? How much will good grades and all that help? Just, what would you recommend and how much could it end up costing? Thanks...""

Cheap car ins for 21 yrs male with ncb help?

my partner is looking for a cheap quote for car insurance he is 21 with 1 claim and no years no claims bonus we r being quoted over 1000 please help i tried loads of web sites but if any one knows a really good one or phone number that will be great thanx

Co op young drivers insurance (Smart box)?

Do co op young drivers insurance insure Cat C cars that have been repaired with vic certificate and log book? i called them twice and one person says they do but the other person said they don't so im confused on weather to buy the car or not? Thanks

How much will car insurance cost for a teenage guy?

How much will car insurance cost for a teenage guy?

How many American do not have health insurance?

How many American do not have health insurance?

What is a good car insurance for someone that is 21?

im 21 my car is insured by my moms insurance but she wants to take me off. What are some good options??i live in california and im a full time student.

Where to get cheap motorcycle insurance in ontario?

Where to get cheap motorcycle insurance in ontario?

Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

Here's the deal. I got a letter from the Ohio BMV saying that I have been randomly chosen to prove I have insurance on one of my vehicles. I do have insurance, have always had insurance, (at least for the last 25 years or so) As I got to thinking about it, it started bugging me because it seems that this violates my 4th, and possibly my 5th, and potentially my 6th amendment rights. The letter kindly apologizes for any inconvenience, then states that if I do not comply, my license will be suspended. I begrudgingly intend to comply, just to avoid any hassle, but before I do (I have 3 weeks) I was hoping someone could explain to me how this can be legal. I can kind of understand having to prove compliance during a traffic stop, but randomly??? Through the mail??? The audacity of these people is troubling. Game on.

Is car insurance issued in one province valid in another?

I can't afford insurance in Ontario. The basic rates for males under 25 are the highest in all of north america. I was thinking of changing my legal address to Manitoba to apply for their insurance whilst forwarding all my mail to my actual address. I can't take public transit, I live and study in the suburbs. I'd also have to bike 20kms each way to work otherwise. I was quoted between 6000-8000$ /year despite no accidents,tickets and choosing a relatively cheap car to insure.""

Pay Monthly Cars and Car Insurance Package?

Hi does anyone know of any UK Company that offer a new car and car insurance combined into 1 monthly payment? I know of Young Marmalade but I would like to see if there are any other good and cheap companies out there. Thanks

""What agency will investigate fraud, abuse or illegal activity in government medical insurance programs?

And how will the Judicial system be made affordable for persons who are living in poverty?

Does your insurance go up?

If you park in a bus stop zone, in NYC, and get a ticket. Does your car insurance go up? What happens? I paid it off right away in like 2 hours, will there be something else?""

For my first car I'm thinking about getting a 1983 Mazda RX-7 but what is the cost of insurance?

I really need to now because I found one cheap....please I need help!

""For teens, how much do you pay for your insurance car?""

Without your parents, if you live in New York, Westchester, how much would you pay for your car insurance? Let's say that the car is a Honda Civic 2001 THanks!""

If you know about car insurance (10 points will be awarded )?

Hey, my older brother has a Honda HR-V 1.6 VTEC engine which is UK insurance group 9 and tax bracket F, I am looking at a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 engine, insurance group 9 and tax bracket E... my insurance is with my dads business who say i can have up to a 1.6, I learnt to drive in my brothers car but the insurance company are looking into whether or not i can have a Suzuki Swift Sport, it has no turbocharger, so what is the big deal 10 Points for best answer""

Do you know if there is an insurance company that insures cars that travels in both Mexico and Texas?

I am temporarily living in Mexico and will be crossing the border to Texas. I don't know if anyone knows if there is auto insurance that takes care of insurance for crossing the ...show more

""18, Looking for car insurance, a little lost?""

I'm really not entirely sure what to do or look for. My parent has pretty much told me to sink or swim at this point and is not helping whatsoever, so I need a little help or atleast a push in the right direction. I only need cheap liability insurance, since between my job and school I'm strapped for cash. Does anyone have any recommendations? Any advice on where to start looking? I'm an 18 year old guy with a beat up 18 year old truck with a great driving record in Oklahoma if that makes any difference.""

So we need to get auto insurance...?

We need to get auto insurance for our new car. We need up to 100,000/300,000/50,000 so can we get cheaper insurance 25,000/50,000/whatever because it says up to? or do we need atleast 100,000/...? Also who have you found is the cheapest?""

Auto insurance question?

I am looking into financing a 2007 honda civic coupe ex. It is a 1.8 liter inline 4 motor. Front wheel drive and automatic with almost 68,000 miles on it. In florida, you have to get full coverage until you finish paying off the car. I am 23 with 2 traffic tickets. One for a stop sing violation and another for no proof of insurance. Both tickets were given to me at the same time almost 3 years ago. Thats the only 2 tuckets ive ever had. I live in the country as well because i know that matters for a quote. But with this information, what would be a good estimate on how much full coverage insurance would be on this vehicle? Thanjs in advance.""

Can we have the car in one name and insurance in the other name?

My boyfriends car is in his dads name. Does anyone know if we could keep the car in his dads name but get the insurance in my boyfriends name???

How much would insurance be if i got this car?

its a 1992 toyota celica gt,i would be going under my dads insurance cause of my age and this is what he would be worried about.he has geico.im not going through drivers ed.his car is a 2004 dodge neon sxt.this is all of the info i can think of right .what would you say the insurance would be at a estimate?""

Car insurance?

What's the point in paying car insurance if sometimes they deny your claim if something ever happens

Insurance companies that don't require college degree ?

Does anybody know of any insurance companies that you don't need a college degree to work at? Apparently you need one for liberty mutual which is where I was looking to work. I was working at American income for a month but was not satisfied with how the company is operated. I'm looking to go into property and casualty as well. Is there any good companies out there that will hire with a little experience and offer a schooling program for property and casualty? I already hold a life license good for the next 2 years.

Fair insurance for 03CBR600RR?

progressive. 170 a month. average liability coverage and collision and theft protection. im 19 and in the Military...have not taken the MSF course i know this will lower the cost. but interested to know if this is about the average price thank you

What are car insurance groups?

Im a provisional driver and ive seen a 2004 Vauxhall Corsa...it says the insurance is Group 3. So what exactly does that mean? And is that good considering it will be my first car that i will be driving around for quite a while? :)

Car buying/drive test/insurance question.?

By June 16th, the first day of my job, I will need to not only buy a car, but purchase insurance and schedule/complete/pass my drive test. Now, this could be my young naive mind talking, but I am a very alert driver, maybe a little fast, but VERY alert. When doing behind the wheel, I went on the freeway after only 1 hour and the guy said I'm only the second person he's felt comfortable with doing that. But my question is, in what order should i do this (car, test, insurance) and how much preparation/time does each take. i'm hoping for my parents to stop fighting so my dad can buy a new one and give me his truck, but there are no guarantees. By the way, I am 16, and don't think this is some worthless endeavor by a kid with no money. I have saved for over 3 years (I know have over 10000$ but I have to buy everything, but my parents will pay for half of the insurance costs. THANKS""

Car Insurance.?

Should car insurance still be payed if the car has been taken off the road eg. S.O.R.N was declared. I say it shouldn't but my neighbour said it should be (he's a man!)

""Cheapest car insurance, help!? (UK)?""

im 17, 18 soon. (female) i haven't passed my test yet but im looking for car insurance for when i do... but everything im finding is like 2 grand plus and i cant afford that! all im looking for is a small 2001 corsa... i dont mind whether its fully comp or not, i just want it to be cheaper than that! does anyone have any tips? ive been on go compare and all the comparison ones but its still like 2500.. even with my parents insured aswell! any advice?""

Who has the Cheapest libility Car Insurance in Chicago?

I want some libility Insurance under $50.dollars, not over $49dollars.""

Car insurance company wont pay for my car? /:?

I got into an accident like 6 or 7 months ago. I was making a legal left hand turn and she tried to pass me on the left while I was making that left and obviously she hit me. she lied to the police and said I was pulling out from the shoulder and I didn't look to see her coming and the officer believed me and wrote my story down on the report cuz that's actually what happened lol. her insurance company (Geico) is obviously taking her side cuz they don't want to pay and even though they have the police report they are only paying me 50% and that's just unacceptable. Is there anything I can do to make them pay for at least 75% of it?( besides eyewitnesses cuz there were none )

Which would be a better place to sell auto insurance Arizona or Dallas?

Which would be a better place to sell auto insurance Arizona or Dallas?

How can i get cheap car insurance at 17?

How can i get cheap car insurance at 17?

Does manual transmission increase your insurance rate?

i had someone tell me it did, but i just don't know about that!""

Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

Here's the deal. I got a letter from the Ohio BMV saying that I have been randomly chosen to prove I have insurance on one of my vehicles. I do have insurance, have always had insurance, (at least for the last 25 years or so) As I got to thinking about it, it started bugging me because it seems that this violates my 4th, and possibly my 5th, and potentially my 6th amendment rights. The letter kindly apologizes for any inconvenience, then states that if I do not comply, my license will be suspended. I begrudgingly intend to comply, just to avoid any hassle, but before I do (I have 3 weeks) I was hoping someone could explain to me how this can be legal. I can kind of understand having to prove compliance during a traffic stop, but randomly??? Through the mail??? The audacity of these people is troubling. Game on.

""Caught speeding, 17 years old, Ohio, effect on insurance rates?""

I just got my first ticket after driving for about 8 months, was in my new car and acted like a complete idiot, was going 84 in a 65 mph zone, what's a good estimate on how much my insurance rates will go up? Percentages or actual amounts would both be helpful.""

How much would Liability insurance run me for my mobile auto detailing business?

Im looking to start a mibile detailing business within the next year and I need insurance

What is the cost of insurance when renting a car in USA?

Hello, I want to rent a car. I do not own a car and nor the insurance. I want to know how much I have to pay for the insurance cost. I am above 25yrs of age. Thanks.""

Whats the cheapest insurance i can get for a 2006 or 2008 suzuki gsxr 600?

Whats the cheapest insurance i can get for a 2006 or 2008 suzuki gsxr 600?

Affordable Health Care Who is really paying for it?

32 Million in the US uninsured. Pre ACA, the uninsured would show up in the ER, get whatever treatment they could then leave, most of them not paying the bill. The hospital prices ...show more""

How come Americans can't afford medical insurance?

Yet we seem to have PLENTY of money to blow on Ipods, Itunes, Iphones, lap top computers, DVD players, flat screen TVs, designer clothing, fast food, porn, alcohol, cigarettes, and concert tickets?""

Cheapest car insurance south australia?

what is and the price, for the cheapest car insurance places in south australia for a japanese import car with a turbo for a p plater, 16 years old, nealry 17? thanks""

A few questions about health insurance (recent college grad still on parent's insurance)?

I asked a similar question yesterday but realized I was a bit vague. So, here's my situation. I am a recent college grad working a job that does not offer me health insurance, and I receive excellent coverage under my parent's plan. I recently went to a job interview for a position that offers insurance, but I would have to pay a pretty large chunk of change for it monthly ($500+, which is a lot if you're working an entry-level position), and the coverage isn't nearly as good as my current plan. (For example, I currently pay $3 for a three month supply of my prescription. The new plan would charge me $30-90 for the same amount pills). I saw a clause in the Affordable Health Care Act that said I would only be able to do this after January 1st, 2014....I really wish this went into effect in 2013 instead! So, my questions are: Can I opt out of this insurance and remain on their plan? If I were to take this job and the insurance plan, would I be able to re-enroll under their plan if I stopped working at this place and worked at a place that didn't offer insurance? (I'm under 26, and my family's plan covers both my parents and another sibling)""

""Desperately need help/advice on Car Insurance - 18 years old, lives in Muskegon, Michigan?""

I am going to be getting a car soon from my mother, and I need to pay for the insurance on it..... and I don't know the first thing about car insurance. I am looking for by far the cheapest option, but one with decent to good coverage. I've heard there are certain companies that offer discounts if you meet certain requirements, so here are things that might make me qualify.... I think? 18 years old I've taken drivers training Part time job B+ Average Not dependent on parents Thanks in advance.""

Liability Car Insurance for another state?

Hi, I would really appreciate if someone could give me an answer to resolve this situation: Facts: 1- I legally own a car in the US, currently I'm overseas. 2- My friend has a complete power of attorney 3- Car was registered in California and now is staying in Virginia for almost a year. 4- I put the car on Nonoperational status with CA DMV and canceled insurance in 08.2008. 5- I need to make my car drivable again, and my friend has to move it to MD where she lives. 6- To put car back on road with CA plates I should renew the registration with CA DMV. 7- CA DMV requires the liability insurance before registration. 8- My friend was at the insurance company (Progressive Insurance) and they say, they cannot insure the car with Californian liability unless the car is physically in CA. Wnen I'll be back to US in couple of months I have to drive car back to CA, because I study there so my residence is CA. Can anyone tell me please how this situation can be resolved? - I don't wanna sell my car - registration with MD MVA is the last expensive and unwanted option.""

What would insurance cost for a 16 year old male with 08 Honda Accord LX-S coupe/ 2dr?

Hi, I am a 16 year old male and I might be getting a 08 Honda Accord LX-S coupe. But I want to know how much it would be to insure the car. I know that it is not classified as a sports car. I'm not sure if I am getting it so I just want to know. I have a clean driving record with no accidents (i just got my license). Thanks!""

Im 21 and in need of health insurance...?

My company offers it but its like $200/month and i cant afford that! Im a female, non smoker, and in good health. I just need basic health insurance that has dental and eye. What are some good options out there?""

Car insurance in new york?

if i hold a junior driver licence in new york do i need to have insurance if i drive my moms car? also if i do does my mom insurance go uo? i am 16 with a jr driver licence! http://1proxyweb.cn/car-insurance.html

What is the toll free phone number for Travelers Insurance?

I am looking for a toll free phone number with Travelers Insurance that is dedicated to new customer quotes not existing customer service.

Do I need a permanent address to get car insurance and register my car?

I live in california right now with my parents but I plan on traveling the country for a while living in my car. My insurance will be expired in march of 09 and I need to be smogged around then too. I wanted to leave mid december of this year and get out in the midwest/east for the next few years and just keep traveling. Can I just use a PO box address?? I dont want to use my parents address because they like to go through my mail. All of my friends are leaving to university in differnt states so I cant really rely on any of their addresses.

Why are those who declared a great need to be able to buy Affordable Health Insurance now refusing to buy it ?

Why are so many of those who declared that they had a great unfulfilled need to be able to buy Affordable Health Insurance.... which they assured us they would buy if & when it were made available to them,.... now refusing to buy this Affordable Health Insurance now that it has been made available to them ? Why did those people who screamed the loudest declaring the need for them to be offered the opportunity to buy Affordable Health now screaming the loudest to declare they do not intend to buy the same Affordable Health Insurance that they told us they would buy if it were offered to them and would rather pay a fine than buy the Affordable Health Insurance that they had clamored for ?""

How can I find cheap car insurance?

I have a policy with RBC. They just jacked me up by 400 a year....

Car & Health Insurance?

How pathetic of a country are we, that car insurance is mandatory, even criminal if we don't have it, yet health insurance is not? What does this say about us as a society?""

Cheap UK car insurance UK - Student?

Hi , I'm 18 I'm looking for cheap car insurance What company do you have ? How much do you pay ? per annum/month Co - op student insurance in cheap but they put a box in your car that monitors your speed, how you turn corners etc. which I think is a bit ridiculous and I really dont want to settle for that. Thanks""

What is the difference in Medicaid/Medicare and state insurance?

What is the difference in Medicaid/Medicare and state insurance?

Insurance rates for 05 Hyundai Tiburon?

2005 Hyundai Tiburon. 2 door. Coupe. GT V6 4-Spd Auto Would insurance rates be any higher because it's a sport-sy car? And do you know how much it typically is to add another person & car to your insurance?

How much is auto insurance for a 17 year old (Toronto)?

depending on the price range of insurance, i will be looking forward to buy a used car and i will probably use the car for less then 2 hours a day. I completed driving school about a year ago and i got my g2. So how much will insurance be a year for me?""

Buying used car. What do I do for insurance?

I'm buying a new car today and I was wondering if I could drive it home (~2miles) without insurance. If not, what do I do? Thanks""

Is a Kawasaki ninja 250 or a Kawasaki KLR650 cheaper insurance?

I'm looking for a first bike, I am 16 years old, 150LBS, 5'11''. Money is an issue so I will be getting maybe an 08 ninja or an older duel sport bike. Anybody have any estimates and anybody have any suggestions? I will only have about $3000 to spend. I am looking for liability insurance.""

250CC motorcycle insurance-How much should I expect to pay?

I am looking to buy my first motorcycle. I am looking in the 250CC category. I have narrowed down to 1. Yamaha Virago 2. Honda Shadow I am 29 yrs old male with good driving record for car. Have good credit history. How much should I expect to pay for insurance for the motorcycle if I buy 1. NEW 2. USED (my preference). I would probably look for a MB with 10-15K on it.

Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

Here's the deal. I got a letter from the Ohio BMV saying that I have been randomly chosen to prove I have insurance on one of my vehicles. I do have insurance, have always had insurance, (at least for the last 25 years or so) As I got to thinking about it, it started bugging me because it seems that this violates my 4th, and possibly my 5th, and potentially my 6th amendment rights. The letter kindly apologizes for any inconvenience, then states that if I do not comply, my license will be suspended. I begrudgingly intend to comply, just to avoid any hassle, but before I do (I have 3 weeks) I was hoping someone could explain to me how this can be legal. I can kind of understand having to prove compliance during a traffic stop, but randomly??? Through the mail??? The audacity of these people is troubling. Game on.

Will I lose my insurance?

My boyfriend and I recently found out were expecting our first child. I am a 20 year old full-time college student and am still under my parents health insurance. If we were to get married, would I lose my insurance? Also, if I would does anyone know of affordable health insurance for me and the baby?""

How much roughly would car insurance cost for a 17 year old new driver in the uk?

about what price would a 1.4l engine cost for a female 17 year old cost? is a 1.4l engine too large? the car that my grandad is interested in buying me is a 3dr 2007 1.4l polo. is this suitable for a new driver?? any answers would be really helpful thankyou x

What are typical limits on a full coverage auto insurance policy.?

I was recently in a mans vehicle when he wrecked, I was pretty seriously injured, and now have a lot of medical bills, and surgery bills. I know that he has a full coverage policy with Geico, because they have contacted me, and told me that. The only thing that they will not tell me is his personal limits. I have found out though that He has a history of accidents, and DUI'S. I do not know if that has any affect on his limits or not. I am just concerened about my bills getting paid, and my reimbursement for my lost time, and pain and suffering.""

Health Insurance Now and Later?

I am married going on 2 years. We have decided that we do want children. I am looking at health insurance for myself and I was wondering if I just get health insurance including dental or do I need to go ahead and apply for pregnancy insurance before we even start trying to get pregnant? Are there any insurance companies who are better than others?

Car insurance - UK

My provisonal license will be valid in 2 months when im 17 and once i take my driving test and pass it, i plan on getting a car. The thing is that insurance will be quite high as i would have just passed my test and im only 17. My question is: If i get the car and register it under my mums (or dads) name and put the insurance under their names would it be cheaper? Bear in mind that my parents have about 16 years of no claims bonusus too, thanx xxx""

How much will my insurance go up after a DUI??

I got a D.U.I. and i am going to get my license back soon and i am wondering how much my insurance will be compared to before.

""In arizona state, can you get health insurance for your outstanding other if you are not married?""

In arizona state, can you get health insurance for your outstanding other if you are not married?""

My daughter was in a multi vehicle car accident and i cant seem to find an estimate for car insurance?

It was a 2001 hyundai elantra. My insurance was 9 star. My daughter just turned 21 and wasen't given permission to drive the car.

Insurance question please answer if you know?

my friends husband has colon cancer the health insurance is about to run out she is looking for morer health insurance does anyone know any health insurance that will insure him?

How will Hillary Clinton give heatlh insurance to homeless people?

My other question is how will she provide health insurance to families that can't afford the most affordable plans?

How much would my life insurance be?

If I get it as soon as I'm 18? I am also physically disabled, have epilepsy, visual cuts, and partially deaf. Would it be higher? Or lower since I'd be considered a vulnerable adult?""

Which website is best to get best auto/car insurance quotes?

Is there a genuine website which compares all the available auto insurances and provides you the best results. I tried www.insurancehotline.com but this was a really bad website and showed me very high quotes.

Comprehensive Auto insurance?

I'm sure someone has already answered this question, but i couldn't seem to find it. Ok I have AAA comprehensive auto insurance and my question is if i was parked outside at a meter and someone hit me would i be covered? Also same scenario just in a parking lot. Thank you, for anyone that answers this question""

Car insurance question?

To cancel car insurance will be 480 plus 50 admin fee to cancel this now ive lost my job. ive had insurance for 2 months and know they are all doing this cancellation fee now but i only got a car for work purposes and now they've made me redundant how i am expected to pay the 530? what can i do is there any options because i simply cant afford that amount.

Does anyone know how much tax and insurance would cost for a 17 yr old learner driver?

Does anyone know how much tax and insurance would cost for a 17 yr old learner driver?

Where can i get the cheapest insurance for saxo vtr?

ive just passed my test and i already had the car well before i started lessons. ime 26 with 2 kids under 16. ive been getting stupid quotes for 5000. i know its a boy racers car but it doesnt meen ime going to be doing handbrakes and racing in it. just using it to get to work and take my kids out. i got the car for 600 2000 model and really want this car cant be doing with a 1.0 L or anything under a 1.6 can anyone give me a insurance company that will give me a decent quote. thankssss

Will insurance still able to view my previous ticket record and raise my car insurance?

I got a ticket in April of 2004. I paid the fine and went to traffic school. Just two days ago, i got a ticket for speeding (48 at a 35 limit). 1) will I still able to go to traffic school for this ticket? (I'm in CA, my friend told me we are allowed to take traffic school if it's over 18 months since the last citation, is this correct)? 2) i read some yahoo answer on car insurance and someone is saying the insurance company will still able to view the previous citation and raise the car insurance if we get the second citation within 3 years of the 1st one. the point will be unmasked for insurance company to see. is this true? 3) if it is true, does that mean even if i'm able to go to traffic school for my second citation, the insurance company can still raise car insurance for my 1st citation?""

""I got a wet reckless, and filed the SR-22. What happens if I cancel my insurance?

The California DMV says you have to maintain proof of financial responsibility (car insurance) for 3 years after a license reinstatement after a wet reckless charge. What happens if I cancel my policy and change insurance companies? What happens if I just cancel my policy and just don't choose to drive?

How much is car insurance for a first time teenage driver?

How much is car insurance for a first time teenage driver?

Inexspensive insurance for a first time under 21 car buyer?

I'm 18, plan on purchasing a car soon. Honestly, which car I purchase is based off my monthly insurance payment. Im young & back in November I recieved my first speeding ticket, I paid it instead of going to court.. Worst choice ever. Anyways, Does anybody know good cheap insurance for a driver like myself? Below are a list of cars that are on my list.. 1. 2004 BMW 745LI 2. 2002-2003 BMW M3 3. 2004-2005 Audi A8L 4. 2007 Jeep Wrangler (4-Door) Please help. Thanks!""

I received a non moving violation for exhaust/more. Will my insurance go up?

I received a ticket the other day for modified exhaust (Vehicle code 27151 Article B) and Gross polluter (Article 27156). Both are checked as non correctable, but I plan to go to the Ref because A. I know my vehicle is below 95db and B. I am running with a catalytic converter and have passed smog within the past 6 months. The second ticket I believe is just for having a Cold Air intake. Will these two things make my insurance rates rise or because they are non moving, they won't?""

What would be the cheapest insurance company for a 125cc motorbike?

i am a 17 male living in the uk.

Will my parents insurance go up if I received a speeding ticket and I am not on their insurance?

I'm 17 and I recently got pulled over by a Louisiana State Trooper for going 84mph in a 60mph speed zone. I was driving my mother's car and she is insured with State Farm but I am not on the policy. I know I can plea guilty and take a class to get it off of my record but I hope it doesn't affect their car insurance rates......

Will this decrease/increase my insurance rate?

#NAME?

Is it legal to use foreign car insurance in the UK?

I'm a 17 year old male and I've just passed my driving test, I'm trying to think of every and any way possible to get car insurance as cheap as possible. I was wondering whether it's possible to purchase and use car insurance from a foreign company in the UK and if it is possible whether you could have a policy on an English car or whether i'd have to purchase an import. Thanks in advance.""

Is it legal for the State to randomly demand proof of insurance?

Here's the deal. I got a letter from the Ohio BMV saying that I have been randomly chosen to prove I have insurance on one of my vehicles. I do have insurance, have always had insurance, (at least for the last 25 years or so) As I got to thinking about it, it started bugging me because it seems that this violates my 4th, and possibly my 5th, and potentially my 6th amendment rights. The letter kindly apologizes for any inconvenience, then states that if I do not comply, my license will be suspended. I begrudgingly intend to comply, just to avoid any hassle, but before I do (I have 3 weeks) I was hoping someone could explain to me how this can be legal. I can kind of understand having to prove compliance during a traffic stop, but randomly??? Through the mail??? The audacity of these people is troubling. Game on.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cheap-car-ins-21-yrs-male-ncb-help-cleofa-escobedo"